It's Big
The AT&T Galaxy S II has a big display. A big screen is great for web browsing, document editing, movies, photos, games, etc.
It's Small
The Galaxy S II's narrow bezel and thin design make the overall size just 4.6 in³. That's much smaller over-all than many any other 4.3" phones and even smaller than the 4" Atrix (5.0 in³) or Nexus S (5.2 in³). See the Phone Comparison.
It's Not Bloated
Some may love the pre-installed apps. Others may want to delete them. Carriers often prevent you from removing pre-installed "bloatware" without breaking your warranty. [Only registered users can view links. ]. Tap Home > Menu > Settings> Applications > Manage Applications to delete apps.
It's Bright
In the SAMOLED Plus display, six LED's light each pixel producing vivid colors. Black is truly black because the LED's are off. Typical LCD displays filter out light but the LCD backlight is always on. So blacks may appear dark gray with reduced contrast. To set the Saturation, tap Home > Menu > Settings > Display > Display mode.
It's Light
The Samsung SAMOLED Plus display needs no backlight making it not just thinner but lighter. The AT&T Galaxy S II at 4.3 oz weighs less than any of the other 4.3" phones and even less than the 4" Atrix or Nexus S.
It's a Heavyweight
After benchmarking original dual core 1.2GHz Exynos in the original SGS2, Boy Genius Report proclaimed that it "[Only registered users can view links. ]." Also unlike other flagship phones, the SGS2 series has a full 1024MB of RAM.
Some phones can only last a few hours. The Galaxy S II can last all day with it's SAMOLED display and big battery if you know the Power Management Tricks. [Only registered users can view links. ] found the Galaxy S II could do 8 hours and 48 minutes of solid talk time.
It Won't Forget
A remarkable 2GB of the 16GB internal memory is used for apps. That's enough room for over 500 apps. 3GB is reserved for the operating system leaving over 11 GB for music, photos, docs and videos. And you can still add up to a 32GB microSD Class 10 card for around $50 from [Only registered users can view links. ], [Only registered users can view links. ], or [Only registered users can view links. ].
It's Clipboard is on Steroids
All Android phones can cut and paste. But have you ever wished you could paste the thing you copied a minute ago? The Galaxy S II lets you choose any of your last several items you have copied, not just the last one. Here's how.
It's Got NFC! Near Field Communications (NFC) could let you tap your phone to make a payment or serve as a keycard. NFC can share a contact, photo, song, application, or video or pair Bluetooth or WiFi devices. NFC is not yet enabled for AT&T but is promised in the manual. Google NFC Video demonstration.
It Syncs Wirelessly
The [Only registered users can view links. ] feature lets you wirelessly sync contacts, music, photos, video, and more. Kies uses your Wi-Fi network to let you use your computer browser to manage you information and multimedia contents on a larger screen.
It's All Business
The Galaxy S II includes [Only registered users can view links. ]. It securely syncs with Microsoft Exchange email, calendar, contacts and tasks. Plus the Galaxy S II features Device [Only registered users can view links. ].
It's Makes You Feel at Home
The TouchWiz 4 interface shows your home screen as you customize it. To add an app, swipe left or right until you are on the home screen you want (you have 7). Long-press an empty spot and tap Shortcuts > Applications to pick the app. You can also place a widget (a live icon), Direct dial, Direct message, or Setting shortcut. To remove an item, long-press it and drag it down to the Trash icon. To try a different Wallpaper, tap Home > Menu > Wallpaper. Here's a great video walk-though.
It's Bluetooth 3.0
← See that mouse pointer? Most phones connect to a Bluetooth headset or your car. The Galaxy S II takes this a step further and lets you to connect a Bluetooth wireless mouse or keyboard. This along with HDMI mirroring allows easy control while on an monitor or HDTV. See this video showing USB Host, Bluetooth, and HDMI out from [Only registered users can view links. ].
It Has App Folders
You already use folders on your computer to keep your files organized. Your AT&T Galaxy S II has folders that are just as easy to use. You have so much app storage space (nearly 2GB) that you could download hundreds of Favorite Applications. App Folders let you quickly organize and find your apps.
It Works
Look at how few issues are reported in the Galaxy S II forums. Just as importantly, the Galaxy S II has the key tools that are sometimes missing in "pure" Goggle phones. The AT&T Galaxy S II works right out of the box.
• [Only registered users can view links. ] - Add up to 32GB [Only registered users can view links. ] in addition to the internal 16GB.
• Speed Dial lets you long-press a number 1-9 to call a person. • Smart Dial lets you type 2 for B, 7 for R for names beginning "Br".
• Contact Groups - Tap Home > Contacts and swipe the top blue ribbon to Groups. See, email, text certain groups you set.
It's Really Hands Free
Many "hands free" phones require you to use your hands to push buttons. The Samsung Voice Talk Feature let's you call, text, play music, or open an app without touching your phone. Look at the [Only registered users can view links. ] and a [Only registered users can view links. ]. The Galaxy S II really is "hands free." To enable: Tap Home >Menu > Settings > Motion settings > Double tap.
It's High Def
The Samsung Galaxy S II series has a full 2MP front camera and a full 1080p 8MP rear camera. It can also play HD movies or recordings through the HDMI adapter or [Only registered users can view links. ]. The SGS2 can play most [Only registered users can view links. ], [Only registered users can view links. ], [Only registered users can view links. ], [Only registered users can view links. ]. ([Only registered users can view links. ])
It's Camera Rocks
The Samsung Galaxy S II series [Only registered users can view links. ]: 4X zoom, [Only registered users can view links. ], [Only registered users can view links. ], [Only registered users can view links. ], and so much more.
It's a Good Host
The SGS2 adds USB Host that allows you to plug in a USB memory stick, mouse, or keyboard into a micro USB Host adapter as shown in these videos at [Only registered users can view links. ].
It's Up To Date
Some phones are released with old Android versions. The Galaxy S II bucks this trend with with Android Gingerbread and the TouchWiz 4 user interface pre-installed.
It's Economical
Flagship phones can cost $250 or $300. The AT&T Galaxy S II is $200 for HSPA+ 4G speeds up to 14.4Mbps.
It's the Gesture that Counts
TouchWiz 4 adds a number of nice gestures and motion shortcuts ([Only registered users can view links. ]). To enable: Tap Home >Menu > Settings > Motion settings.
• Contacts: Swipe right on a contact to call the contact or swipe left to text the contact.
• Mute: Turn the phone face down to mute an incoming call or sound.
• Homescreen: Tilt the phone left or right to move pages. Pinch in to see all pages. Swipe left or right on the dots to quickly move pages.
• Brightness: Long-press the notification bar and swipe left or right to manually change brightness if not set to Auto. ([Only registered users can view links. ])
• Scroll: Many apps let you use three finger scrolling to scroll faster or use two fingers to stop instantly without any momentum.
It's Widgets are Resizable
Many widgets can be resized: long-press the widget and the resize tool appears. You don't have to wait for Ice Cream Sandwich!
It Takes Screenshots!
Even the Palm Pre from 2009 could take a screenshot but this simple feature is still missing in Android. Fortunately Samsung added screenshots to the Galaxy S II. To take a screenshot, hold the Home button down and tap the Power button. Screenshots are stored in the Screencapture folder on your phone.
It's Customizable
The Galaxy S II gives you control without rooting. In settings: Home > Menu > Settings...
• [Only registered users can view links. ]: Display > Screen Display > Fonts ([Only registered users can view links. ]).
• Touch key light duration: Display > Screen Display > Touch key backlight time out.
• Display saturation: Display > Screen mode > Dynamic/Normal/Movie
• [Only registered users can view links. ] (to pretend you are another type of phone), in the Browser type "about:user agent".
• [Only registered users can view links. ] and add application pages and folders without root.
• App Drawer Folders: Tap App Drawer > Menu > Edit > Folder
• Change dock icons (Phone/Contact/Messaging): Tap App Drawer > Menu > Edit > drag an icon up
It's Browser Zooms
The Galaxy S II adds some great features in the browser too.
• Reflow: Tap Menu > Setting > Auto-fit pages to have text "re-flow" when you zoom. Double tap to zoom in or out.
• [Only registered users can view links. ]: Press two fingers on the display and tilt forward or back to zoom in/out. ([Only registered users can view links. ])
• To minimize the browser window, pinch in. Swipe to move between windows (like cards).
• Browser brightness: Browser brightness has it's own brightness setting. Tap Menu > Brightness.
• Browser full zoom out: Tap three fingers at once. • Full zoom in: Double tap with one finger.
It's Like An Ice Cream Sandwich
The next version of Andorid should have a great option for Messaging and Email to see split the screen in landscape mode. But you can have it today! You can see the item list and the content at the same time. To set it up, Tap Home > Menu > Settings > Auto-rotate ON. Then in Messages, Tap Menu > Settings Split view ON. In Email (not Gmail), Tap Menu > Settings > Split view mode.
It's Got Sense
Here are a couple of the standard features from HTC Sense that you can add to the Galaxy S II series:
• [Only registered users can view links. ] puts a button on your screen to turn your LED into a powerful flashlight.
• [Only registered users can view links. ] keeps the display on when charging but lets it still dim. No unlock needed while on charger!
• [Only registered users can view links. ] (free, [Only registered users can view links. ]) Senses when you are using your phone and keeps the display on! Spooky! [Only registered users can view links. ]
• [Only registered users can view links. ] (free trial) cover many of the widgets ([Only registered users can view links. ]) • [Only registered users can view links. ] ($3) are also amazing.
• [Only registered users can view links. ] - To silence Samsung phones that beep in the night when they are fully charged.
• [Only registered users can view links. ] has an option for the navigation arrows and much more.
• [Only registered users can view links. ] is even better than the one in HTC Sense.
It's Cheap to Accessorize
Here are some sources for inexpensive accessories.
• [Only registered users can view links. ]: [Only registered users can view links. ] | [Only registered users can view links. ] | [Only registered users can view links. ] | [Only registered users can view links. ] | [Only registered users can view links. ] | [Only registered users can view links. ]
• [Only registered users can view links. ]: [Only registered users can view links. ]7 | [Only registered users can view links. ] | [Only registered users can view links. ]3 | [Only registered users can view links. ] | [Only registered users can view links. ] | [Only registered users can view links. ]
The Galaxy S II has a [Only registered users can view links. ] and [Only registered users can view links. ]. Plus there are over 500 other features shown in the Getting Started. But in the end, phones are like shoes. It's not specs but how it feels to you that matters. Try them out and see what you like.
← This screenshot shows an Epic 4G Touch after 30+ hours on battery. The [Only registered users can view links. ] shows 9+ hours to go.
That's 40 hours...if you know the tricks.
Battery and Display
To last so long, the Galaxy S II starts with a big battery plus the SAMOLED Plus display needs no backlight. An LCD display has backlights that are always drawing power and making black look dark gray. Black takes almost no power in a SAMOLED display.
Power Management Tools
The Galaxy S II also has great power management features. Turn all Power saving mode settings on. Tap: Home > Menu > Power saving mode. Make sure that WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, Sync, and Brightness power management are turned on (checked) as in this screenshot. To automatically find WiFi hotspots you can use, Tap Home > Menu > Settings > Wireless and network > WiFi Settings Network notification ON.
Power Management Basics
Do this simple test. Check your Battery level: tap Home > Menu > Settings > About phone > Status for Battery level % (or get the [Only registered users can view links. ] app to have the % in the status bar). Press Power to turn off the display and take it off any charger. Check again in an hour. If the Battery level has gone down by more than 1%, something is taking your power. There are a number of basic steps you can take to help manage power that may also speed up your phone.
Reboot Your Phone
• If battery life has dropped or your phone is running slow, try a reboot: Long-press Power > Tap Power Off. Turn back on.
• Daily reboots can help keep rogue apps from taking battery life.
Batteries and Chargers
• 100% may not really be 100%. Charge to 100%. Remove from charger. Plug back in. The charge light may go back on!
• USB charging is slow because the current is cut in half. Use good wall chargers. • Get a good car charger or car kit.
• Consider an Extended Battery. External batteries are another option ([Only registered users can view links. ], [Only registered users can view links. ]).
Radios
Turn radios off when not in use.
• Install Power Control widget if not in your Notifications, : Long-press on the home screen > Tap Widgets > Power Control.
• Turn 4G OFF unless streaming HD, etc. 4G takes a huge of power.
• Turn Bluetooth and GPS OFF when not needed.
• Turn WiFi ON if available. 3G uses 50% more power than WiFi.
• Turn Airplane mode ON when not accepting calls or texts.
• Or try the [Only registered users can view links. ] • [Only registered users can view links. ] or Curvefish widgets: • [Only registered users can view links. ] • [Only registered users can view links. ] • [Only registered users can view links. ] • [Only registered users can view links. ] • [Only registered users can view links. ]
Display
Install [Only registered users can view links. ] (free, [Only registered users can view links. ]) to see the real Battery % in Your Status Bar.
• Use a dark non-Live wallpaper.: Tap Home > Wallpaper > Wallpapers. Live Wallpaper is always on. (How to add wallpaper)
• Try a dark blue, green, red, black or other dark wallpaper for high contrast to allow a lower brightness setting.
• Set Brightness to Automatic or low: Tap Home > Settings > Display > Brightness
• Set Screen timeout to 1 minute or less: Tap Home > Settings > Display > Screen Timeout
• Turn animations off: Tap Home > Settings > Display > Animation > No animation
• The free Curvefish [Only registered users can view links. ] lets you instantly tap a preset brightness or set any brightness you like.
• Widgets may be stealing your power. Remove one you don't use: Long-press the widget and drag down to the trash.
• Certain Streaming Music, Email, News, and Social Networking widgets are especially bad.
Apps
Streaming music, movies, games, navigation, Maps, chat, social media, live wallpaper, and widgets reduce your battery life.
• Update your apps. Upgrades often fix power issues: Tap Market > Menu > My Apps > Update all
• Facebook: Sync with Facebook less often: Tap Facebook > Back >Menu > Settings > Refresh interval > 4 hours
• Email: If you use regular email, reduce syncing: Tap Email > Menu > Settings > Email check frequency > 1 hour or longer.
• Email: Don't hoard emails. Delete old message to make Email load faster and save power.
• Texts: Don't hoard text messages: Tap Messaging > Menu > Settings > Text message limit to 100 messages per conversation.
• [Only registered users can view links. ] (free, [Only registered users can view links. ]) will what apps are using the Internet and taking your power.
Browser
Turn off Flash to make pages load faster and use less power. Often flash content is ads. Tap something if you want to see it.
• Set plug-ins like Adobe Flash to On demand: Tap Browser > Menu > Settings > Enable plug-ins > On demand.
Turn off the motor
Haptic feedback (vibration) powers a motor in the phone to make it shake.
• Turn off key vibration: Tap Home > Settings > Sound > Vibrate Feedback OFF
• Turn off keyboard vibration: Tap Home > Settings > Language & keyboard > {keyboard settings}
Clear your memory
If your have too little RAM available your phone struggles to keep swapping. Keep at least 80 MB of Available Space.
• Check your Available Space: Tap Menu > Settings > Storage and check the Device memory Available space.
• Move apps to the SD card: Tap the App then tap Move to SD card (unless it's a widget you use)
• [Only registered users can view links. ] and [Only registered users can view links. ] let you move a list of apps to or from your microSD.
Find the Battery Sucker
If your battery doesn't last long even when the phone is not is use with 4G, Bluetooth, and GPS off, no Life Wallpaper, and a reboot, let's find out why:
1. Turn off Background data and Auto-sync: Tap Home > Menu > Accounts and sync > Auto-sync OFF, Background data OFF
2. Turn Airplane mode On: Tap Home > Menu > Wireless and network > Airplane mode ON.
3. Note the [Only registered users can view links. ] % or tap Home > Menu > Settings > About phone > Status for Battery level %.
4. Turn the display off. Unplug from charger.
5. In 20 minutes, check the battery level again (step 3 above).
• If the battery level dropped over 1%, you have a bad app or widget. →→ Have you added any widgets? Try removing them for now: Long-press the widget and drag it down to the trash. →→ Tap Home > Menu > Applications > Running Services. Tap one you installed. Stop it. Test again until you find the bad app.
• If your Battery % dropped less than 1% in 20 minutes, check for poor signal strength: →→ Turn Airplane mode Off: Tap Home > Menu > Wireless and network > Airplane mode OFF. Turn the display off.
6. In another 20 minutes, check the battery level again.
• If the battery level dropped over 1%, it may be due to Roaming or poor signal (1-3 bars): →→ Try Roaming off: Tap Home > Menu > Wireless and network > Roaming > Roaming mode > Sprint only. →→ Tell your carrier (Sprint: ask for a free Airave for your Home). In your car, consider the [Only registered users can view links. ] ([Only registered users can view links. ]).
• If it still drops less than 1% per 20 minutes, check for an Auto-sync problem. →→ Turn Auto-sync ON: Tap Home > Menu > Accounts and sync > Auto-sync ON and Background data ON. Turn the display off.
7. In another 20 minutes, check the battery level again.
• If the battery level dropped over 1%, it is an Auto-sync or Background data problem. Check each app that syncs. →→ Keep Auto-sync OFF but Background data ON to see if it is an Account Auto sync problem. →→ Turn off Gmail sync: Tap Home > Menu > Accounts and sync > Google account > uncheck Gmail →→ Test again until you find the account sync problem.
If the battery level still drops less than 1% per 20 minutes, the good news is your phone is great. Your battery problem may be an app that you use such as music, movies, games, or navigation.
Most Android phones let you copy something and paste it somewhere else. But have you ever wished you could paste the thing you copied a minute ago?
With the Samsung Galaxy S II, you can!
The Galaxy S II Clipboard saves typing and improves accuracy.
Copy text while composing
1. Tap in the text box at the end of the last word to copy.
2. Tap the blue arrow that appears.
3. Tap Select all or Select word.
4. Optional: Drag the end arrows to include just the text you want to copy.
5. Tap Copy
Paste or delete an item in the clipboard
1. Tap in the text box at the end of the last word to copy.
2. Tap the blue arrow that appears.
3. To paste or delete an item in the clipboard:
• Pate: Tap Paste for the last thing you copied -or- Tap Clipboard see the clipboard with previous items.
• Delete: Long-press an item and then tap Delete from clipboard.
Copy other content
To copy other content such as a web pages photo while in the browser:
1. Long press the screen area containing the selected text/image.
2. Drag your finger across the screen to highlight the content.
3. Tap Copy, Search (Google, Google translate, Wikipedia), or Share (text or image).
If you tapped Copy, the content is now in your clipboard ready to be pasted as before.
Last edited by milominderbinder; 10-10-2011 at 10:22 AM.
To customize the lock screen on other phones can mean needing to root the phone or install third-party software. Samsung has made it easy to customize the Galaxy S II Series right out of the box.
By moving the clock to the Middle or Top positions, message pop-up show on the bottom of the screen where they are easier to slide. In this example on the right, the lock screen clock position has been changed to middle:
Home > Menu > Settings > Display > Screen Display > Lock screen > Clock Position > Middle
The Galaxy S II Series has a number of wallpapers but few will be available unless you know the trick. First you will need some wallpaper to choose from. To get you started, here are some wallpapers to download and unzip to your computer: [Only registered users can view links. ] (thanks Jerry!) and [Only registered users can view links. ].
The example to the right above shows that the owner's name and phone number have been added to the lock screen wallpaper. You can use a free windows program like [Only registered users can view links. ] to add your text. This way someone could call your home or office number and return the phone if it is found.
To copy wallpaper to your phone, the steps in the Getting Started section on Putting Music, Photos, Movies, Wallpaper and Documents on your phone
1. Connect your phone to your PC with your USB cable.
2. Swipe down the top notifications bar.
3. Click on USB Connected > Connect USB storage.
4. When your phone pops up on your PC as a new USB drive, go into file explorer (In windows, right-click Start the click Explore). If you have a microSD card and internal memory, your phone might show up as two different drives, for instance F: and G:.
5. In windows, right-click Start the click Explore.
6. Create a folder called "Wallpaper" on your phone if it's not already there.
7. Drag and drop files to your phone's "wallpaper" folder.
8. When done, right click on the phone drive letter and click "Eject" & disconnect.
9. Reboot the phone so that it will find the new files: Long-press Power to turn off then press power to turn back on.
To use your own wallpaper on your Lock screen: Tap Home > Menu > Settings > Display > Screen Display > Lock screen Wallpaper > Gallery > Gallery
Last edited by milominderbinder; 10-10-2011 at 06:23 AM.
Folders
You already use folders on your computer to keep your files organized. Your AT&T Galaxy S II has folders that are just as easy to use. You have so much app storage space (nearly 2GB) that you could download hundreds of Favorite Applications. App Folders let you quickly organize and find your apps.
That's where the Samsung TouchWiz 4 App Folders help you:
• Find any app with just three taps.
• Keep your home screen clear.
• Quickly find new apps that you have added.
• Never again have to look at the carrier's apps (bloat) unless you want.
Samsung Galaxy S II folders are not even documented in the Users Guide but they are here. Instead of having the apps spread out across many screens, Samsung lets you put up to 256 app in folders on the main app screen. You can use any folder name but for now let's create a folder called "My Media".
Create an App Folder
Tap Menu > Edit and an "Add folder" icon appears at the lower left. You made need to tap Switch modes if it asks. Drag your Camera, Gallery, Videos, Photo Editor, Video Maker, and Media Hub apps down into Add folder. You can move through the app screens collecting up the apps you want. When you are done, go back to the first screen and drag your folder up into place and name it "My Media" when asked.
Create other folders as you like. For instance instead of deleting all of the carrier apps that came with your phone, consider dumping into it in case you ever need one. Why not? You have the room and now you will never have to look at them unless you want to.
Try to put no more than 16 apps in each folder or you have to scroll down to see everything in the folder. When you are done, tap Menu > Save. To rename a folder, tap the folder and then long-press on the top bar of the folder. To delete a folder, tap Menu > Edit then tap the folder and all its contents will be back out into the App Drawer.
Remember to Save
Always save when you are done by tapping Menu > Save. Tap the Home key in the lower right to go back to your home screens. You can clear all the apps off your home screens so that you have more room for widget or just to see a favorite photo as wallpaper.
Now you are just three clicks away from any of your apps: Tap Applications > {Folder} > {App}.
Change App Drawer Icons
To replace the Phone, Contacts, or Messaging apps in the App Dock at the bottom of the screen: While still in the Applications Drawer, tap Menu > Edit then long press the app to remove and drag it up into the page above. Long press the app you want to put into the App Dock and drag it down into position. You can also re-arrange the apps in the App Dock. The Applications icon on the lower left cannot be removed.
You can do even better things with your home screens. See Folders for how to make your main home screen look like this. Notice the custom icons? Oh, and have fun with your new phone!
Last edited by milominderbinder; 10-10-2011 at 10:23 AM.
← See the mouse arrow on the lower right on this screenshot?
The Samsung Galaxy S II has several great undocumented features. One is that you can connect many models of Bluetooth mice or keyboards and other Bluetooth devices. This is especially nice if you are playing back a 1080p recording or movie or doing a presentation. Here's how.
1. Go to your Bluetooth settings: Home > Menu > Settings > Wireless and network > Bluetooth settings.
2. Turn on your Bluetooth mouse or keyboard and tap the Pair (or Connect) button on it.
3. On the phone check Visible ON then tap Search for devices.
4. When asked to confirm the device, Tap OK. Have fun!
Thanks to RamboDroid for these Mouse Tricks!
• Left click is Select
• Right click is Back
• Click the wheel for Menu
You can also connect a Bluetooth enabled laptop as shown in this example to allow you to play music from your Samsung Galaxy S II on your laptop using Bluetooth. The Kies Air feature can also use a PC-Samsung Galaxy S II Bluetooth connection to sync contacts, music, photos, and more.
Last edited by milominderbinder; 10-10-2011 at 10:24 AM.
Again note that most of this content was taken from testing with the Epic 4G Touch which should be almost identical. Please PM me is anything is different. Thanks!
Last edited by milominderbinder; 10-10-2011 at 10:24 AM.
Again note that most of this content was taken from testing with the Epic 4G Touch which should be almost identical. Please PM me is anything is different. Thanks!
Under "Economical" it's listed as $230, when it will debut at $200. NBD though, I'm sure most know the pricing.
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