S3 2 weeks in from non-fanboy

kingwilliam · Aug 20, 2012

I am not a fanboy of any brand of anything. I like to try out everything.

I had an HTC Incredible when they first hit the shelves.. also had a Droid X, and a Thunderbolt.

Well a little over a year ago I jumped ship to the iPhone just to see what its all about. I have to say other than the small screen, I loved it. Anyway, I have been reading about the S GS3 and decided I wanted to play with Android for a while. I purchased the 16gb model. I love the screen, I love the hardware potential...... BUT. I have 3 MAJOR issues that make me want to switch back..

1. The Verizon "NO SIM" error... this happens often depending on where I am located. I will try to txt or call and I get an error message saying "NO SIM CARD" Very, very annoying and Verizon or Samsung have acknowledged the issue but a fix has not yet been delivered.

2. The texting experience is HORRIBLE on android. The only app that will allow me to group "chat" with iPhone users (or anyone else for that matter) is the Verizon Messages app. I have tried GoSMS but it only appears in the thread with everyone else about 80% of the time. Also the pictures sent on MMS rotate automatically in to landscape mode about half the time.

3. The keyboard and predictive text are primitive compared to the input on the iphone. With the iPhone, I could literally just type as fast as I can and it would figure things out almost perfectly. With the android keyboard I have to peck away one key at a time and end up having to backspace or start over with each word...

Now I realize that the keyboard thing may just need to be practiced a little, but the other issues are ridiculous. I also realize Im gonna get some hate from hard core android people because I am criticizing.... but Im just giving an honest evaluation on my experience. I consider myself a bit of an enthusiast when it comes to technology. I believe this is all software related.... obviously the S3 has major horsepower under the hood and Android is very customizable also.

If these issues cant be resolved soon (except for maybe the keyboard thing) I will be purchasing an iPhone 5 with a big smile on my face.

Bracing for insults

Easilyamused · Aug 20, 2012

kingwilliam said:
1. The Verizon "NO SIM" error... this happens often depending on where I am located. I will try to txt or call and I get an error message saying "NO SIM CARD" Very, very annoying and Verizon or Samsung have acknowledged the issue but a fix has not yet been delivered.

Sorry I can't help on that issue; I'm on a different carrier and have no such issue. Deferring to a Verizon user.

2. The texting experience is HORRIBLE on android. The only app that will allow me to group "chat" with iPhone users (or anyone else for that matter) is the Verizon Messages app. I have tried GoSMS but it only appears in the thread with everyone else about 80% of the time. Also the pictures sent on MMS rotate automatically in to landscape mode about half the time.

not much help on that either. never had a need to group sms.

EDIT: Check this thread: Handscent Android group chat like iPhone http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1559824

3. The keyboard and predictive text are primitive compared to the input on the iphone. With the iPhone, I could literally just type as fast as I can and it would figure things out almost perfectly. With the android keyboard I have to peck away one key at a time and end up having to backspace or start over with each word...

Now I realize that the keyboard thing may just need to be practiced a little, but the other issues are ridiculous. I also realize Im gonna get some hate from hard core android people because I am criticizing.... but Im just giving an honest evaluation on my experience. I consider myself a bit of an enthusiast when it comes to technology. I believe this is all software related.... obviously the S3 has major horsepower under the hood and Android is very customizable also.

Swifkey. Awesome keyboard.

If these issues cant be resolved soon (except for maybe the keyboard thing) I will be purchasing an iPhone 5 with a big smile on my face.

Bracing for insults

No insults here, but based on iOS 6 I wouldn't be too sure of how big your smile will be... could be great, could be disappointing.. we just don't know. well, except my Ouija Board.

bvbull200 · Aug 20, 2012

Sweet. Enjoy your iPhone. Thanks for the thread.

Metfanant · Aug 20, 2012

kingwilliam said:
1. The Verizon "NO SIM" error... this happens often depending on where I am located. I will try to txt or call and I get an error message saying "NO SIM CARD" Very, very annoying and Verizon or Samsung have acknowledged the issue but a fix has not yet been delivered.

happened once on my phone after about a week of having the phone...pulling the sim and re-inserting and it has not happened since...if youre still having the problem then get a new one from VZW...because it doesn't happen to every phone

kingwilliam said:
2. The texting experience is HORRIBLE on android. The only app that will allow me to group "chat" with iPhone users (or anyone else for that matter) is the Verizon Messages app. I have tried GoSMS but it only appears in the thread with everyone else about 80% of the time. Also the pictures sent on MMS rotate automatically in to landscape mode about half the time.

i find group chatting to be HORRIBLE personally so i cant really help you much here

kingwilliam said:
3. The keyboard and predictive text are primitive compared to the input on the iphone. With the iPhone, I could literally just type as fast as I can and it would figure things out almost perfectly. With the android keyboard I have to peck away one key at a time and end up having to backspace or start over with each word...

Samsung TouchWiz keyboard is awful...i use the stock Jellybean keyboard and its 100 times better...

kingwilliam said:
If these issues cant be resolved soon (except for maybe the keyboard thing) I will be purchasing an iPhone 5 with a big smile on my face.

sounds like you've already made up your mind anyway...

kingwilliam said:
Bracing for insults

if thats what you're looking for you came to the wrong forum...try xda or rootzwiki if you're looking for the rabid android fanboys to argue with

redneck47441 · Aug 20, 2012

SwiftKey keyboard made this former I phone user happy!

deekum1627 · Aug 21, 2012

Try hand cent to group ur messages

kingwilliam · Aug 21, 2012

redneck47441 said:
SwiftKey keyboard made this former I phone user happy!

Thank You!

Now to fix the sim error and get this messaging thing worked out. I

I tried hand cent and it doesn't work every time when chatting with iphone users.

This keyboard is a game changer

Metfanant · Aug 21, 2012

kingwilliam said:
Now to fix the sim error and get this messaging thing worked out. I

have you tried pulling the SIM and putting it back in?

kingwilliam said:
I tried hand cent and it doesn't work every time when chatting with iphone users.

i understand the frustration...but youre asking an android app to work cross platform...if you have that many iOS using friends and the group messaging is THAT important...it might not be a good fit

SUroot · Aug 21, 2012

2. Isn't that group chat thing proprietory to iPhone? Surprised any messaging app on any other phone including phone 7 can do that.

3. It is primitive. Its the worst keyboard I've ever used. Thanks god for smart keyboard pro

redneck47441 · Aug 21, 2012

I also recommend that that you go to YouTube and search galaxy s 3 tips and tricks learning all the hidden features is what truly blows an android out of the water compared to an I phone. It's so much faster to move around the phone when you learn the secrets.

Funnyusername · Aug 21, 2012

I think if you used Swiftkey for as long as you used your iphone keyboard you would not be complaining. Its going to take time to switch. Swiftkey learns as you type.

Regarding the sim card issue...take it to Verizon and demand a new phone.

As far as your group text situation...what exactly are you using this feature for? Do you and a bunch of your friends just chat on a group chat all day? Haha. I am not trying to insult you, just curious. I know go sms and other applications send group text messages out to like ten people. The downside I guess is that you get replies back in separate messages. But anyway, I use group text, but its usually just to send out a message to tell people information, one time. The point is, if you tell us what you need in this feature we can better understand your problem.

matttye · Aug 21, 2012

SwiftKey is amazing. I type faster on my s3 than I do on my ipad despite having a smaller screen.

It lets you pick between accurate typing and keyboard mashing modes, I'm a masher

its very accurate, despite the fact that I actually misspell most words.

sherlock5545 · Aug 21, 2012

For the keyboard issue, just use SwiftKey as others suggested, 100x better than the Samsung Keyboard the S3 comes with. For group chatting, I don't know, never had the need actually.

About the SIM issue, I believe it's rather a Verizon problem, not the Galaxy S3,but who knows. The International S3 doesn't have this kind of problems.

Note: I typed this post using SwiftKey, and it was a pleasant typing experience, in my opinion, better than the iPhone keyboard itself.

kingwilliam · Aug 21, 2012

I'm using SwiftKey and I love it. As good as my iphone

The sim card issue is a known Verizon problem that is supposedly being addressed by Verizon but no fix yet.

As for the group messaging thing, about 8 friends and I have had a big group messaging thread for a long time. We basically just send funny pics and videos to each other since we live all over the country. Most of the group have iphones so it's annoying having to piece together the conversation when it's split up. The Verizon messages app handles it fine but the ui is cartoonist.

All that being said, this keyboard has brought hope into my Android life.

blenky · Aug 21, 2012

kingwilliam said:
I am not a fanboy of any brand of anything. I like to try out everything.

3. The keyboard and predictive text are primitive compared to the input on the iphone. With the iPhone, I could literally just type as fast as I can and it would figure things out almost perfectly. With the android keyboard I have to peck away one key at a time and end up having to backspace or start over with each word...

I use Swype - awesome keyboard

scrannel · Aug 21, 2012

Sorry if this is a lame question. I'm a T-Mo (GSM) user and thus must use a SIM card. I know they were trying to create a "world phone" with the CDMA versions of the G3 by having a SIM avail when one is in Europe, for example. But why would the phone even need a SIM domestically? Are you saying with your CDMA Verizon phone the GSM SIM needs to be in place for the phone to work on CDMA? Thanks

Deleted User · Aug 21, 2012

SUroot said:
2. Isn't that group chat thing proprietory to iPhone?

Yeah, it's Apples own servers/service for iMessage. Kinda like MSN, Yahoo, GMail, etc chat but strictly for iDevices. Similar to BBM I'm assuming.

Ches111 · Aug 21, 2012

scrannel said:
Sorry if this is a lame question. I'm a T-Mo (GSM) user and thus must use a SIM card. I know they were trying to create a "world phone" with the CDMA versions of the G3 by having a SIM avail when one is in Europe, for example. But why would the phone even need a SIM domestically? Are you saying with your CDMA Verizon phone the GSM SIM needs to be in place for the phone to work on CDMA? Thanks

VZW version is LTE first and CDMA second. The LTE side requires SIM.

scrannel · Aug 21, 2012

Got it. Thanks. However, is this article correct?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57...tphones-are-a-bad-choice-for-world-travelers/

I ask because my son is thinking of switching to Verizon (from AT&T) but he must have Euro roaming ability.

kingwilliam · Aug 21, 2012

tithrimimi said:
Yeah, it's Apples own servers/service for iMessage. Kinda like MSN, Yahoo, GMail, etc chat but strictly for iDevices. Similar to BBM I'm assuming.

While this is true, Windows phones handle the group iMessages without a hitch as does the "verizon messages app"... Verizon Messages would be an awesome message app if it didnt look like a sesame street app..

I like more of a "business" interface.. Even before Apple came out with "iMessage" it would still flawlessly send/receive group messages from any phone, andy carrier, any OS. Verizon Messages just needs a facelift.

roush611 · Aug 21, 2012

First off as mention above ditch the stock keyboard and get Swift.

Second off you call yourself a non-fanboy but you are going to purchase a phone that has not been released, actually I will take that one step back, not even announced and no one knows the real specs on... Interesting.

Stuntman · Aug 21, 2012

kingwilliam said:
I'm using SwiftKey and I love it. As good as my iphone

...

All that being said, this keyboard has brought hope into my Android life.

I never liked the default keyboard. I tried SwiftKey and it was better, but had a few annoying things that I cannot turn off, namely auto spacing here and there. I eventually switched to Thumb Keyboard. The reason is that the SGS3 is rather large and I have difficulty reaching the keys in the middle of the keyboard in landscape mode. Thumb Keyboard has several different keyboard configurations for different size phones. The one I use is the split keyboard where the buttons are moved closer to the left and right sides with no keys in the middle. (I chose the one where cursor keys are in the middle instead of letters.)

If you want something different, you can give Thumb Keyboard a try. The only thing I do not like about Thumb Keyboard is that there is no free version, so you have to pay to download it. You only get 15 minutes to reverse your purchase and 15 minutes is not enough time to try out the many options that Thumb Keyboard has. At least with SwiftKey, there is a one-month trial period.

kingwilliam · Aug 21, 2012

roush611 said:
First off as mention above ditch the stock keyboard and get Swift.

Second off you call yourself a non-fanboy but you are going to purchase a phone that has not been released, actually I will take that one step back, not even announced and no one knows the real specs on... Interesting.

Well I certainly dont believe that the iPhone 5 will be a disappointment; I guess my vision of the next iPhone is a faster processor, bigger screen, and an even better camera.

As I said before, I will give any brand a try. I was perfectly happy with the iPhone but switched to the s3 just to check it out.

Citizen Coyote · Aug 21, 2012

If group chat with iPhone users is important to you, try using GroupMe. I used it with about 20 people (Android and iPhone users alike) while in NYC earlier this summer and it worked great.

If you're not sold on SwiftKey (which is an excellent keyboard), you can always try Swype. I know some people dislike it, but personally I love it. It's almost frustrating having to peck at a keyboard on a different phone now.

redhook · Aug 21, 2012

scrannel said:
Sorry if this is a lame question. I'm a T-Mo (GSM) user and thus must use a SIM card. I know they were trying to create a "world phone" with the CDMA versions of the G3 by having a SIM avail when one is in Europe, for example. But why would the phone even need a SIM domestically? Are you saying with your CDMA Verizon phone the GSM SIM needs to be in place for the phone to work on CDMA? Thanks

The Verizon version is pure LTE (when in an LTE market). LTE uses a UICC card (looks just like a SIM). LTE is also based on GSM technologies.

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