Tag: Android

Categories
I See I Write

Goodbye Android … 12 Years We Had Fun

For 12 years I have been an Android user. Who would have known that my very first Apple product purchase is an iPhone 14 pro max? Here is a little story of my migration from Android to iOS.

Illustration by hitandrun.

Let’s get right to the point. Despite all the innovations Android and the hardware companies have over the years, despite all the years of denial, Apple simply makes better products. The followings are the specifics after 12 years of using Android products.

  • Android OS is fragmented, leaving manufacturers to update their custom OS. I have a 5-year-old Samsung S3 tablet. Samsung stopped updating the OS 2 years ago. Without security patches, would I feel safe using the perfectly fine albeit slower tablet? Err no. I have a work phone, a 4-year-old iPhone 8 provided by my company. Till today, Apple still patches the phone’s OS. I feel reassured.
  • Google phones in recent years are just not that good. To experience pure Android OS, you need a Google phone. My first Google phone was an LG Nexus 4. It was a great phone. Google has a few great phones post-Nexus 4. But Google has no interest in markets outside the US. I was able to purchase a Nexus 4 using a fake US address (the things we do to get a Google product). Google closed the loop for Nexus 5. Pixel 5 wasn’t even available here in Singapore. As for Pixel 6, with that fingerprint scanner fiasco plus other issues, I ain’t gonna get a Google phone in near future.
  • Android hardware doesn’t last. My Samsung A series lasted just over 1 year. The screen was dead. It isn’t covered by the warranty and repairing it may as well get another midrange Samsung phone. Prior to that, it was a Note phone. My household had two. Both died after 2 to 3 years. Both screens died in the end.
  • Unlike Apple, Google really doesn’t care about the markets outside the US. I got to experience Google Music when I had my Nexus 4 purchased using a fake US address. Once they closed the loop, they cut me off from Google Music because I am from Singapore. We can’t buy Pixel 5. Although Pixel 6 eventually arrived in Singapore, the cool color combos are not available. I don’t have to put up with this level of discrimination when using Apple products.
  • Google products including Android are the worst offender when it comes to user privacy. It is a conflict of interest really. Google’s advertisement revenue comes directly from our personal information and browsing history.
  • You may say top-of-the-line Apple vs Google vs Samsung cameras are very closely matched. But looking at the day-to-day photos from all sources, consistently, Apple users take better photos. What gives?
  • I was used to thinking that Apple products are too expensive compared to Android. But with hardware that doesn’t last and OS that doesn’t get patched after a set number of years, Apple’s price tag is justified.
  • As subjective as this may sound, Apple’s design is beautiful.
Categories
For the Geeks

Hands-on With Garmin-Asus A10, An Android Phone

The world seems like going Android, or so it seems looking at the recent phones that arrive at my review desk (this time from omy.sg).   Android platform does have its charm.  It is fast evolving.   Quite a number of manufacturers are designing phones based on Android platform.  The beauty of it is that Android phones are not homogeneous across different manufacturers.   Each offers a set of unique functionality.   Yet, when you switch from one Android phone to another, there is still this strong sense of familiarity.  With Google Sync, all your contacts and calendar appointments can be easily transfer from one Android phone to another – even if they are of the different brands.

I am aware of the Asus brand, because I assemble my computers and have used their PC components.   However, Garmin-Asus is new to me, as a wireless phone brand.  In this article, I am going to review on the A10 model.   A10 is elegantly designed, beautiful inside out.   It is certainly one phone I would love to be seen with (and I don’t say this often).   The strength of the A10 is the professional navigation system, both for vehicle and for pedestrian.  I have used the navigation services from various wireless phones while driving.   What A10 offers, as you will see later, is a world apart.  Its accuracy down to the speed limit of each section of the road, the listing of upcoming highway exits, and the reliable and responsive GPS system – I would have expected these functions from a profession GPS device, but not a phone.  To read more, click onto the link below.

  • Click here to continue reading the review.
Categories
For the Geeks

Extended Hands-on With Sony Ericsson Xperia X8

Previously, I did an article for Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro.  This time, they sent me their latest Xperia X8 wireless phone for review.  I don’t envy the wireless phone manufacturers.  To satisfy the mass market requirements – which at times contradicting to one another – must be hard.  I have my preferences.  Who doesn’t?  But as a candid reviewer, it is my job to ask around and understand the alternative perspectives and present the phone as it is.  For instance, some friends of mine prefer virtual keyboard to a physical QWERTY one.  They claim it is faster to type a message although I have my reservation.  For instance, some pick a phone based on how big the application icons appear.  And for instance, I would prefer to be able to set an alarm clock in the evening, switch off the phone, and my phone would ring in the next morning.  But some think it is not necessary and they’d rather leave the phone switched on the whole night.  One thinks it is a deal breaker if the phone does what I prefer.  To him, a phone switched off is a phone switched off.  No alarm, nothing.

After experiencing Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 for a couple of weeks, I have written an article for sharing.  For those who are looking for a one- or two-liner of what I think, Xperia X8 is a fun entry level Android smartphone with an appealingly light and small form factor.  Its decent battery life is convenience for those who are constantly on the go.

  • To continue reading, please click here.
Categories
For the Geeks

Hands-on With Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro

After attending the Sony Ericsson blogger event, the devices that left the most impression were the Xperia series.  Mainly because of my curiosity to the Google Android operating system.  When contacted if I am interested to get hold of a test unit for review, my initial reaction was to wait out for the new firmware update.  But since I was told that it would not make too much of a difference to the mini version, I shall try out the X10 Mini Pro first and the X10 later.

X10 Mini Pro is tiny.  Some asked how tiny it is.  Well, a picture speaks a thousand words.  As you can see in the picture above, in today’s world whereby phones are getting bigger and bigger, I am delighted to see some phones do get smaller.  X10 Mini Pro is still quite thick.  Mainly because of the full QWERTY keyboard.  But that is the trade-off.  I have tried phones with virtual full keyboard.  Thanks but no thanks.  Nothing beats a real keyboard.  For this phone, the keys are sturdy.  My only comment is that there are gaps between the keys.  I am used to keys that are closer to one another.  But that is a personal preference.

It is my first experience with the Android operating system (version 1.6) on a touchscreen phone.  It is responsive to my touch (via fingertip, not fingernail).  Indeed, I am satisfied with the sensitivity.  Because the screen size is tiny, at times some icons seemed to get in the way when I tried to navigate.  It is a matter of getting used to, I think.  There are four shortcuts at the four corners of the desktop: message, phone, music, and address book.  The phone supports multiple desktops that are available for customization.  At the bottom of the phone, there are three physical buttons.  Leftmost is the menu button that has different set of functions for different applications and scenarios.  Middle one is the quick access to desktop and applications.  Holding the middle one brings out the active application menu for you to toggle between running applications.  Rightmost button is to go back to previous menu or acts as a cancel command.  Overall, the design is intuitive.  In no time, I was acquainted with how the phone works.

The test unit comes with several key applications.  Facebook application works within my expectation.  So do the Google applications such as Gmail, GTalk, and Maps.  Additional applications can be downloaded from the Market app.  I have tried out the MSN Droid.  It is OK.  I have also tried out the SMS function.  Messages are organized into conversations.  In rare occasions, the virtual keypad may block the view of the newest message while replying a SMS.  Besides that, it is working as intended.

The browser is a real surprise.  Some of my friends are skeptical on web browsing using this tiny phone.  Surprise, surprise, the experience is positive.  First, the browser is responsive.  Second, there is a mechanism to easily zoom out to page view and zoom back into the web page’s location you want to read.  Effectively, you can jump to anywhere in the web page without scrolling left and right, up and down.

I am a music lover and have mixed feeling on the X10 Mini Pro music player.  The interface is basic.  Most of the operations are needed to perform in the computer linked to the phone – such as creating playlists or managing tracks.  I don’t seem to be able to find the repeat track function.  While the quality of the external speaker is a real good surprise (quite possibly the best compare to other phone models), the sound quality coming out from the headphones is basic.  It is not as dynamic as I would prefer and there is a constant background noise that you probably wouldn’t notice when music is played.  That noise appears to be more obvious in between tracks.

Continue with the music player, there is an Infinity icon (same goes to personal contact) that upon clicking, relevant videos are retrieved from YouTube within the player and it is pretty cool to be able to view the videos directly without the need to open up YouTube and search for the artist.

If you need a tiny phone with a touchscreen and a full QWERTY keyboard that fits well onto your palm, Xperia X10 Mini Pro is a good option.  Personally, I am much impressed by what a tiny Android phone can do.  Cynthia thought that it would be even cooler if the X10 Mini Pro swings out 90 degrees (just like the TV series Gossip Girl) instead of sideways.  As for me, I am happy that some phones do get smaller.