yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cezeff:
hey guys i just thought this was pretty cool. i cant take phones and stuff into the office so working can be a bummer sometimes...i wanted to install Google Music to use the cloud but oh no I'm in Japan...even with an on-post IP APO address...but I found this thread for a workaround on the IP issue...http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1350229..it didnt work using TOR but worked just fine using TunnelBear...and once you set it up you dont need to use a masked IP address again...kinda cool to just use your browser or phone to listen to music you got floating in the cloud...
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] domesdkg:
Unless something has changed that I didn't hear about, this is likely related to the way android measures and reports battery charge. I don't remember the details, but you'll see the first few percent disappear very quickly on almost every android device.

Because of this, it's better to use the mid range of the battery charge meter for testing than the upper extreme.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] society mike:
Also, I don't remember off hand if we put it in the instructions for rooting in our ROOT and ROM thread, but when you are in CWM about to install CM9 or CM10, it's a good idea to wipe battery stats as to reset it for the new ROM, otherwise it can report false battery stats.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] SQ3.0dotJP:
Wow, I've had Google music since it came out. Used hidemyip. Its an awesome service
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jutaro:
I just changed my wallpaper and suddenly I can't set is as a scrolling wallpaper anymore. What did I do wrong? It was scrolling before.

I am on rooted stock Rom.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Vocalonation:
I installed CM9 afterall. Going to give this a whirl for 2 weeks, then go back to touchwiz and see how it compares.

However, when I signed up for the phone I had 3 things forced on me by the docomo staff because it gave a discount, i concierge, d-market, and the remote support.

I already got rid of i concierge since it's completely useless for me. However, for 500 yen I'm supposed to be able to see everything on the d-market store? However, does anyone know how to get the d-market app on CM9?

I think it's part of the stock rom, so it's not listed on the docomo site.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] domesdkg:
Did anyone else see the ETA today? Any idea what it did? Wasn't jelly bean like I'd hoped.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] semsem1969:
i don't think its jelly bean cause its only 17.58 MB

i believe its a fix for reset vulnerability issue

the issue was some users report that clicking on link in their browser will hard reset the phone......

you can read about it here

so i believe its important but am still holding on cause am not sure if root going to work after update or not...
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] domesdkg:
It's definitely not JB, I went ahead and installed it. I remember reading about that bug, probably would never have been a problem, but it's nice to see them pushing fixes anyway.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] semsem1969:
how about root? had to do it again???/
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jutaro:
Do you still have root?
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] semsem1969:
try to install the latest OTA,back to stock recovery and try to update fail

temp unroot with voodo ota rootkeeper also failed

had to do it over kies and it worked but i lost root...

then i have to root again and it worked fine no problem

if you able to upgrade through OTA voodo OTA rootkeeper can restore your back up of root...

just heads up...

thanks

edit: also i found out that the update replaced my Google now(had it installed before) with the stock browser...
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jutaro:
I don't have a windows pc. So it's too much work for me to do all that! My phone is fine. I skip that update!
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] soldave:
The fix was to sort out a vulnerability that was found in the Touchwiz software, from what I've read. People are trying to find out if other Touchwiz-enabled phones are affected. For people with CM9 or CM10 then you don't have Touchwiz anyway so you should be good :)
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cezeff:
did the update and rooted just fine....its just assuring to have any fixes they mightve snuck in with the update besides the security issue...if any
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Vocalonation:
Is anyone using the latest sakuramilk cm10 nightly, if so, I is it stable enough to use for daily use?
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] society mike:
Please, everyone keep the root and rom questions in the new thread for it so the questions and answers are easy to find.

See the thread link in my sig.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] domesdkg:
Can't see sigs on mobile, can you just throw a link up?
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dkflint723:
I've been using the sakura CM10 builds for a week or so now. I have noticed that the last few nightlies have become very stable. I am using it for my daily driver now.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] society mike:
No problem, here it is...

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1895737
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] quirido:
camera not working after root

Hi im new here and also im new user of docomo samsung galaxy s3 sc-06d. i tried to have it rooted and it was broken. the camera is no longer working. please help me how i can fix this. if i am going to flash the stock rom will that fix the problem? thank you.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cezeff:
reflashing the stock should fix it...ive screwed stuff up several times and reflashed the stock and it was good to go...recently today i tired to flash an audio mod that i read too late wasnt for us and got caught in a boot loop...just flashed the stock rom and i was good to go...i advise downloading the most update rom from sammobile or another source...it can be rooted using the methods listed in this thread...if that doesnt work maybe i can send you a back up copy of mine...
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] society mike:
Here is the thread for properly rooting your phone.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] quirido:
Thank you cezeff! my camera is now working. I've been reading on this thread and read about cm9 and cm10. im sorry but i still don't get the difference with using stock rom, cm9 and cm10. and also i have read here that the stock camera is better than using cm9? why would there be a difference?
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] zoomingjapan:
Hi!

I'm so glad I found this forum.

I spent the last two weeks researching like crazy, but I hit a dead end now and hope you guys can help me.

I live in Japan. Have been here for many years and thus far have been with Softbank.

I really need a smartphone for various reasons and after doing a lot of research I decided to get the Galaxy S3.

However, I have a hard time to decide whether I should get the Docomo version or the international version.

I have not much technological knowledge, so I don't understand much despite researching so much :/

What I understand is this:

Docomo Version:

74.000yen (+ 3150yen for unlocking, + 10.000yen for breaking the contract)

2GB RAM, LTE

no pure Android (heard people complain about all the Docomo bloatware and stuff)

International Version:

47.000yen (already unlocked)

1GB RAM, 3G

The Docomo version seems to be more expensive, but I'm not sure if it's actually cheaper as they might give me discounts and stuff??

The biggest problem is that I won't stay another 2 years in Japan - that's why I was looking for an international version of the phone.

I WILL break the contract and I want a phone that I can take back home (to Germany) and continue using there without any problem.

I'm not even sure if the international version would work in Japan? (unfortunately as I'm new I can't post a link to the one I want to purchase ..)

I really hope you can help me out here.

What is the best option in my situation?

Thanks so much in advance!!!!
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Habbit:
The advantage of purchasing the Japanese Galaxy S3 is that you will be able to use docomo's LTE network within the country. On the other hand, if you were to purchase an international Galaxy S3, you would be relegated to 3G only. If LTE is not important to you, you should purchase the international version, as you will be able to use it when you return to Germany... though getting it to work on docomo could involve a bit of a headache.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] zoomingjapan:
Thanks so much for your reply!!

I live in the deepest countryside. I'm quite sure that I wouldn't be able to use LTE most of the time anyways?

I'm just worried that I won't be able to use the international version of the phone in Japan. Will I?

I might either cut my current Softbank SIM to micro size and try using that or go with b-mobile .... as that's cheaper than going with Docomo.

They seem to charge a lot if you bring a handset that is not theirs.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] semsem1969:
Be careful when using Softbank sim card, cause your apn will be different and your Internet charges can be outrageous...

I would advise to sign the right apn settings according to your type of sim, use very lite use and check for charges or get the pocket WiFi. And disable your data transmitting...

Also the docomo version on Amazon Japan its about ¥42,000 and the Japanese version has 2 gb of ram which is fast...

And off course the International version will work. No problem..

Good luck...
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] zoomingjapan:
So I could buy the Docomo version on Amazon and go with it to Docomo and get a plan?

That would be cheaper as I wouldn't have to pay the phone anymore, right?

Hmm. Would the Japanese version work without any problems back home in Germany?

Thanks for the warning! I read about the issues with SB and that after changing the APN one should check the bill on a daily basis to not end up with a ridiculously high bill at the end of the month.

If I were to purchase the international version I might go with b-mobile anyways.

If I understand it right then the advantage of the Japanese version is that it has 2GB RAM and can use LTE, otherwise bounces back to 3G.

The disadvantage is that it might be more expensive to get and I'm not sure if I can use it back home without any problems once I leave Japan.

The software is not as pure as the original Android software, but I saw some people managed to get it restored.

The international version doesn't support LTE and has only 1GB RAM, but is already unlocked, but I'm not sure how well it will work in Japan.

Are there any other advantages or disadvantages I need to know?

You guys are really helpful, thanks so much!
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] SQ3.0dotJP:
The Korean version is quad core w/2gig ram.....
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] semsem1969:
it all depends on your budget...and how you can save ..........

off course the Japanese version will work anywhere as long its Sim free,

just make sure before you buy the phone on line to be sim free,also if you close to Tokyo maybe Akihabara is a good place to check prices...

again if you don't care about the money or the LTE i will go with the international version,cheaper plan i could find,and maybe get pocket wifi which its already 4G but it will require a 2 years contract and its about 4000 a month...

also the last thing about the international version,lots of Roms and updates are available for this model....
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] zoomingjapan:
Thanks!

So if I take it correctly I might be better off with an international version that is sim-free, of course.

Would this work? (Expansys.jp Samsung Galasy S 3, sorry can't post links yet)

All I have to do is find a good plan.

As I've never had a smartphone before, I'm not sure what I'm looking for.

I mainly will use it to surf the internet. I don't call that often and mainly real phone numbers and not other cell phone numbers.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jutaro:
I got my SG3 for free from Docomo coz I came from Softbank. MNP!
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cezeff:
the stock camera is the one with zero shutter lag along a few other options....from what i understand (dont quote me) it also process photos and videos better...it cant be ported yet because it requires the touchwiz framework (??) that cm10 or cm9 doesnt...its the only reason i havent switched to cm9 or cm10 as ive began taking lots of photos with my phone...anyone feel free to correct me on my info, please do...
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] zoomingjapan:
Was that a special campaign?

Is the phone really for free, even if you break the contract?

I would come from Softbank, too, via MNP!!!

If I really get the phone completely for free then I have a good reason to go with Docomo!
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jutaro:
The phone is 2500¥ but they give you 3500¥ discount every month! So it's basically free! But you get the discount only as MNP!

And if you break th contract than you have to pay the remaining installments !!
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] zoomingjapan:
So, if I cancel my Softbank contract and take my number with me, I'll get that discount, right?

I'm pretty sure that I have to pay when I cancel my Docomo contract (which I will, cuz I won't stay another 2 years).

The Docomo version is much more expensive than the international version (73.000yen-ish vs. 47.000yen-ish).

Did you have any issues with the Docomo verison of the Android OS they're running which seems to be different from the one that is running on the international one?

Edit: About the remaining installments, that doesn't sound too bad.

I guess I have to pay the "full installments" and won't get the discount version thingie after breaking the contract anymore.

So, in the end it would be cheaper to go with the Docomo version, huh?
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] zoomingjapan:
I can't seem to find anything about a discount on their website at all. (again I can't post the link as a new user ...)

I suppose it was just a special campaign of Docomo?

I'd really love to purchase either version of the phone on Monday, so I need to make a decision soon.

Thanks again for anybody who can give me some advice and answer my questions (see previous comments in this thread).
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] tuoggy:
They give you a 30000 yen discount if you switch before the end of September. It may change after that.

I got 30000 yen up front and then a 1100 discount each month for two years. Definitely worth it.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] zoomingjapan:
Docomo seems to have a few campaigns going on until tomorrow (September 30th) that make the phone and the plan cheaper.

Still I think the international phone is cheaper:

71,400円 (docomo version) + 3150円 unlocking + 10.000円 cancellation of contract = 84550円

- 47,358円 (international version) = 37192円

That's almost 40.000円!

I doubt that Docomo will offer me such a high discount!

So clearly getting the international version would be cheaper.

Also, after reading through this whole thread it seems that the international version can run with Docomo, but not vice versa.

The Docomo version can't work with b-mobile?

I will mainly use the smartphone (it's my first ever!) for browsing the internet when traveling (checking train times, the weather, tourist info etc.), taking photos and sharing on Twitter / Facebook, maybe listening to music, watching videos. That's about it.

I really have no idea about all the different plans the carriers are offering. B-mobile is hard to figure out for me, but as I take it, it would be much cheaper if I go with the international version and a carrier such as b-mobile.

I'm also worried that the Japanese version (despite being unlocked) won't work well with a German carrier once I move back.

I need to decide soon as the campaign Docomo is offering will be over today!

EDIT: I have only a few more hours to decide.

I wonder what is cheaper and less troublesome.

Docomo seems to be more expensive. Not only the phone, but also the plan.

Can anybody tell me how much they're paying per month with Docomo?

Does anybody use b-mobile instead? How much is that .. roughly?
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] quirido:
unlock sim

does anyone know or have a link on how to unlock the sc-06d sim? i am travelling and would also like to use other network sim card on the phone. thank you.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] zoomingjapan:
That's easy!

Go to Docomo, pay 3150yen and you're good to go!
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] quirido:
the problem is im no longer in japan. and i thought that docomo is only in japan.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Vocalonation:
If you are going to factor in the cost of contract termination then of course docomo is going to be expensive.

I'm paying roughly 6500 yen a month. 4900 for lte and the 780 for voice 350 for spmode and some random garbage.

I'm getting the phone completely free. And I also got 200000 yen from docomo up front. Of course 2 year contract though, I'm planning on staying here long term. So in effect I earned 20000 yen for switching plus 14000 yen spread over 24 months

I have never heard of b-mobile though. No clue what not is. Docomo IS the most expensive but they do have the best coverage and for Japanese people they have a lot of attractive services that we don't care about. Overall, they are usually only slightly more expensive than softbank.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Habbit:
I hope you haven't made a decision yet. Since you live in an area with most likely weak LTE, and it doesn't seem to be much of a priority to you, you should buy the international phone and get a b-mobile SIM card. Or conversely, buy an unlocked docomo version from Amazon or Rakuten, and then use the b-mobile SIM in it. When I first arrived five months ago, I used b-mobile for data-only and it worked fine in my HTC HD2, with the exception of not showing signal bars, even though I had signal. This won't be a problem since you'll be purchasing a voice SIM. Let me know if you need more information about b-mobile.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] zoomingjapan:
Thanks so much!!!

The reason I include the cancellation fee is that I've been in Japan for about 5 years and don't plan to stay another 2!

I've been with Softbank until now and actually never had any coverage issues, even on Mt. Fuji!!!

I guess I just have to go to my local Docomo store today and see what they have to offer and how much I would have to pay (and lose of the discount if I cancel my contract early on).

@Habbit: I haven't made up my mind yet, but I need to hurry up.

Docomo has the campaigns running only until today.

I don't use my phone often to make calls and would rather have the option to use the internet without having to worry how expensive it will get.

With my old Softbank phone I ended up with 10.000yen / month if I used the internet to just check the train times or the weather a few times! :( ....

I'm just extremely unsure about b-mobile because there doesn't seem to be much information about it (yet).

Not many people seem to use it.

Even after reading this (http://www.japanmobiletech.com/2011/06/comparison-of-all-b-mobile-sims.html) I still don't get their service completely.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] zoomingjapan:
The problem with the unlocked Docomo version seems to be that it can't be used with b-mobile as of now?

At least I read something about it somewhere in this thread yesterday.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] wind0zer:
[Q]

Hi SGS3 friends, (sorry to go off-topic) I think you guys might be able to give me some tips or pointers here...

[Q] Which Sim card for 2-wk visit to Okinawa? - xda-developers
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] zoomingjapan:
If I understand that correctly than I probably won't be able to use the phone once I go back home to Germany, because I'm sure that most German providers still use 3G SIM cards?!

Is there any update on this?

Is it working fine and stable now?

P.S.: I'm off to the Docomo store now. If they offer something good I'd rather go with that. If not, I'll get an unlocked Docomo from Rakuten.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] society mike:
You seemed to ignore what others were trying to tell you when YOU were the one to ask.

For YOUR situation, leaving japan soon, it is UNWISE to get the docomo S3.
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] zoomingjapan:
"Soon" = 6months - 12months and it's not 100% decided yet, but very likely.

Is it unwise to get the docomo version per se or just to sign up a 2-year contract?

Because then getting an unlocked Docomo S3 would make sense.

What else would be unwise about getting the Docomo S3?

Thanks a lot for your reply!
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] society mike:
First of all, don't go to Docomo.

We actually covered this many pages back, I suggest searching this thread in "advanced search" and look for "Kojima" or "Yodobashi".

You can get better deals through big department stores like Nojima or Yodobashi because they will give you the same deal that Docomo gives, PLUS, in-store credit (free money) when you do the MNP (softbank to Docomo)

I recently did MNP to Docomo to get my S3. I went through Nojima, I got 50,000YEN in-store credits that they were nice enough to let me apply to the cost of my phone after some sweet talking. So... I basically got my S3 for FREE, and since I did MNP, Docomo waives the service contract fee which saves a lot of money.

My monthly bill is now 4000¥, I have unlimited data, LTE (Xi). Yes, I had to pay a penalty at Softbank for breaking contract, plus I had to pay off the rest of my old DesireHD phone, but because my plan is so cheap, I will have recovered that money in 3 months.

FYI, I too am leaving Japan in a few months for work in Korea for a year, but it was so cheap of a monthly bill, plus I OWN the phone now, it is an obvious choice.

things to consider..

Docomo S3

Has LTE but/ the LTE part only works in Japan (and possibly Korea/Singapore?), however, the 3G and voice should work anywhere. With that said, the issue might be that the new Docomo S3 uses the newer micro-SIM which some carriers in some countries MIGHT not have yet.

NFC, Docomo has one, but it's an RFID/NFC, which we know the RFID part is slightly different, however it is unclear to me if the NFC part is compatible to other countries NFC systems for paying at the register with the phone. Digital TV (OneSeg) which works in Japan, possibly Korea/China, and Brazil but useless anywhere else.

It has 2GB memory, dual core, faster than you will need for a few years to come. However, very little 3rd party ROM support since the hardware is so different.