Introductions

[FrankTheFrowner]

Hi, I'm Ed & I've had cell phones since my parents gave me a Motorola flip (on Bell Atlantic) when I got my driver's license in 1994. Since then, I've used countless flips and candy bar style phones by Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Kyocera & LG.

My first smartphone was a Blackbery 8830, which I got in May 2007. In the last five years, I've owned a couple of other BB's (company issued), three iPhones and an HTC Incredible.

My pebble blue GSIII will replace an iPhone 4, and I think I'm done with Apple for good this time. I'm constantly frustrated by the closed environment and ready to return to the world of Android.

My first Android tablet, a Tab 2 7", is slated for delivery this afternoon also!

 

[Cuda13]

Hi All, Ric here,

If I did it correctly my 1st phone was the Moto bag phone pictured. Ahhhh what a battery, it would last all 1/2 day if I didn't use it and maybe 15 to 30 min if I did. I think it was on GTE but can?t remember for sure. As we all (old people) remember Verizon took/bought/changed the name over...

Since the Moto bagger, I have owned two or three 8" to 10" bricks from Nokia & Moto, 1st flip phone was a ? brick from Moto, also attached. About 4 more flip phones between Samsung & LG before I got my 1st StarTac (had a grey one and then a newer black one). Finally the Razr. I think it was 3rd or 4th Generation. Then ATT came out with their EXCLUSIVE iPhone, DO'H! I would have killed for one but could not fathom leaving VZW, so I waited very patiently impatiently for the exclusivity to expire.

Desiring to get into the smartphones but not wanting to get the "big" phones (heck I had finally downsized to the Razr, remember that bag phone?) I got a Blackberry Pearl I think on launch day, can?t remember for sure. My solution to the iPhone BS, Storm 1 on launch day, Storm 2 on launch day, I was a strong fan (read CB Kevin?s every word) but the hardware/software just did not keep up with the market and I like newer/better/stronger/faster toys, not necessarily the best but better.

My Salvation! Thunderbolt on launch day. BEST PHONE I EVER OWNED except the battery life and then that dreaded OTA that caused the random reboots. I rooted and installed a few roms, discovered BAMF and IHTFP69?s SkyRaider Zeus. He made that phone sing, installed the Rezound battery and the phone was perfect. I still have my TBolt and my S2 (which I am using this week as I am in the Caribbean on VACA and VZW was kind enough to unlock it (another reason I love like VZW) for me so I could use local sym, have to come home tomorrow :'(). I know, what the hell was that last sentence, hope there are no grammar police in here. Came back to add this interesting side note: Cory came to my defense when I was attacked for my 1st or second post in the forums by the idiot forum police, Thanks Cory!

I looked HARD at the GS2 but alas it did not come to Verizon, lucky for me cause my pockets are not deep and buying phones at full price would be difficult. Pre ordered the GSIII, white 32 for me and blue 16 for the wife (she went from the Razr to the Rezound) and kept both of our unlimited plans. We probably don?t need them but it?s like a blanket, it?s there if you want it.

I really really like HTC. HOX? Don?t know if Verizon will see it and no MSD slot was the deal breaker for me, battery situation also a problem. Biggest concern about GSIII: worried about the pentile but trying to believe the folks that say it is the 2nd best screen out and won?t be a problem/issue. I personally think it was crap on the Bionic so I have my fingers crossed. Damn, these phones are getting bigger again? I believe 4.8 will be perfect. I hope IHTFP69 gets the SGIII, I?m good for 2 more years, I think

I had a friend with that bag phone. It was with GTE Mobilnet and I still get their commercial jingle stuck in my head now and then...

 

[Air Force One]

My name is Chris.

previous devices:

BB Pearl 8100
BB 9000
Nexus One
HTC Thunderbolt

I am getting the SGIII because HTC made the battery in the X non removable and didn't include an SD card slot and I figure I might as well try something new(difficult for a confirmed HTC fanboy). I'll be paying full price so I can keep unlimited data(plus my contract isn't up until March anyway) so I sure hope this device measures up.

Very nice meeting everyone and hope we all get the device of our dreams

 

[Anon_Emus]

I had a friend with that bag phone. It was with GTE Mobilnet and I still get their commercial jingle stuck in my head now and then...

That phone was funny, I felt like I had a man purse waking around with that stupid thing... I remember yelling at my GF cause she got pissed one time when she couldn't reach me. I told her she was taking me for granted because I usually had the phone. We have been married for 17 years now so that should give you an idea of how long I have been with GTE/VZW.

 

[ibikeiruniswim]

I've had a smart phone sine the Motorola Q was released (everythingq.com anyone?).
Moto Q -> Samsung Omina -> Samsung Fascinate. I somehow am completely under a Samsung spell with everything from my Refrigerator and tvs to my phone. My Fascinate is still in decent shape and I look forward to retiring it to my garage for streaming music. I'm not the type to return a phone after 7 days so I'm in it for the long hall. See you guys around.
Greg in Columbus Ohio.

 

[Buck-eye]

Hi, I'm Steve. I've lurked on Android Central since before I bought the Droid X two years ago. I'd like to better utilize everything that the S3 is capable of so I guess I'll hang out here more so I can learn some tips from those of you who are power users.

I had several dumb phones before going to a Blackberry Curve, then Blackberry Bold, then Droid X.

I can't wait for a bigger screen. I would like the Note 2 but had to pre-order the S3 to keep my unlimited data. Droid X is really slow these days so I'm looking forward to a fast and smooth phone. Need a better camera also. I hope the S3 is as good as some are saying it is.

I'm not sure if I'll ever root (don't want to brick my phone and deal with the wrath from my wife ) but I'm certainly interested in using a launcher and having the best apps at my fingertips. There is a lot of information on this site and can't wait to put it to use when the S3 arrives.

 

[liteon163]

Howdy, all. My first smartphone was an AMOLED DROID Incredible I ordered just days after its release. After a year I rooted it. Three weeks after that I put CM7 on it, which is still on it to this very day. I became eligible for an upgrade in early January 2012.

Then back in February I purchased off ebay an LG Spectrum. I got the feeling it was going to be quite awhile before the US started seeing the Qualcomm S4 chipset in wide release, and I wanted a new phone. I figured the S3 chipset would be almost as good. That remains to be seen, but I can tell you I am quite disappointed in the phone's battery life while on LTE. 3G battery life is quite good, however. After three weeks, I rooted and de-bloated the Spectrum. Three weeks after that I installed one of the two available custom ROMs, Broken Out Spectrum 3.0. It works exceedingly well.

I figured I'd take a year to play with the Spectrum before finally using my upgrade. Then Verizon announced their new plans. I jumped on a pebble blue 32 GB Samsung Galaxy S III because I have a feeling it will be the best phone available on Verizon for quite some time. Hopefully I'll be able to sell my Spectrum for at least the cost of the SGS3. I'm figuring with Verizon stating that bringing your own phone will allow you to keep unlimited data will raise prices on the used market. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

My plan with the SGS3 is to run TouchWiz for as long as I can stand it and then switch to Apex or Nova for a different launcher. I want to stick with a stock setup just to see how useful Samsung's apps might be. If I find them to be too much bother, I'll start off by rooting and de-bloating the phone. I'm sure I'll eventually root anyway, but I'll wait until I feel an overwhelming need to do so. And I just might end up on CM9.

I look forward to hanging out around here to offer help, encourage others to explore, and to occasionally ask for help myself.

 

[OWybPPgO]

Hi all. This will be my third smartphone. I had a Droid X and it was eventually replaced with an X2 under warranty by VZW. I usually wait for tech to be out for a bit before I jump, but I couldn't help myself this time.

I'm a s/w engineer (for a company that contributes in some way to the SGS3 ) and I worked with Android in various ways for a couple of years, tho now I'm back to my more typical non-Android work.

One of my dev phones was the SGS2 and that was SO much nicer than my X/X2 that I started to get the upgrade bug. I was waiting for a well-built phone with the Snapdragon S4 in it and I was disappointed when the One X didn't come to VZW, then the SGS3 had everything I wanted in it! I don't know which of the two I would have chosen if they were both on VZW. Maybe still the Samsung. I don't like Sense that much (had it on a couple of dev phones) and I've been very happy with my personal Samsung Tab.

I want a relatively (for Android ) solid phone. I expect some flakiness, but I really don't want any of the signal problems the Nexus had. I would love to get s/w updates faster than I did with my Moto, but if that had been my top priority I would have gotten a Nexus.

 

[Mtn_Scott]

Buenas dias mis compadres,
Me llamo Scott....

Who am I kidding.
I am coming from a Fascinate which I will always miss. For every headache it had the community had the problem fixed on its own. I have been running ICS on the Fascinate since just after the source leaked for the Nexus S. I want the S3 for the screen, LTE, and the great DEVS that are going to come with it. I am curious if the S3 will be great enough as it is to keep me from being flash happy . It has been so since i have been on anything not AOSP I do not know how welll I will adjust to Touch Wiz again. I am going to have to weigh all of the neet little software touches the Sammy added vs. the customizations that I want. It will be interesting. I can not wait for the damn thing to get here.

It will be rooted, but I hope I can be happy with TW, or just a launcher. I am sure once JB is out and stable I will be flashing away though.

 

[trickster.tao]

Coming from an original Droid Incredible (which I kept fresh and clean with rooting).
Before that I had an HTC Tilt over at AT&Love.

I wanted something with enough under the hood that it could keep up with the OS for some time. Priorities after that are good camera and battery life (either from what's in there or having a replaceable option).

 

[zack7687]

Hey Corey, I'm Zack.

I have a fascinate that I bought off contract over a year ago to ditch my envy touch. The phone has been okay. GPS and 3g signal blow. God forbid I actually get 10 seconds of consistent 3G. I hope this phone makes up for it. My screen is smashed so if I call someone and they don't answer I can't hang up because the light sensors are busted so I have to pull the battery.

If the One X was on Verizon I probably would get it instead of this phone. I like the looks and screen better, but this phone is my 1B option. All my friends have iphones and give me for having a droid but whatever. I like to make the phone mine. I have never rooted, but I will certainly be rooting this phone and ditching touch wiz. Stock ICS is fine for me. I'm probably going to root the fascinate first and see how that goes.

 

[bworley50]

Dumb phone, Motorola Q, Blackberry Storm, Eris, Droid X, Charge, Thunderbolt, Bionic, Stratosphere, Galaxy Nexus. I want the hardware. Love the Nexus, but with rooting and roms, I can pretty much customize it how I want. The main thing is the hardware and some new things like pip.

 

[schaidshaw]

Hey, I'm Schaid. I started in the world of smartphones with a few cearckberrys and then transitioned into the world of Droid with the Bionic last September. I'm really excited for the SG3. I have really enjoyed my Bionic and really am only upgrading to lock in the unlimited data like most of us. I want to expand my Droid knowledge and root my new SG3 because I feel like I am missing out on a whole other Droid world out there.

Here's to hoping they come to us sooner then later!

 

[Cruiserdude]

Upgrading from Droid Razr.

I've been a long time phone enthusiast and Linux geek, and have been a HUGE promoter of Android from day one (even helped market the o.g. Droid). However, I held out on buying a smartphone due to the data costs until last year when I would lose the chance for unlimited forever, so I jumped on a Charge. I loved everything about the device except for its radio, which was horrible (and apparently it still doesn't have an AOSP rom). Verizon eventually replaced it with a Razr, which is far better in a number of ways but isn't what I want for the next 2 years. I need the ability to swap batteries and demand a better screen. With this news, and my love of Samsung products (especially their smartphones), Verizon forced my hand.

I'm really excited though, I've wanted to have a top-tier Samsung smartphone since I first heard about the Omnia back in the day, and finally here is my chance!

I'll say though, the Razr is going to make a nice backup/trek phone, considering it uses the same micro-SIM.