Anyone else "over" smartphones?

[poofyhairguy]

You mean this as in all three together right?.

Yup.

My dream phone is a Nexus 5P (aka premium build Huawei 5 inch) with a Qualcomm 820 and 3+GB ram. Maybe Google will deliver the goods on a non-phablet Nexus this year.

 

[Megatomic]

Yup.

My dream phone is a Nexus 5P (aka premium build Huawei 5 inch) with a Qualcomm 820 and 3+GB ram. Maybe Google will deliver the goods on a non-phablet Nexus this year.

That would do it for me as well. I really hope Google delivers this product this year.

 

[sweenish]

I'm almost "over" Android.

I'm getting tired of Google trying to lock people in to their services, especially when said services are never better than half-baked.

I want them to move back to the "use our services on whatever platform you like" approach, but I know they won't.

Give me an x64 Surface Phone and a lap-dock with dedicated GPU.

 

[gorcorps]

I'm almost "over" Android.

I'm getting tired of Google trying to lock people in to their services, especially when said services are never better than half-baked.

I want them to move back to the "use our services on whatever platform you like" approach, but I know they won't.

Give me an x64 Surface Phone and a lap-dock with dedicated GPU.

What services can't you use on other platforms that you could before?

 

[evident]

hoping note 4 will last me a lonnnng time.

 

[Commodus]

I'm almost "over" Android.

I'm getting tired of Google trying to lock people in to their services, especially when said services are never better than half-baked.

I want them to move back to the "use our services on whatever platform you like" approach, but I know they won't.

Give me an x64 Surface Phone and a lap-dock with dedicated GPU.

That's still partly true. As I remember hearing, iOS ironically gives you the most choices for services, since Apple, Google and Microsoft offer their content on that platform -- you can drop Android and still get Google Calendar, Keep, Music, Now and more. About the only things that are off-limits are the app section of the Play Store (for obvious reasons) and full Android Wear support.

It's Windows phone users who suffer the most. Apple's lack of support isn't surprising, but Google also won't support Windows Phone/10 Mobile because it's punishing Microsoft for daring to compete in search. I'm not expecting that to change unless an antitrust case forces Google to play nicely.

 

[sweenish]

Folder upload on Drive requires Chrome. In general, using Chrome adds features to Google sites, through proprietary code.

Unlimited music downloads used to require a Chrome plugin. Many Chrome plugin APIs are private. Now, it requires music manager, which ONLY gives you the option to download everything, not the specific albums I've bought. Chrome is also the worst browser to put on a laptop. Mine never idles while Chrome is up. So I use Firefox instead.

And while you said "that you could before," it's still garbage that Google won't publish apps for WP. While people may speculate that iOS only has Google apps because of market share, it doesn't quite fly since the iOS apps are usually better than their Android counterparts, especially Hangouts.

AOSP is a skeleton of what Google ships on Nexus devices. And not in a good way.

Android itself still has quite a few rough edges. There are enough moments where I don't get the option to expand the volume slider to change a specific volume that it's annoying. Seeing and changing defaults is literally hidden from the user due to piss poor UI. On a tablet > 8", Android is worthless.

While I admit I'm on an old phone now (N5), Marshmallow still has plenty of jank and lockup. I shouldn't have to still throw specs at Android, they've been slimming it down since 4.3.

There is no API for launchers to have the Google Now page on the left. Devs are too slow to take advantage of the new features of the OS. Why should I have to wait a minimum of 3 years for 6.0+ to the majority OS before my apps back up their data by default?

I admit, the freedom of Android is still really nice. I have Tasker set up to the point that I rarely have to adjust volumes at all, yet I still run into issues on the rare occasions where I do need to change a volume.

But missing that freedom would be alleviated by an x64 Surface phone. A lap-dock with dedicated GPU would be icing on the cake. I'd gladly move on from having a play computer in my pocket to a real computer in my pocket. The Ubuntu phone not getting funded back in the day was one of the biggest missed opportunities in mobile tech.

It's not that Google's services are horrible. They're not. But the lock-in keeps creeping in, and it's getting annoying, especially in regards to Chrome. It's such a resource hogging piece of bloatware.

 

[amenx]

Cant do without a smartphone. But only as far as the communication aspects of it are concerned. Gaming, watching vids or other entertainment features mean nothing to me on a smartphone.

 

[theeedude]

Televisions are also pretty exciting right now if you got money. UHD, OLED, 4K, etc. The best 4k LG OLED just blows the old average 1080p LCD off the map.

I do like a nice OLED screen and camera on my phones too. But fundamentally it's a mature market.

 

[holden j caufield]

Does that mean Apple and Samsung's quarterly reports will be underwhelming? I don't see people getting excited about any of this stuff now.

 

[core2slow]

Pretty much. They've gotten to a point where even a MediaTek SoC is sufficient. I'm buying a phone primarily for a big screen and big battery now based on my needs, i couldn't care less for the rest of the specs.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Still using my Nexus 5 because it's fast enough for web/GPS use and gets all the newest updates.

What we need is an advance in battery technology. When we can get 7 days use out of a full charge, then I'll be excited for smartphones again.

 

[Artdeco]

Does that mean Apple and Samsung's quarterly reports will be underwhelming? I don't see people getting excited about any of this stuff now.

Apple reports this afternoon, I think they'll do fine, the question is how will they guide? Christmas sales will have been massive.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Folder upload on Drive requires Chrome. In general, using Chrome adds features to Google sites, through proprietary code.

Unlimited music downloads used to require a Chrome plugin. Many Chrome plugin APIs are private. Now, it requires music manager, which ONLY gives you the option to download everything, not the specific albums I've bought. Chrome is also the worst browser to put on a laptop. Mine never idles while Chrome is up. So I use Firefox instead.

And while you said "that you could before," it's still garbage that Google won't publish apps for WP. While people may speculate that iOS only has Google apps because of market share, it doesn't quite fly since the iOS apps are usually better than their Android counterparts, especially Hangouts.

AOSP is a skeleton of what Google ships on Nexus devices. And not in a good way.

Android itself still has quite a few rough edges. There are enough moments where I don't get the option to expand the volume slider to change a specific volume that it's annoying. Seeing and changing defaults is literally hidden from the user due to piss poor UI. On a tablet > 8", Android is worthless.

While I admit I'm on an old phone now (N5), Marshmallow still has plenty of jank and lockup. I shouldn't have to still throw specs at Android, they've been slimming it down since 4.3.

There is no API for launchers to have the Google Now page on the left. Devs are too slow to take advantage of the new features of the OS. Why should I have to wait a minimum of 3 years for 6.0+ to the majority OS before my apps back up their data by default?

All fair criticism, without touching the update problem.

I will say if you are sick of Chrome's bloat on Android install Chromer (an app) to make it load inside of apps (much smoother).

 

[Vdubchaos]

Second you realize these things make people zombies....is the second you put the crack down.

Glad I realized it before they were even big...back in the crackberry days.

 

[desura]

They're no longer exciting like they were back in the iphone 4 days.

Now they're mature. I don't even see a significant difference between iOS and android anymore. There used to be a huge difference.

It is still kinda cool using "vintage" devices though. But I really don't have much interest in the newest stuff coming out.

 

[vi edit]

It's interesting. I'm "over" them being such a distraction. The thing is, they have an effect of shrinking wait times at the expense of noise to the mind.

Look around anywhere, or Google "benefits of slowing down or bring the mind to stillness" and you will see how that cannot be accomplished with focus on a phone and its multimedia interface.

I catch myself doing it at times, mostly to Tapatalk my way in here.

The benefits of a still mind also lie in the ability focus intently for school, jobs, art, music, etc.

I'm over the way they have captivated us.

That sums up my thoughts. They went from being a novelty of "oooooh coool I can do this with a phone now!" back to the basics of email, calls, messaging, music streaming in the car and very light GPS stuff. I rarely game on them. Don't use hardly any mobile data (.05GB for the month so far). And just generally "over" the novelty. I don't need to be connected to social media all day long. I can occupy myself people watching for 5-10 minutes at a time instead of anxiously flipping through sites/feeds/whatever. And I don't need to send messages 500 times a day to tons of people.

My 5X takes good pictures, does what I need for apps/email/ect. Has a finger print reader for convenience and my plan with Google Fi is costing me about $25 a month. I'm good with that.

 

[openwheel]

I still get all aroused by new iPhones though

 

[cbrunny]

I want my smartphone to be a one-stop device/hub for as much as it can be, but if it does a crappy job of it then don't bother. Right now my big gripe is GPS strength and BT strength. My Note 4 is trash on both.

 

[sweenish]

All fair criticism, without touching the update problem.

I will say if you are sick of Chrome's bloat on Android install Chromer (an app) to make it load inside of apps (much smoother).

I've heard of Chromer. My default browser is currently Flynx. Most of my phone browsing is reactive, so I'll see if I prefer Chromer. It will likely solve the functionality issues these overlay browsers have.

This fall likely sees me upgrading my phone to something. If MS doesn't bring it hard (I could still be swayed by an ARM Surface Phone, I think), I'll likely maintain my Android status quo. I probably sounded more hateful than I intended toward Android and Google. Of the three main mobile OS's, my order of preference goes Android, WP, iOS. But WP is gaining ground really fast, for me. But Google has had years to try and fix some of their biggest problems, and the progress made has been patchy or non-existent.

The one thing the Pixel team said (hinted, really) during their trainwreck of an AMA was that N should be making Android a tablet OS again.

BUILD and I/O are going to play much larger roles in my phone choice than ever before.

 

[mrochester]

Been bored of them since the new 'standard' seems to have become "be as Apple-like as possible and keep removing features and function for the sake of form (and profit)".

I feel like the forward momentum stopped around mid 2014.

This is the inevitable conclusion when the world follows Apple. We need more companies like Apple so there are more leaders and fewer followers.

 

[jdoggg12]

At this point, the only reason I'm looking to upgrade my G2 is for better battery life and faster responsiveness. It used to be stupid fast but now, even with a fresh wipe, it starts to drag fairly quickly.

My preferred setup:
5" screen +/- 0.5 inch
Good cell/data (and ability to switch quickly between 3/4G... mine keeps getting "stuck on 3G and I have to turn on/off airplane mode to fix it
Lots of RAM - I'm a big multi-tasker
Fast Chip - Again, multi-tasking is big for me... running GPS, pandora and GoPro app really bogs mine down right now
Some water resistance - I use my phone on my bike and fog scares me
Good battery - I care less about everything else as much as I just want the damn phone to last 12-18hrs on a single charge, even in poor signal areas or during heavu use.

I'm tired of all these bloated features... especially bloatware. Just give me the damn phone and give suggestions on what apps you think I'd like. Don't shove that crap down our throats!!

 

[poofyhairguy]

But WP is gaining ground really fast, for me. But Google has had years to try and fix some of their biggest problems, and the progress made has been patchy or non-existent.

The one thing the Pixel team said (hinted, really) during their trainwreck of an AMA was that N should be making Android a tablet OS again.

Yeah I think it is clear that Android is falling behind in the race to be a "productivity OS" and just needs to give in to a windowed (or at least catch up to iOS/Samsung multi-tasking) setup by default. The Pixel tablet probably would have been better even running ChromeOS, but that needs touch fixes. The sooner Google finds a way to merge those OSes by form factor the sooner we cut down the Mobile vs "Desktop" OS divide once and for all.

There is a lot of exciting stuff still to come in mobile. We will see mostly unbreakable phones (without a case), or maybe even phones where you can roll up the screen. When we all have 4K screens we will be able to do pretty good VR in cardboard, which will be the VR entry point for billions of people. We will get better battery life and better wireless charging to make it not matter as much. Plus soon wearables (at least on the Android side) will come down in price like every other market sector.

I am pretty excited about mobile the next couple of years before the prefered form factor for personal 24/7 computers change.

 

[desura]

Hey, I'm rocking a crappy Moto E 2nd generation.

The phone sucks, but the battery life is damn good. I'm getting like 3 day standby.

 

[GoodEnough]

Glad to see many of you realizing that most stuff several years old is GoodEnough !