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Are Android phones too big?

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  Are Android phones too big? RS Wood  <rswood@therandymon.com> - 2014-02-25 09:52 +0000
    Re: Are Android phones too big? Tim Watts <tw_usenet@dionic.net> - 2014-02-25 10:00 +0000
      Re: Are Android phones too big? Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> - 2014-02-25 05:58 -0800
        Re: Are Android phones too big? Tim Watts <tw_usenet@dionic.net> - 2014-02-25 14:47 +0000
          Re: Are Android phones too big? Adrian C <email@here.invalid> - 2014-02-26 10:43 +0000
            Re: Are Android phones too big? Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> - 2014-02-26 06:26 -0800
              Re: Are Android phones too big? Adrian C <email@here.invalid> - 2014-02-27 10:11 +0000
                Re: Are Android phones too big? Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> - 2014-02-27 06:35 -0800
                  Re: Are Android phones too big? Adrian C <email@here.invalid> - 2014-02-28 09:56 +0000
            Re: Are Android phones too big? Tim Watts <tw_usenet@dionic.net> - 2014-02-26 15:59 +0000
            Re: Are Android phones too big? Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> - 2014-02-27 06:38 -0800
      Re: Are Android phones too big? RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-02-25 14:55 +0000
        Re: Are Android phones too big? Tim Watts <tw_usenet@dionic.net> - 2014-02-25 17:13 +0000
          Re: Are Android phones too big? RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-02-25 20:12 +0000
            Re: Are Android phones too big? Tim Watts <tw_usenet@dionic.net> - 2014-02-25 22:43 +0000
              Re: Are Android phones too big? RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-02-26 19:28 +0000
    Re: Are Android phones too big? cykros@devio.us - 2014-02-25 20:22 +0000
    Re: Are Android phones too big? "Andy K." <andy.k466@gmail.com> - 2014-03-02 23:33 +0100

#885 — Are Android phones too big?

From the "I can't sit down" department:
Title: Are Android phones too big?
Author: info@quinstreet.com
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2014 07:00:00 -0500
Link: http://www.linuxtoday.com/upload/are-android-phones-too-big-140221100509.html

ITworld: I have considered switching to Android a number of times,
particularly given Apple's poor icon design choices in iOS 7.

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#890

On 25/02/14 09:52, RS Wood wrote:
>  From the "I can't sit down" department:
> Title: Are Android phones too big?
> Author: info@quinstreet.com
> Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2014 07:00:00 -0500
> Link: http://www.linuxtoday.com/upload/are-android-phones-too-big-140221100509.html
>
> ITworld: I have considered switching to Android a number of times,
> particularly given Apple's poor icon design choices in iOS 7.
>

I wouldn't touch Apple with a bargepole - based on 2 things:

1) My old (4.5 year old iPhone 3G) works perfectly at the hardware 
level. However, it is not impossible to install any (practically) apps 
on it as the apps all demand a later version of iOS which is not available.

2) Samsung IME make some top rate phones. My old Galaxy S2 was nice but 
battery life was not good. However, the Note 3 I have now does well in 
the battery dept and is so overpowered in terms of CPU and RAM that it 
never chokes up even with several apps on the go. The missus who wants a 
small form will go for the G4 or maybe hang out for the G5.

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#906

On 2/25/2014 2:00 AM PT, Tim Watts typed:

> 1) My old (4.5 year old iPhone 3G) works perfectly at the hardware
> level. However, it is not impossible to install any (practically) apps
> on it as the apps all demand a later version of iOS which is not available.

Try http://www.whited00r.com/ for its third party firmwares based on the 
latest Apple's iOS firmwares. There are third party apps. servers.
-- 
"Thanks for giving me the courage to eat all those ants." --unknown
    /\___/\         Ant(Dude) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
   / /\ /\ \                Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
  | |o   o| |
     \ _ /        If crediting, then use Ant nickname and AQFL URL/link.
      ( )         If e-mailing, then axe ANT from its address if needed.
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on this computer.

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#910

On 25/02/14 13:58, Ant wrote:
> On 2/25/2014 2:00 AM PT, Tim Watts typed:
>
>> 1) My old (4.5 year old iPhone 3G) works perfectly at the hardware
>> level. However, it is not impossible to install any (practically) apps
>> on it as the apps all demand a later version of iOS which is not
>> available.
>
> Try http://www.whited00r.com/ for its third party firmwares based on the
> latest Apple's iOS firmwares. There are third party apps. servers.

OOh - thank you sir. I will look at that!

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#953

On 25/02/2014 14:47, Tim Watts wrote:
> On 25/02/14 13:58, Ant wrote:
>> On 2/25/2014 2:00 AM PT, Tim Watts typed:
>>
>>> 1) My old (4.5 year old iPhone 3G) works perfectly at the hardware
>>> level. However, it is not impossible to install any (practically) apps
>>> on it as the apps all demand a later version of iOS which is not
>>> available.
>>
>> Try http://www.whited00r.com/ for its third party firmwares based on the
>> latest Apple's iOS firmwares. There are third party apps. servers.
>
> OOh - thank you sir. I will look at that!

I'm doing exactly that with a first generation iPod Touch.


Also ye can enter the following in google to find compatible old OS 
software in itunes.

  site:itunes.apple.com/us/ "requires ios 2.0|2.1|2.2|3.0|3.1"

-- 
Adrian C

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#963

On 2/26/2014 2:43 AM PT, Adrian C typed:

> On 25/02/2014 14:47, Tim Watts wrote:
>> On 25/02/14 13:58, Ant wrote:
>>> On 2/25/2014 2:00 AM PT, Tim Watts typed:
>>>
>>>> 1) My old (4.5 year old iPhone 3G) works perfectly at the hardware
>>>> level. However, it is not impossible to install any (practically) apps
>>>> on it as the apps all demand a later version of iOS which is not
>>>> available.
>>>
>>> Try http://www.whited00r.com/ for its third party firmwares based on the
>>> latest Apple's iOS firmwares. There are third party apps. servers.
>>
>> OOh - thank you sir. I will look at that!
>
> I'm doing exactly that with a first generation iPod Touch.

Yep, that is what I have. I rarely use this used iPod Touch though. I 
started doing it since New Year's Day 2013 eve (not a party guy). When 
did you start using it? ;)


> Also ye can enter the following in google to find compatible old OS
> software in itunes.
>
>   site:itunes.apple.com/us/ "requires ios 2.0|2.1|2.2|3.0|3.1"

Yeah, but still annoying. :(
-- 
"Ladies and gentlemen, er, we've just lost the picture, but, uh, what 
we've seen speaks for itself. The Corvair spacecraft has been taken 
over--'conquered', if you will--by a master race of giant space ants. 
It's difficult to tell from this vantage point whether they will consume 
the captive earth men or merely enslave them. One thing is for certain, 
there is no stopping them; the ants will soon be here. And I, for one, 
welcome our new insect overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a 
trusted TV personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to...toil 
in their underground sugar caves."--Kent Brockman in The Simpsons' Deep 
Space Homer (1F13) episode.
    /\___/\         Ant(Dude) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
   / /\ /\ \                Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
  | |o   o| |
     \ _ /        If crediting, then use Ant nickname and AQFL URL/link.
      ( )         If e-mailing, then axe ANT from its address if needed.
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on this computer.

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#1030

On 26/02/2014 14:26, Ant wrote:
> On 2/26/2014 2:43 AM PT, Adrian C typed:
>
>> I'm doing exactly that with a first generation iPod Touch.
>
> Yep, that is what I have. I rarely use this used iPod Touch though. I
> started doing it since New Year's Day 2013 eve (not a party guy). When
> did you start using it? ;)
>

As it happens just a couple of weeks ago, I was trying to avoid 
installing Yahoo Messenger (for eBay alerts) on either my PC or mobile 
phones as YM is a malware magnet, and spotted my old iPod in a corner 
gathering dust; that item last powered up two years ago.

whited00r does throw a wobble sometimes, but for what I need it 
suffices. apptimemachine finds some stuff but ye just don't know if the 
contributed stuff there has dodgy back doors installed.

Hmm, I must give this thing its own LAN subnet....

-- 
Adrian C

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#1035

On 2/27/2014 2:11 AM PT, Adrian C typed:

> whited00r does throw a wobble sometimes, but for what I need it
> suffices. apptimemachine finds some stuff but ye just don't know if the
> contributed stuff there has dodgy back doors installed.

Yeah, that is an issue. Wobble as in crashes? I don't do anything 
personal on it like e-mails. I use it as a toy. :P
-- 
"Your parents were killed by ants?" --Idle Hands movie
    /\___/\         Ant(Dude) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
   / /\ /\ \                Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
  | |o   o| |
     \ _ /        If crediting, then use Ant nickname and AQFL URL/link.
      ( )         If e-mailing, then axe ANT from its address if needed.
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on this computer.

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#1076

On 27/02/2014 14:35, Ant wrote:
> On 2/27/2014 2:11 AM PT, Adrian C typed:
>
>> whited00r does throw a wobble sometimes, but for what I need it
>> suffices. apptimemachine finds some stuff but ye just don't know if the
>> contributed stuff there has dodgy back doors installed.
>
> Yeah, that is an issue. Wobble as in crashes? I don't do anything
> personal on it like e-mails. I use it as a toy. :P

Yep, it crashes. Primariy it's when scrolling about viewing 
applications, it resizes the icons incorrectly and then I get a message 
about now being in safe mode, with inactive restart buttons. I have to 
power cycle the thing.

I'll give it a few months and then redo the whited00r install.

On the backdoor issue, I really should put this on an isolated wireless 
LAN to the rest of my home network.

-- 
Adrian C

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#968

On 26/02/14 10:43, Adrian C wrote:
>
>   site:itunes.apple.com/us/ "requires ios 2.0|2.1|2.2|3.0|3.1"
>

Thanks! That search phrase I did not know about...

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#1036

On 2/26/2014 2:43 AM PT, Adrian C typed:

> Also ye can enter the following in google to find compatible old OS
> software in itunes.
>
>   site:itunes.apple.com/us/ "requires ios 2.0|2.1|2.2|3.0|3.1"

https://sites.google.com/site/appleclubfhs/support/advice-and-articles/finding-apps-for-older-devices 
as well that someone told me about a couple months ago. :)
-- 
"Still we live meanly, like ants;... like pygmies we fight with 
cranes;... Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify... 
simplify..." --Henry Thoreau
    /\___/\         Ant(Dude) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
   / /\ /\ \                Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
  | |o   o| |
     \ _ /        If crediting, then use Ant nickname and AQFL URL/link.
      ( )         If e-mailing, then axe ANT from its address if needed.
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on this computer.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#911

Tim Watts wrote:
> On 25/02/14 09:52, RS Wood wrote:
>> From the "I can't sit down" department:

> I wouldn't touch Apple with a bargepole - based on 2 things:
>
> 1) My old (4.5 year old iPhone 3G) works perfectly at the hardware
> level. However, it is not impossible to install any (practically) apps
> on it as the apps all demand a later version of iOS which is not available.
>
> 2) Samsung IME make some top rate phones. My old Galaxy S2 was nice but
> battery life was not good. However, the Note 3 I have now does well in
> the battery dept and is so overpowered in terms of CPU and RAM that it
> never chokes up even with several apps on the go. The missus who wants a
> small form will go for the G4 or maybe hang out for the G5.

I'm amazed that something like icon choices would ruin this guy's day, 
but whatever - different people have different ideas of aesthetics.  I 
decided not to go with an iphone because I find it boring that so many 
Americans all have the exact f*cking phone.  Androids are at least 
different.  Once in the ecosystem I found I liked it, except for that 
persistent, nagging doubt that getting that tied into Google's little 
sphere is actually a bad idea.  But until there's an alternative - Got 
my eyes on Jolla at the moment, and I was sad when WebOS died at the 
merciless/stupid hands of HP - I'll stay Android.

But I've got two phones - a Samsung Note III and a Samsung Pocket.  The 
first is too big, the second is too small.  The first is overpowered and 
the second is underpowered.

Nowhere are the tradeoffs of engineering more evident to the pedestrian 
than in mobile tech - you can't have it all, and I want it all.

I've settled on Nexus 7 for reading books or writing stuff (using a 
bluetooth keyboard), Note III for work when I can stick it in a suit 
pocket, and the Samsung Pocket for weekends when I don't need that much 
screen real estate.

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#922

On 25/02/14 14:55, RS Wood wrote:

> But I've got two phones - a Samsung Note III and a Samsung Pocket.  The
> first is too big, the second is too small.  The first is overpowered and
> the second is underpowered.

Galaxy S4/5 ?

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#928

On 2014-02-25, Tim Watts <tw_usenet@dionic.net> wrote:
> On 25/02/14 14:55, RS Wood wrote:
>
>> But I've got two phones - a Samsung Note III and a Samsung Pocket.
>> The first is too big, the second is too small.  The first is
>> overpowered and the second is underpowered.
>
> Galaxy S4/5 ?
>
>
Yeah, that's probably the sweet spot.  What seduced me about the Note 3
was the pen - maybe it's just nostalgia for my Palm Treo that I used
exclusively until about late 2012 :)  And actually, no regrets - the
Note 3 with pen is pretty cool.  Just too big for a pocket on the
weekends.

The Register (register.co.uk) has some funny phablet reviews, like the
one for the Samsung Max, where they show a guy with a thing almost the
size of a nexus 7 lifted to his ear, making a call.  He looks foolish,
as would I.

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#937

On 25/02/14 20:12, RS Wood wrote:
> On 2014-02-25, Tim Watts <tw_usenet@dionic.net> wrote:
>> On 25/02/14 14:55, RS Wood wrote:
>>
>>> But I've got two phones - a Samsung Note III and a Samsung Pocket.
>>> The first is too big, the second is too small.  The first is
>>> overpowered and the second is underpowered.
>>
>> Galaxy S4/5 ?
>>
>>
> Yeah, that's probably the sweet spot.  What seduced me about the Note 3
> was the pen - maybe it's just nostalgia for my Palm Treo that I used
> exclusively until about late 2012 :)  And actually, no regrets - the
> Note 3 with pen is pretty cool.  Just too big for a pocket on the
> weekends.

Yes - I like the pen too.

It's even clunkier with a protective skin like this one:

http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/armourdillo-hybrid-protective-case-for-samsung-galaxy-note-3-blue-p41319.htm

However it still fits my shirt pocket (just). Bit lumpy in trouser pockets.

But overall I like the larger screen. But if I had to go smaller, the S4 
would do the job - pity it only has 2GB RAM not 3GB - Loads of RAM seems 
to make a massive difference to the operation.

>
> The Register (register.co.uk) has some funny phablet reviews, like the
> one for the Samsung Max, where they show a guy with a thing almost the
> size of a nexus 7 lifted to his ear, making a call.  He looks foolish,
> as would I.
>

Luckily I don't talk much on mine - for me it's a mobile utility 
computer (maps, camera, video, data tether, car GPS, mouldymedia player 
etc).

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#998

On 2014-02-25, Tim Watts <tw_usenet@dionic.net> wrote:
> Luckily I don't talk much on mine - for me it's a mobile utility
> computer (maps, camera, video, data tether, car GPS, mouldymedia
> player etc).

That's my experience too - I consider it an awesome pocket computer
device that happens to have a SIM card in it for the purpose of having a
mobile data connection, not because I plan to call anybody.

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#930

RS Wood <rswood@therandymon.com> wrote:
> From the "I can't sit down" department:
> Title: Are Android phones too big?
> Author: info@quinstreet.com
> Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2014 07:00:00 -0500
> Link: http://www.linuxtoday.com/upload/are-android-phones-too-big-140221100509.html
> 
> ITworld: I have considered switching to Android a number of times,
> particularly given Apple's poor icon design choices in iOS 7

I would certainly argue "no" on this issue.  I have a Galaxy Tab II instead of an
Android phone specifically because they're too small to do much of anything on 
(a 4-5" screen is pretty dreadful with no keyboard).  Smartphones have fixed the 
problematic tendency we were seeing for phones to shrink and shrink and shrink
until we were worrying about losing them in our ear canals, and until the display
and input are detached from the size of the phone, the larger size is a good thing.

That said, give me some contact lenses that show me my display (over bluetooth, of 
course) and a decent wrist-top keyboard (or other similarly useful portable input
solution) and I'd be okay with seeing them shrink quite a ways to the point of
not even needing pockets to carry them (hell, build it right into the keyboard
for all I care).  As long as the touch screen is the be all and end all for I/O,
however, it should be as big as it can while still being carryable in cargo pockets.

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#1165

On Tue, 25 Feb 2014 09:52:18 +0000 (UTC)
RS Wood  <rswood@therandymon.com> wrote:

> From the "I can't sit down" department:
> Title: Are Android phones too big?
> Author: info@quinstreet.com
> Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2014 07:00:00 -0500
> Link:
> http://www.linuxtoday.com/upload/are-android-phones-too-big-140221100509.html
> 
> ITworld: I have considered switching to Android a number of times,
> particularly given Apple's poor icon design choices in iOS 7.

Yes, way too big! Most of the ones I see on offer are close to being a
"phablets" (as much as I find that word ridiculous).

I am sticking to my old HTC Incredible S, which already feels a bit too large,
and even paid for a front glass replacement after I broke it, because I just
can't find anything small enough on offer. Hopefully it will last me until
this fad is over, and smartphones can be smartphones again.

-- 
Andy

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