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One week with the Google Pixel

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Re: One week with the Google Pixel

#111

Post by josephg »

s_kilk wrote: post #82
dmcginty wrote: post #75

I've been using Samsung phones for several years (currently still using a Galaxy S6), and my Pixel is supposed to come around the end of the month. Did they really get rid of app badges? That has been a thing for a while, unless I'm not understanding what "badges" are. Also, is the battery life on an iPhone good enough that you don't have to charge it every day. I can't remember owning a smartphone that could go long…

> is the battery life on an iPhone good enough that you don't have to charge it every day Yup. I have an iPhone 6, and routinely go two days between charges. I can charge it overnight, use it all day, skip a night, all day again, and still have about ~20% charge still left by the time I plug it in the next night before bed.

I have a 6s+. With light usage my phone will often last a full 3 days between charges.

Re: One week with the Google Pixel

#112

Post by colemickens »

pyre wrote: post #109
colemickens wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And the UI/UX is hardly at all different than what has been shipping for the last 3 major Android versions. Again, none of this is new for people who are actually using a recent version of Android in the last 2-3 years, but go figure I get downvoted for pointing it out. Just as your comment proves, it's a sad, tired and completely out-dated meme that Android doesn't have good UX. And then these blog posts come along…

> go figure I get downvoted for pointing it out. I really hate this "I'm only stating the truth that people don't want to see! Wake up sheeple!" attitude that some people seem to cop.

When I point out that something is out-dated and inaccurate and then someone repeats the exact same trope I'm criticizing along with a downvote... what reaction am I supposed to have?

How would it go over if I wrote a blog post about how amazing iOS is now that it doesn't look all Aqua-themed despite that change happening years ago?

Re: One week with the Google Pixel

#113

Post by [deleted] »

empath75 wrote: post #72
colemickens wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And the UI/UX is hardly at all different than what has been shipping for the last 3 major Android versions. Again, none of this is new for people who are actually using a recent version of Android in the last 2-3 years, but go figure I get downvoted for pointing it out. Just as your comment proves, it's a sad, tired and completely out-dated meme that Android doesn't have good UX. And then these blog posts come along…

Perhaps writing in a less condescending way might attract fewer downvotes.

[deleted]

Re: One week with the Google Pixel

#114

Post by gergles »

dmcginty wrote: post #75

I've been using Samsung phones for several years (currently still using a Galaxy S6), and my Pixel is supposed to come around the end of the month. Did they really get rid of app badges? That has been a thing for a while, unless I'm not understanding what "badges" are. Also, is the battery life on an iPhone good enough that you don't have to charge it every day. I can't remember owning a smartphone that could go long…

Badges on Samsung devices are a TouchWiz thing, they aren't part of "regular" Android. You won't have them on your Pixel.

Re: One week with the Google Pixel

#115

Post by AjithAntony »

at-fates-hands wrote: post #105
clumsysmurf wrote: post #6

"3. Deep Google integration - This shouldn’t be surprising in any way, but having Google built into pretty much everything you do on the phone is seriously useful." This is my main sticking point with Android lately. I would much rather have a stock Android OS + device from Google, and then add the few Google services I want. Instead Google is getting more and more baked into everything, and understanding how my data…

>> I would much rather have a stock Android OS + device from Google There are tons of stock Android phones you can get from "off market" manufacturers The Nexbit Robin: https://www.nextbit.com/ The OnePlus two or three: https://oneplus.net/2 , https://oneplus.net/3 Xiomi Mi Note: http://www.mi.com/en/minote/ ZTE Axon 7: https://www.zteusa.com/axon7/ Obi SJ1.5: http://www.obiworldphone.com/global/sj1.5 VeryKool (InfoS…

The smatttering of any of the google apps is all you need. One you contaminate the device with google and google play services, then all bets are off. Your opportunities to turn off google tracking are the same for these as the pixel or other nexus phones.

Like don't use the google "now" or "pixel" launchers. Turn off google on tap. Etc..

Re: One week with the Google Pixel

#116

Post by euyyn »

threeseed wrote: post #93
artursapek wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

3D touch, like the Touch Bar, was an uninspired gimmick.

On both counts I couldn't disagree more. I use Force Touch every time I pick up my phone and especially on list views it allows for far more functionality. Touch Bar is nothing more than a nice looking contextual menu. I assume toolbars are a gimmick too ?

I've never used an iPhone with Force Touch: Is it different from a long press? In functionality, and in resulting experience.

Re: One week with the Google Pixel

#117

Post by hausjam »

Pixel. iPhone. Two sides of the same lousy coin. They both do the same thing. And they are doing it increasingly poorly. But consumers keep lapping it up blindly. Do we really need hardware and software updates every year? They just about get the bugs out of iOS 9 and lollipop, and hey, it's been a year. Let's start all over again with new bugs.

Re: One week with the Google Pixel

#118

Post by jonathansizz »

fweespeech wrote: post #49
nowayyeah wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and this has me worried. You are among the few (yes yes even here on HN). And google doesn't make money with you. So who cares?

He is not one of the few. People have pushed this "You are paranoid, no one is out to get you" narrative since the 90s. Everyone has something to hide, even if its just their sex life or beliefs that aren't politically favored that might affect your employment.

People have pushed this "You are paranoid, no one is out to get you" narrative since the 90s.

And nobody has got you since the 90s. When will it happen? And when it does, what will 'it' be?

Re: One week with the Google Pixel

#119

Post by gcr »

uabstraction wrote: post #89
marricks wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With google stepping away from masking your ad profile it is even more troubling... Apple doesn't get enough praise for protecting user's privacy IMO, or perhaps it's just really something most people don't care about...

Beyond their occasional public stands such as the San Bernardino case, I don't think Apple does enough to market how this is useful to the average end user. In fact, as a free software enthusiast who has never even considered getting an iPhone, the privacy issue has me seriously considering getting one (though not the 7!) when my Nexus 5x succumbs to entropy. There are a few technical issues I need to work out before…

Apple has _always_ pushed the privacy angle in their marketing. That's why they make pages like this one: http://www.apple.com/privacy/approach-to-privacy/

Secure enclave. App sandboxing. Fine-grained revocable permissions. TouchID. Differential privacy. iMessage encryption. Find My iPhone. On-device models for photo recognition.

The question is how to spin it in a positive way.

The developer looks at the app sandbox and fine-grained permissions and thinks "I can't run my code on my own device," and walks away.

The police officer looks at TouchID and the secure enclave and thinks "I can't gather evidence," and walks away.

The marketeer looks at on-device models and differential privacy and thinks "I can't understand what my users want if the device doesn't report it," and walks away.

But the user (arguably) benefits from each of these things. App sandboxing, permissions, and a lack of background tasks remove the ability to run malicious code without my consent, in theory. Secure enclave and encryption remove a malicious third party's ability to intercept my communication, in theory. On-device recognition models allow me to benefit from better organization without sending my photos to some cloud vision service, in theory.

Re: One week with the Google Pixel

#120

Post by oxplot »

The saturated colors gave me a headache in the first hour of using the phone. Luckily, there is an option to turn on sRGB color profile buried in the developer tools menu (activated by tapping the build version in about phone menu multiple times). After turning the option on, I don't want to look at any other screen.

I'm not sure why this isn't on by default given that the sRGB option on pixel apparently has the most accurate color representation of any phone (can't remember where I read it) today.

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