First Cellphone to Beat iPhone

Here's proof! Samsung Galaxy S2 is the #1 phone.

*Update 1: CNET lists this cellphone as the only in its Holiday Guide [see image below]
*Update 2: PCWorld lists this as their 'Best 100 Products of 2011'.

Are you thinking about getting Apple's new phone? According to 'Consumer reports' [our favorite magazine] there's 3-4 cell phones better than the new IPhone. We agree with their #1 choice. We've had this Samsung for a month and it's great! [Costco sale $179, no activation fees, free Bluetooth headset]

In their report below, we only show 2 Cell phone Services: T-Mobile + Verizon [why? 'CR' doesn't recommend AT&T and Sprint is ranked #3, see complete report here]

IPhone 4s:

Our review: http://latinlife.com/article/new-iphone-is-it-really-worth-it

Video:

2 cell phones comparison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUkbUfQTKXM

Ratings:

*note: Samsung has 79 points, Iphone only 73 points.
 

'CNET' Holiday Guide

'Consumer Reports' full report

Samsung Galaxy S2

A speedy and svelte smart phone endowed with a large, dazzling display.

Highs
• Superb 4.5-inch display, with outstanding readability under most lighting conditions
• Exceptional ease of use, messaging, and Web browsing
• Very good phone and camera performance and features, and battery life
• Front-facing camera facilitates video chats and self-portraits
• Supports fast 4G data networks
• Uses versatile Android operating system, with access to many apps and services

Lows
• Larger than many of the smart phones we've tested
• Fair voice quality when listening
• Lacks a physical button for quick phone access
• Virtual keypad makes it hard to enter a number without looking
• Lacks preset text messages and doesn't let you create your own presets
• Memory card is hard to access

Detailed test results

The Galaxy S II has a gargantuan 4.5-inch, touch-screen display, with a finger-driven interface in a relatively thin case. Display and keypad readability are excellent under most lighting conditions, even in bright light. Its intuitive navigation provides easy access to all its main functions via a highly responsive touch screen that supports up to seven home screens of apps, programmable shortcuts, as well as menu, home, back, and search keys.

It's one of the few phones that supports Near Field Communication (NFC), a short-range wireless communication technology that allows the phone to read "smart" tags, or other items that that have NFC capability in them. Though the technology is not yet widely deployed for mobile phone users, it could ultimately allow you to pay by phone at the register.

The Galaxy S II lets you perform Google searches by voice command and lets you download applications, services, games, and more from the Android Market. Its multi-touch screen lets you zoom in and out of photos or Web pages using two fingers (for instance, your thumb and index finger). You can also zoom in on a Web page by placing two fingers on the screen and tilting the phone forward, or zoom out by tilting the phone toward you. This model supports Flash video, which improves the odds you'll be able to play many of the Web-based videos you encounter while browsing. A handy on-screen drop-down status bar alerts you to and takes you to new messages, upcoming appointments, and other items that need your attention. High-speed "4G" wireless broadband data capability provides faster Web browsing and file downloads. The Wi-Fi connection also allows the fastest Web surfing. But this phone is larger than many of the smart phones we've tested.

MESSAGING: The virtual keyboards were very easy to use. One keyboard supports Swype, a method that allows users to type words without lifting a finger--literally. You enter a word by dragging your finger across the screen from letter to letter. Though it's initially awkward to use, we eventually had a lot of success "typing" quickly and accurately with Swype. For double letters, as in the word "look," you just have to make a little swirling gesture over the "o." Allowing your thumb to linger on any key inserts the alternate key or symbol. For example, to type the number "1," just pause at the letter "q."

Its virtual keyboard has an advanced voice command feature that supports text fields, allowing you to dictate e-mails, text messages, Tweets, and other normally typed forms of communication. Excellent e-mail readability and attachment capabilities. If you tilt the phone on its side while viewing e-mail (wide-screen mode), you see a split-view mode. The window on the left shows the e-mail list, and the window on the right showing the selected e-mail. You can¿t adjust the size of the windows, but you can turn off the split-view mode to see e-mail full-screen.

This phone allows you to create and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets out of the box, which can come in handy when working on the go. The Galaxy S II also supports Microsoft Exchange and Outlook for work e-mail. When connected to Windows or Macintosh computers, this phone can appear on the computer as another drive. You can then transfer data to and from your phone as you could on a regular drive. But it doesn't have preset text messages, and you can't create custom presets.

PHONE: We tested the Galaxy S II under a variety of conditions to simulate environments ranging from the quiet indoors to noisy roadsides. We found voice quality very good when talking, though only fair when listening. Talk time was an adequate 5.75 hours. The phone has a very good mixture of controls and features for making and taking calls. Excellent display and keypad readability under most lighting conditions, especially bright light. It has Bluetooth for wireless hands-free voice communication. Can be used internationally. But this model lacks a physical button for quick phone access, and its virtual keypad makes it hard to dial without looking.

MULTIMEDIA: The 8.0-megapixel camera produced very good pictures at ISO settings up to 800. Its touch focus feature lets you override the autofocus by tapping on any subject on the screen. Camera has autofocus and supports USB printing. The camera's built-in flash and ISO-setting controls help improve your chances of taking better pictures under low-light conditions. Its face, smile, and blink detection come in handy when you're snapping pics of babies, toddlers, or other fussy subjects. But the camera has a long shutter lag. The quality of video recorded at 1080p is adequate compared to the better HD pocket camcorders. The front-facing 1.9-megapixel camera allows easy self-portraits, and can support video chats.

The music player has the capabilities and controls of a typical stand-alone MP3 player, including an equalizer, music shuffle and repeat controls, and options for sorting music by album, artist, etc. This model also supports Bluetooth stereo headsets. Its Bluetooth data support enables the phone to wirelessly share pictures, contacts, and other files with compatible printers, computers, and mobile devices.

GPS navigation capability provides spoken turn-by-turn directions and automatic re-routing. The Galaxy S II also supports the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standard via its AllShare application. This lets the phone connect via Wi-Fi to share content with other compatible certified devices such as a TV, printer, and computer. The MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) adapter included allows you to connect to a compatible HDMI-capable external display, such as a TV, to show your photos or videos (HDMI cable sold separately).

The Galaxy S II can act as a mobile hotspot for up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices. It has 16GB of built-in memory and supports memory cards of up to 32GB. Its memory capacity is beneficial for storing music, videos, pictures, and other types of files. But the memory card is hard to access.