2011: Year of the iPad 2!

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The specs for the Nexus Prime are really disappointing:

1.2 GHz but not Exynos
5 MP/1.2 MP cameras
the Amoled HD is pretty impressive especially at 720x1280 resolution
No SD slot
Old GPU...

Very very disappointing...I hope the Ice Cream Sandwich is tastier.
 
Irvinecommuter said:
No SD slot
Click to expand...
This is so funny.

Android fans always rub this in against iPhone users... and the last 2 flagship Google devices don't even support expandable storage (the Nexus S also did not have an SD slot).

Where are you RC?
 
How is everyone so far today...

Just got back from Irvine... lucky I missed the 405 traffic... came in, wife got back into my car and is heading back to lovely Irvine...  Why did we move away?

I had lunch with an old high school friend of mine the other day... I was telling him about life in Irvine and his exact words were... damn, if I lived there I would probably kill myself... and I found myself trying to point out all the wonders of Irvine...

Why am I saying all this?  I think I'm a much more rounded person having lived growing up in LA and living for a period in Irvine...  there are many, many wonderful qualities of Irvine and we do miss them... it's just that we've been enjoying the beaches, shooting up to Beverly center and the West Side & downtown just as much as shooting down to the Spectrum and enjoying the "quietness" of Irvine...

Similarly even though I have never owned a iPhone, I can really appreciate the smoothness and the silky display... no argument there...  Android is my first love and has been suiting me very well... and again I'm no Apple hater... just a friendly jest or two here & there...

So I got some downtime... eating a late lunch with the kid on my knees, trying to type... I will try to give the kid a bath while trying not to get the htc wet... haha... j/k.. the htc doesn't go anywhere near water... seriously...!

here are some more Nexus pics to enjoy in the mean time...

galaxy-nexus.png


oh.. the video just got shut down...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dxlMkGb8L0U[/youtube]
 
I actually think the RAZR might be better than the Nexus Prime... did you see that slide touting its battery life over the HTC TBolt and Samsung Charge?

4.3" is a manageable form factor and they built it to be solid. Moto is actually coming out with some impressive hardware lately... must be that Google support.
 
Yep... another Nexus phone with no external storage.

When Apple does it... the Androiders jump all over it... now what? And the Galaxy Nexus maxes out at 32 GeeBees... boo.

I like the RAZR more... if only it had ice creeeeeeeeaaammmm! (imagine Eddie Murphy)
 
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F_ke3rxopc[/youtube]


A new day has dawned.  With it a door opened last night, what was impossible yesterday is now a reality.  This is the equivalent to New Years Day for Android lovers everywhere this morning...  Yes it looks the same everywhere, same people, same places, same situation, but something does feel different inside and things have certainly change, the world has just shifted and the little green robot has just moved the human race further along.


Rob over at Phandroid has a full hands on ICS and Galaxy Nexus...
http://phandroid.com/2011/10/19/first-impressions-galaxy-nexus-android-4-0/

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rVpjeUhx1M&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz7fa9YnaMA&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPs1uae87oY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1AmBxJGPcc&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]


IMG_75741-300x200.jpg


 
Have you seen the new ASUS Transformer 2 teaser?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp6MZupUq78[/youtube]

I need to sell my old TF before this comes out.
 
I have to admit, I had a rough night after the announcement of ICS, I must have been tossing and turning all night.  And yesterday wasn't easy either.  There was some stress that was constant on my mind, no, not from work, not from the family not from any responsibilities, but the stress was from Android.  Almost immediately after the high from the announcement, there comes this overwhelming pressure to feed the phone lust!


I was already internalizing what I can do with ICS, I was figuring out how I can incorporate the new features into my life.  Then I thought about should I get the new device or which device I should get next.  Should I finally jump on the tablet ship, get a new regular cell phone, dump my htc or get like a third device or carry around two smartphones...  I was literally stressing out!


Then the bloggasphere lit up with people with the same predicament.  People who just got the Droid Bionic are not kicking themselves; people who still haven't got their gingerbread update are really freaking out and most of us are left wondering if we'll get some ICS love.  People on my G+ circles were literally strategically planning, saving and figuring how to budget for the upgrade, some are hoping and praying that the carrier gods would bless them with an upgrade and some are hopelessly left to drift with no chance for an upgrade and some are not forced to jump on board the root train.


I took a step back and thought it through again.  I love my Android, it does EVERYTHING I tell it to do, it's rooted, fast and is more than what I need or want.  Sure those new ICS features are great, and I've seen it mostly before, but I do not need it, period.  My next device might be a ICS tablet, because I that is remotely the only area in my life that might be improved by new technology.  I don't need another smartphone no matter how good it is.


My job description will be changing soon, and I will be doing more traveling in 2012; so when the need is there for more robotic help then I will reassess my options.  But as of now, my trusty LG phone and htc is all I need.  I don't need any more robots around to complicate my life.


Android was never designed to stressed me out, it was never designed to make my life more complicated or feel second-class.  It is a tool to enhance our lives and to make communication better.  I know how easy it is to feed the phone lust, and it's a slippery slop to always have the latest and greatest.  But our deepest needs and desires of identity, self-confidence and worth is not defined by which robot you carry around in your pocket.  I am going to stop stressing, put the phone down and look up more often, which is a wonderful (hard) two year old and a beautiful wife in the REAL -organic super amoled HD plus- living colors...


 
I have been playing with my Galaxy S2 for the last couple of days and absolutely love it.  It's super responsive and unbelievable fast on Wifi.  The virtual keyboard takes a little time to get used to but it's okay.  I cannot wait to get the ICE upgrade.  I think my favorite part is the customizable home screens...the different size icons are great.

Wife got an Iphone 4S and is seriously thinking about getting the S2 instead.  Personally, I find the iOS very clunky and overly burdensome.  Everything takes multiple steps to do. 
 
That is great man, glad to hear that the S2 is working out for you.  The whole virtual keyboard thing does take some time, but once you get it down its a snap.  My entire post this mornings only took me about 15 mins to type.  I can't get to my desktop this morning so I will post links tomorrow but they just rooted your phone for all three carriers now.  Google also released ASOP forICS so expect the CM team to come up with CM9.  IhO will be happy to know IVS is coming to his TF.



Irvinecommuter said:
I have been playing with my Galaxy S2 for the last couple of days and absolutely love it.  It's super responsive and unbelievable fast on Wifi.  The virtual keyboard takes a little time to get used to but it's okay.  I cannot wait to get the ICE upgrade.  I think my favorite part is the customizable home screens...the different size icons are great.

Wife got an Iphone 4S and is seriously thinking about getting the S2 instead.  Personally, I find the iOS very clunky and overly burdensome.  Everything takes multiple steps to do. 
Click to expand...
 
@rc:

You illustrated the difference between Android and iOS. For the people who like to tinker and have the time to get into it, Android is excellent... but not everyone can be an active part of the Android Community, can root their phone... or hire someone to root their phone (heh). I still don't understand why you needed to root your phone... my phone isn't rooted and it does everything I need it to do.

For those who just want a phone that has "smart" capabilities, the iPhone is enough. And while I agree that iOS can be "clunky and overly burdensome" for some tasks (as IrvCommuter put it)... for many... it's simple and smooth... and that's a general consumer desire... something that just works. I've had to power cycle my Android more times in the last 3 months than I've had to on my iPhone 4 in the last year. I hate using the stock browser on my Android... and my screen is definitely not as good as the iP4's Retina Display. I'm not talking about dual-cores, GBs, 4G or widgets... just using the phone.

Google understands this... which is how ICS came to be. Simpler... more consistent... buttonless... and defined. I thought Honeycomb was a great revision and seeing how ICS is an evolution of that more than Gingerbread... I believe Google is headed in the right direction.

P.S. I never have stress from iOS... maybe you need to get an iPhone. :D
 
I wonder how long it'll be before Galaxy S2 gets ICS.  Still thinking about what new phone to get my wife.  If we go iPhone 4S, we have to jump to a different carrier.  We'd have to pay an ETF for the MIL since she still has until 7/7/12 for her contract to expire on our family plan.  Otherwise, I'm looking at the GS2 or the new Galaxy Nexus.  Just not sure if the higher price/weaker GPU/non-expandable memory of the GN is worth the bigger/better display and ICS now vs. the GS2.  Don't want to go to Vzn.  Otherwise, the Droid RAZR might be an option.
 
jvna said:
I wonder how long it'll be before Galaxy S2 gets ICS.  Still thinking about what new phone to get my wife.  If we go iPhone 4S, we have to jump to a different carrier.  We'd have to pay an ETF for the MIL since she still has until 7/7/12 for her contract to expire on our family plan.  Otherwise, I'm looking at the GS2 or the new Galaxy Nexus.  Just not sure if the higher price/weaker GPU/non-expandable memory of the GN is worth the bigger/better display and ICS now vs. the GS2.  Don't want to go to Vzn.  Otherwise, the Droid RAZR might be an option.
Click to expand...

I wonder the same about ICE upgrade...I figure at least 3 months.  Do you have T-mobile?
 
irvinehomeowner said:
@rc:

You illustrated the difference between Android and iOS. For the people who like to tinker and have the time to get into it, Android is excellent... but not everyone can be an active part of the Android Community, can root their phone... or hire someone to root their phone (heh). I still don't understand why you needed to root your phone... my phone isn't rooted and it does everything I need it to do.

For those who just want a phone that has "smart" capabilities, the iPhone is enough. And while I agree that iOS can be "clunky and overly burdensome" for some tasks (as IrvCommuter put it)... for many... it's simple and smooth... and that's a general consumer desire... something that just works. I've had to power cycle my Android more times in the last 3 months than I've had to on my iPhone 4 in the last year. I hate using the stock browser on my Android... and my screen is definitely not as good as the iP4's Retina Display. I'm not talking about dual-cores, GBs, 4G or widgets... just using the phone.

Google understands this... which is how ICS came to be. Simpler... more consistent... buttonless... and defined. I thought Honeycomb was a great revision and seeing how ICS is an evolution of that more than Gingerbread... I believe Google is headed in the right direction.

P.S. I never have stress from iOS... maybe you need to get an iPhone. :D
Click to expand...

Which Android version and phone do you have?  Just curious :)

I agree that iOS works smoothly but the lack of "moving parts" probably simplifies the system.  Also, I find that there are a lot more free apps for Android than there is for Apple. 

As for rooting, I think that's for people who want absolute control over their phone (no firmware/carrier ware).  Also, I believe that rooting supposedly increases the performance of your phone but I think that was a bigger problem a couple of years ago.  The fear of bricking my phone far outweighs my desire for more control
 
Despite the absence of the SD slot... if they were the same price... I would get the Nexus. You get better update support with Google Nexus phones and if ICS is where you want to be... you should get it on a phone natively meant for it.

I'm wonding how ICS will be implemented on phones that have buttons already... do the button icons not appear and do you get back that unused screen real estate?

I do wonder about battery life. It seems like the S2 and the RAZR are best in that category... although we have yet to see how they compare head-to-head.
 
Irvinecommuter said:
jvna said:
I wonder how long it'll be before Galaxy S2 gets ICS.  Still thinking about what new phone to get my wife.  If we go iPhone 4S, we have to jump to a different carrier.  We'd have to pay an ETF for the MIL since she still has until 7/7/12 for her contract to expire on our family plan.  Otherwise, I'm looking at the GS2 or the new Galaxy Nexus.  Just not sure if the higher price/weaker GPU/non-expandable memory of the GN is worth the bigger/better display and ICS now vs. the GS2.  Don't want to go to Vzn.  Otherwise, the Droid RAZR might be an option.
Click to expand...

I wonder the same about ICE upgrade...I figure at least 3 months.  Do you have T-mobile?
Click to expand...

Yep, TMo.
 
BTW: I do think the Nexus is going to hit other carriers shortly after VZW.

In the US, it's usually exclusive to one carrier for a while and then it hits the others. Interestingly, the one they showed was the GSM version not the CDMA (which they said would be slighty thicker than 8.84mm) so TMo might get one fairly quickly.

EDIT: Mixed up the specs with the RAZR
 
@rc:

Have you checked out Voice Actions? Not Google's Voice Actions, but the Voice Actions app by Pannous... it's more like Siri than Vlingo is.
 
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