NoScream~SPARTA~ Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 I needed to move out of the small screen phone league, it's getting harder to see the 2.3" Blackberry screen. I need apps that I can use & a phone than could do all the things a 3rd gen Tablet can do but in a smaller package, infact a package I can easily slip into my trousers or jacket pocket & forget it's there, but the tech just was not there till now..... Two big contenders to move into the number '1' spot and demote the iphone, ipod & tablets. also a third contender was, Nexus S Quadrant HTC Sensation ( USA branding ) and Samsung Galaxy S2 (AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint. Now with the addition of T-Mobile variant, called the Samsung Hercules 4G). See specs at end of thread. Main thing is it's fast, it works, it has flash, it boots fast too, it has a great browser, it's like a mobile microPC. The Super Active Matrix OLED screen is stunning & @ 4.3" it's big for a phone (iphone 4 is 3.5") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eWiIKcKkwk&feature=related USB HOST HUB feature only restriction, is power, but there are ways, see post 2 Compass accuracy and precision Samsung Galaxy SII 30FPS 1080p remember to switch YT to 1080p mode. I bought the S2 after a month of research.... and it is more than the literature... Samsung Galaxy S 2 Attain for AT&T General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 Announced 2011, February Status Available. Released 2011, April Size Dimensions 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm Weight 116 g Display Type Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Size 480 x 800 pixels, 4.3 inches - Gorilla Glass display - TouchWiz UI v4.0 - Multi-touch input method - Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate - Touch-sensitive controls - Proximity sensor for auto turn-off - Gyroscope sensor Sound Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones Loudspeaker Yes 3.5mm jack Yes Memory Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall Call records Practically unlimited Internal 16GB/32GB storage, 1 GB RAM Card slot microSD, up to 32GB, 8 GB included, buy memory Data GPRS Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 - 48 kbps EDGE Class 12 3G HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot Bluetooth Yes, v3.0+HS Infrared port No USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB (MHL), USB On-the-go Camera Primary 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, check quality Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization Video Yes, 1080p@30fps, check quality Secondary Yes, 2 MP Features OS Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread) CPU Dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor, Mali-400MP GPU, Exynos chipset Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS Browser HTML Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS Games Yes Colors Black GPS Yes, with A-GPS support Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - NFC support (optional) - TV-out (via MHL A/V link) - SNS integration - Digital compass - MP4/DivX/XviD/WMV/H.264/H.263/MKV player - MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player - Organizer - Image/video editor - Document editor (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF) - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa integration - Adobe Flash 10.1 support - Voice memo/dial/commands - Predictive text input (Swype) Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion 1650 mAh Stand-by Up to 710 h (2G) / Up to 610 h (3G) Talk time Up to 18 h 20 min (2G) / Up to 8 h 40 min (3G) Misc SAR US 0.16 W/kg (head) 0.96 W/kg (body) SAR EU 0.34 W/kg (head) I rate this phone 4.9 / 5 It is that good.... and it's well priced too..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoScream~SPARTA~ Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 USB HOST II Samsung Galaxy S2 All you need is a male Micro-B USB to Female USB Converter lead (about $6 or £5) sometimes called an extension. MicroUSB to USB Converter for Samsung Galaxy SII Cordless mouse Standard USB Keyboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batwing~SPARTA~ Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 (edited) If this phone doesn t get release in US ASAP I am gonna go nuts !!!! EDIT: Can you believe you can have this phone for FREE in Italy, subscribing a 60Euro monthly contract with Vodafone???? crap, i should ask my Dad to get it for me.. but he doesn t wanna have a contract.. ufff... Edited July 18, 2011 by Batwing~SPARTA~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoScream~SPARTA~ Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 I read it was landing Stateside, mid-late July (that's into the shops). All I can say is, it does everything I ever wanted and more, It pairs with my AUDI MMI no problems, transfers phone book, contacts, last calls etc... I syncs with Google online (if you want) and stores all your contacts for free @ GOOGLE into a free account, where it stores bookmarks and locations if you mark them for later reference. My favourite bits are the LIVE WALLPAPERS (for Android, 90% free) which is silky smooth with the dual core cpu. You can interact with them... too, throw money at the girls, feed the fish, press buttons etc.. some of mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoScream~SPARTA~ Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 EDIT: Can you believe you can have this phone for FREE in Italy, subscribing a 60Euro monthly contract with Vodafone???? crap, i should ask my Dad to get it for me.. but he doesn t wanna have a contract.. ufff... Don't want to upset you but in the UK, there giving them away with a 24month contract, on a £30/month (35 euro) inc. 1000mins cross network, unlimited text & 500Mb data. http://www.cheapmobilephonecontracts.org.uk/contract-phone-deals.php/Samsung_Galaxy_S2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
custard~SPARTA~ Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 My wife has a model a bit older than the S2, it's still very good and free on any Vodafone contract. I'm not that bothered about smart phones but I have to admit I'm impressed with the Samsungs my wife has managed to sort out email and all sorts of useful apps on hers and she hates tech. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchman~SPARTA~ Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I'm currently running a HTC Wildfire on the 3 network, it's a nice little phone but a tad on the slow side in ceretain applications. I have about 8 months before I can upgrade FOC and unless something even better comes along will be upgrading to the Galaxy S2 or HTC Sensation. Both are available for £30 per month, with 1gb data 500 minutes & 5000 txts. Both are duel core but the S2 wins out with more memory and better screen. Having tried earlier versions of Samsung, that freinds have I've so far felt the HTC's are better set up but may ultimatley be swayed by the tech wins with the S2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batwing~SPARTA~ Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Hey Vii, last question for you.. how the battery life is on that device ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoScream~SPARTA~ Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Hey Vii, last question for you.. how the battery life is on that device ? Strange question and very important.... A little history on the whole industry: Battery life of all mobile devices, Phones, Pads, Netbooks, Laptops and the rest, all quote some amazing numbers but they all basically are lying when tested in the real world. That's because they are tested with the minimum of services running, for a phone that means mobile connection only to a cellular network. No BLUETOOTH enabled, No WIFI enabled, No apps running, screen at a min setting and in power saving mode. With those sorts of settings the Samsung Galaxy S2 like all other mobile devices, reach their claimed figures but in real life we all switch on wifi, bluetooth, apps & run our screens bright & for long periods, that is the real world & with reall world settings the case on all devices is different... The SAMSUNG GALAXY S2 is rated @ 1650mAh standard giving, Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion 1650 mAh Stand-by Up to 710 h (2G) / Up to 610 h (3G) Talk time Up to 18 h 20 min (2G) / Up to 8 h 40 min (3G) In the real world, it's around 10hours of heavy use, or 6 Hours of gaming, 8-9 Hours of Video while background apps are running & generally 24-48 Hrs Standby. If you run a battery monitor App you can get a general day of video watching, making & answering calls & surfing without a problem. If you look at the advanced battery monitor on the phone, you will see the OLED (energy efficient screen) still eats around 50% of the total battery drain during the day, so lowering the time the screen stays on when your finished playing with the phone is a big saver... and there are many APPS that help out (I will list some later & their functions). The same is true for PADS & laptops but laptops I will keep out of the conversation as most laptops are always perched near a power point & feed from them. Funny thing is this, I used a BLACKBERRY BOLD till this upgrade & it use to last around the day before I needed juice, I'm a heavy user, but after updating the firmware & wiping the phone to get it ready for sale, I noticed it's been running over 24Hours and still has 86% battery remaining.... Goes to show, battery life is linked to the way you use (or don't use) your mobile device.... If it's in your pocket waiting for calls, you would probably get a few days on a SAMSUNG GALAXY S2, but me, I get 10-14 Hours, as I monster through 30+ full feature movies, 4,000 music tracks & some 250,000+ apps on the ANDROID app store.... One little App I will be trying (which I have the free version) is the 'JUICE DEFENDER ULTIMATE' which has an AUTO CPU down clocking routine so extending battery life a little more.... Overall I do not carry a charger as I've pushed the phone & it will last even a monster user like me, it's charging point is a 'micro-B USB' or to commoners 'micro USB' ,there is a 'A' variant that needs to be avoided, as the micro-B USB has a special feature linked with the phone. That is the phone is a full USB HOST, meaning you can plug in any USB device that is driver free... (if it needs additional power you will have to feed the device with a power supply too, but generally, most will feed off the phone, up to 100mA). http://www.allusb.com/usb-explained/usb-connectors A Micro-USB A connector handles high speed transfers and On-The-Go for smartphones, digital cameras, GPS devices and more. It can withstand more wear and tear than a Mini plug. A Micro-USB B plug gives an upstream connection for small portable devices The phone is a true USB HOST, it will scan/read and device complaint & let you use/interact with it, from mice to storage units, joypads to keyboards, the key is the generic nature, if the ANDROID OS understands the device, it will be accessible.. I have a 64GB USB stick and it has no problems, the phone understands FAT32 (so 2GB file size limit) but that's not a problem as most mkv movies are 600Mb - 1200Mb for a 2.5 hour movie. Those are my biggest files.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel~Sparta~ Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Here stateside i have the EVO 4G. I have to say that I LOVE this piece of gear and that it is far better than the iTrash crap that fruit company sells. All in all the Android OS is the best operating system I have every seen on a phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrester~SPARTA~ Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I have the Samsung and its great..... now only for Esri to bring out an arc-pad android..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoScream~SPARTA~ Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 I've had my android based phone for a short while now and I can say a few things about the Android OS: It's fu*king excellent. Apps on the ANDROID Market is not as big as Apples istore but it's big enough to keep users happy, the main difference is simple, ANDROID based mobile devices are more 'OPEN' based unlike APPLES locked system, meaning you can add devices, more MEMORY via SD/ MiniSD/ MicroSD. bigger capacity batteries, more flexibility. Here's a for instance: I visited my sister & she & the brother-in-law have iphones, I showed him a ring tone, he said he liked it & could he have a copy, I said no problem I'd send it to his phone via a email attachment. He received the email with attachment, he opened the email & played the MP3 ring tone attachment, but he had no way of saving the attached mp3 file from email to the iphone.... DOH.. On the android, I can receive files via Bluetooth/ Wifi/ email & save any attachment (even if I can't play/ open it) to my internal memory or add-on micro SD card (32Gb), I can create a folder or use an existing folder and save the attached file... simplez... The variety of apps on the ANDROID MARKET is excellent with several variants of most apps from different developers, around 75% are FREE. Now Apple is an excellent product but for me the LOCK DOWN of it's system is beyond a joke, where Google with ANDROID take the open route. Alot of it's users are loving the flexibility & so am I. I made a comment on battery life & managed to improve it with battery a manager & larger capacity battery.. So life of a good days use of my Samsung Galaxy S2 is ok, so I'm happy with the life of the battery. Not perfect but the other pros far out weight the one drawback. If you do decide on a new phone, OS choices are: Blackberry Apple Android Symbian Windows mobile Of all of these, I can honestly say that ANDROID has a big plus especially with Google backing it... The main plus for Blackberry was PUSH EMAIL, (the ability for the mobile server to send without request an incoming email) APPLE force users to do a send/receive to get their emails. But ANDROID now have that feature & the dominance of Blackberry is weakened. Apple's failure to not pay ADOBE the FLASH licence fee, might be their weak point along with it's closed Hardware & OS. ANDROID has FLASH & is open in regards to allowing content from sources other than the Market store of googles. So Apps I like? Anipet Aquarium live wallpapers Agenda + BBC iplayer XiiaLive video player Traffic monitor MoboPlayer ES file Explorer XPERIA arc Flashlight Screebl lite Alarm Clock plus Google sky map Google goggles Firefox mobile Juice Defender Battery monitor Clinometer Netmeter BetterKeyboard 8 Smart keyboard LivoRecoreder Super task killer EveInfluence Beautiful Widgets iBeer Free White noise Poynt AccuWeather IMDB IP Camera Google map http://www.android.com/ http://source.android.com/index.html well there are some of the apps I have, total spend is around $15 USD. Waiting for the imminent release of Gingerbread 2.3.4 OS. P.S. Also another great feature is Google Sync, which syncs your PC calendar/appointments/users contacts/ emails/ with your google cloud account then to your ANDROID mobile & vice versa. I have a 16Gb phone with a 32Gb microSD card inside it too, loaded with movies/ringtones/music & photos. Internal memory is still 15Gb free, external (microSD) is 16.5Gb Free... Dam it's good to have storage... If I get a PAD/Tablet, it will be ANDROID, I can't see me going APPLE/Windows or HP... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batwing~SPARTA~ Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 I visited my sister & she & the brother-in-law have iphones, I showed him a ring tone, he said he liked it & could he have a copy, I said no problem I'd send it to his phone via a email attachment. He received the email with attachment, he opened the email & played the MP3 ring tone attachment, but he had no way of saving the attached mp3 file from email to the iphone.... DOH.. This is just due to the fact Apple has the Monopoly of what you do or not on "their" devices (you were thinking the iPhone was Yours?? Foul !! You are barely renting it, Apple will say what you do with it..). Furthermore the closed environment is Business(=Money). Why should you be able to get a nice MP3 ringtone from a friend, if you have to use iTunes to choose a song, buy it and then finally make it your fav ringtone ? Why should you, renting the Apple device, be alloud to live outside the Apple Store?? (I guess jailbroken iPhones can do it, fortunately, but I am not fully positive). The simple hacking of an Apple device could be called in many ways, but should mean something to you it is called "Jailbreaking"... Now, there are 2 absolute Pros i recognize to Apple devices: - 1 - They are pretty. Stylish and good looking. I cannot deny it. - 2 - They are perfect for people totally computer illiterate. They work easily, do what they have to do and i would suggest it to my grandmother. Of course, as backside of this medal, if you are just one step above of illiterate, frustration will pervade your senses when you will see your device is not supposed to be "yours" and will not do the things you would like to do and / or will not allow any customization of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoScream~SPARTA~ Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 NEWS Samsung Galaxy s2 takes 'Phone of the year' AWARD 2011 http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s2-wins-phone-of-the-year-award-981250 http://tech.uk.msn.com/features/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=158705142 http://awards2011.techradar.com/vote White Samsung Galaxy S2 http://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/news/2011/07/white_galaxy_s2_landing_september_1st/ http://www.mobilephoneconnect.com/tech-news/samsung-galaxy-s2-relaunching-in-white ALL FREE (My TOP 5 Apps this week / all free) RECOMMENDED APPS on ANDROID NEWS PULSE https://market.android.com/details?id=com.alphonso.pulse Adobe Photoshop Express http://www.photoshop.com/products/mobile/express/android Dropbox https://market.android.com/details?id=com.dropbox.android Google Body https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.apps.body&feature=search_result Team Speak 3 https://market.android.com/details?id=com.teamspeak.ts Yes it's full blown TS3 for your Android, talk to all in channel as if your on a call- speaker mode too. Local book marking available Multi server connectivity available Push to talk and Voice Activation Identity management Channel and player information Player status notifications Recommended http://androinica.com/ Have fun !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batwing~SPARTA~ Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Samsung is holding a special event in New York on August 29th... Something "Big" is gonna be releassed.. Actually many believe is the release finally of Galaxy S 2 on all of the major US carriers... I am crossing my fingers... Also, I am wondering if Sammy slowed down this release on porpouse, considering an imminent iPhone release in Septemebr... just to slap Apple face.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoScream~SPARTA~ Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Yes it's confirmed NYC will see the S2 on August 29th http://moconews.net/article/419-samsung-plans-august-nyc-event-u.s.-version-of-galaxy-s-ii-expected/ http://samsunggalaxys2review.org/finally-samsung-galaxy-s2-u-s-launching-in-august Other News Samsung sold 5,000,000 Galaxy S2 in 3 months !!! http://moconews.net/article/419-samsungs-galaxy-s-ii-android-phone-taking-off-5-million-sold-in-3-month/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoScream~SPARTA~ Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 MX Home Launcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batwing~SPARTA~ Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Hey Vii, something I forgot to ask you about the SGS 2: How the ext speaker volume is ? I am coming from an HTC TP2 and this one has a wonderful and powerful ext speaker. I can listen music and videos no problem just from there. I have family members using the Galaxy S (one) and all of their handset terribly lack of volume. We made a test and I can say playing the same song my TP2 is probably a 50% louder. I really like the SGS 2 but a lack of audio power would be a real delusion on it. Let me know please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoScream~SPARTA~ Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Hey Vii, something I forgot to ask you about the SGS 2: How the ext speaker volume is ? I am coming from an HTC TP2 and this one has a wonderful and powerful ext speaker. I can listen music and videos no problem just from there. I have family members using the Galaxy S (one) and all of their handset terribly lack of volume. We made a test and I can say playing the same song my TP2 is probably a 50% louder. I really like the SGS 2 but a lack of audio power would be a real delusion on it. How can I compare when I have not heard a HTC TP2 or Galaxy S At home & around at friends I've personally never had a problem with the ext. speaker/ sound, only at work in a noisy factory was the sound dulled. The phone has 2 years warranty and if you were not happy, take it back, but I've investigated it and this is what I've found: Everyone hears sound slightly differently, our ears respond to different frequency's and if you notice it being quieter in some parts, you could try a graphic equalizer app that can cut or boost. or volume booster app. Volume+ app http://samsunggalaxys2blog.com/samsung-galaxy-s2-apps/improve-your-samsung-galaxy-s2-sound-quality-with-equalizer/ I'll be absolutely honest, I have had no issues what so ever with vol. levels but when showing off the phone I've sometimes wished it was blasting out the sound for demo. But it's never been an issue. Some media (like certain movies) are just like at home, quite in parts & then loud in other parts, but generally the sound has been 100% for me (in regards to loudness). Here's some reading: http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s2/344398-samsung-galaxy-s2-vs-htc-sensation.html and a video on Sound tests Hope it helps....... Video display Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batwing~SPARTA~ Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 (edited) Thx Vii for the reply. I was not expecting the ability from you to answer in full my question, I was expecting this: I'll be absolutely honest, I have had no issues what so ever with vol. Which is probably enough for me. I know how you like your gadgets and i know the expectations you have from them. True everyone receive sounds in a different way, but hell, you would know if your device is sub-par the standard expectation you have about it. We are able to recognize when some Laptop brand and model is lacking the "multimedia" aspect just because it comes out of the box with a sub-par speaker set. So I take your comment for good. I will try to test one if I have a chance, but I don t need for it to be an "exploding sound experience", I just need for it to not suck as the Galaxy S does. In fact, without giving out a tecnical comment, if someone was going to ask my comment about the Galaxy S speaker performances, i would simply say "sub-par". It might work for others, but is a matter of fact is quiter than many other devices on the market EDIT: I just watched the first video you suggested above about a sound test with Nexus S. you can easily say, without the Db gizmo, how the SGS 2 is way louder, as the guy said, almost too loud (a bit of distorsion on that podcast). Nonetheless i would be happily able to compare that performance to my TP2. Hoping the US version will not screw up any major performance (for some reason the modified the layout on the Camera... vertical instead originally horizontal), I think for us is just a matter to wait and see how the final product will be delivered Edited August 13, 2011 by Batwing~SPARTA~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoScream~SPARTA~ Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Wikitude Drive - the World's First AR Navigation for Smartphones For in CAR & on FOOT. Torque Android App Review & OBDII Bluetooth Adapter Sleep As An Droid Android App Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoScream~SPARTA~ Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 Going to collage, living away, cooking for yourself.... 2 Android apps on food: Epicurious Recipe (Android/Apple) All Recipes (Android/Apple) http://allrecipes.com/features/more/android.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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