All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

Just How Expensive Is the Galaxy S 4 to Make? - Digits - WSJ

 

I recommend you the latest nightly. It has some new features and governors and has twice the battery life the stable has. I used to undervolt, but when nightlies that wasn't needed. I just enabled some tweaks with Pimp My Rom like GPS configs, Surface Dithering and alike.

I use the stock messaging app. My favourite since it's so simple yet so amazing.

Also, I recommend you using TWRP. You'll be amazed by how faster it is to flash and backup, and it's handier than CWM.

 

So the word so far is that the Snapdragon/Exynos thing relates to LTE compatibility.

 

Thank you. Just updated the ROM to the nightly version. You were certainly right. It is better. And, I started using TWRP last night when I first installed the Carbon ROM. It is crazy how much better it is.

 

I used to be a CWM fan back in the S2 days, but with the Note 2, TWRP all the way! And the ability to independently backup stuff is priceless. Also, I recommend you changing the DPI to 270. It's the best for our device : not too small and not too big. From 260 to 280 is the sweet spot.

 

I have been trying to do that, but the market won't play nice with any DPI in that range. Keeps fc'ing. Any tips? RE-install GAPPS maybe?

EDIT: Now the play store won't even work with the stock dpi. I have been changing it within Carbon's interface settings. It was on 320 right for the first step? I tried reinstalling gapps and that didn't do anything. Still fc's.

 

Lulz, VZW FINALLY released 4.2.2 for the Galaxy Nexus. I think I'll stick with CM10.1.

 

Reflash Carbon and gapps. After that, download Pimp My Rom and perform the DPI change from there. That should help you out

 

Haha. I came to that conclusion when no matter what I did, the play store would still pop up a message saying it has closed. Couldn't do anything on the phone. It's all good now and changed the dpi through pimp my rom like you said. Need to play with nova launcher and widgets now to allow for more stuff. Thanks for your help.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

 

Can I run these bricks shaped phone/tablet(I hate the design, but got to give in ~~) nude or case/shell-ness (no fall/drop)?

 

I use mine without a case. A case would make it too big. Unless you get a really thin case. But I have dropped my note 2 a lot. Concrete, wood, etc. Only a couple marks on the sides. Pretty well built so far.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

 

In Pimp my Rom, I recommend ticking the camera tweaks and quick power on, GPS configs, Surface Dithering, Lock launcher in Memory, and tick everything in the Network section, just for the sake of ticking everything

 

Thank you!
I appreciate all the help.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

 

No problem! Anything else just ask it

Also, I really recommend, in a day when you don't game only browse, to underclock your CPU to 1GHz-1.2GHz, that way it consumes way less power and you don't notice the performance difference much since you don't game.

 

Will do! Thanks again!

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

 

I have a Galaxy S3 with an Elago Slim-Fit case. It only adds about a millimeter to thickness and two to width, but it gives me a nice matte-finish surface to hold (instead of the Galaxy S3's slippery glossy finish) and it makes the buttons and camera slightly recessed for better protection.



Amazon.com: elago G5 Slim Fit Case for Galaxy S3 (Fits Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and other Carriers) - Soft Feeling Jean Indigo - ECO PACK: Cell Phones & Accessories

If you put an OtterBox on a Note II, you'd end up with something the size of a paving stone.

 

I brought the nexus 7, so that I don't need to pull my m6600 out all the time for little stuff.

My bro have a note II and ipad 3, but neither size seem to fit my need. (2 small or huge)

 

Spent 5-6 hours today with an S4.
I cannot wait to get one.

 

That's awesome. What stuff did you like most about it?

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

 

I've always wondered, do you work for Samsung? I remember asking if you wanted to get the Z instead of the S3 from your employer and you said "Why would I get a phone different from my employer".

As Tear asked, what did you like the most? Was it the screen? GSMArena says that the screen beats any other.

 

The hardware is stellar ( though the units we had were pre-production and resembled a plastic Xperia Z instead of the proper S4 body).
But the software steals the show, pretty much everything worked really well even though they weren't retail devices. The camera is damned impressive and things like Air View and Air Gestures are really, really useful.

Yeah, I do.
Though I think the exchange you're thinking of was with regards to the Lumia 920.

The screen is gorgeous, especially if you switch off automatic brightness and crank it up a little.
But the hardware is secondary to the software, the training material barely touches upon the specs.

 

How do you think the screen will compare to the HTC One?

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

 

No wonder you're staunchly against HTC

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

I've currently got an Otter Box on my Note II... Probably the best made otter box I've ever used, but it does make the phone inconveniently large if you're trying to put it in your pocket. Other than that, I don't mind having my phone in it for daily use. Charger fits perfectly and I've only had issues fitting one heavy duty aux cable with it on.

Have yet to drop this thing, but I waited to too long to put a screen protector on it and got a scratch that I can see with the screen on :/

 

No idea, haven't seen one in the flesh yet.

That comes from my time at CPW.
I've seen too many problems with HTC and too many crap handsets released to have any faith in them as a manufacturer. Sure the One may be better but my personal view is that it's too little, too late.

 

That sucks. I was thinking about pulling my screen protector off. Guess I'll leave it for now. Two cases I would want for my note II would be the case mate tough case and the cruzerlite tpu ones with the circuit board design. I think they look decent.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

 

I left one off for so long because it seemed to be pretty scratch resistant. I was pretty disappointed when I noticed it. I'm going to put a protector on tonight. Hopefully it fits with otter box

 

It should I'm sure.

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What app (if any) do all y'all use to remove bloatware? Root Uninstaller or some other app?

 

It's been a while but I've always used titanium backup. Needs root though.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

 

Titanium Backup.

 

I've used Root Uninstaller in the past

 

CWM and flash a clean de-bloated ROM. Removing bloat is often tricky... sometimes you'll get a lot of FC's.

 

N7105 firmware with Saber 16 kernel, stock battery. Undervolted all frequency entries by 100 mV, 4.5 hours of screen time and 30 minutes of phone calls. Push sync on two email accounts. 50% screen brightness, no power saving options enabled.

 

I'm running CM 10.1 on mine ATM. I was just browsing on Pinterest for about 45 minutes... battery life went down exactly 3%. Note II has an AMAZING battery.

 

Have you tried CarbonROM yet? IMO it's much better than CM10.1 performance wise, and it's basically stock AOSP with some Linaro tweaks.

 

HTC One release date: Late April launch in the U.S. | BGR

Isn't the GS4 slated for the same release timeline in North America?

 

Yep... they said the GS4 is due at the end of April in the US.

At least the BB10 is out before the GS4 hits... and unlike the One, it has an SD card slot and a removable battery.

The posters on the tech blogs always say that the slot and battery isn't a big deal and that design-wise the One kills the GS4... but I'll bet them Google stock that the GS4 outsells the One by a large (exponential) factor.

 

But that's all because of marketing

 

I do think marketing is a significant factor... I can't even remember the last HTC ad I've seen.

While some may think Apple doesn't need ads, they do help with awareness... which Samsung caught on to. The slightly humorous actually works for Samsung (like what Apple did with Mac vs. PC)... I enjoy the whole Unicorn Apocalypse series.

Once my wife and kids have "Galaxy" in their lexicon (and not because of the stuff I own)... you know their ads have been effective.

 

Some people just want a MicroSD slot. Simple as that. The Galaxy family is one of the few lines that STILL offers an external SD. I've got a 16GB Note 2 and a 64GB external class 10 MicroSD. It's a beautiful combination. It allows Samsung to put in higher quality, faster NAND, but then we also get to keep the external sd slot for more storage. HTC's NAND has a history of being really slow. There may be a good amount of NAND in models like the One X+ or other HTC models, but it's of a lower quality and is slower.

 

It's a factor.
It's one part of a larger issue but it's ridiculous to claim it's the only reason why they've slipped.

HTC's success came about with minimal marketing, Samsung overtook without anything like the marketing blitzes that they use nowadays. It's not the be-all and end-all.

Apple spend hundreds of millions of dollars advertising the iPhone alone but how many people do you know who are swayed by them?

Two issues in one - not giving people what they want and repeated use of inferior components.
Add into that their much poorer reliability and it's a recipe for disaster, no matter how well marketed their devices are.

 

I think this is from an earlier debate... but I'm not claiming it's the *only* reason. It is one of them.

Back in the day (at least here in the US), the carriers used to help do the advertising for the handsets. Sprint was big on debuting their "latest" flagship, especially the HTC EVO brands (and if anyone remembers, that failed dual-screen Kyocero Echo). But now that phones are going cross-carrier (which they should), that happens less.

So it's not really that HTC had "minimal marketing", they had big pushes from the carriers (VZW and the Incredible is one HTC handset I can think of... and more recently the Droid DNA)... it's just now you see companies like Samsung pushing the phone itself which creates awareness across carriers... not just for a single carrier.

I'm not sure how aware of North American advertising you are (ie TV, radio, billboards) but Samsung has a huge presence now compared to HTC. Maybe advertising isn't a factor where you live... but it is here (even when I'm at a movie theater, there is a commercial by Samsung that plays before the movie). It wasn't until they decided to stand behind the Galaxy S brand as a flagship brand and take on their own advertising for it that it got the awareness needed to push sales... and because the same phone was available across any carrier, it made it easier for consumers because they didn't have to go a specific carrier to get the latest and greatest.

I'll put your difference of opinion about advertising into that whole Europe vs. North Am pile we've been making.

Well... to be fair... the people I know may or may not be representative of the success of an advertising campaign because I'm a small sample. But knowing during what shows they mostly advertise on (which are usually top 10 in Nielsen ratings here), they are targeting a more general population than just us techies. When older people, moms, non techies, kids are buying iPhones, I'm sure part of it is because they see it on TV and are "swayed" by all the neat things an iPhone does. And even if they are not swayed by the ad, someone else is and then when they see that person using one, they are swayed by it. My mom has an iPhone (her 2nd one)... she still doesn't know how to use it but she wants one because everyone else has one. That's what advertising is for, to create awareness... not just "sway" people. The more people see something, the higher chance that they will just get it because of that. Saturation and penetration isn't attained by "minimal" marketing.

And don't get me wrong, marketing is not the be-all and end-all, but I doubt Samsung would be at the top of the Android heap if they did no advertising. It's a combination, great product plus great advertising (and a good reputation doesn't hurt).

 

@HAL, with your Captivate, did you undervolt your phone? I'm looking to further extend batter life. Right now I have each step undervolted by 75mV. Seems to make a difference. Just curious if you had any experience in doing so and how far it was undervolted. I'm undervolting through ROM Manager.

I'm running CM10.1, with the BlueMint theme. I also long press the back button to kill most apps like Facebook, email, words with friends, etc. Figure if I want to see if anything is new, I will open the app, I don't need notifications.

Also is there a way to manage which programs start upon boot?

Stock 1500maH battery, little over 1/2 hour of talk time.





Sent from my Samsung Captivate/JB CM 10.1 via Tapatalk.

 

^Ouch. I've got a bit over 14 hours off the charger and almost 4 hours of screen on time and I'm at 53%. Samsung's 32NM node does amazing things for battery life.

But about the Captivate... IDK? I haven't used it in so long. I was using it as a media player there for a while, but that was months ago. The thing about my Captivate was that it didn't OC/UV well at all. I had to overvolt to overclock, actually.

 

Ah, ok. I'm not overclocking, at all. I have a 3300mah battery, but the Captivate is so sleek naked with the stock battery. This is the first time since I bought it that I've had it naked. Before this it always had am otterbox on it or the extended battery. Wish the Galaxy S4 hardware was going to be put in a case like this.


Sent from my Samsung Captivate/JB CM 10.1 via Tapatalk.

 

Your country will get Exynos or Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy S 4, we have the answer! | SamMobile

 

AT&T LG Optimus G Pro tipped in FCC post - SlashGear


Any thoughts on the optimus G pro?

 

Other than the screen res and lack of an active digitizer, Samsung launched that phone last November.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

 

If importing the Exynos equipped Galaxy S 4 proves to be too much of a hassle, there's a chance I'll take the Optimus G Pro over the GT-i9505. Both the size and quality of the screen look attractive and the battery life should be pleasant. Whether or not I'd stick to some variant of the software the phone already ships with I don't know, but I have to say it looks like LG's given that aspect of the phone more thought than they usually do. Its looks don't have me thrilled but I won't say that I dislike them either, which is more than I can say about the S III and S 4. That being said, I won't compromise on specs to get a better looking phone.

Choosing my next phone this time around seems harder since the features I'm excited about aren't tied to one phone alone.