Android Phone Blog

Google’s Nexus One smartphone will launch in the UK in April with Vodafone.

You heard it first on the Google Nexus One Blog.

We’re told that Vodafone, had been keen for a launch in March but after discussions with Google they have now confirmed that that April is when the company will have a realistic chance of being ready for the launch. It is expected that the UK Google Nexus One will have full multi-touch browsing and full 3g wireless capabilities.

Google has obviously decided to delay launch to ensure that the UK unveling of the Google Nexus One gains maximum publicity.

The phone will go on sale from the Google Nexus One site at www.google.com/phone.

For those folks who decide not to buy a phone on the Vodafone network and decide to get an unlocked UK Google Nexus One then Orange, O2, Vodafone, 3, and T-Mobile all use the 2100-MHz band which works best for the Nexus One.

The cost is expected to be around £45-£75 per month on a pay monthly 24 month contract.

With its high-quality touchscreen, gorgeous design, thin and light weight features the Nexus One is sure to be a hit in the UK ….:-)

The Google Nexus One Blog has a brand new, unlocked Google Nexus One Phone worth over £400 to give away.

To win the phone all you have to do is post a comment explaining in your opinion what is the best feature of the Nexus One phone and why.

Google have opened their telephone support hotline for technical queries and issues with the Nexus One.

Please contact Nexus One support from Google at 888-48-NEXUS (63987). Open daily from 7:00 am EST to 10:00 pm EST.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You will be asked to provide your Google order number to speak to a customer support representative. Your Google order number is a 15 digit number which is sometimes preceded by a “G”. You can locate your order number in the following two locations:

On your Google Checkout order receipt:

On your packing slip:

The Google Nexus One Phone will  support Flash Player 10.1 which of course is not available on the iphone and to date Apple have no plans to make it available.

This means that Google Nexus One owners will be able to use the fab BBC iplayer on their phones to watch TV and films.

I think it’s great that Google and Adobe have partnered on this since it will steal a march on the legions of iphone users who may never get this functionality.

Of course this also means that the Nexus One can play media from other sites such as YouTube video, BBC iPlayer video, MySpace, mega, Yahoo, Facebook.

Google released an Over-The-Air update to the Nexus One last week . This update provides some great new features, and fixes a few problems that some users might have experienced, including:

Google Goggles: this mobile application will now be available directly on your device by launching it from your All Apps menu. Just use your Nexus One camera to start searching the web

Google Maps: the Maps application with be updated to a new version, Google Maps 3.4, which will include:

• Starred items synchronized with maps.google.com – access your favorite places from your phone or computer
• Search suggestions from your personal maps.google.com history – makes it easy to search for places you’ve searched for before
• Night mode in Google Maps Navigation – automatically changes your screen at night for easier viewing and driving

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

3G connectivity: we will provide a general fix to help improve 3G connectivity on some Nexus One phones

In order to access the update, you will receive a message on your phone’s notification bar. Just download the update, wait for it to install, and you should be all set. This update will be rolled out gradually to phones – and most users might not receive the notification until the end of the week. We hope you enjoy these new features and look forward to your feedback.

If you’re the type that lets your precious mobile phone rattle around in your pockets along with your coins, keys and other assorted paraphernalia (like me) then you know from experience that the phone case soon ends up scratched and worn. I remember my Blackberry Pearl from a few years back that looked battle worn and scarred from the constant attrition of my pocket.

Well,  you need a case for your Nexus One!

We’ve been road testing the slimline leather case supplied by mobilefun.co.uk. This top-of-the-range slimline leather case from Sena comes supplied in a smart presentation box along with a tie-bag.

Mobilefun.co.uk Nexus One Leather Case

The case itself is “zero bulk” and wafer thin (in fact it’s one of the leanest cases on  offer for the Nexus One) and comes in a range of 10 colours, from standard black to glorious gold!

With a pebble outer and soft velvet lining inside the case the Nexus One fit’s snuggly into the pouch.

The stitching is of good quality and provides an excellent fit for the Nexus One – lifting the case upside down doesn’t provoke the phone to fall from the case but it can be easily removed by pinching the case or sliding the phone out.

Overall an excellent quality Nexus One Case that gets the thumbs up from the Google Nexus One Blog.

Available from mobilefun.co.uk for £24.98

Opera Mini

The must have browser for any smartphone, fast, sweet and reliable.

Last.fm

Superb application allowing you to listen to your favourite songs and artists free

Twidroid

Twidroid is a full-featured Twitter app for Nexus One and other Android smartphones. It’s robust, fast and has all nice eye-candy that you would look for in a smartphone app for Twitter. Twitter isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but a must have for the twitterati

Google Goggles

Google Goggles lets you use pictures taken using your Nexus One’s camera to search for entries about that picture. Great app, good fun

ES  Task Manager

Simple and yet useful app for your Nexus One. It will you kill active applications and even those running in the background.

Beautiful Widgets

The default Widgets use by the Nexus One may be beautiful already, but this fab app makes it even more ….beautiful.

Pandora Radio

The Nexus One’s media player app is maybe not as good as the iPhone’s iPod although both iPhone and Nexus One do not have native radio app, Pandora Radio makes it all happen.

Ringdroid

Great customized ringtones..what more? This gr8 little app lets you create tones, alarms, and notifications from MP3, WAV, AAC/MP4, 3GPP/AMR files.

Handcent (SMS)

Handcent SMS is a FREE enhanced SMS and MMS application for the Nexus One. It support SMS and MMS, fully customizable, power SMS Pop Up window, group sending SMS and MMS, beautiful UI. Great for those text addicts.

ReaderScope

Lets you read RSS feeds from your Google Reader account, Google News and even Twitter. It also enables online/offline read, listenening to podcasts, watching YouTube videos, share over SMS, email, Twitter, Delicious and more.

To download these apps, just search for them from the Android Market on your Nexus One or Android handsets.

These are the Google Nexus One Blog favourite applications – what are yours?

What is the Nexus One?
As Google puts it, the Nexus One is the first “superphone”. That is to say it’s the next evolution in what (Android) handsets are capable of.

What is so special about the phone?
For starters, the Nexus One features a blazing fast 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.  Throw in a 3.7-inch (480×800 AMOLED screen), a 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash, wireless support for 802.11 a/b/g/n, a trackball with multicolor LED, and you see where we’re going.  There’s also a compass, GPS, accelerometer, stereo Bluetooth, a 3.5mm headphone jack, light and proximity sensors, and two microphones for “active noise suppression”.  All of this is powered by a 1400mAH battery.  Oh yeah, it’s crazy thin.  Like, less than a pencil, thin.

What about the operating system and features?
The Nexus One comes loaded with Android 2.1, which features the same great software found in the Motorola DROID, plus more.  This latest version also offers great voice integration.  Every text field found within Android 2.1 is voice enabled, meaning you’ll not have to physically type out emails, texts messages and tweets.  There are also ‘live wallpapers’ with interactivity, a new weather/news widget, Google Earth, and an updated gallery.

What is the memory capavity and storage on the Nexus One?

The Nexus One only comes with a 4GB SD card in the box for storing files, but this can be expanded to 32 GB with a larger capacity card.

Why is the phone called the Nexus One?

The phone apparently takes it name from one of the “replicants” in Ridley Scott’s classic sci-fi movie Blade Runner.

What sort of controls does the Nexus One have e.g. trackball or touchscreen?

As well as touch screen controls, the phone also features four hardware buttons and a Blackberry-style rollerball for navigating menus and web pages.

What snazzy features does the phone have?

One snazzy feature of the phone are “live wallpapers” – animated background images that move subtly as you write a text messages or look through your contacts.

How does the Nexus One Display compare with the iphone?

The handset has a super bright 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED touch screen display that’s slightly larger than its Apple rival.

Where can I buy a Nexus One?
You can immediately order an unlocked GSM Nexus One at $529.00 at google.com/phone.

Will it work with my AT&T service?
Yes.  Don’t expect 3G speeds though as the Nexus One only offers support  for T-Mobile’s 3G bands in the United States – UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900) and GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz).

What sort of camera does the Nexus One have?

Unlike the iPhone, the Nexus One’s 5 mega pixel camera boasts a flash and also features mechanical auto focus.

What if I don’t want to spend that kind of money?
A subsidised  Nexus One can be yours for $179.00 as long as you commit to a 2-year contract with T-Mobile.  The catch here is that you must use it on individual, post paid, rate plans.  Family plans, and FlexPay customers are not eligible at this time. However, if you cancel the two year contract with T-Mobile you will not only pay them a hefty early cancellation fee, it almost double as you will also owe Google an almost similar cancellation fee. Google charges an “Equipment Recovery Fee” of $350 if you cancel their service before 120 days have passed. Essentially, doubling your penalty from what you would pay with other phones.

What rate plan will I have if I get a Nexus One?
As of today, there is only one plan to choose from – 500 voice minutes, nights and weekends, messaging (SMS and MMS) and data.

I don’t want to sign up with T-Mobile.  Are there other options?
A CDMA version of the Nexus One will be available in the spring of 2010 for Verizon customers.

Will there be an unlocked CDMA Nexus One?

Google have indicated that there will only be a Verizon-based CDMA Nexus One.

What are the key specifications for Google Nexus One?

• 119×59.8×11.5mm, 130 grams
• 3G + HSPA (7.2Mbps down/2Mbps up)
• Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon processor
• 3.7-inch AM-OLED capacitive touchscreen (800×480 pixels)
• 5-megapixel camera with flash
• 720×480 pixel video capture at 20 frames per second
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• Bluetooth
• GPS/electronic compass
• Android OS 2.1 (Eclair)
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Rollerball navigation control with LED illumination
• Live wallpaper + 5 home screens/panels
• New photo viewer with new viewing/sorting options
• Dual microphone for active noise cancellation
• 1400mAh battery with up to 10 hours talktime, 290 hours standby (2G) and 7/250 hours (3G)
• Web use up to 5 hours (3G) / 6.5 hours (Wi-Fi)
• Video up to 7 hours
• Music up to 20 hours
• 512MB RAM + microSDHC expansion (4GB supplied)

Will there be another Nexus One model at some later date?

One interesting point is that the Google Phone website is likely to updated in the future to include many other Google phones, not just the Nexus One. Therefore the device is merely the first in a series of handsets that will be more actively promoted by Google in the future. There is already talk about a Nexus Two phone aimed at the corporate / business market

What languages does the phone display support?

English (U.S), French (France), German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean, Japanese, Russian,

What are the main software features and functionalty of the Nexus One?

• Google Maps Navigation: offering turn-by-turn driving directions with voice output.
• Email: multiple Gmail accounts; universal inbox and Exchange support.
• Phone book: aggregate contacts from multiple sources, including Facebook.
• Quick Contacts: easily switch between communication and social applications.
• Android Market: access to more than 18,000 applications.
• Enter text without typing.
• Use a voice-enabled keyboard for all text fields: speak a text message, instant message, tweet, Facebook update, or complete an email.
• Tell your phone what you want it to do.
• Search Google, call contacts, or get driving directions by just speaking into your phone.
• Take personalization to the next level.
• Dynamic, interactive, live wallpapers react to the touch of a finger.
• More widgets and five home screen panels allow for further device customization.
• Capture camera-quality pictures and video with your device.
• 5 megapixel camera includes LED flash, auto focus, zoom, white balance and color effects.
• View pictures and Picasa Web Albums in the new 3D Gallery.
• Record Hi-Res MPEG4 video, and then upload to YouTube with one click.
• Read your voicemail messages.
• Get transcribed voicemail with Google Voice integration, without changing your number.

Who manufactured the Google Nexus One?

The device was built by Taiwanese manufacturer HTC under strict design instructions from Google

Easy to follow instructions on setting up email (POP3 / IMAP) to work with your Google Nexus One phone.

Step 1

Open the ACCOUNTS screen on your Nexus One Phone.

Step 2
Press MENU and touch ADD ACCOUNT. In the Setup Email screen, enter your email address and password. If you’re adding a second or subsequent email address, you can also check the option to use the new account to send all outgoing messages.

Step 3
Touch NEXT. Or, if you need to enter email account settings the wizard can’t configure for you, touch Manual setup.

If you touch Next, Email attempts to communicate with your email service provider to validate your account for sending and receiving mail, using just your email address and password.

Depending on the service provider, you may be asked what kind of email account you have. If you’re not sure, check the settings in the application you use to send and receive email on your computer, or ask your email service provider.

If the wizard determines that your service provider requires other information, or if you touched Manual setup, you’re prompted to enter your email account details. Refer to the settings used by your computer-based email application or your email service provider’s support resources.

Step 4
Enter a name for the account, confirm how you want your name to appear in outgoing mail, and touch Done.

Email setup on your Google Nexus One phone is now complete.

For those folks who are desperate to obtain a Nexus One and are unable to wait for the Official release in their home country e.g. India, Australia, Germany (Deutschland) and France I came across this useful blog entry which illustrates how to get round Google restrictions on where the Nexus One can be shipped to:

http://www.lucafiligheddu.com/2010/01/get-google-nexus-one-everywhere.html

Currently Google will only ship the Nexus One to the US, UK, Singapore and Hong Kong

Latest update is that for the Eurozone the Nexus One will be priced at around 450 euros.

Please let us have comments on whether this workaround really does work…