326 replies to this topic
Posted 2011-07-23 12:20:33
 luudee, on 2011-07-22 12:31:12, said:
I changed to the SG2 from Nexus One. I installed a 32 GB SD card (class 10).
Total storage now is 48 GB, which is great as I have alot of Audio Books and
Lectures (with Video) I like to listen too ....
The screen and speed are absolutely awesome.
I am getting 1-2 days usage from the 1600 mah battery (somebody said it
was 1400 mah - that's WRONG). Li-Ion batteries like to be kept fully charged
and be topped off. So I charge my phone every night, and have never had
an issue. I can see the battery lasting less than a day if you chose to have
3G data connection always on and play games/videos all day long. Typically
I have about 50% battery left when I go to bed ...
I had a custom ROM on my Nexus One (Cygmod 7). But I was not dramatically
impressed with it, and had several crashes. For the time being I am keeping
the original ROM, it has everything I need.
I did replace the Launcher (User Interface) with the FREE GO Launcher. I
find it slightly better than the original Samsung Launcher.
I bought the SPB Shell 3D Launcher ($15 USD) which was a big mistake.
Except for the really fancy and cool desktop 3D wheel, it lacks on features
of other Launchers. My recommendation is Stay Away from SPB Shell 3D ...
Cheers,
rudi
I agree again, the SGS2 is an awesome phone.
I think you referred to my post, but I think you need to read it again. I was referring to my HTC Desire having a 1400 mA battery. I know the SGS2 has a 1600 mA battery, but those 200 mA surely make no substantial difference, and with the dual core and larger screen the SGS2 must necessarily use more power, simple physics.
Yes I am of course online with it at all times, what would be the point of having an offline smartphone? I use the Oxygem-ROM (which is incredible stable, more so than the original HTC ROM!) which has a lot of tuning to further reduce power usage, such as automatically lowering cpu speed to 200 MHz (IIRC) when the screen is off, slower network polling etc, yet, as I've already explained, a few phone calls, checking a few emails, reading Google Reader/Plus/FB/foursquare, the odd (short) game, and the battery is pretty much flat. I have friends with other brands of smartphones, including a Nexus S, which show the same pattern, so I think you may be a little too optimistic with regards to the battery life you see with your phone.
I also agree with you, the "bastardized" Android Samsung add to their phones is atrocious, but fortunately, if not already available, I'm sure there will soon be several 3rd party ROMS available, including "clean" Google ROMS. Long live open source! 
Posted 2011-07-23 14:19:19
Phil Conners, on 2011-07-23 12:20:33, said:
I agree again, the SGS2 is an awesome phone.
I think you referred to my post, but I think you need to read it again. I was referring to my HTC Desire having a 1400 mA battery. I know the SGS2 has a 1600 mA battery, but those 200 mA surely make no substantial difference, and with the dual core and larger screen the SGS2 must necessarily use more power, simple physics.
Yes I am of course online with it at all times, what would be the point of having an offline smartphone? I use the Oxygem-ROM (which is incredible stable, more so than the original HTC ROM!) which has a lot of tuning to further reduce power usage, such as automatically lowering cpu speed to 200 MHz (IIRC) when the screen is off, slower network polling etc, yet, as I've already explained, a few phone calls, checking a few emails, reading Google Reader/Plus/FB/foursquare, the odd (short) game, and the battery is pretty much flat. I have friends with other brands of smartphones, including a Nexus S, which show the same pattern, so I think you may be a little too optimistic with regards to the battery life you see with your phone.
I also agree with you, the "bastardized" Android Samsung add to their phones is atrocious, but fortunately, if not already available, I'm sure there will soon be several 3rd party ROMS available, including "clean" Google ROMS. Long live open source!
Sorry, mea culpa, should have read more careful about the battery
The stock ROM also throttles CPU speed to 200 MHz. I don't dispute
that there are good after market ROMs available. I just got burned
with the Cygmod 7 on my Nexus One. Perhaps I should start a thread
asking for whats the best ROM is for the SG2 (i'll do that on XDA I think).
So, Phil, you have 3G data service always turned on ? Or WIFI ?
I usually turn it on only when I need it. Typically I have both off. I was
thinking to install some app that would turn on the WIFI every 2-3
hours to do an update, and than turn it off again. Has anybody tried
that ?
One amendment to my original review:
Two things I really miss from my Nexus One:
1) Notifier LED. Would blink if I had a missed call/SMS
2) Trackball. When editing/typing text, It is so easy to move the
cursor with the trackball. I have a really hard time positioning the
small pointer thingie with my fingers where I want it to be.
Cheers,
rudi
Posted 2011-07-23 15:09:51
Clearly, the battery is an issue. I woke up this morning and it was at 58%!! It was fully charged, as it always is, before I go to bed. Then, throughout the day, I noticed it was losing 1% per 10 minutes or so. No data, no wifi, screen off.
I am still using the stock rom. The Lighting 3.1 version has bugs, so I have not flashed it yet. But this 2.3.3 is really really bad.
Posted 2011-07-23 22:15:06
Somtamnication, on 2011-07-23 15:09:51, said:
Clearly, the battery is an issue. I woke up this morning and it was at 58%!! It was fully charged, as it always is, before I go to bed. Then, throughout the day, I noticed it was losing 1% per 10 minutes or so. No data, no wifi, screen off.
I am still using the stock rom. The Lighting 3.1 version has bugs, so I have not flashed it yet. But this 2.3.3 is really really bad.
You should search the XDA threads ...
There are pointers to which after market apps cause crazy battery drains. My
phone doesn't loose battery life at all. I charged it last night, and barely used
it through out the day (12 hours since last charge now). Still have 68% left ...
It's not a phone issue, but rather Android/App bug ...
Cheers,
rudi
Posted 2011-07-24 08:29:23
I use Android Assistant a lot, and it shows itself as the one with the most battery drain, sometimes as high as 25%. But that is not high enough to drain the battery so quickly. I am researching it, but today lightning 3.2 was released, so I may jump shiip anyway later today.
Posted 2011-07-24 10:28:17
luudee, on 2011-07-23 14:19:19, said:
1) Notifier LED. Would blink if I had a missed call/SMS
BLN, and Blinky are your friends.
There is also a Google Maps battery bleed issue. Plenty of power usage monitors, filters, notifiers available.
I am amazed that so many people are tinkering with custom ROMs so soon after purchase. What features and functions are these providing that are not available in the stock version?
Posted 2011-07-25 00:27:31
lomatopo, on 2011-07-24 10:28:17, said:
luudee, on 2011-07-23 14:19:19, said:
1) Notifier LED. Would blink if I had a missed call/SMS
BLN, and Blinky are your friends.
There is also a Google Maps battery bleed issue. Plenty of power usage monitors, filters, notifiers available.
I am amazed that so many people are tinkering with custom ROMs so soon after purchase. What features and functions are these providing that are not available in the stock version?
Thanks so much for the tip Lomatopo !
Regarding custom ROMs, I wonder as well. It looks like I will
have to at least root, in order to use blinky (I have to read up
more on it though).
So far, the biggest promises made by 3rd party ROMS are
speed, and better battery conservation. Does seem like a
contradiction to me ... how can you get more speed and
use less battery at the same time ?! Anyway, that's what
they seem to promise ... I am still waiting, with my SGS 2 ...
Cheers,
rudi
Posted 2011-07-25 11:16:38
dominique355, on 2011-07-23 11:04:10, said:
I have been using my S2 for a week now. The first thing I noticed was how light the device is. I used an HTC Legend HD before.
I don't understand why Samsung makes 2 different models, one for AIS and one for True. What's the point? Why not combine both in one?
Things I don't like:
- when I turn it on (from stand-by), I have to wipe right to left, which sometimes needs 3 or 4 attempts until it works. You can actually swipe it any direction, just find what is comfortable.
- the "On" button is on the right side. When I pick up the phone to turn it on, I seems to always push the "On" button together with the volume control button.
- I am unable to place a "favorite contacts" on one of the home screens. You can do this by creating a folder, naming it 'Favorites' then placing your favorite contacts inside, a bit long winded but it works.
- the "Back" and "Menu" buttons are not always visible. So sometimes I fumble around to find the right spot. (My wife tells me the same thing  ) You can adjust the time that they are on or leave them on permanently by going to Settings -> Touch key light duration.
- Front camera is crap.
I am loving this phone, in fact I have not felt this way since the Nokia N95. This phone is really a beautiful piece of hardware (this coming from a long time Nokia user!)
Posted 2011-07-25 11:56:32
luudee, on 2011-07-23 14:19:19, said:
So, Phil, you have 3G data service always turned on ? Or WIFI ?
I usually turn it on only when I need it. Typically I have both off. I was
thinking to install some app that would turn on the WIFI every 2-3
hours to do an update, and than turn it off again. Has anybody tried
that ?
Yes I always have both on, otherwise how will I receive push-notifications for new mail and such, the whole point of having a smartphone for me. It'd be like having a Ferrari and disable half of the cylinders to save gas 
GPRS automatically switches on/off depending on whether I'm on a working wifi connection, so only one of them are ever on at the time.
Posted 2011-07-26 17:26:15
lomatopo, on 2011-07-22 07:12:10, said:
Chicog, on 2011-07-21 20:46:49, said:
There's an Android app called InterNetMittence which turns off the 3G connection on your schedule, so if you don't need push email, etc., you can make it fire up every hour, for example, check emails, and close down the 3G again.
Link
Unless you are on a time-based data plan this seems unnecessary. Most email programs allow you to "pull" email on a periodic basis. I never turn 3G off, unless switching to WiFi. Can you describe why you use this program? To extend battery life?
Yes, sorry I should have made that clear.
Besides the screen, having 3G and Wifi on when you are not using the phone is a waste of battery.
Posted 2011-07-27 15:57:22
Custom roms such as CM7 tend to be very buggy and have many issues with wifi, camera, etc. not working properly. I have played around with numerous customs roms on a variety of Android devices and eventually always wind up back with a rooted stock rom using bloatware freezer to hide the crap I don't want to see. Stock roms are generally, with some exceptions, more stable although you cannot overclock them without flashing a new kernel in most cases. Plus when flashing there is always the possibility of bricking your device. I have hard and soft bricked a few phones in the past, with one resulting in permanent death. If you don't want to take a chance on killing your new smartphone friend, just root the stock room and be content with that.
Edited by jackbox, 2011-07-27 15:58:41.
Posted 2011-07-27 17:36:24
For an LED notification on a Galaxy phone, try NoLed App, its free from the Market.
Posted 2011-07-28 12:40:38
I use the Samsung Galaxy S. I looked at the S2 the other day and it was bigger (wider and longer) than my SGS, it was a bit off-putting and I decided not to get it for the time being as I am still happy with my SGS.
Posted 2011-07-28 12:50:19
g00dgirl, on 2011-07-28 12:40:38, said:
I use the Samsung Galaxy S. I looked at the S2 the other day and it was bigger (wider and longer) than my SGS, it was a bit off-putting and I decided not to get it for the time being as I am still happy with my SGS.
I'm a bit the same, I have a Galaxy Cooper and am OK with that.
My GF has the Galaxy Mini, maybe I'll get the SG2, give her the Cooper and she can donate the Mini to her sister.
Then again for the price of the SG2 I could buy another iPad !
Edited by GM1955, 2011-07-28 12:55:53.
Posted 2011-07-28 13:49:58
Is anyone who bought the phone having network issues? For example, Im using True, my network will randomly cut out and I will get a circle with line through it and a triangle with an explanation point . I will not be able to receive calls or text and not data. This will go away when I reboot the the phone. I can confirm this problem on two other galaxy s2 both on True. I checked all three phones and the APN settings are correct. All are on 2.3.3. Anyone else experiencing this problem?
Posted 2011-07-28 16:04:52
justsumhelp, on 2011-07-28 13:49:58, said:
Is anyone who bought the phone having network issues? For example, Im using True, my network will randomly cut out and I will get a circle with line through it and a triangle with an explanation point . I will not be able to receive calls or text and not data. This will go away when I reboot the the phone. I can confirm this problem on two other galaxy s2 both on True. I checked all three phones and the APN settings are correct. All are on 2.3.3. Anyone else experiencing this problem?
Hmm, that doesn't sound great. Has this been happening since you purchased the phone?
FWIW, I did receive a True service message re: network problems in certain areas. Maybe this is the cause of your issues?
Posted 2011-07-28 16:14:45
Phil Conners, on 2011-07-25 11:56:32, said:
luudee, on 2011-07-23 14:19:19, said:
So, Phil, you have 3G data service always turned on ? Or WIFI ?
I usually turn it on only when I need it. Typically I have both off. I was
thinking to install some app that would turn on the WIFI every 2-3
hours to do an update, and than turn it off again. Has anybody tried
that ?
Yes I always have both on, otherwise how will I receive push-notifications for new mail and such, the whole point of having a smartphone for me. It'd be like having a Ferrari and disable half of the cylinders to save gas
GPRS automatically switches on/off depending on whether I'm on a working wifi connection, so only one of them are ever on at the time.
Sorry off topic - Phil, you turned red? Just noticed.
Posted 2011-07-28 16:22:58
It has been happening on two of the phones which are both used in the same area (Bang Kapi) since they were bought on release date, the third was only purchased sunday and is being used in the Sukhumvit area, seems to happen less there. Im thinking it might just be True and all this 3g stuff going. I disabled fast dormancy to see if that has any effect. ill report back later.
lomatopo, on 2011-07-28 16:04:52, said:
justsumhelp, on 2011-07-28 13:49:58, said:
Is anyone who bought the phone having network issues? For example, Im using True, my network will randomly cut out and I will get a circle with line through it and a triangle with an explanation point . I will not be able to receive calls or text and not data. This will go away when I reboot the the phone. I can confirm this problem on two other galaxy s2 both on True. I checked all three phones and the APN settings are correct. All are on 2.3.3. Anyone else experiencing this problem?
Hmm, that doesn't sound great. Has this been happening since you purchased the phone?
FWIW, I did receive a True service message re: network problems in certain areas. Maybe this is the cause of your issues?
Posted 2011-07-28 16:36:09
lomatopo, on 2011-07-28 16:04:52, said:
FWIW, I did receive a True service message re: network problems in certain areas. Maybe this is the cause of your issues?
Posted 2011-07-28 21:31:56
Bought mine tonight,
18,000 Baht. TukCom, Pattaya.
Posted 2011-07-28 23:43:21
bkkjames, on 2011-07-28 16:14:45, said:
Phil Conners, on 2011-07-25 11:56:32, said:
luudee, on 2011-07-23 14:19:19, said:
So, Phil, you have 3G data service always turned on ? Or WIFI ?
I usually turn it on only when I need it. Typically I have both off. I was
thinking to install some app that would turn on the WIFI every 2-3
hours to do an update, and than turn it off again. Has anybody tried
that ?
Yes I always have both on, otherwise how will I receive push-notifications for new mail and such, the whole point of having a smartphone for me. It'd be like having a Ferrari and disable half of the cylinders to save gas
GPRS automatically switches on/off depending on whether I'm on a working wifi connection, so only one of them are ever on at the time.
Sorry off topic - Phil, you turned red? Just noticed.
Turned red? Sorry I don't understand ... 
Posted 2011-07-29 02:01:19
Phil Conners, on 2011-07-28 23:43:21, said:
bkkjames, on 2011-07-28 16:14:45, said:
Phil Conners, on 2011-07-25 11:56:32, said:
luudee, on 2011-07-23 14:19:19, said:
So, Phil, you have 3G data service always turned on ? Or WIFI ?
I usually turn it on only when I need it. Typically I have both off. I was
thinking to install some app that would turn on the WIFI every 2-3
hours to do an update, and than turn it off again. Has anybody tried
that ?
Yes I always have both on, otherwise how will I receive push-notifications for new mail and such, the whole point of having a smartphone for me. It'd be like having a Ferrari and disable half of the cylinders to save gas
GPRS automatically switches on/off depending on whether I'm on a working wifi connection, so only one of them are ever on at the time.
Sorry off topic - Phil, you turned red? Just noticed.
Turned red? Sorry I don't understand ...
Red for Mod ?
Edited by MrsMills, 2011-07-29 02:03:37.
Posted 2011-07-29 12:03:50
Well so far it seems to be working, to anyone interested heres how. dial *#9900# then disable fast dormancy. Fast dormancy only works if the phone and the carrier support it. I think True does not. here are the source of anyone wants further reading
XDA
ComputerWorld
justsumhelp, on 2011-07-28 16:22:58, said:
It has been happening on two of the phones which are both used in the same area (Bang Kapi) since they were bought on release date, the third was only purchased sunday and is being used in the Sukhumvit area, seems to happen less there. Im thinking it might just be True and all this 3g stuff going. I disabled fast dormancy to see if that has any effect. ill report back later.
lomatopo, on 2011-07-28 16:04:52, said:
justsumhelp, on 2011-07-28 13:49:58, said:
Is anyone who bought the phone having network issues? For example, Im using True, my network will randomly cut out and I will get a circle with line through it and a triangle with an explanation point . I will not be able to receive calls or text and not data. This will go away when I reboot the the phone. I can confirm this problem on two other galaxy s2 both on True. I checked all three phones and the APN settings are correct. All are on 2.3.3. Anyone else experiencing this problem?
Hmm, that doesn't sound great. Has this been happening since you purchased the phone?
FWIW, I did receive a True service message re: network problems in certain areas. Maybe this is the cause of your issues?
Posted 2011-07-29 12:45:18
justsumhelp, on 2011-07-28 13:49:58, said:
Is anyone who bought the phone having network issues? For example, Im using True, my network will randomly cut out and I will get a circle with line through it and a triangle with an explanation point . I will not be able to receive calls or text and not data. This will go away when I reboot the the phone. I can confirm this problem on two other galaxy s2 both on True. I checked all three phones and the APN settings are correct. All are on 2.3.3. Anyone else experiencing this problem?
Yes, I had this problem as well.
I was able to first solve it by forcing TRUE as my provider in the
networks (instead the Auto).
Than secondly, I switched back to AIS, never had any issues
again.
Cheers,
rudi
Posted 2011-07-29 12:54:17
justsumhelp, on 2011-07-29 12:03:50, said:
Well so far it seems to be working, to anyone interested heres how. dial *#9900# then disable fast dormancy. Fast dormancy only works if the phone and the carrier support it. I think True does not. here are the source of anyone wants further reading
XDA
ComputerWorld
justsumhelp, on 2011-07-28 16:22:58, said:
It has been happening on two of the phones which are both used in the same area (Bang Kapi) since they were bought on release date, the third was only purchased sunday and is being used in the Sukhumvit area, seems to happen less there. Im thinking it might just be True and all this 3g stuff going. I disabled fast dormancy to see if that has any effect. ill report back later.
I don't think fast dormancy addresses the lost network problem at
all (it only changes the switching time from H back to 3G). I never
kept 3g on. However WiFi was always one when I got the no-network
circle.
rudi
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