droidStory

These unboxing videos are getting better and better. Kudos to the guys at TechRestore.

This blog and many others have covered the prevailing 3G problems with the Nexus One. Just to recap, the Nexus One is having trouble holding onto a 3G signal reliably, unless the signal is really strong (>-70dBm). The problem is exacerbated by holding the phone, well – like a regular cell phone, with the back resting in the palm of your hand while surfing the web or making a call.

There have been endless threads on the Google support forums, numerous YouTube videos, and even the big gadget blogs picked up on the issue. Personally, I always attributed the problem to poor hardware design that is un-fixable without a redesign and recall of the existing handsets. Others put much hope into a software update. The first OTA update however didn’t do much good other than moving the signal threshold to delay the 3G – Edge flip-flopping.

In recent days the rumor mill on the web spun-up again with news about another imminent update. After months of deafening silence from Google on this issue, finally “Ry Guy” from Google chimes in to crush any speculation. According to Google this is a non-issue:

No wonder Apple is getting more aggressive in trying to protect its turf. The latest quarterly report provided by digital metrics company ComScore shows a sizable increase in Android’s mobile market share. While the Google Mobile OS still dwarfs compared to RIM and Apple in overall market share, its momentum is impressive. This trend is unlikely to slow down anytime soon, given the incredible number of new Android handsets being released this Spring.

Android increased 4.3% to capture 7.1% of the market, while RIM had a small growth spurt of 1.7% from the previous quarter, but enough to maintain its sizable lead over Apple, which came in flat at 25.1%.

At this point anybody’s gain is coming clearly at the expense of WinMo and Palm.

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.