Official The Mobile/Smartphone Thread

[NYCguy]

[JubaionBx12+SBS]

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has hit the U.S. market with T-Mobile and Sprint. The AT&T and Verizon versions have to wait. I can't wait to see what apple has up their sleeve with the iPhone 5.

[Cait Sith]

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has hit the U.S. market with T-Mobile and Sprint. The AT&T and Verizon versions have to wait. I can't wait to see what apple has up their sleeve with the iPhone 5.

 

 

And yet this begins the issues of the Galaxy S3.....special thanks to SevenEleven for the link.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Galaxy S III is a pretty good looking device and although some of us here at Neowin prefer

the HTC One X, we commend Samsung for keeping the market full of attractive devices. We understand that some other users may simply prefer Samsung’s branding and design, but we have discovered something that could prove to be potentially hazardous to Galaxy S III owners.

 

 

 

 

Picture this: you’re sitting in your car, when suddenly your three-week old Galaxy S III spontaneously combusts, replacing the shiny glossy finish it once had with an unappealing rough patch of molten plastic – this is exactly what happened to user dillo2k10.

 

 

 

 

The damage itself was along the bottom of the device but separate to the charging port. The screen still worked surprisingly, but the reception for the device was dead. We’ve uploaded a gallery full of the images for you guys to check out.

 

 

 

 

The device has been sent into Carphone Warehouse for a complete check-up as to what caused the smartphone to explode.

 

 

 

 

Via:

Engadget

Source: Boards.ie / http://www.neowin.ne...so-hot-it-melts

 

 

 

 

Edited June 21, 2012 by Cait Sith

[KeystoneRegional]

PCWorld - "After a day of Google I/O announcements, I finally got my hands on a Samsung Galaxy Nexus running the Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system. I found that there are a few things that Google has done right with this update---and a few issues that still need work.

What It Did Right

Jelly Bean is fast, slick, and feels like what Ice Cream Sandwich should have been when it first launched six months ago. This performance boost is due to Project Butter, a processing framework designed to improve responsiveness, smooth out animations and reduce latency.

I compared the Galaxy Nexus running Jelly Bean to my own personal Galaxy Nexus (running Ice Cream Sandwich) and noticed the difference almost immediately. There is basically zero lag when opening applications, and scrolling between different home screens is amazingly smooth. The phone's user interface looks basically the same, but there have been little animations thrown in that give it a more polished look.

Animations

In Jelly Bean, every time you open an app, you get one of these brief animations that quickly zoom in on the app you just tapped. Is it superfluous? Sure. But it's the little details like this that make Jelly Bean more pleasant to use. There are a few other minor user interface tweaks, such as bigger, easier-to-tap icons.

Notifications in Jelly Bean

The notification tray got a minor facelift, but the important change is in the notifications. You can expand certain notifications by using various two-finger gestures, allowing you to see more information at a glance.

Not all applications support this feature when I tried it out, but all of the pre-installed Google apps work. In fact, while writing this story, I received a Calendar alert telling me that I was going to be late to an event. When I went to the notification bar to see what the alert was concerning, I was able to see the name of the event (part of it anyway), the time and location, as well as a brief note describing the event.

Below that was a button that allowed me to "snooze" the alert, which I did without ever having to leave the notification pane. It's a smarter way of making notifications less intrusive, and I hope that third-party developers take advantage of this new feature.

Camera App

 

Camera App

The Camera app also gained a few new tricks, with new animations that occur every time you take a picture. Once you’ve taken a few shots, you can swipe the camera screen away to bring up your camera roll and view the images you have in your Gallery. This is much better than what we had in Ice Cream Sandwich, where you had to exit the Camera app to see photos you had previously taken.

Mobile Search

Google went all out when it came to mobile search on Jelly Bean.

Google Now

You can access the new Google Now page at any time by swiping upwards on the Home icon in the navigation bar. Initially your Google Now page will be very plain, showing you places nearby that you might be interested in visiting as well as the local weather (which it gets by using your phone's GPS). \

The more searches you do on your phone, the more Google Now will meet your needs.

To test this out, I searched for several things related to baseball and a sports section appeared on my Google Now page. If you don't like a section, you can turn it off from the settings menu. It's a very visual way of displaying basic information and it worked well--but I feel like it could do more with the information, and I hope Google Now continues to expand.

Voice Search

 

Jelly Bean Search Card

Voice Search has a much cleaner interface. You can now do voice input when you don't have a connection, and asking basic questions like "What's the capitol of Spain?" will bring up a card with an answer to your query.

If you aren't satisfied with your answer or if you want to know more, you can swipe away to the card to get to the familiar Google Search results screen. I tried asking a few questions and, after Google finally began to recognize my voice, I was able to get answers to almost everything I asked.

What It Did Wrong

While many things in Jelly Bean look and work well, I encountered a few quirks.

I noticed a strange ghosting, particularly while scrolling, that wasn't present in Ice Cream Sandwich. My guess is that this is the result of several new API's in Jelly Bean that are meant to smooth out text and graphics (to make them use less memory), but it's something that's noticeable when scrolling through webpages and other text-heavy content.

Another problem I found is one that's plagued Android for some time now: Fragmentation. With so few devices currently on Ice Cream Sandwich--and with many more phones currently waiting for their update--it seems likely that most phones out today (aside from the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S) will get the Jelly Bean update.

Jelly Bean may have solve a lot of performance issues in Android, but fragmentation will continue to be a problem. It seems unlikely that many developers will take advantage of any of Jelly Bean's new features, especially when most of their users will still be running Android Gingerbread or below."

Source Link: http://www.pcworld.c...test_drive.html

Edited June 28, 2012 by KeystoneRegional

[NYCguy]

[Cait Sith]

Well, October of this year will be 2 years since I had the HTC G2 but as of last week and a half, the screen finally died on me.

 

As I am loyal to the ever-fading scene of QWERTY keyboard-smartphones, I was looking at the HTC One S for T-Mobile up until this little number appeared on the interwebs.

 

Introducing what may be the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S Blaze Q (for QWERTY)

 

 

Rumored to have a 4 inch screen, 1.5 GHZ dual core processor, 5MP camera at the rear along with a camera on the front, Android 4.0.4 ICS and a bunch of other goodies. Phone is set to be released in T-Mobile stores on August 15th. I will definitely be picking this phone up.

[Fresh Pond]

Never realized how much of a fail the HTC HD2 was. Phone was always freezing/restarting, screen would become unresponsive, and you couldn't use the password lock feature since they have a tendency to lock you out your phone and you would have to master reset it.

 

I love the HD7 I got now, I have no problems with it.

 

...except the fact that its 16GB of internal memory and the only way to put music on it is to have a Zune account & computer. Since I don't have either, the HD2 is now my iPod & backup phone when the HD7 dies

[rr4567]

Never realized how much of a fail the HTC HD2 was. Phone was always freezing/restarting, screen would become unresponsive, and you couldn't use the password lock feature since they have a tendency to lock you out your phone and you would have to master reset it.

 

I love the HD7 I got now, I have no problems with it.

 

...except the fact that its 16GB of internal memory and the only way to put music on it is to have a Zune account & computer. Since I don't have either, the HD2 is now my iPod & backup phone when the HD7 dies

 

 

That HD2 wouldn't suck if you installed Android on it. Yes, Windows Mobile 6.5 sucks........but WP7 sucks even more

 

And no, that 16GB of memory isn't even internal. It's literally an internal SD Card. They hid the card slot inside.

[mediccjh]

I love my iPhone 4s. Used to have a Blackberry; got bored.

 

I used to have a Nextel; when Sprint bought them, I switched. I love the unlimited Data Plan. Plus, I get a 25% discount from one of my employers.

 

To the RTO employees:

 

Obviously, using your phone while operating is a big no-no; how about in crew rooms or sitting on board?

[Brighton Express]

For the folks that love all things iOS....do you believe this is legit or not?

 

Or this?

 

 

I don't care if the first one is real or not, I will be buying an iPhone 4S, regardless.

 

The second one is definitely a 3D rendering.

[Fresh Pond]

 

 

That HD2 wouldn't suck if you installed Android on it. Yes, Windows Mobile 6.5 sucks........but WP7 sucks even more

 

And no, that 16GB of memory isn't even internal. It's literally an internal SD Card. They hid the card slot inside.

 

 

Now the question is how to get to that internal card

[rr4567]

Now the question is how to get to that internal card

 

 

Open the device and void the warranty

[Fresh Pond]

 

 

Open the device and void the warranty

 

 

I got the phone used as a gift for my birthday so what warranty

[KeystoneRegional]

I prefer AT&T, mostly because it's coverage is consistent, Verizon is only good in the Cities and select Suburbs, I have numerous people asking me to borrow them my phone to use for a few mins in the Suburbs because they don't have Verizon reception, or because there are more "dead spots" in the suburbs on Big Red than Ma Bell.

[Cait Sith]

 

More news for T-Mobile physical QWERTY fans about the Galaxy S Blaze Q (They really should've named it Galaxy S3 Blaze instead)

 

 

 

 

It's been a couple of months since we got our first peek at the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze Q for T-Mobile, but T-Mobile QWERTY addicts will be glad to know that that drought ends today. Our pals at TmoNews have received a press image of the Galaxy S Blaze Q, baring its five-row keyboard for all to see. Also included in this leaked image is a weather and time widget on the device's home screen that's displaying a date of August 15, which just so happens to be the day that the Galaxy S Blaze Q is rumored to be launching.

 

So what kind of specs might the Galaxy S Blaze Q feature when it lands on T-Mobile's shelves? According to the rumor mill, we should expect features like a 720p display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 16GB storage, 1GB RAM, 42Mbps HSPA+ connectivity and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

 

That's not a bad list of specs, and I'm sure that fans of the physical keyboard on Magenta are glad to see another QWERTY-packin' handset headed their way. The good news is that with a launch that could be less than a week away, it may not be long before T-Mobile customers using the Galaxy S Blaze Q's keyboard to pound out messages to their heart's content.

 

 

Source - http://www.phonedog....sical-keyboard/

 

 

Edited August 13, 2012 by Cait Sith

[rr4567]

That voice dictation key ruins the whole layout of that keyboard. At least put it at the bottom.

[Cait Sith]

That voice dictation key ruins the whole layout of that keyboard. At least put it at the bottom.

 

 

That key in general will be useless as all hell.

[qjtransitmaster]

here are the carriers in a nutshell

 

metro PCS strength: growing very fast the sleeping giant of the carriers. Long term they will give verizon trouble. Improving faster than any other carrier.

Weakness: worst data speed and coverage of the carriers when compared to the big 4. Current phone selection is horrible but may improve soon.

 

ATT: strengths: Best phone selection expanding LTE HSPA+ network most unlocked devices can use ATT's HSPA network. Loophole easy to exploit for data.

Weaknesses: worst data package pricing among the 4 phones with att bloatware are full of shit they are inferior LTE wise to verizon.

 

Sprint strengths: UNLIMITED DATA TRUE best data deal. New LTE network letting them catch up. superphones without limit. GOOD 4G LTE speeds.

Weaknesses: Slowest 3G network by far only metropcs is slower inferior 4G coverage to verizon and ATT.Some cutting edge devices dont make it to sprint.

 

Tmobile strengths: Stupidly fast 3.75 G HSPA + network that blows away even LTE god like 4G coverage. NOT overall.

Phones tweaked for full speed on network. Cheaper than most.

Weakness: SLOWing down connection after a certain limit. Deceptive marketing tactics the throttling is unbearable. Unusual 3g bands means most unlocked phones can't use T-mobile's network to full potential. FAR behind in long term 4G lte deployment.

 

 

Verizon strengths: COVERAGE coverage and what else LTE coverage due to head start in deployment. Best balance of speed and coverage out of all the carriers improving phone selection due to LTE.Good phones.

weakness: stupidly expensive plans data plans are better that ATT and thats it.CDMA 3G network is shit slow when outside LTE coverage. Speed wise 3G evdo gets left in the dust by HSPA.

Edited September 4, 2012 by qjtransitmaster

[Astoria Line]

MetroPCS really isn't that bad..... I just wished that they had more selection that is all.. They just got their phone with ICS and it is only 100$ ! I am so tempted to buy it lol

[Far Rock Depot]

This fall is gonna be interesting. Today, Motorola and I believe nokia are announcing new devices. The motor rumor is new RAZR phones while nokia will be announcing their upcoming lumia running windows 8. HTC is also to release new windows 8 devices. On september 12, crippled will announce their not so revolutionary iPhone 5. It's bigger than the 4s. Steve Jobs will be turning in his grave. IMO Apple's innovation died with him. Personally, I'm waiting till January. Ever heard of an OS called QNX? Well, they are now owned by RIM. I have their tablet and it's a beast! In January, they'll be releasing 2 phones, one touch, one qwerty, running QNX. Here's a leaked pic of the touch model, and don't let the brand throw you off. It's a whole new ball game for them!

 

 

 

This isn't your father's BlackBerry!!

[qjtransitmaster]

here are the carriers in a nutshell

 

metro PCS strength: growing very fast the sleeping giant of the carriers. Long term they will give verizon trouble. Improving faster than any other carrier.

Weakness: worst data speed and coverage of the carriers when compared to the big 4. Current phone selection is horrible but may improve soon.

 

ATT: strengths: Best phone selection expanding LTE HSPA+ network most unlocked devices can use ATT's HSPA network. Loophole easy to exploit for data.

Weaknesses: worst data package pricing among the 4 phones with att bloatware are full of shit they are inferior LTE wise to verizon.

 

Sprint strengths: UNLIMITED DATA TRUE best data deal. New LTE network letting them catch up. superphones without limit. GOOD 4G LTE speeds.

Weaknesses: Slowest 3G network by far only metropcs is slower inferior 4G coverage to verizon and ATT.Some cutting edge devices dont make it to sprint.

 

UPDATED Tmobile strengths: Stupidly fast 3.75 G HSPA + network that blows away even LTE god like 4G coverage. NOT overall.

Phones tweaked for full speed on network. Cheaper than most. FIRST CARRIER WITH TRUE UNLIMITED 4G PLANS without slowdowns. Technicaly it is 3.75 G but the speeds of it's HSPA+ network rival LTE 4G speeds of 42 MBPS now with new plans

Weakness: SLOWing down connection after a certain limit. Deceptive marketing tactics the throttling is unbearable. New true unlimited plans are launching thus eliminating that weakness. Unusual 3g bands means most unlocked phones can't use T-mobile's network to full potential. FAR behind in long term 4G LTE deployment.

 

 

Verizon strengths: COVERAGE coverage and what else LTE coverage due to head start in deployment. Best balance of speed and coverage out of all the carriers improving phone selection due to LTE.Good phones.

weakness: stupidly expensive plans data plans are better that ATT and thats it.CDMA 3G network is shit slow when outside LTE coverage. Speed wise 3G evdo gets left in the dust by HSPA.

 

Click here for details http://www.intomobile.com/2012/09/05/tmobile-celebrates-10th-anniversary-launch-unlimited-4g-data-plans/

This fall is gonna be interesting. Today, Motorola and I believe nokia are announcing new devices. The motor rumor is new RAZR phones while nokia will be announcing their upcoming lumia running windows 8. HTC is also to release new windows 8 devices. On september 12, crippled will announce their not so revolutionary iPhone 5. It's bigger than the 4s. Steve Jobs will be turning in his grave. IMO Apple's innovation died with him. Personally, I'm waiting till January. Ever heard of an OS called QNX? Well, they are now owned by RIM. I have their tablet and it's a beast! In January, they'll be releasing 2 phones, one touch, one qwerty, running QNX. Here's a leaked pic of the touch model, and don't let the brand throw you off. It's a whole new ball game for them!

 

 

 

This isn't your father's BlackBerry!!

 

Sorry but I think it is too late for blackberry even more powerful androids will obliterate em with ease. LG optimus G is godlike.

[Far Rock Depot]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but since I'm up to date with mobile tech (and a part time developer), let me throw down some facts.

Android is an open source os based on linyx. It's versions are "tweeked" by not only Google but even carriers. And it's a developers nightmare. It's up to ICS while 45% of Android devices in hand are still running gingerbread. And there's about 3500 different hardware variants. It's also an iOS clone, and a huge security risk.

QNX is a microkernal os and the ONLY one to support real time multitasking. It powers cars, military equipment and even space equipment for nasa. The new blackberry in January is just that....new. Forget about what was then. And btw, it's only here in the US that feels as you do. Globally its still on top with 78million users. Even more than apple.

Do the research. Don't believe the "hype" like the rest of the sheeple. With a 1.5gh processor, 1.5 gigs of ram and app integration that no other os can copy, it's far from over for RIM and their BlackBerry brand. Just wait till BlackBerry 10 comes out. And yes, save this post, you can completely quote me on this.

And honestly, anything Samsung blows LG out of the water. That's a device to swear upon.

 

LG......lmao! The BB9930 runs way faster than them too. Lol

[qjtransitmaster]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but since I'm up to date with mobile tech (and a part time developer), let me throw down some facts.

Android is an open source os based on linyx. It's versions are "tweeked" by not only Google but even carriers. And it's a developers nightmare. It's up to ICS while 45% of Android devices in hand are still running gingerbread. And there's about 3500 different hardware variants. It's also an iOS clone, and a huge security risk.

QNX is a microkernal os and the ONLY one to support real time multitasking. It powers cars, military equipment and even space equipment for nasa. The new blackberry in January is just that....new. Forget about what was then. And btw, it's only here in the US that feels as you do. Globally its still on top with 78million users. Even more than apple.

Do the research. Don't believe the "hype" like the rest of the sheeple. With a 1.5gh processor, 1.5 gigs of ram and app integration that no other os can copy, it's far from over for RIM and their BlackBerry brand. Just wait till BlackBerry 10 comes out. And yes, save this post, you can completely quote me on this.

And honestly, anything Samsung blows LG out of the water. That's a device to swear upon.

 

LG......lmao! The BB9930 runs way faster than them too. Lol

 

There is truth to most of what you say BUT LG mostly makes crap BUT OPTIMUS G IS AN EXCEPTION!!!!!!!!!!!! It is a quad core LTE not quad core non LTE or dual core with LTE quad core and LTE. I know how GODLIKE QNX is if licensed to others blackberry will rise up and become godlike they may be able to give android trouble or smite it.

[qjtransitmaster]

Is there a way to bypass ATT throttling and keep tethering? I have a galaxy S2 and either I am being throttled or I have bad service where I live in my house. How do I know if I either have a bad signal or am being throttled? If I am being throttled how do I disable it?

 

I have a medianet plan $15 unlimited data.

Edited September 8, 2012 by qjtransitmaster

[Dan05979]

Just orderd my apple iPhone 5 case from otterbox, can't wait!