Updated Nexus One Impressions

You never expected me to update my Nexus One impressions as I claimed in my original review, did you? I wanted to wait until after I received the car dock attachment, which was coincidentally released about a week after I bought the phone.

I was originally just looking for a piece of plastic to hold up my phone while I was driving, so I was dismayed to find this dock cost $55 as opposed to the $10 many of the generic solutions were selling for. It's not just a phone holder-upper, though - it features a similar functionality to that of the car dock, in which the phone automatically enters Car Mode when it senses it's connected, providing you access to the apps you are most likely to use while on the road. My complaints of the loudness of the phone's maximum volume setting were also mitigated by a built-in speakerphone, which transmits via Bluetooth and can be set to automatically turn on when connected. A car adapter power connection is provided out of sight in the base of the device, making the setup look as slick as possible to match the pretty, pretty phone.

The added functionality warrants the higher pricetag, but what impressed me the most about the car dock was how easily I could use my phone while driving. I still don't have the ability to text long messages like on my Blackjack II, but it's easy to perform single presses on the phone while it's suspended on my windshield right below the rear view mirror, and still maintain situational awareness as to how the driving's going. It's still dangerous, sure, but more like "dicking around with your GPS" dangerous, not "British texting and driving" dangerous.

The other great thing about the car dock is the quick recharging dramatically helps the battery life of the device. I've pretty firmly rested on my claims that my shockingly short battery life only occurs in places of poor reception (though forcing the phone to stay in 2G helps this, too), but sometimes - like when the poor reception is at your place of employment - you can't avoid it. A 15-minute stint in this baby can regain a good 10% when not using any demanding apps, and even when sucking down GPS and 3G data, you can keep the battery going up.

While I was ordering the car dock, I grabbed a spare battery while I was in the online store. So far I have yet to use it, and I expect this to continue to be the case until I get stuck in a situation where I am away from my charging adapters for a long period of time. This car dock is an essential part of the Nexus One experience and critical to its use. I can only imagine HTC's brethren Incredible and EVO are in the same camp, though I'm not sure how long it will be before they have their corresponding accessories.

...And speaking of the newer superphones, it was a sad day last Friday that they would stop selling the Nexus One online, claiming the online sales disappointing and a clear indication that customers prefer to use a phone before buying it. They said they would continue to offer it through retail channels, but with Verizon passing on the phone to focus on the Droid Incredible and Sprint following suit with its EVO 4G, that only leaves original partner T-Mobile currently offering subsidized Nexus Ones, and a minute possibility of AT&T joining in on the fun, seeing as how the online store already offers a version of the phone compatible with their 3G frequencies.

I don't blame neither Sprint nor Verizon for their decisions, as their respective phones are so similar in design to the Nexus One that it would be pretty redundant to offer both, but I am frustrated that I will not be able to buy an unlocked phone out of contract anymore. The only way I could get my Nexus One was through the online store, and I still have a month and a half left on an old two year AT&T contract, so I didn't have a too many options. Google offering phones directly would also ensure that the latest Android updates would always be on my phone, without waiting for the carrier to release it months after the fact.

One of Google's strengths is their willingness to try new things, but they don't always work out. While the online distribution model was a failure, the Nexus One was anything but. While the Motorola Droid was the first Android phone to really bring the operating system into the public consciousness as a serious contender to the iPhone, the Nexus One set the standard as a true iPhone killer, and the template from which three major carriers - T-Mobile with the Nexus One, Verizon with the Droid Incredible, and Sprint's EVO 4G - are promoting their flagship Android offerings. It's a good time to be an Android user, both in terms of marketshare and functionality - and I wouldn't have any other phone.