The great combined Smrtphone OS thread - Page 374

CCS · 10th June 2015, 14:14

Considered a Oneplus One? What's your budget/requirements?

mpx · 10th June 2015, 15:12

The requirements are basically whatever Spark sells, and I don't think Oneplus One is there

Price can go either way, they're basically crediting my account the price of the Z3 ($999) and I can either pay a bit more or pay less and have credit on my account.

From the Spark website there doesn't seem like there's a heck of a lot of choice, I narrowed it down to Note 4 (because of the pressure sensitive pen) and S6. There's the M9 HTC but if I'm changing phones I would like one that has a decent camera since the Z3 one is so astonishingly poor, so that counts the HTC out.

It really sucks because I love the Z3, I'm tempted to get another but I really don't want to risk it - the waterproofing, amazing battery and the feel of it is just so great though! I know the S6 battery just won't compare at all (though I'm okay with charging it at night, I know it will comfortably make it through a day, just not make it through a day with 60% left like the Z3!)

BWDOWN · 10th June 2015, 15:33

If you like it get it.. Just because its not selling doesn't mean its bad. The only major downside that is often remarked upon and you will probably find it less than half of the Z3 is battery life. 3-5 hours screen on time seems the norm

Sadly my best mate in Brisbane is onto his 3rd one, only admitted to me last night as I rag on his edge. Both times fast charging has melted the internal accelerometer and rendered the phone stuck in portrait mode. haha

Samsung customer service is send it away and we will return it within 5 to 7 business days (last one was new) not sure if new this time. They nicely gave him a loaner Nokia C005 to use for the week

Samsung customer service

Savage · 10th June 2015, 15:55

FWIW, I've found the Note 4 to be excellent

mpx · 10th June 2015, 16:23

Thanks guys.

Savage: You threw a spanner in the works! I was kinda set on the S6 haha. I know the Note 4 has impressive battery life, just not sure if I can live with the size

I've been reading all over about the S6 and it seems there's a loud majority (as is always the case) that are unhappy with isolated problems, but most are loving it. I suppose it's the same as the Z3, everyone except me and a vocal minority seems to be having a great time with it!

BWDOWN: Honestly, that customer service sounds like heaven compared to what Spark had to do for Sony! They bent over backwards trying to satisfy them!

mr selfdestruct · 11th June 2015, 09:15

On a side note, seeing people talk on a Note was hilarious before, seeing them do it with one of those super ghey phone sleeve / wallet contraptions on it looks even stupider. "Look at me, I'm talking into my handbag".

MadMax · 11th June 2015, 13:26

Cause it's not an iPhone. (@mpx)

MrSD: the ones that completely fold over are not so bad. Couple of staff here have them. Not that I endorse them at all

_Incubus_ · 11th June 2015, 15:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpx

Thanks guys.

Savage: You threw a spanner in the works! I was kinda set on the S6 haha. I know the Note 4 has impressive battery life, just not sure if I can live with the size

I've been reading all over about the S6 and it seems there's a loud majority (as is always the case) that are unhappy with isolated problems, but most are loving it. I suppose it's the same as the Z3, everyone except me and a vocal minority seems to be having a great time with it!

BWDOWN: Honestly, that customer service sounds like heaven compared to what Spark had to do for Sony! They bent over backwards trying to satisfy them!

I have an S6, the touchwiz launcher gobbled battery, changing to the Google Launcher fixed that plus looks stock now anyway. I love the NFC payments from the phone on the mobile terminals around the place, very easy.

mpx · 17th June 2015, 15:38

I was slightly convinced to get a Z3 again, but on the way to dropping my faulty one in, the usual faults happened and I just got sick of the phone, so when I got there I looked at my options; it basically came down to the 6+ and the S6.

They are both pretty amazing phones, but two things made me choose the S6 over the 6+, OS and price. The 6+ was a few hundy more than the S6 and since my time on Android I just cannot seem to gel with iOS anymore. I loathe to say this, but for me nowadays Android, "just works." iOS feels really claustrophobic and while it's still blazing fast it for some reason feels clunky at the same time.

I tested the cameras on both phones, 6+ is so, so fast. It's not by much but it's still faster than the S6 in whipping the phone out and taking a photo, and having that first photo be perfect. The S6 does this as well, but the 6+ just slightly took the lead for me. The end results are both extraordinary, especially coming from the woeful Z3's camera!

When I handled the Z3, I knew it was expensive. It felt expensive, but it never felt solid. The S6 feels like quality. It is just so robust and solid, it feels great to hold in my hand - the Z3 never inspired this kind of confidence even though both were glass front and back phones.

I had an S3 once, my main gripe was how cheap it felt, mostly because of how accessable everything was (and as a result, everything was plastic), but this phone feels so goddamn nice, I can't put it down!

Battery life seems slightly under the Z3, but I'm still getting home with ~40% battery left, which is absolutely great for me. Honestly, this phone really is tops. The 6+ is also fantastic but iOS and the price ultimately turned me to the S6.

BWDOWN · 17th June 2015, 19:48

Be interested to hear your opinions in 3 months time.

I still think its astonishing that 9 months down the track the 6/6+ can still be compared to the S6 even when the S5 is closer release wise. I guess its flagshipvflagship

mpx · 18th June 2015, 12:15

It was just the two phones that I was looking at potentially taking home at the time, nothing else came close.

If I were a fan of iOS and wanted to pay a few extra hundy I'd be just as happy with the 6+ I'm sure, it's purely a subjective reason for going for the S6.

Ab · 18th June 2015, 12:35

Sams0wned

http://www.pymnts.com/news/2015/sams...aw-discovered/

Quote:

Over 600 million Samsung mobile device users may be at risk due to a significant security threat, according to researchers at mobile security specialist NowSecure.

Researcher Ryan Welton, who uncovered the flaw residing in the pre-installed keyboard of some Samsung phones, demonstrated his findings during a Black Hat Mobile Security Summit presentation, titled “Abusing Android Apps And Gaining Remote Code Execution,” yesterday (June 16) in London.

“Welton found he could hijack the process of updating one of the virtual keyboards Samsung installs on many Android smartphones. From there, he could eavesdrop on phone conversations, rummage through text messages and contacts, or turn on the microphone to capture audio,” The Wall Street Journal reported.

According to NowSecure’s report on the vulnerability, Samsung was notified about the security issue back in December of 2014. But as of yesterday, the report provided a known (but not all-inclusive) list of impacted devices by carrier along with the status of a patch. The list covered several popular Samsung mobile devices like the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4, all of which showed a patch status of either “unknown” or “unpatched.”

CCS · 18th June 2015, 12:47

Specifically:

Quote:

The exploitation is rooted in the SwiftKey keyboard on the Samsung devices, which “looked for language pack updates over unencrypted lines,” Forbes reported.
~
When asked about the vulnerability, a SwiftKey representative told Forbes: “We’ve seen reports of a security issue related to the Samsung keyboard. We can confirm that the SwiftKey Keyboard apps available via Google Play or the Apple App Store are not affected by this vulnerability. We take reports of this manner very seriously and are currently investigating further.”

I don't have a Samsung but uhh... *deletes SwiftKey app*

Yeah. Feel better now.

Ab · 28th July 2015, 13:33

Because Android, episode 987359

http://arstechnica.com/security/2015...text-messages/

BWDOWN · 30th July 2015, 16:35

Samsung's great slide into oblivion continues.. The S6 clearly wasn't the sales winner everyone predicted

Samsung mobile's profit slide down 37.6% YoY

http://www.wsj.com/articles/samsung-...nes-1438215502

Ab · 7th August 2015, 11:07

Android

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/...ty-armageddon/

BWDOWN · 7th August 2015, 11:32

Haha

/Android

http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald...maru-residents

mr selfdestruct · 7th August 2015, 12:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWDOWN

Samsung's great slide into oblivion continues.. The S6 clearly wasn't the sales winner everyone predicted

Samsung mobile's profit slide down 37.6% YoY

http://www.wsj.com/articles/samsung-...nes-1438215502

Did you seriously just link to a news item we need to create an account to view?

mr selfdestruct · 7th August 2015, 13:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ab

Android

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/...ty-armageddon/

Wow. Looks like they can kiss widespread enterprise adoption goodbye with those security risks.

Also, *thumbs up ios/windows*

BWDOWN · 7th August 2015, 14:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr selfdestruct

Did you seriously just link to a news item we need to create an account to view?

It wasn't a subscription story when I posted it, but appears it is now..

Here's a free one, stating the same with a graph even!

http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/...it-crash-in-q2

Ab · 7th August 2015, 16:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ab

Android

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/...ty-armageddon/

You'll shit bricks:

https://youtu.be/PxQc5gOHnKs

crocos · 7th August 2015, 17:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ab

You'll shit bricks:

https://youtu.be/PxQc5gOHnKs

This is a suitable reason to like being in my walled garden. The jungle outside is dark and dangerous.

Adakar · 8th August 2015, 00:45

You'll shit bricks:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ake.shitbricks

Ab · 8th August 2015, 17:42

another day, another Android security disaster that won't get patched:

http://blog.checkpoint.com/2015/08/06/certifigate/

_indigo1 · 12th August 2015, 02:02

I just wanted to beat Ab

crocos · 12th August 2015, 04:15

Reinforcing his point is hardly "beating" him.

Jodi · 12th August 2015, 09:59

FFS. This android business is getting so shitty I'm contemplating making my own damned cellphone.

Good thing I'm lazy or I would have actually done it by now.

crocos · 12th August 2015, 13:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jodi

FFS. This android business is getting so shitty I'm contemplating making my own damned cellphone.

Good thing I'm lazy or I would have actually done it by now.

There's always Windows Phone

Savage · 12th August 2015, 15:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by crocos

There's always Windows Phone

It's been a couple of years since I sold my Windows phone in disgust. Are they any good yet?

crocos · 12th August 2015, 16:41

If you only want the utter basics? Then yeah actually, not bad at all. Want to get into apps - even the ones MS boasts about? Fahgeddaboutit.

Savage · 12th August 2015, 18:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by crocos

If you only want the utter basics? Then yeah actually, not bad at all. Want to get into apps - even the ones MS boasts about? Fahgeddaboutit.

Bugger - that's pretty much exactly why I got rid of it in the first place.
Oh well, cheers

Ab · 13th August 2015, 13:39

http://www.androidcentral.com/bubble...our-smartwatch

Magical

creamcheese · 14th August 2015, 04:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ab

http://www.androidcentral.com/bubble...our-smartwatch

Magical

I can't get past the close up image of them ground up fingers

Ab · 14th August 2015, 13:10

Taking it in the arse from every direction, Samsung announces its new strategy:

1. take a bad cheap copy of the iPhone, then add a stylus and a hardware keyboard

2. ...

3. profit!

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/d...13-giyulx.html

crocos · 14th August 2015, 15:08

It's not even a proper hardware keyboard. It's just a plastic accessory that snaps over the top.

BWDOWN · 14th August 2015, 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ab

Taking it in the arse from every direction, Samsung announces its new strategy:

1. take a bad cheap copy of the iPhone, then add a stylus and a hardware keyboard

2. ...

3. profit!

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/d...13-giyulx.html

I didn't think it was possible for Samsung to drop the ball even further than they already have, but I was wrong.

The Note 5 is already proclaimed as the worst mobile phone announcement this year. The thing is why release one phone when you can release two with identical specs bar the screen?

Decrease Battery size, Remove SD, Fixed Battery, Increase Bloat, Increase Pixels, Increase MHz, Increase RAM

This Note 5 unpacking is even worse than the S6 launch and that was a disaster

creamcheese · 15th August 2015, 04:30

With any luck Samsung Pay will be accepted in Apple stores, to help people switch to iPhone.

blynk · 10th September 2015, 13:06

OMG. Have you seen what Apple has done.
Instead of taking a photo, users can not take a bunch of really quick photos in a row, so it looks like a moving picture.
And you can have audio on it too.
I wonder what they will call this. I'm picking iVideo.

pxpx · 10th September 2015, 13:13

blynk · 10th September 2015, 13:15

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/71...f-harry-potter

10th June 2015, 14:14	#14921
CCS Stunt Pants	Considered a Oneplus One? What's your budget/requirements? __________________ I just want to understand this, sir. Every time a rug is micturated upon in this fair city, I have to compensate the owner?

11th June 2015, 09:15	#14926
mr selfdestruct The Deliverator	On a side note, seeing people talk on a Note was hilarious before, seeing them do it with one of those super ghey phone sleeve / wallet contraptions on it looks even stupider. "Look at me, I'm talking into my handbag". __________________ My real signature is not nearly as legible as this one.

11th June 2015, 13:26	#14927
MadMax Stuff	Cause it's not an iPhone. (@mpx) MrSD: the ones that completely fold over are not so bad. Couple of staff here have them. Not that I endorse them at all __________________ My degree of sarcasm depends on your degree of stupidity. Last edited by MadMax : 11th June 2015 at 13:29.

10th June 2015, 15:12	#14922
mpx .	The requirements are basically whatever Spark sells, and I don't think Oneplus One is there Price can go either way, they're basically crediting my account the price of the Z3 ($999) and I can either pay a bit more or pay less and have credit on my account. From the Spark website there doesn't seem like there's a heck of a lot of choice, I narrowed it down to Note 4 (because of the pressure sensitive pen) and S6. There's the M9 HTC but if I'm changing phones I would like one that has a decent camera since the Z3 one is so astonishingly poor, so that counts the HTC out. It really sucks because I love the Z3, I'm tempted to get another but I really don't want to risk it - the waterproofing, amazing battery and the feel of it is just so great though! I know the S6 battery just won't compare at all (though I'm okay with charging it at night, I know it will comfortably make it through a day, just not make it through a day with 60% left like the Z3!)

10th June 2015, 15:33	#14923
BWDOWN	If you like it get it.. Just because its not selling doesn't mean its bad. The only major downside that is often remarked upon and you will probably find it less than half of the Z3 is battery life. 3-5 hours screen on time seems the norm Sadly my best mate in Brisbane is onto his 3rd one, only admitted to me last night as I rag on his edge. Both times fast charging has melted the internal accelerometer and rendered the phone stuck in portrait mode. haha Samsung customer service is send it away and we will return it within 5 to 7 business days (last one was new) not sure if new this time. They nicely gave him a loaner Nokia C005 to use for the week Samsung customer service __________________ Second place is the first loser.. Last edited by BWDOWN : 10th June 2015 at 15:34.

10th June 2015, 15:55	#14924
Savage	FWIW, I've found the Note 4 to be excellent

10th June 2015, 16:23	#14925
mpx .	Thanks guys. Savage: You threw a spanner in the works! I was kinda set on the S6 haha. I know the Note 4 has impressive battery life, just not sure if I can live with the size I've been reading all over about the S6 and it seems there's a loud majority (as is always the case) that are unhappy with isolated problems, but most are loving it. I suppose it's the same as the Z3, everyone except me and a vocal minority seems to be having a great time with it! BWDOWN: Honestly, that customer service sounds like heaven compared to what Spark had to do for Sony! They bent over backwards trying to satisfy them!

17th June 2015, 15:38	#14929
mpx .	I was slightly convinced to get a Z3 again, but on the way to dropping my faulty one in, the usual faults happened and I just got sick of the phone, so when I got there I looked at my options; it basically came down to the 6+ and the S6. They are both pretty amazing phones, but two things made me choose the S6 over the 6+, OS and price. The 6+ was a few hundy more than the S6 and since my time on Android I just cannot seem to gel with iOS anymore. I loathe to say this, but for me nowadays Android, "just works." iOS feels really claustrophobic and while it's still blazing fast it for some reason feels clunky at the same time. I tested the cameras on both phones, 6+ is so, so fast. It's not by much but it's still faster than the S6 in whipping the phone out and taking a photo, and having that first photo be perfect. The S6 does this as well, but the 6+ just slightly took the lead for me. The end results are both extraordinary, especially coming from the woeful Z3's camera! When I handled the Z3, I knew it was expensive. It felt expensive, but it never felt solid. The S6 feels like quality. It is just so robust and solid, it feels great to hold in my hand - the Z3 never inspired this kind of confidence even though both were glass front and back phones. I had an S3 once, my main gripe was how cheap it felt, mostly because of how accessable everything was (and as a result, everything was plastic), but this phone feels so goddamn nice, I can't put it down! Battery life seems slightly under the Z3, but I'm still getting home with ~40% battery left, which is absolutely great for me. Honestly, this phone really is tops. The 6+ is also fantastic but iOS and the price ultimately turned me to the S6.

17th June 2015, 19:48	#14930
BWDOWN	Be interested to hear your opinions in 3 months time. I still think its astonishing that 9 months down the track the 6/6+ can still be compared to the S6 even when the S5 is closer release wise. I guess its flagshipvflagship __________________ Second place is the first loser..

18th June 2015, 12:15	#14931
mpx .	It was just the two phones that I was looking at potentially taking home at the time, nothing else came close. If I were a fan of iOS and wanted to pay a few extra hundy I'd be just as happy with the 6+ I'm sure, it's purely a subjective reason for going for the S6.

28th July 2015, 13:33	#14934
Ab A mariachi ogre snorkel	Because Android, episode 987359 http://arstechnica.com/security/2015...text-messages/

30th July 2015, 16:35	#14935
BWDOWN	Samsung's great slide into oblivion continues.. The S6 clearly wasn't the sales winner everyone predicted Samsung mobile's profit slide down 37.6% YoY http://www.wsj.com/articles/samsung-...nes-1438215502 __________________ Second place is the first loser..

7th August 2015, 11:07	#14936
Ab A mariachi ogre snorkel	Android http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/...ty-armageddon/

7th August 2015, 11:32	#14937
BWDOWN	Haha /Android http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald...maru-residents __________________ Second place is the first loser..

8th August 2015, 00:45	#14943
Adakar	You'll shit bricks: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ake.shitbricks

8th August 2015, 17:42	#14944
Ab A mariachi ogre snorkel	another day, another Android security disaster that won't get patched: http://blog.checkpoint.com/2015/08/06/certifigate/

12th August 2015, 02:02	#14945
_indigo1	I just wanted to beat Ab

12th August 2015, 04:15	#14946
crocos	Reinforcing his point is hardly "beating" him. __________________ Ξ √ Ω L U T ↑ ☼ N وكل يوم كنت تعيش في العبودية

12th August 2015, 09:59	#14947
Jodi	FFS. This android business is getting so shitty I'm contemplating making my own damned cellphone. Good thing I'm lazy or I would have actually done it by now.

12th August 2015, 16:41	#14950
crocos	If you only want the utter basics? Then yeah actually, not bad at all. Want to get into apps - even the ones MS boasts about? Fahgeddaboutit. __________________ Ξ √ Ω L U T ↑ ☼ N وكل يوم كنت تعيش في العبودية

13th August 2015, 13:39	#14952
Ab A mariachi ogre snorkel	http://www.androidcentral.com/bubble...our-smartwatch Magical

14th August 2015, 13:10	#14954
Ab A mariachi ogre snorkel	Taking it in the arse from every direction, Samsung announces its new strategy: 1. take a bad cheap copy of the iPhone, then add a stylus and a hardware keyboard 2. ... 3. profit! http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/d...13-giyulx.html

14th August 2015, 15:08	#14955
crocos	It's not even a proper hardware keyboard. It's just a plastic accessory that snaps over the top. __________________ Ξ √ Ω L U T ↑ ☼ N وكل يوم كنت تعيش في العبودية

15th August 2015, 04:30	#14957
creamcheese	With any luck Samsung Pay will be accepted in Apple stores, to help people switch to iPhone. __________________ wtf. cheeser

10th September 2015, 13:06	#14958
blynk	OMG. Have you seen what Apple has done. Instead of taking a photo, users can not take a bunch of really quick photos in a row, so it looks like a moving picture. And you can have audio on it too. I wonder what they will call this. I'm picking iVideo.

10th September 2015, 13:15	#14960
blynk	http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/71...f-harry-potter