Technology catch-all thread

[StrangeSox]

Weird.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

If people are fitting the Note in their slim fit pants pockets just fine, the size of the One X and SGS3 are not too big AT ALL.

[StrangeSox]

There's also what you get used to. Maybe I noticed this phone the first week I had it (can't remember doing so), but now I've been carrying it daily for almost a year.

[iamshack]

If people are fitting the Note in their slim fit pants pockets just fine, the size of the One X and SGS3 are not too big AT ALL.

There is absolutely no way...

[bmags]

Always. Or I'd be in a state of panic 100% of the time.

 

Pretty much, i hate having a lot of keys, can't stand cases on my iphone because it makes it bulkier. Having a lot of s*** in my pockets drives me nuts, so I just pat them constantly to make sure they are there.

[southsider2k5]

there is something disturbing about a bunch of dudes describing the 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inchers in their pockets.

[StrangeSox]

Apparently anything more than 4" is too much for them.

[chw42]

Apples design philosophy on phones is one handed operation, not necessarily that people prefer small screens. There does come a point where a phone is too big for 1 handed operation regardless of what Fandroid users claim. They are merely the mirror equilivant of Apple fanboys that claim Apple has no room for improvement because they're perfect, when they're obviously not.

 

For example, how long have we heard from Android users how smooth their phone experience was...when it really wasnt? To the tune of Google actually launching and highlighting "project butter" in their latest version? If it was already smooth and buttery...such an initiative wouldnt have been necessary, and surely not necessary to highlight as a big deal. It's because it wasn't smooth, and Google knew it regardless of Fandroid claims. And I'm not talking about the tinkerers that run Cyanogen, because that actually WAS fast/smooth as it should have been.

 

I've long held the opinion that the iPhone should've been bumped up to the 4-4.2" range...but not bigger. I actually don't want to have to adjust my hand position in order to reach certain areas of the screen because it's so large.

 

Some people have seriously small hands...

 

My hands aren't big (I'd call them average), but I can text on my Galaxy Nexus just fine with one hand. In fact, I did it yesterday while riding on my bike.

Edited July 30, 2012 by chw42

[chw42]

there is something disturbing about a bunch of dudes describing the 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inchers in their pockets.

 

[RockRaines]

If people are fitting the Note in their slim fit pants pockets just fine, the size of the One X and SGS3 are not too big AT ALL.

Maybe it fits but it looks strange and probably feels strange. Those giant phones are about the size of Ti-85's now.

[Y2HH]

Some people have seriously small hands...

 

My hands aren't big (I'd call them average), but I can text on my Galaxy Nexus just fine with one hand. In fact, I did it yesterday while riding on my bike.

 

Just like your phone ran perfectly smoothly, too...before project butter and without Cyanogen.

 

One handed texting isn't easy on an iPhone, which is far better designed for it than a Nexus...yet for some reason, it's easy for you on a 4.65" screen. Nobody is saying you "can't" use these huge devices with one hand...they're saying you can't do so easily...and you can't.

 

I can type with one hand on a qwerty keyboard, too. But it wasn't designed for that, either.

Edited July 30, 2012 by Y2HH

[Y2HH]

Maybe it fits but it looks strange and probably feels strange. Those giant phones are about the size of Ti-85's now.

 

You can walk around with one of those kindles in your pocket, too.

 

But would you want too? They're NOT designed for that, whether people do it anyway or not.

[chw42]

Just like your phone ran perfectly smoothly, too...before project butter and without Cyanogen.

 

One handed texting isn't easy on an iPhone, which is far better designed for it than a Nexus...yet for some reason, it's easy for you on a 4.65" screen. Nobody is saying you "can't" use these huge devices with one hand...they're saying you can't do so easily...and you can't.

 

I can type with one hand on a qwerty keyboard, too. But it wasn't designed for that, either.

 

I never noticed any true lag on higher-end Android phones that aren't bogged down by horrible UIs (like Sense or Touchwiz).

 

4.1 is smoother than previous iterations, but I honestly don't care for it (the smoothness) nor do I notice it enough to care for it. Just like how I didn't care for the smooth UI on the iPhone 4 when I used it for a week a month back.

 

The Galaxy Nexus also isn't a huge device. It's big next to an iPhone (what isn't?), but the device itself feels moderate for something with a 4.65 inch screen. My fully extended thumb can also reach from one end of the device to another and then a whole finger nail's length when I hold it.

 

Maybe I have a long thumb, but I honestly can't see how typing on this with one hand would be hard. There have been times where my thumb wouldn't be able to reach something all the way on the top right corner, but it's not often that I have to do something like that.

Edited July 30, 2012 by chw42

[Y2HH]

I never noticed any true lag on higher-end Android phones that aren't bogged down by horrible UIs (like Sense or Touchwiz).

 

4.1 is smoother than previous iterations, but I honestly don't care for it (the smoothness) nor do I notice it enough to care for it. Just like how I didn't care for the smooth UI on the iPhone 4 when I used it for a week a month back.

 

The Galaxy Nexus also isn't a huge device. It's big next to an iPhone (what isn't?), but the device itself feels moderate for something with a 4.65 inch screen. My fully extended thumb can also reach from one end of the device to another and then a whole finger nail's length when I hold it.

 

Maybe I have a long thumb, but I honestly can't see how typing on this with one hand would be hard. There have been times where my thumb wouldn't be able to reach something all the way on the top right corner, but it's not often that I have to do something like that.

 

So you are saying you like a slow, stuttering, unoptimized UI experience over a smooth one? That makes almost no sense to me.

 

I can pick up any Android phone and notice it...where as you cannot notice it on iOS or WM7/8. Android wasn't optimized, and it was compiled improperly which didn't help, something Google is now going out of their way to fix because even they know it wasn't a very smooth experience.

[chw42]

So you are saying you like a slow, stuttering, unoptimized UI experience over a smooth one? That makes almost no sense to me.

 

I can pick up any Android phone and notice it...where as you cannot notice it on iOS or WM7/8. Android wasn't optimized, and it was compiled improperly which didn't help, something Google is now going out of their way to fix because even they know it wasn't a very smooth experience.

 

I don't think you read what I wrote correctly.

 

Android 4.0, whenever I used it on a phone that wasn't two years old, never had a slow UI. This was on the Nexus S (nearly 2 years old) and Galaxy Nexus.

 

The reason you saw a bunch of hiccups was because people decided to overload their phones with crappy launchers that bloated memory as well as widgets that also bloated memory. Yes, part of it is Android's fault for not being optimized for a touch screen, but part of it also had to do with poor development and people not knowing how to use their phones properly.

 

Of course, memory management for the iOS Springboard is never really an issue. After all, how the hell do you screw up a 5x4 grid? Once you start loading your jailbroken iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with real-time widgets that Android has, the same issues will end up persisting. I know because that's happened to me before. Please stop acting like I'm somehow lying to you about my experiences on Android to sugar coat them. What's the point of that for me?

 

Just curious though, how was Android not compiled properly...?

Edited July 30, 2012 by chw42

[Y2HH]

I don't think you read what I wrote correctly.

 

Android 4.0, whenever I used it on a phone that wasn't two years old, never had a slow UI. This was on the Nexus S (nearly 2 years old) and Galaxy Nexus.

 

I read it correctly. The issue is that you were in denial. Because it was slow. It was slow enough, as a matter of fact, that Google actually did something about it in 4.1. If it wasn't slow, and the entire world -- other than you -- was imagining this, then Google wouldn't have needed to create and highlight "project butter" in 4.1. This is nothing more than "Fandroid" denial. This is a common thing I see with people who seem to love their devices...and that sure as hell goes for Apple fanboi's who are in denial that the Apple iOS UI is "great", when it has obvious deficiencies. The only reason you never noticed it, is because you went out of your way to use it in a way in which it wouldn't stutter...as you highlight below when you say people need to "learn to use their phones". It would have been slow if you used it in an obvious way that made it slow...you simply "learned" ways to prevent it by artificially changing your usage habits. This shouldn't be necessary.

 

The reason you saw a bunch of hiccups was because people decided to overload their phones with crappy launchers that bloated memory as well as widgets that also bloated memory. Yes, part of it is Android's fault for not being optimized for a touch screen, but part of it also had to do with poor development and people not knowing how to use their phones properly.

 

Bloatware is part of the problem, but it's not nearly the entire problem. You shouldn't have to know how to "use your phone properly" for it to not stutter on overpowered hardware, this is just a nonsense statement, and an excuse at best. The phone should work just fine considering the hardware beneath it is about 2x faster than necessary for anything it will do. The actual reason is because Android wasn't optimized from the ground up...and when it was compiled, it was done so poorly. Android is based on Java, but it runs non-native java code through it's kernel. Cyanogen is more than a simple recompile of Android base without bloatware. It's optimized. Highly optimized. That's why it was upwards of twice as fast as the updated code on a Galaxy Nexus, which contains no bloat.

 

Just curious though, how was Android not compiled properly...?

 

Look up information on something called "Linaro".

 

Here is some information:

 

http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/06/09/li...g-added-to-cm9/

 

Somewhat highlights what I'm talking about. In a real world test/example, their compile of ICS is 2 times faster than the base code Google releases. On the same hardware.

Edited July 30, 2012 by Y2HH

[iamshack]

Apparently anything more than 4" is too much for them.

Actually, I think it is the other way around...I already have so much in my pants that I can't afford to fit any other large objects inside them...

[StrangeSox]

Well played, sir.

[chw42]

I read it correctly. The issue is that you were in denial. Because it was slow. It was slow enough, as a matter of fact, that Google actually did something about it in 4.1. If it wasn't slow, and the entire world -- other than you -- was imagining this, then Google wouldn't have needed to create and highlight "project butter" in 4.1. This is nothing more than "Fandroid" denial. This is a common thing I see with people who seem to love their devices...and that sure as hell goes for Apple fanboi's who are in denial that the Apple iOS UI is "great", when it has obvious deficiencies. The only reason you never noticed it, is because you went out of your way to use it in a way in which it wouldn't stutter...as you highlight below when you say people need to "learn to use their phones". It would have been slow if you used it in an obvious way that made it slow...you simply "learned" ways to prevent it by artificially changing your usage habits. This shouldn't be necessary.

 

 

 

Bloatware is part of the problem, but it's not nearly the entire problem. You shouldn't have to know how to "use your phone properly" for it to not stutter on overpowered hardware, this is just a nonsense statement, and an excuse at best. The phone should work just fine considering the hardware beneath it is about 2x faster than necessary for anything it will do. The actual reason is because Android wasn't optimized from the ground up...and when it was compiled, it was done so poorly. Android is based on Java, but it runs non-native java code through it's kernel. Cyanogen is more than a simple recompile of Android base without bloatware. It's optimized. Highly optimized. That's why it was upwards of twice as fast as the updated code on a Galaxy Nexus, which contains no bloat.

 

 

 

Look up information on something called "Linaro".

 

Here is some information:

 

http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/06/09/li...g-added-to-cm9/

 

Somewhat highlights what I'm talking about. In a real world test/example, their compile of ICS is 2 times faster than the base code Google releases. On the same hardware.

 

How am I in denial? I use iOS everyday. I use Android every day (pre 4.1). I don't notice any real difference in the smoothness at all.

 

You act like Android was slow to the point where it was barely usable. That's total crap. I'm flipping around on Sense 3.6 right now on a test phone at work (with Android 4.0.3) and I don't see anything that deters the user experience. Pages flip perfectly fine, no lag and this is with 7 pages and a few widgets.

 

I'm far from delusional when I use the products we're discussing everyday and I don't notice anything that makes me think something doesn't seem right.

 

As for Linaro, its superiority to the stock kernel does not mean the stock Android kernel was compiled incorrectly. That makes it sound like Android was broken, which it clearly wasn't. Un-optimized? Sure, but it doesn't mean it will forever go un-optimized. Linaro is an organization that is sponsored by OEM manufactures like Samsung to make improvements upon mobile kernels. I've never attempted to run any Linaro builds, as there were some bugs with it in the early stages (Wifi specifically), but I've heard good things, especially in terms of benchmarks.

[Y2HH]

How am I in denial? I use iOS everyday. I use Android every day (pre 4.1). I don't notice any real difference in the smoothness at all.

 

You act like Android was slow to the point where it was barely usable. That's total crap. I'm flipping around on Sense 3.6 right now on a test phone at work (with Android 4.0.3) and I don't see anything that deters the user experience. Pages flip perfectly fine, no lag and this is with 7 pages and a few widgets.

 

I'm far from delusional when I use the products we're discussing everyday and I don't notice anything that makes me think something doesn't seem right.

 

As for Linaro, its superiority to the stock kernel does not mean the stock Android kernel was compiled incorrectly. That makes it sound like Android was broken, which it clearly wasn't. Un-optimized? Sure, but it doesn't mean it will forever go un-optimized. Linaro is an organization that is sponsored by OEM manufactures like Samsung to make improvements upon mobile kernels. I've never attempted to run any Linaro builds, as there were some bugs with it in the early stages (Wifi specifically), but I've heard good things, especially in terms of benchmarks.

 

No, I never said Android was so slow it was barely useable...but to say you can't see a difference in smoothness between iOS and Android is just insane. Not only have you already admitted that you could (you said you didn't like how smooth it was), only to say a few posts later that you couldn't tell the difference between the two. THAT is what leads me to the conclusion that you're in denial...in one post you say you can see it, in another you suddenly can't.

 

It's also just incorrect...everyone could always see such a difference...let's not pretend it wasn't there.

[southsider2k5]

OK so the contract is up, and we are looking at new phones. We can get the 16g IPhone 4s for $200 each, or BOGO the Samsung Epic 4G 16g for $150 (plus $50 mail in rebate)

 

Opinions?

[iamshack]

OK so the contract is up, and we are looking at new phones. We can get the 16g IPhone 4s for $200 each, or BOGO the Samsung Epic 4G 16g for $150 (plus $50 mail in rebate)

 

Opinions?

I am biased, but iPhone, iPhone, iPhone.

[southsider2k5]

I am biased, but iPhone, iPhone, iPhone.

 

Even for a $300 difference by the time the wife and I both get a phone?

[iamshack]

Even for a $300 difference by the time the wife and I both get a phone?

Yep.

[StrangeSox]

A BOGO offer is what led to my current phone (droid x2).