My New Samsung Galaxy Nexus Android Smartphone Running Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0

January 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As I explained at the end of the old “rumor” post, I now am now the owner/operator of a new Samsung Galaxy Nexus Smartphone running Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.

Where have you been?  Yes, it is a new Android phone.

Knowing you guys, you have already seen the photos and the videos all over the internet about this phone.

I will add a few pics, videos and equipment links for those who want to check deeper.

And, if you are like me, you got a bit frustrated after just a couple of short delays….

But the phone got released on December 15th and that is the day I ordered mine.

There are bumps along the road for everything–so, what bumps have I experienced with the Galaxy Nexus?

Well, for starters, I still want to call this phone the “Prime”.  In fact I do call it Prime most of the time.  It’s just a better name for a device.

My 10.1 Tablet is my Galaxy and there is already a Nexus or two out there.  I may continue to call it Prime.

Got my box from FedEx, opened it.  Opened it again.  Then searched thru everything.

No SIM card and since the phone is 4G nothing I have would work even if they fit.

Bump #1.

Finally called Verizon and they promised to send one immediately.

Immediate was not very fast and then I got caught up with FedEx holiday deliveries.  It took like a week to get the replacement SIM.

Bump #2

Once FedEx delivered the SIM,  I installed it and put the battery cover back on the device.  At least the battery was 100% charged with the delay.  SIM installed and phone starts the on-line process.  And then it stalls.  I wait and eventually go online with Verizon.  A few dozen complaints in the Galaxy Nexus user forums about the same issue of phones locking up during the registration process.

Bump #3

Two days later I take the phone to the Verizon store.

Took three Verizon employees and one hour but they got it running again and thru the registration process.  Plus they gave me a new back cover.

Bump #4.  I think I will quit counting.

Since then things have worked fine and humming along.  I lost if for a few hours and thought for sure it was gone 4ever.  But it got itself found!  And is back in my clutches.

I like a number of basic things about this phone, such as:

  • the screen size.  You have heard it is some 4.65 inches which seems huge.  But that includes the move of the physical buttons to on-screen buttons.  That means it is really not as large as it sounds because what used was overall phone size on my old Droid is now the screen size as the screen really flows nearly edge-to-edge.
  • the feel of the backside of the phone.  Almost Kevlar feeling and gives a certain heft to a Samsung phone which tend to feel “plastic-y”.
  • 4g LTE speed
  • Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 is much smoother.  Good updated OS

What do I need to get used to?

  • the weight.  My Droid had a physical keyboard (which I liked a lot) and of course the Nexus does not so it is light as a feather.  I like that but I worry…

What is included??

  • Android 4.0 Ice Cream
  • 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED Screen with 720p resolution
  • 1.2GHz dual-core processor
  • Redsigned UI in Android 4.0
  • Improved multi-tasking, notifications, Wi-Fi hotspot, NF support, full web browsing
  • Android 4.0 features Software Navigation buttons – brand new
  • People App with Google+ Integration among other features
  • Redesigned camera with panorama mode, 1080p video, zero-shutter lag, silly faces and background replacement features
  • Face Unlock: Facial recognition to unlock your phone! BOOM that just happened.
  • Android Beam uses NFC to easily share content with other Android users with the bump of phones
  • PURE GOOGLE EXPERIENCE
  • All the Google Apps you love from Android Market and GMail to Movie Studio and redesigned Google+ app
  • 8.94mm thick, 4.29mm bezel
  • LTE and HSPA+ connectivity
  • Available in USA, Europe, and Asia beginning in November and then rolled out globally

This site will connect you with reviews, videos and accessories for your Nexus.  Check em out.

They have videos showing the individual accessories so you can see howmit fits, how it looks and how it works before you buy the accessory.

On-line manual:

The phone comes with a small highlights thingie like comes with the Samsung Galaxy Tab if you have seen that.  For in-depth issues or a desire to learn more, Samsung has a great on-line manual that you can save to your hard-drive as a *.pdf.  Check it out here, assuming your Model # is SCH-1515 (find it under your battery).

Check out the Tips & Tricks from Samsung.

Speed:

The Nexus is hecka fast and connected to Verizon’s 4g LTE (Long Term Evolution, stupid name) it burns the network.  I keep trying the speedtest tricks (using the Ookla testing app) and have seen download speeds of 15,000 kbps and nearly 25000 kbps.  Upload of 5400kbps to over 7000 kbps.

After my original Droid and eventually Verizon’s 3g this thing feels like it will just melt in my hands it is so fast.

Cost:

I bought immediately and new I would be spending $299.  Amazon had them at $199 for new Verizon customers (I was already on Verizon) and I heard (but did not see) a one day special at $99 for new customers with the 2 year contract.  I’m ok with the price I paid although half that would be cool.

Truth is providers should charge the manufacture cost for their phones hooked to a contract.  They make their money on service not on the device.

You will find a pretty good review at eweek.  Reads like just a normal guy, not one of those tech driven reviews from a technical site.  Even though eweek is just that.  Nice job.

PCWorld has a review here.  It’s more like his initial impressions, not a full review you would expect from this magazine, but definitely a worthwhile read if you are thinking of buying this phone or even considering it.

“…in my hands-on use, I was impressed with the snappy dual-core 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4460 processor. Apps launched promptly, and videos ran perfectly. As I mentioned before, multitasking takes a bit longer than expected. Scrolling through Web pages and menus, too, isn’t as fluid as I would like.

Verizon’s 4G LTE network, of course, plays a huge role in the speediness of the Galaxy Nexus. In my tests using the FCC-approved Ookla Speedtest app, the Galaxy Nexus achieved download speeds ranging from 6.69 to 12.11 megabits per second and upload speeds of 21.18 mbps. In other words, the Galaxy Nexus is blazingly fast.”

The full review from PCWorld is here.

I don’t use the facial unlock feature (yet), but in case you are interested:

“You’ve probably heard a lot of buzz about the ability to unlock your phone with your face. The front-facing camera snaps a picture of you and then uses facial recognition software the next time you unlock your phone. It’s cool, most definitely, but it’s not the most secure way of protecting your phone. As Google warns, somebody who looks similar to you can unlock your phone with their face. Nevertheless, face unlock works well, and it is a pretty neat–although somewhat gimmicky–feature.”

I have been impressed with the browser in ICS and I’m glad to see PCWorld is too.  “The browser in Ice Cream Sandwich is just about as close as you can get to a desktop one. You can now set the browser to request full desktop versions of sites, not the lesser mobile versions. You can also sync your bookmarks from the desktop Chrome browser to the Browser app in Ice Cream Sandwich. Google has added support for tabbed browsing, and you can quickly view which tabs are open, each with a live preview of that page.”

Android Newbies:

Here is Part 1 of the Beginners Guide to the New Android.  The author, from Android Activists, promises more to help everyone understand, work on and customize their various Android devices like phones, tablets, netbooks, toys…

Android non-Newbies:

According to Android Headlines and others today (January 3, 2012) Google’s partners will begin to push Ice Cream Sandwichout to some phones this week as an OS update.

I will have to wait a bit for an update to land on the doorway to my Galaxy Tablet 10.1 but now I am really looking forward to an Android update.

While you are at it—check out the New York Times’ list of the Top 10 Android Apps for 2011.  Long as you have a new or updated OS on your phone, might as well add some good apps!!  And thanks @mjdub for pointing me to the list

Detailed review—the link takes you to Android Centrals review of the Verizon 4g LTE version of this phone, but that review contains a link to their own review of the GSM version of this same phone.  So you get two reviews in one!!

And, since their reviews are better than mine would be, I will forgo writing a review here.  Yes, I know.  I said that I would.  But I won’t.  So there.

Read the reviews at the link, you will appreciate my decision.

Do you root your phone?  Droid of some kind??  Or, do you want to root your phone???

“Here’s rooting in a nutshell: Your Android smartphone is based on Linux. A big, bad, scary computer operating system known only by people with neck beards. (Only, not really. But mostly.) Anyhoo, Android apps need permission to access certain parts of Linux, and not all apps have this special “root” access. That includes a few basic things, like the camera flash, and the ability to take screen shots. There are a bunch of other apps that need root access for other reasons, too, but the basic premise is the same.”

Go here to learn more about “why”.

And go here to learn all of the “How’s”.  It sounds scary because you are playing in the phone’s guts, but get some good instructions (like these from cnet) and you will be fine.

“In the case of the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, an automated method for unlocking the bootloader as well as rooting is now available. Wug’s Galaxy Nexus root toolkit was released earlier in the week, affording Galaxy Nexus owners the ability to unlock and root their device in a few clicks. Currently, the process is only compatible with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Verizon, with GSM compatibility coming soon. ”

The Top 10 Reasons to Root:

This link gives you many reasons including APPs you don’t otherwise have access to, updates  and the vnerable “Just Cuz You Can”.

The link also leads you to Rooting instructions for other phones including

  • LG Optimus GT
  • Motorola Backflip
  • Generic Android Phone or Device
  • Huawei Ideos X6 U900

Got a phone/Device not shown here?  Check out the generic information or do a searcfh for “How to Root” your phone or device

After you are done, feel free to comment here and let us know where you got instructions, how the process went and what you are enjoying the most about having a Rooted smartphone, tablet etc

So, do you have a Verizon Galaxy Nexus?  Root it!  They have made it extremely easy and nearly fail-proof.  Or check you local Craigslist, you will see lots of peeps with some level of experience just willing to do it for you.

This is the first version of Android that combines an elegent look and feel with a mature and polished behavior of an excellent OS.  Not sure how it behaves on a tablet (I suspect with some Tab specific tweaks it will be just fine) but Android as a “pure Google experience) has become an excellent cellphone Operating System (OS).

It looks polished and certainly behaves well.  It is fast as blazes (4G is a big part of that I’m sure) as you move from screen to screen, opening Apps & Widgets but it is even better when you are working or playing and realize you have not stalled or rebooted unless your big fingers get in the way of something.

Taken with the Nexus on New Years:

The battery and the rear/battery cover which has a nice texture to it and gives the phone a good “grip”.

January 30th (by 16 minutes):

Wait one effing minute!  I am used to my newest, greatest & baddest technology devices being old, outdated and soon to be replaced about a week after purchase.  Well, a few months anyway because I tend to research and select well, trying to stay a bit ahead of the “new” curve.  I bought this device the day after it was released in the U.S.  Now, a few weeks later, this rumor about an “updated” Galaxy Nexus from Samsung/Google?

Anyway, I’m sure they are working on the Next Gen device because the Nexus has been so popular.  But I am guessing the phone described is something other than the Galaxy Nex.  But maybe I am just wanting my phone to be “new” a little longer.

February 1st:

Can you believe that it is February??

Better yet—can you believe that my Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which I bought mid-December is STILL the best Android phone on Verizon?  In fact, it is the best phone Android, Apple or other.   For almost 2 fucking months!

At the link above you will find a list of the best Android phones on the market as of February 1, 2012.  The list is broken dowwn by provider.

Each phone also has a detailed review and they add some info on soon-to-be upcoming phones (Like the “Note”).

This is a must-read for anyone considering a new phone.

February 3rd:

I am not an expert on smartphones, Linux, Google or many or the other “phone” subjects.  I wish that I were.

This tidbit came via Twitter today.  The article seems to just be telling people that Google is clarifying the support they provide to CDMA devices (such as the Galaxy Nexus with ICS.

Because of paranoia or whatever it was posted on Twitter as if Google was completely dropping support for the Nexus.  From my reading, I don’t think so (??) but I am not sure.  It would not make sense for Google to drop support for their own devices.  The “Nexus” name translates to Google even if it is built by Samsung.

The Open Source Project is here.

February 9th:

Lots of Tweets and posts today saying only Rooted smartphones were subject to peeps breaking into you Google Wallet.  I don’t use it myself because I expect it to be vulnerable.  But it turns out that you don’t have to have a rooted phone to have a hole in your Wallet.

Read here for the latest on this issue.

Filed Under: Cell Phones & Tablets Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The New iPhone 5 is The Actual iPhone 4S—And The Rumors For The 2012 iPhone 5

October 7, 2011 by 7 Comments

It took me a few days to get past my disappointment after Tuesday’s big deflated Apple iPhone 5 balloon (well, maybe I’m not completely over it).

So I am going to put my earlier post about my search for a new smartphone (HERE) to replace my old original Droid to bed.  I have started a new post about the Samsung Nexus Prime (probably my new phone) HERE and will wrap all things Apple up with this post.

So as you probably know from my other posts, I am disappointed that Apple was unable to deliver on a brand new iPhone and was in a place they moved forward with a refresh of the iPhone 4.  I know it will be a good phone, iOS5 alone will make it a good phone, but it will not be the phone that will replace my old Droid.  Instead, I think the Prime will be that phone.

But I have not yet completely closed that door.  Even though Siri does mean “buttocks” in Japanese!!

One of the things I wanted to add to my Apple rant and so will place here is this:

Many people prior to the Apple announcement were stating they knew Apple had a better device because they knew people will line up for days to get the new iPhone 5, as they did for prior iPhones.

In my original post I explained I did not expect that to happen because I did not believe the carriers would now allow Apple to pull back and only offer the new phone at Apple stores.

Now I see that I was right as you can sit at home in your undies and pre-order your new 4S from Verizon and other carriers online without standing in line for anything except your own PC (or Mac, as it were).

As new important information about the 4S and/or iOS 5 is released I will post it here but I will (mostly) avoid the rumors and even the “I told you so’s”.

October 7th:

AT&T reports first day pre-orders of the iPhone 4S exceed 200,000.  This is the largest first day of iPhone orders on Verizon EVER.  Of course, AT&T was shut out of the first iPhones, (as was everyone other than Apple,  so…..  But nice job Apple and AT&T!  Congrats.

Imagine what it would be like for the iPhone 5?  Although I am not sure I would have jumped to AT&T even for the Five.

An unlocked 4S won’t be available until November.  But it won’t support CDMA.  But, for you world-travelers, the article explains all.

October 9th:

Elektronica offers their take on the iPhone 4S and suggests that at this point an Android may be your best choice.

October 10th:

The Apple iPhone 4s sales exceed one million units in the first 24 hours on all available carriers.

The Top Five 4S disapointments from cnet.  Watch the video at the link!

OK, this is great!   Even you Apple dudes havce to admit it is great.

Am I right??  Great!!!

There is a cnet article out today asserting that the Apple 4S will woo tons of Android owners over to Apple.  maybe the iPhone 5 would have (maybe even will), but the 4S?  Wouldn’t they have jumped at the chance to buy an Apple 4 then??

This one is legit:  The Apple 4S has been benchmarked and apparently is even smoking the Samsung Galaxy S II (and it is slower than the  iPad 2, but what the heck…).  Read it at the link.

October 13th:

iPhone 4S Launch:  What Is Different This Time? 

“If it feels like a long time since theiPhone 4 went on sale, you’re not mistaken. The iPhone 4S, Apple’s follow-up to the iPhone 4, comes a few months later than Apple has typically released previous handsets, and it seems even longer given that leaks led to the world seeing the final design months before it was officially unveiled.”

More Carriers.  More Countries.  Unlocked version from the get-go.  More Colors.  More configurations.  New add-ons.

Are any of those things even important to you? Read more at the link.

Twitter and iOS 5:  Sharing made simple, check the link for details.

Where to buy an iPhone 4S in October?  Check the link for a full list from cnet.

October 14th:

Unboxing the new 4S and initial impressions:

More at the link but they certainly like the phone even though they do say it is identical to the iPhone 4.  Others have cautioned people “Don’t put your new 4S down right next to your friends 4” because there is no way visually to tell them apart.  And they love Siri…..

“Asking Siri for directions, what the weather will be like, to create and send  e-mails and text messages is incredibly simple and fun to use. The days of  fumbling around with a phone to get things done in a hurry are pretty much over.  Yet, Apple is calling Siri a beta, which really does make a mockery of other  voice recognition systems that have been on the market in final form for some  time.

Siri can even pronounce this writer’s non-Anglo name properly. When  I told her that ‘I love voice recognition,’ she responded encouragingly with ‘Good for you, Sanjiv.’ We think it is love, but she plays hard to get.

I  told her that, “I think I love you Siri.”

Siri responded with, “You  hardly know me, Sanjiv.”

October 17th:

4S sales crack 4 million over the first weekend.  Seems like a ton of phones to me.  More at the link.

cnet documents call quality on the 4S for each carrier.  Good stuff because even with texting, internet, email, games and apps….the quality of your phone call on your smartphone is critical.  What good is a multi-hundred dollar phone when your phone calls sound so shitty??

Read the results at the link above and you can actually listen to a call made on Verizon, AT&T and Sprint.  Very cool.

October 18th:

On the big Android day (yes, Apple, Mr Droid has a big day too) we also have:

Now that the iPhone 4s is out, when WILL Apple release the iPhone 5?

Does anyone actually care anymore?  Not me for sure.  Although I am happy for a little upgrade on the iPhone 4, I have decided to buy the new Samsung Prime.

But the indications right now are that the Apple 5 is…..well, hard to tell from the story  at the link.

cnet takes the 4S thru their litany of tests.  Does the “S” stand for speed?

October 29th:

So, here we go:  Samsung passes Apple in phone units sold.

This article states that it really has to do with timing (3Q) and the new 4S came out at the end of the quarter.

True, but that meaans Apple’s history breaking sales over that first weekend and week were included in that count.  And yet they sold 4 million fewer units thn expected(?)

It also means that Samsungs new phone (the newly named Galaxy Nexus) release date will land in 4Q and units will be included in those numbers, not in the quarter that pushed Samsung past Apple.  So, They may be able to keep their spot for one more quarter.

Anyway, I am not here to argue that issue.  Just wanted to present the issue because it is significant and we will see down the road how critical it is to Apple.

Where it is important, I think, is in the constant and tiring jockeying in the courtroom.  I think it will result in both companies pushing harder in their lawsuits instead of backing off.  Apple will think they have to sue more and try to win ground in the courtroom while Samsung may think they can defend this new turf if they get some courts too agree with their legal positions.

We shall see.

November 7th:

For those that have the new 4S or upgraded to iOS5:  A security report reveals there is currently a security hole that allows people to download dangerous items from the app store.

Read the review at the link above and make sure to check in for fixes.  Be careful about your downloads until you know things have been fixed.

“Apple reviews every app that is available in the app store to make sure it is safe to use. Forbes reported on Charlie Miller an Apple security researcher who found a way for seemingly safe app to turn evil. Miller created an app that was able to pass all of Apple’s review tests and was available on the app store. Apple has removed the app that Miller used as an example of the security hole, and has removed him from the Apple developer program.”

November 18th:

Not much on the 4s field lately…

…but here we have Apple rumors that even the Apple rumormill (actually I tend to believe the folks at NextGadgets) seem to question??

Or, at least they had gotten used to the relative quiet from the shores of AppleLand.

November 22nd:

I guess the Apple iPhone 4S is maintaining popularity out there, huh??  The graph here shows that the 4S has rocketed to second place among “camera phones”.  #1?    The Apple iPhone 4.

In fact, Apple owns 4 of the Top 5 spots on the list.  Nice job!

May 28, 2012:

Nearly a full year later and we may be nearing the release of the ACTUAL iPhone 5.

The rumors have certainly become nearly non-stop.

“These rumors have emerged  from a variety of sources around the net including iLounge, 9to5 Mac and iMove to name a few, but they have been pretty much covered by most of the technology blogs out there. However, in this article we are going to highlight the main ones covered on the Armenante Apple news blog.”

  • a changed dock connector
  • a change in the size and shape of the smartphone
  • a change in the size of the screen
  • and a higher resolution

The Armenante Apple News Blog can be found here

If you bought an Apple 4S just a few months (or even weeks or days) ago after waiting for the iPhone 5, how ya feeling right about now??

Filed Under: Cell Phones & Tablets Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Rumors & Truths: The Samsung Nexus Prime or Samsung Galaxy Nexus

October 7, 2011 by 2 Comments

October 7th:

Today we hear that the Samsung & Google Unpacked event originally scheduled for the CTIA in San Diego on October 11th is rescheduled to October 27th and will be held in the United Kingdom.

Android Headlines, Talk Android (and others) report today that the announcement of the Samsung Prime (as of October 18th being called the Samsung Galaxy Nexus) has been rescheduled to October 27th.  Read the article for details, I’m sure we will have (at least) daily speculations on this one.  It is now scheduled in the UK rather than at next weeks CTIA in San Diego.

That gives me time to split my earlier post (here), which I had already split before but was once again becoming unwieldy.  The earlier post started with my search for a new phone to replace my old original Droid.  I am still looking to replace it and had settled on either the iPhone 5 or the Prime.

Of course the iPhone 5 turned out to just be a dream, unfulfilled for perhaps a year more.

Now the Prime (the last phone on my list) is delayed.

I liked what was posted this morning:

“Something Big is Coming Later“

This post will be (mostly) solely focused on the upcoming Prime.

Lots of news to include today and we start with a leaked screenshot of the Prime:

And, even better, today we have a brief video of the unreleased phone and this thing looks legit.

I will try to limit this post to legitimate news and some good rumors and not fill up your brains (or mine) with too much garbage.

The bad thing about delays is you are left with some silly stuff and a lot of rumors about rumors.

For what it is worth:  we have an animation of an ICS boot placed on an actual Droid Bionic.  Check it out HERE.

You can find a full gallery of leaked photos showing leaked Prime screenshots HERE.

Next Gadgets has a nice article about the ironies tied to the Samsung/Google Unpacked Event and the relationsips between Samsung, Google and Apple.

“There’s a fair degree of irony in the relationship that Apple, Samsung, and Google have right now. While Apple and Samsung engage in legal battles across the world, Samsung is the manufacturer of two critical parts of Apple’s iPhone and iPad. While Samsung provides these parts for Apple, they hop into bed with Google and prepare to launch the first of a major re-imagining of the Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich. While Apple and Google fight for the mindshare of consumers everywhere, many of Google’s products can be found on all of Apple’s devices, and Google’s tech demonstrations are almost always done on Apple computers.”

Read more at the link above.

October 8th:

More leaked photos of the Prime & ICS.

This article gives you a lot of info about the new Google Music 2.0.1, New Google+ 2.0, and Nexus Prime Video.

October 10th:

A few things today:  Samsung issued a UI update on the Galaxy S II (the phone Apple is suing about) making the UI a 3×3 grid and increasing the size of the icons by 30%.

Might that also affect the Prime?

And Verizon issued details on a new phone today, the Samsung Stratosphere with a QWERTY keyboard and 4G LTE for $149.99.  The phone will be available October 13th.

While we wait we also tease the Samsung Galaxy S III (yes, 3) HERE

Rumors about the Samsung Prime seem to be self-generating now that the Apple event is done.

Notification LEDs?

Big, BIG batteries?

Check it all out at the Android Community article at the link.

See the Samsung Prime mockup!

October 13th:

The Samsung “Unpacked” event has been changed once again.

This time to an earlier date!!

New date:  Wednesday October 19th  (on Tuesday, October 18th in the U.S.)

Where:      Hong Kong

And, at Google they erected a statue of the ICS Android dude. He’s right next to Gingerbread

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Are you ready?  For next weeks Samsung & Google event?

I swear, for me it seems like it has been FOREVER since the Apple iPhone What (??) and I am ready to check out the Prime and ICS.  Plus my original Droid is in need of a new friend so I want to see both phones so I can make a choice NOW.

So now Hong Kong on October 19th (which is October 18th in the USA) is official. 

It starts at 10 am Hong Kong time.  Let’s see….in California time that is…..hell!  I dunno.  Gotta figure it ot.

Do you Livestream??  I will be and one is located HERE—–>The event livestream will be available at YouTube.com/Android at 10 p.m. EST on October 18

Be there or be…..well, a rectangular Ice Cream Sandwich thingie.

“Samsung and Google have never really done an event that takes place on the other side of the sea and livecast at the same time like this before, the event certainly a gesture of how far reaching this new Android platform will be.”

October 17th:

Well, the wait is almost over.  With the newley rescheduled Samsung/Google Unpacked event in Hong Kong on October 19th (October 18th in the U.S.) we will all see more about the Prime and ICS in just one day!!  And I am ready.

Today we have a hint/rumoreabout ICS:

ICS may have a built-in photo editor that will help us ensure our phone photos turn out half-way decent!  Really?  In a phone??  More at the link.

And, if you are in North America, I will see you at unpacked!  The livestream will be on Youtube/Google at 10 pm Eastern Time, 7 pm Pacific and all the in-betweens.

So it really is nearly time to start counting down the 24 hours.

Radio Shack today has the Samsung Prime in their Cellebrite system so they will soon be selling the device.

“Both Verizon and Best Buy started showing the Samsung Galaxy Nexus in their Cellebrite system’s last week, and now RadioShack has joined in on the fun. ”  Read it at the link!

Today Android Community  has an article about the new Kevlar backed Motorola Razr.  Not important here, but at the bottom of the article it says:

Join us tomorrow as we cover the Motorola and Verizon event, starting at 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

So things change it seems from Google’s announcement that they would have a Youtube live feed at 10 pm.

However, if the event is held at 10 am Hong Kong time on the 19th (everything says this) that would make it 10 pm on the 18th in NYC and 7 pm on the 18th in Los Angles.

HERE is a sweet chart to determione the time in your area based on Hong Kong time.

Engadget will carry a liveblog of the ICS and Prime event with Samsung and Google.

Here’s your very own invitation!!

“Samsung’s event happens at 10am on October 19th in Hong Kong, but if you want to read it live you only need to wait until 10pm ET on October on the 18th.”

So, tomorrow at 10 pm ET, 7 pm PT and if you are in-between I know you can figure it out.

I will see you there!

October 18th:

Today is the day.  From Android Headlines and Phandroid , here are the official times by time zone:

  • 04:00PM – Hawaii (October 18th)
  • 07:00PM – Pacific (October 18th)
  • 08:00PM – Mountain (October 18th)
  • 09:00PM – Central (October 18th)
  • 10:00PM – Eastern (October 18th)
  • 03:00AM – London (October 19th)
  • 04:00AM – Paris (October 19th)
  • 06:00AM – Moscow (October 19th)
  • 11:00AM – Tokyo (October 19th)

Phandroid will provide LIVE coverage of the event and the annoiuncement of what this site (and some others) calls the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (what no Prime?)

Guess I will have to get used to that name since I will be buying one.

Ice Cream Sandwich  will offer a native screen capture feature.  No special app.  No rooting your device.

Google Galaxy Nexus is confirmed for November by a Japanese carrier.

I’ll be happy just to find out what the final fucking name of this monster is.  Slashgear has a teaser video at the link.

Verizon’s LTE is predicted to blanket the U.S. in 2013 so it would be very disappointing if the Prime is not a 4G phone.  For me, that was the most disappointing aspect of the Apple 4S (besides not being a 5).  More at the link.

Also today we have the announcement of the new Motorola Droid Razr.  I always liked my old Razr.  I bought one for my mother too (pink) and she still uses hers even though she also has a Jitterbug.  No comment bout that one.

2 Hours until Unpacked and guess what??  That’s right…..rumors and leaked videos.  What a surprise.

From Phandrois at the link above is a video that is marked “Private” as soon as I clicked on the arrow.  Jesus Christ…..now I have to wait I guess.  Nice joke peeps!!

It is not time yet but Android Headlines says “Samsung and Google have just announced the latest in the latest entry in the Nexus line of phones at the Samsung Unpacked event in Hong Kong, handing out press kits a bit early. It’s the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, powered by stock Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.”

Check the link for OFFICIAL specs!!  And now we have an official name for this device:  The Samsung Galaxy Nexus.  So, no more “Prime”.  I kind of like the old “Prime” name.

When I get my phone I’ll probably still call it a “Prime”.  The official name is a fucking mouthful.

  • Android 4.0 Ice Cream
  • 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED Screen with 720p resolution
  • 1.2GHz dual-core processor
  • Redsigned UI in Android 4.0
  • Improved multi-tasking, notifications, Wi-Fi hotspot, NF support, full web browsing
  • Android 4.0 features Software Navigation buttons – brand new
  • People App with Google+ Integration among other features
  • Redesigned camera with panorama mode, 1080p video, zero-shutter lag, silly faces and background replacement features
  • Face Unlock: Facial recognition to unlock your phone! BOOM that just happened.
  • Android Beam uses NFC to easily share content with other Android users with the bump of phones
  • PURE GOOGLE EXPERIENCE
  • All the Google Apps you love from Android Market and GMail to Movie Studio and redesigned Google+ app
  • 8.94mm thick, 4.29mm bezel
  • LTE and HSPA+ connectivity
  • Available in USA, Europe, and Asia beginning in November and then rolled out globally

Watch the Hong Kong event LIVE HERE.

Good job Samsung and Google.  Once you get thru the presentation bullshit it looks like they have developed a pretty nice device.  A large phone screen-wise but thin enough to make up for it and the curved screen and swhape should make it fit the hand well for most peeps.

The Verizon LTE version will be a “little” thicker.

At the link Engadget states they were told that the device used for display tonight was the HSPA+ phone and the LTE version will be mm’s thicker.  The official response was a “little”.

Apparently the size will avoid the 4G LTE problem that results in crap battery life.

cnet gives us their first impressions of the Nexus:

“It’s a phone that any carrier would be proud to offer, from the HD screen and  1.2GHz dual-core processor to the 1080p HD video capture and playback, to the  barometer and NFC chip embedded within.”

The link above has a lot of beautiful photos of the phone.

October 19th:

Poll:  How’s the Samsung Galaxy Nexus going to affect you?  A poll at Android Central asks this question.  The phone is a beast and since it  is only offered on Verizon (and may only be offered on Verizon for a while) it is an important question for some.  Maybe not for the 4 million who bought the 4S over last weekend.

I am glad I moved to Verizon 3 years ago and although their customer service sucks it doesn’t suck as much as AT & T, plus like I sdaid…this phone is a beast.  So I will buy one and stick with Vzw for the time being.

October 26th:

Samsung has a sign-up page for information ASAP on the new Galaxy Nexus including your current and/or preferred provider.  The sign-up page is HERE.

October 27th:

The Galaxy Nexus is not exclusive on Verizon after all.  Check the story out at the link.  Interesting!!!

The Galaxy Nexus will be released on November 17th—in Europe.  Elsewhere will be later but it is unclear if “elsewhere” means the U,S.

Ice Cream Sandwich—-Androids latest “serving” of dessert…”Google is responding with the biggest rewrite to Android since its debut in 2008. Android 4.0 — Ice Cream Sandwich in Google’s dessert-centric sequence of release names — merges phone and tablet versions of Android, rearranges basic controls and indulges in some sensible borrowing of its own. ”

Now I know the biggest difference between Android and iPhone aand here it is right here:

October 29th:

So, here we go:  Samsung passes Apple in phone units sold.

This article states that it really has to do with timing (3Q) and the new 4S came out at the end of the quarter.

True, but that meaans Apple’s history breaking sales over that first weekend and week were included in that count.  And yet they sold 4 million fewer units thn expected(?)

It also means that Samsungs new phone (the newly named Galaxy Nexus) release date will land in 4Q and units will be included in those numbers, not in the quarter that pushed Samsung past Apple.  So, They may be able to keep their spot for one more quarter.

Anyway, I am not here to argue that issue.  Yes, I did sign up with Verizon to hear more about the Nexus release date.  And yes, I will buy one when they are released.  But that has more to do with my need for a new phone.

Today I just wanted to present the issue because it is significant and we will see down the road how critical it is to Apple.

Where it is important, I think, is in the constant and tiring jockeying in the courtroom.

I think it will result in both companies pushing harder in their lawsuits instead of backing off.  Apple will think they have to sue more and try to win ground in the courtroom while Samsung may think they can defend this new turf if they get some courts too agree with their legal positions.

We shall see.

November 4th:

I was trying to decide which tablet to buy (yes, I have a post about this somewhere) and was leaning of course to Apple but wondered about an ICS update on Android ‘specially the Tab 10.1,  So a Googling I did went…something like that anyway.  I came up with THIS  a pretty good list of phones and tablets by company along with anticipated upgrade date.

And still nothing from @Verizon as far as a buy date for the phone yet.  They will make me wait until either:

  1. the night before the phone gets released, or
  2. the night before my original Droid phone explodes

whichever occurs later.

Nothing from Verizon or other providers as far as the price for this beast-a-beast smartphone, but Costco says you can have it off their shelves (thru Verizon Wireless) for $289.

Well…and 99 cents.

a Costco inventory screen lists it at the link above.

November 7th:

The Verizon release date is nailed down to between Nov 17 and Nov 21 according to The Droid Guy.  At the link you will read that the Guy determines the spread from stories posted by two other respected sites, one stating the 17th and the other (obviously) the 21st.  The period seems like a good pick given Verizon just gave customers the opportunity to sign up for “news” and in the past, that opportunity gave you absolutely no “news” until like the day b4 the phone was in the stores—-oh, yes Bionic-Man.

We shall see.

I am hoping to at least order, if not possess my Nexus by the 21st.

I will provide a proverbial blow-by-blow but no obnoxious youtube video “unboxing” crap.

Others will dothat part for you.

November 7th:

Today the Nexus order date rumors seem to be a bit cleaner, but still are rumors.

  • European release                                        November 17th
  • U.S. (Maybe  North America?) release      November 21st

The link above will take you to an article at internationalbusinesstimes.com, pretty respectable publication.  It shows a screenshot from one of my favorites, droid life.  The screenshot shows the November 21st date as “Web only” availability.  So if you have not yet signed up at Verizon to receive web info and a web offer for the Nexus, go ahead and do it if you want this phone.

Here is the Samsung sign-up info again:

Samsung has a sign-up page for information ASAP on the new Galaxy Nexus including your current and/or preferred provider.  The sign-up page is HERE.

My Droid seems to know I am replacing it.  It hiccups and burps and limps along on just one leg…..

I sent for a Samsung GalaxyTab 10.1 today.  Started to spend the extra dough for an iPad2, but the extra dough is more than $300 which is a lot of change these days, plus the 10.1 screen size is bigger plus it has the good flash capability, gorilla glass.  I dunno, hope I am making the right choice.

Anyone have one?  Want to cheer me on and tell me what a great product I just bought?

November 11th:

Wow, the date really is getting closer!  If you do a search on the Verizon website you can find a 1750 mAH battery and a battery cover/phone back for the Nexus Prime—i515. 

This site reports that they saw different covers for the phone at Verizon stores a few days back.  I guess I missed that.  They also tell us “Verizon has added their obnoxious logo“.

Win one of the Nexus handsets directly from Google!!

Read it at the link, and Enter IF you live in the UK, US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Netherlands,  Singapore, Spain and South Korea, with entrants asked to follow @GalaxyNexus  on Twitter.

And, if you live in the UK you can now “Pre-order” your Galaxy Nexus with a delivery date, red-hot into your hands, on November 18th.

How cool is that UK???  The UK carrier is “3”  (yes, Three):

“…offering the Android 4.0  Galaxy Nexus on pre-order for FREE with an appropriate contract (starting at £34 and £40 for unlimited mobile data ). You can even get the Galaxy Nexus as a Pay-As-You-Go option for just £499- not bad for what you’re getting.”

Like Verizon, Google has a page all about the Nexus and you can sign up to receive info.

I have been signed up at Verizon and heard absolutely NADA.

November 17th:

Today we have one of those great videos a tech site makes when a much anticipated new phone, tablet, PC etc comes on the scene.

Today it is one of my favorite tech sites, engadget and one of the pieces of tech “stuff” I have been anticipating for so long….the Samsung Galaxcy Prime or Nexus.

This is a First Impressions video!!

“The first thing we noticed upon opening the generic white packaging is that this latest Nexus is a large phone (I think we knew that but maybe it seems even larger in person??) , with a footprint similar to the HTC Titan. It’s also pleasantly light and thin, and the bezel is small thanks to the lack of hardware buttons. Build quality is typical Samsung — durable if not somewhat plasticky. The Nexus inherits design cues from its various Galaxy S II cousins, including the textured battery cover (which is a little difficult to snap back on), but sheds the usual black for a gunmetal shade of gray….

…we’re quite fond of the app list which now doubles as a task manager, and the ability to access the camera directly from the lock screen is a lovely touch (and a hat tip to HTC’s Sense UI). Other tidbits include the search bar which is persistent across each of the five home screens, the clever app tray animations (pure eye candy), and the Easter egg in the “About” menu. There’s one more thing we noticed immediately: multiple text sizes in the Gmail client — at last.

I will let you look at the article which you cn find at the bove link for more.

And, soon.  It will be soon!

November 18th:

Perhaps not quite so soon??  Will the Nexus really be delayed yet again?

Is the Galaxy Nexus the new Droid Bionic??  (Remember the delays, the frustrations?  I do.  It is why I passed on the phone when it was finally released).

“If the Galaxy Nexus is not released by December I will buy another phone”

…”time is running out, and “leaked inside info” (that could easily be false, dated or out of context), is hinting at a December release.”

If the article at the above link containing this quote is true, I will buy a different phone.  And Samsung will suffer from Googles missteps.

My old Droid is becoming buggy and bumpy and often seems to burp (?)  It must be replaced.  But like the above article states….with what?

Maybe I say “F” the smartphone for awhile (a long while?), use some telephone/cell phone, maybe one of those yucky phones AAA advertises and use my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 for everything else.

I love the Tab, cept it is a chore to carry all the time.

Maybe go buy one of those old-school cell phones in a box.  Like holding a dinner plate up to your ear.

Ugh.  I will see on Nov 21.

November 19th:

Google admit that Flash is not (yet) supported in ICS.

“It looks like Flash is currently not installed on the Galaxy Nexus nor is it downloadable from the Android Market. This should’t come as too much of a shock as Adobe recently put a halt to developing Flash any further for mobile browsers. Google has confirmed with Slashgear that this is normal and the ball is in Adobe’s hands to release an update to support ICS. Before you get too upset, Google had the following to say about all of this:

“Flash hasn’t been released for ICS yet so as far as we know, Adobe will support Flash for ICS.”

November 20th:

Venberable PC Magazine posts a rumor that the launch date for the Nexus is now set for December 8th.

At the link above, the article points out that we have seen an awfully lot of projected launch dates for the Nexus Prime.

The date I had expected was Nove,mber 21st.  Oh wait…that is tomorrow?  And no word from Samsung or Google or Verizon?  I guess no phone tomorrow.

Anyway, the PC Mag article cites Droid Life armed with FACTS and internal documents stamped with an innocuous “Launch/End date”.

My worry is that there really has been no hype from the two partners since the Unpacked event.  And, more important for me, there has been absolutely nothing from any U.S. carrier (Mr Verizon???).  So I am now worried December 8th seems awfully  soon.

There are Nexus accessories (batteries and battery cover) showing up on websites but I have not been able to purchase one.

But while you wait for your phone, check out PC Mags hands-on review of the upcoming Nexus and of Ice Cream Sandwich.

Here is a video and analysis of the apparent volume control “bug” occuring on the Nexus.

December 7th:

It is now two months after I started this thread, which was a spin-off of a previous 2 month old thread—four months and no Prime or Nexus or wuteva.  I am really getting tired of waiting.  I also know I am not the only guy out here waiting on this phone.

Last US release date I believed was December 8th—tomorrow.

I quit believing that date about 2 weeks ago.  I keep thinking it will be soon because Europe has the damn thing.  How long you gonna make us wait goddam it??

Here is a taste of ICS from the Google peeps.

December 8th:

Maybe Google & Samsung heard me last night?!?

Today we have an announcement that the Galaxy Nexus is up for sale in Canada our northerly friends!  Congratulations.  Check the link for carriers and prices (Canadien dollars).

Still nothing that I have seen with any new USA information.

Anyone else??

December 9th:

No, not a word from Verizon.  Or anyone else.

I’m thinking about buying one of the new Samsung Series 7 laptops.  Great reviews by techs and by users.  On par with the MaBook Pro but $500 cheaper and five hundred bucks means a lot these days.

But I don’t want to become a Sammy kinds guy what with my 10.1 Tab, Series 7 laptop and of course my beautiful Samsung Galaxy Nexus Prime smartphone.  Oh, wait a minute…scratch that.

This writer asks “Why does Verizon keep delaying the Galaxy Nexus?”.  Well, maybe it is Verizon purposely delaying the phone ,huh?

He does have a point in the middle of paranoia though:

“Instead of launching the Galaxy Nexus today, Verizon has removed the Galaxy Nexus page from its website.”

He also suggests two new launch dates, December 13th or December 15th.  he leans toward the 15th but has no real reason just a general “Verizon usually”.  Then he says it may not happen until after Christmas, but has no reason at all for that pronouncement.

However, he is not alone on the possibility of the 15th as a launch date.  Tech & Trendthinks the 15th could be the date as well.

While CIO Today says the delay could be related to a software glitch during the UK release 2 weeks ago and suggests Verizon is waiting for the fix. for the audiovolume problem that cropped up.  But then why release it in Canada?

December 11th:

No, the Nexus has NOT been released yet in the US.  A couple of people got a phone from a couple of different Best Buys today.  Can you say “You’re fired”?  But good for them.

And here someone unboxes a phone he says is Verizon but no idea where it came from.  And, when he says “unboxing” that’s all it is.  I would not post it except we have nothing else.

December 14th:

—–>OFFICIAL<—– 

The Galaxy Nexus release date is December15th!  Hey wait…..that is tomorrow!
Damn right Skippy.  Get your ass down to a Verizon store when they open tomorrow morning, or check out the on-line Verizon store at 1 am Eastern Time (for you PTers that would be at  10 pm tonight).  With a 2 year agreement and $299 on your VISA (or something else acceptable) you will soon have a Nexus in your hand.

I know that I will buy mine once the clock clears and it is officially Thursday on the East Coast.

The hold-up was in the 4.0.2 update.

December 16th:

Yes, I bought my Nexus on December 15th.  Was just too busy to say anything.  Such a long wait.  And the purchase was a bit bumpy it seemed.  Maybe the big red V was experiencing some user bruising.

We will see how many phones and uinquiries about phones they received.  The traffic felt high.

It will be good to finally upgrade my old Droid.  I have to go thru the programs and Apps, make sure I have my list.  I have a backup file that I am hoping I can just move over and open without losing too much data…

Manually Update your Galaxy Nexus, switching phones (from the forums):

Read it all at the link above.

THIS IS FOR THE UNLOCKED INTERNATIONAL VERSION ONLY, NOT THE VERZION LTE MODEL  so, if you have the ulocked version and want/need to manually update 4.0.2 using factory imgs fo to the link.

I cannot wait for my phone and hope that between Google/Samsung/Verizon they have not messed it up too bad.

Filed Under: Cell Phones & Tablets Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Buy A New Droid or A New iPhone??

August 19, 2011 by 1 Comment
Image representing Droid as depicted in CrunchBase
Image via CrunchBase

Note:  This post started as me working thru my search for a smartphone to replace my elderly Motorola Droid.

I have moved the part of this posted related to the legal wranglings between Samsung and Apple to HERE.

And the portion of this post related strictly to the rumors about the upcoming Samsung Nexus Prime and the Apple iPhone 5 HERE.

This post will continue to be about just my search for a new phone and eventually I’ll include a review of that phone.  Maybe.  I think.

It quickly morphed into a post about the Samsung v Apple legal fight.

And now mostly is about rumors swirling around the Samsung Prime and the iPhone 5.  I still have not purchased a phone, the Droid took too long.

it will probably be between the 5 and the Prime and I will probably buy a new phone in October (according to the rumors maybe even October 4th.

This post though is becoming unwieldy as it is covering 3 distinct subjects.  So, when I find time maybe this weekend, I will pull out the old butcher knife and cut it up into 3 posts:  1)  what phone to buy (2) Samsung vs Apple in the courts (3) Rumors re:  iPhone 5 and Samsung Prime.

In the meantime, have fun.

I have a Motorola Droid.  I like it a lot.  I know how it works and even appreciate the phone and OS quirks although Google policies piss me off greatly.

I like the iPhone as well and have been looking forward to the iPhone 5.  Always cutting edge shit from Apple.

I went with Droid because Verizon>ATT was an easy choice.

Now Verizon is offering their usual phone discount plus fifty bucks to get a new phone.  Assuming I do that, because I always want new crap, what phone should I get?

Updated choice:  Now that Google bought Motorola Mobility this tech writer says run fast cuz the Motorola name is no more  

The fact that the Nexus name is no longer Googleized  somehow just isn’t as bad to me.

I like Google, they survive in a MS Windows world that has killed off all other competitors.  But they have policies that thwart users and even getting acceptable answers (if you can get your question to them) is nearly impossible.

Example:  I have gmail on my Droid, the account was set up when I bought the phone.  I was very ill at the time and a friend set it up for me.  I know my nic but not my password.  And my friend of course doesn’t remember, doesn’t need to.  I can reach my mail on the phone because the password loads automatically.  But I can’t access it on any other device.

So I went to the google/gmail site to work thru the password rest process.  Easy right?  Cannot do it.  No way.  I cannot do it even if I access the email account via the Droid.

And once I got someone at Google (god knows who, as they will not tell you) to look at my question about how to reset the password, the answer from Google was and is:  you cannot reset your password UNLESS you know your password.  You cannot answer any personal questions to prove you are you.  You can do NOTHING.  If you forgot your password you are shit out of luck.  Even though my phone knows the password.

And I can’t reset it on the phone because Google wants me to manually enter the password to get access to their website.

What?  I need my email password just to access the gMail/Google website?

What?  Really??  WTF???

Is there another phone I should consider?  Some Windows 7 phone?

Well known tech writer hates the iPhone but trembles at the thought of Android.

Trembling is a bit idiotic, no??

Update September 16th:

I received an email from Verizon @VerizonWireless offering $100 off on the new Bionic which lists from them at $299.  I thought cool.  I already have the ” $50 new in 2″ discount so that would make it $149, maybe I should take a look at the physical phone and pull the plus.

So I reply to the email and ask the discount question:  can I combine the two discounts?

Answer….well, it took 4 emails and 3 phone calls (which I told Verizon I did not want.  When I say email I mean EMAIL!) and after telling me ( 1)  they did not send me a $100 discount on a Bionic email  (2) they do not offer a $50 dollar “new in 2 years” discount  (3)  They do not discount “new” phones (only OLD phones?)  and a few other pieces of shit lies, they finally said (1) yes, they sent discount emails for $100 off on the Bionic  (2)  they did send me the $50 discount  (3)  no, I was not eligible for the $100 discount even though I received the offer and still have a copy ! and a lawsuit would probably support that fact and the offer, correct or not (4)  I could use the $50 discount on the Bionic, but I will never get another as they have scrapped the “new after 2 years” program (no such thing Verizon?  Even though you still offer it??)  and other blah blah blah

So, I broke down and visited an AT&T @ATT store.  Sparse, no iPhones on display.  Not the 4, not even the 3.  Can’t hold one in your hand and they seemed to be without any paper info on the phone although they did have a real nice poster (!?!).  I did like the feel and look of the Samsung Infuse.  Nice 4.5″ display, light but comfortable in the hand.  2.2 Android, not even sure if it will update to Ice Cream crap.  probably not.  The HTC Windows 7 phone seemed nice ,but not 4g?

But the Windows 7 phone led me to this:

An interesting article on the future of “smartphones”  Basically the premise is phones are now software items, not hardware.  Something that is so obviously true that I never even thought of it.  His point is that somewhere in the next 5 years or so all of us will realize it and phones will then cost $19 because the only real cost is the cost of the quality glass used for the display.  The rest is cheap plastic and a few wires.  The processors and memory are dirt cheap now.

He poses the question:  Why did Microsoft get into the phone business?  (Yes, they are an evil monster that wants to control every singles aspect of our lives.  I know that.  But really, why??)  And his answer makes so much sense:  They came to realize phones are all about the software, and they are a software company.  And software is cheap.  Have you seen the drop in Microsoft Office suites?  So cheap now that they don’t even offer the old “upgrade” price.  They just sell the newest version at the old “upgrade” price.

The updates on our phones may be a MM in size, or better glass or stronger plastic…..but really, the updates on an iPhone 4 vs iPhone 5 will be 99% software.  And the difference between the iOS and the Android phones is 99% software.

So now I am wondering how stupid I am to spend my time pondering what phone to buy and when I can get the latest “software”, and wasting your time if you read this.

October 6th:

So….the iPhone 5 became the iPhone 4S???  Are you shitting me?  After all of that drama???

So now I guess I wait for October 11th and the introduction of the Samsung Nexus Prime.

October 8th:

Jobs dies, Samsung & Google delay.  Now the Prime is scheduled for the 27th.

Thoughts?  Ideas?  Likes/Dislikes?

Leave me a comment or mssg me @zenDR on the Twitterized stuff or answer the Poll.

A New iPhone or New Droid?

(polls)

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