Android N, Phablets, and the fate of android

[Visionblue]

Hey folks!

I got a Nexus 6 yesterday (yes, i know I'm behind) from one of it's recent fire sales on Amazon. I'm coming from a Moto x 2014 and this is my first phablet. I thought I'd share some of my thoughts:

-Im blown away by the aesthetics of this phone. I love it. I don't know what I was expecting but so many reviews harped on the sheer size of the device. Yes it's big but i don't feel like it's nearly as unwieldly as i was told to think it was. It feels thin but has a heft to it that i appreciate.

- this phone screams for being a year old. android marshmellow is a total delight and doze is a champ. I fell asleep without charging last night and lost 3% of my battery.

- Coming from a Moto device means giving up moto's mostly handy software; but not here. Between always on Google now, ambient display and double tapping power for the camera (who wants to double twist a device this big?) I haven't felt deprived yet.

- My biggest complaints from the Moto x were the camera and the battery life. This camera is better by far. Unfortunately, the battery seems to be draining at the exact same rate as my X. I know new phones can take a while to adjust so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

All in all I feel like a crook for getting this phone for $250. As far as software is concerned I do have some hopes and dreams.

- Phablets are here to stay. I don't even know if we're still using that term. It used to be a word to describe a phone over 5.2" and that seems to be all phones nowadays. But where screen real estate is concerned, unless I'm watching a video on my phone i don't feel like I'm getting anything different from owning a 5" phone. I know that split screen for tablets is in the works for android N and I'm hoping for some more optimization if even just from googles apps. iOS definitely has some good ideas, like reachability. Other OEMs have had their go, too, but I'd love to see what Google could do for stock android.

- Getting a new android phone is a HUGE pain. Before the Moto X I was an iOS user and getting a new phone was as simple as backing the old one up to iTunes and loading it onto the new one. It took me about 4 non-consecutive hours yesterday to manually move over texts, download my short list of apps, readjust my settings the way i like and login to all of my services. I'm honestly surprised there still isn't at least a third party option for making a single complete back-up that doesn't involve root access.

What are your thoughts on what is to come from Android?

 

[apolloa]

Easy, bendable screens. Samsung are due to launch it's first bendable screen device this year if all goes well, it'll no doubt cost a fortune but will be the start.
I would appreciate a 5.5" device I could fold in half for my pocket.

 

[AustinIllini]

Android has to be better at tablet architecture. Period. Google has yet to completely develop a good tablet platform. Android needs split screen (it appears in M preview code and the Pixel C is designed for it) and some kind of program to encourage tablet app development.

If android N isn't about tablets, I'll likely replace my iPad with another one.

 

[LovingTeddy]

Hey folks!

I got a Nexus 6 yesterday (yes, i know I'm behind) from one of it's recent fire sales on Amazon. I'm coming from a Moto x 2014 and this is my first phablet. I thought I'd share some of my thoughts:

-Im blown away by the aesthetics of this phone. I love it. I don't know what I was expecting but so many reviews harped on the sheer size of the device. Yes it's big but i don't feel like it's nearly as unwieldly as i was told to think it was. It feels thin but has a heft to it that i appreciate.

- this phone screams for being a year old. android marshmellow is a total delight and doze is a champ. I fell asleep without charging last night and lost 3% of my battery.

- Coming from a Moto device means giving up moto's mostly handy software; but not here. Between always on Google now, ambient display and double tapping power for the camera (who wants to double twist a device this big?) I haven't felt deprived yet.

- My biggest complaints from the Moto x were the camera and the battery life. This camera is better by far. Unfortunately, the battery seems to be draining at the exact same rate as my X. I know new phones can take a while to adjust so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

All in all I feel like a crook for getting this phone for $250. As far as software is concerned I do have some hopes and dreams.

- Phablets are here to stay. I don't even know if we're still using that term. It used to be a word to describe a phone over 5.2" and that seems to be all phones nowadays. But where screen real estate is concerned, unless I'm watching a video on my phone i don't feel like I'm getting anything different from owning a 5" phone. I know that split screen for tablets is in the works for android N and I'm hoping for some more optimization if even just from googles apps. iOS definitely has some good ideas, like reachability. Other OEMs have had their go, too, but I'd love to see what Google could do for stock android.

- Getting a new android phone is a HUGE pain. Before the Moto X I was an iOS user and getting a new phone was as simple as backing the old one up to iTunes and loading it onto the new one. It took me about 4 non-consecutive hours yesterday to manually move over texts, download my short list of apps, readjust my settings the way i like and login to all of my services. I'm honestly surprised there still isn't at least a third party option for making a single complete back-up that doesn't involve root access.

What are your thoughts on what is to come from Android?

The Android marshmallow setup allows you to tap two devices for easy setup. Once you done that, you pretty much get all your settings back. During the setup process, you log in with your account and you will.have an option to restore backup from other devices, this will take care rest of stuff. All.of ky contacts, emails, settings, wallpapers even my app arrangements were restored. The only thing I cannot figureout was text messages.

Motorola uses to have Moto Migrate app, that bascially takes care everything, but sadly they retired that with Android Marshmallow...

 

[nj-morris]

Easy, bendable screens. Samsung are due to launch it's first bendable screen device this year if all goes well, it'll no doubt cost a fortune but will be the start.
I would appreciate a 5.5" device I could fold in half for my pocket.

I wouldn't really see the point in that. A 5.5-inch phone can fit in my pocket easily, wouldn't really see the need to fold it. Now a 7.8-inch tablet which folds into a 5.6-inch phone, that I would like.

 

[jamezr]

Easy, bendable screens. Samsung are due to launch it's first bendable screen device this year if all goes well, it'll no doubt cost a fortune but will be the start.
I would appreciate a 5.5" device I could fold in half for my pocket.

Yep the foldable phone/tablet will be the next innovation step forward. I would love to have a 5-6 inch phone that would fold in half. It would fit so nice in my pocket. I could even sit down with it in my front pocket and not notice it was there.

 

[MindsEye]

Android has to be better at tablet architecture. Period. Google has yet to completely develop a good tablet platform. Android needs split screen (it appears in M preview code and the Pixel C is designed for it) and some kind of program to encourage tablet app development.

If android N isn't about tablets, I'll likely replace my iPad with another one.

Other than features like multi-window, i wonder if providing tools like Microsoft are planning on doing that would ease the process of porting apps from iOS to Android would act as incentive to kickstart an influx of tablet app development for the platform?

At this point, while i hope i'm wrong, i can only see N being slightly evolutionary in regards to tablets as i can't see Google abandoning their one size fits all philosophy. The majority of OS are pretty much being designed with this mindset. Even still, if you don't own a Pixel C or a Nexus how likely are you going to receive the update in a timely manner if at all? With the market declining it may be too little too late whatever Google does.

 

[AustinIllini]

Other than features like multi-window, i wonder if providing tools like Microsoft are planning on doing that would ease the process of porting apps from iOS to Android would act as incentive to kickstart an influx of tablet app development for the platform?

At this point, while i hope i'm wrong, i can only see N being slightly evolutionary in regards to tablets as i can't see Google abandoning their one size fits all philosophy. The majority of OS are pretty much being designed with this mindset. Even still, if you don't own a Pixel C or a Nexus how likely are you going to receive the update in a timely manner if at all? With the market declining it may be too little too late whatever Google does.

If the Nexus 6 update to 6.0 is any indication, the update cycle will be choppy at best.

 

[Tsepz]

Congrats on your Nexus 6 the Snapdragon 805 based phones are still beasts until the 820 phones arrive.

WRT Phablets, they are indeed the future, before I got the Note 4 in 2014 I was skeptical WRT Phablets, I was pretty sure 5.0-5.2" was the sweet spot...the I got the Note 4 and from Day 1 loved the huge 5.7" display, and I simply couldn't go back to something smaller.

I do more reading on the Note than I ever used to on previous devices, I find that due to its large bright display my eyes don't get strained easily like they did with smaller display phones.
Phablets make it easier to consume content.

I think 5.7-6.1" phablets will take over in the next couple years, and until Apple can figure out how to put a 5.5" in a smaller body, they may be the few who make 5.5" display Phablets. It gets me how huge the iPhone Plus models are despit a small 5.5inch display.

Some Android OEMs have had Multiwindow Multitasking for years now but yes will be great to see Google add this to Nexus phones.

 

[The Game 161]

I could never have a small phone ever again. Nothing smaller than 5.5.

Wouldn't be against 6 inch phones at all.

 

[nj-morris]

I could never have a small phone ever again. Nothing smaller than 5.5.

Wouldn't be against 6 inch phones at all.

Same here. Now I have a 5.7-inch S6 Edge+, I can never see myself going back to <5.3-inch phones.