Develop Bugs

Review of MetaWatch smart watch with lots of pics!!!

removed.

Couple of questions:
1) Does it have a low light setting or at least a setting to invert the black/grey hues?
2) At $130 it's something of a luxury price for novelty functions. Do you think it's ready for Prime Time (so to speak)?
3) I noticed you have Torque installed on your phone. Just an awesome app!

Really good review.... but I wish the watch interface looked more modern, for $130 i wish the screen on the watch was a touch screen style & the icons on the watch, im not feeling.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

apallohadas said:
Couple of questions:
1) Does it have a low light setting or at least a setting to invert the black/grey hues?
2) At $130 it's something of a luxury price for novelty functions. Do you think it's ready for Prime Time (so to speak)?
3) I noticed you have Torque installed on your phone. Just an awesome app!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't exactly call it novelty. There are many times, throughout the day, when I simply cannot pick up/pull out my phone but still need to see who/what, etc... That's priceless, in my opinion.
Which leads me to add to your questions for the OP:
I didn't see any mention of caller ID. Is that possible, with this watch? If so, how far down the pipe is it to be unlocked?

KingP1n said:
Really good review.... but I wish the watch interface looked more modern, for $130 i wish the screen on the watch was a touch screen style & the icons on the watch, im not feeling.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is actually what I was surprised about as well. I was hoping for a much nicer screen. Once they come out with a model that can support applications like strava and mapmyrun I will probably be all about one of these.
Awesome review!

Str0ntium said:
I wouldn't exactly call it novelty. There are many times, throughout the day, when I simply cannot pick up/pull out my phone but still need to see who/what, etc... That's priceless, in my opinion.
Which leads me to add to your questions for the OP:
I didn't see any mention of caller ID. Is that possible, with this watch? If so, how far down the pipe is it to be unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We'll have to disagree there sir. With some further customization I can see this becoming more useful but not priceless by far.
And as another poster just mentioned, it really could look a bit better. The Casio-calculator-ish readout is probably scaled down to give it that impressive battery life. I'd totally drool if it looked a bit more like the Nike+ GPS watch.
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apallohadas said:
We'll have to disagree there sir. With some further customization I can see this becoming more useful but not priceless by far.
And as another poster just mentioned, it really could look a bit better. The Casio-calculator-ish readout is probably scaled down to give it that impressive battery life. I'd totally drool if it looked a bit more like the Nike+ GPS watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One man's priceless is another man's trash. I think that goes without saying. As for looks, yep it's butt-ugly. I think we can agree, there. The Pebble looks very nice, if not a little too feminine for my taste. Unfortunately, unless someone pre-ordered last year or is willing to buy a pre-order for $200+ off ebay that one is not going to be widely available any time soon. The Sony looks decent and I think I've read can be used with your own watch band. At ~$100, I think that beats the pants out of this one based on functionality, alone. But, again, what I consider useful you don't. Different strokes.

OK, let me jump back into discussion
Handling phone calls - like a champ! You get caller ID and also an option to hangup or answer the call. You also have a config option to answer the phone and turn speakerphone on. All the phone calling history along with email history and other notifications are stored and can be viewed.
Regarding the look. MetaWatch was started by Fossil guys, so I will give them a benefit of a doubt they know a thing or two about watch ergonomics. If Strata style is too sporty, FRAME style is your typical wrist band style with a replacement band.
I only have Strata, so can't tell you how FRAME looks next to it, but I think its slimmer/trimmer in general.
With different clock faces, I'm sure more stuff will be coming soon since I saw "Analog" option in NE Manager. Regarding graphics, the original MetaWatch manager has better icons and fonts (still digital clock), but not all the functionality is unlocked yet.
With reference to Pebble and Sony smartwatches, I can only judge Sony by a limited experience of playing with discontinued MN800 (LiveView model) - the battery life wasn't that great, and because of OLED display the screen is on for a few seconds before it times out. So it was displaying info only as it being pushed to the watch or when you push the button to view the clock, etc. Without a doubt, having a color screen is an awesome experience, but it comes at a price of battery life and aging of OLED if you keep it on all the time. Plus, OLED is hardly visible in direct sunlight. I do want to get my hands on their latest SmartWatch to see how it works in comparison to LiveView and MetaWatch. With Pebble, I'm hoping to get a review sample one of these days as well. In my opinion it will be similar to MetaWatch in functionality and display graphics. I'm also reading a lot of comments that hardware is ready by software is still work in progress.
You gotta keep in mind, Sony and Nike stuff looks good, but it never took off even at discounted prices. Now, here we have MetaWatch and Pebble, two kickstarter projects that generated a lot of buzz and followers. MetaWatch was ahead with their release and has a very strong base of hackers/users who took matter in their own hands. Pebble probably going to follow the same route since I believe their source is open. I can't judge Pebble, but from use of MetaWatch I found it to do exactly what I would expect from a smart watch - to be remote extension of my phone so I don't have to take my phone out to see who is calling, or start playing music on my bt speaker, to read info about incoming emails where I can see who it's from and the subject line of the email, to see my calendar and all the scheduled talks and to be able to scroll through days and months of content, to see text messages, to get a notification for all these events, and counts for anything I missed, to get a current weather and weather forecast for the next three days, and more.
This is just my personal opinion because I like to have everything on one screen, just like as you can see I have it on my phone with all the widgets and how I set up MetaWatch with everything on one screen. Does it look like a fashionable watch? Not really. It looks like a geek gadget My friends at work were telling me I got "**** Tracy" watch. Can you change it? Sure, if you dress it up using FRAME and more minimalistic layout. But don't expect it to look like OLED display because its a different display technology.
This was my first true smart watch experience, and I hope to have more in the near future for comparison. But based on what I have tested and wearing right now - I'm very impressed!!!

I tried a Metawatch for about a week. Returned it. Overpriced piece of junk. Have been using a Sony with a Fossil band for a few months and am pretty satisfied.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda premium

jlczl said:
I tried a Metawatch for about a week. Returned it. Overpriced piece of junk. Have been using a Sony with a Fossil band for a few months and am pretty satisfied.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Care to share your experience with MetaWatch and why you found it to be "piece of junk"? Did you have it configured the same way as I did, was it not enough or didn't meet your expectations or did you just give up because you were using MetaWatch original manager? I can see how someone will get frustrated because it's still limited out of the box if you only download original Manager. But going with Noah or Community Edition manager and Executive Assistant+ along with K-9/TouchDown - that covers a huge ground. True, the visual is nowhere near Sony's OLED and ton of apps you can get with it. My only experience with Sony was using MN800 LiveView. I assume you are using MN2SW, right? Does it stay up or display turns off after 10-15seconds, and only comes up whenever you have notification? How is a battery life? How about text message, email (POP/IMAP/Exchange) linking?
For benefit of this thread and considering your experience with both smart watches, I would really appreciate if you can summarize it in more words than "piece of junk" and "pretty satisfied"

What software and hardware version are you running? I have the frame and music control does not work neither does answering calls. I get only 6.5hrs of battery life. Very poor. I'm running ne community and augmented watch app.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 03:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:45 PM ----------
Jlczl most likely thinks it's a piece of junk because there is another thread on metwatch in which he has given a description of his experiences. I for one felt the same way during that time of discussion. As for now I sit on the fence. It's not bad but not great either.
In comparison to the pebble, the metawatch is very slow on the development side.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda premium

vectron said:
For benefit of this thread and considering your experience with both smart watches, I would really appreciate if you can summarize it in more words than "piece of junk" and "pretty satisfied"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK. I'm using the Sony SmartWatch MN2. I don't remember much about the Metawatch but suffice it to say once I got the Sony I realized how behind the MetaWatch was. I was using the Noah Edition and it still didn't have near the functionality of the Sony.
With the Sony my Gmail and text messages appear on my watch in their entirety (not just the sender name or title), I remotely control my Spotify music, I can see my camera on the watch face and even control the shutter to take a pic, I can turn on audio recording from my watch, I get my Google Now notifications on my watch as well as the obvious answer and/or reject calls from it. All of this in color, with a touch screen, on my own watch band and for almost half the price. I can choose from a variety of watch faces depending on what looks better and on how much I want my battery to last. To get a week between charges I use a watch face that only appears when I double tap the screen or push the side button. If I use the "always on" watch face it'll only last about 2 days before it needs a charge.
The MetaWatch has a build and screen that leaves a lot to be desired. It really does remind me of a cheap Casio. Additionally, I was never able to get consistent operation for music on it. The buttons sometimes took forever to respond so I never new when a button press had really registered or not. On top of that it just quit taking a charge all of a sudden and never turned back on. The high price, limited and alpha software, and Jr High school appearance was too much so I ended up returning it. On the upside they were very gracious about the return and didn't give me a hard time about it at all.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda premium

Thank you guys for your feedback on both MW and Sony MN2SW. Hopefully one of these days I will get a chance to review Sony and Pebble watches.
Regarding Sony smart watch, can you preview POP/IMAP accounts in addition to GMail? How about Exchange account? That would be the most important features for me personally.
Regarding my MW Strata watch, its running SW/FW 1.35 and HW Rev F which supposed to be the latest. I have read about issues with pre 1.35 SW version and problems with battery and other functionality. v1.35 is solid and running like a champ. No issues with music control. Make sure you have in Watch Apps setting to enable Media Control Method as "Emulate headset buttons", and I also have "Inverse Media Player Buttons" since I care more about next/prev track skip rather than volume up/down control. What I like is how I can press Play from a that audio control and it starts playing on my phone, and it also displays the song name/artist (but only after the first track skip when it read the audio info). With a default audio player you have to start Play from the phone, and then can control it from the watch. No issues with a phone, but I did notice when I'm in a car and paired up with my head unit in there, I can receive calls without a problem, but sometime can't dial out. Hopefully they will be able to fix it soon.
Regarding response of the control and switching between pages on the phone, I do agree. CE and NE is painfully slow and sometime there is at least 1s-2s delay. It's simply because those custom Manager are not optimized for the latest firmware/software. When you use the latest official MW Manager - any control or switching between pages is lighting fast. That is why I put a lot of hope and will give MW guys a benefit of a doubt they will get the official MW Manager on par with NE Manager. If you combine features of NE Manager with a speed and graphics of a new MW Manager and add some custom analog and digital watch faces - it will take MW smartwatch to the next level.
Btw, thanks for the pointer about Augmented Watch app. I will test it out and let you know how it works for me (contacted them already, fantastic support and fast response from Adrian). Also, I wonder if your poor battery life has to do with a fact that you are not running v1.35? With everything I'm running right now (NE Manager, EA+ widgets, etc.) I had it charged up about 8 hours ago, and my watch battery is only 1% down. I had hardly any emails during this time, so not my "vibrations" or use of backlight. It was mostly idling during that 8 hours where I just check to see if I got any new emails by checking EA+ counter and Notification history. But still, that's impressive. Not pretty-face like Sony, but impressive in terms of geek-face functionality

apallohadas said:
Couple of questions:
1) Does it have a low light setting or at least a setting to invert the black/grey hues?
2) At $130 it's something of a luxury price for novelty functions. Do you think it's ready for Prime Time (so to speak)?
3) I noticed you have Torque installed on your phone. Just an awesome app!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry bro, missed you post.
1) In a Quick Setup picture I posted, the middle setting on the left inverts the color. Also, NE Manager has an option to Invert LCD "where appropriate", and I assume it's tied up with a light sensor.
2) I think as technology will become more mainstream, the price will go down. Right now $130 is actually discounted from their usual $180 price. In my opinion Sony's MN2SW recent discount/price drop to $99 (I'm sure in lieu of slow sales and/or announcement of new smartwatch in the upcoming Asia EXPO) is more reasonable for this technology. Prime Time ready? I think software content is the main driving force and probably the reason why Apple, Samsung, and Google hasn't announced anything yet. Hardware is the easiest part in this case. The only way to be prime time ready is to have a strong app/widget and solid software/firmware content. That explains success of MetaWatch and Pebble open source release, and also recent announcement by Sony to open their code source for some devices. For sure, its Geek Time ready
3) Yep, have OBDII bt dongle and Torque premium. Unfortunately, never get a chance to use it in the car because I run Google maps Nav all the time. Both of our Nexus 7 tablet in use by wife and kids (those have bt connection), and my other cheap tablet doesn't have bt. But in general that app is SICK!!! Btw, MN800 thingy from Sony (I got it for $20 of ebay - nice teaser of Sony's smart watches) has a free Torque app/widget which connects to your phone and can give you a remote view of one of the gauges. I might just end up using it that way
As a side note, having these bt smart watches puts some toll on your battery. Considering that I had to install K-9 and TouchDown in order to access unread mail count and constant BT connection - that can cost you an extra 10%-15% of battery a day. More advantage to use ZeroLemon 9300; just wish those guys would release a rugged case soon!!!!

vectron said:
As a side note, having these bt smart watches puts some toll on your battery. Considering that I had to install K-9 and TouchDown in order to access unread mail count and constant BT connection - that can cost you an extra 10%-15% of battery a day. More advantage to use ZeroLemon 9300; just wish those guys would release a rugged case soon!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point. I started using a Motorola Roadster 2 bluetooth speaker in my patrol car. Just 100% awesome, but it does take it's toll a bit on battery as you mentioned. Perhaps 10% on a heavy day of calls and getting in/out of the car waking up the bt connection, etc.
Time for me to take a look at that Sony watch now!

I think this watch has a lot of promise as soon as development kicks in more and more same as pebble one. As far as the sony Mn2 looks good but with the motoactv ypu can do the same as the sony and more by rooting the device where all the info is here in xda. One thing I like about the metawatch and pebble is the water resistant part were y o u can swim with it or take showers with it and still control your music player or so from the water. Time will add more and more of this smartwatches and better features.
sent from my t-mo note 2

Thanks vectron. Yes I am running s/w version 1.35.
When I purchased my watch everyone on eBay was selling hardware version G. I purchased mine from the official site and received hardware E.
Apparently people on the support page / metawatch forums are getting 3 days of battery use i.e running 14 hrs a day @ an average of 5 messages per hour with h/w G.
From my research, h/w E's are the ones with issues. I have both the black and white frame metawatch and both are suffering from poor battery life.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda premium

What Rom are you using on your Note and how do you have it set it up?.
---------- Post added at 03:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 PM ----------

For that price the watch is very limited.
I got the Motorola Motoactv when it was on sale for $150, it came with the wrist strap, belt clip, and heart rate monitor. It's full color touch screen, and runs android. I get 2-3 days out of the battery.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app

coquipr said:
I think this watch has a lot of promise as soon as development kicks in more and more same as pebble one. As far as the sony Mn2 looks good but with the motoactv ypu can do the same as the sony and more by rooting the device where all the info is here in xda. One thing I like about the metawatch and pebble is the water resistant part were y o u can swim with it or take showers with it and still control your music player or so from the water. Time will add more and more of this smartwatches and better features.
sent from my t-mo note 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I think full water protection is an awesome feature. But the ability to view display in direct sunlight and under any indoor/outdoor condition - that is priceless. Plus you can set it up to turn the backlight on whenever you receive a message so even in the dark you can view your notifications. Haven't heard much about motoactv as a smartwatch since it always referred to as exercise watch, but I just looked up and see references how to enhance it's functionality with a rooted phone and augmented smartwatch app to get all the notifications and to be able to use it with any other phone beside Motorola.
Btw, my Note 2 is not rooted. Because of my work's Exchange security policy, I'm not allowed to root. So everything is stock and works as is.
And yes I do agree, with time we are going to see more and more new smartwatches. As a matter of fact, MetaWatch guys mentioned they are working on a lot of new updates, including new "sexy" hardware. I will definitely give them a benefit of a doubt. They were first out of the door, kept their kickstarter promise, and have a head start for next gen learning from experience of the current gen.

Accessories for QX10 lens

Just seen Amazon are selling a few accessories for the QX10 lens.
The Z1 case which the lens attaches too:
Sony ACX2 QX10/QX100 Case for Lens Style Camera and Xperia Z1 - Black
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00F5X13V2/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_gb?ie=UTF8
Also a carrying case for the lens:
Sony LCSBBMB Carrying Case for QX10 Lens Style Camera
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00F3YS89I/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_gb?ie=UTF8
I will get the case first then the case a bit later on.
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk 2

Spent the last week looking for somewhere to get that case!
Going to pre-order now - my lovely see through case from china is great apart from they covered the magnetic charge area which is sad news.
I managed to get the micro SD in the wrong way round for my QX10 - that was fun!

Doesn't the lens come with some form of case already?
Sent from my SGP312 using Tapatalk 4

jonmorris said:
Doesn't the lens come with some form of case already?
Sent from my SGP312 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope.
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk 2

maverick1103 said:
Nope.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's pretty poor, given the price.
But I suppose when you look at the cost of the docks (including the car holder that doesn't even charge - when it could via the pins), you can see that Sony likes to maximise profits from accessories.
Even the case that lets you clip the QX10 on seems rather a lot of money, and worse still, I can see myself buying one!

jonmorris said:
That's pretty poor, given the price.
But I suppose when you look at the cost of the docks (including the car holder that doesn't even charge - when it could via the pins), you can see that Sony likes to maximise profits from accessories.
Even the case that lets you clip the QX10 on seems rather a lot of money, and worse still, I can see myself buying one!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I know, these manufactures know we will still buy them even if we moan like hell about them
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk 2

The QX10/100 cover for the Z1, which Amazon said could ship as late as December, is now in stock and has shipped today to me - so I'll have it tomorrow.
I expect that once I have this cover, I might use the QX10 a lot more than I do now, which is hardly at all.
(Really wondering why I bought one now, to be honest - so I may well sell both the cover and the QX10 in the not too distant future).

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My Sony ACX2 case arrived - slight problem is it does not work!
when its on the phone and set at open position - the QX10 will not attach - the problem is getting it locked in - the ONLY way I can get it to attach is when the case is away from the phone and I apply pressure on one side (where phone would be) so it can slide over the lock (far side from the locking dot) - which is disappointing.
I have checked for damage on case and camera and they are fine - guess it just does not work properly. Quite disappointed.

jonmorris said:
And here it is...
How are you finding the picture quality, very torn between this and the qx100. From what I have read the qx100 is a far superior device but it does seem bulky where the qx10 seems to be a nice size.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

bodson66 said:
How are you finding the picture quality, very torn between this and the qx100. From what I have read the qx100 is a far superior device but it does seem bulky where the qx10 seems to be a nice size.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have very mixed views on the QX10.
Here they are in a nutshell.
1) Practicality. Even with the wrist strap, it's not the easiest thing to carry about - and I am disappointed Sony couldn't bundle a simple case instead of making you pay £20 or so.
2) Pairing is slow, and there are quite a few Wi-Fi access points around my location so it means that it often pauses/stutters on the viewfinder display - and sometimes loses connection completely (not often, but once is too much if you're trying to take a photo).
3) It doesn't take incredible photos all the time - it can sometimes be out of focus and there's still a lot of noise if it judges the scene wrong. I've had a photo that looks far worse than using the main camera in auto mode!
However, if put on a tripod (or placed separately on a flat surface and detached from the phone) then it can take some incredible low-light photos.. totally noise free and, well, just wow. These are the shots that make you think it was money well spent (question is, how many of these photos will you be taking?)
4) When you connect via USB to charge, you can't access the photos on the camera directly (as a mass storage device) so you must always copy via the, frankly, rather awful PlayMemories camera app. Camera360 now supports the QX10 but it's buggy, although I expect a fix will come in due course.
5) The zoom is fantastic - no complaints there.
6) The battery life is good from what I can see - but I still worry that I'll forget to keep it charged, as it joins a list of things to keep topping up before I go out (Pebble watch, phone, portable battery pack/charger etc).
The QX100 is no doubt a LOT better in image quality, but at the extra price (and with the loss of zoom) I am not in the market for one anyway.
The QX10 is the nicer size, but I really don't know if I'm ever likely to use it enough to justify having purchased it. I hoped, perhaps rather stupidly, I'd be able to use this instead of my Sony NEX camera (even with the loss of a flash) but with the viewfinder lags, slow image transferring and so on - it's really not a viable alternative to a separate camera if you really need improved image quality, or a powerful zoom.

jonmorris said:
bodson66 said:
I have very mixed views on the QX10.
Here they are in a nutshell.
1) Practicality. Even with the wrist strap, it's not the easiest thing to carry about - and I am disappointed Sony couldn't bundle a simple case instead of making you pay £20 or so.
2) Pairing is slow, and there are quite a few Wi-Fi access points around my location so it means that it often pauses/stutters on the viewfinder display - and sometimes loses connection completely (not often, but once is too much if you're trying to take a photo).
3) It doesn't take incredible photos all the time - it can sometimes be out of focus and there's still a lot of noise if it judges the scene wrong. I've had a photo that looks far worse than using the main camera in auto mode!
However, if put on a tripod (or placed separately on a flat surface and detached from the phone) then it can take some incredible low-light photos.. totally noise free and, well, just wow. These are the shots that make you think it was money well spent (question is, how many of these photos will you be taking?)
4) When you connect via USB to charge, you can't access the photos on the camera directly (as a mass storage device) so you must always copy via the, frankly, rather awful PlayMemories camera app. Camera360 now supports the QX10 but it's buggy, although I expect a fix will come in due course.
5) The zoom is fantastic - no complaints there.
6) The battery life is good from what I can see - but I still worry that I'll forget to keep it charged, as it joins a list of things to keep topping up before I go out (Pebble watch, phone, portable battery pack/charger etc).
The QX100 is no doubt a LOT better in image quality, but at the extra price (and with the loss of zoom) I am not in the market for one anyway.
The QX10 is the nicer size, but I really don't know if I'm ever likely to use it enough to justify having purchased it. I hoped, perhaps rather stupidly, I'd be able to use this instead of my Sony NEX camera (even with the loss of a flash) but with the viewfinder lags, slow image transferring and so on - it's really not a viable alternative to a separate camera if you really need improved image quality, or a powerful zoom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perfect honest answer thanks bud. I think you are right, I was looking at the qx100 as an upgrade to my point and shoot but I think I might just invest in a good dslr. If I am out trying to snap some great pics I usually head out on hikes with that intention. I don't think these devices are quite there yet. I have been impressed with how the main shooter on this phone performs and if I need something better I might as well bring a camera.
Once again thanks for your feedback, the tech head in me really wanted this lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

bodson66 said:
Once again thanks for your feedback, the tech head in me really wanted this lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that's why I pre-ordered the QX10 and now regret it a bit. I'd be really gutted if I'd paid the extra for the QX100 - however good the photos.

I bought the QX10 on Amazon. I ultimately returned it for the Galaxy S4 zoom but I'm not sold on the Samsung either yet. I'll post my Amazon review here rather than re-creating it.
I bought this item after weeks of review and months of anticipation. After hearing about the launch I could NOT wait for the product to be released. The price seemed a little high so I waited a bit. I purchased an Amazon Wharehouse deal (probably from someone who posted a negative review and returned it) for the QX10
All I can say is its a mixed bag.
When it works it is fantastic. It's a great point and shoot camera with very simple controls, that produces great results. I was able to capture great long range zoomed shots of a soccer game that froze the action in place. I took some very low light shots of text from 3 feet away that was still very visible. I shot stills from both the macro level and far off zoomed and they all looked great. The Sony Auto modes are just what I need. Being able to operate the camera unattached from the phone is an added bonus. Since it is so small at a birthday party I was able to hold it high over my head and basically create a "crane" shot without actually having a tripod or large piece of equipment. Then I could see over all the other people to zoom in on the shot I wanted. I could see this being very usefull at a child's play or concert to get a unique point of view. I am a photographer so I know how to adjust manually if I need to but the point of a smart phone or point and shoot is to take pictures quickly that "just work". Sony has nailed the concept.
There are, however, issues. Like everybody has said in the negative reviews the connection can be iffy. Even on my Galaxy Note II the connection was hit or miss. It was a complete crap shoot as to whether the next time I touched the NFC tag, it would Open and Connect, Just Open and fail to connect, or do absolutely nothing. This is not the device you want to rely on to capture quick action. Once connected, however, I found the software to be pretty solid. I really like the ability to transfer photos to the device. I dug deeper and found a setting that lets you transfer the full image when copying. I would only recommend this when you have time as the files are quite large. I waited till the end of the day and transferred all 200 pictures at once, which took about 20 minutes. Still, its a great option, especially for someone like me who likes to backup everything to a shared NAS either nightly or every couple of nights.
Ultimately, this is a device you want to carry around but not necessarily use all the time. Use your phone for the pretty sunset you happen to catch on the way from the office of the silly shots at the bar. You bring along the QX10 to the Baseball stadium or a wedding to get those shots you want to look better as keepsakes, or when you need a Zoom. I guess you could say why not just bring along the DSLR on those occasions, but the QX10 is MUCH easier to carry. For instance at the Soccer game, I had my phone (as always) and all I needed for the Zoom ability was to slip the QX10 into my sweatshirt pocket where it sat till I needed it. No camera bag, or heavy camera body around my neck. If you can justify the price for that, I think it's a win.

Has anyone else found the phone case with the QX10 attachment to be very fragile? I mean 3 of the corners have cracked and 1 of those has broken (a small bit snapped off!). I've dropped the phone a couple of times but from very small distances but surely the case shouldn't break so easily? And yes I'd rather the case broke than the phone before someone asks

I haven't dropped my phone, yet, but that still sounds pretty bad. I did wonder how it would stand up to being attached and removed repeatedly, so I guess I probably have my answer now.
I don't use my QX10 much, so I only really keep the case on because it's the only case that still lets me use my DK31 dock.
The Sony Xperia-approved Roxfit case doesn't, and I'm unsure what other cases are on sale that do. I do have to wonder why Sony made two inserts for the dock when the 'larger' one really isn't large enough!

I should've also mentioned that when taking a picture with the internal camera, if the flash is used it bleeds across the lens as the case is a bit too much of a perfect fit. I'm torn because despite all this I still really like the functionality of the case due to the ease of attaching the QX10. Frustration guaranteed with this case it would seem.
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

That's such a common problem with cases (my parents each had that issue with covers on their iPhones) that I'm amazed it still keeps happening!
But, happen it does.
I'm half tempted to go back to having the phone in no case at all, as I did for the first few days, but there's an obvious risk with this. Of course, it solves the problem with using the dock!

I got the QX100 and absolutely love the images it produces, the zoom is acceptable, low light is really good, colours are accurate, warm, sharp and the unit is easy to use, thats really were it ends.
I also purchased Z1 attachment case for AU$29 it is cheap looking, provides no protection top and bottom of phone and has sharp edges that are sure to scratch the anodizing from the Z1 side housings.
The software that pairs the two is appalling and real time viewing is inaccurate it is only when viewing the shots or video you can gauge the real quality ( I should add that the shots and vids comes out very nicely in most cases) hopefully software updates can improve upon this.
In summary (and I am no pro or photographer) the QX100 does a very very nice job of low light, artificial light and sunny conditions even in auto mode, even-though it is hard to gauge real time.
The facts are that most shots come out better than expected, is it worth $500+, hell no! but it is extremely cool and very convenient since it saves taking another device along. I would recommend this product if it were $200 cheaper or more, however, if you have money to burn I say burn! you'll love it.

Try Camera 360, which now has support for the QX lenses (and has had a recent fix for some bugs relating to transferring photos).
It still jerks as the viewfinder image is streamed to the phone, and that's the real weakness of the whole concept.

The best snartwach to use with a suit?

I've been thinking about buying the Moto 360 for a while because it's, imo the best looking snartwach to use with a suit (I work at a bank) since first reviews were not very good. With all the updates it had and after all this time what are the main functionalities that we can do with it at the moment and the main grips you're still having? Should I wait for another snartwach to arrive?
Cheers

Badelhas said:
I've been thinking about buying the Moto 360 for a while because it's, imo the best looking snartwach to use with a suit (I work at a bank) since first reviews were not very good. With all the updates it had and after all this time what are the main functionalities that we can do with it at the moment and the main grips you're still having? Should I wait for another snartwach to arrive?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well my suggestion is to go with the Moto360 with the stainless steel band or if you could get your hands on the uniband. My 360 doesn't get noticed as easily as a smartwatch because of the round face which is good but the LG G Watch R does the same thing but that wouldn't blend well with suits since it has a sports watch type of face.
In terms of battery life it was horrendous before updates but afterwards it can easily last 24 hours with tilt to wake on. I'm assuming without tilt to wake you can go for 36 hours or more.
The ambient screen feature drops it down to about 10 or so hours so if you think that's its worth having your screen on all the time but dark to a point where its very hard to tell time in most situations then go ahead and activate it.
The one thing that I'm the most affraid of when using the 360 is the possibilities of the back cracking. One search in the forums will show you pictures of people cracking their watches from normal use. Most of the time it is due to custom watch bands but not uncommon for it to happen on the leather model. Thankfully I haven't heard much about the oem steelband equipped watch cracking.
If the moto360 is not your style then you can always go to the zenwatch but the con is that it's square (not watch looking) and the fame color can throw off any custom band you may put on it. Only problem I have with that is its You can wait until the LG releases its premimum watch and decide from there or if you want wait until September or so when the updated version of the moto360 releases

Thanks for your input, I really like the design of the 360 but battery life is not good and the ambient Mode destroys it, from what I've been reading. What about the LG Urbane?

Badelhas said:
Thanks for your input, I really like the design of the 360 but battery life is not good and the ambient Mode destroys it, from what I've been reading. What about the LG Urbane?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally can get 2 days out of mine. I have the steel bracelet in silver, it looks really classy and works with everything (as it is both minimalistic and sportslike.
Go with the right watchface and you're done.
http://wearfaces.com/simplism-watchface-by-vanboosh/
Or : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pskstudio.elegancewatchfacefree

But you have ambient Mode always on, meaning, you have it always showing the time?

The moto 360 doesn't have an always on time mode like some of the other android wear watches like the lg g watch. Coming from am lg g watch I was really disappointed in that. The screen is also more pixellated than I expected. And the black bar on the screen makes me only use black watchfaces otherwise the black bar ruins the look. However, all those faults are forgiven if you love the style. I have two generation of pebbles and the lg g watch and the moto 360 may be the least practical of them all, but I really love the way it looks. Even though it's a bit chunky on my wrist. I considered waiting for the huwai watch but in the end decided the moto 360 looks better. If you really like the look of one style vs the other, you won't mind the drawbacks. Keep in mind you will very likely upgrade as new generations are released. The next generation will probably be leaps and bounds better.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app

Yeah, I do prefer the look of the 360 but the LG watch Urbane looks nice as well and because of the amoled screen lasts a full day, from what I've been reading. It's also sharper and has a full round screen. Have you seen it?

Not in person, but I've seen pictures of it. The amoled screen would be a plus (except maybe outside), and not having the black bar is good too. It's not on my radar because it looks too manly, I just don't like the way it looks (I'm a woman). The moto 360 with the thin metal strap is less weird on a woman's wrist; it looks a bit like a boyfriend watch. But if you like the lg urbane and can afford to upgrade in 6 months, get that now and then get the next gen moto 360 in the fall too! It will almost certainly have better battery life in the next gen and maybe amoled screen too.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app

Yes, your right, it does look manly. The 360 looks a mix between something classic and something futuristic and I love it. If you have it, how do you feel about having a watch that is a black screen most of the day? I also have a thin wrist, doesn't It look too big? What about current functionalities?
I would love with the new mono link metal band available with delayed shipping on Motorola Moto maker site... Looks better than the other metal bands IMO.
The only two questions now are: - when will the new metal band be available?
- when will the LG Urbane be available?

Those are good questions. Maybe the availability is what will make your decision. I prefer black screens anyway and probably would use the same watch faces even if that little black bar wasn't on the bottom. I don't like that the time is not always showing. If you like both watches equally, and the urbane keeps the watch on always, I suggest you go for that. But if you like the moto's style more, you will forgive it that fault. I am wearing the moto instead of my pebble or lg g despite the moto needing to "wake up" to show time. But I haven't had it long enough to know if that will really bother me. Right now there is no perfect smart watch on the market so we can choose to live with some drawbacks or we can choose to wait at least 6 months and probably more like 2 years for the technology to mature. I choose to not wait. I didn't buy it initially because it was so big and thick, I don't know if I just got accustomed to the size, or if the gold watch and thin band makes it seem smaller, but I like it. The band you want only comes in 22mm size. The slim bands are 18mm and sized to barely fit my wrist, but come with four extra links. I don't think they would fit most men, you should visit a best buy and try a display model if you can, before you buy.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

My 360 easily lasts two days, but I rarely have the need to stay awake for 2 days at a time. Also, I rarely have the need to stare at my watch face all day so I don't need it to stay lit up all day, or for two days at a time.
Two relatively moot points when you think about it logically.

Reportedly, the Urbane will not be using Android Wear

No, there are 2 versions, the Urbane and the Urbane LTE. The LTE version will use LG operating system which derived from webOS

I wear a suit 6 days a week. My moto360 does me good. Compliments from clients every day.

eljoker402 said:
I wear a suit 6 days a week. My moto360 does me good. Compliments from clients every day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
How is your battery life and which watch phone and band do you use?

I got a Nexus 6 and a moto360 black with black pebble link band. I only use the 360 for messages and to tell time. I turned the brightness all the way down and turned off the health stuff. I usually get home with 30-40% life left after 10-12 hours off charger.

I looked at some photos of that particular band and don't really like it. Can't we buy other band on a regular watch store? I really like the look of the new mono link metal band but don't really if and when it will be available in Europe...
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I have a Moto 360 and I like it but was hoping for more features. Not being able to make a call through the watch is a letdown, to be honest. And the vibration seems a little low, I miss some of the notifications...Also, framerate*seems a little choppy at time, even with the last 5.0.2 update.*I demand more, I really hope future Android Wear updates make it a little more interesting.

Depending on the model itself, it can be really classy or just passable as a professional device. Either way, it doesn't give off a tacky look that would look out of place when worn with a suit, unless you're wearing a color that obviously doesn't match. The metallic band versions seem to work pretty well, but I don't think the leather bands are that bad. If you are on the fence, though, I'd probably wait for the next iteration of the Moto 360, which has been in the rumour mill for some time to come out in 2015. Especially given that the Moto 360 has a few production or design issues like the backplate being prone to being broken easily, I'd definitely wait.

inkrededibles said:
Depending on the model itself, it can be really classy or just passable as a professional device. Either way, it doesn't give off a tacky look that would look out of place when worn with a suit, unless you're wearing a color that obviously doesn't match. The metallic band versions seem to work pretty well, but I don't think the leather bands are that bad. If you are on the fence, though, I'd probably wait for the next iteration of the Moto 360, which has been in the rumour mill for some time to come out in 2015. Especially given that the Moto 360 has a few production or design issues like the backplate being prone to being broken easily, I'd definitely wait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your input. But if you check the post before yours I already bought the 360
Cheers

Gamepad Mod for Moto Z phones!

Get the Gamepad at Indiegogo by searching for the "Sidepad Mod"
We've just launched our Indiegogo and hit over $1,000 in support! And we're just getting started! We want to bring you the ultimate Moto Mod gamepad! We really want to help create an awesome gaming phone. We're really excited about modular phones and what they are capable of. A mod transforms a super powerful smartphone with swappable extensions that suit the user better. We want to transform our phone into a super-dope portable gaming console! And we want to give game makers a reason to make more console level games in the Google Play Store.
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This is kind of cool but I'd rather have the buttons on one side (NES style). Also, how are you guys planning to manufacture these? What is the 15k for? Not too clear in the video, just sounds like you want to get Lenovo's attention (not necessarily a bad thing but still).

What our campaign pays for!
Hey thesm4rt1!
Good question! The $15k is to go towards the first run of mods. We already have a manufacturing partner in place as part of the Mods Partner Program, we're just working out the final deal. We won the Hackathon in NYC and we also won the opportunity to do this indiegogo campaign with the help of Motorola/Lenovo. We want to sell as many gamepads here to show Lenovo that this is a product worth collaborating on. We're also updating the design of the gamepad as we go based on supporter payback. We have a secret perk here in the forum for $10 off the super early bird Sidepad Mod Plus! Grab yourself one and let's make this gamepad a reality!
thesm4rt1 said:
This is kind of cool but I'd rather have the buttons on one side (NES style). Also, how are you guys planning to manufacture these? What is the 15k for? Not too clear in the video, just sounds like you want to get Lenovo's attention (not necessarily a bad thing but still).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

To confirm, this is a separate project from the gamepad mod that Lenovo/Motorola just announced a MWC 2017. Correct?
http://www.androidauthority.com/moto...-alexa-752769/
http://www.stuff.co.za/motorola-part...ises-new-mods/
http://www.stuff.co.za/wp-content/up...amePad-Mod.jpg
As a previous owner of an Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, I find this rather intriguing. It appears that you are attempting to make the controls slide out from the sides. How will everything fit when the controls are slid in? Also could there be an issue of the controls sliding in while gaming? Is there anything to will lock them in place while in use? Lastly, will there be L3/R3 or Select/Start buttons? I do not see those listed in the images.

gostack said:
Get the Gamepad at Indiegogo by searching for the "Sidepad Mod"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you posted about this so I could make some comments. I'm not sure the media buttons are very useful. For example, a gamepad is mostly used... for gaming. I can't see a reason for someone to snap on this gamepad for the only purpse to listen to some music or play a video. I think it is an extra cost, that has little benefit in real world applications.
Secondly, I'm not a fan of the whole sliding mechanism thing. I get it, to make it more compact. But the more moving parts you introduce, the more ways for this thing to break. I also can't foresee a person leaving the gamepad on their phone while not gaming with it. It is a nice idea, but looking at those renders, this thing is going to be pretty bulky folded in on itself. Probably most people would snap it on, play some games, then remove it to reduce the bulk of their phone.
Thirdly, will this thing have any speakers like the official moto z gamepad they teased at MWC? I don't know where they would be located, but supposedly it will have 4 speakers built in. One thing I did notice though, was they are apparently not front-facing(at least it didn't seem to be from that render they showed). If you are going to include some speakers like that one, that would be my #1 request. having them front facing, dual stereo speakers.

The Sidepad is the FIRST gamepad concept for Moto Mods
We are working on a new design that uses magnetic pins so the wiring inside of the sliding parts does not move. The game pad Motorola announced is not ours, despite the similar design. We created ours at the Motorola Mod The Future hackathon back in December of 2016. See that article here: https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/16/moto-mod-2/
MechaBouncer said:
To confirm, this is a separate project from the gamepad mod that Lenovo/Motorola just announced a MWC 2017. Correct?
http://www.androidauthority.com/moto...-alexa-752769/
http://www.stuff.co.za/motorola-part...ises-new-mods/
http://www.stuff.co.za/wp-content/up...amePad-Mod.jpg
As a previous owner of an Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, I find this rather intriguing. It appears that you are attempting to make the controls slide out from the sides. How will everything fit when the controls are slid in? Also could there be an issue of the controls sliding in while gaming? Is there anything to will lock them in place while in use? Lastly, will there be L3/R3 or Select/Start buttons? I do not see those listed in the images.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

The Sidepad is the FIRST gamepad concept for Moto Mods
Thank you for your comment. The short answer is, we are taking notes from our backers and will do everything to make this the best gamepad for gamers, (think Alienware but for mobile gaming) this is a new product and a new company. We would love to make multiple version of the Sidepad given the chance.
Now for the long answer
We have not yet put any work into the design for adding speakers, however, it is an interesting thought.... we will consider it. We are solving the size and durability issues by using magnetic pins. Similar to the Nintendo switch, except when our side pad snaps into place, the magnetic pins create the connections directly to the phone so there will be no need for any wireless protocols. The parts will also be cheap to replace just in case one is lost. The side pads will then slide in and magnetically snap into place on the back of the phone. Our new, coming soon, the design will also reduce the bulk of the gamepad.
x000x said:
Glad you posted about this so I could make some comments. I'm not sure the media buttons are very useful. For example, a gamepad is mostly used... for gaming. I can't see a reason for someone to snap on this gamepad for the only purpse to listen to some music or play a video. I think it is an extra cost, that has little benefit in real world applications.
Secondly, I'm not a fan of the whole sliding mechanism thing. I get it, to make it more compact. But the more moving parts you introduce, the more ways for this thing to break. I also can't foresee a person leaving the gamepad on their phone while not gaming with it. It is a nice idea, but looking at those renders, this thing is going to be pretty bulky folded in on itself. Probably most people would snap it on, play some games, then remove it to reduce the bulk of their phone.
Thirdly, will this thing have any speakers like the official moto z gamepad they teased at MWC? I don't know where they would be located, but supposedly it will have 4 speakers built in. One thing I did notice though, was they are apparently not front-facing(at least it didn't seem to be from that render they showed). If you are going to include some speakers like that one, that would be my #1 request. having them front facing, dual stereo speakers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

gostack said:
We are working on a new design that uses magnetic pins so the wiring inside of the sliding parts does not move. The game pad Motorola announced is not ours, despite the similar design. We created ours at the Motorola Mod The Future hackathon back in December of 2016. See that article here: https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/16/moto-mod-2/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response. Considering I just recently upgraded to a Sony Xperia X Compact, I probably won't be getting a Moto Z anytime soon. However, having this available for it would make it far more tempting.
Even if I don't buy it in the Indiegogo campaign, as someone who has wanted a full and proper replacement to the Xperia Play, I can tell you that there are certain things that I would look for:
1. Full console-level button layout support: Directional pad, 4 face buttons, 4 shoulder buttons, 2 analog clickable joysticks (or sliding analog pads with L3/R3 buttons close to them), and Select and Start buttons. This should assure that any emulator (except maybe N64) or PS2 port should be fully represented without needing specific touch screen controls.
2. Directional pad should be responsive and detect 8-directions with ease. D-pads that are mushy or sit too high often have trouble detecting diagonal directions and prove ineffective for fighting games. The Xperia Play had the best D-pad I've ever seen for a phone and even beat the one used on the PSP. Nobody has replicated that level of quality in another phone controller yet.
3. Shoulder buttons should be comfortable to use and easy to reach. Having them on the back may be rather awkward to use. I hope you playtest those well for comfort.
4. Focus should be made for the gaming controls over media buttons. The media buttons sticking out of the bottom look like they would be more in the way. I would prefer that the gamepad be as compact as possible and avoid anything that unnecessarily sticks out of the main unit.
5. I wouldn't worry about any other features except for maybe the extra battery as gaming does sap away power pretty quickly. It sounds like you're already planning to make the battery removable to reduce bulk, so I think this is a really good idea. Giving the user the ability to choose between portability and longevity is a good one.
These are the kinds of things that I would find important. To date, there still hasn't been a decent replacement for what the Xperia Play offered in terms of compact gaming. But it was also far from perfect. Your project sounds very promising as a potential replacement and I hope it does well. Even though I have no ability to use it yet, I will consider contributing to it if it develops in a direction that I like. Thank you.

MechaBouncer said:
5. I wouldn't worry about any other features except for maybe the extra battery as gaming does sap away power pretty quickly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with everything except this. Why make the ultimate game pad, but then hamstring it with a lame, mono speaker that the moto z comes with? At the very least I'd substitute the media controls for an audio out jack for headphones. But even then, the supposed quad speaker setup with the 'official' moto gamepad is very appealing to me. Audio (for me) is very important in gaming, although I have my doubts that the controls on the official gamepad would be very good. So it comes down to (probably) better controls with this one vs better audio with the other one. Not sure if the official one from moto will have an extra battery or not.
gostack said:
We have not yet put any work into the design for adding speakers, however, it is an interesting thought.... we will consider it. We are solving the size and durability issues by using magnetic pins. Similar to the Nintendo switch, except when our side pad snaps into place, the magnetic pins create the connections directly to the phone so there will be no need for any wireless protocols. The parts will also be cheap to replace just in case one is lost. The side pads will then slide in and magnetically snap into place on the back of the phone. Our new, coming soon, the design will also reduce the bulk of the gamepad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like the idea of magnetic pins. I was thinking in 'old' terms with some ribbon cables or something If it is switch-like, then this would come in 3 pieces?
I can't tell if the gamepad will sit under the phone, like this https://i.imgur.com/Kd0DXUN.jpg
or if it will be designed to sit flush with the phone, like this https://i.imgur.com/IABLsWr.jpg
if it sits flush, I wondered about is having a usb pass-through. Not sure if it could be possible, but being able to charge while playing might be a useful feature.
edit: looking more closely at the renders, it seems to sit under the phone. I'm trying to think of a way to have a usb cable plugged in w/o interfering with the controller buttons/stick

I have to agree with some of the sentiment on here: do not make it a slide-out design. You can make it a dock design of even a clamshell design, but please please refrain from doing a slide-out design. As an owner of three devices that have slide-out mechanisms (HTC Apache, HTC Mogul, Sony-Ericsson X10 mini pro), I can tell you first-hand that they are not worth the trouble to manufacture.
Slide-out mechanisms require more moving parts, are more prone to breakage, add weight, increase the time + cost to manufacture, result in increased support costs down the road, and even if you get everything right, they will still break down faster compared to other designs from the gunk that will collect in between the moving parts over time.
Since you guys don't have the manufacturing prowess of HTC or Sony, please spend your effort on the ergonomics of the mod casing and quality of the gamepad buttons, joysticks, triggers, and underlying micro switches instead of trying to make a reliable, robust slide-out mechanism, which like the other poster mentioned will likely be a lost benefit anyway because I reckon most people will remove the mod when game over.

General Galaxy Z Fold 3 Discussion

With recent leaks showing the device giving us an idea of what the device could look like, I was curious to what some of our gripes were as far as this phone goes. If you haven't already seen the leaks, you can click here. It also gives us an idea of what the next flip will look.
Now as far as my own personal gripes:
1. This is by far the biggest one - The front screen. I understand the reasoning behind making it easier on one handed use, but I genuinely do believe more people would rather have a normal aspect ratio as if it were a normal phone. With the mate x2 being released, it's definitely possible and if anything, looks more premium. I wouldn't be so harsh towards the subject if we were able to change the aspect ratio on the front screen as well (I know you can do this with goodlock regarding the inner screen, there's just no option for the front). This becomes an issue for social media apps (ex, snapchat or instagram) not being able to properly send pictures or post them due to that aspect ratio throwing it off. For those apps to be used properly, the inside screen would need to be opened and have the aspect ratio adjusted and there's no fix otherwise. All of this and the generalization of not wanting to open the phone up to see wider content almost every time.
There's a link here that provides a solution, but again, only for the front/cover screen.
2. Sharp edges - If you're holding the phone for an extended period of time, you'll more than likely become uncomfortable with it on the left side (while using it closed). I will say, looking into the leaked photos, it seems they have fixed the issue by curving it.
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3. Hinge design - Now this phone is a solid tank from my experience. Someone had accidentally dropped my phone, relatively brutally at that and the hinge had gotten stuck for a second and popped banked into place (Don't ask, just call me lucky). While I think it's extremely durable, I'd definitely like to see the improve with it's design. It seems that they may have from that leak (which again, could possibly not be the actual device). The comparison I'd like to make again would be to the mate x2 and you'll see below what I mean and the over aesthetic of the phone while it's closed. Granted the x2 is newer, the overall design does make it look discrete as far as being a foldable.
4. Weight - This one I'm not very optimistic on, just because there are more parts and factors that go into a folding phone. The overall weight can be an annoyance overtime while holding it closed. This kind of brings me back to my first point of it being wider, with a wider body, it'd seem that there would be more surface area to distribute that weight versus making the phone feel like a brick.
5. Other stuff would consist of the gap itself. I hate to keep comparing it to the X2, but they definitely did build a solid device in terms of design. From the leaks, it's been made out to be that the gap on the upcoming z fold 3 will be greatly reduced. Time will tell on that one.
As far as the leaks on the z fold 3, it does seem like it has some promising upgrades. One being the under-display camera. Hopefully it's greatly improved over the first generation one that had been released in I believe a ZTE phone. I see S Pen support as well which is neat for a bigger display for sure. It's a little disappointing to see that they, again, chose a lackluster route on the camera array. Not saying they'd be bad cameras by any means, but a TOF sensor or zoom lens would've been a little more justifiable regarding pricing of these phones (especially in a flagship standpoint).

megaghostgamer said:
With recent leaks showing the device giving us an idea of what the device could look like, I was curious to what some of our gripes were as far as this phone goes. If you haven't already seen the leaks, you can click here. It also gives us an idea of what the next flip will look.
Now as far as my own personal gripes:
1. This is by far the biggest one - The front screen. I understand the reasoning behind making it easier on one handed use, but I genuinely do believe more people would rather have a normal aspect ratio as if it were a normal phone. With the mate x2 being released, it's definitely possible and if anything, looks more premium. I wouldn't be so harsh towards the subject if we were able to change the aspect ratio on the front screen as well (I know you can do this with goodlock regarding the inner screen, there's just no option for the front). This becomes an issue for social media apps (ex, snapchat or instagram) not being able to properly send pictures or post them due to that aspect ratio throwing it off. For those apps to be used properly, the inside screen would need to be opened and have the aspect ratio adjusted and there's no fix otherwise. All of this and the generalization of not wanting to open the phone up to see wider content almost every time.
There's a link here that provides a solution, but again, only for the front/cover screen.
2. Sharp edges - If you're holding the phone for an extended period of time, you'll more than likely become uncomfortable with it on the left side (while using it closed). I will say, looking into the leaked photos, it seems they have fixed the issue by curving it.
View attachment 5298983
3. Hinge design - Now this phone is a solid tank from my experience. Someone had accidentally dropped my phone, relatively brutally at that and the hinge had gotten stuck for a second and popped banked into place (Don't ask, just call me lucky). While I think it's extremely durable, I'd definitely like to see the improve with it's design. It seems that they may have from that leak (which again, could possibly not be the actual device). The comparison I'd like to make again would be to the mate x2 and you'll see below what I mean and the over aesthetic of the phone while it's closed. Granted the x2 is newer, the overall design does make it look discrete as far as being a foldable.
View attachment 5298989
4. Weight - This one I'm not very optimistic on, just because there are more parts and factors that go into a folding phone. The overall weight can be an annoyance overtime while holding it closed. This kind of brings me back to my first point of it being wider, with a wider body, it'd seem that there would be more surface area to distribute that weight versus making the phone feel like a brick.
5. Other stuff would consist of the gap itself. I hate to keep comparing it to the X2, but they definitely did build a solid device in terms of design. From the leaks, it's been made out to be that the gap on the upcoming z fold 3 will be greatly reduced. Time will tell on that one.
As far as the leaks on the z fold 3, it does seem like it has some promising upgrades. One being the under-display camera. Hopefully it's greatly improved over the first generation one that had been released in I believe a ZTE phone. I see S Pen support as well which is neat for a bigger display for sure. It's a little disappointing to see that they, again, chose a lackluster route on the camera array. Not saying they'd be bad cameras by any means, but a TOF sensor or zoom lens would've been a little more justifiable regarding pricing of these phones (especially in a flagship standpoint).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How soon before it gets it own set of fora? July or August?

ronaldheld said:
How soon before it gets it own set of fora? July or August?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not until the official announcement by samsung usually. I'd basically want the mate x2 running one UI. That would be my perfect phone. Oh and the latest processor of course, lol.

So around August 19th there might be the 3 forum?

Is there any reason to expect a display smaller than about 7.5"?

Anyone believe it will around $1600?

megaghostgamer said:
With recent leaks showing the device giving us an idea of what the device could look like, I was curious to what some of our gripes were as far as this phone goes. If you haven't already seen the leaks, you can click here. It also gives us an idea of what the next flip will look.
6. Cameras. It is CRIMINAL of Samsung not to put S21U camera modules in the most expensive spartphone they sell. No more S10 sensors please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

ronaldheld said:
Anyone believe it will around $1600?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung reduced the (UK) RRP from £1799 to £1599 a few months back.
I cannot believe Samsung would be foolish enough to raise RRP again for Fold3.

Phonearena claims August 3d for the announcement date and in shipping on the the 27th. Anyone else confirm this?

Any date for hen we can preorder the phone?

should we expect a separate forum around August 3?

My utter disappointment in the Pixel 5 may lead me to go this route when this comes out... Assuming I can root it and get rid of all of Samsung's garbage software.
Honestly, does ANYONE use "Bixby"???

dezborders said:
Samsung reduced the (UK) RRP from £1799 to £1599 a few months back.
I cannot believe Samsung would be foolish enough to raise RRP again for Fold3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL you'd be amazed at what Samsung is stupid enough to do. These are the people that brought us Bixby.
And that price is ridiculous. That's enough to make crApple blush.

Why the cutting-edge Galaxy Z Fold 3 is doomed to flop
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 3 is promising, but there are too many aspects that make it "un-normal". Will it flop?
www.phonearena.com
Comments?

The unpacking event is August 3d or 11th?

Looks like the 11th: https://www.phonearena.com/news/summer-samsung-galaxy-unpacked-2021-date-revealed_id133327

ronaldheld said:
Why the cutting-edge Galaxy Z Fold 3 is doomed to flop
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 3 is promising, but there are too many aspects that make it "un-normal". Will it flop?
www.phonearena.com
Comments?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stupid. I am seriously considering one.

Meanwhile Samsung has grossly neglected it's most popular flagship line, the Note.
Brilliant, a real masterpiece as Samsung flat spins in on full afterburner and keeps its nose up... *splash*

Am I the only one who sees the 3 as being a tiny improvement over the 2? If I could get a native Google experience on it I'd have already jumped ship for the Mate X2. I'm surprised that Samsung isn't improving the aspect ratio and sizes of the screens, or giving significantly better cameras. Yes, an under the screen camera would be nice, but I just don't see much that would cause me to upgrade from the 2.

Never owned a FOLD, excited!!