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The new “Superphones” can be overwhelming. In a shrewd move to prevent customer dissatisfaction and to reduce the call load of their customer care centers, Big Red is offering free classroom-style training for Verizon Wireless customers on the new Motorola DROID, Palm Pre Plus and other Smartphones.  Even if you don’t currently own a smartphone, you are welcome to attend a class to learn more about the capabilities and differences of the phones offered by Verizon.

Check with your local Verizon Wireless store for schedules.

Attendees can learn about a variety of topics, including how to:

• Text message
• Set up speed-dial
• Synch with an address book
• Send e-mail
• Browse the Internet
• Use the camera
• Use Bluetooth and other accessories
• Change the ringtone

Registration is not required. Customers who do not yet have an advanced device but would like to learn more about these devices are also welcome to attend.

Customers who are unable to attend an in-store event can attend an Internet-based instructional class to learn about their new device at www.verizonwireless.com/learning.

A number of Android developers have complaint about the ‘flaky’ multi-touch behavior of the Nexus One touch screen, which differs from the touch screen calibration issues reported on the Google support forums.

I didn’t notice either problem, so far. Even the new pinch-to-zoom feature works flawlessly on my N1.  Then earlier this week the following video surfaced that  shows how to reproduce the problem with an app called Multitouch Visible Test, created by Robert Green of Battery Powered Games.

I downloaded the app from the Android market, and sure enough I was able to reproduce what is shown in the video. It seems that the Nexus One touch screen gets confused when your fingers get too close together on an axis using multi-touch. That’s not something you’d notice when zooming in and out on maps or pictures, but with games this could be an issue.

Is this a hardware or software bug? As it turns out, it’s neither – it’s a limitation of the touch screen hardware used in the Nexus One. The same problem was already reported with the “original” Google phone the G1. The touch screen used in both phones only supports two-finger touch gestures (e.g. pinch, pivot, rotate), so it’s really a side effect of dual-touch vs. multi-touch.

There may be a way to overcome this hardware limitation with an improved software algorithm that better tracks all touch movement, but for now this is a non-issue for my everyday use of the N1.

And all you Droid owners, it’s your time to brag – as this is not a problem on the Motorola Droid.

See bottom of post for latest video. The Nexus One 3G saga continues. Kevin has a great post over at his jkontherun blog.

So over the span of the last three days, I’ve been testing my handset using the SpeedTest application from Xtreme Labs — available for free in the Android Market — and also watching the data indicator on the phone. Aside from testing in Philadelphia, I’ve also tested in various San Francisco neighborhoods and in Phoenix. Every single testing location used was squarely in a solid T-Mobile 3G coverage area — no fringe areas, for example.

And in every location, I saw either miserable 3G speeds, signals bouncing between 3G and EDGE, or — even worse –both.

He also setup this poll to track how many people still experience this problem, and whether the OTA Update provided a fix for some.

I can’t wait for Verizon to release the Nexus One or any of the other new HTC and Motorola Android phones that are in the pipeline. Having been on Verizon for so many years I started to take their excellent network coverage for granted.

Update: I created this short video clip to better illustrate how the OTA Update has not fixed the 3G problem, and how this problem can be easily reproduced. Just cover the  bottom / backside of the phone – you know the way you might hold your phone when answering a call – and a perfectly fine 3G signal disappears.

CNET compares the Nexus One with the iPhone 3GS. Guess who is winning?!

The Google online store for the Nexus One went live during the Google press event, today.  The phone is sold and shipped by Google and you need to create a Google checkout account to buy one. At this time, only the unlocked version for $529+tax is available.

Update: The T-Mobile subsidized version is now also available for $179 with a 2 year $79/month contract.

Update1: The Nexus One for Verizon will not be a [dual mode CDMA/] GSM device, so it will not be compatible with T-Mobile, AT&T, or other GSM networks (e.g. Europe or pretty much the rest of the world).

New Droid software was sent overnight to my Motorola Droid.  I do not know all the features that have been added, but the phone answer screen has changed.  (Note the arrows pointing up and down rather than left to right on the answer buttons.  You still swipe horizontally, however.)

I discovered the change because I found my Droid turned off with the battery deleted, even though it was connected to power.  I had to reboot.  Then, a call came in with the new screen.

Build number:  ESD56

Kernel:  2.6.29