Android News
Nexus S doesn’t have a SD card slot or LED notifications – do you care? [POLL]
December 7, 2010 | by Lars Aronsson
Android News, Google, Samsung
Along with the PlayStation Phone, the Nexus S is the most hyped Android phone this fall, and judging from the early reviews, it’s positively a great device.
Google’s Nexus S page went live yesterday, and it does an excellent job explaining the fortes of the first Gingerbread phone: Near Field Communication (NFC), a 4-inch SAMOLED curved glass display, a three-axis gyroscope, dual cameras and not least vanilla Android 2.3, of course.
However, the new Google phone isn’t powered by a dual-core processor as some of us had hoped, but its 1GHz Hummingbird is still the most powerful CPU on currently available mobile devices.
It’s a bit more surprising that the Nexus S lacks two other popular features: a SD card slot and LED notifications – both have basically been standard Android features since the G1.
Sure, the Nexus S comes with 16GB onboard memory and that’s plenty of space for apps, games, movies and music, but that storage could’ve been easily expanded to 48GB with memory card support. Some of us are also relying on LED notifications to see if we have any missed calls or new messages without picking up our phones.
A question to those who planned on making the Nexus S their next Android phone: are these two shortcomings enough to make you not buy the device, or will it not affect your decision?
Via [Android Police, AP]
[poll id="8"]
why wouldn't they… Is there a valid reason for not including those two options??
I would vote no, but because the LED notifications are more important to me than a microSD slot.
I find the lack of LED notifications a very strange omission – one that I really need. P.S Oh, BTW, any chance of a favicon for the site?
I would vote no as well for the lack of LED notifications. Realistically, 16GB is more than enough for 95% of users. Maybe the transfer rate will be much faster now, it's horribly slow on the N1 at least to the SD slot. Maybe no microSD and LED are new standards for Android phones, better experience and lower battery consumption.
Missing LED is fail.
Really? No LED? I was so gonna order one, but LED is a MUST!
Fail on both counts. If you don't want SD card functionality, don't put in a card. The battery drain argument is moot. I would not buy this phone.
LED notification are nice, but without an SDCard slot, it's a no-go for me. What happened to freedom on all ends? I'll stick with my Nexus One, thanks.
I can’t believe the Nexus S is missing these two basic features, I mean, come on, no LED notifications, or an SD card Slot? WTF! I know Samsung wants to be like Apple, but this is ridiculous. What makes Android are the expandable memory cards, otherwise, why did Google put so much effort to allow us to export apps to sd? That’s one of the selling points. you buy a phone w/ 8Gb, but you can easily upgrade it to 32GB, etc. That Samsung omitted this, shows that 1, they do not understand Android, 2, could care less about their customers. Call me when HTC, Motorola or someone else releases the next Nexus phone. This one is a snoozer.
yeah arent companies trying to beat the iPhone, not become one.
It's strange how Google has treated the LED. Originally, the G1 had a nice color LED that would let me tell at a glance if I had missed calls, texts, etc. Then, with the N1, they didn't even bother to support the color aspect of LED that was already built into the device (until Froyo). AND, even more ridiculous in my opinion, they slowly flash the LED so that you have to stare at your phone for 8-10 seconds to see the notification. Now they don't even include an LED in their new flagship. I just don't get it. There must be someone important who thinks LEDs are poor UI or something. But I can't even imagine the argument.
Rather than the LED, I can just as easily push the screen-on button to see if I missed anything. One has to push a couple of things anyway if you want to follow through on the notifications. So, I don't care about the LED. However, the missing SD card? BIG mistake. As advertised and treated, these phones are basically mini-computers. They require space, with the option for more. By not allowing anyone to swap-out or add memory to this phone is akin to Google saying "we're giving you 16GB of space, and that's all you'll need." Quite an arrogant statement, as I see it.
Boy i hope Google reads these and other Blogs, Big mistake Google, especially as this being a flag ship device. Looks like I'm holding on to me Nexus One a lot longer. Google should of stuck with HTC, what a bone head move.
As was done with the Galaxy S series phones, the SAMOLED screen makes it possible to get and on screen "notification light" via software by lighting up only a few pixels it doesn't take much battery power, since the rest of the pixels are not using power.
TBH, the biggest strike against the NS on my end is … *drumroll* … it's not available on Verizon. Coverage, service and network reliability >>> features for me.
When I want to see if I missed a call, text message or email, I turn on my screen. With the # of emails I get daily, I don't rely on the LED. Also, I've never removed my SD card, so I'm not sure if that's really important as well.
bit of shame for a much hyped phone…..these are the basic elements that phone should have or atleast for user like me who doesnt want to pick up and unlock it to see a missed call or a msg or whatever.
Finally! I hate that bloody LED! I end up putting my phone face down throughout most of the day because the LED sits there and taunts me. Why would anyone who's even remotely busy want the extra stress and pressure of a constant reminder that you have more work to do?!
Is there any other notification system?
I have a Samsung Vibrant, so the missing LED isn't really a big deal to me. The Vibrant doesn't have one either. However, I absolutely must have an SD card slot.
Im glad I read this post… The LED thing is pretty high up the deal breaking list for me after having a HTC device with the LED…. The SD thing is the number one deal breaker… I got the N95 and ignored the N95 8gb because I had a 8gb SD card and a spare 4gb SD card… I skipped the Iphone because I had the 8GB, the 4GB and a 16GB.. And Now I will skip this because I'd rather sling a 32Gb card into my next handset than have to be stuck with the amount of space on the HDD that the manufacturer had laying about in a box nearby…
This phone doesn't have a HDD, nor does the N95. It has some flash memory, essentially a 16G microSD, installed inside it.
I think the 16GB limit is not a problem. That is quite a lot of space, and you can store infinitely more on "the cloud." Also, the LED notification system is unnecessary if it is true that the screen itself can create a small notification light, as a previous poster claims. IMO, the only weakness of this new phone is that it is not on Verizon. I'm not switching to an inferior network just to get the phone. I hope there is a Verizon version in the works.
I don't see Verizon going for it. The Apple deal not withstanding, they are pretty hot on controlling what goes on their handsets, and Google is shipping these plain vanilla. Sprint will bite, and AT&T might as well.
this dude popping off about the carrier and not the phone is a whack job! You special ED…it is ok with me just give it to verizon. You tare a troll…just sayin'
I think i can live without the SD card and the LED. What is great with this internal storage is that it's 16 GB instead of the 2 given with the SD card shipped with the phone. For people who want more storage, it's cheaper (thinking to students who burned their savings to offer themselves their wonderful android phone …)
Already have a Nexus S and all i can say 16 gig is enough…but no notification light IS suxx. All about Samsung. Personaly dont like any Samsung product beside their TV s. The phone body feels cheap, like the Samsung, shit plastic. The hardware inside and op system is great anyway. The missing LED is HUGE minus!
NoLED is a cool app that provides LED notifications by color or icon based on what you missed. Dig a little and you shall find a work around.
I don't really care about the LED, and while 16gb is a lot built into the phone, it seems really odd to me not to add an SD card slot so that people have the option to expand it or switch it out. What I really want to know about though is the battery life. The Nexus1 eats batteries for breakfast. The SD card omission is making me second guess switching from my Nexus1 to the new one.
Both the lack of SD an LED notifications are deal breakers for me. There is no reason to replace my Nexus One when I lose 2 key features and only gain NFC.
I use a 16G SD card anyway, and find that on reboot, sometimes my phone doesn't see the card and I have to shut down, reseat the card, then reboot again. I won't miss the card at all. And the lack of notification LED will save me the trouble of disabling it. I HATE the stupid LED! So I see both of those things as a PLUS, not something I'd need to adjust to.
well, for me the led is a minor drag. i don't mind turning on the screen to check…no biggie. as for the sd card while a year or year and a half ago i'd be right with everyone else about this being a must have feature it is now no longer the case for me. i used my card for mostly storing music. now that there are places like google music and spotify and other web based (sorry hate catchphrases like "the cloud") for me the need for extra memory is pretty much moot. i don't load up my phone with useless apps, like some of my friends do and i'm not so much into gaming unless somehow it's possible to dl and play nes and snes games witch i don't believe is possible at least in a legal way. for me this phone is a step up since i have a gen 1 pre.
I have a nexus s and it does have a led notification down @ the bottom. It blinks blue or white if i have missed calls, whatsapps, sms, mail, etc Sd card i just found out thats a bummer…