overview for mikestevens

Samsung announces One UI 6 beta with Android 14, then deletes it | 9to5Google by mikestevens in c/android@lemdro.id

[-] mikestevens@lemdro.id 15 points 1 year ago

Hmm. What you've posted isn't far off Samsung's shade, except for some weirdly wide buttons at the top and a media controller that doesn't add anything to the experience.

Yes it's got minor but not insignificant aesthetic differences, but to say Samsung's is awful and then hold this up as an example of good design... 🤔

Here's my Samsung's shade in its two positions (which can be changed to open fully on the first swipe if preferred).

10 years ago, Google launched the 2nd-gen Nexus 7, and no tablet has captured its magic since by mikestevens in c/android@lemdro.id

[-] mikestevens@lemdro.id 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I had the first gen, and it wasn't great in terms of performance, but damn I Ioved it. Very fond memories.

Also, I do have to chuckle at the progress since then. My S23 Ultra's screen is almost as large at 6.8 inches, yet the overall device is much smaller and obviously much, much, much more powerful. Progress!

Google delays its upgraded Find My Device network until Apple can add safety alerts by mikestevens in c/android@lemdro.id

[-] mikestevens@lemdro.id 12 points 1 year ago

Extremely frustrating, but I suppose I get it.

I'll probably get some airtags. I have an iPhone I don't use, but I've taken to carrying a bag more often when I'm out, so I guess I can just keep the iPhone in there for these sorts of things. (And hope I don't lose the bag. 😂)

13

Galaxy Flip imagined with telescopic stylus (lemdro.id)

submitted 1 year ago by mikestevens@lemdro.id to c/samsung@lemdro.id

2 comments fedilink

I love this idea. Not sure how flimsy the stylus would end up being, but it's a clever way to include one in a slimmer and more compact device.

40

Samsung might make a shock return to Exynos for the Galaxy S23 FE and Galaxy S24 models (www.pocket-lint.com)

submitted 1 year ago by mikestevens@lemdro.id to c/android@lemdro.id

4 comments fedilink

Pocket-lint has been told by a reliable source that Samsung may be considering using its own Exynos hardware again for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE and potentially the 2024 Galaxy S24 series in some regions, moving away from Snapdragon.

The return to Exynos hardware raises questions about whether fans will be happy.

While Snapdragon may still be used in the US for the Galaxy S24, Europe is currently expected to have the Exynos variant, which has previously been unpopular with some technology enthusiasts and network operators.

Can't say I'm stoked about this... Australia had Exynos for a long time and didn't get Snapdragon until the S22. I skipped the S22 when I had an S21 Ultra, but I am loving my S23U.

This Exynos chip is claimed to be awesome, but it'd be pretty impressive if it's more awesome than the Snapdragon chips.

There may still be some hope for some though, as Wood also said: "I'd be surprised if Samsung decided to return to Exynos for the important European market, but we might see it in some smaller markets to ensure Samsung's in-house platform stays in the game. There's also likely an element of Samsung wanting to keep Qualcomm on its toes too, which may be what is driving these recent rumours."

Favourite Launchers by mikestevens in c/askandroid@lemdro.id

[-] mikestevens@lemdro.id 8 points 1 year ago

Nova. I actually really like the One UI launcher anyway, but I'm just used to Nova. Mostly just the extra gestures and the bigger home grid. Not interested much in the cosmetic tweaks it's able to make.

But yeah, One UI is quite good too. I got used to it back when Android gesture nav didn't play nice with 3p launchers.

12

Samsung: Long-exposure 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 (not simply pro mode) from motion/live photos? (lemdro.id)

submitted 1 year ago by mikestevens@lemdro.id to c/askandroid@lemdro.id

8 comments fedilink

Ahoy all,

I know Samsung's phones don't do it natively (apart from using the actual shutter settings in pro mode), but does anybody know if there's an app that can emulate the iPhone's live photo long exposure effect (as seen here), using Samsung's motion photo function?

On the iPhone, you can open any live photo, then tap a menu option to have it stack each frame to create a long-exposure effect.

Blows my mind that Samsung hasn't dived into this type of thing, especially considering the Pixel now also has some great post-processing motion effects

Cheers!

"I love Android, but I prefer it more on tablets than phones" - Android Authority by mikestevens in c/android@lemdro.id

[-] mikestevens@lemdro.id 5 points 1 year ago

I prefer my Tab S8 over my 2019 iPad Pro, because all I use my tablet for is editing photos and watching media — but because it has user profiles, I can also share it with my young kids and control their app and content access, etc. So, Android is a very easy win for me in that regard.

Infinity for Lemmy by mikestevens in c/android@lemdro.id

[-] mikestevens@lemdro.id 6 points 1 year ago

Looks great! I'll be watching the progress on this one, for sure. Keep us updated!

The state of Playstore by mikestevens in c/android@lemdro.id

[-] mikestevens@lemdro.id 10 points 1 year ago

You don't... You don't think any exec cares about user experience, do you? Well, they do, but only to the extent that everything they do is just below our threshold for leaving in outrage.

1

Samsung confirms ‘slimmer and lighter’ Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Fold 5, teases tablets and watches (lemdro.id)

submitted 1 year ago by mikestevens@lemdro.id to c/samsung@lemdro.id

0 comments fedilink

Squeeze a stylus silo into that Fold and I'm all yours. I can't live without the stylus now, it's too damn useful with my S23U. And no thanks to any suggestions of getting the fat stylus case! (Well, maybe if it's slimmer this time...)

What's your favourite keyboard app? ⌨️ by mikestevens in c/android@lemdro.id

[-] mikestevens@lemdro.id 5 points 1 year ago

Hahaha, this is me. Nailed it.

135

What's your favourite keyboard app? ⌨️ (lemdro.id)

submitted 1 year ago by mikestevens@lemdro.id to c/android@lemdro.id

118 comments fedilink

So, up front, I'll admit I'm one of those guys that gets hung up on tiny, largely irrelevant quirks in apps. Yeah, I'm great fun at parties.

So, what's your favourite keyboard app? I keep coming back to SwiftKey. I feel like it's the best typing experience for me, with fairly accurate prediction and correction — although it's far from perfect, of course. I've seen plenty of people complain about it, and apart from Microsoft adding Bing to it, it's not received much in the way of innovation or useful updates since they bought it.

I particularly like that a long press on the backspace key will delete one whole word at a time, speeding up the longer you hold it down. I simply haven't found the backspace methods on Gboard or the Samsung keyboard (which used to be Swype I guess?) to be as predictable or reliable. Gboard's swipe back doesn't feel predictable in what it will do, and Samsung's backspace is more like iOS.

I also find SwiftKey to be the best at remembering sequences of words; if I start typing my address, it'll generally remember each successive word and offer it as the main prediction on the top row. Samsung and Gboard both do that to some extent, but I just haven't found them to be as reliably predictable in the results.

On the other hand, I hate that SwiftKey doesn't can't add an image to its clipboard. Copying and pasting images is a breeze with both Gboard and Samsung's keyboard, but with SwiftKey I pretty much have to download/screengrab and upload any image I want to insert in a chat or post.

So, that's it. Rant over! What's your favourite keyboard app, and does anything irritate you about it?

[Android Authority] I've run out of patience with the Pixel Tablet as a smart hub by mikestevens in c/android@lemdro.id

[-] mikestevens@lemdro.id 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

💯

It's what stopped me getting one. There's just no way I'm gonna bother listening to media on the thing, only to have it stop if I want to pick up the tablet and sit on the couch.

I assume they did this to keep the speaker cheap enough to include for free and at a compelling price for as many people as possible. Here's hoping they, or a third party, release a premium version at some point!

What android client do you use? by mikestevens in c/android@lemdro.id

[-] mikestevens@lemdro.id 9 points 1 year ago

Still just using the PWA, tbh. It's not perfect but I'm overall pretty happy with it. Probably won't move to an app until Sync or Artemis launch.

61

The Verge's review of the Pixel Fold as an image editor (lemdro.id)

submitted 1 year ago by mikestevens@lemdro.id to c/android@lemdro.id

19 comments fedilink

This is good to see, but as Welch notes, the lack of stylus support is a real miss here.

As a Samsung user myself, I'd obviously just look to the Galaxy Fold, although not being able to store the stylus onboard (without a case) does suck.

All that said, I'm very happy with my S23 Ultra for editing photos. Yeah I've gotta zoom in a lot, but it's not that big a pain. I actually start most of my Sony A7RV edits in Lightroom on my phone, only moving to desktop when I need to switch to Photoshop for final edits.

Any mobile photo editors in our growing community here?

This Phone is Nearly Perfect! (Zenfone 10) - MKBHD by mikestevens in c/android@lemdro.id

[-] mikestevens@lemdro.id 8 points 1 year ago

Yeah, that makes it a pretty unappealing phone imo. Two years of version updates and no option of moving to a rom afterwards... That's a big ol' nope.

This Phone is Nearly Perfect! (Zenfone 10) - MKBHD by mikestevens in c/android@lemdro.id

[-] mikestevens@lemdro.id 13 points 1 year ago

That's awesome for that very important feeling of security, but man it sucks when you get to two years and realise your phone won't be getting any better. I guess some folks don't mind that, and of course there's also ROMs as a solution, but still.