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My Galaxy Nexus died in a horrible freak accident, and SquareTrade ended up sending me a wad of cash to find another phone. Logically, I wanted to take the S3 for a test drive because it's the newest, hottest kid on the block (and I missed not having a MicroSD card).
I picked up my T-Mobile S3 in store today for the full retail price, and walked out excited as I always am to have a new toy in hand. Now, beware, I'm going to say some negative things about this phone, but that is because I want you guys to tell re-assure me that I'll learn to love it, or they'll get fixed etc because I really want to like this phone.
First off, the good things over my dead GNex:
Speed: Holy cow, that Krait CPU is blindingly fast. I knew the GNex was never a rocketship, but I wasn't aware of how slow it was until I played with the S3. Things run like butter, and JB(4.1) is only going to make that more amazing.
Camera: Yeah, the GNex camera sucks. This isn't as amazing as I hoped it would be, but it is nice to have something that instantly looks like crap.
Screen: It is a sweet screen, but I'm not sure if it is better than the GNex. If it is, I don't really see it (and can't compare side by side) and is still in amazing screen.
Now, the things I don't like:
SMS: WHY THE **** does my SCREEN turn on EVERY TIME an SMS comes in??? WHERE IS THE SETTING TO KILL THAT?!
Lockscreen: The "barely touch" to unlock is a joke. (Yes, I know you can replace it)
The body: Man, that blue looks pretty, but holy balls is that phone a pain to hold on to in 90 degree heat. What's the point of making a gorgeous phone that you have to keep in a case?
Build quality: It honestly doesn't feel as "solid" as the gnex, but has anyone had any quality issues with theirs yet?
Bloatware: I thought the Sensation was bad when I bought it, but this phone has so many apps that I never want to use, it's not even funny. I spent the first half hour going through and disabling applications.
Signal Quality: I drive a certain stretch of road that is hell on connections. I've had HTC's, Samsungs, etc drop out. It's just a great place to test radios and phones... Well, this one? Drops as much as the old HTC G2 did, if not more. Absolutely impossible to keep a signal. Now, thinking it was a bad signal day, I popped my micro SIM in an adapter and back into my HD2 and drove the road again... This time? No issue.
Home button: Really? A hard to press, narrow button for the most used button on the phone? I worry about dropping the phone, as it is so light, I have to hold it tightly with one hand to press the button.
So I know this may seem petty, but I'm really hoping you guys can convince me one way or another. Sure, this phone will always be faster than my GNex, but a GNex is half the price, and for me, in many ways feels like a better phone.
Thanks
Another thing I've notice, the screen can't figure out if it wants to be dim or bright. It'll sit there and go from one extreme to the other over a minutes time. Never in the middle.
Is it sounding like I have a defective unit?
I also had a Nexus Prime and I would of kept it if it had an sd card slot and WAY better camera & that's where the S3 comes in. Sure it has bloat and touchwiz isn't the best but AOSP is on its way & with it, improvements. As for build quality, I like it better than the nexus. Signal wise I was have at least 3 bars so I'm happy. I do agree though that the unit gets quite hot sometimes, but overall I love this device
Higher the processor speed the hotter it runs. You could limit the processor speed but you lose the blazing speed.. but I also lose the blazing heat. LOL.
As for the build quality its not bad. It doesn't feel like it'll break when I try to bend the unit. The gorilla glass is pretty strong but its not shatter proof. Don't drop it! Already seen a few shattered screens.
The software issues are just that.. all just software which is easy to change either by using replacement programs like handcent SMS or rooting then replacing the rom or disabling and removing the bloat. All that should matter is the hardware and if you're happy with the performance, look, feel, battery life, and reception.
Sent from my SGH-T999V using xda app-developers app
Yes please but on a screen protector. Dont trust the gorilla glass its bad. they should just take gorilla glass out of the specs for the phone. it doesnt work. i dont care how many youtube videos you watch that says it does.... it doesnt
curtiscr87 said:
Yes please but on a screen protector. Dont trust the gorilla glass its bad. they should just take gorilla glass out of the specs for the phone. it doesnt work. i dont care how many youtube videos you watch that says it does.... it doesnt
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Click to collapse
I've never had issues with scratches on my Gorilla glass, even on my tablet which gets abused in the shop while I'm working on things. Then again, my HD2 never got a scratch either.
franknozly said:
Higher the processor speed the hotter it runs. You could limit the processor speed but you lose the blazing speed.. but I also lose the blazing heat. LOL.
As for the build quality its not bad. It doesn't feel like it'll break when I try to bend the unit. The gorilla glass is pretty strong but its not shatter proof. Don't drop it! Already seen a few shattered screens.
The software issues are just that.. all just software which is easy to change either by using replacement programs like handcent SMS or rooting then replacing the rom or disabling and removing the bloat. All that should matter is the hardware and if you're happy with the performance, look, feel, battery life, and reception.
Sent from my SGH-T999V using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So Handcent can fix the screen on issue? GoSMS so far hasn't been any help.
AttachedSilver said:
I also had a Nexus Prime and I would of kept it if it had an sd card slot and WAY better camera & that's where the S3 comes in. Sure it has bloat and touchwiz isn't the best but AOSP is on its way & with it, improvements. As for build quality, I like it better than the nexus. Signal wise I was have at least 3 bars so I'm happy. I do agree though that the unit gets quite hot sometimes, but overall I love this device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You nailed it, the camera and the MicroSD slot are the two most compelling things about this phone for me.
arthurbrownleeiv said:
I've never had issues with scratches on my Gorilla glass, even on my tablet which gets abused in the shop while I'm working on things. Then again, my HD2 never got a scratch either.
So Handcent can fix the screen on issue? GoSMS so far hasn't been any help.
You nailed it, the camera and the MicroSD slot are the two most compelling things about this phone for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes handcent fixes that screen on issue if you disable popup notifications. That's the kind of notification that shows a dialog box with a quick reply option.
If disabled then the screen doesn't turn on and the SMS stays in the notification area.
Infact you can enable the pop-up notification but choose to disable screen on for pop-ups. That works too.
Sent from my SGH-T999V using xda app-developers app
arthurbrownleeiv said:
Another thing I've notice, the screen can't figure out if it wants to be dim or bright. It'll sit there and go from one extreme to the other over a minutes time. Never in the middle.
Is it sounding like I have a defective unit?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure you don't have the eye/face detection turned on? My screen does that at work (I have mine set on) and even though I'm not directly stairing at it, it picks up my eyes (I have my phone placed below my monitor). Sometimes it bugs me enough just to turn the thing face down.
or maybe it can be the autolight sensor.
:shrug
There's a setting in gosms to turn off the "screen turning on with an sms" option
My major concern is with the home button. What on earth were they thinking?
I'm a firm believer that AOSP on this phone will make it a true winner with the on-screen navigation buttons enabled and the capacitive and physical ones disabled. Maybe we could repurpose the big ol physical one to do something else in the future.
Sent from my Droid Incredible using the XDA app.
franknozly said:
Yes handcent fixes that screen on issue if you disable popup notifications. That's the kind of notification that shows a dialog box with a quick reply option.
If disabled then the screen doesn't turn on and the SMS stays in the notification area.
Infact you can enable the pop-up notification but choose to disable screen on for pop-ups. That works too.
Sent from my SGH-T999V using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll download that one and give it a whirl.
rosedog said:
Are you sure you don't have the eye/face detection turned on? My screen does that at work (I have mine set on) and even though I'm not directly stairing at it, it picks up my eyes (I have my phone placed below my monitor). Sometimes it bugs me enough just to turn the thing face down.
or maybe it can be the autolight sensor.
:shrug
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I turned off a lot of the gesture/motion things right out of the box, as some just didn't seem natural at all. I could never get the whole unlocking motion one to work either. That was annoying for a bit.
Bluerai said:
There's a setting in gosms to turn off the "screen turning on with an sms" option
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll check again, but I'm not finding it.
Div033 said:
My major concern is with the home button. What on earth were they thinking?
I'm a firm believer that AOSP on this phone will make it a true winner with the on-screen navigation buttons enabled and the capacitive and physical ones disabled. Maybe we could repurpose the big ol physical one to do something else in the future.
Sent from my Droid Incredible using the XDA app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The sad thing is, as much as I'd love to have on screen buttons like the Gnex, then we're stuck with that long chin being nonfunctional. I guess it wouldn't be bad if the back and menu button never lit up and were completely disabled. Possible use the home button as a shutter button then? Who knows.
It really does blow my mind how they did a physical button for the home button of all things.
I enjoyed a physical home button on my previous phones. To each his/her own?
Cappurnikus said:
I enjoyed a physical home button on my previous phones. To each his/her own?
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Click to collapse
I loved the ones on the HD2. However, they weren't as difficult to press, and the phone was a lot heavier. It made it so when you pushed them, the phone didn't want to flip out of your hand. The SGS3 is so smooth and lightweight, I don't even try to hit the home button one handed anymore.
Cappurnikus said:
I enjoyed a physical home button on my previous phones. To each his/her own?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although I have a trackpad on the g2 I use it to turn the phone on so I love the home button on the s3 since a lot of times I leave the phone on the desk or table during lectures and stuff and its just convenient to turn the phone on that way but like some said its hard to press without fearing of it falling out of ur hand due to the large size and thinness
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda app-developers app
My home button is very easy to press and it never feels like it'll fall out of my hand while holding it with only one.
thetony said:
My home button is very easy to press and it never feels like it'll fall out of my hand while holding it with only one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you have smaller thumbs? For me, I have a big wide thumb, and I have to press with enough force to make my thumb "go into the recessed" area to completely depress the button.
Got the phone a couple days ago, wanted to share some first impressions as everyone (or most) here has been so helpful.....
1. Screen
One of the major reasons I upgraded. Obviously much sharper, rendering the nytimes in desktop mode is my de facto test and is quite glorious compared to the s3 indeed, though chrome seemed to have difficulty rendering the smaller text. I have the display set to dynamic, auto adapt off, auto correct tone off and the white point with these settings is definitely preferable to the s3. Initially I looked at my s3 and my first thought was, WOAH !, that the s4 screen was way too warm but then I looked at my desktop lcd and realized the s4 screen was very similar to lcd white balance. I guess our brains, or mine at least kind of calibrates to different white sources.
I was a little concerned about the brightness when browsing sites with high APLs (mostly white pages) as Samsung seems to have programmed in a bit of trickery with the auto brightness to save on battery. I can definitely confirm that firefox has a substantially brighter white luminance than either the stock or chrome browsers. Much brighter than I was able to achieve with the s3. It's nice to be able to crank it and hurt your eyes once in a while when your on the couch lol.
Outdoor viewing was surprisingly good considering it's an often used attack on the amoled screens, a notch or two better than my old s3, and that one was no slouch either.
Oh yeah, and the screen is dead black at night, kinda freaky as I feel like the phone if off, the s3 kinda gave me a vague glow in similar conditions.
2. Battery
Yeah, my s3 was giving me problems with this for some reason. I could get 2-3 hrs screen time max. Yesterday I got around 5 with high brightness, mostly wifi, and only a few of the samsung features turned on. Today was a bit more of a mix 80% wifi, 20% 4g, mostly max brightness and I am at 2 hrs 45 min with 45% remaining. I am cautiously pleased so far, especially considering all of the downloading and installing that was going on.
3. System interface :/
So I am using nova prime and that's helping a lot but like a few others here, I am noticing some strange hiccups/stutters in daily use that are pretty foreign to me coming from the s3. After turning off the samsung feature set, maps of all things is still hiccuping along when zooming or moderate panning. This is worse with a tilted satellite view but still noticeable even with just the road layout. Viewing photos in the gallery has a slight chop as well, using quickpics has been a temporary solution. I hoping for some kind of software update.....
Not a huge of the fan of the redesigned dialer, contacts list. Black themes should be a mandatory option (lol) with these oled phones.
One of feature that originally generated some excitement which was mercilessly quashed after reading reviews but then rekindled with the unit in hand was air hover. Using this in mail, messages with the haptic setting on is surprisingly smooth and useful, not to mention pretty cool. Your finger doesn't even need to be particularly close. Not sure about the air gestures, they seem pretty consistent but need to be used to add different functionality. I can imagine some neat implementations if developers decide to hop on board.
Design
Well I think I need some time to adjust to this but I can tell you that my observant roommate (who is a techie and just got the one) hasn't realized i got the new phone yet and I've been talking about it for a while. Even with all the installation beeps and ringtones that come with a new phone and him sitting on a nearby couch for hours he hasnt said anything. I ll see how long I can pull this off.
For me it definitely feels different in hand, not as slippery due to the less tapered edges which is good but also a bit less curvaceous and flirty (which I kind of liked in the s3). This feels more like a passat and the s3 more like a jetta I guess. Let me say that I do appreciate really well designed things in general and this phone doesn't make me cry so......
Last thing, I bought this phone off contract at full price and my purchase experience at the verizon store was really bizarre. Of course they must make less money when someone buys it outright but the salesman was like," why do you want to upgrade from the s3??" ,"The battery might be a bit better than your used to but don't count on it."..."So you're gonna like play around with the screen "(in mocking tone cause I told him I was interested in the new display) . That place sucks and the one out in the surburbs was even worse. Like used car salesman or something...
. Anyone else have this kind of experience?????
Also, anyone using lightflow with this device? In case you haven't guessed I love to freakin tweak thingszzzz...
best to yall.....
I came from the s3 yesterday.. picked up the s4 and couldn't be happier. I've had the phone for about 24 hours.. first thing I noticed was how clear the screen was. Not much if a difference over the s3 but it's there. Battery life as been great on stock un rooted rom. Compared to my s3 which was rooted running slim bean and a custom kernel overclocked and uv. I wanna say s4 is better. I like the feel of the s4 better other than the s3's rounded edges. Overall I'm happy... Will root soon!
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda premium
I just upgraded yesterday as well. So far I am liking it. Initially I wasn't impressed but I shattered my s3 screen and figured since I had an upgrade on my other line I would go ahead and get it instead of spending $100 just to get another s3. I have already rooted and froze most of the bloat with titanium backup. I have never flashed any roms but since my s3 is still functional, I plan on using it to learn. I am already having fun with the irblaster changing channels on random TVs lol. Overall I'm happy so far.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
Battery and other things
The battery is like night and day. Yesterday around dinner time my battery was at about 85%, and I use my phone constantly. On my SIII, I'd be lucky if it went the whole day without dying. That is one feature that I did not think would vary as much as it did, and am very happy with that.
I love the screen. It seemed a bit flickery (that's the best way I can describe it) for the first couple of days, but whatever was causing that (perhaps my imagination) has stopped.
The infrared sensor is much more useful than I had initially anticipated. Aside from being able to use it with multiple TV/set top box setups, I can screw with people in restaurants. :silly:
As a smartphone in general I have been very impressed so far.
Why would using Quickpic be temporary? First thing I do is set Quickpic as the default and hide gallery.
Frankly, I never really notice the stutters that other people talk about. When using an app that is reflowing from the net, there is no way to separate device issues from network issues, and I always notice it is these sorts of apps people complain about (maps, browsers, etc.).
yeah, quickpic was actually my goto image app on the s3 now that I think I about it....
The stutters and what not are definitely a little more pronounced on the maps app with the s4 than the s3 on the same
wifi network. Maybe it's the fact that the s4 is moving 2.5 times the pixels, maybe it's an early bug yet that will be fixed shortly,
maybe it's the way the snapdragon throttles the cpu too aggressively according to some thread I remember reading over or maybe I am just expecting too much buttery perfection
yeah just tried the ir blaster. 3 of my housemates were so seriously into watching the final episode of "top of the lake" about an hour ago and I was tempted to spoil the moment but I hadn't programmed the phone for that tv. oh well......
I've been skeptical of purchasing a samsung device because I don't generally fall for overly marketed items. That being said, I went ahead and pulled the trigger coming from HTC Rezound and I couldn't be happier about this device. It is no doubt a winner among users as long as you root and get rid of the bloat coming with it.
I love this phone... I mean love this phone, but had I not been having mad GPS problems with my S3 I would never have made this upgrade. It's just not a compelling upgrade over the S3, which is still an awesome phone. Most of the new features are very gimmicky. I have pretty much everything with the prefix "Smart" turned off and almost everything with the prefix "Air" turned off. The hovering trick is pretty much the only one I don't feel is a gimmick.
About Quickpic - that has been my go-to gallery app since the Thunderbolt but I actually like the S4 gallery better. The GUI is very slick and the hover image preview is actually useful.
I agree with a few of the topics covered coming from the S3
The screen is awesome, definitely noticeable to me, battery life seems to be up, GPS works perfectly, and the camera is pretty awesome; really like the wider angle on the front camera as well. Pretty motivational upgrade if you ask me..
However, I am noticing some UI lag, as mentioned maps as well as chrome. This could be that I was using cleanrom on the S3 and that rom is amazing! made the phone much snappier and fluid. Its out for the S4 now so will be giving it a try soon. Also apex launcher helped some.
and little things like the smaller notification led seems cheaper. the colors dont mix well. the power button isn't as clicky as Id hope for either.
I'm really happy with the battery life. My galaxy nexus went tops 4 hours on a charge. I can easily to 8 - 9 on this.
I have a lot of apps running that kill battery for me specifically Touchdown for work which It hink is one onf the biggest offendors. Maybe i should download gsam and follow it a little more closely.
I agree that the display is amazing, and the camera too, but the device seems no faster and radios no better.
From normal viewing distance, the display does not stand out either, but is better if you view closer. It is the size of the display that minimizes the higher def effectiveness.
I only have 6gb free on my S3 32gb, so do not see enough improvement to sacrifice the storage. I still want the S4, but only if a 32gb is ever released.
orangelight99 said:
Last thing, I bought this phone off contract at full price and my purchase experience at the verizon store was really bizarre. Of course they must make less money when someone buys it outright but the salesman was like," why do you want to upgrade from the s3??" ,"The battery might be a bit better than your used to but don't count on it."..."So you're gonna like play around with the screen "(in mocking tone cause I told him I was interested in the new display) . That place sucks and the one out in the surburbs was even worse. Like used car salesman or something...
. Anyone else have this kind of experience?????
best to yall.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, I got mine with a new contract (Coming from Sprint, never had Verizon before). When the guy asked me if I wanted the insurance for $199 and I told him no, he was straight-up BEWILDERED. He literally could not comprehend how in the world I would not want to pay $200 to replace my phone if I smashed it. And then he was like, "Well, let's go look at cases now," as if he had just assumed I would, of course, want a case. But I didn't want a case. He was so flabbergasted. His eyes went as wide as possible and he just stared at me for a good 10 seconds before saying, "What if you drop it? What then?!"
It was more funny than weird, to me. I've never bought insurance for any phone I've ever had, and I've never regretted it. I honestly could not tell if the guy was seriously just that crazy, or if it was just some really stupid sales technique that, of course, did not work on me.
Ayesuku said:
Haha, I got mine with a new contract (Coming from Sprint, never had Verizon before). When the guy asked me if I wanted the insurance for $199 and I told him no, he was straight-up BEWILDERED. He literally could not comprehend how in the world I would not want to pay $200 to replace my phone if I smashed it. And then he was like, "Well, let's go look at cases now," as if he had just assumed I would, of course, want a case. But I didn't want a case. He was so flabbergasted. His eyes went as wide as possible and he just stared at me for a good 10 seconds before saying, "What if you drop it? What then?!"
It was more funny than weird, to me. I've never bought insurance for any phone I've ever had, and I've never regretted it. I honestly could not tell if the guy was seriously just that crazy, or if it was just some really stupid sales technique that, of course, did not work on me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because one out of five people react to the bewildered face and get the insurance They ARE sales people, you know.
jimmiem said:
I love this phone... I mean love this phone, but had I not been having mad GPS problems with my S3 I would never have made this upgrade. It's just not a compelling upgrade over the S3, which is still an awesome phone. Most of the new features are very gimmicky. I have pretty much everything with the prefix "Smart" turned off and almost everything with the prefix "Air" turned off. The hovering trick is pretty much the only one I don't feel is a gimmick.
About Quickpic - that has been my go-to gallery app since the Thunderbolt but I actually like the S4 gallery better. The GUI is very slick and the hover image preview is actually useful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it possible to get quickpic to show the pics in internal memory without being rooted? I'm only seeing the pics on my SD card.
Super Sam Galaxy said:
I love the screen. It seemed a bit flickery (that's the best way I can describe it) for the first couple of days, but whatever was causing that (perhaps my imagination) has stopped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you saw the screen flicker, were you outside by any chance?
I have noticed that when I am inside then step out into direct sunlight, the screen flickers while it ramps up to full brightness, then it stabilizes.
mutelight said:
When you saw the screen flicker, were you outside by any chance?
I have noticed that when I am inside then step out into direct sunlight, the screen flickers while it ramps up to full brightness, then it stabilizes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I hate to say it as I'm sure this will not help you diagnose any issues you may have been experiencing, but I don't think that I was. If I remember correctly it was mostly when I was in my apartment. I remember this because I have an overhead light that is florescent and I remember at least on one occasion wondering if that was what was flickering.
Sorry if that doesn't help.
Super Sam Galaxy said:
Actually, I hate to say it as I'm sure this will not help you diagnose any issues you may have been experiencing, but I don't think that I was. If I remember correctly it was mostly when I was in my apartment. I remember this because I have an overhead light that is florescent and I remember at least on one occasion wondering if that was what was flickering.
Sorry if that doesn't help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, no worries! The only time I have seen the screen flicker was under the scenario I described or if I look down at the display with a pair of my active shutter 3D glasses.
I can see the PenTile dithering in the display however, so my eyes are fairly sensitive.
mutelight said:
Oh, no worries! The only time I have seen the screen flicker was under the scenario I described or if I look down at the display with a pair of my active shutter 3D glasses.
I can see the PenTile dithering in the display however, so my eyes are fairly sensitive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I see! Well I would assume in my case it was just the fluorescent lighting. My eyes are not all that sensitive, so I may not notice small flickers like that. The part that confused me is that it stopped! But I think that also suggests it's just the light, because sometimes they seem to flicker depending on how they are sitting, and if you tap them a bit they stop. Either that, or it actually was flickering, but to such an unnoticeable extent that I got used to it very quickly. It was one of those undefinable things where you feel like you saw it flicker but if you have to explain exactly what part flickered, you wouldn't really be able to.
elucid said:
Is it possible to get quickpic to show the pics in internal memory without being rooted? I'm only seeing the pics on my SD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't install it because I like the S4 Gallery better. You should be able to, though. Just poke around in the settings and look for included folders.
I buy a lot of devices and I almost always find something I don't like about one and move on. I did all of my research and watched every video available and honestly thought I was prepared for the size of this thing. I have a Lumia 1520 and briefly had a Mega, so I'm no stranger to larger phones.
Size - When I first opened the box and saw how gigantic it was in person, I thought "I have made a terrible mistake". However, after taking it out of the box and using it for a few days, I couldn't be more wrong. I'm not sure if it's the thinness or the weight, but it just doesn't feel as cumbersome as I expected. I really enjoy the screen real estate and it actually feels nice in the hand, more so because the sides are squared off and not rounded. The Lumia 1520 never felt right in my hand.
Screen- I know it's probably just me, but the screen looks a little washed out. It gives me much the same impression that the Nexus 5 did before I sent it back. When I use it on its own for a while, it looks nice, and I'm sure it's color accurate, but there are times when it just doesn't look good to me. I think it's the AMOLED effect, coming from oversaturated screens like the Note 3, Moto X, and LG G2, but I guess I'm a sucker for saturation. I also find the brightness to be a little on the low side. Much like the LG G2, I feel like I have to have it at around 80% for it to look right to me. On a better note, I was expecting the shatterproof film to bother me, but it doesn't.
Camera - I was prepared for the disappointment that is the camera on this device. Just about every review panned it. I love the camera features, but the image quality does leave something to be desired, even in daylight. I have tried all kinds of manual settings and lighting conditions. It's still a passable camera, but I can't help but feel that I'm missing out on better photos when I use it. It's probably my one biggest gripe with this phone. I found a flash diode you can install in the headphone jack for low light shots, but since photos aren't that much better in daylight, I doubt it would make much difference. I wish they had at least included the 13mp camera from the Xperia Z.
Overall, despite the negatives (for me) listed above, I really like this device overall. I like it way more than I thought I would. I'm still fighting battery life a little and trying to figure out how to use Stamina mode to best benefit, but I don't regret my purchase at all. I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping it and my next project is to find a nice clear case that shows off the beautiful purple back.
Congrats and welcome!
Regarding the battery, it'll get better after a couple of cycles (typically around a week). Stamina helps a fair bit with the standby time, so be sure to not whitelist everything, or else there won't be any reason to use it. I'm on the GPe ROM now (Google Play Edition), but when I run the stock ROM, I only whitelist important stuff like Gmail, Pushbullet etc. You may want to whitelist your IM app of choice too, but keep in mind that they all use a lot of battery.
Sent from my C6806_GPe using Tapatalk
LordManhattan said:
Congrats and welcome!
Regarding the battery, it'll get better after a couple of cycles (typically around a week). Stamina helps a fair bit with the standby time, so be sure to not whitelist everything, or else there won't be any reason to use it. I'm on the GPe ROM now (Google Play Edition), but when I run the stock ROM, I only whitelist important stuff like Gmail, Pushbullet etc. You may want to whitelist your IM app of choice too, but keep in mind that they all use a lot of battery.
Sent from my C6806_GPe using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Yeah, I only whitelisted a few (Gmail, Telegram, etc), but it still seems to be draining a bit much on standby. Exchange services seems to be partly to blame. I have 2 exchange accounts set up on push and I'm seeing around 8% drain from Exchange Services. While not much, it typically doesn't show up on the battery stats of any of my other phones, so I'm not sure if it's a bug or what.
greyhulk said:
Thanks! Yeah, I only whitelisted a few (Gmail, Telegram, etc), but it still seems to be draining a bit much on standby. Exchange services seems to be partly to blame. I have 2 exchange accounts set up on push and I'm seeing around 8% drain from Exchange Services. While not much, it typically doesn't show up on the battery stats of any of my other phones, so I'm not sure if it's a bug or what.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, that might be something.. or not. It's a little early to tell. You should get fairly good battery life though, so keep an eye on it. You should get between 5 and 8 hours of screen time depending on usage, but your battery is brand new, so it'll get better in a few days.
Sent from my C6806_GPe using Tapatalk
greyhulk said:
I buy a lot of devices and I almost always find something I don't like about one and move on. I did all of my research and watched every video available and honestly thought I was prepared for the size of this thing. I have a Lumia 1520 and briefly had a Mega, so I'm no stranger to larger phones.
Size - When I first opened the box and saw how gigantic it was in person, I thought "I have made a terrible mistake". However, after taking it out of the box and using it for a few days, I couldn't be more wrong. I'm not sure if it's the thinness or the weight, but it just doesn't feel as cumbersome as I expected. I really enjoy the screen real estate and it actually feels nice in the hand, more so because the sides are squared off and not rounded. The Lumia 1520 never felt right in my hand.
Screen- I know it's probably just me, but the screen looks a little washed out. It gives me much the same impression that the Nexus 5 did before I sent it back. When I use it on its own for a while, it looks nice, and I'm sure it's color accurate, but there are times when it just doesn't look good to me. I think it's the AMOLED effect, coming from oversaturated screens like the Note 3, Moto X, and LG G2, but I guess I'm a sucker for saturation. I also find the brightness to be a little on the low side. Much like the LG G2, I feel like I have to have it at around 80% for it to look right to me. On a better note, I was expecting the shatterproof film to bother me, but it doesn't.
Camera - I was prepared for the disappointment that is the camera on this device. Just about every review panned it. I love the camera features, but the image quality does leave something to be desired, even in daylight. I have tried all kinds of manual settings and lighting conditions. It's still a passable camera, but I can't help but feel that I'm missing out on better photos when I use it. It's probably my one biggest gripe with this phone. I found a flash diode you can install in the headphone jack for low light shots, but since photos aren't that much better in daylight, I doubt it would make much difference. I wish they had at least included the 13mp camera from the Xperia Z.
Overall, despite the negatives (for me) listed above, I really like this device overall. I like it way more than I thought I would. I'm still fighting battery life a little and trying to figure out how to use Stamina mode to best benefit, but I don't regret my purchase at all. I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping it and my next project is to find a nice clear case that shows off the beautiful purple back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Usually my target time is 2.5-3 hours of screen time when battery reaches 50%. That is without gaming.
Sent from my C6802 using xda app-developers app
hansip87 said:
Usually my target time is 2.5-3 hours of screen time when battery reaches 50%. That is without gaming.
Sent from my C6802 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
I think the office I work in is what kills my battery. Seems to be consistent throughout most of my devices. Might be a reception issue, even though I'm usually on Wifi. I also removed my Exchange accounts and now battery life seems to be better. I added one back to day and Exchange Services has yet to show back up in my battery stats.
I'm still really impressed with this device. I still really want a Z2, but this thing kicks way more ass than I thought it would and I'm really digging the size more than I expected.
greyhulk said:
I think the office I work in is what kills my battery. Seems to be consistent throughout most of my devices. Might be a reception issue, even though I'm usually on Wifi. I also removed my Exchange accounts and now battery life seems to be better. I added one back to day and Exchange Services has yet to show back up in my battery stats.
I'm still really impressed with this device. I still really want a Z2, but this thing kicks way more ass than I thought it would and I'm really digging the size more than I expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may want to try and kick it into 2G mode while you're at work? You're on WiFi at work, so you don't need 4G speeds, and 2G is basically everywhere - while 4G is not, so you'll probably get great reception. I don't know where you are located though, but i'm guessing some place within the US?
LordManhattan said:
You may want to try and kick it into 2G mode while you're at work? You're on WiFi at work, so you don't need 4G speeds, and 2G is basically everywhere - while 4G is not, so you'll probably get great reception. I don't know where you are located though, but i'm guessing some place within the US?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in Texas. I actually get great reception here, but the building I work in seems to block the signal pretty bad. Almost every phone I have used here seems to struggle with a signal (slow download speed) inside the office. I was kind of hoping that the Stamina mode would help with that, since it doesn't allow the data connection when the screen is off.
Is there an easy way to bump it down to HSPA+, or is it a code in the phone menu?
Go to Settings -> More... -> Mobile networks and see if there are any better options in there. Or I guess you'll have to quit your job. It's the only logic thing to do.
Sent from my C6806_GPe using Tapatalk
LordManhattan said:
Go to Settings -> More... -> Mobile networks and see if there are any better options in there. Or I guess you'll have to quit your job. It's the only logic thing to do.
Sent from my C6806_GPe using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahahaha! Option B all the way! :highfive:
I just got my Z Ultra on Friday. I bought the Google Play Edition from the Play Store and I'm absolutely blown away by this phone after using it for the last few days. The screen is gorgeous, stock Android screams on that hardware, and it's just HUGE. I've always liked big phones, plus I have big hands, so the size doesn't bother me at all. So far, my biggest complaint is that the headphone jack is on the side. Kinda makes it annoying when I'm out on a walk and have the phone in my pocket. Minor complaint, though. I also don't like the fact that I had to use a toothpick to get the SIM card tray out when I took it out of the box.
I'm not sure how fast the retail variants are with Sony's Timescape UI, but man, I've never seen stock Android run so fast in my life. This phone was worth every penny. I do believe this will be the one that finally gets me away from my Google Play Edition Galaxy S4 that I've been using as a daily driver for the last ~6 months. So far, so good. I know that Sony phones are wildly popular in Europe, Australia and Japan, but they have almost no presence in the US market. Because of that, this is my first introduction to Sony's mobile products, and it's left me with a very good first impression. The Z Ultra certainly isn't for everyone, but I'd recommend this thing to anyone who loves big phones.
greyhulk said:
I buy a lot of devices and I almost always find something I don't like about one and move on. I did all of my research and watched every video available and honestly thought I was prepared for the size of this thing. I have a Lumia 1520 and briefly had a Mega, so I'm no stranger to larger phones.
Size - When I first opened the box and saw how gigantic it was in person, I thought "I have made a terrible mistake". However, after taking it out of the box and using it for a few days, I couldn't be more wrong. I'm not sure if it's the thinness or the weight, but it just doesn't feel as cumbersome as I expected. I really enjoy the screen real estate and it actually feels nice in the hand, more so because the sides are squared off and not rounded. The Lumia 1520 never felt right in my hand.
Screen- I know it's probably just me, but the screen looks a little washed out. It gives me much the same impression that the Nexus 5 did before I sent it back. When I use it on its own for a while, it looks nice, and I'm sure it's color accurate, but there are times when it just doesn't look good to me. I think it's the AMOLED effect, coming from oversaturated screens like the Note 3, Moto X, and LG G2, but I guess I'm a sucker for saturation. I also find the brightness to be a little on the low side. Much like the LG G2, I feel like I have to have it at around 80% for it to look right to me. On a better note, I was expecting the shatterproof film to bother me, but it doesn't.
Camera - I was prepared for the disappointment that is the camera on this device. Just about every review panned it. I love the camera features, but the image quality does leave something to be desired, even in daylight. I have tried all kinds of manual settings and lighting conditions. It's still a passable camera, but I can't help but feel that I'm missing out on better photos when I use it. It's probably my one biggest gripe with this phone. I found a flash diode you can install in the headphone jack for low light shots, but since photos aren't that much better in daylight, I doubt it would make much difference. I wish they had at least included the 13mp camera from the Xperia Z.
Overall, despite the negatives (for me) listed above, I really like this device overall. I like it way more than I thought I would. I'm still fighting battery life a little and trying to figure out how to use Stamina mode to best benefit, but I don't regret my purchase at all. I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping it and my next project is to find a nice clear case that shows off the beautiful purple back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is the biggest difference you find switching from 1520 to ZU?
I have ZU and always been curious to try out 1520..
i welcome your thoughts on the ecosystem switch experience
corrado85 said:
what is the biggest difference you find switching from 1520 to ZU?
I have ZU and always been curious to try out 1520..
i welcome your thoughts on the ecosystem switch experience
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i also bought a xperia z ultra from a guy and it has doa issue and i can't fix it,tried with all ftf's and not working same error with screen,but i'm loving my xperia it's the best.
A surprise came in the mail today from AT&T. I had pre-ordered the fit back in March and it has finally arrived, and even earlier than the expected launch date.
Unboxing:
First impressions:
The gear fit is very light, and comfortable to wear. The design is something that I can appreciate more than its big brother the gear 2/Neo. The display is vibrant and the picture quality is what you would expect from a AMOLED display. The heart rate monitor works well, I had it over my wrist bone at first so it couldn't see me vein to get a reading since it uses infrared to count your BPM. I enjoy the simplicity of the design more than some other smart watches/fitness bands because its just a simple layout with one physical button and a touch screen. This is more aimed at the fitness side of things than the everyday smartwatch, but that doesn't mean its not a great device. Don't forget that this product is meant to compete more with items such as the fitbit, jawbone and other fitness trackers but with added functionality. Samsung is also releasing their other fitness product the S Band which is more on par with the two mentioned above, but the fit could be seen as a premium version of these rather than a new category in general. I don't see the fit complete with the Polaris line of products in terms of monitoring because its only meant for Samsung devices currently. Overall I am happy with it, and I will update this with more details, images and answer any questions that you guys have.
Hopefully Samsung will post prices and make the other colored bands available for people to buy on the official launch but these days who knows.
Pictures Part 1:
Day 1
Update 1:
I have been using this device for about 6 hours messing around with the settings and seeing what works for me. The battery was at 63% when I started and is now at 55%. Keep in mind that I have had the screen on a lot, along with trying out the gesture to wake which is a little too sensitive. If you use the gesture wake the display will turn on when you lift your arm up (a battery killer obviously) The notifications do push instantly to the device and you can select any of your apps to push out their notifications to the fit. The pedometer also works well and you can pause it so you are counting steps by moving around at your desk or in your car. The RTOS is very simple and it works much better than the gear 2 in terms of functionality. The band is very comfortable and the clasp is secure enough so you don't have to worry. There is also a feature you can enable where your phone will beep if you walk about 25ish feet away from the fit which works also on the fit in the form a vibration that alerts you. The APK for the Gear Fit Manager fromt he S5 does work (I'm running it on my Note 3 N900A) with 4.4.2 without any problems so far. The heart rate monitor is very fast now that I know what to do. (The screen shows you a reminder of how to do it). A nice feature that I was not aware of until I tried it out was the media control. I can adjust my phones volume, pause/play and change the track from the watch which is convenient when you are working out. It has been pouring down rain here all day and I am glad that the fit is IP67 water resistant or I would have a dead device. So far my impressions are that this is a great device, its light weight, comfortable and most importantly functional. I will add more pictures soon.
Update 2:
Brightness and different situations:
The display can be adjusted from brightnesses of 1 to 6 but since there is not light sensor this must be done manually through the settings either via the app or on the device itself. I will take a picture of it underwater for you to see, but outdoors the 5-6 brightness should be plenty depending on how bright it is outside. I usually leave it at the 3-4 setting and I'm able to read the display just fine. When I'm inside for a while I usually turn it to the 1-3 range depending on the lighting. I only adjust it if I really need to, usually a standard of 3-4 brightness will be sufficient for most people's daily activities.
Also the charging cradle if you call it that snaps on and off with less effort that plugging in a micro usb. As mentioned in the earlier posts I charged it last night 4/7 so I could do an accurate test from a full battery.
Pictures Part 2:
Device display at setting 1 (my desk isn't the brightest place in the world at night, ignore the glare from my lamp):
Battery life after 1 day of use starting from 0700. I had my gmail, sms, calls, and google now notifications being pushed to the device and I used the pedometer for a hour or so to try it out today. Keep in mind with every notification the display turns on. I have it set up so it this way but you can change this to only turn on for only high priority notifications and it also vibrates to alert you for each notification. The battery seems impressive so far as you can see from the picture below. I would classify toda's use as light to moderate because of the numerous notifications that I received and checking my heart rate, coupled with the pedometer. I will be going for a hike, walk, or bike ride tomorrow to test out a longer use of the fitness functionality vs its impact on the battery.
Underwater Display images: (yes that is a blendtec and no I'm not going to blend it like "will it blend") It was a clear container that was easy to get a image of the fit rather than in my sink. The slight blue in the second image was due to my Note 3's camera. The first image is a better depiction of what it looks like. As you can see there is almost no visible distortion which is nice for those of you who choose to use it in the water.
Pictures Part 3
Day 2:
After a second day of use here are some updates. The S Health App will not sync my workouts or pedometer from the fit which is a little annoying. This could be because I am running the leaked S5 apps and there could be an update that I don't have. This should be fixed when the device officially launches this friday. The battery has gone down a bit more it lost about 8-10% while I was sleeping but I did leave it connected via bluetooth to my phone. I also used it to count my steps for my walking between classes to see how far I walk out of curiosity. I also went on a 1-2 mile "hike" on some trails. The battery is at about 65% currently which still is not bad after 2 full days of use. I will keep the updates coming for the battery until it actually dies.
Side note: I have heard that Samsung also added in a sleep monitor option in the update for the gear fit. I hope it shows up soon because I can't find a way to update the device. There is no option in my app as you will see from my pictures down below. I also forgot to charge my phone last night so its almost dead anyway. Kies 3 does not find the device when I briefly plugged it in via usb to my pc. The battery stayed at the same % for those of you who were wondering any charging by checking for software updates was negligible. Below I have provided screen shots of the various menus on the fit and what some controls look like. If you have any requests feel free to let me know and I will post more pictures.
The glare is in the pictures is from my camera, and my oily fingers becuase I didn't wipe it off. until I realized the photos look a little bad. Thats a day of use and dirt...
Pictures Part 4:
Time is for the battery life reference
Volume control
Settings Menu
Here is a screenshot of where the "software update" icon should be. As you can see there is no option to update it in the S5 APK.
Day 3:
The app was offically released via the Samsung App Store. I downloaded it and updated my fit to the new software. Here is a breakdown of the 'new' added features that I have noticed since the pre-official launch software:
New clock faces for landscape and portrait
Sleep tracker
Pin lock
Portrait mode (you have to manually rotate it via the settings menu)
Customize icon location on device (left or right of the home screen clock)
Redesigned app
It is now day 3 and the fit is still clinging to life. The majority of battery life dissipates during the idle time at night. I am currently at 38% battery life after 3 days of moderate use. I have kept my rightness at the 2-3 range unless I am indoors in which case I usually change it to 1 to save power when I don't need it. I keep the pedometer running all day, and the bluetooth on with weather updates on the home screen every 3 hours. I also had to leave it on during its update which took about 3-5 minutes of the display being constantly on. I am going to try to use the sleep mode tonight to see how well it works (and so you can see how little that I sleep...). I enjoy using the portrait mode, it feels more natural even with the narrow display, but it depends on what I am doing. Anyway here are some more pictures
Pictures 5:
Pictures Part 6:
Reading emails/notifications in landscape and portrait modes
App Pictures:
Day 4:
I managed to get another solid day of use out of the fit. It popped up with a battery alert around 1600 yesterday when it was at about 15% battery. The fit managed to last until just a couple of minutes ago. I'm happy with the battery life being just over 4 days for what I use it for (everyones battery life many very based on use). I am also posting picture of the sleep tracker so you can see what it looks like. I enjoy using the portrait mode more than the landscape, it is a little weird to look at because its so narrow, but you get used to it.
Pictures 7:
Before it died
Update 5/11
I know its been a while since I updated the OP. I have been very busy with finals (engineering is always fun) and I'm moving in a few days. I have now been using the fit for over a month and I'm still happy with it. My battery has averaged about 5 days per charge with the longest at 7 days and shortest being 3 days. I have noticed a small update to the app at least twice which is good that Samsung is updating it.
The bad:
The s health app doesn't sync well with the fit which is disappointing. The hiking mode only measures your workout by altitude rather than how other app account for that and distance and factor in how many calories you burn. (Even though no device is truly accurate)
Other than those two complaints I use the fit daily as a watch and if I got on a hike or walk with my wife. I hope that Samsung will release the other bands for it soon. I have had no issues with the band coming off as some other people had stated. If you have this problem there is a simple fix. Take a small black hair rubber band (this kind woman use in their hair) which can be purchased for 2$ for a couple hundred of them and put it on your fits band. This week prevent it from falling off even if it does come undone. I will post a picture of you want. I never use it but it seemed like a good idea to address the issue.
Lastly if anyone has questions I will be happy to answer them the nest that I can. I will begin posting more regularly again one I get settled into my new place in the coming week or two. I still go to school full time in the summer (I want to graduate faster since I'm already old for a Jr) so with that in mind thank you to everyone who found this helpful and thanks me.
P.s. My thoughts are still scattered due to everything going on so I will look over this post when I get home to make sure it makes sense.
do you know if it works with any Android phone, or only with Samsung's smartphones?
fvidania said:
do you know if it works with any Android phone, or only with Samsung's smartphones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Currently it only works with Samsung devices I believe there are 14 of them with compatibility. I'm not certain about this but MAYBE if you root a device and install the APK for the gear fit it COULD work. Has anyone tried this?
I'm very likely to pick one up when they're available in stores.
When did you pre order it?
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
flipq88 said:
When did you pre order it?
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know ATT is still taking pre-orders. Talked to them today and they said they'd be selling them in store later this month.
Nice! :good:
Interested how you find the device.
I preordered it on 3/20. I spoke with ATT and they said that stores should be receiving them for the Friday launch but there is not gurrantee . I charged my battery fully last night so I could see how long it would actually last from a full charge under normal use. I will part nighty updates with what I used it for and the battery pwrcentage . There will also be a software update soon according to Sam mobile. You will be able to change the screen orientation, which Iknow was a big complaint for some people. The article can be found here
http://www.sammobile.com/2014/04/08...ption-to-enable-vertical-display-orientation/
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
do you have to always keep the bluetooth on ? i would want to use it as just a watch at times..
Well in order to connect or to the phone bluetooth needs to be on. If it's off it still works as a watch and pedometer just without pushing notifications.
Edit: to answer your question I airways keep the Bluetooth on.
I verified that everything does work (which it should) except data/phone dependent features i.e.: weather,any kind of notifications, SMS, S Health goals, missed calls etc. I hope the update gets pushed out soon, but I have no idea how to check for it. There is no option for updates in the app or on the device, but then again I'm running the S5's extracted apk.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I'm interested in the gear fit too.
I saw that you have a spigen screen protector as well. Can you put some light on its efficiency like colors after being under water, clarity outdoor/indoor,etc. That would be really helpful.
shoaibar said:
I'm interested in the gear fit too.
I saw that you have a spigen screen protector as well. Can you put some light on its efficiency like colors after being under water, clarity outdoor/indoor,etc. That would be really helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no distortion of any colors due to the screen protector in any of those situations that I can see. Everything seems to be as clear as a device without a screen protector. I'm sure if you look extremely close you could probably find a very very minimal amount of distortion/clarity but I can't see any myself. I am not a fan of the Spigen screen protector because its more inline with the Zagg screen protectors. This means that it has a gloss to it even though it appears matte when you have it in its packaging. The feel of it is similar to the Zagg with a almost rubber like friction at first after you apply it, but it dissipated after I cleaned it with some of my lense cleaner. I have used it in the heavy rain we have been experiencing without any issues of water getting under it or limited visibility. I just threw the device in my sink full of water and the protector looks the same as it does now. There does not appear to be any distortion, or at least no noticeable distortion. It's much harder to tell because of the screen size, but overall I am happy with it. It's definitely no tempered glass protector quality but it does the job for the Gear Fit. This is my first Spigen non-glass screen protector so I'm not sure how their regular ones are compared to this.
Wow. Thank you so much for giving a more in-depth analysis.
I also pre-ordered the Fit via amazon. Wasn't sure which screen protector to buy. Hope would go with Spigen as there is no better choice other than this.
shoaibar said:
Wow. Thank you so much for giving a more in-depth analysis.
I also pre-ordered the Fit via amazon. Wasn't sure which screen protector to buy. Hope would go with Spigen as there is no better choice other than this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah there is just the Spigen and I believe Skinomi? I think that both are about the same material wise so there shouldn't really be a difference.
I can't wait for the update that allows portrait mode. I can confirm that its not shipping with the update mentioned earlier we will see what happens.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I'm probably answering my own questions already but does this gear fit have a calorie intake measure? Is this watch viable for going to the gym purposes?
I don't see any info about the gear fit recording calorie intake and it says heart rate sensor and not monitor which it probably won't constantly read your heart rate as you work out (oppose to the polar fitness watches)
You input your information via the S Health app so yes it can do calories intake and burn but only for 4 different activities at the moment. These include running, walking, hiking and biking. I believe that more will be added such as strength training soon.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I work for Samsung. They should be in every Best Buy friday. They also work with the Pro series tablets and the upcoming Galaxy series 4 tablets if anyone is wondering. ip67 rating essentially is 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes.
bckrupps said:
I work for Samsung. They should be in every Best Buy friday. They also work with the Pro series tablets and the upcoming Galaxy series 4 tablets if anyone is wondering. ip67 rating essentially is 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about the colored bands and software update?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Pilz474 said:
What about the colored bands and software update?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not sure what bands will be in stock yet. there is an update for the gear fit already to allow it to be viewed in both portrait and landscape mode
Interesting ....I'm just concerned about battery drainage from my cell which is the note3 with the bt on all day...
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Its not perfect but after all the criticisms i have to say i like it
Sent from my TrueSmart using XDA Free mobile app
It's ok, I like mine too
What do you like about it though?
I'm getting another SIM to use in it and I think I'll like it more then, but the fact that the companion app is so poor means that the integration with bluetooth isn't an option really.
I'm quite happy with it too.
I have the 1/8 2100 version, and all seem to work well.
- It started up out of the box
- The cradles charge ( I got the extra one I ordered)
- the buttons don't fall off
- call quality is awesome
- screen sensitivity is good (sometimes a little too good, but hey)
- bluetooth, wifi and gps have a proper connection
- "back button" swipe left action works
And in general use:
- surprisingly easy to read on small screen
- even able to watch short video/tutorials on watch (very handy when needing both hands free)
- app installing/start up goes quick
- I use Minuum Keyboard now, and that is awesome, Frees up half the screen for reading conversations, perfect!
- with Minuum keyboard it's also easy to make small voice commands that turn to text, for me works even quicker than responding with the "normal phone" in the old days
by having the phone on the wrist it makes checking if you need to respond 10 times faster. Just a flick of the hand and a two finger swipe when you get a short vibrate or buzz from a message/email/update and you are ready. Where as the "normal phone" you have to get out of the pocket, check and put back.
The two biggest downside that I find, are not necessarily omate related but more smartwatch in general:
- by having the watch on your wrist, if you use it for typing, by default are using both arms. Where as a "normal phone" you can operate with one hand.
- I don't 100% like the reading angle: you have to hold your arm really parallel to the body to read without make strange neck moves. Having "landscape" mode is even worse.
I think about 35 degree angle of the arm would be a way better reading position. That maybe would be the biggest advantage of the round type smartwatches like the moto 360, the ability to adjust the screen orientation till it ergonomically fits you best.
Wiggz said:
What do you like about it though?
I'm getting another SIM to use in it and I think I'll like it more then, but the fact that the companion app is so poor means that the integration with bluetooth isn't an option really.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My experience is pretty much identical to timkey's. It does what its supposed to. Typing is obviously slower but its better than I thought. Screen is sharp. It's fast. And it's a phone on my wrist I think rooting it and putting on soft keys and a status bar are pretty essential though. I do find the touch screen goes a little haywire sometimes.
To help with the viewing angle, I wear it a little loose and then I can twist it slightly towards me.
Sent from my LG-V500 using XDA Free mobile app
I like it because it functions just how I wanted it to. Its quite simply an android phone on your wrist, which is pretty damn awesome. Calls work pretty good, texting on this is awesome (so handy being able to just look at your wrist), and it's pretty much taken every app and game I've thrown at it so far. I also like being able to throw a song on and have handsfree music, so I can cut rebar or something at work and have music. And to top it off, I get pretty great battery life out of it. It's always lasted at least a full day, if not two. Even after two days the lowest I've had it is 30%
So, despite the company itself acting like a total noob for supporting this, it does function quite well (after some necessary patching of course). Having proper sources and support with proper firmware updates and having more tweaks android is known for available, would all just be icing on the cake.
So would those who like it buy a TS2, or has the arrogance and sheer mismanagement of Omate put you off, even though you enjoy the product?
I enjoy mine, though I can rarely use it as intended due to water issues. I have a T-Mobile sim in it. I would not only not ever buy anything associated with Omate ever again, but also not Umeox and not MTK. Never Again.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
It depends. I mean, the reality is I paid about £120 for a brand new android phone in watch form. If the TS2 was also a bargain, I'd probably get one. Hopefully they would learn some good lessons from this.
I am an engineer and did my degree in electronics, so I have some experience with product development. It was very clear to me that the timescales Omate were claiming were ridiculous and that made me question their competence. I'm still impressed they produced what they did as fast as they did. The testing problems people are experiencing are not acceptable but they are expected. Omate kinda painted themselves into an corner with their optimistic claims and high ambitions.
Now, all that said, I don't see what I would want from a TS2 that in don't get from this device. Its too small to do anything too intricate. It creates a WiFi hotspot and provides basic smartphone functionality well, which is all I need it for. Maybe if I got a 4G data plan, it might be good to have a watch that can make use of it but that's all I can think of.
Sent from my LG-V500 using XDA Free mobile app
The device has potential. I could maybe live with the HW shortcomings like IP rating, non-responsive buttons, add SD-card kills back seal etc as well as HW limitations like a little too heavy and too thick. The delays and communication failure from Omate is a separate story. I believe llepen believes what he says, he is still communicating still.
What I do not accept is the crappy firmware, that is HW specific. Noproper open source either. That kills BTLE, battery etc, as well as limits the adaptations required to get Android usable on a small device. I am not talking about limiting functionality like Android Wear, but an adapted Android experience w button actionssweep. Omate/Umeox mostly relies on MediaTek, and MediaTek seem to make good HW, but are both breaking GPL and incompetent in SW development.
I love my TS. I tried to have few expectations as to not be let down if it sucked, but I was happy to find that it was just about everything I could hope for in a smartwatch. It is solidly built, not too big, the screen is very sharp and sensitive, the camera is Good Enough(tm) (though the camera app really should rotate 90 degress left, which it does in the BlueTooth tether ROM, iirc).
My one major complaint is that Omate's version Android is awful. I work around it with third-party software (e.g. Nova Launcher, All in One Gestures), and with some effort, after-market ROMs can be ported. I'm very disappointed that no sources are available, but we all knew that would be the case.
That the notification bar is always hidden bugs the heck out of me, but the BlueTooth tether ROM fixes that.
Screen-on battery life is okay; not great, not awful, but it charges very quickly, so that's usually not a big deal. Screen-off life is fantastic.
I wish I could change the DPI for Ingress. It would be so cool to be able to play on my wrist.
Working with Omate is indeed like rolling a boulder uphill, and while I'll probably never buy anything from them again until they prove themselves reliable, I do believe Le Pen is trying. And I'm as disappointed with Omate as I am with those who continue to try to poison the TS community, making productive, open collaboration difficult.
timkey said:
I'm quite happy with it too.
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I agree with just about everything you say. Anymore I use my phone only for long text conversations and more-than-casual web browsing. Everything else is done on my TS. Flesky is remarkably easy to use once you get used to it (although whoever decided to put backspace next to return needs a smack in the face). I'm especially happy that it's so easy to read text on the small screen as I read lots of RSS feeds on and off all day long.
The reading angle bothered me at first, but my arm just had to get used to being held in an unfamiliar position.
gerhardo said:
I could maybe live with the HW shortcomings like IP rating, non-responsive buttons, add SD-card kills back seal etc as well as HW limitations like a little too heavy and too thick.
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The IP rating and back seal issues don't matter much to me, but I can see how that would be a disappointment to other users. The button responsiveness, weight, and thickness are fine for me. It did seem a bit heavy for the first day or two, but I quickly got used to it.
nicktastique said:
I wish I could change the DPI for Ingress. It would be so cool to be able to play on my wrist.
Working with Omate is indeed like rolling a boulder uphill, and while I'll probably never buy anything from them again until they prove themselves reliable, I do believe Le Pen is trying. And I'm as disappointed with Omate as I am with those who continue to try to poison the TS community, making productive, open collaboration difficult.
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Xposed Framework
Xposed Per App Settings
I consider setting default dpi to something higher than 120, to see better and change dpi where needed
gerhardo said:
Xposed Framework
Xposed Per App Settings
I consider setting default dpi to something higher than 120, to see better and change dpi where needed
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Yes, but it doesn't work, and others have confirmed. Is your experience different?
Smockingjacket said:
So would those who like it buy a TS2, or has the arrogance and sheer mismanagement of Omate put you off, even though you enjoy the product?
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Click to collapse
No.
While I like the watch itself, if I were to drop another $200-$300 on a new watch, it would be from a company that can support it's device a little more competently. I really doubt we'll ever see a firmware update.
Although as long as this watch doesn't **** the bed I should be using it for a good long time. It functions pretty much like I want it to, so I don't feel the need to upgrade anytime soon.
I like it as well. After changing launcher and installing a few apps I felt it was usable. I tried for a while to use it as phone replacement. It DOES work as that, but the upsides of having a watch (smaller / lighter than a phone, won't forget something strapped to your arm and so on) doesn't really outweigh the downsides (hard to type, sometimes hard to navigate menus, small screen causing readability and layout issues, battery is slightly worse than my phone, etc). The most annoying issue though is when the screen goes into over-sensitive mode and register button press all over the place. Someone said it gets a lot better with a screen protector on, I will try that.
However, it does work great in some areas. My main use is for exercise - RunKeeper (and similar apps) works great. I can take a run, track my progress, listen to music, and see notifications if someone is trying to reach me, without needing a much more cumbersome phone jumping around in my pocket.
It's also useful when I'm outdoors, say fishing or hiking. While it isn't waterproof, it does what I need (gps / maps, tell time, make calls if I need to, no risk of dropping it).
So overall, it's a nice device (even though software and such needs some urgent updates). Maybe not great for a phone replacement but for outdoor use and exercise it's really good imo.
nicktastique said:
Yes, but it doesn't work, and others have confirmed. Is your experience different?
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Works fine for me, using it for SuperSU and Titanium.
Well, the TS is unavailable again: Screen is black, no response to buttons (except the feedback I added with Xposed Additions to get virtual physical button) and no adb. adb is a common issue, very seldom works. But I have my device for a couple of days, I have occasionally borrowed one for time to time though.
He means that changing the DPI to 90 for Ingress doesn't work, I think, gerhardo.
Actually, I play Ingress with my TrueSmart and the stock Ingress client (only) and it mostly does work. Hacking and firing work fine from the front screen long press menu and I was even able to deploy I found recently mainly by lucky pressing in the portal view on a crunched up set of buttons there. I had previously thought deploying impossible with stock and stock. Its still impractical.
What was reported no longer working was adjusting the DPI because of some change Niantic introduced into their code at some point a while back. I have not tried that anyway.
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trent999 said:
He means that changing the DPI to 90 for Ingress doesn't work, I think, gerhardo.
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Yes that's what I mean in particular. Ingress no longer honors density settings via App Settings. It doesn't even appear to honor ro.sf.lcd_density on the TS, though it does on my Note 2 (which is annoying since it's set to 280).
I like mine too (1/8 2100 Dev).
Straight from the box, no patch, no rom, no bootloader, no nothing. The apps tho aren't there but it's almost like when the new Xbox, Playstation or Nintendo come out - people don't introduce games until the hardware is in use. I figure the developers of apps are waiting, working and planning something awesome for all smartwatches (not just companions).
Omate, well, hopefully, lessons on their side have been learned and fingers crossed the TS2 (if there is one) will be better planned for.
Hats off to SWApp Link tho. The app is the best thing that's been introduced for me. I had my SIM in my phone originally, then the watch and now back to the phone (just to work out what is best for me - I take a lot of photos and use 4G too much so my Note 3 is where my SIM is needed most) but the app - Bluetooth aside - is absolutely wonderful.
I don't regret buying the TureSmart, nor regret using Kickstarter - I have backed many an idea over the months. My regret is that the technology in total isn't there, yet.
But thank you XDA for being here :good: