This is a reference post: I’m hoping that some/most of these issues are about to be fixed/disappear. I want to cross-reference this after Google’s latest OS update goes live. I’ll be coming back to this post, and seeing how much it’s changed (I’m hoping for big improvements).

Why now?

…Google is in the process of updating Android from version 2.1 to 2.2…

…Despite such a small version number, this change is enormous, fixing basic issues with terrible performance…

…The Nexus One has sold abominably badly compared to the older, weaker, slower iPhone, and the Android Market is mostly filled with amateurish rubbish…

What’s wrong with this phone? Basically, it’s designed for Google Engineers, not for normal people. Here are some observations I’ve made using it as my main phone for a couple of months.

30 things the Nexus One can’t do…

These are taken from my notes scribbled down quickly. I’ve double-checked all of them, but the details are brief. Some of them are so huge it’s amazing they shipped (for instance: under a standard setup, Gmail doesn’t send any emails, but claims it has – 100% of the time).

Send web forms that use javascript

…for instance, the popular StackOverflow.com site literally cannot be used, because Google’s web browser refuses to submit the search form

Take a screenshot

…which might partially explain why so many Android apps are so ugly – it’s very hard for consumers and reviewers to critique them

Use the correct cell-network / Disable cell-network roaming

…it jumps from your network to foreign networks (may be slower, probably are more expensive) if your network signal drops – but it NEVER returns!

Search your email locally

…the mail client refuses to search the locally-stored email, will only use Google’s webservers for searching

Attach a file to an email

…you are only “allowed” to attach photos, despite the built-in SD card and USB-storage. Unlike with iPhone, where you aren’t allowed access to the files in the first place, Android gives you files and storage … but won’t let you email them.

Type “…”

…the auto-correct thinks you put a space before a period. It is hard-coded to prevent you … from preventing it … from “correcting” your grammar. Unlike spelling-correction, you *cannot* prevent this. Grammar-fascists for the win!

Download files from the internet

…”this content is not supported on a phone” (why is Google judging what I am and am not “allowed” to download?)

Add a new label to an email in Gmail

…the core functionality of Gmail? Not implemented in the Gmail client

Scroll the content of webpages (if they use iframes)

…many websites can’t be used at all, because of the way they embed their content inside iframes

Comment in Disqus blogs for major news sites like VentureBeat

…the web-browser is so antiquated/buggy that it can’t handle the javascripts Disqus is using these days

Play videos from (Google-owned) YouTube: “Sorry, this video cannot be played”

…90% of YT videos embedded in webpages don’t load; most YT videos on the YT site don’t load either. Seems to be a bug in the YT app itself (it gives up with this error message … randomly)

Silence the keyboard while typing

…iPhone has a button on the side which silences it immediately, no matter where you are or what you’re doing

Use the web browser to go straight to a website

…it tries to use Google search instead; every letter you type causes data to be sent/received to Google search engine

Auto-correct words that are incorrect will live forever

…there’s no way to give the dictionary “new” words it doesn’t know, or to remove “old” words that you would never use (for instance, on Nexus One you cannot type “reading”, because there’s a town called “Reading”. Tough luck.)

You can’t go forward to the app you just opened

…you can go back, but don’t hit that “magic hardware back button” one time too many, or you’re lost

If you make a typo in a search, you have to re-type the entire thing

…Google deletes your search – in every app – every time you try to edit it

Correct a typo – even a single letter – when typing a website address

…because Google’s web-browser has no address-bar, only a “search” bar

Copy the web address you’re loading

…*really* important since it won’t allow you to edit the address if there’s a typo

You can’t sort App Store apps

…no idea why not, we’ve had this in most apps for more than 15 years

Unless you’re quick, you can’t see if you have waiting emails

…the scrollball glows with new emails, but only once

You can’t see the first half of your SMS messages when they arrive

…because the message starts displaying BEFORE the screen has unlocked (someone at Google forgot the animation timings)

You can’t write a smiley – i.e. “:)”

Google “auto-corrects” it for you, and deletes it

You often can’t click links on a webpage, even on Google.com searches

…The hit-detection in the browser is very very badly broken – should never have been launched with such huge bugs

You can’t rotate to the right

…Google’s apps only allow you to rotate to the left; they ignore you otherwise

You can’t move in text with the scrollball

…the sensitivity is wrong by a factor of 5 or more, and you cannot change it

Re-try a web address if you lose signal before it loads

…google’s browser sends you back to the previous page for no apparent reason

You cannot send an SMS to a phone number by simply typing the number

…50% of the time – at random – typing numbers in the “Messaging” app causes auto-complete to “not run”. It doesn’t matter that the number is in your addressbook – Nexus ignores this.

If someone emails you their cell number, you cannot phone them

…you have to find a pen, and a piece of paper, and manually copy the number from the email onto paper, then open the phone app, and type it in. (This also applies to the millions of people who include their contact details in their email SIG: Google won’t allow you to use that info)

Google Calendar is “unsupported” by Google’s Nexus One

…you cannot share calendars with other people; you cannot add or remove people to existing calenders. If you attempt this via the website, in desperation … Google’s website gives you an error message. If you persist, it doesn’t work. It goes haywire if you try to add people to your calendar.

Multi-touch often doesn’t work

…See this video: http://androidandme.com/2010/03/news/is-multitouch-broken-on-the-nexus-one/

No “quick on” button

… only the very stiff, small, power button on edge of case – the scrollball on the front can’t be used to switch on

Not allowed to know the sender of incoming emails

…you can only know the name, and the list of all “possible” email addresses that match that name

No “compose email” button

… you have to press a menu button, wait for it to appear, then the compose button becomes available

Cannot read (or edit) outgoing emails

…if an email fails to send, or is pending, you are only “allowed” to view the first 10 words

Delete accidental outgoing emails

…cannot even view the Outbox, let alone remove items from it

Send emails from Gmail never actually send

…if background synch is disabled, gmail claims it is “sending”, and then implies it is “sent”, but it’s a lie