The problem isn't with Android per se as the Nexus S is clearly giving him a good user experience. It's just no longer a cutting edge device and the newer devices he's tried aren't delivering a usable whole product.
> If you’re launching a high-end smartphone, you’re going to get a rush of power users flocking to it right away — and if the browser freezes every few minutes or the battery is inexplicably charging at a glacial pace, that’s a problem. Those power users are going to talk to each other, and they’re going to talk to their less technically-inclined friends.
I disagree a little bit about point 2 in regards to it being Apple-like. The first version of the iPhone (3G) is very slow and clunky. I was just on my sister's last weekend (and I own a iP4) and couldn't believe how long it took some screens to change (in seconds, not milliseconds). How about the issues with the antenna on the 4? or how bad the service was (has been?) in NYC/SF? This is actually what I find remarkable about Apple's iPhone success. How did they get people (including myself) to deal with all of this?
I can confirm the iPhone 3G jumped the gun by a long way. I got one of the early versions that had next to no reception. In the USA some people went into stores and got replacements. Outside the USA I got fobbed off on the support line and got to pay for an expensive data plan I couldn't use for two years. That's over 1000 euros for what amounted to an ipod touch: and I don't use iTunes.
As you can imagine I researched this quite a lot and I'm quite aware of Apple's other iPhone problems, and the problems they've had with various laptop models. They are well behind a number of phone and PC manufacturers in terms of hardware quality.
The first version of the iPhone (3G) is very slow and clunky. I was just on my sister's last weekend (and I own a iP4) and couldn't believe how long it took some screens to change (in seconds, not milliseconds).
3 year old technology tends to act slow and clunky next to the new hotness. If you want to see slow and clunky, you should have tried it with the original OS. For the 3G 3.1 was the pinnacle of speed for that platform.
Antennagate was overblown due to both the medias action and Apples nonreaction.
This is an ATT problem. Traffic is high in densely packed areas. Of course the solution is to install more antennas, which isn't happening due to NIMBY proponents. And Verizon has carte blanche to NYC.
Maybe most people aren't having these problems you are having.
Owned both the Nexus One (totally hated) and the Nexus S (not a bad phone). I agree with the overall sentiment of the post - while the Nexus S doesn't shine with respect to features, it has good enough hardware and an excellent vanilla android experience.
That said, I feel Android users are always behind the curve. Case in point - I've owned my Nexus S 3G for just over four months and now there is a 4G version (promising more cat videos!). Oh, and it lacks so many features of other Android phones (the cool controllers of the Sony Ericson phone, the 3D of the LG phone,...). If I was an iPhone user, life would be simpler ... to be on the cutting edge, I just need to get the new iPhone as soon as it comes out. I guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes fewer choices are good because they simplify things for consumers (a good book on the topic is "Paradox of Choice").
One of the central goals of Android is to level the playing field wrt software. And in fact, if your phone is supported by CM7, I don't see why this should be an issue at all.
He's a power user who can tell the tiniest difference in user experience between Android phones. Those phones aren't for him. They never were. They're for suits, soccer moms and kids with too much money to spend.
That's why there are so many different Android phones out there. One for each of us.
I know he wants the dual core because it's cool. I want it for the same reason.
He shouldn't be ashamed of the Nexus S, he should be proud. Here is a phone that so meets his needs he's come back to it twice.
And while I’m well aware that half a year isn’t very long at all for a normal smartphone-owning human being, I think we can all agree that I’m not normal. And frankly, I probably wouldn’t have the job that I do if I felt comfortable about owning the same phone for six months.
He reviews phones/tech for a living, of course he'll expect to go through a bunch of them.
I'm still using my original Palm Pre because I find the other mobile OSes lacking. Sadly, I'll probably make the move to Android soon since the Palm hardware is falling apart.
I don't get what his complaint is; the Nexus S comes with Gingerbread, which has SIP calling built-in to the OS. I use it on my Nexus One without even having a voice plan. What's the point of wifi calling when you have that?
I'd be interested to see a write-up on everything you had to do to set that up. Does that allow you to both send and receive calls to standard POTS lines, and can you still use the Google Voice service with your SIP connection to handle things like text messaging, voicemail, etc?
I just signed up for an account with sipgate.com and added it to my Google Voice account. It's pretty trivial and is orthogonal to text messaging and voicemail. You just have to be on Gingerbread.
It seems that it is the only phone (along with the Nexus One) that you actually own.
Unlocking the boot loader is explicitly allowed, which allows for arbitrary customizations.
Now, I don't need HD video recording, an SD slot, or 4G.
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[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 72.8 ms ] threadShipping a technologically superior uberdevice with all sorts of bells and whistles, without proper fit and finish is a failure mode.
* Don’t launch a buzzword feature until it’s more than just a buzzword.
* Don’t launch a product with obvious problems, even if you plan on fixing them down the road with a patch.
* Keep it simple. Favor quality over functionality.
* Don’t be fooled into believing that you can’t differentiate in meaningful ways through industrial design alone. (Ha!)
* Trumpet your commitment to Google’s 18-month upgrade policy at every opportunity.
I disagree a little bit about point 2 in regards to it being Apple-like. The first version of the iPhone (3G) is very slow and clunky. I was just on my sister's last weekend (and I own a iP4) and couldn't believe how long it took some screens to change (in seconds, not milliseconds). How about the issues with the antenna on the 4? or how bad the service was (has been?) in NYC/SF? This is actually what I find remarkable about Apple's iPhone success. How did they get people (including myself) to deal with all of this?
As you can imagine I researched this quite a lot and I'm quite aware of Apple's other iPhone problems, and the problems they've had with various laptop models. They are well behind a number of phone and PC manufacturers in terms of hardware quality.
3 year old technology tends to act slow and clunky next to the new hotness. If you want to see slow and clunky, you should have tried it with the original OS. For the 3G 3.1 was the pinnacle of speed for that platform.
Antennagate was overblown due to both the medias action and Apples nonreaction.
This is an ATT problem. Traffic is high in densely packed areas. Of course the solution is to install more antennas, which isn't happening due to NIMBY proponents. And Verizon has carte blanche to NYC.
Maybe most people aren't having these problems you are having.
That said, I feel Android users are always behind the curve. Case in point - I've owned my Nexus S 3G for just over four months and now there is a 4G version (promising more cat videos!). Oh, and it lacks so many features of other Android phones (the cool controllers of the Sony Ericson phone, the 3D of the LG phone,...). If I was an iPhone user, life would be simpler ... to be on the cutting edge, I just need to get the new iPhone as soon as it comes out. I guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes fewer choices are good because they simplify things for consumers (a good book on the topic is "Paradox of Choice").
One of the central goals of Android is to level the playing field wrt software. And in fact, if your phone is supported by CM7, I don't see why this should be an issue at all.
He's a power user who can tell the tiniest difference in user experience between Android phones. Those phones aren't for him. They never were. They're for suits, soccer moms and kids with too much money to spend.
That's why there are so many different Android phones out there. One for each of us.
I know he wants the dual core because it's cool. I want it for the same reason.
He shouldn't be ashamed of the Nexus S, he should be proud. Here is a phone that so meets his needs he's come back to it twice.
Dude, if you've been through 5 phones in less than half a year, you have problems not the phone. Chill out. You like this phone? Keep it.
http://newsroom.t-mobile.com/articles/t-mobile-android-wifi-...
It seems that it is the only phone (along with the Nexus One) that you actually own. Unlocking the boot loader is explicitly allowed, which allows for arbitrary customizations.
Now, I don't need HD video recording, an SD slot, or 4G.
The choices are overwhelming!