Database Users

So, you bought a Vibrant... (my $.02, no refunds))

So I ditched WinCE for iOS... and now I have ditched iOS for Android. The Vibrant is my first Android device (and my first foray into a Samsung Mobile device... I am an unabashed HTC Fanboi). What has struck me, after sifting through numerous forums and entertaining a myriad of debates... is the wide of array of problems users have encountered... and their utter surprise (and sometimes outrage). Now, far be it for me to judge any other persons experiences... but I feel that I should remind everyone that most if not all Hi-tech product launches are plagued with some issues (some major, some minor) and that the burden (and duty) of early adopters is to wade through these issues and help mature the community and product. Now if these issues prove to be a hardware failing or unacceptable QC...then carries and manufactures should be held responsible to make things right. However, software issues (which is what I would attribute to most if not all the Vibrants problems to)... are ALWAYS going to be fleshed out with greater acuity and action by a large, well-informed and ambitious user base. We are just better suited and more motivated to do so than Corporate programmers... who are usually on deadlines and have more than one project cooking.
With that said, if you are unhappy with the device... by all means, return it. That is your right as a consumer (and is protected by the 14 day remorse period).
Anyway here are some facts about my user experience... since they seem to have been more favorable than a lot of other peoples:
1. I purchased my Vibrant on launch day, with a ship date of 7/8/2010
2. I did in fact have flaky GPS out of the box (1-3 min initial locks, not always... but enough to be considered an "issue")
3. The compass is for all intents and purposes unusable (however, the fact that it has been identified as an issue between raw and polled/avg data can be overcome with software coding).
4. I did not experience what I consider to be lag (coming from iOS or WinCE... I know lag)... however my App base is still rather small (20 non-stock)
5. I have yet to root my device... but did not have market issues on either 3g or wifi (yet)
6. I did apply GPS fix ( with multiple configs... eg: standalone plus new supl data, hot v cold start, ms based...etc) and did find that it did provide faster locks... but still, would not consider it a true "fix")
With all of that said and all that I read (righteous indignation and all) I almost succumbed to popular sentiment and swapped my device for a new one.
Instead, I went with a factory reset and had the following observations:
1. The device did seem snappier... but this may just be perceived rather than actual.
2. Stock settings on GPS have all of a sudden performed much better. I did not perform fix and I am getting consistent lock under 25 sec, navigation works exceptionally well, and both GPS status and test apps confirm 2-4 sats in use. Now again, this is still sub-par performance and a fix needs to be pushed OTA ASAP.
3. 3G and wifi perform the same (which is flawless... so no complaints)
Ultimately, I think TW 3.0 was not fully baked... and given the hardware on this device, it begs for Froyo (or GB beta ). Given time, some serious empirical testing and enough research... I truly believe all issues are faulty firmware and not a Hardware or QC problem. Now I could be wrong... only time will tell.
But when it is all said and done, I love my vibrant... and Android is the shizzzz.
When I root, I will post any issues that result.

This has been my exact experience with the phone, although I rooted my phone and have not performed a factory reset:
-Still using the GPS 'fix' and get 5-10 sec locks with good accuracy.
-After rooting, every once in a while (one of four times) I have to log into Google Talk before accessing the market.

I did a reset as well and it eliminated a lag I had. This thing flies now. The compass however is not as accurate or as fast as my Nexus one compass. I tried the navigation and it works fine.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Coming from a n1 I make sweet love to my vibrant everynight.. me and my girl have a 3some with it...

I've factory reset and done the GPS "fix" a couple times now, and none of it helps. My GPS locks fairly quick, but it never picks up more that 2 satellites and (in GPS Test) it only connects to the two satellites with the highest SNR. It's also very inaccurate in Google Maps, the indicator jumps around a lot.
I actually have no other problems than GPS issues, so I'm going to exchange it a little later today.

temperbad said:
Coming from a n1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I ever borrow your phone you'll understand why I wipe it down real good before I put it to my ear.

Bravo OP! This is just the nature of things. When android dropped on the G1 the community had a bloody out cry... Low and behold, two years later the phone is still being modded/upgraded. Where the only thing lacking now is the hardware. With time and patience im sure the vibrant will soon be seeing some light in the modding world.
For the ppl who complain, go buy an iphone
;o)
Catchin' the VIBE on the XDApp

All~G1 said:
For the ppl who complain, go buy an iphone
;o)
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Click to collapse
Yeah right, can't fking JB my iPhone 3GS with new bootrom. Without JBking, it's useless for me.

Have I made the wrong choice...

I always used to use this place when I had my windows phones and found it a brilliant source of information.
I have just bought (not arrived yet) a Galaxy S and thought I'd have a look on here and I am amazed at the problems and people moaning about there devices, I read loads of official reviews and they all praise the device highly, in fact almost as high as the big Apple.
I am completely new to Android so most of the terminology is different to the old Windows mobile so I guess I shall get used to this.
But it seems this Galaxy S is plagued with lag and gps issues, this concerns me a lot as I am a heavy gps user, have I made the wrong choice in going for an Android device, would be nice to hear some positives

There are many positives on the SGS. In my opinion (from a short, but intense ownership period) the lag issue isn't as bad as it might sound.
In certain ocasions it does lag and I've ended up waiting 4 or 5 seconds for an app to open or do something.
But those events were rare and might be reduced in the upcoming Froyo ROM.
Not something that will ruin the experience I'd say, since the unit has many positive aspects, including the amazing display.
If you are a heavy GPS user I'm afraid that there are no good news. The current GPS performance is a disaster (and no proper testing was made in any professional review). Personally I consider it not to have GPS as it is so unreliable that it cannot be trusted.
IMHO that is the only critical flaw that the SGS has right now.
Don't panic yet. Perhaps it can be solved with a firmware upgrade (maybe it is not hardware-related). In any case if GPS is really important to you and you can still return your unit, I'd do it (I will do that with mine). Get your money back and watch what happens.
If Samsung/Broadcom fix the GPS issue, then it will be a good terminal worth buying again.

well, i've been along time wm user and apple user. Got the galaxy s a few weeks back, right around the time there was massive stock shortages in australia, however my galaxy s never had any gps issues. I'n my personal opinion samsung have fixed the issue with the GPS in the later firmware revisions.
Lag, well i was running stock firmware without any mods for a few weeks, not too many issues. Yes it was a little laggy at times (typically when opening big apps), but copilot ran fine better than any wm device or apple device using tomtom.
Be sure to only kill apps that your not using, dont kill email and other important things because you'll notice the lag much more.
Just upgraded to jm5 firmware with all the mods and stuff, yes its much faster but running stock is good too. I would never go back to a windows mobile or apple device, even if it was free.
good luck, just my 2c.

THUDUK said:
I always used to use this place when I had my windows phones and found it a brilliant source of information.
I have just bought (not arrived yet) a Galaxy S and thought I'd have a look on here and I am amazed at the problems and people moaning about there devices, I read loads of official reviews and they all praise the device highly, in fact almost as high as the big Apple.
I am completely new to Android so most of the terminology is different to the old Windows mobile so I guess I shall get used to this.
But it seems this Galaxy S is plagued with lag and gps issues, this concerns me a lot as I am a heavy gps user, have I made the wrong choice in going for an Android device, would be nice to hear some positives
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from a windows mobile device there is truly no comparison. I've owned and test many windows mobile devices in the past, and the Galaxy series far superior than anything previously made in my opinion. The small lag/gps issues will be fixed with minor build revisions. (unless GPS was hardware but doubtful) anyways Enjoy the device, peace!

Well my JF3 stock phone lags ALOT. Installed ca 100 apps. Not tried any of the fixes. But the lag is really really bad. Just going into calendar/dialer/contacts can take 5-10 sec. Not acceptable at all

borchgrevink said:
Well my JF3 stock phone lags ALOT. Installed ca 100 apps. Not tried any of the fixes. But the lag is really really bad. Just going into calendar/dialer/contacts can take 5-10 sec. Not acceptable at all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
100 apps
Perhaps that is the source of the problem.

I came from a windows then apple and when i got the apple iPhone wow big difference...but then..unless you jailbreak you cant customized it...so then it became boring...was waiting for the iphone 4..but it looked the same...no real multitasking..plane the same...so moved to the gs and yes i got the jf3 firmware...yes gps issue...tried all the methods found...and some it worked...but then i was able to update via flashing my rom to M2 and gps issue has been solve...the lag is solve..the phine is faster..the android community is more vibrant than the iphone and that's because apple don't like ppl tweaking with their device...
So i can say that galaxy s is ideal if you are a power user..as you can customizer it to your hearts content

No real issues except the gps one (which is HUGE). The rest is nothing serious.
And the phone can be tweaked in so many ways, used like a pc, download torrents, watch movies directly without reconverting, copying music and photos without sync (I hate apple so much because of this). Also went from iphone 3g and my choice was between iphone 4 and galaxy s. Iphone 4 has a load of fun games, but the device is from Big Brother, no flexibility at all.
And as a artist/photographer the huge super Amoled was just wow.
Again, the gps issue spoils it all. I do hope Samsung fixes it because it is a pity to sell it and get the Iphone (

THUDUK said:
I always used to use this place when I had my windows phones and found it a brilliant source of information.
I have just bought (not arrived yet) a Galaxy S and thought I'd have a look on here and I am amazed at the problems and people moaning about there devices, I read loads of official reviews and they all praise the device highly, in fact almost as high as the big Apple.
I am completely new to Android so most of the terminology is different to the old Windows mobile so I guess I shall get used to this.
But it seems this Galaxy S is plagued with lag and gps issues, this concerns me a lot as I am a heavy gps user, have I made the wrong choice in going for an Android device, would be nice to hear some positives
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most people with this phone don't really have any problems. We have a lot of people on this board with what appear to be faulty GPS units (can't get a lock at all) who are very stubborn and don't seem to want to return their faulty devices, so they spam away on here. If you read through the complaint threads, you will see that it is mostly the same 10-15 people posting over and over how terrible their GPS is, and how horribly their phone lags.
That aside, if you buy a device that has an old (JF series) firmware, then you will have to flash it to a newer one if occasional lagging bothers you. Another alternative is to wait for an official firmware release before buying your phone, but that doesn't seem to be an option since you've already ordered it.
Either way, don't take the complaining on this forum as any sort of proof of widespread issues without first trying the device yourself.

Totally agree with the above. It is not as bad as some make out. I use my GPS all the time without any issues at all. Lags are minimal with later firmware. I hope you enjoy your GS.

Frankly, I do not have the issue with GPS, I use Google Maps Navigator a lot.
Lag issue has been addressed by JG1 or newer test firmware.
PS: I had at least 2 WinMo phones in the past, and I have to say that I love android phone.

borchgrevink said:
Well my JF3 stock phone lags ALOT. Installed ca 100 apps. Not tried any of the fixes. But the lag is really really bad. Just going into calendar/dialer/contacts can take 5-10 sec. Not acceptable at all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you need all 100 apps to do work? that's the real problem.
I believe none of the WinMo (6.5) phone can takes 100 apps in 1 single phone and still working.

Roy Ngan said:
do you need all 100 apps to do work? that's the real problem.
I believe none of the WinMo (6.5) phone can takes 100 apps in 1 single phone and still working.
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Click to collapse
I do not need all, but they are not running all at the same time. So it should work just fine.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

When I got mine it was between the iphone 4 and the SGS, I had an iphone 3G before, and did have a good play with the iphone 4, but ultimately it felt the same, and I felt I would get bored with it.
So I got the SGS.
At first I regretted it - it was slow and unstable, and with terrible battery life.
I've since updated to JM2, rooted, done the EXT4 hack and installed Autokiller and use optimum settings on that. I installed launcher pro instead of touch wiz, and a few nice little widgets and a few apps and games.
Now, I'd almost go so far as to say I now prefer it to the iphone 4. Yes, perhaps you shouldn't have to do all this, but I bought the phone, and I was damned if I'm going to waste my money selling and buying an iphone 4, I was determined to make it work, and now it does work, I put all the tweaking to the back of my mind - now I don't try and keep up with all the latest firmwares, instead, I am just enjoying the phone and the Android OS. The only time I will now change is when a good, official Froyo firmware is released.
The positives for me are, sheer speed (when all of the above patches / hacks are performed), the customisation options that are simply not there for the iphone - you can change virtually every aspect of your phone to your tastes - try that on an iphone. You can literally make your phone unique from any other. The screen size - yes the iphone is sharper, but you have to virtually hold your eyeball to the screen to notice - for me, the benefits of having a larger, more colourful screen are immediately apparent. Much better media support, no more converting most videos to play on it.
The downsides - well the GPS is a reported downside - Google Navigator simply didnt work for me when I tried it, but that was with stock firmware, I've not tried it since I performed my above fixes (and tweaked a number of GPS settings too). The camera is pretty rubbish IMO, imagine a 3GS camera with a few more pixels and a few more options and you're not a million miles away (but on the flipside you get 720 video recording)... no flash either. The battery life still isn't amazing - it's still very poor compared to an iphone, but ultimately, its no worse than any other android phone.
Personally, I think the SGS is up there with anything out at the moment. I wouldn't go back to the iphone at the moment - before I'd reconsider this, I'd be wanted a 4+ inch display for starters, and a lot more customisation options...
Heck... I even rediscovered the art of bluetooth file transfers again the other day!!

borchgrevink said:
I do not need all, but they are not running all at the same time. So it should work just fine.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you use samsung default widgets try disabling them. Many people have found their phone stopped lagging so much once they disable the samsungs default widgets

tameracingdriver said:
When I got mine it was between the iphone 4 and the SGS, I had an iphone 3G before, and did have a good play with the iphone 4, but ultimately it felt the same, and I felt I would get bored with it.
So I got the SGS.
At first I regretted it - it was slow and unstable, and with terrible battery life.
I've since updated to JM2, rooted, done the EXT4 hack and installed Autokiller and use optimum settings on that. I installed launcher pro instead of touch wiz, and a few nice little widgets and a few apps and games.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah see that's what a lot new users say. The whole point of linux though is customizing on a kernel level. Literally everything can be customized, and changed, tweaked, and even ported to other devices haha..
I don't get how there is even a comparison between Apple products and the new lines of Linux based phones already out and will be releasing in just a mere 3 months. What about Microsoft as well, check out metro UI, they're something to think about. Apple is done, they give their users nothing, like I said before, you have 1 billion people with an iphone and EVERY single one is the same hah.. where's the diversity?!
If you want to ditch the lag,why don't you just get launcher pro and call it a day, worked like a charm on my old captivate with the STOCK rom hah.. so yeah

Dopedangel said:
do you use samsung default widgets try disabling them. Many people have found their phone stopped lagging so much once they disable the samsungs default widgets
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Click to collapse
Exactly what are they all called?

RyanZA said:
Most people with this phone don't really have any problems. We have a lot of people on this board with what appear to be faulty GPS units (can't get a lock at all) who are very stubborn and don't seem to want to return their faulty devices, so they spam away on here. If you read through the complaint threads, you will see that it is mostly the same 10-15 people posting over and over how terrible their GPS is, and how horribly their phone lags.
That aside, if you buy a device that has an old (JF series) firmware, then you will have to flash it to a newer one if occasional lagging bothers you. Another alternative is to wait for an official firmware release before buying your phone, but that doesn't seem to be an option since you've already ordered it.
Either way, don't take the complaining on this forum as any sort of proof of widespread issues without first trying the device yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's clarify one thing.
I tested 7 (seven!!!) of these phone.
They were ALL broken, with a miserable GPS.
It's not spam. It's the reality. You're probably have no idea what you're talking about.

nricci said:
Let's clarify one thing.
I tested 7 (seven!!!) of these phone.
They were ALL broken, with a miserable GPS.
It's not spam. It's the reality. You're probably have no idea what you're talking about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can open google maps navigation, put in a destination, and drive whole following the maps/prompt and end up at my destination, with the prompts being completely accurate.
I can post/geotag my location with any program and it gets it instantly within 50m or so (This would be AGPS I think).
What exactly is the problem? What are you trying to do with your GPS?

The BCM4751 should be able to resolve and maintain a position down to nearly 2m. What you think is working, is actually the broken.

No more GPS problems

I bought my Galaxy S few weeks ago and I could barely use the GPS. It took way too long to get it working and still it was inaccurate.
Few days ago I flashed JM2 firmware and installed app called TrackerBooster (can be found in the Android Market). Now the GPS works perfectly, takes only few seconds to get it connected (outdoors). I have used it now like 15 times and max. time I had to wait was 20 seconds.
I'm not sure does TrackerBooster app need to be installed, might work well without it, haven't tested.
I hope this helps those who have problems with GPS but this is just my experience, I would wait for other comments before flashing new a firmware.

It's called new firmware flashing syndrom for GPS. Basically, if you flash to any new firmware, your GPS will work for a few days.

As Foxbat said, a full flash/reset cycle improves results on the pathetic, schizophrenic and overall random SGS GPS implementation. But I am not going to be a smart ass and insinuate you don't know what you're talking about.
Instead I'll just ignore all the previous "the GPS issue is fixed" claims by many users who prematurely yelled "fixed" and just cowardly quote one of my favourite authors..."Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
Plus we shall also ignore the previous 308 users who have "cried Wolf"^-1. Please refer to your favorite fable author for proper reference.

Its occurred so many times, it actually has it's own syndrome!! FFS

Beowulf_pt said:
As Foxbat said, a full flash/reset cycle improves results on the pathetic, schizophrenic and overall random SGS GPS implementation. But I am not going to be a smart ass and insinuate you don't know what you're talking about.
Instead I'll just ignore all the previous "the GPS issue is fixed" claims by many users who prematurely yelled "fixed" and just cowardly quote one of my favourite authors..."Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
Plus we shall also ignore the previous 308 users who have "cried Wolf"^-1. Please refer to your favorite fable author for proper reference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you still trolling the forums about your GPS problem even after you sold your Samsung if you ever had one from the beginning. I have never had serious problem as many others and if only 308 of millions have had a problem it must certainly be a really good GPS. Stop trolling you only because look like an ignorant user who really do not want to make the phone better but want to promote NOKIA.

For sure, milsjg. You can add me too as ignorant, 309th user who's GPS sucks d*ck hard.

I wish my GPS sucked d**k... that would at least make it useful! ) 310th user here noticing GPS issues... that said while I was on JM7, I managed to record a very very close to perfect track using mytracks... for the walking section of my test it went perfectly even showing where I retraced my steps to go to poo bins! But when I got on to driving it went a bit mental and I apparently drove through the fire station, the wrong way round roundabouts and demolished a few streets worth of houses, but occationally it did show me going down the right side of the road!

You forget that before he even got it, he was complaining that he was reluctant to buy the phone because of reports about lag and GPS (and then, proceeded to buy it anyway).
The main problem is that people have different quality of acceptance for GPS. Some people expect a signal which compares with a fitness GPS (accurate within 2 or 3 meters generally), and some of us don't care if it drifts off by 20m.
Any technology which doesn't have a definitive state will get various opinions...

andrewluecke said:
You forget that before he even got it, he was complaining that he was reluctant to buy the phone because of reports about lag and GPS (and then, proceeded to buy it anyway).
The main problem is that people have different quality of acceptance for GPS. Some people expect a signal which compares with a fitness GPS (accurate within 2 or 3 meters generally), and some of us don't care if it drifts off by 20m.
Any technology which doesn't have a definitive state will get various opinions...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But then when it comes to navigation (arguably the principal purpose of having GPS in these devices) things go totally haywire! ) Personally I wonder whether GPS was installed purely for marketing purposes, to allow app developers (and of course google!) to snoop as to where their users are and how they are using their devices. For that there's no need for close tracking! )

not sure why you would fault beowulf for buying, if as you indicate he had some concerns - the damn phone is drop dead gorgous. If any product could stimulate optimism or optimistic hope, even in a skeptic, this phone would. And that's what makes it so frustrating.
I'm going to hate sending it back (i negotiated an extended buyer remorse return period) but if GPS isn't corrected by mid sept, this phone is history
samsung having released it w/o working gps is maybe forgiveable, but then even assuming they didn't know about the issue before release, it's been over 90 days since the asian release, and it's still not working.
Lay on top of that that samsung announced the GPS had been "validated" in the EPIC 4G, and it turns out it isn't. That did nothing but strengthen my doubts on samsung delivering a solution.

Tried this tracker booster app, makes no difference, gps still horrendous. If some people think that a 20m accuracy variation is acceptable for a gps lock they are a bloody fool.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

Bynar010 said:
Tried this tracker booster app, makes no difference, gps still horrendous. If some people think that a 20m accuracy variation is acceptable for a gps lock they are a bloody fool.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then it must be the firmware I flashed. There's a big difference with JM2 and the previous FW I had, if I remember right it was JF3.
The accuracy is good, for example Endomondo regonizes few meter changes. (like changing side of the road).

Sorry to offend you but Beowulf_pt has no SGS and still he is lurking around complaining. If you think about it ,there must be some reasons that I and several others have a perfectly normal (no correction) GPS on our SGS. Why is it working so different for different persons? Some logical alternatives would be error in a batch of phones (switch it), or operator programming has messed it up (get new operator), or just overload caused by program running in background, memory and task mangers etc ( educate yourself or wait for a proper kernel - see below) or in some cases just plain trolling of some non SGS owners (see my last reply).
The GPS chip is new and according to the web only recently the code for efficient low level drivers, for the linux kernel, has started to appear on internet (23 august). It will take some weeks before they are implemented so I would bet that they have fixed it by the end of September. You know, bad driver = slow, no calender etc. You will notice it specially when you use program that uses lots of resources (Maps and My tracker). It is much more efficient with Cardiotrainer for example or GPS test. (see my third conclusion above). I have noticed that (at least for me) it takes 5 - 10 sec to get a first lock in GPS test but half a minute at least in Maps or My Tracks.
Another tip is to run for example GPS test for one minute or so before My Track so the GPS gets some satellite data downloaded (calenders). The time also helps the GPS to calculate the exact position to use as a start point. You normally need a minute or so if the calenders are to old or you moved to get the right positions.
Iphone 4 has a good GPS (3 is crap according to some owners and it is not fixed. Do you hear any complaints?). The chip is one generation older than SGS and Apple do not need to wait for the kernel to be changed in there Iphone. They do it them self and by the way Iphone 4 is not really multitasking which means that GPS programs can easily be prioritized.
Well this is a short version. The net is filled with facts and if you start read a little you can start puzzle together what the cause is for your faulty GPS (nearly nobody believes its hardware any more).
By the way, I am not ignorant and I know rather much about GPS and how to evaluate tracking (I have written several scientific papers on tracking of wildlife where at least one was on the subject - evaluation of ARGOS tracking devices using GPS as reference). I have owned several mobiles and GPSes, programmed and built fish tracking devices, and did my thesis on wildlife tracking. I stating this not to try to end the GPS discussion but to make it a little bit more "scientific" and not so emotional like the comments on my last reply. There still nobody that knows how many that has a problem with the GPS. We only know that a few of millions have complained and a few of millions have said there satisfied with it.

Bynar010 said:
Tried this tracker booster app, makes no difference, gps still horrendous. If some people think that a 20m accuracy variation is acceptable for a gps lock they are a bloody fool.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the contrar my friend, 5 - 15 meters is what you can expect and that means that the fix has 95 % certainty to be in that interval. 20 is a little bit above what you can expect but not much. In good dedicated trackers or a good phones you can get 5 meters (which I often get after 30 sec outside) and 2,5 for some fixes but not constant. A mobile is not a dedicated GPS and with the suspected driver problem 20 would not be bad. Try with GPS test, under open sky, and holding it at the bottom of the phone. Before you start you should turn off and on the GPS and close all task managers and started programs. You know that home means often that you leave the program running in the background but using back shuts it down. And wait for 30 - 60 seconds. If you get 10 be satisfied it,s a phone and not a dedicated GPS.

My touch hd would actually follow the f$$king road. Not too much to ask that a brand new smart phone would do the same is it? Its nothing short of pathetic. Even my old tytn2 was superb as a gps device for navigation, this thing cannot be trusted.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

I for one am getting SICK of installing fw's hoping for a fix for GPS.
They put a good hardware-wise device out.. But its kinda shoddy the fw development isn't equally as good. I have flashed nearly ALL the fw's to no real avail..
I am started to get frustrated after all this patience..

FWIW
Running 2.2 with no lag, fix no root, no apps to help. Google Nav and Co-Pilot work flawlessly. Mytracks follows me walking down the pavement at the correct position and on the correct side of the road with very few deviations.
I really cannot see what all the fuss is ablout here.

Tehpriest said:
FWIW
Running 2.2 with no lag, fix no root, no apps to help. Google Nav and Co-Pilot work flawlessly. Mytracks follows me walking down the pavement at the correct position and on the correct side of the road with very few deviations.
I really cannot see what all the fuss is ablout here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well try it in a car and get supprised...

praun said:
well try it in a car and get supprised...
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Click to collapse
That is where I use both Co-Pilot and Google Nav.....

Beowulf_pt said:
..y quote one of my favourite authors..."Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I rather stick with Popper. Extraordinary evidence or support isn't that hard to get (look at the paranormal claims etc). What is more difficult and more fruitful to come by is some clever tests that eventually will or can refute a claim. If a theory will pass those tests it is actually more trustworthy then when it gets "extraordinary" evidence.
Again, no theory will stand till the end of time, how extra-ordinary our evidences may be.
Lol, back to the gps.

Captivate GPS Fixed in 3 Steps - Verified in 3 more

Before I start, I will admit, this is not the simplest way to go about this but it worked - this is also meant as a bit of humor as I, like you, have spent countless hours trying to 'fix' my GPS and the posts on here are comical with people getting angry about alleged fixes.
Here Goes....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Step 1: Brick Phone - for everyone out there that is about to say "it is impossible to brick your phone"...go right ahead, say that, but just wait until you really do it. For those wondering what a truly bricked phone looks like, well, it is a phone that won't pass the AT&T screen on boot and attempting to enter Download or Recovery mode gets you a picture of the battery charging icon but fully dead and the spinning graphic not spinning
Step 2: Take phone to AT&T Handset Service Center (Thankfully we have one here and didn't have to do the mail in route)
Step 3: Exchange (under warranty - mind you, three guys all attempted to get into recovery mode and shook their heads with a look of "it is impossible to brick one of these" looks
Step 4: Take new phone outside, enable GPS
Step 5: Have lock in 3 seconds - now, for all of you who say "lock doesn't mean sh*t"...great point, my old one locked fast but had me driving in the middle of nowhere
Step 6: Drive with Google Maps and viola, I am on the right road, going the right direction and turning at the right places.
So, all you hunting for a software fix, I tried them all on my old phone, they didn't help, this is NOT a software issue, I am now convinced, more than ever, that it is in the hardware.
I said there is probably a simpler way to do this, if your phone is under warranty I would recommend swapping it out. I can't guarantee that they would swap it for just a "GPS Issue", and I wish I could tell you how I really bricked the phone....that process went something like this in case you really want to try it.
Flash to Stock
Boot into Recovery
Load ClockWork
Reboot
Flash Axura2.1RC2
Flash Fails
Attempt to boot phone - going to reflash to stock and try again
Start Cursing
Attempt to get into Download
Battery Dies in the process
Spend 4 hours attempting every trick to get into Download or Recovery
and Viola...bricked.
Still not sure why the flash failed, got a weird error but that doesn't matter, it got me a new ("refurbished") phone with a GPS that is dead on.
BTW - If you are curious, I haven't touched the settings in LbsTestMode, I am using that supposedly bad SUPL spirent-lcs.

just curious... what is your build number?
EDIT: lastdeadmouse and I did plan this in advance

Everyone will tell you in a few days it will be bad as ever... How can you be convinced that it's hardware related? Do we have any evidence that Samsung started using a different chip somewhere along the process? Seems pretty unlikely tbh. Not to rain on your parade or anything but... yeah. Enjoy the GPS as long as its working for you!

I'm curious. What is the build number of your new refurbished cap?
EDIT:I swear life02 and I didn't plan this in advance

jwood55812 said:
Everyone will tell you in a few days it will be bad as ever... How can you be convinced that it's hardware related? Do we have any evidence that Samsung started using a different chip somewhere along the process? Seems pretty unlikely tbh. Not to rain on your parade or anything but... yeah. Enjoy the GPS as long as its working for you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am convinced because 50% of the people have no problems and tout how great their phones are. The other 50% can't get them to work.
Software is non-discriminating, it doesn't know who you are, but it surely knows what hardware is in there.

Move to general discussion thread
I have heard stories in the past of people making the same claim as you only to re-post a week later and say their "perfect" GPS is now losing locks, etc. etc.
re: jwood55812. They don't necessarily have to design a new chip, it could be a quality control issue where defective chips weren't being intercepted. **could be**
pmessana said:
I am convinced because 50% of the people have no problems and tout how great their phones are. The other 50% can't get them to work.
Software is non-discriminating, it doesn't know who you are, but it surely knows what hardware is in there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have always attributed this to the ambiguity of the term "great." When I first got my phone, I said, wow, this is great! Found a lock in 30 seconds. What are all these people talking about? Then I tried to use it everyday downtown for navigation, and, well, I hate it. These people that say it is great, I just don't think they have stressed it hard enough / understand what we are really complaining about.

Is the new phone a captivate? Because i just got my captivate and i have the same stupid issue on google maps where it just drives around randomly and does not stay on the road.

lastdeadmouse said:
I'm curious. What is the build number of your new refurbished cap?
EDIT:I swear life02 and I didn't plan this in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice one....you two are in tandem...
Now, can one of you tell me where I would find the build number....I am guessing it is on this label under the battery but which number do you want?
As for the idea that they need new chips to fix the issue, that would assume that it is chip related and not poor antenna placement (that never happens) or poor soldering on the board, or just plain poor Quality Control in general.

pmessana said:
Nice one....you two are in tandem...
Now, can one of you tell me where I would find the build number....I am guessing it is on this label under the battery but which number do you want?
As for the idea that they need new chips to fix the issue, that would assume that it is chip related and not poor antenna placement (that never happens) or poor soldering on the board, or just plain poor Quality Control in general.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look under the battery. Mine is 1008. I suspect yours is 1010?

10XX. What's the XX?

fatttire said:
Look under the battery. Mine is 1008. I suspect yours is 1010?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, 1008 here. BUT, this is a refurbished unit, received yesterday by the Service Center (they didn't carry replacements until yesterday - good timing on my brick).
Since it is refurbished there is not telling what is really inside the phone, if anything had to be changed OR if the original owner of this fine device had a good one to start with.

Hmm mine is 1009 and if they have a 1010 that fixes it then i want that to replace my 1009.

upNsmokeAllDay said:
Hmm mine is 1009 and if they have a 1010 that fixes it then i want that to replace my 1009.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine's 1010, and my GPS has never worked for [email protected] Well, does kind of, on occasion, but too be honest, I was on the stock rom for all of... the time it took to charge, lol.

lastdeadmouse said:
Mine's 1010, and my GPS has never worked for [email protected] Well, does kind of, on occasion, but too be honest, I was on the stock rom for all of... the time it took to charge, lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I verified it worked on the stock ROM, then flashed it, still works like a champ...this ROM is Vibrant based so in theory both the Galaxy and Vibrant code works fine.
On my last phone, it NEVER worked, not the first day and not it's last day.

Okay guys, I'll make it simple through a few principles.
1. GPS is broken on the hardware end. The hardware will never have the performance of comparable units.
2. Every GPS unit will be affected by a number of factors. Must of these factors go unnoticed, because if the GPS is already functional, a 10% increase in performance has no practical benefit.
3. Here at XDA forums many people have speculated on factors that increase or decrease GPS performance. This is only possible because our hardware is broken, and as such, a 10% increase in performance for such a borderline product is practically useful and noticeable.
4. We are stuck with 10% differences and will never have a fully functional GPS.
A good recent example to back it up: hardcore recently discovered a few kernel scheduler tweaks that improves GPS performance. Would anyone have discovered that in a device that had a functional GPS? No. Does it fix GPS? No. Is it a little bit better (~10%?). Probably.
Here's some speculation on what might be going on in here: There may be a +/- 20% swing in GPS performance depending on manufacturing conditions. Because our GPS is broken, we can tell a difference between two products with different build #'s. pmessana, your old device was probably a -20% swing that resulted in a completely defective GPS unit for which returning it was useful
A functional GPS unit should be able to tolerate a few hits, such as minute differences in manufacturing conditions. Our GPS is broken and there are no fixes, just things that help a little bit
Incidentally, this also means that once you do a negative factor, your GPS will fail again. If your GPS is working it is borderline and a -20% hit will push it over the edge. This is why it is useful to see if it still works in a week and not just take a 1 day experience.
Take home message: GPS displays every feature of a borderline functioning system, very sensitive to minute hits

Shame for a phone that is as good as this to have a malfunctioning GPS. Guess i will stop recommending the phone to everyone that grabs it and marvels at it.

Coudn't agree more, there is a defect in there and only the lucky ones get functioning units. Those waiting for a software fix will be waiting forever.
I recommend the phone only to people that aren't tied to their GPS, I tell them straight up, the GPS sucks, the phone rocks, if you want a cool phone that has you in the middle of nowhere, this is it.
I would recommend everyone with a malfunctioning GPS return the phone for a new one, take your chances and if nothing else, Samsung will maybe address it with a giant warranty rate.

i have a 1006 unit and my GPS is also crap... i came from a iphone with GPS that never let me down i love the phone alot more than my iphone... but now im looking for something else to replace this thing with... i should wait and not be an early adopter next time...

I don't see this as Android Development.. The GPS works for me occasionally and I have older units than you guys do :T depending on my ROM.
I still believe in a software fix. :T

fatttire said:
Move to general discussion thread
re: jwood55812. They don't necessarily have to design a new chip, it could be a quality control issue where defective chips weren't being intercepted. **could be**
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough fatttire, honestly hadn't thought about something like that, I guess I'm naive enough to think that its hopefully software related because then a fix will help everyone, but who knows, I guess I honestly don't use many location based services so its not a super big deal for me.

List of problems with Galaxy S II

Hi peeps, my first post here on XDA nice to meet all of you.
Ill try to list of the problems I found so far in the galaxy S II
p.s. some problems are related to android software itself:
anti-aliased small text, HTC phones do not have this problem
horrendous battery usage after updating to KE7, android OS taking more than 40%
android stock browser does not render original website fonts
touch screen is less sensitive than other phones e.g. iphone
the lock screen is just not practical when it comes to unlocking, you have to move it quite far to unlock when set to picture only
when waking the phone using home button, it briefly shows the background app, this doesn't happen when waking from power button, trust me this is annoying
More issues:
Wifi signal bar shows weak signal, but infact the signal itself is strong, as confirmed with a speed test
cannot disable battery full warning sound
hopefully these will be fixed, ill try to think of some more and add them.

Thanks for the list.
It's sad to have such a spectacular phone have issues like these... I'm pretty sure all will be fixed with updates and custom ROMS from some amazing Devs on here...but still.
Hopefully sooner than later!
Do keep us updated

Hey.
I must disagree with you on some points.
- the battery usage is not that catastrophical. I had an SGS before and I must say that, contrary to my expectations (bigger screen, more features, improved hardware), the battery is holding up nicely.
- touch screen is great. a friend of mine has an iphone 4 and we did a lot of comparing. I did not encounter any issues when scrolling or whatsoever. On the contrary, I see a big leap between these two devices when it comes to tactile control.
- I didn't notice any issues with the lock screen. The same lock screen was on SGS (well.. aproximately). Still... this is the point of a lock screen - to swipe it as much as possible in order to prevent unlocking it accidentally. You will get used to it really fast.
- regarding the background app -> it didn't happen to me but based on my previous experience with Android OS I am not going to deny that this isn't possible.
By the way are you experiencing all these bugs with KE2 or you already upgraded to KE7?

bogdan1234 said:
Hey.
I must disagree with you on some points.
- the battery usage is not that catastrophical. I had an SGS before and I must say that, contrary to my expectations (bigger screen, more features, improved hardware), the battery is holding up nicely.
- touch screen is great. a friend of mine has an iphone 4 and we did a lot of comparing. I did not encounter any issues when scrolling or whatsoever. On the contrary, I see a big leap between these two devices when it comes to tactile control.
- I didn't notice any issues with the lock screen. The same lock screen was on SGS (well.. aproximately). Still... this is the point of a lock screen - to swipe it as much as possible in order to prevent unlocking it accidentally. You will get used to it really fast.
- regarding the background app -> it didn't happen to me but based on my previous experience with Android OS I am not going to deny that this isn't possible.
By the way are you experiencing all these bugs with KE2 or you already upgraded to KE7?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
another negative thread. sigh.
btw
Sliding the wallpaper horizontally is almost the exact same distance as you would slide the default android unlock screen...

the battery is certainly very good, until i updated to KE7, now android OS eating up 50%.
the touchscreen certainly feels different, however the problem is also related to the fact that the iphone knows your finger actually touches the link e.g. on a webpage by a roughly a millimeter below it, because of the way you hold it , it is slightly at an angle. i guess that's something i need to get used to, as i just switched to android from ios.

linkin85 said:
the battery is certainly very good, until i updated to KE7, now android OS eating up 50%.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My battery's actually improved on KE7. Did you update on top of KE2 or did you wipe the phone and hard reset after the update? I did the latter. My phone's been up nearly seven hours with moderate use and still has 65% battery left. And I appreciate you sharing your individual feelings toward the phone. But, based on some of the posts I've read on this forum, I don't think there was, is, or will be a phone that meets all of the stated expectations.

BarryH_GEG said:
My battery's actually improved on KE7. Did you update on top of KE2 or did you wipe the phone and hard reset after the update? I did the latter. My phone's been up nearly seven hours with moderate use and still has 65% battery left. And I appreciate you sharing your individual feelings toward the phone. But, based on some of the posts I've read on this forum, I don't think there was, is, or will be a phone that meets all of the stated expectations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree with that. Battery Level - 22%, Uptime: 26hrs 7 mins. Moderate use (switching from WiFi to 3G, playing some games, browsing the internet and market to download some stuff, cumulative talk ~ 45 mins, texted some messages).
I really cannot complain about the battery at all.
The only bad thing that happened to me since I bought this phone is that I cannot take my hands off it so the people around me get pissed for no reason Either way.. one of my best investments ever.

I think the inability to get mine delivered is a problem. Can't wait to get my paws on it. FWIW, IMHO, my post was as useful as this thread

mattism78 said:
I think the inability to get mine delivered is a problem. Can't wait to get my paws on it. FWIW, IMHO, my post was as useful as this thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate that this phone is amazing, but every phone has its flaws and I'm simply listing the problems I experienced so far.
if we don't talk about them and ignore them, they will never be fixed.
Many thanks

the god damn yellow tint on the left side of the screen on what seems a high percentage of the devices.

did it need its own thread.

intruda119 said:
did it need its own thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'd rather have a forum filled with threads titled "All is well" or "This phone works" while the problems are censored?
Anyway, I havent noticed many of those issues in the OP. Most, if not all, are hardware related - unfortunetly.
My major issues:
- The phone can run very hot
- Poor color depth (banding)
My minor issues:
- Placing a speaker on the back of a phone is as logical as placing a speaker inside the HDD rack of your computer expecting it to sound good when you're looking at the case
- Slow loading of battery. My 3Gs is miles better there
- Slight tinting on screen left to right. Not bad, but I can spot it if I look for it
What I do not see that others posted here:
- Laggy touchscreen. My 3Gs behave exactly the same, that slow pull and then it skips. So I'm used to that.
- Poor battery life. With the phone being able to warm my entire head after a long session, sucking battery amps is logical. Its not really that bad, after 24h of using the phone - not heavy, but still - its at 50%. My 3Gs (charged at the same time) is at 75% and I havent done anything with it. At the very least, its eqvivalent.
- Havent noticed the flashing background app issue. I mean come on, who the f*** turn on the screen with the awkward power button now a days? I love Samsung for blatantly ripping off iPhone, lol. When I entered a store before the S2 was even in my mind, I looked at an Optimus 2X and my first question was "Does it turn on the screen with any of these buttons at the bottom, rather than having to twist my finger to the itty bitty power button at the top?". "No I dont think so" said the store guy. I walked out.

let I also add one problem
BT connection in the car (at least AUDI) having constant problem - it drops connection (and then you have to reconnect manually) and even crashing phone down if it tries to connectn during conversation. Same problem (exept crush) was for previous SGS and very sad that Samsung didn't changed it. On SGS the only way to cope with it was to swith to custom ROM - it also strange - custom ROM's apart of stock didn't have that problems.

I must say, after having this unit for about a week, I have only one concern..
The WiFi-signal is a bit poor.. I really hope this is a software-problem, as both my SGS and my Desire HD had a better reception.
And I've read a few post stating that the reception is actually good, it just doesn't show it right. But my SGSII loses connection totally when I'm in my kitchen, something neither my SGS og DHD did.. Poor
Other than that, I couldn't be happier with my snappy, glossy new smartphone, beasting away all others when they want to compare awesome power in handsets!

xclusiv8 said:
the god damn yellow tint on the left side of the screen on what seems a high percentage of the devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure your no just half Japanese?

I think there should be an impression thread like on other forums. I am having problems since I updated to ke7 but nothing a reflash thru odin cant solve. My device have been running great before last upgrade and the only minor thing I can see is the banding. But I think its been mentioned before that its a easy software fix.

murklor said:
My major issues:
- The phone can run very hot
My minor issues:
- Slow loading of battery. My 3Gs is miles better there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to wager that you're not using the charger that came with the phone or using a random USB cable?
As I've read on here before and have noticed, if you don't use the official Samsung cables then your phone can run hot when you're charging and using apps. The phone also charges better with the official cables.
I read this when reading up on car chargers. As such I made sure that I purchased the official Samsung car dock and not some knock-off.

linkin85 said:
I appreciate that this phone is amazing, but every phone has its flaws and I'm simply listing the problems I experienced so far.
if we don't talk about them and ignore them, they will never be fixed.
Many thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, but if you bothered to read the threads you would realize that these faults/flaws HAVE been posted, and discussed at great detail. Indeed, most of the discussions are still ongoing. So your thread is redundant.

OP should take the phone back to the seller .
jje

revaz said:
let I also add one problem
BT connection in the car (at least AUDI) having constant problem - it drops connection (and then you have to reconnect manually) and even crashing phone down if it tries to connectn during conversation. Same problem (exept crush) was for previous SGS and very sad that Samsung didn't changed it. On SGS the only way to cope with it was to swith to custom ROM - it also strange - custom ROM's apart of stock didn't have that problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BT is working without any hiccups in my car (Ford).