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GeekNights Monday - What Phone Should Rym Buy?

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  • Rym said:

    Actually, I had forgotten when I got it, and the patch level on the phone says "October 1st." I looked at it a minute ago when a coworker was bitching that the didn't have 6.0 yet.

    TIL that patch level is independent of Android version.

    Yeah the patch level is based on the monthly security updates Google started after stagefright.
  • My nexus 4 got wet and now I'm afraid it's boned. Can I get the following setup: Xperia z3/5 compact, on T-mobile, with Marshmallow, in the US?
  • I'm getting a Nexus 5X on Sunday. Will likely post a review sometime next week.
  • Starfox said:
    I might just do it. It's that or wait for the iPhone 6c/7c.
  • Rym said:

    Starfox said:
    I might just do it. It's that or wait for the iPhone 6c/7c.
    I wouldn't waste your time waiting for a phone that may or may not exist. Only madness that way lies.
  • Starfox said:
    Yeah but is that the US neutered version? The initial release had them released without the fast fingerprint sensor which is on all the other versions of the phone sold everywhere?
  • What do you want a fingerprint sensor for anyway? Doesn't sound useful to me.
  • I am actually hoping Apple goes the iPhone 6c/7c route and that it is reasonably popular so that Android phone makers will offer a competing handset. I would gladly go for a slightly smaller screen and a significantly fatter phone for ridiculous battery life.
  • The iPhone Smart Battery Case is really good.
  • Starfox said:

    What do you want a fingerprint sensor for anyway? Doesn't sound useful to me.

    In countries where NFC payments are the norm you won't even need to carry around your card anymore, I won't have to type in my 20 character passwords for each website, app, service or authentication required. It's really useful once you've used it.
  • It is somewhat useful on the Nexus 5X because they put it on the back of the phone. My finger naturally lands on it when I reach into my pocket, so the phone is unlocked already when it comes out of the pocket. It'd be even more useful it I didn't already have a smartwatch set as a trusted device.

    I'm wary on recommending the 5X. It is indeed too big, the camera app is still buggy, and the phone can grind to a halt on you due to full-phone encryption w/ only modest RAM.
  • Rym said:

    Starfox said:
    I might just do it. It's that or wait for the iPhone 6c/7c.
    I wouldn't waste your time waiting for a phone that may or may not exist. Only madness that way lies.
    It's real. 4" iPhone to be announced in March.

    http://mashable.com/2016/01/22/apple-iphone-5se-report/#iixPlC7L_aqb

  • A challenger has appeared.

  • I really wanted something based off iPhone 4/4s form factor, not 5s. Go all the way, Apple!
  • I have the Z5 Compact.

    It is the best Android phone on the market today by a wide margin. Even running Sony Android 5.1, the form factor and battery make it worth any compromise, any degradation.

    I will never suffer a large, unwieldy, or poorly made phone again. Android is good enough now that I'll compromise on basically all the software just to ensure the hardware is good.
  • Does it have all the right 4G radios or whatever?
  • Yes. The Northam edition has every LTE band that matters, and works both domestically and internationally.

    It also has an FM radio.
  • Well, I guess as soon as they Marshmallow, I'm buying one. Poor lil' nexus 4 is on its last legs.
  • FM radio!!!

    What I find funny is that all the phones in Asia seem to have it, but in the US it's a crazy feature.

    Barring nuclear disaster, I doubt I'll ever actually use it. But it's there. It's fascinating.
  • There was one on my iPod Nano. I didn't use it once.
  • Does FM radio in e.g. Japan or Korea have a substantially different cultural role than the US? I just can't imagine listening to a terrestrial broadcast on my device that has the whole internet in it.
  • I can. In the aftermath of a nuclear disaster.

    To find out where the reavers are.
  • I don't want an FM radio. I want an AM radio to hear NY Sports. I can illegally stream a Mets game to my HTPC, and I can even do it to my phone with great difficulty. But listening on the radio during a subway ride would be the best option.
  • AM is a pain to implement in a phone, so no one does it. You need an antenna. With FM, you can use the headphone cord as the antenna.

    In fact, I just checked: the radio won't even start unless I plug wired headphones in.
  • Rym said:

    AM is a pain to implement in a phone, so no one does it. You need an antenna. With FM, you can use the headphone cord as the antenna.

    In fact, I just checked: the radio won't even start unless I plug wired headphones in.

    http://amzn.to/1KcdWS5

    Add $20 to the price of a phone, no big deal. Doubling the size of the phone just to add a really good radio, not so good.
  • The other problem is shielding. An AM radio won't work in close proximity to a modern cell phone without heavy shielding and/or a large antenna.
  • Starfox said:

    Does FM radio in e.g. Japan or Korea have a substantially different cultural role than the US? I just can't imagine listening to a terrestrial broadcast on my device that has the whole internet in it.

    Most phones in Japan have FM and TV tuners build in, but just like you said, they're a bit old hat now that you've got the internet on them too. They were a much bigger thing before. The new hotness is TVs in the center consoles of cars so you can watch TV while you drive.
  • That seems... Like it should be illegal.
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