Nexus S

[The Hoff]

Looks and sounds very nice!

http://www.google.co.uk/nexus/#!/features

 

[The Hoff]

Having said that, same CPU as the Galaxy S, which gets killed by the Qualcomm in my Desire HD. Also only has a 5MP camera, and the most annoying thing, no external memory card slot... oh and we get raped in the UK £529 unlocked.

Shame, if it was dual-core and such I'd have signed up!

 

[word_easy]

and the most annoying thing, no external memory card slot...

Maybe because no one bothers using external memory cards anymore? apart from you obviously.

 

[Malachi]

The chip scanning thing looks awesome though. However, I will probably wait for HTC to better it, then buy their version. Or even Motorola.

Not a fan of Samsung phones

 

[PinkoCommie]

The most interesting thing about the Nexus S is that it'll be the first handset with Gingerbread on.

I'm not entirely convinced about the lack of SD card slot. I have a 16GB one in my Nexus and it's constantly only got 5-700mb left and the only reason I haven't upgraded is that 32gb ones are a bit expensive.

The NFU thing sounds like a cool idea, but I expect it'll become as popular as 2d barcodes did after they were launched. :rasp: It also sounds like a bit of a security risk, the example of it's use I heard was waving your phone over a movie poster and it automatically playing the trailer, all it takes is for someone to create NFU's and stick them in public places that send you to god knows where.

On the other hand, if people like TFL and others include the technology into their smartcard infrastructure, then that'd be pretty cool. Instead of having an Oyster card, you just wave your phone over the pad.

 

[young_lew]

So other than this NFC chip and raw gingerbread it's nothing to really shout about?

 

[PinkoCommie]

Not really that I can see. It almost looks to me that the Nexus S is to the Galaxy S as the Nexus One is the the HTC Desire.

Pretty much the same guts as it's cousin the Galaxy, a couple of extra features (NFC), and the full Google Experience instead of Samsungs UI overlay.

 

[sn00p]

The NFU thing sounds like a cool idea, but I expect it'll become as popular as 2d barcodes did after they were launched. :rasp: It also sounds like a bit of a security risk, the example of it's use I heard was waving your phone over a movie poster and it automatically playing the trailer, all it takes is for someone to create NFU's and stick them in public places that send you to god knows where.

On the other hand, if people like TFL and others include the technology into their smartcard infrastructure, then that'd be pretty cool. Instead of having an Oyster card, you just wave your phone over the pad.

It is the same technology. I've just read the spec chip on the PN544 (which is what samsung have used) and it supports being the reader/writer and operating in card emulation mode, it can emulate a mifare tag (which is what oyster is).

The bigger problem is how that information that is normally stored on the card (mifare cards are either 1KB or 4kB) is stored on the device, because the card uses a set of keys to allow or deny read or write access to sectors. (mifare classic has been compromised as well, TFL are issuing mifare desfire cards now)

 

[sn00p]

The NFU thing sounds like a cool idea, but I expect it'll become as popular as 2d barcodes did after they were launched. :rasp: It also sounds like a bit of a security risk, the example of it's use I heard was waving your phone over a movie poster and it automatically playing the trailer, all it takes is for someone to create NFU's and stick them in public places that send you to god knows where.

FWIW, the read range we get here on a "mifare card" is about 10cm, both antennas (tag & reader/writer) are about the same area (10cm sq.). I don't think you need worry!

 

[PinkoCommie]

FWIW, the read range we get here on a "mifare card" is about 10cm, both antennas (tag & reader/writer) are about the same area (10cm sq.). I don't think you need worry!

They did say the same thing about RFID's

I was thinking more along the lines of swapping out the "official" NFC in a movie poster with something more nefarious web hijacking wise.

It's not really a concern for me, but I bet that someone'll pick up on it sooner or later.

 

[PinkoCommie]

It is the same technology. I've just read the spec chip on the PN544 (which is what samsung have used) and it supports being the reader/writer and operating in card emulation mode, it can emulate a mifare tag (which is what oyster is).

The bigger problem is how that information that is normally stored on the card (mifare cards are either 1KB or 4kB) is stored on the device, because the card uses a set of keys to allow or deny read or write access to sectors. (mifare classic has been compromised as well, TFL are issuing mifare desfire cards now)

Looks like they're alreay thinking about it: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101207/tc_afp/usfrancegermanychinaittelecomtransportinternetchip

 

[sn00p]

They did say the same thing about RFID's

It is RFID!

 

[The Hoff]

Cmon word_easy, it's not my fault you bought into a fourth tier platform!

The omission of external memory is an issue, people like choice, but I guess as you've already sold your soul to a closed platform you'd have no idea.

I'll be waiting to see when the LG Star arrives with it's Nvidia Tegra chip, should be awesome made even better by their agreement with VMware.

Motorola tablet looks sweet too.

 

[word_easy]

Cmon word_easy, it's not my fault you bought into a fourth tier platform!

The omission of external memory is an issue, people like choice, but I guess as you've already sold your soul to a closed platform you'd have no idea.

I'll be waiting to see when the LG Star arrives with it's Nvidia Tegra chip, should be awesome made even better by their agreement with VMware.

Motorola tablet looks sweet too.

Me? I haven't sold my soul to anyone thank you. I like to have choice, I'm not going to dismiss a product because it hadn't got a memory card slot. My iPhone works just fine with 16gb on board.

Its not an omission, I'm sure it was an educated decision based on how many people actually use a memory card slot, other than just sticking in an 8gb into their desire and then never touching it again... not many I bet.

So you are wrong, it's not an issue.

 

[Revels]

Cmon word_easy, it's not my fault you bought into a fourth tier platform!

The omission of external memory is an issue, people like choice, but I guess as you've already sold your soul to a closed platform you'd have no idea.

I do hate my closed platform. Not being able to download anti-virus apps, no performance apps to try and make the thing run as it should, having one big app store where everything is, regular updates for everyone, no carriers adding bits on.

Closed platform really sucks.

 

[The Hoff]

Here's the thing word_easy, you seem incapable of seeing anybody else's POV or use case. For you it may not be an issue but for me, it is and the reality is (if you took the time to read XDA for example) if that it's an issue for a lot of people.

Why opt to be stuck with 16GB when you have the option for flexibility to upgrade as you see fit? If I wanted to lump a load of DVD or BD rips on to a card for transport, I can. As you say, maybe Joe Public is happy to be dictated too, but while there's choice I'm happy to decide what I want to do with my device.

Revels, enjoy your iOS and Apple's limitations, maybe I'll get a white one with a working antenna if they ever work it out. Until then, I'll relish the freedom you'll never be allowed.

 

[Munson]

Why would anyone want to watch a Blu-ray rip on a phone? Strikes me as inventing a reason why one might need a card slot. If the iPhone had one then no one would care. We would just move onto the next reason why it's rubbish.

 

[Revels]

Well the 'ZOMG it's so expensive' arguments seems to have dropped considering this is more than an iPhone 4.

16GB, allowing for an OS/apps/music whatever else, you could still easily fit 10 perfect quality films on a phone. You're just making an argument for the sake of it.

 

[Mr Pants]

Is this a topic on a phone that's not an iPhone? WTF is this s**t??!

 

[Goodj]

for gods sake, when will people realise, if you're not going to throw your money at apple products then you're obviously a tool and should emigrate to the 3rd world where such devices belong.


gaaaaaaaahd.

 

[The Hoff]

Why would anyone want to watch a Blu-ray rip on a phone? Strikes me as inventing a reason why one might need a card slot. If the iPhone had one then no one would care. We would just move onto the next reason why it's rubbish.

They wouldn't, which is why I never said "watch", I said "transport" as in I've ripped it on my PC, copied it to my MicroSD (using disk mode, and drag-n-drop) and plugging it in to use it elsewhere. Sure I was just making a case, and it's not something most people will ever do, but it's viable for me working in IT that I can copy an .ISO or whatever the hell I want to my SD and use it as a portable HDD, without the need to use another tool.

Well the 'ZOMG it's so expensive' arguments seems to have dropped considering this is more than an iPhone 4.

16GB, allowing for an OS/apps/music whatever else, you could still easily fit 10 perfect quality films on a phone. You're just making an argument for the sake of it.

So, your 16GB, minus the 1000KB instead of 1024KB storage BS leaves you with say 14.5GB, minus the OS and core applications, maybe 13GB~, minus your applications and personal data (email/offline maps/Nav), minus a decent amount of music. That leaves enough for 7GB of movies? Righto! That said you need to encode them all to a format will let you watch, instead of the native format

With external memory you never have to worry about running out of space, or have the need to remove things to make room for other media (as I have to with my iPhone). I guess it all comes down to personal preference, but needless to say I won't be buying into any product that lacks the ability to expand the memory.

Some of you should actually try Android on a decent device, I think a lot of you still have your 1.6 Goggles on, times change.

 

[Munson]

I still don't understand the whole 'transporting' things around on an SD card. As far as I can tell, if you're not either downloading them on the phone, or watching them on the phone, then it's an entirely moot point? That said, yeah, it's cool to have upgrade slots if you need them. Although I've had plenty of phones in the past that were expandable and I never expanded them. So yeah. Personal preference. Personally I enjoy IOS being closed, because everything just works. Once you open an OS up too much you're on a slippery slope, especially when it's designed to work with a lot of hardware. A good example being don't download Angry Birds onto an Android device without first checking that it's 'compatible'.

Anyway, the Apple vs. everyone else who tries to emulate them debates are getting dull.

 

[The Hoff]

Indeed Roy.

Sure there's some fragmentation with Android being on so many devices but really it's not a lot different to iPhone (apps requiring OS version x.x to run/iPad and retina not properly scaled). The other thing is that Android definitely isn't trying to emulate iOS, if anything it stands for everything iPhone doesn't.

Honestly I used to be very much "Apple rules them all" right up until Eclair (2.1), then came Froyo (2.2) and that for me won me over. On the right device (again no different to Apple disabling functions for 3G users) it's a much more complete OS than iOS, but with that said the UI still has a learning curve that iOS doesn't require, that I suspect comes with features, customisation and the nature of the platform I.e true multitasking etc.

If I was to sum it up simplistically:

•iOS is for anybody not technically minded, or those who just want it to work.
•Android is for the more technically minded, and for those who like to meddle.

There's two things I miss about my iP4, the keyboard and the screen. The rest, I'd sooner be on this side of the divide.

Anyway, way off topic now. Who's getting a Nexus? *Silence*

 

[word_easy]

I can honestly say I don't know of anyone who transports movies on their phone.. I thought that was what USB drives/pens were for?

You are talking rubbish, no one uses external sd slots on their phone, apple know this, m$ know this and judging by this phone, so do google, it wouldn't surprise me if the next round of android phones drop the sd slot altogether!

And for the record, it isn't cool to whip out a spare sd card from behind your battery cover. Fact.

 

[word_easy]

Oh and no one upgrades their phone either, you by a new one ever 12/18 months!

 

[Munson]

I actually meant the hardware emulating iPhone. Not the OS. Like it or not, Apple are responsible for turning the cell phone market on it's head. People would do well to remember that if it were not for big bad Apple, the cell phone market would almost certainly still be awash with shitty Sony's and Nokias. Their respective manufacturers still trying to see who can fit the biggest megapixel camera in their latest plastic POS.

 

[Munson]

I actually meant the hardware emulating iPhone. Not the OS. Like it or not, Apple are responsible for turning the cell phone market on it's head. People would do well to remember that if it were not for big bad Apple, the cell phone market would almost certainly still be awash with shitty Sony's and Nokias, their respective manufacturers still trying to see who can fit the biggest megapixel camera in their latest plastic POS.

 

[realnumber 1]

I actually meant the hardware emulating iPhone. Not the OS. Like it or not, Apple are responsible for turning the cell phone market on it's head. People would do well to remember that if it were not for big bad Apple, the cell phone market would almost certainly still be awash with s**tty Sony's and Nokias. Their respective manufacturers still trying to see who can fit the biggest megapixel camera in their latest plastic POS.

In what way? The only thing I can think of is multi touch!

 

[oliver9523]

I actually meant the hardware emulating iPhone. Not the OS. Like it or not, Apple are responsible for turning the cell phone market on it's head.

They made it look shiny and work with a finger instead of a stylus and targeted non business users. I think HP did the smart phone/pda thing first with windows pocket pc.

 

[Munson]

PMSL. Go back to 2007 and have a look at the phones. Apple were the first to successfully market an essentially buttonless phone. I've lost count of how many handsets I've seen recently that emulate the iPhone form factor.

 

[realnumber 1]

I had my MDA compact well before that which was primarily based on the use of the touch screen without the need to use buttons lol. In the business world they were successfully marketed. The only trick they missed was marketing it at the masses.

 

[Munson]

OK. Apple did not shake up the mobile phone world with iPhone and it's features that could actually be used. My bad. They went from n00b to world dominating market leaders in 3 years because everyone is stoopid.

 

[coolspot007007]

I was going to hang around for the Nexus S but it's not the best spec in world and the finish looks a bit too on the shiny side. I went for the Desire HD instead. The Hoff makes some good points and if the Desire HD had a more easily accessible micro SD slot I'd certainly use it more and would possibly carry an extra one for extra films/TV shows (I've already upgraded to 16gb and have the original 8gb that came with it spare) This Nexus S seems a bit of an odd move for Google, they should have definitely gone down the Motorola/Tegra route rather than Samsung. IF Motorola sort uprgading software/OS at a reasonable rate instead of lagging behind everyone else with Android they could certainly have some very interesting competition for the next iPhone in Q1/Q2 2011.

 

[realnumber 1]

OK. Apple did not shake up the mobile phone world with iPhone and it's features that could actually be used. My bad. They went from n00b to world dominating market leaders in 3 years because everyone is stoopid.

No one is denying that they haven't done well but your making out like apple invented the "smartphone" which they very much didn't! They just improved on it much like the android platform is also doing now yet you keep saying they're just emulating the iphone....

 

[oliver9523]

No one is denying that they haven't done well but your making out like apple invented the "smartphone" which they very much didn't! They just improved on it much like the android platform is also doing now yet you keep saying they're just emulating the iphone....

+1 spot on

 

[Munson]

I didn't say they invented the smartphone at all. I didn't type it either. I'm suggesting they invented the iPhone form factor that so many others are now emulating. They also pioneered a touch screen system that worked so well with the OS that it was actually easy to use. In fact it made it a joy to use. We can go round the houses forever. The fact is that Apple changed the industry. Forever. Sure, someone else may have come along and done it by now, but they didn't. Anyone who thinks the handset market would be like it is now, without the iPhone ever existing, is ultra-deluded.

 

[realnumber 1]

Lol, you could say just the same about windows mobile devices pioneering the large touch screens and bringing them to the market. They were the 1st to bring relatively decent internet browsing to phones and things like GPS...

Apple just moved the game up a notch and that is all.

 

[Munson]

Yeah ok.

 

[The Hoff]

I can honestly say I don't know of anyone who transports movies on their phone.. I thought that was what USB drives/pens were for?

You are talking rubbish, no one uses external sd slots on their phone, apple know this, m$ know this and judging by this phone, so do google, it wouldn't surprise me if the next round of android phones drop the sd slot altogether!

And for the record, it isn't cool to whip out a spare sd card from behind your battery cover. Fact.

I give up, you make me want to hurt myself.

@Roy, I see what you're saying. Apple have done what they've always done, took something and made it better. They can't be credited for the concept, but they can be praised for their implementation and execution, iOS has moved the game forward to a point where they have identified what the consumer wants, how to package and deliver it, to every other manufacturer in the market place.

Thankfully Android has picked up the baton and is running with it (currently at a much faster adoption rate). Apple's problem is they were once the little friendly guy, and now they're in danger of becoming the Microsoft of the 90's by throwing their weight around too much and pissing a lot of dev's off in the process.

I'm looking forward to seeing 2.3 pop up on my phone and I have my fingers crossed for the keyboard targeting and UI changes in addition to hopefully a healthy speed hike!

You can see what going from 2.1 > 2.2 did for the Nexus 1 (the top device is the DHD):

 

[word_easy]

Give up on what? You haven't come up with a decent reason for an sd slot other than to transport movies. You were making it up as you were writing it.

Come back when you have a clue.