I am on day 4 of using Android again on the Samsung Nexus S from T-Mobile. My goals are to see how Android has developed since November 2009 and experience a network other than AT&T. I can check both off my list.
1. The T-Mobile Network. Without a quality network (as some AT&T iPhone users can attest) the device is almost worthless. I live in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, were not New York but we are not Lost Springs, Wyoming either. Verizon, Sprint and AT&T have a huge presence here. T-Mobile sells a lot of devices but it does not feel like it spends a lot of money on its network here. I should have known there might be an issue when the Best Buy Mobile sales rep asked me where in the Metro I live.
At my home and office I get either 1 or bars and calls are difficult to maintain and often of low quality. In between, at place I visit, the call quality was “okay” but not as good as AT&T. In testing the speeds of the T-Mobile network, I saw anywhere from .4 to 1.5 MBPS down to .5 to 1 MBPS second up (which actually seems fine to me).
I don’t understand it because I know a lot of people use, enjoy and thrive on the T-Mobile network. It is just not happening for me at this point. In general, I see no benefit in having T-Mobile service over my current AT&T service.
2. Hardware and Battery. The phone feels solid and light, despite being a “plasticky.” The display is crisp and sharp, with bright and vivid colors. The battery life is abysmal: maybe four hours with moderate use and the screen not on full brightness (the way I always use the iPhone). It is a disappointing that Google Flagship device for 2011 is on a network with 4G but does not include the ability to use 4G.
Check back tomorrow for my more specific thoughts about Android and Samsung Nexus S.
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