Google IO 2013 thread

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Damn I would love a free Pixel!

do they get free S4s there?

 

[RedRooster]

I do wonder where this GS4 Nexus will go in the long term. Seems temporary for me. Maybe a one shot. Who knows if Samsung is still king next round? Google is acknowledging the success of the Nexus device, but how long til device manufacturers realize that Nexus sales are threatening their own product lines? Somehow I don't see this strategy continuing unless they make sure Nexus phones are isolated in a separate design of by using high pricing. I don't mind them selling $649 phones if they're flagship monsters in the future.

For the good of the long term health of Android as a whole, I really hope this is the start of something that manufacturers are starting to look at. They HAVE TO know by now that some customers are sick of their slow ass updates. Just wow people with amazing hardware, throw on stock Android, and have your own custom apps that only run on your devices available through the Play store or something. Instead of injecting all that junk into the OS, just make it optional. You can still have the bullet point selling features by having your fancy dual window and eye scanning and stuff, just make them apps.

I wish that rumor last year of the OS and the overlay being kept seperate came true, whatever happened to that?

 

[poofyhairguy]

You can still have the bullet point selling features by having your fancy dual window and eye scanning and stuff, just make them apps.

Problem is a lot of that stuff has to be baked into the OS to work.

For example Samsung's multiwindow only works on Touchwiz ROMs.

 

[VashHT]

I'm pretty tempted to get the stock S4 when it comes out. I'm not sure if there would really be a reason to wait for it instead of just buying a carrier one today.

 

[s44]

I'm not sure if there would really be a reason to wait for it instead of just buying a carrier one today.

If you're a flasher, not really.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Problem is a lot of that stuff has to be baked into the OS to work.

For example Samsung's multiwindow only works on Touchwiz ROMs.

Exactly. How else do you sell your phones? What's the difference between an HTC One and Xperia Z and SGS4 if you all have AOSP on them. I guess you can show an ultrapixels ad or something, or talk about the screen size but consumers aren't out there to just shop between hardware. The differentiating factor is the crap they bake in...

 

[RedRooster]

Exactly. How else do you sell your phones? What's the difference between an HTC One and Xperia Z and SGS4 if you all have AOSP on them. I guess you can show an ultrapixels ad or something, or talk about the screen size but consumers aren't out there to just shop between hardware. The differentiating factor is the crap they bake in...

I'd like to agree 100%, but I think a huge part of the differentiating factor is the hardware still. Maybe I didn't read enough articles with this last batch, but not nearly as many people were swooning over Sense as there were were praising the One's build quality and how it felt in the hand and its screen and battery and all that stuff. Same with the S4, always comparing the size of the screens and thinness and stuff, and barely mentioning the software.
But I know what you're saying.

 

[VashHT]

If you're a flasher, not really.

Yeah that's what I was thinking, I flash all the time so I'm tempted to pick up the 32gb ATT model, I don't think the difference in storage size would make that big of a difference.

 

[Fire&Blood]

For the good of the long term health of Android as a whole, I really hope this is the start of something that manufacturers are starting to look at. They HAVE TO know by now that some customers are sick of their slow ass updates. Just wow people with amazing hardware, throw on stock Android, and have your own custom apps that only run on your devices available through the Play store or something. Instead of injecting all that junk into the OS, just make it optional. You can still have the bullet point selling features by having your fancy dual window and eye scanning and stuff, just make them apps.

I wish that rumor last year of the OS and the overlay being kept seperate came true, whatever happened to that?

It was just a rumor. Much like the AOSP S4 was a rumor that very few believed so it's irrational to bank on it from now on. I agree that "it makes sense" but let's not forget that it's been making sense for half a decade already and it was adopted only now, by the market leader nonetheless. If things worked the way they should then struggling OEM's would have done this years ago. I agree with you but I'm not as optimistic.

 

[Bateluer]

S4 GE is only 16GBs, unless I missed something? Means a large SD card is a necessity, which kicks the price tag easily over 700 dollars. Steep.

 

[poofyhairguy]

What I really get from this is Google loves them some Qualcomm. The Exynos S4 is now the saddest Galaxy ever released.

 

[poofyhairguy]

S4 GE is only 16GBs, unless I missed something? Means a large SD card is a necessity, which kicks the price tag easily over 700 dollars. Steep.

Where are you getting the $50 from? I just got a speed demon 32GB Samsung SD for $20 at Frys.

 

[VashHT]

I got the new play music and search updates already, there's a 30 day free trial for the new streaming service. Interface looks totally different for music now, I think it was due for an update for a while.

They've also updated the web player app, I see there is a radio button for some bands now.

 

[ChronoReverse]

What I really get from this is Google loves them some Qualcomm. The Exynos S4 is now the saddest Galaxy ever released.

Qualcomm has always been much more developer friendly. It's only the Galaxy S that had good Exynos support (because of the Nexus S).

 

[vshah]

yikes what happened to larry page's voice?

 

[s44]

Wait... was THIS what the guy meant by having a great camera on a Nexus? Ha ha, not at all what people expected.

 

[Aganazer]

whotf is this guy and why is his voice so creepy?

Isn't he the guy that had vocal cord paralysis?

 

[ChronoReverse]

Upgraded Maps. I look forward to trying it out. Being able to zoom right to the inside of restaurants is both creepy and cool

 

[Joe1986]

yikes what happened to larry page's voice?

http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/201...al-cords-treatment-comes-with-trade-offs?lite

 

[dagamer34]

yikes what happened to larry page's voice?

Left-sided vocal cord paralysis.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

the upgrade nav... I hope it outdoes Waze in terms of rerouting because right now Google doesn't analyze traffic well enough.

 

[s44]

The new Now (Search) and Music apps are already up on the Play Store. Waiting for Maps.

 

[Sid59]

I got the new play music and search updates already, there's a 30 day free trial for the new streaming service. Interface looks totally different for music now, I think it was due for an update for a while.

They've also updated the web player app, I see there is a radio button for some bands now.

Me too on my N4, not N7. I signed up for the Play Music Service, i was gonna go spoitfy until leaks about Google's Music Service came out.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Didn't figure Google needed an updated N7 anyway. It's fine hardware wise against the iPad mini, and its main selling point is price. Plus, waiting 5 months for them til the fall isn't a huge loss.

And honestly I can't see a giant need for a massive N5 upgrade or any desperately needed upgrades in the fall. The N10 is a perfectly fine device. We'll have to see what Apple launches in the fall.

Anyway, here's a good question. Is the N5 worth waiting for?

 

[ChronoReverse]

Nexus phones are announced in November anyway. It just makes sense to do them annually.