Using Touch and Missing Tactile

This is the first word document I was composing with the ShapeWriter and SlideIt applications, and it felt somewhat liberating in comparison to tapping on-screen buttons. One thing that I immediately noticed was the ShapeWriter glitch that didn't allow editing of any words that have been previously entered in the document. While editing a word just applied to the current one at which the cursor resided, doing anything more resulted in immediate shut down of the Docs to Go application with an error message! What the heck?!! It appears that when I wrote a sentence with ShapeWriter that it somehow stayed written in stone.

I figured that trying the SlideIt alternative would be better for editing, and it indeed was...but it, too, came with it's own quirk. In the midst of sliding from key to key, I would hit a snag where a word's first letter  in mid-sentence would be capitalized. To make matters worse, I couldn't figure out a way to efficiently change this first letter to lower case. Out of frustration, I eventually shut down the application myself.

Switching back to the stock keyboard was the only saving grace, and it was at that time when I realized something. Now that the honeymoon period is over with Nexus One, I am finding that I do miss the hardware QWERTY much more than I thought for word document editing. The fortunate part is that I don't currently write all the time on my mobile handsets...but this could be a result of not having a comfortable hardware QWERTY anymore. Since the Touch Pro 2 and E71, I had settled for the narrow, but tactile N900 and now the capacitive Nexus One. Both models have their strengths, but they don't measure up to the Touch Pro 2 and E71 by any stretch of the imagination. Despite the superiority of their keyboards, the TP2 and E71 suffer from lackluster operating systems...Symbian more so than Windows Mobile. While going back to either of those models seems unlikely at this point, there is still a great amount of contentment I feel from the Nexus One for its everyday utility in composing messages short emails, Facebook statuses, and Twitter posts via Seesmic.

Writing on a document editor is a grand luxury, and I am at least grateful to have that privilege on this Nexus One after being denied such on the N900. Having a hardware QWERTY is yet another luxury that could be attended to in the future by a future Android device. This is why I currently have my sights set on the Samsung Galaxy S unit, for its specs are extraordinary and only further made attractive with a 32GB microSD card! The model set to be released soon has no hardware QWERTY, but rumor has it that a future version may have one at around June!!

TRENT SMITH
Sent from my Google Nexus One
TRENT SENSE blogger/netcast host
trentsense.com
YouTube.com/absolon3

Google Nexus One for keeps...for now!

I sit here with my Nexus One and am convinced of Android's usefulness to my daily smartphone usage. It has been three weeks since receiving this on March 2nd, and I still remain in awe of how much it has come to impress me. Not only do I have ESeries grade capabilities combined with a smooth, iPhone-like OS and refined portability, but there is also an additional enhancement I never expected in my wildest dreams! Google Maps on Nexus One also happens to be blessed with voice Navigation, and I am still floored at how momentous this has been for me on road trips. Having regular Google Maps would have been more than enough after having NO support on the N900, but I essentially gained a GPS module in addition to an Android device!! For years, I resisted the urge to buy a Garmin since I was getting by with Maps and MapQuest. As long as I could see that blinking blue dot on the map, I was good to go and didn't yearn for the voice of some robotic woman ushering me over the river and through the woods. Lo, Google Maps Navigation has arrived as an Android standard on the Nexus One, and I will be damned to ever let go of it!!

I first activated this function during a tour in Richmond, Virginia to find the nearest Target at Short Pump Mall. I forgot about voice-enabled turn-by-turn directions being included, so I nearly dropped my Nexus when it started talking aloud to me!  GPS signal lock occurred almost instantly,  and I was on my way to the destination with no problem.  A nice touch is when it automatically goes into Street View when the destination is reached. I have to admit that Google Navigation alone makes this Nexus One a keeper for me at this point!

I recently purchased a phone holder from a T-Mobile retail store for my car that was originally meant for the myTouch device. Being that the compartment is adjustable, I figured there should be no trouble for my Nexus One. After installing the holder to my windshield, I am amazed at my new in-car setup for the Nexus! While it is in the cradle, it is used as a speakerphone and music player in addition to a GPS navigator! Some may be turned off by the charging cord and cassette adapter coming from both ends, but I don't mind the minor wire clutter. Being able to hear incoming calls and music through my Honda speakers while ensuring ample power is well worth it!

TRENT SMITH
Sent from my Google Nexus One
TRENT SENSE blogger/netcast host
trentsense.com
YouTube.com/absolon3

Android Force for Darth Trehig Milstr

I must take this time to address my current usage of the Android OS with the Nexus One. It has enriched my daily routine to the point where I am as content as I was with the Nokia E71 if not more! I recently received my final birthday present after it had arrived from the UK: a Star Wars Sith costume. I tried it on for a quick snapshot with my Google phone and Darth Maul FX lightsaber, and I eerily felt what I thought was the Force!

I am certainly happy to be with the Nexus One, and I do not regret selling the N900 or putting the TMobile Touch Pro 2 on hiatus. In regards to a promising smartphone device in the future, I really have no high hopes for anything. If the world came to an end right now and this Nexus had to be my last gadget, I really would not mind it at all. Yes, the Nexus One is THAT good...at least for me!

TRENT

Nexus One honeymoon.

This is my first word document that I'm typing via the Docs to Go application on my Nexus One device, and I can honestly say that I am so far quite happy with my decision to not fall back on the iPhone. From the first moment I had powered on this phone, I made a conscious effort to throw out all expectations derived from the Apple dominator on AT&T. After being mesmerized by the four colors of the Google logo sweeping across the screen at the press of a button, my finger took the first on-screen tap when prompted by a tutorial. My mouth then dropped in awe and I was silenced for a matter of minutes. For the first time ever, I had been introduced to what could potentially be a worthwhile touchscreen smartphone with a reliable interface! My excitement could barely be contained as I typed away at the soft QWERTY and watched auto-correction do its magic!! Still having to be cautious to not make any silly mistakes, I was granted a certain amount of freedom to type at a faster rate than on the HTC Sense interface from the HD2 and Touch Pro 2 devices. After spending such a long time with that Nokia font, it was truly a relief to work with the new Android font on an OS supported by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor! Being reunited with such a powerful CPU was amazing on the HD2, but Windows Mobile and HTC Sense combined with excessive width somehow subtracted from its potential greatness. This Nexus One device is not only perfect in terms of slim proportions, but interface performance as well. Screen transitions are smooth for the most part and show no sign of sluggish activity, and the interface comes to life with vivid colors. I hate to say this, but if the HTC HD2 and iPhone got together while the Nokia E71/E72 watched, this Nexus One would seem to be a perfect result of that.

After a while of using Android, I am a bit leery of battery life for daily usage. But with a 3.7inch touch screen running with a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, I guess this is to be expected. Either way, I wonder if I will have to get used to carrying my adapter with me when not in the presence of a car charger...I will have to wait and see on this in the meantime. The HD2 required that I go to this drastic measure, but it seemed hardly worth it for an overly-wide slab running HTC Sense.

Overall, I do like the integration of Google services with my phone and the convenience it introduces for my life online. Strangely, it recently took the N900 and Nexus One to realize just how inundated I am with cloud data. Most of the world is connected via the Internet, and it appears to show itself in every single thing we do from enjoying multimedia to getting directions. For me, there is no doubt that my existence is influenced to a certain degree by technology, and I am sure that I'm not the only one. As a leader in Internet search, one would think that Google has a huge upperhand in ruling the world (to a certain extent it already does), and this is the thought that comes across my mind as I agree to on-screen prompts before signing on to some mobile service. Adopting the Nexus conjures a visual of being enveloped by tentacles of bio-luminescent energy as I hold it in my hands (too much Avatar on the brain), solidifying my role as a willing participant in the cloud.

Slimmer dimensions allow me to go without my beltclip holster since I can pocket the device in its neoprene pouch. Honestly, I am reminded of the Nokia E71 and iPhone in regards to its compact sizing. Build quality is more along the lines of the HTC Touch Pro 2 as well as the E71 with solid plastics and hints of metallic features. Truthfully, I do feel relieved to
not have to worry about carrying a chunky phone. When I hold it there is hardly any sign of creaking, but this comes as no surprise since HTC is the manufacturer after all.

With HTC being a manufacturer, there are also other cons that can be applied to this phone. When I bought the Nexus I did not have any high expectations for the speaker or the camera. HTC's track record has not been too great in refining these qualities in previous devices running other operating systems. Nonetheless, I do understand that my smartphone usage has changed to the point where these kinds of qualities are no longer essential to me. Sure, I would love to take great pictures and shoot acceptable videos, but this kind of multi media consumption is not a personal requirement for me anymore. For the sake of gaining more usability with a great touch interface, Google maps, and integrated Google services, I am more than happy to make this sort of compromise with the Nexus One. With that said, I do find the media player to be basic like the N900 variant, yet sufficient and reliable. There's nothing fancy in changing settings for aspect ratio or EQ, but overall I am satisfied. Still pictures have been pretty good for the most part, but I haven't tried video at this time.

So far, I do have occasional problems with virtual QWERTY responsiveness where touching one key activates another, and it is even possible for no response to take place at all. However, toggling the QWERTY keypad tends to work as a solution. Lack of touch response can also occur with navigating the Android interface, but I have yet to experience a freezing on my Nexus One that requires battery removal. I have been mainly noticing such occurrences after waking the Nexus from an extended period of standby. No matter how much of an inconvenience this can become, I understood my acceptance of such a risk when buying an all-touch model.

With the benefits of size and good interface performance comparable to competing touch phones, there's also the return of personal data synchronization with Mac (via Google service), word document editing, Google Maps compatibility, and PORTRAIT MODE! Once again, I feel that I have a well-rounded phone as far as software capabilities are concerned. The percentage of compromise in having to settle for certain flaws has been greatly reduced, and for this I am a willing Android user. Knowing that what I do on the Nexus will ultimately be reflected in my cloud account (over the air almost instantly) is certainly a security blanket that I appreciate. Being reunited with a bona-fide document editor in Docs to Go is amazing! Despite minor setbacks like the lack of spell check, it is very much perfect when compared to the Notes editor I tolerated on the N900 (before discovering MaStory app). I cannot stress how good it feels to be able to use a phone in portrait mode again!!! Taking the Nexus and operating it with only one hand because I can feels nothing more than liberating! The old saying of one not knowing what he's got until it's gone rings so true, so very true! The prospect of one-handed use alone is definitely enough to inspire a cartwheel, somersault, and a MC Hammer dance! Of all the great things that I've been privileged to have with the Nexus thus far, Google Maps is a huge one. With past phones, Google Maps was always a staple that never lost its worth in providing location services via GPS. No matter what OS I happened to be using, I was always confident that a version of Google Maps would be readily available for download. When this changed with Maemo on N900, I was stuck having to tolerate the erratic behavior of Ovi Maps. After a few attempts on a 14-hour road trip proved the instability of this Nokia app to be unbearable, I depended on Google Maps on an iPhone 3GS belonging to a gloating family member. The last straw was when I needed to find an address and resigned to printing MapQuest directions instead of using Ovi Maps. Having Google Maps on the Nexus is worth a celebration, but there is something else to be excited about: voice-guided navigation! To make a long story short, I have never owned a Garmin GPS device and have absolutely NO need for one. Activating the navigation service nearly scared me when the Nexus started speaking aloud driving directions on the road, and I was thoroughly impressed by its pin-point accuracy!!

If there is ever a disappointing moment with the adoption of the Nexus One, it would have to be the wasted money spent on Missing Sync for Android. As a result of many years with using Missing Sync on numerous devices running Palm, Windows Mobile, and Symbian, I simply fostered a dependence on this application...a HUGE dependence. Missing Sync compatibility essentially became a requirement for purchasing a new smartphone, and I didn't hesitate to pass up a device that didn't have it. Naturally, I wanted to wait on getting an Android phone until Missing Sync had a version that could sync calendar events AND contacts. As you all know, I could no longer resist the pull of the Nexus One and ended up getting it for my 29th birthday. Even though the syncing software was only able to sync contacts and not calendar, I figured that I could still sync dated events via Google Calendar once I imported the iCal file from my Mac. So without any hesitation I purchased the Missing Sync for Android for about $40 and it downloaded to my MacBook with no problem...I thought all was well. Unfortunately, even after I had downloaded the Missing Sync app from Android Marketplace, properly setup a bluetooth pairing, and initiated the sync, there was constantly an error message that appeared onscreen and prevented all contact files from being ported to the Nexus. After ten failed attempts I was LIVID...HEATED...TICKED!! There is an old saying that necessity is the mother of invention, but I didn't really invent anything...I simply opened my mind to common sense and had a realization. I could copy the vCard files onto the Nexus One storage card once it was connected to my Mac via USB and mounted on the desktop! This would in turn allow me to import those vCard files to the Contacts app on the phone itself!! After I rejoiced and danced around my computer desk in glee, I fell back into my plush office chair upon realizing the awful truth: Missing Sync had been rendered useless and I had WASTED $40 of my own money!! I was FURIOUS...but only at myself for being such a dodo bird!! Oh well, it was a good lesson to learn the hard way, for I should have considered the prospect of using Google services from the very beginning to link my Mac personal data and then have it ported to the Nexus via my Google account name. We live and we learn.

At this point, I am extremely pleased with the Nexus One and its pros. There's a balance of refinement and speed that seems to set it apart from previously released Android models. Being blessed by Google directly via OTA updates also plays a part in its allure. Ultimately, I am enjoying a honeymoon period and am curious to see what happens with Android in the coming future. 

TRENT SMITH
Sent from my Google Nexus One
TRENT SENSE blogger/netcast host
trentsense.com
YouTube.com/absolon3

Android Move.

At one point I did consider returning to AT&T and adopting the iPhone,
but my curiosity for Android has won me over and I have decided to
remain with TMobile to take on the Nexus One smartphone. After a
recent visit to a Verizon store, my impression of the Droid device had
gone down the toilet without any hope for redemption. The hardware
qwerty felt like a slab of stone to the touch with hardly any
feedback, and the responsiveness of the soft qwerty was not much
better. I then took the liberty to pre-judge the Nexus One and
concluded that Android was never to be in my destiny. I eventually
realized that it was wrong of me to do this when I was faced with the
prospect of leaving my affordable TMobile service for AT&T. This OS
from Google has never been used by me on a primary device, so I did
not have any justification to count it out just yet. Avoiding Android
without any opportunity to actually use it on a daily basis would have
been unfair and irresponsible on my part. I have been holding out for
a model with a hardware qwerty, but I am more lenient on such a
preference that doesn't appear to be taking fruition any time soon.
Upon accepting the touch-only form factor, I figured what better way
to be introduced to Android than with a gadget that has been made
specially for Google? I could have gone with other alternatives
manufactured by HTC, Samsung, and Motorola, but they falter for
various reasons. HTC Android models operate with the
not-so-revolutionary Sense UI that I had already used on the HD2 and
Touch Pro 2; Samsung simply cannot be trusted due to its track record
in previously-purchased devices; Motorola's Droid went down in flames
and the Cliq failed to keep my attention. According to listed specs,
the Nexus One is indeed a force to be reckoned with. Being able to
work with the 1GHz Snapdragon CPU once again without the overbearing
width of the HD2 and keeping TMobile's competitive rate seems to be
worth the risk.

To go through with this purchase of the Google phone, I have sold my
Nokia N900 and bid adieu to its Internet tablet ways. Yes, I am sure
that this will take a few people by surprise, but ridding myself of
the N900 is a very necessary evil. Despite its AMAZING hardware
features, I got to the point where I just wanted to be reunited with
all the conveniences of a smartphone; one-handed portrait mode use,
office suite document editor, and a RELIABLE mapping application in
Google Maps. I have to admit that thinness of dimensions and
pocketability also played a part as well, for I had been so accustomed
to thickness on past qwerty sliders. With the N900, I learned that no
advanced hardware feature could even begin to take the place of
everyday usability and efficiency for me. Lack of Google Maps
compatibility really tried my patience, especially when I had to rely
on the unstable and unfamiliar Ovi Maps. Writing with the hardware
qwerty was fine to a certain extent, but the virtual qwerty was better
off when used with a stylus if not careful fingertips. The N900 is
indeed an Internet machine that is made for extensive tweaking of
settings and features, and I have come to discover that I may not have
the desire to do such activities anymore. I basically just want to
return to a typical smartphone that can continue providing support for
all my preferred wants, like an average consumer. In addition to
dropping the strict guidelines of wanted gadget features like camera
quality and a hardware keypad, I still wished to have a speedy and
vivid touch interface. The iPhone did cross my mind before the Nexus
One in this regard, and this could be seen as a "selling out" move on
my part. Either way, I knew that the N900 had become too much (and in
some ways too little) for what I was willing to work with on an
everyday basis.

I am indeed looking forward to spending time with my first Android,
and shall say that I really have no plan B set in stone in case it
does not work out for me. I have to admit that I was looking to expect
an-iPhone like experience with the Nexus One qwerty, but it is best
for me to adopt it with an open mind. Clearing my expectations of all
previous phones is what I plan to do when I first slide in my SIM and
install that battery. Who knows, I may become a fan of Android
depending on how it can fit into my daily routine as an end-user. This
is all very exciting as I shall be waiting for the FedEx truck to
deliver the Nexus One right on my birthday...what a present! Some
features on the list for my perfect smartphone seem to be getting
erased as my personal usage continues to evolve with time. No longer
am I so hellbent on getting a Carl Zeiss with 30 fps video capture or
stereo speakers or a hardware qwerty. I am hoping that this will in
turn alleviate (if not eradicate) the frustration of having to
over-compromise for a phone's shortcomings.

--
Trentonn Smith
Sent from my MacBook Aluminum
TRENT SENSE blogger/netcast host
trentsense.com
youtube.com/absolon3