droidStory

I’m not really surprised about this, other than that it took that long.

Nathan Nabors, a Florida resident, has filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Google was in breach of contract by not resolving the Nexus One 3G connectivity problems that some users were experiencing, in addition to the inadequate support Google was providing during the time the company was selling the phone.

I’ve experienced first-hand the 3G problems and posted numerous blog posts and YouTube videos that illustrate the issue. I’ve also felt strongly that the problem was caused by the phone’s hardware, specifically a flaw in the antenna design, combined with T-Mobile’s sub-optimal 3G coverage and signal strength.

Still, Google sold the phone directly to consumers and was not prepared to deal with the support burden. Perhaps that is the reason why Google is the only defendant named in the lawsuit.

I’m now happily using a DroidX on Verizon and the Nexus One / T-Mobile 3G frustration is only distant memory.

As previously posted, Google is discontinuing the Nexus One. Well, it only took a couple of days before the remaining stock was depleted. Incidentally, I just sold my N1 on eBay, since I have now moved on to the Motorola DroidX. The Nexus One was/is a great phone and surely helped pave the way for the rapid growth of Android.

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:

The numbers are in. Analytics firm Flurry is comparing sales figures for the most popular smartphones in the first 74 days on the market. Flurry estimates sales based on downloaded applications featuring its embedded analytics technology.

According to the report, Google sold only about 135,000 Nexus One phones in the first 74 days, compared to roughly 1.05 million Motorola Droid’s sold during the same time frame. For comparison, Apple sold about 1 million units of  the original iPhone.

Overall the results are an impressive statement for Android and resonate with the recent ComScore report showing Android’s market share growing to 7.1% in the US.

So why is the Nexus One struggling?

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You can now get a Nexus One from the Google phone store that is compatible with AT&T’s 3G frequency bands.

To clarify: Even though T-Mobile and AT&T are both using the GSM standard for their mobile networks the radio frequencies for their 3G data networks are different.  For the consumer, that means you’ll need to buy a carrier specific phone in order to get 3G access .

A Verizon CDMA version should become available within days. I think this is the first time that the same phone (name, packaging) will be available on three different every major US mobile network. This should make things really interesting on eBay as people buying used Nexus One’s will have to make extra certain they are getting the one that works with their chosen mobile provider.

Update: Sprint just announced that they will also be getting the Nexus One.

I figured this now warrants an extra post after there’s been much discussion on the Google support forum. It is absurd that Google keeps trying to put the blame on T-Mobile. The video below clearly shows that 3G network connectivity is fine until you firmly hold your phone in your hand.

Here’s an excerpt from my recent forum post.

I’ve been saying all along that this is a RF issue. I noticed this right away when I got my phone and even posted this video on Jan 9 to show how the N1 drops 3G as soon as you hold it in your hand.

The problem occurs only when you are in an area with a weak 3G signal, anything less than -80dBm. (Higher negative numbers mean weaker signal.)

Basically, if you have -90dBM or less signal strength with the phone sitting on your desk, holding it in your hand will push it down to -100dBm or less. At that point all bets are off. Before the update it would switch to Edge around -100dBm, now it seems to hold on until about -105dBm.

The “dBm” (dB-milliwatt) is a logarithmic measurement of signal strength, and dBm values can be easily converted to and from mW values. So a decrease of roughly 3dBm yields a change of roughly HALF in the mW value.

1mW = 0dBm
-96dBm = 0.0000000002511mW

In essence, the difference between a -80dBm signal and a -100dBm signal is HUGE. Check it out yourself here.

So here is my big question: Why is the N1 getting such a weak signal in solid 3G territory, and why does the signal degrade that much more when holding the phone in your hand?

IMHO the recent update just tweaked the switching thresholds, while the actual problem may be rooted deeper in the RF guts of the Nexus One.