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Lack of microSD Slot - Killer?

Losing the SD is losing flexibility and a key optio of android. If you dont use SD a lot no biggie, but many people do use them a lot and thererfore it's a negative not to include it. I understand having and SD makes thngs more complicated for the android OS with apps stored in different places, etc. Also not all SD cards are the same some read/write very quickly, others don't which could mean that a slowish SD could cause problems that may be blamed on android or the phone hardware when in reality it's just a crappy SD card slowing things down. Case in point, 2 days ago I updated my OS on my DX2 with the OTA to 2.3.4. After rooting I ran a script that forces the OS to use my 32 gb sd as it's internal memory. I notice the phone is not quite as snappy since making this change - i other words, the SD as the main memory is not as quick as the built in internal memory.
 
for me its a complete non issue. i've never swapped SD cards except when switching phones. and i don't do that enough to complain about the gain in storage i'll be getting over my 16 gig card. to ME, this is a pro of the phone. it has more storage than my droid x + a 16 gig card and i don't have to go out and buy a 32 gig card.

sure, having the media non removable isn't as convenient. but most users will never touch their sd card. their might be .01% (i know, random statistic that may be nowhere near true) that care about this feature and it may just not justify the cost of putting it in every device for that small number of people who want it. you can just say "well it wouldn't have cost a lot to put it in". but are you sure about that? these phones are not custom made. how much extra would cost to put an SD slot in hundreds of thousands of devices? how many sales would they have lost for a thicker phone? smaller batter? etc... i don't think these smartphones have a lot of extra space in them. do you really think the number of people who NEED more than 30 gigs of storage on their phone, and are interested in this device would have overcame the money/sales lost if they had to settle in other areas?

nobody is happy when something is left out that they were hoping for. but a lot of people are going to buy this phone BECAUSE it has 32 gigs of storage and not 8 + a 16 gig card. i would say that would generate more than the sales lost for leaving it out.
 
I've never taken my SD card out of my TB and I probably never will. That being said the thing that worries me about no SD slot is when doing a full wipe to flash ROMs, when you don't have a strong data connection, etc. Sometimes it's nice to have things on an SD. I read this whole thread and from the jump I thought this would be a deciding factor in me not getting the G-Nex. Halfway though I was like "Oh, yeah, the cloud. Won't be an issue at all" and now I'm back at square one. :confused:

I'm going to wait until it's officially announced and if it does not have a SD slot then I'll worry about it. While there are strong indications that it won't have one, at this point, they are just indications, not facts.
 
yeah, we will just have to wait and see. I'm not gonna complain about it officially until after I know it doesn't have it. But with that being said I will seriously consider my options If this does not have it. I just will not allow myself to be forced into streaming my own media from the cloud, using precious wireless data.
 
Honeycomb introduced USB host support, so it should be possible to use any USB external storage with ICS and a microUSB adapter. Perhaps it won't be as convenient as an internal SD card slot, and it couldn't really be used for apps, but it certainly would solve my biggest concern - HD movies on long plane rides.

What do you guys think? Would external storage be an acceptable substitute for an internal SD card?
 
JD112358 said:
Honeycomb introduced USB host support, so it should be possible to use any USB external storage with ICS and a microUSB adapter. Perhaps it won't be as convenient as an internal SD card slot, and it couldn't really be used for apps, but it certainly would solve my biggest concern - HD movies on long plane rides.

What do you guys think? Would external storage be an acceptable substitute for an internal SD card?
Click to expand...

That's great point. If that's indeed the case, no sd slot will be really non-issue for me.
 
JD112358 said:
Honeycomb introduced USB host support, so it should be possible to use any USB external storage with ICS and a microUSB adapter. Perhaps it won't be as convenient as an internal SD card slot, and it couldn't really be used for apps, but it certainly would solve my biggest concern - HD movies on long plane rides.

What do you guys think? Would external storage be an acceptable substitute for an internal SD card?
Click to expand...


Not practical, since full usb support to power anything beyond an 8 gb flash would require a full usb power bridge. Not happening on a small device and low capacity battery on a phone.

Even tablets have this problem using micro usb. The Archos G9 is the first tablet that provides the needed stable power for the port.

Just because it is supported in the OS does not mean the OEMs are using it ;) Costs more money and requires OEM drivers for the hardware. Considering there is likely no microsd, I can guarantee full usb host is not happening VIA micro usb.


Added: If some are rationalizing a likely lack of sd slot is alright by assuming full host will work, you will be profoundly let down. Get something else if you are rationalizing this as a storage option.

I even strongly doubt a powered usb drive will work, but that would defeat the premise of portable storage in the first place .

Even though my undergrad in computer electronics is over 15 years old, I do still keep up a little bit :)
 
No MicroSD slot = one less customer (me).

Period.

I'll just stay with my Nexus One a little while longer.

Unless someone can explain to me in a convincing way why I should not listen to my music or watch videos on the plane EXCEPT when that plane offers wifi for an additional $10 per leg, or else carry along a laptop to serve as the mother ship.

I also take a lot of pictures and videos and I have found that 16 gigs fills up pretty fast. 32 gigs will fill up pretty fast. I'll happily take a phone with 32 gigs internal memory and supplement it with a 32 gig microSD card. That starts to be a decent amount of storage for me.

Maybe I'm in a tiny minority, and the rest of the Android community has no need for on-board storage. Maybe I'm just a dinosaur, wanting to carry my files around like a snail with a huge house on his back while all these young'uns skip lightly along, storing everything in the Cloud(TM).

Fine, when I'm out in No Signal Land, I'll be making good use of my Android device while Cloud Boy is dead in the water.

No Nexus Prime for me, sorry Google. I'll probably go with a Galaxy 3 or whatever cool handheld is coming up that is untouched by Google's weird cloud fetish.
 
blisterpeanuts said:
Unless someone can explain to me in a convincing way why I should not listen to my music or watch videos on the plane EXCEPT when that plane offers wifi for an additional $10 per leg, or else carry along a laptop to serve as the mother ship.
Click to expand...

You don't have to go 100% cloud or 100% SD card. You can store your most commonly used files on your phone and host the ones you rarely used ones on the cloud. One can still fit 1000 songs and 20 hours of video comfortably on the phone.

I also take a lot of pictures and videos and I have found that 16 gigs fills up pretty fast. 32 gigs will fill up pretty fast. I'll happily take a phone with 32 gigs internal memory and supplement it with a 32 gig microSD card. That starts to be a decent amount of storage for me.
Click to expand...

You can move your older video files and piectures on the cloud to make room for newer ones.

The solutions might not be ideal, but there are many reasonable compromises we can make to deal with only 32GB of on board memory.
 
JD112358 said:
Honeycomb introduced USB host support, so it should be possible to use any USB external storage with ICS and a microUSB adapter. Perhaps it won't be as convenient as an internal SD card slot, and it couldn't really be used for apps, but it certainly would solve my biggest concern - HD movies on long plane rides.

What do you guys think? Would external storage be an acceptable substitute for an internal SD card?
Click to expand...


Wish it were that simple :)

The following things must be present, since the support of the function does not mean it its being used by the OEM.

1 The device must have the needed power bridge and gates set up to chipset. This costs money, so not happening unless part of feature set for device.

2 A phone battery and its usb power is not enough to support powering anything beyond small flash and forget about powering a hard drive.

3 The OEM must create the needed drivers for their own hardware for the actual function of usb host.

4 With a high res display, 4.65", dual core, 4g and ICS, the battery has enough to do without the voltage draw needed for FULL usb host.
 
ZachMob said:
You don't have to go 100% cloud or 100% SD card. You can store your most commonly used files on your phone and host the ones you rarely used ones on the cloud. One can still fit 1000 songs and 20 hours of video comfortably on the phone.
Click to expand...

I'll decide for myself how much stuff I need on my phone. No one else should be deciding that for me.

You can move your older video files and piectures on the cloud to make room for newer ones.

The solutions might not be ideal, but there are many reasonable compromises we can make to deal with only 32GB of on board memory.
Click to expand...

Why should I have to compromise?
 
No sdcard slot would be an issue for me, I just don't understand why they would leave out something which is standard on android phones.

Many of us own 32GB sdcards, it just doesnt make sense.
 
blisterpeanuts said:
I'll decide for myself how much stuff I need on my phone. No one else should be deciding that for me.

Why should I have to compromise?
Click to expand...

Because technology isn't perfect. Every design decision is going to have trade offs that some people will like and others dislike.

If a SD card slot is that important for you, there are many other phones that can fit your needs, but you have to make compromises in other areas.

I am just arguing that the lack of the SD card is a relatively small compromise given that there are 32 GB of on board memory and that cloud storage is becoming widely available. It isn't as bad as some make it out to be.
 
Damn, I was all set to have this be my next phone until I saw this thread. As others have said, no SD slot is a deal breaker for me. It's not a concern of running out of storage, but like others pointed out, I'm not always going to be "connected" to make cloud storage viable. I watch a lot of video and listen to a lot of music on the road since I travel a lot. That means storing a ton of video and music on my SD card and watching/listening via airplane mode. That's not going to be possible if there isn't an SD slot (well, it will be an option, but it will be extremely compromised). I also like storing photos and backing things up to the card... it's a key difference in the iPhone vs. Android comparisons.

I just hope it's there when the device is revealed.
 
I'll be very disappointed if there isn't an sd slot , I used mine all the time on my Incredible I had 2 16gb cards at the time that I would swap .
When I got my Incredible I stopped doing as I was disappointed the slot was under the battery it made it much more complicated but I've still used it a few times .

As long as it's got 32gb on board I'd probably be okay as right now my 32gb card has about 10gigs of space left on it . But this is one of the reason I'm still considering the Vigor
 
There should be about 26gb free, so even if you install several gigs of apps, there should be a little over 20gb for media.

Fine for most folks, but not some of us.
 
rushmore said:
Not practical, since full usb support to power anything beyond an 8 gb flash would require a full usb power bridge. Not happening on a small device and low capacity battery on a phone.

Even tablets have this problem using micro usb. The Archos G9 is the first tablet that provides the needed stable power for the port.

Just because it is supported in the OS does not mean the OEMs are using it ;) Costs more money and requires OEM drivers for the hardware. Considering there is likely no microsd, I can guarantee full usb host is not happening VIA micro usb.


Added: If some are rationalizing a likely lack of sd slot is alright by assuming full host will work, you will be profoundly let down. Get something else if you are rationalizing this as a storage option.

I even strongly doubt a powered usb drive will work, but that would defeat the premise of portable storage in the first place .

Even though my undergrad in computer electronics is over 15 years old, I do still keep up a little bit :)
Click to expand...

Rushmore,

I agree it's unreasonable to assume that the phone could power any external spinning drive; however, from a quick Google search

SD Card 66-330 mW
USB 2.0 Flash Drive 250-500 mW

So yes SD consumes less power, but not by some huge margin. I also didn't find any info on how much the power requirements increase with flash drive capacity. I'd be interested to see where you got this 8GB limit you keep referring to.

Also, the drivers would need to come from the chipset manufacturers (TI). If the market demands them available for tablets which run with essentially the same SoCs, I don't see why they wouldn't also provide them to the cell phone users as well.

In summary, though I'm not sure whether external (Flash USB) storage support will be available out of the box, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be possible given the hardware and OS.
 
I can only go by devices like the Xoom which report having full usb host, but can only power small flash and can not power large flash or hard drives. Also the expense and space of applying the needed components and the OEM needing to apply code for their device. No problem though, since you should be able to test it with the real thing in severalish weeks. :)

Added:

Those power thresholds you note are bigger than they seem to a phone power system. Point being, it is not going to work, just because the framework supports it.
 
If my phone dies officially, I want to be able to pull out my sd card and throw it into my new phone. I'm not at a computer more than 3 times a week so backing everything up just doesn't happen for me.
 
Gotta remember that there will be a 1080p camera on this bad boy. That will eat GB real estate REAL quick. 32gb won't seem so big after all.
 
I love how people who don't use much storage think that their particular use pattern dictates the usefulness of storage to everyone else.

I have 80GB on my Galaxy S II and its not enough for me. The lack of an SD slot would be a considerable detractor for this handset for me.
 
After I/you will buy a phone 16gb and I/you will have put all items you want on it with a sd card(32gb) I/you may have 44gb free there isnt the problemm. The problemm comes when you have X Gb ammount of memory space and it gets full or is full without having a Sd card then I/you will search the crappy, battery eating, performancy destroyer, slow pock, SD CARD. There is where I want to have the option to go and replace my 32gb class10 adata sd card for a 64gb class 10 or higher (in the future).


NZtechfreak said:
I love how people who don't use much storage think that their particular use pattern dictates the usefulness of storage to everyone else.

I have 80GB on my Galaxy S II and its not enough for me. The lack of an SD slot would be a considerable detractor for this handset for me.
Click to expand...


I did copy V season 1 on sd card it 11gb at 720p but forgot I havent replaced the phone yet. QQ trying to play them on galaxy ace hahahahaha
 
Good posts :)

Perhaps we can summarize:

1. If you do not even get close to filling a 16gb card now, you should be fine.

2. If you do not mind relying on storage clouds, you should be fine.

3. If you already have internal and a 32gb card stuffed, you will not be.

Please consider the following on "32gb", one more time:

- 32gb is really 29.7gb to use
- ICS data allocation will be about 2gb
- Firmware and stock apps about 1Gb
- Both HC and ICS have a floor of about 1GB. If you go below that, it is a problem trying to install apps or update current apps.
- Every app you install wil take away from the remaining space

Out of box, there should be about 26gb free to use for apps and media combined. For "most" people, that should be fine.

Added:

I might be a little high with the assumed free space, since they might just block off 4GB for data allocation and firmware (Sammy and Motorola have done this lately). If so, that would mean a little under 25gb free. On the positive side, I might be too low :)
 
ChiTownJim said:
I'll be very disappointed if there isn't an sd slot , I used mine all the time on my Incredible I had 2 16gb cards at the time that I would swap .
When I got my Incredible I stopped doing as I was disappointed the slot was under the battery it made it much more complicated but I've still used it a few times .

As long as it's got 32gb on board I'd probably be okay as right now my 32gb card has about 10gigs of space left on it . But this is one of the reason I'm still considering the Vigor
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Jim what up brother! Same boat man, I'm just not a cloud guy...lol!

However, Vigor huh! U still rockin with HTC brother...
 
Forget about SD cards fellow forum peeps! I'm just hoping we get a great deal of info about this phone today period!

As Rush pointed out in another Thread, were probably not even gonna hear an announcement from vzw today about them even getting this and when.

Probably just the reg...Coming soon Worldwide...ughhhhhhhh! Joykill...
 
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