Nexus One: iPhone Killer?
NEIRAD enilno edition
Google is making waves in the cellular phone industry with the much-anticipated release of the Nexus One – the first phone ever cell phone to be sold directly to consumers through an Internet company.
Google, along with many other phone companies, has been chasing after Apple in the race to create the newest, most high-tech smart phones. Apple got ahead of the curve in the summer of 2007 when it released the first installment of its mega-seller smart phone line, the original iPhone. With its full touch-screen, plethora of applications, and Internet and email capabilities, the iPhone proved a huge hit, claiming the honor of TIME magazine “Invention of the Year”.
A year later Apple returned with the iPhone 3G, which provided faster 3G data speeds, and assisted GPS. Last summer, Apple continued to refine its star product with the iPhone 3GS. By the time of the 3GS’s release, the library of “apps”, available to iPhone users for less than $1, was not only incredibly extensive, but expanding rapidly as independent programmers sought to sell their own creations to Apple for use on the iPhone.
Google responded to Apple’s success by creating a mobile operating system called “Android”, establishing itself as a major competitor in the smart phone industry this month. Google first powered the HTC Dream (AKA T-Mobile G-1) with its Android system last year, but the cutting edge smart phones to rival the iPhone have only recently joined forces with Google; the HTC Hero (AKA G-2) became a hot item last summer, and the newly released Motorola Droid has been an even hotter item.
But none of these smart phones have generated the hype of Google’s own Nexus One. The Nexus One is equipped with full 3G capabilities, a touch-screen, a noise cancellation microphone (for clearer conversations), a headset, and a 5MP camera (with LED flash). It is also thinner than the iPhone. Junior Andrew Mauboussin shared his thoughts on the Nexus One, given the features publicized. “It has a 1 GHz processor and 512 megabytes of RAM, so it’s going to be really fast. Also, it’s open source feature allows you to customize it more than other phones,” Mauboussin said. Even with his praise of some of the Nexus One’s technology, Andrew still doesn’t fully endorse it as the definitive number one smart phone. “The software is probably harder to use for the average person, so the Nexus One will probably entice people who are really good with technology. The iPhone is less complex -- it’s user-friendly interface and comparatively simple software will make it more accessible for most people,” Andrew said.
The Nexus One’s prices compare favorably with the iPhone, but not with the droid, though they are all in the same price range; when bought with phone company contracts (AT&T for the iPhone, Verizon for the Droid, and T-Mobile for the Nexus One) the iPhone costs $199, the Droid $149, and the Nexus One $179. Without a contract, it costs an alarming $529.
However, unlike the iPhone and Droid, the Nexus One will soon come with a contract to Verizon as well, providing more choice in phone company when buying it (and despite the price it does give the user the option of having it unlocked from a specific company).
Still, despite the hype, DHS students are not convinced that the Nexus One will revolutionize the smart phone industry or “kill” the iPhone. “It’s just the latest in a group of new smart phones. The iPhone didn’t completely monopolize the smart phone industry, and no smart phone since has dominated. It’s really not that big of a deal,” junior Rahul Datta said.
Also, the Nexus One simply cannot compete with the iPhone in terms of apps, which have proven a huge factor in phone choice for teens. “The iPhone has so many more apps, and I don’t think the new Google phone offers anything the iPhone doesn’t that makes up for this,” junior Reid Evanich said.
The Nexus One is unique in that a consumer cannot purchase it at retail outlets. Interested buyers can only purchase the Google Nexus online through Google itself. This phone might be the one that finally challenges the iPhone’s supremacy.
