Technology Android

[dilla]

This tablet decision is gonna kill me. Went to Best Buy today to just check out the tablets again. I made the mistake of stopping at the Samsung area (much similar to the Apple area many stores have) and saw the 2014 10.1. My God, that S Pen is so cool. The whole thing where you can make windows appear in a square on the home screen and have it in the background and open another window and do stuff in there. That's a whole new meaning to multitasking.

I could play a lecture video in one window, have it continue to play as I open up a web browser and further research the topic the video is about. It's almost a proper computer now. Which is what made me think twice about getting a tablet to begin with. Also, the 32GB comes at $50 more than the 16GB model, but it's still $600.

I used the Nexus 7 again and was still left kinda unimpressed. Not as unimpressed as taking the requisite visit to the Apple section and using iOS on a tablet. That was just depressing.

The 10.1 has an amazing screen. I think it's better than the Retina display, too, specs-wise.

I think I may just make-do with my laptop then, for studying for my boards. I think I just want something shiny and new and that's why I'm looking at these tablets. It's not quite necessary for me to have one since my MBP is still quite light enough to carry in my backpack, if I were to go anywhere and needed to do something on the go.

 

[Pittsey]

I had an S and an S3. Rooted within minutes. Trim didn't work on my S3, so I am surprised by Masta's comments. It works on my Nexus 4.

Anway.... We are going over old ground. We all know Masta's opinion and mine on Samsung OS alterations. I came here to post this -

http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/why-google-play-services-is-more-important-than-the-nexus-5

An interesting read. One I didn't realise and a genius way to reduce fragmentation.

 

[masta247]

This tablet decision is gonna kill me. Went to Best Buy today to just check out the tablets again. I made the mistake of stopping at the Samsung area (much similar to the Apple area many stores have) and saw the 2014 10.1. My God, that S Pen is so cool. The whole thing where you can make windows appear in a square on the home screen and have it in the background and open another window and do stuff in there. That's a whole new meaning to multitasking.

I could play a lecture video in one window, have it continue to play as I open up a web browser and further research the topic the video is about. It's almost a proper computer now. Which is what made me think twice about getting a tablet to begin with. Also, the 32GB comes at $50 more than the 16GB model, but it's still $600.

I used the Nexus 7 again and was still left kinda unimpressed. Not as unimpressed as taking the requisite visit to the Apple section and using iOS on a tablet. That was just depressing.

The 10.1 has an amazing screen. I think it's better than the Retina display, too, specs-wise.

I think I may just make-do with my laptop then, for studying for my boards. I think I just want something shiny and new and that's why I'm looking at these tablets. It's not quite necessary for me to have one since my MBP is still quite light enough to carry in my backpack, if I were to go anywhere and needed to do something on the go.

You mean the 2014 10.1 Note? Yes, it's a great tablet, one of the best. The screen is just upgraded Nexus 10 screen and it's the best in the tablet world. The chipset is fast, it's the one from the Note 3, which is an upgraded Galaxy S4 chipset. The S-Pen adds major functionality, especially for making notes and drawings.
Just the price is high.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/why-google-play-services-is-more-important-than-the-nexus-5

An interesting read. One I didn't realise and a genius way to reduce fragmentation.

Yes I grew to like Samsung's firmware, while being a stock advocate for years. I like both these days, but I like what Samsung are doing with Android now (just not bloating, but you can remove or disable bloat fortunately). I can understand why people prefer Nexus though. I totally do. No disagreement here, just I found out that personally Samsung's firmware actually suits my needs better despite some cons, and I grew to appreciate it despite initially coming from the same point of view of not liking OEM "skins" at all. I think I appreciated getting updates instantly straight from Google the most. Now when those updates don't change much after 4.1 and Samsung is quite fast with upgrades (at the same time tweaking them for their phones) and offers long lasting support to their phones the fast upgrades straight from Google argument kind of lost its meaning to me. That is until a new, major, game-changing upgrade from Google comes which doesn't seem to be around the corner.

As far as the link is concerned, I don't fully understand it. Google play services is just the service granting permissions to installed apps (that's why it itself has all the permissions) and updates other necessary system services (but not the system itself). It fixes fragmentation for Google services, which as far as I know is already working (you can have the newest Youtube, gmail, search even when running on older Android) as long as the system version has required API level (you can't walk around this one).

 

[Casey]

I want the white one. I've had two black phones in a row (Galaxy S2 and Nexus 4), but before that I had the white G1.

Retailers have the stock now, confirmed. So launch will be within the next few days.

 

[dilla]

Is it possible to sideload Samsung apps on an S3 that is running CM?

 

[dilla]

Dutch newspapers said Wednesday is the day they start selling, I think.

 

[S O F I]

do I want this phone or should I stick with the sexy HTC One? I got Google Edition on it and I'm so used to Aviate I don't even want to go back to the other launcher.

 

[dilla]

How are you buying all these phones as soon as they come out? Did you not have an N4 and then this One? Now the N5? That's over a grand in the span of a year. More. $1.5K.

 

[Pittsey]

How are you buying all these phones as soon as they come out? Did you not have an N4 and then this One? Now the N5? That's over a grand in the span of a year. More. $1.5K.

He smashed his N4.

 

[dilla]

He smashed his N4.

Is there any phone he hasn't smashed?

And that still doesn't change the fact that some of you guys are dropping over a grand a year into these things. That's expensive as tits.

 

[Casey]

Is it possible to sideload Samsung apps on an S3 that is running CM?

I would think that most require the TouchWiz framework. ChatOn is available in the Play Store but I can't imagine anyone actually wanting to use that app... lol.

There was a Google+ event today with shitloads of new features announced. One of them was the long-awaited SMS integration into Hangouts. You can also share your location in Hangouts now with one tap, and it supports animated GIF's too.

 

[masta247]

I hate hangouts lmao. I wish it disappeared from my phone and tablet. Actually I hate half of preinstalled Google's apps these days, they keep on bloating ROMs with them. Another half I love though. By some twisted logic they are mostly not the preinstalled ones (other than maps, chrome and youtube). The "Google settings" one though needs to disappear. I want to kill it with my own hands and make sure it never lives again. I can't even disable that shit! At least I can do that to Hangouts and some others I don't remember because I disabled them long ago lol. I disabled so much stuff that I have only 2 pages of apps in my drawer, half of them are apps I installed myself. The other half are preinstalled useful things and shit I can't get rid of like Google Settings, Local and Navigation (because the latter 2 are actually just different shortcuts to Maps WTF:<).

And as far as Samsung apps on non-Touchwiz ROMs, you need Touchwiz's backbone for lots of their features so they just won't work. Touchwiz is much more than a UI layer.

 

[dilla]

Well, given how Whatsapp has been a slut to me since my free one year thingy expired, I have switched to Hangouts to video chat with college friends, and to chat with people on the island or in Canada and for texting. I like it a lot since I can respond on the go on my phone or in my browser with the Hangout app. I can also make free phone calls even more easily now from my browser. I don't have to log in to GMail to do it.

 

[Pittsey]

I use the Hangouts video chat too.


And the G+ app to backup all my photos and videos from my phone. Very handy.

 

[Shadows]

I updated my S4 yesterday and it stopped working.

Never left it in the car to fry. Never dropped it. Never got water on it.

They tried to change the battery. Nothing.

My first phone that just straight out died out of nowhere.

Fuck phone updates man.

Almost thought about going to iPhone 5s, but i can't stand the resolution after i've already had the s4. it doesn't feel the same.

 

[Pittsey]

I updated my S4 yesterday and it stopped working.

Never left it in the car to fry. Never dropped it. Never got water on it.

They tried to change the battery. Nothing.

My first phone that just straight out died out of nowhere.

Fuck phone updates man.

Almost thought about going to iPhone 5s, but i can't stand the resolution after i've already had the s4. it doesn't feel the same.

My S3 did the same on charge overnight. Dead MB. Piece of shit.

 

[S O F I]

How are you buying all these phones as soon as they come out? Did you not have an N4 and then this One? Now the N5? That's over a grand in the span of a year. More. $1.5K.

Not sure you have your facts straight lol.

G1: Bought back in 2010, owned for 2 years, bought Nexus S
Nexus S: owned for 2 years, bought Nexus 4
Nexus 4: owned for 6 months, crashed screen, paid 100 for repair, lost a month later - Bought HTC One
HTC One: Paid $150 up front, then making monthly payments.

You can do the math.

 

[masta247]

I laughed out loud at Google's statement that the 4.4 " will get rid of fragmentation, it will even run on devices with 512mb of ram" and then at the exactly same time they gave perfect example by announcing that the Galaxy Nexus won't be getting the update anymore. LMFAO.

Basically 4.4 is minor redesign with some under the hood tweaks - better scalability to low RAM devices, performance tweaks, some data and minor battery savings (ala Mac Mavericks, which I was hoping for, although it doesn't seem to be quite the same).
Still sounds much better than the 4.2 and 4.3 updates, even though it's still not big, but good enough I think (although let's wait for performance tests).

 

[dilla]

Not sure you have your facts straight lol.

G1: Bought back in 2010, owned for 2 years, bought Nexus S
Nexus S: owned for 2 years, bought Nexus 4
Nexus 4: owned for 6 months, crashed screen, paid 100 for repair, lost a month later - Bought HTC One
HTC One: Paid $150 up front, then making monthly payments.

You can do the math.

I'm not going to be your accountant here and do the math, but it just seems odd that within a year, or so, you'll have paid for three phones assuming you get another one now that the N5 has been announced. That just seems like a bit too much to blow on phones and repairs in one year's time. I mean, there's passion for electrionics....and then there's just bat shit insane over it.

 

[ARon]

How is Aviate? I think it's cool idea but I don't know if I'd like it