Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Essential Phone, available now

essential.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 695 posts

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#121

Post by skykooler »

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)…

Related to the last one: there's a keyboard mod for the Moto Z Play, which Motorola has officially approved, which is coming out next month.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#122

Post by fooey »

gcb0 wrote: post #113

wake me up when there is a phone that runs proper linux. with decent drivers. if anyone told you that you would be using your own computer in "kiosk" mode with a root password you don't have, you would be laughing your ass off. but here we are, all using the 90s equivalent of a library computer.

Ubuntu tried that, and it was a complete flop

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#123

Post by toast0 »

> And while costs for such finely crafted materials are usually reserved for high-priced, out-of-reach goods, we've tried to make our phone as affordable as possible.

$699 may be as affordable as possible, but that doesn't mean it's not a a high-priced, out-of-reach good.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#125

Post by wlesieutre »

melling wrote: post #90
criley2 wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's moot. Apple offers ~3 years of software updates included in the price of the phone. Right now, Android companies COMPLETELY FAIL to match Apple's update value. The idea that Android companies should switch to a paid update subscription model, while iDevices retain free updates for most of device life, would be a hilariously incompetent decision. "They're better than us, we know it, so why not subscribe to us and…

Isn't it more like 4 years, at least on the Phones? I wouldn't mind getting an additional Android device, but two years of upgrades really isn't enough. It's nice to get a new OS upgrade every year.

Taking the 4S as an example because that was my old phone:

    Launched October 2011 (w/ iOS 5.0)
    Discontinued September 2014
    Last OS update August 2016 (iOS 9.3.5)
    OS becomes outdated September 2016 (iOS 10 released)
So even if you bought it at the tail end of its availability, you had two years of updates. If you bought it when they were new, you got 5 years of updates.

For reference, the September 2016 release of iOS 10 (which the 4S didn't get) corresponds to the iPhone 7 release. Software for the 4S was maintained through the releases of 5, 5S, 6, and 6S.

Granted it chugged a bit on the newer OSes and developers (especially 3rd party and web developers) started to waste enormous chunks of screen space because they collectively didn't give a shit about anyone who still had a 4" phone, but it's better treatment than you'd have gotten with any Android phone.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#126

Post by gue5t »

gcb0 wrote: post #113

wake me up when there is a phone that runs proper linux. with decent drivers. if anyone told you that you would be using your own computer in "kiosk" mode with a root password you don't have, you would be laughing your ass off. but here we are, all using the 90s equivalent of a library computer.

Thanks for being the only person in this thread that understands the real root problem. Proprietary drivers are the only reason phones don't get software updates forever from the open-source community the way the P4 you've forgotten in a closet someplace does.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#127

Post by kevinSuttle »

infinitone wrote: post #17
kevinSuttle wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh, who has a phone longer than 2 years now?

I do... and i know a lot of others in tech that aren't as hyper to line up for a new phone. Also, so far, in my opinion- after the iphone 6- there hasn't been any major differences.

Yes, that would fall under '2 years'

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#128

Post by whipoodle »

ghostly_s wrote: post #106
whipoodle wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The sub-sections underneath the "Phone" menu are Accessories, Materials, Colors, Screen, Camera, Specifications, Order. OS doesn't seem like something they want to discuss much. (They are all about this whizzy 360º camera though!)

Phone > Specifications: System Architecture / OS Android Exciting stuff.

Well, what's the big deal, right? It's only the part of the phone that you will be constantly interacting with.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#129

Post by [deleted] »

Tharkun wrote: post #104

Pardon the tangent, but here's a quote from their website: > There’s a reason titanium is used to build rockets and replace bones. Unlike aluminum, which is what most phones are made of, titanium doesn’t scratch, dent, or bend. The reason why titanium is used to replace bones is not its strength (though it certainly doesn't hurt). It's because titanium is the most biocompatible metal and has a capacity for osseointeg…

[deleted]

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#130

Post by joelrunyon »

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)…

Agree on the battery life.

Also - give me the new iPhone 7 camera without having to get the "PLUS" size.

Also - for international carriers. Take a good look at t-mobile. International data+texting on their plans means I don't tough SIM cards ever anymore.

Post reply on HN