I have been debating buying a Moto X for some time. I keep missing the Dev edition before it sells out (twice now) and I have really been having a hard time with this. I'd like to know what your overall impressions are as well as your input on some various features.
For background, I'm currently using the G2, which I like very much, but the Touchless control, active notificaitons, Moto Connect, Trusted BT devices, and Moto assist features are a big draw for me.
So my questions:
How do you feel about the build quality (overall as well as any defects with your device)?
Do you like the screen? Anyone coming from a 1080p device feel that they are kind of missing out?
Touchless control - Do you use it and if so, do you find it useful?
Active notifications - Do you like this feature more than a dedicated LED? Do you find that you miss notifications or that the screen doesn't come on when you'd like?
Moto Connect - Anyone using this regularly? Does it work well?
Trusted BT Devices - Is anyone using this to bypass pin lock on a corporate account? If so, what device are you using (Pebble smartwatch, jawbone, etc) and how is it working for you?
Moto Assist - How is that feature working for you? Do you find it indespensible, or just nice to have?
Camera (post update) - Anyone with the camera update care to elaborate on how you feel about the X as a camera now?
I know that's a lot of questions. You don't have to answer them all. Just weigh in where you have input. I have read all the reviews and I'm trying to gather some real world commentary on these features and the device as a whole before I pull the trigger.
Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.
Build quality is excellent in my opinion. Coming from a HTC ONE I don't miss 1080p one bit especially with the gained battery life from a lower resolution screen. Motorola connect is my favorite feature so far. I've never had an issue with it. Active display is a game changer. Overall it's the best device I've used to date. You won't regret getting one.
Sent from my all black Moto X
capathy21 said:
Build quality is excellent in my opinion. Coming from a HTC ONE I don't miss 1080p one bit especially with the gained battery life from a lower resolution screen. Motorola connect is my favorite feature so far. I've never had an issue with it. Active display is a game changer. Overall it's the best device I've used to date. You won't regret getting one.
Sent from my all black Moto X
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Motorola connect a lot too and it is one of my favorite features. but for some reason it doesn't like my contacts and contact pictures. for most of my conversations it only shows the phone number. I don't know why. some of the contacts display picture and name. others just display the number.
1. perfect
2. cant tell the difference, like the video rendering better than what ive seen to date on any android
3. very useful, im doing all my texts and calling without using my hands
4. love this one, cant go back now to not having it
5. downloaded the chrome extension, great
6. not using this
7. use it for driving, plays pandora when i start driving without touching anything
8. happy now, happier in "very soon" as motorola stated today
9. dont wait, get it, its a GREAT phone
gammite said:
I use Motorola connect a lot too and it is one of my favorite features. but for some reason it doesn't like my contacts and contact pictures. for most of my conversations it only shows the phone number. I don't know why. some of the contacts display picture and name. others just display the number.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine used to show only numbers on most contacts and names on a few. The last few days it seems to have been corrected lately as I'm seeing all of my contact names. I did swap out my first x(white) for the black one and when I set up moto connect on the new one the contact names now show. Maybe if you delete and re add the chrome extension it would work? Just guessing though.
Sent from my all black Moto X
capathy21 said:
Mine used to show only numbers on most contacts and names on a few. The last few days it seems to have been corrected lately as I'm seeing all of my contact names. I did swap out my first x(white) for the black one and when I set up moto connect on the new one the contact names now show. Maybe if you delete and re add the chrome extension it would work? Just guessing though.
Sent from my all black Moto X
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does Motorola Connect use much battery?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - now Free
austriak said:
Does Motorola Connect use much battery?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - now Free
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't believe it uses a lot of battery. It didn't on mine. I started using moto connect but it seems still in its beta stages. If you like moto connect I might suggest trying the mightytext app. They have been doing the text from computer stuff for a lot longer. I was using it previously and switched back to this until moto connect becomes more reliable. The contacts sometimes appear for some people. i had it both ways. Reinstalling at one point made them all appear. But I don't like the pop-out windows much.
Differences/similarities between connect and mightytext:
1. both use a chrome extension and have pop ups in the bottom right corner of your screen
2. MT pops up an individual conversation between you and the other person while I believe the connect just pulled a pop up of all of your text (this was one of my biggest issues)
3. MC lagged more with me when sending texts and then marking that it had sent texts in comparison to MT
4. MT has a webpage that has all of your text on it while MC does a pop out from the chrome extension button that when you click anything else not in the box it goes away. But you can click the pop out button there so MC will make a different window, but it seems to reload messages when it does this
5. Sometimes when viewing the texts from the chrome extension pop out and the actual pop out window in MC they didn't match
6. sometimes in MC it will show the text someone sent but not have loaded the ones I sent yet but it did eventually load. This happened especially when I sent the text manually from my phone as opposed to from my computer while using MC.
as for your other questions. I really think this phone might be a good buy because of its hardware. I feel like the development of touchless controls and other apps that may use the same hardware in the future could get huge. Other phones won't be able to do this because they don't have the low power processor. Also active notifications can become highly improved. Further there is an led light on the phone but I nor anywhere I have read has figured out how to utilize it if we decided we wanted the led light as well as active notifications. Also, the camera technology allowing better action shots isn't that great right now but it can be improved greatly over time. And finally, many of the areas that things can be improved on are more apps then big updates that will need to be released by google, so they will hopefully get to your phone faster, e.g., touchelss controls, active notifications, etc..
How do you feel about the build quality (overall as well as any defects with your device)?
Overall build quality is nice and the phone has a nice weight and feel to it.
Do you like the screen? Anyone coming from a 1080p device feel that they are kind of missing out?
Screen is fine, and more than adequate.
Touchless control - Do you use it and if so, do you find it useful?
I have only tested it but appears it could be useful
Active notifications - Do you like this feature more than a dedicated LED? Do you find that you miss notifications or that the screen doesn't come on when you'd like?
So far I like it but it is a little sensitive. Some additional controls would be nice.
Moto Connect - Anyone using this regularly? Does it work well?
On my list to test...
Trusted BT Devices - Is anyone using this to bypass pin lock on a corporate account? If so, what device are you using (Pebble smartwatch, jawbone, etc) and how is it working for you?
Trusted BT works well and is a nice feature.
Moto Assist - How is that feature working for you? Do you find it indespensible, or just nice to have?
Camera (post update) - Anyone with the camera update care to elaborate on how you feel about the X as a camera now?
Do not have the update yet.
Related
Anyone know of any apps (current or in development) that allows for text messages that come in to an android phone to be answered and responded to from a tablet?
I know theres similar functionality for answering from a computer, but this would be great over wifi or bluetooth.
(Also thinking out loud here, if the two are paired over bluetooth, would it be at all possible with some kind of development to use the tablet like a headset to answer or place calls from the phone?)
These are things that I dont expect people to say "Heres an .apk" but want to get these ideas out into the open to see if anyone has anything to contribute or point us in the right direction.
text
Try using Google voice on both phone and tablet with the same account then you can get ye messages and text.
Thanks but...
1) Google voice isnt currently available for the Xoom.
2) I'd like something that doesnt require me to notify all my contacts of a number change and have them be confused about which is actually my cell phone number.
Google voice works fine through the browser
Yes you can. You can send texts from your phone on your tab using the free app Remote Web Desktop.
This app gives you your phone desktop on your tab, send texts, add files to your SD card, etc.
Gotta admit, that one is pretty great, i can see myself using it on my comp.
A little sluggish and slow on the tablet going through the browser though.
What im looking for is essentially the functionality of that on the phone side, but a dedicated app on the tablet, obviously optimized for the screen real estate and interface that will refresh on its own, have its own notifications on the tablet etc.
Basically an app that looks and acts like a dedicated sms client on the tablet, only its doing all the actual sending and receiving on the phone side and pulling it over wifi or bluetooth.
This is basically what HP has in store for the touchpad and pre3 so im not exactly expecting someone to just link to it and move along. I'm really hoping someone developing some kind of similar solution sees this and reaches out to the community.
Thanks for the suggestions and please keep them coming...always love seeing new apps.
WHY?
gbenj said:
Anyone know of any apps (current or in development) that allows for text messages that come in to an android phone to be answered and responded to from a tablet?
I know theres similar functionality for answering from a computer, but this would be great over wifi or bluetooth.
(Also thinking out loud here, if the two are paired over bluetooth, would it be at all possible with some kind of development to use the tablet like a headset to answer or place calls from the phone?)
These are things that I dont expect people to say "Heres an .apk" but want to get these ideas out into the open to see if anyone has anything to contribute or point us in the right direction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am wondering why one would want to do this? just really curious as to your thought behind the question....
Kent_Davis said:
I am wondering why one would want to do this? just really curious as to your thought behind the question....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want this kind of app too... heres my reason. My phone sits on its dock once i get home in the bedroom and i tether the wifi to my tab. So i dont have it nearby but my nook always is
Sent from one of those missing Droids
Another reason is that its much more comfortable to text and type from the tablet. (Its amazing how tiny my Incredible feels after using the Xoom for a few days.)
Like the previous post says, if I can be sitting on the couch with the tablet, leave the phone plugged in in my room, and get notifications etc on the tablet that would be great.
Plus, if i'm gonna be using the tablet more and more around the house, it would be much easier to sit there with one device on my lap instead of constantly switching between the tablet to the phone when I get a text.
Think of it as a phone extender where the main phone functions are accessible on the tablet over WiFi or bluetooth, whatever is easier.
I just wanted to throw my +1 here. I feel silly juggling my phone and tablet. I'd love to be able to walk away from my office and only have to worry about grabbing one device.
Didn't find it sluggish, xoom tethered to my N1 on Tmo's fast network. If you find something else, please share, thanks!
There is definitely a need for this. I use the google voice app on my iPad for SMS more than on my N1. I also use the talkatone ios app for voip google voice calls as well. Not having a google voice app for Honeycomb is ridiculous.
Ditto I will be needing some sort of app like so. Reason- I dont own a cell phone but I wouldnt mind pay the $20 a month for the data service and being able to text using sms.
Basically he (and me too) is looking for something that acts like Motorola's Webtop App.
neonerz said:
I just wanted to throw my +1 here. I feel silly juggling my phone and tablet. I'd love to be able to walk away from my office and only have to worry about grabbing one device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This.
thefoss said:
Basically he (and me too) is looking for something that acts like Motorola's Webtop App.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly!
I concur. This is one thing I did like about the Galaxy Tab before I sold it for the Xoom...I could answer email and TXT from one device. When you're at home using your Xoom it does make a difference in lifestyle having to grab my phone every time it beeps for a TXT...lets face it most people don't talk as much over the phone as they used to.
Very much needed app. I'd be willing to pay $10 easy for it too.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
I believe that this on the new HP Toucpad when its synced with WebOS phones. This would be awesome!
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Still rocking DJ05 with Voodoo5 Blazed Eclair 1.2ghz with GingerLiberty
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DungeonDefendersUsername: TheSonicEmerald
I've been thinking about this alot over the past couple of days even to the point that I began to investigate and play around with the Android SDK to see what I might be able to do, which is not alot at the moment.
I thought of this app functioning as follows:
1) We currently have a bunch of applications that allow the user to view and respond to their text messages through an interface on the browser or computer application using an app on the phone that "broadcasts" the messaging features of the phone out over either WiFi or bluetooth. (For example, the ones mentioned earlier in this thread.)
2) We also have something called "Remote Notifier" that sends out a "ping" when a new message is received to a listening service on a computer which notifies the user on the desktop.
3) If the existing functionality of those two are combined, we have an application that can put together a list of the messages on the phone (primary location), send it out to a secondary location (in this case a tablet), while also notifying the secondary location (tablet) of a new message received.
The app on the phone also gives the secondary location the ability to respond and edit the message list on the phone.
4) The second piece of the equation we would need is an app for the tablet, preferably optimized for the screen size in a 5manner similar to the way Gmail and the native email client handle messaging, (with a list of messages on the left, and the conversation view on the right) that allows the user to browse their messages on the phone and reply within the app.
If the app on the tablet could "look" to the phone as the service provider instead of the network, I could even see notifications being created from within that app and displayed on the tablet just as if it was actually receiving the texts itself.
While I am technical enough to debug a little and troubleshoot alot, I don't have the programming background to create this from the ground up. Is there anyone out there that would be interested in working with me to build something like this?
I feel as though I have the Idea of how this will function pretty well planned out, and if there is someone who wants to do the legwork involved in the building/programming, I can definitely write and draw up use cases, user flows, and wire-frame designs for how both sides of the application would work in both the front and back end.
So, is there anyone out there interested in and capable of helping to put this together for the community? I really feel that if it is done well enough, it could take off and maybe even Google would take notice and build it in natively moving forward...If they're not already working on it.
Thoughts, questions, concerns? I would appreciate any and all feedback.
Thanks for reading....this has been a long post
if you really want to try without having to code anything try the appinventor.appinventor.googlelabs[dot]c o m/learn/setup/[/url]
ill try messing around with it later once im finished working on my woodshop project (im 14). But it you want to id try it out.
I've been thinking about giving a Moto X a try recently and I had a few questions for those of you who own one.
Other than while driving, what are some of the unexpected uses you have found for touchless control? In theory it sounds great, but a couple of the things I can think which would be really handy (throwing it into cupholder in car and turning on bluetooth with voice, pausing Netflix stream that is beng chromecasted) can't be done because of limitations of Google Now/Search, rather than Touchless Control itself.
Also, most people seem to love active notifications. However, if the clock flashes every so often without notifications, it seems like one would occasionally not notice a real notification unless you actually glance at it, rather than something you see out of the corner of your eye and know you need to check on. Also can they be prioritized? Like the messaging icon will appear rather than gmail if you have both, because it is higher priority?
Thanks for any information.
evolvd said:
I've been thinking about giving a Moto X a try recently and I had a few questions for those of you who own one.
Other than while driving, what are some of the unexpected uses you have found for touchless control? In theory it sounds great, but a couple of the things I can think which would be really handy (throwing it into cupholder in car and turning on bluetooth with voice, pausing Netflix stream that is beng chromecasted) can't be done because of limitations of Google Now/Search, rather than Touchless Control itself.
Also, most people seem to love active notifications. However, if the clock flashes every so often without notifications, it seems like one would occasionally not notice a real notification unless you actually glance at it, rather than something you see out of the corner of your eye and know you need to check on. Also can they be prioritized? Like the messaging icon will appear rather than gmail if you have both, because it is higher priority?
Thanks for any information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The clock flashing threw me off when I first got it yesterday afternoon - I didn't know why it was flashing, and was afraid something was messed up. After a few moments though it does slow down/stop...or at least on mine it did.
And notifications (when you have multiple) I believe are set in order of receiving them. For instance, my G+ photo upload was ready for backup, and I got a Hangout SMS. The SMS took priority, while the G+ photo upload was smaller at the bottom. So I don't think it's based on "priority" but rather "which one is more recent".
Hope that helps.
Hi,
I have been an IOS user for quite a while, with brief excursions into Android land usually without much success. I am trying hard this time because I actually prefer a lot of things about Android (specifically the S5) ... less restrictive, removable battery, storage etc..
However some of the things I really struggle with and wonder if anybody has any answers before are listed below !
Lock screen preview of mail and txt's , I have downloaded an app called NILS but it seems to be such a hack and is not very seamless, anybody else have a better suggestions?
Bluetooth, when I get in my car , the phone starts playing the last thing i was listening to , that's fine & is similar to the iPhone, however the iPhone knows the difference between a call and music and if I turn the car off and get out , it switches off the music (but does not hang up calls). The S5 just carries on playing whatever i was listening to. I cannot find any way of changing this behaviour (any ideas ?).
Quick access to search, with the iPhone you swipe from the top and type the first couple of letters of an app to run it , sometimes this is really useful. The closest i have found is to go into the pull down notification bar and click sfinder... yeuch , any better ideas?
Memory and CPU usage, the phone gets quite laggy and I cannot find a specific reason ... other than having to installs NILS and the call blocking app (see below). I have installed task killer now , not sure if this is the correct approach.
Do not disturb mode, (blocking) , well its crap on the S5 compared to the Iphone. None of the functionality that i am used to such as letting repeated calls through and setting specific schedules is available. I have downloaded an app called do not disturb which does most of this stuff but i am sure this is also contributing to lag and memory usage. Also annoyingly it does not return the phone to the state it was in before it activated do not disturb. What do i mean by this ? I am the kind of person that has my phone on silent 99% of the time with vibrate, when do not disturb is active i want all vibrations and screen alters disabled (it does this) , but when coming out of do not disturb it switches the phone to full sounds on.
I am trying not to be down, there is a lot to like with this phone and if I could resolve some of the above I would be much happier with it.
Hope to hear some of your suggestions.
Acdisplay for lockscreen. Used it on on RAZR Maxx but not yet on my s5
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Free mobile app
zero66 said:
Acdisplay for lockscreen. Used it on on RAZR Maxx but not yet on my s5
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I will try that.
Download Apex launcher or any other launchers for lag problem, put in mind that Android uses more ram and cpu processing than IOS, that's why they keep on increasing ram, also turn off as much bloatware (apps came with phone) as possible, another very useful tip is to turn of your phone every day for few mins like your computer this will clear ram.
Welcome to the future
Don't use task killers. They don't help. Android will automatically kill off apps when it needs to. Task killers will kill off apps that will be autostarted again and this becomes a loop leading to lag and battery drain.
Hellscythe said:
Don't use task killers. They don't help. Android will automatically kill off apps when it needs to. Task killers will kill off apps that will be autostarted again and this becomes a loop leading to lag and battery drain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh thanks for this , I will try that.
Lockscreen preview of text and mails is already in touchwiz you just have to switch it on so it will show you the preview via settings.
For quick access to applications long press on the home button will bring you google now and from there you can open your apps easily.
noideaforusername said:
Lockscreen preview of text and mails is already in touchwiz you just have to switch it on so it will show you the preview via settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes for the messaging app, however I use a third party app for email, (nine), this does not seem to support this. Anyway my use case is that when my phone is lying on the desk and mails / sms etc come in , I would like it to wake up briefly and display a preview so that I can decide to ignore it or continue on with whatever it is that i was doing. NILs does this quite well, but seems like a bit of a hack.
noideaforusername said:
For quick access to applications long press on the home button will bring you google now and from there you can open your apps easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This works fairly well.
mah123 said:
Hi,
I have been an IOS user for quite a while, with brief excursions into Android land usually without much success. I am trying hard this time because I actually prefer a lot of things about Android (specifically the S5) ... less restrictive, removable battery, storage etc..
However some of the things I really struggle with and wonder if anybody has any answers before are listed below !
Lock screen preview of mail and txt's , I have downloaded an app called NILS but it seems to be such a hack and is not very seamless, anybody else have a better suggestions?
Bluetooth, when I get in my car , the phone starts playing the last thing i was listening to , that's fine & is similar to the iPhone, however the iPhone knows the difference between a call and music and if I turn the car off and get out , it switches off the music (but does not hang up calls). The S5 just carries on playing whatever i was listening to. I cannot find any way of changing this behaviour (any ideas ?).
Quick access to search, with the iPhone you swipe from the top and type the first couple of letters of an app to run it , sometimes this is really useful. The closest i have found is to go into the pull down notification bar and click sfinder... yeuch , any better ideas?
Memory and CPU usage, the phone gets quite laggy and I cannot find a specific reason ... other than having to installs NILS and the call blocking app (see below). I have installed task killer now , not sure if this is the correct approach.
Do not disturb mode, (blocking) , well its crap on the S5 compared to the Iphone. None of the functionality that i am used to such as letting repeated calls through and setting specific schedules is available. I have downloaded an app called do not disturb which does most of this stuff but i am sure this is also contributing to lag and memory usage. Also annoyingly it does not return the phone to the state it was in before it activated do not disturb. What do i mean by this ? I am the kind of person that has my phone on silent 99% of the time with vibrate, when do not disturb is active i want all vibrations and screen alters disabled (it does this) , but when coming out of do not disturb it switches the phone to full sounds on.
I am trying not to be down, there is a lot to like with this phone and if I could resolve some of the above I would be much happier with it.
Hope to hear some of your suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally if it were me I would try another company. I have a 5s and tried the s5. The s5 is just not a good example of what android is. Hardware to software the s5 is not done very well at all. Good luck with your choice.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
thegrants82 said:
Personally if it were me I would try another company. I have a 5s and tried the s5. The s5 is just not a good example of what android is. Hardware to software the s5 is not done very well at all. Good luck with your choice.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely disagree. I love my S5 and the HW integration.
But each to their own.
mah123 said:
Yes for the messaging app, however I use a third party app for email, (nine), this does not seem to support this. Anyway my use case is that when my phone is lying on the desk and mails / sms etc come in , I would like it to wake up briefly and display a preview so that I can decide to ignore it or continue on with whatever it is that i was doing. NILs does this quite well, but seems like a bit of a hack.
This works fairly well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install Push Bullet and be amazed. It mirrors any notifications on your phone onto your PC via chrome. That way you don't been to look at the phone. I work at a desk all day and can leave the phone where ever and always know if I have an SMS, call, email or anything else. Don't forget Google now also works with Chrome.
thegrants82 said:
Personally if it were me I would try another company. I have a 5s and tried the s5. The s5 is just not a good example of what android is. Hardware to software the s5 is not done very well at all. Good luck with your choice.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree a bit with your response. And that's why I am also checking out the Xperia Z1 Compact. Once you go from the Galaxy S5 to the Z1C you will notice a huge difference in speed for opening and closing apps. I am even using Nova launcher, google calendar and avoiding any TouchWiz apps, but still the lag is disappointing.
mah123 said:
Memory and CPU usage, the phone gets quite laggy and I cannot find a specific reason ... other than having to installs NILS and the call blocking app (see below). I have installed task killer now , not sure if this is the correct approach.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For lags, you should try to put off the opening of S voice with the home button, because when you press it, it wait for second press for opening s voice app... or not. My S5 is really smooth now, hope this gonna help you.
HitMile said:
For lags, you should try to put off the opening of S voice with the home button, because when you press it, it wait for second press for opening s voice app... or not. My S5 is really smooth now, hope this gonna help you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this , yes I did this , made a difference.
@mah123 First step, do whatever you can to separate yourself from Apple products, for good this time. Just messin, but I'll continue on:
I see that you have a lot of little details you don't like about the S5/Android. Luckily, you're on the Android platform, where you can tweak just about anything you want. For what you're interested in you'll want to have a look at Tasker, the mighty automation app from Play Store. It's $3.49 but if you don't want to pay that just download the apk from Google search. Just make sure to get it from XDA or one of the apk blogs. With Tasker you can fix your bluetooth issue by detecting when bluetooth is detected and then use command pause music. Tasker should help you fix all your other issues as well. For email the easiest fix is to use a special color on your notification LED or specific vibrate pattern to know when you have email. You can also show an overlay using a "scene" (Tasker's definition of a popup or app window) on top of the lockscreen. Handy :thumbup: But if you need help using Tasker you can do a lot of things: there are plenty of guides all over the Internet, you can google search your problem with the word "tasker" at the end, you can PM me (yes, I'm friendly), you can ask a question over at the Tasker Noob thread here on XDA (I also monitor this thread and I will answer your questions there). Welcome to Android and have fun!
--
Say thanks if I was of help!
Sent from my SCH-I605 using XDA Free mobile app
aarongillion63 said:
@mah123 First step, do whatever you can to separate yourself from Apple products, for good this time. Just messin, but I'll continue on:
I see that you have a lot of little details you don't like about the S5/Android. Luckily, you're on the Android platform, where you can tweak just about anything you want. For what you're interested in you'll want to have a look at Tasker, the mighty automation app from Play Store
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.
Fantastic thanks !
I own both phones. In the last few years I have owned the latest Samsung and Apple flagships (iPhone 4 and Galaxy S2, iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4, and iPhone 5S and Galaxy S5).
Both platforms are great and they have their cons and pros.
I am an iOS Developer. I have my name in both Cydia tweaks and App Store. To be honest I felt in love with iOS when I used it for the first time. I like Android, but not as much as iOS yet.
I find the quality of iOS blows Android out of the water. Third app quality is much better on iOS than on Android, based on what I have seen. In terms of software in general, I think iOS is much better. It may be restrictive, but nothing that can't be beaten with jailbreak. Android's big plus is freedom and yes, I like customizing my phone.
In terms of hardware Samsung blows Apple out of the water. I love the camera and that it is Water Resistant. Design wise the iPhone looks prettier, but personally I don't care about those aesthetics.
The one thing I absolutely hate about most Android phones are the hardware buttons. When I type in landscape I keep hitting the sensitive buttons accidentally, many times this result in losing a wall of text I just typed (my palm hits the back button accidentally all the time). I wish these could be disabled when typing or that they could be replaced with software buttons.
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There are many things that iOS does 'better' than android, or at least, its a mix of what people of become accustomed too and some are just better. So, when people do make the switch to android, or indeed WP etc, it can be an uphill struggle as those things that are 'better' are maybe less intuitive over on the android side.
However, you have to look at the bigger picture. Android is far far more customisable, even as stock. With the addition of TouchWiz and Sense etc, they bring a lot of features that in themselves are 'better' than iOS.
There are many people that go the other way (Android to iOS) and struggle with some of its inability to control and customise.
What I'm saying is.... give it time, and do not judge android on its lacking in one or two areas, try and look at it from a bigger perspective.
**When I say 'better'... I mean its what each individual sees as better, I'm not saying that it is**
aarongillion63 said:
For what you're interested in you'll want to have a look at Tasker, the mighty automation app from Play Store. It's $3.49 but if you don't want to pay that just download the apk from Google search. [ / QUOTE ]
Tasker is an excellent program. It should be paid for and not stolen.
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Click to collapse
This is a very good discussion. I find that generally programmers favor Android because of it's similar OS structure to a PC (I'm talking about the coding behind it all and C/Java), and common consumers and Apple computer owners favor iOS. This is a generalization and personal opinion. I know there is the outlier of Apple programmers, I've tried to get into it myself, but my problem I've ran into is that Objective C is overly complicated, just to accomplish simple things. Anyway, even if you don't develop apps, you may favor Android as a coder thanks to Tasker. I've found myself addicted to Tasker as far as tweaking/programming goes, without the need to use Android SDK. Then, you can still export Tasker projects to apks if you want. Tasker can make a good visual-sdk app creation tool.
iresq said:
Tasker is an excellent program. It should be paid for and not stolen.
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Click to collapse
True. :thumbup:
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Ok sorry to sound a percy pessimist but here are some little gripes so far.. I'm totally understanding that its still early days yet and software may well be improved over time and also I may well be being dim and not knowing where some settings are etc. If so then please by all means let me know!
* Cradle/dock VERY awkward to attach.
* Does nots seem to have the cool "bypass phone lockscreen if watch is attached" feature which was demo'd in I/O.
* Doesn't seem to be a way to open apps or do anything on the watch if you are not in a position to talk. (other than the list of "example" searches you can see if you don't talk to the watch quick enough.
* I don't seem to be getting vibration notifications
* doesn't seem to be a way of using your own photos for the photos watch face
* doesn't seem to be a way of editing the call reject text messages
* strap is very awkward to put on and for the heart rate monitor you need to have it on pretty tight which is tricky to do one handed with the kind of clasp it has.
* **the movement to wake the watch is a bit hit or miss. it doesnt seem to be just a matter of flicking the wrist or moving up to face.** (this is beginning to be a problem. it is pretty random if it wants to wake up from movement or not. cant work out if it dependant on which watchface or not). i reallllllllllly don't want to have to touch the watch to see notifications etc.
* to even entertain viewing it outside, you have to manually crank the brightness up to max else it is pretty much unreadable. and thats in the UK sunshine!!!
other than that, it seems to be a nice watch.
i feel like i just wasted 180 quid
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thefunkygibbon said:
Ok sorry to sound a percy pessimist but here are some little gripes so far.. I'm totally understanding that its still early days yet and software may well be improved over time and also I may well be being dim and not knowing where some settings are etc. If so then please by all means let me know!
* Cradle/dock VERY awkward to attach.
* Does nots seem to have the cool "bypass phone lockscreen if watch is attached" feature which was demo'd in I/O.
* Doesn't seem to be a way to open apps or do anything on the watch if you are not in a position to talk. (other than the list of "example" searches you can see if you don't talk to the watch quick enough.
* I don't seem to be getting vibration notifications
* doesn't seem to be a way of using your own photos for the photos watch face
* doesn't seem to be a way of editing the call reject text messages
* strap is very awkward to put on and for the heart rate monitor you need to have it on pretty tight which is tricky to do one handed with the kind of clasp it has.
* **the movement to wake the watch is a bit hit or miss. it doesnt seem to be just a matter of flicking the wrist or moving up to face.** (this is beginning to be a problem. it is pretty random if it wants to wake up from movement or not. cant work out if it dependant on which watchface or not). i reallllllllllly don't want to have to touch the watch to see notifications etc.
* to even entertain viewing it outside, you have to manually crank the brightness up to max else it is pretty much unreadable. and thats in the UK sunshine!!!
other than that, it seems to be a nice watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The lockscreeen unlock feature relies on Android L, not the watch.
The strap is replaceable. I have 2 Silicone ones from Amazon ready to go.
And this is Google Now on your wrist. Yes it's first generation and has plenty to improve upon. But it's essentially meant to be Google Now on your wrist.
Just be happy you got yours! Haha. I'm refreshing the UPS page like a mad man (had it delivered to work.... But I received the day off. Hahaha)
STILL way way better than that Tiezen BS Samsung tried out... Be positive!!
(Keep in mind I have a gear 1 and love it)
Yep, cradle is annoying
Vibrate is very slight I hardly ever notice it
All apps need to support wear before they can be interacted with (contacts, emails, messages etc if using a non google product)
Strap clasp doesn't feel very secure
love how light it is
has google now integration which so far has been hit and miss 70/30
always on face is cool (except still emits light in dark rooms)
Alix8821 said:
The lockscreeen unlock feature relies on Android L, not the watch.
The strap is replaceable. I have 2 Silicone ones from Amazon ready to go.
And this is Google Now on your wrist. Yes it's first generation and has plenty to improve upon. But it's essentially meant to be Google Now on your wrist.
Just be happy you got yours! Haha. I'm refreshing the UPS page like a mad man (had it delivered to work.... But I received the day off. Hahaha)
STILL way way better than that Tiezen BS Samsung tried out... Be positive!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah i had a feeling it might be a L feature. although its a bit annoying as i had the same feature with my Pebble using an app called Pebble Locker which basically bypassed the requirement for entering a pin etc if the watch was connected to the phone. So its defintely possible without L. hopefully someone will make a quick little app to do that
I will be ordering a metal braclet style strap sometime soon, like i had on my pebble. much more comfortable.
Brendo said:
(Keep in mind I have a gear 1 and love it)
Yep, cradle is annoying
Vibrate is very slight I hardly ever notice it
All apps need to support wear before they can be interacted with (contacts, emails, messages etc if using a non google product)
Strap clasp doesn't feel very secure
love how light it is
has google now integration which so far has been hit and miss 70/30
always on face is cool (except still emits light in dark rooms)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah the vibrate is VERY slight. it took me a while to realize it was doing it. I hope they add an option to change the intensity of the vibration as I'm pretty sure it is capable of a more stronger vibe.
thefunkygibbon said:
yeah i had a feeling it might be a L feature. although its a bit annoying as i had the same feature with my Pebble using an app called Pebble Locker which basically bypassed the requirement for entering a pin etc if the watch was connected to the phone. So its defintely possible without L. hopefully someone will make a quick little app to do that
I will be ordering a metal braclet style strap sometime soon, like i had on my pebble. much more comfortable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. App will be out soon. I already have 5 exclusive Wear apps ready & waiting. Hahha.
I wish they gave us the nicer strap from Gear 2. Not this BS from Gear Fit... Oh well.
This is a starter watch... Moto 360 & after will only get better & better. As will the software. LOVE that Google is keeping control.
Coming from Gear Neo; initial observations:
1. Watch has more metal and feels more premium
2. Watch strap is larger, will accommodate larger wrists but the clasp is junk compared to the neos.
3. OS is a little overwhelming right now, which I actually think is good. After 30 minutes, I am still cant do much- Iam not concerned with "watch cant do" xxx yet.
4. I have had 2 OS updates in the first hr.
5. Gear Manager seems to be a little more straight forward than Wear Manager but it is too new to make a final call on that
6. Watch is fast! "Okay google, what is the capital of NY?" is recognized and answered immediately.
7. Interface is smooth as silk
I use skiplock to bypass the lock screen. Works with WiFi networks and Bluetooth devices
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thefunkygibbon said:
Ok sorry to sound a percy pessimist but here are some little gripes so far.. I'm totally understanding that its still early days yet and software may well be improved over time and also I may well be being dim and not knowing where some settings are etc. If so then please by all means let me know!
Here's my opinions after receiving the watch today. See if you have the same thoughts, thefunkygibbon:
I was quite pleased that it is not really big
the set up process was easy enough but took quite a while - I think mainy due to downlaoding a firmware udate
there's quite a learning curve in using this new OS
the watch is a bit useless at the moment because it is constantly disconnecting so it is just a simple watch - I need to find out how to correct this
I noticed the battery on my phone goes down fast when the watch is connected.
It really sucks that there is no auto brightness
the notifications work really well and look great with the picture backgrounds
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Click to collapse
You can start apps without voice by going to the Google voice prompt then swiping all the way down to Start...
Archon810 said:
You can start apps without voice by going to the Google voice prompt then swiping all the way down to Start...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Feels to me like we are missing a launcher. Voice control is great, but there are times it just won't work and the method above is cumbersome.
Any other negative points? I want to buy a gear live soon...but I rather hear the reviews first. I'm guessing the problems listed all here are going to be on the LG G watch and the Moto 360 since most of the complaints seem to be Android wear related.
Be careful w attaching or taking off charging cradle. Reports show breaking off or breaking piece off phone. Thought mine coming in today but, scheduled for tomorrow.
Ian B
Just a couple quick notes:
- I noticed that I can somewhat bypass the lockscreen. I'm currently on 4.4.4. (S4 - KangaKat) When I have the watch open the app on my phone or perform an action on the phone, I can simply press the home button (or side power button) and I do not have to swipe my pattern.
- Vibration notifications SHOULD be working. There were two system updates that were done when I first connected the watch. Perhaps that's the issue?
- I am able to see that I have a notification without turning on the watch. When I swipe it up, I get more details, which I can then swipe away, so that the next notification with show on the screen. I think this is just a matter of managing the notifications and making sure that you are top of them. Swiping them away & handling them as they come in.
- Yes, outside sucks. Today is pure sunlight, I was having trouble seeing it with a setting of 3. I was able to view it better when I put my hand over it. Not much different from trying to look at portions of my phone's screen in the outdoors with a similar brightness.
All in all, I'm pretty satisfied and I understand that this is first gen. I am hoping that through some proper feedback to google / developers, we start to see some software updates & applications developed that further the watch's capabilities. For now, though the notifications are great....although I wish I could not have it send work emails to the watch. The thing vibrates non-stop.
ElPajaro14 said:
Just a couple quick notes:
- I noticed that I can somewhat bypass the lockscreen. I'm currently on 4.4.4. (S4 - KangaKat) When I have the watch open the app on my phone or perform an action on the phone, I can simply press the home button (or side power button) and I do not have to swipe my pattern.
- Vibration notifications SHOULD be working. There were two system updates that were done when I first connected the watch. Perhaps that's the issue?
- I am able to see that I have a notification without turning on the watch. When I swipe it up, I get more details, which I can then swipe away, so that the next notification with show on the screen. I think this is just a matter of managing the notifications and making sure that you are top of them. Swiping them away & handling them as they come in.
- Yes, outside sucks. Today is pure sunlight, I was having trouble seeing it with a setting of 3. I was able to view it better when I put my hand over it. Not much different from trying to look at portions of my phone's screen in the outdoors with a similar brightness.
All in all, I'm pretty satisfied and I understand that this is first gen. I am hoping that through some proper feedback to google / developers, we start to see some software updates & applications developed that further the watch's capabilities. For now, though the notifications are great....although I wish I could not have it send work emails to the watch. The thing vibrates non-stop.
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Click to collapse
can't you blacklist apps? or do you use the same app for work and personal email?
adiliyo said:
can't you blacklist apps? or do you use the same app for work and personal email?
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Click to collapse
I have not seen yet that you can blacklist apps. Since it uses native notifications, the only way I can see to prevent this would be to disable email notifications altogether Not something I want to do. I will either just have to have the notification sit there and disappear as I check my emails / dismiss the notification. Hopefully, there are some changes in the future on this.
ElPajaro14 said:
I have not seen yet that you can blacklist apps. Since it uses native notifications, the only way I can see to prevent this would be to disable email notifications altogether Not something I want to do. I will either just have to have the notification sit there and disappear as I check my emails / dismiss the notification. Hopefully, there are some changes in the future on this.
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Click to collapse
i thought i read somewhere you could blacklist apps though the wear manager app
here you go #7 on that list
http://www.androidcentral.com/first...e-today-here-are-10-more-things-you-need-know
I'm the wear manager you can blacklist apps.
adiliyo said:
i thought i read somewhere you could blacklist apps though the wear manager app
here you go #7 on that list
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct. I missed that completely. I have muted my email application, let's hope tomorrow is a little more quiet. Thanks for pointing that out!
Hi everyone,
I'm trying out a Moto X while my S4 is in the shop. Gosh I love the feel of the X... but I miss the large multicolor LED my old RAZR MAXX HD had, and even the S4 at least has a multicolor LED, albeit a small one.
A major thing I use the LEDs for is to flash a color based on what incoming emails or texts I've gotten. So, personal email account, flash blue. Family email account, flash purple. Text message, flash red. You get the point. The phone is often far enough away that I can see the light flashing, and the color tells me whether it's urgent enough to go get it.
I like the OLED active notification idea on the Moto X, but I haven't yet found out how to customize how it represents different types of emails from different accounts. Is there some app that lets users customize the color, flash rate, etc. of notifications based on what type of notification it is? I'd like to use different color icons or positions on the screen for the different email accounts, texts, etc..
What's the best way to do it?
Thanks!
Exactly on the same boat. Not missing the LED notifier of the S4 but yes the Active Display has basically no customization, nothing. I am confident that it is due to the lack of interest, not sure though. There is no way you can customize it, AFAIK. A future Xposed mod please?
I would love to have a timeout option, which you mentioned as flash rate, more than anything, the default six seconds is way too long, especially when I wake up at morning I see the phone with just one eye to check whether there is an unread notification or not, and no one likes to stare at something with lazy eyes
PS : If really needed then you can deactivate Active Display and use Dynamic Notification from Play, but needless to say that it will take a toll on the battery life.
Glad to hear I'm not alone in my interest in this! There must be an app out there...
I've used dynamic notification app before, but I think it uses lots of battery as you cautioned.
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Im trying all kind of apps that send notifications but ac does not use it..
Tried tasker but still trying to get the hang of it too.
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I've never heard of anyone changing anything about active display. Sorry to say.
Disabling it, and using a similar play store app is one workaround. But that app wouldn't use the low voltage core like active display does....and your battery life would suffer greatly.
As @devilsdouble mentioned. The Moto X has one core dedicated to stuff like Active Display so the battery life has no hurt by using it.
In my personal opinion this is the way it should be. Just let you know what you receive, ,you can choose to open or dismiss. Everything else should be a lot.