Nexus One or Desire?

[twist123]

Which one, Im having a really hard time to choose one. I do like sense ui and thats steering me towards the Desire more at the moment. So would like some more opinions.

 

[darktheory]

you may find gsmarena's Nexus One review, useful

Google Nexus One review: Firstborn - GSMArena.com

 

[oniongirl]

Also bear in mind that you can flash the Desire ROM onto the Nexus.

I think it's a decision between optical/mechanical trackball. And whether you like hardware buttons.

 

[twist123]

If I flashed Desire onto it would that invalidate the N1 warranty?

Also, are the buttons at the bottom of the N1 that bad?

 

[sooper_droid12]

There are some things you want to consider, both have pros and cons. Obviously, the internals are very similar and the only physical difference being there is no second microphone for noise cancellation in the Desire. While most new phones have a second microphone, including phones like the Moto Devour, I don't think it will be a deal-breaker for three reasons: 1) It generally is a benefit to those on the other end receiving your phone calls, 2) Any benefit to your end in the ear-piece is negligible because the ear-piece has such a narrow operating scope that it is likely ineffective, 3) There's no benefit either way for bluetooth ear devices.

What the Desire has its favor are: 1) Sense UI. No matter what you feel about this overlay (and I've been one to trash it), some actually like what it adds to the UX of a phone. Some of the animations are gorgeous and the pinch-to-zoom enabled across the ENTIRE phone and not just in native apps is a huge win in my opinion. Also as a result of having Sense UI, you also have an additional 50+ mb of RAM, 2) Having touch problems with the soft keys on your N1? No problem, the Desire has replaced them with hard buttons (better in my opinion). What you press is what you get. No need to press "above" the key to get it to work. 3) TRACK PAD! Exactly what modern devices need today. Trackballs are old news. Even the phone that so popularized the TB (the Blackberry) has come to its senses and uses a track pad. Why would you have a phone sporting the latest in touchscreen technology and have an antiquated, circa 1980s technology trackball? Great move in my opinion.

Points AGAINST the Desire: It's an HTC phone with Sense. What is its greatest advantage is also its greatest weakness. Why? As you've seen with the N1, whenever there is a need for an update, it gets it, almost immediately. No QC checks between carriers and manufacturers. It just goes out once Google figures it out. Of course, if you have a non-Google phone, then there's that layer that an update must go through. Sense UI adds another difficulty. So much of the 2.x release to HTC phones had to do with figuring out how to mesh Sense with 2.x. So, if you get the Desire (or any non-Google phone, for that matter) don't expect updates as quickly as if you had a Google phone. And really, that's the only downside to the Desire, from what I understand.

Other things: Desire will be cheaper. Desire will have the full support of carriers and manufacturers and none of that non-existent Google customer support, no matter how much they've changed. Brick and mortar stores where you can bring in your device and get it replaced immediately if there's a problem, instead of mailing it in, having a charge hold, etc.

These are just my opinions.

 

[oniongirl]

If I flashed Desire onto it would that invalidate the N1 warranty?

Technically, yes, but HTC have been honouring hardware faults (such as dust under the screen) even if the device has been rooted.

Also, are the buttons at the bottom of the N1 that bad?

And that one's preference. Since the Nexus update, I've had no problems with my softkeys, so I have no complaints about them, and I personally prefer the look of having them like that as opposed to the physical buttons.

I think really for the average consumer, the Desire is a better option because, as sooper_droid mentions, it will have a better support infrastructure available (on the assumption that your carrier is any better than Google at support!)

Also, I hadn't thought about this before: you can probably root your Desire and put stock Android on it if you prefer not having Sense, but I need someone to confirm that for me. Can't see why it wouldn't work. And I guess that would mean you can get instant updates from Google like Nexus users.

So once again, it's a design choice, coupled with how likely you think you will need one-on-one support with your phone.

 

[twist123]

If I got the Desire it wouldnt be on contract it would be outright purchase so either way I guess both would have to be shipped to HTC for repairs?

 

[darktheory]

Also, I hadn't thought about this before: you can probably root your Desire and put stock Android on it if you prefer not having Sense, but I need someone to confirm that for me. Can't see why it wouldn't work. And I guess that would mean you can get instant updates from Google like Nexus users.

if this is true, im sold. DESIRE it is (?)

 

[oniongirl]

If I got the Desire it wouldnt be on contract it would be outright purchase so either way I guess both would have to be shipped to HTC for repairs?

Yup!

So now it's down to unlocked price comparison and the trackball/pad and hardware buttons. Which one do you think is prettier?

 

[twist123]

I like the Nexus buttons but I like the Desires pad, overall the Nexus imo is a better looking phone. But Desire has Sense, but is also 1 1/2 months away... sigh.

 

[oniongirl]

I like the Nexus buttons but I like the Desires pad, overall the Nexus imo is a better looking phone. But Desire has Sense, but is also 1 1/2 months away... sigh.

I feel your indecision pain! I basically forced the people on the UK thread to persuade me to get the Nexus. I have definitely not regretted my choice, although felt a little miffed when I heard about the twin.

Another point in Nexus' favour (I have a lot of those, slightly biased!) is that everyone will have the Desire, and only a small percentage will have the Nexus. Actually, that's a guess, that probably depends on the price when they start selling the phone.

 

[twist123]

Yeah, I think the Nexus would be more exclusive. Desire will be between 400-429 from what Ive seen, so same price as Nexus after Tax.

When Sense is out (the version thats on the retail Desire) will it run as quick on the Nexus as it does on the Desire or will there be lag lik ecurrent versions on Nexus'?

I have to many questions lol, thanks for helping out.

 

[rori]

.....These are just my opinions.

Agree 100% - Really nice explenation, easy to understand - thanx!

 

[sooper_droid12]

I wouldn't bet on that exclusivity for long though. There are several reasons for exclusivity of the N1: 1) That it is only sold online, 2) That there is really only one US carrier. Wait until the phone reaches Verizon because you'll likely see an upsurge (though, not likely a ton), especially if VZW decides to release the Desire/Incredible at the same time as the announcement for the N1. I wouldn't bet against VZW doing that just to prove they can sell more Desires/Incredibles than the N1.

On the Sense vs. running stock. I think I've read on HTC phones you have the option of running Sense or Stock. I'd check the HTC device threads and search through those. And I don't think it comes down to just hardware and buttons, even if you buy it outright, it doesn't guarantee you that the Desire will get updates sooner than the N1. So, you have to consider that as well.

As for running Sense on the N1 being as fast as the Desire... they've ported the Sense/2.1 ROM to the DROID and it runs FLUIDLY. I don't think that it will be a problem for the N1 to handle. But remember, running Sense takes memory. This is why the Desire includes MORE MEMORY (RAM) to run it. At the end of the day, running stock N1 vs. stock Desire, you'll have more space to run apps in the Desire. Really it comes down to whether you want quick updates or delayed updates.

This is another problem that Google needs to address. They've addressed fragmentation by making sure all Android devices get 2.1 firmware. Now they have to address the issue of how to get these updates to all Android devices in a timely manner, like they do with the iPhone. It only serves to ensure the growth of Android and Android-base devices.

 

[grainysand]

Here's one point against the Desire: it may not be easy to root. The N1 is probably the most convenient Android phone to root currently--unlocking the bootloader has never been so easy. Unlike Google, however, HTC has no interest in making gaining root access particularly easy for users.

To this day, several Android phones are still very difficult to root/remain unrooted. It may be a non-factor to some people, but personally since I've rooted the N1 I'd feel bloody miffed if I'm barred from trying out the latest and greatest in custom ROMs--including, among other things, optimizations that are just plain superior than what the stock ROM comes with: just look at apps2sd and the kernels that let you use all of the N1's RAM. (And yes, it's noticeable. When all your apps are running and you still have over 100 MB of RAM free, you'll understand.)

As for running Sense on the N1 being as fast as the Desire... they've ported the Sense/2.1 ROM to the DROID and it runs FLUIDLY. I don't think that it will be a problem for the N1 to handle.

Er, also ported to the N1. Before the Droid, actually, and it runs surprisingly well considering the build I've got is an alpha (varies from ROM to ROM; I hear one of them is faster than others, but I'm sticking with the most reliable developer for now). No force closes, no stuttering, and with Spare Parts swiping from one homescreen to the next is snappier than ever. Memory problem's nonexistent; see the aforementioned kernels and being able to make use of all 512 MB of RAM. With Startup Auditor to control what apps auto-start and what don't, I usually have 120-150 MB free most of the time, and about 211 MB on a fresh boot-up.

 

[sooper_droid12]

If you have 100MB of free RAM then you have 100MB of wasted RAM. RAM is meant to be used. It frustrates me that people tout how much free RAM they have. Having all your apps running with 100MB of RAM free or 16MB of RAM free should provide no perceivable difference. The benefit of the kernel is to recover RAM that was promised you. There should absolutely be no reason for the N1 to have less user-available RAM than the lesser DROID. So, the kernel was a necessary fix. Apps2SD doesn't free up RAM; it frees up ROM.

...

 

[twist123]

Been reading the battery thread and that concerns me a bit to, that some people get a few very short hours without even using the phone and others get over 24hrs.

Quality control sounds a bit poor with dust under the screen to, especially for a device that cost this kind of money.

 

[grainysand]

If you have 100MB of free RAM then you have 100MB of wasted RAM. RAM is meant to be used. It frustrates me that people tout how much free RAM they have. Having all your apps running with 100MB of RAM free or 16MB of RAM free should provide no perceivable difference.

That's cute, but I'll bet anything that your average PC with 2 GB of RAM with a lot of Firefox tabs open will run more sluggishly than a PC with 4 GB of RAM and the same number of tabs open. But hey, sure, whatever you say.

Apps2SD doesn't free up RAM; it frees up ROM.

...

Don't recall saying that apps2sd frees up RAM. Reading comprehension and all that.

Oh yeah, and most custom ROMs reallocate /dalvik-cache free up about 40-50 MB of internal storage. One of the many reasons I can't live with the stock ROM: unoptimized, wasted space.

 

[sooper_droid12]

Well, whatever plagues the N1 will plague the Desire. Both utilize the same chassis design and if you've seen the N1 tear down, you'll see that there's not much separating the plastic top part of the chassis from the screen. You will get dust; not a question of if, but a question of when.

 

[sooper_droid12]

That's cute, but I'll bet anything that your average PC with 2 GB of RAM with a lot of Firefox tabs open will run more sluggishly than a PC with 4 GB of RAM and the same number of tabs open. But hey, sure, whatever you say.



Don't recall saying that apps2sd frees up RAM. Reading comprehension and all that.

Oh yeah, and most custom ROMs reallocate /dalvik-cache free up about 40-50 MB of internal storage. One of the many reasons I can't live with the stock ROM: unoptimized, wasted space.

Let's bet on it. We're not talking about the performance bottlenecks that bely computers where a CPU needs to wait for a HDD to deliver data or that an OS and its system processes are occupying a large portion of the available RAM. Unless you're running so many apps at the same time that those apps are competing for memory cap space, you're not going to see a perceivable difference. Adding 17-20% more RAM where RAM isn't a bottleneck is not going to improve overall system performance. I mean, it's not like our devices are running Windows Vista here!

But yeah, I guess if you're running a dozen or more apps and have just about every system process running at the same time, then yeah, you're right... Good to have more RAM.

And as far as reading comprehension is concerned, you might want to work on better sentence structure:

Just look at apps2sd and the kernels that let you use all of the N1's RAM.

You use a copulative conjunction ("and") which unites the two words in the same line of thought. You followed it by the use of the relative pronoun ("that"), creating a restrictive clause, whereby the clause "let you use..." refers back to the linked nouns. So yeah, my bad for being grammatically correct in reading your sentence.

But you're right on one thing: Stock ROMs do tend to be unoptimized and waste space.

 

[sooper_droid12]

Er, also ported to the N1. Before the Droid, actually...

The point of my post was to say that if it's running fluidly on the DROID, it should be child's play for the N1. I wasn't trying to make a point about which device Sense was ported to first or last. But yeah, it's a pretty good port for the N1 and the DROID port is getting there... still a bit rough around the edges. Either way, the Desire represents the best of both worlds if you're able to easily run the stock Android from it. I don't know personally how hard it is to root a Sense device, so I can't comment on that.

 

[grainysand]

Let's bet on it. We're not talking about the performance bottlenecks that bely computers where a CPU needs to wait for a HDD to deliver data or that an OS and its system processes are occupying a large portion of the available RAM. Unless you're running so many apps at the same time that those apps are competing for memory cap space, you're not going to see a perceivable difference. Adding 17-20% more RAM where RAM isn't a bottleneck is not going to improve overall system performance. I mean, it's not like our devices are running Windows Vista here!

Funny you should say, because Sense is a giant memory bloat--are you under the impression it's particularly well-optimized or something (even on the devices it's intended for)? Running the earlier alpha builds without .32 kernel was painful.

But yeah, I guess if you're running a dozen or more apps and have just about every system process running at the same time, then yeah, you're right... Good to have more RAM.

And... Android apps (gasp, shock and horror!) tend to auto-start. Taken a look at your task manager lately? Bet there're at least six-eight processes running you didn't launch.

You use a copulative conjunction ("and") which unites the two words in the same line of thought. You followed it by the use of the relative pronoun ("that"), creating a restrictive clause, whereby the clause "let you use..." refers back to the linked nouns. So yeah, my bad for being grammatically correct in reading your sentence.

Someone's feelings are hurt. Awwww.

 

[Lukehluke]

I hope the Desire can be rooted as otherwise it will put off a lot of users (inc) me.

 

[sourmilk]

i have reservations about sense, but what kills it for me is the combined back and search button. the asymmetry looks weird to me, like they did it just to add flair, but missed the mark.

 

[MushroomStamp]

I will get the N1 when it hits VZW. I am not a fan of SenseUI.

Where is a good place to get Custom ROMs for the N1? Is there a site that reviews the custom ROMs? I don't want to try 30 different ROMs when 25 of them suck. So anyone have a good ROM site?