kmj90

does anyone have this phone? how does it compare to other smart phones like iphone 4 or droid x?

CGFebTSX04

There's a discussion going on here about the phone and Android in general:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...=775979&page=7


I think Professor just picked up the Samsung Captivate but waiting on it to be delivered? I'm planning to get the phone, not sure which variant yet. I'm leaning towards the European or Bell's version for various reasons. (Front facing camera intact, and if I was gonna pay full price for a phone, might as well get it without the branding, etc. There are downsides, however, of getting the Euro version such as not getting 3G everywhere so I'm waiting if the Bell one won't come with any restrictions.)


As you probably already know, the Samsung Galaxy S comes in many variations depending on which carrier you're looking at. Only Sprint's version will have the Front facing camera and keyboard. While Verizon's and Sprint's will both have LED flash (Which I think is useless on a phone. If it was a xenon flash I'd be all over it). ATT and T-Mobile's version both have no flash and no front facing camera but all have a Night Mode. All of them have different design cues. They all have the same internal hardware though. Currently, the two known problems of the phone is GPS issues and MMS issues with ATT. Both should be fixable with an update and some people have already tweaked the GPS issue. Also, Samsung has had a bad history in regards to keeping their phones up to date but I think that it'll be different for their Galaxy S line due to it being released worldwide. That's a big ball to drop should they decide to not support the phone. There are already leaks of the new update so its a good sign.


The Samsung is currently the most powerful Android device at the moment. The Droid X isn't too far off only getting beat in the graphics department. Is the Samsung better than the iPhone 4? I would say it comes down to preference of the OS. Android has more customization out of the box than iOS. The iOS has gotten stale now unless you jailbreak the phone but I'm sure a lot of people will argue to me about that. :flamesuiton: With Android, you can have Widgets instead of just rows of icons so no two phones look exactly alike. I suggest you play with Android if you haven't done so before making the jump.


Android's come a long way since its Cupcake days and its far more user friendly now than it has been in many iterations of the OS. The Galaxy S phones are supposed to be receiving an update any time now for Froyo (Android 2.2) with features you can read in above thread. Main improvements are speed tweaks and full Adobe Flash in the browser.


If you're coming from Apple, you'll notice that some of the apps you use in iOS won't be the same ones you use in Android. Android has many apps that are comparable, if not better, and are free. This usually, turns off Apple users because they don't want to explore the market to find the new apps as they worked fine in iOS. However, its very easy to find new apps in the market by visiting websites that showcase all the apps:

www.appbrain.com
www.cyrket.com
www.androlib.com


iOS currently has the upper hand in gaming. Android is getting there though. You can run almost any app, including emulators, and USB tethering without having to root the phone should not want to go down that path. More info in above thread again about said issues.


So in the end, I suggest you try out all the phones. It'll come down to preference. All three phones are excellent and you can't go wrong choosing either. Read the above link to learn more about Android in general and the phone. I'm sure the iOS guys will come here and chime their thoughts as well.

Professor

Affirmative. I got the Captiavte via FedEx about 2 days ago. I've yet to turn in own for two reasons. 1) My memory expansion card came in today via Amazon, and I wanted to have it in place before connecting to PC Studio for my downloads. I don't how the phone will allocate the memory, hence waiting on the card. 2) I ordered the Invisible Shield protective film. It should be in tomorrow, and I want to apply it to a virgin phone without finger smudges, etc. I think I'll only apply it to the front and the top and bottom of the back. I really like the metal feel of the battery cover. 3) I think ATT is going apeshit because I haven't activated the phone Day 1. Since that time, I have received and offer to waive the $18 upgrade fee, and they are sending price reductions on a series of phone. No Captivate yet in that series they present, but I'll wait a day or two more to see if the price drops.

The other two phones you mention are great phones... a little plus here and a little minus there. I outlined my dealbreakers at [QUOTE=Professor;12200485]
https://acurazine.com/forums/newrepl...ply&p=12200485

Good luck and there is a Captivate website at http://www.samsungcaptivateforum.com/

DarkSithCL

iTrader: (1)

Man, as soon as you have her cookin, hollar at us in the AD thread or add it right here... I cannot wait to hear about the new Galaxy S class first hand!

DarkSithCL

iTrader: (1)

and CG, excellent review mang!!!!

Doom878

Subscribing out of curiousity

Professor

On my Captivate:

Install my IS today. A couple of notes... 1) the IS part that goes on the battery cover went on very smooth, but it takes away from the detail of the metal look. It looks like a thin piece of glass has been laid on top. I might remove this IS part, but I'll give it a few days to see how I like it. 2) The other two pieces for the back are fairly easy, you just don't want the water to get on your camera lens cover. I do like these parts, because they have enough tackiness to keep the phone from sliding around too much on my car console. 3) The front screen protector has some impossible micro bubbles that I hope will go away in a few days. Otherwise, you see the orange peel in this IS section versus the others. And there is a difference of sliding your finger across the IS versus naked glass. I haven't activated the phone yet, but if the UI is compromised one bit, off it will come and I'll look for another product.

Lastly wear a hair net or a hat or something... this baby will suck lint, hair, etc. out of thin air. A few times I had to respray and scratch off the lint.

At any rate, I think the phone is scratch proof.

CGFebTSX04

Cool. Can't wait to hear what you think of the phone in general. Let us know about the responsiveness of the screen with IS. IS is normally thicker than the other screen protectors out there so it may mess with the touch response. So if you get flaky touch response, then you know why. lol. Usually, the best screen protectors are from Mugen, Best Skin Ever and PhantomSkinz as they're pretty thin in comparison and are still durable. With that said, the screen on the Galaxy S should be a gorilla glass. If its anything like the international version, it should be able to withstand light scratches. They did a screen durability test below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3by5u9ax2EU

Professor

I'm charging it now and will move all my contacts from my old SIM in a little while. I think, I'll have a good initial review later tonight.

OF course since it's an Android on a a Galaxy class starship... eerr... phone, I've got to find a wallpaper of:

CGFebTSX04

You should install the Samsung Kies software if you haven't already. It should help sync your phone with your contacts and media. I personally don't use apps like these but since you're starting off with a new phone to Android, it might help:

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/de...sub_class_cd=P

Click on the software tab. It also allows you to tether using this software without having to root.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jIJRu9gXvU

The video is for a T-Mobile Vibrant but the method is similar. Let me see if I can find a link to one with the Captivate.

crazyasiantl

iTrader: (7)

subscribed since im getting this phone

CGFebTSX04

Here's a good site for tips and tricks on the phone:

http://www.talkandroid.com/7386-gala...e-vibrant-etc/



Bell's version came out today but so far no one's been able to unlock it. If this is the case in the next few weeks, I'm going to be picking up the European version of this phone. Sadly, the prices went up a little due to demand.

Professor

Captivate Initial Review:

Finally activated (of course ATT was so fine to send me a text for a new Dataplan). First, I had to remove the IS protector from the screen. It didn't affect the UI on the screen but the home buttons at the bottom were hard to use with it on. I would have to press them two or three times pretty hard to activate them. After removing the IS, then no problems.

One thing right of the bat is getting use to the power button. On my Samsung Eternity, you could press any of the real buttons on the bottom and the screen would activate. With this phone, I set the screen to power off in 2 minutes without use. Then you have to click the power button and swipe to unlock the phone.

WiFi works great... no problem recognizing my home system and automatically picks it up when you come back in range.

The homescreens are easily customized although I haven't found a way to have an unique background for each homescreen.

The big pain so far was trying to get my info off my old phone. I was able to get some contact information off of my SIM card, but the calendar, pics, etc. were a lost cause. The Eternity would connect to my PC via PC Studio to download the info, but PC Studio won't hook-up with the Captivate. On the otherhand, Samsung Kies works via USB (no bluetooth), but would connect to the Eternity... so I'm still working on this issue.

Facebook, Twitter, all easy to connect as well as Gmail. I had a couple of other email accounts that I couldn't get connected so that's another issue to fix.

More to come...

CGFebTSX04

Yeah thats what I thought. The IS might be too thick for regular use. Gotta get something thinner if you want a screen protector. The phone is pretty hard to scratch without a protector though.

As far as TouchWiz UI goes, you can't have a background for each homescreen. Would be cool though. I think one of the home replacements do it but I can't remember the name right now.

Are you able to sync the Eternity to Outlook? Like the Calendars and Contacts? If you can, do it. From there, use Kies to sync the Captivate with Outlook. So it should look like this:

Eternity (PC Studio) --> Outlook --> Captivate (Kies)


As long as you can get it to Outlook, there will be a way to sync your contacts and calendars. If not, can you export the Eternity's phonebook as a .csv file? If yes, you can import it into GMAIL then get all your contacts organized that way.

http://android-tips.com/how-to-impor...oidtmobile-g1/

Use http://www.google.com/contacts to organize your contacts as well.


If both of the above don't work (highly unlikely, lol.) You can manually copy your contacts to your SIM card then import them to the Captivate. Rinse, repeat til you get all your contacts.


If you can manually pull the pictures from the Eternity to your desktop you can also sync them to the Captivate using Kies or copy them manually to your SD Card by mounting your phone as a USB Mass Storage. PC Studio is of no use for the Captivate and the Eternity will not be recognized by Kies.



One more reference link for how to get your contacts and calendar to your Captivate if the Outlook process doesn't work:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2361278,00.asp

crazyasiantl

iTrader: (7)

got this phone today. i am getting used to it. its a lot more phone than my blackjack thats for sure

full review once i get used to it

i too, found unlocking the phone a bit of a hassle

FutureBagdA4

Could this phone be any more of an iPhone copy? I mean really...

CGFebTSX04

That's the European/Canadian version. (The T-Mobile version looks like that somewhat) The AT&T, Sprint and Verizon version are different in design. Luckily its very easy to replace the Home screen grid icons and launcher icons. Root not required. I think Samsung decided to make it that way to appeal to iPhone users who want to try something new. Surprisingly, its working...

DarkSithCL

iTrader: (1)

yup

DarkSithCL

iTrader: (1)

have fun! thx for the honesty!

DarkSithCL

iTrader: (1)

thanks so much... huge help for the ATT android crowd!

biggg72

im curious myself.

CG2PROJECT

The PHONE is a copy, you say? Hardly. Big whoop, the App drawer looks like an iPhone and you compare the entire phone to the iPhone? Get a grip. Where are the widgets? Where's the extensive customization?

Professor

iPhones with Samsung parts and Samsungs with Apple UI's... what does it matter? They are all made in Shenzhen, China.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

I might get the Captivate and move on from my BB. I wish the new BB wasn't such a disappointment.

Who knows when Android 2.2 will become available?

CGFebTSX04

Officially, they're saying end of September. If you're brave enough though, you can get it now. lol. Just need root and flash Froyo with ODIN. Although, from what I'm reading the Froyo builds still need some work.


Some devs like Barak and Eugene have an almost barebone stock Froyo build for the Vibrant ready. Its only missing Audio right now but they're almost there. Also, Cyanogen Mod is being built for it as well by Wesgarner and Scepterr, they're already making progress. Once either of these builds are built, its just a matter of changing a few lines of codes to port it to the Captivate.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

^
Got it. I'll look at it when 2.2 is released. But, I wish RIM would come out with better phones.

Professor

^ Samsung has put all of their marbles on the line with the Galaxy S series. Froyo specifically for the Captivate should be pushed by Samsung at the end of October.

Given alittle more user review:

1) The power-on button is beginning to feel natural. I kind of like clicking it after use to save the battery.

2) Speaking of battery. The specs are great, but it does seem to use the battery faster than my Samsung Eternity. I do like that you can just leave the USB plugged into your computer and attach the Captivate at night for a full charge. And with Kies, backing-up your data is easy.

3) Pushing of the email is great. I get it from yahoo mail, google mail, and charter. Updates from facebook and tweeter are also great and comes in via my home wi-fi network.

4) The camera is unbelievable. I took pics of a boat I am trying to sell and was easily able to text them and email them to all parties interested. The quality of detail was insane.

5) Some small things that I am sure all smartphones do, I find incredible. For example, someone emailed me about buying my boat. He had his contact number in the email. All I had to do was touch the phone number to place the call. Also the voice interface is great since I can say "pizza" and it opens all the websites of locations with pizza near my house.

6) I still have not found a good screen protector. And the bare glass will show fingerprints alot. I clean it with a microfiber at least twice a day. And if you decide to get a carrying case be careful. I have went through two even though they said they would fit a Captivate. You have 4.3 inches to deal with. I finally found an o.k. one at PDair.

7) Lastly, for this part of the review, NO DROPPED CALLS! Even with the battery in the yellow area and one bar of signal strength, I was able to carry on a crystal clear conversation for 2 hours. My Eternity would had dropped at least 3 or 4 times under the same conditions. No knocking the iPhone (great display), but you can hold the phone anyway you want. But to be fair the Apple, I could cut all of the reception bars from my Eternity with a "deathgrip." It's hard to do a deathgrip on the Captivate due to it's 4.3inches.

cheers!

crazyasiantl

iTrader: (7)

i will agree with you on all those points

i too hit the power button after use to lock the phone.

my mother in law just got a blackberry curve. its so blah compared to the captivate

CGFebTSX04

Thanks for the awesome review! Can't wait to get one of these. The screen is actually 4" but a mere .3" is not too far off. As far as screen protectors, check out XDA for some suggestions:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=725392


From my personal experience, Phantom Skinz are pretty good. I'm currently using one on my Google Ion. It is a little bit more difficult to apply than other Shields but it works awesome and mine hasn't turned colors like the IS has on my other phones. They have different colors now and even a Carbon Fiber look and feel which I'm interested in. Check them out.

Phantom Skinz (Note that you get 2 sets for the price and you can do full body cover or just the screen) - http://phantomskinz.com/samsungcaptivatei897.aspx

Phantom Skinz Chromatics (Different colors and Carbon Fiber) - http://phantomskinz.com/samsungcaptivatechromatics.aspx

Also they have a 30% off sale: http://phantomskinz.com/fallsale.aspx

Gotta use 'fall30' as the coupon code. All lower cased.

Doom878

Impressive that calls don't drop. Sometimes I get that on my iPhone. Please tell me you can customize the home screen better than above.

CGFebTSX04

Yes you can. Very easy to do too and you don't need to root the phone. You just download any of the home replacements in the market. And yes, you can install all of them at once and shuffle between them all. Not sure why you'd want to do that though. lol.

ADW.Launcher, Launcher Pro, Panda Home, Home++, just to name a few (plenty more in the market). Each one supports unique themes as well. Each one has unique customizations, like the 3D Cube turning page animation, I've posted some screens of what ADW.Launcher looks like (stock and with the Paper theme) and Launcher Pro in the Android thread. You can also see what they look like on AppBrain. Of course, it doesn't show all the unique customizations you can do with each there though.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/org.adw.launcher
http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.fede.launcher
http://www.appbrain.com/app/mobi.int...oid.x.launcher
http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.nd.android.pandahome

There is one that a lot of Android users have been waiting for a while now called TAT UI. Hopefully, it does become real instead of just a concept:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOGmnnGpoqg

zguy95135

That's just the apps list, not one of the home screens.


You can customize them, although I like the way HTC's UI looks. It's less cutesy.

CGFebTSX04

If you get LauncherPro Plus, the one requiring a license key, you can use HTC Widgets. More info on his site:

http://www.launcherpro.com/?p=130

Personally, I'm not a fan of Sense UI and I like the Vanilla Android look. But thats whats great about Android, you can choose whatever you want.

DarkSithCL

iTrader: (1)

...great job Professor!

...thanks so much for the update!

crazyasiantl

iTrader: (7)

i have a few things to nag about.

when the battery is low, i notice the axis system is kinda slow to respond to movement

and trying to take a picture of yourself is pretty damn hard. my gf tried and she kept closing the camera or hitting other buttons than the capture photo icon

Yumcha

I believe this is going to be my next phone. Looking to purchase in a couple of weeks!

Mizouse

figures.

zguy95135

My gf put in the pre-order for our Epics today, w00t! Which is pretty much the same as the Galaxy S. I just hope that we either don't get one with buggy GPS or they get the fix out soon.

Doom878

^I've read they're working on the fix ASAP so shouldn't be a biggie. And yeah you're right that it's pretty much the Galaxy S but with QWERTY slide out. Let us know when you get it how it is. I think it ships at the end of the month?

Yumcha

But, I won't be buying 3 of 'em.