Any tips/suggestions for the ATIV S?

[Villain]

Currently using the HTC 8X and actually hate the ugly thing from the first month of owning due to the dingy blue staining and have to send away for repair because I have a few ultra bright LCD lights now (not dead pixels, bright white blobs)... anyway I have a chance this week to buy an unlocked ATIV S for a pretty decent price so I'm most likely going to dumb the 8X all together... any suggestions/ recommendations?

 

[Mankku]

I had my Ativ S for 5 months now, and no regrets so far. The only regret is perhaps I should've waited with the purchase because it's almost twice the price cheaper now than the beginning of the ear

I don't know much about the 8X, it has 16 GB internal space which also the Ativ S, so no shortage of space. The only Nokia phone i would consider is the L920, mainly because of the internal space, the L820, L720, L620 etc all has 8 GB or less. Also the L720 and L620 has slower CPU than Ativ S, but the Nokia exclusives are good to take into consideration if you like them.

Back to the Ativ S, if you could get it now unlocked for under 300 €, it?s really a bargain. The battery life is great, good camera. Outer speaker isn't that good, but the headphone quality is really good IMHO, perhaps a bit harsh sometimes at the highs, no bass enhancements, but the detail and dynamics are really wide and clear. You can really hear all instruments in the song. The display is a matter of taste, the screen of the Lumias are nicer to the eye perhaps, but Ativ S is really good as well.

I haven't had any significants lock ups with the Ativ S, some programs have freezed and I rebooted the phone to get it closed, otherwise the system works like a clockwork.

I'd say go for it if you get it cheap.

Regards,
Mankku

 

[WorzelGummage]

It's worth mentioning that the Ativ S accommodates a micro SD card for extra storage whereas the 8X does not. Also, the screen on the Ativ S is the same as the one on my Galaxy S 3 and at 4.8" is massive and takes a little getting used to but once you do it's great. The battery is also a lot bigger than the one on the 8X so you should be able to use the phone for longer before it needs charging again.

The camera on the Ativ S is also the same unit as the one on my Galaxy S 3 and takes pretty decent shots but the interface isn't the same on the Ativ S as it is on the GS3 so it's not as customisable but should still be adequate.

I say go for the Ativ S if you like the WP 8 OS and you shouldn't be disappointed.

 

[Villain]

Yeah I have a GS3 and know most of the details. Hate HTC so mainly wondering if it's worth switching... Also wondering any random issues, tweaks.

 

[unstoppablekem]

I personally think the Ativ s is better than the 8X, so go for it!

 

[unstoppablekem]

Send us pics!

 

[Villain]

will do... probably picking it p tomorrow

 

[ShocWave]

I was debating on getting a Lumia 920 or Ativ S, but since I was buying a phone off the grey market, there would be no warranty.
The 920's likehood of failure within the first few weeks/months scared me away. I tried the 8X at a store, and I can see the liquid moving if I push the screen too hard.
The Ativ S seemed to be the most durable of the three.

The speaker and camera are not as good as the Lumia, but at least you get an SD card slot

 

[Villain]

I got my 8X on contract and the device is nice the first day BUT the soft blue coating is absolutely horrid and stains very fast... and isn't a rare thing as me my 2 best friends and my GFs mother and a co worker all have the same nasty blue stains. I'm extremely picky with the condition and look of my devices so the 8x was well looked after but a week in black dress pants the corners all look dingy and nasty. then talking to HTC's escalation team for a solution... giving me a reply like "phones shouldn't be carried in pockets and should always have a case on them" did nothing but insult and 100% kill off every buying anything HTC again. I have an issue with the LCD being faulty so I'm sending the 8X away for repair then selling it.

Another reason for picking up the Ativ S is the SD slot seeing WP8's storage issue is beyond horrible and no fix in sight.

 

[Exotic Hadron]

If for some reason you consider navigation apps to be meaningful for you, please be aware that there seems to be lack of navigation software for this phone. Unlike Nokia phones that come with Nokia HERE Drive, Sammy doesn't have any, so that's the issue if you need a good offline navigation on ATIV S.
Everything aside, I'd consider buying ATIV S for Lumia until 928 with AMOLED display is here. The goodness of ATIV S is:

• SuperAMOLED Plus display
• Significantly bigger screen
• Thinner housing
• Replaceable battery
• SD Card
  The last one is not a big deal considering the OS limitation that does NOT allow storing XAP files or application-related data such as downloadable maps on this external storage; Other storage issue seems to have fixes for only the devices with no external storage onboard.
  Well, you can store XAP setups when installing apps manually, but that's pretty much everything you can do aside from photos, music and ebooks (latter is supported in only some software such as Fiction Book Reader). Nope, you can't store maps on this external storage, and you can't install XAP updates from SD card. So unlike with storing initial version of the software, which can be stored on the SD card, updates can only be installed via Windows Phone's update feature and thus cannot be stored on the SD card.

Nope, albeit frequently noted in reviews ATIV S does NOT provide terrestrial radio support.

At the other hand, Lumia gives you

• 4G networking
• Extra software such as support for navigation using offline maps
• Built-in terrestrial radio, in 928 only
• Software-aided fixes for the Other storage issue; provided by Nokia.

Please correct me. And yes, I highly recommend ATIV S if lack of support from Samsung which seem to be not interested in developing their support for Windows Phone platform further on, is not a key for you.

 

[Exotic Hadron]

I got my 8X on contract and the device is nice the first day BUT the soft blue coating is absolutely horrid and stains very fast... and isn't a rare thing as me my 2 best friends and my GFs mother and a co worker all have the same nasty blue stains. I'm extremely picky with the condition and look of my devices so the 8x was well looked after but a week in black dress pants the corners all look dingy and nasty. then talking to HTC's escalation team for a solution... giving me a reply like "phones shouldn't be carried in pockets and should always have a case on them" did nothing but insult and 100% kill off every buying anything HTC again. I have an issue with the LCD being faulty so I'm sending the 8X away for repair then selling it.

Another reason for picking up the Ativ S is the SD slot seeing WP8's storage issue is beyond horrible and no fix in sight.

Reportedly, MSFT has managed to fix the Other storage issue with recent firmware update. The fix however has something to do with phones that do not have an external storage, it fixes rotation of Camera roll app only when there is no external storage. So if you are storing photos of the SD card, like me, you are in trouble. Moreover, moving JPG files to internal storage does not help either.

 

[Villain]

yeah I'm familiar with most of the OS's issues, fixes and limitations but definitely appreciate the input.

Just picked it up today and already love it. is an unlocked rogers device, popped my SIM in and boom took a second and full LTE (my 8X rarely rarely connected to LTE), all the apn's automatically adjusted. I know it's plastic and people complain about it BUT wow it actually looks and feels really solid and professional.


- the bigger screen is very refreshing.
- nice and light but not cheap light.
- very bright compared to LCD 2.
- fast and responsive.
- SD slot was a huge plus for music (the 8X with beats does sound better though)
- not near nokia but a hell of a lot more OEM apps.
- seems to have more settings and options.


Again I got a good deal on this as I bought it off contract... my provider Bell Mobility doesn't off any Nokias, rogers is the only 920 carrier, the 920 is bulkier than I like anddd sold off contract new and used is over priced.


got this ATIV S brand new and unlocked for $300

 

[neo158]

Reportedly, MSFT has managed to fix the Other storage issue with recent firmware update. The fix however has something to do with phones that do not have an external storage, it fixes rotation of Camera roll app only when there is no external storage. So if you are storing photos of the SD card, like me, you are in trouble. Moreover, moving JPG files to internal storage does not help either.

From what I can gather the firmware update, I just got it tonight, only fixes the tethering issues that some people were having.

 

[unstoppablekem]

If for some reason you consider navigation apps to be meaningful for you, please be aware that there seems to be lack of navigation software for this phone. Unlike Nokia phones that come with Nokia HERE Drive, Sammy doesn't have any, so that's the issue if you need a good offline navigation on ATIV S.
Everything aside, I'd consider buying ATIV S for Lumia until 928 with AMOLED display is here. The goodness of ATIV S is:

• SuperAMOLED Plus display
• Significantly bigger screen
• Thinner housing
• Replaceable battery
• SD Card
  The last one is not a big deal considering the OS limitation that does NOT allow storing XAP files or application-related data such as downloadable maps on this external storage; Other storage issue seems to have fixes for only the devices with no external storage onboard.
  Well, you can store XAP setups when installing apps manually, but that's pretty much everything you can do aside from photos, music and ebooks (latter is supported in only some software such as Fiction Book Reader). Nope, you can't store maps on this external storage, and you can't install XAP updates from SD card. So unlike with storing initial version of the software, which can be stored on the SD card, updates can only be installed via Windows Phone's update feature and thus cannot be stored on the SD card.

Nope, albeit frequently noted in reviews ATIV S does NOT provide terrestrial radio support.

At the other hand, Lumia gives you

• 4G networking
• Extra software such as support for navigation using offline maps
• Built-in terrestrial radio, in 928 only
• Software-aided fixes for the Other storage issue; provided by Nokia.

Please correct me. And yes, I highly recommend ATIV S if lack of support from Samsung which seem to be not interested in developing their support for Windows Phone platform further on, is not a key for you.

Wrong on a few things. It has SuperAMOLED HD, and HERE is now for other WP8 devices also.

 

[GeorgeKan]

How can i enable IE google search engine in our mobile, its there for every other WP8 phone

 

[Exotic Hadron]

Wrong on a few things. It has SuperAMOLED HD, and HERE is now for other WP8 devices also.

Right here, ATIV S has a SuperAMOLED HD screen, my bad. As for HERE drive, the app seems to be limited to a number of countries where you can run it. Can't get the app start for me with a Russian operator (TeliaSonera's brand) SIM plugged... Nokia's HERE Drive works well on my wife's Lumia 620 with the SIM from the same mobile network operator.

 

[Coolknight1968]

Currently using the HTC 8X and actually hate the ugly thing from the first month of owning due to the dingy blue staining and have to send away for repair because I have a few ultra bright LCD lights now (not dead pixels, bright white blobs)... anyway I have a chance this week to buy an unlocked ATIV S for a pretty decent price so I'm most likely going to dumb the 8X all together... any suggestions/ recommendations?

I like the Ativ S better than the 8X. Tell us how things go!

 

[Villain]

loving everything about the ATIV S except the beats audio in the 8X does make a big difference and while I find the ATIV S takes a better picture it is dramatically slower at capturing pictures due to the 8X's imaging chip.

 

[wahila wahid]

activ s cant made video call, is it....

 

[Exotic Hadron]

activ s cant made video call, is it....

Meaning it doesn't have a front camera? Well, it DOES HAVE. As for the video calls is perfectly up to the software you're using. Do you mean that Skype doesn't support making video calls with its front camera? I'll check tomorrow and let you know.