Technology

Does this make the Nexus One an iPhone beater?

One thing sadly lacking from Google’s lovingly crafted Nexus One smartphone is that which arguably sets the iPhone apart – multi-touch. The ability to prod two digits at the screen and control your browsing and general mobile experience with Godlike control has been part of the Apple handset’s roster since its birth, but it’s a feature that has sadly been lacking on Android phones.

Until now, that is. A US hacker by the name Cyanogen has snuck in through a back door on the Google Nexus One, shifted some wires, flicked a couple of switches (as is our understanding of hacking) and come out the other side having enabled multi-touch goodness.

Google has just dropped Android software 2.1 (which the Nexus runs on) into the open source trough, making it rife for hacking and modding. This is the first, and is described as a simple job. Chris Paget of H4RDW4RE, describes the tweak as “very much low-level Linux kernel hacking as opposed to a full on ROM.” This means two things: firstly, that there’ll be more and better things to come, and secondly, that all Nexus One owners need do to enable multi-touch is to download the software here.

With this and the promise of more hacks on the way, will the modding community manage to spin the Nexus One into the true king of mobiles Google hopes it will be? Let us know what you think below.