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*** The Official Samsung Galaxy S4 Thread ***

I edited my last post.


Also stock samung video player has a few added features over 4.1JB on the S3.

It has slide vertically (onscreen invisible sliders, left and right) brightness and volume just like on BSplayer - :cool:

Ah cool, thanks :)

Yeah, the GS 3 gallery is definitely better, quick pic on GS 3 looks pretty similar to the one S QP but not as bad/noticeable.

Seems like the jaggies etc. could be largely down to the software optimisation/rendering settings.

Will be interesting to see how it looks on the one.

Just having a look through some more of my photos and in some, the auto enhance or whatever of QP does make some photos look quite a bit better compared to the stock sense gallery, the black fur on the cats generally looks more defined/better.


Nice :cool:

I am thinking that a GS 4 with that lovely domination theme might be the way to go :cool:
 
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Ah cool, thanks :)

Yeah, the GS 3 gallery is definitely better, quick pic on GS 3 looks pretty similar to the one S QP but not as bad/noticeable.

Seems like the jaggies etc. could be largely down to the software optimisation/rendering settings.

It's a real eye opener to see how different Quickpic works on different phones. Definitely a must have for the S4.

Will be interesting to see how it looks on the one.

Indeed.

I am thinking that a GS 4 with that lovely domination theme might be the way to go :cool:

:cool::cool::cool::D
 
@Nexus
If all his other videos are as crazy as the Liquid shield I think that you should subscribe to his channel. It was hilarious that his camera man had to run after him. ;)

It seems that it has become clearer that legacy apps will still have the 3 dot configuration which is very annoying :mad: You might as well root the phone and install a workaround, come to think of it, install the kernel to enable the HTC logo as well and you're good to go ;)

Yes but you have to have the blueprint in the first place for lightroom to work its magic :p

It doesn't add up that the XL can get the update but the HOS can't? Same chipset and all, weird that. Let us know when you get a response to your email but I can imagine it will be the generic response that HTC customer services tend to send out which means it'll be full of babble and useless info that doesn't actually answer your query :eek:

It's a damn good reason not making the switch, I don't have any confidence whatsoever in the N4 camera, particularly for those occasions where impromptu shots come into play.

Having said that today I've actually gone back to my N4 for a while, TBH the stuttering and jerkiness that the S4 was exhibiting was getting on my nerves and I couldn't live with it :mad:

I do hope that a future firmware update will solve the stutter

Ahh I forgot about the Spica, Samsung's step child that was saved by the dev community ;)

Yes the S4 is the only complete phone out there at the moment apart from the Oppo Find 5, however none of us like the horrible colour scheme used in Touchwiz and most of us here on this thread have or will have rooted the phone and stuck a custom ROM and themed it.

I also don't believe in supporting companies who are quick to take your money but really rubbish when rewarding the customer. That's why I got rid of my HO pronto as the camera problem that others have reported in the HO thread will not get fixed and there's no point sending the phone back to HTC only for them to have a "look" at it and declare that everything's ok and send the phone back to you. :mad: Lack of software updates just adds salt to the wounds. I agree looking at the method to root the HTC phone just seems to convoluted to me, in fact a friend of mine who is well versed in rooting tried to root his HO and ended up battling with it for most of the day as it got stuck in a boot loop :eek: On the other hand Samsung phones are easy to root and it's like childs play :D

Urgh but Apple are quick to sue anyone who dares challenge their monopoly and steal ideas and pass them of as their own. Sure they have excellent customer service and updates are kept relatively simple and straightforward however it's Apple :eek:

The rate at which both Sense and Touchwiz have evolved and brought useful features to the table even the most ardent hardcore Vanilla Android user has began to see the advantages that modifying Android brings added value to the experience.

I remember going from a S2 to the Galaxy Nexus and there were things I took for granted on the S2 because of what Touchwiz brought and I became frustrated and went back to the S2 however with the advent of 4.2 and PA some of those frustrations don't really bother me anymore because Google has worked hard on JB and closed the gap slightly. Although I won't be jumping through hoops to get a Nexus experience HO or S4 as there's way too many valuable features that will be given up.

@El1te
I know Dude, but the wait is quite excruciating I'm impatient as it is! :o

For some reason I feel cold when I've tried CM, it just doesn't do it for me and you're right as it still hasn't been released in stable form, it'll be buggy and the worst thing you can do is use the phone on a daily basis and find out that something simple like Wifi is busted. :eek:

The best ROMs in my opinion are the ones that are based on Samsung stock and strip all the bloat away and keep useful features of Touchwiz so you get the best of both worlds.

No harm in trying ASOP ROMS Mate, you might as well see how they run and if they work for you then great otherwise you can always fall back to Wanam which will be advanced to a point where it's smooth as hell (not that it isn't anyway :D)

Yep! The metal slate goes really well with the black S4 and adds to the look of the phone :cool:

I'd like to hear your thoughts on the Slim Armour case and for $8 that's not bad but compared to the Neo Hybrid it pails in comparison. :(

I also find it hard to stick to one case, that's why I've got three S4 cases and another one to come! You can't have too many cases eh? ;)

***Spoilers deployed as no one wants to read a wall of text :eek:***
 

Oh my god! That is the most awesome news ever :D

Nice one toString :cool:

@El1te As kona quite rightly said the SGP case might be a fake Mate, you might want to check if it has the code like the one that came with the Neo Hybrid case and run it against the SGP website.

You can do this here

http://www.sgporiginal.com/

Look at it this way heaven forbid if it is, you've only spent $8 as opposed to full whack.

Looking forward to your JB Domination screenshots so eagerly Dude! :cool:

@Nexus Most definitely it's the way to go, imagine that theme on a lush 5" AMOLED screen. It'll look awesome :cool:
 
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@kona786

Indeed! Hopefully he will implement some form of tweaks/options for us to choose from depending on our handsets so that we get the best quality.

I might email him and see if I get a reply back about it.

Probably too much effort and time required though :p

I'll stick with quickpic for the time being as the problem is only very noticeable in scenarios like shown in the emails/above.


@stoosh

Yeah he does get pretty enthusiastic about a lot of the stuff that he looks at :D


Such a shame HTC went and gimped the button configuration, this is largely why I like on screen buttons as they are so much more flexible so if a manufacturer messed up, at least you can change it via root etc.


True! :D It is such an awesome program and extremely easy to learn/use, pretty much know all the main stuff after a couple of days by just messing around and watching a few youtube videos.


Will do, not expecting any response as I still haven't got a reply back (previous times I received an email back within 2 days), might try sending it through a different department later on and see.


Yup and now that I am starting to edit a lot more photos i.e. cropping and working with the pixels, the 4MP might be a bit lacking so 9.6MP (I would use 16.9 format on the GS 4 so it suits the TV and my monitor better) will probably be better for me.


Indeed, a stock rooted ROM with all the bloat and some useless features removed with that domination theme is what I want! Hopefully the performance will be improved as I couldn't live with that, hate lag/stutter of any kind! :mad:

Just have to see what the X phone is like first ;) and what is happening with the S and sense V5 too.........


I know :( It is a shame that Samsung haven't copied those areas from apple yet..... they would be more or less the perfect brand/company then!


I really liked touchwiz on the GS 2 at the time, it was easily the best skin to date and better than stock android (except the look/UI), fastest and smoothest by a mile too! :cool:

@Nexus Most definitely it's the way to go, imagine that theme on a lush 5" AMOLED screen. It'll look awesome :cool:

It certainly has tempted me a lot :p
 
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@stoosh

This spoiler thing is a nice idea!

I agree, but I feel like it'd be a waste of time putting an AOSP rom right now, I think I'll wait till the S4 GE is out and then try a rom then.

I will contact the seller and ask if there is a code, if not I've purchased in the back of my mind knowing it might be a fake but for those prices I'm not too fussed mate. It's just annoying being limited to one case, I'd rather keep a collection like you LOL.

Wanam runs great but I always like trying new things but it's definitely my fallback rom!

I've just installed the domination theme so screenshots will follow shortly!
 
@stoosh

Have just sent an email of to HTC again there regarding the sense V5 update but this time with the "ticket" number for my previous complaint about a delay regarding slow update rollout so will wait and see, probably not hear anything till Monday though.
 
Right guys, Domination theme + Nova Launcher Prime with Wanamlite Rom:

The pics are big so had to put them in spoilers

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Reading about Quicpic you lot are incredibly observant to notice the modifications that the application makes to your pictures. I thought it was just another alternative to the gallery app but I was unaware that it made the changes that it did. So major props to you all :cool:

@Nexus
I have to check out all his other videos for a laugh ;)

That was the major beef that I had with HTC when they gimped the button configuration if it was Google who told them to do that I don't understand their reasoning behind it. Why on earth do that then bring that horrid 3 dot menu back into play? I thought it was banished with the latest firmwares on the HOX / HOXL?

I must check out Light room, in fact I don't have any photo editing software on my laptop so this might be the one to get :)

Glad to see you coming round to possibly buying the S4, it has awesome features in terms of imaging and you'll have a field day with it if you do end up buying it. You'll have your answers pretty soon when it comes to the X Phone and update situation regarding the HOS, by then the price of the S4 will have fallen even more :cool:

The lag/stutter was annoying me no end, that's why I've gone back to my N4, but yes a stock rooted ROM and the JB Dom theme is the answer.

When it comes to customer service maybe this area is not treated with as much importance as say advertising because look at HTC they're not exactly a shining example when it comes to customer satisfaction. Samsung really need to step it up there and if they do copy Apple then you're right they will be more or less the perfect company.

Touchwiz on the S2 was a godsend and it was really nice on the S3 but all the bloat that is evident on the S4 has gone too far IMO.

So we'll see at the end of Summer if you do end up joining the S4 club which will work to your advantage as the Dev scene will be in full swing and the lag/stutter issue will hopefully be solved by then :D

@E1te

Thanks Dude :) The last thing anyone wants to read is a wall of text, especially if they're catching up on the forum on their mobile phones.

Fair play to you because you haven't broken the bank, if I had paid £16-£20 for a fake case then I wouldn't be happy but $8 isn't a hassle. Hell add it to your collection Mate and carry on buying some more! ;)

Wanam isn't bad as a fallback ROM, I was using it as my main ROM when I had the S3 and then moved onto Ripper ROM when I had the S3 LTE because Wanam wasn't developing for the LTE at the time.

Now that JB Dom's out I'm downloading Wanam as i'm typing this out, can't wait to see your screenshots and your thoughts on the ROM/Theme combo! :cool:
 
@kona Mate, surely now's the time to Root and install Wanam now that JB Dom's out? I'm going to have a read about how to root and install custom ROMs.

This is awesome news! :cool:
 
Screenshots are out :cool:


@kona Mate, surely now's the time to Root and install Wanam now that JB Dom's out? I'm going to have a read about how to root and install custom ROMs.

This is awesome news! :cool:

Sure is - I'm tied up the whole day tomorrow with car maintenance, so if you do it I'd love to know what methods/recovery you used.

Is it ok just to flash a custom recovery via odin then flash a rooted custom rom (non wipe)?
 
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@stoosh

Can't have too many cases :D

What I meant was wanam is always a safe bet for stability and a daily driver, it's what I've been using and it's great. I'm comfortably getting 7 hours or so screen time with moderate to heavy usage.

I've posted the screenshots in my previous post check it out!

If you need help rooting and such let me know, but the process I followed was:

Install CF-Auto Root -> Install TWRP -> Install Wanamlite -> Wipe Cache/Dalvik-> Install domination
 
I am about to send an email (about quickpic) of to him and see what happens, will see how the htc one looks first though.

Yup, it has been gone on the S, X etc. for a long time now, tweak was introduced about 2 months after release iirc. That is what the people at XDA are saying about google wanting it removed since they want the menu button "visible" and I think it is most likely true as HTC did have it in the 1.27 or 1.26 firmware before so it makes no sense why they would just remove it all together for no reason :confused:


Yup, lightroom is definitely the one that you want to use for editing photos :cool: Loads of good guides out there, this is a good one:


And then this site has loads of great tips/guides, not just about lightroom etc. but also how to take photos etc.

http://digital-photography-school.com/

It is just so easy to use! :)

I have tried quite a lot too i.e. CS 6 (most complicated), snapseed (for the PC), photomatrix etc.

All have their strengths and weaknesses but LR is just the most "complete"


Yeah, unfortunately it seems to be the only phone that has everything important to me (excluding the one because of the support/update situation etc.), it sucks that Sony's and LG phones aren't even worth considering. Shame as the LG optimus G actually looks fantastic.......

The only thing that I don't like about the GS 4 is touchwiz but since I would be rooting etc. that won't be a problem. However, as you said, better to wait anyway as there is no way I am paying £500+ for it! :D :p


Then there is always the oppo 5 but I want to see if the issues are fixed/improved first.........

And then I could always just root and flash my S with sense V5 (ROM up where most stuff works except a few things) and stick with it will the N5 or/and the next lot of phones.....


So yes, we will find out relatively soon what I will do :o :p
 
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