Google Calls Nexus One a “Superphone”
By Ed Oswald | Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 10:33 am
As expected, Google at a press gathering on Tuesday introduced the Nexus One, part of what it called an emerging class of smartphones called “superphones.” Certainly from its specs it is: the HTC-manufactured phone sports a 3.7-inch AMLED screen and a 1GHz processor, one of the fastest integrated processors in any wireless device released to date. There’s a ton of sensors on this thing, just like the iPhone: including accelerometer as well as proximity and light sensors. A trackball at the bottom of the device doubles does both navigation and notification duties — it can change color depending on specific actions. The camera is capable of 5 megapixels and includes an LED flash. MPEG4 video and one click uploading to YouTube is also included.
One of the most exciting features to me — and as far as I know new to a device itself — is active noise cancellation. The device includes two microphones which allows the Android OS to filter out background noise for clearer calls. To my knowledge, only headsets have been doing this so far, but if anybody else knows other phones doing this, I’d be glad to hear it.
Google will sell the device itself through a web store on its site, in concert with its partner, which will initially only be T-Mobile. You have to argue that the nation’s fourth largest carrier scored a big coup with this win: while the myTouch was certainly a big win for them, scoring the Nexus One is even bigger — it is much more of a competitor to the iPhone than the myTouch ever dreamed to be.
Even better? It’s price. While you’ll be able to pick up the unlocked version of the phone for $529, T-Mobile will sell the device at $179 locked with a 2-year contract.
Don’t worry Verizon folks, your time is coming too, but not until spring, as well as those with Vodafone. Either way, you all can preorder it now. We’ll give you the link when we get it.
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Hands on With Google’s Nexus One: Questions and Answers Says:
January 6th, 2010 at 12:08 am[…] Tuesday, Google finally announced the Googlephone, in the form of the Nexus One–if you define “Googlephone” as a phone with Google software and Google branding, […]
January 5th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
2 mics, noise cancellation: has been on the HTC Touch Pro2 since it came out several months ago.
January 5th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Uh, stupid questions, but I am sort of new at cell phones. Does the unlocked version mean you can use it with your existing carrier? And will the “wiz-bang” features promised work with a carrier outside of T-Mobile?
January 5th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
meh i’d take the droid instead, this phone looks terrible
January 5th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
> Does the unlocked version mean you can use it with your existing carrier?
In the US, the top 4 carriers are all incompatible. This Nexus One works only on T-Mobile in the US, and there is apparently a different Nexus One coming for Verizon later. The unlocked price only enables you to buy it without getting carrier service for it (for example to use it as an Android development test machine) or to attach it to your existing T-Mobile service, where you’ve already used your subsidy on another phone. If you don’t already have T-Mobile service, you are better off buying the Nexus One from T-Mobile for $179.
> part of what it called an emerging class of smartphones
> called “superphones.”
“Emerging” doesn’t sound right to me when iPhone represents almost half the US smartphone market, and iPod touch (which runs Skype) is also very, very popular. There are more iPod touch in the world than PlayStation3 and XBox 360 put together. And Android is 7 years old, 5 of that under Google ownership. It’s great spin to say the smartphone+computer is “emerging” but only if you work at Google or Nokia or Palm or Blackberry.
Nexus One has the same fatal flaw as all Android phones to-date: almost no storage for 3rd party apps. Even if you are a rabid apps user, I don’t know how many “super” things you are going to get done with 0.2 gigabytes of app storage. Nexus One is like buying a Windows PC with an 8GB hard disk.
January 5th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
@Scott: The unlocked version (as long as you’re in America) will work with AT&T and T-Mobile, as both are based on GSM. However, you will be stuck on Edge if you’re with AT&T due to their 3G network being on an unsupported frequency. I’m also pretty sure the unlocked one will work on Verizon Wireless as well, and you’ll get full benefits.
January 5th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
Sounds like a good iphone competitor. But only time will tell how well it will sell.
January 5th, 2010 at 11:16 pm
What’s next the “SuperDuper” phone?