subject: A First from Google – the Google Nexus One [print this page] Author: Simon Drew Author: Simon Drew
Its really just a matter of time. After coming out with the open source Android that caught the mobile phone community with a bang, you can almost smell in the air the ambitions of a search engine company eventually wanting to knock out the big boys right in their own turf. Enter the Google phone, or the more precisely the Google Nexus One released only last 5th of January 2010. This is unabashedly the HTC Passion without the HTC logo and runs the clair-favored Android 2.1 on the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. And by the name alone, you can be forgiven into thinking theres going to be a Nexus Two and Three, etc. The Google site already has it available for ordering at a SIM-free price of $529 or take out a $79.99/mnth 2-year contract with T-mobile for just $179. Features Revealed Online This is quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE phone on 2G and a tri band UMTS/3G with HSDPA/HSUA for amazingly fast internet surfing. It supports WiFi 802.11 for hotspot surfing as well as Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR for high speed wireless data synching with local Bluetooth devices. It runs with what is considered the fasted processor for mobile gadget - the Qualcomm QSD 8250 Snapdragon clocked at 1GHz. It sports a stylish body measuring 119 x 59.8 x 11.5mm weighs 130g. Memory starts with a 512 MB flash ROM and 512 MB RAM expandable to 32 GB with its microSD slot. The kit is said to contain a 4 GB microSD card. It sports a 3.7-inch Wide-VGA (480 x 800) AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with multitouch capability that is not enabled in default apps for the US version. It has all the usual sensors like accelerometer for auto rotate, proximity sensor for disabling its touchscreen capability when held against your face in a call, and ambient light sensor for automatically dimming the screen according to ambient light condition. It also has a magnetometer for its digital compass capability. Its multimedia features a 5.0 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and digital zoom as well as 720p High Definition video recording at 20 fps or higher. It comes with geo tagging, courtesy of its built-in GPS receiver. Theres the audio and video players that support the common media file codes and a stereo FM radio with RDS. You can either listen from a wireless Bluetooth A2DP stereo headset or use its 3.5mm headphone jack. It runs on the Android 2.1 clair OS which adds some aesthetic enhancements such as animated wallpapers. By December 2009, it has access to more than 20,000 apps from the online Android. Just to put things in perspective, the Apple Store has about 125,000 apps. It support voice to text transcription, noise canceling and voice direction using its GPS SatNav turn-by-turn direction feature. It is powered by a 1400 mAh Lithium-ion battery capable of delivering 10 hours of talk time, 5 hours of browsing, 20 hours of music playback, 7 hours of video payback and 290 hours of standby time when fully charged. About the Author:
