Top 10 Reasons Not to Buy Google Nexus One

Written by: Gundeep Hora on 12/27/09  |  Filed Under Mobile  |  Share    

Here’s something interesting that we just laid our eyes on. eWeek is running a top 10 list of reasons why you shouldn’t buy the upcoming Google Nexus One phone. We’ll do you a favor and summarize this absurd list below, and for their comical reasons, you can go check out the actual article yourself.

  1. Remember the iPhone – the iPhone has everything users are looking for, so you shouldn’t bother with the Nexus One.
  2. The Android Market – 20,000 apps vs. App Store’s 100,000
  3. It’s Android Software – it’s not as polished the iPhone’s
  4. Where are the Multitouch Features? – Nexus One doesn’t have them compared to the iPhone
  5. No Subsidy – users won’t pay for an expensive, unlocked device in this recession
  6. Google Hardware – Google is not a hardware company and is thus unreliable
  7. It Could Hurt Android – vendors are happy with Android, but Google’s own devices may lead to a shift in their opinion
  8. Google’s Focus – users can’t be certain if Google will support the device; it’s good at abandoning projects
  9. Carrier Limitations – AT&T and Verizon may cause issues for Google to support the device
  10. First-Gen. Issues – first-generation products are always a hit or a miss as the vendor tweaks it for future revisions

From what we can tell, majority of these reasons are Apple slanted and hardly make any sense. While we’d love to delve deeper into the article, the flaws are fairly obvious. Just because it’s not the iPhone, eWeek is critical of its success. Seriously, guys? It’s good to assess everything with a critical point-of-view every once in a while, but give it a break already.

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  • kasiencja
    "20,000 apps vs. App Store’s 100,000" - and how many of those 100,000 apps are actually useful? Certainly the beer app must be of some use? Though, I haven't figured out what yet.
  • Jo
    Wtf...did Steve Jobs write this article?
  • Beats me. You should ask eWeek about it. ;)
  • Iffy
    1 - This is not google hardware. This phone has been developed by HTC.
    2 - It is not FIRST GEN. There have been previous ANDROID releases.
    3 - 20,000 Applications is still ALOT! Does your IPHONE have 100,000 Apps? Have you installed them all?
    Please get your facts right Gundeep. Do you work for apple by any chance???
  • You do realize that I was just summarizing the eWeek article and I didn't come up with the list on my own, right?

    However, I'll clarify something for you: of course, it's HTC hardware, but Google gave them a spec. sheet to match it to. It's a first-gen. Google device. Yes, the app count certainly matters because it shows the developer interest in a platform, and I'm obviously not going to have 100K apps installed on my phone, but it gives me a lot of choices. There are 10 Flickr apps for the iPhone, I have the choice to pick and choose what I want, and it keeps the competition going for innovation and new features between developers. Who wouldn't want that?
  • neothedreamer
    Whomever wrote this is uninformed or too lazy to do the research. This is not a true "Google" phone, the actually manufacturer is HTC. This is not their first smart phone, in fact it is probably their 5th generation. I have had the MDA and G1 and the phone hardware is solid. This also contradicts the first generation issues as it is not first generation hardware, see above. Do your research.
  • I'm pretty sure eWeek meant it's the first-generation Google phone, and they are right with that comment.
  • João Nogueira
    You couldn't be more of an Apple fanboy

    Just a small counter-argument:

    "Google Hardware – Google is not a hardware company and is thus unreliable"
    HTC makes the phones, not Google

    "First-Gen. Issues – first-generation products are always a hit or a miss as the vendor tweaks it for future revisions"
    This happens with every product. All the used hardware is common, the touchscreen, processor, etc.
    Android has proved to be reliable and so did HTC

    "It’s Android Software – it’s not as polished the iPhone’s"
    Maybe not yet but remember that it is open source. If you don't like, you may change it. Try to do that in an iPhone.

    "No Subsidy – users won’t pay for an expensive, unlocked device in this recession"
    What news have you been reading? STFGoogle

    "Remember the iPhone – the iPhone has everything users are looking for, so you shouldn’t bother with the Nexus One."
    This is a good argument. Indeed. *sigh*
  • Raargh
    Um... the problem with the iPhone is it on ATT. It is so odd that people seem to forget that ATT IS CR**P. I laugh all the time while my buds with iPhones drop calls right next to me, or when I call them. And that's just in the city - try your iPhone in the wilderness, and it in nothing more than a brick.

    I'd buy an iPhone in a heartbeat if it worked on Verizon.

    raargh.
  • @Raargh: Oh, trust me, I don't think anyone ever forgets that iPhone is on AT&T. That's the first thing that people complain about with the iPhone. That's what Verizon is hoping for as well. However, every carrier that has offered the iPhone exclusively globally has felt the heat, and iPhone has brought down their networks. So, while Verizon may promise a robust network compared to AT&T, in reality, they don't really know if they can handle it. To top it all, they have been heavily supporting Android as well. Between Android and the iPhone, I'd be very interested to see how Verizon's network holds up to the test.
  • jigga
    Ya silly man? you're a iphone fan, it's ok, but what kind of crap are you writing about nexus one? it's great, it linux, although it has no multitouch.

    so please, be more polite hts/google!
  • Ernie Stern
    Google IS a hardware company, as it manufactures the "Google Search Appliance". Even if it wasn't a hardware manufacturer, I'm pretty sure they could design a reliable Phone.
  • @Ernie: Having "Google Search Appliance" doesn't make them a hardware company per se. When we describe a company as hardware centric, we are talking about HTC, Apple, Motorola, RIM etc. Of course, Apple and RIM have got their nice looking user interfaces as well, and HTC just started dabbling into this with their Sense UI, so the lines are blurring. With Google, they are all about productivity and being ridiculously fast, that's why the Android isn't exactly the nicest looking UI in the market.
  • g
    @gundeep hora:

    I would like to see how apple will evolve into multitasking given the hardware restrictions with one button. I still appreciate the iphone, but people will want the tablet os when they see it and really start to bash iphone. The g1 with 192mb of ram and slower processor multitasked just fine. It had the same battery life as the original iphone 3g.
  • @g: The G1 never "really" multi-tasked fine. Try loading a few apps on it in the background and the performance took a significant hit. If Apple has introduced multi-tasking with iPhone 2G and 3G, users would've noticed a performance hit, too. The hardware just wasn't fast enough to support seemless multi-tasking. However, all that has changed in the last year or so with mobile processors pushing 600MHz-1GHz speeds.

    To answer your multi-tasking question with a single button: don't forget Apple managed to introduce cut-copy-paste with a single button and without a menu. You just have to hold the display with your finger for a few seconds before the options pop-up. I'm sure Apple could come up with an option like that. It might not be the most effective option (look how annoying it is to turn on/off WiFi, for example), but it will be there. One way that I can think of is to display app icons in the status bar at the top. Like Android, the status bar could slide down to reveal all the active apps. Or you could just tap on an app icon to switch to it. If nothing else, they can just make you switch go to the homescreen and have a little dot close to the icon to confirm it's running in the background. The one button issue is non-existent.
  • @crazydude: I'm not sure what your argument is here. You are pro-Android, that's fine. I'm an early adopter and will end up using the best handset at any given time that suits my needs. That could be a Blackberry, an iPhone or an Android device. And my tastes will change every 6 months. There's nothing wrong with that.
  • crazydude
    now you wanna be specific...lol....you're kidding me right? you wanted me to give you something better and when i do, you go and switch off by saying something specific???? i think you're mind still set on many smartphones to be just like the iphone. again it's competition, you wouldn't want to build something exactly alike right? taking someones idea and remaking them under a new cover can give yourself a lawsuit. here's for an example, do see sony PS3 blu ray on a microsoft Xbox 360? no right, but we would all like one on it cause the 360 has more games than PS3 right? well that's what im saying even if sony PS3 has less games than the Xbox 360 people likes sony PS3 for another reason and that is the blu ray player. so ya maybe android devices can't act like the iphone, the iphone also can't act like the android. they both have similarity with what they're capable of doing but at the end they're suppose to be different in another way. don't worry you'll be satisfy with what android market will have, its just their beginning, don't rush about what numbers bring on the table, its about what you can do with these devices.
  • crazydude
    remember sony xperia x10 running on android 1.6 compatible for the 2.1 update. what can i say, both phones do carry a 1GHz snapdragon processor and nexus with a 5MP camera OLED screen display of 3.7in. along with the sony xperia x10 with an 8.1 MP camera 4 inch display which is a lot bigger than the iphone and also an OLED screen with the camera option video recording WVGA along with i believe to be 16X zoom camera with also an LED flash. so what more can i say about these two phones? they pretty much killed the iphone. has an iphone have this yet by 1st Q of 2010? i bet you not. let me guess, "they'll come out with one by mid 2010." well i'll tell you what? when they do... the look of it will be out of date. they need a new look on it. my buddy has one and he hates it cause battery life still suck on it even if the phone isn't multitasking. that's something an android can fix. so you can't possibly tell me that's not something you would like? any other stuff that the iphone have android has it too. plus the market? most of them are just the same stuff with different ppl modifying what they like. you only need one out of every category. plus i also read google took back google talk from the iphone and sport it on android devices, so maybe you need to look at your article closely and edit it. i'm taking it out of proportion cause you brought it to the table and you named it on your title, so you better fix it...lol...i do understand you're just pointing it out, but at least give android some props for making a change.
  • crazydude
    like i said gundeep, sony ericsson xperia x10. there's already a spec sheet compared between both phones and you'll find it under news. the xperia actually defeated all the purpose on the iphone.
  • @crazydude: I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm sure from a hardware perspective, there are faster phones than the iPhone. We are talking primarily about the OS and the apps available. After all, isn't that what's ultimately going to differentiate the iPhone vs. Android vs. RIM?
  • @crazydude: I think you are taking my perspective out of proportion here. I don't care about supporting either of the two companies. It's not like I own their stock. My primary phone is an iPhone, my secondary phone is a Blackberry and I've played with plenty of Android phones. I can tell you I enjoy using the iPhone for everything, yes, even for email. And if I can see anyone being competitive with Apple, it's Google's Android, not RIM with its Blackberry devices. I was a die-hard Blackberry user, but Apple trumped them, and now I'm using the iPhone. When what I need is available on Google devices, I'll gladly dump the iPhone for it.

    My loyalty is to cutting-edge technology, not the companies that are producing it. Give me something better, and I'll make the switch. Easy as that.
  • crazydude
    o yea don't forget gundeep, sony ericsson xperia 10 will defeat your iphone since it's using android os 1.6 compatible to an update 2.0 or 2.1. so all the specs that that phone is carrying, will also be the idont killer. checkout on youtube videos, maybe it'll change your mind on android.
  • crazydude
    so gundeep hora, you do own an idont right, that is why you're arguments are so supportive for apple right? well again my question is, do you even have a G1? if not, keep quiet. i suggest you go and touch one yourself, maybe you might like it. lol...well the G1 as you know now upgraded to donut 1.6, which is an amazing update from android. now i do as you know have one and there's really nothing wrong with the G1, never had any problems with it. its an awesome phone i would say. eewwww you can do so much to it, you just won't understand gundeep. if i was to tell you, you'll be like huh?????
  • g
    apple is stuck in their os and have to rethink the whole thing just to get up to multitasking. They are stuck with the one-button back out quit option of linear os. sad. come one, every other os in the world supports widgets. iphone is for ifart fanatics which makes up half the apps in the store.
  • @g: It was a matter of battery life and limited on board RAM for Apple to decide against multi-tasking. It's rumored to be a feature in the upcoming OS 4.0.
  • blah
    This guy who wrote this article is a joke. He must own a iphone lol. This phone the Nexus One (if all true) will out sell the iphone without a doubt..
  • @blah: Now I wouldn't go as far as to say the Nexus One will outsell the iPhone. And there's nothing wrong with owning an iPhone. However, I'm excited about fierce innovation that's going on between Google and Apple to outdo each other. We, as consumers, win.
  • To me it's just preposterous that they would take the time to write something like this, and yet, not give credit to an upcoming device that's supposed to be a monster for the Android device market. It's bleeding edge technology. With bleeding edge technology comes risk for early adopters. People trusted Apple with the first-generation iPhone, didn't they? So what's the big deal about Google' first-gen. device? Talk about blowing everything out of proportion.
  • You can get android as OpenSource.
    The number of applications is less important than quality of them.
    iPhone OS is privative and Apple would control it.
    You don't know it price, but you don't critic it.
    Nexus One may revolution the mobile industry with it policy.
    Software production in Android is faster than iPhone.
    iPhone locks user software, Android don't.
    Android could manage multi-touch hardware, but Apple patents about multitouch devices forbidden it use.

    Continue being Apple fanboy, and you won't try the new technology.
  • Tan
    Seems to me like eweek has something against Android in general. From the article eweek sounds like a baby crying for mommy because life isn't all about barney and sesame street.
  • Haha, hilarious.
  • umaluver
    Even if they meant first-gen device, they couldnt be more wrong. The G1 is the first-gen device. The multiple versions of the mytouch/magic would be second I believe and the multiple versions of the Hero would be the third. The Eris would be 4th? I think. So if we're talking device generation, the Nexus is a minimum of 5th gen, and if we're talking operating system, then its 5th or 6th iirc.
  • James
    I posted my comments on their blog to let the authors know my feelings, as though everyone else had not already done the same.

    Apologies for the triple post and for the hasty commenting.
  • James
    And now I'm the a**h*le because I didn't read your whole article. Poo on me.
  • James
    The statement "the iPhone has everything users are looking for, so you shouldn’t bother with the Nexus One," is asinine. The iPhone does not have all of the features users want, primary among them is multitasking. Also to try and downplay this project due to Google not being a hardware company is ridiculous. They are partnering with HTC and it will be using Android 2.1! Hardly a first gen combination. One other thing, the device has multi-touch and is only left out of core system applications. Do some fact checking before you circulate someone else's shoddy writing and then make it worse.

    Even though the source article is overstating it's reasons for skepticism, Gundeep, you're taking it way over the line.
  • I'm not taking it over the line, I'm summarizing what eWeek pointed out. Clearly, the source article isn't written with the best of intentions.
  • @ James: I take it you realize those weren't my thoughts, but the thoughts that eWeek posted in their article. I was summarizing their article for everyone here. That's what they think, not me.
  • dakota
    best thing about other company's (apple) make products before others (Google) is that they (Google) get to learn from the other company's (apple) mistakes. so 1st gen may not be as good as the next but it wont be as bad as the 1st gen IPhone. which was still a good device.
  • I agree. Good point.
  • iDontBelieveThis
    OK, lemme think about that:

    the iPhone has everything users are looking for?
    WAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA ROFL ROFL!!!

    20.000 vs 100.000 -> 100 good ones and you're done.

    not as polished? i think android's homescreen is much more polished than on the iphone. Oh sry, it doesn't even have one...

    Where are the Multitouch Features? hell yeah, where are they?

    No Subsidy - never bought a phone with subsidy yet. and saved much money with that...

    Google Hardware – Google is not a hardware company: damn, who wrote this? Google STILL is no hardware company...

    It Could Hurt Android - yes, sadly, you're right.

    Users can’t be certain if Google will support the device - this is as sure as apple will support the iphone...

    Carrier Limitations - i'm german, wtf do i care? seems like it's another world here.

    First-Gen. Issues. yeah, android 2.1 is first gen, ok...
  • Hahalol
    Haha. Google fanbois as bad as apple fanbois. Get over it and just get what you want at the time. Something better will always be out 6 months later anyway.
  • I'd go as far as to say that stick with what will work for you. If Android is your thing and it does everything you need for it do, then hey, go for it. Likewise with the iPhone.
  • Android Kidz
    Um... this article seems pointless, it even appears they have no legitimate excuse why we shouldn't purchase the google nexus one. For google to not be a hardware company they sure pumped out a gadget that destroys the iphone in a landslide concerning hardware, 5 megapixel, flash, 3.7 inch screen, 1 ghz + processor, no keyboard, thinner than the idont @ 10mm, and concerning the app market apps which is 20,000 + in android and 100,000 in idont, who cares!! As long as the market has all the apps I love (which it does) and has the ability to create more (which it does), then I'm happy!! Remember, the idont (iphone) doesn't have a built in talking Navigation GPS as the Google OS and it doesnt has a desktop like the Google OS and it isn't funner and more reliable. That candy shell on the idont (iphone) is slippery, easy to crack or scratch compared to the Google Nexus which is teflon coating and real grippable in the hands... Buy One.
  • a
    1) N1 has iPhone specs and then some
    2)True, but Android market is catching up
    3Android software is used on more devices than iPhone, and it has Google Voice, Google Turn-by-turn, and Google Goggles
    4)Android 2.1 DOES support multitouch. (Dolphin Browser)
    5)Rumor of Google subsidy to bring price to $199
    6)HTC, a GREAT hardware company, makes the hardware
    7)How would putting Android on the newest, best, unlocked
    phone hurt android?
    8)What?!?! Goggle wont abandon me.
    9)The phone will be released in both CDMA and GSM unlocked versions
    10) As Sam said, it's Android 2.1. Besides, the first gen iPhone turned out OK
  • crazydude
    dude, that is the point, the google phone wasn't suppose to be built like the iphone! have you ever seen an LCD screen on the nintendo DS? or a double screen on the PSP? it would look nice though. Plus if you read more articles about the android devices, they're actually growing fast and by next year, there will be even more growth number by next year and more apps. that is why the phone is an open source. that is also why they created the android 2.0 SDK for average people like us to think of a good idea to develop apps for the market. so pretty much anybody out there can make an app if they want and send it to android to approve of it. so the market is getting big as we speak. remember "open source." it's correct that you pointed out these flaws, but you didn't mention on the growth android devices is actually getting. dude google may not have the HTC logo on the nexus one but the battery does say HTC on it, so they are the manufacture. plus HTC has always been googles manufacture if you ever read other articles, and if you ever owned a G1 then you'll know, it has HTC on the side of the screen. but yep my question is do you even have one yourself? if not, then i suggest you can keep quiet. lol...
  • Poor. This list is based off of half truths and unknown information. Not looking beyond the iPhone could be compared to not exploring new lands/worlds (Think The Truman Show when Truman is told by his teacher that exploring is unnecessary because everything that could be found has already been found). Multi-touch is not a hard technology to implement; unfortunately, Apple has a copyright on it. It is unknown if and how the Nexus One will be subsidized. I doubt Google built hardware manufacturing plants that went unreported. I am pretty sure HTC is making the Nexus One, who has a good reputation in the market thus far. The rest of your points are purely speculative. I guess we shall see.
  • Sam
    First-Gen? Does android 2.1 looks like a first-gen release? Duh
  • @Sam: I'm sure they meant the first-gen. device from Google itself, but either way, the article is a joke.
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