Live data from Hacker News

Galaxy Nexus now on sale in Google Play

googlemobile.blogspot.com

91–100 of 108 posts

Re: Galaxy Nexus now on sale in Google Play

#91
post #75
post #21

Which network does this work on, for 4G? And what are the other GSM providers in the US?

Anyone have a sense of whether this will run better on T-Mobile vs. AT&T for the data network? This used to be a no brainer, but T-Mobile's new HSPA+ rollout seems like it puts them on top.

This will run on T-Mobile and AT&T's 3G networks. It works great on AT&T's HSPA network for me, and I imagine it'll work fine for T-Mobile's as well.

I'm pretty sure that it covers all GSM bands used by carriers in the US.

Re: Galaxy Nexus now on sale in Google Play

#92
post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because the 710 is basically 2 year old hardware. It's absurd to compare it to modern flagship devices.

Even though gouranga is being downvoted for saying the same thing I'm about to, it bears repeating. Specs matter in the Android world. The faster the phone, the better your experience. This is a tradeoff of an open, general purpose mobile OS. In iOS and Windows Phone, the software is catered directly to the hardware. Faster hardware does not mean you're going to ever notice an increase in speed inside the OS. So when…

Sorry, I was assuming gouranga was asking a genuine question. The question he was asking why these phones cost so much, while the Lumia 710 costs so little. And the reality is that the Lumias are running on hardware that time forgot, and better components cost more money. It's going to be cheaper to build a thick phone with a small battery, a slow processor, little ram and a small low resolution screen than it is to build something more modern. That's just the way things are, not a value judgement or a claim that everyone should have the latest and greatest phone.

So why does that 710 use low-end components? One reason is that it's positioned as low or mid-range device, competing against other cheap phones built from cheap components. Another is that there's not much wiggle-room in the WP7 hardware specs. You're going to have a screen of a certain resolution, a certain amount of RAM, a certain kind of Qualcomm SOC, etc.

Luckily for Nokia, in this case these reasons are well aligned. Unfortunately for them they're also forced to try to sell pretty much the same hardware in a different case as their flagship devices. (There are minor spec differences like the amount of flash or the exact technology used for the screen).

And yes, there are real benefits to the higher specs. For CPU perhaps not so much, but the quality of a screen is a huge selling point. A thinner phone is both a good selling point, and much more convenient to carry around. Extra RAM is always useful - on many mobile devices browsing is really frustrating compared to a desktop partly due to how little data can be cached. A better GPU can be a big deal when it comes to games (certainly Apple has managed to do well there). A phone with better specs is going to have a smoother upgrade path to newer versions of the OS.

And I don't see why WP7 phones would be exempt from this. For example, I find it hard to believe anyone could argue that at least some WP7 devices would not be much better with a higher resolution screen than the one mandated by MS. And of course the people buying a Lumia 900 now are going to be really pissed off when they can't upgrade to WP8 next fall due to being sold devices using a 2 year old spec.

Re: Galaxy Nexus now on sale in Google Play

#93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was considering the One S, but I think the lack of NFC will be annoying in a year or so.

I seriously doubt NFC will matter anywhere other than US very much.

We have tons of NFC-enabled terminals in Italy, at least in the bigger cities. They're already used by Mastercard PayPass and Visa PayWave. If I could use my Italian credit card with Google Wallet (or even recharge the Google prepaid card) I would be doing half of my purchases via NFC.

Re: Galaxy Nexus now on sale in Google Play

#95

Ugh, you gotta be kidding me! I just bought this at Frys for full price (that's 799$) I'm going to go see if they price match since I just bought it this weekend.

How are they charging 2 times the price? On Google Play it's 400 without any contract or commitment...

Re: Galaxy Nexus now on sale in Google Play

#96

Ugh, you gotta be kidding me! I just bought this at Frys for full price (that's 799$) I'm going to go see if they price match since I just bought it this weekend.

How are they charging 2 times the price? On Google Play it's 400 without any contract or commitment...

I don't know, I'm pretty bothered by this. I checked Google Play the day I purchased it and it was only available w/ a contract. That's why when I saw it at Fry's I bought it because it was unlocked. Should have waited two more days and gotten it at half price. In any case, I'm going to go complain to them about this. I believe they offer price matching.

Re: Galaxy Nexus now on sale in Google Play

#98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How are they charging 2 times the price? On Google Play it's 400 without any contract or commitment...

I don't know, I'm pretty bothered by this. I checked Google Play the day I purchased it and it was only available w/ a contract. That's why when I saw it at Fry's I bought it because it was unlocked. Should have waited two more days and gotten it at half price. In any case, I'm going to go complain to them about this. I believe they offer price matching.

They definitely do, I don't know if they offer price guaranteeing though. (matching is before the fact, guarantee is after). At any rate, you'll definitely be able to return it as a worst case scenario.

Re: Galaxy Nexus now on sale in Google Play

#99

Can anyone comment on the 3G reception and the wifi reception? I've heard varying reports on problems in these areas, but it's difficult to tell if they are carrier-related for the 3G. Also, is the wifi any good? I found the reception on the Nexus S severely lacking.

I think most of the talk about reception issues on the GNex relate to Verizon CDMA version of the phone. I tried out a GNex on AT&T here - 4.0.4 has a bug that results in 3G connectivity issues - the recently released minor OTA update fixed that. Prior to and after the update, indoors I get 2-3 bars in my house whereas at the same place with my Atrix I get consistent 4 bars. But calls and 3G Data experience is simila…

The Wifi is on par with the Nexus One for me. The only connection issues I've had were capacity/carrier based (e.g. T-Mo in San Francisco).

Lucky...I bought mine last month for $529. Not full price or bank breaking but still a bummer.

Post reply on HN