Facing problem updating your Galaxy S firmware through Kies - Try this!

Hi friends,

After struggling to upgrade my Samsung Galaxy I9000 S to Gingerbread 2.3.3 through Kies for almost couple of weeks, I finally made a break through.The following was the message I use to get after a certain point in the upgradation process:

However, after going though numerous blogs & forums, I found an easy way to update the phone to Gingerbread 2.3.3. All you need to do is follow the below steps:

1. Take a back-up of your phone data either using Kies or though an App, I personally used 'MyBackup' a free app you can download from the Android Market. To download click the Link
2. The app is a good one & also enable you to take the backup of all your installed applications as well.
3. After taking the phone back-up, on the phone settings > select 'Privacy' > in it select 'Factory data reset' > followed by 'Reset phone'
4. The reset process will start & will be completed in 5-10 mins (Leave the phone ideal & let the process be completed).
5. Once the process is completed & the phone is ready, connect it to to your PC/Laptop & open the Kies software.
6. Now follow the update process. (you may choose to skip the phone back-up process as you would have already completed it in step 1)
7. Start the update and leave the phone in ideal position, the update will happen automatically. Once done the software will flash a success message on your PC/laptop screen & will ask you to disconnect the phone from the PC/Laptop & restart it.
8. After restarting the process is completed and your phone will be updated to Gingerbread 2.3.3
9. The final step is to 'Restore the back-up' you took at the start of the process. Your phone will be up and running.

Things to note:  

• Do ensure that there is atleast 3000 MB of free space in your PC/Laptop hard disk in the partition where Kies is installed
• Your phone battery is fully charged

The above process has been tried & tested personally by me. It has worked perfectly for updating my Galaxy S firmware to Gingerbread 2.3.3. I hope it will work for you all as well. Do let me know if you all need any further assistance.

Must have Android Applications

Hi friends,

I am a not a tech guru, but surely a tech geek. It is this love for technology that has inspired me to share my views and opinion with you all. Without much delay here's some of the must have Android apps for your handsets:

Productivity tools: All these are free apps & doesn't need your phone to be rooted.

• Advanced Task Killer: Advanced Task Killer is also known as ATK. It is a tool to kill applications running in the background, which are not known to us most of the time, thus consuming lots of battery & RAM. It actually works by killing the apps at regular intervals scheduled by the user by setting the 'Auto Kill Frequency. Eg. when screen off, Every half an hour, 2 hours etc. You can download it by clicking Link 

• Antivirus Free: Fast and lightweight malicious app protection for your phone.Antivirus Free will detect new applications that are installed on your system, and cross-reference them with our database of known malicious apps.You can download it by clicking the Link

• Juice Defender - battery saver: Another important apps that help save battery by managing the overall phone operation. Believe me it does wonders & delivers what it promises. Give it a try by clicking the Link   

• AndroZip: As the name suggest it works as file manager, archive manager (ZIP, encrypted ZIP, RAR, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, 7ZIP. You can download it by clicking the Link

• Swiftkey X Beta: Help transform the default Android keyboard into a predictive based one. It automatically shows you word options, commonly used word & also intelligently manages to form sentences. Worth a try as it will surely help you type fast and accurately. You can download it by clicking the Link 

Utility: All these are free apps & doesn't need your phone to be rooted.

•  SMS Scheduler: A simple tool for sending automatic sms messages to the selected numbers, on a particular date & time. You can also set the frequency for the same. You can download it by clicking the Link

•  Anti SMS Spam: Helps you prevent unwanted message from any sender. Turn it on and stay safe from Spam messages. Simple to operate & works very well, gives you complete freedom from all the spam. Must have for everyone in India atleast as the DND doesn't work. You can download it by clicking the Link

•  Barcode Scanner: Turns your phone into a bar code scanner which scan barcodes on products then look up prices and reviews. You can also scan Data Matrix and QR Codes containing URLs, contact info, etc. You can download it by clicking the Link

• CamScanner: Turns your phone into a document scanner which scans and manages your documents, whiteboard discussions and receipts easily. Also the smart image cropping and enhancement algorithm ensures the scanned images clear and recognizable. You can also create a PDF, share & upload it on mail, social networking site etc. You can download it by clicking the Link

• Indian Rail: Super apps for Indian Android handset owners. It enables you to get information about Indian Railways, anytime anywhere. Check PNR Status & seat availability, find Trains, Arrival & Departure, train running status & a lot more. Strongly recommended, click here to download

•  Cricbuzz: A must have for all cricket enthusiast. Get score updates and ball-by-ball commentary on the go, what's more it also helps you listen to live audio commentary of the matches on your mobile without buffering on your normal GPRS connection. You can download it by clicking the Link

• TripAdvisor: Enables you to plan and have the perfect trip! Find the best places to eat, sleep, and play. Must say its a true guide while you are traveling. Give it a try by clicking the Link

Will keep adding to the above list. Also would welcome you all to share your views & apps recommendations.