The iPhone without its shortcomings ... but without GPS!

Let it be said right away: contrary to presage let the title of my review, I am not anti-Apple or pro-Android. I'm just a techie user and very curious to discover a maximum of different products.

On this principle, I discovered, used and abused the Apple mobile OS, iOS, through an iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, which I kept for 1 year each. I was tempted by the purchase of the iPhone 4, however, I found it too expensive and not enough innovative than previous iPhones. Because of this, but also a bit of weariness, I decided to see what was going on in the competition. And I was more seduced by purchasing the top Android smartphones of the moment, the Samsung Galaxy S2, I covet since its announcement in Barcelona, ​​in March 2011.
So I decided to build my opinion on this smartphone, comparing it to a competitor, the iPhone 3GS. Although it is getting old, the OS of the two phones are, themselves, in their latest version.

After unpacking, I marveled (is the word) by its design both thinner and with a larger than that of the iPhone 3GS screen. With very good finish, it will seduce more than one. Only the rear shell "cheese grater" made me a little afraid, because I found it a little unpleasant to the touch. But with a hull or simply habit, you end up doing it.
Among the supplied accessories include a charger (I find quite fragile) in-ear headphones (which I have not tested), and if I forget nothing of memory, a rather crude form, which is increasingly common with this type of device, saving paper oblige! Shame about the lack of micro SD card even if the internal capacity of 16GB phone is more than enough for a start, and especially red card for the absence of MHL cable, connecting the smartphone to a TV via an image transmission technology in HD, sold separately and not given (30).

Not content to offer a record screen diagonal of 4.27 "Super AMOLED technology Plus offers a range of bright and vibrant colors, and a very image (very) pretty.
Unfortunately, I never had any Android smartphone before that one, so I can not compare its performance with its competitors / brothers using the Google mobile OS. Nevertheless, its dual-core processor provides user comfort and scorching performance! No saccade, both in installation or launch applications, screen shows, gaming or Internet browsing.

The camera is the best I have ever had. I'm not an expert photographer, but from my point of view the sensor 8MP this Samsung competes easily with a digital camera ... except of course the zoom level. Ditto for recording video, as the camera can shoot 1080p MP4 format, a definition among the best of the moment. Hard to beat!
His side, although (s) above (s) -parleur (s) built for music is mediocre (enough for games like Angry Birds), the phone provides a standard 3.5mm jack, but especially technology Bluetooth A2DP called, ie optimized for sound transmission. With a Bluetooth headset Sony BT-101, the sound quality is impeccable. On that plane, the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S2 do as well.

Not being very playful, I have tried that very few games, but thanks to its screen is a joy to play on this Samsung Galaxy S2. No jerk recorded with the game Angry Birds, the only one of my collection likely to generate, the others being graphically rudimentary games like chess, for example.
Internet browsing is itself fluid and more consistent with the display of websites that Apple's browser, thanks to these technologies in Android (Adobe Flash) and absent from iOS.

Finally, autonomy hand, take about a day and a half for moderate use with medium brightness, animated wallpaper, score a very respectable given the available performance.
Let's talk about Android, the embedded system, the famous rival Apple iOS. The main argument that has pushed me to change the system, even repay all my applications - which ultimately is not necessarily true as there are free applications that cover many more uses Android as iOS - was the fact that iOS is not sufficiently customizable. No need to tell me about the jailbreak, these informal procedures were always more dangerous than helpful from my point of view. Indeed, iOS has so few settings that the master completely after 2 hours. The bane of curious like me who always want to have something new to discover or optimize. From this point of view, Android is downright the opposite: there are SO settings and customization options (taking into account the ability to outright change of interface with the famous "launchers" from Android Market) it is easy to get lost, giving it a more or less side gas plant. But because of this, I find that Android iOS best meets my needs.

You can always push things even further by installing thousands of hacked ROM by amateurs on the Internet to customize their smartphone in depth, although personally I strongly discourages this practice because very risky (in some cases, the phone can be rendered unusable if the procedure fails, even if it is theoretically possible to resuscitate him with findable adapters on eBay for less than 10).
This Samsung Galaxy S2 fills almost all shortcomings of the iPhone, but it also includes some flaws: though its use is optional, PC "Samsung Kies" software, even in version 2.0, is very heavy and very unstable. Discouraging use, which is a shame for regulars iTunes. This gap is filled by the fact that Android can be seen as an external drive for a PC, unlike the iPhone.

Then here's a flaw that has earned him a black spot: it is impossible to transfer its iTunes playlists on the smartphone, at least without going through the excellent iSyncr application, essential for the blow, but still costs the " bagatelle "4 with its add-on wifi handy.
Another disappointment: a gap I wanted to close with this phone over the iPhone 3G are network performance (WiFi and 3G). Indeed, capturing in all these networks less than my classmates, I thought that Samsung would do better. Nay. His reception power is almost equal to that of the iPhone 3GS. Shame!

Also, I just wish that the "Media Monitor" that start at boot the phone prevents the use of any multimedia application (Web browser, Music, Video, Camera ... etc.) As an it has not completed its execution. A task that can take up to 5 minutes ... watch in hand! Unacceptable!
Finally, I regret (very slightly) the lack of NFC module for contactless payments (even if this technology is just as futile as currently deployed).

Android side, my main disappointment lies in the payment of Android Market applications. Not content to be too expensive, adjust the dollar, and only by credit card, please. Point PayPal or credit loading service (as in the canteen). It is thus impossible to avoid the staggering commission of the bank on exchange rates. Simply outrageous!
Apart from its few faults (all circumvented, fortunately), my first 3 weeks of experience with the Samsung Galaxy S2 are extremely satisfactory. This is the first time I feel a wonder as much accentuated for such a technological feat since my discovery of the iPhone 3G. From my perspective, if Apple was able to run the show on the field of smartphones, it is unfortunate to see that four years later, she is overtaken by the competition because it is not enough to listening to its consumers.

In short, for half the price (finding based on prices with operator subsidies), you have an iPhone ... which is two times better than the real one! Why not use it? Samsung Congratulations !!!

** Update ** 07/08/2011

Despite many attempts in places and different scenarios, GPS has never made service. Whatever the application, the location is very long, or, in most cases, simply not done ever. The update of the official firmware has not fixed the problem. Besides the energy that this procedure localization costs the phone, as saying that the GPS chip in the Samsung Galaxy S2 is faulty! Damage to the faultless ...

** Update ** 22/01/2012

The GPS problem was probably related to the original ROM. Installing unofficial ROM (ROM or Lite'ning sicopat) solved the GPS problem. But this risky procedure is unfortunately not open to everyone ...