Galaxy Nexus Review by Joshua Topolsky. Mother of God....

[pacmacman]

And in the middle we get the usual "user experience" bit. Which, per all the reviews, has been greatly improved with ICS (oh yeah, then there's the bit ragging on the codename of 4.0...maybe they should name it after zoo animals instead of desserts, would that make more of you happy?).

Why do so many Google folks have such an inferiority complex when it comes to Apple? I see so many Android fanboys posting here to "prove" people wrong, bleat the same Apple cult cliches endlessly, and troll yet when I'm over at Android forums I never once see any Apple people doing likewise.

Seriously, why can't you guys just enjoy what you enjoy without needing a pissing match? It's a phone. It's not your life or a reflection of who you are. Grow up.

 

[Motionblurrr]

For me, this could be a start of winning me back to Android.
I have owned 4s for month now and due to it's many short comings, I am looking back to droid again.

I believe I will hold for now, but when iPhone 5(next year, or whatever the next one comes out) comes out next year and it's another dud, I will not hesitate to go back to droid.(and I HATED droid X).

Is it possible that apple is being stagnant and sitting on it's past success? Never know. iPhone definitely has it's flaw and weakness(so does everyone else) which is glaring and getting bigger.

I used to think I will do iPhone 5 next year no matter what but not anymore.
Way to f up apple.. nice job!

HAHAHAHAHA

what did Apple do? They released the 4S with internals that beat all phones that were out at the time in the same, small package with a great camera and buttery smooth OS.

Do you want Apple to release a quad core iPhone with 2 HDMI ports, 6 microSD slots, plastic body, a huge 4.6" screen, a replacable battery, and then a new one next week with a faster processor making your already brand new handset "old news"?

Sorry, but Apple doesn't roll like that.

One iPhone per year with everything you need. And it still will be supported possibly 2 years from then. Look at the 3GS. While the competition is saturating the market with a new phone every week, Apple stands tall with a single unit year round.

 

[jvmxtra]

What are the shortcomings in your opinion?

Ok, so before I get into this, I just want to say I am apple fanatic.
I can understand everyone's emotional tie to iPhone but as an ex droid user, I can not help but point out the flaws in iPhone.(That goes without saying , however ,that there are more superior quality in iPhone).
I want to say these because I want apple to improve and keep their awesome product awesome.

1)I went through this ad nasuem, but I cannot help but bring it up again. Volume control is just plain does not work for me in iPhone.
It is unthinkable to not able to control volume for ringtone and others separately. Also no program to adjust them automatically between day and night settings. If this does not bother you, obviously because you never had it before. It's like Night and day.(no pun intended)
This is the type of stuff that makes you scratch your head and say " what the F@#$ were those apple engineers thinking???"

I will give you a specific example.
During daytime, I like my ringtone volume at max and text and email at volume 5. At night time, I want it to be automatically adjust to volume 5 for ringtone and volume 1 for text and email for silent. Tell me how you do this in iOS.

2)google turn by turn navigation. I don't believe I am saying this but google map and navi is pretty good product. I miss them(compare to what I have now). (AGAIN and very annoyingly)I cannot believe apple w/ ALL THAT PROFIT has FAIL to come up w/ FREE navigation for apple aficionados. It's utterly disgusting what they have fail to do so far. This 3c acquisition better materialize FAST and HUGELY. If you are apple fan, and if you think you don't deserve a KICK ass free turn by turn navi, you are in the dark. Lack of integration w/in OS is just inconvenient to say the least.

3)Lack of good email program/Lack of apple's own email program/address
(this issue might not be appropriate here)
I rather hate the fact that I have to rely on google email.

Screen size I will let it pass. I know they are waiting for technology to get better so that they can double up the res before they can up the physical size. But without a doubt, I want(at least me personally) bigger screen next year(wanted one for this year just like lot of us did).

Fight over supremacy is bigger than you think. Battle over IOS vs Android will spill over to OSX as well soon. It's imperative that apple continue to innovate IOS rather than stay stationary.

I am apple fan boy btw

 

[Feltzem]

Although I've never really liked Android, I must say ICS has fixed most of the issues, and the Galaxy Nexus hardware looks great. But the thing keeping me with iOS is the ecosystem. I must have spent $thousands on apps since 2008, with iTunes Match all my music's in the cloud, and I love how seamlessly everything works between my iPhone and Mac.

 

[SilentLoner]

Although I've never really liked Android, I must say ICS has fixed most of the issues, and the Galaxy Nexus hardware looks great. But the thing keeping me with iOS is the ecosystem. I must have spent $thousands on apps since 2008, with iTunes Match all my music's in the cloud, and I love how seamlessly everything works between my iPhone and Mac.

This is not a troll or anything I am just curious as to what issues have been resolved in ICS

 

[jvmxtra]

HAHAHAHAHA

what did Apple do? They released the 4S with internals that beat all phones that were out at the time in the same, small package with a great camera and buttery smooth OS.

Do you want Apple to release a quad core iPhone with 2 HDMI ports, 6 microSD slots, plastic body, a huge 4.6" screen, a replacable battery, and then a new one next week with a faster processor making your already brand new handset "old news"?

Sorry, but Apple doesn't roll like that.

One iPhone per year with everything you need. And it still will be supported possibly 2 years from then. Look at the 3GS. While the competition is saturating the market with a new phone every week, Apple stands tall with a single unit year round.

This type of strategy might have worked in the past when competition was still trying to get their feet wet. Not anymore. IF apple fanboy like me is looking at droid w/ positive eyes, then I can just imagine what normal people would be. Yes, I understand that motto is not to fix if it ain't broke. And clearly apple is doing great. I still think they should have done more for 4s.

----------

Lack of sensible LED front light for notification also comes to my mind. (as a feature that should be part of IOS).

When I owned ipod touch 4, all this lack of features were fine since I was only using them for music/video/games.

Smartphone these days, which people rely on to get stuff done, iPhone is lacking.

 

[Jack Dangers]

Phone looks nice and ICS looks very promising. My hesitations with Android are 1)the eventual laggyness of the OS and 2) freaking battery life. So far the reviews on the battery life have been promising, but I'm not hopeful.

Oh and great job on the the Verge video reviews. Best in the industry.

 

[dawiyo]

If only this was on AT&T...

 

[SurferMan]

If only this was on AT&T...

Personally I would get the SGII and root it and custom rom etc. Nexus is too big and bulky imo, SGII is on the edge of max size I like.

 

[ap3604]

If only this was on AT&T...

Looks like AT&T is already gauging cust interest for the galaxy nexus:

http://mobile.theverge.com/2011/11/17/2569765/at-t-uses-google-to-gauge-interest-in-the-galaxy-nexus

Really couldn't imagine AT&T would give Verizon that much of an advantage in their Android phone lineup without responding...

 

[SilentLoner]

Now I know I am not a fanboy and the nexus is seriously interesting and I might purchase one to play with when its out.

The verge's website has a interview with the designer of ICS, coincidence much?

 

[BiggAW]

Don't think the nexus will have any bloatware on it....thats the point of the Nexus name.....just pure Android,no carrier crap,i;m in the UK and certainly all the UK carriers won't have any on....the Nexus one or the Nexus S never did,i would be pretty sure that Google have said to Verizon or whoever in the US gets the Nexus,just leave it as or no phone for you to sell?...

The Nexus won't have bloat and modified junk, but the next batch of branded ICS phones will.

 

[naths]

HAHAHAHAHA

what did Apple do? They released the 4S with internals that beat all phones that were out at the time in the same, small package with a great camera and buttery smooth OS.

Do you want Apple to release a quad core iPhone with 2 HDMI ports, 6 microSD slots, plastic body, a huge 4.6" screen, a replacable battery, and then a new one next week with a faster processor making your already brand new handset "old news"?

Sorry, but Apple doesn't roll like that.

One iPhone per year with everything you need. And it still will be supported possibly 2 years from then. Look at the 3GS. While the competition is saturating the market with a new phone every week, Apple stands tall with a single unit year round.

oh mr fanboy !!!...the 4S just about managed to keep up with phones that were released 6 months before....samsung,nokia,lg,htc are miles ahead with their technology...there is more to life than a iphone4 for gods sake get a life and realise that what apple produce is not the best all of the time....iv got a Audi RS5 and yet I'm fully prepared to admit the BMW M5 is a better car....just i prefer Audi...yet i won't slag off other better cars saying mine is better......

 

[aztooh]

Why do so many Google folks have such an inferiority complex when it comes to Apple? I see so many Android fanboys posting here to "prove" people wrong, bleat the same Apple cult cliches endlessly, and troll yet when I'm over at Android forums I never once see any Apple people doing likewise.

Seriously, why can't you guys just enjoy what you enjoy without needing a pissing match? It's a phone. It's not your life or a reflection of who you are. Grow up.

Guess what Mrs. Pacman, I'm a happy Iphone 4S user. Came from the 3G, which I loved coming from a BlackBerry Storm..well, for about a year anyway, until 4.0 ruined it for me.

That said, I'm not 100% in love with the iPhone. I hate the brick design. I'd like a larger screen. I'd really like a notification light; every phone I've had prior to the iPhone, and the Atrix in between iPhones, had a notification light. I'd REALLY like more control over my grid of apps. Love that Android allows the user to decide which apps they want on their homescreen and allows them to arrange them how they want...and leave the rest in the app drawer. Not to mention widgets.

As I just mentioned, I went to Android after my iP3g. An Atrix on 2.2. Loved the hardware. Great size; ergonomic; 4", 16:9 display; notification light; decent enough cameras. But I took it back, and waited on the new iPhone. Was very disappointed there wasn't a redesign. And no, not because I want people to know I've got the newest...it's because I really dislike the current design and want a larger screen. But the 'user experience' and ecosystem kept me with Apple, for now. If Apple doesn't step it up with the next iPhone and version of iOS, it looks like there will finally be some worthwhile Android handsets out there...thanks in large part to ICS. Which is what I was talking about in the part of my post you quoted....ICS looks like it has greatly improved the user experience for Android.

Both OS' have the pros and cons. To be a "fanboy" of either is stupid. I'm quite grown as well, thanks. Nothing about my post was troll-like.

----------

You may call it phenomenal design, I call it lack of original design.

The Nokia N9 and Nokia Lumia 800 look like an oversized iPod nano 4th gen...nothing new

The iPhone 4/4S is still the best looking phone out there with a quality and simplistic design that works

And ergonomically, the worst phone ever created possibly. I suppose ergonomics isn't important for a handheld device though huh?

And as far as "design THAT WORKS"...well, there's quite a bit of evidence out there that the design of the iP4 doesn't work all that well. Apple agrees with that as well, or they wouldn't have passed out bumpers and they wouldn't have completely redesigned the antenna for the 4S.

 

[Shockwave78]

There are plenty of reviews where they say they are using them on AT&T and Tmobile 3G for you guys that want to use them on those carriers, just buy it from overseas..

Ill be switching, i have been waiting for months for the nexus and it is probably the only google phone that has not disappointed after all the hype. All the reviews are glowing of it

 

[pacmacman]

Guess what Mrs. Pacman, I'm a happy Iphone 4S user.

Yeah yeah yeah, sure you are. New gimmick, please. The "Unbiased Apple Fan Speakin' The Truth" has been done to death. We get it. You love Apple, but gosh darn all those Apple fanboys with their fanboyish ways just get ya down! And gee if only Apple made phones that was more like Android phones!

Also, try to insult with a little less misogyny. Thinking that you're insulting someone by calling them a woman says a whole lot more about you than them.

 

[aztooh]

Yeah yeah yeah, sure you are. New gimmick, please. The "Unbiased Apple Fan Speakin' The Truth" has been done to death. We get it. You love Apple, but gosh darn all those Apple fanboys with their fanboyish ways just get ya down! And gee if only Apple made phones that was more like Android phones!

Also, try to insult with a little less misogyny. Thinking that you're insulting someone by calling them a woman says a whole lot more about you than them.

Would you like me to PM you my # and you can see that it pops up as "iMessage" in your messaging app? And you can feel free to text me to see that it's actually me you are typing to.

I'm not an "Unbiased Apple Fan", as you put it. I'm a consumer who purchases what works best for me. The BlackBerry was my first venture into the 'smartphone' arena. Wasn't bad, but had it's issues. Only reason I really looked into a new phone was because I cracked the screen. Got the 3G for a steal as the 3Gs was just released...wasn't aware it was such a huge difference in performance or I would have sprung for the S. Got bored with the 3G, and it was the laggiest POS with 4.x so I tried out Android via an Atrix. Like I said, I liked a lot about the phone, but returned it because of issues w/"user experience". Biggest reason was because of email problems. I wanted to wait until the Nexus came out to make a decision, but the 3G was unbearable. I'd probably rather have the Nexus, but who knows when it's coming to ATT so I just got the 4S.

It's a solid phone. Hardly ever shows any lag, great screen albeit small for my taste. Camera is fantastic. Siri is handy at times. And I didn't have to worry about re-purchasing apps. Hoping for a more ergonomic redesign next year.

Now that I mention Siri, perhaps I can change my contact info on my phone and use Siri w/a screenshot posted here to prove my 4S ownership? Don't know why it's so unbelievable someone can be critical of something they own...there's no perfect mobile device out there.

 

[pacmacman]

Would you like me to PM you my # and you can see that it pops up as "iMessage" in your messaging app? And you can feel free to text me to see that it's actually me you are typing to.

I'm not an "Unbiased Apple Fan", as you put it. I'm a consumer who purchases what works best for me. The BlackBerry was my first venture into the 'smartphone' arena. Wasn't bad, but had it's issues. Only reason I really looked into a new phone was because I cracked the screen. Got the 3G for a steal as the 3Gs was just released...wasn't aware it was such a huge difference in performance or I would have sprung for the S. Got bored with the 3G, and it was the laggiest POS with 4.x so I tried out Android via an Atrix. Like I said, I liked a lot about the phone, but returned it because of issues w/"user experience". Biggest reason was because of email problems. I wanted to wait until the Nexus came out to make a decision, but the 3G was unbearable. I'd probably rather have the Nexus, but who knows when it's coming to ATT so I just got the 4S.

It's a solid phone. Hardly ever shows any lag, great screen albeit small for my taste. Camera is fantastic. Siri is handy at times. And I didn't have to worry about re-purchasing apps. Hoping for a more ergonomic redesign next year.

Now that I mention Siri, perhaps I can change my contact info on my phone and use Siri w/a screenshot posted here to prove my 4S ownership? Don't know why it's so unbelievable someone can be critical of something they own...there's no perfect mobile device out there.

Oh, that's entirely believable and usually the case with many smartphone owners. I just don't believe for an instant that you own an iPhone. I think you're just another Android fan trolling the threads. You can put the strawman down now.

Your idea of "proving" ownership doesn't mean much. No one knows who you are, so verifying that you own something doesn't mean anything. And honestly, it doesn't matter. Just like what you like, you don't have anything to prove to us iSheep.

Try something else.

 

[TM WAZZA]

It's believable for one to criticize something they own. I know it because I'm like that with my PS3 and 360.

 

[aztooh]

Oh, that's entirely believable and usually the case with many smartphone owners. I just don't believe for an instant that you own an iPhone. I think you're just another Android fan trolling the threads. You can put the strawman down now.

Your idea of "proving" ownership doesn't mean much. No one knows who you are, so verifying that you own something doesn't mean anything. And honestly, it doesn't matter. Just like what you like, you don't have anything to prove to us iSheep.

Try something else.

Waffle much?

There are quite a bit of "iSheep" out there. Lot of blind Android followers as well. BB's have a loyal fan base too, although a dying breed.

I'm obviously in a no-win situation with you. I'm first accused of being an Android-using iPhone hater. Then I set the facts straight, and I'm called a liar. Then I'm told it doesn't matter. Cool deal. Check my post history if you'd like. I can't see the future, I haven't been fabricating things to post leading up to this moment to prove to you I have a 4S. I didn't want a 4S. But I wasn't going to wait several more months for the Nexus. Thought about the SGS2, but 800x480 was a deal breaker for me. I'm happy with it for now.

Enjoy believing what you'd like to believe!

 

[pacmacman]

Waffle much?

There are quite a bit of "iSheep" out there. Lot of blind Android followers as well. BB's have a loyal fan base too, although a dying breed.

I'm obviously in a no-win situation with you. I'm first accused of being an Android-using iPhone hater. Then I set the facts straight, and I'm called a liar. Then I'm told it doesn't matter. Cool deal. Check my post history if you'd like. I can't see the future, I haven't been fabricating things to post leading up to this moment to prove to you I have a 4S. I didn't want a 4S. But I wasn't going to wait several more months for the Nexus. Thought about the SGS2, but 800x480 was a deal breaker for me. I'm happy with it for now.

You did no such thing. Just made up a bunch of crap to cover the previous crap.

Enjoy believing what you'd like to believe!

That IS the plan!

 

[chris2k5]

Not crazy about the Nexus hardware but that software is amazing.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Why do so many Google folks have such an inferiority complex when it comes to Apple? I see so many Android fanboys posting here to "prove" people wrong, bleat the same Apple cult cliches endlessly, and troll yet when I'm over at Android forums I never once see any Apple people doing likewise.

Seriously, why can't you guys just enjoy what you enjoy without needing a pissing match? It's a phone. It's not your life or a reflection of who you are. Grow up.

I could say that I find the Apple fanboys who have an inferiority complex when it comes to Android. They get to the point that they just have to bash Android every chance they get and can not accept the fact that people like other things better.

 

[nraudigy2]

ICS looks nice but it won't solve fragmentation of android. There are at least 5 different graphic chips on Android. They can't possibly optimize the OS for all those chips. iOS uses only PowerVR SGX graphics chips and WP7 with only Adreno GPUs to optimize for performance while limiting fragmentation on both platforms. These two optimized OSes are faster than Android even with slower clocked processors. Game developers are having hard time updating their games to support new phones that are coming out every couple weeks. Many phones can't play certain games because they aren't supported , are still waiting for developers to fix their force closes or don't have the right graphics chip to play. Plus, Android users aren't buying much apps and all the new apps come out on iOS first. Vast majority of thousands of high quality apps are still not available on Android. Widgets are nice to have on Android but they can eat battery up pretty fast. Though rooting your phone and play with custom roms are cool at first, soon after you will realized that they aren't that stable and contain many bugs. I am not happy with the stability of Android and with little quality apps to play with, hence I switched to iOS coming from Galaxy S, G2X and Galaxy S2.

 

[chrono1081]

Why do all the android threads come under iPhone? No offense OP but it should go in community discussion.