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Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

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Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#461

Post by jpeeler »

paultopia wrote: post #446

Can someone explain to me what the user benefit of 5G is? Is there anything that people typically do on their phones/with tethering right now that LTE is insufficient bandwidth for? Or is this just a plan by the carriers to encourage more really expensive usage, like convincing people to stream on their phones/tether all the time?

Forgive me, but this sounds like the same perspective of the famous quote "640K is more memory than anyone will ever need on a computer" (no idea if Gates actually said it). People will always fill the bandwidth with something (just like memory), perhaps with something we don't even use today at all. Though note that the new usage pattern will only emerge after usage is ubiquitous, which is usually due to decent pricing.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#462

Post by greggman3 »

dangus wrote: post #395
pixelmonkey wrote: post #374

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the biggest differences between the 4a and the older 4 and 4 XL is that the 4a has a rear fingerprint reader, whereas the 4 and 4 XL want you to use face unlock. So strange that this isn't emphasized (or even mentioned) on the comparison page. This was actually the primary thing that kept me on a Pixel 2 for so long, since it also has a similar rear fingerprint sensor design (and I just pre-ordered the Pixel 4…

I recently went back to an iPhone 6s while my iPhone XS was in for repairs. Boy, did I miss FaceID (though some of the pain was also due to the change in certain key combinations and gestures between home button and notch iPhones, I had to go back in time and re-learn some old habits). Why did I miss it? Because FaceID will unlock the notification area and its associated actions before I perform any action or even to…

Wow, I so much have the opposite experience of you

> Let’s say I get a text, my phone is on the night stand. I just look at it and it already unlocks, no reaching.

My phone is on the table while I'm working. In order for it to see my face I have to pick it up and aim it at my face. With touch id I could just put my finger on top without having to pick it up. So much faster and more convenient.

I find that quite often face id is slow or fails, even if it only fails one out of 30 times that's still one a day and when it does it's frustrating as hell. Something that should take 0.5 seconds ends up taking 10-15. I know that sounds trivial but by the time the phone has unlocked, whatever I was planning to do is often forgotten because of the distraction of trying to get face id to work and then having to manually unlock.

And of course now with mask wearing it basically might as well not exist.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#463

Post by SECProto »

leetcrew wrote: post #427
freeqaz wrote: post #363

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I ended up making this jump. What I've found works best for me: - In the car I have a Bluetooth audio adapter for the aux in my older car. Works great. - In my backpack I have a pocket where I always leave a headphone adapter. I always put it back if I use it. - Bluetooth to Aux adapter with a small battery. Costs like $20 on Amazon and also lives in my backpack. Has saved my ass many times. Beyond that, I just own m…

it's definitely not the end of the world. spend a little money on some adapters, change some habits, and it's not really a huge inconvenience. the main issue for me is that bluetooth audio just doesn't sound very good. most of my music is in mp3, which pretty much guarantees a lossy-to-lossy transcode for bluetooth. the inline DAC adapters tend to be pretty bad as well. I don't really expect a high fidelity audio exp…

> it's definitely not the end of the world. spend a little money on some adapters, change some habits, and it's not really a huge inconvenience.

Or just buy a phone that has a headphone jack, and not limit your options. You can still use bluetooth audio on a phone with an aux port if you want. But there are still lots of decent phone choices that have DO an aux port, eg the new pixel 4a we're talking about, no need to limit yourself.

If I don't have to buy adaptors (one for my desk at home, one for my backpack, one for my desk at work, one for my car, one for the first trip when I forget to take one...) I've saved $50-100.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#464

Post by dungdang »

justin66 wrote: post #353
dungdang wrote: post #328

Earlier quoted context omitted.

no one claimed it was a feature. it has a jack, some phones don't, so they state it does. this does not mean 'feature.' it's a part of the spec, so they list it. it's not sad or bad or good -it just is. for me, i want just usb-c, and no headphone port is a plus. same for sd card, same for removable battery. i thought all of those were important to me, until i realized i haven't actually used any of this in 10 years.…

> no one claimed it was a feature. it has a jack, some phones don't, so they state it does. this does not mean 'feature.' I wonder what you believe the word "feature" means.

well, clearly you believe on a car, the part of the spec that says 'axles: 2' is a feature. along with everything else in the spec.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#465

Post by greggman3 »

Kiro wrote: post #254
malkia wrote: post #27

Has Audio Jack! (Comparison with other Pixel 4's) - https://store.google.com/magazine/compare_pixel?toggler0=Pix...

I'm glad there's an option for people who are into vintage technology like headphone jacks. Maybe they can add phonograph cylinders to the next version.

Problems with wireless headphones over wired

1. batteries run out and can't use until recharged. Even if that only took 10 minutes I wanted to use my headphone now, not later.

2. batteries die and are not replaceable. Bad for both pocketbook and the environment

3. interference can make them unusable. Try walking through a crowded train station and you'll find you get about 2 seconds of audio for every 5 seconds of nothing.

1 step forward (no wires) 3 steps back.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#466

Post by dungdang »

patmorgan23 wrote: post #455
dungdang wrote: post #328

Earlier quoted context omitted.

no one claimed it was a feature. it has a jack, some phones don't, so they state it does. this does not mean 'feature.' it's a part of the spec, so they list it. it's not sad or bad or good -it just is. for me, i want just usb-c, and no headphone port is a plus. same for sd card, same for removable battery. i thought all of those were important to me, until i realized i haven't actually used any of this in 10 years.…

You should google the definition of feature

why would i google it for you -do it yourself if you don't know instead if asking people to do it for you.

hint: it does not mean 'spec.' for example, on a phone, lcd screen is not a feature. oled screen is a feature.

now, what is not a feature for most people may be a feature for you. just like if you like tap water, a restaurant filling your glass from the faucet may be a feature for you. which does not make it a feature.

edit: since the snowflake replying disabled replies.. no. it's more like claiming 'lcd screen' in the spec is a feature in the world of oled phones. so not a feature.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#467

Post by greggman3 »

ss3000 wrote: post #240
droidno9 wrote: post #68

This is an awesome phone at $350. I currently have the Pixel 4, but if this was available when I was making my purchase decision, I'd probably have gone with it. That said, the Pixel line of phones isn't known for having long lasting battery. A feature that I've found to be indispensable is wireless charging. I just rest my Pixel 4 on a vertical charging base throughout the day. Otherwise, I'd have to have to constan…

I'm not a huge Apple fanboy by any measure, but one thing I do appreciate is that they consider wireless charging to be a table stakes feature, and include it even in their "budget" phones. They clearly understand how dramatically it elevates the user experience. Compare that to every Android manufacturer who either don't offer wireless charging at all or gate it to flagships, it's a really sad state of affairs for s…

I bought an iPhone11Pro and bought a charger. Tried it for about 2 weeks, one of 4 times I'd wake up and it failed to charge. I stopped using wireless charging.

I think there's a reason Apple doesn't sell a wireless charger and that's because they couldn't get it to work reliably. So, they can add the feature to the phone but don't have to take any support calls on how flaky it is since they can blame the non Apple charger.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#468

Post by ac29 »

PhantomGremlin wrote: post #460
thomspoon wrote: post #457

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lower latency, easier to place cells in public places due to a broader range of frequencies, better bandwidth. The lower latency part is what’s going to enable edge computing for AR/VR, autonomous driving (separate via V2V but related), and other functions that need low latency. Cell phones are just a bonus. Also, a lot of telecoms are kind of ignoring 4g/lte deadspots in favor of just putting new NSA 5G cells it see…

a lot of telecoms are kind of ignoring 4g/lte deadspots in favor of just putting new NSA 5G cells That just emphasizes what marketing bullshit 5G is. Telecoms won't properly build out infrastructure to avoid LTE deadspots, and yet are pushing 5G. But ... people say that proper 5G needs many many more cells than LTE!

> Telecoms won't properly build out infrastructure to avoid LTE deadspots, and yet are pushing 5G

Its not entirely irrational - if your customers spend 99% of their time in some given area, it could make sense to improve capacity in those areas instead of chasing that last 1% of coverage.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#469

Post by sk0g »

dungdang wrote: post #466
patmorgan23 wrote: post #455

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should google the definition of feature

why would i google it for you -do it yourself if you don't know instead if asking people to do it for you. hint: it does not mean 'spec.' for example, on a phone, lcd screen is not a feature. oled screen is a feature. now, what is not a feature for most people may be a feature for you. just like if you like tap water, a restaurant filling your glass from the faucet may be a feature for you. which does not make it a f…

(Bluetooth) vs (Bluetooth, AUX) supported connection methods for different phones sure sounds like feature disparity to me.

Your analogy is more akin to something like a glass back vs a hard plastic back on a phone, so maybe re-assess that.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#470

Post by on_and_off »

pixelmonkey wrote: post #374
malkia wrote: post #27

Has Audio Jack! (Comparison with other Pixel 4's) - https://store.google.com/magazine/compare_pixel?toggler0=Pix...

One of the biggest differences between the 4a and the older 4 and 4 XL is that the 4a has a rear fingerprint reader, whereas the 4 and 4 XL want you to use face unlock. So strange that this isn't emphasized (or even mentioned) on the comparison page. This was actually the primary thing that kept me on a Pixel 2 for so long, since it also has a similar rear fingerprint sensor design (and I just pre-ordered the Pixel 4…

I have a pixel 2 and a pixel 4xl (don't judge me, I am a mobile dev ).

Face unlock is pretty nice ... unless you are wearing a mask.

Very infuriating to type my long password then.

On the other side of the coin, fingerprint sensor is kind of neat (well I made a deep cut on my index yesterday so there are also situations where it fails haha). I wish there were both front and back sensors though. In the screen itself for the front one, otherwise the chin would get comically large.

Also when I am baking, I just want to use face unlock.

Ideally we would have both (or something better than both I guess)

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