Samsung Galaxy S2 - Amazed !

[NikGrey]

I have had this phone for a few days now and feel like I have to tell you about it - I'm quite simply amazed.

Being the kind of person I am it took a big change in my life to get me to take a contract phone - I did my usual of researching everything before deciding on my purchase.
I went for a Galaxy S2 (White) on O2 - 1gb data (as I need Skype chat for business) 100 mins (I dont call people) and 500 texts for £25.50 a month.

I also researched the best place to buy this and have a page about that HERE - it is an affiliate link there.

So, At first I couldn't get mobile internet but it seems this is because the company give you an unlocked phone and just add the Sim card for the network of your choice (saves money) - so you have to set up the APN (Access Point Name).. this involves adding a few details and setting that up on the fone.

If you went to a phone shop they would do this for you but I found I could get the same deal as I have for £31 a month and I wasn't going to pay an extra £132 (£5.50 x 24 months) for a few minutes work.

Set up was a breeze and I can get 3 of 4 bars signal wise in a place where I could get no signal from any other network.


The battery at first doesnt last long (about 7 hours) but that's the same with all batteries of this technology - they need a few charge/discharge cycles until they perform at their optimum.

I was happy with the original battery but I did buy another 'Business Batter' from ebay for £10 which is something like double the mah of the original.

The Apps are amazing - I was on my Mac earlier browsing the apps at Google Play - I saw a 'Solar Charger' which I liked to clicked 'Install' - to my surprise it was installed onto my fone ! I do have the google account linked on my fone and computers but didn't expect that.. amazed.

This solar charger turns the screen into a solar cell (no idea, before you ask) and appears to charge the fone - they say this is genuine but I am going to do further testing before I state that it does work as advertised and is not a joke.

There is so much to do on these fones and I find myself not needing a Traditional computer as much now as I can do just about everything on this fone - not intensive graphics and websites etc but most things.

If your considering a fone I strongly suggest you consider this one.

See my delivery times HERE.

[Ken]

I have this on contract with Orange with unlimited texts, 1 gb internet 2 swaps a mth (TV & Maps) 300 mins. x network £23.50.

It's a brilliant phone., nah, pocket computer that lets me connect to the www from almost anywhere. Loads of free & paid apps.
My sister reckons its loads better than her iPhone.

The 8mp camera takes fantastic pictures and I'm so impressed with the voice control, and how the heck does it read a business card then automatically adds the name and telephone number from the card to your contact list!

Turn on location and it will let your friends see on a map where you are and where you have been. Not always a good idea lol

My negatives would be the short battery life (normal on this type of phone) which can be improved by switching off the apps your not using. The case feels a little 'plasticky' so 9/10

Some of my friends now do all their browsing on smart phones. Remember this when building your websites, to make them mobile friendly!

The solar cell sounds interesting but doubtful!

[NikGrey]

The Solar Charger turned out to be a joke - but a high quality one which is great fun to demonstrate in the pub.

The battery issue was resolved with the purchase of the 'Business Battery' - I have no problems with power now.

Search eBay for this: NEW HIGH CAPACITY GOLD 2680mAH BUSINESS BATTERY FOR SAMSUNG i9100 GALAXY S2 UK

There's no point in me posting a link as it wont be live for long.

The original battery is a 1650 mah (handy to carry as a spare) but as you can see the new battery is considerably more powerful.

I'm amazed at the screen this has STILL - it's head and shoulders above all other smart phones I cave come across.

I'm really pleased with this.. but I imagine you have already worked that out :)

[joyhealey]

I've got this phone too, through O2 and really pleased with it - although I'm not fully up-to-speed yet, because it's my first smart phone and I haven't persuaded it to connect to the Internet "in the street" so to speak. (Fine when it hooks in through various WiFi.)

However I went into the O2 shop the other day to ask for help and they fixed up a FREE half hour appointment next week with a "guru" who will answer my questions and get me trained up. Great service, so I'm now listing various questions that are foxing me.

[NikGrey]

I was just about to tell you how to do it Joy but no need now - this is my first smart phone too but I did a lot of research before buying.

When I first got this I couldn't connect whilst outside but thats because I hadn't set up an 'Access Point' as I said.. but as you have the attention of a Guru make the most of it.

I notice that the both of you who have taken part in this thread have also sponsored me for the big 'Shave Off' :) great show :)

[NikGrey]

As default they are set to ring for 15 secs before the Answer Machine kicks in - thats no long enough for my so I found a way to double that time to 30 secs (maximum).

There are some codes online which didnt work but I just found one which does work (on o2 anyway).

1. Dial *#61# and click Send. You will see your VM access number and the current ring delay time.

2. Write down the phone number displayed (including +1).

3. Dial **61*+1xxxyyyzzzz*11*30# and hit Send. +1xxxyyyzzzz is the number you wrote down previously, 30 is the delay in seconds. The delay can be set in 5 second increments, 30 is maximum.

4. Dial *#61# to verify that the new settings are active.