truth. got my s3 a few days a go and wow...battery life is insane, very very fast, no lag, awesome display. you will not be disappointed
To be fair, the need for iTunes is very reduced now. With the right use if iCloud and signing up for iTunes match, I haven't plugged my phone in in probably 8 months. That said, it's mostly personal preference. Android is a great OS with lots of options. You also get a wide range of handsets to choose from. The only cons to it IMO are Apps (particularly games), you have to be more diligent with the apps you do download (shady apps dropping ads in your notifications or browser redirects) and carrier controlled updates. It's just a matter of what you enter to spend time doing. There are workarounds for some of that (or ways to avoid it, like buying a Nexus device for example). And those things may not be important to you like they are to me. In any case, in most general use both OSes do the same sorts of things. Really can't go wrong with most stuff out there. Honestly, I wouldn't buy a phone right now period. New iPhone, new jelly bean android phones, win 8 phones...your choices will be much greater by the fall.
This is my andriod device and I think it is great and much cheaper than the galaxy 3 and it is Eco-friendly (a bonus): Samsung Galaxy Exhilarateâ„¢ I seriously think I lucked out getting this as my first andriod (and not knowing anything about the market before hand.) This is a bad-ass phone.
The only phones I would be waiting for are the Nexus line in fall. Otherwise there will always be something better in as little as a few weeks. Android tech gets outdated pretty quick. Think of the Nexus as the "benchmark" for other phones to follow. As for the iphone vs android, I switched because I hate itunes, need a bigger screen, and to tinker as much as I want with my phone. The GS2 fit that. But it really depends on what you want out of your phone. Only if you start rooting it and go beyond that. Android (especially ICS) is very usable out of the box. Root, though very much encouraged, requires a little research.
Bottom line is Samsung makes great phones. I would only use Apple or Samsung. So the fact that other phones are coming out shouldn't be a concern for you, considering you already had your mindset on the GSIII. Given the specs and hardware, it's future proof and won't be obsolete for a while.
Eh, Samsung has been making the Nexus line and there is rumored to be a new one in the fall, so that would meet your Samsung requirement *and* still be new hardware with 'pure' Android Jelly Bean. HTC's newest phones also have had pretty high reviews (including a great screen, better than the GS3), so there are still a few more options.
I bought the first iPhone and have replaced it every year since it's inception. During my lunch break, I said F it and picked up the Samsung Galaxy S3. First thing I did was get on clutchfans and save it as a bookmark. And now I'm posting. I'm such a noob with this thing.
I have an Android and my wife uses an IPhone and here are my experiences: Android lags and freezes a lot more often than IPhone; IPhone does not play flash videos and require iTunes to transfer data with other devices. The rest is mostly the same with some small differences I do not really care.
That's more of the phone and the build of Android on that phone than it is Android itself. A fair comparison would be the Galaxy Nexus to the iPhone 4S. Both stock, you compare those two and you'll see that stock Android (especially Jelly Bean now with Project Butter) runs just as smooth as the iPhone and iOS 5.
I picked up the GS3 today. I love it so far! I do have a question, however. I am trying to connect it to my Macbook Pro using Android File Transfer but am unable to get the laptop to recognize the phone. It seems others have had similar problems on the internets. Anyone know anything about this?
Check out a friend's iPhone and a friend's "pure Google" phone (like a Nexus or something) not something with something like HTC's crap over the top of it. Then make your decision.
Download Airdroid. Best way to sync and its wireless. As far as the specific issue, I'm not sure why your Mac isn't recognizing your phone.
A brick is a device that will not turn on. A device that won't boot into recovery, or into its own bootloader. Also, never accept an OTA update unless you're on WiFi, or LTE. T-Mobile and Sprint phones are extremely prone to getting screwed up after an OTA because there is no md5 verification and I wouldn't trust the file integrity when downloading 100+mb files on Americas not so greatest networks. For most people they download correctly, but it can occur. To those who have GS3's. Enjoy. jellybean should make that phone even better