Google Nexus One (The Real Scoop) Review - A Resource Site for Nexus One and the Android 2.1 Operating System
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USER GUIDE FOR THE GOOGLE NEXUS ONE
We are in the process of creating a Frequently Asked Questions Tab and Page on our web-site, but in the mean time please visit this site for more information on FAQ's on the Nexus One.

5/19/2010 - Went to install the Nexus One Digitizer / Touchscreen that I purchased from OESCA Flexqueen.com which I received on 5/3/2010 and noticed there is a hairline crack at the top of the screen.  Furthermore, the screen / digitizer does not work electronically with the Nexus One when installed.  I contacted Flexqueen.com and spoke with a person of middle eastern descent (would not give me his name) who was extremely rude and refused to refund the money I spent on the digitizer.  DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH FLEXQUEEN.COM / OESCA.  THEY SHIP DAMAGED PRODUCTS AND PARTS THAT DO NOT WORK ELECTRONICALLY AND WILL NOT ISSUE REFUNDS.  I GUESS ITS NOT WORTH $54.98 TO MAINTAIN A GOOD CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP.

Back to the situation at hand.  Disassembling the Nexus One is easy enough, knowing where to pry and release lock tabs is yet another process of experimentation.  The problem with replacing the screen / digitizer is the fact that you have to completely disassemble the entire phone COMPLETELY in order to get to that step.  If you only need to replace the LCD, it's one step short of the digitizer.

Follow this video and these instructions: Disassembling the Nexus One

1. Step one remove the battery cover and the battery.  Remove the three screws securing the battery tray.  Then release the lock tabs and remove the battery tray.
2. Remove the coaxial connector for the antenna.  Remove the connector adjacent to the coaxial.
3. Next, move to the bottom of the Nexus One and slide off the lower cover, which takes a little managing with some brute force (not really, but it is rather difficult to release.  I found that by applying significant push and squeeze pressure downward will release the cover.  Then you have an intermediate cover with two screws that need removed and the next cover comes off.
5.  Remove the circuit and logic boards with the black flex tape circuit bus.
6.  Remove the LCD.
7.  Remove the Screen / Digitizer by using an exactoknife, it's glued down with a moderate strength cement. 

Careful when removing all the components not to damage any connectors or flex busses, you'll never know you've damaged it until after you put the phone back together only.  What I found is that the new LCD works great and the phone is functional from the standpoint of operation of the cell and all the perphials, however my new digitizer is cracked and doesn't appear to function.  Touching the screen has no effect.  In other words, it doesn't work.

The new LCD I purchased on EBAY however, did work properly.  Problem now is I don't have any control of the device because touch screen is the only way to navigate around the device.  The video at "Disassembling the Nexus One" works like a charm, everything is exactly as documented on the video.

Looks like I'm off to "The Cell Phone Doctor" in Dallas to get the known good replacement screen / digitizer for my old Nexus One.

5/3/2010 - I have the screen digitizer in hand for the Nexus One, but am still waiting on the LCD from China.  Could be up to 2 weeks.  In the mean time I've purchased another N1 on Craigslist from a local guy.  This one came with the screen protector and a 16GB mini-SD card.  Paid $510 for the package.  Problem is, now I have to get the parts in for my broken screen and get it repaired (I'll do the replacement to save $100 in labor) and then try and re-sell it for whatever I can on Craig's List.

4/27/2010 - Google fails to connect with Verizon's 90 million customers.  Unfortunately this might not work in the favor of those looking for additional aggressive updates to the Nexus One.  Google is not disclosing the reasons behind the breakdown in an agreement with Verizon, but it does present concern for those wishing to see major expansion of the new Smart Phone.

4/27/2010 - After checking with a couple of vendors to repair the cracked screen and LCD, I received 2 quotes: One for $250 to replace both parts and the other from The Cell Phone Dr. in Texas for $279.  There are a couple of good videos that demonstrate the disassembly of the Nexus One so I'm planning to make the repairs myself.  I've ordered the screen digitizer from OCESA / FlexQueen.com and the LCD from EBAY user "easyworldwidetrader".  The parts were $44 and $127 respectively which brings the grand total for parts to $171.  Essentially, labor for the repairs if done by a vendor runs about $80 to $100.  After viewing the video on the disassembly, it appears this repair will take about 30 minutes.  That equates to around $200 / hr labor charges.  I'm unwilling to pay a cell phone tech that amount of money so I'll accomplish the repairs myself.

4/25/2010 - Cracked Screen and LCD: This is a real bummer.  Today I dropped my Nexus One getting out of the golf cart and it hit the concrete curb.  The screen is completely shattered which means I have a couple of options. 

Option 1. Is to purchase the HTC Nexus One Digitizer Touch Screen online for $44.95 and the replacement HTC Google Nexus One LCD Screen Display for $134.95 from an Ebay vendor in Hong Kong.  I've found three suppliers for the LCD, and they are all about the same price.  There is a good link that shows the teardown for the Google Nexus One: Disassembling the Nexus One  Option 1 costs me $179.90 if I order the parts and do the repair myself.

Option 2. Is to take the Nexus One to the Dr. Cell Phone in Dallas (which happens to be open on Sunday) and have them repair it.  It appears the cost will be approximately $249.00.

Using Dr. Cell Phone will cost me an additional $70 bucks for the convenience and the peace of mind to know they will back their work.

I'll post later after I've decided which way to go.

4/18/2010 - Call Record Option: It appears that Google has disabled the "call recording" feature on the Nexus One Android 2.1 operating system.  This is an assumption, but when I first purchased my Nexus One in January of 2010, I was able to record calls (I still have a recording I made).  In the background was a intermittent short tone that was audibly noticeable every few seconds.  After I received the update in late or early February (when Google enabled the pinch to zoom feature), the feature to record calls was no longer available.  My assumption is that since call recording is still illegal in some states (unless you notify the other party they are being recorded), they surmised the legal liability might not be worth the risk.

Any feedback on this topic would be welcomed.

4/3/2010 - SkyDroid - Golf GPS.  Yesterday I used an application called SkyDroid at Mansfield National Golf Club in Mansfield Texas.  SkyDroid is a Golf GPS application that works primarily like any of the "off the shelf" GPS devices bought in golf shops.

SkyDroid Golf makes the game easy! Features - Clean and clear interface - GPS Distance to every green - Distances water hazards, bunkers, etc. - Satellite map view of every course and hole!! - Find distance to ANY point on the map!! - Shot Tracking! - Download unlimited courses at no cost. - Map ANY course online

  What's awesome about SkyDroid is the fact that you can go to their online site and map out personally any courses you play that aren't already in the database.  Then you can download the updated list of courses to your handset.  I mapped Mansfield National Golf Club and found the following day the yardages displayed on my Google Nexus One running SkyDroid were within a couple of yards on every measurement.  A great application for golfers so you don't have to spend an extra $300 to $500 bucks on a separate device such as the Bushnell scopes or other GPS devices.  This is good for electronic consolidation, and SkyDroid continues to upgrade the application regularly.  I've asked Paul Goldstein, the application developer, to add a feature where when mapping a course online, one can use a line feature to give yardages from the tees to target points, or from fairway locations to the green right on screen. 

3/30/2010 - I got my Seidio Innocell Extended Battery 3200 mAh via UPS yesterday and fully charged it last night; the thickness of the battery is the trade off for performance.  Everything comes at a cost.  However, I will say I actually like the phone better now, but not just for the performance factor (I haven't seen that yet). It feels better in my hand, I can actually type text more effectively now.  The N1 as it ships was too thin for me.  I really feel like I'm holding something now.  I'll report back on the performance increase tomorrow and let you know how the charge holds up.    

Google Nexus One Unlocked Version 9100 (Non-ATT 3G) & 9110 (ATT 3G versions.)

Gotta say I'm a little disappointed in how Google rolled out the latest ATT version of the Nexus One.  I purchased the unlocked version (9100) in January 2010, and about 3 weeks later I saw a post that demonstrated the different model numbers.  The ATT version has the (9110) as the last four digits.

As Found on CNet

Here's the difference. 

T-Mobile 3G:  The (9100) N1 supports three 3G/UMTS bands (900/AWS/2100 MHz) and four GSM radio frequencies (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)

ATT 3G:  The (9110) N1Supports three 3G/UMTS bands (850/1900/2100 MHz) and four GSM radio frequencies (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)

Here's where I'm disappointed: if Google knew they were going to release the ATT unlocked (9110) version within three months (and they did because there are images of the (9110) version), they should have alerted customers of this on the purchase page.  Google did advise that the initial N1 wouldn't hit the ATT 3G network, however they didn't warn they would be releasing the new ATT (9110) version in less than three months.

I now have two N1's, the first of which I'm attempting to sell on Craigslist right now.

This site is set up for the new Nexus One owner or potential purchaser to learn more firsthand facts about the benefits of the Google Nexus One.   I'm still uncovering new uses for it today.  Just last night I discovered an App. that allows your Nexus One phone to be tracked and mapped on a simple web page, Facebook or InstaMap's web site.  The list of usable features that are richly practical continue to grow.  Use the information on this site to understand what I've learned over the past few weeks.  I'll continue to add new information to the site as my knowledge of this product expands.

AT&T | Google Nexus One Phone | Android Operating System 2.1

Check out the new "Google Voice Widget" Leave a message.  You can call me directly from clicking on this link.  Google Voice is using innovative new ways to drive communication advancements.

I just got my ( unlocked version ) Good Nexus One Phone last week (1/9/2010) and I love the look / feel and all around ease of use of this phone.  The operating system (Android 2.1 is lightning fast with a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor - Qualcomm developed) so that switching between apps. is a snap.

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"My personal Favorite Feature" is the ability of the Google Nexus One to accurately accept voice commands for email, texting, and search in all standard applications.  I use it frequently because I don't particularly like typing on a miniature "QWERTY" keyscreen.  Although this device's keyboard is much larger than any BlackBerry out there when turned on it's side, it's still not as simple as speaking a note into the handset and watching it actually get the message right.

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Accelerometer Advantages

HTC went a long way toward making the operational features of this smart phone handy and effective.  Example; when you are talking on the phone and you're switching back and forth between viewing your handset screen, the accelerometer signals the handset screen to light up from a black screen.  So each time you take the phone from your ear to view the screen, the screen lights up instead of having to press the top left button to turn the screen back on.  These are little things that HTC did right.

AT&T SIM Card Disadvantages

Why couldn't Google and HTC just include the correct frequency to catch all carriers for the 3G network?  This is one of the only major pitfalls that I've found of the phone.  While it doesn't prevent me from loving the phone, it's an inconvenience at most.

I have an AT&T SIM card so I don't get to enjoy the speed of 3G wireless, however I don't use it for internet access that much anyway.  My main purpose for a smart phone is the calendar and email sync.

Companion Link - Outlook Sync Substitute (Nexus One Has No Sync With Organic Software)

Worth it's coding weight in GOLD! Hands Down an awesome PC program.  Note * You won't download this app. to your Nexus One, you'll download it to your PC and link with the USB connection to your SD Card.  This eliminates the need to save contacts to your SIM card, which I never found the best solution to making contacts transportable anyway.

If you need to sync your Outlook Contacts to Gmail, I would advise using an application called Companion Link, just do a search for that phrase.  It was the only way I found to sync my Outlook Contacts to Gmail.  It works nicely without a lot of time spent on configuration and setup.  In a word, it is "excellent".  Once you link your Nexus One to your Gmail account, your contacts will then be added to your contact list in the smart phone.  Once you get your Gmail account linked to your phone, every time you edit your Gmail Contacts or Calendar, it immediately updates your Google Nexus One smart phone.

Once you've set up the link between Companion Link and your computer, and have executed the Companion Link sync the first time, you don't need it anymore because now you'll be using Gmail contacts, Calendar and all the features that come with the Google Suite.  You can either update contacts on your handset (Nexus One) or on your Gmail Contacts page, either way it will sync and your contacts are updated everywhere except Outlook.  If you do want to keep Outlook updated with the Gmail contacts, you will have to continue to use Companion link and do a manual sync between Outlook and Gmail contacts.

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The phone is awesome, the apps. are really just getting started, I think once the Android finds firm footing, there will be much in the way of new apps.

GPS Advantages (more to come here)

Click here to see an unbelievably good feature for tracking your kids to see where they are or if they are where they are supposed to be.  Uhmmm..I'm sure you can use your imagination to put this to other good uses!

GPS Tracking Software

http://bcotx.com/mapme - This will tell you where I am most any of the time.  How does it work?  It's an app. called InstaMap GPS Tracker.  It's a completely FREE service.  You download the application at Market (on you Nexus One), install and as long as the program is running in the background (which can be run in stealth mode) and your GPS device is enabled, you in business.  Next you register on the InstaMap website for a FREE account.  At that point you can use the tracker a few different ways.  You can click on the link provide on their website, cut and past a line of code to your web site, or cut in a code on FaceBook so that anybody can track your phone location (thus, yours or your kids location).

There are lot of features to this phone that come right out of the box.  An excellent GPS system that works well with the included Google Maps.  Additionally, there are several apps. in the "Market" that will enhance the GPS usability and other features.

Good Apps. You Might Try

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A few good apps. I've installed:  These can all be downloaded by opening the icon on the Nexus One desktop.

• Traditional voice mail
• Customized messages depending on Groups set up by me (I have a group for "family", "coworkers", "friends", "My Boss", etc.  and they all have tailored messages when the caller reaches my Google Voice voicemail.
• Voicemail to transcript to "email" and "sms text".  So when I get a voicemail from my Google Voice account, I don't have to log on and listen, I can just read it immediately.  Now granted, it transcribes some words incorrectly, but I typically get the message the sender was trying to convey.
• Call Screening
• Call Recording
• Do Not Disturb
• Caller ID (outgoing display my number or don't display my number)
• Caller ID (incoming - if the caller ID is blocked, caller has to state name before I choose to accept or not accept the call - works great by the way.)