I love my Nexus One! I'm tied to the AT&T network and as soon as Google offered the Nexus One with AT&T 3G, I was on Google's web site ordering one! I certainly don't regret it! However, the Nexus One was a marketing failure for Google. It probably only sold about 200,000 units total. Yet, even in the wild World of a new Android Smartphone being released almost every week, the Nexus One remains relevant. In hindsight, there are several reasons why this phone failed, but let's save those reasons for later.
Google is now offering another Nexus, called the Nexus S. The Nexus One certainly set a high standard on what a Flagship Smartphone should be! Does the Nexus S achieve that level of awesomeness? It's the first phone to offer the newest version of Android called Gingerbread. It's got a curved display which is very unique vs all the flat screens offered no matter which Mobile platform we are talking about! It's got a front facing camera as well as a 5 meg one on the back! It offers a new technology called Near Field Communication, which should bring new uses to the mobile world!
The Nexus One was produced for Google by HTC. It's hardware was praised as being quality. The Nexus S, comes to us from Samsung, and it's hardware design is very closely tied to the Samsung "S" series devices. Reviewers seem to agree that these devices use way too much shiny, flimsy plastic in their devices, as well as a lack a notification light for email, messages, etc.
So is the Nexus S worth it?
In my opinion, it depends . . . .. . If you are open to T-mobile's network, and you are needing a new smartphone, I would certainly say look very hard at the Nexus S. One of the largest advantages to this phone, is it comes out of the box, free of any carrier bloat-ware, and is a true Google experience phone that includes some pretty powerful features, such as maps and Google Voice. And because it's a flagship device from Google, this means it should be one of the first devices to receive upgrades when new features or firmware updates become available.
Back to the reasons the Nexus One failed and the landscape now:
| Nexus One |
Nexus S |
| You had to purchase the phone without holding it or test driving it. |
The Nexus S is being sold through Best Buy outlets. You can hold the phone in your hand before you drop the $. |
| The Nexus One wasn't available across Carriers | The Jury is still out on this one, but most in the industry are expecting to see this device on all major Carriers soon. |
| Had lots of competition |
I think this is the case here. The Nexus S is a great phone! So are about 10 other Android devices! |
In a few weeks, Vegas will be hosting CES. The Consumer Electronics Show, where vendors come from far and wide to debut their wares for the coming year. Not long after that, are events from Apple and Mobile World Congress. There are lots of things that are expected, such as a Playstation Phone from Sony, new hardware from HP/Palm, Processors pushing 1.5 Gigs, and even more. I've said all of that to day this: If you need a phone today on T-mobile, there is probably no better choice than the Nexus S. If you don't need to buy today, I would suggest you hold off because there is going to be a plethora of options available in just a few months.
Buds who Blog