Comments on: Some Thoughts on Google Selling Multiple Lead Devices to Avoid Carriers

By: Palmer Nyako

Palmer Nyako — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:48:00 +0000

I agree 100%.
I’ll be honest, i wish android was a little bit more closed. I thought they tried to do that at a previous Google IO, where they put some responsibilities on the carriers, but still the carriers kept on with their shit.

By: wilson yyt

wilson yyt — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:41:00 +0000

How hard is it for Google telling say … Motorola to make an unlocked phone including both verizon LTE modem and international HSPA+ model, motorola is already selling the RAZR (and razr maxx) that does exactly that.
Granted you have to hack the RAZR yourself but its already done

I think the $399 Galaxy Nexus is selling like hot cake fwiw

I dont see other google phones selling for more than $550

By: ERIFNOMI

ERIFNOMI — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:02:00 +0000

If you have a VZW Galaxy Nexus, it doesn’t work that way.

By: Lucas Monroe

Lucas Monroe — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:17:00 +0000

I do have a Galaxy Nexus. And it being a “Nexus” should mean that I can get updates directly from Google without having to worry about Verizon. Thus being able to update from Google Play Store only makes sense.

By: angermeans

angermeans — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:34:00 +0000

And that stellar network will continue to grow people. A small number of people even use large amounts of data. It is a shame but Verizon knows we will have to put up or shut up to use LTE and every company in America will make these changes as well. The only reason sprint hasn’t is they don’t even have LTE and they need everything they can get to compete but that will change.

By: Akeem McAllister

Akeem McAllister — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:31:00 +0000

After reviewing the stunt Verizon is pulling with removing unlimited plans I think Google should seriously consider providing their own phone service. That way they can just cut out the middle man (Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile) since they already have the OS. I will even consider getting an iPhone if Apple offer phone service.

By: angermeans

angermeans — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:31:00 +0000

All of the next gen chips arm A15 next gen processors are dual core and completely tear up these quad core chips that will be in phones in the next couple months. Even the exynos in the over seas gs3 is just the same dual core exynos that came with the gs2 but on a larger dye and two of them. This is just a stopgap to compete until their exynos dual core a15 launches which will be a true beast and huge jump in performance. Don’t buy into the marketing bs that these OEMs feed you to sell phones. The real jump in innovation should be here by late this year or early next.

By: angermeans

angermeans — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:27:00 +0000

Let’s hope it doesn’t have the garbage that is the tegra 3 (or whatever is next in line). NVIDIA is way to overrated. When Qualcomm is making a great chip like the s4 run just as good as a quad core and on a smaller footprint which brings much better battery life then there is a problem. This happened last year as well. NVIDIA launches the first dual and quad core and the main players come later but have much better chips. I personally can care less about a quad core chip if it means losing LTE. LTE is used much more than an under performing quad core processor ever will. HSPA + doesn’t cut it and as more and more people get smartphones the speed and reliability goes down. There is a reason that all companies are scrambling to get LTE out the door it is the much better quality. HSPA+ was just a stopgap to compete and nothing more. Loosing LTE for two more cores is ridiculous

By: angermeans

angermeans — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:20:00 +0000

Yeah winning the JD power award every quarter last year despite the many unpopular decisions they made is really Verizon losing its customer service, right? People will stay simply for the much better service. No I don’t think Verizon should take advantage of this but Verizon customer service is much better than any other American wireless provider. They show this every year. Yes some wil be upset (as am I) but most will take it and enjoy their service. No company has anything near the network Verizon does and 4g LTE is widening the gap even further. You have to understand that everyone wants unlimited data but only a handful use more than 2gb per month and most will be found on sites like this and most of them are tethering or using their phones for much more than the average consumer will ever use. They have to protect the integrity of their network or there will be no network and they will suffer the same that AT&T and sprint are suffering now. Droves of people are getting smartphones every day and that won’t change anytime soon. Spectrum is not a renewable resource as much as we would love it to be, and when 5% of their customer base is using more than half of all the spectrum every month they have to do something as more will complain of horrible service than losing unlimited data. You can’t think on our terms as we make up a very small number of users. Most need Facebook and words with friends and they are ok. Most don’t watch Netflix on a small screen but once in a blue moon.

By: angermeans

angermeans — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:06:00 +0000

The reason android is so popular is the mid range to low end market. People want a deal. The only high end android phones tat are being sold in mass quantities (outside of people like us) is the droid lineup, Samsung, and some HTC phones (Evo etc). The majority have what we consider low end. The reason people are upset with android is these OEMs aren’t being responsible and updating the many bugs and keeping their phones up to date. Samsung and Motorola have released dozens of phones and most never see even one or two bug fixes. Google needs to tighten the reigns as we are begin in to see average consumers dthing android for he 99 dollar iPhone 4 which is by far the best bang for the buck with what it offers. Android will start to see some problems if they cannot adapt and these OEMs protecting the user base.

By: hkklife

hkklife — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:47:00 +0000

Well, Nostradamus, still think my predictions aren’t gonna come true?
The end of grandfathered unlimited was the final and ultimate in a long line of insults by VZW over the past year that includes the end of 1yr contracts, the end of NE2, online bill pay fees, and the $30 upgrade fee. I blame the iPhone effect for the majority of these onerous, customer-unfriendly moves, though much of it was inevitable as VZW scrambles to please the shareholders and mimic AT&T’s every move.
So soon all that’ll be left in VZW’s favor is the superb network coverage and, to a lesser extent, the fact that everyone and their brother that I talk to are also on VZW.

By: ERIFNOMI

ERIFNOMI — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:48:00 +0000

Google can’t possibly be responsible for the software of every Android device, especially with OEMs pumping them out so quickly with so many minor variations between versions per carrier. Apple makes iOS and the hardware that it’s built for. That’s two phones (current version, anyway), tablet, and PMP. Google has very little to do with your phone’s software directly. If you have a yakju Galaxy Nexus, you can get builds directly from Google, or compile them yourself with work directly from Google.

By: ERIFNOMI

ERIFNOMI — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:44:00 +0000

I’d like to see a link if you have one. They better have some crazy tower construction/upgrading in mind as well as a plan to replace everyone’s phone if they want to abandon their network.

By: Asmodai

Asmodai — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:43:00 +0000

There are enough generations of Android SmartPhones out there that the “low end” can be comprised of last cycles “high end”. Phones should not be designed to be “low end” at launch.

By: Randroid

Randroid — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:36:00 +0000

Wow, you guys really are missing the point here. Verizon might have a contract, but:

1) if this happens, you could move around the other carriers freely, and that alone might draw some people away from Verizon when their contract is up
2) It might eventually FORCE Verizon to create a non-contract plan if they want to keep some of their customers.

and one last, unrelated, possible benefit:

3) It might actually cause the carriers to all use compatible radios in the future, so that phones can easily be moved from carrier to carrier, like they do in the rest of the world.

The phones NOT being sold by carriers can lead to nothing but positive things. (At least, as far as I can see.) Computers aren’t sold by ISPs, so why should phones be sold by carriers?