Petition for MicroSD slot in Nexus devices

[badbrad17]

Thank-You someone with common sense, you don't need a million games, finish one or get bored of it delete it guys. Its not like you need to save every game you ever use in your life. That would just be terrible. I have found this works even with the smallest of memories, like on my old old phone with on 512mb and 16gb card i did it easily. Before the police come here and say thats 16.5GB in total... i had about 300mb remaining on my phone and about 14gb on my SD card. Used it for photo's only, few apps here n there.

My HTC Desire used to run out of space all the time. I hated it. My Facebook storage would fill it up. And I even had a sd card in it but the phone was limited. Personally I thought this was stupid when my kids ipods never ran out of space this easy.

We should not be getting frustrated with storage on devices in this day and age. To say people should delete games etc. is unreasonable in my opinion. We should be able to use and enjoy any new device now a days without having to micro manage storage and battery to this degree.

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Android Central Forums

 

[Prinny Mask]

We should not be getting frustrated with storage on devices in this day and age. To say people should delete games etc. is unreasonable in my opinion. We should be able to use and enjoy any new device now a days without having to micro manage storage and battery to this degree.

If you don't micro manage, you'll be frustrated by the lack of space. If you do micro manage, you'll be frustrated as it's inconvenient. I'm not going to say that you should be super strict on what you store, but storage just hasn't reached the literal capacity yet to allow you to be as loose as you might like. With smartphones being a do-it-all device, you can have music, videos, games, web browser, and such on it that would replace separate devices like a MP3 player, or certain capabilities of a laptop; however, this also means that all those different types of media are crammed into one device, and file sizes generally aren't getting any smaller. There just isn't enough storage to be able to reasonably handle that. I believe people complain about the storage space because they are trying to use the device past its limits. In time these issues will be solved, but for right now people should stop forcing impossibilities. These are the pains of having "early-ish" technology.

 

[badbrad17]

If you don't micro manage, you'll be frustrated by the lack of space. If you do micro manage, you'll be frustrated as it's inconvenient. I'm not going to say that you should be super strict on what you store, but storage just hasn't reached the literal capacity yet to allow you to be as loose as you might like. With smartphones being a do-it-all device, you can have music, videos, games, web browser, and such on it that would replace separate devices like a MP3 player, or certain capabilities of a laptop; however, this also means that all those different types of media are crammed into one device, and file sizes generally aren't getting any smaller. There just isn't enough storage to be able to reasonably handle that. I believe people complain about the storage space because they are trying to use the device past its limits. In time these issues will be solved, but for right now people should stop forcing impossibilities. These are the pains of having "early-ish" technology.

But we aren't asking for things that are unavailable. A reasonable amount of storage on a nexus device. Pretty simple. Please, charge me the $50 more for the extra 16GB that only costs LG $10. It's not too much to ask.

I have a SGS2 with 16gb with an extra 16GB sdcard and I never care about storage. But if I only had the phone storage I would be out of room. I don't want to store all my music. Just 25 albums or so with enough room left for photos and videos etc. I think this is pretty normal.

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[Prinny Mask]

I believe people complain about the storage space because they are trying to use the device past its limits. In time these issues will be solved, but for right now people should stop forcing impossibilities.

I want my entire music collection and a "few" movies to watch. = impossible

I want my favorite movie(s), and the albums I listen to the most. = possible

I want to keep every game I have, even if I've hardly played it lately. = impossible

I want to keep every game that I'm currently playing. = possible

Smartphones just aren't the powerhouse multimedia devices you believe them to be yet. It would at least be smart to start with the things that are possible, because you most likely would (or should) have extra space that you could fill to your heart's desire after. But the impossibilities leave very little room, if any, to other options; possibly, even to itself. This isn't a terabyte you're handling, and you shouldn't be treating it like a computer, or external hard drive, that has a similar capacity to that.

 

[TheLibertarian]

Why would you ask this irrelevant question?

It's about as relevant as you asking Google for an microSD slot on a Nexus device.

My question to you: Why do you think Google won't utilize an microSD slot? You communicated you were unsatisfied with Google's reasoning, but I'm beginning to suspect you don't have any idea why they won't use this technology. If you did, you would not have started this petition, and you would not be arguing so adamantly against other Android Central members.

You know, four door sedans have more room than two-seat roadsters, and are more versatile than two-seat roadsters, but that doesn't mean a two-seat roadster is a bad thing.

Different strokes for different folks (an expression you may not be familiar with, all things considered). It was comical when you scoffed at one member who suggested the Nexus 4 was not for you, and you rebuked said member declaring you will buy whatever you want. I say this because you seem to be interested in specific feature lists, and as far as we can tell, the Galaxy S3 fulfills what you're looking for.

So my second question to you: Why do you want the LG Nexus 4? An unlocked GS3 is every bit as good, and depending on your provider, offers LTE (I imagine someone like you also prefers a removable battery, though that's just my assumption).

 

[yfan]

Because the Optimus G isnt going to get updates first like the Nexus line and it dont have pure Android and no bloatware. If it were say a Nexus cousin in those regards,...meaning it would get them soon after the Nexus devices, and if it were unlocked for $349 ,i would get one because that phone isnt a T-Mobile choice.

That's exactly what I was trying to get at. You (not you personally, the universal you) can't get everything you want for that price tag. You can pay more, not get updates in as timely a fashion, and have SD card storage, or pay less, get the updates and not have it (I'm sure there are choices in between). Some adjustments have to be made for the value, and at the end of the day, any purchase comes down to a value proposition.

 

[motorwayne]

I have a GS3 and it is a great phone but i just love the MicroSD card option. A 32GB card is so cheap now. 64GB is getting to be a great price and adding that yourself is imo a great addition to the phone. Some say having one place for memory is better but i dont see why. Anything you click on no matter where it is stored is going to show up on the phone. If you have 2GB dedicated to apps, so what? It is there in the Apps section of your drive. I dont see how it is better to have just one. All they are doing is partitioning the drive/memory but it is still the same drive/memory.

In anycase, some here say it was explained. I saw it and i thought it was a weak explanation.

You have a phone with an SD card in it already? If that is the case.

You are a TROLL clear and simple, you like the sound of your own voice, you are a grandstander hiding behind your petition.

 

[Prinny Mask]

But we aren't asking for things that are unavailable. A reasonable amount of storage on a nexus device. Pretty simple. Please, charge me the $50 more for the extra 16GB that only costs LG $10. It's not too much to ask.

I have a SGS2 with 16gb with an extra 16GB sdcard and I never care about storage. But if I only had the phone storage I would be out of room. I don't want to store all my music. Just 25 albums or so with enough room left for photos and videos etc. I think this is pretty normal.

It's unavailable to the consumer. I understand what you're getting at, but 8 is still..."do-able" and 16 is certainly usable, and while it would be great to have more, it's not a problem if you can be responsible, or are one of the people who naturally don't use much storage. This is what Google chose. You can take it for what it is, find something else, or wait.

I have around 32gb (usable). All my new music I put on my phone to listen to; if I like it, I'll keep it; if I don't, I'll delete it. I'm very slow with actually getting to listening to them, so I have at least 1,500 songs (mostly at 320kbps; I don't like compression). I also have close to 1,000 photos and around ten videos. I still have over 8gb leftover. I'll be honest, I really only listen to (the same...) 100-150 songs regularly. My music takes up nearly all that space; I could easily cut down if I was limited to 16, and I could manage with 8 with (sorta relatively) no problem. I don't have unlimited data, but I have enough that I could stream occasionally without worrying. My cycle ends in a week; I've only used up 391mb, and I'm not even trying to limit myself. It really just depends on your data limits, the availability of WiFi, and your own sentiments toward what you feel like you "need," and what you could come towards a compromise to do without.

 

[Dixitpag]

Movies, Music, Games... this is not only these devices are made for.
I personaly own a Galaxy S (first generation) and I tought about buying the brend new Nexus 4. But I'll keep my SGS1 because of the SD slot.

Explanation #1:
I ride my mountain bike as often as i can. I go to places where 3G connection is "something of the futur" and SD slot became "something of the present". I use a topographic map GPS application with heavy detailed content (SityTrail). Having the map on my 32Go SD card is a great confort instead of always deleting maps to free space and downloading new ones (which take about 15 minutes for a 20km radius area).

Explanation #2:
Sometimes, on a mountain bike trail, I like to snap vid?os with a GoPro camera. The GoPro camera has no diplay (it is optional). So I shot movies, store it on my 32Go SD card. Then I can quickly remove the card from the GoPro and plug it into my phone slot and look if the shot was correct. Without SD Slot, the solution is to buy a GoPro display (nearly 100?) which won't fit in the waterproof camera case...

So when Google is trying to propose the "most advanced phone" with LTE, software updates etc... I think they should consider the SD slot as something useful. Nice Android phones are not reserved to people living in the big apple. In my bush, I won't be able to use GoogleWalet before 2017 I think. So I would gladly exchange my LTE with SD slot.

 

[JohnDoes]

My computer science professor always told me: "It does not matter how much space you give people, they will fill it"! So stop wasting space and think about WHAT you really need on your device!

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

What app is 5GB by itself?

The Dark Knight Rises is around 2.5. Horn is around 3 i think. A Bards Take is large also. There are large apps, but they are games.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

It's unavailable to the consumer. I understand what you're getting at, but 8 is still..."do-able" and 16 is certainly usable, and while it would be great to have more, it's not a problem if you can be responsible, or are one of the people who naturally don't use much storage. This is what Google chose. You can take it for what it is, find something else, or wait.

I have around 32gb (usable). All my new music I put on my phone to listen to; if I like it, I'll keep it; if I don't, I'll delete it. I'm very slow with actually getting to listening to them, so I have at least 1,500 songs (mostly at 320kbps; I don't like compression). I also have close to 1,000 photos and around ten videos. I still have over 8gb leftover. I'll be honest, I really only listen to (the same...) 100-150 songs regularly. My music takes up nearly all that space; I could easily cut down if I was limited to 16, and I could manage with 8 with (sorta relatively) no problem. I don't have unlimited data, but I have enough that I could stream occasionally without worrying. My cycle ends in a week; I've only used up 391mb, and I'm not even trying to limit myself. It really just depends on your data limits, the availability of WiFi, and your own sentiments toward what you feel like you "need," and what you could come towards a compromise to do without.

This...

My computer science professor always told me: "It does not matter how much space you give people, they will fill it"! So stop wasting space and think about WHAT you really need on your device!

...proves this.

Movies, Music, Games... this is not only these devices are made for.
I personaly own a Galaxy S (first generation) and I tought about buying the brend new Nexus 4. But I'll keep my SGS1 because of the SD slot.

Explanation #1:
I ride my mountain bike as often as i can. I go to places where 3G connection is "something of the futur" and SD slot became "something of the present". I use a topographic map GPS application with heavy detailed content (SityTrail). Having the map on my 32Go SD card is a great confort instead of always deleting maps to free space and downloading new ones (which take about 15 minutes for a 20km radius area).

Explanation #2:
Sometimes, on a mountain bike trail, I like to snap vid?os with a GoPro camera. The GoPro camera has no diplay (it is optional). So I shot movies, store it on my 32Go SD card. Then I can quickly remove the card from the GoPro and plug it into my phone slot and look if the shot was correct. Without SD Slot, the solution is to buy a GoPro display (nearly 100?) which won't fit in the waterproof camera case...

So when Google is trying to propose the "most advanced phone" with LTE, software updates etc... I think they should consider the SD slot as something useful. Nice Android phones are not reserved to people living in the big apple. In my bush, I won't be able to use GoogleWalet before 2017 I think. So I would gladly exchange my LTE with SD slot.

Thank you for explaining why you need an SD card instead of just complaining about it.

Obviously the Nexus isn't for you, and when you're ready for a new phone there are plenty of options that will fit your needs.

 

[TvTechGuru]

I agree with the poster, there is no reason not to put the SD slot on the phone and let the user decide but we can't really tell them what to do. Instead they should give us more storage options. 8GB is a joke. Instead Nexus phones should come in 16, 32, and 64GB options. If there's one thing we should take from iphone it's those 3 storage options.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727

 

[ChromeJob]

Then inform app where sd card is mouted, im not saying they wrong, the problem is true.... but it's not like it's unsolvable to throw whole thing..... n

Great idea, but impractical in reality. Most apps I've encountered don't provide that option. And asking developers to adapt to 100s of phone model variations... :banghead: I believe that's Google's point.

Edit:

There might be a specific call to determine the removable memory from the internal user partition, but my point is that different apps are using either, based on their arbitrary choice. My HTC's camera app lets me tell it where to store images, but most apps I'm using, when I tell them to back up settings or something like that, just default to one partition of their own choice. THAT is what I think is annoying Google, they can't "tell" developers what to do. So, their benchmark Nexus line shows what the baseline should be, and that is one big user partition for storage. The statement from Google seemed to make this very clear.

If you want a phone that has the manufacturer hack allowing for removeable media, buy one of their phones. It's a feature that you want. The Nexus line is not for giving all people all things that they want, and the price reflects that. The feature that Nexus buyers want is pure Android, and frequent updates. It's like complaining to Panasonic that you want a BD player that also plays SACDs. If you want that, you can buy a $500 player, but you won't get it in a $120 BD player.

 

[FishPharm]

I agree with the poster, there is no reason not to put the SD slot on the phone and let the user decide but we can't really tell them what to do. Instead they should give us more storage options. 8GB is a joke. Instead Nexus phones should come in 16, 32, and 64GB options. If there's one thing we should take from iphone it's those 3 storage options.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727

So basically the ifans have more of an option than the die hard techie fans of Android who want timely updates and pure Android. This is sad. I don't feel that people should be ridiculed because they prefer an SD slot, LTE, removable battery etc. I personally see no reason why a phone this day and age should not have these things. My only conclusion to be drawn is that Google wanted to keep the cost down and/or through their agreement with the phone manufacturer, they don't want to make a device that will compete (harware/bells and whistle wise) with the same manufacturers flagship phone that they are trying to pimp. To me this makes sense considering the Nexus devices have never had cutting edge hardware as people have said.....some areas it may be, but other areas it may be lacking. I just hope that one day Google will want all of us to at least be on the same page as far as what version of Android we have. Apparently, with Google, in order to get timely updates you have one option and to get that option you pretty much are considered a "techie." And the option they come up with changes every year..........one year it has LTE, one year it doesn't.......one year you have storage options, another year its a step backward and you don't.....you can use Verizon and Sprint one year, then you can't the next. The whole thing is a fricken mess if you ask me. I'm not an ultra phone techie like most people on here but myself and a lot of other people I know do like to get updates frequently and have the newest version of Android....as well as an option of pure Android.

 

[Ziptied]

So basically the ifans have more of an option than the die hard techie fans of Android who want timely updates and pure Android. This is sad. I don't feel that people should be ridiculed because they prefer an SD slot, LTE, removable battery etc. I personally see no reason why a phone this day and age should not have these things. My only conclusion to be drawn is that Google wanted to keep the cost down and/or through their agreement with the phone manufacturer, they don't want to make a device that will compete (harware/bells and whistle wise) with the same manufacturers flagship phone that they are trying to pimp. To me this makes sense considering the Nexus devices have never had cutting edge hardware as people have said.....some areas it may be, but other areas it may be lacking. I just hope that one day Google will want all of us to at least be on the same page as far as what version of Android we have. Apparently, with Google, in order to get timely updates you have one option and to get that option you pretty much are considered a "techie." And the option they come up with changes every year..........one year it has LTE, one year it doesn't.......one year you have storage options, another year its a step backward and you don't.....you can use Verizon and Sprint one year, then you can't the next. The whole thing is a fricken mess if you ask me. I'm not an ultra phone techie like most people on here but myself and a lot of other people I know do like to get updates frequently and have the newest version of Android....as well as an option of pure Android.

Buy a GS3 and root away. No one is stopping you.

 

[Shadowriver]

Great idea, but impractical in reality. Most apps I've encountered don't provide that option. And asking developers to adapt to 100s of phone model variations... :banghead: I believe that's Google's point.

But in case you don't need to even think about single phone as developer, figuring and delivering you path is Androids job not yours in such case... in fact i just find that this solution actully is already implemented to Android since Froyo:

http://developer.android.com/reference/android/os/Environment.html#getExternalStorageDirectory()

For some reason url don't want to be pasted here so i put it in code tags

So guess those devlopers doing something wrong or they don't care about SD Card support (which might be true reason behind Google decision) or if there API problem (you can read in documation that it may return Internal storage) then it can be solved by extra function specially for card or extra argument in this function.

It sounds a lot easier then other fragmentation that devlopers need to deal with on daily basis, specially that there 25% post-ICS vs 50% pre-ICS where there huge API changes specially in UI

 

[Ziptied]

Environment | Android Developers

 

[badbrad17]

So basically the ifans have more of an option than the die hard techie fans of Android who want timely updates and pure Android. This is sad. I don't feel that people should be ridiculed because they prefer an SD slot, LTE, removable battery etc. I personally see no reason why a phone this day and age should not have these things. My only conclusion to be drawn is that Google wanted to keep the cost down and/or through their agreement with the phone manufacturer, they don't want to make a device that will compete (harware/bells and whistle wise) with the same manufacturers flagship phone that they are trying to pimp. To me this makes sense considering the Nexus devices have never had cutting edge hardware as people have said.....some areas it may be, but other areas it may be lacking. I just hope that one day Google will want all of us to at least be on the same page as far as what version of Android we have. Apparently, with Google, in order to get timely updates you have one option and to get that option you pretty much are considered a "techie." And the option they come up with changes every year..........one year it has LTE, one year it doesn't.......one year you have storage options, another year its a step backward and you don't.....you can use Verizon and Sprint one year, then you can't the next. The whole thing is a fricken mess if you ask me. I'm not an ultra phone techie like most people on here but myself and a lot of other people I know do like to get updates frequently and have the newest version of Android....as well as an option of pure Android.

I totally agree. Sure we can say that maybe the N4 isn't for you, there are other options. But the other options aren't pure Android. It's a mess.

I swear if Asus releases a version of the padfone 2 on its own with a sd card and the same trimmed down os like they have on their transformer line of tablets they could destroy the competition. They update faster than anyone else and almost as fast as the Nexus devices.

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[FishPharm]

Buy a GS3 and root away. No one is stopping you.

I'm still on the fence with the whole thing because I really want timely updates without all the rooting. I may wait to see what people are saying once the phone is released. I'm not considering an S3....I'm thinking more like the HTC DNA (or whatever they call it lol) or a Note2. One thing is for certain, being on here and reading peoples thoughts and comments helped me make a good decision with my current Galaxy Nexus.