It looks like Vodafone will be the first UK based mobile network operator to start offering the Google phone to its customers This is pretty good news, but for those hoping to scoot over to the nearest Vodafone office and reserve a device, this next part is a downer; according to reports, the only way to get the device is strictly through Google’s online store.
Hopefully, Google would have an active shipping office based locally within the UK by April in time for this. It would really be disadvantageous for Vodafone if they not only have to refer customers to the Google website, but would also require customers ship the product all the way from the US.
In any case, it’s a big letdown that Google maintains to keep the Nexus One sold exclusively online. While we bought the original explanation when they showed off the new phone early in January, we now see that this phone would have certainly fared a whole lot better if it was made available in more conventional means.
Availability problems aside, the Nexus One is actually a pretty impressive smart phone. As one would guess, it sports the latest Android operating system and comes packed with all the usual Google web services. New to the phone is an advanced speech recognition system that is able to do voice to text and even voice input queries. Hardware wise, the phone is no slouch. The Nexus One comes packed with a 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen, a 5 mega pixel camera and runs on a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU.
So Far, Vodafone has a pretty successful lineup of devices offered this year. The operator is also expected to offer the Apple iPad tablet when the device finally comes out later this year.
Read more about the Nexus One and Vodafone at GSM Arena.
The long-awaited Google Earth app has arrived and is available in the Android Market from today onwards. First unveiled during the launch of the Nexus One in early January – and more recently shown on the Nexus at the Mobile World Congress – the app for Android 2.1 smartphones has officially landed.
Google has promised the app comes with the same image quality as the PC version, and has similar attributes as the Google Earth app for the iPhone.
With Google Earth onboard your mobile phone, you can merrily fly around the world from the comfort of your sitting room – or a train, friend’s house or restaurant, for that matter. Scroll over oceans or swipe your way through mountainous terrain as you explore the globe on your handset.
You can search by voice to find cities, landmarks, businesses and 3D views of areas. So, for example, if your meeting leaves you with a few spare hours before catching your train home, you could search for the nearest park, book store or cafe on the Google Earth app to keep you entertained.
The app also has layers of information including for roads, places, Wikipedia articles and photos. Whether you want to find an individual place or business, or see terrain maps – the Google Maps app has the ability to show you.
You can zoom in for close-ups of landmarks, trees and buildings by double tapping your phone’s touchscreen or pinching your fingers together if your mobile has multi-touch support.
Today, you can download this free app if you own the Google Nexus One phone. Unfortunately, even if your have the Motorola Milestone handset, Google Earth is currently not available – but this phone (together with other Android mobiles) is set to receive an update soon.
For more details on the Google Earth app for Android smartphones, head to the source.
Did Google make an honest mistake? Or are they liable for the possible damages they have caused with the Buzz social networking tool?
If this was the very first time Google was launching a new web service, then the critical fallout regarding their lack of foresight may not be so severe. But we are talking about a major tech company that has been at the forefront of major web service, platform development and hardware innovation. Google knows how to properly launch a service, they know how to make things work smoothly and they know how to protect their user accounts.
What they did with the Google Buzz undermined all their previous efforts.
Gone is the settings adjustment page, gone is the long beta testing season, gone are the long introductions that gives users plenty of time to study a new service before signing up to try it.
Now we get pushed into the Buzz with no clue as to why people we do not even know (but had to email) are suddenly privy to the latest image uploads in our Picasa accounts. “Had to email” includes folks like that owner of the small bookshop five blocks down the road to inquire if they still had stock of a certain book. As long as Google sees that you have had correspondence, the system will identify those accounts as your friends and will immediately link you.
If you have also had the displeasure of having to argue with someone through email, you can imagine how uncomfortable it must be to suddenly see those people following your Buzz account. Eva Hibnick of Florida is filing a lawsuit against Google for sharing personal data without consent. Google has yet to react to the complaint, but with many others also having similar experiences, it would not be surprising to see more lawsuits in the future.
Read more about the lawsuit against Google at the Telegraph UK.
A brand new app from Google has landed in the Android Market in the shape of the Google Shopper. So if your mobile phone runs on Google’s Android platform, you can enjoy all that this price comparison app has to offer.
Designed to help you shop smarter, the Google Shopper searches for product information based on the photos you take on your mobile. You can discover product prices, details, reviews and more as this app is powered by the Google Product Search.
You can scan the barcode of a product to find out more about it or take a snap, and Google Search will do the rest – the app recognises cover art as well as barcodes. From a photo of CDs, DVDs, books, video games etc the app will source the product for you and present all the details in one convenient place.
The app lets you save all your searches for future reference or for when you don’t have reception on your phone, and you can star your favourites. You can even share any really good finds you discover with friends by pressing a button on your phone. Product information can be posted to Facebook, Twitter, IM, Gmail and more.
The app works along similar lines as the Amazon iPhone app. The Amazon Mobile app lets users quickly search, compare prices, read reviews and make purchases on Amazon.com. The app searches for products from a photo you take and enables you to store lists of items you are interested in.
To download the Google Shopper app onto your Android-based mobile phone, click here. Or you can find out more about the app from the video below.
Admittedly, the title is a bit misleading –because it implies that Google Buzz can be made right.
Yes, if you love Google Buzz (one of the few people that do) then you must have totally missed the repercussions of the addition of the new tool. To make things simple, let us start at the very root of the problem, Buzz is anchored to a Gmail account.
It is not uncommon for people to have a private email account and a not-so-private account (you know, the one you use to sign up for forums and websites whose inbox you never check because it is full of spam mail? -yes, that is the one). More often than not, the not-so-private email account is the one people use to sign up for Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and more.
After all, how can you expect to keep track of your business correspondences when you are being flooded by Super Poke notices, Texas hold ‘Em updates and requests to “be a fan of Bono”? Once again, you know what we are talking about.
The worst part is that Google Buzz will add everyone in your contact list. Everyone. Even that troll whom you had a flaming argument online with, or an ex-girlfriend, ex-husband, ex-boss. Imagine having the contacts you have on your business email having been revealed to your other suppliers, clients and colleagues?
And Google says, “No harm done”.
There is plenty of harm here, and plenty more to be made if this is not stopped. There was originally a time when Google Mail was the perfect choice for individuals who do not own domains. It provided a spam free and a secure web mail.
If this thing with Buzz keeps up, it might be time for us to all pack up and move to safer fields.
Google used to have a very good system when it came to getting people to try out their new services. When Google Mail first came out for the public, it was on an invite only basis. Existing users would have five invites to give out to their closest friends, who in turn, would also be given 5 invites to give away.
In this way, people who signed up for the service were people who really wanted to try it out (since the invites were limited, people would not waste giving it to a friend who was not interested). Some people even held quick online contests to decide whom they would give out their invites to.
Later, as more and more people became interested in the Gmail service, the number of invites extended to 20, then 99 and now, anyone can sign up for the service. Regardless of the access method, one fact still remained, if you got the service, it means you requested it.
The same rings true for the rest of Google’s services and add on features. Getting Google Labs features required users to manually sign up for it. Google Wave on the other hand was another invite only service.
Now, it looks like Google has decided to deprive Gmail users with the gift of choice in terms of the new social networking tool, the Google Buzz.
Last week, Gmail users suddenly found themselves with a new splash page alerting them that Google Buzz has been activated. While there is a quick link that allows you to opt out of the service (and you can disable Buzz even if you clicked OK), the default settings on the Buzz are downright scandalous. Gone are the old setup pages before activating a service.
For the full details on the default setting of Google Buzz and why it is dangerous, go to the Guardian UK.
If there are things that are beating Google in terms of taking away our time online, it would be social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter –correction, it is specifically Facebook and Twitter that people spend the most time on online.
Google, in an effort to retake the lost internet usage time, launched its own social networking site, the Google Buzz.
The Buzz is a social networking tool connected to the Gmail web service. It works pretty much like Facebook updates in the way that it supports links, videos, images and other media. Like Twitter, you can set your account to follow specific friends and you can also control who can follow you.
Right now, public reception of the Buzz is bordering on lack of interest to dislike. People are already too happy with the Facebook and Twitter combination that using any other social networking site becomes a nuisance –even it is Google behind it. Facebook, aside from its own intrinsic traits, also had great timing. At a time when everyone was already tired with the old MySpace site, Facebook came in to provide a more enjoyable alternative. Twitter on the other hand had monopoly over the mainstream micro blogging market.
To begin with, some can even say that the Google Buzz had no fighting chance to begin with.
Yahoo! has claimed that it already has had a Buzz application of its own and it has been around for over a year. If we take that business model into consideration, Google should have already known that the Buzz would never have taken off. In the end, we now have another Google service that just might end up as the Wave –great potential, but too bothersome to use in the first place.
Considering that it was their first time opening an online store and selling a mobile device, you would think that Google would have the mind to provide customers with a hotline to call in case of problems.
Instead, Google provided its clients with a 48 hour, email only response line that made little to no sense to people who are dumbstruck as to what is going on with the Nexus One. The biggest initial concern of course, is the device’s problem with connecting to 3G networks. The Nexus One has other bugs too, and some people have had shipping problems. But while these things can be easily settled and anxieties can be relieved by a quick assuring call to Google, the lack of a hotline certainly did nothing but frustrate people even further.
Now, it looks like Google has finally listened to the demands and have opened up a customer support hotline for Nexus One buyers. Google is still firm that their original email-only system has allowed to address a majority of customer concerns.
In any case, this fix may be a little too late for Google. Focus is now shifting to two other Android devices expected to launch this coming March. First up is the HTC Bravo which is made by the same manufacturer of the Nexus One. The device will be similar to the Nexus in terms of specs but will have 720p HD video recording. The other Android phone will be the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 which will also have a Snapdragon processor. Both devices are expected to provide Android fans with a better alternative to the Nexus One (which is only available online, through Google’s online store).
Get to read more about Google’s Nexus One and the opening of the customer support hotline at Know Your Mobile.
The new Google Buzz is a simple add on feature to Gmail, the company’s email service.
Looks like Google is setting up the buzz to compete with major social networking site Facebook and with the famous micro blogging tool, Twitter. Considering that people spend most of their time online using either Facebook or Twitter, the time spent online by users has been leaning more towards social networking rather than the services offered by the search engine. Google’s Buzz is hoping to move the numbers back into Google’s favour.
Of course, a large chunk of traffic to online sites are now coming from mobile phone users accessing 3G or EDGE networks to update profiles, upload photos and Tweet new messages to friend and contacts.
To compete with this, Google has created a Gmail Buzz application for mobile phones that will allow users to easily send updates and messages using a mobile phone. The service is also going to heavily integrate Google’s other services such as YouTube, Picasa, Flickr and more.
Another interesting feature of the mobile Buzz is that it will sync with your phone’s GPS and give you geo-specific updates from nearby Buzz users as well as special Buzz sites for 50 million locations all over the world.
As stated above, Buzz will be incorporating YouTube, Picasa and more. The integration works both ways; when you are in YouTube you can Buzz the videos you are watching into your account. Google also says that Buzz will allow users to have total control over privacy, information and displayed content to contacts.
Aside from social networking, the Buzz will be modified and used for businesses and schools –Google has already been testing the system internally.
For more information and details about Google’s new Buzz application for Gmail, go to Times Online UK.
While Google has been enjoying success in the world of mobile phones for some time now with their Android operating system, the Nexus One marks the first attempt by the company to have a fully Google-branded phone. Unlike competing computing company Apple, Google has not actually manufactured the device itself, but instead has used a handset exclusively designed for them by Chinese company HTC.
Google Nexus One Measurements and Physical dimensions
The Nexus One is a very slender phone and measures at just 119 x 59.8 x 11.5mm. This makes the Nexus One an ideally sized device that fits nicely in the hand despite its spacious screen. At 130g the Nexus One is a pretty average weight when it comes to touchscreen phones, and is neither too heavy nor too light but the ideal cross between portability and presence.
Google Nexus One Appearance and Screen quality
The Nexus One at first glance comes across as fairly unimposing and even uninspiring with no real noticeable design features. The handset has a very HTC feel to it, although once it is turned on you begin to fully appreciate its status as the first Google phone.
Despite being a very slender handset the Nexus One comes with a very roomy 3.7″ AMOLED display. The screen uses a very highly detailed WVGA (800×480) resolution that offers superb picture quality. Touch sensitivity is provided by the screen through capacitive screen technology that provides a typical response rate of about 1ms. While there had been some contention upon the Nexus One’s initial release that it had failed to include multitouch support this functionality has now been included through a firmware update.
In addition to the touchscreen you can also control the Nexus One through the trackball that is found just beneath the screen. An accelerometer is included and can be used for turning the display between portrait and landscape and the Nexus One also comes with a proximity sensor to allow for auto-turnoff.
Google Nexus One Media & entertainment
Google Goggles
The Nexus One comes with excellent support for music and video with the included Android media player. Through the Android Marketplace you can download many alternative media players. The Nexus One supports a host of music formats from mp3 to aac, as well as video files such as mp4 and wmv.
There is 512MB of internal space for you to store your music and videos which can be increased to an impressive 32GB with microSD cards (4GB is included with the phone). Alternatively, you can listen to music through the FM radio with RDS, or watch video content online through services such as YouTube (which is one of the many Google services that are expertly integrated into the phone’s interface).
There are many apps included with the Nexus One and thousands more available for free through Android Marketplace. There are pre-installed apps for Facebook and Picasa where you can update your status or upload photos or videos captured on the Nexus One’s camera.
The camera itself is a high quality 5 megapixel snapper with excellent features such as Smile Detection and Geo-tagging. An LED flash is included so you can still snap away in the dark and the Nexus One can capture D1 video (720×480) at 20fps. An excellent feature to be included is Google Goggles. This allows you to take a photo of something, like a building or barcode, and it will search through Google’s database to try and return information about it.
Google Nexus One OS and Connectivity
Being a Google phone it is fairly obvious what operating system was chosen for the Nexus One. However, the Nexus One uses the latest version of Android (2.1) that comes with many significant improvements over earlier versions including a visually enhanced interface and, with the latest update, multitouch support. The interface now includes 3D homescreens such as the water homescreen that will display a water ripple effect whenever you press your finger on the screen.
The Nexus One comes with a high degree of connectivity available to it meaning that you should rarely find yourself in a situation where you are completely cut off from the world. The phone is principally a quad-band GSM phone with support for 3G being provided by HSPA. There is also support for GPRS, EDGE, microUSB, Bluetooth with A2DP and Wi-Fi.
Google Nexus One Email and Messaging capabilities
The Nexus One is a fantastic phone for staying connected online, offering a great web browsing experience, excellent email support and many integrated apps for online services such as Facebook and YouTube. The Nexus One supports threaded viewing for SMS messages, where messages are displayed in relation to your contacts rather than being jumbled together into an inbox folder. There is also support for MMS and instant messaging clients such as Google Talk.
The Nexus One has excellent support for email, with the inclusion of push email meaning that you will always be notified of when you receive a new email as they will be delivered straight to the phone. As an Android device released by Google, the Nexus One comes with particularly good support for Gmail, although there is equally good support for other email services.
Google Nexus One Battery life
The Nexus One comes with a very powerful 1400 mAh battery that provides up to 10 hours of talk time or 6 hours of solid internet use. The battery can last for almost 300 hours while on standby and can be charged either through a mains adaptor or via USB.
Google Nexus One summary
The first handset released by Google has seen a number of hiccups including the lack of multitouch support and problems with the 3G connection, which have both now been rectified. The Nexus One is by far and away one of the best Android phones released onto the market so far – no doubt due to Google’s commitment to integrating all of the best services they have to offer. The new version of Android that has made its debut on the Nexus One offers serious advantages over previous versions, both in terms of design and functionality. For anyone looking to purchase an Android phone in the near future then the Nexus One should certainly be at the top of the list for consideration. Take a look at what Google Nexus One Deals or read more Google Nexus One Reviews for more information.
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It looks like Vodafone will be the first UK based mobile network operator to start offering the Google phone to its customers This is pretty good news, but for those hoping to scoot over to the nearest Vodafone office and reserve a device, this next part is a downer; according to reports, the only way to get the device is strictly through Google’s online store.
The long-awaited Google Earth app has arrived and is available in the Android Market from today onwards. First unveiled during the launch of the 
Did 
A brand new app from 
Considering that it was their first time opening an online store and selling a mobile device, you would think that 
The new Google Buzz is a simple add on feature to Gmail, the company’s email service.
Google Nexus One Introduction
Google Nexus One Appearance and Screen quality
Being a Google phone it is fairly obvious what operating system was chosen for the Nexus One. However, the Nexus One uses the latest version of Android (2.1) that comes with many significant improvements over earlier versions including a visually enhanced interface and, with the latest update, multitouch support. The interface now includes 3D homescreens such as the water homescreen that will display a water ripple effect whenever you press your finger on the screen.
The Nexus One is a fantastic phone for staying connected online, offering a great web browsing experience, excellent email support and many integrated apps for online services such as Facebook and YouTube. The Nexus One supports threaded viewing for SMS messages, where messages are displayed in relation to your contacts rather than being jumbled together into an inbox folder. There is also support for MMS and instant messaging clients such as Google Talk.