U.S. Government concerned about lack of wireless competition

Yet another arm of the government is turning its attention to the wireless industry. Obviously, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a long history with wireless carriers. But lately things have been a little tense with the FCC investigating carriers for their billing practices and, after Google decided to levy their own Equipment Recovery Fee on the now-defunct Nexus One, for exorbitant Early Termination Fees (ETFs). A little over a year ago, the Justice Department began a review of whether ..read more

Google discontinues Nexus One

Wow, really Google? Your first foray into the wireless market didn’t go so well, so you’re taking your phone and going home? I guess it’s a good thing other handset makers don’t follow that philosophy, or we’d still be using those huge, walkie-talkie looking cell phones. The Nexus One was just launched in January, but it’s been plagued by negative press ever since. Let’s face it—Google is really good at creating new online tools to increase productivity and communication. But ..read more

Microsoft Kin is no more

Oh Kin, we hardly knew ye. It seemed like a good gamble. Rather than trying to come out with the next iPhone killer (which we have yet to see, by the way), Microsoft decided to focus on a niche market—social networking. Smart, right? I mean, who isn’t on Facebook or Twitter nowadays? Even my grandma has a Facebook account, and tons of people have created Twitter accounts for their pets, tweeting from the animals’ perspective. So when Microsoft decided to ..read more

FCC, wireless industry disagree on billing issues

Apparently, wireless carriers have awakened a sleeping giant. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been steadily showing more and more interest in the big four wireless companies (and Google when they levied their own Early Recovery Fee for the Nexus One) and their billing practices. The industry has always had a bit of scrutiny aimed its way, but it was stepped up after President Obama took office, and even more so when Julius Genachowski was confirmed as FCC Chairman. The ..read more

Nexus One is officially a flop

Pretty much since its inception, Google has been a company offering bleeding edge technology. Some of their ventures have been wildly successful, making it one of the largest tech companies in the world. But some things haven’t gone so well. Sometimes, those not-so-hot projects can just sort of quietly fade away without much fanfare. Have you Google Buzzed anything lately? Even if you have, the company is still embroiled in several big fights over whether they violated users’ privacy. But ..read more

Microsoft, Verizon launch two Kin devices

While handset makers and wireless carriers other than AT&T seem at times to have made it their mission to destroy the iPhone, Microsoft has taken a different tack. Well, it’s actually no tack at all, as far as the iPhone goes. Sure, they know it’s out there. Who doesn’t? But at this late point in the game, could Microsoft, a handset newbie, come out with something that would topple the iPhone from its current bestselling position? Not likely. Google just ..read more

T-Mobile, Clearwire embarking on joint venture

As the top three wireless carriers move aggressively toward deploying their 4G networks, T-Mobile is struggling to keep up. A few years ago, the FCC held an Advanced Wireless Spectrum auction, in which the company spent $4.2 billion. A 700MHz spectrum auction was held recently. AT&T and Verizon both bid on spectrum, and are using it to build their 4G networks. This time around, though, T-Mobile didn’t even bid, much less purchase any additional spectrum. The recent release of Google’s ..read more

Nexus One not selling well. Whose fault is that?

Prior to its release at the beginning of the year, Google’s first foray into the wireless world, the Nexus One, was the subject of much hype and anticipation. Nearly every other Google product has been a resounding success, from its now-dominant search engine, to its e-mail, to a multitude of other online products used by millions of people every day. Sure, they’ve had their questionable moments. Is anyone still using Google Wave? The company has also had some outright snafus. ..read more

Google Nexus One

Overview

What’s Good: Fantastic call quality; battery life surprisingly decent given phone’s capabilities; gorgeous AMOLED display; Android 2.1. 

What’s Bad: Erratic at times.

Introduction

Though Google has provided Android to several OEMs over the past few years, they hesitated to enter the phone space themselves – until now. Enter the Nexus One, Google’s revolutionary new device featuring the nation’s first direct-to-consumer ordering option. Though it’s quite popular in other countries, the unsubsidized movement hasn’t quite taken off here. With the different ordering method, ..read more

Google backs down, lowers Nexus One recovery fee, offers support

A lot of people who were really excited about the Nexus One launch have been sorely let down in many ways. First, they found out Google planned to charge an “Early Recovery Fee” (ERF) over and above T-Mobile’s Early Termination Fee (ETF). Then Google told customers there wouldn’t be any actual support for the phone aside from consumer-generated forums and a sort of self-help diagnostic menu on the phone. Shortly after its release, users found that Google was practicing censorship ..read more

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