Samsung Galaxy Note 3 -- A few issues

bich.light on 05/11/2013 - 18:43

I've just purchased the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and I'm feeling very annoyed.
Some of the issues that I am currently having are:

  1. Customisation of App Dock.
    Androids are meant to be the kings of customisation and personalisation — yet this is not.
    Samsung really screwed this one over by not allowing you to add/remove icons and shortcuts from the base App dock. It also voids the warranty if you root and custom ROM the device and since I'm with Telstra paying extra money for the extended warranty, I am definitely not touching that.

  2. Downgrade of Kies software 3.
    Samsung has downgraded their software of KIES, despite increasing the software version number. Their software used to allow users to edit their contacts and schedule. However with this brand new spanking update, they decided to remove that. KIES is now just bloatware for all I care — I can backup my data through Google or other services. KIES also used to have the amazing feature of being able to send text messages from the computer application via your phone — surpise, this feature is now missing as well.

  3. Gimmicky features.
    The suite of features that the Galaxy Note 3 aren't all reliable. I feel that whenever a flagship product is released, the company should test and ensure that the products work with minimal fault and hassle. What use is of a technology if it has poor reliability? I have found the 'smart scroll' to be most difficult to operate and becomes even more frustrating as the light dims down. Other minor reliability issues are with the air gestures. Most of the times it works, yet the feature still doesn't recognise all my motions on the first or second go. Also, the phone doesn't seem to respond to "Hi Galaxy" even when enabled in my settings. The S-Voice feature is a load of crap compared to Siri.

Personally, this is a terrible start to a new book with the 'smart'phone. The issue which I'm really irritated by is the non-ability to change the app dock. I've heard that other people in different regions can change it but Australia cannot. For example, if you choose to flash a UK ROM, then you can get a dynamic app dock. This was a little bit of a rant but also just sharing my initial experience with the Note 3 for anyone who is interested in purchasing one too.

Mobile Mobile Phone Samsung Android

Comments

  • minijumbuk on 05/11/2013 - 18:53
    +3

    Point 1 and 2 is pretty poor from samsungs part. I have a Samsung galaxy s2 and absolutely hate kies and the default touchwiz ui.

    Point 3 is kind of expected though. Galaxy s3 s4 and note 3 screams "gimmick" at me…

  • PissLUR on 05/11/2013 - 18:54
    +3

    You could install Apex/Nova Launcher for dock customization.

    • bich.light on 05/11/2013 - 18:56
      -1

      I was under the impression those required rooting? And that voids the warranty, thus I cannot do it.

      • PissLUR on 05/11/2013 - 19:18
        +1

        Nope, Its just an application and thats always the first application that I installed on my Android devices.

        • bich.light on 05/11/2013 - 20:19

          Neat, which do you recommend?

        • PissLUR on 05/11/2013 - 20:51

          Apex Launcher. :)

        • jzdhgkd on 05/11/2013 - 20:53
          +1

          On the other hand, I recommend Nova =)

        • bich.light on 05/11/2013 - 21:25

          Hmmm….. Apex vs Nova?
          Dx

        • sm007h on 12/12/2013 - 11:47

          If you are paying for it, both are very similar. If you are opting for the free version, I would recommend Apex, as some features that are free on Apex are only available on the paid version of Nova.

  • jzdhgkd on 05/11/2013 - 21:07
    +1

    Wow thanks for posting this. I didn't know about Samsung's KNOX security system and was contemplating an S4 for my next phone but this kind of flagging is pretty much a deal-breaker for me… although I realise this won't affect 99.9% of people buying the device hah.

    • bich.light on 05/11/2013 - 21:25

      Yeah! I was about to root my phone until I found out about the security system :(

  • krisspy on 06/11/2013 - 14:45

    I remember point 1 was because of a lawsuit from Apple. So changing icons on the dock are a no-no.

    As for 2. I've always used google services to do that so…

    3) Samsung throws in so much features just for research and added 'wow' factor. Should've done basic research to know which of those features are actually useful, lots of reviews out there critiquing these.

  • ajh on 13/11/2013 - 23:36
    +1

    Just my two cents i think the speaker is in a bad place i keep blocking it with my fat fingers/thumb :D

  • bich.light on 04/12/2013 - 15:23
    -1

    After all the rave reviews I've heard about Samsung Note 3… I am pretty disappointed.
    I should have bought the iPhone 5S instead, this is the conclusion I have come to after a month of use.

    • [Deactivated] on 05/12/2013 - 11:54

      There are a lot of other phones I would pick ahead of an iPhone. Like pretty much any of the other Android manufacturer flagship phones.

      • bich.light on 10/12/2013 - 13:49
        +1

        Personal preference I guess, I feel old for saying this.. but I just want something that works and is simple to use xD

        I'm no longer into the technical details of exploring this and that or constantly changing the themes of a phone. I want a simple, yet fast and efficient phone to use.

        Although, the reason why I chose this phone was due to the large screen and reviews on its performance.

        • [Deactivated] on 10/12/2013 - 20:38

          I can understand where you're coming from and my reasoning is that I feel the HTC One, S4, Z and the new LG are all phones with better specs and all work out of the box without having to get sucked into the Apple market.

  • auna on 05/12/2013 - 14:19

    This is an issue with Australian Note 3 devices. If you have a problem with it buy an overseas model. You can confirm this by taking a picture on silent. It will still make a noise because of Australian laws.

    Kies version 3 is in beta. Almost Alpha IMO. Give it time - I am sure Samsung will work it out. Give feedback on the missing features.

    This is quite a complicated phone. I watched a 1 hour video explaining the features hidden deep in the options such as flip for small screen, move left or right for typing by holding buttons on the right etc. Personally I use the stylus whenever possible as hovering over something triggers on mouseover functionality on a website. I can confirm Smart Stay definitely works even in the dark.

    This is definitely the best phone for you though. So many Android phones leave you with almost nothing and it's heralded as great. This phone allows you to enable whatever features you desire including split screen multitasking.

    • jimbobaus on 10/12/2013 - 20:46

      Actually thats a samsung thing not a law thing

      On silent the following phones do NOT make a shutter sound when taking a picture:

      HTC ONE
      HTC ONE X
      HTC ONE SV
      HTC DESIRE 601
      APPLE IPHONE 4
      APPLE IPHONE 4S
      APPLE IPHONE 5
      APPLE IPHONE 5C
      APPLE IPHONE 5S
      APPLE IPAD.. ALL VERSIONS
      SONY XPERIA S
      SONY XPREIA M
      SONY XPERIA Z
      SONY XPERIA Z1
      SONY XPERIA SP

      these were the phones i texted it on.. so if the phone makes a sound when on silent u can thank samsung.. i apologise for hijacking one part of your informative post but it irks me when people claim its a law that makes Samsung make the shutter sound when it is not.

      • [Deactivated] on 11/12/2013 - 09:44

        Do I thank Samsung for my LG Nexus 4 making that shutter sound?

        • Ughhh on 21/01/2014 - 11:54

          My LG nexus 4 doesn't make shutter sound when taking photos on silent.

        • fatpeople on 23/01/2014 - 09:08

          My LG nexus 4 doesn't make shutter sound when taking photos on silent.

          Copy and paste, but indeed true in my case too.

      • astarman on 12/12/2013 - 00:07

        i think its an australian law thing or soemthing..

        international samsung has no noise

  • [Deactivated] on 05/12/2013 - 14:26

    Could I get a link to that video?

    Edit/ Whoops, looks like I replied to the wrong message.

  • krazynayba on 20/01/2014 - 23:08

    I believe number 1 and 2 are issues specific to Australian versions of Android with Touchwiz. A few months ago, so that I could upgrade to 4.3 I flashed a German 4.3 stock ROM on my GS4 which allowed me to customize the dock without the need of a custom launcher. This also addressed the issue where the camera still made a shutter sound even on silent.

    I understand though that you don't want to muck about with the phone too much because of warranty etc. I don't think flashing a stock rom for another country trips any sort of counter, but I could be wrong. It's quite easy to flash stock roms with Samsung phones too (only requires use of a software tool called "Odin"). If you want to avoid this completely though, using Apex or Nova (or any other custom launcher you prefer) will at least fix one of your problems :)

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