Is this how Samsung is competing with Apple?

[zuben el genub]

Samsung's 'Premium Suite' Dumbs Down the Smartphone | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

 

[poriggity]

Makes me glad I rooted my phone, and flashed a custom ROM.. I don't need my phone dumbing itself down for me.

IMHO, if you aren't willing to do what it takes to LEARN how to properly use a smartphone, then perhaps you're better off with a dumbphone....

 

[Gmash]

I smell another lawsuit brewing.

Apple: we made our phone for dumb people before you did. Give us money.

 

[poriggity]

I smell another lawsuit brewing.

Apple: we made our phone for dumb people before you did. Give us money.

Im guessing you're right

 

[nickdalzell]

Just why do people making nice, functional simple to use interfaces get labeled as 'dumbing down?' I would have given my right kidney for such a system ten years ago. It wasn't long ago that humans complained about DOS and UNIX being too hard, and that everyone should want to K.I.S.S. now they deliver and everyone hates. Ingrates....

Before you once again accuse Apple of overpricing I suggest you try getting a spec-equal tablet or ohone without contract that runs Android for less. They can cost $699. Stop being a victim of upgrade offers for a second.

Last but not least who gives a darn if someone likes Apple over Android or vice Versa? It's like one guy with an iPhone is the end of the world to you

 

[zuben el genub]

It was tongue in cheek. I really don't care what anyone else uses, I resent the marketing trend.

I did get a refurb Acer A500 tablet - it does HDMI out, uses a full usb port. This means I can download educational stuff from Youtube rather than videos, and play such educational stuff over the TV when there is nothing I want to watch. I just found the legal download of Carl Sagan's Cosmos.

I don't upgrade phones through carrier. Nexus S is used. I bought it used to see if I liked the system. I like unlocked phones and have bought some from Amazon. This way, I don't feel beholden to the carrier if the phone is unlocked, and not subsidized, if I want to root and can the carrier bloat.

Apple is overpriced. I can buy or upgrade a Windows computer and run Photoshop just as well as the more expensive Mac. A lot of gamers prefer to build their own rigs rather than accept what an OEM offers. Some graphic designers do, too.

If I want a Nexus phone I can buy it from Google for a lot less than the Iphone. Or I can wait until the price goes down. That's where this forum is priceless. You can get mostly get the information you want.

Since I see someone ported Stellarium to the Meego Nokia N9, I might have a good look at any Meego phone.

 

[jerofld]

I see this as an answer to people claiming "Android is hard to use". If you search popular Android forums (including this one), you'll find lots of new Android users complaining on how it's 'so much harder' to use Android vs iOS or 'dumbphones'.

I've seen this 'easy mode' in a ROM or two for the GS3 already. It looks a lot like Microsoft Live Tiles in widget form, to me. It's just the homescrens are pre-populated with the more common stuff and more simplistic widgets.

And it's off by default. The user has the option to enable it while setting up the phone. It's not the end of the world (that's the 21st).

 

[Stuntman]

If it helps some people use the phone more easily, I see no problem with it. It's not like it's manditory. You have the option to use it or not use it.

 

[dan330]

it is a good way to .. ease un-tech friendly individuals into the smartphone reality.

as they get used to the dumb down version.. and start to need something..
they can start to explore the advance features later..
one step at a time.

it is a great idea!

 

[pbf98]

I would admit myself to having to take a couple weeks to learn how to actually use the android os when I got my first android. IOS is one of the easiest OSs there is. My friends 3 1/2 year old knows how to go to pictures, and knows how to open certain games that she has been allowed to play before.

When her mom hands her the android phone, it isn't the same, she has a hard time. Sure she is 3 1/2, but she had the same amount of time with both, no one told her what to do.

Some people like simple like that, I on the other hand like everything Android has to offer especially the customization. Maybe simplifying the os will attract some apple users that are tired of all the nonsense fees that they can encounter..

 

[argedion]

for these companies its about the bottom line. If we dont like it we either A) move on or b) root. Most of us "dummy" down our own phones to what we find simple to use. Samsung will more than likely get sued by Apple for making an idiot proof device as Gmash has already stated. I think it's a smart move for Samsung. It should appeal to the apple users.

 

[Gmash]

Maybe they should call it "iDiot Mode" lol.
Nah, it actually is a good idea.

 

[Bob Maxey]

Just why do people making nice, functional simple to use interfaces get labeled as 'dumbing down?' I would have given my right kidney for such a system ten years ago. It wasn't long ago that humans complained about DOS and UNIX being too hard, and that everyone should want to K.I.S.S. now they deliver and everyone hates. Ingrates....

Before you once again accuse Apple of overpricing I suggest you try getting a spec-equal tablet or ohone without contract that runs Android for less. They can cost $699. Stop being a victim of upgrade offers for a second.

Last but not least who gives a darn if someone likes Apple over Android or vice Versa? It's like one guy with an iPhone is the end of the world to you

I do indeed agree. Complex is not necessarily better than simple.

Odd thing about the whole "Apple overcharges, blah, blah and blah" comments. You are paying for that expensive phone even if you get it for "free." My new phone is more expensive because it is off-contract. I think I can save hundreds if I buy one with a contract.

Either way, I am paying quite a bit for a cell phone.

Some people commenting about Apple have a choice: avoid apple, case closed and problem solved.

I wonder why a new Corvette has to cost more than a Ford Taurus. Damm those Corvette manufacturers. Where do they get off charging so much, anyway.

 

[nickdalzell]

I got that windows 8 widget system on two of my Android tablets. Honestly I love windows 8 which is why I got a laptop with it. Now I know windows phone doesn't have nearly the app database of android or apple, but I prefer the tiles myself. But now I got them with android. Dumbed down? Sure. Bad? Hell no! Some people like it simple. It's why I got a 20 year old Pontiac instead of a new fancy gadget-laden Buick Verono. I like tech, but not too complicated

 

[zuben el genub]

When I first started using Photoshop (3), I bought a book from Deke McClelland. He actually stated that Windows users are nosy. I know I am. I started reading about every damn tweak for Windows I could find. The same when I got a PDA. I simply have to know how it works.

I used Symbian and got into the phone end. I find it fascinating.

Since I read almost everything I can find, I will complain about a device, but only after I have determined that the device is not one that would suit me. If anyone else swears by that device - that's fine. It's a personal choice.

I just happen to think that anyone selling anything is fair game for satire, tongue in cheek remarks, and any silly story. Keeps users from getting smug.

I wouldn't buy a new Corvette. I'd rather have a totally restored TR-4. I still have my TSOA car plaque.

 

[Gmash]

Sorry, but the iPhone as Corvette vs Android as Ford Taurus is a terrible analogy. The iPhone is not vastly superior to a good Android phone.

 

[wyndslash]

this is a non-issue. it's simply an option for other users. isn't that why we like android? because we have choices?

 

[ScandaLeX]

this is a non-issue. it's simply an option for other users. isn't that why we like android? because we have choices?

Exactly!!!!!!! One doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to use an Android phone and honestly, whatever Samsung can do to make it easier to use, I'm all for it.
Considering the number of post I read throughout the day in which a lot of iPhone users seem to NEED simplicity would make this a win for them.

 

[mikedt]

Don't think it's dumbing down, to me it looks like it's much more about accessibility. One feature I've noticed, and always wondered why MP3 players and smart-phones didn't have it before. "Sound Balance, will let you pan the audio left or right when using headphones, a feature that should help people who are hard of hearing in one ear."

Here's a couple more enhancements that Samsung have done, I think will make their smart-phones much more enjoyable and accessible.

"For the first time, accessibility features for the hearing and visually impaired will be accessible through the S III’s setup wizard. Another feature, called Camera Easy Snap, for example, features narration to helps the visually impaired compose and snap pictures."

"Speaking of photos, the update features a new low light camera shooting mode and Best Face, which allows user to take five consecutive photos with multiple people in the shot, then create a composite with everyone’s best look. No more pics where someone is blinking. Another feature, Paper Artist, adds a collection of pop art-inspired filters to your photos."

I certainly wouldn't call the above enhancements "dumbing down".

Since I see someone ported Stellarium to the Meego Nokia N9, I might have a good look at any Meego phone.

Meego?!

Came with a new laptop I purchased recently....

Talk about a dumbed down OS, it put me in mind of Fisher Price and Teletubbies. Linux for toddlers. Sufficed to say, it was awful.

AFAIK Meego is now dead anyway.