A Nexus Point — blog post by Alex Kidman

[MJCP]

The big hype this week leading into the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has been focused around something that Google long held it would never do. That is, release its "own" phone based on the Google Android platform. Even if the Nexus One doesn't have a local release date yet — heck, even if it never gets a local release date — it's still good news for Apple customers in Australia and elsewhere. And that's simply down to innovation and competition.

read more ...

[clinton1550]

I'm with Alex on this one, phones like the Nexus One and the Palm Pre will create competition and spur innovation making the iPhone and by extension the iPod Touch even better. The hardware updates on the iPhone side have been lacklustre, a faster processor and electronic compass? Big deal. And the iPod Touch only got more storage in the last update, no camera? What gives?

I like the way Google has done the purchasing, US$500+ to buy it outright, sounds pretty good to me. How much does an unlocked iPhone cost? $500+++?

I'm not particularly thrilled with the killer tag either. Why do things need to be killed? The iPhone doesn't need to be killed, the iPod doesn't need to be killed. The only things I think need to be killed are IE6 and Flash because they're holding the internet back something terrible.

But why are the Palm Pre and Nexus One billed as iPhone killers? Why not competitors or alternatives?

Here's an interesting tidbit, the estate of Phillip K. Dick is threatening to sue Google over the Nexus One name because it's too similar to the Nexus-6 replicants in "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" better known as the movie Blade Runner.

EDIT: Oh good, Phillip K. Dick – unlike Alfred Hitch**** – is not censored. I did wonder if I would have to call him Phillip K. Penis just to get passed the filter.

[bitingmidge]

Surely you could have done the same with Hitch?

The only iPhone killer I've seen to date is my mate R, who dropped his from his top pocket into a toilet.

Cheers,

P

[golfer]

Originally Posted by clinton1550

I like the way Google has done the purchasing, US$500+ to buy it outright, sounds pretty good to me. How much does an unlocked iPhone cost? $500+++?

An unlocked 32gb iPhone is $1040 from Apple.

[John Chidgey]

Originally Posted by golfer

An unlocked 32gb iPhone is $1040 from Apple.

An Apples to Apples comparison is US$699 when the iPhone 3GS 32Gb is bought as a "gift" in the USA - compared to $500 for the Nexus One.

[golfer]

Originally Posted by John Chidgey

An Apples to Apples comparison is US$699 when the iPhone 3GS 32Gb is bought as a "gift" in the USA - compared to $500 for the Nexus One.

fair enough, and I think I read that the Nexus actual price was US$529, so there is very little in it given that the iPhone has 32gb and the Nexus next to nothing.

[Gazza]

Originally Posted by golfer

fair enough, and I think I read that the Nexus actual price was US$529, so there is very little in it given that the iPhone has 32gb and the Nexus next to nothing.

So the price comparison doesn't give much, if anything, to Nexus. The iPhone overall is still leaps and bounds ahead particularly in form and function, support, the apps and app store, reliability and ease of use of the OS, etc. The value of the Nexus, and like newcomers, as has been often said, is that it will keep Apple on their toes to make sure that the iPhone continues to set the benchmark overall, or at least match any innovation of the competitors. That's great news for "us." Stand up and take some notice NOKIA. Instead of your pathetic litigation attempts get in and do some real work and make a fight of it with your products - they once used to set the standard. Past reputation counts for nothing.

[MichaelQ]

Personally don't think any of the Android phones are even worth reviewing until they get rid of this silly Application Memory limit.

Barely a smart phone. It's a MP3 player with a calculator and a ringtone.

[pmoeser]

Originally Posted by clinton1550

EDIT: Oh good, Phillip K. Dick – unlike Alfred Hitch**** – is not censored. I did wonder if I would have to call him Phillip K. Penis just to get passed the filter.

Now that's a ****-up if ever I saw one!

EIDT: D'OH!! Should have typed male chicken-up

[Bgrant]

Leo Laporte commented on MacBreak Weekly that the Zune and Nexus OLED screens didn't work too well in the daylight. So don't wish OLED onto iPhone or iSlate if it doesn't work as well as what we've already got.

He briefly demoed the Nexus and it has a very busy interface (makes the Zune look tame), including moving backgrounds for apps. Very annoying. Like Microsoft, they don't seem to have a clue about UI design. Sigh. And I was hoping Nexus would push Apple and iPhone to new levels of performance. Double-sigh.