All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

Honestly, i'd have to see it in person, but i would be willing to give it a try. Of course the second I buy a new phone it's going straight into a OtterBox Defender case so it kinda defeats the point I guess.

The thing is, some of those sites aren't barren: BrightHand and Tablet PC Review remain pretty popular.

Nice try Samsung Public Relations. :|

OK NBR, seriously...stop fixing my abbreviations. For real!

 

That is one of the things that need to be talked about those forums do have some active users, but they don't have as much traffic as NBR. We wouldn't be getting rid of them, just moving them to where they're all accessible from the same site. At least that's how current voting is steering things.

 

Got my Galaxy Nexus today...unfortunately, the T-Mobile store I went to sold me a SIM card for contract plans when I specifically told them I was going to activate a pre-paid plan. And pre-paid plans require an activation code, which contract SIM's don't have. I ordered the pre-paid SIM and activation kit through their website...luckily, it costs a dollar, with free overnight shipping. Now I have to drive back to return that SIM. >__<

Anyway, I don't have much time to play with it before going to work, but the phone itself looks amazing. The screen is a work of art, and everything is so fast and responsive. It'll take a little getting used to, though; this is Android version 4.1, and my last phone has 2.2. It's all very unfamiliar, but I like it. I'm not a huge fan of the new app drawer layout though.

 

^Congrats! The GN is a VERY nice phone... especially coming from a 2.2 Triumph.

Meanwhile, Samsung is completely open-sourcing Exynos. On top of that news, Google is pushing 4.1.2 to the Nexus 7 as I type.

 

The GN is a great phone! If I have any complaints, it's these: there is burn in where the top bar and bottom bar sit in portrait view, and it gets pretty hot sometimes for no discernible reason. The burn in isn't noticeable unless you turn it to landscape.

 

Burn in?

Really?

 

Yeah, I read on twitter. They're discussing the availability of the docs. If they do release, then oh boy, it is a good day to be a Samsung owner!

 

Is that a sarcastic really? There is definitely noticeable discoloration in both areas. Perhaps burn in isn't the correct term for it.

 

Oh, I've been talking with some reps from Texas at Samsung Semi. It's going to happen.

lolno. Not sarcastic, just wondering. Burn in is definitely the correct term for it, it's just that I've never actually seen that on any of my AMOLED devices. I've seen a pretty scarred up Nexus One though. :/

 

<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/U6MlaIe1ljs?version=3&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/U6MlaIe1ljs?version=3&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width='480' height="360" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Samsung just earned the respect from all the devs as soon as they release the docs. Now finally Samsung is *the* way to go on Android

 

I'll try to take a picture tonight. I'm not sure how well my iPad will pick it up, though.

 

I have burn in on my s2. The lock symbol on the lock screen, as well as a smudged area where the time is on the lock screen. Only noticeable on a white screen.

Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2

 

Really?

I've been through several devices and none of them have had burn in. ?

If you don't mind if I ask... how do you use your device docked?

 

How would I get my phone running android 2.2 to tether to my samsung galaxy tab 2. I don't understand why I can so easily tether my phone to my PC but when it comes to tethering it to my android tablet then I can't get it working. I've tried a the pdanet and foxfi but it just keeps saying 'obtaining ip' address and it wont let me browse.

 

I have my screen set on a one minute auto turn off. Screen brightness is almost always at the lowest. I never leave it on. I have had it for about a year.

Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2

 

HTC pulls the plug on tablets in the U.S.

Not really that surprising. The issue with HTC's tablet offerings is that they were overpriced and woefully under powered. Really nothing to distinguish them from everyone else; by the time they lowered the price on the Flyer, prospective consumers already bought or found something else better.

...Well that and as far as big name Android tablet manufacturers goes, Samsung and ASUS is pretty much mashing everyone else in the ground. All the Android tablets I've seen in public are either Samsung or ASUS.

 

FINALLY upgrading to Ice Cream Sandwich for my phone, makes me want to throw things at T-Mobile.

 

I agree. The Jetstream was too expensive and only available at AT&amp;T so they couldn't cover the mainstream wi-fi 10' tablet market. Apple and Samsung combined to eat that space up.

I DO think that the few Jetstream owners got hosed though. It's permanently stuck on Honeycomb...which is just awful. At least the Flyer had a smoother experience on Gingerbread.

To pay so much and get left behind has to sting. Maybe they'll contract build tablets for google a'la ASUS, and what they did for carriers before they became big.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

 

Well, T-Mobile is certainly not blowing me away with the quality of their customer service. When trying to activate my phone and port my Virgin Mobile number yesterday, I went through the online process and got stuck at the last step; I had set up my phone and account, made the number transfer request, and then it asked me to add funds to my account to pay for my first month of service. So, I put in my credit card info and all that good stuff, and clicked Submit...it took me back to the top of the page and said I had to pick an auto-pay calendar date. One problem with that: there's no option for that anywhere on that page. And since I can't submit payment, my account isn't created yet, it's in some sort of limbo between requesting a number transfer and actually having an account.

So I got on chat with customer service...explained what happened, and they told me to call them instead of chat. I did that...the service rep who answered told me that I would have to talk to the pre-paid department, and transferred me there...the person in the pre-paid department said that it was a billing issue, and transferred me to accounts & billing. The accounts & billing rep said that I was having an activation issue, and should talk to someone from that department, so I got transferred to activation, where I was told that I needed to speak to online support because it was a website issue, and they transferred me back to the generic customer service answering machine. Eventually I got back to the pre-paid department with a different fellow, who told me that I would not be able to finish setting up my account until my number finishes transferring. Not that it had anything to do with the error message I was getting on the website, but okay. At that point I had to leave for work and I had already burned over an hour of my 300 minutes on my VM phone for this month.

I was also told that my number would take between 2 and 24 hours to transfer, and the FCC's own website also says it should take no longer than one business day...well, I'm still stuck on my VM phone with my Galaxy Nexus sitting here doing nothing. Not that I'm surprised at this point...my girlfriend's number took 5 business days. Is that just an accepted thing, for transfers to take several days longer than they should despite government regulation?

Also, is there any way to turn up the screen brightness on the Galaxy Nexus past the default maximum with auto-brightness disabled? I was playing with it last night in total darkness, but today, in just regular indoor lighting, I feel like I have to strain my eyes to see. I held my Triumph and my new Nexus side by side on the blank white Google homepage on the browser, and the Triumph is visibly much brighter. I don't have any tools or equipment to quantify it or anything, but I would say the Galaxy Nexus is maybe half as bright as the Triumph, and the whiteness is much more yellow. Is that normal? Because frankly, I don't know if I can handle that in any environment brighter than an unlit room at night.

 

Your observation on the GNex's display being a bit dim compared to other phones is indeed correct, there are tests/reviews out there that has this phone's screen maxed out at ~220 nit. Unfortunately there is not anyway to increase it past what the slider offers, as the panel is most likely at its limit. This was Samsung's first 720p AMOLED screen, after all.

 

ICS did not fix my issues. Still have to constantly my RAM. I'll be looking for an iPhone, sick of Android.

Sent from my SGH-T769 using Tapatalk 2

 

Actually, Samsung's AMOLED panels can go MUCH MUCH brighter than what the default maximum is. You can push them up past 400nits if you know how to do it, but at that brightness level the power consumption increases exponentially, plus burn in sets in very quickly.

Why are you constantly having to clear your RAM?

 

Thanks for the correction HAL. I am guessing this is something that can be changed at the kernel or build.prop level?

 

In 3 years of owning an android phone I have never had to clear the ram.

 

My whole phone slows down and lags bad if I don't.

Sent from my SGH-T769 using Tapatalk 2

 

So the SIII Mini was announced and even more bad news... not only does it have that bleh 800x480 display... but it also doesn't have LTE.

Does Sammy actually think it will be able to compete with the iPhone?

 

Strange. The Blaze uses the same processor as the GS2 (I think?) and has a full 1GB of RAM (same as the international GS3), so it should not be a problem at all. You did clean install ICS, right? Also, what apps remain in RAM that you have to clear?

I don't think competing with the iPhone is the idea; Samsung is just trying to borrow from the GS3's success to expand its sales in the entry smartphone market.

 

Yeah Galaxy S Blaze 4G has Galaxy S II specs in Galaxy S I chassis. I mostly just run Steam in the background and changed launcher to GO EX Launcher for my K-On! theme.

I thought I did a clean install through Samsung Kies, but it only upgraded over 2.3, and did 2 major updates before that.

 

Yea, it's a kernel mod. You have to make some changes to the AMOLED panel driver. Actually, Hummingbird and Exynos are both capable of pushing much brighter... I've never done it with any of the Qualcomm based phones though. The Galaxy Nexus is also capable, if I'm not mistaken.

This.^

The GSIII Mini isn't meant to be in the premium market.

Also, yea. The Blaze uses MSM8660. Dual-core scorpion with 1GB of RAM. Shouldn't be having an issue at all. I know for the brief time I had a Skyrocket (same phone, just a bit bigger with LTE), it had no problems. But then I wasn't running Samsung software... CM9.1 on the Skyrocket was like glass. SO SMOOTH.

 

If you upgraded from 2.3 to 4.04 and the phone still retained all of your data (Contacts, apps, etc.), you really need to do a factory reset. Going from Gingerbread to ICS is a pretty big jump.

 

They already have a few variants of entry smartphones (some even have LTE)... even if not competing with the iPhone, this doesn't make sense to attach the "Galaxy S" flagship name to a 2010 spec'd phone.

How do you even advertise it? Run ads saying it's better than the iPhone 3GS?

 

If mine's at 220 right now, can I increase it to 300 or so, or would that be unsafe? How would I go about doing that?

 

HAL's right on the money, since your GNex is easy to unlock the bootloader, there are tons of kernels that support gamma adjustments available for your phone. You need a kernel like this:

[KERNEL][GPL][20 AUG - Milestone 5][r196-ICS r283-JB] franco.Kernel | 4.0/4.1 | - xda-developers

Unlock your bootloader, flash ClockWork Recovery, and use that to flash the kernel.

Boy, I do miss having a Nexus device at times.

 

^TailGunner's got you right there. Everything you can do without damaging your panel can be done with those kernels. Also, remember now that you have an AMOLED, you CANNOT use this device as any kind of deskclock or docked device (screen-on). 2 minute screen timeout is about the maximum if you don't want burn in. I'm hearing about this more and more right now for some reason, I just can't pinpoint why because like I've said I've never had it on my devices... but I think as pixel sizes decrease this is going to be more of an issue unless Samsung starts to use a different AMOLED material for their blue subpixels.

Also, I know some of you may have though you've seen your favorite movie, but you haven't really seen it until you've seen it on an HD AMOLED screen. I got Prometheus from the Play Store in HD and it's honestly amazing on AMOLED's popping colors and infinite contrast...

Spoiler

 

No worries there; I've always set my phone's displays to automatically shut off at the shortest possible setting. When my Galaxy Nexus was at the default 30-second shutoff timer, I thought that was ridiculously long.

The vast majority of the time, I'm looking at my phone's screen in intervals of maybe 15 seconds, reading and responding to a text or something. If I'm leaving it on longer, it's for reading a long forum post or something like that, in which case I'm constantly scrolling anyway.

Thanks for the link, TailGunner.

 

Samsung Kies warned it was going to reset my phone and it didn't? I had backed up all my data already onto my SD card. Guess I'll have to reroot and install a new ROM?

 

Yep, sometimes ODIN/KIES is a bit iffy and doesn't do what it is supposed to do. I encountered the same issue with my Note 10.1 where I had to restore the original firmware to get an update and it proceeded to restore the old firmware without wiping the user data. The tablet had issues detecting the stylus and among other oddities, I was able to get everything working again by doing a factory reset.

As others have mentioned, your phone is more than capable of running ICS, so it's really odd for you to have to clear RAM (IMO this is something you shouldn't even need to do past Froyo). If anything, you may want to try out some of the custom ROMs available for the Blaze, especially CyanogenMod 9. The Blaze's spec is pretty close to the Skyrocket that I had, and it made the phone smooth as silk. I'd be curious to see how CyanogenMod 10 is on that device, but it looks like it needs some work before it can be used as a daily driver.

 

Nice. I watched Rio on a Tab 7.7 once, simply amazing with a non-pentile AMOLED screen.

 

My favorite quote of the day







Is the brown really that bad

I am due for an upgrade in 5 days....was going to ditch verizon but decided to stay the wife got the razr m and she likes it but i think i might want something else....don't know if I should wait a little longer with all the 'new' phone potential in the next few months or just get an SIII this will be my first smartphone

 

If you've rooted you should be using clockwork mod to do all your installs. Much simpler and more effective.

Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2

 

^^umm... yeah... that brown is not too hot

 

Ok, I flashed Samsung's ICS to a company Skyrocket. Not good. It's extremely stuttery, so I do see what you're talking about now. :/

Really the only thing I can recommend would be to flash CM.

I can imagine. Rio already has in-your-face colors... but on AMOLED!

Yes.

 

Like I said, I'm not crazy. But why should a customer have to live with such a fix such as a custom ROM?

 

Because sometimes people screw up.

Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2

 

Well thanks to Phistachio, my phone is back and working. :S

 

Anybody play draw something? My username same as here also words with friends

Sent from my HP Touchpad (CM9)

 

Haha. I'm never giving out my draw something or my words with friends account here... I play that way too much already.

Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2

 

...Just in time to try CM10 Jelly Bean on your phone?

 

See everytime I try to reroot my phone, it hoses it to where it breaks the firmware or it fails to boot up and I have to use recovery through Odin. This is so dumb seriously.