G2: Good, Bad and Ugly

[RenoD2010]

So far, no android OEM has really gotten it right.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Ha! How about NO OEM has gotten it right, not even Apple. In fact, "getting it right" is still a matter of opinion and preference. Not all users care about all features. So the idea of a phone that has every feature set working seamlessly with the "perfect" hardware (whatever that is) is kind of absurd.

From my LG Optimus G E970 using AC Forums mobile app.

 

[Aquila]

Has Apple tried to include an SD card in any device?

 

[kikaha]

You seem to have a nasty habit of generalizing opinions. Sd cards are not by themselves bad. They are bad, however, when used in a janky implementation like the one Samsung uses. As I said earlier, adding in sd card support is not a bad thing, but these oems have to do it in a bulletproof way. As has been demonstrated by the consistent issues users have, Samsung has not done so.

You attempt to blame the user, but ignore common sense. If a bunch of different users are all having the card fail in the exact same way, and all have the same hardware, the common sense (and logical answer) is that there is an issue with the hardware. Point blank, period.

I haven't had any problems with the card in my Samsung Droid Charge.
I've also had two other Samsung Android phones that had no problems with the cards I used in them.
Maybe there's something different in the galaxy S phones that's causing the problem?

 

[Farish]

Has Apple tried to include an SD card in any device?

I have a sd slot in my iMac and Macbook so technically yes.

 

[return_0]

So by your logic if I drive a car into a wall and the car is damaged then the car is the problem and all cars should be abolished. It doesn't matter that being driven into a wall is not how the car is intended to be used in the first place.
Oh wait. Let me guess.
You don't have a car. Cars are not foolproof. They fail sometimes too.

No, that's a rather large exaggeration of his argument. By his logic, if a large portion of cars made by various manufacturers (including the most popular and praised ones) drive themselves into walls, then it's probably not a good idea to use a car. And in this case, the alternative to using a car is something equally effective for transportation but more reliable.

 

[brownhornet]

No one seems to be pointing out that having to rely on cloud storage for streaming also greatly depends on your service. Ask a lot of those Sprint and Tmobile folks how much they like streaming everything when they're in a 2G area. There are times where simply trying to listen to my music in the Google play cloud is unbearable with the ridiculous load times on a simple 4mb mp3. So with that said, yes, I will always prefer SD's to the whole 16 gig and stream deal.

 

[darkestred]

No one seems to be pointing out that having to rely on cloud storage for streaming also greatly depends on your service. Ask a lot of those Sprint and Tmobile folks how much they like streaming everything when they're in a 2G area. There are times where simply trying to listen to my music in the Google play cloud is unbearable with the ridiculous load times on a simple 4mb mp3. So with that said, yes, I will always prefer SD's to the whole 16 gig and stream deal.

True, but no one said you had to stream with only 16GB.

 

[return_0]

No one seems to be pointing out that having to rely on cloud storage for streaming also greatly depends on your service. Ask a lot of those Sprint and Tmobile folks how much they like streaming everything when they're in a 2G area. There are times where simply trying to listen to my music in the Google play cloud is unbearable with the ridiculous load times on a simple 4mb mp3. So with that said, yes, I will always prefer SD's to the whole 16 gig and stream deal.

I'm on T-Mobile and I'm pretty sure that, during the short amount of time when I have a bad data connection, I will not listen to 16GB worth of music. More like 10MB.

Sent from my pure Google Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[Farish]

Since people are talking about streaming versus sd card.

SD card advantages are:

You can expand storage.
You can swap storage.
If you are on a limited data plan, this will save on its usage.
You are limited by coverage of the area you are at.

Cloud Storage advantages are:

You don't have to worry about storage failure.
It acts as a backup method.
You don't have to swap out anything.
You can access files from multiple device with minimal effort.


Obviously not every manufacturer is going to offer a sd slot across all their devices(LG G Pro vs G2) or offer a sd slot option at all.
If this doesn't make you happy about the phone there are other options, the problem is there is a good chance there will be something you will complain about too.:-!

 

[Scott7217]

Or, the other markets would appreciate a battery with 15% more capacity more than an SD slot. The model with the SD card only has a 2600 mah battery.

So, the battery holds more power than the battery in the HTC One AND it's removable? That sounds like a winner! Good job, LG!

 

[Aquila]

So, the battery holds more power than the battery in the HTC One AND it's removable? That sounds like a winner! Good job, LG!

Unfortunately no, it's still stuck in there. The "battery door" comes off to place the SD card, but no access to the battery is granted that way.

 

[Scott7217]

The reason for the variance between some working and others not working has already been touched on, but it's basically a very cheap NAND memory chip made en masse and utilized by a dirty hack by software engineers that do not prioritize it's reliability, only its presence and semblance of usability on the day the device is sold.

Would it be possible to manufacture micro SD cards using better materials and stricter quality control?

Also, I would characterize LG's engineering staff as being very skilled and competent. Would you agree? Perhaps they could use their knowledge and experience to overcome the problems you describe.

 

[Scott7217]

Ha! How about NO OEM has gotten it right, not even Apple. In fact, "getting it right" is still a matter of opinion and preference. Not all users care about all features. So the idea of a phone that has every feature set working seamlessly with the "perfect" hardware (whatever that is) is kind of absurd.

Well, Apple's still trying to figure out how to get a screen bigger than 4 inches on an iPhone. So I wouldn't use them as an example for other companies to follow. I think it's safe to say that Android is in a whole other league.

I would agree that not all users care about all features. With Android, there's choice. Put all the options on the table and let consumers choose the features they care about.

 

[Scott7217]

Question is will this be the Nexus 5 and if so why not just wait for that to arrive or will it not arrive with LTE again?

There are plenty of rumors about the Nexus 5, but nothing has been confirmed yet. I think this year's goal for the Nexus is to have "insanely great cameras," as commented by Vic Gundotra. (More details are here.) While the LG G2 might have a great camera, we need to see if it will still be great if it's running stock Android with only open-source camera software.

LTE is very likely. The Nexus 7 tablet has it as an option, and I don't see why the Nexus 5 wouldn't have it.

If you need stock Android, it's always better to wait for the Nexus. Otherwise, the G2 seems like a great choice.

 

[Farish]

Well, Apple's still trying to figure out how to get a screen bigger than 4 inches on an iPhone. So I wouldn't use them as an example for other companies to follow. I think it's safe to say that Android is in a whole other league.

I would agree that not all users care about all features. With Android, there's choice. Put all the options on the table and let consumers choose the features they care about.

You say that but you know that carrier ATT you are using, the iPhone is the top selling smartphone. In the United States last financial quarter all 4 major carriers, the iPhone is still the top selling smartphone during an off cycle where the HTC One and Galaxy S4 is available. That is a lot of people who don't care about a SD Slot or a screen bigger than either 3.5 inches or 4 inches.

 

[Haalcyon]

Android isn't for everyone. It's not as simple and intuitive, as a whole, as iOS and a lot of folks (like my wife and mother) want simple. Also, in social circles more Americans hear iPhone than Htc one or S4 or Note 2 or Droid Razr Maxipad or Evo 4G Ultra Optimus Prime (or whatever its called).

Sent from my humble S4

 

[return_0]

It's not as simple and intuitive, as a whole, as iOS and a lot of folks (like my wife and mother) want simple.

Not really anymore. Android has come to the point that, while iOS still has the edge on ease-of-use in some parts of the OS, Android is much more intuitive in other points (example: settings app).

Also, in social circles more Americans hear iPhone than Htc one or S4 or Note 2 or Droid Razr Maxipad or Evo 4G Ultra Optimus Prime (or whatever its called).

That's also changing. I'm pretty sure that by now nearly everyone who's heard of the iPhone has heard of the GS3 or GS4. And Samsung's not the only one getting exposure. I know people who were originally set on getting an iPhone but eventually got a phone like the HTC One.

 

[return_0]

So, the battery holds more power than the battery in the HTC One AND it's removable? That sounds like a winner! Good job, LG!

But it's not removable, and it won't last longer than the One (since the screen is bigger).

 

[return_0]

You say that but you know that carrier ATT you are using, the iPhone is the top selling smartphone. In the United States last financial quarter all 4 major carriers, the iPhone is still the top selling smartphone during an off cycle where the HTC One and Galaxy S4 is available. That is a lot of people who don't care about a SD Slot or a screen bigger than either 3.5 inches or 4 inches.

The only reason the iPhone is the top selling smartphone is because other OEMs' sales are split among multiple phones (for example, Samsung has the GS4, the GS3, the Note 2, the GS4 Active, and several mid-range and low-end offerings), while Apple is only selling the three most recent iPhones.

 

[xgman]

Android isn't for everyone. It's not as simple and intuitive, as a whole, as iOS and a lot of folks (like my wife and mother) want simple. Also, in social circles more Americans hear iPhone than Htc one or S4 or Note 2 or Droid Razr Maxipad or Evo 4G Ultra Optimus Prime (or whatever its called).

Sent from my humble S4

I personally think that the openness of Android where it should be an asset, ends up being a mess of bloat, junk and a self serving advertisements platform for the carriers. Bug mistake in my opinion. This is one area that Apple got it right and it shows.