Galaxy Nexus

I’m stoked to finally get my Samsung Galaxy Nexus! Ever since its unveiling I’ve been contemplating a switch to the Android OS. I personally think this is a good time to try out the Android OS because Apple has stagnated with the Iphone 4S and Windows Phone is still struggling to capture the smartphone market share. I’m also keen to integrate Google+ and my other google apps with my phone.

A local telco offered the Galaxy Nexus on its plan starting from the 13th of January. Nevertheless, I was skeptical whether it would be available here, on Borneo of all places.  But a quick trip to the nearest and only Samsung Elite Partner (SEP) revealed that the Galaxy Necus would indeed be arriving on the 14th.

Some quick thoughts on the Galaxy Nexus:
1. The screen is gorgeous – but battery sapping. Thankfully the phone seems self aware of this, and will conserve screen display as much as possible. The widgets and homescreen are fantastic and definitely provide more functionality compared to the Windows Metro system and iOS. The live wallpapers are a delight to behold. And hooray for customization.

2. I’m enjoying the google integration already. Calendar and Gmail work great. There’s a whole host of google apps such as Google Translate and Google Goggles in the Android Market.

3.  Call quality is good so far. Furthermore the volume bug appears to have been fixed.

4. The camera is as swift as advertised, but good luck stabilizing the photo. Overall camera quality was decent, but lags behind the Iphone4S

5. Bluetooth, transferring apps, docs and music is so easy with the Android. It made me realize how uncomfortable the Itunes program makes me feel.

6. There are a few blips here and there that you seldom see on the iOS or Windows Phone 7, such as programs suddenly shutting down.

In a nutshell, the Galaxy Nexus is a powerful pocket machine that doesn’t dumb down the user experience. I’m most happy with my purchase and hope I can utilize the phone to its fullest potential.

-KL