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[Android] Thread v.2015: Google tries to hardware. Effort: A+. Grade score: C-

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    FeloniousmozFeloniousmoz Registered User regular
    A few months in, and still really enjoying my 2XL. Used iPhones since the 3G and was worried about picking up the new OS, which I'm relieved to say was a breeze. Had to rebuy only a podcast app.

    The blue tilt screen thing really bothered me in store when next to the Pixel 2, never thought about it again after taking it home after a day or two, honestly. The camera is just ridiculous, barely used my full-frame DSLR at Christmas with the family and have no regrets, Pixel camera is really good.

    Really bummed that I couldn't do Google Fi, but after a week I'd already done 3 gigs of data (bus commute) so joined my partner's AT&T plan (sigh).

    The fast OS updates offer a little peace of mind in a time where more disturbing hardware/software vulnerabilities are continually popping up.

    Still angry about the removal of the headphone jack, ON TOP OF very little USB-C support from headphone manufacturers. Adapter solution is crap, luckily it's only failed to work intermittently once and I haven't lost it (yet).

    Question: The one thing I really miss from iOS is Purity and similar adblockers. I prefer to use Chrome as my browser - is there a good similar app for Android? Would prefer not do any bootloading stuff, but if that's the only way...

    Steam: FeloniousMoz
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    CormacCormac Registered User regular
    NEO|Phyte wrote: »
    Haven't spotted anything in my poking through settings, so I suspect it may be a baked-in feature, but some of my Bluetooth audio whatsits do this annoying thing of setting my across-bluetooth volume to 50% when pairing, and since it is a pain to get my phone out of my pocket to up the volume while sitting in my car, I would like a way to tell it to not. Phone is a Nexus 5x, looking at settings says 8.0.0 for Android version.

    Mine never did that, but it did used to confirm that I wanted to max the BT volume. At some point or after an OS update it stopped asking that. You might want to see if whatever audio playback app you're using has special permission over volume control. It might also be a setting on the BT device itself and may require downloading an app for the device from the manufacturer to disable the auto 50% volume when pairing.

    Steam: Gridlynk | PSN: Gridlynk | FFXIV: Jarvellis Mika
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    SeptusSeptus Registered User regular
    edited January 2018
    Deleted

    Septus on
    PSN: Kurahoshi1
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    CormacCormac Registered User regular
    A few months in, and still really enjoying my 2XL. Used iPhones since the 3G and was worried about picking up the new OS, which I'm relieved to say was a breeze. Had to rebuy only a podcast app.

    The blue tilt screen thing really bothered me in store when next to the Pixel 2, never thought about it again after taking it home after a day or two, honestly. The camera is just ridiculous, barely used my full-frame DSLR at Christmas with the family and have no regrets, Pixel camera is really good.

    Really bummed that I couldn't do Google Fi, but after a week I'd already done 3 gigs of data (bus commute) so joined my partner's AT&T plan (sigh).

    The fast OS updates offer a little peace of mind in a time where more disturbing hardware/software vulnerabilities are continually popping up.

    Still angry about the removal of the headphone jack, ON TOP OF very little USB-C support from headphone manufacturers. Adapter solution is crap, luckily it's only failed to work intermittently once and I haven't lost it (yet).

    Question: The one thing I really miss from iOS is Purity and similar adblockers. I prefer to use Chrome as my browser - is there a good similar app for Android? Would prefer not do any bootloading stuff, but if that's the only way...

    Opera, Brave Browser, and Firefox all have ad blocking built in or through addons. I still use Chrome as my primary browser because it syncing to my desktop version, but I open all links from apps in Chromer which then opens those links in Brave (which blocks ads and tracking).

    Steam: Gridlynk | PSN: Gridlynk | FFXIV: Jarvellis Mika
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    SyphonBlueSyphonBlue The studying beaver That beaver sure loves studying!Registered User regular
    Update: I went with the 2 XL. I thought the screen looked great, but now that I'm back at the office, it definitely has a very bad viewing angle problem. If you're not looking at it basically dead-on, the screen turns blue. I'll live with it, because otherwise it looks great, but it's disappointing.

    LxX6eco.jpg
    PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
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    MugsleyMugsley DelawareRegistered User regular
    You still have time to return it

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    SyphonBlueSyphonBlue The studying beaver That beaver sure loves studying!Registered User regular
    Mugsley wrote: »
    You still have time to return it

    Nah, like I said, I'll live with it. The screen otherwise looks great, and the Pixel 2 regular was too small for me.

    LxX6eco.jpg
    PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
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    Inquisitor77Inquisitor77 2 x Penny Arcade Fight Club Champion A fixed point in space and timeRegistered User regular
    Supposedly you can also adjust the color saturation settings to offset the "blueness", too.

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    JazzJazz Registered User regular
    edited January 2018
    The battery life in my LG G4 was becoming seriously iffy. There is a charm to user-replaceable OEM batteries. Ten quid, pop the back off, switch, done. That was a couple of weeks ago now and it's given the phone a whole new lease of life.

    Speaking of features that appear to be consigned to history now, is anyone making a phone with an IR blaster in it any more? I'm going to miss being able to use my phone as a universal remote when I eventually move on.

    Jazz on
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    ArmorocArmoroc Registered User regular
    It's not anything new, but the LG G5 has an IR blaster. I had it and the range wasn't good, but when I got the angle and the range just right... it was pretty cool and it saved me some time from getting up and finding the remote :biggrin: I have the G6 and I kind of miss the IR blaster sometimes. I would use it to mess around with my family.

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    emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    I still use my Note 4 to control the volume for my TV since I can't find the remote that came with my Logitech speakers.

    I'd say the two things the Note 8 are missing is the IR blaster and the ability to not be the slipperiest thing I've ever held.

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    AyulinAyulin Registered User regular
    Cormac wrote: »
    A few months in, and still really enjoying my 2XL. Used iPhones since the 3G and was worried about picking up the new OS, which I'm relieved to say was a breeze. Had to rebuy only a podcast app.

    The blue tilt screen thing really bothered me in store when next to the Pixel 2, never thought about it again after taking it home after a day or two, honestly. The camera is just ridiculous, barely used my full-frame DSLR at Christmas with the family and have no regrets, Pixel camera is really good.

    Really bummed that I couldn't do Google Fi, but after a week I'd already done 3 gigs of data (bus commute) so joined my partner's AT&T plan (sigh).

    The fast OS updates offer a little peace of mind in a time where more disturbing hardware/software vulnerabilities are continually popping up.

    Still angry about the removal of the headphone jack, ON TOP OF very little USB-C support from headphone manufacturers. Adapter solution is crap, luckily it's only failed to work intermittently once and I haven't lost it (yet).

    Question: The one thing I really miss from iOS is Purity and similar adblockers. I prefer to use Chrome as my browser - is there a good similar app for Android? Would prefer not do any bootloading stuff, but if that's the only way...

    Opera, Brave Browser, and Firefox all have ad blocking built in or through addons. I still use Chrome as my primary browser because it syncing to my desktop version, but I open all links from apps in Chromer which then opens those links in Brave (which blocks ads and tracking).

    Mentioned it earlier in the thread too, but there's also Blokada, which you can sideload. Doesn't require root, and blocks ads everywhere.

    steam_sig.png
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    autono-wally, erotibot300autono-wally, erotibot300 love machine Registered User regular
    I'm getting more and more impressed with USB-C on my Huawei Mate 10 pro.

    Not only can I use it to quick charge the device over USB power delivery with a compatible PSU, instead of huawei supercharge

    I can charge the device while using an USB PD compatible USB dock

    AND

    My old USB to Ethernet adapter also simply works!

    d6aw6kjdjb02.png

    The icon right of the alarm icon is the LAN connection icon btw

    kFJhXwE.jpgkFJhXwE.jpg
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    wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    properly implimented USB-C is the salvation, it is the light.

    As for IR blasters.... yea that ship has long past sailed.

    XBL: thewunderbar PSN: thewunderbar NNID: thewunderbar Steam: wunderbar87 Twitter: wunderbar
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    autono-wally, erotibot300autono-wally, erotibot300 love machine Registered User regular
    edited January 2018
    Well... the mate 10 pro has an IR blaster as well, but I have no use for it right now.. Maybe for the AC in summer though

    Edit: But yeah. I was a bit wary because I had to change most of my adapters and cables and stuff, but this USB-C thing seems really nice.

    Plus, the cable seems to fit much better than micro usb and it seems almost impossible to scratch your phone with USB-C's rounded edges, contrary to micro USB, where the area around the charging port tends to look like a warzone of tiny scratches after a while

    autono-wally, erotibot300 on
    kFJhXwE.jpgkFJhXwE.jpg
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    NaphtaliNaphtali Hazy + Flow SeaRegistered User regular
    I hope in a few years all the manufacturers get their shit together with USB-C, it's really nervewracking trying to figure out what's what sometimes.

    Steam | Nintendo ID: Naphtali | Wish List
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    minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    I would never buy a non-USB-C phone at this point. It's just so much nicer.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
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    ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    For remote stuff, there is the Harmony Hub. Connects to your network and has IR blasters to control your home theater stuff with your phone.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
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    mtsmts Dr. Robot King Registered User regular
    I would never buy a non-USB-C phone at this point. It's just so much nicer.

    I just like it for the fact that when I go to plug in my phone at night in the dark I don't trash the port. Almost 2 years and it's still snug

    camo_sig.png
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    minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    edited January 2018
    mts wrote: »
    I would never buy a non-USB-C phone at this point. It's just so much nicer.

    I just like it for the fact that when I go to plug in my phone at night in the dark I don't trash the port. Almost 2 years and it's still snug

    Same. It's also becoming even nicer as more things adopt USB-C. It's super convenient when your phone, your Switch, your backup battery pack, and all your other random stuff all uses the same (great) connector.

    minor incident on
    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
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    MugsleyMugsley DelawareRegistered User regular
    So apparently Chromecasts and Google Homes queue up packet requests and execute them all at once when they wake from sleep. (this will be cross-posted)

    https://reddit.com/r/Android/comments/7qk7rq/tplink_engineer_explains_wifi_disconnections_tied/

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    wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    And, since no context there:

    that amounts to a DDoS attack on the router by the google cast devices. Now, most routers appear to be smart enough to drop most of those packets and it's no issue. Routers that don't though, basically get DDoS'd and overwhelmed and freak out and need to be rebooted.

    TP-Link, to this point, appears to be the most affected by this, likely because their common firmware stack can't handle that traffic well. That doesn't mean other routers won't, but TP-Link seems to be having the most problems.

    Personally this actually kind of makes me raise an eyebrow to TP-Link and wonder why their routers can't handle this when it seems than many others can. Seems to be an underlying issue with their network stack, but that's another discussion entirely.

    Now, this is clearly a Google problem with the cast devices (things like google home, chromecast, etc) and is almost certainly something that they can fix in software, and probably will. This is a case of "have you noticed a significant issue with wifi and have a bunch of cast devices? This could be your issue.

    XBL: thewunderbar PSN: thewunderbar NNID: thewunderbar Steam: wunderbar87 Twitter: wunderbar
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    SirToastySirToasty Registered User regular
    The issue I have is when I wake my phone up while casting something from the desktop. Is my phone still strong these pallets even though it's not doing the casting?

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    ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    wunderbar wrote: »
    And, since no context there:

    that amounts to a DDoS attack on the router by the google cast devices. Now, most routers appear to be smart enough to drop most of those packets and it's no issue. Routers that don't though, basically get DDoS'd and overwhelmed and freak out and need to be rebooted.

    TP-Link, to this point, appears to be the most affected by this, likely because their common firmware stack can't handle that traffic well. That doesn't mean other routers won't, but TP-Link seems to be having the most problems.

    Personally this actually kind of makes me raise an eyebrow to TP-Link and wonder why their routers can't handle this when it seems than many others can. Seems to be an underlying issue with their network stack, but that's another discussion entirely.

    Now, this is clearly a Google problem with the cast devices (things like google home, chromecast, etc) and is almost certainly something that they can fix in software, and probably will. This is a case of "have you noticed a significant issue with wifi and have a bunch of cast devices? This could be your issue.

    Turns out it's not just TP-Link. Netgear, Asus, and Linksys have all confirmed the issue as well, as has Google.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
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    urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    Question: I have a Pixel 2 and the one thing I miss is the home button on Samsung phones. Is there a quick way to get to the home screen without having to swipe and then press the button?

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    minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    urahonky wrote: »
    Question: I have a Pixel 2 and the one thing I miss is the home button on Samsung phones. Is there a quick way to get to the home screen without having to swipe and then press the button?

    Does the pixel not have an option to keep the navbar onscreen at all times?

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
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    MugsleyMugsley DelawareRegistered User regular
    Your launcher should have that option (which should be the Google launcher). If it doesn't, try out something like Nova -- which has a free version.

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    NaphtaliNaphtali Hazy + Flow SeaRegistered User regular
    urahonky wrote: »
    Question: I have a Pixel 2 and the one thing I miss is the home button on Samsung phones. Is there a quick way to get to the home screen without having to swipe and then press the button?

    Does the pixel not have an option to keep the navbar onscreen at all times?

    Mine's always there... and that's the default setup. Did you install a 3rd party launcher honky?

    Steam | Nintendo ID: Naphtali | Wish List
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    wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    Some apps will put the phone into full screen mode and hide the navbar and status bar. Maybe that's it?

    XBL: thewunderbar PSN: thewunderbar NNID: thewunderbar Steam: wunderbar87 Twitter: wunderbar
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    urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    wunderbar wrote: »
    Some apps will put the phone into full screen mode and hide the navbar and status bar. Maybe that's it?

    Yeah I'm sorry it's in games. I know it's probably impossible but sometimes I need to be able to hit the home button instantly and having to swipe down and then hit it is a little cumbersome.

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    wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    urahonky wrote: »
    wunderbar wrote: »
    Some apps will put the phone into full screen mode and hide the navbar and status bar. Maybe that's it?

    Yeah I'm sorry it's in games. I know it's probably impossible but sometimes I need to be able to hit the home button instantly and having to swipe down and then hit it is a little cumbersome.

    Then the answer is no.

    XBL: thewunderbar PSN: thewunderbar NNID: thewunderbar Steam: wunderbar87 Twitter: wunderbar
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    urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    edited January 2018
    Yeah that's what I figured. I never thought I'd miss that stupid old button my S6. Thanks anyways guys.

    urahonky on
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    ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    urahonky wrote: »
    Yeah that's what I figured. I never thought I'd miss that stupid old button my S6. Thanks anyways guys.

    Even the s8 series doesn't have the button anymore. Get with the times, fellow old man.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
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    minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Shadowfire wrote: »
    urahonky wrote: »
    Yeah that's what I figured. I never thought I'd miss that stupid old button my S6. Thanks anyways guys.

    Even the s8 series doesn't have the button anymore. Get with the times, fellow old man.

    BUT, the S8 has a cool feature that lets you hard-press where the home button would be, even in full-screen apps, and it recognizes it as a press of the home button.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
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    mtsmts Dr. Robot King Registered User regular
    finger print sensor set to home on tap?

    camo_sig.png
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    JazzJazz Registered User regular
    The venerable old LG G4 lets you pick by app whether the nav bar is hidden or not. Do these swanky new phones not have that feature?

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    urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    Jazz wrote: »
    The venerable old LG G4 lets you pick by app whether the nav bar is hidden or not. Do these swanky new phones not have that feature?

    Unfortunately this doesn't work if there's an app in full screen mode.
    mts wrote: »
    finger print sensor set to home on tap?

    I wonder if I can make that work.

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    urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    Yep, that worked @mts thanks! I had to install an app to do it, but it works great.

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    mtsmts Dr. Robot King Registered User regular
    urahonky wrote: »
    Yep, that worked @mts thanks! I had to install an app to do it, but it works great.

    cool. that is a standard thing for my OPO3T so it seems like it should be an option for everyone

    camo_sig.png
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    Ed GrubermanEd Gruberman Registered User regular
    I just got one of the Kindle Fire HD 10 tablets and I'm pretty happy with it. I haven't spent a ton of time using it but it only took a couple minutes to put the Google play store on it so now it's a solid Android media device. I can access books from Google, kobo and Kindle and the comics I've gotten from numerous humble bundles lol great.
    The hardware seems surprisingly zippy too. Expandable memory is a plus as well. I'm going on a trip in a couple weeks and this is going to be great to bring along.

    steam_sig.png

    SteamID: edgruberman GOG Galaxy: EdGruberman
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