Help few things I still can't figure out

[sunnydogday]

I thought if I just lived with the phone, and tried things, I would learn, and I pretty much have. LIke few night ago we had a power failure and my battery was dying, and I realized I could use the USB plug on my laptop to charge it (at least till the laptop battery died) which is another topic. Anyway, learning as I go along.
Still can't figure out how do I screen capture with this? I see people screen capture, like their weather forecast, and post it on FB, things like that. People screen capture and post or foward pages of texts, too. I've looked it up, found YouTubes, found detailed directions, verified my phone is "ice cream sandwich" (ver 4.0.4) so screen capture capable. One place showed hitting the HOME and POWER button and it screen captured. This just turns off my phone. More places say the volume down button and Power (all this does is turn down the volume and turn off the phone)Someone told me on her phone (Focus) she just rubs her palm over the screen and it captures.
Also, I still don't know how to "save all" (maybe this isn't possible?) Like save all texts in a thread. In the compose box there is a marker to drag over to copy. And save pictures that someone sends me IN a text? My old flip phone (rugby2) was simple, I could go to MORE and save and save to SD card, etc. At least pictures, not saving texts.
I can plug the new phone into my computer and get the pictures that are in the photo gallery or camera, but not texts, or pictures in texts. I still don't know how to save (or send to) the SD card, which I could then take out and put in a card reader.
I put in Kies Air (I read about somewhere) and openned it on my computer through the router and found all the files, etc. but it was still confusing and didn't see any pictures others had send me via texts. In my online travels, I later found out I don't need to use Kies Air, and I can just plug the USB cord in, set it for this, and connect directly. This seems to work, at least with my Windows 7 laptop.
Just a few misc things I'm still trying to figure out. I have pretty much mastered texting, and answering the phone when someone calls LOL
Another point, though not sure there's anything I can do, taking pictures with this is hard, because I touch the button and it takes a few seconds for the picture to "take". My old phone was like this too, but not as bad, and this is a new "smart" phone, seems like it would work better. Also, I have taken videos with the phone and tried to send them in text and they say they are too big. I found a setting to reduce the size, but still doesn't work. I know people take and send (and upload) videos from their phones...
I don have good digital cameras, so not a problem, just like to know answers, to know.
Thanks for reading this, if anyone still is. I think I have a hard time defining problems I'm asking about clearly, because I'm not really sure how to put it.

 

[GuitarG20]

I'm gonna try and tackle a few of these, although i don't know the answer for all of them...

Everything I could find indicates that the way to take a screenshot is to press the power and home button at the same time, as a short press (basically press quickly then let go) and if it works correctly your screen should flash or the equivalent and it should show up in your gallery.

As for saving pictures, the way I do it is by long pressing on the picture, which pops up an option to save the picture. It might be the same way on your device.

For pictures, you might want to go into your camera settings and make sure HDR (or equivalent) mode is turned off. Although it takes pictures with very dramatic contrast, it takes several seconds to take a picture using this mode, because it has to take multiple exposures and stitch them together. Try going into your camera settings and making sure your shot mode is "normal" or something to that effect.

 

[Frisco]

There are a lot of good reports on various 3rd party camera apps available in Play Store. The relative improvement over the stock camera app seems to vary quite a bit from one Android device to another, so you have to try out a few to find the one that seems more instant or at least tolerable.

I did a search just now on my Note 2 and there were several 5 and 4 and 1/2 star rated apps.. that's high quality stuff, and they were mostly free. Some are paid, of course.

If the most common instructions for a function such as screen capture are not working on your device, the likely reason is the build version. But also one thing the user has to do, in any case, is clear cache and data on just about everything after attempting different methods because those efforts leave tracks and those tracks can often act as sort of background commands on the next try, mostly having to do with services being invoked. So.. if you try the method here:

Screen shot on Samsung exhilarate - YouTube

and it does not work, then a cache partition wipe or maybe even a factory data reset will be needed before expecting another attempt to work with a different method. Odd. But sometimes true.

 

[sunnydogday]

Thanks, lots of good ideas here. I don't know how to clean the cache, or reset? I don't want to mess up my settings from ATT (when I firs got the phone it wouldn't send pictures in texts and after several calls and checking turned out they hadn't changed the numbers/settings from my old phone, at ATT) I saw that YouTube before and it doesn't work for me, it just turns off the phone (holding home and hitting power, even lightly). As to it taking a long time t take the picture, I came across something that says there is a self timer one can set, I haven't tracked that down to see if it's set on something. when I open the camera, and click edit the setings, they come up on the screen but when I tap them, they don't do anything. My daughter has a Focus 2 and says she wipes her palm over the screen and it screen captures. Will keep on trying, as I have time and inclination. I don't want to mess it up in other ways LOL

 

[1993Ruby Red]

I hope I'm doing this correct. My computer won't recognize my note 2. I downloaded the driver.

 

[dustwun77]

Hello!

I have a different phone but I tried out the screen shot thing on it anyway. It uses the same technique. I shut off my screen a few times getting it right, myself.

So, let us say you are ready to take a screen shot. This takes coordination!

Have your finger ready to tap the home button. Push in the power button, momentarily, and while it is depressed, quickly tap the home button and immediately let go of the power button.

See if that works for you. Let us know, ok?

 

[dustwun77]

I hope I'm doing this correct. My computer won't recognize my note 2. I downloaded the driver.

I do not understand why you put that here, laurel? You said you had 2 other devices than the note 2 and this is not the note 2 forum either.

Please let us know how we can help you.

 

[sunnydogday]

I sat up till 1am looking for ways to screen capture (screen shot) and kept trying them. Not sure how to clean the cache, and don't want to reset to factory, unless I know it is going to still work after (learned this from experience with computers LOL) What I have found about my Exhilarate (aside from I don't always spell that right each time)... the previous version was gingerbread, and anyting over version 4.0.0. has screen capture. With gingergread, it was hold power and home button at same time. Kept trying this, kept turning power off, will try it like discribed here, in a bit. My version (according to phone info in phone) is 4.0.4 which is ice cream sandwich (these names seem kind of silly). and with this, it's Volume DOWN button and power. Have tried this, it vibrates (probably because I'm turning volume all the say down) and turns off power. I'm sure there is a trick to the timing of it. I think the next version which is 4.4.1? Is called Jelly Bean, but if anything over 4 will screen capture, what I have should work. I knew nothing about smart phones this is what AT&T gave me for an upgrade (I had a Samgung Rugby 2 flip phone for a few years before this, which is still working- well without the sim card and account, but I have it for emergencies. I used to say I could drop it and it would bounce LOL) It is so tiny and hard to text with, but seemed pretty simple for things like taking (and saving) pictures. Someone has told me Android phones run through Google and the other ones (Smart phones?) run through Microsoft stuff. And, Android phones do just about everything through apps. Maybe there is some kind of app I need to have, or something enabled for screen capture? It's just got to the point of "the idea of it" I want to get it to work just to get it to work. And maybe to get more sleep at night LOL

 

[sunnydogday]

Aside from all this, I've noticed that I have a weather app on (Yahoo) and it not only shows the temp and forecast, etc it actualy shows WHAT the weather is doing outside. Like today is raining. I know there are live desktops that also do this, I had one on for awhile, but think it might use up the battery fast. And, I can always look out a window in my house... Modern technology. When I was a kid they had Dick Tracy comics, where he used a two-way wrist radio to communicate(maybe with the home base) and people would say imagine that, do you think there ever will be something like that for real? Makes one wonder what the next 20 or so years will bring.

 

[sunnydogday]

when I get ready, and hold HOME and barely hit the power it brings up task manager. I think for ice cream sandwich it's the vol down and power. Unless there is something wrong with the phone itself, it must be the timing of doing it.

 

[dustwun77]

I said to be ready to tap home...

when you are ready to take the shot, hold power down momentarily, and while you have power depressed, tap home. then let them both go.

On mine I hear an old timey camera shutter sound.

I have that of that old comic too, and Tracy's wrist communicator thing... seemed way out back then, didn't it?

 

[chanchan05]

Ok I'll begin from the start with the first questions since its gone a bit tangled.

1. Screenshots
-On Samsung, TouchWiz puts screenshot controls regardless of what Android wants. In Android 2.3 Gingerbread with TouchWiz 3, it was back+home, and on TouchWiz 4 it was Home and Power. Home and Power still works for Android 4.0 and up with TouchWiz Nature UX. Standard Android screenshot control of using the volume buttons and home WILL NOT WORK ON SAMSUNG DEVICES unless you are using a clean AOKP ROM. The method for the Note 2 is as I said, Home and Power standard, however you may not just be getting the trick/timing to it. However there are other ways as demoed on the video I will post This also explains how to enable them.

How to take Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Screen Shot / Capture / Print Screen - YouTube

2. WHat exactly do you mean by "Save All" in Messaging? You want to make a backup of the messages?

3. As mentioned before, long press on the picture itself and one of the options given will be to save the picture to your gallery

4. Regarding the time it takes for the picture to be taken, pressing on the shutter button will not take the picture immediately because the phone will detect that the view you are taking may not be in focus, so it focuses before taking a shot. This again takes more time if your grip isn't to stable, as the phone will start image stabilization to correct your grip so that the picture doesn't become to blurry. Your old non-smart phone doesn't have those. You'd have to either turn off the focus and image stabilization to get pictures faster, or learn to handle the device better. It may have a negative impact on the quality though.

5. In sending videos, the problem is you are sending them via text. MMS, or basically text messages with media like sounds or pictures or videos are only capable of sending small files, less than 1mb (usually 3kb). high definition/quality videos taken by the cameras of current phones like your Note 2 size up usually at 10mb for a couple of seconds or more depending on length of the video. Thus they cannot be sent through MMS. You have to send them through email or other media sharing methods.

And regarding the wrist radio, you want to look at this:

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13...ill-be-companys-third-stab-at-wrist-accessory

Samsung already did it twice.

 

[danwp]

I was following this thread and also failing to get a screen capture with my 4.0.4 ROM. However, moments ago it finally worked. I had tried tapping etc. but did this: simultaneously press POWER and HOME; hold until "camera sound" is heard (maybe a second).

Once I was successful, I now wonder why I missed it before. Here's Samsung's FAQ on it.

 

[sunnydogday]

Printing out the newest answers to try... and when I hold the power and vol down or HOME button to screen capture it turns the phone off. When I have the weather app on, it gives an option to upload the screen (like to facebook) which I can do, and when I do this, it seems to screen capture and save it, but not an actually screen shot. Select all.. I guess I am thinking of computers, like you can hit ctrl + A and it highlights everything on the page and then Copy/paste or something. Like save all texts in a thread, or soemthing on a webpage, etc. probably some of the problem in this is I don't know how to discribe it to ask. And maybe it doesn't do what I think it will or should. I have seen YouTubes showing screen capture with my phone and "ice cream sandwich" version of it (4.0.4) which is hitting Vol down and power which lowers the volume and turns the phone off. Another one showed it with power and HOME which I think is the version before mine (gingerbread) I will check out the links on here...

 

[sunnydogday]

checking out
How to take Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Screen Shot / Capture / Print Screen - YouTube
That's not the same as my phone, it's Galaxy Note 2 but I found motion in the settings on mine (video says to activate to use palm swipe for screen capture) and all mine has, if mother activiation is checked (it isn't) is double tap and turn over to mute.
Using a S pen? I don't know that is and I don't have one (I do have one with my Wacon tablet)
I guess I can always forget about it and maybe sometime get another phone that does things it's supposed to do LOL It's not really important, just wondered how to do it.

 

[LouieAlouie]

sorry

 

[LouieAlouie]

saving pictures directly to SD... click on camera.. once the phone is ready to take picture click on the settings on the left side of the screen.,then go down to storage and click SD... as opposed to internal...

 

[chanchan05]

Are you sure you have a Note 2? A Samsung Note always has an S Pen. That's why they're called the Note and its they're defining feature. You pull it out from the phone. Check your manual.

 

[GuitarG20]

Are you sure you have a Note 2? A Samsung Note always has an S Pen. That's why they're called the Note and its they're defining feature. You pull it out from the phone. Check your manual.

OP does NOT have a note, I believe its an exhilarate.