Technology Android

[masta247]

I see. I thought Nokia's "flagship" Android phone was part of Android One. Is it not a flagship and instead a low-end phone, like you said?

I agree about phones today. It varies from person to person when exactly an "adequate" phone was released for the. Like Aron feels his busted 6P is still good for him. I'm fine with my 2+ year old S7. People with iPhones are still fine with their 5S or 6 from 4 years ago.

If you're strong enough to not buy in to the hype of the newer phones' marginal upgrades and keep your current phone in good shape, it might force OEMs to get more creative and/or widen the time between new models. I know carriers have a big hand in forcing updates with the 2 year contracts. Those are gone now, but many people 25 and older still grew up with the concept of getting a new phone every 2 years back when flip phones were still a thing. Now there are monthly installment plans and even 12 month leases and people might feel like once the lease is up or the phone has been paid off, they're ready for a new, shiny phone.

I ignore articles mentioning the notches. I know it was a big deal with the iPhone X was shown to have a notch but I thought I read that it was on the status bar up top and didn't obstruct anything. I don't know if that's the case with Android phones, but I can't imagine it being any different. I couldn't tell you what the benefits of a notch were, though. So I don't stand on one side or the other on the subject of notches on phones. Maybe when I start looking for a new phone it'll be a bigger issue for me.

I think the Nokia phones are an exception, as they don't have their own software that could be mature enough to compete or stand out in any other way, so going Android One was a perfect choice.

The notch is just one of those things that people are divided on. To me, I really would have a hard time getting used to it. I couldn't even get used to the lack of symmetry that the edge displays on Samsung phones deliver. Having part of the screen cut out and gone would be much worse than that. I know that there are people who don't mind the notch (although most polls show that most people do) the point is that it's something that a lot of people are divided on, with a lot of folks considering it a no-no on their potential phone. Similar with the lack of a headphone jack (I have my own headphones with traditional jacks that I'm not willing to replace with wireless ones, or any new ones, as my headphone collection is worth more than the phone itself) or wireless charging, which outside of Samsung and now Apple is available only on a few less interesting phones (again, I have a wireless charger everywhere now and can't imagine going back to cable charging).

Judging by the above I tick all the boxes for being unhappy with any flagship phone on the market right now, and my aging Galaxy S6 has it all in that regard (except that it's aging). Regardless, some people might care a lot about one, but not the other things of the above, which still makes it difficult to find the perfect new phone, as they are usually controversial in one way or another. You can go with the Galaxy S9 which tries to please everyone, but still comes with an Edge display. The iPhone X has the notch and no headphone jack, the iP8 has a symmetrical display, but the design is old and it has no headphone jack. LG phones now also introduced the notch, Pixels have no jack and no wireless charging. OnePlus deserves a special reward for managing to make literally everyone unhappy, with a notch, no headphone jack, no SD card slot, no wireless charging AND YET going for an all-glass-back which is usually a sacrifice for introducing wireless charging, which is not there on their phone.
All of those phones are very expensive too. Funnily, the phone that is close to perfect doesn't exist even in terms of basic features, and that's before diving in deeper to look for innovation and improvements, which are minuscule. I'm honestly surprised that the smartphone sales only took a 10% fall this quarter, but if the situation continues, the sales will continue to drop.

 

[dilla]

I think the Nokia phones are an exception, as they don't have their own software that could be mature enough to compete or stand out in any other way, so going Android One was a perfect choice.

The notch is just one of those things that people are divided on. To me, I really would have a hard time getting used to it. I couldn't even get used to the lack of symmetry that the edge displays on Samsung phones deliver. Having part of the screen cut out and gone would be much worse than that. I know that there are people who don't mind the notch (although most polls show that most people do) the point is that it's something that a lot of people are divided on, with a lot of folks considering it a no-no on their potential phone. Similar with the lack of a headphone jack (I have my own headphones with traditional jacks that I'm not willing to replace with wireless ones, or any new ones, as my headphone collection is worth more than the phone itself) or wireless charging, which outside of Samsung and now Apple is available only on a few less interesting phones (again, I have a wireless charger everywhere now and can't imagine going back to cable charging).

Judging by the above I tick all the boxes for being unhappy with any flagship phone on the market right now, and my aging Galaxy S6 has it all in that regard (except that it's aging). Regardless, some people might care a lot about one, but not the other things of the above, which still makes it difficult to find the perfect new phone, as they are usually controversial in one way or another. You can go with the Galaxy S9 which tries to please everyone, but still comes with an Edge display. The iPhone X has the notch and no headphone jack, the iP8 has a symmetrical display, but the design is old and it has no headphone jack. LG phones now also introduced the notch, Pixels have no jack and no wireless charging. OnePlus deserves a special reward for managing to make literally everyone unhappy, with a notch, no headphone jack, no SD card slot, no wireless charging AND YET going for an all-glass-back which is usually a sacrifice for introducing wireless charging, which is not there on their phone.
All of those phones are very expensive too. Funnily, the phone that is close to perfect doesn't exist even in terms of basic features, and that's before diving in deeper to look for innovation and improvements, which are minuscule. I'm honestly surprised that the smartphone sales only took a 10% fall this quarter, but if the situation continues, the sales will continue to drop.

I feel that the worst offenders of continuing to upgrade their phones without a real need for it are iPhone users. I can understand how hype is generated for simple features just for the sake of getting people to get the itch to upgrade. I don't know why someone would move from a 6S to the current iPhone lineup, especially the 8. The X, one could make a case for, but I feel that anything after the 6S is more or less the same. Kind of like the S7 to the S9. The big features are all still there. It would just be a bigger, slightly better screen and camera. And software updates for the S9 vs the S7.

Wireless charging is weird for me. It's obviously slower, unless you have a Fast Charging pad (which I don't) and while it can be convenient when you're lazy and just want to set the phone down, I have gone back to using my cable for charging for most of the past year. I still have my pad by my bed and at night I might set it on the pad, but otherwise I still can set my phone down, go to bed, and charge it from 50 or 60% to the 90s in the time it takes me to shower and get ready and head out the door.

It's a neat feature and I would probably balk at getting a phone without wireless charging, but I also don't use it enough to make a huge case for it. It just feels like it's tech that has been around for a few years now and should just be standard.

I was surprised to learn the Pixels don't have WC. I know about the headphone jack thing, but I thought WC would be standard on a phone that is supposed to be Google's pride and joy.

While I like Samsung for TouchWiz and hardware quality, I think the one big thing that will keep me with Samsung for the foreseeable future will be Samsung Pay. NFC terminals are still limited to some of the more pricier stores and restaurants. SP using the MST is big because I pay with my phone at most places with ease. And the Pay Rewards is also kind of nice. Keeping gift cards and membership cards digitally is also a big plus, but I think Google Pay now supports that. But merchants are still slow on buying or activating their NFC terminals in their stores. And SP is my way to get around that. I think Europe and even Asia has been good about getting the hardware setup for NFC in many of their stores. I think the majority of US stores still haven't gotten on board.

 

[k69atie]

I have a S7 edge at the mo really don't know if I should get the S9 when I upgrade in Sept

Is it worth it?

 

[dilla]

^ I don't think so. I have an S7 and it does everything I need to. Not sure if you're a power user that does more than social media and messaging (and occasional phone calls) but the S7 is a solid device as it is.

Even Masta is still using an S6 and he's an engineer that probably uses the hell out of his phones.

 

[masta247]

Wireless charging is weird for me. It's obviously slower, unless you have a Fast Charging pad (which I don't) and while it can be convenient when you're lazy and just want to set the phone down, I have gone back to using my cable for charging for most of the past year. I still have my pad by my bed and at night I might set it on the pad, but otherwise I still can set my phone down, go to bed, and charge it from 50 or 60% to the 90s in the time it takes me to shower and get ready and head out the door.

It's a neat feature and I would probably balk at getting a phone without wireless charging, but I also don't use it enough to make a huge case for it. It just feels like it's tech that has been around for a few years now and should just be standard.

I was surprised to learn the Pixels don't have WC. I know about the headphone jack thing, but I thought WC would be standard on a phone that is supposed to be Google's pride and joy.

To me, wireless charging is simply much more convenient. At home or at work, I don't need fast charging at all, as my phone is always at 100% as it's just charging when I put it down on the desk or by the bed. I just pick it up when I get up to always have it with me and put it back down to charge when I'm back. It's become such a simple habit that I just can't imagine having to plug and unplug the cable all the times like that, which now feels like a huge hassle compared to just putting the phone down on the pad.

The speed of regular wireless chargers is 1A, which is as fast as the iPhone cable charger, and 2A with fast wireless charging, which is like a standard, decent Android cable charger, or twice the speed of the iPhone cable charger. The only time I really care about faster charging than that is when I am out and actually have my QuickCharge wired charger with me, such as for topping up at Starbucks or something. Those are very rare, however, as I am more likely to just use a power bank when I'm outside, which doesn't do fast charging anyway. At home or at work wireless charger is just infinitely more convenient to me and I can't imagine giving it up anymore to go back to tinkering with cables. I like having my phone always fully charged and ready to go, and with no effort, and that's what wireless charging does for me. Also, the coil and the controller dropped to less than 5$ per phone, and are all that is required for a phone to do wireless charging - it just takes a tiny bit of space, but it's funny that it's not there on most phones.

I have a S7 edge at the mo really don't know if I should get the S9 when I upgrade in Sept

Is it worth it?

It's a small upgrade. I wouldn't unless I had to or really wanted a new phone. It's difficult for me to go for so long without a new phone to play with, but I'm still on the S6. Like Coonie said, it's just very hard to justify spending so much on a phone which wouldn't bring any significant improvements to the table. The S8 and S9 were updated in terms of their design (slimmer bezels, no physical buttons, fingerprint scanner on the back), with rather minor internal improvements.
I hope the new iPhones bring something new in September, then the new Pixels should be out, and a new Galaxy early next year. I hope one of those finally warrants an upgrade, although I've been hoping like this for a while now!

 

[dilla]

To me, wireless charging is simply much more convenient. At home or at work, I don't need fast charging at all, as my phone is always at 100% as it's just charging when I put it down on the desk or by the bed. I just pick it up when I get up to always have it with me and put it back down to charge when I'm back. It's become such a simple habit that I just can't imagine having to plug and unplug the cable all the times like that, which now feels like a huge hassle compared to just putting the phone down on the pad.

The speed of regular wireless chargers is 1A, which is as fast as the iPhone cable charger, and 2A with fast wireless charging, which is like a standard, decent Android cable charger, or twice the speed of the iPhone cable charger. The only time I really care about faster charging than that is when I am out and actually have my QuickCharge wired charger with me, such as for topping up at Starbucks or something. Those are very rare, however, as I am more likely to just use a power bank when I'm outside, which doesn't do fast charging anyway. At home or at work wireless charger is just infinitely more convenient to me and I can't imagine giving it up anymore to go back to tinkering with cables. I like having my phone always fully charged and ready to go, and with no effort, and that's what wireless charging does for me. Also, the coil and the controller dropped to less than 5$ per phone, and are all that is required for a phone to do wireless charging - it just takes a tiny bit of space, but it's funny that it's not there on most phones.



It's a small upgrade. I wouldn't unless I had to or really wanted a new phone. It's difficult for me to go for so long without a new phone to play with, but I'm still on the S6. Like Coonie said, it's just very hard to justify spending so much on a phone which wouldn't bring any significant improvements to the table. The S8 and S9 were updated in terms of their design (slimmer bezels, no physical buttons, fingerprint scanner on the back), with rather minor internal improvements.
I hope the new iPhones bring something new in September, then the new Pixels should be out, and a new Galaxy early next year. I hope one of those finally warrants an upgrade, although I've been hoping like this for a while now!

WC certainly is convenient and that's why I still use it. I do have FC enabled all the time on my phone, so if I'm at my desk near my outlet, I get FC power and I'm good to go in 30 mins for half a day. I have a car charger as well and two of our cars have Android Auto and I always use that. You did just remind me that I do actually use WC in one of our cars that has a WC pad built in. It's funny my sister's iPhone 7 can't do it, so I'm really the only one using it in that car. Same with my dad's iPhone 7.

It really should be a standard feature and while I can easily live without it, it is a red flag when an OEM doesn't include it. And most of them don't, including Google themselves, at least on the Pixel. Did the previous Nexus devices have WC? There's really no reason not to.

This reminds me of another feature I feel is ignored. NFC tags. I remember hearing about them 5 years ago and phones getting NFC readers was a huge deal despite Android Pay not being as big and Apple Pay being non-existent. Maybe people use them but I haven't read of anyone boasting about their tags. I thought they could be programmed to turn features on and off depending on location. Have on in the car that triggered bluetooth to turn on and WiFi to turn off. Have one at home to turn volume up and brightness down and one at work to turn vibrate on and WiFi on and data off, or something like that.

Did they just fall by the wayside or do they just not work like that? Or do they just not work all that well?

 

[masta247]

Did they just fall by the wayside or do they just not work like that? Or do they just not work all that well?

They can work exactly like that. Sony went full on with them back in 2012 and you could get a bundle of various NFC tags and configure phone behaviors any way you wanted. I think there was limited interest in the technology though and it didn't fully take off in the mainstream - I guess people decided it's cheaper/more convenient to just use toggles on their smartphones? Still, Sony doesn't advertize them anymore but still supports them, and generic NFC tags should work with any NFC-enabled phone if you have an app to set-up your phone's settings for each tag.

You can still buy them, with the Sony ones being here:
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-SmartTags-Wireless-Tags-Phone/dp/B00GM0DUYA
Some non-Sony ones:
https://www.amazon.com/NTAG215-Keyf...UTF8&qid=1527184743&sr=8-28&keywords=nfc+tags
https://www.amazon.com/NTAG215-Surf...27184743&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=nfc+tags&psc=1
And the Sony app here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sonyericsson.extras.smarttags


As you can see for 10$ you get a whole bunch of them. The NFC tags are universal, but I THINK the Sony app might work only with the Sony phones. I personally never used them, as I don't really change any phone settings except Wifi.

Edit: This guide is quite old, but this App "Trigger" seems to work on all NFC-enabled phones and enables you to REALLY customize a lot of behaviors that the NFC tags can trigger - you should be able to do all the things you wanted: https://www.androidauthority.com/trigger-nfc-tags-406302/

 

[dilla]

They can work exactly like that. Sony went full on with them back in 2012 and you could get a bundle of various NFC tags and configure phone behaviors any way you wanted. I think there was limited interest in the technology though and it didn't fully take off in the mainstream - I guess people decided it's cheaper/more convenient to just use toggles on their smartphones? Still, Sony doesn't advertize them anymore but still supports them, and generic NFC tags should work with any NFC-enabled phone if you have an app to set-up your phone's settings for each tag.

You can still buy them, with the Sony ones being here:
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-SmartTags-Wireless-Tags-Phone/dp/B00GM0DUYA
Some non-Sony ones:
https://www.amazon.com/NTAG215-Keyf...UTF8&qid=1527184743&sr=8-28&keywords=nfc+tags
https://www.amazon.com/NTAG215-Surf...27184743&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=nfc+tags&psc=1
And the Sony app here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sonyericsson.extras.smarttags


As you can see for 10$ you get a whole bunch of them. The NFC tags are universal, but I THINK the Sony app might work only with the Sony phones. I personally never used them, as I don't really change any phone settings except Wifi.

Edit: This guide is quite old, but this App "Trigger" seems to work on all NFC-enabled phones and enables you to REALLY customize a lot of behaviors that the NFC tags can trigger - you should be able to do all the things you wanted: https://www.androidauthority.com/trigger-nfc-tags-406302/

And how close do you have to be to the tags in order for them to be activated? If I want specific setting when at home, do I need to sprinkle tags in each room of my house or maybe one on each end of the house?

 

[masta247]

And how close do you have to be to the tags in order for them to be activated? If I want specific setting when at home, do I need to sprinkle tags in each room of my house or maybe one on each end of the house?

You have to pretty much tap them with your phone, at which point the settings of the given tag get applied to your phone until you tap another tag. The phone can read tags at up to a few inches.
A smart thing would be to have one at each entrance to the house and just tapping them when entering, then one in the car, one in the office, one in the pocket for "outdoor" settings etc.

The alternative solution is to use 'Tasker'. You can change your phone's behaviors based on location or depending on which wi-fi network or Bluetooth device your phone is connected to, for instance. It has a lot of options.

 

[dilla]

You have to pretty much tap them with your phone, at which point the settings of the given tag get applied to your phone until you tap another tag. The phone can read tags at up to a few inches.
A smart thing would be to have one at each entrance to the house and just tapping them when entering, then one in the car, one in the office, one in the pocket for "outdoor" settings etc.

The alternative solution is to use 'Tasker'. You can change your phone's behaviors based on location or depending on which wi-fi network or Bluetooth device your phone is connected to, for instance. It has a lot of options.

Yeah, I'm familiar with Tasker but this was about 4 years ago. The UI was a bit complicated and setting up rules seemed...complicated.

I'll take a look again; I think I bought it for 99 cents or something with some special deal they had with the Google Rewards money. Maybe they've made it a bit more simpler like ITTT, or whatever that service is that lets you automate simple commands.

 

[Pittsey]

Wireless charging is a game changer in the car. You just drop it in the centre console and it charges... It's not in the beemers yet, but it's coming. I'm looking to get a 6 series, so I'm hoping you can retrofit

 

[masta247]

Lol:
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/apple-rejects-steam-link-app,37116.html

One of my huge problems with Apple's "walled garden". Rejecting an app because of "business reasons" is ridiculous. They either wanted the money, or they consider it a threat to their own, shittier services, so they think they can just reject it. I'm not cool with that.

 

[dilla]

Lol:
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/apple-rejects-steam-link-app,37116.html

One of my huge problems with Apple's "walled garden". Rejecting an app because of "business reasons" is ridiculous. They either wanted the money, or they consider it a threat to their own, shittier services, so they think they can just reject it. I'm not cool with that.

Apple does have some shitty business practices. They are kings in the tech world, worth billions. Even if someone hates Apple, they see their devices as a status symbol, for better or worse.

And still, Apple acts like an insecure and arrogant prick sometimes, especially when threatened or challenged.

 

[k69atie]

Apple does have some shitty business practices. They are kings in the tech world, worth billions. Even if someone hates Apple, they see their devices as a status symbol, for better or worse.

And still, Apple acts like an insecure and arrogant prick sometimes, especially when threatened or challenged.

I cannot stand apple

 

[dilla]

We were just talking about NFC, Masta.

https://9to5mac.com/2018/05/25/apple-will-reportedly-open-up-nfc-in-ios-12/

Hotel room key? That's kind of nuts. For those hotel keys that you just hold over the handle and it unlocks, that's NFC? I never thought about it.

 

[masta247]

We were just talking about NFC, Masta.

https://9to5mac.com/2018/05/25/apple-will-reportedly-open-up-nfc-in-ios-12/

Hotel room key? That's kind of nuts. For those hotel keys that you just hold over the handle and it unlocks, that's NFC? I never thought about it.

Technically they're RFID, and NFC is a subset of those. A lot of them would need refitting. I think it's an obvious thing to have all cards on the phone. That said, Vancouver only recently implemented new bus pass cards that can't be coded/accessed through the phones and I wondered why. Then there's something that surprises me a lot:

In Poland, you can access all the services with your phone. Banks have apps that you can pay with, public transit has an app replacing the bus pass card and the government has an app for digital ID replacing all ID cards (you can still use physical cards if you're less tech-savvy, but you don't have to). Not to mention all sorts of promo cards being mostly digital-only. Everything is on the smartphone and all of the above take advantage either of NFC or barcodes. Basically, the phone is all you need, no need to carry any cards, or even a wallet for me over there.

I lived in Hong Kong back in 2013-2014 and they went even further. They have this thing called the Octopus card - it's a card for everything, that you can also have a digital version of (on your phone). It's a bus pass/payment card/ID/discount card and it's all you need there, in one card/app. NFC on the phone defaults to it and it automatically adjusts to work for the fares/payments/promos/identification etc, depending on where it's used.
It's better because in Poland you still need several apps, but still, at least you don't need to carry any cards.

Now in Canada, I have to carry around 10 cards with me at all times, for things I thought were obviously on the phones everywhere, not to mention cash for the few old school places that are still cash-only. The first time I ordered pizza I was surprised that the delivery dude didn't have a card machine, asking for cash - I didn't have any at home, as I was caught off guard that it might be needed. The first Christmas here I got my first wallet/card holder since around 2010, and I dread having to carry so much useless stuff in my pockets whenever I leave home.

Then I found out that freaking cheques are still a thing here! Mailing a cheque to pay for rent in 2018 was one of the most ridiculously outdated things I have ever done, as I had thought that they were gone since the early 90s, like back home. I had to physically show up at the bank to open my first account, business sending mail instead of e-mail and also, actual paper copies of documents are required for way more things than I could imagine, and that's in a city that aims to be the cleanest by 2020, paying for full-on recycling of all of that paper that was needlessly used in the first place, punishing for not recycling, yet not for wasting paper in the first place.

And now I wonder why the technology adoption doesn't progress at the same pace over here? You can technically do something in a much better, safer, faster and more convenient way, but people seem to live like it's the 1960s and nobody seems to wonder if it's not a little bit too ridiculous with all the technology being used everywhere else.

 

[dilla]

Technically they're RFID, and NFC is a subset of those. A lot of them would need refitting. I think it's an obvious thing to have all cards on the phone. That said, Vancouver only recently implemented new bus pass cards that can't be coded/accessed through the phones and I wondered why. Then there's something that surprises me a lot:

In Poland, you can access all the services with your phone. Banks have apps that you can pay with, public transit has an app replacing the bus pass card and the government has an app for digital ID replacing all ID cards (you can still use physical cards if you're less tech-savvy, but you don't have to). Not to mention all sorts of promo cards being mostly digital-only. Everything is on the smartphone and all of the above take advantage either of NFC or barcodes. Basically, the phone is all you need, no need to carry any cards, or even a wallet for me over there.

I lived in Hong Kong back in 2013-2014 and they went even further. They have this thing called the Octopus card - it's a card for everything, that you can also have a digital version of (on your phone). It's a bus pass/payment card/ID/discount card and it's all you need there, in one card/app. NFC on the phone defaults to it and it automatically adjusts to work for the fares/payments/promos/identification etc, depending on where it's used.
It's better because in Poland you still need several apps, but still, at least you don't need to carry any cards.

Now in Canada, I have to carry around 10 cards with me at all times, for things I thought were obviously on the phones everywhere, not to mention cash for the few old school places that are still cash-only. The first time I ordered pizza I was surprised that the delivery dude didn't have a card machine, asking for cash - I didn't have any at home, as I was caught off guard that it might be needed. The first Christmas here I got my first wallet/card holder since around 2010, and I dread having to carry so much useless stuff in my pockets whenever I leave home.

Then I found out that freaking cheques are still a thing here! Mailing a cheque to pay for rent in 2018 was one of the most ridiculously outdated things I have ever done, as I had thought that they were gone since the early 90s, like back home. I had to physically show up at the bank to open my first account, business sending mail instead of e-mail and also, actual paper copies of documents are required for way more things than I could imagine, and that's in a city that aims to be the cleanest by 2020, paying for full-on recycling of all of that paper that was needlessly used in the first place, punishing for not recycling, yet not for wasting paper in the first place.

And now I wonder why the technology adoption doesn't progress at the same pace over here? You can technically do something in a much better, safer, faster and more convenient way, but people seem to live like it's the 1960s and nobody seems to wonder if it's not a little bit too ridiculous with all the technology being used everywhere else.

Sounds like a problem the US has, too. Although, the train that connects the city to the suburbs here does use electronic payments, but it still somehow manages to be weird. When you buy tickets for the train, they're stored in an app just for that train system. You get on the train and you tap a ticket and confirm that you want to use it and the image on the screen turns into a train moving across the rails and the background turns blue. As the conductor walks by, you show them your phone with the blue image of the train gif and that's it. You'd think they'd just scan it as you walked it, or something, but instead you have to sit like an asshole with your screen on, facing the aisle and waiting for the conductor to walk by and see it. I guess it's complaining too much now that I say it out loud but the US' public transport is shit so keeping bus cards and train tickets digitally is the bare minimum we do but still, I don't think we can use Google or Samsung Pay to pay as we get on a bus or train. It still needs to be purchased ahead of time.

Forget about IDs being digital. Driver's license is the main form of ID at most places here and you need a physical one and I doubt any state has it in electronic form. I do feel comfortable in most places walking in with just my phone and using Samsung Pay but some places still have odd credit card machines and I'm never 100% sure they'll work. Most chain stores work just fine but sometime you'll go to a smaller store and they'll have a dinky machine and it would suck to not have cash on you if Pay didn't work. So out of fear of embarrassment, I just keep my wallet on me in most places.

I don't see this changing quickly any time soon for the US.

 

[ARon]

Could be fake but they usually show some truth but screen protectors for Pixel 3 leaked, little one doesn't have a notch at the top, big one does. That's annoying

 

[dilla]

Could be fake but they usually show some truth but screen protectors for Pixel 3 leaked, little one doesn't have a notch at the top, big one does. That's annoying

This reminds me, we haven't had an update on what sources we use for tech/Android news.

I made a Twitter list of a lot of tech blogs but I realized I never manually go and check that list. Compared to the lists I made for the news and car news, which I check multiple times daily.

I get most of my news from the Android subreddit and it looks like I don't miss a whole lot of news as far as hyped phones and flagships. The smaller, mid-range phones I never paid attention to to begin with.

But I saw those leaked screen covers as well but just glanced at the pics and that was it. Didn't read the comments about it. Even the biggest Google/Nexus phone Stans will be upset about something when it's revealed so I'll just wait until there's more info on it and decide on it.

BTW, my friend upgraded from an S5 to an S9 last weekend. He lives across the country so I'll have to ask him how he's liking it. Get that Samsung Pay referral too

 

[masta247]

I don't see this changing quickly any time soon for the US.

Yeah, I don't really get that. I can see some places using the old school card machines, but even getting a NFC/Paypass add-on costs literally 59$ for any retailer: https://squareup.com/ca/contactless-chip-reader

A retail store spends 59$ once and is suddenly able to service everyone using cardless transactions. Not getting that is bonkers to me even from the pure business perspective.

Having overcomplicated payment apps is also crazy. It's enough to just see how others are doing it, and doing something similar. Digital IDs are super convenient - you can have a physical card, but also a system accepting digital IDs. It really works well, if anyone needs to keep your ID (if that's legal in the states) there's an option to transfer its basic info through NFC in a secure system, through a government app, which is also more secure than giving someone your whole ID card.

Same with papers - e-documents are really as good as printed papers for all intents and purposes. Most businesses use scans anyway, which also come with the big detriment of not being easily search-able and having to store the original papers somewhere. Digital documents are simply better, not only greener. They can be signed across the world within seconds with digital signatures, no need for storage space, and they can be easily found in the system repository's search function that also works for their contents.

It just bugs me when we have the means to do cool things but we choose not to.

Oh and by the way.. my Canadian bank still doesn't work with Google/Android/Apple pay, not to mention me having a debit card I can't buy stuff online with Apparently I would have to get a credit card for the online shopping part (no Google/Android/Apple pay either) but being European, I REALLY don't want a credit card. Then apparently credit score is a thing here too, which I wouldn't build without one. That's sort of upside down from the European system, as having a credit card there lowers your chance to get the desired mortgage, showing that you can't live on what you make.
I don't mean to criticize on the system here so much, as I really like it in Canada, but some things are just really crazy to me and make me wonder why nobody's changed it yet.