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

[bldgengineer]

My friend, who is on AT&T and travels a lot, always says that CDMA and, therefore, Verizon sucks. I'm not really concerned about it too much because I don't travel all that much outside the US. Also, it's kind of a moot point because Verizon is the only carrier I can still get unlimited data on, other than Sprint, and I'm not keen on giving up that lightning fast 4G.

For us Verizon users, unless the Droid Prime is a pure Nexus device (which I doubt), our choices will always be between one bloated phone or another bloated phone. I'd rather have one with a gorgeous screen and monster hardware.

I'm stuck with verizon since sprint won't reach inside my house reliably and the other two...pfffft! Forget it!

Living on an island has its advantages. Getting to chose whatever mobile carrier you want definitely isn't one of them!

 

[deekjx]

yeah I would say its because one is a GSM phone and the other a CDMA for verizion.

There may eventually be a second CDMA version for Sprint. I haven't been following that so I'm not a 100% positive. I can't wait for the FCC posting because we don't know if they will be making this a world phone for Verizon (include GSM radios). I doubt they will, but I can be hopeful. Verizon is releasing more and more of them.

My friend, who is on AT&T and travels a lot, always says that CDMA and, therefore, Verizon sucks. I'm not really concerned about it too much because I don't travel all that much outside the US.

Verizon does offer phones that can be on moth the Verizon CDMA network, and foreign GSM networks.

 

[HanSolo]

One thing I don't understand (among many):

Isn't bluetooth and wifi certification only for US-bound phones? If so, why would the GT-i9250 need to pass through there? Unless that IS a model that is bound for the other 3 major networks. . .

This is so confusing.

 

[Sandroidfan]

Verizon does offer phones that can be on moth the Verizon CDMA network, and foreign GSM networks.

Yeah, Dinc2 and Droid3 are such dual mode phones I believe. I haven't tried GSM with verizon phone oversea yet, but I heard that GSM roaming charge is ridiculously high.

 

[gapi]

Uh Oh! Not a pure Google Experience. Touch Wiz and Bloat?

False Alarm, No Google Nexus Prime Coming To Verizon After All?

The [via] link under the article.

 

[Steven58]

^^ kill the messenger.

 

[HanSolo]

Uh Oh! Not a pure Google Experience. Touch Wiz and Bloat?

False Alarm, No Google Nexus Prime Coming To Verizon After All?

EDIT:

This article is pure speculation. Their "source" link actually either contradicts everything they say or only presents it as speculative possibilities.

From the linked article:

But there could be simple agreement between the parties over here — Samsung, Google and Verizon. That is, this Samsung device will be void of the company’s TouchWiz custom UI, thus making it a pure Google experience phone with stock Android 4.0 installed, and that Google takes the responsibility to update it as if it was a Nexus device. Seems reasonable, considering they wanna target iPhone 5, which is rumored for multiple carrier launches. Right?

I can't stand the way some bloggers, with obvious fanboism towards certain manufacturers, present their articles. This could have just as easily been titled:

"Possibilities of Nexus Prime coming to Verizon are Strong"

 

[So-Low Da Don]

Uh Oh! Not a pure Google Experience. Touch Wiz and Bloat?

False Alarm, No Google Nexus Prime Coming To Verizon After All?

Well if it has Android 4.0 and TouchWiz 4.0, it would probably be easier to get a port to the SGS2, so I won't feel bad about getting it now.

 

[Steven58]

EDIT:

This article is pure speculation. Their "source" link actually contradicts everything they say.

I saw that, too.

 

[Thejungle]

Well if it has Android 4.0 and TouchWiz 4.0, it would probably be easier to get a port to the SGS2, so I won't feel bad about getting it now.

Noooo! Only not Touchwiz 4!!! NOOO, please! I hate this iphone-style UI! Please! I love pure Google, and as the first DROID was pure Google - Droid Prime will be the same, the difference will be FULL LTE. ;-)

 

[magdelaine]

Uh Oh! Not a pure Google Experience. Touch Wiz and Bloat?

False Alarm, No Google Nexus Prime Coming To Verizon After All?

The [via] link under the article.

I think that if I didn't intend on rooting and ROMing the Prime that Verizon will or will not ruin with requirements and bloatware I would care more. But honestly I'm looking for some blue-green ice creamy goodness to be running on my phone. It will be interesting...

 

[magdelaine]

So-Low, in answer to your siggy...What's an Apple to an Android?? I say "LUNCH"!!

 

[HanSolo]

Also, we need to remember that we'll never have the perfect phone. I think most of us struck gold with the OG Droid, a phone that we haven't seen the need to replace between November 2009 and whenever Prime comes out, despite the releases of the X's and Droid 2 and 3, and even Bionic. Yet still, there are certain elements of the OG Droid that make me think "what the hell?" (Cheap paint on the camera button that flakes off after a month?, etc.)

When we get our hands on the glorious Prime, it will be the best thing since our OG's. But there will still be things we don't like about it. We might be muttering "I hate this stupid Touchwiz!" or "Freaking Blockbuster icon!"

But if the worst thing about the phone is that, I'll gladly take it. And remember, it's all going to be temporary. My OG Droid's launcher, app drawer, gallery, camera app, etc. look NOTHING like they did when I first bought the thing. Prime, I think, will be just as customizable, with even better ROMS, etc.

 

[gapi]

When would you guys expect to see an official announcement either way?

 

[deekjx]

Yeah, Dinc2 and Droid3 are such dual mode phones I believe. I haven't tried GSM with verizon phone oversea yet, but I heard that GSM roaming charge is ridiculously high.

Back when I was with AT&T in early 2009 maybe 2008, I spent a month in Buenos Aries training engineers there. A co-worker of mine had the Blackberry Storm (The only GSM/CDMA Verizon phone at that time) and told me he only paid 30 bucks extra a month for unlimited data while abroad. I was shocked as I've run up over 2 grand in data charges alone while in Germany before. He also signed up for the plan two days before he traveled and dropped it the following month. He confirmed he was only charged the 30 bucks.

It's no longer like that now. I've researched it and it is quite expensive. I travel with my old AT&T phone and I use a prepaid SIM. This is more affordable option.


Here are the current rates:
International Call Rates

Current International Data Rates

 

[HanSolo]

When would you guys expect to see an official announcement either way?

Oh Gapi. Poor, poor Gapi.

Considering that the first Verizon-announced date for the Bionic was in a commercial last Thursday (1 week before release) tells you all you need to know.

We'll be riding the speculation highway on this one for a while yet.

Hang in there.

EDIT: As far as an official announcement that it's coming (with no release date), I wouldn't expect anything until probably after the iPhone 5 has had a solid couple of weeks of sales at least. Which still pegs the release, in my opinion, to late October/early November.

 

[Steven58]

When would you guys expect to see an official announcement either way?

Can't say. The sooner the better, though.

 

[deekjx]

TouchWiz Video

This is for people not familiar with it. I think most folks here will prefer stock and all here will hate the lack of updates that comes with having proprietary UI's.

 

[gapi]

Oh Gapi. Poor, poor Gapi.

Heh!

 

[HanSolo]

TouchWiz Video

This is for people not familiar with it. I think most folks here will prefer stock and all here will hate the lack of updates that comes with having proprietary UI's.

You know what's weird, is that I kind of like TouchWiz, looking at that video. It's not terrible (although I didn't see all of it).

However, I'll still probably go with Launcher Pro. I like very minimalist designs. I just want an HD screen + 4G for netflix, movies, and ebooks.

 

[deekjx]

I don't think it is bad but I'd rather try out the new interface that comes with ICS. Hopefully Sammy will make it modular so that we can turn it off entirely or uninstall it.

On my HTC Incredible, I continue to use Sense just because it makes managing my corporate email quicker.

 

[gapi]

Just looked the Twiz video over in 1080p full screen and I will confess, I have never used a pure Google interface so I cannot compare and the TWiz don't look so bad I guess. At least the screens scroll infinitely. I loath the ones that stop at each page.

As a PI and Pro photographer I really like the camera info. I see ISO setting availability and such and with praise on the low-light performance, look out all subjects I trail into a restaurant or pub.

I guess we may be dreaming if we think Verizon is going to let Google just plop a handset as-is upon their shelves and sell it eh?

 

[Sandroidfan]

For anyone new to Samsung phone, Touchwiz 4.0 is vastly improved over older version looking like iOS cartoon in original SGS. So I actually prefer TW 4.0 over other UIs like Sense, Blur. SGS2 just flies smooth with TW 4.0 in it. But like many of you, I also prefer pure ICS in Prime. Or at least hope they make TW a launcher app that can be uninstalled.

 

[Steven58]

If Verizon sticks a touch wiz phone down our throats, I might as well go with the Viper. I do like Sense UI very much. If this is a touch wiz phone, we don''t get our updates, a la Samsung, so over to HTC I go.

 

[The_Chief]

TouchWiz & bloatware aside: I see a stable CyanogenMod 8 ICS running on this thing by January/February. THEN look me in the face and tell me I don't have the perfect phone... HA!

Well, as perfect as one can get in 2102...