Oh, woe is me! My G1 quit working last weekend and I am at a loss with out my device. My poor device will not power on and it is far beyond the warranty. I don’t have insurance so I am currently stuck using an old, unlocked Nokia 3120 so the situation is akin to having your 2008 Scion XB totaled and having to switch to a ’79 Datsun instead. Very hard to transition to. This phone doesn’t even have EDGE and even if it did, I can’t get the T-Mobile WAP settings right to go online. So when it comes to Google, I’m stuck with using SMS Google.
I’m literally going through withdrawal…but there is hope…
According to many blogs & web sites, Google has scheduled an Android press release on January 5th and a leaked screenshot of a T-Mobile memo states that Google will be releasing a new Android device in “early January.”
So I’m taking this loss with a grain of salt as we all know that this has to be the release of the Nexus 1 and I have to say, if my G1 had to break at some point, it couldn’t have happened at a better time. So while I wallow in my misery of SMS search and no MMS, here is a full 10 minute video of the Nexus 1 in the wild.
Now we’ve seen all kinds of video and songs detailing love for the android platform and the like, but so far none of them have shared my love for Android and mine and Krubuntu’s love for metal hardcore and punk.
Untill now,
The band is The Dead Walk and the song is just called Android song.
After several weeks of waiting, we finally have the full spec sheet for the Nexus One thanks to Engadget. Most of the specs are just what we expected except for the amount of RAM. We had heard rumors it was being beefed up and we can now confirm the Nexus One has 512 MB RAM (2x the 256 MB of the Droid).
Engadget is also reporting that the first batch of phones will be available only by “invitation” from Google. We were lucky enough to be invited to Google I/O 2009 where we received the Google Ion phone so I’m crossing my fingers we get a special invite to review the Nexus One.
The other good news is that T-Mobile will eventually sell the Nexus One at some point in the future. We are still waiting to get an official launch date and retail pricing.
Highlights of the Nexus One include:
Android 2.1
11.5mm thick
512MB RAM, 512MB ROM, 4GB microSD in-box expandable to 32GB
5 megapixel camera with mechanical AF and LED flash
HSPA 900 / 1700 / 2100, 7.2Mbps down and 2Mbps up — in other words, yes to T-Mobile 3G and no to AT&T 3G
3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED display
Looks Good
Only thing that concerns me about this handset is the battery life. I’ve been super satisfied with my G-1 and the only complaint that I have is the battery goes down so fast while using 3G or Wi-Fi. So if the Nexus One truly uses VoIP for the majority of calls, that’s going to eat into the amount of juice it can hold. Other than that, these specs are exciting!
Over at Tech Dirt, they’ve pointed out an interesting question about the Nexus One. Apparently the estate of Philip K. Dick is not pleased with the use of the name, “Nexus One,” without their permission. If you don’t know, Philip K. Dick is the author of many, many science fiction novels and short stories that have become movies. In this situation the story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is at issue. This storywas made into the feature film, Blade Runner and included characters called replicants that were advanced Androids. The replicants in the story and film were ‘Nexus-6′ devices so it seems that Google’s & HTC’s choice in naming the device the ‘Nexus-1′ is an homage to Blade Runner and Philip K. Dick since the device is powered by Android.
I personally agree with Mike Masnick of Tech Dirt as he writes:
‘The article notes (surprisingly) that Motorola paid George Lucas for the rights to use “Droid” for its Android phone, but no one spoke to the Dick estate, who now claim they are “shocked and dismayed.” Really? Shocked? Isa Dick Hackett, Philip’s daughter is claiming:
“We were never consulted, no requests were made, and we didn’t grant any sort of permissions.”
Perhaps that’s because Google doesn’t need permission from you to do such a thing. Of course, since Google hasn’t made any official announcement on this, there’s still a good chance they could change the name, just to avoid having to deal with an angry and misguided family member who doesn’t like the idea of anyone paying tribute to her father without first paying up. You have to imagine there must be some other science fiction author out there who would be thrilled to have Google promoting his or her work, rather than whining about getting permission (i.e., “payment”) for the use of a name.’
It does seem silly to me that they would complain not only because it’s an obvious tribute but there are bands as well as other sci-fi stories & characters that use the name Nexus and even a collaboration company. So if any of these uses of the term Nexus adds a number to the end of it, that individual suddenly needs permission from the Dick Estate? I don’t think so.
Phone Scoop has discovered that the HTC Nexus One has been approved through the FCC and the device does indeed support the 1700 AWS Spectrum range for T-Mobile USA.
Although many handsets go through FCC approval and never reach consumers’ hands…I think with all the hype and rumors of the last 72 hours that we can confirm this puppy is going to make it into many an Android lovers’ pockets. Here’s PhoneScoop’s take:
The FCC recently approved a new device manufactured by HTC that is called the Nexus One. The FCC confirms that this device has 850/1900 GSM bands, and support for T-Mobile’s 1700MHz 3G network. The FCC also confirms that it has a hearing-aid rating, which points to a U.S. release, as well as support for microSD cards, Bluetooth, and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. The FCC does not confirm any other details about this device, but Google mentioned recently that it has given this device to employees for testing purposes and may sell it directly to the public.
The wireless blogs & the ‘Twitter-verse’ have been a buzz all weekend with rumors, pictures and videos of the so called ‘Google Phone.’
Androidguys.com have compiled this handy list of updates & information and I have also posted an NBC video below about this new handset. More news to follow as we get it so stay tuned…
The Story so Far… You know, 20/20 and all that.
Around the middle of October a writer for TheStreet.com was the first to really get the Google Phone rumors rolling again. He claimed that Google would be selling a handsetdirectly, bypassing carriers.
Some believe this is the Google Phone news we’ve been waiting for. Other think it’s just the same thing as last year – nothing more than a gift to employees
Nothing has been officially announced. The closest we have so far is a post from the Google Mobile Blog that says their employees are dogfooding a mobile lab. Said handsets are unlocked and feature new mobile features and capabilities.
The Wall Street Journal publishes an article that pretty much confirms the rumors. The code name ‘Nexus One” is born.
A few pictures have identified the handset as “Phone 88″. Perhaps each phone has a unique model/serial written into it to identify leaks. Looking back at the first Dragon/Passion images, we were told that the image blacked out parts of the screen because “…it has a number that I’m told is used to determine who this phone was loaned to.“ Coincidence? Maybe.
The phone looks exactly like the HTC Dragon/Passion except for the missing HTC branding. Specs include a Snapdragon 1GHz chip, 3.7-inch AMOLED display, and a 5 megapixel camera.
Gizmodo’s source from a few weeks back said that we have yet to see the ‘real’ Android. Based on collected descriptions, the ‘real’ Android might be one designed by Google which has every screen, button, and animated background specifically designed.
UPDATE: According to a quick start that comes with the handsets, there is mention of a page for questions at google.com/phone/support. The site is inactive at this time.
The guys over at Android and Me got a hold of a Nook and created a video of the unboxing. If you’re unaware, the Nook is an E-Reader similar to Amazon’s Kindle but it is running Android for the OS. I was personally impressed by the size of the device as well as the clarity of the screen. However, as mentioned in the video, it seemed pretty sluggish at first.
So, any thoughts or comments? Will the Nook be in one of your family members’ stockings this Christmas? Let us know!
