Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

Post by anoncake » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 9:30 PM UTC

afavour wrote: post #192

wyager wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t believe there is any coherent moral argument against piracy in the face of such hostile tactics from media companies.

Of course there is. Pirating streaming media isn’t like stealing bread to feed your starving family, it’s entirely optional. If you don’t agree with the terms of service (i.e. DRM) then don’t use the service. Deciding on your own terms of service is just entitlement. I personally don’t care either way but you can’t say there is no argument against it.

Post by Piskvorrr » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 9:42 PM UTC

tdy_err wrote: post #325

gpt5 wrote: post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The worst part is that google is abusing its power to limit people choices. They are enforcing terms on their phone partners that if they want Android (their only choice), they have to not use Fire OS or other Android forks on any device they make. You can read more here - https://www.protocol.com/google-android-amazon-fire-tv The fact that they use the monopoly power on the phone to force Manufacturers to use Androi…

Don’t be evil?

Post by crtasm » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 9:48 PM UTC

djrogers wrote: post #385

rglullis wrote: post #376

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know what else can give you a smooth, ad-free experience and freedom ? Any cheap mini-pc with Kodi installed.

Yeah, but can it do that out-of-the-box with zero effort for the rest of my family? Sadly, no. Futzing with Kodi updates, patches, updates to the OS, drivers, etc is all way too much to be considered ’smooth’ for most.

Post by Piskvorrr » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 9:58 PM UTC

binarypenny wrote: post #369

techlaw wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

- "Smart" alarm clock requires micropayment to use snooze. And they say: "Why not? We indicated in the TOS (on page 4) our ability to 'modify the program as needed to better support our customers or our services.' "Also please note that our TOS, which incorporates our Privacy Policy, allows us to sell your wake-up time to third parties in real-time. "And before you say you never agreed to our TOS, we say you did when…

They wouldn't need to bury that in the TOS; they'd make it a feature: "Our innovative pay-to-snooze feature helps you get up earlier by penalizing you for hitting the snooze button"

Post by mschuster91 » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 10:04 PM UTC

kmonsen wrote: post #374

nonbirithm wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The big issue with major OS updates for me is that the security updates are bundled with the feature updates. That's why updating Android on my old phone stopped being feasable, when the increased performance requirements caused it to remain persistently hot and unresponsive. Not just the security updates, but also things like APIs that prevent some applications from being compatible. Still, I have to wonder how much…

To be clear Android the operating system offers targeted security updates. The device manufactures prefers to package them with feature updates. I guess it doesn’t matter for users.