Switching to Note 3 from iPhone 5

[Ichi_Bear]

I love being able to really customise my home screens and launchers. I'm using the stock TouchWiz launcher right now. I love the Falcon Pro scrollable Twitter widget right now. I try to keep the number of home screens and widgets to a minimum.

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[LosingMyMind]

I love being able to really customise my home screens and launchers. I'm using the stock TouchWiz launcher right now. I love the Falcon Pro scrollable Twitter widget right now. I try to keep the number of home screens and widgets to a minimum.

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I have a lot to learn, launchers, widgets, etc... lol I'm lost. The only thing on iOS is the ability to change the wallpaper, that's it. Pretty fun huh.

 

[wayne106]

Thanks so much!! very informative. It answered a lot of questions I needed to know. The safety of the apps and internet was my main concern. Puts me more at ease.

The only 2 things in this vid that are true is only being able to use one browser from within apps and adding a custom ringtone. Other than that he was making it seem harder than it actually is. He was choosing the long way to do stuff on the iPhone and some things have been changed since this vid. I will say I learned a few things about android. But I still think Apple is a better OS. I'm switching to note 3 so I'll see if the latest android OS beats it. I'll post my thoughts.

 

[LosingMyMind]

The only 2 things in this vid that are true is only being able to use one browser from within apps and adding a custom ringtone. Other than that he was making it seem harder than it actually is. He was choosing the long way to do stuff on the iPhone and some things have been changed since this vid. I will say I learned a few things about android. But I still think Apple is a better OS. I'm switching to note 3 so I'll see if the latest android OS beats it. I'll post my thoughts.

I watched all 5 vids in the series. I wanted to learn about droid os. I paid no mind to what iOS has, being I have one, so I know first hand. I'm looking at it like this, if I like it, I keep it. If I don't, I can always switch back. I still have both my ipad and mini. I'm not giving those up anytime soon.

 

[ttwiitch]

The only 2 things in this vid that are true is only being able to use one browser from within apps and adding a custom ringtone. Other than that he was making it seem harder than it actually is. He was choosing the long way to do stuff on the iPhone and some things have been changed since this vid. I will say I learned a few things about android. But I still think Apple is a better OS. I'm switching to note 3 so I'll see if the latest android OS beats it. I'll post my thoughts.

Need to watch 2-5....tjen your jaw will drop. The guy IS biased but with every single reason to back him up and it shows if you watch them all.

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[hypokondriak]

^^ It's obvious you haven't used 4.3 yet. ^^ I would suggest watching the video I posted.
I can't understand why anyone would want junkie icons all over good artworks? No app drawer...
With IOS you have no file system and it's locked up so tight a user can't do anything with it to make it your own.
Polished or not looks do not trump functionality.

Of course it is obvious he/she hasn't used 4.3 yet because maybe 83 people on the planet have used it. Just about everyone in Android is in the same crap boat - waiting on our phone manufacturers and providers to throw their crap ware on top, perform some mediocre testing, and release the buggy end result to us.

I switched from iPhone to Android due to screen size as well. Anyone that tries to tell you either platform better is the last person you should take advice from. I've got my bigger screen and I'm getting an even bigger screen with my Note 3, but not everything is hunky dory in Android land. It isn't in iOS land either.

 

[Botti]

Of course it is obvious he/she hasn't used 4.3 yet because maybe 83 people on the planet have used it. Just about everyone in Android is in the same crap boat - waiting on our phone manufacturers and providers to throw their crap ware on top, perform some mediocre testing, and release the buggy end result to us.

I don't think your figure is right. Nexus devices have had that 4.3 for ages and I can pretty much guarantee, that there are more than 100 Nexus 7 users (+ phones too).

The biggest thing I noticed was the ability to add regular widgets to the lock screen. I added Google Notes and it allowed me to take notes (including photos) without entering any pin code.

 

[hypokondriak]

Yes my figure isn't right I was being sarcastic, but relative to the total number of Android users of course a small percentage have 4.3. It's a fragmented mess, and if iOS operated this way Android folk would be all over iOS for it.

 

[lpt2569]

I try to keep the number of home screens and widgets to a minimum.

This is the best advice to give a new Android user, in my opinion. Out of the box, Android phones tend to be junked up with all kinds of crap all over the place on multiple screens.

1. Start slow with just 2 or 3 screens, and put the apps you use most on your homescreen. Similar to an iPhone, so it feels familiar as you start out with Android.
2. Learn how to navigate and use the notification pulldown shade and all of your phone's settings (maybe turn most of the stuff off, and then turn them on one by one as you learn what they do and if they help you in any way...if not, leave them turned off).
3. Try a couple widgets, like for weather or news, on your homescreen.
4. Play with the S-Pen and multi-screen view to get comfortable with how the basics work, and get a feel for if these are things you will want to use for more complicated stuff later.
5. Use your phone like this for a week or two, and slowly start playing with adding more screens, widgets, apps, etc.

Good luck, I think you will love your Note 3. I feel like it can't be stressed enough to start slow and easy...Android is powerful when you want it to be, but part of that power is the ability to keep things as simple as you want, and make the phone look and behave exactly how you want it to. Don't get lost in all the fancy widgets and 7 screens and different launchers. Save all that for later down the road as you get more comfortable. And there are plenty of great folks here who are happy to answer questions and help with any issues/concerns.

 

[JB802]

So, I've been an iPhone user for many years. I really want the note 3, but the switch coming in October has me very nervous. I don't know much about android and the battle between droid/apple has my head spinning. Just looking for advice/tips to make this change easier for me.

I switched from gingerbread 2.3, to the 4s, then the I5 and now am switching back to the note 3. Android vs IOS is largely subjective, they have pluses and minuses so you'll have to decide that for yourself. My experience is that IOS is more polished, but Android is significantly more powerful, IMO, IOS is far too locked down, and I feel like OS7 was three years too late, with poor battery life and I think ITunes Radio is a joke, its a blatant pandora rip-off, which would have been nice three years ago, now with Spotify, Rdio, (i haven't used google all access) it is a dated concept and the limited skips even if you pay are an absurd. I had every feature that was added on my HTC incredible and OG droid

OK, enough about my personal gripes, the functionality, play with android, it is different, but not so different that you'll have trouble picking it up quickly. And the reason i switched originally, the apple hardware was superior, but I feel that is no longer the case. i am 6'5 with fairly large hands, and am sick of the tiny screen, and the 5s being the same crap sealed the deal for me...

Ok, I rambled a bit, shorter, play with it, youll like it

 

[LosingMyMind]

1. Start slow with just 2 or 3 screens, and put the apps you use most on your homescreen. Similar to an iPhone, so it feels familiar as you start out with Android.
2. Learn how to navigate and use the notification pulldown shade and all of your phone's settings (maybe turn most of the stuff off, and then turn them on one by one as you learn what they do and if they help you in any way...if not, leave them turned off).

Thank you, this was my plan. I only have 2 screens on iPhone, my home screen has everything I use daily, my second screen is for folders, very simple. I've heard a lot about android and viruses because of the open market, how true this is, I don't know. The setting features confuse me because there are a lot of them, but I think once the phone is in hand and I play and read, I'll be fine. Like you said, start slow. Thanks so much, I will take your advice.

 

[JB802]

Yes my figure isn't right I was being sarcastic, but relative to the total number of Android users of course a small percentage have 4.3. It's a fragmented mess, and if iOS operated this way Android folk would be all over iOS for it.

While true, Google has been moving to a model that goes around the carriers, the google play services are updated by google and on a regular basis, most of the functionality in Android comes from this and any device post gingerbread uses it (90%+) while it might not be the latest version number, the functionality from a framework perspective is universal. So the fragmentation argument is largely moot as developers program for the framework and not necessarily the version number.

 

[LosingMyMind]

I switched from gingerbread 2.3, to the 4s, then the I5 and now am switching back to the note 3. Android vs IOS is largely subjective, they have pluses and minuses so you'll have to decide that for yourself. My experience is that IOS is more polished, but Android is significantly more powerful, IMO, IOS is far too locked down, and I feel like OS7 was three years too late, with poor battery life and I think ITunes Radio is a joke, its a blatant pandora rip-off, which would have been nice three years ago, now with Spotify, Rdio, (i haven't used google all access) it is a dated concept and the limited skips even if you pay are an absurd. I had every feature that was added on my HTC incredible and OG droid

OK, enough about my personal gripes, the functionality, play with android, it is different, but not so different that you'll have trouble picking it up quickly. And the reason i switched originally, the apple hardware was superior, but I feel that is no longer the case. i am 6'5 with fairly large hands, and am sick of the tiny screen, and the 5s being the same crap sealed the deal for me...

Ok, I rambled a bit, shorter, play with it, youll like it

Haha, I'm 5 foot nothing with hands the size of a 12 year old. This phone is going to be massive for me but I don't care. I'm switching because I'm bored to death with iOS in general, there updates are bs. Never anything new, only tweaks here and there. It's very basic and generic IMO. I want to be able to do more with it than just look at it repeatedly thinking, what a sucker I am , yet I keep upgrading because it "looks" good.

 

[normmac]

I recently found myself in the same situation. I have been an apple user for years (still use ipad and apple tv) but where it comes to my smartphone i was waiting for the release of the 5s along with ios7 and when the day finally came i decided that i'd had enough of the iphone and purchased a Galaxy S4. Quite frankly i grew tired of my phones memory being restricted to what i purchased opposed to being able to expand the phones memory in the S4 and also being restricted by apple's apps. Thus far i am more than pleased with the s4's features and performance compared to any iphone i've ever owned.

 

[LosingMyMind]

I recently found myself in the same situation. I have been an apple user for years (still use ipad and apple tv) but where it comes to my smartphone i was waiting for the release of the 5s along with ios7 and when the day finally came i decided that i'd had enough of the iphone and purchased a Galaxy S4. Quite frankly i grew tired of my phones memory being restricted to what i purchased opposed to being able to expand the phones memory in the S4 and also being restricted by apple's apps. Thus far i am more than pleased with the s4's features and performance compared to any iphone i've ever owned.

Yup, same here, that last update did it for me. I've never really played with android before, so I'm anxiously waiting to get my hands on this monster.

 

[Ichi_Bear]

There are so many choices when it comes to Android. As far as the Google Play app stores and it's alternatives you just have to have a little common sense. Read the descriptions and the reviews and ask yourself if you really need the app. If in doubt ask on the forums. In regards to viruses and malware, things aren't as bad as people make out. I don't have any anti virus or anti malware on my phone because I find that it slows things down and there are very few apps that I use on a regular basis. Also I have been using Android for a long time. There are some very good anti virus/malware packages in the app store. Some of which are free. If you are set on getting a Note 3 you won't need to worry about software slowing down things. Also get a very good Micro SD card. I've seen that people have had a few problems with getting a reliable card that works well with Samsung smartphones. I've had a Sandisk 64GB one in my phone for about a year now and have not had a problem. Samsung do their own brand of high speed micro SD cards if in doubt. I store a lot of video and photos on my phone though. Also Samsung do have a manual that you can download and the help screens pop up and give you a hand. Go boldly on and welcome to the Darkside. ;-)

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[Ichi_Bear]

Oh one thing about widgets. They are not very scary. Thing of them as active icons or mini apps that do their thing and update you straight to the home screen. It can be anything from a clock that tells the time but, when you tap it, brings up the alarm or timer function. I have a fully featured Twitter client that updates and is scrollable as a widget and takes up all of one of my home screens (see pic) but I can totally customise the size of it, font colour and background (transparent). Widgets can be as busy or as simple and unobtrusive as you want. I bloody love 'em! ;-)

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[LosingMyMind]

Oh one thing about widgets. They are not very scary. Thing of them as active icons or mini apps that do their thing and update you straight to the home screen. It can be anything from a clock that tells the time but, when you tap it, brings up the alarm or timer function. I have a fully featured Twitter client that updates and is scrollable as a widget and takes up all of one of my home screens (see pic) but I can totally customise the size of it, font colour and background (transparent). Widgets can be as busy or as simple and unobtrusive as you want. I bloody love 'em! ;-)

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Huh, now that being an active widget on your home screen, wouldn't that just drain the life out of the battery?

 

[Ichi_Bear]

You can set it to manually refresh. Which is what I have done. You can set it to refresh from every 15 minutes to every couple of hours. I also use black backgrounds to save the battery.

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[NJRonbo]

Ichi,

What widget is that?


Getting back to the iOS conversation...

Yeah, I can pretty much guarantee that everyone in this thread concerned about their migration to Android from iOS should put those concerns aside.

The first day or two with Android is a little frustrating because everything is done a bit differently. However, for me, it took a very short period of time before I was throwing widgets on my screen and installing a wealth of Apps from the Google Play store.

...speaking of which, you will be amazed by how many more free apps there are than what was available on the iTunes App Store.

Don't worry about the malware. I would recommend installing AVAST or LOOKOUT. Both are free. You can scan every file you download before you actually install it.
Two of my favorite apps are MIGHTY TEXT and ANDROID DESKTOP NOTIFICATIONS. Do look into them. They allow you to read/send text messages from your PC/Laptop and see all the incoming notifications from your phone while it is charging elsewhere.

Buy a spare battery. They are pretty cheap. The great thing about Android phones is that when your battery goes low, you don't have to race to find somewhere to charge your phone. You simply swap out the battery. Try doing THAT on an Apple phone.

Also concur with Ichi_Bear on getting a Micro SD card. I have a Sandisk 64GB as well. The only bad thing is that you can't put apps on the external card, that is, unless you root the phone. However, the nice thing about the Note III is that it starts at 32GB, and trust me, you'll never use that much space for your apps.

So, despite missing iOS somewhat, you can see I have found my happy place, for the moment, with Android.