Photo courtesy Gizmodo

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how Google had thrown a wrench in my original cell phone upgrade plans. Well, let’s just say I’m not exactly upset about it, as I was sure I wouldn’t be.

I ordered my shiny new Google Nexus One on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 and delivery was attempted on Thursday, March 18, 2010. Boy was I surprised/ecstatic it only took 2 days from me clicking “Complete Order” to the package being on my doorstep. Unfortunately no one was home that day and I would be forced to wait one more day to use this spectacular device. Oops, did I just give it all away?

I’m going to preface this review by saying that nothing I’m about to say can’t be read elsewhere, and in fact I would encourage everyone to consult with the professional reviews. Here, I’ll even make it easy for you:

• Gizmodo
• Engadget
• CNET Reviews
• TechCrunch
• Wired

Reviews aren’t all necessarily positive about the phone, but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that most people were a little underwhelmed by the phone compared to say the iPhone 3GS, which is the king of smartphones, Motorola Droid/Milestone, another Android phone which had only been released a few months before the Nexus One, and the Palm Pre (now the Palm Pre Plus) which has arguably the most polished mobile operating system available in webOS. For the most part, iPhone OS, Android, and webOS are leaps and bounds ahead of BlackBerry OS and Windows Mobile that the comparison isn’t even fair. The only people, outside of organizations, who use BlackBerrys are people who can’t get rid of BlackBerry Messenger. And let’s face it, no one uses Windows Mobile if they know any better (at least until the promising Windows Phone 7 comes out).

Ok, enough preamble, you’re reading this to find out what I think of the Nexus One.

The Hardware

Let’s quickly talk about the phone itself. I’m no expert on hardware, but there are a few observations that, as a consumer, I feel qualified to make. First, the phone’s feel is incredible. They didn’t spare any expense in the materials, and the teflon coating on the back of the device is great to the touch. Most of the time, the plastics companies use on their phones just feel cheap in your hands. Not so with the Nexus One.

The screen is incredibly vivid, and big. 3.7″ compared to the 3.5″ iPhone 3GS. One complaint is that it’s a little hard to read in bright sunlight, regardless of how high you set the brightness, but it’s not a dealbreaker for me.

The phone is blazingly fast. Aided by the 1GHz Snapdragon processor, I’ve experienced very little lag in the phone. Only when I’ve got a lot of apps open and running in the background does it start to slow down, but that’s what Task Killer apps are for.

My one complaint, and it’s kind of a biggy, is that the phone tends to get pretty hot. Not quite hot enough that I can’t hold it in my hands, but still hot enough to be noticeable. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly when it happens.

Battery life seems pretty standard. I can’t really go a whole day without needing a bit of a charge, but I’ve also generally got GPS always on, and I’m using it pretty heavily throughout the day with Twitter, Facebook, the browser, etc so it’s not entirely unexpected.

The camera is pretty decent. I’ve taken some good quality videos with the camera and the stills look pretty good in any light.

Android 2.1

My experience with smartphone OSes is limited to Android, iPhone OS, and BlackBerry OS, and I’ve been using Android since I got my HTC Magic back in June. Android has had 4 major releases in the last year, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0 (first appeared on the Droid) and 2.1 which is what the Nexus One ships with. Each one has improved significantly upon its predecessor. My HTC Magic has been stuck on Android 1.5 since I got it, and only recently has it been announced it would be updated eventually to 2.1.

Android isn’t quite as user-friendly as iPhone OS. Most people can pick up an iPhone and use it within an hour. An Android phone can take a few days to get used to.

On that note, Android is so much more fun to use that iPhone OS. The iPhone OS hasn’t changed much since it first came out. And what’s it still missing? Multi-tasking. Sure, you can jailbreak your iPhone and get the functionality, but jailbreaking isn’t for the average user. *

Again, you’ll probably find better analysis of the Android operating system from the links above than you’ll find here. If you leave a comment with any specific question about it I will answer to the best of my knowledge.

One thing that is a stroke of genius for Android is the notification bar. Just drag it down to see your newest tweets, text messages, Facebook notifications, and whatever other apps you’ve got set to send you notifications. I love the notification bar.

Apps

When I first debated whether to go Android or iPhone last year, one of my criteria was social networking apps. When I eventually got my Android phone in June, there wasn’t even a decent Facebook app. That’s sort of changed with an official Facebook app, however it doesn’t have nearly the functionality that the iPhone Facebook app has. It serves a purpose in Android 2.1 as it does allow for contact picture syncing and has decent news feed and commenting/liking functions. Where it really lacks is in the message inbox, events, and photo albums from a news feed. These all redirect to the mobile website (meaning m.facebook.com, not even touch.facebook.com). There haven’t been many updates to the app so it doesn’t seem to be very well supported.

As far as Twitter clients go, there are plenty of good ones, and in fact I think I prefer the Android Twitter apps to the iPhone apps I’ve used. Twidroid is the cream of the crop for me, however the Seesmic Twitter app is probably the most popular now. There’s also Touiteur, Swift, and a plethora of others. Twitter has also announced an official Twitter client for Android (rumoured to be a new client, and not a purchase of a current Android Twitter client as they did with Tweetie for iPhone).

With Android becoming a more and more popular mobile platform by the day, the Android Market is already the second largest app store behind the iTunes App Store. If you’re coming from an iPhone you’ll probably be disappointed by the lack of apps or that the quality of the apps isn’t quite on par. Rest assured, things are getting better. The Android Market is the fastest growing mobile app marketplace. Back in December there were around 16,000 apps available, but Google just recently announced they’ve hit 38,000 apps. That’s an over 100% increase in a matter of months.

One of the great things about the ability to run apps in the background is the apps that run entirely int he background. Apps that can control your phone’s settings just by where you are based on GPS or by the time of day is a great example of the advantages of background apps in Android versus iPhone. *

The Downside

The only downside to the Nexus One is the price. It clocks in at 530USD and must be ordered through the Google Phone webstore at google.com/phone. In the United States, almost all carriers will eventually support the phone, and while the Nexus One is compatible with all 3 major Canadian carriers (plus Wind Mobile), it is not available at a subsidized rate. For some this doesn’t mean much, but for others who don’t want to spend a lot of money up front for a phone, this is a deal breaker. The plus side to this? It gives you the freedom to choose which carrier you want, and will not lock you into a contract (assuming you’re not in one already).

Wrap It Up

To be blunt, the Nexus One is the best smartphone on the market. The phone itself is incredible; it’s light and feels incredible to the touch. Android may not be the easiest mobile operating system to get used to, but once you’ve figured it out, you’ll realize just how much better it is than the competition.

Maybe I should have put this at the beginning of the review, but I’m a Google fanboy who was quick to jump on the Android bandwagon when it came to Canada, despite originally wanting an iPhone. Now that I’ve gone Android, it will be a long time before I use any other type of smartphone. The Nexus One is currently the best Android phone available.

* The advantage that Android has over iPhone when it comes to multitasking appears to almost be a moot point now that Apple has detailed that iPhone OS 4.0 will allow multitasking. I wrote the majority of this review before that announcement.

Today, Google made an announcement that I was unaware was coming: The Nexus One is now available for Rogers in Canada.

Starting today, an additional version of the Nexus One is available from the Google web store that is compatible with AT&T’s 3G network. This new model can be purchased as an unlocked device without a service plan. In addition to AT&T’s 3G network, this device will also run on Rogers Wireless in Canada. And like the first version of the Nexus One, it can be used with most GSM operators globally.

Additionally, Nexus One devices can now be shipped to Canada from Google’s web store, and will work with a SIM from Rogers Wireless. To find out which version you should purchase, based on your mobile service provider, please visit our Help Center.

For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that I was severely disappointed back at the beginning of January when the Nexus One was released and did not support the Rogers 3G bands. Well, today that all changed with the addition of a Nexus One that supports the AT&T/Rogers 3G/2G bands, and that they will be shipping to Canada.

Less than two weeks ago I detailed that I would be purchasing the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, if/when it was released. So much for that now.

It’s really Rogers/Sony Ericsson’s fault I ordered the Nexus One today. If they would have given us (the collective “us”) a release date for the Xperia X10 I would have waited to buy it as I’m eligible for a hardware upgrade. I would have had to re-up for 3 years (good for Rogers) and would have probably been trying to upsell my friends to the X10 who have cell contracts about to expire (good for Sony Ericsson). Unfortunately “Q2 2010″ is far too vague of a “release date” for a guy with a phone that shuts itself off for no reason at least once per day.

Now I’ve got (arguably) the best Android phone on the market, which will be directly supported/updated by Google directly (no waiting for Android 2.1 on the X10), and when my current contract is up I’ve got a phone that is 3G compatible with all three major carriers in Canada that I will not require a contract for. And if Heather keeps her iPhone, which I’m sure she will, we can unlock it at the end of our current contract and find the plan that suits us best.

Now let’s crunch some numbers just to see if this turns out to be a worthwhile purchase:

Google Nexus One: $529
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10: ~$199 (probably on a 3 year contract)
Contract extension: $675 ($75/mo for 9 additional months)

The x-factor here is the plan we sign after this current contract is over. If I can save the difference between the price of the phones (~$330) within those 9 months ($37/mo), then this deal is a no-brainer. But finding a plan, in Canada, where I would save $37/mo might not happen. I may only save a few dollars per month but the plans by then may have more/better features, plus, the advantages of having a Google phone can’t be overstated.

Needless to say, I’m ridiculously excited for this thing to arrive in the mail.

THE UPDATE

There’s a big update on the cellphone front. I reported my HTC Magic stolen in the hopes that I could just get a new one. The problem with that? Rogers had discontinued the Magic due to the 911/GPS issue and the only Android phone they had available was the LG Eve. Nuh-uh. I bought a new SIM card “for use with an old phone” but just put it back in my Magic. I decided to give updating my Magic to the latest firmware one more try and lo and behold it worked! Not only did it update my phone to the latest firmware, which includes the incredible HTC Sense User Interface, it fixed my accelerometer! I’ve experienced far fewer random shutdowns, however they do still occur.

THE IMPENDING UPGRADE

And if it weren’t for those few random shutdowns, I probably wouldn’t be upgrading to the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. While talking with Rogers about my “lost cellphone”, it turns out I’m eligibile for a hardware upgrade, so as soon as the Xperia X10 is released I’ll be first in line to make the switch. I’ve even decided that it will become my mp3 player, thus leaving my beloved iPod Touch by the wayside. I hope to repurpose it, and may have found a great way to use it in the kitchen as a timer/recipe book courtesy this post on Unplggd. We may have to use Heather’s old iPod Touch instead since hers is a second generation Touch with external volume control and a built-in speaker, whereas mine is a first generation.

I CAN HAZ COVER ART?

And actually, that sorta leads to the next problem I’m tackling. Last night I began the painstaking process of using iTunes to embed the cover art into my mp3s. It’s a simple yet arduous task, and one I will simply do by default from now on. The problem is that iTunes doesn’t automatically embed artwork into the mp3s, it simply stores it in the library file. Friggin stupid. Well, when I start using my Xperia X10 for an mp3 player, it’s going to get the artwork from the mp3′s ID3 tags where the coverart is embedded, not read from the iTunes library file. If it weren’t for Heather having an iPhone I’d ditch iTunes entirely.

PODCASTS

I was worried that part of the problem of moving from iPod to Android for my mp3 player would be the ability to play podcasts. I don’t subscribe to any video podcasts, but the management of podcasts in iTunes is obviously so simple. Luckily, Google has their own podcatcher for Android called Listen and it’s great so far. Being a Google product, it will only get better with time. There are other Android podcatcher apps available (some free, some not) but with Listen being a Google product, it’s sure to be well supported.

Now the only problems I have are waiting for the Xperia X10 to be released, and whether or not to get it in White or Black. Hmmm.

Photo courtesy Gizmodo

It’s no secret that a few months back (end of October if memory serves) I dropped my HTC Magic in an RX1 beer. Since then I’ve had a few problems with it such as random shutdowns, accelerometer is busted, and I am unable to mount the phone as a USB device on my computer. This was due to a large lack of foresight on my part by not properly drying it out before turning it back on.

I’ve managed up to this point and was willing to continue to do so until such time as a new phone came out that I was willing to purchase. More on that later. Unfortunately, Rogers has shut off internet access to my phone until I can perform a firmware update to fix an issue where GPS was interfering with being able to call 911. That’s all well and good except that I have to hook the phone up to my computer in order to do so. Now I’m left with a dilemma. As the phone is no longer under warranty due to the liquid damage, I have two options:

1. Report the phone as lost and get a new one at a lower cost (not quite as low as a brand new contract cost) but have to re-up for 3 years from that point.
2. Have the phone repaired at my own cost.

I unfortunately have no idea which of these two options is the cheapest. I had originally planned to just upgrade my phone instead of fixing it and was simply waiting on the next generation of Android phones to get released. Since then the Nexus One has come, but I’ve mentioned how in Canada it’s not a 3G phone. The Motorola Droid (or Milestone as it’s called in Canada) has yet to be released but is a Telus exclusive regardless. The next viable solution for me would have been the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 with it’s beautiful 4″ touchscreen but it doesn’t have a release date. Its also rumoured to be TRES EXPENSIVE.

From a cost perspective, this is an easy decision, and although the gadget geek in me is screaming otherwise, I’ll just report the phone lost and get a new Magic now and perhaps think about upgrading to a new Android phone sometime next year. I think this is a solution even my wife (@heatherRberg) can get behind.

Photo from Gizmodo

You may remember a while back I debated getting an iPhone vs G1 and despite my constant tweeting to that point about getting an iPhone I ended up with an HTC Magic.

To clarify, the the T-Mobile G1 in the States is the HTC Dream in Canada, and the T-Mobile myTouch 3G (which was expected to be called the ‘G2′) is the HTC Magic in Canada. Both run on Android 1.5 (Cupcake) in Canada.

It’s no secret that I’ve had some second-thoughts about my decision to go Android. My HTC Magic is tragically under-powered, and still quite buggy, not to mention the fact that neither Rogers nor HTC has released an OS upgrade (Android 1.6 Donut) to the Canadian version of the phone, which has been out and available for quite a few months now.

Leading up to the release of these “Google-phones” in Canada, I had been desperate to get my hands on an iPhone, so why did I finally decide to go with the Magic? I think it has a lot to do with my tendency to be an early-adopter. When it comes down to it I love having something new that not many people have. Add to that the fact that I’m a Google fanboy, and despite the fact that at the time Android was still in its infancy and only starting to get its legs, it had an allure to me. But for the first few months I was seriously regretting my decision.

I’ve griped recently on Twitter about dropping my phone in a cup of beer and all the problems I’m having with it since (random shutdowns, acccelerometer doesn’t work, SD card not always recognized), but regardless it’s still doing most of what I need it to do.

So despite the fact that the iPhone is probably the easiest phone in the world to use, and the fact that the number of high-quality apps available for the iPhone far exceeds that for Android, I still no longer regret my decision.

Here’s where I get into the “why”.

If you haven’t noticed, there have been a lot of Android phones coming out recently (in Canada, we’re still a little behind most when it comes to release dates). There’s the original Android phone, the G1, then came then HTC Magic, then follow that up with the HTC Hero with the custom Sense UI, a few others which don’t quite interest me as much, then there’s the Motorola Droid (pictured above) (Milestone on Telus in Canada). This baby runs the same processor as the iPhone 3GS, has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard (although according to some it’s not that great of a physical keyboard), and it runs Android 2.0 (Eclair).

According to almost everyone, this is the closest any Android handset has come to being an “iPhone killer”. It’s fast, it’s slick and it’s got lots of great features such as being the first handset to have Google Maps Navigation, a GPS turn-by-turn navigation system, FOR FREE.

The Android community is growing. In fact it’s exploding. Perhaps not literally as I’m picturing in my mind, but in terms of the number and quality of developers creating apps for Android, and the number of handsets. You might be thinking about those other smartphone OSes such as Windows Mobile, Blackberry OS and Symbian (Nokia), but in terms of growth I do believe that Android is outpacing all of them (especially WinMo). But don’t take my word for it, google it. In fact some handset makers are even ditching WinMo in favour of Android. TAKE THAT MICROSOFT!

But I think that’s what excites me most about Android. I can look forward to dozens of beautiful (and some not-so-beautiful) handsets from multiple handset makers on multiple networks (yes I know the iPhone is on all three major Canadian networks now) and not be tied in any way shape or form to the Apple empire.

Now, there’s no question in my mind (although my wife might disagree) that I need a new phone. With the Milestone coming to Telus in early 2010, I’ll either be looking at getting access to an unlocked Milestone, or figure out if it’s economically worthwhile to buy myself out of my Rogers contract and switch to Telus.

I’m not trying to convince you that Android is better than an iPhone. People have become quite attached to their iPhones over the years, and I’m not attempting to convert any iPhone lovers. I’m not really trying to convert anyone, but if you’re thinking of making the switch to a smartphone, don’t just automatically think the iPhone is the way to go. Android, quite simply, is the best alternative to an iPhone and seems like the safest bet at this point to challenge the iPhone as the top smartphone in the world.

Gadget Army

So let’s look at my major concerns when upgrading my cellphone to a smartphone in the coming months:

1. I do NOT want to change my number. Sticking with Rogers as my personal cell phone provider seems to make the most sense in this regard. Asking family and friends to update my contact info seems like too much of a hassle.
2. Phone as primary MP3 Player?. Should they remain separate or should the smartphone I choose have a functional MP3 player?
3. Last.fm scrobbling. This might seem insignificant but I’ve been using the Last.fm service for 4+ years to track my listening habits. If I decide to use my phone as my primary MP3 player I will need this capability.
4. Good social networking apps. From what I’ve seen both Android and obviously the iPhone have great Facebook and Twitter apps. TwitterBerry on my BlackBerry does a decent job but the Facebook for BlackBerry app left something to be desired.
5. Google account integration. It’s a no-brainer that the Android will be well integrated with my Google account. I’ve also successfully integrated the big three (Gmail, GCal, Contacts) to my iPod Touch so it’s a matter of which is easier to use.

Photo courtesy obsessable.com

So where do the iPhone and Android G1 stand on these concerns?

Changing numbers: This is a non-issue for the iPhone and Android G1 since both are only available from Rogers and my work BlackBerry is on Bell. Setting up the Call Forwarding on the BlackBerry is easy enough so that any calls that go it (<2 per month at this point) are rerouted to my personal cell. The only feature I'll probably miss from the BlackBerry is the BlackBerry Messenger for talking to other friends with BlackBerrys. Back to plain old texting them I guess.

Phone/MP3 Player & Last.fm scrobbling: By all accounts the G1 is a serviceable music player with an app available for scrobbling my plays to Last.fm. Unfortunately it would require me buying a 8 or 16GB microSD card (up to an extra $120) to fit as much music on it as my Touch. The iPhone will be the same as my Touch which is the easiest MP3 player to use and has scrobbling support upon syncing with iTunes. I’m undecided on whether or not my phone as my primary MP3 player is an issue or not, however the iPhone would make my Touch dispensable.

Facebook/Twitter, etc apps The iPhone has a great Facebook app and 2 great Twitter clients (Twitterific and Tweetie). It also IM apps however the problem with the iPhone is that apps are not allowed to run in the background meaning that you physically have to go into an app and allow it to refresh to get updates. This is apparently something that’s being looked into for a firmware upgrade in the future. The Android G1 however allows background apps which means you can be notified of @replies and direct messages, etc.

The Big G: It’s no secret that I’ve given almost my entire online life to Google. Scary. But I use Google because it’s the best at what it does. Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts are seamlessly integrated into the Android G1. Google has also made their webapps for Mobile Safari on the iPhone for their services very easy to use, as well as using Microsoft Exchange to sync Google Calendar and Google Contacts to the native Calendar and Contacts apps is fairly easy to set up and works well. The Google Maps street view on the G1 looks amazing.

Through this process, and looking at prices for each unit, I’ve basically decided to go with the HTC Dream Android G1. This was actually surprising to me as I figured this process would most likely confirm that the iPhone is the way to go. I’ve always thought of myself as the early-adopter-who-just-can’t-afford-it-right-away, and despite the prospect of an iPhone 4G coming this summer, it’s still going to be $299 for a 16GB iPhone with a 3yr contract. Might as well just keep rocking out the 16GB iPod Touch and dish out $149 for the HTC Dream on a 3yr contract and if I keep my BlackBerry at home to deal with work emails etc after hours I’ll have my gadget army down to two.

After looking up even MORE information on Android and the HTC Dream and the HTC Magic (the G2) it’s looking more like I’ll grab the HTC Magic G2 as it’s faster, smaller and lighter. I won’t miss the physical keyboard on the G1.

See where you are in relation to your friends

Without going into too much depth (that’s what I do, I pretend like I’m going to explain everything about something, but I don’t because I rarely know enough about anything to going into too much detail) Latitude is like the awesomest stalker-friendly app you can get for your smartphone (sorry iPhones, you’re not supported yet). Basically, you download the Google Maps app for your chosen smartphone, choose “Join Latitude”, add your friends, and then you can see where they are at that exact moment. You can even put in a status, get directions to your friends location, or search for restaurants and/or businesses in the area around your friend. Seems pretty awesome to me. Now if only I had more friends with smartphones…

Of course, I wouldn’t suggest adding your co-workers unless you want them to be able to see that you’re not at work yet when you’re running late and hope no one notices. It’s also a great way to keep tabs on your suspected cheating boyfriend/girlfriend, unless they’re smart enough to hide their location before committing said indiscretions.

Change your Privacy Settings