The Faceless Master
Member
i wonder what Xiaomi is thinking... they're all worried about boxing out Samsung and then Apple runs off a screen and dunks right in their face.
Android |OT4| I/O Silver
- Thread starter kinggroin
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i wonder what Xiaomi is thinking... they're all worried about boxing out Samsung and then Apple runs off a screen and dunks right in their face.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
and with the super high price and insane profits with it meanwhile xiaomi is barely profiting. It really is pretty funny.
Android wise, time to step it up. That goes to everyone htc/samsung/lg/google/etc. People are clearly showing that they haven't seen a reason to get their product over an iphone. Gotta give em reasons. I'm sure samsung will come up with 20 new gimmicks thinking they've solved it but yeah.
WhiskerFrisker
Member
"Well, Apple is in a league of its own...at least Samsung's report was kinda shitty."
After almost one month of using the Nexus 6, I'm having a bit of buyers remorse. Not because I'm not satisfied with the phone. I really like it. But because of the price. After all this time using it, I'm feeling like I payed way too much for the way I use it. I really love the display size, but still... Can't help but think of returning it and maybe get the Moto X again since it is at about 400 euros already.
brotkasten
Member
Yeah, but I've been thinking about this earlier today.
What else can Android OEMs really do to make their phones appealing in this day and age? Phone hardware has never felt so boring and yet you have Apple selling 74.5 million phones in three months.
I really can't think of anything that could make my N5 better, other than battery life and a camera. Like, that's literally it. End of my imagination. And instead we have manufacturers putting out bigger and bigger phones with higher resolutions and more RAM and more cores and 64 bit and other shit.
And I'm not saying that they shouldn't do that and "no one ever needs that!", but are consumer buying that because they want it or because they have no other choice?
The Faceless Master
Member
RUN STOCK ANDROID!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Pyromaniac-
Member
Well, it's their jobs to think of stuff. It's all about innovation. I bet lots of people didn't think they couldn't live without a fingerprint sensor on their phone till apple did it right.
Android manufacters are stuck with this impression that "more/bigger is better". More specs bigger phones more features etc....Apple isn't even playing that game. The innovation doesn't even have to be in hardware it could be in software as well. Genuinely compelling new features that apple can't easily replicate. Google should figure out a way to leverage their skills and strengths into their product more than they do right now.
Samsung had the bigger screen as the differentiator but now that's not in play. And no making your phones 6+ inches doesn't help. Everyone has to think of stuff and not just throw everything at the wall like samsung is bound to do with the S6
it's a start lol
brotkasten
Member
WhiskerFrisker
Member
Great question that really gets to the heart of it all. What's next? OEM have to find something innovative enough to pull people in. Something akin to when smartphone were made popular by Apple. I don't know what that is, but they better find something. Perhaps holograms or augmented reality will be the next leap. Who knows.
Tons of shit.
Wireless charging.
Waterproofing.
Durable, flexible, drop-proof housing.
Holograms.
Samsung made huge headway with the galaxy line by realizing that if they could build a better phone people would buy it. There's no reason Apple having a huge quarter should discourage other companies, quite the contrary, it should encourage other companies. "Look at all the money that's still left to be made!"
-Pyromaniac-
Member
Speaking as someone who's pretty much used an Apple device from the launch of the original iPhone but has also purchased upwards of half a dozen Android phones and a few Windows phones, I just want something that feels as good as my iPhone 6, both the hardware and the software. No matter how hard I've tried in the past, switching to Android always just meant compromising something I enjoyed, and I'm nowhere near enough of a tinkerer to benefit on the other side.
I think Android OEMs have made major inroads on the hardware front in recent years (I really like one of HTC's offering, maybe the One? Sony phones, too). I've yet to try out the new software design ethos introduced into Lollipop, but I like what I've seen in the apps that Google brings to iOS.
I think Android OEMs have made major inroads on the hardware front in recent years (I really like one of HTC's offering, maybe the One? Sony phones, too). I've yet to try out the new software design ethos introduced into Lollipop, but I like what I've seen in the apps that Google brings to iOS.
WhiskerFrisker
Member
"The other side" lol.
I think the last big software innovation was the notification bar. I'm not really sure what iphones were using before then but I can;t imagine a smartphone without one today.
Edit: Actually I can, because I used a Windows phone for a while, lol.
Problem is your examples of phones making inroads are phones that under performed whose companies are struggling to remain in the smartphone industry. HTC and Sonys attempts just aren't connecting with consumers.
Samsung even though they are having struggles lately is the only one who is able to really pull it off at the high end.
I am really curious to see what Samsung tries for their comeback with S6.
Yeah I'm not sure what new innovations will come on the software side. From an Apple perspective I'd love something like a native Google Now rather than the bastardized version they're able to cobble onto iPhones.
What I'd really like to see from Android OEMs is an answer to TouchID. I know there was that article out not long ago about Apple buying up the only provider that guy felt capable of making it, but I'm 100% never able to go back to using a phone that doesn't just log me in with my fingerprint, especially in combination with password storing applications.
Yeah that certainly doesn't help. I haven't looked for awhile, but how are Samsung's consumer "happiness" levels. I remember they used to be comparable to Apple's, but most of my Android friends have become somewhat disenchanted with them recently. It feels like someone needs to try to become the premium Android OEM or whatever.
brotkasten
Member
My Nexus 5 has wireless charging, Sony's are waterproof, Apple has none of what you mentioned. Your third point is not something that should be advertised for a regular phone, because consumers are already expecting that. As for Holograms (do you mean AR?), well. Not this year, not next year.
Well, it's their jobs to think of stuff. It's all about innovation. I bet lots of people didn't think they couldn't live without a fingerprint sensor on their phone till apple did it right.
Android manufacters are stuck with this impression that "more/bigger is better". More specs bigger phones more features etc....Apple isn't even playing that game. The innovation doesn't even have to be in hardware it could be in software as well. Genuinely compelling new features that apple can't easily replicate. Google should figure out a way to leverage their skills and strengths into their product more than they do right now.
Samsung had the bigger screen as the differentiator but now that's not in play. And no making your phones 6+ inches doesn't help. Everyone has to think of stuff and not just throw everything at the wall like samsung is bound to do with the S6
I agree that innovation can be software as well, of course. I can't comment much on Apple's software, because I have only an iPad. On that device, though, I'm not seeing anything that could inspire anyone. It's bland, boring and merely a canvas for other developers. That is clearly not a bad thing, though, and I love my iPad for its apps, but the device on its own does nothing to impress. Perhaps it's different with an iPhone, I honestly don't know.
The last time Apple has really impressed me with their software, and I've posted this in the Windows Phone thread a while ago, is their continuity stuff they demoed with Yosemite.
http://youtu.be/cnR9RkQkYBY?t=26m25s
26:25 for people on mobile
To me, this is far more innovating than any fingerprint reader or 12 core CPU. This is the stuff I really want. But of course it only works in Apple's little bubble and it's not something that can be replicated by other OEMs. That said, thank God for Pushbullet.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
These OEMs can barely differentiate themselves from each other let alone from apple lol. Oh but no worries I'm sure 50 megapixel cameras and 6.5 inch screens and 4gb ram will surely turn the tide. Also being able to control the phone via some power glove or some shit which I'm sure samsung will whip something similar up.
They've just lost the plot. They have to look at the absolute basics. Every swipe every screen. What can they improve on in a useful and a sleek way. Google needs to figure out how to use their breadth of technology and information for more amazing features. I remember when street view came out that shit blew my mind. Need great software innovations for their mobile OS. I'm glad lollipop is prettier and brings a more focused design language but that's not an innovation that's something you should have done a while ago. None the less. Got to think of stuff.
OEMs have to take a step back and execute on good complete ideas. Waterproofing is cool...but flaps over ports aren't. Apple will never do waterproofing until a more elegant solution exists. Battery life is amazing but bigger phones and bigger batteries aren't the answer. Google needs to support them on this. When they create a new software or hardware feature they need to think to themselves "how easily can people live without this feature". If the answer is easily, it's probably not that good.
etc etc
Meanwhile this company can't even roll out updates to nexus devices properly. Google comes off as amateur hour sometimes and brilliant other times. It's frustrating as fuck.
They've just lost the plot. They have to look at the absolute basics. Every swipe every screen. What can they improve on in a useful and a sleek way. Google needs to figure out how to use their breadth of technology and information for more amazing features. I remember when street view came out that shit blew my mind. Need great software innovations for their mobile OS. I'm glad lollipop is prettier and brings a more focused design language but that's not an innovation that's something you should have done a while ago. None the less. Got to think of stuff.
OEMs have to take a step back and execute on good complete ideas. Waterproofing is cool...but flaps over ports aren't. Apple will never do waterproofing until a more elegant solution exists. Battery life is amazing but bigger phones and bigger batteries aren't the answer. Google needs to support them on this. When they create a new software or hardware feature they need to think to themselves "how easily can people live without this feature". If the answer is easily, it's probably not that good.
etc etc
Google needs to figure this shit out.
Meanwhile this company can't even roll out updates to nexus devices properly. Google comes off as amateur hour sometimes and brilliant other times. It's frustrating as fuck.
The Faceless Master
Member
did y'all ever think that maybe, just maybe, what the mass consumer REALLY wants is ... iOS?
and nobody else can compete period and Android is just destined for a strong second place?
i'm fine with that as long as Samsung makes a Note 6 or someone else competes with them for my money with a comparable featureset in 2016.
and nobody else can compete period and Android is just destined for a strong second place?
i'm fine with that as long as Samsung makes a Note 6 or someone else competes with them for my money with a comparable featureset in 2016.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
meh I don't think they are that passionate about iOS. I'm sure shittons love it but they were clearly willing to ditch it for the bigger screen in a samsung phone. Well no one ditched iphone but new customers were willing to sacrifice iOS for it. Just have to give them reasons to like something else more than iOS.
One thing iOS will always have is that it just works so damn easily. From texting to imessage to sharing stuff to moving around to the settings to the camera app especially and so on and so forth. Rarely an issue in day to day use. No real complexity. No real frustration. Most casuals don't want to ever think about their actual hardware they just want to take great pics and text their buds and email. iOS makes that and more so damn easy. More stuff for google to figure out but it does NOT help when you have samsung obfuscating it with their "design prowess" in touchwiz and LG trying to do the same thing and so on and so forth.
Uphill battle.
WhiskerFrisker
Member
Google is like a hipster company sometimes. Brilliant company with an absolutely weird way of doing things. They come across as not caring about what happens next.
The Faceless Master
Member
i don't get how people can want stock and also want features.
modifying the lockscreen ain't stock. doesn't matter if it's for a fingerprint sensor or a touchless command center.
modifying the lockscreen ain't stock. doesn't matter if it's for a fingerprint sensor or a touchless command center.
osiris3355
Banned
Material design was a pretty large undertaking in addition to regular software features.
Clearly they couldn't handle everything on their plate this year. Their m release will hopefully be very feature driven like iOS 8 after 7.
Clearly they couldn't handle everything on their plate this year. Their m release will hopefully be very feature driven like iOS 8 after 7.
brotkasten
Member
But do they? I always thought it was the more premium feel of the hardware.
I don't feel like Google is that motivated anymore, when it comes to Android. What I love the most about 5.0 is that it's pretty. To me it's currently the best take on flat design and I really like it for that. That really it. The obvious and user friendly stuff has been added by OEMs ages ago (rotation toggle, anyone?). I give them a bit of credit for their smart (face) unlock, which works really well for me. That too is something I'd call "innovative", but I've been whining about smart geo fencing for the past year or even longer. I really, really hope full location aware profiles are next. Something like WiFi/BT turns off, phone goes on vibrate when I leave the house and when I arrive at work, WiFi goes back on, ringer back on at 30%. I'd really love to know why it seems to be so hard to implement.
In the end, it's really about features that makes using the phone more convenient. Texting/calling from the PC would be something like that. Your waterproofing example is another one, because fuck shitty annoying flaps.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
well again, that's googles job to integrate features into stock. I like what samsung did with the multi window. I'd never use it much on a phone but it's interesting. Google should implement it into stock or samsung can easily do that same feature while keeping the OS as stock as possible. One or the other
I don't disagree with a lot of this. Google is all over the map with their X projects and their balloons and cardboard VR and all that tons of endless other shit that sometimes I feel like they're just "doing things". I never get the impression that they are taking this seriously.
We'll see though. We'll see what their message is at i/o (then again they usually overpromise/underdeliver) and we'll see what this years update looks like and we'll see what the OEMs do. I'd love for google to make their own hardware pixel style. It's up to all of them to show us that they actually give a shit. There is so little thought in "more specs" and shitty gimmicks that it borders on patronizing to consumers.
I'm in "wait and see" mode right now but I'd be lying if I said I was confident they'll deliver on all this.
The Faceless Master
Member
m&m's
The Faceless Master
Member
what premium feel? outside of nerds, everyone has their iPhone in a case.
their high end Androids too...
seriously, i've witnessed many people in mobile phone stores and bb/wm/target/radioshack buy/activate a phone and case and on the spot immediately place the device in the case.
Junior Mint
Member
Christ, the iPhone 6 is unusable without a case. That fucking thing is so slippery, rounded, and thin, it's not even comfortable to hold in any way.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
you're welcome! No shame in it. I was fully ready and wanting an android phone and got an iphone 6 instead lol. And I'm still totally ready and wanting an android phone. I suspect I'll be waiting at least 6-9 months minimum.
mike & ike
Im looking to buy a 2nd larger phone, since I already have an iPhone 6, I want this to be an Android. Im totally lost between the Nexus 6 and the Note 4.
Nexus 6 UI is just beautiful, slightly wider than Note, but god damn, its just a joy to look at and use, Note 4 has ugly Touchwiz (not nearly as bad as before, but icons still gaudy), but S-Pen function is something I think might come in handy when having short conversations or meetings with clients, and AMOLED seems a bit better compared to N6 panel. Would pair a Moto 360 with Nexus, or maybe a Gear S with Note 4
Any thoughts?
Nexus 6 UI is just beautiful, slightly wider than Note, but god damn, its just a joy to look at and use, Note 4 has ugly Touchwiz (not nearly as bad as before, but icons still gaudy), but S-Pen function is something I think might come in handy when having short conversations or meetings with clients, and AMOLED seems a bit better compared to N6 panel. Would pair a Moto 360 with Nexus, or maybe a Gear S with Note 4
Any thoughts?
BoboBrazil
Member
Samsung is kind of fucked now that they have big iphones. They are going to have a huge reduction in income.
Apple releases non-beta features (most of the time) and markets the hell out of them, in a way that makes people think "Wow...that could really make my phone experience better".
Even when Apple adds a feature that has been around for years (NFC payments), they...dun dun dunnnn...market it like a boss! And they make sure it's polished as fuck.
I don't know any OEM who will be able to do the same and have the same impact, except for Google since it's their operating system. But Google doesn't do that. They make new, "pretty good in the beginning", features and improve them over time, all while not marketing specific things like that.
It's insane how many times a naked iPhone 6 has jumped out of my hands.
Now, whenever I'm on the Note, I run it naked. Easily grippable without a case, but the chamfers nick easily =(
Samsung has already started to take a hit, their sales have been down. Xiaomi is hurting them on the low end and Apple on the high-end. They need to do something pretty drastic with the S6 to turn the tide. I am really really curious what a desperate Samsung will do. S6 is either going to be fascinatingly awesome or fascinatingly awful. But it will be interesting at least.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
samsung is so predictable. I'd like to be surprised but realistically they will throw everything at the wall both specs wise and gimmicky features wise.
osiris3355
Banned
Not sure why your watch would change depending on which phone you would get unless you really want a tizen smartwatch.... I would get the asus xenwatch or the moto 360.
When it comes to phones there is no right choice here and it looks like you already understand the differences. It all comes down to do you want that beautiful up-to-date vanilla android or that superior samsung hardware
BoboBrazil
Member
More software features, top end specs, and better construction and build materials. That's pretty much all they can do. It really sucks that Apple has so much control over the phone market.
Problem is that google can't market it as it either won't end up on all the OEMs phones or will be buried and not easily accessible.
I think google gets it and android silver was supposed to be the answer, but that didn't end up happening for some reason...
osiris3355
Banned
Its awful. Carriers OWN android in the US. Apple is stomping everyone so no one can tell the carriers what to do.
Baroquemantic
Member
Honestly, I don't think Google really gives a fuck. They come up with so much amazing stuff, but barely ever advertise and show any of it off in any meaningful capacity. They had an insanely popular tablet in the N7, but that now seems to be dead. Google just doesn't seem committed to Android.
----
It's unfortunate, but Apple is gonna own the damn world at some point. People are worried about Google owning so much and having so much power, but Apple is already the most powerful entity on the planet. They could do anything, make anything, and nine times outta ten, they will be successful, and there's nothing out there that can stop them.
Everyone is fucked. Chinese OEMs too. Apple's growth in China is huge.
----
It's unfortunate, but Apple is gonna own the damn world at some point. People are worried about Google owning so much and having so much power, but Apple is already the most powerful entity on the planet. They could do anything, make anything, and nine times outta ten, they will be successful, and there's nothing out there that can stop them.
osiris3355
Banned
Exactly. There is a monopoly looming in the very near future. Its not going to be good if this continues.
Google has some major issues with their current executives for them to be letting this happen. Company direction is a problem imo and clearly they do not have enough engineers to get android out annually.
osiris3355
Banned
VanMardigan
has calmed down a bit.
I'm placing a conference call about an hour ago.....and somehow I have two instances of the dialer open. Like, I'm pressing the conference code but nothing's happening, only to realize that I was on the wrong instance of the dialer. What the hell. But I have an update from at&t for realz this time. 4.4 finally, let's see if my bugs are fixed. Let's see if I get 5.0 before I smash the phone against a wall.
The Faceless Master
Member
Nexus or Note, whichever you choose, don't get a current gen smartwatch.
Buddy of mine has a 360 and it seems pretty neat.
I mean, worst case scenario I return it and just wait for the apple watch...
VanMardigan
has calmed down a bit.
You can get many of them pretty cheap, so if you have spare cash, it's a nice little toy to play with. I like my LG, but I didn't pay a lot for it.
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