Cell Phone Professionals, Advise Me

[Chazzie]

I'm pretty much having the same issue, same phone too.

I'm not sure if it's different for Sprint, but Verizon still offers a 2yr price rather than a 'lease' on the phone. It's optional. However, if it's not an option for you...

I'm planning on getting a Galaxy S5 rather than getting the 6. Boasts double the battery life and a better camera (not liking the camera on the S3 too much), without breaking the bank. The only thing I want to look into is whether or not I can put a microSD card in it for more storage, I've heard a rumor that you can't.

If I don't go for the S5, I'm going to get the Droid MAXX, which is free for my provider.

Maybe check out those options and see what Sprint can offer you there.

[Seanette]

A Google search says that there's no problem at all putting a microSD in the S5. From what I've heard, it's the S6 that cannot have more storage added this way. Great argument against the S6, IMO, along with the battery not being user-replaceable (I like my extended battery in my S3).

[wolfie]

I'm planning on getting a Galaxy S5 rather than getting the 6. Boasts double the battery life and a better camera (not liking the camera on the S3 too much), without breaking the bank. The only thing I want to look into is whether or not I can put a microSD card in it for more storage, I've heard a rumor that you can't.

Was personally looking at S5 and S6. On the S5, the battery is user-replaceable, and the memory can be expanded using a card (maximum 64 GB, and the card doesn't add to the internal memory, but is used in place of it - in other words, if the phone has 32 GB and you want to upgrade it to 64 GB, you need a 64 GB card rather than a 32 GB card). With the S6, Samsung has gone to a non-user-replaceable battery and non-expandable memory (IOW, you need to buy it with the amount of memory you want), with a maximum of 128 GB. Who do they think they are - Apple?

[Chazzie]

Was personally looking at S5 and S6. On the S5, the battery is user-replaceable, and the memory can be expanded using a card (maximum 64 GB, and the card doesn't add to the internal memory, but is used in place of it - in other words, if the phone has 32 GB and you want to upgrade it to 64 GB, you need a 64 GB card rather than a 32 GB card). With the S6, Samsung has gone to a non-user-replaceable battery and non-expandable memory (IOW, you need to buy it with the amount of memory you want), with a maximum of 128 GB. Who do they think they are - Apple?

Ahhh, that must have been what I was thinking of! Thanks for the info guys

[Chromatix]

Lithium-Ion batteries don't have a memory effect, but they *do* wear out over time. I see three possible causes for the problem, in descending order of probability:

1) The battery has worn out. Take it out of the phone and look for bulging - if it is, replace it *NOW* - faster - and your problem *will* go away. If it's not bulging, it *might* still be worn out - after years of constant use, it wouldn't be unusual.

2) The phone is consistently consuming more power than usual. This will usually show up as getting warm - after all, the energy in the battery has to go somewhere. A rogue app might be responsible for this, or an update might have introduced a power-hogging bug. But given where you live, it might be tricky to tell the difference in temperature.

3) The phone's charging system has gone kaput. This could also be a fault in the external part of the charger. If it uses USB, try a different cable (the shorter, thicker and heavier the better) and plug it into a computer or something, and see if it lasts longer after a full overnight charge on that.

I consider it fairly *unlikely* that the phone hardware itself is bad, since it still basically works. On that front, I think Sprint *is* trying to upsell you needlessly.

[dalesys]

One farout plotz-greebility: Several smart-phone builders have been caught "optimizing" for benchmarks. As in, if it thinks a benchmark is being run... "Balls to the wall! Full speed ahead! Screw battery life & Overheating! Damn the torpedoes!"

If this cheat is accidentally triggered...

[Orgaloth]

Re: cell phone/app data



I know Jester's phone is a Samsung, but it might be worth looking to see if Samsung has a similar kind of app.

It's called Samsung Switch, and you load it from the PlayStore. Actually works quite well, but can take some time, so have the phones on the charger.

[Jester]

Thai app transfers the apps AND the accompanying data? Such a thing would be very convenient, not just because, even with my limited number of apps, that's a lot of apps to re-download manually, but because in the two apps I am most concerned about, that's a lot of data to transfer, and data that is very important to me.

Oddly, my phone has returned to normal battery usage, without any seeming change in what I'm doing, but this recent experience has shown me that I am going to have to get a new phone, sooner rather than later, as this phone will be three years old this October, and apparently that's a long time for a smart phone.

[Jester]

It's called Samsung Switch, and you load it from the PlayStore. Actually works quite well, but can take some time, so have the phones on the charger.

I used Samsung's so-called Smart Switch to transfer my apps and contacts over. I say so-called because it did not transfer all of my contacts, and I am going to have to go through and manually add the ones it did not. I figured I'd just be able to go to the local Sprint Store and get the contacts transferred over, but they said that if they did that, any of the contacts that already transferred would be doubled. Either way, I'd have to go through manually and fix the issue.

More problematic for me is that Smart Switch did not transfer the data in the two apps that I am most in need of data being switched over. This is a royal pain in the ass. Samsung and Sprint both claim that third party apps cannot have their data transferred over. I call shenanigans, as an email from one of the third party app makers suggests there is a way, though I can't make heads or tails of what they're saying. Maybe someone can translate for me:

"Hello [Jester],

If you have previously enabled Cloud Sync in your current device, your data can be restored by re-enabling Cloud Sync in your new device, log in to the same Dropbox account, and select 'Restore from Cloud'.

If you have not enabled Cloud Sync in your current device, you will need to manually copy /ExpenseIQ folder from that device or external SD card, then copy to your new device's internal storage. Once done, launch Expense IQ, proceed to Database Tools > Restore from Backup, and select a backup file to restore.

If you cannot see a list of backup files to select, it means you have not moved the /ExpenseIQ folder to the right location. Kindly check its location and make sure it is in your new device's internal storage.

Regards

Handy Apps Support"

Can someone explain this in English, as I can't really seem to understand Technese.

This particular third party app is my virtual checkbook, and I really want all my records transferred over, not just current stuff.

This and my Notebooks app are vital to me, and are the apps I use most often in my phone.

So.....any suggestions?

[Jester]

Well, somehow my technologically inept brain figured out how to get my virtual checkbook data transferred over. So I'll no longer need the above email translated, as it's a moot point.

Now I just need to get the data from my Notebooks app transferred over. If anyone has any great ideas about this, it would be helpful. Because I'm flummoxed.

[Jester]

Good News, Bad News.

Good News: I finally fingered out a way to get the data in my Notebooks app from my old phone to my new phone.

Bad News: It will be tedious and slow, and it's gonna take a while to get all of it transferred over. But, on the bright side, I've done enough of the transfer to not have to bring my old phone with me on my vacation, as anything I'll need from the old phone is already in the new phone.

I could do even more, but I really need to pack. Or watch Master Chef. One of the two.