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- trooperbill0
anyone got the google pixel 2 xl yet? (mine arrives 15th nov) want to know from a trusted source if things are as bad as people are saying?
- imbecile1
that screen burn though... :(
- only on the xl, right?ben_
- yes, only the XLBennn
- innovationmonospaced
- ben_0
I'm in the converted camp.
I was on apple for 3 years after my nexus 5 bit the dust and setting up the p2, it really shows how far android has come.
Google assistant is so far ahead of siri it's maybe a bit unfair to even bring up, here's an example: My wife's name is (I guess) hard for computers to pronounce. With Siri, I would have to go through a dumb amount of steps to correct this just so that car play would allow me to use voice commands to call her instead of remembering some obscure pronunciation. Don't even get me started on friends who's names are in any way considered ethnic.
Using assistant, the pronunciation was figured out on it's own in what I can only imagine is a ridiculously complicated algorithm, but one that seems simple and intuitive to me, the end user. The future of that AI looks pretty incredible.
Transferring data from the iphone to the pixel was pretty seamless as well, thought that it would be choppier - I've got gmail, google business and exchange accounts to deal with. Only a couple apps weren't available on android, none of which I care too much about fortunately.
I can still understand the argument that Apple's ui is cleaner and simpler, but most of that seemingly comes with a lack of choice around what you can do with the phone in the first place.
To each their own and all that, but overall I'm impressed.
- mg331
Holy hell... I'm breathing a sigh of relief after making the decision to not keep the Pixel 2. Realized tonight that my entire weekend has been filled with an insane level of bipolar-type debating on whether this phone was for me or not. And it's not. Took a couple days to figure it out, but that's how it goes.
Ultimately, I just don't have the f'ing time to wrap my head around something that felt like a radically different device. I tried to ask myself "will this all feel normal in a month?" and realized that no, it won't. However cliche or tween of me this sounds, being an iPhone user since 2008, the phone and it's OS practically feels like an extension of my hand at this point. It's amazing to see how engrained we can become in a daily process like using a phone.
Among the things I did not like about it:
- The interspersing of work and personal email addresses across the phone. It resulted in notifications going off for Gmail and Inbox for the same messages being received in both phones.
- Various apps did not have an Android version. I did my research before buying it to see what really wasn't available, but two apps were not: 1) The Fuji camera WiFi transfer tool. 2) An app like TagsDock to manage hashtags and easily insert them into Instagram. Nothing but garbage in the Android store. I can't believe the shit some people put out as apps.
- I thought I'd be able to export my Apple Health data to Google Fit, but either it requires some dev-level approach or it's just not possible. If it is, I'm sure it will take way too long and that's the point I decided to give up on it.
- Chrome SUCKS on Android compared to Safari on iOS. I did not like that it was so easy to see regular tabs and Incognito tabs if you were adding a new one of either. iOS's ability to shift to Private Tabs and remain there until you switch back is great.
- The notifications stuff just seemed too wild compared to iOS. Annoying more than anything, it just felt too busy.
- I did not like that sharing something from certain apps pulled up a list of contacts to "Share With" before it listed apps you can share to. And there was no way to manage this without getting some ugly app that, when you share something, pops up and asks you if you want to share with that app (where you can restrict what/who to share to) or use the phone's regular sharing tools.Oh... and if that's all not enough, I dropped the damn thing without a case on it and slightly dinged one of the bottom corners. Screen is fine, once it's got a case on it you'd obviously never know. So now I don't want it, can't return it. Anyone want to offer a reasonable but lower amount than $750 for it and buy it off me? It's an unlocked black Pixel 2, 128GB. I can't believe I dropped it the first day I had it, I was beyond pissed so I've seriously just blocked it all out of my mind.
Might try for the iPhone X this week, otherwise still using my iPhone 7 with iOS 10.
- You had me at 'Holy hell'
I'm not going near that phone :)PonyBoy - I get why people like Android, I really do. I like Material Design quite a bit. It felt weird to see it in action for the first time on a phone in my hand.mg33
- where is benn? BENN! someone doesn't like android!pango
- Something else that drove me crazy: all the extra clicks. In iOS if you have to enter your passcode, the device opens as you enter the last number.mg33
- On Android, you have to click a checkmark after entering the passcode. Not a big deal, but pretty annoying.mg33
- Lol at chrome sucks compared to safari. Fucking hell. It's better in almost every single way. Nevermind, each to their own I guess..set
- Also it's not hard to turn specific notifications off, lol...set
- There's a definitely a case of being completely used to something though. Android does everything I need it to almost perfectly...set
- ... and using my ipad pro which I have for illustration, aside from the brilliant few apps, is a horrible, poorly designed unintuitive experience in comparisonset
- Pattern swipe requires no extra clicks and is much quicker than a pass code, or just touch (not even click) your finger on the fingerprint sensor to unlock...set
- ... in zero clicksset
- The only real issue I can see of yours is the lack of the few apps you were used to. I don't have that issue on my phone but definitely had to buy an iPad..set
- .. rather than android tablet for illustration and music productionset
- thanks for the comments set. The lack of certain apps is a bigger problem than I thought it would be. Music-making apps, specifically.mg33
- Yea it's a shameset
- hey mg33 the Fuji transfer is there! I have it!Bennn
- You had me at 'Holy hell'
- mg330
Alright.
Got the phone yesterday. Did the setup process. It didn't transfer from my iPhone properly because it ran out of power, but I thought I'd play around with it for a while. Currently doing another fresh transfer after resetting the phone.
At first, I was really resistant to even considering liking it. I've been using an iPhone since probably 2009 - old habits die REALLY HARD and though I like Material Design, to use it in action is odd. It takes some getting used to. Within an hour I told myself "this isn't for me" and was prepared to box it up and send it back.
But I spent more time last night playing around with it, adding some apps that didn't transfer, learning about the screens, control center, etc.
I'm coming around and after waking up thinking about it this morning, I'm definitely coming around on it.
There's one nagging issue I'm trying to resolve, and that's restricting my work gmail (with an @companydomain.com address) to the Gmail app, and not having it show up in Inbox, which I use for my work email. They have been seperate on my iPhone forever and it's just the way I do things. I'm having trouble setting one email as the phone's primary account. For example, my personal email is the primary, obviously. But when I went to buy an app, it only showed my work email as the purchase email. I do not want this at all.
Aside from that, I think I will come around on it. I really like the portrait mode on the camera. Made some photos of my daughter look really fantastic.
- settings > change account > email address. any other email accounts you use with gmail will work fine if set up on desktop before. never had this issue - I havefadein11
- about 4 diff addresses coming into gmail. Android doesn't control that - just your google account you are signed in as. Unless I have misunderstood your issue.fadein11
- It's more like email accounts are added to the phone, not to individual apps. Both my work email and personal email are available in Inbox and Gmailmg33
- Sorry I think I understand the issue now. I use K9 mail app for one work address - it's separate from Gmail - that's how I do that for similar reasonsfadein11
- Just turn off which account syncs what in the account settings... I have multiple work and personal emails and have zero issuesset
- Yep - that's not what he asked - I thought he did at 1st. I have multiple email accounts in gmail. He wants to keep one separate from gmail. Which I also dofadein11
- with 1 account only for various reasons. I use a different email app for that - K9 - which keeps it separate.fadein11
- I think that's what he meant anyway, Gmail is great at accessing numerous emails so don't see the issue if not.fadein11
- It's really that I want to mirror how I use my iPhone. Two different email apps with two different accounts means I'm getting 2x the notification for everythingmg33
- Notification settings...set
- yeah turn off notification settings like you can for any app.fadein11
- notifications in*fadein11
- face_melter1
Trigger warning.
- The moral of this story is do not take a stanley knife to your phone, or try to bend it with all your might. I'll remember this.set
- Take note everyoneset
- lol at the DVsGnash
- The finger sensor being so easy to scratch is bad... esp if it renders it useless.zarkonite
- So everything Human build should be made of diamondBennn
- You can destroy pratically EVERYTHING around you with a cutter and your hand. Those videos are clickbaits.Bennn
- Why is there a 50p coin there if this guy is American? Or is that some generated voice?detritus
- As someone who hates to see waste, this was painful to watch.detritus
- Too right. Though at half a million views already he's making good money from it..set
- It may just be possible that one American lives in Englandset
- inconceivableimbecile
- I don't.
There's at least 40-odd.detritus - lol at Bennnnn. The sensor should be able to withstand punishment, esp. if it’s on the rear. They fucked it by not using ceramics.face_melter
- Bennn0
mg33, let us know if you survive the switch ;-)
I received my PIXEL2 today! Setting it up atm
- with the free Google Home Mini :D :D :D Cant wait to install itBennn
- Was supposed to come today but going to be tomorrow.mg33
- So many settings Ben! So many! You can customize for days. Even weeks!monospaced
- @Benn hows the screen?trooperbill
- Enjoy Benn - if its anything like Pixel1 you won't be disappointed. hands down best phone I have ever had.fadein11
- I love it! :D No complain yetBennn
- The camera is amazing, the stabilization is super effective. and the portrait mode blurring thing works better than expectedBennn
- Cool. I will be getting soonfadein11
- Bennn1
Google PIXEL 2 camera is gonna be even better in the next months!
"Surprise! Google hid a custom-built image processor inside the Pixel 2"
https://www.dpreview.com/news/60…
- craigatkinson0
Here's my twopenn'orth on the pixel / Google / Apple...You could stop reading now...
Pixel is the best phone I've ever used. All iPhones inc except the most recent. Very functional, AI works, OK Google works in most situations. Googles 'data harvesting' works well — the alerts it gives you are things you'd never have considered but work as good reminders and heads ups. Camera is outstanding, for a phone. Nothing really to fault. To my mind, price is fine, especially when you think what you would spend on a phone / sat nav / mp3 player / camera...
Google photos is a great backup but not as good as Apple photos for editing...Which almost replaces LR for me now.
Using a mac though...iPhones work better with macs. The phones aren't as good, in almost every way as the pixel, but as a group of things - tablet, phone, mac; Apple works best together.
Shame Google don't make a decent laptop, or at least one that runs Adobe.
Still stuck between iPhone / pixel, however.
- I don't have a single issue using my android device with my mac... What are yours?set
- No issue as such, just things are easier with apple. iMessage / music // podcasts / photo editing /craigatkinson
- worse w/apple though, general functionality, siri, battery, camera,craigatkinson
- Just a case of getting used to the new environment and it won't be any more difficultset
- yep - I am 100% mac when it comes to computers but Android for many years phone wise - never an issue. As opposed to my partner who is iphone and has endlessfadein11
- issues :)fadein11
- does their phone also have issues?craigatkinson
- trooperbill0
@mg33
- mg330
More Google / Android questions:
When you take photos, are they viewed in an app related to the camera, or do they go straight to Google Photos?
I'm currently copying over my iCloud photos library to Google Photos, trying to get most of my stuff situated before the phone comes later this month.
- Android apps work via permissions - you will be asked to allow your camera access to Google Photos, Contacts, Gmail etc.face_melter
- You can tailor where you want the pics to go - I guess with a Pixel they will go direct to Google Photos with the originals stored on the device.face_melter
- There normally a DCIM (?) folder which contains everything the camera takes. Android uses a folder structure so you can easily copy/move files around.face_melter
- If you're on a pixel then Google photos will be your default gallery app. Any other phone will have its own default appset
- I use the LG/Sony whatever phone I'm using's gallery app but download Google photos and have it back up every image I take/saveset
- That way I can delete stuff on my phone to keep it clean, save storage, wipe the OS etc but Google photos has everything backed upset
- You'll be able to 'delete from device' while still having it available on the cloudset
- Another great thing is that your phone shows up as a USB hard drive when plugged in to your computer, so you can just drag and drop stuff in and outset
- Without fucking with something like iTunes or the apple photo software I forget what it's called but remember how awful it wasset
- Recommend uploading your iTunes library to Google play tooset
- And import all your notes to Google Keepset
- I like the idea of drag and dropping files into a file structure on my phone. Old school and convenient.monospaced
- Yup, plugging in and getting immediate access is great. I can't do anything with my old ipad without updating and there's no space left.formed
- Which did you go for, XL or standard?craigatkinson
- Standard.mg33
- Dropping iTunes was the most complicated thing for me when I turned to Android. Now that I subscribed to Google Play Music, everything is A1Bennn
- yuekit0
I have to agree with his point that the border around the screen doesn't look great compared with Samsung phones.
- Yeah, they are a little behind on the overall design. All so close, though, I'd have to see in person, might not make a difference.formed
- The case on my S8+ makes a border (please, please stop making all glass phones!)formed
- Phone bevel size is impressive to me like a really big DVD collection is.monospaced
- I dont understand the bezel-less hype... i really dont care about bezel.Bennn
- And no bezels means unintented pressing many times for people with lbig hands like meBennn
- Yea i think it's fine. Similar to my LG G6 which I'm massively impressed with. Not a big fan of the Samsung screens that curve round the edge..set
- Yeah down to personal taste I guess. I really like the edge to edge design, even the S7 Edge which was kind of ridiculous :)yuekit
- ugly front. I like the back though.inteliboy
- His review are banal and rote. He reads the spec sheet, takes some photos, and... that’s it. Using RED cameras in 4K. Pointless.face_melter
- Ordered the pixel 2 xl last night. It was that or the note 8 and I wanted software updates more frequently loltrooperbill
- Bennn1
Just discovered https://www.google.com/culturali… Wow! This is really cool!
- mg33-2
It's in the cart... I just need to press the button.
Peer pressure, please.
- COME ON MAN! COME TO THE OTHER SIDE! YOU CAN DO IT! Seriously, you won't regrte it.Bennn
- you won't regrte it. But you may regret it.Bennn
- Kidding, you wont regret. Push that damn BUY button. :)Bennn
- I reserved mine already. Will receive it Oct 19thBennn
- You want the normal or XL ?Bennn
- You have Verizon mg33? How do you like it?
DO EEEET!kona - I've got AT&T so I guess I need the unlocked one, right?
And i just want the normal one.mg33 - I took the normal too. I once have a big phone and totally hated it. Bummer cuz the XL looks super nice.Bennn
- If you're just a little bit geek, you'll love playing around with all the customisation that Android offers, so much settings! You can do almost everything.Bennn
- Everyone's favorite pastime is to fiddle with their android phone settings. Who needs a Nintendo when you can wade through settings until the sun sets?monospaced
- Ok i guess im supergeek then. I like setting up anewphine or computer.Bennn
- the difference is that almost everytime your android phone doesn't behave the way you'd rather it did you can change it.zarkonite
- unlike Apple's design ethos which is basically to tell you you're doing it wrong... like changing the way you hold your phone because the antenna is shit.zarkonite
- lol mono. To be fair it is great being able to customise almost everything on your phone, visual and UX..set
- Something I use all day every day or really benefits me to have it looking and working exactly how I want it toset
- settings make me randyfuturefood
- :) why do you take it so personally, set? ;) But really, I hope you know I'm just playing with Benn here, the android superfanboymonospaced
- :[-]Bennn
- I WANT ONE TOO.notype
- I was laughing with you mono. I found what you posted to be humorous so I said 'lol mono'.. Not taking anything personally... !?set
- I know! You recently said I took all Apple criticism personally. :)monospaced
- You totally do ya big fluffy sausage xset
- Right back at ya.monospaced
- Bennn is not a fanboy, he's just very enthusiastic about everything.zarkonite
- lol :PBennn
- zarkonite1
Turns out that even tho there's no headphone jack, they give you a usb-c to 3.5mm adapter with the phone.
They are really turning Apple's smugness to their advantage.
- didn't the iPhone also come with an adapter and headphones?monospaced
- Yeah, you get an adapter. As you do with the Motorola phones. From over a year ago.face_melter
- then why is everyone complaining about getting adapters?!zarkonite
- utopian2
How many viruses and malware infections does it have already?
- there's no earphone jack so the viruses can't get inGnash
- As many as you want, the Play Store is a fantastic playground for Chinese malware and shonky apps.face_melter