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HTC One |OT| The Beauty is a Beast

Nameless

Nameless

Member
Chrome kicks the shit out of the stock browser: loads sites better(especially pictures and video thumbnails), unlimited number of tabs, easy to swipe horizontally and vertically between tabs, desktop connectivity. The vanilla browser's copy and paste is a little better, though.
 
C

Choabac

Member
I just got mine today and it has the gap issue at the top of the phone. I don't get care about the aesthetics as much as I am concerned about any other issues that might arise down the track due to the gap.
 
E

evlcookie

but ever so delicious
Mine arrived today. Certainly a nice upgrade over my iPhone 4. The screen and just general feel of the phone is outstanding.

Now I need to find fancy android apps, make my phone look unique with themes, set it all up the way I like it then custom rom and do it all again!

Maybe.
 
Jigolo

Jigolo

Member
Every S4 review I've read thus far says the One is an overall better phone.

It seems HTC took the crown back this year. HTC One is king of 2013
 
R

reKon

Banned
Jigolo said:
Every S4 review I've read thus far says the One is an overall better phone.

It seems HTC took the crown back this year. HTC One is king of 2013
Click to expand...

At this point since the top phones are fast, reviewers mostly care about design, build quality, and whether the phone is pleasant to use. The One is the first Android phone to do well in every category and reviewers are obviously going to be harsh on any slippery plastic build of a phone today (especially on a flagship).

It's like the same thing with the iPhone and reviewers loving the design and it's ability to do all the things you need done and fast. Though I'm finding that now some of the worse reviewers are declaring features as gimmicky as if coming up with new features hurts the experience more and they are missing out on things that actually improve the phone. The verge review didn't mention anything about being able set natural colorsfor the amoled screen on the S4.

This is why I wait on gsmarena and anandtech reviews, which are actually thorough.
 
O

OriginalThinking

Member
reKon said:
At this point since the top phones are fast, reviewers mostly care about design, build quality, and whether the phone is pleasant to use. The One is the first Android phone to do well in every category and reviewers are obviously going to be harsh on any slippery plastic build of a phone today (especially on a flagship).

It's like the same thing with the iPhone and reviewers loving the design and it's ability to do all the things you need done and fast. Though I'm finding that now some of the worse reviewers are declaring features as gimmicky as if coming up with new features hurts the experience more and they are missing out on things that actually improve the phone. The verge review didn't mention anything about being able set natural colorsfor the amoled screen on the S4.

This is why I wait on gsmarena and anandtech reviews, which are actually thorough.
Click to expand...

That's because some of the features are gimmicky. Just throwing features at a phone doesn't make it better, and doesn't mean that Samsung should be applauded just for adding stuff when it doesn't really enhance the experience or usability. For example the silly faces on the stock Android 4.0 camera was a gimmick. A fun gimmick, but ultimately a gimmick. It had little real world value.
 
Jigolo

Jigolo

Member
bobbytkc said:
Amazing what a little build quality and a premium quality finish can do for you.
Click to expand...
It's more than that though. The One x was way more premium than the GS3 and look how that turned out. Nobody was claiming that the One X was better than GS3 either. I'll admit you can't go wrong with either phone but the One certainly takes the crown back this year. Its about damn time considering Samsung has had it since 2011 with the Gs2 and Gs3.

If you're planning to buy a GS4 by all means go get one. I'm sure you'll enjoy it more for personal reasons. That won't change the fact that all professional reviews have stated the One > GS4
 
R

reKon

Banned
Jigolo said:
It's more than that though. The One x was way more premium than the GS3 and look how that turned out. Nobody was claiming that the One X was better than GS3 either. I'll admit you can't go wrong with either phone but the One certainly takes the crown back this year. Its about damn time considering Samsung has had it since 2011 with the Gs2 and Gs3.

If you're planning to buy a GS4 by all means go get one. I'm sure you'll enjoy it more for personal reasons. That won't change the fact that all professional reviews have stated the One > GS4
Click to expand...

Except this time the phone clearly exceeds everyone in design including the iPhone
 
N

nib95

Banned
OriginalThinking said:
That's because some of the features are gimmicky. Just throwing features at a phone doesn't make it better, and doesn't mean that Samsung should be applauded just for adding stuff when it doesn't really enhance the experience or usability. For example the silly faces on the stock Android 4.0 camera was a gimmick. A fun gimmick, but ultimately a gimmick. It had little real world value.
Click to expand...

This is a pretty silly way to look at things. Adding features is a great thing, especially when they're optional. Just because you yourself might not have use for them, doesn't mean others might not. Fact that Samsung is being lambasted for adding new features is imo laughable. Essentially people are saying the phone is too smart now, and needs to be dumbed down to the development level of other phones, which are often stale and barely innovate on the software front these days. No thanks. I for one hope Samsung keep pushing software and hardware innovation forward.
 
D

DrFunk

not licensed in your state
If the alarm doesn't wake you up on this thing, you might wanna check your pulse to see if you're still alive, because damn
 
V

Victory Red

Member
Jigolo said:
It's more than that though. The One x was way more premium than the GS3 and look how that turned out. Nobody was claiming that the One X was better than GS3 either. I'll admit you can't go wrong with either phone but the One certainly takes the crown back this year. Its about damn time considering Samsung has had it since 2011 with the Gs2 and Gs3.

If you're planning to buy a GS4 by all means go get one. I'm sure you'll enjoy it more for personal reasons. That won't change the fact that all professional reviews have stated the One > GS4
Click to expand...

It depends on what is more important to you as a consumer. Shiny aluminum or expandability and software.

I'm getting an S4. After creating a checklist of whats more imporant to me, how the phone feels in my hand naked is suprisingly low.
 
O

OriginalThinking

Member
nib95 said:
This is a pretty silly way to look at things. Adding features is a great thing, especially when they're optional. Just because you yourself might not have use for them, doesn't mean others might not. Fact that Samsung is being lambasted for adding new features is imo laughable. Essentially people are saying the phone is too smart now, and needs to be dumbed down to the development level of other phones, which are often stale and barely innovate on the software front these days. No thanks. I for one hope Samsung keep pushing software and hardware innovation forward.
Click to expand...

No, no it isn't. Especially when the features are half baked or try to solve a problem which doesn't really exist. Case in point air view (hover for previews). One this is not actually faster and less comfortable than just selecting what it is you want to "preview". Two, it's only useful if your hands are dirty (for example eating food) but the problem is you still have to get into the gallery to select it before you can then preview your photos, so you still have to touch the screen, defeating the point. That's a fairly useless, gimmicky feature. If they allowed it throughout the entire phone and you could select icons whilst hovering it would have a practical benefit. But you can't.

A useful feature is being able to use the phone with gloves on and I commend Samsung for that. But just saying we shouldn't criticize Samsung for adding features which don't really add value, or work worse than the already effective traditional techniques is absurd. I'm all for features which improve user experience, but not ones which are poorly executed and have almost zero practical uses.
 
S

soundscream

Member
DrFunk said:
If the alarm doesn't wake you up on this thing, you might wanna check your pulse to see if you're still alive, because damn
Click to expand...

I still use the alarm on my BlackBerry Bold, because my current phone is weak sauce, but my HTC One comes tomorrow, hope its as loud as you say.
 
V

Victory Red

Member
OriginalThinking said:
No, no it isn't. Especially when the features are half baked or try to solve a problem which doesn't really exist. Case in point air view (hover for previews). One this is not actually faster and less comfortable than just selecting what it is you want to "preview". Two, it's only useful if your hands are dirty (for example eating food) but the problem is you still have to get into the gallery to select it before you can then preview your photos, so you still have to touch the screen, defeating the point. That's a fairly useless, gimmicky feature. If they allowed it throughout the entire phone and you could select icons whilst hovering it would have a practical benefit. But you can't.

A useful feature is being able to use the phone with gloves on and I commend Samsung for that. But just saying we shouldn't criticize Samsung for adding features which don't really add value, or work worse than the already effective traditional techniques is absurd. I'm all for features which improve user experience, but not ones which are poorly executed and have almost zero practical uses.
Click to expand...

Hoover for "previews." Hovering will display contant that would not be displayed if you pressed down. i.e. Hovering through the timeline of a youtube video to see the still of that point in the video.
 
N

nib95

Banned
OriginalThinking said:
No, no it isn't. Especially when the features are half baked or try to solve a problem which doesn't really exist. Case in point air view (hover for previews). One this is not actually faster and less comfortable than just selecting what it is you want to "preview". Two, it's only useful if your hands are dirty (for example eating food) but the problem is you still have to get into the gallery to select it before you can then preview your photos, so you still have to touch the screen, defeating the point. That's a fairly useless, gimmicky feature. If they allowed it throughout the entire phone and you could select icons whilst hovering it would have a practical benefit. But you can't.

A useful feature is being able to use the phone with gloves on and I commend Samsung for that. But just saying we shouldn't criticize Samsung for adding features which don't really add value, or work worse than the already effective traditional techniques is absurd. I'm all for features which improve user experience, but not ones which are poorly executed and have almost zero practical uses.
Click to expand...

You're grasping here. Just because you can't use the phone entirely using air gesture does not mean air gesture is not useful. The point of it is not for full UI functionality, the point of it is for un-interfering previews. So when you are in the gallery for example, instead of having to click an image to see a bigger version of it, then click back to go back to the gallery, you just hover your finger over a thumbnail and get a larger preview of it. Or when watching a video, instead of sliding your finger around on the timeline to see where or what happens when, losing your current position in the video, you just hover your finger over the timeline and a preview thumbnail pops up of that exact spot in the video, whilst you continue to watch your video.

Air gesture in this regard is absolutely useful, and solves a particular issue or two when it comes to current smartphone UI use.
 
B

Blackhead

Redarse
Victory Red said:
It depends on what is more important to you as a consumer. Shiny aluminum or expandability and software.

I'm getting an S4. After creating a checklist of whats more imporant to me, how the phone feels in my hand naked is suprisingly low.
Click to expand...

Really?

Anyway all the reviewers admit that the S4 feels comfortable in the hand (even the Verge said so). The design is very ergonomic. They are just pissed off it's made of plastic.
 
O

OriginalThinking

Member
Victory Red said:
Hoover for "previews." Hovering will display contant that would not be displayed if you pressed down. i.e. Hovering through the timeline of a youtube video to see the still of that point in the video.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but it only works on the Samsung apps, not Youtube. The biggest problem is that you have to hover for a good half a second/second to preview that content. In the same time you could have just clicked the app. This is why I talked about consistency. Airview would be useful if it works everywhere but it doesn't.

nib95 said:
You're grasping here. Just because you can't use the phone entirely using air gesture does not mean air gesture is not useful. The point of it is not for full UI functionality, the point of it is for un-interfering previews. So when you are in the gallery for example, instead of having to click an image to see a bigger version of it, then click back to go back to the gallery, you just hover your finger over a thumbnail and get a larger preview of it. Or when watching a video, instead of sliding your finger around on the timeline to see where or what happens when, losing your current position in the video, you just hover your finger over the timeline and a preview thumbnail pops up of that exact spot in the video, whilst you continue to watch your video.

Air gesture in this regard is absolutely useful, and solves a particular issue or two when it comes to current smartphone UI use.
Click to expand...

I'm not really grasping in the sense that air view isn't quicker. I've played with an S4 and it's no faster than just selecting that item anyway and backing out. If the point of air view is efficiency and productivity in that regard it really isn't more efficient and it's more uncomfortable in the sense that you have nothing physical to place your weight on. It's not a particularly natural interaction. Couple that with the inconsistent nature of where it works doesn't work and there is limited value if any. Now this partially speaks to stock Android because to have that function work across the UI Google would have to implement it. I'm all for innovation when it adds value but as much as it looks cool, air view isn't particularly useful.
 
S

shinshoryuken

Member
nib95 said:
This is a pretty silly way to look at things. Adding features is a great thing, especially when they're optional. Just because youNow urself might not have use for them, doesn't mean others might not. Fact that Samsung is being lambasted for adding new features is imo laughable. Essentially people are saying the phone is too smart now, and needs to be dumbed down to the development level of other phones, which are often stale and barely innovate on the software front these days. No thanks. I for one hope Samsung keep pushing software and hardware innovation forward.
Click to expand...

You know what's laughable? What's laughable was the Samsung diehard fans that was lol at HTC and was nitpicking at every small issues with the One.

Now that review are out and most are not declaring the S4 the top dog. These diehard fans are on the the defense mode, still trying justify and think these review are wrong.

Funny how some poster earlier said "the new touchwiz destroys Sense".....now look at most of the rewiews prefering sense...very laughable...
 
N

nib95

Banned
OriginalThinking said:
Yeah, but it only works on the Samsung apps, not Youtube. The biggest problem is that you have to hover for a good half a second/second to preview that content. In the same time you could have just clicked the app. This is why I talked about consistency. Airview would be useful if it works everywhere but it doesn't.
Click to expand...

I gave you two examples above where it could be very useful, and where the alternatives are longer and often far more cumbersome. Especially with respect to video viewing.

This is an area where I think Samsung really is not commended enough. Software innovations that actually make use of the improved hardware. In many ways it's Google that's playing catch up with Samsung these days with many of it's software innovations, not the other way around. Still shocked some of the other popular phone's don't have split screen multi tasking for example, I mean, what's the point of these big screens and hefty processors etc if they can't do stuff like this?
 
V

Victory Red

Member
OriginalThinking said:
Yeah, but it only works on the Samsung apps, not Youtube. The biggest problem is that you have to hover for a good half a second/second to preview that content. In the same time you could have just clicked the app. This is why I talked about consistency. Airview would be useful if it works everywhere but it doesn't.



I'm not really grasping in the sense that air view isn't quicker. I've played with an S4 and it's no faster than just selecting that item anyway. If the point of air view is efficiency and productivity in that regard it really isn't more efficient and it's more uncomfortable in the sense that you have nothing physical to place your weight on. It's not a particularly natural interaction. Couple that with the inconsistent nature of where it works doesn't work and there is limited value if any. Now this partially speaks to stock Android because to have that function work across the UI Google would have to implement it. I'm all for innovation when it adds value but as much as it looks cool, air view isn't particularly useful.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. But because the feature isn't system-wide doesn't mean its useless and shouldn't be held against the device.

I'm no Samsung fanboy, this will be my first one, so I'm not going to try and battle with you guys about what phones better (I am in the HTC thread afterall.)
 
O

OriginalThinking

Member
nib95 said:
I gave you two examples above where it could be very useful, and where the alternatives are longer and often far more cumbersome. Especially with respect to video viewing.

This is an area where I think Samsung really is not commended enough. Software innovations that actually make use of the improved hardware. In many ways it's Google that's playing catch up with Samsung these days with many of it's software innovations, not the other way around. Still shocked some of the other popular phone's don't have split screen multi tasking for example, I mean, what's the point of these big screens and hefty processors etc if they can't do stuff like this?
Click to expand...

I think that Google absolutely will do something better with multitasking in the future (and this will need to happen) and I think Samsungs use of multitasking is genuinely useful and adds value. Where we disagree is that I don't think that everything that Samsung does adds value and sometimes is just feature bloat which helps for cool sales demos (which makes my job easier) but is not particularly practical.

This is not me saying "everything that Samsung adds over stock Android is a gimmick" because like I've just said there are software developments where I do see value in what Samsung brings over stock Android. However there are elements which are very, very debatable and I'm not just going to give them a free ride on that.

Victory Red said:
Gotcha. But because the feature isn't system-wide doesn't mean its useless and shouldn't be held against the device.

I'm no Samsung fanboy, this will be my first one, so I'm not going to try and battle with you guys about what phones better (I am in the HTC thread afterall.)
Click to expand...

This isn't about being a Samsung or HTC fanboy as I've had phones from both manufacturers and currently have an LG. I have no intention of buying either phone. I have legitimate criticisms when it comes to HTC with regards to Sense and their track record of Android upgrades. I have legitimate concerns about Samsung for feature bloat, hardware design choices and Touchwiz.
 
N

nib95

Banned
OriginalThinking said:
I think that Google absolutely will do something better with multitasking in the future (and this will need to happen) and I think Samsungs use of multitasking is genuinely useful and adds value. Where we disagree is that I don't think that everything that Samsung does adds value and sometimes is just feature bloat which helps for cool sales demos (which makes my job easier) but is not particularly practical.

This is not me saying "everything that Samsung adds over stock Android is a gimmick" because like I've just said there are software developments where I do see value in what Samsung brings over stock Android. However there are elements which are very, very debatable and I'm not just going to give them a free ride on that.
Click to expand...

For adding free, optional features that some people might actually find useful?
 
Nameless

Nameless

Member
Both nib and Original Thinking are right. Many Galaxy S4 features are in fact gimmicky and will rot away in All-Apps hell after the first week of usage but increased functionality is never a bad thing. They may be novelty features now, but one of those bells or whistles will evolve into something practical I'm sure of it. Put the technology out their so people can build upon it; someone somewhere almost always comes up with something cool.
 
O

OriginalThinking

Member
nib95 said:
For adding free, optional features that some people might actually find useful?
Click to expand...

Aren't you making a case for software bloat? Isn't that what all the big networks do? Verizon, Sprint, AT&T. I mean you can disable most of their shit or hide it using an alternate launcher. Some people might find them useful though, so are you actually arguing for them to continue pre-loading their apps? It's about striking a balance between simplicity and ease of use and without overdoing it. Optional or otherwise. Where you and I disagree is in the level of that balance.
 
R

reKon

Banned
No one ever answered my question about running Nova Launcher instead of Sense 5.0. If you choose to use Nova Launcher, does Sense 5 still have to run data in the background resulting in battery drain?
 
T

this_guy

Member
RoKKeR said:
I came home today and pretty much researched nonstop. Conclusion: I think I'm going to do it. Ditch the iPhone 5 and jump on the One. The build quality, design, screen, camera features, and OS are not only great but new and exciting for somebody who has been an exclusive iPhone user for years now. It also looks to be the best Android phone on the market right now, (I really dislike Galaxy) so I see it as a perfect place to jump in.

Any thoughts on what the best way is to get rid of the iPhone while making some cash? Is that Gazelle service legitimate? I did a GameStop trade in for my 4 which was nice and convenient, though it felt undervalued.
Click to expand...

I've used Gazelle and buymytronics several times and never had an issue. Sure I might be able to get a little more from ebay or craigslist, but I don't want to deal with the hassle.
 
S

shinshoryuken

Member
reKon said:
No one ever answered my question about running Nova Launcher instead of Sense 5.0. If you choose to use Nova Launcher, does Sense 5 still have to run data in the background resulting in battery drain?
Click to expand...

It nova is just a skin on top sense ..sense should still be running ...that's my guess.

The weird thing is I have nova pro and sense 5 actually feel smoother and more responsive.
So I'm actually not using nova anymore.
 
N

nib95

Banned
OriginalThinking said:
Aren't you making a case for software bloat? Isn't that what all the big networks do? Verizon, Sprint, AT&T. I mean you can disable most of their shit or hide it using an alternate launcher. Some people might find them useful though, so are you actually arguing for them to continue pre-loading their apps? It's about striking a balance between simplicity and ease of use and without overdoing it. Optional or otherwise. Where you and I disagree is in the level of that balance.
Click to expand...

The network vendors don't provide useful software that doesn't otherwise exist, they provide software only to sell their own products and services. For example, the Vodafone apps on default Vodafone phones, theres already better alternatives built in to the phone, such as the Play Store, the settings tab etc, but they throw their own crap in so you buy their apps, their services. That's completely different. There is no built in alternative to air gesture, split screen multi tasking, direct to call, auto translator, animated photo's etc. Add to that, with bloatware, even if you turn it off (sometimes you can't even do that) often it still uses services and takes up resources, these optional Samsung apps can be turned off in an instant.
 
O

OriginalThinking

Member
nib95 said:
The network vendors don't provide useful software that doesn't otherwise exist, they provide software only to sell their own products and services. For example, the Vodafone apps on default Vodafone phones, theres already better alternatives built in to the phone, such as the Play Store, the settings tab etc, but they throw their own crap in so you buy their apps, their services. That's completely different. There is no built in alternative to air gesture, split screen multi tasking, direct to call, auto translator, animated photo's etc. Add to that, with bloatware, even if you turn it off (sometimes you can't even do that) often it still uses services and takes up resources, these optional Samsung apps can be turned off in an instant.
Click to expand...

And you don't think Samsung implements these features to sell their phones (services also) above HTC etc? Although I concede your point that network bloatware and samsung features aren't really the same thing.

But I digress, because I think you're making an assumption here. Where have I said that Samsung should remove these features from their phones? I haven't. All I've done is make legitimate points about the value add of their services and that many of them aren't thought through or as well implemented as they might be. In the same way that Google took flak for implementing half assed toggles to 4.2, just because something is added does not mean it is free from criticism, nor should it be. Criticism is an essential part of feedback in improving things. Airview could be potentially useful if Samsung could make it work system wide and be a little faster to initially respond. Very few reviews have said the features should be outright removed, but have questioned Samsung's implementation and reasons for adding certain features. Is it genuinely to help their consumers, or is it more to create wow moments to initially sell a product, features which will then be turned off within a week never to be used again? I certainly don't think the GS4 is a worse phone for having these things, but do they add so much value that a consumer would be making the wrong choice if they bought an HTC One? I think the answer is an unequivocal no.
 
M

mitheor

Member
shinshoryuken said:
"Originally Posted by reKon:
No one ever answered my question about running Nova Launcher instead of Sense 5.0. If you choose to use Nova Launcher, does Sense 5 still have to run data in the background resulting in battery drain?"


It nova is just a skin on top sense ..sense should still be running ...that's my guess.

The weird thing is I have nova pro and sense 5 actually feel smoother and more responsive.
So I'm actually not using nova anymore.
Click to expand...


A Launcher is not a skin. If you´re using Nova, Apex or other Launcher there shouldn´t be any Sense running (neither in front or background).
 
K

kitch9

Banned
Nameless said:
Chrome kicks the shit out of the stock browser: loads sites better(especially pictures and video thumbnails), unlimited number of tabs, easy to swipe horizontally and vertically between tabs, desktop connectivity. The vanilla browser's copy and paste is a little better, though.
Click to expand...

You don't like working Flash and a desktop user agent then?

Chrome SUCKS compared to stock!
 
G

genericsuperhero

Member
Does anyone have any opinions on the 'Sleep Mode' power option? I can see that my wifi gets turned off from about 1 am - 6 am nightly. Granted, I don't NEED it on during that time, as long as there is some data connection (for location access, emails, etc), but I'm wondering if there would really be that much of a difference in battery usage.
 
K

kitch9

Banned
OriginalThinking said:
Erm desktop user agent is in Chrome. The issue with Chrome is more performance, and to a lesser extent flash.
Click to expand...

No, you can request the Desktop site individually which is a pain in the ass, and sometimes doesn't work.

Stock browser can have permanent Desktop user agent and with flash can just be like browsing on your PC.
 
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