By Well if this isn’t a testament to the importance of open source and encouraged development, I don’t know what is. While our Motorola Milestone-using friends still have yet to enjoy the fruits of a thriving movement for open devices and development, the rooted Nexus One crowd is getting HD video recording capabilities through a simple software update.
The update is only compatible with CyanogenMod 5.0.8 Test 3 (and – presumably – any ROM based off of it) but that’s a pretty small price to pay considering what you’d be getting (Cyanogen’s also planning to add the hack pre-baked into his ROM from here on out). For those of you on Froyo (and dutifully enjoying it), you’ll have to ditch Google’s latest concoction if recording video in 720p is too good for you to pass up.
For now, that is. The community is reportedly already working on getting the source code compatible with Froyo and the outlook on that development looks good. Head over there now if you want to try this out for yourself.
[Update]: After doing a bit more research into this, it seems as though the Nexus One has had HD-capable sensors and modules and all that doohickey all along. If what some users on XDA are saying is true, it just wasn’t being used to its full potential for one reason or another. That’s still a big testament to why open-source is a big deal: the community wouldn’t have been able to find out about the Nexus One’s dirty (yet still very tasty) little secret after all this time.
[via Engadget]
Yet another example of the speed and power of the android community.
W linux, W Android e W google!!!!
This is awesome news! :)
cyanogen mods even give life to handsets like my HTC Dream!
By the way, how come i’m not able to Buzz this? there should be a share, buzz, and tweet buttons here…
just an opinion!
Man this is weird why do xda devs always turn android phones into what paid android employees cannot? I love android but they have some explaining to do. I shouldn’t have to root my phone to experience some of the best elements of the phone. Step up your game android or this family’s gonna start eating from the apple tree..
Totally agree with Rick, except I’m not interested in eating crapples. For a phone as being touted as “the” Google phone, why did things like this not come ready to use? It seems like Google can, but don’t more often than not. Apps on the SD card is another perfect example of xda doing things sooner than Google would.
wow #5, right on until the last sentence. That part makes no sense. Why would you even want to consider apple after using android?
That never happens at this point with froyo.
Sometimes for quality-assurance purposes, things get out the door with drivers that don’t take full advantage of the hardware. Happens all the time.
Rooting the N1 is super easy anyways, Google made sure of that.
Thats good recording in 720p, but can you play it out to a TV in HD?
If they released it all ot once it would make the phone stagnant within a month of its release much like the iphone will be. To avoid that they space it out. Lets keep in mind gingebread is coming in like 5 months… it keeps you always looking forward to something new on your phone, not always looking forward to a new phone.
Another reason I am so disappointed that Sprint did not bring the N1 to their network. This is the phone I really want.
Now, waiting for someone to enable the FM Radio!
how do i find the mac address of my huawai ivy? anyone knows it?
@John
Its simple. Sprint had already tapped the EVO, why would they bring the N1 when the EVO does everything the N1 does on 3G, plus other things on 4G. Seems they would not be maximing their $$$$ if they did that.
@swazedahustla
Because long after Sprint and HTC have forgotten about the EVO and moved on to their next big thing, the community will still be developing for the Nexus. Think about it. When did the G1 come out? Yet after everything has happened since, its still a viable phone. So the Nexus will continue to be viable long into the future.
Didn’t they say that there was a lot about the Nexus that they didn’t reveal yet and it would come in time…kinda ties in….too bad it’s not official…My N1 should be here within the next few hours!!
@nickchop
Yes, the G1 is still being developed, and so will the EVO. The hero is still being developed even though the masses jumped to the EVO. My point is sprint using business sense was not gonna cut into the potential of the EVO by coming out with a similar phone at the same time of its big launch. Doesn’t make business sense. But the N1 is a good phone, would have done well on sprint.
ooo woow, Nexus One does it again. I was getting kinda jealous of all the HD recording from new phones, and i don’t really shoot video. But the Nexus IS capable of doing it. I wonder if Google will unlock this feature on Gingerbread.
so that makes 3 dormant hardware features.
1)802.11 N wi-fi
2)FM Transmitter
AND
3)HD recording.
I wonder what else this phone is hiding.
Here’s hoping that this might work on the HTC Incredible once it’s rooted…
Now if only they would put it on the Incredible. Has the same 8mp as the Evo and the same sensors. All it is is a matter of putting the software on the phone.
You could argue that it’s a “big testament to why open-source is a big deal”, or you could say that Google just doesn’t care about making their phone good enough to compete with the best phones. Do you guys really think it’s a blessing that we’ve got phones that require so much damn manual labor and hard work just to give them features that come standard on phones from companies that really care about making highest-end phones?
May the “superphone” idea rest in peace. My one and only complaint of the Nexus One, from day one, has been lack of front-facing camera. How could Google possibly think they’ve released something revolutionary and not include such a basic hardware feature? Or right, because no other Android phone had it when it came out. Might as well have rolled out the red carpet for Apple to leapfrog your phone by doing this.
amen sean, amen. I can only hope this was intentional to release it later. But it seems at this point that they just have too much going on to give a shit