Thursday, October 6, 2011

Beneath the surface : NEXUS S from an user perspective

     

I was very excited to own a brand new NEXUS S (google phone) which runs pure Android (ginger bread 2.3.4). Yes, it’s an interesting phone and we have a lot to explore ! But before exploring all that, we need to know few things that are totally hidden beneath the surface. Is our money worth investing in an Android phone ? Do they seriously serve the ultimate purpose of a “smart phone” ?

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Hardware  :

To start with the hardware - the Nexus S boasts a 1GHz Hummingbird CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 4-inch, 800 x 480 curved Super AMOLED display (dubbed the Contour Display), 16GB of storage, a 5 megapixel rear and VGA front-facing camera, and near field communication capabilities. Well fine, the hardware looks great and clichéd. These days AMOLED display, 1 Ghz processors and 512 MB RAM  are so common, you find it in almost all the Android phones which comes in same cadre. I need to make a special note about the 512 MB RAM  present in NEXUS. Although the hardware specifications  points to 512 MB ram, not all the 512 MB is made use ! The phone supports only 300 /310 MB ram with the present Android OS 2.3.4Surprised smile The reason they say is that, the 512 MB ram is physically present to support future versions of Android. The addressing space isnt enough they say, with the current architecture.

        The internal memory 16 GB is divided in to two partitions. One is for the phone (2GB) and the other is used like a USB drive (12-13 GB). You do not have a external slot, well I guess you wont need memory more than 16 GB.

     There is a version difference between I9020  and I9023A , the latter has Super LCD and I9020 has AMOLED. The one we get in India is SLCD version for 27k. Note : Super AMOLED is the superior one and not SLCD Disappointed smile.

     The surface is a entirely different from the Galaxy SL’s surface, the touch is pretty smooth and they call it Oleographic surface. They is a notable curve in the middle and it’s a little heavy compared to Galaxy SL. The phone promises almost all the features  :3G, GPS, WiFi, NFC. There is no HSPA+, no HD recording and no FM radio. Well that’s not a big deal, But the basic problem is “prana” or the life source ! The source of power to gear this up is completely missing here Sad smile

Without PRANA u cannot live :

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The Nexus S' 1500mAh battery showed impressive signs of life first during the short period of testing. While taking it to the regular usage (though not tons of calling), it sustained about 15-16 hours of life before the phone was crying for its charger. I almost feel like charging it every now and then. Like all the users, I searched for “juice saving” applications. I started reading so many blogs just to find an answer. I finally ended up in a certain blog (one of my junior Shankar Ganesh – killertechtips) asking me to get an extra battery ! Wooh !!! Battery is the main problem with most of the Android phones. We need a powerful one to support the available features. Most of the applications are suspended, and they tend to run in the background utilizing some power. Some applications which has a filter runs as a service.  We have a Wifi connection but if we use it for 2-4 hours that takes most of ur battery life. But how can you be without a Wifi connection ?? It’s the same with the 3G connections too ! Smart phones are useless piece of electronics without an Internet connection, I hope most of you are aware of it Surprised smile. The live wallpaper was one of the most beautiful things I saw in this 4 inch screen. But what’s the use ? the battery consumption shows 70% for display if I use them Sad smile This is a tantalizing situation, where you have everything at reach but u cannot afford to use them because of your BATTERY ! It’s  frustrating to see your home screen asking you to connect the charger most of the time.

Android Market :

It has many applications in the market but the compatibility will be another blocker for many low end users. Many applications do not support the 2.1 éclair or 2.2 froyo users. This is a serious concern that one should know before buying an Android phone.

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With an attractive hardware specification, millions of applications and a very low price most of the end users are lured to buy an Android phone. All they think is, I’m getting the efficiency , features and everything that an IPHONE has.  Nope, If that’s what u think I bet u need to reconsider your opinion.