Android News
Why having the Google Experience may be better than having the latest hardware
December 20, 2010 | by Ed Clark
Android, Android OS, Google, Samsung Nexus S, T-Mobile
As a longtime T-Mobile subscriber, I found it impossible to pass up the Nexus S as a $199 upgrade. Like Michael, I will miss my Nexus One, but it already has a new owner that will cherish its awesomeness (someone upgrading from a Palm Treo 650). I briefly considered waiting for another month or so for the dual core LG monster, but I’m not changing carriers anytime soon, and continuing with the “Google Experience” was a big plus for me. In my mind, the Google Experience can be summed up in two words: Guaranteed Upgrades. Having guaranteed upgrades for a few more OS versions makes up for a lot of hardware changes.
Let me explain. My wife has a Samsung Vibrant, which was an incredible piece of hardware when it came out, and still no slouch today (in fact, it’s quite similar to the Nexus S). However, it is still running Android 2.1. The unfortunate Samsung interface causes the phone to lag, and the only way for me to get it to be the incredibly powerful device it should be is to root it. (This is one of the tasks I’ll be doing over the holiday break.) The fact that carriers can cripple their phones and prevent them from having the latest goodies as a way to segment their markets is a key decision point for me. My Nexus One always got the latest updates, and I am reasonably certain that it will get Gingerbread soon. As you know, Froyo was pushed out on Nexus Ones seven months ago. That’s an eternity in mobile device land.
In the end, having Froyo on my Nexus One made it more powerful than other phones with better hardware. I could do more things, run faster, and avoid strange vendor overlays on the core OS. (I despise vendor overlays in general, from mobile devices to PCs, so I am no fan of Touchwiz, Blur, Sense, or whatever else is out there.) At one time, these overlays may have been “better” than the standard UI, but any advantageous benefit-cost ratio petered out by Android 2.2.
So when I see that the LG Optimus 2X will come with Android 2.2 but will be updated to Gingerbread “with no specific target date,” my alarm bells go off. There have been so many examples of phones being left behind in the past two years, and there is a chance–no one knows how much of a chance–that the only way you will ever get Android 2.3 on the LG is by rooting it. Just ask Galaxy S owners.
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I thought the samsung phones lag was because of the way they implemented the internal sd card? Not the custom interface they add..
Well that won't be a problem with the Nexus S either, since there IS NO SD card!
The hard 16GB cap, the same as my current phone, which is already full, is the only reason why I haven't bought the otherwise enticing Nexus S. Boooo!
I'm sure you're right at the moment. Ultimately it remains to be seen whether device makers and carriers can arrange themselves so that they release versions early, but in the meantime I think the plain google phones are a better deal. Until last week I wasn't so sure of this at all, but true to their word, Vodafone finally managed to upgrade my vintage HTC Magic to 2.2.1. It may not be the quickest out of the blocks any more but it is a substantial upgrade and a significant feature set improvement (and certainly no slower). I am now finally sure that I will buy my next phone (likely a Nexus S) off contract and with the plain google experience.
I definitely agree. Hardware-wise, my Nexus One is starting to show its age compared to the fantastic stuff that's coming out, but having Froyo and the true "Google Experience" has been well worth it. In fact it's so fast, I see little point to upgrade to the Nexus S until it's cheaper and I actually have someone to video chat with. Other than a few little-used features it's not that much better anyway.
How does your N1's age show? I'm pretty happy with my Desire's performance, comparing it to a 2.2 Galaxy S (is that your idea of the fantastic stuff coming out – Hummingbird as in NS?). Starting Angry Birds is a nice ego booster for me, because my Desire always finishes loading/opening it a few seconds before the Galaxy S does. Same goes for NFS Shift, but I do admit it looks better on my cousin's GS
Hell, it even has better responsiveness than a stock Desire HD, owned by a classmate. Spending a lot of quality time with both GS and DHD, I disagree with you, the differences are only minor, despite them being 45nm processors. I will continue to happily use mu Desire, until a Tegra2 HTC comes out. That should make a bit more of a difference performance-wise 
I bought mine first day for all the reason in the article, gave my son my nexus one and sold my vibrant. Im stock android or nothing….
All I have to say, is that my current phone the Cliq…I 2.1 (yes, 2.1)…this month! My Nexus S is coming in the mail.
Sorry, meant to say that I just got 2.1 this month.
I have been singing this tune since the Hero launched. Well said. My recent post Going Mobile
Having owned both an iPhone and an Android (currently Nexus One), I've come to appreciate and despise the good and bad in both. There is no question about it, the Google Experience is what won me over and made me fall in love with Android. With that said, I have to admit that I sorely miss the iPhone hardware and having that sense of assurance my phone would be updated when Apple released something new. Right now I do get that with my N1, but it stops there as the article so clearly indicates. My patience with the faulty touchscreen on the N1 is running low, but I can't get a replacement. There is only one other device that's guaranteed to get the updates…Nexus S. But, it's not available on AT&T and it's made by Samsung, not my cup of tea. I'll stick with my N1 until it dies…or until Apple lures me back.
I think that part of the android experience, if you want to get to the Google experience, is going to be rooting and updating your phone yourself. I believe part of the beauty of the openness of android is that the modding community exists and is able to put out ROM's for the popular phones relatively quickly. That, and the fact that I haven't heard of any android phone that isn't able to be rooted and modded…
I have to totally agree with this article. I too bought the N1 when it was released and was very appreciative when it got the latest updates. I somehow got lured to purchasing the Vibrant when it arrived (mistake). I gave my wife my N1 and I in turn used my new Vibrant. As the frustration mounted with empty promise after empty promise (maybe not promise but more expectation) of the promised update it never happened. Which in turn prompted me to go and buy the closest thing to vanilla Android I could get. Enter the G2. Great phone but wasn't in love with the weight and the sliding mech (never was a physical keyboard fan) was a little strange to me. So after much soul searching I realized that what I was after the whole time was another Google experience device. So when the 16th hit I was at BB forking over more money just so I could feel "normal" again. So I say…..I will never veer from Google's experience path ever again. I will enjoy my Nexus S with all it's glory and short falls until that moment comes when they release a newer Nexus "X".
Manufacturers should differentiate by exclusive apps per phone, not by the OS modifications. I.e. If someone got the Android exlusive for Flipboard, that would make a difference in my buying decision giving hardware parity between options. Ironically, it will actually be a stronger selling point for a new phone that the UI is Google-standard and untouched since I'll know I'll get the latest updates moving forward, as opposed to the current thought that the OEM must customize the experience to be set apart. My Moto Droid is staring at Gingerbread with puppydog eyes as we speak.
Rooting the Galaxy series of devices isn't a very big deal. In fact, it's so easy to do and undo, There's no excuse not to (since it takes less energy than whining).
the problem with that is 1. waiting for the dev community to cook a gingerbread rom and 2. the potential to brick the phone. os overlays suck. wishing i'd bought a nexus one…
I'm a proud Nexus One owner who was looking forward to Nexus S for months, reading up every possible rumor (I was so looking forward to it I was ready to ditch AT&T after 8 years without a contract and switch to T-Mobile) but I feel like the Nexus S doesn't live up to its Google expectations. Am I wrong? I mean look at the specs, only 5MP camera? No HD recording? Still single core processor? Aside from the Gingerbread update (which as you mentioned us Nexus One folk should be getting soon too) I don't see any difference with my N1 and no reason to purchase the Nexus S. To make matters worst my N1 fell and the top part of the screen cracked last week but I'd still rather be with a cracked N1 and wati for the LG Optimus 2x or Motorola Olympus then go ahead with the NS. Unless both of those phones come only locked (like the 3 different US samsung galaxy s versions that all seem inferior to their european counterpart). In that case I'll just have to settle with the NS.