Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge first impressions

I was asked to give a first impressions review of the Us Cellular Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.

Hope you enjoy watching as much as I enjoyed testing the phone!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_RLCLYCa0c

#USCC, #Betterhood, #Spon

Spring is here

  Hello everyone, the long cold winter is over and it is time to think about spring cleaning. I know this is not most peoples favorite subject, but lets think about our devices. We keep them in a covered in a case all winter long, and we all know how the device screen is a germ magnet, so now it is time to clean them too.
  First take off the case, get a soft damp (not wet) cloth ( an old tee shirt works well), put just a couple of drops of soap on it and clean the case both inside and out. Get another dry cloth or use a dry portion of the damp one and dry the case.
  Now for the device. First be sure the device is powered off, or better yet remove the back cover and battery. (you can live without it for 10 minutes)!You can still use the damp cloth like the case, just be careful not to soak the device. If you have removed the rear cover be sure to clean the inside of the cover, but be careful not to get the internal of the device wet. After cleaning the rear cover, set it aside to dry. Get an old toothbrush, do not wet it, clean around the protruding buttons and bezels GENTLY, let the bristles do the work. Now gently clean the screen with the damp cloth and gently dry it with a soft dry cloth. There are also commercially available electronic cleaning cloths which you can pick up at most any electronics store.
  After ensuring the parts are dry, reassemble the device (if you removed the rear cover), re-install the case and power on the nice clean device.
  Now to get rid of that hidden pocket lint. I recommend cleaning the headphone and charging ports with a toothpick or small paperclip VERY GENTLY!!!!  After using this method you can also use some compressed air like you use on you computer keyboard.

  If you have any questions contact me through the comments.

#Betterhood, #Spon

iOttie QI Wireless charging car dock

   I use this dock daily and move it from one vehicle to another to suit my driving habits, and now cannot imagine being without it!

 This model has a very strong suction cup mount for easy dash/desk mounting, has a nice low profile, and swivels 360 degrees for easy viewing at any angle and provide limitless options for placing this dock in a way as to not interfere with your driving vision. It is big enough to fit my naked Nexus 6 easily, so it should be no problem to fit your device.

  Pros

1. easy to use dash and windshield mount holds extremely well, even on gravel roads (read dirt and “washboards”) with no excessive vibration
2. easy one hand device insertion into the dock
3. wireless charging of course!
4. good build quality for the price point

  Cons

1. The charging cord shipped with the dock is too short to allow for some mounting locations (but it is easy to replace this, just be sure the charger is 2A minimum)
2. No easy way to remove the device one handed
3. Must be careful when inserting device in the dock, it will interfere with the volume button on my Nexus 6 when in the best charging position if not done with care
4. The dock seems to have trouble charging if using Bluetooth and have the screen on for long periods (IE Maps or other navigation apps)

 Overall I would recommend this dock if you can live with the above mentioned shortcomings(IMHO). If not then wait for the updated version sure to come.

Here is a link if you are interested in a wireless car charging dock!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IRHQZTI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1QRAJ3H036GBN&coliid=I1VACF11L050O2&psc=1

John #spon #The Betterhood #US Cellular

Belief points

Hello out there, it has been a while since I have posted on this blog.
This week  I want to talk to you about something my carrier, US Cellular does that no one else does to my knowledge. That is "Belief Points", now if you are not a USCC customer then you don't know about belief points, but if you are a USCC customer let me tell you these are some valuable commodities!  I have personally gotten my Moto X and my wife's Note II for free by using belief points! Also I have used them for early upgrades. Today I went in to get a simple car charger and left with a set of JBL over the ear headphones for free! Just by using points.
Now you may ask how can you get your hands on some of these valuable points, well all you have to do is sign up for a qualifying plan at USCC and pay your bill on time. That is one way. I am getting points just for writing this blog to tell you about them!
Join the Customer crew here and learn more ways to earn points, or comment on this blog and I will be happy to help you get started on the road to getting free stuff!!!

John USCC Customer Crew Member

Music Transfers

  Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying your Labor Day weekend with an Android device from US Cellular!
  I know you all are using your Android devices in a multitude of ways. But are you tired of carrying your phone and your iPod just for music? There is a way to sync your iTunes to your Android device painlessly.
  First is iSyncer for iTunes, I personally use this for my devices. Here are a few of the features of this app.

Go beyond just music syncing with these additional features:
 Works with your existing iTunes playlists for fast setup
 Sync with a cord over USB or sync wirelessly with a WiFi connection
 Also works over MTP, unlike other top solutions
 Include album art with your music to enjoy on your phone
 Sync your ratings, play counts, skip counts, last played date, and last skipped date between iTunes and your phone to keep your smart playlists up to date
 Have a device with internal and external memory? Choose which drive each playlist syncs to
 Sync with multiple iTunes Libraries
 Create smart playlists on your phone using the Live Lists feature
 Sync your MP3 downloads on your phone back to your iTunes library
 Sync your video and podcasts for a complete iPod replacement
 Sync Android playlists back to your computer
 Automate wireless syncing of your music and videos on a schedule

Combine iSyncr with our free Rocket Player music player to take advantage of these additional features:
 Sync new playlists and playlist changes back to iTunes
 Sync podcast bookmarks to and from iTunes
 iSyncr Live Lists dynamically update while playing
 Sync video play counts

  Another good app to sync your iTunes is called Doubletwist. This one even comes with it's own music player. Here are some features.

 Enjoy Magic Radio, the personalized streaming service that seamlessly blends music from your music library with new music uniquely tailored to your musical taste from a catalog of over 13 million songs.
 Sync music (including iTunes playlists) to your phone from your laptop over USB or AirSync over WiFi.
 Download legal, high-quality album artwork for your music.
 Smart Playlists for easy access to your Top Rated and Most Played songs.
 Subscribe to podcasts and get new episodes downloaded automatically over 3G or WiFi.
 Stream music, videos and photos to the Xbox 360, PS3, Sonos, and AirPlay to Apple TV (black model; AirPort Express not yet supported).

I hope this will help some of you with your syncing issues. 

If you have questions about switching to US Cellular, these apps, or Android in general contact me in the comments, on G Plus.

John USCC Customer Crew Member

Finding your Phone

  Hey everyone! This week I want to talk about something that happens to all of us. We all misplace our US Cellular devices, or they get stolen. Well there is help in the form of apps.
  My personal choices for this problem are Seekdroid, with the following features:

Find your phone or tablet anywhere in the world. See your device on a map, set off an audible alarm, wipe the device, and more.

Control the following from our secure website:

- Control Multiple devices under one account (*)
- Locate your device
- Remotely Enable GPS
- Display its location on a map with history! (*)
- Track the device using breadcrumbs (*)
- Get notified if the device has left a fenced-
in area (*)
- Audible alarm (even on silent)
w/ custom message
- Text Messaging support
- Setup SeekDroid Remotely via SMS
- Lock device w/ custom code
- Retrieve recent calls
- Remotely wipe entire phone
- Remotely wipe SD Card
- Hide from app drawer
- Disable App from being
uninstalled
- Virtually no battery drain
- Works without a SIM Card
- Retrieve SIM ID, IMEI,
active phone number, and battery remaining
- More features coming soon!

Setup is easy! Install the application on your device and create a username and password when the application launches. Make sure GPS is enabled for more accurate results, and your Google account is setup on your device. That's all! You can do everything else from our secure website at seekdroid.com

  Next up is the late entry into the race from Google, maker of the Android OS with Android Device Manager. If you own an Android device running the Android OS of 4.0 or above this has probably already been loaded on your device (phone and/or tablet). It is very simple and direct app without a lot of bells and whistles. It just works! 

Now, you can locate and ring your phone or tablet remotely.P

If you've misplaced your device in the house, you can use this service from the web to ring your phone. This function will override any silent or vibrate settings, so you won't have to worry about not hearing it. Additionally, it will show you exactly where on a map that your device is hiding. You can also elect to enable remote wipes, though this needs to be set up on your phone or tablet first before you can trigger it remotely. Here is a video showing the wipe feature of this app. P

  Now go forth and never fear losing your device again!

John USCC Customer Crew Member

More Weather Apps

  Hi everyone! If you know me or are a regular reader of this blog you know I am a weather fanatic! At anytime I may have 4-5 different weather apps on my US Cellular device of the moment, ( I switch phones alot)!
  So with that in mind I have found a new weather app I like a lot, Yahoo! Weather. It comes highly rated and has a 4.4 star rating in the Google Play Store.
  A few of the features are:

The highly-acclaimed Yahoo! Weather app is now available on Android, featuring stunning photos that match current weather conditions and an ALL new design with a ton of new features. See the weather like never before. Easily swipe for the most accurate weather forecasts or add a home screen widget for the latest weather information. Wherever you go, the forecast is beautiful.

Favorite features: Highly acclaimed design with beautiful photos that match your location, time of day, and current weather condition Detailed weather information, including 10-day and 24-hour temperature forecasts Interactive radar, satellite, heat, and wind maps Severe weather alerts Animated sunrise & sunset times and wind & pressure modules Humidity sensor, UV index, and chance of precipitation New home screen widgets

  Enjoy the short video attached. 

  So load up this app and go exploring through the settings and make it yours!!

If you have questions or need help switching to US Cellular, this app, or Android in general ask away in the comments, on G+, or on Twitter.

John USCC Customer Crew Member