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seankay
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Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 12:49 am

Will it be a worthy opponent to iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 in the market?
 
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 8:35 am

Another phone. I can hardly contain the excitement. ;)
 
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 9:31 am

No, it's way too expensive.
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 9:35 am

It is a generic phone that is missing many desirable features whilst costing far too much.

I can't honestly imagine why anyone would be excited about it when there is so much innovation and varying options already available in the Android ecosystem.
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 9:39 am

This is going to end badly. If Google doesn't reboot their hardware line entirely in 2017, they most likely will by the end of 2018.
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 9:57 am

I wonder what the support is going to be like. Do you have to deal with the carrier or will there be Google support.

Knock Apple for its decisions but when it comes to support nothing beats walking into a Apple store or Approved Apple Service Provider and getting on the spot support for break/fix items or even to field wonky off the wall questions or "How-To's". Hell even their 1-800 phone support is great.
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 10:07 am

In the case of my Nexus 6P, VZW put it on their network and then pretty much said "you're on your own from here". When I bring up my VZW account online, it doesn't even have an image of my phone on the account (unlike the wife's iPhone 6S and daughter's Galaxy S5). Heck, it's not even listed as a Nexus, but instead as a Huawei H1511.
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 10:13 am

seankay wrote:
Will it be a worthy opponent to iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 in the market?

At first glance...  no, not really.  It looks like a decent phone, and some people will be excited because it's Google or whatever, but for the mainstream buyer there doesn't seem to be anything that really makes it shine versus the competition.
 
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 10:15 am

tanker27 wrote:
I wonder what the support is going to be like. Do you have to deal with the carrier or will there be Google support.

Knock Apple for its decisions but when it comes to support nothing beats walking into a Apple store or Approved Apple Service Provider and getting on the spot support for break/fix items or even to field wonky off the wall questions or "How-To's". Hell even their 1-800 phone support is great

I believe for technical support your supposed to get live 24/7 direct support from google including screen sharing with their techs. People have speculated that it's a big part of the cost of the phones. If true that's another reason for me not to be interested.
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 11:42 am

I have been following its development for months, and I am planning on getting one.  Although admittedly, the price is steeper than I anticipated.
My main requirements are:  5.0" or smaller, Android, Verizon compatibility, and unlocked bootloader.
 
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 11:54 am

No unlocked boot loader... VZW doesn't believe in them..

Also, I don't believe Google is targeting tech/device enthusiasts.. they are targeting the consumers who go to their carrier store or Best Buy for their phone purchases. Offering financing is positioning the device just like an iPhone or Samsung. I wouldn't be surprised if Google opens up stores in a year or two to show off the ecosystem that they are building with Wifi and Home.. Along with other services..
 
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 11:56 am

cphite wrote:
seankay wrote:
Will it be a worthy opponent to iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 in the market?

At first glance...  no, not really.  It looks like a decent phone, and some people will be excited because it's Google or whatever, but for the mainstream buyer there doesn't seem to be anything that really makes it shine versus the competition.


Except the specs are "just as good or better" and in reference to Samsung, at least the Pixel isn't (literally) blowing up yet. Samsung is really going to take a hit for this Note 7 fiasco. A replacement Note 7 burned up while the phone and its owner were on a plane last night. ****

Most of it depends on if they can get into the other carrier stores. Being a VZW only for now (as far as retail wireless stores goes) is going to hurt uptake.
Last edited by DancinJack on Thu Oct 06, 2016 11:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 11:57 am

druidcent wrote:
No unlocked boot loader... VZW doesn't believe in them..

Also, I don't believe Google is targeting tech/device enthusiasts.. they are targeting the consumers who go to their carrier store or Best Buy for their phone purchases. Offering financing is positioning the device just like an iPhone or Samsung. I wouldn't be surprised if Google opens up stores in a year or two to show off the ecosystem that they are building with Wifi and Home.. Along with other services..


My Nexus 6P works on Verizon and has an unlocked bootloader. Just buy from the Google store.
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 12:04 pm

cheesyking wrote:
No, it's way too expensive.

Amen.  I'm really unhappy with the price.  I'd love an Android phone that has security updates, a decent processor, around $400 USD, and no bigger than 5 inches .
 
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 12:18 pm

DancinJack wrote:
druidcent wrote:
No unlocked boot loader... VZW doesn't believe in them..

Also, I don't believe Google is targeting tech/device enthusiasts.. they are targeting the consumers who go to their carrier store or Best Buy for their phone purchases. Offering financing is positioning the device just like an iPhone or Samsung. I wouldn't be surprised if Google opens up stores in a year or two to show off the ecosystem that they are building with Wifi and Home.. Along with other services..


My Nexus 6P works on Verizon and has an unlocked bootloader.  Just buy from the Google store.

Sorry.. I should have been specific... devices purchased from VZW will have a locked boot loader (as per my understanding). I know that Google Store will have unlocked devices for GSM carriers, not sure if the same process as 6P will work for VZW or other CDMA carriers. (theoretically it should, but VZW could implement some sort of block)
 
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 12:36 pm

I asked the Made By Google Twitter if devices from the Google Store would work on Verizon. I was told that yes, they will. Evan Blass says that the VZW-sold devices will not have unlockable boot loaders, so if you value custom ROMs you should avoid Verizon devices.

Still not going to buy one at iPhone prices. A year ago, I bought an iPhone at iPhone prices. In the year since, I've been kind of disillusioned with flagship devices. All of them have trade-offs and none of them I'm really willing to go with. I'm tempted to dump the iPhone (selling it for more than I owe Verizon will be easy on Swappa or eBay) and just buy the top-end bootloader-unlockable Moto G4 for $230. At least then I'll get Android updates from the dev community and the phone has an excuse for its trade-offs: it's cheap as dirt.
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 12:41 pm

DancinJack wrote:
Except the specs are "just as good or better" and in reference to Samsung,


As far as most people would notice, the specs aren't drastically superior to something like a Oneplus 3 (Eg, both look to have similar form factors/design and materials). For close to double the price (or more for the XL version), I'm not sure what appreciable improvements that gets 99% of users of their target market.
 
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 12:51 pm

cynan wrote:
DancinJack wrote:
Except the specs are "just as good or better" and in reference to Samsung,


As far as most people would notice, the specs aren't drastically superior to something like a Oneplus 3 (Eg, both look to have similar form factors/design and materials). For close to double the price (or more for the XL version), I'm not sure what appreciable improvements that gets 99% of users of their target market.


There are a couple problems with that though. OnePlus doesn't sell in any carrier stores, and not many other places beyond their site? The people that notice that kind of stuff is, again, our little tiny minority of enthusiats. Google has also been marketing the hell out of this thing. Far more than any other device they've pushed previously.

Pixel market != Nexus market

The vast, vast majority of people are fine paying the ~27-35 bucks a month for two years at Att or Verizon to have a flagship phone. Google will sell a lot more Pixel phones than any of the OnePlus devices have.

Edit: FWIW, I know the OP3 isn't the only example of this, but look at how many people buy the iPhone. Far, far, far more than any other single device ever. I'm not saying Google is at that point with the Pixel, but that's what they're trying to do and they have the resources to get there.
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 1:11 pm

druidcent wrote:
I know that Google Store will have unlocked devices for GSM carriers, not sure if the same process as 6P will work for VZW or other CDMA carriers. (theoretically it should, but VZW could implement some sort of block)

VZW will allow unlocked devices on their network, just won't sell them. In my case, the only thing they've ever done is caution me (not emphatically) about the potential risk of using a 3rd-party ROM, and once I've told them that I understand and accept the risk it's never an issue.
 
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 1:15 pm

derFunkenstein wrote:
I asked the Made By Google Twitter if devices from the Google Store would work on Verizon. I was told that yes, they will. Evan Blass says that the VZW-sold devices will not have unlockable boot loaders, so if you value custom ROMs you should avoid Verizon devices.

Still not going to buy one at iPhone prices. A year ago, I bought an iPhone at iPhone prices. In the year since, I've been kind of disillusioned with flagship devices. All of them have trade-offs and none of them I'm really willing to go with.  I'm tempted to dump the iPhone (selling it for more than I owe Verizon will be easy on Swappa or eBay) and just buy the top-end bootloader-unlockable Moto G4 for $230. At least then I'll get Android updates from the dev community and the phone has an excuse for its trade-offs: it's cheap as dirt.

Yep.. from my perspective, best value for phones is in the $200-$400 range of devices. You get premium phones and most of the features of flagship devices, usually with the same trade-offs. More options at this level too (unless you want an iPhone)
 
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 1:16 pm

Chuckaluphagus wrote:
druidcent wrote:
I know that Google Store will have unlocked devices for GSM carriers, not sure if the same process as 6P will work for VZW or other CDMA carriers. (theoretically it should, but VZW could implement some sort of block)

VZW will allow unlocked devices on their network, just won't sell them.  In my case, the only thing they've ever done is caution me (not emphatically) about the potential risk of using a 3rd-party ROM, and once I've told them that I understand and accept the risk it's never an issue.

Yep.. that's my feeling too.. But there is always the possibility they can change the policy.
 
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 1:21 pm

I've been a big fan of Nexus devices since the Nexus 7. I've owned most of what they've released.

I'm not buying a Pixel XL. Too many missing things.

It still doesn't have a removable battery or microSD slot, but neither did the Nexus devices, so this isn't a negative so much as a missed opportunity.

It offers only very minor tweaks and improvements over the Nexus 6P. It's basically a version 1.1 Nexus 6P.

It no longer runs an open-source operating system. Google has finally moved all the important parts of the phone into their binary-only apps bundle. If you actually grab the AOSP dump of 7.0 and compile it, then flash it onto your phone, you'll wonder what the hell you've got. Old, outdated launcher, no phone app, no usable text/MMS app, no calendar, nothing. Just placeholder apps left over from Android 4.0.

Forget it, I'm done. I might get a 6P as a refresh to my Nexus 6 when the price bottoms out in a month or two, but after that I'll be looking further afield for my next phone.
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 1:25 pm

As the owner of a OnePlusOne, I can't see anything pushing me to buy a phone until either the battery degrades, I break it, or 5G become ubiquitous.  Phones have been "fast enough" for years, and no one is making significant strides on improving quality of life (battery life, innovative features, et cetera).  Once you pay $300-400 for a "flagship-specced" phone it would take a truly amazing product to get me to pay the Pixel, Apple, or Samsung tax.  While Google software support is worth a lot to me, it's not worth a 100% markup.
 
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 3:08 pm

The price is too high for the features.

It looks like anyone else's flagship, and it's priced like one. It doesn't stand out, so my excitement is basically nil.

The Nexus lines used to be about a compelling value proposition. Consumers got a good deal on a phone, and other OEMs got a baseline feature set for their next refresh. Now they're just also-rans---but at least they don't have TouchWiz.

The tablets showed off what was possible within mainstream budgets. And again, reasonable quality and pricing without TouchWiz.
 
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 3:21 pm

I could be $400 excited.

I'm not $650 excited.  That's within $100 of what we're paying for the wife's 64GB iPhone6 under contract installments, and I swallowed hard on that one and went with it because she doesn't need or want a laptop. As long as she's got her phone or iPad Mini, her mobile needs are covered.
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 4:16 pm

DancinJack wrote:
cphite wrote:
seankay wrote:
Will it be a worthy opponent to iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 in the market?

At first glance...  no, not really.  It looks like a decent phone, and some people will be excited because it's Google or whatever, but for the mainstream buyer there doesn't seem to be anything that really makes it shine versus the competition.


Except the specs are "just as good or better" and in reference to Samsung, at least the Pixel isn't (literally) blowing up yet.  Samsung is really going to take a hit for this Note 7 fiasco.  A replacement Note 7 burned up while the phone and its owner were on a plane last night.  ****

Most of it depends on if they can get into the other carrier stores.  Being a VZW only for now (as far as retail wireless stores goes) is going to hurt uptake.

Well, sure, the not exploding is a nice feature...
But honestly I just don't see anything that's going to make this a must-have device for the mainstream consumer, especially given the price.  There are plenty of phones out there that, while they aren't close in terms of specs, are going to be seen as "just as good" by the average consumer.
 
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 4:20 pm

cphite wrote:
Well, sure, the not exploding is a nice feature...
But honestly I just don't see anything that's going to make this a must-have device for the mainstream consumer, especially given the price.  There are plenty of phones out there that, while they aren't close in terms of specs, are going to be seen as "just as good" by the average consumer.


So how does Apple sell so many iPhones every quarter?
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 4:32 pm

DancinJack wrote:
So how does Apple sell so many iPhones every quarter?

Already respected as a premium brand, and can offer a consistent quality of experience across an entire device ecosystem?
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 4:39 pm

ludi wrote:
DancinJack wrote:
So how does Apple sell so many iPhones every quarter?

Already respected as a premium brand, and can offer a consistent quality of experience across an entire device ecosystem?


While I understand that, that's not really what anyone that's saying "don't want it" is arguing. What i'm trying to get across is that there will be plenty of people that buy this phone and will be more than happy with it. It's not necessarily the group of people that are posting in this thread. Most consumers are the mainstream consumers, and a whole crap-ton of them like the iPhone (and other flagships like the GS7).

FWIW, I think (most) people see Google as a respected brand too. They just have to get out there with something premium so that notion crosses the mind at the same time.
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Re: Anyone Excited about Google Pixel?

Thu Oct 06, 2016 4:47 pm

Verizon is selling the pixel xl while I'm still mulling it over I'll probably get it to replace my s5.
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