Reviews:
 ·Comcast
1 edit | New Samsung Galaxy S4 owner & Complete Android OS Noob Just purchased a new smartphone. It's the brand new Samsung Galaxy S4. And let me just start by saying this phone is awesome! It has such a beautiful screen, super fast operation, LTE is CRAZY fast, and really, overall, this device is simply just a tremendously amazing smartphone!
I've never used or owned any Android devices thus far. I've literally only owned Apple iPhone's for the last... 6-8 years(something like that, not real sure how many years exactly). So I've been an iOS man and never experienced Android. So I'm sure it doesn't come as any real surprise but I really don't know what I'm doing. So, I'm hoping I can get some good advice and I'll be able to maximize my abilities on this android phone.
So all you android users out there... What tips and tricks are you guys hiding in those noggins of yours? What is some solid information you would tell someone that's just now using Android OS(4.2.2)and for the very first time?
But I have so many questions and not any answers just yet. Like, how do you take a screenshot? How do I root my new Samsung Galaxy S4 to install hacked apps? How concerned should I be about viruses and malware on an android device and should I download an AV program? How good can I expect flash videos to work on my S4? What's the best application to use so I can upload music, movies, documents, etc. from my PC to my smartphone?
These are just a few that I can think of at the moment. I'm positive I'll have many many more as I continue to explore.
UPDATE: Holy shit! I LOVE LTE! I just got 27887kbps/12245kbps on a Speedtest result. How epic is that? For about the last 2 years I've been stuck on 3G with my iPhone 4s. Ick!! |
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| Is there an alternative on android that plays nice with Apple's AirPlay capabilities? |
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 JuggernautIrreverent or irrelevant?Premium
join:2006-09-05
Kelowna, BC
kudos:2 | reply to TruSm0ke
Screenies can be taken with holding the volume button in the middle, and the power button at the same time.
As for LTE, I've done 46.22 down and 20.18 up on my N4. Life is good. 
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"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." ~ Albert Einstein |
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 kkbObject of the Panopticon
join:2000-06-11
Colorado | reply to TruSm0ke
For a screen shot, if you have "Air gesture" enabled, you can set your hand edge-on along one side of the screen and sweep to the other side of the screen - as if you were batting a fly away. |
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 AlcoholPremium
join:2003-05-26
Climax, MI
kudos:3
·Comcast
| reply to TruSm0ke
I use google drive and dropbox for uploading PC -> smartphone.
Don't need to root the phone to install hacked apps but you should not do this at all. 95% of the apps outside Google Play have malware and will destroy your phone.
Don't get AV if you only use google play.
Flash is garbage on mobile.
Pro tip: Disable anything S-*. S-voice, air gestures etc.
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I found the key to success but somebody changed the lock. |
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Reviews:
·Comcast
3 edits | Is it still possible to use iTunes for music management on an Android phone? As much as I hate iTunes, it has still been my main music/video manager for my mobile devices. I know how to use iTunes and ive become accustomed to utilizing it effectively for content management. I've been using it for atleast 4 or more years by now.
I've heard suggestions that I should give Google Play a try as a good alternative to iTunes. For the time being, iTunes has been my go-to with all my playlists, libraries, etc. iTunes is all set up and I've put in so much time getting it all setup and organized like I want. So i'd prefer to stay with iTunes, for now, if it's still possible.
I've also gotten some suggestions to buy an app called AirSync($4.99) which is good for this sort of thing. Anyone try AirSync for themselves? |
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AlcoholPremium
join:2003-05-26
Climax, MI
kudos:3 | Yeah, i've heard AirSync does what you need, but i don't use it. I use spotify and google music.
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I found the key to success but somebody changed the lock. |
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Reviews:
·Comcast
1 edit | 
S4 filesystem |
said by Alcohol:Yeah, i've heard AirSync does what you need, but i don't use it. I use spotify and google music.
I'm wondering if it's even necessary to purchase AirSync. A quick look online and I'm seeing I can just plug the device into my PC and just pulling up the contents of my phone in explorer. I see a Music folder, Videos, Ringtones, Pictures, etc. This might be easier than I thought!
I would still like a GUI for content management like iTunes but for quick transfers of music ala "on-the-fly" direct filesystem access works very well and quickly. |
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Reviews:
·Comcast
| My new favorite thing to do? Watching movies on my Galaxy S4 at the same time I'm texting and surfing the web. This is probably the absolute coolest damn thing I've seen or done on my mobile device in a verrrry long time. Don't forget too that I've been stuck under the 'Apple iPhone veil' for a really long time. This might very well be common place for the Android regulars but this is extremely awesome to me. |
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JuggernautIrreverent or irrelevant?Premium
join:2006-09-05
Kelowna, BC
kudos:2 | Leaving the dark side is good. Welcome to a real device. Bring friends.  |
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 pnjunctionTeksavvy ExtremePremium
join:2008-01-24
Toronto, ON
kudos:1 | reply to Juggernaut
said by Juggernaut:Screenies can be taken with holding the volume button in the middle, and the power button at the same time. On the S4 it's the home button and the power button at the same time. |
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JuggernautIrreverent or irrelevant?Premium
join:2006-09-05
Kelowna, BC
kudos:2 | Thank you for that. |
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pnjunctionTeksavvy ExtremePremium
join:2008-01-24
Toronto, ON
kudos:1 | No problem, there's also the gesture way someone mentioned. Pretty cool but it worked once for me and then never again. Not sure what's going on with that, air gesture is enabled but maybe I broke it somehow messing with stuff (rooted and disabled apps I don't use). |
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 HallPremium,MVM
join:2000-04-28
Dayton, OH
kudos:2 | I can't get the gesture thing to work for taking screenshots either... (on an S3) |
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HallPremium,MVM
join:2000-04-28
Dayton, OH
kudos:2 | reply to TruSm0ke
said by TruSm0ke: How do I root my new Samsung Galaxy S4 to install hacked apps? How concerned should I be about viruses and malware on an android device and should I download an AV program? What do mean by "hacked apps" ? Generally, people root their phones to remove apps (pre-loaded bloat that VZW, ATT, etc add), enable settings or features that the carriers don't want us to have, and so on.
As for AV protection, personally, I've never used any in almost 4 years of using Android. I think the main risk comes from installing apps from unknown sources, which I avoid, or downloading rouge apps from the app store. For that, if an app only shows say 10,000 downloads, I avoid it. Also, I believe Google recently, and finally, put in place some add'l measures that check all apps in their store. |
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kkbObject of the Panopticon
join:2000-06-11
Colorado | reply to pnjunction
said by pnjunction:No problem, there's also the gesture way someone mentioned. Pretty cool but it worked once for me and then never again. Not sure what's going on with that, air gesture is enabled but maybe I broke it somehow messing with stuff (rooted and disabled apps I don't use).
I lied, it's not enabled with Air Gestures!
Enabled at: Settings>My Device>Motion and gestures>Palm motion>Capture screen |
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pnjunctionTeksavvy ExtremePremium
join:2008-01-24
Toronto, ON
kudos:1 | said by kkb:said by pnjunction:No problem, there's also the gesture way someone mentioned. Pretty cool but it worked once for me and then never again. Not sure what's going on with that, air gesture is enabled but maybe I broke it somehow messing with stuff (rooted and disabled apps I don't use).
I lied, it's not enabled with Air Gestures! Enabled at: Settings>My Device>Motion and gestures>Palm motion>Capture screen Ah yes I see that setting buried in there. It was already enabled though so why wasn't it working..
Figured it out! Your palm has to be touching the screen not just hovering over it. (The description "Control your device by touching the screen with your hand" was a hint). Place the edge of your hand on the right side of the screen and drag it across. Working every time now.
I also had no idea that the the items in that "Motions and Gestures" screen had sub-menus, I thought they were just toggles. I'm exploring all the toggles and options for Air Gesture and Motion as well right now. Also if you tap the name of a specific feature there is a description and animation of how it works.
Finally when you go into the "Try it" for a feature some of them seem to have additional settings, for example I went into the Motion Zoom and there is a Sensitivity slider. |
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Reviews:
·Comcast
| reply to Hall
said by Hall: What do mean by "hacked apps" ? Generally, people root their phones to remove apps (pre-loaded bloat that VZW, ATT, etc add), enable settings or features that the carriers don't want us to have, and so on.
I haven't decided on if I want to go through the process of rooting or not. But I do know that my phone is stacked to the gills with shiet AT&T apps that I would love to remove. I swear that all the AT&T apps take up atleast 1-2GB of needless space that I'd rather put to use elsewhere.
I also did purchase AirSync. I'm still working through the different nuances within the app but it does work fairly well. Not particularly happy that the app is still considered 'beta' though. I don't want to pay $5 for a beta app. |
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