Database Users

Limitations???

Hello-
I was hoping any and all users can giver their 2 cents here. What are the real world limitations of this device? I have done a fair amount of research and this phone seems to fit the bill, but wanted some feedback on it. I know I want an Android based smartphone, and I must stick with AT&T as it's what my company has and it's the ONLY provider in my rural part of Texas.
While the phone has been labeled "mid-spec" it still seems pretty impressive. I also know being tied to AT&T means I'm REALLY limited, and I do not want an iPhone. My wife has one, I've tried it... It completly DIED after 3 months. I know in other posts people have said iPhone still best bang for the buck for AT&T smartphone, but a smartphone that does not work as a phone, doesn't show the net as it really appears, and has updates that seemingly copy Android does not seem too "smart" to me. Yes, iTunes looks pretty, and I could play "Words w/ Friends," but seems like a lot of fluff.
I have found due to hardware Aria cannot run Google Earth, is there anything else it cannot do? I know there is debate about Gingerbread being compatible, but that seems a ways down the road. I'm really torn, as I like the size of this thing: it still looks like a phone and not a flat panel TV, but the car guy side of me thinks "no replacement for displacement" when it comes to a processor.
That would mean getting a Nexus One, but I worry about the trackball popping out like my sister-in-laws Blackberry, and the cost is hard to swallow. The Desire looks AWESOME but if I have read correctly it will not work on 3G for data, only voice, and it is expensive. Then there is the Samsung Captivate which is coming, but it seems HUGE, or does the camera add 10 lbs???. I'd like to limit the physical size to an iphone-esque size at most so it is pocketable. I also have read Samsung can be difficult to work with from a consumer standpoint with respect to updates, etc.
I also like the Sense UI as it seems elegantly simple and worked well while I messed with the phone in the store.
Overall, I want the most bang for the buck phone. A true "dream machine" would be an Aria sized phone, with the Desire specs, that does it all on 3G. What really would be the closest thing to such a device? I'm open to any ideas and suggestions, but again I CANNOT change providers; seriously, AT&T is the ONLY provider with coverage in my area.
Thanks in advance for any and all answers and help!!!

The phone does have some limitations (you have done your homework). If you want a great phone on att, this is a good choice. The galaxy s (coming soon to ATT) may be better if you must have a high end device.

I would say that if you are stuck with AT&T, the Aria may be your phone. I have a had HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and Apple phones and HTC has been the most solid of all of them. I just came from an iPhone and I can honestly say it has better reception, call quality, and adaptability than my 3GS. Phones seem to be almost a matter of taste, some people will deal with the most ridiculous shortcomings if it has a feature they feel is the most important. That being said, I played with a lot of phones and found the Aria to be the best package for a smartphone on AT&T at this moment. That could change as soon as another high end phone hops on but for now, I'm very pleased. I will say this, the battery life takes some getting used to, but its right in the same area and any other smartphone. Also, the speaker phone is quiet but since I never use it, it doesn't even make my list for pros vs cons. Being that it is locked down to certain apps and such is annoying, but coming from an iPhone makes it seem like a walk in the park to get other apps and such on it. I would say read a little more of these forums to see what some complaints are and see if any of them make your list of important features. But otherwise, you have on recommendation here.

Some of the gripes I have with this phone include:
* The screen isn't quite adequate in size for reading ebooks, which I didn't expect I would do at the time of purchase.
* The speaker is pretty crappy. It's not very loud and it sounds irritating at volume - very tinny.
* It doesn't appear to support very many video file formats. In fact, the only format I've gotten to work with Act1 video player are the base h264 and h263 formats. To my understanding, it is up to the manufacturer to include any extra codecs, so you're SOL if you're planning on using this as a mobile media player.
* It doesn't come with live wallpapers or an option to sideload apps. You can enable both of these by rooting the phone (which is a pain in the ass, by the way), but I've found that the processor isn't up to the task of running some of the more complex live wallpapers (like the mario wallpaper). I'm hoping this will be less of a problem with Froyo and the JIT.
* It gets a little warm when you have the gps on in navigation, but not enough to scald your junk if you're keeping it on your lap. It's actually not that big of a deal, just makes me worry about damaging the battery.
* Typing is a bit hard in portrait mode. Some applications seem to crash in landscape mode, like 'better terminal emulator', but I suspect that's more of a problem with the program and not the Aria.
* The camera is a bit mediocre and doesn't include a flash, but to be fair, it's primarily a phone and not a camera (I have yet to see a phone's camera be on par with a midrange point & shoot).
* Sense UI can't be disabled/enabled as an option, like on the Evo 4g.
I was going to test Google Earth for you, but I can't seem to find it in the Market.
Anyway, in summary, it has a few shortcomings, it's a midrange phone after all, but I love it regardless. It's slips into my pocket comfortably and feels solid in the hand. The interface is nice and smooth (unless you have some crazy live wallpaper enabled). It doesn't bog down when you fill the screens with widgets, and the browser experience thus far has been great. All in all, it was definitely worth the $50 I paid for it from Amazon.com.
P.S. I was considering holding out for something higher spec'd to come along on AT&T, but who knows when that will happen? The Dell Aero was supposed to be out months ago. Likewise, we are actually supposed to have 3 HTC phones running Android to choose from right now, and yet we only have the Aria. The Samsung Captivate is supposed to be 'coming in the next few months,' but I've grown to distrust AT&T's timelines. A major part of why I got the Aria was because I was simply tired of waiting for ATT to get their act together.

I went to an AT&T Retail Store here in Corpus Christi, TX to look at it again and see what they could do for me deal wise because I'm mid-cycle in my contract. The Mgr. told me he is suppose to get the "sample" Captivate on Friday, and it's suppose to be on sale the 15th. I guess to go head-to-head with the X??? I'll wait til Friday to see if it true. He claims there is a lot to coming down the pike with Android OS as it's the "next big thing..." (Well, for AT&T I guess....) I've waitd this long, another couple of days won't kill me to see it, and help reduce buyer's remorse...

lonestarmotorcyclist said:
I went to an AT&T Retail Store here in Corpus Christi, TX to look at it again and see what they could do for me deal wise because I'm mid-cycle in my contract. The Mgr. told me he is suppose to get the "sample" Captivate on Friday, and it's suppose to be on sale the 15th. I guess to go head-to-head with the X??? I'll wait til Friday to see if it true. He claims there is a lot to coming down the pike with Android OS as it's the "next big thing..." (Well, for AT&T I guess....) I've waitd this long, another couple of days won't kill me to see it, and help reduce buyer's remorse...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck fighting the urge!

modest_mandroid said:
* It doesn't appear to support very many video file formats. In fact, the only format I've gotten to work with Act1 video player are the base h264 and h263 formats. To my understanding, it is up to the manufacturer to include any extra codecs, so you're SOL if you're planning on using this as a mobile media player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not exactly. Do a search on 'Rock Player'. It's a media player that's still in Beta, and it expands upon the selection of video codecs that are handled by the standard media libraries.
It plays DivX-encoded videos like a CHAMP.
EDIT: Actually, here's the forum for it: http://www.diffthink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4
Regards,
Corporate Dog

* It doesn't appear to support very many video file formats. In fact, the only format I've gotten to work with Act1 video player are the base h264 and h263 formats. To my understanding, it is up to the manufacturer to include any extra codecs, so you're SOL if you're planning on using this as a mobile media player.
I was planning on using it as a media player... So, in simple English for my simple mind, what does this mean: that it can only use those two formats? Does it mean it's limited to what can be seen via the internet or does it mean I'm limited to the type of video formats I could directly load from my computer, or both???? Is there a way around these limitations because I want to be able to have infotainment in one device and do not want to drag around multiple devices. (Sorry if this seems like a dumb question but I am FAR from well versed in this field.)
Also, thanks again for the replies and info.. It is GREATLY appreciated!!!

Corporate Dog said:
Not exactly. Do a search on 'Rock Player'. It's a media player that's still in Beta, and it expands upon the selection of video codecs that are handled by the standard media libraries.
It plays DivX-encoded videos like a CHAMP.
EDIT: Actually, here's the forum for it: http://www.diffthink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4
Regards,
Corporate Dog
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll check it out when I get home, don't have any divx files to play here.
lonestarmotorcyclist said:
I was planning on using it as a media player... So, in simple English for my simple mind, what does this mean: that it can only use those two formats? Does it mean it's limited to what can be seen via the internet or does it mean I'm limited to the type of video formats I could directly load from my computer, or both???? Is there a way around these limitations because I want to be able to have infotainment in one device and do not want to drag around multiple devices. (Sorry if this seems like a dumb question but I am FAR from well versed in this field.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To my understanding, there isn't any "CorePlayer" equivalent. I dunno if you're coming from a Windows Mobile world or not, but CorePlayer could run pretty much anything your desktop computer could.
What I meant by my comment was that the Aria appears to be limited to the .mp4 format for videos (I have not tested .flv). So, if you wanted to toss some movies onto the sd card and use the stock media player or Act1 video player (appears to be pretty popular in the market), then you're stuck re-encoding all your videos to h264 .mp4. The iPhone is limited in this way too, or so I hear.
But, from what I've seen with RockPlayer just now, it's seems to be very bare on options but looks like it can play a very wide range of formats. I just played some mp4 videos I had on my sd card and they run flawlessly. Hopefully this program is in active development and will turn into Android's CorePlayer.

Thanks for the info and links; you both cleared up the questions I had. I just want to cover every aspect so when my iFamily tells me I made a poor choice I can show them it does EVERYTHING I want it to and more, not what the manufacturer thinks I need it to do or should do...
I just am not seeing where you can go wrong with this thing compared to other devices.....

lonestarmotorcyclist said:
I just am not seeing where you can go wrong with this thing compared to other devices.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the small size can either be a huge plus or killing minus depending on your habits/needs
for me it s a definate plus

lonestarmotorcyclist said:
Thanks for the info and links; you both cleared up the questions I had. I just want to cover every aspect so when my iFamily tells me I made a poor choice I can show them it does EVERYTHING I want it to and more, not what the manufacturer thinks I need it to do or should do...
I just am not seeing where you can go wrong with this thing compared to other devices.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are buying the phone for yourself or are you replacing iphones for your family?

Corporate Dog said:
Not exactly. Do a search on 'Rock Player'. It's a media player that's still in Beta, and it expands upon the selection of video codecs that are handled by the standard media libraries.
It plays DivX-encoded videos like a CHAMP.
EDIT: Actually, here's the forum for it: http://www.diffthink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4
Regards,
Corporate Dog
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using rock player on my Aria for a while, and I am hoping this is just cause it is still beta, but SD AVI files run like molasses. If there is more than one thing going on on screen the video lags and gets out of sync with the audio. You have to pause the video, wait for it to catch up and play it again.
This is my only gripe about this phone, but it may be the program, not the phone.

Whatever phone I get will be just for me. My in-laws got their 3Gs' about a yr ago and like most, thought they were the greatest thing sinced bread. So then my wife "needed" one. I've played with it and it is nice to be able to access the web, and have music right there, but.... there seemed something lacking. I like the concept, but I also like to tinker with stuff. I'll admit, I LOVED the Droid ad campaign of "Droid Does" and since my phone has died, I started looking to get something new. It just seems better in everyway I can think of, but I want to know all I can to properly inform those who will tell me I'm wrong when I get my new phone. (And there will be a lot, I know...)
I just don't see how they really can be compared. Everyone I know who has an iPhone loves them, but they use them for the web, Facebook, Words W/ Friends, and as an iPod. I think it's great there are 200K apps, but I don't know anyone that uses more than 1% of them and every "cutting edge feature" seems to be copied from Android. I guess there is also the fact that there are a truckload of docks and cases to "personalize" them, but I think I rather personalize the stuff that matters.
In reality, I want to blow their socks off with what it can do and know it inside and out as soon as I get it. (You know, the ones that were excited about folders and backgrounds on iPhones. Does that make me a bad person??? Or just honest???)

My wife has an Aria, I have a Nexus One. I'm REALLY surprised when I use her phone, it's actually smoother than my Nexus. Long lists scroll like butter, the launcher scrolls extremly smooth, apps list, etc... I've never seen the phone slow down, it's all very smooth.
She doesn't watch videos on it, but she will eventually load her iTunes music onto it, but hasn't yet. She loves the smaller size, but you're right that it is a tad touchier to type on.
She raves about how fast the browser is.. And how everything just opens, bam... And her GCal euphoria moment was pretty awesome too; suddenly she can see my entire calendar, add to my calendar, see when I'm in a meeting until 5...
She's really been looking for something to complain about moving from her iPhone and so far I don't think she's found anything.

Just an update on the video playback capabilities in RockPlayer - I tested it with a 320x240 mpeg, 700x500 divx, 640x480 .mp4 and a 720p mkv video. The mpeg and mp4 ran perfectly fine, the divx ran pretty slow (maybe 10fps) and the sound was constantly desychronizing, and the mkv was unwatchable. It didn't scale down to the Aria screen size, and it ran so slow that you could see the individual frames (like 2-4fps).
Considering the speed difference between the .mp4 and the divx, I'm assuming this is a lack of hardware acceleration issue with some codecs?

Contemplating about upgrade to Aria...

Well, I have a few questions though...
1.) How's the battery life? I may use it for occasional web browsing and listening to music.
2.) I played with it for a minute when I was at costco. touch screen seems WAY much smother than my samsung impression. However, does it support multi touch?
3.) I noticed it has FM-Radio and integrated GPS. Are those features free or must be paid to be used? What about wifi?
4.) I don't plan on watching anything on my phone, but what about youtube; does it lag?
5.) FLAC support; actually, that's my BIGGEST concern. Is there any way to get FLAC to work?
6.) I noticed that it's a 600mhz cpu rather than the 1ghz snapdragon. Although, I've read reviews that it's still snappy and doesn't lag (assuming it's because it's smaller). But there's one particular app I'm interested in, though I'm not sure if it would work on the Aria: psx4droid.

1. pretty good. medium usage = day and a half. occasional browing and some music = maybe longer. I've let it sit idle for about 10 hours (work shift) and it only used about 5% of the battery.
2. yes
3. fm-radio is free, gps depends on what app you're using. If you're thinking of nav/maps, stick with the preinstalled google apps. ditch the att nav app (which you ahve to pay for)
4. no lag on 3g hq
5. i hear this works pretty well: androlib.com/android.application.net-avs234-tDqz.aspx
6. it works but is very laggy (less noticable with the sound off), the only game i've tried is ff7.

I was hoping more like a codec or something in order to get FLAC support with the android's media player.
Also, FF7 was the game I was crossing my fingers for... I was looking at it playing on the nexus one from youtube; guess it makes sense with the lack of snapdragon...

if you plan to root and flash in cya build, i hear they modded it to where you can play flac with the stock player.
as for ff7, it isn't too bad. It is a really consistent lag so it just seems like you're playing in slow motion :lol. You'll need to play it with the sound off though, as the choppy sound is definitely unbearable.

There's not really a codec type system for Android. Besides, the default player is very limited. There are a few options for getting FLAC to work, but for the most part you're looking at installing a new player, which really isn't that big of a deal. As far as what works best I'm not really sure. My friend (has a droidx) and I have started to look into it, but haven't done tried out too many solutions.

Since it was brought up I don't feel bad asking it here. Does froyo/cm6 give any improvement to emulators?
Sent from my HTC Liberty using XDA App

amazon has it for 0.01 with 2 year upgrade

with regard to battery life, I am having to charge mine in the middle of the day to get it to last all day. it would go dead in 8 hours if I didn't.
of course, I use mine. I think 1.5 days would be astronomical battery life for this phone.

FFXTDS said:
amazon has it for 0.01 with 2 year upgrade
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? I'm always confused about the prices on amazon; it shows the price with a new 2 year contract, but nothing about upgrading. Are they the same price or do you have to click somewhere to find the upgrade cost (without signing into amazon).

if your are planning on play games on your phone... the Aria is not best choice...

ryan92084 said:
Since it was brought up I don't feel bad asking it here. Does froyo/cm6 give any improvement to emulators?
Sent from my HTC Liberty using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have gameboid installed on my aria and it works great, even on the stock rom (i would still definitely advise you root and install clockwork/cm6). i play mostly rpgs (ff6 currently) and it runs fantastically, sound and all. gameboid runs smoother and looks better on the aria than it did on any other phone i've had thus far.
as for action games, i'm not sure because i haven't tried.

MrAsianMan said:
Really? I'm always confused about the prices on amazon; it shows the price with a new 2 year contract, but nothing about upgrading. Are they the same price or do you have to click somewhere to find the upgrade cost (without signing into amazon).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wireless.amazon.com/HTC-Aria-Android-Phone-AT/dp/B003RCJA6S/ref=cell_dp_upa
on the right side of the page on that link, you'll see an option to upgrade. When you upgrade a individual line, it is 0.01, but if you are upgrading a line on a family account then it is a bit more: 99.99
eortizr said:
if your are planning on play games on your phone... the Aria is not best choice...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the best, but it does the job.. and it does it pretty well.
mattbollenbach said:
i have gameboid installed on my aria and it works great, even on the stock rom (i would still definitely advise you root and install clockwork/cm6). i play mostly rpgs (ff6 currently) and it runs fantastically, sound and all. gameboid runs smoother and looks better on the aria than it did on any other phone i've had thus far.
as for action games, i'm not sure because i haven't tried.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
could you try the psx4droid with ff7? I'm also curious if it performs significantly better on froyo

hey the aria is my first smartphone and i'm really enjoying it. had it for almost 2 months already.
anyways regarding the battery life question, if i do moderate work on the phone(texts, web,games, etc with syncs on manual, autobrightness, BT and GPS off, and killing att nav..attnavi kills my battery quicklyi), it'll last 1 1/2 to 2 days. if i dont touch it at all, i can do 3 days easily. the other day, i thought i'd keep track of my gaming. i spent about 1 hour playing a game which dropped my battery about 10% (from full). so if i were to use up my full battery, it'll probably last close to 9-10 hours straight.
also from what i read, the processor we have is quite similar to the snapdragon processor. i'd imagine the psx probably would be able to handle especially with froyo. our graphics is quite good and i think we can keep up with the snapdragons.
here's a link which may surprise you. the mytouch slide has the same internals as the aria i believe
http://androidandme.com/2010/06/news/high-end-android-gpu-showdown/

MrAsianMan said:
Really? I'm always confused about the prices on amazon; it shows the price with a new 2 year contract, but nothing about upgrading. Are they the same price or do you have to click somewhere to find the upgrade cost (without signing into amazon).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
go here and put your zip code in and click availability and you should see it
http://www.amazon.com/HTC-Aria-Andr..._rd_t=301&pf_rd_p=1266686442&pf_rd_i=htc aria

The longer you wait, it seems, the cheaper it gets.
My friend bought it for $50 with a contract upgrade.
I got suckered in by the addition of a free activation ($18).
Now it's free (but you pay the activation: total savings: $32).
Who knows? Soon they might pay you.
Three years ago I got what was one of the best non-smartphones I ever had (Sony Ericsson w820i, I think, or some number like that) with a $300 rebate!

i payed 50 to
was the phone w810? that's the one I have it a good phone
Sent from my HTC Liberty using XDA App

Yeah, that's it! A great phone. 3-4 days on a battery charge, great audio. It did everything that smartphones do, just in an awkward way, slowly, and with a tiny screen. But I carried it all over the world, and still use it in my studio for a remote control (I wrote a HID profile to start, stop, record, erase over bluetooth).

Galaxy S II Official Site + Video Review!

Hello all
As I'm getting the Samsung Galaxy S 2 as soon as it will be released in Europe (Belgium) I wanted to start a thread to inform everyone to look at the official site, instead of listening and reading rumors..
http://galaxys2.samsungmobile.com/html
Video Review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUdoMSqqZtQ
Official Specifications:
Network
HSPA+ 21Mbps/ HSUPA 5.76Mbps
EDGE/ GPRS Class 12
Quad band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Quad band UMTS 850/900/1900/2100
AP
Samsung Dual Core Application Processor*
Dimensions
125.3X66.1X8.49mm
Display
4.3" WVGA SUPER AMOLED Plus *
Memory
1GB RAM, 16GB/32GB
MicroSD (up to 32GB)
Camera
8MP AF with LED Flash + 2MP Front
Connectivity
Wi-Fi a/b/g/n
BT v3.0+HS
USB 2.0 OTG
Connectors
MicroUSB, 3.5mm Ear Jack
Battery
1650mAh
OS
Android OS Gingerbread
Message
SMS/MMS (OMA v1.2)
Email (POP3/IMAP/SMTP, SSL/TLS)
Exchange ActiveSync Email
Audio
MP3, OGG, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB
AMR-WB, WMA, WAV, MID, AC3, IMY, FLAC, XMF
Video
MPEG4, H.264, H.263, WMV, DivX, Xvid, VC-1
Recording & Playback [email protected]
Image
JPEG, PNG, GIF, WBMP, BMP, AGIF
GPS
A-GPS
Convergence
Easy Set-up (WPS PIN/PBC, Wi-Fi Direct)
AllShare (DLNA1.5)
Samsung Kies 2.0, Samsung Kies air
4 Hubs Social Hub / Readers Hub /
Music Hub / Game Hub
Others
TouchWiz
Google Mobile Services
Are you going to buy this phone? Why?
________________________________________________________

Definitely want to buy this phone. It's spec blow out any other phone on the market, including the Atrix.
The Atrix will not stand up to this device, and the only thing going for the Atrix is the Laptop Dock, which in my opinion is not worth it because alone it is $500 for the dock, and there are much better netbooks for that price, or tablets for that matter.
Now, I am waiting for this device to come out in the US, but it probably will not for some time. It seems as though it is coming out in Europe first, and if I order it from over there, the websites are listing preorders at $650+. If it comes to US, it will probably be a bit cheaper, but not much. It wouldn't really matter either way because I do not have an upgrade so however I can get my hands on this thing, I'm going to do it at the cheapest price.
From the looks of it, websites are saying March 4th or 5th release in UK, and 2nd quarter release in US. If it's that soon in UK, I'd order it from there, but I probably won't have the money right away. Also, I don't know if I'm losing/gaining anything by buying the European version. Usually when it comes to the US, whatever company it goes to adds all its bloatware and so I'd be happy without it. Because chances are it will go to AT&T(Considering it has AT&T's 3G) and they seem to preload a bunch of their apps on Android phones.
That's all me though, I wanna see what others think.

What I would like to know is, will the SGS2 will be released in a USA version like the first SGS (Vibrant, Fascinate etc.)..?
Never found info about that..

In the videos, people have snapped off the back to reveal a 1500 mah battery. Samsung claims it will be a 1650 mah in the final product, but I am still concerned that it is just talk since there doesn't look to be anymore room in a thin device like this, unless the batteries are the same size. Another question is why HTC devices usually have 1350 or 1400 mah batteries, not the standard 1500 mah that other phones have, and whether certain phone companies have exclusivities of some kind with the battery tech. Or maybe it is just deliberate mislabeling and HTC is being conservative.

I want to see a review first, 2 things that worry me about this phone:
Battery Life
Processor
No one seems to be able to confirm either spec at the moment, and that is a little troublesome. I don't know how power efficient the screen or the mystery processor is, so I would want to see some hands on experience with that, and I'd want to know what is inside, whether or not it is a lottery as to which one you get, and if it is Samsung's Exynos then how well it stacks up against Tegra2. If Samsung has been a little more transparent about the hardware then it wouldn't have been a problem, but the fact they are keeping it under wraps means one of two things: the Exynos is amazing and the retails version will blow everything out of the water or more likely that they are having trouble with it, be it reliability or supply issues, and will substitute it certain markets for a similar equivalent.

l0st.prophet said:
I want to see a review first, 2 things that worry me about this phone:
Battery Life
Processor
No one seems to be able to confirm either spec at the moment, and that is a little troublesome. I don't know how power efficient the screen or the mystery processor is, so I would want to see some hands on experience with that, and I'd want to know what is inside, whether or not it is a lottery as to which one you get, and if it is Samsung's Exynos then how well it stacks up against Tegra2. If Samsung has been a little more transparent about the hardware then it wouldn't have been a problem, but the fact they are keeping it under wraps means one of two things: the Exynos is amazing and the retails version will blow everything out of the water or more likely that they are having trouble with it, be it reliability or supply issues, and will substitute it certain markets for a similar equivalent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's a good review. I will put it at the first post too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUdoMSqqZtQ

I will certainly not be getting it. Unnecessary it is, at least for me. But it does look much better than the SGS!

l0st.prophet said:
I want to see a review first, 2 things that worry me about this phone:
Battery Life
Processor
No one seems to be able to confirm either spec at the moment, and that is a little troublesome. I don't know how power efficient the screen or the mystery processor is, so I would want to see some hands on experience with that, and I'd want to know what is inside, whether or not it is a lottery as to which one you get, and if it is Samsung's Exynos then how well it stacks up against Tegra2. If Samsung has been a little more transparent about the hardware then it wouldn't have been a problem, but the fact they are keeping it under wraps means one of two things: the Exynos is amazing and the retails version will blow everything out of the water or more likely that they are having trouble with it, be it reliability or supply issues, and will substitute it certain markets for a similar equivalent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They say the screen is more efficient than the old superamoled, and I believe them. I don't see any good reason for Samsung to lie about modest efficiency improvements. The processor uses the same ARM9 cpus that the Tegra does, and several other chips as well, so they are all about equal. Even if they release a different chip for secondary markets, all the chips are about equal like I said before, so unless you are obsessed about a small percentage difference or a few points, it really isn't worth worrying about.

silverwolf0 said:
They say the screen is more efficient than the old superamoled, and I believe them. I don't see any good reason for Samsung to lie about modest efficiency improvements. The processor uses the same ARM9 cpus that the Tegra does, and several other chips as well, so they are all about equal. Even if they release a different chip for secondary markets, all the chips are about equal like I said before, so unless you are obsessed about a small percentage difference or a few points, it really isn't worth worrying about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, correct..

At this time the most interesting intro review about this SGSII is this page. Chek it out and later tell me your opinions
http://mobile-review.com/articles/2011/mwc-samsung-galaxy-s2-en.shtml

celtichazard said:
At this time the most interesting intro review about this SGSII is this page. Chek it out and later tell me your opinions
http://mobile-review.com/articles/2011/mwc-samsung-galaxy-s2-en.shtml
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting..
Thanks a lot for sharing. In fact, this review made me want this phone even more!

MuayThaiFighter8 said:
Interesting..
Thanks a lot for sharing. In fact, this review made me want this phone even more!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm in love with this device but, it is very likely this is a pre-paid article, so, divide by 2

arch7tect said:
i'm in love with this device but, it is very likely this is a pre-paid article, so, divide by 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I believe Eldar Murtazin (the author of the article) is a respectable phone reviewer. He gets phones from manufacturers to test way ahead of time (eg in this case, he got the Galaxy S II in November 2011 way before CES).
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/14/samsung-i9100-is-the-dual-core-galaxy-2-sequel-to-the-galaxy-s/

Oh my...face recognition unlock, i gotta get my self one of these phones lol...
cant wait ^_^

Another nice feature is the micro USB connector on the bottom, which will make possible docks..

No old CRT-style TV-off effect when hitting power? Blasphemy, deal breaker!
/sarcasm

hi, I'am sure I'll buy this phone as soon as it will show up in Poland.
Now I'm usung an old and erroring Nokia e65.
I want a phone that:
- has good camera with LED
- can record high quality videos
- is fast enough for various games
- plays music clean (galaxy s also was great in this case)
- has USB OTG and streams high quality media! (together with external hard disc it can be a portable HD video player ^^)
- runs Android
I was concerned about HTC DHD, what's more I bought it in November!
But I was fooled and didn't received my device. It took about 3 months before I got my money back... but hey! as I heard about SGS2 I want it now more than I wanted DHD
cheers, Wojtek

Demiourgos said:
hi, I'am sure I'll buy this phone as soon as it will show up in Poland.
Now I'm usung an old and erroring Nokia e65.
I want a phone that:
- has good camera with LED
- can record high quality videos
- is fast enough for various games
- plays music clean (galaxy s also was great in this case)
- has USB OTG and streams high quality media! (together with external hard disc it can be a portable HD video player ^^)
- runs Android
I was concerned about HTC DHD, what's more I bought it in November!
But I was fooled and didn't received my device. It took about 3 months before I got my money back... but hey! as I heard about SGS2 I want it now more than I wanted DHD
cheers, Wojtek
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, than the SGS II is the phone you're looking for

Demiourgos said:
hi, I'am sure I'll buy this phone as soon as it will show up in Poland.
Now I'm usung an old and erroring Nokia e65.
I want a phone that:
- has good camera with LED
- can record high quality videos
- is fast enough for various games
- plays music clean (galaxy s also was great in this case)
- has USB OTG and streams high quality media! (together with external hard disc it can be a portable HD video player ^^)
- runs Android
I was concerned about HTC DHD, what's more I bought it in November!
But I was fooled and didn't received my device. It took about 3 months before I got my money back... but hey! as I heard about SGS2 I want it now more than I wanted DHD
cheers, Wojtek
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've just preordered mine from clove.uk. Expensive, but it's price for being impatient
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

I don't understand why people pre-order, you're still going to have to wait until the phone is released to get your hands on it. At the most it saves you one or two days but makes you spend a lot more than the retail price.

Thinking of buying an atrix. A few questions first

Coming from an iphone 4>nexus S>Inspire 4G im akin for an atrix. Im just curious about a few things though, im not quite sure if i should give up my inspire just yet.
1. HDMI out - I'd like to connect the phone to my 55" LED TV and watch some netflix, HULU, or even network shows (fox, nbc ect) Is it possible? Or will i need the Multimedia dock for this? Or can i just output straight from HDMI to tv. Also would i need a third party app like PlayOn since Netflix wont play on Android yet? T
2. Quality - As said before i'd be outputting to a pretty awsome TV. How is the quality of the video youve guys seen?
3. Screen resolution - Coming from the Iphone 4 then Nexus S the inspire was great but you can easily notice the resolution, vividness just isnt there with the Inspire. This is a must have for me now. Is the screen resolution really all that???
4. Battery life - Im a heavy user. Im lucky if i make it 10 or 12 hours on my Inspire. Does the battery live up to the hype?
5. Fingerprint reader - Does it work? Is it convenient? Or is it just an add on that nobody really uses (i.e. NFC Nexus S)
6. Motoblur - How is it? Is it possible to install say ADW launcher and replace your home screen entirely?
Any opinions are are really appreciated guys

i dont see you being a custom rom flashing addict,
buy it, atrix is great and address all your problems
blur f---ing is aweful, but putting ADW over it will fix that. i prefer GO launcher personally, but either will do the job.
I had to freeze a bunch of stuff with TiBackup, its just personal, you dont have to do it.

What about netflix via HDMI?

1.Well you can do the hack that people have found now to enable the docks without the docks; all you need is a Bluetooth keyboard.
2. I played one video over HDMI; nothing big, but I did see scan lines but it didn't really bother me.
3. The screen resolution is higher than any other android device and that makes everything smaller and more compact; I liked it.
However the actual quality of the screen is something that a lot of people don't like.
4. Battery life is awesome.
5. Fingerprint reader - I loved using it; allowed me to get into the phone within 2 seconds. However you have to get adjusted to it, there's a certain knack to getting it just right.
6. Just install another launcher. The Motorola Widgets are pretty good though.

Not to mention you can use the motorola widgets on go or adw.. It's a great phone
Sent from my Captivate using XDA App

jthornton71707 said:
Coming from an iphone 4>nexus S>Inspire 4G im akin for an atrix. Im just curious about a few things though, im not quite sure if i should give up my inspire just yet.
1. HDMI out - I'd like to connect the phone to my 55" LED TV and watch some netflix, HULU, or even network shows (fox, nbc ect) Is it possible? Or will i need the Multimedia dock for this? Or can i just output straight from HDMI to tv. Also would i need a third party app like PlayOn since Netflix wont play on Android yet? T
2. Quality - As said before i'd be outputting to a pretty awsome TV. How is the quality of the video youve guys seen?
3. Screen resolution - Coming from the Iphone 4 then Nexus S the inspire was great but you can easily notice the resolution, vividness just isnt there with the Inspire. This is a must have for me now. Is the screen resolution really all that???
4. Battery life - Im a heavy user. Im lucky if i make it 10 or 12 hours on my Inspire. Does the battery live up to the hype?
5. Fingerprint reader - Does it work? Is it convenient? Or is it just an add on that nobody really uses (i.e. NFC Nexus S)
6. Motoblur - How is it? Is it possible to install say ADW launcher and replace your home screen entirely?
Any opinions are are really appreciated guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1- i have seen mods on the andriod development form where you can use the HDMI without the need of the dock. you have to root your phone first
2- i watched videos on youtube " still didnt get my atrix" and i thought the quality is nice. sure it wont be as good as blue ray player hocked on your 55 HDtv, but it will do the job
3- iphone 4 has higher screen rez but small screen. galaxy S has high color but you can see the pixels with your own eyes even if you are half blind
The atrix screen has higher rez than galaxy S. but ofcourse not the same colors. abit less "bright"
4- best thing about the phone. its 1900+ mah. not a single phone came close to it. you will be very happy
5- ita a gimmick. you will love it. its a nice show off in front of your friends to envy you. " my screen will only open with my fingers " but when you are alone. i dont think you will use it . or at least i wont.
6- i dont know why people hate it. i used to have a droid and if its the same thing, then i love it " i dont have the phone yet " its better than the galaxy S skin. and i am sick of the htc skin. plus like other people said, you can others. so that is not a problem
the only problem i see is the locked bootloader. i like to test roms. and i bought the phone but i am hoping i dont regret it for this " giving up roms for good phone performance with dual core Nvidia gpu. and 1 gig of ram. you will never need task manager anymore

i did the HDMI out webtop mod and its great. i watched a youtube video at 480p with no problem, it got a little choppy however when i hit 720p.

The hdmi cable included with the phone will allow you to view any video stored on the phone on any hdmi capable tv. You can also listen to music via the hdmi if you have a sound system capable.
The battery life is great provided you do the common sense disables of software. Check this forum for my battery advice thread.
The phone is great. The finger print scanner is rather functional and works great.
You will be happy
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

I am also looking to buy it and this stuff was useful information. Thanks!
I have another question. How buggy is the phone in general? I saw the thread about restarts but was there ever a consensus about how widespread and the cause? Are there any other irritating bugs? I'm coming from a nexus one which I loved but would freeze about once a week and require me to remove the battery.

[Q] Thinking of buying a Vega...

Okay, so I'm thinking of taking the proverbial 'plunge' and buying a tablet, and the Advent Vega is looking like a good candidate because of its price and decent spec. But I could use a bit of advice.
Firstly, I should say I'm familiar with Android and flashing ROMs etc - I have a HTC desire that I've rooted, SIM unlocked, and re-flashed many times, so the concept of flashing new ROMS is not new to me. I'm really looking for a tablet that can run Honeycomb respectably, but the Motorola Xoom and Asus Transformer are just a bit too pricey for me.
So here's what I want a tablet for. I'd be really, really grateful if someone could advice me whether the Vega will do the job.
- Web browsing and blogging - I need something I can carry around easily and type on fairly easily; I'm pretty good with onscreen keyboards so long as the hardware can keep up with my fingers.
- Gaming. I want to be able to play some of the high-end Android titles - the latest offerings from Gameloft, etc - in decent quality, ideally on Honeycomb. Can the Vega do this (with modified stock OS or VegaComb)?
- TV / Movies - I want to be able to carry films around and use the HDMI output to watch them on a big screen, without the content stuttering and jerking around.
So that's pretty much all I'm after. Will the Vega be capable of this, do you think? Or would I be better off sticking with something a little more well-known like the Samsung Galaxy Tab (which was my original intent).
Thanks for any advice you can give.

I can tell you this..
The screen isn't something to brag about, but the tablet has serious power.

Gaming (like dungeon defender or riptide gp) and browsing is usually fast and fluent. Honeycomb is still in beta for the advent, but works quite well. I havent really used the tv-out Yet, but i've heard that it can only do 720p, which is fine with me.
Sent from my Legend using XDA App

Just as an update: I got my Vega.
And I LOVE it.
Currently using Fuji VEGA ROM, as VegaComb is a bit too choppy for me, but really pleased with how well the tablet performs. Thanks for the help, peeps.

Vegacomb gets better with time, its a brilliant tablet !

You wont regret it.. I got one 5 days ago, and dont know why you would want to pay almost double for some of the other tabs...
I know some people have some gripes (viewing angles and screen being the main ones...), but weigh this up against the cost and its a no brainer IMO
Specs do state 1080p playback is possible, but Ive not tried it yet so cant comment, but not too fussed about this.. I bought it so I can watch SD video when travelling... I did read somewhere it depends on the filetype, i.e., mp4 rather than mkv...
Best £200 Ive spent in a long time!