So tomorrow I'm going to be getting my first ever smartphone (HTC HD2) and I had a couple questions.
1.) Do I need a 3G SIM card to obtain 3G speeds?
2.) What exactly is a ROM? Anybody know of really good ones for the HD2?
3.) Does the phone freeze often? If so is there a fix for this?
4.) If Windows 7 ever comes out for this phone will I be able to upgrade to it.
5.) Same as above but for Android OS
6.) Are there good apps out there? Like Last.fm, twitter, etc.
7.) Would Android apps work on the HD2?
Sorry for all the questions, just wanted to make one big post so that I didn't have to constantly nag and make other threads.
1.) Do I need a 3G SIM card to obtain 3G speeds?
I don't know the definite answer but I've had my SIM card forever and I get 3G speeds.
2.) What exactly is a ROM? Anybody know of really good ones for the HD2?
It's like installing a new operating system on your computer. But all of the ROMs are about the same, but are customized for different aspects (different versions of Sense (or not at all), what programs the Chef likes, etc). See the ROM section.
3.) Does the phone freeze often? If so is there a fix for this?
Sometimes. No.
4.) If Windows 7 ever comes out for this phone will I be able to upgrade to it.
Officially: No. Unofficially: unknown; don't count on it.
5.) Same as above but for Android OS
Being worked on, could take a looooooooooooooong time.
6.) Are there good apps out there? Like Last.fm, twitter, etc.
That guide in my sig has some decent apps. I know there's a Last.fm app and a good twitter one, but their names escape me.
7.) Would Android apps work on the HD2?
No. Same goes for iPhone apps.
Thanks for the quickly reply, also what do you think of the phone?
I only got to handle it a little bit at the store, should I return it and wait for something else or should I keep it?
I got the phone because I'm stuck on T-Mobile and I like Windows Mobile, and I absolutely love it from a hardware standpoint. Windows Mobile takes a while to grow on you, and if you've ever played with an iPhone it can be quite jarring to use.
If you like tweaking stuff and having more control over your phone, I definitely recommend it. If you like apps, ease of use, and eye candy, not so much..... It's a hard choice I know.
ETA: Personally, I think the keyboard kinda sucks on it, so if you like composing long emails or texting an insane amount, you might want to rethink your choice.
EDIT: Nevermind, I just saw that jdwrrzmm already pointed you to the same place I was anyway
jdwrrzmm said:
I got the phone because I'm stuck on T-Mobile and I like Windows Mobile, and I absolutely love it from a hardware standpoint. Windows Mobile takes a while to grow on you, and if you've ever played with an iPhone it can be quite jarring to use.
If you like tweaking stuff and having more control over your phone, I definitely recommend it. If you like apps, ease of use, and eye candy, not so much..... It's a hard choice I know.
ETA: Personally, I think the keyboard kinda sucks on it, so if you like composing long emails or texting an insane amount, you might want to rethink your choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im withJDWRRZMM, i think thought the keyboard sucked, but i like a ton of things about it. ive only had mine for a few weeks, and honestly my first thought was there is not nearly enough to do on this phone (speaking from a non-developer stand point).... but i decided to let it try to grow on me, and the more i read through these forums, the more i like the phone...
like stated above, its not ANYTHING like an iphone(which i jumped from).... but in hind sight, the iphone had to grow on me too... i diidnt like aapple very much, so....
id say give it a few weeks, learn more about it, then make your mind up wether you like it or not...
sorry so much writing
1.) Do I need a 3G SIM card to obtain 3G speeds?
No
2.) What exactly is a ROM? Anybody know of really good ones for the HD2?
ROM is the OS. Good custom roms are energy and englencia stock roms is the latest one
3.) Does the phone freeze often? If so is there a fix for this?
Stock ROM-Yes ; Custom ROM- Yes/No Depends on how stable the rom is
4.) If Windows 7 ever comes out for this phone will I be able to upgrade to it.
If a chef can port it, but it will never be officialy released.
5.) Same as above but for Android OS
Same as above
6.) Are there good apps out there? Like Last.fm, twitter, etc.
Plenty. Liked the apps on the HD2 better than the blackberry's but not better than the iPhone(prob would get killed for this one ) or Anroid
7.) Would Android apps work on the HD2?
Not that anyone knows of
Cool apps I've found while using a Custom ROM
-Wireless Tether (makes your phone a wireless router for your laptop) most custom roms come with this pre installed
-Klaxon ( great custom alarm, Stock alarm sucks. It will shut off fully after a couple snoozes which is bad for me haha)
-BSB Tweaks (great app that lets you tweak your phone without doing it manually)
Hope this helps
Why do people hate the keyboard on this phone? I personally love it a lot better than Androids and Iphones keyboards.
If you want apps check out Omarket, there are a ton of free apps there. Few apps I would recommend would be co0kies home tab for great home customizing and clean RAM for keeping your phone running smoothly.
Coming from a g1, I did not think I would like not having a hard keyboard. I really like the keyboard on the hd2. I also have not had any freeze ups and any of the known lags. Cookies Home Tab is awesome. I would also recommend a good task manager. I use Dutty's and like it.
So I got the phone, I'm liking it so far and I have no freeze ups yet and the keyboard seems very nice.
Just one more thing, I saw that there was ROM update from HTC itself, how do I get the update?
SecrtAgentMan said:
So I got the phone, I'm liking it so far and I have no freeze ups yet and the keyboard seems very nice.
Just one more thing, I saw that there was ROM update from HTC itself, how do I get the update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried the swype keyboard..that is what I use and it rocks...not many phones have swype so that is nice showoff feature..
Here is the link for the ROM update but you might want to check to see if your phone already has the updated stock ROM installed. But here is the link for the ROMs..you are looking for the 2.13 Go to START/SETTINGS/ABOUTPHONE/SOFTWAREINFORMATION then you will see the ROM version!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=655653
Hope this helps
Yea i have 2.13, what's the swype thing you're talking about though?
SecrtAgentMan said:
Yea i have 2.13, what's the swype thing you're talking about though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have 2.13 you should have swype so you can check it out. Open up a text message and hit the keyboard icon on the bottom and once it pops up hit it again but a little to the right of the actual button and a list will pop up and you should select swype.
swype allows you to drag your finger from letter to letter without lifting to spell a word.
Check out videos on youtube by searching swype keyboard
Related
Hi all,
I'm a new PPC user and I love the customization and features that the phone offers, but I have one major gripe right now that's making me debate keeping the phone. I'm working with a XV6800 and I'm a frequent texter and the slowdown due to what I'm sure are a variety of things is really bothering me.
When I soft-reset the phone, everything is quite speedy, but over the course of the day, my memory starts to "leak" and everything slows down. It'll sometimes take my phone 3 to 5 second to switch from vertical to horizontal when I open the keyboard, another few seconds to open and look at the message, and then once I start typing, the letters drag behind at a speed much slower than the one I'm typing at.
My question is, will going with a stable ROM such as DCD's or Custel's when he releases one and keeping the number of applications I install and run to a minimum solve this completely? I'm experiencing this even after a few hours use with no other programs running, so I don't think that's the way a phone should operate "smoothly." Or am I completely wrong, is this just something I have to get used to and accept? If that's the case, I may be considering the wrong phone.
In addition, what about threaded SMS? Will that have any effect on this text messaging delay?
In summary, I'm looking to get rid of the delay in all of my apps and across the whole phone, not just in texting, but that's the best and most notable example I have. Any advice on speeding it up would be appreciated for these specific issues, but before I run out of time, I want to make sure this is a solveable issue.
Finally, on a separate note, is there any downside to doing several soft-resets a day if necessary? Eventually over the next week or so I want to tweak it to not have to do this, but for now, is that ok?
Thanks!
My question is, will going with a stable ROM such as DCD's or Custel's when he releases one and keeping the number of applications I install and run to a minimum solve this completely?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes
i was ready to throw the phone out the car window until i installed dcd's rom. it is faster and the phone is just better now. now i love my phone.
In summary, I'm looking to get rid of the delay in all of my apps and across the whole phone, not just in texting, but that's the best and most notable example I have. Any advice on speeding it up would be appreciated for these specific issues, but before I run out of time, I want to make sure this is a solveable issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
best thing for a speed is to get rid of the stock rom with custel or dcd's rom has higher pagepool and other tweaks. dcd's is very polished.
the phone is garbage with the stock rom. the memory leak is still an issue and is a "feature" built into windows mobile. i use oxios hibernate to release the memory though out the day. soft resets used to be twice a day with the stock rom, now it is once a week if that.
Finally, on a separate note, is there any downside to doing several soft-resets a day if necessary? Eventually over the next week or so I want to tweak it to not have to do this, but for now, is that ok?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no downside other than you shouldnt have to do it. the stock rom is just garbage for even making you have to do it.
where do i find the other roms? sorry im new and don't have a whole lot of time at work to search.
got a hd2, stock rom, latest, all patches,
and its doing my head in!
runs so slow, messages are so slow to load, and the phone sometimes doesnt come out of standby!
i love the size of the phone etc, but its tempting to sell it now
any suggestions?
same deal here, any help would be great!
runs so slow, messages are so slow to load,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
known issue with the messaging app. Only real help is to reduce the ammount of mesages you store.
and the phone sometimes doesnt come out of standby!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
called the 'sleep of death' No cure for it once a rom is installed that i am aware, however many of the cooked roms have cured this issue. (I haven't seen it for about a month now)
Long thread about not waking up HERE
samsamuel said:
known issue with the messaging app. Only real help is to reduce the ammount of mesages you store.QUOTE]
sorry for off topic, does Android w/ Snapdragon or Android in general have the same problem/s like Windows Mobile does?
All this stuff should be as quick as speeding bullet.
and another question,
what kind of processor do we need to get what we want out of WinMo?
From what I gather it would have to be atleast 2 to 3 ghz. (for it to never stutter.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im using a hero and an hd2 both freeze up from time to time. if you use Google apps a lot stick with android. if your lazy stick with android. if you have time to always tweak your phone go with winmo. and despite what you read windows has way more apps than android the only problem is most of the apps are 3 or more years old and not being updated anymore so not too finger friendly.
My HD2 (U.S. Tmobile - Stock Rom) runs like lightning, but not for lack of effort (well, not too much effort). I installed BsB Tweaks and Clean Ram, applied the performance tweaks in BsB (there's even one messaging that allows for "classic" style), and make sure to run Clean Ram (level two) once or twice a day. I also make liberal use of the task manager after opening any apps that fail to close with the press of an X (most?). Occasionally I'll notice a bit of slowdown, but Clean Ram will usually cure what ails it. Worst case scenario is I'll need to do a soft reset (which I always do after installing/uninstalling any apps), but, with BsB, it's a breeze as there's a command for it in the menu, so no need to wrangle with the battery cover and poke the red button!
As far as Android goes, I've no clue how it will run on HD2 level hardware, but, seeing as much of the issues with the HD2 seem to revolve around the Sense UI and HTC in particular, I would imagine some of the same issues will crop up. I'm coming over from Android (G1) to WinMo. My G1 had the same issues with messaging (HTC!!!) but, otherwise, didn't require much by way of maintenance. It was just slow and there was nothing I could do about it!
Play around with some of these tools on here. I'm a total WinMo noob, but I gotta say I'm loving the tweakability of the OS, and I'm especially enjoying learning about all of the cool stuff XDA has available for it.
No Lag here
Hey guys, I'm not sure if you guys are managing your opened applications properly... HD2 will keep all the apps you opened in the background running unless you actually closed them... and for most of the apps the only way to close them is to go to taskmanager (start>taskmanager>endtask, see a quicker way to do this below)....
Solution: you need to close the applications that are open!!!!
some tweaks that make this easier
- BsB Tweaks (solves many problems)
- Dutty's Taskmanager (allows you to switch between currently opened apps and also allows you to close them, it puts an icon on the top right corner in the taskbar) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Hey all,
I have been pondering on this question for a very long time... I love my HD2, I think it looks awesome and performs very well. The amount of things you can do with it make it my kind of phone.
However, I have been running on Winmo since I got the phone and never looked into different ROMS as the one it comes with seems to do the job.
Recently it broke, so its being sent off for repair (got stood on). So i'd thought i would look into this a bit more.
I think, if I do go ahead with it I will try out the shubCRAFT version as it looks so sweet.
However, I do have a few questions:
- I have copilot 8 on my current phone, would this still work on Android? I mean, I have paid for it afterall.
- Is remote desktop and wifi router avalible? I remember on my old Dream that I couldnt get these with Android.
- Is Android stable enough not to pull your hair out and get annoyed with bugs and crashes?
Thanks!
I know there is a version of co pilot for android. Not sure if your lic would transfer over after all it is for winmo. the app it's self isnt cross platform.
I know there are remote desktop type apps I dont use them so you will have to research. Wired tether works on some builds on some it doesnt. youll have to look deeper to see which one it does.
And last but not least
Android is stable for me. But i have been using it even when it wasnt stable.
There will be trials and errors afterall android wasnt designed to be on the hd2.
So you have to rely the selfless act of these wonderful people to iron out the kinks.
So you might wanna stick with winmo.
I'm probably wrong, but I dont think your able to use your Win Mo apps in android as they won't be compatible.
Also I have been running android for just over a week now, and I'm trying to find out how i can go back to Win Mo when i first got the phone.. with no custom ROMs, as using android will give you like 8 hours battery life, unless thats the version im using.
I have the Desire rom with sense, and the only good things are the apps, but my phone is unreliable as it will crash and freeze alot and rebooting every hour or so.
But im not very experienced with this so you may be able to get it to run smoothly
CraigR. said:
I'm probably wrong, but I dont think your able to use your Win Mo apps in android as they won't be compatible.
Also I have been running android for just over a week now, and I'm trying to find out how i can go back to Win Mo when i first got the phone.. with no custom ROMs, as using android will give you like 8 hours battery life, unless thats the version im using.
I have the Desire rom with sense, and the only good things are the apps, but my phone is unreliable as it will crash and freeze alot and rebooting every hour or so.
But im not very experienced with this so you may be able to get it to run smoothly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Info on how to revert back to stock is in the main hd2 thread. the battery life Is really dependant on your usage and the use of programs like setcpu. I know on mine the screen eats most of my battery. I had terrible battery life on my g1/htc dream. That tells me I just use my phone to much.
No winmo apps are not compatible at all but there might be a android version of a winmo app. I dont have the freezing and crashing that you do. Id say looking into Mattc's rom he has been getting a lot of good press.
Thanks for the replies...
Hmm, I may stick with WinMo for a while longer then...
I use copilot/wifi router (people love me in uni)/remote desktop alot so if they arnt fully compatiable then im not sure.
However, as Android will be running as an App, would it be possible to close it and carry on with WinMo then switch back when I want, or would it not be that simple =/
It seems it is possible to use Co pilot with Android, I may have a look into this when my phone gets in from repair.
Just unsure of which ROM to use D:
I use winmo when I need to ... and I hate it. You will find a lot of compatibles. Its what I had to do when I first bought the phone. I was coming from android and It was a big adjustment. I about freaked out when I had to use the silly slider at the bottom .
It doesnt hurt to have it. You could always turn it off at anytime and never use it.
android is installed on the memory card so you can always go back to window mobile if needed. There is a tutorial in here somewhere that shows the exact step to transfer your license to android. search for it.
putting android on sd card and running it is very easy......all you need is a radio above 2.08.50.........
you can install jwd dual boot app...then you can just shut down winmo, bootup android...shutdown android..boot up winmo...as simple as that.........
just try android for fun, it doesnot hurt.......whenever u want to go back to winmo...just reboot...simple !
Its real tough to reboot and use windows when you need to.
Its also real tough to delete android off the SD card when you want to get rid of it or copy another build to try.
Heck, i even have a real hard time renaming my usual android folder when i want to copy a new one to the SD card to try a different one.
carhigh said:
Its real tough to reboot and use windows when you need to.
Its also real tough to delete android off the SD card when you want to get rid of it or copy another build to try.
Heck, i even have a real hard time renaming my usual android folder when i want to copy a new one to the SD card to try a different one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a hard time turning the phone on also. sounds like you need an iphone.. It has the apps and the more gb's and the wifi's.
btw im totally kidding
Go for it. Android can do anything that Windows mobile can, but better. Igo Motonav is a good gps app for android. I transfered my IGO files from WM to android, so copilot may share files on each platform.
is there some way to play .avi files? its the last android issue I have
not sure about avi files but try meridian the one with the larger circle.. v.2 i think it is..
its the only video player i could find with nicer the stock on screen controls, such as repeat and forward and rewind.
rockplayer I believe will play them!
Hi Im a new user at this site, Been scouring the internet since monday looking into evo shift stuff and came across this site. This site is awesome and I love how the threads are based off phone and not just software or carrier like other phones which makes forums messy as heck.
Btw I am new to andriod software
K here is my question..
What should I do with my Evo Shift 4G ?
My time searching I have came across stuff like "root" - "ADW Launcher" "wimix keys"
First off I know what root is, Its like jail breaking I heard, Is it suggested I do this?
Also what is this wimix keys or another , wmix keys or something that I hear alot of people talking about when rooting?... What information is that holding and why is it so important to back em up?
Also If I where to root would I have to worry about any applications running like Lookout and Advance task killer?
So I guess in all, What do you recommend I do with my Evo Shift to spoof it up abit.
Protejae said:
Hi Im a new user at this site, Been scouring the internet since monday looking into evo shift stuff and came across this site. This site is awesome and I love how the threads are based off phone and not just software or carrier like other phones which makes forums messy as heck.
Btw I am new to andriod software
K here is my question..
What should I do with my Evo Shift 4G ?
My time searching I have came across stuff like "root" - "ADW Launcher" "wimix keys"
First off I know what root is, Its like jail breaking I heard, Is it suggested I do this?
Also what is this wimix keys or another , wmix keys or something that I hear alot of people talking about when rooting?... What information is that holding and why is it so important to back em up?
Also If I where to root would I have to worry about any applications running like Lookout and Advance task killer?
So I guess in all, What do you recommend I do with my Evo Shift to spoof it up abit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, let me preface this by saying that congratulations on purchasing the best phone in the current sprint lineup. How are you liking it so far?
In response to your first question, I don't think I, or anyone else for that matter, am qualified to tell you what to do with your phone. The best I can do is give you a list of pro's and con's and be helpful and polite in answering questions you may have.
Rooting is like jailbreaking an iPhone in that it gives you administrative access to your phone. Unlike the iPhone, Android is open-source and hacker friendly, which means that rooting your Shift also allows you to do things like install custom versions of Android (ROMs), apply themes over current versions of android, and use apps that require root access.
That being said, there are some downsides to rooting your phone. Obviously, it voids both HTC's and Sprint's warranties for the phone. This means that while your phone is rooted, you can not take it to a sprint store and get it replaced or repaired. Also, rooting is a somewhat delicate procedure and if you make a mistake in the process, you will be left with a $549 paperweight.
Furthermore, please read through the forums BEFORE rooting and if you have any questions about the process, please ask. Were here to help.
In response to your other questions, ADW Launcher is simply a replacement launcher (the program that comes up when you press the home button). It does not require root and if you're curious about it, you can download it from the android market for free and play around with it.
Wimax is Sprint's 4g service. Without Wimax keys, the Shift cannot connect to 4g. The custom recovery that is available on the shift does not back them up, so when you use the restore function in recovery mode, you will lose them, unless you back them up to your SD card (which is one of the steps in the rooting process).
Lastly, Because of the way that the Android OS utilizes RAM, task killing apps are usually frowned upon. Killing background tasks does not result in a noticeable increase in speed or benchmarks and uses more battery restarting vital apps than it saves when they're not running.
There is an app for root users that does help though, its called Cache Cleaner and is available for free on the market. Instead of force stopping background processes, it periodically clears up space in your cache (which is comparable to deleting your web history, cookies, and cache in your internet browser at home in order to make videos and webpages load faster).
I hope this post was helpful and I apologize for the length. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Well first off, length on post doesnt matter to me, I thank you for a quality post.
So in a nutshell wifimax or wimax are files thare are essential for the 4g connection when it is present in your area. For me we dont have 4g yet. So if I where to ROOT I would need to back these files up, because if I dont, I lose the option to have 4g and then basically I am jacked?
I tried ADW Launcher and I dont see whats so special about it, With the HTC Sense option to have different scenes,I dont see a reason to really mess with it.. I just got it so maybe Im not bored yet with the flipping options and theme yet.
If it matters I have experience flashing PSP with a custom firmware if that helps any with rooting.
I have came across many apps in my 3 days owning this phone, Amazing stuff out there. Stuff from barcode scanners, Scan2PDF,AngryBirds,EasyTether,etc.. I feel like there are other apps out there Im missing that I would love.
So your saying get rid of the advance task manager and run that cache cleaner instead?.. Does it accomplish the same thing in a nut shell?
Thanks for any help, it is appreciated
I would also give Launcher Pro a chance, its free unless you want the Launcher Pro Widgets which give you simular to Sense Widgets (Calendar, Messaging...ect) I prefer it to ADW because its incredibly smooth in comparision.
Task killers are generally bad on android period. Cache cleaner just clears temp files.
If you feel you must run a task killer, don't set it to ruin continuously, and only use it kill single apps that lock up or wake lock the phone. Which - by the way, has not happened to me in the month I owned this phone. It was a daily occurence seemingly on my old hero
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
I found that by checking out the top apps in various categories, I started learning a lot about the capabilities of the phone. Oh, and go through the settings menu.
Enjoy your Shift! Root and read the forums, well worth the time.
My #1 recommended "maintenance" app, free in the Market:
Android Assistant
-cache cleaner already built in, as well as "quick boost", which will clean up unnecessary background apps. You can even tweak it to run periodically. Additionally, you can access sound settings, and there are a wide variety of efficiencies in the tools menu. Battery level, current RAM usage....too many things to mention. Needless to say, I went from using AutoKiller, Quick Settings, and numerous toggle widgets to just using this app, and enabling access in the notification bar. Haven't looked back since.
I agree with you about ADW but I too am new and perhaps didn't give it a chance. On the other hand I love Launcher Pro. has a tendancy to FC (force close) every now and then but it is very customizable. On a side note I saw something in the works for SPB shell I think it's called and it looks very promising.
Hi guys,
I thought i share my thoughts and experience with people who have not decided which phone to buy. Maybe my input will make the decision easier (or maybe it will confuse you even more hehe).
Also I am hoping people with Android experience maybe can assist me with some of my negative bullets. I'm very new to Android so i apologies for my mistakes in my so called review/comparison.
And lastly i dont want to start any fanboy android vs iOS. This is just my personal view of the two phones/OS'es. Its maybe a bit unfair since i been using iPhone for the last 3 years and Android for only a week but still some of the bullets are independent of that. Any how lets dig into it, First i take the negative side of SGII and next the positive sides.
(maybe my topic is a bit misleading but below some of the items are compared against iPhone but i wont write all the plus/negative for iPhone since the SGII list is already pretty big and i want to focus on SGII which i hope can replace my iPhone)
- When i exit USB mode (where i can access the SD card) i cant find a way to reconnect it without cable unplug->plug. Is there a way i missed?
- Browser doesnt word wrap the text/column so good on table tab. I had a side by side comparison with my iPhone4. On iphone the whole article including images are resized and the text is fully readable. On Galaxy S2 images are not resized and text is readable but just barely. So the whole screen real-state is not fully utilized with the lower resolution and bad browser formatting.I have tested Opera also but the whole word wrapping experience left a very bad taste in my mouth. It was the worst experience ever, the article jump up and down every 5 sec or so, i think the browser got confused for some reason and couldnt decide how to format the page (this was when double tapping).
- Default browser crashes (go to qj.net where i usually visit to read about games).
- Text selection is a pain sometimes. First problem is that in every app it behaves differently. Second problem is that the process to select a text isnt so smooth.
- Confused about task and background proceses that start magically! When using taskmanager i can see mostly 2-3 tasks there and this makes sense. Now using other task killers suddenly they show 10-15 tasks. I understand these are background task but its beyond me why some of them suddenly are there. Like Kies, this should never be started unless i am using Kies. I can see now why my battery goes dows so fast (well compared to iPhone again). Why is there so many tasks started and why cant i control them from vanila Android. This should be a must. I dont want to root my phone to do the basic settings.
- Pretty much all application is downloaded can only be installed on phone memory. Why doesnt Google enforce developers to adapt to new versions of Android is beyond me.
- I havent found a way to backup everything on the phone (including applications and their save data) to my pc/mac. Without this i dont like to experiment rooting and other shizzles.
- Apps are not as smooth and functional on GS2 compared to iPhone4. Ex: Tunein Radio, i cant skip to next song. Ex2: ign app (iphone) allow for daily videos while the Android version is very poorly done and dont have any videos. Feels like Everything works just a little better on iPhone compared to Android phones.This is something most people cant understand if they havent had iPhone for a long time i think.
- Slow battery charging. I usually start charing at around 20% battery left. In one hour GS2 reaches around 40-50% while iPhone goes to 80%
- Headset lacks volume + next/back track when playing music.
- Creating folder through Kies Air not possible. for ex in media make a folder called movies.
- Drag&Drop in Kies air missing.
- When uploading a file through Kies Air there should be a progress bar, now it just looks busy and you dont know if its uploading or it hangs.
Ok now to some good sides on the Galaxy S2:
+ Brilliant screen (even if i think resolution could be better)
+ Flexibility and open market for every sort of application. Much like windows here you can add more functionality and make the phone very personal.
+ Excellent codec support. It plays pretty much everything i through at it. Well done Samsung.
+ Very good camera (even better then iPhone i admit)
+ Very good video recording (also better then iPhone)
+ Very light
+ Feels pretty good in your hand (even though i’m afraid one day the backvocer will break, i had a Nokia N95 and one day the smal plastic edges broke when i was opening the cover. Same thing will happen ti GS2 i’m sure)
+ Expandibale uSD.
+ Very cool fearure called Kies Air where i can access most studd through browser. (this can also be added to minus since it doenst work perfectly everytime i tested but the potential is there)
+ Nice features like pinch effect for desktop + many nice widgets.
+ I think you can make proper call recording on SGII (CallRecorder) but havent confirmed myself yet.
Lastly i like to say SGII is a wonderful phone and i really really want to use it as my primary phone. The one thing i hope Samsung fixes that will make me more loyal to Android is the default browser. The text wrapping must be improved and the browser more stable. I like the smoothness of the default browser and this is the most used part of the phone and so far my iPhone is better but i hope 2.3.4 update maybe can improve this.
Any input, tips, tricks are welcome. I really appreciate your help.
Hopefully this will help you, at least in some areas (i numbered them in the order that you have used):
1) using developer mode at least (i prefer it as its faster and more compatible than samsung's stuff) you can mount/umount at will the card on the pc via the phone without unplugging
2) You may want to try Opera Mobile, it seems to do a very good job at this. I'd like to see this in the stock browser too, but hey, this is Android, you have the choice to change the browser if you like ;-)
3) Well, same thing I guess. 2.3.4 may improve stability but the rest, I don't know, I wouldn't bet on it. I like Firefox quite a bit as well, but text wrapping is odd on it.
4) Android issue =/
5) I wouldn't use any task killer. Check the active apps and uninstall any app that doesn't behave (keep only the ones you REALLY need that still do stuff in the background, like email etc, but not too many). Seems to work a zillion time better for battery life. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a decent way to enforce such a policy.
Regular background tasks are not necessarily ever active. It just means they're frozen in the background and do nothing. As long as they do nothing it's fine, it's just faster to start them again (instant, in fact). The issue is really when they're activating every XX minutes while in the background.
6)Doesn't matter, the recent samsung phones such as the SGS2 have a HUGE internal memory compared to other phones, you'll never have space issues for that imo.
7)Install a kernel with CWM and then, boot in recovery and run a nandroid backup. It will create the backups on your sdcard. Copy them to your PC. Also, copy /efs using tools or manually..
You can restore using a CWM kernel later on and nandroid restore.
You can also use stuff like TitaniumBackup, but it's not nearly as thorough as nandroid backup (which is doing basically disk images, while Titanium and other such apps just copy app/settings)
8)Trollish subject. Some apps are superior on Android, some are superior on iOS. Heh SGS2's browser speed eats my IP4 for breakfast for example. If the same Android app doesnt have the feature of the iOS app, complain to the dev or find another app.
9) it's true it's like that, nothing you can do about it (technically, something could be done but that's probably not wise at all)
10) Use another music player, such as PowerAmp if you like. There's (many, many) other possibilities as well. It also let you boost the volume higher than the stock max volume (although I find stock to be loud enough)
11) Don't use KIES air to do that then ;-)
12) Likewise. There are apps like KIES air, you might want to try them btw. Make a little search, I dont have the name in mind, but they do exist, others will probably point them out
13) I do get a progress bar that moves, maybe a browser issue. Anyway, see point 12)
Cheers for the answers and help. I write the comments inline below.
bilboa1 said:
Hopefully this will help you, at least in some areas (i numbered them in the order that you have used):
1) using developer mode at least (i prefer it as its faster and more compatible than samsung's stuff) you can mount/umount at will the card on the pc via the phone without unplugging
A: i did test this mode but it asked me to unplug the cable also, same thing for MTP. Dont you get that?
2) You may want to try Opera Mobile, it seems to do a very good job at this. I'd like to see this in the stock browser too, but hey, this is Android, you have the choice to change the browser if you like ;-)
A: As mentioned i already tested this. Opera does some things better and some things worse. For instance visiting one of my favorite sites like Engadget.com the whole page jump up and down when i zoom in a little. To be honest the stock + Opera feel very bad compared to iPhones browser. I hope Opera or Samsung improve on this area. This is the most used feature for me.
3) Well, same thing I guess. 2.3.4 may improve stability but the rest, I don't know, I wouldn't bet on it. I like Firefox quite a bit as well, but text wrapping is odd on it.
A: Lets hope so
4) Android issue =/
A:
5) I wouldn't use any task killer. Check the active apps and uninstall any app that doesn't behave (keep only the ones you REALLY need that still do stuff in the background, like email etc, but not too many). Seems to work a zillion time better for battery life. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a decent way to enforce such a policy.
Regular background tasks are not necessarily ever active. It just means they're frozen in the background and do nothing. As long as they do nothing it's fine, it's just faster to start them again (instant, in fact). The issue is really when they're activating every XX minutes while in the background.
A: Yes true, i think Android just shows to much info for regular user. I have to see past the background tasks perhaps. Also some appz you can not remove like the hubs and such. Sure i can root and hack but i'm not so interested to do so just yet. Maybe when i'm a bit more user and understand Android better
6)Doesn't matter, the recent samsung phones such as the SGS2 have a HUGE internal memory compared to other phones, you'll never have space issues for that imo.
A: Actually i got over 12Gig of Appz on my iPhone so 16Gig (or actually 12Gig which is free) isnt all to much when you have navigator (3,5Gig) and games and blogs and such. But sure its enought for a time to come. The bottom line is Google must be tougher with the market otherwise the fragmentation will just grow.
7)Install a kernel with CWM and then, boot in recovery and run a nandroid backup. It will create the backups on your sdcard. Copy them to your PC. Also, copy /efs using tools or manually..
You can restore using a CWM kernel later on and nandroid restore.
You can also use stuff like TitaniumBackup, but it's not nearly as thorough as nandroid backup (which is doing basically disk images, while Titanium and other such apps just copy app/settings)
A: Thanks for the tips, i will write it down. As said i dont dare yet to mess with hacking but soon i was actually considering using the TitaniumB , hear its easy to use.
8)Trollish subject. Some apps are superior on Android, some are superior on iOS. Heh SGS2's browser speed eats my IP4 for breakfast for example. If the same Android app doesnt have the feature of the iOS app, complain to the dev or find another app.
A: I'm noob on what is there on the market so i'm sure there are many awesome apps on Android but when comparing the same app on Android vs iOS the Android was inferior. That was what i was comparing.
Another thing i dont really experience is the speed. To be honest i dont see such a huge speed difference when using my Wlan at home. But maybe you are right
9) it's true it's like that, nothing you can do about it (technically, something could be done but that's probably not wise at all)
A: I guess your right. On the other hand it could be possible a fw update could adjust some values for the current input, this could be a software limitation also i think. Lets hope
10) Use another music player, such as PowerAmp if you like. There's (many, many) other possibilities as well. It also let you boost the volume higher than the stock max volume (although I find stock to be loud enough)
A:Thanks for the tips will test this. Actually this is same thing as the copy/paste issue. I expect the behaviour to be the same no matter application (coming from iOS) but here it seems its application to application. This offer more freedom to developers for sure but it will also generate crapy software and result in a bad user experience. It would be so much better if there were a set of rules that all developers should follow on certain areas (this one is one such area).
11) Don't use KIES air to do that then ;-)
A: hehe true but this is the official way so i thought it should have been well tested and all
12) Likewise. There are apps like KIES air, you might want to try them btw.
Make a little search, I dont have the name in mind, but they do exist, others will probably point them out
A: Will do.
13) I do get a progress bar that moves, maybe a browser issue. Anyway, see point 12)
A: Strange, have to test again on IE which i hate, i use Firefox only. Also tested Safari on my mac.
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Click to collapse
Thanks again for your input mate. Back to play more with my GSII
Applications can also be installed on the external sd card.
Applications and I also believe their user data are backed up on google server. So if you factory reset the phone and sync with google, it will download all previous apps.
About the slow charging - are you on old firmware version or do you charge over USB?
Creating a folder through kies air is not possible, that is correct. To be honest I am happy that there is even an app which allows to copy media etc. over wifi, you know there are phones which don't have that, for example the iPhone.
All apps I am using are working fine. If an app is not stable it's developer's fault, not the phone.
Ios is from 2007.. android 09.. 1-2 years between them. just think how far android have gone the last year.. give it 2 years and then compare it to iphone 4 in it current state.. well yes i know android is older.. but the initial realse was around 08-09 and IOS june - 07.
and yes.. so far iphone fits those who just want it to work better.. that means ppl not that used to computers etc.
and currently i dont own an iphone but i got a first generation ipod touch.. and yes even that stoneage IOS thing does alot of things better then my S2..
bah but this iphone vs android is getting old its a subject that can go on forever and ever..
well ill stick with my laggy android.. well i've been told by my iphony friends that its laggy.. i just dont see it
vampyren said:
Hi guys,
Any input, tips, tricks are welcome. I really appreciate your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice overview.
IMO S2 is the best phone on the market now. But due to appl's hype, n matter what hardware specs they release, the iphone will always be superior to ANY phone. They could release an iphone with 1st gen hardware, and it will still make more sales than sgs2.
But, slowly more and more ppl are moving towards androi, and apple are losing sales. they even copied bb and android in ios 5..
Also coming from an iPhone 4 to the GS2 I can safely say that I don't miss the iPhone at all which I thought I would.
Having owned a Nexus S in the past and feeling a bit bewildered as there was a lot of stuff within the OS which felt unpolished and unfinished and now 2.3.3 is like night and day for that and it feels much more like a complete OS to me.
@OP give it time there will be a lot of things you can do with your new phone which would require rooting on your iPhone 4
The world of apps and widgets and customization is at your finger tips so jump right in and enjoy
My phone is running ADW Launcher EX with 90% icon dock size, 5x5 grid for homescreen, transparent drawer and miui weather
The only thing you might miss is the app store and iTunes integration (if you use it), other than that the Galaxy S II has it beaten quite comfortably.
@zxz0O0:
OOH that is cool , i think some option about it but didnt think it was what i thought it was nice to have it confirmed. Then this is pretty much what Apple is adding into iOS now with the cloud thing. Pretty cool Android has it already. By the way why do people use program like TitaniumBackup when there is google sync ? is there any limitation to the cloud backup? will all games data, programs data, settings be backed up or just Android OS stuff?
About FW i use the latest i think KE7 i think its called but i read there is a new one coming out next week so hoping for better battery life.
And your last point is something we can debate about for a long time but my view is that if you dont have strict rules developers do what ever they want and can let their app go without update. On the other hand if Google enforce some guideline like having option to install to SD card developers must go by that or their application is removed from market. In the end users will benefit and the platform will grow. But this is my view alone.
@olyloh6696:
I dont think its just hype really. I mean we are comparing a year old phone to SGII here and they are pretty much head to head in most scenarios i tested. But i see your point and i do agree that Android has a charm about it. I love the moving background, i love the whole flexibility to do what you want with the interface. Specially SGII's support for codecs so i dont have to spend 2 day re-encoding all my movies etc. So there are definatley benefits with Android but iOS has the benefit to be easy and working perfectly with the functions it offers from the get go. I think its a matter of preference and more advanced users will move to Android (a bit like me).
@daleski75:
Yupp i think i just need to play with it more and get used to the eco system
I think i will harass Opera developers to fix the formatting thing on the webpages now
Thanks for your input guys, gonna go out and take a walk now, later.
There are also many other good browsers, xscope, miren and dolphin hd to name a few, they all have their own way to format the page and all are pretty good many have different options too for formatting and text wrapping (I believe the default samsung browser also has some options)
also I believe google sync doesnt save all app data (eg angry birds progress is not saved)
That is correct...Google Sync doesn't backup app data (like your Angry Birds scores). This is where Titanium Backup (commonly abbreviated to as TiBu) comes in. It "sort of" does cloud backup (via Dropbox), but its strength really shows when you start installing/changing/updating custom ROMs. Typically, it's used to backup your apps and their data to a folder on your SD card. I can also do some pretty advanced stuff that you probably wouldn't use much (if at all). In my view, the strength is it's ability to deal with batch jobs. For example, before installing a new ROM, I backup all user installed applications (non-protected ones, anyway) with only a couple clicks. Restoring is just as easy, provided you have the paid version (it allows for hands-off batch restore of your apps). Another cool feature it has is "freezing" apps. Say you root your phone and may want to clean some carrier crapware off of it, but aren't *totally* sure. You can freeze those apps...they stay installed and can be defrosted at any time, but they won't be available for use until you do.
Also, I agree with you that a lot of iOS apps are much better than their Android counterparts. I believe this is the case for one main reason: there are tons of people using Android and tons of people on iPhones...you can essentially count on one hand the number of iOS phones Apple has to support, and they are all sold by Apple. Now, look at the number of Android phones and devices and their individual specifications...that makes developing apps for Android pretty complicated. Devs have to take into account different CPUs, memory limitations, and the biggie--SCREEN DIFFERENCES! However, I like being able to run an app developed for a phone on my Honeycomb tablet. Yeah, it may be ugly (not necessarily), but it almost always works! I have a network tool I use that only shows up on about 1/6th the screen of my tab, but I don't care...it still does the job.
Don't forget another important aspect of the Android vs. Apple thing...Apple has control of their devices and their operating systems, and the cell phone carriers don't have control over when Apple releases an update. On the Android side, you have some manufacturers that are prompt with getting an update ready, and those who abandon their devices after they leave the store shelf. Not only that, but those who do release updates, and most do, have to deal with the likes of AT&T and Verizon and everyone else here in the US. Each company wants a ROM customized only for them, and sometimes the manufacturers actually have to pay the cell companies to push out updates. This is what causes the splintering of Android, but openness is what gives it its strengths.
As a general rule, I find that the more "techy" people like the Android OS, since you can customize it and tweak it like crazy. Those who aren't quite as savvy will probably like iOS more (there's less to screw up and they all look the same). Please don't flame me for saying that...it's just a general observation that has many exceptions.
Well that's my two cents. Maybe it will be helpful in some way? <*schrugs*>
Brad
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA Premium App
There is no practical comparison possible between the mentioned phones.
Appreciate the explanation brad, TB is a nice tool indeed
Just one point, In regard to customization i can pretty do anything also when i jailbreak the iphone which is even simpler then rooting Android and what all techies do anyway with their Android phones
But i agree Android has its charm with the more open eco system.
The 2 area i wish to have before it gets perfect is the browsing and more resolution for the big ass screen (4.3)