- May 17, 2010
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Not a niche device...
- Thread starter sag7392
- Start date
Phil Nickinson
Android Central Editor Emeritus
- Apr 21, 2009
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Building and selling are two very different things. And the U.S. and Asia are very different markets. (Nobody knows yet where ZTE will sell these mythical things -- or when.)
Thanks for the different point of view. I posted subject "Fakes" where Engadget called called a video of the Chinese phones KIRF(keep it real fakes).
- May 17, 2010
- 67
- 3
- 0
It's not so much on the building or selling or even fake devices...it's the fact it's being talked about. If manufacturers are looking to consider making there own version, I wouldn't consider this to be a niche device. In my humble opinion, I don't believe niche and this device goes together any longer.
And believe me, I pondered quite awhile to get this device...especially with the Evo LTE, One X, and now the SGSIII hitting the market. At the very beginning, I did consider it to be a 15min fad...but, I'm very happy to have taken the plunge.
And believe me, I pondered quite awhile to get this device...especially with the Evo LTE, One X, and now the SGSIII hitting the market. At the very beginning, I did consider it to be a 15min fad...but, I'm very happy to have taken the plunge.
jontalk
Well-known member
- Feb 29, 2012
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I have to say for someone who's been with an iOS device for years, this forum is chocked full of interesting tidbits, though it can be a bit overwhelming. Point in case, I was just reading a thread about Samsung's software being some of the worst. And in the Note and Skyrocket forums I've been monitoring, it would appear that this may be somewhat correct.
So my question is this: If contemplating the purchase of a G Note or Skyrocket, what is one to expect when being new at Android? And is the software on the G Nexus any better? After all, the Nexus is a Samsung device too, though not available with ATT (though it's tempting since I can get one at Amazon for $50). And then comes the carrier comparison: ATT or Verizon. It seems to me that while ATT does not get the highest ratings, the fact that their LTE is faster and ALL devices are simultaneous voice/data makes them a better choice , especially as an existing customer. From what I read, Verizon is the most reliable but also the most expensive.
Anyone want to chime in here?
So my question is this: If contemplating the purchase of a G Note or Skyrocket, what is one to expect when being new at Android? And is the software on the G Nexus any better? After all, the Nexus is a Samsung device too, though not available with ATT (though it's tempting since I can get one at Amazon for $50). And then comes the carrier comparison: ATT or Verizon. It seems to me that while ATT does not get the highest ratings, the fact that their LTE is faster and ALL devices are simultaneous voice/data makes them a better choice , especially as an existing customer. From what I read, Verizon is the most reliable but also the most expensive.
Anyone want to chime in here?
@ Jontalk: Google is now selling the G-Nex direct for $399. I understand that since it's an unlocked GSM device it will work on either At&t or T-Mobile with no contract.
If you're interested in a G-Nex on At&t this news may be worthy of consideration?
If you want the best google experience there is nothing better then a Nexas(GED) device. I have Motorola Xoom and don't regret it one bit. With previous GED devices though there have been noteable gaps in functionality that have generally ended corrected with software from the Play Store. But the Galaxy Nexas haveing 4.04 is awesome. I ran ICS on my old ATT Captivate for a while and WOW. It just rocks, not much i can say that needed to be enhanced from stock.
@sag7392
Those video reviews are interesting, but some of the stuff isn't really fair. I am not saying his video's aren't valid, but the biggest problem with android is that what you experience from one phone to the next is never going to be the same as long as you have custom UI's like Sense and Touchwize. Clearly the reviewer didn't understand all of what touchwize does because all of the social interaction he was just raving about on the fascinate had nothing to do with Android 2.2 and all to do with Touchwiz. The only way you can compare android straight up is with a GED device with stock software, or compare every Android based device individually. Ofcourse some of the base functionality goes across all phones, like some of the amazing sharing functinlaity, and the ability of the apps to work well together, but some of the things he said I believe were a bit off. It would of been interesting for that person to load CynogenMod 7.1 and run with that. It still isn't completely AOSP, but i think it is closer.
That was a big issue for me when I started with my Captivate. I noticed real quick that just saying android really didn't mean much because each OEM modified it some to put there own spin on the OS and to improve functionality.
@jontalk
When you get a GED device you aren't exactly buying it for better software. You buy it for the Google experience that isn't being messed up by the OEMs screwing with the UI, or the carriers loading bloated software that runs in the background. The stock UI on ICS is great. I never had any desire to change how it worked, and I own 2 custom launchers. You are also buying into the ability to get updates as soon as possible. Generally speaking once you have a GED device you will get the update first. My Xoom had ICS about 2 weeks after the Asus transformer prime. Stock ICS is very nice and clean, but you also have to know that if there is functionality that isn't there you will just have to go get a app.
@sag7392
Those video reviews are interesting, but some of the stuff isn't really fair. I am not saying his video's aren't valid, but the biggest problem with android is that what you experience from one phone to the next is never going to be the same as long as you have custom UI's like Sense and Touchwize. Clearly the reviewer didn't understand all of what touchwize does because all of the social interaction he was just raving about on the fascinate had nothing to do with Android 2.2 and all to do with Touchwiz. The only way you can compare android straight up is with a GED device with stock software, or compare every Android based device individually. Ofcourse some of the base functionality goes across all phones, like some of the amazing sharing functinlaity, and the ability of the apps to work well together, but some of the things he said I believe were a bit off. It would of been interesting for that person to load CynogenMod 7.1 and run with that. It still isn't completely AOSP, but i think it is closer.
That was a big issue for me when I started with my Captivate. I noticed real quick that just saying android really didn't mean much because each OEM modified it some to put there own spin on the OS and to improve functionality.
@jontalk
When you get a GED device you aren't exactly buying it for better software. You buy it for the Google experience that isn't being messed up by the OEMs screwing with the UI, or the carriers loading bloated software that runs in the background. The stock UI on ICS is great. I never had any desire to change how it worked, and I own 2 custom launchers. You are also buying into the ability to get updates as soon as possible. Generally speaking once you have a GED device you will get the update first. My Xoom had ICS about 2 weeks after the Asus transformer prime. Stock ICS is very nice and clean, but you also have to know that if there is functionality that isn't there you will just have to go get a app.
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Look, I'm the biggest Note fanboy on Earth and I use it as my main device (my PC is an Asus netbook, of the one-youtube-video-at-a-time kind). So I'll give my opinion, mostly to jontalk and to anybody who may be listening.
In general: the concept of a big phone is absolutely killer. 99% of the people who get a Note will tell you that they can't go back. It's like iPhone vs everybody else in 2007-2009, yes its sales weren't really big, but user flow was completely one-sided. People used to physical keys would try a pure touchscreen interface, and never go back! Seriously, how many do you know who have gone from touchscreen to keyboard? About as many as will go from big to small phone, that is, very few.
So this is the next big wave of disruption in the mobile industry. It's so hard to accept because *everybody* was wrong. Everybody said that phones at 4.5 were at the limit of usability. They were all wrong and only Samsung could combine idea with execution into a killer device. It's that simple, and it's hard for many to swallow. The Note spreads like a bacteria: as more people get it, they tell each other that it fits just fine in their pocket, that it's actually easy to handle, and it's a joy to use. So that leads to other people getting it. Samsung sold 1 million in the first 2 months. Now they sell more than that in Korea alone.
Then again, people with the Note may:
-Complain about Gingerbread and Touchwiz if they're Android purists. Personally, I don't care about ICS and I like Touchwiz. I must mention that supposedly terrible Touchwiz has accompanied Samsung to the top of the smartphone game, while "pure" Nexuses have sold modestly. So whatever massive difference there is, apparently can only be identified by "experts" in these matters.
-Complain about pixelation in videos if...okay, this happens to a lot of people and it's really annoying sometimes. The only solution is using MP4, the MX Player and turn on SW. (But Samsung doesn't tell you that! They definitely have to sort this out)
-Complain about banding if they're screenophiles. Seriously, somebody in the HTCmania Spanish forum showed some images showing this supposed problem, comparing it to the same images in the S2, and I hadn't even noticed it. I don't care and it's not a problem if you ask normal people.
-Complaying about the lack of a LED notification if they come from HTC.
-Complaying about the lack of a text magnifier if they come from iPhone.
-Etc etc etc ad infinitum
So, there is no perfect product. You can always find things to whine about, be them serious (pixelation) or trivial (magnifier). People in the forums criticize the Note, they aren't Samsung employees.
But you *never* hear them saying the Note is too big. Never. And that is the key: big phones are here to stay. Samsung has discovered a whole new aspect to smartphones and I'm convinced this is not the end of the road, there are bigger devices in the pipeline. We will see some even bigger than the Note. And they're going to take a huge chunk of the market. The Note may already be the best-selling Android device, in fact it's only rivalled by the S2.
(I also find it amusing that people here never consider the Kindle Fire a niche product. It's only available in one country and Amazon hasn't even hinted at how many it's selling. But the Note is selling better, you can be sure).
I'm not telling you anything new, but just about any activity you want to do with your phone is going to be better on a bigger screen. Now getting specific: would I buy a Note today?
No! Because we're going to see the S3 on May 3, and it may be something really special. If it isn't, I would get the Note. You're going to enjoy it. Just remember the MP4 and MX thing!
PS: as has been mentioned, it's worth paying a $200 premium for the unlocked version of the Nexus, if you decide that's the device for you
PS2: the pen is totally optional but really fun with some apps, and with games too
In general: the concept of a big phone is absolutely killer. 99% of the people who get a Note will tell you that they can't go back. It's like iPhone vs everybody else in 2007-2009, yes its sales weren't really big, but user flow was completely one-sided. People used to physical keys would try a pure touchscreen interface, and never go back! Seriously, how many do you know who have gone from touchscreen to keyboard? About as many as will go from big to small phone, that is, very few.
So this is the next big wave of disruption in the mobile industry. It's so hard to accept because *everybody* was wrong. Everybody said that phones at 4.5 were at the limit of usability. They were all wrong and only Samsung could combine idea with execution into a killer device. It's that simple, and it's hard for many to swallow. The Note spreads like a bacteria: as more people get it, they tell each other that it fits just fine in their pocket, that it's actually easy to handle, and it's a joy to use. So that leads to other people getting it. Samsung sold 1 million in the first 2 months. Now they sell more than that in Korea alone.
Then again, people with the Note may:
-Complain about Gingerbread and Touchwiz if they're Android purists. Personally, I don't care about ICS and I like Touchwiz. I must mention that supposedly terrible Touchwiz has accompanied Samsung to the top of the smartphone game, while "pure" Nexuses have sold modestly. So whatever massive difference there is, apparently can only be identified by "experts" in these matters.
-Complain about pixelation in videos if...okay, this happens to a lot of people and it's really annoying sometimes. The only solution is using MP4, the MX Player and turn on SW. (But Samsung doesn't tell you that! They definitely have to sort this out)
-Complain about banding if they're screenophiles. Seriously, somebody in the HTCmania Spanish forum showed some images showing this supposed problem, comparing it to the same images in the S2, and I hadn't even noticed it. I don't care and it's not a problem if you ask normal people.
-Complaying about the lack of a LED notification if they come from HTC.
-Complaying about the lack of a text magnifier if they come from iPhone.
-Etc etc etc ad infinitum
So, there is no perfect product. You can always find things to whine about, be them serious (pixelation) or trivial (magnifier). People in the forums criticize the Note, they aren't Samsung employees.
But you *never* hear them saying the Note is too big. Never. And that is the key: big phones are here to stay. Samsung has discovered a whole new aspect to smartphones and I'm convinced this is not the end of the road, there are bigger devices in the pipeline. We will see some even bigger than the Note. And they're going to take a huge chunk of the market. The Note may already be the best-selling Android device, in fact it's only rivalled by the S2.
(I also find it amusing that people here never consider the Kindle Fire a niche product. It's only available in one country and Amazon hasn't even hinted at how many it's selling. But the Note is selling better, you can be sure).
I'm not telling you anything new, but just about any activity you want to do with your phone is going to be better on a bigger screen. Now getting specific: would I buy a Note today?
No! Because we're going to see the S3 on May 3, and it may be something really special. If it isn't, I would get the Note. You're going to enjoy it. Just remember the MP4 and MX thing!
PS: as has been mentioned, it's worth paying a $200 premium for the unlocked version of the Nexus, if you decide that's the device for you
PS2: the pen is totally optional but really fun with some apps, and with games too
@Derfel64: really good write up.
Your point about how few people will ever go from touchscreen back to keyboard, relates to how people with the larger screen Note say they will never go back to a smaller screen is so insightful.
I've said it before, the Note, and devices like it, have solves a problem that many people have. Many people are still confused and on the fence about buying a tablet when they own a smartphone.
However, devices like the Note give the consumer the best of both, and they can carry one device knowing that every task they need to perform is made easier and more efficient with the larger screen; oh, and by the way, did I mention it will make phone calls too.
Your point about how few people will ever go from touchscreen back to keyboard, relates to how people with the larger screen Note say they will never go back to a smaller screen is so insightful.
I've said it before, the Note, and devices like it, have solves a problem that many people have. Many people are still confused and on the fence about buying a tablet when they own a smartphone.
However, devices like the Note give the consumer the best of both, and they can carry one device knowing that every task they need to perform is made easier and more efficient with the larger screen; oh, and by the way, did I mention it will make phone calls too.
@Derfel64: really good write up.
Your point about how few people will ever go from touchscreen back to keyboard, relates to how people with the larger screen Note say they will never go back to a smaller screen is so insightful.
I've said it before, the Note, and devices like it, have solves a problem that many people have. Many people are still confused and on the fence about buying a tablet when they own a smartphone.
However, devices like the Note give the consumer the best of both, and they can carry one device knowing that every task they need to perform is made easier and more efficient with the larger screen; oh, and by the way, did I mention it will make phone calls too.
That is the exact reason i bought the note. I used an ipad for a week but couldn't justify the extra devices. My iphone 4 was just too small to browse and watch movies comfortably. The note is perfect for me. I will actually keep this phone for two years. I can't, i repeat, i can never use a smaller screen.
I hear you , more reason why Sprint needs to pick up Gnote for their customers who want a larger screen.
sent from Evo4G using Tapatalk
Sure it is... Too big. Like holding an aircraft carrier to your face
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
I honestly don't see why people say its as big as a tablet. IMHO, its the PERFECT size for a smartphone. Really hope this thing blows up and people will start opening their eyes to this kind of market.
that's why they created a little device you place in your ear called--(say it with me -BLUETOOTH)! LOL
mmohn01
Well-known member
- Aug 31, 2010
- 328
- 0
- 0
that's why they created a little device you place in your ear called--(say it with me -BLUETOOTH)! LOL
I agree. I rarely ever talk on this thing without my Bluetooth. Half of your gave disappears when you hold it up to your head.
You sound like all of the iPhone fanbois that say 4.3"+ Android phones are too big. It will be funny when the new iPhone comes out with a larger footprint.
In addition, most people use bluetooth and speakerphone instead of holding a phone and I don't give a fvck what people thing about the size of my phone. Just jealousy...
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