Google Android catch-all

I just played a bit with the museum VR experience where the dino comes to life. They featured it at Google IO. Very cool. And with the smaller Pixel the screen door effect was not terribly noticeable. It's more noticeable using a Cardboard device.
The video was very smooth and the controller very responsive.

Good purchase.

Got my VR promo code tonight. Clicked redeem, added to cart, and it applied the code. Very easy order. Estimated here in a week.

Does anyone know how to view Google photos online in the folders that they were backed up from? Here's my dilemma. I backed up photos on my phone (by device folder) to google photos. I got a new phone. Now, when I go to google photos (web app) they are only listed by date. I also don't see a way to sync my photos back to my new phone (by folder).

Any more V20 impressions.

Might pull the trigger on one today.

Phone prices are terrifying tho. I'd need a good 2.5 years out of it to justify the cost really.

So far so good.

I will say that the battery life is only average. I get home at the end of the day with only about 30% battery left. Which is fine for an average day, but if I have a longer day or a heavy use day I will really be limping along on my way home. Which is fine with a phone that allows battery swapping.

The camera is fantastic. I love having the super wide lens camera to swap to for some pictures. You don't realize how useful that is until you have it.

Protect that camera lens. There are a handful of reports that is breaks easily. I am going caseless and I've had a few bangs and one drop with no issues. It's something to keep in mind though.

Get a good pair of wired headphones if you don't have one. The audio quality is a lot better wired.

Stele wrote:

Got my VR promo code tonight. Clicked redeem, added to cart, and it applied the code. Very easy order. Estimated here in a week.

Shipped, estimated Monday.

Need to look into what apps there are so I can download some this weekend.

I got mine yesterday spent just about 10-15 min on it to setup and play around a bit.. didnt see that much in the way of apps though.. surprised that even Google Earth which has a Vive version doesnt have a Daydream version.

I'll buy a Daydream ready phone once they have this on every car during the race.

See, I know that the car is going super fast, but it looks so slow, somehow.

Got my Daydream yesterday but didn't have time to play with it last night. Hopefully later today.

MannishBoy wrote:

The Android Auto app is being updated to support a lot of the functionality, using your phone's own screen. So if you've got a car that doesn't support Android Auto, you can use your phone's screen and still hopefully get a lot of the same benefits.

I'm really enjoying this. I got one of those cheap $5 magnets from Amazon so I can prop my phone up easily.

And then I made a Tasker profile so when the power and the audio cable are plugged in it:

- Sets brightness at max.
- Sets audio to 80/100.
- Turns auto rotate on.
- Extends auto-sleep to 1 hour.
- Launches Android Auto.

Does anyone have a good app recommendation for comics? I'm getting into digital comics but there are so many reader apps and stores.

I was just going to post that that Android Auto has finally been updated supposedly for everybody so that the phone can be the screen.

I do like it. It's got some weak points, but it's as much with apps as the Android Auto app itself.

For instance, Pocket Cast won't let you add songs to a playlist, but you can easily go select a new podcast to play, which takes you out of your playlist. What's going to be more distracting about allowing for a long press on the episode with the option to add it to the playlist, or at a minimum, now playing? Now I have to exit Android Auto, then navigate back into Pocket Casts, then go through the whole process.

They're intent to make things "safe" nearly has the reverse effect for me in some cases due to stuff like this.

I actually have thought about getting an NFC sticker to put in my mount to automatically engage Android Auto. I'll have to think about it . I guess you can always say: "OK Google, launch Android Auto" to get the app up quickly, assuming your phone hears you. My car's a little loud, so that's suspect at times.

I wish Android Auto would let me use Waze, another Google product, as that has better traffic avoidance IMO.

I wish my 2016 Ford would update so it was compatible with Android Auto, promised this year but that's looking less and less likely.

I really need to replace my tablet. I know this is a dying breed, but can anyone recommend a decent one? All it is going to be used for is podcast, YouTube, and reading. I may play the occasional game, too. I really like the 8 inch form factor. The Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 looks interesting.

Would a Kindle fit that bill? Seems like it would.

I buy all my books on Google Play. I know I can back door Google Services onto a Kindle, but I don't like the idea of having a device that can be useless with a patch and have to wait for it to get hacked. Plus, Pocketcast isn't on Kindle.

What's the budget? Cheapest you can probably get now is the new Nook at $50. From there, I don't know, Lenovo's last version was pretty cheap (not the Yoga, but those are good too), and I think they should be having a new version out soon too, although I don't think there are many improvements.

Not too many other options. The Huawei Mediapad is as close to an iPad Mini you can get in Android land but kind of pricey. There's a bunch of Samsung tablets as well as Chinese tablets you can get that can dual boot Android and Windows if you're into that

I don't like Samsung's UI and how they put all their crap on top of perfectly good Android, but, well, I'm cheap, and the Galaxy Tab A is solid for the price. If I wanted to do anything other than light browsing, board games, and things like that I'd get a better tablet, but, for the price, the Tab A is really quite a good deal.

I really don't know what I want. I told myself I wasn't going to get another Android tablet. I had convinced myself something like a Surface Pro should be what I get to replace my tablet, but while they are great while laying in the bed, they are a bit unwieldy on the go, and like I said I really like the 8 inch form factor.

I did come across that Huawei tablet. It seems like a really good tablet, but I don't think I want to pay that much for another. Maybe if I find one on sale.

I'm thinking about getting another Shield, but mine is getting a little long in the tooth and $200 is too much for a ~3 year old tablet.

EverythingsTentative wrote:

I really don't know what I want. I told myself I wasn't going to get another Android tablet. I had convinced myself something like a Surface Pro should be what I get to replace my tablet, but while they are great while laying in the bed, they are a bit unwieldy on the go, and like I said I really like the 8 inch form factor.

The HP ENVY 8 Note is a possibility, then, with a Full HD screen. Google doesn't make Windows Store applications, though.

Kurrelgyre wrote:

Google doesn't make Windows Store applications, though.

That's another reason I am probably going to stick with an Android. Might as well go ahead and get that Huawei. I thought it was $400. $300 may not be too bad.

EverythingsTentative wrote:

I really need to replace my tablet. I know this is a dying breed, but can anyone recommend a decent one? All it is going to be used for is podcast, YouTube, and reading. I may play the occasional game, too. I really like the 8 inch form factor. The Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 looks interesting.

Nvidia Shield tablets are pretty much the best Android one's out there these days. Really close to stock and fast updates as well.

Not to mention relatively inexpensive for a good Full HD screen and expandable storage.

It just me, or is the last Android keyboard update a step back? (I'm on a Nexus 5, I forget which update I'm on). I keep pressing all the wrong stuff.

Kurrelgyre wrote:

Not to mention relatively inexpensive for a good Full HD screen and expandable storage.

Oh snap I was trying to buy this for months. I gave up because I heard it was discontinued.

I still love my Shield K1 from last Christmas. It's the little tablet that could. Keeps chugging along no matter what.

I'll be replacing a Shield, the original one, but $200 seems a bit much for a tablet that hasn't had a hardware revision in almost 3 years. Especially when you consider new tablets with better everything are around $300.

I keep wondering if they're going to release a new Shield. I'd kind of like to have a tablet to keep close to the couch for stuff. I don't NEED one, but if I do buy one, I want about an 8" screen with better than the low res they have on the cheap stuff you see at Costco (Samsung Tab A?). Would like to keep it within a couple hundred bucks.

Haven't really had a tablet since my original Nexus 7 got so slow it was unusable.