So much for being easy. I don't have sms
Google Duo, a simple 1-to-1 video calling app
361–370 of 379 posts
Re: Google Duo, a simple 1-to-1 video calling app
#362No desktop support, one device only, they must be joking.[1] I just hope it can be disabled with rest of the Google bloatware when I buy my next phone. [1] http://www.reddit.com/r/android/comments/4xxnjl/_/d6jawai
This is pretty standard these days, mobile only and phone number authentication are what the general public are used to.
Re: Google Duo, a simple 1-to-1 video calling app
#363Earlier quoted context omitted.
This strategy seems to have born out of Facebook's success with breaking up the app into specialized features (Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp etc.)
The only break up here was Messenger, and even there they did not just continue the feature but gradually phased it out to make sure people are actually following. Messenger still uses the same network behind and did not create a separate one. Instagram and Whatsapp are just examples of how not to kill a successful product. Turns out it's quite simple: You change nothing.
>Instagram and Whatsapp are just examples of how not to kill a successful product. Turns out it's quite simple: You change nothing.
For a long time it seemed like the strategy was to change nothing. Now it's become clear the strategy is to be scared of changing anything, just leave it to fester and fall behind then panic and recklessly start cloning competitors features and diluting what made the service compelling in the first place.
Re: Google Duo, a simple 1-to-1 video calling app
#364Not for everyone, just People on Android and ios mobile devices...
By my math and some light search, Android | iOS accounts for 95% of smartphones sold [1], and there are about 2 billion smartphone users [2]. Is 1.9 billion a small number? I understand there are people who don't use smartphones, but this obviously isn't targeted at them. Besides, many people use phones for nearly all personal communication [I use mine for everything, including email]. I certainly get being upset tha…
hmm there are 7 billion people in the world, according to you 1.9 billion use Antroid or iOS.
This means there are ~5 billion that do not, thus basic math concludes that this new app is not even for the majority of people and far far far far far from the "everyone" claimed.
Re: Google Duo, a simple 1-to-1 video calling app
#365Earlier quoted context omitted.
> True, but with Android's market share, it's pretty compelling to be able to do a "FaceTime" with anyone. That's the larger opportunity. Assuming it ends up on all Android phones. Which is a big assumption.
I believe Duo will be added to the next Android release. It will take awhile for devices to get of course, but that's a big advantage.
A feature coming to maybe a fraction of phones some day in the future several years too late is not "a big advantage."
It's as disadvantageous a spot as you can be in, and Google put themselves there by squandering their multiple previous big advantages.
Re: Google Duo, a simple 1-to-1 video calling app
#366Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's basically competition to WhatsApp, several years late. WhatsApp solved the messaging for masses, non-technical folks, parents and grandparents. Which is why its so popular. my entire family and friends circle runs on WhatsApp. Photo sharing, video sharing, voice calls, video calls ... anything you can think of. And it does a good job, really good job. I have never interacted with WhatsApp and felt frustrated or…
You could also say that Google search was a few years too late because Yahoo! already solved that problem. Obviously they think they can do it better and have the resources to test that
Yahoo was turning away from search and towards portals. They made a bad bet and Google happened to be the next in line.
Several other search engines fizzled underneath Yahoo's reign, Google would've been no exception has it not been for Yahoo's miscalculation.
Re: Google Duo, a simple 1-to-1 video calling app
#367Earlier quoted context omitted.
> This is a pretty chronic Google problem that I noticed both from the inside and outside: their engineering and design talent are incredible, but the people responsible for the product and marketing side are evidently really, really bad at what they do. See, I don't even think it's marketing, it's Google not understanding what they already have and engineering a solution without a problem. Hangouts as an app on mobi…
>Hangouts on Desktop though is horrible Can you please elaborate on why you think so? I feel the exact opposite I guess. Maybe it is because it was horrible before and I', using a newer version? It is one of the most unobtrusive and great apps I've used. It sits in the corner of my screen[0] and I have no problems at all even when I'm chatting (texting too! Google Voice!) with someone[1]. [0]: https://imgur.com/a/szw…
I use hangouts on a daily basis for our remote team and also found the desktop app to be terrible to the point of avoidance when doing video calls.
Many times at least one person invited via desktop app doesn't receive the invite, but do receive if we send via gmail.
Confusing UI, lack of error messages, and several major UI bugs (press button, nothing happens) have been cause for hours of accumulated wasted time.
I'm glad you'be had a better experience. It's been very unreliable for us.
Re: Google Duo, a simple 1-to-1 video calling app
#368Earlier quoted context omitted.
You don't even need a google account, just a phone number
But don't you need a Google account to download the app on the Play Store?
You don't need a Google account to download apps from the Apple Store. One of the major advantages to Duo is that it is cross-platform.
Re: Google Duo, a simple 1-to-1 video calling app
#369Earlier quoted context omitted.
I believe Duo will be added to the next Android release. It will take awhile for devices to get of course, but that's a big advantage.
A feature coming to maybe a fraction of phones some day in the future several years too late is not "a big advantage." It's as disadvantageous a spot as you can be in, and Google put themselves there by squandering their multiple previous big advantages.
There are over 1.4B Android devices worldwide. Over 13% are on the latest version. New Samsung device sales are strong. They own search and their app store.
How is that not a big advantage? Sure it's overdue, but they sold over 1.4B devices without it. It makes their offering more compelling to iOS users who've come to expect FaceTime.
Re: Google Duo, a simple 1-to-1 video calling app
#370Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Hangouts on Desktop though is horrible Can you please elaborate on why you think so? I feel the exact opposite I guess. Maybe it is because it was horrible before and I', using a newer version? It is one of the most unobtrusive and great apps I've used. It sits in the corner of my screen[0] and I have no problems at all even when I'm chatting (texting too! Google Voice!) with someone[1]. [0]: https://imgur.com/a/szw…
I use hangouts on a daily basis for our remote team and also found the desktop app to be terrible to the point of avoidance when doing video calls. Many times at least one person invited via desktop app doesn't receive the invite, but do receive if we send via gmail. Confusing UI, lack of error messages, and several major UI bugs (press button, nothing happens) have been cause for hours of accumulated wasted time. I'…
Oh. I guess I don't experience those a lot because I use it for texting and the occasional phone call, but do see some problems which I ignore because they're rare in my use case.