New Phone Time

My cell (Samsung Note 5) became possessed today and became unstable.  It kept trying to get me to set up a Virtual Reality app and would not go away.  I couldn't even restart or power down as the screen kept switching back to the VR progam...which was never installed on this phone.  I took it to the store and of course it stopped doing it before I got there.  They went through it and couldn't find any issues nor duplicate the problem.  Five miles from home, it started doing it again.  I lose all functionability when it does this and the damn thing just starts scrolling through screens like someone was remote accessing the device.

Back to the store and this time it was still doing it when I got there.  They had no answer to why and the problem stabilized on re-boot.  I am not going to operate with a buggy phone, but had no interest in buying another to replace it.  I do pay for the service plan so after about a 10 min discussion, they agreed to call it a manufacturer issue and ordered a replacement.  The good news was that you can't get a Note 5 any longer so it was upgraded to the latest Note 8 for free under the service plan.  I should have it in a day or two.  Even better, I was able to reduce my plan costs another 15% for a military discount they offer now.

Here is the point of this posting.  Verizon has a new gadget that plugs into your vehicle's OBD ll port that will track your vehicle's data which you can see remotely and even download reports.  So things like fuel usage, idle times, battery condition, mileage, CEL's, etc. are all trackable by phone.  Not exactly a must have as one can and should be tracking that information already, but at $10 month I can see how it might be useful.  The gizmo reader is a little expensive though so I couldn't see getting it, however, the manager has discussed waiving the purchase fee if I signed up.

I don't think that it is a necessity, but having access to that data from my phone while 300 feet away running the wand is tempting.  Since I run a direct drive the engine is running all the time that I am cleaning and being able to see data such as engine temperature might be worth it in real time.  The wonders of the tech world.

The new phone arrived today. I returned from cleaning a rental and discovered the box on my porch with "Samsung" in bold letters. You would think that it would be bad policy to send a $1000 phone in a marked box without signature required. It just sat there on the porch for probably 4 hours. I live in a small town that doesn't have much crime, but that would have been pretty tempting for anyone walking by since my van was not in the driveway.

Oh well, it didn't get stolen so now I just have to move everything over and I will be back in business....and learning the new features all over again.

Hey Rob I just had the same thing happen my note 4 went crazy Verizon sent me a new note 8 also. But the 8 has connectors that will transfer your data from one phone to another in about 10minutes.

I think you can do it with NFC and/or Bluetooth as well.

That is quite a jump up ACE, that should make you happy.

The internet has been complaining about the problem for years and from what I can understand, it is related to the charging port. Something about a pin getting damaged confusing the phone into thinking you are connecting the Virtual Reality device or something. All that I know, that ghost was making my life miserable and I think Samsung's answer is simply to upgrade your way out of it.

I am happy to have the new phone, but I will have to buy a new case now. Oh well, it seems to be a nice device.

Maybe the glitchy phone was the reason you weren't getting callls?

I wish that was the case Mo, I really do, but I sit here right now with a brand new silent phone on a nice 70 degree day. No, it is much deeper than that.

Those note 8 are nice, my wife and daughter has them, buy a really good case for it though, I’m hinting about upgrading my note 3 next month around Father’s Day but still thinking if the $ 1000 is worth it or not.
My note 3 had withstand all kinds of abuses, dropped it like a million times, of course I have it in a case and glass screen protector at all times, I also had accidentally sprayed water on it several times, my buddy’s note 4 gave up on him 2 years ago so in a way I’m curious how much longer my note 3 will last but it seems to be working okay, I’m also considering iPhone X but then again, not sure if the $ 1000 is worth it or not.

Bob, don’t you have cameras on your property ? Based on your stories of bad package delivery guys, I would get a couple cameras for security as well as proof if those guys throw your packages instead of dropping them off nicely. Also I might’ve mentioned I complained to UPS one time about them dropping my $ 700 worth of scotchgard off downstairs near the car ports when I used to live in a condo, they apologized and told the driver to put my packages in conspicuous location of my choice, so now they always drop them off right inside my side gate where it’s not visible. Something to consider.

Do you have the service plan Dp? If you do, you will be getting a Note 8 soon enough as this issue seems to be really common. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't intentional since my Note 5 worked perfectly again once they ordered the replacement. I carried my Note 5 in a leather wallet case for 3 years along with tempered glass protector. I must have dropped it from 4+ feet onto pavement at least a dozen times and never damaged anything. It wasn't a rubber case, no military rating, just natural leather. Right now I have a bumper cover which I don't really care for and will likely go back to leather and tempered glass.

The best part of the Note 8 is that it is waterproof. For guys working in this industry, that is a big advantage in my view.

I did speak to the other cleaner in town and he told me that he referred 4 of his customers to me this past month for mold and smoke damage jobs. I have never received any calls and he did have my number correct. We have an arrangement, we refer jobs to each other at times and pay back 10% of the gross if we get the job. He was expecting some money, but it never happened. I wonder why it didn't happen now?

No, I don’t have service plan, I think they want $ 20 / month for that plan ? And mine is not the note 5, it’s the note 3, if I were to buy that plan 5 years ago, it would’ve cost me $ 1200 which is more than what I would’ve paid for the phone if I were to buy it.

I actually like the bumper cover much better than leather case since leather is much more expensive and they tend to get ugly after 6 months or so of usage.

True enough, but I have always carried the service plan and this will be my second phone that was replaced under it so I have come out money ahead. Some leather cases look bad in short time because most are not real leather. The real leather or the cowhide ones will out last the phone.

Right now, I am using the Alcantara protector case which covers the sides and back. It doesn't look like it would protect a whole lot in a fall, but the back of it feels like suede and when you set it down, it stays put better than any case I have used in the past. Car seats, your pant leg, ect., it just seems to stay put without any sliding around.

I still need to find a good screen protector yet though, the curved glass makes choices limited.