Personal computing discussed
Moderators: renee, David, mac_h8r1, Nelliesboo
cynan wrote:I have a Galaxy Nexus and like it well enough. I think, for $350, it's hard to find a better value Android (and maybe any) phone right now if you don't want a contract.
The Galaxy SII has slightly better hardware specs, but you'll likely not notice it. The Nexus is still more than capable at running any casual 3D Android game or application. The still camera on the Nexus isn't the best, especially compared to some of the newer phones coming out. Video capture (at up to 1080p), however, is very decent.
The main feature is the gorgeous 720p screen. Sure, the Galaxy SIII may have a slightly improved version, but the screen on the Nexus is no slouch - and is a notable improvement over the non HD screen on the Galaxy SII. To me, a great screen is probably the single most important feature on a smart phone.
The fact of the matter is that, with an aftermarket rom (I like AOKP myself, but cyanogen is good too) and the right kernel (I'm currently using Franco Kernel) - and there is tons of rom support for the Nexus - you can easily tweak the phone so that it feels just as responsive and snappy as anything out there for day to day use, especially now that Jelly Bean is out. Some people complain that the Nexus doesn't have a micro SD slot, but again, once the phone is rooted, you can use regular USB flash drives for your external storage needs..
continuum wrote:IIRC the Nexus does come in a 16GB version or a 32GB version-- there's what, 4 versions? So check...
Not all support HSPA+ so make sure you get the correct one.
mph_Ragnarok wrote:What is with this fascination with no-contract phones? I mean data and phone service are so essential to life these days i don't see myself ever cancelling anyway, plus 2 years isn't that long.
Also, why would you throw away the benefit of the subsidy?? You're paying 80 bux a month for service and you're not even using the subsidy this monthly cost implies! You're basically paying the amount of the subsidy, which is like 600 dollars (you pay 200 bux for an 800 dollar phone!) just for the ability to leave within 2 years, which you probably wont' do anyway. The penalty there wouldn't be 600 bux anyway!
continuum wrote:IIRC the Nexus does come in a 16GB version or a 32GB version-- there's what, 4 versions? So check...
Not all support HSPA+ so make sure you get the correct one.
mph_Ragnarok wrote:What is with this fascination with no-contract phones? I mean data and phone service are so essential to life these days i don't see myself ever cancelling anyway, plus 2 years isn't that long.
DancinJack wrote:T-Mobile has some pretty awesome prepaid plans. The best of all, 100 min + unlimited text and data for...30/month. 30. Not 80+ like it would cost on contract from Verizon or ATT. I don't know all the price points of all the plans, but it doesn't get much better than that. The benefit of "throwing away" the subsidy? Being able to use my phone on any network I want at any time I want. In the US, service providers don't usually, if ever, offer unlocked phones on a subsidy. If we look at something like an unlocked HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus which is only 350 from the Play Store + 30 bucks a month plan from T-Mo you make up the cost of the subsidy pretty dang quick. I don't know what ATT's ETF is, but I know what mine is at Verizon. As soon as it gets a little lower, i'll be cancelling. Just for reference the ETF at Verizon starts at 350 bucks if you sign up a new plan/upgrade with a smartphone. Ugly.
MadManOriginal wrote:I am curious about one thing though. Given that the Nexus get the latest Android version with no carrier frills pretty much right away, what is the appeal of a custom ROM on it? Aside from maybe the pure tweaking geek 'because I can' factor.
derFunkenstein wrote:Something you give up with that plan is partner data roaming. Doesn't really make a difference to me, and it may not make a difference to you depending on where you're going, but it's something to consider if there's poor T-mo coverage where you go somewhat frequently. My post-paid no-subsidy plan does get to roam data on AT&T EDGE (and if I had a pentaband phone, it could roam for 3G too, I'm sure) on the rare occasion where I'm out of T-mobile's coverage area.
mph_Ragnarok wrote:What is with this fascination with no-contract phones? I mean data and phone service are so essential to life these days i don't see myself ever cancelling anyway, plus 2 years isn't that long.
DancinJack wrote:To keep things on track: You should get the Nexus. It is also a penta-band phone so you can roam on ATT like Funk said. I love mine. Even on stock, the Nexus is better than many Android phones to date.
DancinJack wrote:MadManOriginal wrote:I am curious about one thing though. Given that the Nexus get the latest Android version with no carrier frills pretty much right away, what is the appeal of a custom ROM on it? Aside from maybe the pure tweaking geek 'because I can' factor.
Extra shortcuts and customization that make your life with a phone easier. I have a Nexus and have run a custom ROM from pretty much day one. I like having custom toggles in my notification pull down. I like having battery percentage instead of an icon. I like using custom kernels to extend battery life, tweak the screen colors/gamma/etc. There are a ton of features that are built in to custom ROMs that you wouldn't necessarily be able to do with stock. Like you said though I'm sure a lot of it is "because I can" and I just don't realize it.
MadManOriginal wrote:Oooo...unadvertised secret plan! Do tell.
btw, you do know T-Mobile recently made some of their monthly plans availble with unlimited data? The 'all unlimited' is $70, or 500 voice minutes for $60. Is yours less? http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/Packages/V ... kages.aspx (same coverage as their contract plans, unlike the 'Monthly 4G No Annual Contract' plans, which, to be fair, have some less expensive options - not worth the coverage tradeoff imo though.)
MadManOriginal wrote:I always wondered why T-Mobile offered those Value Plans and 'Monthly 4G' prepaid. Now I wonder why they offer those Value Plans and regular contract plans Maybe if you bring your own phone it's different?
derFunkenstein wrote:I took it because I needed more talk minutes than the 100 (GVoice is not porting in numbers from my area code, and my desire to keep my phone number was a priority) and I needed more data than the 100MB in the lowest-tier unlimited plan. The contract is not a big deal because we love the coverage. After tax, it works out to around $43/mo per phone for 1000 shared minutes and 2GB of (shared? not shared? not sure) full-speed data and unlimited slow data. Neither of us use more than 400-450MB/mo and we usually burn through around 400 minutes between the two of us. We could have taken a phone subsidy but when you still have to pay a non-$0 amount out of pocket for decent phones (at least, that was the case in May) it didn't make any sense at all.
Straight Talk looks tempting but I'd always been scared off of it based on people griping on HF that if you go over ~2GB/mo they shut you off. While I don't come close, the thought of losing my phone number kinda weirds me out.
Anyway, I really want to vote for the One S. Jelly Bean cometh at the end of the month.
MadManOriginal wrote:The coverage is different for the type of plan you have ('Monthly 4G') which is why it's cheaper. But yeah that $30 plan is pretty unbeatable if you're OK with the coverage.
I figured the 'Value Plans' would make sense if you don't want a contract but want the superior coverage. If it's just a contract anyway they're a lot less appealing.