Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 Waiting Room

[lisalisa13]

So some of you out there have gotten it by now, no comments yet?! I'm dying over here lol. What do y'all think so far?!

 

[themuttt]

Fedex screwed up and didn't put mine on the truck yesterday. At least they were apologetic about it and did not try to make up some excuse. They swear I will have it today

 

[DessoThumbs]

So some of you out there have gotten it by now, no comments yet?! I'm dying over here lol. What do y'all think so far?!

First impressions are always very very favorable (as a way to self justify money outlay); then comes the "how do I make it/why does it" annoyed type posts followed by the "I should have waited / this thing sucks" posts winding up with "I traded it/sold it on ebay-craigslist"

LOL - but some truth as having followed forums on new gadgets for many many years.

 

[BLeClair12]

So some of you out there have gotten it by now, no comments yet?! I'm dying over here lol. What do y'all think so far?!

I posted some quick thoughts over in the other thread, but here's a rundown of what I'm feeling thus far...

-The screen is absolutely gorgeous. Part of this could be the fact that I'm coming from a Bionic, but I can't get over how crisp, clear and smooth it is.

-The phone itself is incredibly snappy. TouchWiz doesn't seem to slow it down it all. Checking my email just got so much quicker.

-The camera is one of my biggest surprises. I've been used to Motorola underwhelming me with camera performance for years, and despite never considering purchasing one, I've always sort of viewed the iPhone as being the bar for great camera performance. From what I've see thus far, the S4 camera is as good, if not better than the iPhone 5. The test shots I was taking were fantastic. There's also a night mode that is quite fantastic - it improves light conditions without actually using the flash, leading to a relatively crisp and smooth picture without the flash bulb effect.

-I'm still trying to iron out notifications and whatnot. I'm pretty picky about what i like, and it doesn't seem like Samsung's stock software quite fulfills my needs in that category. I used to use the app "Blink", which worked flawlessly, but it doesn't appear to work with Samsung devices. I don't need much - I just like to have separate LED colors for emails and texts, etc.

-The phone feels much sturdier than I expected. The back cover is flimsy when removed, but it doesn't feel like it would break. Removing the back cover is a bit of a pain. The phone is incredibly light and it feels great in the hand. It is, however, a HUGE fingerprint magnet (I have the Black Mist, I assume White Frost is a bit better in this department).

-So far, my only real complaint is the plethora of cool "touch free" features. They're so spotty, in fact, that I'm wondering if my device is defective, or if they simply don't work as advertised. I've turned every single gesture and motion feature on, but only a handful actually work. I'm able to get nearly all of them to work in the system's "test" scenarios, but hardly any in the "real world". Hovering previews work fantastically in the gallery and Samsung browser, as does swiping back and forth between images. I find that the "quick view" of time/notifications with the screen off is hit or miss, and I cannot, for the life of me, get the screenshot swipe to work at all. Not in the practice mode or in the wild. Same goes for eye tracking. It will occasionally pick up my eyes, but it loses them almost immediately, rendering the feature useless.

That's really my only concern as of now. I'd really like to hear how other people are doing with that stuff, because, as I said, I'd like to know whether these features simply don't work very well, or if I may have a defective device.

 

[MoonDragn]

.
Heres something weird. My new phone was supposed to have been delivered yesterday at 7PM, but now the Estimated delivery says N/A

The status for yesterday shows it was not scheduled for delivery, which was odd as well. Now it is back on the truck. Let's see what happens today.

Travel History Help Hide Date/Time Activity Location
- 5/22/2013 - Wednesday
8:23 am On FedEx vehicle for delivery HAGERSTOWN, MD
- 5/21/2013 - Tuesday
3:17 pm At local FedEx facility HAGERSTOWN, MD
2:19 pm At local FedEx facility HAGERSTOWN, MD
Package not due for delivery
8:31 am On FedEx vehicle for delivery HAGERSTOWN, MD
8:12 am At local FedEx facility HAGERSTOWN, MD
6:00 am At destination sort facility DULLES, VA
3:17 am Departed FedEx location MEMPHIS, TN
- 5/20/2013 - Monday
1:45 pm Arrived at FedEx location MEMPHIS, TN
3:19 am Shipment information sent to FedEx
- 5/18/2013 - Saturday
12:59 pm Left FedEx origin facility COATESVILLE, PA
9:21 am Picked up WEST CHESTER, PA
Future delivery requested

 

[honors21]

.
Heres something weird. My new phone was supposed to have been delivered yesterday at 7PM, but now the Estimated delivery says N/A

The status for yesterday shows it was not scheduled for delivery, which was odd as well. Now it is back on the truck. Let's see what happens today.

Same with me

 

[lisalisa13]

I posted some quick thoughts over in the other thread, but here's a rundown of what I'm feeling thus far...

-The screen is absolutely gorgeous. Part of this could be the fact that I'm coming from a Bionic, but I can't get over how crisp, clear and smooth it is.

-The phone itself is incredibly snappy. TouchWiz doesn't seem to slow it down it all. Checking my email just got so much quicker.

-The camera is one of my biggest surprises. I've been used to Motorola underwhelming me with camera performance for years, and despite never considering purchasing one, I've always sort of viewed the iPhone as being the bar for great camera performance. From what I've see thus far, the S4 camera is as good, if not better than the iPhone 5. The test shots I was taking were fantastic. There's also a night mode that is quite fantastic - it improves light conditions without actually using the flash, leading to a relatively crisp and smooth picture without the flash bulb effect.

-I'm still trying to iron out notifications and whatnot. I'm pretty picky about what i like, and it doesn't seem like Samsung's stock software quite fulfills my needs in that category. I used to use the app "Blink", which worked flawlessly, but it doesn't appear to work with Samsung devices. I don't need much - I just like to have separate LED colors for emails and texts, etc.

-The phone feels much sturdier than I expected. The back cover is flimsy when removed, but it doesn't feel like it would break. Removing the back cover is a bit of a pain. The phone is incredibly light and it feels great in the hand. It is, however, a HUGE fingerprint magnet (I have the Black Mist, I assume White Frost is a bit better in this department).

-So far, my only real complaint is the plethora of cool "touch free" features. They're so spotty, in fact, that I'm wondering if my device is defective, or if they simply don't work as advertised. I've turned every single gesture and motion feature on, but only a handful actually work. I'm able to get nearly all of them to work in the system's "test" scenarios, but hardly any in the "real world". Hovering previews work fantastically in the gallery and Samsung browser, as does swiping back and forth between images. I find that the "quick view" of time/notifications with the screen off is hit or miss, and I cannot, for the life of me, get the screenshot swipe to work at all. Not in the practice mode or in the wild. Same goes for eye tracking. It will occasionally pick up my eyes, but it loses them almost immediately, rendering the feature useless.

That's really my only concern as of now. I'd really like to hear how other people are doing with that stuff, because, as I said, I'd like to know whether these features simply don't work very well, or if I may have a defective device.

Thanks for the review what other thread? Been looking around on here and hadn't found anything

 

[BLeClair12]

The "got my Galaxy" thread stickied up top. Don't worry, there isn't much going on over there, haha. What I posted in here is much more detailed, I shared some quick thoughts (and frustration with activating) last night, but it was just sort of a quick, first impression thing.

 

[CuriousRaven]

My thread is top dog

 

[IdaMonster]

Kind of bummed right now. Read somewhere that after a missed attempt I'd be able to place the package on hold and pick it up at the Fed Ex store. This was not the case. I was informed by FedEx that Verizon has disabled the option for placing my package at hold in their office. I work and did not leave a note on my door because I was afraid of my phone being stolen. Looks like I'll have to leave a note regardless if I want my phone. Wish I would have just went to the store, looks like I have to wait until tomorrow either way.

I'm so impatient... :{

Anyone else miss their package?


Edit: I called Verizon about this, since I'll be at work for the following days as well and didn't want my device left at my door step. They brought Fed Ex on the line and I'll be picking up my device today. Incredible customer service by Verizon, truly impressed, and now very excited to get off of work!

 

[BLeClair12]

Kind of bummed right now. Read somewhere that after a missed attempt I'd be able to place the package on hold and pick it up at the Fed Ex store. This was not the case. I was informed by FedEx that Verizon has disabled the option for placing my package at hold in their office. I work and did not leave a note on my door because I was afraid of my phone being stolen. Looks like I'll have to leave a note regardless if I want my phone. Wish I would have just went to the store, looks like I have to wait until tomorrow either way.

I'm so impatient... :{

Anyone else miss their package?


Edit: I called Verizon about this, since I'll be at work for the following days as well and didn't want my device left at my door step. They brought Fed Ex on the line and I'll be picking up my device today. Incredible customer service by Verizon, truly impressed, and now very excited to get off of work!

I was going say, definitely give Verizon a call and see if they can change the delivery options. We have this happen on occasion at work, and FedEx is really good about it as long as they get permission from the shipper.

 

[BLeClair12]

Also, for those wondering, I'm learning more and more about the gesture features as things go along. I've now successfully tested them all - both in "try it out" mode, and in the wild. When they work, they really work. A lot of them are gimmicky, some, however, are genuinely useful.

The eye tracking stuff is really great, and something I could see myself using, BUT, with it comes a terribly annoying eye indicator in the notification bar that can't be hidden. It clutters up an already (really) cluttered bar. That E911/Geo indicator really stinks.

 

[y0yoyo]

Finally got my tracking number and my phone is SUPPOSED to deliver today by 4:30. But it sounds like more and more people are having problems with their delivery. I will keep my fingers crossed since I am home today and not tomorrow

 

[lisalisa13]

The "got my Galaxy" thread stickied up top. Don't worry, there isn't much going on over there, haha. What I posted in here is much more detailed, I shared some quick thoughts (and frustration with activating) last night, but it was just sort of a quick, first impression thing.

Still not seeing it. Maybe cause I'm on my phone, I'll have to look on the computer

 

[lisalisa13]

My thread is top dog

What thread is yours. Wanting to see what everyone is saying, can't get mine till tomorrow