All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

It's brain dead for literally everyone. Even my mother, who's terribly tech illiterate got to handle my phone at first sight. Where's the difficulty of sliding the unlocked slider to the right and just remembering that the center button with 6 little squares in it means where all the apps sit on?

Also, of you actually knew how to use Android, you wouldn't need to be switching ROMs daily to get optimum experience, because you don't need to. Even on my incredibly hacked & unoptimized version of CM for the Note 2 (Exynos is a PITA) it runs smoother and faster than my friend's iPhone 5.

 

Yeah. My dad (62 year technophobe) and my three year nephew can use the Nexus 7. Sure, they don't know how to root it but they don't need to. It’s simple until you want to do complicated things.

 

Everyone has their personal preferences. If Tsunade prefers iOS, then so be it. Android has it's advantages, as does iOS, Windows Phone or any other competing OS. Just because you love Android and think it superior in every way to other OSes does not make that the case for everyone.

Android is fantastic, tweakable and powerful-- but from personal and professional experience it definitely is not simple to the average user. I am in carrier stores daily, training employees and observing their interactions with customers-- and Android is just not as simple as iOS or Windows. More flexible and customizeable? Sure. But simplicity is not one of Android's strengths.

 

My mom is a database engineer and has multiple IT certifications and she found Android confusing. Hence for her tablet choice back in 2011, she paid 740 for the 32GB 3G iPad 2.

I'm not saying anything is wrong with Android, but I will say iOS is far
simpler because it was designed that way. Again if you are into tinkering and customizations, then Android is for you. But I'd say 70-80% of Android users are average joes who just want a functional phone. What I dislike about Android is it is too open. Crappy manufacturers can write up a crappy rom and oh hey look it's Android. I think Google needs to restrict it more so at least there are minimum specs for each version. My friend for fun put on 4.1 on his OG droid and it was HORRIBLE. Like it was pointless.

 

I get where you're going with it but a better supporting case would be HTC Sense on any 2011 HTC device. Putting Jelly Bean on a device from 2009 is no different than running iOS 4.2 on an iPhone 3G; no matter how well optimized the software is, the hardware just isn't powerful enough to support it period.

 

If they restrict it then they'll have people complaining that they're trying to lock down their devices. If you root and flash, you are explicitly taking responsibility for your actions. Being "too open" is kind of a silly complaint, imo. It's as open or as closed as you want it to be. If you want to only update OTA from your carrier and only install Play Store apps, you're welcome to do that. If you want to flash nightlys of some obscure ROM and sideload apps from wherever the hell you please, you have that option too. That's the beauty of it.

I do agree that iOS is easier for the novice user, which is why I recommend it to my less tech savvy coworkers, friends, and family. But I just can't appreciate the argument that a closed system makes for a better user experience overall.

 

I'm kinda glad Google waited to announce an Android 4.3 update... iOS 7 is a bombshell. I'm waiting to see how usable it's design is though.

 

I like how iOS 7 did the Control Center as a slide up from the bottom (as opposed to Galaxy's slide down from the top)... it's easier to access with one hand.

 

You still have to swipe from the top to close it, no? I'm still a diehard fan of the 4.2 notification shade.

 

iOS 7 actually looks... Great. Heavy Android Cards influence, but it's working great for Apple right now. Interested on how 4.3 will compare.

 

I wouldn't place too much faith in 4.3 being a dramatic departure from 4.2 in the aesthetics department. We're going to have to wait until this fall/winter to see what Key Lime Pie brings to the table.

 

I think so, but the current iPhone 5's form factor is within reach. Plus it doesn't go all the way to the top.

On my Note II, since it goes all the way down to the bottom... I can't easily one hand that operation.

 

Can't you just flick it down? If I swipe down on the home screen it automatically fully opens the notification shade.

 

Not on my Note II, you have to swipe from the very top and to close it, from the very bottom.

 

Hmmm, maybe it's a feature of CM10.1, thought it was built in.

 

Flicking works on both the S3 and S4 running stock (not even rooted) ROMs, you don't even have to flick it that hard/fast.

And I have no issues dragging down the notification bar from the top of the S4's screen when using it one-handed and I officially have stubby fingers.

 

Is it just me or does the automatic brightness on CM10.1 is terrible?
When I was running stock it was very accurate and efficient. This one I find myself changing the brightness manually every time..

 

I don't think it's just you. I leave mine at 50%.

 

On the Nexus 4 it's spot on. On Samsung devices with proprietary brightness controls/levels, it's not so great.

 

Ok this bug annoys me and I can't figure out what's causing it. Randomly I wont be able to type in any way, shape, or form on my phone. I even tried switching keyboards and the same thing happens...I can tap and select a textbox but nothing will appear in the box when I begin typing. It's totally random and sometimes it goes away.

Other times it doesn't and I have to reboot. It's frustrating.

The last time I randomly banged hardware keys on the slide out and some worked like 0 and ' but most others didnt.

Any advice?

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

 

Are you on a factory firmware? Disable Word Prediction and/or clear the cache on the keyboard app.

Apparently Sony is ready to let Togari out of the bag. If they do away with that horrid TFT screen from the Z/ZL, this is going to be a great device:

First image of Xperia Z Ultra teased – super slim phablet | Xperia Blog

 

^Now that sounds like a nice device. If there's ever been any kind of screen tech that could compete with HD-AMOLED in gamut/saturation/accuracy *if properly calibrated*, it's Sony's Triluminos. Seriously excited to see that come to mobile screens.

Also, a note... and I didn't realize this wasn't common knowledge, but those of you with Galaxy S 3/4 devices: the home button lag is caused by S-Voice. When you press the home button and it takes a second to put you back on the home screen, that's because it's waiting for a double press to launch S-Voice. Go into S-Voice settings and uncheck the box for "Launch S-Voice with home button" and you should be lickety split. I've had 4 people so far that have almost threatened me with a knighthood for showing them that, so I thought I'd post here to let you guys know as well.

 

It's good to see Sony starting to really get things right in the mobile field. Their update timelines are pretty vigorous, given now the nearly all except one or two devices from their 2012 line-up have been updated on Jelly Bean. The Z/ZL are very close to being great handsets, Sony has done a good job of releasing firmware updates so that any performance issues from the initial firmware are pretty much resolved. If not for the screen's terrible viewing angles, these would have been fantastic devices.

The refreshed Nexus 7 just went through Bluetooth SIG, so perhaps we should see a launch next month. If Google can keep this device under $300, nothing else can come close to it in terms of value for the money.

New Nexus 7 Shows Its Face In Bluetooth Filing Photo, FCC Filings Confirm Identity

 

An update to my saga entitled "ditching verizon"...

I've checked the carlisle area (where i've moved to and will likely live) for t-mobile coverage. Sadly its dismal despite being only 20 to 30 minutes away from the state capital (PA).

It's 2G only period.

I'm likely going to try Ting. The concept is novel and the BYOD list is growing.

My two likely choices are the Sprint Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch and the Motorola Photon 4G LTE. It's a difficult decision for me, the latter is newer and has a slide out keyboard. Both have jelly bean and unencrypted bootloaders.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

 

I thought you were swearing off Motorola handsets?

 

I wish I could have stayed on a SIM card carrier, but that's not an option out here in this part of south jersey. It was between Sprint and Verizon and my parents decided to add me back to Verizon.

 

Me too, my fellow NBRite, me too. The keyboard is definitely something that's swaying me though. Ditto it shipping with ICS (and thus the remote possibility of additional updates beyond jelly bean) as opposed to Gingerbread like the Epic 4G Touch. All that and the fact that the bootloader is unencryptable (and this is fully supported by Motorola) has me thinking it's the phone for me.

I still need to read reviews of both devices though so who knows...

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

 

I picked up an AT&T S4 today and flashed it to support AWS bands. Idle battery life still stucks, even though sync and the special features are off.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

 

Anyone got or played with the LG Optimus G Pro? Me madre is gonna need a new phone, pronto. Her oh so craptacular HTC Inspire 4G has all sorts of problems. I want her to trade it in for the $100 whilst it still turns on and makes a phone call. The two phones I've narrowed it down to are the LG Optimus G Pro and the SGS3 since she will only have to pay the sales tax and upgrade fee out of pocket for either of those. I know the SGS3 is being overshadowed by the SGS4, but the Optimus G Pro doesn't have a lot of fans it seems. And I've been wary of LG electronics for a long time. Plus AT&T is selling it for only $100 so that raises my eyebrows since it's supposed to compare to the Note II.

 

My Nexus 4 hasn't had any issues and I've owned plenty of LG phones in the past, I can't comment on the Optimus G Pro specifically.

 

The US version of the GSIII doesn't compare to the Note II. It's a nice phone though. Your mother should be perfectly happy with the GSIII. The G-Pro is the same size as the Note II, which is huge (5.5"). Not usable with one hand, for 95% of people.

 

I'm pretty certain he means the Optimus G Pro is supposed to compare to the Note2.

 

The Optimus G Pro is hair thinner than the Note II width-wise so it's easier to handle, but as HAL mentioned, it is still a 5.5" inch screen device so it's too large for most people. Otherwise, it is a very good performer albeit the battery life isn't quite as good as the Note II. Unfortunately it does not have a Nexus twin like the Optimus G, so make sure she is okay with the UI because development is rather slack on the device.

If she's sticking with Android, I would recommend looking at the Pantech Discover as well...it's half the price on contract and is quite good.

 

Yeah, for me I have to make sure the UI is good. She doesn't like the iPhone. "Too yuppie" as she puts it. She's always liked HTC sense but the newest version of sense doesn't look as good as the earlier version. I seriously want her to have the bigger screen since she's got long nails and big fingers. But I feel better with the TW (or AOSP) interfaces available on the SGS3. I guess it will come down to which phone she thinks she can handle better. I will give a hard look into the Pantech Discover. That will give her three available phone choices.

 

^What I've learned with my mother and grandmother is that the Galaxy S III is probably going to be your best bet. It's large, but it's still manageable with one hand. And everyone seems to either have an iPhone or "a Galaxy" device, so whenever they need help, they can ask each other or ask a friend (several of her friends have Galaxy S devices with TouchWiz). The G-Pro is good, but it's software is odd, and it's incredibly unlikely that any of her friends would have a recent LG device with Android 4.0+, so she'd be calling you for all her issues or roadblocks. Plus, like Micaiah said, the community development for LG devices is pretty slow going, so you couldn't just pop a simple fresh install of CM10.1 on it to give her something a little more simple and easy to use than the LG UI.

So I'm thinking the Galaxy S (any) would be best. But then everyone has their own tastes, so good luck!

EDIT: I've been giving my mother and grandmother Galaxy S devices since the OG came out. And they've always run a CyanogenMod ROM, because of all the Samsung crap that is quite intimidating for new, non-techy, users.

 

CPU-Z has found a new home on Android.

 

New Nexus 7 with Android 4.3 apparently spotted at the FCC in two versions, Wi-Fi-only and GSM


Nothing new, but I am eager to have it.

 

It's sad that im considering my 3G fast when im tethering and getting 2Mbps down.

The problem with Sprint isn't necessarily that the highest speed I get is 2Mbps though, because when I'm on the phone I'm usually only doing basic browsing. The actual problem is that it goes UNDER 1 and 2Mbps where even simple browsing is slow.

Part of it may be my phone too which has been so slow lately itself, hopefully my GS4 will provide some more consistent data speeds, since I'm stuck with Sprint unless i wanna double my bill.

 

anyone else tried slimbean Rom? i'm enjoying it quite a bit on my GS4

 

You forget just how big a leap ICS was until you see it laid out like that.

 

Yep. Silly as it may be, I was highly reluctant to join the Android bandwagon until the Galaxy Nexus with Ice Cream Sandwich was announced. Gingerbread was just too tacky and ugly, with quirks that I didn't want to deal with.

 

:/ Nobody should still be using 2.3 still..


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Anybody tried the Rhino Shield, it look amazing and unbelievable, watch the video in the link below.

Rhino Shield » Impact Resistant Screen Protector for mobile and tablet screens

John.

 

HTC, they gets it? Regardless, do want.

HTC Butterfly S specs and photo gallery: Ridiculously gorgeous | Android Central

 

^Dat battery. And dem speakers.

HTC finally puts a giant battery in there. Somebody must have smacked Peter Chou up side the head with the OG Butterfly.

 

Shame the name is kinda crap.
Nice phone though.

 

I don't see it.
I understand why people like the One, it's alright-looking but that one, I don't know, there's something unpleasant about it IMO.

 

I dislike all the wasted space on the front (versus, say, the Galaxy S4). Both the microSD support and huge battery are fantastic though! It's an HTC device I would actually consider... if it were offered in the U.S.

 

I'm not arguing with that, it's just the description of it as 'gorgeous' that I don't get - if anything, it looks cheap to me, the two-tone colour scheme puts me in mind of cheaper HTC handsets.

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. From my perspective, if the bulkier, water resistant version of your product is more visually appealing than the 'regular' version, your design department is not doing their job properly.

Giving the way Verizon is currently neglecting the current Droid DNA, don't be too surprise to see this one in a month or two as the Droid DNA 2.

?