It was the defining moment that Google got serious about making both a real consumer electronic, and pitting the Android platform against the incumbent iOS. While you could make the case that the original T-Mobile G1 was the original Google phone, it really was with Nexus One that Google set out on its path for defining a smartphone platform and distribution model of its own.
Each year we see essentially the same pattern — Google chooses one OEM, one SoC vendor, and sets the Android team free toward building a tailor-made version of the next major release of Android for that combination. The combination of those two alone already were enough to excite me purely because I was eager to see who would be first to market with an APQ handset.
While I was on that trip, I heard that a smartphone based on the Optimus G would be the next Nexus phone and was quite simply blown away. Nexus has rarely been first to the latest and greatest in terms of hardware platforms, and certainly there was no way that combination would be inexpensive. For Google to nail the next Nexus phone it would have to be a combination of both.
At the time I joked that the G in Optimus G stood for Google among a few other things and anxiously awaited the final hardware. Where the Optimus G is a very square and rectangular phone, the Nexus 4 preserves the rounded gentle curves and overall shape of the Galaxy Nexus. In fact, side by side with the Galaxy Nexus, the Nexus 4 almost looks like it has the exact same shape, save being slightly wider and flatter.
Material choice is also undoubtedly better than the Galaxy Nexus, which was a decidedly Samsung-y combination of polycarbonate plastic and soft touch battery cover. This is where the Nexus 4 deviates from the Optimus G as well — around the edge and below the chrome is a rubbery soft-touch band that extends to the glass back.
My fingers wrap perfectly around to the rubber lip on the other side making holding the Nexus 4 feel very secure. Our only complaint with this is that it's easy for dust and other tiny particles to get stuck between it and the chrome lining the edge.
Continuing on, there's a 1. Below the screen sits the pulse notification light, which brought back memories of what's found on the Galaxy Nexus, and there are no capacitive buttons since LG added virtual navigation keys to the screen. The left side houses a volume rocker, while a secondary mic and headphone jack sit up top. Moving over to the right, you'll see the power button just barely above where your index finger naturally rests -- this is nice because you won't accidentally bump it every other second, but it's still within easy reach.
Let's talk a little about that last one: Slimport. Neither company has shared the reasoning behind this decision, but whatever it is, you'll need to buy a special adapter if you want to take advantage of this capability. It's not the only way to mirror your phone's display on your TV -- Android 4. Moving on to the back, we already mentioned briefly that it's covered by scratch-resistant glass. It's not a removable cover, which means you won't be getting access to your battery unless you're willing to be adventurous and start removing screws.
On the top left you'll see the 8MP rear camera and LED flash aligned vertically, with the famous Nexus logo sitting just below. LG added its own stamp to the bottom of the back, right next to a speaker grille on the right side.
But the most interesting part of the whole thing is its checkerboard-like decor that looks like a cross between "The Matrix" and the iconic tile-like live wallpaper made famous by the Nexus One. When we first saw the device in leaked photos, we worried that it might look too tacky -- on the contrary, it not only adds to the subtle aesthetics, but it helps the Nexus 4 stand apart from all those other bland, rectangular phones. With all of our praise about the phone's design and build, there is one potential hazard: that glass-laden back.
We haven't had any terrible luck in that department yet, but it's worth noting that this part of your phone -- while sleek and gorgeous -- should probably avoid the concrete at all costs. Now, onto the portion of the review that you'll either love or hate, depending on where you live and what network you use.
Unfortunately, the one thing truly missing from the Nexus is LTE compatibility. In many parts of the world, this won't be an issue; people using a carrier with LTE service may feel frustrated, however. We'd love to see a special edition come out down the road, but we're not going to hold our breath for it. Finally, the Nexus 4 also fully supports the Qi wireless charging standard, which means you can use any Qi-capable charging pad to refill your battery -- we even took it for a spin on the Fatboy recharging pillow sold by Nokia, and it worked like a charm.
So what else does this beauty have, and how does it compare with last year's model? Check out the table below for all the details. A quick review of the above spec list should indicate that the display is essentially identical to the one used on the recently released LG Optimus G, the Nexus 4's close sibling.
Looking backward, it's also better than the HD panel the Galaxy Nexus bears. What we're looking at literally is a 4. With the Nexus 4, however, the Corning-furnished glass plays a much more critical role than it does on other smartphones. LG has developed a technology that integrates the display's touch sensor into the outer layer of the glass.
This not only makes for a thinner phone, it brings the pixels closer to the display itself. If this sounds familiar, it's because Apple has done something similar to this with the iPhone 5 and Microsoft's Surface for Windows RT. There's less pixelation -- if that's even possible -- and the viewing angles are fantastic, providing us better opportunities to read articles and watch movies than most other devices we've used.
Also, it's one of the nicest displays we've ever viewed in the midday sun. We could see everything clearly at right around 50 percent brightness, and it was still at least relatively easy to read with the settings down to about 30 percent.
It ranks in between those two competitors when it comes to color saturation. The darks are as dark as you'll see on the One X but less than the GS3 , and the whites are brighter than on either rival phone. We also noticed that the Nexus shows off the darkest reds and magentas, as well as the lightest greens and yellows. As a result, your viewing experience may differ slightly from other p displays, but we've been very pleased with what we've seen on the Nexus 4.
And as we've come to expect from this precedent, the Nexus 4 comes loaded with Android 4. But there's something drastically different this time around: despite the new version number, this upgrade is still considered Jelly Bean. This is the first time we've seen such a move since Eclair was bumped up from 2.
An incremental ". X" update without a new dessert-themed codename typically indicates a small refresh with just a few enhancements. We think there's enough of a change to justify jumping up to a treat that begins with "K," but most of the significant design shifts have to do with the tablet experience; in contrast, there have been few drastic changes on the phone side.
We wonder if many of the features added to the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 were already on the drawing board alongside the rest of Jelly Bean and just weren't ready in time, but none of that really matters.
What's important is that we have some new things to enjoy at the present time. Here's what you can expect to see in Jelly Bean, part deux. First, we mentioned briefly that you'll see a larger difference on the tablet side than on the phone. This is because the Nexus 10 sheds both the settings box in the lower-right corner and app menu access in the top right.
Instead, it offers two pull-down menus on the top: the left side acts as your standard notifications menu, while the right side features the new Quick Settings menu more on that shortly. It also uses the standard set of three virtual navigation buttons that you'll find on the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus. Lastly, Android 4. Unfortunately, this isn't available for smartphones, so the Nexus 4 doesn't get to take advantage of this. We have a hunch this feature may be added to phones at some point, but we have no inside information to confirm this.
Let's dive into the improvements that you can take advantage of on the Nexus 4. The Quick Settings menu is exactly what it sounds like -- a panel full of access points such as brightness, WiFi, battery life, airplane mode, Bluetooth and data usage.
It also includes a direct link into the settings menu. The concept is incredibly similar to what you would find on a TouchWiz or LG device amongst other custom skins , but it uses up its very own space rather than co-habitating on the same menu as the notifications.
Fortunately, it's just as easy to get to: pull down from the status bar with two fingers instead of one, and presto -- you're in. It can be accessed from the Lock Screen and the notifications menu as well. Google has also added a handy swipe to delete or archive function in the messages list, which I took advantage of at every opportunity. It's not the most original addition, but it's one that makes dealing with an unruly inbox a bit easier, and like many of the updates in this version of Android, is focused on one-handed operation.
A new method of input has been included with the keyboard — a mode called Gesture Typing, which is basically Swype without Swype. It works in conjunction with the standard tap keyboard you can mix and match with ease , and makes one-handed typing roughly a million times easier. I don't know how Swype feels about this did Google Bonus: it will auto-predict your biggest strings, like email addresses, with enough practice.
A helpful dropdown menu called Quick Settings that lives in the notification window lets you get to your most-used toggles now brightness, bluetooth, airplane mode, etc. You can also get to these by using a two-finger swipe from the top of the screen. I've been using this menu constantly since I got the phone, and it's one of the simplest yet most useful additions to the software. And there are little details like this all over Android 4. For instance, there's a new menu in your call log that lets you sort calls by type missed, voicemail, outgoing, etc.
Google has also added an easier way to use an Emoji keyboard — if you want to do something like that. Speaking of details — I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the terrific looking new clock app in 4. I know, I know — why should anyone care about a clock application? Well, there has been a lot of fuss over clocks lately, and I think Google has done an impressive job here of updating what was previously a rather mundane and simplistic app with something that shows the company is truly invested in design and thoughtful interaction.
It typifies the kind of minimalist, clutter-free layout which seems to be becoming the norm for first-party Android offerings. One suggestion though — please make that snooze button a little bigger. A bleary-eyed sleeper needs a big target. The card-based app has added the ability to scour your email looking for beacons from flight and hotel reservations, and then serve up that information when the time comes say, day of travel or day of check-in.
The cards can also remember if you've searched for a movie and remind you about the film when it opens, will tell you about dinner reservations you've made, ping you about events you're interested in, and even track your packages for you and tell you when they've shipped. As before and perhaps more than ever , it works with remarkable sagacity. Google has also improved its voice search in both quality of results and look and feel, and it now more closely resembles Google Now.
In my testing, Google voice search outperformed Siri in the majority of queries, and not only did it get the answers correct and offer up perfectly worded responses, but it did so faster than its nearest competition — sometimes by a longshot.
All in all, the changes in Android 4. Android may still have a slightly steeper learning curve than iOS or Windows Phone, but what you get in return for a little bit of extra effort is phenomenal.
In just over a year, the OS has gone from a nice-but-flawed experiment to a sleek, sophisticated, and incredibly smart platform. I don't feel any hesitation in saying that the pure Android 4. One thing worth noting here — besides all the terrific changes in Android 4.
The latest update of Pocket seems to crash on launch, Any. I'm sure these are rather simple issues to clear up, but they were a bit troubling to me. The Nexus 4 is absolutely wonderful, but it's also vexing. It's easily the best Android phone on the market right now, and has some of the most powerful software that's ever been put on a mobile phone. It's an upgrade from last year's Galaxy Nexus in every way.
It's terrific — save for one small thing. No problem. Go get this phone. But for others — many others — it's hard to imagine buying this device when you know it's a generation behind in terms of network technology. A little over a year ago, I bristled at the fact that the iPhone 4S didn't have LTE, but I also admitted that the phone was a still a "force to be reckoned with. The mobile industry has changed a lot in the last 12 months. The 8 mp rear camera is not the best as far as smartphone cameras are concerned but does a fair decent job during daylight.
The battery life of the Nexus 4 is only mAh and not that great which requires frequent charging if used heavily. If someone wants a smooth vanilla experience of android that gets regular updates as soon as Google releases Currently updated to Kitkat 4. Is this review helpful? My N4 Review. Google Nexus4 is a phone for all the google fans who wish they had the purest of android experience in their device.
Nexus4 packs in a good processor with quad core S4 Snapdragon Pro 1. Battery Mah is the dampener which leaves you asking for more. Royal Smartphone. Yes, I call my device a royal smartphone as it feels so good in my hand and that is even after a year of it's purchase, this looks absolute beauty from every angle.
Then Google launched their famous Google Nexus 4 in November with not so famous promotion. Next day, I checked the specs first then price and then the pics of device. I was surprised and overjoyed at that moment when I looked at the pics, I mean who offers these specifications, this beauty of a smartphone at this price. I instantly decided I am gonna buy this phone only and started waiting for the launch of the device in India. Surprise: I heard that Nexus 4 will be launched in few days but to my surprise the waiting period converted from days to months and LG made a mess with it's stocks as the beautiful device wasn't available globally.
But, I was sure that I am gonna buy this smartphone only. So, I decided to buy this device from US when it comes to stock as I couldn't wait any further. I know the cons. It took 20 days from US to New Delhi. So, I had my first smartphone in my hand and I was delighted to what. When I touched the device, the first word comes to my mind that "It's Royal". The feeling I got that time was amazing.
The back panel is so gorgeous that every time light touches it, the sparkles started glowing and make you keep staring at them all the time you pick the phone.
Specs: Everybody talks about the specs and benchmarks of the phone you gonna buy but first thing I check on a device is Quality. Nexus 4 was the best specs smartphone at that time when it was launched and it handles everything you throw at it. I was completely satisfied with the specs and even today it offers the best specs in its category.
As this phone is meant for Developers, they are more than happy with clean and fresh UI. The main thing is that UI of my device still after a year or so feels so smooth and buttery which shows the performance of Snapdragon S4 chip.
My phone runs so smoothly that I have seen it hanged till date. Gaming is done through Adreno chip and it's still one the best in the business. Why I bought this Device: This phone suited me the best as the way I want to use my smartphone. I bought this phone an year ago. One is I love about it is that it receives android update as soon as it is released.
0コメント