Nexus One Update Fixes 3G, Adds Multitouch 174
snydeq writes "Google is pushing out an update for the Nexus One that will fix a 3G connectivity problem and add limited support for multitouch. After receiving over 1,500 messages in a support forum from people complaining about trouble connecting to 3G, Google said it has identified the problem and has started delivering the fix. In addition to fixing 3G, the update adds the first applications to support multitouch. While the recent versions of the Android OS include multitouch capability, no phone in the US has supported it."
Come on Google (Score:5, Funny)
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the mods are just jealous that he can play Duke Nukem Forever on his CowboyNealBox3
multitouch and Apple (Score:2, Interesting)
I've heard rumors, that the zooming gesture won't be officially supported, because it would violate Apple patents. Does anyone know anything about that?
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Re:multitouch and Apple (Score:5, Informative)
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Mainly because Apple is violating tons of Palms patents and they don't want to wake that (IP) giant.
And your evidence of that is... what?
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Let's see...
Palm has US Patent #7,268,775 [google.com] for dymanic screen brightness and #7,231,208 [google.com] for managing a phone call. Those are from the article that tacroy mentioned.
But also, remember that Palm has been making mobile devices since 1992. I'm sure they've got patents on quite a few things that Apple is using.
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If Palm believes their patents are so strong, why didn't they just go ahead and sue?
Because mutually assured destruction is only an acceptable business strategy if neither company fires the first shot.
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If Palm believes their patents are so strong, why didn't they just go ahead and sue?
Uh, the same could be said for Apple. Other than beating their chest for analysts and the faithful, I haven't heard of Apple going after Palm or Google. Perhaps they don't think their hand is all that strong, either.
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The question isn't whether the patents are valid. They are definitely strong enough to tie up Apple in a long and expensive legal battle and possibly to enforce an injunction preventing further iPhone sales until it's resolved (probably not though). Apple's patents are similar. They may be enforceable against Palm, or they may be thrown out. If either company sues, it will cost both of them a lot of money probably get some of their patents overturned on both sides (leaving them weaker when pursuing cros
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Re:multitouch and Apple (Score:5, Informative)
That's because they know they'll lose.
Here's Apple's "multi-touch" patent [uspto.gov].
Date filed: July 3, 2006
Here's Jeff Han demonstrating multi-touch interface [ted.com] in Feb. 2006 that he had been working on. Pinch and zoom? Gestures? Multiple fingers/hands? It's all there. You can tell he didn't come up with that overnight.
Looks like someone at Apple noticed his or similar technology/research and said - hey, this hasn't been patented yet!
Give props to the USPTO and the patent system, as usual.
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Perhaps, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't infringing
Yeah, I'm sure Apple's notoriously aggressive legal division is just being nice to Palm /sarcasm
Re:multitouch and Apple (Score:5, Funny)
Maybe they're using Palm as a decoy. "C'mon Google. Dive on in. The water's fine...!" "Can we shoot them now?" "Wait for it. Waaaaait for it..."
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I have heard something similar, but I think it's more complex than a single court case (which is peanuts to these 100+ billion dollar companies; Google could drag that case out and retaliate with their own lawsuits). Worst-case scenario - things go back to the way they were. What's the harm in trying? I believe it was more like Apple saying "if you guys infringe on our multitouch patents it will permanently hurt our relationship". At this point, Google's relationship with Apple is already strained; they now
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I don't think Apple owns the patent on "zooming". It is prominently featured on the Microsoft Surface, HP coffee table, and an early concept multitouch screen.
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Here we are, all the way from 2006 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPwaUp4gepU [youtube.com]
You might notice that nearly every feature they conceived was picked up by the major vendors and implemented as though it was their own idea.
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again, my bad - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89sz8ExZndc [youtube.com]
i was using my work connection, which bans youtube.
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Can someone with an idea comment on this? It's clear - the patent does seem to cover this gesture, but it's also clear that prior art is trivial to locate. The patent was filed in September 2006, the youtube video is from February 2006 (and presumably, the implementation should have been around for much longer)
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Clearly, Google, abusing their position, changed the date on that YouTube video in order to use it as "evidence" of prior art in court. Bastards!!
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It's like patenting TV as 'a box which show moving pictures captured by another box with a lens' rather than 'apparatus for modulating an electron beam in rectangular matrix...'.
Re:multitouch and Apple (Score:5, Funny)
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Its a rumor. HTC android devices support it on our apps and web browser. The only app that doesn't support it is google maps. /HTC Hero owner
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Well the Samsung Jet uses the same multitouch gesture (I'm pretty sure)
Oops, you can mod me down again, I was talking out of my arse:
Breaking away from multi-touch zoom technology which requires the use of two fingers and two hands, Samsung Jet gives our consumers the ultimate in usability, portability and convenience through the brand-new concept - 'one finger zoom,' which enables one hand operation to zoom in and out. One finger zoom can be used not only for the Internet browser, but also for Photo browser and file viewer to see TXT, PDF and PPT files in four times bigger size - all just with one finger tip while you're on the move.
"One-handed browsing"... maybe I should get me one of those :-D
Whoops! (Score:2, Funny)
3G (Score:5, Funny)
The good news is, Google has fixed the 3G problems. The bad news is, the fix is going out via the 3G network.
Re:3G (Score:5, Interesting)
I worked at a place that had an automated system that sent out an email when the email went down.
I shit you not. They paid 50K for that system.
When the email system ent down, as they alld o from time to time, the executive called me out on the rug in front of his peers and asked me:
"Why shouldn't I fire you for the system alert failure?"
To which I said:
"You were the person that bought a system to alert us via email when the email system failed. Maybe you should be fired?"
Later he came to my office and fired me. After he smugly said I was fired, I asked him to wait a minute. I picked up the phone, made one phone call, and had a new job. I got up, took my check and left. Everyone else in the office was just laughing.
I later heard that the executive was released to look into other opportunities.
1999 was a good year.
Crazy days
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I have a similar tale: some 13-14 years ago I was working for this small system integrator. We had a frame-relay connection to the 'net. Then one day we didn't. People were upset and the burden of fixing the problem fell on engineering (me and my colleague). After mucking around our Cirsco router we concluded that there's something wrong downstream, and called the provider. After navigating the famous support maze, we finally were told that a lightning has knocked off one of their major nodes. To "And when
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heh. Yeah, I love when support for a down system relies on the system. I do emergency response, and I see people wanting to do that all the time.
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Idiot: We lost internet access.
Me: Plug the DSL equipment back in.
Idiot: Ok
facepalm
Happened more than once.
HTC Hero (Score:2, Informative)
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Yep, thanks to HTC we got that. The only app we don't have it on is Google Maps.
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Mean to say the only app we don't have pinch to zoom is Google maps. You are correct, it comes installed.
So my droid that does multitouch (Score:5, Funny)
Re:So my droid that does multitouch (Score:4, Informative)
Your Droid doesn't do multitouch in any of the Google-provided applications. This is especially evident in the web browser, maps, and keyboard. Third party apps have been able to provide multitouch for some time.
I thought the whole thing was silly. Patenting pinch-to-zoom and similar gestures fails the "non-obvious" requirement for a patent. Multitouch enhancing a keyboard I could perhaps see as valid.
Re:So my droid that does multitouch (Score:4, Insightful)
Multitouch first done on a keyboard (Score:2)
Multitouch enhancing a keyboard I could perhaps see as valid.
That's where Apple got the technology from.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FingerWorks [wikipedia.org]
I would have loved to have bought one, but IIRC, the cost was around US$370, and that was well out of my price range.
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My G1 does..of course I have my own android branch.
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Because you need the hardware that can support that kind of gesture? And that's something new?
It really did help. (Score:5, Informative)
I don't care for the multitouch thing..... I liked the old way and will use the old way..
As far as 3G it's much more stable on 3G and on EDGE as well.
I only get EDGE at home because I am at the end of 3G coverage and EDGE is actually much faster than it was.
So, whatever they changed in the radio firmware improved both.
Everything seems to move a little faster as well, so no complaints.
I got my OTA update last night.
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Ask Google. :)
However, check this out if you can't wait...
http://androidcommunity.com/guide-to-manually-updating-the-nexus-one-20100202/ [androidcommunity.com]
I did not do this and do not endorse it.... but I don't see why it would not work and a lot of people are reporting that it does work.
Summary is Wrong About Multitouch (Score:5, Insightful)
No surprise, but the summary is wrong. True, there has been multitouch capability in recent versions of Android, but not true that no phones in the US support it. Even my HTC Hero (running Android 1.5) has multitouch built into the basic system apps like the browser and the gallery. Additionally there are apps on the marketplace that make use of multitouch, such as the Dolphin browser.
The summary should indicate that no other phones have previously had multitouch built into the system apps that Google ships with the stock OS.
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No Telstra support (Australia) (Score:2)
Not interested.
I can't stand Telstra but they do unfortunately have the best network. I believe this is due to some kind of lack of 850mhz or something option on the phone.
The vast majority of business's use Telstra in this country too.
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I'm on 3 in Australia and got my Nexus One yesterday. Loving it - just gotta make sure you disable data while roaming (which is an option luckily) because 3 are evil bastards and charge you 50c/mb while roaming which just happens often due to 3 being crap.
I haven't RTFA but maybe this update will improve the 3g....
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3 aren't evil bastards, well no more evil then being a phone company. 3 charge for 2G and Roaming data access because it costs 3, with the merger with Vodafone you can now roam onto Vodafones 2G networks and get data for free. I almost never roam with th
Coming to Verizon Droid? (Score:2)
So when's 2.1 and this multitouch goodness going to trickle down to my Moto Droid?
Re:3G Fix? (Score:5, Funny)
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excess tachyon radiation pressure on the the glass.
You know, it's hard to take you seriously when you make such obvious grammatical errors.
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They may have to eject the core.
At the very least, a monitor in Google's NOC is go
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Sorry, forgot /sarcasm on that post.
Re:3G Fix? (Score:5, Informative)
It does make me wonder if it would just be cost prohibitively expensive to put in a radio that supports ALL used frequency band ranges. That way, you have a phone that will truly work on any network, with any provider, without having to buy a new handset.
I've heard rumor of a Qualcomm chip due out this summer that is supposed to support GSM, HSPA, HSPA+ and some CDMA stuff. A quick google turned up the following:
Qualcomm today updated its MDM family of cellular chipsets with some of the first anywhere to support dual, advanced 3G and 4G formats. The MSM7630 supports GSM, HSPA and HSPA+ standards but will also work on CDMA phone networks and support up to EVDO Revision B for 3G on those services. The addition would let a phone work on a CDMA carrier like Sprint or Verizon but still work with AT&T or T-Mobile and roam at speeds of up to 21Mbps on networks from Rogers, other international carriers, and eventually T-Mobile USA.
From http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/11/12/possible.verizon.iphone.candidates/ [electronista.com]
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Shut. Up.
No one cares, and not everyone is on top of every single tech story ever single day. /. is no exception. In fact the whole concept is to talk abouit event in the news, so naturally you read about it after it has been in the news.
This has always been the case....except for spoiling TV shows, THAT they put on the front page immediately after it showing regardless of time zones.
Bastards.
Re:LOL. Or you could just buy an iPhone! (Score:5, Interesting)
The voice searching is better integrated with android. The free turn by turn navigation is better then the $100 version on the iPhone. It can do multitasking. It doesn't lock you out of basic system functionality.
And the android market is booming and going to pass apple's in total apps pretty soon. Not that I really care. There's already an "app for that' on both marketplaces. The once difference is there's things android will let you do that apple won't. So really, there's an "app for that" applies better to android.
Not sure where you opinion came from, but it's not reality.
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It's only the same as all the flip side arguments about blatantly false or pure opinion-posted-as-fact from people who hate the iPhone.
The truth is, of course, somewhere in the middle.
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Plus the resolution of the Droid is astounding. The horizontal resolution is the same as the vertical resolution of the iphone. You literally can display 2 iphone screens side-by-side on the Droid.
Better? Not as long as it requires network. (Score:2)
The free turn by turn navigation is better then the $100 version on the iPhone.
That is not possible as long as it requires a network connection to operate.
The time you need a GPS nav most is when you are where the networks are failing you...
And the android market is booming and going to pass apple's in total apps pretty soon.
Ok man! Whatever you say! It's only an order of magnitude or so behind, I'm sure it will catch up any day.
There's already an "app for that' on both marketplaces.
Yes but there are seve
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Come up with a task you think the iPhone cannot perform and Android can.
Skype over 3G, running in the background so it doesn't interfere with the main operation of the phone. You're welcome.
Task: Skype (Score:2)
Skype over 3G, running in the background so it doesn't interfere with the main operation of the phone. You're welcome.
But you can do that on an iPhone. You run skype. You switch over to look at some data, and back again.
Or you can call into a skype bridge using the phone service you are paying for, and do anything else.
Or, you can use a skype client that includes a browser.
Of course realistically, you are just going to be talking to someone on skype which you can do just fine without any interruption. An
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You run skype. You switch over to look at some data, and back again.
Or Skype runs in the background and I can do anything else I like. When I receive a call, it arrives like a normal phone call, the only difference be
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iPhone doesn't do Skype over 3G
Yes, it does. Jailbroken apps definitely do that. And Apple has ended restrictions against that for U.S. App Store apps.
because it seems like you're so enraptured in what you're allowed to do, that you can't see what it's possible to do.
And you are so caught up in exactly one way to do something, you have lost track of what it is you are trying to DO.
The more technical you want to get with the iPhone, yes you'll have to jailbreak. But it's exactly the users with way more te
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But it's exactly the users with way more technical needs that are most able to jailbreak
Great, but why not have both the technical and the layman users have the same capabilities from their phone? Jailbreaking is always going to be worse than having your manufacturer actually support what you want to do.
And you are so caught up in exactly one way to do something
If you honestly think that the iPhone way is more free than the Android way I think I'll give up on you.
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Oh, and don't talk about jailbreaking as if having to constantly work against your phone carrier and manufacturer is a fun alternative to having your apps fully supported.
You only do it once. It's not something you "constantly" do. It's like rooting an Android phone. It's not working against Apple or the carrier - they are indifferent (unlocking the network is a wholly different thing).
People like you with a willful blind spot to device ability because it does not fit your "Apple Hater" worldview will ne
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Come up with a task you think the iPhone cannot perform and Android can
* Emulators. I play SNES and Genesis games.
* Third party software for core functionality - I have 3 browsers, 2 dialers, 2 text messaging apps
* Shell access - I can ssh into my G1, I also run an ftp server on it.
These are just a few of the things I do everyday, but I'm sure there are many others. There isn't any reason the iPhone hardware couldn't do these things, it all boils down to open vs. closed platform.
Here they are (Score:2)
* Emulators. I play SNES and Genesis games.
Jailbroken iPhones can do that [iphonehelp.in]. But you are not thinking at the task level - of course there is going to be some platform specific software you are able to run on some devices and not others. Complaining that you can't run MAME on the iPhone by default but to complain about lack of games on the iPhone is absurd when you could play free demo versions of games for a year, and games that were optimized for the platform at that.
Third party software for core functiona
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Many would recoil in horror at your definition of "open" here, but for the sake of argument I'll go along with it.
Maybe you would be so kind to outline what to you think to can do on a iPhone you can't do on Android? Besides fitting in I mean.
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Incidentally I think I just did in another post of mine:
I don't have an iphone, but according to this review [messagingnews.com]:
Interesting. (Score:2)
Question 1:
Your phone can do "multitasking" -- explain to me what the advantage to this is? I mean, the advantage over the iPhone, that is - since the iPhone is obviously multitasking as it will play music, check your email, run a phone conversation, and allow you to launch any 3rd-party app, all at the same time. I suppose my question is, what real-world advantages have you seen with this "multitasking"?
Question 2:
Android's total apps will surpass Apple's "pretty soon"? I'm reading 100 thousand versus t [cnn.com]
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Heres a really simple example for you: MyTracks, a pretty easy to use GPS track log program you can get f
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I can have an Android SSH client running with an SSH connection open, set up a port forward, leave the SSH client in the background, fire up the web browser to browse over said port forward.
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The example I always use is Pandora in the background while browsing the web. Can't do it on the iPhone without jailbreaking it.
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Just out of curiostiy have you managed to put you iPhone down long enough to USE an Android phone? I bought my Eris less than a month ago and fail to see any validity to your position that isn't caused by the App not the OS. Of course I have a faster CPU than the iPhone 3GS, a replaceable battery, and can switch back and forth between 3G and 1x seemlessly (something the iPhone fails at consistently with Edge and 3G). Does the iPhone have an SD (or other) slot yet?
Of course Google now owns a little bit mo
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The replaceable battery isn't so much for when I need to talk for a long time but when the battery wears out and stops holding as much charge. The SD becomes more important if you use your phone as a multimedia device otherwise it's pretty moot. Which part is non intuitive? The Eris was the first smartphone I've owned and it was extremely easy to dive into, and from using iPhones at work no harder than using Apples hardware.
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The Droid does have a physical keyboard. The Motorola Milestone is a GSM version of the Droid, but I doubt it'll work with T-Mobile's 3G.
I switched to T-Mobile to get a G1, and as soon as my contract is up, I'm switching elsewhere. Their coverage is acceptable where I live (3G is spotty but covers most of the city), but they have zero coverage at my mom's house.
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A droid and an iPhone have similar hardware except the droid screen blows the iPhone screen out of the water. It isn't in close. And the Nexus one has superior hardware in almost every way.
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G1 is running 2.0+
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It's easy to lie as AC, isn't it?
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Troll much?
There are 500 apps on the apple store that do the same thing.
It's not as bad on the android market but anything you can find on the apple store I can probably find something that does the same thing on the android market.
Oh.. let's see I already did this with someone I know, matching apps on the apple store with the android market.... aww shucks.
For all of his paid for apps I found free ones to boot....
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You do realise that the Iphone is a niche phone too?</Nokia user>
And yes, Nokia and everyone else were doing those features long before Apple joined the party late.
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I have an iphone. I live in a major city. Its using Edge 50% of the time and about 20% of the time I use 3G, I get a long pause, then it drops to EDGE. If you think only tmobile and Nexus have reception issues then youre pretty ignorant of how smartphones work and shouldnt be giving advice to anyone.
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Its because our version of google maps does not support pinch zooming. Presumably, this is due to agreements between apple and google, but evidently google has decided to do away with it.
HTC ships their software with pinch to zoom support so our devices utilize it fine.
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You probably ran into a provisioning problem. T-Mobile has a real problem keeping accounts set up in a way that consistently works.
Flagship (Score:2)
Google's flagship product, depending on how you look at it, is either adwords or the search page at www.google.com.