Galaxy S4 Google Edition at I/O 2013 - Galaxy S 4 General

Just found this on reddit, it will be interesting if it really happens. I would be interested to know XDA's thoughts on this rumor.
http://www.geek.com/android/samsung-galaxy-s4-google-edition-to-be-announced-at-google-io-1555174/
Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk 2

Fantastic! Lets wait and see if it is true.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

I hope they give us the option to flash this ROM with Odin for i9505/i9500 in the future.

Wow, this would be fantastic.
The SGS4 GE would stop people *****ing about TW, s/w, lag, and 9GB of available storage.
The SGS4 Activ would stop the people *****ing about the display cracking.
The SGS4 Zoom would stop the people *****ing about the camera.
Something for everyone.

BarryH_GEG said:
Wow, this would be fantastic.
The SGS4 GE would stop people *****ing about TW, s/w, lag, and 9GB of available storage.
The SGS4 Activ would stop the people *****ing about the display cracking.
The SGS4 Zoom would stop the people *****ing about the camera.
Something for everyone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SGS4 Ultimate would combine all of the above to stop people biching about all of the above.

MaKTaiL said:
The SGS4 Ultimate would combine all of the above to stop people biching about all of the above.
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Click to collapse
Add metal construction to it and it would be the perfect phone. And probably $1,000 USD.

If this releases tomorrow and is updated by Google, that will be my next phone for sure. Although I'm not sure if I would miss the features Samsung added to touch wiz.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

msavic6 said:
If this releases tomorrow and is updated by Google, that will be my next phone for sure. Although I'm not sure if I would miss the features Samsung added to touch wiz.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not just stay on the TouchWiz version and hope for a dualboot kernel? That way you could enjoy the best of both worlds. A perfect aosp rom would be amazing and might even make some of the cyanogenmod devs come back.

Toss3 said:
Why not just stay on the TouchWiz version and hope for a dualboot kernel? That way you could enjoy the best of both worlds. A perfect aosp rom would be amazing and might even make some of the cyanogenmod devs come back.
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Click to collapse
That would be awesome, I'm very excited for tomorrow.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

And i hope its the 9500 version....

DocRambone said:
And i hope its the 9500 version....
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Click to collapse
Doubt it'll be an Exynos variant as that would require a lot of work from Samsung. Releasing an AOSP version of the i9505 would allow them to piggyback on Google/Cyanogenmod.

Pretty sure this is never going to happen.
First of all, their software and hardware dont match.
1) Google is promoting software buttons, and the Galaxy s4 has capacitive + a hardware home button
2) Google is promoting the discontinuation of the menu button, and instead opts for a separate multitasking button
3) Google hates SD cards and external memories.
And secondly, Samsung has no reason to do this....
Samsung already controls most of the Android market, and most Android users dont care about AOSP or stock or whatever.
Also, selling through Google wont really help them with their profit either.
If it does happen tho, please have it on Verizon

JaeKay said:
Pretty sure this is never going to happen.
First of all, their software and hardware dont match.
1) Google is promoting software buttons, and the Galaxy s4 has capacitive + a hardware home button
2) Google is promoting the discontinuation of the menu button, and instead opts for a separate multitasking button
3) Google hates SD cards and external memories.
And secondly, Samsung has no reason to do this....
Samsung already controls most of the Android market, and most Android users dont care about AOSP or stock or whatever.
Also, selling through Google wont really help them with their profit either.
If it does happen tho, please have it on Verizon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The rumours have it pegged for a release on AT&T. And none of the above matters as it isn't a nexus device.

JaeKay said:
Pretty sure this is never going to happen.
First of all, their software and hardware dont match.
1) Google is promoting software buttons, and the Galaxy s4 has capacitive + a hardware home button
2) Google is promoting the discontinuation of the menu button, and instead opts for a separate multitasking button
3) Google hates SD cards and external memories.
And secondly, Samsung has no reason to do this....
Samsung already controls most of the Android market, and most Android users dont care about AOSP or stock or whatever.
Also, selling through Google wont really help them with their profit either.
If it does happen tho, please have it on Verizon
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Click to collapse
Very invalid arguments.
Sent from my GT-N7105

JaeKay said:
Pretty sure this is never going to happen.
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Click to collapse
It's a rumor so you could be right. But there's some logic in it. If what the story OP posted is true it's not a Nexus phone; it's a special edition of what's likely going to be the best selling device of 2013 in "pure" form from the world's largest Android device manufacturer.
It's good for Samsung because:
It's positive press and shows Google and Samsung are a "team" damping all the "stake through the heart" stories.
Addresses Samsung's perceived lack of support for "enthusiasts" (EG: dev community).
Introduces another SGS4 variant that addresses the needs/wants of a sliver of the market further increasing SGS4 sales.
It'll cost them next to nothing to produce and support.
It's good for Google because:
It's positive press and shows Google and Samsung are a "team" damping all the "stake through the heart" stories.
Samsung releasing a non-TW device shows their support for native Android and Google's not on the hook for contractual commitments and added time to market like with the Nexus program.
The more support for Android the better.
Google's a business. This would be good for business. That, to me, supersedes fixed storage and on-screen navigation keys. This isn't much different than what HTC/T-Mobile did when they released the Desire Z as the T-Mobile G2. It was the same phone sans the overlay and marketed as "pure Google." This would be a more dramatic announcment than Motorola's XFON with last year's specs that been rumored for I/O. We'll know soon enough.

Wonder if the software is pure android (no touchwiz) if Samsung will still **** with the screen brightness based on the color of what is being displayed on the screen or if this version would actually be brighter than the touchwiz version

We will find out today
I really like Touchwiz it looks beautiful but I also love AOSP rom:laugh:

Sadly this version will only be available to developers as SamMobile has stated.
I'm not completely sure in which ways a normal everyday user could profit from this?
Maybe all XDA'ers will eventually turn into developers?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

If they do release such a phone, it would surely be ported to the normal variants easily as they have the same hardware. So, if it does happen, it would be a very good thing.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

Related

Maybe no ICS for legacy devices?

Here's some quotes from tonight's/today's press conference:
"Galaxy Nexus has no buttons and the physical / capacitive keys have been turned into 'virtual buttons' within the OS"
"The hardware works in concert with the OS. They were designed to work together."
"Android 4.0 ICS is "specifically designed" to work with 720p as its native resolution."
So, since the SGS2 has physical/capacitive buttons, wasn't designed to work with the OS, and doesn't support 720p, what makes us think it will (officially) get ICS?
You do point some vaild points in not getting it officially. But we could always tweak the source code to get in unofficially anyways. Software is software, a text file, it's not ike hardware where you have to change a resistor or something.
ANyways I don't think samsung will not deliver us ICS, they might simply just tweak it for us to work.
You honestly believe every device in near future will have no physical buttons ? and ICS will be limited only to high end devices ?
If 720p is going to be standard, that makes it really hard to do phones with smaller size screens though.
I wonder whats going to happen to ui customization. Is it going to be purer Google now?
see: SGS2 and ICS
ghost77 said:
You honestly believe every device in near future will have no physical buttons ? and ICS will be limited only to high end devices ?
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Click to collapse
Don't shoot the messenger. The quotes are from Google execs. I have no idea what the answers to your questions are but if you take what was said literally then the issue of ICS on legacy devices remains to be answered. That's why I brought it up for discussion. 45% of Android devices are still running Froyo so limiting ICS to specific devices doesn't seem out of the question. And based on the resources required by the OS, there has to be a line drawn somewhere anyway. Hell, the HTC Desire barely got GB.
tonz22 said:
see: SGS2 and ICS
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Dude that was fake.
And he said "natively using 1280xwhatever". Doesn't mean it is the "only" display. It's coming to legacy ones. Stop worrying. Remember Nexus S from ebay?
And man, ice cream is like a derivative of Touchwiz. Good thing I started with samsung. LOL.
Sorry to say this but do you really thing Samsung will bring ICS as-it-is?
I mean I hope Samsung does not bring ICS as it-is, since there is HUGE difference between SGS launchers, UI and all other stuff compared to original Gingerbread already.
I really did not find ICS as "change the world" thing, but least, it is something new
krazykat said:
Dude that was fake.
And he said "natively using 1280xwhatever". Doesn't mean it is the "only" display. It's coming to legacy ones. Stop worrying. Remember Nexus S from ebay?
.
Click to expand...
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Have people forgotten this works on tablets too? ie, Differing screen sizes?
krazykat said:
And man, ice cream is like a derivative of Touchwiz. Good thing I started with samsung. LOL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will cm8/9 be ICS or is ICS cm8/9?
Ian
sent from my ereader
krazykat said:
Dude that was fake.
And he said "natively using 1280xwhatever". Doesn't mean it is the "only" display. It's coming to legacy ones. Stop worrying. Remember Nexus S from ebay?
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have people forgotten this works on tablets too? ie, Differing screen sizes?
Well, now that the SDK has arrived..i bet the devs are getting to work
already confirmed by Google..
ICS confirmation on Nexus S and Gingerbread devices
kikoexe said:
already confirmed by Google..
ICS confirmation on Nexus S and Gingerbread devices
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, there you have it.
ianPhillips1 said:
Will cm8/9 be ICS or is ICS cm8/9?
Ian
sent from my ereader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM9 will be ICS.
kikoexe said:
already confirmed by Google..
ICS confirmation on Nexus S and Gingerbread devices
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, they also said support for "18 months" at Gingerbread event (I know some devices who didn't follow this statement after it was said).
W&S, but maybe Samsung will use the Nexus Prime's OS as a selling point.
Check out the new nexus Video really cool
Google Android Ice cream Sandwich unveiled
looks like Google has worked/stole a few ideas from samsung
Apparently Google + has hangouts/video so I guess thats why they are taking video call out of google talk, maybe integrating with google +
I dont see, Any reason Galaxy S II wont get ICS Update .... !!!
Galaxy Nexus Hardware wise similar to Galaxy S II ... Only Screen Resolution and Virtual Button is the diff.
However, That does not mean, GS II wont get it ... Stop thinking that we wont be having it...
Start thinking that , how much of ICS Feature sammy will give us...thats more inp.
BarryH_GEG said:
Here's some quotes from tonight's/today's press conference:
"Galaxy Nexus has no buttons and the physical / capacitive keys have been turned into 'virtual buttons' within the OS"
"The hardware works in concert with the OS. They were designed to work together."
"Android 4.0 ICS is "specifically designed" to work with 720p as its native resolution."
So, since the SGS2 has physical/capacitive buttons, wasn't designed to work with the OS, and doesn't support 720p, what makes us think it will (officially) get ICS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is marketing talk for Galaxy Nexus, you cannot draw the conclusion that it won't support older units or smaller displays from this.
Especially since Google said today that Nexus S will get ice cream...
nexus s is inferior to galaxy s according to HW side.. soo galaxy s II will obviously get ICS ..samsung wont make a mistake like not providing their best selling device getting ICS..
if they dont provide the devs will make us one.. coz there're 10million s2 users out there..
and all the brightest developers own a s2 coz this is simply the best phone

Android 4.1 JellyBean

Well... we are all waiting gor official ICS to come to gtab+ , but now google releases new android 4.1...what an unfortunate for us..
We waited for AGES to get ICS, and till now we havent got it yet, i ask, till when we wait for JB?
Cheers
Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk 2
Probably 4-6 months. I saw an article where the reporter reached out to Samsung about updates, and they said they would seek to update their devices as possible. I personally think Google's push to make it available on Nexus and Motorola Xoom will force other manufacturers to provide Jelly Bean quickly if they want to sell their devices in the future.
It's not entirely a new huge platform jump of Android(Like Gingerbread to ICS) so it might not take that much time to update. A preview build was given to GN users OTA which is a good sign. I do look forward at the these features though:
Project Butter
Android 4.0 was a major upgrade from 2.3 Gingerbread, bringing a whole new interface and speed improvements. Jelly Bean improves on that, with something Google is calling “Project Butter.” This helps make the whole OS feel 100x faster and smoother, running at an insane 60 FPS.
Home screen customization has also been improved. Widgets will now wrap around the space available to them, so you won’t need to go through the hassle process of moving around icons and widgets.
Offline Voice Dictation
Google has not only made more improvements to the keyboard in Android 4.1 JB, but they’ve also brought offline voice dictation. This means that you won’t need a network connection in order to use voice dictation anymore, unlike Siri voice dictation, which needs a constant connection. Unfortunately, this feature is currently only available in US English, but Google promises that more language support will be coming soon.
The keyboard has also made other vast improvements in predictive text input, meaning that the keyboard thinks about what you are going to type before you even type it.
Notifications
In Android 4.0 ICS, we received the ability to view our notifications from our lockscreen, and access an app right through them. Android 4.1 JB takes this even farther, and allows you to do an action without even accessing the app, all from your notifications window pane.
For example, if someone calls you and you miss it, a notification obviously appears. When you swipe down, you can immediately choose to call the person back, or you can message them if you’d like, all directly from your notification window pane. If you’re currently calling someone and decide to hang up, you can just drag the notification window pane down and end the call from right there. Simple and Easy.
Google has also improved the way Social Networks and 3rd-Party apps are integrated with notifications. If you receive a Google+ photo, you’ll see a preview right from the lockscreen, without even having to access the Google+ app. You can comment and +1 on the photo right from your notification window pane, and quickly get back to what you were doing before.
3rd party developers also have great new features that they can integrate into their apps. Pulse, a popular social news reader, has the ability to show you the days’s top news-just by swiping the notification.
Now hold on a sec, once we get the Ics sources we should be able to port aosp jb to GT+ ain't I right?
Sent from my GT-P6200 using xda premium
CrisisCorE said:
Now hold on a sec, once we get the Ics sources we should be able to port aosp jb to GT+ ain't I right?
Sent from my GT-P6200 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you are right
CrisisCorE said:
Now hold on a sec, once we get the Ics sources we should be able to port aosp jb to GT+ ain't I right?
Sent from my GT-P6200 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm.. maybe yes.. just keep hoping..
Sent from my GT-P6200 using Tapatalk 2
I'm going to just come out and say it, JB will probably not happen on the 7+, look at how long it took them to give us ICS with them already having released an ICS tablet almost identical to ours months ago. maybe the tab 2 will get it. But who knows maybe they will screw them too and make a tab 3.
im thinking 90% most likely officially won't ever happen, which is why i'm dropping samsung for the nexus 7
th3drow said:
I'm going to just come out and say it, JB will probably not happen on the 7+, look at how long it took them to give us ICS with them already having released an ICS tablet almost identical to ours months ago. maybe the tab 2 will get it. But who knows maybe they will screw them too and make a tab 3.
im thinking 90% most likely officially won't ever happen, which is why i'm dropping samsung for the nexus 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah.. btw i'm slapping my face when seeing the price n performance by nexus 7. Gonna throw 7+ outta house.
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kevintangi said:
Yeah.. btw i'm slapping my face when seeing the price n performance by nexus 7. Gonna throw 7+ outta house.
Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm tempted too, but the absence of a micro-sd slot is making me reconsider...
All we need is ics then we can make this a much better tab than nexus.
Sent from my GT-P6200 using xda premium
just read that Flash is not supported in JellyBean. Flash Player will be removed from the store August 15th. If you already have it, you will get minor fixes/updates/etc.
Sure I agree flash is old, outdated and a hog. I think they should keep it though.
No micro SD on the Nexus 7? Wow!
Sent from my GT-P6210 using Tapatalk 2
chrisrotolo said:
just read that Flash is not supported in JellyBean. Flash Player will be removed from the store August 15th. If you already have it, you will get minor fixes/updates/etc.
Sure I agree flash is old, outdated and a hog. I think they should keep it though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I understand, Flash is only unsupported in the Chrome browser, but you should still be able to use it for other browsers like Dolphin.
DJPraeses said:
I'm tempted too, but the absence of a micro-sd slot is making me reconsider...
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Click to collapse
I'm in the same boat; but regardless I've bought my last Samsung product. Either I learn to deal with the cloud and no microSD storage, or I wait for someone else to come out with a similar product (maybe a 7.7 screen like the upcoming Toshiba Excite).
But no more Samsung.
CrisisCorE said:
All we need is ics then we can make this a much better tab than nexus.
Sent from my GT-P6200 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i think we cant. The specs in nexus 7 is way too high. And JB is said to improve the cpu and gpu performance ?
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kevintangi said:
Well i think we cant. The specs in nexus 7 is way too high. And JB is said to improve the cpu and gpu performance ?
Sent from my GT-P6200 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Higher Res, twice the cores, and JB. I placed my order for the 16gb model. Ill miss the SD, but I think I'll be happy. But I won't sell my 7+ just yet.
If you're gonna talk about specs, Nexus S has a worst one than ours and yet it will receive the JB update. Since our device is very similar to the Galaxy SII, which is sure to get JB(I think), then we will too. It's a matter of patience again because of the lack of interest on our devices.
Graffiti Exploit said:
If you're gonna talk about specs, Nexus S has a worst one than ours and yet it will receive the JB update. Since our device is very similar to the Galaxy SII, which is sure to get JB(I think), then we will too. It's a matter of patience again because of the lack of interest on our devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus= google experience devices. Big difference.
I'm wondering what CrisisCore meant by this being a better tablet than the Nexus if we get ICS? In terms of specs, it's lower resolution and last-gen processor. Sure, it's got microSD and back camera, but really it's hard to argue with speed and resolution. On top of that, there will be far more development on that tablet due to a larger user-base (understatement of the year...). But I'm new to this device, so I'm curious if you know something I'm missing?
DJPraeses said:
I'm tempted too, but the absence of a micro-sd slot is making me reconsider...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Precisely. "The Cloud" is an interesting concept but unless you have an avenue to connect anywhere at anytime (3/4G + WiFi) it's not as useful as one would desire.
No uSD will most always be a deal-breaker for me.
It'll take a long time. Remember FroYo to Gingerbread on the Galaxy S I series??
Sent from my GT-P6210 using xda app-developers app

Phone UI on the Nexus 10, how effin' stupid...

It seems confirmed that they went with the phone UI on the 10" tablet Nexus 10 like previous leaked pics showed...
HOW EFFING STUPID IS IT?!?!?
You waste all of the huge space on the whole bottom row and you add another bar (the notification bar) at the top of the screen wasting precious vertical space!!!!
I really, REALLY hope no one else follow Google on this!! I have always MUCH preferred Samsung Touchwiz and this is just further proof that the "Google experience" is a WORSE experience...
Very dissapointed...
Totally agree
Btw google experience is good except for that space wastage
Hardware keys were good enough
I think its gonna have the hybrid ui like the nexus 7
its actually mixed....its phone ui...but the apps are in tablet ui.....
Wait...it's there a setting to remove the notification bar like in some apps?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Xparent SkyBlue Tapatalk 2
Justjusten said:
I think its gonna have the hybrid ui like the nexus 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jarjar124 said:
its actually mixed....its phone ui...but the apps are in tablet ui.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not the issue at all here. Of course it's a "hybrid" UI and of course apps are in the tablet UI... The (HUGE) issue is the one I talked about in the first post.
Google is trying to go with the uniform look so new users to Android wouldnt be confused when it comes to where to look for what no matter if they're using Nexus 4, 7, or 10, the experience will be the same
Why are you opening so many threads about this. Seriously relax and buy something else if you don't like it that much.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using xda premium
What I find funny is that people were complaining when the Honeycomb interface was introduced. Now they're complaining when its being replaced
NIMBAH said:
Why are you opening so many threads about this. Seriously relax and buy something else if you don't like it that much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"So many threads" = 2
"this" = 2 different things (one HW, the other SW)
Hello..??
xdapao3 said:
"So many threads" = 2
"this" = 2 different things (one HW, the other SW)
Hello..??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But your talking about the phone UI on the other thread so whats the need of this one ?
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Not everyone is on xda and even knows the difference. The point is to make the ui experience similar on different devices so a newbie can pick any nexus device up and know how to use it without learning something new. Basically Google is doing what Apple does with iOS being the same on all their devices. It is for ease of use for tech newbies. The good thing about Android is that it isn't very hard to ditch the hybrid ui and get back the tablet ui if you want to and any user on xda should know that so complaining isn't useful. Just be happy it can be changed to suit your preferences and isn't locked down like iOS.
Sent from my GT-I9100M using xda app-developers app
I say it blows but being an open unlockable device I ain't much worried about it...
I think, why complain for something you know you will eventually be able to change when developers put their hands on it, besides, lots of other ppl who dont even know of the existence of xda nor that it should have tablet UI will still be happy with their N10, and for all of you that want tablet UI just wait a little more and I bet there will be tablet UI on the N10, just gotta be patient, lots of ppl complained the same for the N7, and now we have tablet UI working like a charm
So, seeing how the latest CM10 for the Nexus 10 DO NOT get rid of this INSANELY MORONIC UI, how do you guys telling me not to sweat it feel about it now..?
For my part, I am just super-glad that the tablet that I deem to be the overall best one around today and that I recently bought, the Note 10.1 3G, has kept the "traditional" tablet UI (hands down the best tablet UI of all) also on the official JB update and Samsung doesn't seem to be intentioned to follow Google into this madness...
xdapao3 said:
So, seeing how the latest CM10 for the Nexus 10 DO NOT get rid of this INSANELY MORONIC UI, how do you guys telling me not to sweat it feel about it now..?
For my part, I am just super-glad that the tablet that I deem to be the overall best one around today and that I recently bought, the Note 10.1 3G, has kept the "traditional" tablet UI (hands down the best tablet UI of all) also on the official JB update and Samsung doesn't seem to be intentioned to follow Google into this madness...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the jelly bean update that is currently officially available for the Note 10.1 is 4.1. Google changed tablet mode in 4.2.
And if you want to experience tablet mode on the N10 get paranoid android, as CM always uses the stock layout that the device has.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Lesicnik1 said:
Actually the jelly bean update that is currently officially available for the Note 10.1 is 4.1. Google changed tablet mode in 4.2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right although I don't see Samsung adopting that layout on 4.2...
Of course, you may have a good point and I may be devastated if they do..
And if you want to experience tablet mode on the N10 get paranoid android, as CM always uses the stock layout that the device has.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which points to the very limited options we have to escape Google's moronic choice...
xdapao3 said:
You're right although I don't see Samsung adopting that layout on 4.2...
Of course, you may have a good point and I may be devastated if they do..
Which points to the very limited options we have to escape Google's moronic choice...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually a big reason why they might just adopt phablet ui becomes apparent if you follow the GNex PA thread.
1. The normal tablet ui was moved up to 1000dp (from 720 in 4.1 and 600 in 4.0)
2. The code is in a very bad state.
Been going on from Honeycomb and Google maintained that code in a very bad way. Riddled with hard coding and dirty hacks.
3. Is already partially deprecated. Parts of it are missing. (PA team had to forward port them)
So unless they borrow their work or do all that themselves (which would take write a while)I doubt Samsung will use old tablet ui.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Lesicnik1 said:
Actually a big reason why they might just adopt phablet ui becomes apparent if you follow the GNex PA thread.
1. The normal tablet ui was moved up to 1000dp (from 720 in 4.1 and 600 in 4.0)
2. The code is in a very bad state.
Been going on from Honeycomb and Google maintained that code in a very bad way. Riddled with hard coding and dirty hacks.
3. Is already partially deprecated. Parts of it are missing. (PA team had to forward port them)
So unless they borrow their work or do all that themselves (which would take write a while)I doubt Samsung will use old tablet ui.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are right my Note 10.1 will become almost unusable in landscape mode and I really can't believe how everybody (especially supposed powerusers here on XDA) are not screaming to high heaven about this ****ing retarded UI change.
The ONLY thing I like about the iPad is its 4:3 aspect ratio display and now our 16:10 widescreen displays are going to become even more useless in landscape view... Unbelievable how stupid this is. I just hope they will realize the madness of it... Do they (Google's UI designers, SW engineers and everybody else involved) actually use these tablets themselves????
In terms of making Android tablet's more widely adopted they have made the right UI decision. Anyone can pick up a tablet and know how to use it because the interface is the same as their phone. Plus Google know's the only people who might complain would know how to flash a rom and therefore we have options to change this (PA being a prime example).
You can guarantee not one person is going to walk into Carphone Warehouse, pickup an N7 and say omg it's just like my phone I hate this. In the same way no one seems to care an iPad is just a big iPhone without the phone part. No big deal.

[DISCUSSION]Nexus Brand Name

Before I start, I'd just like to say that this is just my personal rant and even though some of you may not agree, that's why I'm having this as a discussion thread.
Let's get this started then.
All I see going around XDA are people comparing their own devices to the latest Nexus device and saying 'Should I switch to the Nexus?' or a load of people rimming off the Nexus' as if they're the best thing since sliced bread.
Some of you may wonder why this bothers me. I'll tell you.
Just because a device has the Nexus brand name, it doesn't make it any better than any other phone of equal quality. A hell of a lot of people will see a device is a Nexus and immediately want to get it.
Why would you want to?
If you ask one of those people why a Nexus is so great, they'll say one of three things or a mix of the three.
The reasons are;
1) All Nexus devices look great and have great build quality.
2) It's guaranteed to have great developer support.
3) It's officially supported by Google so it will get the latest Android updates before any other device.
Now, let me tell you my response to each of those points...
1) Most Nexus devices don't look great. The only one which looks good, in my opinion, is the Nexus 7. Apart from that, none of them look any better than other devices around.
2) Yes it will have great developer support, but so do a lot of phones which are already around and have been for ages now. An example of that is the Galaxy S2. It's been around for over a year and a half and it still has more development than most phones do
3) Again, this is true. But they're not the only devices to get the Android updates quickly. This site has a smattering of great developers so it will never take long for other devices to get the latest versions, and you haven't even needed to buy a new phone just to get the latest and greatest.
So with that being said, why buy the latest Nexus device when I'm reality it isn't any better than devices which are already available?
I know some of you may be Nexus fanboys and not agree with anything I've said, but I'm hoping that some of you agree just so I know that I'm not the only person who isn't being hypnotized by the word 'Nexus'.
As I said at the top of this post, I'm leaving this as a discussion so if anyone would like to add anything extra or disagree with what I've said, then you can feel free to do so.
But whatever you do, DON'T TROLL OR FLAME OTHER PEOPLE SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU DON'T AGREE WITH THEM!
Agree with all of the above! I'm getting it to replace my GNex.. it's a better device and I don't need two Nexuses
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
True most other phones have similar specs (lol dnt want a nexus 4 anymore)
any suggestions??
My first real Android experience has been with the Nexus S 4G about one year ago today actually... i replaced my iPhone 3GS...
Being my first android experience, i didn't know what android offered until i physically had the phone in my hands... i had it for two weeks before deciding to root it and try out the latest Android at the time, 4.0 ICS... fell in LOVE with my phone after that... i only realized other Carriers/manufacturers added their own version of android after i got used to ICS and started looking for other devices to upgrade to... once i became educated with android, i realized that i got extremely lucky with my first android experience/purchase... because not only were other devices not officially updated to ICS, but the rollout of ICS took a very long time to even start getting stable ports/builds from developers... the skin thing also turned me off from wanting another device...
Simply put, even tho my phone is rooted, i can only vouch for devices that come with pure Google experience as that was my first real android experience... someone will say that you can always root your device and update as developers push out there latest ROMs for other devices... but i can't promote that to my friends/family that don't even know what rooting means (like myself before)...
i strongly promote the Galaxy S3... in fact just yesterday someone posted on Facebook asking if they should get the gs3 or iPhone 5... i was surprised to see out of around 20 replies, only 2 said to get the iPhone 5... i said gs3 but i also mentioned the Nexus 4 and its amazing price point... she looked it up but liked the gs3 look more... today she bought the gs3 because of that and because the N4 isn't available yet...
Before, if anyone asked me what phone to get, I immediately said the gs3 hands down... now my response is Nexus 4... i prefer the sleek/clean look and curved glass of the Nexus devices... the gs3 would be great IMO if it didn't have hard keys like back/home/menu at the bottom... so with that, the N4 looks better to me than any other device out there... i also loved the look of the Gnex... sadly, that one lacked in specs for me to upgrade my ns4g... and sadly the N4 lacks CDMA/LTE support for me to upgrade... now I'm kinda stuck as to what now?
Hope that was a civil response you want in this thread
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
FangV said:
True most other phones have similar specs (lol dnt want a nexus 4 anymore)
any suggestions??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ask in this thread mate
the1dynasty said:
My first real Android experience has been with the Nexus S 4G about one year ago today actually... i replaced my iPhone 3GS...
<SNIP>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can understand why some would want the pure Google experience, but there are ROMs which provide an extremely close experience anyway. Plus with the added features they have, it seems like the logical choice to go for custom ROMs, at least in my opinion.
If you use the thread linked above, you'll be able to ask there about what device to get next if you're not too sure.
And yeah, that response was all good
Galaxy S3 was a lot slower and laggy compared to my gnex. Went back to my gnex after a week. I buy the nexus for the pure android. Its smoother, cleaner, quicker and just better.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
bendirkss said:
Galaxy S3 was a lot slower and laggy compared to my gnex. Went back to my gnex after a week. I buy the nexus for the pure android. Its smoother, cleaner, quicker and just better.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah.. noticed the same when comparing JB on my S3 to JB on my Nexus..
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
KidCarter93 said:
Ask in this thread mate
I can understand why some would want the pure Google experience, but there are ROMs which provide an extremely close experience anyway. Plus with the added features they have, it seems like the logical choice to go for custom ROMs, at least in my opinion.
If you use the thread linked above, you'll be able to ask there about what device to get next if you're not too sure.
And yeah, that response was all good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know custom ROMs are available for other devices... but the only other phone on my radar was the gs3 but I hated those buttons... i enabled the on screen buttons on my ns4g and my kernel let's me dim the light on the capacitive buttons so its like they're not even there anymore lol... i lost some screen real estate but no biggie really...
I was really looking forward to the next nexus and was really disappointed to hear no CDMA/LTE support being that i have unlimited with Sprint now and I'm gonna be switching to a special unlimited plan with Verizon in a month or so... i really wanted to continue using nexus devices but looks like I'll have to go elsewhere for now... luckily, I'm content with this ns4g being that i got it tuned nearly perfect for good performance... the SD read is still a bit slow tho... i can survive until something wets my appetite again like the N4... or I'll just get the SGS4 if nothing comes out before then...
Btw, I'm on 4.1.2 right now running most apps from 4.2 system dump... so this 2year old phone can even take photosphere, and quite well i might add... no rush to upgrade devices... if rather put that money to getting the Nexus 10
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
Another reason is that all of the hardwares of Nexus devices are guaranteed to be open, unlike most Samsung touchwiz devices.
Another one is that new nexus devices are all have insanely low prices as they are subsidized by Google.
Also, now nexus devices have the greatest fastest socs in the market. Just look at nexus 4's S4 pro and nexus 10's Exynos 5.
In response to your opinion,
1. Not all nexus devices have great build quality, especially those ones made by Samsung. But in my opinion, all nexus devices have great design and look. Just look at the nexus 4. It's one of the most gorgeous phones in the planet.
2. For your information, the development of the Galaxy s2 is now dead. Also, the galaxy s3 is almost dead. Those are caused by their closed source drivers.
3. Nexus devices are the first to get the STABLE, latest android version.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
The reason is that the Nexus line keeps choices simple. Also, they don't have bloat (TouchWiz, Sense, etc) - and don't say get an AOSP ROM. I have heard that they are nothing but trouble. I quite like the idea of my tablet looking like it's running the same OS as my phone. And personally, the Nexus 4 is the best looking phone out there IMO, even compared to the iPhone 5 and the Samsung S3 (the style/position of the home button killed that design). I really like the UI design of stock Android too, it's not childish or cutesy looking like the bloat or iOS. I'm into the whole 'sci-fi' theme of it.
Also, looking at most other phones, they generally fall short in certain areas, whereas the Nexus devices as of late are looking relatively well considered. After using a Galaxy Nexus, I despise the current state of AMOLED tech. That rules out almost every Samsung phone under the sun. HTC One Xes supposedly have sucky battery life (plus, Tegra 3 vs a quadcore Snapdragon simply isn't a competition at all), and I've decided that lasting less than 5 hours with the screen on (for any mobile device, tablet, phone, whatever) just isn't good enough anymore.
Tablet-wise, for an Android tablet, there is no comparison to the upcoming Nexus 10. The Note sucks and the Infinity really sucks. The iPad wants you to get into the whole Apple ecosystem with Macs and iPhones to really get the best out of things like iCloud and whatnot, and Mac sucks for software & games.
The only real competitor to a Nexus is Windows 8 and WP8, which both look great (better than Android except for the whole 'Bing' thing) but their ecosystems aren't ready for real use yet. I have to say, the Lumia 920 is packing some awesome technology, and with the winter season coming I would really appreciate the touch screen you can use with gloves on. Not to mention the typical Nokia build quality, plus it seems to have everything covered.
The Nexus phones are the quickest to get updates and don't have any OEM skins or bloatware that is forced on the users. While an AOSP ROM can be ported to any phone in theory, it takes time and there are usually hardware issues due to closed source or unavailable drivers, and also locked bootloaders.
The problem with the Nexus line is its sort of like Apple's devices in the sense that there is limited hardware choice and device's memory can't be expanded. My personal hardware tastes are for a smaller device with no more than a 4.3" screen and it must have a microSD slot. I'll put up with OEM skins, bloatware can be frozen with root, as hardware is more important to me than software. But everyone it entitled to their own opinions and preferences.
Nexus phones do have bloat. Google+, google currents, Google earth, google movies, Google books, etc. All /system apps that can't be removed. Most of them are useless.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Personally running Slim on my S3 is fast enough for me and my aged brain, any faster and I can't keep up!
Add to that my phone is my main music player hooked up to amp and speakers, I love that I can dual boot to get Samsung best bits(few!)
Not worried about lte
Glass back may be stylish.....but is utterly stupid on a phone.
......I am stupid!.....the reasoning?..... .this is all my opinion, nobody is really interested, and I'm not really interested in theirs......ergot......I MUST be stupid for posting in first place.....
jordanishere said:
Nexus phones do have bloat. Google+, google currents, Google earth, google movies, Google books, etc. All /system apps that can't be removed. Most of them are useless.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was that your final answer? I use most of those... and last I checked, u can go to the play store and uninstall all of them... don't even need root if I'm not mistaken...
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
KidCarter93 said:
If you ask one of those people why a Nexus is so great, they'll say one of three things or a mix of the three.
The reasons are;
1) All Nexus devices look great and have great build quality.
2) It's guaranteed to have great developer support.
3) It's officially supported by Google so it will get the latest Android updates before any other device.
Now, let me tell you my response to each of those points...
1) Most Nexus devices don't look great. The only one which looks good, in my opinion, is the Nexus 7. Apart from that, none of them look any better than other devices around.
2) Yes it will have great developer support, but so do a lot of phones which are already around and have been for ages now. An example of that is the Galaxy S2. It's been around for over a year and a half and it still has more development than most phones do
3) Again, this is true. But they're not the only devices to get the Android updates quickly. This site has a smattering of great developers so it will never take long for other devices to get the latest versions, and you haven't even needed to buy a new phone just to get the latest and greatest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I'll agree not all Nexus look great, though that's a real personal preference thing. I for one, would prefer the Nexus one look over the Nexus s. I currently own a Gnex and I'd be honest in saying it looks alright, but I would like some changes made (Nexus 4, comes close)
2) To be fair, of course the S2 (and noteably other handsets) will have a large dev support, in terms of quantity they sell a lot more than the Nexus family (exception of the Nexus 7, that's the first Nexus priced aggressively)
3) Quick =/= first to get updates. Some people just want the newest FIRST.
I personally choose the nexus because I don't want to be caught with a device that will have a short support life (mentioned above). History shows the Nexus WILL have the most official updates:
Nexus one: Shipped with Eclair, last official version was GB
Nexus S: Shipped with GB, officially supported till Jelly bean
Gnex: Don't know yet, but its gone from ICS to JB.
If you go to dev section, there are even newer (unofficial builds) I don't buy phones every year so I want a phone that will last me 2 years at least.

Galaxy S4 Google Edition

The Google edition of this phone looks incredible, although its really expensive. I don't know if its even worth it, when ROMs like AOKP are available. I have a few issues with the idea of buying it or the desire to do so.
When the Google edition comes out, will the device even be able to use the hardware like the IR blaster? Also, will users on the ATT and other models be able to flash the ROM/firmware anyway?
What do you guys think? Are there any other advantages to the Google edition?
Sent from my SGH-I337 using xda premium
No IR support. Rumor has it for 4.3 release supposedly. If you don't have the Google edition you can't install it on none google versions and you won't get updates from Google. However I am sure there will be Dev who port it for the telco vendor versions to work.
That's so strange that they'd even consider selling hardware with components that aren't supported. So besides stock jelly bean (which doesn't even have the features of AOKP), the Google version has almost no advantages? And for more than three times the price? I saw earlier that they're on pre-order on eBay for $850. What's the point? I must be missing something.
Sent from my SGH-I337 using xda premium
This is the point, the Google Edition devices are meant to be developer friendly and showcase stock vanilla android...the IR blaster is something thats proprietary hence no AOSP code is available for it (stock android), drivers/source needs to be released for those components... the Google Edition devices are bootloader unlockeable unlike the ATT version (ours uses a bypass exploit to install custom things which by all accounts has been patched in a future OTA due to be released)....also they come factory sim unlocked...they will get Google Updates first before carrier branded devices, think of them as Nexuses without the Nexus name. I won't be getting a GE S4 as I have a Nexus and will wait for the next Nexus, however I'm excited to see the GE released as it means AOSP code will drop, this will help devs tremendously in fixing issues such as bluetooth.
Dankchild said:
That's so strange that they'd even consider selling hardware with components that aren't supported. So besides stock jelly bean (which doesn't even have the features of AOKP), the Google version has almost no advantages? And for more than three times the price? I saw earlier that they're on pre-order on eBay for $850. What's the point? I must be missing something.
Sent from my SGH-I337 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's less about the phone itself.
1. Having a stock rom version appeals to many advanced users, such as us on XDA. It has the stock experience, without the nexus line limitations, such as the SD card. It makes their die hard fans happy and most of us are very enthusiastic about it.
2. It is a key strategic move by Google. By allowing other manufacturers to sell "stock" versions on the play store, Google can move ahead and sell Motorola phones from the store without appearing to be biased to their own hardware. They're telling consumers they have options.
Unlike Apple this is what I like about Google. Give me options and let me decide which I want.
WarbyParker said:
It's less about the phone itself.
1. Having a stock rom version appeals to many advanced users, such as us on XDA. It has the stock experience, without the nexus line limitations, such as the SD card. It makes their die hard fans happy and most of us are very enthusiastic about it.
2. It is a key strategic move by Google. By allowing other manufacturers to sell "stock" versions on the play store, Google can move ahead and sell Motorola phones from the store without appearing to be biased to their own hardware. They're telling consumers they have options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Idk about you guys but I find this amazing! I have fallen in love with the ir blaster I wish they would have it in the Google s4
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
Rumor is Android 4.3 will have native support for IR blasters.
I'd rather have an RF capability though.
I'm in a bind myself of what to do with the Google Edition S4. While I know that with this available to developers, ROMs will become much more stable, but really I'm not interested in that. I want to be able to completely flash my S4 to the Google Edition essentially, the biggest thing being able to receive OTA updates from Google. I imagine just downloading an image of the GE S4 and just flash it with Odin for example, and just go.
Is that realistically something that could happen, or is that just completely out of the question? I'm trying to avoid having to drop $650 on the same phone I already have, but don't want to wait to find out I can't do what I want, then be stuck with another Nexus 4 fiasco, where it's back-ordered for 2 months
Simonzi said:
I'm in a bind myself of what to do with the Google Edition S4. While I know that with this available to developers, ROMs will become much more stable, but really I'm not interested in that. I want to be able to completely flash my S4 to the Google Edition essentially, the biggest thing being able to receive OTA updates from Google. I imagine just downloading an image of the GE S4 and just flash it with Odin for example, and just go.
Is that realistically something that could happen, or is that just completely out of the question? I'm trying to avoid having to drop $650 on the same phone I already have, but don't want to wait to find out I can't do what I want, then be stuck with another Nexus 4 fiasco, where it's back-ordered for 2 months
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally in the same boat. I got this S4 last week and I'm already hearing that I'd have to drop $650US for the GE
Sent from my SGH-I337M using xda app-developers app
Personally I would not drop 650 on a phone you already have. You want the Google experience install CM10.1. You want touchwiz and IR you can go back to Samsung ROM. Plus I am sure DEVs will have the image ported to our phones. Its a waste of money imo. I would rather save that money for the new nexus or x phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
How does google know exactly which devices are "Nexus" devices? Do they send the updates out to a list based on known Nexus/GE IMEIs, or is there something in the ROM that sends a beacon to them asking for the udpates, or?
I'm really hoping I can just flash the GE ROM to my S4 and slip into the update loop like the rest of the Nexus/GE owners.
Jashyk said:
How does google know exactly which devices are "Nexus" devices? Do they send the updates out to a list based on known Nexus/GE IMEIs, or is there something in the ROM that sends a beacon to them asking for the udpates, or?
I'm really hoping I can just flash the GE ROM to my S4 and slip into the update loop like the rest of the Nexus/GE owners.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't speculate on how the phone actually gets the ROM update and/or how the almighty Google gods know which device it is, but I do know that when people got their LG Optimus G's running the Nexus 4 software, they were able to pull down OTAs from Google directly.
How many times can the same conversation be had on this site?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
thatbigmoose said:
I can't speculate on how the phone actually gets the ROM update and/or how the almighty Google gods know which device it is, but I do know that when people got their LG Optimus G's running the Nexus 4 software, they were able to pull down OTAs from Google directly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that sounds pretty awesome, definitely gives us hope then!
I don't know why anyone is surprised about price and features. Samsung is not going to alienate the carriers that sell 99% of their phones.
So isn't it supposed to be available today? Any know where and how to purchase one
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
plwalsh88 said:
How many times can the same conversation be had on this site?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol - over and over until the release the damn thing and we know for sure ...
Thursday isn't it ?
G. :angel:
Seriuosly when is this going to be released? I thought it was today too. I was trying to order it last night at midnight
Yes I was excited of purchasing it today but its on the 26th that it will go on sale.. :banghead: oh well two more days
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium

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