Articles about Google Nexus

At the end of January, the Federal Communications Commission's Consumer Task Force launched an inquiry into the Early Termination Fees (ETFs) of the major wireless providers with a special focus on the Google Nexus One handset.

The Nexus One is unlike other smartphones in that it is sold only by Google and available on multiple carriers. As such, if a customer terminated his contract, he faced early termination fees from both Google and his wireless provider.

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This morning, Google began deploying an over-the-air software update for its Nexus One phones, including the addition of true pinch-to-zoom multitouch and synchronization features for Google Maps, as well as a purported fix for poor 3G connectivity for at least one version of the phone's firmware. In the early minutes after deployment, there appeared to be some hope as some users of Google's support forums reported improved signal strength.

But that was in the early going. As the hours passed, customers were correcting their existing reports, and others were adding new reports, of only marginally improved 3G speeds at best. Connectivity appears to have improved for some -- getting at least some 3G where there was none before -- but that's not a complete solution for them yet. What's more, troubles with 3G signals being completely dropped when the phone is touched by human hands -- a problem reported by a minority of users, but still a sizable number -- seemed to continue.

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A new software update for the Nexus One Android phone will finally offer the famous "pinch to zoom" functionality found in other "superphones" such as the Apple iPhone, Palm Pre, and HTC HD2. This news came from Google earlier today.

The famous multitouch gesture has been present on Android phones outside of the US (including the Nexus One) but due to unspecified reasons, the American version of Android has not fully supported it.

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At 2:22 pm Eastern Standard Time today, some eight days after a support thread was first launched by a Google Nexus One user who noticed his phone kept flipping back and forth between 3G and EDGE services, a fellow named Ravi whose job description in his Google profile is listed as "Google Employee, Doofus Maximus" wrote in to assure customers the company was working with its partners to investigate the issue. The problem may affect several hundred Nexus One phones, though evidently -- and thankfully -- not all of them.

"Hey Folks, this is your friendly neighborhood Google Guide here to clear some up some confusion around all these 3G shenanigans!" Ravi's post began. "We (by 'we' I mean Google, although HTC and T-Mobile are both getting reports as well) are getting reports from some users who are having problems maintaining a 3G data connection on their device. We're actively working with our partners to investigate these issues and identify what's going on. Most people don't seem to be running into this issue, but for those of you who are, we understand your concern and appreciate your patience."

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Silicon Alley Insider claims that Google's so-called "superphone" is a bomb, based on the first week of sales; Nexus One has no superpowers, whatsoever. I totally disagree. Nexus is the bomb. It's simply better than iPhone 3Gs or Nokia's flagship N900. Nexus One is smokin'. First week sales figures are to be expected, and Google showed real finesse by wisely taking a low-key approach to the device's launch.

Jay Yarow's headline seemingly says it all: "The Nexus One Bombs: Only 20,000 Sold In First Week." But there's more. He writes in the text that "these estimates are bad for Google. The company had plenty of hype gearing up for the launch of the phone. It put an ad on its homepage, and it sprayed its ads all over the web. Given all the hype, these sales numbers are pathetic."

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In an effort to minimize the apparent scope of the problem faced by at least a sizable plurality of Nexus One customers this week, Google has issued a statement to the press. It essentially acknowledges what we've all seen with our eyes, that users are experiencing widespread 3G connectivity issues, but it offers no information as to what measures are being taken to address those concerns.

"We are aware of the issues that have affected a small number of users, and are working quickly to fix any problems," reads the statement from Google to Betanews this afternoon. "We hope to have more information soon. When we do, we will post it to the user forum."

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The first absolute confirmation of the existence of the "Google Phone," as no one calls the Nexus One now, came when the company admitted it had distributed a few hundred models to its employees, now exactly one month ago. It could be the single shortest beta test period in the history of Google, especially compared to the number of years Gmail bore the "beta" tag before it was quietly removed last spring.

Clearly after the first week of Nexus One's retail availability, Google has proven itself not ready for instant launches. In one sense, the problem is actually systemic: For a new product to build market momentum leading up to its launch, its manufacturer needs not only to maintain secrecy but to nurture that secrecy like a cash crop -- Apple is easily the best company at nurturing secrecy as a virtue of any company, in any industry, in history. By contrast, the whole beta test process, and the basis of Google's software development model up to this point, has been transparency -- a type of openness which, when applied to the realm of hardware, feels more like nakedness.

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In addition to launching the latest skirmish in the mobile platform/mobile carrier wars, Google and HTC's Nexus One smartphone also introduced the world to Android 2.1.

Before the Nexus One came out, the Motorola Droid launched in a similar fashion, where the device ran Android 2.0 exclusively before the SDK component was released to the public and other devices were upgraded.

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If samples from customer support threads are an accurate indicator, hundreds and perhaps thousands of early adopters of Google's Nexus One phone aren't looking for humanity from some pinstripe or tapered edges, so much as from customer support.

A spokesperson for HTC, the manufacturer of the Nexus One phone sold by Google and deployed thus far on T-Mobile's GSM network, told Betanews late Monday evening that it is aware of the magnitude of 3G connectivity problems reported by customers nationwide since last week. As of Monday evening, several hundred messages were posted to Google's support Web site, many reporting essentially the same problem: For the most part, their 3G connections are spotty and variable; and for some, 3G is non-existent.

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Last week, Betanews founder Nate Mook and I both purchased Google Nexus One phones. Nate is coming from iPhone, and I have been using the Nokia N900. We haven't yet coordinated our reviews, or how we'll write them (separately or together), but they're coming sometime this week. Why should Nate and I have all the fun when you could join in, too? So this is a call for Betanews readers with Nexus Ones to share your experiences, either in comments below or by sending me e-mail.

To start the discussion, I'll offer a few first impressions. I ordered the Nexus One during Google's event last week, before the invited attendees got their free review units. Google shipped the phone by free FedEx overnight, so I began using the so-called "superphone" on Wednesday (January 6). Google impressed with the simple ordering process and prompt delivery.

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Microsoft and Apple seem to underestimate how quickly Google is consolidating its mobile platform -- clearly so do geeks reviewing Nexus One. Google isn't just going for one piece of mobility but the whole shebang. Goggle is putting together the pieces to offer a single mobile lifestyle, with no PC required, supported by search and other Google informational services. Like everything else Google does, free is the glue sticking everything together.

Google's decision to sell Nexus One direct, even the carrier subsidized model, is part of the strategy. Open-source licensing has its limitations and risks fragmenting Android. As I explained in March 2009 post "There's an App for That," Apple changed the rules for mobile operating systems by breaking carrier control over updates. Apple distributes iPhone OS updates, preventing the kind of fragmentation typically caused by carrier distribution. By selling a handset direct, Google takes control of Android updates for a flagship phone that also acts like a baseline design model for handset manufacturers licensing the mobile operating system.

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Call me hopeful that Google's announcement of Nexus One Tuesday helps it positively influence the evolution of an open, innovative wireless market. Call me similarly hopeful that Google's move into hardware -- a bold decision that builds on its earlier success facilitating the creation of the Android mobile operating system and orchestrating the Open Handset Alliance's go-to-market plans -- will drive the success of the next truly competitive smartphone platform.

But as hopeful as I am, I'm not yet convinced that one phone can ever deliver all the goods. Nexus One is hardly the earth-shattering, apocalyptic shot that will catapult the smartphone market into next week.

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Today's Google Nexus One launch is as game changing as Apple's June 2007 release of the iPhone. Perhaps, Nexus One is more important, although judging from blogs and tweets, geekdom doesn't yet get it. Apple supercharged the smartphone category with a more natural user interface. Suddenly, there was a new way to interact with a mobile phone that was seemingly magical. Today, Google turned on the superpowers, by finally starting to integrate cloud services into its mobile platform in a hugely useful way. Additionally, Google is transcending the limitations of one natural user interface by extending the capabilities of another.

With Nexus One and Android 2.1, Google is doing what Microsoft failed to with its March 2007 Tellme acquisition: Offer a more natural mobile phone user interface. Voice should have been it, but Microsoft failed to bring the technology to Windows Mobile in a big way. By comparison, Google has been hot on voice search, which promises to be much better on Nexus One and other handsets running Android 2.1. Google is extending voice search to other services, which just last week I blogged the information giant should be doing.

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The new Google Nexus One shows 'Live Wallpaper,' with its own interactive water puddle.

The trifecta that was Apple's iPhone introduction in January 2007 was on account of the successful introduction of a software platform and a truly revolutionary device, coupled with a massive surge in the functionality of iTunes -- a compelling device on an intriguing platform, which itself was on a respected and advanced platform. Matching that achievement quite literally may never be possible for a smartphone, but it may be possible for something else.

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Without Google and HTC, there would be no Android, plain and simple. But can these two companies, after establishing Android's presence in the mobile world, re-imagine the way that mobile devices are sold?

We're about to find out.

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