chw42

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 10, 2014 -> 01:37 PM) And it was absolute s*** until Hangouts came around. Care to elaborate?

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 10, 2014 -> 01:35 PM) Right, but that's my point about Android stuffing half assed features into the OS just for the sake of being able to say, "We can already do that!" Android had the ability to do video chats for years, but it took them until 2014 to finally bring Hangouts to a place where people would actually use it on a mass scale. Hangouts is good, I even have it on my iPhone, but everything Hangouts does, Android kinda/sorta did in a convoluted, complicated and very crappy way for years now... Google Talk's been on Android for a long time and I believe that did video chat for a long time. That was also a default app.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 10, 2014 -> 01:32 PM) That's like saying if you can't change the oil in a car you shouldn't drive one. While *I* can change the oil...I don't expect most other people want too, nor would they care too learn, either. Smartphones should be ... smart enough that for basic functionality, such as making a phone call, or performing a video chat, you don't have to know anything...it just does it. Installing an app on your phone is nothing like changing your car's oil. Seriously, you're trying to over-exaggerate this. I hope you realize how silly your comparison sounds.

Madden literally has 2 modes (CFM and MUT) and IGN loved it. I wouldn't worry about the lack of modes if the game is good.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 10, 2014 -> 01:21 PM) It's the requirements of having to do all that...when it really shouldn't be (and isn't necessary for the most part). Then you also have to deal with Microsoft's shenanigans, which they can't get away with right now, but the second Microsoft took control of the mobile space, trust me, Skype would disappear from iOS and Android tomorrow, and MS would be like, well...you can buy a Windows Mobile device! This should be base functionality in any mobile OS stuck on a phone with a forward facing camera (all of them these days), and it should be as easy to use as Facetime...and granted, Hangouts is easy NOW, but damn it took years to get there. All a moot point now since there's Hangouts...

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Sep 10, 2014 -> 01:23 PM) Why should I have to do all of those things when it is so easy on an apple device. I don't want things that take time and mean everyone has that app on there phone. Personally I hate having a million apps, I want a select few and only ones that I use and use regularly. That way when I go to click something, I know where it is cause it is actually used. I don't want to scroll through 8 pages to find the watch espn app or check my fantasy football lineup. Facetime and the ease of it is fantastic and it blows me away that the android phones don't have a similar set-up used. Since my S4 busted and I've gone back to Apple, other then the fact that I'm using an old Iphone and am on 3g (which sucks), I have re-remembered how much smoother all of the interfaces work...how much better the email function is on apple vs. google (which is hilarious since gmail on the web is phenomenal but the standard email app on android devices sucks). Bottom line, since under most circumstances, when you buy these products new, they are the same price, I really believe the apple version is less buggy and far more refined. Sure it might not have a few of the bells and whistles of an android but what it has will work and work smooth and be functional. You made the mistake of buying a Samsung phone. Android does have an equivalent called Hangouts and is required to be installed on every Android phone, but that wasn't the case 2 years ago, which is what Y2HH was talking about. And the idea that having to do a few extra steps to sign up for something is ridiculous. Nobody's asking you to do anything complicated. If you can't do it, you shouldn't own a smartphone.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 10, 2014 -> 01:10 PM) Skype isn't part of Android, and it requires all parties download a separate 3rd party app, sign up for it, login to it, configure it, etc...this is exactly the thing I'm talking about. No, it's not a big deal for us, but for my mom, or certain friends, forget it...you know what's easier? Having them touch the Facetime button. And I already went over Apple's push for NFC over the shoddy implementations on various Android devices...yes you can install your credit cards, so what...they hardly bothered working with the numerous credit card companies, etc...and this isn't Google's fault at all. Google created software that supported NFC, but the NFC chips, installed by the likes of Samsung, etc...need to be pushed by Samsung, unless they're implementation works across the board with HTC, Sony, etc...which I'm sure they're not all that interested in. It's a combination of retailers and credit card companies. Credit card companies need to give incentive to retailers for pushing mobile payments, which I'm sure is now the case. Google didn't do that. I feel like it is Google's fault, it's their service. Samsung and other OEMs don't have a mobile payment service. They just put the chips into the phone and I doubt they care about mobile payments. Like I said before, NFC is more than just mobile payments. It's also great for triggering actions, which I'm wondering if Apple will finally implement.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 10, 2014 -> 01:10 PM) Skype isn't part of Android, and it requires all parties download a separate 3rd party app, sign up for it, login to it, configure it, etc...this is exactly the thing I'm talking about. No, it's not a big deal for us, but for my mom, or certain friends, forget it...you know what's easier? Having them touch the Facetime button. I think you're overestimating how stupid people are if they can't go download an app and sign up for it. People over the age of 60 are a different story, but those aren't the vast majority of mobile users.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 10, 2014 -> 11:15 AM) I find most features tossed into Android (and it has all of them), to be half-assed implementations that require multiple fixes because it was rushed to market. After they're fixed they're much better, if not equal to anything Apple or Microsoft has, but upon initial implementations they're tossing them in there just so they can say they were able to do that for years, which is what you're seeing with that comparison. Android has had video calling for eons...and it's just NOW getting good via Hangouts, to where a regular user can do it without configurations, tweaks, settings, etc...meanwhile Apple's facetime was so simple from the get go that people actually used it. Aside from the iPhone, which basically took ideas from Windows Mobile 4.x, and other operating systems of that day and brought them to mass market in way people actually wanted, Apple is never first to the dance...but when they finally arrive at the dance, people notice. They did this with the iPod, the iPad, the Mac, etc...so if features exist, odds are Apple won't have them for a while, but when they have them, they'll be usable from the get go. This has been my experience over the years...and when I was younger I wouldn't have cared...I enjoyed tweaking stuff and figuring out how to make it work, but these days...when I hit a button, I just want that button to do what it says it can do, which is why I lean toward iOS. Look at NFC...a technology I always thought was a gimmick because Android vendors tended to toss it into their devices but never bothered to take it further than that. Great, I can bump a playlist. The problem with that? You can text and email one, too...and you don't need an NFC chip to do it. Apple finally introduces NFC to the fold YEARS later, but took it to a level the Android vendors never bothered with: getting Visa, Mastercard, American Express (and soon Discover) into the fold and worked directly with huge retailers like Target, Walmart, McDonalds, etc...and with POS terminal vendors to implement their technology so it would roll out to stores, gas stations, etc...will it end up being useful or just another NFC gimmick? I don't know, time will tell...but at least Apple is trying to make it something better than the crap it is now. People had to jump through hoops for video chat on Android? I've never experienced that. Before Hangouts, there was Google Talk (turned into Hangouts), Skype, and a few other services. Google Wallet has allowed you to add all major credit cards for a long time (like 2 years) and there are MasterCard terminals in a lot of places. They haven't pushed it as hard as they should have and the carriers are pushing their own service (yeah, that one that is named after those terrorists...carriers = terrorists). But Apple isn't going to get this pushback from carriers. Google either doesn't put all their weight behind their products or they don't have the influence. I think it's more likely the former since they make so many products. Things get lost in the shuffle. Meanwhile, Apple might have 5 services and put more resources into getting things in order. They also have a higher influence on retailers and carriers. NFC is also a lot more than just mobile payments, but we've discussed this before.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Sep 10, 2014 -> 10:39 AM) Probably weren't watching the game last week but Cutler was more in control of the offense and the huddle as I'd ever seen. He made one terrible throw. It happens. Unfortunately, they had some other miscues that magnified that terrible throw (including the Marshall fumble...some bad play calling...and Bennett / Marshall running the wrong route and not sitting in the proper zone on the other pick. Oh and I believe the Bills were a top 5 pass defense a year ago. Sucks to lose but I'm not about to throw the season out the window just yet. Yeah, when they had Byrd. They were missing one of their starting corners, too. Their line is pretty damn good, which helps, but I thought we should have done much better offensively.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 10, 2014 -> 06:30 AM) You can use either. The crown was added so you could scroll without covering up the small screen with your fingers, but if you want you can just use the screen. That's what I get for watching a Verge hands-on...the guy made it sound like you had to use the crown.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 10, 2014 -> 09:02 AM) I have to agree with that. The iPhone 5 was nice, don't get me wrong (I have one), but it wasn't significant in any way like the 4 was over the 3. And iOS8 is basically what iOS7 should have been. As a person that uses iOS in combination with quite a few Google services (gmail, docs, maps), I much prefer the iOS+Google experience over the Android experience. Android is basically the Linux of the mobile world (not because it is Linux), but because if a feature exists, or is even thought of, it's thrown into Android...so the thinking that Apple is playing catchup to Android is akin to saying OSX or Windows are playing catchup to Linux...there really isn't a feature in the world Linux doesn't have, or that you can't hack into it...but they're not just done well most of the time. But keep in mind, all of this is opinion. Android is a lot more like Windows than it is Linux. Especially when you take user-base into account.

QUOTE (Jake @ Sep 10, 2014 -> 08:16 AM) Saw this on Twitter and I can't resist...and yes, of course it's not a legitimate comparison yada yada Most of it kind of is though. The iPhone 6 has a much better SoC, but it's not like what that chart is comparing isn't true.

After looking at some hands-on videos, I don't understand why Apple went with a watch crown to navigate through the watch's UI. You have a touch screen that can detect scrolling, why not just use that? It's not like the crown is huge and easy to use. It's quite small and I feel like they should at least allow users to choose whether they want to scroll using the screen or the crown.

FIFA 15 demo is out for Xbox. It feels like a different game this year, really liking it so far.

QUOTE (Jake @ Sep 9, 2014 -> 03:16 PM) I think wireless charging is a big waste of time. A neutral development at best from a practical standpoint. I'd love to be convinced otherwise but I just don't see it. Was necessary on the watch, of course, given the form factor I own 4 wireless chargers. I use them all the time. I hate plugging the USB cable into my phone, especially in the car, which is why I have a wireless charging dock. I also have two chargers near my bed for my phone and tablet. You just set them on the charger and that's it. Much easier than finding a cord, making sure it's oriented correctly, and then plugging it in. It's a solution to a small inconvenience, but I feel like it's worth it considering you can get a wireless charger for like $20.

I'm curious as to why Apple didn't include wireless charging on the new iPhones. They have it on their watch.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Sep 9, 2014 -> 03:06 PM) That lazy mock-up inaccurately depicts the screen sizes. It's about right.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 9, 2014 -> 02:57 PM) I think they're kind of too big...but there isn't much I can do about that at this point other than use older tech (which we both know I'm not doing). I'm kind of at a crossroads now, I have the choice of going big...or phablet big, and I'm not sure which to go with. I would be hesitant to get the Plus and I've been using what iPhone users would consider big phones for a while.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 9, 2014 -> 02:54 PM) These are the sizes: http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uplo...phone-scale.pdf What are your thoughts on the increased size?

QUOTE (cws0591 @ Sep 9, 2014 -> 01:35 PM) Should I trade martellus Bennett for desean jackson I don't see why you shouldn't.

QUOTE (Jake @ Sep 9, 2014 -> 02:50 PM) IMO, the future of the laptop looks a lot like the MS Surface Pro 3. It would raise an interesting semantic question as to whether that means tablets or laptops "won." There's a rumor the next big Nexus tablet (made by HTC) will be sold along with a keyboard case. That'll be interesting for sure.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Sep 9, 2014 -> 01:54 PM) It has a bigger screen. EDIT: That's literally it on my end. I'll have to play with both, but I see no reason I wouldn't want the bigger screen. Also, that likely means a bigger battery and definitely more storage. It has better battery life according to Apple's specs. I think it's a 3000 mAH battery, which is a good size. It's also got a better camera with optical image stabilization.

QUOTE (Jake @ Sep 9, 2014 -> 02:16 PM) A 5.5" phone is no replacement for a tablet. With that said, larger phones will increase the demand for smart watches - the watch will seem more and more useful as the phones become unwieldy. One thing I do think is essentially true is this: there is a fight going on between phones, tablets, and laptops. Two can win, but one must lose. I'm not sure which it will be. Will our main computers become very tablet-like (Surface Pro) with larger phones, with no dedicated tablets? Will our phones get big and we stick with conventional laptops for heavier tasks, with no tablets? Will phones get enormous, essentially becoming tablets, while we leave the heavy tasks to laptops? Do we find tablets acceptable for computer tasks and ditch computers as we currently know them entirely? I don't even use my personal laptop anymore. I only use it when I have to reconfigure my router...lol. When I travel, I just use my tablet.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 9, 2014 -> 02:18 PM) I've got the Note 3 and the bigger screen is awesome. There's literally no downside. It fits in jean/work pockets just fine. You can use it with one hand unless you have freakish carny hands. If you're wearing tight pants, well, stop, and also put it in your jacket pocket or a bag. My wife was hesitant at first but now she loves it. Bigger is better. Women actually like the huge phones since they just put them in their purse anyhow.