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I've been a Nexus phone user for a long time, and now I own a Nexus 7 tablet. My wife just got a Galaxy S2 (work provided) and I find what Samsung has done to the software of that phone appalling. Especially since Ice Cream Sandwich Android has become minimalistically beautiful. I love my stock "Google Experience". Everything is so simple and beautiful.
My question is this, would it be feasible to crowd source an open sourced hardware project to design and build an android phone? I've developed software for years but don't know anything about developing hardware outside of my arduino kit. Hardware vendors are failing by trying to focus on software (like Samsung and HTC) as the differentiator, seemingly forgetting that thy are hardware manufacturers and great hardware should be enough.
My thought is to design a fairly cheap (at or under $500), hopefully high quality phone that is compatible with stock Android. Think something like the Nexus 7 only at 4-4.3 inches and with a cell radio. If its compatible with stock Android then we wouldn't have to spend time like Samsung does making our software compatible with the newest Android release before making it available to the public.
Are there any hardware engineers out there who might be able to tell me what this would take? I'm sure it would take a lot of people and a lot of time, and might not be possible without billions in the bank, but I'd like to know if the necessary skills exist in the community and if we can pull them together.
I doubt it will be possible just because of the amount of funds necessary to begin such a project. OEM's can make their devices because they order components in mass quantities so they get wholesale pricing and I just don't see the demand for such a device being enough to crowd-source it.
I think that the phone hardware should be a mid-low quality one in order to get the funds needed to slowly start making them. And even with that, it's not an easy task, since you will be selling a mid-low quality device for the price of a high quality one. You would have to offer something more.
But it's an interesting idea.
I am an electrical engineer that specialized in digital design and computer software, and made some custom boards for a small company. So, I'm speaking from some experience, not just blowing smoke out my ***.
Is it possible to design a phone? Sure.
I would guess the processor would have to come from TI, and Qualcomm and NVIDIA have such bad support reputations.
We would need a team of engineers on par with the size of the CyanogenMod community. We need electrical engineers from digital, RF, analog, power... and probably other EE specializations. Then some mechanical and probably other engineers.
For under $500? No.
As previously noted, the manufacturers are buying LARGE quantities, probably with lots of legal agreements, to get better prices than we could asking for 1,000 (if we're lucky) at a time... IF we could get enough priority to get our hands on that many.
The printed circuit boards alone are going to be expensive, not counting the cost of adding the components to it/them. The board(s) in your phone are (complete guess here) 6 or more layers, divided into digital, analog, and RF sections, with internal vias (connections from one layer to another that do not pass clear through the whole stack of layers.) They've been simulated in expensive CAD software, prototyped and tested in a $nnn,000 test chamber, possibly sent back for a design tweak one ore more times, THEN sent to the FCC
+equivalents for their OK. In other words, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Adding to the previous point, these are tiny, MANY pin, surface mount components, that cannot be soldered by hand. So, you've got to find a custom board assembly company, and pay to have the parts added.
Alternatively, it could be a little cheaper, but it would be the size of one or more of the Harry Potter books... in hardback.
Then get your hands on: batteries, charger, display, Gorilla glass, and a case to hold it all.
The only reason why we see phones at $500, or $200 with contract, is because the carriers are going to get a huge amount of money from you when you pay for service. I guessing here, but those prices are both subsidized by the carrier. That $500 price has already reduced from the manufacturer's price using money sucked from the customers under contract.
Haraldr Blaatand said:
I am an electrical engineer that specialized in digital design and computer software, and made some custom boards for a small company. So, I'm speaking from some experience, not just blowing smoke out my ***.
Is it possible to design a phone? Sure.
I would guess the processor would have to come from TI, and Qualcomm and NVIDIA have such bad support reputations.
We would need a team of engineers on par with the size of the CyanogenMod community. We need electrical engineers from digital, RF, analog, power... and probably other EE specializations. Then some mechanical and probably other engineers.
For under $500? No.
As previously noted, the manufacturers are buying LARGE quantities, probably with lots of legal agreements, to get better prices than we could asking for 1,000 (if we're lucky) at a time... IF we could get enough priority to get our hands on that many.
The printed circuit boards alone are going to be expensive, not counting the cost of adding the components to it/them. The board(s) in your phone are (complete guess here) 6 or more layers, divided into digital, analog, and RF sections, with internal vias (connections from one layer to another that do not pass clear through the whole stack of layers.) They've been simulated in expensive CAD software, prototyped and tested in a $nnn,000 test chamber, possibly sent back for a design tweak one ore more times, THEN sent to the FCC
+equivalents for their OK. In other words, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Adding to the previous point, these are tiny, MANY pin, surface mount components, that cannot be soldered by hand. So, you've got to find a custom board assembly company, and pay to have the parts added.
Alternatively, it could be a little cheaper, but it would be the size of one or more of the Harry Potter books... in hardback.
Then get your hands on: batteries, charger, display, Gorilla glass, and a case to hold it all.
The only reason why we see phones at $500, or $200 with contract, is because the carriers are going to get a huge amount of money from you when you pay for service. I guessing here, but those prices are both subsidized by the carrier. That $500 price has already reduced from the manufacturer's price using money sucked from the customers under contract.
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That's a lot of great information. I have a few thoughts.
You mention the $500 price point being subsidized, but that's not necessarily true. I buy only unlocked devices without contract (not from Carriers) and my Nexus S cost $529 new.
What about just using a reference design from a manufacturer, essentially just a rebadge. You can see that Orange has done that with the Intel Medfield reference design.
rharter said:
That's a lot of great information. I have a few thoughts.
1. You mention the $500 price point being subsidized, but that's not necessarily true. I buy only unlocked devices without contract (not from Carriers) and my Nexus S cost $529 new.
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Then I'm not as smart as I think I am. It was a guess. I was wrong.
rharter said:
2. What about just using a reference design from a manufacturer, essentially just a rebadge. You can see that Orange has done that with the Intel Medfield reference design.
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This is a complete phone they are selling to carriers (to help get their Atom processors some attention). From this article about the Medfield reference design:
The more tempting possibility is one that I'm not sure Intel is feeling risky enough to explore, at least not in 2012. Selling its reference design through a carrier is one thing, what I really want to see is Intel selling the reference design, unlocked, to consumers directly.
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So, without more information, I don't see this as any different than most other phones. The phone is still a black box to be hacked.
I did a little googling, and didn't find anything in the way of actual design details. I did come across this article Fast, good, or cheap - or why you can't build a smartphone, which basically says the same thing... only with a more cynical attitude.
Does anyone know how Sony are doing with sales of the Ultra? I have not managed to find anything on the net regarding this?
I just wondered how popular such a large phablet is?
Ryland
I have no idea. It could be 20, 100000 or 1 million. Take your guess.
LordManhattan said:
I have no idea. It could be 20, 100000 or 1 million. Take your guess.
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There are at least 4 in NZ, that I know of - a country of 4 +million, extrapolate that to the world population - that means that there should be about 8000 sold
We'll never know because that will translate to how much tax they gonna pay lol...
Ryland Johnson said:
Does anyone know how Sony are doing with sales of the Ultra? I have not managed to find anything on the net regarding this?
I just wondered how popular such a large phablet is?
Ryland
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I wanna know it too.
Going to say more than 200,000 units
Sent from my C6833 using xda app-developers app
Sony has released its numbers for Q3. They sold 10.7 million Xperia devices in Q3 which means they sold, and will sell around 40 million Xperia devices this year, which is a lot more than i thought myself. How many of those 40 millions are Ultras? I have no idea, but at least 1/40 should be Ultras, so 1 million (yes, i'm only speculating).
LordManhattan said:
Sony has released its numbers for Q3. They sold 10.7 million Xperia devices in Q3 which means they sold, and will sell around 40 million Xperia devices this year, which is a lot more than i thought myself. How many of those 40 millions are Ultras? I have no idea, but at least 1/40 should be Ultras, so 1 million (yes, i'm only speculating).
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I had no idea Sony mobile where selling in that sort of volumes. I have been keeping an eye on Samsung sales and knock all other mobiles way out of the ball park. Oddly enough when magazines mention and debate mobile sales only three main names even appear, Samsung, Apple and LG. HTC even Nokia have been trying hard to play catch up.
Blackberry, Nokia, Motorola and HTC have all been in dire straits this past few years.
Sony has also obviously pulled itself up by its shoes laces as they also saw a very large drop in sales. I am pleased to see Sony making headway again. If only Nokia had made Android phones. Now they never will.
Just imagine the size of the Samsung empire! Jeez its a behemoth of a company. Must be THE most successful electronics manufacturer of all times not to mention its heavy and light engineering divisions. Korea became what Japan once was as Japan became what the UK once was.
No prizes for guessing what the new leading countries are going to be.
Interesting.
Ryland
Yeah, and Sony sold its VAIO division today. It's a sad day, but I think this will make Sony even better and they'll hopefully think twice before they do anything or think about releasing mediocre products. Sony should only release well engineered and designed products from now on, so they can get back to being the company they once were, that Steve Jobs admired and loved.
(Yes, Jobs looked up to Sony back in the day)
Sent from my old Desire HD using Morse code
LordManhattan said:
Yeah, and Sony sold its VAIO division today. It's a sad day, but I think this will make Sony even better and they'll hopefully think twice before they do anything or think about releasing mediocre products. Sony should only release well engineered and designed products from now on, so they can get back to being the company they once were, that Steve Jobs admired and loved.
(Yes, Jobs looked up to Sony back in the day)
Sent from my old Desire HD using Morse code
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Sansui, Sanyo, Toshiba, Aiwa, Nakamichi, Pioneer, Rotel, Technics, Akai, Sony, Nagaoka. Denon JVC, Hitachi, Stax, AT, Sharp, Kenwood, TEAC, Onkyo, Marantz ............Many of those names in Hi-fi where legendary. Some have now disappeared all together.
Nakamichi made some of the greatest tape decks ever produced while Pioneer of old made some outstanding amplifiers as did Sansui. Sony AV multi channel audio amps.... So many now owned by other companies or gone for ever. Sony was one of the high street brands one could take for granted as being top of the range. Must add very expensive BUT one used to get what one paid for.
Sony has been one of the only brands to have their own high street shops as do B&O and Apple.
I have also been reading some reports today about Sony and the billions in sales they make every year yet some sections of the company still manage not to make a profit while others only make a few million in profit. Some years ago Sony nearly went under all together.
Rather pleased to see Sony now back on the right track. Sony have always been a niche market and never sold in massive numbers with regard to Hi-fi, Mobiles and TV's etc. Perhaps they diversified to much by purchasing all those Hollywood film companies?
I waffle, Sorry,
Ryland
Ryland Johnson said:
Sansui, Sanyo, Toshiba, Aiwa, Nakamichi, Pioneer, Rotel, Technics, Akai, Sony, Nagaoka. Denon JVC, Hitachi, Stax, AT, Sharp, Kenwood, TEAC, Onkyo, Marantz ............Many of those names in Hi-fi where legendary. Some have now disappeared all together.
Nakamichi made some of the greatest tape decks ever produced while Pioneer of old made some outstanding amplifiers as did Sansui. Sony AV multi channel audio amps.... So many now owned by other companies or gone for ever. Sony was one of the high street brands one could take for granted as being top of the range. Must add very expensive BUT one used to get what one paid for.
Sony has been one of the only brands to have their own high street shops as do B&O and Apple.
I have also been reading some reports today about Sony and the billions in sales they make every year yet some sections of the company still manage not to make a profit while others only make a few million in profit. Some years ago Sony nearly went under all together.
Rather pleased to see Sony now back on the right track. Sony have always been a niche market and never sold in massive numbers with regard to Hi-fi, Mobiles and TV's etc. Perhaps they diversified to much by purchasing all those Hollywood film companies?
I waffle, Sorry,
Ryland
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Click to collapse
Great post. I also just read that Sony is cutting loose its Ebook business. It's pretty obvious they're restructuring the company and are cutting loose everything that doesn't make them a profit. It makes perfect sense, and i support the decision. They should focus on a few things, and make them as good as possible, and not do everything half assed and hope for the best.
although their ereader is good.
Down here they have a good chunk of the TV market,although I suspect Samsung is making inroads into it
Not enough sold. The Z.Ultra is a ahead of its time. If the screen was bigger in the same form factor would be amazing.
Sent from my C6833 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Please continue...:good:
herogjan said:
Please continue...:good:
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Click to collapse
You may well regret saying that:laugh:
Product identity and consumer understanding.
Grab a coffee, this could be a long post...........
Like most of us I spend a fair amount of time reading various reports, industry reviews and forum posts. There is an awful lot of confusion with regard to mobile devices.
When is a mobile phone a mobile phone and when is a tablet a tablet? Part of the sales problems with the in between range of devices is identity. Unofficially we have named them 'phablets'. This IS important. Far to many professional reviewers write about the size of over 5" screens as being to big and not mobile. I tend to agree with them. Hang on. I tend to agree with them when they review said device as a mobile phone. IF we could officially adopt an industry name and categorisation such as 'phablet' this would reduce customer confusion and also help with sales and customer satisfaction.
When the net book was introduced they initially came out with an 8" screen. Toshiba made them, started a whole new segment in the portable device section. Consumers then purchased them and moaned about the screen being too small! Next model came with a 9" then 10" then before we new it we where in the lap top range so customers reverted back to lap tops and the net book died.
Then came the ultra book with an Intel industry specification. That seems to have worked as the industry has kept to that specification thus there is zero identity crisis when one purchases an ultra book.
The Xperia Ultra et al are not true mobile phones. With this is mind such devices come under an awful lot of fire as reviewers compare such devices with, for example, the Apple 5S. rather absurd when one thinks about it BUT understandable because as yet the term 'phablet' is unofficial. it matters, identity matters to avoid wrong and negative comparison.
IF those who make 'phablets' call them 'phablets' and box them as 'phablets' the consumer can make a much more educated choice of purchase.
The Ultra and those of a similar size should be marketed as a new breed of device, their strengths should be highlighted and that way this constant comparison game wold stop. No one reviews a car with a motor bike! Tow different machines.
I would very much like to see an industry standard with regard to this situation and each device market under that criteria. So much criticism is aimed at the Ultra also Note and Mega etc as being too big as a mobile phone. They ARE! They are not too big if we call them what they are...vis,,,a phablet
A phablet is not a mobile phone nor a tablet so why should we not celebrate the difference and concentrate on our phablets strengths?
Words and correct identification matter. Sales and consumer opinion matter. To this end we could boost sales also have a greater customer level of satisfaction if we called out Ultra et al what it is and not what it is not. What is the problem with the large companies marketing their phablets as phablets?
Just another ramble.
Ryland
jah said:
Not enough sold. The Z.Ultra is a ahead of its time. If the screen was bigger in the same form factor would be amazing.
Sent from my C6833 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Click to collapse
I understand your point completely. May I suggest the following? Maybe sales are affected due to consumer confusion vis, its much to large and rather preposterous to be sold under the guess of a 'mobile phone' YET absolutely spot of size for a superb 'phablet'?
Second point. Sony went thin on the Ultra. To reduce those top and bottom large bezels would mean making the Ultra fatter. if we think on this for a while it is logic as the electronic components have to go some where. If we take pastry we start with a think lump not wide.as we roll it out it becomes thinner and bigger, same amount of pastry in both scenarios though, not my best analogy!:silly:
Hey. Much better example. The MPV, its not a car nor a mini van and isn't sold as either it has its own unique identity
Visit the sites of Phone manufactures and they separate, for obvious reason, a phablet from a mobile phone. Why not introduce that third option the phablet? Correct and accurate branding will help greatly with sales as we human being do love to compartmentalise things be it people, behaviours or purchases, all to do with out comfort zones.
Place an Apple iPhone 5S along side an Ultra, mega or Note3 et al and call them 'mobile phones' and............its just speaks for itself.
Now remove that possibility and introduce a new product category with the correct sales identification and you have a wonderful option. More than a mobile phone and more portable than a tablet, its a phablet..........away ya go..........:good:
IF only life was that simple eh?
Ryland
blueether said:
There are at least 4 in NZ, that I know of - a country of 4 +million, extrapolate that to the world population - that means that there should be about 8000 sold
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LOL... love the logic!
60% of the time... it works everytime !!
---------- Post added at 06:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:53 AM ----------
LordManhattan said:
Great post. I also just read that Sony is cutting loose its Ebook business. It's pretty obvious they're restructuring the company and are cutting loose everything that doesn't make them a profit. It makes perfect sense, and i support the decision. They should focus on a few things, and make them as good as possible, and not do everything half assed and hope for the best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sony have their own finance company in Japan. makes tens of millions profit. Their manufacturing dep. don't make nearly as much. However their view is to "Be the brand of choice in the hearts and minds of our customers by delivering the best customer experience."
They said they didn't believe other electronic consumer companies did that, so they decided to stay in the market.
Interesting... I have had an excellent experience with their products... but not after sales service...
Product identity and consumer understanding.
Grab a coffee, this could be a long post...........
Like most of us I spend a fair amount of time reading various reports, industry reviews and forum posts. There is an awful lot of confusion with regard to mobile devices.
When is a mobile phone a mobile phone and when is a tablet a tablet? Part of the sales problems with the in between range of devices is identity. Unofficially we have named them 'phablets'. This IS important. Far to many professional reviewers write about the size of over 5" screens as being to big and not mobile. I tend to agree with them. Hang on. I tend to agree with them when they review said device as a mobile phone. IF we could officially adopt an industry name and categorisation such as 'phablet' this would reduce customer confusion and also help with sales and customer satisfaction.
When the net book was introduced they initially came out with an 8" screen. Toshiba made them, started a whole new segment in the portable device section. Consumers then purchased them and moaned about the screen being too small! Next model came with a 9" then 10" then before we new it we where in the lap top range so customers reverted back to lap tops and the net book died.
Then came the ultra book with an Intel industry specification. That seems to have worked as the industry has kept to that specification thus there is zero identity crisis when one purchases an ultra book.
The Xperia Ultra et al are not true mobile phones. With this is mind such devices come under an awful lot of fire as reviewers compare such devices with, for example, the Apple 5S. rather absurd when one thinks about it BUT understandable because as yet the term 'phablet' is unofficial. it matters, identity matters to avoid wrong and negative comparison.
IF those who make 'phablets' call them 'phablets' and box them as 'phablets' the consumer can make a much more educated choice of purchase.
The Ultra and those of a similar size should be marketed as a new breed of device, their strengths should be highlighted and that way this constant comparison game wold stop. No one reviews a car with a motor bike! Tow different machines.
I would very much like to see an industry standard with regard to this situation and each device market under that criteria. So much criticism is aimed at the Ultra also Note and Mega etc as being too big as a mobile phone. They ARE! They are not too big if we call them what they are...vis,,,a phablet
A phablet is not a mobile phone nor a tablet so why should we not celebrate the difference and concentrate on our phablets strengths?
Comparing this with vehicle sales, The classification of a 'city car' is a small run about, A city car is not suitable for a family of six nor long journeys that is why car manufacturers came up with the MPU and the large family car.
An MPV would not sell well as a car yet cannot be compared with a mini bus. Bingo a new catagorisation of a vehicle. Same with the SUV and 4X4.
To Joe public this boxing of different vehicles makes sense and no one would compare a city car with an MPV. No crisis of identity. We like to place things in boxes to label things its human nature.
Words and correct identification matter. Sales and consumer opinion matter. To this end we could boost sales also have a greater customer level of satisfaction if we called out Ultra et al what it is and not what it is not. What is the problem with the large companies marketing their phablets as phablets?
Just another ramble.
Ryland
I posted this in another thread bit thought it may well be best in a thread of its own?
For me though, the definition is this:
A phone: a communication tool that has embedded earpiece into it, plus pocketable.
A tablet: a media tool that doesn't have direct calling capability so no ear piece to it. And plus it is not pocketable (must be put on the bag)
A phablet word actually isn't required nowadays. The only cause it exists was because Samsung made an ad for the note 1 ("a phone? Or a tablet?") so people starts to make an acronym for that. But actually they should be classified still as a phone because of such characteristics i described above.
Plus XZU should be still called phone because it is pocketable. I still put it on my chest pocket with confidence so yes it is a phone ^_^. Yeah it will be compared to an iphone but still, they have the same function so it is comparable.
Plus if you think about it, other than samsung, no tablet so far that promotes an alternative input like stylus, but they are still called as a tablet. So no a phablet acronym isn't necessary.
Sent from my C6802 using xda app-developers app
hansip87 said:
For me though, the definition is this:
A phone: a communication tool that has embedded earpiece into it, plus pocketable.
A tablet: a media tool that doesn't have direct calling capability so no ear piece to it. And plus it is not pocketable (must be put on the bag)
A phablet word actually isn't required nowadays. The only cause it exists was because Samsung made an ad for the note 1 ("a phone? Or a tablet?") so people starts to make an acronym for that. But actually they should be classified still as a phone because of such characteristics i described above.
Plus XZU should be still called phone because it is pocketable. I still put it on my chest pocket with confidence so yes it is a phone ^_^. Yeah it will be compared to an iphone but still, they have the same function so it is comparable.
Plus if you think about it, other than samsung, no tablet so far that promotes an alternative input like stylus, but they are still called as a tablet. So no a phablet acronym isn't necessary.
Sent from my C6802 using xda app-developers app
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I agree I use my xperia z ultra as a phone, I make calls on it, however I also sold my tablet, because of I have no need for it anymore.
So if it's not a tablet why don't I want one anymore? Something no other phone managed to do, including note 2.
I guess the z ultra is truly an all in one device, a tablet that I enjoy to carry around everywhere with me because it's smaller, because I don't have two carry two devices, and last but not least, I have to because it's my phone.
I really believe that z ultra is ahead of its time having it for a few months now the size has become normal for me, even putting it next to my ear is not weird anymore like when I first got it. I believe in about a year or max two. This will become normal large size smartphones.
The only thing that puts me off the xperia z ultra is the word phablet.
I hate that word! It churns my stomach, makes me think of someone doing a large poo!
Sent from my C6833 using xda app-developers app
I agree with the OP
My brother has had two phablets, I think both CN built units - one a ZTE. Both have been in the 7 - 8 inch with full calling ability. These are way too big to be called phones and really on the small side for tablet.
Guys, please help me.
I want to go live on Instagram, transmitting the audio from my interface, with voice and guitar, through a Y cable, which I already do on my notebook.
I need a cell phone that would recognize audio capture via a Y cable, as the main source of capture.
The Motorola G5s phone, for example, does not recognize it.
Which devices would recognize an external audio signal (via Y cable) as standard, so that I can make musical lives with a decent sound on Instagram?
Which devices would suit me?
In the description of the technical specifications, what is the difference or characteristic to look for among so many devices?
Thank you all
arunzito said:
Guys, please help me.
I want to go live on Instagram, transmitting the audio from my interface, with voice and guitar, through a Y cable, which I already do on my notebook.
I need a cell phone that would recognize audio capture via a Y cable, as the main source of capture.
The Motorola G5s phone, for example, does not recognize it.
Which devices would recognize an external audio signal (via Y cable) as standard, so that I can make musical lives with a decent sound on Instagram?
Which devices would suit me?
In the description of the technical specifications, what is the difference or characteristic to look for among so many devices?
Thank you all
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Click to collapse
If you're talking about a splitter cable (3.5 mm jack --> mic input and headphones input) I have it working on my Moto E 2015 LTE. But that device isn't good for live Instagram ( not enough power ).
There aren't any specs that say that, usually every phone does that.
So if you want a phone able to do that, take a phone you like, ask someone around you to test your Y cable on it and buy it if it works (it works for me with my OnePlus 8 with an OTG headphone jack, because the OP8 doesn't have a headphone jack)
Thanks, Raiz
Raiz said:
If you're talking about a splitter cable (3.5 mm jack --> mic input and headphones input) I have it working on my Moto E 2015 LTE. But that device isn't good for live Instagram ( not enough power ).
There aren't any specs that say that, usually every phone does that.
So if you want a phone able to do that, take a phone you like, ask someone around you to test your Y cable on it and buy it if it works (it works for me with my OnePlus 8 with an OTG headphone jack, because the OP8 doesn't have a headphone jack)
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Click to collapse
Raiz, thank you so much.
The OnePlus 8 costs a lot more than i can afford right now.
So, 'i'm looking for a more popular model, do you know something about a more popular device which could fulfill my expectations? It has to have enough power and accept a external audio capture...
But thanks a lot.
arunzito said:
Raiz, thank you so much.
The OnePlus 8 costs a lot more than i can afford right now.
So, 'i'm looking for a more popular model, do you know something about a more popular device which could fulfill my expectations? It has to have enough power and accept a external audio capture...
But thanks a lot.
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Click to collapse
I think a Xiaomi phone would fit your needs. Usually I don't recommend Chinese phones due to the growing concerns about privacy and spying (Xiaomi has already been caught doing so). But you'll find powerful devices for not much. I can also recommend you without any hesitation Pixel devices, LG and Motorola. Never been disappointed by those 3 so far. (There's the Pixel 4a coming soon at 359$, it's a sweet price for a very very very good phone!).
Raiz said:
Usually I don't recommend Chinese phones due to the growing concerns about privacy and spying (Xiaomi has already been caught doing so).
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My 2 cents:
The truth is that every phone spies on you to some extent, and most Android smartphones have security flaws related to the platform's relatively open software model.
AFAIK there's no public evidence as of yet that Chinese-made phones will endanger the privacy or digital security of the ordinary Non-China resident.
IMO bashing all the phones that are classified as "Chinese" is a little unfair. Almost all smartphones are manufactured in China, including phones designed and sold by Apple, Google and Samsung. And some Chinese brands, such as Xiaomi, OnePlus and Huawei, have good reputations.
Well, some Chinese-made phones have been caught sending a suspicious amount of data back to servers in China, if only for commercial reasons. But we all know each Windows computer does so, too. Mr Trump has not been bothered by this so far.
jwoegerbauer said:
My 2 cents:
The truth is that every phone spies on you to some extent, and most Android smartphones have security flaws related to the platform's relatively open software model.
AFAIK there's no public evidence as of yet that Chinese-made phones will endanger the privacy or digital security of the ordinary Non-China resident.
IMO bashing all the phones that are classified as "Chinese" is a little unfair. Almost all smartphones are manufactured in China, including phones designed and sold by Apple, Google and Samsung. And some Chinese brands, such as Xiaomi, OnePlus and Huawei, have good reputations.
Well, some Chinese-made phones have been caught sending a suspicious amount of data back to servers in China, if only for commercial reasons. But we all know each Windows computer does so, too. Mr Trump has not been bothered by this so far.
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Click to collapse
I made a mistake showing my opinion by " I don't recommend", usually I just point the fact that there are trust issues, without saying what I recommend to do about Chinese phones.
Yes, every phone spies on you, and we accept that every time we download an app containing ad services, or when browsing the internet and accepting cookies.
Yes they have security flaws, corrected by regular security patches.
Case causing trust issues among Chinese "popular" phones:
Xiaomi: https://www.xda-developers.com/xiao...mint-collecting-browsing-data-incognito-mode/
Huawei (the most untrusted):
https://www.businessinsider.fr/us/u...ying-through-law-enforcement-backdoors-2020-2
Huawei 5G antennas: (ban in UK, will be banned in 2025 in France, Germany is discussing the question, as well as the European Union)
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07...th-experts-warning-of-chinese-spying/12424608
OnePlus (I own one):
No serious stories yet...
Those are "out-of-privacpolicy" stories, but the privacy policy of OnePlus is very demanding, and sends a lot of data (hopefully custom ROMs are here to free me from those conditions).
The point of banning Huawei 5G from other countries is the proof that non-China resident are affected. Same for all others stories
Bashing Chinese phone is an opinion, and XDA isn't a place to bashing China and their politics. I made a mistake when writing that, usually I just say there are trust issues, but this time I said "I don't recommend", that's my opinion, and I try not to show it, just letting people know about those concerns.
China may manufacture phones, but it doesn't allows them to have any control on the data the phones will hold, the data is collected through internet on the company's servers, and the people who assembles phones aren't those who manipulate the user's data. User's data is the goal of companies nowadays, and is used by them to make profit with custom ads.
Those brands have a good reputation only because they sells good phones at a cheap price, not because they're trustworthy (see articles above, this is why I don't buy Xiaomi or Huawei, good phones but not trustworthy).
Data is sent back maybe for commercial reasons, so does Google and every other brands these days, it's not a threat, the threat is that other kind of data could be sent under the label "commercial profile" when really it's spying, spy on scientific research, on classified data processed on the device (emails, documents, ...). Here's the threat.
America may spy on its people, but if it's uncovered, their surely will be demonstrations and other social movements. In China nothing will be said or done (and it's not the fault of Chinese people, you know whose it is).
E.g: George Floyd Government reaction Vs Hong Kong Government reaction... (It's getting political sorry about that)
And privacy with Americans brands are way more user-controled (Google dashboard for example, plus the option to opt-out from aimed advertisement,...)
As I said, Chinese phone's privacy policy is way heavier, and is a huge con when buying them.
Huawei, Xiaomi, OnePlus... make cheap devices and they're really good, I can't deny it. But since there is a really good amount of concerns about Chinese brands in the world right now, I feel important to notice people about it. I'll try to be more neutral about it next time.
And small poke to XDA and Huawei, when Huawei try to force its way into the community, they get so bashed that threads are locked to avoid that to happen.
Quick reminder: XDA Portal team is in no way involved with Huawei, it's their Commercials team that was recently renamed "Team XDA" (Previous Name was "XDA Commercial Team" )which seemed not fair since we can't tell it's commercial right away, and which is why I poke jokes.
Sorry, XDA isn't the place to debate about politics, but I needed to address my mistake (and this post will most likely be referred to as my statement about why I point out trust issues with Chinese phones)
Have a good one
Raiz said:
I think a Xiaomi phone would fit your needs. Usually I don't recommend Chinese phones due to the growing concerns about privacy and spying (Xiaomi has already been caught doing so). But you'll find powerful devices for not much. I can also recommend you without any hesitation Pixel devices, LG and Motorola. Never been disappointed by those 3 so far. (There's the Pixel 4a coming soon at 359$, it's a sweet price for a very very very good phone!).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Raiz,
Thank you once again for your kind attention.
I have noticed that here are versions of Android. My Moto G5s is version 8.1.0, and this phone does not accept external audio caption. Could it be that higher versions would serve me as far as accepting external audio capture? In this case, from which version is it possible to rely on?
When we talk about power, what would be a devices's specs for 'enough power' to make lives? Meaning, how can i identify the power of a device in its specs?
Thanks a lot for your concern about the privacy thing.
In my vision we are all hostages and there is nothing to do about it, but just flow with the music the parasites, owners of the oligarchic system, are making. Terrible music. But this too, shall pass. For now let's dance to this rhythm. :fingers-crossed:
Thanks so much once again.
Best :laugh:
Sami Qasem
VP, Global Head of Content, Huawei CBG
In this issue, Sami Qasem shares his thoughts on how 5G will influence mobile app development moving forward.
As 5G technology slowly becomes a reality for both consumers and enterprises, it also opens up all sorts of opportunities for developers to create ground-breaking mobile apps that can leverage the technology’s enhanced capabilities. For instance, the app industry will likely see a rise in cloud-based apps as developers move the processing load off the device and instead utilise 5G speeds to transmit the data between device and server. However, because 5G is still a budding technology, it comes with its own set of unique challenges and roadblocks. As such, there are still uncertainty within the industry on how mobile developers can best prepare themselves ahead of mainstream adoption.
How will 5G impact mobile apps developers?
· How will 5G disrupt the mobile app development space in terms of innovation and consumers’ expectations?
As 5G is rolled out to more countries and cities around the world, consumers will expect an in-home WiFi experience while using their mobile networks. Users will be able to enjoy faster loading of rich media, high quality content on the go and faster browsing, but it also opens up a world of possibilities to developers.
Things we’ve only imagined in sci-fi movies could become a reality. Real-time haptic feedback between users, VR and AR won’t be limited to the home, richer 3D and 4D advertising and fewer delays over mobile networks will push developers to keep up with consumer expectations.
· What are the main verticals that will stand to enjoy the maximum benefit from 5G technology?
There are a number of industries that will benefit from 5G – location-based apps, IoT devices, healthcare, education and the self-driving automotive industry are just a few. The one I’m most excited about however, is gaming. I think we’ll see a bleeding between entertainment, gaming and eSports, as well as a rise in AR/VR Gaming. The stability and speed of 5G will allow for real-time feedback and interactions.
· What should developers’ main priority be when incorporating 5G technology into their apps?
Developers will need to innovate quickly. Consumers already expect high quality content, and once they’ll be able get this reliably outside of the home, they’ll be looking for the next big thing. This might be 5K movies on their mobile or tablets. Or the next leap in the gaming experience. Hardware will need to keep up, but so will software.
As consumers get more accustomed to their content loading faster, they’ll expect their Apps to do the same. Developers should consider making their apps as light as possible, relying on cloud technology for on-demand resources. Testing will also become extra important for developers – ensuring they guarantee a good experience for customers on both 5G and non-5G devices.
· What are some available resources which can support smaller app companies in developing app features that can take full advantage of 5G exceptional capabilities?
Developers need to be pro-active and ensure they don’t get left behind, they should consider implementing technologies that are available now, where possible. Similarly, they’ll need to ensure they’re not exclusively 5G compatible, just yet. As they consider future development they should keep an eye out for articles and technologies via AppGallery Connect, as well as wider tech blogs.
The improved connectivity offered by 5G will decrease an app's load time, making it more responsive. This will significantly improve user experience by lending higher visual clarity to the app and enhancing its performance. Developers will be able to pack in more functionalities into the mobile app while boosting UX.
There is no denying that 5G will significantly upend our ways of living. It is being coined as the catalyst for the fourth industrial revolution. While 5G could disrupt industries, it has the potential to create a multitude of new business opportunities.