The Android Thread - He;pl - The Something Awful Forums

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > The Android Thread - He;pl

ClassActionFursuit: Mar 15, 2006

uninterrupted posted:

They are pieces of poo poo because no one is going to bother putting premium components into a form factor the market doesn't want. They don't get upgraded because no one is going to bother writing the software needed to run a device the market doesn't want.

You can't get a good phone with a physical keyboard for the same reason you can't get a good phone with a rotary dial, or a good phone with a pull-out antenna. There is no reason to have these components in a modern phone beyond a few luddites who can't comprehend that the dial/antenna/keyboard are contained in the phone.

Still, I think you have to admit that the people who would want a hardware keyboard and Blackberry kind of deserve each other and it's nice when the universe does that.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 17:06

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# ? May 12, 2024 17:48

Rastor: Jun 2, 2001

uninterrupted posted:

They are pieces of poo poo because no one is going to bother putting premium components into a form factor the market doesn't want. They don't get upgraded because no one is going to bother writing the software needed to run a device the market doesn't want.

You can't get a good phone with a physical keyboard for the same reason you can't get a good phone with a rotary dial, or a good phone with a pull-out antenna. There is no reason to have these components in a modern phone beyond a few luddites who can't comprehend that the dial/antenna/keyboard are contained in the phone.

Bullshit. I know multiple people, not just myself, who will gladly pay full retail price for a premium device with a physical keyboard. The market may not be huge, but it exists.

This isn't pull-out antennas. Physical keyboards have specific advantages that other input methods have not been able to match.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 17:08

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Existing isn't enough. Look at how many of the phone manufacturers have had to slim down their lineups to one or two models a year in order to actually compete. There's no place for the tiny sliver of marketshare that would buy the physical keyboard.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 17:12

nimper: Jun 19, 2003; livin' in a hopium den

Rastor posted:

Bullshit. I know multiple people, not just myself, who will gladly pay full retail price for a premium device with a physical keyboard. The market may not be huge, but it exists.

This isn't pull-out antennas. Physical keyboards have specific advantages that other input methods have not been able to match.

I don't mean to poke a hornet's nest here, but what specific advantages exactly?

# ? Jul 9, 2015 17:14

Endless Mike: Aug 13, 2003

Companies tried making things for small, niche markets and surprise, surprise, no one bought them because they're small, niche markets.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 17:15

Ham Equity: Apr 16, 2013; The first thing we do, let's kill all the cars.; Grimey Drawer

I got my dad a Moto G LTE through US Cellular. He cracked the screen (I got him two, since I knew this was gonna be an issue).

Is this the kit I need to replace it? I've never done a screen replacement before, but I'm reasonably technical, and I figured it'd be worth $50 to learn, and make sure he has a spare phone.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 17:19

CLAM DOWN: Feb 13, 2007

nimper posted:

I don't mean to poke a hornet's nest here, but what specific advantages exactly?

I think it's a very subjective thing. I know people who can type like wizards on physical keyboards, but I can't remotely do it, and I'm super fast and good on a touchscreen keyboard instead. Physical keyboard users tend to insist it's an objective thing though and they're smugly superior, I'm fine with that part of hardware dying out.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 17:19

Shadowgate: May 6, 2007; Soiled Meat

# ? Jul 9, 2015 17:21

Rastor: Jun 2, 2001

nimper posted:

I don't mean to poke a hornet's nest here, but what specific advantages exactly?

One-handed use, use without looking, speed, accuracy, just plain feels better, etc. etc. Yes those aren't all true for all people. Please just accept that they're true for some.

LastInLine posted:

Still, I think you have to admit that the people who would want a hardware keyboard and Blackberry kind of deserve each other and it's nice when the universe does that.

I'm excited!

quote:

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20150708PD216.html

BlackBerry reportedly plans to roll out multiple models of Android-based smartphones in the second half of 2015, with Taiwan-based handset ODMs, including Foxconn Electronics, Compal Electronics and Wistron serving as production partners, according to sources at Taiwan's handset supply chain.

...

these Taiwan-based ODMs will be responsible for R&D, marketing and channel distribution expenses, indicated the sources.

Since BlackBerry still enjoys a high brand image in a number of markets, the BlackBerry-ODM partnerships might be able to ramp up overall shipments of BlackBerry phones and therefore boosting the value of BlackBerry's hardware business unit, commented the sources.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 17:22

Maker Of Shoes: Sep 4, 2006; AWWWW YISSSSSSSSSS
DIS IS MAH JAM!!!!!!

Shadowgate posted:

Best use I've seen of this gif yet. :golfclap:

# ? Jul 9, 2015 17:25

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Rastor posted:

One-handed use, use without looking

Not a problem on swipe keyboards, I do it all the time.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 17:37

Thermopyle: Jul 1, 2003; ...the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. �Bertrand Russell

Rastor posted:

Bullshit. I know multiple people, not just myself, who will gladly pay full retail price for a premium device with a physical keyboard. The market may not be huge, but it exists.

This isn't pull-out antennas. Physical keyboards have specific advantages that other input methods have not been able to match.

You do realize this doesn't contradict what he said, i hope.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 17:41

MrBond: Feb 19, 2004; FYI, Cheese NIPS are not the same as Cheez ITS

Thermopyle posted:

You do realize this doesn't contradict what he said, i hope.

Hasn't it been made pretty clear at this point that it's basically only Samsung that can afford to produce a surprising number of trivially varied or niche models? It's really impressive how well they manage that.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 17:44

uninterrupted: Jun 20, 2011

MrBond posted:

Hasn't it been made pretty clear at this point that it's basically only Samsung that can afford to produce a surprising number of trivially varied or niche models? It's really impressive how well they manage that.

And to be fair to Samsung, they only try niche devices a few times to test the waters of the market:

The Note was a niche item that gathered a huge following, and kicked off the trend of massive phones.
Lots of people like the Edge, which also let samsung scale up their production of flexible screens.
The Rugby picked up a number of enterprise users (although given how sorry the Active line is, I'm not sure about the future of the product line)

Compare this to the projector phone and other non-starters and Samsung does pretty managing its product line.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 18:58

Bob A Feet: Aug 10, 2005; Dear diary, I got another erection today at work. SO embarrassing, but kinda hot. The CO asked me to fix up his dress uniform. I had stayed late at work to move his badges 1/8" to the left and pointed it out this morning. 1SG spanked me while the CO watched, once they caught it. Tomorrow I get to start all over again...

I don't like physical keyboards THEREFORE no one is allowed to like them!!!!!!

# ? Jul 9, 2015 19:11

Endless Mike: Aug 13, 2003

People are certainly allowed to like them, but they really need to stop bleating on about how no one caters to their tiny niche when literally two companies make money selling phones.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 19:15

Rastor: Jun 2, 2001

Maybe if a company wants to make money in a competitive field they might try catering to unserved niches?

# ? Jul 9, 2015 19:18

Ojjeorago: Sep 21, 2008; I had a dream, too. It wasn't pleasant, though ... I dreamt I was a moron...; Gary’s Answer

Bob A Feet posted:

I don't like physical keyboards THEREFORE no one is allowed to like them!!!!!!

People only like physical keyboards because they are dumb and/or grandpas.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 19:19

future ghost: Dec 5, 2005; Gun Saliva

Surely the literal dozens of sales will cover the R&D costs of niche keyboard devices. Just look at Blackberry and their incredibly successful Q10 and Bold Classic phones.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 19:32

uPen: Jan 25, 2010; Zu Rodina!

cisco privilege posted:

Surely the literal dozens of sales will cover the R&D costs of niche keyboard devices. Just look at Blackberry and their incredibly successful Q10 and Bold Classic phones.

There's cell phone companies that specifically target seniors.

e: The Jitterbug touch would be great with a keyboard, several of my clients have opted for the dumbphone because they find it difficult to navigate/type with a touchscreen.

uPen fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Jul 9, 2015

# ? Jul 9, 2015 19:35

henpod: Mar 7, 2008; Sir, we have located the Bioweapon.; College Slice

So my HTC one m8's vibration has packed it in. Im going to do a backup, move photos to the SD card and restore factory settings to see if that fixes it. Probably won't, but i would need to do that anyway before sending off to HTC to fix.

Whats the easiest way for me to backup and restore app data? I will be goddamned if im going to lose my peggle savegame.

Thanks!

# ? Jul 9, 2015 19:37

Rastor: Jun 2, 2001

cisco privilege posted:

Surely the literal dozens of sales will cover the R&D costs of niche keyboard devices. Just look at Blackberry and their incredibly successful Q10 and Bold Classic phones.

Those prove my point: the market niche that exists is for a device with the combination of a physical keyboard ALONG WITH high-end specs, current version of Android, and Google Play.

People keep pointing to devices that only checked the physical keyboard box and saying they served that niche, they didn't.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 19:49

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Rastor posted:

Maybe if a company wants to make money in a competitive field they might try catering to unserved niches?

Low margin / high volume

or

Low volume / high margin

All the people who say they would buy it would probably balk at the $950 cost of the device to make it worth the manufacturer's while.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 19:51

TraderStav: May 19, 2006; It feels like I was standing my entire life and I just sat down

Really just waiting for the phone that is only a keyboard tbh.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 19:54

future ghost: Dec 5, 2005; Gun Saliva

uPen posted:

There's cell phone companies that specifically target seniors.

Yes because that's a growing market, and they're not trying to shove high-end components combined with hardware keyboards in with the phones. Making cheap devices with large buttons is different from the attempts here to justify combining top-tier components with a physical keyboard desired by a nebulous and poorly-defined market group.

TraderStav posted:

Really just waiting for the phone that is only a keyboard tbh.

Johns phone

future ghost fucked around with this message at 20:09 on Jul 9, 2015

# ? Jul 9, 2015 19:58

Rastor: Jun 2, 2001

bull3964 posted:

Low margin / high volume

or

Low volume / high margin

All the people who say they would buy it would probably balk at the $950 cost of the device to make it worth the manufacturer's while.

Sure, for big all-in-house manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola. But there are ODMs like Foxconn, Compal, and Wistron that have access to a variety of parts sources and assembly operations at all scales and they could be contracted out by a company to produce something for the given spec and production run size, then just slap their brand on the case. Which is what BlackBerry is doing. Just wish it had happened sooner.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 19:59

Endless Mike: Aug 13, 2003

Rastor posted:

Sure, for big all-in-house manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola. But there are ODMs like Foxconn, Compal, and Wistron that have access to a variety of parts sources and assembly operations at all scales and they could be contracted out by a company to produce something for the given spec and production run size, then just slap their brand on the case. Which is what BlackBerry is doing. Just wish it had happened sooner.

If it's so easy, maybe you should do it! Kickstarter is waiting.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 20:02

Big Bowie Bonanza: Dec 30, 2007; please tell me where i can date this cute boy

my 90 year old grandma uses a touchscreen keyboard you guys need to get over it

# ? Jul 9, 2015 20:15

Guillermus: Dec 28, 2009

FordPRefectLL posted:

my 90 year old grandma uses a touchscreen keyboard you guys need to get over it

Why? If people like or want a physical keyboard what's wrong with them? I'm sure your 90 year old grandma is fine with her phone, my mom (63) just got her first smartphone last January (a Lumia 635 wich is a drat solid device for her use) and likes the software keyboard but if I gave her an android blackberry I'm sure she would use it aswell.

The wider variety we have on the market, the better, else we all should pack and stamp a bitten fruit on all our smartphones and call it a day. I like android and I like windows phone and I'd use an iPhone or a blackberry if they gave me one for working. :colbert:

# ? Jul 9, 2015 20:50

uninterrupted: Jun 20, 2011

Guillermus posted:

Why? If people like or want a physical keyboard what's wrong with them? I'm sure your 90 year old grandma is fine with her phone, my mom (63) just got her first smartphone last January (a Lumia 635 wich is a drat solid device for her use) and likes the software keyboard but if I gave her an android blackberry I'm sure she would use it aswell.

The wider variety we have on the market, the better, else we all should pack and stamp a bitten fruit on all our smartphones and call it a day. I like android and I like windows phone and I'd use an iPhone or a blackberry if they gave me one for working.

If you give your mom an Android Blackberry phone you should be arrested for elder abuse.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 20:53

pretend to care: Dec 11, 2005; Good men must not obey the laws too well

So the yokels at my local AT&T store told me that I couldn't get LTE on my N6 without AT&T software (lol), and this wouldn't be possible since I bought unlocked from Google. While I know this to be 99% if not 100% false, they seem to have also hosed up the SIM they gave me in general. I am pretty frequently losing connection entirely to even the HSPA+ network and having to reboot and whatnot. Not to mention calls dropping at a rate far beyond AT&T's normal issues.

Gonna head to the more flagship-y store nearby hopefully tomorrow and have them give me a new SIM. Any keywords I need to drop so these people don't give me the runaround?

# ? Jul 9, 2015 20:54

Maker Of Shoes: Sep 4, 2006; AWWWW YISSSSSSSSSS
DIS IS MAH JAM!!!!!!

pretend to care posted:

Any keywords I need to drop so these people don't give me the runaround?

"I need a new SIM card."

# ? Jul 9, 2015 21:11

Rastor: Jun 2, 2001

Endless Mike posted:

If it's so easy, maybe you should do it! Kickstarter is waiting.

Easy is relative. Launching a new phone is more than a one goon project, but there are multiple players who did have the resources to serve this niche.

If this proves to be successful for BlackBerry, then that's their loss. Or they may choose to compete, which is all the better for me as the consumer.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 21:12

Super-NintendoUser: Jan 16, 2004; COWABUNGERDER COMPADRES; Soiled Meat

pretend to care posted:

So the yokels at my local AT&T store told me that I couldn't get LTE on my N6 without AT&T software (lol), and this wouldn't be possible since I bought unlocked from Google. While I know this to be 99% if not 100% false, they seem to have also hosed up the SIM they gave me in general. I am pretty frequently losing connection entirely to even the HSPA+ network and having to reboot and whatnot. Not to mention calls dropping at a rate far beyond AT&T's normal issues.

Gonna head to the more flagship-y store nearby hopefully tomorrow and have them give me a new SIM. Any keywords I need to drop so these people don't give me the runaround?

Number one rule of dealing with carriers:

1) Do not go to "authorized resellers" make sure you go to an actual corporate store.

Also, I got the new developer preview 2 for M. It works great, but for some reason I can't log into the NJTransit app. Can someone else with the preview let me know if they can't either?

# ? Jul 9, 2015 21:17

ThermoPhysical: Dec 26, 2007

http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/0...inside-the-bar/

In Android M, you'll be able to remove everything in the status bar except for the battery icon.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 22:04

pretend to care: Dec 11, 2005; Good men must not obey the laws too well

Thanks folks. I'll head to the more official store tomorrow.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 22:20

XIII: Feb 11, 2009

ThermoPhysical posted:

http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/0...inside-the-bar/

In Android M, you'll be able to remove everything in the status bar except for the battery icon.

Want that feature right now

# ? Jul 9, 2015 22:38

Quaint Quail Quilt: Jun 19, 2006; Ask me about that time I told people mixing bleach and vinegar is okay

Sorry for not quoting. drat smartphones,

but minimuum is a neat keyboard, albiet pricy. (I still never really gave it a good chance and it sucks at passwords unless you convert it to a larger form factor but good screen real estate!

Also YouTube ads are totally blockable via root/Xposed.

# ? Jul 9, 2015 23:00

dont be mean to me: May 2, 2007; I'm interplanetary, bitch
Let's go to Mars

YouTube ads are vaguely tolerable, actually (then again that's the one place where anyone actually does do due diligence with ads). More so than Xposed, anyway, and nothing that runs on root alone without Xposed will take care of them.

SIR FAT JONY IVES posted:

Do not go to "authorized resellers" make sure you go to an actual corporate store.

This needs to be in the OP, at Hollywoodland scale, on fire.

dont be mean to me fucked around with this message at 23:24 on Jul 9, 2015

# ? Jul 9, 2015 23:19

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# ? May 12, 2024 17:48

Vykk.Draygo: Jan 17, 2004; I say salesmen and women of the world unite!

Sir Unimaginative posted:

YouTube ads are vaguely tolerable, actually

It'd be nice if I wasn't getting ads for Ted 2 and various beers while watching videos aimed at kids with my 3 year old, but that's probably my fault for not using "safety mode" (which I have no idea if it affects ads).

# ? Jul 9, 2015 23:33

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