nexus

The 411: Sorry, no Chocolate for you

Welcome to the 411, my Q&A column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have the same questions, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

Do you think there's any chance of Verizon carrying the LG BL40 chocolate? I don't get why a phone would be released in Europe and Asia but not in the States. Thanks.--Ana, via e-mail

Sorry Ana, but I don't think we will ever see the LG BL40 Chocolate offered here in the States. Verizon does offer a scaled-down version of the Chocolate in the form of the LG Chocolate Touch, but it's really not the same phone at all. If you really have to have it, you could probably get an unlocked version and try it with an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card, but I can't guarantee you will get the phone's full functionality. Some cell phone manufacturers are better about bringing their global phones to the States, like Nokia and sometimes Sony Ericsson, but others prefer to make and sell a phone specific to a particular region, usually with help from the carriers. I'm sure that's not a satisfactory answer, but that's currently how the cell phone market works.… Read more

Motorola to offer direct-to-consumer handset via Google

During last week's quarterly earnings call, Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha indicated that Moto would release at least one handset this year with the same, direct-to-consumer channel used for the Nexus One.

While Jha didn't elaborate on the handset, I imagine that Motorola will want to offer a device at least as powerful as the Nexus One, if not more. And for inspiration, we can look at the Android handsets that the company is introducing overseas.

Though the Moto's Droid and Cliq are its only Android handsets with U.S. carriers, elsewhere it has started pumping out multiple … Read more

AT&T 3G version of Nexus One coming

A new version of Google's Nexus One smartphone will apparently arrive soon for use on AT&T's 3G wireless network.

Customers are already able to buy an unlocked version of the Nexus One for $529. But the Android-based phone, which was launched last month, supports GSM radio frequency bands. The only 3G wireless bands that it supports are on T-Mobile USA's network.

This means that customers wishing to use the "unlocked" phone on AT&T's network can access only AT&T's 2.5G or EDGE network. And even though AT&… Read more

HTC's next super phones waiting in the wings

Hardware specifications and details surrounding upcoming HTC Google Android handsets are coming to light. Two models in particular, the Bravo and Supersonic, are getting a lot of attention, which leads us to believe an announcement is coming soon. Much like the Nexus One and the Sony Ericsson Xperia 10, the new wave of Android handsets seem to all have two things in common: large screens and plenty of horsepower.

The HTC Bravo resembles the Nexus One, save for a few changes. Like the Nexus One, the Bravo features a 3.7-inch screen with 800x480 pixel resolution, a 5-megapixel camera, and … Read more

Three nagging questions about the Nexus One

We've now had three weeks to play with the Nexus One, aka the "Google phone." After a lot of poking around under the hood, we still think that it's a great addition to the Google Android family and that it deserves our "Excellent" rating. But even so, there are three things with which we're not entirely comfortable.

3G reception and touch-screen Like with our CNET iPhone, we haven't experienced many problems with our Nexus One data connection. It's a little shaky in subway stations and deep inside buildings, but not much more so than other T-Mobile 3G phones. Yet, enough CNET readers have reported problems and T-Mobile admitted as much earlier this month. And earlier this week, the carrier said it is developing a fix, but cautioned that it may not solve the issues of all users. We're waiting to see what happens.

We've also aware that some Nexus One customers are having problems with their touch-screens. We haven't experienced this issue either, but we've heard from a lot of people who have. We tend to think this is more of a teething problem than an inherent flaw in the device, but we'll be watching this as well.

Yahoo e-mail As we've mentioned, we had trouble syncing Yahoo e-mail on the Nexus One when we tried the standard setup. Not only did we receive a message that the phone does not support all Yahoo accounts, but also it wouldn't recognize our user name and password. We finally were able to make it work using the manual setup, though it involved extra steps and information that isn't readily available.

If you're having trouble with Yahoo mail on your Nexus One, and we know that many of you are, try these steps.… Read more

T-Mobile data issues hit Nexus One owners

Updated 11:10 a.m. PST with Google comment on a fix.

Nexus One owners are complaining of a widespread data outage Friday morning on T-Mobile's network.

As with most reports of outages, it's always difficult to get a sense of just how many people are being affected. But Google's customer support forums are full of Nexus One owners reporting that they are unable to access the data network, and other news outlets are getting tips from their readers that something is amiss.

A Google employee confirmed there was some sort of problem with T-Mobile's data … Read more

Nexus One Desktop Dock now available

Sick of seeing your poor Nexus One lie almost lifeless on your desk or constantly having to wake the phone to check the time? Well, now you can prop it up and display the sleek Android phone in all its glory with the new Nexus One Desktop Dock. Similar to the accessory for the Motorola Droid, when the smartphone is docked, it will display the time, any alarm clock settings, and weather. In addition, you can view slideshows, and a 3.5mm-to-RCA audio cable is included if you want to connect the dock to your stereo and listen any music … Read more

New Google ad shows Chrome's lovely tentacles

What I love about Google is that the company is so good at thinking of everything, while avoiding unintended consequences.

Google Search is about getting the right answer and only the right answer. Google's Nexus One is about having a perfect smartphone without offending anyone too much.

So I am grateful to the UK blogger Floyd Hayes who unearthed this ad for Google's Chrome browser on the Metro rail system in Newcastle.

Now I know there will be some of you who might be concerned that this ad suggests that Google holds more information about you than any … Read more

HTC expecting sales turnaround with new lineup

After struggling throughout 2009, mobile phone maker HTC is eyeing an upturn in sales this year, though profit margins are still likely to be down.

Earlier this month, HTC announced a 31 percent drop in fourth quarter 2009 earnings to 5.6 billion Taiwan dollars ($175 million) from 8 billion ($250 million) in 2008's final quarter. Sales fell 13.2 percent to 41 billion Taiwan dollars ($1.28 billion) from 47.3 billion ($1.48 billion) the same quarter in 2008. Results were reportedly hurt by heavy spending on marketing as HTC aggressively tried to promote itself and its … Read more

Google prepares 3G fix for Nexus One

Google is working on a software fix that should improve some 3G network problems Nexus One owners have reported, the company said Monday.

"Our engineers have uncovered specific cases for which a software fix should improve connectivity to 3G for some users," said a Google employee named Ivan in a Google Nexus One help forum. "We are testing this fix now, initial results are positive, and if everything progresses as planned, we will provide an over-the-air software update to your phone in the next week or so."

However, he cautioned, the fix won't address all … Read more