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Samsung Galaxy S III (new flagship Android phone from Samsung)

C

Cr0wn0

Member
Did any of you buy the GS3 coming from an iPhone? How has the experience been? My last Android phone was a G1 but I do have a Kindle fire that I have rooted and put ICS on. My experience with that has been really positive. How do you guys like the camera on the S3?
 
M

MrOogieBoogie

BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
So I just got the phone (my first smart phone), and I'm trying to figure it all out.

Are there some essential tips/tricks I should know about to enhance my experience (be it streamlining certain processes, saving power/data, strengthening security, etc.)?
 
M

MrOogieBoogie

BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
Okay, thanks! If anyone can think of anything else, please let me know.

Couple questions of my own:

1) I want to go full cyberpunk with my phone. If you were me, what would you do? Any cool wallpaper/backgrounds or stylistic integration you'd suggest? Where to look?

2) How the heck do I set up voicemail? :p
 
H

Haxxor

Member
MrOogieBoogie said:
So I just got the phone (my first smart phone), and I'm trying to figure it all out.

Are there some essential tips/tricks I should know about to enhance my experience (be it streamlining certain processes, saving power/data, strengthening security, etc.)?
Click to expand...

I could give you some recommended apps that I myself use, here:

Google and Battle net authenticator - Google one is a must if you are using Google (and you should) and the Battle net one is ofc if you are using Battle net

Also if you are a Steam user and do not want to miss any of the sales or anything, use the Steam app.

Air Droid - manage your phone from the browser

ICS Browser - although I also use the stock browser, Chrome and Firefox I prefer ICS. It has the quick controls as standard (which you can enable on the stock browser in settings>Labs>Qucik controls) but they work much better in ICS.

Mighty text - An absolute must have, you could do this with Air Droid, but this is more lightweight and fast. Essentially lets you send and receive SMS from the browser.

Astrid - to do list app

Audible and Kindle - great apps for audiobooks and e-books

Swiftkey 3 - awesome keyboard replacement, as I do not like the build in one... but it's a matter of taste, try it out first.

Tasker - Is an absolute must, but is also a batter hog. The app basically lets you automate tasks on the phone. I have yet to properly set it up on the S3 but I used it primarily to auto mute the phone mon-fri from 22:00 - 06:00, to ask me what audio app to start when connected to headphones and auto lower the volume of the audio to 40%.

You can of course do much more but it's not as easy and straightforward as one would hope, but there is help to be found on the net.

Tapatalk - if you are a forum monkey and the forums do not have a UI adjusted for phone browsing.

U torrent remote - A must if you use U torrent and would like to control it from your phone.

Catch note pad - a good notepad :p

Unified remote - a good remote app to control various things on your PC. I primarily use it to control Spotify from another room.

Handscent sms - if you want some more control to your SMS:ing. I use it for delayed SMS sending.

If you keep loosing your phone in the house or at work, having it on mute, then Where is my Android will remedy that.

This isn't really necessary as you are new to the phone, but if you get anyone with touchwiz you can try Nova Launcher. I like it as it adds some functionality that for some strange reason is missing from TW, like putting 2 apps on each other to create a folder or having every home screen use a different background and most important for me, giving you the ability to change name and icon of all the apps.

And if you happen to find a lot of stuff but don't know what they are called, Google Googles might help remedy that.

Oh and a tip, if you do not have free internet (ie you pay for what you surf) make sure that dropbox and other apps do not send pictures/videos over 2g/3g, as I think the standard setting are to send everything to photo/record.

Also make sure to set your LAN settings on always awake (no power saving there) and go through the movement (i thinks it's called that in english) in your settings, to try out the movement commands you want/can use and when you can. If you find them not all that useful then turn them off to save battery.

You can also save battery by turning of the 2xtap on home button for S-voice.

Oh and make sure to update the phone :p

Well that is all i could think of, hope you found something useful.
 
E

EightBitNate

Member
Is there something I need to look past to want this phone? At first, the design seemed revolting, but I'm slowly warming up to it. I'm on T-Mobile US right now, so I'm pretty much left with this phone on the One S. Is there anyone here who hates the look of the phone but loves everything else?
 
H

Haxxor

Member
EightBitNate said:
Is there something I need to look past to want this phone? At first, the design seemed revolting, but I'm slowly warming up to it. I'm on T-Mobile US right now, so I'm pretty much left with this phone on the One S. Is there anyone here who hates the look of the phone but loves everything else?
Click to expand...

I would say that TouchWiz is the worst thing with the phone, but most of it is fixed by replacing the launcher ord you could root the phone.

But ofc if you don't feel the need to customize everything the phone is great as it is.
 
Y

Yaboosh

Super Sleuth
Haxxor said:
I would say that TouchWiz is the worst thing with the phone, but most of it is fixed by replacing the launcher ord you could root the phone.

But ofc if you don't feel the need to customize everything the phone is great as it is.
Click to expand...


The notification shade is pretty damn bad.

Is there a CM9 rom out for this guy yet?

What is everybody's preferred method of rooting this guy? The toolkit from XDA?
 
B

blainethemono

Member
Yaboosh said:
The notification shade is pretty damn bad.

Is there a CM9 rom out for this guy yet?

What is everybody's preferred method of rooting this guy? The toolkit from XDA?
Click to expand...

the files from the toolkit are slightly outdated i think, unless its been updated. if you dont use the newer root from recovery zip, i think the new OTA updates will cause your phone to write over CWM when it boots. i'm pretty sure you can still use it though since mostly it just automates the process and you still have to manually use odin, but I just used odin by itself. just use these team epic files instead of the ones provided in the kit:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1743780

there's also more information about OTA updates and how to work around them here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1747560

*actually, i'm wrong about all of this. the tookit files seem to be fine. the notes say the toolkit zip renames the stock recovery restore files, whereas the team epic one just removes them completely. don't know which one is more recent but they both should work. I guess the toolkit zip is actually probably a little better since restoring them would be easier just by renaming them back instead of reflashing a .tar? I used the team epic files though and everything is fine
 
I

I love Kitties

Member
Shadybiz said:
That's cool; we did fool around with that stuff, yes. Made sure that all of my settings were the same as hers; she still had the same issue. Even tried switching channels on the router, with no luck. The rep told her that what she was experiencing was definitely not normal, and the fact that it kept dropping and reacquiring meant that it was eating up battery life, too. Oh well, it'll all be better this afternoon with the new one.
Click to expand...

Update: Thank you Verizon store guy for a problem free swap at the store. He didn't ask any questions. He just gave me a new replacement phone. The verdict: I LOVE this phone. It's so cool, responsive, and awesome. The screen is big and beautiful. My only issue is with the Samsung keyboard. Even with it's stupid predictive text turned off, it's still crappy. This is coming from a girl with small fingers. You'd think I wouldn't have so many problems selecting the correct key. I used to have a Droid 2 because I really like a physical keyboard. These virtual ones are so clumsy for me. However, I downloaded an ICS keyboard from the play store today and I am much happier. The keys are slightly bigger and the word suggestions are on option, not a nuisance. Let the fun begin!!!!
 
A

Antd0403

Neo Member
My phone has been disconnected for only 2 hours and the battery is drained to 66%. The android system is draining my battery (80% of the usage) and I do not know why. I have a lot of the power savings options enabled for the display. What else should I do?

Edit: Now my android system is responsible 80% of the usage. When clicking on the info I see that it has a CPU Total of 2h 7m55s. My dad has the same phone which has been on for 5 hours at 70% battery and his CPU Total is only 5m 55s. My CPU foreground is also 1m 19s, while his is 13s.
 
H

Haxxor

Member
Antd0403 said:
My phone has been disconnected for only 2 hours and the battery is drained to 66%. The android system is draining my battery (80% of the usage) and I do not know why. I have a lot of the power savings options enabled for the display. What else should I do?

Edit: Now my android system is responsible 80% of the usage. When clicking on the info I see that it has a CPU Total of 2h 7m55s. My dad has the same phone which has been on for 5 hours at 70% battery and his CPU Total is only 5m 55s. My CPU foreground is also 1m 19s, while his is 13s.
Click to expand...

Have you got any downloads in the background going on? Dropbox, Drive, RSS feeds etc? Could also be you have a faulty battery :(

Oh and on a side note, free coverage of the Olympics through Eurosport for S3 owners ( only for EU, or so methinks ).
 
V

virtuoso88

Member
I love Kitties said:
Update: Thank you Verizon store guy for a problem free swap at the store. He didn't ask any questions. He just gave me a new replacement phone. The verdict: I LOVE this phone. It's so cool, responsive, and awesome. The screen is big and beautiful. My only issue is with the Samsung keyboard. Even with it's stupid predictive text turned off, it's still crappy. This is coming from a girl with small fingers. You'd think I wouldn't have so many problems selecting the correct key. I used to have a Droid 2 because I really like a physical keyboard. These virtual ones are so clumsy for me. However, I downloaded an ICS keyboard from the play store today and I am much happier. The keys are slightly bigger and the word suggestions are on option, not a nuisance. Let the fun begin!!!!
Click to expand...

Try Swiftkey or Swype (beta.swype.com).
 
V

vDaedalus

Member
So, what would be the best carrier for this phone? Currently on Sprint but their service is straight ass. Verizon looks hella expensive but I guess the service is worth it? What has been your guys' experience with T-Mobile?

Thanks for the info!
 
R

reKon

Banned
Shadybiz said:
Unless a really big screen that MIGHT make it tough to text is a problem for you, then i don't believe there's anything to talk you out of!
Click to expand...

Do you mean tough to text one handed? It's usually not tough to text at all, especially if you're typing with two hands. There's more real estate on the screen
 
T

tokkun

Member
Has anyone else observed that plugging the device in via USB can cause Windows to change its volume settings for multimedia applications? I have noticed the volume of apps like Media Player Classic and Flash having their volume reduced to match that of the phone.
 
J

jamesinclair

Banned
Copernicus said:
I guess Verizon got shamed into an unlockable boot loaders.

r-will-soon-be-unlocked-via-software-update/[/url]
Click to expand...

Dont EVER listen to anything coming from the online chat people. I'd they tell you their name is bob, that's already a lie, they're the definition of incompetence. The only unlock is for global roaming on the Sim, coming later this year
 
J

jamesinclair

Banned
Just to add, a rep today told a cust that Verizon doesn't sell the iPad 3, just the iPad 2........because she couldn't find a newer iPad in her system.

I still don't understand why people take the untrained words of 18 year old minimum wage reps as the gospel.
 
S

Shadybiz

Member
reKon said:
Do you mean tough to text one handed? It's usually not tough to text at all, especially if you're typing with two hands. There's more real estate on the screen
Click to expand...
Exactly what I meant, yes. For people with regular sized hands, typing in landscape mode is a breeze.
 
M

MarkMclovin

Member
Antd0403 said:
My phone has been disconnected for only 2 hours and the battery is drained to 66%. The android system is draining my battery (80% of the usage) and I do not know why. I have a lot of the power savings options enabled for the display. What else should I do?

Edit: Now my android system is responsible 80% of the usage. When clicking on the info I see that it has a CPU Total of 2h 7m55s. My dad has the same phone which has been on for 5 hours at 70% battery and his CPU Total is only 5m 55s. My CPU foreground is also 1m 19s, while his is 13s.
Click to expand...

When you click on Android System, something in that list is draining it as you shouldn't really have more than a few minutes of CPU time.

Go to XDA and download better battery stats free. That will tell you what process is using CPU and keeping your phone awake.
 
H

HildyB

Member
Cr0wn0 said:
Did any of you buy the GS3 coming from an iPhone? How has the experience been? My last Android phone was a G1 but I do have a Kindle fire that I have rooted and put ICS on. My experience with that has been really positive. How do you guys like the camera on the S3?
Click to expand...

I'm coming from an iPhone 4. It is a bit of culture shock, for sure. I'm loving the S3, but I was ready for a change and the hardware leaks for the iPhone 5 don't impress me all that much. After a week, I picked up my iPhone and it felt like a brick and the screen was so... quaint...

I did end up buying an app for my podcasts just so I could have something that did what the iPhone did out of the box (pause and pick up play via bluetooth in my car) but aside from that my only complaint is I miss some apps. Android had all my essential apps but many of those are a few versions behind the iOS counterparts.

I'm really fiending for Tweetbot, but this upcoming Carbon twitter client might be my final puzzle piece. I do not regret the move so far. I'm looking forward to moving on to rooting.
 
H

HildyB

Member
Rooting and flashing a rom are different things, yes?

Jailbreaking = Rooting. Lets me tool around deeper in the OS and use unsigned software?

Flashing a rom would be like a custom version of iOS on iPhone, right?
 
J

Jerrod

Member
It seems that being on 4G really drains my battery. At night while sleeping (~8 hours) and having the phone always connected to my wi-fi I lose less than 10% battery. However in the morning starting at 100% and going to work when I come home (~9 hours) I've lost about 40% down to 60% remaining. At work I don't make any phone calls with it and only use it once every couple hours if I get a text and I don't do anything else with it.
 
H

hope32

Member
I had the same issue where my battery was draining super fast and thought it was the 4G radio. Then i tried turning off my GPS (still have everything else on) and the battery life is so much better.
 
D

Davidion

Member
HildyB said:
Rooting and flashing a rom are different things, yes?

Jailbreaking = Rooting. Lets me tool around deeper in the OS and use unsigned software?

Flashing a rom would be like a custom version of iOS on iPhone, right?
Click to expand...

Those comparisons are pretty accurate.
 
J

Jerrod

Member
I have everything turned off on my phone (wifi, bluetooth, gps, sync, play store updates only while on wifi, etc.) and use power save mode and get terrible battery life when not on my wifi. I always have 4 out of 5 bars for signal so it could be that it is sort of weak and using more battery to get a better connection but on my Galaxy S 1 I had a slightly worse signal and the battery life didn't drain this much. The only thing using my battery is cell standby (64%).

I'm at work now and since unplugging from the charger at 100% after 3 hours and 16 minutes I'm down to 83%.
 
Zoe

Zoe

Member
^ Is that really terrible? Mine is at 77% after having been up for about that long with nothing disabled, not on WiFi, and a little bit of game play.

I don't really pay attention to it as long as it stays up till I go to bed.
 
Ecto311

Ecto311

Member
PhatSaqs said:
Yeah i'm getting terrible battery life as well. Feels like the damn thing is always on the charger.
Click to expand...

Had the same battery issues. I swapped it since I was in my 30 buyers remorse period and the new one is great. I would try that. Also I heard that Tasker can use a lot of battery. I did have that before but yet to install it here. I wonder if the break in of the new batter has anything to do with it. Since my wife's phone was much better and I just charged mine in full with the last one. This one I just got and played with day one.
 
K

Kyoufu

Member
Jerrod said:
I have everything turned off on my phone (wifi, bluetooth, gps, sync, play store updates only while on wifi, etc.) and use power save mode and get terrible battery life when not on my wifi. I always have 4 out of 5 bars for signal so it could be that it is sort of weak and using more battery to get a better connection but on my Galaxy S 1 I had a slightly worse signal and the battery life didn't drain this much. The only thing using my battery is cell standby (64%).

I'm at work now and since unplugging from the charger at 100% after 3 hours and 16 minutes I'm down to 83%.
Click to expand...

Are you using the phone or is it on standby?

I lose 7-10% over 8 hours with wifi on overnight when I'm sleeping.
 
A

AndyD

aka andydumi
Kyoufu said:
Are you using the phone or is it on standby?

I lose 7-10% over 8 hours with wifi on overnight when I'm sleeping.
Click to expand...

I lose about 1% per hour at night on Wifi. The usage varies between 15-30 mA per second, so it's about right I think.
 
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