Android Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) is being deprecated beginning March 5, 2025

PGHammer · Apr 9, 2024

SlicEnDicE said:
Sorry if I offended you. That wasn't my intention at all. Are we a bit over sensitive here now?

As opposed to higher end Samsung phones, I went Pixels, and am my third - a refurbished 7a. It's my second refurbished Pixel - and is running Android 14.

PGHammer · Apr 9, 2024

Dirtyflash said:
A question about WSA. When W11 was released, were the system hardware requirements influenced by WSA?

No - the requirements were influenced by multicore processsors getting cheaper.That predates Windows 8 - in fact it goes back to Windows NT - specifically Windows NT 3.5 - code named Daytona.Daytona was designed around cheaper hardware than previous versions of NT - my first NT 3.5 box was originally a Windows 9x testing box - it got one upgrade to drive the OS change - more system memory 16 MB Instead of 8. Same hard drive - even the the same Am386DX-40.

SlicEnDicE · Apr 10, 2024

PGHammer said:
As opposed to higher end Samsung phones, I went Pixels, and am my third - a refurbished 7a. It's my second refurbished Pixel - and is running Android 14.

The Pixels are pretty good I hear. I've never owned one myself. They have some minor annoyances on the software side and even on hardware, but that is only because Google hasn't been making Android phones that long while they have a lot of experience with their OS. What people want and what Google gives, doesn't quite yet meet 1:1. They keep improving a lot though. Price is also quite on par with the quality. Samsung had similar issues in the early days.

You've obviously been very happy with yours I can imagine, or you wouldn't keep returning back.

trevo · Apr 10, 2024

SlicEnDicE said:
The Pixels are pretty good I hear. I've never owned one myself. They have some minor annoyances on the software side and even on hardware, but that is only because Google hasn't been making Android phones that long

The fact that you've never owned one is presumably why you didn't realize they have been making phones for over 15 years.

And as far as Samsung is concerned, I know friends and family that have paid around $200 for a Samsung phone which has lasted them several years and with which they have been very happy.

NormanF · Apr 10, 2024

Dirtyflash said:
A question about WSA. When W11 was released, were the system hardware requirements influenced by WSA?

The requirements were insane - like 16 GB to run it! Really? My Chromebook runs Android on a fraction of the RAM. Its like it was designed to fail in the first place.

PGHammer · Apr 10, 2024

SlicEnDicE said:
The Pixels are pretty good I hear. I've never owned one myself. They have some minor annoyances on the software side and even on hardware, but that is only because Google hasn't been making Android phones that long while they have a lot of experience with their OS. What people want and what Google gives, doesn't quite yet meet 1:1. They keep improving a lot though. Price is also quite on par with the quality. Samsung had similar issues in the early days.

You've obviously been very happy with yours I can imagine, or you wouldn't keep returning back.

As I stated, I have had two refurbushed Pixels - with a then- new Pixel 3a in between. The 7a and the 8 are outfitted with the same software for the most part. My mom has a 3a that she bought after seeing what mine was capable of - she was taken by the camera quality. The surprise with the 7/7a/8 is the Tensor chip itself - it is manufactured by Samsung Electronics for Google - it is not used in any Samsung phone. The camera hardware is also sourced from Samsung+ that same hardware gets wide distribution - even Motorola uses it in their G series - including the G 2024 the 7a replaced.

SlicEnDicE · Apr 10, 2024

trevo said:
The fact that you've never owned one is presumably why you didn't realize they have been making phones for over 15 years.

The fact is that in my area it has been nearly impossible to get a Pixel. Only been available for a few years.

Those that has been available were overpriced too.

Google released their first phone in 2010, so check your math. It was the Nexus phone made by HTC.

Also when it comes to US prices, we're in a totally different league. your $200 phone may very well be a 400-500€ phone over here. Those phones are decent. Same goes for computer hardware.

Can you even get an unlocked phone for cheap over there? Or are all tied to your mobile provider still where the price is dictated by the them where they rob you with the phone bill?

Last time I checked, people got 1500€ phones for $600 over there...

First Pixel got released in 2016... in 6 years they sold about 27M devices. Samsung sold 272M devices in 2021 alone. You think there's a quality and experience difference there?

PGHammer · Apr 11, 2024

jimbo45 said:
Hi there
It's usually unlikely to block an app after its deprecated - but you won't get any updates and it may well soon stop working on future updates / builds of Windows.

There seems to be something happening with the whole Android system - I gather Google (the rights holders of the android OS) want to make it more difficult for people to side load apps other than those endorsed by Google (probably trying to squeeze more money out of the system). Same with future editions of Amazon's firesticks where you won't be able to sideload things like Kodi / VLC etc on them which make them extremely useful for playing /streaming multi media content to a remote TV / device without needing things like Plex server etc.

All done in the "Holy grail of monetisation" these days I suppose.

Cheers
jimbo

Instead of streaming, I simply deploy multiple 4K FireSticks as they are $40USD each - if a device supports HDMI in, it can support the stick. I have upgraded the home network to mesh - which drives everything - the only wired device is my refurbished Dell Optiplex i7.

trevo · Apr 11, 2024

SlicEnDicE said:
Can you even get an unlocked phone for cheap over there? Or are all tied to your mobile provider still where the price is dictated by the them where they rob you with the phone bill?

Last time I checked, people got 1500€ phones for $600 over there...

I just realized you are from Finland, which explains why you know nothing about the mobile phone market over here.

Over and out.

SlicEnDicE · Apr 12, 2024

Nothing, is an overstatement...US mobile market is very weird in my eyes. Over here mobile providers even makes jokes about the market over there.

Could you please educate me, so I'm up to date? Things may have changed...

andrew129260 · Apr 12, 2024

SlicEnDicE said:
Nothing, is an overstatement...US mobile market is very weird in my eyes. Over here mobile providers even makes jokes about the market over there.

Could you please educate me, so I'm up to date? Things may have changed...

I have a pixel 8 pro that I bought from google store. I did that because it came with the free pixel watch 2. I already had the first one, so after trade in of my old pixel 6 and my first watch I had paid only like $600 for a new phone and a new watch.

I use AT&T prepaid (no contract) that I pay about $70 a month for 2 phones, 15GB data (per phone), 5G, each unlimited calling, texting everything else.

Most people in America pay a carrier a huge sum a month to the tune of like $150 or more, and get super expensive phones that they pay off slowly added to the bill each month so they don't have to pay the phone all at once. I don't do that. I buy my phones outright, and I like the pixels as their prices are a lot better. (Especially if you don't get the latest and greatest.) The pixel 8 is the first phone I bought brand new.

There is also cheaper prepaid plans, (like mint which is $20 month) but I have been with AT&T for awhile because they offer rollover data, so any data I don't use carries over to the next month, so I have like 50GB or something crazy now a month because I don't use data that often. But if I ever want to use a hotspot, (which I do sometimes) I have plenty.

SlicEnDicE · Apr 12, 2024

Hehe...I use about 50-100GB of data per month on my phone. I would become bankrupt in the US with your system. Here everything is unlimited.

andrew129260 · Apr 12, 2024

SlicEnDicE said:
Hehe...I use about 50-100GB of data per month on my phone. I would become bankrupt in the US with your system. Here everything is unlimited.

I mean they do have unlimited data plans (which is what the average american has), they are just more expensive. I don't want to pay for unlimited data as I have no use for it.

How the heck are you using that much data a month on your phone? Thats unreal. Do you not have home internet?

SlicEnDicE · Apr 12, 2024

andrew129260 said:
How the heck are you using that much data a month on your phone? Thats unreal. Do you not have home internet?

I do have home internet...that load is in TB range...but we are many users.

andrew129260 · Apr 12, 2024

SlicEnDicE said:
I do have home internet...that load is in TB range...but we are many users.

I use my phone a lot and I never come close to even 5GB month. Also if it wasn't clear, my plan is 15GB month for each phone. My home internet gets about one to two TB a month.

SlicEnDicE · Apr 12, 2024

andrew129260 said:
I use my phone a lot and I never come close to even 5GB month. Also if it wasn't clear, my plan is 15GB month for each phone. My home internet gets about one to two TB a month.

last month I used 191GB data on my phone.

EDIT: The month before that 402GB