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I really like the hardware of the SGS, but man.. I've never used a phone so buggy.
1) GPS Problems
2) Lag problems
3) Freezes anytime signal is weak
4) Freezes when it feels like.
5) Four times I've lost all my data thanks to pulling the battery during a freeze
6) Build quality problems (as detailed from Paul @ Modaco)
It freezes for me fairly regularly. This is my second SGS. My first SGS froze constantly so I exchanged that, my new one only freezes a couple times a week. Today it froze and as usual I did the hold power button till it reboots...and it locks on reboot. Data corruption. yay. Fourth. ****ing. time.
I've had this phone 2 weeks and this is the 4th time I've had to start from scratch due to data corruption.
I'm going to flash a newer firmware on this and sell it. I love Android, but this phone is a ridiculous amount of grief.
I guess I'm just lucky, but I've had none of these problems other than the GPS which isn't very accurate.
Changing the software settings for this makes it usable, though not yet perfect.
I've yet to experience any lag and I've not experienced a lock up.
I've had none of theses issues either, aside from the GPS. My GPS works ok if im stopped but doesnt track so well if im moving.
Love mine. I have captivate. Honestly never seen the first hint of lag and the GPS will soon be fixed. I can say that I am pretty happy with it all and all.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
really !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ksizzle9 said:
Love mine. I have captivate. Honestly never seen the first hint of lag and the GPS will soon be fixed. I can say that I am pretty happy with it all and all.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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i really find it hard to believe that you "have never seen first hint of lag"
i have a galaxy S, love the hardware, but Samsung has shown us how software can destroy even the mightiest of hardware
Gps issues yes, no other issues I'd call deal breaking by anymeans. 2 phones, same big issues....what have you been installing on it I wonder?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
scouzer said:
I really like the hardware of the SGS, but man.. I've never used a phone so buggy.
1) GPS Problems
2) Lag problems
3) Freezes anytime signal is weak
4) Freezes when it feels like.
5) Four times I've lost all my data thanks to pulling the battery during a freeze
6) Build quality problems (as detailed from Paul @ Modaco)
It freezes for me fairly regularly. This is my second SGS. My first SGS froze constantly so I exchanged that, my new one only freezes a couple times a week. Today it froze and as usual I did the hold power button till it reboots...and it locks on reboot. Data corruption. yay. Fourth. ****ing. time.
I've had this phone 2 weeks and this is the 4th time I've had to start from scratch due to data corruption.
I'm going to flash a newer firmware on this and sell it. I love Android, but this phone is a ridiculous amount of grief.
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Click to collapse
You sure we bought the same phone?
My GPS locks on after ~20 seconds and then there is no problems after that. I have not experienced one freeze (including this 'Freezes when signal is weak' -- which I think is absolute bull since my girlfriend's room is in the basement and I do not get a signal down there yet my phone performs perfectly fine), build quality is fine -- it's more durable than you think, and I haven't really experienced any lag.
Are you actually using the phone or are you just going by what forums/people say?
standards
Bynar010 said:
Gps issues yes, no other issues I'd call deal breaking by anymeans. 2 phones, same big issues....what have you been installing on it I wonder?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
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no offense, but it all has to do with standards a person is used to.
if you're coming from windows mobile, the lags you experience when using SGS are okay
if you're coming from iphone, SGS lags like a *****. Aside from the open OS/closed OS debate, the fluidity and smoothness of iphone 3gs UI and the instant response you get when you click on an icon/app puts the SGS to shame. sometimes i had to wait for 5 seconds to get a response after i clicked an icon. this never happened with the 3GS no matter how big the app is
I had a 3GS, sold it and bought an SGS, and i know how both telephones handle
Edit: the above post refers to bell I9000, i have the regular I9000. I dont know if there is ahardware difference or samsung has rectified what they did wrong in the regular I900
What build quality issues? The other issues have been well documented and are fixable with some reasonable effort. The GPS fix is just around the corner.
I understand *****ing about other stuff but build quality? Its great imo. Just because the phone has a plastic back cover doesn't mean the quality is bad.
RADLOUNI said:
no offense, but it all has to do with standards a person is used to.
if you're coming from windows mobile, the lags you experience when using SGS are okay
if you're coming from iphone, SGS lags like a *****. Aside from the open OS/closed OS debate, the fluidity and smoothness of iphone 3gs UI and the instant response you get when you click on an icon/app puts the SGS to shame. sometimes i had to wait for 5 seconds to get a response after i clicked an icon. this never happened with the 3GS no matter how big the app is
I had a 3GS, sold it and bought an SGS, and i know how both telephones handle
Edit: the above post refers to bell I9000, i have the regular I9000. I dont know if there is ahardware difference or samsung has rectified what they did wrong in the regular I900
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You don't specify anything; you just said 'I don't know how you guys gloss over this phone's dealbreaking flaws' referring to EVERY Galaxy S. I don't have any problems, just because you do doesn't mean everyone has the exact same problems and bought the exact same version as yours.
hol17 said:
You sure we bought the same phone?
My GPS locks on after ~20 seconds and then there is no problems after that. I have not experienced one freeze (including this 'Freezes when signal is weak' -- which I think is absolute bull since my girlfriend's room is in the basement and I do not get a signal down there yet my phone performs perfectly fine), build quality is fine -- it's more durable than you think, and I haven't really experienced any lag.
Are you actually using the phone or are you just going by what forums/people say?
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I have the phone. I've had it since August 5th. I'm glad you project your experience onto mine implying that mine do not exist. You do not have my phone. Until you do, you are a complete ass to assume I'm making these things up.
I was in Canadian Tire the other day and checked my phone--signal between 0 and 1 bar. Within 5 minutes, it locked up. When I visit my mom, her basement has poor reception. My phone locks up routinely down there. I don't care if you haven't experienced it, many of us have.
I personally have not YET had the build quality issues, which is why I said as detailed by Paul at MCR. It's like any phone with poor build quality though... chances are it will affect most of us.
everything will be fixed in due time...
hol17 said:
You don't specify anything; you just said 'I don't know how you guys gloss over this phone's dealbreaking flaws' referring to EVERY Galaxy S. I don't have any problems, just because you do doesn't mean everyone has the exact same problems and bought the exact same version as yours.
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Are you on crack? That wasn't my post.
have you tried any of the fixes in the development section?
android53 said:
have you tried any of the fixes in the development section?
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Such as? I was running CFLagFix; when I tried to uninstall it to update to a new version it corrupted my phone. That was one of my wipes. It didn't really help the performance anyway TBH.
Yes I don't see any lag. I mean none. And I don't use a task killer and don't news to. I get paerfect signal at my apt at school: no freeze. I get no signal at my parents house at all:no freeze. I cluck on a icon: it opens the second I click it. I'm not big on toychwiz: Launcher Pro. Its a great phone. Love it. I have the Droid x also and still don't think that the x is even comparable. My two cents.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
scouzer said:
Are you on crack? That wasn't my post.
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Look at the title of your topic; or did you just forget that was there?
I personally have not YET had the build quality issues, which is why I said as detailed by Paul at MCR. It's like any phone with poor build quality though... chances are it will affect most of us
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Dropped my phone plenty of times and have not experienced any set backs because of it. Dropped it on it's screen, side, etc; it's a sturdy phone. Just because it has the look and kind of feel of a cheap quality doesn't always mean it is.
I don't think anyone is glossing over anything. Half the posts on this forum are about lag and gps problems.
Thing is that you can fix both problems with easy one click things, and keeping on top of your firmware.
If you are getting lag to such extremes, and on two devices, its because your clogging up the memory with too much stuff running together.
You'll have some culture shock because up until recently iOs only runs one thing at a time, and hitting home closed things. Not so for android, and particularly things like browser windows and certain widgets can just eat your ram and cause the slow down. If its happening ' when it feels like it' then that's probably your culpret.
The sgs is not without its flaws but that's no excuse to treat her bad.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
ksizzle9 said:
Yes I don't see any lag. I mean none. And I don't use a task killer and don't news to. I get paerfect signal at my apt at school: no freeze. I get no signal at my parents house at all:no freeze. I cluck on a icon: it opens the second I click it. I'm not big on toychwiz: Launcher Pro. Its a great phone. Love it. I have the Droid x also and still don't think that the x is even comparable. My two cents.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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Then honestly, the only explanation is that Samsung has released I9000s with different hardware versions to rectify hardware problems
This is the only reason i see to explain people not having lag problems and apps opening the second you click them. I must be one of the unlucky guys with an early hardware version
RADLOUNI said:
Then honestly, the only explanation is that Samsung has released I9000s with different hardware versions to rectify hardware problems
This is the only reason i see to explain people not having lag problems and apps opening the second you click them. I must be one of the unlucky guys with an early hardware version
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http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/US-...msung-Galaxy-S-explained-article-a_12223.html
It's true; there are different versions but they are vastly different in some cases (some have hard-keyboards while others are just a case difference).
Does it affect the hardware? Maybe in some cases but there are probably other details on the web somewhere.
EDIT:
http://androidheadlines.com/2010/06/all-us-versions-of-the-samsung-galaxy-s-compared.html
The specs are almost identical in all phones except for some cameras and some storage, other than that, identical hardware wise.
PC World ranks Epic #1
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/collection/1671/top_10_cell_phones.html
Now that the upload is fixed, that was the only real complaint I had left. Android 2.2 will be nice sure, but the phone kicks ass as it is.
Firon said:
Now that the upload is fixed, that was the only real complaint I had left. Android 2.2 will be nice sure, but the phone kicks ass as it is.
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Click to collapse
I agree....only thing I was worried about was support...but it seems they are on top of the ****....I love the phone!
For PC world to rank this phone as #1 they are smoking something over there.
While it is a GREAT phone. If this is the ABSOLUTE TOP PHONE that HUMAN BEINGS can produce right now, we are a sad sad world.
What about the droid X that not only scores higher, but gets better 3g speeds and doesn't have a gps lock problem out of the box?
J3ff said:
For PC world to rank this phone as #1 they are smoking something over there.
While it is a GREAT phone. If this is the ABSOLUTE TOP PHONE that HUMAN BEINGS can produce right now, we are a sad sad world.
What about the droid X that not only scorews higher, but gets better 3g speeds and doesn't have a gps lock problem out of the box?
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Click to collapse
why are you here? Are you a troll? Everytime I come to. This forum your complaining. Trade in your epic and go get the droid x.
T
itsmebryan said:
why are you here? Are you a troll? Everytime I come to. This form your complaining. Trade in your epic and go get the droid x.
T
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I'm not really complaining - I'm just pointing out that pc world has rated a phone #1 when it has glaring issues and that if this is really the best phone in the country. Well.........wow.
J3ff said:
For PC world to rank this phone as #1 they are smoking something over there.
While it is a GREAT phone. If this is the ABSOLUTE TOP PHONE that HUMAN BEINGS can produce right now, we are a sad sad world.
What about the droid X that not only scores higher, but gets better 3g speeds and doesn't have a gps lock problem out of the box?
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Click to collapse
Have you used a droid x after the 2.2 update? The damn application menu scrolls at something close to 15 fps. I love the build quality of the hardware but damn moto blur sucks. (i'm not a huge fan of touchwiz either, but at least it's not running at a wholly unacceptable framerate.... a little bit of disclosure, i'm an animator so crappy frame rate REALLY bothers me.)
houkah said:
Have you used a droid x after the 2.2 update? The damn application menu scrolls at something close to 15 fps. I love the build quality of the hardware but damn moto blur sucks. (i'm not a huge fan of touchwiz either, but at least it's not running at a wholly unacceptable framerate.... a little bit of disclosure, i'm an animator so crappy frame rate REALLY bothers me.)
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Yup. I wouldn't touch a Droid X. Thing is choppy as hell. Besides, our GPU blows it out of the water.
Even though I love my Epic, the subpar battery life makes me disagree about it being rated # 1. It's really close I think but I'm not 100% there yet.
Let's see what 2.2 brings and then we can assess it better then. I love this phone much though. :-*
Forgive My Brevity. To Be Or Not To Be...
J3ff said:
For PC world to rank this phone as #1 they are smoking something over there.
While it is a GREAT phone. If this is the ABSOLUTE TOP PHONE that HUMAN BEINGS can produce right now, we are a sad sad world.
What about the droid X that not only scores higher, but gets better 3g speeds and doesn't have a gps lock problem out of the box?
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Click to collapse
What is hard to believe about Epic being #1? If you think all phones aside from the Epic are perfect out of box you are kidding..in perspective the issues that the Epic came out with weren't so bad in comparison to many other devices....
Anyways..sprint made a bunch of funny commercials based on getting the #1 from pc-world:
http://www.sprint.com/epic/
gTen said:
What is hard to believe about Epic being #1? If you think all phones aside from the Epic are perfect out of box you are kidding..in perspective the issues that the Epic came out with weren't so bad in comparison to many other devices....
Anyways..sprint made a bunch of funny commercials based on getting the #1 from pc-world:
http://www.sprint.com/epic/
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What up Gten......bro dont get started with Jeff...he has been whining for a bit now.....I am still trying to figure out why he still has the phone.......take it back Jeff!!!!!!!!!....lol......all in fun bro.....no offense....
flyers2114 said:
What up Gten......bro dont get started with Jeff...he has been whining for a bit now.....I am still trying to figure out why he still has the phone.......take it back Jeff!!!!!!!!!....lol......all in fun bro.....no offense....
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Maybe he is a sadist? lol...but yeah If someone doesn't like the phone they should just take it back..
Oh and I'm fine...finally happy I got MobileAP working and everything..wish it would transfer more of the 4g speeds but I guess its still faster then 3g a bit :/...
And I suggest watching the Epic Hero one..its the best lol
Listen guys, I don't mean to just sit here and bash my phone. The truth is I want to love it!
Today was a better day for me and my epic. The gps did a good job out on the boat and with the upload fixed I'm doing better.
IMHO a phone that is rated #1 should have NO ISSUES at all. While I realize that's never going to happen. It's a sad statement on our technology that something with multiple problems on launch day is rated #1
J3ff said:
L
IMHO a phone that is rated #1 should have NO ISSUES at all. While I realize that's never going to happen. It's a sad statement on our technology that something with multiple problems on launch day is rated #1
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That makes no sense. Issues or not, someone's gotta be #1. This is the best phone, and the droid x is weak in comparison.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
p-niiice said:
That makes no sense. Issues or not, someone's gotta be #1. This is the best phone, and the droid x is weak in comparison.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
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Nexus 2.2 ?
J3ff said:
Nexus 2.2 ?
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The Nexus One wasn't even meant to be a consumer phone..that said, its not like Nexus One is flawless out of the bag. and in their ratings my guess they went off stock on when it came out initially aka 2.1.
That said Nexus One still got #6 which is not too bad considering...
p-niiice said:
That makes no sense. Issues or not, someone's gotta be #1. This is the best phone, and the droid x is weak in comparison.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
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Yeap...It is what it is
This phone to me is perfect with a root doesn't even need a custom rom.....now if it could only make me a sammich mmmmm
PC World must be on Crack!
Yes the phone has top notch specs/feature, but it doesn't seem to do anything well ... Other then the pix and vids it takes.
I'm not saying PC World is on crack because I feel it's a bad phone. I just don't think it should be ranked #1 because of all the problems everyone's been seeing.
The biggest issue is that GPS is broken, even though Sprint/Samsung stated it was fixed just before launch. The compass doesn't work either. And until just the other day, the upload was capped.
I also don't think they (Sprint/Samsung) will ever get the GPS "Fixed" because I feel it's a hardware or design issue. I say this because the GPS problem is on all the Galaxy S phones, so Samsung has had plenty of time to get it fixed, if software could fix it. I hope I am proven wrong on this....
I also don't know if it was done on Sprint's request, but there's no video out on the 3.5mm jack and no FM radio, even though the hardware is supposedly there. What happened? It makes no sense to not have the video out, when all the other Galaxy S phones do.
I'm not saying this phone isn't a good phone. I just think it should be ranked #1, with the problems it has.
crabjoe said:
Yes the phone has top notch specs/feature, but it doesn't seem to do anything well.
I'm not saying PC World is on crack because I feel it's a bad phone. I just don't think it should be ranked #1 because of all the problems everyone's been seeing.
The biggest issue is that GPS is broken, even though Sprint/Samsung stated it was fixed just before launch. The compass doesn't work either. And until just the other day, the upload was capped.
I also don't think they (Sprint/Samsung) will very get the GPS "Fixed" because I feel it's a hardware or design issue. I say this because the GPS problem is on all the Galaxy S phones, so Samsung has had plenty of time to get it fixed, if software could fix it. I hope I am proven wrong on this....
I also don't know if it was done on Sprint's request, but there's no video out on the 3.5mm jack and no FM radio, even though the hardware is supposedly there. What happened? It makes no sense to not have the video out, when all the other Galaxy S phones do.
I'm not saying this phone isn't a good phone. I just think it should be ranked #1, with the problems it has.
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Click to collapse
I feel the same way, you just have a more eloquent of saying it.
No, this is not to show that android owns the iphone, we all know that. Just scroll down where it shows the carriers top rated phones..
http://blogs.computerworld.com/1733...consumer_reports_ratings_beat_down_the_iphone
If they read XDA and knew all of the complaints I'm sure they would cut 50 off of the Galaxy S scores because like..
heygrl said:
If they read XDA and knew all of the complaints I'm sure they would cut 50 off of the Galaxy S scores because like..
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Like? Every phone has a flaw, find me a perfect smartphone. Plus if it wasn't for all these "problems" we wouldn't have xda would we? So be thankfully!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
The problem is every smartphone doesn't have this many flaws.
And those numbers aren't even comparable to the iPhone seeing as how Galaxy S is on every major carrier and iPhone is on line 1-3 (if you count Europe, etc.).
What problems? Personal taste is not considered a problem.
Alex530 said:
Like? Every phone has a flaw, find me a perfect smartphone. Plus if it wasn't for all these "problems" we wouldn't have xda would we? So be thankfully!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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I wasn't being serious. They obviously tested it and liked it enough to rank it higher than all of the other phones.
MilkPudding said:
What problems? Personal taste is not considered a problem.
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But ignorance is, esp when coupled with sarcasm...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
N8ter said:
But ignorance is, esp when coupled with sarcasm...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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What roll does being a troll play?
So they didnt rate the iphone 4 because of antenna issues? That is rediculous. I mean I would shoot myself before using an iphone BUT that issue is just as bad on my vibrant. I mean, I love my vibrant but it has far more "Issues" than the iphone 4 and im not affraid of admiting that. However.... I still love it and think its the best phone out there right now (except for maybe desire HD).
jrharvey said:
So they didnt rate the iphone 4 because of antenna issues? That is rediculous. I mean I would shoot myself before using an iphone BUT that issue is just as bad on my vibrant. I mean, I love my vibrant but it has far more "Issues" than the iphone 4 and im not affraid of admiting that. However.... I still love it and think its the best phone out there right now (except for maybe desire HD).
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Precisely. They won't recommend the iPhone 4 because of the antenna issues, yet they sing praises to a phone that has numerous documented issues that still remain unaddressed. I wonder if this article is a fluff piece, paid for by Samsung?
kgbkny said:
Precisely. They won't recommend the iPhone 4 because of the antenna issues, yet they sing praises to a phone that has numerous documented issues that still remain unaddressed. I wonder if this article is a fluff piece, paid for by Samsung?
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Consumer Reports doesn't operate like that. You can go back to your myTouch 4G now.
kgbkny said:
Precisely. They won't recommend the iPhone 4 because of the antenna issues, yet they sing praises to a phone that has numerous documented issues that still remain unaddressed. I wonder if this article is a fluff piece, paid for by Samsung?
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Click to collapse
Article quotes Consumer Reports. CR is a non-profit organization that is not being sponsored by any manufacturer/vendor.
kgbkny said:
Precisely. They won't recommend the iPhone 4 because of the antenna issues, yet they sing praises to a phone that has numerous documented issues that still remain unaddressed. I wonder if this article is a fluff piece, paid for by Samsung?
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Actually I paid them so that I could email it to all of my colleagues with iPhones. Please don't tell anyone. It's great feeling like I have the biggest "phone"
heygrl said:
Consumer Reports doesn't operate like that. You can go back to your myTouch 4G now.
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Did I strike a raw nerve?
kgbkny said:
Did I strike a raw nerve?
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I think it was because your comment sounded like nothing but troll speak.
And honestly, how many problems does the Vibrant really have?
I can think of 2. Slightly laggy from time to time, and the GPS issue which has been resolved, granted it is still slightly slower then some GPS's on phones, but still fast and accurate now. Am I missing anything.
Personally, neither of these two are even close to as large as the main function of a phone, being a phone call, having a serious flaw just because of the way you may hold your phone.
I agree with consumer reports regarding this as it is a pretty major functional flaw.
You can be certain that if Consumer Reports posts a rundown it will be unbiased. They take no advertising and no grants, and have been that way since their inception.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Raistline said:
I think it was because your comment sounded like nothing but troll speak.
And honestly, how many problems does the Vibrant really have?
I can think of 2. Slightly laggy from time to time, and the GPS issue which has been resolved, granted it is still slightly slower then some GPS's on phones, but still fast and accurate now. Am I missing anything.
Personally, neither of these two are even close to as large as the main function of a phone, being a phone call, having a serious flaw just because of the way you may hold your phone.
I agree with consumer reports regarding this as it is a pretty major functional flaw.
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I am well aware that this is a Vibrant board, but why is it that every time someone says something negative about the Vibrant, they are immediately accused of trolling?
As far as the Vibrant's issues are concerned, I owned the phone since the day it was released and have experienced the following major issues:
1. Lag - caused by Samsung's RFS file system, this is not likely to be fixed, unless Samsung decides to do away with it.
2. GPS - the JI6 update enabled the phone to get a satellite lock, but accuracy (or lack thereof) is still a major issue. I live in NYC, so I've tested the updated GPS under various conditions. Although I wasn't expecting it to be accurate in midtown Manhattan, it suffered from inaccuracy elsewhere in the city as well. For example, on a drive to Brooklyn from Manhattan, the GPS would intermittently drop signal, despite the fact that it was a bright, sunny day and I had an unobstructed view of the sky. During the same drive, the GPS placed me in the middle of the bay that separates Brooklyn from Staten Island. During general use in Brooklyn, the GPS would constantly place me about 2-3 blocks away from my actual location. It has been speculated that the GPS receiver of the Galaxy S series is underpowered, which wouldn't be surprising.
3. Compass - still non-functional. I don't believe that it was addressed by the update.
4. Rampant bricking of phones by the JI6 update. Many of the bricked phones were completely stock (mine included), so user error is out of the question. Speaking of updates, I am still confused about the recent spate of "updates" that revert the Vibrant back to JFD. What's that all about?
I am excluding the Froyo delays and the fact that the phone was released with Samsung being fully aware of the faulty GPS. Although these issues matter to many users, I knew full well that the phone was shipping with 2.1, with no definite timeframe for the update. Although I was unaware of the faulty GPS, I didn't think that Samsung would leave such a gaping functionality flaw unfixed.
Does the Vibrant make phone calls? It certainly does. However, it doesn't perform a couple of very basic advertised functions of a smartphone. Believe me, I really wanted to like the Vibrant. However, the experience became extremely frustrating.
If the fact that I disagree with Consumer Reports offends anyone, my sincerest apologies. Then again, there are plenty of Apple champions out there, who will consider any Apple product to be the greatest thing in the world, no matter how inferior it happens to be. I guess Android needs champions too. At least Consumer Reports didn't choose Apple.
The Vibrant is an awesome phone but I'm sure the MT4G would be on top if the article was updated.
Well I've only had the vibrant for 2 days and I've experienced pretty much everything you've laid out here. I agree the GPS does seem to be underpowered... it'll manage to claw its way up to seeing 12 satellites, then decide to just drop all but 1 and start from scratch again.
As for the lag... doesn't seem to be that big of an issue with me using bionix fusion but in stock form it felt considerably slower than my nexus one.
If I can't sort out the GPS I'm definitely switching to the MT4G.
kgbkny said:
I am well aware that this is a Vibrant board, but why is it that every time someone says something negative about the Vibrant, they are immediately accused of trolling?
As far as the Vibrant's issues are concerned, I owned the phone since the day it was released and have experienced the following major issues:
1. Lag - caused by Samsung's RFS file system, this is not likely to be fixed, unless Samsung decides to do away with it.
2. GPS - the JI6 update enabled the phone to get a satellite lock, but accuracy (or lack thereof) is still a major issue. I live in NYC, so I've tested the updated GPS under various conditions. Although I wasn't expecting it to be accurate in midtown Manhattan, it suffered from inaccuracy elsewhere in the city as well. For example, on a drive to Brooklyn from Manhattan, the GPS would intermittently drop signal, despite the fact that it was a bright, sunny day and I had an unobstructed view of the sky. During the same drive, the GPS placed me in the middle of the bay that separates Brooklyn from Staten Island. During general use in Brooklyn, the GPS would constantly place me about 2-3 blocks away from my actual location. It has been speculated that the GPS receiver of the Galaxy S series is underpowered, which wouldn't be surprising.
3. Compass - still non-functional. I don't believe that it was addressed by the update.
4. Rampant bricking of phones by the JI6 update. Many of the bricked phones were completely stock (mine included), so user error is out of the question. Speaking of updates, I am still confused about the recent spate of "updates" that revert the Vibrant back to JFD. What's that all about?
I am excluding the Froyo delays and the fact that the phone was released with Samsung being fully aware of the faulty GPS. Although these issues matter to many users, I knew full well that the phone was shipping with 2.1, with no definite timeframe for the update. Although I was unaware of the faulty GPS, I didn't think that Samsung would leave such a gaping functionality flaw unfixed.
Does the Vibrant make phone calls? It certainly does. However, it doesn't perform a couple of very basic advertised functions of a smartphone. Believe me, I really wanted to like the Vibrant. However, the experience became extremely frustrating.
If the fact that I disagree with Consumer Reports offends anyone, my sincerest apologies. Then again, there are plenty of Apple champions out there, who will consider any Apple product to be the greatest thing in the world, no matter how inferior it happens to be. I guess Android needs champions too. At least Consumer Reports didn't choose Apple.
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dinan said:
Well I've only had the vibrant for 2 days and I've experienced pretty much everything you've laid out here. I agree the GPS does seem to be underpowered... it'll manage to claw its way up to seeing 12 satellites, then decide to just drop all but 1 and start from scratch again.
As for the lag... doesn't seem to be that big of an issue with me using bionix fusion but in stock form it felt considerably slower than my nexus one.
If I can't sort out the GPS I'm definitely switching to the MT4G.
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Click to collapse
GPS has been fixed. It takes less than 7 seconds for lock for me since JI6. Actually, stock JI6 is a faster lock then when running Bionix. In Bionix it can sometimes take up to 10seconds when standing still, less when moving.
One is the Vibrant closest to the building literally a few feet from where i was standing by the entrance to the breeze way, im running the latest Malice no mods other than i run the Bullit Kernel.
The other is the G2 Running the latest CM7 release on the newest Radio with correct libs, you can see how much farther away..
Even walking around the Vibrants GPS stayed a closer lock. Now i will say it did take the Vibrant did take a few more seconds to lock.. but only seconds...
EDIT: i will say that it wasn't untill we started into 2.2 that this got better.. but this is the first time i made a side by side comparison with the G2..
I've had good luck with my gps, I've gotten down to 14.4 feet accuracy with GPS Test in my front yard, and Tracking on Google maps is almost dead nuts. But if its a cloudy day, which its more often then not these last few months in Washington, my gps doesn't work for crap, Locks take like 30 seconds, tracking is Horrible, accuracy of 200 feet.
Say what you want, but the fact is that the GPS on the G1 (a phone that is two years older) completely destroys any GPS+fix on the Vibrant.
Its a well known, and rarely disputed weakness for the Vibrant. Shame on Samsung for not doing more rigorous testing of the chipset or not taking the chipset manufacturer to task.
Just because another phone's GPS sucks more than the Vibrant doesn't mean the Vibrant has good GPS.
Tarzanman said:
Say what you want, but the fact is that the GPS on the G1 (a phone that is two years older) completely destroys any GPS+fix on the Vibrant.
Its a well known, and rarely disputed weakness for the Vibrant. Shame on Samsung for not doing more rigorous testing of the chipset or not taking the chipset manufacturer to task.
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speak for yourself. when i compared them my vibrant was better than my g1. the vibrant was also better than my wife's cliq and mt slide (granted, these two aren't amazing phones, i've never heard of gps complaints with them).
my only complaint about gps is mine doesn't currently work on my vibrant (cm7).
funeralthirst said:
speak for yourself. when i compared them my vibrant was better than my g1. the vibrant was also better than my wife's cliq and mt slide (granted, these two aren't amazing phones, i've never heard of gps complaints with them).
my only complaint about gps is mine doesn't currently work on my vibrant (cm7).
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Strange. I have a MT3G Slide as well, and its GPS destroys my Vibrant's.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA Premium App
inconceeeivable said:
Strange. I have a MT3G Slide as well, and its GPS destroys my Vibrant's.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA Premium App
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well, based on xda posts, i'm a minority to begin with cause i've never really had problems with my gps on my vibrant.
and how exactly does it 'destroy' the vibrant's gps?
funeralthirst said:
well, based on xda posts, i'm a minority to begin with cause i've never really had problems with my gps on my vibrant.
and how exactly does it 'destroy' the vibrant's gps?
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It is significantly faster and more accurate than my particular Vibrant. I have a July 2010 model though...that may be why.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA Premium App
My GPS is good too. Granted it does take a up to a few minutes to lock, when it does, its dead accurate and consistent.
Tarzanman said:
Say what you want, but the fact is that the GPS on the G1 (a phone that is two years older) completely destroys any GPS+fix on the Vibrant.
Its a well known, and rarely disputed weakness for the Vibrant. Shame on Samsung for not doing more rigorous testing of the chipset or not taking the chipset manufacturer to task.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've proven otherwise. I don't feel like sifting through my posts, but I have pictures of the two side-by-side with wifi off running GPSTest and in Google Maps. The Vibrant was closer.
}{Alienz}{ said:
My GPS is good too. Granted it does take a up to a few minutes to lock, when it does, its dead accurate and consistent.
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I wish. I'm on my third and they have all suffered from long lock, inability to maintain lock (losing signal all together) lastly, while locked and navigating it will jump locations.
I don't think any GPS has zero issues but the amount of issues I have had with all three Vibrants leads me to think it's hardware and broken.
I do find it amazing that there are such varying views on the Vibrants GPS, but after three units I gave up trying to get a good one.
SykesAT said:
I wish. I'm on my third and they have all suffered from long lock, inability to maintain lock (losing signal all together) lastly, while locked and navigating it will jump locations.
I don't think any GPS has zero issues but the amount of issues I have had with all three Vibrants leads me to think it's hardware and broken.
I do find it amazing that there are such varying views on the Vibrants GPS, but after three units I gave up trying to get a good one.
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i find the varying experience strange as well. but i've had mine since release and the gps has always worked (though, it improved after flashing from stock 2.1).
inconceeeivable said:
It is significantly faster and more accurate than my particular Vibrant. I have a July 2010 model though...that may be why.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA Premium App
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My Samsung Jack, HTC Aria, HTC HD2, and HTC HD7 destroy both of our Vibrants here when it comes to the GPS. The HTC HD# phones especially... They embarass it in Accuracy and Lock Speeds. It isn't even comparable.
I've been through 3 Vibrants and there is another in use here, so I'm pretty sure it's not a lemon device issue. The GPS is just very bad on these phones.
But who cares... The phone is almost old now and many people with it are already eying an upgrade. I think most of us have learned to accept it and moved on from complaining about it - months ago...
}{Alienz}{ said:
My GPS is good too. Granted it does take a up to a few minutes to lock, when it does, its dead accurate and consistent.
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Click to collapse
That means your GPS is terrible.
When you turn it on and want to use a Location App that relies on GPS data, you have to wait a few minutes for it to lock and get an accurate location? 3 minutes to do a Foursquare/Facebook checkin? Lol...
That is "good" to you?
reuthermonkey said:
I've proven otherwise. I don't feel like sifting through my posts, but I have pictures of the two side-by-side with wifi off running GPSTest and in Google Maps. The Vibrant was closer.
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The Accuracy has never been that big of an issue for me, it's the lock speeds. But the Vibrant has never been as accurate as my other phones.
At stop lights the GPS goes crazy more than occasionally, and it loses its lock.
When it loses it's lock, that means you have to wait forever for it to lock again.
The slow lock speeds also means every task that depends on GPS data is ridiculously slow to accomplish compared to phones with a good GPS in them.
Most people who need a good GPS in their phone don't necessarily need the phone to just sit there giving them directions. They need it for apps like Foursquare, Loopt, Layer, Facebook Checkin, Localized Tweets, sharing location data in messaging applications, and embedding location data in photos.
With the Vibrant's lock speeds, it's almost useless for much of that.
I've also owned Blackberries (9300, 9780 Curve/Bold) and the GPS outperformed the Vibrant.
Another thing I noticed is that the Vibrant battery life with GPS on is significantly worse than other phones. I've never thought to turn my phone's GPS off, ever, until I got this phone...
My GPS has worked fine since, since, well I can't remember when. I just know it's been working great since I stopped obsessing over it's 3 meter accuracy. The compass could be better but whatever. Who gives a flying flip if it takes 5 seconds longer to lock than my Droid X? I'd still choose this over any current motorola, and HTC phone currently on the market. It's not a GPS device; It's a smartphone.
Unfortunately a lot of smartphone apps rely on GPS and an extra 5 seconds to lock everytime you check in, take a picture, want to get accurate location-guided results, etc. is a pain in the ass.
It may not seem like a lot at first (it's more than 5 seconds, factorably more, but I don't wanna deal with that right now), but at the end of a day it has done nothing more than degrade the user experience and waste a factorable amount of cumulative time.
You have to alter all of your usage patterns to account for the faulty GPS.
It's an issue, but I can care less. That's why I got another phone: so I didn't have to sweat it
WOW, it is crazy how much variety there is in not only accuracy but lock times as well.. I just pulled out my G1 and my MT3G and neither of them locked faster than the vibrant, but those showed me standing in the same spot as the vibrant.. LOL the G2 is still way off...
As for jumping at red lights.. i just figured that was normal since even my G1 and MT3G where the same (i mean by a few feet when stopped)... lol guess i was wrong ha..
So what do you guys think? Do you think the SGS II will have GPS issues? or has Sammy learned?
I am fyi a Samsung supporter, i honestly watched and laughed so hard about people crying over updates when other phones from more popular companies did it as-well.. Every one should know it is totally up to your provider.. ok enough on a tangent..
Just for comparisions sake, I have both a Vibrant and a MT4G. The vibrant running Trigger 3.2 gets an average 15 foot lock which is the best of any rom. The MT4G gets a 3 foot lock. Yes 3 foot. Simply amazing.
BTW dont ever rely on any phones gps when traveling. When you are out of cell reception you also lose your gps. You could end up hopelessly lost or worse. If you need gps that bad, I recommend a real gps device. While gps is good for around town don't risk yours and your families lives. Most of the horror stories you read about in the news with people getting lost using gps are usually phone gps.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
billwinkle said:
Just for comparisions sake, I have both a Vibrant and a MT4G. The vibrant running Trigger 3.2 gets an average 15 foot lock which is the best of any rom. The MT4G gets a 3 foot lock. Yes 3 foot. Simply amazing.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Thats good stuff.. Question, arnt the MT4G and the G2 almost the same phone? If so whys it so much better than my G2.. LoL
the issues out? is it working as well as could be expected?
i had a vibrant, the gps was worthless, i waited for about 6 months but they never got it right - so i dumped it. curious if sammy did manage to fix it with software updates
tks in advance
It is fixed yes, I get locks very quickly now, 15-30 seconds from dead to lock.... never fails me anymore. The GPS fixes that have been developed work well.
try this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=878970&highlight=gps+fix
if step number one didnt work, number two WILL do it.
The Original Ralph said:
the issues out? is it working as well as could be expected?
i had a vibrant, the gps was worthless, i waited for about 6 months but they never got it right - so i dumped it. curious if sammy did manage to fix it with software updates
tks in advance
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Click to collapse
No. I've done all the supposed fixes. Do not believe the reports that the Vibrant GPS is "fine". I've had a Vibrant for a year, and just got a Sensation. I now get typical lock times under 10sec with 3m accuracy. Using Google Nav or My Tracks there's no comparison. Try another phone with a properly working GPS and you'll know why the Vibrant is a disgrace to the term GPS.
samnada said:
No. I've done all the supposed fixes. Do not believe the reports that the Vibrant GPS is "fine". I've had a Vibrant for a year, and just got a Sensation. I now get typical lock times under 10sec with 3m accuracy. Using Google Nav or My Tracks there's no comparison. Try another phone with a properly working GPS and you'll know why the Vibrant is a disgrace to the term GPS.
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Click to collapse
Then go troll the Sensation forum - no need for the nastiness here.
JWhipple said:
Then go troll the Sensation forum - no need for the nastiness here.
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Click to collapse
What "nastiness"? Accurately pointing out an actual flaw isn't nasty, unless you're hyper-defensive. Not a troll. I own the Vibrant. He asked, I answered.
JWhipple said:
Then go troll the Sensation forum - no need for the nastiness here.
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Get over yourself. The Galaxy S has a well known GPS flaw. If your butt is too hurt to be reminded of it then stay off the forums.
wow - like Yogi Berra used to say
"this is like deja vu, all over again"
tks for the responses -
i missed the display on the vibrant and was looking at one of the newer sammy models, but figured i'd check to see if they corrected the issues on the model they pumped 10 million units out onto the market, before pulling the trigger.
Yawn, I can safely say on all 11 vibrant i've done the GPS locks in under 30 seconds everytime, all the time...
So you enjoy your sensation, i'll enjoy my galaxy that now locks like yours but has a sexy ass screen that even your sister creams over.
jwleonhart said:
Yawn, I can safely say on all 11 vibrant i've done the GPS locks in under 30 seconds everytime, all the time...
So you enjoy your sensation, i'll enjoy my galaxy that now locks like yours but has a sexy ass screen that even your sister creams over.
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Lock time is useless if the accuracy is bad. My Vibrant locks in 30 sec or so consistently as well. But it also randomly jumps to some other block when using Google Nav and starts blurting out bogus recalculating instructions. Sometimes it's fine, then the next day it will just blow up for no apparent reason.
I was in NYC for a week a month ago trying to use it for walking navigation. It was virtually useless. Consistently had me at least a block from my actual location, and the compass would either continuously spin or flip 180 degrees every 10 seconds.
I walk daily and often use My Tracks. I've seen many samples to compare the Vibrant to the Sensation and the difference is a revelation. The Vibrant often just drops the track part way through, and even when it holds it wanders around the actual path like a drunk. The Sensation tracks me nearly perfectly.
This has nothing to do with signal strength or the number of sats seen. After doing the HW fix my Vibrant SNR is at least as good if not slightly better than the Sensation. But the basic location accuracy is just flaky as h#ll. The Sensation locks and just sticks to my location.
If reports like mine were rare, I'd consider it's my phone, or some small percentage. But I've seen reports like this 100 times. Once you see what phone GPS is capable of you'll know how bad the Vibrant really is.
Regarding the screen, unless you own both you have no idea what you're talking about. Higher resolution, qHD, and more accurate, natural colors. I'd never go back. But love the one you're with, even if she is your sister...
samnada said:
Lock time is useless if the accuracy is bad. My Vibrant locks in 30 sec or so consistently as well. But it also randomly jumps to some other block when using Google Nav and starts blurting out bogus recalculating instructions. Sometimes it's fine, then the next day it will just blow up for no apparent reason.
I was in NYC for a week a month ago trying to use it for walking navigation. It was virtually useless. Consistently had me at least a block from my actual location, and the compass would either continuously spin or flip 180 degrees every 10 seconds.
I walk daily and often use My Tracks. I've seen many samples to compare the Vibrant to the Sensation and the difference is a revelation. The Vibrant often just drops the track part way through, and even when it holds it wanders around the actual path like a drunk. The Sensation tracks me nearly perfectly.
This has nothing to do with signal strength or the number of sats seen. After doing the HW fix my Vibrant SNR is at least as good if not slightly better than the Sensation. But the basic location accuracy is just flaky as h#ll. The Sensation locks and just sticks to my location.
If reports like mine were rare, I'd consider it's my phone, or some small percentage. But I've seen reports like this 100 times. Once you see what phone GPS is capable of you'll know how bad the Vibrant really is.
Regarding the screen, unless you own both you have no idea what you're talking about. Higher resolution, qHD, and more accurate, natural colors. I'd never go back. But love the one you're with, even if she is your sister...
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Click to collapse
My accuracy is within 25ft indoors. I'll tell you what it's damn close enough. My navigation once in a blue moon will stray, but will pop right back on course in a few seconds.
Im not saying the vibrants GPS is perfect, but it's been fixed. I don't think it'll get much better than it is now either. I have one of the first vibrants, which supposedly they had fixed the hardware GPS or something later on (after november builds I believe???) but it still has problems.
Once I applied the GPS fix on CM7 man it's sexy as hell.
I'm sorry for the people that have issues. Is it perfect? No, it isn't. As someone that has owned a Vibrant from release date and that had ZERO GPS performance, I consider the attached to be a huge improvement. I usually have accuracy between 4.7M-6M. That's not fantastic, but it's better than nothing.
A lot of Dev work has been done. A lot of effort has gone into the Hardware Fix by many different people (I know I've been inside my Vibrant 7-8 different times). If you've done the hardware fix and you've flashed one of the two gps.fix zip's out there and it still doesn't work for you, then all I can say is flash your kernel again and flash the gps.zip. In addition to that, WE ALL KNEW ABOUT THE ISSUE when we either bought our phones or shortly after we started using them. We ALL decided to keep the device because the other features outweighed the GPS issues. Does it suck? Yeah, it does. It's a ridiculous feature to not have right. It's worse than when an iPhone didn't have copy/paste and MMS. I feel the pain, trust me. I travel constantly for work, I use GPS a LOT. I get it. But at this point, it's gone from beating a dead horse to beating a dead horse skeleton.
Another thing, Samsung will never be able to "fix" current Vibrants. I fully believe that stepped into a deal with a supplier that supplied a faulty, subpar GPS Receiver. If the hardware is flaky then it's flaky. No amount of contact bending/replacing or firmware tweaking will fully compensate for that fact. When you accept it for what it is, you decide to just deal with it until the next device you want comes out (in my case, it's the fabled Nexus Prime). There are WAY to many people that need to just let go of crap they can't control and move on. Being mad at Samsung on a message board doesn't fix it.
One final tip before you ditch your Vibrant, try a different Kernel. For example, the firmware GPS fixes don't really agree with Bali Kernels and Bionix 1.3.1 on my handset. But it does work great when I flash Overstock 2.4.1 instead.
There's a relationship between your ROM and Kernel selection. Experiment and find what works, or ditch the phone.
Look for anyone who the GPS is not working and is running CM7, do me a favor and go here:
At the bottom I have a direct download to CM7 with the GPS fix built in.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1182735
I have replaced the gps file and put my own config file in. It's running Nightly #56, and i'm getting locks fast...
I put it up earlier, but so far nobody has posted back. I tried it and am using it myself, GPS works great.
Someone please try and let me know! No need to modify anything.
I'm curious, did they fix the GPS for the Samsung Galaxy S 4G since its the newer galaxy model? If so, I'll purchase that one right away instead of the Vibrant.
The Original Ralph said:
"this is like deja vu, all over again"
tks for the responses -
i missed the display on the vibrant and was looking at one of the newer sammy models, but figured i'd check to see if they corrected the issues on the model they pumped 10 million units out onto the market, before pulling the trigger.
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if you miss the display, grab the SGS 4g, SGS 2 or the Nexus S.
Battery on both of those is fixed.
No, Samsung did not fix the GPS....it's a fundamental flaw with their GPS supplier that will never go away. Refurbished units get better GPS but nothing near as fast and accurate as other phones.
Blown 89 said:
No, Samsung did not fix the GPS....it's a fundamental flaw with their GPS supplier that will never go away. Refurbished units get better GPS but nothing near as fast and accurate as other phones.
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Click to collapse
GPS is good enough never had problem
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA Premium App
Yeah, it got fixed in later production
I lost my phone in June, got a replacement via insurance. The new one locks GPS in under 10 seconds, decent accuracy. It's considerably better than my first Vibrant, which could take over a minute to lock.