January 7th, 2010, 37 comments
Great software needs hardware that can keep up, and my new Nexus One is a sleek, awesome handset. But the most important ingredient in this generation of touchscreen smartphones is the software: the screen is just a canvas that software paints on, and Android 2.1 is a work of art.
Coming from the chunky G1, the thin and flat Nexus One hearkens back to my iPhone days. (It doesn't require a holster, and slid into my jeans pocket it doesn't make my thigh look too fat--it gets lots of vanity points for that.) The screen is huge and crisp; the dual noise-canceling microphones are sweet; the true headphone jack is much-appreciated, and the glowing trackball is a nice touch.
Now that that's out of the way--the best part of the Nexus One is Android 2.1. If all goes well, many existing Android users will get that update even if they don't get a new handset. After spending just a few hours with my new phone, here are a few of my favorite Android 2.1 features, in screenshots.
Click to enlarge each image to actual size (including the image of my current home screen, shown here).
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Nexus One Flash Impressions
January 5th, 2010, 7 comments
Google announced the Nexus One phone today, which is on sale from Google here. My current contract is up, I'm sick of living with Edge, and I don't want to depend on good enough data coverage for Skype, so I bought one with the T-Mobile plan. As a former iPhone user and soon-to-be-former G1 user, I'm excited about getting a thin and light phone with replaceable battery and a true headphone jack. I'm a huge fan of the trackball in general, so I'm loving that the Nexus One's trackball doubles as a notification system; however, I do fear I'll miss the G1's awesome flip-out keyboard more than "never." I mostly use my smartphone to email/text/Twitter, so I'm looking forward to speaking email with voice input, multiple Gmail account and Undo support. More Nexus One goodness as I discover it... now, to wait for FedEx.
A Case for the Unsubsidized Nexus One
January 4th, 2010, 7 comments
I'm pretty excited about the launch of the Nexus One tomorrow (even though in Engadget's video demo Android's schmancy new Live wallpaper process crashes, see minute 4:09). Since my AT&T contract is up I'm planning on getting one along with a new two-year T-Mobile contract. Even though I hate getting locked into another contract, dropping almost $500 on an unsubsidized phone felt like a little too much. However, it looks like the phone plus a data-only T-Mobile plan might just be cheaper in the long run (provided you're ok with being dependent on a paid Skype account). Here are the numbers.
Great software needs hardware that can keep up, and my new Nexus One is a sleek, awesome handset. But the most important ingredient in this generation of touchscreen smartphones is the software: the screen is just a canvas that software paints on, and Android 2.1 is a work of art.
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