Which Irish network will carry the Google Nexus S

dorro6391

Hey all

new to this site....well ive been using it for two years, only registered today :P

Just wanted to ask if any of you know which mobile operator will carry the nexus s in Ireland?

I know it can be bought unlocked along with a hefty price tag but it would be nice to find a subsidized model...

Thanks

srsly78

No networks will "carry" it. It's supposed to be a developer phone. Yes this sucks, as it is the most awesome phone out there.

akamossie

not really the greatest phone, still find the desire much better.

@srsly78 can you confirm if thats only supposed to be for developers only!!!

nothing mentioned since i am following up with this phone??

bd250110

Nothing has been confirmed, that I have seen. Not even been released to carriers by Samsung/Google.

Don't see what all the fuss is about anyway? Galaxy S running stock android. wow.

[edit] Just done a bit of hunting on-line. Phone looks to be the ultimate Android, at least for now. It looks good love the new keyboard of gingerbread. google mentions that all NexusS come unlocked by default, suggests no carrier subsidy, direct purchase from google? Did any Irish carrier carry the original Nexus?

Gooch2k4

srsly78 wrote: »

No networks will "carry" it. It's supposed to be a developer phone. Yes this sucks, as it is the most awesome phone out there.

Carphone warehouse will most likely be doing it sim free

srsly78

Gooch2k4 wrote: »

Carphone warehouse will most likely be doing it sim free

This just means they will order one of the internetz if you ask them. Might as well just order one yourself and not pay CPW a cut.

dorro6391

I know it is supposed to be a developers phone but Orange, Vodafone, Tmoblie and 02 will offer it on contract in the UK...its on the CPW uk website.

maybe they will offer it on contract here...

Unlocked it cost £549.95....thats roughly 600 euro here, bit steep:mad:

KrisW

Don't see the fuss at all - High-end price, mediocre phone, and 2.3 will be on other phones soon anyway..

dorro6391

@KrisW

What do you mean by mediocre phone, the hardware is more advanced than any other android phone at least for 2010 anyway.
Hummingbird...dedicated gpu, super amoled...etc

Although it is over priced considering it is basically a google branded galaxy s with vanilla 2.3

And by the look of samsung it might be a while before their galaxy s line receive the gingerbread update

KrisW

I think you answered your own question:

Although it is over priced considering it is basically a google branded galaxy s with vanilla 2.3

Samsung are making this, so expect a Samsung-brand lookalike within a couple of months, just like HTC did with theirs.

Big disappointment is the camera: very poor optics, again. You'd never think Samsung sell a line of DSLRs...

(..Okay, that's a joint-venture with Pentax, and the Japanese company does all the optics, but still, you think they'd be able to pick up the phone and find SOMEONE who can design a decent lens)

Gooch2k4

KrisW wrote: »

I think you answered your own question:



Samsung are making this, so expect a Samsung-brand lookalike within a couple of months, just like HTC did with theirs.

Big disappointment is the camera: very poor optics, again. You'd never think Samsung sell a line of DSLRs...

(..Okay, that's a joint-venture with Pentax, and the Japanese company does all the optics, but still, you think they'd be able to pick up the phone and find SOMEONE who can design a decent lens)

Can you please stop being such a Nokia fanboy

KrisW

Where's the fanboy comment?

This device isn't spectacularly good for the money being charged -- that price puts it against the iPhone 4.

The camera is not good either - this was a failing of the Galaxy S, and it's disappointing that Samsung, who built this handset, didn't address it.

Jesus, can we not express any opinion other than "Google FTW"... ?

Gooch2k4

Your always anti Android, and very pro Nokia, Android is the platform with the momentum, specs wise its superior to the iPhone. Yes it is over priced over here, but its still a very very good phone

KrisW

I'm not anti-Android, just not convinced that the actual platform lives up to the chatter. If one was really convinced that it's the future of mobile, that might seem like harsh negativity, but it isn't [negativity]. Viewpoints are relative.

To be fair, I've never explained why I'm lukewarm on Android, so here you go.

First, I'm concerned that Google's releasing strategy will eventually turn away licencees, and fragment the market. Six months is too short an interval : most makers have only just got 2.2 qualified and rolled out, and now their OS "partner" trumpets 2.3 just in time to instill FUD in their customers. For a dev, it also means there's now three versions of the platform in circulation, by next summer, it could be four. Building on quicksand is never fun, or particularly safe.

Second, I'm just not convinced that Android as a "brand" is any use. I don't think their customers are as sticky or spendy as Apple's, or have the brand loyalty of Nokia's. Android's customers are still the "biggest numbers" crowd, early adopters who want the best-measuring device. Well, when the next flashy thing comes along (iPhone 5, WinPhone 7.x, MeeGo?), they'll ditch Android... if Google doesn't ditch it first.

That's my third worry about Android. There's no justifiable business case for Google to continue with tis OS that doesn't involve shafting their licencees (and/or independent developers) in the future. Right now, it costs them money, raises no revenue, doesn't increase ad views, and can be stripped of its Google services very easily (Some Chinese handsets run Android but with Baidu as the web search). They're not a charity, so where's their win? Must be something they're not telling us...

Fourth, Java. I've never liked it as a language, never liked its lumpy performance, and just don't think its a sensible choice for a power-limited device.

Apple and Nokia both have their failings too. Apple are hyper-controlling, they frustrate their developers at every turn, they cultivate the most annoying fanboyism on the planet (but they always did - I remember the days when I had to be vague about who I worked for for fear of being plagued for the rest of a night, and that was before the iPhone came out), they stonewall rather than fixing things, and are obsessed with superficial detail at the expense of function.

Nokia are bureaucratic, too slow to react to market changes, have too many products with not enough attention paid to each, rely too much on customer and operator feedback rather than taking chances, fail to grasp how important the web is to new customers, are guilty of releasing unfinished software far too often, and are only now presenting anything like a coherent developer strategy, two years late.

So, I'm an equal-opportunity hater. Hope that's cleared it up.

bd250110

I'm not sure where all this has come from. There was no mention of Android or Symbian at all. I think it is fair to say the camera on the Nexus S is disappointing and I'm not given on the looks either, but that is personal. In defense of the S the only Android phone with a better camera is the X10 (a handset to avoid like herpes!) and if you want to take serious photos a decent camera or D-SLR would be the lad.

FWIW I find the Galaxy S to have a very sharp, stunning display, I know some will disagree, but I think it is a bit too vibrant. It's a bit like someone has turned the contrast and brightness up to 12, it makes the OS look great, but web-sites, apps, etc look a bit artificial.

I think there is room for everyone, Android, iOS and BB are going nowhere. We all know Symbian is dead on it's feet, let's hope the promised Meego delivers.

jimmycrackcorm

KrisW wrote: »

First, I'm concerned that Google's releasing strategy will eventually turn away licencees, and fragment the market. Six months is too short an interval : most makers have only just got 2.2 qualified and rolled out, and now their OS "partner" trumpets 2.3 just in time to instill FUD in their customers. For a dev, it also means there's now three versions of the platform in circulation, by next summer, it could be four. Building on quicksand is never fun, or particularly safe.

When you consider that so many people change their phone at least once a year - then this is actually a benefit to have for the manufacturer because it reduces the dependency on hardware updates in favour of software features.

As for their customers - there has always been the next new model being brought out.

Second, I'm just not convinced that Android as a "brand" is any use. I don't think their customers are as sticky or spendy as Apple's, or have the brand loyalty of Nokia's. Android's customers are still the "biggest numbers" crowd, early adopters who want the best-measuring device. Well, when the next flashy thing comes along (iPhone 5, WinPhone 7.x, MeeGo?), they'll ditch Android... if Google doesn't ditch it first.

Not necessarily. First of all, Android is not a "brand", it's as much a brand as Linux itself is except it fits better in it's market than Linux does in the pcmarket.
MeeGo will always be just a niche attraction. WM7 will undoubtedly take-off but it will be another consumer preference option just as Android and IOS are. Some people will move to other platforms but most will stay because Android offers more freedom than the others.

That's my third worry about Android. There's no justifiable business case for Google to continue with tis OS that doesn't involve shafting their licencees (and/or independent developers) in the future. Right now, it costs them money, raises no revenue, doesn't increase ad views, and can be stripped of its Google services very easily (Some Chinese handsets run Android but with Baidu as the web search). They're not a charity, so where's their win? Must be something they're not telling us...

Some said the same in the early days of google search (before they did ads -remember? ).

Fourth, Java. I've never liked it as a language, never liked its lumpy performance, and just don't think its a sensible choice for a power-limited device.

Well that's just plain silly now isn't it?

Apple and Nokia both have their failings too. Apple are hyper-controlling, they frustrate their developers at every turn, they cultivate the most annoying fanboyism on the planet (but they always did - I remember the days when I had to be vague about who I worked for for fear of being plagued for the rest of a night, and that was before the iPhone came out), they stonewall rather than fixing things, and are obsessed with superficial detail at the expense of function.

But they sell a product that ideally suits a large number of people. It's like arguing why Americans drive automatics instead of "Stick-shift".

Nokia are bureaucratic, too slow to react to market changes, have too many products with not enough attention paid to each, rely too much on customer and operator feedback rather than taking chances, fail to grasp how important the web is to new customers, are guilty of releasing unfinished software far too often, and are only now presenting anything like a coherent developer strategy, two years late.

Got that to a Tee. Their developer strategy will fail because while Symbian is the leading phone OS they will rely on people migrating to smartphones who simply, for one reason or another , won't.

bd250110

I don't think it's accurate to say most people change their phones every 12 months. Contracts are getting longer, 18 months is pretty much standard with a smartphone, and networks are trying to introduce 24 month contracts too.

You know, it's interesting to see the demographics of the smartphone market. Handsets like the BlackBerry 8520 Curve are extremely popular with 13-16 year olds (BBM is definitely a massive draw). Android seems to do well with the slightly older teens, those who don't want/need/like/afford an iPhone or like the idea of modding their phones. The likes of the HTC Wildfire X10 Mini, etc do really well at the lower end too. iPhone obviously has it's own market and incredible consumer pull/brand recognition (my experience is that people are still willing to pay a significant premium for iPhone).

Im not sure how any of this relates to the Nexus S. Wisdom on this board is that the HTC Desire family are generally superior to the Galaxy S family. Suddenly Google adds their name, RFID and gingerbread and the phone is the bee's knees? Really?

Gooch2k4

I think most people regard the Desire better as its got better battery life (the Nexus S has yet to be proven on this) and possibly the rate of software updates, and ease of hackibility, Google are gonna make sure the Nexus S is easily hackable and it being the new Developer standard phone means it will be first to get software updates

srdjan.rosic

As for hacking, It's already "rooted"
http://theunlockr.com/2010/12/17/how-to-root-the-samsung-nexus-s/

As for battery life, so far (it's only been a couple of days), it's just a tad better than HTC Desire (or Nexus One), meaning, with everything on, it'll last through the day.

I've never tried using a Galaxy S (in any variant, seems like any carrier will pick at least two versions of very similar hardware) so, I can't really compare, according to the specs, Nexus S has flash on the back, a front facing camera (which is a little underwhelming), NFC (which is probably useless in technologically backward Ireland, but you can turn it off to save battery).

It does look nicer compared to other Galaxy phones, IMHO.

Abelloid

KrisW wrote: »

I think you answered your own question:



Samsung are making this, so expect a Samsung-brand lookalike within a couple of months, just like HTC did with theirs.

Big disappointment is the camera: very poor optics, again. You'd never think Samsung sell a line of DSLRs...

(..Okay, that's a joint-venture with Pentax, and the Japanese company does all the optics, but still, you think they'd be able to pick up the phone and find SOMEONE who can design a decent lens)

I don't understand that either, the camera on the S8300 was excellent, better than some digital cameras I have used. Why not use the same on an Android handset...?

dorro6391

In all fairness I have heard great things about the image and 720p video recording on the galaxy s, the lens is a lot better than the desire even though they have an equal pixel count. I even heard the galaxy s shoots better than the 8.1 megapixel camera on the desire HD, there are some test videos on YouTube.

@KrisW... I don't see how I answered my own question, I started this thread to hear your opinion while adding my own in order to make my decision.

And yeah I agree the whole NFC definitely wont hit Ireland for another good while it hasn't even taken off in America yet.:rolleyes:

KrisW

As a stills camera, it's only so-so. The pictures are not sharp, and you can see that there's a lot of post-processing done to make them look sharp. Another thing is what's called "veiling flare", this is where light bounces around inside the lens, and gives the entire image a hazy, low-contrast look. Looking at the images, even as reduced shots, they look like generic phone-camera pictures. Nothing special. But the price of the handset is definitely "special".

Video is a different matter, as the acceptable image quality standard is far lower (both detail and contrast are limited compared to stills). The lens and sensor don't have to be as good; the biggest factor is the quality of the encoder being used, and that's a firmware/software issue. So, it's possible for a camera to have good video and only okay stills.

@dorro, you asked "What do you mean by mediocre phone?", then said "...Although it is over priced considering it is basically a google branded galaxy s with vanilla 2.3"
A better CPU, but effectively the same same with a new OS. For its higher price, would it not need to be a lot better than the Galaxy S? If this wasn't called the "Google Nexus S", would there be so much love for it? I don't think so..

And yeah I agree the whole NFC definitely wont hit Ireland for another good while it hasn't even taken off in America yet.

You're right about Ireland, but I think NFC is more likely to appear in Europe or Asia before the USA; we might even be using it before they are! The US payment services landscape is amazingly resistant to change: mag-stripe is the most advanced system in use right now, and you'll still see zip-zap machines in smaller shops. The US may lead the world's high-tech industry, but it's surprising how archaic their banks are.

There are several pilots underway for public transport systems in smaller cities across Europe -- basically places that are too small to justify a custom-built one-service solution like London's Oyster. Actually, NFC ticketing would be ideal for a city the size of Dublin; having a small-payment system you could use on the bus and at the newsagent would spread the implementation cost further, and make it cheaper for end-users. (It would also take implementation out of the hands of CIE, but that's another matter...)

Pretty much all mid-range and up handsets launched this year will have NFC support, but of course we all know that only Apple will have invented it Right now, as far as I know, the Nokia C7 and Nexus S are the only NFC-equipped phones you can actually buy. However, the C7's NFC is not enabled for general developers on the current firmware. In the absence of any NFC infrastructure, this difference is moot: It's like having the first HD TV before BluRay or HD broadcasts.

dorro6391

@KrisW
I agree completely but the galaxy/nexus s hardware is far from mediocre, an htc hero or lg optimus would be mediocre as far as smart phones go in Ireland

Is that really true about the still image quality? Its a shame because I've heard good things about it in reviews

KrisW

Basically, from what I saw of the online samples, It's good for a phone camera, but it won't replace a cheap point-and-shoot, and I wouldn't really be happy to print or frame anything I took with it.

These shots show me a camera that doesn't look to be up to the iPhone 4, which I'd consider to be the "worst of the best" cameras at the moment.

For "non-photographer" use, it's fine. Don't let it put you off the phone if you like everything else about it.

Gooch2k4

KrisW wrote: »

Basically, from what I saw of the online samples, It's good for a phone camera, but it won't replace a cheap point-and-shoot, and I wouldn't really be happy to print or frame anything I took with it.

These shots show me a camera that doesn't look to be up to the iPhone 4, which I'd consider to be the "worst of the best" cameras at the moment.

For "non-photographer" use, it's fine. Don't let it put you off the phone if you like everything else about it.

What kind of a photographer uses a phone to take their photos?

KrisW

This kind of photographer maybe?

The author of that article makes a very good point: the camera is only a small part of a photograph. A good photographer can make amazing pictures with anything that can produce a decent image, but there has to be an acceptable level of quality, or the camera's limitations get in the way of the image. Something like N8 or SE Satio, Moto Milestone or Tocco Ultra is above this threshold, iPhone 4 is on it, but it screws around with the image too much in-camera to be of use.

Personally, I have a camera setup that I use when I go out specifically to take pictures. The results can be excellent, but a DSLR not something you can carry around with you all the time.

Sometimes – actually, most times – I am just out, doing other stuff, and something catches my eye, something that might make a good picture. If I have a decent camera on my phone, I can use this to take the picture, knowing that the results, while far short of what I'll get from the SLR kit, will be good enough to do something with if I wanted it.

The alternative is to carry a small P&S camera, but to be honest, it'd be left behind most of the time. My phone, on the other hand, is always with me.

Gooch2k4

KrisW wrote: »

This kind of photographer maybe?

The author of that article makes a very good point: the camera is only a small part of a photograph. A good photographer can make amazing pictures with anything that can produce a decent image, but there has to be an acceptable level of quality, or the camera's limitations get in the way of the image. Something like N8 or SE Satio, Moto Milestone or Tocco Ultra is above this threshold, iPhone 4 is on it, but it screws around with the image too much in-camera to be of use.

Personally, I have a camera setup that I use when I go out specifically to take pictures. The results can be excellent, but a DSLR not something you can carry around with you all the time.

Sometimes – actually, most times – I am just out, doing other stuff, and something catches my eye, something that might make a good picture. If I have a decent camera on my phone, I can use this to take the picture, knowing that the results, while far short of what I'll get from the SLR kit, will be good enough to do something with if I wanted it.

The alternative is to carry a small P&S camera, but to be honest, it'd be left behind most of the time. My phone, on the other hand, is always with me.

And you really think Nokia didnt pay for that article?

dorro6391

I agree with Gooch2k4.....Nokia definitely had some part in the making of that video, notice how he mentions the word nokia quite a bit, instead of just saying phone.

And also when I ask about camera quality I'm obviously talking about casual photos in a nice quality that could be uploaded to sites like facebook, flickr, not a photographer quality camera I already have a Sony cybershot HD 8.1 megapixel if I'm going to take serious photos for a wedding or something.

Gooch2k4

See thats my point, most photos your going to take with your phone are gonna end up on the internet, and there they would be compressed and reduced anyway. So ludicrous MP sensors are largly pointless, 5MP is quite enough for me

Alan_Madden

Looks like Vodafone and O2 will carry the Nexus S and be available through the CFW too.
I heard that Vodafone will carry it through the Silicone Republic website and a few others, and I heard from someone in O2 that they will also carry it.

No indication of price from either as yet though.

srsly78

Appears I was wrong, some networks are indeed gonna carry it. I got one in UK and it's sweet, am working on some nfc stuff.

@nokia guys: where is your god now?