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My Samsung Galaxy S III

  • By Steve Schwartz
  • Published Nov 9, 2012 by Que. Part of the My... series.
    • Copyright 2013
    • Dimensions: 6" x 9"
    • Pages: 576
    • Edition: 1st
    • Book
    • ISBN-10: 0-7897-4963-7
    • ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-4963-5

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Product Author Bios

Steve Schwartz got an early start as a computer industry writer and author. Immediately after buying an Apple II+ in 1978, he began writing regularly for the computer magazines of the day. Since then, he has written hundreds of articles for major publications, including Macworld, PC World, InfoWorld, and Computerworld. He is also the author of more than 60 books on game and computer topics, including guides to business/productivity software (Microsoft Office, Access, and FileMaker Pro), Internet software (Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Entourage, and Gmail), and graphics/imageediting software (Picasa, Picture It!, Digital Image Suite, and CorelDRAW).

 

Before becoming a full-time writer in 1990, Steve served as editor-in-chief for Software Digest and technical services director for Funk Software. He also authored the first trade paperback on the then-new Nintendo phenomenon: Compute!’s Guide to Nintendo Games.

 

Steve has a Ph.D. in psychology, consults on game and database design issues, and lives in the fictional town of Lizard Spit, Arizona. You can see the complete list of his published books at http://www.siliconwasteland.com/misc.htm.

Friendly, quick, and 100% practical, My Samsung Galaxy S III is the must-have companion for every Samsung Galaxy S III user. Authored by Dr. Steven Schwartz, a leading expert in demystifying complex technologies, this book walks new users through every task they'll want to perform, including:
* Setting up the Samsung Galaxy S III and mastering its TouchWiz touch interface
* Placing and receiving calls
 * Browsing the web with the latest mobile version of Google Chrome
* Using social networks, managing contacts, and creating calendar appointments
 * Send and receive email from multiple accounts * Moving data between phone and computer
 * Playing and managing music
 * Watching video from movies, TV, and other sources
* Shooting and sharing photos and HD video
* Using built-in and third-party apps for productivity and fun
* Customizing and optimizing the Samsung Galaxy S III phone, services, and usage
* Troubleshooting and fixing problems
 
Every task is presented step-by-step, using carefully annotated, full-color screenshots, all numbered so there's no chance of getting lost of confused. Everything's clearly organized in modular, self-contained chapters designed to help readers get up-and-running in no time, and keep their Samsung Galaxy S III smartphones working exactly the way they want. Throughout, the book is packed with helpful tips, lists, and quick solutions to the problems users are most likely to encounter.

Customer Reviews

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Comprehensive Guide For The Masses, November 24, 2012
By 
W. Hohenschuh "Engineer" (Corvallis, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: My Samsung Galaxy S III (Paperback)
There was a time when the iPhone was the only phone with a large enough individual market share to demand high-quality third party user guides. Today that phone has several guides aimed at everyone from the hard-core tech consumer to their less tech-comfortable grand parents, but that day has come and gone.

The Galaxy S3 will sell millions of units this year and at the time of this review (November 24, 2012) this is (in my opinion) the only manual that looks polished enough to have shipped with the phone, the only guide anywhere near comprehensive, and the only Galaxy 3S book that is worth spending money on. I don't doubt that other guides will likely come out in the near future with more specialized target audiences and when that happens you may face a more difficult buying decision, but for now you will be hard pressed to find a more comprehensive, readable, and all around polished guide than this.

******

Lets start with the book itself. It's... Read more
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth The Price and More, December 3, 2012
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: My Samsung Galaxy S III (Paperback)
I am new user of smart phones. Picked up my Samsung Galaxy S 3 a couple of months ago. Have spent most of the time stumbling through how to use it. This book makes everything clear to me now. It is well organized and really beautiful in terms of design and layout. I am walking my way through it, chapter by chapter. It is so I am getting a lot out of it. If you are an old hand at smart phones and etc, you may not need the book. It is light years better than the owner's manual which I had to download from the Internet.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Can finally actually USE my Galaxy S3, January 13, 2013
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: My Samsung Galaxy S III (Paperback)
I got a great deal on two Galaxy S3 smartphones for Christmas, so I finally retired my beloved flip phone took the leap! Well, I can tell you that if you are new to android devices, you need this book. I tried the Samsung download instruction book, and it simply did not do the job! People in my generation want and need an instruction book that they can hold in their hand and highlight, underline, etc. We want to interact with the instructions in a rational way while holding the device in our hands. I examined many of the Amazon books, and read the reviews carefully...what sold me were the screenshots. i have done some Instructional Design work in my career, and this book follows classic id principles. I have always advocated annotated screenshots aligned with clear sequential instructions for each task. This book does not assume that you already know ANYTHING; it starts from the beginning and lets you jump around as often as you need without getting lost. This was great buy!
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Online Sample Chapter

Social Networking and Socializing with your Samsung Galaxy S III

Table of Contents

1 Galaxy S III Essentials     3

The Galaxy S III Hardware     3

The Android Operating System and TouchWiz     6

The Galaxy S III Interface     7

Customization     8

Charging the Battery     10

Powering On/Off     10

Darkening and Restoring the Display     13

Restoring a Dark Display     13

Setting the Screen Timeout Interval     14

Adjusting the Volume     15

Using a Headset or Headphones     17

Wired Headset or Headphones     17

Bluetooth Headset     17

Setting Up Voicemail     21

Gmail and Your Phone     22

Creating a Gmail Account     22

Registering Your Gmail Account     23

Creating a Samsung Account     25

Working with Data     29

Manually Setting a Connection Method     30

Connecting to a New Wireless Network     31

2 Understanding the Android/TouchWiz Interface     35

The Home Screen     36

The Status Bar    36

Main Area     37

Extended Home Screen     37

Primary and Other App Shortcuts     38

Using the Hardware Keys     39

Menu Key     39

Home Key     40

Back Key    41

The Notifications Panel     41

Interacting with the Touchscreen    42

Using Your Fingers     42

Rotating the Screen     45

Entering Text     47

Using the Keyboard: Tapping     48

Using the Keyboard: T9 Trace     50

Using Voice Input     53

Editing Text     55

3 Managing Contacts    59

The Contacts Interface     60

Creating a Contact Record     62

Adding a Photo to a Contact Record    67

Viewing Contacts     71

Editing Contact Records    72

Editing Contacts     72

Setting Defaults for a Contact     74

Joining and Separating Contacts     75

Marking Contacts as Favorites     77

Deleting Contacts     78

Working with Contact Groups     80

Creating a Group     80

Changing a Group’s Definition    82

Adding or Removing a Person from Group Membership     82

Emailing or Texting a Group     84

Reordering the Groups     86

Deleting a Group     86

Backing Up/Restoring and Exporting/Importing Contact Records     87

Backing Up Contact Data    88

Restoring Backups     95

Importing Contact Data from Other Sources into Google Contacts     102

Odds and Ends     109

The Send Email and Send Message Commands     109

Setting Display Options     109

4 Using the Calendar    113

Adding Calendar Accounts     113

Working in Calendar     115

Creating Events and Tasks     115

Viewing the Calendar     122

Managing Events and Tasks     127

Responding to Reminders    128

Setting Calendar Preferences     131

5 Synchronizing Data     137

Developing a Sync Strategy    137

Microsoft Exchange Server    138

Google/Gmail     138

Alternative Software     141

The Sneakernet (Manual) Approach     142

Enabling Autosync     143

Performing Manual Syncs     145

6 Placing and Receiving Calls    149

Placing Calls     150

Manual Dialing     150

Dialing from a Contact Record     153

Dialing and Texting from the Call Log     154

Dialing a Number in a Text or Email Message     157

Emergency Calling     159

Other Outgoing Call Options     161

Speed Dialing     161

Temporarily Blocking Your Caller ID     167

Three-Way Calling    167

Pause and Wait Commands     169

Receiving Calls     171

Responding to an Incoming Call     171

Call Waiting     173

Call Forwarding     174

In-Call Options     175

Icon Options     176

Other In-Call Options     177

Using Voicemail     178

Enabling Silent and Airplane Mode     180

Silent Mode     180

Airplane Mode     182

Configuring Call Settings     183

7 Text and Multimedia Messaging    187

Creating Messages     188

Composing a Text Message (SMS)     188

Composing a Multimedia Message (MMS)     192

Managing Conversations     196

Responding to a New Message Notification     196

Continuing a Conversation     198

Reviewing a Conversation     199

Deleting Conversations     200

Deleting Messages     201

Other Options for Individual Messages     202

Searching for Messages    204

Configuring Messaging Settings     205

8 Browsing the Web     213

Launching the Browser     214

Visiting Web Pages     215

Typing the Address    216

Following a Link     217

Visiting a Bookmarked, Recent, or Saved Page     218

Searching for a Site or Page     220

Viewing Pages     220

Portrait Versus Landscape View     221

Magnification (Zoom)     221

Refreshing the Page     222

Working with Windows     223

Page Navigation     224

Adjusting the Browser’s Brightness and Colors     225

Incognito Browsing     225

Working with Bookmarks     227

Creating a Bookmark from the Current Page     227

Creating a Bookmark from the History List     228

Editing Bookmarks     229

Organizing Bookmarks in Folders     231

Deleting Bookmarks     233

More Menu Commands     234

Configuring the Browser     237

9 Sending and Receiving Email     239

Adding Email Accounts     240

Automatically Adding an Account     240

Manually Adding an Account     243

Configuring Email Accounts     247

Editing Account Settings     248

Deleting an Account     254

Retrieving Mail     255

Reading Mail     256

Viewing and Saving Attachments     260

Composing and Sending Mail     262

Creating a New Email Message     263

Replying to Mail     266

Forwarding Mail     267

Adding Attachments and Inserts     268

Managing the Mail     271

Deleting Messages     271

Moving Messages     274

Changing the Message Read Status     275

Marking Important Messages     277

10 Social Networking and Socializing    279

Using Flipboard     279

Adding Social Networking Accounts     280

Adding Content Feeds     283

Viewing and Interacting with Content and Feeds     284

Chatting with imo     287

About imo Instant Messenger     289

Setting Up imo: First Launch     289

Starting a Chat     293

Responding to a New Message     294

11 Installing and Using Applications     299

Running an App    299

Launching an App     300

Using the Hardware Keys     304

Switching Among Running Apps     307

Exiting an App     308

Downloading and Installing Apps from Google Play     308

Customizing Google Play    312

Enabling App Downloads from Other Sources     315

Using the Amazon Appstore for Android     317

Installing the Amazon Appstore App     317

Downloading Apps from the Amazon Appstore     319

Customizing the Amazon Appstore     323

Managing Apps     327

Creating Shortcuts     327

Uninstalling Apps    328

Updating Apps    332

12 Using GPS Apps     335

Enabling/Disabling GPS     335

Driving Directions     337

Google Navigation     337

Google Maps     341

Google Local (Places)     343

13 Transferring and Sharing Files     349

Using Kies Air     350

Transferring Files from Phone to Computer     352

Transferring Files from Computer to Phone     355

Transferring Files over USB     358

Transferring Files Using Bluetooth     362

Pairing the Phone with the Computer    362

Sending Files from Computer to Phone     367

Sending Files from Phone to Computer     368

Emailing Files     371

Emailing Photos     371

Emailing Songs     373

Transferring Files Between Phones     374

Using Wi-Fi Direct    375

Using S Beam     377

Using Share Shot     380

Broadcasting with Group Cast    383

14 Playing and Managing Music     389

Playing Stored Music with Music Player     389

Working with Playlists     394

Creating a Playlist     394

Playing Songs from a Playlist     397

Managing Playlists     398

15 Shooting, Editing, and Sharing Photos     405

Shooting Photos    405

Shooting Self-Portraits with the Front Camera     406

Shooting Photos with the Rear Camera     408

Changing the Camera Settings     410

Reviewing Photos     415

Viewing Photos in the Gallery     419

Running a Slideshow     425

Using Photo Editor     428

16 Videos from Movies, TV, and Other Sources    435

Streaming Video to the Phone     435

Streaming with a Dedicated App     435

Streaming from Web Pages     438

Playing Videos with the Video Player App     438

Using the Video Player Menu     442

Converting DVD Videos for Playback on the Phone     444

Recording Videos with the Phone    450

Video Chats     453

17 Customizing Your Phone    455

Customizing the Home Screen     455

Selecting Wallpaper     456

Rearranging, Removing, and Adding Home Screen Pages     459

Adding Shortcuts     460

Adding Widgets     463

Creating Folders     465

Repositioning and Removing Home Screen Items     466

Setting the Apps View     468

Changing System Settings     471

Date and Time     472

Ringtones     472

Enabling Motion Settings     479

Securing the Phone     481

Securing the Lock Screen     481

Unlocking the Screen     490

Setting Lock Screen Options     492

Showing/Hiding Passwords and PINs    493

Using Voice Services     494

S Voice     494

Voice Command for Apps     495

Google Search     497

Accessorize!     498

18 Powering Other Devices    501

Creating a Mobile HotSpot for Wi-Fi Devices     501

Tethering the Phone and a PC    506

Mirroring the Phone on an HDTV     510

19 Optimizing and Troubleshooting     513

Managing Memory with the Task Manager     513

Conserving the Battery     515

Configuring and Enabling Power Saving Mode     516

Tips for Manually Conserving the Remaining Charge     517

Viewing Battery Usage by Features and Apps     519

Managing Talk Time and Data Usage     521

Checking Current Usage     521

Managing Data Usage     522

What’s Cheaper?    524

Can This Call Be Made Later?     524

Viewing and Expanding Storage     525

Viewing Used and Available Space     525

Adding a Memory Card     526

Checking for System Updates     531

Troubleshooting     532

General Troubleshooting     532

Fixing a “Lockup”     533

Performing a Factory Data Reset     533

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