Price Comparison: iPhone vs Pre vs Droid vs Nexus One

On January 5th Google released its media hyped “iPhone-killer” the Nexus One (built by HTC).  Being the kind husband that I am, I decided to gift my G1 (the first Android phone) to Tia, which left me with no choice but to upgrade to the Nexus One (N1).  I ordered Tuesday morning right as they went on sale and received the phone Thursday afternoon.

Compared to the iPhone 3GS, the N1 has a larger screen, more memory, and a faster CPU — which makes it the first phone in my opinion that can truly compete with Apple.

Note:  The Nexus One is not to be confused with the recently released Motorola Droid.  They both run the “Android” operating system from Google, but they are two different phones.

Below I will provide a short overview of what I love about the N1 followed by a short video demonstration:

• Free turn-by-turn GPS navigation
• Google Account Integration:
  • Gmail
  • Contacts / Calendar
  • Google Talk
  • Google Voice
  • Picasa
• Facebook Integration
• Speech-to-text synthesis
• 20,000 Apps (mostly free)
• Wireless Internet Sharing –> laptop
• Brilliant User Interface
  • Interactive Widgets
  • 3.7″ Screen
  • Touch / Multitouch

My favorite apps: (all of which are free, except for the Nintendo emulator)

• Google Maps (w/ turn-by-turn GPS Navigation)
• Facebook – I’m not much of a facebook’r, but the seamless integration here is pretty neat.  For example, when I go to call someone in my address book, it shows me their latest Facebook update.
• Locale – Automatically changes your phone settings (e.g. ringer / volume / brightness) based on your predefined criteria (GPS location, time of day, etc).  For example, Locale turns off my ringer when I arrive in downtown Houston each morning for work.
• Nesoid – Nintendo emulator.  (play those nostalgic NES games in your downtime)
• Pandora – Internet radio.
• ShopSavvy – Scan a barcode on a product and it gives you a map of local stores selling the item (w/ price).  It uses the phone’s camera to scan the barcode.
• Shazam – The phone can “listen” to music and tell you what song is playing (with the option to purchase it).
• Where’s My Droid? – Text your phone a secret word and it will ring for 3 minutes to help you find it.  Also provides an enhanced option to have the phone text you back a link to Google Maps with its location pinpointed.
• Scriptures – Instant access to the Bible, Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, Doctrine Covenants (and Koran).
• Wireless Tether – Turn your phone into a wifi hotspot for your laptop.  (requires that you void your warranty and install custom software)

Google Maps – Facebook – Locale

Nintendo Emulator (running on old G1) – Pandora Internet Radio

ShopSavvy: (scan your bar code and find the cheapest / nearest retailer)

Where’s My Droid? – Shazam

Scriptures – Wireless Internet Sharing – YouTube

I’ve also grown fond of the following widgets:

• Webcam Widget – View webcam images on your phone.  I use this to tap into my home surveillance system (first image below, green background).
• Facebook Friends Status
• Pandora Control
• Weather / News
• CalWidget

Webcam Widget(s) – Facebook Widget – Pandora Internet Radio

Weather / News – CalWidget

It’s only been a few days but I’m extremely impressed with the build quality and user interface of this thing. Definitely a huge improvement from the G1.  If you’re in the market for a new phone you should seriously consider the N1 (especially if you use Facebook / Gmail / Google Voice / Picasa / Google Calendar / etc).  Also note that the even though the Motorola Droid runs Android (like the N1), the Droid’s much more expensive with slower hardware.  However, if you want a physical keyboard (which the N1 lacks), then the Droid is your best bet.

My N1 in action: