Switching from iPhone4 to Samsung Galaxy S2

[keving9012]

Hey, I'm switching from my iPhone 4 to the Samsung Galaxy S2 when its FINALLY released October 2nd. I've been waiting for a really nice android to come to AT&T and wasn't eligible for an upgrade when the Atrix came out. I'm just so sick of Apple and the iPhone. I've really never touched Android until yesterday but have always admired from afar. So my questions are, what's the difference between stock Gingerbread and Touchwiz? What are some must have apps for me to get? Any good cases/case brands I should look into? And how is the modder community for the Galaxy S2? When ICS comes out will the modders most likely release it for the Galaxy S2? Forgive my ignorance, I'm just entering your world lol. Thanks in advance!

 

[MJC UK]

The best thing to do is read tge stickies to find out everything you need to know, a long job but its the best way to learn.

As for apps, all i did was look at my iPhone apps and then looked them up on the market.

The thing you really want to check out are the various launchers, basically themes, which have their own widgets etc. Almost everything you want the phone to do can be done with a launcher or a widget. If you ever jailbroke your iPhone, you'll find all of that stuff ready made on the Samsung

 

[justabrake]

The best thing to do is read tge stickies to find out everything you need to know, a long job but its the best way to learn.

As for apps, all i did was look at my iPhone apps and then looked them up on the market.

The thing you really want to check out are the various launchers, basically themes, which have their own widgets etc. Almost everything you want the phone to do can be done with a launcher or a widget. If you ever jailbroke your iPhone, you'll find all of that stuff ready made on the Samsung

I have to ask this ! As an iphone 4 ex jailbroken phone user I use to be able to get some free apps out their ! LOL you know what I mean ! is there this for android also ?

 

[Shotgun84]

I've never owned an iPhone myself but I think gingerbread is like you're ios and touchwiz its how you're "ios" looks. If you instal a different launcher (from touchwiz) such as go launcher or launcher pro, etc the look of you're home page and app draw will look different and customizable in respective ways.

 

[Shotgun84]

I have to ask this ! As an iphone 4 ex jailbroken phone user I use to be able to get some free apps out their ! LOL you know what I mean ! is there this for android also ?

No. Android apps are worth paying for.

 

[phonefool]

So my questions are, what's the difference between stock Gingerbread and Touchwiz? What are some must have apps for me to get? Any good cases/case brands I should look into? And how is the modder community for the Galaxy S2? When ICS comes out will the modders most likely release it for the Galaxy S2? Forgive my ignorance, I'm just entering your world lol. Thanks in advance!

The stock Gingerbread operating system is very good on the Galaxy S2. I have one I bought on a trip to Germany a few months ago. I also have an iPhone 4 as I'm a software engineer in the mobile and desktop space.

Touchwiz is like Windows or the Mac desktop. It's what you see when you are using your phone. It's what controls the apps etc. It's a the shell over the OS.

Here's my advice, don't believe all the negative stuff you read. Most of it is from people that have not taken the time to read about and learn Android. It's not hard, it's really no different than when you first got an iPhone and had to learn it. Very intuitive you will learn Android faster if you do a little googling and reading.

Leave your Galaxy S2 totally stock and learn Android. Take your time, read the forums and other resources. Right out of the box, that is an excellent phone.

There's plenty of free apps in the app store, but I would only use a few until you become familiar with what comes on the phone. Take it slow and easy and you will have a really great experience. I prefer Android by a very wide margin over Apple's iPhone.

 

[justabrake]

No. Android apps are worth paying for.

do the apps that you buy do they stay with you lifetime or do you have to buy them over for each phone you buy

 

[rikki_sun]

congras ! u have just relived your life.

 

[chile7236]

was checking out the S2 today and really want to get one....very nice phone. as far as i am concerned, anyone switching from the iPhone will have any easy time with the UI on the S2...great phone. wish i would've waited before picking up my evo 4g...

 

[keving9012]

The stock Gingerbread operating system is very good on the Galaxy S2. I have one I bought on a trip to Germany a few months ago. I also have an iPhone 4 as I'm a software engineer in the mobile and desktop space.

Touchwiz is like Windows or the Mac desktop. It's what you see when you are using your phone. It's what controls the apps etc. It's a the shell over the OS.

Here's my advice, don't believe all the negative stuff you read. Most of it is from people that have not taken the time to read about and learn Android. It's not hard, it's really no different than when you first got an iPhone and had to learn it. Very intuitive you will learn Android faster if you do a little googling and reading.

Leave your Galaxy S2 totally stock and learn Android. Take your time, read the forums and other resources. Right out of the box, that is an excellent phone.

There's plenty of free apps in the app store, but I would only use a few until you become familiar with what comes on the phone. Take it slow and easy and you will have a really great experience. I prefer Android by a very wide margin over Apple's iPhone.

Great reply, I'm actually a junior in software engineering. One of the main reasons I decided to pick up the Galaxy S II is to start making some Java apps for it. I like Objective C but Java is much more versatile. I can't wait to get this phone, the next week is just going to crawl by. What are some of the best resources to look at? Either websites or youtube channels? Now comes the decision of what to do with the old iPhone, sell or keep haha.

 

[Shotgun84]

do the apps that you buy do they stay with you lifetime or do you have to buy them over for each phone you buy

The apps you pay for are saved to you're google account so there's no need to pay for anything twice.

 

[Slug]

As an iphone 4 ex jailbroken phone user I use to be able to get some free apps out their ! LOL you know what I mean !

You mean pirated apps? Not on Android Forums, sorry. Policy on this is very clear and non-negotiable - distributing or linking to copyrighted software is against the Site Rules.

 

[n7plus1]

congrats and gl...

I, too, switched from an i4

 

[matttye]

It's likely that Android ICS will be released for the S2 without mods... might just have to wait a bit.

 

[acp]

I had an iphone4 and am just wondering if anyone can tell me how Netflix or hbo streaming looks on the samsung s2 compared to the iphone4.

 

[keving9012]

I can't tell you how it looks for sure, but the screen looks incredible! Its larger than the iphone as well. I'm willing to bet viewing videos on the S2 is much better than the iPhone. I just need this week to hurry up and go by so I can get mine...first world problems...

 

[MJC UK]

I had an iphone4 and am just wondering if anyone can tell me how Netflix or hbo streaming looks on the samsung s2 compared to the iphone4.

If it's anything like youtube or BBC iplayer, the quality will be slightly worse..I'm not sure what it is with this phone, but watching streaming video leaves a lot to be desired imo. It's not unwatchable by any means, but you my find it lacking compared to the iPhone.

I'm not seeing what all the fuss was about with the SG2 screen. It's certainly bigger and brighter, but the resolution isn't as good as the retina display.

 

[Jazman]

The stock Gingerbread operating system is very good on the Galaxy S2. I have one I bought on a trip to Germany a few months ago. I also have an iPhone 4 as I'm a software engineer in the mobile and desktop space.

Touchwiz is like Windows or the Mac desktop. It's what you see when you are using your phone. It's what controls the apps etc. It's a the shell over the OS.

Here's my advice, don't believe all the negative stuff you read. Most of it is from people that have not taken the time to read about and learn Android. It's not hard, it's really no different than when you first got an iPhone and had to learn it. Very intuitive you will learn Android faster if you do a little googling and reading.

Leave your Galaxy S2 totally stock and learn Android. Take your time, read the forums and other resources. Right out of the box, that is an excellent phone.

There's plenty of free apps in the app store, but I would only use a few until you become familiar with what comes on the phone. Take it slow and easy and you will have a really great experience. I prefer Android by a very wide margin over Apple's iPhone.

Great advice, it's good to hear the voice of sanity and reason now and again , after having owned a Hero for a couple of years and having installed various ROM's during that time, I was debating about rooting and installing a different ROM on my new Galaxy, but quite honestly I can't find a compelling reason at the moment, so yes take the phonefool's advice and take your time, quite frankly there's not a lot wrong with the Samsung Galaxy S2 or the OS
Cheers
Paul

 

[acp]

Exactly what I imagined, but I'm sure animated shows look amazing in comparison.

 

[princeferoz]

I recently switched from an iPhone 4 to the SGS2 and I love this phone. This is by far one of the most powerful and one of the best phones out in the market. I have it totally stock and I am in total shock as to what the phone already does without rooting it. Heck I'm not even going to root this phone because I'm already able to do everything I need to do. I have the European model.

You've already made the best choice, best of luck and you'll love the phone.

 

[barne1980]

I had a desire and then moved back to apple after I broke it. I regreted it within a month, thought the same thing the first fewdays with this, but I was wrong. I normally buy a phone love it and then gradually get dissapointed, this is the opposite. It has some flaws but im really pleased with it, im sure you wont regret it.

 

[amsid]

I planning on switching to the SGS2 in a few days from my old 3GS. I'm an avid jailbreaker and want to take the android customization route. Also the SGS2 itself is appealing haha.

I do have one question though that I haven't been able to find a clear answer to. Is it simple to restore the phone? For example, with the iphone you can easily restore your firmware to remove a jailbreak or what not. Is that an easy process with the Android OS?

So stoked for this phone, oh man....