Google Nexus One vs Apple iPhone 3Gs

January 5th, 2010

I’m a Verizon customer. I love their service. I love my underground subway hotspots where I can quickly make calls or do my tweeting. I’m sure you’ve heard this before. However, as a Verizon customer, my choice of smart phones is limited.

I own a Blackberry. I love it. Do I want an iPhone? Kind of. Is it possible with Verizon? Not yet. There are many things with the iPhone that I have trouble dealing with (not including it’s carrier) but I am willing to give it a shot. That in itself is a whole different post.

Today, Google’s Nexus One phone went on sale. It won’t be available at Verizon until Spring 2010. There is a rumor that another iPhone will be released then on Verizon. The Nexus One is a better phone on paper. You can view a specs comparisons chart here*. As you can see from the facts, the iPhone only wins in categories that have nothing to do with the phone itself. Apps? Sync? These things don’t matter to me personally but I can understand someone weighing these things in a decision. Therefore, the Nexus One is better for me on paper.

I haven’t used it yet and have only used the iPhone for maybe a combined hour. From watching dozens of videos of the Nexus One’s new Android OS, I can only come to the conclusion that it’s similar to the iPhone’s and will probably come down to personal taste.

I currently use Google’s massive amount of services everyday including Google Voice. The Nexus One has integrated Google Voice into it’s phone (as with other Android devices) much better than it is on my BlackBerry. If you haven’t used Google Voice yet, please do yourself the favor of giving it a try. Unfortunately, Apple won’t budge with letting iPhone’s use it. The Nexus One clearly wins here for me. I know it’s not truly part of the phone itself but it definitely has weight in my decision and is worth mentioning.

I’m excited Google has taken software politics into it’s own hands and entered the Mobile device market. Google promotes open source. They don’t block apps for dumb reasons. Did anyone mention DRM? The feature list goes; fastest chip, good camera, nice screen, flash player, Google Navigation, best Voice recognition, live wallpaper, etc, but the most important feature is the ability to make a phone call. The Nexus One wins for me but I am many months away from owning one. So, this is it, until something better comes along.

*Hardware, yes. Software, no. Although it doesn’t affect my decision.
**Please note, this is coming from someone who’s not a fan of touchscreen or Apple.

Entry Filed under: Technology