Google Nexus One, the Desire's doppelganger

Google’s Nexus One shares the same design as the HTC Desire. The key difference is that the Nexus One features a physical trackball and four touch-sensitive buttons below the display.

The generous 3.7in AMOLED display is user-friendly and a delight to type on. The display offers an exquisite image - until you get it outside, where it suffers from glare and shows up every fingerprint. The AMOLED display is also power hungry, punishing the Nexus One in the battery tests.

The Nexus One’s 1GHz processor ensures apps load quickly and the menus are responsive. The exception is the four touch-sensitive buttons beneath the display, which can become unresponsive at times – spoiling the user experience. The raw Android interface also feels a little spartan once you’ve spent time with HTC’s Sense UI skin.

Only a few widgets come pre-installed: news and weather, Google search, Android Market and the media player. The default Facebook and Twitter apps are also installed, offering tight integration with your Contacts list. It includes the latest Android 2.2 features including Wi-Fi hotspot options and the Navigation app. Navigation’s turn-by-turn features weren’t officially supported in Australia at the time of print so, like Google Maps, Navigation would generate a list of directions but not read them aloud during a journey. You can also install Adobe’s Flash Player 10.1 Beta, which offers very smooth video playback.