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Google Pixel phone leaked before unveiling
- sidcool 10y agoIt seems a cross between Samsung and iPhone.
- mrtksn 10y agoProbably that's how the project was briefed to the designers, so...
- mkagenius 10y agoDo we really need more phone?
- dexterdog 10y agoMore than the previous model, probably not, but for the many of us that are a few generations behind, yes. I am in the market for an upgrade from my Note3 and I'm paying attention.
- demarq 10y agoThose bezels though... In later updates they need to have a look at what LG did with the LG G2 and G3.
- denim_chicken 10y agoSince it carries the Pixel name I assume it's gonna be overpriced.
- owenwil 10y agoThis doesn't really tell us much, other than that it looks like a phone and seems to run software. There's going to be much more to it than this, I suspect.
- jasonkostempski 10y agoI suspect not. Edit: Also, I hope not. Mobile phones don't need anymore gimmicks, we just need removable SD cards and batteries brought back and we'd all be set.
- sangnoir 10y ago> I suspect not. I think there will be other announcements. The Android SVP is certainly hyping the event: "We announced the 1st version of Android 8 years ago today. I have a feeling 8 years from now we'll be talking about Oct 4, 2016."
- laurencei 10y ago"Most other smartphone manufacturers, including the world’s largest, Samsung, use Android but do not actively develop the software, only modify it, relying on Google for primary development." I never really understand this. Surely Samsung has the technical expertise to develop an OS to suit their own hardware? Is it really worth relying on Google to make Android, and then "modify it" to suit their needs? It is clear the benefit of Apple having control over the entire product - why do other large smart phone companies not do this?
- pjc50 10y agoMobile phone app stores are a natural monopoly choke point; at the moment the market can just about sustain two app stores where one is slightly lower quality than the other. The others (Windows Mobile, Blackberry World, arguably the Amazon one) are much less popular. Samsung phones would be worth much less without the Play store, and everything follows from there.
- aiyodev 10y agoI imagine Android's fractured ecosystem prevents this. App developers have limited resources. Any new OS has to compete with iOS and a half dozen Android versions. Few companies will want to develop apps for your OS if you can't get the say 5% market share of a 5-year old Android version.
- bobajeff 10y agoThis a lot like asking why Lenovo uses Windows rather than make their own desktop OS.
- digi_owl 10y agoThey have, its called Tizen. Rasterman (of the Enlightenment Desktop Environment) works for them on it.
- feelix 10y agoBecause it's (relatively) easy to develop a good OS, or one better than Android, but it's going to be very difficult to get the 3rd party apps to support your platform before you have enough users. And you wont get the users without 3rd party app support.
- coldpie 10y agoBut will it fit in my hand??? Still looking for a reasonably-sized replacement for my 2013 Moto X.
- dingo_bat 10y agoThe z5 compact is a very good phone for your size needs.
- coldpie 10y agoYeah, that and the OnePlus 3 are at the top of my list. The Sony comes with a bunch of crapware and a custom Android skin; not a deal-killer, but a pretty big negative. The OP3 is well reviewed, but still a little too large. The 2013 Moto X was perfect: flagship specs, 4.7 inches, and basically stock Android. Seems such perfection was a flash in the pan.
- untog 10y agoI was able to disable the crapware on my Z5C, and the custom skin is a lot less visible once you download the Google launcher, keyboard, etc etc. It feels very much like stock now.
- coldpie 10y agoOkay, but I shouldn't have to. Here, we did a bunch of work that you now have to do a bunch of work (and probably introduce subtle instabilities) to undo. No thanks.
- slau 10y agoI have a OP2, and the screen size irks me a bit. I was on a Moto G 4G before that. Perfect screen size. This being said, I recently discovered the "one-handed keyboard feature" on my OP2 and absolutely love it. I can finally answer messages while swiping with a single hand. Screenshot: https://ibin.co/2xCShGbpGdGt.png https://ibin.co/2xCShGbpGdGt.png
- 10y ago
- dagurp 10y agoDisappointing change of direction by Google. When they started on Android they envisioned phones becoming like PC's (i.e. you would buy the hardware and install whatever software you liked). I realise that phone manufacturers stood in the way of that somewhat but at least they didn't go full Apple, until now.
- zodiakzz 10y agoHow is it going "full Apple" when there are still going to be millions of Android phones manufactured by other companies? Did Microsoft go full Apple when they released the Surface tablets?
- dagurp 10y agoI couldn't comment on the Surface tables but I think that Google were doing alright with the Nexus devices. Now it feels like they're keeping stuff away from manufacturers.
- lallysingh 10y agoIt's a rectangle with a screen in the middle. Like an iPhone without the button. I didn't need to see a leak to know that, and don't see why this is news. The smartphone market has become really boring in the last few years. Does anyone care anymore?
- nashashmi 10y ago> smartphone market has become really boring The time when even Android fans wish Steve Jobs was still around. Innovation has faltered and we are now just focusing on incremental improvements in current techs. No new trends.
- coldpie 10y agoWhat kind of new trends do you want? Stupid motion gestures that activate when you don't want them to, and don't when you do? More features based on voice recognition that send you to Texas when you want to go across town? More biometrics features that add cost without any benefit? More poorly supported tech features like MTP that obfuscate the computing base behind the OS, making basic computing tasks like file transfers difficult? Some garbage "3D screen" effect that makes text jimmy around when you tilt the phone for some reason?
- tluyben2 10y agoReally big batteries would be a great trend...
- maelito 10y agoSolar phones ?
- nashashmi 10y agoFront-facing camera was a new trend. Siri was a new trend. Cloud was a new trend. Tap-and-pay was a belated new trend. Newer trends could be 1) iPhone/Tablet docks to a full laptop (Continuity was a dismal step). 2) App synergies between web and phone 3) daul screen phones 4) perfected implementations of all of the throwaway features you mentioned. I guess the trends are now focused on smart watches. But it is underwhelming. I am not going to give examples, because there will be plenty of dissenters. But the smartwatch could be so much more.
- oxplot 10y agoHappy to see 128GB versions at launch. I like to keep my stuff (including music etc) on my phone and I've had to resort to phones with microSD slots to date. If this is a "sensibly" specced phone, I might skip modding my N5 with 128GB flash. EDIT: appears to also have microSD slot!
- hrgeek 10y agoWouldn't having the fingerprint scanner on the back be annoying sometimes? For example, when your phone is just laying on the table and you want to quickly unlock it without picking it up.