Team-BHP > Shifting gears > Gadgets, Computers & Software


Reply
  Search this Thread
8,255,348 views
Old 19th October 2021, 22:01   #31081
BHPian
 
kavensri's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: BengaLooru
Posts: 327
Thanked: 737 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
The screen is longer than my existing Mi A1
On a different note, I am glad that you are still holding onto your Mi A1. Because, I had to sell my Mi A1 when it started giving GPS related problems and then brought Mi A2. Even A2 started giving ‘frequent restart’ issues and I then brought Mi A3 last year.
I like to buy ‘pure’ android budget phones. Before these Mi Ax series, I used to buy Moto G series phones. How I wish, Mi continued these A series phones!
kavensri is offline  
Old 19th October 2021, 22:14   #31082
Team-BHP Support
 
Chetan_Rao's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 5,833
Thanked: 23,959 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
I have been talking about wanting an actual small phone for a long time! I wish I could love the Pixel 4a...
May sound counter-intuitive to many (and yes, switching from a giant OnePlus 7T hasn't been a cakewalk), but a big reason why I switched to the smaller Pixel was I wanted to reduce (preferably stop) consuming media on a phone screen. The larger phones are still a relatively small screen (compared to dedicated media consumption screens), and the 'convenience' wreaks a terrible combination of adverse effects on both vision and posture. Still experimenting, but leaning towards separating my productivity and leisure devices to dedicated ones so I don't pay for convenience with bad health as I get older.

The baby Pixel is a great, compact and rather smart 'phone', exactly what I want my 'phone' to be.

Last edited by Chetan_Rao : 19th October 2021 at 22:15.
Chetan_Rao is offline   (4) Thanks
Old 20th October 2021, 00:34   #31083
BHPian
 
civic-sense's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 895
Thanked: 1,657 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao View Post
May sound counter-intuitive to many (and yes, switching from a giant OnePlus 7T hasn't been a cakewalk), but a big reason why I switched to the smaller Pixel was I wanted to reduce (preferably stop) consuming media on a phone screen. The larger phones are still a relatively small screen (compared to dedicated media consumption screens), and the 'convenience' wreaks a terrible combination of adverse effects on both vision and posture. Still experimenting, but leaning towards separating my productivity and leisure devices to dedicated ones so I don't pay for convenience with bad health as I get older.

The baby Pixel is a great, compact and rather smart 'phone', exactly what I want my 'phone' to be.
There was a time I was yearning for a compact flagship, but with age catching up and long-sightedness setting in, a large screen mobile is slowly becoming a necessity. I still use a iPhone 6S for calls, financial transactions etc. But for all other stuff, I need a bigger screen. We browsing, Youtube, Facebook, twitter, whatsapp etc are especially painful in a small screen.

Last edited by civic-sense : 20th October 2021 at 00:35.
civic-sense is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 20th October 2021, 03:05   #31084
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Thad E Ginathom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Chennai
Posts: 10,957
Thanked: 26,125 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao View Post
May sound counter-intuitive to many (and yes, switching from a giant OnePlus 7T hasn't been a cakewalk), but a big reason why I switched to the smaller Pixel was I wanted to reduce (preferably stop) consuming media on a phone screen. ...
I sit in front of my PC 24-inch monitor for a lot of the day. If I do want to, say, browse, from the sofa, I have an 8-inch tablet (Wow, that is so much better than a phone for Instagram!) and use the phone only when out. So, exactly opposite to you, when I use the phone for internet, I want it to be as decent an experience as possible!

I actually hardly ever use the phone as a phone. I don't like phone calls.
Thad E Ginathom is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 20th October 2021, 07:08   #31085
BHPian
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: KA03
Posts: 809
Thanked: 2,850 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
I sit in front of my PC 24-inch monitor for a lot of the day. If I do want to, say, browse...

I actually hardly ever use the phone as a phone. I don't like phone calls.
Whatever happened to portable wireless monitors?. LG or Motorola had at one time produced gadget where you could slot in your phone and transform it into a laptop.
A lightweight wireless display with battery (and touchscreen) would work great for browsing and content consumption.

What is inexplicable is, why both the hardware and the software make it so difficult to use an older tablet as a portable wireless display device.

Found it!

https://www.cnet.com/news/how-does-t...with-a-laptop/
Attached Thumbnails
Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods-screenshot_20211020070341_flow.png  

mvadg is offline  
Old 20th October 2021, 10:10   #31086
Team-BHP Support
 
Chetan_Rao's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 5,833
Thanked: 23,959 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
.. when I use the phone for internet, I want it to be as decent an experience as possible!
I mean, almost everything we do on a phone now is online including, ironically, its primary function because our cell service providers can't be bothered to provide decent call quality most places.

Mine's essentially setup as a parallel device to my computer, and it helps me not sit in front of the computer unless I have to, and getting stuff done just as well. Very helpful given the overall sedentary lifestyle.

The best thing though, the form factor. It's smaller and nearly a third lighter (counting not having to put a case on it because it isn't glass everywhere), which makes a huge difference on-the-move.
Chetan_Rao is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 20th October 2021, 13:15   #31087
Team-BHP Support
 
vb-saan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: S'pore/Thrissur
Posts: 7,249
Thanked: 12,318 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao View Post
I switched to the smaller Pixel was I wanted to reduce (preferably stop) consuming media on a phone screen.
This is one reason that I switched to the iPhone 12 mini (from a relatively larger 11 Pro). I hardly watch videos on phone; my preferred mode is always to cast on TV. And the light weight + form factor makes it much easier to carry around while out on walking/cycling. But I hear the 13 mini will be the last of the small phone, and so for the next change I probably will be back on the smaller Pro model (unless Google comes with a small Pixel flagship).
vb-saan is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 20th October 2021, 15:49   #31088
BHPian
 
dragonfire's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: TVM/DEN
Posts: 50
Thanked: 1,615 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

Pixel 6 twins are not coming to India.

https://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/new...google-2581674

That's a bummer. Hope they at least launch the "poor man's" Pixels - 5A, 6A in India.

Did any Pixel other than the 4A ever sell well in India?

Last edited by dragonfire : 20th October 2021 at 15:52.
dragonfire is offline  
Old 20th October 2021, 15:55   #31089
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Thad E Ginathom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Chennai
Posts: 10,957
Thanked: 26,125 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

Quote:
Originally Posted by mvadg View Post
Whatever happened to portable wireless monitors?. LG or Motorola had at one time produced gadget where you could slot in your phone and transform it into a laptop.
A lightweight wireless display with battery (and touchscreen) would work great for browsing and content consumption.
Interesting, but, for me, not necessary.

If, for instance, I was sick, not too much to sit up in bed and browse, but too much to adopt much the same posture in front of the Pc (!), we have a great little bluetooth keyboard with a slot for a tablet. I can't imagine how that would come about: if too ill to look at a computer, I wouldn't want the in-bed device. Oh, covid: maybe isolation/quarantine might bring it about.

But I am attached to my ole keyboard and my ole monitor --- both attached to a PC that I can barely lift, let alone carry around!

Last edited by Thad E Ginathom : 20th October 2021 at 15:57.
Thad E Ginathom is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 20th October 2021, 16:52   #31090
BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Chennai
Posts: 399
Thanked: 254 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonfire View Post
Pixel 6 twins are not coming to India.

https://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/new...google-2581674

That's a bummer. Hope they at least launch the "poor man's" Pixels - 5A, 6A in India.

Did any Pixel other than the 4A ever sell well in India?
The launch event was little subdued compared to the apple ones but the phones look good.

Are these phone not coming to India or not yet.
bharanidharang is offline  
Old 20th October 2021, 17:22   #31091
BHPian
 
dragntailonfire's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Kochi
Posts: 88
Thanked: 376 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

My S10e screen went white and green and unresponsive, just like that. A restart brought about no change, but after 10 minutes or so, the contents on the screen became visible, albeit with a heavy green tint. Some time later, it went back to normal and I thought that was that. But next time I used the phone, the green tint was back.

Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods-20211019_074855.jpg

Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods-20211019_074834.jpg

Since I was traveling, and couldn't afford to have an unresponsive phone, I immediately went to get a cheap replacement, till I get a chance to get it repaired.
While browsing the different options at the store, I noticed the new Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G. The specs looked very good, and the fit and finish felt very nice. I really enjoyed the 120Hz display also.
The MRP was 36000, but the sales guy generated a code from My Galaxy app and that added a discount of 5000. With an additional 500 cash back from HDFC credit card, the final amount was 30500.
Finally ended up buying that model itself, and after using it for a couple of days, I think I made a good choice. The phone is snappy and as responsive as my S10e, and the faster refresh rate is indeed a very refreshing experience (pun intended).

I was a bit apprehensive while buying this, with the Pixel 6 launch so near, but I don't think that's going to be a problem anymore. That was the only other phone I considered, as an eventual replacement for the S10e, I really didn't want to go for an S series again, since I am seeing a lot of issues with these phones. A friend, who has an S10, had a similar experience with the screen, and also my dad, who has an S20.

It is taking some time to come to terms with the size of this phone, but otherwise, I'm completely happy with the purchase.

Hope it holds up well for some time.

Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods-20211019_111905.jpg
dragntailonfire is online now   (2) Thanks
Old 20th October 2021, 19:13   #31092
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,286
Thanked: 1,011 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

What a shame Google not launching the new pixel 6 phones here in India. I was so looking forward to upgrading my Galaxy S9 with the Pixel 6.
Now need to wait for the S21 FE.
joslicx is offline  
Old 20th October 2021, 19:33   #31093
Senior - BHPian
 
amol4184's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Seattle/Pune
Posts: 1,209
Thanked: 4,815 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

Quote:
Originally Posted by dragntailonfire View Post
It is taking some time to come to terms with the size of this phone, but otherwise, I'm completely happy with the purchase.

Hope it holds up well for some time.
The best thing about S10e was the size and good battery life despite small size. I have that phone and love it to bits. It is going to be a difficult task to find a similar sized replacement in Android world. Samsung has probably abandoned that size and is all about massive phones. On Flipkart and Amazon I was not able to find a single Android phone with below 6 inch screen + respectable specs. Not sure if there are low end small phones but definitely not interested in those.

Such a shame, I don't want to get iPhone mini but Samsung has left no choice. The Z Flip 3 did attract me for some time due to form factor and size when folded but the camera is unequivocally underwhelming and so is the battery life - two of the most important factors for me while considering a new phone.

How is the camera on your new phone? It appears I might have to "scale up" eventually.
amol4184 is offline  
Old 21st October 2021, 08:22   #31094
Senior - BHPian
 
sandeepmohan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Wellington
Posts: 3,129
Thanked: 5,426 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

Device : Mi 9
Age : 2 years
Android version 10 QKQ1.190825.002
MIUI Global 12.0.4
Disk Use 73/128

I've got something rogue running on my phone and can't quite figure out what it is or what causes it. This is a recent development. Say in the last 10 days. An android service called mdnsd is chewing through a significant amount of power and saps the battery of almost 50% in a day. I've had just a couple of games installed by my son, one of which I uninstalled and it has not helped. I'll now try removing the other app and check. No other App has been installed.

Reading up on the interweb brings up a lot of old information with the issue pointing to Firefox, which I don't use, suggesting a full reboot and re-charge of the device. I've tried both and it has not fixed the problem. The service eventually shows up as the top consumer of battery power.

I am not at a stage where I am out of power by the end of each day. Still, this rogue service is annoying, considering the device has been flawless in operation all this time.

Appreciate some pointers on the matter.
sandeepmohan is offline  
Old 21st October 2021, 11:08   #31095
One
BHPian
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 245
Thanked: 1,217 Times
Re: Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

Quote:
Originally Posted by sandeepmohan View Post

An android service called mdnsd is chewing through a significant amount of power and saps the battery of almost 50% in a day.

Appreciate some pointers on the matter.
Check the second answer in the link here on what it is (it is not a rogue process)

It might be getting triggered by an app (either installed/updated recently) IF it didn't happen earlier. If this is the cause, then one way to isolate which app is triggering this is to try the following mentioned in this link:

If it were me, I'd diagnose by first disabling most of my background apps, except core (phone, built-in texting app, maybe email), and see if this fixes it.

If so, start by adding back in background apps, but give each 1-2 a day or so to run, before adding more.

One way to do a "quick check" here is to enable data-saver, and see if this also brings down the usage (this should, in thoery, prevent almost all non-essential background apps from doing things that require a DNS check).
One is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks