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I'm thinking of getting this amazing phone, but would like to find out what it's really like from you guys first before I make the purchase.
Well i loved it in the beginning, then after all the problems and issues such as lags, hangs, and GPS crap, i sold the phone. But since then I've been looking at other Android smart phones and none of them seem to be better currently.
So, I think i made the right choice by selling the phone (i sold it at a profit of US$100) now ....
then a few months later i will recheck if Samsung has fixed all these problems.. If they have, then i would repurchase the phone, and i'm sure at that time the price has dropped by quite a bit....
I just can't afford using a phone that gives all these problems at the moment.....
If samsung cannot fixe all these problems in the future then i'll choose something else....maybe 3 months from now there will be a pletora of good android smartphones....
Buying the phone right now would be unwise since you will be paying high price only to have to install this and that fixes and patches and hacks and what not in order to fix the all the bugs that samsung hasnt ironed out since launching the phone. Unless of course, that is your hobby....
But for me, if i had to do all these things with the phone, i wanna get paid by samsung.... not the other way around.....
I've got the Tmobile USA Vibrant version. I don't think the problems that are being reported are as prevalent as people might think - I believe that folks that aren't having any problems are not bothering to come to these forums on the web, researching issues, so who you see reporting problems are folks that are having issues, looking for solutions
there's also a certain percentage that are researching tips, improvements, shortcuts or tweaks (which is why i'm on the web).
My vibrant's gps is actually showing incredible accuracy, better than my MyTouch 3g and than my 2 yr old garmin nuvi 680 indoors where neither would show any satellites and the vibrant does, and outside it's faster than the garmin nuvi in calculating / recalulating but i suspect the A-GPS plays a major part in that.
the signal "issue" is a prime example of folks imagining an issue where there isn't one (think about it, the signal bars are reporting signal strength on the weak side and then when you choke the phone in the "death grip" it further degrades the displayed signal strength, but phone calls for the most part aren't dropping. That death grip is like putting your phone inside a metal soup can, and then wondering why signal dropped. Mine will show the weak signal when i death grip it but is still pulling 3G (at increased download speeds over my MyTouch 3G/HTC Magic) in a weak Tmobile coverage area
I've got no lag issues - but i haven't downloaded but a few apps, about 10, no task killers, and i really haven't used any of the samsung apps, as folks are reporting those seem to invite lag
for what it's worth, I'm extremely happy with this phone's performance.
I absolutely love mine. First smartphone, great GPS, good battery life, great apps, awesome screen, I can't put it down and I've had it for over a week.
larryccf said:
I've got the Tmobile USA Vibrant version. I don't think the problems that are being reported are as prevalent as people might think - I believe that folks that aren't having any problems are not bothering to come to these forums on the web, researching issues, so who you see reporting problems are folks that are having issues, looking for solutions
there's also a certain percentage that are researching tips, improvements, shortcuts or tweaks (which is why i'm on the web).
the signal "issue" is a prime example of folks imagining an issue where there isn't one (think about it, the signal bars are reporting signal strength on the weak side and then when you choke the phone in the "death grip" it further degrades the displayed signal strength, but phone calls for the most part aren't dropping. That death grip is like putting your phone inside a metal soup can, and then wondering why signal dropped. Mine will show the weak signal when i death grip it but is still pulling 3G (at increased download speeds over my MyTouch 3G/HTC Magic) in a weak Tmobile coverage area
I've got no lag issues - but i haven't downloaded but a few apps, about 10, no task killers, and i really haven't used any of the samsung apps, as folks are reporting those seem to invite lag
for what it's worth, I'm extremely happy with this phone's performance.
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Click to collapse
I think you're right in your assessment of new people coming to forums and what not. It's a biased sample for sure, personally, I was waiting to get on device where I actually had a reason to be here, this is it. So, while I didn't come to fix issues, I have learned a fair share and helped out a bit.
I'm upto 150+ apps showing in LauncherPro drawer, this includes some factory installed items and doesn't include all of my widgets (I keep two running at all times) and other things. My main lag only occurs during software installs, other than that everything else feels blazingly fast.
Really like this phone. After suffering the window mobile, this is definitely a great phone to have.
Its this or iphone. I have use iphone and I don't miss it one bit.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
I am in same boat the OP, I am close to getting it, but what I am hearing is a somewhat mixed bag. Really would love to heard the good and the bad about the phone.
So far the biggest gripes I have come across are lack of notification light (I would miss that), lag on the other hand fix makes it even faster , lack of camera flash. But i really like what I have seen what the Hummingbird can do..
HyBry said:
I am in same boat the OP, I am close to getting it, but what I am hearing is a somewhat mixed bag. Really would love to heard the good and the bad about the phone.
So far the biggest gripes I have come across are lack of notification light (I would miss that), lag on the other hand fix makes it even faster , lack of camera flash. But i really like what I have seen what the Hummingbird can do..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's a good write-up of "the good and the bad" http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=730131
The poll thus far seems fairly conclusive though.
bottom line is that if you are prepared to do a little customising then it can be the best phone out there atm (and lets face it why go android if you dont want to customise? thats what the iphones for right?...)
its only going to get better too as time goes on.
JF3 firmware out of the box and you may run into a couple of problems.
I own mine now for about 3 weeks and over all i heavy use it, my girl friend tells me that i touch my phone more often and tender then her which i think its an indicator of how much i love my Phone, even for native Xvid Support.
But of course there are thinks i really dont like at the Phone. I have much lags, but i also use much and diffarent kind of software at the same time. So maybe i have lesser lags if i dont use the phone like a Hardcore Home PC.
But there is one kind i think its an Knock Out Death Reason to not buy.the Phone before these Bug isnt fixed in an Newer Original Samsung FW.
The Timestamps of the Digital Camera are not written on File System layer. Of corse the are correctly written into EXIf and the digital image where named to the exact TimeStamp, but no attributes in the Fat are written. So if you organize your Pictures on a Nas, you can run into really big troubles.
But i hope thes issue will fixed in the next FW update.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
I'm loving mine, though it really did need to be rooted and the minfree* settings tweaked, the defaults are very bad - Samsung should be fixing this in the new firmware for all devices though. I have very few issues with the device and things I thought were potential problems before I bought it have turned out to be less so.
- Lack of search button/it's integration into the menu button is fine - I was worried because I used menu longpress to hide/show the keyboard a lot on my magic but no apps I'm using require this anymore since most android devices are keyboardless, this used to be fairly necessary when a lot of apps were developed on the G1. If you voice search with longpress of search on other devices a lot it could be an issue for you though.
- Plasticy feel/design of the back, it's nicer than it looks, feels solid despite being light and I'll be putting a resin case over it which disguises most of the horrible iphone 3G derived elements of the hardware anyway.
- Samsung customisation is actually quite nice once you've installed ADW launcher, I like the wifi/bt switches in the notification tray and the media player/in call controls that appear in there when those are active, it's a crying shame there's no widget for the media player though. Your tastes may differ but overall I think most of the customisations are good - with very noticeable exception of the homescreen.
* see here for an explanation, the default for EMPTY_APP and CONTENT_PROVIDER is some figure under 30MB, bump them up to 60 and 50 respectively and the phone runs brilliantly.
the greatest phone i've had to date, it's like a gameboy+office+email+movieplayer+mp3player+photoalbum+GPS+laptop+renote+terminal+web+wifi+bluetooth+phone, in 1 tiny little package
it sure beats my old HTC Athena in quality and speed, weight, durability, ease of use, amount of hacks and accessories for it
Had my UK spec galaxy for about a month. Not had any of the reported issues. Gps is great. Had 16 feet accuracy last night. Very little lag. Only when launching an app for the first time. Have zero regrets getting it. At least 3 other people have got one after seeing mine and they love it too. Highly recommended. Froyo will be amazing. But its the best out there even without it.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Yes, I freaking love it.
Intratech said:
Yes, I freaking love it.
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LOL reminds me of the McDonald Ads "i'm Loving It! ta ta da ta ta . . ."
Or who the German Maci says : Ich liebe es! Lol
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
No, not very happy with it.
It's my first Android headset, I sold my 3GS to my sister figuring I'd finally give Android a chance. The homescreen is nice, notification system is brilliant and so on. But the system has a couple of major flaws...
It's just not as smooth, as easy to use or as elegant as iOS4. There's lag, the market is absolutely horrendous and Fring managed to break the camera so I had to uninstall that to get it back. I don't know what the eff Google are doing, but they need to bring the full marketplace to all countries. But even then, it's not very impressive. Yes I've rooted mine, yes I have market enabler, and it feels wrong. I should not have to do that just to get access to the rest of the market.
And this is, in my opinion, the biggest issue with Android today. I tried to find an app as good as AutoStitch or Pano for Android, but no, there is no such thing in the store. I tried to find a couple of high-quality games, I couldn't find any. I want Let's Golf 2, Worms and many others on this thing. I tried to find a photo editor comparable to PhotoForge and PhotoGene, or something similar to ColorSplash, and again, no. And what about synthesizers, virtual guitars and other fun apps? Haven't seen any.
This phone got me excited, but then I just realised... What's the point? All that power, but nothing is using it. All that power, and we still have lag all over the OS.
I'm sure people are going to hate me for this, but I am a bit disappointed by both the phone and the OS. I do have high hopes for Froyo, but flash support and a snappier OS probably won't be enough for me to keep it. I have bought over a hundred apps on my old 3GS, and I think I'd like those back now.
EDIT: If you think I'm wrong, if you have found the apps I'm looking for then by all means link me to them. I want to like this thing, I really do.
i like PhotoStitch, i keep a copy with me
Asphalt 5 is great, i consider that a quality game
Lets Golf 1 is also available
heck they even have my favourite Bejewled 1
they might not have version 2 of the software, but it will come soon.
Android is fairly new, it's only on version 2
there was not many apps nor games until Android 1.5 got matured.
Iphone OS is at least 2 version ahead of Android, give it some time for it to mature, and you'll see the big picture.
AllGamer said:
i like PhotoStitch, i keep a copy with me
Asphalt 5 is great, i consider that a quality game
Lets Golf 1 is also available
heck they even have my favourite Bejewled 1
they might not have version 2 of the software, but it will come soon.
Android is fairly new, it's only on version 2
there was not many apps nor games until Android 1.5 got matured.
Iphone OS is at least 2 version ahead of Android, give it some time for it to mature, and you'll see the big picture.
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Click to collapse
Oh yeah I have Let's Golf, bought that in Gameloft's own store. Very nice.
As for the rest, not a big fan of racing games I'm afraid.
And yeah I know it's a new platform, but they've been bragging about it's growth for a while now and yes I'm sure they have 100,000 apps in the store. I just can't find the good ones, the store needs an overhaul.
I'm afraid I just can't give it more time. I might have to return a year later or so.
WiseDuck said:
EDIT: If you think I'm wrong, if you have found the apps I'm looking for then by all means link me to them. I want to like this thing, I really do.
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Sounds like someone didn't do any research before a big purchase. If you liked how the iphone operated and all the apps for it, why did you switch?
Before I bought my SGS, i went on androlib to look for apps I would need on my phone. I didn't find everything I was looking for, but at least I knew what was there and what wasn't. I also looked around all the android forums (like android central) for any android-specific issues I might encounter.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...372,0.018947&z=16&iwloc=00048f225d8da9a32da25
on a very very clear day with the Vibrant in my cycling jersey pocket on my back.
supl.google.com
sky hook on
MS Based
a few blips but its fairly close. but should be better. It's not unusable like some say.
It is unusable for some people, you happened to be able to use skyhook. If you were in the middle of nowhere that wouldnt help you.
Yea I used it also and it seems to be a bit off on the track
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Never been unusable for me either. Actually fairly accurate ill have to do a my tracks later....
Lol you guys sound like some of the customers I deal with everyday. These are consumer grade devices. If you want something accurate go buy a Trimble GPS device and spend the thousands of dollars it takes to acquire one. I think even with the hiccups, your tracks are pretty decent. This is a cellphone, not a true GPS device.
BTW I work for Garmin so with my background of GPS and how it works this is probably why the inaccuracies in your track do not bother me. One thing you have to understand there are so many factors that can play into why you might of had these spikes....Heavy tree coverage, cloud over cast, power lines, tall buildings etc...Signal multi-path can also play into these types of spikes. Not bashing, but I think it does a pretty good job for what it is.
Steeltippin said:
Lol you guys sound like some of the customers I deal with everyday. These are consumer grade devices. If you want something accurate go buy a Trimble GPS device and spend the thousands of dollars it takes to acquire one. I think even with the hiccups, your tracks are pretty decent. This is a cellphone, not a true GPS device.
BTW I work for Garmin so with my background of GPS and how it works this is probably why the inaccuracies in your track do not bother me. One thing you have to understand there are so many factors that can play into why you might of had these spikes....Heavy tree coverage, cloud over cast, power lines, tall buildings etc...Signal multi-path can also play into these types of spikes. Not bashing, but I think it does a pretty good job for what it is.
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Um I am sorry I disagree with you, with my first smart phone, the G1 took seconds to lock on to 4+ birds ... and my vibrant .. see's 10 and locks on to 1 .. and its not even the one with the strongest signal ... then there is an issue. I think that is what people are complaining about.
I agree .. if the true purpose of getting something is for GPS alone, then a Garmin etc .. is great.
aohmer said:
Um I am sorry I disagree with you, with my first smart phone, the G1 took seconds to lock on to 4+ birds ... and my vibrant .. see's 10 and locks on to 1 .. and its not even the one with the strongest signal ... then there is an issue. I think that is what people are complaining about.
I agree .. if the true purpose of getting something is for GPS alone, then a Garmin etc .. is great.
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The G1 had almost the same exact problem with the GPS when it was first released in October of 08. In the beginning of December, it was updated OTA and it was fixed completely. The update for the Vibrant is coming this month, have faith.
scooterman said:
supl.google.com
sky hook on
MS Based
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Click to collapse
Skyhook is not GPS. Period.
scooterman said:
a few blips but its fairly close. ...ore it a 7/10, usable, but far from the best.
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The release notes for the new Obsidian 2.2 ROM from TW says the GPS is "very accurate". I'm assuming it's got the real 2.2 drivers and SW.
It would be interesting to see a comparison of the JI6 and 2.2 GPS accuracy.
I've definitely had issues with significant inaccuracy using the Vibrant GPS for driving. It's usually fine, but sometimes it goes into rapid recalculations due to miscalculating my location on nearby streets. It's can be quite annoying if you're depending on it. I've used several standalone GPS units over the years and haven't seen this behavior before. In some ways the Vibrant GPS is better than my current standalone unit, but this inconsistent accuracy is a significant flaw.
I'm hoping 2.2 will include some improvements.
samnada said:
The release notes for the new Obsidian 2.2 ROM from TW says the GPS is "very accurate". I'm assuming it's got the real 2.2 drivers and SW.
It would be interesting to see a comparison of the JI6 and 2.2 GPS accuracy.
I've definitely had issues with significant inaccuracy using the Vibrant GPS for driving. It's usually fine, but sometimes it goes into rapid recalculations due to miscalculating my location on nearby streets. It's can be quite annoying if you're depending on it. I've used several standalone GPS units over the years and haven't seen this behavior before. In some ways the Vibrant GPS is better than my current standalone unit, but this inconsistent accuracy is a significant flaw.
I'm hoping 2.2 will include some improvements.
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Click to collapse
Although GPS test reports an accuracy of 6-10 yards roughly, once I start Maps, the accuracy varies on a much wider range. Driving in big city is not much fun when you could be anywhere within a 200 yard range.
I just got the JI6 update and the GPS is definitely much better. However, I was wondering how it matches up to the GPS on other smartphones.
Does anyone have a Nexus One or another android phone to compare it to? Could you please post some results. Only post results from the official OTA JI6 update.
I just got my OTA update this morning.
I am comparing my Vibrant with my BF's Nexus One (running Froyo 2.21) using GPS test.
The result:
Nexus views fewer satellites and locks them much faster than my vibrant on the other hand Vibrant views more satellites locks them a bit slower (Nexus : in view : 8 in use 8 instantly, VIbrant in view : 13 in use 7)
Nexus has better accuracy 9.9 feet VS. 22ish feet on vibrant.
I definitely like the gps on my vibrant much better after the OTA.
I am curious about the GPS performance test among other samsung galaxy s brethren (Captivate, Epic 4G, and Fascinate)
yea my nexus had much better GPS
and got instant lock when any app required gps location
but vibrant works perfectly fine just takes little longer
Just tested against N1 in a real life situation using C:Geo on both phones and the N1 had me rock solid on a Geocache and the Vibrant had me 15 feet off of it plus after trying to get my bearings it decided to start wondering off and I ended up in another county in 3 minutes. The N1 GPS just works and work rock solid, the Vibrants GPS is obviously not a hardware issue but a software issue. The reason I say that is because when I got the Vibrant Geocaching was a no go at all, wouldn't even lock onto enough sat's to be useful. Now at least it has me within 15 feet of my caches.
So all in all it has improved, but it is still not as good as my old N1.
Gps on the vibrant sucks. I honestly believe it's a hardware issue. JI6 update addressed a stupid software issue that prevented the gps to lock onto satellites probably due to wrong time information, but even after that, performance is really lacking.
I have a nexus one, and it gets a fix in less than 5 seconds with an accuracy of 2 m (6 feet). Once it gets a fix, it doesn't wander all over the map. It stays put.
The vabrant ( before and after JI6) doesn't get an accuracy better than 6 meters (20 ft). That's not to bad, but in google maps, it starts jumping all over the map until it settles -usually- at the farthest place from the actual location.
After JI6, the gps locks very quickly, definitely an improvement, but it it's more important the accuracy than the TTF.
In google navigation, when you stop at a red light, the inaccuracies og the gps and its constant jumping from place to place, triggers re-route after re-route. This is uncomfortable and dangerous when you are driving in an unfamiliar area.
The phone is great, but could have been better had some minimal QA been done.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
reddragon72 said:
Just tested against N1 in a real life situation using C:Geo on both phones and the N1 had me rock solid on a Geocache and the Vibrant had me 15 feet off of it plus after trying to get my bearings it decided to start wondering off and I ended up in another county in 3 minutes. The N1 GPS just works and work rock solid, the Vibrants GPS is obviously not a hardware issue but a software issue. The reason I say that is because when I got the Vibrant Geocaching was a no go at all, wouldn't even lock onto enough sat's to be useful. Now at least it has me within 15 feet of my caches.
So all in all it has improved, but it is still not as good as my old N1.
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Click to collapse
This saddens me. I used to be able to cache almost exclusively off of my G1, unless under heavy cover.
studing
After manually flashing the updated (the OTA bricked my phone), I tested the GPS on its own, as well as side by side with my wife's G2. While JI6 allows the Vibrant to get a satellite lock in seconds, the accuracy of the GPS is virtually nonexistent, with the location bouncing all over the place. Forget about stopping at a red light - the cursor will start jumping around, sometimes placing me 2-3 blocks away from my actual location. While driving on a local highway (with a clear view of the sky), the GPS would frequently lose signal, although it would lock on again in a few seconds. Although the Vibrant can now get a satellite lock, the accuracy has not been fixed. The G2 does not suffer from these issues, reporting accuracy of 4-6 feet and getting a much quicker satellite lock than the Vibrant.
I am starting to think it is definitely a hardware issue. With GPS test I am getting locks on 9 of 10 or 10 of 12 satellites, but the bar is not very high for the signal on any satellite. Driving down the road it losses signal randomly. My G1 and HD2 had much better GPS performance.
I guess I will live with this until it is time to get another upgrade phone for the cheap price. Maybe the new Mytouch when it comes out. I have extra lines on my account just so I can get early upgrades. An extra line using the same minutes is $5 a month. It is worth it to me to keep getting new phones and selling the other phone on ebay.
Just did a side by side test with my Vibrant running Bionix 1.7 with the JI6 modem.bin vs. my wife’s brand new G2. My Vibrant instantly saw 13 satellites and took around 10 seconds to lock 11 of those 13. Initially it showed 90 ft. accuracy and after around 20-30 seconds it was bouncing between 18-25 ft. on accuracy. On my wife’s G2 as soon as I opened up GPS Test it saw 11 satellites and locked all 11. It initially showed 20 ft. on accuracy and then after 2-3 seconds it showed 12 ft. on accuracy. I watched it for about 2-3 minutes and it didn't really move as far as how many satellites it had locked or its accuracy.
Gps will never be as good as other phones lets face it, but it does the job, it haven't failed me yet since ji2 and up..... Not perfect but usable... I'd rather have a not so great gps that still works vs a n1s multi touch bug that don't get real mt......
Take the good with the bad
I just flashed the ji6 and although the GPS is improved it is far from being fixed. With my Nexus One and G2 I get a fix within 5 seconds and usually locks on all birds. With the Vibrant it takes much longer and the best it can do is 5 out of 12 birds. This GPS is a real shame as it takes a marvelous phone and makes it less than stellar IMO. I would love to use the Vibrant as my Main Phone but with the GPS still not quite right it is not happening as I use GPS everyday throughout the day/.
For those that have gotten the update, what are your GPS settings now? Is it a different server?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Agreed with most comments already posted. The update helped to lock faster, but accuracy really sucks. Google navigation only works about 70% of the time. I find my location drifting to side streets quite often which keeps triggering re-routes all the time. I lose lock randomly (although it does regain lock fairly quickly).
Overall, compared to all other android smart phones I've used, the accuracy/reliability of gps is horrible.
I've also lost all hope in a software fix. With all the press it got and the two plus months to release a fix with marginal improvement...means one of two things.
1-samsung software engineers suck or
2-its a hardware issue and they've done the best they can with software to optimize the broken hardware.
Although both may be true to some degree ... I think we are dealing with case #2...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Roomates Nexus one sees 7 satellites, 10 seconds lock.
My vibrant JI6 sees 9 satellites, 4.5 minute lock
GPS is no worse than the other phones I currently have access to.
Google Maps doesn't jump around like Google Navigation. Google needs to implement smoothing software into their navigation program. Copliot works great with JI6 and Google Navigation gets Parkinson's disease at stop lights. Like I said, same place and Google Maps shows me as stationary while Google Navigation is all over the place
heygrl said:
GPS is no worse than the other phones I currently have access to.
Google Maps doesn't jump around like Google Navigation. Google needs to implement smoothing software into their navigation program. Copliot works great with JI6 and Google Navigation gets Parkinson's disease at stop lights. Like I said, same place and Google Maps shows me as stationary while Google Navigation is all over the place
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Click to collapse
Agreed. With CoPilot it works perfect. I havnt noticed any jumping around at all. The only problem I have had with the GPS since JI6 is that it sometimes takes 3-5 minutes to get a lock on my location.
Try to delete your GPS Data and make sure it's all stock under lbstestmode. I get locks fairly quickly.
kgbkny said:
While JI6 allows the Vibrant to get a satellite lock in seconds, the accuracy of the GPS is virtually nonexistent, with the location bouncing all over the place. Forget about stopping at a red light - the cursor will start jumping around, sometimes placing me 2-3 blocks away from my actual location. While driving on a local highway (with a clear view of the sky), the GPS would frequently lose signal, although it would lock on again in a few seconds. Although the Vibrant can now get a satellite lock, the accuracy has not been fixed.
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Click to collapse
I got the identical behavior last night. Is the GPS that flawed that it thinks it's moving when it's not? If they could at least have the software not move the pointer when you're standing still that would likely make a huge difference. Instead it moves you onto another street and starts speaking out "corrections".
I guess the title says it all. Has the official UK froyo release fixed the GPS?
This is the swinging factor on which phone I get!
No.
Eleven chars
I don't know about fixed but mine is certainly a lot better. It no longer loses lock every 5 mins or so using route tracker pro. and it turns back on properly after using waze - so averall a great improvement.
No.
Suggest you get something else if GPS is important to you because it is absolutely crap on the Galaxy S. It is inaccurate and will jump back and forth at regular intervals. It will also lose lock very easily if there are high buildings around. I can't even get a lock sitting on the top deck of a bus and next to the window.
Yes in a big way. 10sec lock.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
I'm not so worried by how long it takes to lock, more-so by how it keeps the lock and can track an accurate location.
I'm assuming it is still all over the place then.
brisnick said:
I'm not so worried by how long it takes to lock, more-so by how it keeps the lock and can track an accurate location.
I'm assuming it is still all over the place then.
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Click to collapse
you are right, useless for what you need.
Why not RMA, ask for a new built phone, test GPS and report back?. I'm sure it will be ok in most cases. It looks like it was fixed on later hardware but no one is going to make Samsung admit it
No here too, better but still tracks really badly at times. Will look into an rma when I get some time to. Pity because apart from the gps I really rate this phone.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Well, so far, based on my experience in the last 3 days, it is better. At least it seems like it is. I used RunKeeper quite a lot before, the tracks showed me flying over the river and stuff like that, but after I got FroYo, it got better. My tracks are more exact and it seems the GPS reception is not lost, like it used to. We will see how it will go on...
Huge no. It takes sometimes up to half an hour to get lock and then only lasts mins.
Add to that the advertised (here in australia anyway) free navigation which does not work here (no, google maps is not free navigation, its google maps. Navigation is navigation). Its an awesome phone but, and i may regret saying this. The horribly slow, misleadingly advertised, failure of a phone nokia N97 wins on delivering gps by a long shot. There i said it, its out there.
No. GPS still not working for me. Yesterday I couldn't even get a fix (outside, no tall buildings, no overcast)
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Those of you that know me here will know I have dedicated a large slice of my spare time in trying to find out as much information as possible.
Throughout that time my GPS was totally useless running on one of the very first SGS's released in the UK.
Anyway, I altered nothing on the phone left it on it's stock ROM and did the upgrade last Saturday.
In short Kies totally wrecked the phone and I had to resort to using Odin to sort out the mess.
I've since told Samsung exactly what happened and my thoughts to Kies.
However, you are asking what is the GPS like.......
I have nothing to gain. Far from it I would be at the very front in damning Samsung for using Kies but the honest answer from me on GPS is for the very first time I can say I totally am impressed with it.
Whilst sat in my home, a good 10 feet away from the window in a large house with thick walls and three floors I get a lock within seconds and notice again for the first time many locked Satellites with signals above AND below 20SNR, yes below 20... (Prior to the upgrade not once did I receive a locked signal on anything other than above 20).
More importantly under My Tracks the lock follows my movements accurately and not once loses it's signal.
I took the dogs out this afternoon for a long walk and each time I checked the phone I noticed the compass showing the correct bearing and the GPS signal right bang on top of my position.
No... bought a SGS in the UK last month and have been using it in Brazil. GPS has been completely useless for me. Froyo seemed to help at fist, but yesterday it took over 20 minutes to lock in google navigation. Terrible!!!
Easy to get a lock whilst walking, when i get in my car it becomes near useless.
I am having GPS/GLONASS accuracy issues. Especially when compared to my stellar Note 1 and Note 2. Whether using Google Maps or GPS Test app it seems much weaker and tends to wander/waiver especially when stationary. I have always kept network assistance turned off for better accuracy at the expense of initial lock speed.
I use Navionics app for boating and a couple of athletic training apps that depend on best accuracy.
GPS radio/antenna appears to go to sleep in less than two minutes while screen still awake. Power saving mode is turned off. Indoors Google Maps was comparable with TMo display. Will compare with Best Buy's and a couple of AT&T COR store displays before returning. Just disappointed with my new flagship : (
Reminiscent of Captivate and Infuse days!
$.01 via NOTE 3
Just what I didn't want to read. My new Note 3 has the same issues. I actually had to ship it off for repairs because the GPS was so terribly bad. Comparing with my S4 it is just broken. Lets just hope it is not a design flaw but a problem with some devices only.
/ j
I cannot agree.
I were hunting for 10 hours yesterday, logging 20km with barometric altitude using Oruxmaps.
The GPS worked fine and I spent about half the battery the entire trip (>12hrs)
Ingress appears also to be very precise and nice, I do not see any difference fomr Note2 - except that barometric sensor had a slow refresh-rate with display off on GN2, now it's fast.
Got a new replacement which is much better.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I tested with GPS test and an got accuracy of 3 meters which is damn fine if you ask me. Never seen it below 5 meters before...
Hendrickson said:
I tested with GPS test and an got accuracy of 3 meters which is damn fine if you ask me. Never seen it below 5 meters before...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nevermind
Same problem with my Tmobile note 3. Using GPS test app I show far less signal strength then the note 2 which had the best GPS reception I've seen on a phone. Having much difficulty locking on to a fix in the Learjet. The note 2 had no problem! Kind of sucks. New technology shouldn't be a step back.
Going to go ahead and exchange at the store.
xero187 said:
Same problem with my Tmobile note 3. Using GPS test app I show far less signal strength then the note 2 which had the best GPS reception I've seen on a phone. Having much difficulty locking on to a fix in the Learjet. The note 2 had no problem! Kind of sucks. New technology shouldn't be a step back.
Going to go ahead and exchange at the store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am finding it very hard to get GPS lock with this device
The T-Mobile store had me compare mine to the unit in store. Same deal. I think it's a design flaw. The note 2 was so much better at receiving gps signals. Oh well, I guess they want to leave a reason to justify the note 4.
Location works fine, but the compass is way off. When walking it points about 100 degrees to the wrong site. The map does not show the road ahead but the road sideways.
This is true even in a train. Moving at 100km/h should give you a good clue of what North is, but it's still pointing wrong.
Hoping this will get fixed in an antenna firmware upgrade... !
andomar said:
Location works fine, but the compass is way off. When walking it points about 100 degrees to the wrong site. The map does not show the road ahead but the road sideways.
This is true even in a train. Moving at 100km/h should give you a good clue of what North is, but it's still pointing wrong.
Hoping this will get fixed in an antenna firmware upgrade... !
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Click to collapse
I noticed that too! Note 2 was way better! I think you're right about the compass calibration. Is there a way to calibrate it?
Luycks said:
I noticed that too! Note 2 was way better! I think you're right about the compass calibration. Is there a way to calibrate it?
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Click to collapse
If I lean the phone forward, and then back up, I could rotate the compass 180 degrees.
Found a solution now! I downloaded the "GPS Status & Toolbox" from "MobiWIA - EclipSim", and ran Tools -> Calibrate Compass. The compass is much more stable now!
it seems its an issue with some phones
It seems that gps issue affects only some phones.
other have reported here that the gps reception on their Note 3's is good.
On my SM-N900T the reception is stellar!
(about the same as on my note II)
koyanishi said:
It seems that gps issue affects only some phones.
other have reported here that the gps reception on their Note 3's is good.
On my SM-N900T the reception is stellar!
(about the same as on my note II)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested the gps reception on my Note 3 and Note 2 in my back yard to give the report that I did in the above post
but since then I have traveled by airplane and can now report that neither my Note 2 or Note 3 could get a fix while the plane was at altitude but my Galaxy S4 did get a fix without too much difficulty.
On the ground all three of these instruments will get a fix about the same time and have generally the same accuracy - except that the Galaxy S4 according to the app GPS Test will have maybe one or more satellites in view and also have one or more satellites in use - but to reiterate - according to my quick tests the accuracy on the ground is about the same in all 3 devices.
koyanishi said:
I tested the gps reception on my Note 3 and Note 2 in my back yard to give the report that I did in the above post
but since then I have traveled by airplane and can now report that neither my Note 2 or Note 3 could get a fix while the plane was at altitude but my Galaxy S4 did get a fix without too much difficulty.
On the ground all three of these instruments will get a fix about the same time and have generally the same accuracy - except that the Galaxy S4 according to the app GPS Test will have maybe one or more satellites in view and also have one or more satellites in use - but to reiterate - according to my quick tests the accuracy on the ground is about the same in all 3 devices.
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Click to collapse
I can almost confirm that the issue is related to the Compass.
Today I was in tram, and I suddenly lost lock. In GPS test it was showing only 1 satellite "in sight" and could not lock, which was wrong. The compass was also pointing the wrong way. After I shaked a bit the phone, it suddenly switched back to a normal position, 21 satellites in sight and quickly locked.
I will try to take a screenshot next time it happens
Is this worth a send-in for repair?
Mine is also having problems. Fix is 0, in view over 10. Not sure what's going on...
Did a compass calibration and it seems stable but still no fix. N900W8.
EDIT: I am starting to think its a hardware problem. Outdoors it does work but takes a long time for a fix, and the SNR is low compared to my S II or Note II.
@Class said:
Mine is also having problems. Fix is 0, in view over 10. Not sure what's going on...
Did a compass calibration and it seems stable but still no fix. N900W8.
EDIT: I am starting to think its a hardware problem. Outdoors it does work but takes a long time for a fix, and the SNR is low compared to my S II or Note II.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not enough to do compass calibration "once" with a program.
Whenever you are in the app that must achieve a lock, while it is trying, take the phone and rotate it a couple of times with the wrist. The compass should snap back to the appropriate value and you should quickly get a lock.
I reckon that the SNR maybe lower. I know for a fact that it's lower than the Tab2 7" which, in turn, has the best signal of any phone I've compared with, including Note2 and S2.
Nontheless since I do the compass trick I get reasonable lock speed and accuracy in most conditions. On the open the lock is almost instantaneous.
Hope it helps.
McBain_666 said:
It's not enough to do compass calibration "once" with a program.
Whenever you are in the app that must achieve a lock, while it is trying, take the phone and rotate it a couple of times with the wrist. The compass should snap back to the appropriate value and you should quickly get a lock.
I reckon that the SNR maybe lower. I know for a fact that it's lower than the Tab2 7" which, in turn, has the best signal of any phone I've compared with, including Note2 and S2.
Nontheless since I do the compass trick I get reasonable lock speed and accuracy in most conditions. On the open the lock is almost instantaneous.
Hope it helps.
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Click to collapse
There is definitely a problem both with the GPS AND the data connection on the Note 3 vs. the Note 2!
I drive a tractor-trailer for a living and use Google Navigation constantly to find my destinations (I know it's routed for automobiles and not trucks; I'm intelligent enough to NOT drive my tractor-trailer down a road it's telling me to go down that I shouldn't!) - the Note 3 is CONSTANTLY losing it's GPS lock, and displays "Searching for GPS" on the screen. The only way I can get it back is to turn off GPS and then turn it back on. Then it'll sometimes work for just a couple of minutes, or a couple of hours before it happens again. Most of the time it's just 5-10 minutes before it loses GPS lock again. My Note 2 NEVER, not even once, did this!
I live in Phoenix, AZ and drive to Las Vegas several times a week to make deliveries. There are large areas where there's no data connection at all, and in some areas where my Note 2 had a 4G connection, the Note 3 has NO data connection whatsoever! And, I'm not talking a couple of miles here; I'm talking at least a 30 or 40 mile stretch of US 93.
Yesterday, I was driving across I-40 west in New Mexico, on my way back from Wichita, KS, and Google Navigation, when it was working, looked terrible on the screen - the roads were all fuzzy and "bloated" because, apparently, it wasn't downloading all the map data.
My Note 3 experience so far has been terrible (I'm experiencing a myriad of other problems, too - TERRIBLE Bluetooth call audio; sounds on the phone, except for my music being played through PowerAmp, just stopped working, even though ALL volumes were at maximum, had to reboot to get them working; screen is "jittery" when typing, it'll sometimes type multiple characters as if I'm rapidly pressing the keys, etc, etc!); I'm returning it today to AT&T for another one. If I have problems with that one, though, I'm returning it for another Note 2!
This makes me VERY sorry I sold my Note 2 on Craigslist!
Dennis
dmw_4814 said:
There is definitely a problem both with the GPS AND the data connection on the Note 3 vs. the Note 2!
I drive a tractor-trailer for a living and use Google Navigation constantly to find my destinations (I know it's routed for automobiles and not trucks; I'm intelligent enough to NOT drive my tractor-trailer down a road it's telling me to go down that I shouldn't!) - the Note 3 is CONSTANTLY losing it's GPS lock, and displays "Searching for GPS" on the screen. The only way I can get it back is to turn off GPS and then turn it back on. Then it'll sometimes work for just a couple of minutes, or a couple of hours before it happens again. Most of the time it's just 5-10 minutes before it loses GPS lock again. My Note 2 NEVER, not even once, did this!
I live in Phoenix, AZ and drive to Las Vegas several times a week to make deliveries. There are large areas where there's no data connection at all, and in some areas where my Note 2 had a 4G connection, the Note 3 has NO data connection whatsoever! And, I'm not talking a couple of miles here; I'm talking at least a 30 or 40 mile stretch of US 93.
Yesterday, I was driving across I-40 west in New Mexico, on my way back from Wichita, KS, and Google Navigation, when it was working, looked terrible on the screen - the roads were all fuzzy and "bloated" because, apparently, it wasn't downloading all the map data.
My Note 3 experience so far has been terrible (I'm experiencing a myriad of other problems, too - TERRIBLE Bluetooth call audio; sounds on the phone, except for my music being played through PowerAmp, just stopped working, even though ALL volumes were at maximum, had to reboot to get them working; screen is "jittery" when typing, it'll sometimes type multiple characters as if I'm rapidly pressing the keys, etc, etc!); I'm returning it today to AT&T for another one. If I have problems with that one, though, I'm returning it for another Note 2!
This makes me VERY sorry I sold my Note 2 on Craigslist!
Dennis
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is essentially what's happening with my ATT Note3.
GPS just drops in the middle of navigating; the notification-bar icon just goes away. I have to toggle GPS off and back on for it to work again. While it's working, it never works well; there's at least a 15sec 'lag' time from when I move to when the screen actually updates my position - but it never truly gets a precise location. I can go to a specific location 5 different times and I'll be 15 yards away in different directions each time.
This is in any of the various mapping/navigation/gps apps, but is most notable infuriating while Ingressing.
Weird that has never happened to me. Perhaps there is a background app that makes some confusion. I have extensively tested the GPS in the last days and I confirm that the only problem that I have is with the compass, rotating the phone a couple of times makes the GPS works fine. The navigation is very good so far. However this was always in the city where the reception is good and the 4G connection is always present.
Good luck
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app