[Galaxy S II General] UK_gnubie:
Noob wades in

Hi all:

This will serve as my introduction here, along with some basic questions.

I am a newbie to this forum and to Android as well, though I've been reading about it for awhile.

In the past couple of weeks I replaced my 2 year old Samsung i8910 Omnia HD, using Nokia's more familiar to me Symbian O/S, with a new, white Galaxy S2, and I am still in the process of getting my head 'round it.

It's a lovely piece of kit to be sure, and I chose to upgrade to it instead of an iPhone 4, or, for that matter, even an iPhone 5. Even if the iPhone 5 turns out to be significantly enhanced over the previous version, I still prefer the more open source nature of Android.

Now I have read quite a few posts by those who root their phones and/or who seem to LOVE flashing their phones to the very latest firmware versions and/or hacking or modding with custom ROMs, some almost obsessively.

I do understand that there are those who enjoy creating their very own bespoke (customised) phones, but I don't for the life of me see any great benefit to implementing every tiniest new version, whether leaked, built by modders, or official.

Now I'll admit that a major upgrade may very well interest me - IceCreamSandwich, likely due in November, for example.

I see that in the past several days, there is a new firmware release that adds a few useful improvements (perhaps), and I've read some postings about it, if not yet the entire thread.

The version that shipped with my phone (on Vodafone) is:

PDA:KF3 / PHONE:KE7 /CSCKD1 (CPW) and the newest official version is: PDA:KI4 / Phone:KI1 /CSC:KH1 (CPW).

Now my questions are rather basic and please forgive me if I have yet to troll at great length in the archives here searching for their answers.

I AM very interested to see a variety of responses and opinions on these issues from more seasoned and knowledgeable Android users.

* Is it REALLY such a big deal to make such an upgrade?

(I've already backed up the contents of my S2 to my computer's hard drive.

(I'm also aware that there are many apps which improve on the Galaxy S2's basic functionality, some free, many not.)

* Assuming many think an upgrade IS worthwhile, my concerns are these:

Do I need to use a program such as Odin to upgrade to a newer, official version, or is that intended just for those phones which have been rooted?

Do I need to root before upgrading? (I'm aware that it may be seen as desirable to be able to UNroot, should one have a need to send a phone to Samsung while within warranty.)

* What if I upgrade and later decide I would prefer to revert to the earlier version, the one which was supplied with my phone? Where can I obtain it and how would I go about re-instating it? (This can be disregarded, I suppose, as I have now located and downloaded a copy of I9100XWKF3_Kernel.exe for future use if need be.)

Above all of course, I do not care to risk bricking my phone for the sake of minor upgrades.

I see that Chivalryyyy has reported a significant improvement in battery life.

Are any others also experiencing this with 2.3.4?

As for me, my solution to this has simply been to order a few inexpensive additional batteries via eBay and keep 'em on hand. Works for me! :-)

Re the % battery indicator, one of the very first apps I downloaded and installed from the Market was Battery Indicator, one I'd not be without.

By the way, I also LOVE Gentle Alarm, though I'm not currently using its pre-alarm feature.

If these are old issues that have been dealt with and rehashed greatly, forgive me and please refer me to any relevant threads.

** I've now read SOME of the material found in [REF] Guide to the Galaxy S II and Android (27/09/11) and I must say it looks rather daunting to a relative noob like myself. **

It's ironic I suppose - having the ability to freely modify an Android device and at the same time being somewhat fearful to do so because one lacks a confident level of know-how.

Looking forward to some enlightening responses.

Cheers!

ADDENDUM:

Before posting this I read to the end of this thread, and from what I can gather, it's hardly worth the effort of an "upgrade at this point" Perhaps I am better to heed the old maxim: "If it ain't broke..."

As for the impending 2.3.5 update - unless I read a majority of rave reviews when it's officially out, I think I'll pass on that too.

As for IceCreamSandwich.. that DOES interest me and I'll be watching for it's November release.

Thanks twixyz!