I wanted to write a nice detailed blog post with pictures and screenshots. Would take too long to get it “Perfect” so I am punting. (I did write this using the WordPress app on the phone) ** I continued this from my laptop later.
Here are crib notes instead.
Summary: it’s good, it’s functional. It’s less pretty on the watch side, and MMS is subpar, but better voice recognition, LastPass integration, wireless charging make up for that. I’m going to stick with it for a year.
Addendum: it’s frustrating to learn a new ecosystem. And because Android has so many variations it’s hard to know what information applies. For example – getting that screenshot in this post – there is probably a better way but I had to use Google voice to take it, send it to WordPress media library, then include it in this post. (Addendum to the dum: Turns out there’s a “swipe left with your palm” gesture for my phone, but I still can’t save the screenshot to my camera roll)
Stuff I like:
- Chat heads – if I use FB messenger for SMS. They pop open over any app, and let me continue a conversation without switching apps.
- Voice recognition is better – especially in the car. It seems to want to use the phone’s microphone, rather than the 3 second delay switching to bluetooth through the car microphone.
- Can choose default apps – like which Messenger app to use. Thank you “Intentions”.
- Widgets – Not going crazy with this, I only have two or three.
- Not all apps on home screen – I can leave some in the drawer. I don’t have to force myself to choose a position for EVERY FRICKING APP, just the ones that matter.
- Always on screen – specific to my Samsung S7 device? Shows time, date, next calendar appointment, etc before I hit the power button. Major phone use case.
- Number row – by default, turned on, on the keyboard. Also a swipe keyboard, very nice for one hand use.
- Better large screen shrinking – for single hand use. Much more usable than Apple’s double-finger-home-button thing that never worked for me.
- Last pass for apps – incredibly useful, when I’m in an App, Lastpass can integrate in and provide passwords.
- Wireless charging – Coworker Steve gave me his old wireless charger. I’m hooked. No plugging in. I bought one for the car, and I need to buy one for home.
- Workout app has better sharing options – Pretty pictures, square format, straight to instagram, YES.
- S2 watch can control which notifications go to watch and which dont.
- Way more watch faces – This is also a curse. I could not find a decent watch face which had battery, calendar, date, time, and actually worked across my multiple calendars.
- I can put any icon anywhere on the page – I don’t have to plan from the top. Thank God. Clusters are easier to cluster.
What I miss:
- Miss pretty emoji – I’m used to the iPhone and Slack emoji sets. I don’t know for sure when I send my wife a kiss-with-eyes-closed emoji that its showing up the same.
- Hue / OK Google integration misses things – I’ll say turn the lights off, and it will say “I got 18 of them, three not responding”, but only 8 will change.
- Miss overcast podcast player with it’s auto silence trimming – For this reason alone, I have my de-SIM’ed iPhone living in the car, being an iPod for playing podcasts.
- Group messaging wierdness interacting with iMessage – I won’t get pictures or video. My entire family is iOS based, so I’m at a disadvantage.
- Miss sharing position easily (find my friends) – Wife and I used to use this in passive always-on mode. i can do Glympse for limited engagements. I think Google has a solution for this somewhere.
- Text selection wierd no magnifying glass for fine control – it took me a while, but I finally (with writing this post) got a handle on the text select stuff. I have to take this back – I prefer the Android one. I can actually drag the little draggers around, and they snap intelligently. But I do miss the magnifying glass.
- Miss square Apple Watch – It was smaller, looked better, and seemed more functional – especially the voice command part.
- Miss scroll to top.
- S2 battery life not great. However, if I turn on Airplane mode (the S2 has its own 3G connection that I haven’t activated), its very comparable – down to 50% at the end of the day.
Btw, the screenshot is my second screen, not my home screen.
