back to article Google Nexus Two 'lands November 8'

The Nexus Two will arrive on November 8, according to a blog post citing multiple unnamed sources. This seems to mean that Google and Samsung will unveil a phone with software designed solely by Google, which may or may not get you excited. It's also rumored that this will be the first device to use Gingerbread, the latest …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Farai
    Black Helicopters

    Beware

    the witch who would offer you Cupcakes, Donuts, Éclairs, Froyo, and now GingerBread Men..

    This is Hansel and Gretel, except the mad witch is all-seeing already ;)

  2. Rattus Rattus

    Samsung?

    Why not HTC? Their build quality is light years ahead of Samsung's - just compare the Nexus one and the Desire to the Galaxy S.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I agree

      I have to agree, I have a N1 and my brother brought home a Galaxy S he'd bought cheap of a guy at work. It was extremely light, but also felt extremely fragile.

      I could feel a very light vibration of what can only be described as "the insides of the phone" when placing it on the desk it felt that fragile.

      1. PoorLumpyPony

        Galaxy S

        had mine over a month now and tbh was also concerned with the build quality, especially the plastic rear.

        However so far, unfounded, its got Gorilla glass like everything else and despite 3 drops to the floor (gym floor so not conrete, but not carpet either) and a mauling by my kids not a scrach or mark yet and no wobbly connectors etc........yet

    2. WonkoTheSane
      Gates Horns

      @Rattus Rattus

      Google may have chosen not to use HTC because HTC already pay the Microsoft License referred to in this story:-

      http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/10/29/microsoft_royalty_tactic/

    3. Daniel 1

      Well, unlike HTC, Samsung don't actually make phones

      It will probably be made by Quanta Comp, and the build quality will be as good as the spec sheet Quanta is given to work with.

      Google probably wanted to break any impression that a Google phone is inevitably a HTC, and HTC would be as glad to reciprocate on that idea. Cher Wang is taking her company off into a space where it is recognised as a brand in itself - and burying the HTC logo behind the Google one won't help, second time around, as much as it did the first. HTC wants people to think of their phones as HTCs, in their own right, and not rebadged, hepped-up Google phones.

      Google possibly also identified Samsung as one of the companies, currently making the strongest move towards Android tablets and phones, but also one of the most reticent to ship the latest and best Android on its sets. I suspect Google is just trying to chivvy the market along, once more - as it did with the first Nexus. Playing with Samsung, in order to sting the other competition a little seems like the Google way.

    4. Charlie Clark Silver badge
      Thumb Down

      Samsung didn't just make the Galaxy S

      The build quality was one of the reasons I went with the Wave which is beautifully made. The Galaxy Tab looks pretty good, too. I think the Galaxy S was just an attempt by Samsung to test the water.

  3. Electric Panda
    Thumb Up

    If it's anything like the Nexus One...

    ... it'll likely be rebadged and released as a separate model, despite being fundamentally the same (N1 to HTC Desire). Chances are this new handset is either a) based on something Samsung has already made, or b) it'll be rehashed and released as a Samsung before too long.

    Interested in seeing Gingerbread, though, whatever it is (Android 2.3 or 3.0??)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      The desire is not a rebadged nexus one

      It has a different baseband chipset, an FM tuner, and that odd optical untrackball thingy.

      1. Stefing

        FM tuner

        The Nexus One does have an FM tuner, it's just not configured by default.

        I have it enabled on mine through the latest Cyanogen ROM.

  4. JaitcH
    Happy

    What we need is an Android layer cake

    Peole talk about fragmentation of the Android 'space' and the sluggishness of various parties involved in bringing the 'experience' of the latest OS version to market.

    The other day I was at a bakery buying my child a birthday cake; others were buying cakes for their own personal reasons - but they all had one thing in common, the base comprising a cake, with fillings, all covered in white icing.

    Equate the cake to an Android smart-phone. The common cake element is the OS whilst the personalised greetings and colouring is the interface.

    If Google were to say: "Hands off the cake" so it alone could update or patch directly to users without waiting for manufacturers or cellco's to do their thing. This OS would, however, need a simple interface so if there were incompatibilities between the new OS and an older manufacturer or cellco interface, operability would be maintained.without the fancy icing.

    Nexus 2 would be great place to minimise OS fragmentation.

    Back to the birthday party.

    1. blackworx
      Pint

      Except

      They will never get their hands off the cake, as to do so would reduce them to the status of mere cake delivery persons.

  5. borkbork
    Unhappy

    When they're done...

    Can they backport the gingerbread to the galaxy s please? Nice hardware, shame what samsung did on the software side. Never mind, I hear we'll get a froyo update in september, er october, late october, mid november, late november?...which year, I'm not sure.

    1. Chris Pearson
      Stop

      which is why

      That's exactly why my next phone probably won't be an android. Okay don't give us updates, but don't promise them in the first place in that case. There's a lot that was so promising, but now I am being driven away to a more managed platform where I know where I stand.

    2. M Gale

      Samsung? Update?

      Hah. The Galaxy S is Samsung's answer to "can you put 2.x on my Galaxy i7500?"

      In other words, Samsung would rather you just buy a new phone, despite the OS costing them next to nothing. Make sure, if you want updates, that the manufacturer has said they will update the device. Either that or go down the jailbreak route.

  6. iamapizza
    Stop

    Vanilla

    I think I prefer the non-manufacturer UIs. Keep it plain and simple, don't spam me with your sponsored apps and candycoated UI to impose your brand.

  7. Stefing

    Looks pretty real to me

    Shame it's Samsung.

    http://gizmodo.com/5676008/hands-on-the-nexus-two-by-samsung

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    'Google and Samsung will unveil a phone who's software is designed solely by Google'

    Soooo, that wouldn't equate to a regular, plain old samsung android phone would it?

  9. GeorgeTuk
    Stop

    I call BS

    They said they wouldn't develop any more phones, the Nexus One was a nice tech demo but nothing more. Would be a big u-turn and again annoy the other manufacturers for no reason.

    Hardly set the world on fire either so why risk another sales embarrassment by "analysts" who just didn't get it wasn't meant to be a full iPhone competitor and in fact Google would be hardware agnostic.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    That video!!

    That video is the summary of American capitalism today. Young male nerds working in an "exciting" environment where "exciting" means that their employer puts a big puppet on the lawn outside the office. The employer instead gets excited with millions of (untaxed) dollars pouring into their bank accounts.

  11. LawLessLessLaw
    Boffin

    Two is Three

    > City A.M. called it a second Google-branded phone.

    oh the ignorance flows like Ukrainian aluminium runoff

    The Nexus One was the SECOND Google banded phone. I might just replace my G1 with this, the *third* Google phone.

  12. Jim Hague
    Headmaster

    So, Google figures Samsung need a hand with their Android firmware

    Not surprised. I've suffered with the original i7500 Galaxy for a year. Apart from not fixing the bugs, a year of 'Donut will be released next month'. 'Next month' meaning never. Galaxy S sounds the same story; not bad hardware, let down by firmware. GPS not working, forsooth.

    I wonder if Google figured Samsung were slowly tarnishing the Android brand.

    1. Karnka

      you may be right

      I couldn't figure out why on earth google would consider involving Samsung in something they would probably screw up so badly at first and then I came to a similar conclusion to you.

      The Galaxy S is appalling. The GPS, the filesystem lag and the myriad of little bugs. Google may just be helping Samsung to learn how to do Android 'right' beofre things get any worse.

  13. Giles Jones Gold badge

    Four more

    Only four more until the phone becomes a killer cyborg and we have to send Harrison Ford after it.

    PK Dick's estate aren't happy with the name and will be less pleased if it reaches nexus-6.

  14. Steve Button Silver badge
    Jobs Halo

    RE: Samsung don't actually make phones

    @Daniel 1

    Neither do Apple... but they seem to be able to manage pretty good build quality.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      RE RE: Samsung don't actually make phones

      >Neither do Apple... but they seem to be able to manage pretty good build quality.

      As long as you wrap it in a ugleee rubber case - and unless you want a white one of course.

      1. ThomH

        @AC

        That's not a build quality issue, that's a design issue... the actual materials, durability, construction, etc are quite nice.

        Mind you, so is the Samsung Wave. I've never been sold on the Nexus One; though perhaps supplying it with that little pocket has falsely pushed the idea that it'll scratch easily into my mind.

        1. Bear Features

          especially the scratches

          yes, the iFone 4 back scrathes beautifully. :)

          1. jai

            really? mine's fine

            wtf are you doing with your phone then? i've not bothered to be particularly careful with mine, it's not in a case, i throw it in pockets with pens and coins and earphone jacks and so on. it sits on my desk and gets pushed around by the mouse. or it's in my car and dumped in the cup holder. i've had it since launch day and both front and back are perfect still

  15. pan2008

    don't like cakes

    Mine would be a cocktail made with Windows Phone 7, thanks. And no thanks for your upgrades and your OEM cr*p.

    1. M Gale

      Because that won't happen with WinMo7..

      ..oh no, of course not!

      Microsoft, allow people to bundle a ton of crap with its OS? Get an upgrade treadmill going that needs you to buy a new phone every couple of years to play catch-up? It'll never happen!

      I mean, they have such a proud history...

  16. David Barr

    Build Quality?

    I've had my Galaxy S for a few months now. I wasn't very pleased with the plastic battery cover (which I knew about before I bought it) however it's given me no problems at all. The screen is still unscratched, although I've done everything to avoid scratching it so I can't give the glass any real credit.

    The ports are solid, the buttons too they don't feel like they'll need replaced in a couple of years.

    Of course the phone isn't perfect, I still don't have 2.2. The phone itself is very thin and the battery life is poor, they could have made it a few mm thicker and stuck a much bigger battery in.

  17. D. M
    Linux

    great

    Google needs to take the lead. N1 is still a great phone, but to make sure android platform stay ahead of the game, they need to keep the bar higher. N1 lifted the bar for smart phone standard. Now it is time to give the market another kick.

    Eveb I don't like apple and MS, I have to agree that one thing they've done right is disallowing 3rd party to put their crap on phone.

    The reason I got N1 instead desire or other android phone with better hardware, was purely for software. N2 would be another phone I'm looking forward to.

    1. jai

      moving the bar?

      by bringing out a design that looks just like a fat iPod Touch?

  18. Kimberly Burgess
    WTF?

    Samsung?

    Why, why waste time on Samsung? Sure they have marketing momentum now, but the XDA Dev forums show the phones are problematic. Is it just the software, or the hardware responsible for the proximity sensor and GPS issues?

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like