***Official G-Nex first impressions thread*** Love it? Hate it?

[RadYOacTiVe]

Phone is awesome but the battery isnt much better than the Thunderbolt it replaced. I have the extended battery on the way but I don't see how a few hundred mAH will help that much more.

 

[darkestred]

Do you need a Google number before you use it or do you get the number after launching the app? I keep trying it but cannot get past where it is trying to verify my number.

Just be cautious that the number from GV is not free in the sense that if people call it - you will be charged from your carrier. Texting is free.

You would need a SIP client or PBX box to truly have free calls with GV.

 

[kcs7272]

I just got my galaxy nexus via fedex. so far I love it. I do have 2 questions though or maybe 3. how do you get widgets on the home screen I long press but no options appear. Also how do you think your facebook contact pictures? Thanks in advance

 

[BabyBlues]

I just got my galaxy nexus via fedex. so far I love it. I do have 2 questions though or maybe 3. how do you get widgets on the home screen I long press but no options appear. Also how do you think your facebook contact pictures? Thanks in advance

Widgets are in your settings.
I don't know about the facebook sync though.

 

[bjanow]

I just got my galaxy nexus via fedex. so far I love it. I do have 2 questions though or maybe 3. how do you get widgets on the home screen I long press but no options appear. Also how do you think your facebook contact pictures? Thanks in advance

FB is a known issue now. Widgets, click the launcher and at the top you have apps and widgets. Hit widgets and you have a scrolling list of them all.

 

[litrekid]

I just got my galaxy nexus via fedex. so far I love it. I do have 2 questions though or maybe 3. how do you get widgets on the home screen I long press but no options appear. Also how do you think your facebook contact pictures? Thanks in advance

Widgets are in the app drawer. There is a tab at the top. As for face book I just logged in on my app and it synced my contacts automatically

 

[MMcCraryNJ]

My phone is 95 percent perfect.

No screen issues.

No 4G issues.

ICS is amazing.

BUT...I don't know if my rear speaker is defective or if it's just the way it is, but a few seconds after any sound comes out of it, theres a pretty audible popping sound. I can hear it faintly on my Galaxy Tab, so I think its the same thing, however it's a lot lower and doesnt bother me as much.

I'd hate to have to exchange it over this and get something with a bad screen over a stupid issue like this. Does anyone else hear this besides me?

 

[mthoren68]

You don't owned the phone and an inside store comparison does not provide the best user experience. I see what folks are saying who own the device. How you know the GNEX owners didn't look at the Rezound and Razr just like you did, and made there choice?. You don't owned the phone and so the user who has a daily hands on experience is more credible than your in store side by side comments which is all personal preference.

Methinks someone's a bit sensitive about their phone being criticized. It is just a phone. And this is a thread about first impressions. About a phone that has now been out for just over 24 hrs. Relax.

 

[mthoren68]

Widgets are in your settings.
I don't know about the facebook sync though.

That FB sync is not inconsequential. I understand Google is inclined toward its own social network, but I would hate to think they did anything intentional to thwart the full use of FB.

 

[mthoren68]

2. has the google wallet fiasco been resolved? can we have it on our nexus and use it(verizon)?

Not for the foreseeable future. Unless you are willing to hack. BGR apparently has found someone who got Google Wallet on their phone, but the article does not say how and it appears it was not with Verizon's blessing.

 

[MSUgEEk]

Update to say the following:

LightFlow has proven to be a fun/useful tool to install. Got my lights to flash the colors that I want them to and for the duration that I want, reliably. So one nitpick has been solved.

Also, regarding reception. I just received, answered, and stayed connected without the slightest noise/breaking up for around 4-5 minutes. I was never able to do that at work with my OG Droid. Rarely would calls come through and when they did it would usually drop within 20-30 seconds with constant breaking up and both ends saying "Are you therE??". So maybe this reception isn't as bad as initially thought.

Battery is down around 30% now after being off charger for 6 hours in a HORRIBLE service area, receiving a short 5 minute call, sending a few texts and G+ messages, downloading a couple of apps, trying to get my contacts synced up correctly with correct twitter and G+ account links, checking twitter and facebook 3-4 times, listening to probably 30 minutes of stored music via earbuds, and other general fiddling around for nearly an hour. Not bad.

 

[replica9000]

I've upgraded from the HTC Droid Incredible. Not sure how much I like the phone yet.

My comparison:
1) The screen is good, not as great as my Incredible, though much better than SLCD. The blacks aren't as black, and I get a blueish/green tint at an angle. Also for me. I have big hands, and I feel I need two to operate this phone.

2) Volume, could be louder. Not nearly as loud as my DInc, which includes earpiece and speaker.

3) Signal Strenth. Seems to be pretty close. DInc has a slight edge on this for 3G, cannot test 4G at this time. Also 3G on the DInc seems to be faster than on the GNex.

4) Wifi. Much faster than the DInc, even on Wireless G. This could be because of the dual core.

5) Camera. Takes some pretty good pictures. Stock camera app is fast, but easily becomes out of focus. Tried out Camera Zoom FX (for 10 cents). Also pretty quick, better with focus.

6) No sdcard bothers me a little. If the phone takes a swim, bye bye everything...

7) Options. May be more of an ICS thing. Seems like I have less options to tinker with. I have my DInc set to slide to unlock the screen, and after X amount of time without use, a pin to unlock the phone. It's one or the other here, not both. Hopefully CyanogenMod has something soon.

 

[zerocool79346]

I'm at 5 hours off the charger and 75% battery life. This is normal usage not playing, but that's on par or better than all of my previous phones.

 

[Bnice]

Methinks someone's a bit sensitive about their phone being criticized. It is just a phone. And this is a thread about first impressions. About a phone that has now been out for just over 24 hrs. Relax.

First things first, I don't owned the phone. Second every phone has some issues when released. All I am saying is you don't owned the phone and was already crying because of what you heard. Have a nice day.

 

[strider51]

I guess this is more of an ICS question...but I'm getting my phone delivered today or Monday (paid $167 after tax after a $150 promotional demographic specific discount!). With regards to transferring apps, I plan to transfer apps from my DX using Titanium Backup. First off, I believe TB is now compatible with ICS. So has anyone tried this yet with success? I've restored apps installed on Froyo to a Gingerbread and a Honeycomb build, but never Gingerbread to ICS obviously. It seems the only thing I'd need to worry about are the apps not yet compatible with ICS. I plan on restoring both the apps and the data. Anyone try this yet?

 

[milellie111]

I've upgraded from the HTC Droid Incredible. Not sure how much I like the phone yet.

My comparison:
1) The screen is good, not as great as my Incredible, though much better than SLCD. The blacks aren't as black, and I get a blueish/green tint at an angle. Also for me. I have big hands, and I feel I need two to operate this phone.

2) Volume, could be louder. Not nearly as loud as my DInc, which includes earpiece and speaker.

3) Signal Strenth. Seems to be pretty close. DInc has a slight edge on this for 3G, cannot test 4G at this time. Also 3G on the DInc seems to be faster than on the GNex.

4) Wifi. Much faster than the DInc, even on Wireless G. This could be because of the dual core.

5) Camera. Takes some pretty good pictures. Stock camera app is fast, but easily becomes out of focus. Tried out Camera Zoom FX (for 10 cents). Also pretty quick, better with focus.

6) No sdcard bothers me a little. If the phone takes a swim, bye bye everything...

7) Options. May be more of an ICS thing. Seems like I have less options to tinker with. I have my DInc set to slide to unlock the screen, and after X amount of time without use, a pin to unlock the phone. It's one or the other here, not both. Hopefully CyanogenMod has something soon.

Thanks. Pretty Helpful. I don't have this phone yet but i have played with it in the store. I have the Incredible.

Galaxy Nexus didn't "blow" me away. It was just, eh. Plus, reading of all the complaints on here about this phone it appears to be a big letdown. Phone lagged a little bit as well. Screen rotation not as fast as i expect it to be. Speaker volume is a joke. Forget this phone as a media device. The whole "Ice Cream Sandwich Experience" was just bla. Phone feels cheap. Definitely not $299 worth. Google/Android has destroyed the value of their devices by producing so many. Every few weeks or so there is a new "flagship" device all of which come with their own set of bugs/shortcomings. Spend $300 now and get stuck with a phone for 2 years that will be irrelevant in 6 months. Does anyone care about the Thunderbolt anymore? Anyone even care about the Bionic? Don't worry, in 6 months to a year no one will care about the Samsung Galaxy Nexus anymore either. They were already working on it's successor weeks before this one even came out. I've been associating with Droids since 09, OG Droid and Incredible and people are always going to be waiting for the next perfect Droid device that does everything it's supposed to do. Newsflash: It ain't happening people!!! That's the game they want you to play!




Now i was impressed by the iPhone 4S tha i played with. Impeccable build quality. Feels like holding a quality device. Speaker volume and headphone volume is LOUD!! Don't have to be frustrated with the stupid bugs/updates and updates that don't fix the bugs. Yes, it's simple, but, it's nothing wrong with that because well...it works and does everything it was designed to do perfectly. Smooth instant virtual keyboard typing, better battery life, smoothest UI out of any device, just comes out of the box working.

 

[Sather]

I spent about 1/2 hour on the Nexus last night and was really bummed how much lag it had....especially after hitting the back button and especially in the browser. There were no extra apps running.

I made a number of compare tests vs. my RAZR (which I fully intended to return) and the RAZR won each time. Speed isn't the most important thing for me, but the very noticeable lag would drive me nuts. I even rebooted it. It also didn't respond as well to touch as the RAZR. The screen was the most impressive thing....truly fantastic.

I came from the Incredible to the RAZR and that blew away. Had I come from the Dinc to the GN that probably would have blown me away and I would have been fat, dumb and happy. But was very bummed on the RAZR to GN.

I'll try another store to see if if their demo unit does better.

Would be curious if others have compared the RAZR to the GN.

 

[Deleted User]

Do you need a Google number before you use it or do you get the number after launching the app? I keep trying it but cannot get past where it is trying to verify my number.

Google Voice works without a GV number (I believe) if you want, although you may have to register your Verizon number on the Google Voice website. Try setting up an account there using your gmail account.

 

[ttaylor0024]

Just got my phone this morning, and all I can say is WOW! Upgraded from the OG, and this thing is a beast! Extremely fast! I am sooooooooo glad I waited for this to upgrade!

 

[Highwayman]

I just got my galaxy nexus via fedex. so far I love it. I do have 2 questions though or maybe 3. how do you get widgets on the home screen I long press but no options appear. Also how do you think your facebook contact pictures? Thanks in advance

It would appear that the facebook sync is to be fixed in 4.0.3.. I haven't found a date for release of it yet though!

 

[Highwayman]

I did search for this, but was unable to find the answer... I apologize if I missed it....

At what percentage does the battery notification turn from green to yellow (amber) and yellow to red?

Thanks!

 

[bsems1000]

I just got my galaxy nexus via fedex. so far I love it. I do have 2 questions though or maybe 3. how do you get widgets on the home screen I long press but no options appear. Also how do you think your facebook contact pictures? Thanks in advance

LINKING FACEBOOK PICTURES

This may help you. First, sync all facebook contacts. Yes this will populate the entire facebook friends list into your phone.

THEN go to your contacts. On top you should see three icons, the multiple faces, one face, then the A star. Click on the black text beneath these icons. This is where i chose to show only contacts from my google account. Once selected, the google contacts that were also in your FB friends list will maintain their picture while the ones not associated with your google contact list are removed.

VOILA

 

[john30308]

Nice phone, but does have a couple of issues:

- I don't like the button arrangement. This is a big problem. With the volume rocker on one side and the power button the other, it's hard to use your opposing fingers when you want to press one of them - you end up pressing the other. Also, the volume rocker is so low on the phone that I keep bumping it and turning the volume down.

- Hard to describe, but a little slippery and harder to hold. I'm not a case kinda guy.

- Speaker not very loud. Even most ringtones hard to hear in my suit pocket.

- ICS not polished yet. Not consistent. Some times swiping to the right/left deletes, sometimes it moves to the next page, sometimes it does nothing. Widget (calendar, etc.) a little rough.

- Don't like the 'tip of the hat' to Apple with the "Back" menu button in the top left of many app screens.

To be honest, a little disappointed....

 

[bsems1000]

I spent about 1/2 hour on the Nexus last night and was really bummed how much lag it had....especially after hitting the back button and especially in the browser. There were no extra apps running.

I made a number of compare tests vs. my RAZR (which I fully intended to return) and the RAZR won each time. Speed isn't the most important thing for me, but the very noticeable lag would drive me nuts. I even rebooted it. It also didn't respond as well to touch as the RAZR. The screen was the most impressive thing....truly fantastic.

I came from the Incredible to the RAZR and that blew away. Had I come from the Dinc to the GN that probably would have blown me away and I would have been fat, dumb and happy. But was very bummed on the RAZR to GN.

I'll try another store to see if if their demo unit does better.

Would be curious if others have compared the RAZR to the GN.

i Dont know, my GN is very quick and crisp when moving through tabs, back buttons, tasking button. everything really. The only tiem it lagged for me was when i has about 50 enemies on the screen at once in Gun Bros lol

 

[Khatmandu]

Finally got mine delivered earlier today. Have not had a ton of time to play with it here at work, but after reading people's impressions and issues from yesterday I had some minor concerns about the phone - namely reception and the speaker.

Happy to report both are satisfactory for me. The office I am at today is 3G only, but the phone's been rock solid all day on it. Calls are crisp and clear, no issues at all with the volume (I have some hearing loss in one of my ears, on my DX some calls would be difficult to understand if I was using that ear.. none so far on the Gnex even with the worst offender - mom). No dropped calls and a good, steady 3G signal that never dropped to 1X. Wifi synced up very smoothly and no connection issues there.

Maybe I just got a good one, but I have zero issues with the speaker. In fact, I had to turn down the volume on my ringtone as it was quite shrill in the office (granted, with only me here today it is rather quiet but I don't think I'll have issues with it). Played some Pandora and it was fine, but would much rather listen to music through headphones or some stereo speakers. Did not try a speakerphone call, might try that tomorrow.

My battery seems to be ok, but will get the true test of it tomorrow at home where I have 4G service.

But so far, I'm loving this phone and ICS. Bit of a learning curve due to the changes, but that seems to be coming along quickly. Already noticed the new way to get to settings has become second nature. Went back to my DX to check a few settings on some apps and stuff I needed to enter on the GNex and went to the notification bar to find the settings.

Oh, one of the things I love the most is getting a USB cable with the phone that has a usable length. Hated the ones that came with the DX and the OG Droid that were like two feet long. I can actually have my phone plugged in and on the desk with me as opposed to having to sit it atop the PC under the desk or the filing cabinet. I honestly think the cable made me more giddy than the phone did when I unboxed it since I knew what I was getting with the phone.. I'd expected another stubby cable.