Technology catch-all thread

[iamshack]

Oh, now we have to be experts to install apps. Listen to yourselves.

 

Might as well abolish the app store for anyone not in IT or over 50. No point right?

I didn't say that...I was implying that your opinion as to ease of use isn't necessarily the most objective, since this is your profession.

 

Do you think guys in your position liked Windows or DOS/Linux?

 

iPhones or Android?

 

Now which did/does the general public seem to prefer?

[chw42]

We use your email client (Lotus Notes) and yes, it's terrible, but even that's preconfigured upon a new laptop/desktiop.

 

Launch the app, and it asks you to create a password. That's it. That's all the user has to configure. And if they run into something they need further help with, we don't tell them to Google it. Someone actually calls them, or goes to them and helps them configure it.

 

Sure, that is. But if you want WiFi on your laptop, you have to go through an entire process to get it. A good amount of the stuff is preconfigured because it makes sense to do it, but not everything is.

 

I'm surprised other companies actually support Lotus Notes. Christ I feel bad for them.

Edited September 10, 2014 by chw42

[iamshack]

But that's what the original discussion was.

 

This all started because you thought installing Skype on a phone was too hard and bothersome for the majority of people.

It isn't Skype...it's not any one app...it's the sheer volume and turnover of them...you do this on any kind of regular basis and all the sudden you've got 400 apps on all your devices...then you've got to go through and pare them down, delete them, etc.

 

I ain't got time or the patience for that s***.

[chw42]

I didn't say that...I was implying that your opinion as to ease of use isn't necessarily the most objective, since this is your profession.

 

Do you think guys in your position liked Windows or DOS/Linux?

 

iPhones or Android?

 

Now which did/does the general public seem to prefer?

 

The original discussion was about installing applications on phones and how that was too cumbersome and difficult for people. Hence what I said.

[iamshack]

The original discussion was about installing applications on phones and how that was too cumbersome and difficult for people. Hence what I said.

See above.

[chw42]

It isn't Skype...it's not any one app...it's the sheer volume and turnover of them...you do this on any kind of regular basis and all the sudden you've got 400 apps on all your devices...then you've got to go through and pare them down, delete them, etc.

 

I ain't got time or the patience for that s***.

 

You might a well go use a feature phone then. All of you sound like you're perfectly content with a phone that has 10 pre-installed apps and that's it. That's not the point of a smartphone.

[iamshack]

You might a well go use a feature phone then. All of you sound like you're perfectly content with a phone that has 10 pre-installed apps and that's it. That's not the point of a smartphone.

Apple has sold something like 340 billion dollars worth of iPhones thus far.

 

You think they give a s*** whether I'm using the full capabilities of the phone?

 

And honestly, I use a golf gps app, I use shazam, I use facebook, and maybe a handful of others, in addition to iTunes, the camera, email, the web, etc.

 

For my money, the fact that the thing actually always works, and allows me to use those things, is worth it.

[Y2HH]

You might a well go use a feature phone then. All of you sound like you're perfectly content with a phone that has 10 pre-installed apps and that's it. That's not the point of a smartphone.

 

Considering the way the vast majority of people use smartphones, that's exactly what a smartphone is.

 

The VAST majority of people tend to text, read a few emails, make a call or two, and browse the web a bit on their smartphones. That's it. They use a total of 4 apps.

 

Don't get me wrong, as a tech person myself, I agree with you. These are things people SHOULD know how to do, and these are things people SHOULD do considering the power of these devices they're holding in their hands...the issue is the vast majority of them just don't care.

Edited September 10, 2014 by Y2HH

[Jenksismyhero]

Considering the way the vast majority of people use smartphones, that's exactly what a smartphone is.

 

The VAST majority of people tend to text, read a few emails, make a call or two, and browse the web a bit on their smartphones. That's it. They use a total of 4 apps.

Don't get me wrong, as a tech person myself, I agree with you. These are things people SHOULD know how to do, and these are things people SHOULD do considering the power of these devices they're holding in their hands...the issue is the vast majority of them just don't care.

 

Given the prevalence of apps and games on mobile devices, I call BS on this. I use about 20 regularly. Everything from emails, finance apps, games, social media, etc. I'm pretty sure my mobile usage is very normal.

[RockRaines]

Yup, it's a piece of crap. It was worse before they released the 9th version, at least it looks a bit more modern now. But it's built off of Eclipse, so performance is god awful.

 

And to think IBM spent money acquiring them...

We laugh when we go into shops that are using that because they almost always have been trying to get off of it for years but its so heavily customized that nobody can help.

[RockRaines]

Given the prevalence of apps and games on mobile devices, I call BS on this. I use about 20 regularly. Everything from emails, finance apps, games, social media, etc. I'm pretty sure my mobile usage is very normal.

Ive never played a game on my phone. I do email, text, phone, yelp, Waze, banking, weather.

[Y2HH]

Ive never played a game on my phone. I do email, text, phone, yelp, Waze, banking, weather.

 

I think the misinterpretation of what I'm saying is coming from what he considers "apps", which aside from games or specific use things such Authy, 1Password, etc., for the most part these apps are merely reformatted websites to be more usable on a handheld.

 

But when it comes to apps such as those, most people aren't using them.

 

I think CHW said it earlier, that a lot of people should just be using dumbphones, because they aren't rally scratching the surface of the power of their smartphones.

 

My wife's iPhone is used for phone calls, facebook, pintrest, texting, emails and about 8 pages of games shes played ONCE. She doesn't use it for anything else.

Edited September 10, 2014 by Y2HH

[Chisoxfn]

No I sound like a person who's an engineer and works in software development. We don't find installing apps hard, people I work with don't find it hard, my friends don't find it hard. My mom might, but she doesn't even have a smartphone.

 

You guys are trying to make something that is such a small issue sound like it's a big issue. It's not.

Such a small issue...mainstream people are what we are talking about here. Yes, IT people are going to do whatever they want, but that is not the majority of the users of these devices.

[Chisoxfn]

Oh but they have to anyhow. When they get their work laptops, they have to configure something. There's a documented process to get everything in most big companies. So whether they like it or not, they'll have to do it. Follow some directions, read it for 2-3 minutes.

 

My parents ask me how to do stuff related to tech from time to time. You know what I tell them? Here's a guide how to do it, read it. If you continue to give people tech support of some of the simplest things in the world, they'll never learn. Don't know something? Ask Google. You're probably just lazy if you can't even do that much.

I've worked for several large companies and not one of them I've ever worked with gave me a laptop and said figure it out or go install what you want. In fact, it is the exact opposite. With security concerns and everything else, most companies I've worked with have the systems pretty locked down for various reasons and none have said, here, go figure out what to put on.

 

Now do they teach me how to write macro's in excel and use excel..no, that is something I should know and if I didn't, I'd ask to take a class or figure out on my own as that is actually part of my jobset. When people are busy, the last thing they want to do is spend time on something that they shouldn't. Whether 10 minutes or 5 hours, bottom line, companies and engineers should be figuring out ways to make things as simple and easily integrated and useable as possible.

[Chisoxfn]

It isn't Skype...it's not any one app...it's the sheer volume and turnover of them...you do this on any kind of regular basis and all the sudden you've got 400 apps on all your devices...then you've got to go through and pare them down, delete them, etc.

 

I ain't got time or the patience for that s***.

Not to mention you then need to figure out, does Joe Schmoe down the street that I want to use this app with have it, etc. Its nonsense. I realize people like them and they can do what they want but for the vast majority of the population, getting something that has good battery life, good core laps, and most important, easily integrated and useable information is what works. I could care less if the processor is 5% faster because almost nothing I'm doing on the machine called a smart phone is all that earth shattering or intense.

 

Now a few years from now when smart phones project out and essentially are our PC's and wallets and everything else...then processing power might matter to me more.

[Chisoxfn]

Considering the way the vast majority of people use smartphones, that's exactly what a smartphone is.

 

The VAST majority of people tend to text, read a few emails, make a call or two, and browse the web a bit on their smartphones. That's it. They use a total of 4 apps.

 

Don't get me wrong, as a tech person myself, I agree with you. These are things people SHOULD know how to do, and these are things people SHOULD do considering the power of these devices they're holding in their hands...the issue is the vast majority of them just don't care.

I'd reckon 99% of time spent on smart phone is spent emailing / surfing web. On top of that, next 3 things would probably be texting, making calls, and listening to music / watching videos. Oh and I almost forgot one other extremely key feature...GPS / Google maps.

 

PS: I don't consider a facebook app or whatever other online site app much anything other then another version of the internet, usually one that works a little more seamless at viewing a particular site or doing something like online banking.

[Y2HH]

Does anyone here have a Samsung Note or a phone of similar size? If so, how is it?

 

With the iPhone jumping the big screen shark, you basically have the choice of going big, bigger, or staying on older devices. Considering I'm a techie and I'm still using a 2 year old iPhone 5, I don't see myself staying behind anymore. I'm somewhat torn between the 4.7 and the 5.5 considering the size difference between the two just isn't that much. From my perspective, going from 4.0 to 5.5 it's indeed a massive jump, but going from 4.7 to 5.5 isn't all that much of a difference. I'm sure after a few weeks of getting used to a bigger device, the difference in a half inch will suddenly seem miniscule.

 

Anyone that has experience with these larger devices, such as anything 5.5" or greater, how is it carrying it around, using it, or putting it in your pocket?

 

:/

 

It was much easier before my Cupertino overlords starting introducing "choice" into the mix.

Edited September 10, 2014 by Y2HH

[Jake]

I, my entire family, and the vast majority of my social group had iPhones when I started college...I've never once had someone try to initiate a FaceTime session, suggest one, do it by accident, I've never considered doing it or remembered that it was an option...well, you get the point.

 

I have witnessed several people desire to have video chats in the very non-tech portion of my social group in the past few months. Of these three pairs of people, only one pair was iPhone-less. The two that had Android tablets used Hangouts to video chat. The two pairs that had iPhones/iPads downloaded Skype, (one person created a Skype account), and then video chatted on Apple devices with Skype. So there's that. People forget that you can "Skype" using something other than Skype, which is probably the worst at video chat.

 

Nobody fears downloading stuff. Some estimates have Chrome browser taking up 75% market share. People are willing to use non-default apps. One of the original marketing points for iPhones, and one that people will still tell you about when you shop for phones, is the app store. "There's an app for that." Many people love app exploration, at least some of the time.

[Jake]

I don't own a mega-phone, but everyone I've ever seen who has something like a Note says they absolutely love it and have no qualms about owning such a big phone. This could be just cognitive dissonance at work, who knows. Maybe lots of people are returning them or everyone just knows what they like before they buy things. Or we're able to tolerate much larger phones than we think we can.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

I think my LG G2 is a 5.2" screen, and that's about as big as I would want it. I sometimes need a second hand just to reach the corners, and this phone has almost no bevel. I think a 5" screen would be about perfect.

[justBLAZE]

What's the better way to get this phone these days, old school 2 year contract or (ATT NEXT) installment plan? (Right now I'm on month to month basis with ATT).

 

Pros / Cons to each?

 

Which one is cheaper, overall ? Not easy to buy a phone these days

Edited September 11, 2014 by Knuckles

[Jake]

I know with my family plan, AT&T Next indisputably costs more because there is no savings on the plan from opting out of the subsidy. In that case, Next only makes sense if the ability to upgrade is very important or the ability to not be on the contract (though you kind of are since ending service means you have to pay the rest of the phone's value, an even more stringent ETF in effect) is important.

[nitetrain8601]

What's the better way to get this phone these days, old school 2 year contract or (ATT NEXT) installment plan? (Right now I'm on month to month basis with ATT).

 

Pros / Cons to each?

 

Which one is cheaper, overall ? Not easy to buy a phone these days

 

Sprint released a plan for single iPhone users. $50 flat rate for unlimited talk, text and data. After that, starting with the big iPhone 6, you pay $20 a month. Every two years, you can trade in your old iPhone for a new one. It's exactly like leasing a car. Not bad though if you consistently want a new phone.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

What's the better way to get this phone these days, old school 2 year contract or (ATT NEXT) installment plan? (Right now I'm on month to month basis with ATT).

 

Pros / Cons to each?

 

Which one is cheaper, overall ? Not easy to buy a phone these days

 

My Mom made a terrible decision by switching our family plan to the AT&T Next bulls*** because she wanted a precious iPhone. In doing so, she is going to end up paying something like $500 over the course of 2 years for her iphone 5 or whatever model she got. So while our monthly cost went down like $30 a month, we all now have to pay full price for our phones instead of just waiting the 2 years and getting a HEAVILY discounted new phone. None of us are the type of people who need to constantly get the newest and shiniest thing, so there is really no reason for us to have this plan, especially since we all take care of our stuff very well so a phone breaking is never an issue.

[RockRaines]

All I know is I am glad my company pays for my phone. Minutes are expensive and data hogs are getting worse. Things like facebook video are driving up data useage for no reason.