Google’s Nexus One is one of the latest challengers to iPhone domination. This could be the opening salvo of a protracted war between Apple and Google. Observers say that both devices are well outfitted with applications and share great potential for future development. They are noticeably similar in many ways, but let’s dig a little deeper and see what we find.
The Nexus and the iPhone do look alike. They also share certain software design and compatibility principles. The thinking behind both devices is an attempt at market control. In other words, they don’t play well with others. Nexus, like the iPhone, is designed to work with one carrier and one operating system.
What about differences? One glaring difference is in the area of video frame rates. If you want smooth video, you have to increase the number of frames per second. Apple’s iPhone 3GS can achieve 60fps (frames per second), while the Nexus One runs at little better than half that rate.
There are differences in hardware specs and capacity also. The iPhone 3GS has four times more storage capacity than the Nexus One (16Gb compared to 4Gb). Although both devices run applications that extend their capabilities, the iPhone can access more than 93,000 apps from iTunes, compared to 20,000 available for Nexus at the Android market.
So far, the Nexus One seems to be lacking. However, Google’s phone battery can best the iPhone’s power curve, lasting up to two hours longer. The Nexus One also sports a 5 megapixel camera. Compare that to 3 megapixels for the iPhone (although let’s not talk about video editing, because the Nexus can’t do that). However, the Nexus can multitask. The inability of the iPhone to do more than one thing at a time is an enduring criticism of Apple’s shining star.
So after a quick comparison, there isn’t a clear winner. So once again we are reduced to fan base. Some people just love Apple and others will choose anything but. Fortunately, as these two giants race to best each other in the communications market, the consumer can look forward to better phones and better prices.