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Verizon Dropped the Ball with the Galaxy Nexus

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Verizon had a chance to make the Samsung Galaxy Nexus experience a special one, but unfortunately, it dropped the ball.

Big Red was the first American carrier to play host to the Galaxy Nexus, the first device toting Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

I, like many others, bought the device thinking that it would provide that old fashioned Nexus experience where the device would be the first to get updates from Google.

Verizon Dropped the Ball with the Galaxy Nexus

 

Read: Why Did I Buy the Galaxy Nexus Again?

Nearly five months after buying the phone, the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon still hasn’t received a single update. It’s sitting on Android 4.0.3, riddled with bugs.

I vented my frustration about the issue, however, that was before an Android engineer took to Google+ to vent frustrations of its own.

Android software engineer Jean-Baptiste Queru took to Google’s social network to lambast an unknown service operator who apparently has been holding back software on Google’s flagship devices.

He doesn’t explicitly say it but he is definitely talking about Verizon, the Galaxy Nexus, and the Motorola Xoom.

That’s pretty embarrassing. For me, this was the cherry on top of all the complaints I’ve had about this phone and about Verizon.

Read: Verizon to Blame for Lack of Galaxy Nexus Update?

Verizon had the chance to do something big with the Galaxy Nexus, a 4G LTE smartphone that is widely considered to be one of the best Android smartphones ever made. It had the chance to prove to Google that it was a great partner, Queru’s statements seem to say otherwise.

It had the chance to keep customers happy by releasing timely updates on a device that no other service provider had.

And lastly, it had the chance to provide a great smartphone experience, one that would not only ensure that customers would buy another device on Verizon but one that would also stand to lure in others to the fold.

In my mind, it has failed on all counts here.

Queru says that his mind is blown that the software hasn’t rolled out. Agreed. But you know what bothers me more? The silence. The complete and utter silence that Verizon has displayed in regards to this device.

In fact, the carrier seems to be mum about the device (and its software update) internally as well.

I know for a fact that thousands of Galaxy Nexus owners have asked about the update and I know for a fact that Verizon hasn’t provided any sort of clear cut answer to any of them.

To me, for a Nexus device and one that cost $300 with a tiered data plan, that’s unacceptable. About as unacceptable as the battery life issues that continue to annoy me on a daily basis.

If it sounds like I’m angry, I am. I’m fed up.

Add Jean-Baptiste Queru to that list.

And I get the feeling that many others are too.

19 Comments

19 Comments

  1. Jvhtech

    04/27/2012 at 1:24 pm

    Not to mention almost zero accessories.  The car dock on their site is an over-priced piece of plastic.

  2. DavidSBarney

    04/27/2012 at 2:15 pm

  3. Ralphbretz

    04/27/2012 at 2:20 pm

    The Galaxy Nexus is really making me consider switching to an iPhone, but not on Verizon. If Sprint gets a bigger coverage area where I live, I’d drop Verizon without a second thought.

  4. Afs63

    04/27/2012 at 2:29 pm

    I finally gave up and bought a razr maxx. Best decision I ever made. This phone is superior in just about every way.

  5. Twizatch

    04/27/2012 at 6:00 pm

    Stuck on Version 4.0.2 for OTA. you can get 4.0.3 if you root and install yourself. Verizon only officially recognizes 4.0.2 as the latest though.

    Screw this sh*t company (Verizon).

    • michael arazan

      04/29/2012 at 12:49 am

      The best part of the galaxy nexus is the strong dev community. The help answer and help others with roms , like the 4.0.4 that seems to fix a lot of bugs but is missing some stuff like radios and other things. I have never flashed but i am thinking about doing it. I think I’ll try on my old og droid 1 to just get an idea of what i am doing and to practice. I am a tech nerd but not tech savvy.
      Sad that the GSM version and the sprint lte g nexus already have the 4.0.4 update. Sprint had 4.0.4 the day of release. If it works on the sprint gnex which is identical except for the network code it should work on the vzw version. It fixes every problem on the phone from connection, reboots, touch, landscape, radios,  etc, and they added more stuff to the update too. 
      I think verizon is just trying to figure out a way to charge people for the update, since that’s all they are about now is nickel and diming everyone to death. Especially with the new upgrade ser charge of $30 they do for new discount phones because they are losing a ton of money on the iphone, and are also making people pay for the bloatware they they do not want or need, but is forced upon them.

  6. Jamesselix

    04/27/2012 at 6:00 pm

    That is frustrating. I bought a nexus one from Google and loved the fact it got the updates first.
    I just got a galaxy nexus the way it should be, vanilla and from google. I’m on 4.0.4 and loving it

    Hope they get the updates out soon. just feels like history repeating itself. (Ie ppc2002 phones)

  7. Alexander Garcia

    04/27/2012 at 7:07 pm

    My answer to your frustration… RAZR Maxx. Proud owner of one and this beast is quite a gem of a phone. Awesome radios, premium hardware materials, and don’t get me started on the brilliance of the battery life. Mad kudos to Moto on this one!  =)

  8. Btc5472

    04/29/2012 at 3:38 am

    Verizon is a very bad carrier in terms of customer service and their greed for money. They are the carrier that puts the most bloatware on phones and also lets motorola put buggy devices on the market. Like the droid 3 and droid x2. I have the verizon galaxy nexus amd would never ever trade for anything else. Sure iPhone gets more updates. But the thing is, do the updates bring as many new features as android does. I dont think so. Android will always have better features.

  9. bennettckm

    04/29/2012 at 6:07 am

    I’m still on 4.0.1 . So the Canadians are getting it way worse
    Only the original update since launch. Guess I have Samsung to blame for that

  10. Bigmouth

    04/30/2012 at 10:03 am

    Hopefully, Google learned their lesson and this is the first and last time a Nexus device will be launched on Verizon.

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