Android Device/OS Announcement - Sep 29th

Kobe

Very disappointed with this year's nexus, hello moto x style!

5starpool

What a joke Google. I've had Nexus phones for years now, and it looks like my next one won't be with those prices. Ridiculous.

flazio

So, if I have an original Chromecast, what is there about the new one which will make me want to upgrade?

Professey Chin

flazio wrote: »

So, if I have an original Chromecast, what is there about the new one which will make me want to upgrade?

Works on the 5Ghz WiFi band so its better for streaming. And faster like most product upgrades

murfilein

jesus, how the hell do i order on carphone warehouse through parcel motel?

cpw wants a mobile and landline phone number. my irish mobile number works in the landline number field in the format 089 xxxxxxx. but in the mobile phone field it doesnt accept it. 35389, +35389, 089... nothing works in that bloody box.

anyone has the same problem?

robo

murfilein wrote: »

jesus, how the hell do i order on carphone warehouse through parcel motel?

cpw wants a mobile and landline phone number. my irish mobile number works in the landline number field in the format 089 xxxxxxx. but in the mobile phone field it doesnt accept it. 35389, +35389, 089... nothing works in that bloody box.

anyone has the same problem?

This has been posted before in another Nexus thread. You need a contact number or address in the UK to order something. So if you know of someone who can help you out with a UK number, that's your best bet.
Amazon usually have Nexus phones too and you should be able to order there using Parcel Motel anyway.

madmoe

robo wrote: »

This has been posted before in another Nexus thread. You need a contact number or address in the UK to order something. So if you know of someone who can help you out with a UK number, that's your best bet.
Amazon usually have Nexus phones too and you should be able to order there using Parcel Motel anyway.

Does one actually save that much money by getting it in the North or from Amazon??

irishgeo

madmoe wrote: »

Does one actually save that much money by getting it in the North or from Amazon??

Not a lot.

Niemoj

The Nexus 6p 128GB costs €799 in the EuroZone, I honestly cannot get over how badly Google is screwing over EU customers this year, it seriously makes no sense.

I was so happy to see Ireland being included for once but the prices are near Apple territory!

Even when you factor in the poor Euro rate and VAT it is still a few hundred € cheaper than what Google is charging!

Mind boggling.

irishchris

Ordered new chromecast and was dispatched yesterday. Anyone know how long these take to deliver?

Jayop

irishchris wrote: »

Ordered new chromecast and was dispatched yesterday. Anyone know how long these take to deliver?

Would you start a New Chromecast thread and review it for us?

irishchris

Jayop wrote: »

Would you start a New Chromecast thread and review it for us?

Can do if you want

irishgeo

would they deliver to ireland or parcel motel?

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/nexus-5x-16gb-carphone-warehouse-only-299-99-free-delivery-white-stock-now-2291588

jester77

irishchris wrote: »

Ordered new chromecast and was dispatched yesterday. Anyone know how long these take to deliver?

Mine was also sent yesterday but the tracking is not working. It said 1-3 business days so it should probably arrive tomorrow or Saturday at the latest.

irishchris

jester77 wrote: »

Mine was also sent yesterday but the tracking is not working. It said 1-3 business days so it should probably arrive tomorrow or Saturday at the latest.

Take it you paid for express delivery? I took the free option bit assumed would be an post and next day anyway. Unless it is not shipped from ireland?

jester77

irishchris wrote: »

Take it you paid for express delivery? I took the free option bit assumed would be an post and next day anyway. Unless it is not shipped from ireland?

Just had a look at the tracking and it is now working. It's coming from Eindhoven, so I should have it in the morning.

BionicRasher

So what do people think of the new OS? Anything 'amazing' in it?
To me Android is starting to lose its shine.

Things are annoyingly unstable. Camera software is poor apps are good but the lollipop update seemed to be more about aesthetic than improved performance.

Things like the Cast feature on Google Photos for example. It's seems to only cast if your phone screen remains on so its not real casting. As in I can cast Netflix and leave the house with the phone and it continue s to run where as Google Photos slideshow casting stops as soon as the phone screen turns off.
Just no consistency which is annoying.

Hardware wise its the same. They have dropped innovative features such as wireless charging and bumped prices so now the nexus devices seem to be middle of the road with above middle of the road prices.

Will reserve final judgement for another while but its definitely going to have to win me back to make me purchase another nexus for sure.

irishchris

jester77 wrote: »

Just had a look at the tracking and it is now working. It's coming from Eindhoven, so I should have it in the morning.

Hope yours arrives today. My postman arrived with no chromecast so looks like next week for me

heebusjeebus

irishchris wrote: »

Hope yours arrives today. My postman arrived with no chromecast so looks like next week for me

Hope it's not going to be help up by this postal strike:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1002/731833-an-post/

jester77

irishchris wrote: »

Hope yours arrives today. My postman arrived with no chromecast so looks like next week for me

No luck today, only made it half way and tomorrow is a public holiday here. So I'll have to wait until Monday. The reviews sound good, a lot less waiting around for connecting and starting streams.

D'Peoples Voice

BionicRasher wrote: »

To me Android is starting to lose its shine.

​
Losing it's shine? I would have said the very opposite! It's only getting a shine since lollipop!

App Performance
1) The unbundling of Android system Webview from the OS in Lollipop is almost on a par with the introduction of the mouse to the PC market back in the day - it's that important to Android. Almost 70% of all apps use Android webview for rendering, so from Lollipop onwards, app developers no longer have to worry about how an app works on Sammy compared to HTC etc. They all use the same webview so it should render similarly across all phones - also irrespective of the VERSION of android, they all use the same Webview version from the Play Store - fragmentation greatly reduced.
2) The Android webview is updated regularly via the Play store, so fewer problems like this because manufacturers are not sending users updates to the OS.
3) Android has made great strides in reducing audio latency under Lollipop - though it still exists but it continues to diminish.

App Appearance
1) Google has only (relatively recently) released it Android Studio for app developers to build and test better apps for Android.
2) Only under lollipop has Google released proper detailed look and feel specifications for Android apps, especially in terms of how to show notifications, so there will naturally be a year or so lag for people to improve their apps.

Hardware/Software
3) MediaTek, Samsung exynos, Nvidia and Qualcomm all now have H265 & VP9 decoding baked into the processors that are being sold in the phones since late 2014. Hardware acceleration means smoother playing of videos on android devices.
4) Android lollipop now has OPUS decoding built into the OS, this licence-free audio codec has proven itself to be better than other licence-free codecs, and as good if not better in certain circumstances for streaming than patent-laden codecs such as MP3/AAC. This ensures better audio performance.
5) Google has made it more difficult to launch a phone with poor hardware (it's Android One Program sets the minimum ) - also it won't allow access to Google Mobile Services (Play Store) if a device is not up to standard. This brings up the standard of all android devices, so app developers can make better apps knowing the phones are better quality.
6) The recent settlement of the patent dispute between Android and Microsoft should make it easier yet for manufacturers producing Android devices, especially in the area of SD cards.
7) Android's continued fight to improve battery performance might at last be bearing fruit
8) Faster flash memory will soon be available in many more Android phones - it is only really being introduced in 2015

Interactivity
1) The ability to use your Android device as a remote is becoming more prevalent as chromecast grows in popularity, along with DLNA and HDMI-CEC.
2) Greater numbers of people are finding that Android satellite TV boxes can make great media centres, they are yet in their infancy - ​Android TV will soon have access to all the different TV content providers
3) Decent looking Android wear devices are only being released now
4) Android Auto have only really got the attention they deserve in the last year, it will take a number of years to perfect it in this area.

Phone Prices
1) The decoupling of Google apps into the Play Store from the OS, the improvement in Android software, and the additional work the chip manufacturers have done with the chips, the settlement of the patent dispute with Microsoft, means the OEMs can concentrate more on the hardware. This can help bring down prices.
2) Greater competition between increasing numbers of firms manufacturing Android phones gives greater variation in phone sizes, appearance and target markets.

Losing it's shine, no I would say it is only now beginning to shine;) It still has a long way to go before I could call it a mature OS.

murfilein

D'Peoples Voice wrote: »

​
Hardware/Software
3) MediaTek, Samsung exynos, Nvidia and Qualcomm all now have H265 & VP9 decoding baked into the processors that are being sold in the phones since late 2014. Hardware acceleration means smoother playing of videos on android devices.

this is one gripe i have with android right now.

on both my nexus 5 and nexus 7 (with 100% stock android), both video recording and playback are choppy as hell in the new photos app. its like its skipping 2-3 frames out of every 5. like you're trying to play a 4k video on a 5 year old computer. it might run, but its abysmal.

irishchris

Well my new chromecast finally arrived today. Comes bundled with sturdy uk plug and cable. The new chromecast app makes it a breeze to setup and the cast screen option works brilliantly well when playing avi files as the chromecast does not natively play them. All in all pretty impressed. Only app I have had issue with is iplayer refusing to cast but definitely best few quid I have spent in years

steve_r

irishchris wrote: »

Well my new chromecast finally arrived today. Comes bundled with sturdy uk plug and cable. The new chromecast app makes it a breeze to setup and the cast screen option works brilliantly well when playing avi files as the chromecast does not natively play them. All in all pretty impressed. Only app I have had issue with is iplayer refusing to cast but definitely best few quid I have spent in years

good to hear!

Any news on using it with spotify?

ThisRegard

Your iPlayer issue will be because of geo restrictions.

ACLFC7

ThisRegard wrote: »

Your iPlayer issue will be because of geo restrictions.

Is there any easy way to get around iPlayer geo restrictions?

ThisRegard

With Chromecast there's no easy way unfortunately, a lot of messing about with routers, if they allow you to, is required.

bricky06

I was waiting for the nexus event to see if there would be any stand out new features on the 6p that would make me "need" it... while I like the 6p, I still think last year's nexus 6 is the best option for me to upgrade to.

The question for me now is will it come down much more in price, what do you guys think? The cheapest I have found is €400 delivered through expansys.com

I reckon I could sell my current note 3 for €200-250 leaving minimal upgrade cost.

Should I bite the bullet and just buy it?

irishchris

ThisRegard wrote: »

Your iPlayer issue will be because of geo restrictions.

Using vpn and work perfect on phone but error when trying to send to chromecast. Casting screen works perfect though so can select that and works good on tv. Would prefer having it directly work in app as would mean my phone screen would not have to be on

irishchris

steve_r wrote: »

good to hear!

Any news on using it with spotify?

Haven't tried Spotify as haven't account with then. It shows in chromecast app as a compatible app. I did stream from my play music account though and worked superb