# Is The Galaxy Nexus For Me (more details in post)?



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

I've had my Galaxy S1 (Fascinate) on VZW for about 3 years now. I upgraded to a GS3, but I sold it (too big).

So I was looking at phones to buy (was interested in the Motorola Razr M but became not-so-interested when I found the hacking community dead), and stumbled upon the Galaxy Nexus.

I'm like 90% content with my Fascinate. It has a few quarks, like the GPS sucking, modem being too close to the capacitive buttons (phantom press), things like that. Though the real reason I want to upgrade, is that even though I've been keeping this phone alive with community built ROMs (such as CyanogenMod), it *is* showing its age a bit in terms of speed.

So the Galaxy Nexus seems to have a large hacking community (by hacking I really mean ROM'ing, so plz forgive my usage)...so anybody come to the Galaxy Nexus from the Fascinate? Anybody have things they don't like about the Nexus?

It looks pretty solid, I love the button layout, love the fact that the "hardware keys" are on-screen, it's a tad big compared to my fascinate, but not too large, camera is same quality at 5MP, 2x the memory, and running a 1.2Ghz dual core opposed to the 1Ghz single.

Also, it seems to share a lot in terms of rooting/ROM'ing with the Galaxy S1, so it's all stuff I'm familiar with already.

Thoughts? Comments?

Please don't tell me to watch a review, I have been, a review is great, but it doesn't tell you all the stupid little quarks that people can tell you after living with it for a month or longer.

Much appreciated!!!


----------



## hlaalu (Jul 13, 2012)

Well you're not considering an iphone, so you're definitely on the right track!









I think the galaxy nexus has one of the best, if not THE best developing community out there. The phone is well over a year old (that's like 100 in phone years) and continues to have the latest and greatest development.

For me, I think the phone is just beautiful with its large screen (with no physical buttons). My previous phone was a droid x, also with a large screen but not as slim as the nexus. My phone before that was the droid eris which looks like a hobbit compared to the nexus.

Things I don't dislike about the nexus would be that my screen shows faint lines when dimmed, the 4g antenna or whatever gets very hot, and the battery life is not that great if you keep the screen on for a while. Also the signal is never quite as good as the other phones in my house.

I think you will like this phone... it's not too big, not to small, it's juuuuuust right!


----------



## yarly (Jun 22, 2011)

> I upgraded to a GS3, but I sold it (too big).


You know the Gnexus is roughly the same size, right?


----------



## psycho_maniac (Jun 9, 2011)

Technically its not. cuz when you have the nav bar the screen is 4.5 and when you watch video in an app that removes the nav bar, netflix or youtube ect, its 4.65 and the gs3 is 4.8. this doesn't seem like a lot but I did notice that when you use LMT the gnex screen is A LOT bigger when the nav bar is gone all the time. I ended up going back to the regular nav bar.

Anyways. The one thing I will remember when having this phone is when the new jellybean came out hours after the announcement it was on my phone. That was probably the coolest thing I've experienced being an android user. The latest OS on my phone hours after it being announced.


----------



## sandfreak (Jun 11, 2011)

hlaalu said:


> Well you're not considering an iphone, so you're definitely on the right track!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Summed it up perfectly.

I came from a Moto Droid which also had a great development community. The GNex dev community is even better.

I was in love when I got the device on release day. Even still I love it, I think the softkeys are sexy. Been in a case 95% of its life so it still looks brand new.

But after 14 months it is starting to feel a little old. Small things are starting to add up like screen burn, bad signal, warmth, & battery life.

I do find myself checking out other devices but there's nothing out right now that I need. Sure I'd take a one x, note 2, gs3, nexus 4, dna, or RAZR m but they don't wow me enough to leave the GNex.

I'd say if OP doesn't mind being a little behind the times with the GNex its a far superior upgrade to the fascinate. At least I felt it was from the Droid.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

hlaalu said:


> Summed it up perfectly.
> 
> I came from a Moto Droid which also had a great development community. The GNex dev community is even better.
> 
> ...


I didn't even think of screen burn. Nothing is on my fascinate's screen long enough to burn in. How did you get burn?

Also what's with the signal? You and the guy above both said it's bad







. Bad signal = worthless phone as far as I'm concerned :-\.

Well if you change your mind about the GS3, PM me, I have a new one in box that I need to unload.

Behind in the times? My fascy is 3 years old . I just want something with dual core and 4G :-\. Sick and tired of all this new crap coming out locked down 6 ways from Sunday. Even if there's ways around it it's annoying as hell IMO. That, and all the phones just keep getting BIGGER, like they're trying to aspire to a iPad mini or something. It's stupid. I want something the size of my fascinate so it fits well in my bike pocket and my hand. Only one i found that was good like this before the GN is the Moto Razr M, which is completely useless in terms of dev.


----------



## psycho_maniac (Jun 9, 2011)

Syndacate said:


> I never use the nav bar >.<
> 
> That is indeed pretty sweet. The community seems booming, much like the fascinate community from like a year ago.


I just want to say you get an A+ on quoting cuz you quoted me twice because you had two different answers to my single post. You never used the nav bar? do you use the phone with 2 hands? I'm pretty sure I could only use a 5.5 or even a 5" screen with a nav bar. the extra girth of the phone to add actual capacitive buttons is a lot to me


----------



## hlaalu (Jul 13, 2012)

Syndacate said:


> Anyways. The one thing I will remember when having this phone is when the new jellybean came out hours after the announcement it was on my phone. That was probably the coolest thing I've experienced being an android user. The latest OS on my phone hours after it being announced.


Yeah that's pretty awesome huh? You gotta hand it to the community for their dedication to this device.


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

psycho_maniac said:


> Not sure the exact "term" for it, but it's something to do with the super amoled screen it has and how it burns easily (someone correct me if I'm wrong). If you google galaxy nexus screen lines you can see all about it.
> 
> And the 4g heat thing, you'll really only notice it if you are downloading/uploading lots of data like a movie, I've never actually noticed the heat through normal use or while talking on the phone.


About the 4G heat thing: Doesn't sound bad.

About the burn-in: I googled some images, some of it gets really bad O.O. Though a lot is of the clock and I have the display sleep when I am. I don't leave it on as an extra clock, so it may not affect me.

I feel like Apple is the only ones who got phone sizing right. The rest just think everybody watches movies all day, therefore a larger screen is OBVIOUSLY better *facepalm*

My fascinate fits damn nicely in my jacket pocket, it's a good size for the hand, now I'm wondering if it's even worth getting a new phone because they're all the same size as the GS3 (or they're BIGGER).


----------



## mil0ck (Nov 18, 2011)

I feel like I can chip in some too.

The battery on this phone isn't great, but I make it trough a day with ~2 hrs music listening and 2~hrs screen on time. I am on GSM though.
The dev-community here is great, especially due to it being a Nexus device.
The phone is significantly smaller than the SGS3 IMHO. I myself also find the SGS3 too big and am also annoyed that phones are just getting bigger and bigger, so I feel you on that one. The phone took a little getting used to, coming from the Nexus S but now I find the screen size almost perfect.

But do I think you should buy this phone now? When it's over a year old? Coming from a fascinate I think you'll love it, but why not go for the Nexus 4?

So, unless you want a Nexus 4 I'd say that the GNex is the best phone for you.


----------



## gobi42 (Feb 28, 2012)

I have never had any burning issues never had heat issues either and with an extended battery I am an still get almost 16 hours of normal use sometimes I can get as much as 20 hours (I don't live in 4g coverage area and use mainly 3g) have a gs3 with an Otterbox defender and my gnex with the same case it is obviously smaller (gf has a gs3 I have a gnex) if I were u I would go for the gnex just don't buy it on contract u can find brand news ones for 200 bucks without a contract, u just need to get a micro sim from vzw and activate it either way good luck man

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Art Vandelay (Jan 4, 2012)

Gnex is an awesome phone, but do realize it is over a year old and once all the early adopters who got the phone on launch day are eligible for an upgrade and the next wave of super phones cone out in the next 2-6 months, the community will start to dwindle.

The GS3 is my favorite phone out right now and has a great following. If you are totally against the GS3, than get a GNex if you are ONLY looking for a phone to hold you over for the remainder of the year.

Buy it used and save your upgrade for the next round of super phones.

All others have pretty much summed up the pros and cons of the phone.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

mil0ck said:


> I feel like I can chip in some too.
> 
> The battery on this phone isn't great, but I make it trough a day with ~2 hrs music listening and 2~hrs screen on time. I am on GSM though.
> The dev-community here is great, especially due to it being a Nexus device.
> ...


Any subsequent verizon phones will most likely have locked bootloaders so it doesn't particularly matter to me. Furthermore, I'm not a spec whore. Just want something with 4G, 1GB+ mem, some internal memory (+sd) would be nice, but not a necessity, and a dual core proc.

EDIT:
I'm contemplating holding onto this GS3 now and just saying 'fuck it' and using that.


----------



## Art Vandelay (Jan 4, 2012)

Your going to want more than 1gb of mem. The Gnex has one gig and really its around 300-400mb free and you feel it at times.

Again, if you are only looking for a phone to last you til the end of the year, you can't really go wrong with the Gnex, but as apps become more resource intensive, the Gnex needs more juice.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

Art Vandelay said:


> Your going to want more than 1gb of mem. The Gnex has one gig and really its around 300-400mb free and you feel it at times.
> 
> Again, if you are only looking for a phone to last you til the end of the year, you can't really go wrong with the Gnex, but as apps become more resource intensive, the Gnex needs more juice.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


Yeah, I'm out of mem on this fascy.


----------



## trparky (Sep 3, 2011)

That's one of the major reasons why I'm going to another carrier, the Locked Bootloader. Verizon has been pissing me off as of late when it comes to this policy.

Everyone says that if you don't like what a company is doing and if you don't like their policies, vote with your wallet. Well... I'm going to do just that!

If you guys don't like it either, quit feeding them. Make them hurt where it really hurts, their bottom line. Make them wish that their policy of locking the bootloaders was the worst decision that they ever made. Tweet about it, blog about it, convince others to do the same.


----------



## KRUSH101 (May 2, 2012)

Quirk, not quark

*quirk* (kwûrk)
_n._
*1. *A peculiarity of behavior; an idiosyncrasy: _"Every man had his own quirks and twists"_ _(Harriet Beecher Stowe)._​*2. *An unpredictable or unaccountable act or event; a vagary: _a quirk of fate._​http://www.thefreedictionary.com/quirk

"A *quark* (pron.: /ˈkwɔrk/ or /ˈkwɑrk/) is an elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark


----------



## mil0ck (Nov 18, 2011)

KRUSH101 said:


> Quirk, not quark
> 
> *quirk*(kwûrk)
> _n._
> ...


Whaat?


----------



## 00negative (Jul 25, 2011)

trparky said:


> That's one of the major reasons why I'm going to another carrier, the Locked Bootloader. Verizon has been pissing me off as of late when it comes to this policy.
> 
> Everyone says that if you don't like what a company is doing and if you don't like their policies, vote with your wallet. Well... I'm going to do just that!
> 
> If you guys don't like it either, quit feeding them. Make them hurt where it really hurts, their bottom line. Make them wish that their policy of locking the bootloaders was the worst decision that they ever made. Tweet about it, blog about it, convince others to do the same.


I will leave when they finally take away my unlimited data. I will continue to pay retail for phones or find a phone used if it lets me keep my unlimited data.


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

trparky said:


> I will leave when they finally take away my unlimited data. I will continue to pay retail for phones or find a phone used if it lets me keep my unlimited data.


^ Yup.


----------



## idefiler6 (Sep 3, 2011)

Whatever your decision is, they're selling them off cheap now and won't be offering it much longer.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using RootzWiki


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

idefiler6 said:


> Whatever your decision is, they're selling them off cheap now and won't be offering it much longer.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 7 using RootzWiki


Good point. Think I'm going to hold off for the time being. I sized up the GS3 and it's not that big, so even if this phone is a bit larger I don't think the size would be an issue like I originally thought.

BUT......the GS3, while not too large, is a PAIN to use because of the location of the buttons. That's one thing the GN def. did right with the on screen buttons. I found it physically impossible with the GS3 to be able to one handedly drag the drawer down AND be able to hit that stupid tactile home key without completely readjusting my hand. That's not cool - not at all.

I don't think the GN would suffer from this problem since the buttons are on screen, meaning your hand will always be higher up and you won't have to scale the device to use different aspects. That's nice once you take into account screen size.

I'd be a bit more open to a possible GN if I could actually play with the phone but AFAIK they're not in Verizon stores.....so guess that's not going to happen as I know nobody who has one. Reading the specs of a device doesn't quite compare to real life tinkering.

As for the screen burn issues, they all seem to be clocks, so I'm thinking it's just people who use it as a clock/dock at night...which I do not. Though you said "they" won't be offering it much longer? Thought they already didn't offer it..?


----------



## psycho_maniac (Jun 9, 2011)

One time I was running some tests my phone with tasker or some other automated app. I set the screen on for 10 mins and because I was next to a bright light the brightness was very high also. I forgot to change the setting back when the test was done and when I remembered I had burn in. Luckily though it was only minor so I shut the screen of for awhile and it went away.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

psycho_maniac said:


> One time I was running some tests my phone with tasker or some other automated app. I set the screen on for 10 mins and because I was next to a bright light the brightness was very high also. I forgot to change the setting back when the test was done and when I remembered I had burn in. Luckily though it was only minor so I shut the screen of for awhile and it went away.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


How long was the screen on for before it started to get burn-in?


----------



## gwhiz377 (Apr 26, 2012)

Syndacate said:


> Good point. Think I'm going to hold off for the time being. I sized up the GS3 and it's not that big, so even if this phone is a bit larger I don't think the size would be an issue like I originally thought.
> 
> BUT......the GS3, while not too large, is a PAIN to use because of the location of the buttons. That's one thing the GN def. did right with the on screen buttons. * I found it physically impossible with the GS3 to be able to one handedly drag the drawer down AND be able to hit that stupid tactile home key without completely readjusting my hand. That's not cool - not at all.*
> 
> ...


Pretty easy to fix that. Just install Nova or Apex and make the swipe down gesture to open the notifications tab.


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

gwhiz377 said:


> Pretty easy to fix that. Just install Nova or Apex and make the swipe down gesture to open the notifications tab.


That's a good point, I could have done that. The phone just felt too big, though, like in general my thumb couldn't touch every part, and that's where it gets iffy IMO.


----------



## Doc Cause (Aug 29, 2012)

I'll trade you my gnex for your gs3....jus sayin

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

Doc Cause said:


> I'll trade you my gnex for your gs3....jus sayin
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


Just sold the 2nd GS3 yesterday.

They were both new, so I was looking for quite a bit for them (and got it). I had used other peoples' and Verizon's GS3's, though.


----------



## psycho_maniac (Jun 9, 2011)

Syndacate said:


> How long was the screen on for before it started to get burn-in?


Prolly under 15 mins.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

psycho_maniac said:


> Prolly under 15 mins.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


Wow, that's super crazy, man







.


----------



## KeithN (Aug 4, 2011)

Here is a couple of pics with the Fascinate and Nexus side by side if you want to see the size difference.

I got a nexus because I could get one for pretty cheap, keep my data, and that I don't have much money to spare. Over all I'm happy with it for now. Using a 4G toggle and brightness set low most of the time helps the battery life.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

KeithN said:


> Here is a couple of pics with the Fascinate and Nexus side by side if you want to see the size difference.
> 
> I got a nexus because I could get one for pretty cheap, keep my data, and that I don't have much money to spare. Over all I'm happy with it for now. Using a 4G toggle and brightness set low most of the time helps the battery life.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


Thank you for the pics.

It's literally 2mm wider and 1cm longer. Though the 1cm isn't as big of a deal because the on-screen nav bar will be there, so it's basically like on-screen real estate for FREE! Not to mention the on-screen keys are able to be customized if you dug deep enough as they're software.

Really seems great, but the burn-in problem scares the ever-living shit out of me. I don't exactly use my phone for long periods of time (and if I do it's not at the same screen), but the fact that 15 min gave some people burn-in scares me.

I'd really like to use one, though :-\. All the specs in the world can't compensate for actually using the device. Verizon doesn't have it on their shelves any longer, correct? I need to find somebody in the area that will let me play with theirs .


----------



## akellar (Jun 11, 2011)

Syndacate said:


> Thank you for the pics.
> 
> It's literally 2mm wider and 1cm longer. Though the 1cm isn't as big of a deal because the on-screen nav bar will be there, so it's basically like on-screen real estate for FREE! Not to mention the on-screen keys are able to be customized if you dug deep enough as they're software.
> 
> ...


I've had the device since release day and have zero burn-in issues.


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

Hrm, just found out it doesn't have a card slot - well that's annoying :-\. I mean obviously the 16GB internal makes for the same experience but with an SD you can swap it out, upgrade the class, etc.

Though just to be clear, as there seems to be many versions of the Nexus, the Galaxy Nexus for Verizon would be the "Galaxy Nexus LTE L700", not the 9250 and such, right?



akellar said:


> I've had the device since release day and have zero burn-in issues.


Good to hear!

I was just looking at this:
The SD card issue and the burn-in issues kind of ignore me, I don't think I Have one screen up long enough for the burn-into be an issue, though. It's a bit big, like the GS3, but unlike the GS3 the home is not at the very bottom, because of the on-screen nav bar, it's up a little further, and you get extra screen when you need it.

Then it's basically an evolution of the processor, simply using the A8 vs the dual core A9. More memory, and it's a pretty decent upgrade. Not to mention they can be had for like 2XX on ebay or something.

I was looking at this link here and am interested... My Fascinate gets me through fine, so I think this would too, it'll be faster, that's for sure. Looks like the community is pretty nice.

Only thing is I'm a bit confused on which is which because there seems to be like 5 nexus S devices...

Only downside is it'll be a bit hard to reach the left side of the screen...but I don't have to do that often.

I was looking at this link here: Me likey.

http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=3492&idPhone2=4406


----------



## brkshr (Jun 16, 2011)

If you're worried about size that much. Get a RAZR M


akellar said:


> I've had the device since release day and have zero burn-in issues.


Same here. It's over a year old and has been used every single day since release day. I moved onto the N4, but my gf uses it meow and I still mess with it.


----------



## brkshr (Jun 16, 2011)

You're over thinking this OP. If you want dev/ROM support, plain and simple get a Galaxy Nexus. If you want a large screen with moderate support and good battery life, stick with the S3. If a small form factor is most important with good battery life, get a RAZR M.

They all have their ups & downs. They all have problems that can be inherent with each device. It's just luck of the draw. Choose what is most important to you & go with the phone that has it.

Personally, I prefer dev/Google support. So I will take any Nexus device, whatever it's downfalls are.

edit: (or just get an iphone and be done with having options)


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

brkshr said:


> You're over thinking this OP. If you want dev/ROM support, plain and simple get a Galaxy Nexus. If you want a large screen with moderate support and good battery life, stick with the S3. If a small form factor is most important with good battery life, get a RAZR M.
> 
> They all have their ups & downs. They all have problems that can be inherent with each device. It's just luck of the draw. Choose what is most important to you & go with the phone that has it.
> 
> ...


You're right, that's basically what it comes down to. I hope the battery doesn't suck too much :-\. I'm highly considering it as of now. Razr is out because it's locked down, sold the GS3 (it was new). So yeah, I'm heavily leaning towards the GN.


----------



## Art Vandelay (Jan 4, 2012)

Burn in is a pretty rare occurrence and up until thus post I haven't heard of anyone having it in the Gnex. So I wouldn't be concerned at all.

I do t know if you said or not, but would you be buying the Gnex on contract to get the subsidized price? If so I would highly recommend against that, unless you want to pay full price for a newer and phone in a year. Spec-wise, the Gnex will not last more than a year.

Unless you store a lot of music/ movies on tour phone, the 16gb shouldn't be an issue.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## Kamar234 (Jul 6, 2011)

Art Vandelay said:


> Burn in is a pretty rare occurrence and up until thus post I haven't heard of anyone having it in the Gnex. So I wouldn't be concerned at all.
> 
> I do t know if you said or not, but would you be buying the Gnex on contract to get the subsidized price? If so I would highly recommend against that, unless you want to pay full price for a newer and phone in a year. Spec-wise, the Gnex will not last more than a year.
> 
> ...


People don't complain about it, or may not realize it. I had a Fascinate and left for a Thunderbolt, and then purchased a 32 gig GNex on launch day. I now use a Note 2, which pretty much blows away my GNex. The battery life of the GNex is pretty terrible, and it does get burn in. The area with the navigation buttons are black almost all of the time. It is just going to happen. You just don't notice it until you watch something full screen. I really do love my Gnex and I play with it every once and a while, but I used to blow through two batteries by 8-9pm. At one point, I would carry 3 batteries, and I wasn't even on LTE! You may really want to take a second look at the Galaxy S3 if it's in your budget. The GNex holds a special place in my heart, and I used it for over a year, but there are quirks. Also, my Note 2 only has 16gb of internal memory and it is a PAIN even with the sd card swap I'm running. 16gb with no expandable storage is going to be an issue if you run any premium games. Wild Blood and GTA 3 are around 2 gigs of download space each. Count pictures and music, and you'll be in a tight spot quickly. Just my two cents. Hope that helped.


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

Art Vandelay said:


> People don't complain about it, or may not realize it. I had a Fascinate and left for a Thunderbolt, and then purchased a 32 gig GNex on launch day. I now use a Note 2, which pretty much blows away my GNex. The battery life of the GNex is pretty terrible, and it does get burn in. The area with the navigation buttons are black almost all of the time. It is just going to happen. You just don't notice it until you watch something full screen. I really do love my Gnex and I play with it every once and a while, but I used to blow through two batteries by 8-9pm. At one point, I would carry 3 batteries, and I wasn't even on LTE! You may really want to take a second look at the Galaxy S3 if it's in your budget. The GNex holds a special place in my heart, and I used it for over a year, but there are quirks. Also, my Note 2 only has 16gb of internal memory and it is a PAIN even with the sd card swap I'm running. 16gb with no expandable storage is going to be an issue if you run any premium games. Wild Blood and GTA 3 are around 2 gigs of download space each. Count pictures and music, and you'll be in a tight spot quickly. Just my two cents. Hope that helped.


I sold my GS3 (it was new, that's why I didn't particularly "own" it). Few things i didn't like, the usability was difficult with one hand, the locked bootloader has slowed the ROM'ing community QUITE a bit, IMO. I also wasn't a fan of the pentile display crap. If that stuff (or at least the first 2) were gone, I would have kept it, most likely.

I don't run any games, none-the-less premium games. My phone is basically just a phone w/ internet . The battery thing does bother me, it's running a 1.2Ghz dual core A9 and they only gave it a 1800maH battery!? Insanity. If I do go with it, I might look into an extended battery. Don't want to get in the habit of carrying spares. It sounds like you use your phone a lot more than me, though.

My fascinate is great, I could just really use something with 1GB+ of memory and a dual core CPU. That's pretty much what it comes down to. The problems are as follows:
- Verizon, much like China, believes people should have no rights, and therefore all phones should have locked/encrypted bootloaders.
- EVERYBODY seems to be under this notion that "bigger is better" and phones just keep getting bigger.

I'm not looking for high end crap, just something with a kick-ass ROM'ing community that I can daily, just like my fascinate with a bit more ass!!


----------



## yarly (Jun 22, 2011)

Honestly, if it takes 4+ pages to find out if this is the phone for you, it probably isn't. Just saying (there is no perfect phone).

My phone is fine and has no burn in or other issues after a year of having it. Survived a few drops with no cases and minimal scratches. I'm also very careful with my phone and I keep brightness really low unless in outdoors (it's plenty bright even on low indoors).


----------



## trparky (Sep 3, 2011)

The Galaxy Nexus will always be a special device for me. It was my second Android device and the device that I learned a lot about Android with. But the hardware is showing signs of age. I've noticed that the phone has gotten slower with recent versions of Android. 4.2 slowed it down a lot, 4.1 was not bad.

My next phone will probably be a GS4 whenever that comes to out. All of the rumors of that phone that say that it'll have an Octa-Core processor and hell of a lot of RAM makes me want that phone even more.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

yarly said:


> The Galaxy Nexus will always be a special device for me. It was my second Android device and the device that I learned a lot about Android with. But the hardware is showing signs of age. I've noticed that the phone has gotten slower with recent versions of Android. 4.2 slowed it down a lot, 4.1 was not bad.
> 
> My next phone will probably be a GS4 whenever that comes to out. All of the rumors of that phone that say that it'll have an Octa-Core processor and hell of a lot of RAM makes me want that phone even more.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


Yeah, I don't think that's the phone (well it is), but 4.2 has been sluggish in general compared to 4.1. There's some lag issues that haven't been worked out. Unless Android 4.2 just got THAT much fatter (which I doubt).

I don't believe the GS4 will have an octacore proc, but who knows. Guess we'll see at that conference if it's all just hype or what the GS4 actually ends up being. I know I don't plan on pre-ordering it, though, I'll let it get to stores and see how people like it, hacking community, etc. first. I have a feeling it's going to be huge and a locked bootloader, and I don't really want any part of that, lol.


----------



## trparky (Sep 3, 2011)

Well, I'm not going to be getting it on Verizon, I'm getting it on AT&T whom doesn't have a history of locking bootloaders.

That's the rumors. I certainly hope that it will have one hell of a beefy CPU in it.


----------



## akellar (Jun 11, 2011)

trparky said:


> Well, I'm not going to be getting it on Verizon, I'm getting it on AT&T whom doesn't have a history of locking bootloaders.


We know

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## trparky (Sep 3, 2011)

I'm just saying... if you don't like what Verizon does to these devices and their bootloaders, vote with your wallet. It's as simple as that. Hit them where it hurts, in the bottom line.

Don't underestimate the recommendations of a geek to your friends and family. If you tell your friends and family that a device is crap because the carrier meddles with it too much, then that can hurt the carrier.

It's about time we start fighting back against these carriers for their anti-consumer practices.


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

trparky said:


> I'm just saying... if you don't like what Verizon does to these devices and their bootloaders, vote with your wallet. It's as simple as that. Hit them where it hurts, in the bottom line.
> 
> Don't underestimate the recommendations of a geek to your friends and family. If you tell your friends and family that a device is crap because the carrier meddles with it too much, then that can hurt the carrier.
> 
> It's about time we start fighting back against these carriers for their anti-consumer practices.


In most cases I'd agree, not this, though.

The amount of people who switch phones due to locked bootloaders is so ridiculously small that VZW won't even notice a loss in profits.

Most people don't even know what carriers do, they go to the store, they play with it, they like it, they buy it. Telling them it's crap because it violates our ethics code if iffy at best.

Be that as it may, if Verizon continues to press for these locked bootloaders I just might have to switch to AT&T. I mean Verizon signal sucks where I work anyway. Though that wouldn't be for another year when my renewal expires. Renewed before the June unlimited deadline (that's how I got the GS3), so i got another year :-\.


----------



## trparky (Sep 3, 2011)

We have to start somewhere. You know what they say about death by a thousand cuts.


----------



## akellar (Jun 11, 2011)

trparky said:


> We have to start somewhere. You know what they say about death by a thousand cuts.


You aren't going to have any impact on the largest carrier in the country. As much as we love this community people choose the provider that gives them the best service and Verizon is that for the majority. The development community might make up 1% of their user base.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## trparky (Sep 3, 2011)

Damn... and I thought I was cynical.


----------



## Detonation (Jul 25, 2011)

Syndacate said:


> Pretty sure we're passed the point of me figuring anything out in terms of a 'figure it out' thread; any deliberation from way back when until whenever is my own. Not looking for a perfect phone (though one would be nice). We're just discussing the pros/cons of the phone at this point *shrugs*. See no harm in doing so.


Owned a GNex for almost a year and never had any signs of screen burn in, though my brightness was rarely above 50%. I enjoyed the develop community, but ultimately got tired of it and ended up selling it for a Razr Maxx. I also had a Droid X before the GN, so here are my pros and cons in comparison:

Pros:
-unlocked bootloader
-always latest version of android (no thanks to Verizon though)
-great development community
-good looking screen
-NFC

Cons
-battery life
-quieter speakers
-weaker vibrate (this and the above were the first two things I noticed when I first got my GN
-poorer radios
-no SD slot or USB mass storage mode
-lack of accessories

Obviously the development community is important to you, but once that wasn't a factor for me anymore, I saw no reason to keep the my GNex compared to what else was out there. Just my 2 cents.


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

akellar said:


> but ultimately got tired of it and ended up selling it for a Razr Maxx. I also had a Droid X before the GN, so here are my pros and cons in comparison:
> 
> Pros:
> -unlocked bootloader
> ...


Sounds like a pretty reasonable list based on what I've heard.

I didn't know you couldn't get into the storage....so like, you can't install things via recover nor pull pictures off via USB? That's a bitch!


----------



## Detonation (Jul 25, 2011)

Syndacate said:


> Sounds like a pretty reasonable list based on what I've heard.
> 
> I didn't know you couldn't get into the storage....so like, you can't install things via recover nor pull pictures off via USB? That's a bitch!


You can still access the internal memory from USB but its only via MTP (media sync mode) which is a pain in the ass IMO compared to Mass Storage mode.where it just shows up like a external/flash drive. New files on the device won't show up on MTP until an internal media scan is run. It happens on reboot and periodically (as well as apps that force it), but still annoying compared to normal mass storage mode.


----------



## trparky (Sep 3, 2011)

Syndacate said:


> I didn't know you couldn't get into the storage....so like, you can't install things via recover nor pull pictures off via USB? That's a bitch!


You have to do everything via MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) which is really a Windows-only thing since Microsoft created the standard. No surprise there. Yes, there are people who have gotten it working on Linux and Mac but that has been a hit-and-miss success. Then there's ADB PUSH/PULL which as long as you have the appropriate drivers installed, it will work no matter what OS you run. ADB PUSH/PULL is really the only true cross-platform file transfer process that will work on any OS.


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

Gotcha, makes sense, still a pain, but oh wells.

EDIT:
Phone FTP server app ftw, there, I guess.


----------



## akellar (Jun 11, 2011)

Syndacate said:


> Gotcha, makes sense, still a pain, but oh wells.
> 
> EDIT:
> Phone FTP server app ftw, there, I guess.


Qtadb works great

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## trparky (Sep 3, 2011)

I use AirDroid myself.


----------



## yarly (Jun 22, 2011)

If you're on linux or osx, one shouldnt be worrying about mtp anyways. There's a billion better options (ftp [also works on windows], sshfs/sftp [can't mount as a network drive without hacks on win, but works on windows with filezilla or winscp], samba [also works on windows]). There's also NFS on Linux if the modules are compiled into the kernel[1]. We're all supposed to be power users. That means looking for alternatives to what the average Android user has to deal with 

[1] http://forum.xda-dev...&highlight=cifs


----------



## landshark (Aug 6, 2011)

trparky said:


> Damn... and I thought I was cynical.


Not cynical, just realists.


----------



## shiznu (Jun 14, 2012)

ADB is so simple to setup on Linux I use it for everything. Even to reboot when I got it hooked up anyway...lol

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## yarly (Jun 22, 2011)

I prefer finding solutions to the things I can change and accepting the things I cannot change and working around them over outright cynicism. I recommend taking the serenity prayer (accept the things you cannot change and the wisdom to know the difference from those you can) to heart for anyone that is fed up with the world over things they can't change. It's just not an overly healthy outlook to keep worrying/complaining sometimes 



shiznu said:


> ADB is so simple to setup on Linux I use it for everything. Even to reboot when I got it hooked up anyway...lol
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


It's also really simple on windows for everyone that avoids fighting with cmd.exe and uses cygwin (it works just like Linux after that when you add adb to your $PATH and such). Do not use cmd.exe guys, it's just wrong and I think it's why many avoid using adb on windows, lol.


----------



## shiznu (Jun 14, 2012)

yarly said:


> I prefer finding solutions to the things I can change and accepting the things I cannot change and working around them over outright cynicism. I recommend taking the serenity prayer (accept the things you cannot change and the wisdom to know the difference from those you can) to heart for anyone that is fed up with the world over things they can't change. It's just not an overly healthy outlook to keep worrying/complaining sometimes
> 
> It's also really simple on windows for everyone that avoids fighting with cmd.exe and uses cygwin (it works just like Linux after that when you add adb to your $PATH and such). Do not use cmd.exe guys, it's just wrong and I think it's why many avoid using adb on windows, lol.


When I first pulled this up on gmail I thought that first part was directed at me and was really confused.. Lol But I seen what you were getting at. Ha ha...derp on me

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## yarly (Jun 22, 2011)

shiznu said:


> When I first pulled this up on gmail I thought that first part was directed at me and was really confused.. Lol But I seen what you were getting at. Ha ha...derp on me
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


Nah, lol, just amending to what you said (below the quote). I just see so many fight with the windows command line when they should just avoid it all together. I have to use windows sometimes for my work, but that does not mean I have to resort to using what comes with Windows. If anyone is stuck on Windows and cares to use it, I can explain a bit more how to set it up (it's even technically possible to compile android in cygwin, but I don't recommend it). Don't want to keep going on for nothing though.


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

akellar said:


> Nah, lol, just amending to what you said (below the quote). I just see so many fight with the windows command line when they should just avoid it all together. I have to use windows sometimes for my work, but that does not mean I have to resort to using what comes with Windows. If anyone is stuck on Windows and cares to use it, I can explain a bit more how to set it up (*it's even technically possible to compile android in cygwin*, but I don't recommend it). Don't want to keep going on for nothing though.


Yeah, I mean you can run GCC through it just fine as well as makefiles so you can def. compile android there if you hate life that much .


----------



## psycho_maniac (Jun 9, 2011)

Mind you my brightness was prolly up all the way and I had the same screen on the whole time. Plus after like 2-3 mins of screen off after that it went away.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

psycho_maniac said:


> Mind you my brightness was prolly up all the way and I had the same screen on the whole time. Plus after like 2-3 mins of screen off after that it went away.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


True, true. Really makes me wonder how many other phones have burn-in issues. I don't think the screen in this case is particularly special.


----------



## yarly (Jun 22, 2011)

Syndacate said:


> I never had problems with ADB nor the Windows command line.


If you like using adb with cmd.exe, then you must have a much higher pain threshold than me.


----------



## shiznu (Jun 14, 2012)

yarly said:


> If you like using adb with cmd.exe, then you must have a much higher pain threshold than me.


lol...so true

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

yarly said:


> If you like using adb with cmd.exe, then you must have a much higher pain threshold than me.


Ha, I never said I liked it! I don't like the Windows command prompt in general. I typically don't have to use it, but once in awhile I do, and out of that pretty small number of times, I haven't had an issue with it nor ADB.


----------



## yarly (Jun 22, 2011)

Syndacate said:


> Ha, I never said I liked it! I don't like the Windows command prompt in general. I typically don't have to use it, but once in awhile I do, and out of that pretty small number of times, I haven't had an issue with it nor ADB.


Issue isnt with getting adb to work as that's easy enough if you go to the directory it's in. Issue is dealing with using it globally, having to deal with the silly way windows wants you to add things to its $PATH and related commands (e.g. dumping logcat to a file without being able to use logcat > out.txt, etc).

Linux or cygwin just add it to the path in .bashrc instead of fighting with adding to windows environmental vars, along with baksmali, apktool, fastboot, etc and never care what directory it's in.


----------



## Syndacate (Aug 13, 2011)

yarly said:


> Issue isnt with getting adb to work as that's easy enough if you go to the directory it's in. Issue is dealing with using it globally, having to deal with the silly way windows wants you to add things to its $PATH and related commands (e.g. dumping logcat to a file without being able to use logcat > out.txt, etc).
> 
> Linux or cygwin just add it to the path in .bashrc instead of fighting with adding to windows environmental vars, along with baksmali, apktool, fastboot, etc and never care what directory it's in.


Ah, yes, the environment variables in Windows are a pain, indeed.

You should be able to use regular I/O redirection, though. So "logcat > out.txt" should work fine.

I think once you get passed the environment variables in Windows it works 'good enough.' I'd still prefer to do my dev in Linux, though.


----------

