[mukul32]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Did you happen to skip the review? It does come across as a bit harsh on Android in a couple of places (esp the start / end is unnecessarily rehashed bile about delayed updates) but overall its well written, even if it is meandering and not nicely summarized.

Sir you got me there! Happened to be that little bit lazy to read a Verge piece for the one time, and got caught right away!
However I did go through it now. And it was right along what I had expected. Looking at Android for what it's NOT supposed to be right from the start, and conveniently undermining its many big positives in the process.
"... But does it even matter?" in the heading, and the author has tried his all to argue how Nougat is just another update and isn't worth much attention.

If we momentarily compare that to their own iOS 9 review (http://"http://www.theverge.com/2015...phone-release") from a year ago, which was a far less exhaustive and more incremental update wherein Apple played catch-up in a lot of ways, their optimism and (over) enthusiasm ("The future of computing..." ?) is kinda startling.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I read through thirteen pages of what's new in Nougat on Ars Technica the other evening. Goodness knows when it is likely to come my way, but when it does, I think there will be some good things and quite a lot that I can ignore because it is not relevant for me. Might be for others, though.

[dark.knight]

Am I missing something here, or is the deal about new versions of Android really of substance? To me it sure isn't. In the end its a mobile phone, one (I) makes calls, sends messages and since its Android, checks a couple of YouTube videos for news/entertainment, reads up the Google News app and calls it a day.

It has been possible in every version of Android as far as I can remember and I'm not new to it at all - I started off with GingerBread which was a cool, lightweight OS.. it updated itself to IceCreamSandwich which as far as I can remember, added a semi-transparent notification bar and facial recognition unlock, nothing else.

The next phone of mine came with KitKat as standard which I think was the best of old-school Android, simple one flick down notification bar and cleanly laid-out settings menu. It all went downhill with Lollipop and Marshmallow.. the nutty two finger notification bar, the absolutely idiotic way to select ringing profile and limited ability to disable apps. The only redeeming factor of Marshmallow is the permissions option which can help you monitor what the heck each cr.. er app is doing on the phone.

I'll always stay loyal to Android though, because its simply - convenient. I can transfer music files and video files to/from the laptop in a flash and use them on the go. I can define how the phone looks like right from the theme, the wallpaper and ringtone and that's important for me. To me Android means music, videos, calls, messages and every version starting from Cupcake to Nougat had them/will have them. Rest I don't care a tiny bit.

Security updates are essential and are indeed of use but they're under the skin so really, the hoop-la-upsy-daisy of O.S versions has to stop. Windows 10 in my opinion is the worst that Microsoft can ever cook up, maybe they're following the "NWO" instructions (sarcasm) but they've chased me away from Windows for good. As long as Windows 7 exists I'm happy and I would hate to change but if left with no choice, MacBook is the next.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

As long as Windows 7 exists I'm happy and I would hate to change but if left with no choice, MacBook is the next.

I wonder why you haven't yet looked at father of Android - Linux. Get Mint and be happy forever.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

Get Mint and be happy forever.

Maybe its an irrational fear but as much as I hate the arm-twisting habit of large corporations that is happening today, I fear the unknown of open-source. There is no certifying authority and hardware brands do not test/certify the OS themselves as far as I know which is quite the opposite for Android where each brand tests it and a specialised safety authority authorises it.

Its my paranoia, but I'll not go open-source. I'd want software to be as closed-loop and inaccessible as possible and for that MacBook is ideal, followed by older versions of Windows.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Its my paranoia, but I'll not go open-source. I'd want software to be as closed-loop and inaccessible as possible and for that MacBook is ideal, followed by older versions of Windows.

It will get way too off topic so let me end my point of view by stating that you need to correct your definition of 'open source' in contrast of your fears. To put few examples, Steam has also opted for Linux environment and launched their own dedicated gaming OS on it and now offering many games on Linux platform. Indian govt has also launched their BOSS OS based on Linux. Microsoft has also stepped into open source world.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Maybe its an irrational fear but as much as I hate the arm-twisting habit of large corporations that is happening today, I fear the unknown of open-source. There is no certifying authority and hardware brands do not test/certify the OS themselves as far as I know which is quite the opposite for Android where each brand tests it and a specialised safety authority authorises it.

Its my paranoia, but I'll not go open-source. I'd want software to be as closed-loop and inaccessible as possible and for that MacBook is ideal, followed by older versions of Windows.

It's not unknown now; very far from it!

And don't worry, the worst thing about Libra Office is that it tries to emulate MS Office (Of course, I guess many people want it to) and I hate it just as much.

Dip your toe in the water...

[Chetan_Rao]

All my own smartphones have been Android so far, but I updated the better half's Lumia 730 to WP10 yesterday and I kinda like the simplicity of the whole thing. I may get myself a Win-Phone one of these days, if they put out anything with decent specs in a <5 inch frame. Fat chance, I know.

Everyone wants phones the size of their footwear these days.

[naveenroy]

Any Mi users here who have got the MIUI 8 update OTA? How is it? I cannot wait for the upgrade on my Mi Max and thinking of sideloading the update.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Am I missing something here, or is the deal about new versions of Android really of substance? To me it sure isn't. In the end its a mobile phone, one (I) makes calls, sends messages and since its Android, checks a couple of YouTube videos for news/entertainment, reads up the Google News app and calls it a day.

Precisely. There are many tweaks but for most end users the experience since Kitkat has been fulfilling enough that any version increments simply don't matter one bit to them. Which should always have been the case!

[JonSnow]

My dad's Redmi Note 4G has been having problems where it freezes, sometime just when a call is received, which is obviously very annoying. Also battery life is very poor despite having 3000 mah. Any suggestions for a phone around 12k with good battery life and 32 GB storage and reliable operation? I have already suggested Redmi Note 3, but he is not keen on Redmi phones due to his experience with the current one. I will try a factory reset over the weekend and see if that helps. Any other suggestions are welcome.

[anky]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

Any Mi users here who have got the MIUI 8 update OTA? How is it? I cannot wait for the upgrade on my Mi Max and thinking of sideloading the update.

I have updated my redmi note 4g to miui 8 ota update . It's surely better than miui 7 . But mi have a bad habit of not updating the core os of their phones. So my miui changes from 6 to 7 to 8 . But the core os is still kit kat . I don't like that . This is what stops me from buying a redmi note 3 as my backup phone to replace my redmi note 4g .

[Aston Singh]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Anybody got Nougat in their nexus? I got a 63MB OTA which is installing now. Judging by the size, it cannot be Nougat.

I just updated my Nexus 6P to Android 7.0 today.

To do this, enroll for Google's Android Beta project using your Gmail ID. You can easily find the link to do so on Google.

The moment you enroll, you will receive the OTA and its a hefty 1.1Gb update. I think they are pushing the entire zip for those who were on stock android 6.0.1. This is usually the size of zip files if you download them from Google and sideload using adb interface.

[Ricci]

Originally Posted by JonSnow

My dad's Redmi Note 4G has been having problems where it freezes Any suggestions for a phone around 12k with good battery life and 32 GB storage and reliable operation?

Maybe it freezes because "Winter is coming" ? Sorry, bad joke!
Have a look as Asus Zenfone Max. 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, 5000mAh battery and the only downside is screen resolution is 1280x720p where most in the same price band now offer 1920x1080p resolution.

Honor 5X is good too, but so far only 16GB version.

[govigov]

Are there any phone recommendations to upgrade from oneplus one? I am bored of this phone. custom roms are done and dealt with.

My requirements are :
No xiaomi products.
No Snapdragon 810 processors

and i would definitely want the following;
1. SD card slot
2. FM Radio
3. Finger print scanner

water and dust resistance would make it sweeter.