Samsung Galaxy S II Owners Thread

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19 posts

Geek

#500636 2-Aug-2011 07:03

I assume you bought your phone here in NZ from Vodafone?

Here's a link to the Samsung NZ site which contains the manual: http://www.samsung.com/nz/consumer/mobile-phone/mobile-phone/smartphone/GT-I9100LKAVNZ/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&tab=support

You can browse the Android Market on your PC, might be easier to search around to begin with: https://market.android.com/

When you ready, open the Market application on your phone and install the apps you want. I wouldn't worry about a virus scanner, just stay away from unknown applications that may contain malware, read reviews on them first before installing.

Neets

1376 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#500641 2-Aug-2011 07:40

For example, when you turn it on up comes a garish orange screen with the time, can I change that bg?

Yes, if you choose a different launcher, like Go Launcher EX, or LauncherPro, then you can customise the wallpaper on the lock screen, how many home screens you want, which screen is the default home screen etc etc. On the Market website there will be a link to the "official website" which will provide more details. Also there's numerous reviews of different launchers. Just google and you'll find a decent write up on them and better choose which might suit your needs.

Also I don't want the google search on the second screen, and there are a bunch of blank screens, how do i customize them?

I never stuck with Touchwiz (the default launcher. If you look under Menu | Settings | Display, there might be something there, but as above, you can choose a different launcher and then customise to your hearts content.

How do you buy apps? Which are the best ones to have? What do you have to watch out for - viruses?

You need to be signed into your Google account. It's very simple. You'll need to provide your credit card number, just like any online shopping purchase. Then the app will download, you'll get a receipt number and the app is there no matter whether you flash a different rom or not. All paid for apps are available to re-install.

Do you need a virus scanner? the seem to be offered in the apps market.

As already mentioned, you don't really need one. However I use Lookout Mobile Security. It's on the market. It does more than just check for viruses. It backsup, and it'll locate your phone should it go missing.

Are there tabs for the web browser, or a better browser? can I stop it wanting to show chinese when I type into it, can I delete the chinese totally off the system?

I use DolphinHD. It provides for tabs. And you'll find the option to change your language under: Menu (the left hand capacitive button) | Settings | Language

I discovered the 'back button' being the bottom right thingiee, but does that actually close applications? How can you see what is still running on the system? Sigh, some days windows is easier :-)

Applications are never really closed. If you long press the home button you'll see a list of recently run applications. You don't need to "close" an application like you do on a PC. Under Menu | Settings | Applications | Running services - this is more than just applications.

Finally, if I set the phone up and then root it, which I will do when I feel confident enough, will I lose any settings?

No, rooting your phone doesn't wipe your phone.

Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900I

Foo

522 posts

Ultimate Geek

#500643 2-Aug-2011 07:52

Rhodan: Have any of you guys bought your SGS2 via one of the many parallel import (Electron World, Eking etc) shops?

Thinking of getting two SGS2's (one for the wife), but not sure whether I should go parallel import or not, as it could save $800 if I do.

I have purchased mine from Electron World on Monday last week, however nothing has arrived yet. I made payment at the same time, and this cleared on Wednesday.

My order has been marked as 'processed' but has not yet been dispatched. Yesterday I tried to call and email for an update, but no answer via telephone and emails are currently going unanswered.

When I placed the order, there was a note that the key Admin person was on leave until 5 August, however orders would still be dispatched as usual.

Foo

522 posts

Ultimate Geek

#500644 2-Aug-2011 08:00

Foo:

When I placed the order, there was a note that the key Admin person was on leave until 5 August, however orders would still be dispatched as usual.

And when I say "key admin person" I suspect that is the only admin person.

nofam

1094 posts

Uber Geek

#500646 2-Aug-2011 08:04

Foo:
Foo:

When I placed the order, there was a note that the key Admin person was on leave until 5 August, however orders would still be dispatched as usual.

And when I say "key admin person" I suspect that is the only admin person.

I guess that's why they're 'key'

Rhodan

19 posts

Geek

#500654 2-Aug-2011 08:27

I assume the phones come from Hong Kong? How would that affect installing other roms, when they talk about kernel versions and CSC's ? Would you need to get the Hong Kong versions then and not NZ (Vodafone) ?

Hinko

273 posts

Ultimate Geek

#500664 2-Aug-2011 09:17

Weird SIM
Can anyone suggest how to diagnose a Vodafone SIM / SGII problem where for some reason I cannot call out but I can receive calls. In another phone I can call out so the SIM seems to be OK according to Vodafone. When Calling the phone gets into a redialliing loop and then hangs up, no matter what number is being called. Ordinary phone numbers and 777 all behave the same. Vodafone say there is no block on the SIM. SMS work as does data still. Running the current Samsung firmware. It just seemed to start happening. CSipSimple is also installed.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

netspanner

343 posts

Ultimate Geek

#500666 2-Aug-2011 09:19

I just got mine from http://www.mobicity.co.nz/

Its came from china, via fedex and took a week. Their tracking was good, so you were aware of what was happening.

They ring you up to confirm the order, but I rang them on their NZ number, which made it faster.

I am happy with them, it was a good deal.

Foo:
Rhodan: Have any of you guys bought your SGS2 via one of the many parallel import (Electron World, Eking etc) shops?

Thinking of getting two SGS2's (one for the wife), but not sure whether I should go parallel import or not, as it could save $800 if I do.

I have purchased mine from Electron World on Monday last week, however nothing has arrived yet. I made payment at the same time, and this cleared on Wednesday.

My order has been marked as 'processed' but has not yet been dispatched. Yesterday I tried to call and email for an update, but no answer via telephone and emails are currently going unanswered.

When I placed the order, there was a note that the key Admin person was on leave until 5 August, however orders would still be dispatched as usual.

Spong

1005 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#500670 2-Aug-2011 09:26

For example, when you turn it on up comes a garish orange screen with the time, can I change that bg?

Are there tabs for the web browser, or a better browser? can I stop it wanting to show chinese when I type into it, can I delete the chinese totally off the system?

cheers

You don't need to root or change launchers to change the lock screen wallpaper. Just find a photo you'd like to use in your gallery, tap it, then choose "set as" then "Lock screen wallpaper".

If you'd like to try another browser, I recommend Opera Mobile highly, particularly for the way it re-sizes columns of text to fit the screen automatically.

Tivo upgrades to operate with the new OzTivo EPG, support and service. Over 400 performed here so far. See: www.hillcrest.net.nz

thinkingtrex8848

533 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#500672 2-Aug-2011 09:42

+1 for opera mobile.

zimzoid

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#500673 2-Aug-2011 09:45

Rhodan: Have any of you guys bought your SGS2 via one of the many parallel import (Electron World, Eking etc) shops?

Thinking of getting two SGS2's (one for the wife), but not sure whether I should go parallel import or not, as it could save $800 if I do.

Hi, I got mine from http://einfo.co.nz so far its been working fine on the telecom network

Neets

1376 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#500674 2-Aug-2011 09:46

everybodylovesfebs: +1 for opera mobile.

I'd have liked Opera too, but on 2degrees you can't get the free mobile Facebook page. That's my only reason for not having also suggested that.
I find DolphinHD good, and I love the gestures.

Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900I

nzgeek

618 posts

Ultimate Geek

#500700 2-Aug-2011 10:57

netspanner: Hi everyone, an utter noob to smartphones here.

Neets has done a good job of answering most of your questions. I'll just touch on the bits that I think might need further explanation.

For example, when you turn it on up comes a garish orange screen with the time, can I change that bg?

If you have a picture on the phone you want to use instead, use the Gallery to find it. Once you're there, hit Menu button > Set as > Lock screen wallpaper. You then get to choose which part of the image is used, and you're done.

As Neets suggested, you can also change the launcher (the software that displays your home screen and app list). Third party launchers may give you some different functionality, but in my opinion the stock launcher (Samsung TouchWiz) is good enough for most uses.

Also I don't want the google search on the second screen, and there are a bunch of blank screens, how do i customize them?

There are a bunch of things you can do to these screens, but annoyingly there are different instructions for each.

To change the number of screens that are displayed, go to one of your home screens and either hit Menu button > Edit, or pinch-zoom out. This will give you an overview of all your screens. If you want to remove one, drag it (just like you would with a mouse) to the Remove area at the bottom of the screen. Hit the screen with a big '+' on it to create a new screen. You can also reorder the screens by dragging them.

To remove an icon or widget from a home screen, press and hold on the item until a Remove area appears at the bottom of the screen. While still holding your finger down, drag the item into the Remove area, and release.

To add new widgets or icons, either use Menu button > Add, or hold your finger on a blank part of the screen for a second. You'll get a menu at the bottom that allows you to add widgets or shortcuts. If adding a widget, you get a horizontal list at the bottom of the screen - swipe left or right to scroll, and when you're ready, tap and drag an icon onto the screen. You'll see an outline of where the widget will go. If adding a shortcut, you get a vertically scrolling, 2 column list. The first screen only lists a few possible icons, with the remainder hiding under the Applications item in the list. Tap the item you want and it'll be added to the first blank spot on the screen. You'll need to move it from there.

To move an existing widget or icon, do as you would for removing the item, but drag it to the new location instead of to the remove area. If you want the item moved to another home screen, drag it to the left or right edge of the screen. The barely-visible edge of the next home screen will light up, and after about a second, you'll scroll to that home screen.

How do you buy apps? Which are the best ones to have? What do you have to watch out for - viruses? Do you need a virus scanner? the seem to be offered in the apps market.

To be honest, you rarely have to buy apps. There are a lot of free, ad-supported apps on the market. I've only bought 1 app, out of 70+, and that's for doing backups (Titanium Backup).

Are there tabs for the web browser, or a better browser? can I stop it wanting to show chinese when I type into it, can I delete the chinese totally off the system?

The stock browser supports multiple windows, kinda like tabs but a little less easy to use. To switch between windows, you need to either pinch-zoom out twice, or use Menu button > Windows. Other browsers (like Dolphin HD) provide a better interface, allowing you to swipe sideways to go between tabs.

The Chinese language thing sounds like a system keyboard issue. From a home screen hit Menu button > Settings > Language and keyboard. Under Keyboard settings you'll see items for both Swype and Samsung keypad. We'll change the language for both of these. First, go to Swype > Language, and untick every language you don't need (I've just got UK and US English). Next, hit the Back button twice, then go to Samsung keypad > Input languages. Again, untick any languages you don't need.

At this point I'd check to see if the Chinese has gone away. On my phone (very new, beta firmware) the Samsung keyboard has the input language on the space bar. Hold your finger on the space bar and swipe sideways to change the language. The Swype keyboard has a special language button on the bottom row that you can press to change the input language.

To change between the Samsung and Swype keyboards, long press on a text input area. A menu will come up, and one of the items will be Input method. Tap this to see a list of the keyboards you can use, then tap the one you want to use. I like Swype because you don't need to lift your finger to tap each letter - you just drag a path over the letters and the phone tries to guess what word you want.

I discovered the 'back button' being the bottom right thingiee, but does that actually close applications? How can you see what is still running on the system? Sigh, some days windows is easier :-)

For most apps, hitting the Back button does close them. Hitting the Home button will get you to your home screens, but the app will remain running in the background.

Some apps are split into a UI portion and a daemon process (like a Windows service). The daemon may continue working in the background even when you've quit the app, to do things like notify you of new messages, or to keep playing music while you're doing something else.

You generally don't need to worry about closing apps and keeping memory free. The system will close apps as necessary when it needs memory. If you really want to make sure an app is closed, long-press the Home button > Task manager. From here you can see what apps are running, how much resource each is using, and be able to kill them.

Finally, if I set the phone up and then root it, which I will do when I feel confident enough, will I lose any settings?

Rooting the phone generally doesn't affect your data. The rooting process for the SGS2 involves replacing the stock kernel with a custom rooted kernel, and the kernel sits in a different part of the file system to your apps and data.

Your biggest chance of losing data is when you put on a custom firmware. Sometimes there are conflicts between the custom firmware and data/settings left over from the previous firmware, and that can cause crashes. Make sure you check the readme info to see if the firmware is wipe (factory reset) or no-wipe (leaves your data).

If you're worried about losing things, and you've rooted your phone, it's worth buying a copy of Titanium Backup. This allows you to backup all of your apps and their settings, which you can then copy off the phone for safekeeping. If your phone does get wiped, you simply have to copy the backup data back onto the phone and use Titanium to restore it.

nzgeek

618 posts

Ultimate Geek

#500713 2-Aug-2011 11:22

Rhodan: I assume the phones come from Hong Kong? How would that affect installing other roms, when they talk about kernel versions and CSC's ? Would you need to get the Hong Kong versions then and not NZ (Vodafone) ?

There's no difference in the hardware between the Euro, Hong Kong, or VodaNZ versions of the phone. The only difference between them is a model code, stored in the same part of the phone as its IMEI number. This code identifies the region the phone was sold in, and potentially the network that the phone is on (if the network has firmware customisations).

For example:
- GT-I9100LKAXEU = a Euro (generic) phone
- GT-I9100HKATGY = a Hong Kong phone
- GT-I9100LKAVNZ = a VodaNZ phone

These codes are only used when checking the Samsung servers for new firmware (via OTA or Kies). They don't prevent you from putting on firmware from a different region.

For example, perhaps you got a phone from Hong Kong that's got a Chinese/English firmware on it, and you want to use the latest Euro (generic) firmware. If you download the firmware yourself (e.g. via SamFirmware), you can use Odin (Samsung's service centre software) to flash it onto your phone. XDA-Developers has a lot of information on this process, and it's worth checking there first.

When you've put on an a non-matching firmware, the only thing you lose is the ability to update the firmware via OTA or Kies. Given that OTA/Kies is usually very slow in getting firmware updates anyway, you're not missing out on a lot.

netspanner

343 posts

Ultimate Geek

#500714 2-Aug-2011 11:26

Thanks everyone for the great replies. its really set me on the path to Android dominance :-)

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