Are you looking for a new phone and have heard great things about the Nexus One? Are you looking for a phone that has internet, email, and loads of fun applications to keep you busy? Do you want a phone that is easy to use and needs very little manual instruction? The Nexus One is a great smartphone that can be used on many cell phone providers. So if you are looking for a new smartphone, here is some information about the Nexus One.

Phone and Company History

The Nexus One is a smartphone owned by Google and manufactured by HTC. It is part of the Google Nexus series and is the first of that series. It has since been succeeded by the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus. The Nexus One is a slate form phone and has a home button similar to an Apple iphone. (Apple is currently filing a patent lawsuit against HTC for this reason.) The Nexus One is a simcard unlocked phone meaning that you can use it on many networks. So if you switch your cell phone provider you do not necessarily need to buy a new phone.

Some of the more popular features of the Nexus One include voice-to-text transcription which means you can simply speak into your phone and it will text, write an email, or do any number of typing based functions for you. There is also a voiced turn by turn navigation system so you do not have to glance down at your cell phone, and away from the road, when using the Google Maps application. Nexus One uses the Android operating system for a platform.

Hardware

When the Nexus One was originally launched it featured an AMOLED screen that measured3.7”with a PenTile Matrix display. Soon after the phone was released there was a reported shortage in AMOLED screens and the Nexus One started using Super LCD display. This ended up being an upgrade for those who were getting the newer version of Nexus One as the Super LCD displays have greater color accuracy and power efficiency.

The Nexus One has a capacitive touch screen which allows multi-touch gestures.  The smart phone also has an illuminated trackball which emits different colors of light based on the type of notification the user is receiving. The Nexus One also uses a double microphone system that muffles background noise when you are taking calls in a busy room. The person you are conversing with will not be distracted by background noise that may be occurring.

The Nexus One uses the Snapdragon processor which gives the phone some very advanced abilities for an older model of smartphone. The processor allows you to watch 720p video playback. There is also a built in hardware port which converts H.263 and H.264 and MPEG-4 video to a playable form. The Nexus One can read many different kinds of audio files such as MP3, AAC+, WAV,MIDI, and Ogg Vorbis. The phone can also download and view digital forms such as JPEG, BMP, GIF, and PNG. There is also a mini USB port and the phone has roughly 32 gigabytes of storage on it.

The Nexus One has a 5.0 Megapixel camera with LED flash and digital zoom. The phone also has capacity for Bluetooth, GPS receiver, and WiFi abilities.

Android Operating System

The Android operating system is a mobile operating system that was developed by Google and Open Handset Alliance in 2007. The Android OS allows a user to use a number of Google features such as Gmail, Google Docs, Google Contacts, Google Talk, Google Search, Google Sync, Google Maps, and Google Calendars. The Android OS also allows you to browse the web using WiFi and Bluetooth support along with 3g and 4g capabilities. The Android Market allows a user to purchase applications (apps) and download the latest update of the OS. YouTube is also available on the Android OS.

The OS also features other basic applications such as an alarm clock, calculator, phone dialer, voice dialer, home screen and wall paper, settings, ringtones, and pictures.  The Gingerbread Android update has many updates from the original OS such as WebM playback, native support for SIP VoIP, support for Near Field Communication, improved power management, native support for more sensors, and enhancement of graphics, video, and other basic functions.

Apple Lawsuit

Currently Apple is suing HTC for a patent breech with the home button on the Nexus One. This lawsuit will not affect the availability of Nexus One on the market. It will affect HTC directly as a company. While this should not necessarily effect your phone buying choice, it is a current topic of discussion in regards to the cell phone market and it is good to be aware of these things. It is also important to notice that your phone will not be taken away from you if Apple wins the lawsuit.

 Negative Feedback

When the Nexus One was first released there were some problems in regard to connecting with the 3G network. This problem has since been addressed. There were also problems with Wifi connectivity but an update has also resolved this issue. The last issue seems to have come from a problem with the multi touch abilities in the Android browser.  It was also causing some problems with a few gaming apps. All these issues have since been resolved and there seems to be very little negative feedback with the smart phone since then.

If you are looking for a reliable phone that can perform many functions, but you do not want to pay the price of a current smartphone, the Nexus One is a great choice. If can keep up with other smart phones on the market but, as it is an older model, will not cost you an arm and a leg. The Android operating system the Nexus One uses is easy to navigate around and you will never be without the information you need with the Nexus One.