[Merged] Samsung Galaxy S / Captivate Android Phone

[jpeg42]

So there is a way to just run standard Android UI?


Also say Samsung doesn't release an update to 3.0 Gingerbread, since Samsung hasn't been known for it's stellar support on phones, is it possible to most likely update it using a net release?

The bloatware was another thing that bugged me.

I am only 3 days new to Android, so don't quote me. But LauncherPro is just something I got from the market that replaced the Samsung UI - TouchWiz. It is very trimmed down and customizable. The TouchWiz UI had all these gadgets I didn't need and truthfully it looked too much like iOS, I wanted something different.

To remove the AT&T bloatware, I did have to root the device. But it was a 5 minute process at most. Now that I am rooted, it sounds like I can put Froyo on there as long as someone in the dev community makes it.

 

[lilo777]

I am only 3 days new to Android, so don't quote me. But LauncherPro is just something I got from the market that replaced the Samsung UI - TouchWiz. It is very trimmed down and customizable. The TouchWiz UI had all these gadgets I didn't need and truthfully it looked too much like iOS, I wanted something different.

To remove the AT&T bloatware, I did have to root the device. But it was a 5 minute process at most. Now that I am rooted, it sounds like I can put Froyo on there as long as someone in the dev community makes it.

I wonder if/when iPhone loses its exclusivity with AT&T, will the AT&T bloatware be loaded on it too?

 

[JMB1911]

I agree, I dont even know what the samsung captivate is, never seen one or checked one out but i know it isnt as good as the iP4.

 

[mgamber]

Fanboys aren't geeks, they're too simple minded to be geeks. I'm a geek and I have a couple dozen phones sitting around here. Blackberries, Windows Mobile phones and PDAs, Androids, a bunch of non-smart phones and, oh yeah, an iPhone. Each has it's own strengths and weaknesses, I'm not a "fan" of any particular phone and even less so of any particular manufacturer. I listen to the opinions of geeks but I don't give a crap about anything a fanboy has to say about anything because they're incapable of formulating a genuine opinion.

Can you please stop being rational. I'm afraid some other posters are going to think you're strange

Sorry, it was a long day of dealing with IP addresses and routers and getting email addresses and everything switched around. I'll try to be a little less rational and start hating hardware that's not made by whoever the mob mentality is blessing that day next time.

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

I agree that Captivate's display is not as sharp as iPhone's. In fact nobody disputes that. The importance of this however is another matter. The normal text is pretty sharp. The pixelation becomes noticeable only when text size gets very small. One probably should not read anything using this small font anyways Also while the text may not look as good as on iPhone (again only for very small fonts), does it really matter? Due to our cognitive abilities, we can read this text just as easily as the better text on the iPhone so it becomes mostly the matter of aesthetic. On the other hand, SAMOLED screen has much better contrast and richer colors so it looks much better when viewing videos or pictures. One can say that iPhone screen is better for text whilst SAMOLED is better for video and pictures.

Add to this the following advantages:

a. the screen is thinner - hence:

1. No need to compromise phone thickness for external antennas
2. More space for battery
3. Phone is lighter

b. SAMOLED consumes much less power -> better battery life
c. Bigger size - lots of advantages here
d. Real Gorilla Glass (from Corning)

The problem isn't just with reading text. Anything I would do felt like I was looking through a mesh screen to do it. Even on the white background of a web page, I could see pixels in it. I could also see the pixel structure in pictures. Also, the colors suck. They are way over saturated. The colors on the iPhone 4, as well as the HTC EVO and Droid X, look natural and match what I see on my iMac. I tested this by pulling up my Flickr photos on the devices.

 

[snoboarder8232]

My convo with AT&T today:

ben: I just pre-ordered the iPhone 4 but am seriously considering canceling my pre-order to purchase the Captivate.

Dustin: I would advise at least giving the iPhone a shot, personally- it is a phenomenal phone.

Dustin: iPhone 4 is the most feature-rich iPhone to date. It includes:

Dustin: -Stunning 5-megapixel camera.

Dustin: -Front-facing camera and FaceTime for two-way video-calling over Wi-Fi.

Dustin: -HD video recording, editing and sharing.

Dustin: -Phenomenally crisp 960 x 640 Retina display---the highest resolution ever on a mobile phone.

Dustin: -True multitasking for using multiple apps at the same time.

Dustin: -The best, longest-lasting iPhone battery ever.

Dustin: -The fastest processer ever.

Dustin: Find out more about iPhone’s phenomenal features and design at www.att.com/iphone and www.apple.com/iphone

Dustin: Are there any other questions that I can answer for you today?

ben: No thanks. I appreciate the help. I gotta go turn my swag on.

Dustin: Thank you for allowing me to chat with you today, and thank you for choosing AT&T. Have a great day!

It seems that everywhere I go ATT employees are trying way too hard to sell the iPhone. I went to the ATT store with a friend of mine when she was picking out a new phone, and the sales rep wouldn't stop asking her, "are you sure you don't want an iPhone?". It was very annoying. It seems that the employees wouldn't even think about recommending the Captivate over the iPhone 4 to anyone.

 

[bo-waleed]

For those who own iphone 4 and galaxy S or just galaxy s..

which one do you like more ??

is the touchscreen the same ??

does the galaxy have big problems like ip4 ??


which one do you recommend me to buy ??

 

[PhoneI]

I have an iPhone 4 and a Samsung Vibrant (the Tmobile Galaxy S). While I think the Vibrant has some nice qualities to it, I always find myself reaching for the iPhone.

 

[bo-waleed]

I have an iPhone 4 and a Samsung Vibrant (the Tmobile Galaxy S). While I think the Vibrant has some nice qualities to it, I always find myself reaching for the iPhone.

can you please answer the first questions ?

one more ?
is the internet browser on galaxy good ?

 

[dialed1]

I got the captivate the other day and iphone 4 on release day they are both very cool.

But the iphone just is more reliable for me and I have had iphones from 2g so i'm kinda stuck on iOS even though it sometimes bores me, on the iphone I did have reception issues a little bit I never dropped a call but the data would stop a handful of times.

The captivate has some nice things like the customiseability, but the app store is so cluttered I had trouble finding what I would want because there is 50 of everything, and talk about reception issues the first day I had about 5 texts not go through and the web not work about twice, and it slowed down randomly for no reason. I really wanted to try android after 4 years iphone I just still can't do it for some reason

I say if you like to tinker to make it work - ANDROID
If you like it to just work like a mac - IPHONE

 

[0s and 1s]

I say if you like to tinker to make it work - ANDROID

 

[pearlbrian]

My wife got a Captivate on Sunday and i've had an iPhone 4 since last month. I can tell you that the Samsung overlay of android has some quirks. It really bogs down if you don't regularly kill off all the running apps. It also devours the battery, despite claims that it has great life. Also, the screen is nice but not even close to as sharp as the 4's screen, especially for text viewing. I also don't like the touch sensitive buttons on the base of the phone, I always have to hit them 2 or 3 times for it to recognize.

I'd only switch because of the customization potential of android and if you're going to load a different UI, because that TouchWiz UI looks almost identical to iOS4.

Oh, music management is also a real pain. You have to use something like Double Twist, which is a piece of crap program.

 

[aneftp]

I own both the Samsung Galaxy (Vibrant/Tmobile version) and iPhone 4.

1. As for screen: both excellent. Galaxy has the more "vivid" screen, brighter colors, however the iPhone 4 has the "sharper resolution" It's a close call, but I give the iPhone 4 a heads up.

2. Touchscreen: iPhone has the "smoother" screen. Everyone "flows" easier. I had the first G1 phone so the Samsung's touchscreen is a marked improvement over the original. But Android's touchscreens are still a notch below the iPhone's in terms of how smooth things go.

3. They both suffer the "death grip," although I don't drop calls even with the death grip with my Samsung as opposed to the iPhone 4. It's a mute point for me, since I intend to use both phones in cases anyways.

As for which one I would prefer if my life depended on it:

Neither. I own multiple phones: I would have my Blackberry Bold 9700 on my at all times!

It's sad but true. That's why I own four phones and carry two of them with me at all times. They are both good phones. As others have stated Android gives you more options to customize. Apple's interface is "slicker, smoother" and it's got more apps in the app store.

They are both really good phones. But they are not perfect phones. No phone is perfect as Steve Jobs says.

 

[bo-waleed]

Oh, music management is also a real pain. You have to use something like Double Twist, which is a piece of crap program.

really ??

i want a phone that i can put many sound clips on it and arrange them.

that's phone is ip4 but i am afraid it may have the antenna issue

 

[pearlbrian]

really ??

i want a phone that i can put many sound clips on it and arrange them.

that's phone is ip4 but i am afraid it may have the antenna issue

Great chance that it will, but don't forget that a case will eliminate that. Also, still no custom text tones on iPhone 4

 

[itsmemuffins]

Samsung use Pentile Matrix technology on their screens, even the Super AMOLED.

 

[MacCurry]

I've owned the older 16GB 1st gen iPhone and now the Galaxy S (Vibrant). I've also compared it to the iPhone4.

1. Display. The iPhone4 is marginally sharper for text only. For everything else the Vibrant. That said the display is easier to use on the Vibrant. The touch screen on both are equally responsive. To those who have problems, it may be AT&T firmware on its Galaxy S (Captivate) that may have issues. My Vibrant is equally responsive as iPhone4.

2. OS. The iOS4 is slightly more refined, but Android 2.1 is an improvement from the past. Android 2.2 (Froyo) will be available in Korea in August, and probably soon in the US. At that point it will be even and when 3.0 comes out, it should be even better, but depends on what happens with iOS4.1. I like the Samsung Touchwiz 3.0 UI. Sammy has done some really nice things like Swipe.

3. There is some signal attenuation if you cup it tight with your right hand at the bottom, but you won't loose calls.

4. Something no here has talked about yet in this thread. WEIGHT. The Vibrant is lighter than the iPhone4 and is barely 0.5mm more thick, but it easily slides into your pocket.

5. Which would I get? If I already owned many apps on the iPad and iPod touch, then iPhone4 is the way to go, and if you need a front facing camera + flash. If not, its a toss up as the Vibrant is more pretty and lighter. Finally, I would go with the TMO Vibrant and skip ATT Captivate, if you can't then stick to iPhone4.

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

I've owned the older 16GB 1st gen iPhone and now the Galaxy S (Vibrant). I've also compared it to the iPhone4.

1. Display. The iPhone4 is marginally sharper for text only. For everything else the Vibrant. That said the display is easier to use on the Vibrant. The touch screen on both are equally responsive. To those who have problems, it may be AT&T firmware on its Galaxy S (Captivate) that may have issues. My Vibrant is equally responsive as iPhone4.

Not. Even. Close. The Galaxy S screen with its PenTile Matrix technology is not even in the same league as the iPhone 4. The colors are over saturated, and I don't see why anyone would prefer exaggerated and over saturated colors over the screen on the iPhone 4, which looks exactly like a computer screen. But to me the deal breaker was being able to see the pixel structure all over the screen in everything, including photos and video. The higher resolution screen on the iPhone 4 makes pictures look better, because you can actually see more details in them. I bought the Captivate and put all of my pictures on it and tested right next to the iPhone 4.

 

[topmounter]

I have a Nexus One w/ Froyo and I've been using the Android Community
forums. Fortunately everyone is pretty helpful, especially considering
Android requires a lot of tinkering and research (the Windows analogy is
VERY apt). The Android Fanboys love the prospect of "converting" an iPhone
user

Click HERE for the Samsung handset forums.

One of the big weak points of Android right now is using it as a media
player. I read somewhere that this was something being addressed in the
Gingerbread release. Double-twist is supposed to be good at getting media
onto the phone, but I haven't found a media player app that I like yet.

The biggest problem I see with the carrier-locked Android phones is that you
are at the mercy of the handset manufacturer AND the carrier for OS
updates, not to mention all the crapware that they seem to insist upon
installing on top of Android. It all seems to run counter-intuitive on a phone
whose most compelling features is supposed to be its "openness", I mean
just look at the lengths that Moto is going to to lock down the Droid X and
AT&T is going out of there way to (reportedly) restrict you from side-loading
apps, it is all rather bizarre. I'm just glad I got a Nexus One when I did, so
I don't have to deal with any of those issues.

Apple certainly locks down their platform, but they also don't do much to
keep you from jail-breaking it if that's your choice.

 

[MacCurry]

Not. Even. Close. The Galaxy S screen with its PenTile Matrix technology is not even in the same league as the iPhone 4. The colors are over saturated, and I don't see why anyone would prefer exaggerated and over saturated colors over the screen on the iPhone 4, which looks exactly like a computer screen. But to me the deal breaker was being able to see the pixel structure all over the screen in everything, including photos and video. The higher resolution screen on the iPhone 4 makes pictures look better, because you can actually see more details in them. I bought the Captivate and put all of my pictures on it and tested right next to the iPhone 4.

A phone is a mobile device, I prefer to view my photos on a 30" calibrated S-IPS display. The PenTile Matrix technology used in the Galaxy S SAMOLED is very nice. The color temperature is high on it closer to 7500K, but serves it purpose quite well and pixelization is hard to tell. Utilizing the full resolution of the iPhone4 is somewhat difficult if you don't zoom in on a display. This is a personal choice. For a mobile device, I'll take something that has a bigger display, draws less current, but thinner and lighter weight.

 

[Ferris23]

I wanted to return my iPhone 4 for the Captivate, not because I didn't like my iPhone, just to try something different.


After spending close to 2 hours with it:

1) Screen not as good, not even close to my eye. It looks very grainy, images become distorted when you scroll down on web pages, pictures look grainy and text is not even comparable to iPhone 4. It's an eye candy screen from afar, but when you actually look at it as you would a phone, it's lack of clarity and over pronounced "pixels" or whatever is going on, just ruined it for me.

2) The Samsung UI is horrible. I guess it's not hard to change, but as is, laggy and tacky.

3) Reception is not that great, GPS is awful and it becomes very laggy. This is from me trying it out, and reading numerous Android forums.

There are quite a few problems with this phone being talked about over there. Probably not the case for everyone, but something to consider.

I wanted to love it and make the switch, I couldn't do it. I don't trust Samsung updating this phone in any hurry either. I'd say it's a nice alternative to have in conjunction with the iPhone 4, but not to swap it for.


How are you guys using both phones, sim adapters or something?

 

[topmounter]

If you really want to try something different, buy a lightly used Nexus One from craigslist or ebay. Sure, it is a bit more expensive up front, but you don't have to re-up your contract and since they announced that they've been discontinued, they will hold their value pretty well. Just make sure you get the right version for your carrier's 3G freq (AT&T or T-mobile).

 

[Ferris23]

I've actually been looking for a used N1.

If I got a sim adapter I could just switch back and forth correct?


Are there any revisions to look for when buying the N1?

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

A phone is a mobile device, I prefer to view my photos on a 30" calibrated S-IPS display. The PenTile Matrix technology used in the Galaxy S SAMOLED is very nice. The color temperature is high on it closer to 7500K, but serves it purpose quite well and pixelization is hard to tell. Utilizing the full resolution of the iPhone4 is somewhat difficult if you don't zoom in on a display. This is a personal choice. For a mobile device, I'll take something that has a bigger display, draws less current, but thinner and lighter weight.

I had the Captivate for about 5 hours and took it back. It was laggy as hell, which others are claiming lag problems as well on the Android forums, but the screen was the killer for me. It isn't necessarily a problem with the resolution, because the EVO at the same resolution looked fine. It was like a grain covering the screen. But not being able to see small text was annoying even without the other issues. The iPhone, even with a smaller screen, was more usable than the screen on the Galaxy S due to being able to read smaller text without having to zoom in. I guess that all depends on how good your eyes are, though. I prefer being able to see more text without having to zoom all of the time. But like I said, it isn't just a resolution issue. Small text on the Droid looked fine, though it wasn't quite as sharp as the iPhone 4. It still looks better than text on the Galaxy S, though. Text on the EVO looked fine to me as well. It is the difference between the technology being used in the current Samsung AMOLED screens, vs LCD.

I've actually been looking for a used N1.

If I got a sim adapter I could just switch back and forth correct?


Are there any revisions to look for when buying the N1?

Yes, you can switch back and forth with an adapter. If you try that, make sure you get one of the German made ones. People are claiming the other brands are not made as good, and your sim card can get lose and get stuck in the phone.

I tried the Nexus One last month, and it was a nice phone as far as the software. But the screen is a PenTile Matrix AMOLED, and has the same problem with pixels as the Galaxy S. I don't think it was quite as bad as the Galaxy S though. Probably because the Galaxy S is the same resolution with a larger screen and that exaggerated the problem.

 

[MacCurry]

The Vibrant from TMO seems to be one of the better of the bunch of Galaxy S. I haven't used the Captivate, so I can't comment there.

The lag issues, may be due to background tasks, but if that exists, do a h/w reset and then install apps more carefully. True, the iOS4 is more refined than that and that's its strong point. Android needs more patience and perhaps it will get better with Build 2.2 (Froyo).

The best way to compare displays for photos is to use iPhoto or a dedicated photo viewer app on the iPhone and the photo viewer app on the Vibrant. Variation from one browser to another is not the best way to do that.