The Nexus One “superphone” revolution appears to be experiencing some backlash. Google’s Nexus One has been available for less than a week, yet customers and developers are already amassing a growing list of issues and complaints.
Nexus One Repairs at Dr. Cell Phone
The speculation leading up to the Nexus One launch event, and the hype dished out by Google during the press event suggest that this is not just another smartphone. No, it’s not even just another Android smartphone. This is the first Android 2.1 smartphone, and the first Google-branded smartphone, and the first smartphone marketed directly from Google’s new online storefront.
While Android has already developed an army of loyalists quick to react to anything less than glowing praise by labeling the source either as a biased Apple fanboy, or an out-of-touch Luddite, there is also a growing chorus of complaints from both users and developers suggesting that the Nexus One honeymoon might be over almost as quickly as it began.
Customer Support
For some of the customers first in line to grab a Nexus One, excitement did not take long to turn into frustration. The Google support forums have filled up with users complaining that the Nexus One 3G connectivity is flaky. Users appear to be experiencing issues ranging from never getting a 3G connection, to Nexus One devices that constantly flip between 3G and EDGE connectivity.
That isn’t the real problem, though. The Nexus One is a complex device that performs a variety of functions and users are bound to encounter issues. The real problem is figuring out which entity is supposed to be responsible for answering questions and providing support.
Google touted its market-revolutionizing strategy of selling the devices directly from its own Web site rather than distributing them through a wireless provider. Of course, you could already buy mobile phones on the Web–with or without a service plan–from popular online destinations like Amazon and Best Buy, and you still have to get service from a provider. The only one currently available is T-Mobile which makes the Nexus One purchase experience a lot like buying it from T-Mobile’s Web site.
If you buy a Nexus One manufactured by HTC, directly from Google’s Web site, and use it with T-Mobile’s wireless network–who do you call when you have a problem? Google is only accepting support requests via e-mail, and users are getting bounced between T-Mobile and HTC as neither seems equipped to answer complaints, or willing to accept responsibility for supporting the Nexus One.
Developer Support
One of the leading measures of the success of a smartphone platform is its apps. Android will not challenge the iPhone for most apps any time soon, but the open source platform is popular with developers and the Android Market has over 20,000 apps available.
Developers are disgruntled, though, by the lack of tools for the new Android 2.1 platform. Google apparently wanted to keep the new bells and whistles of Android 2.1 secret for the Nexus One launch.
Now the Nexus One is available, and Android 2.1 will soon be available as an update for existing Android-based handsets, but Google has yet to release an SDK (software developers’ kit) to provide developers with the tools they need to be able to develop apps that leverage the new bells and whistles, or just to make sure the apps they have already developed are compatible with Android 2.1.
Vendor Support
Prior to the rumors and speculation about the Nexus One, the Android story revolved around the quickly growing number of Android-based devices available from an increasingly diverse collection of manufacturers.
Verizon invested heavily in generating buzz and marketing the launch of the Motorola Droid. The Droid was the first Android 2.0 device, and the Motorola hardware made the Droid a compelling platform rivaling the iPhone.
That was just over two months ago. Now, the Motorola Droid has had its thunder stolen by the HTC Nexus One. The Droid will get the Android 2.1 update soon, but its hardware is not capable of delivering all of the functionality of the latest platform.
Google’s partnership with HTC, and its entry into the Android smartphone arena leaves other vendors like Motorola and Samsung at a disadvantage. If the Nexus One launch is any indication, Google and HTC may always be one step ahead of the competition, designing devices that incorporate new functionality that competitors aren’t yet aware of.
I am sure Google did not anticipate that jumping into the smartphone market would be all wine and roses, but I suspect that it thought the honeymoon might last more than a week. Google’s new venture gives it a lot of plates to keep spinning–working with wireless providers and hardware manufacturers, cultivating developers, and supporting customers.
We’re less than 24 hours away from Google’s special event on Tuesday morning, when the company is expected to launch a Google-brandedsuperphone, the Nexus One. But according to recent reports, this GSM-based device is just another smartphone that can only boast a few slight improvements over other Android devices already out there such as Motorola’s Droid. It’s important to remember that nothing is official until Google makes its announcement, but here’s what to expect on Tuesday based on reports from around the Web.
The Phone
Over the weekend, Engadget posted a brief overview of what it claims is the Nexus One. The gadget blog’s initial verdict is that the Nexus One, while a nice phone, is not a game changer for the mobile industry. The device’s most prominent feature is believed to be its speed, which is all about the device’s rumored 1Ghz Snapdragon CPU. The next fastest phone, by comparison, is the Palm Pre with a 600Mhz chip. The Nexus One has a tweaked user interface for improved navigation, and other interesting display features like “live” wallpapers that animate in the background.
The Nexus One is also supposed to have a 3.7-inch display, microSD card slot expandable up to 32GB, a 5-megapixel camera with LED Flash, 512MB of ROM, and 512MB of RAM. Google’s handset was built by HTC and is slightly thinner than the iPhone.
The Nexus One is Touchy, But Not Feely
Google has reportedly omitted multitouch capabilities from the Nexus One, even though the device’s operating system, Android 2.1, can support it. This is not the first time an Android device has left off multitouch. Reports surfaced last February claiming that Google didn’t support multitouch on the G1 after arequest from Apple — which, at the time, was believed to be vigorously protecting its patents on multitouch.
But the relationship between Google and Apple haschanged dramatically since then, so it’s a mystery as to why Google would leave out multitouch this time around.
Terms of Sale
Nexus One has two price tag options, according to recent document leaks, and you will buy the phone directly from Google. Your first option is to buy the phone under a two-year contract with T-Mobile for $180, and you’ll only have one phone plan option that will run you about $80 for talk, text, and data.
The second option is to buy an unlocked version of the phone for $530, and choose any phone plan you want. Some industry experts doubt a high-priced, no-contract phone will be a winner for Google, but it’s worth noting that the most popular cell phone sold on Amazon over the holidays was an unlocked version of the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music handset. However, Nokia’s phone sold for $270, well below the Nexus One’s unlocked price tag of $530.
Engadget is reporting that the Nexus One will not work on AT&T’s 3G network, the only other GSM carrier in the U.S. So unless you’re happy with AT&T’s more sluggish EDGE network for your mobile data connection, you’re pretty much stuck with T-Mobile.
Questions Remain
The Nexus One sounds like it could be a very respectable smartphone, but why does Google feel the need to launch a device that is only a slight improvement over the Motorola Droid? If Google were doing something radical — like offering a free, ad-supported device — the Nexus One would make more sense. But offering a seemingly typical smartphone that can only boast speed as its best attribute? That doesn’t sound to me like a good reason for the search giant to launch a Google-branded device. I guess we’ll have to wait until Tuesday to see whether Google has any tricks up its sleeve to make the Nexus One more compelling.
New photos and a hands-on description have compared Google’s custom-built Nexus One handset, rumored to be for sale to the public next month, with Apple’s iPhone [updated with hardware specs].
Jason Chen of Gizmodo received some hands-on time with the hardware thanks to an anonymous source. He called the long-rumored, supposed Google Phone a “Droid killer” — ironic, because Motorola attempted to position its Droid, which launched in November, as an “iPhone killer.”
Chen said the Nexus one is slightly thinner and lighter than the iPhone 3GS. The back is somewhat rubbery, and feels less “cheap,” he said, than the iPhone’s plastic back.
“You can call the design the antithesis of the Droid: smooth, curved, and light, instead of hard, square and pointy,” he said. “It feels long and silky and natural in your hand — even more so than the iPhone 3GS.”
Loading a Web page over Wi-Fi, the Nexus One was found to be the fastest of the three phones. The iPhone 3GS reportedly loaded a page “a few seconds later,” while the Droid came in third. Chen said the results were consistent with a number of Web sites.
The Nexus One and iPhone 3GS reportedly had similar results with a Javascript benchmark test, though Mobile Safari on the iPhone scored better. The Droid came short of both handsets, with a score level at about 60 percent of its competitors.
The Nexus One screen was described as superior, with “vibrant” colors and darker blacks than its competitors. It was also said to be brighter. In comparison, Chen said the Droid and iPhone screens seemed “washed out.”
“This is probably the best screen we’ve seen on a smartphone so far,” he said. “Probably.”
The Nexus One’s 5-megapixel camera includes flash, though the picture quality was said to be unspectacular. The camera has autofocus, but does not have the tap-to-focus feature seen on the iPhone 3GS.
Google’s handset also lacks multi-touch, was said to have mediocre music playback over it speakers, and call quality was not tested.
Google Nexus Android Phone Repair At Dr. Cell Phone
Google Inc plans to sell two versions of its own-branded cell phone: one with a service contract with T-Mobile USA and another that is unlocked, a source familiar with the matter said.
HTC Google Phone Repair at Dr. Cell Phone
The phone, manufactured by HTC, has a number of code names such as HTC Passion, Dream or Nexus One and could be available directly though the Google website as early as January 5, according to the source.
Google said on its official blog on Saturday that it was testing a new mobile device with its employees. Media reports have said that Google will sell an unlocked version of the touch screen phone, allowing consumers to pick a carrier of their choice to provide wireless service.
Another version will be linked to Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile USA, which will subsidize the cost of the phone for U.S. consumers who agree to a service contract, the source said. Pricing details were not available.
“In the long term Google will become a seller and get commission from operators,” the source said, adding that other operators are expected to follow T-Mobile’s lead eventually and agree to Google’s terms.
The phone is similar to Apple Inc’s iPhone but has, among other features, an exchangeable battery, a somewhat larger screen and the ability for consumers to add a memory card to the device. Any operator who wants to make the phone available to its customers will have to go through Google, the source said.
“Apple had a phone so hot it changed the business model and got operators to agree to revenue sharing. This is going to change the business too,” the person added.
A T-Mobile representative said the company does not comment on rumors or speculation.
A Google representative would not comment beyond the blog post on Saturday, which said that Google employees were testing an Android-based device to “experiment with new mobile features and capabilities.”
Baird Research analyst Will Power said: “We expect the launch of a new competitive device to be directionally negative for most of the existing smart phone markers, including Apple, Research in Motion, Nokia Oyg, HTC, Motorola Inc, Palm Inc, Samsung and others, while perhaps most negative for the existing Android partners.”
Until now, Google has partnered with many handset makers by offering its open-source Android software as a freely available operating system for smart phones.
As of last month, Google said that more than a dozen phones were available with Android, including the heavily promoted Motorola Droid phone that is available with Verizon Wireless, a unit of Verizon Communications and Vodafone.
