Moto X or upcoming Sony Z5 Compact (may be too late for your one month deadline - then Z3 Compact).
Moto X or upcoming Sony Z5 Compact (may be too late for your one month deadline - then Z3 Compact).
I am depressed about this whole thing. Enough that I am seriously considering going for a Win10 phone and seeing if the Android version of the software I want to run will work.
Last edited by thesameguy; August 30th, 2015 at 07:28 PM.
You could. I'm hoping for great things from the Win10 phones.
Does Win10 support Android apps by running essentially the Android SDK test environment?
Acer makes a series of phones with designations usually featuring "Z", sold cheaply and often unlocked. And they feature more compact models. I don't think huge phones are driven by consumer demand. I'm happy with the Z4(s) I got from Staples for c,$100 each.
Edit: In addition to "Z", these Acers tend to feature "Liquid" in their designations (referring to the quality of the display, I think...)
Last edited by SportWagon; August 31st, 2015 at 01:57 PM.
No, it is binary compatible with Android. It will execute apps natively. Apparently it works incredibly well.
I spent some time looking at Android phones over the weekend and I am underwhelmed - mostly by the OS and not by the hardware. I'm just not into Android. Bah.
Yes. If you looked at several phones in detail, you might have noticed a lot of inconsistency in the interface. The "go back" arrow moves from one side to the other in different versions, and sometimes appears as a downward-pointing caret. The permanent menu key disappears as the version gets newer. How you get a list of currently running apps changes from version to version (and this can mean different vendors running allegedly the same Android version).
I'm actually more put off by the OS rather than the hardware. Every time I have to use someone's Android phone (happens a lot, I'm the IT guy) I am appalled at how much looking and scrolling there is to get anything done. I started using an iPhone for my home phone (TL;DR) and the first thing I did was put everything into a folder called Horseshit except for the eight things I will do with it. Now it's like my Windows phone, except I can't make the eight things bigger and easier to hit on the iPhone. My Windows Phone literally has the entire home screen divided into eight buttons which represent everything I do. I don't do "fun stuff" with my phone at any level, it's just a tool for me and I want it to behave as such. Pretty colors, animations, and pictures just slow me down. I'd wager someone out there has these same concerns and has glued a no-frills UI onto Android, but that's something else I don't want to do - spend time customizing my phone. I want to turn it on and have it be 100%. I readily realize what I look for in a phone isn't what most people do, so the things that make a phone attractive to other don't help me.
I will say the OnePlus phone YW suggested *looks* awesome to me. I think they "get it" as far as I'm concerned, but the size is a killer. It's so close I'm tempted to give it a go, but I don't want to have to explain why I spend cash money on a phone I don't use. Maybe hold it as a backup plan and wait for the new Lumia.
Oh yes. Each Android vendor has their own version of how homescreens (including folders) should work too. I forgot that. Sometimes more than one idea for the same vendor and even device.
I use the following a lot...
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...zer.lite&hl=en
I might pay for the pay version except at one point I read you couldn't import your free version configuration into the pay version.
That helps me find my stuff, except that on devices with less CPU and memory it seems it loads the system a bit.
Last edited by SportWagon; August 31st, 2015 at 01:55 PM.
The apps I use most are in folders on my main screen. I have widgets to surface info I want to glance at on the additional homescreens, that's about it. I've never looked into making the icons bigger, I presume it can be done with either the Easy mode a lot of phones have now or some other custom homescreen, but as you said you're not interested in that.
It is funny to me when tsg talking about tech sounds like George talking about tech.
Get that weak shit off my track
I know, believe me I know. The thing is that I have so many "things" in my life and so much technology I have to deal with I try to compartmentalize and keep things simple that don't need to be complex. I carry a phone because I would die without email/text, sometimes I'm being murdered and want to call 911, and I have a proud habit of getting in the car without having the faintest clue where I'm going. I want my mobile to do those things and only those things. I don't want themes, I don't want games, and I don't want your establishment's custom app to help improve my shopping experience because I buy everything on Amazon and I'm never coming back anyway.But, really, it's about me not needing more distractions. That includes a big clock display, the weather, or a folder I have to open to get to my mail. I just want a giant button that says MAIL so I can a) get to it quickly so I can get back to drinking and b) get to it quickly later after I have gotten back to drinking. I'll spend my gaming energy on the xbox and my decorating energy on an '80s car. I don't need a phone sucking up that energy. That's my MO.
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