Re: DIY
For the 99% of the population who aren't going to be farting around setting up a tiny computer the actual real answer is to get a Roku/FireStick/Apple TV/whatever all -in-one media device floats your boat.
135 publicly visible posts • joined 26 Jun 2009
@gskr: you echo my thoughts precisely, the transreflexive screen is a fantastic asset, no waving the watch around or pressing a button to see the time. I've not seen any of the current crop of devices that replicate it.
@CraPo: I've got an adapter so I can use standard straps and currently have a two-piece NATO style strap. This completely exposes the back and makes charging a doddle. I did get a right-angle micro-usb which made it easier when I was using the standard rubber strap.
I seem to have to reset the watch more and more as it starts missing notifications though. I've just upgraded to Oreo on a OnePlus Three and I'm not getting any text or calendar notifications.
"The capacitive buttons alone caused me prefer using the OnePlus to just about any other Android I’ve used this year. Manufacturers removed these in a spasm of penny-pitching a couple of years ago, but they make it vastly easier to operate the phone in the car, I find. Curiously these never light up"
Unless things have changed for the 3T, there is a setting to have them light up, but annoyingly they only light up when you have used one. I'd much prefer that they were on whenever the screen is on. And agreed about car use, the fingerprint reader as a physical home button makes life much easier and less distracting.
As an aside, apparently the back camera now uses a sapphire instead of whatever is in the standard 3.
I'm glad I got my 3 when I did as I don't need the extra features and wouldn't have spent that the extra for a 3T.
Edit: I've just noticed that you included a screenshot of the Buttons settings page and it shows the the Backlight option for the capacitive keys.
We have two of the first gen Swifts in this house and they are very capable devices. I'd be tempted by one of these for myself if the screen was 1080p and the fingerprint scanner was on the front, but I guess I'm just going to have to wait for my OnePlus Three order to get to the front of the queue.
The interesting thing for me, is how this G Spot will affect those who signed up when it was Google for Domains and use it for family accounts. We still can't sign up for Family Subscription/Sharing on Google Music, although Google Trips & Google Spaces has just started working.
"We don't want massive slabs, we want a normal-sized phone "
Strange, I don't remember being polled as to whether I want a 'massive slab' or not. FYI I'm more than happy with my 5.5" OPO thank-you very much, and I can't see myself downgrading to a smaller screen any time soon.
I've got to ask, why the hell is 'meat' (I presume, from the context, that that is what the 'm**t' is) bleeped out? Is it some kind of vegan trigger warning and if they see the word written out in full they will instantly want a bacon sandwich (on sliced white, no butter, brown sauce). And of course they'd never be able to figure it out for themselves, like dogs and the b-a-t-h.
"I pay nothing for 30GB .."
Not totally sure of the relevance but I'll bite; following that logic you could have an almost infinite amount of space (exaggeration for effect) as you can keep on creating new Google accounts, but in the context of this article (where the principle is keeping all your photos in one place) how does that help you?
Most of my bonuses I would have gained whether I pay for storage or not, but admittedly some of these will eventually expire.
A thumb down for a factually accurate account of the current state of play with storing photos on Google services? I am perpetually surprised how petty some people can be.
I really don't understand why there is all this song & dance about this magical new service. I've had all my photos uploaded to Picasa Web Albums for years, these photos were also visible through Google+ Photos and now all they've done is split Google+ Photos into it's own URL (https://photos.google.com).
From the Android side, my photos were automatically uploaded and you could select to have them compressed if you didn't want them to take up your storage allowance. I pay $5 a year for 20GB (a legacy deal that I get to keep as long as the payment never fails) plus through various offers have a total around 100GB available so I upload full size.
Picasa Web Albums is still available and offered easier organisation of photos than G+ Photos. I had to switch to G+ Photos in Chrome in order to edit the photos though. In addition to this, the photos are also visible through Google Drive.
_I_ want to decide what constitutes an album not some algorithm. Also, I would like to tag people in my photos without an email being sent to them and the photo automatically being shared with them, so that I can keep track of who is in which photo, something that was available in the Picasa desktop software but I haven't used that for years.
So what's new?
Edit: The article mentions 1TB, implying that is the lowest paid tier offered, but you can get 100GB for $1.99/month.
I'm wavering over whether to get one of these, partly as a media player connected over HDMI to the tele. It should allow me to retire the NowTV, AppleTV & Chromecast.
Also of note, you can get a £30 trade-in cashback (you have to send off an old working tablet) by buying from some suppliers (incl. Amazon, Staples & eBuyer).
Still wavering though.
"Worried about what you see on Twitter? Turn off the computer and do something else. Problem solved"
This OnePlus One battery ignited in somebodies pocket and left them with a nice burn.
"You won’t be able to touch all areas of the screen without using your other hand"
I can very easily reach all parts of my OnePlus One's screen with my thumb whilst holding it in the same hand, although admittedly I do have to adjust the position of the fingers that are supporting the device's back but the sandstone finish gives me confidence that it's not going to slip. It'd be interesting to see if it's technically possible to do the same on the 6 Plus but the smooth back & sides makes it feel unstable.
There's these things, you may have heard of them, called re-views where somebody, stay with me here, who has ALREADY SEEN THE FILM writes down their opinion of said film in a medium you can access, such as a website or magazine. Now, I know precisely what you are going to say here; "How do I know that the re-view-er" (for that is what these self-less individuals are called) "thinks the same as me?", well, I'm glad you asked, what you can do is view their previous re-views for films that you have also viewed and see if their view matches your view! I know, right, it's mind-blowing! And get this, you can even read/watch multiple re-views for the same film from different people to get different views!
You're welcome.
A down-vote, really? I'd love to hear the chicken-shit excuse for down-voting a personal anecdote that backs up a statement by the reviewer.
It must be the latest hipster must have (not); "hey, my phone is so cooool that it doesn't even have a front facing camera, other people photo _my_ beard"
Some people seem to be so small minded that they can't imagine a scenario why they'd want to use something (x-ref; Facebook & Twitter articles) so they seem to feel they can slag off anybody who might be able to.
"The Moto E doesn’t have a front facing webcam, an omission that rendered me slack-jawed with surprise when I first noticed it. Initially, I assumed it was an oversight on the spec sheet."
Ditto
My eldest needs a new phone and I would have been all over the Moto E but this is a deal breaker. As it is I got a 16GB Moto G for £20 more and son-of-mine can have my Galaxy Nexus.
It's funny the things that trigger long buried memories; this has reminded me of an edition of Tomorrow's World where a spray coating had been applied to an electric drill and the inventor put the connected drill in a tank of water and started it. It must have worked as he wasn't immediately fried. I think the presenter at the time was Maggie Philbin.
I've had an import for a few months and have just received a UK edition. For my use-cases it works perfectly, everything is done from an Android device and the content I use it for is mainly from Google Play Movies (both rented & bought; Game of Thrones series 3 was available a long time before you could get it on DVD), YouTube and now iPlayer. I also use an Xbox360 for streaming LoveFilm or NowTV but it's rare that I don't get any buffering though this, the Chromecast seems to handle it better when I have one kid skyping and another watching youtube.
I have a RaspBMC for streaming local content from my NAS.
This does not surprise me. The RSPA has always been a rogue organisation which tries to scare the general public into believing that they are part of the police force by the use of uniforms and calling their agents 'officers'. They do do some good work, but they also persecute others, especially those that aren't taken in by their bully-boy tactics.