I’m still very happy with the Nexus One, but I’m currently a little annoyed.
Last night I read about doubleTwist, a new iTunes-like client for Android and other smartphones. I quickly downloaded it, and the program quickly imported my iTunes library and playlists. However, when I tried to sync a playlist, doubleTwist said I needed to upgrade my iTunes purchases to iTunes Plus. This was frustrating, but I gave in. I went to iTunes and upgraded 84 songs (I don’t buy many albums from iTunes) for about $18. I liked that these songs would now be DRM-free and could be transferred to any device. After downloading the “iTunes Plus” versions of the songs and restarting both programs, it seemed like doubleTwist should work. Nope. When I try to sync a playlist with the Nexus One, nothing happens. When I try to drag a video onto the Nexus One, again, nothing happens. It’s frustrating when programs don’t work, but it’s especially frustrating when they don’t tell you why.
So for now, I will continue to use Songbird to sync playlists with the phone. It’s not quite as user-friendly as doubleTwist appears to be, but it actually works. If anyone has suggestions about doubleTwist, please let me know.
My new 16GB micro SD card recently arrived. I swapped out the teeny cards easily, and I now have space for music and all the photos and videos I will undoubtedly be taking. I played with the camera at a Seattle Thunderbirds game over the weekend, and I was pretty happy with the quality of the photos and videos. Also, I’m enjoying the ability to create, rename and delete playlists within the phone. I like that the Nexus One gives you more control over the files on the device.
Following reports that the Nexus One voice input censors swear words, I, of course, tried it out. I said different swear words and got a bunch of #### as the result. Hilariously, the voice input mistook one swear word for a particular fruit and pulled up search results for Google’s top competitor. This all seems silly, though I do understand Google’s reasoning. “We filter potentially offensive or inappropriate results because we want to avoid situations whereby we might misrecognize a spoken query and return profanity when, in fact, the user said something completely innocent.”
And when I’m not swearing into the phone’s search box, I’m downloading apps. I’ve been on a downloading binge. I’m looking forward to trying live streaming with Qik, listening to podcasts with DoggCatcher and using the Layar augmented reality browser. I have noticed one important app that’s missing: Google Docs. You can view your Google docs through the browser, but can’t edit them. I’m surprised.
I’ll be reviewing my new apps in the future. I’m also planning a photo-a-day project for the month of February using the Nexus One camera and a yet-to-be decided app. Stay tuned!
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Finally a detailed and actual owner’s review of the Nexus One. I am using the HTC G1 phone and I enjoy the Android system along with the Google contacts. The only thing that is holding me back is the all touch phone. This was a great review and your writing is great to read. I wonder if your phone can work internationally?
Another question I’m interested to hear your intake is about the recent battle Google is having with the Chinese government. Since the Chinese government will allow Android operating system and some Google apps will this be a new strategy for Google to have a mobile only presence in China and not PC?
Thanks, Alvin! Glad you liked my review.
I’m not sure about the international thing. It should work on other country’s networks – I’ve heard that that’s why some people bought the Nexus One.
I’ll have to get back to you with my opinions on Google in China.