Recommended Posts

Wow, very good review. Makes me want to leave my iPhone 4 for one :p

I had the Galaxy S Captivate (Rogers Wireless) and I liked the phone. As that one picture shows, the SAMOLED screens have the best contrast by far. The blacks are unparalleled to anything I've seen.

I still think Android is too fragmented in terms of updates and carriers. That's the only thing I have against it... I have to wait for another upgrade, but I'm on Telus now it should be easier, their customer service is better lol

Don't let the "fragmentation" FUD fool you, and Samsung was pretty good at getting updates released, it was at least here in the US the carriers that screwed us over

MUST...

MUST...... GET!! ..

I have a question about battery life for this thing. How long does it last while continuously surfing the web (4G), and idle?

My mom had the Galaxy S and she had to return it because it's battery life was like 2 days after using web for 2 hours in all, and idle for the rest of the time, it died on the 2nd day. (I set all settings to low eg: screen brightness, closed all apps, etc)

2 days battery is good. No smartphone will last more than this with regular usage making use of all the features.

Samsung (among other big names) are a part of the Android partnership program with Google and have vowed to keep phones updated for at least 18 months. That and Android 3.1 due this year will merge Honycomb and Gingebread and will be compatible with ALL Android devices.

Also, Android is getting major updates soon. Movies available on the Market, music streaming over the Cloud (50GB storage) and so on. See Google IO 2011.

Also Samsung have confirmed unlocked bootloaders on all new phones so rooting = :)

MUST...

MUST...... GET!! ..

I have a question about battery life for this thing. How long does it last while continuously surfing the web (4G), and idle?

My mom had the Galaxy S and she had to return it because it's battery life was like 2 days after using web for 2 hours in all, and idle for the rest of the time, it died on the 2nd day. (I set all settings to low eg: screen brightness, closed all apps, etc)

It's not 4G lol so that's out the question. but at best you'll get about 2 days of this with moderate usage but even that's pushing it. This is normal for smart phones to only have 24-48 hours cycle with usage. Maybe able to squeeze 3 maybe on idle whole time but yeah that's dependant on background operations and syncing etc.

I'm certainly hanging out for it till it hopefully comes below $1100 NZD.

I'm torn... I want this, but Samsung themselves have said an NFC versions will hit the UK soon... Is NFC worth waiting for? I like the premise, but will it be used?

It's a great idea in practice and there have been selected roll outs in the UK (Mcdonalds in key cities for one) but until it becomes much more widely available I wouldn't count it as a must have for a new phone. In a few years however I hope it's commonplace.

I think the NFC one is lesser in spec, if it's indeed the Tegra2 powered one then it may not sport a SAMOLED+ screen too.

Not what I have heard. The US version is EXACTLY the same spec but with NFC. The UK version simply lacks NFC.

It's a great idea in practice and there have been selected roll outs in the UK (Mcdonalds in key cities for one) but until it becomes much more widely available I wouldn't count it as a must have for a new phone. In a few years however I hope it's commonplace.

Agreed, but when buying on a 2-year contract...

Off topic: I was a huge fan (almost evangelist) of Bluetooth long before such devices were released over here - I saw the potential and what it could be used for. It saddens me that it never realised that potential (at least it hasn't in commonplace UK life).

Not really a fan of any Samsung Android phone, but this one is an exception. I just despise Touchwiz, along with Samsung/carriers update lag, build quality (too much plastic). If this makes it to Verizon with LTE, I may consider it as my next phone. Android is getting lots of nice updates, but I am definitely intrigued with the future of WebOS and WP7.

I'm torn... I want this, but Samsung themselves have said an NFC versions will hit the UK soon... Is NFC worth waiting for? I like the premise, but will it be used?

NFC is still an up-and-coming tech that is starting to gain traction. Google and credit card companies are backing it, and if Apple chooses to put NFC into the iPhone 5 in September, then it is pretty much guaranteed to popup everywhere by next year. Either way, I think it is a useful feature to have if you want to future proof the phone until your contract runs out.

People should seriously have one in their hands before commenting on lack of metal body construction :p

If it wasn't stated I doubt anyone would guess it was all plastic. It feels unibody, it is that sturdy in build. It had no flex or give when you try to bend or twist it and the battery cover is flimsy yes but it hugs the battery and phone back so tightly you wouldn't even guess it came off if there wasn't a notch for your nail to flick it out.

I think it feels as rigid as a DesireHD but obviously much thinner andlighter.

And you don't need to have Touchwhizz, just install another launcher!

About cases for this phone,

I bought an S-Line one but the edge wrapping collects dust like crazy after using it on location today during a shoot:

sgs-ii_case_1.jpg

sgs-ii_case_2.jpg

But it has to go....

sgs-ii_donotwant.jpg

Waiting for this to arrive now:

http://www.obostore.com/nillkin-ultra-slim-hard-shield-faceplate-for-samsung-galaxy-s2-p-1004.html

Had one similar to that on my HTC Desire and that was perfect so this should be too and it's thin so will continue the slimline feel of the SGS.

Update on cases!

The prveious one was a dust magnet so I bought 2 new ones, picked one of them up today, the official Samsung one:

I know I've ordered this one already so when it arrives I will compare both but I will likely end up using that as my dash mount or if the holder I bought is actually good then will give it away on here because I'm awesome like that :p

Previous pics online stores of the official case don't give the impression of it looking as expensive as it does in person so hopefully my pics will help change that :)

The material is plastic/rubberised but it's not as rubbery as other cases, it won't show finger greasy marks like others and appears to be black inside and out so chips/scrapes won't show the undercoat which is good news as my Desire case had white showing on every edge!

I like the drilled look too, I don't think it's to help heat escape but more a design feature and does help grip too.

It also provides a bit of a lip on the front so if the phone is placed face down then the screen is protected from surface contact.

sgs-ii_case_official_1.jpg

sgs-ii_case_official_2.jpg

sgs-ii_case_official_3.jpg

sgs-ii_case_official_4.jpg

sgs-ii_case_official_5.jpg

sgs-ii_case_official_6.jpg

sgs-ii_case_official_7.jpg

Well worth the <?10 asking price!

Very Nice review! I'm seriously considering selling my iPhone 4 for this.. Can't wait to see it in stores to test it in person!

I've seen videos in action... Impressive speed expecially for browsing!!!

For the cases... Why didn't you consider a pochette-style case like this? http://www.ispazio.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/phpThumb-2.jpg

it will preserve the phone's original look!!!

(and.. A little off topic... Can you please give me the product model of your keyboard? I'm searching for a laptop for my desktop PC style keyboard and yours is exaclty what I'm looking for!)

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • I'd say the first one failed to be as popular as Apple anticipated, but the easy adjustment here is to make fewer of them next time around. It would only be a "flop" if it isn't possible for Apple to recover the design and factory tooling costs given the number of units sold, which I doubt would be the case. It isn't like no one bought them; it just failed to become the new hot phone of the year.
    • You're right that it does not follow the plain meaning of the word, but in this context, it is a legal term defined in 49 U.S.C. Kind of how "wire fraud" laws apply even if a physical wire was not used. Given that it is codified in law, and it isn't just automotive journalists that don't understand evolving technology, I highly doubt congress would change a well understood term just because technology makes the term slightly less actuate.
    • This is exactly why I keep saying we are not ready for human free self-driving. These little "bugs" are may seem like random one-offs. There was also the Waymo that drove between police with drawn weapons and the suspect they were pointing them at. From a software perspective it is easy to understand how those extremely rare situations may not have been programed for, but that is the point. If AI needs to be told to watch out for every possible contingency, then it can never be successful. There will always be the possibility of a first encounter that the AI needs to understand to avoid.
    • TeraCopy 4.0 Final by Razvan Serea TeraCopy is a compact program designed to copy and move files at the maximum possible speed, also providing you with a lot of features. Copy files faster. TeraCopy uses dynamically adjusted buffers to reduce seek times. Asynchronous copy speeds up file transfer between two physical hard drives. Pause and resume transfers. Pause copy process at any time to free up system resources and continue with a single click. Error recovery. In case of copy error, TeraCopy will try several times and in the worse case just skips the file, not terminating the entire transfer. Interactive file list. TeraCopy shows failed file transfers and lets you fix the problem and recopy only problem files. Shell integration. TeraCopy can completely replace Explorer copy and move functions, allowing you work with files as usual. TeraCopy is free for non-commercial use only. For commercial use you need to buy a license. The paid version of the program includes the following features: Copy/move to your favorite folders. Save reports as HTML and CSV files. Select files with the same extension/folder. Remove the selected files from the copy queue. Download: TeraCopy 4.0 | 14.6MB (Freeware, paid upgrade available) View: TeraCopy Website | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      Eurosoft10 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Eurosoft10 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Year In
      Skeet Campbell earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      Sharbel earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • First Post
      BizSAR earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      585
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      187
    3. 3
      Michael Scrip
      74
    4. 4
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      72
    5. 5
      neufuse
      69
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!