Google Play Store now selling unlocked Nexus

I thought about posting this. But I generally don't like making threads :p.

It would be pretty enticing to me if I didn't already have it on Verizon w/ unlimited data and it was a 32 GB model. I still can't believe they never made a 32 GB GSM Variant. There's a lot of times when it isn't feasible to rely on the carrier to stream media or download files off the "could", so I don't buy the cloud storage explanation. I'm using over 16 GBs already on mine and most of it is just backups from swtiching ROMs and offline music. I have 3.55 GBs worth of apps at the moment too (a lot of that is games).
 
Yeah, the storage issue sucks, especially if you want to take advantage of that screen with movie/tv content. The camera is the other downer. I'm waiting to see what the SG3 has to offer...at $400 this might be a good phone for a few months though
 
I think a lot of people will be more than happy with this. I am very pleased with my verizon nexus.
 
HTC One X is better than the Galaxy Nexus except getting official updates and arguably the screen (although pixel purists would argue otherwise). And the Galaxy S3 is going to be better except at official updates. I personally think that the only reason I would recommend the Galaxy S3 over One X with the cortex A15 is if and only if the Galaxy S3 would have a GPU like on the iPhone or better. And the rumors suggest that is not the case. So HTC One X or Evo LTE should be the best phone.
 
CHANG3D said:
HTC One X is better than the Galaxy Nexus except getting official updates and arguably the screen (although pixel purists would argue otherwise). And the Galaxy S3 is going to be better except at official updates. I personally think that the only reason I would recommend the Galaxy S3 over One X with the cortex A15 is if and only if the Galaxy S3 would have a GPU like on the iPhone or better. And the rumors suggest that is not the case. So HTC One X or Evo LTE should be the best phone.
Click to expand...

Yes, but those phones won't be $400 unlocked and off contract.

I don't think anyone thinks the Galaxy Nexus is the best phone out still, which is why it's appropriately priced here.
 
This coupled with a plan from one of the cheaper carriers (like T-Mobile $30 plan, straighttalk) would pay for itself pretty fast and you get a great phone as well. The Nexus may not be the best spec'd phone but its still pretty great.
 
T4rd said:
Yes, but those phones won't be $400 unlocked and off contract.

I don't think anyone thinks the Galaxy Nexus is the best phone out still, which is why it's appropriately priced here.
Click to expand...
That's exactly why I'm considering it. Even if the GS3 is an amazing phone it's going to be priced at $700+ overseas for a very long time.
 
The stock android and the amount of active development for this phone in my opinion makes this in fact one of the best phones on the market.
 
This is MAJOR news in my opinion, great to see Google doing this. And it is said that this version directly from Google will get the Nexus updates immediately first before any other Nexus phone. Rumors point to Android 5.0 Jellybean coming out for this phone first.

And best yet, this phone works on;

http://straighttalksim.com/

Why Straight Talk?

Unlimited GSM service on the best nationwide networks
$45 per month – Unlimited Data, Talk & Text
No contracts, no bills, no credit checks
Use any compatible or unlocked GSM phone – including smart phones
Keep your phone number
 
Since this is directly from Google, does this Nexus version need to be rooted still, or can you install CM 9 right of the box ?
 
Is straight talk truly data unlimited? (or is it throttled after a certain amount...)

I'm intrigued, might wanna jump from my current plan if it fits the bill.

edit: wait, never mind, its wal-mart :) I'm using that service already, lulz, stoopid me
 
Zorachus said:
This is MAJOR news in my opinion, great to see Google doing this. And it is said that this version directly from Google will get the Nexus updates immediately first before any other Nexus phone. Rumors point to Android 5.0 Jellybean coming out for this phone first.

And best yet, this phone works on;

http://straighttalksim.com/

Why Straight Talk?

Unlimited GSM service on the best nationwide networks
$45 per month – Unlimited Data, Talk & Text
No contracts, no bills, no credit checks
Use any compatible or unlocked GSM phone – including smart phones
Keep your phone number
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm just tired and missing something but isn't Verizon's CDMA network the best network (Not GSM)?

Awesome deal none the less
 
AnonymousUser said:

Maybe I'm just tired and missing something but isn't Verizon's CDMA network the best network[/SIZE] (Not GSM)?
Click to expand...

In terms of data (3G/4G) coverage, yes. But GSM isn't too far off in terms of voice service coverage.

You get what you pay for, IMO. You can go with the pre-payed or more rural carriers and get acceptable service for significantly less money. But if you travel a lot and/or are willing to pay for faster, more reliable service, then Verizon is the best carrier to go with. The problem is that they know it and will make you pay for it. I feel fortunate only paying $135/month after taxes/fees for unlimited everything and 1400 mins/month (plus 10 numbers that are free to call anytime) with two smart phones on Verizon. That's expensive compared to a lot of smaller prepaid carriers, but it's a lot better than any new customer walking into a Verizon store asking for the same service (esp. since unlimited isn't offered anymore).
 
My Verizon bill just for my one G-Nex is $78 a month for unlimited data, 450 minutes, forgot the text amount (lol), and that's with 19% off through employer. Expensive indeed. Hate it some days.

Quick Edit: full insurance on it too
 
brucedeluxe169 said:
Just beware that this phone only has storage equivalent to your Vibrant's built in flash, and has *no* expandable memory...

Thats the only thing keeping me from jumping off my Vibrant onto the current Nexus, or any HTC One phone :( :( :(

edit: you mentioned it above, missed it :)
Click to expand...
Yup, I saw that. Unfortunately my Vibrant has been having issues lately so I ordered Nexus. Between the 16gb on board and my 32 gb card I might have withdrawls...especially since I watch shows/movies on mine daily. We'll see...there's always Craigslist if I don't like it. This is to tide me over a few months until the SGS3 is out.
 
brucedeluxe169 said:
Just beware that this phone only has storage equivalent to your Vibrant's built in flash, and has *no* expandable memory...
Click to expand...


This is what really drives me nucking futs about the Nexus.

What in God's name would have made them want to make a phone with no MicroSD slot or other way to expand it's storage. It's not like a MicroSD slot would have added to the bulk of the phone nor it's price... was it some attempt to be trendy like Apple?

Whoever made that design decision is a complete bonehead... :rolleyes:

Such a sad thing to see because quite simply if it had a MicroSD slot I would be spending my money on it - plain and simple.
 
brucedeluxe169 said:
Is straight talk truly data unlimited? (or is it throttled after a certain amount...)

I'm intrigued, might wanna jump from my current plan if it fits the bill.

edit: wait, never mind, its wal-mart :) I'm using that service already, lulz, stoopid me
Click to expand...

I like T-Mo's $30 plan better - 100 minutes and 5GB 4G data.

I barely use even 10 minutes a month these days with GoSMS's 'push to talk' functionality, and if I really wanted to I could setup VOIP calling and then I probably wouldn't use any voice whatsoever. Having that 5GB of 4G data is soooo much more appealing to me. :)
 
Blue Falcon said:
This is what really drives me nucking futs about the Nexus.

What in God's name would have made them want to make a phone with no MicroSD slot or other way to expand it's storage. It's not like a MicroSD slot would have added to the bulk of the phone nor it's price... was it some attempt to be trendy like Apple?

Whoever made that design decision is a complete bonehead... :rolleyes:

Such a sad thing to see because quite simply if it had a MicroSD slot I would be spending my money on it - plain and simple.
Click to expand...

If you try the MicroSD support on the Xoom you'll quickly understand why. The user experience with it sucks and you can't do much with it. Android's APIs and system isn't set up to handle 2 "external" storage devices.

What do you need the space for anyway? Use Play Music to store your music (or use any host of streaming services). Then what else takes up much space?

Zorachus said:
Since this is directly from Google, does this Nexus version need to be rooted still, or can you install CM 9 right of the box ?
Click to expand...

Nexus phones have officially supported root. You have to enable it, though, and when you do it wipes your data (security measure). And to be clear, enabling root is done by unlocking the bootloader. So you get officially supported root, and officially supported unlocked bootloader.
 
Zorachus said:
This is MAJOR news in my opinion, great to see Google doing this. And it is said that this version directly from Google will get the Nexus updates immediately first before any other Nexus phone. Rumors point to Android 5.0 Jellybean coming out for this phone first.

And best yet, this phone works on;

http://straighttalksim.com/

Why Straight Talk?

Unlimited GSM service on the best nationwide networks
$45 per month – Unlimited Data, Talk & Text
No contracts, no bills, no credit checks
Use any compatible or unlocked GSM phone – including smart phones
Keep your phone number
Click to expand...

Questions for those on this plan -

- does it include HSPA+? (limited to 21Mbps on Nexus but still)
- I heard their terms forbid streaming video on 3G/4G, is that true?
- will it work with Google Voice? I love that with Sprint, my number is automatically my GV number too
- I understand they give you either a TMob or AT&T sim. Do they both share towers or offer roaming?
- how much are taxes and surcharges on top of the $45? My Sprint bill is $75 total so I'm probably looking at saving $25/month?
 
Blown 89 said:
Movies and TV.
Click to expand...

This. And not everyone has the luxury of being able to use streaming services for everything, even just music can eat up all your bandwidth prematurely if you're not careful.

Not to mention apps (or more accurately, games). Some of the more intricate 3D games on the Android platform today are taking up hefty amounts of storage. Hell it wasn't too long ago that I installed one of the better looking racers out there and it ate up something like 500MB once all was said and done (and after a LOT of 'content' was downloaded).

And someone mentioned that Android doesn't play nice with devices that have internal flash memory and a MicroSD slots. No disrespect intended, but ... what? Almost every single Android handset has at least some amount of internal flash memory along with a MicroSD card slot and you're telling me Google can't get it right?

But I'm not really hating on it, it's a beautiful handset and the price almost made up for it's one shortcoming.
 
Straight Talk does include HSPA+. They forbid a lot of things in the ToS, but according to the guys at HowardForums, if you stick with 100 MB/day and 2 GB/month, you'll be safe. They seem to be a bit more lenient if you use a T-Mobile sim.

Their AT&T sim has AT&T's postpaid coverage and offers similar speeds. It's a hell of a deal if you can put up with their functionally illiterate customer service and the data limits.
 
kllrnohj said:
What do you need the space for anyway? Use Play Music to store your music (or use any host of streaming services). Then what else takes up much space?
Click to expand...

Android handles 2 flash storage spaces just fine. On my Vibrant, the built in 16GB is under the "sdcard" folder, and the microSD card is under the "emmc" folder. I can dump whatever I want into either folder and the phone handles the files just fine, no fuss.

Blown 89 said:
Movies and TV.
Click to expand...

Yup, just this morning I loaded up a gb of videos for the morning commute on my Vibrant to watch on my way to work, (in a subway.... so what does the cloud do for me?)

Blue Falcon said:
But I'm not really hating on it, it's a beautiful handset and the price almost made up for it's one shortcoming.
Click to expand...

Key word here, as you know, is "almost". Every time I see this phone for sale I get sad/angry, because I'd love sooo much to give them my money, I *want* them to have my money for a Nexus device, but I can't justify sacrificing the media capabilities of my phone (music and video playback) because of the shitheaded decisions of manufacturers these days.... why the microSD slot is the enemy all of a sudden is a mystery to me... but I refuse to give my money to anyone that doesn't include one, or haveat least 48GB of storage built in (what my current Vibrant has total at the moment)
 
Besides the crazy low price on the Straight Talk deal of $45 per month for full unlimited, what do ATT and T-Mobile even offer that is close to that on a contract free no commitment plan ?
 
Zorachus said:
Besides the crazy low price on the Straight Talk deal of $45 per month for full unlimited, what do ATT and T-Mobile even offer that is close to that on a contract free no commitment plan ?
Click to expand...

T-Mobile has the $30 100 minute/5GB of 4G plan, as well as a handful of others that are unlimited minutes that I believe aren't much more than Straight Talk. And these come straight from T-Mobile, not a reseller.

I switched to the $30 plan and have used 20 whole minutes in nearly a month of service. Couldn't be happier with it.
 
Headcase_Fargone said:
T-Mobile has the $30 100 minute/5GB of 4G plan, as well as a handful of others that are unlimited minutes that I believe aren't much more than Straight Talk. And these come straight from T-Mobile, not a reseller.

I switched to the $30 plan and have used 20 whole minutes in nearly a month of service. Couldn't be happier with it.
Click to expand...

So T-Mobile is $30 a month for unlimited contract free ? Or you are limited to just 100 minutes, does that include free mobile to any mobile ? I use my phone a lot for sales calls during the workday, could use on average approx 1200 - 1500 minutes a month from 9 - 5 weekdays.
 
Zorachus said:
So T-Mobile is $30 a month for unlimited contract free ? Or you are limited to just 100 minutes, does that include free mobile to any mobile ? I use my phone a lot for sales calls during the workday, could use on average approx 1200 - 1500 minutes a month from 9 - 5 weekdays.
Click to expand...

Then the $30 T-Mobile prepaid plan isn't for you.

The $30 plan is 100 voice minutes and 5GB (referred to as 'unlimited') data. No free mobile-to-mobile (are there any prepaid carriers that do this?), no free nights/weekends, straight out 100 minutes. Completely non-contract prepaid month-to-month.

Granted if you had a handset with WiFi calling and were around WiFi during those hours, it could be a different story. But I get the feeling you would be better off with an all out unlimited plan.
 
Blue Falcon said:
Then the $30 T-Mobile prepaid plan isn't for you.

The $30 plan is 100 voice minutes and 5GB (referred to as 'unlimited') data. No free mobile-to-mobile (are there any prepaid carriers that do this?), no free nights/weekends, straight out 100 minutes. Completely non-contract prepaid month-to-month.

Granted if you had a handset with WiFi calling and were around WiFi during those hours, it could be a different story. But I get the feeling you would be better off with an all out unlimited plan.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, much appreciated. So the Straight Talk at $45 per month for full unlimited would be the cheapest option ? I am looking to leave Verizon, my Wife and I are on a family plan, full unlimited and with taxes etc... we pay $220 a month :eek: That's crazy for just two cell phones, and my Wife barely uses her phone that much.

My Wife never uses much minutes, maybe 250- 500 minutes at most total a month, and she uses little data whatsoever, except maybe at home on WiFi just a bit. I need the unlimited minutes, or at least like 1400 minutes weekday per month.
 
Zorachus said:
Thanks for the info, much appreciated. So the Straight Talk at $45 per month for full unlimited would be the cheapest option ? I am looking to leave Verizon, my Wife and I are on a family plan, full unlimited and with taxes etc... we pay $220 a month :eek: That's crazy for just two cell phones, and my Wife barely uses her phone that much.

My Wife never uses much minutes, maybe 250- 500 minutes at most total a month, and she uses little data whatsoever, except maybe at home on WiFi just a bit. I need the unlimited minutes, or at least like 1400 minutes weekday per month.
Click to expand...

It honestly sounds like Straight Talk's unlimited $45 plan is the plan for you. It is TRULY unlimited as far as voice goes.

Where the deal gets shady is when it comes to data and what Straight Talk defines as 'unlimited'. Straight Talk has flat out said that they do not allow you to use your data connection for streaming video or audio and indeed people have reported getting phone calls from Straight Talk threatening to cancel service on that subject. The official monthly data limit varies from 2GB to 5GB depending on who you ask at the company, and I've seen a couple of people get warnings for using over 1GB in the span of a few days. To be succinct: Straight Talk are nazis when it comes to their 'unlimited' data usage.

If you're going to use your phones for basic web browsing, facebook, texting, email, etc you should be fine. If you plan to watch streaming video you better be prepared to catch hell for it.

But the voice service truly is unlimited and as someone that says they need 1500+ minutes a month it sounds like it would be for you.

Keep in mind that your Verizon handsets won't work on Straight Talk - you need GSM phones. Straight Talk should work for AT&T locked handsets, T-Mobile locked handsets, or carrier unlocked handsets so long as they are GSM.
 
Blue Falcon said:
It honestly sounds like Straight Talk's unlimited $45 plan is the plan for you. It is TRULY unlimited as far as voice goes.

Where the deal gets shady is when it comes to data and what Straight Talk defines as 'unlimited'. Straight Talk has flat out said that they do not allow you to use your data connection for streaming video or audio and indeed people have reported getting phone calls from Straight Talk threatening to cancel service on that subject. The official monthly data limit varies from 2GB to 5GB depending on who you ask at the company, and I've seen a couple of people get warnings for using over 1GB in the span of a few days. To be succinct: Straight Talk are nazis when it comes to their 'unlimited' data usage.

If you're going to use your phones for basic web browsing, facebook, texting, email, etc you should be fine. If you plan to watch streaming video you better be prepared to catch hell for it.

But the voice service truly is unlimited and as someone that says they need 1500+ minutes a month it sounds like it would be for you.
Click to expand...

Thanks again Blue Falcon, appreciate the help.

On Verizon I have the 4gb data plan, every month I use around 1gb - 1.5gb per month, don't think I have ever gone over 2gb month. Most is YouTube for watching clips the kids like, and web browsing is 2nd, and e-mail client third.

So even if I am under 2gb a month, I still can't even stream YouTube on Straight Talk without a penalty ? Or is that only if I am going over 2gb ?
 
Zorachus said:
So even if I am under 2gb a month, I still can't even stream YouTube on Straight Talk without a penalty ? Or is that only if I am going over 2gb ?
Click to expand...

Straight Talk are telling people flat out that using the data connection to stream media is not allowed, however most people have no trouble watching the odd Youtube video or whatever.

I think the people at risk are those who spend hours watching streaming video.

Some people are also saying that you are 'under the radar' so long as you use less than 100MB of data a day. I haven't seen concrete proof of that yet - but I do know that excessive data usage over a period of days will get you a call from them with a warning and a threat to cancel service.

Looks like we're hijacking a thread so I'll try and get it back on track with this:

The Google Nexus would work great if you slapped a Straight Talk SIM into it. :)
 
brucedeluxe169 said:
Android handles 2 flash storage spaces just fine. On my Vibrant, the built in 16GB is under the "sdcard" folder, and the microSD card is under the "emmc" folder. I can dump whatever I want into either folder and the phone handles the files just fine, no fuss
Click to expand...

Except 3rd party apps have no clue about that, and the user experience is trash. Fine != Good.
 
kllrnohj said:
Except 3rd party apps have no clue about that, and the user experience is trash. Fine != Good.
Click to expand...

Again, tell me what third party app force closes, behaves unexpectedly, or causes the user experience to be 'trashy' on a device with internal storage and a microSD card. I honestly want to know because I'm coming up empty handed.

Almost every Android device out there has some amount of internal flash memory along with a MicroSD card. The very worst you will see is an older app that won't install itself (or allow itself to be moved) to external storage (ie SD).
 
As long as there's sufficient storage space, I actually prefer not having an SD card or separate partition for apps now that I have the Galaxy Nexus. It's nice to have one big partition for everything including apps so you don't have to worry about moving apps to the SD card or managing space on the internal data partition. I have ~28 GBs available on my phone and I can have 28 GBs worth of apps on it if I want. I currently have over 3.5 GBs in apps (a lot of that is large games) and it's nice to not even have to manage or worry about them.

So I don't see why people complain about not having SD card support as long as the phone meets your storage needs/wants. You can still hook the phone up to a PC and transfer whatever files you want to the phone and back just like an external drive and you can even use your phone and all your apps while you're doing it (as opposed to other phones where if you have any part of the app on the SD card, it's unusable until you mount the card again after the transfer is over).

In the case of the 16 GB Galaxy Nexus though, that definitely should have a SD card slot or have some way of expanding the internal storage because for the people who are interested in this type of phone, it's very likely to be a big restriction to them. I know if the Verizon Nexus didn't have 32 GBs internal storage minimum, I don't think I could have even considered it. I had more storage than that on my OG Droid and I'm using more than 16 GBs on my Nexus right now just in phone backups from switching ROMs, apps and a few albums of music.
 
kllrnohj said:
Except 3rd party apps have no clue about that, and the user experience is trash. Fine != Good.
Click to expand...

How is my user experience trash? Its just like any other computer that has multiple drives... I get to put what I want into either of them... and the phone has no problem pooling together files from both when I do things like play MP3s or videos that exist on both storage spaces....

Enlighten me, which 3rd party apps don't work when there is more than one SDcard present?

Is my user experience trash because now I have the ability to bring my entire music library with my on the subway? Or is it trash because I can store multiple HD videos on my phone, and not ruing my data cap streaming videos? I'm really curious, you seem to know something I don't....
 
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