I have had this phone since Feb of 2010 it is a very good phone. Super fast, and I have never had any issues with it. Until now almost a year after having it the screen will sometimes become unresponsive and requires a power down to make it work again.
I will be sending it back to HTC for a replacement...and should get another year at least out of it. Hopefully by then they will finally come out with something faster. I would like to see a phone with a processor faster than the 1GHZ Snapdragon that is in the Nexus, if thats possible, I would think a year from now that will be the top of the line as is the Nexus is now.
I've been in a iPhone user since Aug '07, and upgraded to the 3GS in June '09 the day it came out. But after 2.5 yrs, got somewhat "bored" with the iPhone. Nexus One came out at just the right time. The 4th gen iphone is still at least 6 months out I assume... So giving the Nexus One a shot. So far I like it a LOT!
Screen: Amazing clarify and vividness! Colors explode off the screen. So crisp and sharp. Photos look unreal on it. And even at low brightness levels, it works superbly. Especially at night - very easy on the eyes. Auto brightness works well in the dark.
Speed: this thing is FAST... screen flipping is instant... scrolling in liquid smooth... Browsing is the fastest I've experienced on a handheld yet. The 3GS was fast, but the Nexus feels equal of better in speed. Running on T-Mo's 3G - getting instant page loading.
Signal: I don't know if I'm one of the lucky few, but my Nexus One doesn't seem to be subject to the 3G>Edge constant switching back and forth. SOLID 3G signal, with FULL bars most of the time. Signal drops down inside buildings, but Edge isn't far behind. WiFi works great.
Phone: as a phone, it's phenomenal! Earpiece loudness and clarity are noticeable. Haven't had a dropped call yet after a week of solid use. Even down to 1 or no bars, phone signal stays locked on. Speaker phone is nice and LOUD! Although it's sound quality is sub-par... very tin-ey... not much bass to it. But the device is thin, so that doesn't help. A better speaker though (not for Loudness - since that is great, but for sound reproduction quality). But it's still very much usable, even for listening to music at your desk or by the bedside.
Form: one of the best parts of this phone are how well it fits in hand. The shape, the "thin-ness", and the texture make this one of the best feeling devices in hand. Far better feeling and MUCH less slippery than an iPhone 3G/3GS. Equal or better than the iPhone 2G. Both (Nexus and iPhone 2G) are less curved than a 3G/3GS, and also have true metal casings. This is a successful formula I think. Overly curved backs, and slippery plastic, don't belong on a high end smartphone. And thin-ness also makes pocketing this thing a joy. Very un-obtrusive in a jean pocket.
Trackball: actually find this quite useful... when one-handing the device, sometimes moving your thumb all the way to the top of the screen is awkward... that's where the trackball comes it. It can be pressed to select. Works well to fine tune the cursor position in a small textbox. Also glows for indication of messages. I find the position to be great for one handed operation and it's not in the way of the haptic buttons or the screen.
Build: HTC has impressed me. The build quality on my Nexus One is above and beyond what I expected. Makes a RIM BB look like a toy. SOLID feeling in hand. VERY thin, yet nice hefty and dense feel to it, yet no overly portly like a Moto Droid or BB Storm. Feels like a nice Mercedes. :)
Overall VERY happy with the device. It will be a tough call once the 4th gen iphone makes and appearance. Will have to wait and see.... ;)The supplied ear buds are absolutely HORRIBLE for sound quality...
WAAAAY too trebley, and lack bass (even by ear bud standards)...
Extremely poor sounding, and not loud enough either. My iphone ear
buds, that I'm using now, which aren't known to the be the greatest put
the Nexus ear buds to shame for sound quality, loudness, treble and
bass response.HTC should be ashamed for shipping the Nexus One
with such sub-par ear phones. Plus they don't fit the ear well - the
straight shaft part of the ear buds is too close the ear... makes for a
lot of discomfort after but a few minutes in the ear.
I have had the phone since the 6th of Jan. which was the soonest it could arrive and i have to say the phone is down right amazing. i have had the G1, MyTouch 3G, Motorola Cliq, and iPhone but by far this is the smoothest and easiest to use the amazing screen quality takes away all fears of not having a keyboard. it is truely a must have for any android user.
After owning a G1, the Nexus One is Amazingly fast, yet familar. The applications open about twice as fast and the web-browsing experience feels much more smooth and polished. The moving background is a nice touch and doesn't seem to wipe out the battery like I feared it would. In fact, the battery life has been terrific since I've only charged the phone once and the battery is just a little below half after 2 days of pretty consistent internet usage. The only part which I'm having trouble getting used to is the lack of a physical keyboard. The virtual keyboard is much improved and is actually usable on the 3.7" screen, but I still miss the tactile feedback you get from real keys. This is really a preference thing so I won't hold it against the phone. The only other problem is the placement of the power button near the volume keys. Everytime I set the phone to standby, I end up turn the volume down or off by mistake. Mind you, that's a minor thing, but it is a little annoying. Other than that, the phone works great and doesn't seem to have any of these 3G connection problems I've been hearing about (atleast here is Seattle). I really don't know what else I could ask for from a phone...