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[juliushandle]

Nextbit Robin down to $180 now on Amazon.

Beautiful phone. The designer is the same guy who designed the HTC 8X which I consider one of the best looking phones ever. I'd consider a Robin but I watched some bend tests and the phone is extremely weak.

Hope Nextbit continues on and releases a new Robin with improvements.

 

[Chris R]

Oh shit I didn't notice til right now that Google maps is actually keeping track of traffic lights. I was stopped at turning lane and it only told me to turn 5 seconds before it turned green to turn

I had a few issues with the directions last week while I was traveling.

Firstly, Maps directed me down a bunch of side roads to get to a destination when the highways would have been MUCH faster (and safer). And then it told me to stick to a direction instead of recalculating a faster path. I think it had issues because the right hand lane was slow, moving maybe a mile every 10 mins, but the left hand lane was going 40+ Lucky for me I kinda knew the area I was driving around by that point of my trip, got in the left hand lane, went to the next exit and got to my destination ~20 minutes early lol.

 

[Fulminator]

is there enough info to determine which is a better phone between the lg v20 and the pixel?

 

[Jeffrey]

is there enough info to determine which is a better phone between the lg v20 and the pixel?

probably? both have good cameras (v20 has more manual options in stock camera). v20 has better audio with its nonsense quad dac setup. removable battery is nice, think it also has an ir blaster?

pixel runs better than v20 because LG's custom stuff hurts performance as bad or worse than samsungs.

 

[Fulminator]

probably? both have good cameras (v20 has more manual options in stock camera). v20 has better audio with its nonsense quad dac setup. removable battery is nice, think it also has an ir blaster?

pixel runs better than v20 because LG's custom stuff hurts performance as bad or worse than samsungs.

hmm if the pixel runs faster ill probably just get that, i hate touchwiz and if lg's skin is on par with that i dont want anything to do with it

most of the features on the g20 i could take or leave, except the removable battery which is nice, but i hear the pixel gets really good battery life

 

[Jazzy Network]

Cool I didn't know Google dialer had visual voice mail built in.

 

[wilflare]

Google Camera really needs a built-in bin option so we can review deleted photos for accidental deletes.

The "Undo" toast doesn't show up long enough or is easily dismissed when you are swiping through photos.

Think I lost some precious photos when passing the phone to friends who aren't used to it to help take photos :/

 

[osiris3355]

hmm if the pixel runs faster ill probably just get that, i hate touchwiz and if lg's skin is on par with that i dont want anything to do with it

most of the features on the g20 i could take or leave, except the removable battery which is nice, but i hear the pixel gets really good battery life

The couple hardware features like the removal battery and DAC are pretty much the only pros over the Pixel.

Pixel is a no brainer.

 

[Fulminator]

The couple hardware features like the removal battery and DAC are pretty much the only pros over the Pixel.

Pixel is a no brainer.

yeah im p sure im going for the pixel

just sucks that there's no 64 gb version :/

oh well with the unlimitied photo backups hopefully ill have room to download most of my music, not that i have anywhere near 32 gb worth of music lol

 

[Jzero]

Fuck yes. Works on my 6p
http://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-fingerprint-scanner-gestures-725490/

 

[Jeffrey]

axon 7 update is out. Notification bell is optional. Go to settings notifications.

Seems like nougat is the next update.

 

[brotkasten]

axon 7 update is out. Notification bell is optional. Go to settings notifications.

Seems like nougat is the next update.

Looks like Samsung is waiting for 7.1 to be done, before they push it to the S7. So 7.1 in March or so, right after the S8 gets shown.

Not that I feel like I'm missing anything from Nougat.

 

[tzare]

the sensor is limited by physics at this point, having ois isn't going to change the results in auto modes. using hdr also prefer having higher shutter speed which means ois won't do anything.

i am sure there's a reason why all pro cameras usually have ois, even if they may not use it in certain circumstances. So i am sure ois could help pixel camera in some scenarios, low light for example, instead of relying on fast shutterthat doesn't help to have enough light, or EIS.

 

[RuGalz]

i am sure there's a reason why all pro cameras usually have ois, even if they may not use it in certain circumstances. So i am sure ois could help pixel camera in some scenarios, low light for example, instead of relying on fast shutterthat doesn't help to have enough light, or EIS.

It sounds like you want OIS simply because of marketing. First of all, not all pro cameras have OIS; lenses typically come with or without image stabilization depends on if you are willing to shell out more money for ones with it. And there are times you WANT to turn it off because it does interfere. In photography, typically if your shutter speed is higher than 1/focal_length (second) of the lens you don't need image stabilization and even having it on is not beneficial. Pixel's lens is about ~27mm in 35mm term, which means the software is probably tuned to shoot faster than 1/28s internally. In addition, for hdr to be effective, every consecutive shot needs to be done as quickly as possible to avoid ghosting. Another point, due to this sensor supposedly having low ISO variance, the amount of noise you get by under expose (keeping shutter speed high) and then fix the exposure afterward or slowing the shutter speed for the proper exposure and don't fit it afterward is the same result in terms of noise.

TLR Basically they have done everything there is to do to make inclusion of OIS useless in auto hdr mode. And as a side effect of keeping shutter speed higher, you have better chance of capturing moving subject in low light without the motion blur which arguably is a better choice for average Joe's usage pattern.

OIS will help if you get out of auto mode and want to take long exposure yourself. But if it's on a tripod, good thing it doesn't have OIS because that is one of situations where you want to turn off OIS and no phone camera I know of offers that option.

How many people using Pixel are going to be shooting in manual, long exposure mode that will make OIS useful?

edit: That's not to say they couldn't have included OIS and tune the software work with it in tandem BUT you do lose some benefits of the current approach. It's not a complete win.

 

[Bboy AJ]

Lots of discussion over OIS. Would the Pixel be better with OIS? Yes. Does the Pixel need to have OIS to have a class leading camera? Not necessarily.

Let's talk about where we want Android to go next. I can't think of anything, actually. I'm pretty happy. Maybe a better backup cloud solution. That would be awesome for switching phones or for replacing a warrantied phone.

 

[RuGalz]

Not that I feel like I'm missing anything from Nougat.

The improved notifications and quick double tap on recent app icon for alt-tab switch are things I miss when I go back to a device before Nougat. They didn't sound much on paper but they do make a big difference in regular usage for me.

 

[TTOOLL]

Lots of discussion over OIS. Would the Pixel be better with OIS? Yes. Does the Pixel need to have OIS to have a class leading camera? Not necessarily.

Let's talk about where we want Android to go next. I can't think of anything, actually. I'm pretty happy. Maybe a better backup cloud solution. That would be awesome for switching phones or for replacing a warrantied phone.

All the buttons down the screen. It doesn't make sense to have everything at the top with big phones.

 

[Mindwipe]

Lots of discussion over OIS. Would the Pixel be better with OIS? Yes. Does the Pixel need to have OIS to have a class leading camera? Not necessarily.

Let's talk about where we want Android to go next. I can't think of anything, actually. I'm pretty happy. Maybe a better backup cloud solution. That would be awesome for switching phones or for replacing a warrantied phone.

• Better backup cloud solution
• Steal the minimising to a third of the screen solution Samsung has to help big phones be usable.
• Steal the secure enclave for hiding pictures/apps you don't want other people to see that Samsung has too.
• Better battery diagnostic data - stop apps hiding behind Google Play Services.
• Much more robust pen support.
• Fix the contacts app FFS, the design is atrocious.
• Better stock level controls over LEDs (why oh why oh why can't you "do not disturb" LEDs, I'm fucking trying to sleep without blinking lights).
• There's more work to do on password management integration.
• I continually drone on about it, but ultimately Android needs to move the Linux kernel or fork it entirely to create a binary hardware shim. Looks like it might slowly be happening.
• The way Android handles pre-installed apps is broken. Google have tried to fix it. It's not worked. Needs to try something else.
• Android needs to let you edit the phone number that the SIM card stores as yours like every other mobile OS in history because if your number is ported over then it's wrong and every app inherits it and I legitimately can't believe this isn't fixed yet.
• The OS needs another level of system level permissions between sys and userland, which is protected from casual alteration, via some Windows UAC type mechanism, but can be modified without getting root. For example, it is utterly insane that root is required to add another bluetooth HID profile. It does nobody any good. It pushes people to root constantly where there is little need to. A fair amount of the OS can be moved to this new category.
• Some form of Pushbullet/iOS esque continuity feature. A lot of the work for this already exists through the wear APIs, it just needs a decent PC, Mac and Web client.
• Actionable application mirroring. Should be able to reply to SMS or Whatsapp messages via my Android tablet.

(I've got a bunch of other suggestions about Google's applications, but I was focusing on Android).

Lots still to do.

 

[tzare]

It sounds like you want OIS simply because of marketing. First of all, not all pro cameras have OIS; lenses typically come with or without image stabilization depends on if you are willing to shell out more money for ones with it. And there are times you WANT to turn it off because it does interfere. In photography, typically if your shutter speed is higher than 1/focal_length (second) of the lens you don't need image stabilization and even having it on is not beneficial. Pixel's lens is about ~27mm in 35mm term, which means the software is probably tuned to shoot faster than 1/28s internally. In addition, for hdr to be effective, every consecutive shot needs to be done as quickly as possible to avoid ghosting. Another point, due to this sensor supposedly having low ISO variance, the amount of noise you get by under expose (keeping shutter speed high) and then fix the exposure afterward or slowing the shutter speed for the proper exposure and don't fit it afterward is the same result in terms of noise.

TLR Basically they have done everything there is to do to make inclusion of OIS useless in auto hdr mode. And as a side effect of keeping shutter speed higher, you have better chance of capturing moving subject in low light without the motion blur which arguably is a better choice for average Joe's usage pattern.

OIS will help if you get out of auto mode and want to take long exposure yourself. But if it's on a tripod, good thing it doesn't have OIS because that is one of situations where you want to turn off OIS and no phone camera I know of offers that option.

How many people using Pixel are going to be shooting in manual, long exposure mode that will make OIS useful?

edit: That's not to say they couldn't have included OIS and tune the software work with it in tandem BUT you do lose some benefits of the current approach. It's not a complete win.

i think including it seems a win-win situation to me, since it is an expensive device: obviously tuning software to work with it, and still having the option to turn it off, just like it works now,, for those who just use auto mode.

My camera does not have ois but objectives have. So i guess it helps in certain situations, even if marginal some people may find it useful. As some find interesting stereo speakers, and others don't.

Let's talk about where we want Android to go next. I can't think of anything, actually. I'm pretty happy. Maybe a better backup cloud solution. That would be awesome for switching phones or for replacing a warrantied phone..

if marketing is good enough it may not even need a screen..... or a headphone jack, You know.

I think many asked for manual modes on smartphones, so there's a public willing to use camera in different situations, and due to small sensors being not idea for allowing enough light, ois is useful, as those bigger pixels seem to help in low light too.

As for android..... i think we still have room , especially for battery life and control over apps that drain battery. Doze is nice, but we need something more agressive, like Stamina mode, where the user decides which apps are allowed to run in background, not only when screen is off or phone is on a table.
Encryption, not only for high end phones and with a common solution for all phones.
Standard backup solutions

Mindwipe's list is really interesting

 

[wilflare]

Lots of discussion over OIS. Would the Pixel be better with OIS? Yes. Does the Pixel need to have OIS to have a class leading camera? Not necessarily.

Let's talk about where we want Android to go next. I can't think of anything, actually. I'm pretty happy. Maybe a better backup cloud solution. That would be awesome for switching phones or for replacing a warrantied phone.

better backup solution yes.
something like iTunes encrypted backup... without iTunes...

 

[The Faceless Master]

those Apple/Google fans always arguing why not having useful features is better.

SMH

 

[RuGalz]

ppl don't read

smh

 

[hitgirl]

Pixel and Pixel XL have the same camera?

 

[Ty4on]

Pixel and Pixel XL have the same camera?

Same everything except screen and battery IIRC

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

axon 7 update is out. Notification bell is optional. Go to settings notifications.

Seems like nougat is the next update.

I love it. They fixed one the one irrational design decision. This phone really is a dream though. Bring on Nougat.

 

[snacknuts]

Same everything except screen and battery IIRC

You remember correctly.

 

[Dobsie]

I'd like to see the next pixel have minimal bezels and retain stereo speakers.
Also some sort of touch gesture panel on the back would be cool, when I saw the renders for this year's pixel I thought that's what they were going to do with the glass panel.
Google needs to get a move on with developing their own soc's too so we can get something that's beastily powerful and has more than 2 years worth of software updates. If they're going to charge iPhone prices they can't get away with only 2 major os updates.

 

[Tallshortman]

I'd like to see the next pixel have minimal bezels and retain stereo speakers.
Also some sort of touch gesture panel on the back would be cool, when I saw the renders for this year's pixel I thought that's what they were going to do with the glass panel.
Google needs to get a move on with developing their own soc's too so we can get something that's beastily powerful and has more than 2 years worth of software updates. If they're going to charge iPhone prices they can't get away with only 2 major os updates.

Developing your own SoC, especially on the high end, is very difficult and expensive for a software company with little experience in hardware.

Unless they acquire a chip maker, I doubt you will be seeing a google chip anytime soon.

 

[Jazzy Network]

Strong 2 days per full charge on the Z Play. Performance is great too. Might invest in the ecosystem.

 

[ev0]

Hi Androidgaf,

I have a problem I hope I can find some help/suggestions with.

Anybody know of a good program that will sync a folder on my PC (Win10) to an external SD card in my tablet (Galaxy Tab S2); either through USB or Wirelessly over LAN?

I used to use Cheetah Sync (it became Folder Sync?). It was slow but always did what I wanted.
I just updated the tablet to Marshmallow after denying it for so long and had no idea that it messed up all SD card write permissions.

It looks like Cheetah Sync is no longer updated and it doesn't know what to do anymore when I start a sync.

This is a pretty large folder and I rather not deal with cloud stuff. Thanks!

 

[this_guy]

Strong 2 days per full charge on the Z Play. Performance is great too. Might invest in the ecosystem.

How's the camera on the phone? What kind of screen on time are you getting, and any performance hiccups in day to day usage?

The battery life on that phone is intriguing.

 

[Quasar]

Developing your own SoC, especially on the high end, is very difficult and expensive for a software company with little experience in hardware.

Unless they acquire a chip maker, I doubt you will be seeing a google chip anytime soon.

Well they do already make server chips I thought.

 

[Noema]

The problem with Google developing their own silicon and optimizing Android or Andromeda or whatever to run on it is that it would basically spell Doom on the AOSP.

A huge number of Android apps run on byte code that has to be translated by the ART virtual machine, or aren't optimized for a single platform. Take Chrome. People complain that it's a memory hog, that it's slow, etc. Sure. But it's a single set of code that is warranted to run on all Android phones, whether they have a Qualcomm, Mediatek, Exynos , Kirin, x86 Atom or whatever. Google (and most app devs) don't have to worry about maintaining code for every single hardware permutation that OEMs come up with. That's how android was designed for better or worse.

If Google comes out with their own GX whatever SoC and a version of Android that's optimized for it, you bet they are not going to bother porting whatever features come with Android 8 back to AOSP. Plus devs would now be faced with the added challenge of porting their apps to be native code on the pixel if they want to take advantage of that extra performance, if they don't want the penalty of running on ART for translating byte code into native (which is obviously enormously more convenient) .

These are issues that Apple simply doesn't have to deal with because they have a monopoly on their own platform. Google doesn't and I suspect that's why they came up with Andromeda. It's a huge middle finger to OEMs.

The question is whether both Android and Andromeda can coexist and have meaningful ecosystems.

 

[Dobsie]

Developing your own SoC, especially on the high end, is very difficult and expensive for a software company with little experience in hardware.

Unless they acquire a chip maker, I doubt you will be seeing a google chip anytime soon.

Hopefully they do by 2 years when I'll be looking to upgrade my 6p.

 

[Jeffrey]

I'm surprised google didn't release a 'pixel browser'.

Or did they?

how is chrome on pixel, or is it still better to use some chromium browser optimized for Snapdragon?

 

[Noema]

I'm surprised google didn't release a 'pixel browser'.

Or did they?

how is chrome on pixel, or is it still better to use some chromium browser optimized for Snapdragon?

CAF browsers are always gonna be faster than Chrome on Snapdragon phones until Google releases a fork of Android optimized for Snapdragon processors. They'll never do that.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

CAF browsers are always gonna be faster than Chrome on Snapdragon phones until Google releases a fork of Android optimized for Snapdragon processors. They'll never do that.

What is a CAF browser?

 

[crazy monkey]

What is a CAF browser?

the best browser for snapdragon phones. I have one on G3 and it is pretty much instant.

 

[Jazzy Network]

How's the camera on the phone? What kind of screen on time are you getting, and any performance hiccups in day to day usage?

The battery life on that phone is intriguing.

Camera ain't that good. Screen time is ranging from 8-10 hours between 48 hours depending on how I'm using it. Haven't really noticed any performance issues at all. Even most games (I don't play many) are fine.

Been using Pyrope browser and it's much better than Firefox.

 

[Groof]

the best browser for snapdragon phones. I have one on G3 and it is pretty much instant.

The problem I have with these is that whenever you go to a site that needs Google account log in you can't. That's what keeps me going back to chrome

 

[CrispyBoar]

Examples of CAF browsers? Exactly how many of them are there?

 

[Jeffrey]

oneplus 3 is shipping instantly if anyone wants, but best to wait for the 3T.

But then at this point see what snapdragon 830 is gonna bring when they gonna reveal it in dec probably.


xiaomi is testing smartphones on us carriers atm. US launch could happen in 2017.

China's happening.

Trump is right.

 

[osiris3355]

My niece managed to lose the password for her Nexus 7 2013 and I need to get the pictures off.

USB debugging and directory browsing are of course turned off so I cannot see anything in Windows 10 over USB besides the name of the device.

Anyone know if it is possible that I can turn on the file browsing over adb on this thing since it's not encrypted? I went into the bootloader and ran some commands but they can't see the device. (Probably due to USB debugging being off)

 

[newdayrocks]

My niece managed to lose the password for her Nexus 7 2013.

Dev options and directory browsing are of course turned off so I cannot see anything in Windows 10 over USB besides the name of the device.

Anyone know if it is possible that I can turn on the file browsing over adb on this thing since it's not encrypted? Just need to get the pictures off. I went into the bootloader and ran some commands but they can't see the device. (Probably due to USB debugging being off)

Did she not have Google Photos installed? If she did, she can just grab those by logging onto the website.

 

[osiris3355]

Did she not have Google Photos installed? If she did, she can just grab those by logging onto the website.

Yeah but the syncing has been off since March for some reason so I need the local copies.

 

[Fatalah]

Yeah but the syncing has been off since March for some reason so I need the local copies.

What if you plug in her phone for charging, and connect to WiFi? Maybe Google Photos' backup will trigger.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

the best browser for snapdragon phones. I have one on G3 and it is pretty much instant.

Could you list some? I would love to try one out. I mainly use Dolphin Browser but it has a bug regarding syncing my bookmarks.

 

[CrispyBoar]

Trump is right.

Stop bringing up that clown into these discussions.

 

[DrFunk]

Phab 2 Pro up for preorder

$499

 

[Flying Toaster]

Anyone do the pixel T-Mobile deal?