How it’s made — the Google Nexus One

Vodafone has yet to announce an exact date for Nexus One availability in the UK, but in the meantime, Google has released a few videos that show just what goes into making the ‘definitive’ Android smartphone.

First up is a four-minute clip that shows the genesis of the Nexus One hardware and while much of the footage is more marketing than true behind-the-scenes footage, there are a few interesting bits.

Android Product Manager Erick Tseng, HTC (manufacturer of the Nexus One) product manager Tomasz Hasinki, Lloyd Watts of Audience (provider of the smartphone’s noise reduction technology) all contribute and talk about such things as the Nexus One’s overall design and appearance, the need for a large display and gives a sneak preview of the smartphone’s dock.

Video #2 has HTC project manager Tomasz Hasinki and Android software engineer Romain Guy chat about the Nexus One’s AMOLED display and the considerations when implementing Android 2.1’s 3D UI on the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

Video #3 is where things get really interesting — it shows the testing processes that the Nexus One underwent before beige approved for sale. If you’ve ever wondered how manufacturers test the robustness of complex electronic devices that spend much of their lives being dropped on desktops and tossed into bags and pockets, this video goes some way to answering your question.

Button presses, tumbling inside a metal box, drop testing on a hard surface, squashing the screen, bending — they’re all there. Sadly, we don’t get to see a Nexus One burst into bits, but the tests are all pretty brutal.

The final video shows the Nexus One manufacturing process and if you’ve spent any time watching “How It’s Made”, you’ll know what to expect from this one. As you might expect, much of the production line is automated (and HTC’s factory looks like an early Skynet facility), but there’s still a surprising amount of human involvement — which ends with packing the Nexus One into boxes.

You can catch further videos on Google’s Nexus One YouTube channel.

[ Google Nexus One YouTube channel]