Yes, I mean that a potential solution is to drop gestures.

I was going to mention the typing thing, but decided to ignore it for simplicity's sake. It can still detect multiple simultaneous taps accurately, even if they're on the same axis. It's only crossover movement that's affected. (Assuming my supposition about the mechanism of failure is correct.)

Another solution is to disallow gestures that cross axes. If it was good enough for the Ghostbusters, it should be good enough for Google.

For the record, I don't think that the iPhone is bad or that Android is an iPhone killer. I don't think the iPhone should be killed. Android is merely an alternative, and one I happen to prefer for a variety of reasons. Are there drawbacks? Sure. But the reasons I chose this over the iPhone more than make up for them, for me.

I don't think that Android should be killed. On the contrary. As mentioned, I think it should continue to be improved. And it should make some improvements sooner rather than later. But, some of the existing hardware needs to be fixed one way or another. I'm sure most customers won't want to invest in buying another product just to get a fix many might consider to be a software-like issue. That's going to lead a lot of people away from Android. Not something the platform needs at this critical time.

I just use Swype and have zero issues outside of words it doesn't know, which I just type manually (and which are few and far between for normal conversation).

Swype is neat. There are still a number of problems, though. It seems that it doesn't work in landscape mode, where it would actually be most useful to me. (Just because of a particular landscape-only app I have.)

There's a fixed apk on the xda-developers forums that fixes landscape mode.

CPU power is incredibly hard to predict unless you're analyzing the stream of instructions, monitoring the DDR bus usage, times ram is in self refresh and so on. Needless to say, this amount of instrumentation is not going on here... Ditto for the radios: GPS power consumption varies easily by 3x depending on number of correlators running, sampling rate and so on whereas this number is just going to be "how many seconds is it on for multiplied by constant". GSM PA power will vary dependent on network conditions *and antenna match* - eg whether something like your hand is close to the antenna.

As for checking the display content for lit pixels... 60 times a second? That's a lot of math unless it's being done by the display itself. I know, I did this at Rio for the OLED product that almost shipped



I'm just saying that the usage page is largely a work of fiction. Yes, you can see gross CPU usage (likely seconds of CPU time multiplied by a constant, not taking into account NEON use, memory bandwidth, storage bandwidth, etc)... it's a first-level approximation for generic applications but not conclusive in any way for determining how an unknown CPU load - flash - is behaving on the system.

Okay, I'll beat Bruno to the punch on this one:

HTC says the Nexus One doesn't 'go in pockets'

I saw that but decided not to mention it. It's a reasonable expectation that you shouldn't manhandle the phone to cause the screen to crack, even if HTC's comment was utterly senseless. They also mentioned "tight jeans" and that's exactly the type of situation in which you're going to damage any piece of glass - slip into tight back pocket and sit down.

I don't have any reason to believe the Nexus One isn't as robust as most other phones.

The most troubling aspect of this whole situation isn't even the comment that was made. It's who made the comment. This is clearly an HTC retail product, not necessarily any more a Google product than any other Android phone. Google hosts a sales page for the product and I suppose that's the fresh/new/different aspect here.

At this point I'm just hoping to check out a Nexus One in person and decide on whether or not I want to buy it before HTC is barred from selling Android devices...

I wouldn't buy one, no matter how much promise the software shows.

Since I'm not Bruno, I plan to buy one, unless Bitt would recommend that I don't.

So Bitt, since you're the only one here I know own one, would you recommend this phone or would you recommend I don't buy one. I'll be using it mainly for phone calls, SMS and the occasional surfing. I'd probably install various programs too, but I haven't owned a smartphone yet so I don't know which programs I would install.

Thanks,
Stig

I have had zero problems of any significant nature. In pictures, it looks kinda cheaply made somehow, but that's definitely not the case. It's got a nice heft to it, and I carry it in my (front jeans) pocket all the time. That said, if I have something else in that pocket, I use the little neoprene-like pouch that it comes with. (I don't really like the brown and champagne color scheme, though.)

The only real issue with it that I have is that if you install a lot of applications, the interface can slow down, and sometimes the Launcher (that is, the GUI shell) will crash. Not a problem for you, at least initially, as you don't have anything you're dying to download.

The browser works quite well, and phone calls and SMS seem to work just fine. I don't have enough experience with an iPhone (or any other recent vintage smartphone) to make a great comparison from that front, though. And, honestly, I don't really talk on the phone all that much.

I paid full price for mine (and swapped in a SIM card for a contract I already had) and I am not disappointed in the least. I have experienced both buyer's remorse and post-purchase rationalization/selection bias in the past, and I feel neither of these about the Nexus One.

I'd be happy to show you mine, Matt (if you show me yours — sorry; I couldn't resist), but Raleigh to DC, or even halfway, is pretty far.

Thanks, Bitt.

Better to hear from somene who actually own one, since most of what you read is only from the people with problems. Or Apple fanboys...

Are you still running the stock image, or have you flashed to an alternate image?

Stig

BTW, the current iPhone isn't good enough for me either. But I'd certainly take one for free on contract. Problem is that I'm not interested in a contract for cell service and the pricing without one is far too high for my taste. So I make due with an iPod touch.

Yeah, I appreciate that, but I knew you lived there so I thought one of the other couple N1 owners might be closer. I've driven DC to Raleigh twice now, and you're right, it's pretty darn far. I have in-laws in Cary (or, as I've heard, Containment Area for Relocated Yankees).

Washington DC to Raleigh NC? Google Maps says that's only 277 miles. I drove from Manchester to Newquay and back in a day to attend a funeral last week, that was only 700 miles. I freely admit, it was a long day, but definitely do-able.

I thought you guys in the US drove thousands of miles without batting an eyelid?

Someone should really invent some kind of MP3-playing car stereo to pass the time on such journeys...

Peter

Some might argue that even this might be a tad long just to check out a mobile phone...

Stig

They do, it's called an iPod, and it's a lot easier to install in a hire car than an empeg. Hertz seem to get a little sniffy when you start running power cables through the firewall.

Precisely. I have no problem driving that way to attend my wife's cousin's wedding, but to check out a phone is a little crazy. By the time I paid for gas, I'd be halfway to paying for the subsidized phone!

I'll try to find someone in the DC area with the phone. I'm just not sure how to go about that. Any ideas? There is a Google building in the area. I wonder how they'd feel about me running around inside asking to see someone's Nexus One...

I manually upgraded to 2.1, instead of waiting for it to show up (as it was indicated to help the Launcher crashing, which it did). Otherwise, I've done nothing special with the OS.

I've never driven on a UK M highway, so it may be the same, but driving on US interstates, while generally very efficient, is incredibly boring, even with an empeg to pass the time. Sadly, the wife gets irritated if I try to take an alternate route.

Actually, I wouldn't so much mind driving up to Williamsburg or somewhere, avoiding the major highways.

Ok, thanks.

Stig

I was in the states for work a few years ago and I met a guy who drove a 150 mile round trip commute every day and didn't think anything of it. Mind you, I drove to London for a curry once.... so maybe I'm the mad one.

Oh my goodness no, I wouldn't want to make you drive the majority, even if I was crazy enough to initiate a meetup just to check out a phone! Of course, I quite enjoy Williamsburg, having lived there for five years. The College has also changed quite a bit, with a ton of new buildings. The town its self is also getting a huge new residential area a little bit away from the historic parts.

But no, don't worry about it Bitt. I'm going to try to check it out up here.

Alternatively, I could just go ahead and order the darn phone. I think it's a 14 day return policy.

I think it depends on where you are. Out here, I've driven 270 miles round trip to get a burger for lunch. Up north, we've driven 300 miles one way to watch a hockey game. There isn't much else to do in North Dakota but then again, it was the Jets.

We do have a couple people at work that commute about 115 miles one way. The town they commute from is amazing though, and I can easily see why they'd do it. I'm really fond of my 1 mile commute though

Somebody does a 8 hour/1060 mile commute every week. Not quite the same as 150 miles every day but an 8 hour car trip at the start and end of the week would just be horrendous.

I've been to Paris for dinner before on the Eurostar which is about 300 miles or so.

It's not quite as far, but a guy who once worked for my dad did this commute for over 32 years. In this case it's not the distance, it's the traffic. The end of that commute hits an area that is often rated as one of the top 3 bad traffic spots in the US.

I couldn't stand to do 4 hours of commuting a day for 32 years. Just think of how much of your life is spent doing that. And it clearly took a visible toll. He had bags under the bags under his eyes.

My current commute is 2.2 miles; it takes me about 35-40 minutes by foot. My new commute (in a month or so) will take me just over an hour on the tube, with no changes. I much prefer short commutes.