Nexus 9 - Oct 15 - $399

[lopri]

It doesn't matter. Google has moved Android away whether you like it or not. You just have to trust the OEMs will continue it.

I think it's going the opposite way. At least for the time being.

Mobile devices are now so powerful and capable, more and more people play/work on mobile. Complex games can take up lots of storage. High definition movies needs even more. People want to carry their entire music collection to their trips. Smartphones can now take 20 MP photos and record 4K videos. And so on.

Unfortunately, the network infrastructure has not kept up. Not only is mobile bandwidth expensive, but also they are not very reliable. Thus, as wonderful as it may be, cloud hasn't fulfilled what it promised, and peole realized that they are running out space on their devices. This in turn enabled these corporations to get away with the exorbitant premium they charge for extra storage. This practice needs to be pointed out by consumers and reviewers alike.

External storage is one (imperfect) solution. Giving more choices to consumers without absurd price tags is another.

 

[swilli89]

I do wish they would release a refreshed Nexus 5...get a better camera on it and a bigger battery. Even if they have to make it a little thicker I would be happy.

I had a Note 2. I did like the phablet size, so I may be happy to upgrade to a bigger phone again.

This. I just want my nexus 5 to have better battery life and I'm good for another upgrade cycle. Battery life is the sole reason I'm considering buying a z3 compact

 

[Red Storm]

This. I just want my nexus 5 to have better battery life and I'm good for another upgrade cycle. Battery life is the sole reason I'm considering buying a z3 compact

Android L is supposed to improve battery life, so hold on to your 5 for a bit longer at least.

 

[swilli89]

Android L is supposed to improve battery life, so hold on to your 5 for a bit longer at least.

Yeah I was just actually reading that 5.0 has some battery saving features. The problem is that my N5 is one of many plagued by bad emmc. I can't flash or upgrade my OS to my knowledge

 

[kpkp]

First video of Nexus 9, with eng subtitles.
http://youtu.be/wo1XD32zT1I

 

[SpacemanSpiffVT]

First video of Nexus 9, with eng subtitles.
http://youtu.be/wo1XD32zT1I

wows look great... the video is a weird vietnamese knockoff of The Verge... lol.

 

[you2]

Pity it doesn't have an sd slot; oh well guess it sucks.

 

[kpkp]

 

[Strk]

First video of Nexus 9, with eng subtitles.
http://youtu.be/wo1XD32zT1I

I like how ipad air sounds like ipad eh....

 

[SKORPI0]

Pity it doesn't have an sd slot; oh well guess it sucks.

Not sure why they can't have it in this tablet. Same thing thing with the Nexus 10 released almost 2 years ago.

 

[Red Storm]

Not sure why they can't have it in this tablet. Same thing thing with the Nexus 10 released almost 2 years ago.

Google doesn't do mSD. It's been known for years, yet for some reason people still get surprised and/or disappointed when a Google device doesn't have it.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

No one can deny that the price is too high. I'm sure it's well made but it's more expensive than the iPad Mini and as we know, the app situation is still better on iPad. I hope they keep selling the N7 as I love mine but I won't be picking this up.

I tell myself everytime Google pushes a tablet out to consumers that they are now finally taking tablets seriously. I have yet to see that commitment though. Its possible to blame app makers like Twitter and Facebook or whatever, but I think some effort can be made from Google's end to get a working version out for Nexus tablets even if it's an exclusive Nexus version or something (but wait fragmentation shouldn't matter anyway right?)

 

[sontin]

The new Mini 3 still comes with A7 and costs the same: http://www.apple.com/ipad-mini-3/specs/

So i dont see anything wrong with the price.

 

[Midwayman]

At least apple bumps you to 64gb for the first memory premium. 32GB max doesn't make any sense. I can understand keep thing base model 16gb just for a low "starts at" price, but geez.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I also think comparing to Apple isn't fair. Apple is known to rip people off. We all get that. $100 price tier increases for storage that costs as much as the vending machine does for a Coke.

On the Android side we have been railing against Apple for years and poking fun at people spending $899 for a device to get 128gb or whatever. For years we have been touting the advantage of SD cards and I remember how my GS2 had 16gb of onboard storage, and I shelled out $20 for a 32gb card. The only device I've had that has given me more than that 48 gb of storage was the OnePlus One, not the Nexus 4 or Nexus 5 since the whole axing of the SD card. We had a better solution for years, which came in the form of the SD card, but now that Google's going the path of Apple, being just marginally better than Apple in terms of pricing is acceptable now?

This kind of behavior should be frowned upon.

 

[jacktesterson]

I tell myself everytime Google pushes a tablet out to consumers that they are now finally taking tablets seriously. I have yet to see that commitment though. Its possible to blame app makers like Twitter and Facebook or whatever, but I think some effort can be made from Google's end to get a working version out for Nexus tablets even if it's an exclusive Nexus version or something (but wait fragmentation shouldn't matter anyway right?)

I just got rid of an iPad. Anything I wanted to do was on both platforms. Some things like Instagram and Snapchat wouldn't even open on the iPad, but would on the Google Tablet. (although phone versions, yes).

I certainly wouldn't use the App stores as a decision to go one way or the other.

 

[Midwayman]

I just got rid of an iPad. Anything I wanted to do was on both platforms. Some things like Instagram and Snapchat wouldn't even open on the iPad, but would on the Google Tablet. (although phone versions, yes).

I certainly wouldn't use the App stores as a decision to go one way or the other.

Gaming is quite a bit better on iOS. If you're not a gamer the difference is less severe.

 

[cbrunny]

Someone talk me out of using a Nexus 9 LTE as a phone (assuming it can; http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_nexus_9-5823.php The bands are there).

My N5 is cracked and I'm more impressed with the N9 than the N6, especially for the price. I don't use my N5 as a phone up to my head very often - usually I have a bluetooth device connected to it (my car most of the time) and when I don't, I use speakerphone.

Yes, I am serious.

 

[Uppsala9496]

Someone talk me out of using a Nexus 9 LTE as a phone (assuming it can; http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_nexus_9-5823.php The bands are there).

My N5 is cracked and I'm more impressed with the N9 than the N6, especially for the price. I don't use my N5 as a phone up to my head very often - usually I have a bluetooth device connected to it (my car most of the time) and when I don't, I use speakerphone.

Yes, I am serious.

Actually, that is an interesting point. Google Voice/Hangouts, so you have a dialer. Why wouldn't it work?

 

[cbrunny]

Actually, that is an interesting point. Google Voice/Hangouts, so you have a dialer. Why wouldn't it work?

Thinking about traditional calls, not Voice/hangouts. In Canada we don't have Google Voice yet, otherwise you are correct and I could just use Google Voice exclusively.

Traditional voice calls and SMS messaging seem to be coming to LTE versions of tablets more and more. GSMarena claims the N9 can do SMS texts, so I assume it can do voice too.

 

[Uppsala9496]

Do you have the hangouts dialer available in Canada? I use my google voice number with hangouts for dialing and texts.

 

[cronos]

It would definitely work, and you should do it.

In Asia it's pretty common that someone just carries a tablet everywhere that is also their primary phone (while on the other hand, it is also common for people to carry 3 different phones plus a tablet everywhere).

Edit: 'traditional' calls always work on these tablets, you just have to put the SIM card for your phone in it (and have a headset connected)

 

[cbrunny]

Do you have the hangouts dialer available in Canada? I use my google voice number with hangouts for dialing and texts.

Yes we do have hangouts dialer. Unfortunately though we don't have Google Voice numbers.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Does the Nexus 7 w/ LTE come with the dialer app? That should tell us if you can do the same on a N9.

 

[cbrunny]

It would definitely work, and you should do it.

In Asia it's pretty common that someone just carries a tablet everywhere that is also their primary phone (while on the other hand, it is also common for people to carry 3 different phones plus a tablet everywhere).

Edit: 'traditional' calls always work on these tablets, you just have to put the SIM card for your phone in it (and have a headset connected)

Yeah I knew this was big in Asia. I doubt it will really catch on here (except for maybe Soccer Moms - a group of which I do not belong). Hmm. I'll explore this further.

I just discovered that the LTE versions are not being distributed by my carrier and I don't really want to switch. If the bands are there, is it safe to assume they would be carrier unlocked if I purchased from google play or a big-box store?