Videos vs WMP + Mail + General Thoughs - Windows 8 General

Hi,
did you notice (perhaps you know why) there is such a massive difference in video playback by those 2 apps.
I have downloaded k-lite codecs (dont know if this is a good choice for W8 but) and under WMP I got no issues, dvd rip, mkv (720p) runs smoothly - no problem (stream form NAS storage). Under Videos app in Modern UI dvd rip (same file, same NAS) was not watchable. I had sound but move turned into still, refreshed every 6-10 s.
Also, built in Mail app (even compared to old Outlook Express or Live Mail) is terrible.
General thoughts.
System is great, I like everything, even Modern UI makes sense, but (there always is a "but")
Microsoft should treat Modern UI as an optional thing. I mean for all devices with touch screen it does make sense. It completes the UI we can use desktop when we want to or have a keyboard attached but when not... Modern UI is great help
Again, for traditional laptops/desktop it makes no sense. I would make it optional to use with an option to switch it of completely.
When one is using mouse and keyboard so far I did not notice any gains from Modern UI.

I have a laptop, and I just treat the modern ui as a super functional start menu. It can do everything the old start menu can, and I use apps that can run in the background, like weather, news, messenger, and iHeartRadio/music. With a simple swipe to the right on my trackpad I can easily switch between them.
I know that the majority of apps for the modern ui are designed to be used as primary applications to get stuff done, but that doesn't work on a full computer. Instead I just ignore that and realize that tablets and pcs have the same app store.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

BTW: Is WMP working for you in the background when you move on to Modern UI/Start screen?
I have Win7 right now booted (and HDD with W8 is unplugged) but I think I have noticed something about it...
Same with streaming movie on web site... if you go to do something else I think it stops - got to check it again.
JihadSquad said:
I have a laptop, and I just treat the modern ui as a super functional start menu. It can do everything the old start menu can, and I use apps that can run in the background, like weather, news, messenger, and iHeartRadio/music. With a simple swipe to the right on my trackpad I can easily switch between them.
I know that the majority of apps for the modern ui are designed to be used as primary applications to get stuff done, but that doesn't work on a full computer. Instead I just ignore that and realize that tablets and pcs have the same app store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand what you say.. still on traditional desktop with mouse it seems to me that just having Desktop mode + traditional start would be more efficient.
I see the problem MS had... "If we leave Metro UI out of desktops and laptops (or leave it as an option) how do we make users buy Metro apps?". But I guess this is wrong way of thinking.
If you will own a touch screen device with W8 and you boy stuff it should appear on all your devices (right) [btw: will Metro apps show up on WP8 as well???] , so it would be on "Desktop device" redy to use if one will want to do so.
But if you mainly work in desktop mode on Desktop device why would you want/need to use any Metro app anyway/ in the first place/at all?
Even as it is ppl. will not use it in other way than start.

Related

Mulitasking on Iphone and Hero???

hi,
having a discussion with my friend about our phones and why hero is better than his.
I have a friend, he has iphone 3GS. Says that he can Multi-task on it. He can play music in the background, make a call on bluetooth, and surf the net; all at the same time.
This sounds like multi-tasking to me.
SO.. what am I missing? please enlighten me.
PS.. I love my hero!!!
You can do certain multitasking on an unjailbroken iPhone, but can't run multiple apps at once. ie. you can't have an RSS app running in the background looking for updates, a twitter client waiting for messages and something else in the foreground.
AFAIK. But if it's jailbroken then I believe you can multitask.
listening to music on the background is not multitasking if you ask me.
oh.. yes.. he is jailbroken...
Why would he want to listen to music while making a phone call?
I have a 3GS and use pro switcher. This is multitasking that causes me no
lag or battery drain. more here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9C0oFj40Ms&feature=related
rdgut said:
listening to music on the background is not multitasking if you ask me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having owned a 2g/3g/3gs and Android phones I can tell you for certain 3gs is not multitasking, although it makes up for it very well.
Its a bad example I know but the moment you press the home button on the iphone it will either quit the app completely, or suspend it. When its suspended the app cannot carry out other tasks, Tomtom passes a junction you should have turned at, you've missed it because the phone isnt multi tasking. Wheras your android phone tells you to "Please turn Left in 300yds"
A good example of iphone os's made up "multi tasking" is the ability for you to exit certain apps (the stock apps are best) and resume as if you were multitasking - Contacts for example, opening a contact then hitting home, openning your emails, hitting home again, then going back to contacts, and it maintains the same view, as if you've never left that screen. Its a simple thing but works really well.
Phones I've had in the last 12 months include the G1, HTC Diamond, HTC Touch, iPhone 2g, 3g, 3gs (all size variants), HD2 leo, + a few others that I cant remember, and soon a Hero so I've tried pretty much every smartphone available.
Oh.. and my 3gs is jailbroken for that very reason I need true multi tasking on a couple of apps rather than push notifications Backgrounder to the rescue
ldavies83 said:
A good example of iphone os's made up "multi tasking" is the ability for you to exit certain apps (the stock apps are best) and resume as if you were multitasking - Contacts for example, opening a contact then hitting home, openning your emails, hitting home again, then going back to contacts, and it maintains the same view, as if you've never left that screen. Its a simple thing but works really well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android does this too, as well as allowing true multi-tasking.
Regards,
Dave
Raptor-21 said:
Why would he want to listen to music while making a phone call?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahahahahaha Nice one
Raptor-21 said:
Why would he want to listen to music while making a phone call?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
joking aside...
It was just an example...
anyways, can anyone..
give me a better way to show me and my friend, how to confirm that the iphone can not multi-task???
Dan330 said:
give me a better way to show me and my friend, how to confirm that the iphone can not multi-task???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, Spotify is a good example. Stream some music and then switch away from the app to do something else - the music will stop. This doesn't happen with the Android version.
Of course, if he's jailbroken and running Backgrounder, this won't apply, as he could use Backgrounder to stick Spotify into the background but it does highlight the issue for most iPhone users.
It should really be stressed though that the iPhones lack of multi-tasking is not a technical issue with the OS - the OS is perfectly capable of multi-tasking, and indeed many of Apples own apps are permitted to multi-task.
The issue is that Apple specifically disallow 3rd party apps from multi-tasking as they believe this "improves" the user experience. This may well be true for the vast majority of iPhone users, but personally I'd prefer the choice without having to resort to jailbreaking the phone.
I fully expect Apple to relent in the very near future, and a future OS version will allow apps to run in the background. This will be quite ironic if they do so, because apparently Windows Phone 7 is purported to disallow multi-tasking too!
Regards,
Dave
Dan330 said:
give me a better way to show me and my friend, how to confirm that the iphone can not multi-task???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a addict of moutain walk. I am use to record my tracks on google earth with my phone. Some applications in Android/Iphone OS do that)
With an iphone i cannot do anything else! With android i can listen webradio music, send a picture of the landscape by email to friends, look landscape infos and historical informations on the web, tweet, use google buzz, etc.. while always recording my tracks.
It's impossible to do that with an Iphone! I have to stop the recording that is really stupid!
Locale is the example I often use. Runs in the background and changes phone settings based on location, etc.
a simple test would be entering a url in the browser, hitting enter and immediately going back to the home screen. then wait a minute or so and go back to the browser.
on the iphone the browser will have stopped loading the page and will have to reload. on android the page will have loaded in the background and will be fully rendered.
although the iphone can support multitasking when jailbroken with apps like backgrounder, i find it a hassle i can happily live without on my hero
Locale would be my example as well -- love the app to death <3
As much as this pains me to say...
Palm Pre/Pixi = True Multitasking
klbjr said:
As much as this pains me to say...
Palm Pre/Pixi = True Multitasking
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what this is supposed to mean when Android supports "true multitasking".
Regards,
Dave
Full multitasking with every app's UI being constantly updated is a flawed concept, especially on restrictive environments such as smartphones. After all, we can only see one app at a time on these small screens of ours.
The key element here is background services. Android has support for background services, meaning anyone can write a music player and have it play music in background. iPhone does not allow that; only the stock music player can run a background service to play music.
The example applies no only to music players, but to IM apps, to email, etc. A prime example would be browsing the web with an IM app running in background. Impossible on iPhone, and done by many on Android.
iPhone tries to remedy the situation by offering push notifications, but they rely on external servers sending notifications to the phone, and we all know how pleasant it is to get a popup in our face while we're playing a game. Besides, push notifications don't address the problem of background services that do things other than sending notifications, such as the music player.
Android's multitasking model is a good example of how background services should work on phones. It separates the UI from the service, so that the UI can be suspended or even killed while the service still does its job.
On a sidenote, I'm quite sure Windows Phone 7 will have support for background services. Their main point is how most apps will be directly integrated into their UI, though. I like the concept.
foxmeister said:
Not sure what this is supposed to mean when Android supports "true multitasking".
Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well maybe I should have clarified. Yes the Hero allows for background apps to continue to run when you switch away from it to another app. It's the whole process of switching between the different apps that to me encompasses "true multitasking". The Pre/Pixi just handles the whole process much more smoothly and fluid. Better than any phone currently on the market. That is the only reason why I haven't gotten rid of mine as of yet. Even after having the TP2, Moment and now Hero, I still find myself using my Pre for most daily tasks. For me, I can do things twice as fast on my Pre than any other phone I have had and they are without question the Multitasking King/Queen of the market.

From Colour Stained glass to the monochromatic Bot

The Gripes of a WinMo switchover!
Just got my Dell Streak this Wednesday, unlocked from dell direct (at the temporarily reduced price!). From order to receipt was just 48hrs! Which was quite nice!
As you may infer from the title, this is my first Android device, previous to this (and still somewhat current) I used the HTC HD2 running WM6.5, (and probably would not have switched had the 5” streak been available on WinMo!).
These are my first impressions (in a 48hr period) on switching over (and I should add that my views on the device may be somewhat inter-twined with that of the O.S, and vice-versa!)
Somewhat underwhelmed, as someone else pointed out (don’t know why), but hopefully will get more excited as time passes.
Bigger Screen! If what you’re after is a screen bigger than the HD2 4.3” then this is for you, as it increase the visual real-estate of the HD2 whilst keeping the slip form-factor and with negligible weight increase! The HD2 looks positively tiny in comparison, the galaxy S? looks like 3”. Quality? Quite good, LCD wise, as I cannot speak for AMOLED. Problems? Control of brightness! adjustable on the home screen, but seemingly with an inaccessible life of its own within opened apps. (I know if you check the ones that have settings options they supposedly give the option to copy the system default, but i don’t believe they really do!).
Landscape Default, immediately corrected with ADW home Launcher! Haven’t been able to load any others, probably due to it being v1.6 Donut! I am missing the fully-fledged abilities of my SPB shell though!
Utilities; be prepared to look for your own for the majors (app killer/Task manager, File explorer). Widgets seem rather limited (or non-existant), possibly due to it being Donut 1.6. Touchdown?!
Apps: Whilst this may be an Android selling point, I personally (and currently) only see this as complacent ease-of-accessibility. There may be a lot, but the ones that really count aren’t there in numbers like on WM. I’ve only found limited singles for my major requirements, so be prepared for some slight frustrations
Ebooks: If you are a major ebook reader like me, be prepared to have to convert your whole library to just one format. On my HD2 my primary app was uBook; which read html, txt, rtf, pdb, prc, formatted everything on the fly into numbered pages and automatically remembered the last page/position you were on (even after complete exit and unit power-off!). My first two options on Android, aldiko and laputa, wouldn’t give me access to my library on the card. The third, iReader, could read txt & html files from my card, but had no numbered pages (only a top-to-bottom kinetic scroll option), so after laboriously scrolling down to where I was in the book, imagine my horror when I accidentally used the back tab, which took me back to the SD card library, on going back in, right at the Top again! Okay, my bad lets see what happens when I jump to device home; go back in, yes it’s still at the same place. But should it completely close or be app killed, or device shut off, guess what? Right Back At The Top Again!
Fourth time was the charm with FBreader, which could access my card to read my ePub converted library (Nobody please mention calibre! This system hog slowed down my PC, when batch converting only 100 text/doc file, for over an hour!), although it still has no numbered pages and is still a top-down kinetic scroller (I have to book-mark paragraphs). Fingers crossed for when its completely shut off.
Comics: only one real option so far; ACV! Comics look brilliant (re: sharp/vibrant/colourful)on the 5”screen, with well adapted settings options for landscape and portrait viewing controls.
Videos: Rockplayer for all your multi-format needs! Unfortunately it’s got that subtle playback issue (slight scratchy audio and video sync) that other people have reported for which you have no recourse to tweak the settings, as there are none! Unlike Winmo
Photos: No file/folder differentiating photo manager like Resco’s yet! (No separate icon option for camcorder recording either)
Youtube: accesses and plays fine, but seems to default to the lowest quality (will see if I can update or change the default)
Internet Browsing: the default browser is surprisingly quite pleasant (speedy and easy to use), although some sites default to mobile, and it has this annoying issue (probably Dell related) of not showing the additional product page options in the Android marketplace if you have the device in Portrait mode! (Weird, I know!). Readeable (in portrait!) on NO ZOOM!
Navigation: I am not missing my use of stand-alone nav systems, as, from the little I have used it, Google Nav seems quite brilliant!
Audio managers/Players: seems to be only one major rated one so far (audio manager pro) which I have yet to use, but I do miss my S2P/Coreplayer apps
Games: Now this seems to be where the 5” screen and Android /marketplace seem to have a kissing spot. I have only d/l’d Robo Defender so far, but it is brilliant (nope, not over-using the word!), and with similar games to utilise the screen ,and system, the future is golden.
Social Networking: don’t use, but i do think Android’s widgets, with spaciousness of the screen would go together.
So, overall (and thank you for bearing with me in my diatribe), in switching over to the Dell Streak on Android; for the 5” Screen, yes its worth it. (For the O.S. on its own without the screen, and on 1.6, not really for me). (Not a hardcore Winmo fan perse, but it is much more mature and fully fleshed than Android! Even now with all major players, including its creators, seemingly having bailed!)
If you want to read comics on a larger screen DEFINITELY!
Ebooks, yes (but with the above caveats).
Video? Need more players w/ settings to tweak!
Surfing, yes!
Games, Definitely!
So, the future is bright, the future is: the Dell Streak on Android!
Thanks for the perspective. I'll be switching from WinMo 6.1 and appreciate the viewpoint as this will be my first Android as well.
GPS looks to be the killer app for me. Everything else will just be a bonus for those times where a laptop won't do. Mostly email, games and music when I'm stuck at the airport. No separate PSP, MP3, PND.
Still, I wonder if I'll be able to have my GPS (AT&T) and Trapster running at the same time AND be able to make calls as I can on the WinMo? I didn't do this often (and once forgot to plug the charger in and drained a full battery in 30 minutes!) - but THAT is multi-tasking.
(I'm still waiting to get a rental car with a USB port to see if I can with stream my Media player to the car radio.)
There are many reasons to move off WinMo, but it does OK by me.
Winmo certainly does!
Thanks for your write up bbmalver and welcome to the Streak Family
Nice to be here; thanks for the welcome!
Aldiko will see ebooks in epub format on your card if you add them to the import folder. Personally I find it an excellent eBook reader, surpassing both ubook and Haalireader which I've used on WinMo previously...
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
I did try to use the import option, but after 2secs it would say no books found. Are you suggesting all the books need to be copied to its own import folder before it sees them?
Tried it; didn't work! But on going thru the many created folders on my sd card I found that although i had created my own ebook folder on the card, Aldiko had created an import folder within my own ebook library folder, to which i then had to copy the book before it could import it. Convoluted eh?!
Thanks for the general pointage! Some neat touch features, can jump to page, and, best of all, it also remembers my page! ta!
Welcome to the android family
also, you can build your own YouTube app from source (i think) so you can change the default quality from there.
No one seems to have done it yet for the streak but it's apparently very easy to do
Now thats rather cryptic MeltusTell us how, or point us there!

Buyers guide (Galaxy S2 review vs iPhone4)

Hi guys,
I thought i share my thoughts and experience with people who have not decided which phone to buy. Maybe my input will make the decision easier (or maybe it will confuse you even more hehe).
Also I am hoping people with Android experience maybe can assist me with some of my negative bullets. I'm very new to Android so i apologies for my mistakes in my so called review/comparison.
And lastly i dont want to start any fanboy android vs iOS. This is just my personal view of the two phones/OS'es. Its maybe a bit unfair since i been using iPhone for the last 3 years and Android for only a week but still some of the bullets are independent of that. Any how lets dig into it, First i take the negative side of SGII and next the positive sides.
(maybe my topic is a bit misleading but below some of the items are compared against iPhone but i wont write all the plus/negative for iPhone since the SGII list is already pretty big and i want to focus on SGII which i hope can replace my iPhone)
- When i exit USB mode (where i can access the SD card) i cant find a way to reconnect it without cable unplug->plug. Is there a way i missed?
- Browser doesnt word wrap the text/column so good on table tab. I had a side by side comparison with my iPhone4. On iphone the whole article including images are resized and the text is fully readable. On Galaxy S2 images are not resized and text is readable but just barely. So the whole screen real-state is not fully utilized with the lower resolution and bad browser formatting.I have tested Opera also but the whole word wrapping experience left a very bad taste in my mouth. It was the worst experience ever, the article jump up and down every 5 sec or so, i think the browser got confused for some reason and couldnt decide how to format the page (this was when double tapping).
- Default browser crashes (go to qj.net where i usually visit to read about games).
- Text selection is a pain sometimes. First problem is that in every app it behaves differently. Second problem is that the process to select a text isnt so smooth.
- Confused about task and background proceses that start magically! When using taskmanager i can see mostly 2-3 tasks there and this makes sense. Now using other task killers suddenly they show 10-15 tasks. I understand these are background task but its beyond me why some of them suddenly are there. Like Kies, this should never be started unless i am using Kies. I can see now why my battery goes dows so fast (well compared to iPhone again). Why is there so many tasks started and why cant i control them from vanila Android. This should be a must. I dont want to root my phone to do the basic settings.
- Pretty much all application is downloaded can only be installed on phone memory. Why doesnt Google enforce developers to adapt to new versions of Android is beyond me.
- I havent found a way to backup everything on the phone (including applications and their save data) to my pc/mac. Without this i dont like to experiment rooting and other shizzles.
- Apps are not as smooth and functional on GS2 compared to iPhone4. Ex: Tunein Radio, i cant skip to next song. Ex2: ign app (iphone) allow for daily videos while the Android version is very poorly done and dont have any videos. Feels like Everything works just a little better on iPhone compared to Android phones.This is something most people cant understand if they havent had iPhone for a long time i think.
- Slow battery charging. I usually start charing at around 20% battery left. In one hour GS2 reaches around 40-50% while iPhone goes to 80%
- Headset lacks volume + next/back track when playing music.
- Creating folder through Kies Air not possible. for ex in media make a folder called movies.
- Drag&Drop in Kies air missing.
- When uploading a file through Kies Air there should be a progress bar, now it just looks busy and you dont know if its uploading or it hangs.
Ok now to some good sides on the Galaxy S2:
+ Brilliant screen (even if i think resolution could be better)
+ Flexibility and open market for every sort of application. Much like windows here you can add more functionality and make the phone very personal.
+ Excellent codec support. It plays pretty much everything i through at it. Well done Samsung.
+ Very good camera (even better then iPhone i admit)
+ Very good video recording (also better then iPhone)
+ Very light
+ Feels pretty good in your hand (even though i’m afraid one day the backvocer will break, i had a Nokia N95 and one day the smal plastic edges broke when i was opening the cover. Same thing will happen ti GS2 i’m sure)
+ Expandibale uSD.
+ Very cool fearure called Kies Air where i can access most studd through browser. (this can also be added to minus since it doenst work perfectly everytime i tested but the potential is there)
+ Nice features like pinch effect for desktop + many nice widgets.
+ I think you can make proper call recording on SGII (CallRecorder) but havent confirmed myself yet.
Lastly i like to say SGII is a wonderful phone and i really really want to use it as my primary phone. The one thing i hope Samsung fixes that will make me more loyal to Android is the default browser. The text wrapping must be improved and the browser more stable. I like the smoothness of the default browser and this is the most used part of the phone and so far my iPhone is better but i hope 2.3.4 update maybe can improve this.
Any input, tips, tricks are welcome. I really appreciate your help.
Hopefully this will help you, at least in some areas (i numbered them in the order that you have used):
1) using developer mode at least (i prefer it as its faster and more compatible than samsung's stuff) you can mount/umount at will the card on the pc via the phone without unplugging
2) You may want to try Opera Mobile, it seems to do a very good job at this. I'd like to see this in the stock browser too, but hey, this is Android, you have the choice to change the browser if you like ;-)
3) Well, same thing I guess. 2.3.4 may improve stability but the rest, I don't know, I wouldn't bet on it. I like Firefox quite a bit as well, but text wrapping is odd on it.
4) Android issue =/
5) I wouldn't use any task killer. Check the active apps and uninstall any app that doesn't behave (keep only the ones you REALLY need that still do stuff in the background, like email etc, but not too many). Seems to work a zillion time better for battery life. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a decent way to enforce such a policy.
Regular background tasks are not necessarily ever active. It just means they're frozen in the background and do nothing. As long as they do nothing it's fine, it's just faster to start them again (instant, in fact). The issue is really when they're activating every XX minutes while in the background.
6)Doesn't matter, the recent samsung phones such as the SGS2 have a HUGE internal memory compared to other phones, you'll never have space issues for that imo.
7)Install a kernel with CWM and then, boot in recovery and run a nandroid backup. It will create the backups on your sdcard. Copy them to your PC. Also, copy /efs using tools or manually..
You can restore using a CWM kernel later on and nandroid restore.
You can also use stuff like TitaniumBackup, but it's not nearly as thorough as nandroid backup (which is doing basically disk images, while Titanium and other such apps just copy app/settings)
8)Trollish subject. Some apps are superior on Android, some are superior on iOS. Heh SGS2's browser speed eats my IP4 for breakfast for example. If the same Android app doesnt have the feature of the iOS app, complain to the dev or find another app.
9) it's true it's like that, nothing you can do about it (technically, something could be done but that's probably not wise at all)
10) Use another music player, such as PowerAmp if you like. There's (many, many) other possibilities as well. It also let you boost the volume higher than the stock max volume (although I find stock to be loud enough)
11) Don't use KIES air to do that then ;-)
12) Likewise. There are apps like KIES air, you might want to try them btw. Make a little search, I dont have the name in mind, but they do exist, others will probably point them out
13) I do get a progress bar that moves, maybe a browser issue. Anyway, see point 12)
Cheers for the answers and help. I write the comments inline below.
bilboa1 said:
Hopefully this will help you, at least in some areas (i numbered them in the order that you have used):
1) using developer mode at least (i prefer it as its faster and more compatible than samsung's stuff) you can mount/umount at will the card on the pc via the phone without unplugging
A: i did test this mode but it asked me to unplug the cable also, same thing for MTP. Dont you get that?
2) You may want to try Opera Mobile, it seems to do a very good job at this. I'd like to see this in the stock browser too, but hey, this is Android, you have the choice to change the browser if you like ;-)
A: As mentioned i already tested this. Opera does some things better and some things worse. For instance visiting one of my favorite sites like Engadget.com the whole page jump up and down when i zoom in a little. To be honest the stock + Opera feel very bad compared to iPhones browser. I hope Opera or Samsung improve on this area. This is the most used feature for me.
3) Well, same thing I guess. 2.3.4 may improve stability but the rest, I don't know, I wouldn't bet on it. I like Firefox quite a bit as well, but text wrapping is odd on it.
A: Lets hope so
4) Android issue =/
A:
5) I wouldn't use any task killer. Check the active apps and uninstall any app that doesn't behave (keep only the ones you REALLY need that still do stuff in the background, like email etc, but not too many). Seems to work a zillion time better for battery life. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a decent way to enforce such a policy.
Regular background tasks are not necessarily ever active. It just means they're frozen in the background and do nothing. As long as they do nothing it's fine, it's just faster to start them again (instant, in fact). The issue is really when they're activating every XX minutes while in the background.
A: Yes true, i think Android just shows to much info for regular user. I have to see past the background tasks perhaps. Also some appz you can not remove like the hubs and such. Sure i can root and hack but i'm not so interested to do so just yet. Maybe when i'm a bit more user and understand Android better
6)Doesn't matter, the recent samsung phones such as the SGS2 have a HUGE internal memory compared to other phones, you'll never have space issues for that imo.
A: Actually i got over 12Gig of Appz on my iPhone so 16Gig (or actually 12Gig which is free) isnt all to much when you have navigator (3,5Gig) and games and blogs and such. But sure its enought for a time to come. The bottom line is Google must be tougher with the market otherwise the fragmentation will just grow.
7)Install a kernel with CWM and then, boot in recovery and run a nandroid backup. It will create the backups on your sdcard. Copy them to your PC. Also, copy /efs using tools or manually..
You can restore using a CWM kernel later on and nandroid restore.
You can also use stuff like TitaniumBackup, but it's not nearly as thorough as nandroid backup (which is doing basically disk images, while Titanium and other such apps just copy app/settings)
A: Thanks for the tips, i will write it down. As said i dont dare yet to mess with hacking but soon i was actually considering using the TitaniumB , hear its easy to use.
8)Trollish subject. Some apps are superior on Android, some are superior on iOS. Heh SGS2's browser speed eats my IP4 for breakfast for example. If the same Android app doesnt have the feature of the iOS app, complain to the dev or find another app.
A: I'm noob on what is there on the market so i'm sure there are many awesome apps on Android but when comparing the same app on Android vs iOS the Android was inferior. That was what i was comparing.
Another thing i dont really experience is the speed. To be honest i dont see such a huge speed difference when using my Wlan at home. But maybe you are right
9) it's true it's like that, nothing you can do about it (technically, something could be done but that's probably not wise at all)
A: I guess your right. On the other hand it could be possible a fw update could adjust some values for the current input, this could be a software limitation also i think. Lets hope
10) Use another music player, such as PowerAmp if you like. There's (many, many) other possibilities as well. It also let you boost the volume higher than the stock max volume (although I find stock to be loud enough)
A:Thanks for the tips will test this. Actually this is same thing as the copy/paste issue. I expect the behaviour to be the same no matter application (coming from iOS) but here it seems its application to application. This offer more freedom to developers for sure but it will also generate crapy software and result in a bad user experience. It would be so much better if there were a set of rules that all developers should follow on certain areas (this one is one such area).
11) Don't use KIES air to do that then ;-)
A: hehe true but this is the official way so i thought it should have been well tested and all
12) Likewise. There are apps like KIES air, you might want to try them btw.
Make a little search, I dont have the name in mind, but they do exist, others will probably point them out
A: Will do.
13) I do get a progress bar that moves, maybe a browser issue. Anyway, see point 12)
A: Strange, have to test again on IE which i hate, i use Firefox only. Also tested Safari on my mac.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again for your input mate. Back to play more with my GSII
Applications can also be installed on the external sd card.
Applications and I also believe their user data are backed up on google server. So if you factory reset the phone and sync with google, it will download all previous apps.
About the slow charging - are you on old firmware version or do you charge over USB?
Creating a folder through kies air is not possible, that is correct. To be honest I am happy that there is even an app which allows to copy media etc. over wifi, you know there are phones which don't have that, for example the iPhone.
All apps I am using are working fine. If an app is not stable it's developer's fault, not the phone.
Ios is from 2007.. android 09.. 1-2 years between them. just think how far android have gone the last year.. give it 2 years and then compare it to iphone 4 in it current state.. well yes i know android is older.. but the initial realse was around 08-09 and IOS june - 07.
and yes.. so far iphone fits those who just want it to work better.. that means ppl not that used to computers etc.
and currently i dont own an iphone but i got a first generation ipod touch.. and yes even that stoneage IOS thing does alot of things better then my S2..
bah but this iphone vs android is getting old its a subject that can go on forever and ever..
well ill stick with my laggy android.. well i've been told by my iphony friends that its laggy.. i just dont see it
vampyren said:
Hi guys,
Any input, tips, tricks are welcome. I really appreciate your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice overview.
IMO S2 is the best phone on the market now. But due to appl's hype, n matter what hardware specs they release, the iphone will always be superior to ANY phone. They could release an iphone with 1st gen hardware, and it will still make more sales than sgs2.
But, slowly more and more ppl are moving towards androi, and apple are losing sales. they even copied bb and android in ios 5..
Also coming from an iPhone 4 to the GS2 I can safely say that I don't miss the iPhone at all which I thought I would.
Having owned a Nexus S in the past and feeling a bit bewildered as there was a lot of stuff within the OS which felt unpolished and unfinished and now 2.3.3 is like night and day for that and it feels much more like a complete OS to me.
@OP give it time there will be a lot of things you can do with your new phone which would require rooting on your iPhone 4
The world of apps and widgets and customization is at your finger tips so jump right in and enjoy
My phone is running ADW Launcher EX with 90% icon dock size, 5x5 grid for homescreen, transparent drawer and miui weather
The only thing you might miss is the app store and iTunes integration (if you use it), other than that the Galaxy S II has it beaten quite comfortably.
@zxz0O0:
OOH that is cool , i think some option about it but didnt think it was what i thought it was nice to have it confirmed. Then this is pretty much what Apple is adding into iOS now with the cloud thing. Pretty cool Android has it already. By the way why do people use program like TitaniumBackup when there is google sync ? is there any limitation to the cloud backup? will all games data, programs data, settings be backed up or just Android OS stuff?
About FW i use the latest i think KE7 i think its called but i read there is a new one coming out next week so hoping for better battery life.
And your last point is something we can debate about for a long time but my view is that if you dont have strict rules developers do what ever they want and can let their app go without update. On the other hand if Google enforce some guideline like having option to install to SD card developers must go by that or their application is removed from market. In the end users will benefit and the platform will grow. But this is my view alone.
@olyloh6696:
I dont think its just hype really. I mean we are comparing a year old phone to SGII here and they are pretty much head to head in most scenarios i tested. But i see your point and i do agree that Android has a charm about it. I love the moving background, i love the whole flexibility to do what you want with the interface. Specially SGII's support for codecs so i dont have to spend 2 day re-encoding all my movies etc. So there are definatley benefits with Android but iOS has the benefit to be easy and working perfectly with the functions it offers from the get go. I think its a matter of preference and more advanced users will move to Android (a bit like me).
@daleski75:
Yupp i think i just need to play with it more and get used to the eco system
I think i will harass Opera developers to fix the formatting thing on the webpages now
Thanks for your input guys, gonna go out and take a walk now, later.
There are also many other good browsers, xscope, miren and dolphin hd to name a few, they all have their own way to format the page and all are pretty good many have different options too for formatting and text wrapping (I believe the default samsung browser also has some options)
also I believe google sync doesnt save all app data (eg angry birds progress is not saved)
That is correct...Google Sync doesn't backup app data (like your Angry Birds scores). This is where Titanium Backup (commonly abbreviated to as TiBu) comes in. It "sort of" does cloud backup (via Dropbox), but its strength really shows when you start installing/changing/updating custom ROMs. Typically, it's used to backup your apps and their data to a folder on your SD card. I can also do some pretty advanced stuff that you probably wouldn't use much (if at all). In my view, the strength is it's ability to deal with batch jobs. For example, before installing a new ROM, I backup all user installed applications (non-protected ones, anyway) with only a couple clicks. Restoring is just as easy, provided you have the paid version (it allows for hands-off batch restore of your apps). Another cool feature it has is "freezing" apps. Say you root your phone and may want to clean some carrier crapware off of it, but aren't *totally* sure. You can freeze those apps...they stay installed and can be defrosted at any time, but they won't be available for use until you do.
Also, I agree with you that a lot of iOS apps are much better than their Android counterparts. I believe this is the case for one main reason: there are tons of people using Android and tons of people on iPhones...you can essentially count on one hand the number of iOS phones Apple has to support, and they are all sold by Apple. Now, look at the number of Android phones and devices and their individual specifications...that makes developing apps for Android pretty complicated. Devs have to take into account different CPUs, memory limitations, and the biggie--SCREEN DIFFERENCES! However, I like being able to run an app developed for a phone on my Honeycomb tablet. Yeah, it may be ugly (not necessarily), but it almost always works! I have a network tool I use that only shows up on about 1/6th the screen of my tab, but I don't care...it still does the job.
Don't forget another important aspect of the Android vs. Apple thing...Apple has control of their devices and their operating systems, and the cell phone carriers don't have control over when Apple releases an update. On the Android side, you have some manufacturers that are prompt with getting an update ready, and those who abandon their devices after they leave the store shelf. Not only that, but those who do release updates, and most do, have to deal with the likes of AT&T and Verizon and everyone else here in the US. Each company wants a ROM customized only for them, and sometimes the manufacturers actually have to pay the cell companies to push out updates. This is what causes the splintering of Android, but openness is what gives it its strengths.
As a general rule, I find that the more "techy" people like the Android OS, since you can customize it and tweak it like crazy. Those who aren't quite as savvy will probably like iOS more (there's less to screw up and they all look the same). Please don't flame me for saying that...it's just a general observation that has many exceptions.
Well that's my two cents. Maybe it will be helpful in some way? <*schrugs*>
Brad
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA Premium App
There is no practical comparison possible between the mentioned phones.
Appreciate the explanation brad, TB is a nice tool indeed
Just one point, In regard to customization i can pretty do anything also when i jailbreak the iphone which is even simpler then rooting Android and what all techies do anyway with their Android phones
But i agree Android has its charm with the more open eco system.
The 2 area i wish to have before it gets perfect is the browsing and more resolution for the big ass screen (4.3)

Top 10 most wanted Android new features & improvements

1. Allow copy-pasting and easier editting of phone numbers in the dialer and more generally dialer improvements (e.g. have log+TF9+dial+contacts all on the same tab, similar to Sense dialer), ability to call from anywhere within Android through longpress or double tap (e.g. of home button) when no hard key is available (e.g. on the SGSII)
2. Provide a stock application freezer within the task manager (similar to GoLauncher App Drawer but with freezing instead of killing apps)
3. Offer a data toggle: Off/Auto/2g only, either as a widget or in the notification bar.
4. Better way of looking for Apps in the market, similar to Appbrain but with more focus on app rating.
5. GPS location lock toogle: GPS only, Wireless only, GPS+Wireless: this is used too often depending on WiFi availability, and is too deep within the menus.
6. Create a separe setting menu entry for mobile data and USB connectivity. Things such as roaming and USB storage are used too often to be burried that deep down the Wireless & Network menu
7. Allow Lock Screen Wallpaper change from the home screen menu, not only regular wallpaper
8. Include functionality thermometer for external temperature (corrected for phone surface temperature heat). How often do I want to know room temperature in those hotels with a bad air conditionning!
9. Better music app
10. Why on earth is security grouped with location?
I have given you mine.
- What are you innovative features that Google could implement to beat the crap out of Apple's smart*ss. Universal remote control, thermometer,...?
- What are you missing most?
- What do you find poorly implemented and would like to see improved?
I will post the best ideas in the first post as they come along.
My most desired Android feature? The option to run stock on any Android device.
I don't care if it's an OTA or I have to find a computer. Just let me choose. And I don't want the option to turn off whatever the manufacturer has barfed on my device. I want the clean install pure Nexus stock.
Aside from that? I want the lockscreen to actually run realtime, weather, stocks, email, etc. rather than be useless. And I don't want to tack on three other apps out of the box to get the job done. I want it working the minute I turn it on, included in all future Android releases. It's 2011.
I would like most a screen capture feature like the one iPhone has by pressing power + menu key and a better music player. Yes both of these are available on market but no too integrated to work seamlessly like the iPhone.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Screen shot already there in stock! Press and hold the home button and then press and hold the power button!
kevinlee0602 said:
I would like most a screen capture feature like the one iPhone has by pressing power + menu key and a better music player. Yes both of these are available on market but no too integrated to work seamlessly like the iPhone.
On your SGSII you have a screen capture feature. Just press home+power a short time and it makes a screenshot.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
an exchange push client without have battery drain. this is also possible with the gmail client. so please fix this also for exchange
Why would you want to defrag a flash memory
It will rather damage it than make it faster
Have separate screen timeout settings from phone lock.
USB reverse tethering (so I can use my PC connection and spare my data plan ) Can't be that hard since Windows Mobile could do it years and years ago...
du.renato said:
USB reverse tethering (so I can use my PC connection and spare my data plan ) Can't be that hard since Windows Mobile could do it years and years ago...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes would be nice if Stock android had that. HTC Sense already has it, so...Google should add this as a standard.
The ability to have on every phone stock Android!!! ​
This give us an option to run CM7, MiUi, or whatever we want on our phones!!! So everybody can make on his phone, what they need/want!!!
This would free us!!!
We can make a petition, like with the bootloaders!
Cheers
Ramalama said:
The ability to have on every phone stock Android!!! ​
This give us an option to run CM7, MiUi, or whatever we want on our phones!!! So everybody can make on his phone, what they need/want!!!
This would free us!!!
We can make a petition, like with the bootloaders!
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+ 1
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
GPU rendered UI for smooth transitions, CPU does a sloppy work even if its dualcore.
as other people stated before, i would also appreciate the internet sharing from the pc to the phone, as i'm used to, coming from windows mobile. an alternative would be to be able to use ad-hoc wi-fi, so that i could build a network bridge through my netbook to my wired network. that's something i miss every day, as in certain spots of my house, i don't receive any coverage from my wi-fi and using the netbook as a free accesspoint would be awesome.
while we are on the networking issue: can anybody tell me a good telnet client and a file explorer, that does not require root and offers the ability to access network shares or windows 7 homegroups?
this shouldn't be to hard as all android sense can already do this...
In honesty, I would like to be able to run ios apps
And game compatibilities between all Android hardware
A more standardized gaming API would be nice so we can have lots of great games like on iOS.
My Ten Cents
1. A better and customizable screen lock with many options.
2. A smarter dialer including a real T9 search engine like HTC dialers. Now that I am using RocketDialer instead, which is great for this.
3. Ability to connect internet over pc's connection when connected with wire.
4. More options for sound loudness and quality; including detailed settings for back speaker, head phone, bluetooth and incall volume settings. (This is actually number one priority for me)
5. Better Google apps integration for work especially for google docs and calendar.
6. A temperature sensor would be nice for room temperature.
7. A stronger vibrator with vibration presets
8. An easy option in somewhere, where we can say "do not turn off the screen and gps if connected to sats when connected to power source" (What do I have to do to use the device for navigation with google maps in my car connected to power source without turning off the screen?)
9. Better internet browsing; I mean we have these monsters in our hands, yet each different browser act differently on the same page, especially when it comes to text zooming and reflow; there must be an easier way of it. Plus, better flash support.
10. Better headset please with the phone; I don't want to look into alternatives after purchasing the phone.
Regards.
I think HW acceleration would be the best for Android, instead of just trying to hide the lag with raw power (which isn't working). Look at WP7 and see how smoothed everything is compared to any non-GS2, and it does it with less powerful hardware.

Windows 8 Controller

Windows 8 Controller lets you control your Windows 8 PC as if it is a tablet. Just using your Android phone, you can experience the Windows 8 gestures like pinch, stretch, rotate, swipe, side gestures etc.
Easily scroll through web pages, pinch to zoom in your photos, cycle through open apps...
It's fast and fluid! Give it a try, you'll love it!
Please search for Windows 8 Controller in Google Play or Youtube
Some features of Windows 8 Controller includes:
- Multitouch gestures (pinch, stretch, swipe, rotate)
- Natural Scrolling Experience (Scroll horizontally and vertically as you scroll on a tablet)
- Use as a mouse (move, left/right/middle/double click, drag)
- Side gestures (Swipe from left/right/bottom/top to switch to next open app, show charms, show app options, close app respectively)
- Tiles Screen (A tiles screen including most needed shortcuts like show start, show desktop, open computer and much more)
- Power Options (Don't you think it's not so easy to shut down the Windows 8? Not anymore. Windows 8 Controller includes power shortcuts. Shut down, restart, hibernate, sleep, lock, log off your computer with one tap)
- Volume Control (Do you need an easy way to adjust the volume of your Windows 8 PC? You've got it! Windows 8 Controller has a volume controller by which you can adjust/mute/unmute your computer's volume from your phone. Also you can use the hardware volume buttons of your phone)
- Virtual Keyboard (Type text by using your Android's keyboard. Take advantage of auto-complete feature of your keyboard or use swype keyboard. You can even type text to your computer by using voice-to-text feature of your Android phone's keyboard)
- Easily go back/forward (Tilt your phone left/right to go back/forward in your favourite web browser or file explorer)
- Four (or five) fingers pinch (to reveal start screen easily)
- With auto-connect and quick-connect features, it is very easy to connect your phone to your computer and start using Windows 8 Controller.
kerimka said:
Windows 8 Controller lets you control your Windows 8 PC as if it is a tablet. Just using your Android phone, you can experience the Windows 8 gestures like pinch, stretch, rotate, swipe, side gestures etc.
Easily scroll through web pages, pinch to zoom in your photos, cycle through open apps...
It's fast and fluid! Give it a try, you'll love it!
Please search for Windows 8 Controller in Google Play or Youtube
Some features of Windows 8 Controller includes:
- Multitouch gestures (pinch, stretch, swipe, rotate)
- Natural Scrolling Experience (Scroll horizontally and vertically as you scroll on a tablet)
- Use as a mouse (move, left/right/middle/double click, drag)
- Side gestures (Swipe from left/right/bottom/top to switch to next open app, show charms, show app options, close app respectively)
- Tiles Screen (A tiles screen including most needed shortcuts like show start, show desktop, open computer and much more)
- Power Options (Don't you think it's not so easy to shut down the Windows 8? Not anymore. Windows 8 Controller includes power shortcuts. Shut down, restart, hibernate, sleep, lock, log off your computer with one tap)
- Volume Control (Do you need an easy way to adjust the volume of your Windows 8 PC? You've got it! Windows 8 Controller has a volume controller by which you can adjust/mute/unmute your computer's volume from your phone. Also you can use the hardware volume buttons of your phone)
- Virtual Keyboard (Type text by using your Android's keyboard. Take advantage of auto-complete feature of your keyboard or use swype keyboard. You can even type text to your computer by using voice-to-text feature of your Android phone's keyboard)
- Easily go back/forward (Tilt your phone left/right to go back/forward in your favourite web browser or file explorer)
- Four (or five) fingers pinch (to reveal start screen easily)
- With auto-connect and quick-connect features, it is very easy to connect your phone to your computer and start using Windows 8 Controller.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
side stepping the paid/free differences
The problem with wifi for this is that TCP sucks big time! there is so much redundancy built in for error checking that for anything like this, the slightest hiccup can just make it feel laggy and generally crap compared to using the real thing., ive tried to use similar programs for years and they all just annoy the buggery out of me after a while
Bluetooth offers a better solution but would have limited range and still isn't perfect, also bare in mind that everything under the sun uses 2.4GHz meaning a next door neighbours cordless phone can give you a headache too.
its just food for thought, perhaps you may live in a faraday cage and have no issues with interference, dropped packets and don't mind the slight lag that cant be removed, but not everyone is in such a fortunate position.
a Bluetooth option would be cool and of course a WP version for the grown ups
something's to keep in mind for the masses
Tempting ....
I just gave the Free "try it out app" a whirl.
I have an older laptop with non-multi touch touchpad so I was really excited about this app.
I have to echo the request for a bluetooth version of the app as well, there was definitely some odd lag going on ...
... But I can't be sure the lag wasn't being caused by the cascade of "This feature is only available in the paid version" messages I was getting.
Look, I think this app could be awesome, and I would happily pay for it, if I thought that it would work well enough to use daily. However, the experience on the Free app is really bad due to the restrictions. I understand not wanting to give away your work for free, but I think that the Free app paints a very unflattering picture of what the Full Version might be.
You may want to consider re-vamping the Free version, allowing for fewer restrictions or going to a 30 day trial, or just look at the code for how it displays the nag-message.
I'm not trying to be mean or rude, I think its a great idea, but when I say "cascade" of nag-messages I am being literal. There was a backlog of messages after closing the app so that for the next minute and a half I had "This feature ..." flashing on my home screen even after closing the app.
Good luck and I look forward to trying this again in a month or two!
I just gave the paid version a try and I'm not having any lag. It's very smooth. I haven't had a chance to dig too deeply into it, but so far it's very nice.
Anyway, whatever you do, don't drop the ball on this. Routinely I buy a paid app from a dev here and the development goes stagnant. There's a ton of potential for this app, please keep going!
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium
Specter597 said:
I just gave the Free "try it out app" a whirl.
I have an older laptop with non-multi touch touchpad so I was really excited about this app.
I have to echo the request for a bluetooth version of the app as well, there was definitely some odd lag going on ...
... But I can't be sure the lag wasn't being caused by the cascade of "This feature is only available in the paid version" messages I was getting.
Look, I think this app could be awesome, and I would happily pay for it, if I thought that it would work well enough to use daily. However, the experience on the Free app is really bad due to the restrictions. I understand not wanting to give away your work for free, but I think that the Free app paints a very unflattering picture of what the Full Version might be.
You may want to consider re-vamping the Free version, allowing for fewer restrictions or going to a 30 day trial, or just look at the code for how it displays the nag-message.
I'm not trying to be mean or rude, I think its a great idea, but when I say "cascade" of nag-messages I am being literal. There was a backlog of messages after closing the app so that for the next minute and a half I had "This feature ..." flashing on my home screen even after closing the app.
Good luck and I look forward to trying this again in a month or two!
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+1
Sent from my LG-P500 using Tapatalk 2
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