Im not a phone tart but i do recognise a good (or bad) handset when i see one.

I have always been after a Iphone4 but the amount i pay on my contract i couldnt get one without paying over 200 so it wasnt an option. I saw the Samsung Galaxy S2 in a phone store and was impressed how sleek it looked and in my opinion very much like an iphone!

After trawling the internet for ages reading reviews on the Galaxy s2 a lot said it was much better than the Iphone4. With that i was sold, but it was then a case of finding a suitable deal as a good price. I was lucky and managed to find the handset free on a £25.54 a month contract (cough....affordable mobiles).

The handset arrived after a weeks wait as it was out of stock and came in a sleek little black box. The phone is a sophisticated high shine black with a slightly plasticy back which is the only downside to the overall appearance but not a big issue. The 8.0mega camera on the back stands out slightly from the handset but not noticibly whilst holding the handset. The camera looks good with a larger than average lense and a flash which is VERY bright.

The handset itself is very much like the Iphones in appearance. Slender slim design, classy rounded corners with the signature Samsung in silver on the front and back.

Ease of use -

Previously having a wave and this handset being very much similar to that in the navigation i found it too easy to try to use it the same. However once over this hurdle i found it a very easy phone to use. The majority of the navigation is done through the touch screen and the two soft keys on the bottom of the phone.

Applications -

The phone has lots of downloadable applications which are free, and obviously many you can pay for also. You can download these from samsung apps and the android market, both of which are accessable on your home screen. Personally i have found the android market to have better variety and quality of apps available. The main app i was after was my social connection FACEBOOK. I was very pleased i could finally chat and navigate around the site much easier than my last nightmare in the form of the SAMSUNG WAVE!
The phone is great for keeping uptodate with emails social networking sites and messengers. The phone will constantly ask you to either sign into or sign up for google mail as the phone automatically will back up your files to googlemail. You can log into the social hub which automatically brings all your accounts into one for easy accessibilty.

The phone has as standard the following applications installed

Maps
Gmail
email
google search
social hub
android market
readers hub
navigation
bbc iplayer
u tube
and all the usual clock calculator etc.

The phone is very quick and the GPS navigation is very quick and accurate with many different functions.

KEypad -

The phone is really good for texting and typing. HAving the ever so popular qwerty keypad on touch screen, but you can also change it to the old style number keypad with predictive text. After hating my last qwerty pad as the keys always hit wrong when typing i was ecstatic to discover the SWYPE input method. It really is the fastest method of texting and typing i would even go as so far as to say i can type as fast on that as i can on the pc and thats after only 3 days. You simply trace a line through the letters to make the word. It automatically adds spaces making it so easy.

The screen is easy to see even in bright sunlight and is a good quality picture. Emails open just as they would on a pc you can add attachments and email simply without going through lots of slow loading screens as i used to have to.

Camera -

The camera is one of the best you will get on a phone size wise and it does take a good picture. I havent as yet found a way though to get to the camera quickly like via a side button as my previous handsets have had. Its just something i will learn to cope with. The camera has lots of options with the flash and up to 4x zoom.

OVERALL -

I really could go on and on with this phone writing but i dont want to bore you. It really is a great phone and its the first phone i am happy to use for the internet instead of the pc. The last were too small and slow and fiddly not loading sites properly.

I am super happy with this handset and cant pick a fault with it.