My first smart phone.

Page 1 of 141234>Last »
April 2nd, 2014 at 11:10:19 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
The company relented, finally, and decided that 15 months on an old Blackberry model was enough. Later today we all get new phones, this time "smart" ones with Android.

I had a sneak peek. I'll be getting a Sony Experia with an older Android (4.1) and with a whooping 512 MB on-board, plus a 4 GB SD card. In other words, it doesn't seem like much. Still a big improvement over the one I had before, and it should suffice for my needs. For instance, it would be easier to run Audible in it and use it during the daily workout instead of the tablet. I'm also thinking about getting an app to measure how much I walk. That would be handy when I go to Vegas, or at least informative.

Stay tuned for much complaint ;)
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
April 8th, 2014 at 5:15:44 PM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
I'll forego complaints, and I have many, in favor of a question:

I downloaded Audible on the phone. The idea is to use the phone for audiobooks, rather than the tablet, for the daily workout. The thing is the devices should synchronize their progress, if I understand anything ahout "the cloud." they don't. I've played a lecture for a couple of hours on the tablet, yet in the phone it insists to play it from the start.

Any help will be deeply aprpeciated.

Thanks.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
April 8th, 2014 at 8:33:18 PM permalink
rxwine
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 188
Posts: 18631
Quote: Nareed
Stay tuned for much complaint ;)


This would make a pretty funny sig line.
You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really?
April 10th, 2014 at 5:13:55 AM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Quote: Nareed
I had a sneak peek. I'll be getting a Sony Experia with an older Android (4.1) and with a whooping 512 MB on-board, plus a 4 GB SD card.
Stay tuned for much complaint ;)


Seems to cover a lot of possibilities Which phone do you actually have?

April 10th, 2014 at 1:12:14 PM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
Quote: Pacomartin
Which phone do you actually have?


beats me. There's no model number or anything on it. It just says Sony on one side and Xperia on the other. What I need to know is "Android 4.1" which makes it prehistoric by today's standards (ie it's more than a year old, most likely, and I may as well rely on smoke signals or beating drums).

Thus far it has the saving grace of being able to serve as a WiFi hot spot. That might come in handy in Vegas.

It can serve as a miniature tablet, too. Though if I use it to check Gmail and then use the 7" tablet, the latter's screen feels huge.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
April 10th, 2014 at 6:48:19 PM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Quote: Nareed
There's no model number or anything on it. It just says Sony on one side and Xperia on the other.


Sony XPERIA E C1505is Android 4.1 4Gb, 512 MB on-board, plus a 4 GB SD card.

Cost brand new is about $70 on e-bay.3.5" HVGA, 320 x 480 pixels .

So while not the newest thing on the market, it seems like a reasonably conservative corporate purchase.

It seems like they are being conservative on the display. The Xperia E and U both have 3.5-inch displays, but radically different pixels
Xperia U (854 x 480 pixels) 16,777,216 colours
Xperia E (320 x 480 pixels) 262,000 colours
April 11th, 2014 at 6:41:17 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
Quote: Pacomartin
So while not the newest thing on the market, it seems like a reasonably conservative corporate purchase.


That's what it is.

There's nothing wrong with it, really. It's just that having to get used to a new way of dialing and such is a hassle, and I'm not enamored of the button-less fetish in the current Apple-worship phase of micromini-computer history (they ceased being phones, really; more like computers that can make calls). So I'll gripe about it for a while.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
June 16th, 2014 at 3:21:09 PM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
Well, havng used this thing for a while I've ran into two pretty BIG issues:

1) It absolutely won't work outside of Mexico. This may be due to the type of service contract we have and not to the phone itself.

2) The storage space is badly mismanaged. I'm told I ahve 2 GB on th ephone and 4 GB on an SD card. Fine. But thent here's the phone memory, which is limited to about 800 MB. Long story short, I can't update apps anymore because I don't ahve sufficient storage space left. I've no idea if this is specific to the phone, or that was how the geniuses at IT configured them.

On the plus side, I've discoverd the navigation function on Google maps works rather well. With the usual caveats, of course.

It helps to study the route as mapped beforehand, so you'll understand odd directions like "turn left..then turn right," when you need to make a right turn. Also to see whether the route passes through places which should never be trod upon by those desirous of continued living.

That said, today I set it to look for a specific place in Puebla. Since I don't know the city at all (and don't want to know it), I just checked for odd directions. I followed the voice exactly and arrived where I needed to go exactly as directed. I dind't go through any obviously unslaubrious areas, but I do think it gave me a bit of a long-haul route.

On the way back I set it to seek out the highway back to Mexico. That's when things went quickly to hell. it told me "go northwest," as if I can tell directions somehow. Out the parking lot there was only one possible way to turn, ro at elast only one that wouldn't involve a traffic accident or a ticket for going the wrong way, or driving on the sidewalk into a building..

I tried to retrace my way in, as far as possible, but then the Maps App began to give direction which actually made sense. A quick check of the route on a traffic light showed a reasonable choice (ie not sending me 300 km east first).

It's nice to be able to get somewhere when you've no idea where it is, without having to commit a route to memory, or even having to study a map, and most important without having to check the map while driving. With all the usual caveats.

Now I need something to mount the phone on the dash...
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
June 17th, 2014 at 7:17:10 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
I gave Google the fits yesterday ;)

I deicded to test it by laying a route home from the office. It did ok, selecting the most direct route and giving clear directions. But then I derailed it by taking a lateral street where the main avenue was backed up with traffic. At first it told me to go find the first alternate route, which is ridiculous. Then it regained its senses.

Next I stopped to use an ATM at a supermarket. This was not on the route. The poor thing kept urging me to do a "U-turn and then turn left." I left it talking to itself a while. Things proceeded well until I reached my street. it's an odd avenue with many curves and both up- and down-hill segments. I have to drive all the way down, make a U-turn and then drive back up to my place. The U-turn can be made at the end of the street in a roundabout, or a bit earlier where there's a break for a U-turn. I made ti earlier, and the maps app wanted me to do the street over. At that point I turned it off.

As the phone cannot run any apps becasue it runs out of storage space, I guess I'll be using this one extensively in the future.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
June 17th, 2014 at 4:48:26 PM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
So, Maps got its revenge today. I ahd to drive to Puebla, again, today. On the way back I need it only to find the highway. it did well enough until the exit to the highway came up. It froze up then (well, likely a few minutes before). good thing I was paying attention to the signs, or I'd ahve wasted 45 seconds finding my way back.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
Page 1 of 141234>Last »