So now that all the smoke has cleared, I'm pretty glad I pulled the trigger. For those of you who were pushing me to go forward despite my few concerns about the Nexus (no card slot, the 5MP camera) I am glad I went ahead and nabbed a Nexus. There are definitely some issues but none that I didn't completely have a sense of before the phone landed in my grubby little paws.
First, the battery life -- without any battery conditioning and the first couple days playing with this thing non-stop -- is pretty awful. However, having said that, the first few days with any device is going to bleed juice. Given that this thing's screen is huge and pretty impressive, does not shock me it's a battery drain. I got the extended battery -- which fits behind its own extended cover and fits inside the Diztronic TPU case http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0065PGWQ0/ref=oh_o05_s00_i02_details just fine. Also got a car dock -- which I think is going back -- and the external battery charger. Three batteries, one extra charger, and a dual rapid charger (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KNBTEY/ref=oh_o03_s00_i00_details). Got my girlfriend a Skyrocket and she's pretty jazzed with hers as well, so this way we can charge both battery hogs at night.
In any case, the camera is very quick and not great, but when I use it properly (eg taking photos of business documents on the go and emailing them or photographing a group or a building -- or a group in front of a building) the photos turn out great. In low light, it's fair (but remarkably, still very fast/responsive and very accurate). Overall, like the cam in my former Droid X, it's better than I expected but still won't replace a bona-fide digicam (whether my Elph or a dSLR).
So far I've installed about 120 apps (about a third of which I had in the X) and about 10% of my previous apps don't work properly (Launcher Pro, Chuzzle, Checkers/Optime), etc. Nothing too-too terrible. The main issue is that Swype doesn't seem to be working yet with the device. Not sure when the upgrade will happen, but I'm counting the days. May even give SwiftKey a legit try. The missing slot looks like it won't be very much of an issue, unless the phone dies before I back everything up (and by dies, I mean the phone itself and not the battery). Per suggestions here, I've purchased an OTG cable to connect a thumb drive so I'm hoping it all works. Then again, I dropped a whole $5 for the cable so if it doesn't work, I won't be experiencing any sleepless nights.
Finally, the size -- yes, it's pretty large -- but overall not too terrible. The screen is immense (in a good way) and it is very fast, so I can forgive the size. I've slapped a screen protector on it (the one that came with the Diztronic) but I ordered several others: Skinomi, RND and Greatshield. All of them are matte, as the one included with the Diz is shiny and a remarkably good conductor of shiny smudges and fingerprints. I'm not going to debate which ones are the best or pay $50 for a screen protector, so I got a bunch and will see which choices seem to work the best. Again, sleepless nights are not applicable here.
I'd definitely recommend the Nexus for people that are willing to suffer through some Ice Cream Sammich brain-freeze (eg bugs, etc.). It's not going to be a simple ride, but for those of us who are digging into ICS, I think it's going to be worthwhile. I installed Dialer 1 and several other dialers until speed dials are built into the OS (they apparently aren't), and I've enjoyed the new folder setup (although it's limited to 9 or 12 apps -- I think). I like it and think it's a sophisticated step forward for the Android OS.
Some of the issues -- particularly battery life -- are going to be forever problems and not just with this phone. The battery issue will for certain affect any 4G device that is more evolved than the battery inside it. But given that this device is a battery hog, that should be a factor in anyone's decision when considering the Nexus.
I don't recall the last time I was willing to stand outside a Verizon store on line for an hour or more and left -- even two days later -- pleased with my purchase, but this was the case. Is it an absolutely amazing, astounding product worthy of me donating one of my testicles? No. But it's a solid handset and I doubt I'll seriously consider throwing it at someone's head for at least the next six months.
So far, so good.
First, the battery life -- without any battery conditioning and the first couple days playing with this thing non-stop -- is pretty awful. However, having said that, the first few days with any device is going to bleed juice. Given that this thing's screen is huge and pretty impressive, does not shock me it's a battery drain. I got the extended battery -- which fits behind its own extended cover and fits inside the Diztronic TPU case http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0065PGWQ0/ref=oh_o05_s00_i02_details just fine. Also got a car dock -- which I think is going back -- and the external battery charger. Three batteries, one extra charger, and a dual rapid charger (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KNBTEY/ref=oh_o03_s00_i00_details). Got my girlfriend a Skyrocket and she's pretty jazzed with hers as well, so this way we can charge both battery hogs at night.
In any case, the camera is very quick and not great, but when I use it properly (eg taking photos of business documents on the go and emailing them or photographing a group or a building -- or a group in front of a building) the photos turn out great. In low light, it's fair (but remarkably, still very fast/responsive and very accurate). Overall, like the cam in my former Droid X, it's better than I expected but still won't replace a bona-fide digicam (whether my Elph or a dSLR).
So far I've installed about 120 apps (about a third of which I had in the X) and about 10% of my previous apps don't work properly (Launcher Pro, Chuzzle, Checkers/Optime), etc. Nothing too-too terrible. The main issue is that Swype doesn't seem to be working yet with the device. Not sure when the upgrade will happen, but I'm counting the days. May even give SwiftKey a legit try. The missing slot looks like it won't be very much of an issue, unless the phone dies before I back everything up (and by dies, I mean the phone itself and not the battery). Per suggestions here, I've purchased an OTG cable to connect a thumb drive so I'm hoping it all works. Then again, I dropped a whole $5 for the cable so if it doesn't work, I won't be experiencing any sleepless nights.
Finally, the size -- yes, it's pretty large -- but overall not too terrible. The screen is immense (in a good way) and it is very fast, so I can forgive the size. I've slapped a screen protector on it (the one that came with the Diztronic) but I ordered several others: Skinomi, RND and Greatshield. All of them are matte, as the one included with the Diz is shiny and a remarkably good conductor of shiny smudges and fingerprints. I'm not going to debate which ones are the best or pay $50 for a screen protector, so I got a bunch and will see which choices seem to work the best. Again, sleepless nights are not applicable here.
I'd definitely recommend the Nexus for people that are willing to suffer through some Ice Cream Sammich brain-freeze (eg bugs, etc.). It's not going to be a simple ride, but for those of us who are digging into ICS, I think it's going to be worthwhile. I installed Dialer 1 and several other dialers until speed dials are built into the OS (they apparently aren't), and I've enjoyed the new folder setup (although it's limited to 9 or 12 apps -- I think). I like it and think it's a sophisticated step forward for the Android OS.
Some of the issues -- particularly battery life -- are going to be forever problems and not just with this phone. The battery issue will for certain affect any 4G device that is more evolved than the battery inside it. But given that this device is a battery hog, that should be a factor in anyone's decision when considering the Nexus.
I don't recall the last time I was willing to stand outside a Verizon store on line for an hour or more and left -- even two days later -- pleased with my purchase, but this was the case. Is it an absolutely amazing, astounding product worthy of me donating one of my testicles? No. But it's a solid handset and I doubt I'll seriously consider throwing it at someone's head for at least the next six months.
So far, so good.