Waiting for Updates

Looks like I have multiple updates to look forward to. There's iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite coming for my Apple devices, Android L for my Nexus 5, and looks like there's also a new update for Windows Phone available soon: http://www.wpcentral.com/official-update-1-windows-phone-81-next-week-preview.

It'll be interesting to see whether the Windows Phone update solves any of the Bluetooth shortcomings I've experienced, but the most important thing is that Microsoft seems to have accelerated their WP update pace. Maybe there's some hope left for Windows Phone after all?

Google Play Issues

Just my luck. Of course it's only shortly after I publish a post praising Android when I run into issues with mine. I'm trying to migrate my todo manager to Toodledo, but it seems like Play Store is refusing to install the Android app on my Nexus 5. It's stuck at installing and I've got error 495 once. I've rebooted my phone and cleared Play Store's caches and app data, but so far nothing has helped.

I can install other apps (although they do take their time), but Toodledo appears to be stuck. I've tried to install the app on both WiFi and mobile data with similarly bad results. Sigh. Time for some additional troubleshooting, I guess.

UPDATE: It was up to WiFi. On a mobile network with a better reception and on a different WiFi network I could download the app just fine.

Liking the Green Bot

First of all, sorry about the delay with confirming that changing the audio settings as described in the previous post did indeed solve my Bluetooth issues and I've been a happy Nexus 5 camper ever since. I also got my case issues sorted out with a Spigen Neo Hybrid case, which I bought after a short tryout with the LG Snap Case for Nexus 5. The Snap Case added minimal bulk to the device, but I wasn't quite happy with the protection it provided. The sides were completely flush with the screen, so if my Nexus falls display first, the screen is most likely cracked. The old bumper case had its sides extending a couple of millimeters above the screen and I rather prefer that setup especially with a toddler around in the house.

So I went forward and bought a Spigen Neo Hybrid case in Champagne Gold after a recommendation in Google+, and my search for a case is over for now. I get decent protection, the case looks surprisingly good, and Qi charging still works. If only there were more room for a larger headphone jack, it would be close to perfection. I must also thank Google Play's customer support for its handling of my complaint about the discoloring bumper. When the support rep learned what had happened in such a short timeframe, they offered to refund the purchase straight away without any additional hassles. I've read some horror stories about Google's lack of customer support, but my personal experience so far has been quite the opposite. It was also a Saturday when I called them and got the issue sorted out. I was almost sure that it would be Monday to Friday only, but it seems like the Google Play support has rather decent opening hours. Good stuff, Google.

So with the Bluetooth and case issues both sorted out, the Nexus 5 is now my definite daily driver. Due to having two active cellular subscriptions (work and personal SIMs), I'm still carrying also my work-issued Lumia 925 around with me, but its use is relegated to acting as a backup just in case I run out of battery with my Nexus 5 and for playing Hill Climb Racing (and if someone knows how to sync my WP progress with the Android version of the game, please drop me a line :)). I also take a Lumia 620 with me e.g. to fishing trips and elsewhere where there's a serious risk of (water) damage to my phone. If there were a water-proof high-end Android device with stock Android available for purchase in Finland, I think I'd need to get one of those. Sony Xperia Z2 looks promising, but it's still a customized version and I'm rather impatient about getting the latest OS goodies, I'd really like a vanilla Android with those hardware features. If such a phone exists and I've just missed it, please do point out my ignorance and make my credit card sweat a little ;)

What comes to eagerly waiting for OS updates, Android L has some goodies I can barely wait for! I'm really looking forward to the battery life improvements, new design, personal unlocking, and the low latency audio recording and USB audio support. Maybe we'll get some of the iOS music apps I like ported to Android now? With Android L getting released in the fall, I'm rather happy that my Android device is a Nexus 5 so I'll be in the first wave of constantly checking for updates. If I had a spare Nexus, I'd try out the developer preview as well, but for now I don't think I want to take the risk with my daily driver. Maybe I'll do it somewhat closer to the release if impatience takes over. Oh, I almost forgot about the Chromecast improvements. I've bought one recently, and with the latest changes I think I'll be getting a couple more.

As I'm happy with the current usefulness of my Nexus 5 and the Android L update looks really promising, the iPhone 6 needs to be something truly exciting for me to justify its cost. Yes, I still think iOS 8 is a huge upgrade to iOS, but now when also Android L features have been revealed, I'm not sure if it provides enough advantage over Android for my use. Now the decision depends rather heavily on the iPhone 6 hardware. It might be that for example lack of wireless charging could turn out to be a deal-breaker for me now. Well, we'll see what Apple's up to in the coming months. Meanwhile I'm happy with my Nexus 5 and waiting for Android L to make it even better.

Technically Windows Phone is still in the race, too, but Microsoft really needs to pick up the pace and make something truly extraordinary to make me consider using WP before Android and/or iOS. I'm not holding my breath, though.

Nexus 5 - Getting Better and Better

The Nexus 5 is seriously growing on me all the time.  In the last post I complained about the Bluetooth issue being the most annoying,  and while I cannot say for sure yet,  it looks like I've found a solution which has improved the reliability quite a lot. Or then I've just been extra lucky throughout the day.

What I did was to disable phone audio from my Bluetooth receiver and left only media audio selected there. Losing the phone audio is not a big deal as the device is positioned so that it doesn't pick up my speech that well,  and I bought it for media use anyway.

So now this 5" beast is not only incredible value for money but my daily driver as well! The next big test is the autumn when iPhone 6 is released,  but if I've really got the Bluetooth audio issue solved,  the iPhone 6 really needs to deliver for me to spend the money on it.

Oh,  I also wrote this post completely on the Nexus. SwiftKey makes it a breeze with swype.

Nexus 5 - One Month In

I've had my Nexus 5 for about a month now and this looks like a good time for a quick recap.

At first I was naturally excited. For after all, I got new hardware and kind of new OS (I had a Nexus 7 a while back, but I sold it before KitKat was released) and the phone was pleasant and fast to use. In general I was pretty satisfied. However, then the "ooh shiny!" effect wore out maybe surprisingly quickly and I felt even somewhat disappointed.

However, within the last week I've found myself constantly picking up my Nexus 5 even for tasks where I usually pick up my T100 or sit in front of my Mac mini (IRC, answering e-mails etc). With some customization/configuration I've made the Nexus a nice IRC machine as well as a nice all-around pocket computer. I've also switched my podcast listening back to the Nexus 5 and the old iPhone 4 I got from my wife when I gave her my iPhone 5. I use that old iPhone because that's the device where Bluetooth audio works like it should. When I get into my car and switch on my Avantree Cara, the iPhone starts playing my podcasts wherever I left off previously as soon as I press the multifunction button on my Cara, but the Nexus 5 fails to react all too often (sometimes it does, though). I can usually get my Nexus back in shape by toggling Bluetooth on and off (an NFC tag helps quite a bit here), but I shouldn't have to jump through those hurdles. If this issue didn't exist, I'd be singing the praises of Android, but currently the iPhone is so far ahead in the Bluetooth reliability that getting an iPhone 6 is rather likely when it's released. However, as my current iPhone is the iPhone 4, it's really too slow for anything else than listening to podcasts, so it's just riding along in my laptop bag for scenarios where I want the Bluetooth to Just. Work. Typically I'm using my Nexus and resolving the Bluetooth issues with a quick Bluetooth on/off cycle helped by an NFC tag I've placed in my car. For the actual podcast listening I'm currently using Pocket Casts which is available for both iOS and Android and does cross-platform sync, so bouncing between the devices is not that much of a problem.

Well how about Windows Phone then? Yes, I still carry also the Lumia 925 with me, but it's been relegated to a secondary device. It's still running my financial apps, but out of convenience I might switch them to my Nexus at some point. I must admit it's more often than not when I'm concerned about Google's lack of respect for my privacy and whether I should migrate away from Android just because of that, but despite its downsides Android seems to cover my use cases better than Windows Phone with its current offering. Of course both platforms are developing constantly and Windows Phone might get there some day, but it's still not daily driver grade for me despite having some advantages over Android.

So it looks like the Nexus 5 will be my go-to device at least until the iPhone 6 is released. iOS 8 looks promising, but as the iPhone 6 hardware specs and pricing is not yet available, I can't say for sure whether I'm getting one even though currently the odds are pretty much in favor of me making a purchase. But the iPhone 6 is still at least a couple of months away, so the Nexus 5 now has its chance of making a permanent impression. We'll see how it turns out. But first I do need to get a new case for my Nexus. The yellow bumper case I ordered together with the phone itself is already all black at the corners as it's been sitting in my jeans pockets and the current combination is rather ugly to look at.

Whoa!

If you hear a screeching sound, it's just me hitting the brakes hard on the migration away from iOS I had been doing in the last few months. I had rather mild expectations about yesterday's WWDC keynote and I thought it would more or less reassure me that getting that Nexus 5 was a good idea.

Well, the reality turned out to be something completely different. While I had expected only Healthbook (the app itself turned out to be called Health) and some minor additions that might not be that relevant to me, I was suddenly watching Craig Federighi nail my iOS frustrations one after another. When they got to developer part and introduced Swift - the new programming language for iOS - I was more or less picking my jaw up from the floor. At least to me Swift came totally out of the blue and it eliminates most of the annoyances with Objective-C. My gut says that this will be a huge change.

So, the probability of me getting an iPhone 6 once it becomes available jumped from around 50% to well beyond 90%. Apple will really have to disappoint with the hardware for me not to want one together with iOS 8.

Lumia 1520

I think I promised a few words about the large 6" I had for a couple of weeks, so here it goes. As anyone familiar with the model knows, it's a large 6" phone, or so-called phablet to be more precise. However, even though it looks ginormous, it doesn't actually feel THAT huge when you're actually holding the device, maybe thanks to its thinness.

The camera in the phone is a 21-megapixel shooter that can capture also raw, so the specs are there and quite unsurprisingly for Nokia, it also delivers. The photos are also a joy to watch on the large screen.

Other hardware niceties include built-in wireless charging and a microSD slot, which is actually a first for high-end Lumias and a really welcome addition especially if you shoot raw.

Size-wise the phone was a joy to use especially when reading or otherwise consuming content, but a little bit trickier to carry. However, in my case the carrying problems are mitigated by the fact that I have a dual SIM subscription (so two different phones receive the same phonecalls and text messages) and I have also a Lumia 620. So whenever I'm in a situation where the 1520 is just a little bit too much, I can just pick up the 3,8" 620 and be just as reachable without additional SIM swapping.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like a phablet, but now it feels rather sad to send it back. Maybe I'll need to keep an eye on the deals. If Windows Phone didn't have the shortcomings I've discussed in the previous posts, I think I'd own one already.