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Why I would buy a N4: Wireless charging, after getting a tablet with it the convenience is now mandatory. Why I would not buy a N4: No removable storage. I d

by Amadou 13y ago

Why I would buy a N4: Wireless charging, after getting a tablet with it the convenience is now mandatory. Why I would not buy a N4: No removable storage. I don't trust my data in the hands of a cloud provider, I want it on my phone where it is completely under my control.

saraid216 13y ago
I don't think I've ever seen anyone describe data on their phone as "completely under my control".
Ackley 13y ago
even if it was on your phone, they have the power to delete anything (but yes a Google Nexus 4 is convenient)
rohitnair 13y ago
Wireless charging was one of the reasons why I got a Nexus 4. It's a shame the stock wireless charger is so terribly designed though (no adhesion and unnecessary angle). Judging by the reviews it's gotten, looks like I'm not the only one who hates it.
- jrockway 13y ago
  Why is it a shame that you dislike the "official" charger? The N4 uses the standard Qi charging protocol, so you can get pretty much any charger you want. I've tried a bunch of Qi chargers. Samsung's official S3/S4 charger is my favorite. They cheap out and don't include a USB cable or power supply, though, so you have to buy those separately. (Anker sells one on Amazon that does include a power supply that works great with the N4. Works very poorly with the S4, though, which just goes to show you how flaky random Chinese imports can be, even if you pay $50 for them.)
Tichy 13y ago
I don't understand why "no removable storage" implies that you'd have to use a cloud provider? Why not just use the fixed internal storage?
- Amadou 13y ago
  If you've got a kid, especially a young one, 16GB isn't enough for pictures and video. Not even close. My niece has filled her 64GB iphone many times over with shots of her kid. I'm sure there are tons of other use cases too.
  - conradfr 13y ago
    Secret feature : plug your phone on a computer via USB and transfer your pictures.
    - Amadou 13y ago
      There are so many obvious flaws in that statement, here's two: 1) The assumption that the person who owns the phone owns a computer, rather than borrows someone else's when they need it. Modern phones have hdmi outputs, and work with bluetooth keyboards. It is entirely feasible for the average person to use a high-end phone as their primary computing device. Especially with the carrier subsidies making the up-front cost so low. This will only become more common as phones get more powerful. 2) When you've moved the data off your phone it is no longer immediately at hand. Flash storage is cheap and only getting cheaper, leaving off a micro-sd slot is all about pushing a cloud-storage paradigm rather than letting the user decide.
      - conradfr 13y ago
        I'm not saying a sd slot would not be better, just that you're not that screwed without it and no cloud. So maybe ok, if you don't have a computer, don't buy a Nexus 4. Or buy a computer with the difference of prices between a S4 and a N4.
        Amadou 13y ago
        Or simply have more than 16GB of stuff that you want to have at hand.
      - Tichy 13y ago
tsahyt 13y ago
Isn't there some sort of OwnCloud client for Android? You could use that as your storage solution, hosted on your own machine which should be completely under your control.

by Amadou 13y ago

saraid216 13y ago

I don't think I've ever seen anyone describe data on their phone as "completely under my control".

Ackley 13y ago

even if it was on your phone, they have the power to delete anything (but yes a Google Nexus 4 is convenient)

rohitnair 13y ago

Wireless charging was one of the reasons why I got a Nexus 4. It's a shame the stock wireless charger is so terribly designed though (no adhesion and unnecessary angle). Judging by the reviews it's gotten, looks like I'm not the only one who hates it.

jrockway 13y ago
Why is it a shame that you dislike the "official" charger? The N4 uses the standard Qi charging protocol, so you can get pretty much any charger you want. I've tried a bunch of Qi chargers. Samsung's official S3/S4 charger is my favorite. They cheap out and don't include a USB cable or power supply, though, so you have to buy those separately. (Anker sells one on Amazon that does include a power supply that works great with the N4. Works very poorly with the S4, though, which just goes to show you how flaky random Chinese imports can be, even if you pay $50 for them.)

Tichy 13y ago

I don't understand why "no removable storage" implies that you'd have to use a cloud provider? Why not just use the fixed internal storage?

Amadou 13y ago
If you've got a kid, especially a young one, 16GB isn't enough for pictures and video. Not even close. My niece has filled her 64GB iphone many times over with shots of her kid. I'm sure there are tons of other use cases too.
- conradfr 13y ago
  Secret feature : plug your phone on a computer via USB and transfer your pictures.
  - Amadou 13y ago
    There are so many obvious flaws in that statement, here's two: 1) The assumption that the person who owns the phone owns a computer, rather than borrows someone else's when they need it. Modern phones have hdmi outputs, and work with bluetooth keyboards. It is entirely feasible for the average person to use a high-end phone as their primary computing device. Especially with the carrier subsidies making the up-front cost so low. This will only become more common as phones get more powerful. 2) When you've moved the data off your phone it is no longer immediately at hand. Flash storage is cheap and only getting cheaper, leaving off a micro-sd slot is all about pushing a cloud-storage paradigm rather than letting the user decide.
    - conradfr 13y ago
      I'm not saying a sd slot would not be better, just that you're not that screwed without it and no cloud. So maybe ok, if you don't have a computer, don't buy a Nexus 4. Or buy a computer with the difference of prices between a S4 and a N4.
      - Amadou 13y ago
        Or simply have more than 16GB of stuff that you want to have at hand.
    - Tichy 13y ago

tsahyt 13y ago

Isn't there some sort of OwnCloud client for Android? You could use that as your storage solution, hosted on your own machine which should be completely under your control.