We should also realize the carrier logo placement is indeed a form of marketing for the carrier and the result to us is a handset that might cost more if it had nothing on it because the carrier has to spend on more expensive forms of marketing.

We can only guess what Google execs are planning for the near future. I would be shocked if they don’t take advantage of their ownership of Motorola Mobility to generate the first MotoNexus handset. I don’t know the numbers but I can’t imagine that HTC and Samsung have generated huge profits from the sale of Nexus handsets. Perhaps having Motorola Mobility manufacture a Nexus handset can relieve other manufacturers from this product line so they can focus on building high-quality handsets and their OS overlays. On that note, the better stock Android gets, I hope that manufacturers will design overlays that take less storage space and memory. Focus on your hardware and we’ll all be better off. What do you guys think?

Perfectly written!!!!

Perfectly written…!!!

Now we have our 2 only GSM carriers. AT&T being the biggest and small little T-Mobile USA. On the GSM side, they’re fully backwards-capable. You can bring any GSM phone to these networks so long as its unlocked. Here’s where it gets fucked up. THEIR 3G NETWORKS OPERATE AT INCOMPATIBLE FREQUENCIES! Isn’t that completely counter-intuitive of the idea of what GSM is for? 

Here’s where it gets more fucked up. Just about every carrier has decied LTE is their future, right? Mkay. So that means we’ll eventually have a fixed and open mobile industry? Not really. From the looks of it now, they’re all going to operate at incompatible frequencies, so its all gonna be fucked up.
Why the hell can’t we be more like Europe in that they have mobile STANDARDS that must be followed?!

- I’m very much aware that the iPhone has only been available on AT&T until this year. If it had been available on Verizon there’s a good chance Android wouldn’t be where it is today. Also, you’re  right that the iPhone displays the carrier in the status bar. It always has and it always will. You might say that it’s branding, but that’s branding at the most minimal level. Android phones have the carrier in the status bar too. The difference is, on the body of the iPhone there is no indication of which carrier it is on. If I placed a Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint iPhone in front of you, you wouldn’t be able to tell which was on which carrier without turning on the screen. Is it a minor issue? Perhaps, but it sends the message that the iPhone is Apple’s phone, not some carrier’s. That’s why I make a big deal about the logo on the back. The Verizon Galaxy Nexus has no outward indication that it is Google’s flagship phone. 

- Nexus phones have come to symbolize the best in Android, but that wasn’t the original vision in my opinion. The whole point of the article is that Google’s approach has changed in ways that it shouldn’t have. Nexus phones should show the best hardware and software versions of Android, but they should also challenge the carrier models like the Nexus One did. 

- Having two apps that can be disabled is kind of like bloatware on a Windows laptop, except that can be uninstalled easily. I can only disable the apps on the Galaxy Nexus unless I decide to root and rom. I’m definitely thankful that it’s only two apps, but it should have been zero. The reason I brought up the apps was to show that Google made concessions where they shouldn’t have. It’s not that the apps are horrendous, but rather that those kinds of compromises can become dangerous. 

- I honestly couldn’t care less about Google Wallet. Like you said, it’s easy to side load. The reason I brought it up is because there’s a good chance it isn’t on the Galaxy Nexus (or the AT&T and T-Mobile Nexus S) because of ISIS. 

- I never gave any indication that the Galaxy Nexus wouldn’t get updates from Google. It’s a Nexus device, so of course it will get updates from Google. 

- Google definitely made some deals with Verizon. The point I was trying to make wasn’t that these compromises are the worst possible outcome, but rather that they could lead to more damaging compromises. Google doesn’t need Verizon as much as Verizon needs Google. If Google wasn’t being pushed around in some way, they wouldn’t need to make deals. The iPhone doesn’t come with Verizon apps. Why should the Galaxy Nexus? 

- I never once stated that the Nexus vision is defined by me or that I was basing my argument on an official statement by Google. It doesn’t exist. I simply latex out the history of Nexus devices and argued that the original plan, while flawed, was a gorgeous vision of how buying and selling a phone should be. At its center was the notion that buying a phone shouldn’t necessarily involve the carrier. Over time, the carriers have become more and more involved. I think it’s great (and important) for them to be involved with customer support, but I don’t think they should be involved beyond that. I want a relationship with Google, not with Verizon. 

- You’re right that Google wants to make money like the carriers, but they do that with search advertisements, not with Android. 

- I never stated that the Galaxy Nexus is completely controlled by Verizon. I said that Verizon is involved with the phone on too deep a level. If the iPhone can be on Verizon without their branding on the outside of the device and without Verizon apps preinstalled, the Google should be able to do the same. The Galaxy Nexus is Google’s phone, not Verizon’s. 

Again, thanks for responding to this with your own well articulated thoughts. It seems too easy for many to just reply by calling me names or saying I’m wrong without actually expressing their thoughts. I truly appreciate your efforts and look forward to your reply.