Although Nexus One is not available via Google’s online store any more, those of you who own the device or will get it via a carrier are now able to root the device with a single click. The process is much easier than the one used for other Android handsets and the process won’t have you worried about bricking the handset.
The exploit involved in this hack is the same one used to root Moto Droid X (by using UniversalAndroot). UniversalAndroot supports a couple more Android devices, as well and the app includes unroot features, plus it’ll help you install custom ROMs. It’s all free and detailed here.
Although Nexus One is pretty much sold out from Google’s own store, the device gets a popularity boost thanks to a recent Android 3.0 screenshot leak showing the device and now a very interesting experiment. The N1 was taken over by the Maverick Civilian Space Foundation and sent into space… almost.
The handset was part of a test flight that took it to 28,000 feet and the device was on the whole time, capturing the experience on camera. It faced high G-forces, massive vibrations and extreme temperatures and still it survived. Wired informs us that a rocket was the one taking Nexus One into the orbit.
Here’s the journey into the upper realms of Earth’s atmosphere:
We all know that the Nexus One and HTC Desire are more or less the same handset, with the first model lacking support for FM radio, among others. The thing is that it could support radio, as it shares the Broadcom chip with Desire, but this feature was never enabled till now, when XDA Developers worked on it.
Their hack work brings us a modified Nexus One kernel, that enables FM radio on rooted models. We’re waiting for a ROM of this kind soon, possibly integrated into a build of Froyo, that’s being cooked by Paul O’Brien right now.
One of the most potent smartphones, as far as video processing is concerned, Samsung Galaxy S was recently tested in comparison with Nexus One, to see which of them qualifies as a portable console replacement. Galaxy S was victorious, but you can see that for yourself by comparing the two Quake 3 gameplay videos below. First, Samsung Galaxy S:
Nexus One is able to render 22 million triangles per second, while Galaxy S reaches the incredible 90 million triangles per second landmark. As shown by these videos, Nexus One can’t compare to the Samsung device, since its colours are not as vivid and the gameplay is not as fluid.
This Samsung phone looks like the ideal gaming device, but it won’t hold the title for too long, considering the evolution of smartphones/superphones. A 4 inch Super AMOLED Display, plus TouchWiz 3.0, a 1GHz CPU and great video processing can work wonders…
Nexus One owners will be pleased to find out that they’re getting another OTA update for their devices, the FRF91 version, to be more precise. We’re wondering if this is the final version of Android 2.2 Froyo and what else is there to be fixed.
Firmware version is FRF91 right now and there’s a download link over here, courtesy of developer Amon_Ra (as he’s known on Twitter). This update is meant for people who have already upgraded to FRF85B. Said software upgrade doesn’t change much, focusing on extra security updates and small changes under the platform’s hood.
XDA-developers has done it again, pushing a download, that implements 720p HD video capture on the Nexus One. You’ll need to have the CyanogenMOd version 5.0.8test3 on the handset, in order to get this to work. Audio and fps rate will improve with future updates, as we’ve learned from Engadget.
XDA wants to make the code compatible with Android 2.2 Froyo, but this will require a little bit of extra work. Considering that Nexus One and HTC Desire are very much the same device, should we expect a hack for that smartphone, as well. Here’s a sample of the 720p action on Nexus One and the download is available here.
In case you forgot, Google went out and announced that they’ll quit selling Nexus One via their online store, opting instead for cooperation with retailers and carriers. Independent retailer i Wireless has just started offering a couple of Android devices, including the Nexus One, fitting right in with the above mentioned plans.
For now, none of the 4 main American carriers intend to sell the product, but the interesting thing is that i Wireless is a T-Mobile affiliate, so this could mean something. Courtesy of this affiliation, you’ll get the handset for $299.95 on contract after rebate, which is much more than the usual $179 Google charges for the phone.
While Google restricted you to the Even More 500 plan to get the subsidy, i Wireless’ offer will allow you to choose almost any plan from T-Mobile’s portofolio.
We know you’ve seen Android 2.2 (Froyo) running on Nexus One, or maybe tried it yourself, but it appears that the platform is not available on the smartphone in the official version. One of Google’s employees (Ry Guy) mentioned that this is not the final build of Froyo and that Nexus One owners will get a notification when the Big G pushes the update.
The notification will come over the air and it’s possible that you’ll manually update the Nexus One before the software upgrade is rolled out, so there’s no need to be notified, then.
Motorola Droid owners are also waiting for their share of the update, coming in the “near future”/ next couple of weeks.
Considering that Verizon recently decided to give up on a Nexus One launch, opting for Droid Incredible instead, Sprint wants to pull out the same move, but with the HTC EVO 4G replacing the Google Phone. What’s not to like about the EVO 4G? It’s got a better screen than the Nexus One and WiMAX, plus a better camera.
As far as the launch date for EVO, Sprint said “summer”, which is more of a hint than a realistic launch date. At least it’s soon enough for fans of hardcore smartphones. What would you choose, between the Droid Incredible and HTC EVO 4G?
Remember the Nexus One tear down we detailed over here? It showed that the smartphone features a Broadcom chip, shown in the image below, that’s responsible with Wireless N support and an FM transmitter. Both features aren’t activated on the Nexus One, but they’ll be in the future, thanks to Android 2.2.
Broadcom and Google have recently released updated drivers for the WiFi chipset on the handset, enabling Wireless N. The famous hacker cyanogen aka Steve Kondik worked with kmobs, who compiled the needed files and uses them on a Nexus One unit.
The result can be seen in the video below, as the smartphone supports Wireless N.
