What You Need To Know About The Google Nexus

It was inevitable, as smartphones become more and more popular, that sooner or later Google would get in on the act. Theyve recently released the Google Nexus, but how does it stand up against the competition? Well, its built by HTC who are known for their good quality, so thats a plus. The phone also looks lovely and boasts a 3.7inch display. Its also streamline and light, meaning it easily holds its own in that department against the iPhone and others.

Another good feature is the display, which is stunning. The 480 x 800 resolution is high, although given the size of the screen, youd expect this to be somewhat higher. This is mainly an issue on apps such as Gmail, where the lack of pixels is slightly detrimental but overall its not a major issue. The touchscreen is excellent and thought to be as good as or better than other phones with similar specifications. The fact that some colors are oversaturated is the biggest display drawback.

The camera tends to be an area of weakness on smartphones, but the Google Nexus camera is surprisingly good. It has a 5 megapixel lens, a good flash, and Google have worked to increase the speed of the camera app (although this could still be improved). The camera takes good, detailed pictures and most of the issues associated with other HTC models have been eradicated. The lens focuses really quickly and generally the pictures come out as you hope they will.

Where the Nexus isnt quite as good as you would hope, though, is in its telephony capabilities. Its fairly comparable to most other phones, but more was expected from it. The quality of the speakerphone is quite tinny and could definitely be improved, so its not ideal for prolonged use. The earpiece is fairly standard compared to other phones and is clear and loud while youre speaking but it could be more even. There are also connectivity issues similar to those with the iPhone, so the signal drops occasionally.

In terms of the software, the Google Nexus is fairly similar to other Droid operated phones, but there are some upgrades. The most obvious of these is in the homescreen navigation, which is much simpler than it was on previous versions of Android phones and includes some cute graphics. Theres also an improved gallery option for storing photos, which is excellent, although the phones keyboard is a bit clumsy. Overall, this is a good phone but with a few glitches that should be worked out in subsequent models.