Ok thanks. Undecided if I want to switch or hang on to the note 2. Might wait another cycle. My only real complaints with the note 2 is bit dim outside.
Ichinisan
Lifer
- Oct 9, 2002
- 28,298
- 1,235
- 136
Looks a lot like an iPad mini
My Note 3 next to my now obsolete Note 2. (Went with white just to mix things up a bit, never owned a white phone before.)
Freaking loving the Note 3 so far. It's pretty much the perfect device for me.
Yep - using Lux Dash to control auto brightness, I find the Note 3 substantially easier to read in sunlight than the Note 2. Still not as good as the best IPS screens like the iPhone which has good brightness and low reflectance, but more than passable now. I wouldn't consider it a weakness anymore - more a matter of good and better (vs. bad and good).
Same here - if the size doesn't bother you, it's hard to go back to a smaller phone. I was interested in the G2, but couldn't go back down in size. The Note 3 IMO balances pocketability with a large screen - something I still feel the One Maxx and Z Ultra haven't gotten right.
Obviously I'm happy with the Note 3 - rooted with a lower DPI and most of the bloatware frozen, I'm a happy camper.
Ok, I'm actually kinda a smartphone noob, anything in particular I should be doing with the Note 3? I noticed the RAM usage was kinda high, stopped a bunch of programs that were running (although Google Play Music for some reason seems to always be running even though I stopped it and I haven't used it at all), which helped but its still fairly high (over 1.5GB). I noticed there's a ton of stuff still running and not sure exactly what I could get away with stopping/uninstalling.
The Play Store didn't impress me much, seems like unless you know the specific program to go for you're going to see just popular crap and its like every program is ad riddled and the games microtransaction focused.
I got Firefox installed and finally got Sync working although for some reason it still has the old tabs that were open even though I'd told it not to sync those but it won't clear them either.
Now if ArtRage would come up with an Android version and not charge much (or offer it free if you bought the desktop version) for it.
And hopefully the Android versions of FF6 and FFTactics turn out well. What's the best site for Android gaming review/feedback? Or do people more rely on emulators and controllers for solid gaming? Didn't Google just update their gaming platform or something? What's the best way of doing multiplayer gaming? Probably just use facebook for stuff like Words with Friends and stuff like that? How is iOS/Android/etc cross platform support in games?
Oh, and I have the Verizon version if that matters. I hooked it up to my computer through USB 3 and the Verizon update hung up (it installed and said it was done, then told it to close and it just refused, even ending the process couldn't stop it, had to restart which caused the Shutdown to hang; this was all on my Win 7 PC not the phone). Is this the only way to update the Phone when new Android version comes out?
I need to get a 64GB memory card (any recommendations for the best as far as reliability and compatibility?) so I can get my music and some videos. Actually what is the best media player? Anything that simply just works well like MPC-HC or VLC on PC? Or like Foobar for music?
Still looking for solid case (I actually think it feels a little too thin for me in thickness and would love a battery case kinda like the Mophie ones for iPhones), and need to find a good earbud/mic setup for not too much (thanks for being cheapasses Verizon and having Samsung not include them).
The Play Store didn't impress me much, seems like unless you know the specific program to go for you're going to see just popular crap and its like every program is ad riddled and the games microtransaction focused.
I got Firefox installed and finally got Sync working although for some reason it still has the old tabs that were open even though I'd told it not to sync those but it won't clear them either.
Now if ArtRage would come up with an Android version and not charge much (or offer it free if you bought the desktop version) for it.
And hopefully the Android versions of FF6 and FFTactics turn out well. What's the best site for Android gaming review/feedback? Or do people more rely on emulators and controllers for solid gaming? Didn't Google just update their gaming platform or something? What's the best way of doing multiplayer gaming? Probably just use facebook for stuff like Words with Friends and stuff like that? How is iOS/Android/etc cross platform support in games?
Oh, and I have the Verizon version if that matters. I hooked it up to my computer through USB 3 and the Verizon update hung up (it installed and said it was done, then told it to close and it just refused, even ending the process couldn't stop it, had to restart which caused the Shutdown to hang; this was all on my Win 7 PC not the phone). Is this the only way to update the Phone when new Android version comes out?
I need to get a 64GB memory card (any recommendations for the best as far as reliability and compatibility?) so I can get my music and some videos. Actually what is the best media player? Anything that simply just works well like MPC-HC or VLC on PC? Or like Foobar for music?
Still looking for solid case (I actually think it feels a little too thin for me in thickness and would love a battery case kinda like the Mophie ones for iPhones), and need to find a good earbud/mic setup for not too much (thanks for being cheapasses Verizon and having Samsung not include them).
Get Samsung microSD. I made the mistake of getting Sandisk to save a few bucks. Don't.
Historically, Samsung's TW video player has been the best, or damn close. There may be some missing codecs or something this time, but no need to switch until you run into an issue. PowerAmp is a great music player but may be overkill -- the stock one is again fine, or you can use Play Music.
There's really no need to kill processes. You *should* try to uninstall/disable every app with the word Verizon in it, though. Switch your voice mail to Google Voice.
I don't 3D game much, so can't help you there.
You can actually talk into the mic while listening through earphones. Might be less ergonomic with a Note though.
Historically, Samsung's TW video player has been the best, or damn close. There may be some missing codecs or something this time, but no need to switch until you run into an issue. PowerAmp is a great music player but may be overkill -- the stock one is again fine, or you can use Play Music.
There's really no need to kill processes. You *should* try to uninstall/disable every app with the word Verizon in it, though. Switch your voice mail to Google Voice.
I don't 3D game much, so can't help you there.
You can actually talk into the mic while listening through earphones. Might be less ergonomic with a Note though.
Zaap
Diamond Member
- Jun 12, 2008
- 7,162
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s44, curious what issues you had with SanDisk mSD cards? (What class?) I've never had a single problem with any SanDisk card on any of my devices. (class 10: 32 to 64GB). Currently got a 64GB SanDisk in my Note 3 and all is well. (Holy crap, never would have thought I'd walk around with 96GB worth of data in my pocket!)
darkswordsman: short of rooting, I'd highly recommend this tutorial/list of stock apps to disable on the Verizon Note 3: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2478589
I'd be careful not to disable everything listed there, as some things will kill some function (like personally, I don't mind s-voice functions) but there's some obvious crap that can be done without.
Don't even fret over how much 'memory' is used. It's been said 10,000x but bears repeating, Android is not like Windows. It manages memory different. Killing apps is mostly a waste of time. It doesn't really improve anything, and can actually cause problems. Exception: when some rogue app actually does act up.
Best media players is highly subjective. I like MX Player for video. (Just to mix it up, I've been using MoboPlayer on my N3- really like it.)
Audio, I like PowerAmp, but I also use n7player.
There are a bunch of decent pen-enabled art apps that work well on the Note 3. My faves are SketchBook Pro, and Markers works incredibly well. (Supports pressure sensitivity). ScribMaster is another I liked on my Note 2, but currently it doesn't support the Verizon Note 3's s-pen. (The dev is working on it for the next update though).
I wouldn't bother with the Verizon software on the PC. (Personally, I loathe all things Verizon beyond strictly their service.) Just uninstall whatever crap they hosed up your PC with, and install the drivers from Samsung.
Stock updates- I'd just do them OTA. (Over the Air).
A crappy trick that Verizon does is they force the Note to default connect in installer mode rather than Media Device (MTP). Often it'll take up to 15 seconds for the device to switch to Media mode. Without rooting, the only way I know around this is simply to pull down the notification bar each time the device is connected, tap the USB connection notification, and manually switch the connection to Media Device.
darkswordsman: short of rooting, I'd highly recommend this tutorial/list of stock apps to disable on the Verizon Note 3: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2478589
I'd be careful not to disable everything listed there, as some things will kill some function (like personally, I don't mind s-voice functions) but there's some obvious crap that can be done without.
Don't even fret over how much 'memory' is used. It's been said 10,000x but bears repeating, Android is not like Windows. It manages memory different. Killing apps is mostly a waste of time. It doesn't really improve anything, and can actually cause problems. Exception: when some rogue app actually does act up.
Best media players is highly subjective. I like MX Player for video. (Just to mix it up, I've been using MoboPlayer on my N3- really like it.)
Audio, I like PowerAmp, but I also use n7player.
There are a bunch of decent pen-enabled art apps that work well on the Note 3. My faves are SketchBook Pro, and Markers works incredibly well. (Supports pressure sensitivity). ScribMaster is another I liked on my Note 2, but currently it doesn't support the Verizon Note 3's s-pen. (The dev is working on it for the next update though).
I wouldn't bother with the Verizon software on the PC. (Personally, I loathe all things Verizon beyond strictly their service.) Just uninstall whatever crap they hosed up your PC with, and install the drivers from Samsung.
Stock updates- I'd just do them OTA. (Over the Air).
A crappy trick that Verizon does is they force the Note to default connect in installer mode rather than Media Device (MTP). Often it'll take up to 15 seconds for the device to switch to Media mode. Without rooting, the only way I know around this is simply to pull down the notification bar each time the device is connected, tap the USB connection notification, and manually switch the connection to Media Device.
My 16 and 32gb SanDisk microSDs have been fine, but the 64gb gave me just the issues many, many folks have reported since the S3 era: constant remounting, occasional non-recognition, etc. I finally got around to RMAing it this month... hope the replacement works. Wish I'd spent a little more for the Samsung or stuck to my most trouble-free brand, Transcend, even with slower transfer (it's for a huge music collection).
Before you ask, no it wasn't a cheap eBay knockoff. It was direct from Amazon, and purchased months after SanDisk claimed they'd fixed whatever had been ailing their initial batches.
edit - Class 10 UHS-1
Before you ask, no it wasn't a cheap eBay knockoff. It was direct from Amazon, and purchased months after SanDisk claimed they'd fixed whatever had been ailing their initial batches.
edit - Class 10 UHS-1
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Ah ok. I wasn't sure if they were any good or not. I plan on trying out Google and Amazon's music stuff, I already have some Amazon but I figure I could try out Google's as well, if nothing else it'd be smart to get some backups of some of my media.
Ok thanks for the info and the link. What do I need to know with regards to rooting? Would it cause any problems with Verizon?
Yeah I'm not much of a Verizon fan, but they're about the only real option here. When it started installing stuff instead of just showing up I was like, what? Then I told it not to update and its been fine since (after the restart).
Are there any good wireless management programs (so I can manage photos/music/etc just something that allows folder management like USB does but over WiFi)? Then I can just use the AC adapter for charging.
Yeah I knew it was different, and the way it handles processes/programs will take some getting used to, but was odd when it was showing like 1.9/2.3GB of RAM being used.
I've been using Sketchbook, its not bad (especially for a non-ad riddle free Samsung version), but I'd prefer format parity and ArtRage seems a bit better (and I already paid for it on PC). They are supposed to be making an Android version (there's already an iOS version).
Oh and when it comes to memory cards, does it have to "install" it or anything that would cause issues with popping the card in and out? If so not a huge deal, just would be nice to know ahead of time so I don't pull the card and have it screw up.
- Jun 24, 2001
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My only experience with it so far was on a ~7" Galaxy Tab of some kind and I ran into a problem right away: I ripped every episode of Game of Thrones season 1 and 2 from my BD/DVD box sets using Handbrake. By default, every one had a title (same as original filename) that was overlaid on the video by the TouchWiz video player.
It wouldn't be so bad if I could simply disable it, but I had to disable it for every single episode! That's right: It's a file-specific setting even though it should be disabled by default. What's more is that they mislabeled the option as "subtitles" or "captions" or something (I can't recall which). And, no, I did not somehow embed the video title as a forced subtitle. The Dothraki dialog sequences required forced subtitles and I know I handled it right.
Ugh. Do these software designers even use their own products?!
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Ichinisan
Lifer
- Oct 9, 2002
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I missed something. I think you were trying to say that you couldn't see the filenames to tell the episodes / seasons apart...but you didn't exactly say that.
- Jun 24, 2001
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No. The useless title that I didn't specify was stuck on and overlaid on the video without digging through mislabeled menus on each and every video file. It wasn't even useful as a title because all it was was the original file name from Handbrake (stuff like disc name and VOB file number) and not the resulting file name each episode was given after tidying up.
I'm using a Sandisk 64GB card that's about 2 years old without any issues - I do reformat the card whenever switching phones. Like you mentioned, I do recall some batch of Sandisk cards that went bad. I'd imagine any Class 10 card is good enough for any sort of media. I regularly play multi-gig HD movies and have never experienced an issue.
I use MX Player Pro for movies, which I believe is the most popular, though I've found that I've had to use software audio decoding on a few movies which worked without this setting on my Note 2. Not a big deal as it's one click, sound quality is actually as good or even better, and it gets remembered, just a bit odd.
I know it's wasteful but I just transfer the same multi-gig HD movie files from my computer to my Note and man it looks pretty amazing. Streaming it off my Note back onto a TV through DLNA still looks great .
Zaap
Diamond Member
- Jun 12, 2008
- 7,162
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Head over to xda-developers, look up the Verizon Galaxy Note 3. It absolutely matters that it's Verizon, because Verizon locks down its phones. Rooting requires a specific method just for the VZW N3. Using any other root method for other carrier versions *will* brick your device.
That said, I personally am not messing with rooting mine yet. I know a root method has been found, but development for the VZW N3 is still in the early stages.
Also, KitKat (Android 4.4) hopefully will drop for this phone later this month. (Of course for Verizon... who knows?) Personally, I'm going to wait and see what happens with development once 4.4 is here before I worry about rooting stock, or using a ROM.
For now, I'm happy with the phone just the way it is (deactivating as much bloatware as possible works for me.) If you really want to root the N3, I'd recommend reading very carefully on xda forums and following a guide to the letter.
I think Kies Air (from Samsung) may do what you need. I've never used it, so can't comment on it.
An Android version of ArtRage would be pretty sweet- I use it on a tablet PC.
Nothing needs to install to use an SD card.
There's a few confusing things about SD cards and recent Android devices though. Most apps will want to install their data to an SD card by default and even require a card be present, but then some (probably most) use their phones without an SD card. So I guess to compensate for this, the internal memory is structured to mimic having an SD card. So when you pop in an actual SD card, you'll see there's an emulated SD card 0 (internal) and extSDcard (which is the real thing.)
Most apps will by default use the internal memory (emulated SD card) for data, not the ext. (Unless the settings allow the user to change the default location.)
So it can get kind of confusing sometimes if you're thinking "I've got plenty of external storage, so everything should be using that rather than wasting my internal..." but then you realize most apps are actually wasting the internal and unable to even see the external. (Another reason to root is to switch this behavior so the external card is default.)
Luckily, things like the camera either default or can be switched to use the SD card. Most media apps are able to use it as well. So mainly, it becomes content storage more than application data.
As for hot-swapping SD cards in and out without causing problems... to my knowledge it shouldn't case any real problems. Safest would be to unmount the SD card through settings first. IF apps are set up to use the SD card for their data, then they may not function when a card swap is done. (A big reason for favoring internal storage vs. SD for app data).
But with the Note3, you're probably not going to hotswap the SD card- from what I can tell, it simply can't be removed past the battery.
Phobic9
Golden Member
- Apr 6, 2001
- 1,822
- 0
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A quick question for the Note 3 owners: Is there a case that covers the whole phone? Sort of like the new Nexus 5 flip cover.
You mean like this one?
http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/mobile-devices/galaxy-note/accessories/EF-WN900BBEGWW
- Jun 24, 2001
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Yes. That's kinda Samsung's thing and one reason why they still have removable battery doors. They sell the Flip Cover, S-View cover, and wireless charging versions of each in many different colors.
A quick question for the Note 3 owners: Is there a case that covers the whole phone? Sort of like the new Nexus 5 flip cover.
- Jun 24, 2001
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Ah. Well, I'm sure someone will make a three-sided bumper case that supports it. All it needs is a curved metal bar on the hinge side that connects the top and bottom parts of the bumper on that side. I actually sketched something similar up in MS Paint about a month ago.
I don't believe you require root to tether. Free tethering on verizon is probably the only reason I stay with them though t-mobile also offers free tethering.
- Jun 24, 2001
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Not with any plan. If I wanted to tether on the $30 Wal-Mart plan with T-Mobile, I'd better use a VPN or only tether mobile devices because they will see my desktop browser ID and put a stop to it.
Is there any way to manage folders like in Windows? Like, can I put a shortcut to a folder on the page? It seemed like that was what it was offering but I tried it and it didn't work like that. I have a link to the sorta "My Computer" folder, and then I know you can set like 4 quick links on it, but I hate how you push My Images and it just lumps all the images together in there. I'd love to be able to setup a few different folders for pics and videos and then for different things (like family pics, pics of a certain place, stuff like that).
Thanks for the info.
Yeah, I figured I'd wait on caring about rooting for now, I'd wait for it to be rock solid first and I don't seem to mind any of the Samsung stuff. It says Touchwiz is running but I can't tell that its really much different from normal Android, and the few parts that are noticably different (well aside from probably the calling/messaging/contacts) are positives (the pop up menu for quick apps that enables the multi-window support).
Yeah got all the Verizon stuff stopped I think. I stopped some of the Samsung stuff that I wasn't using/interested in, although I'd love to kill off the My Magazine thing since I don't expect I'll ever use that, and for some reason collage or whatever also seems like it wants to keep running even though I've stopped it and don't ever plan on using it.
Yeah, realized where the SD slot was, not sure why I even really mentioned hotswapping that, but it was another reason I was planning on just getting a decent 64GB card and be done with it. More or less that's what I want is for it to just be content storage. I'd like to keep a good 20-30GB of music and then about that for pics/video.
Thanks for the info.
Yeah, I figured I'd wait on caring about rooting for now, I'd wait for it to be rock solid first and I don't seem to mind any of the Samsung stuff. It says Touchwiz is running but I can't tell that its really much different from normal Android, and the few parts that are noticably different (well aside from probably the calling/messaging/contacts) are positives (the pop up menu for quick apps that enables the multi-window support).
Yeah got all the Verizon stuff stopped I think. I stopped some of the Samsung stuff that I wasn't using/interested in, although I'd love to kill off the My Magazine thing since I don't expect I'll ever use that, and for some reason collage or whatever also seems like it wants to keep running even though I've stopped it and don't ever plan on using it.
Yeah, realized where the SD slot was, not sure why I even really mentioned hotswapping that, but it was another reason I was planning on just getting a decent 64GB card and be done with it. More or less that's what I want is for it to just be content storage. I'd like to keep a good 20-30GB of music and then about that for pics/video.
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lopri
Elite Member
- Jul 27, 2002
- 13,310
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I noticed the same as well, but I wouldn't empty the memory unless it affects the battery life or performace. Given what I've observed, Touchwiz handles memory differently from stock Android - meaning the behavior will repeat endlessly unless you flash the ROM with something else.
As to what can be disabled, I referred to this spreadsheet. Use your judgment since anyone can contribute to this data point.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...ZzBfWlR4MC03aDMyZ1BDUFNqU0E&usp=sharing#gid=0
Yeah, after I stopped a bunch of programs its still saying around 1.55/2.3GB, although when looking at the Apps Running setting it says more like 1.2GB/2.3, but its snappy (honestly, I don't think its any snappier than it was out of the box, but I don't really have any big issue and Apps' performance is more dependent on how good the app is anyway). I know preloading is nice, but I figure if you don't ever use the program it'd be even better to have the RAM already free.
I haven't really flushed the RAM or anything since no real performance issues so I didn't figure it'd actually improve things any (and possibly cause problems).
I'm kinda mixed on how it lumps all the processes together. Seems like they could have marked which ones are key, which ones are important (like the Call/Message/Contact things, hardware like the SPen stuff and camera components), and then ones which are features but not necessary (voice stuff, etc), and lastly the really superficial stuff like games. But then I'm sure Verizon would want their crap marked as key.
I also wish there was more customization to the pages.
Still figuring out some stuff like what clock/weather widget I want to use. Tried several and they're ok, but none were really great. The current one I'm using seems the best of what I want but its not great. Seems like that's how a lot of apps are. They're good enough but could be better.
Also kinda stupid that they took out a quick way to add multiple accounts for the GMail app. I'm also a bit leery about all the syncing stuff, seems like with multiple Google and other accounts its just asking for some minor bug to screw things up bad.
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