Legally unlocking your smartphone/tablet involves taking it to your wireless network operator/carrier, paying them a hefty fee (which can go in the hundreds of dollars) and then receiving a special code which you can input to your device to unlock it so you can use on other wireless networks.

Samsung Electronics Co. have released updated sales figures which show that their popular smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S II, has surpassed the twenty million units shipped mark in its first ten months of existence in the market. The world’s number two smartphone maker say that the figures represent both domestic and international markets, but only take into account the number of units which have been shipped to service providers and don’t take into account SIM-free sales or individual customer purchases which means the figure could be significantly higher.

While popular Android smartphones and tablets received unofficial ports to the latest version of Android i.e. 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich a long time ago, manufacturers are only now gearing up for the official release. HTC has officially stated that most of their top-of-the-line devices will be updated “later this year” and Samsung did say that the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note will receive ICS in Q1 2012 with updates for other devices to “soon follow”.

One of the most reasons why Android enthusiasts keep sticking to Android is its relative flexibility and vibrant developer/hacker community. While wireless carriers try to ensure a controlled user experience, talented folks from forums like XDA-Developers, Rootzwiki etc. keep coming up with ways to set Android devices free from the shackles of these wireless carriers. This setting free is called “rooting” and what comes after rooting is what makes Android… Android. You can change every single aspect of the software on your device to make it look and work just the way you want it. Of course, to do this yourself you need some pretty l33t hacking skills, but thanks to a newly released app called Omega Files Kitchen, you can customize and “cook” your own ROM. Check it out after the break.

Another build of the official Samsung Galaxy S II Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich ROM has been leaked, Redmond Pie has learned. This one is a big improvement over the previous versions and is said to be stable enough for use as a daily driver. Check out the step-by-step installation guide after the jump!

Ever since the source code for Ice Cream Sandwich was released some two months back, many talented developers have been tirelessly experimenting in order to bring a range of custom ROMs for those running certain Android devices.

We’ve already covered how you can flash CyanogenMod 9 Alpha for Nexus/Galaxy S and in today’s guide, we’ll be covering how you can flash CM9 for the Galaxy S II.

A very, very early build of Ice Cream Sandwich with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI has been leaked today. While it is too unstable for daily use, it does give us a potential glimpse at what Android 4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich will look like when it releases in a few months for the Samsung Galaxy S II. Details after the jump!

The ability to install modified versions of stock Android (read: custom ROMs) is one of the biggest reasons why enthusiasts opt for Android today. These custom ROMs can be slight variations of an original ROM, for example DarkyROM, or be heavily modded like CyanogenMod and MIUI. It can actually be quite addictive, this habit of trying out new ROMs and flashaholics – people who flash new ROMs very regularly – especially those of you who have the Samsung Galaxy S II will undoubtedly love this new dual-ROM-booting app we came across. Check out the details after the jump!

We’ve all heard the old adage of ‘if you can’t beat them, try to ridicule them,’ right? No? Well perhaps someone should have told Samsung that.

There’s no doubt that, when it comes to fanaticism of new products, Apple has it down to a fine art. From Mac to iPad, iPhone to MacBook, there’s regularly a congregation of avid techies ready to pay big bucks outside those iconic stores on release dates of new products.

Great news, folks! All variants of the Samsung Galaxy S II on US wireless carriers AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile are now root-able. We’ve already covered how to root the Epic 4G Touch, and today we’ll go through the method with which you can root T-Mobile’s Galaxy S II variant.