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Android |OT4| I/O Silver

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Mindwipe

Member
Helped two people that were switching platforms today. My mom from iOS to Android, and a friend from Android to iOS. I have to call BS on anyone saying Android is harder to switch to. My friend was just as lost as my mom. I think it just boils down to getting to grips with things you're not used to yet. Despite what some say, there are still some pretty big differences between both platforms in terms of UI and UX.

I still think a lot of OEMs ship devices that need too much setting up - Google should also let up and say that the stock photos app etc don't have to ship if the OEM has their own. It's always obtainable from Google Play.

Picking default apps with little guidance isn't fun for new users.

That said, I agree the iOS setup process isn't great either.
 

terrier

Member
I still think a lot of OEMs ship devices that need too much setting up - Google should also let up and say that the stock photos app etc don't have to ship if the OEM has their own. It's always obtainable from Google Play.

Picking default apps with little guidance isn't fun for new users.

That said, I agree the iOS setup process isn't great either.

That would be true if google apps were easier to deal with. I mean, photos app (not former gallery) is horrible and confusing (and slow unless you find 'on device' in settings which should be de default option)
Same could be said for hangouts and its sms integration. It is confusing.

So having a oem sms app and a proper gallery is almost a must for inexpert users. Only confusing things are OEM's own registration process, that you can easily skip , the same way you have to register for 3rd party apps like twitter, FB ..

I think it is easier for a newbie to deal with a android skin than with stock android, most of the time
 

Saiyan-Rox

Member
Went to a nearby shop and got my sim cut down so now using my brand new nexus 6 :D

Have to say I'm weirded out by some Google choices I'd love to know the reason for. Such as the notification sounds are all named the same on every nexus device even ones on lollipop and yet the N6 sounds are all different and nicer on the ears...why is this a nexus 6 only thing? :eek:
 

teiresias

Member
I've got a $100 gift card burning a hole in my pocket that I wouldn't mind putting towards an Android Wear watch, but Google Now STILL does the annoying thing that when I use voice commands to send a text message via hangouts it ALWAYS sends it via my phone's number rather than through my Google Voice number (regardless of the setting in Hangouts).

This would be one of my prime use-cases for the damn watch (I think) so I can't see myself even entertaining buying one until this is fixed.
 

Bboy AJ

My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Alright. Quick impressions. Don't have my Nano SIM yet either, so I'll still be using Nexus 5. But typing this from my N6 now. First, I have the international version. Second, this thing is big, yeah, but it's also heavy. It's a fine heft, though. I don't like where the power button is. It's kind of low.

This fucking thing hiccups. Maybe it still needs time to settle in but compared to my N5, the only performance difference speed wise is that the N6 is slower. What the fuck. I don't care if it's because of encryption. I'm not screwing around with the phone to decrypt it. Google should have fixed this. I'll hold off it, though. Sometimes phones need to settle.

The screen isn't bad. Looks good to me. I wouldn't call it magical. It's just fine. The size is awesome, though. That's what makes the heft nice, I think. You can probably clonk someone over the head with it pretty good.

Speakers are really nice for a phone.

Best part about this phone is the build quality. It feels great. The sides of it are premium. You need to hold it to appreciate it.

Overall, if you have an N5, skip this one. I had the money laying around and I'm weak so I bought the N6. I'm perfectly happy with my 5. However, I wanted LTE-A for when I travel around Korea, a big screen, and better battery life. If the phone gets me 6+ hours of SOT, the upgrade is worth it to me.

I hate myself for buying it. I wish I wouldnt buy into this consumerism nonsense. And I don't like how the phone came out. It's not a Nexus but a stop gap from Silver. I considered the Note 4 heavily and waiting until MWC but honestly, I like stock Android. Whatever the hardware in those other phones will be, it won't be a Nexus. That's just my preference.

I'll check back in after a couple weeks. Also, I'm returning my N9 because that tablet is a half baked piece of shit. Going back to my N10 which is also shitty but it is at least honest about being shit. It's totally usable and keeps rocking in a "I know I'm not good" kind of way. I respect that.
 
That would be true if google apps were easier to deal with. I mean, photos app (not former gallery) is horrible and confusing (and slow unless you find 'on device' in settings which should be de default option)
Same could be said for hangouts and its sms integration. It is confusing.

So having a oem sms app and a proper gallery is almost a must for inexpert users. Only confusing things are OEM's own registration process, that you can easily skip , the same way you have to register for 3rd party apps like twitter, FB ..

I think it is easier for a newbie to deal with a android skin than with stock android, most of the time


You are joking right? How on earth is having duplicate apps ever easier for a newbie.

Anyone new walking into a touchwiz device vs a nexus device is going to have an easier time with nexus. Hands Down.
 

UFO

Banned
Pretty much. I probably have a total of 30 minutes experience with Macs, and every time I try to use one I have no idea what the hell I'm doing, and Mac OSes are supposed to be simpler than Windows. It's just a matter of learning how to use a new OS after being acquainted with a different one.

That's a terrible example. How do you expect to understand a fully featured computer OS after 30 mins?? Use each for several months and the differences start becoming clearer. I was a PC user from Windows 95 until Windows XP, then switched to using Macs for about 3 years, then switched back to Windows for about 3 more years, now I'm back using a Mac for the past 2 months or so, and I'm still trying to re-remember OSX. It's a learning curve, I've spent a long time doing things the Windows way, it's like learning a new language.
 
Alright. Quick impressions. Don't have my Nano SIM yet either, so I'll still be using Nexus 5. But typing this from my N6 now. First, I have the international version. Second, this thing is big, yeah, but it's also heavy. It's a fine heft, though. I don't like where the power button is. It's kind of low.

This fucking thing hiccups. Maybe it still needs time to settle in but compared to my N5, the only performance difference speed wise is that the N6 is slower. What the fuck. I don't care if it's because of encryption. I'm not screwing around with the phone to decrypt it. Google should have fixed this. I'll hold off it, though. Sometimes phones need to settle.

The screen isn't bad. Looks good to me. I wouldn't call it magical. It's just fine. The size is awesome, though. That's what makes the heft nice, I think. You can probably clonk someone over the head with it pretty good.

Speakers are really nice for a phone.

Best part about this phone is the build quality. It feels great. The sides of it are premium. You need to hold it to appreciate it.

Overall, if you have an N5, skip this one. I had the money laying around and I'm weak so I bought the N6. I'm perfectly happy with my 5. However, I wanted LTE-A for when I travel around Korea, a big screen, and better battery life. If the phone gets me 6+ hours of SOT, the upgrade is worth it to me.

I hate myself for buying it. I wish I wouldnt buy into this consumerism nonsense. And I don't like how the phone came out. It's not a Nexus but a stop gap from Silver. I considered the Note 4 heavily and waiting until MWC but honestly, I like stock Android. Whatever the hardware in those other phones will be, it won't be a Nexus. That's just my preference.

I'll check back in after a couple weeks. Also, I'm returning my N9 because that tablet is a half baked piece of shit. Going back to my N10 which is also shitty but it is at least honest about being shit. It's totally usable and keeps rocking in a "I know I'm not good" kind of way. I respect that.
sounds exactly like what I figured overall.
 
What was Google thinking when they decided that Chrome tabs should be in the task switcher instead of inside the app itself? Old tabs get buried in there when you use a few apps after browsing. It's such a terrible change.

Switched to Firefox mobile and I'm very happy with it.
 
Alright. Quick impressions. Don't have my Nano SIM yet either, so I'll still be using Nexus 5. But typing this from my N6 now. First, I have the international version. Second, this thing is big, yeah, but it's also heavy. It's a fine heft, though. I don't like where the power button is. It's kind of low.

This fucking thing hiccups. Maybe it still needs time to settle in but compared to my N5, the only performance difference speed wise is that the N6 is slower. What the fuck. I don't care if it's because of encryption. I'm not screwing around with the phone to decrypt it. Google should have fixed this. I'll hold off it, though. Sometimes phones need to settle.

The screen isn't bad. Looks good to me. I wouldn't call it magical. It's just fine. The size is awesome, though. That's what makes the heft nice, I think. You can probably clonk someone over the head with it pretty good.

Speakers are really nice for a phone.

Best part about this phone is the build quality. It feels great. The sides of it are premium. You need to hold it to appreciate it.

Overall, if you have an N5, skip this one. I had the money laying around and I'm weak so I bought the N6. I'm perfectly happy with my 5. However, I wanted LTE-A for when I travel around Korea, a big screen, and better battery life. If the phone gets me 6+ hours of SOT, the upgrade is worth it to me.

I hate myself for buying it. I wish I wouldnt buy into this consumerism nonsense. And I don't like how the phone came out. It's not a Nexus but a stop gap from Silver. I considered the Note 4 heavily and waiting until MWC but honestly, I like stock Android. Whatever the hardware in those other phones will be, it won't be a Nexus. That's just my preference.

I'll check back in after a couple weeks. Also, I'm returning my N9 because that tablet is a half baked piece of shit. Going back to my N10 which is also shitty but it is at least honest about being shit. It's totally usable and keeps rocking in a "I know I'm not good" kind of way. I respect that.

New%20leader%20of%20North%20Korea%20Kim%20Jong-un%20holds%20a%20weapon
.
 

Wreav

Banned
What was Google thinking when they decided that Chrome tabs should be in the task switcher instead of inside the app itself? Old tabs get buried in there when you use a few apps after browsing. It's such a terrible change.

Switched to Firefox mobile and I'm very happy with it.
It's an option, Christ.
 

NotBacon

Member

Nah I'm getting the nukes.

But really he's spot on, other than the hiccups part. He probably just needs a day or two for it to settle, because mine is 98% butter. I'd equate it with an iPhone 6 in terms of butter. Yes, even with encryption enabled.
Ok 97%

What was Google thinking when they decided that Chrome tabs should be in the task switcher instead of inside the app itself?

You can turn that off
 
Alright. Quick impressions. Don't have my Nano SIM yet either, so I'll still be using Nexus 5. But typing this from my N6 now. First, I have the international version. Second, this thing is big, yeah, but it's also heavy. It's a fine heft, though. I don't like where the power button is. It's kind of low.

This fucking thing hiccups. Maybe it still needs time to settle in but compared to my N5, the only performance difference speed wise is that the N6 is slower. What the fuck. I don't care if it's because of encryption. I'm not screwing around with the phone to decrypt it. Google should have fixed this. I'll hold off it, though. Sometimes phones need to settle.

The screen isn't bad. Looks good to me. I wouldn't call it magical. It's just fine. The size is awesome, though. That's what makes the heft nice, I think. You can probably clonk someone over the head with it pretty good.

Speakers are really nice for a phone.

Best part about this phone is the build quality. It feels great. The sides of it are premium. You need to hold it to appreciate it.

Overall, if you have an N5, skip this one. I had the money laying around and I'm weak so I bought the N6. I'm perfectly happy with my 5. However, I wanted LTE-A for when I travel around Korea, a big screen, and better battery life. If the phone gets me 6+ hours of SOT, the upgrade is worth it to me.

I hate myself for buying it. I wish I wouldnt buy into this consumerism nonsense. And I don't like how the phone came out. It's not a Nexus but a stop gap from Silver. I considered the Note 4 heavily and waiting until MWC but honestly, I like stock Android. Whatever the hardware in those other phones will be, it won't be a Nexus. That's just my preference.

I'll check back in after a couple weeks. Also, I'm returning my N9 because that tablet is a half baked piece of shit. Going back to my N10 which is also shitty but it is at least honest about being shit. It's totally usable and keeps rocking in a "I know I'm not good" kind of way. I respect that.

Nice honest review...
 

manfestival

Member
so it seems like phones nowadays are good with mid tier specs and run everything with relatively little to no problems. I currently have the 2nd gen moto g but the little hiccups bother me a bit. I was wondering if I should wait for something for another few months to sprout up or sell it for another. I am horrible with the timing of buying phones as I seem to always buy a phone as a price is dropping in a week or so
 
so it seems like phones nowadays are good with mid tier specs and run everything with relatively little to no problems. I currently have the 2nd gen moto g but the little hiccups bother me a bit. I was wondering if I should wait for something for another few months to sprout up or sell it for another. I am horrible with the timing of buying phones as I seem to always buy a phone as a price is dropping in a week or so
well this years flagships are all going to be announced and released in the coming months so it's worth waiting at this point.
 

NotBacon

Member
How the hell do you get 6 hrs SoT? I'm lucky if I get 4 hrs with barely anything syncing. Emails are 1 hour intervals and that's it and i still can't brwak 4.

Magic. But really it depends on so many things. Some people get crap battery life on the Z3c, and others can squeeze quite a bit out of a Nexus 4. I think the biggest factors are reception and rogue apps.

I'm lucky to live in an area with moderate to good reception, and I guess that's good enough for mine because it just lasts all day with no sweat.
 

Sch1sm

Member
Damn, now I feel stupid. I still don't get the point of that feature, but I can finally use Chrome again.

I can see the upside to merging them. I prefer it over swiping the top of chrome to get through tabs, or having to go through the process of going to an incognito tab. A lot of people hate it for the loss of tabs I nthe mass of apps, but since I only use 3 or 4 aside from Chrome it doesn't bother me too much. I like the feature.
 

Bboy AJ

My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Oh come now, the note 4 that I am using now is pretty great.
That's what he means, heh. I heavily considered the Note 4.5 but Exynos instead of an 810 killed it. And I really had a tough time buying into Touchwiz. I also considered the Edge but ehhhh. I'm sick of being an early adopter.
 

Drifters

Junior Member
Alright. Quick impressions. Don't have my Nano SIM yet either, so I'll still be using Nexus 5. But typing this from my N6 now. First, I have the international version. Second, this thing is big, yeah, but it's also heavy. It's a fine heft, though. I don't like where the power button is. It's kind of low.

This fucking thing hiccups. Maybe it still needs time to settle in but compared to my N5, the only performance difference speed wise is that the N6 is slower. What the fuck. I don't care if it's because of encryption. I'm not screwing around with the phone to decrypt it. Google should have fixed this. I'll hold off it, though. Sometimes phones need to settle.

The screen isn't bad. Looks good to me. I wouldn't call it magical. It's just fine. The size is awesome, though. That's what makes the heft nice, I think. You can probably clonk someone over the head with it pretty good.

Speakers are really nice for a phone.

Best part about this phone is the build quality. It feels great. The sides of it are premium. You need to hold it to appreciate it.

Overall, if you have an N5, skip this one. I had the money laying around and I'm weak so I bought the N6. I'm perfectly happy with my 5. However, I wanted LTE-A for when I travel around Korea, a big screen, and better battery life. If the phone gets me 6+ hours of SOT, the upgrade is worth it to me.

I hate myself for buying it. I wish I wouldnt buy into this consumerism nonsense. And I don't like how the phone came out. It's not a Nexus but a stop gap from Silver. I considered the Note 4 heavily and waiting until MWC but honestly, I like stock Android. Whatever the hardware in those other phones will be, it won't be a Nexus. That's just my preference.

I'll check back in after a couple weeks. Also, I'm returning my N9 because that tablet is a half baked piece of shit. Going back to my N10 which is also shitty but it is at least honest about being shit. It's totally usable and keeps rocking in a "I know I'm not good" kind of way. I respect that.

Let me know when you return it and get an M8. I'll welcome you to the club then. :)
 

Pachimari

Member
Guys, I badly need your help.

Whenever I take a picture with my LG G3, the picture doesn't show up in the Gallery app. Why is that? I think I erased all existing pictures from my MicroSD card on the computer yesterday, and since then the pictures I take won't show up.
 

terrier

Member
You are joking right? How on earth is having duplicate apps ever easier for a newbie.

Anyone new walking into a touchwiz device vs a nexus device is going to have an easier time with nexus. Hands Down.

i'd rather have duplicate apps than a single app that is a mess to use unless you are someone into tech.
If google was more consitent with its own apps it wouldn't be an issue at all, but that is not the case. Since sms and gallery are really important apps for the basic user, hangouts and photo app (linked to G+) ain't the way to go. We can agree that they 'somehow have fixed the hangouts issue with the new messenger app to manage sms on stock android.
Don't get me wrong, i enjoy stock android, but it is far from perfect and sometimes oem's provide useful apps or solutions that are welcome
 

linkboy

Member
I'm stationed in Korea and I dropped my nexus 5 and its broke. Anyways, I'm looking for a replacement as my parents have offered to buy me a new phone.

I'm leaning towards the G2, as its basically a nexus 5 anyways.

As my title stats, I'm looking into the band support for LTE between the different models and Korean providers.

SK Telcom uses 850/1800mhz
LG U+ uses 850/1800mhz
KT Olleh uses 900/1800mhz

Which model, the at&t or T-Mobile model would be better for Korea? I'm leaning towards the at&t version, I'll be good with hspa+
 

Aldebaran

Member
I'm stationed in Korea and I dropped my nexus 5 and its broke. Anyways, I'm looking for a replacement as my parents have offered to buy me a new phone.

I'm leaning towards the G2, as its basically a nexus 5 anyways.

As my title stats, I'm looking into the band support for LTE between the different models and Korean providers.

SK Telcom uses 850/1800mhz
LG U+ uses 850/1800mhz
KT Olleh uses 900/1800mhz

Which model, the at&t or T-Mobile model would be better for Korea? I'm leaning towards the at&t version, I'll be good with hspa+
Just my two cents: don't be so sure about the G2 being basically a Nexus 5, the form factor is similar but the UI is really, really bad.
 
i'd rather have duplicate apps than a single app that is a mess to use unless you are someone into tech.
If google was more consitent with its own apps it wouldn't be an issue at all, but that is not the case. Since sms and gallery are really important apps for the basic user, hangouts and photo app (linked to G+) ain't the way to go. We can agree that they 'somehow have fixed the hangouts issue with the new messenger app to manage sms on stock android.
Don't get me wrong, i enjoy stock android, but it is far from perfect and sometimes oem's provide useful apps or solutions that are welcome

You are a pile of wrong. You can use hangouts and the photos app without a google plus account. I just verified this again by trying it myself. When you login to photos you just get your on device photos if you turn down the google plus upgrade. Just like how you will only see SMS if you don't have google plus with hangouts.

Creating the new messenger app was a terrible idea and nothing but a patch job to please carriers and complaints from users like yourself. It will do nothing but create more confusion.

I do not understand why people think their on device wants should come first before the cloud. That age is gone. When I sign into my photos app I want to see my photos which are mostly on the cloud. Why would I want to see my on device first when 100 percent of my collection is on the cloud vs like 1 percent of my photos is on my device.

Googles apps are far from perfect but its better than a mess of different apps from different manufactures trying to achieve the same functionality. Now that is inconsistency.
 

terrier

Member
You are a pile of wrong. You can use hangouts and the photos app without a google plus account. I just verified this again by trying it myself. When you login to photos you just get your on device photos if you turn down the google plus upgrade. Just like how you will only see SMS if you don't have google plus with hangouts.

Creating the new messenger app was a terrible idea and nothing but a patch job to please carriers and complaints from users like yourself. It will do nothing but create more confusion.

I do not understand why people think their on device wants should come first before the cloud. That age is gone. When I sign into my photos app I want to see my photos which are mostly on the cloud. Why would I want to see my on device first when 100 percent of my collection is on the cloud vs like 1 percent of my photos is on my device.

Googles apps are far from perfect but its better than a mess of different apps from different manufactures trying to achieve the same functionality. Now that is inconsistency.

Maybe i am , as i said, it is not a big issue for me but is for my mother.And i didn't mean it needs google +, just that G+ adds even more confusion. She has a android phone that uses stock android. She didn't understand Hangouts since no sms app was available, unless you download it from Google play, something she doesn't know how to do by herself.
Her previous phone, LG, had a stock sms app. Never had a single problem.
Same goes for google photos, but in a different flavour, since G+ comes installed and once she puts her gmail account it gets activated, sames happens for photos app. And the default screen is online based, so when you hit a photo it loads from internet (or at least that is what seems to happen. If signal is low it takes a while) and my mother barely understands how to type so telling her about cloud is like talking to my dog about economics adn having the loading animation everytime she tried to see a photo was a pain in the neck
So i see the some of the apps manufacturers provide to be useful.
Not all users are into technology, some of them are almost borderline for tech, so oems filling the gaps where google doesn't is almost a must sometimes. Not everyone has somebody to do the dirty work and set up if you aren't capable. I have coworkers that also fit in that description, no matter how many times i try to explain, it is like talking to a deaf.

However i agree sometimes oems also generate confusion with their bloat.
But for example i find Samsung's gallery much easier to deal with than google photos. I have a fuckton of them on the cloud, sure, but the ones i usually check and delete before they are uplaoded are the ones on the device, and GPhotos is crap compared to most apps out there including former stock gallery
 
Maybe i am , as i said, it is not a big issue for me but is for my mother.And i didn't mean it needs google +, just that G+ adds even more confusion. She has a android phone that uses stock android. She didn't understand Hangouts since no sms app was available, unless you download it from Google play, something she doesn't know how to do by herself.
Her previous phone, LG, had a stock sms app. Never had a single problem.
Same goes for google photos, but in a different flavour, since G+ comes installed and once she puts her gmail account it gets activated, sames happens for photos app. And the default screen is online based, so when you hit a photo it loads from internet (or at least that is what seems to happen. If signal is low it takes a while) and my mother barely understands how to type so telling her about cloud is like talking to my dog about economics adn having the loading animation everytime she tried to see a photo was a pain in the neck
So i see the some of the apps manufacturers provide to be useful.
Not all users are into technology, some of them are almost borderline for tech, so oems filling the gaps where google doesn't is almost a must sometimes. Not everyone has somebody to do the dirty work and set up if you aren't capable. I have coworkers that also fit in that description, no matter how many times i try to explain, it is like talking to a deaf.

However i agree sometimes oems also generate confusion with their bloat.
But for example i find Samsung's gallery much easier to deal with than google photos. I have a fuckton of them on the cloud, sure, but the ones i usually check and delete before they are uplaoded are the ones on the device, and GPhotos is crap compared to most apps out there including former stock gallery

Good post. Honestly I think were just in a transition period where the general population is finally all getting smart phones to the point where flip phones will soon be no more. The cloud is still new to that population and they are very slowly learning that smart phone usage and cloud usage goes hand in hand. Kind of like how all people know how to check their email if you put a PC in front of them.

In the ios world a lot if this userbase is still very confused on how to use icloud correctly as well. Every company is teaching users different ways of getting there but i think within a few years everyone will be looking for the apps that use the cloud first and those on device photos apps will be rare. The cloud will be understood whether the user wants it or not.
 

terrier

Member
Good post. Honestly I think were just in a transition period where the general population is finally all getting smart phones to the point where flip phones will soon be no more. The cloud is still new to that population and they are very slowly learning that smart phone usage and cloud usage goes hand in hand. Kind of like how all people know how to check their email if you put a PC in front of them.

In the ios world a lot if this userbase is still very confused on how to use icloud correctly as well. Every company is teaching users different ways of getting there but i think within a few years everyone will understand the cloud whether they want to or not.

Yes, cloud is the future,once signal isn't an issue on certain areas,and data plans are bigger, but there is a lot going on, including a number of services that offer different storage solutions and capacity, and now it is kinda difficult to stay on one, dropboix was the leader, but now doesn't offer as much capacity for free as others, for exaple google offers more or u nlimited if you upload lower resolution. Some apps have been implementing 'camera' uploads lately, including MEGA (50GB free) Onedrive.....
Now Dropbox has a separate app , Carousel that can also add confusion. And some oem galleries, like samsung's, can sync with some of those services, dropbox, google... too and show them in their gallery.
I use Google photos because while shitty, has chromecast support, i hope Flickr and their free Terabyte give ccast some love in the future so i can forget about G photos (despite i enjoy the effects and movies it makes sometimes by itself).

I have 4Gb plan now, but used to have 1GB and just swiping through Flickr since dropbox dindn't offer full resolution pics but compressed ones, could eat a lot of that in a single 'session'.
Hopefully by then there's some kind of google app that allows to use different services in a single app,...

But yes, cloud will be understood in a few years hopefully.
 
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