Why I switched from a 3gs to the Nexus One

[ap3604]

Just wanted to let other people looking at these threads and thinking about switching all the reasons I decided to turn from the dark side (Apple) to the light (Google)...

1. REMOVABLE BATTERY - while this might not be a big deal to some people, I am an extreme power user and need this option. I HATE having to carry around a stupid chord instead of a tiny spare battery. Apple really pissed me off by taking this option away from us and making the decision for us in order to force us to pay them $80 when the battery starts to go bad.

2. Nexus One doesn't scratch as easily - another reason apple pissed me off is that they didn't listen to their customers who requested a non scratching matte finish on the back of the iPhone so it doesn't get scratched or fingerprint as easily. Just another example of Apple deciding what is best for the customer instead of giving them what they want (a recurring theme).

3. Google voice - another example of Apple denying what their customers want in order to make the decisions for them. Yes you can now have this on your home screen as a web app, due to Google's herculean efforts to overcome Apple's approval process, but it doesn't change the fact that Apple is evil!

4. T-Mobile data only plan for $40/mo - Save $30 a month from Apples minimum $70/mo plan and make calls through VOIP... nuff said

5. Android market - Everything I had to jailbreak my iPhone for (and void my warranty, unless I restore) I have freely and openly on the android market. Tethering, emulators, bluetooth keyboard, Google voice etc.

6. Google maps navigation - Free? FREE?! Google is an amazing company that keeps coming out with free invaluable services for their customers. Gmail, youtube, google maps, google earth, google 411, and now google maps navigation. Something this good on the iPhone would run me $100 easily (Navigon + in app purchase traffic).



I will always support a company like Google who is doing things that its customers are asking for instead of a company like Apple who looks out for their own profits first and their customers second.

Even with the termination fee and buying the Nexus One unlocked I still came out on top money wise

Iphone:
$ 200 - Cost of initial iPhone purchase
$1680 - Cost of $70/mo plan for 24 mo
______
$1880 Total

Nexus One:
$ 530 - Cost of initial Nexus One
$ 960 - Cost of $40/mo data only plan for 24 mo
$ 175 - Cost of ATT termination fee
_______
$1665 Total

 

[grainysand]

Welcome abroad the Android ship. You will... not be assimilated!

 

[Esquire1]

Just a few discussion points:

1. I hear this complaint a lot but who do you know who has ever needed to pay Apple $80 to replace the battery? I have yet to hear of anyone whose battery has gone bad. Further, my 2G battery is still holding a charge just fine, to this day. And it's been used since the iPhone first released. As for the spare battery, agreed, but there are rechargeable packs out there. They work well.

5. The market has a better variety of apps but their polish is greatly lacking. And if you jailbreak an iPhone, at least you can restore it and regain your warranty. If you root an N1, there is currently no way of relocking the bootloader. Therefore, no warranty at all.

6. If Google released, or maybe if Apple allowed, that version of Maps, it would be free on the iPhone just the same.

Enjoy the N1. It's been a fantastic switch for me, too, coming from a 3GS.

 

[mkrmec]

Welcome abroad the Android ship. You will... not be assimilated!

Hehe thnx for the laugh hehe
anyway you got some good points there. good luck with everything.. buy a good protective case so it won't break

 

[edge]

Adda Boy...

 

[grainysand]

Hehe thnx for the laugh hehe

Was going to say "you will be assimilated, resistance is futile" then I remembered no two Nexus Ones will look quite alike thanks to homescreen customization/home replacement themes/icon packs. =) Not much of a Borg Collective there.

 

[ap3604]

Was going to say "you will be assimilated, resistance is futile" then I remembered no two Nexus Ones will look quite alike thanks to homescreen customization/home replacement themes/icon packs. =) Not much of a Borg Collective there.

LoL grainysand you made me crack up with the borg reference... but I think that reference should go toward the Apple Fanboys that take whatever Apple gives them without thinking as long as Steve jobs says something is incredible amazing magnificent wonderous about a zillion times during a keynote =P

(exp: YouTube - iPad Keynote in less than 180 Seconds: Incredible, Beautiful, Amazing! )

Happy to break free from the dark side and join the Nexus One crew though... feels like a breath of fresh air =]

 

[pdf]

how are you able to do tmobile data plan without a voice plan? even with GV you still need to use your cell phone minutes.. am i missing something here?

* just came from iphone 2G over to N1 with even more plus plan.

Just wanted to let other people looking at these threads and thinking about switching all the reasons I decided to turn from the dark side (Apple) to the light (Google)...

1. REMOVABLE BATTERY - while this might not be a big deal to some people, I am an extreme power user and need this option. I HATE having to carry around a stupid chord instead of a tiny spare battery. Apple really pissed me off by taking this option away from us and making the decision for us in order to force us to pay them $80 when the battery starts to go bad.

2. Nexus One doesn't scratch as easily - another reason apple pissed me off is that they didn't listen to their customers who requested a non scratching matte finish on the back of the iPhone so it doesn't get scratched or fingerprint as easily. Just another example of Apple deciding what is best for the customer instead of giving them what they want (a recurring theme).

3. Google voice - another example of Apple denying what their customers want in order to make the decisions for them. Yes you can now have this on your home screen as a web app, due to Google's herculean efforts to overcome Apple's approval process, but it doesn't change the fact that Apple is evil!

4. T-Mobile data only plan for $40/mo - Save $30 a month from Apples minimum $70/mo plan and make calls through VOIP... nuff said

5. Android market - Everything I had to jailbreak my iPhone for (and void my warranty, unless I restore) I have freely and openly on the android market. Tethering, emulators, bluetooth keyboard, Google voice etc.

6. Google maps navigation - Free? FREE?! Google is an amazing company that keeps coming out with free invaluable services for their customers. Gmail, youtube, google maps, google earth, google 411, and now google maps navigation. Something this good on the iPhone would run me $100 easily (Navigon + in app purchase traffic).



I will always support a company like Google who is doing things that its customers are asking for instead of a company like Apple who looks out for their own profits first and their customers second.

Even with the termination fee and buying the Nexus One unlocked I still came out on top money wise

Iphone:
$ 200 - Cost of initial iPhone purchase
$1680 - Cost of $70/mo plan for 24 mo
______
$1880 Total

Nexus One:
$ 530 - Cost of initial Nexus One
$ 960 - Cost of $40/mo data only plan for 24 mo
$ 175 - Cost of ATT termination fee
_______
$1665 Total

 

[cammyfive]

As a 3GS owner coming from a 3G I agree with a fair number of your points. I'm sickened by how easily the glossy black rear shows scratches. Let's just say from day one the 3GS has had an incase slider cover. Other than that I've been immensely happy with the phone and AT&T service in my area (imagine that....) but when the n1 comes to AT&T I will def give it a thorough look. The beauty of the iPhone, in a twist of irony, is that in it's mint condition I could easily put it up on eBay and buy an unlocked n1 without a dime coming out of my pocket. So, a few questions for you n1 owners....

1) how would you rate google maps navigation against other makes such as navigon and TomTom?

2) If I were to use it very data intensively, how "free" is the memory or processor after a full days use? Must you clear it through a task killer or memory manager often?

3) What apps are missing or either way underdeveloped that really bug you?

4) any other major let downs that you can think of?

Just wanted to let other people looking at these threads and thinking about switching all the reasons I decided to turn from the dark side (Apple) to the light (Google)...

1. REMOVABLE BATTERY - while this might not be a big deal to some people, I am an extreme power user and need this option. I HATE having to carry around a stupid chord instead of a tiny spare battery. Apple really pissed me off by taking this option away from us and making the decision for us in order to force us to pay them $80 when the battery starts to go bad.

2. Nexus One doesn't scratch as easily - another reason apple pissed me off is that they didn't listen to their customers who requested a non scratching matte finish on the back of the iPhone so it doesn't get scratched or fingerprint as easily. Just another example of Apple deciding what is best for the customer instead of giving them what they want (a recurring theme).

3. Google voice - another example of Apple denying what their customers want in order to make the decisions for them. Yes you can now have this on your home screen as a web app, due to Google's herculean efforts to overcome Apple's approval process, but it doesn't change the fact that Apple is evil!

4. T-Mobile data only plan for $40/mo - Save $30 a month from Apples minimum $70/mo plan and make calls through VOIP... nuff said

5. Android market - Everything I had to jailbreak my iPhone for (and void my warranty, unless I restore) I have freely and openly on the android market. Tethering, emulators, bluetooth keyboard, Google voice etc.

6. Google maps navigation - Free? FREE?! Google is an amazing company that keeps coming out with free invaluable services for their customers. Gmail, youtube, google maps, google earth, google 411, and now google maps navigation. Something this good on the iPhone would run me $100 easily (Navigon + in app purchase traffic).



I will always support a company like Google who is doing things that its customers are asking for instead of a company like Apple who looks out for their own profits first and their customers second.

Even with the termination fee and buying the Nexus One unlocked I still came out on top money wise

Iphone:
$ 200 - Cost of initial iPhone purchase
$1680 - Cost of $70/mo plan for 24 mo
______
$1880 Total

Nexus One:
$ 530 - Cost of initial Nexus One
$ 960 - Cost of $40/mo data only plan for 24 mo
$ 175 - Cost of ATT termination fee
_______
$1665 Total

 

[grainysand]

1) how would you rate google maps navigation against other makes such as navigon and TomTom?

Don't live in the US so navigation features don't work for me, anyway, so can't help you there.

2) If I were to use it very data intensively, how "free" is the memory or processor after a full days use? Must you clear it through a task killer or memory manager often?

No problem! I used to obsessively launch a task killer and hit "kill all selected" often. Then I read somewhere that this might be detrimental on battery life, so I thought what the hell, let's give Android's memory management a try. Turns out that, yeah, it does manage fine. No slow downs whatsoever, with live wallpaper and a home replacement on. Battery life actually seems longer, too: under constant use (browsing, updating apps through the market, listening to music, wifi on, trying out that new Buzz thing) today it consumed battery life at roughly about 7.5% per hour.

4) any other major let downs that you can think of?

About the only real point of contention is the speaker. A bit quiet, though not so much that you won't hear the phone ring. Volume fixable either by running your ringtone of choice through an audio-editing program to amplify it, or by installing an audio hack (requires root).

 

[dwd3885]

Just a few discussion points:

1. I hear this complaint a lot but who do you know who has ever needed to pay Apple $80 to replace the battery? I have yet to hear of anyone whose battery has gone bad. Further, my 2G battery is still holding a charge just fine, to this day. And it's been used since the iPhone first released. As for the spare battery, agreed, but there are rechargeable packs out there. They work well.

5. The market has a better variety of apps but their polish is greatly lacking. And if you jailbreak an iPhone, at least you can restore it and regain your warranty. If you root an N1, there is currently no way of relocking the bootloader. Therefore, no warranty at all.

6. If Google released, or maybe if Apple allowed, that version of Maps, it would be free on the iPhone just the same.

Enjoy the N1. It's been a fantastic switch for me, too, coming from a 3GS.

Good point about the battery. Does anyone really keep their phone for over two years, at about the time the battery will die anyway?

The integration with iTunes is a double-edged sword. You get the ability to restore, but it's nice to not ever have to plug into a computer to do ANYTHING, even updates to the phone itself.

Apple would never allow Google's FREE navigation Maps. Nor have they allowed Google Voice, which is huge for some people. I agree with the OP, the monthly plans along with the free navigation that is saving you cash are big factors favoring the Nexus One.

 

[adamlovesu]

how is the switch treating you?

im about to do the same due to insane boredom you know its time for a change when you open the safari app instead of the compass thinking the safari symbol is the compass lol...

o and you make a great battery point as well... seeing as how when i had my 2g it shorted out and had to replace it on my own.... nightmare and a screwdriver is all i gotta say..

 

[dwd3885]

2) If I were to use it very data intensively, how "free" is the memory or processor after a full days use? Must you clear it through a task killer or memory manager often?

3) What apps are missing or either way underdeveloped that really bug you?

4) any other major let downs that you can think of?

I can't answer the GPS question, never used any GPS before, besides a standalone Garmin. The Google Navigation system worked really well the two times I've used it. After you arrive you get a streetview photo of your location. And the voice is clear and easy to hear as well.

2. I've never had to use a task killer. One misconception about Android is thata all your apps run in the background and kill the memory and battery. But the truth is, the Android OS is sophisticated enough that it does it all for you, just trust it.

3. I find the Facebook app lacking compared to the iPhone. Seismic is a fabulous twitter client that is comparable to Tweetie on the iPhone. The BeyondPod podcast client is outstanding. I find most of the other apps are really good. They will only improve with time.

4. I have no major letdowns with the Nexus One. It's a great phone. It isn't an iPod, so it doesn't have the compatibility with the plethora of iPod/iPhone accessories, so that kinda hurts. The camera isn't really that good. I find it not as good as the iPhone's, only because the color balance is way off to me and the flash allows you to get a shot in the dark, but it won't really matter. The only other thing is the keyboard isn't as good as the iPhone keyboard. I feel like I can type faster on the iPhone than on the Nexus One. Not sure why that is, but it is.

 

[grainysand]

The only other thing is the keyboard isn't as good as the iPhone keyboard. I feel like I can type faster on the iPhone than on the Nexus One. Not sure why that is, but it is.

Going to take a stab in the dark here, but you're probably more used to the iPhone's soft keyboard than the N1's. Just a guess.

But even if you really can't stand it, Android lets you install damn near any keyboard you'd care to. Swype, Better Keyboard, Smart Keyboard, HTC IME, to name just a few. You can skin them even, if you care about that sort of thing.

 

[dwd3885]

Going to take a stab in the dark here, but you're probably more used to the iPhone's soft keyboard than the N1's. Just a guess.

But even if you really can't stand it, Android lets you install damn near any keyboard you'd care to. Swype, Better Keyboard, Smart Keyboard, HTC IME, to name just a few. You can skin them even, if you care about that sort of thing.

You are probably right. It seems like if I type on the iPhone and press a key right after another or really quickly, it will register. But on the Nexus One it sometimes won't register. I thought maybe it was because the N1 doesn't have multi-touch keyboard but I know it does. I'll check out Smart Keyboard and HTC IME. Couldn't find Swype and did try Better Keyboard but didn't like it.

 

[grainysand]

Swype's not available on market. It's uh, I'm not sure we're allowed to post links here. But google "swype beta keyboard with fix." Takes a lot of getting used to due to its unorthodox approach to input, but once you are, you can type at an ungodly speed on it. Spend a few minutes on the provided tutorial; you might like it.

 

[DrDroid]

1) how would you rate google maps navigation against other makes such as navigon and TomTom?

I have used standalone gps navigation devices before the Google's Navigation. I must say that Google Navigation got the standalone Navigation makers scare their pants off. One thing that the Google Navigation beats all of the standalone's on the market is the voice based navigation. I never had to manually key in the address, I just speak to it, such as "navigate to target in south arlington", just like that and it takes me there. Or you can tell it to navagitate to the address, just speak it out. Secondly, live satellite view turn-by-turn. Third, 360 pan-view of the destination.

The phone is now jut just that more practical. You don't have to carry around an extra device just for navigation. THe only flip side is if you are driving cross-country where you may expect no data coverage, Google Navigation will not work in those region, due to the love map data that it streams. I never have this problem on my phone, since places I visit always have data coverage.

2) If I were to use it very data intensively, how "free" is the memory or processor after a full days use? Must you clear it through a task killer or memory manager often?

Android isn't Windoze, it doesn't fall on its face after long use. It doesn't crawl at the end of the day. I only close out unuse active apps to just for conserving battery life.

3) What apps are missing or either way underdeveloped that really bug you?

There are alot iteration of fart apps are missing. joking aside.
Android market is growing at a neck breaking pace. I wouldnt' be surprised if the apps that you use often are already released for Android. Check with the respective developers for more details.

4) any other major let downs that you can think of?

Initially it's the mulititouch, but that's all good now since the recent OTA update, that addressed that.

Open source FTW....

 

[cyberbob25]

1) how would you rate google maps navigation against other makes such as navigon and TomTom?

I use the google maps navigation all the time. It's great in a pinch, and I love not having to carry my Garmin around. That being said, I do find the navigation lacking in two areas compared to my Garmin: I can't stand the heavily synthesized voice (which can't be changed) that Google has chosen, and (at least I can't find it) the inability to choose preferences for highway vs. surface streets, or shortest vs. fastest routes.

 

[MartinS]

If you do want media sync look up Doubletwist and download it to your PC. It's almost a carbon copy of iTunes. It's excellent for music management and specifically supports many devices including the Nexus One.