Technology Android

[THEV1LL4N]

The Nexus 10 manual leaked online. Seems to have round edges. *waits for Apple to sue them for something else that is generic*

 

[S O F I]

so, what's the verdict on the new LG phone? All the info is out already more or less, right?

 

[Flipmo]

Which? The LG Nexus, or the Optimus G?

Optimus G is getting quite good reviews. Especially in regards to build (which is shocking considering that it's an LG), battery life and performance.
If the LG Nexus build is anything like that of the Optimus G - you're looking at a sure winner as it's rocking Vanilla Android, and not LG's custom toilet seat of an OS.

 

[masta247]

Yeah, it might be pretty good. The fastest phone so far and the rest is above average.

 

[Jokerman]

I faked this leaked picture of the Nexus 10:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/26/google-nexus-10-leaks-android-tablet/

 

[masta247]

Yeah it's not the best looking tablet around. Samsung follows their this year's shitty-design-spree. BUT it's technically great. The highest res screen on any tablet so far, the A15 Cortex. Pretty much awesome.

 

[S O F I]

well, google cancelled tomorrow's event. that sucks.

 

[ARon]

Why does the East Coast always over react to storms. I'm sure this is going to be bad but when I see them shutting down roads cus of 2 inches of snow in NY it's like wtf

 

[ARon]

LG Nexus 4 $299 off contract, $199 on contract with T-Mobile who is already my provider. No LTE which is weird but doesn't really matter for me because T-Mobile isn't rolling out their LTE until 2013. So future proofed this is not. I really want this phone. I'm thinking I'm going to buy it off contract for the extra $150 since I'd want the 16gb version and then use my upgrade on the galaxy s 4 when that comes out depending if I want it or not.

 

[Flipmo]

It's going to be 309$ unlocked for the 8 gig model here as well. I've got to say, I'm considering trading in my SG3 and picking it up. I'd probably still have some cash in my pocket after selling it as well.

I'll be waiting for a review first and foremost though.

 

[masta247]

I wouldn't trade the SGS3 for it. It might be a good upgrade from older phones but SGS3 is at least comparable, better in some aspects. Unless you're a hardcore geek and want a quad core Snapdragon S4 coupled with stock Android, which sounds cool


HOLY MOTHERFUCKER I MISSED THAT THIS THING IS PRICED 299$ UNLOCKED!!!1111
http://www.gsmarena.com/hurricanes_be_damned_the_lg_nexus_4_goes_official-news-5013.php



I bet there will be availability problems. It makes it the ultimate smartphone deal, the best one ever. The top dog smartphone now is half of the price of the best smartphone so far (the SGS3).

 

[Flipmo]

Yep

 

[ARon]

Android 4.2 seems cool as well. The photo sphere feature is cool as shit.

So the LG Nexus 4 has wireless charging or whatever, Starbucks is a partner and will have these chargers in their stores... The idea of going to starbucks and ordering whatever sprinkled with cinnamon on top and setting my phone on a mat to charge it while the hipster macbook loving fucks that go to starbucks stare at me with curiosity seems like it's worth the price of admission already.

 

[masta247]

Totally, the wireless charging feature is a really cool addition. I'd get a wireless charger at home and just place it on my desk and no more plugging and unplugging cables.

Google seems to be raping with prices of really amazing hardware. They have the BEST 7 inch tablet, which is priced at 199$ (now upgraded, and a version with data as well), the best 10 inch tablet with freaking Cortex A15 and the highest res screen on the market for 399$ and the best smartphone on the market for 299$. All running stock Android, with guaranteed updates to new Android versions pretty much for the next few upcoming years just after announcements. It's freaking crazy.

 

[ARon]

Agreed. Sadly I think the Nexus 10 is ugly as fuck.


So what is everyone take on the Nexus 4 not having LTE? Here is a good write up by The Verge on the issue.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/29/3569688/why-nexus-4-does-not-have-4g-lte

TheNexus 4is an impressive smartphone that ticks off every modern spec checkbox you could ask for, save one: LTE. Instead, the Nexus 4will only come unlocked with HSPA+ radios. It is a disappointing omission, driven by both Google's complex philosophical desire to build open devices as well as the fairly simple economics of building a halo product for a small niche of early adopters.
For Google, Nexus is a flagship brand that represents the best of Android, with Google leading by example to show other hardware manufacturers what Android can be. And though partners build the hardware, Google wants direct control of the software on Nexus devices with no carrier intervention. That alone means Google can't sell an LTE device, as there's simply no access to LTE networks without working with carriers in one way or another: Verizon and Sprint's LTE networks still require compatibility with their 3G CDMA systems, and there's essentially no such thing as an unlocked CDMA device. AT&T's fledgling LTE network runs on different frequencies than other LTE networks around the world, so Google would have to build a custom phone for just 77 markets in the US. Doing that without AT&T's financial assistance makes little sense.
GOOGLE WOULD HAVE TO BUILD A CUSTOM PHONE FOR JUST 77 US MARKETS
Android head Andy Rubin calls the lack of LTE a "tactical issue," and cites cost and battery life as major concerns with devices that have to support multiple radios. "A lot of the networks that have deployed LTE haven't scaled completely yet — they're hybrid networks [...] which means the devices need both radios built into them," he said. "When we did the Galaxy Nexus with LTE we had to do just that, and it just wasn't a great user experience." But the reality now is that many LTE devices — including the iPhone 5 and the LG Optimus G, which shares common hardware with the Nexus 4 — use larger batteries and newer, more efficient chips to balance the power draw from LTE.

VERIZON'S LTE OPEN ACCESS RULES ARE VIRTUALLY MEANINGLESS​

That leaves the issue of control, and the politics of LTE network access tilt almost exclusively towards carriers. For example, Verizon has offered an "Open Development" initiative since 2008, offering other companies the ability to run devices on its networks, including the LTE network. "As long as the person follows our specifications and certification process as outlined on our open access website, they can get a device on our network," a Verizon spokesperson told us. However, that program — which to date has primarily been used in a business-to-business context — would still prevent Google from updating its phones in a timely manner. "Firmware pushed to devices over the air must be tested and certified," Verizon told us.
Ironically, Verizon's LTE network runs on 700MHz "C Block" spectrum which has FCC "open access" rules attached to it, which require that any compatible device be allowed to connect. Google fought vociferously to put these rules in place, even participating in the FCC's spectrum auction to ensure Verizon paid the minimum bid price that triggered the rules. But the rules have turned out to be virtually meaningless in practice, as Verizon uses 700MHz in conjunction with CDMA spectrum that doesn’t have similar open access rules — so while Verizon might be legally required to support an unlocked LTE device, the legacy CDMA network still effectively keeps all of Verizon’s phones locked.
AT&T WILL ALLOW UNLOCKED DEVICES TO ACCESS ITS LTE NETWORK
For GSM / HSPA carriers, the issues are primarily economic, not access. AT&T, T-Mobile, and international carriers all uniformly allow unlocked devices to run on their GSM / HSPA networks, and AT&T says it will allow any unlocked device to access its LTE network, although the carrier can't guarantee everything will work or that it would be able to provide technical support.
But building an LTE phone is an extremely costly undertaking with sharply limited potential markets. Although Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, Everything Everywhere, and other carriers are working quickly to roll out LTE networks, it's still a nascent technology with significant interoperability problems across many spectrum bands, requiring companies to create different hardware variants of their phones for each network. Profitably building all those variants requires either financial assistance from the carriers or a large addressable market for an unlocked device. So while Verizon has by far the largest LTE network in the world, covering over 400 markets and over 250 million people in the US, Google has no access to those customers. Other LTE networks are much smaller: AT&T currently has LTE in just 77 markets covering 135 million people, and Everything Everywhere in the UK has a goal of covering only 20 million people by year's end.

NEXUS PHONES HAVE NEVER BEEN BESTSELLERS​

In short, the number of people that Google could reach with any single unlocked LTE Nexus 4 is relatively small. And while the Nexus 4 looks like a solid flagship device, Nexus phones have never been bestsellers, shrinking an already-small potential market to virtually nothing. Google may be getting serious about selling hardware with the Nexus 4, but not so serious that it's willing to compromise with carriers, and compromising with carriers is the only way to make LTE work.
And there's precious little to suggest working with carriers is even in Google's best interests, or in the best interests of Nexus customers. The Galaxy Nexus was announced last year with a promised LTE version on Verizon, but the carrier held back releasing the phone for months to promote its own Droid RAZR instead. Google eventually grew tired of waiting and sent unlocked HSPA+ devices to reviewers. And software updates for Nexus phones sold through carriers have been problematic as well: it took the Verizon three full months to disseminate the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update to its Galaxy Nexus, slightly longer than Sprint. That's actually better than it used to be with carrier-partnered Nexus devices, but still much longer what Google can achieve without carrier intervention — and far too long in a marketplace where Apple has set a standard for simultaneous worldwide software distribution across multiple carriers.
"TACTICALLY, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THE DEVICES ARE AVAILABLE FOR EVERY NETWORK ON THE PLANET."
Andy Rubin put it this way: "Tactically, we want to make sure the devices are available for every network on the planet." For now, that means that the Nexus 4 will only be available as an unlocked HSPA+ device. Whether the fault lies more with carriers for forcing Google’s hand or with Google for refusing to work within the standard carrier model, the end result is a flagship phone that’s missing an essential flagship feature.

It makes perfect sense but at the same time a company with that much at their disposal can make multiple variations of the same device. Then from a business standpoint this won't be on Verizon which is the largest provider in the US, that's a lot of sales they could have gotten. If you think about it though this just makes Google that much more legit. That fuck you attitude we did this for the purists type of shit, +1 to you Google

 

[ARon]

http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/29/3569230/google-wireless-charging-orb-touchstone-qi

I'm sold

 

[masta247]

Nobody really cares about LTE apart from a really small group of (hardcore geeks) people.
LTE is an American-only thing and Nexus 4 is a global device. HSPA+ is faster than most peoples' broadband at home and most places in the world don't even have that, not to even mention LTE. At this point I think it would be an unnecessary thing driving the price up.

Now that charger, o boy. I was hesitant but looks like this is my next phone. Too bad it's going to be so much more expensive here, but still probably a good deal.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

LTE/4G just launched here in the UK. I'm not too fussed about it. It's a battery drain, pushes up prices of phones and is too expensive. you get like 500MB data that completely shuts off when used.

 

[S O F I]

can someone explain LTE to me?

I can still get 4G with this device, right? Like, Internet will be faster than my Nexus S? If so, I don't give a shit about LTE.

So, I will be buying this phone, of course, the 8 gig version. Why buy 16gigs? Most of the stuff that used to take up space can now be stored in the cloud. I'll get the unlocked one because I don't want to extend my T-Mobile contract. I found out recently that I have 11 months left. I went to Verizon and talked to them and tried to figure out the best deal for me and basically I can't economically justify switching over to Verizon and buying an iPhone. It'd be about $30 dollars more per month and I'd have to pay to get out of my contract early.

I think this Nexus 4 will be solid for at least a year and then I'll re-evaluate once my two years are up.

 

[ARon]

I'm going to get 16gb just for music and movies, well tv shows I happen to miss and watch when I get a chance. I'm not on the cloud like that yet. Plus some of the games I'm going to start playing like FIFA for instance is over a gig in size. That shit is crazy to me. I hardly play em but it's nice to fuck around every now and then

also... I imagine I'm going to use that photo sphere feature quite a bit jus cus it's cool as fuck and I can imagine they photos will be a pretty good size. I know they'r stored as metadata which is a good ass idea but still.