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Nexus 4 |OT| Quality for everyone
- Thread starter Blablurn
- Start date
Beer Monkey
Member
When I 'upgraded' to the Sprint iPhone 5 from my Epic 4G, I got knocked all the way back to 3G because they don't support WiMax. My data literallly became 1/10 as fast as it was on my two-year old phone. Gosh knows when in 2013 Cincinnati will get LTE.
The Galaxy S3 does the same fucking thing, so it isn't just iPhones that are failing in this regard.
Phones that only support LTE and don't support WiMax or HSPA+ should have points knocked off their review scores. The LTE network just isn't there yet and these phones cause speed downgrades as they push us back to 3G until who knows when.
The Faceless Master
Member
no Sprint phone supports Wimax and LTE. they have a mobile hotspot that does though! Also, Sprint doesn't use HSPA, though the GS3 supports it... i guess you could get HSPA+ coverage when roaming internationally!!! no reviewer will dock a phone for having LTE and not having Wimax, that's crazy talk!
criesofthepast
Member
Really think so? I hope I get in on the initial shipment. Is it safe to say that if you don't order online within an hour of it going live then you are going to be waiting a few weeks for delivery?
Anyone know if its going live the second it hits midnight (pacific or eastern) November 13th? Or later in the day?
The nexus 7 launch wasn't totally smooth. I wouldn't call it a disaster though - although I can see this launch being more popular, so hopefully it goes well. My phone is about to die so it'd be great timing to get a Nexus 4 by this time next week. I haven't heard anything about times for pre-orders going live. I doubt anyone else has either unless I've missed some news post in the past few hours.
Randy Lanzarote
Member
I signed up for notification of availability (UK) so I hope I get an email as soon as it goes on sale, and not 'at some point in the launch window'.
Given the price I'll be giving them my money on minute one, I just hope that delivery will be pretty prompt (ie, within 48hr).
Given the price I'll be giving them my money on minute one, I just hope that delivery will be pretty prompt (ie, within 48hr).
I'm expecting a "Not in stock" warning a few hours after the sell opens, followed by a 2 to 3 weeks delivery for those who still chose to buy it then. Also, I'm counting on a 7+ days delivery for those that do get it on opening day.
Let's be clear, this is a top of the line smartphone for Europe, at a price completely unheard of. For half the price of an iPhone, you get something many will find sexy, where benchmarks won't have any impact on how the general public sees it in terms of performance which has been reported to be excellent, along with innovative gadgets such as the wireless charging and photosphere. LTE is a debate for US users only. Simply put, people will buy it, whether they plan to use it as their main phone or not (300€ are easily parted with when there's high resell value in major cities). Most of the techies out there will buy one if they have a slight interest in it and can afford the expense. Sure, they may not rush to it, but add the impulse buyers, the android enthusiasts, the rich and trendy along with those genuinely buying their new main phone, multiply that by the number of countries where the phone will be sold (all on the same freaking day) and you've got to expect some hiccups.
Furthermore, this is not a tablet. It's not something people buy when they're curious about some new gadget they may or may not find a need for. It's a smartphone that finally costs less than a month's rent. Considering that many people would still buy a good phone and pay their contract even if it meant buying less food or essential stuff, this is bound to be a success. Connection is an addiction, and this is facilitating the intake. Err, yeah, off topic, got carried away. Don't mind the lurker!
(edit: Most of the launch troubles predictions however rely on the general public's knowledge of the phone's existence, launch date and outlet. I wouldn't be surprised if many had never heard of it, or some had but weren't told this would be sold by Google through the Play Store (the what now?) on a certain Tuesday.)
Let's be clear, this is a top of the line smartphone for Europe, at a price completely unheard of. For half the price of an iPhone, you get something many will find sexy, where benchmarks won't have any impact on how the general public sees it in terms of performance which has been reported to be excellent, along with innovative gadgets such as the wireless charging and photosphere. LTE is a debate for US users only. Simply put, people will buy it, whether they plan to use it as their main phone or not (300€ are easily parted with when there's high resell value in major cities). Most of the techies out there will buy one if they have a slight interest in it and can afford the expense. Sure, they may not rush to it, but add the impulse buyers, the android enthusiasts, the rich and trendy along with those genuinely buying their new main phone, multiply that by the number of countries where the phone will be sold (all on the same freaking day) and you've got to expect some hiccups.
Furthermore, this is not a tablet. It's not something people buy when they're curious about some new gadget they may or may not find a need for. It's a smartphone that finally costs less than a month's rent. Considering that many people would still buy a good phone and pay their contract even if it meant buying less food or essential stuff, this is bound to be a success. Connection is an addiction, and this is facilitating the intake. Err, yeah, off topic, got carried away. Don't mind the lurker!
(edit: Most of the launch troubles predictions however rely on the general public's knowledge of the phone's existence, launch date and outlet. I wouldn't be surprised if many had never heard of it, or some had but weren't told this would be sold by Google through the Play Store (the what now?) on a certain Tuesday.)
I'm glad it's only that long. Nexus One user here, about ready to upgrade, and this is the perfect time to do so.
RoadHazard
Gold Member
Well damn, you actually can add contact photos directly from URLs through a little trickery. Not sure if it works on other platforms, but in Windows at least, if you choose to upload a photo from your computer to use as a contact photo, you can paste the URL into the file name text field of the file browser and it will simply work. Neat.
Can someone tell me if you capture photograph while video recording was running, in what resolution are those pictures? You can see this in action here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9hYuiYFzCI&feature=player_detailpage#t=354s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9hYuiYFzCI&feature=player_detailpage#t=354s
RoadHazard
Gold Member
They'll be in the same resolution as the video you're shooting, and they won't come out anywhere near as good as a regular photo.
1920x1080, which is about 2 MP.
So a screengrab of a video. Got it.
I think photospheres are going to be a game changer in some ways...
I was just messing with Google Now (trying to see if I could get it to refresh a shipping notification card for an order from the Apple Store - which, so far, has not appeared in my Google Now).
Anyway, I clicked on one of the recommended restaurants and it brought up the Local page for it. Within that page was the "See Inside" option that we are probably all used to. However, I noticed something new this time while looking at the "See Inside." It had arrows like street view, instead of just one 360 degree picture of the restaurant. I could literally click on the arrows to "walk" through different parts of the restaurant and see a 360 degree photosphere from each spot.
I can only imagine how commonplace photospheres are going to be after Google releases APIs for them. They are going to end up displayed all over the internet and leveraged by a lot of different industries/service providers.
I sure hope so... Wireless charging and LED notification lights 4ever!!!
I was just messing with Google Now (trying to see if I could get it to refresh a shipping notification card for an order from the Apple Store - which, so far, has not appeared in my Google Now).
Anyway, I clicked on one of the recommended restaurants and it brought up the Local page for it. Within that page was the "See Inside" option that we are probably all used to. However, I noticed something new this time while looking at the "See Inside." It had arrows like street view, instead of just one 360 degree picture of the restaurant. I could literally click on the arrows to "walk" through different parts of the restaurant and see a 360 degree photosphere from each spot.
I can only imagine how commonplace photospheres are going to be after Google releases APIs for them. They are going to end up displayed all over the internet and leveraged by a lot of different industries/service providers.
I sure hope so... Wireless charging and LED notification lights 4ever!!!
Ephemeris
Member
Google Maps is one of the best things *ever* of the past 10 years.
and just like that, I'm fired from my job
fluffydelusions
Member
I will give you $5 for that s3
I'm a little surprised by how many people are seemingly interested in giving this phone a shot that normally bought phones from other ecosystems. I'm not in any way saying that Android isn't fantastic now, because it is, especially for phones, but its a little surprising how much interest this thing is getting. Maybe the pricing is just right? How much was the Gnex day 1? Anyone remember? I know this one is cheaper, but Im trying to remember how much.
Or maybe its the idea of cutting the cord from these major carriers and that $30 T-Mobile plan thats pushing people.
Would be nice if they developed the photospheres tech over the next few years and allowed small business owners to photo sphere the inside of the businesses and self populate those indoor maps for themselves.
Or maybe its the idea of cutting the cord from these major carriers and that $30 T-Mobile plan thats pushing people.
I think photospheres are going to be a game changer in some ways...
I was just messing with Google Now (trying to see if I could get it to refresh a shipping notification card for an order from the Apple Store - which, so far, has not appeared in my Google Now).
Anyway, I clicked on one of the recommended restaurants and it brought up the Local page for it. Within that page was the "See Inside" option that we are probably all used to. However, I noticed something new this time while looking at the "See Inside." It had arrows like street view, instead of just one 360 degree picture of the restaurant. I could literally click on the arrows to "walk" through different parts of the restaurant and see a 360 degree photosphere from each spot.
I can only imagine how commonplace photospheres are going to be after Google releases APIs for them. They are going to end up displayed all over the internet and leveraged by a lot of different industries/service providers.
Would be nice if they developed the photospheres tech over the next few years and allowed small business owners to photo sphere the inside of the businesses and self populate those indoor maps for themselves.
Why?
Ephemeris
Member
I honestly would love to find a really good reason to switch over to the N4 from the S3, but I can't.
That said, all I want in my life is Google Now on this badboy. Should just bite the bullet and flash it.
Jazzy Network
Member
Tempted to buy one as a second phone. Its cheap enough to warrant it. Would be nice to wake up and be like "today I feel like using my N4" and then go back so my S3 when I need LTE or if I need to go a day with longer battery or whatever.
hitsugi
Member
As someone who is selling their iPhone 5 for the N4 (and will still be locked in with AT&T), I can give my take:
I've been watching Android from the get-go. The first one I wanted to get was the Nexus One. I LOVED that phone; it made my iPhone 3 look ancient, but I couldn't afford to switch and didn't think of selling my phone, etc. to get it. Later on, as Android evolved, so did the iPhones.. and I kept saying "I don't think Android is quite there yet..."
When the iPhone 5 came out, I sold my 4, got the 5 and told myself I was just biding my time until the next Nexus device came out. Based on what I'd see with that device, I'd make my decision - keep the iPhone 5 and go about business or usual, or go for my first Android experience with the N4. I think this is the right time and the right device for the switch. We'll see.
Beer Monkey
Member
Nonsense, my 2 year old Epic 4g supports WiMax and so do other phones like the Evo 4g.
My Galaxy Nexus Day 1 was £530. The 16GB equivalent for the Nexus 4 is £280. I still can't believe it.
Thanks for all the responses guys!
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It's a shame that there doesn't seem to be a real Reeder and Tweetbot alternative. GoodNews does look pretty nice, so maybe it will serve. Plume…not a fan after seeing the screenshots.
Here's an example of what I mean by "readability mobilizer." You know how you see an article on your RSS, but they only post the first paragraph or so? Readability goes in and fetches the entire article without having to load their site.
It does the same for twitter links: http://blog.readability.com/2012/02/read-twitter-links-comfortably-with-tweetbot-readability/
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For backup, I'm basically looking for all my phone settings, apps, messages, etc to be backed up. Google seems to backup some of your phone settings, but it doesn't look like it works for app data or your texts. I took one look at the androidlost screenshot and closed the tab, lol. Cerberus looks alright though.
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Can I manually input a tracking number in Google Now? I might not have a tracking number in my gmail. Looks like there are some third party apps though, so that's good.
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Is there a scroll to the top gesture like you can do on iOS when you tap the status bar? I use that a lot when browsing.
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Regarding Flash, can you guys take a look at what Vyer posted? That's what I'm talking about.
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It's a shame that there doesn't seem to be a real Reeder and Tweetbot alternative. GoodNews does look pretty nice, so maybe it will serve. Plume…not a fan after seeing the screenshots.
Here's an example of what I mean by "readability mobilizer." You know how you see an article on your RSS, but they only post the first paragraph or so? Readability goes in and fetches the entire article without having to load their site.
It does the same for twitter links: http://blog.readability.com/2012/02/read-twitter-links-comfortably-with-tweetbot-readability/
–––
For backup, I'm basically looking for all my phone settings, apps, messages, etc to be backed up. Google seems to backup some of your phone settings, but it doesn't look like it works for app data or your texts. I took one look at the androidlost screenshot and closed the tab, lol. Cerberus looks alright though.
---
Can I manually input a tracking number in Google Now? I might not have a tracking number in my gmail. Looks like there are some third party apps though, so that's good.
---
Is there a scroll to the top gesture like you can do on iOS when you tap the status bar? I use that a lot when browsing.
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I upgrade every year because I keep my stuff in like new condition. So when I resell, I usually get a good return for what I originally paid. In effect, I get a new device and warranty for not much.
I tried evernote and wasn't really a fan. They did release v5 for Mac though, which looks a lot better than previous iterations, so I might give it a shot again.
Yes, this is exactly what I'm talking about. I want to avoid Flash at all costs. If you go to a video on CNN, NYT, Economist, Verge, or whatever, they will always serve HTML5 videos to iOS devices. I wasn't sure if the same was true for Android devices, since some sites think they have Flash.
Thanks!
Hey! Google Music, I forgot about that. I'll have to check it out. Not liking Plume from what I see, but GoodNews might work for me.
Sorry, Titanium is way ugly lol. Lots of sliders for sound settings are nice.
Regarding Flash, can you guys take a look at what Vyer posted? That's what I'm talking about.
Thanks for all the responses guys!
---
It's a shame that there doesn't seem to be a real Reeder and Tweetbot alternative. GoodNews does look pretty nice, so maybe it will serve. Plume…not a fan after seeing the screenshots.
Here's an example of what I mean by "readability mobilizer." You know how you see an article on your RSS, but they only post the first paragraph or so? Readability goes in and fetches the entire article without having to load their site.
It does the same for twitter links: http://blog.readability.com/2012/02/read-twitter-links-comfortably-with-tweetbot-readability/
–––
I like gReader Pro and I used Reeder a lot when I was still on my 4S. They function similarly but gReader has a few more features (almost too many) along with a "mark as read" when you scroll which I find invaluable.
Here are some screens I took of my feeds (in links because they are all 1280x720):
Article list
"Regular" RSS article view (the transparent nav bar hides when you start to scroll down)
Instapaper mobilizer view if the RSS article is truncated/forces you to click to view more, you can set the feed to always retrieve the article and use a mobilizer
Same as above except in "reading" mode
Edit: In the article view, you can also switch between feed view and web view at the top if things look off to you.
RoadHazard
Gold Member
Just tried going to GiantBomb in both the stock 4.1 browser and Chrome, and it won't provide HTML5 video. Just says it's a subscriper feature, like when you go there with a desktop browser. Why they provide iPhones with free HTML5 video but not Android devices I don't know.
I mean, it's pretty simple: If a site provides HTML5 video, it will play on the Nexus 4. If it only provides Flash, as GB seems to do unless you're on an iPhone, it won't play (unless you sideload the Flash player, I guess). Android can't magically convert Flash into HTML5.
Mostly due to 3 reasons:
1. Touchwiz is pretty much the ugliest thing I've had the misfortune of using
2. Slow ass updates. I still don't have JB, still don't have Google Now, and by the time JB is out, 4.2 AND the Nexus 4 will already have been out for a month. I will NEVER go for a non-Nexus phone again.
3. Phone is one ugly motherfucker. I'm not gonna lie and say I was ever satisfied with the look but I work at an investment bank where people pay close attention to how you present yourself and I rarely pull this thing out during meetings because of how ugly it is. Lets say I had to buy the blue version because it was the least ugly, not because it was the best looking.
1. No
2. YES, YES, OH GOD YESSSSSS!
3. lol NO!
4. I was going to purchase a phone for my sister for around the same price so I am taking advantage and getting the Nexus 4 instead.
Oh come in now...
I felt a spot of insecurity when I read that. I was like "$100 says Buhdeh wears nicer suits than I do."
I wish Tweetbot and Reeder were on Android so I could use them on my N7 :[
Keep ind mind the resell value of Apple products isn't going to be quite the same as the resell products of stuff you're getting from Google, but I suppose it might balance out considering Google's getting pretty aggressive with pricing.
This doesn't always happen. It doesn't always work like it does on iOS
Examples from my n7:
Maybe Chrome on phones works differently than on the Nexus 7 though?
I felt a spot of insecurity when I read that. I was like "$100 says Buhdeh wears nicer suits than I do."
I'll bring a cyan 920 to work when I make it to VP, boys.
virtuoso88
Member
1/2. root/unlock and load up CM10 or one of the other 10 good roms to choose from.
3. Disagree but you shouldnt have bought a phone you did not find attractive in this day and age. Too much to pick from.
I have CM10 on it. It's still somewhat buggy and unreliable. I was running M2 for a while but the phone volume was still insanely loud so I switched to one of the recent nightlies and now I get random reboots once in a while and non-working tethering. I honestly don't want to do the whole ROM thing anymore.
With re: to the upgrade, it was mostly because the S3 was my only option. I wasn't going to buy a Galaxy Nexus since it was end of life at nearly every carrier and I wasn't going to get another 4S since I already had one. If the iPhone 5 were already out, I probably would have went for that and sold it when the Nexus 4 was released.
Iacobellis
Junior Member
I think it is a Sprint or CDMA thing, I could be wrong, though. My iPhone 5 on AT&T let's me toggle LTE off and use HSPA+ instead.
virtuoso88
Member
Yeah the call volume thing was annoying so I installed one of the tw leaks and it's been perfect so far. Still TW but I can replace the apps I dislike like SMS.
Alright, that doesn't look too bad.
Most (I don't really know if it's most, I just know that many of them that I visit) do serve both Flash and HTML5 content, depending on the device. If it's an iOS device, it'll almost assuredly be served HTML5. Look at the N7 screenshots above and you'll see that CNN and The Verge are serving Flash to that device instead of HTML5.
Here it is on my iPhone with HTML5:
Those of you who are rooted, can you switch your user agent to the iPhone and then try those sites: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appo2.ua
Thanks for the screencaps. The Galaxy Nexus is going for $250+ on ebay. So that's about a $100 drop--I can live with that.
Beer Monkey
Member
It is the Sprint iPhone 5 hardware. Ditto the Galaxy S3. They do not have WiMax radio. These phones are a huge bandwidth downgrade from 2 year old phones for millions of users who do not have Sprint LTE, and reviews should reflect that.
virtuoso88
Member
EightBitNate
Member
I need more videos
virtuoso88
Member
Isn't tweetbot limited to a number of concurrent connections? Isn't that screwed for new customers?
RoadHazard
Gold Member
Well, all of these sites should stop being stupid, realize that Flash is no longer supported on mobile devices at all, and start serving Android phones HTML5 videos as well.