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I've had my Nexus One for four days now. The hardware itself is outstanding. The screen is gorgeous, I like the haptic feedback, and there are lots of nice tou

I've had my Nexus One for four days now. The hardware itself is outstanding. The screen is gorgeous, I like the haptic feedback, and there are lots of nice touches like the trackball that lights up. The software has a few great points too. The voice recognition is incredible. I like having the choice to run background apps. This is also my first Android phone. After hearing early complaints about the OS, I thought I'd put it off until it's fully baked. The fact 2.1 was touted as a great OS update gave me the feeling it's time to try it out. Well, I can say there are a lot of annoyances that are piling up. Scrolling, especially flick scrolling, is inferior to iPhone 1.0. It's jerky and fickle. The onscreen keyboard feel less accurate. I don't mean the predictive typing, I mean the prediction of what keys I'm trying to hit. Navigating text fields is bad. When the voice recognition gets one word wrong, it's a pain to go back and fix it. No multitouch. This is a pain in maps or zooming in on a web page. I know there are patent concerns, but as an end user, I don't care. In general, I feel like the OS is half done. Someone cranked out a feature and performed zero refinement. I have to load a submenu to stop loading a web page? I would sacrifice wizz-bang features like voice recognition to fix all these little annoyances. I'm going to give the phone a few more days. If I still haven't adjusted, I'm selling it.

cwisecarver 17y ago
I've had mine for four days too. As far as navigating text, a friendly Blackberry user pointed out to me that I should use the goofy trackball for navigating textfields. Works better than repeatedly trying to click in the right spot. I came from a iPhone 3g. The spit and polish just isn't there on Android like it is on the iPhone OS. I'd rather have a little less spit and polish in exchange for a little less parental intervention. I want my Google Voice and don't want to wonder if Steve Jobs will decide to allow my phone to have the "next big thing."
crux_ 17y ago
Specific response: > I have to load a submenu to stop loading a web page? The icon up by the location bar doesn't turn into an "X" for you while a page is loading? (When the page is fully loaded, it's the bookmark icon; when the location has focus, it's a search icon. This is on the Droid, though.) In general: your points might be right, but it's also tough to tell how many of them come from being used to the iPhone, vs what your experience would be like coming from a blank slate. I'm certain some of that comes from falling short of Apple's high usability standards, but I'm also certain some of it may just be that you've gotten used to The One Way To Do Things. ;) I've never used the iPhone but in the few weeks I've had a Droid, I've been annoyed very rarely and impressed more often.
- sandofsky 17y ago
  I just tested. I loaded a web page I'd bookmarked on my home screen. The top part of the screen shows the loading bar. The bookmark button is still a bookmark. When I click a link, it doesn't change into a stop button until the actual page has started loading. But it looks like loading the bottom menu shows me stop consistently. The "you're just not used to it" argument constantly rears its head when people criticize usability. That's why I was careful in pointing out the deficiencies. I can understand that the keyboard takes adjustment. Notice I didn't criticize the android "word menu" auto-complete. The poor scrolling is a technical failure. Nobody wants jerky scrolling. And the lack of pinch-and-zoom has repeatedly been covered as a patent issue, not a UI choice. "You're just not used to it" is extremely dangerous reasoning.
  - crux_ 17y ago
    > "You're just not used to it" is extremely dangerous reasoning. I wasn't quite trying to say exactly that, at least not in a blanket manner. But, let's take scrolling as an example: I haven't noticed that the android scrolling is jerky, not even a little bit. This is probably because I've never used something as silky as the iPhone. ((Or, perhaps, if I did try an iPhone, I would find its scrolling too smooth with no satisfying 'thump to a stop' at the end of a scroll or 'jump into motion' at the beginning.)) In other words, it's not "You're just not used to it" -- it's "without the other point of reference, would you even notice it?"
    - sandofsky 17y ago
      Your line of reasoning flawed, in that it can be applied to anyplace where one option surpasses the other. Without a car as a point of reference, would you notice a horse and buggy are so bad? Yes, I would live with the scrolling on the Android, because I'd say to myself, "That's pretty good for a mobile phone." However iPhone 1.0's scrolling was vastly superior to today's Android. That's over two years ago. I think it's safe to declare iPhone 1.0 as the bar. And, again, I'm not criticizing the thump-to-a-stop behavior. I'm criticizing the frame rate and responsiveness.
dejb 17y ago
I think this article may be relevant to the discussion. 'The Switch From iPhone To Android, And Why Your First Impression Is Wrong' http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/09/android-iphone-switch/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/09/android-iphone-switch/
- houseabsolute 17y ago
  I have had my N1 since Google gave them out to employees. I also spent several months with Android last year. My second and third impressions were the same as the first -- that it's quite poor compared to the iPhone, and that its only redeeming feature is that it has a few applications that the iPhone does not. Are those impressions also wrong?
  - dejb 17y ago
    > Are those impressions also wrong? Individually no. Your experience provides a sample of one case against the their proposition (at least for periods up to a few months). Whether this can be reliably generalised to others is still in question. To do fair test you would need also do a good sample of people trying to move from (up to years usage of) the N1 to the iPhone. You could see how they are doing after a few days, weeks, months... It seems that for a some people, their first use of the iPhone was a life changing experience and it is possible that they have been so marked by it that they will always prefer that interface. Also different interfaces are probably a better fit for the way different people's brains work (Edit : From my experiences the strongest iPhone fans seem to have a more personal/intuitive approach to things rather than being focussed on statistics or logic. Exactly the group who would be least impressed with the arguments I'm making). With so many matters of personal taste/preference/experience involved I'm not sure if anyone's proclamation of 'the best interface' has more value than the 'best food' or 'best movie'.
    - houseabsolute 17y ago
      > With so many matters of personal taste/preference/experience involved I'm not sure if anyone's proclamation of 'the best interface' has more value than the 'best food' or 'best movie'. http://www.paulgraham.com/taste.html http://www.paulgraham.com/taste.html
smokinjuan 17y ago
I'd like to see someone who has a real crap phone review one of these smart phones. I have an old Nokia 6101 and believe most of the reviewers to be spoiled (no offence intended). Reviews are always in comparison to an iPhone or a crackberry. If I haven't used one of those, will these minor annoyances mean anything to me? My 6101 does what it's supposed to do and I think it does well, especially in my fringe area. On that note, why are radio specs never included? I've had 2 other phones and had to go back to the old Nokia because reception sucked.
- cakesy 17y ago
  I think one of the big differences in such a review is that learning to use Android will be even harder, whereas the iPhone is incredibly easy to use, by design. Apple did a great job. I am guessing google has not had as much time/is aiming for the tech crowd at this stage/or it is really really hard to get right.
- samuraicatpizza 17y ago
  I just got a Droid after having the same old Motorola phone for several years. The Droid has pretty much knocked my socks off. Contrast my old phone, that could make calls, text message, and take awful pictures, with the Droid which can be used as a phone, an email client, a web browser, an OS for a ton of applications, and even a metal detector (haven't tried that app yet). The one thing I would say that I do miss is a real keypad. I used to be able to punch numbers by feel alone, so if I had to make a call from the car I could just key several numbers of the speed dial without looking (and yes, I do use a headset).
  - smokinjuan 17y ago
    Thanks. Listening to the other reviews makes me nervous about buying anything new. I wonder if those reviews actually provide a service to most consumers or are more suitable for the suggestions box of the manufacturer.

cwisecarver 17y ago

I've had mine for four days too. As far as navigating text, a friendly Blackberry user pointed out to me that I should use the goofy trackball for navigating textfields. Works better than repeatedly trying to click in the right spot. I came from a iPhone 3g. The spit and polish just isn't there on Android like it is on the iPhone OS. I'd rather have a little less spit and polish in exchange for a little less parental intervention. I want my Google Voice and don't want to wonder if Steve Jobs will decide to allow my phone to have the "next big thing."

crux_ 17y ago

Specific response: > I have to load a submenu to stop loading a web page? The icon up by the location bar doesn't turn into an "X" for you while a page is loading? (When the page is fully loaded, it's the bookmark icon; when the location has focus, it's a search icon. This is on the Droid, though.) In general: your points might be right, but it's also tough to tell how many of them come from being used to the iPhone, vs what your experience would be like coming from a blank slate. I'm certain some of that comes from falling short of Apple's high usability standards, but I'm also certain some of it may just be that you've gotten used to The One Way To Do Things. ;) I've never used the iPhone but in the few weeks I've had a Droid, I've been annoyed very rarely and impressed more often.

sandofsky 17y ago
I just tested. I loaded a web page I'd bookmarked on my home screen. The top part of the screen shows the loading bar. The bookmark button is still a bookmark. When I click a link, it doesn't change into a stop button until the actual page has started loading. But it looks like loading the bottom menu shows me stop consistently. The "you're just not used to it" argument constantly rears its head when people criticize usability. That's why I was careful in pointing out the deficiencies. I can understand that the keyboard takes adjustment. Notice I didn't criticize the android "word menu" auto-complete. The poor scrolling is a technical failure. Nobody wants jerky scrolling. And the lack of pinch-and-zoom has repeatedly been covered as a patent issue, not a UI choice. "You're just not used to it" is extremely dangerous reasoning.
- crux_ 17y ago
  > "You're just not used to it" is extremely dangerous reasoning. I wasn't quite trying to say exactly that, at least not in a blanket manner. But, let's take scrolling as an example: I haven't noticed that the android scrolling is jerky, not even a little bit. This is probably because I've never used something as silky as the iPhone. ((Or, perhaps, if I did try an iPhone, I would find its scrolling too smooth with no satisfying 'thump to a stop' at the end of a scroll or 'jump into motion' at the beginning.)) In other words, it's not "You're just not used to it" -- it's "without the other point of reference, would you even notice it?"
  - sandofsky 17y ago
    Your line of reasoning flawed, in that it can be applied to anyplace where one option surpasses the other. Without a car as a point of reference, would you notice a horse and buggy are so bad? Yes, I would live with the scrolling on the Android, because I'd say to myself, "That's pretty good for a mobile phone." However iPhone 1.0's scrolling was vastly superior to today's Android. That's over two years ago. I think it's safe to declare iPhone 1.0 as the bar. And, again, I'm not criticizing the thump-to-a-stop behavior. I'm criticizing the frame rate and responsiveness.

dejb 17y ago

I think this article may be relevant to the discussion. 'The Switch From iPhone To Android, And Why Your First Impression Is Wrong' http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/09/android-iphone-switch/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/09/android-iphone-switch/

houseabsolute 17y ago
I have had my N1 since Google gave them out to employees. I also spent several months with Android last year. My second and third impressions were the same as the first -- that it's quite poor compared to the iPhone, and that its only redeeming feature is that it has a few applications that the iPhone does not. Are those impressions also wrong?
- dejb 17y ago
  > Are those impressions also wrong? Individually no. Your experience provides a sample of one case against the their proposition (at least for periods up to a few months). Whether this can be reliably generalised to others is still in question. To do fair test you would need also do a good sample of people trying to move from (up to years usage of) the N1 to the iPhone. You could see how they are doing after a few days, weeks, months... It seems that for a some people, their first use of the iPhone was a life changing experience and it is possible that they have been so marked by it that they will always prefer that interface. Also different interfaces are probably a better fit for the way different people's brains work (Edit : From my experiences the strongest iPhone fans seem to have a more personal/intuitive approach to things rather than being focussed on statistics or logic. Exactly the group who would be least impressed with the arguments I'm making). With so many matters of personal taste/preference/experience involved I'm not sure if anyone's proclamation of 'the best interface' has more value than the 'best food' or 'best movie'.
  - houseabsolute 17y ago
    > With so many matters of personal taste/preference/experience involved I'm not sure if anyone's proclamation of 'the best interface' has more value than the 'best food' or 'best movie'. http://www.paulgraham.com/taste.html http://www.paulgraham.com/taste.html

smokinjuan 17y ago

I'd like to see someone who has a real crap phone review one of these smart phones. I have an old Nokia 6101 and believe most of the reviewers to be spoiled (no offence intended). Reviews are always in comparison to an iPhone or a crackberry. If I haven't used one of those, will these minor annoyances mean anything to me? My 6101 does what it's supposed to do and I think it does well, especially in my fringe area. On that note, why are radio specs never included? I've had 2 other phones and had to go back to the old Nokia because reception sucked.

cakesy 17y ago
I think one of the big differences in such a review is that learning to use Android will be even harder, whereas the iPhone is incredibly easy to use, by design. Apple did a great job. I am guessing google has not had as much time/is aiming for the tech crowd at this stage/or it is really really hard to get right.
samuraicatpizza 17y ago
I just got a Droid after having the same old Motorola phone for several years. The Droid has pretty much knocked my socks off. Contrast my old phone, that could make calls, text message, and take awful pictures, with the Droid which can be used as a phone, an email client, a web browser, an OS for a ton of applications, and even a metal detector (haven't tried that app yet). The one thing I would say that I do miss is a real keypad. I used to be able to punch numbers by feel alone, so if I had to make a call from the car I could just key several numbers of the speed dial without looking (and yes, I do use a headset).
- smokinjuan 17y ago
  Thanks. Listening to the other reviews makes me nervous about buying anything new. I wonder if those reviews actually provide a service to most consumers or are more suitable for the suggestions box of the manufacturer.