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Verizon Hands on Thread

rjschroed said:
Haha, just imagine what I'll have to say after a week! If you read carefully enough I did mention plenty of negatives depending on what you consider to be important. I also made it pretty clear that it was an initial impression and that I haven't had a lot of time to play around with a lot the the other things this phone can do (NFC, S-beam, All-share, etc) but so far the meat and potatoes of this phone are good.
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Just giving you a hard time my friend. I'm from TN so I'm a little slow, so any post over 5 sentences & I'm out :boring: . But, seriously great post & look forward to someone reading to me your future reviews :p .
 
2horses said:
ITrying to find things I don't like, but so far I haven't found anything. I even like the keyboard! ....
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You seem to be the only one so far who seems to like the keyboard:D Hopefully I will be able to form my own opinion when mine is delivered (which is actually today, Tues) ;)
 
laptopquestion said:
You seem to be the only one so far who seems to like the keyboard:D Hopefully I will be able to form my own opinion when mine is delivered (which is actually today, Tues) ;)
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I'm w/ 2horses on this one, keyboard is all good IMO. :pcguru:
 
I'm so pleasantly surprised at the battery life so far. I have used it for most of the day today on a single charge. This was the #1 reason I bought this to replace my Rezound.

Oh, and it's blazing fast with a good screen. Incredibly thin and lightweight.
Much less bloatware than my Rezound had on it.

*Face unlock is cool

And my 64gb Micro-SD card makes space no problem.
 
I activated my white 32GB Galaxy S3 earlier today, which replaced my Galaxy Nexus. I had many reservations about keeping my preorder, especially after using Jellybean on my GNex and after finding out about the locked bootloader on the S3. That said, I went ahead and activated the phone, and I have to say I am quite impressed!

Here are my thoughts after a day of use:

  • The overall appearance and form factor are very appealing. I'm glad I went with white, and I especially appreciate the extra screen real estate. The home button does not bother me at all, and the phone feels good in the hand (though a bit slipperier than the GNex).
  • The screen itself is very nice! Colors seems better than the GNex and the larger size is noticeable. However, it is more difficult to see in bright sunlight.
  • Touchwiz is not a bad skin, but I'd still prefer stock, so I hope that custom roms are eventually available. Definitely looking forward to using Jellybean on this phone! The enhancements that Samsung added are actually quite nice, admittedly. However, I switched back to Nova Launcher later in the day and will likely stick with that.
  • That stupid WIFI notification is annoying, and after I root, I will likely disable it. Shame on Verizon for such a glaring annoyance.
  • The stock keyboard itself is okay, but the auto correct is horrible. However, the ICS voice input is so much better than the voice input on Swype or Swiftkey that I am torn on what to use. I wish I could use Swype with the stock Voice Input (I know you can switch in the notification icon but that's annoying).
  • Reception is something I'm not sure about yet. In my home, I am getting -104 on the S3 and -120 on the GNex, so I guess it's marginally better. But when I went to the grocery store today, the S3 dropped data inside just like my GNex does, so I'm not expecting a big improvement here. So far, no problems with WIFI or Bluetooth.
  • The phone itself is BLAZINGLY fast! The interface screams with speed, even when running Nova with widgets. I can't imagine how smooth it'll be once Jellybean is on it. The GNex runs quite smooth with Jellybean, but it already feels like "project butter" is on this phone. I have not noticed any lag whatsoever, and I'll added quite a few apps and widgets. I did disable the Verizon apps that could be disabled.
  • S-Voice is okay, I guess, but it's no match for the new Google Now with Voice Search on Jellybean. Can't wait to use that on the S3!!! I was really enjoying using Google Now and the Voice Search on the GNex, and that will probably be the single thing I miss most. However, this phone has enough perks and speed that I'll hopefully not notice too much during the time we have to wait for Jellybean.

All in all, I am really impressed with the phone and will likely be keeping it (especially now that root is available and the prospect of more customization is looming). I know the hardware itself will be good to go for quite some time, so I'll just have to look forward to software upgrades.

EDIT: Forgot to mention battery life. I've pretty much been at home all day on WIFI, so only time will tell. But after fully charging the phone earlier today, I've been using it a lot and I'm still above 50% (after 8 hours of use). I know being on 4G eats up battery much faster, so I will report back on that.
 
treb1797 said:
Just giving you a hard time my friend. I'm from TN so I'm a little slow, so any post over 5 sentences & I'm out :boring: . But, seriously great post & look forward to someone reading to me your future reviews :p .
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I was laughing about it, never took it as an insult, we're all good. I merely went on a few more sentences to give you the short version of the review :p
 
rjschroed said:
I was laughing about it, never took it as an insult, we're all good. I merely went on a few more sentences to give you the short version of the review :p
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How about a Cliff Notes version? Do they still make those for books or did I just show my age :turtle: . Man those things saved my life back in my high school days.
 
bennybbc said:
What is "Dark Swype"? I'm a fan of Swype and I wasn't happy to read that the version that came with the phone isn't very good.
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Swype does not come with the phone. The Samsung keyboard has a Swype-like capability that isn't very good.
 
bennybbc said:
No matter how many amazing features the SGS3 may have, if it doesn't get decent reception with it's various radios it's value to me (And most people I'm sure) drops like a rock. I hope to see more about radio reception in this thread than I have in others. It seems many people are more concerned with letting us know about the features of the phone than telling us about the reception it gets.

I think I'll be getting my SGS3 delivered Tuesday and my daughter's comes on Monday. I guess we'll find out then how the reception here will be but I'm hoping to know in advance if I'm going to be seriously disappointed with this phone or very happy with it. I don't mind pleasant surprises but I hate having bad news just thrown in my face.

I live in far Northern California about 2.5 hours north of Sacramento. We don't even have 4G here yet and the nearest ETA for that in the end of the year. We get excellent phone and data coverage here though and I'm used to always having a decent signal with my Droid X. Hopefully the SGS3 can match it or at least come close.

Benny
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I have not noticed any signal problems, but I admit I care less about what the bars show me vs, what my phone gives me (e.g. crystal clear calls, no drops so far). I am coming from the OG incredible. I could not make a call from my desk at work (behind servers and several walls). Im in a notoriously bad signal area, and I am besting two people on different phones and able to stream pandora and access words with friends-- they are on a MAXX and a Rezound. So for at least me, I am happy with signal. I'll of course try to max out the abilities before my 14 days are up. My battery is not faring so well, but that is likely due to the streaming of pandora and the fact that my screen has been on all morning!

I admit, coming from the HTC there is a bit of a learning curve. I loaded up Kies last night and was able to delete some of the notifcation sounds I could care less about. I also use swype (I know others are on swiftkey), but I am able to type one handed no problem. -- I have decently sized hands- typically wear xl gloves etc.
 
bennybbc said:
What is "Dark Swype"? I'm a fan of Swype and I wasn't happy to read that the version that came with the phone isn't very good.
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ylexot said:
Swype does not come with the phone. The Samsung keyboard has a Swype-like capability that isn't very good.
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While true, you can go to beta.swype.com and register for a beta copy and it's fully functional. I'm using Swype beta right now.
 
bennybbc said:
What is "Dark Swype"? I'm a fan of Swype and I wasn't happy to read that the version that came with the phone isn't very good.
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It is a version of Swype that uses dark colors. Mine is black with dark blue. You can find the apk on the net.

UPDATE: the GPS works fine now. Just needed some time to get its bearings I guess.
 
I have a support question. My contacts are all blurry, very annoying. Also, I can't find google wallet ???

Other than that ,I'm still learning :)
 
treb1797 said:
How about a Cliff Notes version? Do they still make those for books or did I just show my age :turtle: . Man those things saved my life back in my high school days.
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I remember those too. Back in the day, before Al Gore invented the internet, that's what we had to use.

Cliffs notes version, the phone is very good. I am impressed by the speed, screen, and thus far battery life. There are a lot of neat tricks. I'm indifferent about touch wiz (that might actually be a compliment). The keyboard, which I still need to replace is my biggest gripe. The are other minor annoyances.
 
ylexot said:
Swype does not come with the phone. The Samsung keyboard has a Swype-like capability that isn't very good.
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Try the onboard before you make a decision - I came from Swype on my DX and this one works just as well if not better - to me, at least. So don't despair, you may like it too!
 
ylexot said:
Swype does not come with the phone. The Samsung keyboard has a Swype-like capability that isn't very good.
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If you read my post (The one you quoted) you'll see that I am already aware of both of these facts. I was acknowledging this and asking what "Dark Swype" is, not why it's potentially useful. Thanks for the reply though.

Benny
 
DROID_SCOTSMAN said:
I have not noticed any signal problems, but I admit I care less about what the bars show me vs, what my phone gives me (e.g. crystal clear calls, no drops so far). I am coming from the OG incredible. I could not make a call from my desk at work (behind servers and several walls). Im in a notoriously bad signal area, and I am besting two people on different phones and able to stream pandora and access words with friends-- they are on a MAXX and a Rezound. So for at least me, I am happy with signal. I'll of course try to max out the abilities before my 14 days are up. My battery is not faring so well, but that is likely due to the streaming of pandora and the fact that my screen has been on all morning!

I admit, coming from the HTC there is a bit of a learning curve. I loaded up Kies last night and was able to delete some of the notifcation sounds I could care less about. I also use swype (I know others are on swiftkey), but I am able to type one handed no problem. -- I have decently sized hands- typically wear xl gloves etc.
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My daughter was using an Incredible too (Until she got her new SGS3 yesterday) and it could never match any of the reception I get with my DroidX, phone or data. Texting was fine but only because it only takes a moment of reception to send/receive the text. And believe me, 16 year old girls can text A LOT! So if you're doing better than your old Incredible then that speaks well and is something I can relate to.

Regarding Swype, I too have giant hands and XL gloves are sometimes too tight. I don't like a standard tap keyboard because my fingers are a little to big. I can use them but my XXL fingers seem to be less of a problem with Swype. That said, I see room for improvement with Swype and if there is a better version available I'd gladly give it a try. My SGS3 is "Out for delivery" right now so hopefully later today I'll be able to see for myself what the Samsung version of Swype is like.

Benny
 
2horses said:
Try the onboard before you make a decision - I came from Swype on my DX and this one works just as well if not better - to me, at least. So don't despair, you may like it too!
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I'll definitely give it a try. Hopefully I'll like it. Like I said in a previous post, I think there is room for improvement with Swype so maybe the Samsung version will be a step in the right direction. We'll see...Hopefully by 4:30 this afternoon assuming Fedex is on time.

Benny
 
I got to spend 70 "entire" minutes with a 16gb white version. Got to leave the store with it too! Wow! ;) Also got to test all the cases being launched with it :)

Key points IMO:

Signal reception seems similar to my Razr (not a final call by any means- need more time).

Sound quality and volume is very good (Especially 3.5mm)

I do not like the placement of the volume button- too easy to hit (but the clamshell case I tested fixes this).

Does not seem like it would survive much of a fall- get a case!

Does not get as hot when testing some 3D game demos like my Razr

The shocker for me was not thrilled with the display like expected: Link of a post I made:

http://androidforums.com/samsung-ga...play-seems-have-weak-contrast-off-whites.html

As far as cases (and the generic ones), they had the clamshell/stand with holster and clip (I have the Razr one) for $30 and a smart case for $40 that seems made of aluminum or metal-like coated plastic. It is lke a little book case and apparently works for calls even if closed.
 
kymberlin said:
I have a support question. My contacts are all blurry, very annoying. Also, I can't find google wallet ???

Other than that ,I'm still learning :)
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Is it your Google contact pictures or are you syncing Facebook on top of everything for the Facebook pictures?
 
I tested the battery, and to some extent signal holding ability today. I'm at 12 hours on battery and 8 of those were streaming audio via XM radio app, and some light web browsing mixed in. Battery level is currently at 35%. Yesterday w/o the streaming I was at 61% after similar time. Streaming didn't miss a beat all day. Very impressed with battery life compared to my DX even with a new battery in it.

One minor annoyance I found, which is apparently an ICS thing is that notifications play through the phones speaker even when using earbuds. Not sure who's bright idea that was, but why on earth would you want your phone making sounds when you have earbuds/headphones one.
 
Been playing/working with my new 16GB white SGSIII for most of the afternoon, and here are my impressions so far:

Pro's:

1. Screen, screen, screen. You have to see it to believe it. 'nuff said.
2. Speakerphone - noticeably louder than my stock Galaxy Nexus, and slightly louder than my Nexus with a ROM that mods the volume a bit.
3. Face to call - One of my favorite "gimmicks" of the new TW. Just move your phone to your face while looking at a text from a contact or the contact's info page.
4. Screen on if it sees you looking - this has worked flawlessly for me so far. I know some have had issues, but wow, this is sooooo nice!!!
5. Reception - I must point out that didn't have reception issues with my Galaxy Nexus like others have, even in sketchy areas, and so far the SGSIII has not disappointed in reception, data or voice wise.
6. Camera - fast and good. I like it a lot!
7. Battery life - it's really really good. I mean REALLY good. MUCH better than my Droid X ever was. Much better than my Galaxy Nexus is.
8. microSD card slot. YAY!

There are others, but those are the ones that first come to mind.

Here are the cons:

1. DEAL BREAKER: When I have the aux input in my vehicles connected to the headphone jack to listen to music, I also have a bluetooth device of some kind also paired for calls. When I receive a call, I CANNOT HEAR the person UNLESS I take my HANDS AND EYES OFF THE ROAD and disconnect the audio cable. Then I have to reverse the process and manually make the music play again. I am not using A2DP bluetooth devices to stream the audio, and they are set for call audio only. This is the same problem my Fascinate had, that Verizon couldn't fix, and drove me NUTS. Most new vehicles and aftermarket stereos have an auxiliary input jack. Why did they have to screw this up? Please let me know if you experience this as well, or not!!

2. Non-deal-breaker: Phone lags. It's not bad, but it lags noticeably compared to my Galaxy Nexus. I suspect all the S-Crap and V-Crap is to blame. Rooting and de-bloating will likely solve this, so this is not a deal breaker.
3. S-Voice. It sucks. It doesn't work. I double tap the home key and it never loads, regardless of the types of settings I try. Oh well. When I load it manually it is horribly inaccurate (far worse than plain google voice commands built into stock ICS, a la Galaxy Nexus), doesn't even start sometimes, and does seem to slow the phone down a bit when running in the background.
4. Locked bootloader. Verizon comes so close to greatness by getting this phone, and then has to try their darndest to screw it all up. Why? Brilliant dev's are getting past it, so again, not a deal breaker.
5. No stock ICS keyboard? The stock ICS keyboard for me has been so good I didn't even bother with SwiftkeyX on my Gnex. Why am I forced to use the horrendous, annoying, laggy, and inaccurate garbage Samsung keyboard unless I go and install one of my own? Irritating, but not big deal.
6. Headset earpiece: Despite excellent reception, calls sound like crap - tinny, hollow, and scratchy. I don't get it. Any advice? My wife's Fascinate doesn't even sound this bad. Doesn't seem to matter how strong my signal is. Made some test calls with full wonderful signal with a tower in sight. I'm sure I'm missing something here ...
7. Home button delay. I've googled this and done what I can to reduce it, but again I blame it on bloat, and perhaps touch wiz. Time to throw on Nova Launcher Prime!!

If anyone knows any fixes for these issues that I'm missing, I will indeed be grateful for your feedback!! I am so torn on this phone right now. :(
 
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