
Galaxy Nexus now on sale in Google Play - cleverjake
http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2012/04/galaxy-nexus-now-on-sale-in-google-play.html
======
Khao
When I go to the link in the article I get the famous "We're sorry, the
document you requested is not available in your country." from the Play Store.

I encounter this page so often it's not even funny anymore.

Even worse, google keeps sending me emails about music albums in the Play
Store and all the links in these emails show me this error.

~~~
mladenkovacevic
I have the same problem. Although I fully expect to see this page (even though
I click on those music e-mails every time hoping they suddenly unlocked it for
us Canucks)

I get those e-mails because I signed up for Google Music via a US proxy and
now have access to it but I imagine I'd need to go through a proxy every time
if I wanted access to the Play Music store. Needless to say it would make me
feel a little better if they'd announce some date as to when we can expect it.

~~~
sounds
Both you and the parent surely already know it's not strictly Google that is
doing this - it's the lovely RIAA (and/or MPAA depending on what content).

Google could do a better job making this restriction clear and isolating it to
just the content that is owned by them - leaving the rest of the store
available worldwide.

But I agree with pg, we need to find a way to get rid of the RIAA and MPAA.
(And their Canadian counterparts. Go Michael Geist!)

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untog
Wow. I ordered an HTC One S a few days ago but it hasn't shipped yet. It was
$549- $399 is a lower enough price that it is sorely tempting. _And_ it's a
Nexus device. The only issue I have is the size of the thing.

Hmm. Are there any GNexus owners our there that can tell us about the size of
the device? It's the one real sticking point I have with it.

EDIT: For anyone else that's wondering, I looked up the refund policy. They
pay return shipping, but you pay a 15% restocking fee- $60, pre-tax.

~~~
scubaguy
The Nexus name doesn't mean as much as it used to. Not all Nexus devices offer
a pure Android experience - the Verizon version of Nexus will not have Google
Wallet. In term of timely updates, the HTC Sensation received ICS update in
March 2012 while the Sprint Nexus S 4G was not updated until early April.

So take that for what its worth. Don't be surprised if Google ends up allowing
carriers and manufacturers to provide more customization with Nexus phones and
be more lax with update timelines.

~~~
msabalau
Of course, that is a reason to consider this unlocked, contract free phone
that one is buying directly from Google.

~~~
jarek
I bought an unlocked, contract free Nexus One and still ended up with un-
removable useless Amazon MP3 and Facebook and Google Play Books and Google
Voice apps on my phone :(

------
vladikoff
Here's a screenshot for those who can't access the page:
<http://i.imgur.com/rR80K.jpg>

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mrgoldenbrown
And thus my paranoia about buying a new phone is justified - my 14 day "free
to cancel" period with Verizon just ended, and now this is announced.

~~~
billsix
" The unlocked Galaxy Nexus requires GSM compatible service provider for voice
calling. In the United States this includes AT&T and T-Mobile. Phones
purchased from devices on Google Play are not compatible with Verizon or
Sprint."

~~~
mrgoldenbrown
And thus my increased agony - I could have stayed with T-Mobile had this been
announced just a bit earlier :)

------
cryptoz
<https://play.google.com/store/devices> gives "We're sorry, the document you
requested is not available in your country." Ouch.

~~~
vyrotek
Well, there is a small disclaimer on the page that says _Currently only
available in the USA._ Not that it justifies completely blocking the page.

~~~
jarek
Seriously. I can get it shipped and receive it in the U.S. but requiring me to
proxy up to even view the order page is a bit much.

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gikrauss
Here's a link using a web proxy for those outside the US:
[http://www.uswebproxy.com/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly9wbGF5Lmdvb2...](http://www.uswebproxy.com/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly9wbGF5Lmdvb2dsZS5jb20vc3RvcmUvZGV2aWNlcy9kZXRhaWxzP2lkPWdhbGF4eV9uZXh1c19oc3Bh)

~~~
snippyhollow
An HTTP _NOT_ S proxy, for those of you going too quickly on the sign-up
page... ;)

~~~
eli
Having an "S" wouldn't add much unless you really trust uswebproxy.com

~~~
gikrauss
Yep, I wouldn't sign in to my google account using that link, it was just
meant to give quick access the that particular page

------
iandanforth
I was one of the (few?) people who bought the original Nexus direct from
Google and haven't regretted it. While I fully support their efforts, I would
love more insight into the relationship their direct phone sales will have
with their motorola division.

------
gergely
Can anyone please comment the weight and the size (height, width, length) of
the package what you get when you order it, based on this I can calculate how
much would it cost to ship it from US using service like borderlinx.

------
johansch
I bought a Galaxy Nexus for work use in January from an Australian retailer.

Just recently it started malfunctioning - it somehow thinks there is
always/intermittently a USB charger attached, even when there isn't. This
wrecks havoc on battery life since the screen lights up every time it thinks
there is a USB charger attached. This does not seem to be a very uncommon
issue. (Google "galaxy nexus always charging".)

I am moving to Sweden in less than a week, and average repair time seems to be
two weeks judging from online reports from other victims.

And.. this is the kicker: Samsung doesn't offer worldwide warranty repair for
their mobile devices. :/

------
roc
So Google Play is selling physical products too? Does that strike anyone else
as weird?

It just seems like there should be some logical separation of
brands/experiences there. Even if it's all running on the same backend.

~~~
mmahemoff
Amazon doesn't make that distinction.

That said, the old name (Market) felt much more appropriate overall.

------
dhawalhs
I bought one unlocked from Expansys for 600$ last month. I was really happy
with the phone until today. 200$ price drop was unexpected. Event the Nexus S,
which is a 2 year old phone is available for 350$ on Amazon.

------
TheRevoltingX
Ugh, you gotta be kidding me! I just bought this at Frys for full price
(that's 799$)

I'm going to go see if they price match since I just bought it this weekend.

~~~
ComputerGuru
How are they charging 2 times the price? On Google Play it's 400 without any
contract or commitment...

~~~
TheRevoltingX
I don't know, I'm pretty bothered by this. I checked Google Play the day I
purchased it and it was only available w/ a contract. That's why when I saw it
at Fry's I bought it because it was unlocked. Should have waited two more days
and gotten it at half price. In any case, I'm going to go complain to them
about this. I believe they offer price matching.

~~~
ComputerGuru
They definitely do, I don't know if they offer price guaranteeing though.
(matching is before the fact, guarantee is after). At any rate, you'll
definitely be able to return it as a worst case scenario.

------
bishnu
Is this being sold at a loss? An unlocked 16GB iPhone 4S is costs $650. If
not, I'm impressed at the price point Samsung is able to achieve given the
Galaxy Nexus's feature parity with the iPhone 4S. Which begs the question, why
not spend an extra ~$150 per unit to really blow it out of the water, specs
wise?

~~~
gouranga
You can get a Nokia Lumia 710 for less than $200 unlocked without a contract
in the UK.

Why the the iPhone 4S/Galaxy Nexus cost what they do I don't know...

~~~
jsnell
Because the 710 is basically 2 year old hardware. It's absurd to compare it to
modern flagship devices.

~~~
freehunter
Even though gouranga is being downvoted for saying the same thing I'm about
to, it bears repeating. Specs matter in the Android world. The faster the
phone, the better your experience. This is a tradeoff of an open, general
purpose mobile OS. In iOS and Windows Phone, the software is catered directly
to the hardware. Faster hardware does not mean you're going to ever notice an
increase in speed inside the OS.

So when people say "yes, but can it match my dual core, 1.5Ghz, whatever else
flagship Android phone?", the answer is simply "it doesn't matter". That's not
a cop-out, that's not a defense, that's the truth. Windows Phone and iOS are
built for their hardware and always run at a constant speed. It doesn't have
bleeding edge hardware, but it doesn't need it in order to run as fast as a
flagship Android phone.

~~~
wmf
It sounds like you're saying MS just didn't implement any features that would
take advantage of faster hardware, which is kind of sad if true.

~~~
freehunter
I can't think of much more that they would need to implement that their
competitors are remotely close to having. They have multitasking, they have
video, games, music, GPS, HTML5, maps, HD recording, forward facing cameras,
Skype, etc.

It sounds like you're saying Android has something special that needs more
hardware, which isn't true. The _base system_ needs faster hardware, because
it's general purpose. An Xbox can run faster than Windows on the same hardware
because it's designed for just one implementation.

In short, troll more.

------
zipperhead
Can anyone comment on the 3G reception and the wifi reception?

I've heard varying reports on problems in these areas, but it's difficult to
tell if they are carrier-related for the 3G.

Also, is the wifi any good? I found the reception on the Nexus S severely
lacking.

~~~
blinkingled
I think most of the talk about reception issues on the GNex relate to Verizon
CDMA version of the phone. I tried out a GNex on AT&T here - 4.0.4 has a bug
that results in 3G connectivity issues - the recently released minor OTA
update fixed that. Prior to and after the update, indoors I get 2-3 bars in my
house whereas at the same place with my Atrix I get consistent 4 bars. But
calls and 3G Data experience is similar on both phones. So unsure if lesser
bars on the Nexus mean anything. Outdoors I traveled 700+ miles with it and
had no issues with reception - mostly full bars, 1-2 bars in few areas but
calls worked fine there.

WiFi - it is not worse or better than any other device in my house, which is
to say it works well across considerable range without any drops.

I bought it from Amazon for $643 - but fortunately I was well within the
return window so have returned it today for the $399 Google market version.

~~~
ecspike
The Wifi is on par with the Nexus One for me. The only connection issues I've
had were capacity/carrier based (e.g. T-Mo in San Francisco).

Lucky...I bought mine last month for $529. Not full price or bank breaking but
still a bummer.

------
sjs382
Which network does this work on, for 4G?

And what are the _other_ GSM providers in the US?

~~~
cleverjake
Tru, Simple Mobile, T-Mobile USA, Wal-Mart Family Mobile, Cincinnati Bell
Wireless, Verizon, Sprint, US Cellular, Shaka Mobile, Locus Mobile, 7-Eleven
Speak Out Wireless, Commnet Wireless, TerreStar, Immix, i wireless, Indigo
Wireless, Airfire Mobile, Alaska Wireless, Amerilink Wireless, Cellular One of
East Central Illinois, Cap Rock Cellular, Broadpoint, call4care, Cellular One,
Pure Prepaid, Plateau Wireless, Asset/Vada Wireless, ASTAC, Cross
Communications, Cordova Wireless, Corr Wireless, Chariton Valley Wireless,
Consumer Cellular, Fuzion Mobile, GCI Wireless, Epic PCS, DTC Wireless,
Earthtones, GTC Wireless, West Central Wireless, Westlink, Viaero Wireless,
Union Wireless, Túyo Mobile, Simmetry, Telecom North America Mobile Inc, Mobal
Freedom, Mid-Tex Cellular, KTC, Jolt Wireless, Long Lines Wireless, Pine
Cellular, NEP Wireless, and XIT Communications

~~~
sjs382
Sprint & Verizon are _NOT_ GSM. Are all of those others?

~~~
cleverjake
You are incorrect. They support GSM, since their 4g rollouts. The HTC
thunderbolt was the first phone on verizon whose gsm features were supported.
That being said, I copied the list from
([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_wireless_...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_wireless_communications_service_providers)),
a line wrapped on TracFone Wireless's MVNO explanation and it included those
by mistake. Sorry for the misinformation.

~~~
ConstantineXVI
LTE != GSM.

LTE is the official "4G" upgrade path for GSMA[1]; but LTE does not
automatically give you a GSM and UMTS network to go with it (neither VZ or
Sprint have deployed one). This Galaxy Nexus doesn't support LTE; so this
model still isn't supported on them.

[1] The industry assoc.; not to be confused with GSM, the 2G tech they
supported. Often when people say "GSM", they actually mean "GSM+UMTS(+LTE as
rollouts happen)"

------
devindotcom
If you're sensitive to Pentile screens, save yourself the trouble. I was
excited about this phone but it all went out the window when I held one in my
hand. The screen is, to me at least, a horror.

------
sngo82
Extremely tempted to buy this, but wondering if I should possibly just wait
for the next nexus as the specs, while still nice are starting to get
outdated, on an Atrix currently.

------
KVFinn
Does anyone know if you buy this unlocked, can you use it on wifi without a
cellular contract at all?

Basically, can you use it like an Android iPod Touch?

------
yock
I ordered one to replace my aging Galaxy S Captivate. At this point I'd settle
for a phone that is simply 100% functional out of the box.

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gulbrandr
_Nous sommes désolés, le document que vous avez demandé n'est pas disponible
dans votre pays._

Thanks Google & France -.-

------
callahad
Here's to hoping that unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexuses purchased from other vendors
finally get Google Wallet, too.

------
axiomotion
Very tempting but I want to wait for the SGS3 before committing to a new
phone.

~~~
huggyface
Cancelled my HTC One X preorder to await Samsung's announcement. I suspect the
SIII, while likely remaining a fantastic device, will underwhelm given how
astronomical expectations have become.

------
jkaljundi
We're sorry, the document you requested is not available in your country.

------
luigi
Now it's pretty obvious what everyone going to Google I/O will get...

~~~
oblique63
I'm not so sure about that. They didn't give away the Nexus S (or any phone
for that matter) last year, and I believe the Nexus S was launched around
roughly the same time as the Galaxy Nexus was, relative to the date of the
conference.

If they're giving away any phone at all, I'm guessing it might be a Galaxy S
III, just because that's the only major phone that I'm aware of that's
launching around the same time as the conference...

------
duxup
GSM unlocked.

------
zht
I ordered one. Hopefully it'll get here by Friday :).

------
gcb
Hear! Hear!

Hardware is not the cloud. They can't release new versions. google never
addressed any hardware issues (3 of them) with the Nexus One they sold.

4mo and they closed the support forums.

Never a single email replied. Even via the google wallet mediation (ha!)

