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The Nexus ONe rides again - It's still a Star Here's the article
A flop with consumers, sold-out Nexus One scores with developers.
Google tried — and ultimately failed — to turn the U.S. wireless market upside-down by selling its supercharged Nexus One Android phone online, with minimal help from the big carriers. But now, months after shuttering its online storefront for the phone, the Nexus One is a sudden, improbable hit.
Who’s buying the Nexus One, you ask? Android developers, that’s who — and apparently, they’re so eager to get their mitts on the eight-month-old handset that Google supply of Nexus One phones for developers is completely sold out.
So says a post on Google’s Android developers blog (via TechCrunch), with Google’s Tim Bray writing that Google "blew through the (substantial) initial inventory in almost no time," adding that Nexus One manufacturer HTC is busy trying to crank out more of the suddenly gotta-have handsets.
Google launched the Nexus One — described in hushed tones as the "Google Phone" in the days and weeks before its official unveiling — way back in January, and the search behemoth caused quite a stir by offering the Android 2.1-powered handset only on the Web, through Google’s own Nexus One online storefront.
Why all the fuss? Because usually it’s the big carriers (think AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless) who do the heavy lifting in terms of marketing and selling cell phones, both online and (mainly) in brick-and-mortar stores. While it got a little help from T-Mobile, which subsidized the Nexus One for use on its network, Google’s decision to go it virtually alone with the Nexus One — with practically no marketing help from a carrier—was seen as a potentially game-changing move.
Unfortunately, it turned out to be anything but. Sales of the Nexus One never took off, and an unprepared Google — which, before the Nexus One launch, had little need for a bank of customer-service reps — found itself quickly overwhelmed by customers complaining about iffy 3G reception (which ultimately led to a patch) and other assorted glitches.
Consumers were also underwhelmed by the less-than-revolutionary $179 two-year contract price and $529 price tag for an unlocked Nexus One, while existing T-Mobile users were turned off by the $379 upgrade price for the phone (which was eventually cut by $100). Last May, Google finally waved the white flag, announcing that it would close down its online Nexus One store.
So yes, Google learned the hard way that nothing beats a "full-court press by a big national carrier" (as I wrote back in May) when it comes to selling a smartphone. But here’s the thing: The well-reviewed Nexus One itself wasn’t a bad phone — indeed, it was (and still is) a pretty good one, complete with a 3.7-inch AMOLED screen, a 1GHz "Snapdragon" processor, 512MB of RAM, and a 5-megapixel camera with a flash.
The Nexus One also happened to be among the first handsets to get an update to Android 2.2 — a fact that clearly wasn’t lost on enthusiastic Android developers, who’ve been able to buy the unlocked Nexus One — in droves, apparently — direct from Google for a few weeks now.
In any case, Google is now in the strange but surely satisfying position of "working hard on re-stocking" (as Google’s TIm Bray puts it) a smartphone that looked all but dead just a few months ago. Strange, but true.
Google’s Android developers blog: A Little Too Popular (via TechCrunch)
— Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ytech_gadg/20100820/tc_ytech_gadg/ytech_gadg_tc3447
guess that means that the nexus was more popular then Google thought
Sounds like the making of a Nexus 2 could become possible. Anybody else agree?
"The Nexus One also happened to be among the first handsets to get an update to Android 2.2" - REALLY? It was THE first phone. And it wasn't a "pretty good" phone, it was the best on the market for several months after launch. I think this guy has some facts he needs to get straightened out.
I really think the nexus sold more units over time then people think, and is in demand more than people think. This kinda shows that. Google jumped the gun by closing their online store. Also they mis calculated by not making the nexus into a whole line of Google phones.
The Nexus would have taken off at the time, but Google saw fit to market their well known search engine at superbowls and such instead of a phone that no one heard of.
As much as Google may have fumbled the marketing of the Nexus One when it was sold publicly - all that aside...
The article makes a lot of noise without revealing any numbers which are key to really verifying the conclusion that the phone is becoming more popular as a developer phone.
Yes, Google sold out the developer allotment - that's great. But, they also sold out a few allotments of their public phone back in the day - most notably the last allotment they ordered in July which sold out a week or two earlier than expected. That fact alone doesn't mean anything without knowing how big the allotments were. For all the article states, the allotment for the developers could have been very tiny under the theory that a smaller audience produces less sales and most developers would probably have already ordered one when they were sold publicly anyway.
All we know is that someone was pleasantly surprised by the demand for it from the developer store and that the initial allotment - chosen specifically for that sales purpose - was underestimated.
But, we don't know if that represents higher overall demand (or even relative demand) compared to the public allotments. And we don't know if either demand represented enough market force for the company to have continued to pursue its business plan of being in the open market for handsets.
It also rankles me when they make supporting comments like "now, months after shuttering its online storefront". Sorry, it was less than 1 month since they shut down the storefront when they sold out the developer phones. And don't ignore that allotments were selling out during the consumer sales when you try to make it sound like the developer sell-out was unprecedented. The fact that it was almost 1 month after the shut down the store (not months like the author states) was *due* to a consumer sellout. Otherwise it would have only been a couple of weeks since the store front was scheduled to shut down.
I think the point is that with all these high end android phones out now, the fact that ANYONE is choosing the nexus still tells the story. Specific numbers don't really matter. This is especially true since all these other phones are subsidized on contract, and the nexus is full price, and still selling at all 7 months later.
RogerPodacter said:
I think the point is that with all these high end android phones out now, the fact that ANYONE is choosing the nexus still tells the story. Specific numbers don't really matter. This is especially true since all these other phones are subsidized on contract, and the nexus is full price, and still selling at all 7 months later.
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Hi Roger,
That is a good point, but it isn't the tone of the article. "A flop with consumers" - "the Nexus One is [now] a sudden, improbable hit" - "[developers buying] in droves, apparently".
A flop? Really?
Sudden hit? Really that sudden?
Improbable hit? Really?
It may have had marketing problems, but it was never a flop. The new MS phones being canceled a week after they were released - that's a flop for you. And there is nothing sudden about a sellout a couple of weeks after another sellout. Nor is there anything improbably about that, or anything that spells "hit". And how big is a "drove". Apparently it is so specific that they suddenly realize the complete lack of facts in their piece and have to tack on the word "apparently". So, the phone is now selling to developers in a manner that one can only suppose is describable by a term that is as vague as "droves". Cute.
I'm glad that it is still selling and I'm glad that it sold out its developer allotment, but this article is exaggerating the impact of those facts with hyperbole based on both lack of knowledge (believing that the phone has been off sale for "months", etc.) and assumption of facts not presented.
It would be one thing if they had said what you said "The developer allotment sold out which shows that there is still positive demand for a device that is this old, but without numbers we can't tell if the demand is actually stronger in its developer form than it was as a consumer offering". But no, they basically paint its consumer history as if they couldn't be given away and then, without any numbers, paint the developer demand as being so much stronger than anything anyone could have expected that Google was stupid to have canceled it.
Sorry, no, the sell-out indicates that someone, somewhere, was wrong about a prediction that was specific to developer sales and has no bearing whatsoever about how the demand now compares to the demand as a consumer phone or to any other currently shipping phones.
As far as longevity - the G1 was still being sold as recently as about a month ago. Technology alone doesn't really dictate sales, but it is an important driver.
Now that Google knows there is an appetite for a "super dev phone", might they also reconsider their decision to permanently shelve the UMTS 850/1900 version?
I hate articles like this. The facts are wrong which makes the whole article irrelevant. I think the problem with the Nexus One is that only the geeks here really heard about it. There was no advertising done what-so-ever.
Although I am surprised to see more and more people recognize it as "Is that the Google phone?".
I'm glad I bought mine when I did because they shut down the store. Now I love it even more knowing that every joe-smoe can't go out and pick one up. I like knowing that I have one of the best Android phones and "you" can't buy one anymore.
I think we'll see a huge demand for the N1 when Gingerbread comes out. I think it will take a lot of time and a lot more tweaking to get 3.0 on a 2.x device then it was 2.2 on top of 2.1. I'm just happy that Google is developing it specifically for my phone and I don't have to worry about having a buggy port.
http://m.examiner.com/exSanFrancisco/pm_75809/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=WzckuLg6
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
I can accept that story or some other form it. I mean, it is out in Europe and has been for some time. And they have been dropping new phones with 2.2 for a while now. Why wouldn't these A-holes release it in the States. Can't imagine they have been testing the firmware for the past 7 months.
I have the epic and our update got delayed too. I knew it had something to do some bs like this but why would they delay the epic update because it already has sprint 4g in it. They could be upgrading their wimax to lte or coming out with the bidder screen model with the super amoled plus screen and they will launch that with froyo and leave ours in the dust. I guess we will find out on the 3rd of feb at sprints special event
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
I thought maybe Samsung was going to just skip 2.2 and release a 2.3 update because Samsung is already running 2.3 on their Nexus S.
I was actually going to buy an Epic tomorrow.
But, if this article is true, I am going to "devalue" Samsung and not buy their product.
[email protected] them if they are making existing customers suffer because of their greed.
Honestly, this is probably true. I know this sucks, but companies like this value their earnings more than their customers. Those of us who have been eagerly awaiting Froyo are in the minority, and they know that most of the people who own these devices couldn't care less about it.
This will probably be the last Samsung phone that I will ever buy, I'd rather give my money to a company which values their customers and provides customers with timely information regarding updates and the like.
This reminds me of the initial warnings about previous samsung devices and the lack of updates when the epic first came out. Although this is the best sprint phone I have owned to date I still wonder if I should have taken those warnings a little more seriously!
Yes I heard complaints in the past about Samsung's poor phone support but I still got the Epic. Mostly because my old phone (HTC Touch) died and it was going to cost $100 for a replacement (thanks lame Sprint insurance). So I just decided to get a new phone and compared to the Evo, the Epic seemed like the much better option. After experiencing Samsung's greed and lack of support for their existing products, I'm going back to HTC next go round.
Let's kill!
Agree. This most likely would've been the last Samsung phone I bought. This pretty much seals the deal.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
For my next phone I'm going to do exactly what I did with this phone. Find out what the best phone is.. check the phones out.. and go with the one that is the best. Right now, even after the Evo 4G Shift was released, the Epic and other Galaxy S phones are still the best phone. I have friends with the Evo, Droid X, MyTouch.. and I can safely say that I have the best phone. Those phones have 2.2, but I wouldn't THINK about switching to them. Do I want 2.2? Of course. I have it now thanks to custom roms but of course it kinda aggravates me that there is no official release of 2.2 yet. But that is ok. If I had a choice between a laptop with a Intel i3 running Windows 7 and a Intel i7 running Windows Vista (or even XP), I would take the i7.
In my opinion, company tactics will forever aggravate us users. Throwing around other company names like HTC as the company that will be this "knight in shining armor" will only dissappoint you in the future. I have had 3 HTC phones previously and without a doubt, I can say that they are definitely not beyond screwing their customers over. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it is right, but I'm saying that it is not uncommon. The day that these companies become non-profit organizations is the day you will see them put customers first.. I'm not holding my breath.
HeXeD said:
For my next phone I'm going to do exactly what I did with this phone. Find out what the best phone is.. check the phones out.. and go with the one that is the best. Right now, even after the Evo 4G Shift was released, the Epic and other Galaxy S phones are still the best phone. I have friends with the Evo, Droid X, MyTouch.. and I can safely say that I have the best phone. Those phones have 2.2, but I wouldn't THINK about switching to them. Do I want 2.2? Of course. I have it now thanks to custom roms but of course it kinda aggravates me that there is no official release of 2.2 yet. But that is ok. If I had a choice between a laptop with a Intel i3 running Windows 7 and a Intel i7 running Windows Vista (or even XP), I would take the i7.
In my opinion, company tactics will forever aggravate us users. Throwing around other company names like HTC as the company that will be this "knight in shining armor" will only dissappoint you in the future. I have had 3 HTC phones previously and without a doubt, I can say that they are definitely not beyond screwing their customers over. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it is right, but I'm saying that it is not uncommon. The day that these companies become non-profit organizations is the day you will see them put customers first.. I'm not holding my breath.
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I couldn't have said this better. I had debated typing this up earlier but you beat me to it. Great minds think alike
JD
As Lee Corso would say, 'not so fast my friend.' Before I scooped my Epic, I had the HTC Touch (the original way old Vogue) and the ppc6700 (the silver brick) before that. I never had any issues with software other than crappy windows mobile but when it came to updates and/or support, I was happy. Hardware was on point as well. Samsung Galaxy has been a major disappointment for me having owner various Samsung products and knowing that their hardware is excellent. Still think the Epic is terrific. Just disappointed at all the troubles that customers have experienced across the entire Galaxy lineup.
JudasD said:
I couldn't have said this better. I had debated typing this up earlier but you beat me to it. Great minds think alike
JD
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This page has more detailed information on the T-Mobile leaked rumor:
...Trust me when I tell you, we had an update for the original G1, and HTC begged us not to. In 75% of the cases known to me in my [time] here and my [time] dealing with Android I will say that honestly most upgrade hold offs were the Manufacturer and NOT us as some believe. But we catch the flack.
I am tired. [redacted] I am up to here with Samsung. They pulled the same thing with the Behold 2 that I MYSELF had to clean up and caught wind over. The update to 2.1 update 1 is existant...
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If true, this shows how completely and utterly out of touch Samsung's executives are with reality.
First of all, the whole theory that a 2.2-Vibrant(non-4G) would "devalue" the 4G. EVEN IF the only difference between the old and new Vibrant were the front camera and 4G, how many users likely to notice or care about whether or not the current Vibrant has 2.2 would *honestly* choose to buy the old model instead of the new one, even if it were a $50 difference between the two? People who buy $50 phones or wait months to get an old model on closeout for "free" with 2-year contract aren't the people who buy phones like the Epic, Vibrant, and the rest of the Galaxy S family. People in "our" category might ******* about a $50 difference... but we'll pay it anyway, because we know that if we don't, we'll be miserable and regret it daily for the next year or two.
Ditto, for customers who already own a Vibrant. In the entire United f***ing States, there *might* be 10,000 Vibrant owners who'll dump one and buy a Vibrant4G at full retail just to get 4G and/or the front camera. And I'll bet that a hefty subset of that group are T-Mobile employees whose "full" cost (after employee discount) is roughly what the rest of us would pay for a subsidized phone with contract, anyway. Now, having satisfied that group... how many more existing Vibrant customers do they REALLY think they're going to get by withholding 2.2 from owners of older Vibrants? Especially considering the abundance of custom ROMs.
The rationale becomes even more absurd when you consider the case of withholding 2.2 from Epic4G owners. I'm sure if you combed America hard enough, you might find a few Epic4G owners who'd dump it, pay the ETF to Sprint, switch to T-Mobile, and buy a Vibrant4G... but scratch a bit deeper, and I'd bet a major body part that the overwhelming majority of THAT group consists of users who probably wanted to switch anyway, and the existence of the Vibrant4G was more of an enabling excuse and rationale than an actual *reason*.
Companies like Samsung just don't seem to "get it". Consumers might chuck a $25 mp3 player to buy a newer, cooler one in 4 months. Statistically NOBODY chucks an expensive pocket computer whose marginal replacement cost exceeds $400 for an incremental improvement 4-6 months down the line. The closest ANY phone has probably come to motivating early switching was the Evo, and that was basically because the Evo was roughly twice as good as the Hero in almost every meaningful way, and worse in basically none. Users MIGHT be induced to switch early for 10x faster data, twice the cpu speed, 50% more resolution on a screen nearly twice the size, and a lot more ram. Users are NOT going to casually switch because one has 2.2 and one is officially stuck at 2.1... they're just going to root, reflash, and promise their deity of choice that they'll never buy another Samsung phone again.
If anything, T-Mobile is the biggest loser, because if true, this means that Samsung is effectively doing its best to devalue T-Mobile's inventory of existing unsold Vibrants. Now, if T-Mobile charges $10/month more for 4G service, that might merit trying harder to induce otherwise-indifferent new purchasers to go with the 4G model instead of the old model... but if it's the same price per month for service, it's to T-Mobile's own advantage to all but encourage new customers who are indifferent between the two to go with the old one... it's one less phone for T-Mobile to write off as a loss and send to a spare parts warehouse to gather dust until it ends up in a landfill or gets dumped on a new penny-pinching customer who only cares that it's "free" with 2-year contract, and one fewer customer who'll start abusing youtube as a source of free in-car music on demand (soaking up lots of bandwidth in the process).
This is the kind of logic that leaves me wondering how some big corporations can even stay in business. I worked for one a couple of years ago where we were ordered to *immediately* dispose of a hundred or so old laptops -- at a cost of $250 apiece -- instead of keeping them piled on a few shelves in a storage room in case we came up with a good use for them someday (like using them as thin clients for call center operators... something we had, in fact, done before). The executive rationale? The accountants complained that they were "costing" us $5,000/month to store based on the square-foot value of the space they were taking up in the closet, and somebody's wet dream fantasies about the value of that space. The thing is, we were about ~15 employees in a warehouse-like facility almost a square city block in size that was 95% empty (built during the dotcom boom, then the company was stuck with it due to a glut of similar buildings nearby). So, we burned $25,000 in the name of emptying off a 4x6 foot steel shelving unit, basically to humor the delusional fantasies of a faceless borg more concerned with a checklist item than getting actual work done and bringing in revenue. Madness. Pure, faceless, bureaucratically-driven out of control insanity.
HeXeD said:
For my next phone I'm going to do exactly what I did with this phone. Find out what the best phone is.. check the phones out.. and go with the one that is the best. Right now, even after the Evo 4G Shift was released, the Epic and other Galaxy S phones are still the best phone. I have friends with the Evo, Droid X, MyTouch.. and I can safely say that I have the best phone. Those phones have 2.2, but I wouldn't THINK about switching to them. Do I want 2.2? Of course. I have it now thanks to custom roms but of course it kinda aggravates me that there is no official release of 2.2 yet. But that is ok. If I had a choice between a laptop with a Intel i3 running Windows 7 and a Intel i7 running Windows Vista (or even XP), I would take the i7.
In my opinion, company tactics will forever aggravate us users. Throwing around other company names like HTC as the company that will be this "knight in shining armor" will only dissappoint you in the future. I have had 3 HTC phones previously and without a doubt, I can say that they are definitely not beyond screwing their customers over. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it is right, but I'm saying that it is not uncommon. The day that these companies become non-profit organizations is the day you will see them put customers first.. I'm not holding my breath.
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I agree with you and I really love my Epic BUT.... I can't help wondering how much better the phone would be with the upgrade.
Also Im sure this has been posted but this is an interesting read rating carriers and manufacturers on their upgrade rate.
looks to be true. This is on the front page of yahoo news.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/216716/samsung_blocking_ota_update_on_tmobile.html
Also made it to Slashdot!
http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/01/13/2334213/Is-Samsung-Blocking-Updates-To-Froyo
And PC World:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/216716/samsung_blocking_ota_update_on_tmobile.html
I have a feeling some people at Samsung are having a very bad day indeed.
Nexus S reboot problem:
Google Nexus S, google's second handset is in the limelight for wrong reasons this time. Looks like, the nexus S handsets are randomly rebooting atleast once every 48 hours, usually during a voice call! Google has officially confirmed this bug in their support forum. All the handsets that has been updated to the latest version of gingerbread (Android 2.3.1/GRH78) are affected by this bug.
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User's post from Slashdot story:
The real reason they are stonewalling on the 2.2 update for Vibrant is this: When they released the 2.2 update for the Vibrant in Canada, the update worked fine for a week or two, and then like clockwork bricked a huge percentage of the phones that updated. And when I say bricked, I'm not being liberal with that word, after a week or so running the Samsung 2.2 update, the SD card would become corrupt, and recovery mode would be unable to format it. My wife and I both have Vibrants, and it happened to them both one day apart. Samsung has been silent on the matter. Not surprising they'd avoid moving sending the 2.2 update out to US Vibrant owners, and also not surprising that they're refusing to explain why. Bell at least is fixing them, but lots of people on the XDA forum are saying their "repaired" phones are bricking again in short order.
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Samsung's official response to CNET's query about the rumor:
Samsung Mobile does not comment on rumors or speculation. With regard to the Froyo update, we recently issued the following statement: "Samsung feels it is important to make the Android 2.2/Froyo upgrade available only after we feel that we can give the millions of U.S. Galaxy S owners a simple and reliable upgrade experience. Due to the complexity and unique functionality of each Galaxy S device, we are performing additional testing and are working to make the Android 2.2/Froyo upgrade available to all U.S. Galaxy S owners, including the Samsung Vibrant, as soon as possible.
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Just to add to this conversation --> Just got off a chat with Sprint and I kept asking them about Froyo for the Epic. Everytime I mentioned it, the Sprint rep would direct me to Samsung and it's their fault. I think they got mad that I kept asking and pushing the subject, that they said they could no longer help me on the chat and gave me Samsung's number to call.
Looking at Samsung's facebook account, there a bunch of people complaining about this issue. Hopefully all this pressure will make Samsung cave in. *crosses fingers*
I call bull****.
Having come from the Crackberry world, this sort of stuff happens all the time. A supposed "reliable source" will leak some sort of story, the fringe enthusiast sites get wind of it and generates chatter and it eventually gets picked up by a naive journalist with a lazy editor and it gets put up as "legit" news which then causes a feedback loop which causes the internet to explore.
The example that comes to mind is the OS 4.7.0.113 update for the Blackberry Storm 9530 on Verizon, a leaked OS that "reliable sources" claimed was going to be the next official update but wasn't. It made it to PC World as well:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/163056/blackberry_storm_to_get_firmware_update.html
And it was 100% bull****. So I wouldn't give this rumor much credence.
The explanation of not wanting to take the wind out of the sails of the Vibrant 4G is irrelevant to other Galaxy S models where there is no similar Osbourne effect - such as with the Epic 4G.
My guess is that the actual explanation is much more mundane. Given the problem with Froyo bricking Vibrants, I would bet dollars to donuts that Samsung got super gunshy and their slow approach to Froyo updates to smaller markets is nothing more than a widespread, low-risk beta test to make sure their code is up to snuff before risking releasing an unstable update to the larger, litigious American Galaxy S userbases.
Is that I have not seen a review of the Xoom anywhere. Has anybody else? Somehow Motorola was able to get a Xoom in Chad Ochocinco's hands a month ago but I haven't seen any evidence that Motorola has shipped review units to media members. Will we have to wait until after release on Thursday to see any reviews? This release has been so shady that I'm waiting until after I see a credible reviewer verify all of Motorola's claims before I consider purchasing.
Jrockttu said:
Is that I have not seen a review of the Xoom anywhere. Has anybody else? Somehow Motorola was able to get a Xoom in Chad Ochocinco's hands a month ago but I haven't seen any evidence that Motorola has shipped review units to media members. Will we have to wait until after release on Thursday to see any reviews? This release has been so shady that I'm waiting until after I see a credible reviewer verify all of Motorola's claims before I consider purchasing.
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There have been countless reviews. You mean you want an in-depth detailed review from someone who gets to use the device "in the wild". That is not out yet, and that is normal for a new device of this sort. The devices we have seen so far aren't ready for primetime, and we can only hope that the XOOM I pick up in 4 days is ready.
The release isn't shady, it's just a little rushed. They are trying to bring the device to market ASAP. Would you rather they push the release by a month and send out samples to reviewers? I think the review I put on YouTube will be better than most professional reviews, except for the methodical, if anecdotal, reviews Engadget and other upper echelon tech blogs post.
setite said:
There have been countless reviews. You mean you want an in-depth detailed review from someone who gets to use the device "in the wild". That is not out yet, and that is normal for a new device of this sort. The devices we have seen so far aren't ready for primetime, and we can only hope that the XOOM I pick up in 4 days is ready.
The release isn't shady, it's just a little rushed. They are trying to bring the device to market ASAP. Would you rather they push the release by a month and send out samples to reviewers? I think the review I put on YouTube will be better than most professional reviews, except for the methodical, if anecdotal, reviews Engadget and other upper echelon tech blogs post.
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I disagree. It is shady in the way they are forcing people to pay an extra $35 activation fee plus $20 min service just to activate WiFi. Yes, it is stated in the small print but still, bad business and shady in my mind.
keitht said:
I disagree. It is shady in the way they are forcing people to pay an extra $35 activation fee plus $20 min service just to activate WiFi. Yes, it is stated in the small print but still, bad business and shady in my mind.
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If you consider that Verizon has put money into this project, it's fair to expect them to make a profit on each unit. I think that they should have worked something out with Best Buy that allowed them to take a cut from the 800$, but the result would have been the tablet costing 850$.
Hasn't a rumor been floating around that buying direct from Verizon would require no activation? As counter-intuitive as that may sound, it tracks as Motorola is selling the XOOM 3G wholesale for 550$. So if BB sells it, they keep the 250$ difference, if Verizon sells it, they don't need you to pay for a month of service because they have already made 250$.
It's not shady, but arguably bad business from a consumer image angle. People who don't understand what is going on, or people who simply don't care will look poorly upon the policy. Knowing that there is a WiFi Only version for 200$ less down the road should assuage any issues. But you still have the right to be mad, even if it just gives you heartburn
setite said:
If you consider that Verizon has put money into this project, it's fair to expect them to make a profit on each unit. I think that they should have worked something out with Best Buy that allowed them to take a cut from the 800$, but the result would have been the tablet costing 850$.
Hasn't a rumor been floating around that buying direct from Verizon would require no activation? As counter-intuitive as that may sound, it tracks as Motorola is selling the XOOM 3G wholesale for 550$. So if BB sells it, they keep the 250$ difference, if Verizon sells it, they don't need you to pay for a month of service because they have already made 250$.
It's not shady, but arguably bad business from a consumer image angle. People who don't understand what is going on, or people who simply don't care will look poorly upon the policy. Knowing that there is a WiFi Only version for 200$ less down the road should assuage any issues. But you still have the right to be mad, even if it just gives you heartburn
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You sound like a lawyer It is bad business and consumers will speak with their wallets. This price point will not ultimately work. And we still do not know actual issues with the device including what is going on with the SD support. I was all excited about this before but now, I cannot see paying $900 without a single accessory.
keitht said:
You sound like a lawyer It is bad business and consumers will speak with their wallets. This price point will not ultimately work. And we still do not know actual issues with the device including what is going on with the SD support. I was all excited about this before but now, I cannot see paying $900 without a single accessory.
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Yup. I am planning to go to law school . I agree with you. I just have a habit of playing devil's advocate, and trying to inform other consumers so they don't get enraged and end up hurting themselves by getting angry and making sweeping statements they can't take back. Like when Steve Jobs got angry and committed to never having flash, and forever people like me who need flash can't buy an iPad.
setite said:
There have been countless reviews. You mean you want an in-depth detailed review from someone who gets to use the device "in the wild". That is not out yet, and that is normal for a new device of this sort. The devices we have seen so far aren't ready for primetime, and we can only hope that the XOOM I pick up in 4 days is ready.
The release isn't shady, it's just a little rushed. They are trying to bring the device to market ASAP. Would you rather they push the release by a month and send out samples to reviewers? I think the review I put on YouTube will be better than most professional reviews, except for the methodical, if anecdotal, reviews Engadget and other upper echelon tech blogs post.
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I haven't seen a single review, just a few hands-on impressions in a controlled environment. I want something that validates the 10 hour battery life and that tells me if the OS is buggy, etc.
I consider it a shady release for the reasons already covered in this thread. The $800 price tag is high, but reasonable, until you consider that it's a $200 premium for 3g/4g, you have to activate data to unlock wifi, and they'll charge you an activation fee of $35 any time you turn on the data. That last part is the biggest kick in the nuts. Motorola, Verizon, and the retailers are all trying to get their cut of the device and the consumers are the ones being punished.
Jrockttu said:
I haven't seen a single review, just a few hands-on impressions in a controlled environment. I want something that validates the 10 hour battery life and that tells me if the OS is buggy, etc.
I consider it a shady release for the reasons already covered in this thread. The $800 price tag is high, but reasonable, until you consider that it's a $200 premium for 3g/4g, you have to activate data to unlock wifi, and they'll charge you an activation fee of $35 any time you turn on the data. That last part is the biggest kick in the nuts. Motorola, Verizon, and the retailers are all trying to get their cut of the device and the consumers are the ones being punished.
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Agreed. The last part is indeed a true roshambo kick in the nards. I am quite cross about that particular detail as it sort of defeats the purpose of month to month, and makes no sense given my admittedly limited knowledge of how CDMA works. AFAIK all that should be necessary is an OTA provisioning of the tablet when you want to enable service. Something I do on a regular basis for my dad who goes through a new phone every 6 months. He buys crappy flip phones on ebay for 20$ and I activate them using a combination of the Verizon website and a # code on the phone. Easy Peasy, no cost. This makes it clear that they are trying to get you to just keep a minimal data plan month to month, because without a gap of 2 months or more, you will be paying more in the grand scheme if you pay an activation fee each time you lapse. It's almost like a late fee.
Jrockttu said:
I haven't seen a single review, just a few hands-on impressions in a controlled environment. I want something that validates the 10 hour battery life and that tells me if the OS is buggy, etc.
I consider it a shady release for the reasons already covered in this thread. The $800 price tag is high, but reasonable, until you consider that it's a $200 premium for 3g/4g, you have to activate data to unlock wifi, and they'll charge you an activation fee of $35 any time you turn on the data. That last part is the biggest kick in the nuts. Motorola, Verizon, and the retailers are all trying to get their cut of the device and the consumers are the ones being punished.
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It's up the the manufacturer to release the reviewers from the NDA and let them post reviews. The sheer number of developers that have the Xoom is proof that reviewers have had them for a while. Usually reviews don't come out until the device is actually for sale.
Jrockttu said:
Is that I have not seen a review of the Xoom anywhere. Has anybody else? Somehow Motorola was able to get a Xoom in Chad Ochocinco's hands a month ago but I haven't seen any evidence that Motorola has shipped review units to media members. Will we have to wait until after release on Thursday to see any reviews? This release has been so shady that I'm waiting until after I see a credible reviewer verify all of Motorola's claims before I consider purchasing.
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There have been Atrix reviews out for a while, but so far, it's been mum on the Xoom. It doesn't make much sense to me either.
That said, I think "shady" is the wrong word. I would use "bizarre". Everything about this has been bizarre, and the fact that nobody even knows when the thing is being released just flabbergasts me. Most launches include things like, you know, release dates, prices, venues, etc.... Right now, the only thing we know for certain is that it will be available at Best Buy in late February for $800, and we haven't known that stuff for very long.
However much I dislike Apple, Steve Jobs would never have let something like this happen... unless we're talking about the mythical white iPhone 4.
Xevilious said:
There have been Atrix reviews out for a while, but so far, it's been mum on the Xoom. It doesn't make much sense to me either.
That said, I think "shady" is the wrong word. I would use "bizarre". Everything about this has been bizarre, and the fact that nobody even knows when the thing is being released just flabbergasts me. Most launches include things like, you know, release dates, prices, venues, etc.... Right now, the only thing we know for certain is that it will be available at Best Buy in late February for $800, and we haven't known that stuff for very long.
However much I dislike Apple, Steve Jobs would never have let something like this happen... unless we're talking about the mythical white iPhone 4.
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It's just an amazing failure of a launch. It boggles my mind that they can come off of their "Best of CES" performance and get nothing but bad press thereafter. How can they not effectively communicate the price and release dates across media and retailers? Even after Sanjay Jha confirmed the price, the price still isn't listed on the official Xoom website! So much potential wasted. I'm an Apple hater, but nobody can deny that they know how to run a product launch and these other companies need to take notes every June.
Jrockttu said:
It's just an amazing failure of a launch. It boggles my mind that they can come off of their "Best of CES" performance and get nothing but bad press thereafter. How can they not effectively communicate the price and release dates across media and retailers? Even after Sanjay Jha confirmed the price, the price still isn't listed on the official Xoom website! So much potential wasted. I'm an Apple hater, but nobody can deny that they know how to run a product launch and these other companies need to take notes every June.
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Exactly correct. Motorola could stand to take several lessons from Apple, mainly marketing.
So, I started a petition for Verizon to carry the Note/Journal. Got around 1000 sigs so far as I write this.
I'm new post-wise so I can't link, you will have to go to change.org and do a search for Verizon Galaxy Note or somesuch. If you Google it you'll get a couple of 2nd and 3rd-tier phone sites talking about it.
I didn't trust the "source" at CES who was so sure VZW would get it, and I haven't heard anything since. I know AT&T has an exclusivity period, I know it's a fairly large initial investment, and I know VZW needs a valid business case to go forward with any new device. I'm sure that if they are still considering it, they're watching to see how sales are at AT&T. Just to let everyone know I'm being rational and not expecting miracles. I do feel, however, that with a sensible argument along with a somewhat noticeable number of petitioners, this could go somewhere.
I have a couple of corporate email addresses (handsets, product distribution, and corporate strategy) and I plan to let them know where I/we are coming from. If you're interested, go sign, and thanks in advance!
zeno
Verizon retail people (who never know anything factual) claim it's an "internet rumor" only. Don't hold our breath.
I've been a Verizon customer for eleven years but I'll switch carriers to get the Note if it comes to that. I'll give it until maybe June and if I don't learn anything more definitive: I'm going to AT&T.
Dan
I agree, VZW sales don't know anything until corporate tells them, usually about 5 minutes beforehand. I don't feel bad saying this because most VZW employess admit as much. I did get hold of the person at corporate who is in charge of handsets etc., and she got back to me (I sent the email @ 4 AM and had a response 3 hours later) saying what I'd expect, namely that I was right about how much effort goes into putting a device on shelves and that she'd forward it all to the buyers. Bottom line, someone who actually makes a decision knows that there are potential customers, and that's all I can really do. Not trying to save the rainforests or anything
Like I said, I'm not expecting miracles. I don't know if it'll work, but I know it definitely won't work if I/we don't try. Besides, if there's one thing I've learned it's that people are all about a petition if it doesn't cost them anything; none of the petitioners are obligated to buy the device, after all (though I suppose that defeats the purpose).
Any updates on this? My contract is up in May and I need an Android phone that is at least 5.3" with an stylus (S-pen).
Unfortunately not really. The inital wave of interest that the 3rd-party press generated seems to have finished, and the petition is sitting at ~3200.
Funny, I mentioned it here at XDA because I thought there would be more than the usual amount of demand for it here. XDA is a relatively small group but uncannily good at organizing. (It also showed me that I spent a LOT more time lurking here than I realized as I could've sworn I had 10 posts in already. )
I guess most already bought an international or at&t seeing as the Note is a huge success.
Sent from my superior GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
I went down to the local Sprint store around noon to check out the HTC One today. There were only a couple of people in the store. There was a very plain white banner and one silver HTC One for display. Next to the One was an EVO 4G LTE. I was able to walk right over and play with the device. A sales rep came over after a couple of minutes and asked if I have any questions. His knowledge on the phone was limited and we even had a hard time finding some music or getting the internet connection to pick up You Tube so I could check out the speakers. Eventually another shopper came in who was interested in the phone and was considering the HTC One, Note 2 or less likely a the GS4. I asked the rep if they had a lot of people come in and buy the phone. He said they had sold 2.
This isn't exactly a great launch for a company that is heavily relying on the success of one product. Besides checking the latest phone sites, I haven't heard or seen anything from HTC that they are launching their new flagship. There wasn't a long line of excited fanboys waiting to get their hands on the latest and greatest HTC phone. I would consider myself a fan of HTC. I believe they have a superior build quality and I enjoy the love it or hate it Sense. I would like to see HTC thrive in this competitive market.
I am sure a lot of you on this site have either run out to your local Sprint or Best Buy to either check out or buy your HTC One. What was your experience like? Was there a long line or crowd giddy with excitement or has launch day been somewhat of a dud?
Here is some information that will fuel the rumors: I asked the rep if they had a black One in stock. He said that they aren't available at this time. When it does come in, it will only be available in 64 gig. I told him I thought AT&T had exclusivity on the 64 gig model. He said that the exclusivity is only for a short time, and they are waiting to launch it on Sprint. He wasn't sure if the Silver would be available in 64 gig. Take this information with a grain of salt since you are first reading this on the internet and it came from a Sprint employee.
Sounds viable enough though, since exclusivity on stuff like that is usually not a permanent thing.
And even if your local sprint store hasn't sold many Ones, I'm pretty confident this will be the best selling HTC ever. If it will save HTC or not I have no clue about though.
oops wrong thread!
ttown said:
I am sure a lot of you on this site have either run out to your local Sprint or Best Buy to either check out or buy your HTC One. What was your experience like? Was there a long line or crowd giddy with excitement or has launch day been somewhat of a dud?
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In the U.S., because of subsidization, there's really no launch "day" as people tend to get a new phone when their contract permits. The masses also aren't as passionate as we are about new mobile devices. As for in-store activities, co-op advertising (Sprint<>HTC), and how devices are featured in-store those are all things that the manufacturers pay for. HTC seems to be doing more for the One this year (maybe because it's unmolested on three carriers) than last year on TV and online. They have a limited budget so it is what it is. Unless incented in a specific financial direction the U.S. carriers could care less what phones people buy as long as they commit to two years of wireless service. So the iPhone, SGSX, and One are all just a means to an end.
I bought the last one available at my closest Sprint store. I go in until about 7:00, though.
BarryH_GEG said:
In the U.S., because of subsidization, there's really no launch "day" as people tend to get a new phone when their contract permits. The masses also aren't as passionate as we are about new mobile devices. As for in-store activities, co-op advertising (Sprint<>HTC), and how devices are featured in-store those are all things that the manufacturers pay for. HTC seems to be doing more for the One this year (maybe because it's unmolested on three carriers) than last year on TV and online. They have a limited budget so it is what it is. Unless incented in a specific financial direction the U.S. carriers could care less what phones people buy as long as they commit to two years of wireless service. So the iPhone, SGSX, and One are all just a means to an end.
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I have to disagree. How many times has Apple had a long line on and before their launch day. I'm not a fan of Apple, but they definitely know how to create demand.
I understand HTC doesn't have deep pockets like Samsung and Apple, but I believe they could be more creative to woo the masses. If people really wanted a product, they won't let their two year commitment get in the way. When I bought my EVO 4G LTE there was a lot of buzz in that same store just a year ago.
It is still early and I agree that this phone will sell, but HTC can do better to create demand for their premium phone.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
Apple's been going so long with the hype now... I wonder how many people just have their 2 years ending around the release date of it.
ttown said:
I have to disagree. How many times has Apple had a long line on and before their launch day. I'm not a fan of Apple, but they definitely know how to create demand.
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Do you think people are going to line up in advance for the SGS4? I don't. There may be some small crowds at larger stores in bigger markets but Android phones don't have the cult-like following iDevices do. My non-geek friends with Android phones couldn't even tell you their specs. And none of them would pay more than $199 for a phone to get one any earlier than their contract permitted so unless there's a bunch of contracts expiring this month there shouldn't be any rushes at the check-out counters.
BarryH_GEG said:
Do you think people are going to line up in advance for the SGS4? I don't. There may be some small crowds at larger stores in bigger markets but Android phones don't have the cult-like following iDevices do. My non-geek friends with Android phones couldn't even tell you their specs. And none of them would pay more than $199 for a phone to get one any earlier than their contract permitted so unless there's a bunch of contracts expiring this month there shouldn't be any rushes at the check-out counters.
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I don't know anybody with an iPhone that can tell you it's specs.
ttown said:
I went down to the local Sprint store around noon to check out the HTC One today. There were only a couple of people in the store. There was a very plain white banner and one silver HTC One for display. Next to the One was an EVO 4G LTE. I was able to walk right over and play with the device. A sales rep came over after a couple of minutes and asked if I have any questions. His knowledge on the phone was limited and we even had a hard time finding some music or getting the internet connection to pick up You Tube so I could check out the speakers. Eventually another shopper came in who was interested in the phone and was considering the HTC One, Note 2 or less likely a the GS4. I asked the rep if they had a lot of people come in and buy the phone. He said they had sold 2.
This isn't exactly a great launch for a company that is heavily relying on the success of one product. Besides checking the latest phone sites, I haven't heard or seen anything from HTC that they are launching their new flagship. There wasn't a long line of excited fanboys waiting to get their hands on the latest and greatest HTC phone. I would consider myself a fan of HTC. I believe they have a superior build quality and I enjoy the love it or hate it Sense. I would like to see HTC thrive in this competitive market.
I am sure a lot of you on this site have either run out to your local Sprint or Best Buy to either check out or buy your HTC One. What was your experience like? Was there a long line or crowd giddy with excitement or has launch day been somewhat of a dud?
Here is some information that will fuel the rumors: I asked the rep if they had a black One in stock. He said that they aren't available at this time. When it does come in, it will only be available in 64 gig. I told him I thought AT&T had exclusivity on the 64 gig model. He said that the exclusivity is only for a short time, and they are waiting to launch it on Sprint. He wasn't sure if the Silver would be available in 64 gig. Take this information with a grain of salt since you are first reading this on the internet and it came from a Sprint employee.
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Sold out in most UK retailers. Perhaps more popular here than the USA.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
The iPhone is usually the only device that you need to line up at a retail store to get it on launch day. The HTC One was available online long before it became available in stores, and I'll still get mine delivered from T-Mobile even before they have any in the stores. The flubbed orders and instability of the website seemed to at least suggest the phone is popular online, so I don't think HTC has anything to worry about in terms of demand at the moment.
A lot of phones get staggered availability in the US as well because no two of the four major carriers utilize the same bands and frequencies. You need four different sets of radios to match each of the carriers, meanwhile Europe just gets the single international version. It's probably the reason why the launch had to be delayed, and Europe ended up getting their hands on it first. It's also why you won't see much availability for the black version in the US, because you've already got three versions of the silver phone, and having the black option would mean three more versions of the phone to distribute.
HTC is doing the best they can, but right now they're probably looking primarily to European sales to help drag them out of the ditch.