{"id":5271,"date":"2010-12-07T17:49:51","date_gmt":"2010-12-07T16:49:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michael-hoepfl.com\/digital-world\/android-with-the-nexus-s-google-finally-catches-up-with-apple\/12-2010\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T22:37:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T20:37:36","slug":"android-with-the-nexus-s-google-finally-catches-up-with-apple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michael-hoepfl.com\/en\/imho\/android-with-the-nexus-s-google-finally-catches-up-with-apple\/12-2010\/","title":{"rendered":"Android: With the Nexus S, Google Finally Catches Up with Apple"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It looks as though the Nexus S announced today could soon become a good alternative to Apple\u2019s iPhone 4. Engadget.com reports very enthusiastically<\/a> after an initial test with a demo unit. Spiegel Online says it is not an iPhone killer, but sees the new Google phone as a technology showcase and driver. I see it somewhat differently: the real iPhone killer is Android itself, which now runs on more mobile phones than Apple\u2019s iOS<\/a>, although it still trails the iPad in the new tablet market.<\/p>\n\n

With the Nexus S, Google has finally managed to bring Android 2.3 up to the level of the iPhone and iOS. Google achieves this with a thoroughly revised interface that is said to look much more polished. Important functions such as cutting and pasting text have also been improved. Published photos confirm these reports<\/a>. Build quality and design are also said to make a good impression \u2013 although that is naturally always a matter of taste.<\/p>\n

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Taking Aim at Apple\u2019s iPhone 4: Google\u2019s Nexus S<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

I also believe that Android smartphones have so far not been a true alternative to current iPhones. I have had several opportunities to try current models such as the Nexus S predecessor, the Nexus One. Again and again, my experience confirmed what I had read in reviews: an iPhone simply felt more polished to use. It may sound trivial, but even the lack of a rotation animation on a Google phone immediately stood out to me.<\/p>\n\n

The fact that Android apps have so far sometimes received less attention than iPhone applications may be related. For a long time, probably the most important smartphone app at the time, Facebook<\/a>, was miles better on the iPhone. The Nexus S therefore gives hope that the Android app market will gain importance and that applications will catch up with iPhone\/iOS apps in quality and selection. Android 2.3\u2019s successor, Honeycomb, which is intended to be better suited to tablets, is another reason for optimism. Android could then become a technology driver for the iPad as well, as the following prototype demonstration at \u201cD:Dive into mobile\u201d impressively shows.<\/p>\n\n

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