Samsung Galaxy S2 to get Ice Cream Sandwich

[admin_exported]

Good new for all here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17352795

Hopefully provider specific updates will follow soon!

 

[The_Lhc]

Good new for all here:

"all"? I don't own a Galaxy S2, so it isn't "Good new" (sic) for me, it's just new.

 

[Paul.]

I probably would own one if it came with ice cream sandwiches. Mm, got a powerful craving for Maxibon now, can you still buy those?

 

[Paul.]

No you can't

 

[Anonymous]

I have the Galaxy S2 ( I wish I had an iPhone though).

I wouldn't hold your breath, because the network providers need time to overload it with all their self-serving bloatware first.

Martin

 

[Paul.]

Cant you just root it? I though the master was usually available from google somewhere?

 

[Anonymous]

Cant you just root it? I though the master was usually available from google somewhere?

Yes, I think you can - not sure if this affects the warranty though.

My S2 has been replaced twice now (in only 4 months), so I wouldn't like to risk a non-official upgrade.

What does ICS give you that the old software doesn't?

Martin

 

[Paul.]

Couldn't tell you I'm afraid, I just came here on the promise of Maxibon. I'm sure one of the forum members will answer shortly.

 

[Anonymous]

Rooting any phone voids the warranty. I'll buy a Galaxy S3 when they're out, it'll have at least a 720p screen, maybe even a 4.8 inch 1080p screen if certain rumours are correct. The S2 is fantastic but let down by it's low res screen IMO, text can appear jagged in comparison to the current ppi (pixels per inch) champ, the iPhone 4.

As soon as the iPhone 5 appears i'll fflog the GS3 and get one of them 8)

 

[fr0g]

Rooting any phone voids the warranty. I'll buy a Galaxy S3 when they're out, it'll have at least a 720p screen, maybe even a 4.8 inch 1080p screen if certain rumours are correct. The S2 is fantastic but let down by it's low res screen IMO, text can appear jagged in comparison to the current ppi (pixels per inch) champ, the iPhone 4.

As soon as the iPhone 5 appears i'll fflog the GS3 and get one of them 8)

It's easy to get high ppi simply by having a small screen, however the champ would be the Sony Xperia S I believe. 4.3 inch and a 720x1280 screen.

Can't say I've ever noticed jagged text on my HTC DHD though with its "inferior" display. Ultra high res displays on phones are pointless wastes of battery though if you ask me.

 

[Anonymous]

By Jove fr0g, you're right , the Sony Experia S has a ppi of 342..

I agree to a point though, once you pass the 300 ppi mark, improvements won't be noticeable, but too far below that and text doesn't look great.

 

[fr0g]

By Jove fr0g, you're right , the Sony Experia S has a ppi of 342..

I agree to a point though, once you pass the 300 ppi mark, improvements won't be noticeable, but too far below that and text doesn't look great.

Text looks more than smooth enough on my phone. Most 15" laptops are at most 1680x1050. So that's around 150. Mine is 17" and 1920x1080, so a bit less. Is the text ever jagged, no.

If the text on a S2 is jagged anywhere, it's the software, not the resolution.

This whole drive for higher density screens reminds me of the megapixel race. It aint the quantity, it's the quality.

 

[Anonymous]

Bigger screens don't need a high ppi because you'll be looking at them from further away, like a 1080p 40in tv, the ppi on one of those will be much lower than most smartphones but you'll be sat at least 4 or 5 feet from it hence it'll look sharp, but have a look at one from about a foot away and you'll see the pixels.

Software can't overcome the problems a low ppi brings, the HTC Sensation XL has a fantastic screen, very bright and punchy with good blacks and great viewing angles, but at 4.7in and with a resolution if 800 x 480 text appears jagged when zoomed out, the GS2 to a lesser extent as its screen is smaller, but you can still make out the pixels.

As I say, once you cram enough ppi in at a given screen size then This isn't a problem, it seems all of this years high end smartphones will have enough ppi, catching up with Apple

 

[fr0g]

Bigger screens don't need a high ppi because you'll be looking at them from further away, like a 1080p 40in tv, the ppi on one of those will be much lower than most smartphones but you'll be sat at least 4 or 5 feet from it hence it'll look sharp, but have a look at one from about a foot away and you'll see the pixels.

Software can't overcome the problems a low ppi brings, the HTC Sensation XL has a fantastic screen, very bright and punchy with good blacks and great viewing angles, but at 4.7in and with a resolution if 800 x 480 text appears jagged when zoomed out, the GS2 to a lesser extent as its screen is smaller, but you can still make out the pixels.

As I say, once you cram enough ppi in at a given screen size then This isn't a problem, it seems all of this years high end smartphones will have enough ppi, catching up with Apple

I'm sat about 18" from a 24" screen with a ppi of less than 100. It isn't jagged at all, ever. It's software, not hardware, unless you have a focus ability of an inch and have it to your nose.

There is no need to "catch up". Other firms should concentrate on battery life and leave the pointless ppi race to Apple. But they won't.

Give me an 800x480 screen on a phone and higher battery life anyday. It's more than enough.

 

[Anonymous]

fr0g, my iPhone has a 3.5in screen yet in portrait mode and zoomed out, I can read every word on the WHF home page, this is because of it's high ppi. Try that on your DhD, all words won't be legible. Ppi matters on smartphones.

 

[fr0g]

fr0g, my iPhone has a 3.5in screen yet in portrait mode and zoomed out, I can read every word on the WHF home page, this is because of it's high ppi. Try that on your DhD, all words won't be legible. Ppi matters on smartphones.

If I zoom to the entire page I can't read a single word. Not because of ppi, but because it's too small.

Anything over 200 is a waste imo. You must have "golden eyes"

 

[Sliced Bread]

As I say, once you cram enough ppi in at a given screen size then This isn't a problem, it seems all of this years high end smartphones will have enough ppi, catching up with Apple

All ready caught up and overtaken in some cases (experia s). It's apples turn now to play catchup with the iphone 5.

On a seperate note, I was playing with a windows 7 phone (lumina) the other day. They are actually really nice. The processor on paper is not all that, but in practice the phone is really smooth and nice. The GUI is a little more interesting than the current iphone / android operating systems too.

Might even be my next choice. It's nice to be different

 

[Anonymous]

I had a Samsung Galaxy Portal and upgraded to an S2. Both have the same resolution but the S2's screen is larger so the PPI is less. Using the Kindle reader on both phones, the first thing I noticed was how jagged characters looked on the S2 compared to the Portal because of the reduced PPI.

I love my S2, but do wish for a higher-res screen, the same way that the new iPad has caught my attention with it's higher res screen. Prior to that, I'd not been interested in any tablet device because compared to my 1080p and 1920x1200 laptops, the resolution on most tablets is too low to interest me and this makes such a difference when browsing the web.

300ppi is probably enough though.

Anyway, looking forward to the ICS update for my S2

 

[Anonymous]

Last time I went for an eye test I was told I was one of the lucky ones who has 20-20 vision. Does that mean I have golden eyes? Hold on, doesn't David Beckham have golden..... ah yes, that was something else and I definitely don't have them!

 

[chebby]

If I zoom to the entire page I can't read a single word. Not because of ppi, but because it's too small.

Anything over 200 is a waste imo. You must have "golden eyes"

I was surfing WHF over a coffee yesterday (no zoom but in 'landscape' orientation) easily, from the distance of the tabletop, on my iPhone 4.

I was also reading this extract from a book review (again, no zoom, using landscape* and from tabletop distance)...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9088694/Capital-by-John-Lanchester-Exclusive-extract.html

I don't think I have 'golden eyes'.

*Just tested it again and 'landscape' or 'Portrait' makes no difference to font size as the text is just reformatted to a wider or thinner column respectively.

 

[fr0g]

I love my S2, but do wish for a higher-res screen, the same way that the new iPad has caught my attention with it's higher res screen. Prior to that, I'd not been interested in any tablet device because compared to my 1080p and 1920x1200 laptops, the resolution on most tablets is too low to interest me and this makes such a difference when browsing the web.

300ppi is probably enough though.

Anyway, looking forward to the ICS update for my S2

You realise that dpi on a 15" 1920x1200 laptop is less than 150? Less than 130 on a 17".

I am getting tempted to buy a tablet, probably the Samsung Galaxy 8.9". 1280x800, ppi of around 170. More than enough

 

[Anonymous]

If ppi was of no relevance then an sd tv would be as sharp as a hd tv. But of course they're not. But once a ppi has been reached-in relation to viewing distance and screen size, that makes pixels impossible to see, no gains can be had from a higher ppi. That's why 4k2k is pointless.

 

[fr0g]

If I zoom to the entire page I can't read a single word. Not because of ppi, but because it's too small.

Anything over 200 is a waste imo. You must have "golden eyes"

I was surfing WHF over a coffee yesterday (no zoom but in 'landscape' orientation) easily, from the distance of the tabletop, on my iPhone 4.

I was also reading this extract from a book review (again, no zoom, using landscape* and from tabletop distance)...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9088694/Capital-by-John-Lanchester-Exclusive-extract.html

I don't think I have 'golden eyes'.

*Just tested it again and 'landscape' or 'Portrait' makes no difference to font size as the text is just reformatted to a wider or thinner column respectively.

I'd call that very good near-sight! There's no way I could do that, no matter the resolution, the text is simply too small. I just tried it on my Desire HD, and I have to bring it within a foot to read it, and then it's not particularly comfortable.

To be fair, I am slightly long-sighted though ! :=)

 

[Anonymous]

Indeed, it's just that I appreciate the higher ppi on my phone because I use it everyday for reading books. However, I'd love to have higher-res screens for my laptops and work PCs too. I stare at the damn things enough!

I don't know at what point the human eye can no longer make out individual pixels and I'm sure it's different for each of us. I remember years ago when printers output at less than 300dpi and that was seen as the level to aim for for good-quality printing.

 

[fr0g]

Indeed, it's just that I appreciate the higher ppi on my phone because I use it everyday for reading books. However, I'd love to have higher-res screens for my laptops and work PCs too. I stare at the damn things enough!

I don't know at what point the human eye can no longer make out individual pixels and I'm sure it's different for each of us. I remember years ago when printers output at less than 300dpi and that was seen as the level to aim for for good-quality printing.

For reading I use a Kindle. Far better than any tablet or phone I've tried But obviously it needs a light on at night