10 Google Nexus One Questions & Answers

Thursday, January 7, 2010

With a bit of inspiration from Androidguys.com, we’ve put together a set of Questions & Answers about the Google Nexus One to clear up any confusion.

What is the Nexus One?

As Google puts it, the Nexus One is the first “superphone”. That is to say it’s the next evolution in what (Android) handsets are capable of.

Who makes the Nexus One?

The handset is made by HTC with input from Google.

What is so special about the phone?

For starters, the Nexus One features a blazing fast 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.  Throw in a 3.7-inch (480×800 AMOLED screen), a 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash, wireless support for 802.11 a/b/g/n, a trackball with multicolor LED, and you see where we’re going.  There’s also a compass, GPS, accelerometer, stereo Bluetooth, a 3.5mm headphone jack, light and proximity sensors, and two microphones for “active noise suppression”.  All of this is powered by a 1400mAH battery.

What else?

The Nexus One comes loaded with Android 2.1, which features the same great software found in the Motorola DROID, plus more.  This latest version also offers great voice integration.  Every text field found within Android 2.1 is voice enabled, meaning you’ll not have to physically type out emails, texts messages and tweets.  There are also ‘live wallpapers’ with interactivity, a new weather/news widget, Google Earth, and an updated gallery.

Where can I buy a Nexus One?

You can immediately order an unlocked GSM Nexus One at $529.00 (approximately £330) at google.com/phone.

Will Clove be stocking the Nexus One?

No, unfortunately. The Nexus One is being sold and distributed exclusively by Google, no resellers will be stocking the device.

Will the Nexus One get a UK/Europe release?

Probably at some point (as a network exclusive), but it can be purchased for delivery outside the UK if you do want it now. However, an HTC device with similar spec to the Nexus One is expected for a UK release within Q3 of 2010.

Does the release of the Nexus One mean other manufacturers such as Samsung and Sony will stop producing Android devices?

Its unlikely that this will be the case. Although the Nexus One is currently the only device running Android 2.1, the new 2.1 OS will be available for other manufactures very soon (most likely within about a week), so it won’t be long before we start to see Android 2.1 and higher on other handsets.

What are the other Android devices currently available at Clove?

The HTC Hero, the HTC Tattoo, the Acer Liquid and the Motorola Milestone/Droid. All great devices!

Are there many Android devices on the way for 2010?

Yes, more than you can count on both hands and feet. At the moment we’re waiting for names/release dates/spec to be confirmed, but expect devices from all the big manufacturers, including HTC, Acer, Samsung, Sony, Palm, Motorola and more. The Sony XPERIA X10 has been confirmed already of course!

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Posted by Wardy

Google Nexus One – All the How To Videos

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Considering the Nexus One? Bought it already and waiting for it to be delivered? Or simply interested in how it works, why not head over to the Nexus One YouTube page.

image

This special YouTube page has been updated to include numerous videos demonstrating the Nexus One and it’s features.  For any Android fan it is a real must view page.

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Posted by Jon

Google Nexus One – Web Meets Phone

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Here is a promotional video of the Nexus One phone from Google, that I am sure you will enjoy.

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Posted by Jon

Google Phone – Nexus One

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

imageSo it is here, the Nexus One from Google, manufactured by HTC.

The hottest device to be announced since the HTC HD2, the Nexus one, is the phone that Google wanted when they designed Android, and well it is safe to say it has a stunning specification.

Key Features –

  • Android 2.1
  • 1GHz Processor
  • 3.7” AMOLED Display
  • HSDPA Connectivity
  • WiFi
  • 3.5mm Audio Jack
  • 5 Megapixel Camera

Available only in the USA, you can if you like it enough import one by ordering yours HERE.  The phone is expected to land in the UK later this spring

Full technical Specification –

Processor – Qualcomm® QSD8250™, 1 GHz
Operating System – Android™ 2.1 (Éclair)
Memory – ROM: 512 MB  RAM: 512 MB
Dimensions – (L x W x T) 119 x 59.8 x 11.5 mm ( 4.69 x 2.35 x 0.45 inches)
Weight – 130 grams ( 4.59 ounces) with battery
Display – 3.7-inch AMOLED with 480×800 WVGA resolution
Network –
    HSDPA/WCDMA: 900/AWS/2100 MHz Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds
    Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

Device Control – Trackball with Enter button
GPS – Internal GPS antenna
Connectivity – Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g
Micro-USB port
3.5 mm audio jack

Camera – 5.0 megapixel color camera with auto focus, 2X digital zoom, LED flash, and geo tagging
Audio supported formats -.aac, .amr, .awb, .wav, .wma, .mp3, .mid
Video supported formats -.mp4, .3gp, .3g2, .m4v
Battery – 1400mAh Rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer battery

Talk time:
      Up to 10 hours for 2G networks

      Up to 7 hours for 3G networks

Standby time:

      Up to 290 hours for 2G networks
      Up to 250 hours for 3G networks

Expansion Slot – microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
AC Adapter – Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz
DC output: 5V and 1A
Special Features – Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor
G-sensor
Digital Compass

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Posted by Jon

Google treats employees to Dogfood for Xmas

Thursday, December 17, 2009

 

googlephonemain-420x0

On Saturday, Google posted this message on its official blog:

Saturday, December 12, 2009 8:58 AM

At Google, we are constantly experimenting with new products and technologies, and often ask employees to test these products for quick feedback and suggestions for improvements in a process we call dogfooding (from "eating your own dogfood"). Well this holiday season, we are taking dogfooding to a new level.

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. This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it.

Unfortunately, because dogfooding is a process exclusively for Google employees, we cannot share specific product details. We hope to share more after our dogfood diet.

Posted by Mario Queiroz, Vice President, Product Management

Many have speculated that this is in-fact Google’s own satirical way of saying they’ve given employees the Googlephone to test over Christmas. However, in an blog post today TechCrunch has claimed that this is actually a device called the Dragon/Passion, not the Google Phone.

The article does reinforce some of the recent rumours about the Google Phone, stating that:

‘Google is building their own branded phone that they’ll sell directly and through retailers. They were long planning to have the phone be available by the holidays, but it has now slipped to early 2010. The phone will be produced by a major phone manufacturer but will only have Google branding.’

Expect more details to emerge very soon, as well as a range of good releases from Google in the new year.

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Posted by Wardy

HTC Hero Training Guide Complete

Monday, August 3, 2009

Yesterday we provided you with Part Seven of the most complete training guide for the HTC Hero.  We can today offer the full training guide for download.

 

Download the complete training guide

 

Should you wish to download the training guide in parts, you can do using the following links:

Download Part One Here 

Download Part Two Here

Download Part Three Here

Download Part Four Here

Download Part Five Here

Download Part Six Here

Download Part Seven Here

More HTc Hero material will be made available at http://blog.clove.co.uk over the coming weeks.

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Posted by Clove

12 Free Android Applications – Part Two

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Following on from yesterday post, here are the other 6 applications that the Lifehack team feel you can’t do without.

7. PrinterShare

PrinterShare lets you print over the Internet on your own printer at home or at the office. Sign up for a free account, install and configure the server software on the computer your printer is attached to, and then you can print from your Android phone from anywhere (so long as you have network access via 3G or wi-fi). The big drawback is that you’re fairly limited to the type of content that’s printable: contacts, photos, and webpages. However, with more and more work shifting to the Web, you can usually find a way to get your content into the web broswer to print it (e.g. sending email attachments to Google Docs and sharing as HTML).

8. RemoteDroid

RemoteDroid turns your Android phone into a remote touchpad and keyboard to control your PC. The screen becomes a touchpad just like you’d find on a laptop, with right-click and left-click buttons; the keyboard functions normally, except one of the alt keys becomes “CTRL” so you can do CTRL-keystroke combos like CTRL-V to paste.

RemoteDroid works over your home wi-fi network: you run the server on your PC and enter the IP address on the app to connect. If you’re trying to think of why you’d do this, consider watching video content on your big monitor or through your TV; now, you can use your phone to control the computer from across the room to pause, adjust volume, skip to the next video, or whatever.

9. ShareYourBoard

ShareYourBoard

This app is for storing and sharing whiteboards – after a meeting or presentation, open Share Your Board and snap a picture of your whiteboard. Share Your Board automatically trims the image (saving just the marked-on part of the board), adjusts contrast and color, and adjusts the perspective of the image, producing a flat, legible image that can be shared with others and commented on. You can take multiple images over the course of a meeting to assemble a kind of slide-show, too. Images can be shared via MMS, email, or sent to programs like Twidroid (a Twitter client), PostBot (a WordPress client – see Part 1), Picasa, or PrinterShare.

The image in the screenshot above was captured in an unlit corner of my apartment; the only lamp is a three-bulb unit across the room which uses compact fluorescent bulbs (which give an awful yellow cast to photos); my whiteboard is surrounded on all sides with index cards and business cards I’ve tucked into the frame. As you can see, it’s done a fairly good job of isolating the relevant stuff (there’s an index card at the bottom) and making a very readable image of the keyboard shortcuts for my transcription software.

10. Upvise

upvise

Upvise is collaborative project management software comprised of several modular “applications”: contacts, notebooks, projects, tasks, and so on. The Android app integrates with an online service (both free, though there is a paid “Premium” level that offers a few more features) so you’re not limited to collaborating with other Android users. Projects and notes can be shared, tasks can be assigned out, and ideas can be voted on by anyone in your group. A sales application allows business users to track and follow-up leads. One nice thing: the contacts application will import all your Google contacts (although, as far as I can tell, it doesn’t sync new contacts back to your Google address book).

11. StarContact

starcontact

StarContact is a replacement for the default Dialer software, allowing you to search your contact list (using the T9-style keypad shown in the screenshot, a more compact version, or the regular keyboard). You can also search within non-name fields in your contact list (like address, company name, and notes) as well as by initials. Other than that, it looks and acts like the normal dialer, making it easy to adapt to if you’re already used to using ANdroid’s built-in software.

12. Wapedia

wapedia

There are several Android apps for searching and displaying Wikipedia articles, and to be honest, they basically all do the same thing. Wapedia does it very quickly, with entries nicely formatted for the mobile screen and very good image rendering and scaling. You can also access specialized wiki sites, like the Muppet Wiki, Wookiepedia, WoWWiki (World of Warcraft), the Recipes Wiki, Wiktionary, and several others. 

(Note: Wapedia is a site that can be accessed from any browser, but here I’m talking about the dedicated app that acts as a front-end to the website.

SOURCE: Lifehack

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Posted by Jon

12 FREE Android Applications – Part One

Monday, July 27, 2009

The guys over at Lifehack have put together a list of great Applications that you really must consider using if you have an Android device.

Note: Links to each application is to their homepage, where available, all of these apps can be downloaded directly from the Market app on your Android device.

1. Action Complete

ActionComplete

Action Complete is a GTD-based task manager allowing you to view your projects and next actions easily. The tab-based interface includes sections for next actions, waiting-for items (tasks you’re waiting for others to complete before you can move on to the next task in a project), projects, and “pending” someday/maybe items. Every task and project can be tagged and associated with specific people and places, and the app offers several sorting options to sort by tag, people, places, urgency, or project. A web-based version of the app is in development, although the site gives no details about what additional features that might offer.

2. Locale

locale

Locale is interesting – it allows you to set various events to be triggered when certain conditions are met. For instance, when the battery hits 30%, you can dim the screen, turn off wi-fi, or lower the volume. When you get to work, you can turn off the ringer, change the background, or send an SMS or Twitter announcing your arrival.  Conditions it will respond to range from GPS/cell tower coordinates, contacts, battery level, dates, and times. A number of third-party apps will also link to Locale so you can trigger them as well.

3. Astrid

astrid

Astrid is a solid task manager developed by the Google folks (you know Google always makes good stuff). Tasks are easy to add and easy to check off when you’re done (my least favorite thing is having to “edit” a task to mark it “complete”). You can also add a timer – you know I like timers! – to help you build that sense of urgency. But what people like most about it isn’t the features but the notifications, which offer friendly encouragement to help motivate you to finish up.

Also, Astrid plugs into Locale (see above) so you can set geographical reminders (as in Toodo, below).

4. TooDo

toodo

TooDo is another task management application, this time with online synching, either with Toodledo or Remember the Milk. Synchronization is both ways – tasks created or marked completed on TooDo can be seen online, and vice versa. It also has a couple of really nice features – first, you can add voice, photo, and video notes to your tasks, and second, you can set geographical reminders to pop up whenever you’re in a specific location (based on the GPS).

5. PF Voicemail+

PhoneFusion’s Voicemail+ offers a really slick way to get visual voicemail on your Android phone. You need to register for a free account and forward your voicemail to them (which not super-difficult, and is required for other voicemail replacement services like YouMail as well). Once it’s set up, though, you’ll be able to scroll through your voicemails, listen to the ones you want and ignore the ones you don’t (they’re identified by number and name from Caller ID), delete messages, and respond by text.

6. PostBot

postbot

PostBot is an open source app for posting text and images to WordPress blogs (WordPress.com or self-hosted). You can set up multiple blogs and choose which to post to from the settings. Control over how images post is somewhat lacking – you can choose to align them left, right, or center when you set up the blog; after that, all images will be posted the same way unless you change the settings. Other than that, this is a great little app for posting quick thoughts and photos from your Android phone.

A further 6 to follow later!

SOURCE: Lifehack

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Posted by Jon

Google Go Android Smartphone

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Google Android suddenly seems to be headlining every news page at the moment.  It is for good reason, it is a developing platform which we should see real growth of over the next few months.

Today another innovation related to this has come about.

Taiwanese designer Tryi Yeh has designed a glossy touchscreen and slider phone concept called the “Google-GO.” It is an experiment in phone ergonomics. The speakers and mike are positioned on the back which slides to reveal a camera and four customizable smartkeys for quick access to email, web browsing and more. The buttons change depending on what you are currently doing. The Google Go probably makes use of the touchscreen keypad as no physical keyboard is seen anywhere.

Take a look at some of the conceptual images.

SOURCE:The Design Blog

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Posted by Clove

CoPilot Live for Google Android

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

ALK have launched CoPilot Live for the Google Android Operating System.

Right behind the announcement of the HTC Hero (pictured) CoPilot have timed the release of this software very well.

The software is one of the most respected in the industry.  It is full of excellent features, with a very simple to use and friendly graphic interface.

With so many different features CoPilot offers a really attractive proposition for GPS software on an Android platform.

Features include:

  • Turn-by-turn voice guided navigation
  • Detailed street maps of your country, region or an entire continent, accurate to house number and street level
  • Powerful route calculation that works-out single or multi-stop trips quickly and accurately. It immediately works out a new route if you miss a turn
  • 2D, 3D and Driver Safety navigation views make it easy to see which way you need to go
  • Enhanced guidance technology for drivers, with lane indicator display at junctions, realistic sign post information, speed limit indicator and guidance in tunnels
  • Supports touch screen gestures with flickable menus and fluid map scrolling
  • Runs in portrait or landscape mode. Simply rotate the phone for widescreen navigation
  • Integrates with the phone, making it easy to call a Point of Interest (POI) or share your location via SMS
  • Safety camera alerts with free database updates
  • Navigation for every journey, with driving, walking, cycling and RV mode.

    Available in various flavours, Europe Major Region, Pan Europe and North America.

    Available for download only you can access it via your Android Market Application on your device or visit http://www.alk.eu.com/copilot/android

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    Posted by Clove

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