MT4g or Evo?

[Droid800]

I switched from the G2 to the myTouch 4G for one reason, the front facing camera. Sooner rather than later Google will update gtalk to do video chat, and I didn't wanna get left in the rain.

As far as hackability what do you want out of it? We have ROM's, we have themes, we have kernels (that let us go to 1700mhz!). What else is left? If you're worried about Cyanogen Mod 7 don't, it will get ported over. The CM team seems to have a love for HTC phones. It usually takes a little while, and this phone has only been out for 2 months. The amount of stuff available this soon after launch is actually pretty amazing. The G2 might have more because it's been out longer, but the MT4G is definitely the "higher-end" phone on T-Mo.

As far as cases go I can say that I'm a little disappointed too, but you can still find some decent ones. The AC store actually has some nice ones. I wouldn't expect an otter box or anything like that (they are really picky about what they make cases for), but we have a decent selection.

As for the keyboard I'm honestly not sure. I like swype so I haven't tried putting the GB keyboard on it yet.

Okay, You've talked me off the ledge, lol. Is there a ROM out there that has mySense with all the bloat removed?

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Okay, You've talked me off the ledge, lol. Is there a ROM out there that has mySense with all the bloat removed?

Not that I've seen. But Gr8gorilla's rom is a desire hd port, so its sense is more like the evo sense.

Sent from my myTouch 4G

 

[Droid800]

Ugh. My gadget lust knows no end!

I find myself missing the iPhone 4's great screen and contemplating a switch to *gasp* a Nexus S. The MT4G's screen is fine, but I do miss the sharpness and vivid colors (and insane black levels) that I had gotten used to. I know that it would be a step down speed-wise (damn you Google and Samsung for no HSPA+), but I dunno. Am I crazy for even considering this?

 

[fredmr85]

Do you have a good or bad screen on your phone? Maybe you could live with the better screen if you don't have it? If not, make the switch.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Its hard to beat the screen on the iphone. Its crazy good. Actually my favorite type of display for a phone. IPS lcd (same as droid and droid 2).

Sent from my myTouch 4G

 

[Droid800]

Do you have a good or bad screen on your phone? Maybe you could live with the better screen if you don't have it? If not, make the switch.

Its the good one.

 

[Droid800]

Its hard to beat the screen on the iphone. Its crazy good. Actually my favorite type of display for a phone. IPS lcd (same as droid and droid 2).

Sent from my myTouch 4G

That's why I'm looking at the SAMOLED of the Nexus S. I know there are some pretty big drawbacks to the Nexus S, like no HSPA + and no microSD slot, but I think it might be a good compromise.

 

[fredmr85]

Bigger drawbacks, imo would be Samsung/build quality.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Bigger drawbacks, imo would be Samsung/build quality.

Agreed. Saving grace is updates from google, not samsung.

Sent from my myTouch 4G

 

[Droid800]

Bigger drawbacks, imo would be Samsung/build quality.

Is it really that bad though? I know samsung has had issues in the past, but it doesn't seem to be a huge issue with the Nexus S. My biggest concern is the lack of HSPA+ though, but the expanded network as a result of that rollout should make up for any issues.

 

[fredmr85]

Is it really that bad though? I know samsung has had issues in the past, but it doesn't seem to be a huge issue with the Nexus S. My biggest concern is the lack of HSPA+ though, but the expanded network as a result of that rollout should make up for any issues.

Well, Samsung's major issues have been lack of updates for their phones...but among other reasons, that's probably mainly due to their custom UI combined with whatever carrier issues there are...not sure. But running pure Gingerbread, updates should come first to this phone from Google. Plus...since it already has Gingerbread, you wont be needing an update for a long time anyway. Plus there are the thoughts that Honeycomb will require dual core anyway so updates may not really be an issue....but who knows.

I just dislike Samsung phone styling and build quality in general. Below is taken from the AC review of the Nexus S....all disappointing, and don't make up for the screen in my opinion:

What we didn't like about the hardware

Lack of a notification light -- it's inexcusable to release any phone without one. Even if you don't depend on it, many other users do, and should be provided one. Software solutions just aren't the same, no matter how well they are done.

No external storage -- Yes, streaming from the cloud is the future, and Google is all about the cloud, but not including a swapable microSD card seems like a step backward. The boost in speed that comes with having your apps store data on the internal storage instead of an SD card is nice (Need for Speed Shift is phenomenal on this thing), and 16 GB is probably more than enough for the average user. But don't tout a feature (moving apps to the SD card was officially added in Android 2.2. Froyo), then take it away with a hardware change.

No 4G -- The Nexus S supports T-Mobile's HSPA data speeds up to 7 Mb/s. That's fast, but wouldn't support for 14.4 Mb/s be better? I'll likely never see those speeds in my neck of the woods, but lots of other people do, and would be more interested. Nobody is really sure why it was done, but I imagine there had to be a reason, it's too big to be an accident.

No trackball or optical pad -- OK, this one's pretty subjective, and with the new keyboard that comes with Gingerbread, maybe even unneeded. But I wish it had one, because they are pretty handy if you're used to having one.

The camera -- Yes, 720p video recording would be nice, and with the last generation of phones supporting it, we really expected it. Maybe we will see that in an update, maybe not, but it's not the only issue here. Stills come out OK, as long as you have enough light and hold the phone steady.

Source: Samsung Nexus S review | Android Central


EDIT: To be fair, the review was ended saying: "I think the Nexus S is the best Android device made to date. It's faster than any other phone available, and I've tried them side by side. When you take Samsung's excellent Hummingbird system-on-a-chip and the very nice Super AMOLED screen, then build the rest of the hardware, firmware, and OS to Google's specs you have the phone many of us have been waiting for."

...I actually missed that paragraph the first time I read the review....and it makes no sense since the review seemed to list so many disappointments.. calling it the "best Android device made to date" doesn't make much sense to me.

"The shell of the phone screams Samsung, and that's one of my biggest gripes about the Nexus S. If you love shiny, hard plastic, you'll disagree. There's nothing inherently wrong with the materials, but they lack the sophistication and little touches that set other Android phones apart. You'll find no soft-touch coating, or textured surfaces anywhere." -- yet in the conclusion, the hardware build is listed as one of the reasons it is the best Android device.

I'm not trying to tear the review apart...it just doesn't seem to come together for me, so I'm not sure what side I would take since I haven't experienced the phone. I think the decision to call it the best was based solely on: how easy it is to hack, and Gingerbread.

 

[Droid800]

Well, Samsung's major issues have been lack of updates for their phones...but among other reasons, that's probably mainly due to their custom UI combined with whatever carrier issues there are...not sure. But running pure Gingerbread, updates should come first to this phone from Google. Plus...since it already has Gingerbread, you wont be needing an update for a long time anyway. Plus there are the thoughts that Honeycomb will require dual core anyway so updates may not really be an issue....but who knows.

I just dislike Samsung phone styling and build quality in general. Below is taken from the AC review of the Nexus S....all disappointing, and don't make up for the screen in my opinion:

What we didn't like about the hardware

Lack of a notification light -- it's inexcusable to release any phone without one. Even if you don't depend on it, many other users do, and should be provided one. Software solutions just aren't the same, no matter how well they are done.

No external storage -- Yes, streaming from the cloud is the future, and Google is all about the cloud, but not including a swapable microSD card seems like a step backward. The boost in speed that comes with having your apps store data on the internal storage instead of an SD card is nice (Need for Speed Shift is phenomenal on this thing), and 16 GB is probably more than enough for the average user. But don't tout a feature (moving apps to the SD card was officially added in Android 2.2. Froyo), then take it away with a hardware change.

No 4G -- The Nexus S supports T-Mobile's HSPA data speeds up to 7 Mb/s. That's fast, but wouldn't support for 14.4 Mb/s be better? I'll likely never see those speeds in my neck of the woods, but lots of other people do, and would be more interested. Nobody is really sure why it was done, but I imagine there had to be a reason, it's too big to be an accident.

No trackball or optical pad -- OK, this one's pretty subjective, and with the new keyboard that comes with Gingerbread, maybe even unneeded. But I wish it had one, because they are pretty handy if you're used to having one.

The camera -- Yes, 720p video recording would be nice, and with the last generation of phones supporting it, we really expected it. Maybe we will see that in an update, maybe not, but it's not the only issue here. Stills come out OK, as long as you have enough light and hold the phone steady.

Source: Samsung Nexus S review | Android Central


EDIT: To be fair, the review was ended saying: "I think the Nexus S is the best Android device made to date. It's faster than any other phone available, and I've tried them side by side. When you take Samsung's excellent Hummingbird system-on-a-chip and the very nice Super AMOLED screen, then build the rest of the hardware, firmware, and OS to Google's specs you have the phone many of us have been waiting for."

...I actually missed that paragraph the first time I read the review....and it makes no sense since the review seemed to list so many disappointments.. calling it the "best Android device made to date" doesn't make much sense to me.

"The shell of the phone screams Samsung, and that's one of my biggest gripes about the Nexus S. If you love shiny, hard plastic, you'll disagree. There's nothing inherently wrong with the materials, but they lack the sophistication and little touches that set other Android phones apart. You'll find no soft-touch coating, or textured surfaces anywhere." -- yet in the conclusion, the hardware build is listed as one of the reasons it is the best Android device.

I'm not trying to tear the review apart...it just doesn't seem to come together for me, so I'm not sure what side I would take since I haven't experienced the phone. I think the decision to call it the best was based solely on: how easy it is to hack, and Gingerbread.

I definitely see that. I guess for me though, coming from an iPhone 4, and then previously a 3G and 3GS, things like the lack of a notification light, optical pad, or inclusion of a shiny plastic back aren't that big of an issue. The storage issue is also just meh, because, again, that's pretty much all I've ever known as an iPhone user.

The biggest issue for me is the lack of HSPA+, because Tmobile's previous coverage when I had my Nexus One was just meh. But from what I understand, when they rolled out the HSPA+, it also resulted in a shored up regular 3G network, so it should be okay. Any of you on T-mobile's regular 3G network and willing to share what speeds you see regularly?

I guess, I'm just not satisfied with the MT4G right now. Its a great phone, but maybe not for me. I think I'm going to go to a best buy mobile store tomorrow and play with the Nexus S, and if I like it, exchange the MyTouch for it.

 

[Droid800]

I answered my own question, haha.

Apparently the Nexus S is pulling the same numbers right now as what I get with my MT4G. (3mb/s down, 1mb/s up) That wouldn't be a huge change.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

It sounds like you have your mind made up. Let me explain why the Nexus S was touted as the best Android phone out right now.

It will get updates straight from Google. That's extremely important to a lot of people. You won't have to wait for carriers or manufacturers to push them through, and look at how many updates (including the small maintenance updates) the N1 has received.

It's fast. Really fast. It has no bloat and the best single core processor on the market. Look at how long the N1 held on to the performance crown for the very same reason.

Honeycomb won't require dual core, but will probably run a lot better on it. So you can bet when it trickles down to phones the Nexus S will get it first.


With all that being said, I will still take my MT4G over the Nexus because of some of the limitations (storage, HSPA+, and I just don't like the materials).

Maybe the new version of the Vibrant that's been rumored will be better, or the Galaxy S v2 when they announce it at MWC, but for now I'm passing on the Nexus S. I'm also rooted and I'm sure someone is working on getting Gingerbread on the myTouch. If not HTC will and we will see a rooted version of soon after it's released.

EDIT: But what's important for me might not be as important to you. If screen quality is that important than that might be enough for you to get the Nexus. Do keep in mind, though, that the next generation of Galaxy phones will have SAMOLED+, which is an improved screen again.

 

[fredmr85]

It sounds like you have your mind made up. Let me explain why the Nexus S was touted as the best Android phone out right now.

It will get updates straight from Google. That's extremely important to a lot of people. You won't have to wait for carriers or manufacturers to push them through, and look at how many updates (including the small maintenance updates) the N1 has received.

It's fast. Really fast. It has no bloat and the best single core processor on the market. Look at how long the N1 held on to the performance crown for the very same reason.

Yea, I do understand both those reasons. I just don't think the fastest single core is a big deal with so many great processors out lately and dual core on the way.

I know updates will come from Google, but I guess whether or not those two reasons are enough to look past all the phones flaws is up to the individual.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Yea, I do understand both those reasons. I just don't think the fastest single core is a big deal with so many great processors out lately and dual core on the way.

I know updates will come from Google, but I guess whether or not those two reasons are enough to look past all the phones flaws is up to the individual.

Until android is optimized for dual core tegra 2 is only 20% faster, not twice as fast like you'd think. Or even 50%. When these phones come out and battery life gets tested then we'll see if it's really worth it. (for the record I still want the lg x2 I'm by a charge all the time anyway).

Sent from my myTouch 4G

 

[Droid800]

So I ended up exchanging the MT4G for the Nexus. Build quality is actually pretty good, but I can definitely see why people don't like it. (It's pretty much the exact opposite of HTC) The screen is the biggest reason why I wanted it, and that's why I like it better

We'll see how it holds up, but I got Best Buy's protection plan for it, so if anything happens I can get a replacement free of charge.

 

[fredmr85]

Until android is optimized for dual core tegra 2 is only 20% faster, not twice as fast like you'd think. Or even 50%. When these phones come out and battery life gets tested then we'll see if it's really worth it. (for the record I still want the lg x2 I'm by a charge all the time anyway).

Sent from my myTouch 4G

True and good points. I still think the review is biased because it's "pure Gingerbread"...

Actually I just watched the Nexus S "hands on" video from the Nexus S review...and at 2:10 as the page loads, scrolling is attempted...and it lags the first few tries then skips terribly... and after the page loads, scrolling is attempted again and it just looks VERY laggy... yet still the scrolling was described as "quite good"...then the pinch to to zoom out lags...and it's still described as "very fast" with no problems at all. I've never noticed anything that dramatic scrolling while a page loads and especially after one is already loaded. (also strange how later in the video 14MFLOPS is described as "really good" without any explanation of FPUs or why it appears so low compared to almost every other recent android device)

Biased I tell ya! jk....... I want Gingerbread

 

[Droid800]

I do keep getting the scroll issue. Not sure why, but it doesn't always pick up the touch to start the scroll. It also keeps missing me hitting the space bar. I have noticed that sometimes when I go to swipe up, its registering a touch on the home software button even though my finger's a full inch away.

As much as it pains me to say, this sucker's going back. It feels like hardware that wasn't ready to be released. I'm not impressed in the slightest.

EDIT: Just wanted to add that system-wide, touch sensitivity at the bottom half of the screen SUCKS. Its odd because this is one of the most sensitive touch-screens I've ever used, but that bottom half doesn't register a touch half the time.

 

[Droid800]

And now to add insult to injury, my Nexus S just got itself locked in a boot-loop for no apparent reason other than I tried to send a text.