Google’s Nexus One has been available in the UK as an import since the handset made its debut several months back, but as of April 30th Vodafone UK will be selling the smartphone officially. In contrast to US sales, which are all through Google’s online portal, Vodafone will be stocking the Nexus One in-store and also selling it through their own site; the Vodafone Nexus One will be available from free on new 24-month contracts of £35 per month or higher.
Specs-wise it’s the same Android smartphone as we’ve seen so much of already, with a 3.7-inch AMOLED capacitive multitouch-capable touchscreen, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 3G/UMTS connectivity. There’s a 4GB microSD card in the box, and the Google Maps Navigation beta preloaded.
You can preorder the Vodafone Nexus One now, though the website currently says it will be shipped by May 5th; we’re checking with Vodafone to see which date is accurate. What remains to be seen is whether the Nexus One turns out to be more popular than the HTC Desire, which has almost identical specifications but runs HTC Sense.
Update: Vodafone UK tell us that if you order a Nexus One today then you’ll get it on April 30th; however with the UK Bank Holiday weekend approaching, they didn’t want to over-promise on delivery, hence the extra wiggle-room with the May 5th estimate.
[via SlashGear]
Press Release:
GOOGLE NEXUS ONE LAUNCHES ON VODAFONE UK
· Nexus One™ available to Vodafone customers in the UK on April 30
· Pre-order from today on the UK’s best network
· Great value – free on £35 price plan
· Available through Vodafone retail, online and telesales
From today, Vodafone UK customers can order the Nexus One, the new superphone from Google™, at vodafone.co.uk/nexusone.
Vodafone is the first European mobile operator to offer Nexus One. Customers who pre-order online will be the first to get a Nexus One for free on a £35 monthly price plan (24 month), on April 30. The Nexus One will also be available via Vodafone stores and telesales, with Vodafone providing direct support to customers with the superphone when they need it.
Nexus One will be available on a range of great value Vodafone price plans, on both 18 and 24 month contracts. Price plans start from £25 a month on a 24 month contract.
Vodafone UK customers with the Nexus One can use up to 1GB of mobile data as part of their price plan as well as take advantage of unlimited access to Wi-Fi in the home and free, publicly available services throughout the country. Customers using Wi-Fi can also use an additional 1GB of data at premium BT Openzone hotspots throughout the UK.
Nexus One features the latest in Google innovation including Google Maps™ Navigation (Beta), which offers satnav-style turn-by-turn driving directions with voice output and Street View. Also included are other favourites like Google Mail, YouTube and access to Android Market™ with more than 40,000 applications.
Google Maps Navigation is an Internet-connected GPS navigation system that provides turn-by-turn voice guidance as a free feature of Google Maps for Android™. Key features include Google Search and Search by voice to find your destination, the most recent maps, businesses and live traffic from Google Maps, and street and satellite views.
Vodafone UK customers now have a wide choice of Android phones, truly establishing Vodafone as the home of the Smartphone.
Nexus One Hardware Features
Display: 3.7″ AMOLED 480×800 WVGA display
Thinness: 11.5mm; Weight: 130g
Processor/Speed: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 3G QSD8250 chipset, delivering speeds up to 1GHz
Camera: 5 megapixel auto focus with flash and geo tagging
Onboard memory: 512MB Flash, 512MB RAM
Expandable memory: 4GB removable SD Card (expandable to 32GB)
Noise Suppression: Dynamic noise suppression from Audience, Inc.
Ports: 3.5mm stereo headphone jack with four contacts for inline voice and remote control
Battery: Removable 1400 mAh
Personalized laser engraving: Up to 50 characters on the back of the phone
Trackball: Tri-colour notification LED, alerts when new emails, chats, text messages arrive
