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Horrifyingly 'noob' questions.

mattsd

mattsd

Member
So I'm a noob to this phone. I just switched from an iphone and am trying to like the GS2 and Android platform so much but on many levels I'm finding the switch over to be frustrating and the performance of the phone to be lackluster, despite so many positive reviews and reports. I think maybe if I clear some things up here I can get on with trying to enjoy the phone and stop thinking about these details. So here's a list for the technologically inclined to pour through and enlighten me ;)

1. Charging cable and charging methods. There's a lot of BS out there regarding what cables you can use to charge your GS2 and what power adapters are acceptable and whether or not you can safely charge the phone from a laptop/ desktop/ ps3 etc.. I've even read a post here on the forum where someone spoke to a rep from Samsung and was told that the cable that comes with the phone is somehow special and will work with Kies whereas as generic cable won't? I'd really like to know what the bottom line is here. How and where can I charge my phone safely and if any damage is incurred by improper charging is it just a case of replacing the battery or am I doing other damage, too?

2. Backing up. I've tried for a few hours today to get my phone to work with Kies, both via WiFi and the magical Samsung extra special super uber charging cable. No luck whatsoever. I can do it through my browser but I don't see any options to 'back up' contacts or other info. Is there something completely obvious and stupid that I'm not doing? I had a similar experience trying to import my contacts from my old iPhone, took about 4 hours and ended up using a 3rd party app. I tried to trouble shoot using the forum and found quite a few methods for getting the phone to appear in Kies but none of them worked for me. I'm on a Mac, by the way, also my GS2 is a Virgin model. I'm sorry if this is ignorant but shouldn't it just be a case of plug 'n' play? Why is it so hard to get these devices talking to one another? Anyway, is there a solid, easy way to back the contents of the phone up?

3. Battery life. I know this has probably been hashed out many a time but the battery life of this phone seems to be pretty bad. I've had it for about a month and have given it a chance. It drains somewhat slowly if I'm not using it but as soon as I start using FB and twitter and looking things up on the internet etc. the battery life drops off like an arterial bleed. I'm using a battery saver app that I have read both good and bad things about, results so far are inconclusive. Is there something I can do, other than not having GPS/ WIFI/ 4G enabled when I'm not using them (which I'm already doing)?

4. The screen. So everywhere I go I read how amazing this super AMOLED screen is. It doesn't seem to look as good as my girlfriend's HTC Evo V or my old iPhone 4. I'm a photographer by trade and spend many hours per day looking at images. I can't help but notice that it seems to be too contrasty and lacks detail, almost like it's lower resolution. Is there a setting I'm unaware of that would improve this or is it just the nature of the screen?

5. SD card storage. Is there anything I can use this for other than storing music, pics and video? Like for example is there a way in which having a big microsd card can improve performance? Can you offload apps to it or anything like that? I think I already know the answer to this one but just thought I'd seek clarification.

I hope it doesn't just sound like I'm ranting about a phone I don't like. I actually find lots to like about it. Above are just my main concerns, maybe some knowledgeable people can shed some light on some things for me and others. I'm either going to have to learn some tricks, learn to live with it or get something else. Thanks for any help guys, I know there's many regulars on this forum that are a lot more knowledgeable than I am.
 
mattsd said:
So I'm a noob to this phone. I just switched from an iphone and am trying to like the GS2 and Android platform so much but on many levels I'm finding the switch over to be frustrating and the performance of the phone to be lackluster, despite so many positive reviews and reports. I think maybe if I clear some things up here I can get on with trying to enjoy the phone and stop thinking about these details. So here's a list for the technologically inclined to pour through and enlighten me ;)

1. Charging cable and charging methods. There's a lot of BS out there regarding what cables you can use to charge your GS2 and what power adapters are acceptable and whether or not you can safely charge the phone from a laptop/ desktop/ ps3 etc.. I've even read a post here on the forum where someone spoke to a rep from Samsung and was told that the cable that comes with the phone is somehow special and will work with Kies whereas as generic cable won't? I'd really like to know what the bottom line is here. How and where can I charge my phone safely and if any damage is incurred by improper charging is it just a case of replacing the battery or am I doing other damage, too?

2. Backing up. I've tried for a few hours today to get my phone to work with Kies, both via WiFi and the magical Samsung extra special super uber charging cable. No luck whatsoever. I can do it through my browser but I don't see any options to 'back up' contacts or other info. Is there something completely obvious and stupid that I'm not doing? I had a similar experience trying to import my contacts from my old iPhone, took about 4 hours and ended up using a 3rd party app. I tried to trouble shoot using the forum and found quite a few methods for getting the phone to appear in Kies but none of them worked for me. I'm on a Mac, by the way, also my GS2 is a Virgin model. I'm sorry if this is ignorant but shouldn't it just be a case of plug 'n' play? Why is it so hard to get these devices talking to one another? Anyway, is there a solid, easy way to back the contents of the phone up?

3. Battery life. I know this has probably been hashed out many a time but the battery life of this phone seems to be pretty bad. I've had it for about a month and have given it a chance. It drains somewhat slowly if I'm not using it but as soon as I start using FB and twitter and looking things up on the internet etc. the battery life drops off like an arterial bleed. I'm using a battery saver app that I have read both good and bad things about, results so far are inconclusive. Is there something I can do, other than not having GPS/ WIFI/ 4G enabled when I'm not using them (which I'm already doing)?

4. The screen. So everywhere I go I read how amazing this super AMOLED screen is. It doesn't seem to look as good as my girlfriend's HTC Evo V or my old iPhone 4. I'm a photographer by trade and spend many hours per day looking at images. I can't help but notice that it seems to be too contrasty and lacks detail, almost like it's lower resolution. Is there a setting I'm unaware of that would improve this or is it just the nature of the screen?

5. SD card storage. Is there anything I can use this for other than storing music, pics and video? Like for example is there a way in which having a big microsd card can improve performance? Can you offload apps to it or anything like that? I think I already know the answer to this one but just thought I'd seek clarification.

I hope it doesn't just sound like I'm ranting about a phone I don't like. I actually find lots to like about it. Above are just my main concerns, maybe some knowledgeable people can shed some light on some things for me and others. I'm either going to have to learn some tricks, learn to live with it or get something else. Thanks for any help guys, I know there's many regulars on this forum that are a lot more knowledgeable than I am.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forums and I'm sorry that you're finding the experience to be lackluster. I'll try my best to answer some of your concerns.

1) The fact that the cord is a Samsung has little to do with charging and connectivity. Any other equivalent cord would be sufficient. However using a wall adapter that pushes too high of a current through the cord can be dangerous and could potentially fry the charging port.

2) I have a personal distaste for Kies and feel your anguish over it. I also know that this terrible program preforms even worse on a Mac. However, being an android, you have direct access to the file system of the phone and/or sd card and can drop and drag files onto as well as off the phone making the need for Kies to be lessened. Just store the backup on your computer or external hard drive and you good to go. Only thing Kies is generally recommended for is applying system updates.

3) Battery life is often the plight of many new users, especially those coming from iPhones. Since the GS2 is an older devices (released in 2011), it follows the older models of having separate modems and processors requiring extra juice to power them, which consumes battery life. New devices generally released in the second half of 2012 have a single processor which also contains the carrier modems for signal, this greatly reducing power needs. There not much that can be done about the hardware end, but the problem can be mitigated by carrying 2 batteries to swap when one dies, or by buying a large capacity battery at the cost of extra thickness.

4) Some people love the AMOLED screens, some people hate them. I personally love them because they're known for having very deep blacks as well as making the colors really pop, even when at low brightness. It also is more efficient and reduces battery power consumption. However the consequences are exactly as you stated, they looks washed out and have too much contrast. This is going to be something you either love or hate. Some androids are still made with IPS LCD screens, so that might be something else to look at.

5) Certain devices have them, and are generally meant for exactly the reason you stated. If you wish to have a low data cap and keep everything on the device, they're awesome. If you have a large data cap or unlimited data and don't mind streaming from the cloud, then their use is significantly reduced.

I hope this helps you. :)
 
I'll try to do this in order but I don't know for all your issues.

1: Any USB cable that fits will charge your phone. I have yet to hear a confirmed report of anyone actually accidentally damaging their S2 while charging. The Kies thing I don't know for sure I don't use it. What I can confirm is that some generic USB cables which will charge your S2 won't necessarily allow you to use the USB Connect feature. I have one 5 foot cable I got from t-mobile that does allow ir but another I got from Amazon.com doesn't.

2: App data, Wi-Fi passwords, and other settings can be automatically backed up to the Google Servers in the Android 4.0.4 operating system which your month old phone is probably running. To check your Android version tap from the home screen tap on Settings, About phone an look at the Android version. While the Google Server backup will save your program settings it does not save the actual apps themselves. Should you have to factory reset for some reason you still have to re-install your old apps but the Google servers will automatically restore your program settings. To be sure this is working from your home screen tap on Setting, Back up and reset and under Back up and restore make sure both boxes are checked. Now that you have imported your iPhone contacts on your phone If you did the Back up my data thing in Backup and restore they will automatically return when you sync up your Gmail account.

3: Instead of an extra battery I carry a charging stick I got from Brookstone if/when I think I'm going to be doing extended web work away from a power socket or computer. There are many variation of that kind of charging system includinding devices that will work with AA batteries that cost less if you search around a bit.

4: I'm not even going to try to debate display differences with a photographer. ;)

5:Yes you can offload apps o the SD card. Tap on the home screen then Settings, Applications and look at each app. On some apps the Move to SD card box will be lit. Those are the apps you can move to the SD card.

Android and Apple not getting along so well is not that surprising when you consider that Apple kicked Google to the curb on their newest iPhone andd Google is in direct competion with Aplle for the smartphone operating system market. Goggle's motto may be "Don't be Evil" bbut that's not he same as "Do be stupid".:stupido2:
 
Guys, you are both awesome. This has helped me understand things much better.

dontpanicbobby, I totally see your point about Apple/ Google and their relationship. It's a shame things can't be a little better integrated just for the sake of user experience.

So my phone is running 4.0.4 but I'm wondering what the deal is with people running later versions of the Android OS. Is that a good idea? Is it a case of certain phones being designed to run with certain releases and probably best to leave well enough alone or am I missing out majorly if I'm not running the latest and greatest?

Thanks again for all the help guys! Getting rid of the abominable Kies and backing up has been a weight off my mind.
 
mattsd said:
Guys, you are both awesome. This has helped me understand things much better.

dontpanicbobby, I totally see your point about Apple/ Google and their relationship. It's a shame things can't be a little better integrated just for the sake of user experience.

So my phone is running 4.0.4 but I'm wondering what the deal is with people running later versions of the Android OS. Is that a good idea? Is it a case of certain phones being designed to run with certain releases and probably best to leave well enough alone or am I missing out majorly if I'm not running the latest and greatest?

Thanks again for all the help guys! Getting rid of the abominable Kies and backing up has been a weight off my mind.
Click to expand...

The latest releases of Android all have their advantages and disadvantages. While the latest release currently isn't being supported for our phone it is possible to get them by rooting and flashing a different ROM. This process is similar to jailbreaking in the fact that it allows you full access to the root partition of your phone allowing you to customize everything from themeing your phone to removing all those pesky Virgin Mobile themed apps. As for the latest release of android (I'm currently on it), I wouldn't really say you're missing out on much unless you really like features similar to siri (google now). I always say that people should root their phone, but only once they are comfortable enough to mess around with their phone a little.
 
And as for the Evo V seeming as if it has better resolution, well it does, 960x540 compared to the S2's 800x480. As far as apparent resolution just be glad that Sprints version is Super Amoled Plus, which has the normal rgb layout as opposed to the normal pentile display. As for the color, you either prefer Amoled or the more traditional lcd, coming from the iPhone you're probably just not used to it yet. :D
OB
 
notebooko said:
The latest releases of Android all have their advantages and disadvantages. While the latest release currently isn't being supported for our phone it is possible to get them by rooting and flashing a different ROM. This process is similar to jailbreaking in the fact that it allows you full access to the root partition of your phone allowing you to customize everything from themeing your phone to removing all those pesky Virgin Mobile themed apps. As for the latest release of android (I'm currently on it), I wouldn't really say you're missing out on much unless you really like features similar to siri (google now). I always say that people should root their phone, but only once they are comfortable enough to mess around with their phone a little.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the help! Bit by bit I'm understanding where I'm at. I would really like to be able to remove apps that came 'bundled' with the phone that I don't and will never use. Is there a good guide to rooting the phone somewhere that you (or anyone else) would recommend? Obviously I can use google but I always like to see what resources people recommend.

Also, is there an aftermarket charger (or OEM resource) that you guys would recommend? I always find it handy to carry an extra with my work gear, I don't often forget to bring my charger but when I do it's a bad mistake. How about an aftermarket battery? Any recommendations are seriously appreciated!
 
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