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Google Nexus 4 Review

anandtech.com

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Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#11

Post by rplnt »

ConstantineXVI wrote: post #6
f1codz wrote: post #5

I have a question here to ask: Why doesn't Google choose Motorola to manufacture its handsets?

The official line is there's no special relationship between Motorola and Android beyond a common owner; thus they have to bid on Nexus devices like everyone else (and so far, there's nothing to suggest otherwise). As well, there's restrictions on how companies in the middle of an acquisition can communicate, which would make a Motorola-produced Nexus this cycle particularly difficult.

We can also see that there's no connection in the lack of up-to-date Android on Motorola phones.

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#12

Post by untog »

phreeza wrote: post #10
cryptoz wrote: post #2

And it has a barometer!

Does anyone have an idea what the use of this might be? Altimeter? Weather forecasting?

The last Nexus phone had the same- I remember someone on HN showing off a crowd-sourced weather app they'd made. Basically, everyone added their phone to a sensor array that picked up barometric changes across the city and worked out what that meant.

Sadly, I didn't have a Nexus so I couldn't try it, but the tech is fascinating.

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#13

Post by nl »

phreeza wrote: post #10
cryptoz wrote: post #2

And it has a barometer!

Does anyone have an idea what the use of this might be? Altimeter? Weather forecasting?

Yes - all those things.

But the real reason it is there is that it speeds up getting an initial GPS fix. It provides a quick way to guess altitude, which lets it calculate where satellites should be better.

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#14

Post by genkaos »

phreeza wrote: post #10
cryptoz wrote: post #2

And it has a barometer!

Does anyone have an idea what the use of this might be? Altimeter? Weather forecasting?

https://plus.google.com/112413860260589530492/posts/jVJhPyou...

"The primary purpose of the barometer is (at least, I've been told) to make GPS lockons faster. Locking on to a GPS involves numerically solving a 4-dimensional set of linear equations -- 3 dimensions in space, and time. ...

The barometer gives you a reasonable first-cut estimate for altitude."

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#15

Post by fierarul »

dagw wrote: post #9
martythemaniak wrote: post #4

I'm glad to see Anand focus so much on the price in the conclusion. A lot of the other reviews talked at length about lack of LTE etc, but that misses the point of this phone. While it may disappoint many people who just want the best at any price, you can't ignore the fact that the N4 is half the price of other phones in its class. The price really is the killer feature of this phone. I suspect there is lots of dema…

you can't ignore the fact that the N4 is half the price of other phones in its class. I wonder why the phone is so much cheaper (both in absolute and relative terms) in the US than it is here in Sweden. Here it's exactly the same price as the SGS3 and the iPhone 4S and quite a bit more than the HTC One X.

I think it's actually illegal in the EU to sell products bellow cost. We call it dumping but it seems Amazon and Google are able to do it just fine in the US. So that might be one reason.

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#16

Post by hadem »

I have wondered about buying unlocked phones in the United States. Does my monthly bill change when bringing an unlocked phone to Verizon or AT&T?

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#17

Post by colin_jack »

dagw wrote: post #9
martythemaniak wrote: post #4

I'm glad to see Anand focus so much on the price in the conclusion. A lot of the other reviews talked at length about lack of LTE etc, but that misses the point of this phone. While it may disappoint many people who just want the best at any price, you can't ignore the fact that the N4 is half the price of other phones in its class. The price really is the killer feature of this phone. I suspect there is lots of dema…

you can't ignore the fact that the N4 is half the price of other phones in its class. I wonder why the phone is so much cheaper (both in absolute and relative terms) in the US than it is here in Sweden. Here it's exactly the same price as the SGS3 and the iPhone 4S and quite a bit more than the HTC One X.

I liked the fact they took it into account too. I did find this review of the IPad Mini particularly amusing:

"Lining those pluses and minuses up against those for the Nexus 7 – which garnered four stars – there's no doubt that this is indeed a five-star device. The 70% difference in comparative price is more than made up by the difference in build quality and software selection" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/oct/31/ipad-mini-r...)

Not arguing one way or the other but this and a few other recent reviews have made me wonder why tech reviewers seem to pay so little attention to price.

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#18

Post by kayoone »

fierarul wrote: post #15
dagw wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you can't ignore the fact that the N4 is half the price of other phones in its class. I wonder why the phone is so much cheaper (both in absolute and relative terms) in the US than it is here in Sweden. Here it's exactly the same price as the SGS3 and the iPhone 4S and quite a bit more than the HTC One X.

I think it's actually illegal in the EU to sell products bellow cost. We call it dumping but it seems Amazon and Google are able to do it just fine in the US. So that might be one reason.

Its 299 (granted € not $) in Germany too, thats more expensive than in the US but still cheap for a phone like that!

Cool phone, LTE is a non issue for me since its not widely available here anyway and with the tiny amount of data your get here (i have 300Megs included in my contract after which it gets slowed down to dialup speeds) its kinda useless.

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#19

Post by lawdawg »

hadem wrote: post #16

I have wondered about buying unlocked phones in the United States. Does my monthly bill change when bringing an unlocked phone to Verizon or AT&T?

There are both cheaper plans available and you won't be locked in for 2 years. Both, combined, are worth more than the ~$300-$400 phone subsidy over two years that the telco provides.

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#20

Post by k2xl »

So I've been looking at reviews of Nexus 4 all week. I have had IPhone for the past few years (3g then 4).

I want to switch, but I don't know if Nexus 4 is the one to switch to... I don't quite understand the differences between Android versions of S3 and Note 2, but apparently this has a vanilla android version.

What is the best choice? S3? Note 2? Nexus 4? What advantages do each one have over the other?

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