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Googlephone specs uncovered?

Nexus One launch date outed too

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Following Google’s recent confirmation that it will sell a branded Android smartphone, the upcoming device’s possible specifications and launch date have emerged.

Google_nexus_one_01

Google's Nexus One handset?
Source: Engadget

A source on website These Are The Droids (TATD) has claimed that by rifling through “library files and various other system files" in the recently leaked Android 2.1 Nexus One - widely thought to be the phone's official name - ROM, references to “Snapdragon Specific Libraries” and related Qualcomm files were discovered.

The implication is that Nexus One will run a Snapdragon processor, such as the 1GHz version inside HTC’s upcoming Hero 2 smartphone. HTC, let’s not forget, is the hardware manufacturer behind Nexus One.

Nexus One will also feature distance proximity sensor with ambient light sensor – if you believe the source’s discovery of a Capella CM3602 reference within the phone’s Android 2.1 ROM. Mentions of a Bosch BMA150 accelerometer and magnetic compass were also supposedly uncovered.

Broadcom’s 802.11n Wi-Fi radio - featuring Bluetooth 2.1 and FM signal support – and reference to a noise-cancelling chip, the latter within “libaudio.so”, were also supposedly found by the website’s source.

And it has emerged that the Nexus One is out in January 2010. ®

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Uninspired

Looks like some junk PDA from a few years ago.

Is this the best they can do? I'd give up now and concentrate on the software otherwise.

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Completely different

A point release over other phones? It's a major release over the G1 (1.6 to 2.1), which is what we were actually talking about.

The looks are totally different. Larger screen, no physical keyboard to bulk it out, much more modern looking.

The hardware is completely different: much faster processor, higher resolution screen, better camera.

I'm not saying this will necessarily be the smartphone everyone's been waiting for, but to say it's nothing new over the G1 is just bizarre.

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It's not that different

It's a different OS version, but it's the same OS, and it's only a point release beyond what's already available in other phones right now, and no doubt it will be available pre-installed with other phones as well as offered as an upgrade.

The different looks aren't all that different (large screen, classic HTC smattering of buttons below) and to be honest it doesn't look particularly attractive.

The FM feature is interesting, but that's the only feature listed that the hardware brings that isn't already in the iPhone. Everything else may be technically distinct to what's already in a lot of phones, and it may be faster, but it's essentially doing the same job.

And not only is it not the first phone to come with Google branding, it's not even the first phone to come with Google branding from this manufacturer.

I'm not saying that it's not an interesting phone or that people shouldn't be excited about it. What I don't understand, though, is the collective orgasm everyone seems to be having because it's a 'Googlephone'. Nothing about it is particularly novel, interesting or special.

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