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Essential Phone, available now

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Re: Essential Phone, available now

#311

Post by davemp »

zeppelin101 wrote: post #171
davemp wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And physical keyboards. Something for SSH'ing with. Biggest thing I want is no aux port but __two__ (or more) usb-c ports instead. That way you can do stuff like plug in a keyboard/monitor or other standalone usb devices. I don't want to be forced to use weird all in one hubs for specific use cases. I want the UNIX philosophy with my hardware.

Bluetooth keyboards work great with Android devices. No cables required.

I'm sure they are fine, but I don't see why I have to deal with bluetooth pairing and managing another device's battery. Plugging things in works great and is an overall more efficient protocol.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#312

Post by squeaky-clean »

lolsal wrote: post #272
squeaky-clean wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but is it A cigar, or is it YOUR cigar? I think I can safely say that offering a variety of colors would not be an appealing feature to you. I also feel safe guessing battery life is a bigger factor in your purchasing decision than the brand of the phone. You're probably not very influenced by which celebrities use which phone. You also probably don't buy new phones on release day.

> I think I can safely say that offering a variety of colors would not be an appealing feature to you. I also feel safe guessing battery life is a bigger factor in your purchasing decision than the brand of the phone. You're probably not very influenced by which celebrities use which phone. You also probably don't buy new phones on release day. - Maybe it's a work phone and I had no choice in the matter? - Maybe I ha…

> There are lots of not-unlikely scenarios like the above which mean any conclusion you might try to draw would have a very low level of accuracy.

But it sounds like all my conclusions are still accurate in all your hypothetical scenarios. I never tried to guess which phone you had. Only a few basic things that would be prime targets for advertising. Such as in every hypothetical you mention, the fact that uses a certain phone has no influence on the purchase. Except maybe the gift, but then it's not about your thoughts on phones, but the one purchasing the gift (hopefully they know you well enough that you prefer function over form).

> I'm just making generic points that those guesses are essentially worthless

Not at all. They may not 100% apply to your directly, but a company isn't selling to you. They're selling to a statistical distribution including you.

The guesses are only worthless now that you're offering hypothetical scenarios. Your earlier comment is definitely telling about your decisions in using and purchasing a phone.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#313

Post by bmelton »

dforrestwilson wrote: post #281
gordon_freeman wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any idea if they are planning to get this work with Project Fi service? I've always wondered what changes in hardware are required to get it compatible with Google's Fi service. Anyone knows?

^ Same question! I love Google Fi, but am considering rolling off if I can't get a decent phone on-network (without doing the iPhone hack).

What do you find problematic with the Pixel?

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#314

Post by inovica »

I replaced my iPhone 6 with a NextBit Robin for $120! The camera isn't as good, but I love the rest of the phone. I'd rather spend $120 now and see what else is around in 1 year than $700 on this

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#315

Post by bdcravens »

Philipp__ wrote: post #294
balls187 wrote: post #290

I found it off-putting that on the home page, the 2nd section about the phone was an interview with the founder with exposition on his intentions. Seems unnecessarily narcissistic--tell me about the phone and it's features first and sell me on your product.

I got the same impression. It's kinda lame. I mean, phone looks good, real, good product, but to me it seems it's biggest selling point is the man himself behind it.

Given that he founded Android, I think that's the point.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#316

Post by georgespencer »

afandian wrote: post #305
feld wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> - And physical keyboards. Something for SSH'ing with. There is no market for this product. Nobody wants it except a tiny fraction of the market who work in IT.

I just can't type on screens. I have tried so many times. My current phone is a Blackberry Passport, previous one was an HTC Desire Z, and my next one (fingers crossed) will be this: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gemini-pda-android-linux-... I'd like to ssh sometimes, but mostly I want to send text and emails like everyone else. Shame that few companies have the guts to break the monoculture. It is vaguely ridic…

> Shame that few companies have the guts to break the monoculture. It is vaguely ridiculous that most phones look identical.

You are describing cars. There is no market for cars which are driven with more complex mechanisms than steering wheels. The world has percolated around the optimal solution, and it is a touch screen.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#317

Post by jacalata »

throwaway613834 wrote: post #299
colordrops wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meh, I bought my first OnePlus phone a few months ago and while the phone itself is great, I've been thoroughly unimpressed with their support and unavailability of most accessories, both from OnePlus and 3rd parties. It's a huge turn off and I won't buy another one.

What kind of support do you need for a smartphone? I've literally never even thought "maybe I should contact support" for a phone problem.

Tons of things, like "my phone is two weeks old and the battery life has halved"

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#318

Post by colordrops »

throwaway613834 wrote: post #299
colordrops wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meh, I bought my first OnePlus phone a few months ago and while the phone itself is great, I've been thoroughly unimpressed with their support and unavailability of most accessories, both from OnePlus and 3rd parties. It's a huge turn off and I won't buy another one.

What kind of support do you need for a smartphone? I've literally never even thought "maybe I should contact support" for a phone problem.

- A software bug with notifications

- Asking when accessories would be available on their site (car chargers and screen protectors were out of stock)

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#319

Post by idiot900 »

ams6110 wrote: post #155
idiot900 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a fancy way of saying it's a fashion accessory for many people. Just like clothes, cars, housing, etc. I bought one because the materials seem like they will be nice, and that has value to me.

The price certainly supports that point of view. I saw the name "Essential Phone" and was expecting something basic, low-cost, and simple. Instead it's priced at the top end of the market (about 3x what I would ever dream of spending on a phone).

Seems like they really meant "uncluttered", but "essential" sounds better. Who knows, if it isn't a good phone I will return it and wait for the next Pixel.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#320

Post by bdcravens »

feld wrote: post #157
git-pull wrote: post #85

I admire the gumption of making a new phone. But controlled obsolescence kills me. The real feature that improves in phones the past few years for me is the software and apps, not the hardware . My wishlist: - Give me a lighter, snappier OS. Not something clunkier and slower and uses more ram, gpu/cpu (aka battery life). - Actually support updates to the things for longer than 2-3 years. - (Not related to this phone)…

> - And physical keyboards. Something for SSH'ing with. There is no market for this product. Nobody wants it except a tiny fraction of the market who work in IT.

My wife preferred physical keyboards, but like many, accepted the iPhone despite it's lack thereof.
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