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What did you do today?
- Thread starter craigbru
- Start date
The ZTE Axon 7 is another nice one. I personally am going for the OnePlus 3 as OnePlus' warranty allows for unlocked bootloaders. ZTE and Xiaomi ship their phones with locked bootloaders.
The Xiaomi can be unlocked very easily however, I think this was something they did recently and not sure why. The ZTE I didn't know about. My next phone will probably be a Nexus device because Xiaomi does not have very good support on their phones.....seems a lot of minor bugs that become very frustrating to deal with and take a long time to get fixed. It's like Nexus devices from 4 years ago.
According to xda-developers, Xiaomi was making the process rather painful and when you unlocked the bootloader, you end up with a bootloop: www.xda-developers.com/xiaomi-locks-bootloaders-unlock-approval-takes-up-to-21-days-bricked-devices-must-wait/ It has been over six months since then, so I do hope Xiaomi changed the process for the better. I like Nexus devices (owned a Galaxy Nexus), but the premium they started to go for and the specs (small battery to screen size/resolution ratio) put me off.
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So about 5PM right now and been a few days since my last update.
A bit of an update (and an incredibly long rant, please excuse the wall of text) on the phone situation. So I went to 5 different retailers which were listed on Oneplus's site as service centers, but none of them wanted to sell me the Oneplus 3 (one did say they didn't have one available, even after calling up his boss). I was told by one of the stores that they only offer the Oneplus 3 on a contract, but after I declined the contract offer he turned around and told me that most stores here don't sell the Oneplus 3 because they're scared that replacement parts would be hard to obtain from America...except the phone is made in Taiwan and the site lists his store as a partnered service center for both the sale of and repairs to the Oneplus 3. The downside of branding yourself as a non-contract flagship killer is that your support centers seem to suck major ballocks.
I've looked into ZTE, Xioami, and Vivo smartphones here but none of them I like especially in the UI department. I'm spoiled by my Moto X's close to stock Android UI and its Active Display feature. I don't like not having an App Drawer, and the Mi5's drastic UI mods are really annoying, especially when I run almost everything with Google. I will say I was tempted to get it since it shares names with the British agency, but that novelty wore out within 3 minutes of testing out the phone. The thing that pushed me away from Vivo was the rep's inability to tell me whether the phone had AC wifi or not, and the V3 he had on display wasn't even charged, even though it was plugged in. I didn't like the feel of it at all and it felt too slippery in my hands.
So I've given up the search for a Oneplus 3 (and pretty much all other smartphones) here on account of nearly everyone I meet in Malaysian tech stores being idiots or sleazebags or both. Don't get me wrong they're respectful and courteous, but in a very sly and dishonest way.
I might just settle for purchasing a new phone online from the US. A friend is flying here to meet me within the next two weeks and will be helping me out with planning and organizing a wedding (the real reason why I'm here) so I could have my new phone sent to him and he could bring it to me, which would also probably be cheaper since most stores here markup their prices somewhere around the 60-100 USD range as compared to prices in the US (even including the 7.5% sales tax in Jersey). My only worry is if TSA stops him and asks him why he now has three phones instead of two.
A bit of an update (and an incredibly long rant, please excuse the wall of text) on the phone situation. So I went to 5 different retailers which were listed on Oneplus's site as service centers, but none of them wanted to sell me the Oneplus 3 (one did say they didn't have one available, even after calling up his boss). I was told by one of the stores that they only offer the Oneplus 3 on a contract, but after I declined the contract offer he turned around and told me that most stores here don't sell the Oneplus 3 because they're scared that replacement parts would be hard to obtain from America...except the phone is made in Taiwan and the site lists his store as a partnered service center for both the sale of and repairs to the Oneplus 3. The downside of branding yourself as a non-contract flagship killer is that your support centers seem to suck major ballocks.
I've looked into ZTE, Xioami, and Vivo smartphones here but none of them I like especially in the UI department. I'm spoiled by my Moto X's close to stock Android UI and its Active Display feature. I don't like not having an App Drawer, and the Mi5's drastic UI mods are really annoying, especially when I run almost everything with Google. I will say I was tempted to get it since it shares names with the British agency, but that novelty wore out within 3 minutes of testing out the phone. The thing that pushed me away from Vivo was the rep's inability to tell me whether the phone had AC wifi or not, and the V3 he had on display wasn't even charged, even though it was plugged in. I didn't like the feel of it at all and it felt too slippery in my hands.
So I've given up the search for a Oneplus 3 (and pretty much all other smartphones) here on account of nearly everyone I meet in Malaysian tech stores being idiots or sleazebags or both. Don't get me wrong they're respectful and courteous, but in a very sly and dishonest way.
I might just settle for purchasing a new phone online from the US. A friend is flying here to meet me within the next two weeks and will be helping me out with planning and organizing a wedding (the real reason why I'm here) so I could have my new phone sent to him and he could bring it to me, which would also probably be cheaper since most stores here markup their prices somewhere around the 60-100 USD range as compared to prices in the US (even including the 7.5% sales tax in Jersey). My only worry is if TSA stops him and asks him why he now has three phones instead of two.
Could you wait for the Zenfone? I never have much issue with customs when i go into the US... Unless its obvious you are smuggling stuff i dont think they care a whole lot
I could wait and see how the Zenfone goes, but it really does come down to how android is implemented on the device.
For now I have my Moto X sealed in a ziploc bag perfect for its size. Not only does the cracked screen still work but the Moto X is now more dust and water resistant than before! Too bad the camera quality is still terrible, and the ziploc bag doesn't help.
I heard the Zenfone2 was easy to root. Hopefully the 3 is too. Maybe Asus will get back into making Nexus devices.
The Ziploc bag is my waterproofing solution for the Nexus 6P (as yet nobody has bothered to release a waterproof case for it).
Luckily the bag works excellently, as it was in my (non-waterproof) pocket during my first day's Class-A motorcycle license course, which ended up being almost constant rain (contrary to the forecast, or I would have worn the waterproofs). Completely drenched, and utterly exhausted after a solid 6 hours on the bike.
I am so sorry. That is just plain stupid what you had to go through. You should contact OnePlus about the issues you faced and after doing so, go to Engadget, The Verge, Mashable, xda-developers, GSM Arena, Phone Arena, Android Authority, Android Headlines, etc. Give them a chance to own up and if they do not, give them the publicity they do not want.
I had ranted about that topic before to my friends one of them said this:
Which is very much true. When I worked in retail for electronics, I was the specialty person. I had applied for similar positions in carrier stores electronics stores and was either, told that I was wasn't the right fit, or not contacted for other reasons that I will not be going into.
That should not be an issue as the third phone is a "gift". I wish you the best of luck with whichever route you choose.
Today for me was an emotional rollercoaster. I do not know how to describe or state what happened.
I'm currently working on a new web project to keep learning the React framework. It's more or less a PC Part Picker clone but with one key difference- watercooling! I want to provide a comprehensive list of watercooling parts for users to add to their planned builds. Possibly add compatibility filters for that too, so you know what water blocks work for what hardware.
So I got to check out a bunch of tech stores today, wanted to see if I could snag some decent hardware on the cheap while here. Nope, prices are anywhere from $20-$90 more than if I purchased them in the US, so an i7-6700k would be around the ballpark of $380 instead of $310 from my local Microcenter. A lot of people are complaining abou tthe 6% GST across the board now, but as someone who goes between Jersey and NYC a bunch, I'm kind of used to sales tax.
There was one computer hardware store I went to that was selling a CM 130, but didn't have any mini-ITX boards in stock. Their only selection of motherboards were from ATX sized and up. It took me a while to explain that if any of their customers wanted to buy the CM 130, they wouldn't be able to buy a compatible motherboard, in which case none of their customers would buy it. The first sales rep I spoke to didn't speak English, and the other rep (that first one fetched from behind the counter) didn't care and said that large ATX cases sold more in their store. Gee I wonder why.
After visiting several more stores, I've come to realize that mini-ITX boards don't exist anywhere in Penang except in online stores. All 7 stores I visited (4 in a shopping mall and 3 across the street from said shopping mall) had no mini-ITX boards for sale.
One store was selling all the proper components to build a computer: case, motherboard, CPU, GPU, PSU, case fans, and internal wires galore. Just one problem: no RAM sticks. I could not find any RAM sticks at their store, neither on the shelves nor locked behind the cabinets.
They did have some off-brand RGB case fans. They also had a wide selection of RGB Keyboards and Mice with generous helpings of scantily clad female MOBA hero characters plastered all over the packaging; one of whom I thought was completely naked until I realized she was sporting some fashionable nipple clamps and a thong while straddling the very large shaft of a battleaxe.
I also found a Radioshack. Somehow, Radioshack still exists. One section of their wall had bright red LED's with an incredibly bright "AMD" logo plastered across the top. When I got to the shelves I found only three products: Razer mechanical keyboards, Razer gaming mice, and Razer gaming headsets. Good stock of AMD stuff there. Thanks Radioshack.
There was one computer hardware store I went to that was selling a CM 130, but didn't have any mini-ITX boards in stock. Their only selection of motherboards were from ATX sized and up. It took me a while to explain that if any of their customers wanted to buy the CM 130, they wouldn't be able to buy a compatible motherboard, in which case none of their customers would buy it. The first sales rep I spoke to didn't speak English, and the other rep (that first one fetched from behind the counter) didn't care and said that large ATX cases sold more in their store. Gee I wonder why.
After visiting several more stores, I've come to realize that mini-ITX boards don't exist anywhere in Penang except in online stores. All 7 stores I visited (4 in a shopping mall and 3 across the street from said shopping mall) had no mini-ITX boards for sale.
One store was selling all the proper components to build a computer: case, motherboard, CPU, GPU, PSU, case fans, and internal wires galore. Just one problem: no RAM sticks. I could not find any RAM sticks at their store, neither on the shelves nor locked behind the cabinets.
They did have some off-brand RGB case fans. They also had a wide selection of RGB Keyboards and Mice with generous helpings of scantily clad female MOBA hero characters plastered all over the packaging; one of whom I thought was completely naked until I realized she was sporting some fashionable nipple clamps and a thong while straddling the very large shaft of a battleaxe.
I also found a Radioshack. Somehow, Radioshack still exists. One section of their wall had bright red LED's with an incredibly bright "AMD" logo plastered across the top. When I got to the shelves I found only three products: Razer mechanical keyboards, Razer gaming mice, and Razer gaming headsets. Good stock of AMD stuff there. Thanks Radioshack.
Not sure if Malaysia is like China, but i have to bash my head into a wall to get the point across to coworkers that a big PC is not a "powerful" one. Some of them cannot get this idea through their head. They always end up overpaying for a big PC with kind of crappy no name brands just to get the biggest numbers.
Most annoying is the "i want a GTX 960 4GB, because 4GB is twice as powerful as 2GB"
Most annoying is the "i want a GTX 960 4GB, because 4GB is twice as powerful as 2GB"
Penang is mostly filled with Chinese, and most of the workers are Chinese in these stores. You can imagine how the conversations go.
EDIT: The above comment came out a bit more racist than I intended it to ^_^;;
A lot of the workers in these stores just have absolutely no idea what they're selling, and resorting to the "bigger is better" solution for normal people and then the "it lights up" solution for gamers. It's not all that different at Bestbuy, Staples, or Walmart, but I expected these tech stores (who claim themselves to specialize in computer tech) to do better.
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Yesterday I said to a colleague looking strangely at his new and much quicker Intel NUC PC: "in the past we had big PCs and small screens. Now we install big screens and small PCs."
Coming from a loud ATX PC with a bargain bin 19" screen, the step to a decently configured NUC with 23" IPS screen, soon the question marks above their heads disappeared.
That would be interesting to try out when you release it? Would you be open to code contributions as well?
What a mess.
They have to be deconditioned from that mindset. As NwAvGuy says:
. They have yet to see and understand that for themselves.
Blind leading the blind. Is it any wonder why we as a species still exist?
Thou art have achieved enlightenment! Go forth and spread thy knowledge with thou peers!
You mean like letting contribute code to the project? I haven't thought about that yet. What I would like to do, though is provide an API to access the library of parts and configs. Something PCPP has said they have one but haven't planned on making it public yet.
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