My First Smartphone: The Nexus One

I bought a Nexus One, my first smartphone, and I'm quite happy with it so far. The key selling points for me were:

• Independent from carrier yet works with all prepaid sim cards that I already have
• Low price compared to other smartphones ($529 and no tax)
• Free overnight shipping (very important since I was supposed to fly back to the NL two days after ordering it: 1 day to buy, 1 to receive, and 1 to fly)
• Usable in the US and elsewhere (multiple GSM and 3G/UMTS bands)
• Decent reviews

What follows are some random comments about my preferences and experience so far.

The real reason I bought it is to be a mobile computer. I haven't used my phone to do much calling in a long time. My voice calls primarily involve some sort of VoIP. I use the stupidphone that I bought in 2008 as a clock and occasional SMS device, though I prefer Google Voice or VoipBuster for the latter.

Looking at the design of the Nexus One, it's clear that it's primary purpose is a computer, specifically one for browsing the web or using web applications. Four buttons—"back," "context menu," "home," and "search"—make this evident. And the scroll wheel works surprisingly well as a cursor for editing text fields (something that is rather difficult to do with thick fingers).

I love the bundled apps. After playing with Dad's iPhone, I'm enthralled with the Android Gmail and Calendar apps that work much more like the web-based versions. I can easily access all my labels and calendars and perform various other actions that are Gmail- or Google Calender-specific. Since these apps already serve a significant part of my online life, it's important to me that I can use other versions in the same ways.

I like Google Voice and would prefer to use it for my calls and texting. Even though it's not available outside the US, I can still use it for texting with a data connection.

I am happier with the view of Google than with Apple towards applications and what I can do with my phone. This has been a major reason for not getting an iPhone.

I look forward to seeing what I can do with this mobile computer. I don't think I will get service with voice minutes, but I might get one with an unlimited data connection. Even if I don't get 3G, I can still use my Nexus One wherever there is wireless, which includes many places I go on a daily basis. I also still need to figure out what apps are available and what I want.