The Kidigi desktop dock is a simple desktop charging and USB sync cradle for the Samsung Google Nexus S. Although the product is made from plastic, it actually feels very high quality and has a good weight to it - this means that it provides a solid base for your phone to sit on, and it’s unlikely that you’ll knock it over when it’s sat on your desk. The dock is designed so that it angles your device upward toward your face; in practise, I found that the angle was absolutely perfect for me and that I could actually easily operate my device with a forefinger or a thumb even when it was placed in the dock.

At the front of the dock, there is a small blue LED that lights up to indicate whether your device is charging or not. Sometimes it’s easy to just place your phone onto the dock without checking whether mains power is on or not, so this is a nice little addition. Of course, there is a Micro USB connector at the front, and your Nexus S would simply slide into the dock and charge immediately. Another nice feature is the small foam tab toward the top of the dock, which prevents your device from being scratched when it is being removed/replaced - again, a very nice touch and shows that the designers paid attention to detail. 

I’d say the main downside of this dock is the fact that those who use cases on their Nexus S will have to remove it before docking, as the size and shape of the cradle section simply doesn’t make allowance for cases. However, those who use full body protectors such as the ones from Invisibleshield should be fine with this dock. It’s also worth noting that the dock can not only charge but also connect to a computer using the provided USB cable, so you can sync data between your computer and phone right from the dock, exactly as you would use a standard USB cable. 

The Kidigi is an excellent dock. It’s well built, good value, and works flawlessly. They even provide a Micro USB sync/charge cable as well as a USB mains adapter, which is always handy. It’s also available for a variety of different devices, and I’d highly recommend it. 

A big thanks to the folks over at Mobilefun.co.uk for sending this product out to me for review. Mobilefun stock a huge range of mobile phone holders as well as a ton of other accessories for your smartphone - go check them out! 

So we finally got the Galaxy Nexus (previously known as the Nexus Prime). I got home from a 2-3am bike ride earlier today and sat down to watch the stream of the launch event, and at first I wasn’t really that impressed. However, I’ve taken a closer look at the GalNex (which is how I like to refer to it), and it’s grown on me. A lot. 

Screen

I want to address this first, because I think that it’s the most impressive feature of the device. The GalNex features a 4.65 inch Super AMOLED display touting a resolution of 1280x720. Yes, that is a 720p display on a phone. I’ve been impressed with both Apple’s Retina Display as well as HTC’s qHD displays, but this takes things to a whole new level. You’ll be able to fit so much on that screen; this makes it ideal for browsing the web and reading large amounts of text. Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology will also ensure that the screen looks utterly amazing, which it does. 

Camera

Although the phone ‘only’ features a 5-megapixel camera, it records video in full 1080p HD with continuous autofocus, and has some nice effects built-in, such as the panorama mode that merely requires you to sweep your phone from one side of your shot to the other. The software will then automatically create you a nice panorama. Looking at the image samples online, I can see that the camera quality is very good, and probably on a par with that of the 8-megapixel cameras found on most recent HTC devices. It really shows that the number of megapixels really doesn’t matter. 

Ice Cream Sandwich

Android version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) will ship with the Galaxy Nexus. It features a total UI overhaul, and the only word I can use to describe the new UI is stunning. Everything takes a whole new ‘glass’ look, and the blue accents around the whole OS give it a very ‘Tron’ like appearance. Check out this video for a runthrough of the new OS. ICS also supports dual-core processors fully, which makes the GalNex a damn fast device, with its dual-core 1.2Ghz processor and 1GB of RAM. 

Samsung

I hate to burst my own bubble, but the only real thing that puts me off this device (other than the potential SIM-free prices, which are likely to be over £500) is the fact that it’s a Samsung phone. I have a minor vendetta against Samsung, and because of this there’s a small part of me that wants to completely avoid this phone. However, it is Google-branded; also, to be fair to Samsung they have packed in some formidable hardware. Samsung have only manufactured the device, and designed the hardware, so you are getting a Google phone with the Galaxy Nexus, and not a Samsung device. Samsung also don’t have the rock-solid build quality of HTC, and I suppose they never will, but I think this is something I could deal with. 

Verdict

Am I getting the Galaxy Nexus? Truthfully, I don’t know for sure yet, but it’s more than likely. As with every phone, I need to get my hands on one and find out what it’s like to live with before going out and purchasing one (I’ll need to purchase SIM-free and sell my current device, as my contract isn’t up for a very long time). I’m also getting fed up of HTC being unfaithful with software updates; where’s the 2.3.4 update for the Incredible S, guys? I believe that it’s the best smartphone in terms of raw specifications, and it will (like every Nexus device) get the latest Android software updates long before any other phone. Previously, this hadn’t bothered me, but now that I’ve been stuck using non-rooted devices and delayed software updates for the past two years or so, I think I want a change. 

Look out for my continued coverage on the Galaxy Nexus, and feel free to leave comments to help me decide. 

Look at these two phones below; look very carefully, and think to yourself. 

In case you’ve been living under a proverbial rock for the past three months, you’ll know that Apple and Samsung are locked in a patent war. Apple accuses Samsung of (to put it briefly) copying the designs of iOS, iPhone, and iPad, and more specifically breaching patent rights. Every company has the right to defend their intellectual property. I’m also no Apple fanboy; in fact, I don’t care for iOS devices - I think Apple are lazy and cocky about iOS innovation and development. This brings me onto the issue I take with Samsung: laziness. 

Look at those two phones above again; how much lazier can Samsung get? Look at the style and position of the icons, look at the large home button - it’s almost like they’re making no effort to conceal the fact that they essentially copied the iPhone’s design. Samsung’s Galaxy S lines of phones have been ridiculously popular recently; why is that? Well, I think it’s because they are so similar to the iPhone. Replicating (arguably) the most successful smartphone of all time will almost certainly bump your sales figures. 

So instead of creating something new and thinking outside the box, as HTC does, Samsung took the easy route. Look where it’s got them. In my view, copying the design of the most successful device (note: I used ‘most successful’ rather than ‘best’) will always put you in their shadow; creating something from scratch that people like is what will gain you real success. 

I’m not advocating Apple’s behaviour; I actually think that they’re being, well, Apple. Samsung have dug themselves into this hole, though; a company like that should know better, and I certainly won’t be buying a Samsung phone any time soon out of principal. I believe that Samsung are the party in the wrong, and that they have everything coming to them. It’s easy to criticise Apple, but the patent wars does give Apple haters/Android fanboys a lot of ammunition. Again, I’m no Apple fanboy, but I’m actually on their side; they had those designs first, and for Samsung to come and essentially steal is totally unacceptable business practise. Quite frankly, they should be ashamed.