Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Sundar Pichai Says Google Will Be 'More Opinionated' About Nexus Design (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on from the dazzling-handsets,-stock-Android dept.

Jacob Kastrenakes, reporting for The Verge: Google intends to take more control over the Nexus line going forward. During an interview at the Code Conference today, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that his company would "be more opinionated about the design of the phones," particularly where Google sees a need to "push the devices forward." That sounds like he could be referring to Google's desire to highlight new technologies with its Nexus devices. [...] But what Pichai focused on during the interview was software. We're used to getting stock Android on Nexus phones, but Pichai says that could change. "You'll see us hopefully add more features on top of Android on Nexus phones," he said. "There's a lot of software innovation to be had."

17 of 115 comments (clear)

  1. Odd... by xlsior · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The whole POINT of Nexus has always been to provide -stock- Android experience, without shovelware and other 'enhancements'. Seems an odd departure.

    1. Re:Odd... by Dog-Cow · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No. The whole POINT [sic] of the Nexus line has been to provide a platform that Google controls. Now Google is going to exert more control.

    2. Re:Odd... by Rob+Y. · · Score: 2

      I kind of doubt they're overly concerned about a few individuals like you that go to such lengths to avoid using their stuff. Remember that they only want your info in order to target ads at you - that you actually click on. I assume you're also using an ad-blocker, so you're kind of beside the point to Google and the like.

      --
      Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...
  2. Be more opinionated about your damn software by Tough+Love · · Score: 4, Interesting

    How about fixing that stunningly lame cut and paste half effort? How about letting phone screen rotate all four directions and don't lock the home screen to vertical? How about doing a million little fit and finish things to make Android better instead of butting your head into the business of phone builders?

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    1. Re:Be more opinionated about your damn software by cdrudge · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Rotating in all directions? Quite frankly if you need to hold your phone upside down then something on the phone is misdesigned.

      At the end of the day, my phone sometimes doesn't have quite enough juice to use just before I fall asleep. So I need to plug it in to use it while lying down in bed. The charge port is on the bottom of the phone so I either need to have the cord stabbing me in the chest holding the phone right side up, or if I flip the phone 180 degrees, the home screen is upside down.

      So, in this situation, what is misdesigned?

  3. Feature list by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 5, Interesting

    1) Replaceable battery
    2) Lifetime AOSP support
    3) No Binary Blobs
    4) FM Radio
    5) MicroSD
    6) Wireless charging
    7) Ara

    1. Re:Feature list by Gaygirlie · · Score: 2

      1) Why? There are already powerbanks

      So you can easily replace it if/when it goes bad?

    2. Re:Feature list by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      8) A pony.

      No seriously some of those things on that list interest very few nerds, let alone members of the general public.

    3. Re:Feature list by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Oh, I forgot, I'm supposed to throw $500 in the landfill every couple of years.

    4. Re:Feature list by eam · · Score: 2

      While I agree not everything should last forever, it should still be the goal, at least until the things we get are perfectly recyclable.

      I just purchased a Nexus 6p. I was upgrading from an HTC One M7 GPE. I did not want to get a new phone, but the battery life of my HTC one had dropped to the point where it was barely usable. It went from lasting all day without a charge to needing multiple charges per day. The HTC One is the first phone I've owned that I had to retire because it failed. My wife had one that also died "early".

      I don't have a problem if you decide you need or want a new phone & abandon a working phone to move on. However, I absolutely HATE being forced off a phone that does everything I need just because the manufacturer wants to be able to sell me another one.

      Planned obsolescence should never be permitted for anything that can't be completely recycled. Accidental obsolescence should be good enough.

    5. Re:Feature list by Grishnakh · · Score: 2

      I've bought 3 Galaxy S4 phones (1 for me, 2 for other members of my household) in the past year, even though these phones are already a couple years old. They work great. The carrier updated them to Android 5.0.1, and if I get some other project out of the way I'll try installing CyanogenMod on one to see how that works out. For ~$100, I don't see how you can get a better deal on a phone: they're well-built, have great screens, excellent Otterbox cases available, and still pretty speedy.

      But of course, at this age the batteries are going out. But these phones have easily replaced batteries, with $8 OEM replacements on Ebay, so that was easily fixed.

      AFAIC, not having an easily-replaced battery is a deal-breaker. There is no way I'm going to spend hundreds of dollars on something that has to be thrown away in 2 years because they didn't want to make limited-lifetime parts replaceable.

  4. Re: Could we stop using "Going forward"? by Threni · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'll reach out to them and see what they say.

  5. God help us all by melted · · Score: 2

    Looking at the inconsistent mess that is Google software, good help us all, then.

  6. Will they stop going backwards? by ukoda · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Prior to the Nexus 6P I had brought each new model since the Nexus One but I have stuck with the Nexus 6 as the 6P was a step backwards. I see no need for a fingerprint reader, what real world advantage does it offer? From what I see it weakens security by opening a new attack vector. On the other hand I see QI charging as one of the best things to happen to phones in recent years, no more mucking around vs risking a flat battery. Removing QI from the 6P was a deal breaker for me.

    The linked article does feel like a fluff piece, lacking anything worth remembering.

    1. Re:Will they stop going backwards? by jareth-0205 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It *is* an extra attack vector though, since there is now two ways to get into your phone (password and finger) rather than one. Super-convenient, admittedly, but a security gap nonetheless. There's a legal distinction that might cause an issue too - you can't be compelled to give over a password, but information *about* you like your fingerprint is fair game so you can be compelled to provide that.

      In some ways fingerprints are terrible security tokens - you leave your token recorded on any surface you touch!

  7. "Highlight new features"? by mrsam · · Score: 2

    How did removing QI charging become a "new feature"?

  8. Re: Could we stop using "Going forward"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I appreciate your stewardship of this matter.