What needs to be done/changed/installed before i properly use my new SGS2?

[thezeronumber]

I've been playing around with my SGS2 for almost a week now, rummaging through the device like a child in a toy store, but it's about time i started using it like an actual Smart-Phone and now i want to get it prepared for, well, use in real life! Not even got my contacts transferred yet. The other day i took the Phone out for a spin as i needed to catch a Train so i booted up YouTube at the Station, watched a couple of videos and then listened to a bit of music whilst travelling to my destination. First real-world use and it was great, but i couldn't shake off the feeling that the Phone doesn't feel quite "ready". For instance, the battery life seems fairly abysmal in its current state and i've heard that it can be corrected with a firmware update but i haven't got round to checking it out. Also heard the same thing can help with generated heat when playing intensive/data-based games. Another query is setting up stuff like Kies or other accounts and preventing some Apps from downloading data in the background. I'm not a novice to technology but at the same time i am no expert either - This is my first Smart-Phone having come from a Sony Ericsson W995 and it's a bit overwhelming, especially with a lack of physical manual in the box.

So far i've done a few basic adjustments such as removing widgets on the home pages as they had no purpose and turning off background data because i hear it greatly improves battery life, but in reality i haven't seen much difference and it seems to turn itself back on again as some Apps require it.

Any advice or wisdom to pass on? Any Apps i should be downloading because they are really useful/borderline-needed? What firmware/kernel should i be updating to and how do i go about doing it? What's with the talk about Roms, flashing and rooting and is it something i should be concerning myself with right now? Is there anything i should be doing with my Phone in its current state to make it "better"?

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Saw people leave this information in other topics so here's my own.

Android version: 2.3.3
PDA: I9100BUKG2
PHONE: I9100BUKG1
CSC: I9100VODKE2

 

[Slug]

You can download the User Guide from Samsung UK here. I'd advise also downloading and installing the most recent version of Kies from the same site and checking for a firmware update; that looks like a Vodafone handset and they've recently released a much more recent firmware.

Battery life is always cack to begin with; it takes a few charge cycles for the battery to perform to its optimum, and at the beginning we tend to hammer the poor thing anyway by constantly exploring the new features.

 

[thezeronumber]

Thanks for the speedy reply. Phone apparently came from and is locked to Three (using a separate Three Sim) but i've heard they both use the same service or something along those lines...? Anyway, i will have a look at that link right away. Think i've counted 5 or 6 charges so far and one time i took note of when i was using the Phone. Results showed that it lasted from 11pm to 7pm the next day, 100% down to empty, with 4 hours and 12 minutes of that going towards internet use, YouTube or gaming and the rest went to idling where i did nothing but maybe check the time every couple of hours. Half the time i was in a dark room and the screen brightness was on its lowest setting. I hope this changes soon, be it due to the firmware updated or otherwise.

Thanks for the help so far.

 

[thezeronumber]

Finally got round to trying this out and it says "this is the latest firmware". I went to Help > Check for Updates and Kies is apparently up-to-date too (2.0.3.11082_152). Not sure what to do from here. :S