Related
May seem like an odd question but on my old Kaiser (Windows phone I know) I started to get block errors after flashing Android to NAND repeatedly. The developers and gurus there said it was a known problem and that it would continue to worsen, at which point I stopped
The question is, is it possible to over flash the G2?
I KNOW... different device/hardware/OS and all but I confess to being concerned. Is there any chance that repeated flashing is going to cause long term issues?
Don't think you can but I would like a straight answer from someone who knows what there talking about also
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
No. Things just age with use.
It's like the same question with computers, If i never shut it down will it kill my computer? If i reformat my hard drive too much will it kill it? no. while many factors do need to be take into consideration but not so much with phones, And most electronics do have hours powered on stats and each device does have that. but as far as phones i really couldnt tell you.
flash memory can be rewritten 100,000,000 times..... so the answer is yes... (thats a real fact btw)
master.peterm said:
flash memory can be rewritten 100,000,000 times..... so the answer is yes... (thats a real fact btw)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah but not typical. i have a better chance in dropping my phone in the toilet then over flashing haha.
master.peterm said:
flash memory can be rewritten 100,000,000 times..... so the answer is yes... (thats a real fact btw)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh crap! Since I'm a 'flashaoholic' Its getting up there on that many time times! GEEZ!
Sent from my HTC Vision using Tapatalk
Once a week....
Thanks to all for the answers. I guess I've got a long way to go to 1,000,000,000 but if devs keep putting out new and improved ROMs I'll keep flashing them.
Good to know the concensus is that, even at one a week I have a few years worth
NAND is typically good to at least tens or hundreds of thousands of read/writes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_memory
So even for flashaholics, the frequency of flashing is really not much of a concern. Sure, there is some tiny possibility that memory can randomly fail at any time. And the more you do it, the higher the chance of that occuring. But its not significant, and I wouldn't worry about it.
Even when talking about flash memory on things like SSD drives, that get re-written much more frequently, I believe the mean failure time is often spoken of as being at least 10 years, and often much longer due to various wear-leveling techniques.
xamadeix said:
No. Things just age with use.
It's like the same question with computers, If i never shut it down will it kill my computer? If i reformat my hard drive too much will it kill it? no. while many factors do need to be take into consideration but not so much with phones, And most electronics do have hours powered on stats and each device does have that. but as far as phones i really couldnt tell you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eh I disagree. Reformatting too much can be a problem with flash memory. My mother, for example, always used to reformat her camera SD card instead of just erasing all the images normally (I know, facepalm). Over only two or three years, her pictures were unable to be developed because the SD card was corrupt. The gold strips on it looked like they had been beat to hell. It wasn't a cheap brand either, it was a Sandisk.
Although, with phones I don't think it's a problem. Lets face it, most of us won't have the same phone for over two years, many won't even have them past one year. We won't be using our phones long enough to get to that point.
slapshot30 said:
Eh I disagree. Reformatting too much can be a problem with flash memory. My mother, for example, always used to reformat her camera SD card instead of just erasing all the images normally (I know, facepalm). Over only two or three years, her pictures were unable to be developed because the SD card was corrupt. The gold strips on it looked like they had been beat to hell. It wasn't a cheap brand either, it was a Sandisk.
Although, with phones I don't think it's a problem. Lets face it, most of us won't have the same phone for over two years, many won't even have them past one year. We won't be using our phones long enough to get to that point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know how you thought that reformatting something could physically damage the gold contacts on it. That's probably because she took the card out and put it back in a ton of times.
Sent from my G2 running Cyanogenmod 7.
Omg i was actually thinking of your question.. cause my battery is really hot!! Hopefully its not for that reason.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
ibemad1 said:
I don't know how you thought that reformatting something could physically damage the gold contacts on it. That's probably because she took the card out and put it back in a ton of times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it sounds like some physical abuse, and not just from reformatting it. I've swapped SD and Micro-SD cards in and out of devices and card readers countless times, and never had any damage to the contacts. Mama might be inserted the card incorrectly, or to forcefully.
In any case, that example is just anecdotal. The failure could have been for any random reason. Memory can just stop working one day. Doesn't mean that formatting it was the cause.
Wow....didnt even know that overflashing is possible. ...... . But still on a low number i will get there in less than 10 years (maybe)
1. Someone on here said that the autobrightness problem(Which if I understood it right, is that the phone changed the brightness itself) has been fixed. Is that correct? I'd control the brightness now?
2. I've been reading on here all afternoon about rooting the Play, am I right in understanding that the whole rooting process is done on the phone itself? and that after rooting, I can just freeze the bloatware and that will give me the improved battery life and still allow me to use Over-The-Air updates?
3. I've also read on here about buttons falling out. Is that a widespread problem or just one or two unlucky people?
4. All the games are saved to the SD card, right? I don't have to worry about running out of space? and what's the average file size for Xperia Play games? I've never really played games on an Android phone before.
5. Is there any of problems I should know about before buying?
Thanks anyone who answers.
Im a noob to the play but I will answer from my limited experience
1. I updated to 2.3.3. I have a widget toggle that appears to allow me to to turn the brightness on or off. So I have not had any issues with it being too dark. I must admit the auto brightness in my old phone (orange san Francisco) was very good and the play doesnt seem to match it. maybe 2.3.4 has improved functions. Not a big problem though as I use the toggle.
2. not sure to be honest. I have not bothered rooting this phone. I used to mess about with the OSF with roms etc. but I dont feel the need to on this.
3. my power button gets stuck on the case edge and needs to be lifed to undo! Luckily I never use the power button or it could get irksome. All the functions like airplane and such can be toggled with widgets.
4. Yes and no. I am not 100% but I think the system games appear to be on the system memory only and cant be moved. All new games can of course be moved to SD (if it allows etc). I installed one game from ea and before I moved it to SD I was being told I was low on space... So there isnt a tonne of room.
5. The only issue I have is the mentioned power button. Considering I have sat here playing pilot wings and final fight perfectly, I will so utterly forgive the little beast
I think its the best value £150 you can spend. The screen is also lovely for media playback and since my PSP broke its been wonderful actually converting videos to watch on the nice screen
Just to answer the question about the root.
Yes, almost everything is done on the phone itself. Rooting on 2.3.2 is very easy to do. After you root, you can grab titanium backup and freeze unwanted apps. Just make sure you ONLY update via OTA after you root to avoid losing root.
If you haven't seen this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1294129
I recommend you reading it.
The Alpha Gamer said:
1. Someone on here said that the autobrightness problem(Which if I understood it right, is that the phone changed the brightness itself) has been fixed. Is that correct? I'd control the brightness now?
2. I've been reading on here all afternoon about rooting the Play, am I right in understanding that the whole rooting process is done on the phone itself? and that after rooting, I can just freeze the bloatware and that will give me the improved battery life and still allow me to use Over-The-Air updates?
3. I've also read on here about buttons falling out. Is that a widespread problem or just one or two unlucky people?
4. All the games are saved to the SD card, right? I don't have to worry about running out of space? and what's the average file size for Xperia Play games? I've never really played games on an Android phone before.
5. Is there any of problems I should know about before buying?
Thanks anyone who answers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. As of the last version, 2.3.4, the auto brightness issue has disappeared. People complained that it was too dark by default and that the maximum brightness was capped, but the last version corrected that.
2. Check my signature
3. While there are debatable design choices like the power buttons and the slider feels a bit lose , I wouldn't say they're big issues, or widespread.
4. One of the big gripes with the play is the scarce internal storage. games are usually moved to the Sd, but they still may leave a trace in the internal storage. When that trace is circa 1 mb you won't be bothered, but when it's 20 megabytes, that's a five percent of your whole storage.
5. It's a good phone, sturdy and reliable. I know it's moved me away from touch screen only phones.
Thanks for the answers guys, i'm seriously considering upgrading to this right now from my Samsung Galaxy Ace
DrEzkimo said:
I think its the best value £150 you can spend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where are you finding it for £150? The best i've found is £180.
11anthony said:
Just to answer the question about the root.
Yes, almost everything is done on the phone itself. Rooting on 2.3.2 is very easy to do. After you root, you can grab titanium backup and freeze unwanted apps. Just make sure you ONLY update via OTA after you root to avoid losing root.
If you haven't seen this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1294129
I recommend you reading it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do only do updates OTA, I don't plug my phones up to my windows laptop and updates seem hard or impossible on Linux.
and I hadn't found that thread yet, I'll take a look, thanks!
If you only do updates OTA, forget about custom ROMs and the like.
Logseman said:
If you only do updates OTA, forget about custom ROMs and the like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm ok with stock roms until support stops, and it's been confirmed that all of this year's Xperia phones are getting ICS hasn't it? So I'm ok until Jellybean or whatever they end up calling it
it was £150 at o2
btw I couldnt update mine over the air had to be plugged into a computer and for some reason the first win7 machine didnt work but the main PC did.
DrEzkimo said:
it was £150 at o2
btw I couldnt update mine over the air had to be plugged into a computer and for some reason the first win7 machine didnt work but the main PC did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah ok
and that's kinda weird, right?
And I just thought of another question, the Play is HDPI right, not MDPI?
Yes sir. 854x480 for a four inch screen makes it a High Dot Per Inch device.
Just ordered it, thanks for the help guys!
goodluck and see you and your device soon here at the XP forums
gonemad02 said:
goodluck and see you and your device soon here at the XP forums
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, it arrives tomorrow.
Now for already bought it questions: I'm guessing the first thing I should do is root it? and are there any other free game offers atm besides the 4 EA ones? lol
hey dude where did you bought your xplay? And, are you from england?
pelly_jelly said:
hey dude where did you bought your xplay? And, are you from england?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I'm from England, I ordered this one from Argos. http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/s...=1500002901&langId=-1&searchTerms=XPERIA+PLAY It's out of stock atm, but then it was on Saturday when I checked but they had some back in Sunday when I ordered so they still seem to be getting some. Mine arrives tomorrow apparently.
I hope this is in the right section. Mods, please feel free to move if needed.
So I just got a Samsung Galaxy SIII on AT&T. It's my first upgrade in almost 3 years. I previously had an HTC Tilt Pro or whatever that ran on Windows Mobile (with AT&T as well). I resisted an upgrade because I love the slide out QWERTY keyboard and tilting screen. The phone is now on it's last leg. When I got that phone I planned on doing all kinds of upgrades to it, but it just got too complicated for me to do. I have only powered up the SIII phone and that is all. I haven't done anything else on it (not even typed my name in or set the time/date).
Please excuse my ignorance and please treat me like a little kid with jargon and instructions. Technical talk will just confuse me. Me searching and reading threads doesn't help. That just confuses me more. By you doing something like telling me to simply click on this link and do this instructions would be helpful. I copied all my pics, videos, audio files, etc into a folder on my laptop (Vista).
I don't care to do too much with my phone (compared to the likes of what I am sure a lot of you do = way beyond my skill). I just want it to operate smoothly and be the best, the fastest, least battery consuming, safe and reliable phone I can have.
How do I get Jellybean on my phone? Is it even available for the AT&T SIII yet? If not, what if I got ahead and get my phone up and running then it comes out later, would updating to it mess up all the work I've already done?
How do I use my audio files on my memory card as text/email notifications and ring tones? What formats do they have to be in? Will the phone play previous videos and in what formats do they have to be in?
I plan on upgrading my current old 1GB microsd card to this:
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Mobile-MicroSDXC-Adapter-VERSION/dp/B007UXTSTE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1353995670&sr=8-2&keywords=SDSDQUA-064G-A11A
Is this the proper microsd card for this phone? I read on some sites that it doesn't come properly formatted? NTFS, exFAT, ext 3, etc. I just want the most advanced, fastest, easiest to use 64 or 32 GB card out there....
Do I need to worry about getting any type of virus protection or firewall program on it or anything to protect me against the "bad stuff" out there?
Where's the best place to get free apps?
What's the best case/holster? Otterbox I assume, but which model? Site reviews got me nowhere. Some say the Defender, but yet the built in screen protector hinders the screen clarity and also hampers the touch screen? If I get a lower grade Otterbox or other brand over the Defender, what are the best screen protectors to get? Is there a better protection case/holster combo out there and where to buy from?
Where's the most reputable and cheapest retailer to buy an extra wall charger and 2 car chargers that won't fry the battery?
I think that is all for now. Again, please excuse my ignorance and lack of skill to do something almost complex. I am sure this will be very elementary for many of you.
Aaaarrrrrrggghhhh!!!! Why is all this so complicated???? Please help me
Thanks a lot
:good:
Whoa, okay, let's get to work here.
How do I get Jellybean on my phone? Is it even available for the AT&T SIII yet? If not, what if I got ahead and get my phone up and running then it comes out later, would updating to it mess up all the work I've already done?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get it by flashing a ROM (custom software for your phone) which requires rooting (getting access to everything) your phone and installing a custom recovery. However, if "tech jargon" confuses you I would NOT reccoment you do this, especially considering it voids your warranty.
How do I use my audio files on my memory card as text/email notifications and ring tones? What formats do they have to be in? Will the phone play previous videos and in what formats do they have to be in?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plug it into your computer, go to "My Computer" and choose I747 or something along those lines. Choose "Internal Storage", and then (if these folders do not exist create them) media, audio, and then notifications or ringtones, depending on which one you want. These have to be in the mp3 format
Is this the proper microsd card for this phone? I read on some sites that it doesn't come properly formatted? NTFS, exFAT, ext 3, etc. I just want the most advanced, fastest, easiest to use 64 or 32 GB card out there....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know if 64 works, but I have this sd card, and it works great. Your phone will take care of the formatting
Do I need to worry about getting any type of virus protection or firewall program on it or anything to protect me against the "bad stuff" out there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Short answer:No.
Long answer: Just be careful what you download, always check the permissions that an app has, if an app has something you don't think it should need, (like Words with Friends needing access to your CALL LOG) don't install it.
Where's the best place to get free apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google Play
What's the best case/holster? Otterbox I assume, but which model? Site reviews got me nowhere. Some say the Defender, but yet the built in screen protector hinders the screen clarity and also hampers the touch screen? If I get a lower grade Otterbox or other brand over the Defender, what are the best screen protectors to get? Is there a better protection case/holster combo out there and where to buy from?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an Otterbox Defender and it does not degrade usability of the touchscreen. However it does degrade the quality of the screen, not anything severe though. You would be fine getting a Commuter, if you just drop your case occasionally. I would personally always recommend an Otterbox, but that's just me.
Where's the most reputable and cheapest retailer to buy an extra wall charger and 2 car chargers that won't fry the battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be fine with any old charger, just make sure its 5V and about 1 amp, maybe a bit less.
Have fun with your phone
Thanks for you reply.
1. Without me getting confused on rooting etc, is Jellybean going to be available for the AT&T SIII? Is it even worth it? From what I hear the answer is yes. Also my local ATT store rep told me that the new Note has Jellybean on it? And is it as easy to install as any other update? Will it change anything I've done on the phone to that point? I just want to get going on my phone (preferences, settings, etc) and then have to redo it all later because I put Jellybean on it.
2. No driver software is needed to be installed on my laptop prior to hooking up the phone via the USB? I have various types of files on my laptop from my old HTC that I used on that Windows OS: MP3, MPEG 4, some Adobe PDF files, some .jpg files, some .AVI files, some .wav files, some .amr files... I think that is all. So for audio that I want to keep, I have to convert all my files that are not MP3 into MP3? If so, that sucks. Any advice how to do that easiest/free?
3. Is your card a class 10? Supposedly a class 10 is the fastest best for this phone (for HD video)? I went to the San Disk site, and under their Ultra series for mobile phones with 64GB it lists this model number: SDSDQUA-064G-A11A. San Disk retails it for $184.99, lol. The I just searched Amazon for that model number, but reading the reviews of this one, has me worried on the formatting topic.
4. On the chargers and such, is this site reputable: http://www.shopandroid.com/samsung-galaxy-s3-accessories.htm ?
Not going to use it until I get a case and get a bigger memory card.
Thanks again for your help!
:good:
ollien said:
Whoa, okay, let's get to work here.
You can get it by flashing a ROM (custom software for your phone) which requires rooting (getting access to everything) your phone and installing a custom recovery. However, if "tech jargon" confuses you I would NOT reccoment you do this, especially considering it voids your warranty.
Plug it into your computer, go to "My Computer" and choose I747 or something along those lines. Choose "Internal Storage", and then (if these folders do not exist create them) media, audio, and then notifications or ringtones, depending on which one you want. These have to be in the mp3 format
I don't know if 64 works, but I have this sd card, and it works great. Your phone will take care of the formatting
Short answer:No.
Long answer: Just be careful what you download, always check the permissions that an app has, if an app has something you don't think it should need, (like Words with Friends needing access to your CALL LOG) don't install it.
Google Play
I have an Otterbox Defender and it does not degrade usability of the touchscreen. However it does degrade the quality of the screen, not anything severe though. You would be fine getting a Commuter, if you just drop your case occasionally. I would personally always recommend an Otterbox, but that's just me.
You should be fine with any old charger, just make sure its 5V and about 1 amp, maybe a bit less.
Have fun with your phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
osualum78 said:
Thanks for you reply.
1. Without me getting confused on rooting etc, is Jellybean going to be available for the AT&T SIII? Is it even worth it? From what I hear the answer is yes. Also my local ATT store rep told me that the new Note has Jellybean on it? And is it as easy to install as any other update? Will it change anything I've done on the phone to that point? I just want to get going on my phone (preferences, settings, etc) and then have to redo it all later because I put Jellybean on it.
2. No driver software is needed to be installed on my laptop prior to hooking up the phone via the USB? I have various types of files on my laptop from my old HTC that I used on that Windows OS: MP3, MPEG 4, some Adobe PDF files, some .jpg files, some .AVI files, some .wav files, some .amr files... I think that is all. So for audio that I want to keep, I have to convert all my files that are not MP3 into MP3? If so, that sucks. Any advice how to do that easiest/free?
3. Is your card a class 10? Supposedly a class 10 is the fastest best for this phone (for HD video)? I went to the San Disk site, and under their Ultra series for mobile phones with 64GB it lists this model number: SDSDQUA-064G-A11A. San Disk retails it for $184.99, lol. The I just searched Amazon for that model number, but reading the reviews of this one, has me worried on the formatting topic.
4. On the chargers and such, is this site reputable: http://www.shopandroid.com/samsung-galaxy-s3-accessories.htm ?
Not going to use it until I get a case and get a bigger memory card.
Thanks again for your help!
:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.It's going to come out whenever AT&T decides to stop being an ass about not approving the update, it's nearly the flick of a switch.
2. Forgot to mention, you need Samsung Keis. Don't use it, it's a POS. Just install it for the drivers.
3. I dont honestly know. I just needed a card for backups. Once again, with your phone you do NOT need to worry about formatting.
4.I've never used it. 80$ is INSANE for a case. I would recommend Amazon personally.
Thanks for your reply back. I'll reply back this evening with follow up if you don't mind?
I saw someone mention case recommendations. That is honestly all preference and how much protection you want for your phone. I tend to baby my devices so I went with a White/Gray Speck candyshell case and Spigen SGP Crystal screen protector. The combo works perfect for me.
I have a class 10 San Disk 64gb card. I bought mine off of ebay for 79.99. You have to be careful on ebay with cards though. Some are counterfit. Just look for a US seller (if in the US) that has above 97% reputation that is selling it in retail packaging. I'm happy with mine. You may not need one that large, but like most people on here I have a lot of backups and custom ROMs. Lots of movies and music as well.
Like the other member said AT&T is taking their sweet time releasing our version of Jelly Bean. We are the only carrier that as far as I know hasn't had a "leak" released. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later. There are many custom roms available that are running Jelly Bean already though. Just keep in mind that all ROMs have their own issues. Even stock (want me to tell you about 4.2 on Nexus 7? ugh).
The great thing about XDA is most people on here actually want to help. Just start browsing different forums. You'll pick things up in no time. Flashing ROMs and such is easier than it sounds.
Good luck! If you need help with anything you can PM me.
osualum78 said:
I hope this is in the right section. Mods, please feel free to move if needed.
So I just got a Samsung Galaxy SIII on AT&T. It's my first upgrade in almost 3 years. I previously had an HTC Tilt Pro or whatever that ran on Windows Mobile (with AT&T as well). I resisted an upgrade because I love the slide out QWERTY keyboard and tilting screen. The phone is now on it's last leg. When I got that phone I planned on doing all kinds of upgrades to it, but it just got too complicated for me to do. I have only powered up the SIII phone and that is all. I haven't done anything else on it (not even typed my name in or set the time/date).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You apparently take care of your devices since the Tilt 2 ( I had that one also) is well over 4 years old.)
Please excuse my ignorance and please treat me like a little kid with jargon and instructions. Technical talk will just confuse me. Me searching and reading threads doesn't help. That just confuses me more. By you doing something like telling me to simply click on this link and do this instructions would be helpful. I copied all my pics, videos, audio files, etc into a folder on my laptop (Vista).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We all had to start some where. I would recommend familiarizing yourself with some of the tech jargon.
I don't care to do too much with my phone (compared to the likes of what I am sure a lot of you do = way beyond my skill). I just want it to operate smoothly and be the best, the fastest, least battery consuming, safe and reliable phone I can have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may say that now, but give it a month, and you will WANT and NEED to do MORE with your new S III. Also using it as a MP3 player WILL eat your battery up quite a bit, so keep that in mind.
How do I get Jellybean on my phone? Is it even available for the AT&T SIII yet? If not, what if I got ahead and get my phone up and running then it comes out later, would updating to it mess up all the work I've already done?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As stated previously It is all up to AT&T deciding to let us have the update. So far as I know it is going to be both an OTA (over the air) and/or a KIES update. But no it won't (shouldn't unless AT&T makes things funky) mess up anything you have done or set up on your new phone.
How do I use my audio files on my memory card as text/email notifications and ring tones? What formats do they have to be in? Will the phone play previous videos and in what formats do they have to be in?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MP3 works fine, and there is a built in player on the phone. Just transfer them over to the folders that were listed above and the phone will find them.
I plan on upgrading my current old 1GB microsd card to this:
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Mobile-MicroSDXC-Adapter-VERSION/dp/B007UXTSTE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1353995670&sr=8-2&keywords=SDSDQUA-064G-A11A
Is this the proper microsd card for this phone? I read on some sites that it doesn't come properly formatted? NTFS, exFAT, ext 3, etc. I just want the most advanced, fastest, easiest to use 64 or 32 GB card out there....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
64 is a BIT much, I have a Class 10 32GB in my phone and have well over 20GB left even after all my music and back ups. Again as posted the phone will want to format the card when you put it in.
Do I need to worry about getting any type of virus protection or firewall program on it or anything to protect me against the "bad stuff" out there?
Where's the best place to get free apps?
What's the best case/holster? Otterbox I assume, but which model? Site reviews got me nowhere. Some say the Defender, but yet the built in screen protector hinders the screen clarity and also hampers the touch screen? If I get a lower grade Otterbox or other brand over the Defender, what are the best screen protectors to get? Is there a better protection case/holster combo out there and where to buy from?
Where's the most reputable and cheapest retailer to buy an extra wall charger and 2 car chargers that won't fry the battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NO, you do not need Antivirus on the phone, it is a waste of both space and money. Again as posted above just be careful of what you install.
Google Play Store, and even Amazon, however there are A LOT of good developers here in XDA that have made various apps that work with teh S III, that they offer free to us members here. Be thankful and happy with what they have made, because without them your phone would be a shiny paperweight.
As for screen protectors, I went ahead with the ZAGG Premium shield for my S III, it cost me $19.99 + $4.95 shipping, I then took it to my local Zagg shop and had them install it. (I have shaky hands and couldn't install it.) Additional Cost $5.99
As far as cases go, get yourself what YOU think you want and what YOU really NEED. Sure those Otterbox cases are great, but since I got the Red version of the S III, I opted for a hard shell clear case from Amazon. I got it for literally $0.01, and free shipping to Alaska. It works great, protects both the back & front, without making a mess of my Zagg Shield.
I think that is all for now. Again, please excuse my ignorance and lack of skill to do something almost complex. I am sure this will be very elementary for many of you.
Aaaarrrrrrggghhhh!!!! Why is all this so complicated???? Please help me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not complicated at all. As far as ignorance, your not ignorant simply because you logged in here, and asked for assistance. This phone is a bit "complex," but in a short time you will be flying through it without a problem. As far as helping you, as posted above, MANY if not the greatest majority of us here on XDA are here to help because we want to help. I
f I could make a suggestion though, when you need help, keep this thread you created handy and ask your questions here. This way you are not making up several additional threads. Again while many of us are here to help, we do have the "bashers" out there that will bash you for making extra threads that have either been discussed before or even if they feel it is redundant.
No then it is 10:00am here in Anchorage, and I need another cup of coffee, so please excuse me....If you have further questions, please feel free to message most any of us here that have responded to your thread.
Thanks a lot
:good:
Yeah, this New Year would be exactly 3 years for my Tilt. I've got the latest version
So, with my file types currently on my laptop (see post above), will the S3 support them? Or do I need to convert any of them?
So I need to get this Kies? For the drivers only basically? How do I go about getting it?
Is removing AT&T crap that's on the phone difficult to do?
I plan on buying my sd card (I may save myself $30 and just get a 32, Amazon pricing 64 vs 32) and case (most likely Otterbox) from Amazon. I haven't looked too much into chargers and what not yet. I obviously got the one USB/wall charger with the phone. I will need at least another wall charger for work and 2 car chargers for my two vehicles. Not sure about the cheapest best ones to get for this. Any ideas?
Thanks again!
osualum78 said:
Yeah, this New Year would be exactly 3 years for my Tilt. I've got the latest version
So, with my file types currently on my laptop (see post above), will the S3 support them? Or do I need to convert any of them?
So I need to get this Kies? For the drivers only basically? How do I go about getting it?
Is removing AT&T crap that's on the phone difficult to do?
I plan on buying my sd card (I may save myself $30 and just get a 32, Amazon pricing 64 vs 32) and case (most likely Otterbox) from Amazon. I haven't looked too much into chargers and what not yet. I obviously got the one USB/wall charger with the phone. I will need at least another wall charger for work and 2 car car chargers for my two vehicles. Not sure about the cheapest best ones to get for this.
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S III Should easily be able to playback your music and display your pics. Just plug your phone into the USB Cable and plug that into the computer, AFTER you have installed Kies, which you can get here http://www.samsung.com/us/kies/
Once you have it installed exit out of it, and open your "my computer" and click into the GS III then to internal or external. Most likely your external disk. Copy your pictures and music over to their respective folders, and call it good. Again while it is reported that the SGS III can use a 64 gig stick, 32 is pretty much all you will need, unless your storing tons of videos & music. Also remember that unlike other devices you cannot (under stock rom at least) move apps from internal memory to external memory.
As far as chargers go, I picked up a 2 USB port 12V jack, and just used a SHORT 3' USB to micro USB cable and routed the cable under the dash and all so that it was not 100% visible. At my work I just use another cable and plug into the USB of my workstation. This way if I need to I can charge the phone at work. but the SGS III has a REALLY good battery life if you get rid of the "stock widgets." Those things eat up your battery and data plan like pacman on crack.
MasterDecker said:
The S III Should easily be able to playback your music and display your pics. Just plug your phone into the USB Cable and plug that into the computer, AFTER you have installed Kies, which you can get here http://www.samsung.com/us/kies/
Once you have it installed exit out of it, and open your "my computer" and click into the GS III then to internal or external. Most likely your external disk. Copy your pictures and music over to their respective folders, and call it good. Again while it is reported that the SGS III can use a 64 gig stick, 32 is pretty much all you will need, unless your storing tons of videos & music. Also remember that unlike other devices you cannot (under stock rom at least) move apps from internal memory to external memory.
As far as chargers go, I picked up a 2 USB port 12V jack, and just used a SHORT 3' USB to micro USB cable and routed the cable under the dash and all so that it was not 100% visible. At my work I just use another cable and plug into the USB of my workstation. This way if I need to I can charge the phone at work. but the SGS III has a REALLY good battery life if you get rid of the "stock widgets." Those things eat up your battery and data plan like pacman on crack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do I go about being able to save apps to the sd card? Simple downlaod?
How do I get rid of the "stock widgets" and other crap that is not needed that just bulk the phone memory?
Thanks
osualum78 said:
How do I go about being able to save apps to the sd card? Simple downlaod?
How do I get rid of the "stock widgets" and other crap that is not needed that just bulk the phone memory?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I remember correctly I saw a news tip on the main page a while back for Apps2SD. Search for that story and you'll be good to go. It has the DL link for the app.
As far as the stock crap you mentioned you can use Titanium Backup to freeze those apps so they don't use system resources and don't appear in your app drawer anymore. Titanium Backup WILL let you uninstall any bloat as well, but I tend to just err on the side of caution and just freeze instead of uninstall. That way there are no issues that may arise if I chose to uninstall an app that I shouldn't have. Which has happened before. It's not fun. You may be able to find a "safe app" list that will show what can be deleted that won't effect the system. Try to do a search here on XDA.
osualum78 said:
How do I go about being able to save apps to the sd card? Simple downlaod?
How do I get rid of the "stock widgets" and other crap that is not needed that just bulk the phone memory?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As said above, freeze the bloat ware, a list for the safe ones that can be frozen/removed are here. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1728126 Do remember though that some of the bloat ware the updater for ICS or JB will be looking for, so you will need to unfreeze them when the update to JB is released.
Now as stated previously you could use apps2sd to move your apps to the sd card, but from my understanding that is not a viable means and often causes force closes and crashes of your apps. With 16 gigs of storage available on the S III it should be able to hold more apps then you will need. Just remember to make sure that your video's, music & pictures are stored on the sd card. The built in media player will still show them, and you would need to set up that storage of photo's taken with the phone are saved to the sd card.
Other then that You should be good to go.
I should have mentioned in my response what the other member suggested. Leave the apps on the internal storage and use external for movies and music. I actually was unaware of the force close issue in Apps2SD. I've only used it twice and that was only so I could familiarize myself on how to use the app. When I was using it I didn't get force closes but I've read the other posters help suggestions on various topics and have used the advice that was provided by them so if they state it force closes then take it as solid info.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Isn't "Move to SD Card" already an option that you can use? I thought that we do not need to download the Apps2SD anymore. (That just a thought, I have not really look at my SIII in and out yet, since I just got it)
With moving Apps to SD card, it can also slow down the apps performance too at the same time. Not recommended (like previous post you have 16GB on the internal.) especially if you lose connection to your SD card (I had that experience with my SII)
BeenAndroidized said:
Isn't "Move to SD Card" already an option that you can use? I thought that we do not need to download the Apps2SD anymore. (That just a thought, I have not really look at my SIII in and out yet, since I just got it)
With moving Apps to SD card, it can also slow down the apps performance too at the same time. Not recommended (like previous post you have 16GB on the internal.) especially if you lose connection to your SD card (I had that experience with my SII)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Move to SD has been removed at least in the stock form. I'm unable to confirm or deny for other ROM'S but the stock ROM'S have had it removed and several changes made to the file structure. Honestly I don't miss that feature, having moved from the Skyrocket to the S III. With 32gigs external I have more then enough storage for all my apps on the internal memory. And my pics, movies, customer DB's, music, all fit and run perfectly off of the external memory.
Now granted I opted for the Class 10 since it transfers data a bit faster then the others, but that was just my choice. Once you remove some of the bloat and all, you gain a bit more storage space. Phone runs cooler, less reboots, less FC's, and less system resources used up.
MasterDecker said:
Move to SD has been removed at least in the stock form. I'm unable to confirm or deny for other ROM'S but the stock ROM'S have had it removed and several changes made to the file structure. Honestly I don't miss that feature, having moved from the Skyrocket to the S III. With 32gigs external I have more then enough storage for all my apps on the internal memory. And my pics, movies, customer DB's, music, all fit and run perfectly off of the external memory.
Now granted I opted for the Class 10 since it transfers data a bit faster then the others, but that was just my choice. Once you remove some of the bloat and all, you gain a bit more storage space. Phone runs cooler, less reboots, less FC's, and less system resources used up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thought exactly. I rather not use the move to SD option at all. For me I kept all my data on the SD card and let the apps stay where it at in the internal storage.
Yeah that's what most of us do. I just offered up the option BC he asked if it was possible.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
So my .wav and .amr and MP3 and MPEG 4 audio files will work, unlike the previous poster said that they'd have to be in MP3 format? And my .avi videos will work too? Sweet. I got 1GB of pics and video and audio (the pics ain't taking that space up) that I don't want to have to convert. That would suck.
Okay, so leave all apps on internal memory. Put my crap (non apps) on sd card. Got that.
Now on the bloat. Per link: "Now that the AT&T Galaxy S3 is rooted:" So I have to "root" it first? I just read the link to that and that seems effin complicated. Why can't this crap be easier?
What is ICS? JB = Jellybean?
What is the easiest way to root the phone to freeze/remove the bloat? The complicated link to root instructions, then download/install Titanium Backup (which is? How do I get it?), then I can freeze/remove bloat? For the OTA updates (ICS and JB, whatever ICS is), are any in the list of safe ones to freeze/remove ones that would be affected by an OTA update? But before all of that, I need to download Samsung Kies?
I just read the 4 pages of the "safe" items that can be froze/removed and just more confused. Post #27 seems to be a pretty large list, but knowing what each one is/does would be helpful. It seems as if getting rid of the Live Wallpapers would be fine (I still could use my own .jpg image for a home wallpaper, right?), and getting rid of all Yahoo crap would be fine with me as long as I can have the phone check my Yahoo email every 30 min for a push. Might as well get rid of the Google stuff? Etc. I don't know what this crap is. I know I won't want to deal with getting new clocks, contacts, calendar, texting (?, is the OEM texting feature crap on the S3?). Etc....
Aarrggghhhh!!!!! This is where **** gets confusing. Confusing ass root instructions. Why can't it just be download and install. Why the eff can't this be easier? Why the eff can't it be like a PC where you just go into Programs and delete the **** you don't want?
Can anyone give me "idiot" instructions from first step to last to help me? Remember, I haven't even set the time/date on my phone yet...
Going to order a SanDisk Ultra 32GB class 10 card and Otterbox tomorrow
Thanks Again!
you can disable some of the bloat with the built-in task manager. that should be sufficient to your needs. rooting is something that is not meant for you, from what i can tell.
your files shouldn't need to be converted. if the stock apps do not play them, you can try downloading a different player before converting to a compatible format.
in regards to otterboxes (specifically, the defender) you can pop out the built-in screen protector so you can another that is stuck to the screen. this is a permanent thing, and you also need to remove the adhesive on the inside of the otterbox.
sent from my I747
Idk if I would necessarily say rooting is not meant for you since we all have to start somewhere but he's right so far as you need to be careful and understand the methods before they're attempted. Thats why you're here obviously.
You can remove some bloat without root but most you can just disable with the method previously stated. Titanium Backup just streamlines the process but requires root. Without it you have to uninstall updates in app manager and then disable the app after having to go back into app manager once you uninstall the update. Kind of a pain.
If you aren't comfortable with rooting for fear you may mess something up then just go the app manager route. Takes more time to accomplish what TiBackup does easily is all.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 12:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:31 PM ----------
osualum78 said:
Aarrggghhhh!!!!! This is where **** gets confusing. Confusing ass root instructions. Why can't it just be download and install. Why the eff can't this be easier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Easiest method for rooting is Mskips toolkit IMO. It will unlock the bootloader, root, install busy box, etc. You just watch it do its thing. Its automated. You just select what build you have when you open the toolkit and then select the All-In-One option.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
I have done a general search on Google and found several articles relating to this subject, but when I searched XDA I didn't find anything conclusive or useful or even informative. The Samsung Galaxy S4 was supposed to be at least a 16GB phone. To me, that means 16GB of usable space to install apps. I knew there would be some bloatware, but when I got my SGS4, I was annoyed to see that the device memory total space was only 9.72 GB, and the bloatware was installed in that space! That left me with only a measly 8GB to install my apps. So where did the other 6.28 GB go? From what I read, it was used by the "system" and hidden "Samsung recovery partitions".
Well, I do not care about recovery partitions. I would rather trust Titanium Backup and my Nandroid backups and have more usable space than have a recovery partition I can't access. I am stingy with my storage, which is at a premium on mobile devices. I like to have control over every megabyte and I don't like the manufacturer deciding how my space is used. I already got an SD card for it, but I still want that missing space back.
So here is my question; how does one re-partition or re-size the partitions of the internal memory of the Samsung Galaxy S4? I know that linux has some amazing partition editors like gparted that can re-size partitions without destroying them, and Android is based on linux, so is there anything like an "aparted"?
I think in the system partition aside from the actual OS there's an odd 2-3 gigs of temp space to be utilizing during updates via Kiev etc. Since the size of TW roms are so big it makes sense in some weird way.
However anything I've read regarding repartioning is supposed to be pretty risky procedure. A lot of us that have gone to the Google Edition rom are also stuck with the original partitions even though GE rom nearly a gig smaller than TW rom. So especially wasted space for us.
Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Please read forum rules before posting
Questions and Help issues go in Q&A and Help section
Thread moved
Thank you for your cooperation
Friendly Neighborhood Moderator
lazaro17 said:
I think in the system partition aside from the actual OS there's an odd 2-3 gigs of temp space to be utilizing during updates via Kiev etc. Since the size of TW roms are so big it makes sense in some weird way.
However anything I've read regarding repartioning is supposed to be pretty risky procedure. A lot of us that have gone to the Google Edition rom are also stuck with the original partitions even though GE rom nearly a gig smaller than TW rom. So especially wasted space for us.
Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, that's exactly what I am talking about. I don't plan to ever update my stock rom via Kiev, assuming I ever update it at all, since I flashed a modified stock kernel to get root. Where did you read about repartitioning being risky? I couldn't even find that much. Is it equally risky for all devices, or do the more modern devices have more options? I also flashed the Google Edition rom hoping to get the space back, but nope! It really sucks that a non-touchwiz, non-samsung rom would still allow a wasted partition.
Zaron DarkStar said:
See, that's exactly what I am talking about. I don't plan to ever update my stock rom via Kiev, assuming I ever update it at all, since I flashed a modified stock kernel to get root. Where did you read about repartitioning being risky? I couldn't even find that much. Is it equally risky for all devices, or do the more modern devices have more options? I also flashed the Google Edition rom hoping to get the space back, but nope! It really sucks that a non-touchwiz, non-samsung rom would still allow a wasted partition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In order to partition that internal memory you have to wipe it. And that means everything. System, recovery, download mode, boot loader, everything.
The connection with Odin or adb at this point would be totally housed in RAM. It would need to maintain that connection in order to complete the task of adding the new partition, adding the download mode back, adding recovery, and finally the ROM itself.
If the phone lost its connection during that process or lost power or the update process got pushed out of ram for any reason the phone would be hard bricked as there would be no way to reestablish communication with it to restart the process. You couldn't power it on or boot it to anything. It would be a $600 paper weight.
Meanwhile the alternative option is to just go buy an $8 external 16gb SD card or a $20 external 32gb SD card. That carries no risk whatsoever and expands your phone's storage well beyond the original 9gb of usable space you started with.
Sent from your phone. You should be careful where you leave that thing.
Skipjacks said:
In order to partition that internal memory you have to wipe it. And that means everything. System, recovery, download mode, boot loader, everything.
The connection with Odin or adb at this point would be totally housed in RAM. It would need to maintain that connection in order to complete the task of adding the new partition, adding the download mode back, adding recovery, and finally the ROM itself.
If the phone lost its connection during that process or lost power or the update process got pushed out of ram for any reason the phone would be hard bricked as there would be no way to reestablish communication with it to restart the process. You couldn't power it on or boot it to anything. It would be a $600 paper weight.
Meanwhile the alternative option is to just go buy an $8 external 16gb SD card or a $20 external 32gb SD card. That carries no risk whatsoever and expands your phone's storage well beyond the original 9gb of usable space you started with.
Sent from your phone. You should be careful where you leave that thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! And yes I also hit the thanks button . I had no idea that partitioning the internal memory was THAT risky. I am surprised nobody has come up with a better way, like how you would boot from a CD to partition your computer. Maybe a way to boot from external SD or something? It also makes me curious; if the manufacturer started with blank internal memory, how did they write the initial recovery and ROM to it in the first place? What are they able to do that we can't do?
Zaron DarkStar said:
Thanks! And yes I also hit the thanks button . I had no idea that partitioning the internal memory was THAT risky. I am surprised nobody has come up with a better way, like how you would boot from a CD to partition your computer. Maybe a way to boot from external SD or something? It also makes me curious; if the manufacturer started with blank internal memory, how did they write the initial recovery and ROM to it in the first place? What are they able to do that we can't do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your computer has a bios that exists on a saparate chip from everything else. The bios is like a pre-boot that waits for you to hit the power button, then it looks for a hard drive with an OS to get going the rest of the way. If it doesn't find a hard drive it will look to a CD ROM drive that will take the next step.
The operating sysem resides on your hard drive. So you can wipe your hard drive and the bios will at least let the computer physically turn on.
On your cell phone all that stuff resides on the same internal memory. So if you wipe it clean, it doesn't even have something like a bios that can look for a secondary boot option on an SD Card.
Samsung probably programs the memory chips on a separate machine before they even put them on the mother board. Think of an old 8 bit Nintendo. Super Mario Bros. exists entirely on the game cartridge. It's pre programed to hold the game. You then take that game cartridge (which is essentially just a memory chip on a circuit board inside the plastic case) and insert it into the Nintendo in order to boot up the game. Without the game inserted the power button just blinks and the Nintendo doesn't know what to do. Same thing with your phone. Samsung programs the memory chip somewhere else, then puts the fully prgrammed chip onto the mother board and it boots up. (This is a VERY generic example. There are about 500 things that are different about how these two sysems boot. I am well aware of this. I jus used it as an example to help clarify the concept.)
Skipjacks said:
On your cell phone all that stuff resides on the same internal memory. So if you wipe it clean, it doesn't even have something like a bios that can look for a secondary boot option on an SD Card.[/I]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ugh that seems like a bad design choice. And all manufacturers are doing this? Nobody has managed to squeeze in a separate chip for the recovery, even on tablets?
Skipjacks said:
Samsung probably programs the memory chips on a separate machine before they even put them on the mother board.[/I]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what you are saying is that the process Samsung probably used can't be used after the chip has been placed in the phone without extreme risk? Got it.
Zaron DarkStar said:
Ugh that seems like a bad design choice. And all manufacturers are doing this? Nobody has managed to squeeze in a separate chip for the recovery, even on tablets?
So what you are saying is that the process Samsung probably used can't be used after the chip has been placed in the phone without extreme risk? Got it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You probably need to unsolder the chip from the board and use a chip programmer to write everything back to the chip.
macaumen said:
You probably need to unsolder the chip from the board and use a chip programmer to write everything back to the chip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think I'll be attempting something like that. That would make me even more nervous than wiping the internal memory. I'm a GTAW welder, and I still don't think I would have steady enough hands to go messing with the physical chips inside my phone.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
One chip?
Anyway my other question still remains. Android software/hardware is all designed to run off of one internal chip that holds everything? Even on tablets? And nobody has attempted to break this mold?
You can actually adjust the partition details through what is called a pit file (partition information table)
There is a thread where someone was able to create the pit files flashable through Odin. While they are flashable, I have tried everything on my s3 to get it to work. I think there is some bootloader code which ignores unsigned or not genuine pit files. There is just something preventing them from taking effect even though it says it flashed successfully.
You should easily be able to take some blocks from system partition and add them to data without and risks.
Btw it's impossible to hard brick this and the s3. You would just need a jtag device to rewrite the bootloader back to the device. Some people have said that the USB jigs you see on eBay work. And for 5 bucks what the heck lol.
But generally speaking, playing with pit files and partitions can get costly.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2
I'm still very interested in this. I intend to only use the Google Play ROM's, which are 500MB, rather than 2GB
Samsung said that the S4's system only uses 1GB more than the S3, yet consumes 2GB more in total :/
DON'T TRY THIS. OTHERWISE IT'LL BRICK YOUR DEVICE
There's a solution for S4 i9500, but apparently it was officially released by samsung. I don't believe samsung or t-mobile will do the same, but I hope so. Or if anything could be done from this to be adapted to m919 would be great.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2429309
Zaron DarkStar said:
Ugh that seems like a bad design choice. And all manufacturers are doing this? Nobody has managed to squeeze in a separate chip for the recovery, even on tablets?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I strongly suspect this goes to how ARM Systems-on-a-Chip work. These devices don't expect to encounter any kind of hardware intermediary between the processor and the chips. That's what the drivers are for. These devices are designed for simple bootstrapping, and the best way to do that is to connect the CPU to a single internal store of flash memory. Also, no device manufacturer expects to need to repartition their internal flashes within the device's working life. The partition sizes were chosen very carefully so it isn't necessary. They trade in some leeway space to be able to "set it and forget it." In the end, they don't expect anyone (including themselves) to tinker with it after it's been all set up. Normal users won't be in a position to encounter the recovery system, and even skilled amateurs trying to fix something mildly serious would find the stock recovery system sufficient. If that doesn't work, it's probably going back to the manufacturer.
Still a bad design.
WhosAsking said:
Also, no device manufacturer expects to need to repartition their internal flashes within the device's working life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So when they advertise a device as having a certain amount of storage, yet the actual user controlled usable storage space is almost half that, they don't think people are going to have a problem with that and will want to get that storage space back, through re-partitioning if necessary?
WhosAsking said:
The partition sizes were chosen very carefully so it isn't necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The partition sizes weren't chosen by ME, the consumer, owner, and end-user of the device, so it is quite necessary I have control over the storage I paid for.
WhosAsking said:
They trade in some leeway space to be able to "set it and forget it."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean they trade so of MY hardware's capability for the current/future needs of whatever services they might decide to implement, even if I will never use said services.
WhosAsking said:
In the end, they don't expect anyone (including themselves) to tinker with it after it's been all set up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tinker with all my electronics to suit my needs. I change the partition structure of my computer occasionally when my storage allocation needs change enough that it becomes necessary.
WhosAsking said:
Normal users won't be in a position to encounter the recovery system, and even skilled amateurs trying to fix something mildly serious would find the stock recovery system sufficient.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This isn't about trying to fix a problem. This is about being able to control and use ALL of the storage I expected to have on a device I paid for.
It just sounds like you are making excuses for Samsung. Please don't. It is bad enough that we have to deal with bloatware, but for a manufacturer to reduce a device's functionality, knowing that it is risky/difficult to reverse, for the sake of their proprietary services that the user may not want is just unacceptable.
If I wanted a device where the manufacturer makes the decisions for me the I would buy an Apple. I choose Android for its openness and customizability, so I get annoyed when I see manufacturers deliberately reduce a device's customizability to make way for their proprietary services. I think manufacturers should respect the spirit of the platform they are making devices for, otherwise they are making devices for the wrong platform. More specifically, I think Samsung should respect the spirit of Android, and stop trying to shove their proprietary bloatware down our throats.
Zaron, let me put it another way. The sizes you hear advertised on TV and ads and so on are much like hard drive sizes and the "up to" internet speeds you also see; you're not expected to actually get every last bit that's advertised. The only way you'll fix that is to change advertising laws; good luck trying to get something like that through a legislature.
There's also the fact that those of us here do not represent the typical user of these phones. The average person wants to be able to just get their apps done and be done with it. Quite simply, you can't please everyone, so it's better to annoy a small number of diehard geeks than a larger number of less-technically-literate buyers. As for the "spirit of Android," I don't see any such thing. Android is what manufacturers make of it (like with Amazon). We're talking companies here; not bleeding hearts. For Samsung, Android just happens to be the non-Apple system best at hand. It's not like they're betting the farm on it, either; they're developing Tizen, too, which will be going into their Gear 2 line of smartwatches.
WhosAsking said:
Zaron, let me put it another way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok let's break this down since it sounds like once again you are making excuses.
WhosAsking said:
The sizes you hear advertised on TV and ads and so on are much like hard drive sizes and the "up to" internet speeds you also see; you're not expected to actually get every last bit that's advertised.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have gotten nearly ALL of the storage space I paid for on EVERY hard drive I have ever bought. There is a miniscule loss for the formatting overhead and partition table, and maybe a couple hundred megabytes for the Windows recovery partition if I CHOOSE to have one. This is quite minor compared to the 500GB - 3TB of space my drives have. On the GS4, I got nearly half, HALF of the usable storage I thought I was buying. There is a huge difference between minor overhead cost and HALF. Also, most of the time I get exactly the amount of bandwidth I pay for as well, for both my home internet and mobile data. It is rare I get any slowdown. So don't give me this nonsense about not expecting to get what is advertised.
WhosAsking said:
The only way you'll fix that is to change advertising laws; good luck trying to get something like that through a legislature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't need to change any laws to vote with my wallet, which is the only thing Samsung should be concerned with: how customers vote with their money.
WhosAsking said:
There's also the fact that those of us here do not represent the typical user of these phones. The average person wants to be able to just get their apps done and be done with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? Because everyone I know who has an Android got one for the ability to customize/tinker with it. But even assuming there is a larger user base I haven't seen that doesn't care as much about customizing, what if said "average people" want to install many apps on their phone? Maybe they want to try out one of the many relatively large Android games on the market. Even an "average" user of a mobile device can do simple math. If they install a few games that are a couple GB each and then run out of space, and then add up the total space they used and compare it to how much their device should have, they would notice they got cheated real quick. All they have to do is go into the app manager in the settings and look at the amount of space used/free to see they don't have as much space as they thought.
WhosAsking said:
Quite simply, you can't please everyone, so it's better to annoy a small number of diehard geeks than a larger number of less-technically-literate buyers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do agree that it is difficult to please everyone. However, who exactly are they pleasing by cutting the usable storage space in half? Answer: nobody but themselves, in order to exert control over their customers. That is all. I have not heard a single person say, "I am so happy with all of Samsung's built-in services, and I don't mind at all that I have only half the space listed on the box!"
WhosAsking said:
As for the "spirit of Android," I don't see any such thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I say spirit of Android, what I mean is the desire to make a useful device that puts the power of customization in the hands of the user. I mean a device that is the opposite of an Apple device. I mean a device that can be used independently of its creator company. I mean the ability to change the ROM, the launcher, the dialer, the SMS app, and allowing pretty much every other part of the device's software to be modular and customizable. I mean the ability to sideload apps, install other market apps, and not be tied down to one marketplace. I mean the ability to have a device that doesn't make you feel beholden to any entity. That is the spirit of Android. So when a company makes an Android device with features that deliberately move away from customization and towards proprietary dependence, aka dedicating almost half of the SGS4's internal storage for proprietary services, while advertising it as having the full 16GB, that pisses me off. If Android was a religion, it would be the equivalent of blasphemy. When I am in the market for a new device, a company gets my attention by having a more powerful device with more customization options. Also, nothing makes me switch manufacturers faster than when I feel like they are trying to lock me in to their economy.
Now, if you respond to me in the same manner as your last two posts, full of industry excuses and reasons why we shouldn't criticize our corporate overlords, then I will assume you are just a shill, and I will ignore you. I have better things to do than argue with a shill, so prove to me you aren't one.
You're right. It sucks. You should get the entire cell phone industry (valued at several hundred billion dollars) to change its' marketing systems.
Let me know how that works out for you.
The rest of us don't like it either, but we've moved on because we learned how to interpret the manufacturer's claims into what we can actually except to see. Now stop yelling at everyone on XDA who is just trying to explain it to you. We're not the ones who came up with these shadey marketing practices. And just because we understand the shadey marketing practices doesn't mean we support them.
You are preaching to the chior. We all agree with you.
Skipjacks said:
You're right. It sucks. You should get the entire cell phone industry (valued at several hundred billion dollars) to change its' marketing systems.
Let me know how that works out for you.
The rest of us don't like it either, but we've moved on because we learned how to interpret the manufacturer's claims into what we can actually except to see. Now stop yelling at everyone on XDA who is just trying to explain it to you. We're not the ones who came up with these shadey marketing practices. And just because we understand the shadey marketing practices doesn't mean we support them.
You are preaching to the chior. We all agree with you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You were helpful to me before, why do you sound so angry now? I wasn't yelling at "everyone". I was disagreeing with one person about the premise that no matter what we do, we should expect to get screwed in some way every time we buy a phone. I don't accept that. I don't even have a problem with people who do accept it, but I do have a problem when people explain it to me, and then sound like they are trying to get me to accept getting screwed. This thread started with me asking if there was a way to easily re-partition the internal memory of the SGS4, and when the answer was basically "no", the purpose of this thread was pretty much served. However, it went on to become a discussion about why things are the way they are, which inevitably led to the business practices of Samsung, at which point it started to feel like I was being told to just accept the situation, which got me riled up. Big corporations wouldn't be big without their customers, so I intend to stay a customer who cares. I won't give in to apathy or complacency, and I won't accept corporate control, even if I can't directly do anything about it. I appreciate the explanations, and I am sorry offended anyone.
This phone is on sale today for $120 at Amazon. At that price and the specs it seems like a really great deal until I find out the cloud support will only be around for 6 months or so. If it had microSD it would still be a no-brainer but I'm concerned what will happen when they stop supporting the phone. Will we be able to use the cloud backup function if we use our own storage such as Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.? If this is not currently a possibility is it something that is even feasible in a custom ROM?
I don't need a ton of storage for anything but apps. I'm not a big gamer, I just have many apps that I use rarely but when I do need them, it would be very inconvenient to reinstall and sign in and change settings, etc. One of the most annoying things about Android is even the apps that are movable still remain partially on my internal storage. I also have a Huawei Watch and the apps for those alone that must remain on the phone memory hog a ton. I'm currently using an Honor 5x with only 16gb onboard so this phone would still be an upgrade for that... I just wish they could have splurged on an SDcard slot and it would be on the way to my house already. I know, I know, everyone wants their crap in a "cloud" now. I actually prefer local storage, I hate to be reliant on a data connection or someone else's servers but I still like the idea of this phone. Too bad not enough other people did to keep it from flopping. I feel really bad for the Kickstarter backers that paid $300-400.
Alternatively, does anyone know of any Android apps or custom ROMs even that perform a similar function where I can backup and restore apps from either a server, or even better my own SD card, without losing settings? I know there are a lot of apps that do this with the apks, but I want one that functions more like this phone does it. I don't care if I have to do it manually instead of it being automated in the background, as long as they are restored with settings intact. It seems like something that could be done but I have zero experience in Android Development. I'm guessing they locked out the ability to do this somehow or it would be done already. I'm not a huge fan of Android but even less of iOS or anything Apple which leaves little other choices these days. For the record, I still think old school Windows Mobile was the best phone OS ever until they bastardized it into Windows Phone.
AlternaGirl said:
This phone is on sale today for $120 at Amazon. At that price and the specs it seems like a really great deal until I find out the cloud support will only be around for 6 months or so. If it had microSD it would still be a no-brainer but I'm concerned what will happen when they stop supporting the phone. Will we be able to use the cloud backup function if we use our own storage such as Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.? If this is not currently a possibility is it something that is even feasible in a custom ROM?
I don't need a ton of storage for anything but apps. I'm not a big gamer, I just have many apps that I use rarely but when I do need them, it would be very inconvenient to reinstall and sign in and change settings, etc. One of the most annoying things about Android is even the apps that are movable still remain partially on my internal storage. I also have a Huawei Watch and the apps for those alone that must remain on the phone memory hog a ton. I'm currently using an Honor 5x with only 16gb onboard so this phone would still be an upgrade for that... I just wish they could have splurged on an SDcard slot and it would be on the way to my house already. I know, I know, everyone wants their crap in a "cloud" now. I actually prefer local storage, I hate to be reliant on a data connection or someone else's servers but I still like the idea of this phone. Too bad not enough other people did to keep it from flopping. I feel really bad for the Kickstarter backers that paid $300-400.
Alternatively, does anyone know of any Android apps or custom ROMs even that perform a similar function where I can backup and restore apps from either a server, or even better my own SD card, without losing settings? I know there are a lot of apps that do this with the apks, but I want one that functions more like this phone does it. I don't care if I have to do it manually instead of it being automated in the background, as long as they are restored with settings intact. It seems like something that could be done but I have zero experience in Android Development. I'm guessing they locked out the ability to do this somehow or it would be done already. I'm not a huge fan of Android but even less of iOS or anything Apple which leaves little other choices these days. For the record, I still think old school Windows Mobile was the best phone OS ever until they bastardized it into Windows Phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're willing to root the phone, there are some options for using an app like Titanium Backup to save and restore your app data in conjunction with a separate cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox for storing your backups. Titanium Backup even has some options for integrating your cloud service of choice and uploading automatically, but again this does require rooting.
Also, keep in mind that hardware limitations of the Robin prevent it from using USB host or USB On-The-Go adapters, which is one of the first things people wonder about when there's no SD card
However, it's still a good phone for such a low price.
It was actually $118 plus I get 5% back with the Amazon card so I bought one each in Mint and Midnight. Whichever one I don't keep, I'll give to my Mom. She's on a crap Windows Phone that is starting to have hardware issues. I think it will be perfect for her, if not way more than she needs. I have 30 days to decide since Amazon is great with returns. I shop with them so much I could probably buy a new phone and return it every month but I wouldn't do that. I did the slow shipping so hopefully Prime Day will come before my 30 days are up in case there's a better deal. I got my Honor 5x for $120 last Prime Day and I think I could probably sell it used a year later for $100 after keeping it in perfect condition. I do worry about the Robin holding any value but I never actually end up selling my old phones anyway, I have quite the historical collection. The lack of warranty concerns me but I think if I have any real issues I can get my money back from Amazon since I spend most of my money there. I think they sold a lot of Robins with that deal, most of the cases sold out by the end of the day. It's still only $130 so they must have quite a large supply of them. I'd be curious to know how many phones were manufactured and how many have sold but I doubt they make that public information.
Anyway thanks for all the info. I'll be back next week when I get it to get all the rooting info. I have to roll back my Huawei watch too, it didn't look like a quick process so I've been avoiding it but I hate 2.0... so I'll just have to devote one night to nerding out on XDA. It's been awhile.
Damn it, ****, f*ck donkey punch.. I refused REFUSED to buy a phone without an SD card, but just bought the robin on sale because I figured I could just use the cloud and keep my backup images on my USB otg drive. It didn't even occur to me that it doesn't support otg.. Wtf. I haven't even opened the box yet..
No wonder this phone flopped. No SD card, so no apps to SD, or an option to switch between cloud and SD card backup. Crappy battery. No host mode.. And for (what was) $400? Damn it maaan! I've never done any development on a phone without a card. Do you just push and pull your backups between a pc? What if you, ugh, nvm.. I'm about to find out I guess..
I'm gonna be PISSED if I see one of the phones I was gonna buy but didn't because I saw this with decent specs for $118
cjpicci said:
If you're willing to root the phone, there are some options for using an app like Titanium Backup to save and restore your app data in conjunction with a separate cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox for storing your backups. Titanium Backup even has some options for integrating your cloud service of choice and uploading automatically, but again this does require rooting.
Also, keep in mind that hardware limitations of the Robin prevent it from using USB host or USB On-The-Go adapters, which is one of the first things people wonder about when there's no SD card
However, it's still a good phone for such a low price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
soulife said:
Damn it, ****, f*ck donkey punch.. I refused REFUSED to buy a phone without an SD card, but just bought the robin on sale because I figured I could just use the cloud and keep my backup images on my USB otg drive. It didn't even occur to me that it doesn't support otg.. Wtf. I haven't even opened the box yet..
No wonder this phone flopped. No SD card, so no apps to SD, or an option to switch between cloud and SD card backup. Crappy battery. No host mode.. And for (what was) $400? Damn it maaan! I've never done any development on a phone without a card. Do you just push and pull your backups between a pc? What if you, ugh, nvm.. I'm about to find out I guess..
I'm gonna be PISSED if I see one of the phones I was gonna buy but didn't because I saw this with decent specs for $118
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use the twrp adb backup function now. It works really well.