Author Topic: The Official Android Thread  (Read 177788 times)

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Offline Nick

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1260 on: October 06, 2017, 01:17:16 PM »
Holy crap, is the Pixel 2 XL really $849?

Yeah, and I said I wouldn't do it. They Pixel 2 at $649 is a great deal, no reason to get that XL...

What did me in is that I love my Nexus 6P, and the XL manages to have a screen .3" bigger all while being smaller in both height and width. Sure, it's less than a 10th of an inch each way, but basically I get a bigger beautiful screen with no increase of size on a phone size I'm comfortable with. To anyone else who doesn't care about the bezel war, or doesn't have something silly like my situation I'd absolutely suggest the Pixel 2 as it's the better bang for your buck for sure. As a kicker it's made by HTC who I really like.
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Offline axeman90210

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1261 on: October 06, 2017, 01:23:34 PM »
Yeah, I picked up one of the new Motorola phones last week and the sticker shock from my first post-carrier subsidy smartphone was intense.
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Offline Nick

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1262 on: October 06, 2017, 01:26:43 PM »
Yeah, I picked up one of the new Motorola phones last week and the sticker shock from my first post-carrier subsidy smartphone was intense.

:lol

The Android One M4? Looks like a great (believe it or not) budget option.

It's helpful to me that I've bought phones straight up for quite awhile now.
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Offline axeman90210

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1263 on: October 06, 2017, 01:40:06 PM »
Yeah, I picked up one of the new Motorola phones last week and the sticker shock from my first post-carrier subsidy smartphone was intense.

:lol

The Android One M4? Looks like a great (believe it or not) budget option.

It's helpful to me that I've bought phones straight up for quite awhile now.

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Offline cramx3

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1264 on: October 06, 2017, 05:31:50 PM »
Yeah, I picked up one of the new Motorola phones last week and the sticker shock from my first post-carrier subsidy smartphone was intense.

Yea when I got the Galaxy S6 it was the first phone I had to make monthly payments on the phone itself through verizon (not bundled with the plan) and it was kind of the first time I really was paying attention to the actual price of the phone.  Of course I ended up breaking that phone's usb port while on vacation and ended up buying an S7 (my current phone) which put me on another payment plan through best buy for 6 months no interest so I ended up paying that off first and then only last month finally paid off the S6 through Verizon which I had long broken  :lol It's nice to not have a phone payment now, but I also am going to be looking to upgrade in 2018.  The S8 doesn't have a good enough camera compared to the S7 to upgrade.  If I upgrade, I want a better camera as one of my top reasons to get another phone. 

Offline orcus116

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1265 on: October 06, 2017, 05:51:52 PM »
Depends on what you're looking at in your smartphone but the pricing is absurd in my opinion considering how fragile they are. As you said, camera does seem to be the number one feature people are clamoring for although most people don't use their cameras very well so those ads showing pro type shots on cameras are sort of silly. I tend to look at internal technologies like LTE bands, MIMO capabilities, and other features carriers are utilizing to keep consistent speeds and reduce buffering, etc. which is one of the main reasons I stick to Android because Apple has no problem castrating their products and keeping their customers 1 generation behind everyone else while still selling tens of millions of phones.

Offline cramx3

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1266 on: October 06, 2017, 06:34:46 PM »
I use my phone to get lots of concert videos so that's why the quality is important to me, I'm not crazy about the quality my S7 camera gets in this regards.  I think the Iphone does it better, but I'm not a fan of their closed environment.  I've always loved Samsung products so I've been wanting to keep Samsung, but I'd consider the Pixel, I hear the camera is great in that phone.  I've also considering just buying a separate point and click camera for concerts to get better footage, but I hate carrying so much on me.

Offline Nick

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1267 on: October 20, 2017, 10:39:40 AM »
I use my phone to get lots of concert videos so that's why the quality is important to me, I'm not crazy about the quality my S7 camera gets in this regards.  I think the Iphone does it better, but I'm not a fan of their closed environment.  I've always loved Samsung products so I've been wanting to keep Samsung, but I'd consider the Pixel, I hear the camera is great in that phone.  I've also considering just buying a separate point and click camera for concerts to get better footage, but I hate carrying so much on me.

Yeah, this is why the smartphone camera is pretty important to me. I'm not a big enough photography to want to carry a second device, so I need the phone camera to at least be very good. I know I'm not getting the best images and video possible, but it just has to keep me happy enough.
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Offline rumborak

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1268 on: November 10, 2017, 09:48:44 AM »
Monument Valley 2 came out on Android!

Played it through already; good game of course, maybe not as imaginative as the first game.
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Offline Grappler

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1269 on: November 10, 2017, 11:15:17 AM »
I had a Samsung Galaxy S5 and upgraded to a Galaxy S7 in August.  My S5 was 3 years old and the battery was completely shot, where I'd have to charge it 2x in 24 hours as I use it to play MP3's for about 12 hours per day while commuting and working. 

I love the S7 and its camera and battery are much better (especially the battery!) - didn't want to spend additional money on an S8 due to budgetary concerns, so this is enough to keep me happy. 

Offline cramx3

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1270 on: November 10, 2017, 11:21:25 AM »
I had a Samsung Galaxy S5 and upgraded to a Galaxy S7 in August.  My S5 was 3 years old and the battery was completely shot, where I'd have to charge it 2x in 24 hours as I use it to play MP3's for about 12 hours per day while commuting and working. 

I love the S7 and its camera and battery are much better (especially the battery!) - didn't want to spend additional money on an S8 due to budgetary concerns, so this is enough to keep me happy. 

Yea I love my S7 compared to the S5 I used to have.  But you'll realize over time, like all batteries, they turn to shit after lots of use and charges.  My S7 battery is starting to suck, but what I miss about the S5 was the removeable battery.  I had two so I never had to worry about the battery even when it started to turn to shit later in it's life.  Replaceable batteries would be awesome to have again.

Offline jasc15

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1271 on: November 29, 2017, 06:48:51 AM »
Whenever I use an aux cable to listen to music, it is repeatedly interrupted by this notification:



I can dismiss it but it always returns; sometimes right away, and sometimes 10 minutes later.  I can't seem to find any good fixes on the web.  Anyone else have this happen?

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1272 on: January 05, 2018, 05:34:46 PM »
Just got the S8. Fuck this thing has a lot of stuff going on....I'm gonna be lost in cell phone setup land for quite a while man...




It's so fucking cool though...

Offline MetalJunkie

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1273 on: January 06, 2018, 12:25:59 AM »
Just got the S8. Fuck this thing has a lot of stuff going on....I'm gonna be lost in cell phone setup land for quite a while man...




It's so fucking cool though...
Whatever you do, don't download cleaner apps. No cleaner apps, no battery saver apps, no utility apps, nothing. I don't even know why Google allows them onto the Play Store. "Lookout" is the one I'd recommend.

I troubleshoot/sell these things for a living and I cannot tell you how many phones I've seen that have had their performance wrecked by one or a combination of these apps.
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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1274 on: January 06, 2018, 01:45:37 AM »
Nah, I would never go for any gimmick apps like that, and Lookout came stock with it. I only download useful apps, like Meme Generator :D

Still not sure whether the whole Bixby thing is worth a shit though, starting to dick around with it now, I'll have a ton more time tomorrow. I'm being extra gentle until my case shows up Monday  :lol

Offline MetalJunkie

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1275 on: January 06, 2018, 01:52:15 AM »
Bixby's fun to toy with, but I've found "OK Google" is still more accessible and easier to use.
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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1276 on: January 06, 2018, 01:54:16 AM »
Never got into OK Google on my last phone, I'm just too conditioned to typing and stuff. Call me old fashioned lol

Offline jasc15

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1277 on: January 11, 2018, 08:47:11 AM »
I bought a TV that came with a $75 google play credit.  Originally I thought I would sell it and recoupe* my cost for the TV a bit.  As it turns out it's not simply a $75 gift card, but I have to register with Samsung using a copy of the receipt and serial number of the TV, much like a rebate.  I can't purchase gift cards with google play credit, and I don't know any other legit way to convert this to something more usable.  I never buy apps or music/movies from google.  Can anyone suggest a use for or a way to convert this credit?

Edit: *typo
« Last Edit: January 12, 2018, 06:56:00 AM by jasc15 »

Offline Grappler

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1278 on: January 11, 2018, 08:41:02 PM »
I bought a TV that came with a $75 google play credit.  Originally I thought I would sell it and recude my cost for the TV a bit.  As it turns out it's not simply a $75 gift card, but I have to register with Samsung using a copy of the receipt and serial number of the TV, much like a rebate.  I can't purchase gift cards with google play credit, and I don't know any other legit way to convert this to something more usable.  I never buy apps or music/movies from google.  Can anyone suggest a use for or a way to convert this credit?

Google Play will let you rent movies too. 

Offline MetalJunkie

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1279 on: January 12, 2018, 01:35:43 AM »
Or books. There's no way to convert it, unfortunately. If it's on a physical card, you might try selling it to Gamestop. They buy gift cards, last I heard.
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Offline jasc15

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1280 on: January 12, 2018, 07:04:59 AM »
Yeah, I know there is lots of content I could use it for, but that's spending I never make so it's not really a value for me.  I did notice that I can buy different news subscriptions on google newsstand and I already subscribe to NY Times.  I would just have to use the newsstand app rather than the NY Times android app.

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1281 on: February 13, 2018, 01:39:57 PM »
Hey smart people, question for y'all...

My mom has android on Virgin Mobile, and was having a problem with calls and text not coming through at all. I tried switching her to a new phone (my old Galaxy J7) and the problem continued. My dad has the same phone, same service, same house obviously and has no issues. Is this a SIM card problem?

Offline cramx3

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1282 on: February 13, 2018, 03:26:33 PM »
Seems very possible since your troubleshooting seems to point to that as the common part. 

Offline faizoff

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1283 on: August 01, 2018, 07:30:31 PM »
Guess who switched over to the Android world after an almost 8-year stint with Apple/iOS. This guy :metal Got me a new LG V30 from eBay for around $400.
Number one reason for choosing this phone over others was largely due to the presence of a Quad DAC in the phone.
My music sounds phenomenal on this thing. It was down to either this phone or the Samsung Note 8 as that also has a really high end audio output.

Came down to cost at the end.
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Just needed a change from the same ol same ol and being a power user, only jailbreaks could satisfy the growing need for customization on the OS.
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Offline cramx3

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1284 on: August 02, 2018, 06:36:59 AM »
Welcome to the club

Offline faizoff

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1285 on: August 07, 2018, 03:32:07 AM »
Android P officially named Pie. It might be a while before my V30 gets this update. If even does at all.
Anyone else use it?
I seem to recall reading that the changes moving towards an iOS look and feel.
Other than that there seems to be a ton of optimization updates.
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Offline Zydar

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1286 on: August 07, 2018, 03:46:29 AM »
I got the Oreo 8.0 update for my Galaxy S7 just a few weeks ago, so I guess I'll be getting the Pie one in a year or so :P
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Offline Nick

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1287 on: August 07, 2018, 07:28:02 AM »
I'm a Pixel user, so I'll get Pie very soon, but no update yet. The changes to the menu will definitely feel odd at first.
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Offline faizoff

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1288 on: August 07, 2018, 07:29:08 AM »
Yeah even though I just bought the V30 it was released last year around Nov. It came with nougat and automatically updated to Oreo.
I'm fine with that.
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Offline rumborak

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1289 on: August 07, 2018, 08:50:40 AM »
I almost always opt into the Beta program, so I've been using Pie for quite a while now. It's pretty good, definitely some improvements over Oreo.
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Offline cramx3

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1290 on: August 07, 2018, 09:18:41 AM »
Im on Oreo, but really don't stay up with the current updates.  Typically I hold off when they are finally ready to push onto my phone since past experiences have lead to bugs that everntually get updated in a couple weeks, so I just wait a month or so after I get the first notification to update android.  I'm sure the next, Pi, is good, but I have no issues with Oreo so I have no issue waiting a bit.

Offline millahh

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1291 on: August 07, 2018, 09:33:18 AM »
I've been a loyal Samsung user for a while, but everything I'm seeing is that the S9 got pretty well shitted-up and made really annoying, with no work-around aside from rooting and maybe using a different ROM.  Seems like the V30 is a better option in light of that.  Anyone tried both?
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Offline cramx3

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1292 on: August 07, 2018, 10:07:31 AM »
I've been a loyal Samsung user for a while, but everything I'm seeing is that the S9 got pretty well shitted-up and made really annoying, with no work-around aside from rooting and maybe using a different ROM.  Seems like the V30 is a better option in light of that.  Anyone tried both?

I love my S9 minus Bigby bullshit, but whats your issues with it?

Offline millahh

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1293 on: August 07, 2018, 10:21:22 AM »
I've been a loyal Samsung user for a while, but everything I'm seeing is that the S9 got pretty well shitted-up and made really annoying, with no work-around aside from rooting and maybe using a different ROM.  Seems like the V30 is a better option in light of that.  Anyone tried both?

I love my S9 minus Bigby bullshit, but whats your issues with it?

What I've heard/read a bit is that the Bixby stuff is obtrusive, and you can't disable the Samsung Home (or whatever it its) apps, or even turn off prompts from them, even if you don't use any of the devices with which it would be compatible.  I can root, but my preference would be to get a device where I don;t need to do so (and void the warranty) right out of the gate.
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Offline cramx3

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Re: The Official Android Thread
« Reply #1294 on: August 07, 2018, 12:01:47 PM »
Bixby is only annoying because theres a dedicated physical button for it but otherwise it's not in the way at all. Sometimes I accidentally hit the button and then it's annoying. The only notification I have for the Samsung apps is when they get updated. I dont use them and they dont bother me at all.