So after months of waiting, when it was released on Monday I couldn't help but feel hesitant about picking one up, lol I'm not sure if it was justifying the money for a piece of plastic or the idea of it coming out was more exciting than actually buying it, for me the main seller is the cinema, I'm a huge movie buff and watch movies a lot before bed on my Note 10.1 2014 or Note 4 (If too lazy to grab my tablet) so this is right up my ally, i hope. The other sell is the Harmonix music player, I'm hoping its included because I haven't heard anyone talk about it since launch, I'm hoping they just forgot and it doesn't mean that it sucks or isn't included, being able to lay back on the couch and basically meditate and vibe out with immersive visuals to my favorite music sounds pretty awesome. Lets hope. Honestly those reasons and the fact I specifically opted for the Note 4 over the Note Edge in anticipation for the VR kind of pushed the sale, Otherwise getting the Note 4 would have been in vain lol.
Honestly I'm pretty excited to get it now that its ordered, needless to say I sprang for the Next Day shipping from Samsung because of my hesitation to grab one early in the week, and I wanted to get it to play with over the weekend, so It SHOULD be sitting on my doorstep ready to rock when I get home from work tomorrow.
Questions to the people who already have one in their hands:
Any tips or tricks I should know before getting this tomorrow?
Any cool features I need to know about?
Is the included content easy to run through within a day and does any of it have playback value? (I.E. The ocean, concerts, Iceland etc.)
Loading your own Movies from SD, simple?
Overheating?
Battery Life?
Worth the money?
Gaming?
Current Content & Does it seem like future content will be coming pretty regular?
Is there a content store or just what's on the Included SD card?
Etc.
Any and all thoughts appreciated, I've been reading the threads people have posted who have already picked one up and it's helped me find some validation in grabbing one.
Thanks Guys, Pretty jazzed up due to the wait and the reviews I've been reading and watching, but nervous I just dipped into the savings (especially during the already expensive Christmas time) to buy a tchotchke lol I mean I'm no stranger to Early adopting, especially with Samsung but you never know what you are in for!
Again thanks for any help!
To be honest, I don't want to ruin the surprise for you. But i would save the gaming for last...
I just ordered a Gear VR as soon as I installed the Verizon VR update (wanted to wait for that to happen before ordering- this was quick for Verizon).
nick2k said:
To be honest, I don't want to ruin the surprise for you. But i would save the gaming for last...
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Click to collapse
Lol I'm intrigued, do tell! What am i in for?
So that the picture isn't blurry you have to put the Gear VR up and down on your face till you find your sweet spot by adjusting it with the headstrap.
And don't forget to remove all plastic covers from the lenses, they are on the front and back of the lenses.
Powerslash said:
So that the picture isn't blurry you have to put the Gear VR up and down on your face till you find your sweet spot by adjusting it with the headstrap.
And don't forget to remove all plastic covers from the lenses, they are on the front and back of the lenses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
Use the Cinema first, it's probably the most impressive and intuitive mode.
Games haven't impressed me much.
I concur that moving it up and down on your face is probably the most important thing for clarity, which Samsung doesn't elaborate much in its manuals.
This is very important if it's pretty cold where you live. If the Gear VR is cold, it will fog up for the first few minutes of use due to it being heated up by the phone and your face. You will notice this because a small fog will form on the lens. What I do is lift the Gear VR off my face about an inch and just blow up into the glass. It will then defog. I have to do this a couple times initially until things warm up. And I'd recommend you watch the Gear VR Intro Video first. And Cinema is real cool with 3d movies / videos. Good luck!
Powerslash said:
And don't forget to remove all plastic covers from the lenses, they are on the front and back of the lenses.
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Click to collapse
That's weird... I did not have any plastic things on the front of my lenses (only had them on the lenses inside of the goggles) S: I had something on the tinted cover thing though? Hope no one played with my VR before delivering X_X
Anyways~
My VR starts getting warm after about an hour of normal use without the cover thing on I leave my cover off because I like walking around with the see through function :silly:
JippleStar said:
That's weird... I did not have any plastic things on the front of my lenses (only had them on the lenses inside of the goggles) S: I had something on the tinted cover thing though? Hope no one played with my VR before delivering X_X
Anyways~
My VR starts getting warm after about an hour of normal use without the cover thing on I leave my cover off because I like walking around with the see through function :silly:
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Click to collapse
Ok i got my Gear VR today and i had the exact same thing as you, only had a plastic film on the lenses inside of the googles and was also worried if it was already used. But the rest looks pretty much unused.
Powerslash said:
Ok i got my Gear VR today and i had the exact same thing as you, only had a plastic film on the lenses inside of the googles and was also worried if it was already used. But the rest looks pretty much unused.
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Click to collapse
It's probably nothing then XD This thing is so fun with my big ass headphones :silly: I feel like a cyborg when I walk around with it
Apparently if you have Titanium Backup or whatever you can use your phone like normal-ish(?)
And don't forget to wipe your phone's screen so no smudges if any XD
Related
Been using my Galaxy Gear since Friday, had the weekend to play with it and in my honest opinion those bad reviewers were smoking something. =)
First off, they say there is lag and it's slow to respond. I'm VERY sensitive to lag and I have yet to find any lag on it, the UI is very smooth for me. It registers all of my swipes first try. The only real "slowdown" is S-Voice, but it's really not that bad considering it has to fetch the information and communicate with the phone.
Second they say the camera is mediocre. I disagree, I think the camera is GREAT on a tiny little device like this especially macro shots. Sample attached.
Third, some say it's uncomfortable, I found out after wearing for 10 minutes I hardly notice it on my wrist. It's just as comfortable as any other large men's watch while having a very sleek modern look to it.
Most importantly it doesn't feel like a beta product to me at all, everything works GREAT, it integrates very well with my Note 3. All the things I thought I'd have issues with turns out to be non-issues. I use the stock email client for Gmail and it works fantastic. Battery life is GREAT in day to day use, I went through a whole day of moderate use and still ended with 40 percent life left. It's the perfect companion device for me, I never miss anymore emails, phone calls or text messages. It has a very reliable bluetooth connection, only disconnecting when I'm too far out of range.
Being notified of an email or text message with a discreet little vibration on your wrist during a meeting or movie is priceless. Seeing people's face in awe when you answer a call from your watch never gets old. I'm a cyclist and this thing will be a godsend, I always would have to stop in the middle of a nice ride to check my phone when I receive a text just to see if it's important. Now I can just glance down at my wrist and keep on rolling if it's not urgent.
Lastly, this thing is a chick magnet lol. I had 3 ladies asking me about the watch while standing in line at a show, granted one was like 50+ but still. Chicks see the commercial and they get LOVE IT. I'm happy to report I love it also.
the idea behind the gear is great, but samsung did not impress me with features out of the box. admit it, smartwatch could be done 10 times better, even for 1st generation.
comparing features (except for camera/phone functionality) sony smartwatch 2 has most of them too, and it's like 2.5 times cheaper.
i'm not being cheap or greedy, but paying 300 euros for beta product is way too much in my opinion. i guess it will all change once there are custom roms and more software, but still, this thing should be a beast out of the box on the release day! why do we always have to wait for updates?
Dan37tz said:
Lastly, this thing is a chick magnet lol..
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Agree it is smooth and fast in operation, and as for ladies.... my wife and her daughter want one! Guess I married the right young lady :highfive:
You're preaching to the choir. Great hardware... Love the phone, SVoice and notifications.
I think your just wrong i understand if €300 is a lot of money for you to pay but is it fair to criticise a product because you think it's expensive.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app
thats why i never trust reviewers, remember what they said about the original note? lol
I totally agree with the OP. This device is already great and will get much better.
it's expensive for the things it does. they should include things like sms writing support, full e/gmail browser, web browser, easy way to customize 'clock screen', timer, stopwatch, compass, flashlight (white screen), maps and full notification support i could justify the 300 euros price tag. but at the moment it really lacks simple features, or they are done in an annoying way.
I agree with you
Software software software.... All I read is moans and groans about bloody software. They will come, this is new technology in terms of software.
The real problems are the hardware and that we can do zero about. WHO in their right minds makes a wrist watch that is only water resistant to IP55 ie splashes or minor-some contact with water. If this watch gets a soaking even in the rain it will become a brick.
The clasp. It has the most infamous type of clasp used in the watch trade. There are already threads on this very topic that I warned about when the Gear thread section opened. The sort of clasp is just totally unacceptable for a watch in this price range. The camera is great when there is no moisture on the lens, that hole at the back of the lens needs to be sealed with tape.
The idea, the concept and design are great the software will come BUT this watch may not last long enough to take advantage of further software development. Like it, love it or hate it we cannot blindly enjoy the James Bond feeling for a month or two only, There are several severe hardware features that truly should have been sorted before this came on the market. I hate having to remove this watch every time I go near water and need to immerse my hands. That clasp is already starting to show signs of not closing correctly and those who bend that tiny spigot will soon realise that that bending only resolves the problem for a short time as once we start bending that spigot it weakens the metal and eventually leads to complete clasp failure.
I, like the OP, like the concept and enjoy the experience of ownership but only to a point. I fear a number of those who crow loudly now will soon be writing here about these problems.
I do find it idiotic that some owners have returned their watch due to the lack of software! That is the least of my concerns. This is not a well developed watch. It is also very expensive here in Europe. I don't even want to start the comparison game BUT how does Sony manage to make their devices far more water resistant yet Samsung cannot? OH and don't forget for those of us who live in hot climates its not only rain that causes the damage its also perspiration. Some guys have actually made their own wrist bands to go under the watch strap to prevent perspiration problems! Absurd for us to need to do this.
I do suggest we have a balanced and realistic review of the Gear. It simply isn't all bad and its far from perfect. Its rather clever in so many ways yet.....mmmmmm, not yet there.
Kind regards.
I love the watch, and I too have found a way to wear it and not even notice it's on my wrist.
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
Ryland Johnson said:
Software software software.... All I read is moans and groans about bloody software. They will come, this is new technology in terms of software.
The real problems are the hardware and that we can do zero about. WHO in their right minds makes a wrist watch that is only water resistant to IP55 ie splashes or minor-some contact with water. If this watch gets a soaking even in the rain it will become a brick.
The clasp. It has the most infamous type of clasp used in the watch trade. There are already threads on this very topic that I warned about when the Gear thread section opened. The sort of clasp is just totally unacceptable for a watch in this price range. The camera is great when there is no moisture on the lens, that hole at the back of the lens needs to be sealed with tape.
The idea, the concept and design are great the software will come BUT this watch may not last long enough to take advantage of further software development. Like it, love it or hate it we cannot blindly enjoy the James Bond feeling for a month or two only, There are several severe hardware features that truly should have been sorted before this came on the market. I hate having to remove this watch every time I go near water and need to immerse my hands. That clasp is already starting to show signs of not closing correctly and those who bend that tiny spigot will soon realise that that bending only resolves the problem for a short time as once we start bending that spigot it weakens the metal and eventually leads to complete clasp failure.
I, like the OP, like the concept and enjoy the experience of ownership but only to a point. I fear a number of those who crow loudly now will soon be writing here about these problems.
I do find it idiotic that some owners have returned their watch due to the lack of software! That is the least of my concerns. This is not a well developed watch. It is also very expensive here in Europe. I don't even want to start the comparison game BUT how does Sony manage to make their devices far more water resistant yet Samsung cannot? OH and don't forget for those of us who live in hot climates its not only rain that causes the damage its also perspiration. Some guys have actually made their own wrist bands to go under the watch strap to prevent perspiration problems! Absurd for us to need to do this.
I do suggest we have a balanced and realistic review of the Gear. It simply isn't all bad and its far from perfect. Its rather clever in so many ways yet.....mmmmmm, not yet there.
Kind regards.
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Click to collapse
I disagree with your watch clasp opinion. At first I didn't think I'd like it, but to me, they implemented it well (especially with incorporating the speaker bulge). The bulge of speaker however can get annoying when resting your arm (eg typing on keyboard), but then again I usually take any watch off as even just the standard small, pin in hole type clips annoy me
I think we all agree on the lack of waterproofing and moisture issues needing improvement though...
On a side note, also don't think it's a beta product. It's a proper full release. Just they have a couple of improvements to make like any other first gen thing. First gen does not equal beta!
love mine
galaxy note 3
Love mine, specially now that I have loaded music, videos, apps, email and text work flawlessly, added personal notifications and ringtones. Do I need to go on, this Gear is not supposed to overtake your phone but rather complement it. The apps are coming soon from the developers making this a big success for Samsung.
Ian. B
I just waterproffed my gear with this ! One year waterproofed !! Easy done!
http://www.nanostate.co/
Jeshter2000 said:
I just waterproffed my gear with this ! One year waterproofed !! Easy done!
http://www.nanostate.co/
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Click to collapse
Have you or anyone else done this before? I'm curious as how it works and will/does it affect the feel of the phone/watch?
I'm very paranoid about getting my Gear wet. Something like this would be great.
daddyd302 said:
Have you or anyone else done this before? I'm curious as how it works and will/does it affect the feel of the phone/watch?
I'm very paranoid about getting my Gear wet. Something like this would be great.
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Click to collapse
Nope never used it before.. But you arent getting your gear wet when Applying it. You just make a paper towel wet with the stuff and start rubbing your Gear in with the solution . Then wipe it off with a dry cloth and tadaa you Gear in nano coated...
Will make a video when I find myself having the time.
The reason I bought this was i was paranoid too when I went to the toilet and needed to wash my hands. Now that is all gone...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNnbU2qn0HA
I agree, I'm really happy with my device, within the first 20 minutes of pairing it to my Note 3 I received a call while I was dressing my son and what do you know my wrist starts ringing and i took a call hands free, my note was on the kitchen bench in the other room. I didnt need to hold my wrist up to my mouth and I could hear clearly and likewise to the person on my call. I look at emails/text messages while in meetings, this feature is really handy, I dont feel as rude by looking at my watch, with one tap of the screen I can read a message. Battery life is good, I can get 2-3 days with moderate usage no problems. At the end of the day $360 for a watch that pairs with my phone is a good deal, considering how much you would pay for a half decent watch. This is something I will stick to now and in the future, for my watch.
$300 for the Gear is fine..The watch design itself is worth the $300, think about a Rolex, or other expensive watches which cost $1000+. The Gear looks just as good as the expensive watches, plus you can do more with the Gear... Much Much more.
Reviews are like Arsewholes, everyone does one, and all of them stink!! Think for yourself, if you don't like it you can always return it..
GEAR UNLEASHED!!!!
I think the main reasons for the bad reviews are the price and that it only (officially) works with the Note 3, for now.
The price doesn't bother me as much since I got Best Buy to match that 30% coupon deal. But considering about a year ago, I spent $170 on a Casio G-Shock that does nothing more than tell me the date, time, and tide tables. Big deal. Decent watches cost money, even $300 is on the lower end.
What I never understood was how these reviewers gush about the Pebble, which has zero appeal to me - and I'm a gadget freak too! The reviews frequently compare the Pebble to the Gear, which is silly because the Gear is on a whole other level! They all talk about how the Pebble has so many apps and the Gear is lacking... how long has the Gear been out, 3 weeks?? Apps will come, not at all worried about that.
I also have no idea what the reviews are talking about re: camera quality. It's like they read the 1.9 MP spec and immediately dismiss it as a crap camera. Photos looks great for what it is, I was actually amazed at how well they looked. My only complaint about the camera is that there is no official way to turn off the shutter sounds, lol.
hello everybody,
I just purchased a GG yesterday, after reading a lot of your posts and thank you all for it. What convinced me was the new update that brings full notifications and better battery life. So far, I like it a lot, but of course 1 day is not enough.
There are 2 things I would like to ask other owners, who might have had it for longer time.
I read the post about the IP55 rating, but I would like to know if somebody really dropped it in water (most likely unintentionally), drop some water/liquid on it, got heavy rain, ecc. In other words, something more than washing hands or sweat.
Second point regards scratches. There are a lot of posts about this all over Internet, but very controversial. I would like to know if any of you had any scracth on the glass, the case or the buckle. If any of you experinced any serious bump, drops and so forth. I read somewhere that the GG has sapphire glass, but I seriously doubt it, as usually these glasses are very expensive and are used mostly on more expensive watches.
Thining logically, Samsung should have considered these issues, as after all, it is a watch and you want to wear it, so some kind of protection shluld be there. But I learnt that logic does not always work.
Any advice/experience you would like to share will be much appreciated!!!
Thank you very much,
Roger
I am using GEAR since end of OCT.
- water resistance - rain, drops of water is OK for the watch - if You search the forum you will even find the movie with the gear under kitchen tap water flowing on it. It is NOT ok for shower, swimming, diving etc. Generally - keep it away from water when possible. GEAR build quality is OK
If You wonder how SONY watch behaves - check their forum - a lot of complains and quality issues in general like http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2574988
- scratch resistance - Gear glass is NOT scratch resistant! it scratches very easy so keep it away from any hard objects, sand, metal, etc. Generally speaking- with the product life of maximum 1 year ( yes, we may expect GEAR II not later than September 2014) scratch resistance is not so important, and Samsung for sure will not use sapphire for the glass - it is too expensive.
I've had mine since day one and no problem with it whatsoever. I don't take it off when I wash my hands just careful not getting it wet.
Battery life is pretty strong as you go about two days. Don't have any scratches on it so far but I'm pretty careful when I'm around walls/tables/desks.
Ian B
Mr Ian B said:
I've had mine since day one and no problem with it whatsoever. I don't take it off when I wash my hands just careful not getting it wet.
Battery life is pretty strong as you go about two days. Don't have any scratches on it so far but I'm pretty careful when I'm around walls/tables/desks.
Ian B
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Click to collapse
Same here ^^^
I have washed my hands with mine on and have gotten water on it (even into the speaker area) no problems so far. Regarding scratched, I put on a skinomi shield (invisible shield type). Looks awesome! Super clear and can barely see it's on. I got the full body which has a cover for under the watch (not too sure why you would need it but I put on since it came with it). I should let you know that with the full body cover, the charger takes some work to get it to close but it's definitely close-able. Have fun with you new gear. I know I am.
Picked up a galaxy gear with carbon fiber skin protector from skinomi and it came with a screen protector too. Bought extra screen protectors off Amazon just in case. Everything running great and not worries about scratches anymore. Still very cautious around water though.
Sent from my Hyperdrive Rls 11 Galaxy S4
Had mine for awhile as well. I don't worry about washing my hands or rain. Just wouldn't submerge it to be on the safer side. Scratches... The speaker clasp is pretty scratched up but I'm not too concerned about it. As for the face, I have hit/bumped/scraped on things such as desk, doors, walls, etc. So far it has held up well with no noticeable scratches. However I always worry every time I do bump it.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
I know this is a slightly callous thing to say, but suddenly watches have fallen into the bi-yearly replaceable category.
No longer are they finely hand crafted devices that merely tell you just the time (and sometimes the date), they are an extension of your phone. Generally my analogue time pieces would last me anywhere between 5-15 years. This is technology though and we all know it can become out of date very quickly. It's sad and I dislike this fact, but I know that in a year or two I will want to upgrade to keep up with the Jones'. Not just that, I guarantee the Note 6 won't support the original Gear.
We're stuck in the cycle now!
My gear has me essentially committed to samsung now. I usually switch out phones alot but no more. No nexus 5 for me I guess. I wish I didn't have to use some weird workaround to get it to work with another phone
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
Skinomi Full Body Cover: Clasp Section Won't Adhere?
WRichieX said:
I have washed my hands with mine on and have gotten water on it (even into the speaker area) no problems so far. Regarding scratched, I put on a skinomi shield (invisible shield type). Looks awesome! Super clear and can barely see it's on. I got the full body which has a cover for under the watch (not too sure why you would need it but I put on since it came with it). I should let you know that with the full body cover, the charger takes some work to get it to close but it's definitely close-able. Have fun with you new gear. I know I am.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Were you able to get the Skinomi clasp cover to stay on? Mine was very difficult to get on to begin with and I could never get the corners to adhere properly. Within a couple days, the corners were full of dirt. Skinomi sent me a new one, but same problem. Is there a trick to get the corners to stay down, or is the clasp cover just useless?
I am sure you ll enjoy your gg . I just bought one purely to be used when I am out on my motorbike as it will be alot easier to see who calls etc without reaching to my phone with gloves and stuff.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
jonboyuk said:
I know this is a slightly callous thing to say, but suddenly watches have fallen into the bi-yearly replaceable category.
No longer are they finely hand crafted devices that merely tell you just the time (and sometimes the date), they are an extension of your phone. Generally my analogue time pieces would last me anywhere between 5-15 years. This is technology though and we all know it can become out of date very quickly. It's sad and I dislike this fact, but I know that in a year or two I will want to upgrade to keep up with the Jones'. Not just that, I guarantee the Note 6 won't support the original Gear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Learn some basic electronics work and you'll be able to keep stuff running for much longer. That won't help with stuff that just get outdated to the point where they're no longer useful, but I don't see all that much application for more processing power in a watch. In a few years, just open it up and swap the battery with one purchased for a few dollars on a site like HobbyKing.
NiHaoMike said:
Learn some basic electronics work and you'll be able to keep stuff running for much longer. That won't help with stuff that just get outdated to the point where they're no longer useful, but I don't see all that much application for more processing power in a watch. In a few years, just open it up and swap the battery with one purchased for a few dollars on a site like HobbyKing.
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Click to collapse
I don't need to know much about electronics to know that paying for Battery no matter how cheap, at HobbyKing or at the street corner against someone no longer useful is both immoral and illegal.
klau1 said:
I don't need to know much about electronics to know that paying for Battery no matter how cheap, at HobbyKing or at the street corner against someone no longer useful is both immoral and illegal.
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Click to collapse
By the same logic, once the battery goes dead in your car, it's time to buy a new car because replacing the battery is "immoral and illegal". There's nothing wrong with trying to fix something you own.
This is truly an informative thread, thanks for all the detailed replies.
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
klau1 said:
I don't need to know much about electronics to know that paying for Battery no matter how cheap, at HobbyKing or at the street corner against someone no longer useful is both immoral and illegal.
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Click to collapse
Maybe there is a language barrier issue, but Klau1, if it is your watch then of course you can replace the battery in it with a new one. This is not immoral or illegal in any way.
highlordkram said:
Maybe there is a language barrier issue, but Klau1, if it is your watch then of course you can replace the battery in it with a new one. This is not immoral or illegal in any way.
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Click to collapse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_(crime)
klau1 said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_(crime)
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Lol. There is DEFINITELY a language barrier it seems.....
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_(electricity)
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
@jonboyuk: It turns out the Note 4 doesn't even support the original Gear.
Tati F said:
@jonboyuk: It turns out the Note 4 doesn't even support the original Gear.
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Click to collapse
It's working fine on my T-Mobile Note 4 running fireKat rom
Edit... Mostly fine. The usual unlock issue
I ordered mine with free shipping Thursday afternoon and got it yesterday.
+Good build
+Comes with a hard case (device is already in it, along with sd card)
+Fairly straight forward process
Before putting the device on head:
1. Dragged the Gear sd card folders to my 128gb card
2. Installed the VRintro APK to get the software install process started (the main apps are installed)
3. The process requires a simple registration to access the Oculus market
4. I skipped the card process since already dragged the content to my 128.
5. Once registered, the Oculus Cinema installs
6. Then the fun starts! Put the N4 in the Gear and adjust the gear to fit head
7. Then a brief simple calibration process and tutorial
Quick perspective / review:
1. More immersive than expected
2. Games are good for demos, but I mainly got it for movies
3. The 3D & 360 are surprisingly good
4. The Oculus Cinema ROCKS!!!
5. 2D movies worked fine. The only thing I could not get to work was an older concert from Youtube that was in FLV format and one avi. AVI, MP4, WMV and MKV worked fine.
6. The best Cinema options IMO are Cinema and Void. Void is nice since you can lay down and re- orientate the device view Void also provides the most display real-estate , so highest resolution. That said, I prefer Cinema a tad more due to the immersion.
7. Speaking of resolution, it is best described as between around 720p or a tad less. Before you balk at that, the experience more than compensates and the sense of large scale is impressive and the image quality is very good. Screen door goes away in your mind after a minute or two.
8. Device got real warm, but Void mode was less so, since just a black background.
9. Battery life for me was a tad over four hours watching video. Void mode might add 30 minutes.
10. Did not test a controller yet, but forum reports are any bluetooth controller should work.
11. Also did not test many images, but the immersion was great there too.
I can see this becoming HUGE for Note 4 owners and others companies jumping on the bandwagon. Also eating my words on Qhd being overkill. I now want HIGHER res on the Note 5 so video looks even better
If you are a Note 4 owner and video fan: Buy This Now
mine comes in Thursday. can't wait!
Mine is in 9n Friday and I am PUMPED. Only thing that concerns me is future support. I would really like samsung and Oculus to continue support and place a lot of effort in nourishing a healthy developer environment.
rushless said:
6. The best Cinema options IMO are Cinema and Void. Void is nice since you can lay down and re- orientate the device view Void also provides the most display real-estate , so highest resolution. That said, I prefer Cinema a tad more due to the immersion.
7. Speaking of resolution, it is best described as between around 720p or a tad less. Before you balk at that, the experience more than compensates and the sense of large scale is impressive and the image quality is very good. Screen door goes away in your mind after a minute or two.
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Click to collapse
I too want this mostly for movie watching. I'm wondering how crazy I'd look on a plane with this. :laugh:
Can you describe a bit more about the movie experience? Is it like watching a 60" tv from a few feet away, a movie theater screen from far away, etc?
Awesome review! +1
PS - 3 New games came out on the Gear VR Store. Check it out.
my experience was 4 out of 10....I bought it to watch movies on it...but seriously you can actually count all the pixals, the quality of the video is that bad, I have the HD Quality videos loaded....now I also feel a headache after wear it for almost 30 min...mind it I don't wear glasses....It's a great start but a long way before it could be something of use.....so I'll wait for version 10 or something.
It came with a box, SD CARD Adapter and Mircro-SD card 16GB, also It came with a cleaning cloth to clean the leans...
the phone got headed after using it for 30 min, as if someone had just taken it out from micro oven--hope it doesn't burn my phone..
loaferkan said:
my experience was 4 out of 10....I bought it to watch movies on it...but seriously you can actually count all the pixals, the quality of the video is that bad, I have the HD Quality videos loaded....now I also feel a headache after wear it for almost 30 min...mind it I don't wear glasses....It's a great start but a long way before it could be something of use.....so I'll wait for version 10 or something.
It came with a box, SD CARD Adapter and Mircro-SD card 16GB, also It came with a cleaning cloth to clean the leans...
the phone got headed after using it for 30 min, as if someone had just taken it out from micro oven--hope it doesn't burn my phone..
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Wonder if 2k video improves pixel issue... have you tried watching 4k in cinema mode?
Even with the Note 4 high resolution its still not enough not to notice pixels. I heard that you need like a 16k display which sounds impossible. And it is normal for the phone to get hot and that's per the operator's manual.
But not everyone can physically handle this type of experience. That's the reason why Samsung did not allow this product to be sold in stores like bestbuy. This product is not targeted to the casual user. The majority of experiences will be us geeks showing it off to other people which will drum up interest. And it also gives Samsung and Oculus time to fine tune it for Note 5. Gear VR is a step above the development kits but slightly below a consumer ready product.
Bruce lee roy said:
Wonder if 2k video improves pixel issue... have you tried watching 4k in cinema mode?
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yes the 2k videos look great, and even the 3D does a better job......
EvanWasHere said:
I too want this mostly for movie watching. I'm wondering how crazy I'd look on a plane with this. :laugh:
Can you describe a bit more about the movie experience? Is it like watching a 60" tv from a few feet away, a movie theater screen from far away, etc?
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It is like watching a 100" projector and the cinema is just like being in a huge cinema.
loaferkan said:
my experience was 4 out of 10....I bought it to watch movies on it...but seriously you can actually count all the pixals, the quality of the video is that bad, I have the HD Quality videos loaded....now I also feel a headache after wear it for almost 30 min...mind it I don't wear glasses....It's a great start but a long way before it could be something of use.....so I'll wait for version 10 or something.
It came with a box, SD CARD Adapter and Mircro-SD card 16GB, also It came with a cleaning cloth to clean the leans...
the phone got headed after using it for 30 min, as if someone had just taken it out from micro oven--hope it doesn't burn my phone..
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Click to collapse
If you look for the pixels and focus on them, it could detract, but the point is the total experience and the screen door fades from focus. Kind of like anything else if you focus on it Case in point, I notice and could count pixels in movies theaters and plasma sets. Especially the bigger digital screen systems. Everything is relative
The best view is Void if you want to minimize the pixel issue (also reduces device heat and extends battery). The home theater mode makes the pixels stand out and is like 480p due to less space for the video.
Just imagine a 1080p device with a Gear VR. That would be like an old school bar projector . Samsung knew what they were doing using Qhd. Next years S6 and Note 5 apparently up the resolution and likely the VR products are part of their reasoning for the higher res.
My N4 did not get hot as you describe, but I could see intense 3D games doing that, but I will not be playing them. Did not get the headache issues either, but depends on the person of course.
I got mine yesterday and played around with it a bit last night. My opinion is it is really cool and shows where VR could eventually go but definitely don't expect everything to be perfect yet. It all comes down to your attitude going into the experience.
1) Yes the pixels are noticeable and it is a bit worse than watching a hockey game sitting behind the netting behind the goal. You absolutely see and notice the "screen door" but you also can choose to overlook it based on the very cool experience. You also can imagine that in 2-4 years that issue will go away.
2) I wouldn't call things blurry as is being discussed in another thread yet rather the whole viewing image is not in focus. If I look straight at text it is reasonably clear but anything above, below, left or right of where my eyes are focusing will be slightly out of focus. If I move my eyes (and head) just slightly to look at a different area that becomes more in focus as compared to what I had been looking at. For the large images you don't really notice the whole effect so much but when there is a lot of different text on the screen in different areas you will certainly notice it.
3) When you first put the headset on you notice that you are looking through lenses and somewhat notice the blackness associated where your eyes are getting covered up. After a short while you stop really thinking about this and get taken into the experience.
You might read all of this as me not thinking highly of the VR or that this is just another gimmick. Let me come full out and say that isn't how I feel and I was pretty much blown away by the whole thing. I can't wait to see where VR goes from here. The first time you are watching the demo and then hear something to the right and turn your head and see something on your right that you had no idea was there you will get sucked in. From there you keep looking to your left, right and behind you and become pretty amazed.
So my take is that there are certainly issues and VR is not "there" yet but from this experience you really start to understand where VR could go and it no longer feels like an impossible technological hurdle to climb. It is no longer a question of if VR is really possible but more a question of when we are going to get there.
They need more pixels in order to increase the FOV and reduce the screen door. The Note 5 should be even better. Just hoping they keep the form factor of the Note 5 the same as the Note 5 to fit the Gear VR. That said, I will get $200 worth of fun out of this in a year, regardless.
None the less, the Gear VR is a worthy purchase for video fans IMO.
rushless said:
It is like watching a 100" projector and the cinema is just like being in a huge cinema.
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If true, this is freaking amazing.
Bruce lee roy said:
If true, this is freaking amazing.
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The catch is the resolution is less in that mode. Does look cool though.
I have played with my Gear VR for a few days and I totally agree with the review. The experience is amazing. This tech is gonna go really far. It has an insane potential.
Killemalll said:
I have played with my Gear VR for a few days and I totally agree with the review. The experience is amazing. This tech is gonna go really far. It has an insane potential.
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Yeah, im in the same boat, this thing literally blew me away. Showed a lot of folks at work this thing and they were amazed as well. It's definitely the new form of entertainment. The key word is immersive. I think with the sensons onboard the gear vr, it really helps with that. I know the Note 4 has a better screen than the oculus version but I feel we'll need at least 8k or 10k displays to eliminate the screen door effect. But overall, daaaaaammmn.
well i just received mine and all i can say is that i am blown away by it. what am amazing experience. finally, VR for the masses is set to be a reality. i let the wife and kids try it and they were all giggly over it too. one complaint: wearing eyeglasses with it sucks
rushless said:
It is like watching a 100" projector and the cinema is just like being in a huge cinema.
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I have a 100" projector screen in my bedroom and it's no where close to the experience you get when you watch the cinema selection. The screen is bigger than many movie theaters I go to. And the wide video is just crazy. No home theater can touch that.
HTCMario said:
well i just received mine and all i can say is that i am blown away by it. what am amazing experience. finally, VR for the masses is set to be a reality. i let the wife and kids try it and they were all giggly over it too. one complaint: wearing eyeglasses with it sucks
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Wearing glasses with Gear VR is pretty uncormfortable i assume, can the focus wheel not adjust to your eyesight without glasses properly?
hows the GEAR VR with glasses? anybody tried it? does it cover the glasses form?
Glasses
bogdan_wrc said:
hows the GEAR VR with glasses? anybody tried it? does it cover the glasses form?
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Getting my Gear VR by UPS later today and also wondering about this. I watched a few unboxing videos and saw that there is an adjustment for nearsightedness...a dial you turn at top center it looked like. But one of the people in the video wore glasses and said it was OK.
I did also see that there is apparently a risk of damaging the lenses in the Gear VR by wearing glasses so we should take care as we try. Let us know your experiences as you test it out.
i am taking into consideration buying, if it can be used ok with glasses and if i find a reasonable price in EUROPE.
bogdan_wrc said:
i am taking into consideration buying, if it can be used ok with glasses and if i find a reasonable price in EUROPE.
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Just tried it with glasses and it works fine! There's a bit more pressure on your nose, but it definitely is possible. Didn't notice a big difference between having my glasses and not having them, as I'm near sighted. :good:
It really depends on the glasses. My tiny wireframes work just barely, but neither of my thicker frames even come close.
I was hellbent on wearing my glasses for awhile, but I have gradually learned to go without. The extra pressure on them kept worrying me that they were going to end up getting bent.
If you are nearsighted you might try without glasses since the screen is quite close - it works better for me that way.
i got these types:
http://www.ray-ban.com/international/products/optics/RB8411
i will try them when i have the occasion, but in EUR i cannot find them neither in stores, nor online with 30 days money back guarantee.
Mine kinda pinched my nose bridge too hard and i think it looked the same without them
Hi everybody,
in my Samsung Gear VR, when I look in the corners without moving my head, just with my eyes, it looks really unclear/blurred :/
And generally, it don't looks like it is really sharp. I thought it could be my eyes? Because actually I wear glasses and my eyes are not same strong. But under the Gear I'm not able to wear them.
Would really like to hear some experience from others.
Thanks.
EscapeMaster said:
Hi everybody,
in my Samsung Gear VR, when I look in the corners without moving my head, just with my eyes, it looks really unclear/blurred :/
And generally, it don't looks like it is really sharp. I thought it could be my eyes? Because actually I wear glasses and my eyes are not same strong. But under the Gear I'm not able to wear them.
Would really like to hear some experience from others.
Thanks.
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If your eyes are different or are too bad to be fixed by the focus wheel then you have no choice but to get contacts. Close each eye individually and see what you experience.
Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk
EscapeMaster said:
Hi everybody,
in my Samsung Gear VR, when I look in the corners without moving my head, just with my eyes, it looks really unclear/blurred :/
And generally, it don't looks like it is really sharp. I thought it could be my eyes? Because actually I wear glasses and my eyes are not same strong. But under the Gear I'm not able to wear them.
Would really like to hear some experience from others.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Gear VR uses one layered biconvex lenses. The convex form bends the light at a certain angle which differs from the middle to the outer part of the screen. As the screen is a flat surface and not rounded in a convex form (equal to the lenses) the outer ranges will for sure get more blurry. This can only be eliminated with multi layered lense constructs like the currently coming up HMDs will use (CV1 / Vive).
In short: Yes this is normal that the picture gets more blurry to the edges.
I found this to be case also, I figured it was just something that you will get with a $99 device.
Hello.
You can use glasses with new Gear Vr Consumer Edition.
It is not a 100% current information but I saw it in few youtubers reviews. Also I own "Gear Vr Light" version which is probably same as Consumer edition and I made life tests. Two of my friends who wear glasses were able to use my VR with the glasses put on. Still you must be very careful to not scratch the lenses but as they told me there is enough room inside of the device.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVX7iruysrM
look at 1:12
Hope it will help some of you
BR.