HTC One Google Edition Pros/Cons/Thoughts Discussion

[Paul627g]

The voices were heard when Samsung announced a Google Edition after launching its branded versions...

Now HTC has brought the same to the table as per Alex Dobie's blog 'Google Edition' HTC One coming soon with vanilla Android | Android Central

Interested to hear your thoughts and opinions but lets keep it civil and behave ourselves

Have at it...

Android Central Moderation Team.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Now you know this was in the works the same time as the S4, so this isn't a "response" to that. It's part of a bigger picture, but one that isn't complete yet.

Same concerns I have with the S4 GE, though, namely, camera quality and other bits and pieces that rely on Sense (ok, licensed software) to work the "right" way.

Also, IR is probably going to be useless. I use that ALL THE TIME.

 

[Ry]

Remember that rumor about Nexus phones from every manufacturer? These aren't Nexus phones but close enough.

 

[Russ Smith]

I really like sense 5, wouldn't want to miss the features just for quicker updates. Plus I just like the sense 5 UI too, sure it has faults but updates will come!

Sent from my HTC One

 

[RavenSword]

Honestly, I'm kinda torn and have more question than answers.

On one hand this addresses my worries with this phone and timely updates. It has nothing to do with HTC anymore, and I like that.

On the other, I just don't know if this is going to break so many things with the one. I don't use IT blaster and I can probably get past no blink feed and zoe, unless that means my cameras gonna be crazy now.

Anyway, by the time I can get this phone it'll probably be next year or whatever, so the new HTC phone will hit. I'm not sure if this hardware in the one will be still up to date by then.

 

[chestont]

I'm more likely to leave my Nexus 4 for a Google Edition One than a Google Edition S4. Really might depend on the price point for me.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Honestly, I'm kinda torn and have more question than answers.

On one hand this addresses my worries with this phone and timely updates. It has nothing to do with HTC anymore, and I like that.

On the other, I just don't know if this is going to break so many things with the one. I don't use IT blaster and I can probably get past no blink feed and zoe, unless that means my cameras gonna be crazy now.

Anyway, by the time I can get this phone it'll probably be next year or whatever, so the new HTC phone will hit. I'm not sure if this hardware in the one will be still up to date by then.

How do you know that? These aren't called Nexus for a reason....

 

[Jennifer Stough]

I think it's good for the smart phone industry and good for the consumers to have variety, and now you arent limited to the nexus line for a stock android experience. However, I feel like putting stock android on phones that are so feature rich is a bit of a waste. The s4 will lose most of its features and gestures that are Touchwiz dependent, and the ONE will lose Zoes/ Picture Highlights, and will most likely suffer in the camera department without it's sense counterparts. I see these phones being marketed more towards developers opposed to people who really want the Vanilla android experience. For a lesser price, you could get a carrier version, unlock and root, and flash AOSP.

 

[mdlissner]

I want to know which carriers will get this. Might be sensible to have the HTC device on Sprint/Verizon so that all four major carriers are covered by a "Google Edition"
I would prefer to not pay $650 for a phone which has features taken away to run stock Android. I would rather get the full featured device and layer a launcher over Sense/TouchWiz to remove the things I do not like about it.

If this is how VZW gets the HTC one I will be cancelling next week and going to AT&T. By June 1 I will have an HTC One, or know that it is coming to Verizon.

 

[bembol]

Pricing is the issue especially if one can get it at carrier cost. Is Vanilla and Updates (4.3) worth $500?

Personally I actually I don't mind Sense (or Touchwiz) and there's always Launchers for users like me or Rooting/ROM for the advance.

SHIFT_tapatalk 2 s4 SGH-I377M

 

[Ry]

I want to know which carriers will get this. Might be sensible to have the HTC device on Sprint/Verizon so that all four major carriers are covered by a "Google Edition"
I would prefer to not pay $650 for a phone which has features taken away to run stock Android. I would rather get the full featured device and layer a launcher over Sense/TouchWiz to remove the things I do not like about it.

If this is how VZW gets the HTC one I will be cancelling next week and going to AT&T. By June 1 I will have an HTC One, or know that it is coming to Verizon.

Just like the "Google Edition" S4 (does it have an official name yet?), the expectation is that Google Edition One will be sold on the Play Store only.

So no carriers will be selling this in their stores.

 

[madlaw1071]

Kicking myself for plunking down the coinage for an unlocked One instead of waiting. Seems like one of my biggest complaints will be addressed and that's the addition of a proper menu key and the removal of the dreaded black bar. Hope they allow the LED to be tweaked then I'd have even less to gripe about.

 

[daniel2744]

Damn! I just got my T-Mobile HTC One last week and I paid full price well I sold my note 2 so it wasnt that bad. I'm really liking sense this time around. As much as the Google HTC One might be interesting to me, I can't see myself getting it. I would rather flash an asop based rom. However, I'm loving the beats audio with those boomsound speakers and I use the IR blaster a lot. I'm wait and see how this turns out

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

A little birdy told me Google suggested this to force Apple to take them on in the courtroom over on-device search patents. The software for these devices is built by the OEM, but directly from Googles code with their blessing.

 

[JRDroid]

I'm really not that interested in this. If Sense 5 sucked, I would, but I actually really like Sense 5. Taking it out removes some of the big features I bought the phone for, like Zoes and Video Highlights. Also, I'm really concerned about how the Ultrapixel camera will hold up without all the Ultrapixel software magic.

I guess to me, there is no big feature stock Android adds that I don't get in Sense 5. If I want a stock looking home screen, I'll use Nova Prime. I may change my tune once Android 5.0 comes out, but give that there will be an AOSP version of the One, I'm sure flashing its ROM onto a branded One will be trivial for the guys over at XDA.

 

[bosshaug12]

Not too excited about the Google Edition One specifically but I am excited about what all these Google Edition handsets mean for the android market as a whole.

Imagine a world where every OEM makes their version of their phone then a Google Edition of that same phone. Would definitely end all that "fragmentation" bologna.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Kicking myself for plunking down the coinage for an unlocked One instead of waiting. Seems like one of my biggest complaints will be addressed and that's the addition of a proper menu key and the removal of the dreaded black bar. Hope they allow the LED to be tweaked then I'd have even less to gripe about.

Unlock it and wait for a good port over.

We don't know the solution to the menu thing yet (if they change it at all).

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Scott Kenyon]

What I don't understand is why anyone would want to buy one of these things. I've owned Nexus devices, Touchwiz devices, and Sense devices. Every one of them at some point or another has been flashed to stock. I personally prefer the look and feel of stock Android, so let's not knock me for that.
The thing with some of these ideas the OEMs are packaging into their custom Android versions is I don't want to do without them. I've run into this twice. Once with my Note 2: S-Pen functionality that you didn't get flashing Cyanogen. Now with my HTC One: the cool camera stuff, Beats, (and maybe Blinkfeed, I'm still on the fence) You know those speakers won't perform as well without Beats.
Buying the device from the carrier, however, means I get to make a choice. I can choose to use, or not use the features included in Sense (or Touchwiz). I can choose to use, or not use stock Android. I have more choice buying a carrier device (or direct from HTC).
There are always guys out there (thanks to them btw) creating really great experiences in the form of roms. If I want stock Android, there are going to be plenty of Senseless roms out there (Cyanogen, notably). If I want Sense, but with different menus, I can probably find a rom for that. The springy thing the menus do is sort of strange, and I don't care for it. I can find a rom without that.
Now all this said, I'm not a rom chef. I'm not much of a developer of any sort. If it'll be possible, after buying one of these "Google Edition" or whatever they're going to call them phones to throw a Sense rom on there great. If not, you should probably think about whether or not you would like the option to have it. Hell, I could be totally wrong and they could make it vanilla Android with Beats and Zoes/Highlights. I've been wrong before, and I'll be wrong again. I don't think it'd be surprising to see it. If we don't see it, though, think about some of these things before you spend a lot of money on a phone. I wouldn't want to be sorry about missing out on some great features and experiences.

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

What I don't understand is why anyone would want to buy one of these things. I've owned Nexus devices, Touchwiz devices, and Sense devices. Every one of them at some point or another has been flashed to stock. I personally prefer the look and feel of stock Android, so let's not knock me for that.
The thing with some of these ideas the OEMs are packaging into their custom Android versions is I don't want to do without them. I've run into this twice. Once with my Note 2: S-Pen functionality that you didn't get flashing Cyanogen. Now with my HTC One: the cool camera stuff, Beats, (and maybe Blinkfeed, I'm still on the fence) You know those speakers won't perform as well without Beats.
Buying the device from the carrier, however, means I get to make a choice. I can choose to use, or not use the features included in Sense (or Touchwiz). I can choose to use, or not use stock Android. I have more choice buying a carrier device (or direct from HTC).
There are always guys out there (thanks to them btw) creating really great experiences in the form of roms. If I want stock Android, there are going to be plenty of Senseless roms out there (Cyanogen, notably). If I want Sense, but with different menus, I can probably find a rom for that. The springy thing the menus do is sort of strange, and I don't care for it. I can find a rom without that.
Now all this said, I'm not a rom chef. I'm not much of a developer of any sort. If it'll be possible, after buying one of these "Google Edition" or whatever they're going to call them phones to throw a Sense rom on there great. If not, you should probably think about whether or not you would like the option to have it. Hell, I could be totally wrong and they could make it vanilla Android with Beats and Zoes/Highlights. I've been wrong before, and I'll be wrong again. I don't think it'd be surprising to see it. If we don't see it, though, think about some of these things before you spend a lot of money on a phone. I wouldn't want to be sorry about missing out on some great features and experiences.

100% agreed. These "Nexus experience" devices have zero appeal to me. If I want a plain Google Android Nexus Experience, I'll get a Nexus that Google updates directly. I like my HTC One just the way it is

 

[bigdaddytee]

I think it's like panties...for all the girls that buy a lacy little nothing of a thong, or "boy shorts", or a t-back, there is still a market for bloomers. And there always will be.
Android is about options. Viva la choice!

Sent from the (4.2 updated) redheaded stepchild of the Nexii