This is a long read, but is has good information for anyone thinking about getting a N1 and some info about the 3G issues and a fix for it.
OVERVIEW
After 2 weeks with my N1 I have made the decision to return it and go back to my BlackBerry curve. I loved the N1 and it was everything the BB was not, but is also not a BB. As an IT professional the most important thing a mobile device can do for me is make calls and receive e-mails reliably and my N1 did not.
BUSINESS USER PERSPECTIVE
If I was a college kid or did not have a job where it was critical that I be accessible 24/7 the N1 would be a great phone. It made and received calls most of the time, but sometimes I would dial and after 30 seconds of silence it would say call ended and I would have to dial again. It always went through the second time. I would also have people tell me they called me and the phone would not ring and I would not get a missed call log warning. I also had problems receiving e-mail overnight. It would run flawlessly during the day but when I went to bed I would wake up the next morning to no e-mails in my inbox. Once I started using the phone again for the day the overnight e-mails would come through and everything would be OK. I tried it on wifi, 3G, and forced EDGE and had the same problem each way. (I think both the calling and e-mail problems had to do with the antenna issue described later in this post.) The other think that seemed like a minor problem but ended up being a big deal was the lack of a status LED on the edge of the phone. In a meeting everyone keeps their blackberrys on the conference table ringer off, vibrate off (since a vibrating phone can get loud in a quiet conference room), and we relied on the LED to tell us when we had an e-mail. The blinking trackball when a message came in was great, but in the case you cannot see it so it is not that useful. And the much talked about lack of exchange calendar support is a bummer but should not be your deciding factor since Google sync with a Google calendar did just fine for all of my scheduling needs.
PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE
I did not want another account. I avoided making a Google and Gmail account like the plague because I was use to my native BB calendar and address book. Once I gave in and set up my Google accounts everything worked like a dream. It had a good media player, fun and plentiful applications, a great screen. It was the perfect personal phone, but I could live without the trackball.
THE BIG PROBLEM
Reception was my big problem. I had the 3G / EDGE switching problem and found that it was not a software issue. (FIX BELOW) When my phone was sitting on the table I got a decent, but not good, 3G signal, when I picked up the phone it went to 0 bars. If I was lucky it would switch to EDGE immediately, but about 50% of the time it would sit with 0 bars and 0 signals. I suspect it would do this in my pocket as well. I suspect this reception issue is why I would not receive e-mails and phone calls when I was suppose to because it often had 0 signal. I live in a strong 3G area and my wife?s phone never has any 3G problems.
This is a widely documented problem with a youtube video here if you have not seen it:
Nexus One 3G Woes, Part 315 | TmoNews - Unofficial T-Mobile Blog - News, Videos, Articles and more
For those of you who get good 3G reception but still have the problem with the signal switching between 3G and EDGE here is the solution. It did not work for me due to my poor 3G signal I received in general but if you have a strong signal this will work for you:
1. Home Screen -> Settings -> Wireless & Netowrk Settings > Mobile networks > Network operators -> Select Automatically
2. Home Screen -> Phone -> Dial *#*#4636#*#* -> Phone Information -> Switch from 'WCDMA preferred' to 'WCDMA only'
SUMMARY
The Nexus One is a great phone for personal use. It is as close to perfection as is out there. I really wanted to find a way to keep it, but from a business perspective it just did not have the reliability I needed.
If they ever move the antenna to a different location and I can get a good strong signal I will be back to the N1 in a minute.
Hopefully this was a good read for you and will help in your decision to purchase a N1.
On a side note the return process was very easy and they did not give me a hard time about it at all.
OVERVIEW
After 2 weeks with my N1 I have made the decision to return it and go back to my BlackBerry curve. I loved the N1 and it was everything the BB was not, but is also not a BB. As an IT professional the most important thing a mobile device can do for me is make calls and receive e-mails reliably and my N1 did not.
BUSINESS USER PERSPECTIVE
If I was a college kid or did not have a job where it was critical that I be accessible 24/7 the N1 would be a great phone. It made and received calls most of the time, but sometimes I would dial and after 30 seconds of silence it would say call ended and I would have to dial again. It always went through the second time. I would also have people tell me they called me and the phone would not ring and I would not get a missed call log warning. I also had problems receiving e-mail overnight. It would run flawlessly during the day but when I went to bed I would wake up the next morning to no e-mails in my inbox. Once I started using the phone again for the day the overnight e-mails would come through and everything would be OK. I tried it on wifi, 3G, and forced EDGE and had the same problem each way. (I think both the calling and e-mail problems had to do with the antenna issue described later in this post.) The other think that seemed like a minor problem but ended up being a big deal was the lack of a status LED on the edge of the phone. In a meeting everyone keeps their blackberrys on the conference table ringer off, vibrate off (since a vibrating phone can get loud in a quiet conference room), and we relied on the LED to tell us when we had an e-mail. The blinking trackball when a message came in was great, but in the case you cannot see it so it is not that useful. And the much talked about lack of exchange calendar support is a bummer but should not be your deciding factor since Google sync with a Google calendar did just fine for all of my scheduling needs.
PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE
I did not want another account. I avoided making a Google and Gmail account like the plague because I was use to my native BB calendar and address book. Once I gave in and set up my Google accounts everything worked like a dream. It had a good media player, fun and plentiful applications, a great screen. It was the perfect personal phone, but I could live without the trackball.
THE BIG PROBLEM
Reception was my big problem. I had the 3G / EDGE switching problem and found that it was not a software issue. (FIX BELOW) When my phone was sitting on the table I got a decent, but not good, 3G signal, when I picked up the phone it went to 0 bars. If I was lucky it would switch to EDGE immediately, but about 50% of the time it would sit with 0 bars and 0 signals. I suspect it would do this in my pocket as well. I suspect this reception issue is why I would not receive e-mails and phone calls when I was suppose to because it often had 0 signal. I live in a strong 3G area and my wife?s phone never has any 3G problems.
This is a widely documented problem with a youtube video here if you have not seen it:
Nexus One 3G Woes, Part 315 | TmoNews - Unofficial T-Mobile Blog - News, Videos, Articles and more
For those of you who get good 3G reception but still have the problem with the signal switching between 3G and EDGE here is the solution. It did not work for me due to my poor 3G signal I received in general but if you have a strong signal this will work for you:
1. Home Screen -> Settings -> Wireless & Netowrk Settings > Mobile networks > Network operators -> Select Automatically
2. Home Screen -> Phone -> Dial *#*#4636#*#* -> Phone Information -> Switch from 'WCDMA preferred' to 'WCDMA only'
SUMMARY
The Nexus One is a great phone for personal use. It is as close to perfection as is out there. I really wanted to find a way to keep it, but from a business perspective it just did not have the reliability I needed.
If they ever move the antenna to a different location and I can get a good strong signal I will be back to the N1 in a minute.
Hopefully this was a good read for you and will help in your decision to purchase a N1.
On a side note the return process was very easy and they did not give me a hard time about it at all.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram