Introductions

[Cory Streater]

From now, until July 9th, seems like an eternity. While we're waiting, it would be great to get to know each other a little better by posting your smartphone background.

Are you coming from a dumb phone, iOS, Windows Phone, webOS, Blackberry, or another Android device? Do you have previous experience with Samsung Android phones? What's your birth date and SSN? (j/k of course)

What are some really important features, expectations, and deal-breakers once you get your hands on this phone? For example, is reliable, fast, and accurate GPS important to you? How about timely release of firmware and OS updates?

What feature in the SIII won you over the most? If the One X were an option on Verizon, would that have been your first choice?

Hi, I'm _________ will do as well

 

[Bad_SNaCKY]

From now, until July 9th, seems like an eternity. While we're waiting, it would be great to get to know each other a little better by posting your smartphone background.

Are you coming from a dumb phone, iOS, Windows Phone, webOS, Blackberry, or another Android device? Do you have previous experience with Samsung Android phones? What's your birth date and SSN? (j/k of course)

What are some really important features, expectations, and deal-breakers once you get your hands on this phone? For example, is reliable, fast, and accurate GPS important to you? How about timely release of firmware and OS updates?

What feature in the SIII won you over the most? If the One X were an option on Verizon, would that have been your first choice?

Hi, I'm _________ will do as well

Hey cory -- i'm Simon. I have a feeling you're going to get told that this should be in the 'intro's part of the site...but oh well!

First cell phone was a Nokia 8260 (really small one). First smart phone was a Palm Treo 755P, then a few Palm Pre's and am now on a Droid 2 (since it came out). Like you, waiting for the S3. Looking forward mostly to battery life and speed of the phone.

 

[Eric Kane]

My name's Eric and I used to be a manager at Verizon Wireless corporate. I've used almost every phone under the sun in the past 2 years on every carrier but T-Mobile and am currently testing out a Nokia Lumia 900 on AT&T. Which I'm not terribly impressed with, by the way.

I've used the Sprint and AT&T versions of the Galaxy S2 as well as the Galaxy Nexus and it's safe to say that over all the phones I've used (which range from the Blackberry Bold 9900/Torch 2, Droid Bionic/Razr/Charge, HTC Rezound/Thunderbolt/Inspire/One X, Samsung Galaxy Nexus/S2/Focus, Nokia Lumia, and the dreaded iPhone 3GS/4/4S) that I enjoy the Galaxy line the most.

As far as the S3 is concerned, I wasn't terribly impressed when it launched, but I've been doing a lot of reviewing and it honestly seems to be an incredible phone. The battery life should be excellent, the UI should be smooth with the 2GB of RAM and S4 processor, and I'm actually interested in S-Voice, even if it's not exactly a finished product as it should lead way for Google's "Assistant". And although many would say the One X has the better screen (I'm one of them), I actually prefer the AMOLED. No real reason why, but I do.

If Verizon had the One X, I wouldn't get it over the Galaxy S3. I've used the One X and it's a great phone, but I'm siding with the S3 as far as which is better.

 

[Ricky Babalu]

Too many phones to list. I have been with the same phone company since the 80's. Pacific Telesis which morphed into Airtouch, which then morphed into what is now Verizon. I am coming from a Droid X which has been a very good phone for me. It was time to move on and start enjoying 4G. I wanted a phone with expandable storage and removable battery both of which seem to be less and less prevalent. I have always had Motorola phones, but the way they lock there phones down finally drove me to try something new.

 

[mojohnburr#AC]

Hey Cory, I'm John. I still have the fascinate and it is working great. I just started having weird issues so decided to move to the S3. I would have liked the option of the One x but oh well.

I just wanted a bigger screen and good battery.

 

[mikesmith]

Hi, my name is neither Mike nor Smith. It's just a fake name I've been using since my BBS days.

I coming from the Droid X (my first and only smartphone).

I am a little concerned about the weak radio signal in other Samsung phones.

I want a phone that will be fast loading and able to handle multiple apps going at the same time.

I definitely would have considered the One X if it had come to VZ. But I am loving the 2GB of RAM in the S3 and can't wait to see what that does.


Sent from my DROIDX (soon to be sent from my S3) using AC Forums App

 

[DianeR]

Hey, Cory. I'm Diane. I am still using the original Droid. Haven't bothered updating my phone until now because I didn't see 'the one' to get - until I heard about the S3 two months ago and started researching it. My Droid has gotten so slow and is running an old version of android, and does occassionally freeze, so I am anxious to get my S3! Also looking forward to the bigger screen and the screen staying on as long as I am looking at it (I hate when I try to call voice mail and the screen goes dark before I can enter all of my passcode!) I travel every week for work so having a removeable battery was an important feature for me.

 

[Tampaguy75]

Hey Cory, I'm Gary... My first smart phone was actually from 10 years ago (the Kyocera 6035 running Palm OS on Sprint). I then moved up the Treo line (600 & 650), and then on to the Palm Centro. I was in heaven when the Palm Pre came out (the operating system blew me away)... I eventually moved to Verizon to get the Palm Pre 2, and ordered my "farewell" phone about 9 months ago -- the rare HP Pre 3.

I know Web OS days are numbered, though, and the Galaxy S3 is the first android phone that has tipped the scales for me to take the plunge into the world of Android... I typically hate virtual keyboards, but the size of this phone is just large enough for me to handle entering text without having physical keys (but not so large that it won't fit into my pocket). Also, the fact that this phone has inductive charging capability (a favorite of mine from WebOS) was a deciding factor for me.

All in all, it's just an extremely powerful phone that provides so many features that my WebOS phone just won't be able to do, so it's time to move on.

 

[davidnc]

Hey Android world,
David is really my name just my middle name tho.I have been using android phones since July 3,2010 my first being the orginal Incredible.When I ordered the Incredible it took a month to get here because of the screen shortage caused by Samsung hogging them all so its kinda a irony that again I will be waiting a month from ordering til phone gets delievered.Hopefully its sooner then that tho .
I did get the Incredible with the amoled screen tho .
The Incredible was a great phone but decided to update it to the S3.I did eventually root and flash a custom rom on the incredible.
I also had purchased the DX after getting the Incredible and wasnt impressed as much by it but after rooting it that phone turned out to be ok.I updated it last Dec.15,2011 to the Galaxy Nexus .
The Nexus has been a great phone never had any issues others may have experienced with it .I have unlocked,rooted and flashed a custom rom on not becaused I needed to but because I wanted too.
So now my 2 phones will both be Samsungs and most likely will root and flash a custom rom on the S3 but not sure how soon as too when .I am glad the S3 has a sdcard slot that was the only thing I would have liked the GN to have had .I have ordered the 32gb model of the S3 and will also have a 32gb sdcard .I did solve the problem of the GN not haveing an sdcard I ordered an adaptor that allows me to attached an usb stick to my Nexus and now it has a 32gb removeable drive as well.Looking forward to getting my S3 and compairing it with my GN

 

[MazoMark]

Hi Cory, I'm Mark. I've gone from early Nokia candy bar phones, to Motorola flip phones, to iPhone, to Android. To many total phones to remember or list. Currently using a Fascinate that is beginning to show its age.
Most important feature for me - phone reception! I'm self employed and my cell phone is my business phone. I work from home and live in an area with tough reception. Previously on AT&T with iPhone - I dropped at least one call a day. Since switching to Verizon 2 years ago - I've never dropped a call. I'm hoping the GS3 continues this record. Second would be GPS - I'm hoping Samsung has improved over Fascinate in this area for sure.
Looking forward to the bigger screen with fast, smooth performance!

 

[matt0715]

Hey, I'm Matthew. I first went into android knowing nothing about it when I chose the Samsung moment at sprint a couple years ago. Of coarse, since the iPhone was all I heard about I would have chosen it if it was available, but I'm happy it wasn't. This phone got me to realize that the iPhone isn't the best thing out there. I rooted my moment, and that was a blast. Once my contract ended I left sprint for Verizon by hopping on my moms plan and getting a thunderbolt! Wow 4g is awesome and rooting the tbolt was a way better experience than my moment and further made my android experience better. This is why I will be getting the s3, I know there will be dev support, 4g is awesome and the hardware looks amazing. If the one x was on Verizon I would not get it because of the multitasking. It's horrible! I'm looking forward to being with the Samsung galaxy s3 community!

Sent from my ADR6400L using Android Central Forums

 

[Cory Streater]

Welcome to the forums Simon, Eric, Ricky, John, Mike (lol), Diane, Gary, David, Mark, and Matt! Great stories and backgrounds.

Simon - The Admin and I got into a huge fight over this thread, but I got him fired and took his job over today

Eric - I felt exactly the same way at launch. I was sold when I saw the 2GB RAM + all the cool features Samsung added. Like Diane, I think the screen turning off when not looking at it, is totally dope. I like to read in bed so lets see how well that works in the dark though. Impressive variety and history of devices you have there.

John - I loved my Fascinate (except the GPS). I still need to sell it, but I'm not sure it's worth much anymore. I really think people were too hard on that device - it was fast and had an awesome screen. The Bing marketing ruined it though.

mike smith - that's a legitimate concern that makes me a little nervous as well. My issues have been more GPS related though. It's such an important feature to me, but I've had a lot of bad luck with it on a few phones.

Diane - I'm with you on the removable battery. I travel frequently as well, and that's the one thing I just couldn't get past with the X. The Droid seems like a 100 years ago in forum years. Re: Voicemail. Ever thought about trying out Google Voicemail? Works awesome.

Ricky - Airtouch I remember, but I do not remember Pacific Telesis. I also remember thinking "Verizon" was the dumbest name lol

David - I have the GN as well. It seems a bit soon to be switching to something else, especially when I love the GN. I want to keep both, but I know the SIM cards are different sizes. Maybe there's an adapter that allows them to swap back and forth. I haven't investigated it much really.

Mark - the GPS works pretty good on the GN. I'm hoping the same holds true on G3. I don't think I could live through another Fasciate GPS experience.

Matthew - I will be right there with you buddy. I can't wait to see some customizations on the S3. It's a powerful beast, and I'm hoping for strong dev support as well.

Gary - It's awesome to see some former webOS users coming over to Android. Having had a Kyocera, you probably go back to the days of TreoCentral?

Check this out everyone... Android Central Forums circa 2007! Android Central Forums 2007

Anyway, thanks for the intros and keep them coming

 

[NCchrisSU]

Hi Cory, My name is Chris. I'm very new to these forums, but I've very impressed on how much, and how quickly information is gathered and provided here. I got my first cell phone when I was 16, the good old Nokia when changing the faceplates every other day was what you did. Had a couple other dumbphones over the next 8 years that I can’t remember in detail, then 2 years ago I got my first smartphone… the Evo 4G which I have loved… but it is time to put him to rest. I have been overly excited about the SGIII since rumored specs started leaking out many months ago and now it still seems like forever until Verizon releases the phone. I have already preordered a 16 GB pebble blue SGIII for myself and a 16 GB marble white for my wife. I believe the things I’m most excited to get this phone for are… the screen size (love me some big screens), the thickness (or lack thereof) of the phone (I currently have the 3200 extended battery on my EVO 4G so when it is in my pocket, it appears that I have a tumor on my thigh), and Verizon’s 4G LTE. My wife and I currently have Sprint and our service is spotty at best with painstakingly slow 3G speeds… so needless to say I am VERY excited for this phone… I just wish they’d ease my obsession by giving a clear-cut day to expect to get the phone… I’m still holding on to the 28th with high hopes to get an email from BestBuy telling me to come pick up this magical piece of technology…

 

[Bad_SNaCKY]

Simon - The Admin and I got into a huge fight over this thread, but I got him fired and took his job over today

that poor guy.... --so you're hiring?!?! haha.

Didn't notice you were an admin until now -- still getting used to browsing the site and noticing titles/signatures.

 

[Suntan]

Hey guys, my real name is Dan. In college I worked as a lifeguard so people called me ?Suntan Dan? and that has been my internet nickname since.

My phone progression has been: Moto E815 ? LG EnV ? Palm Pre + ? Droid 3 ? GSIII.

As for this phone, the initial draw for me was having LTE integrated on the SOC for great batt life. Initially, I was mixed about the look of it, but it has grown on me since. Having both the Pre + and the Droid 3 I have had both extremes as far as phone body shape. I do like the more rounded edges like the Pre + than the squared off sides of the Droid 3 and the GSIII is shaping up to have a great feel.

Other things that I am looking forward to are the excellent USB host capability that NZtechfreak showed us, and although I thought the ?Smart Stay? feature sounded like a gimmick when I first heard about it, I could see myself really liking that feature if it works well and doesn?t affect the battery too much.

As for the HOX, I think it looks like a nice phone. I like some of the design features better (like the rounded transition of the glass front to the sides) but I like the overall shape of the GSIII better. In any case, the lack of an SD slot on the HOX made it a non-starter for me, even if it were on VZW. After hearing issues with available memory for storing apps frozen in memory, that would be another critical issue. I still get frustrated with the Droid 3 when it doesn?t hold apps open in the background. After using a webOS phone, that is something that can get annoying. Luckily, with the GSIII having 2 GB of RAM, that hopefully will be much improved over the 512MB Droid 3.

-Suntan

 

[Paul627g]

that poor guy.... --so you're hiring?!?! haha.

Didn't notice you were an admin until now -- still getting used to browsing the site and noticing titles/signatures.

Our admin, Cory likes to make a goof then cover it up with some good comedy

All and all welcome to AC and the SGSIII forums! I hope to be joining many of you shortly when I score my SGSIII except it will be with Sprint, not Verizon

 

[davidnc]

Our admin, Cory likes to make a goof then cover it up with some good comedy

All and all welcome to AC and the SGSIII forums! I hope to be joining many of you shortly when I score my SGSIII except it will be with Sprint, not Verizon

So from what I read you will most likely get yours before we get ours ,if ya go buy the current "ship by" date that vzw has posted

 

[Skyeclad]

Hi all. Previous smartphones were Motorola Q, BB Storm and my current Fascinate. The Fascinate has been the best experience by far and to this day it still feels good to me. Unlike my previous phones, I'm not dying to upgrade due to aging hardware.

I'm looking forward to the S3 because I'm not thrilled with my 3g performance lately and would love a faster browser experience. While I'm very happy for the ics rom I've been running on the Fascinate, the compromises made in data storage space to get it to run are severely limiting the number of apps I can run.

 

[kalnel#WN]

Hi, I'm Kal. I'm coming from the Fascinate, which I've really enjoyed, despite the GPS and Bing issues. Great screen and form factor.

I'm a little concerned about the SIII's size (too big?) and radios, but I think it will be a popular device, which guarantees lots of rooting, ROMs, and workarounds from the great folks here.

Very enthusiastic about 4G, dual cameras, and NFC. I'm enough of a nerd that I'll be driving around using GPS to find stores that use Google Wallet (and that pay service Verizon supports).

Been on Verizon (and before that Bell Atlantic Mobile) continuously since 1988. Jumping to SIII now to preserve unlimited data, but I'd have gone for it eventually anyway.

My smartphone history is:
-- Palm IIIxe connected to an Eriksson phone via snap-on modem-to-serial. (1999-2001)
-- HP Jornada 548/567 (PPC) connected to Qualcomm phone via CF-to-serial (2002-2005)
-- iPaq (PPC) to a Moto V710 via BT hack (2006-2008)
-- HTC xv6700 Apache (PPC) (2006-2008)
-- HTC Touch Pro (Windows Mobile) (2008-2010)
-- Samsung Fascinate (Android) (2010- )

I have a special interest in using smartphones as paper-free "portable offices." I've been completely paperless since 2003, and I'm a founder/moderator at paperlessdigitallife : Paperless and Digital Life.

 

[BostonBeats88]

Hello Cory and All,

Looks like we are going to be spending a lot of time together as a part of the VZW SGSIII family. (Barring any sketchy moves by the VZW bigwigs.) This wait is killing me as I am sure it is painful for all of you.

But we have a bright future together until we upgrade again. I should warn you, that there are to be trying times ahead. I am sad to say that some of us are going brick our phones, drop them in puddles or leave them in taxis. Many of us will regret not springing for that Otterbox or screen protector ahead of time.
But there are good times to be had as well. Zooming around on the interwebs on blazing 4G. That beautiful screen. Finding all the fun and kinky places to place Tectiles. Rooting and loading up CM9. Or actually making phone calls. I look forward to it all.

Some things I am most excited for are the nice big screen, great camera and sexy looks of this phone. As some of you know I am on my 4th TB and this one has spider cracks all over the screen (its still doing better than my buddy's who only picks up 1X) so this new phone is going to be great and have a working screen. Oh Joy!

Things that concern me are this pretty phone could get damaged. I don't like cases on my phone so this SGS is going to be going around in the nude. Fingers crossed I don't drop it! Also screen protectors irk me when they are not perfectly installed so I may forgo that as well.

My phone history is as such:
Razr
EnV
EnV Touch
LG Dare
Droid X
HTC Thunderbolt

I LOVED the DX and I am a huge fan of the TB so hopefully Sammy can stand up to all the hype (I'm sure it can). I cannot wait to get the SGSIII and shove it into the faces of all my friends with iphones.

The name's Bennett from Boston (obviously) and I will be stalking the Fedex trucking in my neighborhood for the next month.

-Bennett