[F150]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Help me understand this better.

After being disappointed by Samsung software (the Note4 has excellent hardware) in a pretty recent flagship, why did you buy another Samsung? Why would the story change this time around? Your post doesn't indicate any research around that aspect either.

Samsung has improved their firmware and it is less laggy. The difference is observed from S6/Note5. As per the reviews, it has only got better with S7. That said, the camera on S7 is touted as the best on any mobile device.

[pixantz]

I have problem installing some games on my K3 Note. Now Im guessing this is because of just 2gb RAM (I'm doubtful though) which asks me to free space of 846mb more(Asphalt) though I have about 40gb free on my phone so I guess it's the RAM it's talking about. Also Call Of Duty Heroes shows a login issue and doesn't start. Anyone experienced this or solved it too?

[pcpranav]

Hi,
need to buy a new phone for Home Minister ! currently using Samsung Grand-2 since 1.5 years, and off-late the camera has started producing unpleasant pics. Also every few days, need to 'optimize' the onboard 16GB memory, moving pics etc to the microSD etc.

some of the prerequisites for new buy:

network: 4G, single SIM is fine;
display: 5" or more, Gorilla glass, HD;
RAM: 2GB or more;
Camera: Most Imp aspect - this need to be very good, lots of snapping;
Memory: min 16GB onboard, preferably 32GB; microSD slot;
Speaker: good & reasonably loud
Battery: one day for medium use (fb, wa, music, mostly on home wifi)
Budget: 10-20K
Brands: liking for Samsung

I read about Samsung A8 (26K !), and seems to be very nice one.

valuable inputs welcome

regards,

[mukul32]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Help me understand this better.
After being disappointed by Samsung software (the Note4 has excellent hardware) in a pretty recent flagship, why did you buy another Samsung? Why would the story change this time around? Your post doesn't indicate any research around that aspect either.

Sir, that's what 'premium' does to anybody. The S7 is seriously incredible to hold, and a complete attention grabber in any ordinary environment. It even blows away iPhones and HTC's, which are very good looking in their own right, which is saying something.
Me and a couple of geeky friends had visited a Croma store recently to check out the Nexus 5x. Turns out, in the next 5 minutes or so, all were drooling over the beauties in the Samsung stand. The only topic of discussion was that Samsung should make another Nexus real soon. (However the 5x did consolidate its position in my pocket in the near future, for the 6P was too big and costly). The S7 edge in gold feels so good in fact, that not only was it the most beautiful device in that entire store for sure, it also made the S6 and Note5 feel decidedly outdated. How badly do I wish the S7 (regular) came with a GPE. It would almost be the 'Perfect Smartphone' then.

[sunsetorange]

Originally Posted by pcpranav

Hi,
need to buy a new phone for Home Minister ! currently using Samsung Grand-2 since 1.5 years, and off-late the camera has started producing unpleasant pics. Also every few days, need to 'optimize' the onboard 16GB memory, moving pics etc to the microSD etc.

some of the prerequisites for new buy:

network: 4G, single SIM is fine;
display: 5" or more, Gorilla glass, HD;
RAM: 2GB or more;
Camera: Most Imp aspect - this need to be very good, lots of snapping;
Memory: min 16GB onboard, preferably 32GB; microSD slot;
Speaker: good & reasonably loud
Battery: one day for medium use (fb, wa, music, mostly on home wifi)
Budget: 10-20K
Brands: liking for Samsung

I read about Samsung A8 (26K !), and seems to be very nice one.

valuable inputs welcome

regards,

A8 is huge to hold! About 6inches ! The 2016 A7 and A5 are pretty slick but all have the same 16 gigs of onboard storage.

Why not have a look at 1) the Lenovo Vibe X3 available on Amazon.
2) the Moto X Play on flipkart

Both are available for just under 20k and sport 32 gigs of onboard storage. The Moto is waterproof to boot! The Lenovo has awesome audio .

The A8 is the only Galaxy apart from the Note 4 and S7 which has 32 gigs onboard storage and a simslot, but is last year's model and looks aged besides the new A series.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by cpbopanna

Guys, my better half broke the screen of her Moto G, gen 1. Can some one please advise cost of replacing screen in an authorized service centre and outside? Thanks in advance!

Had a good experience at Totoodo Bangalore for my mom's sony xperia M.
It costed 2.2k for a 4 inch screen and has been working flawlessly since then.

http://www.totoodo.com/

Originally Posted by pcpranav

Hi,
need to buy a new phone for Home Minister ! currently using Samsung Grand-2 since 1.5 years, and off-late the camera has started producing unpleasant pics. Also every few days, need to 'optimize' the onboard 16GB memory, moving pics etc to the microSD etc.

some of the prerequisites for new buy:

I think Oneplus One fits the bill perfectly. It's old, but it'll continuosusly get CM support. It's not going to become obsolete for a few years as it's got terrific processing power.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

I think Oneplus One fits the bill perfectly. It's old, but it'll continuosusly get CM support. It's not going to become obsolete for a few years as it's got terrific processing power.

NO WAY! With all due respect, the only achilles heel of this otherwise awesome phone is the camera. My android loving wife uses one but will only take photos with the iPhone6 when out

Originally Posted by pcpranav

Hi,
need to buy a new phone for Home Minister ! currently using Samsung Grand-2 since 1.5 years, and off-late the camera has started producing unpleasant pics. Also every few days, need to 'optimize' the onboard 16GB memory, moving pics etc to the microSD etc.

some of the prerequisites for new buy:

network: 4G, single SIM is fine;
display: 5" or more, Gorilla glass, HD;
RAM: 2GB or more;
Camera: Most Imp aspect - this need to be very good, lots of snapping;
Memory: min 16GB onboard, preferably 32GB; microSD slot;
Speaker: good & reasonably loud
Battery: one day for medium use (fb, wa, music, mostly on home wifi)
Budget: 10-20K
Brands: liking for Samsung

I read about Samsung A8 (26K !), and seems to be very nice one.

valuable inputs welcome

regards,

Vibe X3 has nice reviews of late. http://gadgetstouse.com/camera-review/vibe-x3/43341
it seems above average only.

else my sister has the MI4. Otherwise at par with OPO but outstanding camera. My sister is very happy that for her limited budget, this is a pretty outstanding camera that simply works well in all light conditions!

Take the 64GB and she'll be a happy camper for years, esp since it doesnt have expandable storage. Else extend the budget and get the MI5 with an amazing camera for 25k. 5k is nothing for world peace and a couple of years of brownie points

IMHO I'd say mi4-64 at low budget, else mi5 if you can pony up 5k for a good two year investment - and see her smile everytime she clicks photos.

@djpeesh - that's fine. I completely understand gadget-lust as I'm afflicted by it regularly. Seems mostly mukul was on the mark followed sort of by F150 ;-)

btw no Samsung flagship review ever says it lags - atleast I've seen thus for the S3 and S4, two phones I've seen in extensive use first hand. but for your sake i hope they are better now.

with all due respect, I don't trust Samsung one bit. Two cases:
a. I recently had to debug / setup a senior colleague's official A4 (?) and honestly, while the UI looks polished, it still lagged. Mind you, this was a phone with like only 20 odd apps (ToI/FB/WA/email etc).
b. In Dec, I used a colleague's S6 edge for indoor low light food photography. The results were not just outright terrible, they were completely underwhelming for the otherwise mighty S6 Edge+. Of course, it could be user error, but maybe its the iPhone 6 that's made me so lazy.

[mukul32]

Originally Posted by sunsetorange

A8 is huge to hold! About 6inches ! The 2016 A7 and A5 are pretty slick but all have the same 16 gigs of onboard storage.

Why not have a look at 1) the Lenovo Vibe X3 available on Amazon.
2) the Moto X Play on flipkart

Both are available for just under 20k and sport 32 gigs of onboard storage. The Moto is waterproof to boot! The Lenovo has awesome audio .

The A8 is the only Galaxy apart from the Note 4 and S7 which has 32 gigs onboard storage and a simslot, but is last year's model and looks aged besides the new A series.

Avoid any Samsung except for a flagship. And even those are only excellent in terms of hardware. Horrible in terms of software, optimisation and intuitiveness.
I think what you should be looking at is an older flagship rather than a current midranger. The LG G3 and G4 would be available for tasty deals very soon and either come with great screens, SD slots, and big batteries. The Moto X Play is also a great choice. In fact, with stock Android, a bigger screen and stereo speakers, a better overall deal than the G4. But it may be costlier, and 5.7 is way too big for convenience and is borderline unusable in a single hand.

[pedrolourenco]

Now before you tell me that I have posted in the wrong thread, let me explain why:
1. I did the mandatory search and could not find any thread on this topic.
2. I did not think a small query deserves a separate thread.
3. Your answer to my question will be "Why? There are Android Apps that can do the tasks these devices can do".
4. People capable of answering my queries will anyway be regulars on this thread.

When I started sailing in the 90's a lot of chief officers would use the Casio FX720P, Casio FX880P, Sharp PC-1401, Sharp PC-1403 and similar calculators. These were programmable with some programmes in Basic which were used for Cargo Calculations and Navigational Calculations. I had always wanted to buy one but by the time I reached the position when I needed it, it was obsolete and a simple excel sheet could do all we needed.
I somehow liked the form factor of these calculators. They looked cool.
Hopefully I'll be getting my hands on a Casio FX-880P from a fellow BHPian who posts very rarely. That is provided his mom has not already thrown it out. Then I will load the Cargo Calculation and Navigational programes I have saved (photocopies) for many years. Of course these "Highly Complex " calculations are nowadays handled by Excel Sheets, but it will be cool to once in a while cross check what my juniors are doing by pulling out this cool device (which my juniors have obviously never seen) and comparing the results. Just in case you are laughing, you will be surprised how many mistakes are then in these excel sheets sent by the company or made by some experts on board.
Now what I'd like to know is has anyone used these devices and can share some experiences.
Secondly what are the modern day equivalent of these vintage machines. The closest I found were the Graphing Calculators. But these use a different programming language. So can the old Basic programes be converted to use on these new Calculators.

In case I don't get the FX880P, I thought of picking up a Graphing calculator. So help me choose between the following or maybe some other option. Also let me know if these options are suitable for my application.


Shortlisted the following:
1. Texas Instruments - TI-Nspire CX

2. Texas Instruments - TI89 Titanium

3. Texas Instruments - TI84 Plus CE

4. Hewlett Packard - HP Prime

5. Hewlett Packard - HP50G

6. Casio - Prizm fx-CG10

7. Casio - fx-9750GII

8. Casio - fx-9860GII


Now if you are wondering why I cannot just use an Android App, it's because "Officially" use of mobile phones is prohibited on the Navigation Bridge and Cargo Control Room. So I can't be setting a bad example to my juniors.
Mods please move to the relevant thread if necessary.

[digitalnirvana]

Originally Posted by pixantz

I have problem installing some games on my K3 Note. Now Im guessing this is because of just 2gb RAM (I'm doubtful though) which asks me to free space of 846mb more(Asphalt) though I have about 40gb free on my phone so I guess it's the RAM it's talking about. Also Call Of Duty Heroes shows a login issue and doesn't start. Anyone experienced this or solved it too?

That's your phones internal memory running out. Check which apps can be moved to the sd card. This is a major flaw with lenovo that after every update apps get installed in the internal memory even if they were in the sd card earlier

[civic-sense]

Any first hand experiences with the nexus 5x here? There is a sweet deal (overseas) for about 16k. I find only one worry - the RAM, or the lack of it. I could live without the SD slot and 16GB storage, but would 2gb be sufficient is what worries me. For the record, am not a gamer, and I always find a gig RAM free in my oneplus. So...

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

When I started sailing in the 90's a lot of chief officers would use the Casio FX720P, Casio FX880P, Sharp PC-1401, Sharp PC-1403 and similar calculators. These were programmable with some programmes in Basic which were used for Cargo Calculations and Navigational Calculations. I had always wanted to buy one but by the time I reached the position when I needed it, it was obsolete and a simple excel sheet could do all we needed.

My first [useful] computer program ran on something like the device in your first picture, and the office bought me one to run it. It calculated the check digit at the end of a 13-digit reference number, which was then translated into a bar code by a special bar code "font" on our phototypesetting machine. These days you can probably do the whole thing in Office!

But, nice though those gadgets are, they come from the days before even luggables, let alone laptops, were available. Now, you do it on a notebook or tablet. To satisfy your requirements, use one that can't really be held to the ear and spoken into! In fact, a tablet without telephone capability is most certainly not a mobile phone

[mukul32]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Any first hand experiences with the nexus 5x here? There is a sweet deal (overseas) for about 16k. I find only one worry - the RAM, or the lack of it. I could live without the SD slot and 16GB storage, but would 2gb be sufficient is what worries me. For the record, am not a gamer, and I always find a gig RAM free in my oneplus. So...

If the RAM is the only issue you have, go for the 5X hands down. It's only 2GB on paper, but remember that it runs stock Android. So the average memory usage still keeps hovering around the 600-800MB mark even with a good number of apps, leaving a lot of memory free. (I don't own one, but I've possibly gone through almost all reviews posted online extensively, and hence I feel I can comment safely on this. And in fact I will hopefully have one by the end of this summer.)
In comparison, a Galaxy S6, for example, has 3 gigs of RAM, but has the entire crap load of touchwiz to handle. So it can't even manage to keep a gig free in most cases. Even the Note5, despite having a whopping 4 gigs, has really poor memory management and struggles to keep apps in memory.
In fact, in case of the 5X, more than the RAM the main question one should face is storage. 16GB is way too short and 32GB fixed is just sufficient, and not much more. And that on a phone having a beauty of a camera and 4K video support means moving media to the PC or to the cloud would have to be a regular exercise.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Any first hand experiences with the nexus 5x here? There is a sweet deal (overseas) for about 16k. I find only one worry - the RAM, or the lack of it. I could live without the SD slot and 16GB storage, but would 2gb be sufficient is what worries me. For the record, am not a gamer, and I always find a gig RAM free in my oneplus. So...

Don't worry about the on paper specs, something which has been made popular by all the Android OEM or vendors. Stock Android does not need a gazillion core cpu or a tb of RAM to run properly. It is pretty swift even on an average hardware and it absolutely flies on a flagship level hardware. My Nexus 5 of the 2013 vintage runs absolutely fine on the latest Android Marshmallow update and never had any issues with low ram or cpu speed no matter what I am doing. I am pretty sure latest Nexus 5X is a lot better.

Speaking of the S7 twins, I had an extended play with the devices today and to be very frank I am pretty underwhelmed. My review is based on the fact that I am pretty neutral when it comes to removable storage but that aside, there isnt much more that the S7 has over a year old S6. Inspite of having snapdraggon 820 and 4gb of RAM the phone still drops frames from time to time. That could also be due to the fact that the phone was running the showroom display program but an iPhone 6 running the same display software was absolutely smooth in comparison. Frame drops actually are very easy to check... all you need to do it enable the developer settings and within the developer setting, turn on profile gpu as bars you can easily see when the phone is dropping frames.

To be absolutely blunt, spending so much money on Samsung devices is an absolute waste. You get nothing by the way of new hardware features (force touch) and it runs the terrible and incredibly inefficient and cartoonish touchwiz UI on top.

[lordvader]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Any first hand experiences with the nexus 5x here? There is a sweet deal (overseas) for about 16k. I find only one worry - the RAM, or the lack of it. I could live without the SD slot and 16GB storage, but would 2gb be sufficient is what worries me. For the record, am not a gamer, and I always find a gig RAM free in my oneplus. So...

When Android kitkat was launched, it was supposed to have been optimized to run on entry level devices with 512mb RAM. Although it has now increased to at least a GB depending on the size of the device, etc. So from an OS point of view, 2GB is good to go. Given that you are not a gamer and don't seem to be a heavy user, I would say 2GB should suffice you comfortably.

Besides that, it also depends on how the OS has been optimized to run with the given hardware. And I don't think you should ever doubt a Nexus on that front. Other than that, even Motorola and Xiaomi seem to have done a good job of it.

Btw, even oneplus one should hold you in good stead for at least an year and maybe even more.