In Death, Nexus One Does What It Couldn’t Do In Life: Sell | Hacker News Reader

In Death, Nexus One Does What It Couldn’t Do In Life: Sell

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59 pointsstanleydrew55 comments

Too bad most folks prefer subsidized phones, and Google's experiment with the N1 didn't work out.

After initially falling in love with the iPhone, I bought an N1 since it supports T-Mobile's US 3G frequency. The N1 is a great phone, and I'm sending this comment over it's mobile hotspot through my ancient $6/month T-Mobile unlimited data plan.

Where there is coverage, T-Mobile's 3G network rocks. The latency and download speeds are comparable to a good DSL connection. I've made Skype video calls with a MBP via the N1 that were absolutely perfect. But then I might have been the only user in that cell ;)

A little known advantage of T-Mob's 3G network is that it's purely for data, while voice is carried over other frequencies. They have fiber to their towers, with HSPA+ already deployed in many metro areas.

Another advantage of the N1 are the unbridled access to the latest and greatest firmware and app updates.

Downsides are the plastic touch screen that scratches easily, and the OLED display which is almost impossible to read in sunlight.

Plastic touch screen? Did they change them half-way thru production? Mine is made of glass (it feels like glass, at least) and doesn't have a single scratch on it. It still looks new, and I ordered it on launch day.

Hah, also ordered on launch day :) And I'm glad I got the desk and car docks, as they seem to be sold out as well.

Initially I also thought that the N1 touch screen was glass, but then I managed to put a couple of ugly scratches into it when the N1 was in the same pocket as my keys for a minute.

When I complained about this to someone who works for the maker of the worlds most popular phone (cough), I was told that the N1 screen is made from a very hard resin, but plastic nonetheless. They had done some competitive analysis.

I still hold to the theory that Google didn't cancel the N1 because it wasn't selling well enough - rather they cancelled it because they worried it would sell too well. In other words, they only wanted to sell it as a flagship device and as insurance in case they couldn't get wide adoption of Android. It was a backup plan. Once they had a whole array of carriers on side they no longer saw it as in their interest to have a huge market of N1s out there (which they have to support). With so many carriers embracing Android, the danger for Google now is doing anything that interferes with that.

Indeed, how would low sales have been a reason to cancel the phone? How much overhead can there be selling one item through a website, with virtually no marketing or customer service?

And now they're going to keep selling them anyway, so they have to keep the whole pipeline running, but they still won't sell them to consumers.

Either they are not making a profit on the phone or there are hidden motives at work here.

I was surprised to hear him say that the N1 was better than the EVO, until I remembered that I replaced the stock software with what is essentially the N1 build. HTC Sense is absolutely awful compared to AOSP, and it's nice to know that I'm not the only one that thinks so. It's amazing how random tweaks to the software can make it so unusable.

(Also, the default build on my EVO ate battery like crazy, the number one complaint by reviewers. Install CM, the battery lasts all day, even with heavy Kindle and Browser use.)

It's a shame that "normal users" don't get to decide whether or not they want Sense.

I don't know about the EVO, but Sense on my Incredible is pretty slick and I haven't had any battery problems (although I just got it Tuesday).

Comparing sense on a friends' incredible to my rooted droid with froyo, froyo is much better I think. The only advantage to sense is some nicer widgets and fixing some things on android before 2.2

Have you ever used stock Android?

The thing that nails Sense for me is that the calendar app requires you to spin digits around (11:01, 11:02, 11:03, ... for your 11:45 appointment), whereas the stock Android app lets you just type them in or press a button. Not as OMG AWESOME, but much easier to actually use.

Anyway, Sense only lasted a few days on my phone, so I am not experienced. I just know that the stock AOSP lock screen, dialer, calendar, and browser all work better.

Even easier would be something that recognized that 00, 15, 30, 45 are going to cover most uses and thus made it a single tap to select which one of those you want (with the "more general please" option if you need it).

Excellent idea. What's great about Android is that I can clone the git repo, add this feature, and see if I like it. Much better than waiting for some "expert" to "decide" that this is best and then waiting for the next OS upgrade!

Anyway, Sense only lasted a few days on my phone, so I am not experienced. I just know that the stock AOSP lock screen, dialer, calendar, and browser all work better.

They just work better despite that you admit you don't have much experience with Sense?

I can understand not liking the spinning digits thing if you're a major calendar user, but I'm not so it doesn't really bother me. Seems like user preference on most of those things, not anything that makes one definitively better than the other. My phone is fast and responsive, so I don't really have any impetus to go around unlocking stuff when I don't need to (yet).

The EVO is gigantic and those of us who have had the pleasure of using both Sense UI and the vanilla Android OS for an extended amount of time tend to agree that Sense is a bit too much. As I quoted in a previous article of mine, "It feels a lot like desktop Linux: unpolished, but covered in gloss."

Link: http://whalesalad.com/blog/incredible-vs-nexus-one/

I recently flashed my HTC phone to stock Android 2.2 and I couldn't agree more. It's hard to point to any single major flaw of HTC Sense it's just all the little things that add up. At some point I'd like to do a screenshot comparison. The biggest areas of improvement in AOSP are Dialer, Music and Mail (which happen to be my most frequently used applications)

Nobody uses the stock Mail app, use K9.

I like the dialer. I wish you could cut-n-paste the phone number from the missed calls window, though. But perhaps I will add that feature tonight!

I see lots of people recommending K9, but despite trying it several times, I can't figure out why. It does support some additional features, but lacks features the stock Android mail app has (like push Exchange). It's also just as ugly and unresponsive as the stock mail app.

Other than the gmail app (which I think is pretty decent), decent mail apps are still a wide open opportunity (IMHO) for Android developers.

I was torn between an iPhone 4 and N1. In the end I chose Android because I wanted an experience more akin to a minuscule laptop than an appliance. Unsubsidized $30/month unlimited data and free tethering/wifi hotspot doesn't hurt.

My daughter has a current-gen (3GS hardware) iPod Touch that I love to borrow for gaming and exploring apps, so I'm familiar with iOS4. I've also spent plenty of time with co-workers' iPhone 4s.

I'm happy with the N1 so far, but the screen isn't as pretty as the iPhone 4. Better than the 3GS and more neutral than the Vibrant's SAMOLED, but still a close second to the iPhone 4.

But the biggest issue I have is the app marketplace. I have serious iPhone game envy. And to a lesser extent, app envy. I've seen many cross-platform apps (Gowalla included) that feel aesthetically half-baked compared to their iPhone counterparts. I'm happy to see Unity 3D, PopCap and Angry Birds on board, but I really wish developers/designers/publishers could put a little more effort into their Android ports. On the other hand, I suppose well-designed Android apps and games are somewhat of an untapped market.

I believe it. We have a couple kicking around the office and they're fantastic tools. You won't get my HTC Incredible away from me (Vz > AT&T, optical sensor > trackball), but the extra effort required to root and NAND-unlock it is a downside over the Nexus One. Part of me does wish I waited for the Droid 2, as I like the form factor much better, but with Motorola's anti-hacking efforts lately, I probably wouldn't be as happy with it.

Does anyone actually use that trackball for anything other than text selection, though?

Going from an iPhone to a Nexus One for about six months, I mostly wished that it wasn't there (except when I wanted to select and copy text, at which point I wished I was back on my iPhone).

Does anyone actually use that trackball for anything other than text selection, though?

I find it to be very helpful for scrolling when reading web pages in landscape mode.

I use it to tell when I have text messages - it flashes green.

It's useful in many games.

You can use it as a physical camera buuton.

Cool! Thx.

Edit: It also freezes the focus when kept pressed down, nice!

I have a whole new respect for the ball now! One of my major complaints with the N1 was the awkwardness of taking photos with the screen facing away from me (e.g. self portrait). This tip pretty much addresses that.

Has anyone tried using a Nexus One with a TMobile data plan only ($40 unlimited) as their sole communication device?

Id love to save $40 money off cost of iPhone; been eagerly awaiting the day to use data plans only. Maybe we are almost there with Tmobile unlimited and NExus One?

The problem is voice. What are you using for VOIP calls?

where are you seeing the $30 unlimited data plan?

I was under the impression that the "Even More Plus Smartphone" plan was $39.99, but when I brought my new N1 into the store, I was quoted $30/month unlimited, no contract. I've been a customer since 2002 and have a family plan (voice and text) that expires in November. Maybe it's for existing customers?

I was going to buy one after my t-mobile contract ran out. They just didn't give me enough time :-/

Anyone can register as a developer and purchase one today (or when the stock is replenished).

But you can no longer buy one subsidized via a T-Mobile contract for something like $189. Unsubsidized phones are a tough sell in the US and really don't make sense on most carriers. Only T-Mobile gives you a discount on service for skipping out on subsidies.

I didn't want a subsidized one, since part of the attraction was that it would work with any GSM carrier.

A failed Google product is a lot like a cancelled TV show. Only a few million people liked it.

I think they were little too focused on the US market. Here (in Costa Rica) almost everyone I know with a smartphone has a N1. There is a monopoly carrier here and no phone+service package, so N1 makes perfect sense - just plug the chip in and go - no unlocking or rooting required. I bet there are a lot of other international markets where the N1 would do just as well.

Sadly the new dev phones won't work with ICE's 3g network,now a tico's Nexus is literally irreplaceable.

I have played with the Nexus One and Samsung Galaxy S (Vibrant) and I have to say the Galaxy S is a much smoother experience. The tactile feel of the Galaxy S is just awesome.

I got my Nexus One just after they stopped selling it. (bought a new one off eBay) and couldn't be happier with it.

So, aside from possible DeLorean effect, any idea why?

The Nexus One is the only modern Android phone (besides the original Motorola Droid) that runs pure Android- it doesn't have any of the additional software like HTC Sense or Motorola Blur.

It's also usually the first to receive updates, it got Froyo way before any other device.

Pardon my ignorance, but is it possible for someone with a Sense phone, say, to install pure android on it and get all the advantages of the Nexus One, with the updates and all? Or do you need drivers or something?

It requires rooting/jailbreaking your phone and unlocking the bootloader, if you consider that an option. Otherwise, American carriers (except for T-Mobile) will freak out if you even mention running something other than what they put on the phone.

Ah, sure, that's fine (I ran Android on my iPhone once). Does it work perfectly otherwise, or are there any incompatibilities?

You can, but it's not easy and it's definitely not something a normal consumer would do.

Although I imagine the people buying the Nexus Ones from the developer site aren't normal consumers.

There are one-click root apps floating around for the various phones. Combine with ROM Manager or CM Updater or equivalent, and it's basically like the carrier experience.

I would recommend it to anyone who actually cares about their phone.

I understand.

In death, a member of Project Mayhem has a name. His name is Robert Paulson.

They announced the death of the nexus one?

If i remember they announced the death of the web store and said that they will bend over to sell in the operator's stores.

Yes, death is a bit of a mischaracterization. The original post about shutting down the web store does indeed mention that Google would try to get the N1 into actual retail stores: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/nexus-one-changes-in-...

Google didn't, but all the tech blogs did for some reason. Either they can't read or they have some kind of business motive for making things up. And now they have a reason to generate another story from nothing.

Google has TERRIBLE PR when it comes to stuff like that. They just seem to manage releases so horrendously that it is simply shocking. The whole net neutrality thing being the most recent example.

Not only did the Nexus One "die" without dying, it died multiple times because at each step Google would make some sort of vague release, and again every tech (and mainstream) site would scream that the Nexus One was a failure, it's now dead for super sure, and so on.

Seriously, if someone in the Google executive is reading this: You guys are clownishly amateur at dealing with this stuff.

> Seriously, if someone in the Google executive is reading this: You guys are clownishly amateur at dealing with this stuff.

They may not care.

That is basically what happened, but most people considered that a "death" of sorts since you could no longer get it direct from Google.

I broke down and bought one w/o a contract literally about a day before they announced it - it's the best phone I've ever had the chance to really mess with, hands-down.

Plus Goggles is a great party trick.

There's nowhere that a non-developer can buy a Nexus One in the US. They aren't for sale. They aren't coming soon. People know a dead phone when they see one.

I think they were very stupid to not push the thing more in Europe, where people are quite used to buying unlocked phones for their full price.

Sounds like Michael Jackson lol

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