Canada Galaxy Nexus Thread (Updated - 12/06/11) - December 7th Early Sale

[darty]

Got mine today from Best Buy with a 3yr virgin mobile contract! Loving it so far!

 

[Cudda]

I'm with Rogers right now and want this phone ASAP. Do I have to actually wait until Rogers gets it in january or can I just get a Bell/Telus or maybe even a US version of the phone and have it work on Rogers 3G?

 

[likebutta]

I'm with Rogers right now and want this phone ASAP. Do I have to actually wait until Rogers gets it in january or can I just get a Bell/Telus or maybe even a US version of the phone and have it work on Rogers 3G?

Yes its pentaband so it will work on Rogers. Acquiring the phone itself is the only real challenge. Some have luck at certain stores while others don't. At the very minimum, expect to pay a months worth of service to get the device.

 

[markieta]

Got mine on Thursday.
Here is a quick list of Android Marketplace Apps that I downloaded when I first booted up my phone.

LightFlow
Androidify
Google Docs
Facebook
WeatherEye

Enjoy your phones! I don't know if I will be back much to this forum now that I've got the phone

 

[Deleted User]

to those that got the phone already, how are you liking it, any quirks/problems you noticed maybe??

any xtra stuff added on like bloat or bell/virgin specific?
were you able to check if it is truly unlocked and works with other carrier sim cards?
what version is it? will it work with the factory images released by google here
Factory Images for Nexus Devices - Google Support for Nexus Phones and Flagship Devices - Google Code
so if something goes wrong you can flash it back to stock and get it warranty replaced

has any1 attempted to root it yet and if so what process did you follow, any problems?

also does the visual voice mail work right away, or do you have to have a value pack/specific visual voice mail feature with your carrier for it to work like you had to for the iphone?

im pretty sure the VVM on iphone was a data feature and i had to specifically have a value pack that had VVM for it to work, so im not exactly sure how the galaxy nexus voicemail is going to work

sry for all the ?'s, just curious if the Canadian released versions are any different

 

[likebutta]

to those that got the phone already, how are you liking it, any quirks/problems you noticed maybe??

any xtra stuff added on like bloat or bell/virgin specific?
were you able to check if it is truly unlocked and works with other carrier sim cards?
what version is it? will it work with the factory images released by google here
Factory Images for Nexus Devices - Google Support for Nexus Phones and Flagship Devices - Google Code
so if something goes wrong you can flash it back to stock and get it warranty replaced

has any1 attempted to root it yet and if so what process did you follow, any problems?

also does the visual voice mail work right away, or do you have to have a value pack/specific visual voice mail feature with your carrier for it to work like you had to for the iphone?

im pretty sure the VVM on iphone was a data feature and i had to specifically have a value pack that had VVM for it to work, so im not exactly sure how the galaxy nexus voicemail is going to work

sry for all the ?'s, just curious if the Canadian released versions are any different

I don't have the phone but I can still confirms the answers from other owners I've talked to:

- No bloatware
- Yes, it's unlocked. Rogers, Fido, WIND, etc etc Though there have been murmurings of issues with certain microsim-to-full-size adapters.
- Visual VoiceMail is a carrier-dependant feature. They must support it.

I haven't heard anything concrete in regards to rooting and the OS version/image compatibility but I honestly have no doubts that it's all stock. That has been the Nexus way; the Verizon LTE version being the exception.

 

[JLishere]

I got the GN on Friday from The Source.

Here are some things I can confirm:

- The device is 159.99$ on a 3-year contract with Virgin Mobile Canada.
- Also available at retail price: 649.99$
- In Canada, the packaging is exactly the same as the original (GSM international version - with Google/Samsung logo, no carrier branding)
- The device number is i9250m (vs. i9250 which is the LTE version in the US)
- It's already OEM unlocked and pentaband (850/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 850/1700/1900 WCDMA/HSPA) - it will work with any SIM card
- No carrier app, you get a clean install of Android 4.0
- For those who might consider rooting/unlocking bootloader in the future, the procedure is the same

 

[northernale1]

I can also confirm its not locked,, bought mine outright at bell and using it on rogers,,

only issue I have so far with this phone is low speaker volume,,hopefully gets addressed with updates,,,

phone is nice and solid, great battery life,, and smooth and fast,,

no bloatware at all period,,,

 

[ArclightX]

I can also confirm the confirmations... Water is wet, the sky is blue, and Lindsay Lohan is a s**t...

No seriously, picked up my Gnex on Thursday, I tested it with a Telus Sim, Bell Sim, Wind Mob Sim, they all work. (aka it's a SIM-Unlocked phone)

Cost: $650 + $50 (1 Mo/virgin tab which i immediately cancelled) + 5% tax (AB)

Early impressions, it's physically larger than the Nexus S, although surprising light in the hand weight wise. Very smooth interface with a fresh new look and feel. No major complaints so far but I'm still working my way though it.

That panorama thing is pretty cool and native screen capture is kinda neat as well.

I will eventually be unlocking the boot loader, rooting, custom recovery, custom ROM thing (probably MIUI once it comes out), but that is for another day.

No flash support for the time being but it's not really a deal breaker.

Oh yeah the 720p display is frickin amazing, very clear and crisp, a pleasure to look at.

*** NEARLY FORGOT ***

was in Edmonton over the weekend and had some fun at the mall asking all the Bell/Virgin Mobility stores associates there (there's like 8 of them) if the Gnex was unlocked or not to test their honesty. All but 1 guy said it was a locked phone, which I immediately called them on.

My belief is that they really didn't know and weren't being wilfully dishonest. When I showed them my phone running on Telus they looked genuinely surprised. It's unfortunate that their higher ups aren't informing their staff and letting them remain ignorant.

Same goes for the Best Buy staff (where I bought the phone) they didn't know and were all gathering around as I swapped out the bell sim for the telus sim and showed them that it still worked with lots of Oooooh's and Aaaahh's in response.

Cheers!

 

[Roze]

How's the battery life of the G.Nex compared to your previous phone?

 

[ArclightX]

How's the battery life of the G.Nex compared to your previous phone?

Slightly better than the Nexus S imo. I keep all the radios on 24/7 (Wifi, 3G, GPS, Bluetooth, etc.. etc..) and I actually use mine during the day, (ie, it doesn't just sit in my pocket) and I get about a day (work day) out of it.

That's one thing that custom roms and undervolted kernels excel at, they really stretch out battery life so I'm looking forward to loading something other than the stock rom on the Gnex.

Cheers.

 

[Roze]

I went to Best Buy and ask if they carry the 32GB model. All of the sales guys at the phone booth were totally clueless. They didn't even know that there's a 32GB version of the phone out in other parts of the world. They and the Bell guys I talked to didn't even know that the Galaxy Nexus is a full penta band GSM and HSPA phone :/ Sad is that they have Android phones.

I hope a 32GB model comes to Canada.

 

[Kuhns787]

If I buy one of these online will it work in the USA with AT&T? Has anyone tested this if so how well does it work?

 

[Roze]

If I buy one of these online will it work in the USA with AT&T? Has anyone tested this if so how well does it work?

It should I have used At&t phones on my carrier.

 

[kiiat]

i read on one of my tech feeds the other day that the GN is coming to telus Jan 2012. i have the s2 but the battery life is pure suckage so i may give that to my husband and get the GN instead

 

[Roze]

i read on one of my tech feeds the other day that the GN is coming to telus Jan 2012. i have the s2 but the battery life is pure suckage so i may give that to my husband and get the GN instead

Really? I have read that the SGS2 has amazing battery life. I'm with Rogers. I hate Rogers. The good thing with the GN is that you can finally use a top tier high end Android Device on one of the cheap carriers that use AWS 1700 and 2100 (Wind, Mobilicity, Videotron).

 

[Erikson]

Really? I have read that the SGS2 has amazing battery life. I'm with Rogers. I hate Rogers. The good thing with the GN is that you can finally use a top tier high end Android Device on one of the cheap carriers that use AWS 1700 and 2100 (Wind, Mobilicity, Videotron).

Yup this is what I did.

Cancelled my "bend me over" Rogers plan and switched to Wind Mobile.

Now until Dec 31st. Wind Mobile has an Unlimited Text, Voice and Data for 1yr for $29.00.
WIND Mobile | Oh Canada Mobile Phone Plan

Much better than anything Rogers have ever offered in their entire existence.

And no system Access Fee.

Galaxy Nexus is working great on their network. On Wind I get H and 3G everywhere I go.

It's also faster than Rogers downstream (tested with speedtest.net)

 

[Roze]

It's also faster than Rogers downstream (tested with speedtest.net)

Really? Do you know the dl cap that Wind has?

 

[Erikson]

Really? Do you know the dl cap that Wind has?

BTW - Testing was in Downtown Rogers on the same phone.

They said after 10GB of data usage they may cap your usage. This seems reasonable to me.

 

[Roze]

Yup this is what I did.

Cancelled my "bend me over" Rogers plan and switched to Wind Mobile.

Now until Dec 31st. Wind Mobile has an Unlimited Text, Voice and Data for 1yr for $29.00.
WIND Mobile | Oh Canada Mobile Phone Plan

What's the price AFTER the 1 year?

BTW - Testing was in Downtown Rogers on the same phone.

They said after 10GB of data usage they may cap your usage. This seems reasonable to me.

Not bad at all. I would have thought 2GB or 5GB and then cap.

 

[Erikson]

What's the price AFTER the 1 year?


Not bad at all. I would have thought 2GB or 5GB and then cap.

Price after 1yr then becomes $45/Month.
None of this is on a contract BTW.

So if at any point in time something cheaper comes up, switch.

That's the beauty with the Galaxy Nexus: Pentaband.

 

[Kuhns787]

When I was visiting my local AT&T store today the rep I was speaking with said if I get this phone the data may not be provisioned on it. I personally think he was full of crap! Too late anyways I already ordered mine this morning.

 

[Sango]

I gotten the Galaxy Nexus and it's working on AT&T perfectly. I had AT&T switch my plan to data yesterday since I intially had data blocked for my previous phone which was on contract which has expired - so now I am on monthly.

I actually bought my Galaxy Nexus in Richmond, BC Canada on Sunday. I had to buy it with a Bell monthly plan since I could not get the phone by itself but the assistant manager said, I can get the montly plan and cancel it in 14 days and it will work; so that's what I did and I got the phone. She was nice enough and threw me a 3-in-1 charger too free.

 

[kiiat]

is it true that there's no USB Mass Storage Mode or expansion slot? I read this is true for GNs coming from US carriers....

 

[Sango]

is it true that there's no USB Mass Storage Mode or expansion slot? I read this is true for GNs coming from US carriers....

True, no expansion slot - but it still works like USB storage device. I transferred a custom ring tone the other day.

I have not tested music streaming hooked up to my car yet.

Galaxy Nexus doesn't support USB Mass Storage, other Android 4.0 devices still do | The Verge