Database Users

Coming back from the Note

I will be returning back to my S2 (m250k) from the note. I had a few screen issues so I'll be getting a full refund from the vendor.
If anyone here is thinking about upgrading to the Note, feel free to ask questions. I'll provide any insight that I can.
Note experience (in comparison of having owned a S2):
N7000 stock.
Pros:
- Huge, beautiful screen
- Perfect phablet size, I never take my laptop home anymore
- Stylus and note taking is amazing
- Battery life, much much better
Cons (very subjective):
- Doesn't fit my lifestyle. I'm hardly home so I don't get to use it as a tablet as much as I'd like to
- Inconvenient to use as a phone/sms machine. On the s2 I can send texts with one hand extremely easily. Everything I can do with one hand. Note requires both hands most of the time. (Send button is on the very far right.. I use my left hand and my thumb can't reach it unless I'm risking dropping the phone.
- Hard to take it out of pocket when sitting down. I was thinking about buying a watch because I didn't want to check the time on my phone haha.
- Not a very good media player for use at the gym... too big
- Currently it seems 3rd party launchers (adw, go launcher, etc) are all laggier than stock TW. I'm sure this will be fixed in the future.
- Not sure if this is a pro or con, but getting used to this size makes other phones look like phones made for toddlers.
- Low quality videos are blocky. It looks like huge pixels of black on the screen.
I'm very surprised how big the S2 subforum is. This is the first time coming to this subforum although I've had the S2 for 6+ months. I rooted yesterday and tinkered with it a little yesterday and it feels like a brand new phone.
On another note, what are your favorite roms currently for the SG2? There are so many to choose from I don't know where to start. Currently rooted with lulz kernel for m250k e02.
Glad to be back.

Flash CM9, best ROM imo
Sent from my Galaxy S2 CM9 using Tapatalk

checkrom IMO..
Swyped from: GT-I9100
Sent using: XDA Premium App

If u want to stay on gingerbread.....flash checkrom....and if u wanna try ics...flash cm9....when i was using gb...i never changed my rom and kept using checrom....but since cm9 has released....there is no way m going bak to gb....cm9 is best out there right now....
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Hey welcome back to the S2 world
Well for me, I'm running on VillainROM 3.0 with SiyahKernel 2.6.4 and Pikachu's Thunderbolt script 2.3.5 - battery life is superb, signal reception is great, i can't complain... even if I got the twitch to try something else sometimes, I don't feel much like it because this phone steals the cake!!

Thanks everyone =).
Unfortunately I can't a kernel that doesn't support m250k due to my carrier (i'm in korea). So I'm currently using lulz korean kernel.
Noob question:
lulz kernel has a recovery built in, but it also has CMW recovery built in under -recovery- menu.
Which one am I supposed to use to flash the rom?
The S2 forum is so awesome, but I feel stupid and overwhelmed here haha.

Criskelo Rom is simply amazing, haven't tried CM9 but CM7 was terribly buggy, random reboots which doesn't sound all that bad but gets tedious eventually believe me, also hotspot problems and bluetooth problems as well. Criskelo has an abundance of modifications built in as well as option to change kernel and modem builds on the fly. Take a good look at the thread before you choose anything else, oh and don't bother with ICS leaked builds yet, its terrible, in fact its terrible on my wifes nexus s as well and that's official ota.

aigoya said:
Thanks everyone =).
Unfortunately I can't a kernel that doesn't support m250k due to my carrier (i'm in korea). So I'm currently using lulz korean kernel.
Noob question:
lulz kernel has a recovery built in, but it also has CMW recovery built in under -recovery- menu.
Which one am I supposed to use to flash the rom?
The S2 forum is so awesome, but I feel stupid and overwhelmed here haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get kTool from the thread here and use it to reboot into kernel's own recovery and downloadmode (also you can back up EFS and dump kernel, a very handy tool!)

Comparisons between GB and ICS...What is your overall opinion so far?

Hey guys.
Must say for early stages ICS looks pretty sweet. Looking forward to the stable version by Codeworkx and team.
My opinion though is that i still find Gingerbread pretty solid and has all the features i need still. Yes ICS is still in early stages. But there are still few features that i can not leave without just yet. And plus battery life of course is a major issue for me so when kernel sources are released i am sure we shall see an influx of kernels to tackle the problem as it was in the early days of Gingerbread on our gorgeous phones.
Question here is...Do you guys find it worth the jump even on early stages or are you sticking with Gingerbread as it is still stable and you have all the features you can ask for till the gorgeous CM9 gets more stable? Also what would you like from Gingerbread to be on ICS
Thanks

The problem is I've already made the jump much earlier, and it's now unacceptable going back to GB..

Prasad007 said:
The problem is I've already made the jump much earlier, and it's now unacceptable going back to GB..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also made the jump but something made me come back to GB..I think it is still because the build is still in early stages and bugs and errors occur..Plus having the voodoo app now by Supercurio kinda makes me hold up a bit longer. Yes i know that is not a good enough reason but also battery life is a major one for me...
What i like to know in the new build of CM9 is it as smooth as people say it is when scrolling?

Neo3000 said:
I also made the jump but something made me come back to GB..I think it is still because the build is still in early stages and bugs and errors occur..Plus having the voodoo app now by Supercurio kinda makes me hold up a bit longer. Yes i know that is not a good enough reason but also battery life is a major one for me...
What i like to know in the new build of CM9 is it as smooth as people say it is when scrolling?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I'm most likely the wrong person to answer that, having come from the original SGS since only the last 2 days. And no, I don't think that it's not a good enough reason to revert to GB for Voodoo LOUDER when I'm actually giving it a fair thought of going back to the SGS1 for Voodoo Sound...

I dont know how to say it but ... ummmm but seriously (not trolling) i love the touch wiz ui

One thing just held me back. The video part. After it gets fixed i'll be transfering to cm9
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Well cyanogenmod 9 is stable enough for my tastes. And once media is fixed I think it's good enough
New multi tasking is sweet. But there are some nice addition here and there like a new voice system which I'm using now. Or do you mean
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk on cm9

anshmiester78900 said:
I dont know how to say it but ... ummmm but seriously (not trolling) i love the touch wiz ui
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't worry, there are plenty of people like you and me giggling at the various topics of stuttering paid alternative launchers, and buggy custom AOSP roms, but they are mostly silent.
I think its great they are there, because it can lead to new insights, but so far for me stock + TW + a mild Jkay-theme hit the sweet spot for almost everything this phone can do for me.

Opinion its a leaked test rom and not ICS release who knows what will change .
jje

Ive been trying out the cm9 alpha for a while now and am liking it. Got it setup virtually the same as my KK5 daily.
With cm9 I don't need voodoo louder and my a2dp streaming sounds better.
But.....
I could easily go back to KK5 odexed which I have setup the way I like it. Jkay mods, frozen apps, voodoo louder, etc.
I use go launcher ex, go sms pro and poweramp on both so mostly my user interface is the same.
Found since sgs1 that I like the 3rd party apps more than stock. Thats the beauty of android I guess.
Im ok with both as a daily so far.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

ephraim033 said:
One thing just held me back. The video part. After it gets fixed i'll be transfering to cm9
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 I watch YouTube vids on a daily basis lol. They have a done a great job with ICS so far though
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

I started using CM9 since the first build, which was very buggy, but its been my daily driver since then and I love it now, stable enough for everyday use (amazing for an alpha) and I already find it better than CM7, I can't go back to GB after updating lol, love the new UI, the only time I ran into a problem was when I wanted to see football highlights last night but can't watch the video =D other that tho I love ICS, can't wait for a full and stable release! Highly recommend it! I found I don't need as many 3rd party apps, don't use widget locker or go launcher or go contacts etc anymore, the only one I use now is go SMS pro.
Sent from my Galaxy S2 running CM9 from Xda Premium, please thank me if I help you

eamon0989 said:
I started using CM9 since the first build, which was very buggy, but its been my daily driver since then and I love it now, stable enough for everyday use (amazing for an alpha) and I already find it better than CM7, I can't go back to GB after updating lol, love the new UI, the only time I ran into a problem was when I wanted to see football highlights last night but can't watch the video =D other that tho I love ICS, can't wait for a full and stable release! Highly recommend it! I found I don't need as many 3rd party apps, don't use widget locker or go launcher or go contacts etc anymore, the only one I use now is go SMS pro.
Sent from my Galaxy S2 running CM9 from Xda Premium, please thank me if I help you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. ICS is very good and I urge all to give CM9 a try. Of course we cannot mod, theme etc.. at this stage but to be frank there is no need to. Great sensible UI coupled with a very smooth and snappy scrolling and other animations makes it a perfect ROM for a common user. If you are too much into theming, tweaking etc.. stay away from CM9 at the moment until a stable one comes out.
Not much of a battery drain also. Maybe 10% more than stock GB.

ICS KP8
CM9
No thanks no advantage over what i have at present .
Yes to supposed specs when ICS is actually released .
jje

I tested for 2 days the ICS and I must say that the samsung team it's on the good way. ICS will be a wonderful OS to run on SGS2. They still have a lot of bugs to fix, but there are just leaks. We must wait for some official releases.
At the moment you can use ICS just to explore some of the goodies that will be present in the future for our phones. We will have to keep gingerbread for a while
Personally, I want to see the weather on lockscreen fully implemented in the next builds

theres no real ICS for SGS2 right?How could we compare?
we still need to go through 2.3.7 am i right?
No, i find cm7 better than cm9 for now

Personally I don't find ICS the revolutionary change that some people were hyping around. It's an improvement, but not super.
And +1 to the people who mentioned the media part. Once it's fixed I might go to CM9.
And frankly I don't find Trebechet launcher on CM9 smoother than Touchwiz on Gingerboard :/

dzel said:
theres no real ICS for SGS2 right?How could we compare?
we still need to go through 2.3.7 am i right?
No, i find cm7 better than cm9 for now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am totally agree with Dzel.
Since ICS alpha(not even beta) version. its no good to compare stable GB version.
Again CM9 is much better than CM7.

I am running cm9 as my daily now as most remaining issues are not so important.
I was before on cm7 with Siyah kernel, and honestly, everything was really running smooth. I do not see any big improvment in ICS, and in that point, I am a litle disapointed.
I will stick to cm9 as ICs is now the developped OS, but I was waiting for more big changes from Google.
A litle bit like diff between OSX 10.3, .4, .5 etc etc. No real big changes.

[Q] Best Stable ROM - Giving DX to Mom

Hi Everybody (Hi Dr. Nick!),
TLDR:
Giving my DX to my mother, need to know what the best stable ROM that is the most bug-free; stock will be considered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've moved on from my Droid X to an HTC Rezound. I recently had to use my good old DX (Running the last Liberty released) and realized what a great phone it is. Really, a top of the line phone... so much so that I actually considered giving my wife the Rezound and going back to the X... it was really only 4G that kept me on the Rezound (and the DX's terrible WiFi radio).
Anyway...
I'm most likely going to be giving my mom this phone since she has some crappy LG phone that lags when playing Angry Birds (the only reason my mom got a smart phone). I want to give her a phone that is going to be fast, stable, and hassle free.
I'm torn between giving her a stock device in case she needs support, or giving her a modified rooted device, so she can have the bonuses of a great phone. I no longer live in her area (I'm from Miami, FL where she still lives, currently living in Kansas City) and I can't support her in case something breaks; she'll need to call VZW or go to a store.
Here are my ideas:
My initial thought is CM 7.1 RC. Seems like it will be stable with minimal lag, and most bugs worked out.
I might leave her on Liberty since Ive been using it and it works pretty well for the most part.
How good is the CM9 beta? It looks to be working, there just has to be a bunch of extra work to get it stable that isn't baked into the initial install yet? I would love to get her on ICS, but she needs a camera so I can't give her Encounter ICS (which from what I understand is really well done, but abandoned). I don't mind doing the leg work for ICS, but I need to know most things work, or can be workable.
Thoughts?
Thanks in advance for your advice.

Try out MIUI DefX, it's fairly full featured, definitely fast, and very stable.
Otherwise I would recommend going completely stock.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2

The newest Miui DefX posted by wizard0f0s is very stable. Can have working HDMI with additional app. Camera works great if it is left on 8MP. Have to change it to that yourself though because its default is 6MP. It has the Motorola Blur power manager stuff so it gets really good battery life. Also has FM Radio built in. Just make sure you check around for guides on how to set up to automatic brightness correctly and you should have the perfect daily driver for your mom.

Hmmm, I hadn't considered MIUI; is it ICS based? Only reason I ask is because I'd like to get Apex Launcher for her. She actually think iOS looks cluttered, and I think the default MIUI Launcher is pretty crappy with the absence of an app drawer.
Also, is there a way to get the iOS theme out? I tried MIUI for a short time, but even after popping Launcher Pro on it, I couldn't stand the MIUI menus because they looked way too iOS-ish for me.

EtherBoo said:
Hmmm, I hadn't considered MIUI; is it ICS based? Only reason I ask is because I'd like to get Apex Launcher for her. She actually think iOS looks cluttered, and I think the default MIUI Launcher is pretty crappy with the absence of an app drawer.
Also, is there a way to get the iOS theme out? I tried MIUI for a short time, but even after popping Launcher Pro on it, I couldn't stand the MIUI menus because they looked way too iOS-ish for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MIUI DefX is not ICS, although MIUI v4 is; however, MIUI v4 is not as stable or fully featured as MIUI DefX by any means.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

i have an identical objective. something super stable and faster than stock. my older sister is wrestling the stock rom constantly crashing and being bloated as hell on her droid 2, and as far as i know the DX and the D2 have almost identical architecture

Buying Nexus S 2nd hand, tips and things to look for?

I'm picking up a 1 yr old Nexus S. What are the things I should look for - other than obvious physical damage?
And the model I'll get is i9023 - does that model have any problems wrt custom ROM support etc? Or do all ROMs work for both i9020a/t and i9023?
Former Galaxy S2 owner here, so please let me know your Nexus S-specific tips, and fav ROM+kernel combo (prioritizing good battery life).
Also, any slim extended battery(not the ones with bulky extra rear plate) you recommend?

first of all, look for some scratches.
ROMs work with the 9023, too.
well, test it out.

Every ROM I've tried has given me pretty much the same exact screen on time if I really use the phone heavily( almost 4 hours on a good day). This phone doesn't have phenomenal life compared to other phones I've had, but I can make it through a normal work day. No one ROM fits everybody and you're honestly better off searching and experimenting(the joys of having a Nexus device!).
If you're looking for just a stock ROM with a few tweaks here and there, Bugless Beast may be what you're looking for, or Crossbones IIRC. Customizations, which is what Android is all about, you may be better looking at Cyanogenmod, AOKP, Codename Android(CNA), and a crap ton of others.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1171
As for the phone's problems, eh, I had an issue with my microphone. Not sure what was exactly wrong with it. I think the noise screen was messing something up or it was dirty. I ended up opening my phone and cleaning the piece. That was the only problem with mine(got it secondhand too). These phones also have an issue with their power buttons, so make sure that's good before you commit, although there are fixes on here for that. Make sure the phone is legit and not stolen I guess. lol.

Umm how to check for stolen phones?
Anyway the guy I'm getting it from works at a Samsung office itself, so I guess it is not quite as risky as the usual stranger-in-an-ally thing...

Quite few here, had problems with power button.

sumeshpremraj said:
Umm how to check for stolen phones?
Anyway the guy I'm getting it from works at a Samsung office itself, so I guess it is not quite as risky as the usual stranger-in-an-ally thing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess if you were to try to activate it, it would let the person at the desk know. I forgot to add, kernels and governors will effect the battery life along with screen brightness(duh). I prefer ondemand over anything else.

Will experiment kernels, governor etc, I was changing ROMs daily until I found a good combo when I had the S2.
What were you saying about the 'desk'? This is an unlocked phone, so I'm not sure if even activation is required (didn't have any on my previous unlocked phones).

Oh, and any specific brand of extended batteries (specifically those with same dimensions as the original) you'd recommend?

See if don´t have any problems of lost IMEI...

Make sure the power button is in good shape, nice and clicky. These things are notorious for power button failures, and let me tell you it sucks
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

Will check for power button, saw quite a few threads re the infamous button failure.
How do I check if the phone is stolen, any website to look up IMEI? I'll check if IMEI in settings and on the box matches.

@sumeshpremraj
How much did you get it for? (INR)
whats up with box and all accessories?
Even I am planning to get one used.

abrarabbu said:
@sumeshpremraj
How much did you get it for? (INR)
whats up with box and all accessories?
Even I am planning to get one used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
13k INR, including box and accessories (no warranty left).

I personally think all custom ROMs are crap and do the same one way another
The only ROMs useful are:
Codename Android
Cyanogenmod
MIUI (http://www.miuiandroid.com) > they have multi language
Pete's Bugless ROM
But I found all ICS ROMs having a certain issue with the Nexus S with my messaging application crashing. That's why I went with MIUI. It was the only ICS based ROM not crashing.
The best kernel is Air Kernel for Nexus S. The rest is significantly slower. With stock ICS you won't notice much difference. But with resource-heavy MIUI it's plain noticeable
It's possible the bug I mentioned is fixed in latest ICS releases. I haven't looked.

djjonastybe said:
I personally think all custom ROMs are crap and do the same one way another
The only ROMs useful are:
Codename Android
Cyanogenmod
MIUI (http://www.miuiandroid.com) > they have multi language
Pete's Bugless ROM
But I found all ICS ROMs having a certain issue with the Nexus S with my messaging application crashing. That's why I went with MIUI. It was the only ICS based ROM not crashing.
The best kernel is Air Kernel for Nexus S. The rest is significantly slower. With stock ICS you won't notice much difference. But with resource-heavy MIUI it's plain noticeable
It's possible the bug I mentioned is fixed in latest ICS releases. I haven't looked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the detailed reply, I understood as much about custom ROMs in my time on Galaxy S2.
I'll be trying Boot to Gecko first, just for the heck of it, then MIUI, bugless beast, CNA and CM9 in that order.
Thought of trying Matr1x, Trinity etc. but will add Air to the list of kernels.

Got the Nexus S 12 hrs ago, power button is fine so I remapped power off to search key and made volume buttons awake it.
Tried Bugless beast, slimICS, CM9 and settled on the latter. Have to try out Boot to Gecko, Jelly Bean and MIUI v4 when I get time later this weekend.
Still don't have an slim extended battery, but I'm happy with the battery life so far that I'm having second thoughts on buying one.

Glad you like it. Enjoy! Happy flashing! :beer:
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium

Yep that's the reason why I moved to Nexus S (after getting frustrated about lack of stable ICS ROMs on S2 back in the day)...

Basically reiterating what everyone else has said. I also got my Nexus S 2nd hand and I've had it for about 6 months now (coming from a nexus one) and I love it, other than I miss the trackball (I know I'm strange) for waking and LED purposes. Power button being clicky is a must. Obvious scratch marks, etc.
I've played around with many ROMS in my 6 months with my Nexus S. (Codename, Bugless, AOKP, CM9) After trying CM9 RC1 just recently for about 2-3 weeks, I finally just gave in and came back to AOKP (now build 40) and am loving it right now. AOKP just has really nice style, especially with this mod/theme. (thanks mixtapes)
Kernels: I love Voodoo sound/color, it really makes the phone both look beautiful and sound amazing, especially if you have good headphones/speakers. BLN (Back Light Notification) is a must for me as well in a kernel. I really like matr1x right now, tried air kernel few builds back and it was also nice.
Hope this helps Can't wait for JB.
Cheers.

Make sure the GPS works. I bought a second hand one and the GPS was faulty.

The OPPO Find 5 after 6 months|My impressions|

Watch my vid and see!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzKKUwcfc68&feature=player_embedded

Thanks for this bit of insight!

Overstear said:
Thanks for this bit of insight!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may think twice before getting that device right now with everything else in the market.I moved to a G2 because of OPPO's poor software situation and lack luster battery life.Also the price hasn't dropped officially from OPPO.

I did, and still want it. If software is all that's 'wrong' with it then I'm sure they, or some clever ROM maker, will fix it eventually. And for me the price is still well in terms with the amount of hardware I'm getting so ... I'm sticking with the choice.
Thanks again.

If you're comfortable with rooting and installing another ROM, there's no reason the crummy Oppo ROM should prevent you from getting it. There are a few ROM's around here that are VERY good, and perform as good if not better than CM and others performed on my Sony Xperia T.
I don't undervolt or tweak anything beyond visuals, and my battery life is good. Disclosure - I am a business user.

charlatan01 said:
If you're comfortable with rooting and installing another ROM, there's no reason the crummy Oppo ROM should prevent you from getting it. There are a few ROM's around here that are VERY good, and perform as good if not better than CM and others performed on my Sony Xperia T.
I don't undervolt or tweak anything beyond visuals, and my battery life is good. Disclosure - I am a business user.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah maxwen and codefirex are my top recommendations.CM sucks until we get another maintainer.Why because an interim maintainer screwed over fixes the former did work on like robotic voice during calls.

I totally agree. The device itself is very nice. The stock rom just sucks. If you are keen with getting a custom rom then this is a good deal.
Also the price should drop down soon.
Here in Thailand you can get the device already for around 14000 Baht / 350 Euro at the grey market.

It is a dev friendly phone. Absolutely no reason to use stock.
Sent from my Find 5 using xda app-developers app

I have it from 2 weeks and my impression is very good. A bit worried what it gonna happen when it drops: it's quite heavy and his shape isn't drop-frielndy... Before I got a Galaxy S-plus and a Galaxy Nexus, both rounded on corners: several drops never a scratch

TKPL said:
I have it from 2 weeks and my impression is very good. A bit worried what it gonna happen when it drops: it's quite heavy and his shape isn't drop-frielndy... Before I got a Galaxy S-plus and a Galaxy Nexus, both rounded on corners: several drops never a scratch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out the video on my Find 5 cases.Mine did drop.

maxwen FTW. He keeps the almost dead HTC One V development alive by contributing great ROM and Kernel.
Only Chuck Norris can judge me

After 8 mouth the oppo find 5 have only an issue the battery... obviusly with dev Rom.

That thing looks like it has crazyyyy lag.
When you double tapped the screen to wale up, it took almost 2 seconds.
Even when switching between apps it takes long.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Free mobile app

The video in FP isn't even close to what todays roms offer (Luckily )
Liquidsmooth is liquidsmooth (pun intended), just like CM, Team EOS, PA, and most others. Only rom that bugs me is stock OPPO rom. There are multiple custom kernels but for me personally Team EOS + void custom kernel result in best performace AND battery life with an average of 3.5-4 hours screen on time on a full day. Win/Win for me. That isn't that different from a nexus 4 is it?

Hi boertjeg
Can u show me what setting u use to get battery life like that
Sent from my Find 5 using Tapatalk 4

With liquidsmooth i do around 2:30h with a little downclock. The battery is toooo small.