Androids attack: Google Nexus S to hit Australia

The second Google-branded smartphone is about to hit Australia as analysts predict the search giant's mobile platform will surpass iPhone sales in Australia within a few years.

The Google Nexus S, released in the US and Britain in December last year, will be sold in Australia "soon", according to Vodafone which has clinched a global distribution deal. Those interested in buying one are being asked to register their interest on Vodafone's website.
Meanwhile, Sony Ericsson confirmed it would be launching its Android-based Xperia Play - dubbed the "PlayStation Phone" - on February 13. Support for Android is exploding with new phones soon to be launched by Motorola, Samsung, HTC, LG and Acer.

The Nexus S, manufactured by Samsung, is the successor to the Nexus One, which launched around the world in early 2010 but only reached Australia in small quantities in July last year.

The Nexus S is the first Android phone with a built-in near-field communication (NFC) chip, which opens up a raft of new applications such as the ability to pay for items by swiping your phone on a shop scanner. NFC, which has only been running in limited trials in Australia, has been reported as a feature of the next iPhone model.

The device is manufactured by Samsung, whereas the Nexus One was built by HTC. It runs version 2.3 of Android (dubbed Gingerbread) and offers a 4-inch super AMOLED screen, 5-megapixel rear-facing camera for photos, front-facing VGA camera for video chat, 16GB of built-in storage and 512MB of internal memory.

Vodafone Australia did not reveal pricing or a firm sale date for the Nexus S, which is based on Samsung's Galaxy S.

Foad Fadaghi, telecommunications analyst at the Australian firm Telsyte, said he expected Google's Android platform to "match or exceed" iPhone sales in Australia by 2013.

"We expect Android will have a market share of 18 per cent by the end of this year," he said.

"Nexus S represents even further improvements of the Android platform with version 2.3. It addresses the top end aspirational market and is suitable for existing Android users wanting an upgrade."

But Fadaghi said he expected most of the growth in the Android platform would come from cheaper mid-range handsets sold on pre-paid SIMs.

Mark Novosel, telco analyst at research firm IDC, said the Nexus S, being a Google-branded phone, would receive software updates faster and offer a "pure Android experience" without other vendors' custom user interfaces.

But the Android phone Novosel is most excited about is the LG Optimus 2X.

"Being the first dual-core processor smartphone, its extremely responsive and the screen has a wide viewing angle and very vibrant colours," said Novosel.

"LG's Optimus Black will also be one to watch, its slimmer, lighter and promises outstanding outdoor visibility with an extremely bright screen."

Novosel said he expected Android to become the number one smartphone operating system in Australia by the middle of this year, but in terms of a vendor-by-vendor comparison Apple would likely remain in first place.

Google has added new features to Android in recent weeks to help it catch up with iPhone, including an Android Market web store that can be accessed from PCs and in-app purchasing, allowing app developers to sell new content and upgrades from within their apps.

But this move suffered a slight setback after security firm Sophos warned that the Android Market website could be used to install malware on users' phones.

Google's 'superphone' launches in Australia

Google's much hyped Nexus One 'superphone' finally went on sale in Australia today with Vodafone Hutchison Australia snapping up the exclusive online rights to sell the handset.

The Nexus One will be available on a “first-come, first-served” exclusively through VHA's website for $0 on a $79 cap over 24 months.

The Nexus One is a Google-branded handset created in partnership with Taiwanese manufacturer HTC to showcase the Android eco-system, but its release has been overshadowed by flood of other high performance Android phones such as the HTC Desire.

Google closed down its US online store in May created especially for the smartphone after failing to market the device via the web, leaving analysts and technology bloggers questioning whether this might signal the end of the Nexus One.

In spite of this, Google last week released figures that revealed its Android operating system was winning ground from the likes Apple and Microsoft, with 160,000 new Android handsets being activated every day around the world, and over 65,000 apps now available to download from its market.

The Nexus One runs on version 2.1 of Android which is voice enabled and includes Google maps, interactive wallpapers, and enhanced social networking switching capabilities.


The handset is also expected to be the first phone to get the Android 2.2 (Froyo) update when it is launched.

VHA also announced today it would increase monthly mobile data allowance across most of its Vodafone and 3 contract plans with “anywhere from double to ten times the current data allocation, depending on the plan,” it said.

“It's great to be delivering even more value at a time when prices continue to rise on most other everyday items,” said John Casey, director of marketing.

Coinciding the with VHA announcement, Telstra cut the price of caps on its HTC Desire to $49 and $79, and increased the download limits to 200MB and 500MB respectively.

Nexus One gets a software update, enables multitouch: video

Google's just released a very significant update to the Nexus One that includes Google Goggles onboard and a revamped version of Google Maps that includes suggestions and a dedicated night mode.

Much more significantly, though, they've enabled multitouch in Browser, Gallery, and Maps -- great news and a big win for the Android community at large.

Finally, there are some 3G improvements in there, but you might have to wait a bit -- Google expects to have it rolled out to pretty much everyone toward the end of the week.

video: Nexus one interface responsiveness

pic: Google Nexus one next to an iPhone

Google’s Nexus One: New Details and the Price revealed!

The Nexus One, also known as the Google Phone, has been causing a stir this month after details began to emerge about the project. Earlier today, we learned that the phone will likely be revealed on January 5 at a Google press conference.

Information on the phone’s already starting to leak through the Google gates, though. Screenshots obtained by gadget blog Gizmodo reveal one of the most important details about the device: its price.

The screenshots seem to be the future landing pages for the Google phone. It will apparently go live soon at google.com/phone and be the sole portal for purchasing your very own Nexus One. And while we cannot verify the accuracy of these screenshots, the information presented makes sense.

Here are some of the key details you should know:

- Price: $530 USD ($593 AUD) unsubsidized and unlocked, $180 USD subsidized on the T-Mobile network with a 2 year contract.

- Rate Plan: $79.99 USD per month on T-Mobile, which includes unlimited texting/MMS and web data, along with 500 minutes. This seems to be the only plan available, even if you’re already on another plan with T-Mobile

- Purchasing: You can buy up to five Nexus One phones per Google account.

- Cancellation: If you cancel within 120 days, you have to pay the subsidy difference ($350 USD) or return the phone to Google.

Google Confirms Android Media Event -- Hello, Nexus One?

It may be the moment the tech world's been waiting for: Google has just officially announced plans for an Android-related media event to be held next Tuesday, January 5, at its Mountain View campus.

If recent online chatter is to be believed, the event could have something to do with the Nexus One -- the highly anticipated HTC-built handset seemingly under development by Google.

Google's invitation doesn't divulge many specifics about what's in store. The document, titled "Please join us for an Android press gathering," simply states the following:

"With the launch of the first Android-powered device just over a year ago, we've seen how a powerful, open platform can spur mobile product innovation. And this is just the beginning of what's possible."


Google and the Nexus One Connection

Google previously revealed that it was testing a "mobile lab" device that utilized the Android platform. Company employees were given the devices in early December, a Google blog posting confirmed. That news came amid a bevy of leaked images, videos, and details from people claiming they'd gotten their hands on the so-called "Google Phone" and that it was, among other things, "like an iPhone on beautifying steroids."

The standard flurry of rumors -- you know, the "this-or-that killer" kind of fare -- soon followed. Early (unofficial) reports had suggested the device would be unlocked and not tied to any specific carrier, leading some bloggers to speculate that the Nexus One would forever alter the mobile communications market. Other data, including the testing report filed with the FCC for the device, suggested the phone might work only with T-Mobile's data network within the U.S.


The T-Mobile Tie

The notion of a T-Mobile tie was reinforced with yet another purported leak published Tuesday morning. Mobile tech blog TmoNews released a document said to be from T-Mobile's internal system. It says:

"Google, with support from T-Mobile, is scheduled to launch a new Android device in early January. The Google Android phone will be sold solely by Google via the Web. Support for this device, including troubleshooting and exchanges, will be managed by Google and HTC. T-Mobile will offer service support, including billing, coverage, features, and rate plans."

So what's it all mean? Is the Nexus One almost here? Will it be an everything-imaginable-under-the-sun killer? Will it revolutionize our lives in ways we can't even fathom?

The answers, it appears, may finally be upon us. Stay tuned.

Google Nexus one specs revealed!

We have heard a lot recently about the Google Nexus One (N1) which has been rumoured to be launching soon. Finally we have the official specs to go along with what looks to be a fantastic phone.

The Nexus One will be a tri-band phone (900/1700/2100 MHz) UTMS and quad-band GSM which allows it to work on the T-Mobile network in the US. Features include a 3.7 inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen that according to one person who had a look at the phone said it was the best looking screen they had seen.

The Nexus One will run Android 2.1 and be capable of transferring data at 7.2Mbps where networks support this. The processor inside the phone will be a Qualcomm Snapdragon running at a snappy 1GHz.

The phone will have four illuminated soft keys primarily for Back, Menu, Home and Search. A tri-colour LED will be used in the device for notifications and charge status. Haptic feedback is to be included in the phone.

Other features are the fairly standard A-GPS, Accelerometer, Light sensor and a proximity sensor along with a compass, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack and active noise cancellation. The camera is 5 megapixels and will be capable of using the A-GPS for geotagging shots.

An LED flash can be used for lighting close subjects and the phone will have 2x digital zoom. For memory the phone will have 512MB RAM and 512MB of flash memory and will include a 4GB MicroSD card with 32GB cards being supported.

It looks set to be a very interesting phone. It will be interesting to see what pricing plans it will be made available on and how much it will cost.

A rumoured date early in January 2010 has been touted for the launch date. We’ll find out officially soon if this is the case.

Google 'Nexus one' caught on video and some new pics!

Animated wallpaper

Back and pouch

With battery cover removed

Packaging

Something

Thickness compare to the G1

New Google Nexus one pics

The updated OS features new 3D elements to the app tray, as well as an extended amount of homescreens.

Additionally, there's now a new grid icon at the bottom of the homescreen, which when pressed brings up a webOS card-style preview of all homescreen pages.

.. and google goggles, of course

wow - Google actually ARE releasing a phone! - the Nexus one

The rumors are over and the sources have confirmed, the Google Phone that has been talked about for some time now is going to be released with the name Nexus One. Apprently the phone will be developed by HTC for Google.

The Nexus One will come with the Google Android OS 2.1, and, unlike the other Android phones on the market, the user experience was ENTIRELY designed by Google. The phone will be unlocked, available for purchase through Google online and you’ll have to provide cellular service of your own.

Now the rumors are swirling as to when the phone will be launched, but there is speculation that it will be available in January 2010.

Update! Some minor specs according to other reports:

– Qualcomm Snapdragon 1 GHz ARM CPU
– High resolution OLED display
– Around $500 USD
– GSM with possibility of UMTS (3G) on AT&T and T-Mobile
– Voice-to-text dictate feature
– Capacitive touch screen & on-screen keyboard