Nexus One For Dummies E-Book

Dan Gookin

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Seitenzahl: 392

Beschreibung

Exploit the full power of the revolutionary Google Nexus One superphone Nexus One is Google's answer to Apple's iPhone and RIM's BlackBerry. Covering a range of how-to topics, from the most useful Nexus One features and tricks of the core applications, to techniques to get the most out of the device, Nexus One For Dummies is the practical user's guide to the Google Nexus One smartphone. * Uses full-color to showcase all the features of the Nexus One, approaching each from the point of view of the user who is new to the technology or discouraged with the scant documentation and online support * Covers a broad range of topics, from setup and configuration, to texting, emailing, accessing the Internet, synching with a PC, using the camera, and expanding the phone's potential with new software * Written by the most popular For Dummies author, known throughout the world for his ability to make complex topics easy to understand with his fun and friendly writing style Nexus One For Dummies empowers you to maximize the performance of Google's superphone. After all, what's the point of buying the world's latest, greatest smartphone and never understanding how the thing works?

Leseprobe

Nexus One™ For Dummies®

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

How to Use This Book

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Say Hello to Your New Phone

Part II: Your Basic Phone

Part III: Other Forms of Communication

Part IV: O What Your Phone Can Do!

Part V: Off the Hook

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Say Hello to Your New Phone

Chapter 1: A Nexus One Just for You

Initial Phone Setup

Looking in the box

Installing the phone’s battery

Charging the battery

Nexus One Orientation

Knowing what’s what on your phone

Discovering the earphones

Exploring your phone’s guts

Using other phone accessories

A Home for Your Phone

Carrying the Nexus One

Storing the Nexus One

Chapter 2: Setup and Configuration

Hello, Phone

Turning on the Nexus One for the first time

Turning on the phone

Waking up the phone

Account and Synchronization Setup

Getting a Google account

Setting up a Google account on your phone

Changing your Google password

Configuring the Nexus One for corporate use

Goodbye, Phone

Snoozing the phone

Controlling snooze options

Turning off the phone

Chapter 3: The Nexus One Basic Tour

Basic Nexus One Operations

Using the soft buttons

Manipulating the touch screen

Setting the volume

Using the trackball

“Silence your phone!”

Going horizontal

There’s No Screen Like Home

I’ve Been Working on the Home Screen

Reviewing notifications

Starting an application

Accessing a widget

Using Car Home

The Launcher

Discovering all apps on your phone

Finding lost apps

Reviewing your most recently used apps

Chapter 4: Human–Phone Interaction

The Onscreen Keyboard

Displaying the keyboard

Typing on your phone

Displaying special characters

Choosing a word as you type

Text Editing

Moving the cursor

Selecting text

Selecting text on a Web page

Cutting, copying, and pasting text

Voice Input

Part II: Your Basic Phone

Chapter 5: The Telephone Thing

Reach Out and Touch Someone

Making a phone call

Dialing a contact

Phoning someone you call often

Using the Voice Dialer

It’s the Phone!

Receiving a call

Setting incoming call signals

Who’s Calling Who When?

Dealing with a missed call

Reviewing the call log

Chapter 6: More Phone Stuff

Multiple Call Mania

Putting someone on hold

Receiving a new call when you’re on the phone

Juggling two calls

Making a conference call

Send a Call Elsewhere

Forwarding phone calls

Sending a contact directly to voice mail

Fun with Ringtones

Choosing the phone’s ringtone

Setting a contact’s ringtone

Using music as a ringtone

Creating your own ringtones

Other Phone Features

Setting Caller ID

Activating call waiting

Chapter 7: Message for You!

Carrier Voice Mail

Setting up carrier voice mail

Getting your messages

Voice Mail with Google Voice

Understanding Google Voice

Setting up Google Voice

Getting a Google Voice message

Using Google Voice on the Internet

Chapter 8: Friends, Enemies, Contacts

The People You Know

Presenting the Contacts list

Searching contacts

A New Contact Is Born

Making a new contact

Importing a boatload of contacts

Editing a contact

Sharing a contact

Removing a contact

Part III: Other Forms of Communication

Chapter 9: When Your Thumbs Do the Talking

Message for You!

Composing a new text message to a contact

Sending a text message when you know only the phone number

Receiving a text message

Multimedia Messages

Composing a multimedia message

Attaching multimedia to a message

Receiving a multimedia message

Message Management

Deleting a conversation

Controlling message settings

Chapter 10: The Electronic Missive

Mail Call!

You’ve Got Mail

Getting a new message

Checking the inbox

Reading an e-mail message

Searching e-mail

Make Your Own Mail

Composing a new electronic message

Starting a new message from a contact

Message Attachments

E-Mail Configuration

Setting up an e-mail account

Creating a signature

Setting e-mail options

Chapter 11: Out on the Web

Behold the Web Page

Looking at the Web

Visiting a Web page

Browsing back and forth

Using bookmarks

Managing multiple Web page windows

Search the Web

Sharing a page

The Perils and Joys of Downloading

Grabbing an image from a Web page

Downloading a file

Reviewing your downloads

Web Controls and Settings

Setting a home page

Changing the way the Web looks

Setting privacy and security options

Chapter 12: A Social Networking Butterfly

Your Life on Facebook

Creating a Facebook account

Visiting Facebook

Setting your Facebook status

Taking a picture and sending it to Facebook

Sharing a picture you already have

Changing various Facebook settings

Become Famous with Twitter

Setting up Twitter on the Nexus One

Tweeting to other twits

Other Social Networking Opportunities

Chapter 13: The Nexus One Connection

Phone-to-Computer Sharing

Connecting the phone to the computer

Disconnecting the phone from the computer

Accessing information on the MicroSD card

Synchronizing with doubleTwist

Unmounting, removing, and replacing the MicroSD card

Wireless Network Access

Using the digital network

Turning on Wi-Fi

Accessing a Wi-Fi network

Bluetooth Gizmos

Activating Bluetooth

Using a Bluetooth device

Part IV: O What Your Phone Can Do!

Chapter 14: Fun with Maps and Navigation

Basic Map

Using the Maps app

Spiffing up the map with Labs

The Phone Is Your Copilot

Locating your address

Finding locations on the map

Getting directions

Navigating to your destination

Adding a navigation shortcut to the Home screen

Chapter 15: Say “Cheese”

The Phone Has a Camera

Taking a picture

Reviewing the picture

Adjusting the camera

You Ought to Be on Video

Recording video

Reviewing your movie

Setting various video options

Chapter 16: A Digital Louvre

A Gallery of Images

Perusing the Gallery

Working with pictures

Managing images and videos in groups

Share Your Pics and Vids with the World

Sharing your pictures and videos

Uploading a video to YouTube

Chapter 17: Your Pocket Is Alive with the Sound of Music

Now Hear This!

Browsing your music library

Playing a tune

Turning your phone into a deejay

Organize Your Music

Reviewing playlists

Creating a playlist

Deleting music

More Music

Synchronizing music with your computer

Buying music at the Amazon MP3 store

Chapter 18: Various and Sundry Apps

More than a Wall Calendar

Understanding the Calendar

Browsing dates

Reviewing your schedule

Making a new event

Your Phone the Calculator

Ticktock Goes the Clock

Here’s Your News and Weather

There’s No Tube like YouTube

Chapter 19: More Apps from the Android Market

Welcome to the Market

Visiting the Market

Getting a free app

Buying an app

Manage Your Applications

Reviewing your downloads

Updating an app

Removing installed software

Controlling your apps

Part V: Off the Hook

Chapter 20: Out and About

Where the Nexus One Roams

Airplane Mode

International Calling

Dialing an international number

Taking your Nexus One abroad

Chapter 21: Customize Your Phone

It’s Your Home Screen

Changing wallpaper

Adding apps to the Home screen

Slapping down widgets

Creating shortcuts

Rearranging and removing icons and widgets

Organizing apps into folders

Phone Security

Setting a lock

Creating an unlock pattern

Using a PIN

Adding a password

Various Phone Adjustments

Changing various settings

Using accessibility settings

Chapter 22: Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Battery Care and Feeding

Monitoring the battery

Determining what is sucking up power

Saving battery life

Regular Phone Maintenance

Keeping it clean

Backing up your phone

Updating the system

Help and Troubleshooting

Fixing random and annoying problems

Getting support

Nexus One Q&A

“The touch screen doesn’t work!”

“The keyboard is too small!”

“The battery won’t charge!”

“The phone gets so hot that it turns itself off!”

“The phone doesn’t do Landscape mode!”

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Chapter 23: Ten Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts

Summon a Recently Opened App

Redundant E-Mail Checking

Stop Unneeded Services

Set Keyboard Feedback

Add a Word to the Dictionary

Set Vibrate with the Volume Control

Create a Direct-Dial Screen Shortcut

Create a Direct Text-Message Screen Shortcut

Find Your Lost Cellphone

Enter Location Information for Your Events

Chapter 24: Ten Things to Remember

Lock the Phone on a Call

Landscape Orientation

Use the Trackball

Use the Keyboard Suggestions

Things That Consume Lots of Battery Juice

Check for Roaming

Use the Plus Sign When Dialing Internationally

Properly Access the MicroSD Card

Snap a Pic of That Contact

The Search Command

Chapter 25: Ten Worthy Apps

Advanced Task Killer

AK Notepad

FlightMode Control Widget

Google Finance

Linda Manager

Movies

Ringdroid

ScreenMode Widget

Voice Recorder

Zedge

Nexus One™ For Dummies®

by Dan Gookin

Nexus One™ For Dummies®

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2010930959

ISBN: 978-0-470-64173-6

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Author

Dan Gookin has written over 115 books about technology, many of them accurate. He is most famously known as the author of the original For Dummies book, DOS For Dummies, published in 1991. Additionally, Dan has achieved fame as one of the first computer radio talk show hosts, the editor of a computer magazine, a national technology spokesman, and an occasional actor on the community theater stage.

Dan still considers himself a writer and technology “guru” whose job it is to remind everyone that our electronics are not to be taken too seriously. His approach is light and humorous, yet very informative. He knows that modern gizmos can be complex and intimidating, but necessary to help people become productive and successful. Dan mixes his vast knowledge of all things high-tech with a unique, dry sense of humor that keeps everyone informed — and awake.

Dan Gookin’s most recent books are Word 2010 For Dummies, PCs For Dummies, Windows 7 Edition, and Laptops For Dummies, 4th Edition. He holds a degree in communications/visual arts from the University of California, San Diego. Dan dwells in North Idaho, where he enjoys woodworking, music, theater, riding his bicycle, being with his boys, and fighting local government corruption.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions and Editorial

Senior Project Editor: Mark Enochs

Acquisitions Editor: Katie Mohr

Copy Editor: Rebecca Whitney

Technical Editor: Erick Tseng

Editorial Manager: Leah Cameron

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Graham

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Sheree Montgomery

Layout and Graphics: Samantha K. Cherolis, Kelly Kijovsky

Proofreaders: Dwight Ramsey, Evelyn Wellborn

Indexer: BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher

Composition Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Introduction

Well, I suppose it has come to this, a whole book about using a cellphone. Honestly, this is the first technology book I’ve written where the book itself is larger and weighs more than the technology I’m writing about. In fact, if you find this book’s content completely useless, you can carve out its pages and use the book as a handy carrying case for your Nexus One. I do believe, however, that this book has a lot more to offer you than a clever cellphone disguise.

I’m thankful that modern cellphones, or smartphones, let you easily make phone calls. Sure, they do other things, but most people are just too intimidated or bewildered to figure that stuff out. Phones now have so many features, and so many new ways to access them, that the mere thought of owning a phone as advanced as the Nexus One can make a typical mortal human flee in terror.

Relax. You have nothing to fear from the Nexus One, primarily because the book you have in your hands is designed to ease your anxiety and show you that you aren’t a cellphone dummy. Technology can be intimidating, but armed with the material in this book, you’ll be using your Nexus One to its fullest abilities in no time. Heck, you might even enjoy it.

About This Book

This book is a reference. I don’t intend for you to read it from cover to cover. Instead, you’ll find each chapter its own, self-contained unit covering a specific topic about using the Nexus One. Each chapter is further divided into sections representing tasks you perform with the phone or explaining how to get something done. Sample sections in this book include:

Typing on your phone

Receiving a new call when you’re on the phone

Understanding Google Voice

Taking a picture and sending it to Facebook

Turning your phone into a deejay

Getting a free app

Dialing an international number

Battery-saving tips

There’s nothing to memorize, no mysterious utterances, no animal sacrifices, and definitely no PowerPoint presentations. Instead, every section explains a topic as though it’s the first thing you read in this book. Nothing is assumed, and everything is cross-referenced. Technical terms and topics, when they come up, are neatly shoved to the side, where they’re easily avoided. The idea here isn’t to learn anything. This book’s philosophy is to help you look it up, figure it out, and get back to your life.

How to Use This Book

This book follows a few conventions for using the Nexus One. The main way you interact with your phone is by using the touch screen, the glassy part of the phone as it’s facing you. Buttons also adorn the Nexus One, all of which are explained in Part I of this book.

You have various ways to touch the screen, which are explained and named in Chapter 3.

Chapter 4 discusses text input on the Nexus One, which can either involve the onscreen keyboard or dictation. Whenever you’re told to input information into the phone, you use the onscreen keyboard or dictation (though dictation doesn’t work everywhere).

This book directs you to do things on your phone by following numbered steps. Each step involves a specific activity, such as touching something on the screen — for example:

3. Choose Downloads.

This step directs you to touch the text or item on the screen labeled Downloads. You might also be told to do this:

3. Touch Downloads.

Some phone options can be turned off or on, as indicated by a gray box with a green check mark, shown in the margin. By touching the box on the screen, you add or remove the green check mark. When the green check mark appears, the option is on; otherwise, it’s off.

Foolish Assumptions

Even though this book is written with the gentle handholding required by anyone who is just starting out or who is easily intimidated, I have made a few assumptions. For example, I assume that you’re a human being and not merely a cleverly disguised owl.

My biggest assumption: You have a Nexus One phone from Google. Though this book can be used generically with any Android phone, it’s specific to the tasks the Nexus One can perform, and to all the special features added by Google to its very own phone.

I also assume that you have a computer, either a desktop or laptop. The computer can be a PC or Windows computer, or it can be a Macintosh. Oh, I suppose it could also be a Linux computer. In any event, I refer to your computer as “your computer” throughout this book. When my directions are specific to a PC or Mac, I say so.

A program that runs on the Nexus One is an app, which is short for application.

Finally, this book doesn’t assume that you have a Google account, but having one already really helps. Information is provided in Chapter 2 about setting up a Google account — an important part of using a Nexus One; having an account opens up a slew of useful features, information, and programs that make using your Nexus One more productive.

How This Book Is Organized

This book has been sliced into six parts, each of which describes a certain aspect of the Nexus One or how it’s used.

Part I: Say Hello to Your New Phone

This part of the book serves as your introduction to the Nexus One. Chapters cover setup and orientation and familiarize you with how the phone works. This part is a good place to start because you’ll discover information that isn’t obvious from just guessing how the phone works.

Part II: Your Basic Phone

Nothing is more basic for a phone to do than make phone calls, which is the topic of the chapters in this part of the book. The Nexus One can make calls, receive calls, and serve as an answering service for calls you miss. It also manages all the people you know and even those you don’t want to know but have to know anyway.

Part III: Other Forms of Communication

The Nexus One is about more than just telephone communications. This part of the book explores other ways you can use your phone to stay in touch with people, the Internet, and other gizmos such as your desktop computer or a Bluetooth headset. Chapters in this part explain how to use the Nexus One for text messaging, sending and receiving e-mail, browsing the Web, using social networking sites, and setting up your phone for networking, among other things.

Part IV: O What Your Phone Can Do!

This part of the book explores those nonphone tasks that your Google phone can do. For example, it can find locations on a map, give you verbal driving directions, take pictures, shoot videos, play music, play games, and do all sorts of wonderful things that no one would ever believe that a phone can do. The chapters in this part of the book get you up to speed on those activities.

Part V: Off the Hook

The chapters in this part of the book discuss a slate of interesting topics, from taking the phone overseas and making international calls to customizing the phone and completing the necessary chore of maintenance and troubleshooting.

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Finally, this book ends with the traditional For Dummies Part of Tens, where each chapter lists ten items or topics. For the Nexus One, the chapters include tips, tricks, shortcuts, things to remember, and a list of some of my favorite Nexus One apps.

Icons Used in This Book

This icon flags useful, helpful tips or shortcuts.

This icon marks a friendly reminder to do something.

This icon marks a friendly reminder not to do something.

This icon alerts you to overly nerdy information and technical discussions of the topic at hand. The information is optional reading, though it may win you a round of Double Jeopardy.

Where to Go from Here

Start reading! Observe the table of contents and find something that interests you. Or, look up your question in the index. When those suggestions don’t cut it, just start reading Chapter 1.

My e-mail address is [email protected]. Yes, that’s my real address. I reply to all e-mail I receive, and you get a quick reply if you keep your question short and specific to this book. Although I enjoy saying Hi, I cannot answer technical support questions, resolve billing issues, or help you troubleshoot your phone. Thanks for understanding.

You can also visit my Web page for more information or as a diversion: www.wambooli.com.

Enjoy this book and your Nexus One!

Please note that some special symbols used in this ePub may not display properly on all eReader devices. If you have trouble determining any symbol, please call Wiley Product Technical Support at 800-762-2974. Outside of the United States, please call 317-572-3993. You can also contact Wiley Product Technical Support at www.wiley.com/techsupport.

Part I

Say Hello to Your New Phone

In this part . . .

Once upon a time, it wasn’t your phone. No, the phone belonged to The Phone Company. When you moved, you left the phone. When you bought a new house, The Phone Company gave you a new phone to use. It may seem terrible not to own your phone, but what’s truly terrible is having to get a new phone over and over again, often just to flee the oppressive tyranny of a cellular pricing plan.

Ho boy! Change has come, and it’s a good thing for you as a cellphone owner. You have in your possession one of the best phones ever, the Nexus One. It does a lot. I won’t fool you by saying that it’s uncomplicated and easy to use. Seriously, the Nexus One is such an advanced cellphone that it has been dubbed the superphone. This part of the book introduces you to the Nexus One, explaining some of the advanced complex information in as calm a manner as possible.

1

A Nexus One Just for You

In This Chapter

Putting your phone together

Charging the battery

Identifying the phone’s pieces parts

Taking the phone with you

Keeping the phone in one place

I find high-tech packaging to be either a source of joy or a cause of woe. The boxes that some gizmos come in are delightful to open, almost breathtaking. Then there’s the hard-shell plastic container. It’s impossible to open, requiring assault with a heavy-gauge knife or an industrial laser to free its contents. Heck, those packages should be air-dropped on strategic positions during wartime. Enemy soldiers would either die from the frustration of not being able to open the darn things or cut themselves on the hard plastic and bleed to death.

Fortunately for you, the Nexus One comes in a charming box that’s pleasurable to open and explore. It’s fun! Your enjoyment lasts a short time, though, because it isn’t opening the box that inspired this chapter. No, it’s what’s inside the box that makes this orientation chapter necessary.

Initial Phone Setup

Wouldn’t it be cool if you were opening the box your new phone came in and the phone started to ring? You’d quickly open the box, lift the phone from its gentle, cardboard cradle, and put the phone to your ear as a cartoony voice said, “Thanks for buying me!” Someday that may happen. Until then, you have to complete some initial phone setup for the Nexus One, which is covered in this section.

Looking in the box

Several things come in the Nexus One phone box. Even though you’ve probably opened the box already and scattered its contents to the four winds, I suggest that you take a moment to locate and identify each of the following goodies:

Nexus One phone

Papers, instructions, the warranty, perhaps a booklet tersely titled Important

The phone’s battery

Earphones (including the tiny ear bud covers and cable clip)

USB cable

Power adapter

Sleeve

The most important doodad is the phone itself, which must be assembled before you can use it. So, no, it won’t be ringing inside the box. (See the next section for assembly directions.)

You can safely set all this stuff aside until you get the phone assembled. I recommend keeping the instructions and other information as long as you own the phone: The phone’s box makes an excellent storage place for that stuff as well as for anything else you don’t plan to use right away. Plus, the box looks handsome on any bookshelf or bureau.

Your phone may come with more goodies than the ones described in this book. If anything is missing or appears to be damaged, contact Google support at (888) 48NEXUS, or online atgoogle.com/phone/support.

Installing the phone’s battery

Your first duty as a Nexus One owner is to install the battery. Your second duty is to charge the battery. Installing the battery is easy, and charging it doesn’t require a lightning storm and a kite.

To install the battery, you remove the phone’s back cover. Remove the phone from its box and from any plastic wrapping, if you haven’t already. Follow these steps:

1. Flip the phone over so that the front (the glassy part) is facing away from you.

You cannot remove the phone’s cover when the headset is plugged in or when the phone is turned on. If the headset is plugged in, unplug it; if the phone has already been turned on (which is difficult when the battery hasn’t been installed), turn off the phone.

2. Place both your thumbs on the bottom part of the upper back cover.

Refer to Figure 1-1 for the proper thumb placement.

Figure 1-1: A thumb placement suggestion for removing the back cover.

3. Using your thumbs, push up the upper part of the back of the case.

A gentle push is all that’s required; feel free to squeeze the phone as you push upward. The back cover pops up a wee bit, about 1//8-inch (refer to Figure 1-1).

4. Remove the phone’s back cover and set it aside.

Avoid the temptation to look through the camera’s eye hole before you set aside the cover — well, unless the room is empty. Then it’s okay.

5. Orient the battery so that its metallic contacts are in the lower left corner as you’re looking at the back of the phone.

The battery is shaped like a giant, square mint cookie. The phone’s battery doesn’t taste like mint, so please do not eat it.

6. Insert the battery, left edge first, into the phone, and then lower the right edge, like you’re closing the cover on a book.

See Figure 1-2 for help in positioning and inserting the battery. The metal contacts on the battery should be on the lower left edge as you insert the battery into the phone, as illustrated in the figure.

When the battery is fully inserted, the back of it is flush with the back of the phone; it cannot stick up, not one itty bit.

7. Replace the phone’s back cover.

Put the cover back on the phone just about 1//8-inch above where it normally sits. Then slide down the cover, using your thumbs, until it locks into position.

After the battery is installed, the next step is to charge it. Continue reading in the next section.

The phone may turn itself on after you insert the battery the first time. If you’re ready to set up and configure the phone, go to Chapter 2 and read the section “Turning on the Nexus One for the first time.” Otherwise, follow these steps to turn off the phone:

1. Press and hold the power button on top of the phone.

After a moment, you see the Power Off button, on the phone’s touch screen display.

2. Touch the Power Off button with your finger.

3. Touch the OK button to confirm.

The phone turns itself off.

When you’re ready to turn the phone on for the first time, read the section “Turning on the Nexus One for the first time” in Chapter 2.

Figure 1-2: Inserting the phone’s battery.

Charging the battery

After inserting the battery into your new phone, your next step is to charge it. It’s cinchy:

1. Plug the phone’s charging adapter into a wall socket.

2. Plug the phone into the charger cord.

The charger cord plugs into the micro USB connector, found at the phone’s bottom edge. The connector plugs in only one way.

As the phone charges, the notification light on the phone’s front side lights up. When the light is orangish yellow, the phone is charging. When the light is green, the phone is fully charged.

Wait until the notification light turns green before unplugging the phone from the power cable, especially the first time you charge the phone.

The notification light uses three colors: amber for charging, green for fully charged, and red for a low battery.

You can use the phone while it’s charging.

The Nexus One can use any standard cellphone charger. The charger must have a micro USB connector to be able to plug into the phone.

You can charge the Nexus One in your car, using what was once called a “cigarette lighter.” Simply ensure that your car cellphone charger features a micro USB connector.

The phone also charges itself when plugged into a computer using either the USB cable that came with the phone or any micro USB cable attached to a computer. The computer must be on for charging to work.

A micro USB connector is a standard USB connector, but one that features a teensy dongle that plugs into the bottom of the Nexus One phone. The connector has a flat, trapezoid shape, which makes it different from the mini-USB connector, which is squat and slightly larger and used primarily on evil cellphones.

Nexus One Orientation

People still refer to “dialing” a phone even though you have to look hard to find a phone with a dial on it any more. Even the familiar touch-tone pad is gone from modern cellphones such as the Nexus One. Instead, you find a nice, flat, glass front and a sleek body that 50 years ago my grandmother would have mistaken for a fancy cigarette case. Festoon that case with buttons, knobs, and holes and you have a need for some basic gizmo orientation.

Knowing what’s what on your phone

Like all other confusing things, the Nexus One attempts to intimidate you with some new terms for its features, not to mention that you may not be aware of all the hardware features available. Fret not, gentle reader.

Figure 1-3 illustrates the names of all the useful knobs and doodads on the front of your Nexus One phone. Figure 1-4 illustrates the same thing, but for your phone’s backside.

Figure 1-3: Your phone’s face.

Figure 1-4: Your phone’s rump.

The terms referenced in both Figures 1-3 and 1-4 are the same as used elsewhere in this book as well as in whatever scant Nexus One documentation exists.

The phone’s power button, which turns the phone off or on, is found on top of the phone, as shown in both figures.

The main part of the phone is the touch screen display. You use the touch screen with one or more of your fingers to control the phone, which is where it gets the name touch screen.

The soft buttons appear below the touch screen (refer to Figure 1-3). They have no function unless the phone is turned on.

Yes, the main microphone is on the bottom of the phone. Even so, it still picks up your voice, loud and clear. You have no need to hold the phone at an angle for the bottom microphone to work.

The trackball rolls around and can be pressed like a button. It also lights up and pulses when the phone tries to alert you.

The trackball cannot be used to turn the phone off or on, though it seems like it should. See Chapter 4 for more information on how the trackball is used.

The trackball may flash when you receive an incoming call. The flashing is in addition to the phone’s ringing or vibrating signal.

When the phone is connected to a Bluetooth headset, the trackball flashes blue for an incoming call. I find that coincidence odd.

A slow, pulsing white light from the trackball indicates that a notification has been received, such as a new e-mail, text message, or missed call. Chapter 3 reviews the various types of notifications on the Nexus One.

Adjust the phone’s volume by using the volume button on the phone’s left side (refer to Figure 1-3).

The Nexus One’s rear microphone wasn’t added because Google expects you to use your phone backward. Nope, the rear microphone is used for special noise-cancelling powers so that the people you’re speaking with can hear you better in loud, obnoxious places, like my kitchen.

On the bottom of the Nexus One, you find a series of four dots or holes, two apiece on either side of the Power/USB connector. Three of the dots are gold-plated pads designed for use with the docking stand or car adapter. See the section “Using other phone accessories,” later in this chapter. The fourth dot is a hole, behind which is the Nexus One microphone.

Discovering the earphones

The Nexus One comes with a set of “ear bud” earphones. You’re probably familiar with this type of earphone: The buds set into your ears. You insert the sharp, pointy end of the earphones (the end that you don’t want to stick into your ears) into the top of the phone.

Between the ear buds and the sharp pointy thing is a large, black noodle that helps you control the phone’s music-playing features. Figure 1-5 illustrates the functions found on the noodle’s three buttons.

Figure 1-5: The earphone’s noodle controller.

The primary way to use the earphone’s noodle is to control the music you listen to: Press a button to hear the previous track (song) or the next track, or press the middle button to play and pause music. The button also works to control the phone:

When the phone rings, you can press the middle button to answer the phone. Doing so pauses music (if it’s playing) and lets you talk and listen to the caller.

While you’re on the phone, you can press the middle button to mute the microphone. Press the button again to unmute.

Finally, to hang up the phone, press and hold the middle button.

The teensy hole on the back side of the noodle serves as the phone’s microphone. You can use the earphones as a hands-free headset with the Nexus One.

The ear buds are labeled R for right and L for left.

A handy way to tell which ear bud goes into which ear is to note that the right ear bud is also labeled with the Android character, shown in the margin.

You don’t use the earphone’s noodle buttons to set the phone’s volume, either in a call or while you’re listening to music. Instead, the phone’s volume is set by using the volume control buttons found on the side of the phone, as illustrated in Figures 1-3 and 1-4.

See Chapter 17 for more information on using your Nexus One as a portable music player.

Be sure to fully insert the ear phone connector into the phone. The person you’re talking with can’t hear you well when the earphones are plugged in only partway.

You can also use a Bluetooth headset with your phone, to listen to a call or to music. See Chapter 13 for more information on Bluetooth attachments for the Nexus One.

It’s possible to use another set of headphones with the Nexus One. Any standard earphones work, though if that headset features “noodle” buttons, they may not work the same as the original Nexus One headset.

Fold your earphones when you don’t need them rather than wrap them up in a loop: Put the ear buds and connector in one hand and then pull the wire straight out with your other hand. Fold the wire in half and then in half again. You can then put the earphones in your pocket or on a tabletop. By folding the wires, you avoid creating one of those wire balls made of tangled Christmas tree lights.

Exploring your phone’s guts

Rarely do you need to examine the intricacies of your phone’s innards. Still, unlike other cellphones, the Nexus One is designed to have easily replaceable items that you can access without having to sneak around behind the manufacturer’s back, prying open the phone and alerting the warranty police.

Specifically, you could have three reasons to open your Nexus One:

To replace the battery

To access the MicroSD memory card

To access the SIM card

When you need to access those items, you can obey these steps:

1. Turn off your phone.

See the section “Turning off the phone” in Chapter 2 for more information.

2. Flip the phone over.

3. Using your thumbs, press up on the upper back cover (refer to Figure 1-1).

4. Set aside the back cover.

Use Figure 1-6 to identify the phone’s battery, MicroSD memory card, and SIM card.

Figure 1-6: Stuff inside your phone.

At this point, you can access the battery, MicroSD card, or SIM card.

To remove the MicroSD card or SIM, you must first remove the battery.

Remove the battery by lifting its lower right corner. Use your fingernail to lift that wee little tab found on the bottom of the battery (refer to Figure 1-5).

To remove the MicroSD card or SIM, slide it up (toward the top of the phone). Pull the card all the way out until it’s free.

When you’re done replacing the battery, MicroSD card, or SIM or rummaging around inside your phone, you close things up:

5. Set the back cover on the phone, just about 1//8-inch above where it sits when the cover is closed.

6. Slide the cover down where it locks into position.

You can turn on the phone again after the cover is locked into place. See Chapter 2 for information on turning on your phone.

See Chapter 22 for more information on the Nexus One battery.

You cannot use the Nexus One as a phone unless a valid SIM card is properly inserted. You buy SIM cards from cellular service companies, or they can be transferred from other, compatible phones.

When the Nexus One is lacking a SIM card, the status bar on the touch screen display shows a No SIM Card notification icon, as shown in the margin. See Chapter 3 for more information about notifications.

See the nearby sidebar “What is a SIM?” for more information on what a SIM is and how it’s not an artificial person from a computer game.

Do not remove the MicroSD card unless you have first unmounted it. Refer to Chapter 13 for information on how to unmount the MicroSD card.

Using other phone accessories

The Nexus One comes with two additional accessories: a desktop dock and a car dock. Not included is the what’s-up-dock or the hickory-dickory-dock, though rumor is that they will be available soon.

Desktop dock

The desktop dock is a fancy little wedge of a device, looking like a stubby shoehorn. It connects with a power adapter (just like the one that comes with the Nexus One) and an audio cable.

When your phone is connected to a power supply, you can set the phone into the docking stand. The phone then runs the Clock application, described in Chapter 18. The Clock application provides a useful interface for playing music or using the phone as a digital alarm clock.

Sadly, the docking stand doesn’t allow for USB communications with a computer. You can use a USB cable to power the docking stand, but its real purpose is to interface the Nexus One with audio equipment for listening to music and other media.

The docking stand can be ordered from Google the same way you originally ordered the Nexus One. Visit www.google.com/phone.

Car dock

The car dock features a cradle for the Nexus One on one end and, when properly assembled, a suction cup on the other end. You can probably stick the thing to any flat surface, but because it’s a car dock, I assume that it will be affixed or suctioned to a windshield.

What is a SIM?

The SIM, also known as a SIM card, sets your cellphone’s identity. The SIM, which stands for Subscriber Identity Module, contains a special serial number used by your cellular provider to help identify your phone and keep track of the calls you make. Additionally, the SIM can be used to store information, such as electronic messages and names and addresses.

A typical way to use a SIM is to replace a broken phone with a new one: You plug the SIM from the old phone into the new phone, and instantly the phone is recognized as your own. Of course, the two phones need to use similar cellular networks for the transplant operation to be successful.

On the Nexus One, the MicroSD card is the phone’s primary storage device, where you keep your music and photos plus other information as described throughout this book. But you still need a SIM card to make phone calls on the cellular network.

When you put the Nexus One into the car dock, it automatically switches to the screen named the Car Home, covered in Chapter 3. This screen gives you quick access to various features you might find useful when driving.

The car dock features speakers so that you can better hear the phone in your auto. The dock also comes with a charger.

The car dock uses Bluetooth to communicate with the phone. Refer to Chapter 13 for more information on using Bluetooth with the Nexus One.

A Home for Your Phone

Back home, the phone was always in the kitchen, on the wall. We also had a phone out in the living room, one with a very long cord so that we could take it out onto the patio and talk outside! After you charge the battery on the Nexus One, it’s untethered and can go anywhere. Still, it needs a home and you should find it one, even if that home is in your pocket.

Carrying the Nexus One

Your phone is designed to fit into your pocket or purse. It can stir around in there with little possibility that something random will turn it off or — worse — dial up Mongolia and use up all your monthly minutes.

The phone can even be returned to a pocket when you’re making a call or while you listen to music. The Nexus One features a proximity sensor, which disables the touch screen while you keep the phone close to your face or inside a pocket. The proximity sensor ensures that the touch screen is disabled while the phone is kept snug somewhere.

Though it’s okay to put the phone somewhere when you’re making a call, do not touch the phone’s power button (refer to Figure 1-3). Doing so may temporarily enable the touch screen, which can hang up a call or mute the phone or do any of a number of undesirable things.

You can always store the Nexus One in the handy little pouch that came in its box. Even so, I recommend keeping the phone out in the open so that you can see the trackball light, which reminds you of various alerts, such as new e-mail or voice mail messages.

Belt hooks and pouches for cellphones are available that you can use to help tote around the Nexus One.

Don’t forget that the phone is in your pocket, especially in your coat or jacket. You might accidentally sit on the phone, or it can fly out when you take off your coat. The worst fate for the Nexus One, or any cellphone, is to take a trip through the wash. I’m sure the phone has nightmares about the possibility.

Storing the Nexus One

I recommend that you find a place for your phone when you’re not taking it with you. Make it a consistent spot: on top of your desk or workstation, in the kitchen, on the night stand — you get the idea. Phones are as prone to loss as your car keys and glasses, so consistency is the key to keeping and finding your phone in one spot.

Then again, your phone does ring, so when you lose it, you can always have someone else call your cellphone to help you locate it.

I keep the Nexus One on my desk, next to my computer. Conveniently, I have the charger plugged into the wall, so I keep the phone plugged in and charging when I’m not using it.

Phones on coffee tables get buried under magazines and are often squished when rude people put their feet on the furniture.

Avoid putting the Nexus One in direct sunlight; heat is a bad thing for any electronic gizmo.

Do not put your phone through the laundry (see the preceding section). See Chapter 22 for information on properly cleaning the phone.