Motorola Moto G (2014 version with LTE)

[CougTek]

I'm the new owner of a Moto G (which I call a "motog"). By far the finest phone I've ever had, even though it probably is one of the lowest end phone currently on the market. The display is very nice and the touch screen works well. Don't ask me about the camera as I don't use this. It is not too big either, which is something I like.

I've managed to install our VPN mobile app and Microsoft RD app on it and I've been able to connect to the host servers of my domain. But let me tell you that navigating in MS Server Manager on a 1280x720 4.3" screen is extremely annoying. Even using the zooming feature, it is far from being practical. And typing stuff on the onscreen keyboard takes too much time. If I ever need to work on the servers and that, for whatever reason, my home computer isn't usable, it will be faster to drive to the office than trying to change things remotely from my phone.

With a tablet, it would probably be different. But a phone with a 4.3" screen isn't usable for work. Period.

 

[Mercutio]

The Moto G is an excellent device, and I've used devices with screens smaller than 4" to RDP. If you're desperate enough, it's surprising how usable it'll seem.

 

[CougTek]

Even using the zooming feature, it is far from being practical.

Well, I thought there was a zooming feature, but there isn't. The tip of my little finger is 3 or 4 times the size of the Windows key in the lower left corner. Logging off the session is quite a challenge.

RDP on smaller than 4" screen? Merc, you're a masochist.

 

[Mercutio]

Hint: You can get different RDP apps if you don't like the one you're using.

 

[Howell]

Pinch zoom works for me in some modes. Like when the keyboard is active and also what I'll call mouse pointer mode. Finger tip on the screen moves the mouse pointer.

 

[CougTek]

Ok, I've figured out the "mouse pointer zoom" that Howell wrote about. Still not very usable IMO.

I thought Microsoft's own RDP app should be the best one, since it's thier own protocol. Like in many other instances, others probably do the job better than Microsoft for their own stuff. I'll look for another RD app when I'll have some spare time.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Howell]

Microsoft recently bought the company that made the best one IMO. Before then they didn't have one of their own.

IMO it is adequate to reboot a machine or restart services. I would get out my laptop for more involved actions.

 

[Chewy509]

Quick follow up. Coug how are you liking the Moto G?

As mentioned in another thread, my wife and I are looking at switching ISPs, but since we tend to keep all services with one provider will need to switch carriers and hence may require a new handset. My wife is looking at the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, and with myself the Moto G has caught my eye... I was considering the Nexus 5 as well...

 

[CougTek]

Keeping in mind that I almost exclusively use it as a phone (I don't browse the Net, use any of the included apps except the alarm and the phone), I still like it. Like I wrote ealier, it's too small to do RD on it, but as a phone, I have no complain. The battery holds up for ~3 days, so I don't have to charge it every night. So far, it survived one involuntary fall on concrete and it doesn't have any scratch. The single drawback I can think of is that I'm unable to configure it to connect to our Exchange 2010 server at work. All the other smart phones, I can (Samsung Galaxy 3/4/5, iPhone 4/5/6), but not this one.

The Nexus 5 is certainly a much higher-end model, but I doubt it is as robust as the Moto G. It's also probably much more expensive (like twice the price). It's a matter of priorities and a smart phone isn't one of mine, so the Moto G fits the bill for me.

 

[sedrosken]

I'm looking into picking up one of these from amazon because they're currently very cheap (less than forty dollars on amazon ATM) and my birthday is quickly approaching. I've recently migrated to a CM11-ified Droid X for my phone -- but it is very clearly showing its age and some oddities with the OS include the extremely frustrating quirk of randomly rebooting when under heavy load. Normally this would indicate some conflict in overclocking, but my phone is not overclocked at all.

As a plus, Verizon's no-contract 4G (non-LTE) plans are the same price as the 3G ones, so by upgrading I'm not going to bring about an insane monthly price. Dad's kind of bummed that I want to get a new phone so quickly, but I figure I can give him my working Droid X (his is somewhat defective as the home button refuses to function at all) after I get the Moto G. For what he will be using it for, it should not give him any problems at all -- I'm using it for an all-purpose Android device as well as a phone. For that purpose, the small screen of the Droid X is not up to the task, so he uses his (also rapidly aging) Insignia Flex tablet with Android.