[nipcarlover]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I just read somewhere that the Nexus 4 is 'pure' Android, no additional apps / bloatware. What does it mean to he average Joe, what are the common apps/popular things missing?

Nothing is 'missing' as such. You can download most stuff you want from the Play Store as with a normal Android phone. You do miss out on some of the manufacturer features such as all the S stuff on the S4, such as S Planner and Air gesture and all the other stuff.

However, Nexus phones come with the benefit of stock Android, i.e it is not modified at all by the company that makes it, in this case, LG. You also get the added benefit of direct OS update support from Google, so you are on the bleeding edge of the Android OS updates within 2-3 days of the update being launched.

Nexus phones are also known to be the smoothest of all Android phones, even with not-so-fast hardware. The manufacturer tweaks on other phones normally hog up RAM and processor, slowing down the phone. For example, my Galaxy Nexus with its dual-core TI OMAP4460 processor is in my honest opinion way smoother than my dad's Galaxy S3 with a quad-core Exynos processor.

I own the previous gen Nexus phone, the Galaxy Nexus since March 2012, and have been running on Android 4.2 since the last 6 odd months whereas the only new(popular) phone I know that is currently running 4.2 is the S4, which has launched very recently, barring Nexus devices obviously.

There are some drawbacks however. Nexus phones do not have a SD card slot if that is a concern. They also do not have the best screen config, i.e brightness, contrast etc. as it requires proprietary software.

However, IMO, the advantages of fast updates, and un-tampered software outweigh the drawbacks. I would recommend the Nexus 4 to anyone looking for a good smartphone at any price range. Remember that the Nexus 4 comes at 25990, whereas the S4 and HTC One are over 40000.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

Thanks for the replies guys.

I went ahead and bought a Samsung Galaxy Young S6312 for Rs.7,700. The phone had to be a dual sim phone. So, didn't even consider windows.

First impressions - it is a very average phone, considering that I use a Galaxy S2 with Supernexus ROM.

Will post a detailed review soon.



No, micromax or xolo were not considered. The only other contender for me was Sony Xperia E dual. The Samsung won just because it had higher RAM of 768MB over Xperia's 512MB.

Even I got the Samsung 768MB ram one (I don't remember the model name, why cant they have simple Nokia like numbers?)

Lumia was the first choice, however my mom's SIM is old one and cannot be simply chopped off. Also the Samsung phone came with dual SIM (which she has).

HOWEVER, If I have to give a recommendation: I would say Lumia with eyes closed. It is phenomenally better and infinitely easier to use. (I have Lumia, so I know what I am talking about). No lags and hitches on Lumia, Samsung is already showing its "Androidness" just one day old.

[Sprucegoose]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I just read somewhere that the Nexus 4 is 'pure' Android, no additional apps / bloatware. What does it mean to he average Joe, what are the common apps/popular things missing?

Android as released by google is optimised to run on nexus phones which are designed by google. They don't come with skins [samsung has touchwiz, htc has sence], they don't come with manufacturer specific functionality [sony has small apps, samsung have other stuff] and they don't come with carrier bloatware [we don't have that problem in india].

Nexus phones are generally smoother and more stable than other phones and they get propmt updates

[blue_pulsar]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Even I got the Samsung 768MB ram one (I don't remember the model name, why cant they have simple Nokia like numbers?)

Lumia was the first choice, however my mom's SIM is old one and cannot be simply chopped off. Also the Samsung phone came with dual SIM (which she has).

HOWEVER, If I have to give a recommendation: I would say Lumia with eyes closed. It is phenomenally better and infinitely easier to use. (I have Lumia, so I know what I am talking about). No lags and hitches on Lumia, Samsung is already showing its "Androidness" just one day old.

Just stop and disable all samsung apps and processes. The phone will much better.

But it is definitely laggy when you play a game like temple run 2. For normal use, it seems just fine.

[Thad E Ginathom]

After a long time...

Originally Posted by madbullram

I would suggest QuarX, its much much better than MIUI and my Defy was lot better until I lost it

Thanks, and trying this from yesterday. The look and feel is not nearly as nice as the Miui, but (the important thing) it works. It seem nippy and stable.

I think there must have been something wrong with my MIUI install: most people would have found it unusable it was so slow at basic operations.

As to the look-and-feel, I suppose that (backup in hand) my next step in android exploration might be to look at using different launchers.

I do still have a Sygic problem. I can't get past re-entering the product code. I haven't tried a clean installation yet, though. I don't think Sygic will be interested in supporting custom roms: their customer support is only really interested in quick answers these days.

[ramzsys]

BHPians

Lost my Android phone in the morning(restaurant). How to secure the google account?

I have changed my password now. What else need to be done to prevent access to that account?

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by ramzsys

BHPians

Lost my Android phone in the morning(restaurant). How to secure the google account?

I have changed my password now. What else need to be done to prevent access to that account?

Thats about it.

Also, enable "PlanB".
Not very hopeful of your chances with it, but its worth a shot.

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by ramzsys

BHPians

Lost my Android phone in the morning(restaurant). How to secure the google account?

I have changed my password now. What else need to be done to prevent access to that account?

If you had enabled 2-step authentication on your account, you can simply go to accounts.google.com/security and remove the android phone from list of trusted devices. Then your account on that phone would stop working.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

As to the look-and-feel, I suppose that (backup in hand) my next step in android exploration might be to look at using different launchers.

How Does It Work? (Dumb question time)

If I installanother launcher[s] can I change between them or do they become embedded into the ROM and require a reflash to restore to a previous launcher?

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

How Does It Work? (Dumb question time)

If I installanother launcher[s] can I change between them or do they become embedded into the ROM and require a reflash to restore to a previous launcher?

Nothing of the sort.
You can install all the launchers you want, use the one that you want as default, and when you're tired of it, use another one,or just remove it.
I suggest zeam or nemus over heavy ones like go or lp.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Oh, thank you very much. I can play to my heart's content then

But I won't forget that a backup is a good way to return to a known state at any time.

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

How Does It Work? (Dumb question time)

If I installanother launcher[s] can I change between them or do they become embedded into the ROM and require a reflash to restore to a previous launcher?

Unless you are rooted, you can't make it part of your ROM. So that can't just happen on its own.

I'd suggest Nova or Apex. these are the 2 most popular launchers currently. Others may be good too, the choice is obviously subjective. Nova a bit "heavier" than Zeam, but has many more frills. Well worth it, if you want the frills. I use the paid version of Nova. Go is definitely heavy.


Mayankk, right now, Nova is taking up 15 MB RAM on my phone. Around how much do Zeam and Nemus need?

[Top-Gear]

Originally Posted by ramzsys

BHPians

Lost my Android phone in the morning(restaurant). How to secure the google account?

I have changed my password now. What else need to be done to prevent access to that account?

Hi Ramzsys,
Sorry to hear that. Did you check out www.androidlost.com? Even if you have not already downloaded the app on to your phone, they have, I believe, a means for you to take control of your phone, try and track it, wipe data if nothing else works, etc., through your google account.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thanks for the answers re launcher basics. I had Apex lined up and installed it as soon as I read the posts. It seems like a good compromise and has some simple configuration features that I appreciate.

Installing CM10 (Quarx) seems to have replace clockwork mod with TWRP. I'm a bit sorry about that, as I had come to know my way around CWM ...even though TWRP has a superior interface and it is nice to be able to use it without a magnifying glass.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

Unless you are rooted, you can't make it part of your ROM. So that can't just happen on its own.

I'd suggest Nova or Apex. these are the 2 most popular launchers currently. Others may be good too, the choice is obviously subjective. Nova a bit "heavier" than Zeam, but has many more frills. Well worth it, if you want the frills. I use the paid version of Nova. Go is definitely heavy.

Mayankk, right now, Nova is taking up 15 MB RAM on my phone. Around how much do Zeam and Nemus need?

15?
That's ridiculous!
Zeam typically takes up about 24-25 in my ion.
I haven't restored nemus this time around,by it's still there in titanium, on standby, so to speak.