4G Android phone megathread

[SeoulSoxFan]

Reporting from Seoul (literally). 
 
G4 will have a lot of built-in health and life related features, like bio rhythm checker, heartbeat monitor, etc. Rumor has it Sammy's going for an "all-lifestyle" type device where a series of built-in functionality will be added with each upgrade, not just the hardware changes. 
 
This a natural extension from the "notes" / pen concept. It's thinking big - trying to move beyond a simple cycles-based competitive advantage. 

 

[jayhoz]

Reporting from Seoul (literally). 
 
G4 will have a lot of built-in health and life related features, like bio rhythm checker, heartbeat monitor, etc. Rumor has it Sammy's going for an "all-lifestyle" type device where a series of built-in functionality will be added with each upgrade, not just the hardware changes. 
 
This a natural extension from the "notes" / pen concept. It's thinking big - trying to move beyond a simple cycles-based competitive advantage. 

And I presume they will be launching the associated accessories as well?

 

[jayhoz]

Samsung to broadcast GSIV launch event in Times Square
 
http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/28/samsung-invites-public-to-times-square-galaxy-s-iv-event/

 

[Foulkey Reese]

Reporting from Seoul (literally). 
 
G4 will have a lot of built-in health and life related features, like bio rhythm checker, heartbeat monitor, etc. Rumor has it Sammy's going for an "all-lifestyle" type device where a series of built-in functionality will be added with each upgrade, not just the hardware changes. 
 
This a natural extension from the "notes" / pen concept. It's thinking big - trying to move beyond a simple cycles-based competitive advantage. 

Hopefully I'll be able to root and uninstall all of that stuff.

 

[jayhoz]

Hopefully I'll be able to root and uninstall all of that stuff.

What ROM are you on now?  I'm loving CM10.1.

 

[Foulkey Reese]

What ROM are you on now?  I'm loving CM10.1.

I'm also on CM 10.1 which has been really smooth and fast on my Galaxy Nexus. Battery life is great too. 
 
I love the GN, but it's starting to show it's age lately so I'm hoping the S4 will be a good replacement. I'm not looking forward to dealing with Touchwiz or what skin they put on it though. 

 

[jayhoz]

I'm also on CM 10.1 which has been really smooth and fast on my Galaxy Nexus. Battery life is great too. 
 
I love the GN, but it's starting to show it's age lately so I'm hoping the S4 will be a good replacement. I'm not looking forward to dealing with Touchwiz or what skin they put on it though. 

I'm going from GSIII to GSIV and can't wait.  And you're right...you have to get touchwiz off the thing as soon as possible.

 

[Foulkey Reese]

Whoa Google is monitoring this thread as we speak
 
 
 

• 
  
  4 user(s) are reading this topic
  2 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users
  Foulkey Reese, Google (2), sonofgodcf

 

[jayhoz]

Whoa Google is monitoring this thread as we speak
 
 
 

• 4 user(s) are reading this topic
  2 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users
  Foulkey Reese, Google (2), sonofgodcf

We're all gonna get scroogled!!  :barf:

 

[zenter]

We're all gonna get scroogled!!  :barf:

 
Hey look, Bing, too!

7 user(s) are reading this topic
2 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users

• zenter, Google (3), MSN/Bing (1), Foulkey Reese

 
The one thing about TouchWiz I love is this simple integrated feature across the phone, contacts, and messaging apps - swipe left to SMS/MMS, swipe right to call. It's intuitive and it ought to be a feature across all of Android. I've been on a CM 10.1 derivative for a couple weeks and it's the only thing I miss.
 
Also, if Sammy integrates a pedometer into the device, I wouldn't complain.

 

[Foulkey Reese]

 
Hey look, Bing, too!
 
The one thing about TouchWiz I love is this simple integrated feature across the phone, contacts, and messaging apps - swipe left to SMS/MMS, swipe right to call. It's intuitive and it ought to be a feature across all of Android. I've been on a CM 10.1 derivative for a couple weeks and it's the only thing I miss.
 
Also, if Sammy integrates a pedometer into the device, I wouldn't complain.

 
Good call on the pedometer, that would be a pretty cool feature. I'm hoping that this phone has some kind of extended battery too. After the Droid Razr Max there's really no excuse to release a smart phone with a battery that can't comfortably get you through a full day. 

 

[Time to Mo Vaughn]

 
Hey look, Bing, too!
 
The one thing about TouchWiz I love is this simple integrated feature across the phone, contacts, and messaging apps - swipe left to SMS/MMS, swipe right to call. It's intuitive and it ought to be a feature across all of Android. I've been on a CM 10.1 derivative for a couple weeks and it's the only thing I miss.
 
Also, if Sammy integrates a pedometer into the device, I wouldn't complain.

 
A pedometer has already been added to Google Now in Android 4.2, so it'd be unnecessary for the S4 to include it other than as part of a suite of other health based apps. S4 will surely be based on 4.2 when it comes out unless there's another major release pending from Google that Samsung is already working with them on, but I'd doubt that.
 
http://www.droid-life.com/2012/11/01/google-now-has-a-built-in-pedometer-tracks-miles-walked-and-biked-from-each-month/

 

[zenter]

A pedometer has already been added to Google Now in Android 4.2, so it'd be unnecessary for the S4 to include it other than as part of a suite of other health based apps. S4 will surely be based on 4.2 when it comes out unless there's another major release pending from Google that Samsung is already working with them on, but I'd doubt that.
 
http://www.droid-life.com/2012/11/01/google-now-has-a-built-in-pedometer-tracks-miles-walked-and-biked-from-each-month/

 
While nice, it's not a (true) pedometer that you can keep checking in to. That card is an integration of "My Tracks" type polling (GPS, Wifi, and cell towers) and occasional sampling of accelerometer activity to try and get at movement. I mean something that works a little more like that tiny thing people attach to their shoes or belts.

 

[jayhoz]

A pedometer has already been added to Google Now in Android 4.2, so it'd be unnecessary for the S4 to include it other than as part of a suite of other health based apps. S4 will surely be based on 4.2 when it comes out unless there's another major release pending from Google that Samsung is already working with them on, but I'd doubt that.
 
http://www.droid-life.com/2012/11/01/google-now-has-a-built-in-pedometer-tracks-miles-walked-and-biked-from-each-month/

Except it doesn't work.  It said I walked 3 miles in a month.  I'm a lazy bastard, but not that lazy.

 

[Time to Mo Vaughn]

Points taken.
 
I assumed it already was some combination of accelerometer along with GPS other data. Considering Google just slipped it in there with an update, it's probably a sign of something larger they're working on to be included in the future or as part of a major release. Certainly seems like an obvious enhancement.

 

[jayhoz]

Anyone use NFC Tags (TecTiles)?  Useful?  Gimmicky?

 

[jayhoz]

Did the most recent update of the chrome mobile browser f up scrolling for anyone else?

 

[Foulkey Reese]

Yea I ended up uninstalling it on my phone and tablet and switching to Dolphin Browser, which is much smoother. The Chrome update totally borked it.

 

[Bunt4aTriple]

I'm due for an upgrade on Verizon and plan to stick with them.  I've been trapped in buggy phone hell for more years than I can count: both iterations of the BB Storm, followed by the Droid 3, which Motorola gave up on the day I bought it.
 
Instead of new and flashy, I'd like something solid, so I'm not really interested in waiting for the SIV or Motorola X.  In looking at the Verizon phones, I'd guess it's between the Droid DNA, RAZR MAXX HD and Galaxy SIII.  Can I assume that these three phones will last 20 months and continue to receive updates for the bulk of that period?  I really like the idea of the Maxx's battery; does that one feature blow away the other two phones?

 

[saintnick912]

Did the most recent update of the chrome mobile browser f up scrolling for anyone else?

It was totally eating my battery too, and making the phone rub super hot. Just terrible to see such a miss on something that should be a showcase app.

While I was annoyed, also rooted, unlocked the bootloader, and installed the Viper XL jelly bean ROM. Seems smoother and cooler so far.

edit: on an HTC One X from AT&T, so I've been annoyed with the delays in the updates also. Amazing that random ROMs are now smoother, more power efficient, and more stable.

 

[jayhoz]

It was totally eating my battery too, and making the phone rub super hot. Just terrible to see such a miss on something that should be a showcase app. While I was annoyed, also rooted, unlocked the bootloader, and installed the Viper XL jelly bean ROM. Seems smoother and cooler so far. edit: on an HTC One X from AT&T, so I've been annoyed with the delays in the updates also. Amazing that random ROMs are now smoother, more power efficient, and more stable.

I Titanium'ed back to the previous version and all is right with the world.

 

[jayhoz]

I'm due for an upgrade on Verizon and plan to stick with them.  I've been trapped in buggy phone hell for more years than I can count: both iterations of the BB Storm, followed by the Droid 3, which Motorola gave up on the day I bought it.
 
Instead of new and flashy, I'd like something solid, so I'm not really interested in waiting for the SIV or Motorola X.  In looking at the Verizon phones, I'd guess it's between the Droid DNA, RAZR MAXX HD and Galaxy SIII.  Can I assume that these three phones will last 20 months and continue to receive updates for the bulk of that period?  I really like the idea of the Maxx's battery; does that one feature blow away the other two phones?

 
 
Unless you really need the battery life I would go with the SIII.  The RAZR is still on ICS although it is due for an update this month.  The Droid DNA has no micro SD slot so you can't expand the memory if needed.
 
I can't speak to the likelihood of future updates from the manufacturers, but there is a robust community of developers for the SIII so if you are willing to root and ROM you should always be able to get the latest and greatest features.

 

[Hextall]

Anyone use NFC Tags (TecTiles)?  Useful?  Gimmicky?

I had a bunch of grand plans to use tags.... bought 10 from tagsfordroid.com, and never use them. I was going to set up some profiles using NFC Launcher and Tasker, but realized that what I wanted to do my phone could do in the background using Tasker... no need to turn on and tap. Things like turn on wifi when at work, bluetooth off, etc.
 
I did intend to set up some tags around my home for when I want to set some timers. I wanted to set up a tag on my washer and dryer so that I could tap my phone and set a timer for when it's done (I"m notorious for leaving laundry in the washer/dryer for days). I planned on doing a similar setup for water I make for my saltwater fish tank. I couldn't figure out how to set a timer/alarm for 40 minutes from the "tap"... but honestly didn't look very hard.
 
I thought about a tag in or on the sleeve I put my phone in for running to open and start runkeeper and some music. Similar on my bike... but just never got around to it.
 
There's a thread on XDA about NFC uses/hacking that might have some useful things to do:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1606

 

[Time to Mo Vaughn]

I'm due for an upgrade on Verizon and plan to stick with them.  I've been trapped in buggy phone hell for more years than I can count: both iterations of the BB Storm, followed by the Droid 3, which Motorola gave up on the day I bought it.
 
Instead of new and flashy, I'd like something solid, so I'm not really interested in waiting for the SIV or Motorola X.  In looking at the Verizon phones, I'd guess it's between the Droid DNA, RAZR MAXX HD and Galaxy SIII.  Can I assume that these three phones will last 20 months and continue to receive updates for the bulk of that period?  I really like the idea of the Maxx's battery; does that one feature blow away the other two phones?

 
I'd wait and go with the S4. It's on the very near horizon given the press conference is in 10 days. Samsung is the only one selling volumes of phone to rival Apple, and for the most part since the S2, their phones have been rock solid. That's by far the device most likely to receive attention and updates for the next 20 months. Given the S3 is almost a year old, I think they'll keep updating it for the next 12-14 months, but I wouldn't have much confidence in them going beyond that.
 
The Motorola X is still vaporware at this point with Google's CFO even saying that they don't have anything immediately coming out that's a 'Game Changer'.

 

[saintnick912]

I agree that going for the S3 now or waiting for the S4 is the way to go.  It will probably be 2-3 months before the S4 rolls out to US carriers given their history, and it will probably cost you a premium of about $100 over the S3 to get the better hardware and year of updates.  When both are available I generally advise that it's worth it, when there is a wait, you decide if it's worth it.
 
The other two listed were pretty opposite extremes.  The Razr Maxx opts to be heavier in return for much longer battery life.  The Galaxy Note II is the only rival in that department that I've heard of.  The DNA goes exactly the opposite way and juices the specs, especially screen, at the expense of heat and battery life.  I'd say the 1080p isn't really worth the tradeoff in a 4-5" form factor.  Both are very specialty/fringe devices, and I wouldn't trust either to get updated regularly, though it's pretty well a crapshoot at this point as to which phones/carriers get support.  The track record of the Galaxy S2 is promising for the S3/4 though.

 

[jayhoz]

Rumored specs for the SIV
 

 

[Foulkey Reese]

I hope it comes in black, and I hope they ditch the physical home button.

 

[zenter]

Rumored specs for the SIV

 
I'm reading this as the Exynos Octa - 4 low-power A7 cores, and 4 high-power A15 cores. It's still unclear whether this is a 4-core GPU or 8-core. The 544 comes in both flavors, IIRC. Assuming the OS is well-optimized, you could see some power savings sleep and low-intensity modes thanks to the A7s.
 
 
 

I hope it comes in black, and I hope they ditch the physical home button.

 
I have an S2 without a physical home button and I sometimes wish it had one. But it's not a deal-breaker either way for me.

 

[Time to Mo Vaughn]

I hope it comes in black, and I hope they ditch the physical home button.

 Rumor I heard was black and white would be the two launch colors.
 
Also if that screenshot that Jayhoz posted is real, that would seem to indicate to me that lack of a physical button as they have the soft buttons on the screen. In this S3 they essentially overrode this with their Physical home and capacitive buttons just off the screen.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

I hope it comes in black, and I hope they ditch the physical home button.

yes and yes - Also wish they'd bring back the capacitive search button.

 

[Orange Julia]

Is there any workaround with Facebook on the phone or tablet, specifically that i cannot get it out of "top news" in my timeline, rather than "recent news" And I find that really maddening.

 

[Dollar]

That annoys me too.  What usually works is opening up the toolbar in the top left, then selecting the gear icon next to "News Feed", then clicking on "Most Recent."  Unfortunately I have to do that every time I open the app.
 
Apparently others agree, here's a breakdown of the above steps:  http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57545360-285/where-to-find-facebooks-most-recent-feed-in-latest-ios-update/

 

[Orange Julia]

Oh, thanks Dollar. that is awesome. I never noticed that little gear thingy before. you have made my day!

 

[Fratboy]

RAZR and RAZR MAXX (non HD varieties) are getting Jellybean today.

 

[Huntington Avenue Grounds]

RAZR and RAZR MAXX (non HD varieties) are getting Jellybean today.

 
Anyone get it yet? Nothing on my MAXX so far, wearing out the "check for updates" button to see if it's posted.  

 

[Fratboy]

I updated early this afternoon manually:
 
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/03/07/download-official-droid-razr-jelly-bean-update-98-72-16-for-those-on-ice-cream-sandwich-6-16-211/
 
Flawless, and give yourself about 30 minutes. It will consume about 2% of your battery life too, if you're on the MAXX.
 
You have to be stock, but this works. JB is slick on this puppy. You'll see improved memory management, faster processing, and texts are displayed much, much better. I'm digging this big time so far.

 

[Foulkey Reese]

Android has come a long way

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_avwGFsv60U&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Edit: Can't embed this for the life of me

 

[PC Drunken Friar]

I am having a weird but serious issue with my Galaxy S3.  My power button doesn't really work. usually i short hit it to turn the screen black and lock it, but this doesn't happen anymore.  If I long touch it, it doesn't always go to power off screen.
 
Also, if I do shut it off, even "off", it does this small vibrate thing every like 5 seconds...anyone seen this happen before?

 

[Orange Julia]

Does anyone know why I have to reset my default keyboard every time i reboot my phone (SGIII) It seems it happened after the last OTA upgrade, maybe. Anyone else having that problem? I use Swiftkey and it keeps defaulting to the samsung keyboard.

 

[zenter]

Does anyone know why I have to reset my default keyboard every time i reboot my phone (SGIII) It seems it happened after the last OTA upgrade, maybe. Anyone else having that problem? I use Swiftkey and it keeps defaulting to the samsung keyboard.

 
Seems to be a common problem related to 4.1.x updates.

 

[Foulkey Reese]

Samsung Galaxy S4 event tonight at 7.
 
Barring any big disappointments, this will be my next phone. 

 

[Time to Mo Vaughn]

There's a live stream available on Youtube for anyone interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IDXILsX7_QI#!

 

[Foulkey Reese]

That's a lot of tap dancing.

 

[jayhoz]

There's a live stream available on Youtube for anyone interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IDXILsX7_QI#!

"This video is not available on mobile"

Lolz

 

[Marbleheader]

I'm getting pretty fed up with the battery life and other issues with the Rezound (Verizon). I still have 8 months before the contract is up. Anyone have tips for buying a used phone? I know I need a clean ESN, etc., but what are the best used phones that are a good value now, where is the best place to buy, etc?

 

[behindthepen]

so in my mind there are 2 meaningful upgrades to the S3 from the S4:
-screen bigger from 4.8" to 5", within the same form factor.
-faster processor.
 
The first point is pretty cool, a bigger screen in the same form factor with actually less weight.
 
The second is a little squishier though. I assume the US phones will get the Snapdragon processor since it will have a better integrated LTE experience, and the Exyonos will be for markets where LTE doesn't matter for now. Plus I don't think we have a good picture as to how much performance/power consumption changes with the upgrade to the Snapdragon 600 or the Exyons Octa yet. All the other stuff is neat incremental upgrades, but I suspect much of it will be available to be upgraded to the S3 eventually, asusming the processor can handle it.

 

[jayhoz]

I thought the IR blaster idea was pretty cool.  I reserve the right to revise my opinion if/when I realize it's much easier to just use my Harmony remote.

 

[Time to Mo Vaughn]

so in my mind there are 2 meaningful upgrades to the S3 from the S4:
-screen bigger from 4.8" to 5", within the same form factor.
-faster processor.

 
This is just strange to me, a 4% increase in screen size is important, but the resolution leap doesn't matter?
 
And you don't think a ~25% increase in battery size while the device has become slightly smaller and lighter is important?

 

[JerBear]

The S4 just makes me more mad that Verizon isn't getting the HTC One.  
 
Maybe I'm just an HTC fanboy though.

 

[Foulkey Reese]

The S4 just makes me more mad that Verizon isn't getting the HTC One.  
 
Maybe I'm just an HTC fanboy though.

I read on one of the blogs that Verizon will in fact get the HTC1 a month or so after everybody else. Can't Google for it now but I swear I saw it.