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

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Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

The Note 4, Droid Turbo and GS6 already do both and I'm pretty sure so will any phone worth a drat released this year. We don't have to choose one over the other.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2015 03:21

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# ¿ May 13, 2024 02:58

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

LastInLine posted:

Also if I'm not mistaken the Note Edge was announced prior to the iPhone 6 reveal and was your usual mess of plastic, removable batteries, and TouchWiz bullshit whereas the Galaxy S6's huge innovation was removing 40% of the "features" in TouchWiz and blatantly copying the iPhone. So one's a plastic pile of poo poo and the other looks and feels like a premium product which seems to line up with all the reviews. I do find it amusing that all of the reviews also have a line in there to the effect that TouchWiz is better, worse than stock Android but better than it was. Meaning that Samsung had the choice of doing absolutely nothing which was free or doing anything else and making things worse and it's no surprise which choice they made.

Neither the Note 4 nor the Note Edge are plastic.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2015 21:42

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

hotsauce posted:

At least the Note Edge will be more useful now...with all the S6 Edges in circulation, the little side app world will get more love.

I wouldn't count on it.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2015 22:41

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

LastInLine posted:

If you want to take a guess about what material makes up "faux-leather type things" I can wait. I will give you two hints and tell you that it's not metal and not organic.

It is a material that, like Samsung, has a reputation for being a poor imitation of a better, more desirable thing and is a colloquialism for "fake and cheap".

The back cover being plastic does not change the fact that the phone is made of metal, but don't let that get in the way of defending your purchase I suppose.

# ¿ Apr 5, 2015 01:46

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

LastInLine posted:

I have nothing against plastic phones, the question was originally why has the S6 been well received while the Note Edge was not and the reason is because of the materials choice. Read anyone who isn't a shill and they all mention the same thing. Let's look at one such prominent reviewer who isn't afraid to call garbage garbage:

The materials are the reason for the difference in perception because the phone generally regarded as the best has historically used better materials. This isn't rocket science, it's been the common perception since Samsung became the main competitor to Apple. It's just what the general public believes.

Joanna Stern? Couldn't possibly be this same Joanna Stern could it?

Joanna Stern, WSJ posted:

No more shiny backing that shows my slimy fingerprints, no more kid-toy plastic with faux leather stitching. Instead, an aluminum frame surrounds the Note 4, making it feel like a well-made device. The fakeness of the latest synthetic-leather back is justified by being incredibly smooth and soft�and easier to grip than an iPhone 6 Plus.

# ¿ Apr 5, 2015 03:17

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

LastInLine posted:

The same! You'll notice in your example she's just happy that the plastic this time isn't "slimy" whereas in the S6 review she's way happier that it's gone. It's almost like metal > good plastic > lovely plastic.

One could even say that the biggest thing about the Note 4 was that it wasn't the "usual mess of plastic" as you put it.

# ¿ Apr 5, 2015 03:29

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

mango sentinel posted:

It doesn't feel as sexy as my HTC One M8, but the Note Edge is a very nice feeling product. That metal trim goes a hell of a long way, both visually and in feel, to make it feel like a much more premium phone. That and they got rid of the idiotic stitching around the back.

Sadly Note Edge users are boned no matter how many people use the S6 Edge. The S6 version doesn't actually have enough edge to do most of the stuff that the Note is capable of. I seriously doubt the S6 Edge can utilize the full Look SDK, so devs probably aren't going to bother using it.

With the Note Edge it all comes down to whether you like the look and feel the built in edge display features are good enough. Buying it with the hopes of a thriving ecosystem when chances are the next Note will render it obsolete is a terrible idea.

# ¿ Apr 5, 2015 03:45

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

hooah posted:

I know one's a year older than the other, but it seemed assumed that the N4 would get 5.1. It still might, and Motorola has been doing well with updating phones' software, but it's still surprising to me that a non-flagship beat a Nexus (again?).

Nexus phones have 18 months of guaranteed support. The N4 has had that and then some. That's not to say it won't get 5.1, but whether it does or not is up to Google.

# ¿ Apr 6, 2015 06:05

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Faustian Bargain posted:

Updated my Galaxy S5 to 4.4.4 this weekend and now my home button always acts like a long press: it brings up s-voice instead of taking me to the home screen. Ideas anyone? I actually like touchwiz and don't want to have to use another launcher.

Sounds to me like you have S-voice set to launch via a double press of the home key and something either in software or hardware is making your presses register double. If that's the case disabling the shortcut should fix it.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2015 01:31

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

LastInLine posted:

I can assure you that disabling that does not help. If you disable it, it will just launch Google now every time you try to use the home key. It is a bug in the AT&T/Samsung KitKat updates.

Well in that case enabling the on screen home key might help while a fix comes along.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2015 05:47

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

swampface posted:

The only options for notifications in the samsung messaging app are on or off. Was time I switched anyway.

Doesn't matter now, but pressing on that on/off switch takes you to the rest of the notification options.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2015 23:13

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Eejit posted:

My contract is up with AT&T and I'm going to renew, but I can't decide which phone to buy. Currently have an S3 running Cyanogenmod 11 (4.4.4) but I've got battery, stability, and performance issues because the S3 is old. Currently eyeballing the S6 and I was going to buy it, but I really like AOSP and dislike Touchwiz. Exynos being closed-source means that an AOSP custom ROM is unlikely to come out for the S6, right? Or pretty much anything that makes significant headway against Touchwiz? That's pretty much my only complaint as the phone is super powerful, looks great display- and design-wise, and has great hardware otherwise that makes me want to jump its bones.

That leaves me looking for other phones that can run AOSP custom ROMs or phones already running AOSP. Not stoked on the M9. Don't know much about the G4 until the 28th. New Nexus unlikely until fall. Also I'm on AT&T so unlikely that a new Nexus would be on contract anyway.

Kinda stuck on what to do. Seems like my options are S6 and suck it up, wait and see if the G4 is worth it, or go phablet with the Nexus 6, but not sure if the less powerful hardware is worth it. Any advice on what seems logical? All considering that I can't really afford not to have something that doesn't go through AT&T.

If you're really set on going AOSP, the Nexus 6 is your best/only bet. Getting an S6 with the intent of putting a custom rom on it right away seems like a terrible idea.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2015 00:47

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Endless Mike posted:

So buy an external battery pack for that one time every 18 months that this is an issue? This it is like the edgest of edge cases.

Like, if you're on Verizon, sure, get a Droid Turbo since there's really no better Android phones there, but importing a variant from Puerto Rico or whatever just because of something that will happen literally once in the lifespan of your phone seems pretty crazy to me.

Wanting your phone to last through the day, whatever that day might bring, is hardly an edge case. The Note, the Maxx/Turbo, the iPhone 6+, and the Z3C will do just that.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2015 06:56

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

LastInLine posted:

I wouldn't care if the Moto Maxx/Droid Turbo had 12 days of screen on time and a blow job port, it looks like it stepped right out of 2011 and has capacitive buttons. That right there is an automatic "Nope" from me.

This right here (the last few pages of this thread, not just LastInLine's post) is Android's main strength and main weakness in a nutshell.

Android is my smartphone OS of choice, but I know things like an update bricking your device or having glitches that no one else with the exact same model as you have come with the territory. As unfortunate as it is, it is the tradeoff to choosing a platform as diverse and flexible as Android and it is undoubtedly the platform's biggest weakness.*

As far as I know, no other platform offers you the choice Android does. Big screens, small screens, absolute top of the line or bare minimum, Android has a model for nearly any use case you can imagine. The endless debating in this thread is proof of that. Android's biggest strength is that you can completely change what your priorities are but still take all your apps and settings with you to your next device.

My priorities are battery life, display and software features, so I could not be happier with my Note 4 and Droid Maxx. For some, a pure Android experience is the biggest draw, for others Motorola's/HTC's tweaks take precedence over anything else, others focus purely on hardware. Yet we are all on the same boat, and we can change to a radically different experience if we feel it'd be better for us, that is why I chose Android.

*That's not to say Google shouldn't work towards fixing this issue, and they have been trying to do just that.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2015 09:46

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Sir Unimaginative posted:

Because cheap poo poo sells and a lot of people need a phone to function in society and can't afford a good one, because that is the nature of unopposed global capitalism.

Also ^ ^ ^ yeah that. It DOES look like whatever metallic coating was on the rim of the phone got deposited on the face of it.

People who can't afford expensive phones buy a loving Galaxy S6. Android thread delivers.

# ¿ Apr 13, 2015 03:03

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Arriviste posted:

Note 3 (Verizon) user chiming in to say that I'm really happy with Lollipop since I updated couple of days ago. I took my time with backups and did a factory reset and formatted the external memory. Afterward, I manually selected what apps to reinstall from Play Store. Went back to Nova Launcher and restored its settings as soon as I had all the old apps and icon packs reinstalled. So far, so good.

Battery life was already becoming an issue before the new OS and still seems to be an issue, so Battery Doctor is in use for now.

I would still be in the process of getting the phone the way I like it if I did all that on wifi, so I used the Verizon Rewards +1 GB data offer, too.

Your Note 3 should not be having battery life issues, something must be excessively draining the battery.

That said, I'm pretty happy with Lollipop so far. I only played around with it on the Note 3 for a little bit but it seems pretty solid. Not much of a difference on the 4 since it's Touchwiz was already pretty Lollipop-ish on 4.4, but the native 5.0 lock screen notifications and animations are certainly better than the 5.0-ish ones we had on 4.4. Haven't run into any bugs so far and thankfully Samsung once again ignored Google's retarded changes to the volume controls so that's not an issue either.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2015 01:19

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Arriviste posted:

Aye. I have Tasker and Gleeo Automagic running almost constantly with GPS enabled. I do multiple freelance gigs and am bad about logging time, so I use location-, and/or network-, and/or time-of-day-based flows to keep track. Eventually, I'm going to streamline the process with ubiquitous NFC tags at routine locations and/or on my gear.

I made a pen mod stylus, so I have the stylus mode set to always on so the built-in one stays in the phone but still allows me to use my other. Twilight app keeps me sane, but I suspect it's another battery thief, too.

Not a Facebook user, but I probably have some other apps here and there (I'm looking at you, Awful) which are sapping precious juice, too. I carry a Motorola Power Pack, just in case.

e: grammar and syntax

Haha with that kind of usage I'd say whatever battery life you're getting is fantastic.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2015 02:05

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

FAUXTON posted:

Taking pictures of your food is so 2012, but it's funny when manufacturers do this - social fads move too fast to really be good design guidance yet they keep trying. Then again, optimized for food hopefully means good color reproduction in suboptimal lighting conditions so maybe they hit a target they weren't aiming at.

E: isn't one of Sony's strengths (in their camera camera products at least) color fidelity? Do they make the sensors for their phones?

As far I understand it, they make the sensors for quite a few phones.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2015 18:22

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Skeezy posted:

Can I turn off that app resizing thing Touchwiz does on the S6? I have no use for it and sometimes trigger it by accident.

thebushcommander posted:

I don't have that setting option on my S6, according to most things I've read it's not like old versions of it where you enable and disable it in the menu.

One thing I did do was while in an app I held down the "app switcher" button which enables the side by side view an sizes them equally to half the screen, then I full screened one of them and now when doing the normal long press in the corner of the app it doesn't re-size like it was before. Not really a fix, because I probably just samsunged my samsung.

You can customize the quick settings toggles along the top of the notification shade, it's likely the multi-window toggle is already up there if you swipe left. If it's not there you can swipe down with two fingers on the notification shade to get all the available toggles and turn it off there. From that screen you can tap on the pencil icon to select which toggles you want showing up along the top. I don't know if this made it to the S6, but you should also be able to long press the back button to toggle multiwindow on and off.

# ¿ Apr 22, 2015 23:45

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

thebushcommander posted:

Unfortunately none of that is on the S6, can't even 2 finger swipe to see all of the toggles etc.

These are all quick toggles available on my S6 (edge). There is no multi-window toggle, there is no option that I have found in the settings menu to disable it either. The version of TouchWiz on the S6 seems to be vastly dumbed down compared to other Samsung phones which is good overall, but it seems a lot of options were left out. The multi-window thing for me at least isn't a problem at all, for my gf I think it's because she's used to how iOS works and on a smaller screen as she upgraded from a 5S.

Haha so they left in the toggle for smart stay, which you'd never turn off, and took out the toggle for multi window? I guess their idea of toning down Touchwiz is axing features at random.

# ¿ Apr 23, 2015 21:37

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Grimes posted:

I have a Galaxy Nexus with a big crack in the screen and super wonky GPS and I'm looking to upgrade. I don't care about having the latest phone, I just want something better that's $200 or under with expandable memory and a removable battery. Should I buy something new in my price range, or look for something used?

If you're looking for expandable storage AND a removable battery, a used GS5 will probably be the best thing in that range. For slightly more you could get a new one though.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2015 23:01

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

dissss posted:

The LG G3 too

True I forgot about that one. Might even be able to find a new one in that price range.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2015 23:47

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

SkySteak posted:

I heard that about the Moto. Honestly I've only recently heard about the camera issues, but the battery one is the only real worrying one for the Moto X and the lack of removable storage as well, apart from that I'd love to pick it up. Like, how long does the X's battery last with heavy usage? Either way thank you for your patience.

Your best bet if possible is to find and play around with both phones to see which you prefer. You mentioned "looking at a lot of videos and browsing the web a ton" and for that purpose the G3's battery life might better suit you since battery life is easily the X's weakest point. That's not to say the Moto X couldn't be your best choice despite that which is why a hands on comparison would really help you choose.

At the very least watch someone like mkbhd review both for a chance to see them in use.

# ¿ Apr 28, 2015 11:54

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

dissss posted:

Battery life on the G3 sucks for that type of usage too unless you're willing to keep the screen really dim

It'll still get much better battery life than the X though.

# ¿ Apr 28, 2015 12:38

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

SkySteak posted:

I have a little and both of the phones feel good in the hand. Screen wise they're quite nice to look at as well. I feel that if I went for a 32GB LG G3 that I, may as well just pick up a Z3 Compact for the higher price. However back to the 16 GB. Honestly I am starting to feel neither would be the wrong choice. Honestly the only thing spooking me away from G3 is the lack of updates and overheating problems I keep hearing about, esp in regards to the camera.

The G3 was the very first phone to update to Lollipop other than the Nexus 6, and Android phones in general are all pretty good with support nowadays so there's not much to worry about in that regard.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2015 00:59

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

butt dickus posted:

Only in Poland. US versions got the 5.0 update 3 months after the Nexus 4 and 5 did. Getting one update wasn't a big deal even back in 2010. How many phones from 2013 have received the 5.0 update? What about 2012? I know a lot of y'all get a new phone every 6 months but some people like to hang onto them for two years. Are there any phones from 2012 aside from the Nexus 4, S4 and M7 that have 5.0 or later?

The poster is in Europe, the fact that U.S. carriers take forever to roll out their updates is irrelevant to their case.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2015 01:52

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

According to DxOMark, the Galaxy S6 Edge and the Note 4 have the best cameras of any smartphone at the moment, the first time an Android phone has bested the iPhone when it comes to the camera. Also interesting is the fact the Nexus 6 managed to crack the top ten, coming in at number 8, several spots ahead of the iPhone 5S even. Shows how much the camera was improved over the Nexus 5's.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2015 13:42

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

"d[-.- posted:

b" post="444690051"]
Weird that the G2 is 15th but the G3 isn't on there at all.

They haven't tested the G3.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2015 18:47

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Ron Jeremy posted:

poo poo. Thanks.

You can disable Unified Daemon in the application manager as well.

# ¿ May 1, 2015 00:17

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

ilkhan posted:

Sounds like Samsung. Probably not something they can update through play store, too.

They update their system components through Samsung though, not all that different from using the Play Store.

# ¿ May 1, 2015 02:38

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Rapner posted:

s6 edge or note edge people, do you regret your purchase at all?

My contract is up so I'm upgrading for free today, and I'm looking at these two seeing I can't find any stock android phones with expandable memory available from my carrier. (Telstra)

The S6 doesn't have expandable storage either. That said you really can't go wrong with either one as the Note Edge is pretty fantastic.

# ¿ May 7, 2015 03:16

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

spincube posted:

If this rumour about Android M being unveiled in a few weeks is true, maybe they're going for an annual named-release schedule like the other mobile OS.

...then again, lmao OS updates within eighteen months, that was definitely a thing that happened

They already do annual named releases that coincide with the Nexus phone's launch. Only exceptions being Honeycomb and Jellybean which went to the tablets.

# ¿ May 7, 2015 22:11

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

FAUXTON posted:

I've already decided to go with the Moto X when they update the hardware later this year.

I wouldn't put it past Huawei to gently caress with memory modules to report a false storage figure to the system so that when you try storing more than 256MB the writes always fail and the memory starts getting corrupted. This already happens with flash drives, take a wild guess where they originate.

If the rumored specs are true it'll be the phone to beat this year.

# ¿ May 10, 2015 07:32

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

RZA Encryption posted:

I can't say for sure on the s6, but I know that older versions would not allow you to disable some of them.

Also I'd just like to bring to your attention that you're already thinking about what you will remove/disable/hide/fix on your brand new phone.

Touchwiz has allowed you to disable and hide system apps for years now. At this point it's a matter of preference though since they are at worst equal to the stock apps you'd find on any other Android device.

# ¿ May 12, 2015 22:12

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

RVProfootballer posted:

Yep. At least it's not an LG, where (on some carrier versions only, hah) neither the brightness slider nor volume slider can be removed, so half of your notification shade is taken up with toggles and sliders.

Coincidentally, on some carrier versions the Touchwiz brightness slider can be disabled. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason as to why on some models you can and can't on others.

# ¿ May 13, 2015 03:24

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Require More Fire posted:

I believe you can use LightFlow to wake the screen when you get a notification. Also if you want a pretty SMS app try Google Messenger.

The sad thing is, the Touchwiz Messages app looks identical to Google Messenger except for one little detail: it's bright orange instead of the neat way Messenger changes color depending on the contact. I really hope Samsung adopts that feature (or at the very least changes that ugly default orange to something less gaudy) since other than that their app is superior.

# ¿ May 15, 2015 06:07

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

datajosh posted:

Samsung got rid of this feature on the S6. This app gives you the option to wake the screen on notifications from certain apps and worked for that purpose during the brief time I was using a S6 myself.

Just found out they got rid of per contact sms tones for no particular reason as well, especially baffling now that even Google has it.

# ¿ May 15, 2015 16:22

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

datajosh posted:

We need one of these but for Samsung

There used to be one for Android, it would still be pretty appropriate.

# ¿ May 15, 2015 18:14

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

nmfree posted:

Multiwindow is great. Of course, Samsung can't tell the difference between their rear end and a hole in the ground, so while starting a multiwindow session was easy on my S3 (just tap on the tab) and is easy on my Galaxy Tab S (swipe from the side of the screen), of course we had to get Samsung'd with the Note 4 (hold down the back arrow until the drawer slides open and hope whatever app is already open doesn't register that as an actual "go back" action).

Multiwindow on touchwiz 4.3 was probably the best implementation so far, no need for apps like Linkbubble. Allegedly it works the same way on the Note 4 Lollipop but I can't get it to work that way with Awful which is the main reason I liked it so much.
E: or Facebook now that they baked in their own lovely browser into the app.

# ¿ May 18, 2015 07:46

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# ¿ May 13, 2024 02:58

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

raej posted:

I've noticed an app bar on my lock screen when I plug in my headphones (Galaxy S5). But I can't find a way to assign apps to it. Is there a way? I'd like to be able to go to Pandora or Play Music quickly.

That sounds like the Buddy Pages, if they work like they work on the Note 3 Pandora and Play Music should show up there if you frequently open them after plugging in your headphones.

# ¿ May 18, 2015 16:27

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