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

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

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

There's really no reason not to have the option to, I doubt it would be too complicated. Then again there's no reason on screen buttons shouldn't be customizable either yet they aren't.

# ¿ Dec 20, 2014 00:23

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 14:32

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Many apps already let you choose what color to flash on the led notification light and what sound if any to make. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to let you change the color, especially if it was built into Android itself.

I don't know if I'd use it myself, but I can certainly understand the people who want it.

# ¿ Dec 20, 2014 04:09

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

RZA Encryption posted:

But why would they? What do they have to gain?
You want them to put extra man hours into a feature that only the worst humans will use. More code is more place for something to go wrong and more poo poo to maintain. How is that a win on their part?
On top of all that, they have a team of marketers that actually do care that gmail is represented with "gmail red". Can you imagine some nerdass showing off his custom scheme with black and purple and chiller font and dragonforce as his inbox background? Is that how you would want your product presented?

Christ dude, it's just giving people another harmless option to customize their phones, you know, one of Android's strengths over its competitors. I probably wouldn't even change from the default but there's no need to be so overzealous.

# ¿ Dec 21, 2014 00:47

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Variable_H posted:

I've noticed on my G3 that if I have my hand anywhere near the proximity sensor when I turn on the display, it shuts the screen back off. Is this typical?

Cuts down on the pocket dialing.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2014 05:22

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Lastpass can also use the fingerprint reader for authenticating.

# ¿ Dec 24, 2014 07:16

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

I haven't tried it myself, but I believe there's a stand alone Mac/PC client for AirDroid now.

# ¿ Jan 1, 2015 00:16

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

More RAM for Lollipop to munch on.

# ¿ Jan 5, 2015 21:15

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

5436 posted:

I got a Note 4 since my S4's charging port died out and wireless charging is too slow. The Note 4 is amazing. The screen is so crisp and vivid, it just pops. It also gets insanely bright. The camera is great in low light and the video with OIS is really good. It smooths out any shake from your hand really well. The camera is the best I've ever used on Android. Touchwiz is still poo poo but it looks better in the 4 and seems to be toned down a bit. Hopefully Lollipop will come in 2-3 weeks.

Considering Lollipop's current state, I wouldn't count on it.

# ¿ Jan 7, 2015 03:21

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

nerve posted:

Oh I've got that too, but there is nothing that can replace the beauty of being able to take my phone on and of the wireless dock when I'm half awake in bed and not worry about the cord.

With his/her method you wouldn't even have to worry about the dock.

# ¿ Jan 8, 2015 18:31

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

pandaK posted:

Hmm, I think I found my first complaint about my note 4. The right half of the screen is a bit unresponsive when using the stylus. Additionally, the little circle indicator is offset by like a millimeter when I hover the right side. Fingers work perfectly fine along with the left side with the stylus. Though the issue is very minor (I have to actually press down on the right side with the stylus whereas the left activates with a cursory glide), is there a way to calibrate my screen properly to eliminate this issue?

As an addendum, the offset circle is when the stylus is straight upright

Do you have anything magnetic around that side of the phone? Your problem sounds exactly like the way the stylus behaves when there's magnetic interference.

# ¿ Jan 13, 2015 00:01

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

LastInLine posted:

You're crazy and your frothing rage was uncalled for. I mean it's not like the entire UI looks to have been designed by a colorblind mentally disabled child or anything. Now excuse me while I go back to my blue and yellow messaging app.

The messaging app can be whatever color you want it to be.

# ¿ Jan 14, 2015 03:07

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

5436 posted:

To everyone trashing touchwiz, it was scaled back in the Note 4. The menus cleaned up a bit, and not that abrasive. I hate 99% of Samsungs software choices but they do add useful stuff. Multi-window, split youtube and your browser, is amazing. Reddit and youtube, great for browsing /r/video. Also splitting Whatsapp and the browswer is good for talking with friends while also reading articles. Selfie mode, by just swiping the heart rate sensor to take a photo is convenient. So is being able to say 'shoot' or 'smile' and the phone will take a pic when the camera is open. Taking a screenshot by swiping your hand across the screen is way better than holding down 2 buttons. You combine that with by far the best camera on Android its hard to recommended another phone. I've switched from nexus, samsung, and htc phones. I really despised a lot of the layout in S4 but the Note 4 is my favorite phone so far.

You think the spergs in this thread have even seen Touchwiz since 2010? They just like to pretend they're masters of UI design on the Internet.

# ¿ Jan 14, 2015 03:59

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Straker posted:

Have you never said the word "cheese"? People use it because it forces you to smile even as you're saying it... not that it will look good if you don't catch on and make it more natural, but you know, it's actually a really good word.

It works just the way you'd expect it to, it just doesn't fit his narrative. This is the same poster who "proved" Samsung's customer satisfaction was poo poo by linking a study that said it was second only to Apple's, that should tell you all you need to know.

# ¿ Jan 15, 2015 06:19

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

PBCrunch posted:

I have Sprint, and I can't switch for REASONS. I cannot stand using my Galaxy Nexus anymore.

I am eligible for a phone upgrade. With a two year contract, I can get an LG G3 for $49, a Nexus 6 for $249, or a Note 4 for $299. There are other phones, but these are the ones I am interested in. All of these have quad-core CPUs and 3GB RAM.

The stylus on the Note 4 intrigues me. I have an Asus Vivotab Note 8, and I really like the Wacom stylus; is the Note 4 stylus anything like that? I have been burned twice by Samsung phones that didn't get timely software updates, plus the Note 4 is very pricey.

The Nexus 6 seems to be the only Android phone with dedicated, always-on voice recognition hardware. The battery is not user replaceable, and there is no microSD slot.

The LG is much less expensive, has the double tap wake up, and the laser auto focus hardware. I have seen that the battery life is not very good, but it has a removable battery, so I could potentially carry a charged spare.

Will I be kicking myself in six months if I get the LG G3 over the other two phones?

The Note 4 also has always on voice recognition and considering the Note 2 is getting Lollipop I don't think you have to worry about updates.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2015 01:13

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

If an event is taking up your whole day, do you really need to be reminded of it?

# ¿ Jan 21, 2015 03:21

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

LastInLine posted:

Google's launcher doesn't do that so it's not the AOSP or Google Now Launcher.

He said he can't get the home screen to rotate.

# ¿ Jan 26, 2015 19:28

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Sulla-Marius 88 posted:

Is the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini (dual sim) any good?

My girlfriend has a certain amount of credit on Groupon to be used for SOMETHING; otherwise it will expire. She can't find anything on it that she wants/needs, but they are selling a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Dual Sim (link at bottom of post), model # I9192, for pretty much the exact price for the credit she has. I currently have a lovely 4 year old Samsung Google Nexus S or whatever it is called - model i9023. I won't otherwise have the money to replace it for a good long while.

I'm looking to use the phone for a mix of lifestyle and business - You Need A Budget, Anki flashcards, timetracking for freelancing and general organisational stuff. I don't want a huge or fancy phone but I'd like it to be competent and reliable. Is this phone an unmitigated disaster? Is it going to run like crap and fall apart? Otherwise we'll use the money on a mix of restaurants and other random junk. Are there particular problems with the dual sim version? I can't find anything bad in google except that the dual sim is standby mode, not active, but since I'd only be using one sim anyway it doesn't seem like such a big deal to me. I know it doesn't have 4g like the i1915, but my girlfriend already has that phone and says she never gets 4g where we live anyway.

Here's the link:

http://www.groupon.it/deals/deal-nazionale/gg-td-store-1/54485947

Are there any reasons not to get this particular, given that otherwise I'd need to pay out of pocket? I don't need a response immediately, we need to wait for the credit to clear, but that's what we're looking at. Thanks.

The S4 Mini is hardly cutting edge, but it's a definite improvement over the Nexus S and for essentially $0 it's hard to recommend against. It's running 4.4 and unlikely to get 5.0, but you're not really missing out on much unless you're a huge phone nerd.
If you don't care about the latest and greatest it should fit your purpose just fine.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2015 03:54

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

MaxDuo posted:

Alright goons, I'm sick of my god drat loving piece of poo poo Droid 4. It barely runs anymore, despite not even being a couple of years old. I desperately want a physical keyboard, but Apple has convicned everyone that the inability to physically do anything other than touch a screen is like cosmic sex.

What would be a good phone to replace my Droid 4? I'd like something that won't vomit and poo poo itself to death in 3-4 months but isn't any smaller or a lot larger than the Droid 4 itself. Also did we ever manage to have decent blue tooth keyboards, or are they all horrible pieces of poo poo still? If possible, I'd like to get some kind of keyboard + case thing.... otherwise I guess I'll have to adapt to slowly typing on a non physical keyboard because that's for dumb slow business Microsoft nerds apparently.

I'm just so loving pissed at this piece of poo poo that I'm about to throw it out the god drat window right now. Clearing the cache doesn't do anything and even a full factory reset changes nothing performance-wise on it by now.

I don't think you'll find even a low budget phone with a physical keyboard at this point. Your best bet on Verizon is probably the Droid Turbo, or a Note 4 if you think a larger on-screen keyboard could make the transition easier. Don't get too attached to the idea of having a phone with a keyboard, Bluetooth or otherwise.

# ¿ Jan 31, 2015 03:46

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Skeezy posted:

I've had the Play Music one happen.

I hope Lollipop 5.1 just comes out soon

That's pretty much what I was thinking when I bought the Nexus 4, just replace 5.1 with 4.3.

5.0 can't possibly be worse than the turd 4.2 was.

# ¿ Feb 1, 2015 02:45

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

WhyteRyce posted:

Lollipop is great on my Moto X. My Nexus 7 2013 seems okay too but I got after the initial release people complained about. Seems okay on my wife's 2012 N7 too. But the N5 was unusable up until 5.01 update and now it's reminding me of some poo poo bargain level 2011 era phone

Did you try a factory reset? In my experience, almost every time an Android phone behaved lovely right after an update a factory reset fixed it up.

# ¿ Feb 2, 2015 00:27

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Nierbo posted:

I have a galaxy s5 and whenever I have a call from someone a floating always-on-top box appears and I want to get rid of it. Anyone know how?

You mean the little bubble that shows up when you're doing other things while on a call? Phone-settings-call popups will let you disable it.

# ¿ Feb 3, 2015 02:21

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Bob A Feet posted:

The google plus camera is OK in the sense that it is better than the god awful stock moto one on every moto phone but it looks terrible-- half the screen is unused space with a camera button in the middle. And yeah I'm surprised android has gotten away with terrible camera apps for this long.

Most people have never even seen the stock camera app.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2015 00:27

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

JimmyBiskit posted:

I just had my S4 land on the corner of the screen and break it. Unfortunately, I didn't enable USB debugging beforehand like I should have, and there are a few things I'd like to recover which are gonna require that I have that enabled. I've read that I can push a kernel to my phone that has it enabled by default and use that, but I'm kind of at an utter loss as to what the hell I need and phones are not my forte. Not even sure if this is the right place to be asking, but anybody got advice for me?

Sounds like you're better off getting somebody to fix the screen instead of most likely bricking the phone trying to get the data off.

# ¿ Feb 15, 2015 02:47

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

robodex posted:

So I think one of the big causes of my memory issues is Facebook messenger... I've noticed times when I don't use it my phone seems to run much better (although I still end up having to restart it at least once a day due to this terrible memory leak.)

Anyone else had the same problem and is there a fix for it? It's gotten so bad that I've actually missed calls for work since the phone was out of memory and didn't start ringing until it was about to go to voicemail.

Facebook Messenger alternates between smooth sailing and bringing even the most powerful of phones to its knees on a weekly basis. Only fix I know of is either getting rid of it, or waiting for them to get their poo poo together. It's being fixed supposedly, but I've heard that before.

# ¿ Feb 16, 2015 03:33

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

I said come in! posted:

I have a Samsung Galaxy S5, and it updated to Lollipop and now the light to indicate I have notifications no longer works. How do I enable that again?

Settings -> Display -> LED Indicator

# ¿ Feb 18, 2015 05:34

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Chadzok posted:

It seems like tapping the bottom of the body of the phone (samsung 5s) goes back to messages. There is no indication that this is a button or even sensitive to touch.
Why they turned a user interface into a loving game of Where's Wally, I'll never know.
Thanks for the help Android thread, and rest assured I will never buy this product for myself or others.

EDIT: Yeah, guy above nailed it. Cheers.

The buttons on either side are pretty hard to miss, you're either blind or you've got a defective unit.

Boz0r posted:

My Galaxy S3 died, should I just get an S5 or are some of the other phones better?

S5 is a pretty solid choice, although if money is not an object the S6 is like a couple of weeks from release.

# ¿ Feb 18, 2015 23:56

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

LastInLine posted:

They're easy to miss if you've only ever used iPhones and are used to sensible design.

Someone used to the iPhone and sensible design should have an even easier time finding it. Not that you'd ever let something like not knowing what you're talking about stop you from stroking that irrational hate boner you've got for Samsung.

# ¿ Feb 19, 2015 00:31

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

I said come in! posted:

Pretty much. :/

Considering how some Nexus devices have fared, it could be worse if your only problem is a glitch with the notification LED.

# ¿ Feb 21, 2015 18:51

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

LastInLine posted:

Also keep count of the number of preinstalled Samsung apps need to be disabled, the number of broken Samsung exclusive "features" that default to enabled that need to be disabled (fingerprint scanner, eye tracking, etc.), and the number of additional apps you need to install.

As a bonus point out any utilities you need to download specifically to janitor the phone (like a file browser to access the SD card).

Then take screenshots of the horrible garbage that can't be fixed like the ridiculous Settings pane.

You hate Samsung so much, yet can't be bothered to get a single thing right.

# ¿ Feb 23, 2015 05:47

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Thermopyle posted:

At least he has concrete complaints. Your reason for posting in here lately seems to be "I don't like LastInLine's opinions".

I mean, just stop posting if your reason for posting is to snipe someone you disagree with. It's not like Samsung needs you to defend their bottom line. They're going to continue to sell a bazillion units.

It's not his opinions I don't like, it's that his concrete complaints are anything but. That is the point of my last post, not one of the things he complained about in the quoted post is true, except his dislike for the settings pane. I mean, Samsung phones have always shipped with a file browser, someone who hates them that much should know that, and that all the Samsung poo poo, including the scanners, is disabled by default.

I'm not here to defend the honor of Touchwiz. Plenty of people here hate it and that's fine, but if you're gonna claim to hate it for a specific reason, then make sure it's actually a real reason. I'm sure if I claimed you needed extra apps to run a Z3 out of the box, a Z3 owner would correct me. By the 20th time I claimed the same thing, he'd probably not bother and just tell me I'm wrong.

# ¿ Feb 23, 2015 08:32

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

I think users themselves are one of the biggest obstacles Google Wallet faces. Most Android owners don't even bother to enable Google Now, much less going through the steps to enable Wallet.

Google needs to find a way to create the same kind of zeal Apple inspires in their users. Facebook was flooded with poorly shot panorama pictures the moment it became available on iOS, despite the feature being available on Android since 2010. Same thing with Apple pay, an enthusiasm Google can't seem to generate in its users.

# ¿ Feb 24, 2015 03:48

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on Apple or its users. I'm saying it's a remarkable effect that Google and it's partners should also seek to achieve.

Only a handful of nerds have ever even mustered the drive to try Wallet. On the Apple side, completely regular people, who are not even tech enthusiasts in the slightest, are trying out Apple Pay just because it's the hot new thing. Google, Samsung, Motorola and everyone else need to find a way to generate that kind of enthusiasm for their features.

# ¿ Feb 24, 2015 11:25

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

I never got the chance to play around with an M8 so I don't know how much is new, but I'm really liking the look of Sense. Very distinctive.

# ¿ Feb 25, 2015 03:51

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

LastInLine posted:

As someone who doesn't vomit when you see TouchWiz, I'd be curious how you feel about Sense in comparison.

As an outsider who hasn't used modern Sense I think it looks quite nice.

I went and familiarized myself with Sense on the M8 so I could have more to go on than just a minute long video.

It might be unpopular in this thread, but I'm a fan of OEMs taking Android and customizing it in ways unique to their devices (as long as they don't stray from Google's fold, i.e. Fire Phone) That said, I wasn't a fan of Sense's "metal" aesthetic, the way UI elements were made to look like they were wrapped in metal, the unlock screen comes to mind. I also hated their trademark clock for some reason even though I was a fan of it back in the Evo days.

The new Sense has none of that, it's slick and stylish and looks distinctively HTC'S, one thing you particularly need to stand out among the sea of Android handsets and something the Chinese makers have already realized. I like the calculator widget and the animations on system elements, Samsung has some but these seem slicker.

As for the upcoming changes I like the Windows Phone-ish look they seem to be going for, and the context sensitive features on Blinkfeed. Samsung finally got context sensitive right with the fantastic "Places" widget, ditching the "Samsung knows best" buddy pages no one ever used for a fully customizable system, if HTC's works something like that I'm on board.

Overall I think HTC is on the right track, with some marketing muscle behind them I can't see a reason why they can't position themselves as strong a brand as Apple and Samsung.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2015 16:51

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Drakes posted:

I'm almost done with my current phone contract and I'm wondering whats the general opinion on the LG G3. Mostly considering it due to there being a $50 promo for it with a 2 year contract, and I'd be upgrading from a galaxy nexus that has not been keeping up well on battery life. I heard theres some over sharpening going on with it, is it really severe?

I wouldn't mind going for some of the budget phones if I could find something with more than 1GB of ram.

It's a good phone with some flaws, which you could say about any Android device. It's also a massive upgrade from a Galaxy Nexus, which again you could say about any Android device. The best thing to do is go play with it at the store and see if you like it. I can't think of anything else that can compete for $50 other than the inevitable price drops on the Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8, which have their own flaws like every other Android.

# ¿ Mar 8, 2015 05:09

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

beedeebee posted:

Just upgraded my Moto G to Lollipop. It looks great, but it hosed up my notification led. Even though it's turned on in the settings, it doesn't blink when I receive messages etc. Is this normal or am I missing something?

Some GS5 users in this thread have reported the same issue so it could be another Lollipop quirk.

# ¿ Mar 17, 2015 05:21

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

ilkhan posted:

WiFi is really easy to spoof, so using WiFi as a way to unlock your phone is really dumb.

Once that becomes a legitimate concern you should be more worried about why Mossad is after you instead of how much trouble they'll have getting into your phone.

Desk Lamp fucked around with this message at 07:58 on Mar 22, 2015

# ¿ Mar 22, 2015 07:53

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Sir Unimaginative posted:

You seen how many AT&T phones default-allow anything named 'attwifi' without any way for the user to disable it? Sure you're probably an idiot if you allow a public SSID to unlock your phone (and it hopefully works via MAC address and other indicators), but hundreds of thousands of people are guaranteed not to have the choice at some point.

Your blas� dismissal might be appropriate for radio ROM hacks, but opportunistic stuff is still a concern.

The feature is called trusted locations for a reason.

# ¿ Mar 22, 2015 08:15

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

syntaxfunction posted:

Not sure if this is the right thread but can anyone point me towards an official replacement battery for an Australian Galaxy Nexus? I like the phone and don't feel like upgrading (And neither does my wallet) but it's gone from a day-ish of charge to slightly less than six hours. This means anywhere I go has to have a charger which is super annoying. I've checked Amazon and the like but apparently all the "official" replacements aren't actually official according to the comments. I just want a battery that'll last me and not explode. I don't care about an extended battery I just would like to be able to step out for a day and not worry about whether my phone will die or not.

Get a new phone, you'll find nothing but tears if you try to keep that GNex, sorry.

# ¿ Mar 22, 2015 08:57

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 14:32

Desk Lamp: Jun 30, 2014

Anjow posted:

Are there any android devices out there yet that do 240fps video like the iPhone 6? I am an android convert now and it's the only thing that has made me envious of a friend's phone.

The Galaxy S and the Galaxy Note can.

nerve posted:

I imagine if any Android does 240fps it would be a Samsung, considering their entire brand is built on copping iPhone features

This is one feature that debuted on the Galaxy line before making it's way to iPhones, ironically enough.

# ¿ Mar 29, 2015 00:07

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

«‹›22 »