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Andy Rubin (Android co-founder) launches "modular" Essential phone (no 3.5mm jack)

B

badcrumble

Member
ZeoVGM said:
It is a needless decision with no true benefit that forces people to use a dongle to have a normal headphone jack. That is the problem. It doesn't require more detail.

If it doesn't bother you, that's great. It bothers other people, factually, and you are in no place to tell them they are wrong or lying.
Click to expand...

it's okay to say that they're nonrepresentative of the broader population and are a loud but tiny minority, though

you can't really extrapolate from true statement "i won't buy this phone" to dubious statement "this phone will fail"
 
E

evilpigking

Member
So the phone itself isnt modular...just the accessories...I don't use any accessories though so really it is just another overpriced phone...
 
F

Fuchsdh

Member
Slayven said:
No one wants to carry a bunch of shit around for their phones.
Click to expand...

I don't think the idea is really that people would be running around with a pocket full of phone parts, it's just a way of making upgradeable smartphones, which don't really exist currently.

Of course, most people don't upgrade their computers at all, so designing a phone that way is a pretty substantial compromise in engineering. So mostly this seems like a solution in search of a problem, or else intrinsically limited audience.
 
L

LumpOfCole

Member
CrimsonSquall said:
I'm in no place to tell people anything yet u just stated there is no logical reasoning for getting rid of it? Do you work for Google and Apple? Do u think they thought hmm let's just remove a headphone jack for literally no reason at all. C'mon dude, it's future forethought.

No headphone jack is not a burden, anyone with an iPhone 7 will tell u this over and over again, u are just averse to change and can't admit it till 5-10 yrs u will be thinking "dang why did I even care about a headphone jack anyway" guaranteed.
Click to expand...

As an iPhone 7 owner, there are one or two times every month I feel sad that I can't use my Fidelio X1s at the same quality as I could with an iPhone 6 or a Zune - the adapter just isn't good.
 
Chittagong

Chittagong

Gold Member
Terrible launch, the product doesn't match the narrative at all. The modular phone angle has been done to death, and always has failed.
 
Z

ZeoVGM

Banned
CrimsonSquall said:
I'm in no place to tell people anything yet u just stated there is no logical reasoning for getting rid of it? Do you work for Google and Apple? Do u think they thought hmm let's just remove a headphone jack for literally no reason at all. C'mon dude, it's future forethought.
Click to expand...

Yes. But I also don't blindly defend anti-consumer decisions.

No headphone jack is not a burden
Click to expand...

I disagree.

anyone with an iPhone 7 will tell u this over and over again
Click to expand...

Except for the multiple people who I know feel otherwise. So that's wrong too.
 
Reallink

Reallink

Member
Premium materials and true craftsmanship shouldn’t be just for the few, they should be for the very few.
Click to expand...

Fixed it. What kind of out of touch idiots do they pay $200,000/yr to write this shit? They're $50 more than the iPhone they're so obviously trying to disparage.
 
D

DJ88

Member
Can't help but laugh at the people calling the phone useless because it doesn't have a headphone jack.

Who knew that tech companies waste all that time on screens and cameras and apps when all they have to do is throw in a headphone jack and call it a day.
 
CrimsonSquall

CrimsonSquall

Member
ZeoVGM said:
Yes. But I also don't blindly defend anti-consumer decisions
Click to expand...
Not blindly defending. It's just a fucking smart choice in leading the pack of next wave innovation. U just can't see it but like I said it just takes time to materialize for others so we'll just wait n see
 
M

mattwhite924

Member
CrimsonSquall said:
He bought an iPhone 7. And bt headphones arent super expensive unless your an audiophilehead
Click to expand...

Considering that he's complaining about the quality of the DAC in the headphone adapter, he might be the kind of person who doesn't want to go to bluetooth. Bluetooth just doesn't sound as good, nor is it as reliable as a wired connection. The headphones he mentioned aren't cheap either, so why buy a new pair just to use for a single phone when he's got something already good?
 
W

Woetyler

Member
You can't talk about a 'groundbreaking' phone with attachable and detachable accessories and not have a headphone jack. Even if only a percentage of people use headphones, it's still a must in a lot of people's eyes, including my own. A headphone jack doesn't make the phone, but it's an accessory that should be part of the phone out the gate.
 
P

paradise_circus

Member
mattwhite924 said:
Considering that he's complaining about the quality of the DAC in the headphone adapter, he might be the kind of person who doesn't want to go to bluetooth. Bluetooth just doesn't sound as good, nor is it as reliable as a wired connection. The headphones he mentioned aren't cheap either, so why buy a new pair just to use for a single phone when he's got something already good?
Click to expand...

there are new codecs out there because of this like sony's LDAC. android will support it with android 8 onwards.
https://www.sony.net/Products/LDAC/
 
T

Tertullian

Member
WhiskerFrisker said:
It seems like that was written before the phone was created, not after. Premium materials, but no waterproof​. Tired of less options, but create a phone without the option of a headphone jack.
Click to expand...

Seriously.


What a fucking tosser. If you're a phone designer who tries to eliminate what is virtually the only standard, universal, patent-free port we've got, while at the same time claiming to be a lover of open ecosystems and consumer freedom, please (a) go fuck yourself and (b) go away and get a job as a line cook so we don't have to deal with you anymore.
 
G

gcubed

Member
Fast Forward said:
I hate this is becoming a tend. Really hope the Pixel 2 is the exception, and still includes a headphone jack.
Click to expand...

prepare to be disappointed. Now that Apple has taken the heat, companies see it as a way to remove more holes in the phone with limited blowback. I expect it to be gone in the next 2 years from all mid-tier + phones.
 
V

Vivalaraza

Member
US only?

Lame.

The $700 phone works out to just over £450 which isn't bad. Though I am sure when it does come to the UK it'll be considerably more than that.
 
M

Mr.Shrugglesツ

Banned
P

Particle Physicist

between a quark and a baryon
The phone definitely looks nice but I am more interested in their Home device. If it really works like their description it sounds pretty awesome.
 
J

Just_myles

Member
Mr.Shrugglesツ;238586949 said:
When was it said it was platform agnostic?

Everyone plug in tonight to see Rubin talk about the Essential phone at 6 pm est time.

https://www.recode.net/2017/5/30/15710048/watch-andy-rubin-creator-google-android-live-today
Click to expand...

Fair point. I should say:

Me said:
Impled as the opposite of the platform agnostic
Click to expand...

meaning:

Andy Rubin said:
We will always play well with others. Closed ecosystems are divisive and outdated.
Click to expand...

To me he is saying it won't be tied down to a mobile OS. Did I misundertand? He kept writing "his software engineers this and that".

Like so:

My software engineers wanted me to talk about our vision for making all devices, even those we don't make ourselves, play well together.
Click to expand...

Does he mean if a third party wants to make an addon that it will work well with this phone?

Looks like I answered my own question.
 
F

faceless007

Member
BT is nice for some use cases, but in my office there's so much wireless noise around me from all the wireless keyboards/mice/other co-workers using BT headsets that BT audio is always filled with minor but annoying pops and clicks. I've tried it with 3 different headsets. So yes, absent a new codec and streaming protocol that's as ubiquitous as BT is today, I'll always want a wired option available.
 
J

jungomitis

Member
Being an iPhone 7 user, I didn't think much about the 3.5mm jack omission - but hearing some of your arguments here point to an interesting caveat.

This phone is supposed to be a high-tech, enthusiast user. While the general mass that the iPhone markets to may not care about the head phone jack, the market for this phone certainly would. Taking out the jack and not having water proofing sounds like a misstep.
 
Z

ZOONAMI

Junior Member
So what's the chipset?

And for that price why the hell wouldn't you just get an S8?

$749 and essential doesn't compute
 
C

chefbags

Member
Tertullian said:
Seriously.


What a fucking tosser. If you're a phone designer who tries to eliminate what is virtually the only standard, universal, patent-free port we've got, while at the same time claiming to be a lover of open ecosystems and consumer freedom, please (a) go fuck yourself and (b) go away and get a job as a line cook so we don't have to deal with you anymore.
Click to expand...

Lol dude it's just a phone man.
 
Z

ZOONAMI

Junior Member
Tertullian said:
Seriously.


What a fucking tosser. If you're a phone designer who tries to eliminate what is virtually the only standard, universal, patent-free port we've got, while at the same time claiming to be a lover of open ecosystems and consumer freedom, please (a) go fuck yourself and (b) go away and get a job as a line cook so we don't have to deal with you anymore.
Click to expand...

Christ, classism much? Maybe don't eat at any fucking restaurants you douche.
 
CrimsonSquall

CrimsonSquall

Member
faceless007 said:
BT is nice for some use cases, but in my office there's so much wireless noise around me from all the wireless keyboards/mice/other co-workers using BT headsets that BT audio is always filled with minor but annoying pops and clicks. I've tried it with 3 different headsets. So yes, absent a new codec and streaming protocol that's as ubiquitous as BT is today, I'll always want a wired option available.
Click to expand...
Idk much about this phone but the iPhone 7 still comes with wired headphones
ZOONAMI said:
Are usb c headphones better than analog? No.
Click to expand...
I don't know and I don't think people generally care. The question (speaking iPhone 7 here) boils down to can I still use headphones and the answer is yes here's some lightning cord headphones and here's a dongle and if u need to use the old standard.
 
D

Days like these...

Have a Blessed Day
That's unique aspect ratio not quite as slim as Samsung and LG but not as wide as most 16:9 phones. Any word on camera performance? No head phone jack is a deal killer for me. I need to upgrade soon G6 probably or wait it out for the v30.
 
andythinkpad

andythinkpad

Member
Rodney McKay said:
Those two kill it for me, and the weird front camera/grill cutout that would probably never stop annoying me.

Plus no idea what the battery life will be in real life.
Click to expand...

Holy shit I didn't even notice the cut out. That's the dumbest tech decision ever, since I don't know, the Sony Rolly?
 
D

dmshaposv

Member
The only way this couldve been exciting was it was an actual modular phone.

As it stands, its just an iphone rip off with proprietary accessories.

Pass.
 
C

CheesecakeRecipe

Stormy Grey
bFB9as4.png



N-no thanks...
 
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