***Official Galaxy Nexus Pre-Release speculation thread**

[HanSolo]

Supposedly the battery life on the nexus isnt that good either and that is a "pure" android device.

True, but that's mostly due to a screen that is 77% higher resolution than anything else out there. Add 4G into the mix, and a smallish battery, and you've got problems.

But I'm sure most (in here) would agree that a battery lasting 1 or 2 hours less than, say a RAZR, is worth the HD experience, bigger screen, and awesome pure, simple, Android UI.

 

[HanSolo]

Non-sarcastic, non-mean thought:

I think it's hilarious that in this thread of all places, I'm having to defend the superiority of pure Android over crap UI's.

 

[redraider1]

True, but that's mostly due to a screen that is 77% higher resolution than anything else out there. Add 4G into the mix, and a smallish battery, and you've got problems.

But I'm sure most (in here) would agree that a battery lasting 1 or 2 hours less than, say a RAZR, is worth the HD experience, bigger screen, and awesome pure, simple, Android UI.

Idk pure android is nice but I want a phone that I don't have to charge 2-3 times a day. After all it is a phone and how good is it if the battery can't last?

 

[gapi]

Best buy's buyback program is garbage. $30bucks to buyback your phone. Target Mobile's is way better because they just quote you a price and buy it back. No upfront payment when you purchase your phone. Doesnt matter if you bought a phone from them or not.

I would like to suggest you keep the last phone you had in the event of a failure, stolen, lost etc. All you do is call Verizon and they fire up the previous phone and your going again until you get the replacement. No voice downtime.

 

[BLD]

Non-sarcastic, non-mean thought:

I think it's hilarious that in this thread of all places, I'm having to defend the superiority of pure Android over crap UI's.

I do think that Google has shown their intention to make the UI add-ons unnecessary. ICS has added in many UI simplifying features that will make the UI more user friendly. ICS is the first step and I think this will be even more in Jelly Bean. With all of this already part of the OS it will become increasingly more difficult for the OEMs to add their custom skins and this will gradually unify all the OEM flavors of Android experience and I think users will finally see Android as a true phone experience and the choice will come down to the user's preference of just the phone's looks.

 

[HanSolo]

Idk pure android is nice but I want a phone that I don't have to charge 2-3 times a day. After all it is a phone and how good is it if the battery can't last?

I agree. If I have to live with it plugged in and be unable to go on a camping trip or a long climb without it dying, I won't be very happy. If the Love Tunnel's assertion of running it for 5 or 6 hours with full brightness and web browsing is correct, I think we'll be okay.

I've read in the RAZR forums that they're expecting that to have awesome battery life. I'm not sure where that's coming from. I'd be more scared to have a non-removable battery on a phone I know nothing about than to have to plug in the SGN every 8 hours or so. (I've seen some external battery packs that they might be able to use, but that kind of defeats the purpose of an "ultra-thin" phone, no? Those things will make it look like a brick phone from 1993.)

 

[Kaddoble]

Non-sarcastic, non-mean thought:

I think it's hilarious that in this thread of all places, I'm having to defend the superiority of pure Android over crap UI's.

Those you are discoursing with aren't saying that vanilla isn't superior in the eyes of you and I, just that, pre-ICS, pure Android (like on the Nexus S) was quite cumbersome and difficult to use for the layman, so the average consumer would choose something like the Galaxy S (which has the same hardware as Nexus S almost) instead due to its "flashiness" and "prettiness".

However, with ICS, the eye candy is there in the vanilla form of android already so I am interested to see what the OEM's will do. Because there is no doubt in my mind that they will do something for the sake of differentiation is nothing else. And if that is better than stock android to some, then all the better.

Ultimately this is the beauty of Android and Marius Duarte has touched on it on several occasions also. We all win man!

 

[HanSolo]

I do think that Google has shown their intention to make the UI add-ons unnecessary. ICS has added in many UI simplifying features that will make the UI more user friendly. ICS is the first step and I think this will be even more in Jelly Bean. With all of this already part of the OS it will become increasingly more difficult for the OEMs to add their custom skins and this will gradually unify all the OEM flavors of Android experience and I think users will finally see Android as a true phone experience and the choice will come down to the user's preference of just the phone's looks.

Great point. In that "Verge" interview with Google's Matias Duarte, he seemed to really be committed to a unified OS experience across all Android devices eventually, with a constant progress towards better and more fluid design. I really hope that's the case.

 

[cereal killer]

And here comes the "Yeah, but..."

What do you consider an "average user"? The 70,000 people who even bother to go onto this or other forums? Or the small subset of the 70,000 who bother to root or get their panities knotted over the UI?

Or the MILLIONS who use the Android phones are just happy? This article is Pre Droid X, pre FroYo. And yet somehow, the vast bulk of android users just aren't as bent out of shape over this.

Someone said a few thousand posts back something to the effect "I don't care how this phone sells as long as I get mine". Newsflash, Google, Verizon, Samsung aren't charities. Everyone here better care how the GNex sells, because if it tanks, that will not be good for anyone in the Android community.

And since, numerically, the all the angst in this thread equals less than 1 day's sale of smartphones on any carrier, we DO need to worry about the unwashed masses of users who don't give a rat's arse about ICS or "pure googily" and how they receive this phone.

Back to my original point, the article is still a lame hack job. Another obvious, yet overlooked point. Back on the OG Droid, or even the DX prior to Froyo, Blur was an issue. Post Froyo, and more importantly, post dual core processors, TW and blur ain't. As much crap as people give the Bionic, it is incredibly snappy. Do you really think a Razr will be weighed down by Blur, or Sense or TW will be an anchor? Just like those two water skiers slow down an aircraft carrier....

All I'm saying is argue the points based on relevant criteria, not things that are essentially going to be a wash.

Not to mention all the people that like to flash CM and other custom ROMS. They love all the features. Rave about them and want them. Then when those same features or similiar are offered through Sense, TW and Blur its called bloat lol. A lot of Android enthusiast have become sheeple and fail to see their hypocrisy. If they leave the handset as is and dont flash custom bloated ROMs (yes thats what they are according to them) then I have no issue.

A little under a year ago i was against manufacturer UI's. Since then they have all evolved and become very fluid, functional and unintrusive. Huge strides have been made with the UI's.

Btw Im running PE 4.2 on my Droid because I like the way it runs and I love the bloat...I mean features.

 

[redraider1]

I agree. If I have to live with it plugged in and be unable to go on a camping trip or a long climb without it dying, I won't be very happy. If the Love Tunnel's assertion of running it for 5 or 6 hours with full brightness and web browsing is correct, I think we'll be okay.

I've read in the RAZR forums that they're expecting that to have awesome battery life. I'm not sure where that's coming from. I'd be more scared to have a non-removable battery on a phone I know nothing about than to have to plug in the SGN every 8 hours or so. (I've seen some external battery packs that they might be able to use, but that kind of defeats the purpose of an "ultra-thin" phone, no? Those things will make it look like a brick phone from 1993.)

Supposedly some testers said it had pretty good battery life and a lot better than the nexus. I guess we will find out once both are launched.

 

[HanSolo]

Not to mention all the people that like to flash CM and other custom ROMS. They love all the features. Rave about them and want them. Then when those same features or similiar are offered through Sense, TW and Blur its called bloat lol. A lot of Android enthusiast have become sheeple and fail to see their hypocrisy. If they leave the handset as is and dont flash custom bloated ROMs (yes thats what they are according to them) then I have no issue.

A little under a year ago i was against manufacturer UI's. Since then they have all evolved and become very fluid, functional and unintrusive. Huge strides have been made with the UI's.

Btw Im running PE 4.2 on my Droid because I like the way it runs and I love the bloat...I mean features.

Agreed. I'm running stock a stock Gingerbread ROM with the only add-ons being the new market app and USB tethering. I'm not into flashing ROMS constantly like I was before. IMHO simple is better.

But how are people who want different types of ROMS sheeple? I thought that meant people who take what is given to them, even though it's crap, and smile and ask for more?

 

[redraider1]

Not to mention once these phones get ICS they can disable all the bloat so then people will only have the UI to complain about.

 

[cereal killer]

Agreed. I'm running stock a stock Gingerbread ROM with the only add-ons being the new market app and USB tethering. I'm not into flashing ROMS constantly like I was before. IMHO simple is better.

But how are people who want different types of ROMS sheeple? I thought that meant people who take what is given to them, even though it's crap, and smile and ask for more?

For yourself you walk the walk but I see many people complaining about manufacturer UI's and in the same breath saying they can't wait to flash MIUI on their handset.

Those are the sheeple.

 

[HanSolo]

Not to mention once these phones get ICS they can disable all the bloat so then people will only have the UI to complain about.

I heard that, too, from Google's unveiling, but to me it sounds very similar to Motorola's promise that they'd unlock devices "where carriers permit".

I have a very hard time believing that Verizon is going to allow RAZR owners to disable Vcast, etc. once ICS gets released to them and MotoBlurred to hell.

I hope it's true, though.

 

[chanop]

IMO it's going to be the battery that makes or breaks the razr. It's going to need good battery life to justify not being able to remove it.

 

[chanop]

Not to mention once these phones get ICS they can disable all the bloat so then people will only have the UI to complain about.

This is a feature in ICS but will be able to be disabled by manufacturers and carriers much like how at&t could turn of 3rd party apps and many turn off tethering.

 

[redraider1]

This is a feature in ICS but will be able to be disabled by manufacturers and carriers much like how at&t could turn of 3rd party apps and many turn off tethering.

Idk about that. Blocking apps is totally different.

 

[redraider1]

I heard that, too, from Google's unveiling, but to me it sounds very similar to Motorola's promise that they'd unlock devices "where carriers permit".

I have a very hard time believing that Verizon is going to allow RAZR owners to disable Vcast, etc. once ICS gets released to them and MotoBlurred to hell.

I hope it's true, though.

But it would still be on the phone and activate if you open the app.

 

[yawdapaah]

For yourself you walk the walk but I see many people complaining about manufacturer UI's and in the same breath saying they can't wait to flash MIUI on their handset.

Those are the sheeple.

I kind of agree with you. I prefer OMGB cos I like stock Android. I don't like MIUI and to a lesser extent CM7 because I feel they're bloated. My ideal Rom is completely stock Android with Volume control for song skipping (driving) and Flac playback. However, everyone's entitled to their own choice; that's the beauty of Android. Sheeple, however, is a little coarse (IMHO).

 

[pm1066]

Not to mention once these phones get ICS they can disable all the bloat so then people will only have the UI to complain about.

This. You may not be about to kill the UI, but at least Kindle and such can go bye bye. Be interesting to see how this affects the business model. I'm thinking Big Red gets extra cash for locking down kindle and company. Will they be forced to get less if I can ditch bloat?

Also, how OTAs work will have to change. Currently if you touch the bloat, you can't OTA.

 

[chanop]

Idk about that. Blocking apps is totally different.

I don't see how it's any different. They have the ability to disable any functionality they want.

http://thisismynext.com/2011/10/20/bloatware-kill-switch-ice-cream-sandwich/

It shows in the SDK that carriers/manufactuers have the option to remove it.

 

[redraider1]

This. You may not be about to kill the UI, but at least Kindle and such can go bye bye. Be interesting to see how this affects the business model. I'm thinking Big Red gets extra cash for locking down kindle and company. Will they be forced to get less if I can ditch bloat?

Also, how OTAs work will have to change. Currently if you touch the bloat, you can't OTA.

I think verizon gets money for it just being on he phone. i know personally me and every other person i know have never touched the bloat so not like verizon is getting money on people actually using it.

 

[redraider1]

I don't see how it's any different. They have the ability to disable any functionality they want.

Because tethering and that use data by simply disabling the bloat it is still on there and they are still making money by just having it on the phones.

 

[jmt9779]

You raise some good points. But the original issue is whether or not UI's like non-Sense, MotoBlob or TouchPiss ruin the pure Android experience, and in my opinion, they do.

The masses don't care what a "pure" Android experience is like. They just want something that works. Unfortunately, the lags and freezes that most Android-haters point out are a result of the crap UI's more often than not. Now, whether the RAZR is a different beast that gets rid of these problems or not cannot yet be determined.

But the poor battery life issues that are being reported in the Bionic forums and in other areas, although having something to do with 4G, are also a result of having a very heavy UI running a ton of background processes constantly. Some people having a Thunderbolt have reported average or better battery life when installing certain ROMS.

I agree with the notion that if Verizon doesn't sell many SGN's, they won't ever release another pure Google phone. I wish we could change that, and perhaps we can (if we get the word out enough). Maybe we should all sign up on the SGN page at Verizon just to show them how many of us are interested, and tell a bunch of others to sign up as well. But in the end, RAZR will outsell SGN by a wide margin. But the reason isn't because MotoBlob is merely an insignificant add-on. It's because people, in general, have no idea what a real Android device is, and most of them never will.

...And, really, most of them don't care. Somebody mentioned something about the 70,000 members these forums have and started making a case for hardcore android users, but 70,000 people is nothing. The lion's share of android users, honestly, are people who wanted VZW's network but were unable to get the iphone on it (save for the last year), so they bought another smartphone that kinda looked similar and was available on VZW. People bought Android phones and they just used them and got on with their lives. They don't really know or care about the differences between Blur or Sense or Touchwiz - They don't even know a difference exists. I live in NYC and spend more time than I'd like on subways and trains, and every time I turn around and see a middle aged woman from Long Island just barely jump on the train before the doors pinch her handbag pull out her phone to play Words with Friends, I think that's your average Android user. But don't get me wrong, it's not a bad thing. It's just more about business and marketing from the service provider and manufacturer points of view. We (i.e.: the people who these forums every few hours...or seconds) are the minority. They like our business; and to some degree, they need it; but to a larger degree, those corporate machines will churn on without us.

As for all the manufacturer UI's, CK, redraider, and others made some great points, but during that pre-iphone time on VZW, those manufacturers also grabbed brand loyalty because when that woman from Long Island decides to ditch her old Incredible, she's going to pick up a Moto phone or a Samsung and in 5 seconds she's going to say "Ew, this is really different than my old phone"...Until she's picks up an Incredible 2 or a Vigor/Rezound/Whatever sitting right next to it. It'll be exactly what she knows and she'll be out of the store in 10 minutes with an upgraded phone and off to Starbucks or Chili's or wherever it is that people from Long Island hang out

Anyway, just my $0.02

 

[jmt9779]

I heard that, too, from Google's unveiling, but to me it sounds very similar to Motorola's promise that they'd unlock devices "where carriers permit".

I have a very hard time believing that Verizon is going to allow RAZR owners to disable Vcast, etc. once ICS gets released to them and MotoBlurred to hell.

I hope it's true, though.

VZW won't allow it. I don't remember where (I'm sure I saw the link somewhere in a RAZR thread around here), but I read an article last week saying that Motorola will release the RAZR unlocked outside of the US but VZW is requiring it to be locked on their network.