As expected, Google announced its new Android-powered Nexus One handset on Tuesday at an event on the company's Mountain View campus. But the event itself was precious short on actual surprises, especially given that Engadget had posted its full review of the Nexus One on Monday.
For those of you who step away from your RSS reader or Twitter feed from time to time, allow me to distill the news for you like the finest Scotch whisky. The Nexus One is an HTC-produced Android touchscreen handset with a 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 512MB of ROM, and an included 4GB SD card (expandable to 32GB of memory). It's being sold for $529 on its own or $179 with a two-year service contract from T-Mobile; versions for Verizon in the U.S. and Vodafone in Europe are coming this spring. (In theory you can plug an AT&T SIM card into the Nexus One, but since AT&T and T-Mobile use different frequency bands for 3G, you'd only be able to use EDGE for data.)
Rumors of the Nexus One's existence had prompted, as with every new smartphone in the post-iPhone era, talk of its being an iPhone killer. While the Google crew shied away from stating as much during today's press conference, saying merely that choice was good, they did describe the Nexus One as a "superphone" (with a straight face, no less!). When asked to tease out that description, Google execs pointed to the high-powered CPU, gigabytes of storage, and downloadable apps.
Sound like anybody you know?
So, is the Nexus One an iPhone killer, then? The idea itself is ridiculous: no company wants to define its product in terms of another company's product, much less admit that the other's is superior and it's playing catch up.
But an iPhone competitor? Surely. Then again, the same was said about the Motorola Droid, the Palm Pre, and the T-Mobile G1. And yet those devices have done little more than squabble amongst themselves for second-place, while the iPhone itself has remained floating serenely above the fray. Look no further than Tuesday morning's cool and collected announcement that the company's App Store had topped three billion downloads.
There's really nothing revolutionary about the Nexus One. It looks like any other touchscreen phone, it runs more or less the same Android software as its siblings like the Droid and Eris (with a few tweaks such as dictation throughout the OS), and it's still largely tied to the same provider-centric distribution model.
What is more interesting is the weight that Google itself has thrown behind this device. Android was originally pitched as a key component of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of technology companies and wireless providers. By putting its name on the Nexus One, Google has given the Nexus One a sort of primacy on the Android front, unifying the disparate elements of the Android movement: now it's Google going head to head with Apple, not a strange amalgam of Google, Motorola, and Verizon. It's as if Google has promoted itself to head of the Rebel Alliance opposing Apple's Galactic Empire.
Source:
http://www.itnews.com/smartphones/12556/google-slides-kings-pawn-nexus-one-takes-apple
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Showing posts with label T-Mobile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label T-Mobile. Show all posts
Friday, January 29, 2010
Monday, December 14, 2009
Google Releases Experimental Phone To Employees
Google has handed out a new mobile phone running its Android software to some employees, stirring another wave of speculation that the oft-rumored Google Phone is real.
In a blog post on Saturday morning, Google said the phones are being distributed so that workers can experiment with new mobile features. It did not say the device will be a Google-branded phone.
But in a Twitter message earlier, a Google employee who said she has the phone referred to it as a "Google phone," fuelling the latest speculation.
Since even before Google unveiled Android, onlookers wondered if the search giant would release its own phone. Instead, it released an open source operating system that other hardware vendors can use to make phones.
In the Google blog post, Mario Queiroz, a vice president of product management, said the company gave the phone to employees as a way to test new technologies.
"We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe," he wrote. "This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it."
He said he could not share specific details about the product.
The post appeared to be a response to a Twitter message posted by a Google employee Friday evening, who said she had the phone. The post, first reported by TechCrunch, sparked the new round of speculation.
"ZOMG we had fireworks and we all got the new Google phone. It's beautiful," wrote Leslie Hawthorn, a program manager on Google's open source team.
While the term "Google phone" has been used to describe a device built and branded by Google, many also use the term to refer to any phone running Android. So it was unclear if Hawthorne was talking about a device that will be branded and sold by Google.
A podcast producer for CNET said Friday he had seen one of the phones, adding to the speculation. The hardware is made by HTC and running Android 2.1, the next generation of the software, Jason Howell wrote in a Twitter message. The phones were given to employees unlocked and the one he saw was running on AT&T's network, he said. Because it is unlocked, workers could also choose to use T-Mobile.
"It was thin. Dare I say as if not a bit thinner than iPhone," he wrote. The phone used an on-screen keyboard instead of a hardware keyboard. He said Google was expected to reveal more details in the next few days.
Source:
http://www.itnews.com/smartphones/11910/google-releases-experimental-phone-employees
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In a blog post on Saturday morning, Google said the phones are being distributed so that workers can experiment with new mobile features. It did not say the device will be a Google-branded phone.
But in a Twitter message earlier, a Google employee who said she has the phone referred to it as a "Google phone," fuelling the latest speculation.
Since even before Google unveiled Android, onlookers wondered if the search giant would release its own phone. Instead, it released an open source operating system that other hardware vendors can use to make phones.
In the Google blog post, Mario Queiroz, a vice president of product management, said the company gave the phone to employees as a way to test new technologies.
"We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe," he wrote. "This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it."
He said he could not share specific details about the product.
The post appeared to be a response to a Twitter message posted by a Google employee Friday evening, who said she had the phone. The post, first reported by TechCrunch, sparked the new round of speculation.
"ZOMG we had fireworks and we all got the new Google phone. It's beautiful," wrote Leslie Hawthorn, a program manager on Google's open source team.
While the term "Google phone" has been used to describe a device built and branded by Google, many also use the term to refer to any phone running Android. So it was unclear if Hawthorne was talking about a device that will be branded and sold by Google.
A podcast producer for CNET said Friday he had seen one of the phones, adding to the speculation. The hardware is made by HTC and running Android 2.1, the next generation of the software, Jason Howell wrote in a Twitter message. The phones were given to employees unlocked and the one he saw was running on AT&T's network, he said. Because it is unlocked, workers could also choose to use T-Mobile.
"It was thin. Dare I say as if not a bit thinner than iPhone," he wrote. The phone used an on-screen keyboard instead of a hardware keyboard. He said Google was expected to reveal more details in the next few days.
Source:
http://www.itnews.com/smartphones/11910/google-releases-experimental-phone-employees
Web Design Firms Chicago
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Google Boosts Android Maps
Google continues to improve its mobile mapping service for Android, and the latest version of Google Maps for mobile includes more location-based services.
The 3.3 version of the mapping application makes it easier for users to discover nearby businesses like restaurants, gas stations, movie stations, and other venues. To use this feature, users need to long-press on the map and click on the "What's nearby" button for information on local businesses.
"You can also access this feature from the My Location menu or from address search results," Google said in its Google Maps blog. "When you're meeting friends, it's a great way to find the nearest shops, cafes, or other places to get out of the cold."
The latest version also enables Android users to tap into some of Google's experiments, as it includes a Labs for Google Maps. Similar to its Gmail Labs or Google Labs, this provides multiple new features that may not currently be ready for full-time implementation. So far, this includes the ability to show terrain layers, search for popular categories, toggle between multiple views, and show a scale-bar on the map to determine the distance between locations.
Google Maps for mobile 3.3 also allows users to report problems with the program directly from the handset. This can include a location having a wrong phone number associated with it or a misspelled street name, and users can send a notification to Google with a few clicks. Users can also receive an e-mail to see when the issue is resolved.
The latest version of Google Maps for Android can be downloaded from the Android Market, and it is available for devices with Android 1.6 or higher, including the Motorola Droid, T-Mobile G1, or the myTouch 3G.
Source:
http://www.techweb.com/article/showArticle?articleID=222001352§ion=news
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The 3.3 version of the mapping application makes it easier for users to discover nearby businesses like restaurants, gas stations, movie stations, and other venues. To use this feature, users need to long-press on the map and click on the "What's nearby" button for information on local businesses.
"You can also access this feature from the My Location menu or from address search results," Google said in its Google Maps blog. "When you're meeting friends, it's a great way to find the nearest shops, cafes, or other places to get out of the cold."
The latest version also enables Android users to tap into some of Google's experiments, as it includes a Labs for Google Maps. Similar to its Gmail Labs or Google Labs, this provides multiple new features that may not currently be ready for full-time implementation. So far, this includes the ability to show terrain layers, search for popular categories, toggle between multiple views, and show a scale-bar on the map to determine the distance between locations.
Google Maps for mobile 3.3 also allows users to report problems with the program directly from the handset. This can include a location having a wrong phone number associated with it or a misspelled street name, and users can send a notification to Google with a few clicks. Users can also receive an e-mail to see when the issue is resolved.
The latest version of Google Maps for Android can be downloaded from the Android Market, and it is available for devices with Android 1.6 or higher, including the Motorola Droid, T-Mobile G1, or the myTouch 3G.
Source:
http://www.techweb.com/article/showArticle?articleID=222001352§ion=news
Professional Web Design Chicago
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