Android!

[01101010]

Okay, I'm lazy - how the heck do I change the layout of my home screen from 4 icons across to 5?  It seems so spread out otherwise and looks weird with the 4 across on top and then 5 across for the bottom edge/default icons.

On the S4? I really don't think there is an option on the stock phone. If you aren't opposed to rooting/unlocking - you could always change the build.prop in the system folder. I had to do that to get a 5 icon row on my Nexus 4.

[Rendakor]

What's the big advantage of rooting anyway? I never looked into it because my last phone was so old, but now I have something new and shiny and need excuses to play with it.

[Quinton]

You can replace the launcher/homescreen just by downloading a different one from the Play Store and installing it.

There are a whole bunch of alternative launchers out there with all kinds of crazy features if the standard one doesn't do what you want.

[01101010]

What's the big advantage of rooting anyway? I never looked into it because my last phone was so old, but now I have something new and shiny and need excuses to play with it.

My big take away is that it allows you to flash custom ROMs and kernals and such. Having an N4, my battery has always been sort of an issue in that it just doesn't last long enough with heavier use. Found a nice kernal awhile back that got me a little more than an hour more time out of it. I also was able to enable the "LTE" mode on it by flashing a hybrid radio and enabling a few settings in the build file. My speed tests proved something worked since it was boosted my downloads from ~8 to ~35 and uploads from ~3 to ~13.

I actually have been quite happy with the Kit-Kat factory image and have yet to flash over it even though I really like the stuff coming out of Paranoid Android with Halo and hidden keys.

It all boils down to tinkering. No phone needs to be rooted, but if you like playing with the software and trying out ROMs and even editing ROMs, rooting allows for it. I only know 3 people around here that even know what rooting a phone means so it is kinda rare to find a rooted phone.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Heck, I'm happy with the stock phone already purely for battery life.  My old phone barely lasted a day and I plugged it in every night.  This one - I charged it to Thursday night and it's just now down to 50%, and I have my email, G+ and FB apps active.  Plus, it boots up so damn fast.  Crazy stuff.

[JWIV]

The main reason I ended up rooting my GNex was because Verizon had at the time blocked the phone's native ability to tether without paying them an additional monthly sum. That may or may not have changed now, but I'm in no hurry to test it out.

[eldaec]

I'm seriously considering rooting ny HTC one just to get rid of all the HTC crap.

It's not a huge problem but everything is just a little more messy and awkward compared to stock.

[luckton]

Having with me now a Nexus 5 in my possession for the last couple of months, I dare say I may never ever go back to using anything else other than stock, or a Google Play Edition of something.

[Nerf]

Make sure your nexus 5 is in a good case...I had mine for a hair over a month before I dropped it getting out of the car and shattered the fuck out of the screen.  A quick google search will show you how insanely common it is for these things to pretty much explode if they land face down.  $165 and a week without my phone later, and it's bye-bye super slim phone and hello case.
So yeah...Gorilla Glass 3?  More like..Glass glass, assholes!

[luckton]

I don't fuck around when it comes to cases.   

Still trying to find something rugged for my LG 8.3 GPE tablet though...

[01101010]

I got the bumper from Google for my Nexus 4. Took it off about 8 months ago because I couldn't stand it. I love the look of a N4 naked. Luckily, I have never dropped it - mostly because it lives in my pocket until I am somewhat settled.

[Ozzu]

I got one of these for my Nexus 5:

http://www.tech21.com/impactology/

I literally can't hold onto a phone. I drop them all the time. This thing has served me well.



Edit: Looks like the only place you can buy the Nexus 5 version is from Tmobile though.

https://t-mobile.com/accessories/google-nexus-5-tech-21-impact-snap-case-clear-with-black.html

[luckton]

Ignore this post.  Got confused 

[Nerf]

I got one of these for my Nexus 5:

http://www.tech21.com/impactology/

I literally can't hold onto a phone. I drop them all the time. This thing has served me well.



Edit: Looks like the only place you can buy the Nexus 5 version is from Tmobile though.

https://t-mobile.com/accessories/google-nexus-5-tech-21-impact-snap-case-clear-with-black.html

That doesn't look better than the Spigen NeoHybrid I grabbed off amazon for sub $20, except mine is apparently only made out of real molecules, not some shit made up to sound all sciencey.  Seriously, D3O?  Wouldn't that be water and an O(little 2) molecule?

[MrHat]

Dang.

New Nexus 6 is a 6" screen at $650.

Pass :(

[NowhereMan]

Goddamnit, really don't want a screen that big. Hell I can only just use my Nexus 4 one handed. If I really wanted something bigger I'd get an 8" tablet.

Actually it seems kind of crazy to me the new Nexus phone is only 1" smaller than their major tablet line. And over twice the price.

[apocrypha]

Yeah NFI what the rationale behind that phone is. I certainly have zero interest in paying £400+ for a 6" phone. Here's hoping my Nexus 4 lasts at least another year yet.

The Nexus 9 is a bit more interesting but I'm not sure I want anything bigger than a 7" tablet, it's such a handy size.

[NowhereMan]

Honestly, I was really hoping for a new 4.5-5" phone and an 8" tablet. Disappointment all round 

[Sky]

Three months or so into my smart phone, I think the S5 is a really nice piece of tech. Did I mention I bought one (finally)? It's about the perfect size, and I'd rather err on the size of larger if it doesn't break other criteria (pocket, hand, etc). I had to use my old iPod touch at work yesterday (similar to the earlier iPhones) and couldn't imagine the restriction of using such a small device.

My tablet is also finding many ways to integrate itself into my day. Doesn't get the heavy usage my phone does. Now, if Adobe gets their Android version of Lightroom going and Reaper releases a control surface app...

It's a 12.2" tablet (the Galaxy Note Pro), I think it pairs excellently with the S5's form factor. Full web browsing, comics look amazing, tv and movies are great, recipes very legible, etc. I use it for a lot of art reference, too. It's a bit heavy (esp with case) for reading in bed, but I'm into physical books so not really a bad thing for me.

[eldaec]

I'm kind of tempted by the nexus 6, only reason I don't have a note is that my experience of Samsung products has them disintegrate around the 9 month mark.

Plus I hate both sense and touchwiz with the passion of a thousand burning suns.

I get that the 6 is big. But you people who know wtf see anything wrong with the spec apart from that?

[Goreschach]

[01101010]

I'm kind of tempted by the nexus 6, only reason I don't have a note is that my experience of Samsung products has them disintegrate around the 9 month mark.

Plus I hate both sense and touchwiz with the passion of a thousand burning suns.

I get that the 6 is big. But you people who know wtf see anything wrong with the spec apart from that?

The price is nice and all, but it seems like the phone is just a big version of the Nexus 5. There are no real features that take advantage of the size of the screen, like a multiple split windows feature. For all the bullshit Touchwiz has, every iteration cleans up the stupid a little more. It is still not perfect, but it does have a lot more function than pure Android when you have a huge screen.

Things that killed the Nexus 6 for me was the lack of SD slot and removable battery. Price-wise, it is a little steep given the recent history of Nexus phones, but this is the way of the giants and it is still $100 cheaper than the Note4.

[NowhereMan]

I'm pretty sure the SD card and battery are design decisions Google have made, if those are deal breakers for you then I don't think there's ever going to be a Nexus for you.

[01101010]

I'm pretty sure the SD card and battery are design decisions Google have made, if those are deal breakers for you then I don't think there's ever going to be a Nexus for you.

Oh I am aware. I have a Nexus 4 right now as my daily driver which I got in '12. For the $350 I paid for it, I could overlook the lack of both things. That said, there have been several occasions where I could have used the SD card, especially on trips. If I am going to be paying more than $400-500 for a phone, I definitely want the bells and whistles.

[eldaec]

I disliked the no card or removable battery decision when they first happened. I've since realised that I never hold on to a phone long enough for the battery to degrade or the storage to run out.

[MrHat]

I disliked the no card or removable battery decision when they first happened. I've since realised that I never hold on to a phone long enough for the battery to degrade or the storage to run out.

'

My Nexus 4 is the first phone to do this.  I've had it also since it was released.  I've completely run out of storage (my own fault at 16GB) and the battery is 8 hours at best.

The only thing that really bothers me about no SD slot is that 32 GBs of SD is like $20.

[Quinton]

I think we're more likely to see SD cards in Nexus devices (once Android's management of secondary storage is finally improved to the point where UX is not embarrassed about how it works) than removable batteries (which fight against device thinness, ruggedness, cost and complexity).

[Rendakor]

Storage was the dealbreaker for me on the Nexus 10 when I bought my tablet. Managing data has always been kind of a pain on Android though; AirDroid makes it mostly functional but having to use a third party app and a PC to easily move things is obnoxious.

[eldaec]

The thing I find mildly annoying isn't lack of external storage so much as crazy small amounts of internal storage.

64 Gb as standard wouldn't add that much to cost and would be a bigger draw (for me) than adding yet more worthless megapixels to the camera.

But I can't say I've ever actually run out of space since my Desire (which did have a slot)

[KallDrexx]

Anyone here have a NVIDIA shield tablet?

I'm in the market for a decently priced tablet for browsing, videos, and maybe some couch/bed gaming.  I totally forgot about this tablet until randomly coming across it today and it looks perfect, and seems to have pretty high reviews all around.  The ability to stream my steam games with the controller while in bed definitely seems tempting.  It apparently is well supported too, as it already has lollipop.

[NowhereMan]

I'm seriously looking at getting one as well, I like 8" form factor and this and LG G pad seem to be the only good Android options. The Shield might be a bit more than I really need but it does apparently work reasonably well for gaming if you get the wireless controller and hook it up to a TV as well, so if you're going to be staying in hotels quite a lot it might make travelling and gaming feasible. All the feedback I've heard has been positive, although I like having stock Android. The Nexus 9 sounds like it might not be what I want though and my Samsung Tab (original) has long since been getting slow just for booting up and browsing or listening to podcasts.

[Yegolev]

Regarding some of the above points:

1. My wife would probably own an Android anything if there was 64GB of storage available.

2. I personally don't care about storage capacity on the phone, but that's just my usage type.  Few apps, little media.  Saving anything is brainless thanks to the assortment of clouds I seem to be connected to.

3. I enjoyed my Droid RAZR immensely up to the point where the irremovable battery was unable to hold a charge all day.  Now it's a S5 for me, which is thin enough for my purposes.

[01101010]

Since I am on T-mobile which is perfectly fine and speedy when I am in town (which is every normal day), my coverage is not spectacular outside metropolitan areas. Traveling by car I will routinely hit pockets of base 2g or roaming services which kibosh the whole streaming/cloud storage idea - not to mention while flying. Those are the times when not having an SD card for storing music/movies/etc really suck. That is why I am moving to a device that has it. The removable battery is a nice feature, but not necessary with all the ways to charge your device now. I got a small USB battery pack for Xmas last year that gives me about 20% charge for those really lean times like being at a busy airport and not having a single outlet or charge port available. If I am going to go the premium phone route, having a removable battery is one of those perks that push me to that device rather than one without. Might not need it, but if I am paying that much... no reason not to get it rather than the other for around the same cost. Having the option is better than not.

I like my Nexus 4. It is sleek and has operated fine. The hardware were top notch and still hold up well. It was a great device for the price. But now that those low price days are over, choosing a high end device means getting as many options as can come with the phone.

[NowhereMan]

Eh, the Nexus 6 seems like a decent device to me but a premium price point and large display are not what I'm looking for in a phone. The unremovable battery thing doesn't bother me overly as long as I have a phone that can still do most things and hold a charge over 20 hours or so. Which is probably why I've upgraded pretty sparingly, the Nexus One was my first smartphone and I only really upgraded that because app performance started to seriously suffer. After that it's only been because of getting pushed into a swimming pool and pickpocketed by a ladyboy. South East Asia is apparently unhealthy for phones.

[Rendakor]

getting pushed into a swimming pool and pickpocketed by a ladyboy.

Was this one event or two? Because if that happened at the same time, I think we need elaboration.