My First Smart Phone... Update: Success!!!

[cmac]

Originally Posted by rsay777

I would first connect the phone with the cable supplied and observe the PC screen. You should see a small window pop up asking something like "what do you want to do when this device is connecting?" at that point you now know the 2 devices are communicating.

There's another step before this. For security, Android will default to only charging when connected to a computer, and you have to tell it to transfer files. On the phone an option menu will appear at the top of the screen, and you have to open the and select 'Use USB for file transfer'. Then the PC will recognise that there's something to work with.

There's a step by step guide here -> https://support.google.com/android/answer/9064445

[rsay777]

Thanks for the additional clarification. Did someone say "it takes a village?

[shufflebeat]

As far as an audio player goes, it depends on your intended use. I use my phone for scratch recordings and rehearsal so I find the "AB repeat" app is great for setting up a loop within a track. If there's a section of a song I want to repeat I set and A and B point and tell the app to loop that until I instruct otherwise. A/B points can be tweaked and saved for later to avoid having to set them up every time.

For file transfer and extra storage it's also worth knowing that Android supports USB OTG (on the go) (cables appx £10) which allows you to connect an external thumb drive for copying to/from, great for big files like video.

[jseth]

Thanks to everyone who chimed in... all your replies were read and sorted...

I can scarcely believe it, but I got it all done, with only a few "#$(^*&!!!" moments thrown in on the side!!!

All music in the phone; some high res, most lower... I still have to do some work on a few files that only copied one tune of an album, instead of all... but it's very doable...

Looked at more than a few, ended taking cnac's suggestion of Pulsar; I got the free download version, but after I use it a while, if I like it I'll buy it... when an app says $2.99, is that the total cost and it's on my phone without further charges? Still very new to this stuff...

Anyway, I feel pretty chuffed with myself right now, and I wanted to thank everyone for your assistance... even all the early Luddite comments helped to alleviate any angst I was feeling...

Is this a GREAT Forum or what???

[rsay777]

Now some Bluetooth earbuds and you are ready to roam. A connected playlist of a few hours and I'm ready to tackle the "honey do list"

[AX17609]

I'll be interested to hear how the OP actually uses the phone. Before I got mine, I asked the members of this forum what their favorite apps were and how they integrated their phone into their daily lives. My reality has been much different than what was suggested.

Most of my use is text. My wife and I text each other even when we're in the same house. It's also very useful for those "is this what you wanted me to buy?" moments, often accompanied by a picture of the item in question. After text, the next use is Wikipedia. I probably look up things 10 times a day. Next would be to-do lists, shopping lists, etc. The "notes" and "reminders" features are very helpful and sync nicely with my desktop computer. Email probably comes next followed by a Weather app and the calculator. I don't do any social media (I removed all the FaceInstaSnapChat apps), and I rarely listen to music. Oddly enough, about 100 miles down the list is my SmartPhone's use as a phone.

[jseth]

Well, I'm fast realizing what an incredible little tool this thing is... and, if I DON'T have it with me, well, I can't use it, can I?

Never have been a slave to a phone... a bit of abhorrence is more like it; useful, but a bother at times.. rarely even took my first cell phone with me when I went out and about, had to train myself to bring it along if I was leaving the house for an extended period... but it was marginally useful.

This little dude is another beast... not just because I have some music on it. I'm very much enjoying learning and implementing it's capabilities into my life as a splendid tool and assistance!

Oh, and I made my first "shopping list" on the thing this morning... I used to write on a scrap of paper, and when it was "big enough" to warrant a trip to the store, I would frequently forget the dang thing and shop by memory... now, if I have that phone with me...

Loving it... I can see why so many folks have their faces stuck in their phones so much... but to me it's more a marvelous tool that I'm learning and using...

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by AX17609

Oddly enough, about 100 miles down the list is my SmartPhone's use as a phone.

Reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend a few years back. He had a flip phone. I was rattling off all the things my phone did: email, Facebook, calendar, music player, camera, password safe, flashlight, metronone, tuner, weather, maps, to-do list...

He stopped me and held up his flip phone and proudly said, "My phone makes phone calls."

[rsay777]

I was a flip phone guy for nearly 20 years who had a negative opinion of smart phones. I was recently informed that the old 3G phone would soon not function. (was I scammed?) anyway I popped for a budget Samsung and it does more than I need. I like the way it logs all texts and phone calls which makes it easy to view a history. Marking scam calls in bright orange is cool.

Even though I've had computers, tablets and mp3 players for as long as I can remember having the SP in the front pocket with hours of music on board the SD card is awesome. Access of various radio stations and music through Apps is handy. I've run down (5 hrs) the bluetooth earbud batteries many times. I literally can't hear any external noise when I'm plugged in. This could be dangerous if there is some kind of emergency going on.