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Thinking about switching from iPhone

T

TheKingIV

Newbie
Just a few questions:

1. How do you back up the pictures and other data on the phone? With the iPhone, it syncs to iTunes any time you plug it in. I'm assuming that there is no way to back up the Galaxy SIII on my Macbook?

2. Incidentally, how do you take pictures off the SIII and put them on to your computer?

3. Does the Galaxy SIII have video chat similar to FaceTime for iPhones?

4. Can the Galaxy SIII sync with Google Tasks? (This is one of my biggest frustrations with the iPhone as I use Google Tasks often)

5. Is it really not too big? Can it fit in your pocket comfortably without slipping out every now and then?

6. And I'm sure this is one everyone asks, but is there going to be another android that is rumored to come out in the next few months that is supposed to be even better?

Thanks in advance for any answers.
 
I switched from my Ip4. The S3 is definitely better. I can answer a few of your questions. First, it is not too big. It feels just right. The size and display seem perfect to me. I have a MacBook Pro and just yesterday downloaded a load of pictures and video from my S3. I downloaded a program called Android File Transfer for my MacBook Pro. I plugged in my S3 to the USB and opened the program. An alert on my S3 asked me to check off the Camera box on media transfer, which I did. The program then showed the contents of the internal phone memory and the SD card I have in it. I went to DCIM, expanded it to Photos and just dragged it to a file that I created on my MBP desktop. I then opened Iphoto and imported them. I did the same with what I had on my SD card. (I have all my photos go onto my 32 GB SD card). So you have to do a couple of steps more than the automatic sync with Itunes, but it works perfectly. There might be other ways to sync, via wifi, etc that might be easier, but this works fine. Virtually every app I had on my Iphone is now on my S3. I use voice input on my text and email messages and it is about 99% accurate. I have one touch widgits for dialing. After 15 hours of light use, I had about 37% battery life left. I got the 32 GB model and a Samsung 32GB Class 10 card. I put the card in my Windows machine and moved all my music onto it in about 10 minutes. Good luck and by the way, I sold my Iphone 4 on ebay in about 2 hours.
 
I moved to the S3 and getting away from iTune was great. The S3/Android is way more open than Apple. You can move files around at will. Moving from Apple to Android is like changing planets and will require a little getting used to. Apple offers a warm and fuzzy fell between it's products but you pay for that with a lack of freedom than Android gives you.
 
1. The whole keeping your info synced is nice with itunes and the iphone, and will not be as easy of a switch. The best advice I can give you is that (on vzw anyway) I use back up assistant to keep my contacts in the cloud. And I keep my pictures and stuff on the SD card and keep a back up file on my computer.

2. The post above me nailed it. You download an application called Android file transfer.

3. Android users I know usually stick to Tango and Skype for their video chat needs. Yes its not as easy and nice as face time, but it should get the job done.

4. I can't say from experience,but I would say its probably likely Google tasks would integrate with the phone.

5. In terms of size, I was hesitant to move from the original Incredible to the Thunderbolt because I thought the screen size was to big. But looking back now I love the bigger screens. There is definitely an adjustment period. If you are scared the first couple days don't worry just get use to it and you will never go back. I literally could never use an original Incredible ever again because the screen size feels like a toy. Its funny how you get use to things.

6. The two phones I would definitely keep an eye out for is the flagship ship device HTC is been rumored to have for Verizon. HTC has the One X/S series phones that are not on Verizon. They say a similar device will be made for Verizon and its going to be pretty impressive if not more impressive then the S3 (maybe). I do love my S3, but if I didn't have to upgrade before June 28 (keep unlimited data) I would have waited out to see what HTC makes for Verizon. HTC Device Headed to Verizon Stops by GLBenchmark – 1080p Display, Model 6435LVW, and a New Snapdragon S4? – Droid Life

Also if Google is going to release the Galaxy Nexus 2 (for Christmas?) you would want to jump on that.
 
Funnyusername said:
6. The two phones I would definitely keep an eye out for is the flagship ship device HTC is been rumored to have for Verizon. HTC has the One X/S series phones that are not on Verizon. They say a similar device will be made for Verizon and its going to be pretty impressive if not more impressive then the S3 (maybe). I do love my S3, but if I didn't have to upgrade before June 28 (keep unlimited data) I would have waited out to see what HTC makes for Verizon. HTC Device Headed to Verizon Stops by GLBenchmark
Click to expand...
 
I find a stock android device has more flexibility than a jailbroken iPhone. Apple seems to believe you shouldn't have the rights to change the configuration of the phone. I think we know why they do this; to prevent you from doing something destructive, but isn't that like saying, I won't let you be stupid? What if I want to be stupid and try something?

I am not going to say the S3 is much better than the iPhone because it depends on what is important to you. For me, the flexibility of the S3 is what makes it a better phone for me. I can customize any screen with the information / data I need to see, something apple refuses to allow you to do.
 
I switched from an iPhone 4 I had for two years yesterday. First impressions are very, very good. In terms of switching over from iOS it couldn't have been simpler really. As I'm in the UK I could use the 'Easy Phone Sync' app which transferred all of my texts, contacts, iTunes library and photos over to the GS3, which was very very useful indeed.

In terms of the phone, getting used to the switch from iOS and generally living with it, I'm extremely impressed. The vast majority of apps I used on iOS are on Android now, which I'm very happy about. The phone s**ts on my old iPhone 4 from a great height; the screen is gorgeous (and while it's big, it's not *too* big. Phone fits in my pocket easily), it's so much faster, more capable, the battery life far exceeds it. Only issues I have are that the iPod app is a bit more refined than the Music Player, but not too much. I will still happily use it; and my headset is 'made for iPhone' and has had a few issues with handsfree calling, but that's a minor issue.

First impressions, I've only had the phone for 24 hours, but I'm very very happy with it so far and don't envisage the iOS>Android switch to be very difficult at all.
 
I switched from iPhone 4 recently to SIII as well. Here's what I do.

1. I use Dropbox, and have my photos and videos automatically sync to their cloud. All my photos and videos are backed up automatically, and then will be on my computer automatically. It's pretty simple.

2. You can use #1 solution above, or use the tool others have suggested. You can also try Kies Air or AirDroid as other example programs that can do the job.

3. As others have suggested Skype is probably your best bet as most people will probably have it. Another one is Google Messenger (Gtalk) or you can also try their G+ Hangouts as another solution.

4. Yup, very well. I use a program called Tasks (they also have a free ad-version). There are other solutions as well. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.teamtasks.tasks.paid

5. I'm not tall by any means and I always found the iPhone edges to be sharp and phone a little small to look at and hold. The design of the S3 is smooth to hold and very comfortable. While it looks much bigger than the iPhone, I find it more comfortable to use overall. The only difference is that one hand operation is not always perfect for me as I have trouble reaching the far corner if I need to press a link or icon.

6. Yes, there will always be another better phone in terms of hardware. The S3 is the latest from Samsung, and you might find another better model in 4-6 months. At least that's what they did for the SII with multiple versions. Alas, technology moves very fast these days, and with so many manufacturers making new devices, you'll never have the latest and greatest, however, I don't necessarily agree that your phone will be outdated in 2-3 months. Look at the iPhone 4, it is out 2 years already, and people still use it without a problem. The hardware is completely outdated by today's standards. Even the 4S is falling behind as everyone who wants and iPhone 5 will still be waiting for a few more months. An example for Android is the Galaxy Nexus, it's been out for a while now, but it's still one of the best (mostly because it always gets the latest updates).

If you make the switch, you'll enjoy the phone and the experience, I did.
 
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