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Google To Step Up Smartphone Wars With Release Of Own Handset (telegraph.co.uk)
According to a report by The Telegraph, Google is working on its first Google-branded smartphone, and plans to release it by the end of 2016. Unlike the Nexus program, in which Google mandates the design and specifications of the phone, but leaves the manufacturing aspect to its handpicked OEM, the new supposed phone will be built from the scratch by Google. From the report:The technology giant is in discussions with mobile operators about releasing a Google-branded phone that will extend the company's move into hardware, sources familiar with the discussions told The Telegraph. [...] The new device, which will be released by the end of the year according to a senior source, will see Google take more control over design, manufacturing and software.NYMag questions company's reported move:It's an unsurprising rumor to hear: Google CEO Sundar Pichai has publicly commented on the company's emphasis on phones, and Motorola's Rick Osterloh was hired earlier this year to head up a new hardware division. And there's also the much discussed Google Ara, a modular phone which lets you swap out pieces like a camera or speakers and is slated for release in 2017. But Google is already working with hardware companies like LG and Huawei on the Nexus line of phones, which are made to the company's exact design specifications but are manufactured by third parties. It's hard to see how Google could take more control over design or software than it already does with Nexus, and while the company is likely eager to move into the manufacturing space, the timeline for Ara hasn't changed, and it seems unlikely that this new mystery Google phone is going to jump in front and actually become available to the public by year's end.
I'm convinced that Google, as an entity is absolutely insane and should probably be heavily medicated. They bougth Motorola to move into smartphones, but sold them, because they couldn't integrate them (IIRC there were culture issues) so when they move back into mobile, they hire a Moto guy as CEO? I'm at a loss.
What part of "shall not be infringed" is so hard to understand?
Imagine, a phone where you can't turn off Google services because they're baked into the firmware.
And with built-in direct-to-Google data-spying features too!
How about a phone that gets upstream updates without manufacturer and carrier cruft in the way?
The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
Google's new but soon to be discontinued something...
You must have GPS and Data enabled at all times to use the phone.
If you cover the the camera and try to use the phone, it will ask you to uncover the camera and block the phone until you comply.
Obama's legacy: (N)othing (S)ecure (A)nywhere and (T)error (S)imulation (A)dministration
This is just one more reason to boycott Google and it's evil products.
I don't understand. Why would a Google manufactured phone be a reason to boycott Google? If you're worried about evil, surely they can't pack much more evil into a Google Manufactured phone than they could into a phone developed by a 3rd party to their exact specs?
Introducing the Google SpyPhone, now with 50% more data-mining ability!
We don't just connect you to the world, we paw through everything you do and say and track everywhere you go in order to monetize you better!
Free yourself from the constraints of bothersome privacy with the new Google SpyPhone!
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
one thing i would really like is if Google/Alphabet made their own open source baseband processor because that's the one part of the phone that is the most insecure because it runs completely independently of the operating system, is 100% closed source, has access to the memory bus of most smartphones and full access to your SIM card. simply put, it's a backdoor to your system that is protected by a black box.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
Needing to swap in a second battery in the middle of the day isn't the issue. The problem is that batteries lose their capacity after a year or two. Being able to swap in a new battery and have the same battery life from when you first got the phone can put off that upgrade for another year or two. I can see why manufacturers don't want user replaceable batteries though.
My point being this doesn't seem like a big deal at all to me. Also I may be a time traveler
Good golly when are people going to get over "the no removable battery" schtick.
When batteries stop sucking.
There's plenty of external boost chargers that are easier and safer to carry around and easier to charge on the go in your car or off your computer than a second battery.
Oh that will help with the fact my battery has turned to shit and needs replacing. Much harder to do that when it's not built for user replacement. Or do you reckon I should carry round a booster in my pocket to use with the crappy and now dying micro USB charging port?
SJW n. One who posts facts.
Exactly. The poster you are responding to is an idiot if he thinks nobody wants replaceable batteries.
I want a removable battery so I don't have to pay a $100-$300 charge when my battery completely dies after a couple of years. I'm still using a Galaxy S3, and am about to switch to my 3rd battery.
No, I don't upgrade my smartphone like a lemming every year...it's a phone...I don't need a faster processor, more memory, fingerprint scanner, rectal thermometer or any of the other widgets offered on new phones. I think it is insane that society now considers a $500-$1000 computing device "throwaway".
That being said, I will likely be upgrading in the next year or two for a larger screen & better camera. I will only look at phones with a replaceable battery.
If Google is about to start making Google branded phones, what is the couple year old Nexus 5 thing in my pocket?
It's a phone manufactured by LG.
They took the first step to end one of the two main problem Android has, poor quality phones with bloated bullshit. I just switched to iPhone two weeks ago sick and tired of waiting for LG to update my phone as they did on other parts of the world. Now they need to enforce strong patterns into app devs and then you'll have a decent competitor. All this won't be needed if manufacturers would spend half the time they spend building unnecessary bloated and unstable UIs porting and releasing updates
But Google isn't going to support OS and security updates on their phones for any longer than the lifetime of the battery.
I'm surprised you are not complaining that apple only has 1 mouse button
Fine; I will complain about the 1 mouse button. It's so abnormal. I feel like i'm wearing a mitten when I try to use their mice.
:)
What you seem to not understand is that when we say "non-removable battery", it generally doesn't mean that you can't replace it when it's failed. It means it takes five minutes to replace, and probably requires some tools, as opposed to just unclipping a cover by hand and pulling it out, that's all. Few phones have batteries so glued in or whatever that it actually can't be replaced. Certainly with my Nexus 5 "non-removable" battery, you only have to pop off the back cover with a pry tool and the battery is accessible, you could probably swap it out in two minutes if you were in a hurry.
Oh no... it's the future.
Needing to swap in a second battery in the middle of the day isn't the issue. The problem is that batteries lose their capacity after a year or two.
Bingo, this is exactly why I want a replaceable battery. I tend to keep my phones for several years and being able to swap the battery out once it's degraded is extremely useful.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
There are some really great and incredibly cheap Chinese phones with 6500mAh batteries. My brother has this one and it easily goes for days without a recharge, and is a pretty good phone too.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Being able to swap in a new battery and have the same battery life from when you first got the phone can put off that upgrade for another year or two.
That can be done pretty easily on all devices with "non-replaceable batteries" that I've used. It generally requires a screwdriver, but that's okay if you only do it once every couple of years (which means you do it maybe once during the life of the phone). Also, today's batteries have better life than those from a few years ago did, so the issue is declining in importance.
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
Remember, when you want to make sure you aren't tracked, you should remove the battery from your....OH!, Guess you're screwed.
Since they've (probably quite rightly) been attacked for "forcing" OEMs to install Google play etc. if they want Android.
Easy fix; make your own 'phones...
and apple makes their own products, too. i don't think so. foxconn or someone will make them, just as they do i-whatevers for apple. all this means is google will keep full control over specs and software instead of letting manufacturers have at least a little flexibility (e.g. nexus).
A screwdriver and a prybar and a heat gun. These devices are held together with adhesive and plastic clips, with an occasional screw.
Changing the battery on a Moto X tends to destroy the NFC antenna, no matter how careful you are.
And my 1st gen iPod Touch did not survive battery replacement surgery, back when that was still a current device.
Hell, further back, I had a Palm Zire 71 which was impossible to disassemble to get at the battery.
More to the point, there are only two things that end users will probably need to do at some point: Change SIM cards, and replace the battery.
It should not be any more difficult than replacing the batteries in a children's toy.
Kid-proof tablet..
It would have been handy to be able to turn off my note 5 after I accidentally dropped it in the water while waiting for it to dry.
Instead, I have a phone that I have to press the home and power button about 20 times to even have a shot at the screen coming on.
not in habit of replying to AC's but the argument is about batteries failing after a few years. By that time warranties are long gone. So that argument doesn't carry much weight.
How does Google get any deeper, tighter, more control than they have already with their Nexus phones? What will they do in house then that they don't do now?
Nexus 4, 5 and 6 are pretty easy to replace the batteries in. Dunno about the 6P or 5X (haven't looked).
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
Ok, maybe not $300, but a few years ago a buddy of mine went to a local repair shop to try and get his HTC One battery replaced. They charged him $180, including the battery cost.
The reason?
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/120261-htc-one-teardown-and-repairability
Built-in batteries are swappable in most phones. Sure, it's a pain to get the back off, but if you only want to swap in a new battery 2 years down the road, that's not much of an issue. I replaced the back on my Nexus 4 - it wasn't too hard to do, and I could've swapped out the battery at the same time.
Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...
iFixit gives the Nexus 5X a 7 of 10 for repairability
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...
They give the 6P an abysmal 2 of 10 rating.
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...
...then again, I've had the N4 for 3 1/2 years, and don't really need a new battery yet. Or at least, I'm closer to wanting a new phone than a new battery at this point - though the N4 runs Marshmallow pretty damn well.
Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...
Google already has a near-monopoly on search, a browser that gets bundled and installed all over the place, an smartphone OS, a widely-used map service, etc. The privacy / surveillance implications of what Google can do is staggering.
When is Google going to get the Ma Bell treatment?
When I am recording by GPS a full day trip and read some articles on the display along the way I already need a second battery. And no, I do not want to carry a heavy battery pack in my bag the whole trip.
Dreamchaser, I never said the batteries weren't replacable. they are. lots of places to get a professional to replace your worn out batteries. But that's something you do once in the life of a phone not something you need to have a special door on the back for.
Far more people would prefer a water proof phone for example than a special door on the back.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
then go pay some guy $15 to replace your battery. You don't need a special door on the back to make it simple when it's already cheap and a rare occurence.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
Galaxy S5 is easy, too: Remove back panel (using thumbnail in the slot provided), lift battery out.
I am at a loss as to why they're not all so simple.
Kid-proof tablet..
Make sure it is a compatible 4G protocol.
As I understand it, both AT&T and T-Mobile are dropping 2G GSM at the end of this year, and T-Mobile is also dropping a number of their 3G services to clear up bandwidth for the 4.5/5G stuff.
Why do I mention this? Because like AMPS a lot of our phones may be going away. Additionally it helps make it easier to ensure those 4th amendment violations the FBI/NSA/etc are planning are easy to pull off. It's not like you see manufacturers providing phones with physically or logically seperated baseband modems anymore, and they almost all have ring 0 security access.
My Nexus 4 was the worst phone I've ever had. The phone ran blisteringly hot and was so poorly sealed that it corroded its own power button due to sweat and humidity. 3G would stop working for 30 seconds at a time. It perfectly covered up its own speaker when sitting on a flat surface, so sounds were muted. It was smooth enough to slip off of nearly any surface.
Now the same company that was in charge of the specifications wants to be in charge of everything? Shoot me now!
A cat can't teach a dog to bark.
So, I guess I bought the right one. Unfortunate for my son who broke the glass covering on the screen of his after a month though, as the display assembly isn't cheap.
At least his screen and touch panel are fully functional, it appears to be just cosmetic.
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
It is the pressure for always thinner phones. Personally, I don't get it, I would rather a rugged phone than a credit card that breaks on the first use, but there must be some segment of the population that wants a credit card phone that is practically single use.
For me, with camping and other Boy Scout activities, I would be happier with a more rugged version of the Brigadier with thicker glass. That phone didn't even hold up to my house, let alone camping trips.
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
I would highly recommend the Nexus 5X, it is very fast, rarely do you see the pauses of previous phones I have had, and as a previous poster typed, it got a ifixit score of 7/10:
https://tech.slashdot.org/comm...
I have had no issues with mine, I kind of miss wireless charging, but it charges so fast, you really don't need it. My son however broke the glass top layer on his within the first month...so your milage will vary.
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
So go to iFixIt before buying a phone?
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
Frankly, it is much easier to carry one of those antistatic bags and throw the phone in there if you really don't want GPS and 4G to work.
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
My guess is he works for another manufacturer and sees this competition as unfair.
I remember a while back being at a beverage industry conference, and hearing some guy saying he was going to drop his Costco membership because they were trying to become a "distributor" to get around the distributor lock-in of the various beer and soft drink companies. I thought this was a rather odd position as all they are trying to do is reduce costs to lower prices for consumers, then one of my coworkers reminded me that the guy worked for the distributors, and that is why his position was what it was.
This AC comment sounds almost exactly the same to me. How dare Google try to improve the user experience and sell phones directly, this will kill my industry that has been raping the consumer for years!
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
What vacuum? It has been in development for years now. They have several prototypes, and it isn't like moving from a prototype to manufacturing takes years more.
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
Yeah, that one is LG, but what about the Moto X that was manufactured by Google in Texas?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
Given how hard it is to get things where the designer shows no sign of brain damage, perhaps. But in a world that puts function over form, it's always easier to have a solution on hand that requires no extra parts.
But the bag won't help you if your phone locks up (rare but not unknown).
There are key combinations to deal with a phone lockup (power and volume down held, or something like that depending on manufacturer). However, I do understand the point, as there is the issue of water damage too. If you can pull the battery and let the phone dry, it is more likely to have no damage than it you can't pull the battery.
I was just offering a better solution for the paranoid who are afraid of being tracked. The antistatic bag doesn't care if the manufacturer hid a small battery in the phone to run the GPS when the main battery is pulled, and should always work. If you are really afraid of being tracked, you can't just rely on pulling the battery. But then you also can't drive your car, or wear your shoes. Anything could contain a tracking device nowadays.
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
Actually, the key combinations depend on the phone not being totally locked up. If it is locked up, there is nothing detecting the key presses. The key combos are just for cases where the touchscreen loses it's mind. The one thing that cannot fail is removing power.
The truly paranoid will want to remove the battery and put the phone in a shielded bag. However, most will recognize that the manufacturer is unlikely to have spent extra money hiding a secondary battery inside, especially without bullet pointing it as a must have feature.
Needing to swap in a second battery in the middle of the day isn't the issue. The problem is that batteries lose their capacity after a year or two. Being able to swap in a new battery and have the same battery life from when you first got the phone can put off that upgrade for another year or two. I can see why manufacturers don't want user replaceable batteries though.
Do they still manufacture that model of battery?
Leslie Satenstein Montreal Quebec Canada
It sells.
Same as shiny screens on laptops, which all of them in the store have, and almost none of them do if bought from the usual sources online.
And yes, it's BS. Meh.
Kid-proof tablet..