SGSII My thoughts on this Phone and Android - Galaxy S II General

I've had the SGSII for about a week now after moving from a Nexus One running CM7, and wow I am impressed.
I know that in the grand scheme of things it's an incremental upgrade - the main reason I left it a while to move - however the SGII has in my view made a significant leap.
The main thing is that the UI is now as smooth and as refined as the iOS devices. I don't know what Samsung did that nobody else in the Android market has managed, but they've finally managed to make things as smooth as the iPhone.
I finally get that delicious feeling of having the UI elements "stick" to my finger as I move them around, rather than chase behind.
While we all know this is a superficial thing and adds little to the actual functionality, I believe this has finally closed the gap in terms of delight in using the device. I hate to use the sickening Apple term, but surely the average user will find just as much "magic" in using the SGSII as any iOS device.
Web browsing is now super smooth (hardware accelerated?) as are the home screens. Going back to my N1 I really feel the difference.
The SGSII is even more buttery smooth than my Asus Transformer running honeycomb.
Hopefully whatever Samsung have done, whether it be related to the chips in the phone or software tweaks, will be copied by all Android devices, and we can put the nagging sense of UI inferiority behind us (and I know the lack of smoothness bugged you no matter how hard you denied it).
Let's hope Android has put stuttering and lagging behind it forever. Well done Samsung.
P.S.
I haven't used the HTC Sensation so I don't know if they too have achieved this, but this is based on my observations of the hardware at my disposal.

About the same as my view of the phone thats why i find it hard to understand the this is a crap phone posts can i have sense on it is their an IOS4 rom for it etc . A if i thought the phone was crap i would have returned it B if i wanted sense i would have bought sense phone .
But yes with Android customers have choice across a broad range of phones and that is why its winning the sales drive .
Looking forward to more Android improvements as this is only really year two of development .
jje

Dont get your point.
I find the IP4 laggy compared to the SGS2 . The i9100 is by far smoother in my opinion

I haven't used or seen a better smartphone. My sgs2 is borderline biblical!

austinchimp said:
The main thing is that the UI is now as smooth and as refined as the iOS devices. I don't know what Samsung did that nobody else in the Android market has managed, but they've finally managed to make things as smooth as the iPhone.
I finally get that delicious feeling of having the UI elements "stick" to my finger as I move them around, rather than chase behind.
While we all know this is a superficial thing and adds little to the actual functionality, I believe this has finally closed the gap in terms of delight in using the device. I hate to use the sickening Apple term, but surely the average user will find just as much "magic" in using the SGSII as any iOS device.
Web browsing is now super smooth (hardware accelerated?) as are the home screens. Going back to my N1 I really feel the difference.
The SGSII is even more buttery smooth than my Asus Transformer running honeycomb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u could not have said it any better
what u explained is the MAIN reason i bought this phone
there is no " lag " its just wonderful
what would make this phone perfect is a ROM based of AOSP
which im still waiting for team hacksung to finish its version of CM7

austinchimp said:
The main thing is that the UI is now as smooth and as refined as the iOS devices. I don't know what Samsung did that nobody else in the Android market has managed, but they've finally managed to make things as smooth as the iPhone.
Web browsing is now super smooth (hardware accelerated?) as are the home screens. Going back to my N1 I really feel the difference.
The SGSII is even more buttery smooth than my Asus Transformer running honeycomb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
samsung has hardware accelerated many parts of the UI. the web browser for example is hardware accelerated, as well as a few other places.
this is why i blast google. they should have been using hardware acceleration from day 1 to give the same smooth UI experience as the iphone. the SGS2 is not doing anything special, its not the dual core making it so smooth. its simply because samsung took the time to optimize the SGS2 with graphics chip, rather than putting the burden on the CPU 100% of the time.
the nexus one would be just as smooth. look at WP7 devices. they all use the same hardware as the n1, but use hardware acceleration and proper drivers, and are the smoothest devices in the world right now.

Well that was my point - How come it's taken so long, and a few generations of Android devices for this to be done? I honestly didn't think it was possible for an Android 2.3 device to be so smooth, I thought there was something fundamental in the architecture that was going to always mean a little lag.
I'd given up any of this generation of Android phones achieving true smooth motion, and here Samsung have done it without this development even being publicised that much.
I totally agree Android should have been like this - it just blows my mind that it's taken so long, and I can see no excuse for any top tier device from any other manufacturer not to match what Samsung have done.
Also, if it is just a case of tuning the software, why haven't/didn't Samsung do it with the SGS I ?

The "this is a crap phone" posts probably mostly come from people who don't own this. ...I know that might sound a little odd but trust me, even in Android communities there are fan-boys, and some actually go that far...

yup. time to throw my htc legend. i play the pinball game. the ball look like teleporting...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

I went from a Nexus One to an iPhone 4, and then to this amazing device. All I have to say is that its been the best experience yet. I actually had lag on my iPhone 4... And very little to none on the SG2. I agree that most people bashing this phone probably don't even own one. I'll definitely be buying an SGS3. Goodbye HTC and to their ****ty voice/speaker quality and locked bootloaders. And hello Samsung.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Its hard to understand why people love this device soo much unless you actually ownit. This phone seems to give the feeling that android should have been this fluid from the beginning. There is no device (including the sensation) that operates as smoothly as the sgs2. I love this phone.

gstar_raw said:
I went from a Nexus One to an iPhone 4, and then to this amazing device. All I have to say is that its been the best experience yet. I actually had lag on my iPhone 4... And very little to none on the SG2. I agree that most people bashing this phone probably don't even own one. I'll definitely be buying an SGS3. Goodbye HTC and to their ****ty voice/speaker quality and locked bootloaders. And hello Samsung.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GS3! Wow...the rumours, are TOO GOOD. Anything Apple pull out of the bag, even next year would simple pale in comparison to the GS3.

Posts like these makes me anxious to get mine. Still waiting on UPS!
If Samsung did some hardware/driver acceleration magic, I wonder if CM7 and the other AOSP ROM project will be able to take advantage of this as well. I don't want the stock ROM to be the only super smooth and slick ROM available.

austinchimp said:
Well that was my point - How come it's taken so long, and a few generations of Android devices for this to be done? I honestly didn't think it was possible for an Android 2.3 device to be so smooth, I thought there was something fundamental in the architecture that was going to always mean a little lag.
I'd given up any of this generation of Android phones achieving true smooth motion, and here Samsung have done it without this development even being publicised that much.
I totally agree Android should have been like this - it just blows my mind that it's taken so long, and I can see no excuse for any top tier device from any other manufacturer not to match what Samsung have done.
Also, if it is just a case of tuning the software, why haven't/didn't Samsung do it with the SGS I ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it hasnt taken too long. the original galaxy s also had hardware acceleration in the browser for example. only the international version, but it was lightening fast and smooth as butter. it only is because samsung took the initiative and did a custom job. google certainly hasnt implemented it yet, and in ice cream sandwich they claim it will come.
i'm right there with you, manufacturers should have been pushing for a UI experience that matches apple's.

since the op is sharing thoughts about the device, i'll share mine too. i FINALLY received it in the mail today. opened the box, the device is bigger than it looks in the online review (coming from a nexus s 4g). the thin factor is impressive, but not as impressive as i was expecting. the smoothness is there as expected, but the "S" boot image is freakishly laggy--no big deal.
camera-really good
screen-what can i say? super amoled plus looks great,
hardware finish/quality-pretty good...but i prefer the smooth back over the textured back--no big deal
touchwiz 4.0-hmm, this is tough, i need to play with it some more. samsung obviously put a lot to this UI, but so far it doesnt seem as refined as other skins...for example, the default lock screen is kind of laggy, and is a pain sometimes to fully move the lockscreen so that it unlocks. numerical battery percentage would be nice without having to go into settings...other than these minor gripes, i love the touchwiz widgets.
obviously samsung has really tried to outdo itself and competitors, and the sgs II is perhaps the best android phone out there. but as of right now, it doesn't really give me that "wow" factor despite all its features. but i've only had it for one day and haven't gotten to test out the dual core, dlna, and other features.

Related

[Q] The Tab and the future

Hey
First of i would like to say that i have been reading on xda since the old winmo days where i rooted and customized my phones. Now it is my time to write my first post here, which i have close to doing many times, im from Denmark by the way.
Not long ago i sold my beloved Htc hd2, which i had running Android, and i bought the Nokia N8 due since i am heavy on the music and photos. My plan was to get a 7 inch tablet with android for the rest of my needs, which the N8 could not for fill, and even though i had read some places that the tab was slower than one would expect i got myself a used one ( like new) for about half the retail prize.
Now i must say that i am really bugged out about this Tab, it is super slick, the screen and the form factor is nice, the internals are great ( much the same as the new google developer phone, that should be good?) but still this thing runs poorly on froyo 2.2. Really i dont see people saying this is acceptable, since i really dont think it is, i dont mean to flame, since i love android and phones in generel, but even my Htc hd2 had smoother performance than the tab, i find that hard to be true.
It is not slow in generel use, its proberly about what a galaxy s with stock would be, but in things such as the web browser, which should be essensial for a tablet, the galaxy tab really sucks, it is so bad that my nokia n8 with opera mobile nearly handles the web better, and thats really saying something! I tryed about all browsers in the android markedplace and ofcourse one can find a much better one than the stock ( of course you have to turn flash off, even through i think it is a shame)
I ended up using Opera Mobile since it is by far the fastest, it seems to me through that its not running the native res of the tab, could i be right?, is it true that some apps will show fullscreen without being the full res of the tab? i looked allover the web for days trying to get a grip of things without luck, really hope to get some answers
Now what would love to learn some more about would be the future prospects of the Galaxy tab, Is it in the hands of many developers?, will we see custom roms? (since i am not much for stock and touchwizz). Can we expect the Tab to be get much faster, should it not have the same or similar performances as the Nexus S or Galaxy S?
A final thing that i was wondering was about the res of the tabs screen. Is that whats coursing the troubles, the lagg? is that what makes it slow someplaces and makes the webbrowser work like a windows mobile 6.5 stock browser (or worse )
The reason why i am thinking that now is that i just read on Engadget that the Galaxy tab 2 will have Tegra 2 and that it seems very likely that Tegra 2 will be the processor in allot of gingerbread android tablet. Is the hummingbird to slow to handle higher resolution screens? (I really, REALLY hope that is not the case)
Maybe someone with a Archos 101 could prove me wrong (or another android tablet with higher res)???
Well thats it for me, really hope to get some answers since i know this is the best place to ask this sort of questions!
i'm on JM6 and somehow i still dont get what people say about silkky or buttery smooth >.<
mine is kinda laggy (still), and the stock browser gets laggy too when get scrolled up or down, i'm going back to miren browser
i do love putting widget though in my screen, but when i see homescreen post, some of them got a lot of widget too
wonder what's wrong with mine
already using launcher pro, better in term of scrolling than touchwiz with lots of pages (App Drawer)
but scrolling screen still gives me lag
quoting everybody else, after tegra 2 maybe there will be a tegra 3 or whatsoever so if you wait and wait, you'll wait for the rest of your life
i'm jumping on the wagon here, and i'm pretty satisfied actually, but since this is my 1st android phone, i have nothing to compare
gingerbread is definitely come to us , so i dont really care if the requirements need tegra 2
if my tab can handle it, so rock on, if it cant, then just wait for another device capable of gingerbread and sell this one
but since nexus S is using the same 1ghz and using gingerbread also, i dont think tegra 2 is necessary for it
maybe for honeycomb, we'll never know
keep crossing ur finger ^^
Thanks for your quick response. I hope your right with the requirements since it really makes sense that the nexus s would be apple to opgrade.
To me miren Browser is very laggy i really want to use it just don't run smoothly. Thinking about trying flashing one of the roms out there maybe I should wait for a official.
It's not the processor, it's the OS! and Gingerbread aint gonna fix it because it aint designed for tablets. Honeycombe is 'supposed' to be designed for use with tablets so you'll have to wait until 3Q 2011.
I don't know why people are surprised when they realise this as 'sticky', 'laggy', 'freezing' were words all mentioned in every review i've ever read about the tab.
Unless of course you only read Samsungs own review which would be slightly bias.
simon2901 said:
[...]
The reason why i am thinking that now is that i just read on Engadget that the Galaxy tab 2 will have Tegra 2 and that it seems very likely that Tegra 2 will be the processor in allot of gingerbread android tablet. Is the hummingbird to slow to handle higher resolution screens? (I really, REALLY hope that is not the case)
Maybe someone with a Archos 101 could prove me wrong (or another android tablet with higher res)???
[...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I once had a Toshiba Folio 100 with a Tegra 2 processor (for 5 days ) and it was just as fast/slow as the Tab. Don't know if Gingerbread is going to make the nvidea processor perform a lot better. As far as I know it is a driver thing.
Except for the browser, I think the Tab is fast enough for me.
This performance thing is relative. For example simon2901 you said htc hd2 has better android performance. I have both tab and hd2 now, nearly tried every android build for hd2 but cant find anything that has the performance that makes me feel really usable. But you think the opposite and this shows how relative this thing can be.
I flashed my tab to jm6 as Justin^Tan and i am agree with him. People say it is silky or very smooth but i all can say is it is smoother then my stock rom. Another proof of how this can be relative.
And i agree with appleflap except browser tab is enough for me too. Browser is enough in most cases for me too but when i browse a fully loaded page with flash it really is a pain.
As from the Gingerbread i only expect is make power drain of some apps more reasonable.
It's the OS... I come from an OS for which bloggers like to make fun (WM 6.5.5), however the custom ROMs for my TP2 were in the end quite fast. And I feel like I had more functionalities
This has nothing to do with Samsung's hardware. The Hummingbird is actually as (more) powerful as what you find in the iPad (And we have more memory with our Tab)
If I were you I would not expect too much from Gingerbread. Doesn't look like much more than a minor upgrade with a few tweaks. Quite different from the move from 2.1 to 2.2 let's put our hope sin Honeycombs...
It's kind of normal, it's a young OS and to be honest it's impressive to see the work that has been accomplished since the first versions of android. Given its quick growth we can hope to see more and more good apps and hopefully improved support for custom ROMs. That said teh Tab doesnt seem so popular among modders and chefs (maybe because of the price ? Or just because Clockwork seems more difficult to develop ?) so I ma not sure we can hope that much for the future for us
Gingerbread actually does have some performance improvements imho. Running it on my nexus one and the screen transitions have improved over Froyo (dare I say - as silky smooth as on the ipad? ). So I would expect the Tab to feel a bit slicker too once it gets some Gingerbread love. Personally, I'm not finding the Tab to be sluggish at all. Running Launcher Pro, JM6 firmware, Miren browser, a few widgets, tons of apps, no live wallpaper, and it's all very smooth.
Jm 6 is that a custom rom or just a minor update, how does it compare to stock, since mine certainly not smooth with miren. I laggs so much only opera is useable
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
simon2901 said:
Jm 6 is that a custom rom or just a minor update, how does it compare to stock, since mine certainly not smooth with miren. I laggs so much only opera is useable
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
JM6 is a Euro firmware that's been posted in the dev section here. I'm not sure it improves performance compared to stock, but then I flashed this pretty much the same day as I got the Tab so can't really compare . I believe it has some performance improvements with the stock browser, but I prefer Miren anyway. I really don't see any lagging with Miren, or at least none that I can't attribute to poor wifi connections etc. It's certainly way slicker than the stock browser. The pinch to zoom font rendering on stock is appalling whereas on Miren it preserves quality. Not tried Opera on the Tab though I hear it's fast...
Have you tried using a different launcher than stock Touchwiz? Launcher Pro or ADW should both give you improvements in performance.
That so many people's first experiences with it are probably as a demo unit, I can see why they say it doesn't feel as smooth as an iPad.
Aye, you can swap launchers and tweak settings.
But most stores have them running loaded up with widgets, running some livewallpaper, and touchwiz. It IS jerky. Or rather, not as smooth as the iPad.
Ok, so the job still gets done, and as a techy myself, I'm happy with what's doable, but that perception amongst most users is that it's not as smooth as it could be seems to be an obvious win if they can sort it out.
Even on the Tab, bringing the Notifiction bar down; sure it's fast enough, but it doesn't animate as it scrolls down (though if it did, personally I'd want an option to turn that off so it insta dropped!).
That all the hardware coming out now has pretty decent openGL support now, I can see that'll be the main thing in future UI improvements, moving more of it to hardware acceleration. I get a feeling that it's all being done in software.
It can only get better from here. A bit of polish on the first thing most users will see will be hugely beneficial later.
I find almost all of the above judgements entirely false. The OS workd perfectlyt for me without any lag or any kind of lag fixes. Im on JK5.
All it takes is a few shrewd decisions on the software that you use with the OS. My browser doesnt lag - I use the Fennec nighly builds which are silky smooth with opengl rendering and without.
I have removed bloatware and services that clog up the purity of googles stock 2.2.
I do use a task manager to kill certain services on a selewctive basis.
I get 2 days light use out of it, which is just fine!
And there is never any lag anywhere.
Now i must say that i am really bugged out about this Tab, it is super slick, the screen and the form factor is nice, the internals are great ( much the same as the new google developer phone, that should be good?) but still this thing runs poorly on froyo 2.2. Really i dont see people saying this is acceptable, since i really dont think it is, i dont mean to flame, since i love android and phones in generel, but even my Htc hd2 had smoother performance than the tab, i find that hard to be true.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is acceptable.
There, I said it. I find it to be perfectly smooth, not sure why you're having a problem with it.
Use DolphinHD as the browser as it offers far more functionality than the default, and use ADW or LauncherPro as the homescreen as they both offer more functionality and better performance than the default.
As mentioned, gingerbread will offer a performance increase, but it's unlikely to be significant. It's entirely possible that Samsung will never port Honeycomb to the tab as they'll want to use it as a selling point for the Galaxy Tab 2 when it eventually comes out (and who knows when that'll be), the future is most likely going to come from custom ROMs if you want to improve the device as it stands.
I always purchase hardware with what CAN be done with it in mind, not what MIGHT be done to it in the future. Hoping for upgrades is a waste of energy, if you don't like the hardware in its initial state, or a state that you can transform it to straight away (rooting it, flashing already available ROMs etc) then don't purchase it, simple as that.
knightnz said:
As mentioned, gingerbread will offer a performance increase, but it's unlikely to be significant. It's entirely possible that Samsung will never port Honeycomb to the tab as they'll want to use it as a selling point for the Galaxy Tab 2 when it eventually comes out (and who knows when that'll be), the future is most likely going to come from custom ROMs if you want to improve the device as it stands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, by the time the Galaxy Tab 2 comes out, I would think Samsung would stop officially selling the Galaxy Tab 1 so it wouldn't matter if the Tab1 had Honeycomb or not. Its' not like it would be cutting into Galaxy Tab 2 sales.
well im glad some have good experiences with the web and smoothness of the device, i think i forgot to say that i am currenty on stock rom as i bought it, i read that there is some good performance improvements in the leaked firmware updates, still i would wait rooting, doing all that stuff untill things settle down a bit, it all seems confusing to me atm ( maybe it just is more complicated compared to winmo, htc hd2).
Well reading about the newer firmware out there got me in a better mood, knowing that samsung knows that things are not right yet is very comforting, i mean, i would assume all tabs sold in Denmark have the same firmware as mine, and that means bad performance compared to even the galaxy s, that is not acceptable, not at all.
Saying that this is a phone os and so on and therefore things dont run as expected. is neither acceptable since it should not run worse on a bigger device, i mean android do not discriminate? I am not looking for Ipad performance, since i got one in the household, and i still prefer using the tab, even though browsing is better on Safari (Flash dont work properly atm, rather just use the new youtubeclient, which i enjoy except the quality should be higher( proberly will be in time)
It is great to read your comments, gotta love xda
even if they stop selling galaxy tab 1, if they did release honeycomb into tab 1, people would hold onto their tab 1 if there's no significant upgrade on hardware
but if they dare only giving honeycomb onto tab 2, some people would definitely jump onto tab 2 for sure
It is never ending search for perfection that does not exist.
Something will come tomorrow with better CPU/GPU/screen.....
My experience is good enough. I turned of animation - major cause of lags, left one widget. Everything works just fine for my taste.
Hmm well is that fine Having to turn of animations and not use widgets? i just hope we will see custom roms with newer versions. What firmware v. are you using?
I'm really thinking about trying newer builds
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
I still don't get the "lag"that everyone is noticing.I'm using dolphin HD and it's perfectly smooth for me. I did root and lagfix, not sure if that is the difference.
paulshields said:
Gingerbread actually does have some performance improvements imho. Running it on my nexus one and the screen transitions have improved over Froyo (dare I say - as silky smooth as on the ipad? ). So I would expect the Tab to feel a bit slicker too once it gets some Gingerbread love. Personally, I'm not finding the Tab to be sluggish at all. Running Launcher Pro, JM6 firmware, Miren browser, a few widgets, tons of apps, no live wallpaper, and it's all very smooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool good to know about the perf improvement
Sad to see the ipad is still "the" reference

Atrix \ Galaxy S2 Comparison

I have prepared this thread to help myself and others compare and contrast the different phones and hopefully come to a decision here. If anyone has anything to add to the comparison that I have missed, please list it and we can get it all chocked up.
For the record. I have only listed something as a "Disadvantage" if I believe that the category is below what we would expect of the average Android.
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Advantages:
ATRIX
Battery Life - This is a big thing for me. I can make my vibrant last through a 14 hour day by crippling every single possible feature. But people here are saying that the Atrix runs solid though 30 hour periods. This is a huge plus for me.
Higher Resolution (even if its fake) - Even though this resolution is fake and can actually cause text to blur, I can say first-hand that I saw the screen in action at a local wal-mart and found it to be acceptable by my standards. I think it may help overall with browsing. The GS2 has a larger screen size, and no pentile matrix display, which could possibly be considered better. This is one that may work out to be a tie.
Tegra 2 - I list this as an advantage not because it is faster, the various benchmarks for either processor seem to be inconclusive at this point. I am listing it as an advantage because it has its own series of games optimized specifically for it, and because Google has chosen to build their framework around tegra 2.
Webtop - I am initially hesitant to even mention this. The phone has a webtop environment, it is most likely Debian Linux and it is said to also be very sluggish. If, in the future, devs gain access to this environment and find ways to optimize it and add in worthy apps such as Chrome and open office, then this will be a massive advantage, but right now it is pretty much just a gimmick.
The webtop interface retains its session when you disconnect it. So you can plug the phone back into another dock and go right back to what you were doing. This is one of the good things about webtop.
Laptop Dock - We all know it is hideously overpriced right now and maybe in the future a cheaper solution will be available. But regardless of how you get the dock, it is an advantage to run your apps in full screen, even if you don't use the sluggish webtop interface and firefox.
The dock charges your phone, but plays sound through your atrix speakers, it has no speakers of it's own, you can answer calls by removing the phone, picking it up on bluetooth or by just yelling at it from behind the laptop. The phone retains its session when you remove it and there is no special unmounting procedure, you just grab it and run.
GALAXY S2
Screen - Bright beautiful and extremely rich. Those who have seen the screen firsthand have claimed that there is nothing like it at all and that it is miles above even the old Super Amoled display. The 4.3 inch size is also a bonus for those of us with large hands. This is probably the best overall feature of the Galaxy S2.
Camera - 8 Megapixels, and 2 megapixel front facing camera. People say that megapixels don't really matter in the long run but the Atrix camera is also said to have a purple wash to it and that the video can be splotchy in certain situations.
Design - Even though it looks way too much like the iPhone, this phone actually looks exceptionally nice. I like the three button design much better than the 4, the search button is pretty useless overall. The thinness of this phone is also amazing if you are into that sort of thing. Naturally it may come down to the US carriers to ruin the design, but by it will likely be summer before that happens.
32GB internal storage - Expect to pay for it, but it is there, you get 64 gigs total with this phone.
Gingerbread - The Atrix won't likely get gingerbread until at least this summer, this phone will have it much sooner if you get the international version coming sometime this quarter.
Gyroscope - This phone has it, do any apps support it? Not sure, but it is there.
NFC - In the off chance that any stores upgrade to NFC this year, you will have the ability to use it. NFC may have other uses that we haven't envisioned yet. It is a protocol, so it can be applied to just about anything. You could potentially set it up to unlock your home, cars could start with it, whatever.
So it has a lot of potential use other than having your money stolen from you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disadvantages:
ATRIX
Bootloader - To sum it up for those not familiar, the phone can be rooted, a custom ROM can be flashed, but the kernel cannot be altered at all. (someone will likely correct me here) but if part or all of the webtop code is contained in the kernel somehow it will be difficult to alter it to add new software or make it run more efficiently. This would be a terrible shame.
I can tell you that Team Whiskey has made my Vibrant browse faster than I have seen in Atrix videos, with half the memory and a single core processor. It is scary to think of what this phone could actually accomplish if Moto decided to allow it.
Motoblur - I read that this requires you to sign up for an account before you can even use the phone. I find it alarming that Motorola has decided to help themselves to all this information and it makes me wonder just exactly what they really have access to and why.
Crippled FM radio - WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY. All of these phones have both transmitters and receivers for FM. So can someone tell me why in god's name anyone would disable them? FM radio has many more uses than just listening to local stations and why again should I have to burn my limited data on
internet radio when there is a receiver right in my phone?
GALAXY S2
Heat - My current Galaxy S runs very hot already, if the screen is active while the phone is being charged it will heat up to what seems to be a very dangerous temperature. The pre-release Galaxy S2 was said to be scorching hot after running with the screen on and the charger active.
Fail File System, Hideous and crippling lag - Update: the galaxy S2 is said to not use RFS. Chock one up for Samsung.
Updates - Samsung has a horrible reputation for updates when working with US carriers, even for new phones. If it was not for this community I would have likely given up on Android and Samsung altogether. Although I know that part of the update delay has been t-mobile, it is also in Samsung's interests to ship out new phones instead of updating their old ones.
Battery Life I have a feeling that Samsung tried to push the limits to get their phone to be as thin as possible and I am worried that they have done so at the expense of battery life. We won't know for sure until it gets in people's hands but I expect the battery life to be subpar.
NO HID Bluetooth Support (possibly) - I have had a black wiimote sitting here for 6 months waiting to connect to my Vibrant. I love emulated classics but action games are near impossible to play with the on-screen kb. So if you want this feature, I would make sure that the GS2 has it first, because it is not likely that it will.
Availability - What it really comes down to now. Unless you want to shell out over 1000 for the phone, you will probably need to wait 5 months from now for any kind of US availability this summer. And don't doubt that those versions will become crippled and even more bloated in the process. But again there is no locked bootloader here.
Ok I think that covers it. Having written all this down, I think I am really leaning more toward the Atrix. There just doesn't seem to be anything else out there now that will be able to match it at the moment. And as you can see, our experience with Samsung has not been exceptional.
Good comparison there. I am also looking at the exact 2 models and thank you very much, looks like Atrix will too be my choice.
I guess I'll get the atrix laptop dock too and prays for the devs here to make it all better. Otherwise, I think its still a good piece of hardware I don't mind owning.
""Samsung's dual-core, Gingerbread-powered Galaxy S II has appeared on Play.co.uk alongside a tentative SIM-free price and release date. According to Play, which is currently taking pre-orders for the phone, it'll ship Mar. 31 for £599.99 (~$960). Pre-release prices are never guaranteed to be accurate and are always subject to change, but £599 seams like a realistic price point for the Galaxy S II, as it's slightly higher than current single-core offerings from other manufacturers.""
Just published at androidcentral. £599.99 (~$960)?? Get a grip..
Not bad, just a couple of things to note that I thought of while reading. First, the screen resolution can be arguable considering the Pentile screen that the Atrix uses. That gives the SGS2 more sub pixels, but then it's a bigger screen, so less (I believe) pixel density still... it's really kind of a toss up, but I think they will both look great. I think the lower resolution and bigger screen on the SGS2 will look just fine with the full 3 subpixels per pixel.
Also, the SGS2 looks nothing like an iPhone. I wish people would stop saying that about every phone that comes out. Apparently every square black phone with a screen is an iPhone now.
And also it's been reported that the SGS2 does not use RFS.
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
hotleadsingerguy said:
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The updates aren't really an issue for people who visit sites like this. I would never rely on Samsung to update my phone. My Captivate has been running 2.2 for ages while they just released the update for everyone else. Yes, Samsung sucks at updating, but the hacking community will always get it done regardless.
I must be the only one, but i use the search hotkey absolutely all the time. I love it and I realize that you can hold menu for the same effect on the SGS2, but i'd prefer to have the 4th hotkey than their ugly stupid home button. It is not an iPhone, embrace uniqueness samsung.
eallan said:
I must be the only one, but i use the search hotkey absolutely all the time. I love it and I realize that you can hold menu for the same effect on the SGS2, but i'd prefer to have the 4th hotkey than their ugly stupid home button. It is not an iPhone, embrace uniqueness samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really miss the hardware home key! The orientation of the 4 buttons makes it a bit awkward to thumb navigate since its so close to the bottom. Its actually one of the things about the sgs2 that is making me think twice about my atrix. Despite how much I love it.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Man_of_Leisure said:
I really miss the hardware home key! The orientation of the 4 buttons makes it a bit awkward to thumb navigate since its so close to the bottom. Its actually one of the things about the sgs2 that is making me think twice about my atrix. Despite how much I love it.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't mind if the buttons were hardware, thats another debate. I just want all four of them!
The back button is beyond crucial. Maybe back and home should be two hardware with the other capacitive? For symmetry, obviously a concern for samsung .
I definitely want the new Galaxy S 2. I've heard that the Atrix was a huge let down. I used to own a Captivate and I loved everything about it except the ****ty build quality and lack of flash for the camera. It was so smooth with voodoo and custom roms. The Galaxy S 2 will have an amazing screen and I think it will do average on battery consumption. Just my 2 cents
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
King Shady said:
I definitely want the new Galaxy S 2. I've heard that the Atrix was a huge let down. I used to own a Captivate and I loved everything about it except the ****ty build quality and lack of flash for the camera. It was so smooth with voodoo and custom roms. The Galaxy S 2 will have an amazing screen and I think it will do average on battery consumption. Just my 2 cents
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
****ty build quality? Like hardware wise? I personally think the Captivate is the nicest of all of the Galaxy S phones. The hardware itself has been absolutely wonderful for me. The software quality leaves a lot to be desired from a stock standpoint though.
AJerman said:
****ty build quality? Like hardware wise? I personally think the Captivate is the nicest of all of the Galaxy S phones. The hardware itself has been absolutely wonderful for me. The software quality leaves a lot to be desired from a stock standpoint though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
SGS2 is apparently RFS-free. Also, some versions will have Tegra2 instead of Exynos - hope this includes us.
People knock Samsung's plastic designs, but they're actually a lot harder to break than the "well-built" iPhone 4.
Very good write up man, these are the posts that I like to see.
By looking at my signature, you can see that I just got the Atrix as well, and I love the phone. Amazingly fast, awesome screen (love the higher density and the effect itbhas on the overall experience), and the battery is pretty good too.
I'm seriously thinking about buying the laptop dock, but I don't know how well that will perform, and I haven't seen any live videos of it.
I really like the design and specs of the GS 2, but there are a lot of possible problems holding me back....
Rooted/ROM Captivate (For Sale)
Rooted Atrix
FLAC Vest said:
Very good write up man, these are the posts that I like to see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot, bro.
I am no engineer and I can't build tools. But I can put a few thoughts together and provide someone with some information.
This is an amazing community and what people do here is outstanding, I just want to do what I can to add to that.
King Shady said:
The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S2 looks like meizu m9
I have both and a Galaxy S 2 on order
Why? I really liked the Captivate. My plan was to use both but the Atrix is so much more fun to use I'm selling the Captivate. Well, maybe. Maybe not.
Yesterday after I removed the SIM card and replaced it, the Atrix went bonkers with freezes and instability issues. After numerous soft resets, two factory resets and replacing the SIM card, SD card and battery a couple of times it seems to be back to normal. I suspect I had reinserted the SIM card incorrectly but maybe there was another issue.
So why would I pay $1000 for the Galaxy S 2? The Captivate was that much fun. Although I'm sure we will be able to do more custom rom's shortly on the Atrix, the Galaxy S 2 sounds like an even bigger blast than either. And boy oh boy does that LG 3D look interesting. But you have to draw the line somewhere.
Here is what the Atrix has that the Captivate does not:
1-better graphics and screen quality, dynamic and vivid visuals, a joy to read and watch (text as well as video quality is sharp and crisp, very clear)
2-more interactive features with outside devices (i.e. computers)
3-interacts more efficiently with e mail, voice and text programs (really like the way it handles multiple incoming calls especially when you are already on one-notification, instructions and directions for handling)(I can now actually use Excel spreadsheets and Word documents) (works well with contacts)
4-updated browser can handle more types of video content and pop up windows better
5-it feels better when you hold and talk or watch or do most anything with it (I did make one call and even though I could hear the other party clearly they could not hear me-I do not what happened.)
My friends all tell me I should get an iphone. I had one for years and the Androids are far more fun. I'll never return. I don't think. LG 3D anyone?
I think Tegra2 is actually a disadvantage for Atrix 4G.
As a new generation dualcore processor, it's early, but not strong.
It's video playback ability of H.264 is limited, but H.264 is currently the most frequently played format.
It has no neon support, big loss on processing power.
Till now Tegra2 has not proven itself in Graphics power. In benchmarks it's no superior to Hummingbird.
However the performance of Mali400MP on GS2 is also questionable, so just wait and see...
hotleadsingerguy said:
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 great post!
King Shady said:
The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, I don't understand that. There is far less plastic on the Captivate than the majority of the phones out there. The front is all glass, and the back is mostly metal. It's only the top and bottom on the back that are plastic, and they have both felt very solid to me since I got the phone on launch day. I came from an iPhone 4 as well, and granted nothing compares to the iPhone 4 in build quality, the Captivate definitely doesn't seem bad at all to me.
As long as you're happy with what you have now though, that's what matters. I just think the Inspire is a bit of a waste of money considering it's lack of power compared to all the other phones coming out now. It feels like it's last generation still. I did play with it a little at the AT&T store though, and it seemed nice. If it had come out last summer with the Captivate (even if it didn't have 4G), I might have gotten it. Now I'm going to wait until a dual core offering I like though.

Changing from iphone4

Hey all
Looking to change from iphone4. Had every iPhone since launch and am just bored of em now
Looking at android phone and the sgs2 caught my eye
However have seen a lot of negativity about it in here and elsewhere
So do you think it's a good move or should I hang on for the HTC sensation (which sounds brilliant)
iPhone user here.
Apps are far better on iOS. You wont find some apps on Android that are on iOS. Thats my only dislike about Android but thats down to the developer. Im missing loads of apps, first direct, sky sports, bbc and so on. You can use the brower for all these wit Flash though
The SGS2 is by far the best Android phone. If your truely bored of iOS then get this, its worth it.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
However have seen a lot of negativity about it in here and elsewhere
Loads on negativity about IPhone all over the net .
Point is that this forum is new and not yet representative of a large number of users .
Personally i thought the SGS 1 was as good as the IPhone 4 though some users preferred the HTc interface but i did not .
You really got to try them and read the reviews on al the phones .
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s2-930907/review
I am not missing any apps that i want .
Have Sky Sports news > BBC >
jje
Hello
I got bored too
I have just done the swap to a SGS2 from a iphone 4(well still have it)
Before the ip4 I was a long time winmo user
there are good and bad points to both phones
ios is slick on ip4 and does its job well...but also so limiting even with jailbreak
I f you love tweaking then get a droid phone thats why I have now bought 1
as for the negatives how many did the ip4 have @ the start
Tbh I think the ui on sgs is poor
Much prefer HTC sense (have messed about with mates)
Garfs said:
Tbh I think the ui on sgs is poor
Much prefer HTC sense (have messed about with mates)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got the HTC desire for a while, and now I've got a SGS2, and I really prefer TouchWiz 4.0 over HTC sense. TouchWiz is really good on this phone. HTC Sense, never really liked it.
I've just received my Galaxy S2 today, a bit of an act of faith after the first one, which was IMO at first a very flawed device (a little digging and you can find my previous postings about this).
I've just come from an iPhone 4 myself, via an HTC Incredible S, so I think I can comment on here. To me, the Samsung clearly takes design cues from the iphone, in the design of the icons, the central home button and even the design and some of the features (like the screen shot - home + power)... to me, the SGS2 is like a bastard child of the best android phone and the iphone mixed into one....
IMO this is a good thing. I was bored silly with the iphone, and was sick of how restricted it was, even when Jailbreaked. The iphone 4 is a very nice phone for sure, but really boring to use in the long term (although some like it, and I can see why).
With the SGS2 you get a similar UI, but you also get androids superior functions as well (widgets, live wallpaper, notifications, google integration etc).
As for the SGS2 versus Sense, well TBH I was going to wait for the Sensation, and in the meantime, I made a profit from selling my ip4 and swapping for an Incredible S, and I did so so that I could get a taste of Sense UI. Now, I will say that Sense UI is quite nice, but if I'm being totally honest here, the only things I feel I will miss all that much are the weather and clock widget on Sense and the facebook integration. I do quite like the design of the interface on Sense... and obviously the Sensation is going to have a lot more eye candy again...
Having said all that, there are some things I am not so keen on with Sense. For example, it can at times feel a little "clunky" in places, I am not a fan of the keyboard (I know this can be changed) what with the arrow buttons underneath (not needed IMO), and I just got a feeling that it was slowing the phone down slightly.
Now, when I got the SGS2 I did feel as though I'd probably just dump TWLauncher straight away, but you know what, I think Samsung have really done quite a good job with TW4 to the point where I'm honestly not sure that I can say I prefer Sense any longer. It feels lighter and less bloated, it has some nice touches (task manager, power toggles in the notification, resizing widgets, deleting screens (which you STILL can't do in Sense), folders in the App drawer and so on). Now I'm still not a huge fan of some of the included widgets (but the new calendar widget is superb IMO), and I don't think I'll use the hubs much.
I'm not actually sure whether the Sensation will be able to compete in pure speed and performance terms with the SGS2 which frankly seems to go like a rocket. In fact, the SGS2 seems to fix much of what was wrong with the first phone. I really like it.... BUT... I haven't tested the GPS, yet!
As for the iphone 4 versus the SGS2, once you get over the fact the apps quality isn't quite up there (especially games), you won't look back. Although the iphone 4 feels and looks a more premium product, the Samsung is actually a nicer thing to handle, feels more comfortable in the hand... but other than that, seriously, there seems to be no competition here really, the SGS2 is MUCH better than the iphone 4 really... better camera, MUCH faster, far bigger screen (trust me the iphone 4 looks REALLY tiny compared) and far less restricted.
If this phone lives up to its early promise then I can tell you now that this is one fine phone, and Samsung may have finally delivered the kind of phone everyone knew they could if they put their mind to it... but time will tell
Garfs said:
Tbh I think the ui on sgs is poor
Much prefer HTC sense (have messed about with mates)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's really a matter of taste, if you want a perfect Sense experience, then buying this phone wouldn't be a good choice I think
I've never really have experience on Sense (people around me use either iPhone 4 or BB!), but this Touchwiz isn't that bad except for one, no alphabetical sort in grid view on the apps drawer
I've been an iPhone user for 3 years and gone from the 3g to 3gs to the iPhone 4. I have also been an Android user for 1 year, I started with the Desire and upgraded to the SGS1. Despite liking Android a lot, I couldn't really make the switch to being a full time Android user. Mainly becasue I have bought a bunch of really specialized (medical) expensive apps on the iPhone. I dont't mind the iPhone having certain limitations as I have learnt to work around them. Also by also having an Android phone with me, they don't matter.
Like you I have grown tired of the iOS UI, especially the infamous Pop Up Notifications. As a geek I really like Android, trying out custom ROMs, not having any limitations in terms of what apps to install and being able to open web sites with flash are all part of the joy...
Currently I have sold my SGS1 and am waiting for the SGS2 to become available in Slovenia. I dont't think it will full replace my iPhone 4, but it seems it will at least keep me from buying an iPhone 5. A feat Desire couldn't manage to do!
As for the HTC vs Samsung debate. Sense is widely considered the premium Android experience, which I think it also is. But HTC is still using sub par components in its phones: the awful tiny speaker, the bad camera sensor and the worst mics for audio recording. It is for these reasons I won't be buying the Sensation but the SGS2.
Me i prefer Touchwiz and dont like sense .
jje
I'd probably pick Touchwiz over Sense too, also the first SGS imo was as good as the iPhone 4. SGSII is just so gooood....
bigmo7 said:
the first SGS imo was as good as the iPhone 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would have been if it hadn't been filled with bugs.
bigmo7 said:
I'd probably pick Touchwiz over Sense too, also the first SGS imo was as good as the iPhone 4. SGSII is just so gooood....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotta disagree with you there mate
Mate has a galaxy s and it's not a patch on iphone4 I'm afraid
I'm not a fan of TW or Sense, I find them both to be very simple almost condesending, like they were built for kids or blind people to use. You cannot change the screen density with them so you have to stick with 240 which I personally dont find appealing.
I much prefer a stock android framework with ADW Ex.
I am really looking forward to some custom ROM's comming out for the SGS2.
I was a WinMo user right from 1.0 to 6.5 and loved every minute of it. After my HD2 I took a jump and tried out Android, and now I'm hooked! WP7 does look very nice, but it needs to be more open before I switch to it.
I have never owned an iphone. I had a gen1 ipod touch and couldn't stand Itunes so this put me off apple for good, plus I don't like their business model.
Garfs said:
Gotta disagree with you there mate
Mate has a galaxy s and it's not a patch on iphone4 I'm afraid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's just personal opinion, my mate has a SGS and I have to say without the bugs it had I would easily choose it over the iP4 in terms of software that is, can't stand the way the SGS looks.
Garfs said:
Gotta disagree with you there mate
Mate has a galaxy s and it's not a patch on iphone4 I'm afraid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is better on the Iphone ???+
I tested three a few weeks ago over three days .IOS4 SGS 1 not SGS2 and Win 7 on a HTC . Hardly any difference between them all down in my opinion to user choice .
jje
First post here so go easy guys -.-
Though coming from webOS 2 on the Pre 2, then to iPhone 4 with iOS 4, and now to SGSII I'd like to think I've experience the best of Mobile UI's.
And Like you, I was bored on iPhone4, the grid of Icons just didnt cut it out for me and seemed something more akin to fisher price, Loved webOS, though the sub-part hardware and lack of Apps killed it for me.
For me the SGSII is the best of both worlds, the screen is absolutely fantastic and has to be seen to believe, the Applications arent quite iPhone but nonetheless are excellent and I have found a suitable replacement for 95% of the ones I use.
I'm also picky when It comes to butter smooth UI's, and Samsung with the implementation of Touchwiz 4 has nailed It, I'm not sure about other Android phones (This being my first) but Samsung has definately implemented GPU Acceleration into the UI, and It's butter smooth, everywhere, browsing and all, It's what really sold this device to me.
I actually hate Sense, It just looks fugly in my opinion, but to each their own, I applaud Samsung, they've done a good job on Touchwiz, I wanted iPhone style Grid Icons and not the standard App Drawer so It was perfect for me, You'll feel right at home as well with the addition of folders, pages etc
My only real Gripes are the fact It's a tad on the big side, though I have small hands and that It's a dust magnet, either that or I'm OCD which I probably am (I wipe the **** out of my screens, make sure they're speckle free ^^)
SAMOLED Plus, 1.2 GHz Blazing fast Exynos CPU, Quad Core Mali GPU, 1080p Recording, 8MP Back 2MP Front, Gingerbread with Butter Smooth Awesome UI & Customization and It's not hard to see why It's possibly the best phone yet.
Chronicles404 said:
First post here so go easy guys -.-
Though coming from webOS 2 on the Pre 2, then to iPhone 4 with iOS 4, and now to SGSII I'd like to think I've experience the best of Mobile UI's.
And Like you, I was bored on iPhone4, the grid of Icons just didnt cut it out for me and seemed something more akin to fisher price, Loved webOS, though the sub-part hardware and lack of Apps killed it for me.
For me the SGSII is the best of both worlds, the screen is absolutely fantastic and has to be seen to believe, the Applications arent quite iPhone but nonetheless are excellent and I have found a suitable replacement for 95% of the ones I use.
I'm also picky when It comes to butter smooth UI's, and Samsung with the implementation of Touchwiz 4 has nailed It, I'm not sure about other Android phones (This being my first) but Samsung has definately implemented GPU Acceleration into the UI, and It's butter smooth, everywhere, browsing and all, It's what really sold this device to me.
I actually hate Sense, It just looks fugly in my opinion, but to each their own, I applaud Samsung, they've done a good job on Touchwiz, I wanted iPhone style Grid Icons and not the standard App Drawer so It was perfect for me, You'll feel right at home as well with the addition of folders, pages etc
My only real Gripes are the fact It's a tad on the big side, though I have small hands and that It's a dust magnet, either that or I'm OCD which I probably am (I wipe the **** out of my screens, make sure they're speckle free ^^)
SAMOLED Plus, 1.2 GHz Blazing fast Exynos CPU, Quad Core Mali GPU, 1080p Recording, 8MP Back 2MP Front, Gingerbread with Butter Smooth Awesome UI & Customization and It's not hard to see why It's possibly the best phone yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. Best response yet. This may actually have sold this to me
May have to pop Into town and check one out
Garfs said:
Thank you. Best response yet. This may actually have sold this to me
May have to pop Into town and check one out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anytime, and trust me you owe It to yourself
There's quite a few Customizations I've made to the Lock and Home Screen If you don't prefer the actual stock widgets so bear that in Mind, It looks pretty awesome now, mate which still has an iPhone was pretty impressed considering.
Not forgetting there's also the HSPA+ radio, In some areas (And depending on network) expect 4MB+ easily, It's also the thinnest smartphone in Class though using a case makes It to normal thin Slab size, I can't really fault It, the only niggle Is battery Life but then again I've been using it 24/7 and I'm yet to properly cycle the battery though early reports suggest you'll easily get a day's worth.
One of the very big plus points for some users but not all users is the ability to customize Android .You do not have to stick with the defaults themes roms kernels etc etc as you like .
jje

Tab 10.1 is just another lame tablet...

Not trying to start a troll thread, but I'm honestly disappointed in this tablet. I was hoping for a true "ipad like" experience in terms of smoothness, and user interface but it's just not there. I've rooted the tab, loaded both touchwiz and bonsai roms, loaded the OC kernal, and nothing makes it smooth. there's lag in the home screen scrolling, there's lag in the typing, there's weird app lag, it really sucks. I hate iOS with a passion, but really covet the user interface. My Galaxy S II is very close, so close that I think it's the perfect phone, and samsung really nailed it.
It's just really annoying that i'm going to have to sell this tablet and go back to using a laptop... I had such high hopes.
foxfire235 said:
Not trying to start a troll thread, but I'm honestly disappointed in this tablet. I was hoping for a true "ipad like" experience in terms of smoothness, and user interface but it's just not there. I've rooted the tab, loaded both touchwiz and bonsai roms, loaded the OC kernal, and nothing makes it smooth. there's lag in the home screen scrolling, there's lag in the typing, there's weird app lag, it really sucks. I hate iOS with a passion, but really covet the user interface. My Galaxy S II is very close, so close that I think it's the perfect phone, and samsung really nailed it.
It's just really annoying that i'm going to have to sell this tablet and go back to using a laptop... I had such high hopes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ehh. I have some dis likes but i still pick it up everday. I cant say the same for my ipad 1 i sold a few months back
I agree 110% about the software, hardware is nice though.
I think its completely ridiculous that google and devs cant make all simple menus scroll smoothly. Its one of the pathetic aspects of honeycomb and android in general. The typing lag when using a web browser is completely unacceptable IMO, again they cant figure out how to input SIMPLE text onto a form without the tablet getting bogged down to the pint of serious lag JUST to type letters? Its mind bogglingly inexcusable. My home screens scroll pretty smoothly as long as I dont put any buggy widgets on.
In the same boat kinda. Love my SGS2, it's a freaking beast chipset and screen. The tab 10.1 on the other hand... is just another Tegra2 device and unfortunately Tegra2 sucks balls in phones and tablets. I'm not gonna go so far to blame the hardware for all the issues since iOS can be smooth on a single core (iPad 1) so google definitely has some fault here. Google had the chance to come as close as they could as a closed garden with their tablets since they all ran vanilla honeycomb and all ran the Tegra2 chipset but they still missed... so sad.
If the next quadcore tablets with ice cream sandwich aren't amazing (and smooth for once) I think they've lost the tablet war.
foxfire235 said:
Not trying to start a troll thread, but I'm honestly disappointed in this tablet. I was hoping for a true "ipad like" experience in terms of smoothness, and user interface but it's just not there. I've rooted the tab, loaded both touchwiz and bonsai roms, loaded the OC kernal, and nothing makes it smooth. there's lag in the home screen scrolling, there's lag in the typing, there's weird app lag, it really sucks. I hate iOS with a passion, but really covet the user interface. My Galaxy S II is very close, so close that I think it's the perfect phone, and samsung really nailed it.
It's just really annoying that i'm going to have to sell this tablet and go back to using a laptop... I had such high hopes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am happy with mine go back and use the ipad or maybe playbook or touchpad
henryr934 said:
i am happy with mine go back and use the ipad or maybe playbook or touchpad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+ 10.
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Love the tab, I don't see this lag, etc. IOS may be smooth, but so is the android app draw...which is pretty much what the homescreens are on the iPad. Yea honeycomb as a few bugs to iron out, but it is relatively young.
I read somewhere that the ipad2 has a better GPU, so the reason it's smoother is because of the hardware.
kbeason said:
I read somewhere that the ipad2 has a better GPU, so the reason it's smoother is because of the hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong. Ipad 1 has a GPU 3 times slower than tegra 2 and it scrolls all menus liquid smoothly. It has nothing to do with the hardware to make simple scrolling smooth, the issue is with honeycomb and android in general.
I think is has to do with hardware acceleration. ios and WP7 both have hardware acceleration that's better than what we have. Does Android even have Hardware Acceleration?
BlueGoldAce said:
Love the tab, I don't see this lag, etc. IOS may be smooth, but so is the android app draw...which is pretty much what the homescreens are on the iPad. Yea honeycomb as a few bugs to iron out, but it is relatively young.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. I haven't experienced any lag when flipping between screens, app drawer, switching apps etc.
The only really glaring issues I've seen have been with the stock web browser and its problems with javascript heavy web pages and text fields. While Opera and Dolphin are good alternatives to use to avoid those problems I do like the stock browser the best.
After being on this forum for some time now, it seems like the majority of issues people have are either self inflicted, a case of not having/using the right app or from refusing to use a known work around.
I can say I have no issues with any of the screens lagging when I scroll through them. I find it is much smoother than any android phone I have used.
The problem is not the hardware and I dont think the software is that bad. It has ALOT of feature IOS does not have and WAY more capability.
I think the real problem is a lot of people are finding it hard to find uses for the tablet. There isnt a plethora of apps designed specifically for android like their is for ipad. Also I think a lot of people are finding that they spent $500 on something that their phones pretty much already do. So they try and justify their guilt in spending that money by coming up with ridiculous reasons "
why" the product sucks. i think alot of people got it on an impulse buy because it is the new shiny toy on the market.
I for one love my tablet. I use it all day at work and is perfect for travel. Im excited for the new update and all the new features that will come with it.
I agree that the Honeycomb is not perfect and it'll probably be another year before Android tables catch up to the iPad. However that said I like the tweaking that can be done on Honeycomb where iOS is just boring.
hoodoomagic said:
Same here. I haven't experienced any lag when flipping between screens, app drawer, switching apps etc.
The only really glaring issues I've seen have been with the stock web browser and its problems with javascript heavy web pages and text fields. While Opera and Dolphin are good alternatives to use to avoid those problems I do like the stock browser the best.
After being on this forum for some time now, it seems like the majority of issues people have are either self inflicted, a case of not having/using the right app or from refusing to use a known work around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Opera has made me so happy with this tabet. Buttery smooth. Also a huge fan of the SwiftKey split keyboard... IPad can't do that!
I have to admit this is googles fault for rushing honeycomb just to compete with the IPad. I'll be waiting for the ice cream sandwich update and hopefully that will unify the Android OS like google wants to do and fix some of their problems and get tablets fixed because my patience is running thin.
5thElement said:
Wrong. Ipad 1 has a GPU 3 times slower than tegra 2 and it scrolls all menus liquid smoothly. It has nothing to do with the hardware to make simple scrolling smooth, the issue is with honeycomb and android in general.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My iPad 1, as much as I love it, isn't as smooth as my tab 10.1 in a lot of places.
ipatella said:
I think is has to do with hardware acceleration. ios and WP7 both have hardware acceleration that's better than what we have. Does Android even have Hardware Acceleration?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We do, starting in honeycomb (or maybe partially in gingerbread).
kbeason said:
I read somewhere that the ipad2 has a better GPU, so the reason it's smoother is because of the hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not true at all. Smoothness of iOS is a direct reflection of the closed locked down environment that is iOS. 'It just works' because the restrictions apple has placed on its operating system. Android on the other hand is open source and not locked down to this degree. Its a more powerful, flexible system which comes at a cost. That would be hardware. Android devices need better specs to maintain the smoothness of iOS. Both of these approaches have merit in their own right. For the record, I still think iOS is super boring.
foxfire235 said:
Not trying to start a troll thread, but I'm honestly disappointed in this tablet. I was hoping for a true "ipad like" experience in terms of smoothness, and user interface but it's just not there. I've rooted the tab, loaded both touchwiz and bonsai roms, loaded the OC kernal, and nothing makes it smooth. there's lag in the home screen scrolling, there's lag in the typing, there's weird app lag, it really sucks. I hate iOS with a passion, but really covet the user interface. My Galaxy S II is very close, so close that I think it's the perfect phone, and samsung really nailed it.
It's just really annoying that i'm going to have to sell this tablet and go back to using a laptop... I had such high hopes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have owned and tested for the last 10 months these tablets: IPAD, IPAD2, Viewsonic, Motorola, Acer Iconia (nice) and since a week the Galaxy tab which I will keep. I installed the latest Bonsai ROM and I love it. Smooth, can overclock to 1.4GHz. Sure it lacks connectivity, but nothing is perfect. Honeycomb will become better. I rooted the IPAD2. What a joke: The unofficial apps are baby stuff. I paid for my Galaxy tab $393 and know at least there will be new roms in the future. IPAD2 $525 for a locked system, no thanks.
But it all comes down to personal preferences.
Not sure if
I'll get the galaxy tab but I consider it strongly.had the 7 inch galaxy tab and thought it was well build and the screen quality was very good. As I am in germany I can't test the build quality of the tab and if I read threads like this then I reconsider to buy this tab. Is it really that crappy the tab without comparison to the ipad 2.
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foxfire235 said:
Not trying to start a troll thread, but I'm honestly disappointed in this tablet. I was hoping for a true "ipad like" experience in terms of smoothness, and user interface but it's just not there. I've rooted the tab, loaded both touchwiz and bonsai roms, loaded the OC kernal, and nothing makes it smooth. there's lag in the home screen scrolling, there's lag in the typing, there's weird app lag, it really sucks. I hate iOS with a passion, but really covet the user interface. My Galaxy S II is very close, so close that I think it's the perfect phone, and samsung really nailed it.
It's just really annoying that i'm going to have to sell this tablet and go back to using a laptop... I had such high hopes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here.. I didnt bother trying to "fix" the tablet though. I just took it back after 3 days. The Honeycomb user experience is not ready for primetime.. too laggy and too buggy.

Convince me the iPhone 5 will bring nothing worthwhile...

So I can pick up my new S3.
I've been wanting to switch forever to Android, but to me the hardware wasn't always quite there. Now that phones have caught up, I'm itching to go upgrade. However, I know the iPhone 5 is being released in just a little bit, so I'm going to hate myself if I don't at least hear what the 5 is going to have. My guess is NFC and a larger screen, but I can't imagine what else they could bring hardware wise. I love my Iphone, don't get me wrong, but I'm guessing hardware will barely change and to me Ios6 doesn't look like it will bring a lot of innovation to the market.
I'm such a nerd though, I use to have an HTC with Windows Mobile and modded the hell out of that thing. It was the most fun I've ever had with a phone, but the camera on it was horrible, which is pretty important in my eyes.
Does this forum looks like Android-Buy-Me-Forum? Dude, make your own decisions...nobody, I mean nobody can tell or convince you which phones you prefers. Iphone has their own advantages so does Android.
Everyone using Android will say Android is better, so if you go to an Iphone forum, the same will happen. If you want to use a phone with stability, nothing changes over time, everything goes well everytime, go to the Iphone. If you are someone who likes to tweaks your phone, able to set your own personal ringtone without going to iTunes, go to Android. Simple as that
Camera on the SGS3 is awesome, it has NFC, Android has had turn by turn navigation for years, you can do anything with Android you want, the quad core CPU is awesome if you watch videos receive an email or text and just hit the pop out play button to watch the video and check the email or text.
You aren't bound to what a company says a phone should be able to do, you don't like the stock rom flash a custom rom. The UI looks different in different versions of Android. All share cast allows you to share whats on the screen with a TV whether its a slide show of holiday pics or a video.
Google now trumps siri in so many ways (when JB comes) you can just copy files to any PC, no installing iTunes on all PCs you want to share things with.
Any other reasons you need?
Well I certainly know the differences, but I thank everyone for their input. My thought process about the iPhone was always hardware as I stated before. I never really enjoyed iOS, at least when I purchased for4. For the first iPhone 3, I'm sure a lot of us could agree it was probably the best OS out at the time. When the 4 came out, it seemed like the best hardware compared to others as well, but iOS was falling behind.
But now, I don't know whats up Apples sleeve. I mean, what could they possible bring to the table that will provide the wow factor hardware wise? NFC won't do it, I even think wireless charging wouldn't do it. A slightly larger screen and maybe a better camera? 3d? All stuff is either standard now or a cheesy gimmick. That's why i love the S3, because it has the hardware, plus we all know Android is fantastic.
Punker1234 said:
Well I certainly know the differences, but I thank everyone for their input. My thought process about the iPhone was always hardware as I stated before. I never really enjoyed iOS, at least when I purchased for4. For the first iPhone 3, I'm sure a lot of us could agree it was probably the best OS out at the time. When the 4 came out, it seemed like the best hardware compared to others as well, but iOS was falling behind.
But now, I don't know whats up Apples sleeve. I mean, what could they possible bring to the table that will provide the wow factor hardware wise? NFC won't do it, I even think wireless charging wouldn't do it. A slightly larger screen and maybe a better camera? 3d? All stuff is either standard now or a cheesy gimmick. That's why i love the S3, because it has the hardware, plus we all know Android is fantastic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Iphone's screen will never compare to the GS3, better camera get the Nokia N8 with a 12MP camera, 3d get the LG Optimus 3d, these are already out there Apple will just be copying everyone implementing things we don't see in the SGS3.
Also lets not forget the hardware in the iPhone is all Samsung hardware, so iPhone is made by Samsung as well. Any hardware Apple could improve over SGS3 (CPU, GPU, screen) will drain your battery which you cannot replace. with the SGS3 if you need it you can carry a spare battery with you and just swap it over when the awesome hardware drains the battery.
Well first off, it's an iPhone... While they may be popular, Samsung has over thrown Apple's control of the market share."Everyone that's popular, cool, rich has to have one right???" No -_- the SGS3 cost more than the iPhone, so that marks off rich people. I am pretty da*n cool and popular, that marks the others off cuz I have an SGS3. It has a quad core while Apple is just now getting into the dual core waters. Battery life is amazing. GPU is the best around. Dev support, not locked down. Jelly bean smoothness on the way.
I mean c'mon if you seriously have doubts on getting an iDevice and becoming an iSheep, then leave XDA. Unless your job forces you (which I would still try my hardest to avoid) to have an iPhone, steer clear and enjoy your freedom.
I don't know why you say the iPhone had the best hardware, it wasn't hardware that made it smooth, it was software optimisation.
The 4S is using an underclocked dual core processor and it only has 512mb of ram.
Hardware has never been apples game, they just optimised the sh*t out of iOS.
Also objective C is faster than Java. (iOS and Android coding languages respectively)
Hardware was nearly always better on high end android handsets (no point comparing a 59.99 low end Android to a 700 quid iPhone, although most people that say Android is **** base their opinions on that.) Because it had to be, the os wasn't refined as much as iOS because there were so many oems, chip manufacturers etc. there were so many variables.
Now with JB Android has really found its feet, JB is the release that Android deserves as a platform, it is the one that will win non-technical people over with the ease of use and of course the fact that it oozes butter all over the place.
So to get to the point, iOS is dated, Android is growing better with every release. Vote Android.
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Punker1234 said:
Well I certainly know the differences, but I thank everyone for their input. My thought process about the iPhone was always hardware as I stated before. I never really enjoyed iOS, at least when I purchased for4. For the first iPhone 3, I'm sure a lot of us could agree it was probably the best OS out at the time. When the 4 came out, it seemed like the best hardware compared to others as well, but iOS was falling behind.
But now, I don't know whats up Apples sleeve. I mean, what could they possible bring to the table that will provide the wow factor hardware wise? NFC won't do it, I even think wireless charging wouldn't do it. A slightly larger screen and maybe a better camera? 3d? All stuff is either standard now or a cheesy gimmick. That's why i love the S3, because it has the hardware, plus we all know Android is fantastic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well its possible for the iphone5 to be better spec wise (cpu, gpu). If you're into gaming, it seems developers always put out the best versions of their mobile games for apple's product so that could be a plus for you. Other than that, I don't think anyone knows what's going to be in it.
georaldc said:
Well its possible for the iphone5 to be better spec wise (cpu, gpu). If you're into gaming, it seems developers always put out the best versions of their mobile games for apple's product so that could be a plus for you. Other than that, I don't think anyone knows what's going to be in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if he's into gaming then he should get a console or a PC.
to the OP, you said so, you want to change to android, sgs3 is a great way to make that change, the iphone 5 could be good but we don't know yet besides, if you like freedom then android is your choice.
my recommendation is, wait till the iphone release and pick one by then, if you come to our world you will enjoy it and never leave, trust me.
If he's in the us his gs3 won't be a quad core . But it will have 2 gigs of ram and be fast as hell. I'd go with the gs3. In fact I am going to the gs3 lol. I have the gs2 right now.
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Apple will never compete in hardware spec with Android because there are so many android devices come out every 4-6 months with higher spec. Apple will never catch up on that department.
Maybe there will be new softwares in Iphone5. But whatever software offered in Iphone5 will be available for Iphone4.
So basically, there is nothing, I mean really nothing worthwhile that Iphone5 will bring to you.
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Convince me that this thread was really needed? There are many people waiting for new iphone to come out so that they can compare it with GSIII and make their decision. What if everyone wants to be convinced?
I am in the US and i have the Quad core version....
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Is this some cheap way of getting the fanboys stocked up?!
Read how unimpressive IO6 with the features that are coming out and the compelling but unsiteresting hardware underneath it. Besides you know what your getting with apple tbh, there hardly surprising anyone as much as they used to these days, but incremental change has its merits.
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Does it still depend on itunes? Y/N?
If Y goto 10
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I have to admit something about those apples
I have repaires alot of samsungs and my first 4s a while ago
Build quality is something apple does better to my opinion
Not trying to hate on the plastic s3 that cracks when handled ruff
Just saying i prefer apples build quality (ill never get one tho) well if somebody gives me one sponsored i wont say no offcourse but purshasing it myself ?
I think for ppl that like apple build quality and dont like os from apple they can
Put android on it ? Lets face it this is XDA
Samsung need to notch up the build quality and then the phones would be ok
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Just wait and get your iPhone with NFC and everyone will think it will be the first phone to have it
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Anything Apple makes you a ***** to iTunes. End. Of. Sorry.
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That's why iPod 3rd gen has been sitting in a drawer for over a year. Itunes sucks.
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The Iphone(5) isn't out yet! besides, it sounds like you want a phone because it could be more popular not because of the functions. If you want a stylish phone have a look for the sony ericsson p900i

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