ajdroidx
Android Expert
I am getting kind of worried about the S IV. Really. Well, the state of Android as it stands...
Panda Tweeted about the Moto X phone, saying the battery sucks:
The HTC one? An IR blaster!? Aluminium casing (Mag aluminum?) A 13mp "UltraPixel" camera!?
I have not been excited about any of the recent phones. They all seem to be pretty minor upgrades. Think about it. Yet we bash Apple for the same thing?
Know what I want to see? Lets start with the Storage. Android is getting larger, some of the images I have downloaded have been about 600mb for my one X. The Nandroids are large too. Maybe the lack of SD card acts as a deterrent for flashers? Perhaps its a conspiracy to push cloud storage. "Free for a year!" Then how much after?
I hardly think it cost more then a few bucks (and probably less due to the shear bulk of purchases for the mass produced devices). Perhaps its to speed up manufacturing.
I still find it dumb that phones are just limited to internal storage. But hey, I guess if Apple can do it, then so can everyone else.
Camera:
Forget megapixels. Hows about dynamic range! More manual controls while we are at it! CMOS sensors are said to have about the same latitude as slide film, I think about 6 stops. Regular film, about 12 stops (I may be a bit off since it has been a long time since I have looked at these figures and since slide film don't really exist anymore, let alone anyplace to develop it...)
Anyway, it would be nice to have higher dynamic range. Better contrast. Of course not everyone is going to all Ansel Adams and Peter Lik with a camera phone, it would be nice to get the best shots you can with something available.
The same goes for exposure controls. Though, some phones are getting better with this.
Hows about HDR panoramas, HDR monochrome images? Stop screwing around with the arbitrary numbers and put some functionality in peoples pockets! Also better low light performance. Perhaps some image stabilization. They can do it for video, why not for stills?
While we are at it, Video: They are putting multicore processors, albeit RISC, how about using that power for HDR videos? This would be hard on your battery, I am sure, but if you think about it, there is no mechanical shutter and the images are live, there should be a way to save 3 different exposures and output the resulting +2,0-2 frames.
I do see how this could probably toast your battery very quickly because if you are shooting 1080p video at 60fps, that is 180 images per one second of video...
It would be nice, but probably a pipe dream for now...
Accessories.
Lets see... flip covers for the SIII, the Note and note II at 40 bucks a pop!? Okay, a worse example...Three words: Nexus 7 Dock... The device is probably going to be replaced shortly after google I/O!
Batteries? Is it really too much to ask for a USER REPLACEABLE BATTERY!?
Android it self.
I recently asked a dev why one of the programs I use get updates before the android version, I asked the dev it they had a preference to iOS. I was told the iOS is easier to develop for. A bit more poking around and I dug up more details. Since the hardware varies and the operating systems different on many devices, I may have to wait 6 months for the current version that is on iOS, if the android version even gets updated at all!
Now, the obvious solution would be to find an android version of the program, but there does not seem to be one since it is a pretty niche program. It is called WeatherGeek Pro.
The iOS version has more charts, including Euro models which are said to be more accurate.
Anyway, I am digressing a little. I just wish there was a bit more uniformity around android.
Build quality.
Too much to ask for slightly better build quality? How about a water repellent? The are marketing these devices as multimedia social media powerhouses. I am a bit leery of using my device (sometimes all I have on me) when weather hits. Usually wet weather. The Droid Razrs do have something that I wish all phones have and I bet moto has a patent on it, the nano coating which protects against water (though I am sure it would not be a match for a massive downpour, or a drop in a puddle or toilet).
Hows about a little water resistance built in? Instead of buying a watertight brick. At least the iPhone has one... but still be nice to have a bit of built in weather sealing.
Okay, I am getting carried away and now it probably sounds as if I am totally bashing android. But recently the handset manufacturiers seem to be more about numbers, then any "real advances" Everyone just tries to put out stuff as fast as possible.
Panda Tweeted about the Moto X phone, saying the battery sucks:
The HTC one? An IR blaster!? Aluminium casing (Mag aluminum?) A 13mp "UltraPixel" camera!?
I have not been excited about any of the recent phones. They all seem to be pretty minor upgrades. Think about it. Yet we bash Apple for the same thing?
Know what I want to see? Lets start with the Storage. Android is getting larger, some of the images I have downloaded have been about 600mb for my one X. The Nandroids are large too. Maybe the lack of SD card acts as a deterrent for flashers? Perhaps its a conspiracy to push cloud storage. "Free for a year!" Then how much after?
I hardly think it cost more then a few bucks (and probably less due to the shear bulk of purchases for the mass produced devices). Perhaps its to speed up manufacturing.
I still find it dumb that phones are just limited to internal storage. But hey, I guess if Apple can do it, then so can everyone else.
Camera:
Forget megapixels. Hows about dynamic range! More manual controls while we are at it! CMOS sensors are said to have about the same latitude as slide film, I think about 6 stops. Regular film, about 12 stops (I may be a bit off since it has been a long time since I have looked at these figures and since slide film don't really exist anymore, let alone anyplace to develop it...)
Anyway, it would be nice to have higher dynamic range. Better contrast. Of course not everyone is going to all Ansel Adams and Peter Lik with a camera phone, it would be nice to get the best shots you can with something available.
The same goes for exposure controls. Though, some phones are getting better with this.
Hows about HDR panoramas, HDR monochrome images? Stop screwing around with the arbitrary numbers and put some functionality in peoples pockets! Also better low light performance. Perhaps some image stabilization. They can do it for video, why not for stills?
While we are at it, Video: They are putting multicore processors, albeit RISC, how about using that power for HDR videos? This would be hard on your battery, I am sure, but if you think about it, there is no mechanical shutter and the images are live, there should be a way to save 3 different exposures and output the resulting +2,0-2 frames.
I do see how this could probably toast your battery very quickly because if you are shooting 1080p video at 60fps, that is 180 images per one second of video...
It would be nice, but probably a pipe dream for now...
Accessories.
Lets see... flip covers for the SIII, the Note and note II at 40 bucks a pop!? Okay, a worse example...Three words: Nexus 7 Dock... The device is probably going to be replaced shortly after google I/O!
Batteries? Is it really too much to ask for a USER REPLACEABLE BATTERY!?
Android it self.
I recently asked a dev why one of the programs I use get updates before the android version, I asked the dev it they had a preference to iOS. I was told the iOS is easier to develop for. A bit more poking around and I dug up more details. Since the hardware varies and the operating systems different on many devices, I may have to wait 6 months for the current version that is on iOS, if the android version even gets updated at all!
Now, the obvious solution would be to find an android version of the program, but there does not seem to be one since it is a pretty niche program. It is called WeatherGeek Pro.
The iOS version has more charts, including Euro models which are said to be more accurate.
Anyway, I am digressing a little. I just wish there was a bit more uniformity around android.
Build quality.
Too much to ask for slightly better build quality? How about a water repellent? The are marketing these devices as multimedia social media powerhouses. I am a bit leery of using my device (sometimes all I have on me) when weather hits. Usually wet weather. The Droid Razrs do have something that I wish all phones have and I bet moto has a patent on it, the nano coating which protects against water (though I am sure it would not be a match for a massive downpour, or a drop in a puddle or toilet).
Hows about a little water resistance built in? Instead of buying a watertight brick. At least the iPhone has one... but still be nice to have a bit of built in weather sealing.
Okay, I am getting carried away and now it probably sounds as if I am totally bashing android. But recently the handset manufacturiers seem to be more about numbers, then any "real advances" Everyone just tries to put out stuff as fast as possible.
). 
