Is the Nexus Prime wasted on Me?

[red66charger]

I could have named this thread "Ramblings of a Noob" as I have been trying to learn about Nexus/Google devices and their benefits. Seems that the two biggest draws for Nexus devotees are the open architecture for development/modification and the lack of bloatware.

Sure I would like to not have bloatware on a device...I swear I hardly use any of the apps that came pre-installed on my Thunderbolt. I honestly have no idea what VCast is and I suspect it's just another way for Verizon to get more of my money. However, I really don't see myself getting into custom ROMs, kernals and all the other stuff you guys do with your devices that I barely comprehend.

I want a smooth, fast, feature laden device that hopefully has a battery that will last 10 hours. I can deal with the bloatware as long as it doesn't affect the device's performance. It is for these reasons I suspect The Prime might be wasted on me.

But there are two things really drawing me to Prime. I really hate not having the latest and greatest OS...be it in a computer or a phone. The fact that TB (unrooted) is still running Froyo drives me crazy. The fact that Prime is said to be arriving with Ice Cream Sandwich and, being a Nexus device, will be supported with updates in a timely manner is very appealing to me.

Perhaps I can figure out what will be best for me if I knew in layman's terms what ICS will be bringing that GB does not. Admittedly I am leaning towards Bionic (please be gentle) because it is releasing sooner than Prime. I'm assuming Motorola won't abandon the device the way HTC/VZW has the Thunderbolt, and will release an OTA update of ICS in a timely fasion. And, as much as I love a nice display in my home, I don't think it is as big a factor for me on a hand-held device.

So...operationally speaking, with no preference in form factor or screen output, is The Prime wasted on me? I'm not a super-user, just a guy that appreciates a snappy, consistent and reliable device that will receive timely updates and will have decent battery life. Any constructive dialogue is greatly appreciated. Mods...if this is not the proper forum for this topic please feel free to move.

Thanks!

 

[The_Chief]

Keep in mind that Bionic is slated to have at least 512MB of RAM... maybe even 1GB. Bloatware will not be much of a factor for you if you have that much memory to play with.

Froyo isn't necessarily a bad thing, either. My OG Droid had problems with GB and, other than a groovy standby animation, I noticed nothing new in it. Froyo suits my needs very well. ICS on the other hand, will have a whole new interface so I can see how you would be anxious to have it. Not sure how fast Bionic will get it, though.

Will Prime be "wasted" on you? My wife has an OG Droid w/unlimited data and never browses, she rarely listens to music on it... she texts and makes calls. That phone is DEFINITELY wasted on her. She needs a Jitterbug or something. Depending on what you do and don't do with your device will determine if the phone is overkill for you. Sometimes having the newest and bestest doesn't make much sense unless you're going to use its features enough to justify the expense.

 

[red66charger]

Right on Chief. Exactly the kind of info this noob is looking for.

 

[chawski]

you might not think youll use all the features it has, but once you realize you have it, i guarantee youll use it and love it. I remember before I had my first smartphone, I HATED the thought of having email going to my phone. I thought it would be the biggest nuisance ever being bothered all day by it. Now, I think the only time i use my computer for email is if I have along email to send that Id rather a real keyboard. It certainly wont be wasted

 

[red66charger]

Thanks, like Bluefire I'm getting worked up with the impending release of Bionic. Since I plan on running stock (really don't see myself modifying a device) I thought Prime might not be my best choice. But I like the idea if no bloat and ICS.

I plan on waiting for Prime.

 

[cereal killer]

Thanks, like Bluefire I'm getting worked up with the impending release of Bionic. Since I plan on running stock (really don't see myself modifying a device) I thought Prime might not be my best choice. But I like the idea if no bloat and ICS.

I plan on waiting for Prime.

Ahh you don't see yourself modding the device now but trust me when you see all the cool ROMS come out for it, you will eventually cave in it will be impossible to resist LOL

That will be the beauty of owning the Prime. You can flash away or just run a custom lean and mean stock ROM. The possibilities are truly endless.

Thats why my Droid lasted so long...I got tired of the ROM, flashed something new, BAM, "new" phone.

You will love the Prime. I promise you

 

[tofizzle]

Thanks, like Bluefire I'm getting worked up with the impending release of Bionic. Since I plan on running stock (really don't see myself modifying a device) I thought Prime might not be my best choice. But I like the idea if no bloat and ICS.

I plan on waiting for Prime.

I say you should go look at the Bionic when it comes out and if you like it then you should buy it. I can guarantee that it will get ICS, and it will likely be sooner rather than later. Bionic already has root, so if there is bloatware you don't like, you can root it and get rid of it. There have been some videos of the Bionic in action, and the bloatware doesn't seem to affect it at all.
Nobody knows when the Prime will actually show up, and rumors are getting stronger that it wont actually be a nexus device, meaning that it will probably have bloatware anyway. If you like the Bionic, there is no reason to wait for the Prime.

 

[The_Chief]

Let's see:

4.3" qHD screen on Bionic, vs. 4.5"+ SuperAMOLED HD on Prime. If screen real estate and quality mean little to you, go Bionic.

Locked bootloader on Bionic, vs. unlocked bootloader on Prime. Yes, Bionic has been rooted, but how easily? Will you have to re-root every boot-up? Is it a good exploit that won't be closed off with the next update? If you're not interested in rooting or modding, go Bionic.

I'm not denying that the Bionic will be a great phone, and a quantum move up from the OG Droid. But there's also no denying that Prime will be a move up from Bionic. I'll choose to wait

 

[HanSolo]

I don't know why people think the Bionic will even be sniffing ICS any time soon. Some devs might be able to make some roms with ICS elements in it, but you won't see a pure, bug-free ICS on the Bionic for probably 7 - 9 months post release.

And when it finally does, you will be the proud owner of up-to-date software running on an out-of-date screen and processor, not to mention 4 useless capacitive buttons taking up prime space.

 

[tofizzle]

Let's see:

4.3" qHD screen on Bionic, vs. 4.5"+ SuperAMOLED HD on Prime. If screen real estate and quality mean little to you, go Bionic.

Locked bootloader on Bionic, vs. unlocked bootloader on Prime. Yes, Bionic has been rooted, but how easily? Will you have to re-root every boot-up? Is it a good exploit that won't be closed off with the next update? If you're not interested in rooting or modding, go Bionic.

I'm not denying that the Bionic will be a great phone, and a quantum move up from the OG Droid. But there's also no denying that Prime will be a move up from Bionic. I'll choose to wait

Screen quality is debatable. Everyone needs to look at it and decide for themselves.
Again, the Prime might end up not being a Nexus device, so it might not have an unlocked bootloader. The exploit that allows root on the Bionic came from the D3 and hasn't been closed yet, so we can speculate that it might not get closed.
I'm sure the Prime will be a great phone, but if you like the Bionic, there's no reason to wait on a bunch of "maybes" which is the prime. If you don't like the Bionic, then by all means, you should wait for another phone.

 

[The_Chief]

Again, the Prime might end up not being a Nexus device, so it might not have an unlocked bootloader.

When has Samsung ever encrypted their bootloader? Heck, they even sent CyanogenMod several SGS2s to develop on!

Screen quality and bootloaders aside, you have a valid point: if your current phone can't make it until Prime & ICS drop, OR you simply don't want to wait, get Bionic. If it can, I respectfully recommend waiting. I'd love to think that my capacitive buttons will soon be extinct with Ice Cream Sandwich

 

[tofizzle]

I don't know why people think the Bionic will even be sniffing ICS any time soon. Some devs might be able to make some roms with ICS elements in it, but you won't see a pure, bug-free ICS on the Bionic for probably 7 - 9 months post release.

And when it finally does, you will be the proud owner of up-to-date software running on an out-of-date screen and processor, not to mention 4 useless capacitive buttons taking up prime space.

Motorola has never taken 9 months to upgrade one of their major phones ever, so that's a pretty asinine assumption.
And the processor will still be ahead of any software that its running it, so that's pretty asinine too.
If you don't want the Bionic, fine, but please don't give out misinformation to people who are trying to make an informed decision

 

[jinwons]

Motorola has never taken 9 months to upgrade one of their major phones ever, so that's a pretty asinine assumption.
And the processor will still be ahead of any software that its running it, so that's pretty asinine too.
If you don't want the Bionic, fine, but please don't give out misinformation to people who are trying to make an informed decision

Well, if you think about how long it took for Droid X, Droid 2 get gingerbread update, I think 7~9 months is about right for major OS update like ICS. Also HD resolution is the best fit to ICS because it's also developed for tablet. Bionic is surely one of the best phone for gingerbread but I wouldn't hold breath on ICS upgrade anytime soon.

 

[HanSolo]

Well, if you think about how long it took for Droid X, Droid 2 get gingerbread update, I think 7~9 months is about right for major OS update like ICS......

This was exactly my point. And I should have been a bit clearer; I meant 7 to 9 months after the Bionic's release, not necessarily ICS's release.

But Motorola (at least on Verizon) has never been very fast on updates.

As far as processor speed, it will be out-of-date in the sense that there will be faster processors very soon after Bionic's release (there already are, actually). . . .and as long as the bootloader is locked and encrypted, no one will be able to make custom kernels for it, which means no overclocking.

I don't think my comments are asinine at all; the Bionic is a beast, for sure, but the Prime (if rumored specs are correct) will blow it out of the water.

 

[tofizzle]

This was exactly my point. And I should have been a bit clearer; I meant 7 to 9 months after the Bionic's release, not necessarily ICS's release.

But Motorola (at least on Verizon) has never been very fast on updates.

As far as processor speed, it will be out-of-date in the sense that there will be faster processors very soon after Bionic's release (there already are, actually). . . .and as long as the bootloader is locked and encrypted, no one will be able to make custom kernels for it, which means no overclocking.

I don't think my comments are asinine at all; the Bionic is a beast, for sure, but the Prime (if rumored specs are correct) will blow it out of the water.

Maybe no one should get the Prime, because it wont get the next(whatever is after ICS) update for about a year after the prime is released.
The OG Droid got Froyo less than 2 months after Froyo was released
Every phone released from now until the end of time will have phones with faster processors released soon after it. And processor speed isn't eveything in determining a phone's performance. No one knows how long the bootloader will be locked. Moto had said they will be releasing a way to unlock bootloaders for some phones released this year. The Bionic could very well be one of them. Phones can be overclocked with a locked bootloader, as long as they have root(which the bionic already has)
Specs aren't eveything. Just because it is better on paper doesn't mean it will blow it out of the water.
But back to the OP's question-If the Prime meets your needs, and does what you want it to, its not wasted on you. Just because you choose to do different things with your phone than other people do with theirs, it doesn't mean its a waste. If you feel it is money well spent because you are able to get what you want out of it, then its not a waste.

 

[cereal killer]

OG Droid got Froyo fairly quickly because it was a Vanilla device. The Bionic has Blur AND WebTop to contend with on ICS. That will take some time, work and testing. 6,7,8 months is not an unfair assesment of the situation.

The new era of higher clocked Dual Cores is already begininng. If one doesn't care to have the latest and greatest specs/hardware and they want a great phone I think the Bionic is perfect. But if one is looking for the newest bleeding edge specs/tech they should wait. The Bionic is going to have a VERY short time at the "top" (2 months max) before it's relegated to bench duty.

 

[tofizzle]

OG Droid got Froyo fairly quickly because it was a Vanilla device. The Bionic has Blur AND WebTop to contend with on ICS. That will take some time, work and testing. 6,7,8 months is not an unfair assesment of the situation.

The new era of higher clocked Dual Cores is already begininng. If one doesn't care to have the latest and greatest specs/hardware and they want a great phone I think the Bionic is perfect. But if one is looking for the newest bleeding edge specs/tech they should wait. The Bionic is going to have a VERY short time at the "top" (2 months max) before it's relegated to bench duty.

Every phone from now until forever that has "bleeding edge specs" will have a very short time at the top. Should we wait forever to get a phone?
maybe the OG got Froyo quickly because it was Vanilla, maybe it got it quickly because they had a lot invested in the phone and they feel the same way about the Bionic.
And true, the era of higher clocked Dual Cores is beginning, but software hasn't caught up with them, so having the higher clock speed means very little.
Webtop is just an app, so to say it will cause any kind of delay is a faulty argument. I'm not saying that it will definitely get ICS within 2 months, but I think it will happen very quickly.

 

[cereal killer]

Every phone from now until forever that has "bleeding edge specs" will have a very short time at the top. Should we wait forever to get a phone?
maybe the OG got Froyo quickly because it was Vanilla, maybe it got it quickly because they had a lot invested in the phone and they feel the same way about the Bionic.
And true, the era of higher clocked Dual Cores is beginning, but software hasn't caught up with them, so having the higher clock speed means very little.
Webtop is just an app, so to say it will cause any kind of delay is a faulty argument. I'm not saying that it will definitely get ICS within 2 months, but I think it will happen very quickly.

WebTop is a Linux based OS running next to Android.

I agree though about the assesment of bigger, faster "better" coming out all the time but buying a Dual Core clocked at 1GHZ this late in the game is putting one behind the 8 ball almost immediately.

Keep in mind that for the general consumer this is all meaningless. 1GHZ, 1.2GHZ 1.5GHZ etc etc is a mute point but for the enthusiast's, which I think most of us all are here, it's something to consider.

 

[tofizzle]

WebTop is a Linux based OS running next to Android.

I agree though about the assesment of bigger, faster "better" coming out all the time but buying a Dual Core clocked at 1GHZ this late in the game is putting one behind the 8 ball almost immediately.

Keep in mind that for the general consumer this is all meaningless. 1GHZ, 1.2GHZ 1.5GHZ etc etc is a mute point but for the enthusiast's, which I think most of us all are here, it's something to consider.

Its been shown on the Atrix that webtop only runs when the phone is connected to the lapdock, thus the comment about it being an app. It doesn't run all the time, only when needed.
How is it "late in the game?" how many phones in the U.S. are running 1 Ghz dual core? Sure, better phones are coming out, but when?
Just being an "enthusiast" doesn't mean knowing everything. There are tons of people on the forums that get blown away by specs without knowing what they mean, or just follow the crowd and believe whatever they are told. Truth of the matter is, if software can't keep up with processing speed(which right now it's not optimized for dual core) 1 Ghz, 1.2, or 1.5 means very very little.

 

[jinwons]

Good point on WebTop in addition to Blur in Bionic. It will only slow down update to ICS. By the time it gets updated to ICS, its spec would well behind the time just like DX, D2 did.

 

[jinwons]

Truth of the matter is, if software can't keep up with processing speed(which right now it's not optimized for dual core) 1 Ghz, 1.2, or 1.5 means very very little.

That's exactly the reason why Prime would be rocking with first android OS optimized for dual core and powerful 1.5Ghz OMAP4460 processor.

 

[tofizzle]

That's exactly the reason why Prime would be rocking with first android OS optimized for dual core and powerful 1.5Ghz OMAP4460 processor.

Gingerbread is optimized for dual core, but there are no(or maybe just very very few) apps that are. As long as apps aren't optimized, that 1.5 ghz wont mean much. But keep on pumping out misinformation to make yourself feel good about wanting the Prime so much.

 

[tofizzle]

Good point on WebTop in addition to Blur in Bionic. It will only slow down update to ICS. By the time it gets updated to ICS, its spec would well behind the time just like DX, D2 did.

because webtop on the Dx and D2 slowed updates down???

 

[cereal killer]

Its been shown on the Atrix that webtop only runs when the phone is connected to the lapdock, thus the comment about it being an app. It doesn't run all the time, only when needed.
How is it "late in the game?" how many phones in the U.S. are running 1 Ghz dual core? Sure, better phones are coming out, but when?
Just being an "enthusiast" doesn't mean knowing everything. There are tons of people on the forums that get blown away by specs without knowing what they mean, or just follow the crowd and believe whatever they are told. Truth of the matter is, if software can't keep up with processing speed(which right now it's not optimized for dual core) 1 Ghz, 1.2, or 1.5 means very very little.

Applications are not optimized for Dual Core but the software is. Froyo utilizes both cores.

As far as WebTop not running when undocked I'm not entirely convinced of that yet. One guy mentioned that at XDA and posted a thread about it so it's not conclusive in my opinion.

As far as phones running 1 GHZ Dual Cores, Atrix, Photon, D3, DX2 all running at that clock speed thus my comment about it being late to the game.

Bionic should have been given at least a little bump. 1.2GHZ at the very least. Not that it would mean a great deal but when it comes to the handsets that are just around the corner the little things mean a lot.

 

[jinwons]

Gingerbread is optimized for dual core, but there are no(or maybe just very very few) apps that are. As long as apps aren't optimized, that 1.5 ghz wont mean much. But keep on pumping out misinformation to make yourself feel good about wanting the Prime so much.

Gingerbread supports dual core just a little better than froyo, but it's still not fully optimized for it. Only honeycomb on tablet and ice cream on phone/tablet will do so.