Technology Android

[dilla]

Yeah, here is the thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/galaxys10/comments/cf0bje
Since been deleted but there wasn't much to see there anyway.

The user, however, has been a day-zero owner of the S10+, or claimed to have been, and posted a ton on the S10 sub about how upset he was that Sprint/Samsung had not released the latest security patches. He made plenty of comments in the numerous threads where other users were pathologically obsessed with getting the latest security patch. Making countdowns of how many days it had been since the last OTA update. He made his own thread this time declaring his secession from Samsung.

He was a prominent user on the sub. Well, a very vocal one, at least.

I know people did something similar with one of the iPhones. I think it was the 5 or 5S, where Apple had used either Sony or TSMC in their models. Basically, two suppliers and one was better somehow than the other and people were going mad trying to get the "right" one. Maybe not Sony, since that sounds like a camera thing. Maybe Samsung? Or Apple vs TSMC? I dunno, but I'm sure you heard of it.


The current butt-hurt is Exynos vs SD on the S10 sub. For the S7, the Exynos was the one to have with the great battery life and maybe better performance on benchmarks. It seems that has flipped for the S10 and now it sucks to have an Exynos. Or you would think so the way people are going hysterical over the differences between the two, nearly six months after the phone's release.

 

[dilla]

So, Apple just acquired a majority stake in Intel's modem division, or something?

Looks like Apple is trying to make all their iPhones and iPads out of all-Apple parts in the future. Well, aside from the screens, which I think they still plan to go through Samsung for that.

 

[masta247]

So, Apple just acquired a majority stake in Intel's modem division, or something?

Looks like Apple is trying to make all their iPhones and iPads out of all-Apple parts in the future. Well, aside from the screens, which I think they still plan to go through Samsung for that.

I guess they have huge faith that iPhones will be a thing for many years from now.

I wonder if whatever Intel had was worth 1 billion. The reputation of their modem tech certainly wasn't good.

 

[dilla]

I guess they have huge faith that iPhones will be a thing for many years from now.

I wonder if whatever Intel had was worth 1 billion. The reputation of their modem tech certainly wasn't good.

The way one comment put it, Intel acquired a smaller company a few years back for much more than what Apple paid for Intel yesterday. Beyond that, I am not sure.

I think iPhones will be a thing five or ten years from now. Even if smartphones are somehow replaced in that time, I think Apple will still continue to sell the iPhone the way many OEMs made "dumb phones" when smartphones were gaining popularity. Also, I think the iPad will stick around for that time as well.

And I think I also read that these modems could be used in future MacBooks.

 

[masta247]

The way one comment put it, Intel acquired a smaller company a few years back for much more than what Apple paid for Intel yesterday. Beyond that, I am not sure.

I think iPhones will be a thing five or ten years from now. Even if smartphones are somehow replaced in that time, I think Apple will still continue to sell the iPhone the way many OEMs made "dumb phones" when smartphones were gaining popularity. Also, I think the iPad will stick around for that time as well.

And I think I also read that these modems could be used in future MacBooks.

Times change though and 10 years is a hell of a lot of time. Apple won't be able to use those modems for at least 4 years as that's for how long they have to be using the Qualcomm models as part of their settlement.
Don't forget that Intel modems were really bad - it'll take a lot of money, time and effort to make them competitive with Qualcomm, Broadcom or even Samsung or Huawei.
The gamble that they will recoup the investment is interesting, and remember that 10 years ago the best selling phone was still made by Nokia.

They will be able to use these in Macbooks or iPads, particularly in LTE/5G models. I assume that this will be actually how they'll try to cover part of the development costs soon. That's surely not worth the investment that Apple is making though.

 

[dilla]

Times change though and 10 years is a hell of a lot of time. Apple won't be able to use those modems for at least 4 years as that's for how long they have to be using the Qualcomm models as part of their settlement.
Don't forget that Intel modems were really bad - it'll take a lot of money, time and effort to make them competitive with Qualcomm, Broadcom or even Samsung or Huawei.
The gamble that they will recoup the investment is interesting, and remember that 10 years ago the best selling phone was still made by Nokia.

They will be able to use these in Macbooks or iPads, particularly in LTE/5G models. I assume that this will be actually how they'll try to cover part of the development costs soon. That's surely not worth the investment that Apple is making though.

I'm just spit-balling here but what if this means the end of searching for public wifi anywhere you go? If 5G takes off in 5 years and all major carriers offer it reliably, wouldn't it be a possibility that 5G or even LTE plans become the norm for people on tablets or notebooks? Infrastructure would have to catch up big time, but if we give Apple the benefit of the doubt that they are gearing up for a new frontier many years down the line, I think that would be one way it happens. Right now, I can only see people wanting an LTE modem in their notebooks if they travel a lot and need to do work while on the go, especially field work in rural areas. But that's just now, in 2019. Who knows what 5G is like 5 years from now and who knows how what we expect to use our devices for changes in that time too?

It could be a dumb buy, ultimately, for Apple, but with the decade-long rumors of Apple switching to ARM for their notebooks and wanting to be responsible for as much of their hardware was possible on their devices, I still have an open mind on what Apple could do with this. It may not be anything revolutionary, though I do hope they improve on the shoddy work Intel modems had in the past, but it could all be part of a plan that has been rumored for over a decade to be in total control of components of their hardware.

If it takes a lot of money, well, Apple is among the companies with the most money. They've whiffed on many features and tech in the past few years but maybe they're due for something big soon.

 

[dilla]

No headphone jack on the Tab S6. So, taking after Apple's iPad Pro?

Does Samsung honestly think copying the iPad Pro is the way to take any amount of marketshare from Apple in the tablet sector?

I heard the same rumor for the Note 10, that there was no headphone jack. Who's left now making headphone jacks that sells phones on a big scale?

Also, it was today I found out that the S10 and the S7 use the same QC 2.0 technology. lol wtf? I never paid attention to the different tech but when I thought about QC on the S10, I just assumed Samsung had stayed with the times and the S10 would charge even faster with QC 3.0 or 4.0.

Nope. Still the same 15W.

 

[masta247]

I'm just spit-balling here but what if this means the end of searching for public wifi anywhere you go? If 5G takes off in 5 years and all major carriers offer it reliably, wouldn't it be a possibility that 5G or even LTE plans become the norm for people on tablets or notebooks?

5G surely offers more bandwidth but for what you're saying to be true the carriers would have to invest in a boatload of infrastructure and dump that cost on their customers. LTE and 3G towers are peanuts in comparison to populating cities (and worst of all rural areas) with the numbers of towers that 5G requires. Their range is huge, so you can put an LTE tower in any given town and it's covered.
With 5G, you need to construct a tower on every other building or so and in many cases connect cable infrastructure to it. It makes sense in densely populated cities but that's pretty much it.

I'm not sure many people would be switching to a 5G iPad and paying bills for it instead of just using wifi as they do now.

Also, it was today I found out that the S10 and the S7 use the same QC 2.0 technology. lol wtf? I never paid attention to the different tech but when I thought about QC on the S10, I just assumed Samsung had stayed with the times and the S10 would charge even faster with QC 3.0 or 4.0.

Nope. Still the same 15W.

Samsung's prioritizing safety and longevity here. They already had one accident. QC 2.0 is extremely reliable at this point and keeps their phones cool. I quite like that. I think they determined that pushing batteries to the edge so their phones charge within 45 minutes instead of an hour-ish isn't a must-have feature.

 

[dilla]

5G surely offers more bandwidth but for what you're saying to be true the carriers would have to invest in a boatload of infrastructure and dump that cost on their customers. LTE and 3G towers are peanuts in comparison to populating cities (and worst of all rural areas) with the numbers of towers that 5G requires. Their range is huge, so you can put an LTE tower in any given town and it's covered.
With 5G, you need to construct a tower on every other building or so and in many cases connect cable infrastructure to it. It makes sense in densely populated cities but that's pretty much it.

I'm not sure many people would be switching to a 5G iPad and paying bills for it instead of just using wifi as they do now.



Samsung's prioritizing safety and longevity here. They already had one accident. QC 2.0 is extremely reliable at this point and keeps their phones cool. I quite like that. I think they determined that pushing batteries to the edge so their phones charge within 45 minutes instead of an hour-ish isn't a must-have feature.

Yeah, I get that it'll be expensive for carriers to deploy so many sites and that will take time away. I think the first signs of LTE I saw on Sprint were in November of 2012 and 7 years later, it's still not everywhere. It's everywhere I am, but I also live 20 miles from a major city. But beyond 100 miles of Chicago, admittedly more rural areas, I don't know how good LTE coverage is. On Sprint or any other carrier; even one as prominent as Verizon. So 7+ years after LTE began rolling out on a large scale in the US, there are still areas that don't have it as yet and 5G is going to be more of the same.

What might be different this time around is that companies like ATT and Dish have their hands in these carriers. ATT does both mobile phone service and home phone service. Home services in general, like TV and internet and phone, for the few people that still have home phones (like my family). They also acquired DirecTV. Despite all the worries of ATT getting too big (again), if having the infrastructure for mobile service, satellite service, and home services is already in place, that might make rolling out 5G towers that much easier.

Dish Network, if I'm not mistaken, had a hand in pushing the T-Mobile and Sprint merger through the DOJ approval process and while the deal still has yet to become final, Dish offers satellite and internet service, too.

This leaves Comcast/Xfinity on the sidelines for now, but they too have a carrier service that they offer.

So it may be a double-edged sword. Carriers team up with those companies and try to spread the cost of deploying infrastructure on a large scale (or simply find a way to use existing equipment) and then slowly build up wards from there. Solidify 4G/LTE service and then work towards 5G deployment.

Again, just spit-balling but those who said home providers would never get in bed with mobile carriers have to see what ATT did just a few years ago and wonder if that will still hold true. If money is to be made or there is a huge risk of being left behind their competitors, Comcast and others will most definitely lend their services and money to these carriers with the hopes of making big gains in the future. Or at worst, keeping their competitors within site (ATT).

It'll suck for consumers because now all their communications are basically going through one parent-company and there could be price-gouging but if the shift to 5G or LTE everywhere is inevitable, there's nothing you can do.

 

[Jokerman]

New iPhones coming soon. I can wait. Thinking about getting the Galaxy 9+ now that the prices have dropped some.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

The Galaxy Note 10 series looks stunning!

The Pixel watch might be released this year, featuring a camera underneath the screen.

Anything else interesting happening?

Does anyone use a chromebook? I'm hoping there is a mid-range Pixelbook 2 coming out this year.

 

[masta247]

The Pixel 3 isn't great but it's on a decent sale for $499 at the moment. I bet the sales were really below expectations, which is funny since I can't imagine the expectations were anything but low in the first place judging by how niche these phones are. A guy at my office even got one, which makes him the first casual dude I know to actually get one - the price makes it appealing.

The iPhone 11 makes me feel so uncomfortable to look at. I'd freak out if I had it and saw it facing down. I have no clue how that design managed to end up in the final product. Btw:

 

[THEV1LL4N]

What are you expectations for the upcoming Google Pixel event?

- I'm hoping they announce a new Pixelbook with a mid-range model,
- I hope that they drop the price of the Pixel 4, similar to how the iPhone 11 will be $50 cheaper than the XR.
- I think they'll announce truly wireless Pixel Buds
- I'm hoping that they launch a Google Play Pass subscription service to allow on-demand access to apps, games, books, films and TV shows.
- A range of Pixel watches and fitness bands would be nice.
- Smart speakers with integrated wi-fi extenders would be on my wishlist but I don't expect this.

 

[masta247]

I stopped watching or being excited for the Pixel events at about the same time Google killed the Nexus line and stopped tailoring their events to people who know anything about technology. I'm not saying this to sound geeky, rather that they went from tech enthusiast centered (which they were good at) to mainstream premium, which is quite mediocre coming from Google in my personal opinion. They did this to their hardware products and the way they are selling them. When you see their hardware, which is rather bad, and them trying to sell it for a premium with Apple-esque advertising, the incongruence (even more striking since they made a 180 turn from their Nexus days) makes it hard for me to dig anything coming from them these days.

The Pixel 4 leaks point to a device too ugly to consider, with poor screen to body ratio and still likely made with HTC leftover designs. Pixel Buds.. well, I already have the Galaxy Buds which I'm super happy with.

As for services, it's likely they will come up with something like you're describing (Google Play subscription service). Again, since I'm the guy who prefers to pay once and own my software/apps as opposed to paying monthly fees for anything, that's another pass for me. I feel like Google entirely lost my interest over the last few years.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

I think they could've done a much better job with their products and services as you say.

In regards to the Pixel 4, I was also hoping for more screen to body ratio. While I prefered how they were innovating in the Nexus days when working closely with Nexus partners, I am always hopeful that every Pixel device gets better and closes the gap with the rest of the phones. Hopeful that they can make something much more appealing without being the same as everything else or inferior. If the Pixel 4 disappoints, then I may wait for the Pixel 4a, which I may feel much more happier with as it will be priced much lower and have only a few compromises.

I think the Pixel Buds could set themselves apart with the Google Assistant integration and their potential, but this could be yet another Google product that lacks appeal as everything else is so much more established and like 'Allo', has all the potential in the world but is never appreciated.

The rumoured Pixelbook 2 has rounded edges, which don't look as great as the original (I think the original was perhaps Google's best designed product ever). I'm hoping the second gen Pixelbook looks very similar.

As for content, there are some things which I don't see the point in keeping, for instance paying £5 for a film which I want to see but probably won't watch again, at least the extra difference in subscription fees will open up a library full of content for me to watch at my leisure. In terms of music, the subscription model doesn't suit me yet, the only thing now is it is becoming more and more difficult to keep up with new music so when I want to listen to new music, I can't get it the way I used to or it takes a lot of effort to obtain it - is it really worth it? A subscription would save time and be safer. I wish that YouTube Music improves the audio quality and offers superior quality like Tidal does but it's just so millennial-centric that I really don't see that happening.

 

[Jokerman]

I do like the new colors the iPhone comes in

 

[masta247]

Xiaomi..:

https://www.gsmarena.com/redmi_8a_announced_in_india_starts_at_inr_6499-news-39333.php

That's a sub-$100 smartphone with thin bezels, an IPS display, a 5000mah battery and the same camera sensor the Pixel 3 uses. Good luck competing with these in the emerging markets.

Any competitiveness that the big, non-Chinese makers had in markets like India and China seems to be coming to an end with how incredible these recent Xiaomi and Huawei phones are. This is not only in the budget and mid-range anymore - the Huawei P30 Pro is still the best Android Smartphone over 6 months after its launch, and now Huawei one-upped it with the Mate 30 series (which got crippled by the lack of Play Store, otherwise I feel like they'd be the ones ending the Galaxy S series' supremacy).

 

[Jokerman]

Pixel 4. Looks nice...but Galaxy S10 better all around. Even the 10e is mostly better. Pixel's battery is disappointment. Still, decent phone for $100 less than they're asking. The 4 XL is a different story.

 

[Casey]

I bought a Pixel 4 XL. It's coming on Thursday!

 

[THEV1LL4N]

I bought a Pixel 4 XL. It's coming on Thursday!

1) Which store are you buying it from?
2) What are your thoughts on the standard Pixel 4?