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I should have been more specific. I meant movies and TV shows.

about 22 hours ago on Why do you hate iTunes? 1 reply

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I hate iTunes because of the feeling of dread that I get every time I buy content. If I ever switch to Android (or some other platform) I won’t have access to my content anymore.

With Amazon and Google I’m always confident that they will at least try to provide on other platforms.

1 day ago on Why do you hate iTunes? 1 reply

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Anything to replace PayPal.

3 days ago on Square's new 'Square Cash' takes on PayPal with payments over email

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I have been using an iPhone 5 since launch. For two weeks I turned it off and used an HTC One instead to see what all the hype is about. I ended up returning it and am using my iPhone again.

The HTC One has a much nicer (read:bigger) screen and speakers both of which I miss on the iPhone. That being said, iOS is much more effective for me to accomplish my day-to-day tasks. It’s the little stuff, like using Siri to add items to my grocery list right from the lock screen.

Continuing on the same example, the HTC One has similar functionality with Voice Actions and Google Keep, but the actual process is slower, involves more steps, and produces a less usable result. I found this to be the case across a range of routine activities.

I am heavily into Google’s cloud services. What surprised me is that I found some of their iOS apps superior. For example I use Google Voice, especially for texting. I was hugely surprised to find that iOS Google Voice is more effective than the Android version. One major exception is Google+ Instant Upload. On Android you can upload at full resolution, while on iOS it forces you to downsize your photos. I hope that Google adds full size on iOS soon. Google Now also works better, because it can be a widget on Android which iOS doesn’t have.

Finally, I was surprised to find how much of a killer feature AirPlay is. While AirPlay apps are available on Android, having it integrated into iOS makes a much bigger difference than I would have anticipated.

One lesson I learned with the HTC One: if you get it, right away download Nova Launcher or an equivaent like Apex Launcher. It gives you the stock experience which is universally superior.

3 days ago on iPhone 5 or HTC One for Apple user

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I would buy it in a heartbeat. I used an HTC One for two weeks to see what all the hype is about. Ultimately I returned it because I’m much happier with the software on the iPhone 5 for reasons that are irrelevant here.

However, the screen and speakers on the HTC One were glorious. I would absolutely love if Apple matched HTC’s game in that area. It would be the perfect phone for me.

3 days ago on If Apple made a 4.5 inch iPhone... 1 reply 2 recommends

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Oh noes. I love that feature in GMail. Taking a call on the computer is so much nicer than taking out the phone. I’m stunned they would remove that feature.

I’ve gotten so used to having GMail open for phone calls, I have even dabbled with the idea of ditching my phone contract. Just get an iPad Mini with data only and I could still use GVoice to text and get voicemails. 95% when I make or receive a call I’m in front of a computer anyway.

The only think that’s stopped me so far is that I don’t want to always carry a Mini with me. Seriously Google, quit breaking your coolest features. You should rule the messaging market by integrating GMail, IM with fallback on SMS, and GVoice.

Instead, you’re making it worse.

4 days ago on Google Hangouts upgrade removes ability to host Google Voice calls on your computer 1 reply

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If iMessage went cross platform it would have serious potential to rule messaging. It is built so well on top of SMS. I really don’t understand why nobody has copied that model. Maybe there’s a pitfall that I don’t understand.

6 days ago on Could Apple take iMessage to the next level at WWDC? 1 reply

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Full size photo uploads for iOS please? As long as they forcibly downsize iPhone pictures to 2MP, there’s a huge incentive to stick with Dropbox, iPhoto, etc.

8 days ago on Can fancy photos and lavish linking help Google+ take off?

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They have Google Voice. How are they not building this on top of SMS? Argh! They are leaving a huge opening.

8 days ago on Exclusive: Inside Hangouts, Google's big fix for its messaging mess