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Samsung makes me sad :(

Samsung were amazing with the Galaxy S line, no complaints there. The Infuse came along and it was pretty much the Galaxy's weirdly put together and slightly upgraded step brother. And as we all know, a hold over for the S2. Then the S2 comes out and everyone's excited. Hell yeah, party! Greatest phone ever made, yeah cool, whatever.
And we all love our phones. And then the Skyrocket. The freakin Skyrocket... This phone comes out a month after the S2. I mean, I love Samsung, but this phone release trend is outrageous. Yes people like HTC release a ton per year, but over many carriers. Samsung has three phones for the same carrier in six months. This just irks me. Please discuss.
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and get used to it buddy. specially on AT&T. LTE is just starting up on AT&T. Meaning there is a wave of phones not far from shore. Samsung, HTC, Motorola it hasnt even started.

Optimus-Prime said:
and get used to it buddy. specially on AT&T. LTE is just starting up on AT&T. Meaning there is a wave of phones not far from shore. Samsung, HTC, Motorola it hasnt even started.
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Android eco-system enables this. This is how they are outpacing apple.

S2 came out several months ago didn't it? I believe it was the US carriers creating the giant delay while everyone else in the world enjoyed it for a few months.

Optimus-Prime said:
and get used to it buddy. specially on AT&T. LTE is just starting up on AT&T. Meaning there is a wave of phones not far from shore. Samsung, HTC, Motorola it hasnt even started.
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Yep - I think you're right. I heard at LEAST 2 more Samsungs by the EOY for Android/ATT alone. Plus a few more for TMobile, Sprint and Ver.

Guys its not like iPhones where the new phone takes an absolute dump on your phone. Samsung puts their best foot forward on most of their phones. Keyword MOST. the new phones are just incorperating the new technology such as LTE for att. Just enjoy the phone you have knowing that its not out of date yet since the new iphone only has 1/2 a gig of ram
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I meant to say the new iphone takes a dunp on your old iphone. I accidently left it open. I didn't mean your samsung phone. If we look at the galaxy s vs the 4 the sgs had a power vr sgx 540 where as the 4 only had a 535. Not trying to turn this into a iphone vs android. Just using the new iphone old iphone model.
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The moment you walk out with your phone its already obsolete because there is a new one coming. I actually perfer this "abundance" of phone. it gives us options.

I just don't like the fact that reps have no idea of up coming phones but the net does. I specifically asked about gs2 when I bought my infuse and att claimed to have no idea, 1.5 months later and its released.
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I dont think the stores actually have an idea of what they are getting, keep in mind there are different departments which handle different stuff.
im guessing the retail part, just sells the device...
or they are complete asses and just dont say anything....

They just don't say anything. I have a friend who works for verizon and they learn about what the phone is as far as features before the phones come out
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sorry to say this, but this thread is stupid.
that is like getting mad at mercedes, "i just bought this E class for 50,000$, now they come out with the new CLS!". haha

when you made your Android purchase, you have to accept that one fact that the turnover of devices are very very high... If you don't like this then you'd be better off with the iPhone.
Otherwise, think about how your phone, even though it might be like 4-5 devices behind the newest device, is still so much better than the newest iPhone in the market.

People really don't understand the point of this thread.... I just look at other companies that don't release 4 phones for one carrier in a 6 month span. I love Samsung just not this crap.
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netnerd said:
sorry to say this, but this thread is stupid.
that is like getting mad at mercedes, "i just bought this E class for 50,000$, now they come out with the new CLS!". haha
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No, this is quite a bit different.
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While I do agree with you to an extent, I think you miss an important factor that is causing this.
The Galaxy S line was 3G HSPA. Then AT&T launched their HSPA+ network, and the Infuse is "4G" with HSPA+ and halfway between the SGS and the SGS 2 lines. So the Infuse was thrown out there so Samsung had a high end HSPA+ phone. Then the SGS 2 came out as the full upgrade from the SGS line. It also had HSPA+ as that's still the dominant "4G" network for AT&T right now. Shortly after they release the SGS2 LTE with 4G LTE so they again have a high end phone on the best network AT&T has to offer.
So while it seems like they have released 4 phones in a year and a half, 3 of them upgraded their network support. They probably could have waited on the SGS 2 and just released an SGS2 LTE, but I suspect the SGS2 will drop in price faster than the LTE version will as the LTE network grows, giving them maybe a $100 and a $200 model, or even $150/200.
I don't think you'll see them release as many now that we don't have any network upgrades for another couple of years when they upgrade to LTE Advanced (and I suspect that will roll into LTE phones sooner rather than later).
But yeah, I know what you mean. I would have been pretty annoyed if I had bought an SGS2 and then the SGS2 LTE came out, but the LTE came out soon enough after the SGS2 that you could have returned the SGS2 for the SGS2 LTE if you wanted. They were JUST over 30 days apart, but the Skyrocket was announced before 30 days was up, so you could have returned immediately and used a temporary phone for a couple of days.

This thread isn't stupid...it makes a point
Their frequency of phone releases addresses AT&T's network upgrade needs, not Samsung.
AT&T contracts the OEM's to make devices for them. AT&T is paying boatloads for each device run. Thus they have an incentive to move 'old' devices out as soon as possible to make room for the latest tier. It's about recouping cost with device/accessory sales and new contracts.
Keep in mind, that unless you have confirmed LTE service in your area, paying full price for an LTE phone wouldn't make much sense. On contract? Sure and just wait for your LTE coverage to arrive.
AT&T got caught due to VZW's strong LTE push and the 'postponed' T-Mo M&A. So they have to make an LTE push in profitable markets and have a device that can answer VZW's offerings.
The bottom line in my opinion is for you the consumer to do your own homework and not rely on the salespeople to 'educate' you. They won't. They aren't trained to.
You have this forum, Google and more web rags on mobile tech than you could possibly read. A wealth of info for free where you can research and plan your purchase.
My Infuse and wife's Cappy are expected to remain in service for another 3 yrs. At that point I'll sell them to help offset the costs of their upgrades. If there's a need to upgrade soon than that, it'll be because the new device will fulfill a need these devices couldn't possibly fill.
Both of these phones are powerful and feature rich so I feel confident in their longevity.
Although, that flexible AMOLED screen tech is sexy!!! I'd love to see device designs!

Kevinr678 said:
People really don't understand the point of this thread.... I just look at other companies that don't release 4 phones for one carrier in a 6 month span. I love Samsung just not this crap.
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then you should just be a sheep and get iphone!
choices is good! 4.5 too big? get 4.3 gs2!
4. 3 too small? get 4.5 gs2! now everyone is happy!
that is like complaining fast food restaurants sell hamburger and chicken sandwich instead of just selling one kind!
---------- Post added at 01:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:49 PM ----------
millerja01a said:
AT&T got caught due to VZW's strong LTE push and the 'postponed' T-Mo M&A. So they have to make an LTE push in profitable markets and have a device that can answer VZW's offerings.
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now att have another problem, Verizon give you 4gb of LTE for 30$
if att don't follow suit, I might get galaxy nexus with 4gb of LTE for 30$

netnerd said:
then you should just be a sheep and get iphone!
choices is good! 4.5 too big? get 4.3 gs2!
4. 3 too small? get 4.5 gs2! now everyone is happy!
that is like complaining fast food restaurants sell hamburger and chicken sandwich instead of just selling one kind!
---------- Post added at 01:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:49 PM ----------
now att have another problem, Verizon give you 4gb of LTE for 30$
if att don't follow suit, I might get galaxy nexus with 4gb of LTE for 30$
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The reason you piss people off so much is due mainly in part to how of an ass you are. Personally I don't care for iphones. Another thing is why is everyone who has sn iphone is a sheep? Some people genuinally prefer them. I think you talk way too much without thinking, and you really need to stay out of people's topics if your main objective is to cut them down, try to make every point they make seem invalid, and in a general sense just get on people's nerves.
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AJerman said:
While I do agree with you to an extent, I think you miss an important factor that is causing this.
The Galaxy S line was 3G HSPA. Then AT&T launched their HSPA+ network, and the Infuse is "4G" with HSPA+ and halfway between the SGS and the SGS 2 lines. So the Infuse was thrown out there so Samsung had a high end HSPA+ phone. Then the SGS 2 came out as the full upgrade from the SGS line. It also had HSPA+ as that's still the dominant "4G" network for AT&T right now. Shortly after they release the SGS2 LTE with 4G LTE so they again have a high end phone on the best network AT&T has to offer.
So while it seems like they have released 4 phones in a year and a half, 3 of them upgraded their network support. They probably could have waited on the SGS 2 and just released an SGS2 LTE, but I suspect the SGS2 will drop in price faster than the LTE version will as the LTE network grows, giving them maybe a $100 and a $200 model, or even $150/200.
I don't think you'll see them release as many now that we don't have any network upgrades for another couple of years when they upgrade to LTE Advanced (and I suspect that will roll into LTE phones sooner rather than later).
But yeah, I know what you mean. I would have been pretty annoyed if I had bought an SGS2 and then the SGS2 LTE came out, but the LTE came out soon enough after the SGS2 that you could have returned the SGS2 for the SGS2 LTE if you wanted. They were JUST over 30 days apart, but the Skyrocket was announced before 30 days was up, so you could have returned immediately and used a temporary phone for a couple of days.
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Thank you. This is exactly what I was saying. And yes, I agree that the main issue is more than likely carrier related especially since Att is the only carrier that released a Skyrocket. This is what I'm looking for, discussion. Not for someone to sit here, call me stupid, and bash my topic and opinion in every way possible.
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I need help deciding which carrier/phone/plan

Ok, I've looked at all the carriers and the resellers to include post and pre. I've been on a family plan for ever and I'm about to drop off and start my own family plan with my daughter.
I've just gotten a settlement and want to pay up front for at least the first year or more but want to stick to under 2K. What I'm having trouble with is deciding which is best. Everything I read is this is better but another says different.
When I drop off the Verizon and start my own I'll lose the unlimited data so I need to consider data, 4g, unlimited and whatever on 2 androids and what is the best latest and greatest.
Sprint looks like cheapest but no 4g unless I'm seeing it from for Arkansas and Indiana. Verizon has best coverage but data is limited and raises price when you go over which I would. ATT is expensive and has 2Gb cap which is about same for T-Mobile.
I'd love to buy two unlocked kick ass quad cores and do Simple which would be 4G but hear it's unreliable.
Anyone have any recent experience like mine that can share some input? I'm needing 2 Androids (best phones) with unlimited data (or a ton of it) and unlimited text and pic, plus around 1000 or more minutes.
My brain is fried, only reason I'm asking... Prolly over thinking but it's a lot of money.

go with sprint or tmo?
since data is obviously a big must for you, i would suggest considering sprint above all. it will give u the unlimited data and relatively affordable prices. theyre launching the samsung galaxy nexus with 4g lte support very soon, and that of course, is a great developer phone.
if not the galaxy nexus, you will want to consider the samsung galaxy s ii epic 4g touch. it is sprint's version of the galaxy s 2 and definitely a phone that can hold its own. both phones are about 199 up front, and are quality samsung smartphones that should last you two years.
tmobile is a good carrier to consider because even though data is capped at 2gb, its 4g hspa+ network is pretty fast, and if oyu go over, they will only throttle your speeds, not charge you an overage fee. the throttling will be annoyingly slow (i speak from experience), but at least you wont pay overages. for tmobile phones, i would consider the htc one s or the samsung galaxy s ii. both phones are solid, dual-core phones and the one s launches with android 4.0 on board.

ynksrule93 said:
since data is obviously a big must for you, i would suggest considering sprint above all. it will give u the unlimited data and relatively affordable prices. theyre launching the samsung galaxy nexus with 4g lte support very soon, and that of course, is a great developer phone.
if not the galaxy nexus, you will want to consider the samsung galaxy s ii epic 4g touch. it is sprint's version of the galaxy s 2 and definitely a phone that can hold its own. both phones are about 199 up front, and are quality samsung smartphones that should last you two years.
tmobile is a good carrier to consider because even though data is capped at 2gb, its 4g hspa+ network is pretty fast, and if oyu go over, they will only throttle your speeds, not charge you an overage fee. the throttling will be annoyingly slow (i speak from experience), but at least you wont pay overages. for tmobile phones, i would consider the htc one s or the samsung galaxy s ii. both phones are solid, dual-core phones and the one s launches with android 4.0 on board.
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I've been thinking it's going to be sprint but not having the 4G is bugging me big time. It's almost as if they painted the whole map with 3G though so it will help. Daughter will be staying put in college but I'll be bouncing all over the place helping family take care of different things until I start getting low on funds again.
I cant do the throttled data as it will most likely be my only internet in the Toy Hauler that I'll be sleeping in and I like my Netflix to much. Maybe someone will know some magic combo that is better than anything I've seen so far. Have two weeks till she can port her number.

which sprint phone?
that makes sense, if cellular data is going to be your primary source of internet, then sprint's unlimited plan is probably the way to go. (but i would like to hear if anyone has any better ideas).
what smartphone are you leaning towards for you and your daughter?

If you're looking for an available quad-core then no questions asked it's the HTC One X.
And you want 4G? Don't make it a priority in your checklist, 4G won't have the same coverage as 3G in the next 2-3 years and by then you'll probably be getting a new phone. IMO get into a carrier with the best 3G coverage if data is a must for you. You won't need anything faster on a mobile device anyway.

ynksrule93 said:
that makes sense, if cellular data is going to be your primary source of internet, then sprint's unlimited plan is probably the way to go. (but i would like to hear if anyone has any better ideas).
what smartphone are you leaning towards for you and your daughter?
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I had been looking to buy a digitizer for a G2X my niece had laying around and hitting Simple Mobile then my daughter told me she's paying 94 per month to ATT and has the smallest minute package and only 2GB of data. I'm used to being unlimited and paying less than that so I think that's insane.
I was looking at 2 that was on sprints site both being 1.2 dual, Nexus and G11 S Epic. Daughter already has an Iphone and I will if I have to (she asks) buy her another but I'd hate giving money for a mac phone. Would rather pay double for an Android than the iphone.
cepcamba said:
If you're looking for an available quad-core then no questions asked it's the HTC One X.
And you want 4G? Don't make it a priority in your checklist, 4G won't have the same coverage as 3G in the next 2-3 years and by then you'll probably be getting a new phone. IMO get into a carrier with the best 3G coverage if data is a must for you. You won't need anything faster on a mobile device anyway.
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That One X comes out in June to sprint. I can stay in my family plan I'm in now if hers being att doesn't try and lock her into another two year.

Galaxy nexus vs. galaxy S 3

My original galaxy s is getting long in the tooth. I'm due for an upgrade. I was thinking of going with the new S 3 when it comes out, but if its 300$, I think they'd a but much for a phone, and was thinking of getting the nexus.
Do you think that the nexus will still be a decent phone 2 years from now when I can upgrade, our should I get the S3 to keep me until june 2014?
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I'm getting a GNex soon. So it will be even older! Yes, I think the hardware will last
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olyloh6696 said:
I'm getting a GNex soon. So it will be even older! Yes, I think the hardware will last
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i think the nexus is better, am waiting for the the next one, dont like capacitve buttons on ics

eppo12- said:
Do you think that the nexus will still be a decent phone 2 years from now when I can upgrade, our should I get the S3 to keep me until june 2014?
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Is 2 years a hard or soft limit? (i.e. contract or no contract?) I'm planning on keeping my Nexus for two years, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
The good news is that the nexus is cheap (off google play or expansys) hence good for buying unlocked. I would not buy it from Verizon, for instance; the updating status on the CDMA variants is questionable.
(Also, yeah, S3 hardware buttons sux.)

naaa you guys have gone soft get the s3 or wait to see the nexus 4
i have the gnex won it from a giveaway and personally i think its dog**** if you have the chance get the s3 not the nexus crap or as i said wait for the next nexus romurs are that it will have a s4 quadcore ship clocked at 1.5ghz sounds sexy also its based on a15

I have verizon, and unless the rules have changed, you can upgrade after 18 months, and get $50 off at a 24 months. Why pay so much for a phone, when your not sure for an upgrade? So I would have to wait 18 months minimum.
Have there been any releases of what the going price would be for the S3 in the US? I ready font want to spend $300 for a phone.
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id prefer the s3, because of its outstanding benchmark, and some new features in smartphones but the design nexus is better,

eppo12- said:
I have verizon, and unless the rules have changed, you can upgrade after 18 months, and get $50 off at a 24 months. Why pay so much for a phone, when your not sure for an upgrade? So I would have to wait 18 months minimum.
Have there been any releases of what the going price would be for the S3 in the US? I ready font want to spend $300 for a phone.
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I would recommend against the verizon version of the nexus, for the reasons above. Though of course, my opinion is not the end-all.
Buying a phone outright gets you more flexibility and, if you go with prepaid, lower costs overall. As you said, you have to wait > 18 months to get a new one under your plan [and you'd have lost out, with your increased rates, if you don't]. I can get my next phone anytime [and am subject to low rates all the time]. My nexus, for example, is definitely good for this year, but I don't want to count on my prophetical powers for anything longer. If it gets broken, or just plain outclassed, I want to be able to grab the newest thing on the market right away.
(Note: Prepaid vs contract is a much more complicated issue than I might have made it sound above; you'd have to shop and probably have to use something besides Verizon, for one thing.)
Another recent thing to note: Verizon is removing unlimited upgrades (you'd be forced onto a tiered plan), though you can keep your old plan if you get your new phone on your own.

I'm not sure what the exact pricing is, but for arguments sake, lets say that the nexus is 200 with contact, and 400 without, pushy the going rate 400? How would you get out any cheaper? And I'm sure no where near $200.
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eppo12- said:
I'm not sure what the exact pricing is, but for arguments sake, lets say that the nexus is 200 with contact, and 400 without, pushy the going rate 400? How would you get out any cheaper? And I'm sure no where near $200.
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The price differential over 24 months adds up.
For example, T-mobile has a $30 100 minute 5 gig prepaid, and Straight Talk has a $45 unlimited prepaid; there are others to shop around for, but those are the most commonly cited. Assuming you even get the cheapest Verizon plan, $40 (450 minutes talk) + $10 (1000 smses) + $30 (2 gb data) = $80 (per month)
Verizon's $80/month is already $35/month more than ST. That means you save $840 over 24 months by going even the more expensive prepaid. (Compared to this, the puny $200 subsidy is nothing.)
For the t-mobile plan, the differential is a whopping $50, and you save, holy hell, $1200 over 24 months.
In other words, the subsidy is just a psychological scam make you think you've got a discount, when really, the higher prices per month make all the difference.

thebobp said it quite well.
But I'm hoping to sign a new contract and keep my grandfathered unlimited plan. I'd liked to upgrade to the S3 with unlimited grandfathered LTE, but that's hoping that the S3 is available before Verizon starts pushing the shared data plans (at which point I can't upgrade to LTE and keep unlimited data).
If the S3 isn't coming out before then, then I'm thinking I should just get a Gnex so I can start enjoying unlimited LTE data.

Wow, I've never thought about it that way. I always thought those other providers offered a lower level of service? I know t mobile has crap service around here, so you can't be using all of verizons network.
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eppo12- said:
I always thought those other providers offered a lower level of service?
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"Lower level of service" is just company propaganda. The only relevant question is which one offers good enough service for you, for the cheapest price. And unfortunately, there's no easy way to answer that except to try them out, preferably cheapest to most expensive. Even reviews aren't all that relevant, simply because service can vary so wildly depending on location. Thankfully, prepaid is a natural platform for "just trying a service out", but it does require a compatible phone.
I don't know what you mean by "tmobile using all of verizon's network"; they're completely distinct. Straight talk (and many others) are carried over AT&T and t-mobile's networks, though.

Thanks a lot for all your replies.
As far as the network goes, I thought tmobile used verizons network, because when 4g came out, they were the only other ones saying they used 4g lte. So I just assumed they used verizons network.
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I'm in a similar situation, right now I'm waiting to see what the S3 looks like in the US. If its not to my liking I'll probably get the Nexus, and a + for the Nexus is it will be getting Android 5.0 aka Jellybean. I would also buy it from the Google Play Store so it doesnt have any bloatware, however that is $299.

If you've made it this long with the Galaxy S, I say wait for the next Nexus. Especially with the rumors of several different manufacturers being able to build their own Nexus device.

I would take the samsung nexus. The S3 doesn't offer enough power difference in my opinion to spend the extra money on. Most of its software features aren't that good imho. And if they are you can find a similar app on the market for it.

blackthundaar said:
I would take the samsung nexus. The S3 doesn't offer enough power difference in my opinion to spend the extra money on. Most of its software features aren't that good imho. And if they are you can find a similar app on the market for it.
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Have you heard anything about the S3 US version being dual core? because i would think that the Nexus being Dual Core, vs the S3 being quad core would be a big difference.
I'm going to have to look around to see when the next nexus is getting released.
my S1 annoys me a bit, but maybe i'm just getting the itch to get a new phone. every once and a while it stops responding to touch, if you hit the power button, and then unlock the phone again, its been coming back. also, playback skips when i first start playing something in dog catcher, and some games... yeah, I know.. i guess its more of an itch than anything else, but at least this way, i can make an informed decision if/when my phone completely dies.
i am running gingerbread rom, i recently reinstalled it from scratch, and then reinstalled my apps, but its still the same.
I guess i'll try and hold onto this phone as long as i can. I do like the service with verizon, and get a hefty discount from my job, so i'm a bit weary to switch carriers.

eppo12- said:
Have you heard anything about the S3 US version being dual core? because i would think that the Nexus being Dual Core, vs the S3 being quad core would be a big difference.
I'm going to have to look around to see when the next nexus is getting released.
my S1 annoys me a bit, but maybe i'm just getting the itch to get a new phone. every once and a while it stops responding to touch, if you hit the power button, and then unlock the phone again, its been coming back. also, playback skips when i first start playing something in dog catcher, and some games... yeah, I know.. i guess its more of an itch than anything else, but at least this way, i can make an informed decision if/when my phone completely dies.
i am running gingerbread rom, i recently reinstalled it from scratch, and then reinstalled my apps, but its still the same.
I guess i'll try and hold onto this phone as long as i can. I do like the service with verizon, and get a hefty discount from my job, so i'm a bit weary to switch carriers.
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Have you seen the difference between the Quad core One X and the dual core version? No? Neither has anyone else.

eppo12- said:
Have you heard anything about the S3 US version being dual core? because i would think that the Nexus being Dual Core, vs the S3 being quad core would be a big difference.
I'm going to have to look around to see when the next nexus is getting released.
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S3 LTE will most definitely be a dual core, because no quad core supports LTE.
Rumors about Nexus launch date say thanksgiving.
eppo12- said:
As far as the network goes, I thought tmobile used verizons network, because when 4g came out, they were the only other ones saying they used 4g lte. So I just assumed they used verizons network.
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There is no 4g; it hasn't come out yet. The 4g standard requires 1Gbps data, while LTE is capable of max 300Mbps data and, in practice, can get as low as a single-digit Mbps. See this article for more information. Basically, the marketing departments here in the US realized they could get away with calling crap 4G, and that's what we have now.
The much more relevant question is how fast a particular service is in your area (because it can vary so wildly), and that can't be answered by anything except trial and error.

Verizon or Sprint

Here's my dilemma. My Sprint contract is up next month & I'm 99% determined to switch from my Epig 4G to the GS3. My coverage with Sprint is, shall we say, lacking. Nevermind the fact that I was told 4G would be in my area (Omaha, NE) "soon" when I purchased my Epic. Needless to say, 2 years later, still no 4G. Called Sprint yesterday & was told LTE would be in my area "soon", which provided me with a nice laugh to share with the Sprint rep. On the flipside for Sprint, they don't lock the bootloader or block Google Wallet, from what I understand.
VZW should provide much better service, however, they lock the bootloader & block Wallet. I'm afraid to learn what other items they have deemed me too irresponsible to handle.
To avoid this turning in to a fanboy thread, I guess my real question is, how likely (and timely) is it that someone will figure out how to unlock the bootloader? I'm also assuming that if/when that happens, flashing a ROM that will support Google Wallet will become much easier.
Advice?

I was in the EXACT same boat as you about 3 weeks ago. I pulled the trigger and went to Verizon! I will tell you service wise it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Don't get me wrong Sprint has wonderful phones, unlocked bootloaders, Google Wallet, etc... But what's the sense in having tons of ROMS to flash including AOSP if you don't have the network/service to use it... pointless in my opinion. With Verizon I have service everywhere I go! The only downfall is the locked bootloader and google wallet so far. If you're as frustrated as I was with Sprints service I would make the switch you will be extremely pleased!

Since it sounds like you want 4G check the Verizon Coverage map of your area to see if Verizon has coverage of your area. For the bootloader and Wallet problem people have already gotten wallet working on rooted stock roms and I'm pretty sure CM10 works with Wallet too. The bootloader is being investigated by AdamOutler and many others who have made great progress in the R&D Thread but don't make a post in there unless you have something to provide to help them otherwise your post will be deleted since it's a heavily moderated thread. For the question on when the bootloader will be unlocked only time can tell but we have the Kexec method which allows ROMs like AOKP and CM9 and CM10 and Paranoid.

I would say just gaining 4G is a good reason to switch. The G3 is fast enough for stock and working well for me. custom ROM, unlocked bootloader, etc... are just bonus. Another thing to look forward to is Jelly Bean, once we have Jelly been and a 4G network...Verizon rules the Air.

Bootloader aside, You will get [email protected] on data usage, I'd stay away from Verizon until their prices come down.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

AndroidGraphix said:
Bootloader aside, You will get [email protected] on data usage, I'd stay away from Verizon until their prices come down.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. As a vzw customer myself I cannot, in good faith, recommend vzw to anyone at the moment. Wait to praise them with your dollars until they've pulled their heads out of their asses.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

AndroidGraphix said:
I'd stay away from Verizon until their prices come down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, cell phones will be totally obsolete before that ever happens........

Agreed no reason to come into verizon right now with the share everything scams. Stay away. We only here because of our grandfathered data plans.
VERIZON GALAXY S 3

Telling somebody not to sign up with Verizon because they are too expensive is rather moronic really.
If you want good service, you really have no other choice than to go with VZ and waiting for their prices to "go down" is not going to happen in our lifetimes......

Buy the phone outright off CL or eBay and go month to month with the carrier of your choice.
If you go Verizon, you will pay a premium for good network coverage, 4g and the privilege of *****ing about Verizon's bootloader policies ...
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

I was in the exact situation, except I also had an original Sero500 plan which ran me $50 per month. Had the Evo 4G, marginal at best service, and a 2 year promise of 4G coming soon and still no 4G anywhere close. I went to Verizon and the GS3 and haven't looked back. Service is much better, LTE is ridiculously blazing compared to Sprints network, and the locked bootloader is less of an issue with kexec. Development still may suffer ultimately though. All I can say is that I'm very happy with my decision.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

What amuses me is 999 out of 1000 Verizon customers have never heard of a "locked boot loader" and could care less what it means anyway.
The VZ G3 is absolutely flying off the shelves and the customers love them.

jmorton10 said:
What amuses me is 999 out of 1000 Verizon customers have never heard of a "locked boot loader" and could care less what it means anyway.
The VZ G3 is absolutely flying off the shelves and the customers love them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I frankly don't think any of us care about those 999 people.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

Very good points, that pretty much confirm what I was already thinking - if the service sucks, it doesn't do much good to have a killer phone.
Although I have a very vague idea of what a locked bootloader is, and why it's detrimental to dev, I'd still (almost) consider myself one of those "999" people. Couldn't have told you anything about it 2 weeks ago.
Getting hosed on data usage doesn't concern me too much really. Looking at my history, assuming Sprint's tools are accurate, I rarely go over 2GB per month between me & the wife. If I'm doing my math correctly, the cost of a 2GB share plan on VZW will be about the same as what I'm currently paying with Sprint. Even if I factor in the 'holy crap the service is so much better I'm using twice as much' factor, I'd still be in the same financial ballpark.
Google Wallet definitely isn't a deal breaker. The VZW rep I was chatting with the other day flat out told me that they don't allow Wallet because they're working on an in-house pymt solution, ISIS.
I think a big part of it is, the thought of giving my money to a company that wants to control how I use my OWN phone just pi$$es me off. Even if I never flash a ROM on the thing - like that's really going to happen.
And my slow a$$ Sprint data was ticking me off so much this afternoon that I almost said screw the last month & $50ETF and switched on the way home. Who knows, I may yet switch this weekend anyway.
Thanks for all the advice. XDA community has never let me down.

i could never go back to sprint.
not that i have good data all the time i will pay top dollar.
im willing to pay for quality.
i stream siriusxm all day at work. it just works. all day every day in buildings in basements.
verizons network it worth the extra cost.

Dude, I just made this decision the other day. I have been with Sprint for 12 years (the last 2 phones were the EVO & Photon). Sprint coverage in my area SUCKS and I am in the Los Angeles area. I asked them when 4G LTE would be here and was told early to mid 2013. That was enough. I bought the SGSIII on Verizon (Shared Everything 6GB for $108 a month. Wife has a corporate discount). I am getting speeds of 40mbps Down & 19mbps Up This alone is worth it to me. I bought the SGSIII on Tuesday and I am already Rooted & using Synergey ROM with Free Hotspot and I could not be happier. The little extra I pay for Solid Network Coverage is totally worth it. Don't think twice, JUST DO IT.

ghodzilla5150 said:
Dude, I just made this decision the other day. I have been with Sprint for 12 years (the last 2 phones were the EVO & Photon). Sprint coverage in my area SUCKS and I am in the Los Angeles area. I asked them when 4G LTE would be here and was told early to mid 2013. That was enough. I bought the SGSIII on Verizon (Shared Everything 6GB for $108 a month. Wife has a corporate discount). I am getting speeds of 40mbps Down & 19mbps Up This alone is worth it to me. I bought the SGSIII on Tuesday and I am already Rooted & using Synergey ROM with Free Hotspot and I could not be happier. The little extra I pay for Solid Network Coverage is totally worth it. Don't think twice, JUST DO IT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same situation here! The shared data is not bad at all!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

pdinphx said:
Buy the phone outright off CL or eBay and go month to month with the carrier of your choice.
If you go Verizon, you will pay a premium for good network coverage, 4g and the privilege of *****ing about Verizon's bootloader policies ...
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, Verizon doesn't allow the creation of month-to-month accounts for new customers. You have to start with a contract.

AlexDeGruven said:
Unfortunately, Verizon doesn't allow the creation of month-to-month accounts for new customers. You have to start with a contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is not true at all.. I just opened an account on 07/30/12 month-month.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

AlexDeGruven said:
Unfortunately, Verizon doesn't allow the creation of month-to-month accounts for new customers. You have to start with a contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is only if you get a phone from VZ at the upgrade price.

To wait or not to wait... That is the question!

Hello folks! Well, let me preface my question with this: I love my infuse. Unfortunately, AT&T has become to expensive, so I must switch over to another carrier. I'm 15 so I don't really have a source of income, but I would very much like a new phone. I will most likely be switching over to Verizon, and getting a phone then. So here is my main question: Should I buy the SGS3 VZW variant, or wait for a while until Google releases their new line-up?
Things I am looking for in a phone:
Screen size: 4.5-5.0''
Brand: Samsung, Motorola, or Nexus branded phone (Preferably Samsung)
Micro SD: Must have (I bought a 64GB Sandisk for 100$)
CPU: Preferably a Quad-core, dual would be acceptable if overclockable.
Ram: Preferably 2GB, 1GB is acceptable (I hear that Android utilizes RAM very efficiently)
Radio: As long as it has 3G, I'm fine
Audio card: Preferably something with a Wolfson, I really enjoy Voodoo Sound
Camera: The higher the better (preferably with a low shutter lag camera)
Thank you guys for your time,
Connor Baker

Here's the thing. Verizon I find is the most expensive of the bunch. So if your looking to save money I'm not sure Verizon is the way to go.v
Another thing I thought of, if it was just me I would do a prepaid plan. I know T-Mobile offers unlimited talk, text, and web for 50 a month. If it was just my phone on the plan that's how I would go. Especially if I already had a phone. I think at&t offers similar deals.
I like Samsung myself but they seem to be doing away with microsd storage. I can deal with a non removable battery but I don't like cloud storage.
Ultimately the choice is yours and if you do decide to wait for a new line up of phones maybe you can switch to a prepaid plan until then. Save a couple bucks anyway.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda app-developers app

csandman1977 said:
Here's the thing. Verizon I find is the most expensive of the bunch. So if your looking to save money I'm not sure Verizon is the way to go.v
Another thing I thought of, if it was just me I would do a prepaid plan. I know T-Mobile offers unlimited talk, text, and web for 50 a month. If it was just my phone on the plan that's how I would go. Especially if I already had a phone. I think at&t offers similar deals.
I like Samsung myself but they seem to be doing away with microsd storage. I can deal with a non removable battery but I don't like cloud storage.
Ultimately the choice is yours and if you do decide to wait for a new line up of phones maybe you can switch to a prepaid plan until then. Save a couple bucks anyway.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your quick reply I may have not explained in depth enough why I have to leave AT&T. My parents just recently finalized their divorce, and my Dad and I (who are on AT&T, with my younger brother and Mom on Verizon ) literally can not afford to continue with the plan. Either I get a *dumb* phone on prepaid t-mobile, or I can get a smartphone on Verizon. Both my parents are really tight on money, but my Mom would be willing to take me on to her plan (Verizon that is).
I was previously hoping to save up and buy a GT-i9305, but that most likely not be possible for a VERY long time. I am looking forward to the LG Optimus G gracing the U.S, but I have no clue whether LG will follow through with this phone and provide software updates. I often hear that LG has a bad reputation.
Thanks for your time,
Connor Baker
P.S: I most likely will want to develop android, so that's why I'm aiming for android phones. I may however, go over to the light side and get an iPhone 5 as I know it will be supported for 2 years at least.

Connor Baker said:
Thanks for your quick reply I may have not explained in depth enough why I have to leave AT&T. My parents just recently finalized their divorce, and my Dad and I (who are on AT&T, with my younger brother and Mom on Verizon ) literally can not afford to continue with the plan. Either I get a *dumb* phone on prepaid t-mobile, or I can get a smartphone on Verizon. Both my parents are really tight on money, but my Mom would be willing to take me on to her plan (Verizon that is).
I was previously hoping to save up and buy a GT-i9305, but that most likely not be possible for a VERY long time. I am looking forward to the LG Optimus G gracing the U.S, but I have no clue whether LG will follow through with this phone and provide software updates. I often hear that LG has a bad reputation.
Thanks for your time,
Connor Baker
P.S: I most likely will want to develop android, so that's why I'm aiming for android phones. I may however, go over to the light side and get an iPhone 5 as I know it will be supported for 2 years at least.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could always switch over to Straight Talk SIM, (BYOP) for $45/mo for unlimited talk, text, and data. Simply buy the SIM card, insert into your phone, and activate it. You can even port out your existing number to the new plan, and your ATT line will be closed. If you get an ATT Compatible Straight Talk SIM, you won't even need to unlock your phone to use it.

k-semler said:
You could always switch over to Straight Talk SIM, (BYOP) for $45/mo for unlimited talk, text, and data. Simply buy the SIM card, insert into your phone, and activate it. You can even port out your existing number to the new plan, and your ATT line will be closed. If you get an ATT Compatible Straight Talk SIM, you won't even need to unlock your phone to use it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking about this... The thing is though, as awesome as my infuse is on Scott's CM10, it's still old. There's only so much a single core processor can do (ex. Music stutters while browsing the web or reading a book). I'm really looking into Verizon, and their SGS 3. I've looked at it's forums a few minutes ago, and it doesn't seem to have gotten nearly as much love as our precious Infuse. That kind of worries me. Anyone think the new Nexus phone will have a micro sd?
Thanks for your time,
Connor Baker

Connor Baker said:
Anyone think the new Nexus phone will have a micro sd?
Thanks for your time,
Connor Baker
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just did a search for Nexus 4 specs and found this - credit PCMagazine
The bad news? The Nexus 4 comes with just 8GB of on-board storage, and does not have a microSD slot for expansion, according to the pre-sale page.

Pony Express said:
Just did a search for Nexus 4 specs and found this - credit PCMagazine
The bad news? The Nexus 4 comes with just 8GB of on-board storage, and does not have a microSD slot for expansion, according to the pre-sale page.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ooooohhh.... That stings. So a quick question on opinion, how future proof is the SGS 3 at Verizon? I understand that you can OC the CPU, but I'm mainly worried about the poor GPU. Also, it's the advent of the quad-core phone, and 2GB of RAM is the new standard. I'm really perturbed now at the lack of attention in terms of development that the SGS 3 is getting. It's a big turn off.
My parents main problem with me not having a phone is that they can't contact me.

I would say go by a Verizon store soon and give the SGS3 a test spin based on the way you use the phone... you will no doubt have to keep it for a couple of years and we will all ( that are under contract) have to sit back and watch more cool stuff come out that we will have to wait to get. I have the International SGS3 - take a quick look at the dev for it - I am amazed... and lovin' it !!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1566

Pony Express said:
I would say go by a Verizon store soon and give the SGS3 a test spin based on the way you use the phone... you will no doubt have to keep it for a couple of years and we will all ( that are under contract) have to sit back and watch more cool stuff come out that we will have to wait to get. I have the International SGS3 - take a quick look at the dev for it - I am amazed... and lovin' it !!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1566
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know... I had actually wanted to get the international, but unfortunately I don't have enough money to do so. that's why I'm scared of how little development that phone has going on.
EDIT: Also, I will be going into the Verizon store to test out the SGS 3 tomorrow. Do you think it'll be really laggy on account of them never restarting the phone? Is it strange I always get the urge to clear the demo phone's Cache and Dalvik? xD Maybe so. Just a little worried at the prices of the plans.

Connor Baker said:
I know... I had actually wanted to get the international, but unfortunately I don't have enough money to do so. that's why I'm scared of how little development that phone has going on.
EDIT: Also, I will be going into the Verizon store to test out the SGS 3 tomorrow. Do you think it'll be really laggy on account of them never restarting the phone? Is it strange I always get the urge to clear the demo phone's Cache and Dalvik? xD Maybe so. Just a little worried at the prices of the plans.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok. So I went to the Verizon store at the mall near me and messed around with the phone there. I have no idea why, but compared to my infuse, the thing felt clunky and slow. No OC kernel on Scott's CM10. I thing I may just wait for the LG Optimus G to arrive, but I'm kind of wary with LG smartphones. Has anyone owned one before?

Connor Baker said:
. Anyone think the new Nexus phone will have a micro sd?
Thanks for your time,
Connor Baker
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No Nexus device will ever have the capability to use MicroSD.
Why Nexus devices have no SD card
TL;DR: They want to be like the iPhone with a unified memory structure.

verizon has some nice things like much better insurance and shared data, (att followed up with similar data plans though) but the pricing is very similar between the two companies. they tend to mirror each other but what verizon doesnt say is that any phone with 3g needs a data plan, not that you are looking at texting phones or anything.. other things are verizon has free verizon to verizon minutes. att has free mobile to mobile on any network and roll over minutes.
the plans look basically identical but att is in some ways a better deal and verizon tends to have fees you don't think about. but you also have to consider that verizon has a stronger network. it is less frequent now but i still get dropped calls for no reason on att. and the lte coverage is basically nothing. but then you have to look at the fact that hspa+ is faster than verizon 3g and lte is still in it's infantcy even with verizon and verizons gs3 has locked bootloaders (wtf) their phones are not cross network compatible and have isolated development due to different radio hardware and firmware....
sprint may be a better deal money wise. they get android updates when att and verizon lag behind in that area. they also are much cheaper and get better htc phones than verizon...
but if it's just you and not a family plan then what you need is strait talk. they have the gs2 on their website and that is still a great phone but i here the bootloaders are locked, it's bassically an i777 without the att emblem but someone tried to flash other firmware on one and it didn't work.. but maybe that person didn't know what they were doing? if the screen res is too low for you on the gs2 you could just buy a phone out right and get a strait talk sim card. that's what i'll do when my contract is up.. no question about that at all.

Well, now I've turned my sights on the Optimus G, and the specs look amazing. I have almost no doubt that it will land on Verizon before or on the holidays... So, what are peoples experiences with LG smartphones? Any opinions on the Optimus G?

i think you'll have to wait and see on that one. the screen looks to have amazing specs. and the s4 snapdragon dualcore is very fast so the s4 pro quad core has got to be a beast. but i messed with the lg nitro which had great specs at the time and it was kinda laggy. not that i think it would slow down with a load but the interface was slow. i also played with the thrill and it seem fast enough but the 3d screen was not great and the camera app took time to load.
from what i understand there was a lot of frustration with development on the thrill. the g2x/optimus 2x was a big seller but there was a certain amount of screen problems, no other major complaints though. i think you'll have to just wait and see if they got it right this time. the hardware is there for sure. you just might want to check out the forums and see what users are saying.

Dani897 said:
i think you'll have to wait and see on that one. the screen looks to have amazing specs. and the s4 snapdragon dualcore is very fast so the s4 pro quad core has got to be a beast. but i messed with the lg nitro which had great specs at the time and it was kinda laggy. not that i think it would slow down with a load but the interface was slow. i also played with the thrill and it seem fast enough but the 3d screen was not great and the camera app took time to load.
from what i understand there was a lot of frustration with development on the thrill. the g2x/optimus 2x was a big seller but there was a certain amount of screen problems, no other major complaints though. i think you'll have to just wait and see if they got it right this time. the hardware is there for sure. you just might want to check out the forums and see what users are saying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I went over to the LG Optimus G forum and it basically consists of people asking for a way to unlock the bootloader, and fear of being abandoned in terms of software updates. That was kind of shocking to read through some 20 pages of anger, fear, and bitterness from past phones.
Now I'm pretty sure I'll just wait for the GT-i9305 to arrive in the U.S I guess. Anyone heard anything about this?

Connor Baker said:
Well, I went over to the LG Optimus G forum and it basically consists of people asking for a way to unlock the bootloader, and fear of being abandoned in terms of software updates. That was kind of shocking to read through some 20 pages of anger, fear, and bitterness from past phones.
Now I'm pretty sure I'll just wait for the GT-i9305 to arrive in the U.S I guess. Anyone heard anything about this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The GT-i9305 is the Euro version of the SGS3 and as such would most likely only be available here as an import. As it also has Euro LTE radio, US LTE would be a no-go.

Pony Express said:
The GT-i9305 is the Euro version of the SGS3 and as such would most likely only be available here as an import. As it also has Euro LTE radio, US LTE would be a no-go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think that the U.S will get a similar version? I really hope so...
Connor Baker
Sent from inside hurricane Sandy

Connor Baker said:
Do you think that the U.S will get a similar version? I really hope so...
Connor Baker
Sent from inside hurricane Sandy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doubtful as the US carriers already have their versions.
Stay the heck out of Sandy's way. :silly:

Pony Express said:
Doubtful as the US carriers already have their versions.
Stay the heck out of Sandy's way. :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So the U.S will just have to wait for the S4? That's kind of sad...

Connor,
FYI
You'll be able to purchase the Nexus 4 unlocked in the Play Store starting November 13th for $299 (8GB), $349 (16GB) or $199 with a two-year contract on T-Moble (16GB).