DISCLAIMER: I’m not an english major just a tech geek
Not sure if this is the best way to start my blog, but this has motivated me enough to actually make it my first post so I guess that’s a good thing.
Let me start by saying I get really excited over new pieces of technology, whether it be laptops, netbooks, cell phones, media streams etc…
Now I can’t afford to buy every new toy that hits the market so I usually end up obsessing over one thing and eventually end up pulling the trigger.
For example, I bought a Dell 9 Mini around August; did I need another computer? No, not really. Was it going to do what anything my Macbook, Desktop and work T400 couldn’t do? Probably not. I wasn’t buying it for performance but for portability. I was going on a cruise and didn’t want to lug my Macbook or T400 with me. So that’s that.
This blog post isn’t about my netbook as you can tell from the title. This post is about my 3 days with Google’s “Superphone”; Nexus One.
As most of the people reading this you know I love my iPhone but I’ve had this unhealthy obsession with Google’s Android Operating System which lead to me reading to many articles to count from reviews, comparisons, enterprise usability and whatever else was out there on it. I used to get super giddy whenever someone around me had an Android device. I would DEMAND the ability to play with it. I usually only got to play with it for a few minutes but I always came away from it happy and wondering what it would be like to switch teams but wasn’t ready to switch phone carriers again. I only played with a G1 and Droid, 2 opposite ends of the Android spectrum but still came away with “that was pretty awesome”.
So Google released the Nexus One in January for T-Mobile only, I don’t count that you could use it on AT&T Edge (useless), and it was thrown into the iPhone killer category. I checked every tech site imaginable for information for a version of the Nexus One compatible with AT&T 3G and after months of scouring it finally happened. Google released a Nexus One for AT&T on March 16th. I purchased it on March 17th (technically 2AM March 18th) after 12 hour stint at the pub celebrating St. Patricks day. Was this my silliest drunken purchase? No way. Was it the most expensive? Yes, yes it was. Thanks to Google for offering free overnight shipping and screw you Google for offering free overnight shipping. I couldn’t cancel my $566 this was a good idea at the time purchase because by the time I arose the next morning it had already shipped.
Once I got over the initial shock of making a ridiculously expensive purchase under the influence of many cream ales and stouts I start to get excited. I came home from work on Friday night and immediately unboxed it. I had to fully charge the phone before use, sure I could have just used it after half a charge but I didn’t want to hose the battery out of the box. I kept checking the amber light hoping it would turn green so I could play with it but after 30 minutes it never changed. A little research informed me that the initial charge can take 1-4 hours so I decided to head out for a few hours.
I arrived home some hours later and took the SIM card out of my iPhone and popped it into the Nexus One, turned on the phone, pressed the green Android button and inputted my Google credentials. I entered into Google’s world.
I only downloaded a handful of apps and played around with the interface for an hour or so before hitting the hay.
Saturday was first full day with the phone. I really wish this next section didn’t sound so negative but here we go.
Hardware
The touchscreen was going in and out, I would hit one key and it would register a key not even close to it. This happened with the keyboard as well as menu items and icons. I’m a textaholic and I found myself trying to stay away from typing as much as possible since it felt like a chore and took forever.
A quick search on the Android forum let me know that I was not alone. This was an issue since the original T-Mobile Nexus One was released in January and Google still hasn’t fixed it. Their workaround? “soft reset”. HTC, the manufacturer, is saying it’s software and not their issue, Google won’t give a definite response as to why this occurs. This was my first uh-oh moment.
The second came from something I recall reading weeks before the AT&T version was announced. HTC has said that people forget that the phone isn’t supposed to go in pockets. What the shit?! I’m pretty sure that’s where most put their phones. I feel like I have to baby the thing and keep it closely guarded in its included neoprene case. I don’t feel like I am really putting it through the tests as I normally would since I have 14 days to return the thing. I can’t root it or install other ROM’s on it or it will void my warranty. Ya, I babied my iPhone when I first got it but the notion of returning it never crossed my mind so I just “used” it.
Android Marketplace
I’m pretty neutral when it comes to the Androids app store. People always say Apple has 100,000 apps and Google has 10,000. Ok? How many fart apps do you need? I’m sure there are a few niche apps that are on one and not the other but all in all it’s pretty solid.
The only issues I really have with their apps are minimal at best. I miss Tweetdeck for iPhone but that’s just a convenience thing.
The Android Mail app, not to be confused with their excellent Gmail app, is what I use to link my work Exchange email account. It uses Active Sync but it just doesn’t seem as slick as Exchange on the iPhone. Also, no calendar sync ability.
Security
The phone unlock pattern is kind of a joke too. You create a pattern and basically play connect the dots to unlock the phone. This is extremely insecure. Prime example; I let a co-worker take a look at my phone today and it locked while he was looking at it. He unlocked it without asking me to do it. He did so without staring directly at the phone.
There are two factors that make the secure unlock on this phone totally useless. My co-worker could easily see me trace my unlock pattern since it lights up the fucking pattern in HOT GREEN. You don’t have to stand over someones shoulder to see it, you can catch it out of the corner of your eye then use the 2nd part I am about to speak about to unlock anyone’s phone.
The 2nd was pointed out to me and didn’t notice it until today. You could easily see the pattern emblazoned on the screen with my finger prints. Tilt the screen in a certain light and you could trace anyone’s unlock code. Granted, this could be thwarted with a screen shield that doesn’t leave fingerprints but why have the unlock pattern at all? Is it supposed to be cool? Did they not want to copy Apple with a passcode? I’m sure you could still argue you can see fingerprints on the iPhones screen but you’re not tracing your 4 digit passcode over and over again.
Inevitable iPhone comparison
This phone just doesn’t do anything my jailbroken iPhone 3G can’t. I can background apps, update twitter, facebook. Yes, its alot faster and the screens prettier but other than that it just isn’t worth the price to switch. I can do everything on my iPhone that I can do on the Nexus One, a little slower but it still works. If I really cared about speed I would’ve upgraded to a 3GS but I think I can wait until June to see what Mr. Jobs unveils.
This posted isn’t meant to deter people from Android, if I was still on Verizon I would have be a proud Droid owner. I’m sure alot of this is partially due to the hardware itself but my only other Android options on AT&T are the back flip running Android 1.6 or importing the Motorola Milestone (Droid for GSM) from Canada for $600+. I’m sure I would still feel like I spent $600 to give me the new toy feeling but not really gaining new functionality.
Android is probably great for some but right now at version 2.1 it’s not for me. I’ll stick with my iPhone for now. I’m looking forward to see where Google takes Android and finally gets it “there”. Google now has the Droid, Nexus One and soon to be Desire and Incredible. I’ll still be keeping a close eye on whatever they do with the OS.
Will be contacting HTC tomorrow to initiate a refund. Thanks for reading my postrant!
