Google Nexus One owners share their likes and gripes

Earlier this week, I asked Betanews readers who had purchased Google's so-called "superphone" to offer up early impressions. You responded in comments and by e-mail. Thank-you. I apologize for taking so long getting your responses posted. For anyone with a Nexus One, in most states the return policy is 14 days (30 days here in California). Others' opinions could weigh heavily in your decision to keep the device. Then there are those of you considering plunking down a budget-busting $529 for the unlocked device. Ouch! I did!

I am generally satisfied with the Nexus One -- in part because of how Google has extended Android 2.1 to cloud services. While I find value in the hardware, software and services are where I find the greater reward, and it's why I have switched from the Nokia N900, which also runs on T-Mobile's 3G network.

But not every Nexus One owner is as satisfied as I am, particularly people experiencing 3G connectivity issues (Google officially acknowledged the problem about three hours ago). The Google phone is a data-centric device; the 3G connectivity problems -- even just ongoing reports about them -- will be a deal breaker for many potential buyers. Other folks balk at the price, which is reasonable for an unlocked phone, but many Westerners are used to paying less for subsidized, locked phones. There is a $179 subsidized option in the United States, but it only officially applies to new T-Mobile accounts.

Price initially was a problem for Tony Abad, of Southbury, Conn., who describes himself as a "100 percent Google user -- of email, calendar, tasks, etc." He migrated from the T-Mobile myTouch, which runs Android 1.6:

When I initially got the N1 I toyed with the idea of returning it because it did not seem to be worth the $529 upgrade from the myTouch...However, as I have learned slowly what it can do for me, I think it is worth it. Why? Just the gallery feature alone pays for it. If you are an avid user of Picassa, this thing brings all the pictures you stored in Picassa to your N1 [Nexus One] -- automatically. Wow! The emails -- I do not need to go to the computer, it gets updated on the phone (Hotmail and Gmail). God, you get pampered using this phone!

Bill Menafra, a self-employed consultant living in California's Monterey Bay area, migrated from the T-Mobile DASH to the Nexus One. "This is first and foremost a 'phone' and as such it is the best phone I have ever had, and I have had a few," he says. "This phone has quite simply the best call quality I have had. The people I have phoned have also stated that the sound quality is perfect on their end." Menafra says that there is "poor phone-signal reception area" where he lives "for all carriers. My DASH would only get 1-to-2 bars while the N1 gets 2 to 3."

Las Vegas-based Todd Meyers shares Menafra's enthusiasm:

I fell in love with the phone as soon as I opened the box. I bought it unlocked and chose to use T-Mobile for service. I'm used to using a slow BlackBerry from Sprint as my work phone. The Nexus One is my personal phone. I haven't had any problems with it. I average 10-12 hours of run time with WiFi constantly on...My girlfried has a myTouch 3G, and this runs circles around it. The Nexus [One] is great at multitasking. I just learned how to use the long hold on the home button to jump between applications for when I'm multitasking.

I asked Meyers if he would give up the BlackBerry. "I would love to replace the BlackBerry with the Nexus One, but I need to keep the BlackBerry because of the DirectConnect feature I use for work."

Plenty of Complaints

No smartphone is perfect. Even these N1 enthusiasts have gripes. "I have found the trackball almost useless," says Meyers. "My only complaint is the lack of full integration with google docs," Abad says. I have a spreadsheet -- I can only browse (not edit) a max of 250 rows -- s**t! Maybe an upgrade to Android 2.xx will cure it."

Maybe a browser upgrade would do more for Abad. The delightful N900 has a full Mozilla browser capable of running Google Apps and Adobe Flash (Now why did I give up that Nokia phone).

Abad actually has more complaints. He describes as "irritating, very irritating" switching apps with no obvious way to see if they're closed or still running. He makes an important observation about handsets that allow background applications to run. If not properly closed, they can run wild, sucking down battery life. By comparison, the N900's Maemo 5 operating system makes clear what's running, and apps can be closed by clicking the X in open windows.

Menafra's largest gripe is customer service:

The big problem is the lack of addressing customer concerns by Google. I know the phone is made by HTC and the service (for most people in the USA) is through T-Mobile, but you buy the phone from Google. They designed it, it runs their OS, it interweaves their apps, and it has their name on it etc. I understand they want us to use their forums, but there needs to be some interaction.

No question, Google has had difficulties handling complaints about 3G connection problems on some N1 handsets.

Menafra is among those Google phone owners affected by the problem: "The N1 is a Web-centric device, and this is where the problem is -- at least right now. As all are aware, there are reports of 3G signal issues. I, too, am having these issues, but I believe they will be addressed any time now."

A first-time Betanews commenter simply identified as ATECHUSA expresses the typical problem experienced by some N1 owners: "If I force 3G in the phone settings my 3G is strong and working great. If I use the preferred setting I go back and forth from 3G to EDGE and really notice the slowdown."

Another first-time commenter, Baxter01, is dissatisfied with Nexus One. He posted his comment from the smartphone, which I have left unedited to emphasize some of the problems he experienced:

I have already requested a rma for the n1. Personally I hAte this phone. I am pulling my hair out tryingto type this. This phone is random sometimes the keystrokes accept the space bar, most times it is run on words. That really isn't the issue. The phone is FAST. BUT lags at the most random times.. the screen is beautiful, best thing about the phone. What I am disliking is the absolutely poor integration of os, ui and os. It is terrible. Each appli ation is adhoc (I ga e up onack spaaci g and correcting). N1 is awful.... ok keyboard sensitivity is terrible....... off rant andback

Other commenters had much better experiences. Yet another first-time Betanews commenter, Fletch31, writes:

I absolutely love this device, and anyone who I've shown it to has been impressed by its speed and capabilities. I sold iPhones for AT&T for two years, and they are great phones. The were very trendsetting and inovative, but I love competition in the marketplace and more important for me, I love the Android OS both for what it does and for what its future holds. Pair that with superior hardware -- processor speed, removable battery, expandable memory etc. -- and the Nexus One is the phone for me for the next few years.

So he says now. The next-best thing is usually just days away, and what gadget geek can resist?

Just as Much Praise

Overall, Abad, Menafra and Meyers offer consistent praise about similar features. All described the N1 as "fast." They all also praised the photo and video capabilities, which, as a journalist, I must say were important to me, too. The Nexus One has a 5-megapixel camera with single LED flash and capability to shoot videos in 720 x 480 pixels at 20 or more frames per second.

"The camera's picture quality is excellent, as is the video," says Menafra. "The camera and video are great for a phone," says Meyers, with a little less enthusiasm. For Abad, some of the camera's capabilities are important because of GPS:

The camera is decent and it has a built-in GPS recording placed on the pictures. Garmin sells a GPS camera for $499 and [with] less megapixels. I have a special need for it. Next month, I am going to the Philippines, and I need to measure a plot of land. I figure this is the quickest way to measure it -- I go take a picture with my N1 on each corner of the property and compute the area using the GPS lattitude/longtitude points.

Google Voice and voice dictation features also receive great praise. Android 2.1 supports voice dictation into any text field. Menafra says N1's voice-recognition feature "works almost flawlessly." He adds: "I also truly enjoy the integration of my existing Google Voice account and my Gmail account." Meyers concurs. "I've dictated an entire e-mail faster than I would've been able to type it in. [Voice dictation] works great for quick texting conversations."

Menafra predicts: "Nexus One is probably one of the best phones ever made. Once the 'kinks' are worked out and Google decides to get involved with the users, I'm sure that its popularity will explode." Will he be right?