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Google Nexus One review roundup

Early reports reveal somewhat underwhelming critical response

Google Nexus One review roundup
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While the Nexus One has been a solid reality for many Android fans for a few weeks now, the official announcement of the handset’s launch is a very recent event, bringing to an end one of the worst-kept secrets in mobile phone history.

With Google now formally acknowledging that its eagerly-awaited Android “superphone” exists we’ve seen the first legitimate reviews hit the net, and while most tech critics are prepared to admit it’s a tasty piece of kit, the general feeling seems to be one of grudging admiration than unequivocal praise.

Technology behemoth Engadget was the first off the blocks with its critical analysis of what appeared to be a production model of Google’s new challenger.

On the positive side, the site extolled the virtues of the phone’s luscious new design, stating that the Nexus One is a, “sleek, streamlined phone that can easily go toe-to-toe with the iPhone 3GSs, Pres, and Droids of the world”.

Photography has always been a weak point for Android phones so it’s pleasing to learn that Engadget has been suitably impressed with the performance of the Nexus One’s 5 megapixel camera, which also boasts an LED flash.

“Not only has Google bumped up the speed of the camera app, but the 5 megapixel lens and flash took sharp, detailed images,” reports the site.

Some elements of the handset’s design failed to hit the mark, though. The oft-derided trackball - which has remained an ever-present feature on all Android handsets - seems to offer little to the user other than a pretty way of showing when you’ve had a text message.

The four dedicated touchscreen buttons - which reside at the bottom of the display, just as they do on Motorola’s Droid/Milestone - also caused concern.

“Hopefully it was just our review unit, but the target areas seemed to be too high on the row,” Engadget reported. “We found ourselves consistently accidentally tapping them while composing an email or text message, or missing them when we tapped a little too low.” Whoops.

Putting aside the physical qualities of the Nexus One for a moment, the preinstalled operating system managed to delight and disappoint Engadget’s staff in almost equal measure.

The Nexus One packs Android 2.1, which, according to Google, isn’t the highly-anticipated “Flan” (the company names all major software updates after cakes, you see). Instead, it’s an augmented version of the firmware seen on the Droid/Milestone. According to reports, the difference between the two editions is negligible.

Apparently the few changes that do exist are cosmetic, and it seems that Google has used the 2.1 revision as an opportunity to make its Android operating system a little more appealing visually, as well as quashing a few bugs.

“Most noticeably, the company has killed the sliding drawer which used to house all of your application icons - the tab is replaced with a handy ‘home’ icon which zooms in your icons over top of whatever homescreen you're on,” explains Engadget.

“You can scroll up and down through those icons, which is now accompanied by a cute 3D animation where the items slide over the top and bottom edge, like wrapping a piece of paper around the side of a table. It's nice, but not necessarily functional in any way.”

In conclusion, the Nexus One doesn’t seem to be the groundbreaking device that Android aficionados were hoping and praying for. Engadget’s verdict is that it’s “just another Android smartphone,” and even goes as far as to state that if a choice had to be made between Google’s handset and Motorola’s Droid/Milestone, the latter would be the best option.

Highly-respected publication Wired is even more dismissive of the phone’s chances: “Sure, the phone is likely to be sleeker and faster than its peers, but there’s little to suggest that it will set a new standard for smartphones. Unless Google has a few surprises up in its sleeve - either in pricing or device capability - the Nexus One could get lost in the flood of Android devices currently hitting the market.” Ouch.

Elsewhere, FOXNews shares the same underwhelming verdict. “The Nexus One leaves us wanting more,” moans the site. “The areas Google manages to differentiate itself -- voice integration, social media and ease of setup stand out to me -- show that the company's ability to simplify complex subjects. So why isn't everything about this phone more radical?”

Thankfully, not everyone is quite so negative. Website TechCrunch - which has had its hands on a production unit of the Nexus One since December - has been as bold as to state that, “the Nexus One is an important milestone in the smartphone market. This is a software company, frustrated with making compromises with hardware manufacturers, that has taken the product bull by the horns.”

The site also heaps praise on the phone’s design, camera quality and keen integration of Google Voice, which came as part of Android 2.0 and allows you to speak commands into your phone.

This ability is definitely a good thing, as Engadget points out that the on-screen virtual keyboard is often difficult to use, and the lack of a physical interface - not to mention the continued (and somewhat perplexing) absence of multi-touch commands - renders many popular Android applications unusable.

From a gaming perspective, this issue has severe ramifications. Engadget states rather ominously that, “gaming on the phone is pretty much abysmal save for a few accelerometer-based titles”.

Probably not the kind of news that Android-loving pocket gamers wanted to hear, especially when you consider the fantastic slices of interactive entertainment iPhone owners are currently enjoying.

Clearly a lot of hype has been constructed around the Nexus One and as we know all too well, heady anticipation can be a real killer.

Here at Pocket Gamer we’re happy to reserve final judgment until we can get our clammy hands on one of these phones ourselves, at which point you can rest assured that we’ll have our own unique critical deconstruction of 2010’s biggest mobile launch - at least so far.

Damien  McFerran
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.