

Why do I keep coming back to the Nexus S?   - Raphael
http://thisismynext.com/2011/05/30/coming-nexus-s/

======
fierarul
The 'advice to manufacturers' list, seems to me the equivalent of 'be more
like Apple':

* 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.

~~~
mbesto
> _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?

~~~
rimantas

      > The first version of the iPhone (3G) is very slow and clunky.
    

_Is_ compared to current models. Back in 2007 it was more than OK.

    
    
      > How about the issues with the antenna on the 4
    

That was media noises, not real issues. The issue with proximity sensor was
more serious than antenna-gate.

    
    
      > how bad the service was (has been?) in NYC/SF
    

That's AT&T, not iPhone.

    
    
      > This is actually what I find remarkable about Apple's iPhone success.
    

It was an amazing product. Look at it in context, don't compare with current
situation.

~~~
drats
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.

------
unreal37
I stopped reading after "I’ve been unable to find a proper replacement for a
phone that launched nearly half a year ago".

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.

~~~
vito
If you had read just a little bit after that:

    
    
        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.

------
iqster
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").

~~~
MatthewPhillips
Buying an iPhone is also a choice. Choice is unavoidable.

~~~
iqster
Agreed. I hear you have two colors to choose from these days :-p

------
evangineer
User experience matters, first and foremost. Manufacturers and carriers are
ignoring this at their peril.

Shipping a technologically superior uberdevice with all sorts of bells and
whistles, without proper fit and finish is a failure mode.

------
linuxhansl
I have a Nexus S, and I agree with the author.

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.

------
vln
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.

------
Supermighty
None of those phones are for him.

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.

------
keltex
Looks like wifi calling is coming:

[http://newsroom.t-mobile.com/articles/t-mobile-android-
wifi-...](http://newsroom.t-mobile.com/articles/t-mobile-android-wifi-calling)

~~~
technomancy
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?

~~~
nuclear_eclipse
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?

~~~
technomancy
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.

~~~
nuclear_eclipse
Thanks, I'll check that out.

------
tocomment
I'm a powere user and about to buy an android phone. Any advice? Is 4g useful?
What are some must haves?

The choices are overwhelming!

------
rakkhi
Wow 3 android phones and still not happy. Time to try something else?

~~~
evangineer
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.

~~~
rakkhi
Maybe.. I would have been tempted to try an iOS device or even a WP7 after the
second Android before going back to out-dated technology though.

~~~
nuclear_eclipse
Maybe some of us just really like the way the Android OS works, and can't
stand the limitations of iOS and WP7...

~~~
martythemaniak
You're not supposed to say things like that around here...

~~~
rakkhi
Fair enough. Down voted for a legitimate suggestion. HN really going downhill
fast.

