yes, and yes.
He should know if he's "developer" that root and encrypted bootloader are different things. 🙄
Samsung has never locked any of their devices. :thumbsup:
Well, they haven't locked them without providing a means to unlock.
😉
Hell, Samsung not only continues to provide unlocked/unlockable bootloaders, they sometimes even ship off a few units to major players in the dev community.
🙂
Sadly, Samsung continues to fail in other areas: build quality and quality control continue to challenge the manufacturer, and their radios cannot match the best of the competition.
To be fair, it's hard to match the radio giant that is Motorola (this is their bread and butter, they just happen to build devices around those radios too); additionally, I cannot accurately argue whether Samsung's radios (do they make them, or source them?) routinely match the other competitors or if they are among the bottom ranks.
The Galaxy Nexus (Verizon) has quirks related to the above, but overall I can't let go of this damn thing.
Here was my problem. I know some people just want their smartphone to work, and to do it with some flair (iPhone, Droid Razr, etc)... but I treat my smartphone like a computer, and well... this is anandtech right? -- customizing is how I roll.
😀
My first smartphone was the Omnia, and I had never done anything with a phone before, and slowly got the ball rolling and ROMing came quickly and felt natural. The Droid came and rescued me from WinMo hell, and I spent a good long time researching on that one... sat on it stock for about two or three months I think!
😱
But it was getting long in the tooth, and I jumped on the Bionic... like an idiot. Honestly, I wasn't sure about the Galaxy Nexus. For one thing, it still wasn't entirely a sure bet on Verizon - a lot of strong rumors, but Verizon likes to fashion themselves retarded on occasion (more often than not it seems lately) - as the same happened for the Nexus One and ultimately Verizon nixed the deal; secondly, I was leery of "downgrading" from Motorola to a Samsung, when they, even in my own experience, have historically suffered weaker reception in comparison.
That, and I was basically lusting over the Bionic since the original device, then followed all the rumors and leaks that detailed the canceled Bionic and it's replacement with the device code-named Targa. That ultimately got branded the Bionic, and I liked everything about it - save for the slightly excessive bulk and, worst of all, a locked bootloader. Sure, one could ROM it with workarounds, but you could never customize the kernel... but I must admit I don't know about flashing radios, not sure if the bootloader hinders that.
I had to use my dad's upgrade (share plan), so I
might have to pay for a basic phone for him if he decides to upgrade in the next year or so :\ but I did get the Galaxy Nexus for $250 instead of $650... so I'll still make out in the end.
😀
And it was so worth it. The Bionic was getting on my nerves, and I didn't want to merely play in a sandbox, I wanted the endless dunes.
The overall SGN, plus extended battery, plus the translucent glossy TPU case from Verizon... it about the overall size of my naked Bionic. :biggrin: And it's so much faster... seriously, with the right combination of kernels, even with overclocks, and the expansive configuration options and tweaks, ultimately nets you better performance
with better battery life and device longevity. I do stress if done right, however. But with those kind of gains, I can't turn it all down, and as I discovered, I also have it have it in the first place. I also cannot accept a walled garden.
😉 It would have it's benefits, but I like to have it may way with my computing devices, and the SGN as I have it definitely appears to meet all my wishes.
edit:
dammit, I just realized this was all in reply to a thread that is apparently not about the Galaxy Nexus or about anything I typed, saved for the Android discussion. Well damn! So it goes, already typed and submitted, it stays.
