TheFlyingGerbil Posted November 18, 2013 Report Share Posted November 18, 2013 I'm hoping to buy an android phone soon and need something for my podcasts. I've got over 100gb of podcasts so I need to manage them on my computer rather than the phone. At the moment I use Zune with my Windows Phone.It knows which ones I've listened to on my phone and automatically removes it from the phone and syncs the next one next time I plug it in. Is there an equivalent that works that way with android, i.e. it knows which episodes I've listened to so I don;t have to remove them all manually? Would I have to install something on my phone too or does it know to treat podcasts differently to music with the built in player? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted November 18, 2013 Report Share Posted November 18, 2013 There isn't a built-in podcast player. Other than that I can't provide you much information since I don't listen to Podcasts. There's plenty of Podcast apps though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pojodin Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 I know it's not what the topic implied, but I saw this topic and then saw this gif and figured why not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFlyingGerbil Posted June 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 This isn't a request for help so much as a tip that's made a real difference to my phone. I changed it from the Dalvik runtime to Art. You tap "about phone" 5 times in settings to activate developer mode then it's one of the options in there. Your phone resets and recompiles your apps. Took about 5 mins in all and my phone runs so much better. Previously whenever I opened a semi-complicated web page my podcast player would stop and it hasn't done that once since and the whole thing seems generally snappier. They did warn as not everything is optimised for it yet there may be some stability issues but I haven't had any so I'd say definitely worth trying if your phone's not as fast as you would like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted June 11, 2014 Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 Yeah ART is likely going to be the big new feature of Android 5.0, currently still in beta and a fair few apps not yet compatible, so not for light hearted. (also requires a Jellybean device) It's generally better cos it makes the apps ahead of time, does mean larger app size but that's less of an issue these days. Likely to find future apps will download already sorted for ART (Android Runtime in case you're curious) . I've a few incompatible apps I make frequent use of so yet to make the leap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faiblesse Des Sens Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 This isn't a request for help so much as a tip that's made a real difference to my phone. I changed it from the Dalvik runtime to Art. You tap "about phone" 5 times in settings to activate developer mode then it's one of the options in there. Your phone resets and recompiles your apps. Took about 5 mins in all and my phone runs so much better. Previously whenever I opened a semi-complicated web page my podcast player would stop and it hasn't done that once since and the whole thing seems generally snappier. They did warn as not everything is optimised for it yet there may be some stability issues but I haven't had any so I'd say definitely worth trying if your phone's not as fast as you would like. In my experience it's app compatibility issues (not many as I mostly stick to modern, well-designed apps) and not stability issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFlyingGerbil Posted June 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 I guess people should proceed with more caution than I thought but it was certainly still a great decision for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleven Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 Now that I've been working from home and not going out much, I find that my preference for the size of my phone's screen has changed. I've always thought my iPhone 5s' screen was ok (4"), and I may go larger but no more than maybe 4.5". I actually have a Moto G(?) that's 4.5", and using that, I can feel the difference (much better viewing videos), but now I still think I can go bigger. So I looked up a comparison size for the new iPhones and found this: Resized that to match my 5s exactly and see how I would feel about the bigger sizes. I have an Anker power bank and it matches the size of the 6 almost perfectly (though probably 3x heavier), and I can see myself using that. But holy crap is that 6 plus big (Samsung Notes have existed for a long long time but I've never really paid any attention to phones > 5"). I've given up on a tablet since, even at home, I don't want to be using two devices, I'd much rather have 1 I can use for everything. So I'm kinda leaning for the 6 plus (maybe the 6s plus or whatever it's better iteration is later this year), but I gotta figure out how to carry that around. Back pockets are not an option, and while I think a 6 might fit on my front pocket (would look bad though), a 6 plus would be impossible. I do lug around a bag when I go some place farther than grocery shopping (it's a Fallout BoS bag! I wanna use it! And I pack my Vita too even though I rarely use it. And earphones. And a battery pack... I like to be prepared.), so that's one option. Hmm... Maybe I'll try to get a feel next time I pass a store that has them on display. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFlyingGerbil Posted February 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 was the phones bending in people's pockets a real problem/design issue or was it just a bunch of prannocks making waves when it launched? If you don't always carry a bag I wouldn't get something that doesn't go in your pocket as what else are you going to do? Carry it in your hand is not really practical. Why don't you try carrying the power bank around in your pocket for a few days and see if it is unwieldy when sitting down or just out and about. If you can't wait to get it out of your pocket then the big size can't be for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faiblesse Des Sens Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 There was like 9 reported cases total out of like 10 million phones sold. AKA complete non-issue. I have a mini power bank that holds a full charge. Fits in my pocket. It's maybe twice the thickness of a pen? Probably a little larger. The brick-sized ones wouldn't really work for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 You are less than a man if you can't go hiking and scrambling up and down slopes with a phablet in your front pocket. /s Then again, I've been doing this for ~3 years now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRevanchist Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 (edited) The wife needs a new phone, without complication. The iPhone seems to be the way to go in order to keep it simplistic, which I am not sold on completely. I am also curious if someone has some advice as to a carrier. I've had my ATT service since the dawn of time, but my contract is up in a few weeks and I think the cell market is more customer friendly now than it was a couple of years ago. Thoughts? Dissertations? Edit: Crap. Wrong place to post. TME, Dean, please move it to the appropriate home. Thanks. Edited March 5, 2015 by TheRevanchist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 I can't advise on carrier (other than I'll be glad to jump back to EE once my O2 contract is up), but if she's wanting something simple then Windows Phone is probably better than iPhone. They're on an equalish level of simplicity, with the bonus of Windows Phone being not tied to the Apple ecosystem (unless your'e already in that, then there's not much of a question on phones, Though at this point as iOS has tried to match Android in features and Android match iOS in elegance there's not much of a difference of one being any more "difficult" than the other. My mum perfectly happily manages to use an Android phone and she struggled to set up video recording. And my dad is now on his second Windows Phone and loves em, they're quite "no nonsense" phones. Which I imagine "non-nonsense" is maybe what you're looking for over "simplicity". Simplicity means that an iPhone does great in certain tasks, but if you try something a tad more complex (and we're not talking running a web server from your phone, mainly stuff like "putting a PDF on the device") then it tends to make it waaayyyy more complex or costly than needs be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 I think that smart phones are as complicated as the person using them. My dad bought himself an S5. I reckon he doesn't use even half of the feature set, but what he does use, he loves. If she's got an android, stick with that and spend an hour with her setting up the home screen so that everything she needs is a couple of swipes away. If she's getting her first smartphone, then she might as well choose the phone that she likes the aesthetics of the best be that iPhone or Android. My gf like her S4 mini. I'd probably steer clear of Windows Phone just because there are fewer apps on that ecosystem, even though the main ones, Facebook , Twitter, banking etc. are covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleven Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 Continuity, Apple Pay, Touch ID, Apple care / tech support at stores. If you don't care for any of those, might as well go Android. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 Continuity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleven Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 Basically linking and continuing your activities from your phone to the mac (and vice versa) like calls, text, writing emails, browsing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 As I said, if she's in the Apply ecosystem it's a bit of a no-brainer, might as well go with iPhone. Continuity is for the most part Pushbullet (which incidentally if you have an Android device you should really pick up Pushbullet) (Yes it runs on iOS too, but by all accounts it's heavily restricted in features due to iOS walled-gardeness). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRevanchist Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 Thanks, guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 Pushbullet looks really cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Continuity, Apple Pay, Touch ID, Apple care / tech support at stores. If you don't care for any of those, might as well go Android. "Continuity" Apple Pay and Touch ID are very much power user applications. From what Revan said, I can't those features being particularly in demand. Not to mention the fact that Continuity exists on Android (I have whatsapp, chrome to phone, google mail and Drive and keep and music all seamless linking between the two), Touch ID is available on the S5. I will concede that Apple has a good reputation for after sales support. (It's not a criteria I would use to decide a gadget purchase though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faiblesse Des Sens Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Continuity, Apple Pay, Touch ID, Apple care / tech support at stores. If you don't care for any of those, might as well go Android. "Continuity" Apple Pay and Touch ID are very much power user applications. From what Revan said, I can't those features being particularly in demand. Not to mention the fact that Continuity exists on Android (I have whatsapp, chrome to phone, google mail and Drive and keep and music all seamless linking between the two), Touch ID is available on the S5. I will concede that Apple has a good reputation for after sales support. (It's not a criteria I would use to decide a gadget purchase though). This is standard "need several apps to do things that work out of the box on other systems" sort of stuff that's common with Android. Wouldn't really call Touch ID & Apple Pay power user features. More like features that people just take time to discover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleven Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 I can't imagine someone using an iPhone 5s, 6 or 6+ without using Touch ID. That seems crazy to me. Maybe those that don't even put passcodes or swipe patterns, but those are lost causes. The suggestions were due to how convenient they are. They're good features with low barrier to entry (including Continuity, at least the phone calls and text messages), as long as you're in the ecosystem already (i.e. using a Mac or an iPad). So even a disinterested customer can easily jump in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Continuity, Apple Pay, Touch ID, Apple care / tech support at stores. If you don't care for any of those, might as well go Android. "Continuity" Apple Pay and Touch ID are very much power user applications. From what Revan said, I can't those features being particularly in demand. Not to mention the fact that Continuity exists on Android (I have whatsapp, chrome to phone, google mail and Drive and keep and music all seamless linking between the two), Touch ID is available on the S5. I will concede that Apple has a good reputation for after sales support. (It's not a criteria I would use to decide a gadget purchase though). This is standard "need several apps to do things that work out of the box on other systems" sort of stuff that's common with Android. Wouldn't really call Touch ID & Apple Pay power user features. More like features that people just take time to discover. Chrome, Google Drive and Play Music are both already on vast majority of Android devices out of the box though. Same as "several apps to do things" on iOS being Safari, iCloud and iTunes. (Whatsapp is a personal choice of Thursdays, which is also available for iOS too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 I didn't mean to include Touch ID in the list of power user things, rather it is something available on certain Android devices out of the box. As Dean said, most of the "continuity" apps are installed out of the box. My point is that unless you are already in an ecosystem, then choosing Android or Apple is pretty much a fashion / price choice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.