Why I May Keep My Galaxy S3 for 3 Years

In 2012, I was looking for a smartphone to upgrade to. It was either going to be the HTC One X, or the Samsung Galaxy S3 (AT&T). I chose the S3 due to the removable battery, better popularity (hence better forum support on XDA Developers), and the extra gig of RAM. At this point, I am eligible for an upgrade. However, I still may keep my S3 for possibly another year. Here's why.

Rooting my phone (come at me Samsung, my warranty is long gone anyway) may have been one of the best things that I have done to it. By putting Cyanogenmod on my device, I have removed all the bloatware, speeding up my phone. So now, I am getting better use out of the dual core, 1.5 Ghz processor.  While all the high-end Android phones on the market now have quad-core, I will say that the speed difference hasn't quite been enough alone to justify an upgrade.

RAM is another big thing. At the time of release, the US-spec S3 had 2 gigabytes of RAM, more than almost every other phone on the market. Many of today's high end phones still only have 2 gigabytes of RAM. The next phone I get must have at least 3 gigs, or else I will not deem it to be "justified".

As phones get older, batteries tend to suffer. Luckily, my phone has a removable battery, so when my battery finally stops working well enough (already happened), I can just buy a new one and replace it. Problem solved.

While I cannot replace the camera, I have found my camera (front and back) to be good enough (I even used it in a YouTube video). Infrared transmitter? I can deal without.

My plan is to basically fix up my phone so it will last. I'll unroot it, perform a full reset, then root it again to make it fresh. I'll definitely need a new battery, so I will have to buy one of those as well. My phone case isn't in the best condition, so I will have to replace that as well. Then suddenly, I will have a two year old smartphone ready for possibly another year of use, until a smartphone comes on the market that has enough of an internal upgrade for me to upgrade.  You readers may wonder if I am a guy who doesn't believe in upgrading because "it's a waste".  That is not me.  However, it just happens that phones haven't progressed quite enough to justify an upgrade for me.

P.S. My next phone may last me less than two years. With the white band spectrum (or whatever it's called) set to be utilized for the public thanks to the demise of analog TV signal, I would like a phone that receives better service quickly. And that could happen around 2017.

USB On The Go is One of My Favorite Android Features

One day, I had my friends over.  I had received my Galaxy S3 a week earlier, and I felt like showing my friends (who mostly own iPhones) a cool party trick.  So I downloaded a Sonic the Hedgehog game, got my PS3 controller along with the USB cable, and a cool male micro-usb to usb female.  I plugged it all in, and showed my friends how I was playing my Sonic game using my PS3.  They were all amazed.

What I just explained was a USB On The Go cable, or USB OTG for short.  It's a feature available on most Androids (chances are, if your phone is within 2 years old, you have it).  Essentially, it is a way to connect other peripherals to your Android.  USB mouse? Check.  PS3 or Xbox 360 controller? Check (I am not sure about the PS4 and Xbox One).  External hard drive?  Depends.  The phone powers whatever is plugged in, so not all hard drives will work.  Chances are, you'll need an externally powered hard drive with it.

In reality, it is mostly a show feature.  I have never replicated that game example other than that one time because I never need to.  However, I have found it to come in handy sometimes.  My  best use has been schooling-related.  Many times, it's easier for someone to proofread a paper in person.  So what I have done is finished a paper on my laptop, then saved it on a flash drive.  Then I'll take it out with me, plug my flash drive into my phone via USB OTG, and let my friend read it.  It's actually kind of neat.

The best part about this is that the cable is not expensive.  In fact, I picked mine up on Monoprice for $1.47 (without shipping).  You can get these things at similar prices elsewhere with free shipping.  I feel this would work best for tablet users who need a full sized USB port.  For those people, they have good options.  Instead of spending a lot extra on an Android tablet with a full USB port, they can get a cheaper device and spend just a few dollars on an important accessory.

And to think that a decade ago, plugging a flash drive into your cell phone seemed implausible.  Technology flies...

My Tesla Model S Ride-Along

This originally happened back in the fall of 2013.  Tesla was conducting test drives.  My dad signed up for one, and while we were waitlisted at first, we got the chance!  So on we went to the country club.  Before getting there, we saw a Model S on the road, and that brings up my first point: road presence.  This car looks like a luxury car (especially with those LED Headlights).  Also, the car seems rare.  It's now more special for me to see a Model S rather than a Bentley Continental.  After that 5-second experience, we later on arrived to the site.  A guy who works at Tesla gave us a nice briefing on the car.  As much as we wanted to drive/ride, it was still cool getting to learn about all the features of the car beforehand.  Then finally, we got to use the black, 2013 Tesla Model S P85.

The first thing I noticed was the seats.  They aren't up to par with, say, an Audi A8 or Hyundai Equus.  But they're pretty good.  Then the car started rolling in the parking lot.  Wait, absolutely no vibration?  Clearly something was different.  Before we got on the actual roads, I took a look at interior materials.  This clearly isn't a cheap car.  And that's a good thing.  Somebody spending US$70K on a car shouldn't have a cheap car.

We started going 20 MPH.  That was the first time that I've only heard wind noise in a car while moving.  It's a weird feeling that you get used to pretty quickly.  If you listen really closely with the radio off, you may even hear (yes, from the inside) the whirr of the electric motor.  We ascended up a hill, and the test drive assistant allowed my dad to go wide-open throttle.

Then we were going at 53 MPH.

And that was only within a couple seconds.  I will say that THAT experience was the first time I've been really pulled to the back of my seat thanks to the pickup of a car.  Keep in mind that these motors provide instant torque, so it won't feel like a slouch, even in the slower models.

Afterwards, we went back to normal driving.  The road was almost like a mountain road, so it was twisty to an extent.  I will say that it felt like a mix of Asia and Germany.  Even without the optional air suspension, the car felt smooth enough on the average quality roads.  At the same time, there was not much body roll, and the car felt confident on the curves.  Impressive.

Then a brick road came up.  Unsurprisingly, that was the worst part of the ride.  However, the car did not rattle, and it was surprisingly comfortable!  Granted, many of you readers don't encounter brick roads on a daily basis.  But at least it can handle the roads (without the air suspension) in a good fashion.

After the test drive, we configured a Model S (no, no order has been placed sadly).  That was the hardest part about it all.  This car clearly isn't a cheap car.  However, with the low maintenance costs, you may be better off with this compared to other cheaper cars.  There are a few must-have options.  The tech package is a great buy.  Parking sensors may seem useless at first, but you're likely getting cool features via software updates in the future with the parking sensors (adaptive cruise control?).  The Subzero Weather Package is a must for many, and the panoramic roof is cool.  Also, you want every option charge-related, like the 85kW battery, dual chargers, and the wall charger.  Some options can be skipped.  The car is perfectly fine without the air suspension.  For some, the ultra hi-fi sound can be skipped.  Forget the sport seats and premium interior lighting.  Rear-facing seats aren't necessary for all people (it's for kids only).  Personally, I don't like the red paint too much because the car doesn't look 'luxury' enough.  And if you want the most comfort, go for the 19 inch wheels.  Suddenly, you have a safe, cool car that isn't as bad in price.  Range? You're not driving 200 miles a day.  If you need to drive that much long distance at some point, then rent a car (just don't rent a Toyota Avalon).  Overall, it's probably the best car that I've ridden in.  And I would love to drive one and give a good review on it.  Hey Elon, wanna give me the best gift in the world, a free Model S P85+?

P.S.  Some may be concerned with the fact that the car is RWD (AWD is coming soon).  The car has an extremely low center of gravity, so it holds itself down on the road very well.  That, along with winter tires, and you're almost invincible.

Dude, get an iPhone! NO, get an Android! It's not that simple.

First, here's a background on my smartphone life.

Smartphones rock.  Yes, I remember back when there were "dumb phones" in my house.  I'll never forget the Sprint Katana phone (that one was awesome).  Then Christmas of 2007 came around, and my father got the very first iPhone.  Soon after, my mother upgraded to the smartphone world.  Flash forward to 2010.  My father and mother got the iPhone 4, while I finally got a hand-me-down iPhone 3G.  Eventually, I got a Samsung Galaxy S3, making me the first (and so far only) person in my family to go to an Android.  Currently, there is an iPhone 5 and an iPhone 5S in the family, so I still know my iPhone stuff.

Now here's the relevant part of this post.

Android and iOS owners are always at each other's throat over which is better.  Let's set what is straight.  iOS is smooth and easy to use.  That is very true.  The phones from LG and Samsung are not as smooth as advertised, thanks to the bloated UIs.  Android tends to get cutting-edge features.  iOS now is usually playing catch-up (except for the fingerprint sensor). And to those of you Nexus owners who say that your phone is smooth, face it. iOS is simply more reliable. 

The manufacturers are (sort of) doing it wrong to pit their phones against each other. Apple and Google have one thing in common: they're both trying to compete for world domination. But in my opinion, I would only get an iPhone if I want little to no headache, and also for my social media. But I will say that I love my Android more. I still get all my social media (even though the Facebook app is awful and a great NSA spy tool). I get many features first (that iOS notification shade is something that dinosaur Androids have). And I also get some cool exclusive features like USB On the Go, highly compatible smartwatches, and NFC. For me, that is worth trading absolute reliability.

It's all a matter of preference.