Consider the 45 yr old newb with an S5 (Verizon). Where to start?

[garndawg]

A few disclaimers up front:
OK, so I'm not technologically stupid, just too busy to keep up. I have a habit of getting things set up where I want them and then...just using them. Forever. Until they just get so slow or unsupportable that I break down and refresh/rebuild.

For example, I'm still running a Socket 775 HTPC on Windows XP. Why? Because it does what I need it to do. (But it's slow enough now, that I'll be rebuilding in the Spring to a i5 setup...)

I now have entered the Smartphone world. With a Verizon S5. And I'm having fun with it, discovering new little things, but am thinking that there's a lot more here I'm overlooking.

My question to the Ananad folks is:
What are the top five things I need to do with this phone to open up it's potential?

Things like options and settings. Bloatware to disable/replace with better. Tips/tricks that you take for granted, but a overworked engineer with little 'play' time hasn't discovered yet. Low hanging fruit...

Two guidelines, please:
First, I don't want to jailbreak or root it. Too high on the risk/reward curve for me. I'd reconsider this, but need a _very_ compelling reason (i.e. not nerdboy quality stuff, a real benefit).

Second, if it's an App, could you give a very brief explanation of what it does? I've read several posts that list fav apps, but there's not much detail on what they do or why the poster likes them so much. I’ve done a little researching, but became quickly overwhelmed in jargon that isn’t clear to me. (i.e. launchers, touchwiz, etc)

Thanks for all the advice in advance. I'll appreciate reading whatever you see fit to post and if no one has the time, I'm not any worse off than what I'm doing now. I would think that there's a few folks out there who really like their phones and would love to share what they've discovered.

Thanks again and Merry Christmas!

 

[sweenish]

Did you just get the phone? Are you within your return window? The first thing you should do is exchange it for a Droid Turbo.

I'm not being facetious, you'd be getting a better phone in nearly every aspect except the camera. The S5 is half a year old, the Droid Turbo is just a month, maybe two old. That gap means a new generation of chip driving the phone. That alone is worth the exchange and whatever extra money you may have to pay, since I'm assuming the S5 was on sale.

That's before getting into how much better the software on the Droid Turbo is to S5. It's leagues better, will be updated faster, and run smoother.

EDIT: http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Motorola-DROID-Turbo-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-S5_id3840

 

[sweenish]

With that said, my go-to apps for not playing games are:
Pocket
Pushbullet
you could give Google's Inbox a try
Evernote
Tasker
Solid Explorer (getting a big Material Design makeover soon),
airdroid (moving files to and from phone, I should look into getting Solid Explorer's ftp working, though)
Circa (my news app of choice)
Aviary (photo filters and light editing, create an adobe account before Jan. 5 and get all their add-ons for free)
Google Opinion Rewards (free money)
Swiftkey
Minuum (I swap around these two keyboards depending on how I'm feeling)

You may or may not like the Google Now Launcher. Nova is a good third party recommend, but it's getting long in the tooth. Their Lollipop stuff just doesn't feel right to me. I feel like they'll have to rebuild from scratch for 5.0+. But with their track record I'd gladly pay for that upgrade.

I'm not a Tasker pro, but I like the stuff I do with it. Automatic silent mode at church if it's Sunday, and geo-fenced silent mode during the week for school/work. I want to do fancier stuff, but I haven't wanted to put in the time.

 

[boomerang]

I'm far older than you and am happily using an S3. My advice would be to find one of the dedicated Android forums and peruse it. I know you're pressed for time so a Google search for android tips and tricks should get you off to a quick start.

Tips and tricks will show you some quicker ways to do things. These phones are capable of things that I have no interest in learning because I will never utilize them.

Apps are very user specific. I've perused threads here with members gushing about this app and that app and I take a look at them and they are for things I will never ever want to do. I have apps installed for accessing my NAS, my Dish DVR, my IP cameras at both residences, my thermostat in our second home, my utility company because we get a lot of power outages, Comcast, etc. Practical apps that are free.

I'm going to use my phone different than you and light years differently that the young-uns here and I'm going to guess that you may be somewhere in between.

Oh, and watch out for the fanboys. I'm thinking you may have already figured that out.

 

[razel]

You may just need to start using the phone to find out yourself. Android's strength is how existential it is. You make your experience the way you want it. It's backed by Google whose bread and butter is making sense of vast data.

1) So give Google Now a shot. The more of your data (Gmail, searches, GPS usage) you let it sift through, the more frightening and shockingly useful it becomes.

2) Give Google Wallet a try since your phone supports NFC (tap and pay).

3) Enable Google Fit if you workout often and if your phone has built in sensors. It automatically counts your steps.

4) If your phone has an LED notification light, download the various LED notification apps.

5) Buy the $30 ChromeCast and connect it to your TV. Your phone becomes a fantastic multimedia remote if you watch Youtube or have a subscription for streaming media.

6) Check your cable provider if they have an app. DirecTV has a fantastic app that lets you control and setup recording options for your DVR.

7) Check your bank if they have an app. In most cases, there's less need to go to the bank to deposit a check.

8) Try Google translate if you are in a multi-lingual area. I'm in a very Asian area and can now swipe the characters and get their meaning. Of course I find it better to ask a cute Asian girl nearby for the meaning, even if I do know what it means.

 

[notposting]

I don't really use Google Android currently so I can't help directly. But in general...

Just let it grow. (and maybe do what sweenish suggested above, I haven't checked into it, but definitely check out some reviews and do that)

Start with your basics...you call. You text. Email. Maybe you use Facebook, or Twitter, or LinkedIn, or some of the other "social" type of things. Skype.

Maps. You can search for places while you are out and about. Instead of printing out tickets for various events you just present them on your phone. You keep the little keychain loyalty cards on your phone. You can price check something at the store against Amazon, and possibly have it purchased withing about 10 seconds as well.

You start controlling things around your house, maybe a set top box, or if you have an IR blaster on it, you now have a universal remote of sorts.

Bank apps. Thermostat control. Games. Looking up references. Browsing the web. Bathroom reading material.

Photography. Take the picture. Take several. The thing is going to be nearly as good as any entry level P&S. Except you can now tweak the pictures right there on the phone, crop, remove red-eye, level, correct colors or blown out exposure, and then send it to whoever you need to. Instantly. (Hopefully you won't need to do this at 45, but it's pretty awesome when a new baby hatches)

Your calendar, appointments, reminders, etc. Everything there. This will also be a great time to clean up your contacts online if you haven't already

Good luck!

 

[lopri]

Here is a simple guide to set up the S5.

http://www.guidingtech.com/29921/remove-samsung-galaxy-s5/

Edit: I am not sure about turning off animations. (Developer Options) Contrary to the popular belief, I found that slowing down animations make the overall frame rates more consistent. I believe this is also how iOS hides lags, using prolonged animations system-wide. I know us geeks like snappiness, but if you can get used to the animations you may avoid some janks around the UI. I personally use values x1.0~x1.5. Try different values and see which one you like most.

Edit 2: In order to expose Developer Options, go to Settings -> About Device and tap on "Build Number" seven times.

Comprehensive lists of safe-to-disable bloats.

http://blog.laptopmag.com/galaxy-s5-bloatware-list
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2783809

These are guides and ultimately you are the one to make decisions as to what to keep and what to disable.

 

[blankslate]

As mentioned previously in other posts.

One thing that can definitely help with a smoother experience using the phone is the installation of a Launcher other than Touchwiz

Nova Launcher and Apex Launcher both feel snappier than Touchwiz.

They can also be customized with themes.

To save a bit of power whichever launcher you choose go with a darker theme or wallpaper. AMOLED screens that Samsung uses consume less power the darker the display is. Some apps have the option to have a darker background and lighter text as well. I enable that setting on every app I can.



.....

 

[lxskllr]

Two guidelines, please:
First, I don't want to jailbreak or root it. Too high on the risk/reward curve for me. I'd reconsider this, but need a _very_ compelling reason (i.e. not nerdboy quality stuff, a real benefit).

By rooting you can install a good adblocker and firewall. Also, it's bad policy to allow someone else, especially a company root access while you're left with what's 'allowed'. I wouldn't use a phone I didn't have root on.

I rooted my S5 the first day I got it, and when I get around to installing a custom recovery, I'm gonna backup, and start removing everything I don't want. I was waiting until I was sure everything worked before voiding the warranty. Six months is sufficient I think.

 

[WelshBloke]

Lol!
The guys just got his first smartphone, give him a chance.

Firstly learn to love and use your Google account.
You should be using it to backup all your contacts, photos, videos etc. You don't want to be posting back here soon asking how to transfer/back them up. Your Google account will do that automagically and bring them to whatever device you want.
Learn to use Google+ on the desktop (yes, I know!), you'll be able to see all your photos/videos there with no extra work from you.

 

[WelshBloke]

The "launcher" is just the desktop environment really.
With android you aren't stuck with using the one that came with your phone.
Yours came with the Touchwiz launcher. TouchWiz is a set of modifications that Samsung has made to the stock Android experience (some people love it, some people hate it. Personally I think that people make far too big a deal out of it either way).
I use nova launcher as it's what I'm used to but for all that we argue over them there isn't a massive difference. Your phone won't be crippled if you stick with your stock launcher and you can change it at any time without any adverse effects.

 

[garndawg]

Thanks for everything, folks. The links to the guides were especially helpful.

I've now installed a launcher (Nova) and keyboard (Swiftkey) and poking around with what they bring.

Google+ is something I'll play with over the holidays.

Thanks again and Merry Christmas!

 

[midwestfisherman]

Did you just get the phone? Are you within your return window? The first thing you should do is exchange it for a Droid Turbo.

I'm not being facetious, you'd be getting a better phone in nearly every aspect except the camera. The S5 is half a year old, the Droid Turbo is just a month, maybe two old. That gap means a new generation of chip driving the phone. That alone is worth the exchange and whatever extra money you may have to pay, since I'm assuming the S5 was on sale.

That's before getting into how much better the software on the Droid Turbo is to S5. It's leagues better, will be updated faster, and run smoother.

EDIT: http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Motorola-DROID-Turbo-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-S5_id3840

I disagree. 1. The S5 is a great phone and 2. Not everyone has to have the bleeding edge latest and greatest processor, memory, etc, etc. in their phone to be satisfied!