Database Develop

Need some advice on what to buy.

First a little story
Recently I helped a friend out and built him a kick ass Vista Media Center HTPC and networked his entire house with extenders, touchscreen PC for most of his rooms and even a Media Center Extender in his shower with a touch screen lol. Basicly how i envisioned my dream house would be if i ever managed to get out of college. Seeing how I saved him thousands by doing this by myself he gave me his 32GB Ipod Touch 1st Generation also because he just got himself an Iphone 3G.
Now first off I hate Apple....alot... hate their OS, hate their stupid laptops (my i-tard friends claim they are different by using macs yet when I enter a lecture hall everybody has identical white or black macbooks...). Don't get me started about apple people, whenever my girlfriend drags me into the apple store to look for cute accessories for her ipod I seemed always run into one of those "you should switch over to macs" people or the employees that have the "eww you like Vista" I try to ignore it but something a small OS war would ensue.
Anyways the first thing I did was put this thing up for sale on ebay. During the few days that I was waiting I began playing with the ipod touch and soon i started liking it. It's not the most amazing thing ever since i come from a long history of touchscreen devices (Asus A620, Axim x30, Axim X50V, HTC Tytn) but i love the 3.5 inch screen and the mutli touch is awesome. Safari is not bad and I'm constantly amazed by it's size and performance. Soon however Someone bought my player off of ebay for $330 before I could take down the listing.
Now heres the advice I need. I can get an Ipod Touch 32GB 2nd Generation for about $350 but now i started thinking if I really need this thing. The main attraction I had for this device was the fact that it has sooo many applications for it now since it's become popular and that it's soo small. The only other device i want is something the same size that is running Windows Mobile and has atleast 32GB of internal storage. I don't know of any PMP devices that run windows mobile.
But then i remembered that my Axim X50v has a larger screen with higher resolution 640x480 and has bluetooth and Wifi. I can also get 16GB SDHC and 16GB Compact Flash for under $100 on ebay therefore = ipod touch capacity. The only thing is, its quite large and unsexy by today standards and it doesn't have TV-Out or multi touch....
Also should i even be getting a PMP since I'm already getting an Xperia X1 or Touch Pro once AT&T or T-Mobile has them....
Or should I save the money and wait for the super sexy UMPC of my dreams the Viliv S7 http://www.umpcportal.com/products/product.php?id=218
wow that was alot of rambling...

I went throu a debate similar to this as well, recieved an Ipot tough for my birthday, whenI was using my tilt as my MP3 solution. the only thing I liked more was the bump in space, as I didnt need to constantly plug in my SD card. No BT audio is the killer on these devices. It's the most simple of features to implement, why they left this out off BOTH gen iphones and the ipods is beyond my feeble mind... lol.
I say wait for the touch pro or experia. Its never going to be as smooth as the apple interface, but as far as features go, I think most power users will lean towards winMo for customization options, and all in one convenience.
My two cents.

[Q] Are you getting an Android Tablet this year? Which one?

With so many tablets coming out over the next few months, it seems to be a task just to find out which is the best value. We have some dual-cores, which are about 2X as much as the Archos 101 tablet; Google employees stating that Android's current state is not meant for the tablet form-factor; Android 3.0 (Gingerbread) on the horizon, which should be optimized for tablet-use.
The ones that I know about (and I'm sure I'm missing some)
Samsung Galaxy Tab
Archos 101
Archos 71
eLocity
Folio
So with all that said, for those of you planning on buying an Android tablet, which are you going to get? Are you going to be looking for one thing in particular (i.e. dual-core, or the first Gingerbread tablet), or are you just going to get the first one out?
I'm a little torn right now. With Google TV coming out soon (expected within one month), I honestly don't know if I can find the money for all of these gadgets, including getting the first dual-core 3.0 phone. I'm in need of other peoples' opinions.

Yesterday I was 100% certain I was going to get a Galaxy Tab. I woke up this morning and my RSS feeds are telling me it won't have voice capabilities, so now there is a 0% chance I will be picking one up. Even with the 4 carrier blitz, I suspect the Galaxy Tab will be a flop, but who knows..
I'll probably just get a Windows Phone 7 phone and wait for HTC's Q1 2011 tablet. Hopefully there will be native VOIP in Android by that time and I can get a Wi-Fi only tab off-contract for less than $300. I think the 7" form factor is the way to go too.

A part of me hopes WP7 flops just so I'm not tempted to get one. We'll find out soon.
I'm also with you that 7" seems to be the way to go. I'd still like to do a side-by-side comparison with a 10" though.

Tired of waiting.
When I heard Google saying that Froyo wasn't for tablets I realized I'd be waiting a while for an Android based tablet. Or I'd be looking at a Chrome OS tablet and I said screw it and bought an iPad.

Ipad is a little too large, and Tab is a little too small. I want something 9x6, just like a steno pad. I also wouldn't mind Chrome instead of Android as the operating system.
PS: Video chat and VOIP over wifi only? WTF is Samsung thinking? Why would Android owners buy a 3G model when our phones are freakin' hotspots?

Notionink Adam

Since the launch of iPad, sometimes I stop and think - why the hell would anyone need a tablet, and what exactly is this oversized phone good for?
Its functionality is lacking severely when compared to any normal laptop, but these things still require a bag to carry them around, because of their size. And if I want some productivity and have to carry a bag anyway - I'll most definitely be taking my laptop with me. For anything else, I have my phone that doesn't require a bag. So what's good in them? What can you do with one? Surf the web and watch videos? That's all?

Jack_R1 said:
Since the launch of iPad, sometimes I stop and think - why the hell would anyone need a tablet, and what exactly is this oversized phone good for?
Its functionality is lacking severely when compared to any normal laptop, but these things still require a bag to carry them around, because of their size. And if I want some productivity and have to carry a bag anyway - I'll most definitely be taking my laptop with me. For anything else, I have my phone that doesn't require a bag. So what's good in them? What can you do with one? Surf the web and watch videos? That's all?
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With my Nexus, I would say I use it 5% of the time as a phone (SMS, calls), the other 95% of the time is spent surfing the web, playing games, and watching videos. I feel like I am an ideal candidate for a person who would find a tablet extremely useful. It's not about productivity for me, and when it is I go straight to my laptop. For me it's about the leisure time, killing time, comfortably -- and not having to squint when reading webpages.
I think a tablet would be simply my home go-to device. If I'm the type of person who would rather surf the web on my phone vs. my 17", 5 lb laptop (due to size, weight, convenience), then I'm definitely the type of person who would prefer a 7-10" tablet over my 3.7" phone.

bigmout said:
Ipad is a little too large, and Tab is a little too small. I want something 9x6, just like a steno pad. I also wouldn't mind Chrome instead of Android as the operating system.
PS: Video chat and VOIP over wifi only? WTF is Samsung thinking? Why would Android owners buy a 3G model when our phones are freakin' hotspots?
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I bought a wifi iPad because of my N1! I agree 9x6 would be nice. But, games on a bigger screen and books is what did it for me.
I think Google should pick ONE manufacture and create devices like they did with the n1. Android is getting to be a little to all over the place, especially now that tablets are becoming something the general public wants. If Google wants Android or Chrome on tabs, they need to figure it out now.
I love Google products but I also would rather spend my money on something I know will work great and look great. I would like to see my Android apps on a bigger screen, but not if they look like crap.

I'm looking at the Archos 101, as long as I can fenagle the Android market onto it.
Jack_R1 said:
Since the launch of iPad, sometimes I stop and think - why the hell would anyone need a tablet, and what exactly is this oversized phone good for?
Its functionality is lacking severely when compared to any normal laptop, but these things still require a bag to carry them around, because of their size. And if I want some productivity and have to carry a bag anyway - I'll most definitely be taking my laptop with me. For anything else, I have my phone that doesn't require a bag. So what's good in them? What can you do with one? Surf the web and watch videos? That's all?
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I'll have it on a dock in my living room....it will serve as a toy for my 3-year-old daughter (she loves my n1...even more than my mom's iphone! xD), laptop "replacement", as well as my universal remote once I get my Google TV set-top box.

'Spot the phone' challenge

Haha, so this happened... Over 9000 internet points to the first person to correctly name every phone in this image! :good:
Edit: And so much for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Two thirds of these devices spanning the last 4 years have SoCs from a single manufacturer.

Azurael said:
Haha, so this happened... Over 9000 internet points to the first person to correctly name every phone in this image! :good:
Edit: And so much for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Two thirds of these devices spanning the last 4 years have SoCs from a single manufacturer.
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your signature shows.....lol

So much fail hahahahaha

–NigthFury– said:
your signature shows.....lol
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My signature shows a few of them, yeah. Those are the easy ones
Edit: "Samsung devices now account for 63.3% of all Android devices in the entire world" - Source but apparently not the bit of the world I inhabit!

Almost all of these are filling up my desk drawers ...
If we keep em long enough do you think they will increase in value like the "lisa" or old Ataris did lol ?

Ltdrev said:
Almost all of these are filling up my desk drawers ...
If we keep em long enough do you think they will increase in value like the "lisa" or old Ataris did lol ?
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Heh, I don't suppose they will. Some of them were pretty rubbish from day one. Not that the Lisa wasn't - but there were certainly a lot less of those made than most of these junk smartphones.
They're not all mine, anyway. I'd start to think I had a serious problem if I'd managed to collect that many

Azurael said:
They're not all mine, anyway. I'd start to think I had a serious problem if I'd managed to collect that many
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I guess that means i'm way past crazy I didn't mention Iphones and blackberrys , on top of that im still using a late SUN SPARC 21 worksation and still have 2 94-96 apple PowerPC
and I still have my first car (84" toyota celica sleeping in the barn)
totally insane

Ltdrev said:
I guess that means i'm way past crazy I didn't mention Iphones and blackberrys , on top of that im still using a late SUN SPARC 21 worksation and still have 2 94-96 apple PowerPC
and I still have my first car (84" toyota celica sleeping in the barn)
totally insane
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Hmm, I've got a few non-Android devices, and I've got phones going back to late 90s Nokias (hasn't everyone?) although I confess I did chuck my Sun Ultra 60 out when I moved house last time, that thing was just too much of a tank to be worth carting around.
About the only esoteric bit of desktop hardware I've got now is a PowerMac G5 Quad (which doesn't sound so unusual until you realise it's the most powerful PPC machine Apple ever made, they only made it for a year after most of the rest of the line had switched to Intel and I thought it was a challenge to rebuild its ridiculous closed-loop watercooling system.) of course it's a Linux box now, since Mac OS 10.5 didn't appeal when it was current and definitely doesn't now!
I also kept my last Laguna on a friend's driveway for 3 years as I slowly pillaged bits from it for my current car (which is the same model...) although certainly not my first car - a Peugeot 205 - since I decided to try the upside-down driving position in that and it was never quite the same with doors that didn't open properly, bent wheels and an engine and interior full of water. :angel:

Sun Ultra 60 !!!
Power Mac G5 quad !!!
All dream machines too me, I was to buy a G5 pro but as always with life things didn't go as planned; bought two AMD based custom PC's instead, at the time it felt like the sound financial move to do but never in my life I had so much regrets about a purchase :crying:
Yeah OSX.5 and up: eeek. that one of the many reasons why I p*ss on apple engineers and don't use or buy their sofware/hardware/cloudstuff anymore... In other words I boycott apple.
This 205 you had is kinda the holy grail or the "defended fruit" of hot hatches around here, Since this little hatch as aged past 25 I saw this unknown to me before hatch popping around. There's a couples of fanatics who started importing and modifing these little things...
From my point of view It's a bit sad because there's so much cars like old RX-7's, celicas, supras, 300z even some good americanized "euro's" cars like that are rotting away here because the major interest is in muscle cars or importing euros not sold here originally like 205's, Alfa's etc
I must say having done the 1/4 mile and autocross day in one modified 205: it was crackin' as they say in your country , scary fast ...
My celica starts up, missing some bodywork. Floor's great I always see the cup half full, it's rusted hollow panels are for the sake of shaving 5-10 kilos, great at the track

Lovers and Haters...

I've just ordered my Gear VR and it will arrive tomorrow. Have done a ton of reading online about user's impressions. Seems a real dichotomy. About 95% of users think it is an amazing can't-miss experience, while 5% claim it is absolutely horrific (pixelated, out of focus, uncomfortable, just awful). It makes one wonder what is going on here. Are those 5% just technology snobs who are expecting to be transported to the Enterprise Holodeck for $200, or are the 95% just fanboys who are basically amazed by shiny moving things?
I was particularly moved by one YouTube video from a fellow who has owned every Oculus Rift Developer Headset thus far and felt the Gear VR was a superior visual experience (acknowledging of course that PC's will always run more robust games than a cell phone). One reason for my getting this is so my mother, who is wheelchair bound, can experience things visually she can no longer do in real life.
Also, I'm wondering if increasing DPI reduces pixelization? Is that a dumb question? Not sure.
Opinions?

Everyone hated on the Note series when Samsung first made it. Now look at its success.
People just hating because deep down inside they know they should have bought a Note 4.
I almost bought a Nexus 6 and if I did knowing what I know today I'd be pissed too.
Haha suckers! Lol

The display is slightly pixilated but nothing too excessive. When watching a 3d film in oculus cinema you hardly notice and I'm personally very happy with it . At the end of the day the phone screen is being magnified so much it is to be expected

sawdoctor said:
The display is slightly pixilated but nothing too excessive. When watching a 3d film in oculus cinema you hardly notice and I'm personally very happy with it . At the end of the day the phone screen is being magnified so much it is to be expected
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Slightly? If anything is a couple of meters from the camera the image gets so blurry that you cannot even recognise the person. It doesn't make the Gear VR any less of a wonder, but the resolution could definitely be improved. Not sure if a near-eye light field lens could solve the problem, as right now the lens only uses a small part of the screen.

Toss3 said:
Slightly? If anything is a couple of meters from the camera the image gets so blurry that you cannot even recognise the person. It doesn't make the Gear VR any less of a wonder, but the resolution could definitely be improved. Not sure if a near-eye light field lens could solve the problem, as right now the lens only uses a small part of the screen.
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That sounds like you need to use the focus wheel or wear contacts. Definitely exaggerated.
To OP: the image is on par with a CRT Television picture in terms of pixels. The 360 videos lack the most definition because of their low quality definition. Still 360 photos show the potential and are quite impressive. The videos, particularly the virtual tourism videos you'll find in Milk VR under Planet VR are still very impressive. There is nothing like flying over Manhattan from the belly of a helicopter. The Cinema is also impressive and easy to forget you aren't in a real theater.
I took my Gear VR to a research office where 7 people proceeded to try it and be blown away. Guess what? I realized after the first round that that focus wheel was set for me without my glasses, and I can't see for sh** without them or contacts. So I corrected it and they went for another round.
---------- Post added at 10:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:56 AM ----------
Toss3 said:
Also, I'm wondering if increasing DPI reduces pixelization? Is that a dumb question? Not sure.
Opinions?
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Yes, it does. The goal is to increase the display to at least 4k, which we will likely see on the Note 5 . The pixels on the current Oculus devices are due to the magnification of the screen when looking through the lenses. The key is to remember that as of today, the Note 4 offers that highest definition display available at that size.
Just see it as the same evolution we had with our TV sets. The quality of the image right now is at a point where you will definitely be able to enjoy VR without being overly distracted while also seeing where we will be going in the the very near future as we hit 4K and beyond.

Thanks for the replies.
1) I understand that the Gear VR will work with a rooted and rom'd phone. The key is the kernel. Does anyone have a list and link to the best kernels to use with the Gear VR (I'm on Sprint).
2) What DPI setting do you recommend for the least pixelization?
Regarding user experience. I am growing in the opinion that those who seem to be having so much worse of an experience with the device than others is due to something peculiar to how their eyes work. Most of us do not see the same from both eyes. Unlike some upcoming headsets which beam the image into the cornea and can adjust for each eye independently, it's sort of one size fits all with the VR. Just a theory.

mitchellvii said:
Thanks for the replies.
1) I understand that the Gear VR will work with a rooted and rom'd phone. The key is the kernel. Does anyone have a list and link to the best kernels to use with the Gear VR (I'm on Sprint).
2) What DPI setting do you recommend for the least pixelization?
Regarding user experience. I am growing in the opinion that those who seem to be having so much worse of an experience with the device than others is due to something peculiar to how their eyes work. Most of us do not see the same from both eyes. Unlike some upcoming headsets which beam the image into the cornea and can adjust for each eye independently, it's sort of one size fits all with the VR. Just a theory.
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What i can say is, I have one eye worse than the other. When wearing contact lenses I'm fine but without them i have to compromise slightly on the focus wheel

The image is pixelated and there's pretty significant screendoor effect, but I'm still a big fan, it's very early in the game, and Samsung deserves praise for bringing it to market when it did.
There will be a ton of headsets out this year I understand, it will be glorious

pliablemoose said:
The image is pixelated and there's pretty significant screendoor effect, but I'm still a big fan, it's very early in the game, and Samsung deserves praise for bringing it to market when it did.
There will be a ton of headsets out this year I understand, it will be glorious
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If this screen is pixelated the Oculus Rift must be awful. I'm really wondering if cranking up the DPI can help that?

I don't have any pixellation unless it's a low quality video, such as if you try to stream Milk VR videos as opposed to downloading them. There is no pixellation at all in games or experiences like Titans of Space, Ocean Rift, and BlueVR.
The screen door effect is easy to overlook. Again, it's like watching a CRT TV. Yes, higher screen resolution will ultimately bring a perception of HD to your eyes. For now, there is nothing you can do. Take a look at your Note 4 screen. It takes serious eye strain to make out those individual pixels. They are only apparent in the Gear because they are magnified.
You'll be seeing for yourself soon enough. It's only a minority of weirdos that have issues with the screen at this stage. The rest are too busy enjoying the overall presentation and know full well the screen door effect will be gone in a year or two.

Well my GVR will finally arrive today. Little BestBuy rant. Last week they announce to the world they will start selling the GVR from their stores February 8th. I have 10 BestBuy stores within 30 minutes of my house. NOT ONE BestBuy in my area had the GVR in stock or had even heard that they would be selling it.
BestBuy does this all the time. Announces a big release then NOTHING.

mitchellvii said:
Well my GVR will finally arrive today. Little BestBuy rant. Last week they announce to the world they will start selling the GVR from their stores February 8th. I have 10 BestBuy stores within 30 minutes of my house. NOT ONE BestBuy in my area had the GVR in stock or had even heard that they would be selling it.
BestBuy does this all the time. Announces a big release then NOTHING.
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Not in stock for me to but was available online from them. I got mine 3 business days with free shipping. Thanks best buy.

Ordered mine yesterday with overnight and will have it today! It's on UPS truck out for deliver now. I will post back when I have a chance to experiment with them. Very excited to try something entirely new out. If I like it enough I will buy the Oculus Rift for my PC to fool around with. Just not sure to wait with those or not considering last release is a year old now and something new should be out soon I would think.

Hardcore73 said:
Ordered mine yesterday with overnight and will have it today! It's on UPS truck out for deliver now. I will post back when I have a chance to experiment with them. Very excited to try something entirely new out. If I like it enough I will buy the Oculus Rift for my PC to fool around with. Just not sure to wait with those or not considering last release is a year old now and something new should be out soon I would think.
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Thing I hate about UPS is that my house is like at the very END of his route, so basically even if I get shipped next day, I still have to wait until almost 8 PM before I get my package. Boo!

yeah I will get it about 6pm and it drivers me crazy. I know how you feel I got my Note 4 charged up to 100% and ready to rock this beast haha.

Hardcore73 said:
yeah I will get it about 6pm and it drivers me crazy. I know how you feel I got my Note 4 charged up to 100% and ready to rock this beast haha.
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Word of warning. Backup the included SDCard immediately. If you have any "Cleaner" type apps on your phone it may accidentally wipe the card and you will be sorely SOL.

Ok first thing I will do is back it up, thanks for the tip

Hardcore73 said:
Ok first thing I will do is back it up, thanks for the tip
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Clean Master seems to be the biggest offender on this. I just deleted it to make sure.

Just got my package from the UPS truck! Now I have to sneak off from the wife for a bit haha. Wish me luck!

Hardcore73 said:
Just got my package from the UPS truck! Now I have to sneak off from the wife for a bit haha. Wish me luck!
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Congrats. Still waiting on mine.

Good day me Ladies and Gentlemen

Hello everyone.
My Name is Seppo. My background is a physisist, so i'd count myself as an experienced linux user. I got into alternative operating systems and Google free devices through a Fairphone I bought as a gift. Suddenly I'm getting more and more into the LineageOS world, now in a Samsung S6 zeroflite.
So: Good Day!

Ciao Seppo,
Just got a fairphone recently as well... not as gift (would be pricey) but for myself. What phone do you use, especially since you mentioned alternative and google-free?

Welcome to XDA
What's your current device?
Fairphone is an interesting concept.
I find Google dropping more balls than making touchdowns especially in the last 3 years. Samsung has been sacked by their own poor design choices, omissions and amnesia.
Perfect.

The first Fairphone (presented to someone very near my heart) lead me to an FP2 for myself.
But with the Fairphone2 design, I startend experiencing trouble in the interconnectivity between the screen and motherboard. Then a truck drove across it ... (True story!) so i had to find an immediate exchange.
A friend oft me had this Samsung S6 lying around so i kind of got stuck in it... (Why change a winning team?)
I am currently using my third Samsung S6. It is sufficient for all my needs and cheaply available in the second hand market. But the winning has become arguable by the time, since it now is a rather old device.
I think a lot of the interconnection trouble has been fixed with the FP3. But I am also experiencing a lot of good stories around the SHIFT phones. The repairability is comparable to an FP with a slightly different idea but still a step into the right direction.
But lets see what the future holds.
Edit: the Samsung currently runs a LineageOS17