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Hey guys. I have an Xperia Arc with Arconium ICS.
Now I'm considering to buy a Smart Watch because it looks really pretty.
Does somoeone here has one?
For now it's a little bit expensive here in Spain. So I'm also considering to wait for a while or search the internet for an cheaper way to buy (not stolen ones. I hate it).
What do you think about it?
Sorry for my english. I have not been praticing for a long time.
Btw, as I'm using a bluetooth headphones (nokia ones that I bought with my old nokia phone 3 years ago ) I am also worried about battery drain and compatibility troubles between the 2 bluetooth devices and my Arc.
i got the smartwatch 2 days ago and been using it with me Xperia Arc S. bbought it from expansys usa for 120$ which is the cheapest price online [=
i had and still have the original live view but gave up on it after 4 days of using it cuz it just didnt work right, kept disconnecting and wasnt quality at all.
pros:
LOVE IT! haha looks way better, stylish, NEVER had a disconnection, screen is great at sunlight and VERY EASY on the eyes when in the dark, all the apps i used worked great, has great battery life!! also ordered the white strap and have both black and white now [=
cons:
i like the veriaty that you can wake it up by pressing the power button, shaking it OR double tapping it but i wish you could have just tap it once and it would have wake up.
could have been better to have a micro usb connector for charging.
i wish that when i get an incoming call and i answer it through the watch it would automatically put the call on speaker phone (unless my bluetooth headset is connected)
i wish there was a notification light.
i wish it would have been possible to flash or mess with the firmware to make it more customizable.
I WISH SOMEONE WILL MAKE A GOOGLE MAPS APP FOR IT SO WHILE NAVIGATIONATION I COULD SEE MYSELF AND THE MAP ON THE WATCH OMGGGGG !!!!
overall i really like the watch and it looks really stylish and nice by itself.
Wow. Nice review.
THis idea of the maps is really great. I thought that the watch already had this app.
Probably I'll wait for a 2 months before buying it.
You solved my main question. So I can use bluetooth headset and also the watch.
Nice...
por2guex said:
Wow. Nice review.
THis idea of the maps is really great. I thought that the watch already had this app.
Probably I'll wait for a 2 months before buying it.
You solved my main question. So I can use bluetooth headset and also the watch.
Nice...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tell you the truth, i think the whole point of this watch is to be used with a bluetooth earpiece [=
my phone is on the 2nd flor of my house and im downstairs in the loiving room with my watch in my wrist and my bluetooth!! amazing uber cool feeling
mety333 said:
i got the smartwatch 2 days ago and been using it with me Xperia Arc S. bbought it from expansys usa for 120$ which is the cheapest price online [=
i had and still have the original live view but gave up on it after 4 days of using it cuz it just didnt work right, kept disconnecting and wasnt quality at all.
pros:
LOVE IT! haha looks way better, stylish, NEVER had a disconnection, screen is great at sunlight and VERY EASY on the eyes when in the dark, all the apps i used worked great, has great battery life!! also ordered the white strap and have both black and white now [=
cons:
i like the veriaty that you can wake it up by pressing the power button, shaking it OR double tapping it but i wish you could have just tap it once and it would have wake up.
could have been better to have a micro usb connector for charging.
i wish that when i get an incoming call and i answer it through the watch it would automatically put the call on speaker phone (unless my bluetooth headset is connected)
i wish there was a notification light.
i wish it would have been possible to flash or mess with the firmware to make it more customizable.
I WISH SOMEONE WILL MAKE A GOOGLE MAPS APP FOR IT SO WHILE NAVIGATIONATION I COULD SEE MYSELF AND THE MAP ON THE WATCH OMGGGGG !!!!
overall i really like the watch and it looks really stylish and nice by itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
think you could download the email smart extras app and post the apk here?
Don't buy the smart watch. go check out pebble watch (something like that) on google
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
robkoehler said:
think you could download the email smart extras app and post the apk here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you go.
Love my watch by the way. New apps being developed slowly but there are some good ones already. One for changing sound profiles, a calculator, sending pre-defined text messages, phone signal and battery status, etc.
mety333 said:
I WISH SOMEONE WILL MAKE A GOOGLE MAPS APP FOR IT SO WHILE NAVIGATIONATION I COULD SEE MYSELF AND THE MAP ON THE WATCH OMGGGGG !!!!
overall i really like the watch and it looks really stylish and nice by itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theres an app for that http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1640903
VFINDER for SMARTWATCH
Can someone please upload the Vfinder APK so i/someone can try and modify it for use one other devices? PLEASE AND THANK YOU ><>>
smartwacht yeah, but is very spensive
I thought I would create this post for others who might be considering moving to the Note 2.
I was previously using an Evo 4G. It was a decent phone after it was rooted, but battery life was still poor. After a lot of research and back-and-forth, I made the plunge and upgraded to the Note 2.
Here are my observations after having been using the Note 2 now for a week:
1. The size factor goes away quickly.
I was prepared to have a hard time adjusting to the size of the Note 2. The screen is larger than my entire Evo 4G! But after using it for a day, I was used to it and really liking it. Like I have read in so many other posts, I don't think I could ever go back to a small phone again. The size is really great.2. TouchWiz takes some getting used to.
TouchWiz is the layer Samsung puts on top of Android, like HTC uses Sense. Before blowing away my stock rom on the Evo, I had been using Sense, and thought it was decent. Then I upgraded my rom on the Evo to a Jellybean AOSP rom, and really liked that much better.
TouchWiz is similar to the AOSP, with some peculiarities that take some getting used to, but over all I think it is superior to HTC's Sense. I don't know how much of it is the software and how much of it is a beast of a phone, but there is very, very little lag or stutter ever on the Note 2. It's just a joy to use.
The homescreen clock, however, is atrocious and was quickly replaced. I'm currently running WPClock 2 live wallpaper and like it much better, but still not quite what I'm looking for.3. The camera is amazing
For either stills or video, for a phone camera this takes truly awesome photos. It's not up to the level of my Canon T2i, but for something that slides into my pocket, it comes pretty darn close. A whole 'nuther level from where the Evo 4G was. Not even in the same league. And the burst mode - just hold the button and it rattles off 6-frames-per-second. Again, not prosumer level, but for a phone it's pretty sweet.4. Speaker phone is great
I have found myself actually using the speaker phone, and the people I'm talking to can't believe that they are on speaker.5. Did I mention the screen is gorgeous?
Every time this past week I have needed to use the phone, it's made me smile. It's just a joy to look at. I know others will talk ppi and resolution and AMOLED etc, but from a sheer usability standpoint the display is just lovely. Bright, crisp, vibrant. It is just that good.There are other things I'm sure I'll think of once I close this post.
But if you are looking for a new phone and are considering the Note 2, stop it and go get one. I don't regret it for a minute.
Great observations. I'm shocked you didn't mention the battery life though!
Here are some tips and app suggestions for you:
S-Pen Toolbox - this lets you customise an app menu when you pull out the S-Pen
SwipePad + recent apps add-on - the best multi-tasking-app launching - app swithching program available
My script calculator - maths with pen and paper -sort of
Smart Screen Off - excellent if you have a flip cover or wallet style case
Now some tips:
The S-Pen is not only for taking notes, retouching photos and being artistic! It is veryeuseful when web browsing. The hover function works like "mouse over". It interacts with pull down menus on many web pages and enlarges thumnails!! Not many people know that!
As you seem to like photography I can also recommend:
PhotoshopTouch
PicsPlayPro
Snapseed
TouchRetouch
Afterfocus
Pro HDR Camera - wipes the floor with the stock camera HDR
If you don't have a case, get one. If you want a screen protector avoid the syrupy soft plastic ones. They do not look very nice -fter a few days with the S-Pen. I use cheap hard plastic ones that you can pick up for between $5-$10 for two. I change these every two months or so.
Enjoy you Note
Great post! (both of you, actually).
I concur with #1, absolutely. I think thats the biggest "hesitation" for most folk. And after a few days of using it, it didn't feel ridiculously big, as I feared, or others had mentioned. Weirdly, I think it looks smaller with a case on it. *shrug*
And yes, for once, I have a battery that I NEVER have to worry about.
Dmwitz said:
Great observations. I'm shocked you didn't mention the battery life though!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I'm still exploring the battery life. I was a little surprised that I didn't experience the kind of battery life that others reported, and am experimenting with the reasons. Map was eating my battery, which I couldn't figure out because GPS radio was turned off, and I had not used the map app. Turns out it is actually Google Services through map and it automatically tracks your location, so now that I have turned that off, my battery is lasting longer.
Dmwitz said:
Here are some tips and app suggestions for you:
S-Pen Toolbox - this lets you customise an app menu when you pull out the S-Pen
SwipePad + recent apps add-on - the best multi-tasking-app launching - app swithching program available
My script calculator - maths with pen and paper -sort of
Smart Screen Off - excellent if you have a flip cover or wallet style case
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great recommendations! Thanks!
Dmwitz said:
Now some tips:
The S-Pen is not only for taking notes, retouching photos and being artistic! It is veryeuseful when web browsing. The hover function works like "mouse over". It interacts with pull down menus on many web pages and enlarges thumnails!! Not many people know that!
As you seem to like photography I can also recommend:
PhotoshopTouch
PicsPlayPro
Snapseed
TouchRetouch
Afterfocus
Pro HDR Camera - wipes the floor with the stock camera HDR
If you don't have a case, get one. If you want a screen protector avoid the syrupy soft plastic ones. They do not look very nice -fter a few days with the S-Pen. I use cheap hard plastic ones that you can pick up for between $5-$10 for two. I change these every two months or so.
Enjoy you Note
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just picked up a flip cover from Samsung, so will be really interested to see how well Smart Screen Off app works with it. I have also ordered the Sena case leather pouch.
As for screen protectors, I prefer to not use one. I know some are worried about scratching their screen. I think like this. In my generation, (grew up in the 70's) a lot of grandparents put plastic set covers on the seats of their cars. They were cheap looking, uncomfortable, and squeeky. But the people who bought their car used had awesome seats! I would rather enjoy the screen as designed instead of covering it up. Just me.
Dmwitz said:
As you seem to like photography I can also recommend:
PhotoshopTouch
PicsPlayPro
Snapseed
TouchRetouch
Afterfocus
Pro HDR Camera - wipes the floor with the stock camera HDR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One thing he didn't mention (and I agree with just about all of those suggestions) is Vignette. It is the only camera app I use, for actually taking pics. Its GUI isn't all happy-pretty-insta-filter-dumbed-down, but it hands-down takes some of the best pics I have ever seen on a phone.
Sorry!
kingdazy said:
One thing he didn't mention (and I agree about all of those suggestions) is Vignette. It is the only camera app I use, for actually taking pics. Its GUI isn't all happy-pretty-insta-filter-dumbed-down, but it hands-down takes some of the best pics I have ever seen on a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Vignette was the first photo-filter-camera app I bought!! And I use it alot for the Illford black and white which is really incredible.
I have over 30 camera and retouching apps installed as I write so forgive me for missing that one.
Now after checking how many I have installed I need to mention:
Aviary - the best sharpness filter I have found and also allows you to rotate images for hand to get the horizon…well horizontal
Pixlr -
Paintersque
Little Photo
connman said:
I thought I would create this post for others who might be considering moving to the Note 2.
I was previously using an Evo 4G. It was a decent phone after it was rooted, but battery life was still poor. After a lot of research and back-and-forth, I made the plunge and upgraded to the Note 2.
Here are my observations after having been using the Note 2 now for a week:
1. The size factor goes away quickly.
I was prepared to have a hard time adjusting to the size of the Note 2. The screen is larger than my entire Evo 4G! But after using it for a day, I was used to it and really liking it. Like I have read in so many other posts, I don't think I could ever go back to a small phone again. The size is really great.2. TouchWiz takes some getting used to.
TouchWiz is the layer Samsung puts on top of Android, like HTC uses Sense. Before blowing away my stock rom on the Evo, I had been using Sense, and thought it was decent. Then I upgraded my rom on the Evo to a Jellybean AOSP rom, and really liked that much better.
TouchWiz is similar to the AOSP, with some peculiarities that take some getting used to, but over all I think it is superior to HTC's Sense. I don't know how much of it is the software and how much of it is a beast of a phone, but there is very, very little lag or stutter ever on the Note 2. It's just a joy to use.
The homescreen clock, however, is atrocious and was quickly replaced. I'm currently running WPClock 2 live wallpaper and like it much better, but still not quite what I'm looking for.3. The camera is amazing
For either stills or video, for a phone camera this takes truly awesome photos. It's not up to the level of my Canon T2i, but for something that slides into my pocket, it comes pretty darn close. A whole 'nuther level from where the Evo 4G was. Not even in the same league. And the burst mode - just hold the button and it rattles off 6-frames-per-second. Again, not prosumer level, but for a phone it's pretty sweet.4. Speaker phone is great
I have found myself actually using the speaker phone, and the people I'm talking to can't believe that they are on speaker.5. Did I mention the screen is gorgeous?
Every time this past week I have needed to use the phone, it's made me smile. It's just a joy to look at. I know others will talk ppi and resolution and AMOLED etc, but from a sheer usability standpoint the display is just lovely. Bright, crisp, vibrant. It is just that good.There are other things I'm sure I'll think of once I close this post.
But if you are looking for a new phone and are considering the Note 2, stop it and go get one. I don't regret it for a minute.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great summary of first impressions. Very to the point. I came over from an evo 3d and I can say that even tough I liked sense I have grown to like touchwiz even more. The biggest plus of course is the battery life. Although I don't get the same life as some on here say they get I can use my phone from 7am till about 5pm on regular days. On my 3d I could barely make it to 12pm. All I can imagine is how great the note 3 will be or even this one once we get more updates.
Sent from my Amazing Galaxy Note 2!
This device is a amazing Peace of Technology.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
I agree as of about 3 hours ago
It truly is incredible. I mean coming from the epic touch I knew I was getting an awesome upgrade but until you have it in your hands and are using it you really have no idea how good it's going to be.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
This device is amazing. I had gotten the iphone 5 three days ago and took it back today and exchanged it for the Note 2. Soo glad I did that. This screen is amazing....dont know what I was thinking picking the iPhone 5 over this AMAZING device.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
llfloyd79 said:
This device is amazing. I had gotten the iphone 5 three days ago and took it back today and exchanged it for the Note 2. Soo glad I did that. This screen is amazing....dont know what I was thinking picking the iPhone 5 over this AMAZING device.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know what you were thinking either but at least you came to your senses lol. Welcome home!
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
Thanks lol.
Sent from my Galaxy Note II
Impressions - Update
I'm now 2 weeks into my Note 2 upgrade, so thought I would give some additional observations.
Battery life is simply amazing.
After a couple of charge cycles, battery life with moderate usage easily lasts all day without giving it a thought. Depending on usage, might last 2 days. 2. Days. Incredible.The screen continues to "wow" me.
The size is fantastic. Years ago, I was the proud user of the very first PDA called "Newton." It was by Apple and was way ahead of it's time and had a very large screen. Over time PDA screens became smaller, and phones followed that trend. Finally, there is again a screen big enough to actually use for more than making calls without me having to take my glasses to see the tiny display.
Also, the color and resolution are just incredible. I still smile each time I go to answer a call or text.Camera continue to impress
Like I mentioned earlier, it's not fair to compare the camera on the phone to a stand-alone prosumer model, but for a phone I think it is about the best I have ever used. Controls are simple, autofocus is fast, color reproduction is accurate, and resolution is very nice.I'm still not using the S-pen often, but think that is just getting used to having it available.
Overall, the only thing that I would change is I wish I could have upgraded sooner. There is no comparison from where I was with an Evo 4G. I'm a Mac guy, and enjoy the ease of use the Mac OS offers. With that said, Android on this device has the feel Apple has built its reputation on. It's fast, beautiful, ease-of-use (while not totally a function of the phone) is tremendous, TouchWiz interface is perfect for this device, and over all it's just a joy to use.
Truly great design doesn't hinder usage, it makes it intuitive and easy to do complicated things. That's Android, TouchWiz and this device.
Agree with most of what's been said here, I've moved to Note 2 from an old Nokia, MUCH smaller, and now I've got used to making sure it's secure when I'm working, I have to admit to liking it a LOT.
The screen and camera are both excellent, and once I've got used to turning off things that are not needed, the battery life is OK.
there are a few app and android issues, it would be nice to be able to do things like have sounds selectable by time of day, so the alarm can be left active, but ringing and other notifications can be turned off, and I've just posted a Q re being able to run more than one Text to Speech app concurrently.
The only thing I'd change on the hardware side is the position of the On/Off switch, it's altogether too easy to catch it when holding the phone, especially if it's fitted with the flip cover, which mine is.
I've also found an "interesting" issue, but not investigated it yet, when running off a 2.1 A capable 12 V charger unit in the car, with GPS active and other apps in background, the charger appears to be unable to keep the battery charged, so over a longer journey, the battery is being significantly discharged. That may be down to a poor charger cable, but without an app to show battery current, I have no way to know if it's the phone that's eating power, or the lead that's not allowing full charge current to flow.
Have to admit, having resisted the move to a smartphone for some time, now I've bitten the bullet, I am very pleased indeed with the Note 2, and I'm still only just discovering what the thing is really capable of.
Irish Steve said:
Agree with most of what's been said here, I've moved to Note 2 from an old Nokia, MUCH smaller, and now I've got used to making sure it's secure when I'm working, I have to admit to liking it a LOT.
The screen and camera are both excellent, and once I've got used to turning off things that are not needed, the battery life is OK.
there are a few app and android issues, it would be nice to be able to do things like have sounds selectable by time of day, so the alarm can be left active, but ringing and other notifications can be turned off, and I've just posted a...
Have to admit, having resisted the move to a smartphone for some time, now I've bitten the bullet, I am very pleased indeed with the Note 2, and I'm still only just discovering what the thing is really capable of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Boy, for your first smartphone, you've set the bar high. I'd be curious to see how your opinions change re: size and function over the next three years.
As far as your "time of day, and sounds" issue, you might want to look into an app called "Tasker", Very Powerful application, you might find it's daunting at first to wrap your head around, but it's exactly what you're looking for.
Sent from my calculator watch.
kingdazy said:
Boy, for your first smartphone, you've set the bar high. I'd be curious to see how your opinions change re: size and function over the next three years.
As far as your "time of day, and sounds" issue, you might want to look into an app called "Tasker", Very Powerful application, you might find it's daunting at first to wrap your head around, but it's exactly what you're looking for.
Sent from my calculator watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the one redeeming feature for me is over 40 years working with one sort or another of computer, so the learning curve isn't so steep. Tasker will indeed be worth reading up on, as it may well be the answer for some of the things I'm looking for, certainly on some of the sounds on or off issues.
have to admit, it's making me think seriously about the longer term upgrades that I will be doing, the old concept of a desktop or a laptop are starting to look very different in the light of the capabilities of the Note, and I have to say I like being able to look at "full size" web sites with the Note, as there is just so much real estate on the screen, and despite being the wrong side of 60, I can still (just about) read it without going looking for reading glasses, which does help, though some fonts are getting challenging.
I am also wondering about the viability of using Android on a PC or desktop, there are certain aspects of the way it works that appeal a lot more than Windows right now, but that might be me being biased
Thanks for the pointer, that's the good thing about fora like this, the knowledge gets spread around and helps everyone
Cheers
Steve
Loved reading this thread! I'm a very happy LTEvo user, but my wife's E4GT is starting to show its age (she's very rough on devices). I bought a Note 2 via Ebay a couple of days ago. The plan right now is for her to get my LTEvo and I get the note. I'm compelled by the pen. As a long time WinMo user, the only feature I miss from those days was the ability to take quick notes and drawings. I tried capacitive pens, but they generally suck for writing notes as even the finest resolution is still way too large and they're a separate item easy to forget/lose. Can't wait to start playing!
jph8tr said:
Loved reading this thread! I'm a very happy LTEvo user, but my wife's E4GT is starting to show its age (she's very rough on devices). I bought a Note 2 via Ebay a couple of days ago. The plan right now is for her to get my LTEvo and I get the note. I'm compelled by the pen. As a long time WinMo user, the only feature I miss from those days was the ability to take quick notes and drawings. I tried capacitive pens, but they generally suck for writing notes as even the finest resolution is still way too large and they're a separate item easy to forget/lose. Can't wait to start playing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're gonna love the device. It's incredible. I don't use the pen a whole lot but one awesome feature is you can have it set so when you pull it out a notepad pops up. Which is great if you're on a call and need to jot something down in a hurry. No need to look for a pen and paper anymore!
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
I agree on all points, this phone really is the pinnacle of smart phones right now. Not a big fan of TWiz myself but there are some incredible ROMs on this site. I have soft bricked mine quite a few times and have been through probably 90% of the ROMs on this site with mine and it is just so easy to get it working again.
removed.
Couple of questions:
1) Does it have a low light setting or at least a setting to invert the black/grey hues?
2) At $130 it's something of a luxury price for novelty functions. Do you think it's ready for Prime Time (so to speak)?
3) I noticed you have Torque installed on your phone. Just an awesome app!
Really good review.... but I wish the watch interface looked more modern, for $130 i wish the screen on the watch was a touch screen style & the icons on the watch, im not feeling.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
apallohadas said:
Couple of questions:
1) Does it have a low light setting or at least a setting to invert the black/grey hues?
2) At $130 it's something of a luxury price for novelty functions. Do you think it's ready for Prime Time (so to speak)?
3) I noticed you have Torque installed on your phone. Just an awesome app!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't exactly call it novelty. There are many times, throughout the day, when I simply cannot pick up/pull out my phone but still need to see who/what, etc... That's priceless, in my opinion.
Which leads me to add to your questions for the OP:
I didn't see any mention of caller ID. Is that possible, with this watch? If so, how far down the pipe is it to be unlocked?
KingP1n said:
Really good review.... but I wish the watch interface looked more modern, for $130 i wish the screen on the watch was a touch screen style & the icons on the watch, im not feeling.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is actually what I was surprised about as well. I was hoping for a much nicer screen. Once they come out with a model that can support applications like strava and mapmyrun I will probably be all about one of these.
Awesome review!
Str0ntium said:
I wouldn't exactly call it novelty. There are many times, throughout the day, when I simply cannot pick up/pull out my phone but still need to see who/what, etc... That's priceless, in my opinion.
Which leads me to add to your questions for the OP:
I didn't see any mention of caller ID. Is that possible, with this watch? If so, how far down the pipe is it to be unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We'll have to disagree there sir. With some further customization I can see this becoming more useful but not priceless by far.
And as another poster just mentioned, it really could look a bit better. The Casio-calculator-ish readout is probably scaled down to give it that impressive battery life. I'd totally drool if it looked a bit more like the Nike+ GPS watch.
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apallohadas said:
We'll have to disagree there sir. With some further customization I can see this becoming more useful but not priceless by far.
And as another poster just mentioned, it really could look a bit better. The Casio-calculator-ish readout is probably scaled down to give it that impressive battery life. I'd totally drool if it looked a bit more like the Nike+ GPS watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One man's priceless is another man's trash. I think that goes without saying. As for looks, yep it's butt-ugly. I think we can agree, there. The Pebble looks very nice, if not a little too feminine for my taste. Unfortunately, unless someone pre-ordered last year or is willing to buy a pre-order for $200+ off ebay that one is not going to be widely available any time soon. The Sony looks decent and I think I've read can be used with your own watch band. At ~$100, I think that beats the pants out of this one based on functionality, alone. But, again, what I consider useful you don't. Different strokes.
OK, let me jump back into discussion
Handling phone calls - like a champ! You get caller ID and also an option to hangup or answer the call. You also have a config option to answer the phone and turn speakerphone on. All the phone calling history along with email history and other notifications are stored and can be viewed.
Regarding the look. MetaWatch was started by Fossil guys, so I will give them a benefit of a doubt they know a thing or two about watch ergonomics. If Strata style is too sporty, FRAME style is your typical wrist band style with a replacement band.
I only have Strata, so can't tell you how FRAME looks next to it, but I think its slimmer/trimmer in general.
With different clock faces, I'm sure more stuff will be coming soon since I saw "Analog" option in NE Manager. Regarding graphics, the original MetaWatch manager has better icons and fonts (still digital clock), but not all the functionality is unlocked yet.
With reference to Pebble and Sony smartwatches, I can only judge Sony by a limited experience of playing with discontinued MN800 (LiveView model) - the battery life wasn't that great, and because of OLED display the screen is on for a few seconds before it times out. So it was displaying info only as it being pushed to the watch or when you push the button to view the clock, etc. Without a doubt, having a color screen is an awesome experience, but it comes at a price of battery life and aging of OLED if you keep it on all the time. Plus, OLED is hardly visible in direct sunlight. I do want to get my hands on their latest SmartWatch to see how it works in comparison to LiveView and MetaWatch. With Pebble, I'm hoping to get a review sample one of these days as well. In my opinion it will be similar to MetaWatch in functionality and display graphics. I'm also reading a lot of comments that hardware is ready by software is still work in progress.
You gotta keep in mind, Sony and Nike stuff looks good, but it never took off even at discounted prices. Now, here we have MetaWatch and Pebble, two kickstarter projects that generated a lot of buzz and followers. MetaWatch was ahead with their release and has a very strong base of hackers/users who took matter in their own hands. Pebble probably going to follow the same route since I believe their source is open. I can't judge Pebble, but from use of MetaWatch I found it to do exactly what I would expect from a smart watch - to be remote extension of my phone so I don't have to take my phone out to see who is calling, or start playing music on my bt speaker, to read info about incoming emails where I can see who it's from and the subject line of the email, to see my calendar and all the scheduled talks and to be able to scroll through days and months of content, to see text messages, to get a notification for all these events, and counts for anything I missed, to get a current weather and weather forecast for the next three days, and more.
This is just my personal opinion because I like to have everything on one screen, just like as you can see I have it on my phone with all the widgets and how I set up MetaWatch with everything on one screen. Does it look like a fashionable watch? Not really. It looks like a geek gadget My friends at work were telling me I got "**** Tracy" watch. Can you change it? Sure, if you dress it up using FRAME and more minimalistic layout. But don't expect it to look like OLED display because its a different display technology.
This was my first true smart watch experience, and I hope to have more in the near future for comparison. But based on what I have tested and wearing right now - I'm very impressed!!!
I tried a Metawatch for about a week. Returned it. Overpriced piece of junk. Have been using a Sony with a Fossil band for a few months and am pretty satisfied.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda premium
jlczl said:
I tried a Metawatch for about a week. Returned it. Overpriced piece of junk. Have been using a Sony with a Fossil band for a few months and am pretty satisfied.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Care to share your experience with MetaWatch and why you found it to be "piece of junk"? Did you have it configured the same way as I did, was it not enough or didn't meet your expectations or did you just give up because you were using MetaWatch original manager? I can see how someone will get frustrated because it's still limited out of the box if you only download original Manager. But going with Noah or Community Edition manager and Executive Assistant+ along with K-9/TouchDown - that covers a huge ground. True, the visual is nowhere near Sony's OLED and ton of apps you can get with it. My only experience with Sony was using MN800 LiveView. I assume you are using MN2SW, right? Does it stay up or display turns off after 10-15seconds, and only comes up whenever you have notification? How is a battery life? How about text message, email (POP/IMAP/Exchange) linking?
For benefit of this thread and considering your experience with both smart watches, I would really appreciate if you can summarize it in more words than "piece of junk" and "pretty satisfied"
What software and hardware version are you running? I have the frame and music control does not work neither does answering calls. I get only 6.5hrs of battery life. Very poor. I'm running ne community and augmented watch app.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 03:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:45 PM ----------
Jlczl most likely thinks it's a piece of junk because there is another thread on metwatch in which he has given a description of his experiences. I for one felt the same way during that time of discussion. As for now I sit on the fence. It's not bad but not great either.
In comparison to the pebble, the metawatch is very slow on the development side.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda premium
vectron said:
For benefit of this thread and considering your experience with both smart watches, I would really appreciate if you can summarize it in more words than "piece of junk" and "pretty satisfied"
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Click to collapse
OK. I'm using the Sony SmartWatch MN2. I don't remember much about the Metawatch but suffice it to say once I got the Sony I realized how behind the MetaWatch was. I was using the Noah Edition and it still didn't have near the functionality of the Sony.
With the Sony my Gmail and text messages appear on my watch in their entirety (not just the sender name or title), I remotely control my Spotify music, I can see my camera on the watch face and even control the shutter to take a pic, I can turn on audio recording from my watch, I get my Google Now notifications on my watch as well as the obvious answer and/or reject calls from it. All of this in color, with a touch screen, on my own watch band and for almost half the price. I can choose from a variety of watch faces depending on what looks better and on how much I want my battery to last. To get a week between charges I use a watch face that only appears when I double tap the screen or push the side button. If I use the "always on" watch face it'll only last about 2 days before it needs a charge.
The MetaWatch has a build and screen that leaves a lot to be desired. It really does remind me of a cheap Casio. Additionally, I was never able to get consistent operation for music on it. The buttons sometimes took forever to respond so I never new when a button press had really registered or not. On top of that it just quit taking a charge all of a sudden and never turned back on. The high price, limited and alpha software, and Jr High school appearance was too much so I ended up returning it. On the upside they were very gracious about the return and didn't give me a hard time about it at all.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda premium
Thank you guys for your feedback on both MW and Sony MN2SW. Hopefully one of these days I will get a chance to review Sony and Pebble watches.
Regarding Sony smart watch, can you preview POP/IMAP accounts in addition to GMail? How about Exchange account? That would be the most important features for me personally.
Regarding my MW Strata watch, its running SW/FW 1.35 and HW Rev F which supposed to be the latest. I have read about issues with pre 1.35 SW version and problems with battery and other functionality. v1.35 is solid and running like a champ. No issues with music control. Make sure you have in Watch Apps setting to enable Media Control Method as "Emulate headset buttons", and I also have "Inverse Media Player Buttons" since I care more about next/prev track skip rather than volume up/down control. What I like is how I can press Play from a that audio control and it starts playing on my phone, and it also displays the song name/artist (but only after the first track skip when it read the audio info). With a default audio player you have to start Play from the phone, and then can control it from the watch. No issues with a phone, but I did notice when I'm in a car and paired up with my head unit in there, I can receive calls without a problem, but sometime can't dial out. Hopefully they will be able to fix it soon.
Regarding response of the control and switching between pages on the phone, I do agree. CE and NE is painfully slow and sometime there is at least 1s-2s delay. It's simply because those custom Manager are not optimized for the latest firmware/software. When you use the latest official MW Manager - any control or switching between pages is lighting fast. That is why I put a lot of hope and will give MW guys a benefit of a doubt they will get the official MW Manager on par with NE Manager. If you combine features of NE Manager with a speed and graphics of a new MW Manager and add some custom analog and digital watch faces - it will take MW smartwatch to the next level.
Btw, thanks for the pointer about Augmented Watch app. I will test it out and let you know how it works for me (contacted them already, fantastic support and fast response from Adrian). Also, I wonder if your poor battery life has to do with a fact that you are not running v1.35? With everything I'm running right now (NE Manager, EA+ widgets, etc.) I had it charged up about 8 hours ago, and my watch battery is only 1% down. I had hardly any emails during this time, so not my "vibrations" or use of backlight. It was mostly idling during that 8 hours where I just check to see if I got any new emails by checking EA+ counter and Notification history. But still, that's impressive. Not pretty-face like Sony, but impressive in terms of geek-face functionality
apallohadas said:
Couple of questions:
1) Does it have a low light setting or at least a setting to invert the black/grey hues?
2) At $130 it's something of a luxury price for novelty functions. Do you think it's ready for Prime Time (so to speak)?
3) I noticed you have Torque installed on your phone. Just an awesome app!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry bro, missed you post.
1) In a Quick Setup picture I posted, the middle setting on the left inverts the color. Also, NE Manager has an option to Invert LCD "where appropriate", and I assume it's tied up with a light sensor.
2) I think as technology will become more mainstream, the price will go down. Right now $130 is actually discounted from their usual $180 price. In my opinion Sony's MN2SW recent discount/price drop to $99 (I'm sure in lieu of slow sales and/or announcement of new smartwatch in the upcoming Asia EXPO) is more reasonable for this technology. Prime Time ready? I think software content is the main driving force and probably the reason why Apple, Samsung, and Google hasn't announced anything yet. Hardware is the easiest part in this case. The only way to be prime time ready is to have a strong app/widget and solid software/firmware content. That explains success of MetaWatch and Pebble open source release, and also recent announcement by Sony to open their code source for some devices. For sure, its Geek Time ready
3) Yep, have OBDII bt dongle and Torque premium. Unfortunately, never get a chance to use it in the car because I run Google maps Nav all the time. Both of our Nexus 7 tablet in use by wife and kids (those have bt connection), and my other cheap tablet doesn't have bt. But in general that app is SICK!!! Btw, MN800 thingy from Sony (I got it for $20 of ebay - nice teaser of Sony's smart watches) has a free Torque app/widget which connects to your phone and can give you a remote view of one of the gauges. I might just end up using it that way
As a side note, having these bt smart watches puts some toll on your battery. Considering that I had to install K-9 and TouchDown in order to access unread mail count and constant BT connection - that can cost you an extra 10%-15% of battery a day. More advantage to use ZeroLemon 9300; just wish those guys would release a rugged case soon!!!!
vectron said:
As a side note, having these bt smart watches puts some toll on your battery. Considering that I had to install K-9 and TouchDown in order to access unread mail count and constant BT connection - that can cost you an extra 10%-15% of battery a day. More advantage to use ZeroLemon 9300; just wish those guys would release a rugged case soon!!!!
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Click to collapse
Good point. I started using a Motorola Roadster 2 bluetooth speaker in my patrol car. Just 100% awesome, but it does take it's toll a bit on battery as you mentioned. Perhaps 10% on a heavy day of calls and getting in/out of the car waking up the bt connection, etc.
Time for me to take a look at that Sony watch now!
I think this watch has a lot of promise as soon as development kicks in more and more same as pebble one. As far as the sony Mn2 looks good but with the motoactv ypu can do the same as the sony and more by rooting the device where all the info is here in xda. One thing I like about the metawatch and pebble is the water resistant part were y o u can swim with it or take showers with it and still control your music player or so from the water. Time will add more and more of this smartwatches and better features.
sent from my t-mo note 2
Thanks vectron. Yes I am running s/w version 1.35.
When I purchased my watch everyone on eBay was selling hardware version G. I purchased mine from the official site and received hardware E.
Apparently people on the support page / metawatch forums are getting 3 days of battery use i.e running 14 hrs a day @ an average of 5 messages per hour with h/w G.
From my research, h/w E's are the ones with issues. I have both the black and white frame metawatch and both are suffering from poor battery life.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda premium
What Rom are you using on your Note and how do you have it set it up?.
---------- Post added at 03:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 PM ----------
For that price the watch is very limited.
I got the Motorola Motoactv when it was on sale for $150, it came with the wrist strap, belt clip, and heart rate monitor. It's full color touch screen, and runs android. I get 2-3 days out of the battery.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app
coquipr said:
I think this watch has a lot of promise as soon as development kicks in more and more same as pebble one. As far as the sony Mn2 looks good but with the motoactv ypu can do the same as the sony and more by rooting the device where all the info is here in xda. One thing I like about the metawatch and pebble is the water resistant part were y o u can swim with it or take showers with it and still control your music player or so from the water. Time will add more and more of this smartwatches and better features.
sent from my t-mo note 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I think full water protection is an awesome feature. But the ability to view display in direct sunlight and under any indoor/outdoor condition - that is priceless. Plus you can set it up to turn the backlight on whenever you receive a message so even in the dark you can view your notifications. Haven't heard much about motoactv as a smartwatch since it always referred to as exercise watch, but I just looked up and see references how to enhance it's functionality with a rooted phone and augmented smartwatch app to get all the notifications and to be able to use it with any other phone beside Motorola.
Btw, my Note 2 is not rooted. Because of my work's Exchange security policy, I'm not allowed to root. So everything is stock and works as is.
And yes I do agree, with time we are going to see more and more new smartwatches. As a matter of fact, MetaWatch guys mentioned they are working on a lot of new updates, including new "sexy" hardware. I will definitely give them a benefit of a doubt. They were first out of the door, kept their kickstarter promise, and have a head start for next gen learning from experience of the current gen.
Wondering if any of you guys have had the Gear 2 before purchasing the Moto 360.
I'm interested in the round screen as well as Android Wear. But I'm not able to really find any reviews of someone who has really used both devices day in and day out.
I've have Pebble, loved it! But never put it back on after the Gear 2 purchase. I don't think Tizen is a lost cause, I see new apps coming out all the time. But, I think maybe Android Wear is the way to go, for the long haul.
So, has anyone used both devices for some period of time?
Thanks!
jb4lsu said:
Wondering if any of you guys have had the Gear 2 before purchasing the Moto 360.
I'm interested in the round screen as well as Android Wear. But I'm not able to really find any reviews of someone who has really used both devices day in and day out.
I've have Pebble, loved it! But never put it back on after the Gear 2 purchase. I don't think Tizen is a lost cause, I see new apps coming out all the time. But, I think maybe Android Wear is the way to go, for the long haul.
So, has anyone used both devices for some period of time?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have used both, and I liked the Gear 2 better. The software is just much more functional, and battery life is great.
Also, the Gear 2 had some neat features that the 360 didn't have (camera, speaker, IR blaster to control all of your audio/video equipment etc...).
I still think Android Wear will be the way to go, but for now it's not as useful as the Gear IMHO...
I had the 360 and went to the Gear 2. It is a much better and refined watch in my opinion. The Speaker, Amoled screen as well as the Android like Tizen, provide a pleasant experience for me. And the incredible battery life, wow! Doing chores around my house while waiting to talk to a customer support agent on my watch is such a revolutionary thing for me as well.
I had the opposite experience.
Camera function is useless on Gear 2.
You can't feel the vibration when you're doing anything with your hands using the G2.
Never bothered to use the IR because the OS on the G2 is clunky and slow.
I do miss the speaker option because you can take calls.
And battery life.
App support for the G2 is AWFUL.
S-Voice is horrible and slow.
G2 is much heavier, but the band is better (debatable).
I can go on for days, but I only had the 360 for almost 24hrs now so I'm still getting used to it.
Is camera function that bad? Since I don't have a waterproof phone I thought having a camera on my risk for our doors and pool beach play with the kids
would be a great solution. I dont really need the picture quality to be perfect or SLR quality but enough for social sharing. Pls comment .. Tq
I hear google voice search can be made to works too on the G2 so I suppose there can still be some google integration.
bubblebuddyi said:
I had the opposite experience.
Camera function is useless on Gear 2.
You can't feel the vibration when you're doing anything with your hands using the G2.
Never bothered to use the IR because the OS on the G2 is clunky and slow.
I do miss the speaker option because you can take calls.
And battery life.
App support for the G2 is AWFUL.
S-Voice is horrible and slow.
G2 is much heavier, but the band is better (debatable).
I can go on for days, but I only had the 360 for almost 24hrs now so I'm still getting used to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fylim said:
Is camera function that bad? Since I don't have a waterproof phone I thought having a camera on my risk for our doors and pool beach play with the kids
would be a great solution. I dont really need the picture quality to be perfect or SLR quality but enough for social sharing. Pls comment .. Tq
I hear google voice search can be made to works too on the G2 so I suppose there can still be some google integration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's a link to the Gear 2 thread to "Show off your pics".
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2722717
They look pretty good to me!
I had the gear 2 and now I have the moto 360, this is a trade off at the moment, as far as voice recognition moto is much better, the style I think is much better. The gear 2 is like a swiss army knife, it's much more feature packed and its management of emails and text is better.
If andoid wear catches up the moto will surpass gear 2
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Free mobile app
fylim said:
Is camera function that bad? Since I don't have a waterproof phone I thought having a camera on my risk for our doors and pool beach play with the kids
would be a great solution. I dont really need the picture quality to be perfect or SLR quality but enough for social sharing. Pls comment .. Tq
I hear google voice search can be made to works too on the G2 so I suppose there can still be some google integration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The camera is quite good. It also take 720p video. No Google now as of yet, unless you use Tasker.
Spartiatis said:
I had the gear 2 and now I have the moto 360, this is a trade off at the moment, as far as voice recognition moto is much better, the style I think is much better. The gear 2 is like a swiss army knife, it's much more feature packed and its management of emails and text is better.
If andoid wear catches up the moto will surpass gear 2
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too had both. And agree with the above statement.
I don't personally have a Gear 2, but a friend of mine does.
The camera isn't very good. And honestly I cannot for the life of me figure out why you'd use it over your phone unless you were trying to do something devious. The one time my friend used it that was some what useful was to take a picture of our parking lot area number when we were at a convention.
But I mean...I had my phone out and could have done it in two seconds.
I don't quite get people wanting to replace their phone with a smart watch.
If you said "Gear 2 has better battery life, that's why I went with it", no debate, totally understand that.
But to say you like it better for a speaker and a camera? Geesh.
As someone who has seen both watches in use...
Gear 2, better battery life, wouldn't be caught dead in public wearing it (my friend looks like a dork among dorks).
360, looks like an actual watch, worse battery.
That's it.
The gear 2 is a completely crippled piece of hardware. In typical Samsung fashion they just cram it with as many features as possible hoping that at least one of them will grab someones attention so they can make the sale. Funny how this amazing strategy clearly isn't working when they are showing losses as of last quarter.
The crippling I'm referring to is Tizen, which will be obsolete in 6 months or less. How arrogant of Samsung to think they can write thier own OS and take on Android. They can't even get their android based OS down, and now they are writing a new OS from scratch?
And the nail in the coffin is s voice. One of the worst user experiences I have ever seen. Its slow, unintelligent, and not helpful in any way whatsoever. You can't even respond to an email wtih the gear 2.... Give me a break. I respond to everything on my Android wear watch, including chat programs such as groupme. Better battery life on the gear 2? Yes. S voice? Blows the entire package out of the water.
Have the Gear 2 Neo, just picked up the Moto last night to try.
Design: Clearly Moto Wins with round display.
Display Quality: Gear 2, so much better just not round.
Voice Recognition: Moto hands down
Interface Usability: Gear 2 is so much easier to use aside from voice control. Android Wear is so immature
Battery Life: Not even a competition, 4 Days+ on the Gear 2, after 10 hours I'm at 40% on the Moto.
Apps: Gear 2 by a hair, but both suck
Charger: Moto Charger is very cool, Gear 2 is annoying
Calls: Moto is Useless, No speaker, if you want to answer calls your only choice is Gear 2.
Messaging: Moto wins only because it will let you reply to Hangouts which is all I use, both are really bad as messaging
Performance: Gear 2 wins, Moto lags a lot
Watch faces: Gear 2 has far more options for customizing watch
Navigation: Both are terrible right now, but Gear 2 with a speaker has clear potential advantage. Moto will always be useless.
Gear 2 features you can't replicate on Moto:
IR control, kind of a gimmick, but fun to play with at your local bar and drive you bartender nuts
Voice call, ummm Android Wear, what were you thinking.
Summary:
The Moto is a beautiful watch, but between the battery life and the lack of a speaker I will probably return it and stick with my Gear 2, it's just a more useable mature product.
gorillaz1 said:
I don't personally have a Gear 2, but a friend of mine does.
The camera isn't very good. And honestly I cannot for the life of me figure out why you'd use it over your phone unless you were trying to do something devious.
That's it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A few situations come to mind where you don't want to risk your phone flying out of your hands. Roller coasters, surfing, Sky diving to name a few. Maybe your life is too boring. Lol. Personally I like the design of the Gear 2 better. The 360 looked like a hockey puck strapped to my wrist.
Some little nit pickey things
I traded my gear 2 for this. Everyone is right about battery life it does suck. Like 10-12 hour suck if your lucky. On the gear 2 you get a notification and if you ignored it it would go of the main screen. Basically if you ignored the notification and the display went dark next time you flick you wrist you would have a clear view of the time. With the 360 no matter how many times you flick your wrist that notification is still there and it wont go away without swiping it away which gets old after a while. I kinda miss the speaker and dedicated away from the phone for a while music player. Can't speak for the vibration problems people are having and ir blaster since I didn't use much to care if it wasn't there. My kids are mad because no camera now but not that big a deal to me. One last thing it comes with a day one update that needs 80 percent to attempt. Mine came out of the box at 6 percent. That reminds me it get wildly inconsistent charging rates. Sometimes it's like 30 minutes to 100 percent other times it sitting on the charger all night and I go to leave and it won't turn on because it stopped charging for some reason. But anyway you can't even use thing as a watch until the update it just says it won't connect. The screen is nice but not for the trade off the we are getting with battery life. Would I still trade my gear 2 for this. Yes best solely on looks right now. Maybe software can fix some of what's wrong
I also went back to my gear 2....I loved the 360 look feel etc, but it was hard to justify the 250 price tag....also considering how hard I am on devices I think I'll just use the gear 2 into the ground and hopefully by then something that comfortably gets me through the day with battery is out. I do drive 3-4 hours a day or more so maybe the crappy battery life has to do with that. It is almost a full day but when I am afraid to look at my watch so I can conserve battery I think it loses its usefulness.
Is it worth it to trade my gear 2 for a moto 360?
I had gear 2 neo before having the moto 360... The only thing that I see gear neo is better that is battery life and the screen as Amoled.. Other than that it a useless especially the tizen OS!
Thought about getting a gear 2 but biggest most massive issue with any of samsung none wear watches are you gotta have a Samsung Device and I've got a nexus 5. Have a lg g watch with my 360 I rarely use the g watch even though it has a better cpu.
Samsung is also really really bad about updating their devices or even providing proper organized device source so you could make a update yourself.
Argument on a speaker on your watch I find silly rather have a nice Bluetooth headset lot less background noise. Heck I'm looking at the bragi dash when they come out!
Hardware is beautiful and working great thus far, coming from a blackberry z10.
issues:
- noticed the best buy demo units are slightly snappier and quicker vs the verizon one that was released
- spigen cases i tried covered up thr mic holes at bottom by charger so need to change cases now (reported in another thread)
- i config'd my 5 non-gmail email accounts (hotmail, outlook, yahoo, etc) and noticed my battery was draining like crazy, 50% gone in like an hour, phone was super hot, and then i realized ghe inbox for all accounts was not syncing and phone keeps retrying constantly. after thorough testing, the issue was that if "group by email conversations" was setup for each account under account advanced settings, once i disabled this for all my accounts, the device was flying, no hot phone, and battery was great
1. I am surprised Wiz is not the usual mess and I am not compelled to go to Nova yet.
2. Radio reception for data is the same as the S3 and S4. Same high battery drain and hottish device in weak signal areas. Good though in medium or better signal areas.
3. Display is great, but still would rather have a great 1080p for battery more battery life.
4. Audio output is low from the audio jack, but Poweramp's gain increase fixes this.
5. Sound quality from the audio jack is good.
6. The speaker is okay, but could be better.
7. Charge time with included charger is fast.
8. Performance is as great.
I would like to agree with everything above and add:
1. Switched to Nova Launcher and is a bit snappier.
2. Not sure how much faster this phone is compared to my LG G3 real world.
3. I must say the N4 stock UI is faster than the LG G3 stock UI.
4. Samsung should really take a page from HTC One M8 or the LG G3 for audio sound quality and output. Both of those phones smoke my N4 especially in volume loudness.
Using Neutron Player and Westover W40s with all lossless recordings. Definitely need to crank up the preamp a bit.
5. Feature set is Awesome so far.
Arie McD said:
I would like to agree with everything above and add:
1. Switched to Nova Launcher and is a bit snappier.
2. Not sure how much faster this phone is compared to my LG G3 real world.
3. I must say the N4 stock UI is faster than the LG G3 stock UI.
4. Samsung should really take a page from HTC One M8 or the LG G3 for audio sound quality and output. Both of those phones smoke my N4 especially in volume loudness.
Using Neutron Player and Westover W40s with all lossless recordings. Definitely need to crank up the preamp a bit.
5. Feature set is Awesome so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree note 4 stock ui smokes g3 stock ui
Everything is a positive for me but recent app button (wish it was menu on one tap and recent button was long press on home button hopefully root will fix) and screen wake for text msgs besides that its perfect
any bluetooth issues? Or is it just my accessories (jawbone speaker, car stero)--doesn't even see device
Yes I put it in discover mode while scanning
minor issues
I'm finding that the audio jack is really finnicky with different types of headphones. Some don't work at all. I've seen in the store some are compatible with Apple or Android, is there a way to tell the difference by looking at the plug?
Also I agree that this phone looks incredible, however when looking at the black version, if you look inside the USB port it does appear to still be plastic with some sort of metal coating. This is also evident if you remove the s pen and look at the back case. It is a whitish gray color. The antenna lines through the sides of the case are also white where the bevel is on the front and back. It doesnt bother me at all, just something that I noticed.
One last thing is that on certain videos on YouTube I don't have the option for 1440p. I know on my tab s I had to go back to an earlier version of youtube to get this. Does anyone else have this option for videos on YouTube that are 1440p on their computers or tablets?
Are any of you getting extreme lag with Facebook and instagram?
Cons:
1. The stock launcher is slow. Nova is tons better.
2. Had to turn off all those animations within the developer menu. Device is much speedier now.
3. Glass protectors shows this halo effect because of the 2.5 glass. Wish they just left the screen completely flat.
4. Fingerprint scanner works great with my index fingers but not my thumbs. But once lollipop hits I won't be using the fingerprint scanner for unlocking purposes. A Bluetooth or NFC device will work nicely.
5. Root on the Verizon model may come to Kitkat but it might be near impossible on Lollipop.
6. And where the heck is Gear VR?
Pros:
1. The display quality is better vs Note 3
2. Touchwiz actually looks nice when it comes to the settings menu.
3. The IR blaster strength is so much better vs the Note 3. I don't have to point straight at my devices.
4. The build is a clear step up. Feels super solid.
5. Best camera I've used in a smartphone.
6. Gear VR is the primary reason for upgrading to the Note 4.
The 3 apps I recommend for this phone is:
AcDisplay = Moto X like notifications
Gravity Screen = Turn phone on and off without the power key. Wave hands over the proximity sensor to see AcDisplay and place phone face down to turn off.
Smart Remote = Unleash the true potential of the IR blaster.
Yes I get the the lag on Facebook as well
arkgrotto811 said:
Are any of you getting extreme lag with Facebook and instagram?
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Click to collapse
no phones flies on everything.
new issue. bezels are chipping and scratched already. going to go in and get new note or ask for refund
oneandroidnut said:
no phones flies on everything.
new issue. bezels are chipping and scratched already. going to go in and get new note or ask for refund
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Same here. Mine came with scratches on the bezel right out of the box. Might just be exchanging for the turbo or getting a new note 4. Still in my 14 day return period! ?
asides from technical issues, physical issues included from other posts
- not that many cases have the proper mic holes for VZW N4
- most glass screen protectors are causing halo effects, manufacturers still working on them
Chuckleb0ne said:
Same here. Mine came with scratches on the bezel right out of the box. Might just be exchanging for the turbo or getting a new note 4. Still in my 14 day return period! ?
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seriously!? glad im not the only one. i am returning for the refund (minus $35 restock fee) and probably going to buy dev ed note but we will see. going to go in tomorrow or this weekend when turbo is out. i have until nov 5th
oneandroidnut said:
seriously!? glad im not the only one. i am returning for the refund (minus $35 restock fee) and probably going to buy dev ed note but we will see. going to go in tomorrow or this weekend when turbo is out. i have until nov 5th
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Yea, I watched the Verizon employee take it out of the box and immediately hand it right to me. The first thing I noticed was the scratch on the top lol. It really disappointed me. Anyways I hope the turbo is in the stores tomorrow so I can make a quick exchange. Does it take a couple days to do a even exchange? I bought my phone from a Verizon retail store.
Chuckleb0ne said:
Yea, I watched the Verizon employee take it out of the box and immediately hand it right to me. The first thing I noticed was the scratch on the top lol. It really disappointed me. Anyways I hope the turbo is in the stores tomorrow so I can make a quick exchange. Does it take a couple days to do a even exchange? I bought my phone from a Verizon retail store.
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wow i dont know how mine got it. it came off all in my case and it is a mess. and i am just returning for refund. i havent even opened factory battery yet lol and they should exchange in store no problem
oneandroidnut said:
wow i dont know how mine got it. it came off all in my case and it is a mess. and i am just returning for refund. i havent even opened factory battery yet lol and they should exchange in store no problem
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Yea they have to accept it if it doesn't show screen damage and really bad damage.
Chuckleb0ne said:
Yea they have to accept it if it doesn't show screen damage and really bad damage.
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Click to collapse
yup im just going to go in and not say a word about anything just say i want to return too many good phones right now i dont know what to get and check out turbo while i am there lol
My wife and I both got new note 4s this weekend. I wanted to wait for a black one (BB only had white), but yesterday was the last day to get the $200 trade in on my ancient Evo. Overall, it's been a good experience. I noticed that I have a bit of a gap on the right side of my white note 4, but it is less of a gap than I had on my old GS3. I got a case that covers the gap, anyway.
Things I love:
1. The spen is very cool. There's so much that I can do with it, and am still figuring it all out.
2. I've never had a phone that had such good radios. Places that I normally struggle with 3g get me a couple of bars of 4g. My GS3 was terrible with the radios. Really, just terrible. I'm not sure if there is another current phone that has radios this good.
3. The screen really is a thing of beauty. Pictures are sharp, and colors are bright and vibrant.
4. The build quality is solid. The phone feels great. The buttons all have solid click feedback. Serious thought went in to the aesthetics of this phone. I've never had a complaint about that on any Samsung phone that I've had or used.
Issues that I'm having:
1. The wifi is terrible. I have a Netgear Nighthawk router. I've played with the settings a bit, and nothing that I've done has made a difference. None of my other electronic devices are having a problem. Well, except for my wife's note 4.
2. There is an ever so slight greenish tint at the very bottom of the screen that's only visible on white screens. Sometimes I am not even sure if I'm seeing it. My wife does not see it at all. I do tend to be picky about screens, and will willingly return an electronic device because of screen issues. It's most noticeable on lower brightness, and not noticeable on full brightness.
3. The viewing angles on this aren't that great. Mine is actually better than my wife's. If I tilt her phone even a bit, it starts to look greenish. Mine will do it as well, but it takes a more extreme angle.
4. The colors ARE amazing, except for white. White isn't really well represented on either of our phones, unless the brightness is cranked up.
5. Chalk this one up to personal preference. The phone is huge! The GS3 is so much smaller than this. I've read a lot of comments that say that you just need to give it a bit of time to get used to the size. I've only had it for a day, so it remains to be seen if I will adapt.
These seem like a lot of complaints, but really, they're minor. For the most part, this is a solid phone with a TON of cool features. I've been looking at all of the phones for quite a while, and there simply isn't another phone with this array of neat stuff.
The thing is, I feel like there really aren't any phones out there that as good as this one. Looked at the iPhone like I do every time my contract is up, and there's really nothing new there. I really have to laugh at NFC that can only be used for Apple Pay. The droid turbo seems ok, but looks a bit dated. And it's sort of a fat phone, though it's much more pocketable than the Note. I also spent some time looking at the G3, and just didn't like it. I'm not even sure why. Maybe it was the skin.
I am not sure what I'll end up doing with it, because I don't know what I'd get if I did return it. I don't want to exchange this one just for a perceived screen issue that might only exist in my mind and that I probably won't notice two weeks from now. Participating in a screen lottery only leads to madness, and I've been down that path before. My GS3 didn't have the most uniform screen, and I totally forgot about it. Because both of our Note 4s have wifi issues, I'm guessing that it's not hardware related.
I think what it comes down to is, can I adapt to the size?
usmaak said:
My wife and I both got new note 4s this weekend. I wanted to wait for a black one (BB only had white), but yesterday was the last day to get the $200 trade in on my ancient Evo. Overall, it's been a good experience. I noticed that I have a bit of a gap on the right side of my white note 4, but it is less of a gap than I had on my old GS3. I got a case that covers the gap, anyway.
Things I love:
1. The spen is very cool. There's so much that I can do with it, and am still figuring it all out.
2. I've never had a phone that had such good radios. Places that I normally struggle with 3g get me a couple of bars of 4g. My GS3 was terrible with the radios. Really, just terrible. I'm not sure if there is another current phone that has radios this good.
3. The screen really is a thing of beauty. Pictures are sharp, and colors are bright and vibrant.
4. The build quality is solid. The phone feels great. The buttons all have solid click feedback. Serious thought went in to the aesthetics of this phone. I've never had a complaint about that on any Samsung phone that I've had or used.
Issues that I'm having:
1. The wifi is terrible. I have a Netgear Nighthawk router. I've played with the settings a bit, and nothing that I've done has made a difference. None of my other electronic devices are having a problem. Well, except for my wife's note 4.
2. There is an ever so slight greenish tint at the very bottom of the screen that's only visible on white screens. Sometimes I am not even sure if I'm seeing it. My wife does not see it at all. I do tend to be picky about screens, and will willingly return an electronic device because of screen issues. It's most noticeable on lower brightness, and not noticeable on full brightness.
3. The viewing angles on this aren't that great. Mine is actually better than my wife's. If I tilt her phone even a bit, it starts to look greenish. Mine will do it as well, but it takes a more extreme angle.
4. The colors ARE amazing, except for white. White isn't really well represented on either of our phones, unless the brightness is cranked up.
5. Chalk this one up to personal preference. The phone is huge! The GS3 is so much smaller than this. I've read a lot of comments that say that you just need to give it a bit of time to get used to the size. I've only had it for a day, so it remains to be seen if I will adapt.
These seem like a lot of complaints, but really, they're minor. For the most part, this is a solid phone with a TON of cool features. I've been looking at all of the phones for quite a while, and there simply isn't another phone with this array of neat stuff.
The thing is, I feel like there really aren't any phones out there that as good as this one. Looked at the iPhone like I do every time my contract is up, and there's really nothing new there. I really have to laugh at NFC that can only be used for Apple Pay. The droid turbo seems ok, but looks a bit dated. And it's sort of a fat phone, though it's much more pocketable than the Note. I also spent some time looking at the G3, and just didn't like it. I'm not even sure why. Maybe it was the skin.
I am not sure what I'll end up doing with it, because I don't know what I'd get if I did return it. I don't want to exchange this one just for a perceived screen issue that might only exist in my mind and that I probably won't notice two weeks from now. Participating in a screen lottery only leads to madness, and I've been down that path before. My GS3 didn't have the most uniform screen, and I totally forgot about it. Because both of our Note 4s have wifi issues, I'm guessing that it's not hardware related.
I think what it comes down to is, can I adapt to the size?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a note 3, give it a few weeks, and the phone becomes "normal" size. I had issues with size when I first got my note 2.
No voice command to turn off the alarm clock?
I don't know if I just am unable to find it but have you guys figured out if there's a voice command to "STOP" the alarm clock? I loved it back when I was using my Note 2. I am pretty sure that this feature also existed on the Note 3. Did Samsung decide to take this feature out on the Note 4? It may not be a big deal but it still was such a convenient feature.