Nitpicking the Nexus 5X: Gosh the grievances!
Now that the LG Nexus 5X has hit the hands of some of the more hardcore haves, I thought it would be a good time to sound off on some of the sour spots. Make no mistake, the device is a fantastic product and a worthy upgrade from the original Nexus 5. Still, I tend to test out a lot of phones for evaluative purposes and suffice to say there have been a number of issues I’ve had with the 5X in the days I’ve spent with it so far. Some of these are device-specific, some are OS-related, however, given that the two are one-and-the-same, both will be addressed in this piece.
Also, I feel it pertinent to mention that this is not intended to be a thorough review of the hardware by any means. Those interested in a more objective, in-depth look at the device and all it has to offer should check out our official review here. With that said, let’s get this train started.
The “Misunderstandings”
Call it strange, but unless I’m specifically required to know relevant information for purposes of a post or debate, I tend to shy away from full-disclosure when it comes to IT products. Basic specs are fine, but I want to know the ins and outs for myself, kind of a pseudo sense of discovery. With that said – and especially regarding the 5X as opposed to the 6P – my prior knowledge of the spec sheet was limited so as to be potentially surprised. Indeed I was, but in both good – and bad – ways.
To this end, the first formal section will address those “darling discoveries” I have encountered:
Sour about the speaker
Before I had my hands on a 5X, I was under the impression the prominently visible dual “grill” setup along the top and bottom bezels were for stereo speakers. Nope. Sound comes only from the bottom vent, and the sound quality is really lacking for 2015, especially with companies like ZTE making it a sound priority.
YouTube videos for example, are harder to enjoy due to this problem, and I really wish LG could have put a better sound system in the hardware. At the very least, at this point in time if companies are going to make it look like there are front-facing stereo speakers, they ought to actually do it.
This is not to say the Nexus 5X is horrible, but in all honesty I’ve heard better sound coming from rear facing speakers than the one pointed flat at my face on this device. Oh well, that’s what headphones are for perhaps.
Bravo about the build
Some of the other aspects of the 5X are, in my humble opinion, fantastic. I happen to love the design, even the camera protrusion on the back. It hearkens back to the days of the HTC One X, of which I have fond recollection. At least on a personal level, I feel the 5X looks more modern than the original Nexus 5.
Additionally the screen is excellent. Shortly before the 5X arrived I stared in total disbelief at the spec: it’s “TFT”. And yet, the screen is – as far as non-AMOLED goes – bright, vibrant, and colorful. It is perhaps a testament to LG’s own display prowess.
…but those buttons…
On the other hand, I have nothing positive to say about the flimsy power and volume buttons along the right side of the phone. They are every bit as bad as those on last year’s Nexus 9. In the case of said tablet, the issue was gradually resolved with later builds, and seemed to be better – on the whole – with the white variant.
LG still makes some internally produced hardware with buttons along the side, one of which I used just last month, released in Japan as the LG Spray. This device had the same tactile, responsive buttons that LG used to make on all their phones, thus I begin to wonder if this is something Google-related given the HTC Nexus 9.
Could LG fix this with later production runs, as it did with the Nexus 4’s sliding siding? Sure. But it’s not going to do diddly squat for me, or the potentially hundreds of thousands of early adopters who potentially are less than pleased with the issue. Sure the Nexus Imprint negates the need to use the power button, but that’s hardly justification. Speaking of which…
I can’t quite place my finger on it…
The Nexus Imprint sensor is cool, without a doubt. Rather than requiring a prior press to turn on 5X’s screen (or a pressurized push), a single print does double duty and will both power on the device and immediately unlock it.
This works wonders, especially given the aforementioned build quality blues regarding the power button. You simply place, and presto.
The problem is that…any time the device is turned off and something presses against Imprint, the sensor will try to read it. Wrong. It makes handling the device somewhat troublesome because of the two quick haptic feedback responses that occur for bad scans.
At least for me, it’s like I’m always accidentally touching the Imprint sensor by “accident” and constantly get the vibratory feedback error. Likewise depending on the finger(s) registered, you may inadvertently turn wake up and unlock the display simply by mistake.
It kind of makes me wish the sensor was on the front of the device, a la Samsung, though obviously nothing can be done about this now.
The force returns in full
Related to this is the problem of the 5X’s forceful feedback. In all my years and experience, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a device with haptic feedback this strong. Indeed many have said that the actual audible vibration from the part itself is stronger than the sensation itself.
And it is loud. Even on a semi-crowded Tokyo subway with people talking next to me, I could still hear the mechanical “noise” emitted by the build as I typed this very sentence.
This brings up two specific issues for concern:
1. If haptic feedback is this strong, will the internals wear out over time due to too much use?
2. Why isn’t there a way to manually adjust the haptic feedback intensity in the Usability settings option? Given that high intensity might be best for people who have certain disabilities, it seems fundamentally relevant.
Mushy Marshmallows
Concluding this list, I am also not particularly happy with the fact that the home screen now has 5 columns instead of just 4. The icons seem almost too small, despite the fact that their text labels are permanently enlarged. This is a stark contrast to the Google Now Launcher’s typical presentation wherein it usually has gigantic icons.
I am also somewhat surprised that the font size on the 5X is so small. Even when set to Large, it looks small. Extra Large, which is usually comically gigantic, is basically what I’d consider to be just “large” standard.
And on a final note, I’m not too keen on the new font. What was wrong with Roboto…
Wrap up
And there you have it, my general grievances about the Nexus 5X. Is it a good phone? Yes. Is it a worthy sequel to its predecessor? Definitely. Is it the best product it could be? No, not really. Given that rumors persist that the 5X had 3GB of RAM until the last minute, I am inclined to lean towards the belief that it was once much more, but stripped of its superiority due to possible competition with the 6P.
Still, assuming you want a Nexus, one must be happy with what they have, as that’s all we’re going to get, this year at least. With that said, I’d like to ask for your thoughts. Are any of you sporting the Nexus 5X? Do you have similar feelings or is everything perfect as far as you’re concerned? Leave a comment below, or yell at me on Google Plus!
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Deal: Walmart has the Fitbit Charge HR for just $104
If you have been looking to make the jump into fitness wearables then you’ll struggle to find a better time than now. Walmart is selling the Fitbit Charge HR wristband for just $104, including free in-store pick up.
This deal saves $46 off Walmart’s regular retail price and is also notably cheaper than an offer currently running on Amazon too, where you would pay $141 for the same device. If you want extra protection for your new Fitbit, Walmart also offers a 2 year care plan for an extra $14.
The Fitbit Charge HR features the usual step, stair and distance traveled statistics, as well as an additional heart rate monitor that can also be used to track your sleep patterns. Pairing the hardware up with the Android app allows wearers to keep on top of their daily activities, set targets and even monitor their calorie intake and output.
It’s not clear how long Walmart will be selling the Charge HR for at this price. Click the big orange button below to head on over to the deal.
Google Maps adds offline turn-by-turn navigation, search, and more
During this year’s Google I/O we learned that fully featured offline navigation would be making its way to Google Maps before 2015 was over. Now Google is making good on its promise, as they have announced that offline navigation and search is rolling out!
While it was possible to use Google Maps offline in a limited fashion before, the newly upgraded offline functionality gives you the power to select entire cities, counties, or even countries to download. Once downloaded, you’ll have the ability to get turn-by-turn navigations, search for locations, and more.
Whereas before you could simply view an area of the map offline, now you can get turn-by-turn driving directions, search for specific destinations, and find useful information about places, like hours of operation, contact information or ratings.
While offline functionality is exceptionally important for those with limited data or for those in countries where data speeds are slower, this is also a welcome addition for those who find themselves travelling country roads, small towns, and other areas where data connections might be spotty. As someone who has family in a neighboring city and has to pass a dead spot that lasts about twenty minutes every time I visit them, I certainly am very excited about getting access to fully-featured offline maps! Of course, in usual Google fashion, you can expect the functionality to start rolling out gradually.
What does everyone think, do you see yourself using this regularly? Or are the data connections in your area strong enough that it is really a non-issue? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Tim Cook warns UK government against weakening encryption
Following the UK’s Investigatory Powers Bill, which was released last week with new and extended surveillance powers for the government, Apple CEO Tim Cook has defended strong encryption. Speaking to the Telegraph, Cook reiterated that Apple believes “very strongly in end-to-end encryption and no back doors.” He pointed to recent data breaches (hello, TalkTalk hack) and emphasised that they can endanger both public privacy and national security. “To protect people who use any products, you have to encrypt.”
Hollywood FX artists help doctors practice child surgery
Boston Children’s Hospital has formed an odd partnership with a practical special effects company to create more realistic surgery simulator models. Santa Monica-based Fractured FX is well acquainted with human anatomy (and gore), having worked on FX’s bloody American Horror Story. It also helped recreate surgeries performed in the early 1900s on the Cinemax Series The Knick. For its part, Boston Children’s Hospital has had a surgery simulator program for quite awhile, but decided it needed to up the realism quotient and give doctors a better “haptic” feel for patient’s organs.
Source: Boston Children’s Hospital
We hate Valve’s Steam Controller because it’s different
My stomach tied itself into a knot as I read the gaming community’s first impressions of Valve’s final Steam Controller. “It’s cheap feeling,” many of them said, “difficult and frustrating to use.” Forum posts, tweets and reviews all bemoaned how different the touchpads felt compared to traditional analog sticks, accusing it of fixing something that wasn’t broken.
The general consensus seemed to be that the Steam Controller was a mistake: A drastic, unnecessary step away from the tried and true layout of the 16-button, dual-analog gamepad standard. I felt betrayed and even a little offended — but it wasn’t Valve’s experimental gamepad that let me down (I love that little thing), it was the gaming community that decided to turn a cold shoulder to innovation.
Samsung’s improved Gear VR is available for pre-order
Samsung said its improved, cheaper Gear VR would arrive sometime in November, and it’s clearly making good on its promise. Best Buy has started taking pre-orders for the virtual reality headset — plunk down $100 and you should get your Gear VR on November 20th. It’s not quite as low-cost as it sounds, since you’ll need one of Samsung’s 2015 flagship phones (such as a Galaxy S6 variant or the Galaxy Note 5) to make it work. Still, it might be worth the investment if you’ve been itching to try modern VR at home.
Via: I4U News
Source: Best Buy
Talking it out: Do I buy a console or the Oculus Rift?
So my old Xbox 360 finally gave up its ghost last weekend and presented me with the most dreaded of error codes, the ‘Red Ring of Death’. It wasn’t an entirely shocking turn of events, mind you. I’d had that console since 2006 — it survived four intra-state moves, countless roommates and a bitter ex armed with a croquet mallet (seriously Ashley, if you’re reading this, you still owe me a croquet set) — but the increasingly common and severe loading screen freezes made it clear my 360 was reaching the end of its operational service life.
Now I’m faced with a difficult choice: What gaming platform do I buy next? Do I suck it up and embrace Microsoft’s current console, Xbox One? Should I jump ship to the PlayStation 4 which all my own friends own and use? Or, do I say goodbye to console gaming altogether and get one of those fancy new Oculus Rifts?
Former Apple Car Hire Johann Jungwirth Joins Volkswagen as Head of Digitalization Strategy
Johann Jungwirth has been appointed as the head of Volkswagen’s new Digitalization Strategy Department in the company’s Germany-based headquarters. In the past, Jungwirth worked for Mercedez-Benz and Apple, where he led the Mac Systems Engineering team.
More specifically, Jungwirth supported Apple’s Special Projects Group, a tie that has connected him in the past to Apple’s long-rumored Apple Car project. Although the German native could have left Apple solely for a job that brought him closer to home, it’s still unclear exactly why he decided to leave the Cupertino-based company — where he was allegedly working alongside the Apple Car team — for Volkswagen.
Jungwirth was named Director, Mac Systems Engineering at Apple in Cupertino, CA (USA), in 2014. He was responsible for innovation in design and engineering in product development as well as hiring, growing and leading a multicultural research & development team and supporting the Special Projects Group.
According to Volkswagen’s press release, Jungwirth will help the car manufacturer look towards the future with a focus on digitilization in the automotive industry. The hire comes on the heels of Volkswagen’s big diesel scandal that’s plagued the company for the past few weeks, in which it was discovered that it cheated on emissions tests in a number of its diesel cars.
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Google Announces Full Offline Maps Coming Soon to iOS
Google has announced that the latest version of Google Maps for Android has an improved offline mode, providing access to turn-by-turn directions and several other features in areas without a reliable cellular data or internet connection. It also confirmed these features will be coming soon to iOS, but did not provide a specific release timeframe.
Google Maps was previously limited to viewing maps while offline, but this update will enable iPhone users to navigate with turn-by-turn driving directions, search for specific destinations and look up information about places, including hours of operation, contact information and ratings, while offline.
Now you can download an area of the world to your phone, and the next time you find there’s no connectivity—whether it’s a country road or an underground parking garage—Google Maps will continue to work seamlessly. Whereas before you could simply view an area of the map offline, now you can get turn-by-turn driving directions, search for specific destinations, and find useful information about places, like hours of operation, contact information or ratings.
Google previewed Offline Maps at Google I/O in May, and will be gradually rolling out the new features to Android and iOS users.
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