No Nexus 6P news yet as my phone hasn't arrived :( I ordered mine from Saunalahti and at least they seem to have a shortage in 64GB models. Well, I hope it won't take too long. In addition, with the Finnish postal services mostly on strike currently, my case & USB C cables from Amazon haven't arrived either. We'll see when those finally make it here.
As I gave my previous daily driver, i.e. the iPhone 6 to my wife after her iPhone 5 broke down a couple of weeks ago, it meant taking a different phone into active use myself. At first I was using a loaner iPhone 6s+ for a week and as mentioned in the previous post, I was really close to buying myself one, but due to circumstances I had to take my Nexus 5 into use as my daily driver until the 6P arrives. Having been using exclusively Nexus 5 over a week now, I just realized that I haven't actually missed using an iPhone to any meaningful extent. Sure I've missed a good camera every now and then since the Nexus 5 shooter isn't that great, but that's something the 6P should handle with flying colors. Sure there are also a couple of apps I'd still like to use, but those have also good Android alternatives.
In addition, with Android I no longer have to wait for Apple Pay or even Android Pay to become available over here as I got a pilot invitation to Pivo's mobile payments, so now I have a virtual debit card that's linked to my debit account and usable straight via my Nexus 5's NFC. Neat.
Going Android also means that I can skip a costly watch upgrade for now as my LG G Watch is still chugging along even though charging is occasionally a little picky. When it's eventually time to replace it, I have a nicer price range of devices available instead of everything starting from rather expensive.
But so far it looks like I'm rather happy with the current Android offering and even more so when my Nexus 6P arrives. At least my wallet is happy with the saner pricing compared to Apple's current European offering. So it looks like I'm an Android user now, let's see if this lasts. For iOS I still have my old iPad 3 and the broken iPhone 5 is currently being repaired, so that will be a backup phone once it gets back. I will be needing the iOS devices at least for watching hockey, although I'm yet to check whether today's update to Ruutu.fi's Android app finally solved the playback issues they had previously. But for now it's mainly the green bot for me.
maanantai 23. marraskuuta 2015
tiistai 17. marraskuuta 2015
Going Phablet - We have a winner!
My phablet ponderings are now over and I have a new phone waiting to be delivered. That phone is the Nexus 6P. It was a really close call as I was really close to buying the iPhone 6s Plus. In fact, I went to a local carrier store to buy myself a 6s+ of my own as my loan period was running out, I was impressed by the camera and the battery life and I just wanted to restore my backup to a new phone and be done with it. However, the store didn't have the 64GB version in stock and the 16GB version is a useless and a shameful joke in 2015, so I actually had to bite the bullet and disable iMessage and all that and move all my stuff to my Nexus 5.
I thought it would be a temporary transition and the next day (it was Sunday when I made my store visit) I would just call the carrier and ask whether any nearby stores have 64GB version in stock. Well, it turned out 64GB wasn't that readily available in stores but by ordering one I could get it within a couple of days. However, the 6P launch was close so I wanted to give it a little more thought before just placing an order for the 6s Plus especially when the Nexus 5 is still a usable phone even though its camera and battery leave lots of room for improvement.
So I hadn't ordered a new phone yet and I was listening to podcasts while going through some routine tasks at work when it dawned on me: My headset control button works consistently now. It was either play or pause depending on the current playback state. Every. Single. Time. I had gotten all too used to my iPhone interpreting 30-40% of the control button clicks as me wanting to activate Siri or voice control when in reality I just wanted to pause playback or resume it.
Now that I realised I wouldn't have to suffer with that unintentional Siri / voice control BS if I used Android, those almost 300€ savings if I chose the 6P started to be really enticing. However, some of the potential savings would have to be spent on additional USB C cables, but it would still leave me with over 200€ more money compared to getting the 6s Plus. As I had also tested the 6s Plus and knew what it was capable of, I thought it would be only fair to give also the 6P a try. If I prefer the 6P, then I've made an excellent choice, but if I don't I can just sell it and throw in the extra money for the 6s Plus and use it without that nagging "what if the 6P is actually better for me" feeling I'd have if I had bought the 6s Plus outright.
But now I'm just waiting for my Nexus 6P to ship. I hope it happens on the next Monday when the phones become available in Finland. A case and some Anker USB C cables (yes, I've read that Google engineer piece so I decided to buy my cables from a manufacturer with a good track record) are also on their way from Amazon. More stuff to come when the phone arrives.
I thought it would be a temporary transition and the next day (it was Sunday when I made my store visit) I would just call the carrier and ask whether any nearby stores have 64GB version in stock. Well, it turned out 64GB wasn't that readily available in stores but by ordering one I could get it within a couple of days. However, the 6P launch was close so I wanted to give it a little more thought before just placing an order for the 6s Plus especially when the Nexus 5 is still a usable phone even though its camera and battery leave lots of room for improvement.
So I hadn't ordered a new phone yet and I was listening to podcasts while going through some routine tasks at work when it dawned on me: My headset control button works consistently now. It was either play or pause depending on the current playback state. Every. Single. Time. I had gotten all too used to my iPhone interpreting 30-40% of the control button clicks as me wanting to activate Siri or voice control when in reality I just wanted to pause playback or resume it.
Now that I realised I wouldn't have to suffer with that unintentional Siri / voice control BS if I used Android, those almost 300€ savings if I chose the 6P started to be really enticing. However, some of the potential savings would have to be spent on additional USB C cables, but it would still leave me with over 200€ more money compared to getting the 6s Plus. As I had also tested the 6s Plus and knew what it was capable of, I thought it would be only fair to give also the 6P a try. If I prefer the 6P, then I've made an excellent choice, but if I don't I can just sell it and throw in the extra money for the 6s Plus and use it without that nagging "what if the 6P is actually better for me" feeling I'd have if I had bought the 6s Plus outright.
But now I'm just waiting for my Nexus 6P to ship. I hope it happens on the next Monday when the phones become available in Finland. A case and some Anker USB C cables (yes, I've read that Google engineer piece so I decided to buy my cables from a manufacturer with a good track record) are also on their way from Amazon. More stuff to come when the phone arrives.
perjantai 13. marraskuuta 2015
Going Phablet - But Which One?
It looks like I've had yet another hiatus in blogging, but at least this time I have a good reason for it. My previous post was published two days before my daughter was born, so for the last two months the life at home has been somewhat busy :)
What comes to the new Apple TV, it's now been released and fortunately my predictions about the Finnish pricing were a little bit off and it's not quite as expensive as I anticipated even though it's not exactly cheap anyway. I still haven't got one as the input methods are currently restricted to the on-screen keyboard, which is quite incompatible with my blood pressure, so I'm hoping they get at least the Remote app updated or allow Bluetooth keyboards. My Nexus Player is running just fine while I'm waiting and seeing if Apple gets their stuff together.
But the main topic of this post is me getting a new phone. My wife's iPhone 5 broke down, so she got my iPhone 6 and as I've been wanting to try out a phablet-sized device anyway, I'm now in the market for a new phone. I actually have an iPhone 6s+ from work in my use until the next Monday, so I'll get at least some feel of that size and what it's like to use.
Currently my selection is pretty much a race between the iPhone 6s+ and the Nexus 6P which becomes available here in Finland on November 23. So let's check the benefits and downsides of each choice.
The iPhone 6s+ is a nice device, but its price in Finland is anything but nice. The 64GB version costs a whopping 969€. 64GB is a must here since 16GB on a late 2015 really expensive flagship with a 4k camera is just a bad joke, shame on you Apple. On my loaner device I also had an issue with registering taps on Safari, but that seems to be fixed by setting 3D Touch to require a firmer press. Keeping my fingers crossed for that. However, if I go with the 6s+, it means that an Apple Watch is on the list sooner or later and that's quite expensive too. I do have an Android Wear device that I can use for notifications, but the 3rd party watch support on iOS leaves a lot to be desired.
On the software front things are more favorable as the apps I use still have a slight design edge on iOS even though Android is gaining fast thanks to Material Design. There's also Ruutu.fi's service which I use for watching Finnish hockey. It does exist on Android as well, but for some reason they just can't get the live broadcasts to work on a satisfactory level on Android despite multiple fixes to their app.
On the hardware front one of the nice things is that Apple apparently has improved waterproofing of the 6s generation quite a bit, so I might not need to get myself a bulky waterproof case like I did for the iPhone 6. Those waterproof cases are also widely available for iPhones, but unfortunately I haven't seen that with the Nexus series. The 6s+ also has optical image stabilization for photos AND video, which is rather nice. The battery is a mixed case. It's much beefier than on the smaller iPhone and thanks to iOS's power management it can provide a nice battery life despite being not that impressive on paper. 3D Touch is also an interesting addition, but with the current app support its actual usefulness is still somewhat unclear.
What comes to the Nexus 6P, 699€ for the 64GB model and 50€ less for a still usable 32GB model is a clear winner here as the difference is almost 300€ when comparing 64GB to 64GB 6s+ and even more if I choose the 32GB version, but that's quite unlikely as 50€ more for much improved futureproofing isn't that much and it's basically half of what Apple charges for the storage tiers. As I mentioned, I already have an Android Wear device so I would have a fully-featured wrist companion right away. Granted, the LG G Watch is a rather old device and it doesn't support all the goodies Android Wear offers nowadays, so a watch upgrade would be on the roadmap also with the Nexus, but the models still tend to be cheaper than the Apple Watch. I also have a Nexus Player already, so ecosystem-wise I'd be more set for the Nexus.
The software side is a mixed bag, though. Like I mentioned previously, Ruutu.fi's Android app is rather horrible and I'm not holding my breath for them to provide an Android TV app, while an app for the new Apple TV is rather likely. Then again, with open NFC access software vendors are able to provide some nice solutions for e.g. mobile payments (Pivo's service should be opening for public access soon).
The hardware side has also its benefits and downsides. The camera actually beats the iPhone 6s+ especially on low light situations according to tests I've seen. It has also USB type C, which is nice, symmetrical and modern, but that also means that I need to add some extra cables to the purchase price since I need charging capabilities in my car and at the office too. I do have lots of Lightning cables, micro-USB cables as well Qi wireless chargers, but as the 6P omitted wireless charging, the only option is to get some extra USB C cables, which can be of really varying quality.
One thing that also bothers me is reports of the back glass breaking spontaneously. This seems to happen especially when the phone is subject to sudden temperature variations. When you keep in mind that I live in Finland and winter is coming, this has the potential to be a huge issue as I can easily subject my phone to 40C differences in temperature by coming in from -20C outside to +21C or so inside and vice versa.
Then again, there have been reports of surprisingly good cellular reception with the 6P, so if that is true it's a definite plus for the device.
When considering the points above, the choice won't be an easy one and I really wish I had also the 6P for a test run before investing a lot of money into either one. Well, let's see if the choice becomes clearer during the weekend.
What comes to the new Apple TV, it's now been released and fortunately my predictions about the Finnish pricing were a little bit off and it's not quite as expensive as I anticipated even though it's not exactly cheap anyway. I still haven't got one as the input methods are currently restricted to the on-screen keyboard, which is quite incompatible with my blood pressure, so I'm hoping they get at least the Remote app updated or allow Bluetooth keyboards. My Nexus Player is running just fine while I'm waiting and seeing if Apple gets their stuff together.
But the main topic of this post is me getting a new phone. My wife's iPhone 5 broke down, so she got my iPhone 6 and as I've been wanting to try out a phablet-sized device anyway, I'm now in the market for a new phone. I actually have an iPhone 6s+ from work in my use until the next Monday, so I'll get at least some feel of that size and what it's like to use.
Currently my selection is pretty much a race between the iPhone 6s+ and the Nexus 6P which becomes available here in Finland on November 23. So let's check the benefits and downsides of each choice.
The iPhone 6s+ is a nice device, but its price in Finland is anything but nice. The 64GB version costs a whopping 969€. 64GB is a must here since 16GB on a late 2015 really expensive flagship with a 4k camera is just a bad joke, shame on you Apple. On my loaner device I also had an issue with registering taps on Safari, but that seems to be fixed by setting 3D Touch to require a firmer press. Keeping my fingers crossed for that. However, if I go with the 6s+, it means that an Apple Watch is on the list sooner or later and that's quite expensive too. I do have an Android Wear device that I can use for notifications, but the 3rd party watch support on iOS leaves a lot to be desired.
On the software front things are more favorable as the apps I use still have a slight design edge on iOS even though Android is gaining fast thanks to Material Design. There's also Ruutu.fi's service which I use for watching Finnish hockey. It does exist on Android as well, but for some reason they just can't get the live broadcasts to work on a satisfactory level on Android despite multiple fixes to their app.
On the hardware front one of the nice things is that Apple apparently has improved waterproofing of the 6s generation quite a bit, so I might not need to get myself a bulky waterproof case like I did for the iPhone 6. Those waterproof cases are also widely available for iPhones, but unfortunately I haven't seen that with the Nexus series. The 6s+ also has optical image stabilization for photos AND video, which is rather nice. The battery is a mixed case. It's much beefier than on the smaller iPhone and thanks to iOS's power management it can provide a nice battery life despite being not that impressive on paper. 3D Touch is also an interesting addition, but with the current app support its actual usefulness is still somewhat unclear.
What comes to the Nexus 6P, 699€ for the 64GB model and 50€ less for a still usable 32GB model is a clear winner here as the difference is almost 300€ when comparing 64GB to 64GB 6s+ and even more if I choose the 32GB version, but that's quite unlikely as 50€ more for much improved futureproofing isn't that much and it's basically half of what Apple charges for the storage tiers. As I mentioned, I already have an Android Wear device so I would have a fully-featured wrist companion right away. Granted, the LG G Watch is a rather old device and it doesn't support all the goodies Android Wear offers nowadays, so a watch upgrade would be on the roadmap also with the Nexus, but the models still tend to be cheaper than the Apple Watch. I also have a Nexus Player already, so ecosystem-wise I'd be more set for the Nexus.
The software side is a mixed bag, though. Like I mentioned previously, Ruutu.fi's Android app is rather horrible and I'm not holding my breath for them to provide an Android TV app, while an app for the new Apple TV is rather likely. Then again, with open NFC access software vendors are able to provide some nice solutions for e.g. mobile payments (Pivo's service should be opening for public access soon).
The hardware side has also its benefits and downsides. The camera actually beats the iPhone 6s+ especially on low light situations according to tests I've seen. It has also USB type C, which is nice, symmetrical and modern, but that also means that I need to add some extra cables to the purchase price since I need charging capabilities in my car and at the office too. I do have lots of Lightning cables, micro-USB cables as well Qi wireless chargers, but as the 6P omitted wireless charging, the only option is to get some extra USB C cables, which can be of really varying quality.
One thing that also bothers me is reports of the back glass breaking spontaneously. This seems to happen especially when the phone is subject to sudden temperature variations. When you keep in mind that I live in Finland and winter is coming, this has the potential to be a huge issue as I can easily subject my phone to 40C differences in temperature by coming in from -20C outside to +21C or so inside and vice versa.
Then again, there have been reports of surprisingly good cellular reception with the 6P, so if that is true it's a definite plus for the device.
When considering the points above, the choice won't be an easy one and I really wish I had also the 6P for a test run before investing a lot of money into either one. Well, let's see if the choice becomes clearer during the weekend.
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