Going from the iPhone 4 to the Samsung Galaxy S Captivate?

[Imola Ghost]

I've decided to get rid of my iPhone 4 [proximity sensor is killing me] and was wondering how the transition would be?

I've had the iPhone ever since they originally came out so I've gotten pretty used to the way contacts sync and everything. Can someone give me any helpful advice as to how things are going to sync with a Macbook Pro and what not?

Are there any programs in terms of iTunes that I will need/want to manage everything?

Thank you for your time.

 

[Tarzanman]

I've decided to get rid of my iPhone 4 [proximity sensor is killing me] and was wondering how the transition would be?

I've had the iPhone ever since they originally came out so I've gotten pretty used to the way contacts sync and everything. Can someone give me any helpful advice as to how things are going to sync with a Macbook Pro and what not?

Thank you for your time.

If you live in a big city, you might want to consider the T-Mobile Vibrant instead. It has the radios for AT&T 3G (if you live in an area with a good signal), it comes with more memory than the Captivate, and it doesn't block non-market apps from being installed on the phone.

To answer your other question, synchronizing contacts will be a breeze. You don't need itunes at all. Just log into your gmail account from any computer anywhere and you will be able to edit your contacts in gmail. They will sync to the phone automatically.

 

[UCLAKoolman]

I've decided to get rid of my iPhone 4 [proximity sensor is killing me] and was wondering how the transition would be?

I've had the iPhone ever since they originally came out so I've gotten pretty used to the way contacts sync and everything. Can someone give me any helpful advice as to how things are going to sync with a Macbook Pro and what not?

Are there any programs in terms of iTunes that I will need/want to manage everything?

Thank you for your time.

You really can't wait for the 4.1 update? I sure would before trading in for a locked-down android device that can't run the apps I invested money in. The above post is right btw, the vibrant would be a better choice.

 

[intervenient]

I had the Captivate before the iPhone 4. Expect a nice honeymoon phase for a week, then realize that all your apps feel underdeveloped, the accelerometer is never works correctly, frequent boot outs, lock down from AT&T, and a 4 hour usage battery life.


However the screen is very nice.

 

[Imola Ghost]

If you live in a big city, you might want to consider the T-Mobile Vibrant instead. It has the radios for AT&T 3G (if you live in an area with a good signal), it comes with more memory than the Captivate, and it doesn't block non-market apps from being installed on the phone.

To answer your other question, synchronizing contacts will be a breeze. You don't need itunes at all. Just log into your gmail account from any computer anywhere and you will be able to edit your contacts in gmail. They will sync to the phone automatically.

I live in a big city with great ATT service however I travel "a lot" and want something that just works all over. Trust me I love my iPhone however the phone is just unusable a lot of the time. I probably hang up on about everyone I speak with. If Apple would say something about when a fix was coming and that in fact it did fix this issue along with several other random black screens or shutting off by itself I would love to know.

It seems as though you guys have had experience with this other phone so I will take that as useful advice and definitely check these issues out on the other phone of choice.

 

[intervenient]

I live in a big city with great ATT service however I travel "a lot" and want something that just works all over. Trust me I love my iPhone however the phone is just unusable a lot of the time. I probably hang up on about everyone I speak with. If Apple would say something about when a fix was coming and that in fact it did fix this issue along with several other random black screens or shutting off by itself I would love to know.

It seems as though you guys have had experience with this other phone so I will take that as useful advice and definitely check these issues out on the other phone of choice.

If reception is a biggie for you, I'd highly recommend that you take trial period of the Captivate before purchasing. For me, it was HORRIBLE. Extremely spotty where my iPhone 4 gets 5 bars regularly. Not to mention that it's own little "Antenna-Gate" is far worse than Apples, requiring a touch of the metal back to drop bars like crazy.

However, your major problem is the proximity sensor, which worked just fine on the Captivate. Sound quality sounded rather tinny to me though, but I seem to be the only person who had this problem.

 

[wirelessmacuser]

I've decided to get rid of my iPhone 4 and was wondering how the transition would be?

I've had the iPhone ever since they originally came out so I've gotten pretty used to the way contacts sync and everything. Can someone give me any helpful advice as to how things are going to sync with a Macbook Pro and what not?

Are there any programs in terms of iTunes that I will need/want to manage everything?.

I have both an iPhone 4 & Captivate. While they are each excellent smartphones, I've become very impressed with the Captivate.*

The key to success with any phone is to remember it will be different from the phone you are migrating from.*

I believe much of the Android bashing in this forum comes from those who expect it to be like their iPhone. When they find out it's different, instead of remaining open minded & learning it, they return it and criticize it.*

I have found the Captivate to be a pleasant surprise. Unlike Samsung's of the past, call quality is stellar. The ability to hang onto a signal is amazing. I travel all over California for work, my Captivate is the best phone I've had, and I have many.*

I've had mine over a month and haven't had a single problem. It easily syncs to my new MacBook Pro, and the battery life is amazing. The key is it's super amoled display. This technology uses 20% less battery power than the retina, therefore it's lager size does not drain the battery faster.*

For clarification the Captivate & Vibrant come with the same embedded 512mb memory. Originally the Vibrant shipped with a 2gb sd card, so that's why the other post here claimed it had more than the Captivate. These two are identical except the shape and body materials. The Vibrant has a plastic body. The Captivate has a plastic inner chassis with an all metal body. There are no antenna issues period. I get phenomenal performance. *

All too often we enthusiasts get caught up in having to have the latest, even before it's released. What I'm leading up to, is how good I find android eclair version 2.1 to be. I use my smartphones quite heavily, and typically use all the features. Eclair 2.1 as implemented by Samsung on the Captivate is stellar. I've not experienced any issues with lagging, nor crashing. The phone has been delightfully fast & stable. I encourage you to do what I do when getting a new phone. Approach it with a positive attitude and open mind. Drop all preconceived notions about having to root it, and you will find this phone is truly fun, fast, and versatile.**

 

[Apple...]

I have both an iPhone 4 & Captivate. While they are each excellent smartphones, I've become very impressed with the Captivate.*

The key to success with any phone is to remember it will be different from the phone you are migrating from.*

I believe much of the Android bashing in this forum comes from those who expect it to be like their iPhone. When they find out it's different, instead of remaining open minded & learning it, they return it and criticize it.*

I have found the Captivate to be a pleasant surprise. Unlike Samsung's of the past, call quality is stellar. The ability to hang onto a signal is amazing. I travel all over California for work, my Captivate is the best phone I've had, and I have many.*

I've had mine over a month and haven't had a single problem. It easily syncs to my new MacBook Pro, and the battery life is amazing. The key is it's super amoled display. This technology uses 20% less battery power than the retina, therefore it's lager size does not drain the battery faster.*

For clarification the Captivate & Vibrant come with the same embedded 512mb memory. Originally the Vibrant shipped with a 2gb sd card, so that's why the other post here claimed it had more than the Captivate. These two are identical except the shape and body materials. The Vibrant has a plastic body. The Captivate has a plastic inner chassis with an all metal body. There are no antenna issues period. I get phenomenal performance. *

All too often we enthusiasts get caught up in having to have the latest, even before it's released. What I'm leading up to, is how good I find android eclair version 2.1 to be. I use my smartphones quite heavily, and typically use all the features. Eclair 2.1 as implemented by Samsung on the Captivate is stellar. I've not experienced any issues with lagging, nor crashing. The phone has been delightfully fast & stable. I encourage you to do what I do when getting a new phone. Approach it with a positive attitude and open mind. Drop all preconceived notions about having to root it, and you will find this phone is truly fun, fast, and versatile.**

I feel SO moved by this post!

Seriously though, if it's the proximity sensor that's bugging you, I highly recommend waiting until iOS 4.1. Steve Jobs said the issue will be fixed in that release, and it shouldn't be that far away (say about two weeks). I'd wait. That's my advice!

 

[itsmemuffins]

I've decided to get rid of my iPhone 4 [proximity sensor is killing me] and was wondering how the transition would be?

I've had the iPhone ever since they originally came out so I've gotten pretty used to the way contacts sync and everything. Can someone give me any helpful advice as to how things are going to sync with a Macbook Pro and what not?

Are there any programs in terms of iTunes that I will need/want to manage everything?

Thank you for your time.

This is pretty much how it will go:

Damn you iP4 and your crappy antenna and cruddy proximity sensor, I have had enough!!

To the captivate!!

A look at you you silly, silly iPhone 3G/3Gs clone. Still you have a 4 inch super AMOLED screen all is forgiven.

Wait! Why is the text so fuzzy? I thought the resolution was 480X800?

To the internets!!

Samsung uses pentile matrix technology for their screen!!!!??

OK not to worry.

Why is my reception going down when I grip it?

Why doesn't the GPS work?!

To the internets!! Again!

Oh, it suffers from reduced signal when gripped as well? I thought only the iP4 did this?

Hmm GPS fix in the works? Hmm, didn't they test this phone before they released it??

Oh well not to worry.

Lets go and install my favourite games.

Searches for angry birds, nothing?

Only crapware and ringtones in the Android market? I can't actually buy any apps in some countries?(read most)?!

Oh iP4 how I miss thee!!

Goes back to iP4 and all is well.

 

[samcraig]

edited to remove boring content

Really? You invested time to write that out. Why? An attempt at humor? It would be great if more people could post intelligently like wirelessmacuser vs someone who wants to post snarky drivel (which isn't even remotely clever) which doesn't really add anything to the actual conversation. Those posts are nothing more than vowel movements of people who just like to see their words in print.

 

[barkomatic]

I've decided to get rid of my iPhone 4 [proximity sensor is killing me] and was wondering how the transition would be?

I've had the iPhone ever since they originally came out so I've gotten pretty used to the way contacts sync and everything. Can someone give me any helpful advice as to how things are going to sync with a Macbook Pro and what not?

Are there any programs in terms of iTunes that I will need/want to manage everything?

Thank you for your time.

I switched from an iPhone briefly to an EVO(another Android variant). You have to work a little harder to get your media onto it. Your Captivate should mount as a hard disk on your macbook pro when you connect it and you'll have to drag your music onto it. If you have a lot of music, you might need a bigger SD card and you'll need to pay attention to the "class" of SD card you get--the higher the class the faster the transfer rate.

If the media player on the Captivate is sucky--you may want to check into a program called "Doubletwist". It looks very much like iTunes and will transfer your music from iTunes and preserve all your playlists--I suggest that. It's a bit buggy at times though. You'll need to download the corresponding application on your phone however.

Contacts and calendar are great once you export them from iCal and your address book as vcards you can import them into Google accounts very easily.

In the end however, I went back to the iPhone 4 for now. It seemed like I worked a lot harder to do the same things I did on my iPhone. There are some things I miss about the EVO -- but overall the iPhone 4 is still a better experience for me but not by much.

I'd suggest you first try to get your iPhone swapped out for a replacement and see if that solves your problems if you haven't done so already. If not, well I guess there's nothing wrong with trying out the Captivate for 30 days.

 

[Imola Ghost]

I appreciate the comments and suggestions. I have played with my buddies Captivate phone and found it to be pretty nice. I do like things to be simple and easy to accomplish. I know it will be a learning curve from the iPhone.

I must say that I don't care what kind of display the Captivate has, it does not look as sharp as the iPhone 4's.

I'm not sure what the one poster was talking about when he said about forgetting everything about "rooting my phone". But I'm not much of a power user I just want it to work and work well.

 

[edk99]

Your probably better off keeping your ip4 and go out and buying a used ip3gs for the interim till the issues are worked out.

 

[koilvr]

Really? You invested time to write that out. Why? An attempt at humor? It would be great if more people could post intelligently like wirelessmacuser vs someone who wants to post snarky drivel (which isn't even remotely clever) which doesn't really add anything to the actual conversation. Those posts are nothing more than vowel movements of people who just like to see their words in print.

I love my words in print.

 

[doboy]

This is pretty much how it will go:

Damn you iP4 and your crappy antenna and cruddy proximity sensor, I have had enough!!

To the captivate!!

A look at you you silly, silly iPhone 3G/3Gs clone. Still you have a 4 inch super AMOLED screen all is forgiven.

Wait! Why is the text so fuzzy? I thought the resolution was 480X800?

To the internets!!

Samsung uses pentile matrix technology for their screen!!!!??

OK not to worry.

Why is my reception going down when I grip it?

Why doesn't the GPS work?!

To the internets!! Again!

Oh, it suffers from reduced signal when gripped as well? I thought only the iP4 did this?

Hmm GPS fix in the works? Hmm, didn't they test this phone before they released it??

Oh well not to worry.

Lets go and install my favourite games.

Searches for angry birds, nothing?

Only crapware and ringtones in the Android market? I can't actually buy any apps in some countries?(read most)?!

Oh iP4 how I miss thee!!

Goes back to iP4 and all is well.

I must admit, some of these are valid points. I had the Samsung Vibrant for two weeks along with my iP4 and Vibrant also suffered from "death grip" problem. It would drop to EDGE much more readily than my iP4 (maybe because of T-Mo service). Also GPS took a very long time to fix and sometimes I would just give up.

 

[itsmemuffins]

Really? You invested time to write that out. Why? An attempt at humor? It would be great if more people could post intelligently like wirelessmacuser vs someone who wants to post snarky drivel (which isn't even remotely clever) which doesn't really add anything to the actual conversation. Those posts are nothing more than vowel movements of people who just like to see their words in print.

Oh I am so insulted.

Mummy that bad man called my post poopy.

BTW thanks for citing wirelessmacuser as it shows me that you are as ignorant as he is.

You are ignorant to the facts my poor friend.

 

[samcraig]

Oh I am so insulted.

Mummy that bad man called my post poopy.

BTW thanks for citing wirelessmacuser as it shows me that you are as ignorant as he is.

You are ignorant to the facts my poor friend.

No. And if that's what you got out of my post, that's sad.

My commentary was on the well thought out and written post as compared to yours. It wasn't about content. It was about the execution.

 

[lilo777]

This is pretty much how it will go:

Damn you iP4 and your crappy antenna and cruddy proximity sensor, I have had enough!!

To the captivate!!

A look at you you silly, silly iPhone 3G/3Gs clone. Still you have a 4 inch super AMOLED screen all is forgiven.

Wait! Why is the text so fuzzy? I thought the resolution was 480X800?

To the internets!!

Samsung uses pentile matrix technology for their screen!!!!??

OK not to worry.

Why is my reception going down when I grip it?

Why doesn't the GPS work?!

To the internets!! Again!

Oh, it suffers from reduced signal when gripped as well? I thought only the iP4 did this?

Hmm GPS fix in the works? Hmm, didn't they test this phone before they released it??

Oh well not to worry.

Lets go and install my favourite games.

Searches for angry birds, nothing?

Only crapware and ringtones in the Android market? I can't actually buy any apps in some countries?(read most)?!

Oh iP4 how I miss thee!!

Goes back to iP4 and all is well.

To summarize:

* no Angry Birds
* text is not as crisp as on IP4 but the quality of still pictures and video is higher on Captivate
* GPS works but has some issues. Captivate uses the latest GPS chip from Broadcom (one generation newer than the one in IP4) and apparently Broadcom's driver has some problems. The fix is coming in September.
* No signal issues.

I can add the following:
* Android has fewer games than iPhone. Situation is improving because Androids SDK is improving fast.
* Android has some excellent apps not available on IP4: Google Maps (better version), Google Navigation, Goggles, Google Voice, Google voice commands, pervasive voice-to-text, Swype keyboard.
* Captivate has some hardware advantages: faster CPU and GPU, more flash memory (up to 48GB), bigger screen, better overall design (metal back instead of glass for IP4)

Things of concern for OP: no front facing camera, learning curve.

 

[wirelessmacuser]

I feel SO moved by this post!

Seriously though, if it's the proximity sensor that's bugging you, I highly recommend waiting until iOS 4.1. Steve Jobs said the issue will be fixed in that release, and it shouldn't be that far away (say about two weeks). I'd wait. That's my advice!

Or another option is to return yours for a new one. The iPhone 4 I just bought for a family member does not have this issue. None of the new batch do. It was easy, the Apple store has them in stock.

 

[jonhcox]

I switched from an iPhone briefly to an EVO(another Android variant). You have to work a little harder to get your media onto it. Your Captivate should mount as a hard disk on your macbook pro when you connect it and you'll have to drag your music onto it. If you have a lot of music, you might need a bigger SD card and you'll need to pay attention to the "class" of SD card you get--the higher the class the faster the transfer rate.

If the media player on the Captivate is sucky--you may want to check into a program called "Doubletwist". It looks very much like iTunes and will transfer your music from iTunes and preserve all your playlists--I suggest that. It's a bit buggy at times though. You'll need to download the corresponding application on your phone however.

Contacts and calendar are great once you export them from iCal and your address book as vcards you can import them into Google accounts very easily.

In the end however, I went back to the iPhone 4 for now. It seemed like I worked a lot harder to do the same things I did on my iPhone. There are some things I miss about the EVO -- but overall the iPhone 4 is still a better experience for me but not by much.

I'd suggest you first try to get your iPhone swapped out for a replacement and see if that solves your problems if you haven't done so already. If not, well I guess there's nothing wrong with trying out the Captivate for 30 days.

Perfectly spoken and I can echo the experience. I loved the EVO but in the end, I thought that Android needs a little more polish. I tried the Captivate while I waited for my iP4 and it was ok. The saturation of the screen is nice but the resolution was or at least seemed worse than my EVO and noticeably worse than my iP4. I did have the frustrating GPS experience and had to buy a case to bypass the signal issue. I couldn't touch the metal back plate without losing signal strength. Also, the App market is full of trash (iTunes has irrelevant apps as well but far less) and the Apps seem less developed. I also missed the games. The Captivate can game as well as the iP4, but the selection is lacking.

I do miss the screen size of the EVO and Captivate. I think 4" is about right especially given that the Captivate is so thin. I thought the build quality was poor versus the EVO and iP4. In the end, I'll wait until Gingerbread before giving Android another try.

 

[itsmemuffins]

To summarize:

* no Angry Birds
* text is not as crisp as on IP4 but the quality of still pictures and video is higher on Captivate
* GPS works but has some issues. Captivate uses the latest GPS chip from Broadcom (one generation newer than the one in IP4) and apparently Broadcom's driver has some problems. The fix is coming in September.
* No signal issues.

I can add the following:
* Android has fewer games than iPhone. Situation is improving because Androids SDK is improving fast.
* Android has some excellent apps not available on IP4: Google Maps (better version), Google Navigation, Goggles, Google Voice, Google voice commands, pervasive voice-to-text, Swype keyboard.
* Captivate has some hardware advantages: faster CPU and GPU, more flash memory (up to 48GB), bigger screen, better overall design (metal back instead of glass for IP4)

Things of concern for OP: no front facing camera, learning curve.

Why must you fill your post with lies?

They have the same GPS chip

The Captivate does have signal issues

And the rest are just your opinion, not fact.

The Super AMOLED screen doesn't have better picture and video reproduction

 

[lilo777]

Why must you fill your post with lies?

They have the same GPS chip

The Captivate does have signal issues

And the rest are just your opinion, not fact.

The Super AMOLED screen doesn't have better picture and video reproduction

My lie # 1:

Quote from EETimes: "Broadcom also scored another design win for its GPS solutions, with the BCM4751 GPS receiver getting chosen for this handset -i.s. Samsung Galaxy S - (much as the BCM4750 was chosen for the iPad and iPhone 4).

BTW, this newer chipset has BlueTooth 3.0 (that's what Samsung Galaxy S has) vs BT 2.1 on iPhone 4.


My lie # 2:

All phones have "reception issues" - Captivate included. Just do not confuse those issues with what iPhone 4 has

My lie # 3:

Picture quality of AMOLED displays. See the comparison between AMOLED and LCD here.

 

[itsmemuffins]

My lie # 1:

Quote from EETimes: "Broadcom also scored another design win for its GPS solutions, with the BCM4751 GPS receiver getting chosen for this handset -i.s. Samsung Galaxy S - (much as the BCM4750 was chosen for the iPad and iPhone 4).

BTW, this newer chipset has BlueTooth 3.0 (that's what Samsung Galaxy S has) vs BT 2.1 on iPhone 4.


My lie # 2:

All phones have "reception issues" - Captivate included. Just do not confuse those issues with what iPhone 4 has

My lie # 3:

Picture quality of AMOLED displays. See the comparison between AMOLED and LCD here.

Seriously, give it up.

Bluetooth 3.0? Does anyone have a way of actually using it yet?

And that site is LOL too funny for a comparison of AMOLED to the IPS LED backlight panel the iP4 has.

 

[lilo777]

Seriously, give it up.

Bluetooth 3.0? Does anyone have a way of actually using it yet?

And that site is LOL too funny for a comparison of AMOLED to the IPS LED backlight panel the iP4 has.

BT 3.0 is just a bonus. The real advantage of new chipset is this:

The Broadcom BCM4751 is a single-chip GPS receiver used for tracking and navigation, primarily in mobile devices. Its massively parallel, hardware correlator architecture provides fast signal searches, accurate real-time navigation, improved tracking sensitivity, and low average power consumption, the company said.

Enhanced tracking sensitivity allows GPS-enabled mobile devices to detect weak signals, including those partially blocked or reflected by buildings or other structures. With the higher sensitivity of the new BCM4751 GPS receiver, these initial location fixes occur much faster, and in many cases, will achieve a location fix when competitive products are unable to do so.

The BCM4751 also integrates external components that reduce the overall system cost for manufacturers and enables small footprints when designing GPS into mobile devices. With real estate in mobile devices at a premium, a complete GPS solution, featuring the BCM4751, will use less than 30 mm2 of board space, including all of the necessary components for a typical cellular phone implementation.

The BCM4751 supports additional satellite constellations including the Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) and the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) for Japanese applications, making as many as 12 additional satellites available for use in navigation. This support for satellite constellations greatly aids urban canyon navigation, providing a straighter, more accurate navigation solution, as well as position fixes in more areas, when compared to competitive solutions, Broadcom said.


As far as comparison between LCD and AMOLED is concerned, what is so funny about, say, the difference in contrast ratio: 100,000 to 1 for Samsung vs 800 to 1 for iPhone 4?

 

[KoukiFC3S]

I'm thinking of trying the Epic 4G when it comes out on Sprint, but not because I don't like my i4. In fact I love it! But the Epic 4G seems pretty epic...

As for the transition, it's gonna be pretty smooth. Google is a good solution for your contacts and calendar. It works on every platform, so I'd recommend setting it up now if you don't have an account.

Apps on Android are not as good. Selection is worse and the UI isn't as polished as ios. The app selection is the main reason I love my iPhone. I've tried the Droid, EVO, G1, MyTouch, but I always come back to the iPhone.