Nexus One launched: Specifications, pictures and features
Nexus One, the long-awaited mobile from Google, was launched on Monday. The Nexus One is not a game-changing phone like the iPhone, but still manages to make a serious challenge for the iPhone.
Photo: Google Nexus One browser in action
For now, the Nexus One will be launched only in the US. You can buy the Nexus One from the Nexus One website. This puts to rest all recent speculation that the Nexus One will sold via invites. The Nexus One can be purchased from the Google Nexus One purchase. You can choose to buy an unlocked phone for $529 or with a T-Mobile contract for $179. Google is also partnering Verizon for the Nexus One. Verizon is likely to start selling the Nexus One from later this year.
Initially, the Google Nexus One mobile phone availability will be limited only to the US. Google said at a press conference that it is currently testing the Nexus One in the UK and Hong Kong. Vodafone is likely to sell the Nexus One in the UK.
Google Nexus One home screen picture
The Google Nexus (One is manufactured by HTC of Taiwan. Incidentally, HTC was the first company to test Google’s Android platform with its HTC G1 last year. Following HTC, several other mobile phone manufactures – including LG, Motorola and Sony Ericsson – have launched Android powered mobile phones.
Google Nexus One comes with a powerful 1GHz Qualcomm QSD 8250 Snapdragon processor. The operating system used is Android 2. This makes the Nexus One the first mobile phone to use the latest Android platform. We haven’t had our hands on the Google Nexus One yet, but according to reviewers at Engadget who managed to procure a pre-release version, the Android 2.1 is almost the same as Android 2.0. Google, incidentally, calls the Android 2.1 as Eclair, and not Flan as expected.
The Nexus One has an advanced AMOLED display, which reviews say, did not match expectations. The 3.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen WVGA touchscreen comes with 800 x 480 pixels, and has a 100,000:1 typical contrast ratio. Nexus One screen’s typical response rate is 1ms, Google claimed.
Google Nexus One has a home screen vaguely similar to that of the iPhone, with squarish icons. Unlike the iPhone, the home screen can move in a 3D fashion, to create a real three-dimensional effect. The screen is also loaded with multiple Google applications like Picasa, Youtube and GMail.
Apart from the main touchscreen are four touchscreen buttons at the bottom, which are dedicated for back, menu, home and search. The phone has a mini-USB port and volume rocker, and comes with a charging port and a slot for 3.5 mm stereo headphones. Google said that the Nexus One is packed with noise-cancellation technology to cut out background noise.
The Google Nexus One comes with voice navigation added to Google Maps, which was introduced recently. Initially, Google had launched Google Maps voice navigation for Android 2.0, and later launched a version for 1.6 as well.
The Google Nexus One has a 5 megapixels autofocus lens camera, which can focus from 6cm to infinity. The camera has 2X zoom and is aided by an LED flash. Using the assisted GPS on boars, Nexus One users can also geotag their photos. The Nexus One camera can also capture videos at 720×480 pixels at 20 frames per second or higher, depending on lighting conditions.
In the US, the Nexus One will be available with T-Mobile. Being a GSM phone, you can also use the Nexus One in any other GSM network. This means the Nexus One can be used with AT&T, the other leading GSM operator in the US. The Nexus One is a quad band 3G phone, and works in the UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900) with HSDPA of 7.2Mbps and HSUPA of 2Mbps. The Nexus One will work in GSM networks in the frequency of 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz. The phone also comes with W-Fi (802.11b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR A2DP stereo Bluetooth.
Google said at the Nexus One press conference that the phone will come to Verizon as well. Verizon is a CDMA operator, though it has started GSM services in some cities. It is not clear whether Verizon will launch the Nexus One in the GSM areas it serves, or whether Google will make a CDMA Nexus One.
The Google Nexus One has the following dimensions: Height- 119mm; Width – 59.8mm; Depth – 11.5mm; Weight- 130 grams with battery and 100g w/o battery.
Google says that the removable 1400 mAH battery charges at 480mA from USB, at 980mA from supplied charger. The Nexus One is claimed to have a Talk time of Up to 10 hours on 2G and Up to 7 hours on 3G. It has a Standby time of Up to 290 hours on 2G and Up to 250 hours on 3G.
Internet use on Nexus One will take you up to up to 5 hours on 3G and Up to 6.5 hours on Wi-Fi. With Video playback, the battery will last for Up to 7 hours and with Audio playback, for Up to 20 hours.
Google offers to engrave a two-line message on the phone that you buy from it. However, engraving means you will not be able to return the phone within the contract period.
If you buy a Google Nexus One phone, you will be able to return it to Google within 14 days from anywhere in the world, and within 30 days if you live in California. However, this comes with some caveats. You will have to bear the shipping costs for sending the phone back to Google. Also, if you have engraved the phone, a $45 fee will be deducted from your account.
The Nexus One has 512MB Flash and 512MB RAM. It also has a 4GB Micro SD Card (Expandable to 32 GB).
Sadly, the Google Nexus will not be available in India anytime soon. However, if you manage to get an unlocked Nexus One here, you will be able to use it in the GSM networks of Airtel, Vodafone, Aircel, Idea Cellular, BSNL, MTNL and Loop Mobile. However, the 3G functionalities of the phone will still be beyond reach.
For now, the Google Nexus One is a top challenger to the Apple iPhone 3GS, alongwith the Motorola Droid – both Android phones. Now, we just have to wait for the next generation 64 GB iPhone to see Apple’s response!