# Galaxy S6



## The Coastal Craftsman

angus242 said:


> I totally agree. The hoops I jumped thru when on Sprint was insane.
> 
> 3G, 4G (Wimax), LTE all caused service issues while upgrading and required a new phone to use each upgrade in service. At one point I was 2 months away from fulfilling my 2 year contract when I broke a screen. They wouldn't do anything for me even though I was that close and had been a customer of theirs for 10 years.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm done with signing any contracts or using subsidized phones. Now that the flagship popular phones are pushing almost $1000 with all the options and data plans have caps, I do not want to lock myself into any corners.



Verizon are some of the worst for customer service. Their face book page is just full with millions of people complaining and a few ransoms who love the service. 

I was due an upgrade and I'm currently contract free. It's nice but it won't be long until I'm sucked in to a new phone that does nothing more than this one except it holds a charge for a few months. 

Pretty crazy how having something so powerful and compact can be obsolete in a year. The progress is getting beyond silly to say the least. Even Apple are thinking of "slowing down" the progress. Not that they already doing that for last 10years lol


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## overanalyze

I am one of the few who doesn't have any issues with Verizon. I have been with them for 18 years...since before they were Verizon. They take care of me when I need them to.


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## The Coastal Craftsman

overanalyze said:


> I am one of the few who doesn't have any issues with Verizon. I have been with them for 18 years...since before they were Verizon. They take care of me when I need them to.



I'm prob not gonna change as I heard ATT worse and they next best. But it's unreal how much they have lied to me. Currently I have a clause on my contract that I can leave at any time with zero fees. They have been awful. Zero dropped calls though. So that's a plus point though.


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## TNTRenovate

I've never had an issue with Verizon, and they, by far, have the best cell coverage and service.


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## Calidecks

BCConstruction said:


> I'm prob not gonna change as I heard ATT worse and they next best. But it's unreal how much they have lied to me. Currently I have a clause on my contract that I can leave at any time with zero fees. They have been awful. Zero dropped calls though. So that's a plus point though.


Yep, the Verizon network is why I'm with them. It certainly isn't because I'm a fanboy. :laughing:


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## EricBrancard

Californiadecks said:


> I will always have a phone and will probably always have Verizon so why would it matter to be on contrart?


Same here. I've had Verizon since before it was Verizon. Bell Atlantic Mobile for my phone and Airtouch for my pager.


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## angus242

overanalyze said:


> I am one of the few who doesn't have any issues with Verizon. I have been with them for 18 years...since before they were Verizon. They take care of me when I need them to.


It's all about perception. Are you getting what you expect from your carrier? If yes, I understand being happy.

A carrier is more than just price to me. 
Verizon does have a great network but they are overpriced for that service. I don't travel for a living so I'm not really interested in their cover in Nebraska. They offer most decent popular phones but if I wanted to get a lesser known brand and bring it to their network, their CDMA network makes it impossible. Verizon also likes to lock the bootloaders on their phones and can be pretty slow pushing updates.

AT&T also has great overall coverage and tends to carry some nice exclusive phones. They are also expensive. Not Verizon expensive but not the best pricing out there. Their GSM network is a lot more BYOD (bring your own device) friendly. Their updates haven't been bad.

Sprint is also CDMA so not BYOD friendly and their coverage is not so great overall. I had 0 signal at my house. Their phones are decent and updates are timely. Their pricing and true unlimited data were the reason to consider them but they killed unlimited and pricing is now more inline with T-Mo.

T-Mobile is GSM and the best option for BYOD. Coverage is closer to Sprint with questionable coverage outside larger cities. Phone options used to suck but with so many option to bring your own, that's not much of an issue. They are very contract-free friendly. And because of that, I feel their pricing is better than Sprint. Updates seem decent.

When you really look at it, most of the pay as you go plans are your better pricing option and you're contract-free. The PAYG plans use the same networks as the big 4 so coverage will be identical to their parent network. Phone choices can be limiting. 

I think the point is we are kind of brain washed in the US when it comes to mobile. I won't pay more than $50/month for service. I refuse to be limited to 3-4 phones. That's just me. I think there are way more and better choices than a Galaxy or iPhone on Verizon.


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## Calidecks

EricBrancard said:


> Same here. I've had Verizon since before it was Verizon. Bell Atlantic Mobile for my phone and Airtouch for my pager.


I went with them when Nextel became sprint. Is was just as natural to talk on the two way as texting is now


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## TNTRenovate

I priced out the major carriers in November. There really isn't much difference in price.

4 smart phones (3 S5s and Note4), unlimited calls and texts with 15gb of data all right around 3 bills.

AT&T has too many dropped cakes and coverage in basements sucks. My carpenter has them (S3, which is what I had at the same time) and he would get dropped calls and bad coverage all of the time. He would load a YouTube video and the quality was crap and took forever to load. My Verizon S3, bing bang boom, visit loaded, never buffered and was high quality. 

My brother has Sprint. Same thing spotty coverage and dropped calls. I've never had a dropped call and always have service.


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## angus242

Did some searching. 
AT&T, Verizon & Sprint with 3 lines as close to 15GB as possible and 2 year contract.
T-Mo doesn't offer a 2 year contract so I used what I have, bring your own phone on 3 lines.

Sprint (12GB) for 2 years with a subsidized phone over 2 years = $5040

Verizon (14GB) for 2 years with subsidized phone over 2 years = $5760

AT&T (15GB w/ 1 month rollover data) subsided 2 years = $6000

T-Mo (15GB w/ 12 month rollover data) bring your own phone 2 years = $3600
To be fair, my phone cost $350 so add 3 to total = $4650
What I really paid for the 3 phones = $4300

The above doesn't include taxes or fees nor does it include a phone for Sprint, AT&T or Verizon. You still need to add that cost in for each.


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## Calidecks

angus242 said:


> Did some searching.
> AT&T, Verizon & Sprint with 3 lines as close to 15GB as possible and 2 year contract.
> T-Mo doesn't offer a 2 year contract so I used what I have, bring your own phone on 3 lines.
> 
> Sprint (12GB) for 2 years with a subsidized phone over 2 years = $5040
> 
> Verizon (14GB) for 2 years with subsidized phone over 2 years = $5760
> 
> AT&T (15GB w/ 1 month rollover data) subsided 2 years = $6000
> 
> T-Mo (15GB w/ 12 month rollover data) bring your own phone 2 years = $3600
> To be fair, my phone cost $350 so add 3 to total = $4650
> What I really paid for the 3 phones = $4300
> 
> The above doesn't include taxes or fees nor does it include a phone for Sprint, AT&T or Verizon. You still need to add that cost in for each.


Nicely done Angus. You have to consider the quality of the network as well. I'm not necessarily shopping price when it comes to the carrier. From what I understand there will be another speed, that's suppose to be even faster than 4G lte, it just seems that Verizon is always a head of the rest of the field when it comes to technology.


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## angus242

Californiadecks said:


> Nicely done Angus. You have to consider the quality of the network as well. I'm not necessarily shopping price when it comes to the carrier. From what I understand there will be another speed, that's suppose to be even faster than 4G lte, it just seems that Verizon is always a head of the rest of the field when it comes to technology.


And that's what I said about perception. If you think paying $x more is worth it, then it is. 

I'm totally guilty of worrying about price over service. Stayed with Sprint under ridiculous circumstances. But at the time, I could not justify paying $1600 a year more. Now that things have equaled out some, we did switch. 

I won't deny Verizon's superior overall coverage. I just haven't seen it to where it would make a difference in _my_ usage. Around Chicago, I don't have issues with T-Mo and it's been actually faster data than Verizon. In the backwoods of WV, I didn't have squat for signal.


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## Calidecks

angus242 said:


> And that's what I said about perception. If you think paying $x more is worth it, then it is.
> 
> I'm totally guilty of worrying about price over service. Stayed with Sprint under ridiculous circumstances. But at the time, I could not justify paying $1600 a year more. Now that things have equaled out some, we did switch.
> 
> I won't deny Verizon's superior overall coverage. I just haven't seen it to where it would make a difference in _my_ usage. Around Chicago, I don't have issues with T-Mo and it's been actually faster data than Verizon. In the backwoods of WV, I didn't have squat for signal.


We have a lot of sparse areas here in Cali. It's a pita to get a signal in. Especially on our way to Vegas. :laughing: Verizon is the only carrier we get a signal in a lot of areas. I'm willing to pay a premium for that.


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## overanalyze

I travel a small amount for work and haven't had any coverage issues with Verizon. Also I am paying less than most for my 2 phones. It works for me. I agree with Angus...that is what matters. 

I have looked at other companies, but it never made sense for me.


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## TNTRenovate

angus242 said:


> Did some searching.
> AT&T, Verizon & Sprint with 3 lines as close to 15GB as possible and 2 year contract.
> T-Mo doesn't offer a 2 year contract so I used what I have, bring your own phone on 3 lines.
> 
> Sprint (12GB) for 2 years with a subsidized phone over 2 years = $5040
> 
> Verizon (14GB) for 2 years with subsidized phone over 2 years = $5760
> 
> AT&T (15GB w/ 1 month rollover data) subsided 2 years = $6000
> 
> T-Mo (15GB w/ 12 month rollover data) bring your own phone 2 years = $3600
> To be fair, my phone cost $350 so add 3 to total = $4650
> What I really paid for the 3 phones = $4300
> 
> The above doesn't include taxes or fees nor does it include a phone for Sprint, AT&T or Verizon. You still need to add that cost in for each.


Don't they throttle you after each phone reaches is limit? For instance Verizon gives you data on the family plan to share. However TM splits 4G up between the phones so if you get 12gb each phone gets 4gb and after that you are throttled down to 3g or 2g.

That was the deciding factor for us. That and the service reviews we read as well as the coverage. We take several out of state trips a year between vacation and travel softball.


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## angus242

TNTSERVICES said:


> Don't they throttle you after each phone reaches is limit? For instance Verizon gives you data on the family plan to share. However TM splits 4G up between the phones so if you get 12gb each phone gets 4gb and after that you are throttled down to 3g or 2g.
> 
> That was the deciding factor for us. That and the service reviews we read as well as the coverage. We take several out of state trips a year between vacation and travel softball.


When you hit your limit on Verizon and AT&T, you get billed for overage with no loss of speed. When you hit your limit on T-Mo or Sprint, you get throttled without getting billed. 

I can't speak how all data is handled. When I went to each site to find pricing, each line was given it's own data except for Sprint. How that data is delegated, I'm not sure. With T-Mo, you get your own. So in my scenario, each line has 5GB. If you don't use all of that data in a month, it's rolled over for 12 months. So for January if you only use 3GB, you now have 2GB in the "bank" for 12 months.


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## The Coastal Craftsman

That's one thing that pisses me of with Verizon is no roll over data. They don't seem to care when i pay for data I don't use yet as soon as I go over my 10gb one month they sting me for extra data. That's just one of the reasons I'm thinking of moving to someone else soon. 

Also as far as I know all of versions 4g networks and GSM now so as long as you have a unlocked GSM phone just put the Verizon SIM card into it and it should work. 


I have a question though. How many of you can use you data and make a call on Verizon network? State you phone type and yes or no if you can use data whilst making a call

IPhone 5 no
IPhone 6 no


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## TNTRenovate

angus242 said:


> When you hit your limit on Verizon and AT&T, you get billed for overage with no loss of speed. When you hit your limit on T-Mo or Sprint, you get throttled without getting billed.
> 
> I can't speak how all data is handled. When I went to each site to find pricing, each line was given it's own data except for Sprint. How that data is delegated, I'm not sure. With T-Mo, you get your own. So in my scenario, each line has 5GB. If you don't use all of that data in a month, it's rolled over for 12 months. So for January if you only use 3GB, you now have 2GB in the "bank" for 12 months.


Currently I get 15gb + 1gb promotional data.

When at TM, I didn't like that if I am paying for data that when I use my allotment, I'm throttled down, while my 14 year old still has 4G LTE. I like the rollover idea but not as much as using as much data as I am paying for regardless of the line.

How much data can you bank in the rollover?


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## overanalyze

S6 Yes to voice and data

What are you guys doing to burn through that much data?


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## The Coastal Craftsman

overanalyze said:


> S6 Yes to voice and data
> 
> What are you guys doing to burn through that much data?



Streaming radio stations at work. Normally uses about 8gb a month on avg depending on what stations I listen to. 

It's so annoying that iPhones can't do simultaneous voice and data. It's annoying how many times I have to call people back because I can't talk to them whilst using my data. This is such a basic feature I can't believe is not included on the iPhone's.


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## angus242

BCConstruction said:


> Also as far as I know all of versions 4g networks and GSM now so as long as you have a unlocked GSM phone just put the Verizon SIM card into it and it should work.


I think that's up to the phone. Something like the Nexus 6 is made to work on either CDMA or GSM because of the radios used. The only reason Verizon and Sprint use SIM cards is because of LTE. The phones are still authenticated via CDMA. Also, there are the LTE band themselves. Just because a GSM phone might have a CDMA radio too, that doesn't mean is will broadcast on all LTE bands. Therefore, I don't think you can use an unlocked GSM phone on Verizon. 

Until V & S go to all-LTE, there will always be an issue trying to authenticate GSM phones on CDMA.


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## The Coastal Craftsman

angus242 said:


> I think that's up to the phone. Something like the Nexus 6 is made to work on either CDMA or GSM because of the radios used. The only reason Verizon and Sprint use SIM cards is because of LTE. The phones are still authenticated via CDMA. Also, there are the LTE band themselves. Just because a GSM phone might have a CDMA radio too, that doesn't mean is will broadcast on all LTE bands. Therefore, I don't think you can use an unlocked GSM phone on Verizon.
> 
> 
> 
> Until V & S go to all-LTE, there will always be an issue trying to authenticate GSM phones on CDMA.



Yeah it may not authenticate on the 3G and EVDO towers so might not be a lot of use if you ain't got good 4g coverage.


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## EricBrancard

BCConstruction said:


> That's one thing that pisses me of with Verizon is no roll over data. They don't seem to care when i pay for data I don't use yet as soon as I go over my 10gb one month they sting me for extra data. That's just one of the reasons I'm thinking of moving to someone else soon.
> 
> Also as far as I know all of versions 4g networks and GSM now so as long as you have a unlocked GSM phone just put the Verizon SIM card into it and it should work.
> 
> 
> I have a question though. How many of you can use you data and make a call on Verizon network? State you phone type and yes or no if you can use data whilst making a call
> 
> IPhone 5 no
> IPhone 6 no


The iPhone 6 will do it. It's called Advanced calling 1.0. Go to the settings menu, cellular, enable LTE and then click voice & data.


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## The Coastal Craftsman

EricBrancard said:


> The iPhone 6 will do it. It's called Advanced calling 1.0. Go to the settings menu, cellular, enable LTE and then click voice & data.



Turning this on basically does your calls over your data connection like FaceTime does. I want true voice and data so that I don't have to use my data for calls and as soon as I switch from 4g tower to 3G tower my calls don't drop.

It's like a budget version of voice and data


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## EricBrancard

BCConstruction said:


> Turning this on basically does your calls over your data connection like FaceTime does. I want true voice and data so that I don't have to use my data for calls and as soon as I switch from 4g tower to 3G tower my calls don't drop.
> 
> It's like a budget version of voice and data


That's always been something you have to deal with on VZW. I have two phones, so it was never that big a deal to me.


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## overanalyze

Verizon doesn't charge you data for the voice call unless you do video. Then the voice part is still included and the video is used against your data unless on wifi.


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## The Coastal Craftsman

overanalyze said:


> Verizon doesn't charge you data for the voice call unless you do video. Then the voice part is still included and the video is used against your data unless on wifi.



That's good to know. Once they get more reliable 4g towers in this area we may soon be able to do that advanced calling to get calls and data. Impossible at the moment because of power 4g and it dropping the damned calls.


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## Calidecks

Should I buy the 11 dollar per phone, insurance?


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## The Coastal Craftsman

I have never bothered but I have mine in a case.


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## angus242

TNTSERVICES said:


> Currently I get 15gb + 1gb promotional data.
> 
> When at TM, I didn't like that if I am paying for data that when I use my allotment, I'm throttled down, while my 14 year old still has 4G LTE. I like the rollover idea but not as much as using as much data as I am paying for regardless of the line.
> 
> How much data can you bank in the rollover?


Again, not sure how other carriers packages work. With T-Mo, each line gets it's own package. So you can have line 1 with 5gb, line 2 with 3gb and line 3 with 1gb. 

I have no idea what an average amount of monthly data usage is. The most I've used in a single month since switching to T-Mo back in July was 2GB. That has also dropped dramatically because my cloud music no longer counts towards data usage for me. I use my phone as my music player in my truck and when on site so it can be quite a bit of usage. At home, I'm on wifi.

Last month I used 431.24MB.

As for the rollover for T-Mo, per their site:
_"build your own Data Stash, automatically carrying over 100% of your unused 4G LTE data (e.g., 3GB – 21GB), rounded up to the nearest megabyte, each month. That data is available for use for up to 12 months from when it is rolled."_


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## angus242

Californiadecks said:


> Should I buy the 11 dollar per phone, insurance?


Depends on that perception thing again. Don't know how long your phone subsidy or contract is but I think 20 months was mentioned. That's $220 for insurance. Again, not sure but with most insurance programs I've read about, there's usually a deductible. So absolute worst case, a phone replacement _might_ cost you $320. Does that seem worth it on an $800 phone?

And I'll just throw it out there, if you break a Droid Turbo during a 2 year contract, if gets replaced once for free. I believe certain HTC phones and both the Nexus 5 & 6 will also be replaced once for free.


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## The Coastal Craftsman

Got a warning today about my data. Got 1gb left but it starts over again tomorrow.


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## Leo G

Is that you alone?


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## TNTRenovate

BCConstruction said:


> Got a warning today about my data. Got 1gb left but it starts over again tomorrow.
> 
> View attachment 170122


I use about 9-10gb of data a month.


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## The Coastal Craftsman

Leo G said:


> Is that you alone?



Wife is on shared plan but She used 0.17gb of that total amount. 

She don't use data at all except for sending here mum pics of our boy.


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## The Coastal Craftsman

TNTSERVICES said:


> I use about 9-10gb of data a month.



That's easy to do. If I was streaming Spotify every day instead of radio I would be around 30-35gb a month


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## angus242

BCConstruction said:


> That's easy to do.


How? I stream about 6-8 hours of music a day. Never been anywhere near. That's why I asked about average data. We had 3 lines and all combined, even with a teenage girl and didn't go over 5GB total.


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## The Coastal Craftsman

Spotify is 115mb hr of data use at 320kbps

I stream at 192kbps on radio stations. Anything lower quality than that sounds awful. 

It don't take long to use up almost 1gb a day depending on what you are streaming.


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## angus242

Like I said, Google Play Music doesn't count towards data usage. I stream it at 320.


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## Leo G

Is that within a package or does Google Music have a special exception for it not to count towards data?


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## The Coastal Craftsman

angus242 said:


> Like I said, Google Play Music doesn't count towards data usage. I stream it at 320.



That's handy it not counting towards data. How's that work then. Do they have a deal with the network to not charge you streaming data with Google play music?


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## TNTRenovate

My billing cycle starts over on the 9th. I've already used 2.1gb of data on my phone and just over 4gb between 4 phones. Two of which are my teenage daughters phones.


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## angus242

When you stream from the following list, T-Mo doesn't count it towards your data with qualifying plans. 

Pandora
iHeartRadio
iTunes Radio
Rhapsody
Beatport
Spotify
Slacker
Radical.FM
8tracks
Milk Music
Black Planet
Songza
Rdio
Radio Paradise
AccuRadio
SoundCloud
Saavn
Digitally Imported
JAZZRADIO.com
ROCKRADIO.com
RadioTunes
radioPup
radio.com
Mad Genius Radio
Xbox Music
Live365
Fresca Radio
Google Music
Fit Radio
SiriusXM
Tidal Music
MixRadio
BandCamp


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## VinylHanger

That is cool. If we had that with Verizon we wouldn't use hardly any data. I'm the only one who really uses any since we have no cell service at the house.


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## Leo G

There ya have it. It's T Mobile.


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## EricBrancard

SiriusXM is the bulk of my data usage.


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## SamM

Man, American cell plans are way better than canadian. I get 2 phones with 1 gig of data shared for 190+tax.


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## Calidecks

SamM said:


> Man, American cell plans are way better than canadian. I get 2 phones with 1 gig of data shared for 190+tax.


How much of that is regulatory fees?


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## SamM

Not sure. Can't see the bill on my phone. It's about 25 bucks in tax though.


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## angus242

One of the best features of Android removed from the S6

http://phandroid.com/2015/04/27/samsung-galaxy-s6-ok-google/


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## ScipioAfricanus

This is helping me pick a new phone for myself since I just dropped mine in the ****ing toilet.

What a dumb-ass.

Andy.


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## angus242

That's one of my biggest fears.


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## Railman

ScipioAfricanus said:


> This is helping me pick a new phone for myself since I just dropped mine in the ****ing toilet.
> 
> What a dumb-ass.
> 
> Andy.


That'll teach ya not to shake so hard!....
Or were you doing a selfie?:jester:


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## VinylHanger

I just read today that there is an S6 active coming out soon. It will have a 3500mh battery and all the water and dust stuff, plus it is ruggedized I suppose.

Still doesn't have a removable battery or an SD card, but it might get me to upgrade, though I am looking at waiting until the soon to come out Note 5 hits the shelves to see.

My only real gripe about the S5 is its sluggishness switching between screens and apps. It is the stupid touchwiz interface. I guess they fixed that in the S6.

Of course, if the S6 has a kill switch, I am staying where I am.

Whoo-eeee. I think I will wait for this one. :clap::clap:

Dust and water resistance in a phablet? Sweet.

http://www.inquisitr.com/1886849/sa...eatures-revealed-rumored-to-have-21mp-camera/


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## cedarboarder

I just did an update on my s4 firmware to 4.0.1 and is running like a dream.


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## gfs

I think it is. My friend got it and I was having a look. Even if it's not technically glass, it's not going to last long on a site.


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## Calidecks

gfs said:


> I think it is. My friend got it and I was having a look. Even if it's not technically glass, it's not going to last long on a site.


 I've already dropped mine several times without any damage. Only because it's in a case though.


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## Calidecks

Californiadecks said:


> Walked in to Verizon and walked out with 3 new phones. S6 for my son and I and a IPhone 6 for the wife. I got all three on a promo. 184 bucks sales tax out of pocket. That's it. My gigs of data went up to 6 from 4 and my monthly bill went up 16 dollars. It's the edge plan on promo.


Damn my bill went down on this plan. From about 250-260.00 to 235.00. I have three new phones and can upgrade after 18 months. What's not to like?


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## EthanB

Californiadecks said:


> What's not to like?


I pay $70 total for two lines. I can get five lines for $100. No contract.:laughing:

To be fair my phone isn't as nice as yours. If I took the $1620 I saved this year, I could probably pick something up though.:whistling


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## Calidecks

EthanB said:


> I pay $70 total for two lines. I can get five lines for $100. No contract.:laughing:
> 
> To be fair my phone isn't as nice as yours. If I took the $1620 I saved this year, I could probably pick something up though.:whistling


I have four lines.


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