# So I seem to have jumped from the iPhone to a Galaxy S3...thoughts so far.



## The Groke (Jul 8, 2012)

Love my iPhone and it has always worked so well in integration with my Macbook and iPad etc...

Thing is, the battery was fried - barely getting me through half a day - and I needed to up my monthly contract considerably in order to manage now using it as my business phone...

Making a commitment on the new contract meant I got a free Galaxy S3, so...

The biggest annoyance was having to unravel all my iCloud stuff into Gmail for calendars and contacts, but I have got it done now and I actually feel slightly happier with everything on their instead of the Apple service.

Hardware-wise, it is great - the screen is pretty spectacular and although it is slightly lower than that of the iPhone, the resolution and DPS seems comfortably on a par.

The thing is light and feels good in-palm - I wasn't a fan of the flexible plastic back initially, but I have warmed to the fact that it is easily replacable and allows me to swap the battery out as well as slip in an SD card.

Battery life is excellent - especially now I have figured out the various push settings that want to chew through the power and I have installed the JuiceDefender app which improves things still further. I am getting a comfortable day of heavy-ish usage now.

Performance is generally brilliant, but occasionally screen navigation gets a little laggy...I am putting this down to the Samsung bloat and the OS more than anything else.

Android itself is all new to me. In some aspects I like it more than IOS - customisation options etc are all good. That said, it still doesn't seem quite as slick, integrated and unified as IOS, but I guess that is the price to pay for the more open nature of the platform.

Not a fan of some of the Samsung bloatware and wish I could whittle it down a little without having to flash the ROM which I am not prepared to do yet.

Overall I am pretty happy with it - be interesting to see whether I still feel that way once the iPhone 5 is out, but I am hoping that the new features and performance boost mooted in the upcoming Jelly Bean will keep me committed to Android.


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## editor (Jul 8, 2012)

I reckon you've got the best phone you can buy anywhere in your hands right now. Once you get used to the big screen, going back to a piddling little thing isn't really an option!


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## The Groke (Jul 8, 2012)

Indeed I just picked up the wife's iphone and the screen suddenly seemed very small! 

Is there merit in using anti malware software on my phone? Seems to be pretty mixed opinion on the subject...


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## editor (Jul 8, 2012)

The Groke said:


> Is there merit in using anti malware software on my phone? Seems to be pretty mixed opinion on the subject...


Unless you're in the habit of installing really obscure and often lowly ranked apps - particularly from unofficial sources - I think you'll be fine.


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## grit (Jul 8, 2012)

The Groke said:


> That said, it still doesn't seem quite as slick, integrated and unified as IOS, but I guess that is the price to pay for the more open nature of the platform.


 
</thread>


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## The Groke (Jul 9, 2012)

editor said:


> Unless you're in the habit of installing really obscure and often lowly ranked apps - particularly from unofficial sources - I think you'll be fine.


 
I am trying to keep it relatively clean and lean!

Resisting the urge to start messing with rooting it etc as is usually my wont with these things - that way madness lies...


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## bmd (Jul 9, 2012)

What do you miss about the Apple ecosystem?


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## The Groke (Jul 28, 2012)

bmd said:


> What do you miss about the Apple ecosystem?


 
Gosh - missed this one...sorry for the late reply and apparent rudeness on my part!

So, after 20 days as an S3 and first time Android owner:

Pros:

1) I love the hardware - it is a _great_ device, 'nuff said.
2) I like the customisation options - feels a lot more like *My* phone than the iPhone ever did and mostly functions just the way I want.
3) Most core aspects of the interface work well - the notifications especially so.
4) Apps - I have all I could want for now and whilst initially I was worried the app choice would be noticeably leaner on Android, it doesn't really seem to be the case.
5) Google Apps: Maps etc are better than they are on the iPhone and the beta Navigation function is ace.
6) Widgets! I approve. See item 2.
7) Integration with Google cloud features; mail, contacts, calendar and Drive. Pretty much as good as iCloud.

Cons:

1) Sometimes the OS seems a little sticky/laggy...on redrawing the homescreen etc. I would imagine Jellybean fixes this but...
2) ...Lack of cohesion on Android version control and updates. I _hate_ being dependant on both the manufacturer and the carrier to keep my phone running the latest and greatest iterations of the OS and patches etc...and not even knowing if the latest version _will_ be officially ported to my handset. I appreciate the sheer variety of available hardware makes this more difficult, but Google could learn a few things from Apple on this aspect. Yes I know one can root the phone and flash as desired, but I am loathe to do this whilst the device is still under warranty. It does look like JB will be coming to the S3 sooner rather than later, but what about the next version and the next?
3) Lack of cohesion in apps: form and function. There is usually a pleasing consistency of form, function and feature within Apple apps...generally buttons, shortcuts and the user experience is familiar and very "apple". Not so with Android apps. Some of course are great, but some look rough as guts and buck convention when it comes to interface behaviour, which is often annoying
4) Cut & paste. The iPhone does it better.
5) Annoying Samsung bloatware. I really would like to clean the phone down of all the pre-loaded nonsense I don't need...but again I have to root the thing to do this, which is not on the cards for the moment. I realise Apple preload stuff too, but somehow it feels less obtrusive and unwanted!
6) Email apps. I still haven't found one as pleasant and as slick to use as the iPhone one. I have 3 separate Exchange email accounts for business and 2 personal ones...and IOS handles them far better than the S3 does. I have tried alternate apps, but they all fall down in some way or another, so I am still on the default Samsung one, which ticks all the boxes for function, but is a little rough around the edges in the user experience.
7) _*No proper unified search! *_This is probably the big one for me as far as core function is concerned. One swipe and and few typed letters on the iPhone is all it takes to bring up comprehensive search results from my contacts, emails, documents and apps - it is fast and works beautifully. The Samsung/Google equivalent is slow and clunky and only searches contacts and the web - if I want to search my emails, I have to go into the email, then bring up the settings menu, then click search and then do my thing. I know that is a doozy of a "first world problem" but it is jarring how limp it is compared to the IOS equivalent feature.

None of the above cons are deal-breakers though - I am still very happy with my S3.


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## bmd (Jul 28, 2012)

Good review. I was wondering where you were. Have you tried TouchDown for exchange emails? Great interface and a huge amount of options.

http://www.nitrodesk.com/dk_touchdownFeatures.aspx

As far as rooting goes, I dropped my phone and shattered the screen (Gorilla Glass!  ) on the second day I had it and kept it for a while, rooted it and then sent it back for repair. So I don't think it's a problem as far as the warranty goes. I don't think you can even brick your phone these days by rooting.


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## The Groke (Jul 28, 2012)

bmd said:


> Good review. I was wondering where you were. Have you tried TouchDown for exchange emails? Great interface and a huge amount of options.
> 
> http://www.nitrodesk.com/dk_touchdownFeatures.aspx


 
Touchdown was certainly the app that seemed to come closest when I tried the demo.

Where it fell down (and I hope this isn't my failure to understand how it works..!) is that you appear to only be able to have one Exchange profile "active" at any one time - i.e. you can't have a unified mailbox with two separate Exchange/ActiveSync accounts and send/receive to both at the same time, which doesn't really work for me.



bmd said:


> As far as rooting goes, I dropped my phone and shattered the screen (Gorilla Glass!  ) on the second day I had it and kept it for a while, rooted it and then sent it back for repair. So I don't think it's a problem as far as the warranty goes. I don't think you can even brick your phone these days by rooting.


 
 I was wondering if I was just being overly precious on this. It does seem that there are numerous ways to root one's Android and then to restore it and cover all traces if required...I guess at this stage my device is a little too new and shiny - it took me about 3 months before I dared jailbreak my iPhone 4!

Perhaps a rooting is my chore for the weekend...


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## bmd (Jul 28, 2012)

You can have as many profiles on TouchDown as you want although only one is active at a time. You just switch between them via a button on the home page. But of a faff but it does work.

Rooting has come a long way and like you say it's pretty easy to cover it up if you feel you need to. I'm using the Lightning ROM on my S2 atm and it's miiiiiiiles better than the stock one. There's even a piece of software that will find the stock ROM for your carrier if you ever decide to change it back.


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## The Groke (Jul 28, 2012)

bmd said:


> You can have as many profiles on TouchDown as you want although only one is active at a time. You just switch between them via a button on the home page. But of a faff but it does work.


 
I know it sounds really wanky, but I kind of need all 3 of my completely discrete exchange accounts to be active simultaneously...



Shame, cos that aside, I liked the app.



bmd said:


> Rooting has come a long way and like you say it's pretty easy to cover it up if you feel you need to. I'm using the Lightning ROM on my S2 atm and it's miiiiiiiles better than the stock one. There's even a piece of software that will find the stock ROM for your carrier if you ever decide to change it back.


 
I am so going to root tomorrow.


...when I am less drunk. I imagine drunk rooting is inadvisable.


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## Radar (Jul 28, 2012)

The Groke said:


> ...when I am less drunk. I imagine drunk rooting is inadvisable.


Where's your sense of adventure man


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## bmd (Jul 28, 2012)

Nah, doesn't sound wanky at all. Maybe email the devs and see what they say? Rooting when drunk? What could go wrong?!


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## wemakeyousoundb (Jul 28, 2012)

nought wrong with drink rooting


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## bmd (Jul 28, 2012)

Rootink?


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## elbows (Jul 28, 2012)

The Groke said:


> 1) Sometimes the OS seems a little sticky/laggy...on redrawing the homescreen etc. I would imagine Jellybean fixes this but...


 
Yes in a number of respects everything homescreen wise will seem a lot smoother and less glitchy with JB. I've still had a couple of moments where there are glitches, and certain homescreen apps, live wallpaper etc can still negatively affect smoothness but overall its mostly a good experience now with JB.



> 2) ...Lack of cohesion on Android version control and updates. I _hate_ being dependant on both the manufacturer and the carrier to keep my phone running the latest and greatest iterations of the OS and patches etc...and not even knowing if the latest version _will_ be officially ported to my handset. I appreciate the sheer variety of available hardware makes this more difficult, but Google could learn a few things from Apple on this aspect. Yes I know one can root the phone and flash as desired, but I am loathe to do this whilst the device is still under warranty. It does look like JB will be coming to the S3 sooner rather than later, but what about the next version and the next?


 
Getting one of the extremely limited range of Nexus devices is the only way round this, eg I got the Galaxy Nexus late last year rather than holding out for the S3.



> 3) Lack of cohesion in apps: form and function. There is usually a pleasing consistency of form, function and feature within Apple apps...generally buttons, shortcuts and the user experience is familiar and very "apple". Not so with Android apps. Some of course are great, but some look rough as guts and buck convention when it comes to interface behaviour, which is often annoying


 
This is what nearly drove me back to the iPhone a few months after getting the Galaxy Nexus, and might still do so one day. Sometimes when I first wake up I still struggle to do simple things like turn off the bloody alarm.



> 7) _*No proper unified search! *_This is probably the big one for me as far as core function is concerned. One swipe and and few typed letters on the iPhone is all it takes to bring up comprehensive search results from my contacts, emails, documents and apps - it is fast and works beautifully. The Samsung/Google equivalent is slow and clunky and only searches contacts and the web - if I want to search my emails, I have to go into the email, then bring up the settings menu, then click search and then do my thing. I know that is a doozy of a "first world problem" but it is jarring how limp it is compared to the IOS equivalent feature.


 
The prospects of this one being sorted are diminished by a particular patent struggle at the moment, one that Samsung have backed down on for now so as not to have their devices blocked from sale in certain countries. Of all the patent issues people have moaned about in recent years, this is the one that presently annoys me the most, although even if there were no patent issue I dont know how perfectly google or others would have handled this functionality in android since I've not paid that much attention to the detail.


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## dervish (Jul 30, 2012)

For ages I didn't root mine, as it was very good already.

When CM9 got to RC status I thought I'd give it a go, rooted, carefully backed up the stock rom and stuck cm9 on there. Apart from the loss of samsung additions like smart stay and the thing where you put your phone to your ear to call someone you are messaging Cyanogenmod is miles better.

Day before yesterday I installed cm10 on it. Even better, what's even cooler was that it retained everything from cm9 and just made the phone better, much better, I'd seen Google now/knowledge graph and thought it was good, but didn't think I'd use it, it's already become a natural way of finding info, so much easier than previously.

Basically, if you haven't rooted and put a new ROM on yet, do it, you won't regret it. Oh and unified search is on the phone and working as you would expect.


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## editor (Jul 30, 2012)

elbows said:


> The prospects of this one being sorted are diminished by a particular patent struggle at the moment, one that Samsung have backed down on for now so as not to have their devices blocked from sale in certain countries. Of all the patent issues people have moaned about in recent years, this is the one that presently annoys me the most, although even if there were no patent issue I dont know how perfectly google or others would have handled this functionality in android since I've not paid that much attention to the detail.


Funny thing was that the Palm webOS had unified search and was first to market with it.


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## such and such (Aug 1, 2012)

The Groke said:


> ...when I am less drunk. I imagine drunk rooting is inadvisable.


 
Does rooting mean the same thing in your country as it does in Australia?


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## The Groke (Aug 1, 2012)

such and such said:


> Does rooting mean the same thing in your country as it does in Australia?



Well I am a pom in NZ... So although everyone around me sniggers when I use the word (or I pronounce "router" as "rooter" not "rowter" ) it doesn't cause me as much mirth...


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## such and such (Aug 1, 2012)

The Groke said:


> Well I am a pom in NZ... So although everyone around me sniggers when I use the word (or I pronounce "router" as "rooter" not "rowter" ) it doesn't cause me as much mirth...


 
Oh I didn't know that. I am sure you understand why I laughed at drunk rooting then


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## The Groke (Aug 1, 2012)

such and such said:


> I am sure you understand why I laughed at drunk rooting then


 
Completely!


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## such and such (Aug 1, 2012)




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## The Groke (Aug 1, 2012)

Back on topic, I am now becoming increasingly sold on the idea of rooting my phone (lolz/fnar-fnar etc - just for SaS) and putting a custom ROM on...

Wondering whether to sit tight for a fully functional Cyanogen 10 or go to 9 now?

Anyone any opinions?


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## mauvais (Aug 1, 2012)

A few comments:





The Groke said:


> Gosh - missed this one...sorry for the late reply and apparent rudeness on my part!
> 
> So, after 20 days as an S3 and first time Android owner:
> 
> ...


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## dervish (Aug 1, 2012)

The Groke said:


> Back on topic, I am now becoming increasingly sold on the idea of rooting my phone (lolz/fnar-fnar etc - just for SaS) and putting a custom ROM on...
> 
> Wondering whether to sit tight for a fully functional Cyanogen 10 or go to 9 now?
> 
> Anyone any opinions?


 
I originally put 9 on and it was great, then I thought I'd try 10 and revert if it is too buggy.

That was a few days ago now, and although there are a few bugs, it's surprisingly stable and even better than 9. Google now and voice recognition are part of my regular usage of the phone now.


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## The Groke (Aug 1, 2012)

dervish said:


> I originally put 9 on and it was great, then I thought I'd try 10 and revert if it is too buggy.
> 
> That was a few days ago now, and although there are a few bugs, it's surprisingly stable and even better than 9. Google now and voice recognition are part of my regular usage of the phone now.


 
Do you have the international version of the handset?
Does Google Now tank the battery?

Cheers Derv...


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## dervish (Aug 1, 2012)

Yes and no.

Haven't noticed any problems with it, the only things not working on the ROM are the FM radio and if I'm listening to music over bluetooth and someone rings me they can't hear me till I reboot. If no-one rings when I'm using BT it's fine though.


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## The Groke (Aug 1, 2012)

mauvais said:


> *not** comparing apples with apples*


 




mauvais said:


> *The iPhone is just the same - no Siri on 4, AFAIK; the only real negative is lack of coherence about what you might get and when, but really (and this applies to anywhere outside of a long term support agreement) you should treat all software updates a**s a bonus. Consider that the ongoing evolution of Android probably delivers more and more quickly than any other phone software before it, not just Apple and not just smartphones.*


 
I see your point, but I disagree. Siri is a fairly minor functional improvement, despite what Apple would have you believe - the real meat of the newer IOS features are available for most iDevice users (obviously the older handsets are phased out) and any relevant fixes or stability updates are pushed out smartly and universally.

I am not sure why most manufacturers are so keen to promote their own fluff, interface and bloat when it seems that the standard Google OS plus the apps and customisation of your choice provides the best environment...hence my growing desire to mod my S3!



mauvais said:


> *AFAIK it did have unified search, and it was removed in a software update due to Apple patents*


 
It was removed from US phones/carriers  due to the patent row and apparently by mistake from some handsets in the UK (subsequently restored) but I still have it on mine. As I said above though, it doesn't search my email, which is pants.


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## The Groke (Aug 1, 2012)

dervish said:


> Yes and no.
> 
> Haven't noticed any problems with it, the only things not working on the ROM are the FM radio and if I'm listening to music over bluetooth and someone rings me they can't hear me till I reboot. If no-one rings when I'm using BT it's fine though.


 

Hm - well I don't use either the radio or bluetooth, nor do I listen to music on it so...


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## mauvais (Aug 1, 2012)

The Groke said:


> I see your point, but I disagree. Siri is a fairly minor functional improvement, despite what Apple would have you believe - the real meat of the newer IOS features are available for most iDevice users (obviously the older handsets are phased out) and any relevant fixes or stability updates are pushed out smartly and universally.
> 
> I am not sure why most manufacturers are so keen to promote their own fluff, interface and bloat when it seems that the standard Google OS plus the apps and customisation of your choice provides the best environment...hence my growing desire to mod my S3!


I see what you're getting at, but the hand that provides variety is the hand that takes away totalitarian consistency. Part of the answer is that manufacturers have to add a USP and this may not be limited to hardware - e.g. HTC Sense - in order to compete in a world in which anyone can sell vanilla Android. This brings fragmentation because everyone is doing something slightly different - but really I find it to be a theoretical issue rather than a practical one. After all my phone is obsolete (even in terms of CyanogenMod), effectively stuck at 2.3.7 rooted or 2.2 unrooted, but it still operates fine within this ecosystem.



> It was removed from US phones/carriers due to the patent row and apparently by mistake from some handsets in the UK (subsequently restored) but I still have it on mine. As I said above though, it doesn't search my email, which is pants.


App developers have to write their apps to be compatible with the feature, so you may be able to find one that has it.


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## The Groke (Aug 2, 2012)

Well I now seem to be running the WIP Cyanogenmod 10...



Pretty slick and stable so far, though the auto-brightness seems a little wonky...will run it for the weekend and see how I get on.


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## The Groke (Aug 2, 2012)

...and my JuiceDefender doesn't seem to quite work properly


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## The Groke (Aug 3, 2012)

...and now I am back on stock - though rooted still!

Impressed at how easy it was to do a full image restore back to the stock ROM with all my settings, apps, mail and history intact through using Clockwork ROM manager...and of course just as easy to do a mobile flash and build to a new custom ROM in turn.

Also got my Triangle Away app to reset the flash count - works well.

Feel pretty comfortable modding the thing now - looking forward to getting my hands on a proper Cyanogen Mod 10 release.


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## r0bb0 (Aug 3, 2012)

The Groke said:


> 4) Cut & paste. The iPhone does it better.


 
guess they listened to their customers


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## The Groke (Aug 3, 2012)

r0bb0 said:


> guess they listened to their customers


 
_Eventually..._


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## The Groke (Aug 3, 2012)

...and now I am back on the latest build of Cyanogen Mod 10!

Weeeeeee! I love Clockwork Mod manager - makes this whole custom mod thing a piece of really quick and easy cake.


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## The Groke (Aug 4, 2012)

Today's daily build (803) along with me discovering the "permission repair" function of CM Manager seems to now have my JuiceDefender working properly once more.

Aside from the auto-brightness seemingly needing a little refining still, this JB based custom ROM works beautifully and I am now happy to use it as my daily driver.


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