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Friday, September 20, 2013

Chrome is Busted

Why is Chrome a bust on My mobile devices for me?

Whenever I am scrolling around a regular web page in Chrome (not one optimized for mobile, as so few of them are), I usually have to zoom in on the text just to be able to read it, even though I've got a pretty big mini sized tablet for a phone (a Samsung Galaxy Note II).  Now that wouldn't be so bad if only the menu didn't come down and butt it's head right in the way.  I'll have to take a look at what kind of menu does this, but usually they are all text.

So I zoom in to view something, read text, and suddenly I can't because there's a big-ass menu in the way.  Doesn't Google use its own browsers?  Don't they see this?  Don't they understand how absolutely ridiculous this is?  Or do they think mobile means tablet?

Then, I try to scroll around, and even though I'm not swiping hard, I move to one side or the other and the page disappears.  Then, I have to load the stupid thing back up again.  And then I swipe up or down to get back to where I came from quickly, but not overly quick... and the same thing happens, the browser thinks I am throwing away the page?  C'MON GOOGLE!

Really, Google, you need to get with the program here.  No other browser is so phone unfriendly.  I should be able to disable this "feature", yet can't seem to.  At least let Me turn up the speed of My scrolling so that I have the ability to use Chrome at all.  But your browser just throws away pages constantly for me, as if it is a good thing when I haven't even been there but a second or two?  There are all sorts of ways for you to identify what I am trying to do and you ignore every one.

Now, mind you, I have really come to enjoy Chrome on the PC.  But Google, you don't seem to get mobile phones at all.  Not in Chrome or in lots of other apps.  Google Voice Search is pretty darn pathetic, for instance.  Play is had to navigate on a phone and doesn't hold a connection (ever) when all the other apps do.

What is wrong with the 800 pound Gorilla?  Have you grown too big that all you can do is evil, now?  Because Google is losing touch with its own products.  Now that you own Motorola, don't you think you should address some of the android phone's short comings like poor UI responsiveness, memory leaks and security?

Sure, we all want better cameras too, but a phone camera is a phone camera, the lenses suck.  The speed required to grab good sports photos is still yet to come, and I have a quad processor Note II!   It's better, but it is far and 6 dimensions away from being right.

Get with it, Google.  You've had your eye on Apple and Microsoft and others have targeted the customer.  We are what it is all about, and you don't seem to be listening at all.

-The squeaky wheel!

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Nostalgia

There are just some things I really liked about the Google Motorola Droid X that I don't have on My Samsung Galaxy Note II.

Even though My Note II is faster, has more memory, accepts more storage space, does duo-tasking and is just plain a lot more reliable, My Droid X had an easy slip-off case that allowed Me to easily slip it into a multimedia dock so that I could instantly see 720p recorded video of My son at his games or swim meets.

When I picked up the Note II we added an Otter Box case for protection.  These communicators are more expensive than a computer, after all.  But the full protection of the OtterBox Commuter Series Hybrid Case for Samsung Galaxy Note II also means that it is not nearly as easy to take off as the old tiny Droid X and its case was.  It actually provides a hard case, as well as a thick silicon inner shell to absorb shock.  Plus parts of that inner sleeve are acting as plugs to keep water and dirt out of the ports.   Taking the Note II device out of the case is a chore, so I haven't even bothered to even check out the multimedia dock that Samsung offers for the Galaxy Note II.

Certainly, the Note II offers better video quality (1080P) than the Droid X did, but I really do miss the convenience of throwing the ol' Driod X in a doc and watching My slideshows or video.  And since it becomes a critical move to protect our devices, we all know it is a stupid idea to not get an industrial strength protective case and screen protector film to shield our investment.  The very idea of then having to undress our devices to put them in a multimedia dock so that they are a more effective tools (clock, alarm, getting recharged and we giving us access to the files through our computer) is kind of ridiculous, then.  Because each time we undress these things, there is always a chance for a slip-up.

Just one look at the Samsung Galaxy Smart Dock Multimedia Hub and you know that you won't be able to fit the Galaxy Note II in there, in its case.



So what, then? Perhaps it's time for Samsung to start designing smart multimedia docks with cases in mind? Because as it is, they can't seemingly sell many of these since the cases have to be so sturdy and hard to take off as they are. Maybe Samsung should team up with OtterBox or even create their own bullet-proof style cases and offer a smart multimedia dock that will accomodate those things?

It sure would be nice.