Database Users

Google Cardboard (Galaxy Note 3)

I know it isn't compatible with my Note 3 due to size constraints, but I ordered one anyway - I think I have an S4 laying around somewhere. I'm wondering who has used it with their Note 3 and what their experience was.

SeenNotScene said:
I know it isn't compatible with my Note 3 due to size constraints, but I ordered one anyway - I think I have an S4 laying around somewhere. I'm wondering who has used it with their Note 3 and what their experience was.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what was your experience with this?
I'm wondering should i just buy one for my note 3 or make a bigger one,
The problem with bigger one is i don't know if the lens position and/or focal length need to be changed.

ankur88 said:
So what was your experience with this?
I'm wondering should i just buy one for my note 3 or make a bigger one,
The problem with bigger one is i don't know if the lens position and/or focal length need to be changed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm kind of interested in this for my Note 3 too. Here's one for $8.99 if you want to try it: http://www.focalprice.com/MX0124X/G...ium=EM&utm_campaign=DM_1432ZT_3Dglass_MX0124X

My "unofficial" cardboard unit arrived today. I had to modify the front to accommodate the Note 3's extra width. It works ok, but the volume controls are constantly getting (accidentally) pushed when you hold your thumbs anywhere near where the phone is. Same can be said about the power button on the top.
The camera is completely covered by the cardboard itself, because the oval-shaped hole assumes a shorter phone.
I'm running Alliance Rom and the PhotoSphere app doesn't work (it FC's). Other than that, the only other comment I can make is that the phone gets pretty warm while it's running the VR stuff. Takes quite a bit of power, because the battery drops quickly too.
All in all, it is a fun little toy. I look forward to other applications being created. OBTW, a lot of the compatible apps from the play store, require a Bluetooth controller. to function. Lucily I have a Bluetooth mini keyboard that has a d-pad style controller. This combination works ok.

I think I will wait to try VR when I can Full Dive... the current versions just make me motion sick.
Posted here because I am interested in how it turns out for you guys.

SeenNotScene said:
I know it isn't compatible with my Note 3 due to size constraints, but I ordered one anyway - I think I have an S4 laying around somewhere. I'm wondering who has used it with their Note 3 and what their experience was.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its weird that it doesn't fit.
Cause currently there's that (worst to best) that Android VR Headset dubbed "Gameface", followed by Samsung's attempts with Gear VR, then there's SONY's Project Morpheus and finally the "king" Oculus Rift.
Its weird because out of all those millions (billions?) of dollars spent in development, the Oculus Rift comes out on top... and that VR uses the NOTE 3's display.
Literally. They've cut out the N3's screen, and slapped it on goggles with a pair of lens.
I want to try out Cardboard but I'm worried the initial bad experience might deter me from VR experience for good (remember VirtualBoy?). I might hold out for O/R's consumer product.
We'll see in the future when it gets mainstream; I'd expect it to ship for ~$399 and use a SAMOLED+ screen of roughly 6inch size and 4K resolution.
(Following the OR development, they're converging towards the 6in size and want to get as high resolution as possible. 4K is possible, and will be cheap in the near future. 4K allows easier development for applications too. OLED is best, but too costly at the moment. SAMOLED+ panels seems to be the better in terms of refresh rates and battery life than IPS, despite costing a little more than IPS. IPS has better brightness too, but that's moot. Oculus Rift has always aimed at quality and affordability so I couldn't expect it cheaper than $249 and wouldn't expect it higher than $500. So $399 seems like a "sweet spot" for mass manufacturing. Unless Facebook ruins it).

nukeboyt said:
My "unofficial" cardboard unit arrived today. I had to modify the front to accommodate the Note 3's extra width. It works ok, but the volume controls are constantly getting (accidentally) pushed when you hold your thumbs anywhere near where the phone is. Same can be said about the power button on the top.
The camera is completely covered by the cardboard itself, because the oval-shaped hole assumes a shorter phone.
I'm running Alliance Rom and the PhotoSphere app doesn't work (it FC's). Other than that, the only other comment I can make is that the phone gets pretty warm while it's running the VR stuff. Takes quite a bit of power, because the battery drops quickly too.
All in all, it is a fun little toy. I look forward to other applications being created. OBTW, a lot of the compatible apps from the play store, require a Bluetooth controller. to function. Lucily I have a Bluetooth mini keyboard that has a d-pad style controller. This combination works ok.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So from what I understand, you can make it all work with relative ease. I may order this. I use an otterbox case, which adds to the bulk. Hopefully I don't have to buy a smaller phone just to enjoy VR.

Unofficial Cardboard large
Ok, just noticed this on the UnofficialCardboard website
https://www.unofficialcardboard.com/product/large-unassembled-diy-die-cut-kit-w-nfc/
Its seems they finally made one for larger phones. Not all the details are on the site yet(like what phones are compatible) but am very tempted to order one right away

ObscureNemesis said:
Ok, just noticed this on the UnofficialCardboard website
https://www.unofficialcardboard.com/product/large-unassembled-diy-die-cut-kit-w-nfc/
Its seems they finally made one for larger phones. Not all the details are on the site yet(like what phones are compatible) but am very tempted to order one right away
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i ordered one of the large ones from unofficialcardboard. com yesterday. ill update once i receive it.
i purchased one of the VR kits from dodocase.com and i did fit my Note 3 in it but it produces blury, out of focus and ghosting images. i modded my case so that my power and volume buttons wouldn't be pressed during use by cutting slots on the flap for them. once i tried the VR headset with my brother's S5 i saw the difference... and it was a big difference! everything was perfectly focused and im hoping this bigger VR headset will provide the same with the Note 3

ordered one
ObscureNemesis said:
Ok, just noticed this on the UnofficialCardboard website
https://www.unofficialcardboard.com/product/large-unassembled-diy-die-cut-kit-w-nfc/
.
Its seems they finally made one for larger phones. Not all the details are on the site yet(like what phones are compatible) but am very tempted to order one right away
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So
I ordered the larger one for my note 3 which I keep in an otterbox I'll update with initial impressions

I ordered a DodoCase version and it arrived today. I wasn't sure how it would work with my Note 3, but it works pretty well. The screen is almost exactly the size of the opening and so gives more viewing screen than smaller phones would.
I made three minor modifications to it. One was a cutout on the top to allow me to access the power button. Another, similar cutout (this time I only cut three sides and secured it loosely with tape) to relieve the pressure on the volume button and allow me to change the volume. The third was a minor enlargement of the camera hole to allow the camera lens full access. All three cuts are about 1/4 inch deep and the width of the needed buttons/camera, very minor, and very effective.
I haven't had a LOT of time to play with it yet, but it works very well. I look forward to comparing it to my wife's S5 when she gets home.
Oh, I had some double sided velcro around and found that strip of that will hold it to my head quite well too. So far I haven't decided how to attach the velcro, but it works just wrapped around the cardboard and my head.
All things considered, I am very pleased with the way it works with my Note 3!

I decided I didn't want to use my Note 3 for this as it wasn't on the 'official' supported list. I picked up a Moto X used in nice shape and a very good price just to try this out. Got the cardboard kit today and tried it out. Very impressive but the phone does get quite warm in just a few minutes. Androsens was saying it was at 101 degrees F and battery was at 104 degrees F which is higher by far than it normally gets. The warmth was quite noticeable when I pulled the phone back out of the VR kit. I think battery use runs fairly high with this too. Overall I don't think I'd want to run it for long periods and definitely not with my Note 3 (although it might have enough more horsepower that it wouldn't warm up ? )
I saw one of the choices in the cardboard app is Youtube. Does anyone know if the youtubes showing in that are done special for the 3D or are they just normal Youtubes? I saw one that had been on CNN news this morning of a turtle chasing an RC car. It had some dimension to it but you couldn't pan around in that like you can with the other built in apps so I tend to think it's just a normal Youtube.

I just tried the carboard VR kit now with the Samsung Galaxy S3 and it sort of works except the magnet doesn't work to select items so you have to open the box and tap them to select. This phone also got very warm with just a few minutes use. My phones normally run in the low 80's F but running this they are hitting 99-104 degrees F. Be careful not to fry your phones ! It must max out the CPU speed and voltage to run the 3D stuff. Impressive to get a taste of VR but I'm not sure a most phones could take the heat for running long term. Also the Galaxy S3 doesn't play the Windy Day as this is specific for Motorola and the Moto X.

Can't we just somehow disable all hardware buttons on the Note 3? Disable volume keys, disable power button?
I bought a DodoCase, the phone fits JUST JUST right, but of course all the buttons are pressed, lol. I have a rooted phone running custom roms along with xposed... I'm sure there is a setting somewhere to disable them?

hello,
Someone could he give me a map unofficial model (largest to Note 3) Please?
I bought the normal model but it's too galley (I recovered the lenses above)

Unofficial Cardboard large *update*
So I got the Unofficial cardboard large for my Note 3.
The phone fits perfectly into the unit.
As someone mentioned before, the HW buttons do get pressed sometimes but its possible to make cutouts to prevent this/get access to the buttons.
Don't know if its due to the lack of lens adjustment in the cardboard design, but individual pixels are a lot more visible then I have expected, given the 1080p Note 3 display.
All in all I think it was money well spent. Got a nice preview of what this VR hype is all about

ObscureNemesis said:
So I got the Unofficial cardboard large for my Note 3.
The phone fits perfectly into the unit.
As someone mentioned before, the HW buttons do get pressed sometimes but its possible to make cutouts to prevent this/get access to the buttons.
Don't know if its due to the lack of lens adjustment in the cardboard design, but individual pixels are a lot more visible then I have expected, given the 1080p Note 3 display.
All in all I think it was money well spent. Got a nice preview of what this VR hype is all about
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you get yours from?
How much did it set you back?
International postage?
....I'm also wanting to get this just to try it, see what VR is like.

Kangal said:
Where did you get yours from?
How much did it set you back?
International postage?
....I'm also wanting to get this just to try it, see what VR is like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://www.unofficialcardboard.com/products/unassembled-kits/unassembled-uc-large-w-nfc/
$20 + $10(flat international rate for the unassembled version)

I bought the large Google cardboard from eBay for $16.99 with the nfc tag (I would get the one without the tag though). My 7 year old son loves it. I think it's pretty cool as well but most of the apps have drift issue (or its the phone). I also use a PS3 controller and it seems that the controller isn't set up for most of the apps... The joystick works but the buttons don't.
I have only had it for 4 days and I will continue playing with it. I can keep posting with my experiences and app opinions if you want. Ank any questions about it and I will answer them to the best of my knowledge.

Obviously for cardboard I can't expect some amazing VR but, most of the youtube videos show users pretty immersed in it. How is the immersion? ie: roller coaster effect?

what smartwatch to buy given .....

hi to all forum members.
i'd like to purchase a new smartwatch and here is what i'd like it to do for me:
1. be able to answer a phone call shortly - not long conversations - and also via a text message
2. get and read notification from messenger, Whatsup or SMS -text messages.
3.be able to navigate while walking using Google maps and get directions on my smartwatch.
4. and last but not least see the time
all other function will be appreciated and welcomed
those i was considering were
AsusZen Watch
LG G Watch R
Samsung Gear Live
Sony Smartwatch 3
i'm using a galaxy s4 as my phone
thanks in advance
macc

As far as I know there aren't any Android Wear watches that support phone calls.

You can answer the phone on Android Wear, but you have to pick up your phone to hear and talk. I personally have the ZenWatch, but keep in mind that the second generation of these watches will be coming out later this year and early next year.
Sent from my VIVO AIR using Tapatalk

...and Biktor will be all over that update. If you can stand some flashing and subscribing to xda threads, the gear 2 neo will make a viable and extremely cheap alternative. I got mine in box for a third of the price of a wear watch.

Ilxaot said:
You can answer the phone on Android Wear, but you have to pick up your phone to hear and talk. I personally have the ZenWatch, but keep in mind that the second generation of these watches will be coming out later this year and early next year.
Sent from my VIVO AIR using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U8 smartwatch lets you answer and continue the conversation. You can also bring up the keypad and dial and call any number.
For what they cost on eBay aud $26 I can't find anything better... Like the Asus Zenwatch but they have no speaker and you have to hop off the bike and take the phone out of your pocket to continue the call.
The Samsung Gear has the charge contacts that fail from perspiration and Samsung claim it's the owners fault....are they supposed to keep the watch in their pocket. It's like having purchased a dive watch and your warranty is void if you wear it in the water.
So the design is flawed, the choice of sweat resistant solid contacts is needed with the light weight ones that corrode should be on the charger itself.
As for most of the others smartwatches they are too expensive for what they actually are capable of and the poor battery life.
Sent from my SM-P605 using Tapatalk

Honestly what I did was purchased a LG G Watch, refurb, from CowBoom for $45. I actually love this little thing. The only thing it WON'T do is take calls because of lack of speaker. I an answer/decline calls but I have to grab my phone to talk unless you pair a headset, which then it works great.
I went this route for 3 reasons. One because I didn't even know if I "needed or wanted" a smartwatch. I figured it would be a toy that ended up in a drawer. So I went the cheap route and picked up the cheapest Android Wear I could find. It is water proof so having notifications and music control while in the pool is very very cool. The only thing it doesn't do is actually let me take the call on the watch itself from the lack of speaker.The second reason I went that route was because supposedly the next round of Android Wear SmartWatches will support speakers. I suspect the Moto 360 2 and others will have this. The third reason is that I believe all current smartwatches have the same innerds anyway. I don't need to spend $200 more just for a round display.
Having used Android Wear for about a month. I can honestly say most of the features I thought I "needed" aren't really needed. Here is my list of "wants/needs" for my next watch I buy in round 2:
Needs
1. Water Resistance (absolute must since my primary use is in the pool)
2. Speaker for taking quick voice calls
3. Magnetic or Qi Wireless Charging. Not having a decent Charger connection is annoying. The LG G Watch has a magnetic dock. Super awesome.
Wants:
1. AMOLED screen (the LCD is fine, but the AMOLED seems it would be better for battery and usage)
2. Wireless (for extended range and direct app access)
3. Sky is the limit!

I know they are the underdog around here, but I thought I would point some things out. All things being equal, the Sony swr3 is my choice.
Why,
Needs:
waterproof
Easy to read in direct sunlight
Long battery life (all things being equal)
Not too expensive
Comfortable
Wants
Stand alone gps
WiFi
Nfc
Magnetic charging
All things being equal, this watch checked all the boxes save for wireless charging.
However, things are rarely equal and it seems the past few updates have been buggy as far as battery drain. So, the battery life is now the same as all the other watches (a bit more than a day when I reboot it preventing the drain), and when it drains quickly, it overheats. Other than that, it is amazing.

lekofraggle said:
I know they are the underdog around here, but I thought I would point some things out. All things being equal, the Sony swr3 is my choice.
Why,
Needs:
waterproof
Easy to read in direct sunlight
Long battery life (all things being equal)
Not too expensive
Comfortable
Wants
Stand alone gps
WiFi
Nfc
Magnetic charging
All things being equal, this watch checked all the boxes save for wireless charging.
However, things are rarely equal and it seems the past few updates have been buggy as far as battery drain. So, the battery life is now the same as all the other watches (a bit more than a day when I reboot it preventing the drain), and when it drains quickly, it overheats. Other than that, it is amazing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I looked at the Sony. The 1 downfall I think with Sony is that it uses special wrist straps vs standard 22mm like the others do, so you are kinda stuck wearing a Sony strap.
Regardless I won't buy another smartwatch until I can use it as a speakerphone.

Yeah, they do make a universal band adapter, but it seems expensive, and you can only buy them on eBay. As for the speakerphone, you can use bluetooth with it (or your phone) so you could do speakerphone that way theoretically.

player911 said:
Honestly what I did was purchased a LG G Watch, refurb, from CowBoom for $45. I actually love this little thing. The only thing it WON'T do is take calls because of lack of speaker. I an answer/decline calls but I have to grab my phone to talk unless you pair a headset, which then it works great.
I went this route for 3 reasons. One because I didn't even know if I "needed or wanted" a smartwatch. I figured it would be a toy that ended up in a drawer. So I went the cheap route and picked up the cheapest Android Wear I could find. It is water proof so having notifications and music control while in the pool is very very cool. The only thing it doesn't do is actually let me take the call on the watch itself from the lack of speaker.The second reason I went that route was because supposedly the next round of Android Wear SmartWatches will support speakers. I suspect the Moto 360 2 and others will have this. The third reason is that I believe all current smartwatches have the same innerds anyway. I don't need to spend $200 more just for a round display.
Having used Android Wear for about a month. I can honestly say most of the features I thought I "needed" aren't really needed. Here is my list of "wants/needs" for my next watch I buy in round 2:
Needs
1. Water Resistance (absolute must since my primary use is in the pool)
2. Speaker for taking quick voice calls
3. Magnetic or Qi Wireless Charging. Not having a decent Charger connection is annoying. The LG G Watch has a magnetic dock. Super awesome.
Wants:
1. AMOLED screen (the LCD is fine, but the AMOLED seems it would be better for battery and usage)
2. Wireless (for extended range and direct app access)
3. Sky is the limit!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a great summary and I am sure would suit most but if the next generation ups the prices again.. I doubt if I will head down that path.
If you need all those things including gps on board and water proof you can get all those features on a Chinese smart watch for a bit over $110 but not really a working warranty process. But as I explained earlier the big manufacturers duck when they can and want over $170 to bring your very expensive smart watch back-to life..
Me.. I will just buy another which will be next generation as well.
Thanks for your list though..
Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

The Sony watch is around 170 on Amazon. And since they messed my order up, they took about 50 dollars off. I feel that is a reasonable price for the tech considering it was cheaper than most exercise trackers which really was my purpose in looking at a smart watch.

Bunter221 said:
That's a great summary and I am sure would suit most but if the next generation ups the prices again.. I doubt if I will head down that path.
If you need all those things including gps on board and water proof you can get all those features on a Chinese smart watch for a bit over $110 but not really a working warranty process. But as I explained earlier the big manufacturers duck when they can and want over $170 to bring your very expensive smart watch back-to life..
Me.. I will just buy another which will be next generation as well.
Thanks for your list though..
Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't really need an onboard GPS or separate SIM. And I actually have a Chinese review unit and just not impressed. It does what it needs to do, but the navigation is clunky and overall just performs like a chinese product. It seems rushed and not well planned. I think I will be sticking to Android Wear. I really like how the devices can install Android Apps.
The Gear S looks amazing, but requires a Samsung phone.
I just bought cheap now to get into it and KNOW what features I really like, want, or need. That way when the new devices come out, I can buy one that fits me. The lack of a speaker is really sad. My chinese smartwatch has a speaker and it is awesome. In fact my CoWorker today, his Samsung S5's display just died. Phone still works but no LCD. His chinese Samsung Gear knockoff smartwatch still connects and he is able to make and receive phone calls and get all of his notifications. His watch is really his saving grace today.

player911 said:
I don't really need an onboard GPS or separate SIM. And I actually have a Chinese review unit and just not impressed. It does what it needs to do, but the navigation is clunky and overall just performs like a chinese product. It seems rushed and not well planned. I think I will be sticking to Android Wear. I really like how the devices can install Android Apps.
The Gear S looks amazing, but requires a Samsung phone.
I just bought cheap now to get into it and KNOW what features I really like, want, or need. That way when the new devices come out, I can buy one that fits me. The lack of a speaker is really sad. My chinese smartwatch has a speaker and it is awesome. In fact my CoWorker today, his Samsung S5's display just died. Phone still works but no LCD. His chinese Samsung Gear knockoff smartwatch still connects and he is able to make and receive phone calls and get all of his notifications. His watch is really his saving grace today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange you mention the gear knock off, for the money will be my choice it looks good and doesn't matter too much if it only lasts a year or two.. if the charging terminals on the watch are protected from corrosion it will overcome one of the major issues with the gear 2.
I will order one next month as I will be away. I will report back here as well.. The prices at gear best seem fair.
Sent from my SM-P605 using Tapatalk

The knockoff Gear does look good. Playing around with the mediatek software of the Gear, it is meh. Not as nice as the Android Wear with the gestures and ambient mode and play store app options... but does look good and works great. I am not sure it is waterproof but the charger clips on the back. I really like the magnetic LG G Watch charger.
My coworker has his gear watch for about a week and the screen is already shattered. I assume the knockoffs do not use gorilla glass or equivalent. Just a reminder.

Yes correct they are not waterproof. Splash proof probably..
Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

Waterproof is a must. I use mine for the pool all the time. Even if I dont wear the watch, it is nice to have handy knowing the G Watch is waterproof.

I finally made up my mind on an Android Wear Watch! Which did you go with and why?

Hello,
So I was in the market for a new watch. I figured that if I am going to go out and buy a watch, I may as well go with a smartwatch. I want it solely to show me what time it is and for notifications. (Phone Calls and Text Messages mainly) So I could care less about a heart rate sensor. Here are all of the watches that I have considered, but decided against for various reasons:
Asus Zenwatch 2: This was originally what I wanted to get, until I went and looked at it at Best Buy. I can't stand the bezels. If the watch face was all display, I would have one on my wrist right now.
Moto 360 1st Gen: Then I looked at this, as it was $150 from Motorola for the model I liked. (Champagne w/ brown leather) The dated processor and smaller battery turned me away.
Moto 360 2nd Gen: I do like this overall, however by the time I get it the way I want, I can just buy a Huawei watch for the same price. (Dodging the flat tire LCD for an AMOLED)
LG Watch Urbane: I have mixed feelings about this one. I'm not crazy about the overall design and I have heard numerous reports of screen burn in.
Huawei Watch: I like this watch overall. However, I feel a 2nd Gen is right around the corner, and the price is a bit high.
Tag Heuer Connected: I really like this one! I do not like its $1500 price tag though....
Samsung Gear S2 Classic: I feel this watch is PERFECT for me. I love the design and the rotating bezel! I was super bummed to find out the display size and that it wasn't running Android Wear though....
This brings me to my last choice, and the one that I ended up ordering: The Fossil Q Founder.
I really do like the design of the watch itself! I feel it looks quite nice. I prefer leather bands, so the fact that it accepts pretty much any 22mm watch band is a big plus. (I wont wear metal bands) I also feel the Fossil Q is a better investment, which played a big part in my decision. The Intel Atom processor, 1GB of ram, and internal speaker make it seem more future proof to me. The 400mah battery should be sufficient for a full day of use. I expected to have to charge whichever watch I ended up getting nightly. The only downfall to the Q in my opinion is the infamous flat tire on the display. I can live with it though. Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to have a Fossil Q Founder with the Huawei Watch Display. It is what it is though.
After reviewing pretty much every Android Wear watch, I found that none of them are perfect. There are pros and cons to all of them really. Even the Tag Heuer Connected, although I feel its only con is its price tag. lol. With very similar hardware and pretty much identical software I guess it comes down to personal preference of aesthetics ultimately. I like the design of the Fossil Q. The fact that it is a little better specd than others as well is what ultimately made me decide to get it.
I will update more when I get it. I am also going to (very carefully) pop the bottom off to see if I can find out which Intel Atom processor it is running exactly.
So what Android Wear watch did you go with and why?

xx

dazultra2000 said:
I stopped wearing watches a few years ago as the bulk on my wrist started to annoy me and my phone told me the time so it seemed pointless. A few months ago the vibrate on my M8 stopped working, and as it was out of warranty and considerably hacked in the software department, I was kinda stuck until I can upgrade. I found myself missing notifications and calls and got pretty annoyed about it. I was holding out for the zenwatch 2 as it was cheap enough that if I didn't get on with it, it wouldn't be such a loss money-wise. However, it had limited availability and I didn't want to wait any longer as I would end up just waiting for the next better watch. I found a decent discount for the urbane and went for it. I always had chunky metal watches before (my last was a casio g-shock GW-1210U which I loved dearly, so I figured if I could change the band on the urbane to a nice metal one it wouldn't be much different. The Urbane is actually thinner than my old G-shock. Anyway, I love my urbane. Battery life is great, display is nice and it feels like a quality item. My only real issue with it is that it does lag sometimes, but I was expecting that so it doesn't put me off too much.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice! I did look at the LG Urbane. Amazon has it right now for $250 brand new. So it was tempting. Especially being it has an AMOLED display with no flat tire. I just felt for $25 more dollars I am getting a slightly larger display, double the ram, and future speaker support. Personally, I like the design of the fossil more as well.

Zenwatch 2. I love it. Honestly, the software is all the same, and hardware to mostly. Zenwatch is more affordable meaning when gen 2 or 3 watches come out, you can put that extra money to get those.

Overall love

Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Moto G6, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Moto G6 is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

Got it activated first on Project Fi 3 days ago, for some reasons - I was "expecting" it to be a little bigger but it's just 2 clicks larger than the Nexus 5X getting traded in with the "generous" upgrade. For an entry/mid-range smartphone in 2018, I voted a 4 out of 5 (not that the absence of NFC or inability to use G.Pay is a make or break deal, I hardly use it & most places still do not accept it as mobile payment here in the US)
Dolby sound is very good, screen is bright & audio played via the speaker is fine - giving it a good workout as we hit the road today for a trip, more on the G6 later ... bootloader still locked at the moment.
Net cost to get this brand new G6 to me is about $120 after the trade-in, not really spend much more than paying someone to replace the old, tired & not as good 2.5 years old battery on the Nexus 5X, so I'm a little biased on this Lenovo/Motorola piece.

Letitride said:
Got it activated first on Project Fi 3 days ago, for some reasons - I was "expecting" it to be a little bigger but it's just 2 clicks larger than the Nexus 5X getting traded in with the "generous" upgrade. For an entry/mid-range smartphone in 2018, I voted a 4 out of 5 (not that the absence of NFC or inability to use G.Pay is a make or break deal, I hardly use it & most places still do not accept it as mobile payment here in the US)
Dolby sound is very good, screen is bright & audio played via the speaker is fine - giving it a good workout as we hit the road today for a trip, more on the G6 later ... bootloader still locked at the moment.
Net cost to get this brand new G6 to me is about $120 after the trade-in, not really spend much more than paying someone to replace the old, tired & not as good 2.5 years old battery on the Nexus 5X, so I'm a little biased on this Lenovo/Motorola piece.
Click to expand...
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Similar thoughts as you (also running the Project Fi version of the phone).
- Phone is smaller than I expected.
- Loving the thin bezels, looks much more premium than the actual cost to me ($200)
- I don't use NFC. Don't trust it, so the lack of NFC is not a big deal
- Battery life is good, front facing speaker loud, screen is bright and sharp
- Responsiveness is in line with what you would expect from a $300-400 phone IMO
- Nearly stock Android experience = CLUTCH

Agree with others. Coming from a 5X most everything is acceptable given the price. I was blown away by the speaker. BUT my biggest gripe is the cameras low light performance...its not good by any means, very grainy, colors are bad. Regular outdoor pics are good though. Also wouldve preferred for it to NOT have a glass back since im a klutz and guaranteed to break it.

Have had this phone a couple of weeks now. Got to say I like it a lot. Definitely a step up from my Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 that I had for 3 years. This is also the most expensive phone (about $250) I've had as I'm a cheap skate and no way I'm ever paying $400 plus for a phone. Just can't bring myself to do it. The price I paid for this phone is "high dollar" for me, lol. Still getting used to the new 18x9 screen. A part of me likes it and a part of me likes 16x9 better. Since pretty much all phones are going to this size, I guess I better get used to it. The new screen size almost feels like a "cheater" to me. Moved the menu icons inside screen and made the width smaller making keyboard in portrait view (which is the way I text) actually a little smaller than what I had. Taller view but most stuff you view in landscape has bars so I don't see the benefit to it yet. Most comments I read about it, people love it. Me not so much. Phone itself is very good. Performance is very good, screen resolution is very good, camera is very good, battery life is very good (especially compared to my Redmi Note 2 which was a battery sucker). I like Android 8 and Moto apps. Pretty much bloatware free, and is nice and snappy. Had to put a case on it (put a Spigen on it) cause the phone actually felt a little small in my hands. The case gave it a little more bulk and made it feel a lot better in my hand. Love the fingerprint scanner which to me is the coolest thing since sliced bread (yup I'm a dinosaur). To tell the truth I would probably still be using the Note 2 but it started acting up on me. Now since I got this one though, it pretty much blows away my old phone in every way possible which of course is a good thing since I spent the bucks for a new phone. All in all I'm pretty damned happy with this phone. About the only thing I could say I wished it was, was a bigger phone. I went from a 5.5" 16x9 screen to a 5.7" 18x9 screen and this feels smaller than the other one to me in my hands. In the 18x9 size, I wish a had like a 6" or 6.5" screen. That would give more width that I would like to have. The width on the 16x9 was actually about 1/4" wider than the18x9 one, which is actually a substantial difference when using a keyboard.

Deleted: Double post

MikeO89 said:
Have had this phone a couple of weeks now. Got to say I like it a lot. Definitely a step up from my Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 that I had for 3 years. This is also the most expensive phone (about $250) I've had as I'm a cheap skate and no way I'm ever paying $400 plus for a phone. Just can't bring myself to do it. The price I paid for this phone is "high dollar" for me, lol. Still getting used to the new 18x9 screen. A part of me likes it and a part of me likes 16x9 better. Since pretty much all phones are going to this size, I guess I better get used to it. The new screen size almost feels like a "cheater" to me. Moved the menu icons inside screen and made the width smaller making keyboard in portrait view (which is the way I text) actually a little smaller than what I had. Taller view but most stuff you view in landscape has bars so I don't see the benefit to it yet. Most comments I read about it, people love it. Me not so much. Phone itself is very good. Performance is very good, screen resolution is very good, camera is very good, battery life is very good (especially compared to my Redmi Note 2 which was a battery sucker). I like Android 8 and Moto apps. Pretty much bloatware free, and is nice and snappy. Had to put a case on it (put a Spigen on it) cause the phone actually felt a little small in my hands. The case gave it a little more bulk and made it feel a lot better in my hand. Love the fingerprint scanner which to me is the coolest thing since sliced bread (yup I'm a dinosaur). To tell the truth I would probably still be using the Note 2 but it started acting up on me. Now since I got this one though, it pretty much blows away my old phone in every way possible which of course is a good thing since I spent the bucks for a new phone. All in all I'm pretty damned happy with this phone. About the only thing I could say I wished it was, was a bigger phone. I went from a 5.5" 16x9 screen to a 5.7" 18x9 screen and this feels smaller than the other one to me in my hands. In the 18x9 size, I wish a had like a 6" or 6.5" screen. That would give more width that I would like to have. The width on the 16x9 was actually about 1/4" wider than the18x9 one, which is actually a substantial difference when using a keyboard.
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Great post, MikeO89...
Love your enthusiasm for the G6. It pretty much echoes mine.
I paid £220 here in the UK for mine, and like yourself, it's really about as much as I want to pay for a phone these days. There's been a considerable amount of coverage over the recent release of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, and certainly the specs do look pretty damn awesome, but at close to nearly a £1000, an eye-watering sum of money for me... well, I just couldn't envisage spending that amount, even if I had it. Maybe when I have the next winning Euromillions lottery ticket, I'll buy one or whatever flagship is out then, but until that auspicious and lucky day arrives, I'm more than happy with my Moto G6.
And which I bought to replace my ageing and battery-dying HTC One M8, which I paid £530 for back in 2014. I remember my Dad at the time saying in almost stunned and amazed disbelief "You want to spend how much on a phone??!!!" as though he'd not quite heard me correctly. Of course, I did try to explain that it was more of a personal pocket computer that just happens to have the ability to make phone calls. After I bought one and he saw it in action and began to understand the capabilities of it... well, he went out and bought one himself!
That was four years ago, and I'm a little bit more price conscious these days, so when my One M8's battery began to die earlier this year, I knew I needed a new phone.
Initially, I made the mistake of assuming that you needed to spend £600 or £700 on a phone to get a quality device. I'd been hearing about the Moto G series phones and the rave reviews they'd received around a year before, so when I heard about this years G6 release, I checked out all the reviews. My initial response was one of skepticism ~ how can a company like Lenovo release a phone with such great features at just a shade over £200 AND make a profit. Surely there's a catch, I mean there has to be, right? Wrong!
As it turns out, the Moto G6 is every bit as good as the reviews say it is. And you don't need to mortgage your soul to own one. I mean, where do I begin... fast turbo charging, really nice vibrant colourful screen, amazing battery life, Android 8 Oreo with next-to-no bloat, and fingerprint unlock. Yeah, I love fingerprint unlock. It's like your very own personal ON switch that nobody else can use, and no more playing join-the-dots and trying to remember which unlock pattern is correct for this device amongst the other devices (tablets) I own.
As for the size and aspect ratio, I love it. Coming from my old HTC One M8 which had an aspect of 16:9 and a resolution of 1080x1920...
...to the Moto G6 with an aspect of 18:9 (Rhetorical question: why isn't it just simply called 2:1) and resolution of 1080x2160, which my calculations reveal to be a 12.5% increase based on number of pixels alone. It is a sort of a cheat, but I feel in a good way. I now have a phone that doesn't feel significantly bigger than my One M8, because the width has stayed the same, but the height has increased, but not by that much when you 'add-on' the One M8's speakers at the top and bottom, but the actual screen size increase on the G6 is quite noticeable.
I use Nova Launcher, and I like tinkering around with Themes, Icon Packs, Wallpapers and Layouts and with the increase vertically, I now have more layout options for things like icons and widgets, because there's an extra couple of rows on the Nova desktop. And 5.7 inches feels about right to me. I'm not sure I would feel comfortable handling something like a 6 inch or larger device. If I can, I like to operate my phone one-handed and the bigger these things get, the more difficult one-handed operation becomes.
I do take your point about black bars in landscape mode though, particularly if you're watching video content, most of which tends to be shot in 16:9 aspect. This doesn't overly bother me really, because I generally don't watch a lot of stuff on my phone anyway. And when I do, I just sort of ignore the black bars. I watch a lot of old films and TV dramas on my TV back when things were shot in 4:3 aspect, and I just got used to seeing left and right black bars on my TV, so on my phone it's really not an issue for me.
I guess we can quibble about the shortcomings of the G6 ~ for example, the one thing I do miss is the left and right stereo HTC BoomSound front facing speakers that provided great quality audio on my old One M8. On the G6 there's only a single mono speaker - it sounds pretty good, but I miss the stereo - gotta dig out my headphones now if I want stereo. Great that there's an old fashioned 3.5mm audio socket on it for me to use my headphones. Won't get that an some £1000 flagships! I jest of course; I'm not having a pop at flagship devices, I'm just amused by the irony of it.
So, on the whole, minor quibbles aside, the Moto G6 is a pretty amazing phone for such a great price. It performs brilliantly and looks great. The Gorilla Glass back adds a touch of class to the device, although it can feel a little bit slippery at times. When I first got it, I had unpleasant visions of it sliding out of my hand and crashing to the concrete outside and cracking all that beautiful glass (the horror, the horror!), so I have now ensconced it in the protective embrace of a Spigen case, which actually looks quite good, and feels good in the hand too.
Well, that pretty much says it all really. A great phone at a great price. Can't really say much more than that... Well, I could, but then I'd be here all night typing superlatives and this post would just go on and on and on and on, etc., etc. and etc.
Ged.

its not the fastest device but for a budget device I really like it.

Overall probably the best bang for your buck if your looking at carrier specific devices. Came from a Galaxy S7 which I kinda went swimming with. I'm loving the 18:9 screen. I do notice the occasional hiccup when multitasking, but the battery life is on another level compared to my old S7.

Love my North American unlocked G6! Great value for the money. The battery life is fine, but I suggest using a browser for some of your social media, if you want to get plenty of power for a day of use.
I've already gotten direct looks at my phone from other people, and some folks can't believe I paid less than $300 for it. Glad I chose the oyster finish vs deep indigo. I do have a case on it, as the glass back is known to crack easily if the phone falls hard on the ground. My B&H order came with a free frosted silicone case, and tempered glass for the screen. Perfect!

Coming from U11 life, this phone seems better.
VoLTE and Wi-Fi Calling work out of the box with T-Mobile
Rather loud speaker
I think 2:1 screen is OK
It looks like plain Android
Cam looks OK under low light
Decent reception with B12
It's fast like 6xx processor.
Adjustable screen tint
I am satisfied with the phone for the price.

Cool looking..

I've manageg to buy mine G6 for 129EUR, for that price it's best device I could choose.

Great phone for ~$100 now on eBay that's still getting security updates.
Pros:
+ $100 now on eBay for like-new condition
+ Almost pure stock Android, very little bloat and what is there I actually use (chop twice for flashlight, etc). Very stable.
+ Great band support, unlocked XT1925-6 will work on any US carrier, only missing bands 14, 46, and 71.
+ 3gb RAM is plenty sufficient to keep about three resource-heavy apps active at once.
+ Camera is decent enough and about what you'd expect from a phone in this price range.
+ You can adjust DPI under developer options, which makes content on phone appear larger/smaller so you can fit more on-screen. Very handy.
Cons:
- SD450 is an obvious bottleneck in resource-heavy apps, expect sporadic lag if you're playing PUBGM or running a browser with ten tabs open.
- Battery life could be better, usually end the day around 20% with moderate use. Not bad, but not great either.
If this had a SD600 series and a slightly larger battery it'd easily be 5*. For $100 bucks though it's hard to be upset with it.

Well I found the first problem with this phone. I can't get it to recognize an external microphone to record with the camera. I plugged in an external mic I had (3.5mm with 4 pin plug) and at first thought it was working as I made a couple of videos. Then I noticed in the videos that the sound would go up and down through the video. As I later found out, the volume was going up and down each time I would walk away from the phone while recording being the external mic had a 6 ft cord on it. I then actually tested the external mic this time (like I should have from the beginning) and found out the whole time it was still recording with the onboard mic even with external mic plugged in. The G6 was just ignoring it as a microphone and treating it as a headphone. So now I'm stymied. The onboard mic works well enough but I really wanted to have an external mic if I wanted it. I can hardly find any info on this whole external mic vs onboard mic thing with cellphones. Still like this phone and plan on having it for quite some time but a little bummed about this latest development.

OK, doing a follow up post to the one above concerning the issue with G6 not recognizing external mic when making a video. I had about given up on this and I had been searching like crazy about it. With my lack on finding anyone having similar issues like this, I was starting to think I'm the only one who is trying to use an external mic with this phone to make videos. I thought maybe is was just a jack issue so I then tried same external mic with my voice recorder app. With that app the external mic was working. Now I knew it wasn't the jack. I then installed "Open Camera" from the Google Play Store. There was actually a setting in video settings to select an external mic for recording. I then went ahead and made another video using the external mic and what do you know it worked perfect! One other setting that I'm excited about so far in Open Camera is the video stabilization setting. I don't have the steadiest hands and always had to use a tripod or my videos would come out like being on a boat. Made one with that setting on and it kept the video still as I was shooting it. It made me look like my shake was gone (wish it really was). This Open Camera app just kicks the living **** out of the Moto G6 stock camera app! Sure glad I tried it.

Got one on Motorola promo for $100. Very nice inexpensive backup phone!

Overall love

Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Samsung Galaxy fold, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Samsung Galaxy fold is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

I Love it

So far what i see, i like. However, i'm holding out for the Note Fold. (Yes, i named it first here.):laugh:

x22396 said:
so far what i see, i like. However, I'm holding out for the note fold. (yes, i named it first here.):laugh:
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that's really what i was hoping for since it's the one they showed off in their youm announcement video all those years ago not long after that patent was seen AND IT HAD S-PEN IT WAS THERE FIRST PATENT IN FOLDABLE I ISAW

That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.

Seems like next gen is in the works
link

takata1 said:
Seems like next gen is in the works
link
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Companies patent things all the time that never see fruition. Obviously, Samsung is thinking about the next generation, like with any product. But I would take most of these patents and renders with a massive grain of salt.

I love it. I don't like that I paid so much for a device and Samsung's treating it like a 2nd class citizen. I guess with it's numbers it'll never get the official support that the S10/Note10 gets, but it still irks me. The S10 just got the DeX support that the Note10 has.. why not the Fold? Saw a story this morning that the Note10 and S10 get wireless Android Auto support.. why not the Fold? That type of thing. But I do love the device, no regrets.
Edit: Your Phone Companion now supports "Phone Screen" on the fold.

18 Days in with mine now, use it as my daily driver, no signs of wear or damage. I do look after it but then I look after all my stuff. Extremely pleased with it!

I'm on my second one now. Got one on contract then sent it back as the guilt of owning one was so bad. Anyway, got over the guilt and got another one on contract. It is such a lovely device, especially when you open it up and you are dazzled by the bright and colourful screen. If there is one thing I don't like it's the weight as it does weight down your pocket!

Love it! 9/10 Have had it since launch day in the U.S. and it is my daily driver. Fantastic piece of hardware. The only things that bother me are the top notch and slow to get updates. Other than that it performs flawlessly, looks great and has had zero problems. Yes it's damn expensive but it is cutting edge and I believe it to be the better design from the other folding phones we are now seeing. It's a keeper!

F*cling love this phone, a phone when I need a phone, a tablet when I need a tablet and DeX is brilliant btw!

A not perfect device but with unique features: no other foldable promised with pride on great shows has in fact still reached this model on the market .. I like innovations and I had already bought the Note Edge in 2014 and the Xiaomi Mi Mix in 2016 among others.., Galaxy Fold makes itself loved because at the same time it is a narrow phone and a tablet, and because it has the specifications of a top of the range

i Very love it

So far love it had it since Tuesday now Saturday I wear baggy Jean's so not a problem of it in pocket

I just bought one after umming and ahhing, I got a pretty good deal on a new one almost $1000 ( New Zealand Dollars) off retail as well as selling my old note 8 with 256GB dual sim.
I must say pictures do not do the device justice, it is simply gorgeous.
I also own a note 10 plus which i intend to keep as an office workhorse whilst the fold will be my " leisure" device.
I can imagine if the fold 2 came with an spen as well as the new flexible glass screen i wouldnt hesitate picking it up.
Overall im very pleased

I expected that Samsung will show the foldable version plus spen...but in unfortunately they didn't

no spen until foldable glass is thick enough to support it.

i really love it to be honest

Love it, have it now for 4 weeks and really really love it.