Pixel 4 - The Phone Google doesn't care about

Wow it has been 4 years since I have written something on this blog, and the views keep coming on old content. You thought I was gone huh?

I know this blog is supposed to argue in favor of android, but after the launch of the pixel 4, I have seriously considered buying an iPhone for the first time, EVER. Why? Because google really does not care about the pixel 4. AT ALL. Here are a few reasons.

Battery life. You knew this was coming. I understand that 99% of people can get through the day with the Pixel 4's battery. Even I can. 4 to 5 hours of screen on time is all I really need even on the heaviest days. My Pixel 2 XL rarely goes bellow 35% battery. So why does everyone seem to care that they can't get comparable battery life out of this phone compared to other flagships? Price. This phone costs between 800 and 1000 bucks. There are plenty of phones out there that have better battery life. But here is the issue, you can't fit a bigger battery life into these phones because of all the new tech that is being put in them. The new Soli sensor's and face unlock and infrared and so on take up space. So yeah, beat it. Honestly, reviewers who test these phones hammer them with use cases that are totally unreasonable. No one uses their phones for 24 to 48 hours without charging, and if you get stranded without a charger or you get lost in the middle east on the run from terrorists, I think you have bigger issues than what percent your battery says. Seriously, stop using your phone so much. I have seen screenshots that show 2 hours of twitter usage at max brightness. WHY? Personally I consider myself a heavy user, but with auto brightness, wifi, and dark mode, I can make my OLD AS HELL nexus 5 last a full day on 2300mah, let alone 2800mah on a brand new super efficient smartphone. Try using your galaxy note at full 1000 nit brightness on twitter for 2 hours. GOOD LUCK.

Gestures. You know, considering people are trying to multitask while using their phones, this is actually a good feature. Everyone says this is a gimmick but Soli is a God send. Maybe in the future we will be able to swipe through tinder and text while driving using gestures and not have to look away from our phone. I will simply point a middle finger at my phone and it will type "F*ck You" and send the text on its way. Seriously, this is such a useless feature at the moment because the only place I will use it, is my alarm clock and google play music, but I mean, its not like I have a life where I can't pick up my phone sometimes. Hell I have a JOB I can't pick up my phone all the time.


Face unlock. Guess what, now your spouse will be able to unlock your phone when you are asleep and snoop through your text and browser history! Let me give you a pro tip. Use incognito mode in chrome, delete texts from your side chick, and use a freaking pin on your photos app. There you go! Now you won't get a divorce. Moving on.

Low brightness display. 400 nits is just not bright enough guys. Seriously, I am getting old, like closer to 30 years old, and I am slowly going blind. I have a hard time seeing my phone because I am outside so much because now that I'm old I have enough time to hang out with my non existent spouse at the park watching my non existent kids play candy crush on their iPad. Nope. Can't see anything google, notch up the brightness please!

High refresh rate screen! YES. FINALLY. This feature is great, but apparently it does not work as intended, because it switches to 60hz when you don't need 90hz. Honestly, I got killed playing PUBG on my phone the other day because I didn't have a 90hz screen and he did so he had a competitive edge, so now I am salty that phones have become like PC gaming, I am sorry but I saw you first because I have a high refresh rate monitor. Beat that.

The phone snaps like a kitkat. Here is the thing guys, yesterday, I sat on my phone and never noticed it. Luckily it's a Pixel 2 XL and its so durable I dropped it at work without a case from the second floor onto concrete and it was 100% OKAY. I wonder how many of you guys sit on your phone for fun, I am sure if you run it at max brightness, charge it, and play PUBG on it, you will be able to warm your ass with it while sitting on it. What a brilliant idea. Just don't get a pixel 4 it will snap into pieces.

I think this sums up everything wrong with the pixel 4 and why paying money for a SUPERIOR piece of software compared to iOS or Touchwiz (my bad, One UI) is not worth it. But I am upgrading from my 2XL to the Pixel 4. Because I value an absolutely unobtrusive user experience. I have cut down my phone usage significantly. I spend at most 4 hours on it a day if that, that is including youtube, prime movies, and crunchyroll. Speaking of witch I recently got into anime, and damn it looks like crap on 400 nits 90hz at 1440p. I think I need Sony to make me another 4k HDR phone except at 120hz because my animations just don't look good enough.

Google taking over the world.

This is from Mobiledia.com so i quoted the whole article.

Next month, the world will welcome the Chinese New Year of the snake, but the tech world will probably call 2013 the Year of Google.

If you get the feeling it's a Google World and you just live in it, you aren't alone. The giant company's projects are expansive -- developing the Android operating system that runs most smartphones and tablets, becoming the standard-bearer for mapping, showing off Google driverless cars and smart glasses and dipping its toe into the hardware market.

And CEO Eric Schmidt's recent trip to North Korea underscores Google's near-omnipotence, even in the darkest corners of the earth. Where there's an opening, Google will find its way into it, hunker down and finesse its way into a stronghold -- and these are five of the ways the company will merge, grow and expand in the new year.

1. The Search Continues

Google heads into 2013 free and clear of the two-year-long Federal Trade Commission investigation into search monopoly, paving the way for its dominance to continue. The FTC commission, composed of both Democrats and Republicans, announced earlier this month it concluded its two-year investigation into the issue of search bias and did not take serious action. Despite finding some evidence that changes to the company's search algorithm harmed competitors, the Commission said that these changes "could be plausibly justified as innovations that improved Google's product and the experience of its users."

The regulatory body also investigated whether Google harmed U.S. consumers by suing to block sales of competing mobile devices, namely those by Apple and Microsoft, for infringing on mobile technology patents Google acquired during its $12.5 billion buy of Motorola Mobility. On this front, the FTC reached a broader settlement with Google that would give competitors access to patents necessary to make smartphones, and other devices, and Google voluntarily agreed to stop borrowing others' content for use in its own services. The settlement encourages Google to resolve patent disputes through arbitration first, not through lengthy, expensive court battles.

Competitors who alleged Google engaged in anti-trust activities believe the search giant got off lightly, compared to FTC treatment of IBM in the 1970s and Microsoft in the 1990s, which levied significant financial penalties and smacked both companies with restrictions.

Maybe the FTC didn't want to hobble a thriving business in these harsh economic times, or perhaps the case didn't merit tougher measures. Google's lobbying efforts may have also paid an important dividend in the decision. Regardless of the reason, Google is out from under the FTC's investigative eye.

Now the immediate FTC threat is gone, Google can plow ahead with its plans to transform its search engine into an "answer engine," designed to give users a better, faster search experience. Through constant refinements of its search algorithm, Google's goal is to build something like the Star Trek computer, able to directly and instantly answer users' queries, and the reality could come closer this year.

However, it faces competition in search by an old foe. Not Microsoft, but instead Facebook, which recently unveiled its Graph Search feature to allow users browse their friends' interests, preferences, locations and other social information on the network more easily. Graph Search could prove a boon for users looking for personalized information and meaningful results on music, books, travel or other subjects, possibly delivering more targeted data than on Google. As Google fights to refine its search results by instituting constant changes in its algorithm, Facebook's offering could pose a threat.

2. Google Wi-Fi

So far, Google isn't in the water you drink, but it is in the air you breathe -- sort of. If you live in the southwest Chelsea neighborhood of New York City, near Google's headquarters, you can dip into the company's free public Wi-Fi access.

Similar to the FTC resolution, the free Wi-Fi public-private project highlights the search giant's increasingly cozy political relationship, but this time with state officials. With the project, Google promises to bring free Internet access to hundreds of thousands of people each year, making it the largest such network in New York City.

New York officials praised Google's move, which will be a resource for more than 2,000 residents, 5,000 students and hundreds of workers, retail customers and tourists who visit the neighborhood daily.

"New York is determined to become the world's leading digital city, and universal access to high-speed Internet is one of the core building blocks of that vision," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement. "Thanks to Google, free Wi-Fi across this part of Chelsea takes us another step closer to that goal."

Some aren't as quick to give Google a pat on the back. Reportedly, the new Wi-Fi network will cost $115,000 to build and $45,000 a year to keep up. Google is picking up two-thirds of the tab, and nonprofit group Chelsea Improvement is covering the rest.

The positive buzz stemming from being associated with an exciting "digital city" project is well worth this tiny -- at least by Google standards -- investment. Also, Google benefits with broadband Internet use, which lets users browse more at faster speeds, executing more Google searches along the way.

In addition to offering free Wi-Fi in its home city of Mountain View, Calif., Google recently launched a plan to offer high-speed fiber-optic Internet access in the Kansas City metropolitan area, and for more than just faster service. The search giant already began testing televisionservices in Kansas City, and the Motorola buyout means Google can make set-top hardware and start a direct run at rival Apple in the growing smart-television arena.

In that light, these isolated projects could hint at Google's deeper ambitions. On the surface, providing free Wi-Fi is a generous gesture, but establishing this infrastructure could also lay the ground work to support and expand bigger, more ambitious projects like Google TV down the road.

3. Google in Your Purse

Beyond getting more bang from its political buck to fuel search and generate positive press, Google is also trying mighty hard to get into your purse.

No, we aren't talking about Google's Wallet, though the company is working to iron out wrinkles with that product. The latest way Google wants to get into your wallet is with Zavers.

Zavers saves digital coupons to your accounts, based on your interests and visits to retailer websites. So, you shop and check out as you normally would, and the real-time savings are automatically deducted at checkout when you give your phone numbers.

The service, which welcomed New York's Original Grocer D'Agostino as the latest network partner, is essentially a coupon book tied to your phone: you add coupons to your account, and they're automatically applied at the register with a single scan. The product's cloud technology gives manufacturers a real-time look at the pace of redemptions so they can target and plan coupon policies with that information in hand.

As Zavers illustrates, companies are taking small steps to lure consumers to go digital when it comes to their pocketbooks. Last fall, Apple joined this market with its Passbook feature on the iPhone 5. Zavers and Passbook are unlike more-ambitious e-payment systems that require NFC chips, store digital versions of their credit cards on handsets and pay for products by scanning their phones at special pay stations at supported retailers.

Passbook takes a more introductory approach to mobile payments, focusing on storing virtual tickets and vouchers, and Zavers does the same with coupons. Google and Apple are betting that by easing consumers into the digital wallet concept with coupons and tickets, it will familiarize them with the e-payment concept while avoiding the security concerns that now accompany smartphone transactions.

4. Not Even the iPhone Escapes Google's Grasp

Apple aficionados scorn Google and its Android OS, extolling the virtues and ease of Apple's operating system in what is increasingly a two-horse smartphone race. But Apple fans aren't as steadfast when it comes to Google's apps, and there are more Google apps than ever in the iOS store, ready for iPhone users to download.

For example, soon after Google released its revamped Maps app in December, it became that month's most downloaded program for the iPhone. Google also pumped out a YouTube app, an iPhone version of its Chrome Web browser and updated software to use its Gmail service.

Two dozen Google iPhone apps, with variations for the iPad, are available on Apple's App Store. The strategy is simple: Google wants to reach an audience that can give it data to improve products and generate more income. Besides, having Apple users familiar with its products could help Google one day turn them to Android, so it's a win-win.

Last year, Apple began removing Google services in apps that come installed on its phones and instead began promoting its own services. But its unreliable and highly criticized maps service, complete with misplaced landmarks and inaccurate addresses, highlights how challenging this approach is. For Google, the snafu was an opportunity to quickly design a Google Maps app for the iPhone and watch it become a hit.

Google's success in this arena is remarkable. According to Nielson, in the U.S. last November, the 11.8 million unique users of the new Google-created YouTube app for the iPhone, and the 6.4 million users of its Google Search app, placed them both in the top 20 list of iPhone apps with the biggest audience.

For Google, it always comes back to advertising. Since Google makes money from selling ads that appear on phones and not the phones themselves, it doesn't care so much about what type of phone its services are on. What is important to Google is whether that consumer uses Google apps, shares data with Google and is looking at Google ads.

5. Google Partners with FBI

You might be surprised to learn the Federal Bureau of Investigation is partnering with Google to catch crooks.

The FBI just launched a website that uses Google Maps to show visitors the location of criminal incidents down to the street level. The site also displays photos of "Wanted" posters of suspects along with their physical descriptions. Users can search locations, an unidentified robber's nickname, weapons used, and other clues.

Google, along with Facebook, is keenly interested in facial recognition technology. The ability to scan through photos looking for specific facial features is also massively appealing to law enforcement agencies who are increasingly turning to these new digital DNA technologies, and getting results.

Last year the FBI arrested hacker Higinio O. Ochoa III after using GPS data embedded in an iPhone's photo of his Australian girlfriend's impressive cleavage, an image he left to taunt authorities. Authorities used the photo to track down Ochoa's girlfriend, and then him, showcasing how law enforcement, even when dealing with a person expected to be highly skilled in covering his digital tracks, can still get its man.

Google's partnership with the FBI may offer citizens a harmless, even helpful way to spend online time, but the future is increasingly crowded with scenarios where this and other Google-inspired technology could be misused and trigger sharp privacy criticisms.

Google growing and more...

I start with this. Google has earned more money this quarter, and this year! That means it is growing right.

I quote from GSM Arena
""Anyway, revenues for Q4 of 2012 were $12.91 billion, up 36% year-on-year and 8% quarter-on-quarter. Google accounted for 89% of that, while Motorola brought in 11%. Google got 54% of its revenues from outside the US.

Operating income was 24% of those revenues or $3.39 billion, compared to 33% and $3.51 for Q4 of 2011. Motorola Mobility once again had a negative impact on those numbers, however. The division posted an operating loss of $353 million.

Consolidated net income was $2.89 billion, up from $2.71 billion in Q4 of 2011.""

Interesting. So the fact that Google bought Motorola was good after all huh...

MORE NEWS. windows phones grow more and more popular in europe. in away this is good and in a way this is bad. One because android will become less popular. The reason for wp being popular in europe is that they are not hooked the the damn iphone and can actually like other things other than what is "trending" in the   USA. android is simply a way to get more people to get away from the iphone and then later...THINK about what is better not go with the flow.

I might sound angry but im not, its just that im probably the only person withing 100 miles around where i am right now that actually knows this.

Best android phone pictures (not phones) updated

Huawei
HTC
Nexus
S3
Meizu MX2

Apple Patents Are Retarded

http://www.xda-developers.com/android/patent-system-fail-all-your-rectangle-with-rounded-corners-are-belong-to-apple/

Patent System Fail: All your Rectangle with Rounded Corners are Belong to Apple

In a move for which no level of facepalm can suffice, the USPTO granted Apple a patent for a rectangle with rounded corners last week. Regardless of how ridiculous it may sound, sadly it’s true. According to patent no. D670,286, design rights for a “portable display device” with an external shape that is a rectangle with rounded corners are now owned by Apple.

See for yourself:

Note that only the solid line is part of the patented design; the dotted lines serve as mere reference, or more likely influence, to make it look more like a patentable product, but who exactly are they fooling here? The USPTO, apparently.

What makes it even more inexplicable is the fact that design patents are almost always quite specific, to the extent that anyone else would really need to replicate that particular design in order to infringe upon it. In this case however, nothing else but the rounded cornered rectangular shape is patented—no buttons, no back shape, no screen shape, not even the radius of the rounded corner. This in itself raises questions about the practical validity of this patent, and whether those in charge of putting a stamp on this patent application were under the influence or in the reality distortion field.

As most of you may know, this isn’t the first time Apple has resorted to something like this. The company has had a history of getting overly broad and non-essential patents, trying tolicense them to its competitors, and taking to court those who fail to comply. Such broad patents awarded to Apple in the past were at times deemed as invalid by the USPTO after further investigations but the damage was done by that time, in form of import bans on competitors for the products initially declared as infringing. In the end, it’s the consumers who suffer from all of this.

So what should be the course of action from here? As discussed recently by egzthunder1 inThe Weekly Apple Fail Update, both the USPTO and the US justice system should take cues from the UK, extract their heads from their rears, and take a closer look at what is being examined before awarding a patent or a ruling. Untill that happens, let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope that Apple doesn’t start taking all tablet and smartphone manufacturers to court for infringing upon this one.

LG and the Nexus 4 fail to meet expectations!

About a week and a half ago i posted that the LG Nexus 4 is the best phone their is, but to be the nexus means to be the best. Well LG has completely disapointed me and many others.

Quoted from XDA Developers:

Nexus 4 Battery Shot Reveals Potential Quality Issues

POSTED NOVEMBER 4, 2012 AT 10:00 AM BY ADAMOUTLER

Several pictures of the LG-built Google Nexus 4 have been showing up across the Internet. The featured image in this article really caught my eye because it shows the internals of the device relatively well. While this device has not yet been released, a lot can be said (and judged) about a device’s hardware, even without full board shots. Overall, it appears to show that LG’s build quality is considerably lower than that of the Samsung Nexus devices in the past. In this article, I intend to write about the design pros and cons of the highly anticipated Nexus 4.

Design Pluses

Large external speaker - One of the biggest complaints with Samsung’s designs is the low powered/small sized speaker. While it delivers a trade-off in battery life versus sound quality/quantity,  the Nexus 4′s larger speaker should suffice to produce adequate sound.

Good speaker placement - The speaker placement on the Nexus 4 places the speaker at the corner of the device rather than the center, where your palm blocks it in portrait mode. While the Galaxy Nexus forces you to hold the device in an odd position to bounce sound from your palm to your ear while in portrait mode, the Nexus 4 will not have this problem. The corner orientation places the speaker in a optimal position for both landscape and horizontal palm redirection while watching movies.   This same orientation can be seen on the Meizu MX.

Design Minuses

Bolted in battery - The defining line between “Operator Replaceable” and “Qualified Service Technician” is the use of tools. The Nexus 4 not only requires a screw driver, but the plastic tabs on the edges will break if removed improperly. Once those tabs are broken, signal quality will be lost from the connection with the Spring Antenna Connections.

Spring Antenna Connections - The problem with Spring Antenna Connections or simply Spring Connections in general is: When tension is lost, signal is lost. Loss of tension between the back plate and the board can occur when a tab breaks or the back plate is warped. Warping of back plates can occur easily, and is quite frequent as devices age from stress, dropping, impact, or even a day in a hot car. You may notice some old devices such as remote controls or phones will squeak and creek when you press on them. This noise is generally attributed to warping or breakage of tabs, which would be critical for the WiFi/NFC/data/GPS/Bluetooth connections on the Nexus 4.

Lack of impact zones - Many current devices including Samsung’s entire lineup include impact areas around the bolts and the edge of the device.  This allows the device to sustain impact without altering the physical structure of the board, causing components to come lose.  The absence of impact areas causes a device to be more fragile and less resistant to impacts.  This also increases a device’s warpage risk, which can alter device dimensions and cause the Spring Connections to fail.

Tape used instead of structure and shielding - A well designed device will use its own structure to hold components in place. Tape is a disposable part. Disposable parts have no place inside of a properly designed device. The disadvantage here is tape can take components off the board when removed. Tape is also messy, and leaves residue on a board and other components. There is never a situation when using tape instead of physical structure is required, and the use of tape is often a harbinger for other build quality problems.

Recommendations for next revision

Make the speaker grill bigger - A speaker grill is designed to keep the operator’s fingers out, not to keep water out.  The small size of the speaker grill on the Nexus 4 will impede speaker sound and motion, and thus the overall dB level. This physical obsturction means the speaker wastes power on compression of air rather than audible sound creation.

Replace the battery tape - Instead of using tape for the battery, a slight overhang at the bottom of the metalized battery section will suffice to keep the battery from moving around inside the device.  Another way is to place glue or double-sided tape on the bottom of the battery.

Replace the communications tape - Instead of metalized tape on the communications section of the board, use a physical shield cap, which makes it serviceable and more tidy.

Use impact zones - Impact zones prolong device life.

Use a physical connector and a film substrate for the back cover - The back cover of the device consists of several separate connections spread across the entire device.  This means warpage anywhere in that area can cause the device to lose connectivity.   The primary focus of a mobile device is connectivity, and that should not be trusted to spring connections. The spring connections should be replaced with a physical connector of some sort. A physical connector would also save space.

Do not bolt down batteries - Batteries should be easily removable in the event of a problem.  Getting the rear cover off is enough work.  The compression method has been trusted across the spring connectors on the board, which are held in place solely by pressure. A proper connector holds itself in place. A slight bit of foam-rubber would do the same job as a spring, save space, save tools and remove the need for “tools” when replacing the battery.

Do not put the IMEI on the back cover – There will surely be aftermarket accessories for the device or people who want to replace the back cover, or add an extended battery.  The IMEI should be on the board, or at least bolted to the device.

At first glance, the Nexus 4′s hardware appears to be a quality downgrade from the Galaxy nexus which we reviewed previously.  After release we hope to be able to give a much better analysis.

Article here: http://www.xda-developers.com/android/nexus-4-battery-shot-reveals-potential-quality-issues/

The nexus will now be taken down from the list of best android phones, because....above!

LG Making the new Nexus 4

Google announced the new Google Nexus 4, 7 and 10. Meaning the screen size in inches, these devices are as close as you can get to the perfect phone. All three look really good and have some brutal specs. What is interesting, is LG is making it. LG made small, low end devices such as the LG optimus one, optimus v and LG Thrive. But lately I posted about the LG optimus G, which is the best non Google smartphone out their, it packs an outstanding punch to the market. Great processor and other interesting things.

Here is the link where you can discover the New Awesome Nexus 4" (notice i added the ").

http://www.google.com/nexus/4/

https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_4_8gb&feature=microsite

The device will be running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean 2.

It will have a 8 GB version and 16 GB version. It will come for about 100 to 200 bucks on contract with (i think) T-Mobile and ATT and probably Verizon. The unlocked editions can be bought from Google for $300.00 8gb and $350 for the 16gb version.

Specs Include:

SCREEN

4.7" diagonal

1280 x 768 pixel resolution (320 ppi)

WXGA IPS

Corning(R) Gorilla(R) Glass 2

CPU

Qualcomm Snapdragon(TM) S4 Pro

SIZE

133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm

WEIGHT

139g

CAMERAS

8 MP (main)

1.3 MP (front)

NETWORK

Unlocked GSM/UMTS/HSPA+

GSM/EDGE/GPRS (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

3G (850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz)

HSPA+ 42

MEMORY

16 GB internal storage (actual formatted capacity will be less)

2 GB RAM

CONNECTIVITY

Micro USB

SlimPort HDMI

3.5mm headphone jack

WIRELESS

Wireless charging

WiFi 802.11 b/g/n

NFC (Android Beam)

Bluetooth

BATTERY

2,100 mAh Lithium polymer

OS

Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)

SENSORS

Microphone

Accelerometer

Compass

Ambient light

Gyroscope

Barometer

GPS

Apple panicking while android waiting.

Most of you have heard about all these court cases of apple vs. samsung and htc. a year ago apple did not care but as you can see, they are starting to fight for survival.
Apple is pahicking and although on the stock market its doing just fine, it can feel the massive pressure not just from Google, but from the whole OHA (open handset alliance).
Googles android and the phones it runs on (offifially or not) continue to flood the global market and they are affordable and easy to get anywhere on the globe.
Apple has started to release its iPhone for all carriers ajd that kept it afloat. If it stuck with AT&T then it would not exist any more.
So as you can see, apple is panicking, sue everyone for anything. But we all forgot about windows phones. They just sit back relax, and watch the to giants kill eafh other then come in and save the world.

Iphone or android

I'm just going.g to list some strengths and weaknesses of each, ios5 and android 4.1
IPhone,
800mhz (.8 Ghz) proccessor (2 core)
3.5 inch screen
Only one button
Weird boxy shape.
Lots of expensive apps
Small front facing camera
No type auto correct
Siri
Android ( ex: HTC One x)
1500 MHz (1.5 Ghz)  proccessot (4 core)
4-4.5 inch screen
Beats audio integration
Lots of free apps
Movies, books, magazines, music
Widgets
Customizable UI ( check out go launcher ex)
Google sync and chat
Better resolution
Home back and menu buttons
User aware system
Face unlock/ lock