[OFF-TOPIC] Important Please Read OP (7/1/13)

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olyloh6696

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Oct 20, 2009
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I bet Lowveld will be glad he hasn't started work on the coding of the new base yet then if it's likely another one will be released...

Anyone got any ideas if HTC have any decent future launches planned (obviously they will have, I mean in the way of specs, device names etc). Due an upgrade in about 3 - 4 months so don't wan't to be getting a phone that's been out a while with the one X (before anyone tells me it's not been out a while, It will be 6 months since release by the time I upgrade!), I Always seem to upgrade at the wrong time... Don't get me wrong, Love my DS, but I got the phone, 2 weeks later SGS2 launched :( Don't want to do that again..

Well it hasn't been confirmed yet, and I dont think the One V will get it straight away, as it isn't a flagship ;)

I think HTC will be focusing on our DS upgrade (which is about time!)

And the base number is the same as the One X, so maybe it will remain where it is?

You might aswell wait and hold out if you can. I'm in a similar position, I want to upgrade to the One S next month, but it means I will have to keep it for 2 years, and it'd hardware might age out :(

So I *think* I might just pass out on the upgrade ...

Desire S • Fallout V2.0.0 • xda premium
 

bronx

Senior Member
Oct 18, 2006
1,115
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oh boy...

I just bought Max Payne from play store and.............. it runs smooth on maxed out settings! :D I used to love this game. controls are so so, but I'll get used to it. :cool: WAY TO GO ROCKSTAR!

[EDIT]

just found out, that You can delete all of not wanted language files - saves about 800mb. How cool is that? :)
 
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shrome99

Senior Member
May 11, 2011
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Pretty awesome. Did you OC, or is it smooth at 1 Ghz?


Sent from a device waiting for the Kernel 3 source code. WAKE UP HTC !!!!!
 

miz_pimp

Senior Member
Mar 23, 2012
1,323
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LG V40
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
Okay, so thanks to some of you with your damn screenshots of aokp *points at shrome99 and jacmeister :D* I decided to go back to aokp from Sense 4.0, and I JUST CAN'T DO IT!! :p

I just fell in love with Sense 4, and now aokp just isn't enough for me anymore :( *sigh* I never really thought I'd say that though, as I was on aokp for months, until Fallout came along, now I just can't go back, lol! :D
 

jacmeister

Senior Member
Jul 1, 2010
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It is kinda hard. After a couple of days on aokp I want to use sense. Its great being able to jump between the two. Suppose that's the beauty of being rooted.

As an aside I and a few others here are interested in the one x and the boot loader. Just been speaking to one of my buds who is a big xda member and he is one of the people trying to crack S-OFF and there is a bounty of $2000 to the first person to do it .

Shouldn't be long then with that incentive

Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium
 

olyloh6696

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Oct 20, 2009
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It is kinda hard. After a couple of days on aokp I want to use sense. Its great being able to jump between the two. Suppose that's the beauty of being rooted.

As an aside I and a few others here are interested in the one x and the boot loader. Just been speaking to one of my buds who is a big xda member and he is one of the people trying to crack S-OFF and there is a bounty of $2000 to the first person to do it .

Shouldn't be long then with that incentive

Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium

Aha, I'm pretty sure that will happen soon! The dev support is immense! I know several people are still reluctant to root their One X, until they have S-OFF, because they don't want to void warranty. Such a stupid move from HTC. The SGS3 has an unlocked bootloader...

Anyway, it's most likely pointed out, Jellybean will be 4.1, not 5.0. I also read an article saying that all ICS devices should be eligible for the Jellybean update...

Does that mean us? :D

Because AFAIK, Jellybean is just a small update (like Froyo > Gingerbread) so we SHOULD be able to run it...

Desire S • Fallout V2.0.0 • xda premium
 
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dannyhoughton74

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Apr 23, 2012
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You might aswell wait and hold out if you can. I'm in a similar position, I want to upgrade to the One S next month, but it means I will have to keep it for 2 years, and it'd hardware might age out :(

So I *think* I might just pass out on the upgrade ...

Desire S • Fallout V2.0.0 • xda premium


Think i'll be doing the same, Problem is my DS is getting how to say "not at it's best"... software wise it's fantastic thanks to Fallout and other custom ROM's I've used but it's taken some pounding over the 15 months i've had it (Already had 2 new screens)! Think I may just wait until HTC's next "Flagship" device and hope they learn from the mistakes with the one X, Either that or go for the one X "IF" S-Off has been achieved by then
 

pughie

Senior Member
Nov 26, 2011
528
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Cardiff
Google Pixel 6 Pro
Hi guys, this post is mainly aimed at the German members of xda, I'm in Munich for a few days next week and after a long work day me and a couple of friends would like to find a bar to relax in and enjoy the Euro's, can anybody suggest somewhere? I'm based in the Kempinski hotel at Munich airport, I'm not a fan of hotel bars (full of other tourists) and would prefer to experience what Munich is really like, I've never been to Munich before and I'm really looking forward to it :beer:
 
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eyahl

Senior Member
Jan 11, 2012
1,070
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berlin
I've been there only once, therefore I cannot suggest you a good location. But you could ask nk111, I think he lives in Munich or near to . ;)
 
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jacmeister

Senior Member
Jul 1, 2010
177
41
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That's why I sold my one x. Wouldn't go near htcdev and void the warranty.

If my guy is on I'm sure he will solve it soon


Think that you are spot on about JB


Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium
 
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djsubtronic

Senior Member
Jun 16, 2010
2,512
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Guys, unlocking via HTCdev does not void your warranty. Only if something goes wrong as a result of being unlocked/rooted, then your warranty is voided. If you want to return the phone, you can relock the bootloader and install a RUU, the "TAMPERED" sign goes away and "UNLOCKED" turns into "RELOCKED".

If you do this you have nothing to worry about in terms of warranty/returning the phone.
 
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Deleted member 2496007

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Guys, unlocking via HTCdev does not void your warranty. Only if something goes wrong as a result of being unlocked/rooted, then your warranty is voided. If you want to return the phone, you can relock the bootloader and install a RUU, the "TAMPERED" sign goes away and "UNLOCKED" turns into "RELOCKED".

If you do this you have nothing to worry about in terms of warranty/returning the phone.

Correct. Got the following pm from an official HTC rep regarding my WiFi aerial hardware issue....

2012-06-12_20-45-17.png


Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
 

jacmeister

Senior Member
Jul 1, 2010
177
41
London
Correct. Got the following pm from an official HTC rep regarding my WiFi aerial hardware issue....

2012-06-12_20-45-17.png


Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

Understood, but its still a grey area, its basically at their discretion, if someone is sharp enough to read RELOCKED then they could invalidate the warranty.

I wouldnt take a chance with something worth over £400.00

Will wait until S-OFF

---------- Post added at 01:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:23 PM ----------

As an aside


Guys can anyone point me in the right direction to get a smaller sense clock and weather icon to use on Fallout.

Am i right in thinking that there was a smaller one of a version of Endymion.

is there a thread with an apk for it ??


Cheers
 

lowveld

Inactive Recognized Developer
Nov 13, 2008
2,185
4,757
Hi guys, this post is mainly aimed at the German members of xda, I'm in Munich for a few days next week and after a long work day me and a couple of friends would like to find a bar to relax in and enjoy the Euro's, can anybody suggest somewhere? I'm based in the Kempinski hotel at Munich airport, I'm not a fan of hotel bars (full of other tourists) and would prefer to experience what Munich is really like, I've never been to Munich before and I'm really looking forward to it :beer:

It's Munich. Go to Rosenheimer Platz, find a brewery (any one), and try to show up for work the next day...

Ah, the good old days...


Sent by pigeon
 
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olyloh6696

Senior Member
Oct 20, 2009
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I had a good play with my friends One S today.
Now, I don't think it will be my next phone. The screen is definitely grainier than the DS, no doubt about it. Colour saturation is very nice on it, pictures look fantastic, but going to text based stuff, its really grainy, I actually can't believe it's that bad, for what is considered a high end range. Why did HTC choose the Damn pentium screen? :mad:

I also used the full Sense 4.0, stuff looks nicer, slightly snappier, but to be honest, it's more or less the same speed that Fallout offers me. Of course, this is only tests with the homescreen etc, but games and web browsing are a different story!

The One S' design is so beautiful though... It's so light and thin, even with the leather case it had on it!

Battery seems alright. My friend said it lasts him a day... He watched a movie through netflix, streaming through 3G, and it drained like 40% battery, which I suppose is acceptable...

But I doubt the One S will last me the 2 years. The screen is terrible IMO. The UI is pretty much what I have on my DS, so it's not a huge game changer. I'd only benefit from the larger screen (but poorer quality!) And faster chip.

Even the SGS2 with a lower res display is clearer and sharper.

So I think I will probably pass out, or i might look to the GNex, and have a good play with that too...

Desire S • Fallout V2.0.0 • xda premium
 

eyahl

Senior Member
Jan 11, 2012
1,070
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berlin
My thoughts are exactly the same. Every time I get hands on my sisters one s I'm wondering about the screen.. and in my opinion the design is very nice but the device is so thin I would be afraid of sitting on it in my backpocket.
 

djsubtronic

Senior Member
Jun 16, 2010
2,512
586
I had a good play with my friends One S today.
Now, I don't think it will be my next phone. The screen is definitely grainier than the DS, no doubt about it. Colour saturation is very nice on it, pictures look fantastic, but going to text based stuff, its really grainy, I actually can't believe it's that bad, for what is considered a high end range. Why did HTC choose the Damn pentium screen? :mad:

I also used the full Sense 4.0, stuff looks nicer, slightly snappier, but to be honest, it's more or less the same speed that Fallout offers me. Of course, this is only tests with the homescreen etc, but games and web browsing are a different story!

The One S' design is so beautiful though... It's so light and thin, even with the leather case it had on it!

Battery seems alright. My friend said it lasts him a day... He watched a movie through netflix, streaming through 3G, and it drained like 40% battery, which I suppose is acceptable...

But I doubt the One S will last me the 2 years. The screen is terrible IMO. The UI is pretty much what I have on my DS, so it's not a huge game changer. I'd only benefit from the larger screen (but poorer quality!) And faster chip.

Even the SGS2 with a lower res display is clearer and sharper.

So I think I will probably pass out, or i might look to the GNex, and have a good play with that too...

Desire S • Fallout V2.0.0 • xda premium

The screen pissed me off a lot when I looked at it before I got it, while I still had my DS. But after using this for a month now, I hardly notice the graininess unless I have another LCD next to it. Which is never. It only looks horrible because you're still too used to the DS.

Battery life is amazing - 2mw drain when screen is off, and ~5 hours screen on time with max brightness. Try getting that on DS.
 
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olyloh6696

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Oct 20, 2009
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The screen pissed me off a lot when I looked at it before I got it, while I still had my DS. But after using this for a month now, I hardly notice the graininess unless I have another LCD next to it. Which is never. It only looks horrible because you're still too used to the DS.

Battery life is amazing - 2mw drain when screen is off, and ~5 hours screen on time with max brightness. Try getting that on DS.

Thanks man, I sort of see where you are coming from. I also like the One S.because of the forum, it's very similar to its, small and peaceful, but decent dev support with little.noobs around.

I guess the S4 comes down to being power efficient, thanks to the 28nm architecture. But, if you end up with the S3, that is and news...

That's why I'm a bit confused, HTC are now releasing 2 versions of the One S, which means they have to release 2 different ROMs, this means that the dev forums will be more complicated with 2 different types of ROMs?!

Why HTC? :mad: surely, they should have seen the shortages of S4 chips... But then again, what could they have really done about it?

I watched a Verge video review, and they really praise the device at how fantastic it is, but it's the screen that let's it down :(

Also, I read an interesting article about dual-core vs quad-core:

http://pocketnow.com/2012/06/15/why...m-sometimes-faster-than-the-quad-core-nvidia/

Desire S • Fallout V2.0.0 • xda premium
 

jacmeister

Senior Member
Jul 1, 2010
177
41
London
I had a good play with my friends One S today.
Now, I don't think it will be my next phone. The screen is definitely grainier than the DS, no doubt about it. Colour saturation is very nice on it, pictures look fantastic, but going to text based stuff, its really grainy, I actually can't believe it's that bad, for what is considered a high end range. Why did HTC choose the Damn pentium screen? :mad:

I also used the full Sense 4.0, stuff looks nicer, slightly snappier, but to be honest, it's more or less the same speed that Fallout offers me. Of course, this is only tests with the homescreen etc, but games and web browsing are a different story!

The One S' design is so beautiful though... It's so light and thin, even with the leather case it had on it!

Battery seems alright. My friend said it lasts him a day... He watched a movie through netflix, streaming through 3G, and it drained like 40% battery, which I suppose is acceptable...

But I doubt the One S will last me the 2 years. The screen is terrible IMO. The UI is pretty much what I have on my DS, so it's not a huge game changer. I'd only benefit from the larger screen (but poorer quality!) And faster chip.

Even the SGS2 with a lower res display is clearer and sharper.

So I think I will probably pass out, or i might look to the GNex, and have a good play with that too...

Desire S • Fallout V2.0.0 • xda premium

Think that you are about right Oly, its not a big enough upgrade to last you 2 years. The proc fragmentation is a worry as well
 
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  • 15
    Hello old friend... long time no see. Seems like yesterday.... me flashing your roms zero hour on my ds and irritating you with bug reports and requests...

    And i just realized how much i've been away from this forum when i saw your recog dev title... Hearty congratulations!!

    :p I'm catching it. But I'm still a skeptic towards the whole extinction of the desktop. BTW, congrats on Recognized Developer!

    Yes, long overdue! Congrats LOWVELD! :D


    Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

    Thanks guys!

    Enigmaamit: it's quite recent, just 2 days ago and caught me by surprise. Not only I am not nearly as active as some months ago, but the new rules for the RD status are quite stricter than before.

    Anyway, I've always been recognized by those who in the end really matter: the DS community.

    Cheers
    12
    I'd like to know why that is as well. Seems similar to AMD selling the X3 which is actually an X4 with a locked core. Never understood it but to be honest I've never cared enough to understand why. This seems interesting though. I'm sure there's a valid reason though

    Sent from my Desire S using Tapatalk 2

    I worked on semiconductor manufacturing for a few years. That behavior is typical for increasing the wafer chip yield.

    What you do at the beginning is test a batch of chips, those that meet the full specifications go to specific speed bins. There are no specific batches of higher and lower speed processors, they try them at all speeds and sell them according to what each individual can handle. It is actually much more complicated than this, it's not all about speed. By the way, this explains why not 2 chips are the same, and some handle over clocking or under volting better.

    Now imagine you are testing a batch of quad core processors. There may be a lot of chips with poor performance on one core, but all other are good. You can't sell them, as the end result is a ****ty quad core processor. But lock that core, come up with a fancy name, and instead of scrapping the chip, you now get a new product with good performance at a very small added cost compared with the quad core, which you already spent money on trying to build anyway.

    Depending on the manufacturing process, it can be very hard to get a decent percentage of fully working chips. For instance, the PS3 cell processor has a main core and 8 auxiliary cores (this is very simplified by me here). But all PS3 Cell processors on he market have only 7 auxiliary cores working, because it is assumed that getting a chip with all 8 working is rare, and as such, it would be too expensive trying to guarantee it. So even in those rare fully working chips, one core is turned off. This avoids fragmentation, and when developing for the PS3, you know you can only use those 7 cores.

    Ok, I'm rambling now. Cheers...


    Sent from an undisclosed dimension
    11
    This thread will serve as a off-topic place for fellow Desire S users.

    Instead of starting New threads, we can always ask here, and get a quick, fast answer.

    Feel free to talk about anything, and we can all engage in a discussion :)

    There is now an IRC channel for off topic users.

    #sagaofftopic on freenode. As recommended by Shrome99, use this on your phone.

    AndroIRC, - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.androirc&feature=search_result


    ATTENTION

    Following the recent decision by xda moderators, this thread will no longer exist. To keep it simple, I have created this thread again over at the off topic forum.

    http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2087824

    Can all of you please subscribe to this thread and alert any others?

    Will be much appreciated. Sad to see this thread go, after we've been through so much. Hopefully DS and Ex-DS users will still be together on the new thread.

    See you guys there! :)

    Oly.
    10
    Hey all,
    We have been blessed with a baby boy today morning.
    He was born pre-term by 3 weeks.
    Both mom and son are doing great.
    :beer::beer::beer::beer::beer::beer::beer::beer:

    Tapatalked from Desire S running Andromadus
    10
    The Samsung Galaxy S3 - My Review

    As most of you aquainted with me know by now, I've gone ahead and got myself Samsung's flagship for this year - the Galaxy SIII. I've had it for a week now, and I think i'm now in a position to write a small review about my experience with it. I waited a week because of two main reasons - The first is that with any new device, the excitement quotient is high, and most opinions are defensive or biased. The second is that I wanted to post a review of both the Stock setup (4 days) and the Rooted, custom ROM scene (I know my signature says Stock, Rooted...but that ship sailed a long time ago - just haven't updated it yet) - I'm currently very ROOTED and on a custom ROM, the Omega v6, running the Siyah kernel.

    So here it goes :

    SIZE :

    While the phone initially struck me as huge and unergonomic at first look, it grew up very creepily on me within barely a day, and now I feel seriously emasculated when I try to use my Saga. Even the Sensation XE my friend gave me (to root) felt puny in my hands. Don't even get me started on how guilty I feel when I see my trusty DS staring at me with accusing eyes lying unused next to my laptop. I just can't pick up anything smaller anymore! But then I have also contemplated the Galaxy Note previously and that is really REALLY big, so this is where the size maxes out for me. 4.85 inches - no more, no less.

    FORM FACTOR & BUILD QUALITY :

    For a phone as big as this one, it is surprisingly easy to hold in one hand. It is very curvaceous and fits very comfortably in the hand unlike many phones with large screens (those of you who've had the misfortune of using Sony's new flagship, the Xperia S will know what I'm talking about). Do notice that I say easy to hold and not easy to use with one hand. Trying to get to the top edges of the screen is definitely a juggling task if you decide to use just one hand. Typing on swype is just manageable one-handed, but I prefer two handed tapping any day, since the portrait real estate is quite abundant.

    The phone is breathtakingly slim. This is highlighted even more by the relative proportions of the depth when compared to the length and width. The photos don't do any justice to the phone and you need to hold it in person to realize just how satisfying it feels in the hand. I would like to mention the One X here - I still feel that it is a much better looking phone, and the design philosophy is completely different in these two phones, but I'll come to that in detail shortly.

    Did I mention it is very light? It's a dream to hold... unlike the aluminium chassis we've come to love on our phones. That is a great material for smaller phones, but a 5inch slab has to be made as lightweight as possible, and Samsung have nailed it just right with this one.

    The build quality is very good, no "cheap" feel whatsoever. No creaks, groans, etc etc. The physical home button is a boon, doubles as the power button for screen wake up purposes, so no hunting for volume rocker wake mods. Tte Power button is placed on the side, so you don't have to juggle the phone in one hand to reach the top...your thumb/index finger is already there when you're holding the phone in your right/left hand respectively. One gripe I have is that the Volume rocker is very small, and the Home physical button tactile feedback is poor.


    SCREEN :

    It's a 4.85inch screen
    It's a HD screen
    It's an AMOLED pentile screen.

    The first two do not need any explanation and are definite no-brainers if you want to buy the phone. The third one warrants some explanation.

    Coming from "LCD only" screens in the past, the AMOLED has been a revelation of sorts to me. It is a completely different screen tech and hence behaves very differently from the LCD siblings in many ways.

    Colors :

    1. Blacks : Blacks are much better on the AMOLED. Black means the pixels do not light up at all, hence massive battery saving. AMOLED suffers from "Black Crush" which means when the greys start getting really dark, they are are seen as just plain black on the screen. How does this affect daily use? No effect unless you're the kind that sits with a GS3 next to a HOX and compares the screens side by side.

    2. Whites : No contest, hands down victory to LCD here. Whites are at best bluish or yellowish, or pinkish on AMOLED screens. Period. If you want to buy an AMOLED screen, EVER, you have to deal with it. That said, this is again apparent only when comparing the phone to an LCD screen nearby, and in itself, the whites are quite satisfoactory.

    3. Colors : No contest, hands down victory to the AMOLED here. There is just no arguing that the colour depth and contrast on this screen are way better than any LCD available today. This is what has blown me away and has made me fall in love with this screen tech. There is LIFE in the screen, it is so vivid that the images relinquish the phone to a blurry background and jump up at you from the screen. It's like orgasm for the eyes.

    Brightness : : To understand perception of brightness, you'll have to read a bit about the screen tech used in displays. In LCD, the pixels mix sub-pixel colors to create a certain tint, which is then made visible by LED back.edge lighting that shines white light through the LCD panel so that the colors can actually be seen. Without the assistive light, LCD screens are nearly impossible to read. AMOLED on the other hand, is made up of self illuminating sub-pixels, which means each pixel is independently capable of making itself visible without need of a separate light source. While a black pixel on an LCD is an actual black color formed by the subpixels, and is still illuminated by the backlight even when it's dark, hence never ever appearing completely black. On AMOLED however, when it need to show black color, the pixel simply turns off! This does two things - Infinite contrast ratio, and huge battery saving on black backgrounds (pixels are off).

    All that mumbo jumbo aside, the SLCD2 of the HOX has a much brighter screen than the AMOLED on the SGS3 and consequently horrid battery life too (we'll get there soon). Sunlight visibility is very good on the GS3, no problem in outdoor usage - texting, viewing photos, etc. But if you want to watch an entire movie on a 4.x inch screen sitting under the sun at 1 pm, this phone is not for you.

    Sensitivity : The touch is very very good. As would be expected from a phone that you're paying through your nose for. Also, anything metallic can be used as a stylus, as long as it's touching your body. I play Draw Something with pals and regularly use my car keys to sketch images on the screen (What's that? - Of course I have a screen protector!)

    Screen conclusion : If you chuck all technical specs charts and graphs aside, and want my opinion in one line - "The screen is awesome." It is the best combination of colour, contrast, luminance, power efficiency and overall satisfaction that is currently available in the market. There is scope for improvement, but when is there not??

    SPEED :

    VERY, V.E.R.Y. fast.
    As in lightning fast.
    As in Chuck Norris six-shooter draw fast.

    Fraction of a second app launches, excellent multitasking, smooth scrolling, etc etc. The UI is a dream, the browser is very snappy, though it doesn't reflow text like sense browsers do, so lets be fair there. I've always been a hard core gamer, and finally I can say I have a device that can play games like they were designed to be played. N.O.V.A. 3, Asphalt 6, Mass Effect: Infiltrator are testimonials to that.

    2012-06-23%2020.03.24.png
    2012-06-23%2019.59.27.png


    BATTERY LIFE :
    By far the best battery on any smartphone out there. Yes, I'm including the iPhone, the HOX, the X and the Y and even the Z. NOTHING lasts longer. I used to be scared of 3G on the DS. It was like a vampire to my battery blood, but no more. I'm on HSPA all day - never switch it off, have auto-sync always on with the same apps and sync profiles I had on the DS, and with regular use, I still have half the battery remaining at the end of the day. Even gaming does not drain the battery at the rate I expected it would. Very respectable drain. Lasts longer than my friend's 2500mAh GNote battery. Couldn't ask for more.

    This in the one single thing I would have bought the phone for, even if every thing else was a little wanting...fortunately nothing is.

    CONNECTIVITY :

    Everything works. Have yet to try out S-Beam/ other NFC thingies.

    NATIVE APPS :

    Gallery : Extremely user friendly, very fast and smooth.

    Video Player : Supports an astounding range of video formats. The video gallery is animated, with all video thumbnails actually looping though the entire video - looks very cool.

    Pop-up Play : Meh...

    S-Voice : Meh... (disabled it without using even once). Nothing near what Siri is. (I still hate Apple though - just to be clear on that)

    Motion sensitive actions : Direct call, tap to top, Palm to mute, flip to mute, shake to refresh - Meh... But there are a few that I use regularly now : Touch and rotate to launch camera from lock screen, Palm swipe for screenshot (excellent)

    Smart-Stay : Good idea in theory, but dodgy in practice. Basically it uses the front camera every 15-30 secs to take a photo of your mug and decides if your eyes are open and keeps the screen awake if they are. To work, the camera needs enough light to take a photo where the eyes can be seen. Always works outdoors and in bright light, and almost never works in low light. I don't think it will ever work in those conditions until they add an infrared sensor.

    FM Radio : Excellent, crystal clear sound, and natively supported FM Radio recording on Stock, non-rooted ROMs!

    USB OTG Support: Natively available, this is the coolest trick I have shown my colleagues. Once you use this, you will always miss it.

    GPS :

    Best in class. 3-5 second locks. Getting good locks (10m accuracy) even indoors. Apparently the boost is because of enhanced GLONASS support.

    CAMERA :

    Very good. Not a DSLR.
    Video recording is very smooth at 1080p - continuous autofocus works very well as long as you don't move the camera very vigorously. No stuttering and focus-seeking issues that plague the HOX. Flash is very powerful. Other bells and whistles like zero shutter delay etc, which I think we can attribute the the Google engineers behind ICS development. If I had to nit-pick, I'd say low light photos without flash are grainy, but that's about it. More than satisfied with the camera.

    1.9 MP front camera - very crisp video on Gtalk chats. Native video calling (carrier charged) also available on phone (missed that on the DS)

    Noteworthy mention : The auto face tag feature is very neat. Works as advertised. Google search please.

    TOUCHWIZ :

    All of you that know me are well aware of my fetish for the HTC Sense UX. When i went for the SIII, I wans't sure I'd be able to live without it. It is still much more premium looking and pleasant to look at than any UX has ever been, and that includes TouchWiz. But a couple of days of using it without any functional handicap, I've now begun to like it. I would still give an arm and a leg for Sense 4 on the GSIII, but what I'm trying to say is that the UX cannot justify the entire device, as I've learnt from the HOXgate debacle.

    Sense UX
    Do I miss it? Yes.
    Is it a problem? No.

    Almost everything that Sense did is now available on Touchwiz, including contact auto linking, scrolling widgets, etc. Actually the resizeable widgets are much much better than Sense on the new TouchWiz. Will post screenshots if people are interested. The one thing I do miss is the Dialer on Sense... Nothing comes close to that one.

    DEVELOPMENT :

    Far, far better support than HTC. Factory unlocked phone (S-On is an alien concept), no hboot nightmares, friendly warranty policy (my brother-in-law got a phone replacement on a Stock ROOTED ROM), ODIN!!, easily restorable to stock without having to be a rocket scientist. Source codes and kernel sources released by Samsung sometimes even before the device is launched, same happened with the LTE SGSIII. Some very talented kernel developers and rapidly emerging alternate non-stock based ROMs.

    CONCLUSION :

    If you can afford it, Buy it. Period.

    Congratulations to those of you who've managed to read the lengthiest post I have ever typed. You don't have an attention deficit disorder. Those of you that felt that this was a waste of bandwidth, my sincere apologies (@shrome99, very very sorry). I took the time (considerable) to write this up because I see a lot of you hunting for new phones, and have many questions... hope this answers at least some of them, at least as far as the SGS# is concerned.

    You guys have given me a lot over the past year and I sorely miss you now. So maybe this is my selfish way of luring you over to the SGS3 so we can hang out a little longer.:eek:

    Happy hunting!:D