Content
- About performance and games on Google Play
- Starlink: Internet from Elon Musk
- About advertising and reviews on the Internet
- Few impressions of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9
About performance and games on Google Play
When writing reviews of any smartphone, you always have to put games, since this is usually the easiest way to see how the smartphone behaves under load. Some reviewers go further and measure the FPS rate in games. However, for the most part, this activity is rather pointless. Google, together with the developers, itself perfectly regulates everything, taking care of the comfort of users.
Not everyone pays attention, but not all games and applications are available on all smartphones. Another point is that the application initially determines which graphics settings to start with. So, for example, Call of Duty Mobile works on almost any smartphone, but the game itself sets the graphics settings: somewhere high, but most often average, and sometimes low. Of course, users know better, so they run and twist the settings to the maximum, and then complain that the game does not work well.
Google is on the right track. The company is trying to provide a comfortable Android experience regardless of the quality of the smartphone. Accordingly, synthetic tests with parrots are increasingly fading into the background. But the test for drawdown under load (throttling) has not been canceled. The optimal drawdown can be considered a maximum of 10-15%. This is the level that you probably won’t even notice. It’s another matter if the chipset itself is weak, it also has high throttling. This does not mean that the device is bad, it just is not designed to perform well under load.
Under load, the CPU dropped to 75% of the maximum power
Starlink: Internet from Elon Musk
As you know, our beloved pamper, prankster and mass entertainer Elon Musk, in the break between the launch of new Tesla and the chipping of boars, also dreams of encircling the entire planet with satellites, giving the whole world high-speed Internet. At the moment, SpaceX Mask has already launched about 830 satellites into orbit, and very soon the service will be available for beta tests in the United States.
Starlink has already received approval from the local communications commission to participate in a $ 24 billion tender for the supply of communications (if it wins, it will be a success in terms of financing the project), and is also working with the US military and is busy obtaining licenses in Canada and Australia. However, Starlink is involved in obtaining licenses all over the world – from Argentina to Japan. And in 2021, Starlink should work all over the world.
Elon Musk himself says that in order for the system to become economically viable, at least 1 satellites need to be put into orbit. However, analysts have calculated that even if Starlink launches all 000 satellites, the maximum concurrent number of users will be less than half a million at a speed of 12 Mbps. And according to forecasts, in the USA alone, the company may have 000 million subscribers from among those who have problems with high-speed Internet access. This is at a price of $ 100 per access terminal. Plus pay monthly fees. Here, by the way, there is also a question, since the ubiquitous analysts have calculated that the terminal (that is, the antenna) costs at least $ 1.5. In short, it’s terribly interesting what will turn out in the end.
This summer, Starlink opened an enrollment for a beta test, and recently an app appeared in the iOS app store that should help you set up equipment, find a place for an antenna, and also detect obstacles that will block satellites.
Well, the main reason for this post is the cool name of the company’s beta program: Starlink’s Better Than Nothing Beta program, that is, “Better-than-nothing is a beta program from Starlink.”
Here, by the way, is a great lesson for marketers and PR specialists around the world: communicate with clients not in official, but in human language.
About advertising and reviews on the Internet
Everyone knows that traditional banner advertising does not work. There is even a special term “banner blindness”. Research has shown that after viewing a web page, only 14% could remember the brand name mentioned in the banner. And when they tracked the movement of users’ eyes, the disappointment of marketers knew no bounds. In fact, ad blockers are not needed either.
On the other hand, traditional advertising has stopped working in the 21st century. Previously, it was possible to influence people by showing them beautiful pictures, when after a sip of juice or a mint candy you want to dance on the top of a mountain. And this is quite expected. People bought the product, used it and saw that nothing changed. Not like dancing, I just don’t want to stamp my foot. This (and the regulation of advertising by the relevant authorities) led to the fact that marketing in general became more honest, but we lost a lot. For example, I really love advertising for cigarettes from the times when the harm of smoking was not yet proven. Collect posters and articles carefully (my favorite poster that says doctors prefer to smoke Camel). And now I have a replenishment in my collection – cigarettes from ASTHMA (and hay fever!).
In fairness, it should be noted that before tobacco was considered a healing plant, and even in the book about Robinson Crusoe there is a moment where the protagonist tries to breathe tobacco smoke, burning tobacco at the stake, hoping to bring down the heat
However, we are distracted. So, online reviews have replaced banners. Research shows that positive reviews are great for selling a product. For example, for restaurants that are well rated on Yelp (a rating service in the United States), an increase in rating by one star leads to a 5-9% increase in revenue (the study is true for independent, that is, non-chain restaurants). I don’t use Yelp, but I agree with the logic, since lately I have increasingly chosen cafes based on their rating on Google Maps (and I myself began to write reviews there more actively).
But there is another unexpected conclusion. It turns out that people are more likely to buy a product online that has a 4-star rating rather than a stable 5-star rating. The study found that 4 stars convinced 19% more buyers than 5 stars. And again I agree with this conclusion. 5 stars are often perceived as a cheat, and 4 stars is something more honest, such reviews seem more thoughtful.
An interesting observation in the study that reviews are especially valuable, where people write that they first bought a product from another manufacturer, which disappointed, and now they bought what they need. Such reviews stimulate sales, as do reviews in which, in addition to a review about a product, a story is told (that is, relatively speaking, not only bought a shovel, but also told how he spilled the garden with it).
Let us know in the comments if you pay attention to reviews on the Internet, agree that 4 stars are “more honest” than 5 stars, whether you bought something based only on reviews, and what are the final impressions of the purchase.
Few impressions of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9
A momentous event is about to happen and I will repay my first loan in my life. For this reason, I decided to share how I got to such a life when smartphones are on credit, and my impressions of one and a half years of owning a Galaxy Note 9 smartphone.
Why Galaxy Note 9?
I chose Samsung Galaxy Note 9 because I have an inexplicable love for stylus. At first I was more or less in control of the situation, using the stylus on the iPad, then on the laptop, but then I realized that I badly needed a smartphone with a stylus. I remember the phrase by Steve Jobs that God gave us as many as 10 styluses, but I never mastered drawing and notes with my finger. By the way, the years go by, and there are still no alternatives to the Galaxy Note series on the market, which is upsetting.
About buying on credit
I chose the purchase on credit for a rather trivial reason. Once, visiting a friend, I was surprised to see that he had a brand new PlayStation 4, although he always considered the consoles a waste of time and money. It turned out that he was going to take out a mortgage, and the financial consultant advised him to start a credit history. For a good story increases the likelihood of better conditions and generally mortgage approval. So he decided to create a positive credit history for himself by buying something useless but enjoyable.
I followed suit and at the end of January 2019 took an installment plan for Galaxy Note 9 from MTS. I am one of those rational buyers who purchase a product at least 3-4 months after the release, when it becomes clear that it has no bugs or glitches. I was issued an installment plan for as long as 3 years, and for the first six months I diligently paid a ridiculous minimum payment of 1700 rubles, demonstrating my responsibility and other important positive qualities. I was afraid to repay the loan ahead of schedule, so I just increased the payment in order to untie it as quickly as possible.
I suppose everyone has a different credit experience, but I have a very positive one. I just set up automatic translation and put a “reminder” on the final date in the calendar when it should be canceled. Probably, I will take the next device in the same way. Formally, there is no difference, but morally it is easier than giving the entire amount at once.
Operating impressions
Impressions, I think, are best expressed in points. I tried to choose only key and unique ones for Galaxy Note 9, so, for example, I like to take a screenshot by swiping the image with my palm, but now the screenshot has appeared with a gesture, it seems, already in all smartphones, so I see no reason to mention it (although it is much more convenient with a palm than the ridiculous version of the screenshot with three fingers):
- I wore a smartphone without a case, and during my possession it traveled with me to many countries, swam in the salty ocean, lay on the beach and in a backpack, was in both heat and cold. Separately, I note that I have never dropped the smartphone, but I also did not shake over it. And in general I am an opponent of protective films, glasses and covers. This is disrespectful to smartphone designers. And if we are not talking about some uniquely beautiful case, then all these films and protective glasses look like a statement: “Look, what a crooked and greedy gouge I am, I bought a smartphone and now I am shaking over it.”
The front panel of the smartphone is almost crystal clear. There are microscopic scratches, but I did not succeed in photographing, and it is quite problematic to find them with an eye, you need to carefully twist the smartphone in the light in search of an angle. The Galaxy Note 9 uses Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back (which means the new glasses are even better!).
But on the back there are more scratches. Their origin is well known to me – the tripod clamp. And the scratch above the camera was accidentally pinched by a metal button from a jacket when I was closing my pocket.
The aluminum frame also remained virtually scratch-free. In the photo below, you can see two scratches left by the metal mount when I attached the smartphone to the surfboard (not a good idea, I almost lost the stylus after another fall). A similar scratch on the charging side.
- About the quality of photo and video shooting. I am very pleased with the quality. The Galaxy Note 9 has never been one of the best photo flagships. However, its capabilities are more than enough for my needs. For understanding, I shoot all the photo and video materials for the site on my smartphone. Here are examples from the latest Motorola review, Nokia 8.3 5G, and here is a photo from the Vietnam press tour. I don’t shoot much for YouTube, but all the videos with me were also shot on the Galaxy Note 9.
- It might be a force of habit, but I love Samsung’s Camera app for its abundance of features and ease of settings. Shooting 4K 60 fps, highlighting the focus area in green in manual mode, autofocus speed and accuracy (very good, but Huawei is far from this point, of course).
- Samsung Pay. NFC and MST… On the one hand, this point has lost its relevance, since it seems that all terminals are already equipped with NFC, on the other hand, from time to time I still use MST. If you forgot, then this is a technology that allows you to pay from a smartphone even in cases where the terminal for bank cards is without NFC. This usually happens when traveling. This was the case in Mexico and Vietnam. Relatively fantastic stories, but he forgot money at the hotel, and his smartphone helped out in cafes. Although previously I had to wade through the mistrust of the sellers, who considered me an idiot who did not understand that they did not have contactless payments. Such a tedious task that the last time I was in Mexico, I finally gave up and said that I would come in for dinner and then I would also pay for lunch. Surprisingly, this proposal did not raise any objections.
- Samsung Flow and Windows Link… Both technologies allow you to display a smartphone screen on a computer and control a smartphone with a mouse. Windows Link is flawed, so I prefer Samsung Flow. And by the way, I blame Samsung for removing Flow support on macOS. I use Samsung Flow every time I shoot a YouTube video. A smartphone on a tripod, in front of me is a laptop, from which I can turn on video recording, and also immediately see what the smartphone has taken there. The smartphone quickly streams the video to the laptop via Wi-Fi.
- Branded browser and dictionary… I love this moment since the Galaxy S6. By highlighting any word, you can call up the dictionary entry. For me, this is often better than Google Translate (adjacent option). By the way, there is a claim to Google Translate that the service tries to access the Internet every time, even when there is an offline dictionary. Accordingly, with a bad connection, it is easier to turn off the Internet than to wait for an online transfer. There is also an option when the translation will pop up when you hover the stylus over a word. One of my favorite options.
- Stylus… The main advantage. Those who read my materials, I think, have noticed many times that I often draw graphs or make comments on pictures with the stylus.
Another point is taking photos by pressing a button on the stylus. It is a pity that it is not clear from the photo below, but it was me who climbed 20 meters, a smartphone on a hand tripod was stuck into the gap between the stones, and I was on a ledge. For self-timer, you can use a fitness bracelet or self-timer, but the stylus is still more convenient.
Another beauty of the stylus is the ability to sign documents. I’ve already talked about this method. A fully working version, documents with such a signature were accepted by everyone – from banks and airlines to PR specialists. Speaking about the stylus, I left out such options as curly selection of the area on the screen, which should be cut out for a screenshot or where text should be recognized. Of course, you can use your finger, but it won’t be so neat. Separately, the option of “magnifying glass” pleases, when any area that the stylus pointed at is scaled. I also love translation by pointing the stylus.
- Wi-Fi Calling… There are more and more smartphones supporting the option. This makes me happy. Thanks also to MTS, which made calls via Wi-Fi free all over the world. You can tell who needs it when there are instant messengers and Skype. But, firstly, there are relatives who prefer the good old phone, preferably even a city phone. Secondly, you still have to call from time to time, and it’s nice when you hang on the waiting list, not worrying that money is being spent.
- Bixby… I love not specifically the service itself, but the fact that recognition of wine labels based on Vivino is screwed to it. Yes, you can put Vivino separately, but too lazy.
- Battery life is average. The smartphone gets pretty hot, but it is still quite capable of giving out a total of 6 hours of screen operation. Well, with active use, when there is a lot of mobile Internet, GPS, etc., of course, less.
- Separately, I note that during the use of the smartphone I have never let down. By this I mean that the smartphone did not freeze, did not start lagging, reboot, did not refuse to work at the right time, etc.
- Perhaps the only negative point is the display of ads in Samsung branded services. It’s one thing when there is an advertisement for Samsung’s own products, but when I am offered to refinance loans at banki.ru or buy an apartment at Cyan, I want to ask if someone has gone there. The latest discovery is advertising in the weather service. Fortunately, I rarely go there, but guys, are you seriously showing me the female shit from joom? I do not know what such gigantic money Samsung has from this, that even users of the top lines show this. They could have acted more honestly and offered to pay extra for the possibility of disconnection.
About the new smartphone to replace the Galaxy Note 9
Since the purchase of Note 9, 2 new generations have already been released: Galaxy Note 10+ and Note 20 Ultra. However, I still think the Note 9’s design is optimal. Galaxy Note 10+ is very good, despite the ridiculously sitting camera in the center, but the fingerprint scanner was under the screen, but I missed this device, since at that time all rumors said that the Note 20 would be a new milestone in the lineup and a transition to next level.
However, the Note 20 Ultra is banally inconvenient due to the huge camera unit, because of which the smartphone clings to clothes and cannot even lie flat on the table without a case. And my experience shows that this is the most convenient way to work with the stylus, when the smartphone is not in the hand, but on the table. Well, frankly, I don’t like covers. What is the point of buying a smartphone made of premium materials with frosted glass and hiding it in a case?
Unfortunately, the Note 20 Ultra does not make you want to buy it – a strange design and battery life with 4 hours of screen operation, according to Eldar’s review (and I believe, because he gave the correct numbers for the Galaxy Note 9). Apparently, I will wait for the next Note, or, judging by the rumors, it will be possible to buy a stylus for the new S-series. An interesting option, although there is a suspicion that since the smartphone does not provide a place to store the stylus, I will either forget it, or lose it, or it will break in my backpack.
In any case, the Galaxy Note 9 remains my primary work tool for every day. In the comments, share your impressions of your smartphones. Of particular interest are those who are dissatisfied with the current device and want to change it.
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