Database Users

Changing the Froyo default dialer

Ok got the update woohoo! and felt a tiny bit dissapointed that some Nexus issues still haven't been addressed boohoo!
I like the new browser and dialer buttons at the bottom now how do I change that default dialer into the far superior "Dialer one"? Is it possible?

I would like to do the same thing. Hopefully someone can figure out how to do it.

well i am just waiting for launcher pro to get that feature and will replace the default one anyways

Well, that is something I would like to do too...

Yep, weakest stock dialer I have seen in about a decade. Will be installing the first fix that hits.

The default android dialer is an embarrassment, I installed Dailer One and set it as default.
It is free from the market place and has full smartdialer functionality seen on the HTC Dialer. However, by default it doesn't search numbers, only names, so you will need to change a few settings to get everything right.
But once you do, it is perfect.

Scrtcwlvl said:
The default android dialer is an embarrassment, I installed Dailer One and set it as default.
It is free from the market place and has full smartdialer functionality seen on the HTC Dialer. However, by default it doesn't search numbers, only names, so you will need to change a few settings to get everything right.
But once you do, it is perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
right, thats what we use the problem is linking the phone button on the froyo launcher to open dialer one instead of default google dialer

Yeah, I should have been more specific. The first thing that allows me to replace the stock shortcuts. I use dialer one also, have been since about 15 minutes after I turned the phone on for the first time and figured out I had a better dialer somewhere around 1995 or so. Whoever designed it, had anything to do with approving it all the way to Andy Rubin should be fired. And I mean kicked in the nuts, dragged across the parking lot, thrown in a ditch, and pissed on fired. In order to be an epic failure it would have to get better. Calling it crap would be an insult to turds everywhere.

Wow lot of exaggeration here
The stock dialer is not bad at all, it just doesn't suit your needs
I could go on about how craptacular Dialer One is after trying it, but I realize it just isn't for me, stock works just fine for my needs

What problem linking to the Dialer One app? Just replace the stock dialer link with the Dialer one link on the desktop.
If you use Launcher Pro, it will then ask you what dialer you want to make the default.
My LauncherPro Phone link opens Dialer one just fine on FroYo. No Special tricks involved.

Not exactky wht I meant, what I meant wa, the default icon, left side from apps drawer, when clicked to summon dialer one and not stock dialer, got it?

yea. launcher pro is a lot better than stock launcher anyway.

player911 said:
What problem linking to the Dialer One app? Just replace the stock dialer link with the Dialer one link on the desktop.
If you use Launcher Pro, it will then ask you what dialer you want to make the default.
My LauncherPro Phone link opens Dialer one just fine on FroYo. No Special tricks involved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Launcher Pro is really good, and I used it with 2.1, but I prefer the layout of the Froyo launcher. I would also like to know how the change the phone shortcut to open dialer one instead of the default phone app.
While yes the default phone app does look better than dialer one, it is no where near as functional. Being able to type names to search for them on my phone is important to me because all my HTC phones since the wizard could do this. Long time smartphone uses should be annoyed by this, but if you are new to the game you just haven't experienced it.

z0phi3l said:
Wow lot of exaggeration here
The stock dialer is not bad at all, it just doesn't suit your needs
I could go on about how craptacular Dialer One is after trying it, but I realize it just isn't for me, stock works just fine for my needs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your needs stop at pushing ten numbers and hitting the dial button yes the stock dialer can meet your needs but smartphone users are used to more functionality. A lot more. I wasnt kidding when I said I had better dialers somewhere around the mid nineties. I did. That doesnt take much though when you need only add speed dial to have a more fully featured dialer than the stock android dialer. This is a smart phone, I have the expectation that my dialer will be similar to what has been in smartphones for years. That means, speed dial, t9 search of logs and contacts, intelligent search (brings the most frequently called numbers to the top of the list of numbers meeting the search criteria), and more. Does that sound much like the stock dialer? Are you actually aware of what dialers can do for you or how to use the functionality in dialer one? Because it doesnt sound to me like you understand what you are using or what can be done with those tools.

Get real, you don't have to dial 10 numbers to use the stock dialer. Just use the address book and hit dial. Besides most of my calls are already in my call log so It's super easy. Then of course there is the favorites tab.
I used dialer one and went back to the stock dialer because I like it better. You can't speak for all "smartphone users". You can only speak for yourself.

I cant speak for all smartphone users and should only speak for myself, true that. Lets examine further. Anybody think I'm pals with Jon Rubinstein? Bill Gates? Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo? I wish because I would be living in a big fancy house and drinking champagne on a corporate jet. Nope, just an ordinary joe like everybody else here and I'm fine with that. Now despite lacking my direct influence all these people have seen fit to put far more functionality into their smartphone dialers. Think maybe it was because millions of other peoples wishes shaped smartphones into what they are and what features are standard fare? I mean no one here thinks they did it because I asked right? Features vary among all the outfits but android dialer has NO features. None. Thats a pretty weak resume when compared to what others bring to the party.
Lets look at the specifics. Contacts is much slower than T9 when your contacts run up into the hundreds. Nor is browsing through a very long call log easy or quick without a means to search it and this is best done in the dialer itself because it means less clicks which equals less time to get where you are going. Going to faves is again more clicks than simple speed dial for the most frequently used numbers, I dont use it at all.
I hate to break this to you but getting work done is a core smartphone usage and not because of me, I'm just one guy out in the grind. Millions of other people in total are what got advanced dialer features into smartphones and they got there because they needed them. The stock dialers shortcomings are why there are so many dialers and other enhancements that add speed dial and search on the market. I am aware that smartphones are now going through a fundamental change in user base and they are not just for work anymore. A lof of people are using them and for many different reasons. I dont think my usage is any more imprortant than anyone elses but I dont think it is any way singular either. The stock dialer may work fine for you or anyone that doesnt need more capability but that doesnt mean that it is up to the standard of the segment. Its not. Thats a fact. Get real? lol

krabman said:
I cant speak for all smartphone users and should only speak for myself, true that. Lets examine further. Anybody think I'm pals with Jon Rubinstein? Bill Gates? Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo? I wish because I would be living in a big fancy house and drinking champagne on a corporate jet. Nope, just an ordinary joe like everybody else here and I'm fine with that. Now despite lacking my direct influence all these people have seen fit to put far more functionality into their smartphone dialers. Think maybe it was because millions of other peoples wishes shaped smartphones into what they are and what features are standard fare? I mean no one here thinks they did it because I asked right? Features vary among all the outfits but android dialer has NO features. None. Thats a pretty weak resume when compared to what others bring to the party.
Lets look at the specifics. Contacts is much slower than T9 when your contacts run up into the hundreds. Nor is browsing through a very long call log easy or quick without a means to search it and this is best done in the dialer itself because it means less clicks which equals less time to get where you are going. Going to faves is again more clicks than simple speed dial for the most frequently used numbers, I dont use it at all.
I hate to break this to you but getting work done is a core smartphone usage and not because of me, I'm just one guy out in the grind. Millions of other people in total are what got advanced dialer features into smartphones and they got there because they needed them. The stock dialers shortcomings are why there are so many dialers and other enhancements that add speed dial and search on the market. I am aware that smartphones are now going through a fundamental change in user base and they are not just for work anymore. A lof of people are using them and for many different reasons. I dont think my usage is any more imprortant than anyone elses but I dont think it is any way singular either. The stock dialer may work fine for you or anyone that doesnt need more capability but that doesnt mean that it is up to the standard of the segment. Its not. Thats a fact. Get real? lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took a look at dialer one, and, while it probably offers good functionality; it's nothing I can't get by having google gesture search & gesture bar installed; Stock dialer's fine for me and I have over 800 contacts. (facebook, twitter, Gtalk, last.fm, phonebook)
Gesture bar's intuitive too; so you can say G for example and if you've used it previously for grandmother, then it'll bring it up with just one. Quite sweet.
Saying that the stock dialer's crap though is kind of over the edge IMO, it's simple, usable, just like most of the default apps. That's why the market exists: for improved functionality. For the general user; stock's fine. For more advanced needs; see the market.

The address book has the drag bar on the right where you can get to anywhere in a second with just a drag of the finger.

So you're saying the stock dialer is fine for you but you dont actually use it except to tap 10 numbers and hit dial right? Not that you could do anything else with it but thats actually kind of funny.
It remains that you compare things with similar things and then make an objective determination about how something stacks up against those comparable items. Thats how I make a call on something. Isn't that kind of how its done? There is no dialer available which does less to my knowledge. Is it unfair to say the least capable tool of its type is crap? I'm honestly asking.
Dialer one itself is not the best dialer I have used. I had a better one over on winmo. The functionality was similar but it was more prettied up and had deeper integration. It is about the best I have tested so far for my usage on android though. I want to make it clear that I am not selling a dialer. My post from the start was that in my opinion that stock dialer is a turd and I want to use that shortcut for something else. Not a dialer one ad. This will be my last word on it since utilizing that shortcut is the real point of this thread. I will gladly respond off-line for those want to verbally *****slap me for being mean to the stock dialer.

Lol I don't even use the dialer application anymore, I just hit the search softkey - and type in in a small amount of the name I need to dial.. I've gotten use to this.
HTC does make their dialer application nicer than the stock Google experience, though.. I can really see why people would want to complain about this. HTC Sense for Android seems to have the implementation you people seem to urge for :/

Comprehensive list of Nexus One and Android suggestions/issues

Hey guys,
so one day I was wondering that we should start a thread on the main issues of the Nexus One and Android. I thought it would be nice if everyone posted an issue or an idea that would be relevant to Google to implement on the next version of Android. I've named some (I am on stock FRF91 btw, so some issues may not affect all users):
Nexus One Specific:
-enable custom trackball and led colors notifications without the need to root (there's an app called Trackball Alert by lilHermit [see http://www.appbrain.com/app/uk.co.lilhermit.android.TrackballAlert ] that does exactly what I mean but you need custom roms to use it)
-720p video recording (already achievable with Cyanogen's mod, but could use Google's help with the drivers and to up the overall quality of the video)
-fix multitouch (I know ClearPad 2000 is not very good at dealing with multitouch but there is room for software/driver optimization)
-improve touchscreen subtle delay after touch (again, maybe a ClearPad 2000 issue, not sure about it)
-trackball wake and unlock for non-rooted users (is it THAT hard to implement?)
General Android:
-enable horizontal homescreen without having to use a dock
-improve kinetic scrolling on the maps app (not really an android issue, it's app-specific)
-isolate images and video files of apps from the gallery app (it is really annoying to see completely unrelated pics from apps in the middle of the pics you've taken with ur camera or copied from ur pc)
-remove the ****ty compression from the pictures on the gallery, contact pictures and album covers
-make the gallery 24 bit colors again (it was 24 bit on 2.1, but they screwed up on froyo [even on FRF91])
-improve the music player (much needed)
-add swipe left and right gestures to switch between emails, songs (just like in the stock news app)
-smoother transition between homescreens and smoother launcher (improve overall FPS rate on the system)
-better live wallpaper performance (using LWP generally slows the system down)
-tabbed browsing (like Dolphin Browser), better history and bookmark handling (bookmarks synchronazation with firefox, chrome, safari and maybe even ****ty ie)
-both the gmail and the email apps need an overhaul, 1st: it is SLOW. It takes AGES to open an email with images even on a fast wifi connection. 2nd. threaded view. C'mon one of the great things about gmail are threaded emails but you cant take advantage of it on your android phone? 3rd. UI overhaul.
-itunes-like, offline backup, firmware updating, music, photos and video syncing (ok, I know I'm prolly getting flamed for this one, but I honestly believe that even with all the efforts from Google to make everything clound-based, I still see the necessity of having an offline organization tool)
-custom account sync time (set a schedule for auto syncing contacts, agenda, etc...)
-enable online browsing and managing of apps, music, photos, contacts, call log... all in a single website, like Microsoft wants to implement on Windows Phone Series 7 (see http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/13/windows-phone-live-to-offer-remote-wipe-location-and-sync-for/ )
-Keyboard and Languages:
-tweaks on the keyboard including multitouch support (like the Droid X)
-make the keyboard not take the whole screen (eg. you can see the actual app you're using while typing instead of seeing only the text box - really needed for chatting apps)
-portuguese dictonary (I'm from Brazil, but I mean adding more languages to Android's dictionary) [the OS is already available in portuguese]
-more voice commands (like the iphone) with support for more languages
-Marketplace:
-better looking games and apps (this issue goes much deeper then just the UI)
-isolate the CRAPPS (soundboards, sexy japanese girl wallpapers, 50 cent ringtones, etc) in a different category
-create an approval process (completely debatable, but if it's ever created, it should not ressemble apple's flawed approval process and should not run away from Google's open philosophy)
-improve developer finantial gains with their apps (see: http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/07/05/report-over-half-of-all-android-apps-are-free/ ; http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/0...gaming-on-android-and-how-openfeint-may-help/ ; http://www.androidcentral.com/can-developers-make-money-android-market-mobilebeat-2010 ; http://nanocr.eu/2010/06/27/googles-mismanagement-of-the-android-market/ )
-find a way of reducing pirated and stolen apps (for example, blocking backing up paid apps: today, users can simply buy an app from the market, back it up using astro or some other tool, then they uninstall it to get a refund then they'll install the backed up app and keep both the money and the app)
-better organisation of cateories and better browsing and searching (search suggestions)
-GODDAMN GOOGLE MAKE THE MARKETPLACE PAID APPS AVAILABLE IN MORE COUNTRIES
-The comment below was copied from Android Central, originally posted by credo on Tue, 07/13/2010 - 12:08, as I thought he had some great insights on the market from a developer's point of view (see: http://www.androidcentral.com/can-developers-make-money-android-market-mobilebeat-2010#comment-47392)
" 1) Being able to purchase an app off the web. The big reason I have for this is marketing -- currently there's no good place for me to link a banner ad or other promotion to. This means the user has to manually search for my app in the marketplace to buy it, or scan a QR code. Not exactly impulse-purchase friendly. This is being taken care of with 2.2, but it won't be something I can rely on for a long time after that (the vast majority of the phones would need to be on 2.2).
2) Better descriptions in the listings. Not even much longer necessarily, but a dedicated changelog space (for example) would be fantastic, especially if it maintained history. Dedicated space to link to a video, or a free/paid version, etc could help a lot.
3) Tagging for the listings ("aquarium", "live wallpaper", "fish", "etc"). Currently, not only am I limited to 325 characters (about 30 of which have to go to my current changelog entry) but that couple of sentences I DO have had better include as many relevant search terms as I can manage! A place to enter a dozen or so tags would go miles to making the description space good for actual description. Come up with a big list of standardized tags and put them in a drop-down to help keep it organized.
4) The ability to respond to comments. I mean really, if I'm the developer let me post comments/replies freely. I'm thinking the eBay feedback mechanism here. It's agonizing to see somebody post a blatantly wrong negative comment and there's nothing meaningful I can do about it.
Personally, I've been doing okay with the market overall, but that's because I've focused on something of a niche with some definite consumer appeal (I've made several live wallpapers, like Silhouette, Galactic Core, City at Night, Aquarium Live Wallpaper, etc. Check here if you're interested.). It IS hard to find things on the market and with only the 325 character description to convey ALL your information, it's hard to explain all your features even when the customer does find your item."
That's it guys, hope you like the idea. Waiting for users input.
EDIT: Mods, please feel free to move this post if deemed necessary. I was not quite sure about where I should post it.

Wow. I like the ideas but to this point Google hasn't exactly been interested in acting upon any request, no matter how obvious, necessary or simple, and that's an ass load of requests. But sure I agree 720p recording and all the rest would be great.

wholeheartedly agree with you on every point...
Google is a few major DUH points from having a relatively perfect OS...some things just make zero sense whatsoever...like not having a simple add button and a check box contact list to send a text to more than one person in the stock app...1.0, 1.1, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.1, 2.2 and still this simple feature has not been implemented.
also the music player is ridiculous...seriously...like for real...wtf?

Hey so you're Kittehface.
Good list.
Please add:
-GODDAMN GOOGLE MAKE GOOGLE VOICE/GOOGLE NAVIGATION AVAILABLE IN MORE COUNTRIES.
Granted more countries are having navigation but most Asian countries are still left in the dark.

Launcher pro transitions is so much smoother between home screens, it must be hitting 60 fps easily. Google could easily fix their stock launcher to match it

fiuza91 said:
-both the gmail and the email apps need an overhaul, 1st: it is SLOW. It takes AGES to open an email with images even on a fast wifi connection. 2nd. threaded view. C'mon one of the great things about gmail are threaded emails but you cant take advantage of it on your android phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No threaded view? Uh, what?

fiuza91 said:
-fix multitouch (I know ClearPad 2000 is not very good at dealing with multitouch but there is room for software/driver optimization)
What exactly is wrong with it. i havent had any issues, but other people seem to
-improve touchscreen subtle delay after touch (again, maybe a ClearPad 2000 issue, not sure about it)
same as above
-trackball wake and unlock for non-rooted users (is it THAT hard to implement?)
this is more of a feature. the trackball is pressed easier than the power button, meaning the screen can be turned on by accident and use more battery
General Android:
-isolate images and video files of apps from the gallery app (it is really annoying to see completely unrelated pics from apps in the middle of the pics you've taken with ur camera or copied from ur pc)
This is the fault of the app developer. They need to a) use googles API for external storage and b) they need to put a .nomedia file so it doesnt show up in in gallery or music player
-better live wallpaper performance (using LWP generally slows the system down)
i personally havent had an issue with this either
-tabbed browsing (like Dolphin Browser), better history and bookmark handling
i personally dont think tabbed browsing is that great on mobile devices. i would like a dedicated button to show open windows next to the bookmark button though
-both the gmail and the email apps need an overhaul, \ 2nd. threaded view. C'mon one of the great things about gmail are threaded emails but you cant take advantage of it on your android phone?
AFAIK threaded emails have been there since atleast 1.5. I have it on FRF91 for sure
-enable online browsing and managing of apps, music, photos, contacts, call log... all in a single website, like Microsoft wants to implement on Windows Phone Series 7 (see http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/13/windows-phone-live-to-offer-remote-wipe-location-and-sync-for/ )
This is coming with gingerbread
-Keyboard and Languages:
-make the keyboard not take the whole screen (eg. you can see the actual app you're using while typing instead of seeing only the text box - really needed for chatting apps)
froyo has this in browser, i think other apps have to be updated for this not sure
-more voice commands (like the iphone) with support for more languages
there are a lot of voice commands that work fine with the voice dialer (but they still require manual confirmation)
-Marketplace:
-better looking games and apps (this issue goes much deeper then just the UI)
lol if its about looks then its about UI. Android has already added opengl libraries. devs just need to use them now
-create an approval process (completely debatable, but if it's ever created, it should not ressemble apple's flawed approval process and should not run away from Google's open philosophy)
cant be open AND have an approval process
-improve developer finantial gains with their apps (see: http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/07/05/report-over-half-of-all-android-apps-are-free/ ; http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/0...gaming-on-android-and-how-openfeint-may-help/ ; http://www.androidcentral.com/can-developers-make-money-android-market-mobilebeat-2010 ; http://nanocr.eu/2010/06/27/googles-mismanagement-of-the-android-market/ )
Just because they are free doesnt mean that there is no incentive to have paid apps on market, people will buy better products. i do agree that they could be better paid for ads though
-find a way of reducing pirated and stolen apps (for example, blocking backing up paid apps: today, users can simply buy an app from the market, back it up using astro or some other tool, then they uninstall it to get a refund then they'll install the backed up app and keep both the money and the app)
This is already implemented......
-The comment below was copied from Android Central, originally posted by credo on Tue, 07/13/2010 - 12:08, as I thought he had some great insights on the market from a developer's point of view (see: http://www.androidcentral.com/can-developers-make-money-android-market-mobilebeat-2010#comment-47392)
"
2) Better descriptions in the listings. Not even much longer necessarily, but a dedicated changelog space (for example) would be fantastic, especially if it maintained history. Dedicated space to link to a video, or a free/paid version, etc could help a lot.
dedicated changelog space is provided in the version area of the market. most devs dont know how to use it though =/
4) The ability to respond to comments. I mean really, if I'm the developer let me post comments/replies freely. I'm thinking the eBay feedback mechanism here. It's agonizing to see somebody post a blatantly wrong negative comment and there's nothing meaningful I can do about it.
gingerbread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree with most of the points though

trackball wake and unlock for non-rooted users (is it THAT hard to implement?)
this is more of a feature. the trackball is pressed easier than the power button, meaning the screen can be turned on by accident and use more battery
- True, but we should be one to decide that right? At least give us the choice.

fiuza91 said:
-horizontal homescreen (you can have it with custom launchers, but would be nice to see Google implementing it with some cool transitions)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Horizontal homescreen is already in stock standard android 2.2. Without any custom launcher. It is just that you need to dock the N1 in the car dock, before it will activate. Point is - it is there - issue is that you cannot activate it outside the car dock.

4) You CAN post comments on your own application and you have been able to on every version of android. It's a bit messy but it works:
Firstly, log in to your google account on your phone and try to purchase your own application. It should say something about it failing. Then, close and re-open the market, navigate to your app and, hey-presto, you can comment

I noticed that most of your points are not "issues" but "suggestions for improvement".
If so please change the post title.

Paul22000 said:
No threaded view? Uh, what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's threaded view on the Gmail app, but not on th email app. I know threaded view is something from Gmail but it would be nice if implemented on the email app (I don't know if requires any server-based modification so I don't know if it's possible)
logger said:
Horizontal homescreen is already in stock standard android 2.2. Without any custom launcher. It is just that you need to dock the N1 in the car dock, before it will activate. Point is - it is there - issue is that you cannot activate it outside the car dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right. Edited my post.
Meltus said:
4) You CAN post comments on your own application and you have been able to on every version of android. It's a bit messy but it works:
Firstly, log in to your google account on your phone and try to purchase your own application. It should say something about it failing. Then, close and re-open the market, navigate to your app and, hey-presto, you can comment
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't you think there should be a way of doing it "natively"? I'm sure it would help devs out a lot.
britoso said:
I noticed that most of your points are not "issues" but "suggestions for improvement".
If so please change the post title.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right. Call me an idiot but I can't see any way of changing the thread title. And, "suggestions for improvement" suggest there's something not quite right about whatever, so it is an issue nonetheless.

fiuza91 said:
You're right. Call me an idiot but I can't see any way of changing the thread title.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click Edit, then change the title.
---
In any case, the only issues I see with the Nexus One are the touch screen is terrible (have to turn off/on to recalibrate lower right corner of screen; multi-touch axes snap together) and the four soft buttons are not aligned correctly with their respective labels.
Other than those two, the Nexus One is downright amazing in my eyes. Everything else is software, which can and will be fixed over time, either by Google or by developers like Cyanogen. ie Nexus One first to receive 2.2, probably the first to receive Gingerbread etc.
Aside from the touch screen being subpar, almost everything else you mentioned is more of a suggestion rather than an issue, as britoso mentioned.

I'm not sure if they can even fix the screen issues with the nexus one. Because I don't really see anything wrong with the phone except for the horrible touchscreen.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

Mokurex said:
trackball wake and unlock for non-rooted users (is it THAT hard to implement?)
this is more of a feature. the trackball is pressed easier than the power button, meaning the screen can be turned on by accident and use more battery
- True, but we should be one to decide that right? At least give us the choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol if we had a choice for every little setting in android, then we would be flooded with the amount of settings available in the ROM. people are already complaining about how you have to have a "PhD in Computer Science" (i call BS. I only have a bachelors in SE ) to use android...adding more options will make people think WTF
most people want someone else to take care of everything for them and give them a product that "just works" (i hate you steve jobs)

Paul22000 said:
Click Edit, then change the title.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had already clicked edit, but I can't change the title.
By the way, thanks for the input everyone! This is part of what makes a community like XDA great.

fiuza91 said:
I had already clicked edit, but I can't change the title.
By the way, thanks for the input everyone! This is part of what makes a community like XDA great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
make sure you not hittin quick edit lol. it should be under title

flybyme said:
make sure you not hittin quick edit lol. it should be under title
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Found it. I had to click "edit post" twice actually. I know that me not being able to change a simple title sounded noob, but I was just blind or something lol

logger said:
Horizontal homescreen is already in stock standard android 2.2. Without any custom launcher. It is just that you need to dock the N1 in the car dock, before it will activate. Point is - it is there - issue is that you cannot activate it outside the car dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can someone write application to emulate that the phone is in car dock without physically being in the dock?, this will enable the horizontal stock features

Dad's not happy

Hi there,
my dad sold his iPhone 3GS for a Samsung Galaxy S i9000. Coming from an iPhone, I first had to show him the amazing richness of possibilities you have on Android compared to an iPhone and after he overcame his old knowledge of "one button, one app", he was quite pleased with some of Androids merits. However, all in all, he's missing some important features he used to have on his iPhone and he has some problems:
A) Most important of all, pretty much a deal breaker if he can't get it fixed soon: SIP. We tried several different clients, and for example we even tried the latest (non-market) version of csipsimple and we found bug reports for the Galaxy S and adjusted the mic/speaker volumes accordingly but it's still really bad: For local calls the quality is reasonable. It's a bit stuttery at times but people can talk. It's much worse than on his iPhone though. But what's really annoying him is the fact that calls to foreign countries are a no-go. The added quality drop to long distance calls make it very hard for the other party to hear him (All over wifi btw). Please, does anyone know a sure-fix, exact-settings-listing for some SIP app for Android?
B) Also a very important thing to him is a calendar. But both the Samsung calendar as well as the original Android one don't have a good week-view. The original one doesn't have one, the Samsung one doesn't show titles on tasks. I find it ludicrous, it's just boxes without titles... Ideally, he wishes to have a week view similar to what I have on my N900:
Sorry, can't embed the image because I'm a new user:
h t t p ://login.icu.uzh.ch/~archer/Screenshot-20101116-182459.png
There's more but especially the SIP is really bugging him. He absolutely needs it to work reliably or he'll need to sell the device.
Thanks.

TB2 said:
Hi there,
B) Also a very important thing to him is a calendar. But both the Samsung calendar as well as the original Android one don't have a good week-view.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Try Calendar Pad from the market in week view

What exactly is SIP? According to wiki, it's just a voice over internet protocol. Can you not use skype?

my wifi signal on 2.1 and 2.2 are the same. cellphones are not the same as laptop that has higher power to transmit data far away and and large space for antennas for receiving signal. if you look at wifi routers they got huge antennas. i don't think you can fit that in a phone.
i read a few months ago that iphone has problems on signal bcause of bad design : )
if you want software you've got a lot of choices in the market.

Try Sipdroid.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/sipdroid-voip-video-calling/org.sipdroid.sipua

all off topic comments trashed
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=9283203

Um... Poor daddy? Sorry cheeky I know but sgs is for people who like to tinker and find cool mods even simple apps like the plethora of gre calendar apps he could use right now. Seasoned iphone users especially of the older generation often don't get, the nerdy thrill that we do with the customisations and work necessary to fully realise the potential of sgs and andriod in general
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

TB2 said:
Hi there,
...................
A) Most important of all, pretty much a deal breaker if he can't get it fixed soon: SIP. We tried several different clients, and for example we even tried the latest (non-market) version of csipsimple and we found bug reports for the Galaxy S and adjusted the mic/speaker volumes accordingly but it's still really bad: For local calls the quality is reasonable. It's a bit stuttery at times but people can talk. It's much worse than on his iPhone though. But what's really annoying him is the fact that calls to foreign countries are a no-go. The added quality drop to long distance calls make it very hard for the other party to hear him (All over wifi btw). Please, does anyone know a sure-fix, exact-settings-listing for some SIP app for Android?
......................
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Sipdroid and VYKE as SIP provider. No echo, no cutting and only 30 seconds to set up. Can use WiFi or 3G. I do not use any PBXes.

the latest custom ROMs are really showing Pro
and performances are very quick
I'll recomend installing the DOC's ROM for SGS and use SipDroid for the voice chat
there are tons of Calendar options in the market, just take your time to review which one you like best

TB2 said:
Hi there,
..................
B) Also a very important thing to him is a calendar. But both the Samsung calendar as well as the original Android one don't have a good week-view. The original one doesn't have one, the Samsung one doesn't show titles on tasks. I find it ludicrous, it's just boxes without titles...
..............
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Egg 'n stone CalWidget. You can customice as You like. Size the Widget 4x1, 4x2, 4x3, 4x4......, choose a calander to view (MyCalendar, Google Calender.....), how long time ahead, layout and colors as You like, transparancy, and it's free.
I guess if Your father is a former iPhone user, he does not know how a widget work, try to explain to him.

Allright thanks everyone for the suggestions!
Dad's pleased with CalendarPad. Nice overview and the widget does a good job as well.
We installed sipdroid today and for local calls it seems to work well. Will check soon if we have the same problems as with csipsimple regarding long distance calls.
By the way... What is it with the "want an iphone, get an iphone" attitude in this forum. I clearly mentioned that he likes some of Android's merits and I asked two specific questions which I think I can expect from any modern smartphone, not just the iphone (working SIP and flexible calendar), the second of which btw is a downside of the iPhone because of all the sandboxing going on on an iphone. Anyway, you seem to be pretty quick on the "it's an iphone-loser" button.
Anyway, I've got a third and fourth question:
C) Is it normal that the battery lasts about 1.5 days with no IM or SIP services running? Only a calendar and the shipped-with weather widget. Is there some hack to improve battery life beyond just turning all the features off?
D) He's having serious stability issues at times. It happens that the device freezes when plugging it into USB or at different random times. At those times, the button lights would stay on with the screen being black. Long-pressing the power button fixes it. At different times it's a bit jerky. For example you would unlock the screen (gesture code) but then the screen would remain black for a few seconds and maybe the lock screen would show up again. Is this normal on android in general or has it to do with what Samsung pushed into its distro? Btw his mobile is branded by Orange and ships with some additional crap. Could this cause the problem? What's the easiest way of getting a fresh and simple Samsung or pure Android distro on it? I see there are lots of "mods", but I think we don't need any sort of mod, just a plain and stable OS.
Thanks.

To improve battery life, try turning off "Wireless location" in settings. However the battery life, even with various optimizations, is nowhere as good as iPhone 4.
The delays and stuttering you are experiencing is probably due to file system lag. Samsung uses RFS which is their own version of file system based on FAT32. Unfortunately that causes the phone to lag from time to time, usually when opening new applications or performing multiple I/O tasks. This can be fixed by installing one of the many lag fixes available. I use "One click lag fix" which you can download from the Market, but you will need to root the phone to apply it. There are several other alternatives which you can find in the "Development" forum.

Jamm59 said:
Try Egg 'n stone CalWidget. You can customice as You like. Size the Widget 4x1, 4x2, 4x3, 4x4......, choose a calander to view (MyCalendar, Google Calender.....), how long time ahead, layout and colors as You like, transparancy, and it's free.
I guess if Your father is a former iPhone user, he does not know how a widget work, try to explain to him.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What exactly is google calendar, cant find it in the market. It would be great to have a calendar sync with my google account like my contacts as I've missed a couple of appointments when switching to a new phone and having no backup on calendar...

TB2 said:
Allright thanks everyone for the suggestions!
By the way... What is it with the "want an iphone, get an iphone" attitude in this forum.
C) Is it normal that the battery lasts about 1.5 days with no IM or SIP services running? Only a calendar and the shipped-with weather widget. Is there some hack to improve battery life beyond just turning all the features off?
D) He's having serious stability issues at times.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, glad CalenderPad worked out for your dad.
At times, android lovers seem to suffer from the Calimero effect
Your battery life could be a bit better, but not much. 1,5 days is considered normal, most of us have the goal to get through a full working day (and tinkering evening...) with one charge.
The stability issues are 90% Samsungs fault, because they did a less than perfect job on the software. HTC does a better job out of the box software wise. Indeed, a lagfix will most probably cure the symptoms, i have good experience with the Voodoo Lagfix. Instructions are easy, and can be found at project-voodoo.org.
To get rid of the Orange branding, you could flash an unbranded stock Samsung Rom from samfirmware.com (Link, you need to create an account for the link to work). The first time i flashed a ROM, it was nerving. But as long as you know how to get into recovery mode (and checked that Recovery Mode is available!) you should be fine. Just remember to disable/revert any lagfixes before flashing another ROM or Kernel to be safe.

[Q] Thinking of getting a focus

Hi, I wanted to know what you guys think of the Focus and is it a worth getting?
What are the ups and downs of windows phone 7?
Is there any major hardware issues that I should consider before getting one?
Thanks in advance

I bought the phone outright from Rogers for $630.00 and I don't have a single regret! I think WP7 is gonna be a VERY strong competitor against ios and android by the end of the year. Microsoft needs a few updates to give the devs more control to create better apps, it needs some more user customization, and as most complaints would be it doesn't have copy & paste (which I dont care about at all)
All these are coming in updates soon and once the ball really starts rollin' I think WP7 will be a major success.
Is it worth buying the Focus? ABSOLUTELY! I love the phone, its so fast, fluid, and feels great.
I have new hopes for MS now, and I think Im currently leaning towards WP7 more than android and ios.
just my opinion,,,,hope this helps.

Sweet! You won't regret it IMHO.
My top 5 tips for the Focus (extra important for someone like me outside US warranty cover):
1. TAKE TREMENDOUS care clipping on/off the rear plate-phone back. It is plastic, with a couple of tiny plastic clips holding it in. Break these.....replacment back plate or blu-tac required!
2. Think long and hard over a case (I got a body glove - review on this site). This can be a slippery little sucker once the back plate gets some natural body oils / sweat / humidity etc on it. It has such a small form factor – cases do not weight it down too much in my opinion.
3. Add expandable memory at your own risk until MS offer a certified list / approved card process. If you do – load up the phone above the 8GB limit ASAP to test stability over a week or so. If you add heaps of apps and custom info and then need to hard reset, you've wasted a decent amount of time.
4. Use the Samsung Profile app (marketplace) to move the MMS capability over to your preferred carrier if outside US (eg Telstra Australia = worked for me).
5. Remove the AT&T bloat/software if outside US App support.
From one very happy Aussie Focus owner.

Thanks guys I'm see about getting one in a few weeks.
So no custom roms for this device yet, no ones working with this or any of the WP7 phones?

Think again
Noz85 said:
Thanks guys I'm see about getting one in a few weeks.
So no custom roms for this device yet, no ones working with this or any of the WP7 phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are, like me, a former WM 6.5 guy who liked to flash custom ROMs and are thinking about a WP7 device, you are on the wrong path my friend. Custom ROMs on a WP7 device? Have you not read anything in these threads? I went to the Focus from a FUZE with a 6.5.5 Energy ROM, and tweaked and upgraded constantly, including my apps. I did this becuase I wanted to and thought I needed to. It was insanity and I realize this now that I have the Focus. I no longer need to do that, and no longer want to do that. My apps update on their own, the OS will too, and I would like to see some OS updates but don't need them. If what you want to do is tweak, customize and burn new custom ROMs, look elsewhere than WP7.

While we're on topic, how is the call quality?

Call quality
mcorrie1121 said:
While we're on topic, how is the call quality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best of any smartphone I've ever used - Kaiser, Rhodium, iPhone 1st gen and 3GS. It REALLY sounds good. MUCH better radio than any of the other mentioned phones, as well, in terms of reception and coverage on AT&T in my location.

wspaw said:
The best of any smartphone I've ever used - Kaiser, Rhodium, iPhone 1st gen and 3GS. It REALLY sounds good. MUCH better radio than any of the other mentioned phones, as well, in terms of reception and coverage on AT&T in my location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
that I can definitely agree with! Excellent call quality!

Samsung Focus WP7 pros and cons
Check Youtube video: "The Dark Side of the Samsung Focus"
I am hearing some a mono tone noise in the background while using my Bluetooth headset, such as Jawbone Icon, Sound ID5 etc.
The App store is still at its infancy. The interface is sometimes sluggish and crash without response especially on 3rd party apps. There is no VOIP applications yet because MS hasn't released the API. The screen of the Focus is sometimes way too sensitive that I have to do a factory reset or complete shut down of the phone.
CONS:
- Bluetooth + 3G call interfere with WiFi signal.
- Camera Settings are Not Saved after usage. I have to re-set 720P for video everytime!
- No video upload to social network nor Youtube yet.
- No dedicate Youtube app beside the mobile web interface. I really like the latest Youtube app in Android where you can have full screen in landscape and a small video still running on top with comments and related links at the bottom.... too bad it's only limited to Froyo or above version.
- Bluetooth Remote Control Protocol (No track change, No Volume Control)
- No Hidden WiFi SSID
- No native multilingual input support such as Chinese text and voice input yet.
- Voice control sometimes forces you to quite to the home page and need to press and hold the Windows Button again.
- No HTML5, Text rendering engine is sometimes very slow which results in unreadable pixelated form when zoomed in.
- Lacking confirmation before shut down when press and hold the power/sleep button. Both iOS and Android prompt for shut down not WP7.
- Charging time is very long. Sometimes it takes 8 Hours to charge from 0 % to 100%.
- Volume Button sometimes gets stuck depending on the surrounding temperature such as too cold at around 56ºF.
- Capacitive Buttons at the bottom are sometimes too sensitive which causes quitting a game and need to be restarted all over again.
- No Multitask or limited multi-task yet.
- A lot of games need to start from the beginning instead of pausing the state when quitting the app accidentally.
- No free turn-by-turn Navigation system.
- No Skype, fring, not even official Windows Live Messenger client yet (Zune HD has Windows Live Messenger already).
- No Front Facing Camera for video call
- Cannot change theme by default (without jailbreaking)
- Only Vibrate twice then ringtone instead of vibrating and ringtone simultaneously.
- No Threaded email
- Hard to manage tons of apps if MS still keep the same Metro UI without implementing some kind of folder system.
- Apps only sorted in Alphabetic order
- Text Message does not show nor highlight the phone number of the contact. I often get confused on which number did the caller call from, Google Voice, Mobile, Office, or Home??
- Cannot SMS to pager, home, and other category number except Mobile. Unless you type it in manually or go through the contact list.
- SMS doesn't use two colors or styles to distinguish you or the person you are trying to SMS to.
Pros:
- (Just Discovered) Able to record HD video with voice during any phone calls! No other Operating System can do that well and smooth. iPhone blocks the video capture during phone call, Symbian doesn't allow voice but video, Android camera is totally disabled, while the iOS allows you to take picture at least but not video.
- Thinnest and lightest WP7 phone
- 4" Super AMOLED screen
- Nice and loud speaker
- Chrome bezel and back cover.
- in-line and in-ear headphone with mic and volume control included
- Pin Apps, Songs, Website, People, etc to Home screen
- Large icons for touch
- Fast loading for MS's native interface
- Great Start for version 1.0 of the WP7. There are plenty of improvement and I'm sure MS will tackle the above issues in future updates.

Nice review, squarejp - thanks for sharing that.
User experience on the Focus is somewhat varied, I would say. Some prefer the plain glass "feel" versus having a third party screen protector like Zagg's InvisibleShield (my preference) on it, for example.
My experience with the Focus is that is an awesome phone. WP7 has some challenges ahead but I am optimistic (even if naively so) that most, if not all, of the issues will get hashed out over time. I'm very pleased with this phone and can't wait to see what the future holds for it!

Thanks guys looks like a solid device. I wasn't really looking to mod it just figured I'd ask. I got the aria for Modding anyways.
sent from my HTC Intruder

squarejp:
Some of Your cons seem to be a matter of personal preference, not an actual limitation of the phone. two colour sms? c'mon, if you can't tell that the bubble on the right is you and the bubble on the left is your sms partner, then Metro is obviously lost on you.
The best thing about this phone is what JamesAllen has said. it just works, you don't have to dicker around with it (that is unless of course you're taking it from one network to another).
If you want something to enable you to use the features most people expect in a smartphone while being able to enjoy an unlimited data plan, this is definitely a great phone.

Check out the Real CONS on Youtube.
Search "The Dark Side of The Samsung Focus"
Bluetooth + 3G interfere with WiFi signal.

Highly recommend this device and OS.
Put my nightmare X10 right back in the box.

can I chime in
the ONE thing that drives me crazy about the phone is the small landscape keyboard. I can live with almost all of the other nuances. My captivate keyboard spread accross the bottom of the screen and was really easy to type on. the landscape keyboard on WP7 is just too small.

Buyers guide (Galaxy S2 review vs iPhone4)

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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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.
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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)