LITTLE ROCK — I’m always eager to delve into a company’s products for the first time, and Samsung is no exception.
A couple of weeks ago, I tried out Samsung’s Galaxy Tab tablet computer. I had mixed feelings about the product. The hardware was great, but the less-than-responsive software really crippled what could have been an outstanding product.
This week, I’m trying out another Samsung Galaxy product, the Galaxy Nexusphone. In some ways, it’s a smaller version of the Galaxy Tab. But this one doesn’t have some of the issues the Tab had, and for the reasons I suspected.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
The Galaxy Nexus is the brainchild of Samsung and Google, which becomes obvious as soon as you turn on the phone. It asks you to log into or create a Google account, then syncs the phone with every Google service you use. For example, I logged in and it immediately set up my Google e-mail, connected to my Google Plus social network account and set upa photo album in the Gallery with photos I have uploaded to Google or Google Plus. It’s very convenient, if not a little scary.
The phone itself is a nice piece of machinery. It’s light and thin, with a large, colorful screen. It’s big, but not so big that it’s uncomfortable to hold (my small hands get uncomfortable quickly with oversized smart phones). The screen doesn’t quite have the sharpness of Apple’s retina displays on the iPhones, butit’s not far off. The phone has a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front for video chatting or video calls, which is pretty standard. It has a 5-megapixel camera on the back, as well. The camera does a decent job, even in low light. It also records high-definition videos.
I talked last week about wireless signals, specifically the old 2.4GHz and the newer, faster 5GHz. As I mentioned before, not all products can use both signals.
Surprisingly, the Nexus can. It connected to the 5GHz with no problems, and it utilized the speed of the faster signal well. Downloads were very quick over Wi-Fi, as was streaming media.
The phone also utilizes 3G and 4G LTE signals for data downloads outside of a wireless broadband signal. Combining a 4G signal with the phone’s 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of memory makes for speedy downloads and smooth streaming.
When reviewing the Galaxy Tab, my biggest complaint was with the software. I theorized that Google’s Android software is basically adapted to run on the tablet computers, but it’s made for phones. That was pretty much solidified with the Nexus. The phone didn’t have any of the response issues the tablet had. The touch screen was very accurate, even when typing on the small, digital keyboard. Navigation from screen to screen and app to app was easy and quick. In short, it didn’t have the issues the tablet had with the software.
I actually liked the software. The phone comes with Android 4.0, dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich (got to love these code names). It navigates similar to previous systems but just seems a little easier and smoother. The basics are listed across the bottom of all screens - Web, texting, phone, contacts and a quick access to a list of applications. Touching and holding an app will drop it on the main screen. Swiping sideways will move to a similar main screen, which also can be customized with apps. The previous Android software did this as well, but it just seemed to work a bit smoother here.
I really didn’t find much to dislike with the Nexus. The only thing that really disappointed me was the speaker. I like to listen to Pandora, an app that streams music from the Internet, when I’m working in the kitchen. Usually, I just let it play from the phone’s speaker. In the case of the Nexus, the music sounded a bit anemic. It lacked the richness and depth I’m used to hearing from my own devices.
That’s not a big complaint, and for good reason. The Nexus is a well-built phone. Battery life is good for a smart phone, the camera did fairly well, and the speed from the ability to use 4G and 5GHz signals is outstanding. It’s also just the right size, even for my little hands, yet it doesn’t skimp on screen space.
I guess you can say my foray into Samsung products has been mixed. But it certainly makes me eager to see what else Samsung produces.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via e-mail at mljones72@me.com.
Where it’s @
The Samsung Galaxy Nexus by Google is currently available through Verizon Wireless and will soon be available through Sprint. The phone retails for $799 unlocked or $299 with a two-year contract. More information is available at www.google.com/nexus.
Business, Pages 19 on 04/02/2012