how terrible is the Amazon Fire Phone? It is on sale unlocked for $189 and includes a year of Prime membership.

my sister needs a new phone, is this worth it?

1/7/2015 11:17:38 AM

If you're due for prime, and have to pay full price for it (i.e. not amazon student), bringing it down to ~$115, and someone needs a phone, it's worth it I think. Although I'd probably just go with a Moto G personally solely to tell Amazon with my wallet to never make a phone again.

1/7/2015 12:53:42 PM

Quote :

"this is what i'm talking about...every single notification (wifi networks available, file uploaded to dropbox, app update available, app update installed, everything) shows up as a "card" at the top and hangs around for 2-3 seconds unless i swipe it away"

I'm surprised you haven't turned off that "Wifi Networks Available" notification by now

But yeah I don't think theres a way to turn off those particular notifications. All you can do is turn off individual notifications...like all the ones you've mentioned I would just turn off because they're useless.

[Edited on January 7, 2015 at 1:02 PM. Reason : http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/2mjja4/lollipop_only_major_flaw_is_a_showstopper_headsup/]

1/7/2015 12:58:16 PM

Quote :

"But yeah I don't think theres a way to turn off those particular notifications. All you can do is turn off individual notifications...like all the ones you've mentioned I would just turn off because they're useless."

thanks for the reddit link...so it's mostly the fault of the app developers pegging their notifications as "high" priority...but also google's fault for not allowing the user to designate the priority of individual apps

it's frustrating that disabling notifications disables the heads-up AND the "regular" notifications...it makes sense, but why not something in between (ie. notifications in status bar only?)

i've only tried out two ROMs for the N4, and both were AOSP-based, so i'll go check out some CM12-based ROMs, as i'm sure someone has removed this annoying "feature"

Quote :

"Although I'd probably just go with a Moto G personally solely to tell Amazon with my wallet to never make a phone again."

yep

1/7/2015 1:21:56 PM

Quote :

"it's frustrating that disabling notifications disables the heads-up AND the "regular" notifications...it makes sense, but why not something in between (ie. notifications in status bar only?)"

Yeah you should be able to customize that somewhere...maybe in a future build? I noticed some people say they weren't upgrading to Lollipop because you can't turn them off.

1/7/2015 2:00:01 PM

i will probably not upgrade because of this, it seems annoying

1/7/2015 2:45:26 PM

it appears that it's disabled (or removed, i don't know) in CM12...but i only just finished restoring my phone after switching ROMs, so i'll run it for a while and see for sure

and if it's not, i'm sure the slim folks will take care of it

1/7/2015 3:32:20 PM

the sound options in lollipop are also retarded (ie. holding vol- all the way just makes it vibrate, you can't silence it altogether that way)...i think google took this whole minimal thing too far

in other news, what do folks use to backup their phones? i ROM far more than i probably should (i'm trying one or two more today while i wait for PA or slim to put out something), and i want my call log, SMS, MMS, and dictionary to get backed up...in addition to the usual stuff, like photos

i currently use my backup, which has been great because it lets me do local backups and restores...but it's slow and cloud isn't available in the free version

i'm looking at CM (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ijinshan.kbackup&hl=en) and G cloud (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.genie9.gcloudbackup&hl=en)

1/9/2015 8:24:14 AM

Quote :

"Didn't you notice that none of your contacts were syncing to Gmail?"

No. I don't use my personal email very much (at least not for sending emails). Most of my emailing is with my work account, which is MS Exchange through AirWatch.

Quote :

"i like the stock google photos (picasa?)"

I started using this and it seems to do the job just fine. Thanks.

Quote :

"NeuseRvrRat-I have the M8 and it defaults to the last option you saved as. So if the first contact you saved was to phone memory, every one after that will be saved there as well. If you save to Google initially, that will be the default from that point on."

That is certainly not the case on my M8. I'm not sure what the difference is, but no matter what I saved the last one to, when I go to create another contact, the box says "Phone" again and I have to tap it and change it to Google every damn time.

1/9/2015 8:58:13 AM

Anybody with a Droid MAXX installed the new update that came out today (or maybe yesterday)? Supposedly all it does is fix some bugs with Advanced Calling, which I still haven't configured through Verizon.

http://www.droid-life.com/2015/01/14/droid-maxx-ultra-and-mini-receive-update-with-advanced-calling-1-0-fixes/

Has anyone with any phone on any carrier used Advanced Calling? Supposed to basically be "high definition" sound, and give the option to switch to video chat, assuming the other person also has Advanced Calling configured.

I think the reason I didn't initially switch to it is because there were some reported issues with called ID not working, since you have to contact Verizon and get some services switched in order to use it

[Edited on January 15, 2015 at 12:22 PM. Reason : .]

1/15/2015 12:21:17 PM

Well the update didn't brick my phone or anything. Still haven't looked into setting up Advanced Calling 1.0

1/16/2015 4:09:03 PM

But apparently it uses a bunch of data, and doesn't work over WiFi, and doesn't work unless the other person also has their phone and phone # configured for Advanced Calling, so I'm not gonna mess with it

1/16/2015 4:40:27 PM

Which Android phone would you guys pick that isn't the latest and greatest? G2, S4? HTC One?

1/17/2015 6:51:09 PM

I still like the my Nexus 5.

[Edited on January 17, 2015 at 7:07 PM. Reason : I like vanilla android and don't want to mess with ROM-ing]

1/17/2015 7:07:23 PM

1st gen Moto X is still a fantastic phone that will get Lollipop when it rolls out. I'd go for it if I were you, since you probably can find a used one pretty cheap. 2nd gen Moto X is a great phone as well.

1/17/2015 9:41:47 PM

Lollipop has already rolled out for me

1/18/2015 4:28:35 PM

anyone have the oneplus one? looks like they will be going on sale today from 7-9pm, no invite or preorder needed.

$300 for 16 gb, $350 for 64

1/20/2015 11:31:20 AM

http://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/Google-Nexus-5,OnePlus-One/phones/8148,8603

1/20/2015 1:10:22 PM

That extra GB of RAM would be nice...

1/20/2015 1:55:51 PM

finally...the dirty unicorn ROM allows the user to disable the immersive notifications altogether, without affecting the notification settings of the apps themselves (ie. they act like KK and don't interrupt what i'm doing all the time)

1/20/2015 3:57:52 PM

the 2013 moto X 32GB unlocked developer's edition (which is dual band) is $200 on fleabay today: http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Moto-X-32GB-XT1060-Developer-Edition-CDMA-GSM-Unlocked-Black-Woven-White/151503423185

i was poking around the SD thread this was posted in and folks mentioned the asus zenfone 2, which is supposed to go on sale in march for $199 without a contract...at that price, the specs are great:

Android 5.0 Lollipop
5.5" 1920x1080 (403ppi) IPS display
64-bit Intel Atom Z3560 (1.8GHz) processor
PowerVR G6430 graphics (same as in the iphone 5s, i believe)
2GB RAM
16GB ROM (includes 5GB of lifetime web storage)
camera (front): 5MP f/2.0 wide-angle (85-degree) lens
camera (rear): 13MP, f/2.0 with dual LED flash (and HDR support)
microSD slot (up to 64GB)
FDD 4G LTE: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/9/17/18/19/20/28/29
TDD 4G LTE: 38/39/40/41
battery: 3000mAh lithium-polymer, with fast-charging
sensors: accelerometer, proximity, ambient-light, gyroscopic, digital compass, Hall-effect
GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS
802.11ac WiFi
Bluetooth 4.0
NFC
3.5mm audio jack
dual micro-SIM
micro USB (support OTG)
dimensions: 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 ~ 3.9 mm
weight: 170g (~6oz)

here's the kicker, though...for a little more (estimates are $299-399, depending on configuration), you can bump up to:

4GB RAM
2.3GHz processor
64GB ROM

aside from the fact that at least ONE variant will be $199, nothing else is known for sure about the price, but the max specs (above) are known...even at $399, that's a value that's hard to beat

the attractive parts for me are, well, everything (except the screen size, i'm not sold on screens that big, yet)...it supports pretty much all of the LTE bands, the camera sounds fantastic (f/2!), and 4GB of RAM makes me drool

full specs: http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Asus-ZenFone-2_id9050/fullspecs

[Edited on January 21, 2015 at 9:47 AM. Reason : i've also read of a 720p version for $149, but a 720p screen isn't listed on asus' specs page]

1/21/2015 9:34:17 AM

i've had bad experience with android on intel, but maybe it works now

1/21/2015 11:38:00 AM

^ under what circumstances?

i have zero experience with android on intel, but my biggest concern is ROMing...i have not once owned a phone that wasn't better (faster, better battery life, more features, etc) with a different ROM, but i don't know if the different architecture will minimize the number of people making ROMs for it...i've been spoiled by the N4 in that regard

1/21/2015 2:18:54 PM

logitech revue

1/21/2015 2:58:30 PM

oh, yeah, i had one of those for a very brief amount of time

i'm sure it's gotten better...it couldn't have gotten worse, could it? COULD IT?

1/21/2015 3:55:59 PM

http://www.businessinsider.com/xiaomi-mi-note-sells-out-in-3-minutes-2015-1

1/27/2015 11:46:12 AM

Anyone know if there is a way to block pre-video advertisements in the YouTube app?

1/27/2015 5:33:52 PM

Probably not in the ap itself...could always watch videos in browser

1/27/2015 6:40:45 PM

Apparently you can do it if you're rooted by installing the Xposed framework and then the YouTube AdAway module...but it requires root access.

Although the articles I saw online were from 3-4 months ago and I think the app had a fairly significant overhaul since then

[Edited on January 27, 2015 at 6:56 PM. Reason : .]

1/27/2015 6:55:56 PM

Is there a way to get iTunes or transfer iTunes movies to a Galaxy tab?

1/30/2015 9:54:57 AM

yeah, but you're going to have to use 3rd party software to strip the DRM first

1/30/2015 10:04:24 AM

Any idea which DRM remover is good and a website that won't give my computer a virus?

1/30/2015 10:35:12 AM

what's the best ~7" android tablet these days?

2/2/2015 11:14:42 AM

I really like my Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4". I just wish I could figure out how to transfer iTunes movies over to it.

2/2/2015 11:49:17 AM

I was really counting on finally plopping down for an Acer Chromebook 15 when it drops but now I have to wait for Samus' announcement

https://plus.google.com/communities/105678482604512626671/s/Samus

2/2/2015 8:11:57 PM

I don't really know if this is a phone problem or an Internet problem. I've got a Galaxy s5 and it'll connect to the WiFi network and disconnect, then connect again in a span of about 45 seconds, repeatedly. It does it at home and work, so I don't think it's the Internet, and also it just started in the last day or two when it's never had a problem before. When I open the WiFi networks, if it's not connected, it says "ready to connect when network quality improves". Halp?

2/6/2015 7:04:37 AM

go try it on other wifi networks. if it works there it's a network problem, if it doesn't it's a phone problem

2/6/2015 2:13:48 PM

Just got the Lollipop update on my AT&T G3. Feels even more like a stock Nexus phone now, other than some LG specific features for working with their TVs and shit.

2/11/2015 10:48:18 AM

The screen on my Nexus 5 has started blacking out when ever I make a call, meaning I'm unable to hang/up, turn on speakerphone etc.

I've done some googling but haven't found a fix yet? Any ideas?

2/16/2015 7:21:17 PM

You can't just press the power button to turn on the screen?

2/16/2015 8:31:11 PM

Doesn't do anything in-call

As soon as the other party hangs up the screen comes back on.

2/16/2015 9:51:31 PM

Did you get the screen replaced? My does that now too but I had to get the screen replaced because I cracked it. Apparently "after market" screens mess up/block the proximity sensor.

Edit: either way your prox sensor is probably messed up so it thinks something is "close" (like you have it on your face) at a times.

[Edited on February 16, 2015 at 10:29 PM. Reason : R]

2/16/2015 10:27:34 PM

^ indeed i did get the screen replaced...that was months ago though, and the problem just started happening

2/17/2015 9:47:00 AM

Anyone tried the 'Mailbox' app from Dropbox? Looks like it's only compatible with Google or iCloud accounts at the moment but the layout and functionality is pretty nice. You also get a free gig of storage added to your dropbox account if you sync them.

2/17/2015 2:50:26 PM

Got my wife a Nexus 6 and wish I got her a shittier phone. It's pretty awesome and the 6" screen makes my G3 feel like a stamp

2/17/2015 6:05:43 PM

Yeah, minE broke a while ago, but I want to say that mine didn't start happening right away either.

I know it sucks. Had to change the settings to hang up using the power button. It was a big reason I went back to my moto x last year.

2/17/2015 8:07:32 PM

^ where did you change that setting?

2/17/2015 11:25:20 PM

Accessibility

2/18/2015 12:31:11 PM

Damn LG. I rooted my LG G3 with AT&T and no matter what I do I can't get it to update OTA. Going to just flash the stock rom then upgrade to 5.0 I guess.

2/18/2015 12:39:31 PM

Are there any expected close-to-stock Android phones expected anytime soon? My wife finally accepted defeat on ever getting a slide out keyboard again and is abandoning the Droid 4.

It seems my best options are a 2nd gen Moto X or a Droid Turbo if we want to keep the screen size under 6" and want to keep a fairly vanilla android OS. Leaning towards the Droid Turbo because of it's battery life and presumed sturdiness.

3/2/2015 12:28:03 PM