Going from Captivate->Focus - Focus General

Hi
I'm a Samsung Captivate user. It's a Focus running Android basically. The captivate is PLAGUED with GPS issues, it has trouble catching a signal and cannot _for its life_ keep it when you're in a car. It locks up sometimes thanks to Samsung's retarded tweaks and overlays.
I'm looking at the Samsung Focus and having used Windows Mobile phones before and iPhones, I know what to expect. I'm concerned way more on style and looks over functionality -- I'm in school so that's natural. I'm not concerned with the reported data usage bugs since i'm on a grandfathered unlimited plan. The Focus looks like the perfect phone for me.
However, right now I have my Captivate where I want it. At school where they don't have a proper WiFi connection, i use Wifi thethering with my Captivate. I'm used to flashing ROMs practically every two weeks and keeping up with the latest releases. I NEED a way to thether with my phone and I'm not sure if the Focus has that. I'm also concerned with camera quality and sound quality because My captivate functions as my camera for my school projects as well as my audio player. i have a special kernal on my captivate that allows for studio monitor esque audio quality on it.
As a bit of a photographer, audiophile, and bolthead, could the Focus be my phone? I'm not really concerned with GPS because as I said I'm a student and I can't even drive yet :/.
Does the Focus have good sound quality, compareable to a standalone audio player? (Like Sony Walkman X, Microsoft Zune HD, etc.)
Does the Focus have a good and easy to use camera like a low-end point and shoot? (That's about all I need)
Have you guys gotten compliments on your phones from your iPhone using friends?
I remember when I first got my phone and i was so excited... But now the WOW factor is gone and it's becoming more of an annoyance. How's your wow factor?
Keep in mind I'm buying my Focus out of contract so I'll be down about $300-400 :/
Is it worth it?

I came from a captivate to the focus. The audio is the same quality in my own opinion. The camera is easy and can be accessed by holding down the camera button. Even when the screen is off. 720P video is a little choppy but the photos look great. There arenet as many options as their are with the captivate though. GPS works great. Keyboard in landscape is a little small. I would prefer the keyboard to stretch across the whole screen like the captivate. Otherwise this is a very user friendly phone.

shishir95 said:
Hi
I'm a Samsung Captivate user. It's a Focus running Android basically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it's a different SoC. The Focus runs the old Snapdragon processor, so it's a bit slower than hummingbird.
Having said that, I bought a Focus off contract for 300 out of boredom. I like it a lot, but MS needs to hurry up with the updates.
What keeps me from using it as a daily driver is simply APP choices.
1.) I would like a forum browser
2.) I'd like it to be a wifi hotspot (currently you can USB tether i believe)
3.) I need a chat client
However, if you game, Xbox live is very very cool. The phones interface is refreshing and unique.

eallan said:
Well, it's a different SoC. The Focus runs the old Snapdragon processor, so it's a bit slower than hummingbird.
Having said that, I bought a Focus off contract for 300 out of boredom. I like it a lot, but MS needs to hurry up with the updates.
What keeps me from using it as a daily driver is simply APP choices.
1.) I would like a forum browser
2.) I'd like it to be a wifi hotspot (currently you can USB tether i believe)
3.) I need a chat client
However, if you game, Xbox live is very very cool. The phones interface is refreshing and unique.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow really? I was under the impression that Samsung used its own SoC. So the only thing this phone has going for it is the SAMOLED :/ Does it use the PenTile arangement?
After reading your reply it's obvious the Focus isn't for me, but is there anything that you think i'd enjoy with the Focus? What made you buy it?

Please visit this forum.
I've written down my own review as well as a Youtube video about the Dark Side of the Samsung Focus.
Pros and Cons are discussed in the following thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=915685
I currently own the iPhone 3GS, Captivate, and Samsung Focus. I have to say they all have their good and bad. WP7 is still too fresh and lacking a lot of features but look promising.

eallan said:
What keeps me from using it as a daily driver is simply APP choices.
1.) I would like a forum browser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download Board Express. There is a free and paid version. The difference being you cannot reply with the free version.

shishir95 said:
Wow really? I was under the impression that Samsung used its own SoC. So the only thing this phone has going for it is the SAMOLED :/ Does it use the PenTile arangement?
After reading your reply it's obvious the Focus isn't for me, but is there anything that you think i'd enjoy with the Focus? What made you buy it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the phone isn't slow or anything.
I have an N1, an iPhone 4 and now the focus. I get bored with phones easily and like variety .
All the Samsung phones and the N1 use the pentile arrangement until the Infuse 4G comes out.
There is a lot to like about it. It's a fresh new OS, different in many ways from android or iOs. Once it's a bit more fledged out and has a bigger homebrew scene it will be a terrific OS! The screen looks great, the camera takes great photos and being able to wake up to the camera from the lockscreen is amazingly useful. Audio quality seems good to me.

Just made the same switch. So far I am in love with the Focus. Its everything the captivate has except the issues.
Only complaint is ringtones being restricted and loss of alot of the great google features that come with Android.
I used to think my Captivate was a 10 out of 10 but after having the focus a few days now its raised the bar and Captivate (even with Perception 10) is down to a 4.

Related

My Honest review of the Samsung Galaxy S

Well, I don’t know where to start, ok here I go, WHAT A PILE OF CRAP, I went from the brilliant HTC Desire to this crap, I was quite excited about the Samsung galaxy s, but I was shocked at the level of LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG, even to just make a standard call, I am waiting for a while for the Samsung to process the instruction, at times I have felt like throwing the fone out of the window, it is really bad, hopefully the update to froyo 2.2 will eliminate the LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG problem, or what I would advise is if possible install the Nexus1 version of Android 2.1, and forget about Samsung own crap software. HTC Desire here I Come.
This is a honest review from a very frustrated Samsung galaxy s owner, if I have upset anyone with my review, please accept my apologies, as that is not my intention
Thank you
drasifriaz said:
Well, I don’t know where to start, ok here I go, WHAT A PILE OF CRAP, I went from the brilliant HTC Desire to this crap, I was quite excited about the Samsung galaxy s, but I was shocked at the level of LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG, even to just make a standard call, I am waiting for a while for the Samsung to process the instruction, at times I have felt like throwing the fone out of the window, it is really bad, hopefully the update to froyo 2.2 will eliminate the LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG problem, or what I would advise is if possible install the Nexus1 version of Android 2.1, and forget about Samsung own crap software. HTC Desire here I Come.
This is a honest review from a very frustrated Samsung galaxy s owner, if I have upset anyone with my review, please accept my apologies, as that is not my intention
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:-| .. did you get the phone and go straight into posting this, or have you been following the forum?
I'll let you take a guess.
And i think we're getting trolled here, although some apps lag a bit when you open them, i NEVER had this problem with the dialer.
It always zooms right up.
Very troll like, theres 0 lag on my device, everything opens pretty much instantly.
Have you installed a task killer? I recommend doing so and getting into the habbit of running it every now and again if it slows.
to be honest, i've had the phone for about 2 weeks and i went from a old galaxy (i7500) which is the true king of lag. I notice slight lag on the galaxy S which increase over time, after being on for 3-4 days interface starts crawling almost to the same lever of i7500.
I dont know if the cause to the lag is an general android issue or if its samsungs incompetence...
2 things, go into settings and get rid of the animations and download launcher pro, this IS the best phone ive ever owned. incredibly light, comfortable to hold. just wish the camera was better/had flash and the screen had a higher resolution like the iphone. other than that i cant see how they would make a phone any better
KhaaL said:
old galaxy (i7500) which is the true king of lag.
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Click to collapse
Hehehe, cracked me up
KhaaL said:
I dont know if the cause to the lag is an general android issue or if its samsungs incompetence...
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Click to collapse
I think it's Samsung's incompetence, had similar issues on my Omnia II.
I wonder if Nexus one / HTC users had the same lag issues and whatnot
thatg said:
2 things, go into settings and get rid of the animations and download launcher pro, this IS the best phone ive ever owned. incredibly light, comfortable to hold. just wish the camera was better/had flash and the screen had a higher resolution like the iphone. other than that i cant see how they would make a phone any better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't it admitting defeat to the iPhone when you've got to turn off animations just to get the device to function properly?
I hate my iPhone and want to get the Captivate but stuff like this worries me.
TexUs said:
Isn't it admitting defeat to the iPhone when you've got to turn off animations just to get the device to function properly?
I hate my iPhone and want to get the Captivate but stuff like this worries me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not gonna lie, theyre both awesome phones, i just wanted the bigger screen, but honestly the camera on the iphone blows every other phones' out of the water. they just have the best sensor, which i dont get cause i thought they bought most their parts from samsung(why samsung started making their own phones) Samsung the new leader in android phones. HTC just doesnt have the production power
thatg said:
...but honestly the camera on the iphone blows every other phones' out of the water. they just have the best sensor, which i dont get cause i thought they bought most their parts from samsung...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have some evidence of this? The results I've gotten from the Samsung camera have been better than I expected.
TravUK said:
Do you have some evidence of this? The results I've gotten from the Samsung camera have been better than I expected.
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Click to collapse
I know without a doubt the 5MP camera on the iPhone 4 looks better than the 8MP camera on the Evo.
TexUs said:
I know without a doubt the 5MP camera on the iPhone 4 looks better than the 8MP camera on the Evo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok, but the 8MP camera on the Evo is not the 5MP camera on the SGS
the orinal poster may be an idiot but I understnad where he comes from........ I am frustrated with the Samsung speed and see enough posts about the lag problem to know that it isn't just me.
I am also a blackberry user (9700) and that is much faster going from screen to screen and for Email, RSS, Twitter and Facebook.
OK the experiance is a little dull and not fro graphical but is usable.
Using somthing like Newsrob for RSS is unbearable (even with downloaded articals, the HTML rendering is to slow) or when using the standard mail client and moving from one mail to another.
The exchange sync is also flaky with the calendar sync breaking, resulting in the config having to be removed and re-added. Push mail doesn't seem to be push mail and tacks an age to come through when compared to the Blackberry.
It might be one of the best Android phones out there but it still needs a lot of work to be my main phone and not just a toy that I fiddle with on the train to work.
Will.1 said:
Hehehe, cracked me up
I think it's Samsung's incompetence, had similar issues on my Omnia II.
I wonder if Nexus one / HTC users had the same lag issues and whatnot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have much hope for samsung in Galaxy S either tbh, the hardware is good but i rely on the community on the software side of the phone.
And really, i dropped count of how many times i've was going to throw my i7500 into the wall, but stopped myself since i didnt want to pay for damages on the wall :-/
"LAAAAAAG" was never a big issue with this phone... compared to hd2 blackstone iphone and alot other smartphones i used to have over the years... after all u will have some if u decide to pick a smartphone .....
if u have lots of of it something is wrong ..
u can try using "advance task killer" and "minfreemanager" from market (free software)
this post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=723002 also gives a good solution if u like to mess up with the phone a bit more
my galaxy right now outperforms like any other smartphone out there
The op's post kind of rings true about how I started to feel but that was until I flashed to jg 1 (which itself was an improvement) but then put the modaco rom on it and autokiller from the market and now it performs superb and am happy with it. By all accounts, korea are sure to get froyo in august too so I can't help but think the rest of the world won't be too far behind, and even then if froyo is on a korean phone then I dare say there will be a rom floating around that's based on froyo in the not too distant future; while I look forward to see froyo on this phone, the way it performs now for me is excellent.
I will say although I have practicly zero lag now,I did have to flash to jg1 and custom modoco rom to get there.Initially out of the box there was quite some lag(although not as much as the op is suggesting). I also use taskkiller which is the same as minfreemanager but applies at boot.With this combination the phone is lightning fast but i can understand people not wanting to flash,root etc.Out the box there are probably better phones but put the work in and galaxy s is second to none.
I've done what I can with out rooting the phone, use Launch Pro, Startup Audit and Advanced Task Killer with some effect but not good enough and is poor when compared to the Blackberry or even my HTC Snap or E71.
I know the UX is not as interesting at the Galaxy but above all else it has to be usable and fast.
I've even had poor responce when answering calls and even though I have been pressing the answer button, the phone has not responded and call ended up going to vm.
I suppose that at somepoint when I have time, I will root the phone and install a modded rom but using modded roms should be about additional functionality, not about getting the phone to be acceptable.
I've just been trying to type a URL on the Galaxy while writting this and there is significant lag while typing, I can be several charatures in from of what is being displayed.
Just flashing firmware to jg1 makes it a hell of a lot better.Although jg3 will be better as the bugs were ironed out i belive
This makes me no longer excited about the galaxy? Why does it "LAAAAG" so much? It should have a very fast processor and only a 4" screen compared to the EVO's 4.3" screen. Although I do have issues with speed on my EVO... I think it's to be expected. It has a slower processor and a larger screen (more pixels to push around). Also, HTC Sense slows everything down.
I've never held a Samsung phone in my life... and I will definitely need to play with it before I actually buy it.

I miss my aria

I got a captivate because of the big screen.
But now I miss my Aria so much.
I made a mistake.
I'll trade you! XD
Sent from my HTC Liberty using XDA App
bwolmarans said:
I got a captivate because of the big screen.
But now I miss my Aria so much.
I made a mistake.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And...
You r gonna miss it more , when we have a fully working Froyo ROM , and its gonna be very very soon !
The Aria just feels better to me compared the the Captivate. I went to take a look when it was released. The screen is nice, but it didn't have the same balance as the Aria in my hands. I kept thinking the Captivate was going to snap. lol
I kind of agree.. I too had the Aria first and switched for the captivate. The Aria felt good and had a very quick HTC interface.
I was a little sad when I switched.
The captivate's interface is a little more sluggish and is kind of akward to hold.
However did you try and run good quality video on the Aria? Did you do anything that would require more of the phone? The interface is quick but when trying to do anything else the phone would crawl and studder on video.
I kept the captivate because although the interface is not as quick, try playing a 720P movie on it and some games (or slingbox if you have it) The screen is fantastic and the video is crystal clear.. seems to better than some TVs.
I quickly found out why I switched and would make the decision over and over again. I held an Aria again after owning the captivate for a week and the screen seems SOOO small.
I was and probably am a little sad still and wish the Aria was more screen and power. But I am completely happy with my decision. I think when we get the update to 2.2 and beyond, you will see the true potential.
Also the Aria sucked at like linking faceboook with your contacts.. there was no customization there, you would have to sync them ALL.
With the captivate you can also change keyboards when you want and the gallery/music player is great. Not to mention the capability of the HD video you can take... camera options rock with effects...
The aria just has a quick interface and the mail was better, captivate can be fixed with those using apps and beats it out hands down.
Just my 2 cents.. I do not think you made a mistake!
faceless808 said:
I kind of agree.. I too had the Aria first and switched for the captivate. The Aria felt good and had a very quick HTC interface.
I was a little sad when I switched.
The captivate's interface is a little more sluggish and is kind of akward to hold.
However did you try and run good quality video on the Aria? Did you do anything that would require more of the phone? The interface is quick but when trying to do anything else the phone would crawl and studder on video.
I kept the captivate because although the interface is not as quick, try playing a 720P movie on it and some games (or slingbox if you have it) The screen is fantastic and the video is crystal clear.. seems to better than some TVs.
I quickly found out why I switched and would make the decision over and over again. I held an Aria again after owning the captivate for a week and the screen seems SOOO small.
I was and probably am a little sad still and wish the Aria was more screen and power. But I am completely happy with my decision. I think when we get the update to 2.2 and beyond, you will see the true potential.
Also the Aria sucked at like linking faceboook with your contacts.. there was no customization there, you would have to sync them ALL.
With the captivate you can also change keyboards when you want and the gallery/music player is great. Not to mention the capability of the HD video you can take... camera options rock with effects...
The aria just has a quick interface and the mail was better, captivate can be fixed with those using apps and beats it out hands down.
Just my 2 cents.. I do not think you made a mistake!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
face makes very valid points. The Captivate is a power house when it comes to those things. And everything can be fixed with different apps and such.
Froyo should change things for the better on both phones.
Don't even try playing a high quality mkv file on the Aria, last time I tried with the Rockplayer beta it wasn't pretty lol. Haven't tried since it was released on the Market though. avi files work fine on the Aria's small screen. lol
And you can always try LauncherPro and the other interfaces if TouchWiz (I think that's a horrible name for an UI... touch.... wiz.....) isn't cutting it for you.
Yeah I'm not knocking either phone. If the captivate never existed outside of the screen I would have been perfectly fine with the Aria.
What made me know I made the right choice was playing music and video. Also pictures.
Get a 720 tralier if you dont have a movie and play it. OMG
I took video at a wedding in 720p with the video camera and it takes better video than my 80 gig standard def few hundred $ camcorder. I was amazed.
The music player on it is so much more functional (not to mention the speaker)
and the gallery app for pictures is very nice.
Search the market for samsung and get the home and car dock app and the office app. freebies for captivate owners and They rock!
I wish the captivate and the Aria would have a kid.
The design and body with HTC interface of the Aria with the screen and power of the captivate = perfect phone in my opinion!
Offspring of Captivate and Aria, that's a perfect analogy. Sounds like a HTC HD with quad band so I can use it in Asia, Europe and North America!
I guess a lot of this will make sense (pardon the pun) to people that have owned both an Aria and Captivate.
I have a brand new pet peeve on my list of things that "sour" the captivate: The dialer.
The HTC Sense on the Aria dialer is so amazing it uses a nice deep Alphabetical First + Last + MRU algorithm ( Most Recently Used ) for the speed dial feature, so you pretty much always get the person you want, it's so fast it's actually easier than dialing by contact picture or other shortcuts.
Contrast that to the Touchwiz dialer which is just Alphabetical by first name, then by Last Name. They forgot the MRU. And that makes it clunky and take twice as long to find the person you are dialing.
EDIT: Installed from market "Dialer One" one and while nowhere near as elegant, as the Sense dialer at least it can do the search by call log. Oh and also installed the Keyboard from the Evo http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=624416&page=239 works very nicely, much happier. The droid x multitouch keyboard works nicely too but kind of gimicky.
faceless that would be awesome.
Nice thoughts guys.
My aria is great for my needs. I don't like how phones keep getting bigger and bigger, although the captivate's slimness helps with that a lot. If they had a flash I probably would have traded on my aria. But you know what? My aria will do great day to day until compact dual core phones come out next year with led or xenon flash, froyo, and 1080 recording!
The aria was marketed as a mid range phone and they did a great job in regards to that. For general apps, text, internet, calls, games, outdoor camera shots, its great! And the google apps are awesome on it. I was even able to get the htc sync version that let you side load apps too!
By the way, I internet battled an iphone4 on the same wifi network and my aria loaded a content heavy Website faster! May have been luck but you never know.
You all def have me intrigued about the captivate though. Have no fear, bad a$$ android phones will be keep on coming. Excited for 2011!
Sent from my HTC Liberty using XDA App
I absolutely love my Aria, I was going to switch top the captivate, but I just love the size..I'm running that new CM6 ROM right now and the phone is so fast, its not even funny, especially with streaming videos, it practically doubled the speed from a stock aria...
I'm gonna wait for small phone's with dual core processor's before I buy another high end smartphone. I dont like carrying a plastic brick in my pocket. People look silly pulling some of these new phone's out of their pocket. The Captivate isn't bad, but the Droid X and especially the Dell Streak are just ridiculous. The Aria is a refreshing alternative too these monsters.
I'm thinking about going from my Captivate TO the Aria. Touchwiz is total crap compared to any interface HTC has ever made (I've been using HTC on WinMo for years).
The dealbreker for me: My Exchange email account is set up properly as I'm sending and receiving emails from my Captivate. inbound calendar requests (from people in my Exchange server) have really silly properties, there's no accept button (there's a 'save to calendar' that still acts wonky), but the BIGGIE is that if I delete or add a meeting on the phone, it NEVER sends the notification to the attendees listed.
deal breaker. Debating between Aria and Iphone4.
How's exchange calendar functions on the Aria? Anyone using?
How's the batter life on the Aria?
XBoomer said:
...
deal breaker. Debating between Aria and Iphone4.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would put the Aria as a 3GS competitor with the Aria winning!
XBoomer said:
I'm thinking about going from my Captivate TO the Aria. Touchwiz is total crap compared to any interface HTC has ever made (I've been using HTC on WinMo for years).
The dealbreker for me: My Exchange email account is set up properly as I'm sending and receiving emails from my Captivate. inbound calendar requests (from people in my Exchange server) have really silly properties, there's no accept button (there's a 'save to calendar' that still acts wonky), but the BIGGIE is that if I delete or add a meeting on the phone, it NEVER sends the notification to the attendees listed.
deal breaker. Debating between Aria and Iphone4.
How's exchange calendar functions on the Aria? Anyone using?
How's the batter life on the Aria?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try maildroid yet? thats what i switched too..I like the Aria mail better but I did not even like that
XBoomer said:
I'm thinking about going from my Captivate TO the Aria. Touchwiz is total crap compared to any interface HTC has ever made (I've been using HTC on WinMo for years).
The dealbreker for me: My Exchange email account is set up properly as I'm sending and receiving emails from my Captivate. inbound calendar requests (from people in my Exchange server) have really silly properties, there's no accept button (there's a 'save to calendar' that still acts wonky), but the BIGGIE is that if I delete or add a meeting on the phone, it NEVER sends the notification to the attendees listed.
deal breaker. Debating between Aria and Iphone4.
How's exchange calendar functions on the Aria? Anyone using?
How's the batter life on the Aria?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as far as the captivate goes, you have to realize it will be a while before a custom rom(CM6, AOSP) gets made fully working with it. It needs some tweaks that will be out sooner or later, for battery life and the occasional lag. and then it will be a fantastic phone. You have tv-out, 3d gaming, a bigger screen, and 720p recording.
now if you dont need or want any of that, then the aria would be a perfect choice.
The iphone 4 would be up for comparison with the Captivate to be fair. But if the captivates not for you and you want to stay with Android the aria's by far one of the best mid-range phones.
and For the arias battery life i would top off around 5-5 and a half hours of Full nonstop web browsing, gaming, live wallpapers, gps, etc. before i would have to charge.
jasonyump said:
and For the arias battery life i would top off around 5-5 and a half hours of Full nonstop web browsing, gaming, live wallpapers, gps, etc. before i would have to charge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya, fastest I've killed mine required 5-6 hours of robo defense.
Sent from my HTC Liberty using XDA App
In this world of bigger, better, faster, smarter smartphones, everyone wants more out of their devices. People saw the Captivate's stats and immediately wanted to trade in.
The Aria is weighted perfectly and the size is just right for my active lifestyle. I can't imagine switching even if the processor is slower than the future standard of a 1 GHz processor/512 MB RAM. It does what i want it to do efficiently, i couldn't imagine trading it in.
Exador said:
I'm gonna wait for small phone's with dual core processor's before I buy another high end smartphone. I dont like carrying a plastic brick in my pocket. People look silly pulling some of these new phone's out of their pocket. The Captivate isn't bad, but the Droid X and especially the Dell Streak are just ridiculous. The Aria is a refreshing alternative too these monsters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree- I didn't want a giant phone. HTC got the marketing spot on (for those of you who saw the TV ads).
I'd love to see the aria vs. backflip stats though- I wonder if at&t predicted the sales low?
One thing I don't like is how this device is ignored by just about everyone... the cases available at best buy are labeled wrong (as the intruder), the phone calls itself the liberty... it seems this baby was destined to be ignored from the start. But at least htc tech support is pretty responsive.
I tried the Captivate while I was at AT&T the other day and man, I just did not care for it. The thing was too big, too awkward to hold.

A Nexus One Fanboy's review of the Vibrant

So I got the wife the T-Mobile variant of the Galaxy S, T-Mo's latest and greatest Android until next month when the 21 mb/s G1 Blaze comes out.
The T-Mo version on paper is the retarded brother compared to Sprint's version (which has a front camera, hard keyboard and LED flash), but T-Mobile's family plan saves us over $50 per month over going to Sprint (we pay $140/month for unlimited minutes and data for two Android phones), and TMo's HSPA+ is very quick here, in many cases faster than Sprint's 4G.
On to the review...
Good: screen is bigger (4"), but not TOO big. The brighter, multi-touchscreen is a generation ahead of ours and very accurate and responsive. Watching Avatar on it is unreal. Though it does not have the resolution of the iPhone 4, the contrast and vibrance is superior. It makes the N1 and iphone4 look a tad washed out by comparison. Samsung has itself a sick little screen here. It's very thin and light. Comes with an internal 8gb memory so with a 32 gb sd card you're carrying 40 gb of space! Speed of phone appears to be really snappy, due to dedicated video processor. You can definitely see the difference in 3d rendering. The speaker is much nicer than ours. IT has a TV out and a mini usb to HDMI support coming, so you can plug it into a TV and embiggen your screen. The camera and camcorder software is very nice (and quick).
Bad: Tmo's version looks like an iPhone, which is silly (maybe so tmo users can stay but still look trendy in public?). It's made of plastic instead of our elegant metal, and is a fingerprint magnet. It doesn't have an LED flash. Night time indoor shots worked fine in ambient light, but forget about taking pictures in a bar. GPS is spotty, but i understand there's already a fix for that (Fixed. It works fine now) No Froyo yet, but Samsug S version has already been leaked on the interwebs and the phone does come with what appears to be flashlite. Uninstallable bloatware. Big Boo to that. Die in a fire, Slacker and TeleNav GPS... (REALLY, TMo? TELENAV GPS?)
Things that make you go, "Meh":
Samsung's user interface is both a blessing and a curse. They've got some interesting widgets (buddy call, buddy updates), but I miss stock. No LED notifier light (like N1's trackball). However this has been remedied by a third party app that renders a small notifier light on the screen when phone is asleep, but eats up battery. The lack of customization ability to the UI's default buttons is an annoyance, but I have to admit the integration of social services (twitter, facebook, snapfish, kodak etc.) into the contacts is impressive and convenient.
End result:
Tmo did castrate a lot of this phone's capability. I'd love to play with Sprint's Epic, which will have the hard keyboard, LED Flash and front facing camera (no wi-fi required for the equivalent of FacePalm).
Though I have an upgrade available now, I'm sticking with the N1 fdr several reasons. It's a more elegant looking phone and it's "pure." It will still get all of Googles software upgrades way before the other Android phones out there-- I love you Froyo! I use the heck out of the LED flash. Plus we have noise cancellation which is a godsend for me.
Also, if i want to use graphics intensive apps and games, I can always temporarily steal the wifie's phone.
PS.
Ok, her phone does something completely awesome that blew me away. i found out accidentally that it can share videos from itself to our TV over the wireless network. It actually took over the TV and played our HD videos on it without any setup at all. All I had to do was longpress any picture or video in the gallery and share it to TV. Supposedly it can also grab media from other sources on the network and play it on the TV but I haven't tried that yet.
Unfortunately, my efforts to rip the app out and install it on the Nexus One have failed miserably...
For now.
Oh, I just saw one yesterday and my buddy is gonna buy one! I am seriously jealous, should i sell my amazingly awesome modded n1 for the galaxy??
If it had a camera flash and stock Android [FroYo] on it, I'd probably switch. Not having stock Android or FroYo on it can be hacked on of course, but updates will always take much longer to hack than on the N1. And the lack of a camera flash is downright absurd in 2010.
I believe DNLA support is the source of the tv sharing.
Awesomeness that can be brough to any device with the right developer.
honestly the camera flash is not a factor unless you plan on taking lots of low light pictures (ie. outdoors at night or in a bar).
I've had apps that turn the N1 into a DLNA server, but none that actually took control of the TV. That was sweet. Probably doesn't hurt that the TV was a Samsung too.
mythamp This phone is very nice, performs great, but it's certainly not worth spending an upgrade from the N1. To be honest, my first thought when holding the phone was, "Wow, this phone feel cheap."
It definitely excels at whatever it is designed to do. That said, they left out a lot of stuff (little and big) we N1 users take for granted.
If you're really that itchy for a new phone, I'd at least wait for the G1 Blaze
tanman1975 said:
If you're really that itchy for a new phone, I'd at least wait for the G1 Blaze
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed! I was slightly itchy for this phone just for the simple fact that I'm getting tired of having to apologize to myself every time the N1 digitizer messes up, but seeing the spy pics of the alleged G1 Blaze have stopped the itch entirely until we see what's up.
I think nexus one is pretty straightforward and clean from massive junk.
The only thing I want from Vibrant is: internal storage.
No camera light is a big minus, but you can expect same thing on all GSM variants.
The Blaze will purportedly max out at 14mbps...not 21.
Paul22000 said:
the lack of a camera flash is downright absurd in 2010.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I never really thought I would use an LED flash coming from the iPhone 3gs but I have to say its just one of those things that once you've had one it sets a standard that you can't go backwards and give it up. I love the ability to have a flashlight and to take pictures in places that are too dark for night mode.
How much do you think T-mobile saved by telling Samsung to not include an LED flash? $2 - 4 per phone? Probably alot considering the amount they might sell but still leaving off an LED flash when BOTH Sprint & Verizon versions have one just screams penny pinching to me.
ap3604 said:
+1
I never really thought I would use an LED flash coming from the iPhone 3gs but I have to say its just one of those things that once you've had one it sets a standard that you can't go backwards and give it up. I love the ability to have a flashlight and to take pictures in places that are too dark for night mode.
How much do you think T-mobile saved by telling Samsung to not include an LED flash? $2 - 4 per phone? Probably alot considering the amount they might sell but still leaving off an LED flash when BOTH Sprint & Verizon versions have one just screams penny pinching to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it was a t-mobile decision, none of the four Galaxy S phones have a flash on them (epic/vibrant/captivate/fascinate).
JCopernicus said:
I don't think it was a t-mobile decision, none of the four Galaxy S phones have a flash on them (epic/vibrant/captivate/fascinate).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You a great man JCopernicus
I think the Epic and Fascinate both have LED flash's. Lemme check to make sure...
Edit: Yeah Sprint told Samsung to have an LED flash on the Epic - http://androidandme.com/2010/07/carriers/sprint/samsung-epic-4g-spec-sheet-finally-surfaces/
And Verizon told Samsung to include one as well on the Fascinate - http://phandroid.com/samsung-fascinate/#specs
So it was T-mobile that decided not to include the LED flash just to save a few bucks and pinch pennies
I agree with everything you posted - I've got my own N1, and scored a Vibrant just for fun.
It just feels cheap and gimmicky, which is weird, because on paper, it really is a good looking phone.
I hate TouchWiz - too many tweaks that don't really make it any more efficient. The amount of bloatware is insane too. Things it should have: TV out, LED flash.
it does have tv out
Doesnt the Vibrant have 16gb internal storage?
As far as the lack of flash im not for sure if i will miss it. My n1 seems to make everything off color using the flash..........also if i want to take pics Ill use my DSLR.
I havent picked the vibrant up yet. I'm going today to get it and use the 14 buyers remorese time to see if i like it.
I also got a guy wanting to trade a new 32gig Iphone 4 for my N1
tanman1975 said:
IT has a TV out and a mini usb to HDMI support coming, so you can plug it into a TV and embiggen your screen. The camera and camcorder software is very nice (and quick).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes... good connectivity embiggens the smallest screen
I always have said nexus build quality is above all other phones, especially the galaxy s t-mobile version. Build quality and materials is a big factor for me, if you're paying 500 dollars, you want it to feel like it.
RogerPodacter said:
I always have said nexus build quality is above all other phones, especially the galaxy s t-mobile version. Build quality and materials is a big factor for me, if you're paying 500 dollars, you want it to feel like it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always respect your comments Roger, you speak the truth!
Embiggen.. It's just. fun to say! So played a bit more with the touchwiz, and must say despite its drawbacks, it's growing on me. It has call rejection with text message which I would love. Can we install that? I still can't believe how much nicer the sound is. Bummer is you can only add custom ring tone to contacts in the phone, not, say, a gmail Contact. However the is very good about linking duplicate contacts together automatically. Very nice feature,

X10 vS Galaxy S vs Droid 2 GLOBAL

hello ppl,
I currently have a X10 but I was wondering about to change my device soon for a Galaxy S or for Motorola Droid 2 GLOBAL.
I would like to hear some of you, especially now that the X10 will be getting Froyo and Multitouch Officialy by the next year, that was one of the major drawback of the phone.
Is this trade fair?
Lenghty... Go make some coffee.
Ok dig this, I had the Captivate for 3 weeks. The short answer is I returned it because it kept turning off. Google Galaxy S Random Shut Down.
Now briefly, all I know about the Droid phones is that same as the iPhone, If you throw a rock in any direction you'll probably hit an accessory for it.. Man they got the whole 9 yards... From Moto Docks to OtterBox (Defender) .
Captivate Pros
Man that screen... NO FOR REAL! That screen is just amazing, And it's a Corning registered Gorilla Glass device. Go google that if you want to.
The Captivate has the most powerful botton in the known universe " Hearing Adaptive" or something like that. It's a huge boost for in coming call volume. Half way between low speaker phone volume and high ear piece volume. And this way you're not picking up everything in the mic like you would if you used Speaker Phone for the volume hike.
The two main cons that make me not miss it.
Turning off ... C'mon really ???
And those damn stock android Menu,Home,Back and Search buttons. I kept hitting Search by accident to the point of moderate frustration. I'm 5' 9" and weigh 157 pounds... I do not have sausage fingers.
Ok let's talk Pinch Zoom. Really I don't miss it. The Magnification buttons we X10 users have seems like a Button to Zipper comparison. We both can do the same thing just in a different way.
X10 pros .... And this one is worth at least 3 Pro spots of value to me.
The 3 phisical button... dear God sweet Jesus, Thank you for those
The 3 things I wish I could change about the X10
In Call Volume . I have had my hearing tested and I picked up zero decibels on my right and slightly worse on my left. It ain't me man, It's the phone. SPEAK UP [email protected]#$%^& !
Accessories.
There ain't none... Like for real. To find an X10 specific anything you have to hire a Sherpa and climb a damn mountain and then when you get there you're only going to find the OtterBox Commuter and Impact, We didn't even get the Defender
The Camera. 8mp of steaming ... Vignette,Camera 360 or stock, I can't take a clear bright picture to save my own life. ( Please don't derail this thread into a Camera Tips and Tricks, Read those and done that)
So after all this, I have run thru The HTC Aria (Tiny Toy), The Samsung Captivate and then finally the X10.
I'm keeping the X10 because out of all the love hate things you may find from one phone to the other this device has the most " I can live with" and the least " I hate" things.
It's a phone, It's not going to bring you true happiness. It's just gonna make calls and keep you interested in between.
Edit-
Battery! The Samsung Captivate needs to be charged everyday... Really.. Everyday and sometime through out the day. It's that screen I think. Imagine those Donkeys at the Grand Canyon. Now imagine them carrying Fat Sweaty Betty from Wisconsin. The battery is doing the best it can given the load it has to carry.
My X10 however could go a day or two between charges. And I use it on full brightness all the time.
oh nice answer, I didn't know about the battery life of the Galaxy S, I know about the lag and GPS issues.
Also the Galaxy S doesn't have a camera flash.
On the other side
the Androids from motorola all of them have the best battery life amongst the android family device and also has Dual LED flash but the screen is TFT not AMOLED like Galaxy S
EDIT:
For what I have been reading, the battery life on droid 2 GLOBAL is very bad, like 5 hours a day with normal use, that is very bad compared to the X10 with 2.1 that lasts more than a day.
I think the X10 with 2.1 upgrade has the better battery life compared to other android phones, even motorola's phones
AKA_Rizzo said:
Lenghty... Go make some coffee.
Ok dig this, I had the Captivate for 3 weeks. The short answer is I returned it because it kept turning off. Google Galaxy S Random Shut Down.
Now briefly, all I know about the Droid phones is that same as the iPhone, If you throw a rock in any direction you'll probably hit an accessory for it.. Man they got the whole 9 yards... From Moto Docks to OtterBox (Defender) .
Captivate Pros
Man that screen... NO FOR REAL! That screen is just amazing, And it's a Corning registered Gorilla Glass device. Go google that if you want to.
The Captivate has the most powerful botton in the known universe " Hearing Adaptive" or something like that. It's a huge boost for in coming call volume. Half way between low speaker phone volume and high ear piece volume. And this way you're not picking up everything in the mic like you would if you used Speaker Phone for the volume hike.
The two main cons that make me not miss it.
Turning off ... C'mon really ???
And those damn stock android Menu,Home,Back and Search buttons. I kept hitting Search by accident to the point of moderate frustration. I'm 5' 9" and weigh 157 pounds... I do not have sausage fingers.
Ok let's talk Pinch Zoom. Really I don't miss it. The Magnification buttons we X10 users have seems like a Button to Zipper comparison. We both can do the same thing just in a different way.
X10 pros .... And this one is worth at least 3 Pro spots of value to me.
The 3 phisical button... dear God sweet Jesus, Thank you for those
The 3 things I wish I could change about the X10
In Call Volume . I have had my hearing tested and I picked up zero decibels on my right and slightly worse on my left. It ain't me man, It's the phone. SPEAK UP [email protected]#$%^& !
Accessories.
There ain't none... Like for real. To find an X10 specific anything you have to hire a Sherpa and climb a damn mountain and then when you get there you're only going to find the OtterBox Commuter and Impact, We didn't even get the Defender
The Camera. 8mp of steaming ... Vignette,Camera 360 or stock, I can't take a clear bright picture to save my own life. ( Please don't derail this thread into a Camera Tips and Tricks, Read those and done that)
So after all this, I have run thru The HTC Aria (Tiny Toy), The Samsung Captivate and then finally the X10.
I'm keeping the X10 because out of all the love hate things you may find from one phone to the other this device has the most " I can live with" and the least " I hate" things.
It's a phone, It's not going to bring you true happiness. It's just gonna make calls and keep you interested in between.
Edit-
Battery! The Samsung Captivate needs to be charged everyday... Really.. Everyday and sometime through out the day. It's that screen I think. Imagine those Donkeys at the Grand Canyon. Now imagine them carrying Fat Sweaty Betty from Wisconsin. The battery is doing the best it can given the load it has to carry.
My X10 however could go a day or two between charges. And I use it on full brightness all the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well considered, well thought out answer. nicely done!
Just my 2 cents. I have the Xperia X10a Rogers and the Captivate AT&T (thanks to amazon.com's 1 cent sale).
Having lived with the Captivate for a couple of weeks, I won't return back to using the Xperia. For a long time, I thought it was AT&T that was providing me with crappy voice calls. Obviously, quiet and lots of hiss noise. The Captivate? Crystar clear all the time. Sorry At&t, I thought it was your fault. Now, I know it is the Xperia.
So far, I have not experienced the issues faced by other Captivate owners. Maybe the latest software upgrade fixed them.
But I'll tell you the main reason why I'll continue using the Captivate: Easy rooting and custom recovery (so far, I don't think the Xperia cooks have been able to create a custom recovery for the X10). Also, Google voice direct phone calls work on the Captivate. For some reason, it stopped working on the Xperia after SE upgraded the software to 2.1.
yeah, the X10 has a bad phone speaker and the bootloader still hasn't been cracked , and I would love to install another kernel on the X10 because Im looking forward to reverse tethering my phone so I could use my laptop internet
routed to the android phone via USB because I don't have an unlimited data plan.
Hi. This will also be long. LOL.
I own both an X10 and a Galaxy S. To summarize, I had the least frustration with my X10 than with my Galaxy S. Yep, I have two. Both unlocked. That's how things work in the Philippines. You would want to have a separate phone for work and play (personal stuff--like family and friends as our carriers here charge weirdly for their services).
I got my x10 first and I was very happy--lags were negligible and 2.1 really made it zippier. Twas my first Android and was on 1.6 and got updated to 2.1 like 3 days after I got it. Then my contract retention with the other carrier came up two weeks after and I picked up a Galaxy S. Initially, my Galaxy S was on 2.1 and it was OK save for some negligible lags but after a 2.2 upgrade, it kept freezing and dying, and Swype won't even let me write anything sensible. I was so frustrated to the point that I wanted to flush it down the toilet, if it wasn't so pricey. Then I applied a lag fix and it went all zippy and I'm happy with it.
Now for some real comparison
Galaxy S over X10
- faster operation (after the lag fix)
- way way better S-AMOLED screen, perfect for long movies
- pre-loaded apps like English Dictionary, Vlingo, Office Editor, File and Task Manager
- Multitouch (though the x10 will get one by March 31 2011--latest)
- cool slide out usb hatch
- front facing camera
- access to froyo (2.2)
- FM radio (not true for the captivate)
- in my case longer operating time than the x10, my x10 drinks juice
- notification pull down has remote control to wifi and others
- more possible to get updated to 2.3
- very light and easy to pocket
- better voice calls with or without headset
X10 over Galaxy S
- more eloquent UI / software tweaks (better animations, more premium feel)
- a lot better and stand out body design (IMO)
- three hardware buttons
- better 8MP camera
- better continuous autofocus (after 2.1)
- I love timescape over buddies online (samsung's own social media widget)
- more convenient location of lanyard eye (lanyards are important to me because I used to drop phones often)
- feels heavier and feels greater on hand thanks to the curves
- best sound (music, I mean) reproduction (IMO)
Galaxy Cons
- Soft keys (back button, and home if you are on captivate/vibrant) can take you out of what you are doing
- Less reliable operation due to lags and soft key back button issues
- Looks cheap, uninspired design
- TouchWiz UI sucks big time
- clunky messaging and contacts interface--shows less information at once due to big font sizes, probably useful for older people
- can't use samsung widgets when using launcher pro
- buggy because it's Samsung!
- low user interface quality check--you might be surprised to find poorly constructed and grammatically incorrect sentences on the Galaxy S's UI, thank God by 2.2 most have vanished
- Samsung Kies (syncing software) sucks
X10 Cons
- plastic usb flap cover
- poor photolight does not help night shots, in fact blinds people you are taking pictures of
- kind of laggy due to timescape, but I can live with this
- mediascape is kind of old-world and hard to use, best use poweramp / winamp
- pre-loaded apps don't add much value
- stuck at 2.1 for the foreseeable future, probably forever
- does not have much faster ROMS available due to the bootloader not being cracked yet
- poor voice calls experience until you wear a headset
So mostly X10 wins over the Galaxy S on the hardware design bits and on the custom UI bits. Galaxy S, however, is overall better in performance after the lag fix. But if you are too scared to do it, you will be stuck with a laggy and freezing FROYO phone. It might even die on you. It's all a matter of finding what you can live with and without and then picking that one. I haven't had any MOTOROLA ANDROID phone, but DROID 2 Global sounds nice, but it's bound to be heavier. Good luck on the choosing. As for me, I'm stuck to these 2 for two years. LOL.
ellokomen said:
yeah, the X10 has a bad phone speaker and the bootloader still hasn't been cracked , and I would love to install another kernel on the X10 because Im looking forward to reverse tethering my phone so I could use my laptop internet
routed to the android phone via USB because I don't have an unlimited data plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are you running WINDOWS 7 or MAC? If so you can reverse tether. MAC supports it natively, I heard, while Windows 7 needs Connectify installed. Just enable your PC's wifi and it shares your 3G internet.
jerkysans said:
are you running WINDOWS 7 or MAC? If so you can reverse tether. MAC supports it natively, I heard, while Windows 7 needs Connectify installed. Just enable your PC's wifi and it shares your 3G internet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, I can only connnect to the wifi network using one ID within the authentication center on my workplace, so I cannot connect more than one device using the same ID, thats why I wanted it via USB routing
ellokomen said:
yeah, I can only connnect to the wifi network using one ID within the authentication center on my workplace, so I cannot connect more than one device using the same ID, thats why I wanted it via USB routing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same situation here. but if you connect to your LAN via wifi, you can't use connectify. too bad. but if you use a network cable, then you can.
jerkysans said:
X10 Cons
- plastic usb flap cover
LOL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah. I wonder how long mine will last.
Physical.
yeah I can spell.
i own a x10i n my dad have a tmobile vibrant...
-all i can say is vibrant is fast, so fast, very fast compare to my x10i... my x10i lags badly... it takes about 15 sec to start up whatsapp from fresh start...
-the super AMOLED on vibrant is juz awesome... da color is so much better than my x10. the x10 color seems more like wash out... x10 itself plays very nice video, but compare with vibrant, x10 is juz that bad...
-even my x10 seems so crappy against the vibrant i still love it. why? because the slick design and is white... i dont like the outlook of vibrant cause it look so much like an iphone 2 or 3G...(im an iphone hater)
i wish my x10 will have the processor and same amount of RAM as vibrant and of cause the super AMOLED is very nice
on specs, the x10 seems like a real competitor to the galaxy s. every little part in the galaxy s is just a little bit better than the x10. but it does come at a price. big advantages the galaxy s has are things like froyo and multitouch. and though its coupled with a gorilla glass amoled screen and hdmi out, i consider thouse a bit behind the scenes. the x10 has a much better camera and a much lower price tag. the performance is alot better on the galaxy s and its a better out of box experience. because of its price, if the x10 had a newer version of android and multitouch, it would be a no brainer. but until then, if you havent bought either, id say save up a little bit more money and buy the galaxy s.
i would like to stress a few points. multitouch... ive never seen an android 2.1 device with a capacitive screen not do multitouch until now. even the g1 got mutitouch. dont you dare try to justify using the volume buttons to zoom. multitouch is more than just zooming, and its not good at that either. you know how long it takes to zoom in an 8.1mp image by tapping in one level over and over? when it comes to replacement android interfaces, many people will agree with me, im not a fan of either the galaxy s or x10's ui's. sonys timescape might take the cake for the most useless one ive ever seen though. only one company, htc, has really been sucessfull at creating a replacement interface. so if your name is not htc, dont think you can do better than google. gingerbread has been out for a week now, its really sad to see devices still running android 1.6 or 2.1. with the nexus s being a gingerbread phone, i can see other galaxy s phones getting an update right after its launch. sony really needs to atleast try for 2.2.
The Jack of Clubs said:
on specs, the x10 seems like a real competitor to the galaxy s. every little part in the galaxy s is just a little bit better than the x10. but it does come at a price. big advantages the galaxy s has are things like froyo and multitouch. and though its coupled with a gorilla glass amoled screen and hdmi out, i consider thouse a bit behind the scenes. the x10 has a much better camera and a much lower price tag. the performance is alot better on the galaxy s and its a better out of box experience. because of its price, if the x10 had a newer version of android and multitouch, it would be a no brainer. but until then, if you havent bought either, id say save up a little bit more money and buy the galaxy s.
i would like to stress a few points. multitouch... ive never seen an android 2.1 device with a capacitive screen not do multitouch until now. even the g1 got mutitouch. dont you dare try to justify using the volume buttons to zoom. multitouch is more than just zooming, and its not good at that either. you know how long it takes to zoom in an 8.1mp image by tapping in one level over and over? when it comes to replacement android interfaces, many people will agree with me, im not a fan of either the galaxy s or x10's ui's. sonys timescape might take the cake for the most useless one ive ever seen though. only one company, htc, has really been sucessfull at creating a replacement interface. so if your name is not htc, dont think you can do better than google. gingerbread has been out for a week now, its really sad to see devices still running android 1.6 or 2.1. with the nexus s being a gingerbread phone, i can see other galaxy s phones getting an update right after its launch. sony really needs to atleast try for 2.2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, read the first post before posting please
hi folks,
maybe i looked over it, but has anyone here ever tried to update a galaxy s.
i did and it's terrible!! samsung kies is like the worst piece of software ever!
and i wondered if anyone ever dropped a samsung galaxy s from normal standing height.
and dropped it so that its dropped flat on a hard(rock) floor.
because i have heard multiple stories about amoled screens falling (not so hard)
and totally shattering across the screen. i see you saying that x10 has TFT but i specially chose an x10 because of the TFT screen.
the screen of the galaxy is amazing though i must say, and i know samsung is always pretty decent in hardware. software=no but hey android is from google so no worries there.
i'd like to see some test of strength with amoled and non amoled
AKA_Rizzo said:
Lenghty... Go make some coffee.
Ok dig this, I had the Captivate for 3 weeks. The short answer is I returned it because it kept turning off. Google Galaxy S Random Shut Down.
Now briefly, all I know about the Droid phones is that same as the iPhone, If you throw a rock in any direction you'll probably hit an accessory for it.. Man they got the whole 9 yards... From Moto Docks to OtterBox (Defender) .
Captivate Pros
Man that screen... NO FOR REAL! That screen is just amazing, And it's a Corning registered Gorilla Glass device. Go google that if you want to.
The Captivate has the most powerful botton in the known universe " Hearing Adaptive" or something like that. It's a huge boost for in coming call volume. Half way between low speaker phone volume and high ear piece volume. And this way you're not picking up everything in the mic like you would if you used Speaker Phone for the volume hike.
The two main cons that make me not miss it.
Turning off ... C'mon really ???
And those damn stock android Menu,Home,Back and Search buttons. I kept hitting Search by accident to the point of moderate frustration. I'm 5' 9" and weigh 157 pounds... I do not have sausage fingers.
Ok let's talk Pinch Zoom. Really I don't miss it. The Magnification buttons we X10 users have seems like a Button to Zipper comparison. We both can do the same thing just in a different way.
X10 pros .... And this one is worth at least 3 Pro spots of value to me.
The 3 phisical button... dear God sweet Jesus, Thank you for those
The 3 things I wish I could change about the X10
In Call Volume . I have had my hearing tested and I picked up zero decibels on my right and slightly worse on my left. It ain't me man, It's the phone. SPEAK UP [email protected]#$%^& !
Accessories.
There ain't none... Like for real. To find an X10 specific anything you have to hire a Sherpa and climb a damn mountain and then when you get there you're only going to find the OtterBox Commuter and Impact, We didn't even get the Defender
The Camera. 8mp of steaming ... Vignette,Camera 360 or stock, I can't take a clear bright picture to save my own life. ( Please don't derail this thread into a Camera Tips and Tricks, Read those and done that)
So after all this, I have run thru The HTC Aria (Tiny Toy), The Samsung Captivate and then finally the X10.
I'm keeping the X10 because out of all the love hate things you may find from one phone to the other this device has the most " I can live with" and the least " I hate" things.
It's a phone, It's not going to bring you true happiness. It's just gonna make calls and keep you interested in between.
Edit-
Battery! The Samsung Captivate needs to be charged everyday... Really.. Everyday and sometime through out the day. It's that screen I think. Imagine those Donkeys at the Grand Canyon. Now imagine them carrying Fat Sweaty Betty from Wisconsin. The battery is doing the best it can given the load it has to carry.
My X10 however could go a day or two between charges. And I use it on full brightness all the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fantastic post my friend, Kudos for you!!!
pimvanduijne said:
has anyone here ever tried to update a galaxy s.
i did and it's terrible!! samsung kies is like the worst piece of software ever!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know right, Samsung Kies suck big time. After I updated my SGS from Eclair to Froyo, the lagginess of Samsung knew no end. I had to install a lagfix then it was all OK. Question is, why can't Samsung have that out of the box since the problem has been popularly pointed out and not all users, I suppose, knows there would be such a fix.
The Jack of Clubs said:
multitouch is more than just zooming, and its not good at that either. you know how long it takes to zoom in an 8.1mp image by tapping in one level over and over? when it comes to replacement android interfaces, many people will agree with me, im not a fan of either the galaxy s or x10's ui's. sonys timescape might take the cake for the most useless one ive ever seen though. only one company, htc, has really been sucessfull at creating a replacement interface. so if your name is not htc, dont think you can do better than google. gingerbread has been out for a week now, its really sad to see devices still running android 1.6 or 2.1. with the nexus s being a gingerbread phone, i can see other galaxy s phones getting an update right after its launch. sony really needs to atleast try for 2.2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Timescape is an app not a replacement interface. The general UI overlay on the X10 is much better than the Galaxy S in so many ways. Let's compare the built-in messaging app, for instance of these two phones. At one glance, you get more info on the x10 than on the Galaxy S due to the FWVGA resolution on the X10. Galaxy S also uses enormous fonts and pointless speech bubbles on their messaging app which results to less info being displayed at a time. And this is not just on the Messaging app. On almost everything Samsung-made, they just keep using enormous fonts which makes the phone feel low-res.
I do agree with your points on how sucky the zooming is on Mediascape. It is just not fast enough to justify the loss of MT. But on areas outside of that such as the web, no MT is not much of a dealbreaker. Generally what holds the phone down is the outdated OS, I agree. 2.1 is good and does a lot of stuffs, some even only present in 2.2 were added in by SE anyways, so you can excuse them a bit for that, but it's more of the power-efficiency and performance that you're after with every upgrade and it's a shame SE has no concrete plans for 2.2 or 2.3 on the X10 upto now. Had SE been up to date, SE owners would have been prouder.
P.S. on 16M S-AMOLED and 65k LCD, I don't see much difference. The X10, on proper LCD brightness is on par with S-AMOLED on normal lighting conditions. I find it weird though why at 16M colors, Samsung Galaxy S still dithers. I was expecting this on the X10, but I'm more than glad to see little to no dithering on it.
Hey, what about Droid 2 Global?
I see nothing about Droid 2 Global. By the way, it is the phone for CDMA and GSM networks both. And actually I don't remember any notes about Motorola family vs SE.
Returning to the topic, I have maybe a little politically incorrect point of view on the cell phone (and other technical stuff) design. It is about the culture. Not about "don't littering", but about engineering. Ericsson (and Sony Ericsson) has pretty long history that gave them experience. HTC, Samsung, etc are relatively young and most of their problems are rooted there. Look - overall satisfaction for X10 without the last technology bells and whistles like OLED or multitouch is higher, than hi-tech-packed rival's devices. Why? Because according to the experience, they realize, that it is impossible to be perfect and it is better to concentrate to ergonomics issues. The device should be easy-to-use, foolproof and hard-to-break. That can be understand through the long experience of analyzing how it works through the life of the device. Typical life of Samsung is around a year. I remember my friend changes around 5 or 6 phones (3 or 4 of them were Samsungs), when I used the same SE k790a. And it works fine for now. Another conclusion is to buy a flagship. Budget devices of any manufacturer always have issues. I know, all those galaxies are claimed to be top-models, flagships, bla-bla-bla. But I bet, some months of using reminds you my note about engineering experience.
So, for me, there is the only comparison - X10 vs Droid. And I don't see one. Sorry for my chauvinistic pigness.
the way i see it is
-if you want a keyboard go for the droid 2 global
-if you want an amazing screen then go for the samsung
-if you want to save money then keep the x10
i dont really see a point in upgrading to any other phone right now

Atrix \ Galaxy S2 Comparison

I have prepared this thread to help myself and others compare and contrast the different phones and hopefully come to a decision here. If anyone has anything to add to the comparison that I have missed, please list it and we can get it all chocked up.
For the record. I have only listed something as a "Disadvantage" if I believe that the category is below what we would expect of the average Android.
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Advantages:
ATRIX
Battery Life - This is a big thing for me. I can make my vibrant last through a 14 hour day by crippling every single possible feature. But people here are saying that the Atrix runs solid though 30 hour periods. This is a huge plus for me.
Higher Resolution (even if its fake) - Even though this resolution is fake and can actually cause text to blur, I can say first-hand that I saw the screen in action at a local wal-mart and found it to be acceptable by my standards. I think it may help overall with browsing. The GS2 has a larger screen size, and no pentile matrix display, which could possibly be considered better. This is one that may work out to be a tie.
Tegra 2 - I list this as an advantage not because it is faster, the various benchmarks for either processor seem to be inconclusive at this point. I am listing it as an advantage because it has its own series of games optimized specifically for it, and because Google has chosen to build their framework around tegra 2.
Webtop - I am initially hesitant to even mention this. The phone has a webtop environment, it is most likely Debian Linux and it is said to also be very sluggish. If, in the future, devs gain access to this environment and find ways to optimize it and add in worthy apps such as Chrome and open office, then this will be a massive advantage, but right now it is pretty much just a gimmick.
The webtop interface retains its session when you disconnect it. So you can plug the phone back into another dock and go right back to what you were doing. This is one of the good things about webtop.
Laptop Dock - We all know it is hideously overpriced right now and maybe in the future a cheaper solution will be available. But regardless of how you get the dock, it is an advantage to run your apps in full screen, even if you don't use the sluggish webtop interface and firefox.
The dock charges your phone, but plays sound through your atrix speakers, it has no speakers of it's own, you can answer calls by removing the phone, picking it up on bluetooth or by just yelling at it from behind the laptop. The phone retains its session when you remove it and there is no special unmounting procedure, you just grab it and run.
GALAXY S2
Screen - Bright beautiful and extremely rich. Those who have seen the screen firsthand have claimed that there is nothing like it at all and that it is miles above even the old Super Amoled display. The 4.3 inch size is also a bonus for those of us with large hands. This is probably the best overall feature of the Galaxy S2.
Camera - 8 Megapixels, and 2 megapixel front facing camera. People say that megapixels don't really matter in the long run but the Atrix camera is also said to have a purple wash to it and that the video can be splotchy in certain situations.
Design - Even though it looks way too much like the iPhone, this phone actually looks exceptionally nice. I like the three button design much better than the 4, the search button is pretty useless overall. The thinness of this phone is also amazing if you are into that sort of thing. Naturally it may come down to the US carriers to ruin the design, but by it will likely be summer before that happens.
32GB internal storage - Expect to pay for it, but it is there, you get 64 gigs total with this phone.
Gingerbread - The Atrix won't likely get gingerbread until at least this summer, this phone will have it much sooner if you get the international version coming sometime this quarter.
Gyroscope - This phone has it, do any apps support it? Not sure, but it is there.
NFC - In the off chance that any stores upgrade to NFC this year, you will have the ability to use it. NFC may have other uses that we haven't envisioned yet. It is a protocol, so it can be applied to just about anything. You could potentially set it up to unlock your home, cars could start with it, whatever.
So it has a lot of potential use other than having your money stolen from you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disadvantages:
ATRIX
Bootloader - To sum it up for those not familiar, the phone can be rooted, a custom ROM can be flashed, but the kernel cannot be altered at all. (someone will likely correct me here) but if part or all of the webtop code is contained in the kernel somehow it will be difficult to alter it to add new software or make it run more efficiently. This would be a terrible shame.
I can tell you that Team Whiskey has made my Vibrant browse faster than I have seen in Atrix videos, with half the memory and a single core processor. It is scary to think of what this phone could actually accomplish if Moto decided to allow it.
Motoblur - I read that this requires you to sign up for an account before you can even use the phone. I find it alarming that Motorola has decided to help themselves to all this information and it makes me wonder just exactly what they really have access to and why.
Crippled FM radio - WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY. All of these phones have both transmitters and receivers for FM. So can someone tell me why in god's name anyone would disable them? FM radio has many more uses than just listening to local stations and why again should I have to burn my limited data on
internet radio when there is a receiver right in my phone?
GALAXY S2
Heat - My current Galaxy S runs very hot already, if the screen is active while the phone is being charged it will heat up to what seems to be a very dangerous temperature. The pre-release Galaxy S2 was said to be scorching hot after running with the screen on and the charger active.
Fail File System, Hideous and crippling lag - Update: the galaxy S2 is said to not use RFS. Chock one up for Samsung.
Updates - Samsung has a horrible reputation for updates when working with US carriers, even for new phones. If it was not for this community I would have likely given up on Android and Samsung altogether. Although I know that part of the update delay has been t-mobile, it is also in Samsung's interests to ship out new phones instead of updating their old ones.
Battery Life I have a feeling that Samsung tried to push the limits to get their phone to be as thin as possible and I am worried that they have done so at the expense of battery life. We won't know for sure until it gets in people's hands but I expect the battery life to be subpar.
NO HID Bluetooth Support (possibly) - I have had a black wiimote sitting here for 6 months waiting to connect to my Vibrant. I love emulated classics but action games are near impossible to play with the on-screen kb. So if you want this feature, I would make sure that the GS2 has it first, because it is not likely that it will.
Availability - What it really comes down to now. Unless you want to shell out over 1000 for the phone, you will probably need to wait 5 months from now for any kind of US availability this summer. And don't doubt that those versions will become crippled and even more bloated in the process. But again there is no locked bootloader here.
Ok I think that covers it. Having written all this down, I think I am really leaning more toward the Atrix. There just doesn't seem to be anything else out there now that will be able to match it at the moment. And as you can see, our experience with Samsung has not been exceptional.
Good comparison there. I am also looking at the exact 2 models and thank you very much, looks like Atrix will too be my choice.
I guess I'll get the atrix laptop dock too and prays for the devs here to make it all better. Otherwise, I think its still a good piece of hardware I don't mind owning.
""Samsung's dual-core, Gingerbread-powered Galaxy S II has appeared on Play.co.uk alongside a tentative SIM-free price and release date. According to Play, which is currently taking pre-orders for the phone, it'll ship Mar. 31 for £599.99 (~$960). Pre-release prices are never guaranteed to be accurate and are always subject to change, but £599 seams like a realistic price point for the Galaxy S II, as it's slightly higher than current single-core offerings from other manufacturers.""
Just published at androidcentral. £599.99 (~$960)?? Get a grip..
Not bad, just a couple of things to note that I thought of while reading. First, the screen resolution can be arguable considering the Pentile screen that the Atrix uses. That gives the SGS2 more sub pixels, but then it's a bigger screen, so less (I believe) pixel density still... it's really kind of a toss up, but I think they will both look great. I think the lower resolution and bigger screen on the SGS2 will look just fine with the full 3 subpixels per pixel.
Also, the SGS2 looks nothing like an iPhone. I wish people would stop saying that about every phone that comes out. Apparently every square black phone with a screen is an iPhone now.
And also it's been reported that the SGS2 does not use RFS.
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
hotleadsingerguy said:
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The updates aren't really an issue for people who visit sites like this. I would never rely on Samsung to update my phone. My Captivate has been running 2.2 for ages while they just released the update for everyone else. Yes, Samsung sucks at updating, but the hacking community will always get it done regardless.
I must be the only one, but i use the search hotkey absolutely all the time. I love it and I realize that you can hold menu for the same effect on the SGS2, but i'd prefer to have the 4th hotkey than their ugly stupid home button. It is not an iPhone, embrace uniqueness samsung.
eallan said:
I must be the only one, but i use the search hotkey absolutely all the time. I love it and I realize that you can hold menu for the same effect on the SGS2, but i'd prefer to have the 4th hotkey than their ugly stupid home button. It is not an iPhone, embrace uniqueness samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really miss the hardware home key! The orientation of the 4 buttons makes it a bit awkward to thumb navigate since its so close to the bottom. Its actually one of the things about the sgs2 that is making me think twice about my atrix. Despite how much I love it.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Man_of_Leisure said:
I really miss the hardware home key! The orientation of the 4 buttons makes it a bit awkward to thumb navigate since its so close to the bottom. Its actually one of the things about the sgs2 that is making me think twice about my atrix. Despite how much I love it.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't mind if the buttons were hardware, thats another debate. I just want all four of them!
The back button is beyond crucial. Maybe back and home should be two hardware with the other capacitive? For symmetry, obviously a concern for samsung .
I definitely want the new Galaxy S 2. I've heard that the Atrix was a huge let down. I used to own a Captivate and I loved everything about it except the ****ty build quality and lack of flash for the camera. It was so smooth with voodoo and custom roms. The Galaxy S 2 will have an amazing screen and I think it will do average on battery consumption. Just my 2 cents
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
King Shady said:
I definitely want the new Galaxy S 2. I've heard that the Atrix was a huge let down. I used to own a Captivate and I loved everything about it except the ****ty build quality and lack of flash for the camera. It was so smooth with voodoo and custom roms. The Galaxy S 2 will have an amazing screen and I think it will do average on battery consumption. Just my 2 cents
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
****ty build quality? Like hardware wise? I personally think the Captivate is the nicest of all of the Galaxy S phones. The hardware itself has been absolutely wonderful for me. The software quality leaves a lot to be desired from a stock standpoint though.
AJerman said:
****ty build quality? Like hardware wise? I personally think the Captivate is the nicest of all of the Galaxy S phones. The hardware itself has been absolutely wonderful for me. The software quality leaves a lot to be desired from a stock standpoint though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
SGS2 is apparently RFS-free. Also, some versions will have Tegra2 instead of Exynos - hope this includes us.
People knock Samsung's plastic designs, but they're actually a lot harder to break than the "well-built" iPhone 4.
Very good write up man, these are the posts that I like to see.
By looking at my signature, you can see that I just got the Atrix as well, and I love the phone. Amazingly fast, awesome screen (love the higher density and the effect itbhas on the overall experience), and the battery is pretty good too.
I'm seriously thinking about buying the laptop dock, but I don't know how well that will perform, and I haven't seen any live videos of it.
I really like the design and specs of the GS 2, but there are a lot of possible problems holding me back....
Rooted/ROM Captivate (For Sale)
Rooted Atrix
FLAC Vest said:
Very good write up man, these are the posts that I like to see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot, bro.
I am no engineer and I can't build tools. But I can put a few thoughts together and provide someone with some information.
This is an amazing community and what people do here is outstanding, I just want to do what I can to add to that.
King Shady said:
The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S2 looks like meizu m9
I have both and a Galaxy S 2 on order
Why? I really liked the Captivate. My plan was to use both but the Atrix is so much more fun to use I'm selling the Captivate. Well, maybe. Maybe not.
Yesterday after I removed the SIM card and replaced it, the Atrix went bonkers with freezes and instability issues. After numerous soft resets, two factory resets and replacing the SIM card, SD card and battery a couple of times it seems to be back to normal. I suspect I had reinserted the SIM card incorrectly but maybe there was another issue.
So why would I pay $1000 for the Galaxy S 2? The Captivate was that much fun. Although I'm sure we will be able to do more custom rom's shortly on the Atrix, the Galaxy S 2 sounds like an even bigger blast than either. And boy oh boy does that LG 3D look interesting. But you have to draw the line somewhere.
Here is what the Atrix has that the Captivate does not:
1-better graphics and screen quality, dynamic and vivid visuals, a joy to read and watch (text as well as video quality is sharp and crisp, very clear)
2-more interactive features with outside devices (i.e. computers)
3-interacts more efficiently with e mail, voice and text programs (really like the way it handles multiple incoming calls especially when you are already on one-notification, instructions and directions for handling)(I can now actually use Excel spreadsheets and Word documents) (works well with contacts)
4-updated browser can handle more types of video content and pop up windows better
5-it feels better when you hold and talk or watch or do most anything with it (I did make one call and even though I could hear the other party clearly they could not hear me-I do not what happened.)
My friends all tell me I should get an iphone. I had one for years and the Androids are far more fun. I'll never return. I don't think. LG 3D anyone?
I think Tegra2 is actually a disadvantage for Atrix 4G.
As a new generation dualcore processor, it's early, but not strong.
It's video playback ability of H.264 is limited, but H.264 is currently the most frequently played format.
It has no neon support, big loss on processing power.
Till now Tegra2 has not proven itself in Graphics power. In benchmarks it's no superior to Hummingbird.
However the performance of Mali400MP on GS2 is also questionable, so just wait and see...
hotleadsingerguy said:
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 great post!
King Shady said:
The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, I don't understand that. There is far less plastic on the Captivate than the majority of the phones out there. The front is all glass, and the back is mostly metal. It's only the top and bottom on the back that are plastic, and they have both felt very solid to me since I got the phone on launch day. I came from an iPhone 4 as well, and granted nothing compares to the iPhone 4 in build quality, the Captivate definitely doesn't seem bad at all to me.
As long as you're happy with what you have now though, that's what matters. I just think the Inspire is a bit of a waste of money considering it's lack of power compared to all the other phones coming out now. It feels like it's last generation still. I did play with it a little at the AT&T store though, and it seemed nice. If it had come out last summer with the Captivate (even if it didn't have 4G), I might have gotten it. Now I'm going to wait until a dual core offering I like though.

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