.:Official Review And Impressions Thread:.

[vzwuser76]

Rumors over on the Galaxy Nexus forum are throwing out the possibility of a joint release of the GNex and Vigor on the 17th. All just rumor, but thought I'd mention it.

Actually the rumor for the G-Nex is the 24th. Some carrier in the UK (who's getting it on the 17th) said he heard from Samsung that the phone will show in the states a week after the UK release. Another reason I read speculated that since there won't be any Verizon bloat on it, they are less inclined to push it. If those are true, I could see it going the Razr on the 10th, Rezound on the 17th, and the G-Nex on the 24th. The only reason the 24th doesn't make sense is that the 24th is Thanksgiving. But they may release it on Thanksgiving, and then hope for a big sales day on Black Friday, the 25th.

Edit: I should have said that the 24th is the rumor currently being reported on the blogs. Didn't mean to say that there was only one rumor.

 

[trophynuts]

oh ok i understand now Rush


back to the video ...this guy is the worst product demo guy in the world watching his vids make me want to punch him in the face.

 

[vzwuser76]

oh ok i understand now Rush


back to the video ...this guy is the worst product demo guy in the world watching his vids make me want to punch him in the face.

He's not really a demo guy, he's just a guy with a great Verizon rep. I believe he said he's the account manager for his business so it's not like he works for Verizon or HTC. I remember he also did this same thing (showing off a pre-production phone) with the Thunderbolt. So cut the guy some slack, he's not a professional PR guy. If I was in his shoes and heard that from someone I was trying to help out, that'd be it for any help or leaks.

 

[trophynuts]

He's not really a demo guy, he's just a guy with a great Verizon rep. I believe he said he's the account manager for his business so it's not like he works for Verizon or HTC. I remember he also did this same thing (showing off a pre-production phone) with the Thunderbolt. So cut the guy some slack, he's not a professional PR guy. If I was in his shoes and heard that from someone I was trying to help out, that'd be it for any help or leaks.

i did not learn anything from watching his last video. If he is an Android enthusiast then I'm sure the battery size and camera app would be the first two things on his list to show in the video. You don't have to be a demo guy in order to make a worthy video. Sorry if i have offended anyone but imo those videos do nothing for me. The guy doesn't even seem like he knows his way around either phone.

 

[lawnboy]

I have seen that date floating around too.

Rumors over on the Galaxy Nexus forum are throwing out the possibility of a joint release of the GNex and Vigor on the 17th. All just rumor, but thought I'd mention it.

 

[vzwuser76]

i did not learn anything from watching his last video. If he is an Android enthusiast then I'm sure the battery size and camera app would be the first two things on his list to show in the video. You don't have to be a demo guy in order to make a worthy video. Sorry if i have offended anyone but imo those videos do nothing for me. The guy doesn't even seem like he knows his way around either phone.

He showed the battery in his first video. While he didn't say the actual size in mA, we've already seen what it's going to be from the FCC docs. I don't see what more you need on that.

As far as the second video, he was comparing it to the Thunderbolt, as far as dimensions, speaker quality, screen, and just a little bit of Sense 3.5. While the screen is hard to judge from a youtube video, the size of the device and it's speaker quality are things that people want to know also. While you want to know all about the camera, some people could care less about them (I do also, but just saying).

The guy's only had the phone for a day now. He also has a job and a life. Give him some time and he'll probably get to what you want. With the way people are, he could've done one on the camera and someone else would've been ticked that he didn't cover what they were interested in.

As far as not being very knowledgable on the phone, there are different levels of "android enthusiast". There are the ones who root, under/overclock, flash roms, etc. all the way down to the ones who just like android for widgets and the ability to change wallpapers. Point is, this is the guy who is sharing, if you asked him to show something, he probably will.

 

[trophynuts]

He showed the battery in his first video. While he didn't say the actual size in mA, we've already seen what it's going to be from the FCC docs. I don't see what more you need on that.

As far as the second video, he was comparing it to the Thunderbolt, as far as dimensions, speaker quality, screen, and just a little bit of Sense 3.5. While the screen is hard to judge from a youtube video, the size of the device and it's speaker quality are things that people want to know also. While you want to know all about the camera, some people could care less about them (I do also, but just saying).

The guy's only had the phone for a day now. He also has a job and a life. Give him some time and he'll probably get to what you want. With the way people are, he could've done one on the camera and someone else would've been ticked that he didn't cover what they were interested in.

As far as not being very knowledgable on the phone, there are different levels of "android enthusiast". There are the ones who root, under/overclock, flash roms, etc. all the way down to the ones who just like android for widgets and the ability to change wallpapers. Point is, this is the guy who is sharing, if you asked him to show something, he probably will.

fair enough

i actually did ask him last night to show the camera and he said he would. Maybe his next vid will have it in it.

 

[hovercraftdriver25]

I know price was bantied around earlier, but adding fuel to the fire, comparable HTC phones launching soon (Vivid/Raider) on other carriers are in the 149-199 range. One can say VZW network and slightly better specs (but are they really?) may justify the price, but it seems frickin insane to pay 249-299 depending on the deal you can get for basically the same phone.

Maybe my advancing age is curbing my impulses, but I may just hold on to the Inc for a while. It's holding up just fine and I'm not in an LTE area right now anyway.

 

[vzwuser76]

I know price was bantied around earlier, but adding fuel to the fire, comparable HTC phones launching soon (Vivid/Raider) on other carriers are in the 149-199 range. One can say VZW network and slightly better specs (but are they really?) may justify the price, but it seems frickin insane to pay 249-299 depending on the deal you can get for basically the same phone.

Maybe my advancing age is curbing my impulses, but I may just hold on to the Inc for a while. It's holding up just fine and I'm not in an LTE area right now anyway.

The way I have been rationalizing it is Sprint is charging $10 a month for smartphones (used to only be for WiMax phones), which figures out to $240 over a 2 year contract ($120 for one year).

Rather than tack on a small fee each month for LTE phones, Verizon is doing a single upfront fee of $50-$100. In the long run, it's cheaper and there is a better network. Granted, Sprint's plans are cheaper, but again with a smaller network and inferior building penetration.

AT&T so far doesn't have any extra charges for 4G phones (HSPA or LTE), but they have some issues they need to get behind them (poor signal/ dropped calls, poor customer service, etc.).

We don't know if this extra fee for the LTE phones are permanent or possibly are only around during the LTE buildout. But with each new tech the costs start high and come down later. It happened with 3G phones also. I think after LTE becomes the norm we should atart to see device costs come down. But who knows really.

 

[trophynuts]

do we know for sure that this phone will be Rooted and treated as all HTC phone have been in the past? I know i saw already that there is supposedly already root out for this phone but is it safe to assume that the Rom/Dev community will be as involved with this phone as they have other HTC phones in the past?

The more and more i think about it the more i'm leaning toward this phone. I Could see HTC coming in at a little bit better price point than say the G Nex.

 

[vzwuser76]

do we know for sure that this phone will be Rooted and treated as all HTC phone have been in the past? I know i saw already that there is supposedly already root out for this phone but is it safe to assume that the Rom/Dev community will be as involved with this phone as they have other HTC phones in the past?

The more and more i think about it the more i'm leaning toward this phone. I Could see HTC coming in at a little bit better price point than say the G Nex.

I don't think I've ever seen an HTC phone that didn't get a lot of dev support (unless it's something like the Merge or Status).

Pricing wise, are you talking off contract? Because as it stands now Razr, G-Nex and Rezound are all at $299 on contract.

 

[trophynuts]

I don't think I've ever seen an HTC phone that didn't get a lot of dev support (unless it's something like the Merge or Status).

Pricing wise, are you talking off contract? Because as it stands now Razr, G-Nex and Rezound are all at $299 on contract.

i'm available for a discount. When i log into VZW i can get the RAZR for 249$ so if its that or lower i'm fine with that.

 

[vzwuser76]

i'm available for a discount. When i log into VZW i can get the RAZR for 249$ so if its that or lower i'm fine with that.

You're probably eligible for your last NE2 discount ($30-$50). I'm not supposed to be eligible until 12/28 but I've heard that Verizon is offering them earlier to some customers. Guess I'll have to check that out after they launch.

I thought about going with the G-Nex, but I'm leary of Samsung products. Everyone I have owned have had issues. I currently have a wi-fi blu-ray player of theirs and had to do a complete reset after only a month. Makes me wish I had gone with the LG instead. ICS and quick updates is tempting, but issues like that make me think twice.

 

[rpretzel]

November 14th release date for the Vigor? More evidence points to it...

Galaxy Nexus on Verizon Appears Headed for Release Just After Black Friday - Droid Life: A Droid Community Blog

 

[rushmore]

oh ok i understand now Rush


back to the video ...this guy is the worst product demo guy in the world watching his vids make me want to punch him in the face.

Well, he DOES mean well and DID make the effort to make a video, so points for that. The deductions come from:

1. Measuring with a crinkled tape
2. Comparing sound quality while we are all using different audio speakers
3. Ditto with comparing displays... we all have different displays.

So far I am not feeling devotion to any device ATM:

1. Nexus has no sd slot, probably the Charges LTE, so not a leap for battery or LTE performance. Larger display will also challenge the battery.

2. Razr has fixed battery and the same chipset as my Droid 3, yet about $200 more (counting tax) then the Droid 3. Not seeing how the different build, display and LTE warrants that large of a premium. The Droid 3 has a well built keyboard assembly to partially offset the build cost of the Razr- plus it is a world phone.

3. The Rezound (if as thick as TB) is slightly thicker than my Droid 3 with extended battery, apparently same LTE as the Thunderbolt and a card slot stuck behind the battery. HTC stated the reason the TB was thick was due to fitting the LTE chip, so appears same constraints in place for the Rezound.

Between the three devices there is a great device, IMO:

1. Nexus display and Google update path Added: Actually, I am leaning to the Razr display, since ICS will use the capacitive buttons, so less display sucking battery.
2. Rezound SoC (I prefer the Scorpion dual core, in spite of its Arm design)
3. Razr sd slot location, build and newer LTE chip

Zoinks, I may just use the Droid 3 as my primary phone for as long as I did the Incredible (14 months). By then, 28nm LTE and MAYBE even lower fabbed SoCs as well.

 

[TxGoat]

Well, he DOES mean well and DID make the effort to make a video, so points for that. The deductions come from:

1. Measuring with a crinkled tape
2. Comparing sound quality while we are all using different audio speakers
3. Ditto with comparing displays... we all have different displays.

So far I am not feeling devotion to any device ATM:

1. Nexus has no sd slot, probably the Charges LTE, so not a leap for battery or LTE performance. Larger display will also challenge the battery.

2. Razr has fixed battery and the same chipset as my Droid 3, yet about $200 more (counting tax) then the Droid 3. Not seeing how the different build, display and LTE warrants that large of a premium. The Droid 3 has a well built keyboard assembly to partially offset the build cost of the Razr- plus it is a world phone.

3. The Rezound (if as thick as TB) is slightly thicker than my Droid 3 with extended battery, apparently same LTE as the Thunderbolt and a card slot stuck behind the battery. HTC stated the reason the TB was thick was due to fitting the LTE chip, so appears same constraints in place for the Rezound.

Between the three devices there is a great device, IMO:

1. Nexus display and Google update path Added: Actually, I am leaning to the Razr display, since ICS will use the capacitive buttons, so less display sucking battery.
2. Rezound SoC (I prefer the Scorpion dual core, in spite of its Arm design)
3. Razr sd slot location, build and newer LTE chip

Zoinks, I may just use the Droid 3 as my primary phone for as long as I did the Incredible (14 months). By then, 28nm LTE and MAYBE even lower fabbed SoCs as well.

One negative that I'll throw out there for the Rezound, the screen on my Thunderbolt has a short in it and as I mentioned earlier, the Rezound is built similar to the Thunderbolt so if you ever have to send in the phone and get a replacement phone, HTC's refurb quality control (if there's such a department) has really disappointed me. If you look in the Thunderbolt forums, you'll find maybe 4-5 threads about people getting shitty refurbs.

 

[trophynuts]

Zoinks, I may just use the Droid 3 as my primary phone for as long as I did the Incredible (14 months). By then, 28nm LTE and MAYBE even lower fabbed SoCs as well.

yeah i know he meant well.


Well if you wait till 28nm LTE is out then you will be saying...shoot maybe i should wait for the next better nm LTE....can't wait forever.

I got my DX at Launch. I'm getting bored with it and its time for a tech refresh lol

 

[NightAngel79]

updated OP with the vids of the production phone

thanks every one for finding them

 

[jikhead]

Glad you changed your avatar back to a Fett one....and like this one. I hate clowns...they creep me out.

 

[NightAngel79]

Glad you changed your avatar back to a Fett one....and like this one. I hate clowns...they creep me out.

LOL, me to... was going for the creepiest thing i could think of

And I always loved this one, you can see han in carbonite in the visor reflection

 

[jikhead]

Cool, I never noticed that til you pointed it out.

 

[mistermojorizi]

so does the thunderbold have a bigger screen despite the diagonal measurement because of the aspect ratio difference?

i do like that the rezound has a narrower width, which is the most important factor determining if it'll fit in my pocket or not.

all you guys talking about horrible experience with HTC is definitely making me guarded on this one though. dangit. the razr doesn't have HD and nexus has no SD and it's also not coming out for at least a month.

wtf should I do

 

[TxGoat]

so does the thunderbold have a bigger screen despite the diagonal measurement because of the aspect ratio difference?

i do like that the rezound has a narrower width, which is the most important factor determining if it'll fit in my pocket or not.

all you guys talking about horrible experience with HTC is definitely making me guarded on this one though. dangit. the razr doesn't have HD and nexus has no SD and it's also not coming out for at least a month.

wtf should I do

Thunderbolt has about a 4.5 inch screen, and that's from one corner (not including the home buttons at the bottom) to the other. Other than battery life, if my thunderbolt's screen hadn't started going out and I had to get stuck in "refurb hell", oh wait and then there was the 4G issue with 4G bouncing around to 3G and then off, oh and then there was the constant reboot issue....hmmm wait what was my point again....?!?!

 

[vzwuser76]

Thunderbolt has about a 4.5 inch screen, and that's from one corner (not including the home buttons at the bottom) to the other. Other than battery life, if my thunderbolt's screen hadn't started going out and I had to get stuck in "refurb hell", oh wait and then there was the 4G issue with 4G bouncing around to 3G and then off, oh and then there was the constant reboot issue....hmmm wait what was my point again....?!?!

That should be 4.3" screen. They don't count the black space around the graphics. To answer mistermojorizi's question, both have 4.3" screens, but with a different aspect ratio. I believe the Tbolt had a 15:9, and the Rez is a 16:9, like the Droid X & X2, Sensation, Bionic, etc.

I have had 3 HTC phones (both Incredibles 1 & 2 and the Tbolt). The Tbolt had it's issues for some, but others report it's good for them.

My friend who got his about a month after I got mine has only had one issue (one of the updates broke voicemail & text notification) but other than that he's had no issues. I should say he is completely stock with the stock battery (sold him my spare after I switched but he said he hasn't really used it). He updated to GB last week and said it fixed the notification issue, so he's a happy camper. Now he's wondering if/when it will get ICS.

I had some issues with Tbolt, but both of my Incredibles have been rock solid. Battery wise the Inc1 got around 1-1.25 days, and the Inc2 gets around 1.5-2.25 days. These (like my friend's) are bone stock and using the stock battery. I wouldn't necessarily judge HTC solely by the Tbolt.

But I would wait and read the reviews and watch these forums to see how the users here are fairing with their Rezounds. Maybe give it a week before actually picking it up if you have doubts, and if you can, definitely try it out in the store. But all devices can and usually do have issues, just look and the i*hone 4s, quite a few issues with that model and apple is usually heralded for being bug free.

 

[rushmore]

so does the thunderbold have a bigger screen despite the diagonal measurement because of the aspect ratio difference?

i do like that the rezound has a narrower width, which is the most important factor determining if it'll fit in my pocket or not.

all you guys talking about horrible experience with HTC is definitely making me guarded on this one though. dangit. the razr doesn't have HD and nexus has no SD and it's also not coming out for at least a month.

wtf should I do

Same total space, but the qHD displays are thinner & taller (16X9). The negative is most apps still cater to the 16X10 shape, so quite a few game apps you will notice are slightly squished. Even emulators like the Oids are slightly squished, even in scaled mode.

I prefer 16X10 and wish the displays stayed as such. This is the one thing I did not like about Moto Droid phones and now most devices are heading that way. Perhaps the devs will modify current apps to account for the ratio change as more devices go 16X9. Most tablets are now 16X9 as well.

I do notice that some emulators like FPse, Tiger Arcade and Jarcade allow custom scaling, so nice if the Oids went that route too.