SerpentSometimes Vancouver, BC, sometimes Brisbane, QLDRegistered Userregular
edited November 2019
USB-C is the pits.
I've got two bike LED lights that are micro usb. I've got my wireless bluetooth earphones that are micro usb. My anker 10ah charging pack that is micro usb. my old Nexus1 used for videos on car trips that is micro usb. My extra phone for my sons games that is micro usb. My truck is wired with usb ports all over it and I've got spare micro usb cables all over the place.
Then this magical pixel 3a comes with USB-C and doesn't work with anything. Not only that! But I have to buy 'special' cables for it because the cable they gave me for it is USB-C on both ends, to only plug into it's special charger!
What the hell is this 2001 again???
Tell me what this port does that micro usb doesn't that I'll actually use -- which, by the way, is nothing, cause the only thing a port is used for most of the time nowadays is charging. All it does is cost me hassle and money.
Haha, I just got flashbacks of the "USB-C will be super convenient once we force it on encourage its required adoption, which will enormously inconvenience people in the meantime," era.
It is reversible, for one, which is a huge QoL improvement.
Is it ironic that USB-C is increasingly the forced replacement for an actually cylindrical headphone jack, as oppose to the rectangular USB-C, and thus a huge quality of life reduction?
And that's not even considering the issue with DAC/headphone dongle implementation.
Of course, that's not a charging issue (though you can use a 3.5mm jack to charge something, as absurdly rare as that is), but man, did the industry screw the pooch when it came to "quality of life and convenience improvements" here.
We are in the middle of transitioning from one type of ubiquitous port to another. Things with micro-USB ports are still being made, and people are sitting on mountains of micro-USB cables that they already have, so for sure the transition years are going to be inconvenient and frustrating for folks. That's true of any such transition that doesn't happen overnight.
The fact that that the USB-C plug/port is symmetric is - for me - literally reason enough to burn all micro-USB things to the ground. I don't need any other benefits, but the rapid charging is definitely a nice bonus.
The biggest issue with the cables, as far as I see, is that they involve more complicated technology on the inside than USB-A cables, so if you get a cable that looks the part but was made on the cheap, it might not have the right circuitry inside to handle, for example, high wattage, and can damage devices. This makes shopping for USB-C cables much more nerve-wracking than it needs to be (although it's way better than it was a few years ago, when the port was much more rare).
The superior symmetry and flexibility of the 3.5mm miniature audio connector is "literally" reason enough for me to burn all phones missing it to the ground (they'd only be USB-C phones anyway, and not even all of them, like my LG G6).
Neither is going to happen, so we'll just keep half-assing our way through this transition as usual.
We are in the middle of transitioning from one type of ubiquitous port to another. Things with micro-USB ports are still being made, and people are sitting on mountains of micro-USB cables that they already have, so for sure the transition years are going to be inconvenient and frustrating for folks. That's true of any such transition that doesn't happen overnight.
The fact that that the USB-C plug/port is symmetric is - for me - literally reason enough to burn all micro-USB things to the ground. I don't need any other benefits, but the rapid charging is definitely a nice bonus.
The biggest issue with the cables, as far as I see, is that they involve more complicated technology on the inside than USB-A cables, so if you get a cable that looks the part but was made on the cheap, it might not have the right circuitry inside to handle, for example, high wattage, and can damage devices. This makes shopping for USB-C cables much more nerve-wracking than it needs to be (although it's way better than it was a few years ago, when the port was much more rare).
That the Switch also uses USB-C instead of a proprietary cable is a big plus for having a phone that uses USB-C for many people. Not having to always bring the official charger and just being able to share one with my phone is great when I'm traveling out of town.
the lint issue affects lightning ports on idevices too. However, while its a widespread issue and affects all models of phones, I know that with USB type C it seems to be a more highlighted issue with particular manufacturers more than others.
I've had my Note 9 for over a year now and never had this particular issue.
the lint issue affects lightning ports on idevices too. However, while its a widespread issue and affects all models of phones, I know that with USB type C it seems to be a more highlighted issue with particular manufacturers more than others.
I've had my Note 9 for over a year now and never had this particular issue.
The only issue with Samsung and USB C is the moisture detector thing is way too sensitive but that's more of a software issue. Like I said some manufacturers have more of an issue with the quality of its USB type C ports and connectors than others.
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NEO|PhyteThey follow the stars, bound together.Strands in a braid till the end.Registered Userregular
Haha, I just got flashbacks of the "USB-C will be super convenient once we force it on encourage its required adoption, which will enormously inconvenience people in the meantime," era.
It is reversible, for one, which is a huge QoL improvement.
Is it ironic that USB-C is increasingly the forced replacement for an actually cylindrical headphone jack, as oppose to the rectangular USB-C, and thus a huge quality of life reduction?
And that's not even considering the issue with DAC/headphone dongle implementation.
Of course, that's not a charging issue (though you can use a 3.5mm jack to charge something, as absurdly rare as that is), but man, did the industry screw the pooch when it came to "quality of life and convenience improvements" here.
Everyone racing to drop the 3.5mm jack isn't the fault of USB-C.
It was that somehow, from within the derelict-horror, they had learned a way to see inside an ugly, broken thing... And take away its pain.
Warframe/Steam: NFyt
Our Messages app brings you a seamless and helpful messaging experience on Android, from connecting you on mobile and desktop, giving you suggestions from the Google Assistant, and making it easy to search your conversations.
To make your conversations more seamless, we’ve worked on upgrading traditional SMS text messaging with more useful chat features, powered by RCS (Rich Communication Services). When you and your friends message each other with these chat features, you can chat over Wi-Fi or mobile data, send and receive high-resolution photos and videos, and see if people have received your latest messages. Plus, you’ll get better group chats, with the ability to name groups, add and remove people to and from groups, and see if people haven’t seen the latest messages.
Chat features are already available for some of you in Messages, and today we’re starting to broadly roll them out in the U.S. If you already have Messages, you’ll also be prompted to enable chat features in the coming weeks. If you don’t have Messages, you can download it on the Play Store. We expect this service to be broadly available in the U.S. by the end of year.
Earlier this year, we enabled the ability for anyone in the UK, France, and Mexico to get chat features in Messages and we’ll continue to work on bringing this to everyone on Messages around the world. We’re also committed to working with our partners, including carriers and device makers, to provide a consistent and interoperable experience for everyone on Android.
About god damned time. FWIW, I've used the "hack" floating around the internet for a few weeks to manually enable this when it was discovered, there is now a little blurb at the bottom of the chat features settings that says "Chat features from Google provided by Jibe Mobile.".
Barrakketh on
Rollers are red, chargers are blue....omae wa mou shindeiru
Our Messages app brings you a seamless and helpful messaging experience on Android, from connecting you on mobile and desktop, giving you suggestions from the Google Assistant, and making it easy to search your conversations.
To make your conversations more seamless, we’ve worked on upgrading traditional SMS text messaging with more useful chat features, powered by RCS (Rich Communication Services). When you and your friends message each other with these chat features, you can chat over Wi-Fi or mobile data, send and receive high-resolution photos and videos, and see if people have received your latest messages. Plus, you’ll get better group chats, with the ability to name groups, add and remove people to and from groups, and see if people haven’t seen the latest messages.
Chat features are already available for some of you in Messages, and today we’re starting to broadly roll them out in the U.S. If you already have Messages, you’ll also be prompted to enable chat features in the coming weeks. If you don’t have Messages, you can download it on the Play Store. We expect this service to be broadly available in the U.S. by the end of year.
Earlier this year, we enabled the ability for anyone in the UK, France, and Mexico to get chat features in Messages and we’ll continue to work on bringing this to everyone on Messages around the world. We’re also committed to working with our partners, including carriers and device makers, to provide a consistent and interoperable experience for everyone on Android.
About god damned time. FWIW, I've used the "hack" floating around the internet for a few weeks to manually enable this when it was discovered, there is now a little blurb at the bottom of the chat features settings that says "Chat features from Google provided by Jibe Mobile.".
Its made me wonder whether it's time to switch to Messages from Hangouts with my phone on Fi.
Our Messages app brings you a seamless and helpful messaging experience on Android, from connecting you on mobile and desktop, giving you suggestions from the Google Assistant, and making it easy to search your conversations.
To make your conversations more seamless, we’ve worked on upgrading traditional SMS text messaging with more useful chat features, powered by RCS (Rich Communication Services). When you and your friends message each other with these chat features, you can chat over Wi-Fi or mobile data, send and receive high-resolution photos and videos, and see if people have received your latest messages. Plus, you’ll get better group chats, with the ability to name groups, add and remove people to and from groups, and see if people haven’t seen the latest messages.
Chat features are already available for some of you in Messages, and today we’re starting to broadly roll them out in the U.S. If you already have Messages, you’ll also be prompted to enable chat features in the coming weeks. If you don’t have Messages, you can download it on the Play Store. We expect this service to be broadly available in the U.S. by the end of year.
Earlier this year, we enabled the ability for anyone in the UK, France, and Mexico to get chat features in Messages and we’ll continue to work on bringing this to everyone on Messages around the world. We’re also committed to working with our partners, including carriers and device makers, to provide a consistent and interoperable experience for everyone on Android.
About god damned time. FWIW, I've used the "hack" floating around the internet for a few weeks to manually enable this when it was discovered, there is now a little blurb at the bottom of the chat features settings that says "Chat features from Google provided by Jibe Mobile.".
Its made me wonder whether it's time to switch to Messages from Hangouts with my phone on Fi.
I don't think so. Ars' article has a few reasons not to bother. The quote I bolded is hilarious to me too.
Google is rolling out RCS through the Google Messages app, Google's ninth messaging app after Google Talk, Google Voice, Google Buzz, Google+ Messenger, Hangouts, Spaces, Allo, and Hangouts Chat.
...
And as far as instant messaging services go, Google's "Messages" app is bad. A big part of the appeal of iMessage and Google Hangouts is that there are clients for everything, so your messages don't have to be locked to your smartphone anymore. Google Hangouts has apps for Android phones and tablets, iOS phones and tablets, an always-on Chrome app that works on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome OS, a website at hangouts.google.com, integration with Gmail.com, and even apps for smartwatches.
Google Messages has... an Android app? Oh, there's also a website that requires you to log in with your phone, instead of just logging in with your Google account. Hangouts and Google Messages RCS are nowhere near comparable, and RCS is an across-the-board downgrade, aside from the fact that Google actually cares about the Messages app, for now, and the company wants to kill Hangouts.
...
Google has failed at messaging an astonishing number of times—is a very basic messaging platform with no encryption and limited platform compatibility really enough for it to succeed this time?
I've never understood why Google churns through so many products. Do they run these sectors as something like an incubator and if an app doesn't get instant saturation just kill it?
I've never understood why Google churns through so many products. Do they run these sectors as looking an incubator and if an app doesn't get instant saturation just kill it?
Pretty much, it's very similar to Samsung's scattergraph approach to creating new products. Release products to fit every niche, every possible gimmick and feature. Then see which sticks. Google are looking at which products gain traction while killing off or merging less successful ones.
I've never understood why Google churns through so many products. Do they run these sectors as looking an incubator and if an app doesn't get instant saturation just kill it?
Haha, I just got flashbacks of the "USB-C will be super convenient once we force it on encourage its required adoption, which will enormously inconvenience people in the meantime," era.
It is reversible, for one, which is a huge QoL improvement.
Is it ironic that USB-C is increasingly the forced replacement for an actually cylindrical headphone jack, as oppose to the rectangular USB-C, and thus a huge quality of life reduction?
And that's not even considering the issue with DAC/headphone dongle implementation.
Of course, that's not a charging issue (though you can use a 3.5mm jack to charge something, as absurdly rare as that is), but man, did the industry screw the pooch when it came to "quality of life and convenience improvements" here.
Everyone racing to drop the 3.5mm jack isn't the fault of USB-C.
No, it isn't, it's the fault of the manufacturers using USB-C as their enabling excuse. Hence the question if it's ironic or not. "Things are about to get way more convenient." "Hahah, no, really no."
Manufacturers are getting rid of 3.5mm jacks because they have to come up with reasons to charge people $1000 for a "flagship" phone. So they make them ever thinner, with more battery stuffed in every corner, meaning no more room for a 3.5mm jack.
USB-C is real good though:
A: it has 4 pins for power and 4 pins for ground return and uses higher quality conductors that support higher voltages. USB-C can deliver enough power to run and charge a laptop battery, which also allows all the nifty fast charging tech that lets phones charge from dead to full in ~30 minutes or so.
B: The connector is physically more robust, and is rated for more insertions.
C: The connector is double sided and reverseable. Proper USB c cables are the same on both ends and it doesn't matter which side is up. The protocol is extensible and has 2 'unused' pins to allow manufacturers to do custom stuff that is still standards compliant (see the Nintendo Switch).
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MichaelLCIn what furnace was thy brain?ChicagoRegistered Userregular
Manufacturers are getting rid of 3.5mm jacks because they have to come up with reasons to charge people $1000 for a "flagship" phone. So they make them ever thinner, with more battery stuffed in every corner, meaning no more room for a 3.5mm jack.
USB-C is real good though:
A: it has 4 pins for power and 4 pins for ground return and uses higher quality conductors that support higher voltages. USB-C can deliver enough power to run and charge a laptop battery, which also allows all the nifty fast charging tech that lets phones charge from dead to full in ~30 minutes or so.
B: The connector is physically more robust, and is rated for more insertions.
C: The connector is double sided and reverseable. Proper USB c cables are the same on both ends and it doesn't matter which side is up. The protocol is extensible and has 2 'unused' pins to allow manufacturers to do custom stuff that is still standards compliant (see the Nintendo Switch).
mostly agree, but I'll nitpick and say that the Switch is actually not standards compliant. they don't use standard USB-C power profiles, don't use standard displayport out, and generally fuck with standard USB-C implementation.
The Switch is actually the best example of the worst USB-C devices on the market.
Zilla36021st Century. |She/Her|Trans* Woman In Aviators Firing A Bazooka. ⚛️Registered Userregular
Kind of a tangent, but I installed Android on my Switch and it's amazing how well it works.
One interesting feature you get from doing it: it shows how Nintendo's own Horizon OS could support Bluetooth audio devices (like headsets), but they just choose not to.
The hardware to do it is all in there.
As for USB-C, I just bought a bunch of tiny Micro-USB to USB-C adaptors. Easy-peasy solution.
I think I'll be replacing my Moto G5s Plus soon. It's served me well and I hate having to get rid of it after only having it for like two years, but between some issues with it shutting down while plugged in and a crack I recently put in the screen, it's probably time to retire it. Are more recent Moto Gs still good, or has Lenovo screwed them over?
Also, I'm thinking about switching from AT&T to either Verizon or T-Mobile so that I can actually use the wifi calling feature that my current and new unlocked phones will be totally capable of if AT&T wasn't arbitrarily blacklisting it. Any opinions there? I'd just need a single line with a lowish data cap. I'd honestly be completely fine with a half a gig a month, but I don't think I could get a normal plan that goes that low?
edit: Oh god, the G7 has a notch. Definitely not getting that. The G6 still seems viable, though?
I think I'll be replacing my Moto G5s Plus soon. It's served me well and I hate having to get rid of it after only having it for like two years, but between some issues with it shutting down while plugged in and a crack I recently put in the screen, it's probably time to retire it. Are more recent Moto Gs still good, or has Lenovo screwed them over?
Also, I'm thinking about switching from AT&T to either Verizon or T-Mobile so that I can actually use the wifi calling feature that my current and new unlocked phones will be totally capable of if AT&T wasn't arbitrarily blacklisting it. Any opinions there? I'd just need a single line with a lowish data cap. I'd honestly be completely fine with a half a gig a month, but I don't think I could get a normal plan that goes that low?
edit: Oh god, the G7 has a notch. Definitely not getting that. The G6 still seems viable, though?
Plan wise your best bet is probably project fi. $20 base for unlimited talk and text, $10 a gig with unused data refunded to the cent. It uses Verizon's network plus Sprint and US Cellular so you'd get better coverage. WiFi calling is definitely supported.
I think I'll be replacing my Moto G5s Plus soon. It's served me well and I hate having to get rid of it after only having it for like two years, but between some issues with it shutting down while plugged in and a crack I recently put in the screen, it's probably time to retire it. Are more recent Moto Gs still good, or has Lenovo screwed them over?
Also, I'm thinking about switching from AT&T to either Verizon or T-Mobile so that I can actually use the wifi calling feature that my current and new unlocked phones will be totally capable of if AT&T wasn't arbitrarily blacklisting it. Any opinions there? I'd just need a single line with a lowish data cap. I'd honestly be completely fine with a half a gig a month, but I don't think I could get a normal plan that goes that low?
edit: Oh god, the G7 has a notch. Definitely not getting that. The G6 still seems viable, though?
Plan wise your best bet is probably project fi. $20 base for unlimited talk and text, $10 a gig with unused data refunded to the cent. It uses Verizon's network plus Sprint and US Cellular so you'd get better coverage. WiFi calling is definitely supported.
I think I'll be replacing my Moto G5s Plus soon. It's served me well and I hate having to get rid of it after only having it for like two years, but between some issues with it shutting down while plugged in and a crack I recently put in the screen, it's probably time to retire it. Are more recent Moto Gs still good, or has Lenovo screwed them over?
Also, I'm thinking about switching from AT&T to either Verizon or T-Mobile so that I can actually use the wifi calling feature that my current and new unlocked phones will be totally capable of if AT&T wasn't arbitrarily blacklisting it. Any opinions there? I'd just need a single line with a lowish data cap. I'd honestly be completely fine with a half a gig a month, but I don't think I could get a normal plan that goes that low?
edit: Oh god, the G7 has a notch. Definitely not getting that. The G6 still seems viable, though?
Plan wise your best bet is probably project fi. $20 base for unlimited talk and text, $10 a gig with unused data refunded to the cent. It uses Verizon's network plus Sprint and US Cellular so you'd get better coverage. WiFi calling is definitely supported.
TMO, Sprint and US Cellular.
I've been using it for almost 4 years now and its pretty good (I live in a major metropolitan area so your mileage my vary), I think you have to buy the phone through the Play Store for it to auto switch between TMO/Sprint/US Cellular otherwise I think it will just stick with one carrier and not auto switch (you might be able to force it by toggling airplane mode?).
Its also super convenient if you travel internationally, its still $10/gig and data is free after 6 gigs. Calling varies per country but I dont think it was that costly and I think texting is still free.
EDIT: Cost wise I spending like $25 month after taxes and fees, but I'm on wifi a lot.
If you want to check it out I can send you a referral code and we'll each get $20 Fi credit after your first month (I think it applies directly to the bill).
I think I'll be replacing my Moto G5s Plus soon. It's served me well and I hate having to get rid of it after only having it for like two years, but between some issues with it shutting down while plugged in and a crack I recently put in the screen, it's probably time to retire it. Are more recent Moto Gs still good, or has Lenovo screwed them over?
Also, I'm thinking about switching from AT&T to either Verizon or T-Mobile so that I can actually use the wifi calling feature that my current and new unlocked phones will be totally capable of if AT&T wasn't arbitrarily blacklisting it. Any opinions there? I'd just need a single line with a lowish data cap. I'd honestly be completely fine with a half a gig a month, but I don't think I could get a normal plan that goes that low?
edit: Oh god, the G7 has a notch. Definitely not getting that. The G6 still seems viable, though?
You know what else the G7 (Power) has? The best battery life of any phone out there (probably). From Phone Arena
I'm certainly not telling you to learn to love the notch. However, actually using the phone, you're not staring at the notch, so it just sort of melts away (mostly) and you stop noticing it.
USB-C is real good though:
A: it has 4 pins for power and 4 pins for ground return and uses higher quality conductors that support higher voltages. USB-C can deliver enough power to run and charge a laptop battery, which also allows all the nifty fast charging tech that lets phones charge from dead to full in ~30 minutes or so.
B: The connector is physically more robust, and is rated for more insertions.
C: The connector is double sided and reverseable. Proper USB c cables are the same on both ends and it doesn't matter which side is up. The protocol is extensible and has 2 'unused' pins to allow manufacturers to do custom stuff that is still standards compliant (see the Nintendo Switch).
mostly agree, but I'll nitpick and say that the Switch is actually not standards compliant. they don't use standard USB-C power profiles, don't use standard displayport out, and generally fuck with standard USB-C implementation.
The Switch is actually the best example of the worst USB-C devices on the market.
Quite a few USB-C devices aren't actually compliant, so it's not unique to the Switch. It'd be interesting to see the breakdown compared to earlier USB implementations, though probably impossible even before the looser definition of standards. The connector is probably more robust, though lint and debris apparently is an issue (solution: don't put USB-C devices in your pocket? Hmmm). Though obviously it only fits in one way, Micro-USB is also "properly" reversible if you had a two-ended cable, which you probably didn't. USB-C to USB-C cables are still pretty rare (I can't remember the last time I actually saw one in the wild, despite being surrounded by people with modern Android phones), so whatever advantage that coveys, it's in a future after the USB-C to USB-A cables that are overwhelmingly more common.
I'd like to hope whatever replaces it, which will happen, is actually properly cylindrical. I'm waiting for the QRS socket to be finalized.
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I've got two bike LED lights that are micro usb. I've got my wireless bluetooth earphones that are micro usb. My anker 10ah charging pack that is micro usb. my old Nexus1 used for videos on car trips that is micro usb. My extra phone for my sons games that is micro usb. My truck is wired with usb ports all over it and I've got spare micro usb cables all over the place.
Then this magical pixel 3a comes with USB-C and doesn't work with anything. Not only that! But I have to buy 'special' cables for it because the cable they gave me for it is USB-C on both ends, to only plug into it's special charger!
What the hell is this 2001 again???
Tell me what this port does that micro usb doesn't that I'll actually use -- which, by the way, is nothing, cause the only thing a port is used for most of the time nowadays is charging. All it does is cost me hassle and money.
Mostly just the convenience of it. Like being reversible, or using the same port for different functions (particularly power input/output).
It is reversible, for one, which is a huge QoL improvement.
It also (usually) gets you support for USB-PD, which enables high-speed charging for everything.
Is it ironic that USB-C is increasingly the forced replacement for an actually cylindrical headphone jack, as oppose to the rectangular USB-C, and thus a huge quality of life reduction?
And that's not even considering the issue with DAC/headphone dongle implementation.
Of course, that's not a charging issue (though you can use a 3.5mm jack to charge something, as absurdly rare as that is), but man, did the industry screw the pooch when it came to "quality of life and convenience improvements" here.
The fact that that the USB-C plug/port is symmetric is - for me - literally reason enough to burn all micro-USB things to the ground. I don't need any other benefits, but the rapid charging is definitely a nice bonus.
The biggest issue with the cables, as far as I see, is that they involve more complicated technology on the inside than USB-A cables, so if you get a cable that looks the part but was made on the cheap, it might not have the right circuitry inside to handle, for example, high wattage, and can damage devices. This makes shopping for USB-C cables much more nerve-wracking than it needs to be (although it's way better than it was a few years ago, when the port was much more rare).
Neither is going to happen, so we'll just keep half-assing our way through this transition as usual.
That the Switch also uses USB-C instead of a proprietary cable is a big plus for having a phone that uses USB-C for many people. Not having to always bring the official charger and just being able to share one with my phone is great when I'm traveling out of town.
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Compared to going from USB mini to micro was just a waste. They had the chance to make that symmetrical and messed it up.
It's better than every phone and device having a different charger though.
I've had my Note 9 for over a year now and never had this particular issue.
The only issue with Samsung and USB C is the moisture detector thing is way too sensitive but that's more of a software issue. Like I said some manufacturers have more of an issue with the quality of its USB type C ports and connectors than others.
Warframe/Steam: NFyt
About god damned time. FWIW, I've used the "hack" floating around the internet for a few weeks to manually enable this when it was discovered, there is now a little blurb at the bottom of the chat features settings that says "Chat features from Google provided by Jibe Mobile.".
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074SGQFDJ/
I've got a handful for the few remaining high quality USB micro cables I have kicking around.
A world of lint.
Interesting! So they'd be worth it if I have a bunch of Anker micro to A cables?
Its made me wonder whether it's time to switch to Messages from Hangouts with my phone on Fi.
100% yes
I don't think so. Ars' article has a few reasons not to bother. The quote I bolded is hilarious to me too.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/11/google-to-roll-out-rcs-messaging-to-us-android-devices/
Pretty much, it's very similar to Samsung's scattergraph approach to creating new products. Release products to fit every niche, every possible gimmick and feature. Then see which sticks. Google are looking at which products gain traction while killing off or merging less successful ones.
No it's because their hierarchy is fucky and no one gets a big promotion for making some existing product better. This article has some insight near the bottom: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/04/googles-constant-product-shutdowns-are-damaging-its-brand/
No, it isn't, it's the fault of the manufacturers using USB-C as their enabling excuse. Hence the question if it's ironic or not. "Things are about to get way more convenient." "Hahah, no, really no."
A: it has 4 pins for power and 4 pins for ground return and uses higher quality conductors that support higher voltages. USB-C can deliver enough power to run and charge a laptop battery, which also allows all the nifty fast charging tech that lets phones charge from dead to full in ~30 minutes or so.
B: The connector is physically more robust, and is rated for more insertions.
C: The connector is double sided and reverseable. Proper USB c cables are the same on both ends and it doesn't matter which side is up.
Pixel 4 is certainly not guilty of that! :P
mostly agree, but I'll nitpick and say that the Switch is actually not standards compliant. they don't use standard USB-C power profiles, don't use standard displayport out, and generally fuck with standard USB-C implementation.
The Switch is actually the best example of the worst USB-C devices on the market.
One interesting feature you get from doing it: it shows how Nintendo's own Horizon OS could support Bluetooth audio devices (like headsets), but they just choose not to.
The hardware to do it is all in there.
As for USB-C, I just bought a bunch of tiny Micro-USB to USB-C adaptors. Easy-peasy solution.
Also, I'm thinking about switching from AT&T to either Verizon or T-Mobile so that I can actually use the wifi calling feature that my current and new unlocked phones will be totally capable of if AT&T wasn't arbitrarily blacklisting it. Any opinions there? I'd just need a single line with a lowish data cap. I'd honestly be completely fine with a half a gig a month, but I don't think I could get a normal plan that goes that low?
edit: Oh god, the G7 has a notch. Definitely not getting that. The G6 still seems viable, though?
Unlocked phones are blocked from using wifi calling on AT&T because fuck you that's why.
Plan wise your best bet is probably project fi. $20 base for unlimited talk and text, $10 a gig with unused data refunded to the cent. It uses Verizon's network plus Sprint and US Cellular so you'd get better coverage. WiFi calling is definitely supported.
I'll definitely look into that, thanks.
TMO, Sprint and US Cellular.
I've been using it for almost 4 years now and its pretty good (I live in a major metropolitan area so your mileage my vary), I think you have to buy the phone through the Play Store for it to auto switch between TMO/Sprint/US Cellular otherwise I think it will just stick with one carrier and not auto switch (you might be able to force it by toggling airplane mode?).
Its also super convenient if you travel internationally, its still $10/gig and data is free after 6 gigs. Calling varies per country but I dont think it was that costly and I think texting is still free.
EDIT: Cost wise I spending like $25 month after taxes and fees, but I'm on wifi a lot.
If you want to check it out I can send you a referral code and we'll each get $20 Fi credit after your first month (I think it applies directly to the bill).
You know what else the G7 (Power) has? The best battery life of any phone out there (probably). From Phone Arena
I'm certainly not telling you to learn to love the notch. However, actually using the phone, you're not staring at the notch, so it just sort of melts away (mostly) and you stop noticing it.
Quite a few USB-C devices aren't actually compliant, so it's not unique to the Switch. It'd be interesting to see the breakdown compared to earlier USB implementations, though probably impossible even before the looser definition of standards. The connector is probably more robust, though lint and debris apparently is an issue (solution: don't put USB-C devices in your pocket? Hmmm). Though obviously it only fits in one way, Micro-USB is also "properly" reversible if you had a two-ended cable, which you probably didn't. USB-C to USB-C cables are still pretty rare (I can't remember the last time I actually saw one in the wild, despite being surrounded by people with modern Android phones), so whatever advantage that coveys, it's in a future after the USB-C to USB-A cables that are overwhelmingly more common.
I'd like to hope whatever replaces it, which will happen, is actually properly cylindrical. I'm waiting for the QRS socket to be finalized.