Google Nexus One rumors and walkthough
Lately, there have been a huge buzz around the internet about Google starting to sell their own Android-based handset. Apparently, Google has given out phones, called Nexus One, to Google employees for internal testing before the launch. This has resulted in a lot of blurry pictures and descriptions of the new mystery device.
If this is a marketing stunt by Google, which I think it is, its very effective. The device certainly looks good.
Engadget had managed to get their hands on one of the devices and seemed to be very impressed. They noted that the Nexus One has: “… probably the best screen we’ve seen on a smartphone so far.” They were also impressed by the speed of the device, something that has been a major issue for most Android devices so far. Comparing browsing speeds they noted:
When comparing the three phones in loading a webpage over Wi-Fi, the Nexus One loaded first, the iPhone 3GS came in a few seconds later, and the Droid came in a little while after that. This was constant throughout many webpage loads, so it’s indicative of something going on inside with the hardware.
A video walkthough of the interface looks very promising. The interface moves quickly, and the screen seems very spacious compared to my HTC Hero.
The Nexus One is rumored to be sold without contract, for $199 or $99 for existing Google account holders. If this is true and Google sells the phone to Finland, I’m definitely getting one. The low price point seems too low to be true. If it is true, I’m sure that Google will have some ads and/or usage monitoring to recoup the hardware costs.
Reuters reported that the phone should go on sale directly from Google on January 5th. We’ll just have to wait until then and see which rumors are true.
Tags: android, google