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Android


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I've been a happy Android user for years but I'm finding Google really stretching my patience these days.

 

My LG G Pad 8.3 never got out of Kitkat so I had to root and the flash it to get a modern version of Android. I've been waiting more than a year for Google to get the Pixel C or An Other tablet to the Google Store of Norway. Or just a fucking phone for that matter. Still no luck. And we're not alone; a lot of European countries have next to fuck all in their Google Stores. I have Chromecast. Hu-fucking-rah.

 

2017 is do or die time Google. Sort your shit out or it's Apple next.

 

Rant over.

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There are plenty of non-google android products, and by and large, the best of them are better than the 'google' counterparts. Google don't make hardware anyway so it's just marketing on a product from LG/ASUS etc

 

Do you mean the online google store? Why can't you just purchase from amazon etc? I might be missing something.

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There are plenty of non-google android products, and by and large, the best of them are better than the 'google' counterparts. Google don't make hardware anyway so it's just marketing on a product from LG/ASUS etc

 

Do you mean the online google store? Why can't you just purchase from amazon etc? I might be missing something.

 

I mean having no manufacturing link to google. No hardware branding or marketing etc. Which Google have no business selling in their official stores usually.

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There are plenty of non-google android products, and by and large, the best of them are better than the 'google' counterparts. Google don't make hardware anyway so it's just marketing on a product from LG/ASUS etc

 

Do you mean the online google store? Why can't you just purchase from amazon etc? I might be missing something.

 

Purchasing from Amazon is much more expensive where I live. Their products aren't available in other online stores in my country either, except at a couple at ridiculous prices.

 

I disagree about others having better hardware than Google. But my grief with Google isn't the quality of their products, it's their availability.

 

Getting new versions of Android as it was released was a big reason why I migrated to their Nexus line back in the day. Having a Nexus 6P I obviously run the latest version of Android and get monthly security updates, the others lag far behind. They are more concerned by clogging Android up with their own shite services trying to make you use them instead of Googles, rather than producing regular security updates. The updates provided by other brands are a fucking joke.

 

The fact that only 0.4%(!) of Android devices run the latest version like I do tells you everything about what a disaster Android updates under other brands are like.

 

Actually Motorola did a good job with providing updates when owned by Google, but Lenovo quickly fucked that up after buying them.

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Having owned nexus devices I get where you are coming from, but they very rarely if at all lead the pack hardware wise. They come very close though. And if that and the software updates makes it the perfect package for you, then that's grand.

 

Do you not know anyone in the UK who can get you what you need? Surly its just once every couple of years for a phone? I'm supposed at their lack of availability, something I took for granted and assumed was prominent in all of Western Europe.

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I think my Nexus 6P was the best Android phone you could get at the time. I think the same about the Google Pixel. But like I said, that isn't my point.

 

Buying an expensive phone and not getting updates for it is not an option for me.

 

Then again, neither is running Windows XP on my pc. If Microsoft started releasing security updates they way the likes of Samsung and LG do, I'd drop them pretty quickly!

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I decided to check the Google Store for all European countries that have one. The following countries don't have the Google Pixel in their store:

 

Norway

Sweden

Denmark

Finland

Austria

Belgium

France

Ireland

The Netherlands

Spain

Switzerland

Italy

Portugal

 

 

It would of course be much easier to list those who do:

 

Germany

UK

 

Well fucking done, Google.

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They're doing a decent job with their 3/3T, but still took months to ship Nougat. Their previous models are a complete disaster in this respect.

 

When it comes to getting regular security updates on Android the Pixel/Nexus line is pretty much the only show in town. Time will tell if Nokia can change this, they are at least making all the right noises so far. If they come good on their promises, I think they'll do very well as there is a huge demand for mid-range phones with stock Android getting regular and quick updates. The Nexus 5 was a good phone in this segment. The current Pixels are obviously in a different price segment.

 

It seems Google gravely misjudged the demand for their Pixel line, so one can hope they won't make the same mistake with the Pixel 2.

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They're doing a decent job with their 3/3T, but still took months to ship Nougat. Their previous models are a complete disaster in this respect.

 

When it comes to getting regular security updates on Android the Pixel/Nexus line is pretty much the only show in town. Time will tell if Nokia can change this, they are at least making all the right noises so far. If they come good on their promises, I think they'll do very well as there is a huge demand for mid-range phones with stock Android getting regular and quick updates. The Nexus 5 was a good phone in this segment. The current Pixels are obviously in a different price segment.

 

It seems Google gravely misjudged the demand for their Pixel line, so one can hope they won't make the same mistake with the Pixel 2.

Can agree on the nexus 5. I didn't appreciate it until I sold it to my mate and got a non-pure-android and missed it. Very happy with the S7 though and if I get bored I'll flash a custom rom on it.
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  • 3 weeks later...

An iPhone 6 showed up at work so I grabbed it for free to do a little testing on how it would do as a Google device. And it does quite well as it turns out, I can use it by running purely Google apps for what I want.

 

I have deactivated all of Apples apps/services and it runs quite smoothly. Especially getting all my Google contacts in was a piece of piss.

 

The one major irritant so far is being without the back 'button', that really grinds my gears and makes especially surfing really cumbersome.

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  • 3 months later...

Android is ace. It's proliferation less so. But at least I don't have to root or jailbreak the fucker to watch Kodi or any other slightly nefarious app. I have access to numerous emulators and can relive my childhood smashing PBs on Mario Kart on a long train or plane journey. I don't have to buy a £700 phone and can get all I want from a £150 Moto G4.

 

It's ace.

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Android is ace. It's proliferation less so. But at least I don't have to root or jailbreak the fucker to watch Kodi or any other slightly nefarious app. I have access to numerous emulators and can relive my childhood smashing PBs on Mario Kart on a long train or plane journey. I don't have to buy a £700 phone and can get all I want from a £150 Moto G4.

 

It's ace.

 

How much does your calls, texts and data package cost you?

 

I wouldn't ever go buy a handset for £700 but I usually get a flagship for around £30/month for 24 months which works out at £720 over two years. And that's with enough calls/texts/data to cover me.

 

The G4 is a decent phone, and great for the money. I used one for 2 months there as LG were taking ages to fix my LG G4.

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How much does your calls, texts and data package cost you?

 

I wouldn't ever go buy a handset for £700 but I usually get a flagship for around £30/month for 24 months which works out at £720 over two years. And that's with enough calls/texts/data to cover me.

 

The G4 is a decent phone, and great for the money. I used one for 2 months there as LG were taking ages to fix my LG G4.

I'm on BT SIM only. With the discounts it is about £8/month which is 6gb data and unlimited everything else.

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