People with Samsung Galaxy SIII's your advice please..

[chrisrosemusic1]

OK, so with the imminent announcement of the new iPhone and iOS 6 I'm feeling a little under nourished in whether I'm going to bother upgrading my 4S this year. I've had iPhones since the 3G and upgrade at every new announcement but this year I'm swaying towards an Android device. However, I want to obviously keep my Mac and retina iPad.

So this leads me to the following questions for those with Macs and the S3;

1) Compatibility with OSX - Samsung Kies doesn't support it so obviously no backups are possible with the Mac. Do you have any work arounds / apps that will allow this.

2) Using your iTunes media on the device - I noticed Samsung have released an app in the UK which allegedly allows this now under the name of 'EasyPhoneSync' - Have any of you tried it and know how good it is?

3) Your overall impression of Android over iOS - the widgets etc look really handy and I know 4.0/4.1 are huge improvements since my last experience on 2.1 3 years ago.

Any advice would be great as I just can't see me having any interest in yet another similar designed iPhone this year. iOS simplicity is starting to become boring.

Thanks!

 

[alex2792]

OK, so with the imminent announcement of the new iPhone and iOS 6 I'm feeling a little under nourished in whether I'm going to bother upgrading my 4S this year. I've had iPhones since the 3G and upgrade at every new announcement but this year I'm swaying towards an Android device. However, I want to obviously keep my Mac and retina iPad.

So this leads me to the following questions for those with Macs and the S3;

1) Compatibility with OSX - Samsung Kies doesn't support it so obviously no backups are possible with the Mac. Do you have any work arounds / apps that will allow this.

2) Using your iTunes media on the device - I noticed Samsung have released an app in the UK which allegedly allows this now under the name of 'EasyPhoneSync' - Have any of you tried it and know how good it is?

3) Your overall impression of Android over iOS - the widgets etc look really handy and I know 4.0/4.1 are huge improvements since my last experience on 2.1 3 years ago.

Any advice would be great as I just can't see me having any interest in yet another similar designed iPhone this year. iOS simplicity is starting to become boring.

Thanks!

I would wait for the iPhone 5 announcement before making the decision. I'm enjoying my GS3 but I've used android previously so I was comfortable with it from the get go. Android OS can do a lot more stuff like working with any file format right on your phone,customizing launchers and keyboards etc. but overall it lacks polish and cohesiveness of iOS. Also,while you can find most iOS apps on the play store they are generally far less polished and oftentimes look rather hideous compared to iOS versions. I also miss iMessage and FaceTime because they're just so damn convenient compared to various 3rd party alternatives that I have to use with android.

 

[chrisrosemusic1]

I would wait for the iPhone 5 announcement before making the decision. I'm enjoying my GS3 but I've used android previously so I was comfortable with it from the get go. Android OS can do a lot more stuff like working with any file format right on your phone,customizing launchers and keyboards etc. but overall it lacks polish and cohesiveness of iOS. Also,while you can find most iOS apps on the play store they are generally far less polished and oftentimes look rather hideous compared to iOS versions. I also miss iMessage and FaceTime because they're just so damn convenient compared to various 3rd party alternatives that I have to use with android.

Fair comment - the wait is killing me though

 

[Wrathwitch]

OK, so with the imminent announcement of the new iPhone and iOS 6 I'm feeling a little under nourished in whether I'm going to bother upgrading my 4S this year. I've had iPhones since the 3G and upgrade at every new announcement but this year I'm swaying towards an Android device. However, I want to obviously keep my Mac and retina iPad.

So this leads me to the following questions for those with Macs and the S3;

1) Compatibility with OSX - Samsung Kies doesn't support it so obviously no backups are possible with the Mac. Do you have any work arounds / apps that will allow this.

No compatibility issues: I sync my music and iTunes video (non protected) and playlists wirelessly using iSyncr Wifi. Yeah you pay a bit for it, but it is sweet and syncs both ways.

2) Using your iTunes media on the device - I noticed Samsung have released an app in the UK which allegedly allows this now under the name of 'EasyPhoneSync' - Have any of you tried it and know how good it is?

As mentioned I use iSyncr for this. Also a little nugget on how to automatically put photos from GS3 to iPhoto/photostream:

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39...-your-android-device-to-iclouds-photo-stream/

Do note though that it pulls the photos from my dropbox account since now dropbox automatically uploads your photos as they are taken unless you disable this.

3) Your overall impression of Android over iOS - the widgets etc look really handy and I know 4.0/4.1 are huge improvements since my last experience on 2.1 3 years ago.

Any advice would be great as I just can't see me having any interest in yet another similar designed iPhone this year. iOS simplicity is starting to become boring.

Thanks!

I was in the same boat as you. I never had tried Android before, was a very avid Apple fan. iP4 my first great smartphone.

I like the OS. I don't notice any specific lag. Compared to iOS, I find that once you work your way around saving your phone's settings etc (back up) then there is just the pleasure of using it. The learning curve and initial annoyance is discovering things like Automator-iPhoto, and iSyncr etc.

Phone call quality is excellent, smooth, quick. I am not really a widget hog, but I do use the flashlight app widget and the weather on my lock screen. I also have a nice brightness widget (self explanatory).

I am not overly keen on the camera, although others have raved about it. I find you really have to wait for the focus box to turn green to get any sort of a crisp image without zooming. The pics aren't terrible but they are not the same quality as my iP4 was.

I haven't necessarily washed my hands of Apple, but I will wait until they get their heads out of their bums and develop a phone with a proportionally larger screen. 4.3 would have been satisfactory if it was taller AND a bit wider. (This is just MY opinion though). I will wait 2-3 years as long as this phone continues to serve me as well as my iP4 did. Perhaps by then Apple will offer something that again pulls me in.

I really like having all my apps shoved in an app drawer, not cluttering up my home screens if I don't want them to. I am enjoying the change! I still love the HTC default weather widget though, I really wish SS offered that!! It is the only reason I like HTC.

The battery life is quite good. I can get more than a full day, but charge it every night any ways.

I am still learning almost every day something new that this phone can do.

Good luck!

 

[ixodes]

Just like using a Windows computer for years, if one switches to a Mac it requires an open mind, patience, & willingness to learn. Then you have a great experience.

The same applies to migrating from iOS to Android.

I love my SGS III as much as iOS and use both, each on their own line, concurrently. It's a great experience, with variety, a learning opportunity and benefits for all.

I'm not giving up either.

 

[chrisrosemusic1]

Thanks for your replies, I guess with most things in life it's a case of personal preference.

I'm stuck in limbo of what to do - I do love my mac and iPad but I'm just fed up of owning what feels like the same phone every year. I know they say, 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' which is largely true, but on the other hand I think I'm ready for a new experience now I have confidence in a lot of people making this change and feeling happy with it.

I just hope there's no regrets by a completely shocking iPhone 6 that's not in line with any of the rumours we've seen but I am craving a larger screen, especially bigger than 4" with no extra width.

Can get some ridiculously cheap deals with the S3 through online retailers and I'll just put my current contract sim in it, sell the 4S and pay off the majority of the new line rental.

 

[BoxerGT2.5]

Once you get past the initial learning curve and set up the device is a pleasure to use. I actually find myself using my phone more than my iPad at home simply because the screen can support what I want to do. I would never browse much on the iPhone due to the little screen. The S3 with LTE flies and the extra real estate makes doing anything on it a breeze. I can easily use it with one hand and it fits comfortably in the pocket. If you wear skinny jeans you have other problems then where it is you put your phone. The camera is actually really good and the best shot mode is awesome.

I too am hoping for a surprise in the new iPhone. Maybe something closer to the renders we saw with the then rumored 4s (ie...tear drop mini iPad type device). Unfortunately though it looks like the 4s on viagra we will get fed is going to be the reality.

 

[chrisrosemusic1]

Once you get past the initial learning curve and set up the device is a pleasure to use. I actually find myself using my phone more than my iPad at home simply because the screen can support what I want to do. I would never browse much on the iPhone due to the little screen. The S3 with LTE flies and the extra real estate makes doing anything on it a breeze. I can easily use it with one hand and it fits comfortably in the pocket. If you wear skinny jeans you have other problems then where it is you put your phone. The camera is actually really good and the best shot mode is awesome.

I too am hoping for a surprise in the new iPhone. Maybe something closer to the renders we saw with the then rumored 4s (ie...tear drop mini iPad type device). Unfortunately though it looks like the 4s on viagra we will get fed is going to be the reality.

^ this is the very reason I don't want to waste another upgrade on an iPhone this year. Have ordered the S3 now-should arrive tomorrow!

 

[alphaod]

1) Kies works fine on OS X. Even WiFi sync works.

2) You can add iTunes music as long as it doesn't have DRM and isn't lossless (regular AAC works fine).

3) I'm a long time Android user, but never got used to the crappy keyboard. Multitasking feels less polished than iOS. App marketplace feels disorganized.

 

[chrisrosemusic1]

1) Kies works fine on OS X. Even WiFi sync works.

2) You can add iTunes music as long as it doesn't have DRM and isn't lossless (regular AAC works fine).

3) I'm a long time Android user, but never got used to the crappy keyboard. Multitasking feels less polished than iOS. App marketplace feels disorganized.

New keyboard on 4.1 looks vastly improved though.

Where did you get Kies for Mac from? I couldn't find it on Samsung site?..

 

[daveathall]

New keyboard on 4.1 looks vastly improved though.

Where did you get Kies for Mac from? I couldn't find it on Samsung site?..

There ya go.

http://www.samsung.com/uk/support/usefulsoftware/KIES/JSP

Having said that, I find that Kies doesn't work in Mountain Lion, I will have to wait for a fix.

 

[chrisrosemusic1]

There ya go.

http://www.samsung.com/uk/support/usefulsoftware/KIES/JSP

Having said that, I find that Kies doesn't work in Mountain Lion, I will have to wait for a fix.

LOL! Could be a while then!

Oh well, contacts/email/calendars are now sync'd with GMail for tomorrow and I've got a newly released Samsung app which syncs music, video etc with iTunes. Then I'll get dropbox working with automater for the photo stream updates. Should be good.

 

[daveathall]

I am UK based and got 20GB free with dropbox, might be worth looking out for Chris.

 

[chrisrosemusic1]

I am UK based and got 20GB free with dropbox, might be worth looking out for Chris.

Yeah I know you get a free 2 year space upgrade with each phone - this is good news Didn't get it today which sucks - coming tomorrow before 1.

 

[Wrathwitch]

^ this is the very reason I don't want to waste another upgrade on an iPhone this year. Have ordered the S3 now-should arrive tomorrow!

Haha So you took the leap eh? Well. Do remember 2 things:

Kies is complete and utter crap, won't do diddly for you.

Patience is key when learning something new esp Android from Apple. Took me a while to warm up to things but I am happy with my choice now

Enjoy!

 

[chrisrosemusic1]

Haha So you took the leap eh? Well. Do remember 2 things:

Kies is complete and utter crap, won't do diddly for you.

Patience is key when learning something new esp Android from Apple. Took me a while to warm up to things but I am happy with my choice now

Enjoy!

Yeah, it didn't take much convincing to be honest! I watched a few videos and I have *some* Android experience.

Very happy that it will all work with my Mac - I haven't even bothered with Kies. I downloaded 'Easy Phone Sync', iSyncr and Google Drive so I should get there

Will report back with my findings

 

[dukeblue91]

Yeah, it didn't take much convincing to be honest! I watched a few videos and I have *some* Android experience.

Very happy that it will all work with my Mac - I haven't even bothered with Kies. I downloaded 'Easy Phone Sync', iSyncr and Google Drive so I should get there

Will report back with my findings

Congrats on your new phone!
These Android phones are amazing as I have found out.
I just like you did a switch after being with the iPhone since the very first one.
If you get a chance try out AirDroid sync too.
It is very feature full and very easy to use and is the syncing software I settled with.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you want to do the same type of syncing like iTunes and being able to do a full restore that will include system settings, email addresses and wallpaper and such.
You will need to root your phone.

I learned that the hard way on my HTC One X when I had to do a factory reset to upgrade the latest ICS and ended up having to put everything back into and unto the phone minus Google stuff, pics and songs.

However if you root you can get apps that will do a deep level backup and restore.

Now that I have upgraded to the newest ICS 4.0.4 I lost the ability to root thanks to At&t that decided to lock it down.

 

[aznguyen316]

OK, so with the imminent announcement of the new iPhone and iOS 6 I'm feeling a little under nourished in whether I'm going to bother upgrading my 4S this year. I've had iPhones since the 3G and upgrade at every new announcement but this year I'm swaying towards an Android device. However, I want to obviously keep my Mac and retina iPad.

So this leads me to the following questions for those with Macs and the S3;

1) Compatibility with OSX - Samsung Kies doesn't support it so obviously no backups are possible with the Mac. Do you have any work arounds / apps that will allow this.

2) Using your iTunes media on the device - I noticed Samsung have released an app in the UK which allegedly allows this now under the name of 'EasyPhoneSync' - Have any of you tried it and know how good it is?

3) Your overall impression of Android over iOS - the widgets etc look really handy and I know 4.0/4.1 are huge improvements since my last experience on 2.1 3 years ago.

Any advice would be great as I just can't see me having any interest in yet another similar designed iPhone this year. iOS simplicity is starting to become boring.

Thanks!

Heya! I switched (back) to Android after having a 4S for about 11 months, previously I had a Droid Eris that I rooted/rom to 2.3. Anyway...

1) I can't answer as I only connect my S3 to my PC as my MBP doesn't have any media files on it.

2) iSyncr is for mac/pc and it works great. I had to work out a couple of kinks due to driver errors on the PC side but now it sync over ratings, play counts, and songs via playlists. So you kind of need to be a playlist kinda guy so you can pick and choose want to sync over. I'm big on the stat tracking stuff of iTunes and iSyncr was great for it. $2.99 from the play store. I haven't used Samsung's option yet. There's also a WiFi iSyncr I purchased and tried once or twice and it works well too but I'm usually just connected via 4G and not WiFi (my phone isn't playing nicely with my Airport Extreme).

3) I am on 4.0.4 and I really like ICS. I'm waiting for some solid CM10 build of 4.1.1 but ICS is a big step over gingerbread IMO. It looks more of a modern OS. The feel is just nice. I still think I prefer iOS due to the simplicity of it. But I have no major complaints of Android. I will say I am rooted and unlocked on my VZW and have a "CleanRom 2.0" installed and it's great. If you're not a tweaker then I think iOS out of the box is a much better experience. But I don't mind working on the Android to get things the way I want it.
I did however have a jailbroken 4S and did a lot of tweaks to that to get it how I want and it's funny b/c a lot of my tweaks (status bar stuff) are available out of box for 4.0.4.
I only hear Jelly Bean closes the gap of "smoothness" to iOS with the 60FPS. But I haven't found Android not to be able to do anything I was able to do with iOS.. sometimes it just takes a few more UI presses to do something however.

Widgets are my favorite though, having a lot of information accessible to you on the home screens is a big thing. I like not being so appcentric.

My first smartphone was Android and I've had more time with the OS than iOS. I still thing Android is still slightly behind in terms of user experience but it's definitely not a drawback for me to switch back. I forget how customizable my phone is now.

Here's my home screen. No apps, just (clickable) widgets.

Other minor things to mention.
-OEM keyboard is terrible. Go right to the play store and get Swiftkey 3.0. Went from frustrating to happy.
-I love being able to browse the play store on my PC and then just install to phone and the phone remote downloads and installs the app. I know iOS had something like this for other devices, but I don't quite remember if it did remote install if you purchased on your pc... correct me on this however.
-I already used gmail for my email and contacts (even for iOS) so I'm not missing iCloud except for a place to store backups. Since I am rooted with a recovery I just make nandroid backups and am auto sync'd to dropbox for picture uploads. I do miss photostream as that just sent pics to my PC asap, but dropbox does the job well enough.

btw I did a straight trade of my 4S 16gb for this 16GB S3 that was 2 weeks old. Only concern is I love AppleCare, but I have no such warranty with my phone. Scary! But hey I keep my unlimited data. 1.7GB used in 7 days so far. I'm rarely now on WiFi. Tampa LTE is superb! Getting from 16-30mbps down in my home.

 

[aneftp]

S3 is a great phone. Owned all the gadgets including G1 all the way through Galaxy Nexus and now S3. Also owned all iphones.

1. Call quality excellent
2. Battery life excellent (for a smartphone). You will get a full day's use out of phone even for "heavy" user. iPhone 4S usually dies on me around 5-6pm with heavy use. The S3 I can make it till 9pm (I am up at 520AM every morning). And am a heavy user.
3. Screen size. Sure it's pentile. But compare the pentile for the Gnex vs. S3. You will notice that Samsung did something different with the dispaly. I find the S3 screen better.
4. Apps and widgets are all personal experiences so can't commment on that.

The one thing I will say is if you are a big gamer. Android games are not as polished as iOS games. And developers focus most of their attention to iOS games.

Also some of the lastest apps come to iOS a few months before it hits Android. Like HBO go, Netflix, and now (with those who have young kids). Watch Disney app. All those nice apps come to iOS way before it hits Android. That may be something to factor in also.

 

[Wrathwitch]

heya! I switched (back) to android after having a 4s for about 11 months, previously i had a droid eris that i rooted/rom to 2.3. Anyway...

1) i can't answer as i only connect my s3 to my pc as my mbp doesn't have any media files on it.

2) isyncr is for mac/pc and it works great. I had to work out a couple of kinks due to driver errors on the pc side but now it sync over ratings, play counts, and songs via playlists. So you kind of need to be a playlist kinda guy so you can pick and choose want to sync over. I'm big on the stat tracking stuff of itunes and isyncr was great for it. $2.99 from the play store. I haven't used samsung's option yet. There's also a wifi isyncr i purchased and tried once or twice and it works well too but i'm usually just connected via 4g and not wifi (my phone isn't playing nicely with my airport extreme).

3) i am on 4.0.4 and i really like ics. I'm waiting for some solid cm10 build of 4.1.1 but ics is a big step over gingerbread imo. It looks more of a modern os. The feel is just nice. I still think i prefer ios due to the simplicity of it. But i have no major complaints of android. I will say i am rooted and unlocked on my vzw and have a "cleanrom 2.0" installed and it's great. If you're not a tweaker then i think ios out of the box is a much better experience. But i don't mind working on the android to get things the way i want it.
I did however have a jailbroken 4s and did a lot of tweaks to that to get it how i want and it's funny b/c a lot of my tweaks (status bar stuff) are available out of box for 4.0.4.
I only hear jelly bean closes the gap of "smoothness" to ios with the 60fps. But i haven't found android not to be able to do anything i was able to do with ios.. Sometimes it just takes a few more ui presses to do something however.

Widgets are my favorite though, having a lot of information accessible to you on the home screens is a big thing. I like not being so appcentric.

My first smartphone was android and i've had more time with the os than ios. I still thing android is still slightly behind in terms of user experience but it's definitely not a drawback for me to switch back. I forget how customizable my phone is now.

Here's my home screen. No apps, just (clickable) widgets.

Other minor things to mention.
-oem keyboard is terrible. Go right to the play store and get swiftkey 3.0. Went from frustrating to happy.
-i love being able to browse the play store on my pc and then just install to phone and the phone remote downloads and installs the app. I know ios had something like this for other devices, but i don't quite remember if it did remote install if you purchased on your pc... Correct me on this however.
-i already used gmail for my email and contacts (even for ios) so i'm not missing icloud except for a place to store backups. Since i am rooted with a recovery i just make nandroid backups and am auto sync'd to dropbox for picture uploads. I do miss photostream as that just sent pics to my pc asap, but dropbox does the job well enough.

Btw i did a straight trade of my 4s 16gb for this 16gb s3 that was 2 weeks old. Only concern is i love applecare, but i have no such warranty with my phone. Scary! But hey i keep my unlimited data. 1.7gb used in 7 days so far. I'm rarely now on wifi. Tampa lte is superb! Getting from 16-30mbps down in my home.

FOR the HORDE!!!!!