Google Launches 'Nexus One' Cell Phone

Jan 5 , 2010

The Nexus One cell phone has arrived. It's slick and it's fast. However, it doesn't immediately appear to go too far beyond the Droid, and it's probably no iPhone killer. Google launched the phone today at its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

The phone runs on Android 2.1 (Eclaire) and is available online from Google's new Web Store (www.google.com/phone). The Nexus One is currently available unlocked for $529 or for $179 with a contract only from T-Mobile via the Web Store. Google plans to ad plans from new carrier partners Verizon Wireless, and Vodafone in the U.K. by spring of 2010.

While the unlocked phone could be used on any GSM network in the United States, users would be confined to EDGE speeds if they were to use an AT&T SIM card. The Nexus One is engineered to run on T-Mobile's 3G frequency.

Aside from a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm, the Nexus One isn't too dramatic a shift from other Android phones on the market right now. The presentation in Mountain View today featured a number of user interface tricks that showcase the phone's ability to handle 3D graphics, including an Android version of Google Earth with voice search.

The Nexus One is 11.5mm thick, and weighs 130 grams. Additional features include a 3.7- inch AMOLED touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and high-resolution video capability, stereo Bluetooth, 3.5 mm headphone jack and active noise cancellation for voice calls.

Every text field is voice enabled. Speak your Tweets. That's the most impressive feature Google showed.

When asked whether the device's lack of physical keyboard signaled a belief by Google and HTC that that feature is dead, Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, said it's all about preference. "What HTC believes is that there are different people with different form factors… This design is really focusing on the screen and that form factor and this device has one of the best onscreen keyboard experiences. This phone is for those consumers that prefer this type of product," Chou said.

On the software side of things, the Nexus One is really about baby steps. Beyond a few flashy apps (i.e. animated home screens and 3D UIs for photo and app management) this is a phone that took a step forward while subsequently drawing a lot of attention to Google's new role as an online retailer. To buy the phone, consumers need to have or to set up a Google account.

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