Galaxy S2 users?

[nostatic]

So on Tue I finally ditched ATT and switched to T-Mobile. That forces a move to Android but I can live with that. I can also live with a significantly lower monthly bill.

I picked up an HTC Sensation - I previously had an HTC Inspire for a few weeks on ATT. My son is happy with his LG dual-core phone, and last night we added my g/f to the plan and she got her first smartphone - a Samsung Galaxy S.

My main complaint with the HTC is the size of the system and other main fonts - just too damn small. I can default expand text and email text, but not the lists of them. And the contacts text is tiny as well (calendar too). I hadn't really messed with the Samsungs much and after about 30 seconds with my g/f's phone I was amazed how much easier it was for me to read/use in those regards. The new Galaxy S2 will be released on T-Mobile next week so I'm thinking of swapping the HTC for that. I originally liked the HTCSense UI, but with the higher resolution screen on the Sensation it ends up making text just too damn small for me.

Anyone using the Galaxy S2?

[kaisen]

I got the Galaxy S the day it was released by Verizon and I like it pretty well.

I don't know much about the S2.... I'm subscribing

[Halm]

I didn't read the entire article on a professional IT site, mostly the headlines. But basically it said that the new Galaxy S II was the only phone out there to rival the then rumored iPhone 5. I am very happy with my Inspire but would love to play with the Samsung for a few days.

[imcarthur]

I got one last month & I am liking it a lot. I upgraded from a BB so this is my 1st foray into superphones. Email works great & people say that they can hear me clearly so the primary functions are solid. The net is nice & fast & the camera takes great pictures - if you remember not to move while it does its auto-focus routine.

Thumbs up from me so far.

Ian

[Paul_Heery]

Originally Posted by imcarthur

I got one last month & I am liking it a lot.

How is the battery life? That is the biggest complaint that I am seeing from the reviews of users that have the phone. The second complaint I see most frequently is that the phone gets warm. I'm not sure that I need my pocket heating up throughout the day.

I was thinking about a new phone and waited until the iPhone announcement. I was underwhelmed with the 4S. So, I started looking for another Android phone and the Galaxy S2 looks interesting

[scottmandue]

I'm dabbling with the idea of giving up my Nokia dumb phone (I'm also on T-Mobile)

But my wifes and daughter got the LG Optimus and it has been a nightmare (crashes A LOT!)

So fear of a flaky smart phone (over my rock steady Nokia) AND data fees are keeping me away.

The Galaxy does look cool but also not a big fan of touch screen keyboards

[imcarthur]

I was certainly much, much faster with the BB keyboard. Touch is growing on me - it hums & vibrates if you want & the letter pops up - but I'll never be able to text single-handed with my left hand like I could on the BB . . . Although I haven't screwed with swype yet.

I reached the point where I needed a more sophisticated phone. All of the apps are cool but ultimately it's a phone. I won't let this device take over my life the way I have seen some iPhone addicts. I can check local weather, rent cars & change hotels & flights etc -all net things that the Browser on my BB simply refused to do easily. I also sell goods that require streaming music, so I am determined to haunt the manufacturers who rush to release an iDongle but not the WiFi version for their gear.

Due to the fragile look - and the cost - of the phone I popped for an Otter hard back with rubber wraparound. Makes it thicker but I am sure that I will bounce it somewhere.

Ian

[teenerted1]

they get warm when you use them...the screen is da bomb. and the display is also the #1 reason for battery drain. they wont heat up your pocket if not in use. there are many ways to save battery life. shutting down unused apps is a good habit to get into

i checked out a bunch of phones last fall and since i couldnt wait till verizon got the iphone i jumped on the galaxy s. very happy with my choice

[Halm]

Here is a review of the T-Mobile version.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I'm dabbling with the idea of giving up my Nokia dumb phone (I'm also on T-Mobile)

But my wifes and daughter got the LG Optimus and it has been a nightmare (crashes A LOT!)

So fear of a flaky smart phone (over my rock steady Nokia) AND data fees are keeping me away.

The Galaxy does look cool but also not a big fan of touch screen keyboards

I'd stick with HTC hardware. I'm sure the Galaxy is good too, but I've had 2 HTC phones now and they have both been great. For current offerings that aren't too expensive, the T-Mobil G2x and the MyTouch 4G. I think you can get both on an upgrade for about $100.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by imcarthur

Although I haven't screwed with swype yet.

Ian

You absolutely owe it to yourself to try swype. It's much, much better than a regular virtual keyboard (which isn't actually bad). I've been able to text 1 handed with swype. (although, not left handed, guess I've never really tried).

Most of the Android phones (actually, I'd be surprised if it wasn't 100%) will do voice to text. you just tell it what you want to text. I don't use it but I know a bunch of people who do.

I'd love to get SWYPE to work on my iPad. That would be heaven. The Apple virtual keyboard SUCKS!!

[nostatic]

My issue with the HTC isn't the hardware (which is solid). It is the system font size/color they use for things. That combined with the higher resolution screen makes things just too hard for me to read. The Galaxy shows less information per screen but it is larger text that I can actually read. The S2 will be in on Wed so I'll check it out and likely switch. Also the screen on the Samsung is pretty spectacular.

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by Paul_Heery

How is the battery life?

Very light use - email & tinkering: 2 -3 days to dead.
Light use: 1 1/2 days
Roaming (moderate use): TBD

Ian

[imcarthur]

Ian

[Paul_Heery]

I share nostatic's concern about the small fonts as well. The eyes don't function as well as they used to.

I headed over to the AT&T store yesterday to check out the Galaxy S2. It is a very nice phone and the screen is very nice. I played around with it for quite a bit and found that it is extremely flexible with the amount of settings that you can control. Some of the settings are buried in varying places according to the app, but they are there. As an example, I use both the GMail app as well as the regular email app for connecting to my Exchange account for work. After playing for a while, I found where I can set the font size within each app. So, that was a score.

I left the store having pretty much decided to pull the trigger and order one through my online Premier account (I've had this since I was with IBM. 23% discount on monthly fees and upgrade eligibility every 12 months). But, when I was driving home, I had a thought. Why not upgrade my existing phone with a decent Mod?

So, I replaced the old Android with Gingerbread via CyanogenMod 7

I did that this morning, and it gave me all of the features I was looking for other than an upgrade in hardware. I'm going to run this for a while and see if I can keep off the itch to buy a new phone for a while.

[imcarthur]

The 3 stock email text sizes. I easily use tiny with my feeble eyesight.



Ian

[nostatic]

With the HTC you can change text size within some parts of a particular app, but not main access points. For instance if you click on an email the text can be huge (and scalable). But the list of you messages can't be changed (at least that I can find). Same with texts and other system bits. As Ian's photos show, the default size is actually legible. By contrast the HTC default is closer to the "tiny" example. Not good for 50 year old eyes...

I'll have my S2 on Wed.

[NutmegCarrera]

Got one early this year at work.
Switched over from BB.
Works well for me. Takes just a little while to get used to no tactile buttons, but I feel like I'm proficient enough with e-mails now. Tried Swype, but prefer the traditional typing method.
I charge mine every night, and dont use as a phone all that much (probably 6-8 calls/day).
We live in a semi rural area with spotty 3G coverage. It does miss calls much more often than the BB did. (We're on U.S. Cellular - which gives best coverage in this part of WI). If you're in a major metro area - I'm sure this is much more of a non-issue.
It does seem that with "Smart phones", they put less effort into the phone "app" than they do the rest of the apps.

[Paul_Heery]

An update. After using CM7 on my HTC phone for a couple of days, I decided to pull the trigger and ordered a Galaxy S2. CM7 made some improvements on the HTC, specifically in the flexibility of the configuration. But it became clear that the Aria was not really fit for running Gingerbread. It was low-powered to begin with.

The Galaxy will be here tomorrow. I'll report back with my findings.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Paul_Heery

An update. After using CM7 on my HTC phone for a couple of days, I decided to pull the trigger and ordered a Galaxy S2. CM7 made some improvements on the HTC, specifically in the flexibility of the configuration. But it became clear that the Aria was not really fit for running Gingerbread. It was low-powered to begin with.

The Galaxy will be here tomorrow. I'll report back with my findings.

That's the thing. I had a G1 a month or so after they first came out. I rooted and ended up not quite at CM7, but I think I was on 5 or 6 when I finally upgraded. At some point, the old hardware (mostly processor speed and RAM) just can't run the newer versions of the software.