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so Ive had a variety of HTC smartphones with WM, which I am thoroughly tired of. so I am going android. I did a lot of research and ended up getting a captivate from Amazon. It should arrive early next week. I have some questions that I didnt find in the FAQ or Wiki.
First, does the captivate have a *magnetic* compass? I know you can get apps for a digital compass that works with GPS. thats. I havnt seen anything that definitively says that it has a magnetic compass.
Seeing as how this is a really light smartphone, is the battery life painfully short? My HTC Pure was just bearable.
TIA......
hokiemiata said:
so Ive had a variety of HTC smartphones with WM, which I am thoroughly tired of. so I am going android. I did a lot of research and ended up getting a captivate from Amazon. It should arrive early next week. I have some questions that I didnt find in the FAQ or Wiki.
First, does the captivate have a *magnetic* compass? I know you can get apps for a digital compass that works with GPS. thats. I havnt seen anything that definitively says that it has a magnetic compass.
Seeing as how this is a really light smartphone, is the battery life painfully short? My HTC Pure was just bearable.
TIA......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't answer your compass question (I believe it's digital), but as for battery life, I EASILY get a day out of it with heavy usage. on days with lighter usage, I can fairly easily get two days out of it, though it'll be all but dead by 11 PM the night after I unplug it (40ish hours)
If I use Pandora very much I won't get a dull day but other than that I don't have much trouble. Playing games or video for more than an hour will probably make you run out before the day is up also.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Compass anyone? I know the issues with the GPS etc., need to confirm if a compass works without GPS.
I believe it had a magnetometer.
there is a metal detector app in the market and it works. also dialing*#*#1472365#*#* brings you to the gps settings under show sensor data it has a field for magnetic field.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk
I have no clue what type of component the compass is, but compass apps will work without enabling GPS.
Hello everyone,
I don't know if most don't care about it or I just can't find any information about it... But how is the GPS in this phone?
I use my phone to track my runs with Endomondo, so the more accurate the GPS is, the better (also a quick fix would be preferable)
I'm undecided between the Z3c, Z3, Nexus 5 and Galaxy S5. But I can't seem to find any comparison.
Thanks in advance.
Basch89 said:
Hello everyone,
I don't know if most don't care about it or I just can't find any information about it... But how is the GPS in this phone?
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its smooth as ****. True I havent used it with any running programs but in G Maps its instant lock on and it hasnt steered me wrong since release.
Cross the Nexus 5 off that list if you care about GPS. That phone has a terrible problem with many of its units.
Servaas said:
Its smooth as ****. True I havent used it with any running programs but in G Maps its instant lock on and it hasnt steered me wrong since release.
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Click to collapse
That's good news! Does it ever drop (loose itself) or is the location always precise? Had a GS3 with CM and it constantly dropped GPS position and Endomodo went nuts...
darkgoon3r96 said:
Cross the Nexus 5 off that list if you care about GPS. That phone has a terrible problem with many of its units.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I heard mixed feelings about the N5s GPS... Still think it's one of the best looking phones out there, but I can't have a phone with poor GPS accuracy...
Precise. Car usage with Google maps on three network. Greater London usage
dillalade said:
Precise. Car usage with Google maps on three network. Greater London usage
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info!
I guess I've decided what phone I'm gonna buy next! Pretty excited to switch back to Android! WP was a fun experiment but to boring
Had the Z3C with me on two cycling trips and recorded (with Mapfactor Navigator) one GPX track with about 70km and another one with some 50km. No glitches, no drops anywhere, even dense forest gave no issues at all, dead on all the way. And no, the phone was not mounted to the handlebar with clear view to the sky but in the saddlebag. Quick fix? Yes, very much so. Only takes a few seconds to find its position.
I'm really impressed from what I've seen so far and the Z3C may even outperform my Garmin Oregon 450.
Hey folks
Im wanting to buy an activity wearable to work alongside my M8. Iwant to use it for Powerwalking, Jogging and sleep. It would be nice to have a watch on it , but not a deal breaker as step and fitness accuracy is more important than a smart watch.
As the M8 is now bundled with fitbit software, then I have considered a fitbit band, but with so many wearables and reviews for any Android, its hard to pick a band. I dont want to spend more than £100.
I was just wanting to know of anyones experience of using any Android wearable (not just fitbit), Is it accurate for exersize stats, would you recommend it.
Many Thanks
NightOrchid said:
Hey folks
Im wanting to buy an activity wearable to work alongside my M8. Iwant to use it for Powerwalking, Jogging and sleep. It would be nice to have a watch on it so i could log a few extra steps here and there , but not a deal breaker as step and fitness accuracy is more important than a flashy smart watch.
As HTC are now using fitbit software, then a fitbit band would match the m8 well, but with so many wearables for any Android around and so many updates patches and fixes as well, its hard to pick a band. I dont want to spend more than £100.
Also, it would be nice if I didnt need to carry the M8 with me, but the band could store the data and dump it to the M8/PC when im home, but again not a deal breaker
Any advice please
Many Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Garmin Vivosmart works fairly well. It had some hiccups when it first came out (mainly with keeping a solid connection with phone) but it works pretty well for me after a couple firmware updates. It may be a bit more than £100 but not a whole lot unless you get the version that comes with a heart rate strap. Besides the typical Fitbit type tracking (steps, sleep) it also will notify (vibrate) you on any phone notification. You can specify what app notifications you want pushed to the Vivosmart. You can read the notification (email, facebook, twitter, sms, incomming phone call, etc) but can't dismiss on the band.
That said the newest Fitbit with heart rate functionality built in has caught my attention. I'd probably look at it pretty closely if I didn't just get the Vivosmart a couple months ago.
Edit: and it's waterproof up to 50 meters. I never take it off other than to charge every 4-5 days.
henderjr said:
Garmin Vivosmart works fairly well. It had some hiccups when it first came out (mainly with keeping a solid connection with phone) but it works pretty well for me after a couple firmware updates. It may be a bit more than £100 but not a whole lot unless you get the version that comes with a heart rate strap. Besides the typical Fitbit type tracking (steps, sleep) it also will notify (vibrate) you on any phone notification. You can specify what app notifications you want pushed to the Vivosmart. You can read the notification (email, facebook, twitter, sms, incomming phone call, etc) but can't dismiss on the band.
That said the newest Fitbit with heart rate functionality built in has caught my attention. I'd probably look at it pretty closely if I didn't just get the Vivosmart a couple months ago.
Edit: and it's waterproof up to 50 meters. I never take it off other than to charge every 4-5 days.
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Click to collapse
Ive edited my OP to make it a bit clearer..........
Thanks for the quick reply. Ive actually found the Gramin on Amazon for £120, which ide consider, but the January sales are happening in 6 weeks so I may hang on till then. When you mention the "new" fitbit.. is that the Surge or the Charge HR.?.
NightOrchid said:
Ive edited my OP to make it a bit clearer..........
Thanks for the quick reply. Ive actually found the Gramin on Amazon for £120, which ide consider, but the January sales are happening in 6 weeks so I may hang on till then. When you mention the "new" fitbit.. is that the Surge or the Charge HR.?.
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Click to collapse
The Charge HR is one I find interesting due to heart rate monitoring though really do prefer to have one that's waterproof like the Vivosmart. There are a few things I wish the Vivosmart had like multiple alarms (it only allows one), better sleep tracking (fitbit wins this by a bunch), and ability to work with other companies so you can find more friends to challenge with. I don't know anyone that uses a Vivosmart of the older Vivofit so I have no connections in their app. I had 5-6 on Fitbit. Pretty much all the above is mentioned on the different reviews that are out there. I also keep an eye out on their forum, https://forums.garmin.com/forumdisplay.php?478-vivosmart.
Accuracy seems fine for me, steps wise. It doesn't really track any other activity. For other activities I log them in MyFitnessPal which the Vivosmart can sync with. I did wear it for a day with my old fitbit force and it registered more steps than my fitbit but it wasn't more than a one or two percent.
Jawbone UP
http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/14/6001153/the-best-fitness-tracker-you-can-buy
henderjr said:
The Charge HR is one I find interesting due to heart rate monitoring though really do prefer to have one that's waterproof like the Vivosmart. There are a few things I wish the Vivosmart had like multiple alarms (it only allows one), better sleep tracking (fitbit wins this by a bunch), and ability to work with other companies so you can find more friends to challenge with. I don't know anyone that uses a Vivosmart of the older Vivofit so I have no connections in their app. I had 5-6 on Fitbit. Pretty much all the above is mentioned on the different reviews that are out there. I also keep an eye out on their forum, https://forums.garmin.com/forumdisplay.php?478-vivosmart.
Accuracy seems fine for me, steps wise. It doesn't really track any other activity. For other activities I log them in MyFitnessPal which the Vivosmart can sync with. I did wear it for a day with my old fitbit force and it registered more steps than my fitbit but it wasn't more than a one or two percent.
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Click to collapse
After looking at the Garmin.. i think ide like a few more features for my money than just counting steps.. plus I read that the Garmin mobile app is a little sparse. It would also be nice too count calories and sleep patterns, but the charge HR and flex look nice. While i dont necxessarily need something as feature packed as say Samsings S Health, a few app features would be nice.
darkintragedy said:
Jawbone UP
http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/14/6001153/the-best-fitness-tracker-you-can-buy
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This looks interesting., but it seems all done through apps than a watch. Do you use it yourself?, Do you find it accurate?.. I thought the Jawbone was more for iPhone.. is that right?
Im open to any ideas
I have the jawbone up24 and use it exclusively with my M8. I also owned the fitbit flex prior to owning my jawbone Up24. I liked the fitbit, but I LOVE my jawbone. The fitbit gave me tons of issues, not syncing correctly, battery status not showing correctly. Battery not lasting anywhere near the week it was supposed to (think 3 days), and wasn't the best looking band. After switching to the UP24, it's been smooth sailing. No connection issues, battery life was already good, but the new firmware update extends battery life up to 14 days between charges. I thought not having a screen would bother me, but honestly, with the smart alerts that the app gives you, I don't find myself longing for a screen. It also syncs with other apps such as runtastic and myfitnesspal (apps to track your run, and track your food intake). If i didn't already have one, I'd take at the jawbone 3. It does everything the up24 does, but adds changeable bands, and a heart rate monitor. Hope that helps.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
eep02b said:
I have the jawbone up24 and use it exclusively with my M8. I also owned the fitbit flex prior to owning my jawbone Up24. I liked the fitbit, but I LOVE my jawbone. The fitbit gave me tons of issues, not syncing correctly, battery status not showing correctly. Battery not lasting anywhere near the week it was supposed to (think 3 days), and wasn't the best looking band. After switching to the UP24, it's been smooth sailing. No connection issues, battery life was already good, but the new firmware update extends battery life up to 14 days between charges. I thought not having a screen would bother me, but honestly, with the smart alerts that the app gives you, I don't find myself longing for a screen. It also syncs with other apps such as runtastic and myfitnesspal (apps to track your run, and track your food intake). If i didn't already have one, I'd take at the jawbone 3. It does everything the up24 does, but adds changeable bands, and a heart rate monitor. Hope that helps.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply, that helps alot. Ive read up on the Jawbone Up24 and it looks like so many people having sync issues or theyre breaking as its realitively new to Android. I think what I read was it used to be IOS only. Ill certainly take a look. I like the idea of being able to integrate other apps into it to trasck food and running.. instead of just a pedometer. Is the Jawbone not quite chunky on your wrist ?.
Ill take a look at the Jawbone, Garmin and Fitbit and decide.
EDIT:
My local store has the black flex for £50 on special, which seems tempting .. but still looking
NightOrchid said:
Thanks for the reply, that helps alot. Ive read up on the Jawbone Up24 and it looks like so many people having sync issues or theyre breaking as its realitively new to Android. I think what I read was it used to be IOS only. Ill certainly take a look. I like the idea of being able to integrate other apps into it to trasck food and running.. instead of just a pedometer. Is the Jawbone not quite chunky on your wrist ?.
Ill take a look at the Jawbone, Garmin and Fitbit and decide.
EDIT:
My local store has the black flex for £50 on special, which seems tempting .. but still looking
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The jawbone seems slimmer than the fitbit. As for the syncing issues with the jawbone, that was before when it was only for iOS. Now that it syncs with android, I've had no issues. I honestly had more sync issues with the fitbit than I did with the jawbone. You should be able to catch good deals on either one though. Another option that's could be worn on the wrist or clipped to you is the jawbone move. It's basically a jawbone up24, but with a user replaceable battery. It's also significantly cheaper than both the flex and up24
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Ordered a misfit flash.. On black Friday needless to say hasn't even shipped yet. It was a bargain at $24, it does distance, steps, calories burned and sleep. Pretty sure it has a clock too.
Might post a review at some point if I'm happy with it
Hi everybody! I am planning to buy a Z3C now that its price has dropped into my budget limit. I was reading a few reviews about the phone and I stumbled upon this: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Sony-Xperia-Z3-Compact-Smartphone-Review.127925.0.html
Those guys did a test on the GPS and they claim it is not accurate. However, with GPS, it is a bit tricky to test since it depends on a lot of parameters, and that is probably why non of the other reviews have mentioned it. So I thought I better ask it here. Based on your experience, how does the GPS on Z3C work? is it accurate? (I would not expect military grade accuracy, just in comparison to the competition, and maybe to the Nexus 5x).
mmutoo said:
Hi everybody! I am planning to buy a Z3C now that its price has dropped into my budget limit. I was reading a few reviews about the phone and I stumbled upon this: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Sony-Xperia-Z3-Compact-Smartphone-Review.127925.0.html
Those guys did a test on the GPS and they claim it is not accurate. However, with GPS, it is a bit tricky to test since it depends on a lot of parameters, and that is probably why non of the other reviews have mentioned it. So I thought I better ask it here. Based on your experience, how does the GPS on Z3C work? is it accurate? (I would not expect military grade accuracy, just in comparison to the competition, and maybe to the Nexus 5x).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has always been flawless with Garmin pro and Navmii.
But realistically I don't think there's any way you can test it, it works or it doesn't
Didgesteve said:
It has always been flawless with Garmin pro and Navmii.
But realistically I don't think there's any way you can test it, it works or it doesn't
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Yes that is what I think. It depends on a lot of parameters and it is impossible to control. Although, for example I can say that my Nexus 5 was worse than my friend's Moto X (1st Gen) in that regard. It always locked faster than mine. I was wondering if anybody had such a similar experience in comparison with other phones.
It works really good, I get lock in about 15-20 seconds and I can absolutely not complain about the navigation.
i faced sat locking problems without data and among skyscrapers
I use Endomondo on daily basis and sometimes HERE maps and if anything is good on this phone that is GPS.
My GPS doesn't work at all. Searching the net it might be Sony and/or Marshmallow-specific (many, but not all users affected). When my GPS was still working last year, it was really usable.
Just a quick introduction why I am writing this.
I've got technical background with a zillion years of experience in the electronics world ... and yes I'm a bit of a tech nerd. I will not go through the list of phones I owned but the last year it were a couple of Huawei's, Samsung S6, S7 etc etc... So I've never had a real 'China' phone and never had one with a MTK chipset and since I got a really nice deal on this one I bought the 6GB/64GB version for a steal.
I will not go through the unboxing since that is the ultimate crap youtube for me. Open the box, take the phone, cable and charger out and throw the box in the cabinet.
I've read people complain about wifi, camera etc and so I wanted to test this on a bit more than what you see is what you get level.
Wifi : absolutely no issue at all. Works perfectly on my Asus and Linksys 2.4GHz and 5GHz routers. To test this I installed wifi analyser and speed test from the play store. Range, I can see my neighbors wifi as good on the Alpha as on the S7 that is right next to it. Maybe slightly less on the Maze but just a bit.
Throughput. Well not as good as the S7 BUT more than good enough and explainable. The Maze is a single channel and it's max locking speed on 5GHz N is 135Mbps here which results in about 60Mbps download which is the max since it is half duplex. More than good enough for surfing, youtube and whatever.
10 meters further on and behind 1 thick wall I still have about the same speed which is excellent to me.
GPS : Since everyone was complaining about GPS with these MTK chipsets and since I am very much into GPS this was something I was looking out for to test. Test program used : Androits GPS and Google Maps. Cloudy and in the middle of my garden. Wow, didn't take long, probably 5 to 10 seconds and got a lock on 20 out of 20 visible sats. Ladies and gentlemen, there is more to it than a lock and the amount of sats. A couple of the sats over 40 dB snr and a lot of other in the 30 dB snr which is really good. But then the typical MTK which I saw in other reviews... accuracy 1m ... right. Open Google Maps and I am standing in my neighbors garden, mmm 1m accuracy my ... . After a while it slowly crawled into the correct spot and followed me around when I moved around. So, still a bit of a different behavior than the regular Qualcomm. Also now that I am typing this I didn't see any Beidou sats but I consider the amount of locked more than enough.
camera : As many have said not really top and especially comparing this to my S7 .. I will not do this. But good enough for posting on social media and a de-noise program on the pc also helped.
fingerprint : read some comments as 'the screen doesn't come on quickly, there is some delay' djeez, get a life guys. Comparing this to the S6 I had 10 months ago this one works extremely well and very fast.
There are some other things I am noticing and that I am currently checking. The charger that is supplied is a fast charge type, meaning in this case one that has 5V, 9V and 12V output. Well I haven't really drained it down completely yet but I checked the voltage and current. The voltage on my meter showed 5.35 V (which is actually a bit over the 5V default spec) and like 1.9 Amp current. So according to me at this moment the phone doesn't have any real fast charge (yet to test when fully empty, it was at 73%) but the redmi note 4 from my wife also doesn't have this and with a 4000mAh batt it means that it should become full in about 2 h to 2h30 since it should slow down charging above 80 or 90%. I find that more than fast enough since the old Huawei P8 that I tested only charged at 1 Amp max.
Now as some as you said the USB-C connector .... yes, seems a bit strange and 2 of my cables do not really fit well. They charge but the slightest movement and it is a no go, seems the connector is too deep into the device. Now I have a bunch of regular micro usb to c convertors and they are working perfectly. 4 for 1 euro or dollar and that issue is fixed for me.
The FM radio, well reception is not top notch and the stereo, or the lack of it is weird. Standing in the garden I had 1 station that I could hear stereo separation while I know the other ones are also very strong in signal strength and the stereo decoding did not happen. RDS works fine so it must be a threshold setting in the software why stereo did not work as it should. Also you can record FM which is really nice.
As far as the earpiece as I heard people complain about it. Installed my sim and dialed my voicemail. Yes, it should be a bit louder. It is a bit strange because the speaker is at the edge of the device but it sounded 'full' and nice. Maybe if we can root it we can alter the xml with the sound settings and bump it up a little.
4G seemed to work perfectly.
So far my second day of playing around a bit but I actually like it. Now need to get me a Xiaomi silicon case because this thing will eventually get to test Newtons law.
I have to agree with everything you have said, except for where you went indepth on sats as I haven't done that. I am loving this phone and currently there is only one other phone I would consider to replace it with, the elephone s8 in hopes the camera would be much much better.
When driving, google maps did disconnect on the odd occasion which I dont know is acceptable or not but as far as I can tell, it works better than my previous MTK phones which has been most of them.
I've just installed the Jan2018 update (4GB) but I missed the update reasons.
I've had my phone since mid October. :good: on the whole I am impressed. Average use is two days between charge.
codQuore said:
I have to agree with everything you have said, except for where you went indepth on sats as I haven't done that. I am loving this phone and currently there is only one other phone I would consider to replace it with, the elephone s8 in hopes the camera would be much much better.
When driving, google maps did disconnect on the odd occasion which I dont know is acceptable or not but as far as I can tell, it works better than my previous MTK phones which has been most of them.
I've just installed the Jan2018 update (4GB) but I missed the update reasons.
I've had my phone since mid October. :good: on the whole I am impressed. Average use is two days between charge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well due to the festive days haven't really had time to play but tested some stuff again. Went outside with my S7 and the Alpha and checked on Google Maps. S7 said 3 meter accuracy and the Alpha 1 meter on Androits gps. When checking on the S7 I was spot on maps where I was standing, maybe 1 meter away but with the Alpha I was like 5 meters off.
I haven't had time to use it in the car. Since my new car has Android Auto I have not had a phone holder in it. (keeps my eyes on the road)
Maybe give 'GPS test' from Chartcross limited a try. Just go outside and start it up. Check the values above the bars. I consider above 35 (which should be dB snr, signal to noise ratio) to be good. That it lost lock might be another reason, does that happen on a regular basis or was that a 1 off?
lukesan said:
Well due to the festive days haven't really had time to play but tested some stuff again. Went outside with my S7 and the Alpha and checked on Google Maps. S7 said 3 meter accuracy and the Alpha 1 meter on Androits gps. When checking on the S7 I was spot on maps where I was standing, maybe 1 meter away but with the Alpha I was like 5 meters off.
I haven't had time to use it in the car. Since my new car has Android Auto I have not had a phone holder in it. (keeps my eyes on the road)
Maybe give 'GPS test' from Chartcross limited a try. Just go outside and start it up. Check the values above the bars. I consider above 35 (which should be dB snr, signal to noise ratio) to be good. That it lost lock might be another reason, does that happen on a regular basis or was that a 1 off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll give that app a test when I next go out, want to try it in the car and if/when I lose lock. It happened a few times in over 1,000 miles of driving but was quick to reconnect therefor emuch better than previous MTK phones.