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Hey People, the more I use this excellent phone the more I wonder can it really replace all of my gadgets on a day to day basis?
I wrote a piece on my blog about this in detail, but what do you think?
Gadgets I use the most on a day to day basis are:
Laptop - Internet and E-mail
Camera
Sat Nav
Phone
PMP - Music and Video's
My verdict was 99% a yes, and close to 100%.
Any thoughts!
It can do VOIP/SIP over HSDPA extremely well with a little help from SipDroid which I just set-up. Yay, for the Desire. ^_^ And for cheap calls!!
As for the laptop replacement it's quite adequate for my morning commute to work but when I need to do something fiddly like setup my PBX I prefer to tether my laptop.
As for replacing everything else, yeah pretty much, although whether it can replace one's girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other is a matter for debate.
LOL since when has ones, Girlfriend/Boyfriend etc, been a gadget? (why do I feel like that will spawn innuendo?)
I bought because if this!
Finally AIO device
Internet and E-mail
Camera(before used camera)
Sat Nav
Phone
Music and Video's(before used MP4)
It could, if the battery technology was at a point where the phone could last a decent amount of time when playing videos, music, making calls and surfing. If you do everything on your phone it zaps the battery. That's why I'm keeping my cowon s9 for video/music use.
RXP said:
It could, if the battery technology was at a point where the phone could last a decent amount of time when playing videos, music, making calls and surfing. If you do everything on your phone it zaps the battery. That's why I'm keeping my cowon s9 for video/music use.
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That's a valid point. I spend a lot of time on the road in my car, so a car charger helps with that!
yes i think that HTC DESIRE is the AIO device anyone needs. but the concern and main problem is here too....if i use all the features all day i only get up to the evening max...then charger is on
So would you compromise the look to interoperate a bigger battery? That's the question here?
maxitup said:
So would you compromise the look to interoperate a bigger battery? That's the question here?
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I think I don't need extra battery, it can last for one day if I use all it's features
I couldn't compromise on the shape, I'm hoping that a 2000mah + extended battery that is the same size will be released. I've actually been using my laptop to charge my desire on the go, lol.
i must say that its replaced a my ipod touch and n97 (email client on n97 was poor, video playback wasn't great and music player could have been better and sat nav was far too buggy) but i have to say i've been really taken with it, picks up emails faster than my outlook does for gmail, screen is fantastic, battery life is roughly the same as my itouch after a day's usage and since google maps navigation has come along its become even better! hopefully a bigger battery will be released soon as mentioned above
I have been a big PC user for most of my life and found I spent many hours on it each day catching up with whatever is happening online, etc.
Since getting this phone, I've actually found I spend half the time on the computer as I used to. I can happily be elsewhere and be able to catch up on forums through my phone with no discomfort
Technology is meant to make life easier and more efficient. The desire has certainly done that for me.
Battery , for me, is the biggest issue.
If we can get a better battery, it would be superb.
I use the phone a lot. (I haven't made a single call with it yet either as my number has still to transfer over).
But, I don't manage to last the whole day without needing a charge early evening.
I think once the novelty of the phone has worn off it will be better, but even then, it's not as if I've been using it so heavily.
Small amount of Satnav to test it out.
Fair amount of internet during the day (switching between mobile data and wireless depending on proximity of wifi network).
Screen more often than not turned almost all the way down, unless light doesn't permit.
I never get through a full day without a charge...
Is there something I'm doing wrong?
Are there any apps which export the phone's current settings, so that the set-up can be analysed by others (like the nice people on here) in order to work out a more power efficient set up?
subharmonic said:
Battery , for me, is the biggest issue.
If we can get a better battery, it would be superb.
I use the phone a lot. (I haven't made a single call with it yet either as my number has still to transfer over).
But, I don't manage to last the whole day without needing a charge early evening.
I think once the novelty of the phone has worn off it will be better, but even then, it's not as if I've been using it so heavily.
Small amount of Satnav to test it out.
Fair amount of internet during the day (switching between mobile data and wireless depending on proximity of wifi network).
Screen more often than not turned almost all the way down, unless light doesn't permit.
I never get through a full day without a charge...
Is there something I'm doing wrong?
Are there any apps which export the phone's current settings, so that the set-up can be analysed by others (like the nice people on here) in order to work out a more power efficient set up?
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Click to collapse
You will see looking around these forums there is a lot of discussion an battery life! Personally I find that there are certain Apps that seem to drain my battery very quickly. One culprit for some reason seemed to be the 'Sky News' app? I dont have a list of apps that cause it but like I said read a few of the battery threads and it will give you some idea. The Sat Nav is a huge drain on the battery, and even when connected to my current car charger it drains quicker than it charges. I know why, its because my car charger is only kicking out .5a unlike the required 1a that the device needs (needless to say a better car charger is on its way).
But normally I can get a day out of it no problem. And If I use the Sat Nav its gonna be plugged in to a charger anyway...
I am happier with my Desire than than any other gadget I'be owned. The only problem is memory for apps. I'v havent got that many but I'm still short on space. what's the point in having a superphone if you can't show it off? I have 8 gig memory card but can't use any that space for apps! Madness!
Apps are limited un production by this and won't be a real co.tender to the iPhone appstore until it's solved.
If anyone know how to get apps on to SD on the desire please let me know. Would make this thing pretty perfect.
Sent from my HTC Desire using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
Desire can replace a lot of gadgets but it's definitely not a replacement for a laptop or a camera.
IMHO, no. I've used it for a few weeks now, and at one point considered replacing my current phone with it but...
1. Appalling battery life, maybe a working day of usage, and if I'm having to put it on charge in the evening, I'm not using it.
2. Lack of stability - applications crash out at random, shutdowns frequently hang. If I have to take the battery out to reset it, a real pain if I'm out walking, it's not ready for frontline use. While I've been typing this, the browser has completely locked up.
3. Flash memory shortage; when it's rooted, or the OS supports install-to-card, this won't be a problem, but I'm not prepared to spend a lot of time managing memory. If I need to spend a lot of time maintaining the device, I might as well use WM.
4. Odd Calendar syncing - I've mentioned it elsewhere, but I want control of how my calendars are synced to the device; Android doesn't give me that. If I want to look back a few months and check the last time I took a leave day, it may not have synced. Shabby.
5. GPS - I imagine Copilot works well on this, but a few hours testing Google Maps Navigation at the weekend really brought out serious flaws, particularly when passing through areas with no cellular data coverage. A SatNav system has to sit in the dashboard mount and just work reliably for the whole trip or it's worthless, GMN didn't.
It's a nice device to play with, and there are some good, useful applications, but I need a reliable phone, and this isn't it. Hopefully the Evo will be.
About 7 people in line. I have a friend who works at the store so he had mine ready to go. My transaction time was literally less than 3 minutes.
I power the device on and take the sticker off the screen. There is a sticker under the sticker?! NOPE! It's the "Google" logo and it is so sharp I thought it was a decal. I started getting excited. The boot animation is cool to say the least.
I set it to "Back up my apps" so it starts downloading them.... like 65 of them. I live in an LTE area, but on my mile long drive home, every single app had installed....no issues, no errors, all ready to go.
The device isn't as wide as I expected and is longer than I thought it would be. I started messing with it and customizing it. I LOVE Go launcher, so I try to start to convince myself I don't need it. After toggling back and forth between GO launcher and the stock I realize that Go launcher frees up the "Google search bar" area allowing me to have another row of apps. Plus custom icons, renaming...it's Go launcher for now.
I bought the extended battery. (I know it's barely a bump over the stock one) So far, it has been running down VERY fast. I have it on the charge now, but this will be the 3rd time and I have hardly done anything other than set the device up.
Transferring Pictures, Ringtones, etc was very, very easy.
In use....well. It's fast. The screen will still lag a bit now and then stock or Go Launcher, it doesn't matter. The display resolution and pixel density are awesome. Just came from an iPhone and I prefer this display.
I have only found 3-4 apps that will not work at all on this device. Surprisingly The Sims and FIFA 11 are among them. The other is AVC. (Advanced volume control to lock your ringtone so you don't mute it in your pocket)
This is the first Android phone I have had that I have not installed Advanced taskiller on. I feel naked without it, but I know, I know...you don't need it.
The only things that bother me so far are...
A. Getting used to ICS. This is a HUGE change. You kind of understand what things are and where they are located, but it can be annoying to try to find simple system settings at times.
B. I have had a lot of "Large" phones. This is the only one I can literally not operate with one hand. It is so tall, it is very hard at times.
C. Searches in the market stay in the "search" field. Lets say you search "Battery"....find something, install it, YAY!. Now you hit search and type "Picture". In the past it cleared the space and you would find items that contained "Picture" but now it searches "BatteryPicture". Not a huge deal, but annoying having to clear it every time.
D. Copy and paste are still strange to me. Some apps like Gmail have their own dedicated buttons. Others you double tap....
E. Speakers are QUIET! I mean....really quiet. I am an audio engineer and have processed my ringtones for maximum volume with out distorting them. They are still pretty quiet.
Over all..... Good device. It will take some getting used to. I like it a lot, but like I said, not much actual use out of it yet. I hope this is helpful, thanks for reading!
i've been reading about the battery complaints for weeks now. decided to buy an extended battery because of them.
but in the meantime i figured i'd run with the stock battery just to get an idea of how my personal usage would affect battery life.
i literally walked out of the vzw store at about 9:20 this morning all of the defaults, account added and backed up apps downloading. i had about 48% battery life.
since that time i have downloaded apps, played with facial recognition, the camera, video camera, have my gmail acount syncing in the background, used Sesmic(twitter) and setup Beautiful Widgets.
i didn't hit 0% until about a little over 5 hours later. now that does include about 2 hours of also being connected to wifi.
in summary, if i can get about 10 hours of "normal" use out of the stock battery, that's personally not bad at all in my opinion. considering i'll never technically be that far away from a power source of some kind.
The extended battery is ~13.5% bigger than the stock battery. Can't expect it to magically make battery life drastically longer.
martonikaj said:
The extended battery is ~13.5% bigger than the stock battery. Can't expect it to magically make battery life drastically longer.
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who was looking for drastically longer?
I am VERY curious on battery life on this
Anyone who is complaining about the initial charge has outrageous expectations. The first charge is always poor. Give it 3-4 cycles then post an opinion.
My GSM lasts all day with no issues. Maybe LTE will kill the battery. Who knows but the GSM life is great.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Yeah, I mean coming form 3500MaH Sedios on Thunderbolts, EVOs, etc... I didn't expect it to be a miracle. When I typed the original post I was at 65%. I am now at 75%.
It's a 4G phone. I mean, I know what's to be expected. Overall, I really like it. Now I have it completely "Customized" I will probably reply once I get some actual hands on use in the apps.
I just bought GTA III...that should do a number on the battery life.
The first couple of cycles won't last long, especially with you playing with it. My phone reports the screen accounting for 60% of the used battery. If this is true, the black background I just switched to may help, as it did on my incredible's AMOLED. My Bionic had pretty poor battery life, with minimal use. I'm loving ICS now, although I wish I could use custom auto-brightness scaling. I don't want or need my screen to look crazy good all the time.
OK. So several games load faster and smoother than on my iPhone 4. Performance is fantastic. Still surprised about how many apps "Are not compatible", but I would rather have that then crash after crash.
I'm with you. I'm using a black background, but the screen 60-80% of my battery life. The battery seems to be charging up quicker now and now that I have got all of my apps signed in and customized the way my OCD demands, I am feeling more at home.
Great device so far. Can't wait for a 3000+MaH personally.
Here's an even shorter review:
It's pretty good.
Rabble rabble rabble.
IXIKelsonIXI said:
Here's an even shorter review:
It's pretty good.
Rabble rabble rabble.
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Here's an even shorter review:
It's great.
Went from the G2z to the Resound to the Vzw Nexus.
ICS is slick. Love the tactile feedback on the keyboard. At no time did I have to adjust to the larger screen like I thought I would.
The Nexus has a weird/different scrolling physics. Makes it feel less responsive but nicer looking. I can't say its bad but takes getting used to.
Haven't had much time with it but Gallery won't find my wallpaper collection. Have to use a file explorer to set my wallpapers.
Dialer kept dialing digits while I was talking. Could have been a fluke.
Screen looks great. Reminds me why I missed my Nexus One.
Things slippery though. Wonder if they'll make rubber back plates.
LTE Google Galaxy Nexus! - Stock
Asus Transformer - OC/UV
ericshmerick said:
Here's an even shorter review:
It's great.
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Click to collapse
Solid Snake review:
!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Jury still out for me...
I am sure this will probably cause a stir, but 12 hours into mine (before you flame me for being a troll, I was already a VZW customer on the Bionic) and I am still not completely sold (yet?). I am also not a Moto employee, etc. I am just posting my honest observations thus far. The RAZR is nice, but the lack of a removable battery was the deal-killer there and kept me on the Bionic.
I am in the STL metro market, and I don't think this Nexus has the radio/rf performance of the Bionic. I don't seem to hold a 4G signal as long as I did and it seems weaker in known strong areas coming from the Bionic.
I am seeing some quirks also, perhaps these are ICS-specific. For example, when using the official mobile hotspot app, it is more difficult to get to (there doesn't seem to be an icon for the "app") and I cannot find the option to not broadcast the SSID. Perhaps I am missing it, but I don't see it and have looked for it.
Ironic as it may seem, I am missing the Bionic at this instant. I liked the ability to wirelessly charge it on the Qi pad, and I do miss the MicroSD card slot (even though I know the GN has 32GB onboard). I also know I am probably one of about 10 whole people who use Webtop, but I have to admit I really like it. Being able to dock your phone and use it as a PC (I know it has its limitations) is approaching some Minority Report futuristic fun.
I am going to continue a cautious eval, but I do wonder if I will be patient enough to see it through. Just don't think I can wait 6 months for Moto to push out ICS for the Bionic.
Just my 2 cents...
-Rob
Wireless Charge and WebTop are nice features if you use them.
I think the Rezound has a Wireless Charge option. It has lots of battery door contacts. I don't think it comes like that out of the box but I think the Wireless Charge kit comes with the dock and a battery door. Of course you'd lack a Webtop. The Rezound was pretty nice IMO. I think I woulda kept it aside from already being sold on the Nexus. They're work phones (for me) and the Rezound had a real good feel to it.
See I have an Asus Transformer that I carry with me when I need it. I go between a PC, Tablet, and Phone. Having a separate Tablet with a 10 hour battery has its perks. By the time you buy the WebTop "screen" you're 80% to a tablet.
Perhaps you should rethink your situation before jumping into another device.
Hmmm...interesting. Needs more rabble.
Mime review:
IXIKelsonIXI said:
Mime review:
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****ing mimes...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Lil John review:
It's oooookkkkkaayyyyyyyy!!!!
Rabble rabble rabble.
Coming from an iPhone 4S I'm very impressed with my Nexus so far. I've been running both side by side all week and I've decided to keep the Nexus and send the 4S back.
At first the size bothered me as it's quite a slippery thing and I nearly dropped it the other day (just managed to catch it in time before it bounced on a stone floor!). So now I have a case for it which sorts that problem out.
The other thing I've noticed about it which I never do with my iPhone, is I if I pick it up with my left hand, then I'll use my right hand to operate it. However if I use my right hand, then i'll use my thumb to operate it (I'm right-handed). Plus that stops me hitting the volume buttons all the time reaching for the power button ;-)
Hi, to start off my xplay fell into the water
I took out the battery and used a drier on it for a long time, when i tried to use it it worked fine however it wouldnt charge battery.
As soon as i was able i changed the battery (to the original factory one, i use a 3400 mah mugen battery) and it wouldnt charge either, then i took it to some technician who jump-started it or something, since then it has been working but the speed of both batteries drain is at last 5 times faster, during my sleep (only data turned on) it discharges about 50%. Drainage is crazy fast.
The phone signal is also very bad, keeps showing that the network is unavailable and sometimes when i try to manually connect to my operator network it does work. the signal display shows 4 bars and still no network even if on the street sometimes. (briefly before i installed doomlord kernel, 2.3.4 android, and jokawild rom in case this issue is known to happen)
This has been going on for like 15 days, everything else works perfectly. However just a couple hours ago touch screen also went mad, it keeps "clicking" all over the place, after doing touch screen service test it keeps drawing lines instead of dots wherever i touch.
I know its a lot of stuff, but i couldnt give up without asking in xda if theres any chance of saving my xplay or i just have to buy a new one.
THX a lot for your feedback.
It sounds like some circuitry may be overcharged from the water, as a similar effect happened with my old laptop. It may not be that though. Personally, I would try to replace it through ebay or the like. I feel bad for you, sorry that happened.
Sent from my R800at using xda premium
You could keep the microSD and put for sale elsewhere as "for parts"
(the conditions of damage make it unable to sell here I believe)
Sent from my R800at using xda premium
The Power Management chip PM8085 was damaged.
Is the 2G (GSM/EDGE, not 3G) signal still working?
I've had this phone for a little over three days now. Overall, I absolutely love it. The only smartphones I've ever owned were the Evo lines, so this was a big leap for me, and I'm not sorry. However, there are a few issues with it.
First is a strange antenna issue. I have the Sprint version of the Optimus G, updated and rooted. When the network mode is set to LTE/CDMA, the 3G antenna will only turn on very rarely, leaving me entirely without internet access. I was about to return in when I realized that the issue is solved when I change it to CDMA only. We don't have LTE in my area, so I don't mind leaving my LTE antenna off. I'm not sure if it's an issue with my phone alone, or if it's a software issue that others have.
Then there's the screen. The screen itself is BEAUTIFUL, and I have no issues with it. But the screen scratches like crazy! I am extremely careful with my phones, and this one in particular. I kinda bought it on impulse, so I didn't have time to order a screen protector for it (one should be in tomorrow though). So I have been treating it with extra, almost paranoid caution. It's only ever been in my pocket while at work (nice khakis, so nothing harsh), and otherwise it's been undisturbed on a table. I check my pocket for any abrasive lint often since there's no screen protector on it. But the screen has developed about a dozen or so scratches, and one of them deep enough to distort the screen when it's on. I don't know how this is happening (the deep one happened in the space of five minutes, inbetween two texts, and was merely put into and removed from my pocket.)
Also, the battery life is kinda crappy. I live near a tower, so always have full signal. At work I'm on wifi, so that's not an issue. The battery scarcely lasts through work, with VERY light usage, and is nearly dead by the time I get home. Today, from the time I woke up with it at 100% to the time I got to work (about 2 hours, with constant near-full signal), the phone dropped from 100% to 76%.
Are these normal issues, or am I the only one experiencing them? I want to love this phone so much, but these seem like serious flaws to me.
I too had to change to CDMA so dont know what is wrong with that. And the scratches is weird ive dropped mine a few times and dropped my keys on the screen and nothing. And my battery is phenomenal. Seems like you have a dud.
Sent from my LG-LS970 using xda premium
In regards to the screen....this may sound like a stupid question and I don't mean to offend, but did you remove the temp screen protector that it comes with? I've not had one issue with my screen being scratched and I can't say I've been all that good to it for the last week.
I've had the phone for a full week now and I have not experienced 3G drops with LTE/CDMA mode enabled. Also haven't scratched it either (thankfully). I constantly put it in and out of my jean pocket throughout the day, so I don't really understand how yours got to be that way.
As far as battery life, I too don't see the issues you're having. Typically I pull it off the charger at around 7AM and can easily get 12 hrs+ with normal usage. Even with Android OS taking up the bulk of my battery (seems to be awake a lot). Lot's of people saying its a battery drain bug, etc. etc. etc...but if I'm getting 12 hrs easily, and 24 hrs with light usage, I don't have a problem with that.
-Screen brightness at 60%
-Wifi on all the time (connected at home and at work - probably helps, lol)
-2 Gmail accounts pushed constantly, Facebook messenger, and a few other apps that auto-update on schedule (news readers n stuff)
-My commutes to and from work - I listen/watch podcasts and/or read. Which means the screen is on the entire time (approx a 1hr commute). All said, my screen-on time sits at around 3 hrs for me.
I'll post some screenshots in a minute...
Here
Sent from my LG-LS970 using Tapatalk 2
No scratches or weird battery issues here. My first two days the battery life was horrid. Afterwards I did some update and poof like magic.
Anyone have any info on the boot loader unlock initiative? I miss aosp
got this phone for sprint yesterday after having a BB for 5 years .. and i'm loving the beautiful screen,.
Only hiccups is maybe the battery... Yesteday i had it full on 100% then after 2 hours went down to 80%..
I'm currently in the office charging the phone to 100% will remove it and do normal routine on it and see how long it last.
JSchoey said:
In regards to the screen....this may sound like a stupid question and I don't mean to offend, but did you remove the temp screen protector that it comes with? I've not had one issue with my screen being scratched and I can't say I've been all that good to it for the last week.
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Click to collapse
Haha, I actually checked for this before posting. It is absolutely something I'd do.
After reading these and other comments about the phone, I realized I probably had a dud. I went to the Sprint store a couple days ago and swapped it out for a new one, and it's running beautifully, with none of these issues. So I guess I just got a faulty one. Thanks all for responding!
Smyc151 said:
Haha, I actually checked for this before posting. It is absolutely something I'd do.
After reading these and other comments about the phone, I realized I probably had a dud. I went to the Sprint store a couple days ago and swapped it out for a new one, and it's running beautifully, with none of these issues. So I guess I just got a faulty one. Thanks all for responding!
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Good to hear! Sorry, I had to ask...my girlfriend had the same problem with her phone she got a couple months ago and it was because the temporary screen protector was still on the phone!
Anyone finding it gets kinda hot? I've read some owners complaining about this and it was mentioned in some review somewhere. Wondering how widespread it might be. Might be that people keep all 4 cores running 24/7. I don't see the point if you're web surfing, talking, texting. I keep it on Eco Mode most the time.
I've only notice it get warm once or twice, but even then it was barely noticeable. But I've had eco mode on since I got the phone, and it's not hesitated or stuttered once.
Sent from my LG-LS970 using xda app
We are thinking of switching to Sprint, so we went to Best Buy and picked up one of these phones and I'm very impressed with it so far.
Actually this is the second one because the first one had a factory defect in the chrome around the screen. It get home with the 2nd one and notice there is a speck of dust under the glass.
I'm going to return this one in a day or two and see if the third one is a charm. If not, I'm not getting a forth one!
Any suggestions on a different phone for Sprint if this one doesn't work out? To me the only other phone to get would be the Note 2 and then the GS3.
A little help here guys. I was planning to return mine because of battery problem. Like i tried playing Dead Trigger, current battery is 54%, 30 brightness, sync and data is off. I played for good 5 minutes and it dropped to 48%. One more test is after it got 100% full charged, i unplugged it, Wifi is on still 30% and not using it for a couple of minutes it dropped to 97% and im not even using it!
So i want to return it.
The question is:
Do i have to pay for replacement? I got mine at BestBuy for 99$ almost a month ago.
2nd is will still they accept it now it got scratch on four sides. Any suggestion?
iibishop said:
A little help here guys. I was planning to return mine because of battery problem. Like i tried playing Dead Trigger, current battery is 54%, 30 brightness, sync and data is off. I played for good 5 minutes and it dropped to 48%. One more test is after it got 100% full charged, i unplugged it, Wifi is on still 30% and not using it for a couple of minutes it dropped to 97% and im not even using it!
So i want to return it.
The question is:
Do i have to pay for replacement? I got mine at BestBuy for 99$ almost a month ago.
2nd is will still they accept it now it got scratch on four sides. Any suggestion?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as it hasn't been over 30 days and the phone doesn't look "abused" then you should be fine, also if it's been under 30 days i would add geeksquad protection especially if you plan on rooting, i thought it was a bad investment at first, then when talking to a tech after my evo4g bricked he just said to "make sure the device doesn't power on" and they will replace it needless to say i took a ballpeen hammer too it and got a shiny new one 2 days later.
I took the LG back and got the GS3. I've already had to clear the cache on the galaxy because of excessive battery drain.
If the GS3 fails me, I'm gonna try the Note 2.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Yep, on eco mode the battery is outstanding. The phones is faster than my wifes S3 on eco mode, and I get nearly 2 days without charging. I had the note II for a week and that is just as good but was too big for me. This phone impresses me everyday.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
I have been in the market for a new phone for a bit and paying hundreds of dollars for a phone is not my idea of a good time. Long story short, I got tired like many before me of waiting for the Nexus 5 to drop so I picked up the Note 3 @ TMO. Needless to say, I'm really lovin this device...
Now for the twist. I also ordered a Nexus 5 which is due here on the 5th. With the difference in cost, I'm really on the fence. I have put the N3 through its paces and I noticed a few things that perhaps justify the additional $300 for the N3.
Pluses:
User experience: The size and quality of the display is the main reason for this (that and the fact that the phone is NOT huge at all) Playing games, messaging and entertainment is all enjoyable for a change. Oh, and now remote desktop is finally usable without all the resizing and scrolling.
Battery: Nuff said.
Camera: I shoot with a DSLR usually so this doesn't matter as much to me. Turn off the auto mode and tune it a little like normal and it captures great pics. Also, I have found that the no dedicated camera button complaint doesn't hold water as you can map the shutter to the volume key. Voila, dedicated camera button.
Memory: 3GB is a lot... especially if I ball park the figures and think 1GB system, 2 GB user. And with mem management improvement getting even better with 4.4 on the horizon, it all upside here. The amount of concurrently running apps with little to no stutter on switching is ridiculous.
USB 3.0: Faster Charging and data transfer is such a plus... now I don't have to take the SD card out to get decent transfer speeds.
Main complaint...
GPS: Maybe its a software issue, but it takes forever for this thing to get a lock. And when it does, it seems to give me a "general" location until it has a minute to warm up and then it gets serious. And keeping a lock for consistent tracking seems intermittent as well. This is huge for me because I use GPS all the time (yelp,checking traffic, Golf Logix, hiking GPS, etc.) and it sometimes makes using location relevant apps a chore, especially because I know it's not a slow data connection.
Now, its true that the Nexus 5 will give me most of this, but the major drawback is the battery. (no duh) So is the rest of what I do get with the Note 3 worth the extra $300, especially when that $300 can go towards getting me the next hot sh*t ? I'm not sure... the GPS thing is super annoying. I'm hoping a software fix comes for this eventually.
I plan to use the Nexus for a few days to get some time in on it, but I think I may suck up the GPS issue for more mature hardware.
No GPS problems here. Occasionally some hiccups navigating but no problems really. The nexus 5 hardware is basically the same. But that micro SD slot puts it over the top for me.
sent from my sm-9005.
How can you not mention the WiFi Issues.. That for me is the only Major con right now.. I really hope t-mobile fixes the radio issues.. Wifi, Gps, and Lte.
no gps problem, not even me.
no GPS or wifi issues here
i've got the intermittent gps issue, but no wifi problems.
No gps or wifi issues here
Sent from my SM-N900T using Xparent Red Tapatalk 2
Just switched and got mine last night, so I haven't tested GPS yet. But after having a Note 2 for awhile, I don't want to go to a smaller phone like the Nexus 5. And I'm used to having great battery life, something the Nexus 5 doesn't have.
coolchris909 said:
Now for the twist. I also ordered a Nexus 5 which is due here on the 5th. With the difference in cost, I'm really on the fence. I have put the N3 through its paces and I noticed a few things that perhaps justify the additional $300 for the N3.
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Same boat here. Have really come to enjoy the N3. I love the size and feel of the back. It's a joy to use. No GPS issues for me. With the Nexus 5 I'm losing SD Card and Touchwiz and Spen. And I can't yet determine what I'm gaining except maybe a little more pocketability. It'll be interesting to compare them, but I think I already decided to send the Nexus 5 back. Not sure I want to waste too much time setting it all up. One thing that would be a plus is a little more siri like voice behavior, that would be cool, but I've come to really like touchwiz, soooo...
Be interested to hear your thoughts when you get yours as well.
The only wife issues I have had is that it's range is maybe a little shorter (within a few feet)... but nothing major. As for general reception, I am coming from Sprint, so almost anything is better.
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
No gps or wife issues here either.
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
Dido, gps and my wife is ok, WiFi is good too.
No GPS LTE or ' WiFe' issues here either
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
coolchris909 said:
The only wife issues I have had is that it's range is maybe a little shorter (within a few feet)... but nothing major.
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Click to collapse
If she really loves you then size shouldn't matter.
I don't have wifi issue either but it does tell me my wifi is unreliable but I'm still connected and able to surf. GPS seems about the same as my s4 which isnt super quick but not too slow.
In the same situation too. Have a Note 3 in hand and Nexus 5 in the mail. The GN3 has the best screen on a phone bar none and the battery life is phenomenal even with TW bloat bogging it down.
My main reservation is living with the paltry 32GB in the N5. It's enough for a bit of music and not much else. And the batt life is a liability. I really hope the screen's at least 90% as good as my S4, if not then it's going on ebay.
OTOH this sh*tty TouchWiz is driving me nuts, if CM doesn't make an appearance soon then somebody's gonna get rickrolled.
The N5 is putting up a hell of a fight in hand... All of a sudden I get the feeling a middle weight could win a majority decision over a heavy weight.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
coolchris909 said:
The N5 is putting up a hell of a fight in hand... All of a sudden I get the feeling a middle weight could win a majority decision over a heavy weight.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
After 1/2 day with the N5, it's going back. N3 for me. It's a beautiful device and the screen is sharp as hell. But the lack of physical buttons means they have to use screen space on the bottom for the nav buttons and then part of the screen on top for the 3 dots for the apps settings menu. So you have a big chunk of screen space gone. It's a 5" screen but feels like a 4" screen because of the layout. In the email app it seems like the body doesn't start until 1/2 way down the screen due to the header information. Kinda looks like a mess compared to the N3.
Google voice commands are pretty slick on it. "Navigate Home" finally works, instead of trying to route me to Home Depot like my N3 does
At the end of the day the usable screen space is just too small and now I'm spoiled, combine that with the Micro SD slot and great battery life and I think the Note 3 is a winner.
Have Note 3, love it, no complaints. I'm probably going to get the N5 in a few months after the hype dies down and I have more cash to spend. I've had every Nexus phone and they're fun to play around with. I'll still be keeping my Note as my daily driver, the N5 will be just for fun.
I also have some Gps problems. It's slow to connect and it looses signal if there is a single cloud in the sky.. Seems like software problem. This is much worse than my note 2 or GS3.
Sent from my Note 3
96GB of storage is no comparison. Not to mention the battery is removable.
Speakerphone is loud and clear and I have no complaint.