Smart Phones Again

[Sideways_8]

Dammit, I'm traveling this week and don't want to deal with transferring stuff. That puts it right in my price range though. Maybe it'll still be going on next week.

I'm also taking note of the other input here. Also gonna check out that Amazon Prime page. I was unaware of that.

Its pretty easy now as long as your old phone works. S9s come with a usb to usb c adapter. Plug the old phone into the new one and there's an app that will transfer all your data.

[Ben]

Its pretty easy now as long as your old phone works. S9s come with a usb to usb c adapter. Plug the old phone into the new one and there's an app that will transfer all your data.

 

Thanks for that tip. In the past, I have been in the habit of "starting fresh" and using a new SD card and loading apps fresh and only importing contacts. I have always been afraid of contaminating the new phone with crap and settings that have slowed down the old phone (same way I always spin up a new computer). Does this app let you choose what you transfer?

[K Frame]

"I have been in the habit of "starting fresh" and using a new SD card"

Yeah, you're not going to do that with the 9. It's sealed. No SD card.

[Calumus]

Assuming that you have a gmail account you shouldn't need to manually transfer anything. As long as you were signed into it on the old device and the proper settings were selected, once you sign in on the new one your contacts should automatically transfer. Open the play store and your previously installed apps with be listed under "my apps". You can set them to install automatically. Pics synced with google photos will transfer as well.

SMS backup and restore (I believe that's the name) will save your entire text history to your google drive,then allow you to import it to the new phone once it's installed. It's icon is a red life saver, but I can't remember the developer and it's free. All apps are a fresh install so slow downs shouldn't be an issue.

[Sideways_8]

"I have been in the habit of "starting fresh" and using a new SD card"

Yeah, you're not going to do that with the 9. It's sealed. No SD card.

The S9 can use SD cards. I have one in mine right now.

[K Frame]

The S9 can use SD cards. I have one in mine right now.

Da FUQ???

The ass clown at the Verizon store told me that the S9 isn't capable of using an SD card!


I'll be an SOB. I'm putting an SD card in my phone tonight when I get home.

[Sideways_8]

Da FUQ???

The ass clown at the Verizon store told me that the S9 isn't capable of using an SD card!


I'll be an SOB. I'm putting an SD card in my phone tonight when I get home.

It has to be a microSD and it takes up the hybrid sim slot (phone can use two sim cards, or a sim card and microSD card).

[BobR]

It has to be a microSD and it takes up the hybrid sim slot (phone can use two sim cards, or a sim card and microSD card).

The S9 and S9+ can take a microSD card up to 400GB. That's a lot of gigs on a phone.

bob

[K Frame]

Yep, I just did some googling, and I also opened up the slot.

Of course when I did so I launched the freaking sim card...

[lupinus]

I dunno about the Pixel 2's, but I have the original Pixel XL and have been extremely happy with it.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[Ben]

The S9 can use SD cards. I have one in mine right now.

That's a relief to know. Mike had me worried. I'm already pissed off about new phones without user replaceable batteries and without headphone jacks.

[K Frame]

I, too, was a bit miffed about the non-user replaceable battery, but it's in an effort to make the phones more waterproof.

Or so they say.

I don't know why the guy at the Verizon store told me that you can't put an SD card in the S9.

Oh, and the S9 has headphone jacks. And comes with a set of very nice headphones that also have an integrated microphone for making phone calls. And you can control the volume with the headphones, even when you're listening to music.

[lupinus]

I, too, was a bit miffed about the non-user replaceable battery, but it's in an effort to make the phones more waterproof.

Or so they say.

I don't know why the guy at the Verizon store told me that you can't put an SD card in the S9.

Oh, and the S9 has headphone jacks. And comes with a set of very nice headphones that also have an integrated microphone for making phone calls. And you can control the volume with the headphones, even when you're listening to music.

IME, it's most likely because outside of the occasional phone nerd, Verizon store employees are useless

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[just Warren]

Just got to handle the new Nokia 3310 and while it doesn't do much it's form factor is fantastic.

[Ben]

If I can keep my S5 going just a little longer, maybe I can get a cheaper S9 soon after all:

https://bgr.com/2018/07/25/galaxy-note-9-release-date-accelerated-galaxy-s9-sales/

The article stating, "...worst selling phone for Samsung... but one of the best phones ever" seems to reinforce my theory that phone makers have simply exceeded the asking price that people are willing to spend, especially with market saturation and the closing gap of mid-range phones with high end phones.

It very much makes me think of personal computers. Looking back to when I started building/buying PCs: After my first one, because of grad school needs and then doing research at from home a lot for the job, I always needed the close to best CPU/MB/video card combos with close to max memory and storage available at the time. I was replacing stuff probably every 2-3 years.

Pretty much every time up until around 2010, it cost me around $3000. Price stayed around the same, tech advanced a lot, but whatever the higher end system was at the time, it ran me around $3000. Then after 2010, not only did price come down, but the mid-range" builds came close enough in performance to "top of the line" that I could drop my requirements and still have a computer that did everything I needed it to do.

I don't understand how smart phones should be different, other than manufacturer greed. If I use my "computer model", Whatever the flagship Samsung phone is out there at any time should be running $400-500. Or the price should be going down. Instead, smart phone makers up the price every time they up the technology, and it has never made sense to me given that the tech itself becomes cheaper. It seems maybe they have simply reached a point where people say "enough". I'm betting if the S9 dropped to $500 retail, they would see sales jump a lot.

[Brad Johnson]

If I can keep my S5 going just a little longer, maybe I can get a cheaper S9 soon after all:

https://bgr.com/2018/07/25/galaxy-note-9-release-date-accelerated-galaxy-s9-sales/

The article stating, "...worst selling phone for Samsung... but one of the best phones ever" seems to reinforce my theory that phone makers have simply exceeded the asking price that people are willing to spend, especially with market saturation and the closing gap of mid-range phones with high end phones.

That, plus feature improvements becoming incremental rather than exponential combined with annual release deadlines rather than releases based on refinement and integration of significantly improved platforms. Until someone comes up with a revolutionary new manufacturing process or feature set, manufacturers are stuck with tech that is pretty much at the limit of physical density. For end users that means slight increases in speed and software-driven features without much change in the base hardware or physical configuration. Hard pill to swallow at $800-$1000 a pop.

It's to the point where skipping a couple of generations is the only way to get a significant and noticeable increase in features and performance. Service providers saw this coming early on. That's why they started giving phone prices in terms of "...only $x per month and you can upgrade free every year!" rather than a single stated number. It's essentially the same marketing tactic rent-to-own stores use, only with phone service plan charges rather than interest.

Brad

[Ben]

Well, I ended up with an S9. American Express was doing a 25% off points sale, and Best Buy has a small sale on unlocked S9s, so between the two I got it for $450 using only my accumulated Amex points, no cash out of pocket. I was waffling between spending the points on this phone or that stupid Garmin Fenix 5X plus fitness watch that I've become enamored with, but given my S5 was getting twitchy, this was the right move.

Picked it up at the local Best Buy a couple of hours ago, stopped at the Verizon store next door to it for a sim card, and have been playing with it for a couple of hours. First impressions:

Way, way faster than my S5. I was going to first do a clean install of all my old stuff, but just ended up using the Samsung Switch app to do it. Moved everything over seamlessly, but I'm still setting stuff up like icon folders that Samsung didn't transfer. The first con was the incredibly tiny text for my old eyes. I've gone through enlarging text where I could, but there doesn't seem to be anything that can be done about enlarging icon text, which is smaller than on the S5. Even "huge" and "max zoom" doesn't change that text size.  I took a recommendation I got googling and downloaded a new font that makes that particular text easier to see. The colors seem a little washed out compared to my S5.

The phone feels way skinnier (width) than my S5 even though it's really not by much, and it's already slipped out of my hand a few times, partially from being slippery, and partially from how I'm holding it to not activate the stupid bixby button. I've got an Otterbox Defender on the way from Amazon, so hopefully that will help with gripping the phone. I'll have to see if there is a way to deactivate the bixby button.

 I guess after the first couple of hours I have more negatives than positives, but we'll see how that changes as I get accustomed to the thing.

[Sideways_8]

You can set the Bixby button to press and hold. A lot less annoying. Swipe right on the hole screen. Hit the three dots at the top and go to settings. Also the resolution on the phone is set to the mid range setting from the factory. That can be changed in the display settings. Bluetooth audio is limited in volume as well. To disable it, you'll need to go to developer settings. IIRC, go to about phone, software information, and click on the phone's build number 7 times. That will unlock developer settings. Then just find the setting for bluetooth volume limit. Also, turn on Dolby Atmos if it's off. The phone has bluetooth 5.0 as well so you can sync up to two speakers at a time.

[Ben]

You can set the Bixby button to press and hold. A lot less annoying. Swipe right on the hole screen. Hit the three dots at the top and go to settings. Also the resolution on the phone is set to the mid range setting from the factory. That can be changed in the display settings. Bluetooth audio is limited in volume as well. To disable it, you'll need to go to developer settings. IIRC, go to about phone, software information, and click on the phone's build number 7 times. That will unlock developer settings. Then just find the setting for bluetooth volume limit. Also, turn on Dolby Atmos if it's off. The phone has bluetooth 5.0 as well so you can sync up to two speakers at a time.

Hey, thanks for those tips Sideways!

I kinda feel like the button positions are slightly different on the 9. Part of it is maybe my left-handedness. After I change the bixby button, I think the more tactile case, when it arrives, will eliminate my current con on the ergonomics issue. I do already really like some of the menu and system enhancements over the 5. I especially like having bought an unlocked phone. The lack of bloatware, other than some minimal Samsung stuff, is great. I'm doing unlocked phones from now on.

Playing with it more, I'm getting more into the "pro" column than the "con column". I did find a few annoyances with Samsung Switch. Going through stuff,  I saw that it didn't actually move all my apps over for some reason. Then I'm not sure if it's Samsung Switch or Backcountry Navigator, but a ton of custom offline nav maps didn't make it over, so I have to track them down on the old phone and figure out where to put them on the new phone for BC to find them.

[Brad Johnson]

Nice!

There are a metric buttload of display options, including enlarging icons. I think it's buried somewhere in the Accessibility menu.

Also, take a few photos and be hugely amazed at how much better the camera is versus your old S5.

Brad

[Ben]

Nice!

There are a metric buttload of display options, including enlarging icons. I think it's buried somewhere in the Accessibility menu.

Also, take a few photos and be hugely amazed at how much better the camera is versus your old S5.

Brad

The only thing I found in accessibility was changing the grid size. It made the icons a little bigger, but they weren't the problem - it's the text underneath them that won't enlarge like all the other phone text does. I can mostly see it fine without glasses during the day, it was just really hard in low light. Worse comes to worst, my brain will likely just key into the icon symbols. My most used apps are found by their pictures anyway.

[Doggy Daddy]

><Swipe right on the hole screen. ><

Would that be the front hole screen?

[Brad Johnson]

Had a chance to dig around in my S7. Try Settings>Display>Font and Screen Zoom.

Brad

[Ben]

Had a chance to dig around in my S7. Try Settings>Display>Font and Screen Zoom.

Brad

Tried that already. :)

[PEfarmer]

The only thing I found in accessibility was changing the grid size. It made the icons a little bigger, but they weren't the problem - it's the text underneath them that won't enlarge like all the other phone text does. I can mostly see it fine without glasses during the day, it was just really hard in low light. Worse comes to worst, my brain will likely just key into the icon symbols. My most used apps are found by their pictures anyway.

If you want to invest a little effort (probably about 2 hours), you can install and set up nova launcher, which allows you to do just about anything you want with icons, symbols, text, arrangement of your home screens.  Pretty fantastic tool.  Doesn't require cracking the phone in any way.  Nova is available in the regular app store.