“Calling it their ‘superphone,’ Google unveiled the Nexus One on Tuesday, marking the online search giant’s first leap into the smartphone market,” Doug Gross reports for CNN.
MacDailyNews Take: And just like that, Motorola and the other has-beens have been PlayedForSure™. Now, to the left we have yet another rectangular device with one face comprised mainly of a touchscreen upon with icons of a certain size are arranged in a grid. Where, oh, where have we seen this before? This particular iPhone wannabe, like all other Android phones, also has some superfluous buttons thrown in along the bottom of the screen because HTC’s and/or Google’s “designers” either couldn’t figure out how to do things as efficiently as Apple or were prohibited from doing so by Apple’s patent portfolio. Oh, we almost forgot: Nice wallpaper.
Gross continues, “The phone, which goes head to head with Apple’s darling of the market, the iPhone, is sold only through a Web store operated by Google and, unlike the iPhone and most other current smartphones, is available either with or without mobile service.”
“T-Mobile is the initial service provider. Verizon in the United States and Vodafone in Europe will be coming on board later, and more operators are expected,” Gross reports. “Already available Tuesday, the phone costs $180 with a contract or $530 unlocked… It is be a global-system device with a 3.7-inch touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi connectivity, an accelerometer and a compass… Nexus One runs the latest version of the Android operating system, Android 2.1.”
Full article here.
Nancy Gohring explains for Computerworld, “While the Nexus One is being sold unlocked, it is essentially a T-Mobile phone, at least initially. Customers can buy the Nexus One at a discounted price with a contract on T-Mobile’s network. If a consumer buys the phone unlocked for $530, the customer can use the phone on AT&T’s network, but without access to the high-speed 3G network. The phone can’t be used on Verizon Wireless’ or Sprint’s network currently.”
“The Nexus One also won’t support tethering, a much sought after feature. Rubin said the lack of tethering isn’t a technical issue but a business issue. That could mean that operators are pressuring Google not to allow it for fear of overloading their networks,” Gohring reports. “The Nexus One also doesn’t support multitouch, like its competitor the iPhone.”
Full article here.
Walt Mossberg reports for AllThingsD, “I’ve been testing the Nexus One for a couple of weeks and I like it a lot. It’s the best Android phone so far, in my view, and the first I could consider carrying as my everyday hand-held computer.”
“The iPhone still retains some strong advantages. It boasts well over 100,000 third-party apps—around 125,000 by some unofficial estimates—versus around 18,000 for the Android platform. And it has vastly more memory for storing apps, so you can keep many more of them on your phone at any one time,” Mossberg reports. “On the Nexus One, only 190 megabytes of its total 4.5 gigabytes of memory is allowed for storing apps. On the $199 iPhone, nearly all of the 16 gigabytes of memory can be used for apps. In fact, the $199 iPhone 3GS has roughly four times as much user-accessible memory out of the box, though the memory on the Nexus One can be expanded via memory cards.”
MacDailyNews Take: Hey, Uncle Walt actually remembered to write about something important this time around. Wonder what prompted that?
Mossberg continues, “Apple also has a more-fluid user interface, with multitouch gestures for handling photos and Web pages.”
“There are some downsides to the Nexus One. Like all Android phones, it relies too much, in my view, on menus that create extra steps, including some menus that have a built-in ‘more’ button to display a secondary menu of choices. I also found the four buttons etched into the phone’s bottom panel sticky and hard to press,” Mossberg reports. “In addition, although the Nexus One claims seven hours of talk time versus five hours for the iPhone, most of its battery-life claims for other functions are weaker than Apple’s.”
“In addition, the Nexus One, and other Android devices, still pale beside the iPhone for playing music, video and games. The apps available for these functions aren’t nearly as sophisticated as on the Apple devices,” Mossberg reports. “Finally, the iPhone is still a better apps platform. Not only are there more apps, but, in my experience, iPhone apps are generally more polished and come in more varieties.”
Full review here.
Karl Denninger writes for The Market Tracker, “You’ve got to be kidding… Sorry, but with this pricing this thing is dead on arrival… They also, IMHO, made a huge mistake not insisting that the 3G frequency set be compatible with AT&T’s frequencies.”
“In addition watching the webcast was literally painful,” Denninger writes. “This company – with a $623 per share stock price – put presenters on the stage that appeared to have EXTREME levels of stage fright, didn’t know the product and what’s worse, their camera-man (or men) were beyond incompetent and made the presentation look worse than the ‘Morning News’ from my kid’s grade school ‘broadcast TV!'”
“To be blunt I was stunned at how poorly this ‘announcement’ was handled,” Denninger writes. “If this is indicative of what Google has become over the last two years their stock is overvalued by 95% or more.”
Denninger writes, “It really was that bad.”
MacDailyNews Take: Ooh, now we’re awake. Let’s take a look:
Direct link to video here.
MacDailyNews Take: Cringe.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Well, at least Eric T. Mole learned something while sitting Apple’s Board: “Superphone” certainly sounds better than “Rebadged HTC.”
[Apple’s iPhone] goes beyond smartphones and should be given its own category called “brilliantphone.” – Tim Bajarin, January 09, 2007
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Carl H.” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take:
MDN take, perfect. Hilarious.
“It pushes the limits of what’s possible of a mobile phone today,” said Peter Chou, the CEO of HTC, which designed the Nexus One.
I’m not quite sure what the limits even are, but to say that a rebadged phone that catches up to what the iPhone has been doing for almost a year now can hard be considered pushing.
this is gonna be good
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smirk” style=”border:0;” />
WOW – this IS big news!
Way to go Google!
iPhone killer.
Not.
Uncle Walt likes it….a lot.
Yeah, calling it the superphone makes it the best instantly, why didn’t I think of that?
Oh, brother…. Gargle is looking like M$ more and more…
Don’t sniff at it. This is the first real competitor to the iPhone. Google is far ahead of anyone in terms of cloud-based computing, and the Nexus One, while a good phone judging by its specs, is but one component in how competitive it will be. Google has stepped up the way that apps are delivered to the Nexus One, and will integrate many of the company’s services with it to make this the number one competitor to the iPhone. The services aspect is something that other handset makers using Android won’t be able to match.
In addition, Google is apparently going to keep itself ahead of other Android licensees when it comes to having the most advanced version of Android. This will likely bite them in the future, as licensees will probably chafe at that. In addition, the Android ecosystem is highly fragmented compared to Apple’s approach.
Competition often brings benefits to consumers. Now that Apple finally has a legitimate competitor, we can expect that our favorite company’s next move will be to up the ante quite a bit. This may also be the catalyst to see if Apple offers the iPhone to other carriers in the US.
I don’t expect that Apple will be slowed down or knocked asunder by today’s announcement. But unlike the Droid or the Pre, the Nexus One, more based on its ecosystem than anything else, does pose a legitimate challenge to the iPhone. Not a killer, but a challenge. It pretty much will kill Palm, and Microsoft is floundering hopelessly. The new year is about to get interesting. And it makes me all the more fascinated at what Apple will say later this month in San Francisco.
The stock price says it all…that’s really thru the nose for being unlocked.
Is there any evolutionary features that beat the iPhone at all?
The iPhone isn’t available without a contract? I thought they finally started offering it for like $599 and $699 contract-free?
Did you see those lame slide from their presentation? You would think that a company as big a Google would have decent slides – My 1st grader could do better than that…..
MDN … I sense fear. Android will overtake iPhone soon!
Geez, everything on the market now looks like an iPhone. It’s almost humorous how no one even makes note of this anymore. I guess they’re so used to Apple leading and everyone else copying that they don’t even notice….
This is not a real competitor for the iPhone… It is just another phone with a crappy user experience. I see that Verizon is getting it but it is not CDMA – how will that work? I mean I paid for an unlocked phone and can’t use any carrier?
@Bob
“In addition, Google is apparently going to keep itself ahead of other Android licensees when it comes to having the most advanced version of Android. This will likely bite them in the future, as licensees will probably chafe at that. In addition, the Android ecosystem is highly fragmented compared to Apple’s approach. “
Can you say antitrust! If they do this, they will be in legal trouble big time.
How is Google offering it on both T-Mobile and Verizon? Don’t those 2 carriers have completely different radio requirements? CDMA vs GPRS? Will Google be making 2 phones?
So, Google is going to be to the iPhone what Creative was the iPod? A company that pushes pretty good knockoffs of Apple’s products just in time for Apple to make them obsolete with their next model?
I dunno, man. Just once, just freakin’ once, I’d like to see an Apple competitor release a totally new product that knocks my socks off and makes me say “Wow! Apple never thought of that!“
Instead, it’s the iPod all over again. Company after company lining up to produce boring, “me too” products that push some minor, inconsequential feature as the reason their product is better. With the iPod knockoffs, it was FM radio. Now we have Android and their “running apps in the background” thing.
Being a fan of Apple, I love how they innovate. But as the years go by, it seems like they’re the only truly innovative electronics company in the world. And that is depressing.
——RM
I’m rooting for Google. Any market share gains they make will come at Microsoft/Nokia’s expense. Who me, bitter?
Running apps in the background = Battery Drain
iPhone OS is still way ahead. No landscape keyboard. Poor apps ecosystem.
Too bad the screen is AMOLED, which is essentially useless in bright light, such as the outdoors. Last time I check most people use their phones outdoors. One of the main reasons Apple as stayed with transflective LCDs in the iPhone.
Wow, Android eats up 4.3 gigs of space? Are you shitting me?
Forget the hardware for a second. Forget the gracefulness of the operating system, the iTunes ecosystem and the 125,000 apps.
Is there nothing more telling about Apple’s software engineers than the fact that the iPhone OS is apparently a fourth the size of Android?
Unless I’m reading this wrong (and please point out if I am), then I’m astonished.
Superphone? More like Superweak or Superpathetic rebranded POS to me. iPhone still rules Google. You better compete for Windows Moron users to make it.
So, if Google’s Nexus One is a “superphone”, but Apple’s offering is better – more apps and more app space, more fluid interface, better for music and video, etc. – what does that make the iPhone… the hyper-mega-ultraphone?
@Marco,
The force is strong with Nexus One, but it is not a Jedi yet. I’m not impressed.
The true iPhone killer will define a new paradigm, which Nexus One does not.
@Marco:
Yeah tomorrow
So, as is customary with Android devices, we have a new version of Android (2.1), a new screen contrast (800*480, compared to droid which is 854*480),a new input method (the track ball) and another processor (1ghz this time). Are developers really going to develop 256 different flavors of each app to accommodate all of the varying specs of each phone? Google is allowing and driving the fracture of the android platform…
@ BOB well said well put….. On point!!!!!!
uhhhh isn’t this more of a “random manufacturer droid using phone killer”?
iPhone has been available unlocked since the day it has been available outside of the US. Several countries are selling it without a contract and unlocked (local legislation requires it), so if you need unlocked, get it from there. Apparently, in the US, this isn’t an option yet.
As for this “superphone”, it is obvious that they are making two versions (an unlocked GSM version, as well as a Verizon-customised CDMA model), if Verizon is to carry it.
And to Raymond in DC: This Nexus One may be “superphone”, but the iPhone is, as everyone already knows, JesusPhone…
Actually, the most important question is when the iPhone will be available for TMobile, Sprint, and Verizon. which will instantly double its sales. best guess – by the end of this year.
should have said, USA sales.
also, betcha ATT gets some solace for losing its iPhone exclusive by getting an excloo on Apple Tablet subsidized sales – with a two year 3G data contract.
…oh, and with Walt’s little statement that the Nexus One is the best android phone out Google has just “playedforsured” its partner in Motorola. The Droid was already having trouble as they are offering a Droid Eris free when you buy a Droid.
With friend like that, who needs enemies….
Walt Mossberg reports for AllThingsD, “I’ve been testing the Nexus One for a couple of weeks and I like it a lot. It’s the best Android phone so far, in my view, and the first I could consider carrying as my everyday hand-held computer.”
Yup! What! Whattt?
“In addition, the Nexus One, and other Android devices, still pale beside the iPhone for playing music, video and games. The apps available for these functions aren’t nearly as sophisticated as on the Apple devices,” Mossberg reports.
Yup! Wha the? Hey?!
“Finally, the iPhone is still a better apps platform. Not only are there more apps, but, in my experience, iPhone apps are generally more polished and come in more varieties.”
Walt is just said he consider this as THE FIRST PHONE to replacement his computer?! Wha?
Walt just said the iPhone is much better and I will not consider it to replace my computer; however, I will consider the Superphone with very little memory for apps and they are not polished?
What the hell? I’m missing the “Juice” they drink!
The Nexus One’s default desktop looks very Windows-95 to me. Cluttered menu bar, ugly icons, icon text labels surrounded by black blobs, and didn’t Windows 95 call that hideous tiled wallpaper “Rivets”?
Google’s designers still have no taste.
transflective,
Google has designers?
Motorola’s co-chief executive, Sanjay Jha, appearing alongside Google executives at the Tuesday event, said his company isn’t threatened by Google’s more prominent role in the development and sale of mobile phones. “I don’t see it as a threat; I think this is potentially an expansion of the marketplace,” he commented.
You can almost hear him grinding his teeth and chaffing at the Google dog collar.
And wasn’t it a Motorola exec who said computer guys (Apple) can’t just walk into the mobile phone sphere and take over? After all, Motorola’s been learning how to be on top of this specialty for many years.
That is the way I understood Walt.
iPhone= No computer replacement. But better apps and more usable memory (Like a laptop) but bad!
Nexus one= Computer replacement, but poor apps and memory usable like a real phone! I gotta get this to replace my computer!!!’
JUST SAY NO TO DRUGS!
@Midwest
Yes you are reading it a bit wrong. The Nexus actually has most of that as available memory, not having it clogged up by the OS. The difference is, the bulk of that memory has to be used for storing music, pictures and videos on the memory card. The onboard memory of 190 MB is the only place you can store apps, vastly limiting the number and size of apps (some single iPhone apps wouldn’t even fit).
So, the iPhone has a very flexible memory architecture that can be used in whatever way you want, basically. Android doesn’t let you install apps to memory cards, where it gets most of its capacity. It’s an insanely limiting factor that will not allow it to effectively compete with the iPhone until changed.
Can we say “splintering…?” Developing apps for all the different flavors and shades of Android looks to be a nightmare I’d just as soon pass on… thanks. Apple’s approach to vetting and collecting apps in one place to reduce consumer confusion and ensure a modicum of compatibility within the ecosystem is not only working… but it’s just common sense.
And from a distance, all the iPhone competitors could be mistaken for an iPhone based on shape and basic form factor. I wonder why this is?? It’s really a shame that there doesn’t seem to be a single, distinctive, creative concept coming out of any of these competitive companies. It’s all a bunch of “me too! Me too!” Just liked in the personal computer wars where a lot of idiots believed Microsoft invented the concept of windowing GUIs because they still dominated the market share… The difference this time is everyone knows the iPhone was first, and all the other copycats will be easy to spot for what they are. There is only one “original” anything, and if it hits critical mass where the original whatever is actually popular with the masses, then it’s game over for market dominance in the long run. It’s just too easy to imply “we’re the real deal – they’re not!” any time, without having to even say it.
Whatever Apple unveils in the tablet/iPad/iTab/iSlate/iPlate/iFlatThingy arena will be in a good position to become another “original” in the lexicon of American culture. How many other companies can actually say they pulled that off in less than a decade? 1.) AAPL = keep buying, and hold! 2.) Retire in 10 years.
As usually first model is failure.
I think Nexus Two will be on same level as iPhone
yes, a question: do Droid apps also work on Nexus? (and vice-versa?). are the screen aspects/resolutions the same?
yeah…I don’t get the Nexus thing….ha to the guy that said the first one is usually a failure….in this market..you better get it right the first time.
@ all the folks who love dropping in on stories like this just to say “I sense fear”:
You sense wrongly. It’s laughter.
These guys are scrambling to catch up any way they can, yet Apple’s still quite a ways ahead, for a whole host of long-term reasons which competitors can’t simply overcome in a few months or years. Walt’s completely illogical arguments (illustrated here by NCG598) would seem to bear this out.
Apple’s not going to rest on their laurels, so by the time their competitors catch up to where they are now, they’ll be even further ahead.
Oh yeah, and that UI? Utterly hideous. Yikes.
From the Nexus site-
“The currently available Nexus One device is unlocked and will recognize SIM cards from any mobile service provider using the GSM standard, but is incompatible with the frequency band used by the AT&T;and Rogers networks for 3G data (see below). Additionally, the Nexus One is incompatible with CDMA networks such as Verizon and Sprint.
“We are working hard to provide Nexus One phones optimized for the Verizon network – please stay tuned. The Nexus One for Verizon will not be a GSM device, so it will not be compatible with T-Mobile, AT&T;, or other GSM networks.
“The Nexus One’s antenna supports four GSM radio frequencies (850/900/1800/1900) and three 3G/UMTS Bands – 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900). These cover most major GSM mobile providers worldwide; however, the 3G band used by AT&T;and Rogers is not supported. For questions about the bands supported by your mobile service provider, please contact your provider directly. You may also consult a list of GSM coverage worldwide that is maintained by the mobile trade organization GSM World.”
The voice activated features of the Nexus One are pretty impressive… I wish the iPhone would let me speak aloud text mags or emails. Google has already demonstrated how accurate voice dictation can be with their Google app for iPhone… now Apple needs to implement that in all of their own apps.
I was following the Ustream feed, live, and they didn’t call the Nexus One the only superphone. They called it a category, which included the Nexus One. Presumably it is similar to what David Pogue of the NYTs tried to do, and he called this category AppPhones, as Smartphones no longer made sense, since lots of Nokia phones are in this category but are never used like they belong.
“Eric T. Mole” lol!
It’s those goofy glasses of his that make it SEEM like he’s not paying attention – but oh he is – he is.
Who needs a Superphone when you can have a Megaphone!
Motorola must be feeling like they’ve been ROKR’ed again. Google pulls the rug from under them with the latest version of Android they’ve been able to cook up with HTC. Any manufacturer that has started to develop hardware for Android must be having second thoughts.
You think tech expert Walk wouldn’t get “memory” and “storage” mixed up. He’s just confusing his readers.
one answer – i checked the specs:
Droid: 854×480 resolution, 16:9 aspect
Nexus: 800×480 resolution, 15:9 (5:3) aspect
close but no cigar. ah! fragmentation.
the iPhone, btw, is 13.5:9 (3:2) aspect @ 480×320. we know the new Tablet will scale that up to – 1440×960? and maybe the 2010 iPhone will then upgrade to 960×480?? reportedly iPhone 4.0, soon to be released as SDK, will support more than one resolution.
@NCG598
Let’s have a short lesson in reading comprehension, shall we? Mossberg says the following: “I’ve been testing the Nexus One for a couple of weeks and I like it a lot. It’s the best Android phone so far, in my view, and the first I could consider carrying as my everyday hand-held computer.”
The subject of the second sentence in that quote is “it”, and “Android phone” describes that subject: “it”. Therefore, when Walt says “and the first I would consider carrying as my everyday handheld computer” he is referring to “it”, that being the “Android phone”. Therefore, what he is really saying in the sentence is that the Nexus One is the first ANDROID phone that he would CONSIDER carrying every day as a hand-held computer. He already carries an iPhone, obviously.
This phone, for all the hype surrounding it, does not impress me in anywhere near the same way that the original iPhone did on launch day. The thing still cannot store more than 512MB of apps, making apps in general totally worthless on it. And, it’s not multi-touch. The screen looks washed out in daylight, and it is slower than the iPhone in browsing. Nothing special here at all. It may erode a bit of WM and RIM market share, but I’m not worried about the iPhone one iota.
–mAc
@mAc – you are correct as to what he meant, but Mossberg’s writing is sloppy. one could read either “… the first [Android phone] …” or “… the first [phone] …”. good composition avoids such potential misunderstandings.
Am I the only one that thinks “D” = slang for “dick”? “AllThingsD” is hilarious to me, always.
It never ceases to amaze me how many companies fail to learn from history. How many companies have tried to copy the iPod after Apple kicked the original walkman in to touch and failed?
How many companies have tried to copy the iPhone after Apple copied the laudable Windows mobile effort in to touch?
The horse has bolted, trying to catch it is a waste of time and money. Why can’t they learn to innovate and give us, the buying public, something to get excited about rather than another also ran.
God these copies are so boring…….
b
Bob:
Don’t sniff at it. This is the first real competitor to the iPhone…Competition often brings benefits to consumers. Now that Apple finally has a legitimate competitor, we can expect that our favorite company’s next move will be to up the ante quite a bit. This may also be the catalyst to see if Apple offers the iPhone to other carriers in the US.
Bob is right. I’m sure the next version of the iPhone will leapfrog the current one in terms of speed and usability. Without Google and other competitors, it might not have progressed as fast.
According to some reviewers (notably Engadget), the Nexus One is stunning, but has a few flaws.
They say its lack of multi-touch capability impedes its “phone” use as far as texting and sending email. Engadget says the virtual keyboard is harder to use than an iPhone and suggested Android is better when used with a physical keyboard.
In addition, they say the Nexus One’s AMOLED display isn’t usable in daylight, and it oversaturates red and orange colors.
Overall, though, they say it’s a great effort by Google that will get better. As will the iPhone, and all of us will benefit from that.
**Oh, and it looks like the iPhone may arrive on Verizon’s network sometime in the spring! I’m looking forward to that.
First post!
Yeah bitches!
Nexus One is not to compete with iPhone – unless the buyer is stupid.
But lookout Blackberry, Palm, Motorola and Nokia…there’s another train coming down the line.
Competition is good but I expected more from google. iPhone is the only reason I broke down and bought a cell finally. I’d wager there’s a lot more like me. It doesn’t seem to me like android entices anyone but ubergeeks who salivate over google. For the average person, the iPhone ads and apps are much more accessible and enticing. I think it’s good for Apple to be pushed to do better but why do I sense the announcement later this month or at the very least, the next version of iPhone will make this look even more lackluster.
You all laugh, but Google owns 100% of the Superphone market. The iPhone is just a “smartphone”. At least its volume control goes to “11”.
G4Dualie, I LOL’d
190 megabytes for apps? Kidding right?
Yeah for how many decades was windows limited to 64k?
Stupidity here I come!
Nexus One app… (space limit) otherwise superphone
haha
Is my understanding incorrect regarding system upgrades? I thought I read that an Android phone cannot be upgraded from 1.6 to 2.1 or 3.0. I also thought I read that there will still be phones released as late as this summer that will only run Android 1.6.
So if I buy a Nexus One today and the Android 3.0 comes out next summer my phone is now obsolete and no longer supported in software? Who the hell cares how quickly the software updates come out if I can’t use them. Is this really true? If so this is a major Clusterfsck.
@Bob Loblaw ,
It’s called a “Hardware Abstraction Layer”.
That’s what let’s you and me go into a software store and buy the same version of say, Photoshop, and it will work on both of our systems. Even though you may have an iMac with 20″ screen and I have an 8 core MacPro with a totally different video card and multiple 30″ screens.
This has only been an issue because all first gen Android phones had the same specs so no one included for a larger screen. But with an update of the app to work with 2.0 and above all the apps will work on a small phone, a large one, or even the new Android tablets. No more of a need for 256 versions of an app than there is for 256 versions of Photoshop or iTunes.
@Digital Mercenary,
Your understanding is incorrect. All phones currently out right now “can” upgrade to 2.0 or 2.1. Many of them, that are rooted (jail broken), already have.
The real question comes down to “will the carriers officially allow the upgrade or not?”. Since Nexus One is a straight out Google phone I’d guess you’ll be able to get all updates directly from them.
I suppose if your phone can’t actually be ‘Smart’, you might as well obfuscate and call it ‘super’. It’s merely more desperation in the cell phone bizinizz trying to catch up with the iPhone.
Bad Google! Evil Google!
Do you understand that this is high time to receive the personal loans, which can make your dreams come true.
Some specialists tell that personal loans help people to live their own way, just because they can feel free to buy necessary stuff. Moreover, banks give term loan for different classes of people.
It is known that cash makes people free. But how to act if someone does not have cash? The only one way is to receive the business loans and just sba loan.