Samsung Galaxy S III Pocket Computer

Front and Back of the Samsung Galaxy S III
(click for larger image)

My Motorola Solana (Droid 3) developed bit rot, and rather than enforcing the warranty I decided to upgrade my pocket computer, selecting the Samsung Galaxy S III on Verizon.

• Selection page -- See here for my reasoning on the warranty and on why I picked this device.

I promptly broke the locked bootloader and installed CyanogenMod-10 based on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

• CyanogenMod main page.
• Why CyanogenMod? -- My reasons for rejecting the carrier's OS image and picking CyanogenMod.
• Installing CyanogenMod-10 -- And unlocking the bootloader.
• Bloat in the Stock Image (not finished).

I use my pocket computer for a variety of activities. I have had it for about five weeks as this is written, and I am completely satisified with it.

• Initial Checkout -- A list of features and capabilities, evaluated on both Verizon's stock image (Android 4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich) and CyanogenMod-10.
• Details of Some Checkout Items
• Applications

To set up the machine the way I want, I've had to do some hacking, which is still in progress.

• Settings -- Jimc's personal preferences for the pocket computer's behavior.
• Hacking
• Bug Reports -- Including fixed bugs.

I use my pocket computer for quite a range of activities, some of which are not contemplated and definitely not supported by the carriers.

• Read e-books, downloaded journal (magazine) issues, etc. Other users say the major use of their handheld device is to view field maintenance manuals or product catalogs at the customer's site independent of whether an internet connection is available.

• Web browsing. A lot of my home automation and internal media services are set up with a web interface. I generally read mail on my own server via webmail. Of course I use global web resources too. I use the generic Android browser.

• Listen to music: replace your iPod^®. Via Bluetooth A2DP (stereo audio at 22kHz), no wires.

• Keep personal records. I have hypertension and I need to monitor my blood pressure, and I found it very useful on trips abroad to record dutiable and taxable items as purchases were made. I didn't purchase or create a dedicated application for this: I used generic Linux tools, a spreadsheet program and a flat file editor.

• Play games. Other smartphones also have games, and I'll leave it to the reader's judgment whether their possibilities or Android's are more numerous and more interesting.

• Map navigation. This is particularly likely to be done outdoors in bright sunlight. While I mainly use Google Maps, a very nice addition would be a map program that could display USA National Park Service maps, and US Army Map Service maps.

• Photography when the real camera is too obtrusive or not in hand.

• PIM/PDA functions: contact list and calendar. Most people include e-mail in the PIM suite, but I use webmail on my own server.

• Communications. While for some people the main emphasis of the cellphone is communication, I emphasize other activities; nonetheless, communication is important to me, in these categories:

  • Voice chat (the traditional telephone role)
  • XMPP instant messages, securely through my own server.
  • SMS, commonly referred to as text messages.
  • SSH to connect securely to my shell account at work or at home from anywhere in the world.

• Motorola Solana (Droid 3 on Verizon) (2011-11-23)
• HTC Dream (G1 on T-Mobile) (2009-03-30)