On today’s episode of the Droid Life Show, we’ll dive into the latest in Android, which means taking a look at the new Moto leaks from earlier in the week. Motorola and Lenovo may be struggling to stay in our good graces at the moment, but their new products could be something special. After that we’ll run through most recent Google I/O rumors, since that event kicks off next week and also chat about the new Instagram, Google’s Gboard iOS app, and more!
Join us at 1:00PM Pacific (4:00PM Eastern) for the fun.
If you miss us live, feel free to subscribe to us by following one of the links below. We have a video embed as well and will be chatting it up over at the YouTube page for the show. You can find it here.
Subscribe | Google Play | iTunes | Stitcher | Show Page
The Droid Life Show: Episode 109 – Google I/O Incoming is a post from: Droid Life
Google I/O is now past us, but the excitement of what’s to come still lingers. As you will have noticed, Google didn’t actually release anything last week, but announced a ton of potentially sweet products that will hit the market in the summer and fall seasons. There is an upgraded Google app experience (Google Assistant), Google Home, plenty of Android N stuff to be excited about, plus the Allo and Duo apps.
With I/O done, we now have other things to look forward to, such as Moto’s (Lenovo) upcoming flagship for 2016, the Galaxy Note 6 from Samsung, as well as the OnePlus 3. There’s a whole lot to discuss!
The Q&A Sessions are your opportunity to ask the DL staff whatever you might like pertaining to Android, or anything else that might on your mind? Want to know if we ever plan on using Allo? Will Google Home immediately replace our Amazon Echo tubes? Have we completely surrendered to the hype of virtual reality? There’s a lot to be asked.
This Friday, we will go through your questions and do our best to answer as many as we can.
To see all of our previous Q&A’s, check them out here.
Droid Life Q&A Sessions: Volume 40 is a post from: Droid Life
We have gone over all of your submissions for Volume 40 of the Droid Life Q&A Sessions, and we now have answers for you. We received quite a few questions this week, ranging in topics from what we saw at Google I/O, to what’s the best way to get started in the connected home game. We also covered whether we feel it would be right for Google to take a more “controlled” approach toward Android updates.
Take a look at our answers below, then let us know if you agree in the comments. If you don’t, we will be more than happy to argue with you. Bring it on.
Reminder: K is Kellen and T is Tim.
K: Not really, no. That kind of eliminates the point of Android, which is somewhat of a blank canvas for all to enjoy and do as they please with (to an extent). I wish there were ways for them to get updates out faster to everyone, but Android, as of today, isn’t exactly built that way, though Google has made it better in many ways by putting an emphasis on the power of Google Play Services. I hate to say it, but if you want that experience, buy a Nexus phone. They are very good phones, affordable, and will make you happy.
T: Google having “more control” wouldn’t exactly solve any issues we face. To start, Google makes the new Android code available to OEMs, OEMs then bake on their software tweaks, then submit to carriers for certifications and approval. Once all that is done, it rolls out to users. The process is ridiculously dumb, but that’s the world we live in — Overly regulated and overly time consuming. Google taking a more hands-on approach does not stop the carriers from managing what exactly is running on their network. I’m in the same boat as many others, and if you want Google to be in control of updates, you have no choice than to buy a Nexus smartphone.
K: Going to be tough to topple WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Google’s Allo will be a fun alternative, but is being fun and having built-in Google access enough to convince everyone you know to switch? Tough to say. I don’t really see that happening.
T: I’m leaning towards No. Google had an opportunity to steal a bit of marketshare with Hangouts, but instead of baking other Google features into Hangouts to make it more of a robust platform, it has decided to manage multiple messaging apps that pretty much all do the same thing. There’s Allo, Duo, Hangouts, the stock Messaging app for Android, and Google Voice. Why couldn’t you just put all of those features into one app, Google? Was it really that much work? At this point, it’s too late for Google to fix that problem, and for any other company looking to get into the messaging game, good luck.
K: They better knock it out of the park with this modular concept, offer the phone at a ridiculously competitive price, and…ahh hell, they are probably screwed. I’m actually quite excited to see what they do and am warming up to the look of the new Moto Z phone, but they seem like a mess at the moment. Poor Moto.
T: Do average consumers even know that Motorola was bought by Lenovo? Probably not, and in the long term, that’s likely a plus for Lenovo. The Motorola name still carries weight in the US among consumers, so whatever Moto and Lenovo do offer this year, they better hope it’s awesome. It can be modular and inexpensive, that’s a good start, but as long as Moto stays true to what they have begun to represent here in the US, I think they could remain in good shape. As for the “sinking ship” aspect, look at HTC. That company is still around, so that’s a good sign for Lenovo. You just have to keep fighting in this sector, regardless of whether you are raking in the cash or not. Sometimes it pays off to maintain the course.
K: Not really, no. Google can’t even sell its own Nexus phones that well, so I can’t imagine they’ll figure it out with Ara, a weird concept phone that normal consumers probably won’t understand or won’t want to try to understand. It’s a cool idea, but Google seems to have already pissed off the biggest Ara supporters with their I/O unveiling of the phone, which is a skeleton with built-in display, CPU, GPU, RAM, and battery. So much for absolute modular-ness.
T: God no. As Kellen mentioned, Google isn’t selling millions upon millions of Nexus phones, so it seems unlikely that a product such as Ara could become heavily mainstream. Mind you, speaking relatively, mainstream smartphone usage is not all that old. Maybe in 10 years, modular will be the hot thing, but right now, many companies are focused on extensions of the smartphone (VR, wearables), so it could be that Ara is the first broad step in a big picture game plan for Google. I’m probably safe to assume that most people have never heard of Project Ara, and to make a populace informed of a new product is not cheap. Google better start getting that advertising money lined up if that’s their plan.
K: I operate under the “I run to drink” routine, which means, I enjoy beer far too often, so I try and workout 4-5 days a week to maintain a somewhat healthy lifestyle. That typically means tons of running, because running burns tons of calories and gets me out of my cave. I also mix in massive amounts of water, fresh fruits, and avoid snacks.
T: I have been blessed with a body that does not maintain body fat. I eat whatever, whenever I want and never gain weight. It’s a gift and I am very thankful for it. Although, my girlfriend hates me for it. Because of this, I don’t necessarily work out. On my typical day, I walk my two dogs an average of one and a half hour throughout a day, so that’s probably my workout right there. Other than that, I pig out and play Call of Duty.
K: As someone with a 2.5 year old, this is a subject I have thought about. My gut tells me that once he’s in school full-time, I’ll want him to have something, even if it’s just a cheap flip phone with phone numbers in it to call me, my wife, grandparents, whatever. But that may be in a couple of years, which seems way too early. Honestly, I don’t know. Once I get my son a phone, I’ll let you know how old he is heh.
T: For me, a smartphone won’t be an aspect of my child’s life until they are 16-18 years of age. It’ll depend on how cool they are. However, once they begin school full-time and can be trusted with responsibilities, they will have some sort of communication device in case of emergencies.
K: Nest Thermostat, WiFi cameras (probably Nest Cams because they work nicely with Nest), and some smart light bulbs. With those, you are getting convenience, a bit of security, and the feeling of some automation or control, which to me, is what the smart home experience is all about.
T: Gotta go thermostat! Get yourself a Nest or EcoBee, then I’d probably invest in awesome LED lighting. I have always wanted smart bulbs, but my God, they are expensive. Of course, in a few months, you also need to get Google Home. Bring it on, Google.
K: I hope so! The Soli watch was one of the coolest things we saw at Google I/O, but not just because of a demo, because Google actually showed it in a living product. I find technologies like that fascinating, though I don’t know how realistic it is in that form.
T: Not with that attitude, it won’t. From what I saw during Google I/O, it’s happening. Insert GIF here. Technology like that can really change the way we interact with smart devices, and to me, it’s worth waiting for. Fingers crossed it is sooner, rather than later.
To see all of the past Q&A Sessions, look here.
Droid Life Q&A Sessions: Volume 40 Answers is a post from: Droid Life
![Project Life [Scrapbooking] 1.4 APK](https://i.imgur.com/5inP61U.png "Project Life [Scrapbooking] 1.4 APK")
![Project Life [Scrapbooking] 1.4 APK](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iE8G1OTiaZ-GTjTXzLBleHDWjacKMY9AtaPI7yjxg4zrLwvv4qQhNZ7G8s-DeSmmo6M=w300 "Project Life [Scrapbooking] 1.4 APK")
Since we ran out of time last week, thanks to travel schedules and all that, it’s time to recap Google I/O 2016 on the DL Show. After a weekend off, we’ve had time to fully digest all that Google announced, which should mean more well-rounded thoughts, or something, right? Hah, don’t give us that much credit.
On this episode, we will indeed be diving into the biggest announcements from the event, though. That means Google Home, Assistant, Daydream, Allo, Android Wear 2.0, N, and all of the ATAP madness will get some air time. We’ll try not to make this a 3-hour episode, but you just never know.
Join us at 1:00PM Pacific (4:00PM Eastern) for the fun.
If you miss us live, feel free to subscribe to us by following one of the links below. We have a video embed as well and will be chatting it up over at the YouTube page for the show. You can find it here.
Subscribe | Google Play | iTunes | Stitcher | Show Page
The Droid Life Show: Episode 110 – Damn, Google I/O is a post from: Droid Life
