Emergency mobile charger?

[grebgonebad]

Hi!

I'll cut to the chase. I've ordered myself a Nexus 5 and I want to also buy an emergency charger for it. I would normally just buy a spare battery and make sure it's fully charged and just carry that with me but the Nexus 5 does not have a removeable battery, so that makes this a little difficult. =)

I shall now state what I am looking for:

2,300mAh minimum (Higher capacity preferable)
High speed charging
Preferably with a male micro USB built in so I dont have to carry a cable with me
Small enough to fit in my pocket

Can anyone suggest anything that fits these criteria? Thanks!

 

[grebgonebad]

Unfortunately Otterbox saids they have no plans for the Nexus 5... Kinda sucks. All those case manufacturers always only make cases for the popular phones, like the iPhone, Galaxy S3, S4, etc. There are videos online that can help you apply it, you just have to do it quick. The quicker, the lesser chance for dusts and bubbles. It's really a matter of personal opinion, but a bubble or two on the side on the phone should be fine. But it's a tempered galss protector, it's hard, unless those plastic soft ones. I am not sure if they last longer, I never used one, but for sure it will add protection from screen impacts, saving hundreds of dollars for a screen replacement. Do you like in the UK? You keep talking about currencies in pounds. Nexus 5 is faster than the Note 3... Well it's stock android, unlike the note 3 has all those extra stuff (touchWiz UI, etc.).

Its a shame that people arent more aware of the Nexus range of devices, they would sell like hotcakes if a wider community knew of them. This would also lead manufacturers such as Otterbox to make cases. ;-)

I've never been very good at applying screen protectors, but maybe a solid glass one will not leave any bubbles, due to its rigidity? I'll probably give one a go at some point.

I do live in the UK. =) A warm, 'Hello' from 3000 miles away. XD

I found out recently that the Note 3 'cheats' when running benchmarks, much alike many of the other top end devices. A java script file has been found containing instructions to ramp up the CPU to max when certain benchmarks run. Obviously the Nexus 5 doesnt do this strictly speaking the performance difference between the Note 3, S4 or any other Snapdragon 800 device and the Nexus 5 is going to be minimal. Which is always nice to know. =) Going from the fact that the Note 3 cheats (3D Mark being one of the aforementioned benchmarks) I think the fact that my Nexus scored better than the average without cheating to be pretty darn good! Although I may have to send it back yet. =( A horrendous amount of light leakage at the edges of the screen, most noticeable on a dark background.

You are right, Vanilla Google is a lot less taxing on the resources than a heavy duty overlay like Touchwiz or Sense. It's funny thinking about it, because my S3 used to use around 800mb of RAM at idle (Pretty much maxing it out =P) but my N5 hardly ever goes over 1gb no matter what I do. It's amazing what a difference it makes. =)

 

[ipwn3r456]

"Cheats" on the Note 3? Very interesting. I am guessing Samsung is doing that to make the people think that the Note 3 is "better" than anything out there for right now. The S4 is a bit different. It has a Snapdragon 600, not a 800, so it's a bit slower (like 1.8GHz or somewhere near). The Nexus phones are pretty nice, I might consider the next generation Nexus when it comes out, just right after my contract ends (think it's end of december next year). Just that I don't really like the taste of stock Android, I like the Touchwiz UI. Just updated to Android 4.3 few days ago, and it looks awesome. Now it's similar to a S4 now (of course not all the features).

Light leakage on the edges of the screen? Well... you might got a defective product. Probably the Koreans was working too fast that they didn't put the parts carefully. I guess that's goona be a long time to get your replacement. Might as well update your S3 to Android 4.3 (if available), and play with it. But RAM usage like you said, it's a pretty big problem. My US version has 2GB of RAM, and it consumes about 1GB our of 1.56GB even if I don't use any apps. And I have no idea where the hell is the rest 0.44GB of RAM go. It's just not acceptable.

About screen protectors, I am not a pro at this either. But just try to do it. We all make mistakes. Hopefully big case manufacturers like Otterbox and Griffin will make some cases for the Nexus 5. 3000 miles away... live in the UK must be pretty great.

 

[grebgonebad]

"Cheats" on the Note 3? Very interesting. I am guessing Samsung is doing that to make the people think that the Note 3 is "better" than anything out there for right now. The S4 is a bit different. It has a Snapdragon 600, not a 800, so it's a bit slower (like 1.8GHz or somewhere near). The Nexus phones are pretty nice, I might consider the next generation Nexus when it comes out, just right after my contract ends (think it's end of december next year). Just that I don't really like the taste of stock Android, I like the Touchwiz UI. Just updated to Android 4.3 few days ago, and it looks awesome. Now it's similar to a S4 now (of course not all the features).

Light leakage on the edges of the screen? Well... you might got a defective product. Probably the Koreans was working too fast that they didn't put the parts carefully. I guess that's goona be a long time to get your replacement. Might as well update your S3 to Android 4.3 (if available), and play with it. But RAM usage like you said, it's a pretty big problem. My US version has 2GB of RAM, and it consumes about 1GB our of 1.56GB even if I don't use any apps. And I have no idea where the hell is the rest 0.44GB of RAM go. It's just not acceptable.

About screen protectors, I am not a pro at this either. But just try to do it. We all make mistakes. Hopefully big case manufacturers like Otterbox and Griffin will make some cases for the Nexus 5. 3000 miles away... live in the UK must be pretty great.

Yeah, Samsung have had quite a good reputation up til now with regards to benchmarks, but the Note 3 and S4 have both been proven to be 'cheating'. =) Along with HTC and Sony of course. It's just not possible for there to be such a major difference between performance on devices with the same chipsets.

There's actually several models of S4 available at the moment, with the octa-core, Snapdragon 600 and Snapdragon 800 chipsets. I think it's the LTE S4 with the 800 though. =/

My contracts due in November next year and I think I will be going for another Nexus if the N5 is anything to go by. After hacing been using it for a few days nonw I couldnt be happier. Everything from panning internet pages to simply scrolling between homescreens is just an amazingly fluid experience. Even zooming in and out of heavy internet pages such as the Verge's main site is as smooth as the Iphone, which is an amazing improvement over last years devices. =) If theres one bad thing I have to say about the N5 it's that because it's so powerful it's making my N7 look a bit ancient! XD I still love my N7 as well though for video watching and internet browsing. All the things you would want a bigger screen for really.

I used to be the same, I didnt really like vanilla Android much when I first used it. I was too used to the extra features that Touchwiz offered, such as multi-screening and smart stay. But now that I've used it for a while I can appreciate the benefits to using a vanilla Android experience. I have noticed there are a lot ekss app crashes than on my S3, and this is probably due to there not being as much going on in the background.

I didnt realise 4.3 was out for the S3 now. There again mine is still running on 4.1.2 as mines rooted. I think I'm going to unroot it though so I can use it as a backup phone. I'll have to see what 4.3 is like. What features from the S4 have been introduced to the S3?

I contacted Google earlier about the issues I've been having. As far as the light leaking goes they've said that this is definitely a manufacturing fault (Supprise supprise), but the other issues are just software errors which an update that is going to be released soon is going to fix thankfully. I've requested an RMA service though anyway, as I may as well seeing as I'm within my 15 days. =) they've said that providing they have my model in stock I should get a replacement within 3-5 days, but providing I get one at all I'll be happy. One thing I like about Google is that you can carry on using the defective device until the replacement arrives, unlike Apple who make you send your defective device back before being issued a replacement. =)

RAM usage is a bit ridiculous. But I think thisd is just down to the Touchwiz overlay. I actually flashed Cyanogen onto my S3 once (basically vanilla Android) and RAM usage immediately went down to idling at around 400mb.

I'll have to invest in a few screen protectors and have a play with them. I'll probably wait until a few reviews of the glass protectors have been brought out for the Nexus 5 before I think about getting one myself. I've now got my two Spigen cases ordered, so hopefully they'll be here soon. I'll still keep a lookout for the Otterbox cases though just in case they do bring one out for the N5.

The UK's a bit 'meh' at the minute. When I go to work in the morning it's dark and when I leave for home it's dark, so it's all very depressing at the moment. XD Plus the weathers crap, as it always is in Britain. Lol. What's the States like at the minute?

 

[ipwn3r456]

"Cheats" on the Note 3? Verconversationl . I am guessing Samsung is doing that to make the people think that the Note 3 is "better" than anything out there for right now. The S4 is a bit different. It has a Snapdragon 600, not a 800, so it's a bit slower (like 1.8GHz or somewhere near). The Nexus phones are pretty nice, I might consider the next generation Nexus when it comes out, just right after my contract ends (think it's end of december next year). Just that I don't really like the taste of stock Android, I like the Touchwiz UI. Just updated to Android 4.3 few days ago, and it looks awesome. Now it's similar to a S4 now (of course not all the features).

Light leakage on the edges of the screen? Well... you might got a defective product. Probably the Koreans was working too fast that they didn't put the parts carefully. I guess that's goona be a long time to get your replacement. Might as well update your S3 to Android 4.3 (if available), and play with it. But RAM usage like you said, it's a pretty big problem. My US version has 2GB of RAM, and it consumes about 1GB our of 1.56GB even if I don't use any apps. And I have no idea where the hell is the rest 0.44GB of RAM go. It's just not acceptable.

About screen protectors, I am not a pro at this either. But just try to do it. We all make mistakes. Hopefully big case manufacturers like Otterbox and Griffin will make some cases for the Nexus 5. 3000 miles away... live in the UK must be pretty great.

Yeah, Samsung have had quite a good reputation up til now with regards to benchmarks, but the Note 3 and S4 have both been proven to be 'cheating'. =) Along with HTC and Sony of course. It's just not possible for there to be such a major difference between performance on devices with the same chipsets.

There's actually several models of S4 available at the moment, with the octa-core, Snapdragon 600 and Snapdragon 800 chipsets. I think it's the LTE S4 with the 800 though. =/

My contracts due in November next year and I think I will be going for another Nexus if the N5 is anything to go by. After hacing been using it for a few days nonw I couldnt be happier. Everything from panning internet pages to simply scrolling between homescreens is just an amazingly fluid experience. Even zooming in and out of heavy internet pages such as the Verge's main site is as smooth as the Iphone, which is an amazing improvement over last years devices. =) If theres one bad thing I have to say about the N5 it's that because it's so powerful it's making my N7 look a bit ancient! XD I still love my N7 as well though for video watching and internet browsing. All the things you would want a bigger screen for really.

I used to be the same, I didnt really like vanilla Android much when I first used it. I was too used to the extra features that Touchwiz offered, such as multi-screening and smart stay. But now that I've used it for a while I can appreciate the benefits to using a vanilla Android experience. I have noticed there are a lot ekss app crashes than on my S3, and this is probably due to there not being as much going on in the background.

I didnt realise 4.3 was out for the S3 now. There again mine is still running on 4.1.2 as mines rooted. I think I'm going to unroot it though so I can use it as a backup phone. I'll have to see what 4.3 is like. What features from the S4 have been introduced to the S3?

I contacted Google earlier about the issues I've been having. As far as the light leaking goes they've said that this is definitely a manufacturing fault (Supprise supprise), but the other issues are just software errors which an update that is going to be released soon is going to fix thankfully. I've requested an RMA service though anyway, as I may as well seeing as I'm within my 15 days. =) they've said that providing they have my model in stock I should get a replacement within 3-5 days, but providing I get one at all I'll be happy. One thing I like about Google is that you can carry on using the defective device until the replacement arrives, unlike Apple who make you send your defective device back before being issued a replacement. =)

RAM usage is a bit ridiculous. But I think thisd is just down to the Touchwiz overlay. I actually flashed Cyanogen onto my S3 once (basically vanilla Android) and RAM usage immediately went down to idling at around 400mb.

I'll have to invest in a few screen protectors and have a play with them. I'll probably wait until a few reviews of the glass protectors have been brought out for the Nexus 5 before I think about getting one myself. I've now got my two Spigen cases ordered, so hopefully they'll be here soon. I'll still keep a lookout for the Otterbox cases though just in case they do bring one out for the N5.

The UK's a bit 'meh' at the minute. When I go to work in the morning it's dark and when I leave for home it's dark, so it's all very depressing at the moment. XD Plus the weathers crap, as it always is in Britain. Lol. What's the States like at the minute?

I am not too sure if Android 4.3 is available on every S3, since Samsung has problems with that software with the international versions of it. I am not too sure about the new features, besides the UI looks like the S4, and some new camera features like best face, etc.

Good to know that you are getting a RMA from Google. Hopefully you will get your replacement soon.

Uhh, life in the states. I am actually a student, got homework and studying to do. The weather is pretty warm, it never snow in my area, the coldest around here is around 40-50F, maybe around 5-10C in conversation. (LA, very busy city)Thankfully I got a week for break, so I can do some other stuff.

 

[grebgonebad]

I'll have to see when I unroot my S3 then. =) I thought Samsung were meant to be introducing a few of the S4 features like the one that scrolls the page when your eyes reach the bottom?

Yeah, I had an email from Google saying that my replacement should be despatched in a few days time. All good!

A student? What are you studying? Im an Apprentice myself, although I'm nearing the end of it now. That is pretty warm, warmer than here anyways. XD

 

[firecureve]

I think you should be interested in Solar Chargers,It is easy to carry, and sufficient power(3000mAh).Espow.com is also a good choice,I also bought one few days ago, it very easy to use. The website is ：
http/www.espow.com/wholesale-3000mah-solar-charger-for-cell-phones-digital-cameras-mp3-mp4-players-pda-dv.html
I believe you'll like it !

 

[grebgonebad]

I think you should be interested in Solar Chargers,It is easy to carry, and sufficient power(3000mAh).Espow.com is also a good choice,I also bought one few days ago, it very easy to use. The website is ：
http/www.espow.com/wholesale-3000mah-solar-charger-for-cell-phones-digital-cameras-mp3-mp4-players-pda-dv.html
I believe you'll like it !

Thanks for your excellent suggestion!

I have actually looked at a few solar chargers, but unfortunately they are all just too bulky for me. =(

The Anker ultra slim that has been mentioned is more what I am after due to it's slim size and built in micro-USB cable.

Plus, a solar charger wouldn't do me much good im afraid, as I plan on using this charger when I am on a night out, night being the main word here. =P

Thanks nonetheless!

 

[ipwn3r456]

I'll have to see when I unroot my S3 then. =) I thought Samsung were meant to be introducing a few of the S4 features like the one that scrolls the page when your eyes reach the bottom?

Yeah, I had an email from Google saying that my replacement should be despatched in a few days time. All good!

A student? What are you studying? Im an Apprentice myself, although I'm nearing the end of it now. That is pretty warm, warmer than here anyways. XD

Sorry for late reply. Didn't get an email from Tomshardware lol. I am still not too sure what I should study, I am not in college yet. As for the smart scroll (I think you mean that), I don't think they have it, but maybe I just need to check it if it's there... Those Koreans better work faster to produce your replacement.

 

[grebgonebad]

I'll have to see when I unroot my S3 then. =) I thought Samsung were meant to be introducing a few of the S4 features like the one that scrolls the page when your eyes reach the bottom?

Yeah, I had an email from Google saying that my replacement should be despatched in a few days time. All good!

A student? What are you studying? Im an Apprentice myself, although I'm nearing the end of it now. That is pretty warm, warmer than here anyways. XD

Sorry for late reply. Didn't get an email from Tomshardware lol. I am still not too sure what I should study, I am not in college yet. As for the smart scroll (I think you mean that), I don't think they have it, but maybe I just need to check it if it's there... Those Koreans better work faster to produce your replacement.

Sorry for my own late reply, PC's been out of action. Damn trojan. Took me a couple days to track it down let alone remove it. XD

I didnt know what I wanted to do origionally. I just kinda went for what was available to be honest, what with how hard it it to find jobs nowadays. =/

Smart Scroll, that's the one. =) I thought it just used the front facing camera? Maybe the one on the S3 isnt good enough for it?

Google were actually excellent with delivering my replacement, came the day after I raised the issue. Very impressed to say the least. =) This new N5 still has some minor light leakage, but not nearly as bad or noticeable as the previous one. I can't be bothered to try and get another one now, besides, this new N5 is scoring even better on the benchmarks! =P I'm amazed at just how powerful this thing is, especially when compared to all the other top end devices that cost far more.

 

[ipwn3r456]

Trojans? I think last time ever my computer was infected that caused the system to fail was like years ago. Spend $300 (US dollars) on repair... I swear I am goona fix my own, $300? God dammit I can buy myself a Nexus 7 and quite alot of change left.

I have no plans of what I am going to major when I am in college. I should really think about it. Only got 2 years in high school left, school system over in the UK is different, so I don't know how is it like lol. But you are right, it's very hard to get a job nowdays. Hopefully I will get into a decent job in the future...

I don't think I see anything about smart scroll on my Galaxy S3. Maybe other versions do, but not on mine (or maybe I just can't find it for some reason).

Wow. Even the second replacement has still minor light leakage? Probably there's something wrong with the manufacturing process. I thought Korean product's quality is better than "Made in China" stuff. I am really looking forward to see new phones releasing next year. Galaxy S5 is one of my choice, but hopefully there are other good phones too to compete with it.

 

[grebgonebad]

It wasn't too bad of a trojan, just took me ages to find it! XD $300 on repair? i think the most I've ever spent on a repair was when my laptop had a virus that effectively fried the HDD and I had to spend £40 on a new one. =P

2 years is plenty of time to think about what you;re going to do. If I remember right I only started thinking about it about 3 months before I left high school. Lol. I wouldn't advise you leaving it that long though.

Maybe that was one feature they didn't introduce. Shame really.

The light leaking isnt too bad on this new one. I cant even see it unless I look for it this time, unlike the other one where I could see it anyway. I cant be bothered to return this one though, plus its not that big of a deal. This new N5 scores better than the old one on every benchmark anyway, so I dont really want to get rid of it. XD 3d Mark is showing at least 12.5% more performance than the average score for the N5. =)

It'll be interesting to see what Samsung come up with for thier S5 that's for sure.

 

[ipwn3r456]

It wasn't too bad of a trojan, just took me ages to find it! XD $300 on repair? i think the most I've ever spent on a repair was when my laptop had a virus that effectively fried the HDD and I had to spend £40 on a new one. =P

2 years is plenty of time to think about what you;re going to do. If I remember right I only started thinking about it about 3 months before I left high school. Lol. I wouldn't advise you leaving it that long though.

Maybe that was one feature they didn't introduce. Shame really.

The light leaking isnt too bad on this new one. I cant even see it unless I look for it this time, unlike the other one where I could see it anyway. I cant be bothered to return this one though, plus its not that big of a deal. This new N5 scores better than the old one on every benchmark anyway, so I dont really want to get rid of it. XD 3d Mark is showing at least 12.5% more performance than the average score for the N5. =)

It'll be interesting to see what Samsung come up with for thier S5 that's for sure.

Well, I don't really have a talent or anything. Besides that I like computers.

I know it's quite disappointed for Samsung for not releasing Smart Scroll for the Galaxy S3. But if you think of it on the business side, if they put too many features on their older devices as their top end devices has, more likely people will buy the older device because of cost.

Well, I guess enjoy your Nexus 5. And how's the Anker Slim 4500mAh? Is it good?

 

[grebgonebad]

When I chose what to do I purposely chose something other than computers (i.e. building, repairing, playing with, coding, etc.) as this is also my interest, and I thought it would become less enjoyable if I had to do it as a career. =P

You have got a point there actually. =) Maybe we'll see the features in another update? Once the new Galaxy has been released?

The Anker Slim is absolutely fantastic! Got it through the post the other day. =) Charges up my N5 in about an hour and a half (Although for some reason it seems to slow the rate of charge at around 70%? very stange...). Easily lasts a full charge and then some so it's just about perfect! I love its small size. =)

 

[ipwn3r456]

I am a pretty terrible programmer. I am learning coding at school, and I don't think I am doing so well...

I don't even know if the Galaxy S3 will get another update soon... it's already 18 months old, and I am not sure if Google's 18 month policy applies to it. Or prehaps Samsung will make some more updates...

Nice to hear about the Anker Slim. An hour and a half is actually very fast. Not even my thick Anker 13000mAh can charge it that fast, or it's just my phone...

 

[grebgonebad]

I was terrible at it, but it was just another thing I became interested in and so I decided to teach myself (With the help of Google of course XD). Dont beat yourself about not doing so well at it at school, I did a part time computer course at my local college for a few months and what they were teaching was complete rubbish. It was just another 'how to suck eggs' class. lol. Needless to say I quit. If you really want to learn coding, or anything for that matter, I'd just teach yourself like I did. Theres plenty of helpful sites on the web! =)

I think Google's 18 month policy only applies to their Nexus devices. I think it's up to the individual manufacturer as to when to stop supporting devices. A friend of mine received an update for their S2 a couple months ago, so the S3 may be supported for a while yet. =)

I was just as surprised about the quick charge time. Not that I'm complaining of course. =P I don't know why it charges that fast to be honest. Just a little fluke I suppose. You have the 13,000mAh? What's it like? I did consider getting a large capacity one like that, but I opted for portability instead.

 

[ipwn3r456]

I was terrible at it, but it was just another thing I became interested in and so I decided to teach myself (With the help of Google of course XD). Dont beat yourself about not doing so well at it at school, I did a part time computer course at my local college for a few months and what they were teaching was complete rubbish. It was just another 'how to suck eggs' class. lol. Needless to say I quit. If you really want to learn coding, or anything for that matter, I'd just teach yourself like I did. Theres plenty of helpful sites on the web! =)

I think Google's 18 month policy only applies to their Nexus devices. I think it's up to the individual manufacturer as to when to stop supporting devices. A friend of mine received an update for their S2 a couple months ago, so the S3 may be supported for a while yet. =)

I was just as surprised about the quick charge time. Not that I'm complaining of course. =P I don't know why it charges that fast to be honest. Just a little fluke I suppose. You have the 13,000mAh? What's it like? I did consider getting a large capacity one like that, but I opted for portability instead.

Hardware or software? That's the question I sometimes thought about for myself. Maybe even both? Are you serious about the experience that they teach you in your local school? Well, I guess it's different from teachers. I am probably going to teach my own, and maybe ask a few of my friends for help.

I guess you are right, maybe it does only applies to Nexus devices. Wait, the Galaxy S2 is still getting an update? Quite surprised. What Android OS is it? Is it Android 4.2.2? Was there any new features or overall UI change? Hopefully they will keep supporting the Galaxy S3, I kinda noticed that it's lagging now... comparing a year ago when I first got the device running on Android 4.0.4, although Android 4.3 is much nicer, but Android 4.0.4 gives more of a smooth experience.

Maybe the Nexus 5 is capable to charge at 2 Amps. Who knows. Uhh, my 13000 mAh battery... It's basically a pretty huge "brick". Not that huge, you can put it in your pockets, but it's like the size of 2 Galaxy S3's thickness together... maybe a bit more. I am pretty fine with it, charges my S3 atleast 3 times. I never really tested out my external battery, maybe I should do that sometime... All my friends at school keep asking me to bring my "brick" everyday to charge it for them

 

[grebgonebad]

The computer course I took at college was mainly about coding and binary, but the way it started out was basically the teacher giving us a checklist of things we needed to prove we could do. Things like how to send an email, how to delete a file or folder, and how to empty the recycle bin. So yes I am being dead serious. Lol! XD I think it's far better to teach yourself, as you learn in your own time and you don't get stressed out by time frames or homework or exams.

Yeah, the S2 is still supported, I don't know for how much longer though. I'm not sure what version of android it was, but 4.2.2 sounds about right. I doubt it would have been 4.3 or above. I don't know exactly what changed, my friend only told me about it over the phone. I'll have to take a look myself at some point. I agree, 4.0.4 was smoother than 4.3, but I have to say KitKat is extremely smooth, it appears that Google have polished their animations and transitions alot since Jelly Bean. Even scrolling up and down complicated web pages such as The Verge (Full site of course =P) is as smooth as silk. Apple no longer hold the smooth UI trophy it seems...

I'm not entirely sure at what amperage the N5 charges at, but the supplied charger is rated at 1.2A. This doesn't mean the N5 can't handle a higher amperage of course. Looking online alot of N5 owners are commenting on the fast charge times, so it appears to be an across the board consensus. =)

The way you describe it is pretty much why I didn't go for a higher capacity battery. I wanted something discreet enough so that I wouldnt notice it in my pocket, if you know what I mean? I think a larger one may come in handy at some point, I'm planning on camping at Download this year (Music festival) and I'll be there for around 5 days with no means of charging my phone, so a battery like yours would be ideal. I'll look inot this closer to the time though. Lol about your friends! I can imagine it being useful at school!

 

[ipwn3r456]

The computer course I took at college was mainly about coding and binary, but the way it started out was basically the teacher giving us a checklist of things we needed to prove we could do. Things like how to send an email, how to delete a file or folder, and how to empty the recycle bin. So yes I am being dead serious. Lol! XD I think it's far better to teach yourself, as you learn in your own time and you don't get stressed out by time frames or homework or exams.

Yeah, the S2 is still supported, I don't know for how much longer though. I'm not sure what version of android it was, but 4.2.2 sounds about right. I doubt it would have been 4.3 or above. I don't know exactly what changed, my friend only told me about it over the phone. I'll have to take a look myself at some point. I agree, 4.0.4 was smoother than 4.3, but I have to say KitKat is extremely smooth, it appears that Google have polished their animations and transitions alot since Jelly Bean. Even scrolling up and down complicated web pages such as The Verge (Full site of course =P) is as smooth as silk. Apple no longer hold the smooth UI trophy it seems...

I'm not entirely sure at what amperage the N5 charges at, but the supplied charger is rated at 1.2A. This doesn't mean the N5 can't handle a higher amperage of course. Looking online alot of N5 owners are commenting on the fast charge times, so it appears to be an across the board consensus. =)

The way you describe it is pretty much why I didn't go for a higher capacity battery. I wanted something discreet enough so that I wouldnt notice it in my pocket, if you know what I mean? I think a larger one may come in handy at some point, I'm planning on camping at Download this year (Music festival) and I'll be there for around 5 days with no means of charging my phone, so a battery like yours would be ideal. I'll look inot this closer to the time though. Lol about your friends! I can imagine it being useful at school!

Teaching you basic stuff like sending an email is okay... but how is this related to coding? And seriously, teaching you how to delete a file? I can imagine how they teach... "Move your mouse to the file" "right-click" "move down and click on 'delete'" "move your mouse to the recycle bin and click on it" "click on 'empty recycle bin'" Sounds about right?

Samsung is actually doing great in terms on software upgrades, comparing to the others. I think S2 had its time now. This will probably it's last upgrade. Well of course you can root it and go for even further, but it's not official. I actually want KitKat as well, it looks like Google did take its time to optimize it's Android OS. Hopefully Samsung will put an upgrade for it though... Actually looking forwards for Android 5.0... that's what they have been saying in the rumors.

Uhh, charging it faster, it's good, but sometimes its not a good idea. Well I was playing tennis some other day, and of course I was using my "brick" to charge my phone while I am playing, and noticed that it charged to full battery after 2 hours of playing. I was like that was pretty quick. It may be charged less than 2 hours, but who knows. Going out for 5 days for your music festival? Something like mine might be enough, but depends on how much do you spend on your phone, my battery should be fine for 4 charges, there are higher capacities though, up to 20000mAh (no kidding), and it can even charge your laptops. Unfortunately it's only in US and Germany, so you can't buy that There's the Anker Astro E5 though, 15000 mAh, 2000 more than mine (Astro E4). It depends on your needs. Go for the one that you need. Uhh my friends, always asking me, "where's your potato so I can charge it"

 

[grebgonebad]

That's it, you've got the idea! XD ANd you're right, absolutely nothing to do with coding. I asked why we were learning how to do basic stuff like this, and the teacaher's reply was 'We need to make sure everyone here has a basic understanding of computers', to which I replied, 'Well I think if anyone here doesn't know the basics of computing they should be on a bloody coding course!'. Lol. He didn't reply to that. =P Anyway, I left that after about 3 months because even when we got into the juicy stuff the way they were teaching it was utter rubbish.

Samsung have always been one of my favourites for software, not only because they have some of the best 'quirky' features out there (Air gestures, smart scroll and multi-window to name a few), but they are generally on the ball with bringing out updates. The S2 is definitely finished now I would think, what with the S5 rumoured to be being announced in the 2nd quarter of next year. Rooting can only take you so far of course because eventually the hardware simply won't be compatible with the newer versions of Android. KitKat is definitely an improvemnet over Jelly Bean, hope you get it soon! Android 5.0 is going to be interesting no doubt, I hope that comes out next year. From what I've heard it's going to be called either Lemon and Lime or Lollipop. I think it'll be Lollipop myself, but we'll see. =)

2 hours? That's quick as well! Seems that Anker are quite good at quick charge times. We can actually get a 20,000mAh Anker in the UK, but it costs like £100 (About $160 I think?), so it's outside of my price range unfortunately. I am going to this festival with a few friends though, so maybe we can all chip in and get one to charge all our phones. I'll have to ask them about it at some point. I didn't know they could charge laptops? Must only be with the larger capacity batteries of course, the one thing I will say about the Astro Ultra-Slim is that while it will charge my Nexus 7, it does it S-L-O-W-L-Y. XD So I can't imagine using that for a laptop!

 

[ipwn3r456]

I think that teacher should of put a "intro computer class" for learning actual basic stuff like email, word processing, and the ridiculous process that you mentioned, "how to delete a file". And an actual "programming" class separately.

Yep, bye bye to Galaxy S2. I doubt if they are going to update it even more, when they have like over 9000 devices to take care of. What I heard about the S5 is that it might even come earlier. Probably Q1 next year. Well all those stuff are just rumors, let the Samsung guys tell the official stuff. Kitkat, lol I just ate a "Kitkat" chocolate today. Damn, now I mentioned kitkat, the rapper on the chocolate has a giveaway code that you might win a Nexus 7 or a $5 Google Play Card (US only, I think). Gotta try it later. Android 5.0 is probably going to named Key Lime Pie, as a heck of articles saying that as well.

It came to a surprise to me as well when it finished charging for 2 hours. Maybe the phone or the charger itself is on drugs on something, haha. 100 pounds for the 20000mAh version? I don't even weight that much (lame joke, of course I weight more than that). Charging laptops with a super sized "brick" would be fine for a while, and it won't charge all laptops. Don't expect to charge your high-end laptops like Alienware, etc. As they suck more power, and the plugs are different.