Note 2 woes

[futhashi]

HI,

I have a few issues I am hoping someone can help me with. First though as I have been looking around for help online, I have noticed any directions have been different on my phone even though it is help for my phone I am looking at. I think it is because my phone has been upgraded to android 4.4.2. and most instructions are for older versions.

I have a Note 2 , Model # SGH-T889V, Android version 4.4.2

1. Does this Android version mean the software(firmware?) is KitKat??

2. Every time I take my battery out, I lose my wifi network key and have to keep entering it to connect. I took it to a shop (Cell Doctor, Calgary, Alberta) where I have some repair warranty and they did not know if this was normal. they gave me a 1-800 number for Samsung and sent me looking for a payphone, though I was already certain it was normal like a computer and that was confirmed by a friendlier Samsung rep. I went back and educated the two youngin techs at CellDoctor and one took the phone and frigged with a setting and that worked for a while. They said all I had to do was click the "remember keyword" setting where I inserted the wifi network key. I can't find that anywhere.

Can anybody direct me to that setting on my version 4.4.2?? Please.

3. I have also been told that I cannot use the GPS navigator, giving me directions unless I have a data plan or wifi. When I am driving I have neither. I set the destination when I do have wifi at home and it gives me really good voice commands until I arrive but changing a destination again with no wifi does not work. It gives me an error of no wifi connection. A stand alone GPS you buy for a car, has no wifi or data plan and it works with 12 volts and a GPS signal. Should not my phone act the same???

4. My battery worked really, really good. I started using APPs such as battery doctor and battery drain and now when I use this battery, it makes the phone reset, go through booting, over and over and over again. A new battery I just bought works well. It seems these things are really fragile compared to a laptop. Should I be really carful about which APPs I play with??

This is my first smart phone and it has been really, really frustrating to say the least.

I hope someone can help me out with these issues.
I look forward to your help,

Antonio

 

[Brian706]

Hey, I'll try to answer some of these.

HI,

I have a few issues I am hoping someone can help me with. First though as I have been looking around for help online, I have noticed any directions have been different on my phone even though it is help for my phone I am looking at. I think it is because my phone has been upgraded to android 4.4.2. and most instructions are for older versions.

I have a Note 2 , Model # SGH-T889V, Android version 4.4.2

1. Does this Android version mean the software(firmware?) is KitKat??

Yes

2. Every time I take my battery out, I lose my wifi network key and have to keep entering it to connect. I took it to a shop (Cell Doctor, Calgary, Alberta) where I have some repair warranty and they did not know if this was normal. they gave me a 1-800 number for Samsung and sent me looking for a payphone, though I was already certain it was normal like a computer and that was confirmed by a friendlier Samsung rep. I went back and educated the two youngin techs at CellDoctor and one took the phone and frigged with a setting and that worked for a while. They said all I had to do was click the "remember keyword" setting where I inserted the wifi network key. I can't find that anywhere.

Can anybody direct me to that setting on my version 4.4.2?? Please.

Honestly, I have no idea what this means. I've never heard of this setting. The way WiFi passwords generally handle on android is that it automatically remembers the network/password the first time you connect to it. Unless you manually choose to forget the network, it should always remember.

3. I have also been told that I cannot use the GPS navigator, giving me directions unless I have a data plan or wifi. When I am driving I have neither. I set the destination when I do have wifi at home and it gives me really good voice commands until I arrive but changing a destination again with no wifi does not work. It gives me an error of no wifi connection. A stand alone GPS you buy for a car, has no wifi or data plan and it works with 12 volts and a GPS signal. Should not my phone act the same???

I think the difference is that a device such as the TomTom stores all the maps on the device. Here are some instructions to use Google maps offline: https://support.google.com/gmm/answer/3273567?hl=en

4. My battery worked really, really good. I started using APPs such as battery doctor and battery drain and now when I use this battery, it makes the phone reset, go through booting, over and over and over again. A new battery I just bought works well. It seems these things are really fragile compared to a laptop. Should I be really carful about which APPs I play with??

It sounds like it may have just been a bad battery. An app most likely won't ruin your battery, but it can harm your battery life/performance. Here's a good post explaining far better than I ever could: http://androidforums.com/threads/why-you-dont-need-a-task-killer.335110/

This is my first smart phone and it has been really, really frustrating to say the least.

I hope someone can help me out with these issues.
I look forward to your help,

Antonio

Sorry your first smartphone experience has been so frustrating. I hope it gets better. I hope I at least answered some of your questions satisfactorily.

 

[futhashi]

Hi Brian,

Thanks so much for your response and your help.

There must be something that the techs did, and they inferred I should not have missed it when I entered the password, making me feel like an idiot, not them of course not knowing if this was normal!

I did lose my wifi network key every time after many tries at recycling the battery in and out of the phone. they did do something and now it does not do this. I am happy for this but I am curious as to why they thought it was an obvious thing to do where I am not finding it so.

Thanks again,

Antonio

Hey, I'll try to answer some of these.

Yes

Honestly, I have no idea what this means. I've never heard of this setting. The way WiFi passwords generally handle on android is that it automatically remembers the network/password the first time you connect to it. Unless you manually choose to forget the network, it should always remember.

I think the difference is that a device such as the TomTom stores all the maps on the device. Here are some instructions to use Google maps offline: https://support.google.com/gmm/answer/3273567?hl=en

It sounds like it may have just been a bad battery. An app most likely won't ruin your battery, but it can harm your battery life/performance. Here's a good post explaining far better than I ever could: http://androidforums.com/threads/why-you-dont-need-a-task-killer.335110/



Sorry your first smartphone experience has been so frustrating. I hope it gets better. I hope I at least answered some of your questions satisfactorily.

 

[futhashi]

Hi again,

I had a look at the "using maps offline" and went through the procedures for saving a map, but at the end of the article I found:

" Limitations
Cannot search or use navigation
Your saved map includes streets and maps data. Zoom in to see a detailed view of your offline map.
Certain features, like satellite, terrain, indoor maps, and 3D buildings will not be available offline. Features that require a network connection, like directions and Navigation aren’t available offline, either."

My problem is that I am tooooo curious about stuff and have trouble excepting stuff that does not make sense...at least not to me.

As with a stand alone GPS system that only uses GPS satellite signals and a saved map, should not a smart phone be able to do the same thing as it has GPS satellite signals and now has a stored offline map(saved in "your places)???? No one has been able to answer this yet, it seems to be just accepted by everybody....except me. Can anyone explain this for me?? I am thinking there has got to be a way...maybe a different GPS navigation APP??

Thanks again,
Antonio

Hi Brian,

Thanks so much for your response and your help.

There must be something that the techs did, and they inferred I should not have missed it when I entered the password, making me feel like an idiot, not them of course not knowing if this was normal!

I did lose my wifi network key every time after many tries at recycling the battery in and out of the phone. they did do something and now it does not do this. I am happy for this but I am curious as to why they thought it was an obvious thing to do where I am not finding it so.

Thanks again,

Antonio

 

[Brian706]

Hey, on my way to ANOTHER Thanksgiving thing. Take a look at this thread and see if any of it can help with your GPS concerns:
http://androidforums.com/threads/gps-wont-work-without-wifi-data-plan.517773/

 

[vr4]

Hi again,

I had a look at the "using maps offline" and went through the procedures for saving a map, but at the end of the article I found:

" Limitations
Cannot search or use navigation
Your saved map includes streets and maps data. Zoom in to see a detailed view of your offline map.
Certain features, like satellite, terrain, indoor maps, and 3D buildings will not be available offline. Features that require a network connection, like directions and Navigation aren’t available offline, either."

My problem is that I am tooooo curious about stuff and have trouble excepting stuff that does not make sense...at least not to me.

As with a stand alone GPS system that only uses GPS satellite signals and a saved map, should not a smart phone be able to do the same thing as it has GPS satellite signals and now has a stored offline map(saved in "your places)???? No one has been able to answer this yet, it seems to be just accepted by everybody....except me. Can anyone explain this for me?? I am thinking there has got to be a way...maybe a different GPS navigation APP??

Thanks again,
Antonio

You're asking the phone to do something it's not designed to do. Kind of like asking your oven to keep ice cream frozen.

It's designed to work with a data plan to download maps and directions as requested. Your Garmin is designed to have everything installed and operates as such.

Even the GPS speed apps need data connection. When on a plane on takeoff I get speed up to about 400mph and then lose data and speed readout.

Just the nature of the beast.

 

[futhashi]

Hi,

I would have no problem accepting what you are saying in as much as there is common consciences that an oven heats things and does not freeze and a freezer freezes but does not heat. Everybody knows this. It would be a heck of a lot less frustrating for me if it was like that with smartphones and their GPS capabilities.

Being a person that wants to find ways of understanding certain things, I have just spent a couple of days searching for APPs for smart phones that work without any connecting and there are many, many sites that talk about and review them about how good they are that they download OSM or Tom Tom maps and so do not need an internet connection or a data plan to work.

these are just two sites:
http://www.phonearena.com/news/5-of-the-best-offline-GPS-maps-apps-for-Android_id59399
http://joyofandroid.com/offline-gps-navigation-app-for-android/

but I could fill up this page with hits searching "Android offline GPS APPs"

all with positive reviews on haw good they work without wifi or dataplan.

So are you suggesting another conspiracy??

Having said all that I am still at a loss because I have been downloading all these wonderful free APPs that claim they can do what you are saying cannot be done, and have yet to find one that works. More often, it has been difficult to get past the convoluted "user friendly" setups, to add favorites, plot routes, etc....

One that I finally managed to make through its complicated user interface, "NavFree" does not allow me to look up an address without an Internet connection. I turn off wifi, do a search and I get "please check internet connection", turn on wifi and it comes up with the address as a selection. This after I have down loaded all their maps in my internal memory. I can do this test over and over again.

I try to give benefit of the doubt to the status quo but in this case, unless I make a breakthrough, I am siding with you and the rest are just, ass the British say, pulling the piss!! Yet there are so many, Have the aliens invaded already?

Stay well.

Antonio



I am thinl

You're asking the phone to do something it's not designed to do. Kind of like asking your oven to keep ice cream frozen.

It's designed to work with a data plan to download maps and directions as requested. Your Garmin is designed to have everything installed and operates as such.

Even the GPS speed apps need data connection. When on a plane on takeoff I get speed up to about 400mph and then lose data and speed readout.

Just the nature of the beast.

 

[psionandy]

For number 3, try looking at nokia Here maps, its in the samsung app store and will allow full offline mode