Google Nexus 6

[mercurial]

Yeah, same here. I think if I could get my hands on one, then I'd be able to say for sure but that's going to be problematic.

 

[Maverick Jester]

The size is offputting to me at least. But I might change tune if I got to play with it a while and see. From videos it's enormous.

It does look enormous, yes. And yeah, it's all about preference.

But the Note 4 sold me on the size, and the 6 Plus further reinforced that notion.

 

[kingrob]

Once you hold the Nexus 6, you will want to buy it.

 

[Maverick Jester]

Once you hold the Nexus 6, you will [-]want to buy it.[/-] be throwing your money at Google

FTFY

 

[cerebus]

It does look enormous, yes. And yeah, it's all about preference.

But the Note 4 sold me on the size, and the 6 Plus further reinforced that notion.

The factor that could really redeem a large screen phone would be something like a smartwatch to offset having to take it out of your pocket constantly and use both hands to shoot off a simple message. Oh, they should make a Nexus watch!

 

[kingrob]

The factor that could really redeem a large screen phone would be something like a smartwatch to offset having to take it out of your pocket constantly and use both hands to shoot off a simple message. Oh, they should make a Nexus watch!

The Moto 360 is a beautiful watch.

 

[Maverick Jester]

The factor that could really redeem a large screen phone would be something like a smartwatch to offset having to take it out of your pocket constantly and use both hands to shoot off a simple message.

Agreed, previously.

Oh, they should make a Nexus watch!

Moto 360

 

[cerebus]

The Moto 360 is a beautiful watch.

I like my 360s to be 360, thanks. And to have more CPU power than a graphing calculator.

Now the LG G Watch R is another story altogether. But I get the sense that Android Wear is where Android was around the time of Cupcake - not really primetime ready. It needs a couple of years to mature the OS.

 

[Maverick Jester]

I like my 360s to be 360, thanks. And to have more CPU power than a graphing calculator.

Now that's harsh...

Now the LG G Watch R is another story altogether. But I get the sense that Android Wear is where Android was around the time of Cupcake - not really primetime ready. It needs a couple of years to mature the OS.

I do think that Android Wear is still trying to find a usefulness for itself other than as a glorified notification centre. In time, I hope that it does.

Anyway, there's always the Asus Zenwatch. That's my pick at present.

Although:

 

[cerebus]

Now that's harsh...

A) It's 270 effective degrees of screen display
B) It's powered by a 45nm TI Omap3630 - the same in their 2011 MOTOACTV watch.
It's not harsh, it's just stating the truth.

I do think that Android Wear is still trying to find a usefulness for itself other than as a glorified notification centre. In time, I hope that it does.

I think it's more just that the platform needs to mature. Managing notifications must become more sensible, interactions must find a way of working properly... that stuff takes a long time to work out. They've done what Google always do, which is create something that barely works, put it out there, and hopefully iterate aggressively until it becomes a decent platform.

Anyway, there's always the Asus Zenwatch

There's always the Apple Watch

 

[Maverick Jester]

A) It's 270 effective degrees of screen display
B) It's powered by a 45nm TI Omap3630 - the same in their 2011 MOTOACTV watch.
It's not harsh, it's just stating the truth.

Still harsh, especially as it performs more than adequately. The 270 effective degrees... well, compromises had to be made in the end. I'm not particularly convinced that it was the right idea (I would have gone with a thicker bezel to ensure that the uniformity remained) but aesthetically, it trumps basically every other Wear device, IMO. Which, in fairness, does not make it a better device than them.

I think it's more just that the platform needs to mature. Managing notifications must become more sensible, interactions must find a way of working properly... that stuff takes a long time to work out. They've done what Google always do, which is create something that barely works, put it out there, and hopefully iterate aggressively until it becomes a decent platform.

To an extent, I agree. The platform as a whole needs to mature, sure, but I also think that consumer requirements for smartwatches needs to bed down. Apple have gone in the completely opposite direction for their watch, it caters for consumers in a manner that Samsung would be proud of.

Google have stuck with the simplified nature of Android Wear for a while now, and controlled it far more than they do Android. However, I think that the apparent beta nature of the product can also be considered a data mining and algorithm tweaking exercise. Google Now has improved immensely over time, and I can only see this platform getting better with the same benefit.

If I consider what I would use a smartwatch for, in its entirety, I come up with:

• Notification alerts, header views, dismissal, and basic response features where appropriate. I wouldn't want to respond to an email using my smartwatch, but an instant messaging client would be OK.
• Health tracking and monitoring. Ideally, in the long term, have these devices connected to a dedicated emergency services network, to notify them in case of an accident / serious health issue.
• Location awareness using the built-in sensors. And I don't mean simple stuff such as knowing you're at work or at home. I mean using data such as time of day, ambient noise and lighting and movement patterns to note that I am in a movie theatre, for example, and that all notifications need to be muted, and at times auto-respond that I am currently unavailable.
• The most basic of course- time and date.
• Location tracking, patterns and more specific data related to my movement patterns. But I suppose this relates to my third point.

Basically, an extension to my smartphone. Hopefully others have more useful ideas than mine, because even I think that they are limited.

I don't think that smartwatches should ever replace smartphones, but I'm not against the idea either- a smartwatch, tethered to a bluetooth headset, and partnered by a tablet, would make a very compelling use case for me.

There's always the Apple Watch

There is. I must admit, while the design didn't win me over initially, it has grown on me. I'm not too enamoured by the UX, though.

 

[cerebus]

Still harsh, especially as it performs more than adequately.

It doesn't at all:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/09/moto-360-review-beautiful-outside-ugly-inside/2/

Regardless of the specific technical information, the SoC selection completely cripples the Moto 360. The device is slow and the battery life is not up to par. Scrolling performance is nowhere near as smooth as the Snapdragon 400-powered G Watch or Gear Live, and the device often freezes or stutters.

Apple have gone in the completely opposite direction for their watch, it caters for consumers in a manner that Samsung would be proud of.

Indeed; it's a bit of a concern that they don't seem to be able to come up with a reason why I absolutely must have one.

If I consider what I would use a smartwatch for, in its entirety, I come up with:

• Notification alerts, header views, dismissal, and basic response features where appropriate. I wouldn't want to respond to an email using my smartwatch, but an instant messaging client would be OK.
• Health tracking and monitoring. Ideally, in the long term, have these devices connected to a dedicated emergency services network, to notify them in case of an accident / serious health issue.
• Location awareness using the built-in sensors. And I don't mean simple stuff such as knowing you're at work or at home. I mean using data such as time of day, ambient noise and lighting and movement patterns to note that I am in a movie theatre, for example, and that all notifications need to be muted, and at times auto-respond that I am currently unavailable.
• The most basic of course- time and date.
• Location tracking, patterns and more specific data related to my movement patterns. But I suppose this relates to my third point.

I like the idea of voice based turn by turn navigation from the watch. And I'd use it as an iPod, like.. a LOT.

There is. I must admit, while the design didn't win me over initially, it has grown on me. I'm not too enamoured by the UX, though.

I think until I can play with it myself I'm reserving all judgement there. The animations in the demos are beautiful though. I suspect the S1 processor they've developed is going to be quite something. There's speculation that it'll be interchangeable with next gen models, given that it's a fully enclosed piece.

 

[RickyGC]

Any ideas if I'll get the same experience with only down side being a slightly smaller screen if I decide to get the Moto X gen 2?

 

[Maverick Jester]

It doesn't at all:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/09/moto-360-review-beautiful-outside-ugly-inside/2/

The lag has been fixed by software updates, though, which indicates that the hardware wasn't the underlying problem. The G Watch R also suffered from lag prior to the 4.4W2 update.

Indeed; it's a bit of a concern that they don't seem to be able to come up with a reason why I absolutely must have one.

Because Apple sometimes, that's reason enough.

I like the idea of voice based turn by turn navigation from the watch. And I'd use it as an iPod, like.. a LOT.

Voice based navigation via a bluetooth headset- that does sound pretty cool. And the iPod thing- yes, most definitely.

I think until I can play with it myself I'm reserving all judgement there. The animations in the demos are beautiful though. I suspect the S1 processor they've developed is going to be quite something. There's speculation that it'll be interchangeable with next gen models, given that it's a fully enclosed piece.

I'll do the same- still to early to write it off as an option. Whether I could live with the huge bezels of the iPhone 6 Plus, is another matter. They are too big, and really ruin the overall look of the phone.

Would the bands be interchangeable with the next gen models? Is that what the speculation is about?

 

[cerebus]

Any ideas if I'll get the same experience with only down side being a slightly smaller screen if I decide to get the Moto X gen 2?

Moto X has:
- a slower processor (Snapdragon 801 vs 805)
- a fHD vs qHD resolution screen
- 2gb ram vs 3gb
- not pure Nexus software. However Motorola's version of Android is meant to be very good and they update frequently.

 

[Maverick Jester]

Any ideas if I'll get the same experience with only down side being a slightly smaller screen if I decide to get the Moto X gen 2?

The Moto X is basically stock, so should mirror the Nexus in many ways, especially once the Lollipop update hits it.

The screen, though, would not be comparable in either quality or resolution- it seems to me like the Nexus has a top of the line AMOLED, while the Moto X has a previous generation version. Reviews will confirm this in time, but this is a factor I've made a mental note of. The camera hardware, too, seems to be a step ahead of the Moto X.

On the overall experience- it should be mostly similar, discounting the sizes of the devices and quality of hardware found in each. But personally, I think that if you want the Nexus 6, you'll be disappointed by the Moto X.

 

[mercurial]

Should be interesting to see how Motorola goes about their business now that Lenovo has bought them from Google.

 

[RickyGC]

Moto X has:
- a slower processor (Snapdragon 801 vs 805)
- a fHD vs qHD resolution screen
- 2gb ram vs 3gb
- not pure Nexus software. However Motorola's version of Android is meant to be very good and they update frequently.

Thanks for the comparison. Mmmm... I have never been patient :|

 

[cerebus]

Would the bands be interchangeable with the next gen models? Is that what the speculation is about?

No, the speculation is that the entire chipset could be swapped out (for a fee) for say S2 and up. They emphasized that it was an enclosed unit in the presentation. So imagine if you take it to Apple store after a couple of years, pay like $200 or whatever, and get the latest SoC swapped out on the spot. It would greatly improve the longevity of the devices which, if you're going for an upper end model, could easily hit upwards of $1000.

 

[Maverick Jester]

Moto X has:
- a slower processor (Snapdragon 801 vs 805)
- a fHD vs qHD resolution screen
- 2gb ram vs 3gb
- not pure Nexus software. However Motorola's version of Android is meant to be very good and they update frequently.

QHD (Quad HD), not qHD (Quarter-HD)