Database Users

Hero Lag

does anybody have a major problem with hero lagging. It is really annoying. I was wondering if rooting the hero can fix this problem. If not do you guys think the 2.1 update will fix it.

What ROM are you running? What apps do you normally have running in the background? Are you using a Task Killer that automatically kills apps on a set time frame? Have you tried doing a factory reset/wipe to see if it makes a difference? And finally, where do you see the lag the most? Is it in a particular application, or are you judging the "lagginess" based on moving back and forth from your home screens in SenseUI?
Answering ALL of these questions will help us understand what you're seeing a little better. Your question is a little vague, and your answers will probably help you get some more support from folks on here.
Thanks!

My phone was laggy too. I rooted it and put the fresh rom on it and I saw a big improvement in overall performance. Still not as fast as my old iphone 3gs, but I would never go back. I also don't use task manager anymore. It always runs in the background and drains your battery faster.

I was having the same issue.. and I narrowed it down to Handcent(SMS) of all things..
phone was fast until I installed it.. then it ran like a dog.... then I uninstalled handcent and speed it actually usable now..
I would like to see confirmation of this from others as well..

tyrnight said:
I was having the same issue.. and I narrowed it down to Handcent(SMS) of all things..
phone was fast until I installed it.. then it ran like a dog.... then I uninstalled handcent and speed it actually usable now..
I would like to see confirmation of this from others as well..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah handcent killed me, made the phone not just a dog, but a wounded dog born with 2 legs. 10x worse than the stock hero app, which is bad.

I'm running handcent, but I haven't noticed any specific slowdowns from it. It can take a while to load the main handcent screen when you have lots and lots of texts in there, but I usually clear them out when I get over 100 or so anyway.

Check to see that you have the most recent version of Handcent. I think I read that there was a performance bug related to their special "with Christmas animations" holiday release (that has since been fixed).
Also, remember to clear the boot-cache directory and reboot after upgrading apps ('rm -r /data/boot-cache/*'; reboot). The Hero has problems with caching apps after upgrades (so you aren't actually running the upgrade version). I have no idea if this was fixed in the newer ROMS. I'm running Fresh and still do it, as it only takes a sec (if you have the android-sdk and root set up).

Turning off HandCent popup notifications resulted in a substantial performance increase for me. Which is good, as I really like the features HC adds (such as voice-to-text).

I had the latest version and it was always cleared out sms wise. and I never used popup notifications.. they were annoying.. and I just got a fresh replacement of the Hero (warrantee) and its still on stock rom and Handcent still killed it.. in one day..

i have not rooted, pure stock phone. only app i think runs in background is email and loopt
I notice the lag from everything to sense UI to the clock taking 2-3 secs to update to my contacts scrolling, to text message lag, to calling even lags. like anything and everything can lag.

It all has to do with this bug in Android 1.5:
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3453
I'm running AOSP 1.6 on my Hero right now and it is ridiculously fast.
So yes, I think that the 2.1 update (which hopefully will come out soon) is going to fix these issues for us.

on your location settings turn off "network location" then reboot..your lag will be gone...and make sure you have a task manager installed too and end your apps so they take over your processor

Task managers are a waste of time.

Sawawa said:
Task managers are a waste of time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with this statement.

Sawawa said:
It all has to do with this bug in Android 1.5:
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3453
I'm running AOSP 1.6 on my Hero right now and it is ridiculously fast.
So yes, I think that the 2.1 update (which hopefully will come out soon) is going to fix these issues for us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is very true. I was running the 2.1 build from here the last few days (thought I had to revert due to missing some texts and voicemail) and it's much speedier. It uses the HTC keyboard, but it's much faster in its response, almost instantaneous. The location bug really does suck up a lot of CPU time.
Also, maybe its just me, but I think it's important to remember the kind of device we're using, the hardware involved, and what you're asking it to do. It's not like you're walking around with a quad core CPU and 4GB of RAM in your pocket, but it seems a lot of people think it should respond as if that's what it has. It's a phone, yes, and it should be able to do phone stuff quickly if possible, but look at all it can and is doing. If you need absolute speed, get a dumb phone that can't browse the web, play games, or do just about anything. It'll run just fine.

handcent never made my phone lag. The only thing that made my phone lag was HTC's battery widget. Damn thing slowed my phone down so I uninstalled it and phone is running back fast again. I still use task manager because I do notice once to many apps are open it lags. Don't care what anyone says it happens on my phone. I do have a lot of applications on ignore though.

Try disabling Location services.

thef0x said:
I agree with this statement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to wholeheartedly disagree with this statement, until I read a kickass article explaining how Android actively manages memory.
Now, I also agree with this statement 100%. I don't even use my paid task manager app anymore. :/

About the lag problem

I seriously haven't encountered any severe lag problems on all the firmware versions I tried. Also, comparissons with a SonyEricsson XPeria X10 doesn't reveal any problems for my Galaxy S in this regard.
This is not to say that I want to refute the observations done by other Galaxy S owners. I only want to get some more insight in this, so I can prevent my device of getting the same problems.
My question is, is there a sort of invariant between the devices that have a lag problem? Do people with the lag problem have many applications installed (I for one have just a few additional apps on my device), do you have really large databases on your devices?
Maybe we can do a poll about this? Just to get some insight? Suggestions?

The lag is gone with new firmwares (JM5,JG8) for me, but there is still some delay on opening and launching apps (compared to my previos Desire).
First we need to specify what do people mean by LAG.

Mikulec said:
The lag is gone with new firmwares (JM5,JG8) for me, but there is still some delay on opening and launching apps (compared to my previos Desire).
First we need to specify what do people mean by LAG.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good one. I think, by the way ppl using this term, they mean what you are saying: a delay on launching apps and maybe when opening a window in a app (like for example the bookmark window in the browser)
Maybe a poll can also lead to some guidelines for developers (for example use files instead of databases?)

I never had any lag issues until I installed loads of widgets on the home screen, I have a custom clock, battery monitor, Internal and SD card space widget, and it lags like mad at times. I am 100% confident that if I removed them the lag would vanish again.

Tachikoma_kun said:
I never had any lag issues until I installed loads of widgets on the home screen, I have a custom clock, battery monitor, Internal and SD card space widget, and it lags like mad at times. I am 100% confident that if I removed them the lag would vanish again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, I will monitor that. I generally don't have much widgets installed on my desktop.
Hope we can come up with some "best practices" to prevent the Galaxy S lag problem.

tvcRichard said:
if you need to repair your phone ...you must need some parts for replacement.
So if you need ,please contact to me!
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol ... now that's an unexpected contribution to this thread. I think you're violating at least 3 forum rules.

The only lag i get is when downloading something from the market. Then the Phone almost stopps responding to inputs. Takes a lot of time until the app is installed. Even worse if i install up to +5 apps at the same time. But it´s the only scenario where its lagging. Widgets i do not have from the market, only the pre-installed. Haven´t found any nice and usefull widget for the moment. And apps.... well 9 pages full of apps And no lags.

The lag is blatantly evident when pressing the Application-Home switcher and then trying to flip through the three pages of apps. The problem lies partly with TouchWiz, which is a crap interface to begin with, but mostly with the file system that Samsung uses.
When both have stock firmware, my HTC Desire shows less lag than the Galaxy S in daily use. however once the lagfix is applied to the Galaxy S, it blows everything else out of the water.
And the Xperia X10 is an abomination unless they've significantly improved the firmware from a month ago. Played around with one of those about a month and a half ago and it was horrendous.
Either way, this has been and continues to be discussed in countless other threads in both General and Android Development. Yet another thread is really unnecessary.

Lag for me is when there is an incoming phone call and the phone wake up but wouldn't respond to touches and made me miss my call.
Or when during phone call I try to search for contacts by pressing the home screen and the phone freezes.
Mind you it doesn't happend that often but when it does it is annoying.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

that's a good idea
we should list all the "lag"
and define if they are really lag, or if it's a software issue

Rather aptly, I had not used the music player since I customised my SGS with all the widgets, and holy cow, the music player was stuttering when playing music. It was like listening to a .rm music file over dial-up internet again. I turned all my flashy widgets off, and lo and behold, the phone is lag free again and the music flows uninterupted.

disable the music scan
that is the first step to reduce lag

The scan wasn't running at the time if you mean the lag I was getting in the music player. But regardless, I confirmed my own suspicion that all those pretty widgets we all love was causing the lag on my phone.

AllGamer said:
disable the music scan
that is the first step to reduce lag
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you do that?

Rizlo said:
How do you do that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can find it in the development section of this forum. Someone posted a tip there.

Froyo + Epic = Amazing Phone

Okay, I'm sure a bunch of people have been having problems with their froyo upgrades... But I have had nothing short of an amazing day with my first 24 hours of Froyo on the Epic. So I am making this thread so we can highlight the POSITIVE changes that froyo has brought us Epic owners.
I have discovered a few cool things that Froyo brings, and I am sure there are more. Let's get a list compiled of all the positives:
What I have discovered so far:
1) Battery life ( see attached photo) - it is so much better than 2.1. I can't believe it's the same phone, battery!
2) The screen rotates left or right now into landscape mode. I was always astonished on 2.1 that it didn't do that.
3) Apps 2 SD. Long talked about, but awesome when it's finally here. I have a bunch of apps and I have 390Mb open on my phone. My wife has 412Mb open on her Epic. #4 is helped by this
4) The phone runs smoother. Of course Linpack scores of 13.92 prove it, but I haven't had any screen lag or lag when opening the app drawer or in typical use the way my Epic got laggy on 2.1 before. Apps 2 SD definitely helps clear up phone memory for every day use.
5) Colorized menus. It may seem trivial, but now I realize just how drab the menus were previously. The icons 'pop' with the color added to them.
6) Separate Sound and Display options in the settings menu.
7) Flash. 'nuf said on that one! Huge improvement over 2.1.
8) Improved Gmail and Youtube.
*the rest will be either new finds by me, or contributions w/ credit.
9) Pinch whatever home screen you are on to reveal all home screens. (thanks styckx)
10) I just discovered that we finally have copy/paste options of text that WE choose! When you are in a field where you have been typing and you click in that field, you get a blue slider button. You can slide that button to whatever starting point you want in your text, and then you can choose to edit and you can highlight, copy, paste, etc only the portions of text you want, not just a copy all option like before! This is a huge improvement over 2.1. Text select was the only thing I missed from my Blackberry, and now we have that too. Not in all situations, but at least it makes editing your current text so much easier.
11) I read it somewhere else before, but just verified it works. If you swipe to the right on a contact in your messages list, it automatically calls them. If you swipe to the left, it automatically starts you up for a text reply. Genius!
12) Robust stock audio player with tons more features. (thanks again styckx)
Okay, I know I am missing things that even I have already discovered and don't remember. 2.2 seems a lot more than a .x update. It's not just 1 or 2 minor tweaks like we have seen previously. Please post anything you have noticed about Froyo that adds to the Epic experience!
* I know there are some things about it people don't like. I am unable to swipe on the notification bar to increase/decrease brightness. I really enjoyed that feature. Feel free to post what you don't like about Froyo also. But I would like to concentrate on tips, tricks, improvements, etc. that Froyo has brought us!

Pinch your home screen

As great as froyo is, there are a lot of probs with it.
Random services keep appearing.
Samsung widgets disappear occasionally
Wifi not working at times (not sure if that's my connection)
Idk, I'm just curious, what measures are you taking on battery life?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

About all the bad I've noticed with the latest DK28 build is the auto-rotate is REALLY slow, and it doesn't seem to auto-rotate when on the main screen (only seems to rotate when I am in the "settings" menu). I had some odd issues with DK17 where it didn't like to delete messages from my Activesync accoutn that appears to be fixed in DK28.

styckx said:
Pinch your home screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's so great! adding to OP
acer1096xxx said:
As great as froyo is, there are a lot of probs with it.
Wifi not working at times (not sure if that's my connection)
Idk, I'm just curious, what measures are you taking on battery life?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been on wi-fi since last night. Not a single issue for me regarding that. Yet. So it may be your wi-fi.
As far as battery goes, I am straight stock everything, no battery juice defender sipper type apps or anything. Just rooted, with no Sprint apps. Nothing special.
SubnetMask said:
About all the bad I've noticed with the latest DK28 build is the auto-rotate is REALLY slow, and it doesn't seem to auto-rotate when on the main screen (only seems to rotate when I am in the "settings" menu). I had some odd issues with DK17 where it didn't like to delete messages from my Activesync accoutn that appears to be fixed in DK28.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am getting the auto-rotate to work both ways on the home screens, and it takes maybe .2 seconds to do it. Maybe try and wipe and re-flash? Just a suggestion.

I am getting lag at random times. Sometimes the phone will just freeze for like 30 seconds as launcherpro slowly crashes. Rotation is slow, 5 seconds i mean come on. Wifi has been weirdish, might have fixed itself. So far, no where NEAR as smooth as stock DI18. Eclair on the epic was AMAZINGLY smooth and polished.
I like the new features, but there is no way that DK28 is ready for primetime. They need to do a lot of bug fixing on this to make it anywhere near as smooth as other phones running 2.2 that I have seen.
Also, I installed it correctly and several different ways, so its not a bad flash. I am currently running Stock DK28 with root and clockworkmod that was ODIN flashed from stock DI18 which I ODIN flashed. GPS is working.

One thing I really like a lot is the new Audio player. EQ, Visualizer, audio "effects", much better navigating of albums and artists.
I mean, I own PowerAmp which is THE BEST audio player period, but the new default audio player is leaps and bounds better than the old one and is fantastic for default (free).

styckx said:
One thing I really like a lot is the new Audio player. EQ, Visualizer, audio "effects", much better navigating of albums and artists.
I mean, I own PowerAmp which is THE BEST audio player period, but the new default audio player is leaps and bounds better than the old one and is fantastic for default (free).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. The features are all here. Now it just needs to be polished and smoothed out like the original Eclair builds were.

Bluetooth dialing is busted. Media hub wants to upgrade, but there is no upgrade. On the plus, my gps works now. I don't care what anyone says. This is a beta for hardware level.4 phone to test. I think we will see a newer release pushed to our phones.

I'm just going to keep it. It's stable and usable enough until the real (and hopefully more refined and stable) release is sent.
I'm sick of flashing and restocking my phone. I'm thinking a upgrade from DK28 to the real release won't require the dreaded WIPE WIPE WIPE and a rube goldberg puzzle to get the GPS to work.
If for some stupid, company killing reason DK28 as it stands now really is going to be the official release, I will go back to 2.1 and stay there. We'll see.

fczeuner said:
Media hub wants to upgrade, but there is no upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash this zip in Clockwork to get the updated Media Hub.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=9266549&postcount=10

Muckrak3r said:
* I know there are some things about it people don't like. I am unable to swipe on the notification bar to increase/decrease brightness. I really enjoyed that feature. Feel free to post what you don't like about Froyo also. But I would like to concentrate on tips, tricks, improvements, etc. that Froyo has brought us!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey OP you might want to try that again because I'm on froyo and can still increase/decrease the brightness using the notification slide-bar technique. The bar may hide but if you move your finger left or right even when its already gone you should see the brightness change.

Mine doesn't change orientation either unless I'm in a program. If I'm in a program, it's instant pretty much..on the homescreen I've waited and the only way I can get it to change is by flipping open my keyboard.

All of this is overshadowed by my sd not working after the update there by rendering most apps useless
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Seems to be working good for me so far. The only thing annoying thus far is the lag in bringing it from sleep with the power button. There's a second or 2 delay before the screen comes on after you hit power. In 2.1 it was nearly instantaneous.

Im not getting it to rotate to the right,
Running the loaded Syndicate ROM

AndroidIsEpic said:
Hey OP you might want to try that again because I'm on froyo and can still increase/decrease the brightness using the notification slide-bar technique. The bar may hide but if you move your finger left or right even when its already gone you should see the brightness change.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
doesn't work for me either

mikeschevelle said:
Im not getting it to rotate to the right,
Running the loaded Syndicate ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no Syndicate rom for DK28.

Thanks for the Post! Found some things I wasn't aware of.
I'm on this Stock Froyo Rom(DK17) and everything I've tried is working great. Notification Bar swipe for brightness works as well as Media Hub.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=853209

Although many great reports.. and some not so..
This is obviously NOT the final release. lets remember that..
It is so close now and will be great. (or better at least)
I myself tested on 3 diff phones, found recurring and non- recurring defects which point to the fact that this particular release in its entirety wont be pushed OTA to the masses.. it cant. wont handle the endless differences out in the wild..
And to be expected.. Exactly the reason why upgrades take time.

Buyers guide (Galaxy S2 review vs iPhone4)

Hi guys,
I thought i share my thoughts and experience with people who have not decided which phone to buy. Maybe my input will make the decision easier (or maybe it will confuse you even more hehe).
Also I am hoping people with Android experience maybe can assist me with some of my negative bullets. I'm very new to Android so i apologies for my mistakes in my so called review/comparison.
And lastly i dont want to start any fanboy android vs iOS. This is just my personal view of the two phones/OS'es. Its maybe a bit unfair since i been using iPhone for the last 3 years and Android for only a week but still some of the bullets are independent of that. Any how lets dig into it, First i take the negative side of SGII and next the positive sides.
(maybe my topic is a bit misleading but below some of the items are compared against iPhone but i wont write all the plus/negative for iPhone since the SGII list is already pretty big and i want to focus on SGII which i hope can replace my iPhone)
- When i exit USB mode (where i can access the SD card) i cant find a way to reconnect it without cable unplug->plug. Is there a way i missed?
- Browser doesnt word wrap the text/column so good on table tab. I had a side by side comparison with my iPhone4. On iphone the whole article including images are resized and the text is fully readable. On Galaxy S2 images are not resized and text is readable but just barely. So the whole screen real-state is not fully utilized with the lower resolution and bad browser formatting.I have tested Opera also but the whole word wrapping experience left a very bad taste in my mouth. It was the worst experience ever, the article jump up and down every 5 sec or so, i think the browser got confused for some reason and couldnt decide how to format the page (this was when double tapping).
- Default browser crashes (go to qj.net where i usually visit to read about games).
- Text selection is a pain sometimes. First problem is that in every app it behaves differently. Second problem is that the process to select a text isnt so smooth.
- Confused about task and background proceses that start magically! When using taskmanager i can see mostly 2-3 tasks there and this makes sense. Now using other task killers suddenly they show 10-15 tasks. I understand these are background task but its beyond me why some of them suddenly are there. Like Kies, this should never be started unless i am using Kies. I can see now why my battery goes dows so fast (well compared to iPhone again). Why is there so many tasks started and why cant i control them from vanila Android. This should be a must. I dont want to root my phone to do the basic settings.
- Pretty much all application is downloaded can only be installed on phone memory. Why doesnt Google enforce developers to adapt to new versions of Android is beyond me.
- I havent found a way to backup everything on the phone (including applications and their save data) to my pc/mac. Without this i dont like to experiment rooting and other shizzles.
- Apps are not as smooth and functional on GS2 compared to iPhone4. Ex: Tunein Radio, i cant skip to next song. Ex2: ign app (iphone) allow for daily videos while the Android version is very poorly done and dont have any videos. Feels like Everything works just a little better on iPhone compared to Android phones.This is something most people cant understand if they havent had iPhone for a long time i think.
- Slow battery charging. I usually start charing at around 20% battery left. In one hour GS2 reaches around 40-50% while iPhone goes to 80%
- Headset lacks volume + next/back track when playing music.
- Creating folder through Kies Air not possible. for ex in media make a folder called movies.
- Drag&Drop in Kies air missing.
- When uploading a file through Kies Air there should be a progress bar, now it just looks busy and you dont know if its uploading or it hangs.
Ok now to some good sides on the Galaxy S2:
+ Brilliant screen (even if i think resolution could be better)
+ Flexibility and open market for every sort of application. Much like windows here you can add more functionality and make the phone very personal.
+ Excellent codec support. It plays pretty much everything i through at it. Well done Samsung.
+ Very good camera (even better then iPhone i admit)
+ Very good video recording (also better then iPhone)
+ Very light
+ Feels pretty good in your hand (even though i’m afraid one day the backvocer will break, i had a Nokia N95 and one day the smal plastic edges broke when i was opening the cover. Same thing will happen ti GS2 i’m sure)
+ Expandibale uSD.
+ Very cool fearure called Kies Air where i can access most studd through browser. (this can also be added to minus since it doenst work perfectly everytime i tested but the potential is there)
+ Nice features like pinch effect for desktop + many nice widgets.
+ I think you can make proper call recording on SGII (CallRecorder) but havent confirmed myself yet.
Lastly i like to say SGII is a wonderful phone and i really really want to use it as my primary phone. The one thing i hope Samsung fixes that will make me more loyal to Android is the default browser. The text wrapping must be improved and the browser more stable. I like the smoothness of the default browser and this is the most used part of the phone and so far my iPhone is better but i hope 2.3.4 update maybe can improve this.
Any input, tips, tricks are welcome. I really appreciate your help.

Hopefully this will help you, at least in some areas (i numbered them in the order that you have used):
1) using developer mode at least (i prefer it as its faster and more compatible than samsung's stuff) you can mount/umount at will the card on the pc via the phone without unplugging
2) You may want to try Opera Mobile, it seems to do a very good job at this. I'd like to see this in the stock browser too, but hey, this is Android, you have the choice to change the browser if you like ;-)
3) Well, same thing I guess. 2.3.4 may improve stability but the rest, I don't know, I wouldn't bet on it. I like Firefox quite a bit as well, but text wrapping is odd on it.
4) Android issue =/
5) I wouldn't use any task killer. Check the active apps and uninstall any app that doesn't behave (keep only the ones you REALLY need that still do stuff in the background, like email etc, but not too many). Seems to work a zillion time better for battery life. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a decent way to enforce such a policy.
Regular background tasks are not necessarily ever active. It just means they're frozen in the background and do nothing. As long as they do nothing it's fine, it's just faster to start them again (instant, in fact). The issue is really when they're activating every XX minutes while in the background.
6)Doesn't matter, the recent samsung phones such as the SGS2 have a HUGE internal memory compared to other phones, you'll never have space issues for that imo.
7)Install a kernel with CWM and then, boot in recovery and run a nandroid backup. It will create the backups on your sdcard. Copy them to your PC. Also, copy /efs using tools or manually..
You can restore using a CWM kernel later on and nandroid restore.
You can also use stuff like TitaniumBackup, but it's not nearly as thorough as nandroid backup (which is doing basically disk images, while Titanium and other such apps just copy app/settings)
8)Trollish subject. Some apps are superior on Android, some are superior on iOS. Heh SGS2's browser speed eats my IP4 for breakfast for example. If the same Android app doesnt have the feature of the iOS app, complain to the dev or find another app.
9) it's true it's like that, nothing you can do about it (technically, something could be done but that's probably not wise at all)
10) Use another music player, such as PowerAmp if you like. There's (many, many) other possibilities as well. It also let you boost the volume higher than the stock max volume (although I find stock to be loud enough)
11) Don't use KIES air to do that then ;-)
12) Likewise. There are apps like KIES air, you might want to try them btw. Make a little search, I dont have the name in mind, but they do exist, others will probably point them out
13) I do get a progress bar that moves, maybe a browser issue. Anyway, see point 12)

Cheers for the answers and help. I write the comments inline below.
bilboa1 said:
Hopefully this will help you, at least in some areas (i numbered them in the order that you have used):
1) using developer mode at least (i prefer it as its faster and more compatible than samsung's stuff) you can mount/umount at will the card on the pc via the phone without unplugging
A: i did test this mode but it asked me to unplug the cable also, same thing for MTP. Dont you get that?
2) You may want to try Opera Mobile, it seems to do a very good job at this. I'd like to see this in the stock browser too, but hey, this is Android, you have the choice to change the browser if you like ;-)
A: As mentioned i already tested this. Opera does some things better and some things worse. For instance visiting one of my favorite sites like Engadget.com the whole page jump up and down when i zoom in a little. To be honest the stock + Opera feel very bad compared to iPhones browser. I hope Opera or Samsung improve on this area. This is the most used feature for me.
3) Well, same thing I guess. 2.3.4 may improve stability but the rest, I don't know, I wouldn't bet on it. I like Firefox quite a bit as well, but text wrapping is odd on it.
A: Lets hope so
4) Android issue =/
A:
5) I wouldn't use any task killer. Check the active apps and uninstall any app that doesn't behave (keep only the ones you REALLY need that still do stuff in the background, like email etc, but not too many). Seems to work a zillion time better for battery life. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a decent way to enforce such a policy.
Regular background tasks are not necessarily ever active. It just means they're frozen in the background and do nothing. As long as they do nothing it's fine, it's just faster to start them again (instant, in fact). The issue is really when they're activating every XX minutes while in the background.
A: Yes true, i think Android just shows to much info for regular user. I have to see past the background tasks perhaps. Also some appz you can not remove like the hubs and such. Sure i can root and hack but i'm not so interested to do so just yet. Maybe when i'm a bit more user and understand Android better
6)Doesn't matter, the recent samsung phones such as the SGS2 have a HUGE internal memory compared to other phones, you'll never have space issues for that imo.
A: Actually i got over 12Gig of Appz on my iPhone so 16Gig (or actually 12Gig which is free) isnt all to much when you have navigator (3,5Gig) and games and blogs and such. But sure its enought for a time to come. The bottom line is Google must be tougher with the market otherwise the fragmentation will just grow.
7)Install a kernel with CWM and then, boot in recovery and run a nandroid backup. It will create the backups on your sdcard. Copy them to your PC. Also, copy /efs using tools or manually..
You can restore using a CWM kernel later on and nandroid restore.
You can also use stuff like TitaniumBackup, but it's not nearly as thorough as nandroid backup (which is doing basically disk images, while Titanium and other such apps just copy app/settings)
A: Thanks for the tips, i will write it down. As said i dont dare yet to mess with hacking but soon i was actually considering using the TitaniumB , hear its easy to use.
8)Trollish subject. Some apps are superior on Android, some are superior on iOS. Heh SGS2's browser speed eats my IP4 for breakfast for example. If the same Android app doesnt have the feature of the iOS app, complain to the dev or find another app.
A: I'm noob on what is there on the market so i'm sure there are many awesome apps on Android but when comparing the same app on Android vs iOS the Android was inferior. That was what i was comparing.
Another thing i dont really experience is the speed. To be honest i dont see such a huge speed difference when using my Wlan at home. But maybe you are right
9) it's true it's like that, nothing you can do about it (technically, something could be done but that's probably not wise at all)
A: I guess your right. On the other hand it could be possible a fw update could adjust some values for the current input, this could be a software limitation also i think. Lets hope
10) Use another music player, such as PowerAmp if you like. There's (many, many) other possibilities as well. It also let you boost the volume higher than the stock max volume (although I find stock to be loud enough)
A:Thanks for the tips will test this. Actually this is same thing as the copy/paste issue. I expect the behaviour to be the same no matter application (coming from iOS) but here it seems its application to application. This offer more freedom to developers for sure but it will also generate crapy software and result in a bad user experience. It would be so much better if there were a set of rules that all developers should follow on certain areas (this one is one such area).
11) Don't use KIES air to do that then ;-)
A: hehe true but this is the official way so i thought it should have been well tested and all
12) Likewise. There are apps like KIES air, you might want to try them btw.
Make a little search, I dont have the name in mind, but they do exist, others will probably point them out
A: Will do.
13) I do get a progress bar that moves, maybe a browser issue. Anyway, see point 12)
A: Strange, have to test again on IE which i hate, i use Firefox only. Also tested Safari on my mac.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again for your input mate. Back to play more with my GSII

Applications can also be installed on the external sd card.
Applications and I also believe their user data are backed up on google server. So if you factory reset the phone and sync with google, it will download all previous apps.
About the slow charging - are you on old firmware version or do you charge over USB?
Creating a folder through kies air is not possible, that is correct. To be honest I am happy that there is even an app which allows to copy media etc. over wifi, you know there are phones which don't have that, for example the iPhone.
All apps I am using are working fine. If an app is not stable it's developer's fault, not the phone.

Ios is from 2007.. android 09.. 1-2 years between them. just think how far android have gone the last year.. give it 2 years and then compare it to iphone 4 in it current state.. well yes i know android is older.. but the initial realse was around 08-09 and IOS june - 07.
and yes.. so far iphone fits those who just want it to work better.. that means ppl not that used to computers etc.
and currently i dont own an iphone but i got a first generation ipod touch.. and yes even that stoneage IOS thing does alot of things better then my S2..
bah but this iphone vs android is getting old its a subject that can go on forever and ever..
well ill stick with my laggy android.. well i've been told by my iphony friends that its laggy.. i just dont see it

vampyren said:
Hi guys,
Any input, tips, tricks are welcome. I really appreciate your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice overview.
IMO S2 is the best phone on the market now. But due to appl's hype, n matter what hardware specs they release, the iphone will always be superior to ANY phone. They could release an iphone with 1st gen hardware, and it will still make more sales than sgs2.
But, slowly more and more ppl are moving towards androi, and apple are losing sales. they even copied bb and android in ios 5..

Also coming from an iPhone 4 to the GS2 I can safely say that I don't miss the iPhone at all which I thought I would.
Having owned a Nexus S in the past and feeling a bit bewildered as there was a lot of stuff within the OS which felt unpolished and unfinished and now 2.3.3 is like night and day for that and it feels much more like a complete OS to me.
@OP give it time there will be a lot of things you can do with your new phone which would require rooting on your iPhone 4
The world of apps and widgets and customization is at your finger tips so jump right in and enjoy
My phone is running ADW Launcher EX with 90% icon dock size, 5x5 grid for homescreen, transparent drawer and miui weather

The only thing you might miss is the app store and iTunes integration (if you use it), other than that the Galaxy S II has it beaten quite comfortably.

@zxz0O0:
OOH that is cool , i think some option about it but didnt think it was what i thought it was nice to have it confirmed. Then this is pretty much what Apple is adding into iOS now with the cloud thing. Pretty cool Android has it already. By the way why do people use program like TitaniumBackup when there is google sync ? is there any limitation to the cloud backup? will all games data, programs data, settings be backed up or just Android OS stuff?
About FW i use the latest i think KE7 i think its called but i read there is a new one coming out next week so hoping for better battery life.
And your last point is something we can debate about for a long time but my view is that if you dont have strict rules developers do what ever they want and can let their app go without update. On the other hand if Google enforce some guideline like having option to install to SD card developers must go by that or their application is removed from market. In the end users will benefit and the platform will grow. But this is my view alone.
@olyloh6696:
I dont think its just hype really. I mean we are comparing a year old phone to SGII here and they are pretty much head to head in most scenarios i tested. But i see your point and i do agree that Android has a charm about it. I love the moving background, i love the whole flexibility to do what you want with the interface. Specially SGII's support for codecs so i dont have to spend 2 day re-encoding all my movies etc. So there are definatley benefits with Android but iOS has the benefit to be easy and working perfectly with the functions it offers from the get go. I think its a matter of preference and more advanced users will move to Android (a bit like me).
@daleski75:
Yupp i think i just need to play with it more and get used to the eco system
I think i will harass Opera developers to fix the formatting thing on the webpages now
Thanks for your input guys, gonna go out and take a walk now, later.

There are also many other good browsers, xscope, miren and dolphin hd to name a few, they all have their own way to format the page and all are pretty good many have different options too for formatting and text wrapping (I believe the default samsung browser also has some options)
also I believe google sync doesnt save all app data (eg angry birds progress is not saved)

That is correct...Google Sync doesn't backup app data (like your Angry Birds scores). This is where Titanium Backup (commonly abbreviated to as TiBu) comes in. It "sort of" does cloud backup (via Dropbox), but its strength really shows when you start installing/changing/updating custom ROMs. Typically, it's used to backup your apps and their data to a folder on your SD card. I can also do some pretty advanced stuff that you probably wouldn't use much (if at all). In my view, the strength is it's ability to deal with batch jobs. For example, before installing a new ROM, I backup all user installed applications (non-protected ones, anyway) with only a couple clicks. Restoring is just as easy, provided you have the paid version (it allows for hands-off batch restore of your apps). Another cool feature it has is "freezing" apps. Say you root your phone and may want to clean some carrier crapware off of it, but aren't *totally* sure. You can freeze those apps...they stay installed and can be defrosted at any time, but they won't be available for use until you do.
Also, I agree with you that a lot of iOS apps are much better than their Android counterparts. I believe this is the case for one main reason: there are tons of people using Android and tons of people on iPhones...you can essentially count on one hand the number of iOS phones Apple has to support, and they are all sold by Apple. Now, look at the number of Android phones and devices and their individual specifications...that makes developing apps for Android pretty complicated. Devs have to take into account different CPUs, memory limitations, and the biggie--SCREEN DIFFERENCES! However, I like being able to run an app developed for a phone on my Honeycomb tablet. Yeah, it may be ugly (not necessarily), but it almost always works! I have a network tool I use that only shows up on about 1/6th the screen of my tab, but I don't care...it still does the job.
Don't forget another important aspect of the Android vs. Apple thing...Apple has control of their devices and their operating systems, and the cell phone carriers don't have control over when Apple releases an update. On the Android side, you have some manufacturers that are prompt with getting an update ready, and those who abandon their devices after they leave the store shelf. Not only that, but those who do release updates, and most do, have to deal with the likes of AT&T and Verizon and everyone else here in the US. Each company wants a ROM customized only for them, and sometimes the manufacturers actually have to pay the cell companies to push out updates. This is what causes the splintering of Android, but openness is what gives it its strengths.
As a general rule, I find that the more "techy" people like the Android OS, since you can customize it and tweak it like crazy. Those who aren't quite as savvy will probably like iOS more (there's less to screw up and they all look the same). Please don't flame me for saying that...it's just a general observation that has many exceptions.
Well that's my two cents. Maybe it will be helpful in some way? <*schrugs*>
Brad
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA Premium App

There is no practical comparison possible between the mentioned phones.

Appreciate the explanation brad, TB is a nice tool indeed
Just one point, In regard to customization i can pretty do anything also when i jailbreak the iphone which is even simpler then rooting Android and what all techies do anyway with their Android phones
But i agree Android has its charm with the more open eco system.
The 2 area i wish to have before it gets perfect is the browsing and more resolution for the big ass screen (4.3)

ICS 4.04 disapointment ...

Hello, I just installed the stock ICS on my Xoom, and I'm disapointed ...
As everybody was saying "the Xoom is now a whole new device", I was expecting so ...
There are good points with ICS :
- new functionalities like icons directories.
- gpu acceleration for a few 2D applications.
- a few websites are now smoother.
- typing texts in forums is now fast.
- a lot more available memory : around 512Mb instead of 400Mb in 3.2.1. EDIT : since a reboot of my Xoom, the available memory dropped down to 360Mb !!!
But I was expecting a lot more fluidity, smoothness, from the 2D applications of Android.
- the new market is more laggy than the one of honeycomb 3.2.1.
- some web pages are smoother now, but some other are slower !!!! XDA for exemple lags more than in 3.2.1 !!!
- the 2D GPU acceleration does not work for all applications : even when "force 2d acceleration" is selected, some applications become smooth, some other don't, even when they are the same kind of applications.
- stock web browser crashes more than in 3.2.1.
- on stock browser search string on some forums don't work anymore (try on XDA !), same problem with some dropdown menus which let the web page disappearing ...
- the new kill apps system in ICS does not really kill all apps. So we still need an app killer.
- the portrait mode is still laggy compared to the landscape mode.
- the available memory, when the Xoom has just been rebooted, vary between 510Mb and 360Mb ... !!! With absolutly no change in my Xoom configuration.
- When you force OFF the screen rotation in landscape mode, if you lock the Xoom and put it in portrait position, when you unlock the Xoom the display will be in portrait mode, and right after the Xoom will be unlocked it will go back to Landscape mode. This bug didn't exist in Honeycomb.
- the cursor to select text to copy seems more difficult to position than in Honeycomb.
- if you kill the stock browser with an app killer, when you relaunch the browser it will then open the last visited website, which is as expected. But if you kill the browser with the Android task killer, then the browser (when relaunched) will display nothing.
So I don't feel like I have a new device, some things are better, some worse.
As I am very concerned by the Android fluidity, ICS is a big step forward, but there are still some more steps to do, and I hope we will be able, one day, to see Android as fluid as an ipad on our Xoom ... But I guess I should stop dreaming.

Maybe you should trying running one of those custom ROMS and see if you see and
better performance or features..it's worth a shot

I think even Stevie Wonder saw this thread coming.

dizzy33 said:
As I am very concerned by the Android fluidity, ICS is a big step forward, but there are still some more steps to do, and I hope we will be able, one day, to see Android as fluid as an ipad on our Xoom ... But I guess I should stop dreaming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stop running crappy apps and it'll be "fluid".

ZanshinG1 said:
Stop running crappy apps and it'll be "fluid".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There will always be people taking personaly what you say about their toy ! This kind of people should just open their eyes, and stop being agressive.

glock20c said:
Maybe you should trying running one of those custom ROMS and see if you see and
better performance or features..it's worth a shot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may be right but I would expect Google to optimize more Android without the need of tuning a custom Rom to gain (maybe) a few more images per seconds ...
With this thread I wanted to ađvise people who are still waiting for the ICS update to minimize what they can expect of it, this way they may not be as disapointed as I was...

dizzy33 said:
There will always be people taking personaly what you say about their toy ! This kind of people should just open their eyes, and stop being agressive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.
Most of the stuttering is caused by apps which are written by developers who don't really understand Android,
Seriously.
Pay attention to which apps aren't responsive. Look at memory use, wake locks, watch for unnecessary services and background threads.
Eliminate apps one-by-one until stuttering in menus and the desktop stops. Don't run live wallpapers.
Factory reset. System settings from prior Android revisions can cause problems.
I have fixed many of my friends' Android devices when they blamed the device or OS for lag.
Stock 4.04 is quite responsive and fluid. If yours isn't, it's probably the apps you've installed or settings conflicts.

Change animation settings under development to none or at least down to .5 from 1.0.
Use a third party launcher and third party browser if unsatisfied with stock. We have choice...we can use it.
My Xoom is as smooth as butter...no lag or stutter at all.

I always choose the apps to install according to their fluidity. I know some apps are badly developped. I also have no apps running in background (that's why I choosed the stock ICS), always killing running apps before running a new one. I also don't use animated background.
I do my best to let my Xoom run as smooth as possible.

dizzy33 said:
I always choose the apps to install according to their fluidity. I know some apps are badly developped. I also have no apps running in background (that's why I choosed the stock ICS), always killing running apps before running a new one. I also don't use animated background.
I do my best to let my Xoom run as smooth as possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you changed your animation settings under Developer Options (in Settings Menu, toward the bottom) If you don't need animations, then change the settings to "none" it will make a difference.

okantomi said:
Change animation settings under development to none or at least down to .5 from 1.0.
Use a third party launcher and third party browser if unsatisfied with stock. We have choice...we can use it.
My Xoom is as smooth as butter...no lag or stutter at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for these advises but the problem for me is not the speed of the device but its fluidity. So changing the animation setting did change the speed of the way the menu are displayed but not the fluidity of the animations.
About the fird party launcher, I think it will not make it run smoother as it will run in the background and occupy memory.

dizzy33 said:
Thanks for these advises but the problem for me is not the speed of the device but its fluidity. So changing the animation setting did change the speed of the way the menu are displayed but not the fluidity of the animations.
About the fird party launcher, I think it will not make it run smoother as it will run in the background and occupy memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why, I don't know, but I have always found increased smoothness from launcher like ADWEX. As they say, "your mileage may vary." The configuration in my signature represents what I think is probably the best, smoothest and fastest combination I can find. I also have tons of apps and a pretty elaborate theme and still my Xoom is butter-smooth. It can be done.

dizzy33 said:
I always choose the apps to install according to their fluidity. I know some apps are badly developped. I also have no apps running in background (that's why I choosed the stock ICS), always killing running apps before running a new one. I also don't use animated background.
I do my best to let my Xoom run as smooth as possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why kill the apps before running a new one? If you are choosing apps based on how well programmed they are that seems completely unnecessary.
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda premium

Hi,
You didn't mention what apps you are running.
I'm running 4.0.4 stock rooted - and no issues in general. It got very laggy once after running for a week, but a reboot fixed it. Like any OS, very complex and not perfect - reboot once in a while.
I honestly don't find ICS to be very much different than HC (nor did I expect it to be). (ICS is what google wanted HC to be but ran out of time, so released HC)

dizzy33 said:
Thanks for these advises but the problem for me is not the speed of the device but its fluidity. So changing the animation setting did change the speed of the way the menu are displayed but not the fluidity of the animations.
About the fird party launcher, I think it will not make it run smoother as it will run in the background and occupy memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adw auncher makes for a much smoother home screen experiance than stock. Stock struggles with more than a couple of Widgets. Its a diferant experiance, but definatly faster.

dizzy33 said:
I always choose the apps to install according to their fluidity. I know some apps are badly developped. I also have no apps running in background (that's why I choosed the stock ICS), always killing running apps before running a new one. I also don't use animated background.
I do my best to let my Xoom run as smooth as possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is why you were so quick to see my original suggestion as a personal attack?

ZanshinG1 said:
Which is why you were so quick to see my original suggestion as a personal attack?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought you took it as a personal attack because you said "stop using crappy apps", which to my point of view is agressive.
That's it. I'm sorry if your goal was not to be agressive.

You know, there are lots of fixes for any problems this device had at one time, but many require rooting and installing custom roms/kernels/recoveries and certain non-stock apps. I realize that some people like staying stock as much as possible...I don't. I want to get root immediately and start customizing. That's just me. Some people don't like to eat meat...I do. Some people can't imagine not driving everywhere...I've never owned a car. We're all different. But sometimes you just have to understand that your desire to stay all stock comes at a price. Lag exists. That's why custom roms exist...to eliminate lag, among other brilliant things.

okantomi said:
You know, there are lots of fixes for any problems this device had at one time, but many require rooting and installing custom roms/kernels/recoveries and certain non-stock apps. I realize that some people like staying stock as much as possible...I don't. I want to get root immediately and start customizing. That's just me. Some people don't like to eat meat...I do. Some people can't imagine not driving everywhere...I've never owned a car. We're all different. But sometimes you just have to understand that your desire to stay all stock comes at a price. Lag exists. That's why custom roms exist...to eliminate lag, among other brilliant things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, so I'll check the custom ROMS ... Can anyone specify which ROM is the best for fluidity ?

I didnt have or notice any of the problems you had on stock ICS
I am running the following rom on my xoom atm and have had no issues
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1437358