So long Siri, it was nice knowing you

Siri has always been a good laugh eg what's the meaning of life. And also been useful at times eg 'what's the weather in seafood  tomorrow' - useful when a couple of you are listening for the reply. However, with the latest iOS updates, that slighter deeper voice of Siri has gone, and perhaps a slight edge of humour. 

Of course I still have google voice, and on android a range of voice assistants (3d and otherwise). There are the new sounds of Siri. But I'll still miss, just a bit, the original sound of Siri.

(someone told me I could get darth vader but it's not quite the same)

which cloud service do you prefer?

For cloud storage and back up I've used a mix of icloud, google drive, dropbox, Box & SkyDrive.

 

In general though I've tended to use Box more- as it's  integrated into quite a few IOS apps on the iPad  (as is dropbox). It also works well over IOS, android and windows. The clincher was that I got 50gb free for life with a Sony Z - and the ability to give 50gb free to a few other people (which wouldn't accept @hotmail accounts, but would accept @outlook addresses).

 

For photos it's a bit different- google drive and icloud I find easier.

 

Now that you can save gmail attachments directly into google drive my use of gmail for docs is picking up again.

my favourite android apps (at the moment!)

I was thinking today, if I had to name my top android apps what would they be? Based on a mix of how much I use them and which ones I enjoy the most, here are my top 10 android apps (apart from email, social media, google and browser apps):

1. Ever note, for note taking. Syncs across android, ios and Windows (and google Keep for shorter lists)
   
2. Business tasks - after trying lots of differnt to- do apps I settled on this due to the ability to have several widgets with different categories of tasks (eg for different projects). And it syncs (through google tasks) with other android devices and IOS (using go tasks).
   
3. Pocket casts Sync podcast listening across android and ios.
   
4. Rail planner live - so I know which platform to go to in the morning and evening! Other great London commuting apps: city mapper (gives me the quickest way to get from a to b- including by parachute & tells me the weather at my destination), bus checker (is it worth waiting for a bus or walking?)
   
5. Audible- great way to pass the commuting time!
   
6. Flip board- for tech news (I used Google Currents and a few others but I always come back to flipboard).
   
7. Power toggles, means I can put speed dials on my notification drop down, and can control things like blue tooth, wifi toggles etc with one click
   
8. Amazon MP3 player -I use this to down load music from amazon- onto android and ios. I usually use the music player provided on the phone- which usually sound better and have  better features than amazon's (eg playing flac & ogg).  Sometimes, I use poweramp (great for increasing the volume), and am having a dabble with media monkey (having used it on my pc for ages). 
   
9.  Kobo (and kindle) apps- I prefer the functionality of the kobo app over the kindle and some ebooks are cheaper on kobo, though most are cheaper on kindle.
   
10. Smash hit- fantastic game for android and ios (where the immersiveness of the curve of the LG G Flex comes into its own). This will probably change soon (used to be asphalt 8)
    
    Others for an honourable mention: nova launcher (used on most of my android devices except the g flex), and the bbc iPlayer

Future design of phones

A lot of phones look similar, and there are lots of things to improve (battery life for a start), robustness (scratch proof, drop proof, waterproof...).  There are very few phones that are optimised for the human hand (as opposed to being a rectangle with rounded edges). There are improvements in voice control, making use of facial expressions, replacing keys and things we carry in our wallets... Meanwhile, a couple of phone designs for the future: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/30-futuristic-phones-we-wish-were-real/ 

Why I don't bother with replaceable phone batteries anymore

I used to buy spare batteries for my phones- right until my note 2, bit not since. I stopped using them  when I got into the habit of having to charge my smartphone every day. I was still carrying my note 2 battery around (note 2 wouldn't last me through the day). However, I didn't use it as I could plug a USB charger into a PC in the office. And then I got an s4, and then a note 3- and Samsung made previous batteries incompatible (not very pleased about that Samsung!). And then inbuilt phone batteries started getting better - the iPhone 5s gets me through a day, as does the lg g2, and the note 3 (only just, surprisingly). And now the lg flex which outlasts any other phone battery I've used before.

I also have a portable battery charger- great for taking away over weekends, several phone charges worth, with 2 USB output sockets. Making me free of having to buy spare batteries that are out of date when I get a new phone (http://www.techradar.com/news/portable-devices/other-devices/best-portable-chargers-14-we-recommend-1178873#articleContent)

Yes there is always the thought that my inbuilt phone batteries will die, but I haven't had that problem (yet)- I had an iPhone 4S which lasted over 2 years (went to my wife after a year). The battery didn't need replacing, but it was easy enough to do. I've never kept a phone for 2 years, and whether a phone has a replaceable battery age didn't make for a higher selling price so it's a mute point.

Now if only batteries would last a few weeks.

styluses revisited- the perfect combo for writing: jot script, Swype keyboard, lg flex

Update: got a Wacom Bamboo Duo Stylus (£10 on amazon). A really nicely balanced stylus - rubber tipped at one end, biro at the end, with a jacket pocket clip.

I've had mixed experiences with styluses over the years. I used them on resistive screens on Symbian phones in the past with some success (eg Sony p910 & w960), on my note 1, note 2 (several quality issues with that stylus:( ) & note 3. However, I find them a bit fiddly, more so with the button on the note 3. I've used wire mesh headed styluses on android & ios tablets, which were ok (though I don't do much in the way of graphics work, though they were good for mind maps). I used a stylus on a laptop for handwriting recognition which worked well (except Windows isn't optimised for stylus use). So overall, mixed experiences that have never really stuck, resulting in a collection of different styluses.

However, I might give styluses another shot- the reason? The jotscript stylus; android slide keyboards and the lg flex.

I got hold of a jot script stylus to try on the iPad. It works quite well for simple notes and sketches (in penultimate). However, whilst I wasn't overly wowed by the experience, I was impressed by the weight, feel and size of the jot script and I wondered how this would work on an android device. It's brilliant! It's like writing with a proper pen, using the Swype keyboard (and swift key). I prefer the experience to using the note 3 stylus on the note (I don't need all the extra functionality the s pen gives). And on the lg flex it's an even better experience. The surface of the curve is better for writing on, helped by the curve screen- whether holding the phone in one hand and writing or having the phone on the table and writing (like I am now).

If only the jot script had a clip to make it easier to carry in a jacket pocket, the option of a retractable ink nib for writing on paper and had an inbuilt rechargeable battery, rather than using an AAA battery.

Benefits of the LG curve

I've had a few people ask me about the curve of the lg flex 'is it supposed to be like that', 'that looks cool', 'why is it curved'.. most people once they pick it up can feel the benefit of the curve for holding a large phone (and with the back button, easier to turn on/off and get to the volume and scroll keys)- mostly it's note 3 owners who when trying my flex have commented on the benefit.

Below are a few of thethings about the flex's curve that have stood out as I've used it over the last several weeks. Whilst I would have preferred a more pure white display, this is definitely a 'keep' (unlike the nexus 5, Sony z1 compact, note 3, s4, Samsung Mega, Nokia 1520, htc one max ...

1) the curve makes the flex more comfortable to hold in portrait, and in landscape (especially useful when reviewing documents, holding it one handed, or playing games, holding it two handed).

2) Better on screen writing experience- the feel of the screen and the curve makes the flex great for writing on- I write a lot, using the swype keyboard (swift key has better prediction for next words but isn't as accurate). I use the mini keyboard option, which pushes the keyboard to the side which means I can also jot down quick notes one handed.

3) The curve reduces glare- the flex is quite bright (despite some backgrounds having a grayish hue), and I can read things outdoors- one of the better outdoor reading experiences.

4) The curve, and rounded corners means the flex fits very comfortably into my pockets, whether trouser, jacket or coat.

5) Using the external speaker- the flex has a loud speaker (better quality than my note, worse quality than the htc one). I tend to place the phone screen down do the speaker is facing up. The curve means there's no risk of the screen being scratched by the surface. Having the volume keys on the back also helps as I don't have to pick up the phone to change the volume.

6) Playing games feels more immersive (small but noticeable effect eg cupboard to playing asphalt 8 on my note 3).

The flex could certainly be better, but this has the best battery life I've come across, and it is more of a personal digital assistant than most phones I've used, making me change my use of tablets.