The phone that could have been
When I first saw the data sheet on the LG G2X it looked like a sure winner. It had just come out as T-Mobile's first dual core device available. A beautiful large display, Tegra 2 processor (even though I don't mobile game) and what seemed like a nice and solid build factor. My assumption was that this device might become the new enthusiasts phone with wide spread ROM support etc. What happened turned out to make the G2X the last product from LG I will have ever bought.
I had decided to wait a couple of months for my upgrade though before signing my soul away for a ridiculously overpriced phone. That idea died when my trusty Nexus One was stolen. Being in sales at that time I was forced to act immediately and get a new phone. My living was directly tied to my ability to make and receive calls. So I went ahead and I purchased an early upgrade T-Mobile G2X . It was love there for a little while.
Then a couple of things happened, other than the honeymoon ending. The device had so many launch issues from random reboots, to turning off with a fizzle to never start again, to the GPS only working when you didn't need it, etc. etc. that T-Mobile seemed to discontinue it... quietly... denying there being issues. They just claimed that there were stocking issues and other reasons you all of the sudden had a better chance to be hit by lightening than finding this phone. I did the only completely reasonable thing and I immediately started lying to myself: "Oh how lucky I was to get one of the working ones / 3rd party roms will fix the issues / etc"
None of that was true. While ROM support was strongish with Gingerbread based ROMs it ended abruptly with the release of Ice Cream Sandwich. Now don't get me wrong the phone was speedy, and solid as long as you didn't need it do anything extraordinary such as make a phone call, have more than five hours of battery life or find your way home. It was simply unreliable, with the stock kernel, with CM7, with essentially anything. And being the devil spawn that T-Mobile wanted to forget it wasn't going to get Ice Cream Sandwich. Sure for a while it looked like ICS was in the future and LG and T-Mobile spouted dates, ideas and promises but in the end it still hasn't happened.
Third Party ROM Support and Nvidia Tegra 2
One of my problems is that I'm a first adopter. With first adopter being a code word for idiot among many technology companies. ICS based roms started coming out quickly though, some with usable polish even but there was a fatal flaw. Nvidia never released ICS drivers for the Tegra 2 GPU. And as much as developers hacked around trying to get the Gingerbreader drivers to behave with ICS. It simply didn't work well.
Using Google maps became an even more infuriating experience. While it had in the past just been cursed with unreliable GPS and often worked fine for 2 hours of interstate just two get knocked off lock 3 miles from the exit... You know the part where you need it. Even in those cases you could always still sort of use it by using it as an old school map.
Enter the absence of Tegra 2 drivers.... more often than not Google Maps displayed itself as it's UI minus the map... A nice white background with no map information. The phone had become the King of Fail Mountain. But that's the life of the enthusiast right? I just should have gone back to Gingerbread and waited like a good kid for T-Mobile or LG to decide I needed an Ice Cream Sandwich... On an enthusiast friendly platform.
Using Google maps became an even more infuriating experience. While it had in the past just been cursed with unreliable GPS and often worked fine for 2 hours of interstate just two get knocked off lock 3 miles from the exit... You know the part where you need it. Even in those cases you could always still sort of use it by using it as an old school map.
Enter the absence of Tegra 2 drivers.... more often than not Google Maps displayed itself as it's UI minus the map... A nice white background with no map information. The phone had become the King of Fail Mountain. But that's the life of the enthusiast right? I just should have gone back to Gingerbread and waited like a good kid for T-Mobile or LG to decide I needed an Ice Cream Sandwich... On an enthusiast friendly platform.
So here I was now having an office job in marketing. I wasn't as reliant on GPS or my phone, you know, working as a phone as I have a desk phone. So I decided I could rough it for a while.
Enter last Monday morning, 9AM. The previous night I forgot to charge the phone. It worked that morning, I even made two calls and then the phone turned itself off. Out of battery I assumed. I plugged it in and gave it a couple of hours. Then tried to turn it back on. It wouldn't, it was simply dead. With a whimper rather than a bang.
Enter last Monday morning, 9AM. The previous night I forgot to charge the phone. It worked that morning, I even made two calls and then the phone turned itself off. Out of battery I assumed. I plugged it in and gave it a couple of hours. Then tried to turn it back on. It wouldn't, it was simply dead. With a whimper rather than a bang.
Good riddance G2X. I hated you, called you the worlds worst phone to anyone that would listen and truly hated owning you. But you got the last laugh by going out on your own terms.
Future: A whole week without cell phone, can you be a member of society for a week while not having a cell phone? The answer will probably only sort of surprise you.
I did end up buying a GSM Galaxy Nexus
Future: A whole week without cell phone, can you be a member of society for a week while not having a cell phone? The answer will probably only sort of surprise you.
I did end up buying a GSM Galaxy Nexus
1 comment:
As much as I hate the web browsing inadequacy of my Blackberry, it doesn't do any of the things that you mentioned. Maybe RIM isn't so bad after all.
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