New to the GS3 and need a little help

[Da Uniq 1]

Hey all. New to the GS3. Finally made the switch from the Evo LTE.

Being an HTC fan for years I have to admit, I absolutely love this phone. One thing I never liked in any Samsung device I’ve had is the UI. But this phone is sweet!
Have had the Diamond and every Touch Pro there is and Every Evo since.

A bit of a learning curve and I really miss Sense. But TouchWiz is decent enough for me.
Few small questions.
I’m completely stock.
1): When I hit the mic icon from the keyboard to speak my msgs, it rarely works. I get msg saying cannot connect or the icon sits there grayed out (never turns red) unless I reset phone.
Anyone know what I may be doing incorrectly or settings.
2): Every once in a while in the notifications bar, a small symbol that looks like an eye. (Like the CBS TV icon). Anyone know what that is or does?
3): My Wi-fi turns on by itself often. Not when plugged in. I did find that setting. But when not plugged in, I find myself having to turn it off.