Originally Posted by DarkJedi

Not all SII's had NFC. Do a quick Google/Bing search and you'll see articles covering how to determine which carrier and which batch of phones did or did not have the NFC circuits added.

Tethering is a Straight Talk no-no. So of course it'd be disabled. Other carriers have done the same thing with many Android phones / tablets. Of course, this wouldn't stop someone who really wants to tether. (under breath... FoxFi)

Adobe Flash. Yeah, they hid it as they don't plan to support it anymore. You can try to install it from Google Play or from Adobe's Archived Flash Player page (you'll need to allow your SII to install apps from unknown sources - in settings)

Yup. Most Straight Talk phones will not receive any OS updates. There is no profit in it for them. They would rather you bought another phone from them. However, you can find here and on other websites, information on how to modify/update your phone.

Bare bones pricing means bare bones service and support. Don't expect to walk into a WalMart and get help like you can at a carrier's store.

Now where are those data plans for the Death Star you stole?