All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

That's a really good point. It's not like there are a lot of other things to criticize with the phone, so they may have been looking for criticisms. I'll sleep on it some more, because I otherwise love both the phone and its price point.

 

my point was there is always a little room to find a way to scratch up a couple hundred bucks if you so choose to do so. I always recommend the 10 pound bag peanut diet* or the ramen noodle diet.

Also as i said if you leave it in your car...there is no carrying. (assuming you drive everywhere...city life..different story)

No reason to get butt hurt shesh.

*parents gave me 20 bucks and i made 20 bucks of peanuts last me near a month -_- It was the cheapest thing next to rice and ramen but i didn't have a solid method to cook at the time.

 

S-OFF + bootloader unlock + SIM Unlock = the best.

 

Dude, if you're going to push it, I have an eight-year-old with special needs and the related occupational therapy bills, a five-year-old kid as well, my wife brought $80,000 of student debt to our marriage but stays home full-time with the kids (because of aforementioned eight-year-old's needs), I have a mortgage, a car payment, and a law firm partnership buy-in. All in all I have hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and one income to pay it off with. I have a long list of things that need repair or replacing as disposable income becomes available. Please do not explain to me what corners I can cut. I've done that analysis time and time again since 2006. The corners that can be cut have been long ago.

Well, since we sometimes use my wife's car and sometimes my own, I'd have to shift it each time we go out. And I wouldn't have it when we walk somewhere (we have several parks within walking distance).

Like I said, I appreciate the input, but I'm really not shopping for a dedicated camera in the first place right now, especially not a $400 one.

 

Got impatient about getting a new phone, and decided I didn't want to spend Note 4 money even if the Note 4 turned out to be the greatest thing since sliced bread, so:



Really liking it so far. Nice sharp screen. Superb ergonomics. Great onboard sound for a phone. Clean, minimalist approach to Android is great. The camera has a slightly yellow tint (and that room pictured above has really funky lighting, so don't judge the camera by that photo), but a yellow tint is a one-click fix with any photo editing software, and the photos look much better afterward.

 

^^^Is that you? You actually kinda looks like Cap'n Tightpants .

 

Hahaha, yeah, that's me.

 

What phone is that? That's not a Moto X or M8...I don't recognize it.

 

It's the 2014 Moto X.

 

Second gen Moto X

 

Well my fiance wants to go to T-Mobile. We were looking at the Moto G as a good entry level phone, anything else around the 200-300 range unlocked? She likes the Note..but I doubt you are going to get that prices unless its used/refurb.

 

There is the One+one at that price tsunade_hime. If I was on GSM then I would get that phone hands down.

 

No microSD card slot? No, thank you.

 

Definitely a OnePlus One. Check Swappa for a decently priced used one. I bought one off of Cell Trader Online for $325 shipped.

Lack of an SD card isn't an issue for most people considering it has 64GB of internal storage(of which almost 55 is free).

 

How easy is it to get a OnePlus One? I thought they were still invite only.

The second gen Moto G has a microSD card slot, and it's very fluid despite being an inexpensive device.

 

invites aren't to hard to get, if all else fails you can get one off of ebay. Invites are $15-30 there. I'm sure if you were looking for one you could find some around the internet for cheaper or even free.

I can understand why people require a SD slot. But I've never really had and problems with on board storage. I'm currently using 6.76/8.00 of my on board and 0.03/58.45 on my SD card.

 

My initial review of the 2014 Moto X:

Spoiler

HARDWARE

Hardware-wise, this is fantastic. First, let's get the size out of the way. I've heard a lot of grousing about how it's bigger than the first-gen. Yes, it's bigger than the first-gen Moto X. However, it's not appreciably bigger than a Galaxy S3 in a slim-fit case, even though that phone also has a 4.7" screen. It feels smaller in the hand than the Galaxy S5, even though their actual sizes are similar. Better contouring does that for you. Now that that's done...

The design is remarkably well-thought out. Someone clearly worried about the details. Unlike both recent phones from Apple and from Samsung, the camera is recessed slightly instead of projecting (possible because of the curved back), so you're not resting it on its lens when you set it down on a stone table or whatever. And the same is true on the other side. The speakers at the top and bottom protrude about 1mm. At first I thought it was questionable build quality (the equivalent of "proud wood" on a firearm that doesn't fit flush with the metal bits), but quickly I realized it's the opposite. The speakers are textured metal and protrude on purpose: they form a stand that keeps the screen off the table when you set it face-down. This protects the screen and also prevents it from sliding (screens are slippery, and if the table's not totally flat, a Galaxy S3 will slide across it like a hockey puck on ice). The Motorola "dimple" helps you find which side is up when it's in your pocket, and the texturing on the power button but not the volume rocker helps you distinguish the two in your pocket (for adjusting music volume while walking). And those buttons have a crisp feel with no wiggle...a huge step up from the mushy, wobbly feel of my Galaxy S3's buttons.

The speakers on this are GOOD. Seriously, volume and quality for music rival my VAIO Duo 11. I never would use my Galaxy S3 to play music while in the kitchen, etc, but I'd do it with this. The fact that the speaker is forward-facing is also nice, because you can skip tracks and such without pointing your speaker right at the kitchen counter.

Video-watching is superb. You would think that a 5.2" 1080p screen would be a modest upgrade over a 4.7" 720p screen, but this is a huge leap forward. Watching Stargate: Atlantis in bed (don't judge) was really an excellent experience.

A lot has been said about the optional wood and leather backs. I'm glad I went with the plastic. First, it's a nice plastic--feels solid and has a nice satiny finish, and it fits very precisely against the aluminum rim. Second, I have very serious doubts about the longevity of bamboo and leather. I think they're going to be heavily scuffed, scratched, peeling, and/or moisture-damaged by the end of two years--or much sooner if you're at all rough on your phone.

SOFTWARE

The two things I love the most are the smoothness (after two years of Touchwizzed Android) and the aesthetic consistency (after two years of...well, you know). I like visual consistency--that was one of the things I really liked about Windows Phone 7.5, despite its many functional limitations--and the Galaxy S3 was an epic fail on that front. This phone proves that, at least nowadays, that's not an Android-wide problem. And it's not just a consistent look, but at GOOD look--particularly with a live wallpaper like phase beam or bubbles, which take advantage of the translucencies and thin lines in the UI and the first-party widgets, and create a very ephemeral overall look.

A lot of reviewers have praised all the Moto functions (voice commands, active screen or whatever it's called). I think it's a bit overrated. The active display was getting tons of false positives (turning on the clock and the lock insignia) whenever I set the phone on the desk next to me, and the movement out of the corner of my eye was distracting. As for voice commands, I love the idea of setting your own prompt, but the darned thing said "talk to me Goose" wasn't complicated enough and rejected it. Dammit. But I'm not a big voice-command guy anyway. However, both were easy to turn off, leaving me with basically Nexus-esque software.

The one and only thing I miss from my Galaxy S3 was the quick-toggles and screen brightness slider in the notification shade. It's far too many taps to activate and deactivate the GPS, to turn screen rotation on and off, etc. There is a widget for the homescreens that offers some of these, but it's ugly as sin (one of the few cases of aesthetic inconsistency in the phone) and doesn't have all the settings I want to toggle. I may look into third-party software to add Samsung-esque quick-toggles to the notification shade.

The camera interface is superb; the results are, in a word, inconsistent. Sometimes I capture great shots; sometimes it struggles to focus on the right subject or the colors come off as yellowed (the latter is easy enough to fix with any photo-editing software). May just need some practice on my end and/or some patching on the software end, but the hardware is clearly fine (or else the shots would be consistently bad).

CONCLUSION

It's tempting to compare this to the iPhone 6 and other new flagships, but remember: it's actually priced against the iPhone 5S and the Galaxy S4. But it sure as hell doesn't feel like them. Motorola is not the first manufacturer to challenge what appears to be a "gentleman's agreement" as to smartphone pricing (there were the Nexus devices, OnePlus, etc), but it's the first mainstream-named brand in the US market to do so, and man, they're not pulling any punches. The phone looks and feels premium in the hand, and the user experience is smooth and superb, feeling a hell of a lot more refined than the Samsung devices that both cost more and dominate Android sales in the US.

 

Hey guys, I have an invite for the OnePlus One (64Gb), if anyone wants it I will gladly give it to you. As long as you actually want to buy the phone (and not sell the invite).

Talking about the OPO, fantastic phone. it is a bit heavy, but it feels really good in the hands. Only issue I have so far is with the TouchScreen (ghost swype and the like), I flashed Franco Kernel and most of the problems seem to be gone.

 

I just like the idea of just swapping cards and having all my music and photos go with it. Much easier than having to load it all onto the new device.

 

Every time I move my SD card from one device to another I have to format it again anyways.

 

Then something's wrong with your SD card. I very rarely have to do a reformat on its.

 

Multiple SD cards, with multiple phones. I've pretty much accepted that its just that way with android. I'm using a Samsung 64gb right now and it did it going from my S3 to the Motorola Droid M that I'm using. All of my older phones had the same issues with with my old 32gb card too(sadly I left that card in a phone when I returned the phone).

 

I've had the same SD card thru 2 phones (SGS3 -> HTC M8). Before that I had a smaller capacity card in my Blackberry Bold ->SGS->SGS3. Never had to reformat them when transferring to a different phone. Its real fishy to have to format your card each time you add it to a new device. Then again, I've only ever used Sandisk microSD cards.

 

i at least just like the idea to have one for movies and one for music....thats a neat idea personally.

 

Well I'm thinking the 2nd gen Moto G, it has LTE support and a MicroSD card slot for 179.99.

 

If anyone needs a OnePlus One invite, I know people with extras.

 

A friend of mine just got a OnePlus One. He seems happy with it, but I played around with it briefly and wasn't in love. In particular, the screen seemed very washed out and unimpressive, especially next to my (admittedly significantly more expensive) 2nd gen Moto X. And it's a VERY big phone even compared to other 5.5" phones, given the large bottom bezel created by the optional capacitive buttons (he used the on-screen buttons so that "chin" was wasted space).

But even he wasn't that happy. Not based on anything he said expressly, but because he's talking about maybe flipping it when the Nexus 6 comes out.

 

Well of course the AMOLED display on the Moto X will be have better color than the IPS on the OnePlus.
For the price it is a bargain compared to any phone out there, of course some compromises have to be made..

 

An invite to buy a phone is just a hype. Surprised Apple doesn't do it.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's a damn good phone for $300-$350. Definitely agree with that. It's just that, as part of the pre-release OnePlus One hype Radji were talking about, some people were referring to it as a $600 phone selling for $300. And I was just saying that while it's a damn good phone for the price, it's not like the price difference between it and more expensive phones is solely profit margin.

A space near the front of a five-block-long line of campers IS an invite, in a sense...

 

Yeah, you're not wrong.
I'm interested in knowing how much the Nexus 6 will sell for, then I'll see if I can flip my OPO and get a N6.
Compared to my old Nexus5, the One plus offers a better camera, a much larger battery and a larger screen size. So yeah, I don't regret the upgrade but it is indeed not exactly "the best phone around". Every phone has its quirks.

 

I'm betting that the Nexus 6 will be $450-$500, even with Google's typical subsidy for Nexus devices. I just can't see them selling a QHD 5.9" phone for $300ish. If I'm right, that'll mean that the OnePlus One is still the best value in the $300-400 range (with the Moto G being the best value under $200 and the Nexus 6 being the best value in the $400-$500 range).

 

Oh, yeah. The OnePlus One definitely gives you the most bang for your buck ATM.

I just find it ironic one of the most inexpensive, yet powerful smartphones right now requires an invite just to purchase.

 

My understanding was this is a common sales tactic on the Chinese market--instead of waiting until you have a bazillion made and putting them all on sale (the way the iPhone and Galaxy lineups are sold), you sell them batch-by-batch as you make them and try to get as much excitement as you can for each batch using tactics such as invites--and just the first time the sales tactic was used for a smartphone on the US market. Maybe it's an internet myth, but it sounded like a reasonable explanation for the whole "purchase by invite only" thing.

 

Again, makes you wonder why Apple or Gnusmas haven't tried this...

In other news: If HTC does come out with a refresh of the M8, I wonder what hardware/software limitations there are to swapping the newer (and hopefully higher MP) camera sensor out of the newer model and install it in the M8. Provided the camera will need to be the same physical size and have the same ribbon connector as the M8, but other than that...

 

Apple: the camping-out method is, for them, even more effective at building hype. Why mess with what works?

Samsung: hard to build hype for any one particular model when you have "the next big thing" coming out about every three months. OnePlus has one phone to sell, and they can focus all of their emphasis on that. How hard is it to apply the same tactics when you have the Galaxy S5, Galaxy S5 Prime (in limited markets), Galaxy S5 Active, Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge, etc?

 

Samsung=Proctor and Gamble

 

Works great for me though. Makes me feel superior to know that I can get a phone that my less intelligent associates cannot get.

Android, finally making people feel more Superior than Apple has for years.

 

That was the best catch-line of the article.

I forget how stupidly greedy <del>people</del> iSheep can get when it comes to their Apple products.

Agreed. Seems like every 90 days they come out with a new "flagship" model. Sammy is quickly becoming like HP in the early 2000's. Throwing out models left and right with meager spec updates claiming them to be "top of the line" just to command a high price. People will turn away from that real quick-like. Why get just another Samsung when you can have an Apple, HTC, LG, or OnePlus? Product hypes burn themselves out quick. In the case of Apple, they're very cautious with the amount time between products in order to maintain that hype. For OnePlus, they will need to follow suit and not throw phone models in such rapid succession an Sammy. OnePlus may not have Apple's crazed following, but they do have great specs at an affordable price on their side. And that's something no other OEM can claim ATM.

 

My biggest thing about the OnePlus One is getting support if it has a hiccup. Whereas other manufacturers it would be easily to contact (ie Apple, Samsung, etc), I'm sure you'd need to jump through hoops and loops to get service. I think I'd stick to the Moto G for my fiance. The OnePlus One is really nice if you are a power user and normally looking at Nexus devices no doubt, just not my cup of tea.

 

Update on the 2014 Moto X. The two criticisms raised in every review are battery life and camera performance.

Yesterday, I disconnected the phone at 99% charge from the charger at 9am. Usage was my normal moderate-to-light usage throughout the work day. I have disabled 4G (the 4G coverage where I live is pretty crummy anyway) but done nothing else unique to minimize power drain (screen brightness wasn't minimized, syncing wasn't disabled, etc). At 8pm, it was at 71% charge.

Photos inside in moderate to dim light aren't super-sharp, but here's a photo taken outside with HDR mode on (resolution scaled down and address blacked out but otherwise unmodified).

Spoiler

 

Hi.

I just bought an WikiPad an 7" gaming android tegra3 tablet it is running android v4.2.2

Wikipad

My questions is, i cannot find how to format the microsd , it shows in storage and can be unmounted but no format option shows up, anybody have a clue?

EDIT : I have just rooted it.

Thanks

John.

 

I'm surprised you haven't been called out yet.

I have no problem with you. You have your opinion, ok. That's fine. But there's nothing wrong with Apple, but with every single comment you make, it has a snide undertone or flat out grilling of Apple.

THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH APPLE.

Apple has the highest performing SoC's, the most consistently performing screens in regard to being almost perfectly calibrated, amazing build quality, consistently amazing camera quality, support that no other OEM can lay claim to... I mean, seriously. They're doing something right, and that can't be argued. Simply can't.

Apple's SoC's are able to compete with Intel's Atom Z3770 (A6) on a single thread performance measure. Only reason they can't on a multi-thread is because they're on different TDP levels. Qualcomm, while perfectly fine SoC's, aren't.

Though I do find that the iPhone 6 Plus is a bit overpriced for what it is, the regular 6 I have no problem with (except it needs to be 32GB base).

EDIT: I'm just tired of the bickering. Sorry, but I'm not sorry. Not at all. Don't care.

 

^^^

...:cry:

You're right. I hate Apple. Wait a minute...what am I saying? I don't hate Apple...do I?

Yes...I do! I hate their overpricing (even though Alienware is similarly gouging). I hate that iOS is locked up tighter than the Colorado Supermax. I hate that Apple fanbois blindly buy their products without any regards to pricing, reviews, or spec comparison. I hate that after so many years, all these Apple mobile products will NOT support either MPT or microSD cards. You want to load stuff into your iPad? Gotta do it thru iTunes. :thumbsup:

I have no doubt Macs are powerful adversaries in the PC world. I have no doubt the iPhone can match my M8 (or outmatch when it comes to camera).

So yes, I do hate Apple. And I suspect that even though there are some Mac Users here in OT, they all secretly hate Apple too.

But I won't take this any further. HAL has made his point. I will make the effort to not bash Apple in every reply I make.

 

But it's different for actual Apple users because they've known no different since inception. Apple has never used SD on any phone they've made. And they likely never will (100% certainty). It's just what they're used to using and adapting to versus what we Android users are used to. Android users had mSD up until a point, then (excepting Samsung) every OEM seemed to remove mSD from their designs. Imagine an iOS user that had mSD from the beginning, then with the iPhone 6 not having it... that was what it was like for every Android user for the last generation. We're getting it back with this generation, and yes it's a step over iOS with it's limited local storage, but Android has much better utilities for local file utilization in regards to expandable memory. iOS was designed in response to having to never add or subtract actual local storage space.

The iPhone 6 far outmatches the M8 in the camera. FARRRR. Same image sensor size. Much more mega pixels. MUCH more detail. Same low-light capabilities.

But thank you, that's all I ask. Give Apple credit where they're due, and that's for a nice handset. A really nice handset with some outstanding hardware. (software is arguable)

 

I must've missed when microSD cards were removed from phones' designs. Heck, there was even microSD card support on my last 2 Nextel phones.

And yes, the only complaint about my M8 is that its camera sux donkey balls. I've always wondered if the image sensor module could be swapped out with a similar one (given the ribbon connectors and such were the same) like one from the upcoming Desire Eye...?

 

MicroSD disappeared from Android flagships for a couple years (except for Samsung and Sony), not entry-level devices. One (M7) lacked it. LG G2 lacked it. Moto X (both generations) lacks it. Etc.

 

Does anyone have the Nvidia Shield? Not the tablet one, the one that has the controller attached to it. I've been thinking about getting me one, wondering if anyone here has experience with them.

 

I had one.

They're not bad if you use it for what it is... a purely gaming device. Web browsing, and really everything that wasn't a game, was really weird on that flip up screen.

 

How well does the overlay buttons thing work? The only thing I have ever used any of my Android tablets for is playing games. My phone gets used as a phone but all of my tablets have just been gaming devices. With the Shield I can at least stream my PC games on it as well.