16 gigs is just way too small, I don't want to put stuff on the cloud.

[TheLibertarian]

So why do you keep responding to me? Why am I not on your ignore list?

I like talking at you, we all do.

 

[Scott7217]

I think it goes right back to the idea of a phone in general. I do not find myself in need of constant access to large video files or a million hours worth of MP3s. I would say that is also the same with the vast majority of phone users. Who has that kind of time?! haha. Video isn't so great on a screen smaller than 7". If you are the type that likes to carry their entire library of media with them everywhere they go locally on their phone, I would say that is definitely niche... again, going back to the preferred usage for a phone vs tablet or other. I think devices that do include huge amounts of storage are simply just battling a spec war to outdo the competitor. I guess I need to get an idea specifically what exactly do people with huge storage needs actually do with it to understand here.

If adding that storage also means keeping the low price options, I can roll with it. But as discussed, I think Google has an agenda here for the cloud. It seems we are trying to mold the perfect device between all our needs. I'm not sure that has ever been accomplished with anything. haha. I just think you will find what you want eventually, but you smply have to wait for vanilla android to be the driving market factor with all of them. Google is the least likely to comply with the storage part.

Who has time to watch large video files and listen to a million hours of MP3s? Someone with good time management.

Video isn't so great on a phone... unless you have a gorgeous, 4.7-inch, 720p screen. I really can't stop looking at the screen on my Nexus 4! LG did a really good job here. It's the type of screen that really turns heads. I can confidently say that the Nexus 4 has the best screen out of all the phones I've owned.

Also, I don't think we're trying to mold the perfect device. I would say that we are constantly trying to improve what we already have. For example, what if Google came out with a compression algorithm to fit existing files into a smaller space so that you could essentially double the amount of storage on your Nexus 4? I would use that, but I wouldn't force anyone else to if they didn't want to. Still, think of the possibilities. You could have 16 GB in the space of 8 GB, or 32 GB in the space of 16 GB.

There are technical challenges, of course, so I don't think we'll see any compression algorithms from Google anytime soon. However, I think my sentiment is valid. Just because we love our devices doesn't mean that we shouldn't ask for more.

 

[fernandezhjr]

Does it require an external power source like the Nexus 4 does? Or did google design it correctly for the nexus 7?

I thought you said Google isn't a hardware maker. You sure do contradict yourself a lot.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[Aquila]

I thought you said Google isn't a hardware maker. You sure do contradict yourself a lot.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

LG designed the N4; Asus the N7.

 

[Scott7217]

I guess I need to get an idea specifically what exactly do people with huge storage needs actually do with it to understand here.

Well, I'll try to get the ball rolling.

Google Translate has language packs that you can download to use when you're offline. The problem is that they're huge. So let's say that you're taking a trip to Europe, and you want to load several languages to help you speak to the local people. You'll need a lot of space to hold all the languages you need. But once you have them loaded, you don't need access to the cloud. You can select a language and just type or speak. Google Translate handles the rest. Certainly, if you're only going to a single country that only has speakers of one language, you can save a lot of space by only downloading that one language and none of the other languages.

I'll try to think of other scenarios, but feel free to discuss.

 

[Aquila]

Well, I'll try to get the ball rolling.

Google Translate has language packs that you can download to use when you're offline. The problem is that they're huge. So let's say that you're taking a trip to Europe, and you want to load several languages to help you speak to the local people. You'll need a lot of space to hold all the languages you need. But once you have them loaded, you don't need access to the cloud. You can select a language and just type or speak. Google Translate handles the rest. Certainly, if you're only going to a single country that only has speakers of one language, you can save a lot of space by only downloading that one language and none of the other languages.

I'll try to think of other scenarios, but feel free to discuss.

Another are some third party map/navigation apps. Massive amounts of data. You could use Google Maps and the included turn by turn, etc, but some people prefer specific feature from these other apps.

 

[Scott7217]

I agree with you. Do we really need a quad core processor in a phone, I doubt it, but in the spec war it looks great. Same with the displays, is a Ultra HD display really necessary on a 4.4 inch screen that is a foot from your eye? All the things that a phone can possibly do, are pretty much being done already in my opinion. So in order to differentiate your phone from the competition, more cores, more memory, bigger screen, more pixels, etc. are the talking points of the sales people trying to get you to upgrade and pay upwards of $700 for a new phone that doesn't do much more than the one you may presently own. And by the way, with the subsidized pricing of the phones with a contract, that is just about what you will wind up paying for most decent phones. That is what I really love about the Nexus 4. It costs $350 which is about 50% of the cost of comparable phones without an expensive contract and stuffed with unwanted bloatware to help pay for it.

We'll probably reach a plateau in the development of phone hardware when there isn't a noticeable difference in the user experience. Screen size and processor power may be getting to a point where they're "good enough" for most people. Categories that need improvement include battery life, camera quality, and durability. Once we make advances in those areas, we may be getting to a point where people don't feel the need to upgraded so often.

 

[Scott7217]

I think they will be better. All of them have slightly better specs. The One has a significantly better camera IMO, and front stereo speakers. The S4 will have an upgradable battery.


Not sure why the Xperia series never appealed to me. On paper there is no reason it shouldn't. They always have good specs and Sony is on board with Vanilla Android. Sony has been much better than HTC or Samsung when it came to updates. Just never liked the way they look I guess.

The Sony Ericsson phones had delayed software updates, and they always seemed to be running last year's hardware (i.e. they were always a step behind of the competition). Now that the mobile division changed to just Sony, we're starting to get really good stuff on the high end.

I've held a Sony Xperia Z. It feels like a big slate of glass, but it's not too heavy. I'm not a big fan of all the port covers, which are needed for the phone to get its water resistance rating. The speaker is on the right side, near the bottom, which I thought was an odd place. The power button is in the middle of the right side, and it protrudes. I'm worried that the power button will constantly turn on your phone in your pocket if it's accidentally pressed. A lot of reviews say the viewing angles on the screen are bad. I view that as a feature because it provides a little privacy if you don't like curious people looking at what you're doing on your phone. If you look at the screen head-on, it's gorgeous. It may be the Bravia engine that make the colors pop, and I hope that will come over in the Google Edition version.

I actually prefer the other Sony phone, the Xperia ZL. It has really small bezels, so you get a 5-inch screen in a more manageable size for one-handed use. The ZL also has a rubber back that provides grip, and the phone comes with LTE for AT&T and T-Mobile if you get the C6506 model. Unfortunately, I don't think there will be a Google Edition for the ZL, so you'll be stuck with the Z if you want that. Also, the screen colors aren't as good as the Z, but you won't notice that unless you view them side by side.

 

[Scott7217]

People on here seem to think that buying a product means you are not allowed to criticize it. The complaining of other owners was useful to me in deciding to purchase stuff in the past. So I would like to see it continue. I do not want opinions only from fanboys.

I knew the limitations of the nexus before I bought it. I chose to buy it anyway. It's assets made up for it's flaws.

For me, I'd rather compromise on storage and get stock Android instead of getting more storage and get TouchWiz or Sense. It seemed like the lesser of two evils to me. Of course, I still want more storage, which is why I keep looking for rumors on a Nexus 5 with 32 GB. I know they're rumors, but I want to believe.

 

[Scott7217]

The Nexus 5 will be the Motorola X, wait and see.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

If the Nexus 5 turns out to be the Motorola X phone, can what we thought would be the Nexus 5 turn out to be the Nexus phablet (aka the Samsung Galaxy Note with stock Android and stylus support)? I can dream, right?

 

[JeffDenver]

You're gonna laugh. I got a super cheap refurbed 8GB for just over a hundo. lol

I also have a 10" Asus EEEpad transformer that really serves as our movie media workhorse. The SD adapter trick works nicely though for swapping the SD card from the EEEpad to the N7 if/when needed (rarely).

I have an Asus Transformer (TF700) as well. My model has an SD slot...an external one that is easily accessible. No dongle required. It also has gotten updates quickly. Asus gets it.

 

[JeffDenver]

I thought you said Google isn't a hardware maker. You sure do contradict yourself a lot.

It is probably because you are ignoring half of what I say. If you pay attention you will find the contradictions are no longer there.

They do not sell phones to make money...that is what I meant by hardware maker. Google DESIGNS the hardware as far as specs and features...they do not make it themselves. They tell other companies what they want and those companies make it for them.

I hope you got it that time. Repeating myself wastes both our time.

 

[JeffDenver]

I like talking at you, we all do.

So apparently being "closed minded and argumentative" makes me appealing to you.

So why do you keep saying "discussion over"? Your responses seem to say you want me to continue.

 

[fernandezhjr]

It is probably because you are ignoring half of what I say. If you pay attention you will find the contradictions are no longer there.

They do not sell phones to make money...that is what I meant by hardware maker. Google DESIGNS the hardware as far as specs and features...they do not make it themselves. They tell other companies what they want and those companies make it for them.

I hope you got it that time. Repeating myself wastes both our time.

I ignore half of what you say because half of what you say makes no sense. In fact, I notice you tend to forget half of what you say anyways, which is what makes you contradict yourself. Ok, so now we add that Google dictated how the GE S4 and One are designed. So they are designed by Google, run Google software, will be updated directly thru Google, sold directly thru the Google Playstore, and are titled Google Edition. I'm still trying to figure why anyone would argue they are not Google phones. Lol.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[JeffDenver]

I ignore half of what you say because half of what you say makes no sense.

I am glad we agree you are ignoring half of what I say. I explains a lot.

If you are going to continue ignoring half of what I say then these misunderstandings will continue as well. Nothing I have said is contradictory if you do not ignore half of what I say.

Ok, so now we add that Google dictated how the GE S4 and One are designed.

Yes.

So they are designed by Google

...as far as specs and features. Google did not design the components. The Nexus 4 is an LG phone with the features and specs google wanted it to have. LG designed the actual phone though, not google.

I'm still trying to figure why anyone would argue they are not Google phones. Lol.

If you continue to ignore what I am saying, the mystery will continue as well.

There are no google factories. There are LG factories. LG is producing the phones, not google. Google is just telling them what they want the phones to do.

Example: When you buy a new car, and tell the dealer what you want the car to have as far as it's options...does that mean you designed the car or manufactured it?

 

[Jennifer Stough]

Ok, so now we add that Google dictated how the GE S4 and One are designed. So they are designed by Google, run Google software, will be updated directly thru Google, sold directly thru the Google Playstore, and are titled Google Edition. I'm still trying to figure why anyone would argue they are not Google phones. Lol.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Yes.


...as far as specs and features. Google did not design the components. The Nexus 4 is an LG phone with the features and specs google wanted it to have. LG designed the actual phone though, not google.

Google did not design how the GE S4 and ONE were designed. The Google edition s4 and ONE were designed and manufactured by their own own perspective manufacturers. Google is simply taking these predefined phones, and supplementing their operating systems with it's own, likely to have a few tweaks to retain a few individual features such as beats for the one. Neither of the two are "Google phones." They are a Samsung phone, and an HTC phone, running Google's vanilla software. They are a special edition phone, of sorts.

You are correct about the nexus, however.



Sent from my HTC6435LVW using AC Forums mobile app

 

[fernandezhjr]

I am glad we agree you are ignoring half of what I say. I explains a lot.

If you are going to continue ignoring half of what I say then these misunderstandings will continue as well. Nothing I have said is contradictory if you do not ignore half of what I say.


Yes.


...as far as specs and features. Google did not design the components. The Nexus 4 is an LG phone with the features and specs google wanted it to have. LG designed the actual phone though, not google.


If you continue to ignore what I am saying, the mystery will continue as well.

There are no google factories. There are LG factories. LG is producing the phones, not google. Google is just telling them what they want the phones to do.

Example: When you buy a new car, and tell the dealer what you want the car to have as far as it's options...does that mean you designed the car or manufactured it?

So the N4 is not a Google phone since it was manufactured by LG. I never realized subsidizing the build of a product no longer makes it yours.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[Jennifer Stough]

So the N4 is not a Google phone since it was manufactured by LG. I never realized subsidizing the build of a product no longer makes it yours.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

No, it is not a "Google phone." It is a Nexus phone, made in partnership of Google and LG.

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using AC Forums mobile app

 

[fernandezhjr]

Google did not design how the GE S4 and ONE were designed. The Google edition s4 and ONE were designed and manufactured by their own own perspective manufacturers. Google is simply taking these predefined phones, and supplementing their operating systems with it's own, likely to have a few tweaks to retain a few individual features such as beats for the one. Neither of the two are "Google phones." They are a Samsung phone, and an HTC phone, running Google's vanilla software. They are a special edition phone, of sorts.

You are correct about the nexus, however.



Sent from my HTC6435LVW using AC Forums mobile app

How is Google supplementing their software with its own? They already run Google's software. They only difference is they are not adding their own interface to them. Apparently that is the key. If LG were to take the N4 and modify the interface of the operating system to it's own designs, I take nobody would consider it a Google phone anymore. So, since we know that Google does not build phones and we know that all the manufacturers start off what vanilla android before adding their own interface, what defines a phone as being Googles? We know now it isn't a phone that runs vanilla Android that is sold thru the Playstore.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[Jennifer Stough]

How is Google supplementing their software with its own? They already run Google's software. They only difference is they are not adding their own interface to them. Apparently that is the key. If LG were to take the N4 and modify the interface of the operating system to it's own designs, I take nobody would consider it a Google phone anymore. So, since we know that Google does not build phones and we know that all the manufacturers start off what vanilla android before adding their own interface, what defines a phone as being Googles? We know now it isn't a phone that runs vanilla Android that is sold thru the Playstore.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Oh, my bad, let me be more specific since we are obviously splitting hairs here. They are taking this predefined phone, and stripping down all of samsungs and htcs software that has been added (lets remember, it's not just a "skin" or a "launcher," it is much more implemented than just having vanilla android with touchwiz or sense added on top, they are ingrained into the source code. Android is open sourced, they can add whatever they want, modify it however they please. It essentially becomes their software with an android base. Once that software is stripped, they are replacing it with a, and here's the important part, modified version of their vanilla android. It is Google edition because it will not be "skinned" and it will not have carrier bloat, manufacturer bloat, none of it. It will, however, contain a few modifications to incorporate some of the more well known features to these phones. There is no "Google phone." Ever. Any where. It is a fictional term created to label a phone, and that phone does not exist. The important label here is NEXUS, which is the label given when Google partners with a manufacturer to create a phone running vanilla android "from Google." The GE edition phones are not nexus devices, nor are they Google phones.

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