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Smart phone rant.

Started by Greg G., May 31, 2013, 01:01:25 PM

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Greg G.

I hate learning curves on new-fangled "smart" phones! Widget, shmidget, app, shmapp! And WTHeck is a "root"?! My contract was up and I "upgraded" to a Samsung Galaxy S III. All I want is the same clock that's on the "lock screen" on my home screen, why can't I have that? The clock disappears when I swipe the screen, and none of the clock widgets match that font. I don't want the weather, all I have to do is look up from the stinking screen and out the window to see what the stinkin' weather is!!! And that late-20s something rep insisted on showing me how to access music on Pandora. I like music, but I have no need to listen to it every waking moment, and I don't need to subscribe to Pandora for music I can get for a one-time charge on CDs!! Oh, and here's another clue, you 20-something sales rep: RAP ISN'T MUSIC!!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, my 65yo rotary phone! But I also need the navigation feature on my smart phone.

Ok, I'm done, time to get some coffee, fresh air and listen to the sounds of nature.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

Phonesrfun

Just don't text while on the job!  :(

I am going through a similar set of issues, so I don't have a clue as to how to get your time to show up.  My wife and I both have dumb phones.  Mine is really dumb because it is basically a flip phone with a numeric keypad and I don't have internet or texting even turned on.  When my wife's plan is up in November, we are going to jump ship and get her a smart phone and I will stay with a dumb one.  Between the two of us, we need one smart phone so while we are out and about doing some traveling, we can see where the restaurants are and have GPS.  We were in Spokane for the week-end and it seems that every hour as we were driving around, we commented that it would sure be nice to have a smart-phone.  For me, however, the music and other aps would just not be very important.                               

-Bill G

MagicMo

Dumb is better!
(Sent via IPhone)
Mo
Practice Kindness :)

WesternElectricBen

I agree, rap isn't music..

AMCer


WesternElectricBen

Quote from: AMCer on May 31, 2013, 02:06:05 PM
The dialer currently on my android:



https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.binarywits.rotarydial

I'm partying like it's 1969!

I have that. The nice thing about it is their is no need to lubercate or adjust that dial.

twocvbloke

Just don't forget to set the apps in Google Play to update over Wifi only if you're on a limited data plan, I'm not so I let them update whenever they like (and it's faster than the ADSL too, and my phone's not even LTE!!)... :D

As for the clock, you should be able to put one on the home screen that looks like the lock screen clock, just find an empty space on your home screen, tap and hold until the menu pops up, tap Apps and Widgets, and it should* be on the 2nd page as a 4x1 size and a 2x1 size (as in it takes up 4 icons wide by 1 deep)... :)

Rooting a phone is basically to allow you to install custom-made apps, alter settings normally hidden from the average user, and to install entirely different versions of Android (such as CyanogenMod), it's a bit advanced for the beginner really, so best just to ignore it... :)

And I can't help but notice that the fingerstop on that rotary dial app is a GPO 700 series fingerstop, at an odd angle, not to mention in the wrong place... :D



(*I say "should" as it can depend on what alterations your provider and Samsung have done, and whether that actually is a Galaxy SIII or one of the other models they named the SIII but it's not actually the original GT-I9300 Galaxy SIII like mine, looking at that picture above though, it appears to be one of the other versions which is 4G/LTE ready, possibly the SCH-I535 which is used on Verizon, see http://tinyurl.com/974jwld for more details)

Greg G.

#7
Quote from: twocvbloke on May 31, 2013, 08:32:56 PM
Just don't forget to set the apps in Google Play to update over Wifi only if you're on a limited data plan, I'm not so I let them update whenever they like (and it's faster than the ADSL too, and my phone's not even LTE!!)... :D

As for the clock, you should be able to put one on the home screen that looks like the lock screen clock, just find an empty space on your home screen, tap and hold until the menu pops up, tap Apps and Widgets, and it should* be on the 2nd page as a 4x1 size and a 2x1 size (as in it takes up 4 icons wide by 1 deep)... :)

Rooting a phone is basically to allow you to install custom-made apps, alter settings normally hidden from the average user, and to install entirely different versions of Android (such as CyanogenMod), it's a bit advanced for the beginner really, so best just to ignore it... :)

(*I say "should" as it can depend on what alterations your provider and Samsung have done, and whether that actually is a Galaxy SIII or one of the other models they named the SIII but it's not actually the original GT-I9300 Galaxy SIII like mine, looking at that picture above though, it appears to be one of the other versions which is 4G/LTE ready, possibly the SCH-I535 which is used on Verizon, see http://tinyurl.com/974jwld for more details)

Thanks for the tips.  I found a clock (Simple Clock) that comes close to what I want.  I also found the auto-update selection and set it to Wi-Fi only.  Two different merchants confirmed that although I had unlimited data in my old plan which I could have kept had I not upgraded (no more unlimited data plans), 2 gig data limit was plenty for what I've been using.  
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

Greg G.

#8
Quote from: Phonesrfun on May 31, 2013, 01:19:37 PM
Just don't text while on the job! :(


Automatic 5 day suspension for even being seen using your cell phone (talking, texting, or whatever) on the job unless at a layover! And they mean it, zero tolerance! That policy is relatively new, but it wasn't a problem for me anyway. It's kept off and in my pack while on duty. I need to concentrate on driving the bus and I don't want to be bothered, even on my breaks.  Anybody trying to call me can leave a message on the voice mail, that's what it's there for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2D3hB278Gc
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

twocvbloke

Using a mobile phone while driving isn't legal over here, resulting in a fine, but nobody pays attention to that law, as most of the time they're using the things on the move and the rozzers can't always see into the car to be sure of you using a phone, and the time's I've seen people using them while turning at junctions and texting away and not looking at the road and nearly driving into me, maybe one day I'll intentionally walk infront of them and sue them for a lot of money... :D

Anyway, at least you have the clock you were after, I have a couple on the go, one is a weather app combined with a clock, the other is just a simple analogue clock, on different pages though, I like both as one tells you what time it is (digital), the other (analogue) is handy for visualising what time you have left before something... :)

And as for bus drivers not being allowed to use phones on the go or get suspended, I wish they'd employ that rule on the Go North East buses round here, as I've seen their drivers fondling their phones when driving, again not legal, especially when they have a bus filled with people who are being put at risk because they have to say "LOL" to something... ::)

AE_Collector

Quote from: Brinybay on May 31, 2013, 01:01:25 PM
My contract was up and I "upgraded" to a Samsung Galaxy S III.

Uh Oh....

All my workmates (err...Ex-workmates now I guess)  upgraded to that but I liked my BB Torch so stuck with it. I have never heard so much whining, complaining and occasional praise as well from them! A real love/hate relationship they had with the Samsung!

Since they had new phones they had to give them back yesterday when we retired but no one wanted my old BB ... Except for me!

Terry