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I basically am a long Nokia fan and the Lumia 800 is beautiful. However it is not very practical in some cases. Here are a few flaws. Some of these flaws come from comparing Nokia's first windows phone with their first Symbian fifth edition phone, the epic 5800. You people add some on if you wish:
1) The phone needs to be turned on for the alarm clock to work
2) Phone calls don't end sometimes, you have to restart the phone
3) Battery life isn't too good but better after the update
4) It is advertised with 16GB of memory but look in the settings it actually has 13.8GB (for me)
5) FPS has always been a problem on Nokia phones for some applications and games
6) After a hard reset the Lumia 800 will crash and close applications sometimes. This is apparent in 'Shuffle Party', 'ARMED', 'Amazing Collective' and 'VIP Registration'. In 'Shuffle Party' your Xbox Live avatar is sometimes facing backwards or not even there. A new game in ARMED will crash and close. Amazing COllective app will not sometimes open and the VIP Registration app will keep giving annoying notices of the same thing every hour or two daily. This happened after a hard reset.
7) The camera does not focus properly. It does after a hard reset but not as well as it can. The book says the minimum focus distance is 10cm. It looks like it's more. Also compared to the 5800 camera the quality is okayish not too good. The pixels are blurred to make it look smooth whereas the 5800 has more pixel detail and the pixels are not blurred so the tiniest details come out somewhat and the image is sharp. It does not look like 8MP or maybe that's on the phone's screen.
8) The VIDEO camera focusses correctly but if you have something in the way it will focus on that and stay focussed at the point. For example I take a video of a lake and a person walks past the camera. The Lumia 800 will focus on the man and blur the lake a bit and it will stay like that until the camera is restarted.
9) The calendar takes some time to getting used to but it sucks a little. Compared to the symbian calendar in which to-do notes and meetings were shown a few days or a week prior to it's date the calendar on the Lumia 800 shows the things a day before on the lock screen and to edit it you have to go to the calendar instead of the one touch option on the 5800.
10) No Bluetooth file transfer. No point of bluetooth other than to transfer contacts but files won't work.
11) No USB mode. I used to use my Nokia 5800 for everything, even as a portable USB drive. The Lumia 800 does not have that, you need a big, fat, cloggy software called Zune which no one cares about to transfer things. But hey, we have SkyDrive for that
12) Privacy! I was talking to a friend yesterday through the built-in chat and I typed in the word "RnB" in a sentence. I have never typed in that word into a pc or phone for years, I know it sounds stupid but I know I have not. I dont even listen to RnB. And guess what? Today on youtube I had 3 RnB adverts!! On an Xbox 360 game video?? Coincidence? Hell no!
13) Battery capacity decreases by a few digits every time I charge the phone. It should not happen that frequently.
14) Contacts confusion. The phone syncs all your contacts on your windows live, facebook and from your sim into one and imports them into your Hotmail account. That means that every single email address, name and number on your phone, facebook and hotmail is dumped into your phone, paired up with the same names and then uploaded onto your windows live address book. There is a filter option to sort between Hotmail and Facebook contacts but it does not leave you with the phone numbers you had on your sim, it just merges them. And also Facebook and Windows Live have that personal data too!
15) I have not found a way to bookmark or add pages to the favourites list //FOUND IT LOL
16) After a hard reset the phone does not vibrate or ring if I get a message while it is locked. Even with the settings changed and the volume set to full it will not ring, not even for a phone call. The only time it vibrates is if I receive a new Hotmail message.
17) After the hard-reset every time I screen lock the phone it will disconnect from any Wifi network. This did not happen before the hard-reset.
There may be a few more which I cannot remember lol but other than that it's a really nice phone!
iGunz said:
I basically am a long Nokia fan and the Lumia 800 is beautiful. However it is not very practical in some cases. Here are a few flaws. Some of these flaws come from comparing Nokia's first windows phone with their first Symbian fifth edition phone, the epic 5800. You people add some on if you wish:
1) The phone needs to be turned on for the alarm clock to work
2) Phone calls don't end sometimes, you have to restart the phone
3) Battery life isn't too good but better after the update
4) It is advertised with 16GB of memory but look in the settings it actually has 13.8GB (for me)
5) FPS has always been a problem on Nokia phones for some applications and games
6) After a hard reset the Lumia 800 will crash and close applications sometimes. This is apparent in 'Shuffle Party', 'ARMED', 'Amazing Collective' and 'VIP Registration'. In 'Shuffle Party' your Xbox Live avatar is sometimes facing backwards or not even there. A new game in ARMED will crash and close. Amazing COllective app will not sometimes open and the VIP Registration app will keep giving annoying notices of the same thing every hour or two daily. This happened after a hard reset.
7) The camera does not focus properly. It does after a hard reset but not as well as it can. The book says the minimum focus distance is 10cm. It looks like it's more. Also compared to the 5800 camera the quality is okayish not too good. The pixels are blurred to make it look smooth whereas the 5800 has more pixel detail and the pixels are not blurred so the tiniest details come out somewhat and the image is sharp. It does not look like 8MP or maybe that's on the phone's screen.
8) The VIDEO camera focusses correctly but if you have something in the way it will focus on that and stay focussed at the point. For example I take a video of a lake and a person walks past the camera. The Lumia 800 will focus on the man and blur the lake a bit and it will stay like that until the camera is restarted.
9) The calendar takes some time to getting used to but it sucks a little. Compared to the symbian calendar in which to-do notes and meetings were shown a few days or a week prior to it's date the calendar on the Lumia 800 shows the things a day before on the lock screen and to edit it you have to go to the calendar instead of the one touch option on the 5800.
10) No Bluetooth file transfer. No point of bluetooth other than to transfer contacts but files won't work.
11) No USB mode. I used to use my Nokia 5800 for everything, even as a portable USB drive. The Lumia 800 does not have that, you need a big, fat, cloggy software called Zune which no one cares about to transfer things. But hey, we have SkyDrive for that
12) Privacy! I was talking to a friend yesterday through the built-in chat and I typed in the word "RnB" in a sentence. I have never typed in that word into a pc or phone for years, I know it sounds stupid but I know I have not. I dont even listen to RnB. And guess what? Today on youtube I had 3 RnB adverts!! On an Xbox 360 game video?? Coincidence? Hell no!
13) Battery capacity decreases by a few digits every time I charge the phone. It should not happen that frequently.
14) Contacts confusion. The phone syncs all your contacts on your windows live, facebook and from your sim into one and imports them into your Hotmail account. That means that every single email address, name and number on your phone, facebook and hotmail is dumped into your phone, paired up with the same names and then uploaded onto your windows live address book. There is a filter option to sort between Hotmail and Facebook contacts but it does not leave you with the phone numbers you had on your sim, it just merges them. And also Facebook and Windows Live have that personal data too!
15) I have not found a way to bookmark or add pages to the favourites list
16) After a hard reset the phone does not vibrate or ring if I get a message while it is locked. Even with the settings changed and the volume set to full it will not ring, not even for a phone call. The only time it vibrates is if I receive a new Hotmail message.
17) After the hard-reset every time I screen lock the phone it will disconnect from any Wifi network. This did not happen before the hard-reset.
There may be a few more which I cannot remember lol but other than that it's a really nice phone!
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Maybe just a little pedantic?
Yeah, regarding the 16GB even I thought that when I had the iPhone 4, but that a mount that's already in use is your OS, sadly, I know, even I believe that we are mislead to believe that it actually contains 16GB.
As for your faults, their seems to be a lot of faults with your handsets that I don't seem to have, take it to a Nokia care point or mail them on their Nokia support website, I'm sure your phone's in warranty, if proved faulty, they'll easily replace your handset. That wi-fi and lock issue, I've started to notice recently too since the update, I think Nokia have done a cheeky one of saving battery like this, cutting off wi-fi, and my gf gives me a hard time for missing her texts..-_-
*EDIT* oh and yeah, I'm thinking of sending mine for a replacement if Nokia don't have an answer to this.
Lol yeah I guess so. Still why am I complaining I got it for free
Oh also it says it has 512mb RAM. It actually has 300 or something. :/
iGunz said:
Lol yeah I guess so. Still why am I complaining I got it for free
Oh also it says it has 512mb RAM. It actually has 300 or something. :/
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A fair amount of ram is reserved for the OS like on Android. Also about the disk space issue I don't think it's much to worry about.
Like prevoius poster said I think you are a bit picky about some faults. You also seem to have faults that does not exist on my phone.
My computer needs to be turned on for my alarm clock to work on it, too. My alarm clock (were I to have one) would need to be plugged into the wall to work. Of course, the phone has to be turned on for the alarm clock to work.
It's very likely that the 16GB is advertised the same way that hard drive capacities are advertised. They market 16,000,000,000 bytes as 16GB. Considered how computers read storage, that 16,000,000,000 is actually 14.9GB. Then remove whatever is required by the OS.
Windows Live does not import your Facebook contacts unless you indicate it too. Mine does not, has not, and will not merge my FB contacts to my Windows Live account.
Yes, Calendar sucks.
anseio said:
My computer needs to be turned on for my alarm clock to work on it, too. My alarm clock (were I to have one) would need to be plugged into the wall to work. Of course, the phone has to be turned on for the alarm clock to work.
It's very likely that the 16GB is advertised the same way that hard drive capacities are advertised. They market 16,000,000,000 bytes as 16GB. Considered how computers read storage, that 16,000,000,000 is actually 14.9GB. Then remove whatever is required by the OS.
Windows Live does not import your Facebook contacts unless you indicate it too. Mine does not, has not, and will not merge my FB contacts to my Windows Live account.
Yes, Calendar sucks.
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The first bit you said is true but every other Nokia phone I know has turned itself on if the alarm time came. Why not this one? It's probably the Windows software, literally a computer lol
Thanks for the second and third bit it clears stuff up.
iGunz said:
The first bit you said is true but every other Nokia phone I know has turned itself on if the alarm time came. Why not this one? It's probably the Windows software, literally a computer lol
Thanks for the second and third bit it clears stuff up.
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Actually all modern smartphones don't have that feature anymore, regardless the software: it's the same on iOS, Android, BBOS, WebOS, MeeGo and more. The only devices sticking with that feature may be the Symbian ones, but I'm not sure because the last Symbian I used was some old N81, which was able to do that but I still don't know about newer Anna devices...many things may have changed.
iGunz said:
10) No Bluetooth file transfer. No point of bluetooth other than to transfer contacts but files won't work.
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I agree with this completely. How often do you even transfer contacts? Bluetooth in this device is a joke.
I bought L800 for my wife, and she wanted an Iphone 4 btw, and one of my arguments against it was that there is no functioning bluetooth, imagine my frustration when i found out there is in fact no BT in Lumia 800 too.
Btw, initially i really liked the device, i even considered getting one for myself, but now i'm absolutely not getting it.
I'm also dissappointed in camera too.
Bluetooth issues
I dont understand the whole blueooth complaint. How many times in your life would you transfer a file via buetooth. Welcome to the 21 century, use the cloud. So strange to hear people say they wont buy a phone because of a feature they might use once to transfer their contacts. I have my contacts synced with my Live account for years and every time I get a new phone or computer I put that account in and my contacts sync. Bluetooth file transfers???? Why??????
lol..i agree with cloud...but to say...here in our country...keeping connected to cloud is not very possible...so bluetooth id needed...lumia had a very big release here in our country and dey couldnt consider a bluetooth transfer..:/
sad...i hope it cums in an update as well as wifi hotspot..
also needs battery improvement...
waiting for modders to crack open the firmware...i need tools..i can help!!!
bnathan said:
I dont understand the whole blueooth complaint. How many times in your life would you transfer a file via buetooth. Welcome to the 21 century, use the cloud. So strange to hear people say they wont buy a phone because of a feature they might use once to transfer their contacts. I have my contacts synced with my Live account for years and every time I get a new phone or computer I put that account in and my contacts sync. Bluetooth file transfers???? Why??????
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What's so hard to understand? Cloud means data, more time, more money, and how other person is supposed to receive it? What if he has Symbian phone like me? Or S40 phone??
My phone is E72, my wife's Lumia 800, say she took a pic she wants to share with me, are you saying it's better and easier to use cloud than transfer it via bluetooth directly phone2phone? I'm sorry but that's a load of BS. You coundn't find any dumber excuse for missing BT.
1orka said:
What's so hard to understand? Cloud means data, more time, more money, and how other person is supposed to receive it? What if he has Symbian phone like me? Or S40 phone??
My phone is E72, my wife's Lumia 800, say she took a pic she wants to share with me, are you saying it's better and easier to use cloud than transfer it via bluetooth directly phone2phone? I'm sorry but that's a load of BS. You coundn't find any dumber excuse for missing BT.
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Keep in mind that bluetooth OBEX is not a flaw of the Lumia, but is a shortcoming on the part of Windows Phone design. Also, iPhone cannot do this either. Can Android? I dunno, never tried.
anseio said:
Keep in mind that bluetooth OBEX is not a flaw of the Lumia, but is a shortcoming on the part of Windows Phone design. Also, iPhone cannot do this either. Can Android? I dunno, never tried.
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Well, I bought Nokia, not Microsoft phone, and I paid my money to Nokia, not to MS, so it's Lumia's fault. All these years people are used to the fact that top line Nokia offers full functiong bluetooth.
Still, I get your point but if you have a laptop, you will see that Microsoft doesn't support full bluetooth there too, at least not on mine Vaio. For this purpose there is a bluetooth stack (mine is made by Toshiba) which is small software programm. So, all these excuses "it's not Nokia it's MS" are funny. There is a way around, not to mention their "special relationships" , I'm sure if Nokia insisted MS would do that stack specially for Nokia by themselves.
As for Iphone and Android I never tried it too, i've been using Nokias for last 10 years.
Still, after doing some research online it turns out there are some apps for Iphone that allow bluetooth files sharing, i think it's restricted to pictures and videos, no music files, though not sure about that. Also, you can do jailbreak and use full Bluetooth functions (by the way, there is whopping Bluetooth 4.0 in Ip4S, Lumia in comparison has ancient and slow ver 2.1,)
Android does it all by default, no apps, no hacking needed. Even a year old Galaxy S2 already has fast Bluetooth 3.0 HS (high speed). So, Lumia turns out complete looser and dissappointment in this regard. And did i mention crappy camera?
FFS, Nokia did not develop the OS in this case. Don't blame them for something they have no influence.
1orka said:
Well, I bought Nokia, not Microsoft phone, and I paid my money to Nokia, not to MS, so it's Lumia's fault. All these years people are used to the fact that top line Nokia offers full functiong bluetooth.
Still, I get your point but if you have a laptop, you will see that Microsoft doesn't support full bluetooth there too, at least not on mine Vaio. For this purpose there is a bluetooth stack (mine is made by Toshiba) which is small software programm. So, all these excuses "it's not Nokia it's MS" are funny. There is a way around, not to mention their "special relationships" , I'm sure if Nokia insisted MS would do that stack specially for Nokia by themselves.
As for Iphone and Android I never tried it too, i've been using Nokias for last 10 years.
Still, after doing some research online it turns out there are some apps for Iphone that allow bluetooth files sharing, i think it's restricted to pictures and videos, no music files, though not sure about that. Also, you can do jailbreak and use full Bluetooth functions (by the way, there is whopping Bluetooth 4.0 in Ip4S, Lumia in comparison has ancient and slow ver 2.1,)
Android does it all by default, no apps, no hacking needed. Even a year old Galaxy S2 already has fast Bluetooth 3.0 HS (high speed). So, Lumia turns out complete looser and dissappointment in this regard. And did i mention crappy camera?
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Sent from my Sexy Cyan Lumia 800 using XDA WP7 App
anseio said:
FFS, Nokia did not develop the OS in this case. Don't blame them for something they have no influence.
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Nokia is not some no name chinese brand, they have strategic cooperation with Microsoft so your attempts to make it look like there is no influence are ridiculous.
Even if indeed, there is not influece in OS development, there is a way around like making extra software to utilise missing bluetooth functions better.
They already have exclusive apps strictly for Nokia (Nokia drive for example, which uses GPS chip), same way they can make an app for Bluetooth too.
Your attemps as Nokias apologist are lame.
Christ, you have no clue about wp7, do you?
Sent from my Sexy Cyan Lumia 800 using XDA WP7 App
Well, you could come up with something more intelligent, instead of this fake amazement and cheap shots.
1orka said:
Well, you could come up with something more intelligent, instead of this fake amazement and cheap shots.
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Well, what can I say? I'm surprised that you're making such a stink over such a small feature that NO Windows Phone currently has. Has it crossed your mind that it might be an OS limitation? Seriously, figure out a different alternative to OBEX. It's practically dead.
MS Exchange 2010 remote wipe on Lumia
Does anyone tried remote wipe feature on Lumia using MS Exchange 2010? I've connected MS Exchange mailbox on my Lumia 800 and decided to test remote wipe functionality initiated from Exchange server. As the result I've got full device reset and lost all the contacts and applications too
anseio said:
Well, what can I say? I'm surprised that you're making such a stink over such a small feature that NO Windows Phone currently has. Has it crossed your mind that it might be an OS limitation? Seriously, figure out a different alternative to OBEX. It's practically dead.
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Well, if that feature is small to you, why try to force your opinion on others, to which it is important? Do you really think i'm the only one?? Go to Nokia forums and see all those complains. You can google "lumia bluetooth problems" too. You are not very helpful here, not suggesting any alternative, all you do is advocating Nokia and downplaying obvious drawbacks. Yours posts are irrelevant in this thread, which is dedicated to Lumias flaws.
And I don't want to repeat myself over again, may be you have problems with reading comprehension? Iphone has OS limitations too, yet there are ways around. And because "obex is dead" they put BT 4.0 in latest Iphone and so does Samsung, which already offers high speed file transfer via bluetooth for almost a year? Your argument is a joke, may be you are not very sociable or you live in cave, i don't know, but in Russia, where i live, file sharing is very popular, and there is no decent alternative to Bluetooth.
I'd like to keep my Flyer out in my truck as a perm GPS kinda thing. It gets kinda cold up in NY, so I'm concerned on how cold weather tolerant this thing is. The general rule is not to keep electronics outside when its cold, but come on... have you seen newer cars!! I left my Garmin outside 365/year without issue too.
I'd like to know fact from fiction on this. Maybe Myth Busters did something on it, lol.
If the worst thing to happen to my Flyer is a sluggish screen until it warms up, I'd like to keep it in the truck/car most of the time.
i literally never take my first gen ipod video from 2005 out of my trucks glovebox...in NJ, it gets as cold as single digits in the winter, and hits triple in the summer, and it's always in there, and somehow STILL works..and that's a moving hard drive too lol..i'd think as long as it doesn't move from cold to hot temps really quickly, no condensation should form or anything
Lion batteries tolerate cold better than heat but, I would imagine that there is still a potential for damage to occur.
I doubt the other components would be affected much.. but, just keep in mind there is a chance it will be on life support to actually run the rest of it's life.
If I may also go ahead and point this out.. You can get a Garmin with lifetime updates for about 250$ that doesn't require a cellular data connection and would be more reliable for what your buying it for..
Snow_fox said:
Lion batteries tolerate cold better than heat but, I would imagine that there is still a potential for damage to occur.
I doubt the other components would be affected much.. but, just keep in mind there is a chance it will be on life support to actually run the rest of it's life.
If I may also go ahead and point this out.. You can get a Garmin with lifetime updates for about 250$ that doesn't require a cellular data connection and would be more reliable for what your buying it for..
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I got the Flyer at BestBuy for $99 a few months ago when they messed up the price. I dont have a need for it in the house because I have a GT10.1. I was close to CraigsListing it for $175, but decided to buy the Flyer car dock and use it as device to leave in the truck for GPS and such.
I dont really want another Garmin if the Flyer can work (w/tethering).
While Li ion batteries tolerate cold temperatures better than some other types, they still drain much more quickly in freezing temperatures. If you are leaving your Flyer in screen-off mode (and not powering it down), then you should be careful its not draining until shutoff in cold temps. Full power cycles are not good for Li ion batteries long term. Its also possible that draining the battery until the device shuts off, will render the battery unable to take a charge. (doesn't happen often, but does happen with Android devices).
That said, I completely understand your feeling about wanting to use an Android device instead of a Garmin for car navigation. I haven't used the "latest" Garmins. But the one I have (couple years old) has a crappy unresponsive touch screen, low resolution, and search function is nothing compared to Google.
The only advantage to a Garmin, is that you don't need a data connection. But of course, there are ways around that with Android also, either downloading Google Map sections, or with 3rd party software.
This doesn't answer your question, but I'll just throw this out there:
I've had the Flyer since it's release date at Best Buy. I bought it with full intentions of leaving it in my truck as a GPS/Media Player/Browser.
I built a console for it that goes between my jump seat and dash (the unit basically sits right under my stereo) and I have left it there plugged into a usb charger and line in on my stereo since the day I bought it (I can easily remove it and have on occasion for a few hours at a time.
I live in West Virginia so it probably doesn't get quite as cold as it does in NY but it can get down below zero at night. We have had a pretty mild winter here but that being said - I have never had a single problem out of it. Neither heat nor cold has seemed to have any affect on it whatsoever.
This is not to say that it couldn't and I've wondered the same as you many times... but just as someone who is doing exactly what you plan to do... I have never had a problem with it.
Hope this helps.
Just an FYI regarding the need for a cellular or wifi signal to use the Flyer or View as a dedicated GPS. With the use of a standalone navigation app such as CoPilot Live (no affiliation) or similar, which include built-in maps, your GPS-enabled unit uses only the internal GPS antenna to set a fix, and the on-board maps to get you around. No data connection is required to constantly update maps, as is the case with Google Maps, which is an 'assisted GPS' (aGPS) program.
Once your nav app is loaded, conserve batt power by activating 'airplane mode,' then under 'Location' enable the 'use GPS satellites' function. Make sure your Flyer is securely mounted on windshield or dashboard with a reasonable view of the sky (that's where the satellites are). You'll have no problems getting around in remote areas not served by Sprint et al. Over the past few years we have used my Evo 4g, Evo 3D and Evo View to get around in Europe in just this manner (no phone calls though, these are not international phones).
Regarding cold temperatures, I would remove the device from your vehicle if sub-zero F readings are expected.
procerum said:
No data connection is required to constantly update maps, as is the case with Google Maps, which is an 'assisted GPS' (aGPS) program.
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That is not what assisted GPS (aGPS) means. aGPS uses cell tower triangulation to speed up GPS location. Virtually any usage of the phone's GPS involves aGPS.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS
Also, as I've mentioned previously, Google Maps has the ability to download maps so you can use Maps and Navigation online. You just have to download the maps one area at a time.
I think we're saying the same thing. The Flyer/View will perform GPS (vs. aGPS) duties just fine without tower triangulation (in airplane mode) if your program has built-in maps. No tethering required.
The map caching is in Google Labs, right? I played with that while waiting at an appointment. I tried a Nav to home with it and Nav just spun. I only tried once though. I didn't get a "data connection required" so i know it knew the cached data was there.
I will think about Copilot if GNav doesn't cut it.
I like this thread, lots of good comments!
procerum said:
I think we're saying the same thing. The Flyer/View will perform GPS (vs. aGPS) duties just fine without tower triangulation (in airplane mode) if your program has built-in maps. No tethering required.
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Click to collapse
No, we are not saying the same thing at all. You were saying that Google Maps can't be used without a data connection, since its an "aGPS program", and you seemed to be stating that aGPS had something to do with updating the maps (which it does not). Google Maps is fully functional without a data connection as I stated above.
Also, pretty much any current Android device is going to use aGPS when possible to shorten GPS lock time, regardless of what navigation app you are using (I hate when people call nav software "GPS", as GPS just determines lat/long and elevation and nothing more).
And now you are mis-using the term "tethering". A data connection is not tethering. Tethering is when you share a cell data connection with another device. For instance, tethering a phone to a laptop, means your laptop can use the data connection on your phone.
You really need to get your terms right.
---------- Post added at 08:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:13 PM ----------
kenyu73 said:
The map caching is in Google Labs, right?
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Yeah, that's right. I haven't played around with the feature much myself. But a buddy of mine recently used it during a trip to Europe, so he can navigate the cities on foot without pricey data roaming fees. He said it worked wonderfully.
redpoint73 said:
And now you are mis-using the term "tethering". A data connection is not tethering. Tethering is when you share a cell data connection with another device. For instance, tethering a phone to a laptop, means your laptop can use the data connection on your phone.
You really need to get your terms right.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion, Captain. I am attempting to help the OP, who used the term 'tethering,' which is unecessary, as is a data connection, if you have maps on your device:
kenyu73 said:
I dont really want another Garmin if the Flyer can work (w/tethering).
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Click to collapse
My comments/methodologies are based upon actual travel experiences with these devices, which I'm sharing with the OP. Why do you feel the need to challenge me? Is this an initiation ritual for a new poster?
procerum said:
Thanks for the suggestion, Captain. I am attempting to help the OP, who used the term 'tethering,' which is unecessary, as is a data connection, if you have maps on your device:
My comments/methodologies are based upon actual travel experiences with these devices, which I'm sharing with the OP. Why do you feel the need to challenge me? Is this an initiation ritual for a new poster?
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Its all good gents. I just wanted to know if the Flyer was ok out in the cold.
Whether or not I'll use GNav or purchase something like Copilot is another story. I appreciated the comments from everyone.
procerum said:
kenyu73 said:
I dont really want another Garmin if the Flyer can work (w/tethering).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My comments/methodologies are based upon actual travel experiences with these devices, which I'm sharing with the OP. Why do you feel the need to challenge me? Is this an initiation ritual for a new poster?
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Click to collapse
The person your last response is directed at, and the OP are the same person.
No, I'm not trying to pick on you. But if you post something that is incorrect, people here are going to call it out. Or people here may just want to offer up a different opinion. Which brings me to the following.
I completely sympathize with the OP's desire to not want another Garmin navigation unit. I've found them to be crap. Overpriced for what they can do, not well made, and completely unreliable. I paid $399 for a flagship Nuvi unit, and it broke down a year after I bought it. Luckily, it was still on warranty, and they fixed it. But then the power cable failed soon after (out of warranty). Good thing I found a replacement on eBay for less than $10, because Garmin wants to charge you $30 (for something that will probably fail again in a year or so anyway). Both failures happened while I was traveling, and luckily I had my smartphone and Google Maps as backup.
Meanwhile, I have 3 HTC smartphones, and one tablet, from as far back as 4 years, still running fine as the day they were bought (aside from a few cosmetic blemishes from normal wear and tear). As far as I'm concerned, you are better off using a smartphone or tablet as navigation, with a 3rd party nav app with pre-loaded apps, if losing data connection is a concern.
Having a dedicated nav unit is probably a dying business model. Aside from providing software for smartphones, I don't see much of Garmin's business being around in a few years.
This is true, the last one I purchased was in 2003; it's unlikely that I'll ever purchase a dedicated unit again. The Flyer/View's 7-inch screen and robust build make for an excellent navigation device.
I'm sitting here in bed recovering from a minor surgical procedure (seriously minor, so don't get distracted) and decided to spend some quality time with the TrueSmart in conjunction with my Sony Xperia Z1s. Like many of you, I waited 6+ months for my device (apologies to those *still* waiting - I feel your pain). What I'm *not* certain of, is how many people here were looking at the TrueSmart as a serious training watch. For me, that was as or *more* important than the propeller-head functions of being a real Android device. There *were* some things related to safety and long-range excursions (such as traveling out of range of cell towers and running a BT-connected satellite communication device) but that was more of the nice-to-have variety, as I do that kind of adventure travel once or twice per year. My main use case is regular weekly training on the bike, in the gym and in the pool. The TrueSmart seemed perfectly suited to this, while being an "all-day wearer" and much more versatile than task-specific training watches.
Then it happened - you all know the drama around the IPx7 rating. Omate went from showing demo videos of Laurent stepping out of the pool with his device and later posting that the watch is "IP67+" - indicating higher resiliency versus the standard -- to abandoning the water resistant aspect of the device completely. This is more than an academic/marketing issue for me. This is a major design goal failure in my view, and it's pretty much a deal-breaker for my central use case for this device. So it is with some trepidation that I put any more effort into this device than it takes to update the firmware and post it for sale on eBay/Amazon/whatever.
What kept me interested? ...the work of Lokifish Mars, Daniel Ortiz, Kurt Huwig, Dee's Troy, Cyril Preiss and others... including some serious discussion in this forum about improving the water resistance of the device. That's all pretty heartening stuff. But at the end of the day it comes down to how it's suited to *my* use - even if the goals change, so I set about to put both Lokifish's and Dee's ROMs on my TrueSmart and try them out. I started with Runkeeper and Ride with GPS, and found both to be beyond acceptable - nearly exceptional. I had brought my bike into my bedroom before my surgery (set up on a trainer from my days when I was recovering from knee surgery last year) and was already beginning to fit the TS onto the handlebars in a way that I could use the camera "facing forward" with Ride with GPS - to be able to grab snapshots as I go along my route. Pretty. Freaking. Cool. I expected the Runkeeper app to look/perform well - but RWGPS was a pleasant surprise. And even though the screen is small, it's much brighter/more readable than the screen of my Sony Zperia Z1s in daylight. This encourages me greatly.
Then I started to look into Cyril Preiss's "SWApps" suite, and things got REALLY interesting. I grok the concept of a companion device versus a standalone device that plays well with others at arm's length. I've done quite a bit of work in mobile tech, and even have an inkling of how things work "on the metal". Both approaches have their uses, but I always thought of *my* use case as being in the standalone-without-a-SIM variety, since I was generally looking for capture of training data with occasional Wi-Fi tethering/sync of that data back to the web apps. So the "tell me why my pocket is buzzing" aspect of companion usage never really felt that compelling to me. That has somewhat to do with the fact that unless I'm expecting contact I just let chatter go to voice mail/inbox/whatever and clear it later. With all of that said, Cyril seems to have done something I never thought anyone would bother to do - split the difference between the two functional core cases for wearables, and perhaps create a super-set of those roles while doing so in a fairly elegant manner. It makes a really strong case for the TrueSmart - at least in *my* mind. Because of this, I started to seriously re-think my purpose for the TS, from focusing on it as a glorified training watch to something that really covered many more bases.
Enter Sony.
[cue Taiko drums]
When I made the switch from the iPhone 4S, it was to the Sony Xperia Z. I really liked it. In fact I *loved* it. One of the things I really enjoyed about the device (other than it was a fairly well-executed Android platform) was the water-resistance that allowed me to keep it by the edge of the pool. "Why?" you ask? Good question. Right now I swim with a Polar FT1 armband and coded HRM strap (their GymLink protocol transmits/receives at 5kHz which goes through water). Every few laps I pause to take a picture of the FT1. Later I go through the images and record the timing/heart rate measurements to create a graph of my performance. Yup - OLD SCHOOL DATA COLLECTION. It actually took a bit of work to get the phone to STAY THE F*CK ON and leave the device running, so I could just pick it up, take a snap and get back to paddling. But yeah - I'm nerdy about data like that. Some people collect baseball cards. Whatever. So I upgraded to the Z1s essentially for Android 4.3 and BTLE. This allowed me to capture cycling data from the cadence meter by Topeak (Panobike - highly recommended) and HRM data while in the gym using the Polar HR7 (also highly recommended). Awesome, right? Well, I'm getting tired of spending more time processing the data from my swims that the actual amount of time I spend in the pool (this is partly because I'm really not that strong of a swimmer yet, but I digress). So I really, really want to be able to get seamless data into *a* device that can just record/correlate the data and I can get on with my day. Is that too much to ask?
Evidently so... but I'll stay with the Sony saga for a bit longer.
So I'm working with Lokifish's ROM, connected to the Z1s via Wi-Fi tethering. SWApps is cool - like - really cool. I'm beginning to think this is going to work... until it doesn't. Bear in mind, I don't know what the Z1s "thinks" is data as in "oh, you need the Internet through me? Let me get that for you..." versus device-to-device chatter via Wi-Fi that doesn't require outside connection - but the Z1s seems to think that it can shut down its HotSpot tethering functionality completely when it thinks there's no traffic for ten minutes. I mean, I get it - this is a strategy to save the battery, but when you turn that 'feature' off you run head-long into a battery drain issue. I happen to believe this is lazy/sloppy programming in T-mobile's Wi-Fi management stack, but that's based more on my experience with T-mobile than knowledge of the Sony Xperia line.
And to be honest I'd like to have the watch *just run* for a few days in this mode when needed. I don't mind heavy (or nearly complete) drain of the device while it's doing data capture during training. But when it's just a watch - why turn it into a focus/distraction by burning down the power source so far you're spending more time plugging and unplugging it from the charger than clearing notifications? So, what to do? Why, try Bluetooth tethering of course. Seems logical, right? Run the watch in "airplaine" mode, so so need for (relatively) battery-draining Wi-Fi, and the bandwidth limitations of Bluetooth is not so much of an issue in this case. This is device comms, not Netflix, right? So, easy-peazy-lemon-squeezy I put Dees_Troy's BT ROM on the device and set about to tether it to my Z1s...
"What's that? I can't do that? But I just read on a web page that all I have to do is go to the HotSpot management page and enable the Bluetooth tethering option, right? I'm sorry, what? As of Android 4.3 Sony has disabled Bluetooth tethering for anything but their own devices?"
Seriously. This is "classic" Sony, and by that I mean the Sony *I* knew when I first started working for them back in 2003. The Sony *I* knew refused to put a product they owned (Sonic Foundry's Vegas, probably the best video editor on the Windows platform) in lieu of a product they did *not* own (Pinnacle software, a company that doesn't exist any more - which tells you all you need to know). This is the same Sony that told Steve Jobs to go screw himself when he suggested they might do well to put his OS on Sony machines (doh!). This is the same Sony that decided to create a horribly designed music service years after iTunes, when they had multiple chances to jump in before Jobs created the market - and now that application/platform doesn't exist any more (which again is all you really need to know about that). I could go on - BUT - when I took a look at the Xperia line, I saw a Sony mobile device group that was interested in participating in open-source, showed an inclination to respond positively to notes from outside developers, and generally was more open and participatory in nature. I thought "well, they must have finally grown up"...
Then today I see the same old Sony, closing down their features to only be available on other Sony products. (cue the sad trombone) What I guess happened, and I'm pretty certain of this, is that some empty-shirt exec saw the spike in sales of the Xperia phone line, and then saw that the tablet sales were flat and said "Hmmm, I bet if we do 'tighter integration' with our phones and tablets that we'd sell more to our phone users" and promptly ordered the lock-down of BT tethering on their phones. I'm not a conspiracy nut - I've actually been in meetings where Sony execs have intentionally knee-capped their own products in order to look like they're "doing something" without actually doing anything. Adding by taking away is the kind of failure at basic math that only a huge company like Sony can manage for so many years. I'm sure that same person is being considered for CEO of the company some day.
Believe it or not, it even gets better, or worse depending on your perspective. I'm pulling Dee's ROM and the connection keeps failing. Mind you, I tether via WiFi through my phone because I get really solid 4GLTE data rates to/from the device because I'm basically line-of-site with the tower nearest me. That, and the other 'dedicated' Internet services are pretty weak, and it's a no-brainer for most situations. However the ROM download is at 143MB and I look down at my phone to see the "SONY" logo on the front screen - it was restarting. I picked up the device and it was hot, and I mean HOT. Not so much that I needed to drop it but enough that I wondered if I had placed it somewhere it had picked up ambient heat from an outside source. Nope. This is all Sony's doing. So I try a few more times, each with progressively more aggressive temperature management. I put the phone in the freezer for a minute (yup, you read that right) and then brought it back out, set up the HotSpot and started to download the ROM again. And again the Z1s reset itself (with no warning) as the ROM got to about 180MB. Damn.
I put my hand under the Z1s and found that a spot above the NFC chip on he back panel as just as hot as it was before. The rest of the phone felt cool as a cucumber. So I did the freezer again, this time for a few minutes - and brought with it a gel pack that had been sitting behind a pack of ice cubes since I recovered from my knee surgery. I used that as a 'pillow' for the Z1s, and started the process once more. And the phone failed yet again, with little or no residual heat near the NFC chip. So now I'm starting to get really frustrated - because this is a major hardware issue that's not related to the environment. I've done file up/downloads before with fairly sizable assets - video and audio files for projects (my latest was the "Incredibly Fit" video series for FerrignoFIT - you can find demos on YouTube and Vimeo) and this *never* happened to me before. And then it dawned on me - I was using Wi-Fi both directions. On my large studio computer I always connect via USB tether, because that machine is never online unless I'm moving a file (or doing an update, etc). I thought to myself "nah - this can't be true" so I connected the phone to the laptop via USB without chilling it down, set everything up and started the the file download once again.
BOOM! Downloaded it without a hitch.
So here we have what I consider to be a major design flaw - one device making one connection to the Internet and moving a file a few hundred MB in size - causing the device to restart without warning. The mobile hotspot functionality is supposed to handle up to ten devices. I have a hard time believing that either Sony and/or T-Mobile didn't test this to the point of seeing that failure that occurs early and often. It's kind of astonishing, really. I can understand a fledgling company like OMate dropping the ball (to a point) but two large companies like Sony and T-Mobile missing something like this? What's the point of T-Mobile holding back updates for six months if their device/infrastructure is going to crash their devices at the first sign of solid throughput? Sony made a bad design choice, and T-Mobile was lazy and stupid for allowing it on the market with such fragile capability. But at least the Z1s actually water-proof.
I don't want to look like I'm giving OMate a pass on their other failures with the TrueSmart. It's easy to point to their most glaring failure - to live up to their specs, as they spent a great deal of time prancing around about how design is more than a department. Well, I have news for Laurent Le Pen, supply chain is more than making sure the paperwork is signed. Maybe some of the glaring deficiencies in the casing/hardware will get sorted, but you still have to deal with Mediatek. That failure is probably the most problematic for me when looking at Omate. Given that Laurant Le Pen's background is supposed to be in supply chain, his failure to properly evaluate and actively manage a partner is a cardinal sin. There may have been Herculean efforts to correct that, but the results have left everyone wanting - especially those here who have thrown so much "good money after bad" in trying to compensate for those failures. Maybe this isn't the end of that story and they pull a rabbit out of a hat with this device. Maybe it all gets corrected with the *next* TrueSmart, whatever that might be. But one thing I know for sure, I'll never put money in one of these projects again, and Kickstarter/Indiegogo can thank Laurent Le pen for that. They're welcome to "fail forward" as much as they can afford, but it won't be with any more of my money.
As for whether I'll continue to manage the failure of the TrueSmart with my time, that remains to be seen. I see a LOT of talent here - and see certain folks pulling back while others are still pouring it on. I wish I could be more optimistic. But even with that, I may keep the TrueSmart and continue to use it as a high-consumption Wi-Fi tethered device, and who knows - maybe I'll throw a SIM in it and leverage more of the SWApps features. If the aftermarket waterproofing effort comes to fruition I may actually get back to my core use case. But then again, as I've said nearly every place I've decided to enter the conversation, I'm much more likely to just go to the real pros in this arena - Polar or Garmin, and just make the move to a wearable that won't remind me of its status as an unwelcome distraction.
The one thing I'm *certainly* going to do is take this Z1s back to T-Mobile and get either an HTC One M8 or Samsung S5. That's one failure that can be handled with relative ease.
Quick update - just replaced the Z1s with an HTC One M8 and it is a freakishly nice device. Thank you, Sony.
So - another update: I decided to reverse course and hold on to the TrueSmart. I've added a SIM and picked up the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 that T-Mobile was pimping out. I know they've got me by the nads on data plan, but that's the cost of doing business.
Aside from the garden-variety uses, I'll be taking Cyril Preiss' "SWApps Link" through its paces. I'll still end up with a V800 when they come out, but I'll have to find a way to manage multiple wrist-worn devices. Maybe I should have been born with more arms like Lokifish. ?
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
After messing around since christmas day trying to use my Gear S as a standalone to use for running i have finally given up and are putting up for sale . The fact that the GPS is super fast one day then no luck the next day just doesnt work for me . After the latest firmware which seemed to fix it , it now after a few days worse ? I have tested and tested everything / rebooted / turned things off that may confuse it but still no joy . I wanted to use one simple function that when working " was superb " but standing around in the cold waiting upto 40 mins for a fix is nuts . My old method of getting first fix then making sure battery never dies doesnt always work now ? Lastly i would like to thank those who have kindly offered help on this journey vis this forum . Ebay here i come
Sorry to hear that man... I recently bought Gear S hoping to have standalone device but most of all for my all day fitness/laziness tracker. I have run just once so far with it and finding GPS fix wasn't that bad... maybe a minute of stretching and I was good to go.
Have you tried (probably you did.. silly question) reset gear in settings? Like a... reflash?
Actually, now I remember, before I went run i left Gear S on the window with GPS on just to catch position - I always did it with my previous running device - 5 y/o nokia
I have mate . Re-set a hundred times . Kept watch unaltered etc and still good and appaling days . Tried a 1000 combinations and gave up . I was happy when i bought to lose functions but it is not consistent enough for running . Best of luck !
stick with it
sorry to hear that - I've struggled with mine for a couple of weeks also, wasted $200AUS buying an incompatible Samsung phone (my stupidity), re-entered my contacts and diary events 2/3 times after having to do a hard reset / re-pairing, have been underwhelmed & frustrated by the Samsung / Galaxy / Gear ecosystem (and the quality of their phones) but I still think this is the best device in it's class
have look at LPX Studios on youtube etc
I hope Samsung, the developers and the phone providers will address some of the problems (from what I've read, best not hold your breath)
I've decided to adopt a wait and see approach - this device almost satisfies my personal use case need (phone calls & texts on my wrist - plus cool extra functions like fitness essential email replies etc) decoupled from always-on temptations to check social media notifications, personal, work & junk emails etc, & to reduce the personal & financial costs of data consumption
I've not experienced "it just doesn't bloody work" - but I understand your frustrations.
I'm like "it's really great but yes it is a bit sh!te". I don't want to learn or be locked into yet another ecosystem but imho the Gear S has been worth a degree of patience / perseverance
in your use case fitness scenario (forgive me if i misread) I think the device does a half-decent job which is probably enough good enough. Why would you need GPS? Apologies if I've confused you with someone else whose UCS was to be able to send discrete messages to friends and family during meetings - but again thats the joy of a smart watch over a smartphone - one can't tap away so one won't tap away
If I can buy an apple watch with a simcard, and a macbook air with a simcard then i'm in, but I don't think thats going to happen. (I think i read some of the newer iPads in some locations have some kind of universal Sim but I don't want an iPad - I need a laptop & a phone and see the obvious use case for a watch phone - current minimal number of devices 3 .... ideal number 1 - the laptop workhorse - (I wear a wristwatch anyway) So I can check emails & notifications later at home or back at work tomorrow if I really need to - the untethered device is retro liberation from contemporary distraction
What I'd really like would be an old school Toshiba Toughbook (the one with a handle and strap), dual sim card slots, 2 massive hot-swappable hard drives & batteries and a Toshiba Smart Watch (with a sim) - I think they had something like that (without the watch) .... so your briefcase is your computer and your phone is your watch - versus say having get out your iPhone iPad & everything else at the airport or simply going for a coffee (but then I'd still have to go back to Windows and relearn that in its latest iteration)
vinceremos
Hi . I need the GPS to track and moniter my runs . I dont have a phone paired with this and as i said . When it works its spot on but usually it just doesnt pick a GPS fix unless i wait upto 30 mins . This applies to wherever i am ? Since i started this thread the bloody thing is now working ? Still selling it . Having to try again and again is madness
GPS is very handy when running. If it wouldn't work I would be &*:angel:*&
My medieval Nokia works with endomondo + gps so why newest toy which is worth x20 more (seriously) wouldn't?
Even if I wouldn't need it, for it's price it must work - I payed for it! And its also what Samsung promised.
Although, the thing is that... it works for everyone else. So maybe you have a defective one? Warranty? :good:
Its a South Korean one from Ebay . I actually believe its not technically defective . Other users reported dodgy GPS for serious runners . I did contact Samsung UK service and they are not interested in non European models . I really think for runners its simply not upto the job . However i could be wrong .......
I just got my gear s last week and I agree the gps sucks. I love everything else it does but to botch gps on a fitness tracker is a real stumble on their part.
Sorry to hear your bad experience, I've had mine with my note 4 and everything has been good for me. After the latest update I did completely uninstall and reinstall and it's been pretty awesome with good battery.
Hi . So are you saying when not paired and working standalone that your GPS works fine when running ?
Thanks
I agree the GPS takes forever on the S Health app to connect. I'm not giving mine up tho because I'm a bit of a Samsung fanboy and love all their products.
Have anyone tried to run without GPS on? It should count steps as a run + more less give you a distance.
I bought the Gear S for the same reason: I wanted something with GPS to track my runs, plus a Sim card slot so I don't have to run with my phone any more, and BT, so I can listen to audio over my LG Tone Plus.
(I actually also needed something with a camera and full Android, so I can put some apps I use for running on it., which is why I ended up buying a Galaxy Gear and flashing Null on it.)
I agree that the Gear S GPS does not always work and I am really mad standing around in the freezing snow waiting for the signal to lock.
On my last few runs, I had to run without GPS because no amount of waiting made a difference. On one run, the signal came on but only after 30 mins or so. It's really infuriating, but, as someone else said, there no competition in this space.
I have been thinking about trying my luck with an Android Chinese watch-phone from aliexpress, but who knows if the battery on any of those would last me through a run with GPS, phone, mobile data and BT on.
Anyhow, Tim, if you find something better, it would be great of you could post here. It sounds like we have the same use case for it.
eclipse05x said:
Have anyone tried to run without GPS on? It should count steps as a run + more less give you a distance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yah it still gives you distance and time ran without the GPS.
Nike plus
Guys, have you tried to run with Nike Plus app? Is it better with GPS in this app in comparison with S? How is synchro after finish the run then right to Nike plus server- any problems? Can someone compare GPS accuracy between Garmin Fenix and Gear S? I' m on the edge of decision wheter to go with Gear S. I need it primary for running and standalone SIM activities as my private phone.
Thanks!
Dan
aeon101 said:
Guys, have you tried to run with Nike Plus app? Is it better with GPS in this app in comparison with S? How is synchro after finish the run then right to Nike plus server- any problems? Can someone compare GPS accuracy between Garmin Fenix and Gear S? I' m on the edge of decision wheter to go with Gear S. I need it primary for running and standalone SIM activities as my private phone.
Thanks!
Dan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone over on Android Central compared it with the Fenix and other trackers. Here's the post. Since I don't use Nike+ (I don't want to have to sign up for yet another service I will forget my password for), I only ever track with S Health.
Many thanks Xendula, very useful!
xendula said:
I bought the Gear S for the same reason: I wanted something with GPS to track my runs, plus a Sim card slot so I don't have to run with my phone any more, and BT, so I can listen to audio over my LG Tone Plus.
(I actually also needed something with a camera and full Android, so I can put some apps I use for running on it., which is why I ended up buying a Galaxy Gear and flashing Null on it.)
I agree that the Gear S GPS does not always work and I am really mad standing around in the freezing snow waiting for the signal to lock.
On my last few runs, I had to run without GPS because no amount of waiting made a difference. On one run, the signal came on but only after 30 mins or so. It's really infuriating, but, as someone else said, there no competition in this space.
I have been thinking about trying my luck with an Android Chinese watch-phone from aliexpress, but who knows if the battery on any of those would last me through a run with GPS, phone, mobile data and BT on.
Anyhow, Tim, if you find something better, it would be great of you could post here. It sounds like we have the same use case for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Xendula . Since yesterday i tried a few more attempts / tests and the reallity is this watch is ****e ( sorry Samsung Fans ) but i'm gutted . As of 20.00 pm UK time today it is on Ebay . Personally after messing around since Christmas day i cannot wait to see it go . Hopefully get a good price ? Nice talking to you guys . All the very best for the future
Tim
UK
i believe that children are the future
today i was accosted by a dozen eagle-eyed little kids (ages maybe 5-10) walking home from school (them not me) "hey mister is that thing a phone?"
I'm like "yes its a phone and a watch - let me show you the sad cat watch-face .... but you still need another samsung phone back at home, its a bit buggy, i'm told the charging cradle will break anytime soon, i don't understand the android / samsung / galaxy / tizen / gear S ecosystem, but I am a bit jaundiced by Apple, think this thing has potential and am persevering with it blah blah blah"
They were like "whatever dude - that thing is seriously cool!"
I related this little vignette to my work colleagues
" yeah see I've been telling you for the last two weeks but this is the proof - you can't fool kids - put your iPhone 6 on ebay and get one of these"
"Well you shouldn't go flashing it around - next thing one of them kids will be breaking into your house to steal it"
I'm like I wasn't flashing it around i was walking down the street just wearing it . Like any of my new six year old Galaxy S fanboys/fangirls are going to turn into cat burglers, break into my house and prize it from my wrist while I'm asleep?
I already told them "it can check how much exercise I've done, and I can wear it in bed to make sure I'm getting enough sleep - yeah like a fitbit but a phone & a watch too "
until Apple or Motorola or Sony or whoever put a sim in their smart watch I'm keeping mine
ideally i think more laptops should come with a sim card slot too
I''m disappointed i still need a proper phone to make the Gear S work, but would in practice still need one anyway for tethering the laptop when not at home. I'm no expert but would not a simcard in the laptop offer big battery and big ariel advantages compared to phone tethering ? (no i don't want to carry round or have a dongle sticking out - that's the point)
Several astute reviewers have commented positively on the back-to-the-future retro simplicity of the smartwatch concept as implemented by the Samsung Gear S (whilst highlighting problems in the current execution of that - as also clearly highlighted on these forums & elsewhere) Whatever
"after a few days I was really liking the freedom of not checking my emails & notifications every 5 minutes"
Imagine the freedom of a smartwatch connected (if necessary) to your laptop or whatever other larger device - phablet, iPad or whatever you use for work or pleasure. That's like two devices not 3 or more (smartphone, work phone, tablet, kindle, laptop etc) - in fact actually only one extra thing to carry if / when you need to because the phone is like already on your wrist.
Advantages
• Less economically zero-sum consumer consumption
The guy on the production line gets nothing. I pay several hundred dollars for the device, it jumps out of my pocket and i pay another guy in a mall $150 to fix the screen. Am i contributing to some kind of trickle-down / trickle-up dissipation or redistribution of wealth?
maybe locally to the screen-fixer and his family.
There is (but wasn't always) built in obsolescence in technology but designed to break technology is a really big con that is not (like indeed BIO) an inevitable or essential feature of capitalism & global trade.
To use an obvious example & pertinent example
I think I can understand Mr Steve Jobs drive & achievement in coming back (I'll show them [email protected]) and making Apple the biggest company in the world - but at what price?
Wage slaves in Asia committing suicide in Hi-tech sweat shops.
Drive down margins like everyone else, create the most expensive have-to-have consumer devices ever, choose form over function, lock people into an ecosystem originally justified by quality and consistency considerations now simply a lock-in. Make things designed to break.
Ok he was an ex-hippy not a socialist - he couldn't change the world but might have eventually leveraged his personal power and that of his company maybe a little more e.g.
"I believe our products are great and worth the money - they are not produced in sweatshops in Asia. The suicide rate amongst our subcontracted workers is no higher than the local average and we insist the wages are substantially better. We are not Nike (or whoever) we are Apple."
Sorry the iPhone and iPad screens shatter so easily - that wasn't the case with my first iPhone iteration.
I've spoken to my good friends Sir Bob Geldof, Bill Gates , Sir Elton John, Sir Bruce Springsteen and Bonio from U2 and have decided to create a legacy of value and enduring social change not shiny expensive useless f*cking toys
From Bill Nelson's Red Noise
The posters on your wall mark every fashion's rise and fall
Why try to keep the past alive
And though I know the time is almost 1984
It feels like 1965
from Michael Wincott playing Rene in the the 1996 film Basquiat
when you first see a new picture, you don't want to miss the boat. You have to be very careful because you may be staring at Van Gogh's ear.
• er less confusion
• less drowning in a sea of devices, chargers, wires, peripherals etc
Do samsung make laptops?
Alan
Remote Western Australia
all of the above did really happen today
Hey, I run with this nearly every morning. It's perfect.
I pull the sim card out of my Galaxy S5 and pop it in my gear S.
The NIKE ap does a good job tracking the gps.
And if something bad happens on my run I can call someone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Free mobile app
I don't know how many more times my desk will survive due to me banging my head against it...
It's a long story which I will cut short; we have bought a large number of cheap handsets (Nuu A3L, spec sheet here: https://www.devicespecifications.com/en/model/4fc6428b ) and they're using Sygic truck as their navigation tool.
We straight away ran into some major issues, the main one being with Sygic/GPS. The devices would begin navigating but would then start to lose GPS signal and start bouncing around, sometimes they would recover (only to do the same thing again a few minutes later) and other times they would just lose GPS connectivity entirely and would lock up for 10+ minutes.
After seeing how poorly the application ran on these devices I had a hunch that the application was hogging every last drop of available system resource. I removed as much bloat from the application as possible, I turned off the 3D map (2D is much more fluid), turned off all POI, turned off traffic updates etc and it appeared to resolve the issue. I drove for 30 minutes with two devices side-by-side, the default one continued with its horrid GPS loss while the customised one worked fine.
A few people have taken these out today to test, but are apparently having the same issues regardless of the changes that I made.
I'm now at a loss and struggling to work out what else can be done to help. They're running Airwatch and we can push remote changes out at any time, so I am at the mercy of those more knowledgeable than I (you).
If anybody has a decent suggestion then you win a free balloon.
jaffster said:
I don't know how many more times my desk will survive due to me banging my head against it...
It's a long story which I will cut short; we have bought a large number of cheap handsets (Nuu A3L, spec sheet here: https://www.devicespecifications.com/en/model/4fc6428b ) and they're using Sygic truck as their navigation tool.
We straight away ran into some major issues, the main one being with Sygic/GPS. The devices would begin navigating but would then start to lose GPS signal and start bouncing around, sometimes they would recover (only to do the same thing again a few minutes later) and other times they would just lose GPS connectivity entirely and would lock up for 10+ minutes.
After seeing how poorly the application ran on these devices I had a hunch that the application was hogging every last drop of available system resource. I removed as much bloat from the application as possible, I turned off the 3D map (2D is much more fluid), turned off all POI, turned off traffic updates etc and it appeared to resolve the issue. I drove for 30 minutes with two devices side-by-side, the default one continued with its horrid GPS loss while the customised one worked fine.
A few people have taken these out today to test, but are apparently having the same issues regardless of the changes that I made.
I'm now at a loss and struggling to work out what else can be done to help. They're running Airwatch and we can push remote changes out at any time, so I am at the mercy of those more knowledgeable than I (you).
If anybody has a decent suggestion then you win a free balloon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me be clear that I never played with sygix enough to speak directly about it. You may have already tried the things I'm brainstorming here.
I'm not clear as to why you didn't just load a different mapping app on these? There certainly are a lot of them.
What level of connectivity are they using? If you are on GSM or 3G, downloading map information as the vehicle moves around, that could slow things down to a crawl. Using an app that doesn't have to work this way could be a solution.
I noticed that the phone has a 500ish MHz clock speed and just 1 GB of RAM. As you've discovered, every layer of complexity in the mapping will slow it down further.
Something like Tom-tom was written to run on a lot less hardware. That's the kind of thing that I'd look for. I believe that Here is also made for very low end hardware.
Not sure if it helps, but at least it's a path worth looking at.
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