Galaxy S2, Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) update, battery drain

Recently I upgraded my Galaxy S2 to latest ICS version using Kies. Thanks to Samsung for the ICS update and for the Kies update that made this upgrade smooth. Some of my friends are still having problems with Kies though!

After the upgrade I noticed that battery life was reduced significantly, specially if data/3G is enabled. Found a post from XDA developers suggesting to redo the Exchange account. I removed my exchange account and amazingly battery life is back to normal.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?s=0497ee525fda0cbdc97949d59ff763d3&t=1553534&page=2

Another point to note is the Instant upload option from Google+. This option was giving me problems in the past, keeping the phone busy and draining battery. I disabled the Instant Upload option for now, thought it is a very nice feature. 

Samsung Galaxy S2, outlook, exchange server, calendar integration

1

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There is some native support in Galaxy S2 for exchange calendar. In GS2, you can receive the Calendar updates by possibly setting up your email account and enabling exchange sync for calendar. No extra application or configuration required.

Once you setup the email account, open the email, go to account settings and you should see an option to sync calendar.

2

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Using google calendar,

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/microsoft-office/view-your-google-calendar-in-outlook-2007/

You are able to view your calendar from outlook 2007, but not able to create new entries. I use thunderbird as email client and same setting works fine for reading and editing.

3

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Google sync. You have to install this application in your PC and it syncs your exchange calendar with google calendar.

http://www.google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?answer=89955

I tried this and it works for me. I saw some forum comments where people complained that the software was not stable.

Samsung Galaxy S2, firmware updates

How To Update Samsung Galaxy S II I9100 to Gingerbread XWKDD 2.3.3 Firmware, detailed step by step instructions.

How to update Samsung Galaxy S2 GT I9100 to Gingerbread XXKG1 2.3.4 Firmware

Official i9100 KE7/KE8/KF1/KF3/KF4/KF3/KG2 download and Root Guide, from xda-developers. Instructions for updating firmware and rooting galaxy s2.

Official i9100 carrier branded firmware download for Odin Flash

Samsung Glaxy s2 blog, tips, apps, wallpapers.

Kies 2.0, contact manager and PC sync software from Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy S2, customizing the lock screen

Just to change the lock screen,  Go to,
   Settings->Display->Screen display->Lock screen
and select the image from the gallery. Alternately open an image, tap on the image for the option, "Set as.." that gives options for setting this image as wallpaper or lock screen.

To completely change the theme of the lock screen, install the application WidgetLocker (US$1.99). More instructions from,

http://rapidhow.com/2011/06/11/how-to-replace-and-customize-android-lock-screen-guide/

Samsung Galaxy S2, useful applications

Google Street View - integrates with Google maps.

Goggles - identifies objects based on images.

Google Translate - speak one language and convert to another

Quick Settings - Easy to adjust many of the settings and to monitor battery usage.

HappyCow VeginOut - Nice app for finding nearby restaurants offering vegetarian options.

10 great android live wallpapers

handset code to view testing screen in GS2

Installing and sharing android applications using QR code:  (http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/24921/how-to-install-android-apps-and-share-contacts-using-qr-codes/): Install the barcode scanner application from market place to scan the code and to share apps, contacts, etc with other android phones.

Samsung Galaxy S2, testing battery

Setup:
    WiFi - off
    3G - off
    Wallpaper - static black

Mobile was fully charged by 7am, day 1.

day 1, 9pm - 80% charge left

day 2, 11pm - 65% charge left

day 3, 2pm - 50% charge left

day 3, 5pm (after 50mts call, connection to WiFi few times) - 20% charge left

day 3, 8pm (after shooting 2 mts video) - 15% charge left

Recharged the battery again at 9pm.

Overall result: Managed to run Galaxy S2 for 3 days in a minimalist mode.

Samsung Galaxy S2, desktop sync using Kies 2.0

Download the Kies 2.0 software from Samsung website. Install in a Windows machine, connect your GS2 using USB cable to the machine (or WiFi connection). GS2 will be recognized and Contacts, calendar (only My Calendar from GS2, google calendar will not be synced to Kies), videos, pictures, etc can be imported.

Samsung Galaxy S2, S3 (GS3), moving/importing contacts from Nokia E71

I am updating this post based on the comments received. Thanks for the step by step instructions, tips, urls and for your wishes :)

Confirmed (by posters) to be working for the following Nokia series phones,

Nokia E71, E61, E5, Nokia Xpress Music.

1. Establish Bluetooth Connection between the 2 phones (here, GS2/GS3 and E71). Make sure that the Bluetooth network is not hidden. After connecting, you should be able see GS2/GS3 from E71.

2. From the Nokia phone, navigate to Menu > Contacts > Options > Mark/Unmark > Mark all

3. Select 'Options' at the Contact Menu. 'Send business card' > 'Via Bluetooth'. Select your Galaxy's Bluetooth network name.

4. Sit back and relax. The contacts will be synced nicely.

5. From GS2/GS3, open contacts, go to options and select the option to merge with Google. This will synchronize your contacts with Google (provided you have already signed up using a Google account and setup a sync with Google). The contacts will appear under Google's My Contacts.

A video URL from one of the posters,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXHtHntihTY

Another option (thanks to ritchmeister):   connect to Mac with Bluetooth. Browse E71. Get all the contacts (*.vsf) from the sd card. Save in a folder on Mac. Drag the .vsf files into Address Book. Open Kies and sync with Address Book

Drupal based newspaper site

The New York Observer example for Drupal

clipped from cmsreport.com The New York Observer, a prominent New York City newspaper, has relaunched its web site using Drupal. The site features a gorgeous theme which pays careful attention to typography and whitespace. The Drupal craftsmen, Moshe Weitzman and Barry Jaspan, want to share a few of their innovative techniques with the Drupal community.

Clipmarks test blog

Clipmark from firefox extension

clipped from addons.mozilla.org Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer by Foxmarks Inc. If you use Firefox on more than one computer, you'll want Foxmarks. Install Foxmarks on each computer, and it will work silently in the background to keep your bookmarks synchronized. You can also log in to my.foxmarks.com to manage your bookmarks from any computer. Version 1.0.1 — May 7, 2007