Technology Android

[dilla]

^Because we don't need the resolution to be that high anyway. It's not about improvements because manufacturers could easily release screens with way higher pixel densities. However 1280x800 is very high for a 5.3-inch screen (it's many more pixels than a 10-inch ipad 2 on barely a fourth of its area) and 480x800 is adequate for anything around or up to 4 inch so there's barely a point. They could improve the latter by a bit but anything slightly bigger than 480x800 isn't exactly very popular and takes more gpu power to handle. Unless you enjoy comparing macro shots of mobile phone screens you wouldn't see much of a difference anyway. There are still lower mid-ends with 3.65-inch screens and 240x320 resolutions and people find them acceptable.

Right. But Android isn't about being "adequate" is it? At least not the high end phones. 1280x800 is damn good. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about phones that have come out the past six months that still are stuck on the same resolution. Yet we have moved progressively forward with screen size ever since. from 4"+ all the way up to 5.3 now. Will the other phones follow suit and up the resolution as well?

 

[dilla]

2.3.6 just hit the streets.

 

[Flipmo]

HTC Flyer gets early Honeycomb leak, our dreams come true

By Daniel Bader on September 2, 2011 at 4:42pm in HTC, Mobile News

Remember that odd 7″ tablet that HTC released earlier this year that was running a highly-modified version of Android 2.3 Gingerbread instead of tablet-specific Honeycomb? We reviewed the Flyer (and thoroughly enjoyed using it), but yearned for some tablet-specific Honeycomb apps. We never knew when the company, who did commit to upgrading the tab to Honeycomb at some point, would indeed follow through. Well, now that its big brother, the 10″ Jetstream, is a reality and coming soon to AT&T, an early build of Android 3.2 for the Flyer has leaked to the ‘net courtesy of British Android extraordinaire Paul O’Brien.
Be careful when loading the leak, as you will not only lose root (and may not be able to get it back) but you risk voiding the warranty in the process.
Anyone willing to take the plunge, let us know how it goes, but we advise you to wait until next week when Paul claims he will be posting a safer, pre-rooted version.
Source: MoDaCo via Android Central

 

[masta247]

Right. But Android isn't about being "adequate" is it? At least not the high end phones. 1280x800 is damn good. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about phones that have come out the past six months that still are stuck on the same resolution. Yet we have moved progressively forward with screen size ever since. from 4"+ all the way up to 5.3 now. Will the other phones follow suit and up the resolution as well?

I believe that 4+ inch screens should get a bit higher resolution, yes. I agree. It's just nobody seems to step out and make a move to a less popular resolution. And it's not that important too. But so were dual-core processors and extraordinary GPUs, when even average ones still weren't maxed out.
The problem is that it's also a responsibility. Whenever someone comes up with something "better" noone will want to buy anything 'worse'. We have dual-core processors in phones and most people going for a Smartphone want a dual core processor, we have Tegra 2 graphics and everyone want it too. Sure, it's what makes people pay but on another hand when someone like Motorola comes up with a high resolution mobile screen people are like "whaaat, who the heck would need that?". So probably they're looking for the right moment, just like with dual core mobile processors.

 

[dilla]

I distinctly remember you saying dual-core was irrelevant unless programs were developed to incorporate both cores. Has that happened? Has it happened on a wide enough scale to start considering dual-core phones to be worth it? And has your view changed any since then?

I wish I could find the quote, but it was in this thread somewhere. It was the LG.....something. I believe it's the G2X here in the States.

 

[masta247]

I distinctly remember you saying dual-core was irrelevant unless programs were developed to incorporate both cores. Has that happened? Has it happened on a wide enough scale to start considering dual-core phones to be worth it? And has your view changed any since then?

I wish I could find the quote, but it was in this thread somewhere. It was the LG.....something. I believe it's the G2X here in the States.

Yeah I said that and personally I still think so. Perhaps the Ice Cream Sandwich will be a game-changer for dual cores but I still don't think they are needed. Sure Android is a resource-hog and more CPU power is a neat thing as it makes lags appear less often and all but.. they could've accomplished that with single cores too. In practice the second core is often more of a problem for a lot of people, since it drains battery faster, is more expensive, apps don't use it etc. etc. Looks great in benchmarks though.
There are very good models with dual-cores - especially the SGS2, of course. It would've been as good (or better for some people) with an efficient single core processor (for example an upgraded Hummingbird) but it wouldn't sell anywhere as good and Samsung wouldn't be able to sell it for its current price. Once you step higher people don't want to go lower, and the LG 2X started it all when it wasn't needed but it was a good enough time to convince people that it's a cool thing to have. Once quad cores step in (if that happens in a right moment) people won't want dual-cores anymore, no matter how silly it will be from a tech perspective. Of course everyone will have to start releasing quad-core cpu phones in order to stay competitive.

I've even fallen for that hype to some extent. I'm considering getting a new Android phone soon and prices have skyrocketed thanks to dual cores, and I almost feel bad when considering getting a single core (like the Xperia ARC or LG Swift Black) when everyone's hyped up for dual-cores even though I know that a single core cpu will be easily enough until I switch to my next phone and possibly a lot of time later too.

The only reason why dual-core might be better or more 'future-proof' is that now that they are so popular Google may come up with dual-core exclusive solutions, or focus on dual-core optimizations in their next Android.

 

[dilla]

Why don't you buy an unlocked phone in Canada or have it shipped from the US to where you are in Canada? I'm sure it would work out and you'd get your phone for much cheaper than it would be in Poland.

 

[masta247]

Yeah I'm thinking about it. What's the cheapest place online to do so? Amazon?
The biggest issue would be lack of warranty - the American one isn't valid here and I'd have to send it back to the US in case something happened to it.

 

[dilla]

Yeah, you'll be walking on eggshells the first year, but after that, it'll be like normal.

I mean, what's the worst that can happen? Have Samsung phones given you issues before?

And yes, I recommend Amazon Wireless or Wirefly.

Walmarts in the US also have wireless centers, but I'm not sure how they are with just buying the phone. They may have some weird rule where you have to buy it on contract, not outright. But their selection won't be as good either.

Amazon is best.

 

[ARon]

The geek talk was mainly introduced by Aron.

? No

http://gizmodo.com/5837045/apple-claims-android-started-with-them

I thought it couldn't get anymore ridiculous. Apple just seems scared

 

[Pittsey]

? No

http://gizmodo.com/5837045/apple-claims-android-started-with-them

I thought it couldn't get anymore ridiculous. Apple just seems scared

Fuck me. This is why I hate Apple.

 

[masta247]

While browsing Gizmodo I found a rumor that purchasing Motorola was a genius move not because of patents, but because this very department of Motorola develops cable and satelite set-top boxes. Picture the possibilities. They could potentially monopolize the market by selling Motorola set-top boxes running Android to end users and providing awesome services combining set-top boxes with Android phones. A huge step to creating a whole Android ecosystem.

And to add to "why we hate Apple":

According to The SF Weekly, Apple investigators looking into the missing iPhone 5 may have been impersonating San Francisco police officers. That's a crime.

The SF Weekly reached Sergio Calderón, who believes he was the person referred to as a suspect in a CNET story claiming that an iPhone 5 was lost in a bar. He tells The SF Weekly that six people with badges claiming to be San Francisco police officers stopped at his home and began asking questions about the missing iPhone 5. At least one of these men was actually an Apple employee.

With Calderón's consent, the six searched his home, car and computer. The SF Weekly also notes that the investigators questioned Calderón and his family's immigration status. He tells the Weekly that at no point did investigators ever claim to be working on behalf of Apple, and he still has no idea who was in his home, or rifling through the files on his computer.
"They threatened me," Calderón told The SF Weekly. "We don't know anything about it, still, to this day."

The San Francisco Police Department told Gizmodo it has no knowledge of the search.

Update: The San Francisco police department has changed its story. It now says some officers did accompany Apple investigators to Calderón's home. They did not enter the home, and Calderón was under the impression that the apparent Apple investigators who did enter his home were part of the SFPD.

However, The SF Weekly did reach one of them men who searched Calderón's home. Anthony Colon left his contact information with Calderón. The Weekly called him. It turns out Colon is not a member of the San Francisco police department at all. He's a former San Jose cop who now works for Apple. According to his LinkedIn profile he's a senior investigator for Apple. (Colon appears to have taken his LinkedIn profile down. Here's the Google cache.) The San Francisco police are looking into what went down.

It would not be the first time Apple has used private security to hunt down leaks. However, if the people who stopped in at Calderon's home were not with the San Francisco police, that's a crime. And if they were with the SFPD, they had an obligation to report the information to the department, which did not happen.

http://gizmodo.com/5837072/san-francisco-police-participated-in-search-for-lost-iphone-5
http://gizmodo.com/5836990/apple-in...rsonated-sf-police-in-iphone-5-search-updated

 

[dilla]

No....no. http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_new...it-helped-apple-in-iphone-hunt-says-sf-weekly

 

[Pittsey]

Apple can afford to buy the US government, let alone SFPD.

 

[masta247]

No....no. http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_new...it-helped-apple-in-iphone-hunt-says-sf-weekly

Yeah this was covered in the "update" part that I posted. They turned out to claim that they were there but they were just standing outside of the house and Apple employees were doing the searching and questioning. Anyway they didn't mention that they were Apple employees and not SFPD.

 

[masta247]

This looks like an epic tablet:
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_tab_7_7-review-638.php

Super Amoled plus, mofo.

 

[dilla]

Yeah this was covered in the "update" part that I posted. They turned out to claim that they were there but they were just standing outside of the house and Apple employees were doing the searching and questioning. Anyway they didn't mention that they were Apple employees and not SFPD.

Right, but it's different from many reports claiming that Apple impersonated police officers, which is a felony. That did not happen.

 

[S O F I]

^Yeah but this situation is still shady as fuck. how do you not tell the guy that the people searching his house are not SFPD?

i wouldn't defend this behavior. also, apple trying to sue android due to the rubin thing. it's pathetic.

 

[dilla]

http://9to5mac.com/2011/09/02/no-ap...c-MacAllDay+(9+to+5+Mac+-+Apple+Intelligence)

 

[S O F I]

"Contradicting past statements that no records exist of police involvement in the search for the lost prototype, San Francisco Police Department spokesman Lt. Troy Dangerfield now tells SF Weekly that “three or four” SFPD officers accompanied two Apple security officials in an unusual search of a Bernal Heights man’s home."

That's still fucked up. You're not supposed to let civilians search other people's houses while you stand and bask in your authority. It's still shady as fuck.