Nexus 5

spinedoc77 · Oct 15, 2013

strausd said:
Touching the screen and touching the phone are different. Ok, its cool that the Moto X is always listening. But whats the point when you are required to touch the screen to confirm actions? At least on the iPhone you have a physical button to invoke Siri. You never have to look at your device.

If you are driving and need to send a text to your significant other without taking your eyes off the road, you can do it with Siri, you can't with Google Now. Or if you are running and have a headset in, you can create calendar events with Siri, you can't with Google Now. Maybe you are laying in bed and you don't want the bright screen to shine on your eyes but you need to set a reminder. You can do that with Siri, but not Google now.

Sure, always listening is a cool feature. But it is crippled by Google Now. Implement always listening with a personal assistant that actually allows you to perform actions by voice and it would really take it one step further. The Moto X doesn't really move you one step forward towards hands free operation thanks to Google Now requiring touch input. At most, it takes you a step forward on a treadmill. In an ideal world, the always listening feature would be on iPhones and Siris ability to not require touch input for voice actions would be implemented into Google Now. They both have flaws. But with my usage, having a physical home button you can touch without ever looking at your phone and doing all actions by voice easily beats the no physical button and requiring touch input.

I think as long as Google now remains unchanged things like voice activation are just polishing a turd IMO.

strausd · Oct 15, 2013

spinedoc77 said:
I think as long as Google now remains unchanged things like voice activation are just polishing a turd IMO.

HA! Couldn't have put it better myself.

jamezr · Oct 15, 2013

spinedoc77 said:
That's pretty powerful for sure. I'm looking forward to that.

Just to throw a wrench in your well laid response though. When I put on my bluetooth headset and press it's button Siri comes up, the iphone also knows what to route thru the headset, and is intelligent about it, for example pausing navigation voice if I'm on a phone call.

Contrast that with Google now which has no ability whatsoever to be activated with the bluetooth headset button, trust me I searched for hours on the internet and XDA devs for a solution. Android doesn't have a clue what to route to the headset and not route, half the time I get sound in the headset, half the time on the phone itself. Android also isn't smart enough to mediate sound, for example if I'm navigating and on a phone call sure enough the navigation directions will be blared into my ear while I'm talking. It's these little polished things that are missing, and that's besides the entire forced internet search thing, and having to click confirmation X's for everything that should be inputless.

I'd be curious also how the MotoX and Nexus 5 pick up your voice to activate Google Now when you are in a noisy car for example. Sometimes you do need a button, although I'd be happy with simply the ability to use my bluetooth headset button. The lack of which I consider a pretty stupid blunder.

The Moto X recognized my voice with the radio on and my 6 year old in the back seat singing the songs on the radio........

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strausd said:
Touching the screen and touching the phone are different. Ok, its cool that the Moto X is always listening. But whats the point when you are required to touch the screen to confirm actions? At least on the iPhone you have a physical button to invoke Siri. You never have to look at your device.

If you are driving and need to send a text to your significant other without taking your eyes off the road, you can do it with Siri, you can't with Google Now. Or if you are running and have a headset in, you can create calendar events with Siri, you can't with Google Now. Maybe you are laying in bed and you don't want the bright screen to shine on your eyes but you need to set a reminder. You can do that with Siri, but not Google now.

Sure, always listening is a cool feature. But it is crippled by Google Now. Implement always listening with a personal assistant that actually allows you to perform actions by voice and it would really take it one step further. The Moto X doesn't really move you one step forward towards hands free operation thanks to Google Now requiring touch input. At most, it takes you a step forward on a treadmill. In an ideal world, the always listening feature would be on iPhones and Siris ability to not require touch input for voice actions would be implemented into Google Now. They both have flaws. But with my usage, having a physical home button you can touch without ever looking at your phone and doing all actions by voice easily beats the no physical button and requiring touch input.

Oh...I agree with you...I wish I did not have to touch the Moto X to confirm the actions......but to use Siri you still have to touch the phone! Both Google Now and Siri have that flaw in the use of the software. I wish we did not have to touch the phone at all to use the voice functions.......
so to me it does not matter if you touch the home button for Siri or the screen for the Moto X. I do not want to have to touch the phone at all........

THE JUICEMAN · Oct 15, 2013

I thought google now will give you a timer countdown until it does whatever action you asked it to? For example if you say send a text to my wife it will wait 10 seconds or so counting down and then send it automatically. No?

Lava Lamp Freak · Oct 15, 2013

Edit: These display cases are currently being used in some Best Buy stores to display Nexus 7, Chromebook, and Chromecast. So, nothing new.

A Google display case has been spotted at a Best Buy. According to the G+ poster, the manager told him it is the Nexus 5 display. If so, this is great news! One of my wishes was for Best Buy to sell it!

These photos look like different locations to me.

http://www.androidcentral.com/myste...ars-best-buy?utm_source=ac&utm_medium=twitter

https://plus.google.com/u/0/115743812905927705029/posts/czxbe2wM6VS

Spacial · Oct 15, 2013

Although it was on my phone and I tried to accept it, Siri just didn't appeal. Nor did it understand my clear well enunciated voice on a consistent, reliable basis.

Now that I'm using the Note 3 in which Google Now is deeply and very well integrated into, I find myself using it a lot. Partly because it simply participates with very little input from me, but it's never failed to understand me & respond quickly and accurately. It's truly impressive.

strausd · Oct 15, 2013

jamezr said:
Oh...I agree with you...I wish I did not have to touch the Moto X to confirm the actions......but to use Siri you still have to touch the phone! Both Google Now and Siri have that flaw in the use of the software. I wish we did not have to touch the phone at all to use the voice functions.......
so to me it does not matter if you touch the home button for Siri or the screen for the Moto X. I do not want to have to touch the phone at all........

Touching a physical button is far different from touching a touch screen. One can be done without looking at the phone, the other can't.

THE JUICEMAN said:
I thought google now will give you a timer countdown until it does whatever action you asked it to? For example if you say send a text to my wife it will wait 10 seconds or so counting down and then send it automatically. No?

For calling and navigation this works. However, this shows Google's inconsistency. Try sending a text, sending an email, setting a reminder, or creating a calendar event (just a few examples at the top of my head. I am sure there are more). All of which require touch input. Not a physical button touch input, but touch input that requires that you take your eyes and attention off whatever else you are doing. With Siri, you don't even have to look at the phone.

And personally, texts, reminders, and calendar events are the things I did most with Siri because I never had to look at my phone. I don't really have to call people often. When I do, it is normally after reading a text from them. So it is easiest to just call from the messaging app. With navigation, I often like to see the route so I am familiar with it instead of just following the sound of my phone.

I also think it is ridiculous that the stock Android clock app supports alarms and timers, yet if you say "set a timer for 10 minutes", Google Now won't do it and will instead set an alarm for 10 minutes from that time. The problem with this is that it can be up to 59 seconds off depending on when it sets the alarm. I just think with both built into the stock clock app, Google Now should be able to tell a difference.

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Lava Lamp Freak said:
Edit: These display cases are currently being used in some Best Buy stores to display Nexus 7, Chromebook, and Chromecast. So, nothing new.

A Google display case has been spotted at a Best Buy. According to the G+ poster, the manager told him it is the Nexus 5 display. If so, this is great news! One of my wishes was for Best Buy to sell it!

These photos look like different locations to me.

http://www.androidcentral.com/myste...ars-best-buy?utm_source=ac&utm_medium=twitter

https://plus.google.com/u/0/115743812905927705029/posts/czxbe2wM6VS

This gives me much hope for a smoother roll out.

EDIT: That was short lived. Not so sure about this now. Here is a comment from Android Central:

Actually it's for the Nexus 7(2013), ChromeCast, and Chrome book. My BestBuy already has the display set up.

Lava Lamp Freak · Oct 15, 2013

strausd said:
This gives me much hope for a smoother roll out.

It turns out that these display cases are currently being used in some Best Buy stores to display Nexus 7, Chromebook, and Chromecast. So, nothing new.

onthecouchagain · Oct 15, 2013

jamezr said:
Siri...works very well most of the time. But to be fair....to use Siri you need to touch your phone as well.......Have you tried the Moto X? You do not have to touch the phone to use Google Now on the Moto X. It is always listening. I think that kind of Google Now functionality is coming to future Nexus phones.....

Does Google now on the moto x complete actions without requiring input though? Genuine question

One thing Google needs to add to every command in Google now is the time bar that fills up and will affirm the action once it does. I get Google wants you to confirm yourself manually what you're about to text but this should be a toggle-able feature: always auto confirm after time bar or not.

strausd · Oct 15, 2013

Lava Lamp Freak said:
It turns out that these display cases are currently being used in some Best Buy stores to display Nexus 7, Chromebook, and Chromecast. So, nothing new.

Haha I just edited the post to say the same thing

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onthecouchagain said:
Does Google now on the moto x complete actions without requiring input though? Genuine question

One thing Google needs to add to Google now is the time bar that fills up and will affirm the action once it does. I get Google wants you to confirm yourself manually what you're about to text but this should be a toggle-able feature: always auto confirm after time bar or not.

I'd much rather have a voice confirmation where I can know what it is doing than a silent automatic timer.

Lava Lamp Freak · Oct 15, 2013

onthecouchagain said:
Does Google now on the moto x complete actions without requiring input though? Genuine question

One thing Google needs to add to Google now is the time bar that fills up and will affirm the action once it does. I get Google wants you to confirm yourself manually what you're about to text but this should be a toggle-able feature: always auto confirm after time bar or not.

The only difference on the Moto X is you can start it without touching your phone. Once you're in it, it's the same as it is on any other phone.

onthecouchagain · Oct 15, 2013

I don't think Google now was ever supposed to be that type of a personal assistant like siri, was it?. I think that's where a lot of the disappointment with Google now is coming from.

strausd · Oct 15, 2013

onthecouchagain said:
I don't think Google now was ever supposed to be that type of a personal assistant like siri, was it?. I think that's where a lot of the disappointment with Google now is coming from.

I think the point is to just make a useful product. If you have the ability to perform common actions without ever looking at your phone, well that seems like a useful feature to me.

Whether or not they meant for it to be like Siri is something we will never know unless a Google exec comes out and says so. The way I see it is could this product be more useful? And I think a clear answer is yes. Making a voice activated feature not fully work by voice and having some actions with a timer and others without it is just inconsistent. Whether or not they are trying to be like Siri shouldn't matter. They should just be more consistent.

jamezr · Oct 15, 2013

strausd said:
Touching a physical button is far different from touching a touch screen. One can be done without looking at the phone, the other can't. QUOTE]

Now you are just splitting hairs....you still have to touch the phone...whether you look at it or not. We could go on arguing but i am not going to play your game.....

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onthecouchagain said:

Does Google now on the moto x complete actions without requiring input though? Genuine question

One thing Google needs to add to every command in Google now is the time bar that fills up and will affirm the action once it does. I get Google wants you to confirm yourself manually what you're about to text but this should be a toggle-able feature: always auto confirm after time bar or not.

Click to expand...

Generally no it does not.....the only feature that is completely hands free is the Drive Assist feature. When in your car driving it will read incoming texts and emails. It will ask you if you want to respond with a canned response something like " i am driving right now....i will get back to you" or you can say "listen" and it will read you the text or email. This feature completely hands free......

strausd · Oct 15, 2013

jamezr said:
Now you are just splitting hairs....you still have to touch the phone...whether you look at it or not. We could go on arguing but i am not going to play your game.....

We aren't playing any games here. There is a big difference between the two. Maybe you missed my earlier post?

strausd said:
If you are driving and need to send a text to your significant other without taking your eyes off the road, you can do it with Siri, you can't with Google Now. Or if you are running and have a headset in, you can create calendar events with Siri, you can't with Google Now. Maybe you are laying in bed and you don't want the bright screen to shine on your eyes but you need to set a reminder. You can do that with Siri, but not Google now.

Siri is touch screen free and eyes free. Google now is neither.

jamezr · Oct 15, 2013

strausd said:
We aren't playing any games here. There is a big difference between the two. Maybe you missed my earlier post?

Siri is touch screen free and eyes free. Google now is neither.

See....now what everyone else says about being you argumentative and just droning on...and on.....is true. Because no matter what in your very narrow POV you are always right..... you still have to touch the phone...whether it is the button...or the screen. You still have to touch the phone with Siri and Google Now. So you can phrase it anyway you want to prove your POV but the fact remains.......you still have to touch the phone.

tbayrgs · Oct 15, 2013

jamezr said:
See....now what everyone else says about being you argumentative and just droning on...and on.....is true. Because no matter what in your very narrow POV you are always right..... you still have to touch the phone...whether it is the button...or the screen. You still have to touch the phone with Siri and Google Now. So you can phrase it anyway you want to prove your POV but the fact remains.......you still have to touch the phone.

Sorry but I have to agree with strausd on this one--there's a significant different from using the home button to activate Siri vs. having to locate the precise point on your phone's touchscreen to either activate Google Now or confirm the command. The former can be done without looking at the phone, the other cannot, plain and simple. That's a huge difference, especially when you need your eyes for something else.

jamezr · Oct 15, 2013

tbayrgs said:
Sorry but I have to agree with strausd on this one--there's a significant different from using the home button to activate Siri vs. having to locate the precise point on your phone's touchscreen to either activate Google Now or confirm the command. The former can be done without looking at the phone, the other cannot, plain and simple. That's a huge difference, especially when you need your eyes for something else.

Have either of you or strausd ever USED a Moto X? I have...I had one for a month. It will do hands free on most things.....Like checking your calendar:
Checking your calendar: Since Google Now ties into your Google Calendars, you can use Touchless Control to add events and appointments to your calendar, or to find out when your next appointment is coming up.

For example, if you’re driving between errands and want to double-check your next appointment, you can ask your Moto X, “When is my next appointment?” and it will tell you. No touching the phone. Can Siri do that? Is that more convenient than touching a button? You don't even have to look at the Moto X.
Need to set an reminder? Then say, “Set an alarm for 15 minutes,” and it’ll remind you 15 minutes later. You can set multiple alarms if you need to, but you have to set them one at a time. All without touching the phone.....or even looking at it. You still have to touch a button to get Siri to do that.....
Want to send a email or text while driving? The Moto X can do that without touching the phone....you don't even have to look at it.......or touch a button.

tbayrgs · Oct 15, 2013

jamezr said:
Have either of you or strausd ever USED a Moto X? I have...I had one for a month. It will do hands free on most things.....Like checking your calendar:
Checking your calendar: Since Google Now ties into your Google Calendars, you can use Touchless Control to add events and appointments to your calendar, or to find out when your next appointment is coming up.

For example, if you’re driving between errands and want to double-check your next appointment, you can ask your Moto X, “When is my next appointment?” and it will tell you. No touching the phone. Can Siri do that? Is that more convenient than touching a button? You don't even have to look at the Moto X.
Need to set an reminder? Then say, “Set an alarm for 15 minutes,” and it’ll remind you 15 minutes later. You can set multiple alarms if you need to, but you have to set them one at a time. All without touching the phone.....or even looking at it. You still have to touch a button to get Siri to do that.....
Want to send a email or text while driving? The Moto X can do that without touching the phone....you don't even have to look at it.......or touch a button.

jamezr, look at the name of the device in the title of the thread, it's not the Moto X. If you or anyone else would like to discuss it, there's another thread just for that. I came here to discuss the Nexus 5, and I guess, incorrectly assumed that's the context in which this aspect of Google Now was being discussed.

Yes, the Moto X is unique but it and its Droid siblings are the only devices with this functionality that I'm aware of--and you said it yourself, it only is fully touchless for certain things (not for text messaging IIRC). If I want to use Google Now on my HTC One, or a Galaxy Note 3, a Galaxy S4, a Nexus 4, or any other Android device, I have to first activate Google Now (using a swipe up gesture from a capacitive button on my HTC One after waking the device), activate the voice functionality, then once my request is processed, in most cases I have to touch the screen to confirm (and adding events to my Calendar is one of them).

Using Siri, I can either activate it using a button on my bluetooth headphones or by holding the home button--that's it. When I still used an iPhone, I'd have it buried in a pack while cycling or hiking, or while it was buried in my pocket while driving and could get everything done. I cannot do that with my HTC One.

I certainly hope that Google brings touchless control to future Android devices (especially the next Nexus as it's likely my next phone

). But until then, the voice activated element of Google Now is inferior to Siri in this specific aspect of it's functionality.

jamezr · Oct 15, 2013

tbayrgs said:
jamezr, look at the name of the device in the title of the thread, it's not the Moto X. If you or anyone else would like to discuss it, there's another thread just for that. I came here to discuss the Nexus 5, and I guess, incorrectly assumed that's the context in which this aspect of Google Now was being discussed.

Yes, the Moto X is unique but it and its Droid siblings are the only devices with this functionality that I'm aware of--and you said it yourself, it only is fully touchless for certain things (not for text messaging IIRC). If I want to use Google Now on my HTC One, or a Galaxy Note 3, a Galaxy S4, a Nexus 4, or any other Android device, I have to first activate Google Now (using a swipe up gesture from a capacitive button on my HTC One after waking the device), activate the voice functionality, then once my request is processed, in most cases I have to touch the screen to confirm (and adding events to my Calendar is one of them).

Using Siri, I can either activate it using a button on my bluetooth headphones or by holding the home button--that's it. When I still used an iPhone, I'd have it buried in a pack while cycling or hiking, or while it was buried in my pocket while driving and could get everything done. I cannot do that with my HTC One.

I certainly hope that Google brings touchless control to future Android devices (especially the next Nexus as it's likely my next phone ). But until then, the voice activated element of Google Now is inferior to Siri in this specific aspect of it's functionality.

you still don't get it do you? On the Moto X it has truly touchless control. that's what this back and forth stared. It does not require you to touch the phone at all to do the things i described. Go back and see where strausd and i were disagreeing...... It was about touching the phone......Google Now on the Moto X does not require you to touch the phone for the things I described in my last email. Siri requires you to touch the button to initiate. Since Google/Motorola makes the Moto X.....hopefully it will be a feature on the Nexus 5.

Vegastouch · Oct 15, 2013

So i s no new threads on the N5 so i guess we found out nothing today?

Sorry, i didnt look very hard. Been busy and just doing a quick drive by on my way to checking out for the night.

strausd · Oct 16, 2013

jamezr said:
See....now what everyone else says about being you argumentative and just droning on...and on.....is true. Because no matter what in your very narrow POV you are always right..... you still have to touch the phone...whether it is the button...or the screen. You still have to touch the phone with Siri and Google Now. So you can phrase it anyway you want to prove your POV but the fact remains.......you still have to touch the phone.

You really aren't getting it.

Close your eyes and touch the power button on your phone. With your eyes still closed, toggle on/off wifi.

Obviously one is easier than the other. You want to talk about simple facts remaining? There is your simple fact.

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jamezr said:
you still don't get it do you? On the Moto X it has truly touchless control. that's what this back and forth stared. It does not require you to touch the phone at all to do the things i described. Go back and see where strausd and i were disagreeing...... It was about touching the phone......Google Now on the Moto X does not require you to touch the phone for the things I described in my last email. Siri requires you to touch the button to initiate. Since Google/Motorola makes the Moto X.....hopefully it will be a feature on the Nexus 5.

I'm not sure if you have a problem reading or you are just ignoring me. But regardless, you continually do not see/understand what I have stated earlier.

strausd said:
Touching the screen and touching the phone are different. Ok, its cool that the Moto X is always listening. But whats the point when you are required to touch the screen to confirm actions? At least on the iPhone you have a physical button to invoke Siri. You never have to look at your device.

If you are driving and need to send a text to your significant other without taking your eyes off the road, you can do it with Siri, you can't with Google Now. Or if you are running and have a headset in, you can create calendar events with Siri, you can't with Google Now. Maybe you are laying in bed and you don't want the bright screen to shine on your eyes but you need to set a reminder. You can do that with Siri, but not Google now.

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tbayrgs said:
Sorry but I have to agree with strausd on this one--there's a significant different from using the home button to activate Siri vs. having to locate the precise point on your phone's touchscreen to either activate Google Now or confirm the command. The former can be done without looking at the phone, the other cannot, plain and simple. That's a huge difference, especially when you need your eyes for something else.

I'm not quite sure this guy understands the difference between touching a physical button and touching the screen. One can easily be done without looking at the device, the other cannot. How difficult is that?

lighthouse_man · Oct 16, 2013

In the meantime, Google is posting on the Google+ Kit Kat page some posts like "This is it" that led to some speculation regarding its release.

F123D · Oct 16, 2013

lighthouse_man said:
In the meantime, Google is posting on the Google+ Kit Kat page some posts like "This is it" that led to some speculation regarding its release.

THIS IS IT is spelled out with 16 kit kat bars. Today is the 16th..

Sounds Good · Oct 16, 2013

I hate to get into this, but how does the Moto X know that it's being talked to? How do you "activate" it?

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