Essential Phone, available now • Hacker News Board

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#201

Post by cheald » Thu, Aug 17, 2017, 6:27 PM UTC

schraitle wrote: post #190

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)…

Not a physical keyboard, but Hacker's Keyboard on Android is my favorite for SSH'ing https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.pocketwork...

Agreed, I don't really feel a pressing need for a hardware keyboard with Hacker's Keyboard available.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#202

Post by petra » Thu, Aug 17, 2017, 6:28 PM UTC

smichel17 wrote: post #111

sidcool wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seriously, my phone should just work, it is not an expression of anything.

Playing devil's advocate, is that not itself a statement of sorts?

>> Seriously, my phone should just work, it is not an expression of anything. reply

It's a statement a large share of poeple would say, so it doesn't mean much.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#203

Post by soperj » Thu, Aug 17, 2017, 6:28 PM UTC

astrobase_go wrote: post #26

at a $700 price point for two years of os updates and three years of security updates, it seems runner-up to iphones with four year (or more) timelines on os updates, maybe longer for security updates, for a comparable price point.

Generally after 2 years the updates seem to make the Apple product less useable, rather than more.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#204

Post by arrty88 » Thu, Aug 17, 2017, 6:30 PM UTC

i bet microsoft acquires them

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#205

Post by Animats » Thu, Aug 17, 2017, 6:30 PM UTC

$699? Why so expensive?

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#206

Post by balladeer » Thu, Aug 17, 2017, 6:30 PM UTC

On the surface, doesn't look too different from Moto Z, at least in conception of modular accessories.

On the other hand I can't charge and use an earphone at the same time which I often do during long journeys.

And I don't know how much impact will be transferred to the inside parts or the screen in case of a fall since it's not aluminium body or plastic (or this aspect is irrelevant?). But a slight fall the aluminium of iPhone SE takes one more dent or a tiny cut.

Plus, ceramic shatters on impact usually as does glass. Maybe I am missing something here. Hopefully they have done something to make it not too slippery. My iPhone SE keeps slipping and for the love of keeping the size and look as it is I haven't yet started using a case.

Though the clean and sleek look is very good. Hope it succeeds. Though I won't be waiting for it. I've moved to iOS and it's beyond my price and size range for a smartphone anyway.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#207

Post by dschep » Thu, Aug 17, 2017, 6:31 PM UTC

gthtjtkt wrote: post #108

> Devices shouldn’t become outdated every year. > Essential Phone will get guaranteed Android OS updates for 2 years and will get monthly security updates for 3 years. That's honestly not much of an improvement, and I'm not aware of any current phones that are outdated after a year (unless you're one of those gadget fanatics who has to have the most cutting edge phone). > we've tried to make our phone as affordable a…

Your first point is spot on, and why I'm really annoyed by android phones these days. A simple, and still fully factual, rephrasing of their statements makes it obvious just how bad it is:

> Devices should become outdated every other year.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#208

Post by aianus » Thu, Aug 17, 2017, 6:33 PM UTC

Analemma_ wrote: post #199

boondaburrah wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sharp for some reason refuses to sell their smartphones outside of Japan. When I lived there I had a Sharp phone - and it was amazing. Smoothest non-stock android experience I've had. Recently they were selling [did this finally happen?] off their phone business to foxconn because it was falling behind. Man, if you actually tried to sell your phones, Sharp, they might have sold? Funny concept. If this phone is indeed…

> Man, if you actually tried to sell your phones, Sharp, they might have sold? Funny concept. Smartphones are a brutal business to be in, especially in North America, where Apple and Samsung have basically locked up the high end of the market and everyone else is fighting for the scraps (and usually losing tons of money in the process). Probably Sharp just realized there was really no way to break in, especially cons…

> considering they'd have to start from scratch with channels like carrier partnerships, retail presence, and advertising

OnePlus has none of these and seems very successful.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#209

Post by soapdog » Thu, Aug 17, 2017, 6:33 PM UTC

fiatjaf wrote: post #166

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.

Which is the people who make software for the rest of the users, so they'll buy this phone and write software for it, making it desirable for others.

As someone who has numerous Palm/HP devices running webOS and BB10 based Blackberry Passport and is a complete sucker for hardware keyboards, let me say that this assumption is false. People don't care about physical keyboards, it is not worthy the factory/design/maintenance costs. I still love them but I understand why vendors are not investing them anymore.

If "people who make software" could really influence the market, Linux dominance would have happened between the 90s and 00s.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#210

Post by CaptSpify » Thu, Aug 17, 2017, 6:35 PM UTC

fooey wrote: post #122

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

I would hazard to say Ubuntu didn't try it, they just looked like they were going to try it, but never did. Releasing only a handful of phones, not making a fully functional 1.0 release isn't trying, it's just testing the waters.