Dumb smartphone question

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lsbcal I hope this thread doesn't go off into an Apple-Android debate.

I don't see that back-forth as an Apple-Android debate. Each OS has it's pros/cons, and the great thing is, each of us are free to choose, based on personal preferences.

But if someone is going to make an unfounded statement about either, pro or con, they should expect it to be challenged. No good comes from leaving misinformation stand as true.


BTW, we use both in this house. They both work. They both have issues.

-ERD50

[scrinch]

It's interesting how some people don't want to waste their time reading a manual, while others don't want to waste their time "messing around" with the device learning how it operates. I guess the lesson is that everyone has their own preferred way of learning.

[target2019]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst Machines, to me, are for using. I find it annoying that I need to play with the phone and "figure things out," instead of having a manual that spells out each function. To me, it's a huge waste of time to have to "play around" with machines that are too coy to tell me, "Hey, I do This and This, and here's how." That said, thanks for the tips. Amethyst

Here is the full manual. Yours may be different though. Search for Motorola Moto G full manual. Lots of answers there.

https://www.consumercellular.com/Con...T%20Manual.pdf

[hnzw_rui]

Quote:

Originally Posted by target2019 User guides for each android version are available online. Takes a second to search online for these items before making erroneous statements.

Technically, all I said was I can't find the stock Android online tutorials/manuals now. I didn't say they didn't exist. They used to be available on Android and were quite easy to find.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 But if someone is going to make an unfounded statement about either, pro or con, they should expect it to be challenged. No good comes from leaving misinformation stand as true.

Apple provides hand-holding (classes and training sessions). Google doesn't. I don't think that's an unfounded statement. I never claimed that iOS had the best UI or anything. Customer service is one of the reasons Apple devices carry such a high premium so it's kinda expected they'll provide better resources. Now if you're aware of Google-provided classes or video tutorials on how to use Android, then I stand corrected.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 BTW, we use both in this house. They both work. They both have issues.

Yup. So true.

Finally found the Moto G 3rd Gen User Guide (Lollipop). There's quite a bit of interface change going from Jelly Bean to Lollipop.

https://motorola-global-portal.custh...390/#/how_do_i

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hnzw_rui Quote: Originally Posted by ERD50 View Post But if someone is going to make an unfounded statement about either, pro or con, they should expect it to be challenged. No good comes from leaving misinformation stand as true. ... Apple provides hand-holding (classes and training sessions). Google doesn't. I don't think that's an unfounded statement. I never claimed that iOS had the best UI or anything. Customer service is one of the reasons Apple devices carry such a high premium so it's kinda expected they'll provide better resources. Now if you're aware of Google-provided classes or video tutorials on how to use Android, then I stand corrected. ...]

Sorry - my post was worded a little too strongly. I maybe should have said 'questionable' or 'debatable', rather than 'unfounded'.

And I meant to add, then forgot, that I agree with you that the Apple retail stores are a great resource for someone who needs a little hand-holding and doesn't have friend/family to ask. I also am not aware of that being available for Android products, though maybe for a phone, the carrier store would walk you through any questions? I don't know, and they probably are not up to the level of the Apple employees, but I've also found at least some of them to be very knowledgeable on the ins/outs of the products.


-ERD50

[target2019]

Imagine how much more useful our links would be if not surrounded by G vs A arguments.

[H2ODude]

On this subject (technology advances and changes) I have to admit that this is the ONE area besides some of my former co-workers that I miss...having a lot of tech smart people around to educate me on tech. Whereas when in the office I could ask any of many folks "how do you ____ or what's the best way to ____" now I struggle and have to figure it out myself, which can take a long time. And I'll admit that now I can figure out some relatively obscure need with time, and then a few months later completely forget how I did it when I need the process again!

I've found that the quickest way to find one of these answers is often to just google the question rather than search a manual/forum.

[Amethyst]

Thanks! No wonder I keep coming back to the ER Forum.

I was searching for "Moto G Manual" and didn't come up with this.

I must confess, I wonder when "fiddling with electronic devices to figure out what they can do" overtook "acquiring electronic devices to accomplish necessary tasks."

Quote:

Originally Posted by target2019 Here is the full manual. Yours may be different though. Search for Motorola Moto G full manual. Lots of answers there. https://www.consumercellular.com/Con...T%20Manual.pdf

[Lsbcal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst ... I must confess, I wonder when "fiddling with electronic devices to figure out what they can do" overtook "acquiring electronic devices to accomplish necessary tasks."

This is an interesting issue to me. First, a really good interface would be intuitive so no manual would be needed. That is a tough objective.

Second, maybe the devices are becoming complex enough that one has to interact with them to see what kind of beast they are dealing with. Sort of like discovering what a new acquaintance is like. As machines evolve into more human like interfaces, we should maybe expect manuals to be a thing of the past. Just a hypothesis but that is what AI is about I suppose.

[target2019]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst Thanks! No wonder I keep coming back to the ER Forum. I was searching for "Moto G Manual" and didn't come up with this. I must confess, I wonder when "fiddling with electronic devices to figure out what they can do" overtook "acquiring electronic devices to accomplish necessary tasks."

I search for a living. Interesting sentence structure there.
I also write about technical topics, and have a knack for tweaking search terms and finding decent results.

Your observation is spot on. With the first gui computers, the user remained in charge. The experience was linear and you could master the technology given enough repetition. The rate of technical improvements has increased to the point where you and I can no longer hope to be masters. The mobile systems advance as our senses are in decline. That's why we huddle here as kindred spirits.

[target2019]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lsbcal This is an interesting issue to me. First, a really good interface would be intuitive so no manual would be needed. That is a tough objective. Second, maybe the devices are becoming complex enough that one has to interact with them to see what kind of beast they are dealing with. Sort of like discovering what a new acquaintance is like. As machines evolve into more human like interfaces, we should maybe expect manuals to be a thing of the past. Just a hypothesis but that is what AI is about I suppose.

A major leap will be direct interface with machine for the masses. No typing required.

Manuals evolve along with the technology covered. Because of how much a mobile device can do, it can't be documented with a single manual. Who reads the manual, we used to say.

[littleb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst OK, please be kind, remember this is my first smartphone :-) I just bought a Moto G. There is an online manual: Motorola Moto G - Getting started - Safaricom I have figured out how to make phone calls, access the Internet, and use the camera to take photos. Now my problem is that nowhere in the online manual does it tell me how to send the photos to email, or save them to the cloud. All I can do is save them to the device.Then I can go to "gallery" and look at them. If this were a MS OS, I would find "my computer" but I don't know what Android calls the device storage. I found an "export" function, but it doesn't give me a choice of destinations, nor a way to designate a destination. This seems so very basic! Can anyone enlighten me please? Amethyst

All phones are different and there is always a learning curve with these smart phones.

What I found useful was to google the phone model and Youtube and ask the question. You will be surprised at the tutorial videos on Youtube where they will walk you through the steps.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by target2019 Manuals evolve along with the technology covered. Because of how much a mobile device can do, it can't be documented with a single manual. Who reads the manual, we used to say.

My second career was writing the manuals for custom software (Mac, Windows, and Unix). I used to joke that it was the world's easiest job because I knew in advance that nobody would ever read it.

At one point I was pressed into service doing phone support for one of the products I documented. I actually enjoyed that because people seemed so grateful to get useful answers to their questions. But it confirmed my suspicion that they had never read the manual.