My smart phone sucks.

[mat time]

I don't disagree that it is my carrier and the 'poles' they must use or their area....... Although it defiinitely has to do with lack of a satisfactory antenna in the Samsung Galaxy S3... since I tried no less than THREE of them and all dropped calls in all the normal areas I happen to travel regularly... This was NOT the case with my older cell phones and is not a problem now with the Motorola Electrify M, all on US Cellular ... I may have mentioned the S3 dropped 22 calls in a three day period (at its worst) and at its best it dropped no less than one call every two days... There almost seemed to be very little rhyme or reason to where/when it would drop... but other phones (about five in all) have not done this in the exact same areas. 

I agree Tom. I bought the Samsung Aviator last spring because it was 4G, over the motorola electrify. Big mistake the last two Samsung have been aweful. The aviator locks up on me at least everyother day and many times when i answer calls i get nothing but some god awful static. This will be my last Samsung. I hate to say it but still miss my Blackberry.
Other than that I love US Celluar

[TomM]

Let me guess, you went from iphone to android?

Forget that.  The Note 2 is better than the newest IPhone by light years.....not even close.

I have not seen the Note.. how much bigger than the Galaxy is it?  Was told it is fairly hard to grip.  Do you use a bluetooth headset with it?

[npope]

I feel so...out of touch. I don't own a cell phone. I have never texted. I don't know a smart phone form an iPhone. Nooks make me a bit nervous (and I only know about them because my six year old has one). "Writing" with a finger freaks me out. I do however, proudly own a trac phone that I keep in the glove box of the car for accidents...although I am not sure exactly how to use it, most of the time.

I suspect I am am becoming my dad.

[TomM]

Tom, check with Verizon as I was told they share/use us cellular towers.

Really... I did not know that.  I will look into that.  I think the issue is the particular phone though... my $600.00 paperweight.

[Kjohnson]

I feel so...out of touch. I don't own a cell phone. I have never texted. I don't know a smart phone form an iPhone. Nooks make me a bit nervous (and I only know about them because my six year old has one). "Writing" with a finger freaks me out. I do however, proudly own a trac phone that I keep in the glove box of the car for accidents...although I am not sure exactly how to use it, most of the time.

I suspect I am am becoming my dad.

As your kids get older, you are going to be glad that they have a phone and that you have a phone.

[Todd]

Let me guess, you went from iphone to android?

My Galaxy SIII Android is better than sliced bread and I'll take that over the iphone koolaid.  They all have screen envy.

[Todd]

Long time US Cellular user.  Tried ATT for a while and just not cutting it where I happen along.
All my prior US Cellular phones (Erickson, LG, Motorola) rec'd a good signal and almost no dropped calls over a 16 year span.
THEN, at the end of July 2012, I purchased the "Samsung Galaxy S3".  Ordered the first one on the phone... it arrived in a day or so.  Had it activated and it would not hold a call.  Drop after drop after drop.  US Cellular sent me another one three weeks later. I had to pay almost $40.00 for the next one, evidently because the $300.00 I had already paid was not enough for a phone that works.  After amost 50 dropped calls later within three weeks, and with the assistance of a tech at a corporate store I was sent my third Galaxy S3 (advertised as the greatest phone ever)... after a few more months I just could not take it anymore and on the day it dropped six calls in three hours I finally had to give up.  So... $315.00 MORE DOLLARS later, I now have a used Motorola Electrify M that actually works as a phone.  I now have a $600.00 paperweight called the Samsung Galaxy GS3.  It works great surfing the internet, but I needed a phone with an antenna.  The Electrify is a bit smaller and the apps work a little different, but hey... I need a phone that actually works as a phone first... Nothing like 'I can't get no ... satisfaction'... US Cellular and Samsung obviously feel I was a fool to buy that phone and deserve to pay over $300.00 for one that works.
Gotta love big corporations that could give a rip about whether their product works or not.
I know this phone works for some people (probably a lot of people), but all my other phones worked fine no matter where I went and this model is just ... well... what can I say?
I might add that is is really frustrating to purchase screen guards for each phone, only to have to replace them with each different phone and to have to replace all your apps and options each time you replace one, figuring "this one will work".
I've even had a US Cellular rep refuse to take my calls or return my voicemails and texts and emails.  So I am glad I can get calls now, if I could get service reliably with ATT or Verizon or whatever, I would switch...  Thing is, to find that out, I would have to pay big bucks to subscribe to some other service and then they only give you 15 days now to figure out if their system works for you.  What a raquet!

I've had 2 GSIII and never had those problems.  Verizon has been great to deal with and we had switched from T-mobile years ago, best move we ever did.  My work used ATT and they were terrible as well. 

[Ghetto]

Let me guess, you went from iphone to android?

My Galaxy SIII Android is better than sliced bread and I'll take that over the iphone koolaid.  They all have screen envy.

Um, not so much.

My ex wife has a Galaxy SIII and she has taken it back twice and had it replaced. It shuts itself down for no reason.

I'm still using my iphone 3gs from the last century. I literally throw mine around and though the power button popped out, it still works.

[Todd]

A buddy of mine in the UK works for Nokia... when I complain about the android using up the battery, he reminds me it is actually NOT a phone, it is a computer... with a phone attached.

The GSIII lasts all day for me and I do a fair amount of data usage during the day.  I actually bought 2 extended batteries and a charger when I got it because of my experience with the Droid Bionic (Battery Hog).  Since the Jellybean update and even the update on my wife's Bionic we don't need the extended batteries and they keep a charge all day.  I keep an extra battery in my coat just in case but again I haven't had to use it. 

[Todd]

Long time US Cellular user.  Tried ATT for a while and just not cutting it where I happen along.
All my prior US Cellular phones (Erickson, LG, Motorola) rec'd a good signal and almost no dropped calls over a 16 year span.
THEN, at the end of July 2012, I purchased the "Samsung Galaxy S3".  Ordered the first one on the phone... it arrived in a day or so.  Had it activated and it would not hold a call.  Drop after drop after drop.  US Cellular sent me another one three weeks later. I had to pay almost $40.00 for the next one, evidently because the $300.00 I had already paid was not enough for a phone that works.  After amost 50 dropped calls later within three weeks, and with the assistance of a tech at a corporate store I was sent my third Galaxy S3 (advertised as the greatest phone ever)... after a few more months I just could not take it anymore and on the day it dropped six calls in three hours I finally had to give up.  So... $315.00 MORE DOLLARS later, I now have a used Motorola Electrify M that actually works as a phone.  I now have a $600.00 paperweight called the Samsung Galaxy GS3.  It works great surfing the internet, but I needed a phone with an antenna.  The Electrify is a bit smaller and the apps work a little different, but hey... I need a phone that actually works as a phone first... Nothing like 'I can't get no ... satisfaction'... US Cellular and Samsung obviously feel I was a fool to buy that phone and deserve to pay over $300.00 for one that works.
Gotta love big corporations that could give a rip about whether their product works or not.
I know this phone works for some people (probably a lot of people), but all my other phones worked fine no matter where I went and this model is just ... well... what can I say?
I might add that is is really frustrating to purchase screen guards for each phone, only to have to replace them with each different phone and to have to replace all your apps and options each time you replace one, figuring "this one will work".
I've even had a US Cellular rep refuse to take my calls or return my voicemails and texts and emails.  So I am glad I can get calls now, if I could get service reliably with ATT or Verizon or whatever, I would switch...  Thing is, to find that out, I would have to pay big bucks to subscribe to some other service and then they only give you 15 days now to figure out if their system works for you.  What a raquet!

The problem wouldn't lie with your phone, it'd be your carrier.  

And I went from the 4G Evo 3D to the NoteII and it's been incredible.  Though like I said, unless you're using a 10-15 year old phone, they should all pertty much have the same service as they're all working off the same towers.  Phones shouldn't come with antenna's anymore.

AS for the Battery, the Galaxy Note II battery lasts for 4-5 days if I'm not using the internet or my navigation.  Though I have an extra battery and charger, I've had it for 3 months now and haven't had to use it.  I went up to the state tourney and didn't have to charge it once. 

I'm generally not really concerned with what phone I have as I've just gotten a new one when my 2 year contract came up, but this phone is different.  It's basically like a small laptop...

When my wife needs an upgrade from the Bionic we're getting a NoteII or whatever version is out then.  Those things are impressive.  Love the screen but yet not as big as a tablet!