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Android |OT2| - Patent pending

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Hieberrr

Member
What do you use for the Gmail badge?
Apex Launcher Pro (I think it comes with it).

Wallpaper?
P6v1AAY.jpg

Time to post your phones aight
Oh my god, I am so jealous! :O
 

buhdeh

Member
8.0

HTC One got 8.5. This reviewer also said he would pay personally choose the HTC One over the S4 :O

Everyone expected this season's flagships to be S4 in front, Xperia Z close behind and HTC One nowhere to be seen.

Instead the tech review consensus seems to be the HTC One clearly ahead with the S4 in second place and the Xperia Z/ZL barely worthy of consideration. Very surprising.

None of the S4 reviews so far have adequately gone through the features I care about. I'll have to sde it for myself before deciding.

Man I'd love to go back a month in this thread and look at all the lol htc/lol sense/lol this phone is going to suck posts.

I BELIEVED IN HTC.
 

Groof

Junior Member
Yes, didn't like it, but didn't give it as long as SwiftKey and Stock.

Just wanted to know how they compared. Gonna play with the Lite version of Swype for a bit, definitely very responsive. Really want to change the orange though lol. At least it has a proper Holo theme.
 
^^^

Google I/O is in less than a month. Just wait for that and ignore the rumours.

8.0

HTC One got 8.5. This reviewer also said he would pay personally choose the HTC One over the S4 :O

Everyone expected this season's flagships to be S4 in front, Xperia Z close behind and HTC One nowhere to be seen.

Instead the tech review consensus seems to be the HTC One clearly ahead with the S4 in second place and the Xperia Z/ZL barely worthy of consideration. Very surprising.

None of the S4 reviews so far have adequately gone through the features I care about. I'll have to sde it for myself before deciding.

i would like to take this time to point out that i said the tech reviewers would love the One.
 
Hmmmm....I wonder what a certain samsung soldier fanboy thinks of all this....

C'mon, I know some of you guy are thinking it, and know who that someone is....
 

Groof

Junior Member
Hmmmm....I wonder what a certain samsung soldier fanboy thinks of all this....

C'mon, I know some of you guy are thinking it, and know who that someone is....
I'm just gonna say... Samsung's jig is up! They rode the prestigious alpaca for way too long, it's breaking down!
 
Man, the GS4 getting an 8.0 from The Verge is like that controversial Uncharted 3 review from Eurogamer. How dare they.

I just read the Gizmodo review too. What's going to be more interesting is whether critical buzz (and the inevitable word of mouth) hurts Samsung's sales and helps HTC's. HTC are beset by stock issues right now though so they've already got one hand tied behind their back. And yes the GS4 will sell more regardless, but higher sales doesn't mean "best phone".

Samsung should listen carefully to the reviews and not just gloss over them because they'll sell shit loads anyway. It would be foolish not to presume that for some these reviews from mainstream tech sites will influence buyers. And these buyers, especially early adopters can be amongst the most vocal and influential. Samsung have been given some constructive criticism over hardware and software design which could easily be rectified in a GS5 and give them the holy grail of both commercial and critical success. I suspect little will change, but Samsung must be careful not to fall into the trap of Sony arrogance and potentially miss the first warning signs which might signal a recession of their dominance.
 
I just read the Gizmodo review too. What's going to be more interesting is whether critical buzz (and the inevitable word of mouth) hurts Samsung's sales and helps HTC's. HTC are beset by stock issues right now though so they've already got one hand tied behind their back. And yes the GS4 will sell more regardless, but higher sales doesn't mean "best phone".

Samsung should listen carefully to the reviews and not just gloss over them because they'll sell shit loads anyway. It would be foolish not to presume that for some these reviews from mainstream tech sites will influence buyers. And these buyers, especially early adopters can be amongst the most vocal and influential. Samsung have been given some constructive criticism over hardware and software design which could easily be rectified in a GS5 and give them the holy grail of both commercial and critical success. I suspect little will change, but Samsung must be careful not to fall into the trap of Sony arrogance and potentially miss the first warning signs which might signal a recession of their dominance.

I'm waiting for someone here to tell me that it all doesn't matter and that Samsung is the king of the world.

In other news:

Microsoft signs patent deal with Chinese phone maker ZTE
In its continuing march toward locking up deals with every major Android and Chrome device maker, Microsoft announced on Tuesday a patent-licensing agreement with Chinese manufacturer ZTE.

...

Though Microsoft has alleged that Android and Chrome infringe on its patents, it hasn't sued Google, which created both operating systems. Instead, it's reached agreements with several hardware makers, including Acer, HTC, Compal Electronics, Quanta Computer, and Wistron. Microsoft says that 80 percent of Android smartphones sold in the U.S. and "a majority of those sold worldwide" are covered under patent agreements with the company.

Google has said that neither operating system infringes on Microsoft's patents.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-5...gns-patent-deal-with-chinese-phone-maker-zte/

Motorola is the only big one left who has yet to bend over, right?
 
I just read the Gizmodo review too. What's going to be more interesting is whether critical buzz (and the inevitable word of mouth) hurts Samsung's sales and helps HTC's. HTC are beset by stock issues right now though so they've already got one hand tied behind their back. And yes the GS4 will sell more regardless, but higher sales doesn't mean "best phone".

Samsung should listen carefully to the reviews and not just gloss over them because they'll sell shit loads anyway. It would be foolish not to presume that for some these reviews from mainstream tech sites will influence buyers. And these buyers, especially early adopters can be amongst the most vocal and influential. Samsung have been given some constructive criticism over hardware and software design which could easily be rectified in a GS5 and give them the holy grail of both commercial and critical success. I suspect little will change, but Samsung must be careful not to fall into the trap of Sony arrogance and potentially miss some warning signs.
i really hope they don't listen to reviews. well, i do hope they listen to the part about 32GB being the minimum next time around, but everything else should just be tossed.

no metal, no glass, no sealed battery, no fixed storage, no, just no. Sony and HTC have that 'i want an premium materials handset that runs Android' part of the market covered and Samsung should really stick to 'i want a premium features handset that runs Android' segment. or maybe make two models, a 'premium materials' model and a 'premium features' model. then let sales decide...



I'm waiting for someone here to tell me that it all doesn't matter and that Samsung is the king of the world.

In other news:

Microsoft signs patent deal with Chinese phone maker ZTE


http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-5...gns-patent-deal-with-chinese-phone-maker-zte/

Motorola is the only big one left who has yet to bend over, right?

Sony?
 

Groof

Junior Member
i really hope they don't listen to reviews. well, i do hope they listen to the part about 32GB being the minimum next time around, but everything else should just be tossed.

no metal, no glass, no sealed battery, no fixed storage, no, just no. Sony and HTC have that 'i want an premium materials handset that runs Android' part of the market covered and Samsung should really stick to 'i want a premium features handset that runs Android' segment. or maybe make two models, a 'premium materials' model and a 'premium features' model. then let sales decide...
Is there any reason outside of cost efficiency where you can't have all of that? At least a removable battery if not the rest.
 
I wonder when Microsoft's patents expire? Because when they do, they will be left with nothing.

we still don't know what patents they're even talking about. B&N was fighting them until MS decided to invest in them instead.



Is there any reason outside of cost efficiency where you can't have all of that? At least a removable battery if not the rest.

well, i definitely don't want a glass back period. but i mean, if they can do metal + removable battery + removable storage + good signal attenuation (key part here) then i wouldn't be against it.
 

Groof

Junior Member
well, i definitely don't want a glass back period. but i mean, if they can do metal + removable battery + removable storage + good signal attenuation (key part here) then i wouldn't be against it.

No I'm with you there. The N4, while sleek and sexy, will probably be my first and last phone with a glass back. It's too stressful to worry about it breaking at the slightest of drops. Even then, I'd wager an aluminium back would be easier to make removable than a glass one. They should just try, like you said.
 
Its Samsung. Their phones have the best components but the overall finish is hilariously awful for the #1 Android manufacturer on the market.

Plastic is not automatically bad. I remember someone used the old "oooohhh by IBM/Lenovo use plastic on their Thinkpads and the build quality is awesome on those" argument. The difference is that the plastic and design IBM used for the Thinkpad is utilitarian in its greatest form. And the materials used reflect the sort of machine it is: one that can go through hell and back and come out looking just like new after a quick clean. The whole design is meant to be corporate and and look smart corporate no matter what situations it is put in.

Plastic is bad when its the same sort of plastic used on the Galaxy S3 - cheap, faux imitations of certain materials (my pebble blue is uuuugggghhh), and lacking in overall thought. The Galaxy S3 is actually the only phone that I got a case for because the thing is a slippery glossy bastard. I don't see why Samsung has to compromise so heavily on the overall finish of their phones. Material choice isn't a binary option where having decent build materials means you can't have an SD card slot and removable battery. Some shitty Nokia I had used stainless steel for the build material and had a removable backplate.
 
Reading more reviews of the S4 and the shocking part is that most are saying that its not as fast as it should be and there's slight lag! Wow I didn't expect that ...

Wow and a lot seem to dislike touchwiz...
 
Samsung'd. Everyone thought that was metal when it was revealed.

wasn't it the same with the Ativ S?


They won't bother with Sony anymore, now that they have a agreement with Hon Hai, aka. Foxconn, who builds the phones.

"Foxconn's clients don't need to worry about infringing Microsoft's patents anymore, because Foxconn has signed the agreement for them," said Vincent Shih, chief legal officer of Microsoft Taiwan Corp. Hon Hai is the flagship listed entity of Foxconn Technology Group.
 
i really hope they don't listen to reviews. well, i do hope they listen to the part about 32GB being the minimum next time around, but everything else should just be tossed.

no metal, no glass, no sealed battery, no fixed storage, no, just no. Sony and HTC have that 'i want an premium materials handset that runs Android' part of the market covered and Samsung should really stick to 'i want a premium features handset that runs Android' segment. or maybe make two models, a 'premium materials' model and a 'premium features' model. then let sales decide...

You keep setting up a false argument. You can have unibody design with a removable battery and micro SD. You can have premium software "features" and components whilst having better design. The argument you've always made is that you can choose one, but not both. I think Samsung are more than capable of designing a phone which can satisfy both criteria. And if they could isn't that a win for everyone?

You get your removable battery, you get your micro SD card and a machine finished titanium design that makes every other phone look cheap by comparison and its robust. (Materials other than plastic don't have to be more vulnerable than plastic). I don't see why you'd be against it, I don't see why a company of Samsung's resources and supposed innovation can't achieve this.
 
PhoneDog Dogfight: Samsung Galaxy S IV vs HTC One

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axc_646PpL8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESmQ_mklR9Y

You keep setting up a false argument. You can have unibody design with a removable battery and micro SD. You can have premium software "features" and components whilst having better design. The argument you've always made is that you can choose one, but not both. I think Samsung are more than capable of designing a phone which can satisfy both criteria. And if they could isn't that a win for everyone?

You get your removable battery, you get your micro SD card and a machine finished titanium design that makes every other phone look cheap by comparison and its robust. (Materials other than plastic don't have to be more vulnerable than plastic). I don't see why you'd be against it, I don't see why a company of Samsung's resources and supposed innovation can't achieve this.
yeah, people keep saying this, but why is nobody doing it?
 

Nicktendo86

Member
Reading more reviews of the S4 and the shocking part is that most are saying that its not as fast as it should be and there's slight lag! Wow I didn't expect that ...

Wow and a lot seem to dislike touchwiz...

I called that. People kept saying the stuttery performance on the S4 was due to early software and it would be sorted by the time the phone is launched. Looks like that hasn't happend.
 
how is that a reason? are the margins so much higher on making a removable metal cover than a plastic one that they would make less money with more sales?

How is profit a reason?? Right now, Samsung make more profit per handset primarily by using materials which are easier to manufacture en masse. Now as long as their sales hit their expectations, they are unlikely to change course. Why would they?

But if design starts to factor more into peoples buying choice and the weight of Samsung's marketing isn't swaying them then they will sell less phones, and selling less phones means missing targets. Missing targets generally impacts results and share price. Shareholders get angsty and wonder if Samsung is losing it's luster. See Apple.

Though curiously, Apple's problem isn't hardware design or quality it's staid software which is behind the competition and an inflexibility in hardware sizes on phones because of poor design choices when constructing iOS. Samsung don't have that problem, but they could potentially have an image problem in the future.
 

Jake.

Member
just upgraded to 4.1.2 and i fucking hate it. how can i make the internet icon in the dock open with a browser other than stock? why has scrolling wallpaper been removed? why does it make you crop wallpaper now (you can't have a fullscreen portrait image?). ugh.

anyone? particular the first issue. it all seems really sluggish too (i have a gs2).
 
anyone? particular the first issue. it all seems really sluggish too (i have a gs2).

Changing defaults for apps (such as the web browser) should be straightforward. Settings>Apps>Scroll to browser and select remove default or some such thing. Next time you click a link it should ask you which browser you want to use. You can select the browser and tell Android to make it the default one is you so wish. Doesn't the dock allow you to change which browser or apps are stored in it? If not you need an alternate launcher, why on earth are you using the stock launcher in the first place? Get Nova and you can get back wallpaper scrolling and a whole bunch of other customisation. As for performance issues, if they are bad back up what's important to you and factory reset. Normally that will help, but I can't specifically speak for the S2.
 

Jake.

Member
Changing defaults for apps (such as the web browser) should be straightforward. Settings>Apps>Scroll to browser and select remove default or some such thing. Next time you click a link it should ask you which browser you want to use. You can select the browser and tell Android to make it the default one is you so wish. Doesn't the dock allow you to change which browser or apps are stored in it? If not you need an alternate launcher, why on earth are you using the stock launcher in the first place? Get Nova and you can get back wallpaper scrolling and a whole bunch of other customisation. As for performance issues, if they are bad back up what's important to you and factory reset. Normally that will help, but I can't specifically speak for the S2.

its strange, if i use the google searchbar it uses the browser i want (dolphin), however if i click the internet icon on the main screen (is this the dock? its sandwiched between phone, messages and apps) it just uses the stock browser. i'll look into the nova launcher you mentioned, thanks.
 

Groof

Junior Member

"HUGE innovations on Samsung's side."

C'mon, son.

its strange, if i use the google searchbar it uses the browser i want (dolphin), however if i click the internet icon on the main screen (is this the dock? its sandwiched between phone, messages and apps) it just uses the stock browser. i'll look into the nova launcher you mentioned, thanks.
Yeah, that's the dock. Have you tried switching it out? Might not be possible on TouchWiz. But either way, get Nova or Apex Launcher because TouchWiz launcher is shite.
 
its strange, if i use the google searchbar it uses the browser i want (dolphin), however if i click the internet icon on the main screen (is this the dock? its sandwiched between phone, messages and apps) it just uses the stock browser. i'll look into the nova launcher you mentioned, thanks.

That's not strange, you are selecting that specific app when you touch it. You're thinking that the internet icon is just a shortcut which can be programmed to use your browser of choice. It's not. It's an app. And it happens to be the stock internet browser on the phone. So when you launch it, it's obviously going to open that app. If you want to replace the icon with something else, try long pressing it and moving it out of the dock. You should then be able to replace that space with the internet browser you want to use. If it doesn't let you, use nova launcher which allows you to put whatever apps you want in the dock. As for your question, yes it is the dock. The dock is normally the apps at the bottom of your homescreen, normally separated from the rest of your homescreen by a line (or some other separate graphical distinction). You also have an app tray (sometimes known as app drawer) where all the apps not on your homescreen are displayed. The home screen and app drawer combined are normally called a "launcher". And like most parts of Android you can change your default "launcher" by downloading another from the Play Store. Nova is what I use and it's fully customisable.

Here's a handy link explaining what a launcher is. http://www.androidcentral.com/android-z-what-launcher
 

gcubed

Member
I called that. People kept saying the stuttery performance on the S4 was due to early software and it would be sorted by the time the phone is launched. Looks like that hasn't happend.

most sane people expected it after the initial impressions and the continuing layering of useless features that cause overhead... you had some people in denial.

It was the entire precuresor to the touchwiz is what sense used to be argument. Not sure anyone would have called the fact that touchwiz is now the worst skin for android
 
Need to get rid of my Gnex, Nexus 4 or GS3? (Europe, so I can only get a Gs3 with 1gb ram).

How's the battery life on the 4 compared to the shitty battery life I have now.
 

Jake.

Member
thanks for the help groof and original thinking, just downloaded nova and seems great so far. 2 quick questions regarding it: 1. will this drain the battery more? 2. on the stock launcher, when the screen is locked and you do your security pattern to 'open' the phone it goes to the default home screen (in my case i have 3 home screens and the middle/2nd is the 'default') - however, with nova it just returns to whatever screen i was last on. is there anyway i can set it that it always returns to the default/main 2nd screen?
 
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