Multiple questions

[cchukan]

Hello,

I finally made the switch from Apple to Samsung GS3. Used iPhone for too long and was disappointed on the iPhone 5. First time android user so please help me out.

1. Google+. I have photos on Google+ which I uploaded from my computer harddrive (my old photos from previous iPhone and other photos). So I know I can access these photos from my Gallery but my question is: Are the photos on google+ downloaded on my phone? Will I be able to access them even if I'm not connected to the internet i.e. 3g, 4g, wifi?

2. Every photo I take is saved on the SD card which is internal to the phone right? Like a harddrive for your computer? Shouldn't I be saving them on an external since you never know when you're phone is going to fail like any computer?

3. How to I reformat the phone to factory settings and then be able to recover all my apps and settings like I would do with itunes and icloud on an iPhone? I think it's the kies? Can anyone elaborate about kies? Can I back up my photos, music, apps, contacts?

4. Is it easier to export contacts to gmail to recover later on or how do you guys manage your contacts?

5. I see Android as a computer. You reformat when you think the system is sluggish after some time...I've been hearing that Android starts slowing down after a year or so...Does formatting or factory reset hurt the phone itself? Will the number of format actually be bad for your phone?

6. Jail breaking for Samsung GS3 is rooting right? Recommend?

Thanks for all your help in advance. Thanks!

 

[Heisenberg123]

Hello,

I finally made the switch from Apple to Samsung GS3. Used iPhone for too long and was disappointed on the iPhone 5. First time android user so please help me out.

1. Google+. I have photos on Google+ which I uploaded from my computer harddrive (my old photos from previous iPhone and other photos). So I know I can access these photos from my Gallery but my question is: Are the photos on google+ downloaded on my phone? Will I be able to access them even if I'm not connected to the internet i.e. 3g, 4g, wifi?

2. Every photo I take is saved on the SD card which is internal to the phone right? Like a harddrive for your computer? Shouldn't I be saving them on an external since you never know when you're phone is going to fail like any computer?

3. How to I reformat the phone to factory settings and then be able to recover all my apps and settings like I would do with itunes and icloud on an iPhone? I think it's the kies? Can anyone elaborate about kies? Can I back up my photos, music, apps, contacts?

4. Is it easier to export contacts to gmail to recover later on or how do you guys manage your contacts?

5. I see Android as a computer. You reformat when you think the system is sluggish after some time...I've been hearing that Android starts slowing down after a year or so...Does formatting or factory reset hurt the phone itself? Will the number of format actually be bad for your phone?

6. Jail breaking for Samsung GS3 is rooting right? Recommend?

Thanks for all your help in advance. Thanks!

1. Not sure dont use Google+ but id suspect you can download them to the phone

2. Yes you can make the Camera default to save to mirco SD

3. Yes you can do a factory reset on handset, use Kies to back up settings, preferences, contacts, messages, memos, music, movies, pictures pretty much everything itunes did minus the apps, for apps i use the app called apps backup and restore, backs them up to micro sd than you restore them

4. Yes you can have you contacts sync with your google contacts so you can modify your contacts on the device or on the computer and the will always sync

5. not sure

6. Yes rooting is "jailbreak" term for android

 

[Stuntman]

5. I see Android as a computer. You reformat when you think the system is sluggish after some time...I've been hearing that Android starts slowing down after a year or so...Does formatting or factory reset hurt the phone itself? Will the number of format actually be bad for your phone?

I find that my last Android phone is sluggish when my home screens become too complex. This is when switching home screens and especially when switching my home screen from portrait to landscape. I had an HTC Desire Z which has a landscape slider keyboard. It reorients the home screens when I open the keyboard. It was a 2-year old phone, so it wasn't as powerful as newer phones now, and I had 7 home screens with a lot of widgets. The Facebook app is pretty much the only app that I noticed that really slowed down, but I think it is due to the Facebook app being a piece of crap. My Google+ app on that phone is pretty smooth. The stock browser and other full featured browsers did not seem to slow down over time. They were slow to begin with due to the power (or lack there of) of my old phone. I primarily used Opera Mini which did not slow down over time.

My current SGS3 which I had for 2 months has 5 home screens with a 5 row x 4 column grid is very smooth. I did not notice any slowing down over that time. Everything about this phone was faster than my old phone (with the exception of Gachinko Tennis for some strange reason). Browser is very fast, and I use Chrome now. I had Opera Mini for a while, but took it off since there is no longer a speed advantage over Chrome, now that I have a more powerful phone.

I don't know how much of an improvement, if any, you would get from doing a factory reset after a year. With Jelly Bean coming out soon, this update is likely going to make your phone feel smoother anyway.

 

[T.M.M.L]

Greeetings cchukan,

Questions 2,3,4,5,6 were answered.

I don't use Google+, but I would guess that they give you an option to download your own pics.

I think that the phones might tend to get a little sluggish depending on the phone specs and amount of apps. Earlier devices don't have the power that the galaxy 3's ,HTC-one series and newer devices have. So sluggishness probably won't be as big of a issue.

As far as damage goes. The phones don't have storage options that require moving parts. It's solid state memory, electronically, not mechanically operated. This memory is rated to to written to and erased an enormously huge amount of times.

While there are always exception to the rule, you can usually count on your device working long after you've decided to move onto the next thing. So no worries about formatting.

Rooting is indeed like jail breaking. It provides you with total access to your device. I don't recommend rooting without cause. Not that rooting itself is harmful or dangerous, because it's not. I don't recommend it, because it allows people to muck with things that they don't understand.

If you have a issue that can't be solved without root or have a app that requires it, then by all means root your device. Just don't root your device and start deleting this or that without understanding what your doing, that's all.


Hope this helps.

 

[GTWalling]

For Number one the pictures are on the cloud. You may be able to download to the phone but you will see 2 of each folder. I don't think you would be able to access if you have no service.