Yeah, if I needed something with a larger screen then I would either get one of those new dual-screen phones or just bite the bullet and get a real tablet. I feel like there's a point at which if it doesn't fit in my pocket comfortably and I can't carry it around without something like a bag/purse, then I might as well just get something worth the bother.
One interesting thing is that Samsung quitely announced they are going to support 3 android version updates for the S and Z phones dating back to the S10, and "some" of the A phones, hardware dependant. I'll take that to mean the A7x series and probably A5x will probably see 3 updates while the lower end A2x and A1x won't.
That means the S10 and Note 10 phones that launched on Android 9 will get Android 12, and The S20 and Note 20's will get Android 13.
I hate browsing on my phone, especially when I have the option of a Surface Pro with a Chromium browser that's a lot more function with a much more capable ad-blocker than what I can easily get on my phone.
Even without the keyboard, I'd prefer using it. Unfortunately at home my Surface Pro doubles as a media box for my bedroom television (seeing how it'll block Youtube ads, unlike my Fire stick).
As for the annoucements themselves, the Note 20 Ultra is the best phone you can buy today, like buying a $3000 Windows laptop. IF you can afford it, by all means, it'll provide the very best experience you can have. A "regular" person should not buy it.
No one should buy the Note 20. There are many better options at the same price.
the Galaxy Buds Live look like a bad product. They are Active Noise Cancelling but do not have sealing ear tips, and are designed to let sound in even with ANC on. No thanks.
The Galaxy Watch 3 looks great, and if I didn't have a Watch Active 2 that's the smartwatch I'd be splurging on.
The Z Fold 2 looks like a beast, but also something that no one should buy yet. I love that it exists, and i can't wait to have a folding phone one day when they don't cost well north of $2000. (we don't have pricing on the Z Fold 2 yet, but it won't be cheaper than the $2000 fold 1)
I'm done with Android tablets. iPad OS is just so much better, and Google doesn't support Android apps on big landscape displays, so I could care less.
I do think going to 16:10 on the S7 compared to a 4:3 display that the S6 had is a mistake though.
Trying to develop an app for a Samsung Gear left me permanently scarred for Samsung smart watches. Tizen was such a shit environment that I don't think I could bring myself to buy another of their watches.
As for the annoucements themselves, the Note 20 Ultra is the best phone you can buy today, like buying a $3000 Windows laptop. IF you can afford it, by all means, it'll provide the very best experience you can have. A "regular" person should not buy it.
No one should buy the Note 20. There are many better options at the same price.
the Galaxy Buds Live look like a bad product. They are Active Noise Cancelling but do not have sealing ear tips, and are designed to let sound in even with ANC on. No thanks.
The Galaxy Watch 3 looks great, and if I didn't have a Watch Active 2 that's the smartwatch I'd be splurging on.
The Z Fold 2 looks like a beast, but also something that no one should buy yet. I love that it exists, and i can't wait to have a folding phone one day when they don't cost well north of $2000. (we don't have pricing on the Z Fold 2 yet, but it won't be cheaper than the $2000 fold 1)
If you want good ANC you should go with the sony wh-1000xm3
I'm done with Android tablets. iPad OS is just so much better, and Google doesn't support Android apps on big landscape displays, so I could care less.
I do think going to 16:10 on the S7 compared to a 4:3 display that the S6 had is a mistake though.
I'm done with Android tablets. iPad OS is just so much better, and Google doesn't support Android apps on big landscape displays, so I could care less.
I do think going to 16:10 on the S7 compared to a 4:3 display that the S6 had is a mistake though.
As for the annoucements themselves, the Note 20 Ultra is the best phone you can buy today, like buying a $3000 Windows laptop. IF you can afford it, by all means, it'll provide the very best experience you can have. A "regular" person should not buy it.
No one should buy the Note 20. There are many better options at the same price.
the Galaxy Buds Live look like a bad product. They are Active Noise Cancelling but do not have sealing ear tips, and are designed to let sound in even with ANC on. No thanks.
The Galaxy Watch 3 looks great, and if I didn't have a Watch Active 2 that's the smartwatch I'd be splurging on.
The Z Fold 2 looks like a beast, but also something that no one should buy yet. I love that it exists, and i can't wait to have a folding phone one day when they don't cost well north of $2000. (we don't have pricing on the Z Fold 2 yet, but it won't be cheaper than the $2000 fold 1)
If you want good ANC you should go with the sony wh-1000xm3
Yeah, I have them and I love them.
The MX4 are probably getting announced tomorrow, allegedely the same ANC capabilities but multipoint bluetooth support, better headband. Not worth upgrading, but multipoint bluetooth would be nice...
As for the annoucements themselves, the Note 20 Ultra is the best phone you can buy today, like buying a $3000 Windows laptop. IF you can afford it, by all means, it'll provide the very best experience you can have. A "regular" person should not buy it.
No one should buy the Note 20. There are many better options at the same price.
the Galaxy Buds Live look like a bad product. They are Active Noise Cancelling but do not have sealing ear tips, and are designed to let sound in even with ANC on. No thanks.
The Galaxy Watch 3 looks great, and if I didn't have a Watch Active 2 that's the smartwatch I'd be splurging on.
The Z Fold 2 looks like a beast, but also something that no one should buy yet. I love that it exists, and i can't wait to have a folding phone one day when they don't cost well north of $2000. (we don't have pricing on the Z Fold 2 yet, but it won't be cheaper than the $2000 fold 1)
I think looking at the Z Fold 2 in more detail, coming from testing the original Fold you can see so many improvements to make it a more viable product. It looks like the folding display will be far more secure along with a better mechanism improving on the Z Flip.
(I actually purchased a Z Flip for my Mrs for her birthday. It was the phone she wanted and she loves it to pieces. When having a play with it you can tell straight away how much better the mechanism and the "glass coating" is compared to the Fold 1).
However, the 6.2 inch front display while sounding great in principle just makes me think "Why would I bother unfolding the thing?". When using the original Note the front display while too small was suitable for the device to encourage users to unfold and take full advantage of the larger display. Thats where the original Fold came into its own, having 3x apps running at once on the same screen along with full resolution video playback without having to fiddle in settings was a productivity dream. When testing the original I loved using the fold out display so much I asked about swapping my Note 10 + for it I was that impressed. I also loved reading E books and documents for work.
The other issue is the battery, its the same battery size as the Note 20 ultra, unless they are using 2x the batteries, this thing won't last long.
Finally I don't think this will be $2000. I actually think this will start at $2200. Putting it way out of my price range even with the upgrade discounts I would get.
The Note 20 Ultra is fine but I absolutely hate the fact they have gone back to curved edge displays after the breath of fresh air the S20 line had removing it. I cannot tell you enough times the amount of accident palm presses on my Note 10+ I have made. I have pretty huge hands so phone size isn't an issue but the end display is even when turning off the sensitivity in settings it seems to still operate. I do love that they are finally taking latency in the S Pen seriously and ignoring the old gimmicks. I also love they are avoiding the mistakes on the camera of the S20 ultra and quietly refining it back to more reasonable stats.
Galaxy buds Live look like bad hearing aids. I agree they look like a cheap and lazy "We must do something to compete with the AirPods Pro, Sony and other better buds out there.
The Watch 3 looks amazing but I find it weird they announced that the EKG is only for South Korea markets and they are still waiting on FDA approval. Does this mean the features will be disabled until FDA approval?
I also think one of the important announcements is the better synergy with Microsoft Windows and Microsoft apps. One area where Apple kills it is with its ecosystem, this should make a great alternative. Also with the Xbox announcements and partnership.. Lol Stadia.
As for the annoucements themselves, the Note 20 Ultra is the best phone you can buy today, like buying a $3000 Windows laptop. IF you can afford it, by all means, it'll provide the very best experience you can have. A "regular" person should not buy it.
No one should buy the Note 20. There are many better options at the same price.
the Galaxy Buds Live look like a bad product. They are Active Noise Cancelling but do not have sealing ear tips, and are designed to let sound in even with ANC on. No thanks.
The Galaxy Watch 3 looks great, and if I didn't have a Watch Active 2 that's the smartwatch I'd be splurging on.
The Z Fold 2 looks like a beast, but also something that no one should buy yet. I love that it exists, and i can't wait to have a folding phone one day when they don't cost well north of $2000. (we don't have pricing on the Z Fold 2 yet, but it won't be cheaper than the $2000 fold 1)
I think looking at the Z Fold 2 in more detail, coming from testing the original Fold you can see so many improvements to make it a more viable product. It looks like the folding display will be far more secure along with a better mechanism improving on the Z Flip.
(I actually purchased a Z Flip for my Mrs for her birthday. It was the phone she wanted and she loves it to pieces. When having a play with it you can tell straight away how much better the mechanism and the "glass coating" is compared to the Fold 1).
However, the 6.2 inch front display while sounding great in principle just makes me think "Why would I bother unfolding the thing?". When using the original Note the front display while too small was suitable for the device to encourage users to unfold and take full advantage of the larger display. Thats where the original Fold came into its own, having 3x apps running at once on the same screen along with full resolution video playback without having to fiddle in settings was a productivity dream. When testing the original I loved using the fold out display so much I asked about swapping my Note 10 + for it I was that impressed. I also loved reading E books and documents for work.
The other issue is the battery, its the same battery size as the Note 20 ultra, unless they are using 2x the batteries, this thing won't last long.
Finally I don't think this will be $2000. I actually think this will start at $2200. Putting it way out of my price range even with the upgrade discounts I would get.
The Note 20 Ultra is fine but I absolutely hate the fact they have gone back to curved edge displays after the breath of fresh air the S20 line had removing it. I cannot tell you enough times the amount of accident palm presses on my Note 10+ I have made. I have pretty huge hands so phone size isn't an issue but the end display is even when turning off the sensitivity in settings it seems to still operate. I do love that they are finally taking latency in the S Pen seriously and ignoring the old gimmicks. I also love they are avoiding the mistakes on the camera of the S20 ultra and quietly refining it back to more reasonable stats.
Galaxy buds Live look like bad hearing aids. I agree they look like a cheap and lazy "We must do something to compete with the AirPods Pro, Sony and other better buds out there.
The Watch 3 looks amazing but I find it weird they announced that the EKG is only for South Korea markets and they are still waiting on FDA approval. Does this mean the features will be disabled until FDA approval?
I also think one of the important announcements is the better synergy with Microsoft Windows and Microsoft apps. One area where Apple kills it is with its ecosystem, this should make a great alternative. Also with the Xbox announcements and partnership.. Lol Stadia.
I've never minded the curved displays, and I personally have never had an issue with accidental touches on my GS8, Note 9, or note 10+. Doesn't mean you haven't had problems, but it's been a non issue for me.
As for the EKG thing, yeah, it'll be disabled. The Watch Active 2 has the hardware for it as well and it's only been enabled in Korea.
I love the look of the watch, but it's striking that the internal hardware is basically the same that exists in the Watch active and watch active 2. The SoC in the Galaxy Watch 3 is almost 2 years old and that.... surprises me. It means good things for those who have the Galaxy Watch and both Watch active models, but I'm slightly surprised there isn't a bigger hardware change in the WAtch 3 beyond the physical design.
The Samsung and Microsoft partnership is one out of necessity for both firms, but there are times it just.... still doesn't work right. I use the Your Phone app nearly every day, and just today the phone and laptop would not connect at all until I rebooted the windows machine. I hope the stuff they announced today works well, but I'll believe it when I see it.
Looking back, the only thing that concerns me about the Microsoft synergy stuff is that most of the syncing was done through a web browser or through DeX. I've tried using both and they are clunky and don't work quite right so I can agree on you there. Which is a shame as I would love something to match what Apple is doing.
The Samsung and Microsoft partnership is one out of necessity for both firms, but there are times it just.... still doesn't work right. I use the Your Phone app nearly every day, and just today the phone and laptop would not connect at all until I rebooted the windows machine. I hope the stuff they announced today works well, but I'll believe it when I see it.
Your Phone is definitely not perfect--and while it's not limited to Samsung, you don't get screen sharing with anything other than Samsung phones still. That limits you to "just" texting, image sharing, notification checks, and making actual phone calls, and possibly one or two things. You'll need something like Dell's phone linking software, which is generally only available on Dell hardware, or the program it was derived from to get screen sharing.
It also breaks from time to time (though restarting the program, or your PC, is a pretty reliable fix). This seems more forgivable the problems that are common seems largely common with every single Android phone companion program, including the Dell software. Google's text messaging website might never malfunction (I'm pretty sure it does occasionally), but it's still limited to only texting.
I've never owned an iPhone, so I can only speculate how different that is (and I suspect it's largely only available in a satisfactory form on OS X, seeing the iPhone's rather mediocre reputation for Windows integration).
With Play Music shutting down in favor of YouTube music, I'm pretty much done with Wear OS. YTM doesn't have an app, and there's no easy way to get offline music now (well, soon).
In fact, Google's shtick of not supporting their products is kind of wearing on me in general, and is pretty close to pushing me away from Android entirely.
Another music streaming service axed, by the sounds of it. I've never actually bought music from Google (or Apple, since iTunes is consistently mediocre-to-terrible on all the hardware I use), just Amazon (and Zune, before that got the axe after WP was discontinued), and not very much. 23 GB of music is pretty manageable, especially with expandable storage--the alternative of music streaming isn't great with T-Mobile.
I’m really torn on the shutdown of Play Music. i subscribe to Youtube Premium, so I get Ad free youtube, play music, and youtube music.
Youtube Music is not good. It just isn’t. Play Music had suffered from neglect for years, and that app had become a bit of a mess, but it is still better than Youtube Music. I don’t listen to a ton of music anymore (podcasts are life), so honestly I could probably get away with the free spotify tier, or pay for Spotify if I really wanted to.
But...... Ad free Youtube is a wonderful experience and I don’t know if I can go back to ads on youtube. I honestly might have to live with the garbage that is YouTube Music because I just want ad free youtube that much.
Man, so looking more into the Galaxy Watch 3. I’m not moving off of my Watch Active 2 anytime soon, mostly because it was a bithday gift from my girlfriend 7 months ago but I really do like the design of it.
But what I find *really* interesting is that the SoC and specs are almost completely unchanged from the original Galaxy Watch that’s 2 years old. Samsung revamped the heartrate sensors for the Watch active series and those changes made it into the Watch 3, but the processor, ram, storage, etc is the exact same between the Galaxy Watch, Watch Active, Watch Active 2, and Watch 3.
This is both a good and a bad thing. One the good side, Samsung still pushed updates to the almost 5 year old Gear S2, so their support is awesome, and the fact that the Watch 3 has the same hardware as the Watch 1 means all current platforms should see many years of support.
On the bad side... not advancing the platform in hardware risks stagnation. the Snapdragon Wear platform still really can’t compete with the SoC in the Galaxy watches, but I really don’t like that Samsung isn’t pushing the hardware forward when Apple is doing it every year with the Apple Watch.
Man, so looking more into the Galaxy Watch 3. I’m not moving off of my Watch Active 2 anytime soon, mostly because it was a bithday gift from my girlfriend 7 months ago but I really do like the design of it.
But what I find *really* interesting is that the SoC and specs are almost completely unchanged from the original Galaxy Watch that’s 2 years old. Samsung revamped the heartrate sensors for the Watch active series and those changes made it into the Watch 3, but the processor, ram, storage, etc is the exact same between the Galaxy Watch, Watch Active, Watch Active 2, and Watch 3.
This is both a good and a bad thing. One the good side, Samsung still pushed updates to the almost 5 year old Gear S2, so their support is awesome, and the fact that the Watch 3 has the same hardware as the Watch 1 means all current platforms should see many years of support.
On the bad side... not advancing the platform in hardware risks stagnation. the Snapdragon Wear platform still really can’t compete with the SoC in the Galaxy watches, but I really don’t like that Samsung isn’t pushing the hardware forward when Apple is doing it every year with the Apple Watch.
The way to look at it is that Samsung has had several major hardware revisions to its smartwatches over the past 7 years. This is basically a refinement hardware changes over a form factor they are nailing down. I would treat the 3 as getting the hardware design better and then the next iterations will have the internal spec improvements.
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Ear3nd1lEärendil the Mariner, father of ElrondRegistered Userregular
I've been happy with Spotify, outside of their ridiculous shuffle. And I'm being generous when I call it a "shuffle."
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ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
Spotify keeps trying to take over as my default audio player which continues to be a problem. But otherwise, yeah, that's about all I need for music.
Yeah I can't justify paying a monthly subscription for music to be honest. I just buy albums here or there but if I'm in the mood for some new stuff I usually have my computer right in front of me and I find it through there. I'd rather outright buy the albums from the artists.
But...... Ad free Youtube is a wonderful experience and I don’t know if I can go back to ads on youtube. I honestly might have to live with the garbage that is YouTube Music because I just want ad free youtube that much.
I refuse to watch Youtube through anything but an app that blocks ads (MyTube Beta, in my case, which is awesome and available on Xbox One and Windows 10), or through a browser that block Youtube ads (so, basically any browser with an extension or blocker).
I presume paid YouTube offers something else (like that sci-fi show where all the teenagers take a test then get killed or something?), but for just no ads, I'm set.
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Inquisitor772 x Penny Arcade Fight Club ChampionA fixed point in space and timeRegistered Userregular
Blokada used to do the trick, but Youtube found a way around it somehow, so now I use Youtube Vanced and whitelist the app in Blokada.
I have lived a nearly ad-free existence on the internet for 10+ years, and I don't regret it for one second given the handful of times I'm forced to experience what happens otherwise.
Yeah, I think I just never watch Youtube on my phone (not since the Windows Phone days with MyTube on that). Google doesn't want anything interfering with Youtube ads on their Android OS. Fair enough. I'll just leave Youtube for everything else except my phone.
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Ear3nd1lEärendil the Mariner, father of ElrondRegistered Userregular
Yeah I can't justify paying a monthly subscription for music to be honest. I just buy albums here or there but if I'm in the mood for some new stuff I usually have my computer right in front of me and I find it through there. I'd rather outright buy the albums from the artists.
I have ~2000 songs in my playlist. Buying all of them individually would cost me a fortune.
Yeah I can't justify paying a monthly subscription for music to be honest. I just buy albums here or there but if I'm in the mood for some new stuff I usually have my computer right in front of me and I find it through there. I'd rather outright buy the albums from the artists.
I have ~2000 songs in my playlist. Buying all of them individually would cost me a fortune.
Yeah I probably have that many purchased over the course of my life. I'm not saying Spotify isn't worth it to anyone though. I just can't do the whole $10 a month when I have YouTube RIGHT THERE for me to listen to anything I want to while I'm at my PC. And the albums I've purchase tide me over while I'm not at my PC (which is almost never).
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Ear3nd1lEärendil the Mariner, father of ElrondRegistered Userregular
Yeah I can't justify paying a monthly subscription for music to be honest. I just buy albums here or there but if I'm in the mood for some new stuff I usually have my computer right in front of me and I find it through there. I'd rather outright buy the albums from the artists.
I have ~2000 songs in my playlist. Buying all of them individually would cost me a fortune.
Yeah I probably have that many purchased over the course of my life. I'm not saying Spotify isn't worth it to anyone though. I just can't do the whole $10 a month when I have YouTube RIGHT THERE for me to listen to anything I want to while I'm at my PC. And the albums I've purchase tide me over while I'm not at my PC (which is almost never).
Yeah, I don't generally block ads on the internet since a number of people I know personally and through internet earn a living through ad supported means.
Is there an adblocking YouTube app for Android TV? I'm getting really sick of seeing the same goddamn ad for a local car dealership and the random ads inserted into videos.
Edit: I sideloaded Blockada and we'll see how that goes. It works great on my phone at least.
I'm a bit bummed about the Play Music closure, but I'm sure my reason is so niche it may just be me thats impacted. I plug my cheap earbuds/mic setup into the usb port on my computer as I'm now using teams for like 80% of my calls and I dont want to wear my headphones all day. My earbuds have one of those buttons on them that lets you end calls or whatever, well it also pauses/starts music in Google Play. It does not do that with Youtube Music. On its own thats less convenient but not a huge issue, but since I'm using Windows virtual desktop I have to Win+tab over, find the Youtube Music tab in my list of open Chrome windows, win+tab back and then answer whoever was calling me. Not great.
Also, I think its dumb that while you can access music videos through Youtube Music you cant change quality so you're stuck with a 480p video or whatever where if I was on Youtube it'd default to 1080p.
Is there an adblocking YouTube app for Android TV? I'm getting really sick of seeing the same goddamn ad for a local car dealership and the random ads inserted into videos.
Edit: I sideloaded Blockada and we'll see how that goes. It works great on my phone at least.
Edit2: Blockada is working great!
I'm going to try this out. I've been getting Trump ads on my YouTube app and no matter how many times I report it they keep showing up.
I never purchase music on Google play, or any other service, I just love having access to virtually the entirety of the music catalog of the US at all times. Pretty sad about losing it. Not sure what I will do to replace it. Probably Spotify premium since everyone says YouTube music is so fucking awful.
I never purchase music on Google play, or any other service, I just love having access to virtually the entirety of the music catalog of the US at all times. Pretty sad about losing it. Not sure what I will do to replace it. Probably Spotify premium since everyone says YouTube music is so fucking awful.
It’s worth at least trying. I don’t like the UI, but you might. And you’re already paying for it right now. Maybe you end up on Spotify, maybe you end up liking YT Music. But no harm in trying.
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Yeah, if I needed something with a larger screen then I would either get one of those new dual-screen phones or just bite the bullet and get a real tablet. I feel like there's a point at which if it doesn't fit in my pocket comfortably and I can't carry it around without something like a bag/purse, then I might as well just get something worth the bother.
That means the S10 and Note 10 phones that launched on Android 9 will get Android 12, and The S20 and Note 20's will get Android 13.
That's a huge deal.
Even without the keyboard, I'd prefer using it. Unfortunately at home my Surface Pro doubles as a media box for my bedroom television (seeing how it'll block Youtube ads, unlike my Fire stick).
No one should buy the Note 20. There are many better options at the same price.
the Galaxy Buds Live look like a bad product. They are Active Noise Cancelling but do not have sealing ear tips, and are designed to let sound in even with ANC on. No thanks.
The Galaxy Watch 3 looks great, and if I didn't have a Watch Active 2 that's the smartwatch I'd be splurging on.
The Z Fold 2 looks like a beast, but also something that no one should buy yet. I love that it exists, and i can't wait to have a folding phone one day when they don't cost well north of $2000. (we don't have pricing on the Z Fold 2 yet, but it won't be cheaper than the $2000 fold 1)
I'm done with Android tablets. iPad OS is just so much better, and Google doesn't support Android apps on big landscape displays, so I could care less.
I do think going to 16:10 on the S7 compared to a 4:3 display that the S6 had is a mistake though.
If you want good ANC you should go with the sony wh-1000xm3
The s6 wasn't 4:3.
you're right. My bad.
Yeah, I have them and I love them.
The MX4 are probably getting announced tomorrow, allegedely the same ANC capabilities but multipoint bluetooth support, better headband. Not worth upgrading, but multipoint bluetooth would be nice...
I think looking at the Z Fold 2 in more detail, coming from testing the original Fold you can see so many improvements to make it a more viable product. It looks like the folding display will be far more secure along with a better mechanism improving on the Z Flip.
(I actually purchased a Z Flip for my Mrs for her birthday. It was the phone she wanted and she loves it to pieces. When having a play with it you can tell straight away how much better the mechanism and the "glass coating" is compared to the Fold 1).
However, the 6.2 inch front display while sounding great in principle just makes me think "Why would I bother unfolding the thing?". When using the original Note the front display while too small was suitable for the device to encourage users to unfold and take full advantage of the larger display. Thats where the original Fold came into its own, having 3x apps running at once on the same screen along with full resolution video playback without having to fiddle in settings was a productivity dream. When testing the original I loved using the fold out display so much I asked about swapping my Note 10 + for it I was that impressed. I also loved reading E books and documents for work.
The other issue is the battery, its the same battery size as the Note 20 ultra, unless they are using 2x the batteries, this thing won't last long.
Finally I don't think this will be $2000. I actually think this will start at $2200. Putting it way out of my price range even with the upgrade discounts I would get.
The Note 20 Ultra is fine but I absolutely hate the fact they have gone back to curved edge displays after the breath of fresh air the S20 line had removing it. I cannot tell you enough times the amount of accident palm presses on my Note 10+ I have made. I have pretty huge hands so phone size isn't an issue but the end display is even when turning off the sensitivity in settings it seems to still operate. I do love that they are finally taking latency in the S Pen seriously and ignoring the old gimmicks. I also love they are avoiding the mistakes on the camera of the S20 ultra and quietly refining it back to more reasonable stats.
Galaxy buds Live look like bad hearing aids. I agree they look like a cheap and lazy "We must do something to compete with the AirPods Pro, Sony and other better buds out there.
The Watch 3 looks amazing but I find it weird they announced that the EKG is only for South Korea markets and they are still waiting on FDA approval. Does this mean the features will be disabled until FDA approval?
I also think one of the important announcements is the better synergy with Microsoft Windows and Microsoft apps. One area where Apple kills it is with its ecosystem, this should make a great alternative. Also with the Xbox announcements and partnership.. Lol Stadia.
I've never minded the curved displays, and I personally have never had an issue with accidental touches on my GS8, Note 9, or note 10+. Doesn't mean you haven't had problems, but it's been a non issue for me.
As for the EKG thing, yeah, it'll be disabled. The Watch Active 2 has the hardware for it as well and it's only been enabled in Korea.
I love the look of the watch, but it's striking that the internal hardware is basically the same that exists in the Watch active and watch active 2. The SoC in the Galaxy Watch 3 is almost 2 years old and that.... surprises me. It means good things for those who have the Galaxy Watch and both Watch active models, but I'm slightly surprised there isn't a bigger hardware change in the WAtch 3 beyond the physical design.
The Samsung and Microsoft partnership is one out of necessity for both firms, but there are times it just.... still doesn't work right. I use the Your Phone app nearly every day, and just today the phone and laptop would not connect at all until I rebooted the windows machine. I hope the stuff they announced today works well, but I'll believe it when I see it.
Your Phone is definitely not perfect--and while it's not limited to Samsung, you don't get screen sharing with anything other than Samsung phones still. That limits you to "just" texting, image sharing, notification checks, and making actual phone calls, and possibly one or two things. You'll need something like Dell's phone linking software, which is generally only available on Dell hardware, or the program it was derived from to get screen sharing.
It also breaks from time to time (though restarting the program, or your PC, is a pretty reliable fix). This seems more forgivable the problems that are common seems largely common with every single Android phone companion program, including the Dell software. Google's text messaging website might never malfunction (I'm pretty sure it does occasionally), but it's still limited to only texting.
I've never owned an iPhone, so I can only speculate how different that is (and I suspect it's largely only available in a satisfactory form on OS X, seeing the iPhone's rather mediocre reputation for Windows integration).
In fact, Google's shtick of not supporting their products is kind of wearing on me in general, and is pretty close to pushing me away from Android entirely.
Youtube Music is not good. It just isn’t. Play Music had suffered from neglect for years, and that app had become a bit of a mess, but it is still better than Youtube Music. I don’t listen to a ton of music anymore (podcasts are life), so honestly I could probably get away with the free spotify tier, or pay for Spotify if I really wanted to.
But...... Ad free Youtube is a wonderful experience and I don’t know if I can go back to ads on youtube. I honestly might have to live with the garbage that is YouTube Music because I just want ad free youtube that much.
But what I find *really* interesting is that the SoC and specs are almost completely unchanged from the original Galaxy Watch that’s 2 years old. Samsung revamped the heartrate sensors for the Watch active series and those changes made it into the Watch 3, but the processor, ram, storage, etc is the exact same between the Galaxy Watch, Watch Active, Watch Active 2, and Watch 3.
This is both a good and a bad thing. One the good side, Samsung still pushed updates to the almost 5 year old Gear S2, so their support is awesome, and the fact that the Watch 3 has the same hardware as the Watch 1 means all current platforms should see many years of support.
On the bad side... not advancing the platform in hardware risks stagnation. the Snapdragon Wear platform still really can’t compete with the SoC in the Galaxy watches, but I really don’t like that Samsung isn’t pushing the hardware forward when Apple is doing it every year with the Apple Watch.
The way to look at it is that Samsung has had several major hardware revisions to its smartwatches over the past 7 years. This is basically a refinement hardware changes over a form factor they are nailing down. I would treat the 3 as getting the hardware design better and then the next iterations will have the internal spec improvements.
...And that’s probably why they’re killing it.
I refuse to watch Youtube through anything but an app that blocks ads (MyTube Beta, in my case, which is awesome and available on Xbox One and Windows 10), or through a browser that block Youtube ads (so, basically any browser with an extension or blocker).
I presume paid YouTube offers something else (like that sci-fi show where all the teenagers take a test then get killed or something?), but for just no ads, I'm set.
I have lived a nearly ad-free existence on the internet for 10+ years, and I don't regret it for one second given the handful of times I'm forced to experience what happens otherwise.
I have ~2000 songs in my playlist. Buying all of them individually would cost me a fortune.
Plus it's zero-rated for my mobile carrier, too
Yeah I probably have that many purchased over the course of my life. I'm not saying Spotify isn't worth it to anyone though. I just can't do the whole $10 a month when I have YouTube RIGHT THERE for me to listen to anything I want to while I'm at my PC. And the albums I've purchase tide me over while I'm not at my PC (which is almost never).
Makes sense. I use mine a lot in the car.
Edit: I sideloaded Blockada and we'll see how that goes. It works great on my phone at least.
Edit2: Blockada is working great!
Also, I think its dumb that while you can access music videos through Youtube Music you cant change quality so you're stuck with a 480p video or whatever where if I was on Youtube it'd default to 1080p.
I'm going to try this out. I've been getting Trump ads on my YouTube app and no matter how many times I report it they keep showing up.
Edit: still got ads when I activated it. Oh well.
PSN:Furlion
It’s worth at least trying. I don’t like the UI, but you might. And you’re already paying for it right now. Maybe you end up on Spotify, maybe you end up liking YT Music. But no harm in trying.