My new Android: ask me anything!

[I7guy]

With SMS Relay, I really don't need a blinking light anymore. Notifications happen on both my phone and my MacBook, so if I miss it for some reason, then something is seriously wrong.
I don't doubt that the notification light is something that you would use. Just not all that important to me at this time.

If my phone is charging upstairs I can be down stairs with my iPad and not worry about I coming.

The notification light supporters have only one circumstance I can see that it is useful. In a dark noisy bar where you are actually holding or looking at your phone instead of being in your pocket. Even then I can use the light assist to do the same thing.

 

[heycal]

With SMS Relay, I really don't need a blinking light anymore. Notifications happen on both my phone and my MacBook, so if I miss it for some reason, then something is seriously wrong.

If my phone is charging upstairs I can be down stairs with my iPad and not worry about I coming.

Great for people who never leave the house or spend a second away from their devices. But about what those of us who leave the house or engage in old fashion living, interacting with people and enjoying the world around us?

An amazing thing happened the other day while I was playing a game of softball. I was in centerfield, and someone hit a weak ground ball up the middle and and into center field. I picked up the ball, made sure the batter was not going to go any further than first place, took a few steps in to be safe, and then started to throw the ball back to the pitcher and stopped short: he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at his phone.

On the pitcher's mound! During a play! He was not a kid, either. This guy was in his 60's. Imagine that? He apologized as he sheepishly put his phone back in his pocket, but still...

The world is going in a bad direction when it comes to our devices and the way we interact with them and depend on them and become addicted to them.

The notification light supporters have only one circumstance I can see that it is useful. In a dark noisy bar where you are actually holding or looking at your phone instead of being in your pocket. Even then I can use the light assist to do the same thing.

We've given you a dozen scenarios where it's useful. Don't be an idiot.

 

[iBought]

Personal attacks, a droid phone post in the wrong area (now moved), instigating discussion about a prior locked topic.

Safe to say the OP is starved for attention in his every day life and is reaching out here?

 

[pdqgp]

Originally Posted by pdqgp View Post

Besides, with as often as people are holding or using / looking at their phones anymore, is a notification really even needed? IMO, No.

I'm assuming this is a joke? The main reason that one wants a notification light is to get away from being chained to their phones, always have to look at and turn it on to see if anything's been misssed.

No, it's not a joke. Just look around; even people with Notification lights are constantly holding their phones or checking something on them. Even me, I'm guilty and I use my notification light.

Sure it's handy to use when not actually holding your phone, but the reality is very few people are setting their phones down for 10 minutes and only actually glance at them for a flashing light. Most everyone even without seeing a flashing LED will pick up their device. Even so, the LED Flashes for any number of reasons, missed calls, emails, SMS, etc. thus if you see it flashing blue for a missed email vs green for a missed text, if you've not touched your phone for 10 minutes, you'll likely pick it up just to check that email.

Look, not going to debate the debate over an LED, but in the end, people are more chained and attached to their phones then they are their own kids anymore.

With SMS Relay, I really don't need a blinking light anymore. Notifications happen on both my phone and my MacBook, so if I miss it for some reason, then something is seriously wrong.

There are several apps for this on Android too. Nice feature that I use all the time. I can control pretty much my entire phone from my computer desktop.

 

[mercuryjones]

Great for people who never leave the house or spend a second away from their devices. But about what those of us who leave the house or engage in old fashion living, interacting with people and enjoying the world around us?

An amazing thing happened the other day while I was playing a game of softball. I was in centerfield, and someone hit a weak ground ball up the middle and and into center field. I picked up the ball, made sure the batter was not going to go any further than first place, took a few steps in to be safe, and then started to throw the ball back to the pitcher and stopped short: he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at his phone.

On the pitcher's mound! During a play! He was not a kid, either. This guy was in his 60's. Imagine that? He apologized as he sheepishly put his phone back in his pocket, but still...

The world is going in a bad direction when it comes to our devices and the way we interact with them and depend on them and become addicted to them.



We've given you a dozen scenarios where it's useful. Don't be an idiot.

Maybe he was just checking to see if his notification light was blinking? You can't fault him for that, can you?

 

[Zxxv]

Are these posts a joke, or or are they coming from teenage girls? Not everyone lives with their phone in their hand, or wants to.

That aside, there are at least two other problems with the repeat alert feature:

1) 2 minutes between alerts can be an eternity. Can you imagine returning to your room where you phone is, wondering if you got any messages, and saying to yourself "I'll just wait to see if it alerts again sometime with the next 120 seconds?" Of course not. You'll just go turn it on and see. Even a slow cycle 'blink' settting on an LED suffers from the same problem: you want to know instantly whether or not there are notifications, not wait even a few seconds. It's human nature, and why you all keep checking your iphones all day long. Waiting for something and wondering about it is not fun or relaxing.

2) Sometimes you don't want to take your phone out and have to check it/clear the alert. It's annoying to be talking to someone or engaged in something and be forced to either take your phone out of your pocket or have it repeatedly vibrate even though you may have felt in the first time. A light going on in your pocket won't disturb you or the other person.

No joke. Not a girl. Not 12

Are your posts a joke?

Can't wait two minutes haha oh my. Want a light. Come on listen to yourself. This is a wind up surely

 

[I7guy]

Great for people who never leave the house or spend a second away from their devices. But about what those of us who leave the house or engage in old fashion living, interacting with people and enjoying the world around us?

An amazing thing happened the other day while I was playing a game of softball. I was in centerfield, and someone hit a weak ground ball up the middle and and into center field. I picked up the ball, made sure the batter was not going to go any further than first place, took a few steps in to be safe, and then started to throw the ball back to the pitcher and stopped short: he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at his phone.

On the pitcher's mound! During a play! He was not a kid, either. This guy was in his 60's. Imagine that? He apologized as he sheepishly put his phone back in his pocket, but still...

The world is going in a bad direction when it comes to our devices and the way we interact with them and depend on them and become addicted to them.



We've given you a dozen scenarios where it's useful. Don't be an idiot.

Name calling? All of your supposed scenarios don't work for me, I don't need a notification light and don't need the extra hardware on my phone. Your aphorisms are just silly.

 

[Ffosse]

I don't even know why the OP posted about an old Android phone and expected any questions about it.

 

[mercuryjones]

I don't even know why the OP posted about an old Android phone and expected any questions about it.

Pretty sure he just wanted to revive the notification light argument that got shut down.

 

[TechGod]

I'm assuming this is a joke? The main reason that one wants a notifcation light is to get away from being chained to their phones, always have to look at and turn it on to see if anything's been misssed.



Of course. It's amazing.




Are you serious? Setting aside whether the G2 is "old" or not, these are the two phones I like and am deciding between.

Do you think it's more useful for me to compare two phones I'm not interested just because they are the same age?







Are these posts a joke, or or are they coming from teenage girls? Not everyone lives with their phone in their hand, or wants to.

That aside, there are at least two other problems with the repeat alert feature:

1) 2 minutes between alerts can be an eternity. Can you imagine returning to your room where you phone is, wondering if you got any messages, and saying to yourself "I'll just wait to see if it alerts again sometime with the next 120 seconds?" Of course not. You'll just go turn it on and see. Even a slow cycle 'blink' settting on an LED suffers from the same problem: you want to know instantly whether or not there are notifications, not wait even a few seconds. It's human nature, and why you all keep checking your iphones all day long. Waiting for something and wondering about it is not fun or relaxing.

2) Sometimes you don't want to take your phone out and have to check it/clear the alert. It's annoying to be talking to someone or engaged in something and be forced to either take your phone out of your pocket or have it repeatedly vibrate even though you may have felt in the first time. A light going on in your pocket won't disturb you or the other person.




Great analogy! Where did you come up with this?

ummmm what? I'm supporting a notification LED

----------

Great for people who never leave the house or spend a second away from their devices. But about what those of us who leave the house or engage in old fashion living, interacting with people and enjoying the world around us?

An amazing thing happened the other day while I was playing a game of softball. I was in centerfield, and someone hit a weak ground ball up the middle and and into center field. I picked up the ball, made sure the batter was not going to go any further than first place, took a few steps in to be safe, and then started to throw the ball back to the pitcher and stopped short: he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at his phone.

On the pitcher's mound! During a play! He was not a kid, either. This guy was in his 60's. Imagine that? He apologized as he sheepishly put his phone back in his pocket, but still...

The world is going in a bad direction when it comes to our devices and the way we interact with them and depend on them and become addicted to them.



We've given you a dozen scenarios where it's useful. Don't be an idiot.

How about you calm down and not insult anyone.

 

[Fernandez21]

Sounds like something Microsoft would do. Red ring of death anyone...

I think it could be pretty slick. Right now if you use a phone with a notification light, let's say in an emergency someone called you 5 times while you were in the shower. You come out and see the light blink, but you have no idea if it was one call or multiple calls, and on some phones you wouldn't even know if it was a missed call or simply that you received an email.

With the system I'm suggesting, if you got those 5 missed calls, you would see a full red ring ring and 5 in the center, you know immediately that that you got 5 missed calls and that it's probably an emergency and to check your phone right away.

But if say you look and you see a mostly blue ring with a small sliver of red and a 5 in the center, than you know it's probably 4 email notifications and 1 missed call and probably not an emergancy and you can finish getting dressed before looking at your phone.

 

[Zxxv]

I think it could be pretty slick. Right now if you use a phone with a notification light, let's say in an emergency someone called you 5 times while you were in the shower. You come out and see the light blink, but you have no idea if it was one call or multiple calls, and on some phones you wouldn't even know if it was a missed call or simply that you received an email.

With the system I'm suggesting, if you got those 5 missed calls, you would see a full red ring ring and 5 in the center, you know immediately that that you got 5 missed calls and that it's probably an emergency and to check your phone right away.

But if say you look and you see a mostly blue ring with a small sliver of red and a 5 in the center, than you know it's probably 4 email notifications and 1 missed call and probably not an emergancy and you can finish getting dressed before looking at your phone.

And what if it was an emergency call that required them to only make it once. And you can't be assed to check your iPhone because you thought agh it's not important its only one blinking light. And someone dies cause you didn't check. Who you gonna blame?

Edit - and how does 5 missed calls mean it's an emergency? Maybe 5 people called. Maybe it's 5 wrong numbers. How annoyed do you get?

So much complication being added. Just pick it up and check. It's simple.

 

[Fernandez21]

And what if it was an emergency call that required them to only make it once. And you can't be assed to check your iPhone because you thought agh it's not important its only one blinking light. And someone dies cause you didn't check. Who you gonna blame?

Edit - and how does 5 missed calls mean it's an emergency? Maybe 5 people called. Maybe it's 5 wrong numbers. How annoyed do you get?

So much complication being added. Just pick it up and check. It's simple.

Why, I'll blame Apple of course!

Eh, don't see the complication, I mean if you get 5 missed calls in the span of 10 min. while you shower, I would assume it was an emergancy and someone was trying to contact me. If it turns out it was 5 wrong numbers, no big, it took was what 2 sec. to check the phone?

 

[Zxxv]

Why, I'll blame Apple of course!

Eh, don't see the complication, I mean if you get 5 missed calls in the span of 10 min. while you shower, I would assume it was an emergancy and someone was trying to contact me. If it turns out it was 5 wrong numbers, no big, it took was what 2 sec. to check the phone?

yes it takes about 2 secs to check the phone. As you say no big. get what I'm saying 😉

but you want to go back in time to the 90s and the era of pagers and flashing lights, next you'll want a beep beep noise. Like many other posters I don't see the need.


edit - and if you have your iPhone plugged in whilst your in the shower just say "hey siri have I any missed calls"

would be good if siri then said "oh your mom called 5 times... shall I call her back?"

you respond yes

job done. Your problem solved and you didn't even have to get your iPhone wet, you talk to your mom and continue to dry yourself and get ready. End result you saved more time to get to your emergency situation.

Brought to you in a way only apple can. screw your flashy light its yesteryear., yestertech

 

[Fernandez21]

yes it takes about 2 secs to check the phone. As you say no big. get what I'm saying 😉

but you want to go back in time to the 90s and the era of pagers and flashing lights, next you'll want a beep beep noise. Like many other posters I don't see the need.


edit - and if you have your iPhone plugged in whilst your in the shower just say "hey siri have I any missed calls"

would be good if siri then said "oh your mom called 5 times... shall I call her back?"

you respond yes

job done. Your problem solved and you didn't even have to get your iPhone wet, you talk to your mom and continue to dry yourself and get ready. End result you saved more time to get to your emergency situation.

Brought to you in a way only apple can. screw your flashy light its yesteryear., yestertech

That would also be very cool. I'm not passionate enough one way or the other on the notification light thing, I don't really care if it's added or not, was just pointing out a cool way of implementing it on the iPhone.

 

[Zxxv]

That would also be very cool. I'm not passionate enough one way or the other on the notification light thing, I don't really care if it's added or not, was just pointing out a cool way of implementing it on the iPhone.

she already tells you your missed calls. Apple just needs to tweak the user experience. If were lucky someone from apple is reading and already on it 🙂

 

[heycal]

Sure it's handy to use when not actually holding your phone, but the reality is very few people are setting their phones down for 10 minutes and only actually glance at them for a flashing light. Most everyone even without seeing a flashing LED will pick up their device. Even so, the LED Flashes for any number of reasons, missed calls, emails, SMS, etc. thus if you see it flashing blue for a missed email vs green for a missed text, if you've not touched your phone for 10 minutes, you'll likely pick it up just to check that email.

Look, not going to debate the debate over an LED, but in the end, people are more chained and attached to their phones then they are their own kids anymore.

Yes, more people are chained to their phones than ever before. That's the point! The LED frees one from much of that tyranny. I've been using this phone for a week now, and I touch it and turn it on so much less now. It's been radically transformative. I put in the table for a couple of hours at a time, going in and out of the room, and only touch it if the light is on, which I've set to notify me only about the things I care about it. (It's not flashing various lights at me for every friggin' email or Facebook comment that comes in -- only the things I decide are important to see immediately.) I would have picked up the iphone and turned it on everytime I can back into the room if it weren't for this feature. Now it goes untouched for long periods, freeing me up for actual living. It's wonderful.

But you know what? Trying to convince people of the obvious value of a notification light and not having to pointlessly pick up and turn on your phone 50 times a day seems fruitless. Presumably these people don't understand the value of a vibration feature either. I can't waste further time explaining either of these things. There's a seriously strong idiot factor running through this thread…

Anyway, the Android has many more advantages over the iphone than just the light. That's just the most important one. Virtually everything can be done so much more quickly and efficiently on this phone than on the iphone. The big trade off is in reliability. This Android is like a wonderful Ferrari, but it's tempermental and requires a lot of tinkering under the hood. The iphone can't do a lot of things, nor do the ones it can very efficiently, but it can do them very well and very consistently and seemlessly and it's a beautiful device.

So it's a very tough call. Part of me wishes I'd never tried this phone, because it highlights and underscores the myriad ways it's so much better than the iphone in terms of features and options. But at what cost of peace of mind and unpredictability? That is the question!

 

[I7guy]

Yes, more people are chained to their phones than ever before. That's the point! The LED frees one from much of that tyranny. I've been using this phone for a week now, and I touch it and turn it on so much less now. It's been radically transformative. I put in the table for a couple of hours at a time, going in and out of the room, and only touch it if the light is on, which I've set to notify me only about the things I care about it. (It's not flashing various lights at me for every friggin' email or Facebook comment that comes in -- only the things I decide are important to see immediately.) I would have picked up the iphone and turned it on everytime I can back into the room if it weren't for this feature. Now it goes untouched for long periods, freeing me up for actual living. It's wonderful.

But you know what? Trying to convince people of the obvious value of a notification light and not having to pointlessly pick up and turn on your phone 50 times a day seems fruitless. Presumably these people don't understand the value of a vibration feature either. I can't waste further time explaining either of these things. There's a seriously strong idiot factor running through this thread…

Anyway, the Android has many more advantages over the iphone than just the light. That's just the most important one. Virtually everything can be done so much more quickly and efficiently on this phone than on the iphone. The big trade off is in reliability. This Android is like a wonderful Ferrari, but it's tempermental and requires a lot of tinkering under the hood. The iphone can't do a lot of things, nor do the ones it can very efficiently, but it can do them very well and very consistently and seemlessly and it's a beautiful device.

So it's a very tough call. Part of me wishes I'd never tried this phone, because it highlights and underscores the myriad ways it's so much better than the iphone in terms of features and options. But at what cost of peace of mind and unpredictability? That is the question!

Not everybody walks around LOOKING at their phone. My phone is usually in my pocket and I get a short vibrate when something I want to look at comes in. In addition as said before, if my phone is charging I may take my ipad with me and get texts and phone calls delivered straight to my ipad. I don't need the notification during work, don't need it during my commute. May need it in a noisy bar. You know what though, I put the iphone in my pocket and just change the soft vibrate into something else.

You do have a point if the phone is charging and I want to look at it across the room when I enter the room. However, that really happens very rarely and for that I can actually pick up the phone up and unlock it lickety-split.

I know for some people actually handling the phone doesn't work...but to each their own.

 

[Zxxv]

People are idiots because they don't share the same opinion. Childish. Great just great. Unsubscribe time.

 

[mercuryjones]

Yes, more people are chained to their phones than ever before. That's the point! The LED frees one from much of that tyranny. I've been using this phone for a week now, and I touch it and turn it on so much less now. It's been radically transformative. I put in the table for a couple of hours at a time, going in and out of the room, and only touch it if the light is on, which I've set to notify me only about the things I care about it. (It's not flashing various lights at me for every friggin' email or Facebook comment that comes in -- only the things I decide are important to see immediately.) I would have picked up the iphone and turned it on everytime I can back into the room if it weren't for this feature. Now it goes untouched for long periods, freeing me up for actual living. It's wonderful.

But you know what? Trying to convince people of the obvious value of a notification light and not having to pointlessly pick up and turn on your phone 50 times a day seems fruitless. Presumably these people don't understand the value of a vibration feature either. I can't waste further time explaining either of these things. There's a seriously strong idiot factor running through this thread…

Anyway, the Android has many more advantages over the iphone than just the light. That's just the most important one. Virtually everything can be done so much more quickly and efficiently on this phone than on the iphone. The big trade off is in reliability. This Android is like a wonderful Ferrari, but it's tempermental and requires a lot of tinkering under the hood. The iphone can't do a lot of things, nor do the ones it can very efficiently, but it can do them very well and very consistently and seemlessly and it's a beautiful device.

So it's a very tough call. Part of me wishes I'd never tried this phone, because it highlights and underscores the myriad ways it's so much better than the iphone in terms of features and options. But at what cost of peace of mind and unpredictability? That is the question!

Yes, we are all just idiots for not using our phone in the exact same way that you do. Thanks ever so much for enlightening us to the wonder of the notification light. /s
Geez. Get over yourself already. Regardless of how you spin it, it's a freaking light! It blinks and tells you that you have something to pay attention to. It doesn't tell you anything else. I'd rather have valid notifications plus Siri, where I can simply ask her from across the room WITHOUT EVEN HAVING TO LOOK, if I've missed anything. And then have her read them to me.
If you can't understand how much better a system this is than a blinky LED light, then you are just as clueless as you suppose everyone else is.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Regardless of how you spin it, it's a freaking light! It blinks and tells you that you have something to pay attention to. It doesn't tell you anything else.

Actually, it can tell you slightly more that that. That's why it has differ colors and can show static or blinking. I can easily glance at my phone with the screen off and tell if it's still charging or fully charged. I can tell what type of notification(email, text, etc) I have just by glancing. So even though it's only an indication, it's useful when at glance, which is it's purpose.

 

[mercuryjones]

Actually, it can tell you slightly more that that. That's why it has differ colors and can show static or blinking. I can easily glance at my phone with the screen off and tell if it's still charging or fully charged. I can tell what type of notification(email, text, etc) I have just by glancing. So even though it's only an indication, it's useful when at glance, which is it's purpose.

And yet, it still tells you nothing in regards to what the content is. So then, you have to pick up your phone (gasp! the horror!) and actually look at it.
So, you save all of 1 second, while I pick up my phone, sans blinky light, and actually get the information I require.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

And yet, it still tells you nothing in regards to what the content is. So then, you have to pick up your phone (gasp! the horror!) and actually look at it.
So, you save all of 1 second, while I pick up my phone, sans blinky light, and actually get the information I require.

Like I said, that not it's purpose. When I want more info, I can also do everything you previously described to get it. Why be against a useful feature?

 

[jamezr]

And yet, it still tells you nothing in regards to what the content is. So then, you have to pick up your phone (gasp! the horror!) and actually look at it.
So, you save all of 1 second, while I pick up my phone, sans blinky light, and actually get the information I require.

I don't think you understand the use cases for a notification light.

Last night we are making dinner. The kitchen is busy with adults preparing our meal. Kids are at the table doing homework. Teenagers are in the next room watching a show called Ridiculousness. It is busy and noisy.......my phone is on the kitchen counter. I think i hear my phone notification but not certain through all the noise. I glance at my phone from across the room. Blinking green light....its an email. It can wait....no need to touch my phone. I can continue to cook dinner and answer my son's questions about his home work.


I will bet you would embrace a notification light if it was on an iPhone!

Anyway....you can like or not like it. But it is useful.....

 

[mercuryjones]

Like I said, that not it's purpose. When I want more info, I can also do everything you previously described to get it. Why be against a useful feature?

I'm not against the feature. I'm against people calling me an idiot for not needing it (not you). I've already said how I handle notifications on my phone, and yet, that doesn't seem to be good enough.
This is turning into the same argument that got closed in regards to the notification light already. I'll save you the trouble. The blinky light is great for you, not so useful for me, where I already have a valid way of dealing with notifications. So, you use your way and I'll use mine and let's never speak of this again.