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From the looks of it Google has failed not once, but twice with the launch of the Nexus 4

See now if I agreed with you on the product being that good, then I'd say yea your right. But I don't agree on the device being worth this big of a headache. All in all, the way I see it, it's a phone that's decent, however that's lacking LTE, lacking in the video and camera department, and just as a whole is not worth this amount of headaches IMO. I'm not hating, I'm a huge Android fan, I just don't see the logic in what Google is pulling right now.

Well, first off, a buddy and I just ordered 16 GB units and didn't get any errors or have problems, so it sounds like they worked out those kinks. Second, 2-3 weeks, I can wait, I have a perfectly good phone on an imperfect network but don't have to switch this very second.

Second, it's just a phone. You shouldn't be getting headaches worrying about it. Google had valid reasons not to include LTE, because doing so would require carrier restrictions, which is exactly what they want to avoid. The snafu with ordering is nothing--Nothing!--compared to people with Gnex phones on Sprint and Verizon who can't get timely updates. The whole point of a Nexus phone is to get the updates first and without carrier bloat. CDMA Gnex owners are not getting what Google advertised. That's far more damaging to the brand than some ordering and supply issues. To avoid that situation going forward, and keep the Nexus brand how Google wants it, Google didn't include LTE. If you don't like it, don't worry, there are dozens of great phones on the carriers who offer LTE.

And that isn't even to mention the apparent hidden LTE capabilities of the phone, which is a nice cherry on top.

The video and camera sound like they're workmanlike, not incredible but not terrible. Perhaps upgrading to better components for the camera would have driven the cost of the phone up, and Google was clearly trying to hit the $300 mark. Let me reiterate, Google is selling a $300 unlocked phone that in almost every respect is top of the line. For that price (well, $350 for me because I got a 16 GB), I can live with a less than amazing camera. Then again, I'm of the mind that you shouldn't be trying to take professional-looking shots with a cell phone anyway. That's what DSLRs are for.

So, to answer your question, the logic of what Google is doing right now is making a shot across the bow of the carriers. If you can get an unlocked phone with undiluted Android for $300, why would you pay $200-$300 for a carrier-locked phone that also sticks you with a 2-year contract? The ordering and supply issues are unfortunate, but as tech fans and Android fans, we should be applauding Google for this phone.
 
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It's a black eye in the sense it will heal and google will be fine.


They can recover, but Google is losing customers by keeping up these shenanigans. I didn't get through the first time the N4 was in stock, and I couldnt get through today. Now I have no desire to try and revisit the play store and get an order in.

Also as stated above, why would Google even try a second release when they are just going to run out of devices so quickly? It seems as if instead of updating the page to "out of stock", they simply changed the shipping date estimate to when they think they will have more in stock.

Unfortunately, I am now contemplating other options because I feel the N4 is beginning to become more of a hassle than what it is worth. The only thing that is still so attractive is the $350 price tag. I known there are comparable phones out there, its just a matter of me reaching that tipping point and forking out some extra money for a different device. And to think this whole catastrophe probably could have been solved with a pre-order system...
 
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If you're going to fork over extra money for a different unlocked phone, why not fork over the extra cash to buy the Nexus 4 from a reseller?


Really because of the situation I'm in. I'm on virgin mobile right now and ive just about had it with them. The main reason I'm eyeing up the Nexus 4 is because of how cheap it is unlocked, allowing me to go to T-Mobile $30 Monthly 4g plan without breaking the bank too badly on an unsubsidized phone.

I don't think the N4 is the best phone out there, but it is the best deal on a higher end smartphone that Ive ever seen. For an extra couple hundred bucks, I can get a different smartphone that has higher end components (improved camera, LTE).

Sorry if this is hard to understand, I'm writing from my Nexus 7 and I'm sort of just rambling at this point.
 
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LTE isn't going to do much for you on T-Mobile, and by all accounts the N4 should be able to access Tmo's LTE when it becomes available.

The camera on the SGIII is better, no doubt, but you're not going to find an international unlocked one for anywhere near $350.

Meanwhile, I ordered an N4 an hour ago without problems, 2-3 weeks for delivery. Maybe you could try ordering again?
 
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Dude above just said he placed an order for 2 of the 16GB models with no errors, and that was 40 minutes ago. Maybe their system can handle it now that people aren't bombarding it all at once?


Yeah, and the 16 GB just got bumped up to 4-5 weeks shipping and the 8 GB is now 7-8 weeks. They should just say "out of stock and never coming again". We only waited 2 weeks for a second launch. I don't want to wait 2 to 4 times that long for one now.

EDIT: @suprmallet too long of a wait now. Im just gonna hold off for now and see what happens in a few weeks.
 
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They can recover, but Google is losing customers by keeping up these shenanigans. I didn't get through the first time the N4 was in stock, and I couldnt get through today. Now I have no desire to try and revisit the play store and get an order in.

Also as stated above, why would Google even try a second release when they are just going to run out of devices so quickly? It seems as if instead of updating the page to "out of stock", they simply changed the shipping date estimate to when they think they will have more in stock.

Unfortunately, I am now contemplating other options because I feel the N4 is beginning to become more of a hassle than what it is worth. The only thing that is still so attractive is the $350 price tag. I known there are comparable phones out there, its just a matter of me reaching that tipping point and forking out some extra money for a different device. And to think this whole catastrophe probably could have been solved with a pre-order system...

No offense but this is just bitter ramblings, between googles ecosystem and prices for hardware they are winning and will be on top of the gadget world by 2023
 
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No offense but this is just bitter ramblings, between googles ecosystem and prices for hardware they are winning and will be on top of the gadget world by 2023


I can see how you might've drawn that conclusion; I was thinking the same thing as I was writing the post.

I feel I have the right to be bitter though. No release date, no preorder, and on the SECOND TIME Google tries to release the N4, I find myself being forced to wait an additional 5-6 weeks for a nexus.

Its not that I'm impatient. Trust me, if this wasn't a smartphone we were talking about, I would be willing to wait the 5 weeks. Its just that cellphone nowadays have very short life spans, and by the time I finally get my hands on an N4, we will be well into the new year. Heck, the Galaxy S4 already has rumors of a Q1 2013 launch, so why not wait for that if I'm going to have to hold out 6 more weeks for a Nexus 4? Its not like I'm going to miss out on google's ecosystem with another android device either.

And don't get me wrong, I would very much like to own a Nexus 4. This whole mess just has me thinking a little bit...
 
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Well...

1. Lack of LTE. This is a global phone, not just a US launch. Most of the world doesn't even have LTE yet, let alone widespread LTE. From a global standpoint it isn't that big of an issue. Most people are also reporting average speeds of 15 - 25Mbps down with HSPA+, which is right in line with LTE speeds at the moment. If you factor in the data caps put on by carriers what does it even matter? You won't notice much of a difference between 20 and 30Mbps when loading a webpage and it's not like you can stream all day if you have a 2GB data cap. Most of the time wifi will still need to be used.

*This also works with Band 4 LTE, which is used in Canada and soon to be developed by T-Mobile here in the US.

2. The Nexus 4, Droid DNA, and Optimus G all have the Snapdragon S4 Pro, which is the fastest mobile processor in existence.

3. 2GB RAM gives this phone plenty to work with.

4. It has one of the best screens ever on a smartphone.

5. This phone will be on 4.3 (or 5.0, whichever happens first) while your GSIII will be stuck with 4.1 for the rest of its life.

6. Apple doesn't have removable batteries either, but you don't see people still complaining about it much anymore. Why? Because if it's a non-issue people buy the phone and if it is an issue people don't. They don't buy it and then complain how they hate it.


Now is the Nexus 4 the end all of smartphones? No, the iphone 5 and GSIII have better cameras and obviously many phones have LTE, expandable storage, and removable batteries. But the Nexus 4 is very high end in the areas it tries to be and for $300/$350 unlocked and off contract you really can't get a better deal. At the end of the day buy what suits you. For me, that's the Nexus 4.

No way man, no shot remotely close that HSPA+ is as fast as LTE! It's just not a realistic claim! I used the Nexus 4 for 3 days and I can tell you right now that I was getting between 2-3Mbps on at&t. Now when you compare that to my GS3 and iphone 5 running on LTE getting between 25-30Mbps it's a no contest. The LTE thing has been Beatin into the ground, so I'll leave it at that.

As far as a removable battery, I could care less...I like the fact that its sealed inside. Makes for less creaks and what not!

As for the screen...I don't feel as though its the best screen on the market at all, yes it's fairly sharp,,,but colors to me looked very washed out and the screen had very warm white tones, compared to cool white tones...I'm in the camp of liking the cool white tones, just my 2 cents..

As for the camera...I'm not a fan of it! I know some have stated that good pictures are reserved for straight shooter professional cameras, I highly disagree completely! This is almost 2013, why wouldn't I want a great camera on my phone. I'll name 3 phones that have unbelievable cameras at the moment...

Droid DNA- amazing camera
Iphone 5- amazing as well
GS3- one of the best I've ever used!

Could Google have done better on a bunch of things, yes I think so! Should a phone like the Nexus 4 suffer from touch sensitivity issues? No way, that screen should be unbelievable and pick up touches right away, however I noticed it right off the bat, and I highly doubt it's a software glitch, but more of a hardware issues...which to me is a problem.

However...my thread was more directed at the short comings of how Google handled the release of the Nexus 4, not the short comings of the phone.

Anyway...those are my thoughts, like em or hate em...there just that, my thoughts about the phone and how Google has handled this whole thing. I'm disapointed to say the very least. I want nothing but Google to succeed and kill the retail market with a killer device. At the moment all their doing is pissing off quite a few people, and IMO there is going to be alot of people that have felt they moved Heaven and Earth to get this phone, and then at the end of the day, maybe it just wasn't worth it...that's for them to decide, not me...all this is just my 2 cents...nothing more, nothing less!
 
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I can see how you might've drawn that conclusion; I was thinking the same thing as I was writing the post.

I feel I have the right to be bitter though. No release date, no preorder, and on the SECOND TIME Google tries to release the N4, I find myself being forced to wait an additional 5-6 weeks for a nexus.

Its not that I'm impatient. Trust me, if this wasn't a smartphone we were talking about, I would be willing to wait the 5 weeks. Its just that cellphone nowadays have very short life spans, and by the time I finally get my hands on an N4, we will be well into the new year. Heck, the Galaxy S4 already has rumors of a Q1 2013 launch, so why not wait for that if I'm going to have to hold out 6 more weeks for a Nexus 4? Its not like I'm going to miss out on google's ecosystem with another android device either.

And don't get me wrong, I would very much like to own a Nexus 4. This whole mess just has me thinking a little bit...

This is basically my point, one unhappy consumer or 10,000 unhappy consumers is not going to change google's momentum. And buying a S4 still benefits google :)
 
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No way man, no shot remotely close that HSPA+ is as fast as LTE! It's just not a realistic claim! I used the Nexus 4 for 3 days and I can tell you right now that I was getting between 2-3Mbps on at&t. Now when you compare that to my GS3 and iphone 5 running on LTE getting between 25-30Mbps it's a no contest. The LTE thing has been Beatin into the ground, so I'll leave it at that.

As with all cell signal stuff, things will change greatly depending on carrier, location, and stress on the network. AT&T did make HSPA+ upgrades to their network, but then moved away from that to focus on LTE. T-Mobile did far more extensive HSPA+ upgrades and have been slow to adopt LTE. There's a reason this iteration is called HSPA+42. It can theoretically do up to 42 mbps, certainly within the realm of LTE. And I've seen plenty of posts on XDA from people using the N4 and getting 20+ mbps on HSPA+.

If you're on AT&T in a city that does LTE, then I highly recommend going for an LTE-capable phone like the SGIII or the One X+, because AT&T's HSPA+ sucks. If you're using T-Mobile in an HSPA+ enabled city, then this is THE phone to get, and you should be seeing LTE-level speeds, depending on network saturation. And when Tmo does roll out LTE, it appears this phone will be able to access it.
 
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It's a fail on multiple levels. I ordered on the 13th, got backordered after fighting with the Play store for hours, heard nothing for two weeks, then got an email stating it would finally ship this week. Then G brilliantly decides to accept some new orders BEFORE THEY BOTHER TO SHIP ALL THE BACKORDERED ONES OUT. Lots of people received their shipping notifications, not me though. I actually ordered another one today. I'd bet $100 the one I ordered today ships out before the one I ordered on the 13th. Seriously pathetic. The biggest "internet" company in the world and they can even sell a phone on the web.
 
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As with all cell signal stuff, things will change greatly depending on carrier, location, and stress on the network. AT&T did make HSPA+ upgrades to their network, but then moved away from that to focus on LTE. T-Mobile did far more extensive HSPA+ upgrades and have been slow to adopt LTE. There's a reason this iteration is called HSPA+42. It can theoretically do up to 42 mbps, certainly within the realm of LTE. And I've seen plenty of posts on XDA from people using the N4 and getting 20+ mbps on HSPA+.

If you're on AT&T in a city that does LTE, then I highly recommend going for an LTE-capable phone like the SGIII or the One X+, because AT&T's HSPA+ sucks. If you're using T-Mobile in an HSPA+ enabled city, then this is THE phone to get, and you should be seeing LTE-level speeds, depending on network saturation. And when Tmo does roll out LTE, it appears this phone will be able to access it.

I agree on a wide variety of levels! If someone is on Tmobile in the states, I'd say go TRY and get this phone if Vanilla Android is your thing and you don't want to be tied into a contract.

However a good friend of mine has Tmobile and says his GS3 is funny with the speeds... As he explains it, certain areas in his house and his neighborhood see very different speeds and data connectivity.

Example- He says he looses a data connection completely when he walks towards the back of his house, and gets it back with full bars when he walks back towards the front of the house and it gets stronger as he gets closer to the window...lmaoooo, that reminds me of the old Sprint days. But in reality he says he'll never leave them because he has such a crazy deal with them.
 
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It's a fail on multiple levels. I ordered on the 13th, got backordered after fighting with the Play store for hours, heard nothing for two weeks, then got an email stating it would finally ship this week. Then G brilliantly decides to accept some new orders BEFORE THEY BOTHER TO SHIP ALL THE BACKORDERED ONES OUT. Lots of people received their shipping notifications, not me though. I actually ordered another one today. I'd bet $100 the one I ordered today ships out before the one I ordered on the 13th. Seriously pathetic. The biggest "internet" company in the world and they can even sell a phone on the web.

You have hit the nail on the Head with your Quote..

The biggest "internet" company in the world and they can't even sell a phone on the web.
 
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I agree on a wide variety of levels! If someone is on Tmobile in the states, I'd say go TRY and get this phone if Vanilla Android is your thing and you don't want to be tied into a contract.

However a good friend of mine has Tmobile and says his GS3 is funny with the speeds... As he explains it, certain areas in his house and his neighborhood see very different speeds and data connectivity.

Example- He says he looses a data connection completely when he walks towards the back of his house, and gets it back with full bars when he walks back towards the front of the house and it gets stronger as he gets closer to the window...lmaoooo, that reminds me of the old Sprint days. But in reality he says he'll never leave them because he has such a crazy deal with them.

That's cell service for you. There is a single spot in my apartment that is completely dead. If you walk past it while using a cell phone, it drops the call. No matter what. Every time. This is for both Sprint and AT&T. Cell service is a precarious thing, and depends on so many different factors. Also, what each person wants and will put up with is different, so a phone that may be unusable to you is ideal for someone else.
 
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That's cell service for you. There is a single spot in my apartment that is completely dead. If you walk past it while using a cell phone, it drops the call. No matter what. Every time. This is for both Sprint and AT&T. Cell service is a precarious thing, and depends on so many different factors. Also, what each person wants and will put up with is different, so a phone that may be unusable to you is ideal for someone else.

Driving under the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway will guarantee you a dropped call with just about any carrier... Once in blue moon I'll hold the call, but the most part it's a dropped call in that area.
 
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This is going to create a fall out. And in my eyes as crazy as it may sound Google may like what's going on right now. Maybe to the point with them saying, wow look at all the attention this phone is getting, we can't keep them on the shelves because they're flying off so fast. Lol,,,,what these clowns don't understand is that the Nexus line is nowhere near the popularity as say an iPhone or the Galaxy S3, the Nexus is more of niche phone, one that caters to a much smaller footprint then the previous devices I just mentioned. So how on earth could you not be able to have enough phones to go around to the Android faithful would be my question?

Well that's certainly a unique perspective that I hadn't considered . . . but I must disagree, at least as far as Google liking what is going on. First, as a publicly traded company any time there's a new product launch and there's any perception of an inability to fill the channel that's a big, big, black eye. Second, when a company such as Google who is considered a kingpin of many things online is seen as having their Play Store, positioned as a competitor to Apple's App Store, step all over their own Johnson that's a really serious black eye as well. Essentially they are being called out as being unable to deliver on their perceived core competency (online experience) combined with their inability to deliver on their desire to expand into both being a direct retailer and a hardware supplier. Trust me, none of this plays well in any investor circles - and, as everyone here today and two weeks ago will attest, really pisses off customers and potential customers.
 
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Well that's certainly a unique perspective that I hadn't considered . . . but I must disagree, at least as far as Google liking what is going on. First, as a publicly traded company any time there's a new product launch and there's any perception of an inability to fill the channel that's a big, big, black eye. Second, when a company such as Google who is considered a kingpin of many things online is seen as having their Play Store, positioned as a competitor to Apple's App Store, step all over their own Johnson that's a really serious black eye as well. Essentially they are being called out as being unable to deliver on their perceived core competency (online experience) combined with their inability to deliver on their desire to expand into both being a direct retailer and a hardware supplier. Trust me, none of this plays well in any investor circles - and, as everyone here today and two weeks ago will attest, really pisses off customers and potential customers.


IMO, how can a Huge company like Google not be able to control how they're servers monitor how many devices they have for sale?

Lol, Hi come to Google play...we're not sold out of Nexus 4's, but you can't have one delivered for 4-5 weeks? Whattttttt?

I agree, BIG Black eye!
 
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