I came across this video recently and I found it creative as well as informative;
YouTube user AndroidHD has taken six Android Handsets, ran the same video on them in unison, filmed them and posted the results. So if having great video resolution is an important factor when purchasing an Android device, this video is worth four minutes out of your day. The phones compared are:
Nexus One vs Moto Droid vs Acer Liquid vs Samsung Galaxy vs HTC Hero vs HTC myTouch 3G.
After watching this video, it seems to me that the Nexus One not only has an amazing screen, but it has the amazing screen. But, I may be a little biased as I love that device.
So what’s the verdict? Leave a comment and let us know which one you feel has the best video processing power!
The guys at PhoneScoop.com have got a hold of the new HTC myTouch Fender Edition and have created a cool video review of the device. Here is the video of Eric Clapton’s baby followed by the full technical specs. So what do you guys think? Is this device worth getting over the regular myTouch? Will you be purchasing it? Leave a comment and let us know!
The gentlemen over at Android and Me have been posting some awesome content over at their You Tube channel ( http://www.YouTube.com/AndroidandMe ) and the latest one is a short demo of the new Android Stock Clock Application that comes with the Nexus One as well as newer versions of Android. Google definitely made a great app as it combines many features into one app. Check it out in the video below and watch for Levar Burton at around 00:59!
I came across this video comparison of the new Google Nexus One and the iPhone 3Gs and although it’s a bit long, (18 minutes), it is a pretty good comparison and worth the watch. Only thing I didn’t like was the comparison of the auto-spell/correct features of both handsets. When comparing them, the reviewer mistakenly typed in the ‘To:’ field for a new message on the Android powered handset so the auto-correct feature didn’t kick on making the iPhone look like it was better in this area. He mentions it with a You Tube annotation but I wish we could see them compared again on video as these handsets are neck & neck for the ‘Jesus Phone’ race. Other than that, it’s an informative, non-biased review. Enjoy.
So after all the hype, the Nexus One came to fruition yesterday to fan fair as well as haters. From what I’ve gathered reading the blogs, tweets and comments of others is that the main gripes from the haters so far is:
Not enough innovation on the OS side. New UI but mostly the same bells & whistles as current Android devices.
Way over priced.
Now I may be a little biased at this point due to me needing a new device right now so I’m going to purchase this handset and I know I’m going to love it. But, as to the cost, I think that is best summed up in my own words.
I am used to purchasing my phones at full cost for the past six years. The main reason I’ve done this is I don’t like contracts. Although I’ve used T-Mobile USA for more than five years, I don’t like the idea of an ETF looming over my head in the event that I want to go to another carrier. At times I have purchased handsets used. Like my G1 (RIP) which I purchased for $315.00 last March off of Ebay. So I will not be signing a contract to purchase the Nexus 1 and I know that $530.00 is a lot of coin for a phone.
But, it should be realized that this is more than a phone.
We all know that the device can play music. All forms of music which is more than I can say for many music devices. (Android devices are the only ones I’ve seen that will play the .ogg format. I’m sure there are others out there but I haven’t used them.) The device comes to you with a 4GB card for storing music. Oh, it plays videos as well so let’s call it a media player. A quick search on Ebay and I found a SanDisk Sansa Fuze 4GB Black MP3 Player with a buy it now price of $52.99 and the shipping is free but if I want it fast, it’s an additional $4.99 so that brings us to $57.98.
It’s also a navigation device with free GPS service. I know that the G1 provides this and while on a trip to Eastern Washington I discovered that the GPS will still work even without a SIM card in the device. Granted the only maps available without service are any that are cached on the device but I was still able to get my coordinates for free. I can only assume that the Nexus One will also provide this service for free as well. (I had a Blackberry Curve and Telenav wanted $15.00/month for GPS service.)
So, to Ebay again, I found a Tom Tom XL 340.S for $119.95 + $9.75 for shipping. This device has a bad review stating that it’s memory couldn’t handle the first update so that’s pretty lame IMO. That brings our grand total to $187.68.
The Nexus One has a 5 mega pixel camera. Ebay. First item. A New Argus DC 5185 5 meg camera with a whopping 32MB of storage (lol) and the thing takes AAA batteries. If you’ve ever been unfortunate enough to purchase a camera that uses regular batteries you know that they usually don’t last very long. Near as I can tell this camera doesn’t record video and the view screen is only 1.5 in so the Nexus One is a better camera it seems. Price: $38.24.
Last and perhaps most importantly, the Nexus One is a phone/internet tablet. So real quick I found an LG CU500 UNLOCKED QUAD GSM PHONE with a buy it now price of $43.95 and a Nokia 770 Internet Tablet with a buy it now price of $100.00 plus $6.85 shipping.
I’m not including sales tax as I live in Oregon and we hate that shite. lol
So in this example, the total is now $376.72, this is a far cry from $530.00 but let me justify it by putting it this way:
I’m on the internet a lot. Almost an unhealthy amount. This has made me guilty of loving instant gratification so I want & need all of these devices but I not only want them all right now, I want them all in one package. So to me, I’m paying an additional $154.00 to get them all in one and right away. Plus it will have the cool UI and I’ll be the envy of at least some of my friends.
So the device is more than a phone and although the G1 & My Touch devices can pretty much do the same things right now… I need a new device and I have a suspicion that this device will do all these things faster than the aforementioned devices since it has the 1 gig Snapdragon processor.
That being said, the device may be expensive if you purchase it unlocked but I feel it’s absolutely worth it for what the device truly is, how it looks and it’s performance. Plus, you’re not tied to one carrier. Yes, I know that it only supports the AWS spectrum for T-Mobile USA but that’s not my point.
One final thought, when the iPhone came out back in ’07, it cost more than $600.00, you had to sign a two year contract with AT&T and you couldn’t insure it nor purchase it unlocked from them or Apple. They still sold over a million of them and the device didn’t support IM or MMS for a loooong time.
The Nexus One already supports those features and many, many more.
Cnet News is promising live coverage of Google’s press release today. Here is a direct link: http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10424433-265.html?tag=mncol;posts and the page states to keep refreshing for information starting at 10:00am PST. So, anyone excited? I sure am! I will continue posting new information as soon as I can get it!
[Update2]
8:00 AM PST: CNET is reporting they will offer live coverage of the event.
I know, I know, there’s more to Android news and apps than the Nexus One but I just can’t help myself. The announcement from Google is tomorrow and as such, many videos are coming in and I gotta tell ya’, this device is awesome!
So below is a video from YouTube user djnicho who, as near as I can tell, has posted the first video review of the Nexus One. Now, it’s not so much a review as djnicho praising the phone. He does compare it physically to the iPhone and the Nexus is a tad bit thinner but the screen realestate is the same. (Which we already knew from the specs.)
So here’s the video and watch for a post tomorrow once the announcement takes place. (Of course!)
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.
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.
