I've been on build 7/23 of the cm10 rom for close to 24 hours now. I've used the phone quite a bit during that time, and will continue to add to my observations regarding performance and bugs. Just for reference, here are the specifics of what I'm running and what steps I took up to this point:
- Rooted my phone (stock rooted)
- Installed the K-Exec CWM recovery via the EZ-Recovery app (downloaded from DroidHive), but I rebooted to recovery by using terminal
- Wiped data, cache, dalvik, formatted system
- Installed cm10 7/23 build
- Installed gapps 7/15 (DroidHive)
- Successfully rebooted to OS
- Installed Titanium and individually restored missing apps (NOT system data)
- Installed Nova Launcher and my backup of it's settings and home screen
Here are my current observations after running cm10 for 24 hours:
1) DATA. 4G LTE is working fantastic! When I'm in a 4G area, it is working at least as good as on stock. However, when I move to a marginal area or an area with only 3G, I am getting erratic behavior. The bars will go gray with no 3G/4G symbol and I will lost data connection for a few seconds. Then 3G will show up but my signal strength will fluctuate between half-way decent (-90 to -100) to horribly incorrect (-200 to -250). The bars while on 3G will go from zero to 5 and then back to zero again erratically. Sometimes it'll stay the same for a while, but it is obviously either having trouble staying connected or something. I can normally still use data, but it's slow and sometimes cuts out. When I return back to a 4G area, all is well again. I still have IMEI, but I have no phone number (unknown) . I thought I read a fix for that - is there???
2) Bluetooth. I use BT headphones all the time, so this was important to me. Unlike some other reports, BT seems to be working fine. I use Doggcatcher for podcasts and they play fine through my headphones. Pandora also works fine. And Google Music works fine. Ford Sync also works fine for A2DP (not sure about phone because I don't use that profile). Bluetooth DUN for tethering does not seem to work at all.
3) GPS. All aspects of GPS seem to be working great. Location locks on right away. Maps & Navigation work great.
4) Google Now & Voice Search. I had previously used both on my Galaxy Nexus running Jelly Belly, so I knew what to expect here. Upon first bootup, the Voice Search would not work (just said Initializing). It started working after I made a phone call. I have not rebooted since then, but I read you have to make a phone call after each reboot to get it to work. I am able to launch Google Now by clicking the Google Search bar or by holding the Menu button down. However, both of those methods open the keyboard or mic when launching Google Now. I'm not sure how to open Google Now to the main screen without starting a search right away. On the GNex, you just swipe up from the Home button, but that obviously doesn't work on the GS3. The only way I can do it without opening the keyboard or mic is to click on a notification in the notification bar (which is not always there for Google Now). Anyone know how to open Google Now without performing a text or voice search (when you just want to see your cards, for example)???
5) Camera. At first boot, the camera locked up after the first photo and would not work again. I extracted the Gallery2.apk from the T-Mo preview version of cm10 and installed that and now the camera works (somewhat). I can take photos, no video like the other reports. It's a messy fix, but it makes the camera somewhat usable for now. I can still take photos for my Foursquare checkins or FB, so I'm ok for now.
6) Battery Life. Seems to be about the same as when I was on stock TW, with the exception of some increased usage when I am on 3G and experience the erratic behavior I described. The phone will also get warm, presumably because it is searching hard for signal. On stock Touchwiz, this rarely happened. So once they (hopefully) get the data issues worked out, this will be running at least as long as stock.
7) JellyBean. JB is great and a definite improvement over ICS or TW. No, we don't have any of those Samsung customizations but I don't miss any of them. In fact, I am greatly relieved NOT to have those stupid status bar icons for GPS, etc. The status bar is nice and clean now, as is the notification bar. No more WIFI nag notification or popup (yay)! No more having to disable bloatware.
IS THIS A DAILY DRIVER? That depends on YOU. I'm going to stick with it now, as I figure it can only get better with each update (unless it introduces new bugs, lol). The erratic 3G data thing is probably my biggest issue right now, but luckily I'm on 4G most of the time in my area. I can live with the camera. If Bluetooth wasn't working, I'd probably go back because I listen to podcasts at work almost every night. I use GPS a lot too, so glad that's working. IN SUMMARY, it just depends on what your daily needs are for the phone. I'd also be concerned if this was my only phone because of the IMEI risk, but I have the GNex as a backup.
Hope this helps anyone who is watching and waiting, or those who like to compare notes!