Well, I've had my SII Skyrocket for six weeks now and ICS or not, I wouldn't trade this phone for any other (except for maybe the new Galaxy Note). This is my first experience with Android as I WAS a loyal Blackberry dork. I have never been an Apple IOS fan, but wanted to try something different. Android seemed to be the best choice and the Skyrocket caught my eye immediately. I loved this phone from day one and love it even more today than the day I got it. What an AWESOME device!!!
6 Week Review
- Thread starter wakers8569
- Start date
jontalk
Well-known member
That's good to hear.. I've been deliberating about this phone for a few weeks now, especially since Amazon has it for $99 with no tax or shipping (saves me over $150 from getting it in a store here in CA). I went and played with a Nexus at a Verizon store today and it didn't seem that much more impressive, except for the price which will run about $400 after all is said and done.. UGH!
Am curious how you made the transition from BB to Android and if you had help. I've been an iOS user for years now and it's clear that Android is far advanced and can be customized far better. Do you have any recommendations for making the transition from iOS to Android? I've been saving links to a variety of sites including suggestions for launchers, etc. Many seem to think that using a launcher app instead of the Sammy Touch Wiz or whatever it's called is far better and faster, too. Thanks.
Am curious how you made the transition from BB to Android and if you had help. I've been an iOS user for years now and it's clear that Android is far advanced and can be customized far better. Do you have any recommendations for making the transition from iOS to Android? I've been saving links to a variety of sites including suggestions for launchers, etc. Many seem to think that using a launcher app instead of the Sammy Touch Wiz or whatever it's called is far better and faster, too. Thanks.
I wouldn't trade mine either. It's a great phone (for iPhone converts, it's very worthy since I am one). I had Froyo on my infuse.
It's solid, fast and user friendly plus you can customize it to your own extent, and thats just by rooting! No rom required for simplicity.
The size is borderline. My wife does not like it because she's 5ft tall and it does not fit well in her pockets like her iPhone 4s, which is borderline for her. She does like to game on it though......
I can't really see anything larger being worth while for a phone.
It's solid, fast and user friendly plus you can customize it to your own extent, and thats just by rooting! No rom required for simplicity.
The size is borderline. My wife does not like it because she's 5ft tall and it does not fit well in her pockets like her iPhone 4s, which is borderline for her. She does like to game on it though......
I can't really see anything larger being worth while for a phone.
The biggest thing to get used to compared to the iphone is the iphone, apps have an arrow to go back, the Android you have the back button. Sometimes, if you open a running app from the task manager (long home button press) and hit the back button, you literally go back to the last app. The example would be using Amazon MP3 player. If I start it from the task manager and hit the back button, I get the last app. All I really had to do was pick the genre of music or how to sort it.
Stupid little things that still trip me up however I own an iPad so I use both daily.....In the end, I would not go back to an iPhone. But I like to hack.
I would tend to think that making the transition from ios would be even less of an issue than from Bb OS5/6. To be perfectly honest, it wasn't difficult at all (and I had to give up the hard keypad that I was so fond of). The reason it was so easy is because the phone and all its capabilities amazed me so much, I couldn't put it down. Don't worry...You will be amazed as well.
jontalk
Well-known member
Thanks guys.. Have been reading some of the reviews on Amazon and most seem to love the Skyrocket, especially for $99. However, there are a number of comments that mention the following:
1. Contacts: Many feel it's awkward as opposed to iOS. Am curious if there's a good way to set this up on the current OS on the Skyrocket
2. Yahoo mail: It appears there are some issues accessing Yahoo, which is my default account. Anyone have this problem and if so, how to you rectify it?
3. Bluetooth voice commands: Evidently the out of the box set up does not allow using voice commands with a Bluetooth headset like "Call Ralph" etc and other Bluetooth issues. Anyone have this problem and a solution? One buyer installed the "Hands Free Voice Dialer" app to resolve it, though the reviews on the app aren't great.
4. Locking up: A number of people say the phone locks up and the solution is having to remove and replace the battery. Is this true?
5. Battery life: Those that complain may not be setting it up to maximize the battery life.
1. Contacts: Many feel it's awkward as opposed to iOS. Am curious if there's a good way to set this up on the current OS on the Skyrocket
2. Yahoo mail: It appears there are some issues accessing Yahoo, which is my default account. Anyone have this problem and if so, how to you rectify it?
3. Bluetooth voice commands: Evidently the out of the box set up does not allow using voice commands with a Bluetooth headset like "Call Ralph" etc and other Bluetooth issues. Anyone have this problem and a solution? One buyer installed the "Hands Free Voice Dialer" app to resolve it, though the reviews on the app aren't great.
4. Locking up: A number of people say the phone locks up and the solution is having to remove and replace the battery. Is this true?
5. Battery life: Those that complain may not be setting it up to maximize the battery life.
I didn't have any issues at all with my contacts. They instantly transferred from my sim. I too use a yahoo acct, an outlook acct, and the Google acct. The yahoo and Google accts were no problem and I get my emails without a hitch. The outlook acct was a little tricky. Can't answer the Bluetooth question. I am very impatient with having to reboot, which was somewhat of an issue with my BB Torch, but I have not had a single freeze in the six weeks I've had it. My guess is some of those complaints were due to the apps they downloaded and not the phone. Please, Please listen to me about the battery complaints 'cause this wears me out a bit...Any, ANY smartphone is going to use more battery BUT this is easily managed on this
phone by utilizing the "Active Apps" widget and not using the GPS and WIFI when not needed. I have been pleasantly surprised by the battery life. I can easily make it through the day on an overnight charge with texting, internet browsing, and the occasional phone call (Ha Ha). Another awesome tool is the Voice to type capabilities. I'm amazed how well this works...especially with my southern accent. Just think about this, too...this phone gets the OTA ICS shortly which is going to make this thing even more of a beast!!!
phone by utilizing the "Active Apps" widget and not using the GPS and WIFI when not needed. I have been pleasantly surprised by the battery life. I can easily make it through the day on an overnight charge with texting, internet browsing, and the occasional phone call (Ha Ha). Another awesome tool is the Voice to type capabilities. I'm amazed how well this works...especially with my southern accent. Just think about this, too...this phone gets the OTA ICS shortly which is going to make this thing even more of a beast!!!
@jontalk, please don't mistake my comment about the battery life issue being directed towards you. What I meant by that comment was I see people who never close apps, leave everything turned on, and stream music for hours complaining about how their batteries are dead all of the time.
spddy
Well-known member
1) Contacts are easy. If you have Gmail account and store your contacts there, they automatically sync when you set up the phone.
Once you get the contacts set up (regardless of whether you sync Gmail or some other method), accessing them is as simple as touching the "Contacts" icon - not really sure how it could be any easier than that.
2) No clue, as I use Gmail, but there is a Yahoo Mail app, and others have said it's not complicated to deal with Yahoo Mail at all.
3) No clue on this.
4) Haven't had this problem myself that I can recall on the Skyrocket. I've done battery pulls for other reasons, but not because it was locked up and non-functional. Ultimately though, doing a battery pull is not difficult if you ever needed to. If you ended up having to do it a lot because the phone is freezing, it may be due to an app that is causing problems as opposed to the phone itself.
5) I've had the HTC Inspire and now the Skyrocket (after coming for an iPhone 3GS). My parents both have iPhone 4S, my wife has an Android as does my brother-in-law, and the battery life is definitely less on the Androids than on the iPhones. However, the screen on the Skyrocket is about 29% larger than the screen on the iPhone 4S (or older model), and since the screen takes up a large amount of power when it is on, it goes without saying that the battery is going to last a shorter amount of time on the Androids. But at least you can carry an extra battery with you if you want and switch it out.
Also, the iPhones are not LTE, and LTE can drain the battery very quickly if you are in an area that has LTE (I will be interested to see how the iPhone 5 does on battery life, since it is rumored to have a larger 4" screen and be LTE compatible). But, LTE is pretty awesome compared to 3G. In fact, one of my friends was complaining last night about how slow his iPhone 4 data was when he was trying to look something up - and we are in Dallas, where my top download speed on LTE has been 61.38 (tend to average in the mid 20 to low 30 Mbps range on LTE) and my top upload speed was 17.28 (tend to average in the 10-12 Mbps range on LTE).
Additionally, there are many ways to customize the Android to help with battery life that don't markedly decrease usability. You can set up profiles in the Tasker app (for example, I have one to turn off Wifi when I leave a specified Wifi network range for more than a few minutes, and turn it back on when I get within range of certain cell towers near those specified Wifi networks so that when I am out, the phone is not burning battery always looking for Wifi hotspots), you can use Juice Defender (which a lot of people like, though I'm not that fond of it personally), you can set Facebook, Twitter, weather, and similar apps to update less often (and if you need them updated sooner than the set schedule, you can just do it manually when you open the app), etc.
The point is, there are ways to extend the battery life, and the bottom line is, unless you are a very heavy user or you are away from an electrical outlet or your car charger for more than 12-15 hours a day, you should have no problem with the phone completely dying on you (and again, you can always pop in a second battery).
I came to Android from an iPhone 3GS and I will never go back (and I know this for a fact because when I play with my parents iPhones for any reason, I can't stand it - not sure that even an iPhone 5 with a 4" inch screen and LTE would help).
jontalk
Well-known member
Friends...Thanks so much for all the great feedback. It's good to hear that the incidents reported from those on Amazon are not the majority (though I will say the majority of reviews on Amazon were all very positive).
However, I also hear that ATT has loaded up this phone with bloatware which cannot be removed. Is this true? And is there a specific site or link I can go to to get tutorials on how to use the Skyrocket and set it up for the best possible use and performance? I DO realize everyone will set theirs up differently though.
What I'm looking forward to whether on the Skyrocket or other 4"+ screen is typing since the Apple keyboard on the 3G is small and I go nuts correcting all the typos as a result. I'm tall with large hands but I'm not King Kong and would LOVE to have a keyboard that fits.
I also posted a thread on the HTC Vivid forum and like most phones, the folks there all say the Vivid is the best and HTC UI is much better than Sammy's. If I understand correctly, you can install Go Launcher EX or Wave Lancher apps that replaces the Sammy UI, correct? I also hear there are apps that have similar icons to iOS making the phone look much like an iPhone, too.
Like the Apple ads say, "Android... there's an app for that"
However, I also hear that ATT has loaded up this phone with bloatware which cannot be removed. Is this true? And is there a specific site or link I can go to to get tutorials on how to use the Skyrocket and set it up for the best possible use and performance? I DO realize everyone will set theirs up differently though.
What I'm looking forward to whether on the Skyrocket or other 4"+ screen is typing since the Apple keyboard on the 3G is small and I go nuts correcting all the typos as a result. I'm tall with large hands but I'm not King Kong and would LOVE to have a keyboard that fits.
I also posted a thread on the HTC Vivid forum and like most phones, the folks there all say the Vivid is the best and HTC UI is much better than Sammy's. If I understand correctly, you can install Go Launcher EX or Wave Lancher apps that replaces the Sammy UI, correct? I also hear there are apps that have similar icons to iOS making the phone look much like an iPhone, too.
Like the Apple ads say, "Android... there's an app for that"
jontalk
Well-known member
Well just got back from the ATT store and played with the Note, Skyrocket and HTC Vivid. What was interesting was that the 2 Skyrockets on display, BOTH had some sort of issue: one had a serious battery problem and wouldn't even work while plugged into AC, and the other's accelrometer didn't work properly.
The Note really begins to grow on you due to the screen and the fact that while bigger doesn't weigh much more than the Skyrocket. And while it is much bigger than the other phones, I happen to be 6'2" and could hold the phone in one hand and navigate it fairly well, though I think 2 hands are better
The Vivid seems like a nice phone, though the rep said that since it's LCD it will run the battery down than AMOLED. And the Vivid didn't have either of the problems the Skyrocket phones had on the display except the rear panel popped off easily, which was probably due to so many people handling display models.
The Note really begins to grow on you due to the screen and the fact that while bigger doesn't weigh much more than the Skyrocket. And while it is much bigger than the other phones, I happen to be 6'2" and could hold the phone in one hand and navigate it fairly well, though I think 2 hands are better
The Vivid seems like a nice phone, though the rep said that since it's LCD it will run the battery down than AMOLED. And the Vivid didn't have either of the problems the Skyrocket phones had on the display except the rear panel popped off easily, which was probably due to so many people handling display models.
My KIA Soul has bluetooth in the Steering Wheel. It allows be to say call whomever or dial a number while using my Samsung phone. I discovered that it would allow to phone an unknown phone number when I had my Samsung Capitivate. This leads me to believe that it's the bluetooth device that one is using with the phone and not the phone itself.
I was a loyal BB owner myself. I am hitting the 6 week mark with this phone. I agree with the OP this phone is great. I wished I switched from the BB a long time ago. Once you get the phone customized to your needs, nothing tops it. My battery life has been great. I may be biased because my Torch was lucky to last a 1/2 a day. I can now get through a full day without any problems while running Juice Defender set at the least aggressive settings.
My only gripe with this phone is the issue of receiving/sending calendar invites. I am using Outlook and a POP3 email account. I am unable to send a meeting invite from my phone unless it comes from my gmail account. For me that doesn't work. I would like to send meeting invites from my phone and the recipient sees the email came from myname@mydomain.com. Also when receiving meeting invites from someone using outlook theinvite comes in as an and not a calendar entry. In order to get the invite on my calendar I have to be near my PC where I can accept it, do a calendar sync on my PC and phone to get the entry into my phone. If there is a seamless way to utilize the calendar with outlook and not have to send from a gmail acct please let me know.
My only gripe with this phone is the issue of receiving/sending calendar invites. I am using Outlook and a POP3 email account. I am unable to send a meeting invite from my phone unless it comes from my gmail account. For me that doesn't work. I would like to send meeting invites from my phone and the recipient sees the email came from myname@mydomain.com. Also when receiving meeting invites from someone using outlook theinvite comes in as an and not a calendar entry. In order to get the invite on my calendar I have to be near my PC where I can accept it, do a calendar sync on my PC and phone to get the entry into my phone. If there is a seamless way to utilize the calendar with outlook and not have to send from a gmail acct please let me know.
jontalk
Well-known member
Good to hear ibsharp.. Not sure about the Outlook issue you mention.. Have you posted or researched a thread about this problem?
I wonder if anyone here purchased their Skyrocket from Amazon. The savings really are great though I'm a little concerned about the QC on Sammy phones, especially since the 2 demos at ATT were both dysfunctional, though it may have to do with so many people playing with them for months, too. The one with the battery problem though was clearly something gone wrong and it obviously did NOT come from Amazon, LOL.
I wonder if anyone here purchased their Skyrocket from Amazon. The savings really are great though I'm a little concerned about the QC on Sammy phones, especially since the 2 demos at ATT were both dysfunctional, though it may have to do with so many people playing with them for months, too. The one with the battery problem though was clearly something gone wrong and it obviously did NOT come from Amazon, LOL.
My calendar syncs with outlook, and invites seem to work OK. I can accept on either the phone or PC and it syncs. I have had some conflicts, which I think occur when I accept on my PC as soon as the invite comes in, i.e., before the invite syncs to the phone.
I do have my gmail calendar turned off in Accounts and Sync.
I do have my gmail calendar turned off in Accounts and Sync.
You can take this for whatever you feel it's worth. I have a few very good friends that work at the AT&T Store where I picked up my Skyrocket and I was also comparing it to the HTC and a Windows Mango phone. Every one of them told me the exact same thing; that Samsung "hands down" made a better product and that they saw significantly fewer issues from Samsung than HTC. Now, I'm no expert on HTC products, but I have owned Samsung before and was amazed by how well the phone held up. I certainly would not question Samsung quality based on phones being abused and who knows what else in the store. I started this thread to give my opinion based on my own EXPERIENCE with the phone over the past 6 weeks. I waited 6 weeks to give the device every opportunity to exhibit any issues and I have had none. As a matter of fact, my experience with this phone was so good, I bought the Galaxy tablet, too which I am equally as pleased with. I wouldn't have done so if Samsung quality was a concern.
T48
Well-known member
That battery issue may be from numerous things from being plugged in & on 24/7 or one of the reps swapped out the demo battery with one that failed previously. If the S 2 product line was failing, this forum would be lit up with irritated people.
My biggest concern is data usage. I have a LTE air card & burned a little over a gig yesterday screwing around doing nothing yesterday. I do over the auto transport so was stuck in the truck in San Antonio, TX. 95% of the time online was either e-mail or forum type stuff, not streaming video or anything you would assume would eat date like that.
LTE guzzles the battery. There's not much you can do about it if you're in an LTE area. That said, the Skyrocket holds up well compared to the Vivid in terms of battery. I'm running a custom rom. So, I have the option to use HSPA+ instead of LTE, and it helps alot (like double the battery life). I can go even longer if I use an app like Juice Defender or Green Power to automatically shut off data when I'm not using it.
As for bluetooth, you can download Vlingo. You may not be able to have a conversation w/ it like siri, but it allows for voice command through a bluetooth headset.
There is/was a problem w/ the reliability of bluetooth. However, the most recent update (UCLA) supposedly fixed it. I have this update installed on my phone. It's still too early for me to say, but so far so good.
No lockups for me either.
If one is going for Android, this is arguably AT&T's best phone if the Note is too big and you need LTE.
As for bluetooth, you can download Vlingo. You may not be able to have a conversation w/ it like siri, but it allows for voice command through a bluetooth headset.
There is/was a problem w/ the reliability of bluetooth. However, the most recent update (UCLA) supposedly fixed it. I have this update installed on my phone. It's still too early for me to say, but so far so good.
No lockups for me either.
If one is going for Android, this is arguably AT&T's best phone if the Note is too big and you need LTE.
I bought my Skyrocket less than a week after it came out. When I bought it, I wasn't in the market to buy a new phone. At the time I was using the Samsung Galaxy Captivate. I was somewhat please with that phone. A few issues with it, but nothing like the Moto Backflop (flip) that I had before. When I bought my Sky, since I was still in my contract I paid the full price for it. I have not regrets for doing it. It has been a great phone. The only issue is the battery life with the orginal battery. To fix that, I have purchase a 3500 extended battery. I love Samsung products. I have three Samsung TVs, a Samsung Blueray player, and two Samsung phones.
The best thing to all this is, when I become upgrade eligible I will still be able to get another phone (Not too sure if I want to do that or not). Very happy with the Skyrocket.
The best thing to all this is, when I become upgrade eligible I will still be able to get another phone (Not too sure if I want to do that or not). Very happy with the Skyrocket.
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