what is the difference between hardware software or OS?

[walterkurtz]

i don't know where to begin. and i think i am simply not understanding how an android works. can someone please explain or point me to an article (in layman's terms) that will help me understand....

who does what on my phone? or where do i turn for problems?? some examples...

i opened google maps last night. the little direction icon popped up on the top of my screen. but it had no idea where i was for ten minutes.

i send a meeting invite to a friend through gmail calendar. on my phone it shows her unresponsive. on her phone she has responded.

i set my phone on sleep mode with vibrate off (using "sound profile PRO" app). it vibrates.

i do a search using the google bar on the home screen. it only searches the phone until i read on a forum that i have to disable blackberrys search tool. and thats what leads me to these questions...

are my problems hardware (blackberry) software (apps, google?) or OS (is this also google??) related? when i install an app to do something that the phone doesn't do, am i also to find the subsequent built in app and disable it?? at what point is it a blackberry problem? my HTC was also an android device and i had far fewer problems (as i recall, that was two years ago)....

also where is the restart? i had a hard and soft restart on my only other android device (HTC ONE). does the priv do that? does it need to?

it's getting to the point where the ability to customize my device is getting in the way of actually using the device.

thank you for listening and helping. i just want things to work....my way!!

 

[B. Diddy]

This might be helpful (although I still have to update it for Marshmallow at some point:'(). http://forums.androidcentral.com/ge...ng-started-android-updated-2015-lollipop.html

I'll see if I can address some of your specific questions.

i opened google maps last night. the little direction icon popped up on the top of my screen. but it had no idea where i was for ten minutes.

Google has lots of helpful support pages. Here's one for Google Maps: https://support.google.com/maps/?hl=en#topic=3092425

First, make sure your phone's Location Services are turned on. Go to the main System Settings, then Location, and make sure the switch is turned on. If you want the most accurate location, set the Mode to High Accuracy. If precise location isn't crucial, change it to Battery Saving (which uses the cell signal and wi-fi to estimate your position). Then open your Google Maps app, and tap the crosshairs icon at the lower right to locate where you are.

i send a meeting invite to a friend through gmail calendar. on my phone it shows her unresponsive. on her phone she has responded.

Make sure you refresh your data. Tap the menu button at the upper right (that looks like 3 vertical dots), then tap Refresh. Now recheck the event. Is she listed?

You should also make sure Auto-Sync is on. Go to Settings>Accounts, tap the Menu button, then make sure Auto-Sync is checked on.

i do a search using the google bar on the home screen. it only searches the phone

Open your Google Search app (aka Google Now), swipe in from the left, tap Settings>Phone Search, and select what you want the Google Search bar to look in when you enter a search.

are my problems hardware (blackberry) software (apps, google?) or OS (is this also google??) related? when i install an app to do something that the phone doesn't do, am i also to find the subsequent built in app and disable it?? at what point is it a blackberry problem?

There's no simple answer to this, because it depends on the particular issue. This is what happens when you have an open source platform that OEMs can then tinker with and add their own features to.

also where is the restart?

See here: https://help.blackberry.com/en/priv/5.1/help/mpr1427480252655.html. I'm not sure what you mean by hard and soft restart--do you mean the HTC Fastboot function? That's specific to HTC.

 

[walterkurtz]

There's no simple answer to this, because it depends on the particular issue. This is what happens when you have an open source platform that OEMs can then tinker with and add their own features to.

i believe this is where my adoration for android turns to frustration.

thank you for all of this!!

 

[B. Diddy]

i believe this is where my adoration for android turns to frustration.

That's why I prefer Nexus devices. No OEM or carrier bloat!

 

[walterkurtz]

That's why I prefer Nexus devices. No OEM or carrier bloat!

as i am considering returning the priv within the trial period AND wanting to stay in android, is the nexus 6P top of the line? i have only the HTC ONE M7 to compare to, as it was my first android. i liked it a lot but have not read good things about the current model.

thank you!!

EDIT: i didn't see the nexus 6P on tmo. is it a purchase from google type situation? tmo did have the 5P i think...

 

[GeneralHerzog]

Location in Google maps will from time to time require you to tap the location button instead of it automatically locate you depending on your location services setup.
When in doubt, tap it. (It's in the lower right of the map screen)

Vibration will still occur if you have you have a contact set as priority in your contacts. Look for the star in the upper right of the contact profile.
A hollow star (just a border of the star) is NOT set. A solid star is set and will bypass everything save for do not disturb.

BBRY is bringing a few things to Android and as such a little hunting and patience needs to be given if you've never used BB10.
That said, It's one of the lightest 'bloatware' phones out there. Just give it some time. You'll get it.

Posted via Priv
STV100-3 on Rogers

 

[B. Diddy]

as i am considering returning the priv within the trial period AND wanting to stay in android, is the nexus 6P top of the line? i have only the HTC ONE M7 to compare to, as it was my first android. i liked it a lot but have not read good things about the current model.

thank you!!

EDIT: i didn't see the nexus 6P on tmo. is it a purchase from google type situation? tmo did have the 5P i think...

Nexus devices are primarily purchased through Google, and can be used on any carrier since they're unlocked. You can also buy directly from the Huawei store, but I wouldn't recommend it--I originally placed an order there, and it took forever to process. I finally cancelled the order there and went through Google. Other stores might sell them too, like Best Buy. But no carrier sells the current Nexus phones directly (which is a good thing, in my opinion).

And yes, the 6P is widely regarded as the best Nexus phone that Google has ever released. It's a big phone (around the same size as a Note5), so if you're looking for something smaller, you could try the Nexus 5X, which isn't quite as powerful (but still good).

 

[Deleted member 2678566]

That's why I prefer Nexus devices. No OEM or carrier bloat!

You don't get bloat ware on the BlackBerry PRIV unless you consider the HUB as such in which case you can disable which I've tried to and I've found it so counterproductive using Inbox by Google and other email messaging systems.

I use BBM but I find it such a pain now as everyone uses facebook or whatsapp. I dunno if you can uninstall BBM. BlackBerry need to decide what they're really gonna do. Buy out somebody like Kik or just sell BBM on.

 

[B. Diddy]

You don't get bloat ware on the BlackBerry PRIV unless you consider the HUB as such

Technically, that is OEM preinstalled-ware, which some might call bloat. But it's good to hear that there isn't much else extraneous on the Priv!

 

[shabbs]

I use BBM but I find it such a pain now as everyone uses facebook or whatsapp. I dunno if you can uninstall BBM. BlackBerry need to decide what they're really gonna do. Buy out somebody like Kik or just sell BBM on.

Heh. I still have some pretty active BBM groups, but yeah, Whatsapp is far more popular with my friends. And no one uses SMS.

You should be able to uninstall BBM. I see it as an option when pulling up the app in Play Store.

 

[shabbs]

Technically, that is OEM preinstalled-ware, which some might call bloat. But it's good to hear that there isn't much else extraneous on the Priv!

That's been one of the big selling points on the PRIV, it's about as close to stock Android as you can short of going with a Nexus. Very light on bloat, which is refreshing.

 

[PlisskenPower]

There is no "carrier bloat" on my Canadian PRIV. Aside from BlackBerry security, a launcher, and a hub - there really is no "bloat" at all. It's as close to vanilla android it can be without being a nexus. That's one of the things many people like about BlackBerry's Android, there's no bloat. The BlackBerry apps actually work well and help to make Android better and way more secure than any other Android device.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[PlisskenPower]

The various BlackBerry apps that are on the PRIV are all great. The contacts, calendar, camera, hub, dtek, notes, etc... they all work flawlessly in my experience. How I use the hub, I haven't had any bugs. Could some of them use more features? Sure, but that will come with updates. Updates, another thing BlackBerry has totally kept up on! Great work for their first Android endeavor.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[PlisskenPower]

B. Diddy, you covered everything perfectly for the OP, I'm a little off topic because you covered it all. I just wanted to drop my 2 cents on the PRIV.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[B. Diddy]

No problem! It's good to hear that the Priv is free of useless bloat, and that the BB apps work well on it. I recently had a chance to play around with one in a T-Mobile store, and must say that the build was very impressive. Although I'm just not a physical keyboard guy--my attempts to type a message were pretty pathetic!:'(

 

[Kebero]

You get used to the keyboard after a while. It just takes time to adjust.

Posted via the Android Central App