The Galaxy Nexus has raised the bar for all mobile devices
While Apple recorded their best quarter ever, Samsung and Google released the most impressive smartphone to date. Appearing on the Verizon network with LTE radios in the US, as well GSM w/ HSDPA+ radios internationally, the Galaxy Nexus is the most groundbreaking phone available.
The mix of 32GB internal storage, a dual-core TI OMAP processor, Android 4.0, a beautiful 720p 4.65″ screen and high-speed 4G networks make it the phone to measure to. Running the un-distilled version of Google’s Android OS, the Galaxy Nexus has all the first-party support you’d expect from Samsung, and unrivaled support from the Android development community.
The Galaxy Nexus offers great battery life (for a LTE device) and the best user experience Android has had to date. While there is a bit of a learning curve coming from Gingerbread (2.3.x) or Honeycomb (3.x), Android 4.0.x is ready to play. With the right ROM, you can force the “menu” buttons back into play. Android 4.0.x was created to be easier on the average user – but with all the developer support, it can still be a geek powerhouse.
Developer support is part of what makes the Galaxy Nexus the phone to beat. A quick search of XDA Devlopers or Rootzwikiwill show the preponderance of developers out there supporting the Galaxy Nexus (in both GSM and CDMA/LTE forms).
Application support is coming. Google has been rolling out 2 or 3 updates to their core applications ever week, and the top 3rd party developers are joining the party as well. Many of the best Android applications are already updated with ICS versions in mind – so that they take full advantage of the huge screen and capabilities of the Nexus.
Trust in Team Kang for all your GNex ROM needs
I’ve been using the Android Open Kang Project ROM for over a month now. It’s my favorite ROM available, and gives you a great deal of flexibility and customization. Additionally, the creator, Roman, added some key performance options which increase battery life (and thus the usability of the device).
While Cyanogen Mod 9 is not out yet (the one based on Android 4.0.x), installing it on your device is something every user should consider. Part of the fun of Android is Rooting/ROMing/Theming your phone – getting it to exactly the specifications that make you work and play best. The Rooting process can be intimidating, and there will be some issues, but you’ll learn a lot about your device in the process. While you may lose of your data (most of it is backed up to the cloud), the capabilities gained (battery life, Wi-Fi Tether, full Nandroid backups, etc) will more than outweigh that in the future.
Do you have an Android device, if so, is it rooted, if not, what are you waiting for?
Related articles
- Amazon drops price of Galaxy Nexus to $100 (inquisitr.com)
- All Hail the Galaxy Nexus (ctovision.com)
- Now that ICS is here, don’t buy an Android that’s not the Galaxy Nexus (bobgourley.com)
I have the Samsung Galaxy SI (Fascinate) and I’ve gotta say my impressed level with droid has went from 10 to 1. It’s very glitchy and laggy when compared to the iPhone and even WP7. I also can’t text message pictures on my phone, which makes no sense. There’s plenty of people, though, who don’t have these problems, so there’s a good chance its bad luck. As far as rooting goes, I never really thought about what the potential benefits are, only that my phone would no longer be insured. Does rooting really increase usability that much?