If you can't say anything nice.....

[mmeyerssr]

I got talked into an ATIV Odyssey while purchasing a 4G capable phone for a budget price. Now I knew that such a handset wouldn't be top of the line, but having 4G, tethering and music was my main thing so I didn't need much. But this is just junk. You can't even adjust the volume properly. If I turn down the volume for the phone I turn it down for EVERYTHING. So I won't hear notifications for texts or email. If I turn down my music, another useless ploy, I turn down the phone, notifications all of it. The music player is junk. It mentions play lists and even gives instructions on how to make one. They don't work. It involves using the volume key which does nothing but volume and no play list. It has no equalizer at all so it sounds like crap and I can't download a better app because apps are so sparse. This is basic stuff. No volume?!!! I'm trying to find a good refurb Android and I'm willing to pay more for it than I did this....thing. But I thought I'd ask others about this phone as well. People are happy with it so maybe I'm missing something? I like the speed of the phone and it's the most stable OS I've seen. ICS on my old Droid X was iffy at best. I had to stop and restart the service because my devices would lose connectivity and that's never happened with WP8. But my wife's Android 4.0 tablet won't connect to it. It connects for about 10 seconds and then drops asking for an IP again. Another short fall. I can't adjust or change anything for the tether other than the SSID and the password. If I could get into it like on Android I might be able to solve my wife's tablet problem. Is there a firmware upgrade out there that addresses this stuff? Can I "root" the phone like Android and customize things myself? Software upgrade anything. If this is WP8 then it will go the way of CE having never made any real showing at all. I'm hoping it does take off because at it's core it's a solid OS. Any help or input is welcome. Right now I don't think it can get worse.

 

[Indistinguishable]

You just like puked your feelings on a forum post. I'm not exactly sure what you're asking. Can you be more pointed?

 

[mmeyerssr]

It wasn't my intent to "puke my feelings". Everything I stated was factual. I have a problem with volume control, music, lack of apps and just basic functionality. Since some people like the phone I thought maybe there was something I'm missing. My "feelings" weren't stated other than the tone being negative. My query was, is there a way to make any of these issues better? An update or maybe an app?

 

[Indistinguishable]

Well, to be more specific, can you give me some instances where you're having trouble getting the volume to the point that you want it to be? Also, which apps do you feel like you're missing? Anything specific?

 

[phonohead]

The volume, which seems to be the biggest issue here, is not really related to the ATIV S alone. This is universal across all WP7/8 phones. And, no, you can not "root" your phone.

 

[mmeyerssr]

Well, to be more specific, can you give me some instances where you're having trouble getting the volume to the point that you want it to be? Also, which apps do you feel like you're missing? Anything specific?

I don't know how much more specific I can be. If I change the volume for 1 thing it changes the volume for EVERYTHING. I can't have the handset volume at say 8 and notifications volume at 15. You can't adjust individual volume it's 1 volume for everything. I know how to change the volume I just need the volume to be different for each app. You should be able to have the handset at an 8 so as not to blow out your eardrum and still have the volume for notifications at 30 so you can hear them when the phone is in it's case.

 

[Indistinguishable]

I don't know how much more specific I can be. If I change the volume for 1 thing it changes the volume for EVERYTHING. I can't have the handset volume at say 8 and notifications volume at 15. You can't adjust individual volume it's 1 volume for everything. I know how to change the volume I just need the volume to be different for each app. You should be able to have the handset at an 8 so as not to blow out your eardrum and still have the volume for notifications at 30 so you can hear them when the phone is in it's case.

I'm rocking a Wp7, not a Wp8. But I believe the way the volume works is the same. When i'm listening to music and I get a notification or a call, or instruction from the GPS, the music stops momentarily for the notification to happen. So even though the notification is at the same level as the music, I have no problem hearing the notification because the music has stopped. Seems to be a very minor issue to me.

What apps are you mising? I'll try to help you there.

 

[ag1986]

Well, to be more specific, can you give me some instances where you're having trouble getting the volume to the point that you want it to be? Also, which apps do you feel like you're missing? Anything specific?

Gods below, try reading the OP's post?

nmeyerssr, the issue you're talking about is basically that when you adjust media/music volume, that adjustment applies to ringer/notification volume as well, correct?

There is no way to fix this and have separate volume levels for media vs ringtones. Sorry. This is true across all WP devices across all manufacturers. There is no way to correct this.

As for your wifi tethering issue, it could be the tablet's fault also. Try tethering a different device and see what happens. Unfortunately, as you mentioned, there is very little you can do since there's no access to any of the lower level settings.

 

[enthuz]

If you search the forums, you will find that the volume issue is a WP8 shortcoming. Hopefully MS will fix it in the Blue update. Android is nice with this and other custom features, however we deal with the rebooting, freezing, etc. headaches.

Sent from my PG86100 using WPCentral Forums mobile app

 

[Indistinguishable]

Gods below, try reading the OP's post?

nmeyerssr, the issue you're talking about is basically that when you adjust media/music volume, that adjustment applies to ringer/notification volume as well, correct?

There is no way to fix this and have separate volume levels for media vs ringtones. Sorry. This is true across all WP devices across all manufacturers. There is no way to correct this.

As for your wifi tethering issue, it could be the tablet's fault also. Try tethering a different device and see what happens. Unfortunately, as you mentioned, there is very little you can do since there's no access to any of the lower level settings.

I did read the post. Though it wasn't easy because it was a solid block of "ARGH THIS! UHG THAT!"

Thanks for your suggestion though. I was really looking for a scenario that I could help him. Thanks for your answers though, solid stuff.

 

[enthuz]

As for tethering, what model tablet does she have and are you referring to straight USB tethering or hotspot?

Sent from my PG86100 using WPCentral Forums mobile app

 

[phonohead]

@enthuz: Speaking of "searching"; I already pointed out the volume issue.

 

[enthuz]

@enthuz: Speaking of "searching"; I already pointed out the volume issue.

If you are being sarcastic, then note that I already had this thread opened on my phone prior to your post, therefore I wouldn't have seen it until it updated. Also my search response was more for the OP to read more on it if desired and to support my response since it has/is discussed in detail.

Sent from my PG86100 using WPCentral Forums mobile app

 

[ag1986]

I did read the post. Though it wasn't easy because it was a solid block of "ARGH THIS! UHG THAT!"

Thanks for your suggestion though. I was really looking for a scenario that I could help him. Thanks for your answers though, solid stuff.

My bad too. Sorry, I was a little ticked off at something else.

 

[bigkevbosky]

I got talked into an ATIV Odyssey.

Stopped reading right there. This is the Ativ S forum. If you can't even figure out what the right forum is to post in, no wonder you're having so many troubles with your phone. Here's the correct place to whine :

http://forums.windowscentral.com/samsung-ativ-odyssey/

 

[Matthew Becker1]

Beat me to it, Big Kev. Most ATIV S owners won't be able to help troubleshoot ATIV Odyssey issues.

 

[Ian Too]

Hi Mmeyerssr, thanks for your post, it was an interesting read and I'm sorry you're having such a disappointing time with your Samsung. Their efforts on the Windows Phone 8 front have been lackluster to say the least; the Ativ Neo is only their second device; as many as Huawei, one fewer than HTC and eight fewer than Nokia, if you count the imminent 625.

The first thing you said that peeked my interest was that you were talked into the purchase by the phone shop. This addresses a big bugbear with me over how much influence shop staff have over what gets sold. It's pretty unique in seeing that bias work in Windows Phone's favour for once. Did you really do no research before you made your purchase, or are you now disowning the decision?

Some of what you're complaining about is definitely due to shortfalls in the OS. I found out yesterday that you can't attach a PDF to an email because Adobe's PDF reader doesn't support it and Windows Phone will only allow you to attach a picture. I'd also like to customise notifications for emails etc, to help personalise my devices. There are many threads here about numerous shortcomings of the OS and they are fair criticisms which we all hope Microsoft are addressing.

There are however many pluses to Windows Phone which shouldn't be underestimated, some of which you mentioned. Windows Phone is super reliable and super smooth even on low end hardware because it is small and doesn't eat up half the device's memory. This means you can have a decent number of apps running on even a Lumia 520, which leaves a Galaxy Ace floundering by comparison.

In my opinion your point about apps is overstated. Yes the Windows Phone Store has about a quarter of the apps as Google Play, but this is an oversimplification in that it assumes all apps are of equal quality. The Windows Phone community has an enthusiastic and creative developer community eager to fill gaps in the ecosystem to the point where it's doubtful whether the official Instagram app will be as versatile as Instance for example. Windows Phone apps tend to be good, well designed and run smoothly. Don't forget that the Windows Phone store is a walled garden, making Windows Phone immeasurably more secure than Android.

Your tethering problems are almost certainly due to the tablet. I have tethered my Windows Phones to all sorts of devices: laptops, ipads, other phones and it is easier on Windows Phone than anything else I've ever used.

Finally, it's clear that your experience of Android has shaped your expectations regarding what's good in an operating system and I think it would be wise to be a little more open minded. As Microsoft address the shortcomings in the OS, they may well find solutions which work better than the iOS/Android ones. One thing which attracts me to Windows Phones is its elegance in terms of how much it does with so few resources. I doubt very much whether I could go back to a static UI and there are several factors which make Android a non-starter for me, to do with both the OS and Google. If I wanted to live under surveillance, I'd move to North Korea.

 

[mmeyerssr]

Stopped reading right there. This is the Ativ S forum. If you can't even figure out what the right forum is to post in, no wonder you're having so many troubles with your phone. Here's the correct place to whine :

http://forums.windowscentral.com/samsung-ativ-odyssey/

I did search for the proper forum and came up with nothing. This was the closest I could come. Thanks for the link though it clearly doesn't matter. As far as the "getting talked into" goes bad choice of words. There was a cheaper phone as in free. A Droid. Lacking in some features, like a flash for the camera, so I went with the next phone up. WP8 The lower cheaper Droid had far more features than WP8. Above that another Droid. While Droid does have it's issues, the mentioned force closes and crashes, mostly because it is open source and Google should have kept a tighter rein, it does have functionality. Far more than WP8. I've already stated I like the OS. It's a solid stable and fast platform. But it takes more than 4 solid legs to make a stallion run. You've got to have the rest of the horse. If MS started adding in features to compete, WP8 would be a serious contender if not the one to beat. As is it's barely adequate. I regret having worded my original post so strongly but at the same time wonder if it matters. Clearly this forum is so pro Microsoft I'm not going to find what I need here as any decent will be met with brutality. Pardon my disruption. I'll be leaving now. Close the thread.

 

[Indistinguishable]

I did search for the proper forum and came up with nothing. This was the closest I could come. Thanks for the link though it clearly doesn't matter. As far as the "getting talked into" goes bad choice of words. There was a cheaper phone as in free. A Droid. Lacking in some features, like a flash for the camera, so I went with the next phone up. WP8 The lower cheaper Droid had far more features than WP8. Above that another Droid. While Droid does have it's issues, the mentioned force closes and crashes, mostly because it is open source and Google should have kept a tighter rein, it does have functionality. Far more than WP8. I've already stated I like the OS. It's a solid stable and fast platform. But it takes more than 4 solid legs to make a stallion run. You've got to have the rest of the horse. If MS started adding in features to compete, WP8 would be a serious contender if not the one to beat. As is it's barely adequate. I regret having worded my original post so strongly but at the same time wonder if it matters. Clearly this forum is so pro Microsoft I'm not going to find what I need here as any decent will be met with brutality. Pardon my disruption. I'll be leaving now. Close the thread.

There are plenty of people here who have been on multiple mobile platforms and would gladly help you with your problems. This community kicks *** and if you were here for longer than one day you'd know that. Any nincompoop at any Mobile Nations community would tell you that WP8 is far more than "barely adequate."

Your original post doesn't even qualify as coherent. You would barely finish a thought without rambunctiously going on to a different nonsensical one.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

 

[diplomat696]

To the OP I hear your frustration the volume thing is probably my only major issue with windows phone, the rumor is that this will be addressed in a future update but I do not know when that will be.

Regarding tethering I suspect as others have said that it is not your phone which is the issue. I suggest trying to tether it to something else and seeing how that goes to troubleshoot.

Regarding creating playlists there are I am certain multiple ways and apps to do this as well as multiple sources for consuming music on windows phone eg Xbox music, Nokia music, Pandora etc. You can create playlists and pin them to your start screen, if you have the music app active in the background you can restart playing by simply pushing the volume up or down and then hitting play.

Windows phone is still maturing and is certainly still missing a few conveniences but imo it more than makes up for the majority of these with features you don't get on other systems.

Final thought: before you buy a product next time it might pay to do some more research on it so you know the quirks with it.