So I'm on Day 2 of using Google as my cell phone provider. It's been really interesting, which is saying a lot from someone who considers himself a know-it-all when it comes to cell tech. ;) I discovered that Hangouts is what really powers Project Fi, not traditional voice/sms technology. Updates to the Hangouts app have a direct impact on Project Fi services and features. Having been a longtime user of Google Voice, and having used it through Hangouts for a while now, it makes sense, somewhat. Whereas Google Voice forwarded calls and text messages over the traditional wireless network, Project Fi goes straight through Hangouts and then interacts with the Dialer/Messenger apps (or whatever you're using for SMS messaging). So why not just do my messaging inside of Hangouts? A couple of reasons. The biggest one being that while group MMS messaging is supported in Hangouts, you can't /initiate/ a group MMS conversation from Hangouts. This is reportedly very, very close to being integrated. Another is that the Hangouts app can have a tendency to compress images and video too much through MMS, but that's being rectified as well. Third, there's no actionable notifications and quick reply with Hangouts like there is with the Messenger app, and I use those a lot.
One BIG advantage that Project Fi has over Google Voice is that the visual voicemail (text and all) is directly integrated in Recents in the Dialer. With GV, you had to tell it to show voicemails there, and even then, you could only play them from there. If you pipe voicemail from Fi/GV through Hangouts, you get everything there too, but I really like that it's directly integrated in the Dialer (see photo). Transcriptions have gotten light-years better over the past few months (though they're still not perfect), so this really, really useful now. Other GV features hold over as well. I can forward my calls to multiple phones, see my messages on the web, etc. There was a lot of hubub out there about how Fi ruins your GV account, but for my use, it's only enhanced it by making it a seamless cell provider all the way through. And if I cancel Fi (not sure why I ever would), my GV account reverts back to normal GV account. No big deal.
The service is great, in all aspects. There is a very active invite-only G+ community where Fi engineers interact directly with users along with 24/7 phone/chat/email support. I chatted with a support tech yesterday who solved my issue in just a few minutes and didn't read from a script. It was awesome. Coverage-wise, I've noticed no worse coverage than I got with T-Mobile, and because it works with both T-Mobile and Sprint, I should actually have fallback in some areas where I didn't have great coverage before. It's not going to rival AT&T or Verizon, but between T-Mobile, Sprint, and WiFi calling support, I'm covered very, very nicely. Calls transition from WiFi to network and back with no hiccups, too. It's all smooth, seamless, and works great.
Getting in on the ground level of something like this is fascinating. I'm spending all day just refreshing the Project Fi community, watching issues, feature requests, announcements, and actual interaction between Google and the community of users. It won't always be this way, but for now, it's awesome to see a provider truly invested in it's users and feedback, actively making changes and improvements.
Fi has really made me rethink how cell service works traditionally and how it can work when someone goes back to the drawing board and starts over. I love it. Add to that the fact that I only pay for what data I actually use (and get credited next month for what I don't use), and I love it even more. The one downfall, for me, is being locked to a Nexus 6, but not swapping phones all the time will probably work out better for my wallet and personal life anyway. ;)
8.12.2015
7.30.2015
Windows 10
So yesterday was "Windows 10 Day". The day the bits were released to the public. As someone who's been using Windows 10 since Windows Insiders first got access, I have some thoughts.
I've used Windows 10 on 3 different devices: the Surface Pro 3 (i5 8GB of RAM), virtualized on my 2012 Mac mini (i7 16GB of RAM) using Parallels, and on a 3 year old 11.6" ASUS Q200E laptop (i3 4GB of RAM). So that's a pretty big range of devices, all with pretty different use-cases. A tablet, a desktop, and a laptop.
I haven't run the final bits on the Surface Pro 3, as I got rid of that last month, but up until that point, it had run very smooth, nearly from the beginning. The only issue I had seen with it was a video driver issue that a clean install fixed. I had run the preview since January and it was solid enough that I could use it for work when needed. It didn't even balk at the proprietary POS software that I threw at it; in fact, the touchscreen made it perfect to use as a dummy register.
The Mac mini was installed early last month, around the same time I got rid of the Surface Pro 3. Parallels is an older version built for Windows 8, but it installed Windows 10 with no issues, except that it won't let go of the mouse if I click into it. That will be fixed with the newer release of Parallels, and is a bit of an annoyance, but Command-Tab releases the mouse to use in Mac OS. As that system has an i7 and 16GB of RAM, performance isn't an issue at all, except for the slowdown introduced by not having an SSD (but that's an issue all around with that system).
Most surprisingly is the performance on an older laptop. 1.8Ghz i3 with 4GB of RAM and some proprietary drivers, I thought the ASUS laptop would be more of an issue. I did recently upgrade the hard drive to an SSD (BTW, if you want to breathe second life into an older computer, put an SSD in!), but I figured the older, slower processor would slow things down. I was dead wrong. The upgrade (I used the final RTM bits last week) from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 took about 30 minutes, and it actually installed drivers for several peripherals that I had never gotten around to installing properly (multitouch trackpad, touchscreen) during the upgrade process. It runs every bit fast as the Surface Pro 3 did, and faster than the Mac mini given that it has an SSD. It flies. And battery life is better than on 8.1. Between the SSD upgrade and Windows 10, it's like having a brand new laptop.
From the start of the Insider Preview, I was hooked and knew I wouldn't go back, and watching it grow and evolve in response to user feedback was great. Microsoft truly took suggestions and criticisms to heart in designing Windows 10. And since it's "Windows as a Service" now, it will be constantly updated. Word is that a big update is already slated to roll out in fall with extensibility for Edge, support for Continuum (though that's more Windows 10 Mobile), and other features that didn't make it into the RTM.
So should you upgrade? That's up to you. I personally would say yes, however, you have a year to upgrade for free (if you have Windows 7, 8, or 8.1), so you might want to ride it out for a bit. But it's definitely solid and ready to use now. I don't think anyone will regret upgrading. Would it be a reason to switch from Mac OS if you're a Mac person? I wouldn't say so, unless you just need some Windows compatibility. To that point, I haven't even put it into Boot Camp on my Mac mini; I'm just virtualizing it when I need it. But it's fantastic on a laptop, especially one with touch. If you tried Windows 8/8.1 and hated it, or completely avoided it, give Windows 10 a try. It's truly the Windows 7 to Windows 8's Vista. ;)
I've used Windows 10 on 3 different devices: the Surface Pro 3 (i5 8GB of RAM), virtualized on my 2012 Mac mini (i7 16GB of RAM) using Parallels, and on a 3 year old 11.6" ASUS Q200E laptop (i3 4GB of RAM). So that's a pretty big range of devices, all with pretty different use-cases. A tablet, a desktop, and a laptop.
I haven't run the final bits on the Surface Pro 3, as I got rid of that last month, but up until that point, it had run very smooth, nearly from the beginning. The only issue I had seen with it was a video driver issue that a clean install fixed. I had run the preview since January and it was solid enough that I could use it for work when needed. It didn't even balk at the proprietary POS software that I threw at it; in fact, the touchscreen made it perfect to use as a dummy register.
The Mac mini was installed early last month, around the same time I got rid of the Surface Pro 3. Parallels is an older version built for Windows 8, but it installed Windows 10 with no issues, except that it won't let go of the mouse if I click into it. That will be fixed with the newer release of Parallels, and is a bit of an annoyance, but Command-Tab releases the mouse to use in Mac OS. As that system has an i7 and 16GB of RAM, performance isn't an issue at all, except for the slowdown introduced by not having an SSD (but that's an issue all around with that system).
Most surprisingly is the performance on an older laptop. 1.8Ghz i3 with 4GB of RAM and some proprietary drivers, I thought the ASUS laptop would be more of an issue. I did recently upgrade the hard drive to an SSD (BTW, if you want to breathe second life into an older computer, put an SSD in!), but I figured the older, slower processor would slow things down. I was dead wrong. The upgrade (I used the final RTM bits last week) from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 took about 30 minutes, and it actually installed drivers for several peripherals that I had never gotten around to installing properly (multitouch trackpad, touchscreen) during the upgrade process. It runs every bit fast as the Surface Pro 3 did, and faster than the Mac mini given that it has an SSD. It flies. And battery life is better than on 8.1. Between the SSD upgrade and Windows 10, it's like having a brand new laptop.
From the start of the Insider Preview, I was hooked and knew I wouldn't go back, and watching it grow and evolve in response to user feedback was great. Microsoft truly took suggestions and criticisms to heart in designing Windows 10. And since it's "Windows as a Service" now, it will be constantly updated. Word is that a big update is already slated to roll out in fall with extensibility for Edge, support for Continuum (though that's more Windows 10 Mobile), and other features that didn't make it into the RTM.
So should you upgrade? That's up to you. I personally would say yes, however, you have a year to upgrade for free (if you have Windows 7, 8, or 8.1), so you might want to ride it out for a bit. But it's definitely solid and ready to use now. I don't think anyone will regret upgrading. Would it be a reason to switch from Mac OS if you're a Mac person? I wouldn't say so, unless you just need some Windows compatibility. To that point, I haven't even put it into Boot Camp on my Mac mini; I'm just virtualizing it when I need it. But it's fantastic on a laptop, especially one with touch. If you tried Windows 8/8.1 and hated it, or completely avoided it, give Windows 10 a try. It's truly the Windows 7 to Windows 8's Vista. ;)
7.21.2015
The AT&T Nightmare
So we all know the horror stories of Comcast, many of us firsthand. So we moved to the new house, we took that opportunity to ditch Comcast and move to something else. AT&T had a decent deal for $50 a month that had 16Mbps Internet, basic cable, HBO, and a year of Amazon Prime. We were already paying $15 a month for HBO Now, and I pay $100 a year for Prime, so it seemed a good deal. The Internet speed wasn't fantastic, but it would be fine.
Install day, which also happened to be the day we moved in (we'd been in the house for 3 weeks without Internet), came. The installer, showed up and spent about two hours at the box outside the house. He had to call in another truck at one point. After all of that, he came in the house. He opened up a wall jack and then decided it would be easier to just punch a new jack into the house. Odd, but whatever. After two more hours of this guy grumbling and complaining his way through the job (mind you, he said he'd been doing installs for AT&T for 7 years, so this should've been routine), he claimed the Internet was up, had us sign for the install, and left. Before he left, he wrote down his cell phone number and said that under no circumstances should we call customer service. Call him and he'd come back out and fix anything that needed to be fixed. I trusted the guy, and as we were still loading in our stuff and unpacking, I didn't test the Internet. I plugged in the wireless router and assumed everything was up. About an hour or so later, we found his bag of tools that he left behind. I also ran a speedtest and found we were averaging0.02Mbps down. I was pretty pissed, but was hopeful it would work itself out. We called him, left him a message about his tools and the speed, and ran out for dinner. He called back and said to just put his bag of tools outside the garage and he'd swing by and pick it up, and also check the connection at the box. The speed didn't increase for days. His bag of tools sat there. We went to Colorado and came back. His bag was still sitting there. It had been rained in multiple times. The Internet speed was up to somewhere between 2-6Mbps and fluctuated a lot in there. We called him again. Over and over. No answer, no call back. When I went to set up my remote access and Plex connection, I couldn't get past the modem. No amount of port forwarding was working, which was frustrating, but not as frustrating as the connection itself. We couldn't even watch TV and surf the web at the same time. God forbid we tried to download anything. It shut the whole connection down. Netflix was a pixelated mess.
So I went back to Comcast. For the same price, we get up to 75Mbps (currently hovering around 45Mbps) down, basic cable, and HBO. No Prime, but AT&T had already sent us the code, which I applied to the account. When Kimberly called in to AT&T to cancel service and relayed our story, there wasn't even an attempt to retain us. No fee for breaking the contract or anything. Comcast was hooked up last night, and the speeds are already great (still not what was advertised, but it's faster than we'd likely use anyway), Plex and my remote access software have no issues whatsoever, and we finally have piece of mind that we can actually fire up Netflix and not have to wait 5 minutes for it to clearly buffer.
At least we scored a free year of Prime, but we've been in the house for a month and 10 days, and we're just now finally getting a decent Internet connection. Luckily I get 7GB of hotspot data through T-Mobile, so any day I had to work, I just tethered, but if that hadn't been the case, life would've been very, very rough. In fact, when I had the S6 Edge, I barely got any signal. It wasn't until switching to the Nexus 6 that I was able to get a strong LTE signal to be able to work off of.
I was hopeful that moving away from Comcast would be a good experience; my parents have had AT&T Internet for years and had no complaints. But this was not just a comedy of errors, it was a nightmare of errors. I never thought I'd be excited to be a Comcast customer again...
Install day, which also happened to be the day we moved in (we'd been in the house for 3 weeks without Internet), came. The installer, showed up and spent about two hours at the box outside the house. He had to call in another truck at one point. After all of that, he came in the house. He opened up a wall jack and then decided it would be easier to just punch a new jack into the house. Odd, but whatever. After two more hours of this guy grumbling and complaining his way through the job (mind you, he said he'd been doing installs for AT&T for 7 years, so this should've been routine), he claimed the Internet was up, had us sign for the install, and left. Before he left, he wrote down his cell phone number and said that under no circumstances should we call customer service. Call him and he'd come back out and fix anything that needed to be fixed. I trusted the guy, and as we were still loading in our stuff and unpacking, I didn't test the Internet. I plugged in the wireless router and assumed everything was up. About an hour or so later, we found his bag of tools that he left behind. I also ran a speedtest and found we were averaging0.02Mbps down. I was pretty pissed, but was hopeful it would work itself out. We called him, left him a message about his tools and the speed, and ran out for dinner. He called back and said to just put his bag of tools outside the garage and he'd swing by and pick it up, and also check the connection at the box. The speed didn't increase for days. His bag of tools sat there. We went to Colorado and came back. His bag was still sitting there. It had been rained in multiple times. The Internet speed was up to somewhere between 2-6Mbps and fluctuated a lot in there. We called him again. Over and over. No answer, no call back. When I went to set up my remote access and Plex connection, I couldn't get past the modem. No amount of port forwarding was working, which was frustrating, but not as frustrating as the connection itself. We couldn't even watch TV and surf the web at the same time. God forbid we tried to download anything. It shut the whole connection down. Netflix was a pixelated mess.
So I went back to Comcast. For the same price, we get up to 75Mbps (currently hovering around 45Mbps) down, basic cable, and HBO. No Prime, but AT&T had already sent us the code, which I applied to the account. When Kimberly called in to AT&T to cancel service and relayed our story, there wasn't even an attempt to retain us. No fee for breaking the contract or anything. Comcast was hooked up last night, and the speeds are already great (still not what was advertised, but it's faster than we'd likely use anyway), Plex and my remote access software have no issues whatsoever, and we finally have piece of mind that we can actually fire up Netflix and not have to wait 5 minutes for it to clearly buffer.
At least we scored a free year of Prime, but we've been in the house for a month and 10 days, and we're just now finally getting a decent Internet connection. Luckily I get 7GB of hotspot data through T-Mobile, so any day I had to work, I just tethered, but if that hadn't been the case, life would've been very, very rough. In fact, when I had the S6 Edge, I barely got any signal. It wasn't until switching to the Nexus 6 that I was able to get a strong LTE signal to be able to work off of.
I was hopeful that moving away from Comcast would be a good experience; my parents have had AT&T Internet for years and had no complaints. But this was not just a comedy of errors, it was a nightmare of errors. I never thought I'd be excited to be a Comcast customer again...
7.08.2015
Galaxy Tab S 8.4
So with getting the two Nexus 6s for Kimberly and I (which, BTW, she LOVES), she graciously allowed me to sell her phone. I've had it up for several days and gotten plenty of lowball offers, but I was actually hit up by a guy that I do 75% of my trades with with an offer that was too good to pass up. He didn't have cash to offer, but was in desperate need of a phone. What he had was a Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4, which is a beast of a small tablet. (Incidentally, I'll sell my other tablet now, as this is much better.)
It's restoring from my backup right now, so I'll post a proper review in a few days, but here's a few quick specs:
- 8 core Exynos processor
- 2,560x1,600 8.4" AMOLED screen
- 3GB of RAM
- MicroSD expansion (perfect for my comic collection)
- 4900MA battery
- Lighter and thinner than an iPad mini
- Stereo speakers
The specs read like a dream, and I can't wait to really play around with it. The bigger, and much higher res, screen (my other tablet is 7 inches) will be perfect for reading comics on, which is my primary use for it. It's still small enough to easily fit in my small bag and hold one handed too. It's an ugly brown/gold color, but it came with a black/grey flip case that doubles as a stand, so I'll live. lol
Anyway, expect a deeper review in the next week or so once I've gotten a chance to put it through it's paces. :)
It's restoring from my backup right now, so I'll post a proper review in a few days, but here's a few quick specs:
- 8 core Exynos processor
- 2,560x1,600 8.4" AMOLED screen
- 3GB of RAM
- MicroSD expansion (perfect for my comic collection)
- 4900MA battery
- Lighter and thinner than an iPad mini
- Stereo speakers
The specs read like a dream, and I can't wait to really play around with it. The bigger, and much higher res, screen (my other tablet is 7 inches) will be perfect for reading comics on, which is my primary use for it. It's still small enough to easily fit in my small bag and hold one handed too. It's an ugly brown/gold color, but it came with a black/grey flip case that doubles as a stand, so I'll live. lol
Anyway, expect a deeper review in the next week or so once I've gotten a chance to put it through it's paces. :)
6.30.2015
Android M (Preview 1)
So you knew hit had to happen. Less than a week with a Nexus 6, and I just installed the Android M Developer Preview on it. Here's the changes I've seen so far:
Do Not Disturb: Now has 3 options: None, Alarms Only, and Priority. None kills all notifications. Alarms Only allows only the alarms through, and Priority follows the rules you set for who can break through. DND has more options in it too, allowing for multiple rule sets. I'd love to see a geofence trigger, but it's nearly perfect. It's what they should've had in Lollipop. Now, I know that most manufacturers changed that already within their "skins" of Android, but it's great to see stock get proper options. The best part of this, for me, is that Android Wear doesn't follow the notification scheme of the phone, meaning the phone can be silenced and my watch will still vibrate. I'm hoping that holds through when the watch is updated to M as well, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's vibration settings follow that of the phone at that point, such as it did when both the watch and phone were on Lollipop (which was super annoying). We shall see.
Quick Settings: DND is now in the Quick Settings. Also, if you enable the System UI Tuner in Developer Options, you can add/remove/reorder the Quick Settings. This is fantastic for managing your settings drawer.
Volume Controls: Now you have more control over ring/system/alarm volume right from the volume rocker. Hit the rocker and the tap the drop down for more options. Love it.
Sounds: You can now turn off charging sounds. Not a big change, but a welcome one.
App Drawer: Now it scrolls vertically, with the 4 most recent apps on top and the rest broken into alphabetical categories. I'd love to see an option to jump between letters (like in Windows Phone).
Lockscreen: The phone dialer shortcut has been replaced with a Google Now voice shortcut. This seems a bit odd to me.
Wi-Fi Calling: I'm on T-Mobile, so this was recently enabled in the 5.1.1 update anyway, but it's built-in here.
Theme: Enabling Developer Options unlocks a "theme" option. Within it is the normal "Light" theme and a new "Dark" theme. On top of that, there's an "Automatic" option, which uses some rule to change the system interface. Not sure if it's light-based or time-based, but putting it in a dark room hasn't changed anything. If I figure it out, I'll update this post.
That's all I've noticed so far. In theory, Doze should help my battery life by detecting when the phone isn't moving or charging and shutting off data, but I haven't seen that benefit yet, as I'm about an hour in. Now On Tap isn't enabled in this build. Android Wear seems to be working fine, though I've read reports that certain things can cause it to crash and restart. Looking forward to exploring more of the new OS. :)
Notes:
Whoa. Waze is beyond borked. It actually messes up the whole system UI to the point that you have to reboot. Looks like Google Maps will be my go-to for a while. lol
Android Wear suffers crashes when a call goes out, and the incoming call screen stays on for the duration of an incoming call.
Do Not Disturb: Now has 3 options: None, Alarms Only, and Priority. None kills all notifications. Alarms Only allows only the alarms through, and Priority follows the rules you set for who can break through. DND has more options in it too, allowing for multiple rule sets. I'd love to see a geofence trigger, but it's nearly perfect. It's what they should've had in Lollipop. Now, I know that most manufacturers changed that already within their "skins" of Android, but it's great to see stock get proper options. The best part of this, for me, is that Android Wear doesn't follow the notification scheme of the phone, meaning the phone can be silenced and my watch will still vibrate. I'm hoping that holds through when the watch is updated to M as well, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's vibration settings follow that of the phone at that point, such as it did when both the watch and phone were on Lollipop (which was super annoying). We shall see.
Quick Settings: DND is now in the Quick Settings. Also, if you enable the System UI Tuner in Developer Options, you can add/remove/reorder the Quick Settings. This is fantastic for managing your settings drawer.
Volume Controls: Now you have more control over ring/system/alarm volume right from the volume rocker. Hit the rocker and the tap the drop down for more options. Love it.
Sounds: You can now turn off charging sounds. Not a big change, but a welcome one.
App Drawer: Now it scrolls vertically, with the 4 most recent apps on top and the rest broken into alphabetical categories. I'd love to see an option to jump between letters (like in Windows Phone).
Lockscreen: The phone dialer shortcut has been replaced with a Google Now voice shortcut. This seems a bit odd to me.
Wi-Fi Calling: I'm on T-Mobile, so this was recently enabled in the 5.1.1 update anyway, but it's built-in here.
Theme: Enabling Developer Options unlocks a "theme" option. Within it is the normal "Light" theme and a new "Dark" theme. On top of that, there's an "Automatic" option, which uses some rule to change the system interface. Not sure if it's light-based or time-based, but putting it in a dark room hasn't changed anything. If I figure it out, I'll update this post.
That's all I've noticed so far. In theory, Doze should help my battery life by detecting when the phone isn't moving or charging and shutting off data, but I haven't seen that benefit yet, as I'm about an hour in. Now On Tap isn't enabled in this build. Android Wear seems to be working fine, though I've read reports that certain things can cause it to crash and restart. Looking forward to exploring more of the new OS. :)
Notes:
Whoa. Waze is beyond borked. It actually messes up the whole system UI to the point that you have to reboot. Looks like Google Maps will be my go-to for a while. lol
Android Wear suffers crashes when a call goes out, and the incoming call screen stays on for the duration of an incoming call.
6.25.2015
Epic Fail
That's what the Galaxy S6 edge ultimately ended up being. I stuck with the phone for nearly a month. It's gorgeous. The camera is incredible. And it COULD be fast.
But over the past few weeks, it got horrible. To the point that I could barely use it. First off, it gets terrible signal, and when it does have signal, the data speed is laughable at best. I had thought it was just due to being out in Powder Springs, but I'm now realizing it's more the phone than the signal that's the issue. For instance, here at my desk at work, I got between zero bars and 1 bar of 3G at best with that phone. As I have WiFi here, it wasn't a huge deal, but it was noticeable. At the new house, I got 1-2 bars of 3G at best, and there's no WiFi there until the Internet gets hooked up next week. I just picked up a Nexus 6, and I'm getting 3-4 bars of LTE in the same exact spot on my desk here at work, and I'm willing to bet I'll actually be able to use the N6 at the new house.
Also, Samsung really hobbled the memory management of the phone. Opening more than 3 apps killed the oldest app, which is horrible for someone who wants to listen to podcasts/audiobooks/music on their phone. Samsung has more or less admitted to the software problem, but has also put out a statement that they're focusing on their new, unannounced, flagship phone, and will take a look at this issue after that launches. That's unacceptable, especially for a phone with 3GB of RAM. There are "fixes" out there that require editing the build.prop file, but I found that while they allow apps to remain in memory longer, it also dramatically slows the phone down to the point that it needs to be rebooted 5-6 times a day.
On top of that, while I was out on a business trip, on-site, in Tallahassee, FL, the phone rebooted itself. When it came back up, it asked for my PIN to log in. When I hit any key on the keyboard, it rebooted. This effectively completely locked me out of my phone. I did a factory reset, but the keyboard issue remained, meaning I couldn't complete the setup of the phone. I was still locked out of being able to use it. So I quickly downloaded the smallest custom ROM I could that had no reported issues. After flashing it and setting up the phone, it continually dropped both outgoing and incoming calls within half a second. About 1 in 10 calls would connect successfully. That issue was probably ROM related (though no one else reported it), but it added to my frustrations with the phone and ultimately pushed me over the edge (no pun intended).
So I'm back on a Nexus 6, which, as I stated above, gets WAY better signal reception and suffers from none of the software issues of the S6 edge (plus the big screen and much, much better battery life). I actually got 2 Nexus 6s (one new in box, which I'm using and one used, but in perfect condition), so I'm going to see if Kimberly wants the other one. She's having some frustrating (less frustrating than the S6 edge; poor battery life, random slow-downs, random reboots) with her LG G3, so I think the N6 would be a fantastic fix for her, if she can handle the massive screen. lol
Anyway, in conclusion, I've never been so let down by a phone that started off so positively for me. In its current state, I can't recommend the S6 edge. At all. Extremely poor signal reception, bad battery life (seriously, I needed to charge it by noon each day), and major underlying software issues. It's really a shame as the camera is unparalleled and the phone is gorgeous. Ah well, there's nothing I can't do with the Nexus 6.
But over the past few weeks, it got horrible. To the point that I could barely use it. First off, it gets terrible signal, and when it does have signal, the data speed is laughable at best. I had thought it was just due to being out in Powder Springs, but I'm now realizing it's more the phone than the signal that's the issue. For instance, here at my desk at work, I got between zero bars and 1 bar of 3G at best with that phone. As I have WiFi here, it wasn't a huge deal, but it was noticeable. At the new house, I got 1-2 bars of 3G at best, and there's no WiFi there until the Internet gets hooked up next week. I just picked up a Nexus 6, and I'm getting 3-4 bars of LTE in the same exact spot on my desk here at work, and I'm willing to bet I'll actually be able to use the N6 at the new house.
Also, Samsung really hobbled the memory management of the phone. Opening more than 3 apps killed the oldest app, which is horrible for someone who wants to listen to podcasts/audiobooks/music on their phone. Samsung has more or less admitted to the software problem, but has also put out a statement that they're focusing on their new, unannounced, flagship phone, and will take a look at this issue after that launches. That's unacceptable, especially for a phone with 3GB of RAM. There are "fixes" out there that require editing the build.prop file, but I found that while they allow apps to remain in memory longer, it also dramatically slows the phone down to the point that it needs to be rebooted 5-6 times a day.
On top of that, while I was out on a business trip, on-site, in Tallahassee, FL, the phone rebooted itself. When it came back up, it asked for my PIN to log in. When I hit any key on the keyboard, it rebooted. This effectively completely locked me out of my phone. I did a factory reset, but the keyboard issue remained, meaning I couldn't complete the setup of the phone. I was still locked out of being able to use it. So I quickly downloaded the smallest custom ROM I could that had no reported issues. After flashing it and setting up the phone, it continually dropped both outgoing and incoming calls within half a second. About 1 in 10 calls would connect successfully. That issue was probably ROM related (though no one else reported it), but it added to my frustrations with the phone and ultimately pushed me over the edge (no pun intended).
So I'm back on a Nexus 6, which, as I stated above, gets WAY better signal reception and suffers from none of the software issues of the S6 edge (plus the big screen and much, much better battery life). I actually got 2 Nexus 6s (one new in box, which I'm using and one used, but in perfect condition), so I'm going to see if Kimberly wants the other one. She's having some frustrating (less frustrating than the S6 edge; poor battery life, random slow-downs, random reboots) with her LG G3, so I think the N6 would be a fantastic fix for her, if she can handle the massive screen. lol
Anyway, in conclusion, I've never been so let down by a phone that started off so positively for me. In its current state, I can't recommend the S6 edge. At all. Extremely poor signal reception, bad battery life (seriously, I needed to charge it by noon each day), and major underlying software issues. It's really a shame as the camera is unparalleled and the phone is gorgeous. Ah well, there's nothing I can't do with the Nexus 6.
6.13.2015
Google Photos
Google Photos is pretty awesome. With a few caveats.
I'm exporting and uploading quite a bit of my Lightroom catalog, and it's handling it pretty flawlessly. I point the desktop uploader to a folder ("Upload" on my desktop), export perfectly-fine-for-screens versions of my photos to that folder, they get uploaded. Done. Plus, it's making neat little collages and grouping people and things together. It's great. I had previously been using, and still use as it's full-res, Microsoft OneDrive for photo backup on my devices, but it's not nearly as elegant or easy to use. G+ Photos did part of this as well, but the new Google Photos is nearly seamless and dead simple. Seriously, if you haven't tried it yet, fire up the new Photos app on your phone/tablet or go to photos.google.com and try the new search functions. It's pretty amazing.
Now the caveats I spoke of: It's not as full-featured as G+ Photos was. You can't fix misgrouped faces or items (which isn't a huge deal, as that only affects search). You can't edit a date/time if it's off. And you can't use the photo editor online unless you put the photos into a G+ post first. These are all simple things to fix, and I'm sure they will down the road.
Unlimited storage of my photos online (I went with the 16MP/1080P limit because I don't need my full res stuff online like that)? Yes please! Easy way to upload from all my devices? Absolutely! For someone like me, this is so awesome. All my photos. From all my devices. Everywhere.
I'm exporting and uploading quite a bit of my Lightroom catalog, and it's handling it pretty flawlessly. I point the desktop uploader to a folder ("Upload" on my desktop), export perfectly-fine-for-screens versions of my photos to that folder, they get uploaded. Done. Plus, it's making neat little collages and grouping people and things together. It's great. I had previously been using, and still use as it's full-res, Microsoft OneDrive for photo backup on my devices, but it's not nearly as elegant or easy to use. G+ Photos did part of this as well, but the new Google Photos is nearly seamless and dead simple. Seriously, if you haven't tried it yet, fire up the new Photos app on your phone/tablet or go to photos.google.com and try the new search functions. It's pretty amazing.
Now the caveats I spoke of: It's not as full-featured as G+ Photos was. You can't fix misgrouped faces or items (which isn't a huge deal, as that only affects search). You can't edit a date/time if it's off. And you can't use the photo editor online unless you put the photos into a G+ post first. These are all simple things to fix, and I'm sure they will down the road.
Unlimited storage of my photos online (I went with the 16MP/1080P limit because I don't need my full res stuff online like that)? Yes please! Easy way to upload from all my devices? Absolutely! For someone like me, this is so awesome. All my photos. From all my devices. Everywhere.
3.09.2015
Apple Event and General Thoughts
Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way; Apple had a big event today:
-New super-slim MacBooks with just a single connector (USB-C) in 3 colors (silver, "space grey" and gold).
-Apple Watch that starts at $350 for the smallest, cheapest one and goes UP TO $17,000 (are you effin' kidding me?! They'll make it obsolete in a year with V2!).
-Apple TV is cheaper at $69, but no major updates except HBO Now at $15 a month.
Now, on to a post that's been stewing for a while.
Every time one of the Big 3 (Apple, Google, Microsoft) make an announcement, I get tech-lust. The "oooh shiny" factor has me starting to think Craigslist trades and whatnot. I realized today that I think I'm finally getting past that. Yes, it'd be awesome to get every new piece of consumer tech that comes out. But I really feel like I've found my personal tech "groove" so to speak. I love my Windows phone, my Surface Pro 3 handles all of my computer and tablet needs (and then some), and I read books on my Kindle Paperwhite. It's just about the perfect balance for me. Finally.
I have zero desire for an Apple Watch (I still really don't like the look of it). I don't want the new super-thin MacBook. Or the "new", more powerful MacBook Pro. It's just... Meh. I'm over the hype. I'm over finding the pitfalls of the "best new thing ever". Apple's way of controlling their hardware/software/ecosystem with an iron fist is great for the average consumer. It puts out a high quality, reliable, consistent product. But by controlling it so much on their end, they take control from the consumer. There's no avoiding the grid of icons on an iOS device. You can't install Mac OS on anything other than their hardware. The Apple Watch will only work with the iPhone. The list goes on. There's just so much you have to accept from your benevolent Apple overlords.
I want the freedom to do what I want and change up what I use more or less at will. And because of that, I'm finding that I prefer tech that helps facilitate that. Pebble was a good example of that. It worked with my iPhone and Android. No Windows Phone support (yet), but I was able to traverse phones with more ease than the Moto 360 (Android Wear). Amazon at least makes it easy to get Microsoft gets that. The Microsoft band works with Windows Phone, Android and iOS. So yes, while one of the driving factors for my desire for it is that I have a Windows Phone, if I decide to play with a different phone, I can still use it. Hell, it can be paired with multiple devices at once. Stuff like that, no matter who makes it, excites me. Sure, Nest doesn't make a Windows Phone app, nor does Phillips for the Hue bulbs, but they have open APIs that 3rd party developers can use, so I can use those devices no matter what phone/tablet/computer I have.
I live in a cross-platform world. Sure, I've raved about Microsoft products and services, and for good reason: They have a cross-platform mentality. The Microsoft Band is a good example of that. But so is OneDrive or Office. Skype works for any device. Hell, even Xbox Music is available on iOS and Android. Meanwhile, Google will only release apps for Android and iOS. Apple won't even touch anything other than iOS (Beats was already cross-platform before they were acquired). It's absolute hell trying to access anything iCloud/iWork without an iDevice or a Mac. It may look like Microsoft is the 3rd class citizen by how Google and Apple treat them, but they're ensuring their future by being available everywhere to the consumer. Yes, like any company, they'd prefer if you bought into their devices as well as services, but they're also all about facilitating access to their products if you use "the other guys". It's really nice to not feel "locked" into a system.
With my Surface Pro 3, I have not only a powerful computer, but the openness of the Windows ecosystem. I have an awesome tablet with a pressure-sensitive stylus. It's an incredible digital comic reader. Windows 10 will transform it into a gaming device by being able to play games on my Xbox One directly on it. Oh, and it's thinner than that newfangled MacBook (without the keyboard). It syncs and shares information directly with my Windows phone (HCT One M8 for Windows) to the point that it can even initiate the hotspot on my phone if I need it on the computer without touching my phone. As far as my phone goes, I still think Microsoft truly innovated with their interface. It's not a grid of icons or pages of widgets. It's useful "Live Tiles" that show relevant information for the apps they represent. Voice interaction, as well as at-a-glance information, with Cortana is far better than Siri or Google Now(and she's even psychic when it comes to sports and award shows!).
You'll notice I didn't touch on Android much. Android is kind of that ol' reliable OS for me. It's always there, it'll get the job done, but getting how I want it takes a lot of work. I like it, and it's fantastic, but I quickly fall down a rabbit hole of trying every new messaging app and launcher that comes out, and it gets tiring. lol I just wish Google would give Windows a little more love; it's really the one thing that keeps me from being able to recommend mobile Windows devices to everyone. I'm cool with the workarounds I've found, but most people just want their Google stuff to work.
Ultimately, what works best for the consumer is up to the individual. Some people truly like the simplicity of iOS and the deep integration across devices that Apple can provide with things like iMessage and FaceTime but loose control and customizability. Others like having full-on control over everything and don't mind dealing with the complexity of it all, and for them Android is where it's at. But it's like politics: It may look like a 2 party system of extremes, but there's actually a reasonable middle ground. I guess Windows is that Libertarian longshot in the race. lol
-New super-slim MacBooks with just a single connector (USB-C) in 3 colors (silver, "space grey" and gold).
-Apple Watch that starts at $350 for the smallest, cheapest one and goes UP TO $17,000 (are you effin' kidding me?! They'll make it obsolete in a year with V2!).
-Apple TV is cheaper at $69, but no major updates except HBO Now at $15 a month.
Now, on to a post that's been stewing for a while.
Every time one of the Big 3 (Apple, Google, Microsoft) make an announcement, I get tech-lust. The "oooh shiny" factor has me starting to think Craigslist trades and whatnot. I realized today that I think I'm finally getting past that. Yes, it'd be awesome to get every new piece of consumer tech that comes out. But I really feel like I've found my personal tech "groove" so to speak. I love my Windows phone, my Surface Pro 3 handles all of my computer and tablet needs (and then some), and I read books on my Kindle Paperwhite. It's just about the perfect balance for me. Finally.
I have zero desire for an Apple Watch (I still really don't like the look of it). I don't want the new super-thin MacBook. Or the "new", more powerful MacBook Pro. It's just... Meh. I'm over the hype. I'm over finding the pitfalls of the "best new thing ever". Apple's way of controlling their hardware/software/ecosystem with an iron fist is great for the average consumer. It puts out a high quality, reliable, consistent product. But by controlling it so much on their end, they take control from the consumer. There's no avoiding the grid of icons on an iOS device. You can't install Mac OS on anything other than their hardware. The Apple Watch will only work with the iPhone. The list goes on. There's just so much you have to accept from your benevolent Apple overlords.
I want the freedom to do what I want and change up what I use more or less at will. And because of that, I'm finding that I prefer tech that helps facilitate that. Pebble was a good example of that. It worked with my iPhone and Android. No Windows Phone support (yet), but I was able to traverse phones with more ease than the Moto 360 (Android Wear). Amazon at least makes it easy to get Microsoft gets that. The Microsoft band works with Windows Phone, Android and iOS. So yes, while one of the driving factors for my desire for it is that I have a Windows Phone, if I decide to play with a different phone, I can still use it. Hell, it can be paired with multiple devices at once. Stuff like that, no matter who makes it, excites me. Sure, Nest doesn't make a Windows Phone app, nor does Phillips for the Hue bulbs, but they have open APIs that 3rd party developers can use, so I can use those devices no matter what phone/tablet/computer I have.
I live in a cross-platform world. Sure, I've raved about Microsoft products and services, and for good reason: They have a cross-platform mentality. The Microsoft Band is a good example of that. But so is OneDrive or Office. Skype works for any device. Hell, even Xbox Music is available on iOS and Android. Meanwhile, Google will only release apps for Android and iOS. Apple won't even touch anything other than iOS (Beats was already cross-platform before they were acquired). It's absolute hell trying to access anything iCloud/iWork without an iDevice or a Mac. It may look like Microsoft is the 3rd class citizen by how Google and Apple treat them, but they're ensuring their future by being available everywhere to the consumer. Yes, like any company, they'd prefer if you bought into their devices as well as services, but they're also all about facilitating access to their products if you use "the other guys". It's really nice to not feel "locked" into a system.
With my Surface Pro 3, I have not only a powerful computer, but the openness of the Windows ecosystem. I have an awesome tablet with a pressure-sensitive stylus. It's an incredible digital comic reader. Windows 10 will transform it into a gaming device by being able to play games on my Xbox One directly on it. Oh, and it's thinner than that newfangled MacBook (without the keyboard). It syncs and shares information directly with my Windows phone (HCT One M8 for Windows) to the point that it can even initiate the hotspot on my phone if I need it on the computer without touching my phone. As far as my phone goes, I still think Microsoft truly innovated with their interface. It's not a grid of icons or pages of widgets. It's useful "Live Tiles" that show relevant information for the apps they represent. Voice interaction, as well as at-a-glance information, with Cortana is far better than Siri or Google Now(and she's even psychic when it comes to sports and award shows!).
You'll notice I didn't touch on Android much. Android is kind of that ol' reliable OS for me. It's always there, it'll get the job done, but getting how I want it takes a lot of work. I like it, and it's fantastic, but I quickly fall down a rabbit hole of trying every new messaging app and launcher that comes out, and it gets tiring. lol I just wish Google would give Windows a little more love; it's really the one thing that keeps me from being able to recommend mobile Windows devices to everyone. I'm cool with the workarounds I've found, but most people just want their Google stuff to work.
Ultimately, what works best for the consumer is up to the individual. Some people truly like the simplicity of iOS and the deep integration across devices that Apple can provide with things like iMessage and FaceTime but loose control and customizability. Others like having full-on control over everything and don't mind dealing with the complexity of it all, and for them Android is where it's at. But it's like politics: It may look like a 2 party system of extremes, but there's actually a reasonable middle ground. I guess Windows is that Libertarian longshot in the race. lol
2.28.2015
HTC M8 for Windows
So when my Lumia Icon kicked it several weeks ago and had to go back to Verizon, I opted to go with the Moto X, as I'd heard plenty of disparaging comments about the camera on the M8 (both Windows and Android versions, which are hardware-identical) and no Verizon stores in the Atlanta area had a Lumia Icon in stock. So I lived with the Moto X for 12 days, all the while searching for someone who had a Lumia Icon to trade with, but to no avail. I finally was contacted by someone with an M8 for Windows and a Kindle (something I actually needed for my upcoming trip to CO), so I decided to bite the bullet and trade. Story out of the way, here's my thoughts:
There's a lot of dogging on the camera on this phone. It's an "Ultrapixel" camera, which basically means they didn't want to say it's only 4MP. But, because they knocked the megapixels down on it, it functions far, far better in low light than most any other camera. And I'll attest to that. In a room lit by nightlights, it'll pick up plenty of detail. It can see better than my eyes can in low light, which is pretty impressive for a phone camera. That's not to say it's not without grain in those shots, but where most phones would see black, it can discern detail pretty well (see the sample photos). It also has another trick up it's sleeve with that second camera on the top of the phone: Depth sensing. In a single shot, it's grabbing depth information so you can refocus after the fact, a la Lytro, and also get a really nice shallow depth of field in the photo (see the sample photos). After getting past the fact that the shots are a little soft due to the low megapixels and dual camera information, I've actually been really pleasantly surprised with some of the photos I can get out of it. It's certainly no iPhone 6 Plus or Lumia Icon (the standards in camera phones), but it works well within it's limitations. I'm a bit sad to see HTC going away from the dual-camera setup in the M9 leaks, but the rest of the world is more interested in the megapixel race. Ah well. All that said, the camera consistently gives me better shots than I was getting with the 16MP Moto X camera, which surprised me. The front facing camera is ironically higher-megapixel at 5MP and consistently produces nice, crisp selfies. Don't worry, I won't subject you to many of those, but I've gotten some great shots of the family with it (again, sample photos).
The rest of the phone is EXCELLENT. It's easily the nicest looking phone I've ever had (seriously, the design with the unibody aluminum construction along with the 5" 1080p screen is gorgeous), and the internals are just as good. Snapdragon 801 (quad-core 3.2GHz), 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, MicroSD expansion, 5MP front-facing camera, and the stereo front-facing BoomSound speakers, that are good enough for me to use in the car. The only notable absence here, in my regard, is Qi wireless charging, and I did try to hack together an external coil and case, but it ended up not working.
I'm not going to go into the software, as I've pontificated about the virtues of Windows Phone for me versus Android and iOS other than to say I still far, far prefer it over the other OSes. The single downside is Google's insistence of not supporting it with any official apps, but HTC's BlinkFeed app actually includes support for G+, which was a very welcome surprise.
The camera could be (far) better, and I'd love wireless charging, but aside from that, I'm completely happy with this phone. Would I prefer the Lumia Icon? Absolutely, but I'm not disappointed in this phone either. Hell, even Kimberly said she'd like to have this phone, which is saying something. If I can track down a Lumia Icon at a good price, then this just might be her next phone. :)
There's a lot of dogging on the camera on this phone. It's an "Ultrapixel" camera, which basically means they didn't want to say it's only 4MP. But, because they knocked the megapixels down on it, it functions far, far better in low light than most any other camera. And I'll attest to that. In a room lit by nightlights, it'll pick up plenty of detail. It can see better than my eyes can in low light, which is pretty impressive for a phone camera. That's not to say it's not without grain in those shots, but where most phones would see black, it can discern detail pretty well (see the sample photos). It also has another trick up it's sleeve with that second camera on the top of the phone: Depth sensing. In a single shot, it's grabbing depth information so you can refocus after the fact, a la Lytro, and also get a really nice shallow depth of field in the photo (see the sample photos). After getting past the fact that the shots are a little soft due to the low megapixels and dual camera information, I've actually been really pleasantly surprised with some of the photos I can get out of it. It's certainly no iPhone 6 Plus or Lumia Icon (the standards in camera phones), but it works well within it's limitations. I'm a bit sad to see HTC going away from the dual-camera setup in the M9 leaks, but the rest of the world is more interested in the megapixel race. Ah well. All that said, the camera consistently gives me better shots than I was getting with the 16MP Moto X camera, which surprised me. The front facing camera is ironically higher-megapixel at 5MP and consistently produces nice, crisp selfies. Don't worry, I won't subject you to many of those, but I've gotten some great shots of the family with it (again, sample photos).
The rest of the phone is EXCELLENT. It's easily the nicest looking phone I've ever had (seriously, the design with the unibody aluminum construction along with the 5" 1080p screen is gorgeous), and the internals are just as good. Snapdragon 801 (quad-core 3.2GHz), 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, MicroSD expansion, 5MP front-facing camera, and the stereo front-facing BoomSound speakers, that are good enough for me to use in the car. The only notable absence here, in my regard, is Qi wireless charging, and I did try to hack together an external coil and case, but it ended up not working.
I'm not going to go into the software, as I've pontificated about the virtues of Windows Phone for me versus Android and iOS other than to say I still far, far prefer it over the other OSes. The single downside is Google's insistence of not supporting it with any official apps, but HTC's BlinkFeed app actually includes support for G+, which was a very welcome surprise.
The camera could be (far) better, and I'd love wireless charging, but aside from that, I'm completely happy with this phone. Would I prefer the Lumia Icon? Absolutely, but I'm not disappointed in this phone either. Hell, even Kimberly said she'd like to have this phone, which is saying something. If I can track down a Lumia Icon at a good price, then this just might be her next phone. :)
2.02.2015
IT'S ALIVE!!!
[Cue lighting and thunder]
Successfully modded my Moto X to have wireless charging by putting an adapter coil inside of a case and plugging it into the micro USB port on the phone. And it totally works! I'm not sure what the charging rate is, but I assume it's as good as an internal coil (which is typically slower than a wired charger anyway), and I had to fold the flat "cable" over itself to get it to fix in the case without covering the exposed Motorola "dimple", but given that the Moto X is already a very slim phone, having it in a case doesn't make it feel bulky at all. The only downside is that it takes up the charging port on my phone, so I don't really have a good option for charging when away from all of my wireless chargers, but overall, I'm super happy with the results of my little Frankenphone project. :)
Successfully modded my Moto X to have wireless charging by putting an adapter coil inside of a case and plugging it into the micro USB port on the phone. And it totally works! I'm not sure what the charging rate is, but I assume it's as good as an internal coil (which is typically slower than a wired charger anyway), and I had to fold the flat "cable" over itself to get it to fix in the case without covering the exposed Motorola "dimple", but given that the Moto X is already a very slim phone, having it in a case doesn't make it feel bulky at all. The only downside is that it takes up the charging port on my phone, so I don't really have a good option for charging when away from all of my wireless chargers, but overall, I'm super happy with the results of my little Frankenphone project. :)
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