I have had the Google Nexus One for about 4 months now and really abused the hell out of this phone. Overall I am really enjoying the phone and its capabilities, Google has done a good job with the phone and OS overall but there is a lot of room for improvement. After using this phone for this period I wanted to point out the parts that need to be worked on objectively, its still one of the best phones to surf the net on, and I love how much you can really customize this phone but there are areas where I think they should work on it to develop a better experience for the user with Android and Google Phones.

OS Versions and Confusion

There are so many versions of the OS that some phones can’t support, from Android 1.5 to 1.6, and 2.0 to 2.1, and now 2.2 on the way, and I don’t even know their names. All these different version have their faults and limitations, and a lot of them don’t have compatibility between the other operating systems. And you can’t just auto-upgrade some of the phones as they have physical limitations to them that we don’t even know about. Even if you can upgrade them they don’t work on them quickly enough. There has to be a smoother process for people to enjoy the features of the new OS on phones they have already purchased, instead of feeling left out which is the case right now. A lot of the phones are very good phones such as HTC, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and even the Nexus One but people don’t want to be left out of the new features of an upgraded OS.

Application Confusion

Google pushed so hard to have applications by the thousands available to people from day one. One very large flaw has come back to bite them in them in the ass, they let the applications get posted with almost very little review or check. Many of the applications crash constantly and don’t provide the service they promised. There is no genuine process to find the right application, there might be one out there but its like trying to find a grain of sand in the desert, its become huge and not clear. There are some popular ones and you can see reviews online but there is no mechanism for people to find the right application without some trial and error. Apple is stringent about their application publication procedure and Google went the complete opposite way of not even bothering, its easier to bring products to market and quicker but it turns the consumers and users into the test bed making it very annoying. They should have an external application so you can go through and take a look, a better ranking process, and thorough testing process. And one of the biggest problems at this point is application compatibility between different Operating Systems and Phones, might work on one and not the other and you would never know unless someone already complained about it in the comments. This is their biggest problem, people are only talking about the numbers, but I would want a lot less application if I can get better quality applications.

Nexus One 3G Issues

There is a genuine issue with the 3G connectivity of the Nexus One, its spotty and at times it just disappears and I can’t figure out why. When its connected its pretty damn fast, but Google took the route of dropping the issue which is very bad for them, leaving people regretting they go this phone. I’m doing fine without it but 3G connectivity for extra features on the phone is key. Google integration of all its services is great but whats the point if you can’t use it on the go. Other versions of Android phone seem to be functioning fine, but as the first phone directly from Google buying another phone isn’t a solution.

Multi-Touch or What

The legal battle for Multi-Touch has gotten out of hand and people are getting annoyed about it. Some phones have it and some phones don’t, some will get the upgrade and some won’t, some phones can’t even support it. The list is confusing OSes and different models and which can support it is insane.

Support

Google faltered in the beginning, for network support contact your operator, for hardware support contact HTC, for OS support contact Google but you really can’t. There was almost not support structure for the device or other machines in place. From what I have read online and my experience with HTC they are very good phones and very good support for their products, but somethings only Google can answer. If you want to deal with retail products and consumers then you have to have the support structure to deal with people, its not the same as just providing services, now they are providing products directly to people and they really do need to support it and work on it. Some people are saying too little too late, but I still think improving on services is critical for product success and people might say the Nexus One was a flop for Google but overall I think it taught them a lesson.

Overall

I do believe in the Android OS, for everyone who has Blackberry and iPhone they are excellent phones as well but Google is making up ground fast. Gone are the days of Sony Ericsson, Nokia and Motorola, now the new three giants have risen above them. Google, RIM, and Apple are really taking over and providing services to customers and more areas of revenue, nobody has push telecommunication providers like these three have, knocking them around as they like. Google is pushing hard to flood the market and get more market share, even going to the point as bribing providers but they are loving and they have a good product. Now to see what will happen next with the new iPhone, and so many other machines coming to market.