Posted on 04/10/2014 7:31:50 AM PDT by Baynative
I just received a Samsung Galaxy S4 cell phone and can't figure it out. I was satisfied with my old Motorola flip phone; it rang when I wanted, reminded me of meetings and even sent text messages.
This new thing has a pretty screen and more stuff than a space shuttle, but finding it and making it work is next to impossible with no grandkids here to help.
If anyone knows how to find out simple task management for this contraption, please let me know as my time for returning it and getting back to a simple life is running out.
(this reminds me of that gawdawful VCR we used to have that blinked at us for years when all we wanted was to be able to watch an occasional movie)
There are a TON of bells and whistles but you don’t need to worry about most of them.
Get off my lawn!
Download the Motorola Flip Phone Emulator app.
Go to the local elementary school and ask one of the kids for a lesson.
I don’t know how long you’ve been struggling with it, but all new phones take time to adjust to, especially if they are different operating systems. There is some great advice a few comments upstream...you don’t need all the gadgets. Read the manual when you have time, focus on placing and answering calls first, and you WILL pick up other stuff (sometimes by accident) later on.
Never give up. Some of the things a smartphone offers are indeed useful. Some of it is just crap.
On top of all that you have to have a magnifying glass to see anything on the screen!
(Sorry I can’t help you - I have a “smart” phone my employer supplies so that I can be on call. Phone calls, a very occasional text message and emergency pictures are all I use or want to know. It keeps prompting me to “backup” — I wish I could shut that message off, I don’t want to go backwards!)
If it’s any consolation, it always takes me weeks to figure out a new phone. And there are some applications I never use, so I never learn how to use them.
Work one application at a time until you master its features, then move to the next. Prioritize your efforts. Work the phone features first, then texting if you do that, etc... Focus on the essentials, then move to the nice to have. Ignore the other features you consider to be useless crap.
Rinse. Repeat.
There are a TON of bells and whistles but you don’t need to worry about most of them.
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Dittoes on that. In fact, once you find a way to REMOVE AND DELETE all that crap (not really hard to do), you’ll find the phone a lost easier (and fun) to use.
If your carrier is Verizon, they likely have training at the local store every Saturday morning.
Check Youtube. They usually have dozens of ‘help’ videos. Some are better than others.
Same. I traded my samsung flip phone for a Motorola Droid because Verizon basically compelled me too.
I just tortured their CSR rep setting mine up. 45 minutes on the phone. Then another 45, and another. Each call my bill got cheaper and cheaper.
Later I regretted upgrading to a data plan, even though cheaper than old plan. Perhaps carrying a smart phone is the mark of the beast.
I’ve had my Samsung Intensity III since last June and just today I figured out how to use the “fake call” feature. It’s really pretty neat.
That’s what I need. And I haven’t reached 50 yet.
(It’s serious - kids AND their parents today are NOT respecting property. Goes hand-in-hand with this commie/fascist mindset. “It belongs to The People.”)
Hey there.
When I want to learn a bit more about photoshop or my phone I usually search through youtube.com for videos.
I find there is all types of information, reviews and tutorials available.
I did a search on youtube using just the search term ‘ Samsung Galaxy S5 ‘ and below is a link to what I found. Hope it is of help.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Samsung+Galaxy+S4
I loved my old Teletac. Since everything went digital, I had to give it up after 10 years. But even 6 years ago it was hard getting a simple phone. Especially since my job REQUIRED NO CAMERA in the phone. The jackasses at the phone stores are incredulous that you wouldn’t want all that garbage. Anyway, I managed to get a small simple phone with no camera and still have it. I do not want it to go bad - it has fallen hard many times and been left in a snowy parking lot but is still alive. I fear what stupid item I will be forced to buy next time.
Everything you need is pretty much accessed via the ‘Settings’ icon that’s probably on the ‘Home Screen’. If you’re not on the home screen, you might have to swipe the screen to navigate to it.
Naturally, all of your Apps can be accessed via the ‘Apps’ Icon.(usually located on the bottom next to the Browser, ect) You can find the Settings Icon/App in the Apps area too.
When you find an App that you will use often, you may want to drag it onto your Home Screen, or any other screen. Within the Apps area, there’s a fairly robust ‘Help’ App that can show you basically anything you are wanting to know. Just search the Help section for what you’re wanting to learn about.
If you are wanting to look for Apps to install, you can look for them via the Google Play Store App. As with a home OEM PC the Apps installed from the factory generally suck. There are LOTS of pretty good Apps that can be had for free from the Play Store. Most free Apps will have an ad banner or something of the like. If you like the App and are sufficiently annoyed by the ads, there’s usually an option to pay for the ad free version, and they normally only cost a dollar or two. It’s pretty rare to find an App that costs more than $5-$10, but some do.
You’ll also need a gmail account. You’ll want to review the account settings, and make sure you have a desired amount of “Privacy”. The more intrusive settings/features are disabled by default, but you’ll want to make sure.(also apply this logic to the privacy settings on your phone/Apps as well)
You can find lots of help online. Just Google around for it. Those are VERY popular phones, and you shouldn’t have any trouble at all in finding information on the intrawebs.
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