Samsung Galaxy S3

[Stephen]

I think on a phone the performance cards wont matter too much. I got a free 32Gb card from Phones 4 U as I pre ordered the phone.

Did you get the white one? What do you think so far?

I must say I'm already a big fan of SwiftKey!

---------- Post added at 16:36 ---------- Previous post was at 16:33 ----------

Originally Posted by Stephen

I think on a phone the performance cards wont matter too much. I got a free 32Gb card from Phones 4 U as I pre ordered the phone.

Did you get the white one? What do you think so far?

Loving it so far. Swiftkey is massive, almost worth ditching the iPhone alone. Screen incredible. Interop between apps already better. Need to get used to it more, especially finding a good music playing app (especially one that will let me use Dropbox) but amazing so far.

I love the Google integration. As soon as I had the phone I went on maps, went to put in a location and it already populated it with suggestions (such as my favorite coffee shop) because I had searched it in Desktop maps weeks ago!

---------- Post added at 16:51 ---------- Previous post was at 16:36 ----------

Does anyone know if the S3 can support a 64gb microSD card? I hear some phones can only access 32....

[SnoopZ]

Yes it can.

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i930...s_iii-4238.php

Cheers!

[Hom3r]

Originally Posted by Damien

I got it! The Galaxy that is! Going to spend a lot of time getting used to android and the phone. I am going to get a MicroSD Card but need advice, is it worth going for the performance ones or not? Do they make a difference?

I bought a 32GB MicroSD Class 10, the phone my not beable to support the speed fully, but future phones may, so I'd buy the fastest.

Think I have got used to it now. Using Chrome as main browser. Anyone else have suggestions for stuff to install/set up?

[SnoopZ]

Originally Posted by Damien

Think I have got used to it now. Using Chrome as main browser. Anyone else have suggestions for stuff to install/set up?

You should try Dolphin Browser it is great and you can theme it to just how you like it. https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...eUJyb3dzZXIiXQ..

Originally Posted by SnoopZ

You should try Dolphin Browser it is great and you can theme it to just how you like it. https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...eUJyb3dzZXIiXQ..

Is it really that much better? I like that Chrome syncs with my desktop Chrome

[SnoopZ]

I could never get the hang of Chrome on my phone, maybe i just need to use it more though.

Originally Posted by SnoopZ

I could never get the hang of Chrome on my phone, maybe i just need to use it more though.

Might be helped by the fact I've known no other Android browser.

[SnoopZ]

Originally Posted by Damien

Might be helped by the fact I've known no other Android browser.

Try Opera Mobile, Dolphin HD and Chrome and see which you get on with the most.

p.s Don't forget to setup Dropbox as i believe they give you 25GB free space and it is an awesome way to get things on and off the phone.

edit: I don't think you can currently watch flash videos on Google Chrome Beta.

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by SnoopZ

Try Opera Mobile, Dolphin HD and Chrome and see which you get on with the most.

p.s Don't forget to setup Dropbox as i believe they give you 25GB free space and it is an awesome way to get things on and off the phone.

edit: I don't think you can currently watch flash videos on Google Chrome Beta.

If you follow all the steps Dropbox gives you 50Gb free as you have the S3: -)

[SnoopZ]

Originally Posted by Stephen

If you follow all the steps Dropbox gives you 50Gb free as you have the S3: -)

That is really good but don't you have to spam the world to get that? lol, shame i don't have an S3(although i think it is too big) and i am stuck with around 5GB which is what they gave me for an HTC Sensation and that is only promotional and will reduce to 3GB next year.

Luckily rumour has it Skydrive are creating a proper Android app so i will be able to use my 25GB with that.

I am surprised Gdrive doesn't blow the competition out of the water like they did when they introduced Gmail and give everyone 25GB for free.

[qasdfdsaq]

Originally Posted by colin25

If I was buying, I think the blue one would be my choice

I've used both.

I can say the white looks great if you're into lighter colours, and also looks great on lighter surfaces - white sheets, tablecloths, sinks, etc. Also on shiny/glass furniture.

The blue is fairly dark blue and fits in well with those in dark clothing (e.g. black suit) or darker places like pubs, bars, black leather sofa or dark wooden furniture. Ironically, it's also more useable in broad daylight, as it doesn't have a bright white frame around the screen to blur your view. Personally, I like it better. Just looks more professional and less like a fashion accessory. Then again I still prefer the black and sharper edges on the S2

Other differences are on the white you have three large black blobs to the right of the earpiece, and on blue you only have one to the left. Finally, on the white version you get an uneven black frame around the screen, between where the screen pixels end and where the white frame starts. How much this irritates you will vary, but it's far less noticeable if at all on the blue.

---------- Post added at 18:33 ---------- Previous post was at 18:32 ----------

Originally Posted by Stephen

The GS3 also has a fantastic video app built in, it plays everything without any issues, even 1080p HD mkv files! So I sometimes load TV shows or movies onto the phone. Used to do the same with my GS2.

Indeed, the Galaxy series has always had very good media format support built-in. However both the S2 and S3 have crappy music players that fail to take advantage of the phones' relatively high-quality hardware.

---------- Post added at 18:43 ---------- Previous post was at 18:33 ----------

Originally Posted by Damien

I am also tempted by the HTC One X. I've heard it's a better interface/skin that keeps with Android 4.0's conventions and sprit.

I wouldn't. Having used both for some time, the One X is, physically speaking, far inferior. All the faults with the S3 (bar one or two) are software annoyances and can be fixed with an app, skin, or configuration change. Granted, the One X screen looks slightly better out of the box, even though it uses inferior technology, but only because they've put in a lot of optimizations around it (gamma curve, thickness, frame, and lensing).

Keeping with Android 4's conventions and spirit is not a good thing. Compared to the SGS3, it replaces the more useful back and menu buttons with a badly placed back button and a useless task switcher, and you also lose a load of screen estate to an annoying, constantly-there, and non-removable bar that serves as a replacement menu button, and having to reach further to get to menus in ICS apps. Lack of physical home button, top-side placement of power button, slippery back and pointy sides make the whole unit's physical handling and useability far inferior to the SGS3, despite being smaller.

I did a quick comparison test, of the time it takes to get the phone(s) out of my pocket, unlock them, and get to a useable home screen, it took 1.4 seconds on the SGS3 and 4.5 seconds on the HTC One X. Might not seem like much, but take your phone out your pocket 3 times an hour, that's 28 hours you waste over a 2-year contract just unlocking the damn thing.

Oh and the non-removeable battery - using the One X as my main phone required recharging it 2-3 times a day, the same on the SGS3 requires only one charge a day (and it usually ends up with 15-30% left at the end of the day). Anyway, if you're still tempted by the One X - you can have mine, since I'm hell-bent on getting rid of it

What do you all do to secure your Android phone? I have put SeekDroid to let me track, lock, remotely wipe it from a webpage. I am going to encrypt it I think. Any other suggestons/comments?