yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy S II General] naddie:
I just bought mine from an Amazon seller (Warehouse Distributors). It was $684 with free shipping.

It just shipped, so I'll update you guys. I am a bit worried that they will screw me somehow (seem small, don't have their own domain for email or website), but calling them got to a live person, and seem friendly enough. In fact, they were able to pricematch when their price dropped a day later by $14 (was $698 when I ordered).

I hope it's not an open box or a box of rocks. :) Actually, if it was a box of rocks, it'd be suspicious even without opening since the phone is super light!

Either way, I'll update you guys on how it went. I'm expecting the phone by the end of this week.
[Galaxy S II General] p00kienrayray:
i placed my order @ mobilecityonline.com last week. it was $699 + $4.99 shipping - $20 online coupon = $684.99 shipped. however, its price has risen since then, so apparently it was temporarily on sale. basically, just keep looking around bc its always changing on different sites, and look out for coupons.
[Galaxy S II General] naddie:
Keep us updated on how it goes. I saw Mobile City, but avoided them because I read some negative reviews.
[Galaxy S II General] p00kienrayray:
I was hesitant about buying from most of the import sites in the US but surprisingly mobilecityonline has far less negative reviews than other sites dealing the sgs2 such as popularelectronics.com or negri. I received it just like they promised via fedex no issues. They even called me and emailed me to confirm my purchase and stressed that i have 14 days to return it.

The only gripe is that they listed it as the UK version but when i got it, it said Samsung Romania on the label and included non-english manuals. Also, the US power adapter that came in the box isn't working for me. No biggie tho bc everything else checked out. Used it for 2 days now and so far im satisfied.
[Galaxy S II General] naddie:
US power adapter in the box? Did they open the factory box to put it in there?

I didn't even think of them putting another country's phone in there. I would be expecting the UK version.
[Galaxy S II General] p00kienrayray:
I would expect a US power adapter included with an international phone. Any others wanna chime in?

And the box was factory sealed.
[Galaxy S II General] TheAma1:
Amazon seems to still be the cheapest place to get the SGS2 (~700 dollars, give or take a couple).
[Galaxy S II General] ImDonly1:
How so?

Unlocked mobiles has it for $656 shipped USD

http://www.unlocked-mobiles.com/

Clove has it for $663 USD shipped

http://www.clove.co.uk/

Shipped from the UK.
[Galaxy S II General] naddie:
Why suck my grits. After I took a risk and bought it from an Amazon seller, I found this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875176292

It doesn't get any better than $689.99 + $5.99 shipping from none other than NEWEGG.

A trusted place with excellent customer service. Can't go wrong with NewEgg. At least it will benefit the people who waited. :)

Now... say thank you! :D
[Galaxy S II General] gaijinboricua:
nfc included?

I wonder, does the newEgg version comes with NFC?

Also, been that it is been bought from an U.S. seller, can I get warranty from squaretrade for this phone? I know can i can buy it in the u.k. and get squaretrade in the u.k., but i dont want to have to send it to squaretrade u.k., I prefer the u.s. squaretrade.
[Galaxy S II General] naddie:
I wouldn't know. Call up Newegg to find out. I don't see the NFC on the specs.
[Galaxy S II General] naddie:
Finally got it yesterday. Was in a unpadded box. :( But turned out okay for the most part.

Had a US power supply. Looks like a Latin America model (primary language on the box was Spanish, and so was the manual).

I found 5 green pixels when viewing a dark gray background. :(
[Galaxy S II General] russd456:
ordered mine last week from amazon for 689 with FREE prim 2 day shipping. I payed the extra 3.99 for one day shipping. I had no issues with the shipping process, everything went smooth. One important thing i will add though is that when i recieved my phone the battery was completely dead, i had to keep the phone on the charger for about an hour and a half before i could turn it on. Eventually i put the phone in download mode and then pressed the down volume rocker which restarts the phone. My version was in polish, so it took a few moments to find the language setting and switch it to english. I found the whole preces pretty cosmical and my friends think im crazy for purchasing an unlocked european phone. But then again they all have Blackberrys so there opinion is moot lol. Im loving my phone right now and dont remember the last time i was this satisfied from an expensive purchase.

edit... i just read that some people had some worries about the shipping condition. my phone was shipped in two boxes. the first was the standard shipping box. then it was in a bigger cell phone style box. similar to what you would get from a carrier. this box was a little beat up, but thankfully the official samsung box was inside in great condition and still sealed. so for who ever was wondering, my us dongle was in the second box not the official samsung box where the actual phone, earphones, sync cable, and euro charger was in.
[Galaxy S II General] horusray:
Handtec is offering £404.98 (shipping included) for North American buyers. That's only 570 Cdn.... It's suprisingly lower than the pricetag on amazon or other non-Euro sites. The price's been decreasing, too. Anyone know why the price has been decreasing steadily (as mentioned in the previous thread)? Is it because of the upcoming iPhone 5 or because of market saturation in Europe? I might order one after Canadian carriers confirm their models. I refuse to buy a SGSII with the LCD variant :(
[Galaxy S II General] naddie:
Make no mistakes about it - I love the phone! For those who handled the US variants of the SGS, the SGS2 is about the same size (slightly larger though but not by much). I have the Vibrant. It also seem to have a much better build quality and feel than the Vibrant.

I'll be happy if they are willing to replace with a unit without any bad pixels. This thing is amazingly fast!

UPDATE: They won't do an exchange. They said on their site, it implicitly says "no warranty".

Uhh...
[Galaxy S II General] fatttire:
Is anyone else curious as to why the Galaxy S II hasn't been released yet in the US?

It seems really stupid to have designed a phone and to not be selling it lol.

Just wondering if this happened with the Galaxy S as well or if the Galaxy S II is being hung up (perhaps voluntarily) as a result of the Samsung - Apple lawsuit.
[Galaxy S II General] kirdroid:
Off topic...if any one is looking to buy a sgs2. I have an additional one which I bought for my wife. It is listed in marketplace.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1142481

[FS] - Samsung Galaxy S2 - $675 + free shipping in USA
[Galaxy S II General] Endoran:
Handtec is selling it for 650$, and that's including shipping. There is no tax for USA buyers.
[Galaxy S II General] mesajoejoe:
I seem to be coming up with £404.98 = $580.4268 at Handtec, £411.78 = $591.6043 at Expansys with coupon code EXP10

Am I doing something wrong because at that price I am seriously considering jumping on it?
[Galaxy S II General] Alien987:
Well, Google returns that the current conversion is 404.98 GBP = 648.29 USD

Or are you referring to CAD?
[Galaxy S II General] ajftl:
Try gsmnation. Those guys are great. I bought a stupid arc from them ...(sold)
[Galaxy S II General] bossman74:
It will be available on Bell for $599.95 CAD on July 14th.
[Galaxy S II General] mesajoejoe:
Silly me was putting in euro for some reason. Thanks for the clarification.
[Galaxy S II General] tbong777:
IM looking to buy this phone as well. My holdback is no US Warranty. I have never had an issue with a phone needing warranty service but it would be my luck to need Warrraty service and not be able to get it.

Expansys claims they handle warranty claims through the UK whihc means the phone would be gone a long time and shipping costs would be considerable as well LOL

SO any idea when these phone will be availble for purchase in the US WITH Samsung Warranties. Already sold one Captivate and selling another to help fund it.
[Galaxy S II General] daraj:
how did u get the 591???????
[Galaxy S II General] bricky23:
So does anyone know? With the Gs2, when they get cyanogen for one version, will it work on any Gs2? Just with different radio. Or will it be like the Gs? What works for the i9000, won't work on the Epic.

Sent from me!
[Galaxy S II General] Endoran:
Both Clove and Handtec claim they will help you with warranty as well. But you are right you'd have to ship it to them and it would take longer than usual. Although, you never know, I actually heard Samsung US might actually provide warranty service for the international version. This was someones opinion though, but it does make sense, I mean what if someone from the UK moved here or visited here and needed warranty service? I dunno, just when you brand something as "international" you'd think the warranty would be international to.

BUT the thing I was worried about the most was receiving a phone with a dead pixel or faulty out of the box, which I think is much more likely than needing a warranty claim later down the line, and both clove and handtec and I'm sure expansys would allow a return in that case based on what I've read on their sites. I have an upgrade available through att and I think I'm going to get an iphone 4 sell it for 500$ on ebay along with my captivate for 200~$ and boom I'll buy it from handtec. I highly doubt we'll ever see an explicit US warranty for a phone that isn't sold here by any authorized dealer (as in outside of the grey market...because there are NO authorized sellers here in America for this phone). I would seriously wait until ATT got their version but I know they are going to dumb it down like they did with the original sgs and I'm tired of waiting an extra 4 months for updates and being forced to run ROMs not designed for my phone. Plus, I like the button layout better than the standard 4 soft button all US android phones get. I really like the center home button.
[Galaxy S II General] Endoran:
He converted based on euros not pounds...as was mentioned a few posts after his...the real price is 650$ which is the cheapest I have found.
[Galaxy S II General] tbong777:
Thanks for a great post to my inquiry. My concern is out of the box as well because after I start messing with it ALL Warranties are void anyway. As well I want to buy from a US comany like Expansys who also will take care of warranty claims as I was told on the phone,

I am selling two of the four Captivates to apply to the SGS 2. I sold one but if I wait too long the second Cappy will not be worth selling. but then again the SGS 2 may come down to $500 as well.

I have started to read this forum to prepare for one. Is rooting this as easy as the Captivate using an Update file? I looked at the HTC and the rooting and Flashing of that device is a horror show for me with all the adb commands. I don;t care for using the Command Prompt. LOL

So you think the eventual US version will not have the center button? I never applied an ATT update. I rooted and ROM'd my captivates out of the box. These device ROM Developers are waaaaay ahead of Samsung stretched employees.
[Galaxy S II General] Endoran:
Yeah, I doubt the US SGS2 will have the center home button. The supposed leaked photo of the Samsung Attain had the 4 capacitive buttons like the original SGS. The original SGS international had the center home button too, but all the US variants had the 4 soft-touch keys. All this leads me to believe that the SGS2 in America will look a lot like the original SGS just wider, thinner, lighter, and the same button configuration.

I really hope the SGS2 is as easy to root and install custom roms as the captivate, I really haven't read much in the DEV section but I really see no reason why it would be harder. The bootloaders are not locked (perhaps that HTC phone you speak of was?) and Samsung hasn't done anything different this time around I don't think. I'm thinking I'm going to stick with stock for a little while just to see how it goes, especially since from all the reviews it sounds like you don't even need custom roms (unless I'm unable to get updates via kies since I'll have a UK phone in the US maybe it won't work in which case I'll go custom roms all the way)....actually I think I'll probably eventually go to custom roms anyway just because I love phones and doing things with them and like to change things up!

I'm excited to get this phone since all the custom roms will actually be based on roms MADE for the phone (I know cognition was based on a captivate rom but the majority seemed to be based on i9000 roms and for me ran better). I'm also thinking the dev section is going to be richer since, to me, it seemed a lot of the dev work on the captivate relied on the i9000 guys. That and there will be more users with the i9100 than on a particular branded sgs2. But I totally agree with you that the devs and custom roms saved the captivate.

Anyway, I resigned a contract with att and got an iphone 4 which is already on ebay ending today! Then I'll use the money to buy the SGS2 and hopefully have it by next week! Then sell my current captivate =-)

It's nice to see that some old captivate users will be joining me in the unfamiliar international waters. I'm planning on having this phone a lot longer than I did the captivate. As in 2-3 years.

Oh, I wanted to mention an email reply I received from handtec talking about their return policy; I had asked them if I received a faulty item out of box would they accept a return and here is what they replied with:

"Handtec would like to confirm that if you do receive a faulty device, you can return it to us within the 28 day. Shipping will be at your expense because you the customer have decided to order from an international company. So to clarify, you pay to send the device to Handtec and Handtec pay to send new device to you the customer.

For further details about this please read our Terms and Conditions for further details.

Kind regards."

For me that's good enough. Plus the warranty help is just gravy. Anyway, I'll be seeing you around here for sure.
[Galaxy S II General] tbong777:
LOL OI resigned to get two Captivates giving us a total of four. Sold one. Selling another and using the fund to buy the SGS 2, keep the wife's captivate and one for a spare.

I noticed as well most of the custom ROMS were from the i9000 which is why the Attain gave me pause being Domestic but the international device seems to get more attention from the devs and I have no desire to use Kies for anything. Been there done that. Looks like I will be ordering from Expansys. May wait for the price to drop and maybe a first or second update.

In the mean time I will be reading this part of the forum and learning as much as possible. I bought the two Captivates using money selling two iPhone 3GS for $1300 on Ebay after signing up for a contract with ATT for the first time in 8 years. $299 each. I was using nothing but Nokias N82 N95 Nothing ATT had.

I realized the Symbian OS was dead and hated the iphones. So Android was the ticket. I was hoping Nokia would pair up with the Android as their hardware was great.
[Galaxy S II General] Endoran:
Well, purchased from handtec last night for a little over 650$ with shipping. Received an email today asking for a scan of my drivers license or other identifying personal document. Sent them away and hopefully it will ship on Monday!! I paid with paypal and had no issues. However, I'm pissed at paypal since a couple hundred bucks is going to be tied up in transfers from my bank to paypal and back to my bank, since I did a transfer that I regretted as soon as I made it - AND from bank to paypal takes 3-5days processing (WTF is up with that anyway??) and the same for returning to my bank account. They won't even let you cancel the transfer 5seconds after you ask for it. It's bloody ridiculous. So be careful! I'd still recommend paypal though, since your bank may block your purchase since it's international (you'd just have to call up and have the block removed though). Overall, the whole buying oversees thing has been a little bit of a pain, I'm sure the phone will be worth it though!!
[Galaxy S II General] Endoran:
Can anyone who purchased from handtec confirm if it comes with a US compatible wall charger??
[Galaxy S II General] Ssj237:
Hopefully I find one for under 700 because the u.s ones will probably be water washed
[Galaxy S II General] ajftl:
I got mine for 625 from a local Craigslist guy. New in box ..guy said he didn't like it cause phone was to big ..he loves he's bb 9700
[Galaxy S II General] tbong777:
Im holding off until I understand the differences more between the two devices in the flashing dept. I will still have both devices. I am looking for a guide of differences to expect or wait until the development is more mature. I am hoping the JIG is the same as well as the drivers as I will be using the same notebook to flash both devices.

I also want to purchase from a US vendor if possible. NewEgg has 30 day return policy....That may be where I get one after my questions are answered regarding the differnces

Can I use the same drivers? same accessories ie chargers car and home, I have two chargers for two Captivates.
[Galaxy S II General] theot:
While I can't say these are the cheapest prices, I'm very satisfied with the SGS II I ordered from Mobilecityonline. This one came with a U.S. correct wall charger for $699.00. Amazon.com and Overseas Electronics have them for about 689.99.
[Galaxy S II General] tbong777:
Nice to know. I may try NewEgg for their 30 day return policy just in case i get a brick out of the box or have some reboot issues. I currently have a couple wall chargers for Captivates I still own I should be able to use them.
[Galaxy S II General] Endoran:
I'm hoping mine from handtec comes with a US charger. I'll post here if it does or doesn't.
[Galaxy S II General] ajftl:
What's the whole deal about a US charger ...just get a HTC or Samsung charger or from a old phone. I have like 100 of them around the house they perfectly charge my s2
[Galaxy S II General] tbong777:
I can understand why someone who has 100 chargers around the house would not be interested in what kind of charger comes with a device. But there some who may not have an HTC or Samsung and wondering if there will be a US based charger in the box. Not hard to understand at all either.
[Galaxy S II General] naddie:
It's a standard USB charger. You can find one anywhere. Make sure it can do at least 750 mA (a lot can do 1A or 2A, which is 1000 or 2000 mA respectively).

2A can charge an iPad (that's the stock amperage the iPad and iPad 2 charges at). The SGS2 needs 750 mA.

Again, don't fret about getting a US charger. You can find a USB charger anywhere (Radio Shack, Target, Walmart, etc). Just make sure it can do at least 750 mA.
[Galaxy S II General] BarryH_GEG:
The phone will come with the charger of the country of sale. My UK phone came with a UK charger. The UK>US adapter is less than $5. Expansys-USA was throwing an adapter in the box for phones shipped to the U.S. I don't know about anyone else.
[Galaxy S II General] tbong777:
Yeah much ado about a charger..LOL There are a lot more important things to wonder about. The Captivate is not as critical because they can be found easily and bricks fixed for $50. With regard to the SGS II, I am not even sure we can get US repair from Samsung yet. Not looking for a Warranty repair as I will be voiding that after I know the handset works out of the box. LOL Its not like one will be able to pick one up anytime soon for $200.

I will say this...............the Samsung Handset is a hearty device physically. My wifes' has taken a beating. No case (too bulky for her) and dropped many times and still works like new. A little rough around the edges, although the plastic is still on the battery cover go figure...
[Galaxy S II General] ImDonly1:
Any have any idea when the phone will drop in price some more? Maybe after it launches in the US?

Currently the lowest I can find it for is about $650 shipped. Would like it for less than $600. I am only interested in the international version, not the US version when it launches.
[Galaxy S II General] p00kienrayray:
Good luck on finding it below 600.
[Galaxy S II General] Gilgehmesh:
Newegg has GS II in stock now...

Newegg now has GS II in stock for 672.99 with free shipping:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...re=samsung_galaxy_s_ii-_-75-176-292-_-Product
[Galaxy S II General] Endoran:
The phone from handtec did not come with a US charger or adapter. I think I'll just pick up an adapter from radio shack.
[Android Apps and Games] gqgk:
This app is simple but useful for people that heavily use full screen apps (games/browsers/ect). It gives a nice little notification that shows the text message/email you just received, allowing you to decide if it's worth quitting your app to reply to it (see picture), even if you're in another app! You can turn the notifications on and off via the main screen. The best part of it is you can play and the notification will not interfere with your touch on the game. It might also have the simplest options menu.

FEATURE LIST:

Now supports K9 Mail (requires K9 Mail for functionality)

Shows the sender (name from contacts list or number if contact doesn't exist)

Shows the contents of the message

Low profile

Doesn't interfere with the touch interface of whatever task you are doing

Easy to turn on or off just by the touch of a checkbox

Lightweight

No more quitting Angry Birds just to see that someone texted you "lol"

Works in portrait and landscape orientations

Permissions explained:

Read SMS: So that it can read the text to show you

Read contacts: so that it can see if anyone in your contacts shares the same number and the text sender

Please report any bugs to me.

P.S. I know this is a VERY simplistic app and may seem pointless. If you feel that way that is fine, however I have had a lot of people that laughed at it originally tell me they can't use any full screen app without and they never turn it off. So I simply ask you give constructive criticism. Thank you!

View attachment 631706

Notification in landscape mode.

View attachment 631698

The options menu... If you can call if that.

View attachment 631697

My homescreen with notification in portrait.

Here is the download (Clickable):

Recently added:

New app icon for most screens (new one to come)

Still have a lot of things I want to add! Thanks for the ideas. I plan on implementing almost all of them.
[Android Apps and Games] barclays:
nice app!!! :)

but transparency would even make it better
[Android Apps and Games] Jufis:
Wicked! Instant download!
[Android Apps and Games] gqgk:
I agree. it changes from phone to phone what it looks like. on your phone it may be more transparent. on my droid x it was more transparent than that.
[Android Apps and Games] gqgk:
thanks! please let me know how you like it or if you have any issues.
[Android Apps and Games] mulletcutter:
Just downloaded. Well let you know, when every I get txts
[Android Apps and Games] gqgk:
Thanks. I appreciate any feedback :)
[Android Apps and Games] Tennis11:
I was looking for something like this! It alerts to any notification that would be in the pull down bar?

Wanted this since I saw it in honeycomb.

Try to make it more refined. Make it look classy.

Never live in the past but always learn from it.
[Android Apps and Games] Tennis11:
Oh its only for mms.

Can you make it so emails and FB notifications show up too?

Never live in the past but always learn from it.
[Android Apps and Games] mulletcutter:
Like it, playing a game, little prompt came up of who and what they said.
[Android Apps and Games] MillyMoo106:
this is genius
[Android Apps and Games] mulletcutter:
What about an option, like only when in a game. Options like in circle.launcher, pick apps that you want. Just a thought