My thoughts on my new Urbane, and Android Wear in general - LG Watch Urbane

Some thoughts going into my second day of use with my new Urbane.
•Battery life is actually pretty good. I took it off charge at 7:30am and it's currently at 72%. The Android Wear app on my phone is telling me I have 12 hours of use left after playing with it a fair bit this morning. It should improve even more as the watch 'wears in'.
•Notifications come in pretty much instantly from my phone. It's frustrating in some regards though - you can't always see images sent to you from Facebook Messenger, sometimes you can. Also, once you dismiss a notification from your watch it's gone for good - you then have to check your phone to see what it was. Having said that, it does give you a very brief period after dismissing it to 'undo' the dismissal, but it's very brief. It would be better if it could archive say the last 5 notifications for you to go and look at after you've dismissed them.
•WiFi seems a bit buggy, for instance when connected to my home network and I turn off bluetooth on my phone or go out of it's range, WiFi does seem to take over but Google Now refuses to work. If I set up WiFi tethering on my phone (and disable bluetooth) it works perfectly so I guess it's just my router - though I don't know what I would need to change to make it work.
•Also (and this is a biggy), don't assume that because the Urbane has WiFi you can just simply log onto any network without your phone being around. This is not the case. Inexplicably, you need to log onto any WiFi network using the Android Wear app on your phone otherwise the Urbane will never use it. There is simply no way to log onto a WiFi network using just the Urbane. Once you've logged on using the phone, the Urbane will then remember the log on information from that point on. This to me defeats the purpose of having WiFi enabled on the watch, you should be able to log on anywhere without the phone..
•The Urbane has difficulty in recognising my 'OK Google' command. Commands issued after that are no problem however. The Urbane gives you the option at set up to choose between US or UK English, but for me that ,made no difference in whether the watch recognised my initial command or not (and you have to factory reset the device to change language...). I did however after some searching online see that after the Urbane is set up properly, it will look at your phones native language and base the information it gives, as well as spelling and metrics on that language. This doesn't help in recognising my initial command, and either my Aussie accent is just too 'Aussie' or the 'OK Google' command recognition is a bit buggy. Perhaps a bit of both lol.
•As someone who takes their watch off as soon as I get home, it's functionality is useless to me after that - unless I go out somewhere and put it back on. I guess at home you'd usually fall back to using your smart phone/tablet anyway. It does feel odd though to discard a $400 smart device like that..
•Heart rate monitoring is good, as is the other fitness tracking the watch does. However, there is two monitoring apps on the device that measure heart rate, Google Fit and and LG Pulse. When you first ask the watch "What's my heart rate", it will give you the choice of choosing which app to use. The problem is, whatever app you choose becomes the default app after that and there is no way to change that as far as I can see.
•Playing with the different watch faces is fun. LG ships the Urbane with 18 different faces to chose from, in various styles. And of course there is a rapidly growing number of user created choices out there as well. Some faces can be a bit buggy but for the most part they are gorgeous or garish, and anywhere in between. It's fantastic to have so many choices.
The biggest issue for me is still the perceived value of owning a smart watch such as this. After playing with it for a day, my thoughts have not changed in this regard.
It's still firmly in the luxury/novelty category at the moment, and I certainly do not need to have it. Is the Urbane worth the price I paid? From a purely technical stand point, probably. The Gorilla glassed OLED display is beautiful, the stainless steel body and overall craftsmanship looks and feels like something the Japanese would make, and the technical mastery of it all as a package feels like a bit of a leap forward, particularly considering where smart watches were a year ago.
But the software is not of the same level, and has a long way to go to really match where the hardware already is. It sort of like having Windows XP running on a 2015 5K iMac - there is a mismatch between software and hardware.
The upside is that Google can, and I'm sure will, improve the software as time goes on. The launch of the Apple Watch ensures that Google will treat Android Wear very, very seriously indeed. And that can only be good for the Urbane.
From a personal standpoint, the Urbane in it's current state is not worth what I paid for it. I would argue even the GWR is still about $100 too high. Do I have buyers remorse? To a degree I guess, but I can see the potential of this device, it can be so much more. The hardware is begging for a heart and soul, and a reason to exist.
I will keep it, and see where it takes me. Being an early adopter and gadget freak in general means that you have to take risks when jumping into and investing in a new product (hello OUYA, yes I got that too at launch lol), that's part of the thrill. Gadgets are a hobby, and a hobby is not worth having if you can't indulge in it every now and then. And obviously I am not alone in investing in the Urbane and Android Wear in general, which makes me feel a bit better.
Anyway, I hope I've given people reading this a bit more clarity in forming your own opinion of the Urbane/GWR. My advice? I would just go for it if you're anything like me, but maybe start off with the GWR.
TLDR, Urbane is an impressive, if slightly flawed device that should get better with time.

Regarding Voice recognition of "OK Google", I'm also struggling with this. It is nowhere near as good as my LG G Watch (square) was, that worked well 90% of the time. The urbane seems to be closer to 30%, and is really annoying me. I'm an aussie too but I'm not necessarily convinced our accents are causing the issue as I swapped straight from my G Watch to the Urbane and noticed problems straight away.
Regarding the default app for heart rate (and others) - to change it go into android wear app on your phone, hit the settings icon, choose your watch (LG Watch Urbane) and there will be an option for "actions" . In the you can reassign default actions.
Dwayne

Thanks for that fix mate!

I find if you lift your arm and wait 1 second before saying "ok google" it works perfect 99.9% of the time.

WOW you're actually right!

An observation of the hardware in general is that these watches are simply too bulky and much more so than they need to be in most cases. Getting the lugs up against the case on this particular watch would have made a huge difference by itself not just in reducing the bulk but the band or bracelet then fits better because it has more "grasp" area allowing for a grippier (if you will) fit for a given level of tightness. In other words the watch can grip better while being looser making it more comfortable to wear. Another... the killer feature these watches need is the ability to mimic a real watch face better and one way to get there is a convincing 3D effect for the screen. It doesn't have to be perfect and of course it couldn't be a battery killer but these smart watches need it. Right now people have some pretty nice stuff out there and I'm in no way taking a shot at some of those efforts which are outstanding work but they cant be convincing without a better screen tech.
Having these two things would move these watches from "what can it do for me" territory into wearing them because of what they can do for you but also just because you flat want to because the damn thing looks nice. Right now its a tool that I toss on the dresser as soon as I'm done with it and the few I know real world with one and most of what I read on the internet implies this is typical. They want to sell these things in a bigger way they need to make them something people wear because they want to because the use case isn't all that great for most people and I don't think having worn one for a while that this will change much because the window between utilizing the watch and it being easier to pull the phone is fairly small.
Keep in mind these are my opinions, I'm curious what other users think about the direction smart watches should be or need to be taking.

krabman said:
An observation of the hardware in general is that these watches are simply too bulky and much more so than they need to be in most cases. Getting the lugs up against the case on this particular watch would have made a huge difference by itself not just in reducing the bulk but the band or bracelet then fits better because it has more "grasp" area allowing for a grippier (if you will) fit for a given level of tightness. In other words the watch can grip better while being looser making it more comfortable to wear. Another... the killer feature these watches need is the ability to mimic a real watch face better and one way to get there is a convincing 3D effect for the screen. It doesn't have to be perfect and of course it couldn't be a battery killer but these smart watches need it. Right now people have some pretty nice stuff out there and I'm in no way taking a shot at some of those efforts which are outstanding work but they cant be convincing without a better screen tech.
Having these two things would move these watches from "what can it do for me" territory into wearing them because of what they can do for you but also just because you flat want to because the damn thing looks nice. Right now its a tool that I toss on the dresser as soon as I'm done with it and the few I know real world with one and most of what I read on the internet implies this is typical. They want to sell these things in a bigger way they need to make them something people wear because they want to because the use case isn't all that great for most people and I don't think having worn one for a while that this will change much because the window between utilizing the watch and it being easier to pull the phone is fairly small.
Keep in mind these are my opinions, I'm curious what other users think about the direction smart watches should be or need to be taking.
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I totally disagree. Have you seen panerai? Hublot? Breitling???? They are all big. Its whats in style, and has been for years.

interfreak said:
Thanks for that fix mate!
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Nice to read your thoughts on it I agree with 99% of it the only thing I would like to see is with Google now be nice to take a breath as you text lol

suzook said:
I totally disagree. Have you seen panerai? Hublot? Breitling???? They are all big. Its whats in style, and has been for years.
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lol Yes, I'm a watch person and own a number of them, surf the forums, etc. I'm guessing I've explained poorly. Its not the size itself so much as the needless bulk. I have several watches that have a face the same size but are quite a bit less bulky. This watch is a prime example with its needlessly large lugs and large bezel around the screen. It has confused no one as to what it is and I would never put it on in place of my real watches which I wear because I like them.
As to watch size in general a lot of people have never made friends with the large watch style, I'm among them. For me 40 to 42 mm is about right and I know a whole bunch of people with the same opinion. That is of course an opinion and I'm old enough to know that they vary and I do of agree that this style is popular right now but the trend is already reversing somewhat. Not surprising really, most people look like crap with a 48 mm saucer on their wrist because they simply are not possessed of the wrist size to put the watch into proportion.and my guess is the truly huge watches are going to continue going away bit by bit leaving the more reasonable 44ish mm sizing as the typical large watch with the larger stuff being outliers. At any rate it isn't just me, most of the reviews talk about the size issue with smart watches in general and particularly with this one where the added bulk particularly at the lugs hasn't been well received.
I take it you feel the size is fine then? You don't think that they might move more of these if they could move to a better and more convincing screen tech?

krabman said:
I take it you feel the size is fine then? You don't think that they might move more of these if they could move to a better and more convincing screen tech?
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Yes, i do love the size. I actually love the screen, Im not sure what you mean? I get compliments constantly. Alot of people ask what kind of watch is that??

Got mine today. Can't work out how to get lg health app to show heart rate data from the urbane. It's meant to appear automatically.

i hate you can't control how long the screen stay on..sometimes I need to time things with second hand...just so frustrating!!

gooner4life said:
i hate you can't control how long the screen stay on..sometimes I need to time things with second hand...just so frustrating!!
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There are some watch faces that do allow you to change this setting (timeout) usually in the android wear app on the paired device. There is also a stopwatch app built in.

This app (StayLit Wear) on google playworks for me
nOISEVAULT said:
There are some watch faces that do allow you to change this setting (timeout) usually in the android wear app on the paired device. There is also a stopwatch app built in.
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This^
And /or this https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phonephreak.extendedlight

My first impressions so far
part 1 - http://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/06/09/lg-watch-urbane-beauty-and-disaster-first-impressions/
part 2 - http://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/06/10/lg-watch-urbane-part-2/

gavinfabl said:
My first impressions so far
part 1 - http://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/06/09/lg-watch-urbane-beauty-and-disaster-first-impressions/
part 2 - http://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/06/10/lg-watch-urbane-part-2/
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Are you using FaceRepo with Watchmaker? Browse the website with your connected phone, and download the faces directly to the app. It's easy to customize the faces from there...
http://facerepo.com/

slaydog said:
Are you using FaceRepo with Watchmaker? Browse the website with your connected phone, and download the faces directly to the app. It's easy to customize the faces from there...
http://facerepo.com/
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Yes I am now, thanks.

I say "ok google" -> it works (but slowly)-> I ask smth or say "set a reminder" and %50 chance it works for a while (slooowly) and says "offline" -> I get crazy. But if I use google now on the phone everything is smooth as butter. Am I doing something wrong? / Is the watch faulty? / Is the bt connection too slow for spoken commands? / Or what?

TheSanitarium said:
I say "ok google" -> it works (but slowly)-> I ask smth or say "set a reminder" and %50 chance it works for a while (slooowly) and says "offline" -> I get crazy. But if I use google now on the phone everything is smooth as butter. Am I doing something wrong? / Is the watch faulty? / Is the bt connection too slow for spoken commands? / Or what?
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Speed can vary. I find just say OK Google and wait for the speak now part. Say what you want in one go, no pauses and it works 8/10.
I photographed all my watch faces on the watch to give everyone a better idea of what they look like, and created a gallery.
Google Photos then made a GIF of them lol
http://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/06/15/lg-watch-urbane-my-watch-faces-shown-photographed-gallery/

@interfreak and others - thanks for your input, it has been very helpful! (I'm in for one, will be delivered tomorrow)

Related

Some questions from a HTC HD2 user before swaping

Hi I consider buying HD7, I am owning HTC HD2 now, cld u answer my questions pls.
how is HD7 compared to HT2
- Call recording - can some1 test VITO Audio Notes 1.38, does it record both sides?
- Battery Live - HD2 must be charged every day
- playing avi and other formats - no problem at all with HD2 (useing TCPMP)
- email - HD2 can record only on phones memory, so I use Profimail which is much better then original one.
- any navigation? garmin and iGo 8 works perfect on HD2
- is Cookie working on HD7?
- Facebook? working properly?
- Myspace? (not working on HD2)
- Word? (full version?)
- any English dictionares?
Thank you!
I came from a HD2
If i you are a gadget freek and like to play with new things, then go for it. But if you want something that can do everything and not parts then stick with the HD2.
I wish i had waited until things pick up a bit before jumping ship, i would say wp7 isnt ready yet. Ok the basics work but thats about it.
I think your expectations aren't quite right.. Windows Mobile 6.5 apps won't work under WP7. Nevertheless, my thoughts:
- Call recording - can some1 test VITO Audio Notes 1.38, does it record both sides?
Can't find this in the WP7 marketplace
- Battery Live - HD2 must be charged every day
For me, that's true with the HD7, although I've only had it 2 days, and battery life tends to get better after a week or so.
- playing avi and other formats - no problem at all with HD2 (useing TCPMP)
I've not had any problems aside from FLAC so far, but it's probably only a matter of time before apps are out which can play more formats.
- email - HD2 can record only on phones memory, so I use Profimail which is much better then original one.
I've not seen any email apps. I'm happier with the defailt WP7 email experience, compared that that on WM6.5
- any navigation? garmin and iGo 8 works perfect on HD2
Nothing in the marketplace yet, although Bing maps does support rudimentary navigation -- not turn-by-turn though.
- is Cookie working on HD7?
No, and it won't - MS have blocked any changes to the main interface.
- Facebook? working properly?
The Facebook app is one of the most impressive ones I've seen on WP7 to date.
- Myspace? (not working on HD2)
Can't see a myspace app, although the web browser is pretty impressive. I don't use myspace myself, so can't comment on how the website appears.
- Word? (full version?)
There's a Word app -- it'll read pretty much anything you throw at it, but if you start from scratch, it's just a glorified notepad, to be honest.
- any English dictionares?
The SMS app and Word will autocorrect, and underline mistakes.
Thank you guys. I will wait then a month or so, if there is still a lack of applications I will get Nokia E7.
Has anything changed after a month?
Ive still got my HTC HD2, had N8 for a week but it was a crap, considerind HD7
Pls answer the question from post nr1
Cheers
I wish I could change. I already sold my HD2. I really am regretting it. I'm tired of people saying it a brand new OS and give it some time. I think MS sold a barebones OS just to follow the Apple business model. Meaning only add things if the masses demand it.
I still believe in Windows mobile compared to Windows Phone. i think WM was and is still way ahead of it's time. Windows Mobile was MS vision of bringing or taking the PC Mobile; multi tasking and all.
However we live in an AOL Walled garden world which works. People really don't like options. They do want things to work but just don't like to choose. I'm ranting I know but WP7 seems to always get me ranting these days.
I'll hang with MS on this one. I know they're in for the long haul but things really aren't looking good.
alabij said:
I wish I could change. I already sold my HD2. I really am regretting it. I'm tired of people saying it a brand new OS and give it some time. I think MS sold a barebones OS just to follow the Apple business model. Meaning only add things if the masses demand it.
I still believe in Windows mobile compared to Windows Phone. i think WM was and is still way ahead of it's time. Windows Mobile was MS vision of bringing or taking the PC Mobile; multi tasking and all.
However we live in an AOL Walled garden world which works. People really don't like options. They do want things to work but just don't like to choose. I'm ranting I know but WP7 seems to always get me ranting these days.
I'll hang with MS on this one. I know they're in for the long haul but things really aren't looking good.
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I agree, bare bone or not, there is many basic functions which are missing.
To me it seems like they released it unfinished. Or for 12 year old girls who want to keep up with face book, i mean look at the color options for the tiles?
Not one male color.
Also I get the whole live tiles, but how different are they from apps. only diff is they are bigger then ur avg app icon ( negative feature ) , and they update, whoopty do, u can set software to display updates on the app icon on any of the OS we see now ( if the developers wanted to), but things like alarm or that I have a new message, I dont need a huge tile to tell me, I have to scroll down twice to see if my alarm is set cause my phone, contacts, sms, and 4 email account tiles ( cause u cant view all 4 from one area, you have to have them separate) are all in the way.
The old small tile bar up top of the screen which told you your signal strength, network, battery and a little alarm bell, was very effective, first rule of good business, dont change what works.
But great features like assignable favs from phone book to access are missing
Im ranting to, and I'm ranting cause if they think this OS is what ppl want then they need to fire their R&D
I know I know its new, its in development, when some one tells me something is new and in development I think of a door way to a building, it opens, it closes, it has a door handle, a lock with a key access, hinges, screws, paint, glass, sealed and their working on the art on the glass and adding thumb print access.
OS 7: they gave us a piece of wood with some glass, some slippery stuff to make it very smooth and said "hold on the hinges will be here in a month". but feel free to stare at the ppl tile as your friends faces rotate on them and tell u when little jimmy is updating his face book status cause he went poop.
Sorry guys just expected more, I know read the past its been talked about, well i have not read it, I though it would be an upgrade from HD2 6.5, instead we went back wards.
They just made it more slick, so slick its empty.
Fair enough, it's not for you, but I would totally disagree about it being a step back.
I think they've got a real winner on their hands. Android is already out there for people who want to tweak to their hearts content, have access to the entire OS, and have a slightly unstable phone as a result.
MS have instead produced a focussed, useable platform that does what it says it will. It provides functionality within one or two presses of the screen, it all integrates very nicely and hangs together well. It's easy and intuitive to navigate, and it VERSION 1!!!
This expectation that a brand new, from the ground up, piece of software will be fully featured and working perfectly is utterly unrealistic. Name me one piece of software that has EVER met those criteria?!?!
In fairness to MS, they have taken the decision to release what works, rather than throw in a few extra features that need a couple more months development and will be buggy and generally drag the whole experience down. They have stated that there will be regular updates, and we have no reason to think that they won't be true to their word. As long as they keep to that, and fill in the functionality then they will have a great OS on their hands.
For those complaining that it doesn't do what WM did, it's not meant to - hence why it's called windows phone rather than mobile - it's not meant to be a pocket PC anymore. Also, MS have said that they will be aiming to make the phone more business friendly with future releases next year - right now it's not intended to be a business machine, that's why WM6.5 hasn't been scrapped.
Personally, as much as I love android, I quickly got bored of it - it tries to be all things to all people, and suffers as a result. It's still a great OS, but it's not what I want. I've been following the development of WP7 for a long time, and had a few chances to play with it at MS events, and it really is fantastic. We all knew it didn't have cut and paste, we all knew it doesn't multi-task, so why oh why do people buy it and then complain about these missing features - it's like buying a bike, then complaining that it's got two wheels missing?!?!
WP7 does what it does very well, it's that simple.
rob_p said:
Fair enough, it's not for you, but I would totally disagree about it being a step back.
I think they've got a real winner on their hands. Android is already out there for people who want to tweak to their hearts content, have access to the entire OS, and have a slightly unstable phone as a result.
MS have instead produced a focussed, useable platform that does what it says it will. It provides functionality within one or two presses of the screen, it all integrates very nicely and hangs together well. It's easy and intuitive to navigate, and it VERSION 1!!!
This expectation that a brand new, from the ground up, piece of software will be fully featured and working perfectly is utterly unrealistic. Name me one piece of software that has EVER met those criteria?!?!
In fairness to MS, they have taken the decision to release what works, rather than throw in a few extra features that need a couple more months development and will be buggy and generally drag the whole experience down. They have stated that there will be regular updates, and we have no reason to think that they won't be true to their word. As long as they keep to that, and fill in the functionality then they will have a great OS on their hands.
For those complaining that it doesn't do what WM did, it's not meant to - hence why it's called windows phone rather than mobile - it's not meant to be a pocket PC anymore. Also, MS have said that they will be aiming to make the phone more business friendly with future releases next year - right now it's not intended to be a business machine, that's why WM6.5 hasn't been scrapped.
Personally, as much as I love android, I quickly got bored of it - it tries to be all things to all people, and suffers as a result. It's still a great OS, but it's not what I want. I've been following the development of WP7 for a long time, and had a few chances to play with it at MS events, and it really is fantastic. We all knew it didn't have cut and paste, we all knew it doesn't multi-task, so why oh why do people buy it and then complain about these missing features - it's like buying a bike, then complaining that it's got two wheels missing?!?!
WP7 does what it does very well, it's that simple.
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Thats the problem, we all didnt know, not all of us have been following this thing all this time or its development nor have the time to, but there is basic features which are expected in any phone to have in 2010 era.
Im sorry but not having cut and past on a phone which is all about media is rediculas, it should be part of the code, and its not complicated code, they know how to do it, but if you notice, there is an app out there you can buy that will do it for you. Hence, Microsoft has decided to bank on the app market vs the phone OS sales by giving us nothing and charging us for what we want.
What I predict in the upcoming updates? very basic things, everthing else that we want, that should be part of the basic OS will be available to buy, I dont blame them, it makes perfect sense.
For example, I over slept today, since there is only one setting for volume, I set my phone on vibrate over night so that if I have that one client who just cant wait till 9am to talk to me and calls at 6:30 i dont get woken up, but since the alerm sound is now not working, i sleep right through my 7:30 am alarm.
So the general person would say but no one else needs that, put it ringer on ring, cause most of us wont get calls at 6am right. Say you want to take a mid day nap cause ur head still pounding from going out the previous night, you need your alarm to wake u up but when that girl you chilled with last night calls you five times cause she is emotionaly unstable you dont want to hear it. How would you set that up?
Every phone since, hell 2002 I have seen have the ability to set different ring type and volume on alarm then the master one.
Thats a simple basic feature.
Things like that is what botheres me about this phone, like they forgot to put it in as they rushed it out the door for the holiday season so they can sell them for xmas
@Rysksy
Give it up dude- copy and paste will be in Jan update, along with other stuff. God knows what you did with the alarm but my WP7 phone is set to vibrate for calls and texts and full volume for music/ alarms etc. Press the volume key and you'll see how to do it.
Fair enough to complain about valid concerns, but the comments you are making sound like you haven't actually got one and would just like to have a moan about things which are either well documented and will soon be fixed, or aren't in fact an issue. If you loathe it so much why not sell it (if indeed you do own one), and buy a HD2 again with cash left over?
monkeybutler365 said:
@Rysksy
Give it up dude- copy and paste will be in Jan update, along with other stuff. God knows what you did with the alarm but my WP7 phone is set to vibrate for calls and texts and full volume for music/ alarms etc. Press the volume key and you'll see how to do it.
Fair enough to complain about valid concerns, but the comments you are making sound like you haven't actually got one and would just like to have a moan about things which are either well documented and will soon be fixed, or aren't in fact an issue. If you loathe it so much why not sell it (if indeed you do own one), and buy a HD2 again with cash left over?
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Click to collapse
I have the HD2 and the HD7, money is not the issue, id spendn 800$ on the N8 or E7 if I could test it before I got it, just no Nokia dealers in my city.
There is not many alarm settings, and when u press the volume key, your options is to either tune the level of ring up or down, or press in top right corner to go to ring or vibrate, there is no profile selection.
When I set my phone to vibrate, the alarm does not sound, it goes off, in a nice vibrating kind of way, but not sound. That is a bit frustrating, for the fact that some times I need to have alarm wake me up but not my calls or messages, dont have that kind of a setting, heck no setting to keep media volume separte from ringer volume, same problem HD2 had to, if I want to watch a movie I turn the volume up in hte movie, then I get a call and it blares at full volume. Those should be independent of each other.
I am not bitter, I just feel that we were given a half finish OS, lots of promises and not much delivered, but they are capitalizing on us buying things from the market to temp fix what we need. And having to wait for update, they know that most of us have 14 days from the time we buy to return, so they set the new release way out, so that every one is stuck with phone if they dont like it, maximize profits for the holidays, very smart of them.
If i was a car maker, i would not put a car on the market, and say " hold on doors coming soon"
Thats all I am saying
Wait a sec....
rysky007 said:
I have the HD2 and the HD7, money is not the issue, id spendn 800$ on the N8 or E7 if I could test it before I got it, just no Nokia dealers in my city.
There is not many alarm settings, and when u press the volume key, your options is to either tune the level of ring up or down, or press in top right corner to go to ring or vibrate, there is no profile selection.
When I set my phone to vibrate, the alarm does not sound, it goes off, in a nice vibrating kind of way, but not sound. That is a bit frustrating, for the fact that some times I need to have alarm wake me up but not my calls or messages, dont have that kind of a setting, heck no setting to keep media volume separte from ringer volume, same problem HD2 had to, if I want to watch a movie I turn the volume up in hte movie, then I get a call and it blares at full volume. Those should be independent of each other.
I am not bitter, I just feel that we were given a half finish OS, lots of promises and not much delivered, but they are capitalizing on us buying things from the market to temp fix what we need. And having to wait for update, they know that most of us have 14 days from the time we buy to return, so they set the new release way out, so that every one is stuck with phone if they dont like it, maximize profits for the holidays, very smart of them.
If i was a car maker, i would not put a car on the market, and say " hold on doors coming soon"
Thats all I am saying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a phone whore and have used just about every mobile platform available and many many many phone devices as well.
I currently have a Samsung Vibrant, HD2 and HD7 and here's my take.
This is not the first phone to come out unfinished and it probably won't be the last. All versions of Apples Mobile OS to this very day have been released with some major feature missing or a ton of bugs. This is really nothing new.
I've been using Android since the G1 and I can remember when many people scoffed at the platform. No one is laughing at Android now.
My HD2 is a pretty phone with a ****ty OS and I hacked and flashed custom ROMs on that thing from day one. My Android devices (all of them) though awesome, have also been customized, Rooted and flashed with all kinds of ROMs. When I used iPhones, I jailbroke them all. Heck, even my iPad is jailbroken right now.
There is no level playing field and there certainly is no perfect phone.
These things take time.
Now granted, some things in Windows phone should probably have been added from jump, e.g. Cut & Paste, but we all know that's coming sooner rather than later.
Regardless, this is a very polished platform that obviously has a lot of room for growth and amazing potential.
The question is can you be patient enough to wait a few weeks/months, or are you going to keep kvetching over the situation?
Once you answer that question, I'm pretty sure your next step will become clear to you
HD7 Really?
So, I got a HD2. . . It has been a decent phone for a few weeks(I got way fed up with my 3G iPhone and found a straight across trade).
It's the usual WMO OS, decent at best. Quite stable, but the menus are just. . . . Well, WMO.
Now, I just ordered the HD7. I called t-mobile and they just wanted to give me this thing. I added a line and renewed a contract and they gave me 2 HD7's for 300 Bucks on some loyalty BS.
So, I went to the T-mobile store to play with it before it got here.
Seriously what gives?
No Background
The tiles look idiotic(the rendering is nice, I guess)
Is there even a file management system?
SPB Shell will not work on it
Can you access the files in a removable storage format?
I guess that about covers it. . . Geez, it's like the iPhone OS in the early days.
rysky007 said:
I have the HD2 and the HD7, money is not the issue, id spendn 800$ on the N8 or E7 if I could test it before I got it, just no Nokia dealers in my city.
There is not many alarm settings, and when u press the volume key, your options is to either tune the level of ring up or down, or press in top right corner to go to ring or vibrate, there is no profile selection.
When I set my phone to vibrate, the alarm does not sound, it goes off, in a nice vibrating kind of way, but not sound. That is a bit frustrating, for the fact that some times I need to have alarm wake me up but not my calls or messages, dont have that kind of a setting, heck no setting to keep media volume separte from ringer volume, same problem HD2 had to, if I want to watch a movie I turn the volume up in hte movie, then I get a call and it blares at full volume. Those should be independent of each other.
I am not bitter, I just feel that we were given a half finish OS, lots of promises and not much delivered, but they are capitalizing on us buying things from the market to temp fix what we need. And having to wait for update, they know that most of us have 14 days from the time we buy to return, so they set the new release way out, so that every one is stuck with phone if they dont like it, maximize profits for the holidays, very smart of them.
If i was a car maker, i would not put a car on the market, and say " hold on doors coming soon"
Thats all I am saying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do not know how to google???
Everything you complain about has been covered ad nauseum on the web for MONTHS!!!!
It's not MS's fault you didn't do your homework.
Maybe if you need to put your phone on vibrate when you sleep you should invest in a 10 dollar alarm clock. I've used the same one for over a decade, batteries last about 2 years in it.
If you are within your 2 weeks, I suggest you return the phone.
And FYI, you can adjust the ringer and media volumes separately on the hd2. It's obvious you didn't do your homework on that one either.
samson_420 said:
So, I got a HD2. . . It has been a decent phone for a few weeks(I got way fed up with my 3G iPhone and found a straight across trade).
It's the usual WMO OS, decent at best. Quite stable, but the menus are just. . . . Well, WMO.
Now, I just ordered the HD7. I called t-mobile and they just wanted to give me this thing. I added a line and renewed a contract and they gave me 2 HD7's for 300 Bucks on some loyalty BS.
So, I went to the T-mobile store to play with it before it got here.
Seriously what gives?
No Background
The tiles look idiotic(the rendering is nice, I guess)
Is there even a file management system?
SPB Shell will not work on it
Can you access the files in a removable storage format?
I guess that about covers it. . . Geez, it's like the iPhone OS in the early days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once again, a little research before you buy electronics goes a long way.
nrfitchett4 said:
Once again, a little research before you buy electronics goes a long way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very true, I got it just because it was cheap. It will most likely be sold due to these issues.
But, come on. . . You can't tell me these issues should not be resolved before a OS is released. Some of these issues are unreasonable.
nrfitchett4 said:
do not know how to google???
Everything you complain about has been covered ad nauseum on the web for MONTHS!!!!
It's not MS's fault you didn't do your homework.
Maybe if you need to put your phone on vibrate when you sleep you should invest in a 10 dollar alarm clock. I've used the same one for over a decade, batteries last about 2 years in it.
If you are within your 2 weeks, I suggest you return the phone.
And FYI, you can adjust the ringer and media volumes separately on the hd2. It's obvious you didn't do your homework on that one either.
Once again, a little research before you buy electronics goes a long way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I never said that you cannot do it on HD2, thats one of the features I liked on the HD2, so you miss read my statement as I said that since the HD2 had the feature why not HD7.
Im glad that its been covered and beaten up for months on thousands of diff forums. And I will give you the same answer I gave the other person who made that comment. When I buy a car, I dont spend hours on line to research if it comes with brakes and doors. I research if it has a certain adapter or feature, but usually a quick glance to their site or call to dealer can solve that issue.
I dont have time to spend on line reading the thousands of posts.. which i did do a little research about it before I got one, and sorting through the clutter of personal reviews did not answer the question of what it does and does not have.
Especially since many of the posts were, "I took the fuzzy picture the guy took at the private release that was leaked to us and photo shopped it and rendered it 3d view and it looks like there is a small hole for something but I cannot tell what"
Until the product is released and played with, you will never fully know what it does and does not have. Things like cut and paste which many complained about is not a big deal for me. But alarm features, select all, and view multiple email accounts from one place i did not see discussed, why? cause its not important to most avg users who spend hours a day on google or face book,
I run two businesses, time is limited.
^ Yup. . . . So far from what I have seen of this new WMO Phone it is a fail. They really bit the big one on this. The only way I can use this device is if they release a serious update.
I recently had my HD2 stolen, so for the time being, I have had to go back to my old Orbit. I am so jealous of you guys with multiple phones and OSs
Anyway, to get to the point. I was totally in love with my HD2 and am a long time WinMo user and fan. But now I have the chance to look around for a new phone. Sorry, but iPhone doesn't even come into the equation. I have an iPod Touch and that has put me off the whole iOS. So that leaves only Symbian, Android and WP7. And you can kick Symbian off the list as I don't like the look of the OS. So, Android or WP7.
The beauty of the HD2 was that you can run it with Android, so I have already had a lot of use and fun out of that OS. It is smart and polished and with a lot of regular updates to keep it fresh and up to the minute. A serious contender in the replacement market.
My only experience with WP7 is 10 mins playing with it in a T-Mobile shop the other day and from what I have read here and on other sites. As many say, iOS started off the same; bare-bones with room for more as and when the public cry loud enough for it. But those 10 mins playing with it in the shop didn't give me a lot of faith in it. Yes, it's very fluid and slick, but the eco-system is too restrictive, just like the iPhone. And from Microsoft, I expected more... much more. They had 10 years of WinMo experience which in my opinion, they decided to pass up on and follow the Apple route. Copy and paste may not be something everyone uses, but the world scoffed at Apple for not having it until the 3Gs came along. The tiles on the "home" screen are an excellent idea, for a quick glance at what's new, but you could do the same with WinMo with one or two added apps (or just use Titanium, which also told you you had new mails, messages, etc).
In conclusion, I would most likely be replacing my HD2 with a new HD2. OK, WinMo may be old hat and a bit awkward, but with HTCs Sense it runs like a charm. And if I want Android, I can run that too. And who knows, maybe in the not too distant future there will be a WP7 port for it too. The perfect phone for me!
samson_420 said:
Very true, I got it just because it was cheap. It will most likely be sold due to these issues.
But, come on. . . You can't tell me these issues should not be resolved before a OS is released. Some of these issues are unreasonable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I and most other users don't find anything "unreasonable" missing. It makes calls, texts, emails, plays music, videos, games, has office integration.
rysky007 said:
Actually I never said that you cannot do it on HD2, thats one of the features I liked on the HD2, so you miss read my statement as I said that since the HD2 had the feature why not HD7.
Im glad that its been covered and beaten up for months on thousands of diff forums. And I will give you the same answer I gave the other person who made that comment. When I buy a car, I dont spend hours on line to research if it comes with brakes and doors. I research if it has a certain adapter or feature, but usually a quick glance to their site or call to dealer can solve that issue.
I dont have time to spend on line reading the thousands of posts.. which i did do a little research about it before I got one, and sorting through the clutter of personal reviews did not answer the question of what it does and does not have.
Especially since many of the posts were, "I took the fuzzy picture the guy took at the private release that was leaked to us and photo shopped it and rendered it 3d view and it looks like there is a small hole for something but I cannot tell what"
Until the product is released and played with, you will never fully know what it does and does not have. Things like cut and paste which many complained about is not a big deal for me. But alarm features, select all, and view multiple email accounts from one place i did not see discussed, why? cause its not important to most avg users who spend hours a day on google or face book,
I run two businesses, time is limited.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Time is limited, yet you can't read one review before you buy a phone, yet can post 20 times what you hate about it afterwards. You probably buy an SUV, then complain to everyone when it gets 15mpg, like that is some unknown problem.....
[email protected] said:
I recently had my HD2 stolen, so for the time being, I have had to go back to my old Orbit. I am so jealous of you guys with multiple phones and OSs
Anyway, to get to the point. I was totally in love with my HD2 and am a long time WinMo user and fan. But now I have the chance to look around for a new phone. Sorry, but iPhone doesn't even come into the equation. I have an iPod Touch and that has put me off the whole iOS. So that leaves only Symbian, Android and WP7. And you can kick Symbian off the list as I don't like the look of the OS. So, Android or WP7.
The beauty of the HD2 was that you can run it with Android, so I have already had a lot of use and fun out of that OS. It is smart and polished and with a lot of regular updates to keep it fresh and up to the minute. A serious contender in the replacement market.
My only experience with WP7 is 10 mins playing with it in a T-Mobile shop the other day and from what I have read here and on other sites. As many say, iOS started off the same; bare-bones with room for more as and when the public cry loud enough for it. But those 10 mins playing with it in the shop didn't give me a lot of faith in it. Yes, it's very fluid and slick, but the eco-system is too restrictive, just like the iPhone. And from Microsoft, I expected more... much more. They had 10 years of WinMo experience which in my opinion, they decided to pass up on and follow the Apple route. Copy and paste may not be something everyone uses, but the world scoffed at Apple for not having it until the 3Gs came along. The tiles on the "home" screen are an excellent idea, for a quick glance at what's new, but you could do the same with WinMo with one or two added apps (or just use Titanium, which also told you you had new mails, messages, etc).
In conclusion, I would most likely be replacing my HD2 with a new HD2. OK, WinMo may be old hat and a bit awkward, but with HTCs Sense it runs like a charm. And if I want Android, I can run that too. And who knows, maybe in the not too distant future there will be a WP7 port for it too. The perfect phone for me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android doesn't get that many updates. It just seems that way because the android builds for the hd2 pull from all the android OS's. Most of them still haven't gotten an official 2.2 that has been released from google for months.
nrfitchett4 said:
I and most other users don't find anything "unreasonable" missing. It makes calls, texts, emails, plays music, videos, games, has office integration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So does a much lower end phone. . . .
It will just take time as always for people that know what their doing to improve upon where the manufacturer has failed.

[Q] what do you think is after pebble steel?

I know it's a little too soon, but what do you think it's after the pebble steel? Will it be the Pebble 3? When do you think will it be announced?
This is one of my first time posting on this forum , please be nice.
Whatever it is, orders will be accepted at least three months before it is released....
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Pebble Wear?
Pebble aluminium with boom sound
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium HD app
I'm excited about the Android Wear devices because of the Google Now integration. I've always thought the mic and speaker on the smartwatch would be an important feature - not for speakerphone conversations, but as a good supplemental control system for the times when fiddling with the watch with your other hands is inconvenient. Pair it with always listening voice control of Google Now and you've opened up a world of convenience and utility.
I hope Pebble will consider that, because I'm testing a Gear 2 Neo and the mic and speaker is game changing. Even though w/ Samsung, you're only given control of S-Voice instead of Google Now, there's still a lot you can accomplish with it. It would be cool if a dev could break that open so we could choose which one. I'm at the point where any future smartwatches I choose, will be required to have that kind of feature.
If all Pebble did on the next HW version was add always-on health monitoring (steps & heart rate monitor) and mic w/ speaker I'd be happy.
rEVOLVE said:
I'm excited about the Android Wear devices because of the Google Now integration. I've always thought the mic and speaker on the smartwatch would be an important feature - not for speakerphone conversations, but as a good supplemental control system for the times when fiddling with the watch with your other hands is inconvenient. Pair it with always listening voice control of Google Now and you've opened up a world of convenience and utility.
I hope Pebble will consider that, because I'm testing a Gear 2 Neo and the mic and speaker is game changing. Even though w/ Samsung, you're only given control of S-Voice instead of Google Now, there's still a lot you can accomplish with it. It would be cool if a dev could break that open so we could choose which one. I'm at the point where any future smartwatches I choose, will be required to have that kind of feature.
If all Pebble did on the next HW version was add always-on health monitoring (steps & heart rate monitor) and mic w/ speaker I'd be happy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that will be great! Maybe also include wireless charging like the Qualcomm Toq.
I really hope Pebble will stick to what they are doing now. I like them over Android wear because of:
1. Screen is always on. I would hate having a watch that had to be turned on.
2. There are still country's that doesn't have voice recognition from Google. Including Denmark where I live. I frequently use English voice recognition for my phone, but it is impossible to get it to recognize danish names etc. So I would prefer no voice.
That being said, a higher resolution would be great, and a more stable connection would be awesome.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
NinjaOne said:
I really hope Pebble will stick to what they are doing now. I like them over Android wear because of:
1. Screen is always on. I would hate having a watch that had to be turned on.
2. There are still country's that doesn't have voice recognition from Google. Including Denmark where I live. I frequently use English voice recognition for my phone, but it is impossible to get it to recognize danish names etc. So I would prefer no voice.
That being said, a higher resolution would be great, and a more stable connection would be awesome.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed on point 1. I'm testing the Neo and it is the single most annoying thing with this watch. Any watch that can't reliably activate the screen to the point I have to reach over with my other hand is a fail. It is no longer convenient - I need the info to be immediately visible when I glance down for it to be useful like on my Pebble and Metawatch. Even the Gear 2 Neo is a half second slow to wake up, so it doesn't feel as nice to use as as the Pebble. I am not one to be impressed by the color touch screen of the Gears. It's form over function.
On point 2 - I really feel for you that it is not a reliable way to interact for you. As an English speaker, I cannot do justice on describing how convenient the always on voice commands are when they work - and we're coming upon an age where more often than not, it is reliable and accurate. To extend that to the watch so that the watch on your wrist is the control mechanism in scenarios where your hands are busy otherwise, it's a breakthrough! I hope the voice control is made better for your use someday very soon so you can also experience the convenience I've been enjoying.
I don't care for the round shape of the Moto 360, though. I would like a "screen shape" so I can achieve the density of information I require on certain watchfaces - I don't know if I'll be able to get that out of a round screen.
Like I said, I LOVE the way my Pebble has been able to give me such real features and uses, but due to what I expect a major shift in how I want to use a smartwatch after testing one with the mic and speaker, those are absolute requirements going forward for me. If they don't add that voice control capability, I'll have to eliminate their offerings from my future selections.
I see your point, and would probably love it too, if voice recognition was more useful to me. But as long as it isn't, voice recognition isn't a priority for me.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
My guess is that a future Pebble would have the following:
1) Once again the charging port/cable will be drastically altered from the previous versions. (making it not backwards compatible)
2) The overall shell of the unit is bulkier.
3) If the technology exists, they might have a color screen (e-ink/paper of course).
4) The stock software will allow users more open slots to install/remove watch faces/apps/games.
Adding anything else would drastically lower the battery's performance and be very unnecessary. Adding Android as the base software would really make this watch a nightmare to use. The battery wouldn't last as long, the watch would be heavier, and it would get uncomfortably warm. Adding stuff like a speaker wouldn't give this watch its waterproof ability.
The way Pebble is, its perfect in every aspect. Granted you're still stuck with some watch faces, but physically, its perfect. Waterproof, dust-proof, drop-proof, long-lasting, light, watch-bands are replaceable, and its relatively thin.
I just got my new silver pebble. It is very beautiful and first of all is a watch and not a complex device. My only problem till now it is that does not support greek language and the most letters showing as boxes. I hope a new firmware fix this...
athankar75 said:
I just got my new silver pebble. It is very beautiful and first of all is a watch and not a complex device. My only problem till now it is that does not support greek language and the most letters showing as boxes. I hope a new firmware fix this...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try pebblebits
Yes, pebblebits working just fine, no more squares...
I recently got the Pebble. I use it for Fitness. I use it for Music control. And notifications. I have say I am impressed. The connection issue is improving for me. The screen functional but for sure not beautiful. I hope at some point for future devices the engineers figure out how to have nice looking screens with good battery life. And someway of making the watch useful when the phone is not right there. We may be a few generations away though.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium HD app
logitechor said:
I recently got the Pebble. I use it for Fitness. I use it for Music control. And notifications. I have say I am impressed. The connection issue is improving for me. The screen functional but for sure not beautiful. I hope at some point for future devices the engineers figure out how to have nice looking screens with good battery life. And someway of making the watch useful when the phone is not right there. We may be a few generations away though.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe they can use Qualcomm's Mirasol display.
Yes, higher res, always-on screen is my biggest desire for a new pebble. Ideally color, and I think mirasol would be a great option.
Keep the buttons; I absolutely do not want a touch screen. And better built in apps would be nice: timer / stop watch / single shot alarms, "nag" notifications that buzz every 5 minutes until dismissed.
Voice input to Google now would be nice but not that important to me. My phone does that already.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I would be curious to know if it is possible for them to come out with an Android Wear watch running on the E-Ink display. Kinda taking the best of both worlds. I think that the development community has been great for Pebble so far but I am pretty sure Android Wear will be catching up really quick to surpass it. But one of the features that I love about my Pebble is that the battery life is great and always on. So if there is a way it would be a neat idea to kinda bridge the gap instead of trying to compete. They would also be offering something that any of the Android Wear devices we have seen so far. Just a thought.

HTC mini +

Does anyone have the HTC mini+ and if so is it worth it?
thewagdy said:
Does anyone have the HTC mini+ and if so is it worth it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say that heavily depends on how you use a device. I have it & I use it A LOT. Mostly because I wanted a way to keep my eyes on the road & be able to change the album/song I'm listening to. I also give a lot of presentations & I use it for the laser pointer & to control the slides on my tablet or laptop.
Having said that, the BT range is pretty limited. The display is a bit hard to see outside on a bright day & there are many options that are less expensive that work in a similar fashion.
Also, as of the last few updates, you can no longer switch the time display to 12hr, which kind of annoys me. Depending on why you are even thinking about it, I would say for the average user, or power user, that NO, it is probably NOT worth it.
GSLEON3 said:
I would say that heavily depends on how you use a device. I have it & I use it A LOT. Mostly because I wanted a way to keep my eyes on the road & be able to change the album/song I'm listening to. I also give a lot of presentations & I use it for the laser pointer & to control the slides on my tablet or laptop.
Having said that, the BT range is pretty limited. The display is a bit hard to see outside on a bright day & there are many options that are less expensive that work in a similar fashion.
Also, as of the last few updates, you can no longer switch the time display to 12hr, which kind of annoys me. Depending on why you are even thinking about it, I would say for the average user, or power user, that NO, it is probably NOT worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats very good advice, I really appreciate it. What were the other devices specifically you were talking about?

[VIDEO] LG G Watch R - An honest review after 2 months of use

I have been using LG G Watch R for over two months and it's time to bring you my detailed review of the device.
Note: There is an error in the video when talking about music playback. The LG G Watch R can in fact play back presynched music from Play Music app.
Timeline:
00:00 Intro
00:14 Design
01:23 Specification
01:46 Configuration
03:07 Android Wear - What can it do?
05:24 Battery life
06:00 Conclusion
Thanks for the review. It is well made but I have some observations. I hope you can accept critics as well as the good words
1. The watch BODY is made out of steel but the screen bezel/lip is aluminium all the way.
2. When you make a review, it is better not to put obvious bias in the conclusion. I think is inappropriate to say that smartwatches are useless and so. It is just "not right".
I do agree that android wear is not polished enough and has a lot of room for improvements but from there is a long way to say it's useless for delivering notifications. THAT'S THE MAIN POINT of a smartwatch like this: an extension of a pre-existing main device/phone These are the specs, that is what you are buying in the first place. The heart monitor, barometer and compass are just add-ons to the main purpose: an extension of the main phone.
Please don't take it personally but I honestly think that a review should be as neutral as possible, not biased by personal preferences.
Just another point: The watch does have a pedometer. It counts my steps quite accurately without the use of my phone.
I'd also disagree on the unintuitive menu comment, but then again I don't install any apps apart from Fit, I have a phone for those.
I like my watch because I think it's cool, it shows my text messages, emails and notifications, and lets me keep my phone on silent which is perfect at work as it allows me to escape the office to answer it without taking the phone out of my pocket, or just ignore the call if it's someone I don't care about. Amazingly it also gets me to do more exercise as I try to do at least 5000 steps per day.
Yes, you can buy a phone for the price of the watch, but that's not the point of it.
One thing I don't really use? Voice recognition. Only ever use it for navigation, and then maybe once a month.

Case similar to eyepatch? (privacy slider for cameras)

I tried searching google, amazon, and this forum. No dice.
Anyone heard of a case for note8 that is both decent and also has some kind of physical slider for the camera?
I've only found one online, and its only for junk iphones lol.
Figured I'd ask. Thanks!
This is more gay than everything else that has ever been gay before for a phone accessory. Just my 2 cents... :laugh:
Sent from my Galaxy Note 8 using XDA Labs
Dejan Sathanas said:
This is more gay than everything else that has ever been gay before for a phone accessory. Just my 2 cents... :laugh:
Sent from my Galaxy Note 8 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Noted.
However, it is more gay having some fat dude spying on yourthrough your selfie cam unknowingly while you are getting dressed/naked.
cricketpaddleinmyhand said:
Noted.
However, it is more gay having some fat dude spying on yourthrough your selfie cam unknowingly while you are getting dressed/naked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If someone can see you through the phone's cameras, you have bigger issues then some fat dude seeing your junk.
I can't see any photos on this thread
Dejan Sathanas said:
This is more gay than everything else that has ever been gay before for a phone accessory. Just my 2 cents... [emoji23]
Sent from my Galaxy Note 8 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to be more in line with your verbiage. Gay is not a politically correct word to use these days. I'm thinking using the word " so hetro", as opposed to so gay. Thoughts?
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
That is actually a good idea. I don't see why case manufacturers don't include this in their case designs as it would add another layer of protection to camera sensor.
cricketpaddleinmyhand said:
Noted.
However, it is more gay having some fat dude spying on yourthrough your selfie cam unknowingly while you are getting dressed/naked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is absolutely no way, and I mean zero, someone could be looking at you through your selfie cam without you knowing.
Firstly, when the screen is off, the device cuts the feed to the camera. You can test this by using any number of apps that allow video calling and video call a friend using all of them and turn the screen off during the call. Your friend should report your video feed either freezing or going away entirely.
Secondly, and this is the most important one, the only way someone would be able to have access to your selfie cam is if you installed an app from some unknown source that grants someone access to use your selfie cam without your knowledge. And even then, you'd have to give the app permission to use the camera, first. Apps can't just start using your camera or your microphone without you knowing about it. They need explicit permission, first.
So, if this is a concern for you, go into all the apps in your app manager and turn off the camera permission for every app, except your camera. Or, hell, turn that off also, if you're scared Samsung is spying on you, like someone else on this forum is.
These devices aren't like Windows. You can't accidentally go onto a website and suddenly someone is using your webcam to look at you. Very nearly anything that happens on your device needs your explicit permission. They can't just take control of sensors or install apps willy-nilly without your knowledge.
Also, something someone said once about people sticking tape over their webcam on their laptops; let's say something like this actually happened. Your device is presumably laying on your desk or in your pocket for most of the day. So, for a good portion of the day, whomever is spying through your selfie cam will be looking at a ceiling or a dark pocket. The couple of times that you are using your device, all they'll be looking at is your face, looking at your screen. They can't see what you're doing or looking at, only your face. Why would someone want to hack your device just to look at your face for 5 minutes, a couple of times a day and look at the ceiling the rest of the day (this is assuming also they can access the camera while the device's screen is off, which they can't. So, essentially they'll be looking at a blank camera feed and staring at their monitor all day for that hopeful chance they'll catch you checking your email for 2 minutes, which won't help them anything, again, as all they'll see is your face and not what you're doing).
TL;DR
No need to be so paranoid about anyone spying on you. Trust me, your life isn't that interesting and the ceiling of your work place isn't either.
Max_Terrible said:
There is absolutely no way, and I mean zero, someone could be looking at you through your selfie cam without you knowing.
Firstly, when the screen is off, the device cuts the feed to the camera. You can test this by using any number of apps that allow video calling and video call a friend using all of them and turn the screen off during the call. Your friend should report your video feed either freezing or going away entirely.
Secondly, and this is the most important one, the only way someone would be able to have access to your selfie cam is if you installed an app from some unknown source that grants someone access to use your selfie cam without your knowledge. And even then, you'd have to give the app permission to use the camera, first. Apps can't just start using your camera or your microphone without you knowing about it. They need explicit permission, first.
So, if this is a concern for you, go into all the apps in your app manager and turn off the camera permission for every app, except your camera. Or, hell, turn that off also, if you're scared Samsung is spying on you, like someone else on this forum is.
These devices aren't like Windows. You can't accidentally go onto a website and suddenly someone is using your webcam to look at you. Very nearly anything that happens on your device needs your explicit permission. They can't just take control of sensors or install apps willy-nilly without your knowledge.
Also, something someone said once about people sticking tape over their webcam on their laptops; let's say something like this actually happened. Your device is presumably laying on your desk or in your pocket for most of the day. So, for a good portion of the day, whomever is spying through your selfie cam will be looking at a ceiling or a dark pocket. The couple of times that you are using your device, all they'll be looking at is your face, looking at your screen. They can't see what you're doing or looking at, only your face. Why would someone want to hack your device just to look at your face for 5 minutes, a couple of times a day and look at the ceiling the rest of the day (this is assuming also they can access the camera while the device's screen is off, which they can't. So, essentially they'll be looking at a blank camera feed and staring at their monitor all day for that hopeful chance they'll catch you checking your email for 2 minutes, which won't help them anything, again, as all they'll see is your face and not what you're doing).
TL;DR
No need to be so paranoid about anyone spying on you. Trust me, your life isn't that interesting and the ceiling of your work place isn't either.
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And yet, my question still stands and I still am looking for a case like this.
Thanks for the reply and information sir.
But the question is why? Lol. If it was a major concern wouldn't you think case manufacturing companies would jump on the chance to make a quick buck off people's paranoia? They would be offering all sorts of microphone blockers, cameras covers, etc..
luisramon17 said:
But the question is why? Lol. If it was a major concern wouldn't you think case manufacturing companies would jump on the chance to make a quick buck off people's paranoia? They would be offering all sorts of microphone blockers, cameras covers, etc..
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Exactly this.
cricketpaddleinmyhand said:
And yet, my question still stands and I still am looking for a case like this.
Thanks for the reply and information sir.
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Click to collapse
Just buy any case, cutout a piece of paper, paint it if you would like, stick upper side of the paper to the case and thats it.
Idc if some fat dude is watching me. I always leave my phone upside down and also i dont use dex station so no way of anyone seeing me.
Also go ahead and test it yourself, open a videocall in whatsapp, when you turn the screen of the feed will freeze. If you still dont want to leave it as is, try the method i gave, works everytime. Or simply you can 3d print a case for yourself.
All that noise. If can be done in any way it is being done. You public schooled parrots.
To those of you that state it cannot be done or you have nothing to worry about you are VERY wrong. It happens all the time and doesn't take much to be able to infiltrate someones personal phone and turn on the mic or any of the cameras and apps WITHOUT alerting the end user(Yes that means even if the screen is off). Its a fairly common practice, so much so that those in my line of work that take it seriously buy the Vysk QS1 Quantum Security Case. The Vysk takes it a step further and also encrypts your phone calls. Information security is no joke and is rampant in the corporate espionage world. What the OP is looking for is a basic version of the Vysk that only blocks the cameras I think that is a great move and you should too. If you do not congratulations you been dumbed down and made so docile that you believe the world is all rainbows and fairytales. lol OP if you cannot afford the Vysk do what I used to do and tape the cameras with a small dot of electrical tape. Also to you entrepreneurial types, there is a market for camera blocking phone cases. Get on it!!!!
---------- Post added at 11:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 PM ----------
Also, OP forgot to mention there is a cheap alternative for the mic as well it's called Mic-Lock. There are also small webcam/phone cam sliders that are sold on Amazon just search webcam cover slider. And as another FYI your phone continues to gather data whether it is off or in airplane mode or not. The gyros and all the sensors are actually dialed up in when the phone is in airplane mode and caches all info recorded. As soon as it connects to a tower the cache is sent over to the servers. This is not science fiction or a conspiracy theory it is fact! Whether you choose to believe it or not. So much so that VIP's in many industries carry around portable dead boxes or what you would call a faraday cage to prevent information from exiting or entering the phone during closed-door meetings. You are right in worrying about your privacy OP as everyone should be....
Juice56 said:
blah blah blah smartphone conspiracy
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OK just for clarification, why get a bloody smartphone in the first place........ I mean the only vibe I get from your post is to never get a smartphone, actually even a cell phone might be exposing yourself to unwanted "privacy intrusion", actually scratch that, the internet is a big flaming heap of privacy intrusion...... I hear foil makes for an excellent Faraday cage
SteelPicori said:
OK just for clarification, why get a bloody smartphone in the first place........ I mean the only vibe I get from your post is to never get a smartphone, actually even a cell phone might be exposing yourself to unwanted "privacy intrusion", actually scratch that, the internet is a big flaming heap of privacy intrusion...... I hear foil makes for an excellent Faraday cage
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hahahaha always with the tin foil labels. Jest all you want brother but in my industry and many other information security is no joke. So much so that it has grown to 100 billion dollar A YEAR industry. The numbers and security methods do not lie. If it wasn't an issue I wouldn't have a job right now.
Don't take my word for it, do your own independent research or don't and trust the bought and paid publications of your choice. I cannot post links due to me just joining this forum but if you search "Forbes Information security growth" you will see the industry went from 75B a year in 2015 to 124B in 2019. Click the second search result to read the article. Educate yourself instead of throwing out labels when you know absolutely nothing about the topic.
Juice56 said:
Educate yourself instead of throwing out labels when you know absolutely nothing about the topic.
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Always interesting when this is thrown out, look I do not doubt that infosec is a big thing, not only on a commercial level but on a national level too, I am all too aware of how unguarded our national infrastructure is. There are without doubts individuals and organisations who can easily compromise any given assests in our possession.
It is a game is acceptable risk, that is, I do not believe myself to be a valuable enough target, that they might expose themselves to detection, just for a bunch of compromising media on me, I mitigate some of this risk by following smart internet usage and not leaving anything that maybe valuable on an expose attack surface.
So again I will ask, because you did not answer, why get a smartphone given how large of an attack surface such a device pose, or indeed even use the internet.
Juice56 said:
To those of you that state it cannot be done or you have nothing to worry about you are VERY wrong.
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Me, myself, am not too concerned about this. There is nothing, anyone can learn from hacking my camera or my mic. Firstly, they will notice my phone lays on my desk for a large part of the day and they will be staring at the ceiling, or the inside of my pocket. As far the mic is concerned, they'll only hear the radio station I prefer to listen to and sometimes the podcasts I listen to. As far as conversation, English isn't my native language, so they'll only hear me talking in a foreign language which they most likely won't understand, and even if they do, it will by and large be about my work, which is electrical repairs. I doubt them hearing me promising a client his board will be ready in 2 days, will be all that interesting.
Then of course, there is also the matter if they were happening to stream video or audio data from my device, I would notice very quickly, as my data bundles will run out very fast and I will notice the bandwidth traffic on my device, as I also have network traffic monitoring apps on my device so I can see which apps are the data hogs.
This is one thing conspiracy theorists never consider, is that it's not like in the movies where this information is streamed in real time with no means of noticing it. It would require an internet connection and needs to transfer large amounts of data. People on limited packages will notice their data running out very quickly, or if the person has a slow connection, they certainly won't be able to stream HD footage from a mobile device.
It might be possible to do the things you speak of, but it certainly won't be inconspicuous.
SteelPicori said:
So again I will ask, because you did not answer, why get a smartphone given how large of an attack surface such a device pose, or indeed even use the internet.
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Assumptions.... I personally have a dumb phone but I am required to have a smartphone for work which is always in its vysk case that was included due to my works security measures. They are pricey! So if you are looking to purchase one yourself be prepared to pay to play.
Juice56 said:
Assumptions.... I personally have a dumb phone but I am required to have a smartphone for work which is always in its vysk case that was included due to my works security measures. They are pricey! So if you are looking to purchase one yourself be prepared to pay to play.
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Never made any assumptions, just did not notice your recommendation to the OP to forego his smartphone and get a standard cell phone (which are by no means any less secure given that even modern feature phones also runs on some OS or other that probably can parse java applets). I always thought that infosec would be using phones similar to the blackphone and call it a day.

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