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Essential Phone, available now

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Re: Essential Phone, available now

#431

Post by bmelton »

dforrestwilson wrote: post #427
bmelton wrote: post #313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you find problematic with the Pixel?

I currently use a Nexus 6, and I run into issues with the battery as well as general performance when the battery is low (despite turning off battery saver). Otherwise the phone is fine (if a bit too large and less sexy than an iPhone). I'm also becoming more concerned about privacy, and in that respect I think Apple will probably always care more than Google.

Just one man's opinion, but if you're looking for a quality phone for Project Fi, the Pixel is all-around very good, especially relative to the Nexus 6. I can't speak directly to the Pixel XL, but I've been more satisfied with my Pixel than any iPhone or Android device to date, and the general sentiment from tech reviewers seems to echo my opinion on it.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#432

Post by mc32 »

sannee wrote: post #402
scott_karana wrote: post #380

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thinkpads generally use magnesium frames, not titanium. https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkPad-T400-T500-and-newer-T/...

For anyone wanting to brighten their day with some thinkpads, it unfortunately looks like large chunks of magnesium are not flammable [1]. [1] http://www.fishercast.com/downloads/FisherCast_Magnesium_Whi...

No, Mg is used for alloyed aircraft wheels, so I'm sure its not like Mn.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#433

Post by incompatible »

rconti wrote: post #397
0xbear wrote: post #46

Now we'll know exactly how many Andy Rubin fanboys there are in the world. Why would anyone else buy a $700+ phone from a startup which might not even be there next year? My prediction: a few tens of thousand units will be sold mostly in the US, darn near zero anywhere else.

It's an Android phone. Why do I care if the manufacturer is still there a year later?

You won't get any updates. Oh right, it makes no difference.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#434

Post by falcolas »

skrause wrote: post #420
falcolas wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That you make enough money to afford a smartphone plan, plus anywhere from $30 to $50 a month to pay for the phone itself, either up front or as part of the contract. That you likely don't just own an iPhone, but also an mac laptop (or desktop), as well as at least one Apple TV. (i-devices don't integrate well with non-Apple ecosystems) It's also likely that you have tens to hundreds of dollars invested in the iTunes…

I own an iPhone SE and will continue to do so in the future. - I'm currently buying a new ThinkPad. - I have never owned an Apple TV. My iPhone integrates just fine with my Sony TV. - I have never bought anything in iTunes. - My phone plan costs 10€ per month. Seems like stereotypes aren't that simple.

So, you don't have more money than the average person in Europe? Because that's the "stereotype" you're trying to debunk here, the rest are the reasons the stereotype exists.

WRT iPhone integrating with Sony TV - how? Not something I've ever heard of before.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#435

Post by boondaburrah »

toastking wrote: post #186
a_rahmanshah wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly! Sharp was the one who started this thin-bezel trend with Sharp Aquos Crystal in 2014.

They also have great screen tech from their tv business. So if that's been transferred to their phone business it's gotta be great.

Can confirm, the Sharp phone I owned in Japan had an absolutely fabulous screen, 1080p in 4.5" (I long for compact flagships), vivid colour with customisable profiles, including an electronically switchable privacy filter (using the toggle buttons in the notification shade) with 3 designs! The OS had been optimised to run smooth as butter, even with crapware. Too bad it also had to have all the docomo apps.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#436

Post by incompatible »

kuschku wrote: post #283
Shank wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> who’s gonna pay 3000$ to get a Mac and stuff AND 99$ a year just to build apps in their free time? Yeah, me neither The Mac complaint is fair, but you can build and run your own apps outside of the store with a free developer account as of a couple years ago. Edit: Also, a capable Mac development machine is closer to $1500 than $3k.

> but you can build and run your own apps outside of the store with a free developer account as of a couple years ago. That doesn’t really help when you want to use the apps with a few friends. Honestly, Apple and Google can have whatever they requirements they want for their stores, but they should be forced by law to allow alternative stores. And you’re right, the cheapest MacBook at 1499 EUR is around 1800 USD. Th…

Maybe the friends could get developer accounts too?

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#437

Post by incompatible »

the_common_man wrote: post #307
Shank wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> who’s gonna pay 3000$ to get a Mac and stuff AND 99$ a year just to build apps in their free time? Yeah, me neither The Mac complaint is fair, but you can build and run your own apps outside of the store with a free developer account as of a couple years ago. Edit: Also, a capable Mac development machine is closer to $1500 than $3k.

you are no longer required to have a developer account in order to test your apps on your Mac and/or iOS device. to publish apps you still need the account.

Wait, you are saying you can now install arbitrary software on an IOS device, you don't need to use the app store?

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#438

Post by boondaburrah »

posguy wrote: post #416
zitterbewegung wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So could this be Sharp / Foxconn testing the waters to start selling phones to american consumers?

They already sell the Aquos Crystal phones on Sprint, which are really nice phones for the price point. When I borrowed my buddy's on Sprint, I was able to pull over 100mbps down when we were out boating on Lake Washington. AT&T could only hit 15mbps and T-Mobile was sitting around 40Mbps comparatively.

One of the things that made me mad was that they only brought the aquos crystal over, which is a gimmick phone. It's a pretty good mid-range phone, but I saw reviews slam it on specs, implying that Sharp couldn't compete. Sharp had much more powerful phones available at the time, but not in the US.

The problem with the US market is that reviewers look for any superficial reason to slam you.

Re: Essential Phone, available now

#440

Post by ryanwaggoner »

afandian wrote: post #426
georgespencer wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

If this has to be a car metaphor, surely it's automatic vs manual transmission. And there have been no mass market cars with joysticks but there have been a number of phones with keyboards.

And the manual transmission is also almost dead, at least in the US. And soon self driving cars and electrics will make the whole question moot, just like voice and gestures and mental control will make keyboard preference obsolete.
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