http://bit.ly/Yd4P4C
The lock screen on your phone may not be doing a good job of keeping intruders out. A new bug has been found on the Galaxy S III that can let users bypass the lock screen and access phone data that resides on the home screen.
This issue also affects the Galaxy Note II.
Saturday, March 09, 2013
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
Bought Samsung Galaxy Note II
I finally got the chance to replace my aging HTC Thunderbolt.
The Thunderbolt was actually fine until Verizon pushed a 4.0 firmware update (without my knowledge and without prompting me first...if I'd have known, I'd have done some research and postponed the update).
The update caused issues. ICS is designed for multi-core CPUs. The T-bolt is single-core. After the update, I noticed serious lag in response times when clicking on objects. 2-3 seconds of lag, in some cases. I decided to restore back to the factory settings and wipe the microSD card of data. Even after doing that, there was still lag (although not as much...but it was much more random). As well, the battery was draining more quickly than it used to...power consumption was already kinda bad without adding ICS. Sometimes the phone would shut down with little warning. At first, I thought it was a system crash, but began to notice that the battery was dead, even when showing at least 50% power. I don't know if the battery needed to be replaced, but I wasn't about to buy a new one when I was close to being eligible for an upgrade.
So, I was due for an upgrade. The window of the upgrade would open on 3/9. I'd been researching the last 4-5 months and had set my eye on two phones:
Samsung Galaxy SIII
Samsung Galaxy Note II
For those that don't know, both of these phones share the same hardware. The Note II is bigger, though. The SIII has a 4.8" screen and the Note II has a 5.5" screen. The SIII is sold in a 16GB version and 32GB version. The Note is only sold as a 16GB version.
I decided multiple times on the SIII 16GB version (I'd add my 32GB microSD to expand the storage), but I kept going back to the Note II and changing my mind.
**Another thing (treat this as a warning): do not get these phones from Verizon. They're a lot more expensive than 3rd party vendors such as Radio Shack and Best Buy. As of 3/5/2013, both Best Buy and Radio Shack sold both SIII versions (the 16GB version for $99 and the other version for $199 -- Verizon sold the 16GB version for $199, AND Verizon only sold the 16GB version). Both of those stores also sold the Note II for $199, whereas Verizon sold it for $299. No-brainer for me...do not buy from Verizon.
So, I decided to get the Note II. I wanted a traditional color, so I got the gray one. I got it yesterday afternoon.
First, it is a BIG phone. It is big, but I love the size of the screen. The extra space is an asset. It is also highly configurable. I thought I liked ICS on the Thunderbolt (it was nice...it was just that it appears that ICS didn't like the phone's hardware)... My Note II is running v4.1.1 (stock ROM, which I'm happy with).
I haven't found anything that I dislike about the phone so far, and I'll looking hard.
I got a case for it as well, the Platinum Series Kickstand Case. At first, I wanted the Samsung flip case, but I read reviews that said that they're not durable. The case that I got is pretty hardcore, but it is hard to remove the bottom portion...not a problem until you have to install or remove the microSD card or battery.
As well, the battery capacity is outstanding. I can probably go 24 hours without recharging the battery, with heavy usage. Wireless reception is very good. 4G reception still needs to be tested (I only have average reception when I'm at home, due to the distance of the tower from the house), but I shouldn't have a problem with that.
All my apps work fine on this phone (I've a crapload of apps, both free and paid).
The camera is outstanding. The screen renders colors the way that most Samsung products do...extremely well.
All I have to do now is get insurance coverage, as I've read that it's a fragile phone. I'll cancel my T-bolt coverage and add the Note II instead.
Overall, I'm very happy with this phone. I'll be studying up on its capabilities by joining web forums that cater to this make and model.
I may donate the T-bolt, but may play with it to experiment with ROMs. I'll have to get another microSD card before I do that, though. At this point I should probably just donate it, because, really, my older iPhones are more capable than the T-bolt. I liked the T-bolt but it got old rather quickly (was already an old phone when I first got it).
** I'm referencing US-spec models.
The Thunderbolt was actually fine until Verizon pushed a 4.0 firmware update (without my knowledge and without prompting me first...if I'd have known, I'd have done some research and postponed the update).
The update caused issues. ICS is designed for multi-core CPUs. The T-bolt is single-core. After the update, I noticed serious lag in response times when clicking on objects. 2-3 seconds of lag, in some cases. I decided to restore back to the factory settings and wipe the microSD card of data. Even after doing that, there was still lag (although not as much...but it was much more random). As well, the battery was draining more quickly than it used to...power consumption was already kinda bad without adding ICS. Sometimes the phone would shut down with little warning. At first, I thought it was a system crash, but began to notice that the battery was dead, even when showing at least 50% power. I don't know if the battery needed to be replaced, but I wasn't about to buy a new one when I was close to being eligible for an upgrade.
So, I was due for an upgrade. The window of the upgrade would open on 3/9. I'd been researching the last 4-5 months and had set my eye on two phones:
Samsung Galaxy SIII
Samsung Galaxy Note II
For those that don't know, both of these phones share the same hardware. The Note II is bigger, though. The SIII has a 4.8" screen and the Note II has a 5.5" screen. The SIII is sold in a 16GB version and 32GB version. The Note is only sold as a 16GB version.
I decided multiple times on the SIII 16GB version (I'd add my 32GB microSD to expand the storage), but I kept going back to the Note II and changing my mind.
**Another thing (treat this as a warning): do not get these phones from Verizon. They're a lot more expensive than 3rd party vendors such as Radio Shack and Best Buy. As of 3/5/2013, both Best Buy and Radio Shack sold both SIII versions (the 16GB version for $99 and the other version for $199 -- Verizon sold the 16GB version for $199, AND Verizon only sold the 16GB version). Both of those stores also sold the Note II for $199, whereas Verizon sold it for $299. No-brainer for me...do not buy from Verizon.
So, I decided to get the Note II. I wanted a traditional color, so I got the gray one. I got it yesterday afternoon.
First, it is a BIG phone. It is big, but I love the size of the screen. The extra space is an asset. It is also highly configurable. I thought I liked ICS on the Thunderbolt (it was nice...it was just that it appears that ICS didn't like the phone's hardware)... My Note II is running v4.1.1 (stock ROM, which I'm happy with).
I haven't found anything that I dislike about the phone so far, and I'll looking hard.
I got a case for it as well, the Platinum Series Kickstand Case. At first, I wanted the Samsung flip case, but I read reviews that said that they're not durable. The case that I got is pretty hardcore, but it is hard to remove the bottom portion...not a problem until you have to install or remove the microSD card or battery.
As well, the battery capacity is outstanding. I can probably go 24 hours without recharging the battery, with heavy usage. Wireless reception is very good. 4G reception still needs to be tested (I only have average reception when I'm at home, due to the distance of the tower from the house), but I shouldn't have a problem with that.
All my apps work fine on this phone (I've a crapload of apps, both free and paid).
The camera is outstanding. The screen renders colors the way that most Samsung products do...extremely well.
All I have to do now is get insurance coverage, as I've read that it's a fragile phone. I'll cancel my T-bolt coverage and add the Note II instead.
Overall, I'm very happy with this phone. I'll be studying up on its capabilities by joining web forums that cater to this make and model.
I may donate the T-bolt, but may play with it to experiment with ROMs. I'll have to get another microSD card before I do that, though. At this point I should probably just donate it, because, really, my older iPhones are more capable than the T-bolt. I liked the T-bolt but it got old rather quickly (was already an old phone when I first got it).
** I'm referencing US-spec models.
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