It’s official. You probably didn’t get the invitation. Neither did I. But here’s the scoop…
Google introduced Nexus One yesterday at a press conference called just for that purpose. It wasn’t a surprise, at least to those who cared. There were some interesting news leading up to it. But, now that it’s a reality, the attention turns to whether it is really what it is slated to be, or what every new smartphone wants to be: iPhone killer.
Here’s the TechCrunch review. Hardware wise, the phone is a bit thinner, and the processor faster than that of the iPhone and has more than double the screen resolution of an iPhone resulting in a more stunning display. So far so good. I was really excited about the fact that Nexus One was to be sold unlocked. But, the excitement didn’t live long – the unlocked phone costs $529 or $179 with a 2 year T-Mobile contract. I can’t justify paying $500 for a handset, given that I want to stick with AT&T an iPhone with a contract costs me $199. Even if I convinced myself to compromise over the price, the phone isn’t compatible with AT&T 3G data network. So, it’s a no-no for me… for now.
Having said all that, where the phone really shines is its software. It runs Android 2.1 (later than the latest), the mobile OS by Google. Google Voice* comes pre-installed as an app on the phone. In fact, all Android phones have that possibility. I really miss Google Voice on my iPhone. The chances that Apple will approve Google Voice app are next to nada. Which brings me to the pain point of owning an Apple phone – you have practically no freedom as a developer. You have sign-up for Apple’s developer program, pay them, learn and develop an application on OS X environment (which means if you’re like me, you’ll have to buy a Mac). After all the trouble, let’s say you do have an app ready for the masses. That’s when the pain gets severer. You submit your app to Apple for approval and wait as Big Brother spins the wheel and passes a verdict. Android, on the other hand has an open marketplace called Android Market, a Java-based open development environment, which makes it far more accessible to an Open Source junkie like me.
Moral of the story: This is good news… along with what I’ve been hearing lately. I’m nowhere close to switching to an Android phone, but the prospects keep getting better. My new-year gadget wish is to have an unlocked Android phone compatible with AT&T.
*
Google Voice is a service by Google that gives you a free proxy phone number – a number you can advertise to the world and any calls on that number will be forwarded to one or more of your real phone numbers. It has killer features like call filtering and different ring-a-phone plans based on who’s calling and when. The most important feature to me is that it makes your phone number carrier independent. Once you have a Google Voice number, it doesn’t matter what your real phone number is and what carrier services it. Freedom.
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