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[Q] Is this normal?

I don't know what the heck is going on, but I don't this is is normal. People are buying an excellent device and far from enjoying it, they spend all the time trying to find a defect, whatever it may. It sounds to me like mass hysteria fueled by unrealistically high expectations and highly polarized opinions and advices from false experts.
Not only people complain about behavior that it's perfectly normal and within the acceptable parameters, but also show surprise to design issues that they should very well know way in advance before purchasing the device: no FM radio, no notification LED, no 4G bands, etc. Or about application failing under a new Version ofnthe OS.
It could be me, but it seems this is getting to a level of paroxysm that is not healthy. I don't usually agree with Steve Jobs but I have to admit he was right when he allegedly say: it's just a phone!
I risk sounding like an old man, but I'm going to go on a limb and say that XDA did not sound like that during the windows mobile days, and those devices were horrible by today's standards. What's happened?

I so agree with you I'm coming from an iphone now on the S n 4 was the shi but even that had to be tweaked so much to actually get it to its best ability n ppl still had complains, I think first of ppl who really dont know how to take a phone to its full potential or know how to find a work around for what they are missing or they are just miserable complain about the phone. I paid the full price but I did do my research n knew what I was buying. Since day one I have been happy with my S and after putting Modoca Rom n a few apps n other tweaks n widgets my phone is perfect for me. Ppl want perfect from an electronic device, contradicting to what I said but perfect isnt attainable but the S comes close. Return the phone if u want to complain about these lil issuse or do more research next time before you.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Probably something to do with the increased cost of devices and people expecting more for their money and rightly so IMO.
If I fork out premium money I expect a premium device and not one with defects.
It may well be just a phone to some but it's also many other things to many people. If I buy a sat nav I expect it to be fully functional with no defects, likewise if I buy a media player, a camera, a games machine, an internet tablet etc etc... should we not expect the same of a convergence device?

This thread has the potential to get ugly...
Short answer to your question is YES, IT'S NORMAL. Normal in that it's common across the internet, not just on the NS, but on anything (smartphones, cars, computers, etc).
Outside of the development sections of a forum like this, most people who are just happy and loving their device aren't going to come and post about it, so there's a natural negative skew on most forums dedicated to a product. People usually find the forum because they looked for someplace to talk about the problems or dissatisfaction with the device.
No opinion on whether it's healthy or not; for some it's cathartic to vent in public...

distortedloop said:
This thread has the potential to get ugly...
Short answer to your question is YES, IT'S NORMAL. Normal in that it's common across the internet, not just on the NS, but on anything (smartphones, cars, computers, etc).
Outside of the development sections of a forum like this, most people who are just happy and loving their device aren't going to come and post about it, so there's a natural negative skew on most forums dedicated to a product. People usually find the forum because they looked for someplace to talk about the problems or dissatisfaction with the device.
No opinion on whether it's healthy or not; for some it's cathartic to vent in public...
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Agreed. You have to be somewhat flexible when it comes to issues such as these. For some, spending $500 for a phone equates to months of saving, so yes, they want it to be perfect, or darn close to it. But stuff happens, and you just have to roll with the punches sometimes. If it's defective, exchange it for another one. I purchased an Asus G73 gaming Laptop (high end laptop) and had a ton pf problems with it. I exchanged it and had a problem with the replacement. I returned it and purchased an HP Envy 17 Beats Edition instead, and everything is right in the world again. It is what it is. I'm extremely happy with my Nexus S and my Hp Envy 17. Life is good.

[Q] What phone should I buy?(specific personal needs to factor in)

Hello, newb, I searched and skimmed the first couple of dozen results but didn't find what I need.
I'll try and keep the background to my request brief, you're not bothered about my life story, but a few bits of info are relevant to the question; I have a form of High Function Autism, one of the symptoms of which is that I have real trouble with "day to day" stuff - I can spend two days straight reading physics papers or writing short fiction, but keeping track of appointments, even remembering to do simple stuff like take a shower or put my clothes in the washing machine is a struggle. Until recently, my mum was around to remind me to do stuff and nag me when I didn't, alas she recently passed away.
So, in trying to find new coping strategies, it occurred to me that I might use an android smartphone as a personal organiser, set up in such a way as to give me daily reminders for basic things and also to manage appointments. The issue is I'm a bit lost as to what to actually buy. Are the sort of apps which would meet my needs hardware intensive? Do I have to shell out for an SGS2, or would something like an HTC Wildfire be enough?
Essentially, I'm looking for a handset which has a decent battery life, a decent screen size(I have ludicrously large hands), which can serve as a personal organiser, main phone(no point in having a landline as well), and occasional portable music player, and I don't want to overspend. I'm in the UK, and the handset would have to be available sim-free and unlocked, as I'll be going pay as you go and will likely use giffgaff.
Any recommendations or advice you can offer would be appreciated.
EDIT: Rats, I forgot to mention, being DLNA-compliant would be handy but not essential - I've no idea if that's a common feature on smartphones, as I've never actually owned one before.

Hi and welcome.
I'd recommend a large screen "making user input easier" but that doesn't mean needs to be SGSII, some great device's even though ageing are the Desire HD / Atrix / LGO2X and they can be found at a decent price.
Regarding keeping track and having formality then nearly every android device will do this with the many pieces of software available on the market, not intensive @ all either.
Device data base has allot of info regarding specification - link @ top page. "if anything is baffling feel free to PM"
Not sure DLNA has certified android phones.

The latest accessories/gadgets

It's been years since i've purchased a new device, or even researched much. For a second I read through the device comparison thread stickied at top before realizing my question is much more detailed than device A vs device B and could potentially lead to a greater discussion. Please forgive me if this thread truly belongs there.
With the announcement of the Nexus 6, I have my eyes on it pretty heavily. it looks like it has just about everything I need. but then again, I don't need much. I guess i'm what they call a "purist" if I don't need it, don't give it to me. However, I also have the mindset to buy more than I will ever need "just in case". I am perfectly fine with a single core, 256mb phone that makes calls and sends/receives messages. (not quite, I am exaggerating a bit here, I do more than that on my phones) I want a to have the extra storage, even though I generally only use 2-3gb, I know there will be that one road trip a year from now where I want to take along a 40gb HD movie, etc. there may be a game that uses the quad core processor, etc. I'm not 100% set on this phone, but given my past, it will probably fit me best given my current knowledge.
With this purchase, I also plan on getting extra add-ons/accessories. of course, it seems a case/screen protector is a must. Tech has advanced beyond my dreams since my last purchase and I don't want to be wasting money on inferior products. Those QI chargers look great, but which to get? A car dock for every car, and extra QI chargers/desk docks for each room, one by the sofa, one in the kitchen while i'm cooking, one by my bedside, one in the shop, and one at my desk. Really, I want to integrate this with everything.
I'm also considering the android watch, and i've also seen the smartbands advertised. Something I can wear at the gym while i'm working out while my phone sits nicely in a locker/bag. Something that will track my hear rate, etc across multiple machines, etc. something that will politely notify me of calls/messages while i'm out at dinner with out interrupting conversation by picking up my phone. I also like the idea of the "smart alarm" that wakes you up in the morning. Often times my phone is in places I can't hear it, where a watch will be audible anywhere.
There's alot of research to be done, and the brains of the many can help me narrow down my searches. I want to hear everyone's opinions on the latest gadgets and accessories. Whether they directly fit what I am looking for or not, new tech is exciting, and I haven't embraced it for many years. What do I need to know, what do I need to be looking into?

[Q] How to make having a smartphone worthwhile?

I held off of getting s smartphone for a long time, because I never could see any decent reason to have one. Finally, considering it would be convenient for playing music on the go, I ended up getting one. I've had one for a year, and it still doesn't feel worthwhile. Granted sometimes it can be nice to use a terrible version of a web-browser without having to have a computer around, but that hardly makes it worthwhile.
When I finally did get one, refusing to get an apple product I went with Android, and haven't been too impressed with it. Can't even change the volume steps, not even custom roms touch that, making it really useless as a music player (and people told me Android is supposed to be customizable). Wanting to make it worthwhile, I asked all my friends what cool apps there are, and consistently got the reply that there really isn't any. I've scoured the Google Play Store and Fdroid countless times with the same result.
I end up with the vast majority of my apps being stuff for my phone like Nova Launcher, Kernel Adiutor, Better Battery Stats, etc, etc. Those help make the phone usable, not worthwhile. I've only found one game ever that I enjoyed playing on a mobile device, which was Quizup (before they ruined it, now there's really nothing). Is there anything entertaining? Is there anything more interesting than a graphic calculator emulator? Is there anything more useful than a flashlight? Or is a smartphone as useless as I had always envisioned it to be? Just a tinker-toy for tech enthusiasts. Is it just a phone with a few interesting but not useful things and garbage battery life in return (despite doing everything in my power to maximize my battery life and put others with the same phone to shame)? I'd prefer the much more massive battery life and better voice quality of my ancient Nokia phone. I don't want to give up on it, but I need help keeping up hope. Even Tasker is sitting around not doing anything particularly useful. At least it can make phone calls unlike a useless Android tablet. Someone please help me make it worthwhile.

Hey, what was that movie with that one guy that was in that other movie with that chick from that TV show?
How far is a league?
Why is a booby trap called a booby trap?
Where the hell am I and how do I get to where I need to go?
Boy, I wish I could hear "Handle With Care" by the Traveling Wilburys right now. I haven't heard that song in ages.
A phone is something you make calls with. A smartphone is the wealth of the world's knowledge at your fingertips.

The problem with that is that a smartphone is a cumbersome device for giving input and getting output. Even with getting as good of a tiny touchscreen keyboard as you can get (which is still bad compared to a real keyboard) and voice input (which is usually even worse in my experience with several Android solutions as well as Apple's), you still have super buggy difficult to navigate watered-down info on a tiny screen that takes more scrolling than the miles of it I've put on my mouse.
I'm never too far from a computer that I've ever had to use or would have liked to use a smartphone to get that information. I've had the world's information at my fingertips, but why would I want to use a smartphone to get it? I've tried using it for convenience, I've tried using it to augment using a computer, but I've quit trying. Maybe it would be useful if I forgot to plan things ahead of time, or forgot to bring a camera or something. But I'm looking for a way for it to be consistently useful, not something that might come in handy one day and cost me hours of charging every day. I'm still not seeing it.

Hi, I am 21st century man, and I am a smarthphone addict.

As seen in the title, I'm a smartphone addict. Although I don't have an Instagram or Facebook account, my addiction is plain and simple information. In that sense, news is what I crave for most, mostly political related or anything relevant going on in the world or my surroundings. You may ask then what is the problem with that, since I keep myself well informed on a daily basis. Well, the problem is that I'm absolutely fed up with the unending torrent of information that I spend most of my day searching for, to the point that I often put aside almost all of my responsibilities, from simple daily chores to work, social relations, hobbies, religion, books and many other things, necessary ou just pleasant. I literally spend hours on news websites and Twitter searching for that next fix. I struggle with this condition for some time now, as it has ups and downs, and I know I'm not alone: you get the impression that you are living normally; it isn't something the media or the doctors are ranting about (at least as they should be); and hey, it is technology after all, what could be wrong!?
Well, I see now that, as it occurs with everything, this too has a limit, and I've reached mine. I constantly see myself wondering about times past (from when I was I kid or teenager or even earlier, in movies and such), when people dind't have this absurd amount of distractions and futilities bringing them down. As an example for me, I picture the time when all the news one would be exposed to during a day were contained in a few pages of the daily newspaper. And that was it: if you wanted more, you had to wait for the next day, and so our brains were acostumed to that feeling and could focus on other things without any anxiety.
I'm not criticizing the rate at which we CAN get information nowadays, as this is a very good inovation for many reasons. What I am saying is that we aren't prepared for this at all, and that our brain, once it sets sight on anything that we deem good for ourselves, will relentlessly chase that to the ends of the world if possible. So now you can imagine what happens if all of this information is contained on a single device that fits on our palms and is beside us all the time. Long story short, I've tried many things and failed, and I can't take anymore of this, AT LEAST when I am out working, with friends, doing chores and such.
So I finally get to my question, and I apologize to all for the extended introduction. I want to know two simple things:
- If there is a basic phone out there that offers ONLY Whatsapp as an app, with no possibilities of downloading new ones. A browser is fairly ok, but not desirable.
- If there is a way or custom ROM that effectively and permanentelly disables the funcionality to download new apps after I've selected the ones I want to have on my smartphone. I have tried many cold turkey like apps and solutions, but they are so easily bypassable it is ridiculous (you can just uninstall the app or cheat in many ways). If I had to completely reset or flash another ROM in my phone, at least I know my laziness would work out in my favor (ok, I'm not THAT addicted). Otherwise, the only solution would be to destroy my phone altogheter and live as a hermit haha.
TL;DR: I need to drastically reduce my phone usage to only messaging apps, calls, and utilities like bank, food and mobility apps. But I need to do so in a way I can't easily bypass.
To anyone who read it all, thank you very much. I'm in dire need of help, so any is welcome. I think this is my last resort. Sorry for the drag.

grjota said:
As seen in the title, I'm a smartphone addict. Although I don't have an Instagram or Facebook account, my addiction is plain and simple information. In that sense, news is what I crave for most, mostly political related or anything relevant going on in the world or my surroundings. You may ask then what is the problem with that, since I keep myself well informed on a daily basis. Well, the problem is that I'm absolutely fed up with the unending torrent of information that I spend most of my day searching for, to the point that I often put aside almost all of my responsibilities, from simple daily chores to work, social relations, hobbies, religion, books and many other things, necessary ou just pleasant. I literally spend hours on news websites and Twitter searching for that next fix. I struggle with this condition for some time now, as it has ups and downs, and I know I'm not alone: you get the impression that you are living normally; it isn't something the media or the doctors are ranting about (at least as they should be); and hey, it is technology after all, what could be wrong!?
Well, I see now that, as it occurs with everything, this too has a limit, and I've reached mine. I constantly see myself wondering about times past (from when I was I kid or teenager or even earlier, in movies and such), when people dind't have this absurd amount of distractions and futilities bringing them down. As an example for me, I picture the time when all the news one would be exposed to during a day were contained in a few pages of the daily newspaper. And that was it: if you wanted more, you had to wait for the next day, and so our brains were acostumed to that feeling and could focus on other things without any anxiety.
I'm not criticizing the rate at which we CAN get information nowadays, as this is a very good inovation for many reasons. What I am saying is that we aren't prepared for this at all, and that our brain, once it sets sight on anything that we deem good for ourselves, will relentlessly chase that to the ends of the world if possible. So now you can imagine what happens if all of this information is contained on a single device that fits on our palms and is beside us all the time. Long story short, I've tried many things and failed, and I can't take anymore of this, AT LEAST when I am out working, with friends, doing chores and such.
So I finally get to my question, and I apologize to all for the extended introduction. I want to know two simple things:
- If there is a basic phone out there that offers ONLY Whatsapp as an app, with no possibilities of downloading new ones. A browser is fairly ok, but not desirable.
- If there is a way or custom ROM that effectively and permanentelly disables the funcionality to download new apps after I've selected the ones I want to have on my smartphone. I have tried many cold turkey like apps and solutions, but they are so easily bypassable it is ridiculous (you can just uninstall the app or cheat in many ways). If I had to completely reset or flash another ROM in my phone, at least I know my laziness would work out in my favor (ok, I'm not THAT addicted). Otherwise, the only solution would be to destroy my phone altogheter and live as a hermit haha.
TL;DR: I need to drastically reduce my phone usage to only messaging apps, calls, and utilities like bank, food and mobility apps. But I need to do so in a way I can't easily bypass.
To anyone who read it all, thank you very much. I'm in dire need of help, so any is welcome. I think this is my last resort. Sorry for the drag.
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