Cell phone geekology....

[K9CCH]

So for the last 3, 4, maybe 5 years I've been strictly Apple, Apple, Apple. iMac, iPad, and iPhone.

I SWORE, and I mean I SWORE that I would never own an Android phone.... but then I was forced to work with a Samsung tablet at work for the last month. And surprisingly, I've grown to love it.

Well I'm due for an upgrade, have been for a year now, and I've decided on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 "phablet". It's arriving from AT&T tomorrow.

I've imported all of my pictures to my iMac, and tomorrow I'll figure out how to sync all my contacts to my gmail account.

I haven't the foggiest idea how to go about migrating from the iOS system, to the Android system, so I'm reading this article (http://www.cnet.com/how-to/the-complete-guide-to-using-android-with-a-mac/), and depending on you all.

Any tips, advice, or suggestions? I'd like to continue to obtain my music through iTunes as much as possible since I'll still have the iMac and iPad. Are any of you using a hybrid android/mac system at all?

[K9CCH]

...and I SOOOOOO geeked out when I saw this!


http://youtu.be/Rh5mBbhIyys

[n6hcm]

I run a cross platform world but I don't care about iTunes or music on my tablet (my phone is a note 3 and I have an ipad). I've been really happy with the note 3 ... maybe I can answer other questions?

[PA5COR]

Mostly had windows phones HTC etc.
Now a Samsung S5 clone with android on it, quad core processor, and good graphics processor.
5" screen, TomTOm on it for in the car, and some other nifty stuff, started to like it as well.

Not use the phone a lot though, but that can change.

[WØTKX]

My YL recently got a Galaxy S4, leaving the iPhone behind. She really likes Android.

Synched from iPhone to the iCloud, and then used a Samsung app called "Smart Switch".

[K9CCH]

I run a cross platform world but I don't care about iTunes or music on my tablet (my phone is a note 3 and I have an ipad). I've been really happy with the note 3 ... maybe I can answer other questions?


Do you maintain your Note 3 with a desktop client? Kinda like iTunes and iPhone?

Have you experienced any hiccups between your Mac and your Android?

My biggest hesitations at this point (because I've read enough to know that it is possible) is transferring my music between my Mac and the Note 3, and vice versa, and syncing data between the two. As I understand it, Google does a good job at acting like a middle man, but I'm really hesitant to store all of my things like contacts and documents etc with Google. I'm not a fan of entrusting a mega-entity like Google with all of my information. (Not that they already aren't, but you know....)

[K9CCH]

My YL recently got a Galaxy S4, leaving the iPhone behind. She really likes Android.

Synched from iPhone to the iCloud, and then used a Samsung app called "Smart Switch".


Smart Switch huh? I'll have to check that out.

[K9CCH]

I'm in geek heaven.... and hell all at once!

Holy SHIT this Note 3 is confusing.

[n6hcm]

Do you maintain your Note 3 with a desktop client? Kinda like iTunes and iPhone?

No. Why would I need to do that?


Have you experienced any hiccups between your Mac and your Android?

Nope.


My biggest hesitations at this point (because I've read enough to know that it is possible) is transferring my music between my Mac and the Note 3, and vice versa, and syncing data between the two. As I understand it, Google does a good job at acting like a middle man, but I'm really hesitant to store all of my things like contacts and documents etc with Google. I'm not a fan of entrusting a mega-entity like Google with all of my information. (Not that they already aren't, but you know....)

then you shouldn't have gotten a platform where all the value lies in doing this. :)

[K0RGR]

First things first - install APRSDroid, and get a Mobilinkd TNC. If you are happy doing APRS through the phone network, you don't need the Mobilinkd or a radio, but if you want RF, that's how to get it. Echolink works well on Android, too, but about the same as on iFruit.

I've migrated most of my life to Google, and when a computer dies, I don't cry for long. I also have an iPod Touch and wife has an iPad, so we get our Apple fix, too.

[K9CCH]

then you shouldn't have gotten a platform where all the value lies in doing this. :)


So I got my Note 3 in yesterday. Holy Big Screen Batman!!

It actually wasn't all that bad of a transfer. I backed up my contacts to my iCloud and then used Smart Switch to import them. It also imported all my photos that were on my iCloud.

For music I downloaded Double Twist on my phone, and a program called Kies on my desktop. Surprisingly the Kies management program allowed me to import my iTunes library onto my Note 3 without a hitch. All 727 songs. Even the m4a ones! For now, buying music in iTunes on my Mac, and then syncing to the Note will work. In the future I may try to figure out something else.

Truthfully... the BIGGEST issue that I had was that my phone number is still attached to the Apple iMessage server. So when I send text messages to someone with an iPhone, they are still replying to my iMessage account instead of to my Note 3. So I had to call apple and request that my number be removed from the iMessage server, which could take up to 24 hours to be purged.

Other than that I'm off and running. And this phone is truly, TRULY a work of technological art! I love Love LOVE it.... so far.

[K9CCH]

Ho. Lee. Shit.

75mph in the passenger seat and I have my wifi only iPad connected to my Note 3 Hotspot.

I'm easily amused.

[n2ize]

I.m pretty old school and ungeek when it comes to cell phones and mobile devices. I have a cell phone but I rarely use it for much else than making or receiving calls once or twice a week. The display on my phone recently cracked. The phone works but I can only see half a screen. So I am due for another phone and it will probably be a smartphone with all sorts of stuff, add on apps, etc. But I'll probably use it for little more than that occasional brief call. I don;t own a portable computer or tablet and,for keeping track of time I carry and old fashioned wind up analog pocket watch. Of course when I get the new device there is always the possibility I might flip out and wonder how the hell I survived without it for so long. there is always the possibility I could turn geek.

[n6hcm]

I.m pretty old school and ungeek when it comes to cell phones and mobile devices. I have a cell phone but I rarely use it for much else than making or receiving calls once or twice a week. The display on my phone recently cracked. The phone works but I can only see half a screen. So I am due for another phone and it will probably be a smartphone with all sorts of stuff, add on apps, etc. But I'll probably use it for little more than that occasional brief call.

or you can just get another ordinary cell phone and save the money. get the right tool for the job.

[n6hcm]

For music I downloaded Double Twist on my phone, and a program called Kies on my desktop. Surprisingly the Kies management program allowed me to import my iTunes library onto my Note 3 without a hitch.

Kies is the Samsung phone management program. You'll have to use Kies to apply some software updates (although I've taken one or two OTA updates from AT&T on my Note). Kies has worked well for me when I've needed it.

[K9CCH]

I.m pretty old school and ungeek when it comes to cell phones and mobile devices. I have a cell phone but I rarely use it for much else than making or receiving calls once or twice a week. The display on my phone recently cracked. The phone works but I can only see half a screen. So I am due for another phone and it will probably be a smartphone with all sorts of stuff, add on apps, etc. But I'll probably use it for little more than that occasional brief call. I don;t own a portable computer or tablet and,for keeping track of time I carry and old fashioned wind up analog pocket watch. Of course when I get the new device there is always the possibility I might flip out and wonder how the hell I survived without it for so long. there is always the possibility I could turn geek.

I'm realizing more and more that this is more like a laptop than a phone!

[WA7PBE]

highly recommend putting all your photos on Google drive, its pretty much there version of the cloud.

[WØTKX]

The "cloud" in all it's brands/forms has been improving. Apple and Microsoft, as well as other providers, have recently cranked up security. That being said, it's not the place for proprietary or damaging/embarrassing information.

I've been very happy with my Lumia 900 Windows Phone for... <gasp> two years! I can upgrade. Oh, Noes! The AT&T marketing department is pestering me via email and text!

Since I have to support the YL's devices, I switched her to Android for phone and tablet. And it's gone so well, I wanna get her the hell off of Windows, except for that Microsoft Office compatibility issue. That works, but it's a little cranky. She's so "over" the iPhone, it's hilarious. Android is pretty cool, and I have had very few issues figuring things out when she can't, or won't. This is appreciated. :yes:

I want a "phablet" (phat phone tablet), as I use the phone a lot less than the web... and I almost always have my stereo bluetooth headset on or handy, rarely holding the phone to my ear. It's a big habit from work, as we are required to use "hands-free". Nobody bitches about the fact that mine are stereo, so I have tunes going a lot, or radio streaming.

I'm considering Android for myself. But I actually prefer the "Metro" tiled Windows interface on a phone. So... it's between the Galaxy Note 3 or the Lumia 1520 for my upgrade. Right now, the Galaxy is "free" with the two year contract, and the Lumia is $99. So there is that.

[n2ize]

I'm realizing more and more that this is more like a laptop than a phone!

Yeah, they pretty much are. They are a lot more than just a "telephone"... Gee, remember when we had standard black dial telephones. My dad remembers when many people didn't even have phones. They used the phone at the drug store on the corner or, used the phone that was in the hallway of the apartment building that everyone in the building used.

[koØm]

Do you maintain your Note 3 with a desktop client? Kinda like iTunes and iPhone?

Have you experienced any hiccups between your Mac and your Android?

My biggest hesitations at this point (because I've read enough to know that it is possible) is transferring my music between my Mac and the Note 3, and vice versa, and syncing data between the two. As I understand it, Google does a good job at acting like a middle man, but I'm really hesitant to store all of my things like contacts and documents etc with Google. I'm not a fan of entrusting a mega-entity like Google with all of my information. (Not that they already aren't, but you know....)

Look into Samsung Kies (http://www.kies-air.com/)

Samsung Kies Air

The Kies Air app is used to syncing your mobile to your pc or laptop or Macbook. In addition to Samsung Kies, Samsung has the following pc suites for download.


Samsung Kies for Mac

Kies Air (http://www.kies-air.com/) is suitable for Mac. The new service from Samsung is ready for install on any computer also the Mac operating system.

.

[n2ize]

The "cloud" is old tech. It's what we were doing decades ago but with a new face.

[K9CCH]

Yeah, they pretty much are. They are a lot more than just a "telephone"... Gee, remember when we had standard black dial telephones. My dad remembers when many people didn't even have phones. They used the phone at the drug store on the corner or, used the phone that was in the hallway of the apartment building that everyone in the building used.


I remember our first cell phone in that leather bag.

[K9CCH]

Look into Samsung Kies (http://www.kies-air.com/)

Samsung Kies Air

The Kies Air app is used to syncing your mobile to your pc or laptop or Macbook. In addition to Samsung Kies, Samsung has the following pc suites for download.


Samsung Kies for Mac

Kies Air (http://www.kies-air.com/) is suitable for Mac. The new service from Samsung is ready for install on any computer also the Mac operating system.

.


I discovered Kies the other night when my Mac wouldn't recognize my phone. Kies allowed me to add all of my music, but thats as far as I have gone with it. I did discover last night that I can back up my phone on my Mac using Kies though.

[WA7PBE]

The "cloud" in all it's brands/forms has been improving. Apple and Microsoft, as well as other providers, have recently cranked up security. That being said, it's not the place for proprietary or damaging/embarrassing information.

I've been very happy with my Lumia 900 Windows Phone for... <gasp> two years! I can upgrade. Oh, Noes! The AT&T marketing department is pestering me via email and text!

Since I have to support the YL's devices, I switched her to Android for phone and tablet. And it's gone so well, I wanna get her the hell off of Windows, except for that Microsoft Office compatibility issue. That works, but it's a little cranky. She's so "over" the iPhone, it's hilarious. Android is pretty cool, and I have had very few issues figuring things out when she can't, or won't. This is appreciated. :yes:

I want a "phablet" (phat phone tablet), as I use the phone a lot less than the web... and I almost always have my stereo bluetooth headset on or handy, rarely holding the phone to my ear. It's a big habit from work, as we are required to use "hands-free". Nobody bitches about the fact that mine are stereo, so I have tunes going a lot, or radio streaming.

I'm considering Android for myself. But I actually prefer the "Metro" tiled Windows interface on a phone. So... it's between the Galaxy Note 3 or the Lumia 1520 for my upgrade. Right now, the Galaxy is "free" with the two year contract, and the Lumia is $99. So there is that.
Try libre office if you want to find software that's windows compatible and works on linux or windows, oh and its free.

[K9CCH]

I'm considering Android for myself. But I actually prefer the "Metro" tiled Windows interface on a phone. So... it's between the Galaxy Note 3 or the Lumia 1520 for my upgrade. Right now, the Galaxy is "free" with the two year contract, and the Lumia is $99. So there is that.


Last week I chose the "certified like new" Note 3 and renewed my 2 year contract.

What AT&T doesn't tell you though, is that your base plan is $100 for a family share plan, but instead of each line being $15... when you do a 2 year contract each line is $40.

So for a two line house hold it breaks down like this for the annual contract - $100 base plan for 10 gigs shared and unlimited talk/text, and then $40 per line. So I'd be looking at $180 plus taxes per month. Phone upgrades every 24 months.

But with the Next plan, its base is $100 for the 10gb shared, and $15 per line, plus $20 per phone. So we're looking at about $170 a month for the same thing, and we can update once every 12 to 18 months. And all we had to pay were the taxes on the phones the day we got them. It was $1500 worth of cell phones for about $100 bucks.


I'm love Love LOVING this Note 3. There are a few quirks that I'm not happy with, but I'll get over it.

For instance, the touchscreen DVD player/receiver that I put in the Jeep is created for iPod/iPhone, and while it does connect to the Android, the features are severely reduced.

I also dont like the fact that it comes pre-loaded with so much bloatware that you can't erase/remove, all you can do is disable them but they remain on the phone and take up memory space. iPhone doesn't come loaded with all that.

There's no way in hell you'd ever get me to use Windows anything anymore.

[koØm]

Last week I chose the "certified like new" Note 3 and renewed my 2 year contract.

What AT&T doesn't tell you though, is that your base plan is $100 for a family share plan, but instead of each line being $15... when you do a 2 year contract each line is $40.

So for a two line house hold it breaks down like this for the annual contract - $100 base plan for 10 gigs shared and unlimited talk/text, and then $40 per line. So I'd be looking at $180 plus taxes per month. Phone upgrades every 24 months.

But with the Next plan, its base is $100 for the 10gb shared, and $15 per line, plus $20 per phone. So we're looking at about $170 a month for the same thing, and we can update once every 12 to 18 months. And all we had to pay were the taxes on the phones the day we got them. It was $1500 worth of cell phones for about $100 bucks.



I guess you are talking about your old contract (where you keep your old phone) versus your new contract with the quick trade option but you have to buy a new phone to participate; sounds like the same "sleight of hand" that T-Mobile is marketing.



I'm love Love LOVING this Note 3. There are a few quirks that I'm not happy with, but I'll get over it.

For instance, the touchscreen DVD player/receiver that I put in the Jeep is created for iPod/iPhone, and while it does connect to the Android, the features are severely reduced.

I also dont like the fact that it comes pre-loaded with so much bloatware that you can't erase/remove, all you can do is disable them but they remain on the phone and take up memory space. iPhone doesn't come loaded with all that.

There's no way in hell you'd ever get me to use Windows anything anymore.

There's a procedure called "Rooting" which allows you to access the "Core" of your phone and manipulate the start-up apps and other options that might not be "offered" by your carrier such as 'Tethering'.

.