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Behind the Pixel: Google’s First Real Threat to Apple’s iPhone

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Re: Behind the Pixel: Google’s First Real Threat to Apple’s iPhone

#241

Post by hx87 »

seltzered_ wrote: post #97
chadgeidel wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the contrary - I just did this. I'm a current AT&T customer and ordered a bare phone for my eventual transition to Verizon. I'm in the US - maybe this is not available in your region.

If you ordered an at&t iphone 7 that way, it won't work because the intel modem chip in the att/tmobile versions doesn't support cdma bands: http://www.recode.net/2016/9/9/12863302/apple-iphone-7-intel...

If you're an AT&T customer looking to switch to Verizon, you order a Verizon phone, not an AT&T phone.

Re: Behind the Pixel: Google’s First Real Threat to Apple’s iPhone

#242

Post by drewrv »

geodel wrote: post #86

I think it is just me but I find this 'book me a concert and fancy dinner' schtick rather boring. May be well off people are so busy and book these things so often that these virtual assistant really save time if price is of no concern to them.

I think they do it to leave a nice image in the customers head. Saying "remind me to buy cat litter" does not.

Re: Behind the Pixel: Google’s First Real Threat to Apple’s iPhone

#243

Post by x0x0 »

anfogoat wrote: post #218
adamweld wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Now, Google is no Samsung, but they're a long way from Apple or even Microsoft on the UX front. Not sure I agree with this. I've been on android for a while, so I'm sure I'm biased, but stock AOSP Android is pretty much perfect for me. Very minimal and aesthetically beautiful, but still powerful and customizable.

I've had the worst time since switching to the OnePlus 3 and from what I've read the OS on this phone is very close to stock Android. The only way to have a good experience with email, calendars and contacts is to use Google Apps – which I refuse to migrate to. The stock apps have no support for IMAP IDLE, CardDAV, or CalDAV. You have to resort to 3rd party apps for these and they are without fail either slow, buggy,…

This is absolutely true -- I'm on a nexus 5/android 6.

There's no native caldav. I use a paid client called caldav-sync which is mediocre. For a while on android 5/lollipop, you had to install a second app (free from the same author) to prevent settings being wiped during OS upgrades/patches. When I upgraded to android 6 I couldn't figure out why calendars weren't syncing until I discovered caldav-sync decided to sync every 6 hours instead of every 5 minutes. The whole thing feels and works like a hack.

Using the gmail app as an imap client for fastmail is crap, particularly if you access the email account from a desktop. The Gmail app regularly desyncs from the state of your email. It has recently decided to announce old emails as new. If you move/delete an email in fastmail from the web client on your desktop, you have to manually tell gmail to sync or it won't notice, even hours after the fact.

I was hoping for a cheap nexus replacement and was also looking at the OnePlus 3. Dual sims are nice too. That's too bad that you don't like it...

Re: Behind the Pixel: Google’s First Real Threat to Apple’s iPhone

#244

Post by ianai »

mattnewton wrote: post #199
sly010 wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You probably haven't used a Google branded Android phone in the last 3-4 years. Project Fi + Nexus 5X + Stock Android is as good as it gets in integration and UX. The other day I lost my phone so I typed "where is my phone" into google. It showed me immediately. How many passwords do you have to type and licences to accept to do that on your Apple cloud? I agree the article doesn't explain it very well, but the botto…

>How many passwords do you have to type and licences to accept to do that on your Apple cloud? No out-of-the-ordinary licenses, I just have to use the find-my app on iOS or my password + the iCloud.com website to locate any of my missing devices (including laptops), and make them play a sound. Apple's internet services are often behind, but I don't think this is a good example here - it just works, the UX is very dis…

Agreed, any market primarily served by 2-3 options could be better served.

Re: Behind the Pixel: Google’s First Real Threat to Apple’s iPhone

#245

Post by asenna »

randomsofr wrote: post #134
HugoDaniel wrote: post #105

Now that the nexus is gone what alternatives exist for developer friendly phones ?

Oneplus

Have they improved their OS yet? (Cyanogen or Oxygen? I am not sure what it is right now)

I got a OnePlus One when they launched (Ditched the Nexus for the first time in years). Can't say about the development experience on it but I've had some terrible experience with their Cyanogen OS.

It was fine at first, and then every single update broke something major (Like getting stuck on fullscreen video, Speakerphones not working, etc). The next update would fix it but break something else.

I decided to only stick to vanilla Android Nexus after that.. And now that's gone.. sigh

Re: Behind the Pixel: Google’s First Real Threat to Apple’s iPhone

#247

Post by Sgt_Apone »

vetinari wrote: post #128
Touche wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Info on how to preorder is vague. Says it's available to preorder today, doesn't say where or how.

> Pixel is available for pre-order today starting at $649 in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany and Australia. Pre-orders in India will begin October 13. In the Google Store. However, availability in 5 countries? Google, you want to take on iPhone with that? Apple phones are available globally. Even with previous Nexuses, they were available in many countries because the manufacturers did sell them, not because Google.…

I'm really bummed that this thing is $899 in Canada. I wish they would have actually competed on price with the iPhone...

Re: Behind the Pixel: Google’s First Real Threat to Apple’s iPhone

#248

Post by Fricken »

dragonwriter wrote: post #215
hyperbovine wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then why have they made this phone?

> Then why have they made this phone? To drive consumer demand in a direction that favors their software and online services, even if its other manufacturers (and, especially, other Android manufacturers) actually selling most of the hardware in the long run. Not that they'd mind if their hardware took off, its just not the primary goal.

I'm sure Google's shareholders won't much mind if the Pixel could command anything close to the kind of margins Apple collects selling iphones.

Re: Behind the Pixel: Google’s First Real Threat to Apple’s iPhone

#249

Post by gotthemwmds »

dpark wrote: post #43
gotthemwmds wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use all of Apple's cloud services and am perfectly happy. Can you elaborate? I'm curious. My only problem with Apple right now is they won't sell me an unlocked iPhone7 Plus. Every single person I talk to at Apple gives me a different story on how to buy one, but if I show up at the store with money, they won't sell it to me, or even reserve it. I even offered the store to just hold on to my credit card for a week…

I have an unlocked iPhone 7 Plus in my pocket. I bought it from Apple. I gave them my credit card info and they mailed me a phone. It wasn't really that complex. Are you trying to buy a "sim free" phone? I believe those are expected to go on sale soon.

Can you please go with me to the Seattle or Bellevue Apple Store and help me make this transaction? I went to both over the weekend and things did not go well. They didn't seem to understand the basic process you outlined above.

Re: Behind the Pixel: Google’s First Real Threat to Apple’s iPhone

#250

Post by johansch »

anfogoat wrote: post #218
adamweld wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Now, Google is no Samsung, but they're a long way from Apple or even Microsoft on the UX front. Not sure I agree with this. I've been on android for a while, so I'm sure I'm biased, but stock AOSP Android is pretty much perfect for me. Very minimal and aesthetically beautiful, but still powerful and customizable.

I've had the worst time since switching to the OnePlus 3 and from what I've read the OS on this phone is very close to stock Android. The only way to have a good experience with email, calendars and contacts is to use Google Apps – which I refuse to migrate to. The stock apps have no support for IMAP IDLE, CardDAV, or CalDAV. You have to resort to 3rd party apps for these and they are without fail either slow, buggy,…

That's quite tangential.

How surprising is it really that Android sucks if you refuse to use Google services? Where have you been the last 3-5 years?

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