Just around the time that Google Nexus One rumors began to swirl, my old Blackberry died. Coincidence? I think not, especially after having seen the Nexus One when it was unveiled at a Google press conference in Mountain View, CA.
Nexus One was meant to be mine.
You may wonder exactly what it is about this little device, Google’s self-proclaimed superphone, that generates buzz even amongst uber geeks. Well, dear heart, I can sum it up in two words – cool factor. It’s a concept that until now has remained firmly gripped in Apple’s grubby little hands. It’s a concept that Microsoft keeps standing on its tippy toes trying to reach, barely grazing with its fingertips. It’s a concept that Google has captured and embodied in the Nexus One.
The size of a Swiss Army keychain knife, Nexus One measures 119mm tall, 59.8mm wide and 11.5mm deep. It weighs 130 grams with the battery, 100 grams without. There is a 5-megapixel camera and video recorder with 2x zoom and an LCD flash. Talk time is about 7 hours on 3G networks. It has WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS, a touch screen display and the ability to use other apps while talking.
I know what you’re thinking, adequate, but hardly an iPhone killer.
Insert cool factor:
- Light and Proximity Sensor – The Nexus One presumes that as the phone nears your face, you will be talking on it. It saves power by automatically dimming the display light.
- 3D user interface and Dynamic wallpaper – Your display background is a lovely fall scene, an oak tree covered with rain droplets. Suddenly the rain begins to fall more briskly. You see the splash as they enter a puddle. Leaves float gently in the breeze before falling to the ground.
- Voice control – Every field in any application that you can type in, can now be spoken. That’s right; Nexus One dictates your tweets or Facebook updates.
- Cooliris media gallery – Sure, the Nexus One has the graphic slider you’ve become accustomed to using. Thanks to Cooliris, it also has the ability to sort photos by time and geolocation. Flip intuitively through your photo albums and enjoy a visually stunning panoramic slideshow.
- Layered GPS – Type in your destination and receive turn-by-turn directions. Borrrrrrrrrrring! Add in a layer of gas stations and automatically nearby gas stations will be added to your map view. Add a satellite layer and trace your route via satellite as you drive. Add in a street view layer as you approach your direction and see what the building you’re looking for looks like.
Just before Google officially unveiled the Nexus One, Apple strategically announced that downloads from its app store had officially reached the 3 billion mark. Is the Nexus One an iPhone killer? Probably not. But at its press conference, Google announced that it was just the first in a long line of planned smart phone devices. The good buzz is already translating into sales. Barclays Capital Analyst Doug Anmuth estimates that Google might sell 5 or 6 million units in 2010. Factor in consumer’s dismal opinion of AT&T, the official U.S. iPhone service provider, and we may be looking at the Smartphone War of the Roses.
The King is dead. Long live the King.
Note: I didn’t attend the press conference in Mountain View, well…mostly because I wasn’t invited. So, special thanks to Robert Scoble (@Scobleizer) who streamed the event live via Ustream.
