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Google Nexus 4 Review

anandtech.com

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Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#51

Post by klausa »

peeters wrote: post #28

I've already decided I'm buying this phone, but I have to ask: Why should I care about wireless charging? I can't see this feature enriching my life in the slightest. Ok, it looks cool sitting there. But docks look cool too. Is it more convenient? I would argue no (saves maybe two seconds of effort per charge). Is it more portable? Definitely not. Is this only hyped up because of the "coolness" factor?

I have HP Touchpad tablet with Touchstone wireless dock - and I can't stress how awesome it is to be able to just put it down on a stand near my bed and not have to look for one of the two USB cables (because tablet requires more power than my phone, I need to pick the right one), just plop it down and it charges.

And same thing in the morning - I don't have to carefully pick it up, trying not to yank cord from charger, disconnect charging cable - just grab it, and go to bathroom.

And when I'm out of home, I can charge it with regular microUSB plug, but believe me, I curse it every single time.

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#52

Post by yock »

cryptoz wrote: post #30
phreeza wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I collect the barometric readings with pressureNET. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.cumulonimbu... We have about 11,000 total users (half are active) and are VERY excited that the Nexus 4 and 10 both have barometers. We're looking to improve short-term, local weather prediction asap. The project is open source at http://cumulonimbus.ca

Very appreciative of the tip here, it's installing now on my GNex.

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#53

Post by arjunnarayan »

mjs wrote: post #37
nl wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

How does knowing the altitude help figure out which satellite to look for? (Are GPS receivers "directional", anyway??) GPS satellites orbit at ~20,000km; for the initial acquisition I'm surprised that receivers would care if they're 0km or 1.5km from sea level.

GPS positions you using very accurate clocks. GPS satellites are continuously broadcasting messages, where each message contains: 1) their position when the message was sent 2) the exact time when the message was sent.

With enough satellite signals (4, given that you're locating in 4 dimensions --- 3 spacial and 1 time. Note that if the GPS receiver had a very expensive clock you could locate with 3 satellites, or if you knew your exact altitude to a high level of precision as well, you can locate with just 2 satellite signals).

Now notice that if you're solving a 4 dimensional equation, you can't have two of the spatial coordinates have precisions of less than 10 meters while one of them is inaccurate to the kilometer!

In practice, if you have a "good enough" clock and a "good enough" barometer, you can hone into the approximate city, or 100 meter radius circle much faster --- after picking up just two GPS signals. And for a lot of apps, this lets them begin the initial computations quicker.

The one part I'm not sure about is whether the long time is computational, or in actually waiting until you find 4 or more signals. Maybe somebody with more experience with GPS can clarify?

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#54

Post by lukeschlather »

mjs wrote: post #37
nl wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

How does knowing the altitude help figure out which satellite to look for? (Are GPS receivers "directional", anyway??) GPS satellites orbit at ~20,000km; for the initial acquisition I'm surprised that receivers would care if they're 0km or 1.5km from sea level.

My understanding is that if you know your exact elevation you can determine position with only 3 satellite signals instead of 4.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS#Basic_concept_of_GPS

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#55

Post by [deleted] »

jedbrown wrote: post #33
genkaos wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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."

Locking on to a GPS involves numerically solving a 4-dimensional set of linear equations Hah, hardly.

[deleted]

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#56

Post by stanleydrew »

abhigupta wrote: post #35
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…

I am curious, in US, most carriers don't offer any discount for bringing your own device. So, how does spending $349 on Nexus vs buying a subsidized iPhone for $200 going to save anyone money or makes Nexus a better deal?

T-Mobile in the US used to discount their post-paid plans when you brought your own phone. They stopped doing that but started offering some pretty great prepaid plans:

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/monthly-4g-plans

I am on the $30/mo unlimited text, 5GB of HSPA+ data and 100 voice minutes plan and it's great. I reduced my monthly bill by 60%.

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#57

Post by blhack »

k2xl wrote: post #20

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?

I will say that I just switched from a iPhone 4 to a S3 and it seriously makes the iPhone feel like a toy.

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#58

Post by apendleton »

MojoJolo wrote: post #29

Are there other ways of buying Nexus 4 rather than online in Google Play Store?

Yes; TMobile will sell them. The pricing will be much worse than the Play Store pricing, though (I think around $200 on contract and $600 off), so probably not actually a good idea.

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#59

Post by kenjackson »

lawdawg wrote: post #40
kenjackson wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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. Ignoring OS, there are other phones that are getting much cheaper. Example is the new Lumia 920 that is $449 on ATT w/o contract. While it is $100 more expensive than the the 16GB Nexus you do get the follow…

I'll take a lighter device + $100 over 16GB + LTE at least until LTE is widely available in my city (which is probably 2-3 years away). But again, ignoring OS which is generally not a good idea when making a phone purchase.

Ignoring OS is the only way to make a fair comparison, since OS preference probably trumps the feature and price delta ( whether you prefer WP or Android).

Re: Google Nexus 4 Review

#60

Post by Symmetry »

lawdawg wrote: post #19
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.

And with T-Mobile you can get the same plan for cheaper if you aren't on a contract.
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