Samsung Galaxy Nexus Awesome Device

[Chris]

Folks I've had the Galaxy Nexus for two weeks now and I can't find
anything about it I don't like aside from a somewhat weak battery. I
don't think it's the battery that's weak, but the high demand on the
battery from the huge AMOLED Super HD display.

Google's Newest Tool on the Collaboration Front

Samsung Galaxy Nexus running Ice Cream Sandwich

Scorecard - Google vs. Apple - Google and Android Ice Cream Sandwich
beats Apple hands down for overall superiority for hardware,
functionality, customization, and flexibility. Read the entire
article to find out why I recommend Google for all your communication
requirements.


Score - Google - 10 to Apple - 2

Galaxy Nexus (Ice Cream Sandwich) vs. Apple

I have trouble finding a place to start, because I like Apple, but I
have to say I feel like I've been let out of jail with the new Android
ICS device. Ice Cream Sandwich permits a lot of flexibility that
Apple will likely never relinquish to its users. Apple likes to tout
the purpose for this is security, but we all know it's more about
protecting revenue. Apple is a marketing genius. It's vigorous
adherence to product secrecy and proprietary concept design protection
are what creates the hype. The quality and excellence behind the
hardware and IOS functionality is what results in the success of their
product line. So why does Apple feel like it's necessary to divert
focus from its quest to make an enormous profit? Apple is a business
that is incorporated in the USA, and the USA is a capitalistic
society, right? Then good for Apple, go ahead, make a lot of money.
That's what the American dream is all about. Apple's quality is
without question, the highest. Apple does everything with
excellence.

As it has now become apparent (if you don't believe me, read "Steve
Jobs") because of Steve Jobs' previous obsession with perfectionism.
We are in a better place from a technology perspective because of
Jobs; together with an army of open source developers and visionaries
who recognized the importance of advancing our quality of life through
technology. Android (which is written on the Linux platform), PHP,
mySQL Java and other key intellectual progressions, are all
contributions from math geniuses and computer science experts who have
either willfully toiled over trillions of lines of code on their quest
for either personal challenge, the desire to accomplish something
unique and make their mark on society and technology, or myriad other
motivations. These motivations likely have included initiatives which
were possibly unsuccessful on their own merit without additional
support or other components to complete a concept, yet when coupled
with the collaborative efforts of others, they resulted in the overall
global progression which has been achieved as a world, not as an
individual nation or person. Make no mistake, the USA is not alone in
it's industrious and creative contribution to our new found
communicative world information network of cell phones, internet,
computers, tablets, drones and millions of other products that have
improved due to the culmination of these many contributions. India,
China, European nations and others have contributed significantly to
many of the concepts and technologies and creativity which makes
Android possible.

- 4G / LTE

4G LTE Speed Test
Need I really say more on the 4G / LTE speeds? This is about average
for what I get in my house here in Texas. 8.5 down, 2.7 up, not bad.

- Open Source Benefits

Let me just say, I'm not a software engineer or a developer, I'm a
technical sales rep. for an aerospace equipment manufacturer. So
let's just say that I'm amateur web programmer as a hobbyist with some
experience in HTML, Visual Basic, ASP, database connectivity and now
JAVA. Why JAVA? This is another strong motivation I have to the open
source Android OS. I just purchased Android Application Development
for Dummies, downloaded the JAVA SDK, Android SDK and Eclipse and
successfully followed a tutorial which walked me through building an
App for my new Galaxy Nexus running Ice Cream Sandwich and compiled
it. I then used Eclipse to install the App on my device and walla, it
works splendidly. The App is a very simple App which permits me to
tap a button and turn off my ringer. Tap the button again and the
ringer comes back on at the same volume where it was previously set.
My New App - Phone Ringer Toggle
My point; YOU CANNOT DO THIS WITH APPLE iOS. Impossible unless you
jail break your iPhone. In order to build an Apple App, you have to
spend a lot of money. Not that very many people actually want to
develop Apps for their own devices, but its the principle that scores
points with me. Anybody can develop and publish Apps for the Android
Store. You pay $25 bucks and your App is marketable. You only have
to pay the $25 bucks if you want it in the Android Market, if you just
want it on your devices, you're free to install it without
restriction. Apple monitors Apps vigorously and denies a large
percentage of Apps that are submitted for approval. My App which you
can see to the right and lower portion of the Activity, is the white
background with the green phone. Can you tell I'm pretty proud of
myself! ?

Back to Apple's obsession with control; it's worth mentioning there
are implications to Apple's not recognizing users needs to find a
balance between proprietary driven restrictions and delivery of a
flexible experience. The purpose of this article is not to evaluate
Apple's business practices and philosophy (or Google's for that
matter), but in some instances, I like to provide background
information for some of the positions I take relative to the subject
matter.

- Apple's iTunes Application

I don't know anybody that actually likes having to use iTunes to do
practically anything with an Apple device. About the only thing you
can do without using iTunes is transfer photos (one-way) mind you,
from your iPhone or iPad to your computer. You have to use iTunes to
do most anything if you want to interact with another Apple device, or
a single device. To be fair, the new iCloud and iOS 5 added SOME
flexibility there, however, unless again you want to pay Apple an
exorbitant amount of money for cloud storage, the basic account
doesn't have enough space to put more than 5 GB of information in your
iCloud account. Google provides 25 GB for a FREE account for Google
Apps for a single user.

Galaxy Nexus and Google score a point.

Score - Google - 1 to Apple - 0

- Ice Cream Sandwich (Android)
- Google App Cloud

iTunes is not necessary, and neither is any other interface for an Ice
Cream Sandwich enabled device such as my Galaxy Nexus. Your Google
Apps account interacts directly in the cloud with your device. You
can install Apps right from the Google Apps web site. And, the
purchases I made two years ago with my Nexus One, were still available
for download to my Galaxy Nexus.
Android Market My Apps
This was way easier than finding previously purchased Apps and music
no my iPhone. When I got my Galaxy Nexus, I gave my iPhone 4 to my
wife; she's a willing recipient of all my used phones. When I backed
up her iPhone 3GS to iTunes, and restored the backup to the iPhone 4 I
gave her, things haven't been exactly seamless. Songs were missing,
Apps were missing and some functionality is showing signs of confusion
such as Messaging throwing an error which states "No SIM card
installed". Hogwash, the SIM card is there, and it's less than a week
old and has been working perfectly up until today.

I'm not a Android expert by any means, but I don't put ICS in the same
league with previous versions of Android. The last version I became
intimately aware of was the version my Nexus One had installed out of
the box. I'm not a big fan of tampering with OS rooting or jail
breaking, so I typically stick with the version that ships. The Nexus
One shipped with Android 2.1 (Eclair), then upgraded to 2.2 Froyo a
few months after I purchased my device. The Nexus One had several
problems, mostly including hardware. Overheating when using GPS to
navigate was my biggest problem. The other really annoying bug was
the USB recognition was problematic; sometimes my Windows XP set found
it, sometimes it didn't. More times it didn't find it than it did.
That was a serious drawback. But that was then, this is now. I've
yet to experience any glitches with the USB connectivity with the
Galaxy Nexus after a full week of pretty intense usage.

Another score for Galaxy Nexus and Google.

Score - Google - 2 to Apple - 0

Apple Retina Display vs. Galaxy Nexus Super HD AMOLED

Ice Cream Sandwich is packed with functionality and customization
features including widgets than can really soup up a home screen.
Here's a shot of my home scream at present. Is that gorgeous or
what? The Galaxy Nexus runs the Super HD AMOLED display, which is
absolutely gorgeous. The problem still with this display technology:
it still under performs in brightly lit conditions in direct sunlight,
even if shading the screen. This was a problem on my Nexus One and it
remains a problem with the Galaxy Nexus. The Apple has the Retinal
display and it is absolutely gorgeous as well with incredible graphics
and photo details. Score one for the iPhone, direct sunlight doesn't
diminish the quality or viewability of the screen in brighly lit
conditions as much as the Super HD AMOLED display.

One point for Apple and the Retina display.

Score - Google - 2 to Apple - 1

Functionality of Desktops and Activities (viewable screen where work
is done)

Ice Cream Sandwich Screen Shot

Don't get too excited Apple, Ice Cream Sandwich is getting ready to
pile on some points in the functionality department specifically
because of the flexibility of customization of the Apps, display
customization and power of the Apps.

ICS permits a user to arrange their App icons anywhere they want on
the screen. Apple forces you to push around other Apps with a cascade
effect which moves all other Apps down the page. I never liked that.
ICS permits you to put your Apps anywhere you want on an Activity
screen. Another thing I like about Ice Cream Sandwich, when you long
press an icon to move it, there is no "giggly" mode for ALL other
apps, which is cool, because I only want to interact with the "one"
app I long press. Second, long pressing the icon also permits you to
move the icon to the trash without uninstalling the App. The App icon
can still be found on the "master App. pages list". There may be many
pages if you have a lot of Apps. On Apple devices, if you long press
an Icon, and click the "x" in the upper left hand corner, you are
removing the App from your device.

Ouch! Score 2 for Google (Android Ice Cream Sandwich) and zero for
Apple
- App shortcut portability
- Display and App customization

Score - Google - 4 to Apple - 1

Google Wallet

Google Wallet
Simply put...freaking AWESOME - I know, I know. It's not supposed to
be available on the Verizon device due to Verizon's new mobile device
payment system that is apparently still in development. However, some
pretty nifty developers (hackers) out there have somehow found a way
around Verizon's reluctance to include Google Wallet. If you install
the .apk file that is downloadable on several websites and install
that version of Google Wallet, it will work splendidly. Last night I
installed the update (hacked version of Wallet) and created an account
within the App. Google even contributes $10 bucks on the card.
Unbelievable! Today I used the electronic "NFC" (Near Field
Communication) capability at three retailers: Best Buy, CVS Pharmacy
and a convenient store which all were equipped with the "Pay Pass"
technology. Google's help page states that you don't have to start
the App to use Google Wallet, but I didn't find that to be the case.
You also have to tell the person checking you out to run the
transaction as "credit" and not "debit". Once the merchant initiates
the transaction, at the point when you would normally swipe your card
to pay, you simply start Google Wallet and hold the device in front of
the card reader. Google Wallet asks me for my PIN and walla, the
balance goes from a balance due of "whatever your total purchase" was,
to "$0.00". The transaction was complete and I get a receipt in my
Google Wallet "transaction" list along with a record in the online
version of my Google Wallet account.

This counts for a 2-point conversion, sorry Apple.

Score - Google - 6 to Apple - 1

Integration with Google Apps

The level of integration when using Google Apps as your collaboration
software is currently unmatched. Apple iCloud is light years away
from Google's list of tools and functionality. Because you're on a
Google device; and assuming you've linked your device to a Google
account; Gmail, Docs, Calendars, Sites etc., all log in automatically
without having to enter your username and password subsequent to the
initial login. This is an incredible time saver. Google went a long
way toward making the use of Google Apps a natural choice when looking
for a single source cloud solution for information and communication
collaboration. When you set up your phone the first time, Google will
ask you which user account you'd like to use as the default account.
Once you identify that account (which means you have to use Google
Apps), everything happens automatically.

Not the case with Apple. If you've used an your....@me.com account,
you'll find yourself re-logging in all the time. And God forbid if
you use a Gmail account on your iPhone, you'll also find yourself
logging in all the time.

Apple just can't get anything right! Google scores again for
collaboration and integration of cloud services and ease of set up.

Score - Google - 7 to Apple - 1

All Important Batter Life

Scary!!! If you have LTE turned on, forget about it. It drains almost
so fast you can see the battery indicator dropping while you're
watching it. Not true. I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. The Galaxy
Nexus is ill-equipped to run 4G / LTE. But then again, there's no
phone ou there that will unless it facilitates a larger battery. As
long as consumers insist on thin devices, 4G / LTE is going to
disappoint when it comes to battery life. One remedy is that Samsung
is providing a higher capacity battery for $49.99 which includes a
molded cover so the increased size can be contained. My problem with
that: I seriously dislike having to carry an extra fuel cell for my
cell phone. Albeit, I already do. I travel; a lot and permanently
nestled in my travel bag is an extra battery for any mobile device,
and I use it regularly, even with the iPhone 4.

My solution: keep the network set to CDMA and this phone will last
more than a day. I've tested it several days in a row. However, I
haven't used it for a lot of phone calls. The display is the largest
consumption component if it's lit continuously, so don't (assuming the
4G / LTE is switched off). It's quick and easy to turn on LTE / 4G if
you want it, otherwise I just leave it off.

Score - Google - 7 to Apple - 2

Processor Speed, Memory, Physical Storage

CPU - Dual-Core 1.2 GHz Cortex A-9 - Fast! Really fast. No doubt
about it, faster than the iPhone 4, but then I haven't played with the
iPhone 4S (1 GHz dual-core A-9 Cortex), and with its dual-core
processor, I would estimate there's only a marginal difference one way
or the other. I have read that it's been clocked at faster speeds
than the iPhone 4S.

RAM is 1Gb, way more than is necessary, but that's why you never wait
when opening an App, installing an App or opening a file.

The Galaxy Nexus comes with 32 Gb of physical storage and its not
expandable on the US model. If you want the European version, you can
get a 16Gb physical storage option. There is no SD slot, so 32 Gb is
the max you can expect to store in videos, photos, and music. For me
that's plenty. But for kids, they might find this a limitation.

Galaxy Nexus scores 3 points here.

Google - 10 to Apple - 2


So in summary, overall I have no reservations in recommending the
Samsung Galaxy Nexus until other carriers roll out new mobile devices
with Ice Cream Sandwich as it's Android OS. Google and Android are in
my opinion the best choice for a new mobile device, the only category
where Apple scored with me was with the Retina display.