Wife's first droid based phone? Should she?

[Feldhege]

So my wife's old phone is a LG VX3. She loved it and could never understand why I always had to have such expensive phones. I love my DI but her phone has just died. On the 13th (Friday no less) she is going in to get her new phone. We went in and looked around Verizon (yes we want to stay with Verizon) and she liked the Razr and the Nexus. After playing with both she REALLY loves the Nexus. I have a Asus Transformer so I am familar with Honeycomb (which is similar to ICS) but has anyone else gotten this phone as their first droid? She is smart so I am sure she can learn to use it. I liked the razr too but without a removable battery, that would be a deal breaker for her because she keeps her phones forever.

Thanks.

 

[greydarrah]

The Galaxy Nexus is the best Android phone I've owned so far. Whether you want to unlock/root/ROM it, or just leave it stock, I think it's the best device out there right now. Being a Nexus, it will always be more supported and receive OS updates sooner than any other device out. Also, running without all the Verizon junk on it, it's going to be a smoother operating phone.

Having said that, you are in the Nexus forum. All the phones out are good devices. Personally, I would never buy any HTC device, unless you enjoy having a phone that needs to be recharged ever 5 or 6 hours. All Androids are battery hogs (that's something she'll have to accept) because of the speeds that they run and the big, beautiful screens, but outside of an HTC, I've always gotten a full day from my phones on a single charge.

 

[anon(596177)]

So my wife's old phone is a LG VX3. She loved it and could never understand why I always had to have such expensive phones. I love my DI but her phone has just died. On the 13th (Friday no less) she is going in to get her new phone. We went in and looked around Verizon (yes we want to stay with Verizon) and she liked the Razr and the Nexus. After playing with both she REALLY loves the Nexus. I have a Asus Transformer so I am familar with Honeycomb (which is similar to ICS) but has anyone else gotten this phone as their first droid? She is smart so I am sure she can learn to use it. I liked the razr too but without a removable battery, that would be a deal breaker for her because she keeps her phones forever.

Thanks.

It really comes down to how tech savvy is she and how patient can she be when it comes to waiting for bug fixes.

Android, as you know, is a phone OS with a learning curve. it's not like iOS where you pretty much just pick up and go. With that being said, I've always been an android person and prefer it over any of the other smartphone OSes out there, but I'm also a very tech-savvy person. ICS is without a doubt the easiest version of Android to learn (IMO) and if she really likes it then she should go for it.

The Nexus is a great phone, but it's also important to remember that it's not without flaws. Granted, most of them, if not all of them, will be fixed with updates in the coming months, but they are issues you will have to live with until then. Personally I haven't had any serious issues with my GNex. It reboots itself occasionally, the battery is easily drained if you are consistently on it, and the cell phone service display is always showing less than stellar service (however I have never dropped a call and never have any issues making or receiving a call, even with 0 bars). It is important to understand this before you make your decision. But it's a brand new phone with a brand new OS, there are always flaws in that situation.

It really is a great phone, and even with the minor issues it has I wouldnt trade it for another phone on the market. I would just hate to see you (or her) dive head first into the purchase only to be disappointed a few weeks later because you were expecting a perfect phone.

 

[bpe4]

As an Android newbie, I'd point her to the HTC's since the Sense interface is very user friendly for people transitioning. I'm surprised she didn't like the Rezound as it would be a good platform for a long-term holder. Also, does she have small hands? (most women do) If so, the Droid Incredible 2 may be a better option. It's not bleeding edge, but fast enough to future-proof for quite some time.

 

[Jaycemiskel]

I'd go with the Nexus. Especially since she already likes it. It's not my first Android phone but it's definitely the phone I've enjoyed owning the most. It's a great device.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[ConTejas]

IMO the beauty of ICS is that a monkey could easily learn to use it for everday functions and some beyond, but it can also entertain even the most tech savvy/developer types as well. Next point, as mentioned, it will get OS updates first for as long as the hardware can handle what Google developes, which I imagine will be for quite some time. That makes this phone, or the Nexus line, as future proof as possible on the Android platform. I, too, keep my phones for as long as I can for the most part so that was a big selling point (amoungst many others). I couldn't be happier with my purchase (and believe me I had been in the "next best thing" game for nearly a year). This is the first Android phone/OS that has converted some of my die hard Apple friends (not to mention journalists etc). That says a lot to me. Trouble for you is that you'll be wanting your own...

 

[zulu308]

I've upgraded my wife from her samsung rogue to the samsung gnex and she loves it.

I've also upgraded myself from wp7 to gnex, which is my first android phone, and I love it. I won't buy anymore HTC product for myself as the HD7 sucked ass.

we don't even have to use txt msg or another 3rd party app to communicat anymore throughout the day, google talk takes care of that for us.

 

[MRW1215]

Android, as you know, is a phone OS with a learning curve. it's not like iOS where you pretty much just pick up and go.

Not to sound confrontational, but I don't necessarily agree with this. I don't really feel that Android is any "harder" to learn than iOS. Perhaps harder to "master" (as in, going in depth with tweaking and whatnot), but I wouldn't say you can't "pick up and go".

Anyway, I would absolutely recommend the Nexus to anyone interested in Android. Stock Android is just so much better and less bogged down than getting an Android phone from Motorola or HTC that's skinned and pre-loaded with certain software. That's just my preference, though, after having a smartphone made by HTC previously. That said, not a lot of average users care THAT much about their phones being "skinned" by the manufacturer. Physically, the Razr does look very nice and sleek, and while I have no experience with Motorola smartphones, I'd say that'd be the number 2 choice if stock Android isn't much of a deciding factor.

 

[sutrebla15]

The Gnex is my first smartphone. I dunno how tech savvy your wife is, but it didn't take long for me to learn how to use it. If she likes it, then I say let her take a crack at it and take one home.

 

[greydarrah]

It really comes down to how tech savvy is she and how patient can she be when it comes to waiting for bug fixes.

Android, as you know, is a phone OS with a learning curve. it's not like iOS where you pretty much just pick up and go. With that being said, I've always been an android person and prefer it over any of the other smartphone OSes out there, but I'm also a very tech-savvy person. ICS is without a doubt the easiest version of Android to learn (IMO) and if she really likes it then she should go for it.

The Nexus is a great phone, but it's also important to remember that it's not without flaws. Granted, most of them, if not all of them, will be fixed with updates in the coming months, but they are issues you will have to live with until then. Personally I haven't had any serious issues with my GNex. It reboots itself occasionally, the battery is easily drained if you are consistently on it, and the cell phone service display is always showing less than stellar service (however I have never dropped a call and never have any issues making or receiving a call, even with 0 bars). It is important to understand this before you make your decision. But it's a brand new phone with a brand new OS, there are always flaws in that situation.

It really is a great phone, and even with the minor issues it has I wouldnt trade it for another phone on the market. I would just hate to see you (or her) dive head first into the purchase only to be disappointed a few weeks later because you were expecting a perfect phone.

I don't think you need to tech savvy at all. It works great right out of the box. The thing about Android is that if you want to be tech savvy, there are many other things you can do with the phone, but as it is, I find it superior to all others.

As to the bugs this user has, I've seen none of them on my phone...no reboots at all, no signal issues and great battery life.

 

[anon(596177)]

Not to sound confrontational, but I don't necessarily agree with this. I don't really feel that Android is any "harder" to learn than iOS. Perhaps harder to "master" (as in, going in depth with tweaking and whatnot), but I wouldn't say you can't "pick up and go".

Anyway, I would absolutely recommend the Nexus to anyone interested in Android. Stock Android is just so much better and less bogged down than getting an Android phone from Motorola or HTC that's skinned and pre-loaded with certain software. That's just my preference, though, after having a smartphone made by HTC previously. That said, not a lot of average users care THAT much about their phones being "skinned" by the manufacturer. Physically, the Razr does look very nice and sleek, and while I have no experience with Motorola smartphones, I'd say that'd be the number 2 choice if stock Android isn't much of a deciding factor.

No I agree, I'm sorry I guess that didnt come out the way I meant it to. What I meant was if you have ever owned any other apple product , especially a hand held device, iOS on iPhone would be very familiar to you, and with the limitations Apple adds to it by default it is very hard to break the OS. Android can be a little easier to break and a little more temperamental at times but if you are really into tweaking your phone you can get a lot more out of android.

 

[anon(596177)]

I don't think you need to tech savvy at all. It works great right out of the box. The thing about Android is that if you want to be tech savvy, there are many other things you can do with the phone, but as it is, I find it superior to all others.

As to the bugs this user has, I've seen none of them on my phone...no reboots at all, no signal issues and great battery life.

Consider yourself a lucky one I'm not saying any of these issues have been serious, just figured I would note some of the problems that some have been having since launch. It doesn't make this phone any less spectacular, just preparing you for some minor bugs you MAY come across.

 

[mclarryjr]

Any phone will have some sorta bugs, I have never had a phone that didn't.

I have 2 friends that purchased the Nexus one coming from BB and the other iOS neither one is a "phone geek" like myself and neither have had any issues working the phone. They both seem very happy with Android and their new phones.

 

[Feldhege]

Thanks so much for all the reassuring info guys and gals. I appreciate it. My DI is working perfectly right now and I just don't want to drop another $300 in addition to her phone at this time. I figure that if she gets it and hates it, I can always take it and she can find something else. She will be getting the extended battery as I can only imagine a screen that big will take some power. I know that sedio is supposed to be coming out with a super battery (ex-large) but then she will have trouble finding a case.

Robb.

 

[Run L1ke H3LL]

This is my first android based phone. Prior to this I had a Blackberry.

I consider myself very tech savvy. That being said, I learned to use the phone and all of it's features in about a day. It's not difficult to use at all, but their are times where you may need to learn by trial and error going through the menus and pressing random buttons until you figure it out. But that's how I learn so it didn't bother me. To be honest, this phone should not pose a problem for anyone whether it's their first android or their 10th. ICS is intuitive and easy to use and I recommend it to anyone.

I even recommended it to my mom who I consider to be extremely computer illiterate.

 

[zzbxdo]

Coming from a feature phone and an iphone 3gs, I too agree that the gnex has little difficulty curve in comparison. This phone is my first android device, and I find that it is refined to the point that any noob can pick it up and use it on a daily basis with little hassle. The fact that there are more options for everything does make it overwhelming, but the functionality exists without tinkering with it. As time goes, comfort using the device allows you to explore more, thus power users come in. ICS is something I'd say ranges from noob friendly to the power user

 

[TabGuy]

So my wife's old phone is a LG VX3. She loved it and could never understand why I always had to have such expensive phones. I love my DI but her phone has just died. On the 13th (Friday no less) she is going in to get her new phone. We went in and looked around Verizon (yes we want to stay with Verizon) and she liked the Razr and the Nexus. After playing with both she REALLY loves the Nexus. I have a Asus Transformer so I am familar with Honeycomb (which is similar to ICS) but has anyone else gotten this phone as their first droid? She is smart so I am sure she can learn to use it. I liked the razr too but without a removable battery, that would be a deal breaker for her because she keeps her phones forever.

Thanks.

I went through exactly the same thing. On New Years Eve my wife decided to give up her flip phone to get her first smart phone. Because I have a Galaxy Nexus and my daughter has a Galaxy Nexus I suggested she get one also.

She has had an iPad for 18 months now and threw the bomb at me and said, "I know how to use an iPad, shouldn't I get an iPhone?" She was convinced that all she was going to do was play solitaire and some navigation. I sensed that her fear was going into unknown territory with an Android phone. I showed her my GN and assured her it was just as easy to use as an iPhone but more powerful.

She eventually decided on the GN and bought it on New Years eve. To my amazement she took to it very quickly. She's been playing with live wallpapers and has absolutely no trouble with the OS. The only thing that sometimes confuses her is when to tap and when to long press. But that's just a learning issue.

She also has some issues with typing as she has long fingernails. But I'm going to install Swype for her tonight and see if that helps.

After owning 4 Android phones previous to the GN, and having owned a Galaxy Tab with Honeycomb I firmly believe that Ice Cream Sandwich is much easier to learn than pre 3.0 versions of Android. It's more consistent and cleaner than prior versions of Android. That's why I steered her away from the Razr and into the GN. This has proven true as she's had no trouble learning to use the phone.

Good luck.

 

[yosteve]

15 days says she can try it out for $35

 

[VideoEngineerAJS]

Now that ICS is here, it's the version every person thinking about going to Android should go to. Whether that means the Nexus or waiting for a device with a manufacturer framework, that's up to the individual, but don't go to a GB device now if it will be your first Android device.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus