Samsung Galaxy SIII Review part 2

  I am back this week to tell you more of this great phone's features. Let's start with some of the internal hardware and specs. The U.S. version of this phone comes with 1.5 GHZ Snapdragon S4 dual core processor to support the LTE technology used by US Cellular  and 2GB of RAM which makes this phone's stock Touchwiz "Nature"  UI very smooth in screen transitions. For the gamers it comes with a Adreno 225 graphics processing unit. The phone comes with 16GB or 32GB of internal storage with a micro SD slot  for and additional 64GB removable storage, and comes with 50GB of "cloud" storage from Dropbox for 2 years.
  The camera is nothing short of amazing for a cellphone "point and shoot". It sports an 8 megapixal rear facing camera capable of shooting 1080p HD video. It comes with a "burst mode" which allows you to take several photos without releasing the shutter control.  It also is capable of shooting photos while taking video. The phone also has a 1.9 megapixal, 720p video front facing camera.
  This phone is powered by a 2100 mAh battery which has the afore mentioned NFC built into it.
  Now on to the more fun features!!
  We will start with a Samsung exclusive called "Smart Stay", this feature uses the phones front facing camera to track your eyes and power off the screen when the user is not looking at it. This allows you to use a lower screen timeout option thus saving battery life.
  Next up is the "Svoice" personal assistant which not only controls your apps, but will also add or remove appointments from your calendar, read your travel schedule to you, or check the weather for your next trip, among other actions.
  Another cool feature of this amazing device is the "smart call" feature. You are in a text conversation with someone and you suddenly decide you need to have a voice conversion with them, simply raise the phone to your ear and it will automatically dial the persons number stored in the contacts.
  "Socialtag" is a feature which will identify and tag people in photos, then share the photo with them. "Pop up play" which allows you to watch video in a separate window while using other features of the phone.
  Are you a small business owner? The Galaxy SIII come with some powerful enterprise solutions also. It has SAFE (Samsung Approved For Enterprise) which allows for 256 bit encryption, VPN, and Mobile Device Management. See your local US Cellular agent for more details on SAFE.
  These are just a few of the exciting features of the Samsung Galaxy SIII from US Cellular. Come try one and I am sure you will leave with this great phone! 


  If you have any questions about the Galaxy SIII or information on switching to US Cellular message me through Google + or in the comments of this blog.


John USCC Customer Crew Member

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Samsung Galaxy SIII Review part 1

  I recently got the Samsung’s newest flagship device, the Galaxy SIII. All I can say is this phone is amazing!!!! It has a 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED display, yet does not feel big in your hand. Also it sports a 2100 MhA battery which will run the average user 18-20 hours with just some minor tweaks. The Touchwiz Nature 5.0 UI is a welcome improvement over the older versions of the Samsung launcher skin. It is smooth with no noticeable lag.

Now onto the software goodies!!

  I am really enjoying the SVoice feature; it can do amazing things just by speaking to the phone. Does it compete with Apples Siri? I cannot personally answer that question, but from the reviews I have seen the experts agree that not only does it compete, it wins! 

  Another cool feature I have only begun exploring is the NFC technology. With the wafer thin Tectiles you can program your phone to do a multitude of functions just by touching the back of the phone to the tile. Each is programmable to control different things.  Below is  just one of many scenarios possible. 

• As you go to bed, you run your phone over the tectile which sets the alarm, turns off the ringer.
•  In the morning you get up to the preset alarm, as you sit drinking your morning coffee and eating breakfast you tap your phone to a second tectile and listen to the news headlines, weather forecast and even the traffic.
• As you walk out the door you tap another tectile, which turns off the WIFI connection on your Galaxy S III, and activates mobile data.
• You arrive at work tap a tectile and your favorite music app opens for your listening pleasure.
• On the way home you stop at the market for a few quick items, as you check out you tap the back of your NFC compatible phone to the card reader and you have just paid with Google Wallet! No digging in your purse or pocket for cash or check card!
• After a hard day at work you arrive home and tap yet another tectile which deactivates the mobile data, activates the WIFI connection, turns on the music player with your favorite soothing music, then reminds you to pick up the kids at soccer practice.

Think of the possibilities in your life!!!!!

Some other features of the NFC software is Allshare. With this you can share photos, and large files with other NFC and WIFI direct enabled devices by simply touching the back of the phones together!

Not NFC related but with Allplay you can share movies from your phone and your WIFI enabled HD tv. Cool stuff here.

You are in a meeting and the phone rings, to silence the phone you simply turn the phone over. Pick the phone up and it will vibrate to remind you that you have a missed call.

These are just a few of the features of this amazing phone!

Get yours from US Cellular and see how it can simplify your life.

John USCC Customer Crew Member

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Thank you

  Hello again! This week I am taking a break from app reviews, I want to talk instead about the great wireless provider I have. Now you may say "what difference can a wireless provider make"? Let me tell you!  US Cellular is my provider and I have always had great service with them. Not to mention award winning customer service!
  Recently they gave me an opportunity to join a select group of  US Cellular customers who share the news of US Cellular's great service and help other customers with problems (sometimes from other wireless providers!) So after being a part of this great group of folks for about 6 months, I got an email saying "Don't pre-order the hottest phone in the world (the Samsung Galaxy S III) because we want to give you one for being such a supporter of US Cellular". How great is that?!!!
  Now I am going to brag here, because no other carrier gives you great customer service, free mobile to mobile calling, free nights and weekends starting at 7 PM, free incoming calls and text from any carrier or land-line, all at a great price, but now they give me the hottest, 4G LTE phone in the world FREE!!! Just for helping others?
  Once again a huge thank you to the US Cellular social crew for allowing me to be a part of this great group of people.


  If you have any questions about switching to US Cellular message me through Google+ or comment here, I still have a limited number of $50 coupons good for switching to US Cellular but they expire July 31, so hurry!!!!!!



John USCC Customer Crew Member

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Controlling Data Usage

Good morning, or evening depending on when you read this post. I would like to start by saying I hope everyone in the U.S. had a great 4th of July!
  This week I want to talk about controlling your data usage on your US Cellular Android powered device.
  First let me recommend a very handy little app called Data Switch by TomatoX, put this app on your main home screen for easy access.

• set apps which update in the background to sync at longer interveals. (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, your weather app, etc.)
• Use WIFI when possible (most places have free WiFi now), to do this I suggest putting a widget on your main home screen. Go to menu>settings>wireless & networks>WiFi settings click on "notify me when an open network is available". 
• Send text and MMS messages instead of email when possible.
• Streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, navigation apps like Google maps, online music service, etc) are huge data users, monitor your data usage when you stream over 3G/4G service
• Download and use mobile apps instead of your devices web browser, and turn off location data in the background if it is not needed.

  If you are a US Cellular customer use the data estimater to figure which data plan you need, and track your data usage at your "my account page.

  Now for those of you who are not US Cellular customers message me and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have and help you switch in any way I can.


John USCC Customer Crew Member

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Battery Life

  Hello! In the past I have posted about several applications, so now I am going to try to help you get more battery life from your US Cellular Android powered smartphone.
  My quest for better battery life started with my first Android phone, the HTC Desire. It was a great phone in it's day and I still have it for a backup phone if needed. HTC, Samsung, and other devices (except the Galaxy Nexus) come with a "skin" or overlay over the stock Android operating system ie HTC Sense, Samsung Touchwiz. This "skin" is a battery hog in my opinion, but other than buying a Galaxy Nexus we have no choice other than rooting. I don't recommend rooting your phone because you can BRICK  YOUR PHONE, and it WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY!
  So with that said some of my friends and I started a quest to squeeze the most out of our batteries, and the steps below are the results of our research.

1. Do not use live wallpapers. The best wallpaper for battery life is a plain dark one. But the battery loss may be worth it to you to not have a boring phone!
2. If you are not using a navigation app turn off your GPS. The same goes for the Bluetooth, it does not take long to power it up if you need it.
3. If you must sync apps automatically, set them to sync every two hours or longer. Disable "push" notifications, they work in real time but eat your battery.
4. If you are at work, turn off your mobile data when not in use. I have found this to be the single biggest battery drain on my phones.
5. If you are not around a WIFI connection, turn off this option, the constant scanning for a signal will put a drain on your battery
6. Turn your screen brightness to the lowest possible setting that you can see.

  Every Android phone I have seen has a "power" widget. This handy widget will give you quick access to most of the settings listed above, for adjustment as needed.
  Also here is a link to the best mobile data switch I have found, it is simply called "DataSwitch" and it does just what it says.
  Another handy app some like is Display brightness, which like the name implies, lets you control the screen brightness from any screen you happen to be on.

 As always if you have any questions about anything in this blog, Android in general, or about switching to US Cellular, feel free to message me through Google Plus, or post a comment/

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope it will help you extend the battery life of your wireless devices!

John USCC Customer Crew Member

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Office apps

Hello again everyone! Hope everyone is enjoying this summer weather. I am always talking about fun or helpful apps on here, now it is time to roll up your sleeves and go to work with your US Cellular Android powered smartphone or tablet!
  I am going to introduce you to some really good office apps here, some free and some paid, you pick what works best for you. I have personally tried all of the ones I will mention in this post and will list them in order of my preferences. I am sure there are others out there but these are the ones I like!
  Lets start with Quickoffice Pro, I would be lost without this app. It will even give you access to your documents offline. Here is just a few of the features you will have at your fingertips, anywhere, anytime!   
 Open, edit, and save to/from your favorite cloud account, edit and spell check documents on the go,update formulas in spreadsheets, give presentations without a bulky laptop, add notes and mark up PDF files, the most cloud connected office suite on the planet, the most intuitive user experience with SmartTouch™ technology, the best customer care of any office application, access Google Docs, Dropbox, Box, Evernote, Catch, Huddle, SugarSync, and MobileMe, access and manage files on your device, view Office and non-Office files within the file manager, create, copy, move, delete and rename files and folders and so much more!!
  My next choice is Documents To Go 3.0. With this one you can view native Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files & attachments with Documents To Go Main App. Supported file formats include .doc,. docx,. xls,. xlsx,. ppt,. pptx.. When purchased the Full Version Key unlocks the ability to Edit , View & Create Microsoft Word, Excel, & PowerPoint files & high fidelity viewing of your PDFs. The only thing I dislike about this app is the need to connect your mobile device to your desktop/laptop to sync the documents. No cloud support.
  Last is OfficeSuite Pro 6, this app just does not feel right to me. But it does come with the following features. OfficeSuite Pro allows you to view, create, edit, print and share Word, Excel and PowerPoint files on the go. One can also open attachments and see PDF files on an Android based phone or tablet with our feature-rich mobile office solution. Page view for Word and other text documents
*Headers and footers in Word documents
* Page numbering in text documents
* Editing in PowerPoint Slide View for fast slide changes
* Object manipulation in PowerPoint – move, resize, rotate
* Filters in Excel to help you can quickly and effectively handle your data
* A rich choice of 240 unique functions for Excel alone
* Improved cell selection in spreadsheets
* Cursor adjustment for text documents
* WordArt support in text documents
* Optimized for Android 4.0
  Now go try these apps and choose your favorite!


 As always if you have questions about how to become a US Cellular customer feel free to message me through G+ or in the comments.
  Also if you have general questions about Android or the apps mentioned in this post message me.


John USCC Customer Crew Member

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Cloud storage

  Hello again, I am wanting to spend some time on cloud storage options on your US Cellular Android powered smartphone or tablet this week. There are several options out there  for this purpose.
  The easiest way for me to discribe cloud storage is you are using remote servers to store your photos, videos, music, and other types of files.
  Cloud storage is a very useful and I can not imagine doing without it now! One simple example of cloud storage is Google Music and Amazon MP3 Player. These apps allow you to keep your music stored on the "cloud" (basically Google's or Amazon's servers) and lets you "stream" your music to your Android device anytime you have a data connection. This frees up your internal storage, but lets you keep your music handy.
  Now on to the other cloud storage options. These are meant for file storage and sharing. First is Google Drive, this is tied to your Google/Gmail account, so if you already have one of those on your computer look just below your browser header and you will see a row of different Google options, just download the app to your Android powered smartphone and you will have access to all of your "cloud" files from any device or computer! How cool is that? Google Drive comes with 5GB of free storage with payment options for more space.
  Next is Dropbox, this app operates on the same premise as Google Drive with apps for your computer and Android device. Dropbox comes with 2GB of free storage and you can upgrade to 16 GB free in several different ways.
  Next up is Box, this one is not quite as user friendly on the computer, but works well on mobile devices. It also comes with 5GB free storage with options to get more more free storage here.
  Last is Sky Drive which is tied to your Hotmail/MSN account. This one comes with 7GB of free storage and if you are an existing customer you get 25GB of storage. You can access this through your hotmail home page.

  I hope this has helped with your basic understanding of cloud drives, now just download one or more of these apps and explore the possibilities and uses for cloud storage that you can come up with!

  If you have questions about this subject or how to become US Cellular customer message me through Google+ or leave me a comment.

John USCC Customer Crew Member and one of the happiest customers in wireless

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