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by cobolcomesback2 hours ago |
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upvoteby eufouria1 hours ago|
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This is precisely why I left Android.

Google can't seem to decide on a direction and stick with it. Years of new features that inevitably ended up abandoned 2 versions later resulted in a constantly changing and unpredictable user experience.

It was fun while I had free time in college and enjoyed flashing ROMs, but as I got busier with life this lack of refinement pushed me away.

The RGB leds were one of my favorite features of early Android phones. I even backed a terrible Kickstarter campaign that synced those colors to an RGB wristband (this was before smartwatches were a thing).

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upvoteby ValentineC1 hours ago|
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> Google can't seem to decide on a direction and stick with it. Years of new features that inevitably ended up abandoned 2 versions later resulted in a constantly changing and unpredictable user experience.

I'm guessing cultures that reward shipping new products (e.g. 67 different messaging apps) don't turn out great for consumers.

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upvoteby jerlam1 hours ago|
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Conversely, I was surprised to learn that the temperature sensor introduced on the Pixel 8 Pro in 2023 was only removed this year. No one knew why it was there in the first place.
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upvoteby avidiax52 minutes ago|
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I heard that it was a COVID feature. I guess people thought you would be scanning your friend's foreheads before socializing.

That sensor would be much better if it was integrated with the camera and LIDAR, so that you could "paint" a scene with thermal data by moving the phone around.

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upvoteby jerlam45 minutes ago|
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That's the only plausible scenario, but it also came out in 2023 and people stopped caring at least a year before. And it persisted for a few years so either someone thought they could salvage something from it, or no one had a better idea what to put there.
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upvoteby entropie1 hours ago|
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> The RGB leds were one of my favorite features of early Android phones. I

Right man. I had forgotten that my nexus 7 had this kind of LED and I really liked it and missed it later.

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upvoteby krackers1 hours ago|
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They had it as a hidden feature up till the nexus 5 or 6 I believe. Someone bothered to include hardware for an LED even if the stock software never supported it.
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upvoteby ozyschmozy42 minutes ago|
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I remember my old nexus had it, and it was very customizable. I had it flash different colors for different chats. Definitely funny seeing this make its way back as if it's some new revolutionary feature
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upvoteby jm41 hours ago|
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I remember having this on a Sidekick in like 2007.
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upvoteby garciasn59 minutes ago|
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The Hiptop’s OS was far ahead of its time; the hardware not so much.

I had one from the CSK through the 3rd or 4th and then moved to iPhone. I still think I was able to do far more, faster, on a Hiptop than a modern iPhone except having websites support mobile well.

RIP

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