Mobile

The Nexus One, the Google Phone, is really here. And everything you need to know about it? Right here.

What Is It?

It’s the latest, maybe greatest, Android phone. Google calls it a “superphone” that’s an “exemplar” of what you can do with Android. It was designed by Google and HTC, who designed the G1 and the Ion.

How Much Does It Cost and Where and When Can I Buy It?

At Google’s new web store, where you can shop for Android phones and do live demos of them over the internet to see if you like it. You need a regular Google account and a Google Checkout one to actually buy the phone. The web store is launching today in the US, and will be shipping to test markets: UK, Singapore and Hong Kong. The Nexus One is just the first phone Google’s selling with this new model, with more phones, operators and countries coming in the future.

You can buy it today on T-Mobile for $US180 with a two-year contract. Or you can buy it unlocked, without any service, for $US530.

It’s Coming to Verizon in a Few Months
Verizon’s getting it in 2010, though we don’t know for how much yet. (Probably $US200.)

Will It Work on AT&T?
Yes, but you won’t get 3G.

What’s Inside?

A really fast 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, with a 3.7-inch, 480×800 AMOLED screen. The camera’s 5 megapixels with an LED flash – it also shoots MPEG-4 video with one-click YouTube upload. The trackball’s got a multicolour LED for different notifications, and of course it’s got a compass, GPS, stereo Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack, two mics for “active noise suppression”, light and proximity sensors, and an accelerometer onboard. Oh, it’s skinnier than a #2 pencil.

And did we mention Android 2.1?

What’s Android 2.1?

It’s basically a much sexier, more polished Android 2.0, which is on the Droid. You have things like five screens for homescreen panels and Live Wallpapers, which are basically backgrounds you can interact with. There’s a revamped 3D photo gallery, which pulls visual tricks like having photos zoom out when you tap an album, and load on a 3D plane when you move the phone around. And, galleries are now background-synced to Picasa.

Voice is even huger: Every text field is voice enabled, so you basically never have to type anything. Finallllly, you’ll soon be able to install apps to the SD card, finally freeing Android of the internal ROM app limit. You can see way more of it here.

Is There Multitouch in Google Apps, Since There’s No Keyboard?

No.

What’s It Like?

Like this: “If you want Android phones, this is the one to get.”