Galaxy S3 accessories, looking for some pointers

[Dolorian]

I am set on getting a Galaxy S3 either this weekend or early next week and I intend to buy some extra stuff for it such as an external 64GB memory, a case and a dock. I was wondering if the Galaxy S3 owners here could offer some suggestions as far as these accessories goes:

SanDisk Ultra 64 GB microSDXC

Rearth Ringke SLIM LITE Soft Feeling Premium Hard Case

Power Solutions Deluxe Cradle / Desktop Docking Station

I like the case to be matte black and the memory of course to be 64GB. Aside from that, are these good options or are there better options?

Additionally, would you recommend some other accessory apart from these for the S3?

Thanks in advance, can't wait to get my hands on the Galaxy S3!

 

[Vegastouch]

Looks like you answered your own questions. I got a 32 GB micro SD for mine from Best Buy for $32 back in June which is plenty for me. I dont load a bunch of videos. Just a few and have only around 1300 sings but it is a class 10 and it loads instantly so that isnt an issue at all.

Though my batery is pretty good, im thinking of getting a bigger one on eBay up to about 3000 mAh or there abouts.


I got a few things from a website that is from China. Took three weeks to get them but it is legit and they are cheap. Check them out. Catagories for different types of covers are top left under accessories. I should point out that this Link is for battery back covers.



I have not looked at the case section as i got battery covers but here is the Link for it

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

That's the exact 64GB card I got and I got it from Amazon too. Works flawless, just put it in and go. Also the scannable link that directs you to the SanDisk app is pretty good. I use it to backup to my card.

 

[DanteMann]

Well if your gonna use your phone for navigation, then you definitely want a car dock. I grabbed the Stock Samsung car dock, but there are so many out there to chose from. As for a case, I actually prefer very slim cases that offer only scratch protection. Again, I grabbed the genuine Samsung case it's super thin and gives the scratch protection I need. If I ever drop my phone, too bad for me. For screen protector you have a choice between the soft flexible film that will give you whole screen protection. But keep in mind ALL of these flexible screen protectors crease easy. What I mean by this is if something hard is ever pressed against the screen like a finger nail, it will leave a line that may not go away. If you opt for a screen protector that uses a hard film, then you won't have this problem. BUT it also won't cover your whole screen due to the GS3 curved edges.

 

[LSUtigers03]

I have an incipio feather case. I like to have minimal bulk. I also have that same sd card. It's great to carry around my while music library and not worry about space. I also bought the Samsung external charger which comes with an extra battery. I rarely have a need for an extra battery but there are days where I play a lot of games so it comes in handy.

 

[Mac.World]

I am set on getting a Galaxy S3 either this weekend or early next week and I intend to buy some extra stuff for it such as an external 64GB memory, a case and a dock. I was wondering if the Galaxy S3 owners here could offer some suggestions as far as these accessories goes:

SanDisk Ultra 64 GB microSDXC

Rearth Ringke SLIM LITE Soft Feeling Premium Hard Case

Power Solutions Deluxe Cradle / Desktop Docking Station

I like the case to be matte black and the memory of course to be 64GB. Aside from that, are these good options or are there better options?

Additionally, would you recommend some other accessory apart from these for the S3?

Thanks in advance, can't wait to get my hands on the Galaxy S3!

If you plan to be away from a charger for more than 10 hours an extra stock battery with NFC chip is good to have. I don't use a case on my S3 and it's in perfect condition. I changed the battery casing cover to one that is carbon fiber looking. Feels plush and has better grip now. You can get these types of covers for about ten bucks via Amazon or ebay. I find amazon has better selection.
DO NOT buy any covers made out of metal or real carbon fiber. Both of these materials block the NFC chip from working and degrade your radios (ever so slightly, but it's enough to drop from 1 bar to no signal.)
If you want to use NFC daily, buy 6 NFC tags for 15 bucks. Put one in your house next to bed, one in the car and one at work. Program each one to change the settings on your phone just by tapping the tag.
If you plan to root, you can add Google Wallet. It's a 10 step process, but you get 10 free bucks out of it to buy lunch. Google wallet works at nearly every fast food joint, home Depot, cvs, every 7-11, best buy, home Depot, foot locker and I think chevron gas stations?

 

[Dolorian]

Thanks for the great input so far!

I take it then that the SanDisk Ultra I linked to is a great choice. Will go with it.

As far as the extra battery and charger goes, if I plug the S3 to my MacBook Pro via the USB cable, it will charge like the iPhone does, right? Or would I need to plug it to the wall for it to charge? My experience with my current iPhone 4 is that I only need to charge it over a whole day if I forget charging it the night after. If I do, the battery lasts me all day without problem. I take it the S3 has better battery life than the 4, so it will do fine without an extra battery/charger for the time being.

I've never felt like using screen protectors, they kind of bug me and seem to be just an extra unnecessary layer on the screen that make it look worse/dimmer.

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If you want to use NFC daily, buy 6 NFC tags for 15 bucks. Put one in your house next to bed, one in the car and one at work. Program each one to change the settings on your phone just by tapping the tag.

I read about this in a recent article, sounds very interesting, so the way they work is that when the S3 is near them it triggers some function(s) in the phone?

 

[canderton]

yes your mac will charge your S3 just like the iPhone, however it does charge much slower than a wall charger.. and idk if its just me but the battery life on my S3 seemed to improve after using it for a week or so.. I also highly recommend the juicedefender app for improved battery performance.

 

[Dolorian]

yes your mac will charge your S3 just like the iPhone, however it does charge much slower than a wall charger..

Well that is great to know Thanks.

 

[djarpit]

I highly recommend the Hyperion battery from amazon. it works great!

 

[Dolorian]

Thanks for all the input! I just placed an order for the three accesories I linked to in the OP.

Heading out now to get my Galaxy S3! Can't wait

 

[Southernboyj]

Well that is great to know Thanks.

Almost any computer will charge slower, not just Mac's. USB just carries less power than the standard wall charger.

Great choice of phone, Galaxy S3 is amazing. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Mac.World]

I read about this in a recent article, sounds very interesting, so the way they work is that when the S3 is near them it triggers some function(s) in the phone?

NFC tags are just like Google Wallet and the pay pass terminals found on lots of credit card machines. You simply tap the back of the phone lightly to the tag or terminal and NFC does the rest. When I get into my car I tap the NFC tag I installed behind my console (I installed my stereo and put Android and iPhone connectors and charging cords behind my center console dash and while I had everything off, used some clear silicone to put a tag in there.) Now I just tap the dash and my phone puts volume and brightness to 100%, starts my podcast player, puts phone into auto-rotate, turns off wifi and starts 4g.

You can program and reprogram the tag over and over from the NFC Task Launcher app (official NFC app). Very simple. Set one for home, work and car. Set one up so if someone visits and you want to allow them access to your wifi, these can automatically configure their phones, so no writing down ip addresses, passwords, etc. You go to a convention and want to give people your 'digital' business card, you can buy little NFC stickers (take one and stick it on the back of your hand and anyone with an NFC chip can receive a digital business card from you, just by passing their phone over your hand. This can also be done with QR image codes, but that requires turning your phone on, clicking on an application to read it, ensure there is enough or not to much light on the code, snapping the image, being able to send the info to a usable app, etc.. With NFC tags, your phone doesn't even have to be on.

Why Apple didn't put NFC in their iphone 5 is beyond me and really, really stupid. It hurts everyone too, not just iOS users, since adoption of the tech will now be slower without the Apple clout behind the tech. (Unfortunately)

 

[Wrathwitch]

Looks like you answered your own questions. I got a 32 GB micro SD for mine from Best Buy for $32 back in June which is plenty for me. I dont load a bunch of videos. Just a few and have only around 1300 sings but it is a class 10 and it loads instantly so that isnt an issue at all.

Though my batery is pretty good, im thinking of getting a bigger one on eBay up to about 3000 mAh or there abouts.


I got a few things from a website that is from China. Took three weeks to get them but it is legit and they are cheap. Check them out. Catagories for different types of covers are top left under accessories. I should point out that this Link is for battery back covers.



I have not looked at the case section as i got battery covers but here is the Link for it

Hey! Thanks a lot for that link! No problems with product? Just having to wait? Did you get a battery from them too?

NFC tags are just like Google Wallet and the pay pass terminals found on lots of credit card machines. You simply tap the back of the phone lightly to the tag or terminal and NFC does the rest. When I get into my car I tap the NFC tag I installed behind my console (I installed my stereo and put Android and iPhone connectors and charging cords behind my center console dash and while I had everything off, used some clear silicone to put a tag in there.) Now I just tap the dash and my phone puts volume and brightness to 100%, starts my podcast player, puts phone into auto-rotate, turns off wifi and starts 4g.

You can program and reprogram the tag over and over from the NFC Task Launcher app (official NFC app). Very simple. Set one for home, work and car. Set one up so if someone visits and you want to allow them access to your wifi, these can automatically configure their phones, so no writing down ip addresses, passwords, etc. You go to a convention and want to give people your 'digital' business card, you can buy little NFC stickers (take one and stick it on the back of your hand and anyone with an NFC chip can receive a digital business card from you, just by passing their phone over your hand. This can also be done with QR image codes, but that requires turning your phone on, clicking on an application to read it, ensure there is enough or not to much light on the code, snapping the image, being able to send the info to a usable app, etc.. With NFC tags, your phone doesn't even have to be on.

Why Apple didn't put NFC in their iphone 5 is beyond me and really, really stupid. It hurts everyone too, not just iOS users, since adoption of the tech will now be slower without the Apple clout behind the tech. (Unfortunately)

Where do you get these NFC tags, I think something like that would be great for my car.

Thanks!

 

[daveathall]

Where do you get these NFC tags, I think something like that would be great for my car.

Thanks!

There ya go.

http://www.amazon.com/s/re

Edit; Sorry but the link just goes to the home page, just search "NFC tags" once on Amazon.

Hope this helps

 

[Mac.World]

Hey! Thanks a lot for that link! No problems with product? Just having to wait? Did you get a battery from them too?



Where do you get these NFC tags, I think something like that would be great for my car.

Thanks!

Download app and purchase tags here: http://www.nfctasklauncher.com

 

[Vegastouch]

Hey! Thanks a lot for that link! No problems with product? Just having to wait? Did you get a battery from them too?

No problems with the products, just takes a while to get them.
I did not get a battery from them. Ill look into it though but otherwise i was looking on eBay. There are several batteries that are bigger as stated up to about 3000 mAh that fit in the phone without having to get a back extension.

I got my NFC Tags on eBay as well but you can buy them from the app he linked. I got my tags before using the app so ill probably do it that way next time if i need them but i have 15 that i got for about $10-$11 so i think im good.

 

[Wrathwitch]

Thanks everyone!

 

[Dolorian]

NFC tags are just like Google Wallet and the pay pass terminals found on lots of credit card machines. You simply tap the back of the phone lightly to the tag or terminal and NFC does the rest. When I get into my car I tap the NFC tag I installed behind my console (I installed my stereo and put Android and iPhone connectors and charging cords behind my center console dash and while I had everything off, used some clear silicone to put a tag in there.) Now I just tap the dash and my phone puts volume and brightness to 100%, starts my podcast player, puts phone into auto-rotate, turns off wifi and starts 4g.

You can program and reprogram the tag over and over from the NFC Task Launcher app (official NFC app). Very simple. Set one for home, work and car. Set one up so if someone visits and you want to allow them access to your wifi, these can automatically configure their phones, so no writing down ip addresses, passwords, etc. You go to a convention and want to give people your 'digital' business card, you can buy little NFC stickers (take one and stick it on the back of your hand and anyone with an NFC chip can receive a digital business card from you, just by passing their phone over your hand. This can also be done with QR image codes, but that requires turning your phone on, clicking on an application to read it, ensure there is enough or not to much light on the code, snapping the image, being able to send the info to a usable app, etc.. With NFC tags, your phone doesn't even have to be on.

Why Apple didn't put NFC in their iphone 5 is beyond me and really, really stupid. It hurts everyone too, not just iOS users, since adoption of the tech will now be slower without the Apple clout behind the tech. (Unfortunately)

Thanks for this very helpful explanation, I'll have to buy some of these sometime

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Great choice of phone, Galaxy S3 is amazing. You won't be disappointed.

I've had it for about two days now and am like a little kid with a new toy, I can't put it down, it is SO amazing and I am still getting the hang of it and Android in general I can't wait for my 64GB memory, case and stand to arrive.

I will start a new thread like this one but focused on apps and tips in a bit.