Behold2 Owners: N1 Weigh-in

[NowVoyager]

Okay. We have all seen the pix and video of Nexus One (N1). It's sleek. It's amazingly fast (by B2 standards, I guess). It's running 2.1. etc. and blah.

I am impressed with the speed. I do like that things open, close and sweep the way that they should (for the most part). It is a good looking phone. And, ok the animated wallpaper is cute (and no doubt costly to memory). But like the reviewer, I haven't seen anything earth shattering...yet.

And, I am extremely turned off to think that Tmo would force a lousy calling plan upon its users just to get the phone. (Tmo shoots itself in foot AGAIN) | (Read: deal breaker).

Behold2 owners: Are we ready to bail or are we feeling that the N1 doesn't live up to the hype? What do you think?

Remember: Come April, the HTC Bravo is due to drop and the N1 will be toast or at least crackers, LOL

 

[yatimameiji]

Hardware wise sure the Nexus is cool and yes 2.1 comes with alot of eye candy(what newer version of any os doesnt come with some new eye candy eh?). But you have to think this is something Google developed and then approached Tmobile with. Much in the same way Apple approached AT&T(analogies are not perfect I'm not calling Google out, just how similar this sounds).

And so I think the choice in either unsubsidised or subsidised with the particular plan isnt that wrong. I see this phone as something that is marketed to those with particular tastes, ie geeks who want/need it. I for one will not leave the Behold 2 behind(I'm already stuck paying for it, but again as a geek myself I know cpu aint everything).

But hey we dont really know anything besides a few screenshots. Who knows the whole story that went on in the background while Google and Tmo negotiated. Only time will tell. And while we are in speculation land why not think of this as Tmo protecting itself from the mess AT&T got itself into with the iphone(overloaded/poor network).

 

[psychoace]

Hardware wise sure the Nexus is cool and yes 2.1 comes with alot of eye candy(what newer version of any os doesnt come with some new eye candy eh?). But you have to think this is something Google developed and then approached Tmobile with. Much in the same way Apple approached AT&T(analogies are not perfect I'm not calling Google out, just how similar this sounds).

And so I think the choice in either unsubsidised or subsidised with the particular plan isnt that wrong. I see this phone as something that is marketed to those with particular tastes, ie geeks who want/need it. I for one will not leave the Behold 2 behind(I'm already stuck paying for it, but again as a geek myself I know cpu aint everything).

But hey we dont really know anything besides a few screenshots. Who knows the whole story that went on in the background while Google and Tmo negotiated. Only time will tell. And while we are in speculation land why not think of this as Tmo protecting itself from the mess AT&T got itself into with the iphone(overloaded/poor network).

I wouldn't compare or jump ship right now since the Behold 2 hasn't received the 2.0 (or 2.1) update yet. I'm not saying the update will make the phone just as good as the Nexus one but it wont be a slouch either. Jumping from a 1.5 rom to a 2.1 would be a great reason to jump but when the behold 2 has 2.0 what reason would you have to jump?

 

[defiantbeast]

I wouldn't compare or jump ship right now since the Behold 2 hasn't received the 2.0 (or 2.1) update yet. I'm not saying the update will make the phone just as good as the Nexus one but it wont be a slouch either. Jumping from a 1.5 rom to a 2.1 would be a great reason to jump but when the behold 2 has 2.0 what reason would you have to jump?

I agree, something to consider is why did you buy a behold 2. Once we have 2.0 or hopefully 2.1(fingers crossed) then what does the nexus one really offer over the behold 2. One of the main reasons for the behold2 purchase for me was the better camera/camera interface and the 3 1/2 headphone jack which the mytouch did not offer. The nexus one has the 3 1/2 jack and camera but it still has the stock android camera interface from what i saw on the nexusone blog. I really like the camera interface on the behold2 and much as i like htc their cameras never seem to get stellar reviews. So if you think about it what does the nexus 1 offer a bigger screen, more powerful processor and more ram, which is cool but ill wait and see and make my choice after the behold is updated. The only thing that might make me jump at nexus1 is if samsung drags their ass on the 2.0-2.1 update.
Edit
something else worth considering is that the default musicplayer arguablly is better than the stock android at least in my opinion. And that i have really liked using a dpad instead of the rolly ball, which i had to roll a 1/4 mile to get to the next line of text or edit a message, with the dpad u just hold it down and it goes to where u want it to and your thumb doesnt feel like it just worked out. I know its silly but its the little things that draw you to something.

 

[mazmes]

I'm staying with the Behohd2, its only a month old and I'm enjoying the Android learning curve. The only thing that bugs me is the way most forums and aftermarket vendors treat us BH2 owners. The red headed stepchild attitude is getting old.

 

[briankh]

If the N1 is available today as expected I will be leaving my Behold 2 behind. Since it is a phone from Google it will probably get updates quicker and get more hackable since it doesn't have any customized users interface like TouchWiz.

 

[samson_420]

I really don't see the true hype behind the Nexus one. . . . . It looks like they did some work to put everything together(processor speed, screen size and updated firmware).

But, the hardware just does not look impressing.

When the damn iPhone came out, people were like holly shit what is that, Wow. . . . .


This thing, not so much. . . . . It's just a nice phone on the T-Mobile network. . . .

 

[kam187]

Given the hardware available today its very good. People only said 'wow' to the iphone 2g because of the whole apple experience. The 3g was nothing special at all for its time.

I think the timing of the droid really deterioted the impact of the N1... too bad for google!

 

[Cepheus]

Well I'm at a cross road really.


My G/F convinced me to go T-Mobile I originally had a Samsung Instinct with Sprint and this phone was a huge upgrade. I barely started my contract on New Years Eve so I still have some time to determine whether or not I'll still hold on to this phone. We're both Google users and we really enjoy the Google applications (chatting on G/Talk and sending one another emails and what not with G/Mail) It's great, and we enjoy it. Since she doesn't have texting or a data plan I really have to get an Android based phone.... the N1 looks very neat...


My current plan is :
Even More Plus 500 Talk + Text + Web+ a 15 % Government Discount


From what I read...their's only one plan with the N1....79.99... that's just a bit too much for a damn phone frankly I miss my basic plan with Sprint of only 25 dollars lol....





59.99 BH2 > N1 79.99... for now.

 

[briankh]

I ordered my Nexus One and it will be here tomorrow so the Behold 2 goes on Ebay.

 

[samson_420]

I would really like to get my hands on a N1. I really would like to see if it is plagued by the same Android crap. Like randomly dissapearing apps, buggy non responsive touch screen. . . . .To name a few.


The OLED display does look amazing.

But, what gets me is why is battery life not improved. OLED is suppose to use way less of the battery the a usual backlit LCD.

 

[NowVoyager]

I ordered my Nexus One and it will be here tomorrow so the Behold 2 goes on Ebay.

Traitor! LOL!!! J/K - Enjoy your new baby when it comes!!! Congrats!!!

 

[mirandamber30]

I am currently having tmobile repalce my Behold 2 (which they have replaced 6 times) with a Cliq. I am selling the Cliq right away for a Nexus 1 . I wanted the Behold to do all it promised SO BADLY but I cant take one more day with this phone. BLEH!

 

[defiantbeast]

As much as the N1 called my attention at first the rumors of equally good phones if not better now have my attention. The bravo has the same specs as the N1 and includes Sense UI, The sony ericsson x10 has a 4inch screen and a better camera plus will sync with sony media manager, and now the rumors of the samsung galaxy2 with the same specs plus 32gb of built in memory. I will hang onto my behold2 a while longer at least until i have the chance to try 2.x on it.

 

[NowVoyager]

I feel that Samsung and Tmo owe us an apology. It is the most expensive piece of junk that I have ever owned. Don't get me wrong, the AMOLED is attractive. But, Frozen screens, dropped calls out of nowhere, Edge instead of 3G MOST of the time, locking apps and a battery that drains excessively (I have an app killer so, that isn't the remedy either)...This is a mockery of what good phone service should be. This is Tmo's top of the line Android? They should refund our money. I love the SB2 when it works. Unfortunately for me, that is not very often.

Tmo and Samsung owe us. This phone was rightly given away by Samsung for free. In fact, in light of this fiasco they should issue us their new phone as a replacement WITH the aforementioned apology. This phone should be recalled.

@Mirandamber30 - I wanted it to work too...But it is a disaster. The SB2 forum is all but dead. It just irks me that we got taken.

 

[cubinthecity]

To be honest Ive been through 3 Behold II's now and Im jumping ship as soon as I sell it on here or Crackberry.

 

[Jacqda]

I feel that Samsung and Tmo owe us an apology. It is the most expensive piece of junk that I have ever owned. Don't get me wrong, the AMOLED is attractive. But, Frozen screens, dropped calls out of nowhere, Edge instead of 3G MOST of the time, locking apps and a battery that drains excessively (I have an app killer so, that isn't the remedy either)...This is a mockery of what good phone service should be. This is Tmo's top of the line Android? They should refund our money. I love the SB2 when it works. Unfortunately for me, that is not very often.

Tmo and Samsung owe us. This phone was rightly given away by Samsung for free. In fact, in light of this fiasco they should issue us their new phone as a replacement WITH the aforementioned apology. This phone should be recalled.

@Mirandamber30 - I wanted it to work too...But it is a disaster. The SB2 forum is all but dead. It just irks me that we got taken.

Based on the feedback from the folks running the Galaxy ROM, I think it's safe to say that SAMSUNG built a great physical phone, but should avoid software. The best thing they can do right now is just release a stock Android 2.x ROM for the B2.

On a lark, I switched back to my G1 for a few hours. My reaction was mediocre hardware, but great software. It is clear to me that RAM is key if you want a great experience while using the phone and ROM is key if you like apps. I know it might be shocking to this lot, but I went back to the B2. I figure I can use a task killer regularly to control the apps until we see a new ROM or I decide to load the Galaxy ROM.

Unfortunately, TMO may be just stuck in the middle. If SAMSUNG isn't stepping up to the plate, then there isn't much they can do. Perhaps they should loosen the return policy for this phone; only they can make that business decision. Their only advantage over us is their business relationship with SAMSUNG, and I hope they're leveraging it for all it's worth to get out an update.

 

[mesovortex888]

Based on the feedback from the folks running the Galaxy ROM, I think it's safe to say that SAMSUNG built a great physical phone, but should avoid software. The best thing they can do right now is just release a stock Android 2.x ROM for the B2.

On a lark, I switched back to my G1 for a few hours. My reaction was mediocre hardware, but great software. It is clear to me that RAM is key if you want a great experience while using the phone and ROM is key if you like apps. I know it might be shocking to this lot, but I went back to the B2. I figure I can use a task killer regularly to control the apps until we see a new ROM or I decide to load the Galaxy ROM.

Unfortunately, TMO may be just stuck in the middle. If SAMSUNG isn't stepping up to the plate, then there isn't much they can do. Perhaps they should loosen the return policy for this phone; only they can make that business decision. Their only advantage over us is their business relationship with SAMSUNG, and I hope they're leveraging it for all it's worth to get out an update.

I agree with you. To be fair this phone is not really that good with the touchwiz crap. However, the hardware spec for this phone is actually pretty decent and after load the Galaxy rom on it and it is running fast and smooth. I don't understand why Samsung didn't stick with the stock Android on this phone.

 

[defiantbeast]

After having used my cousins g1 for a while and then the mytouch and then the google ion developer phone, i can safely say that the behold 2 is a much better phone in terms of hardware, and even the software. remember a lot of the problems that plauge the B2 are left over crap from 1.5. But the xtra ram, camera menus, and music player menus are really good when compared to stock android. Had samsung released this with 1.6 or higher this would have been a great phone still can be. What samsung needs to do also is make touchwiz a choice as opposed to the only option, htc did this with the sense ui you can actually choose to run stock android.

Sorry back on topic. Ill be waiting to see what 2.0 brings

 

[NowVoyager]

No one doubts the hardware...It's a good sight prettier than the pix of the Galaxy that is to come...that's for sure. But, with no gizzardz, my phone is an epic fail. And it costs too much to be a cute brick.

 

[defiantbeast]

No one doubts the hardware...It's a good sight prettier than the pix of the Galaxy that is to come...that's for sure. But, with no gizzardz, my phone is an epic fail. And it costs too much to be a cute brick.

Are you refering to the galaxy2??? Im actually very excited about that phone all the specs of the nexus1 with32gb built in memory WOW. Plus if that render is accurate than i think that area below may be a touch sensitive area similar to the palm pre. This could be a big win

 

[NowVoyager]

Are you refering to the galaxy2??? Im actually very excited about that phone all the specs of the nexus1 with32gb built in memory WOW. Plus if that render is accurate than i think that area below may be a touch sensitive area similar to the palm pre. This could be a big win

Yes, I was referring to the Galaxy2. It suffers from the exact opposite problem of the SB2. The G2 has great innards but an ugly or shall we say, "an unfortunate" face. That Galaxy is nondescript. It's just kinda...there. No excitement...just...there. At least the SB2 is good looking - Not enough to justify $230 bucks with deplorable functionality...but it is attractive.

 

[Kittyfae]

I am with NowVoyager here.
Then again it does look rather similar to the old palm devices and that just has a certain appeal to me. Except that in the B2 it looks a lot more aesthetically pleasing to at least myself in both design and color. Call me odd, but just callin' it as I see it.