Galaxy S4

[mattopotamus]

No problems whatsoever.

The real problem lies with the possibility of my Calendar (which is always updated via my iPhone) no longer syncing with my wife's and vice-versa. Same with PhotoStream. When you have a little one and are taking tons of pics, it's nice for those pics to automatically appear on everyone else's phone with no extra steps.

Perhaps I'll wait for the iPhone 5S/iPhone 6/iOS 7 announcement. If there's not a 5" screen on it this year, I'm out.

If you guys were to share a dropbox account, you could use that instead of photostream. The s4 would automatically upload the photos like photostream and the iphone would upload once you launch the app. For calenders there is a way to still use the "cloud" calendar. I am not 100% sure of the app name, but it is all over these forums.....maybe like smoothsync or something similar.

 

[jrswizzle]

If you guys were to share a dropbox account, you could use that instead of photostream. The s4 would automatically upload the photos like photostream and the iphone would upload once you launch the app. For calenders there is a way to still use the "cloud" calendar. I am not 100% sure of the app name, but it is all over these forums.....maybe like smoothsync or something similar.

The iPhone auto-uploads to dropbox as well if I'm not mistaken.....

I use this same setup to connect my HTC One with my iPhone 5 and all my other Apple devices as I still use my iPhone 5 as my primary camera

 

[Sylon]

Watching various reviews on the phone, and seeing the example video recordings from the phone has me a little worried. There is a lot of wobble in the videos. Almost similar to phone from several years ago. Comparing it to my Nexus and the wobble is atrocious on the GS4. Now, these review videos could have hired Michael J. Fox to record these examples, but I doubt it. I also saw that the GS4 has a stability mode that really helps it. But without it, wow it's bad.

 

[Tinmania]

Designers of the S4 speaking about it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cUiRThvCp8E

Apologies if already posted.




Michael

 

[tbayrgs]

This thread is making my decision to dump the iPhone 5 for an S4, very hard. Features-wise, S4 is a no brainer. And the thought of jumping into Android for the first time ever and tinkering, has me very excited.

BUT, I'm 110% bought into the Apple ecosystem. Wife, mother and I all own iPhones and share an iCloud account, where every pic each of us takes (99% of which are of our little daughter), show up on each other's Photo Stream. My Calendar syncs with the wife's, a must for us. Notifications as well. Apple TVs, Macbook Pro and iPad. All would be "disconnected" if I pull the trigger and dump the iPhone 5.

Can someone please talk some sense into me?!?

If you guys were to share a dropbox account, you could use that instead of photostream. The s4 would automatically upload the photos like photostream and the iphone would upload once you launch the app. For calenders there is a way to still use the "cloud" calendar. I am not 100% sure of the app name, but it is all over these forums.....maybe like smoothsync or something similar.

mattopotamus is spot on here. While it won't automatically integrate into the Photos app on an iPhone, you can set up both Android and iPhones to auto upload to a Dropbox account and any device that has access to the account will be able to view the photos. What's even better about uploading to Dropbox vs. Photostream is videos will also be uploaded to your Dropbox--not so for Photostream.

He's also correct about syncing your iCloud calendar/contacts--check out SmoothSync in the Google Play store. I previously used them without incident (same situation as you needing to stay synced up with the better half ) but have since moved everything over to Google for simplicity in switching devices.

 

[MRU]

***** Touchwiz....

So far today I've had 'unfortunetly touchwiz has stopped responding' error and everything freezing at least 7 or 8 times... just moving folder around app drawer and everything crashes and lock up....

Seriously Samsung... not impressed with your software AT ALL !!!

Factory re-setting and setting up from scratch again now

 

[jrswizzle]

***** Touchwiz....

So far today I've had 'unfortunetly touchwiz has stopped responding' error and everything freezing.

Seriously Samsung... not impressed with your software AT ALL !!!

Factory re-setting and setting up from scratch again now

Oh geez, when does your replacement One get to you?

Are you still on the fence? lol

 

[MRU]

Oh geez, when does your replacement One get to you?

Are you still on the fence? lol

Sometime after tuesday next.... If the OS keeps doing this and it's a constant struggle to keep it running quick fast and responsive, then yes it will make the decision 'a lot' easier.....

 

[jrswizzle]

Sometime after tuesday next.... If the OS keeps doing this and it's a constant struggle to keep it running quick fast and responsive, then yes it will make the decision 'a lot' easier.....

That's rough holmes.

I'm always baffled by those who seem to think that turning off all those "features" it somehow "magically" de-bloats the software.....regardless of whether those options are running or not, the software is still loaded with unnecessary features that bog the thing down.

Perhaps it'd be one thing if we got the faster version - but unfortunately we don't. I wonder how the Exynos version is faring - better I'd guess.

Ahh well - only does more to cement my dislike for Samsung, though I think I'll try and pick up a cheap GS3 at some point. I want to try it out for myself....maybe wait until next year and pick up the GS4 when it's cheap.

I still think HTC has a GOLDEN opportunity here....its just a matter if they do enough to take advantage of it.

 

[Tinmania]

Sometime after tuesday next.... If the OS keeps doing this and it's a constant struggle to keep it running quick fast and responsive, then yes it will make the decision 'a lot' easier.....

Have you tried Nova launcher? I am really liking it on my Note 2.



Michael

 

[MRU]

Have you tried Nova launcher? I am really liking it on my Note 2.



Michael

Yeah looks like I'm going to have no other choice but to use Nova. I have bought it (prime) so I am used to it. Its just a shame that on a device in 2013 the manufactuer has made such a bags of its GUI. I can put up with a lot, but force closing of the OS is asking too much.

 

[Chodite]

If you guys were to share a dropbox account, you could use that instead of photostream. The s4 would automatically upload the photos like photostream and the iphone would upload once you launch the app. For calenders there is a way to still use the "cloud" calendar. I am not 100% sure of the app name, but it is all over these forums.....maybe like smoothsync or something similar.

mattopotamus is spot on here. While it won't automatically integrate into the Photos app on an iPhone, you can set up both Android and iPhones to auto upload to a Dropbox account and any device that has access to the account will be able to view the photos. What's even better about uploading to Dropbox vs. Photostream is videos will also be uploaded to your Dropbox--not so for Photostream.

He's also correct about syncing your iCloud calendar/contacts--check out SmoothSync in the Google Play store. I previously used them without incident (same situation as you needing to stay synced up with the better half ) but have since moved everything over to Google for simplicity in switching devices.

Hmmmm, thanks for the reply guys. Again making my decision much harder! Off to my local AT&T store to play with the S4 a second time.

 

[Fireblade]

Having my S4 since saturday, and Touchwiz is running great, never gave me any problems.
Coming from a S3, I am very impressed by the S4.
The screen is so much better, also loving the thin bezels, and the haptic/looks.
Yesterday I had it off the charger for 17 hours, with 7h screen on time with 3% left.

 

[FlipCup]

This is making my decision so hard from coming from a iPhone 4S.

Part of me wants the HTC One because of the larger INTERNAL storage. I am worried that having 16GB Internal Storage for 1.5-2 years will not be sufficient with games getting larger.

Ugh, what to do!

 

[jamezr]

***** Touchwiz....

So far today I've had 'unfortunetly touchwiz has stopped responding' error and everything freezing at least 7 or 8 times... just moving folder around app drawer and everything crashes and lock up....

Seriously Samsung... not impressed with your software AT ALL !!!

Factory re-setting and setting up from scratch again now

Wow that is awful! I have had this phone since Sunday and have not had that happen so far. Have you tried a data reset?

 

[vikingjunior]

Mostly that is from people who "got their hands on one" like you.



Michael

Maybe I'm just used to the smoothness of the Nexus 4.

 

[Tinmania]

Yeah looks like I'm going to have no other choice but to use Nova. I have bought it (prime) so I am used to it. Its just a shame that on a device in 2013 the manufactuer has made such a bags of its GUI. I can put up with a lot, but force closing of the OS is asking too much.

I don't think your experience is typical. That has happened on my Note 2 perhaps 3 times in nearly 4 months--and I am rooted. Perhaps it is a conflict with a specific app?

That said I like Nova even though TW didn't crash on me. Think I'm going to go for the paid version (which for me is the kiss of death: upgrade to paid; immediately stop liking it ).



Michael

 

[xchampx13]

I have had 0 issues with Touchwiz so far here, never seen that error before

 

[The Game 161]

Guys how many home screens can you add on?

 

[xchampx13]

I believe the most you can have is 7

 

[MRU]

I don't think your experience is typical. That has happened on my Note 2 perhaps 3 times in nearly 4 months--and I am rooted. Perhaps it is a conflict with a specific app?

That said I like Nova even though TW didn't crash on me. Think I'm going to go for the paid version (which for me is the kiss of death: upgrade to paid; immediately stop liking it ).



Michael

Yeah I doubt my experience is common, hence I decided to just do a factory reset and see if it fixes. Hopefully it's just an app that doesn't like the S4 and was conflicting.

It's annoying but not the end of the world.

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Wow that is awful! I have had this phone since Sunday and have not had that happen so far. Have you tried a data reset?

Yep just done it, and downloading my apps again now.... fingers crossed.

These things can happen, but it is making harder for me to ever be enamoured by Touchwiz .......

 

[Tsuchiya]

And some full res ones not re-compressed via Mac OS 'Preview'

photo1 link
Image

photo2 link
Image

photo3 link
Image

photo4 link
Image

Photo 4 has been cropped. Macro on the camera is very good.

All photos taken on Auto mode.

You know if you'd never mentioned it I would have never checked my settings and realised that the camera was set to 6 by default...

Here I was thinking that the pictures were already fairly decent lol.

 

[MRU]

This is making my decision so hard from coming from a iPhone 4S.

Part of me wants the HTC One because of the larger INTERNAL storage. I am worried that having 16GB Internal Storage for 1.5-2 years will not be sufficient with games getting larger.

Ugh, what to do!

The 9gb free and the inability (so were told) to run software from MicroSD on JellyBean 4.1+ should definitely play a part in your decision.

Adding a 32GB card isn't going to resolve the problem that games are getting bigger. For me it's not an issue, I play very simple games, but for those who want Modern Combat, N.O.V.A, Horn, GTA etc... then yes the ability to install these on internal available space should raise a concern.

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You know if you'd never mentioned it I would have never checked my settings and realised that the camera was set to 6 by default...

Here I was thinking that the pictures were already fairly decent lol.

Lol.... I know Really easy to miss.

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Having no lag here at all. Just noticed there was a little plastic on the camera around the edges... lol off know

Yeah it's really inconspicuous and easy to miss, and it's also quite fiddly to remove

 

[xchampx13]

Early versions of TWRP and CWM are starting to be released, not doing anything yet til a stable root/recovery are out though

 

[FlipCup]

The 9gb free and the inability (so were told) to run software from MicroSD on JellyBean 4.1+ should definitely play a part in your decision.

Adding a 32GB card isn't going to resolve the problem that games are getting bigger. For me it's not an issue, I play very simple games, but for those who want Modern Combat, N.O.V.A, Horn, GTA etc... then yes the ability to install these on internal available space should raise a concern.

----------
Yes, I agree. It will have to play a decision. I usually play simple games, however I would prefer not to be limited in case I decide to play a game that takes up a larger file size.

I wish they would just give us more details on the 32GB or 64GB.