Post pictures of your latest purchase

[worldspy99]

I have those headphones and really like them. They sound great for the price. Fortunately, I don't use Microsoft Teams. They work fine with Zoom and Google Meet.

Yes I learned that the headset has to be Microsoft Teams certified for it to work. Anyway my cheap in ear ones somehow work but the mic performance is not stellar on those. The Plantronics works really well.

 

[fatclue_98]

Have you made a decision whether to keep it or send it back yet? Has it gotten any updates that improve the experience?

The jury is still deliberating. It's hard to think about going back to a narrow device. Outside of the usual Play Store app updates, nothing new yet. I'm guessing Microsoft is waiting on more feedback before pushing anything out yet or they're just prepping a large can of Raid for the upcoming Android 11 update. I know, Microsoft has no credits in the "promise" side of the till as of this writing so we'll have to wait and see. For now, the watch and BT headsets are making up for the deficits on the phone side of things. The bugs? Well as I mentioned on another thread they pop up on other Android phones I've been using lately so switching back isn't going to resolve anything. Stay tuned.

 

[libra89]

Yes I learned that the headset has to be Microsoft Teams certified for it to work. Anyway my cheap in ear ones somehow work but the mic performance is not stellar on those. The Plantronics works really well.

Wow, I had no idea this was a thing with the certification.

 

[worldspy99]

So here are a few more pictures of the goodies that I have been getting from Amazon etc.

TRS to TRRS adapter so that I can connect the external mic to the iPhone (dongle required) or Android device (3rd party app required because native camera app doesn't like external mic) via the headphone jack.

Pictures taken with the Oppo Reno 3 Pro.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Wow, I had no idea this was a thing with the certification.

Yeah. Very surprised.

 

[raycpl]

Got the hammock last year at Ho Chi Minh City, but the metal frame came in today..
This will come in handy when chilling out...
Buds optional!

 

[fatclue_98]

**Duo update**

So it had been 2 weeks and not much had changed as far as usability is concerned. Some of the bugs reported by others had begun cropping up here and there like the unresponsive screen. Closing and re-opening the thing would always make it right. Cumbersome yes, but this is still a first gen device and that needs to be taken into consideration. ****** call audio through bluetooth has been my biggest contributor to elevated blood pressure and after going through 3 different types of wireless headsets I was thinking about wiping it down and sending it back. I even went as far as using my 11 Pro Max on Saturday and then my OnePlus 8 on Sunday. It's hard going back to a single display phone after using the Duo, no lie.

As much as I hate going through the process I went nucular (as Sarah Palin would say) and did a factory reset and started completely from scratch. That's two hours of my life I know I'll never get back but it was worth it. In fact, I would advise Microsoft to tell buyers to perform a hard reset immediately after the initial Day One update. Call audio is still lacking but I was faced with the option to adjust the media and call volume as soon as the headset paired - which it never asked for previously. The camera still sucks donkey **** but I read this morning there is a major camera update coming in a couple of weeks.

Overall performance has improved measurably and I've abandoned my return plans. The camera works well enough for what I need and scanning through CamScanner is as good as it was on WinMo 10. The Outlook app is still plagued with notification issues but I was able to add my work email (GSuite) without having to add it as another Gmail account in Settings when I was setting up the phone again. This is a big deal for me because even though I set that account to not sync Gmail it does it anyway. :angry: I ordered a set of Surface Earbuds today as a last ditch effort to have some semblance of BT call audio available so we'll see how that goes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I'm really liking the dual 4:3 displays.

 

[libra89]

**Duo update**

So it had been 2 weeks and not much had changed as far as usability is concerned. Some of the bugs reported by others had begun cropping up here and there like the unresponsive screen. Closing and re-opening the thing would always make it right. Cumbersome yes, but this is still a first gen device and that needs to be taken into consideration. ****** call audio through bluetooth has been my biggest contributor to elevated blood pressure and after going through 3 different types of wireless headsets I was thinking about wiping it down and sending it back. I even went as far as using my 11 Pro Max on Saturday and then my OnePlus 8 on Sunday. It's hard going back to a single display phone after using the Duo, no lie.

As much as I hate going through the process I went nucular (as Sarah Palin would say) and did a factory reset and started completely from scratch. That's two hours of my life I know I'll never get back but it was worth it. In fact, I would advise Microsoft to tell buyers to perform a hard reset immediately after the initial Day One update. Call audio is still lacking but I was faced with the option to adjust the media and call volume as soon as the headset paired - which it never asked for previously. The camera still sucks donkey **** but I read this morning there is a major camera update coming in a couple of weeks.

Overall performance has improved measurably and I've abandoned my return plans. The camera works well enough for what I need and scanning through CamScanner is as good as it was on WinMo 10. The Outlook app is still plagued with notification issues but I was able to add my work email (GSuite) without having to add it as another Gmail account in Settings when I was setting up the phone again. This is a big deal for me because even though I set that account to not sync Gmail it does it anyway. :angry: I ordered a set of Surface Earbuds today as a last ditch effort to have some semblance of BT call audio available so we'll see how that goes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I'm really liking the dual 4:3 displays.

Wow it sounds like this has been a process for you to use. I hope that the Earbuds help and that things improve. Thank you for the honest and full update.

 

[fatclue_98]

Wow it sounds like this has been a process for you to use.

The minute high-end phones breached the $800 barrier, it became a process. It's no longer enough to download your favorite apps, customize what you want, or what you can in the case of iOS, and hit the ground running. For the amount of money OEMs are asking, a phone better do everything except make your coffee and fold your clothes. The experience has to be as pain-free as possible while looking like a rock star. I've given the Duo more latitude than others because it's a new way of using a phone and there's a learning curve to it. Were this a typical mono display slab it probably would've never made it past the initial setup stage. But as I've mentioned previously, the dual screens hide a multitude of sins.

 

[me just saying]

**Duo update**

So it had been 2 weeks and not much had changed as far as usability is concerned. Some of the bugs reported by others had begun cropping up here and there like the unresponsive screen. Closing and re-opening the thing would always make it right. Cumbersome yes, but this is still a first gen device and that needs to be taken into consideration. ****** call audio through bluetooth has been my biggest contributor to elevated blood pressure and after going through 3 different types of wireless headsets I was thinking about wiping it down and sending it back. I even went as far as using my 11 Pro Max on Saturday and then my OnePlus 8 on Sunday. It's hard going back to a single display phone after using the Duo, no lie.
.

I could imagine. recently when from a dual screen to a single screen on my computer. still wanting to drag open windows on the non-existant screen.

 

[Grabber5.0]

Birthday gift for my daughter

 

[HeyCori]

Last century we bought an alarm clock that could play nature sounds while you went to sleep.

It always annoyed me that the clips were very short. So the ocean, for example, was just the same single wave over and over and over and over and over.

Never one to put anything off, I just bought a replacement for the sounds. 31 non-repeating sounds although I'm sure they repeat but after I can recognize it. Plus several are by definition repetitive, like a heart beat or a fan. Anyway. Its a big improvement even if my wife vetoed the train sounds I liked.

I can't figure out the case though. It looks and feels like wood and I've found dozens of pictures and every one had different graining. But I don't understand that if its not wood how they make the grain different between examples and understand even less why they would go to the trouble. Still, I can't believe it is actually wood considering it was even a dollar less than the same product in white plastic.

View attachment 142685
View attachment 142686

How do you like the sound quality?

 

[HeyCori]

just got finished setting up my new samsung active 2 watch. even used the phone to charge it - first time to use that feature. surprised as to how light the watch is compared to the gear s2 classic.

View attachment 142622

I've been on the fence about getting an Active2 for what seems like all year! And surprisingly, it's no longer listed on Microsoft's website (although the first Active is still there). Hmmm... could an active 3 announcement be impending? Either way, I'm holding out until the end of the year to see if I can grab an Active2 for cheap(er). I was happy with my Versa 2. Then Fitbit announced that only the Versa 3 and Sense would be getting the latest OS updates. Killing a product that's barely a year old leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

How do you like the sound quality?

It's good. I wish the rain sound didn't have thunder louder than the rain but that's not a sound quality issue. And there are sounds I don't think anyone would choose, such as a dripping faucet; that sound keeps people awake in movies.

 

[HeyCori]

Dripping faucet is indeed an odd choice. I hear a dripping faucet and I think, "Aw crap, another thing I have to pay money to fix!"

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I wanted to try Android but am too cheap to buy any I might carry if I liked it. Then the stars aligned and I have an S20 FE 5G on its way at zero cost. T-Mobile is(was?) giving them away when adding a line and my sister wanted to switch from AT&T to T-Mobile, so.........

I won't be able to sell it for 24 months if I don't like it, but at zero cost I can afford the drawer space.

Anyway, since that phone doesn't have a 3.5 jack and I sometimes (but rarely) use wired ear pieces in waiting rooms, etc., I bought an adapter.

Chose this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0832HHR1J?tag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUwpUvbUpU3822029 (pictures below).

Just to check the USB connector, I plugged it into my L950-XL and heard the Windows driver install sound and recalled the articles about USB devices that infect hosts. Anyone here know any way to test whatever drivers are in this device for malware before plugging it into anything else?

 

[HeyCori]

I wanted to try Android but am too cheap to buy any I might carry if I liked it. Then the stars aligned and I have an S20 FE 5G on its way at zero cost. T-Mobile is(was?) giving them away when adding a line and my sister wanted to switch from AT&T to T-Mobile, so.........

I won't be able to sell it for 24 months if I don't like it, but at zero cost I can afford the drawer space.

Nice. Try it with Your Phone. The texting isn't as reliable as using iMessage on a Mac but it can be helpful. Plus, the ability to open apps on your PC is a cool feature. Plus plus, I like being able to drag files from my PC straight into my phone.

 

[fatclue_98]

They arrived today so let's see if the Duo plays nice with them.

 

[raycpl]

They arrived today so let's see if the Duo plays nice with them. View attachment 142710

Gotta give us a mini review on this, Clue!!

 

[fatclue_98]

Gotta give us a mini review on this, Clue!!

They should've included them with the phone, I think a lot of the audio complaints would've been non-existent. The sound is awesome, pairing via the Surface Audio app was a breeze and the call volume, which was my main beef, is more than I expected. Now if I can only find a way for them to stay in my ears I'll be ecstatic. They come with the medium sized gummies pre-installed but I find them a smidge uncomfortable and the small ones don't hold well at all. Maybe I just need to get used to them but that's not going to be easy, I'm a bit OCD that way. I go through a month of hell whenever I get new glasses too.