Samsung Brightside - Just another piece of junk?
csoubeih
Newbie

Hello. I'd like to share my $.02 on this device as I have reached a short and abrupt dead-end with Samsung support. Below I will outline each of the obvious and easily-fixed shortcomings of this device that I am currently aware of:

Windows XP Drivers & USB Charging (the most basic thing to do with a device like this):

   This phone has no, none, not even a little XP support even though there is still a large userbase of Windows XP users who won't upgrade (it's not an upgrade) to Win7. The reason that I want Xp support is simple, the phone will not charge from a WinXP computer using the provided USB (USB people, it's meant to be plugged into a computer, what else do I want USB for???) cable. The phone will report that it is charges, the battery indicator shows charging, but when you disconnect the phone after 1+ hours, the battery life is still showing what it was before you plugged it in. I guess I should be happy that it did not dis-charge the battery. Verizon support says 'without drivers, windows won't allow the device to charge", I'm paraphrasing. Fine, Samsung says:

Hello and thanks for reaching out!

Unfortunately, we don't have any information about an update at this time. Sorry for any inconveniences this has caused.

If you are trying to transfer files between your Brightside and computer, take a look at these links:

http://bit.ly/Jwjgjy (Transfer files from phone to PC)

http://bit.ly/JwjnLX (USB settings)

If you need additional assistance please contact us again via twitter, facebook or support form: http://on.fb.me/sLqKwT (Please remember to include your contact information, you do not need a FaceBook account).

Next, changing the default message tone:

Stay with my on this one, the verbiage gets a tricky. So, I go into "Sound settings" and i change the default message tone (for all messages) to my own sound, birds.mp3, it was set to factory default of, lets call it bells.mp3. I have 100+ contacts, none of them have a custom message tone set. Ok, with me? Next, I get a text message from a contact, I hear bells. Hmm? That's not right, check settings, yep still set to birds. Ok, I get a text from an unknown number, say verizon letting me know they received the 6th defective product I returned, I hear birds. So it is using my setting. Let's test, I have a workphone. I send a txt from workphone and I hears birds, good so far. I save workphone as a new contact. Send another text from workphone, I hear bells. Damn, we were close. Next test, change message tone for just workphone to birds and save. Send txt from workphone, I hear birds. Well, it's working a little, but i don't want to go through 100+ contacts and set them ALL to birds, what if I want cowbell later? That's what the global variable is for. IMHO, this is a simple, obvious oversight in programming that Samsung simply needs to fix, not send stupid replies like this one:

Hello and thanks for reaching out!

Sorry you are having this issue. Have you made sure you haven't set a different ringtone per contact? Follow this link: http://bit.ly/JwhE9t

Also take a look at this link http://bit.ly/JwhQ8x just to make sure a default ringtone has been set.

If your problem persists, you may want to try a hard/factory reset AFTER backing up your data. Instructions on a factory reset: http://bit.ly/Jwi4MZ

If you need additional assistance please contact us again via twitter, facebook or support form: http://on.fb.me/sLqKwT (Please remember to include your contact information, you do not need a FaceBook account).

Thank you and have a great day!

I have more, but I'm out of time for now. What I would really like? A way to open bugs with Samsung and have the issue tracked to resolution, you know, like a real company that cares about the products it produces and the customer who pay good money to use them.

Labels (1)
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Re: Samsung Brightside - Just another piece of junk?
lewisr13
Champion - Level 1

Are you still having these problems after you did the factory reset?

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Re: Samsung Brightside - Just another piece of junk?
MojaveMoon_
Specialist - Level 1

We download our Windows XP drivers for our Verizon non-smartphones from here:

http://www.vzam.net/download/download.aspx

At this moment, there is a Brightside driver available/listed [Samsung U380 ("Brightside")] after selecting "Windows (Vista/XP)" for "1." at that link and "Wireless Handset" for "2." at that link.

While we don't have the Brightside which is aka u380, we have a Samsung u370 which is basiclly the Samsung u820 aka Samsung Reality. Our driver for the u370 we downloaded from that link.

When we run the download, it'll first install the driver. After that, it'll then ask you for permission to install a second component called "VZAccess Manager". You can click "cancel" to not install that second component.

Though we use the drivers so that we can use the "USB Mass Storage mode" to transfer files to/from the memory card in the phone, I see the battery meter getting higher while our LG Clout vx8370 and Samsung u370 are plugged in to the laptop via the phone's usb cable.

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Re: Samsung Brightside - Just another piece of junk?
csoubeih
Newbie

Hello, original poster returning with some updates. Well, the news is good and the news is bad. The upgrade pushed out on June 1st, BTW, not asked for, but PUSHED through without even alerting the user, seems to have fixed some of the issues I'm seeing. The T9 issue has been reported addressed, but I don't use T9, that's why I got a slider phone. The default msg tone seems to have been fixed, so someone is paying attention.

No, I did not and I will not do a hard factory reset of my phone. I also don't re-install this Microsoft stupid Windows every time is pukes up chunks. That is not and never will the the answer to the issues. I wish Samsung and Verizon would stop using

that as a default "fix everything" answer, Microsoft figured out that it was just an excuse, I think, let's not go down that road...

However, then VZ Navigator "home link" or whatever you want to call it when I want to access an application without wading through the whole "Media Center" --> "apps" wait wait wait Ah, there it is down there, had become a "App is expired" so sorry problem, as others (57 by the cust svc rep. count that I talked to) have also reported. My case that I opened with regard to this issue, <Ticket number removed for privacy.> was closed without telling me a thing. I was told 3days and you'll hear something, 7 days goes by and I call. Um, no update, gives us 3 days. 7 more days go bay, I hear nothing. I call.  Um, your case has been closed/resolved. Oh really? And why doesn't it work on my deivce? Well, we did everything we could on the network side, so we closed the ticket. Nice. Do I need to go on? So, VZ Nav is no longer viable. Today, I tried to find a shop in Bellevue, WA. It said it knew where it was and directed me..... to a dog park. Hmmm, I've been down this road before. Fine, I'll solve my own problems. Hello, Verizon, cancel my VZ Nav service, it's clearly being phased out.

I suspect that Verizon is deliberately making VZ Nav unusable, here's why I think that:

   -Rep tells me flat out, "It's Verizon' goal to have all users on smartphones by the end of the year"

   -VZ Nav is not a service needed by smartphones, as they have google maps et al.

   -Deduction? Make the tools "dumbphones" use to act like smartphones undesirable and the customer will naturally gravitate toward the smartphones with the higher bill rate/subscriber.

My solution, I'm going out this weekend to buy a real-live, honest-to-god GPS. Because if you think for one minute that I'm going to give Verizon the satisfaction of upgrading to a smartphone because of this, then your nuts.

I'm done, good luck all,

Chris

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

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Re: Samsung Brightside - Just another piece of junk?
Dj_Larch
Newbie

I am currently having the problem with being able to globally change the Default Message tone.

#csoubeih i see that you reported that this issue was fixed?

I could update every contact in my phone (425) but isnt that what the default message tone setting is for?   to change it globally?

Was there an update available that fixed this?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Larch

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