Pamela H in Texas Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Pamela, You didn't share WHY you detest it. Please share. :) Repost from Other thread: There are some significant differences between Android and iPhone regarding texting and pictures. iPhone is better. I realize that technically, Droid is supposedly better. The camera is "better" for example. Well, better means CR@P to me when I can't take a nice picture, easily do what I want to with it, etc. I absolutely HATE both photo taking and texting/emailing on my Galaxy. Those are the two main things I do with my phone and I just want to do them WELL. As it is, my pictures are blurry and if you can read the text, it is because I spent an extra 60 seconds correcting every other word. JMO. I don't care about any of the rest (though I do prefer a BIG screen). ETA: Hey, since I'm venting about my phone (SGIII), I think I'll keep going :) The battery life stinks in relation to how my iphone 4 was. Additionally, 1/3 of the time, if I don't turn off the wi-fi/data overnight (the fix I was told to use), my phone, even with a FULL battery, won't make it through the night. The music player is an issue for me also. The thing takes it sweet time to open up when it wants to. Supposedly there is nothing wrong with it. Well, that is even worse, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 The stargazer app is like a star map, you point it at the sky and it tells you the names of the constellations and other sky features in that area I use Sky Map, but there are a more than I can keep track of. The phone is like a all-in-one gadget. It does almost everything but open a bottle of wine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna in Texas Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I use Sky Map, but there are a more than I can keep track of. The phone is like a all-in-one gadget. It does almost everything but open a bottle of wine. There might be a case for that. :p I know they have a bottle opener one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 If you can read the text, it is because I spent an extra 60 seconds correcting every other word. I can't help you with the camera; I've had no issues with mine. However, you can get a new keyboard. The Samsung default keyboard is the worst I've ever used (even worse than the one on DH's iPhone). The Google keyboard is free, and better than the Samsung keyboard. Swiftkey is my favourite, many like Swype. Google Keyboard: https://play.google....putmethod.latin ETA: Hey, since I'm venting about my phone (SGIII), I think I'll keep going :) The battery life stinks in relation to how my iphone 4 was. Additionally, 1/3 of the time, if I don't turn off the wi-fi/data overnight (the fix I was told to use), my phone, even with a FULL battery, won't make it through the night. Something isn't right there. There must be an app eating up your battery. Have you looked at the battery usage by app in the settings? Take it off the charge at bedtime and check it first thing in the morning to get an idea what's going on. The music player is an issue for me also.The thing takes it sweet time to open up when it wants to. Supposedly there is nothing wrong with it. Well, that is even worse, IMO. Are you using the Samsung player? Or something else? Streaming or playing music on your phone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I have a Galaxy S3 and love it. I prefer the screen size and how thin it is compared to our previous HTC and Motorola phones. Phone calls are clear, with very few dropped calls. It transfers seamlessly from 4G LTE to my wireless connection at home. It loads website pages fast and does not randomly shut down. I do get annoyed with some of the changes that occur when they issue updates (Verizon), but the changes are pretty minor. Both camera and video are are very good for my needs. I do not use all of the bells and whistles on the S3, and am perfectly haply with it. If I were given the option to get the S3 free or the S4 for $200+, I would choose the S3. Oh, and battery life is excellent. My husband is constantly having to charge his phone. I rarely have to think about it. I just plug it in when it is convenient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 Thanks everyone. Besroma, Pamela and others, I like your descriptions of why you do/do not like certain features. It helps me think through this whole process. Nmoira, do you mean you can change/download an app for a different keyboard? OK, if this is so, I'm waaaaaaaaaay out of the loop and need a crash course for beginners to learn even the basics about smartphones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Nmoira, do you mean you can change/download an app for a different keyboard? OK, if this is so, I'm waaaaaaaaaay out of the loop and need a crash course for beginners to learn even the basics about smartphones. In Android, yes. Not in iOS. If you don't like the default keyboard, SMS program, mail client, whatever, there are 3rd party alternatives at the Play Store. I use SwiftKey keyboard, HandCent SMS for texting, and the Google Gmail client. I use Google Calendar, but instead of the Google app I use the Touch Calendar interface because I love the widget. [iOS drives me batty because of the lack of widgets.] This is a sample from the Touch Calendar developer's site, and so it not my colour scheme :D but I have a similarly sized widget set up on one of my screens. It lets me view my upcoming calendar at a glance, and a tap brings up the calendar app itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Nmoira, do you mean you can change/download an app for a different keyboard? OK, if this is so, I'm waaaaaaaaaay out of the loop and need a crash course for beginners to learn even the basics about smartphones. Yes, I use the Swype keyboard and I find that I can Swype as fast as I can hand write, I may even be faster. The way Swype works is instead of pecking each letter in a word you swipe from letter to letter in a word. It automatically adds spaces and like Swiftkey it starts to guess words. However, I found that I am terrible at keeping an eye on the guessing part so Swiftkey was not a great choice for me. Almost all "basic" functions on Android have other app versions available. Google even has an upgraded calendar out there which I like, but I've been using Business Calendar for two years so I've stuck with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 nmoira, all I can say is WOW! to me a smartph needs to hold up to it's name and I would find myself definitely using this calendar. I like to be organized. truly, where/how can I learn all there is about smartph? Or, at least more? words even like apps, widgets are new to me. I feel like I need to go back to learn the basics and progress from there. any suggestions. candid, thanks for sharing. it's tips like these that help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 nmoira, They said that the issue was that the phone will search for a tower. I'm not sure why as I can use my wi-fi out in my driveway easily (my bed is directly between modem and driveway). It did solve the problem though. I am more careful about completely shutting things down since my battery life stinks. I will say that my phone is faster and switches easier/faster as mentioned above (the rest of my family has iphones). And I can hear my phone better than I could hear the iphone (without my hearing aids which I really should just wear). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dahliarw Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I have an s3 and no issue with battery. If I'm watching Netflix all day, have email set to autosync frequently, and leave my wifi on when I'm not home sometimes the battery is down to the last 15% by the end of the day. But most days it's still in the "green" and just fine. But I did disable autosync for my email (I sync it when I go to check it) and I have it set to only update apps over wifi and such. You may just need to tweak things that run automatically and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakblossoms Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Everyone I know with an iPhone is happy and don't have to replace their phones. Everyone else I know have issues or their phones fall apart. I put an otter box on my iPhone and it works great. It is really easy to understand, as well. My husband has to relearn every time he gets a new phone. I think he is on his third phone since I have had mine. I have a 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 nmoira, They said that the issue was that the phone will search for a tower. I'm not sure why as I can use my wi-fi out in my driveway easily (my bed is directly between modem and driveway). My husband has this problem with his AT&T iPhone in our home, which is in something of an AT&T dead zone. (I'm with Verizon and my coverage is fine.) It's probably not data, but rather the cell radio connection as the phone uses far more energy where there is weaker cell coverage, even when you're not using the phone. There might be an area in your house where you have higher bars. DH usually leaves his phone in our dining room where he gets two bars instead of one. :) This will vary a bit from phone to phone: Motorola phones have traditionally had the best radios, bar none. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 nmoira, all I can say is WOW! to me a smartph needs to hold up to it's name and I would find myself definitely using this calendar. The pic I posted is just a widget for and app that acts as an interface for Google Calendar (there is also a Google Calendar app). You don't even need a smartphone to use Google Calendar; it's accessible from all platforms, desktop or mobile. https://www.google.com/calendar/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 My husband has this problem with his AT&T iPhone in our home, which is in something of an AT&T dead zone. (I'm with Verizon and my coverage is fine.) It's probably not data, but rather the cell radio connection as the phone uses far more energy where there is weaker cell coverage, even when you're not using the phone. There might be an area in your house where you have higher bars. DH usually leaves his phone in our dining room where he gets two bars instead of one. :) This will vary a bit from phone to phone: Motorola phones have traditionally had the best radios, bar none. I agree with this. We had problems for years and then finally I figured out that other people had a signal at our house and I started asking them their carrier. We switched from AT&T to Verizon and have had fine reception since. This doesn't mean this will work in the same direction for everyone else, it just means it's a very local issue and you need to figure out who has the best coverage for your house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 nmoira, that is true - the battery gets zapped more easily the weaker the coverage. also, at least on my phone (not smart LOL) using my speakerphone "seems" to use more battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 I agree with this. We had problems for years and then finally I figured out that other people had a signal at our house and I started asking them their carrier. We switched from AT&T to Verizon and have had fine reception since. This doesn't mean this will work in the same direction for everyone else, it just means its a very local issue and you need to figure out who has the best coverage for your house. we used to have att and for last 10-15 years we've had Vz. It is my understanding that Vz has the "corner market" on the greatest amt. of coverage. Is this right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 we used to have att and for last 10-15 years we've had Vz. It is my understanding that Vz has the "corner market" on the greatest amt. of coverage. Is this right? From what I know, yes. We've had Verizon for years and the reception/signal strength is excellent. I belong to a very large RV'ing board--people who constantly travel all over the U.S. and Canada--and the overwhelming consensus is that Verizon has the best coverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 we used to have att and for last 10-15 years we've had Vz. It is my understanding that Vz has the "corner market" on the greatest amt. of coverage. Is this right? Generally speaking yes, but it does depend on your location. AT&T has been playing catchup, particularly in bigger cities. However, DH has noticed great improvement in his coverage over the last two years (his phone is from work, so he has no choice but AT&T), except at home. I can't remember the last time I was talking with him that a call was dropped, and this used to be a frequent occurrence (a combination of AT&T coverage and an older iPhone prone to dropped calls). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 Generally speaking yes, but it does depend on your location. AT&T has been playing catchup, particularly in bigger cities. However, DH has noticed great improvement in his coverage over the last two years (his phone is from work, so he has no choice but AT&T), except at home. I can't remember the last time I was talking with him that a call was dropped, and this used to be a frequent occurrence (a combination of AT&T coverage and and older iPhone prone to dropped calls). First, Pawz4me, thanks for your reply. nm- we used to have att (about 10-15 years ago, before we switched to vz and we, too, had many dropped calls. glad to hear they are catching up. i'm going to have to reread this thread a few times. i know we are staying with vz b/c they gave their long-standing customers a "deal" (dunno though). DH never had a cell phone until his work gave him one a couple of years ago - paid for plan and phone was an older model and pre-used, but it still worked and accomplished the mission. That phone died and his company is changing their policy a bit, so he bought his phone = his first phone and a smartphone at that and his company is paying for "part" of the monthly fees. He chose Vz. b/c my cell phone is Vz. OK nmoira and/or others, please enlighten me - how do I go about learning little specific details/terminology, etc for my upcoming {probably) smartphone buy? You'd think I'd know more about smartphones with this thread and I do, but I feel like I need to go back to the drawing board and learn the basics so I'll understand what y'all have been talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 we used to have att and for last 10-15 years we've had Vz. It is my understanding that Vz has the "corner market" on the greatest amt. of coverage. Is this right? Might be, but it doesn't matter if Verizon coverage of your home is weak. You have to test it out. Find some friends with different carriers and have them come to your house for a speed party. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 OP, we ended up purchasing our phones yesterday. We went with the Galaxy S4 and the Note 2. We were going to get iPhones but were informed we cannot use wi-fi to make/receive calls at home with them. The androids allow us to do so and since coverage with every carrier is bad at our house this was a big issue. I haven't noticed any issue with apps (not being as many as Apple) yet and it hasn't been as hard to learn as I thought. The only thing I have to figure out now is music. Everything is on iTunes and I'm not sure how to handle any of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 OP, we ended up purchasing our phones yesterday. We went with the Galaxy S4 and the Note 2. We were going to get iPhones but were informed we cannot use wi-fi to make/receive calls at home with them. The androids allow us to do so and since coverage with every carrier is bad at our house this was a big issue. I haven't noticed any issue with apps (not being as many as Apple) yet and it hasn't been as hard to learn as I thought. The only thing I have to figure out now is music. Everything is on iTunes and I'm not sure how to handle any of that. You can upload up to 20,000 tracks from iTunes (or wherever) into Google Play Music for free (they have song match, so it tends to go quickly... Let it work overnight). It's a good idea to have your music in more than one place anyway. If you make new purchases from iTunes, you can keep those synced as well. You have macs at home? There's a desktop app you can download from Google. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 I just wanted to add that I now absolutely love Google Play Music. Thank you, nmoira!! It was the easiest thing ever, which was really nice since even after years of use I still struggle with iTunes. Quick question for those with a Galaxy S4 or similar. When I connect the usb to the computer it is not picking it up as a device. Like, when I would connect my other phones I could download pictures and stuff. I downloaded the usb thing from Samsung, but nothing. Help, please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Based on this thread I traded in my old smartphone for a Samsung Galaxy 3 this week. I love it! It's a great phone and it looks awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 I just wanted to add that I now absolutely love Google Play Music. Thank you, nmoira!! It was the easiest thing ever, which was really nice since even after years of use I still struggle with iTunes. I'd rather cut off a limb than ever deal with iTunes again. Or the latest iteration of Apple's cloud (I've been through .Mac/dotMac, Mobile Me, and now iCloud... and they just don't learn). I don't know if you're interested in something like this, but the Google Play All Access is $7.99 a month rather than $9.99 for users who sign up for a free month's trial by tomorrow. I've spent much of the last month making playlists of songs and albums I never could have hoped to have owned (and adding them directly to my library). Today is funk day... reveling in P-funk and Sly & the Family Stone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Quick question for those with a Galaxy S4 or similar. When I connect the usb to the computer it is not picking it up as a device. Like, when I would connect my other phones I could download pictures and stuff. I downloaded the usb thing from Samsung, but nothing. Help, please! You might find something here, or in another thread at this same forum. Android Central forums are a nice blend of expert and non-expert, and moderated. :) http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s4/274684-connecting-s4-mac.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 What is this? Can you download the music or just listen to it while you are a member? Can it be shared between devices (one account for a Nexus 7 tablet and an S3?) Dawn I'd rather cut off a limb than ever deal with iTunes again. Or the latest iteration of Apple's cloud (I've been through .Mac/dotMac, Mobile Me, and now iCloud... and they just don't learn). I don't know if you're interested in something like this, but the Google Play All Access is $7.99 a month rather than $9.99 for users who sign up for a free month's trial by tomorrow. I've spent much of the last month making playlists of songs and albums I never could have hoped to have owned (and adding them directly to my library). Today is funk day... reveling in P-funk and Sly & the Family Stone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 I have a Galaxy S3 and love it. I prefer the screen size and how thin it is compared to our previous HTC and Motorola phones. Phone calls are clear, with very few dropped calls. It transfers seamlessly from 4G LTE to my wireless connection at home. It loads website pages fast and does not randomly shut down. I do get annoyed with some of the changes that occur when they issue updates (Verizon), but the changes are pretty minor. Both camera and video are are very good for my needs. I do not use all of the bells and whistles on the S3, and am perfectly haply with it. If I were given the option to get the S3 free or the S4 for $200+, I would choose the S3. Oh, and battery life is excellent. My husband is constantly having to charge his phone. I rarely have to think about it. I just plug it in when it is convenient. Weird. I can go 2 or 3 days without having to think about charging my iPhone 4S. DH has Galaxy S3 - and has to charge once or twice per day with his regular use, and even more when the kids get it and start playing games. I'm an Apple snob now, so I LOVE my iPhone. DH likes his Galaxy - I loathe it. If DH is driving and asks me to do something on his phone, I damn near end up throwing the dang thing right out the window every time. It's such a PITA to use, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Tonight we were driving back from a concert and made a wrong turn into a series of detours. I asked Google Now "How do I get home?" and it took me right into Nav, coordinates already set. I'm turning into a talk-to-my-phone person. Gah! Later I asked it to "Show me my cat," joking to DH that this only brings up random cat pictures from the web. This time it brought up pictures (from Picasa Web albums) of all my cats from the last 15 years, none of which were ever tagged as "cat." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 What is this? Can you download the music or just listen to it while you are a member? Can it be shared between devices (one account for a Nexus 7 tablet and an S3?) Dawn You can listen to anything they have on multiple devices while you're a member, but you can only stream to one device at a time. It will allow you to download content, "pin" it, to your device, but I don't know if you can listen to pinned music while another device is streaming or playing pinned music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 We are thinking about smart phones as well and we have Verizon. I have question about smart phones in general. Can they be set up to be used like a hotspot so that I can use the internet on my computer if we are somewhere without internet service Right now we have a hotspot and we spend a fair amount of time in hotels while dh is working and often times the internet is bad. It is only $10 a month more to have to smart phones that to have a 1 smartphone and a hotspot. Dh is going to get a smart phone for work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Can they be set up to be used like a hotspot Yes, with both iPhones and Android phones, but you have to watch your data usage. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Yes, with both iPhones and Android phones, but you have to watch your data usage. :) Is there an extra charge to use it as a hotspot? Using a hot spot we are used to not downloading movies and only skyping for a little bit each week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Is there an extra charge to use it as a hotspot? Using a hot spot we are used to not downloading movies and only skyping for a little bit each week. Verizon had gone through so many plans schemes if the last two years that I have no idea. I'm grandfathered in under the old unlimited data plan, and so am not eligible for legitimately using my phone as a hotspot. If you're only looking at a single phone instead of a family of multi-device plan, at one point that information want easy to find on the website. I'd suggest calling them to explore all your options, especially if you're considering a single line or a business account. ETA: If your DH isn't self employed, check to see if his company has a deal with Verizon fire employee discounts. We get 22% off phone and data. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantmom Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 I don't really "sync" my smartphone with my computer the way I used to have to sync my Blackberry with the computer. I have it sync stuff automatically, but I don't ever really sit down and plug my phone into the computer (because that is too much work and I am too busy and even if I wanted to I probably couldn't find the cord at the exact moment I needed it :001_smile: ). And with the newer generations of phones, you don't really have to do that much if you don't want to. I use Gmail, and the Google calendar that is inside Gmail, and Drive (which is for documents), and that way I can access any of them on my phone or on my computer at any time, and they are all up to date. My phone can automatically just be constantly syncing everything all day, or, if I want to save on the battery, I turn off the auto sync and just hit the refresh button every now and then or whenever I need to. Also, Verizon does workshops that are online for a lot of different phones that teach you all the basics. Once you pick out a phone and buy one, you can sign up for any of those, and they are free. One thing that I really don't like about my particular phone and using Google products is that I don't have Google tasks straight on the phone, the way the calendar is just seamlessly integrated. There is a third party app that you could download, but to be honest, I am way too protective of my to do list to trust it, and I've read reviews where people couldn't see or access their Tasks for days. I LOVE using Google Tasks on my computer, and if I could access this on my phone directly from my Gmail the way the calendar is in there, I think I would be a thousand times more productive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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