Technomaly » nexus one

Google Kills Online Sales of Nexus One

J. Matthew Zoss — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:18:50 +0000

Google all but admitted the failure of the Nexus One phone today with the news that it would no longer sell the phone online. The company hasn’t given up on the Android phone platform, however. Google will continue to use its website to promote the various Android-based phones out there and partner with providers to cell the phones in their stores. But after the slow dissolution of cellular service partners looking to bring the Nexus One to their networks, it looks like Google’s grand experiment of selling a single phone that could follow you from carrier to carrier is dead.

Source: Engadget

Nexus One Not Coming to Verizon

J. Matthew Zoss — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:40:23 +0000

While at first it seemed like Google would push its first internal smartphone to every cellular network, there’s confirmation today that the Nexus One won’t be making it’s way to Verizon. Instead, Google is directing Verizon customers to buy the new Android-based Incredible, which hits the market on the 29th:

We won’t be selling a Nexus One with Verizon, and this is a reflection of the amazing innovation happening across the open Android ecosystem. Verizon Wireless customers who want an Android phone with the power of the Nexus One can get the Droid Incredible by HTC.

Thanks a lot, Google. I was this close to buying a droid, and now there’s another phone that’s apparently much, much better. I think I’ll skip the whole smartphone arms race and just stick with my little cheapo phone for now.

Nexus One Now Available for AT&T and Rogers 3G Users

J. Matthew Zoss — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:37:51 +0000

Just as was widely expected, Google’s Nexus One phone has been made available for additional 3G wireless carriers. As of Tuesday, March 16th, you can buy the Nexus One for use one AT&T’s 3G network, as well as the Rogers 3G network in Canada. Of course, you’ll pay the unsubsidized price for the phone ($529), but that means you’ll get an unlocked phone with no contract.

The Nexus One can already be run on pretty much any cell phone network, including many 3G networks. However, different 3G protocols have been a stumbling block for the phone on the AT&T/Rogers networks before. Full press release from Google below:

Nexus One now compatible with the AT&T 3G network and shipping to Canada

In early January, we announced the Nexus One, the first device sold through Google’s web store. The Nexus One is unlocked, which means you can use it with a SIM card from most GSM operators worldwide. Currently the device is compatible with most 3G networks, including T-Mobile in the US. However, there are some carriers that have different 3G frequencies, such as AT&T in the US and Rogers Wireless in Canada, so users with these SIM cards can only access 2G or EDGE networks on their Nexus One.

Starting today, an additional version of the Nexus One is available from the Google web store that is compatible with AT&T’s 3G network. This new model can be purchased as an unlocked device without a service plan. In addition to AT&T’s 3G network, this device will also run on Rogers Wireless in Canada. And like the first version of the Nexus One, it can be used with most GSM operators globally.

Additionally, Nexus One devices can now be shipped to Canada from Google’s web store, and will work with a SIM from Rogers Wireless. To find out which version you should purchase, based on your mobile service provider, please visit our Help Center.

Source: Engadget

Multitouch Comes To Nexus One!

Nick Upton — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:02:31 +0000

A small section of a Google announcement carried a lot of weight today.

Pinch-to-zoom functionality: devices will now include a new pinch-to-zoom mechanism in the phone’s Browser, Gallery and Maps applications

That little, innocuous and unpunctuated comment is HUGE! Until now, only the iPhone has had native multitouch — and it took a lot of hassle, hacking and unlocking to get it on other phones.

The Nexus One was already at the top of my gadget wish list, and now it’s taken over part of my number two gadget.

Watch the video to see the multitouch in action.
Also included in the update was native Google Goggles AR application and synchronization with online Google maps via the Maps application — making it easy to search online and mobile history on board.

[Via Google]

5 Ways That Google Could Have Spiced Up Their Nexus One Debut

Geoffrey Golden — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:40:41 +0000

When Apple announced the iPhone, Steve Jobs’ presentation was met with thunderous applause and awe. On January 5th, when Google launched the Nexus One at a press event, you could only hear the sound of critics scoffing. Come on, Goog. You can do better than that. After all, when you launch a tech product, people expect you to put on a god damn show. Here are some ways Google could have made their Nexus One debut a buzzed-about affair:

5. A line of chorus girls walk out in long black turtleneck sweaters. They rip off the sweaters — take that, Jobs — to reveal sexy hip-hop dance outfits.

4. In walks Jay-Z, with Alicia Keys wheeled in behind on piano. They sing a new variation on their hit song, called “Nexus State of Mind.” When they’re done, Jay-Z drops the mic on stage.

3. Whenever a Google executive demonstrated a feature, like the touchscreen and voice recognition, there should have been corresponding fireworks and pyrotechnics.

2. Live tigers.

1. Build a Steve Jobs robot to host the presentation. Learn from the robot, Google executives. Learn.

Photo Source: TechTalk

Google Launches “Near Me Now” Button, Delights Millions

Asterios Kokkinos — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:45:52 +0000

Google’s mobile suite has been nothing short of fantastic. Mobile Gmail is simple and powerful, and Mobile Google Reader keeps you in touch with your RSS feeds on the road. Now, Google raises the stakes with “Near Me Now,” which replaces the need for an separate GPS app to tell you what’s near you with the click of a link.

It just launched today for iPhone and Android models. What makes this particularly exciting is that it’ll tap into Google’s pre-existing review database – everything on Google Local has the ability to be reviewed & rated (much like Yelp), and “Near Me Now” will pull up those reviews when it tells you what’s around you.

I can’t wait to see what this feature looks like on the Nexus One. It’ll probably straight-up teleport you to your next location or something.

Source & Photo Source: FastCompany.

Nexus One vs. Droid. Fight!

J. Matthew Zoss — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 03:45:00 +0000

Just a few short days ago, Google announced the Nexus One, the first phone designed by the technology giant. But only a few months ago, Motorola released the Droid, their fancy smartphone that runs on Google’s Android software and was supposed to be the next hot thing in phones. Keeping up with cell phone technology can be daunting, especially if you’re not one of those folks who obsesses over every little bit of phone tech news (and believe me, those people are out there). To help you decide between the two latest high-profile guide, we offer up this features comparison that will walk you through the differences, but more importantly, what those differences mean.

PROCESSOR

The Droid runs on a 600MHz processor. The Nexus One runs on a 1GHz processor. Obviously, that means that the Nexus One is much faster. The big advantage of this is that it will be able to multi-task complex applications to a degree that no previous phone has been capable of.

KEYBOARD AND DISPLAY

One of the Droid’s main selling points is its slide-out keyboard. However, because of small keys, no one seems to like it much. The Nexus One has only a touch screen keyboard. Tthe Droid has a 3.7-inch screen that displays video at 854 x 480 pixels. In comparison, the Nexus One’s screen operates at 800 x 480 pixels. Most consumers probably won’t notice a difference.

OPERATING SYSTEM

The Droid runs the Google Android 2.0 operating system. The Nexus One runs Android 2.1. Despite the small numerical difference, 2.1 adds major features such as a 3D photo album and a voice command recognition. You’ll be able to operate Google Maps with your voice while you’re driving, for example.

SERVICE

I don’t want to get too deep into the particulars or plans and costs, because that stuff gets messy quickly. Here are the basics: the Droid is a Verison phone, The Nexus One is not exclusive to any carrier. Google has a deal with T-Mobile to provide service for the device (the $179 price point is with a two-year contract), but the Nexus One is available for use on any cell phone network, provided it uses the same cell phone protocol. One of the main concepts behind the Nexus One is that switching service providers shouldn’t force you to switch phones.

For more information on the Nexus One, the Droid and how they compare against each other and other leading smart phones, see the comparison chart here.

Nexus One Hunted Down By Blade Runner?

J. Matthew Zoss — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:08:33 +0000

Google’s sexy new smart phone the Nexus One is getting a lot coverage right now in both the tech world and the mainstream media. With all the excitement around the phone, it’s sure to be a big hit already. However, not everyone is happy about the phone – or at least about its name. The estate of science fiction writer Philip K. Dick is especially annoyed. Dick, as most geeks know, was the author of “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” If you haven’t heard of the novel, you’ve probably heard of the film adaptation: Blade Runner. In both versions, Blade Runner Rick Deckard is hired to “retire” rogue Nexus-6 Replicants. The earliest version of these androids were of course called “Nexus-1.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that Dick’s estate is ‘dealing’ with the issue now, pointing out that both the name of the phone and the operating system it runs on, Android, appear to reference Dick’s novel. Now, it would be silly to assume Google will be changing the name of the phone. After all, they’re Google – they have enough money to come to some kind of agreement with the Dick estate. Let’s all hope they can work it out. The phone looks cool enough that no one wants to see it run into roadblocks, and Philip K. Dick is a respected enough author that his estate should receive what’s owed to them. Nobody needs to hunt people down and retire them here, folks.

Google’s Nexus One: It’s Here! And I Want It!

Nick Upton — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:15:57 +0000

It’s been hard to jump on the hype train for the Nexus One, but I held my itchy blogger finger and waited. But now it’s here!

Google’s first act of a big year was to unveil the Nexus One at a press event.

It looks like the Nexus One is at the top of the cell phone pile with a lot of impressive specs, but how do the official specs compare alongside the iPhone or the Droid?

Firstly, it has a sick processor, the Nexus One clocks into the cell phone fray with a Qualcomm QSD 8250 1 GHz. You’d have to put the Droid (550 MHz) and the iPhone 3GS (833 MHz underclocked to 600 MHz) to beat that — and I doubt that would work.

HD video at 720×480 is the second thing that sets the Google Phone apart, encoded as H.263 at 20 fps it rivals most current, quality point-and-shoot cameras and dominates the cell phone market. It’s a good step toward better video sharing across the industry. I have a dream of America’s Funniest Home Videos in full HD glory.

The megapixels on the phone are on par with the competition at 5 megapixels — compared to the iPhone with 3 and the Droid at 5. It’s good, but well behind dedi dedicated camera-focused phones like the Samsung Memoir or the Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot (with 8 megapixels).

The camera does have an LED flash, which is a sticking part of some other Android devices such as the MyTouch.

Connectivity is key to the Nexus One, It’s got plenty of wi-fi capabilities (b/g/n) and download speeds up to 7.2Mbp so you can go right to Google, Gmail and the rest of the internet.

The AMOLED screen is nice and big at 3.7 inches with a resolution of 800×480 it trumps the iPhone’s screen at 3.5 inches at 320×480 and the same size as the Droid’s screen at 3.7 inches at 854×480. The iPhone’s standard multi-touch functionality isn’t there, but some people have gotten similar capabilities on other Android devices. Android 3 is also due out this year, and rumor has it that multi-touch will be included.

The Nexus One also has a large capacity for memory with a 32Gb expandable slot — on par with the iPhone 3GS and the Droid’s 32Gb. Filling that 32Gb with music and movies is perfect pairing with the wonderful, great, should-be-necessary-in-all-phones 3.5mm headphone jack.

And finally, it looks great and if the other HTC trackball phones are any indication, it’s incredibly intuitive and the Android system is quick and easy to use — but there is still a lack of sleek apps. Hopefully the popularity boost will bring more developers from the iPhone market.

Via Google/Phone.

Space, Google To Dominate 2010 In Tech

Nick Upton — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:02:14 +0000

Take a look at what is expected for 2010 on the tech front — big leaps in space exploration and everyone will be watching Google once again.

Space Is The Place

New information from Kepler, a bigger better International Space Station and more Jupiter-Titan and friends news will make for a fascinating year in space exploration and habitation.

Space Tourism Boost

Find your “local accredited space agent” soon though, the first “around 250″ astronauts have already paid $200,000 to spend a few minutes in space.

Virgin Galactic unveiled the SpaceShipTwo in late 2009, the 6-passenger shuttle that will carry the first commercial space tourists into space.

When those astronauts will make it to space is a murky subject, but one that the proposed 2010 test flight will address. The flights have been pushed back before numerous times, but a test flight in 2010 doesn’t seem unreasonable. If the craft performs well and the slew of FAA regulations are completed, the first paying customers could look down on Earth in 2011 or 2012.

Sir Richard Branson said he and his family would be aboard the first flight and a crew of rich Russians have dibs on the first commercial flight.

Party On The ISS

The International Space Station won’t be getting much bigger in 2010, but it will become more habitable with a new life support system that recycles waste water and generates oxygen for the crew to breathe. Dubbed “Tranquility” the new update — currently slated for February 4 — will also add four new “birthing locations.” No, there won’t be any space babies in 2010, but the new hatches will allow for more spacecraft and space for future lab and living modules. More than one shuttle will be able to dock — which is a crucial point for future space travel.

Having the option of a pair of space-faring vehicles helps bypass the critical weight requirements for shuttle launches. If that second shuttle can take off directly from the space station, the weight isn’t as important.

The ISS will also house more spare parts and supplies, allowing for longer stays for more people.

Sailing The Seas Of Titan

In 2010, NASA scientists will continue to ponder sending a ship to sail in the open seas of liquid methane. The Cassini Equinox mission recently caught the sun glinting off the moon’s massive, 150,000 square mile Kraken Mare. The open sea is the ideal place for a submersible ship to splashdown without having to penetrate thick ice.

The mission will also unveil more news of Titan’s small, unpopular sibling Enceladus; which could have greater implications than any celestial body in the solar system. Researchers have found evidence of “complex organic chemicals” on Enceladus which could provide the ideal place for the growth of primitive life.

Brand New Planets

The American Astronomical Society is expected to release news about new planets found by the 2009 Kepler Mission probe. The AAS meeting in January 2010 will feature NASA’s “confirmation of a number of planets.”

The new planets were spotted by Kepler as it looks for winking stars; and now that the probe and the science team is up and running, these discoveries will become more frequent.

[Via NASA and Virgin Galactic]

All Eyes On Google

Google has a lot brewing for 2010: the Nexus One, the Google Chrome operating system, updated search listings and the future of Google News.

Google Nexus One

Droid Does, but Google is hoping the Nexus One does it better as it jumps into the mobile phone market.

Google dropped a bomb on the mobile phone market, going up against its own partners using the Android system. The tail end of 2009 saw leaked shots and bloggers drooling over the new Nexus One.

Un-tethered and unlocked — what amounts to the first Google phone is set for release in January of 2010 and won’t require any service plan lock-in. The Nexus One will feature Android 2.1 and will likely make it easier than ever to use Google Voice as a dedicated VOIP service from anywhere with an internet connection.

Google Voice everywhere could mean some big changes for the mobile phone industry, especially prices. If Google starts giving minutes away for free, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and everyone else may have some major competition on their hands and could be forced to update their networks for the spike in internet usage.

Android vs Everyone

More updates and more apps will find their way to Android users in 2010 and make for more healthy competition. With Android 2.0 still rolling out and 2.1 native on the Nexus One and slated for the Verizon Droid and other phones, Google is demonstrating that it is keeping users in mind. This could attract more developers for the Android Market’s varied but anemic app store.

The last update of 2009 for most phones brought greater voice activation support and free spoken GPS based on Google Maps, so more novel free features are anxiously awaited in 2010.

Though Google hasn’t given much hint at features beyond 2.1, but support for Google Wave and Google Fastflip are anxiously awaited.

Google vs News

Google still has Rupert Murdoch’s blood a boilin’ but that may change in 2010. The issue of paying for news and on-site paywalls is a ubiquitous problem in the news community since the people making the news aren’t getting paid for their work. Google’s Fast Flip could change all that. The service allows a snippet of the actual news site in a frame, allowing users to read part of the article but funneling them to the site if they want to read more.

Google basically beat Murdoch to the paywall punch, allowing an easy way for users to find news via Google but still bring their clicks and revenue to the original source.

There has been no official word, but Fast Flip may find its way to the main Google News page sometime in 2010.

WTF Is Google Wave

Google Wave is fresh, it’s interesting and it’s fun, and despite the fact that the few people with access don’t know what to do with it, it could change how people view the internet.

The real time protocol allows for what amounts to a online conference room. Users can drag in pictures, quotes videos even games and useful tools into their wave to share with others.

It could be a total bust, but allowing online, real-time collaboration could be a great way for organizations to supplement or replace the awkward web meetings and conference calls.

It could also change how blogs are done, a mobile phone with Google Wave could update a site immediately. Citizen journalists, bloggers and online social butterflies should keep an eye on the project and fight for that invite in 2010.

Caffeine Jitters

Google’s search algorithm update aims to be faster and more intuitive.

The update will begin rolling out in early 2010 and will feature more real time results from Twitter and Google News. The update will also penalize slow-loading sites possibly cutting a lot of junk from key search results.

Google Operating System

Google’s head is in the cloud with the impending rollout of the new operating system. Designed with mobile computers and online apps in mind, the new operating system will likely first be featured on netbooks, though no official plans have been set. The Chrome OS will tap directly into Google’s online apps and, ideally bringing the operating system in line with the wired world sometime in 2010.

[Via TechCrunch and Google's Blog]