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Considering Nexus one.

Hello.

First off, im currently with ATT and my contract is ending at the end of the year. I come from Bberry land and want to jump into Android next.

Im wondering if purchasing a used Nexus one would be a wise choice.

I dont care for the "latest/greatest" as long as it does what i need which is basically what ive been doing on my Bberry curve 8310 with no wifi, edge only- i only expect navigation and more web browsing aside from the typical work tasks. No games, and nothing too cpu demanding.


That is why im asking if the N1 would be sufficient for a least the next 2 years.

Phones ive considered:

Samsung Vibrant: too buggy right now, i dont want a new contract.

The new T-mo G2: dont want to switch carriers/new contract

The catch 22 with this is paying the base price for the N1, and paying subsidized prices with new comtracts.

I mean, are these other phones even worth it?


Thanks guys for any input.
 
If you want to stay with At&t and not have to be tied to another contract then you have narrowed down your choice to the N1, since it's pretty much the only phone that fits this bill. You will have to get a 2nd hand one since google no longer sells the phone unless you sign up as a developer (but I believe they only have the t-mobile version?). The N1 isn't the most powerful phone anymore but it still hangs in there. From your description it seems that the N1 could be the phone for you, if you can find an At&t version in good shape. I plan on keeping my N1 till at least next spring, but that's because I like the latest and greatest stuff each year.
 
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The N1 has been an excellent phone and still is, I'm in no hurry to change mine, only looking at another phone as I'd like to try a hardware keyboard. It'll be supported by the hacking market for a long time yet (look at the G1, still rocking along) as it's a phone favoured by the techie end of the market. I don't know what second-hand prices are like where you are, but if you can afford it then you should be able to get much cheaper contracts, I pay less than a half each month of what I'd have to pay if getting a subsidised phone in the UK.

So if you're not worried about having the latest and greatest and want a phone that'll still get software updates after the manufacturer has moved on, the N1 is probably the top choice, it would certainly be mine.
 
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The N1 is still a great piece of hardware. All of the phones that have come out after the N1, are nice but the specs have not drastically changed to make me want to make the leap. It depends when Google release the next developer phone, but I'm thinking of sticking with my N1 for at least a few more years :D

The new/mint N1s I see on ebay are 350-600, while the used ones are as low as $200. You just have to remember that the N1 does have some short comings, and if you can live with those, then get the N1 :)

For the Vibrant, you can buy a new one on ebay and they all come unlock. My beau got his for $380 and he said it would have been lower if it wasn't for the fact that the phone needed to be shipped to Canuck land, lol.
 
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$380 for a vibrant is a pretty good price. But for the At&t version you are going to have to deal with not being able to side load apps (which I think there is a work around with). Also everytime I think about maybe trying a new phone I forget that I am still getting tethering+wifi hotspot without rooting and without paying for it since At&t doesn't control my phone. The idea of keeping my carrier far away from my phone brings a smile to my face.

Roze, what's a beau?
 
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$380 for a vibrant is a pretty good price. But for the At&t version you are going to have to deal with not being able to side load apps (which I think there is a work around with). Also everytime I think about maybe trying a new phone I forget that I am still getting tethering+wifi hotspot without rooting and without paying for it since At&t doesn't control my phone. The idea of keeping my carrier far away from my phone brings a smile to my face.
The fact that I know 100% that I'd get my OS update and need not to fret when my carrier will roll the OTA out is why I got the N1!!!

Roze, what's a beau?
You're being rhetoric there right? :p Else, I simply have to say, 'kids these days' :rolleyes:
 
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You just have to remember that the N1 does have some short comings, and if you can live with those, then get the N1

Please elaborate in case it is something i am not aware of.
The fact that I know 100% that I'd get my OS update and need not to fret when my carrier will roll the OTA out is why I got the N1!!!

Great point.


I agree that the tmobile G2/ htc desire Z is appealing with its physical keyboard. But unless it works on the att network (which is claimed not to 3g wise) i dont see myself jumping to tmobile just for the phone. Not yet anyway. :)
The cqptivate for att needs serious attention from samsung. I guess we'll see from now til then if it will be updated.

I figure there isnt anything i would do that i wouldnt be able to keep dong in 2 years. I mean heck, im stll using my Bberry curve for google maps, twitter app, and occasional browsing- all on Edge and old processor, im sure ill be fine with the N1 for another 2 years. Hopefully.
 
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Coming off a blackberry I can see that you might be disappointed by the battery life, its good along the lines of this type of smart phone but compared to a bb its pretty bad, other then that I think you will be more then happy with the N1. Just out of curiosity how come you aren't looking at the iPhone?

Well, for one i have an itouch tht i use everyday. I know it doesnt justify as a phone, but coming from Bbery there are simple things that i cant get used to or dislike on the iOS, email/message/ notifications/keyboard and cut and paste - easily done with a trackball.

This is based on the fact that email and messaging runs my life at the moment. Even more that calls, as you would imagine.


The other thing is battery life as u mentioned. Which makes me wonder hhkw the N1 would compare if certain settings of bkgrnd appps are minimized.

Lastly, custom preferrences on phone and apps. Im tired of looking at the same ui on my itouch already. Need i do it again with an iphone even if it is new with better features, its apps are the same and you do things the same way over again. Its like driving a truck every day for work and coming home to the same truck but with only a few things to boast about.






As far as shortcomings. Truthfully i wouldnt be certain because from wht ive read, are only on this board and seems to have been resolvd through software or user knowledge.
 
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Unfortunately, yes. If you need push email from multiple IMAP accounts, don't want to integrate your POP3 mail into gmail and want to control both local and remote folders ... for some it's a deal breaker.

shucks.

so, this would not apply? (taken from a previous thread of mine, found in the Captivate forums).


Most people have freebie email accounts either via webmail or their ISP so their only option is POP access, which necessitates "poll" checking where you'd have to set an interval.

POP sucks.

If you want to recreate the Blackberry experience, you need to move beyond POP to IMAP. By using an app like K-9 with a proper IMAP email service, you can use "push" (IDLE) notification, which doesn't involve an interval (actually, in K-9 you can define both types).

IMAP IDLE - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
k9mail - Project Hosting on Google Code

Unfortunately, people have been conditioned to think email should be "free" while at the same time spending hours a week complaining about the quality of their email service. If they only got their priorities straight and spent half as much on email (yes, pay for something that's that important to you) as they do on soda or coffee, all would be well in the world. :)

Note: it doesn't hurt to have K-9 check folders with "poll" too, set to a long interval, as a backup. Like maybe 30 mins, or whatever suits you.
 
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shucks.

so, this would not apply? (taken from a previous thread of mine, found in the Captivate forums).

Sounds about right. I tried K-9 and wasn't too impressed. It has functionality beyond the default Android email client, but it's not comprehensive and definitely not going to deliver the Balckberry mail/messaging experience. FWIW I despise push email.
 
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