I have attached an image of a run that I did on an iPhone3G versus Samsung Captivate. The former is on the bottom and the latter is on the top. I used the same tracking application on both. What is usually a ~3.4 mile run on an iPhone 3G was recorded as a 4.2 mile run on the Captivate.You can also see that the Samsung Captivate jumps around way too much and fails to locate me within a 100 meters at times.
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I'm planning to purchase a Samsung Captivate this weekend, replacing an original iPhone. I have two questions for the forum: 1) Should I plan to immediately root the phone?, and 2) If so, what is the best process to follow and where do I find the ROMs? (I guess that's actually 3 questions)
View 5 Replies View RelatedI just got a Captivate on Tuesday and I thought I'd give my initial impressions and review of it. I noticed I couldn't find a lot of information about users going from the iPhone 3GS to the Captivate, and I'm sure I'm not the only one in this situation, so what the heck. Here goes:
Why I Switched:
I'm no noobie to the iPhone/iPod touch OS. I was a 1st gen owner of an iPod Touch, and then I bought a 3GS last August. For starters, I was never "disappointed" in my iPhone. Everything worked as advertised: it was relatively quick, very reliable; it basically did whatever I wanted it to do. It was also one of the most polished devices I've worked with. However, being the power user that I am, it got boring. I jailbroke it, and while that was fun, I just wanted something more. Little things like changing my icons, or making my iPhone look different than everyone else's were things Apple didn't want me to do. iTunes was a PITA overall. I want to drag and drop stuff, not sync this and sync that and lose everything else that it overwrites. Quite simply, the phone was just too watered down for my likings. One of my biggest pet peeves about it was the home screen. You have the app icons and your dock. That's all. It was TOO simple.
I've been drooling over these high-end Android phones since mid summer when I realized how much more I could do with an Android phone. Too bad ATT didn't have any of them, that was, until the Captivate. Sure, touchwiz didn't look all that appealing (why on earth would I want to move from an iPhone to an Android, only to be greeted with an iPhone-like interface?), but overall, it still looked quite promising.
First Impressions:
AMOLED. Enough said. It is a gorgeous screen. The colors pop, it's perfect sized, I love it. The build quality was respectable too. It felt solid in my hand. I love the low profile look of it to be honest. Very sleek. After admiring the outsides, I delved into the beauty of Android customization. Finally, I could chose which apps stayed in my Application menu and which went to my homescreen. No more clutter, pure organization to MY tastes. I can put Widgets? This is great! Within 20 minutes of playing with my phone, I called my friend (who kept telling me to dump the iPhone for an Android phone) and said "Why didn't I get this phone earlier?". It was clear, I'd been converted. I knew that this phone was going to satisfy all the hungers that the iPhone had left me with. Needless to say, I've been converted. Goodbye IOS, hello Android
The Switch from IOS to Android:
The switch wasn't perfect though. It took time to get used to the Menu/Options capacitive button. I kept forgetting that I had to press that within each app to see that app's specific settings menus. The keyboard also felt a bit different, but I soon was typing close to the same speed. Also, Android doesn't feel as polished as IOS in some ways. Things are a tad clunkier, less smooth and fancy animations, etc. The browser is very "featureless" compared to Safari also. I miss the tabs style and overall fluidity of Safari. It seems to take 5 clicks to do what I could do in one in Safari. Most noticeable though, what's up with the stock SMS app? IMO, it's garbage. It felt so unpolished and undeveloped. By my second day, I downloaded Handcent SMS and configured that to my likings. That's what I love. I don't like something? Change it. It's Android, you can do that Despite these minor annoyances, I've grown accustomed to the phone in a matter of 2 days.
Last Words:
Am I happy with my decision, despite the road bumps? I certainly am. The phone is an eye-popper. I pulled it out to show my friends and they are like "Oh hey that's pretty coolOMG" as soon as I turn the screen on. I've certainly impressed quite a few people, Droid owners, and even some iPhone owners. There are still some things I prefer about my iPhone, but after using this phone, the pros of it definitely outweigh the cons. There is always room for updates and improvements to fix the minor annoyances.
Within the last two days, I've really fine tuned the phone to my tastes, something the iPhone wouldn't let me do. I've downloaded LauncherPro (which is fantastic), put some new widgets on my screen, downloaded the right apps. It's the little things that count, especially for me.
Change the scroll speed between screens? Check
Change app icons on the dock? Check
Change the amount of docks? Check
Fine tune the look of the phone to your preference? Check
The list goes on and on. It's these little things, along with the big things, of course, that drew me towards the Captivate (Android) and away from the iPhone.
Is the Captivate for you:
Very simple:
Do you want a powerful phone with games and apps that you can customize to nearly any way you want it? Get the Captivate
Are you a power user? Get the Captivate.
Do you want a phone with games and apps, but didn't understand half of the stuff I talked about in the previous sections and don't want to deal with all the technical mumbo jumbo? Get the iPhone.
Last, I thought I'd finish it off with a list of pros and cons if you don't feel like digging through all of the information above. Also, I missed some smaller stuff that I figured I'd just toss on this list.
Pros
The AMOLED screen is amazing
Customization
Very open (compared to the iPhone)
Camera is very good for a cell phone (video and pictures)
Feels solid in hand
Customization
Battery life is close to my 3GS (with a couple of hours of "hard" usage, I'me at 20% by the end of the day)
Customization (getting the hint?)
The notification bar is awesome
Lockscreen (I like the puzzle pieces and music integration)
Cons
Some parts feel unpolished compared to the iPhone (browser, SMS)
Touchwiz (it's good for what it is, but it's a bit sluggish and much too iPhone-like)
Facebook (the app is very underdeveloped coming from the iPhone)
Can anyone explain to me how I get my contacts from the 4 to the Captivate that doesn't involve using Gmail?
I don't care to use Gmail to manage or sync my contacts.
Im getting my Captivate soon, and I currently have the unlimited data with at&t for my iPhone. Can i simply remove my sim card from the iPhone and start using it in the captivate? I dont want to take a chance of them messing up my account and losing my unlimited plan.
View 14 Replies View RelatedI am thinking about returning my Captivate for an Iphone 4. I'm having too many issues such as using email, gps, and phone shutting off so I have no alarm in the morning. It also locked up couple times running apps, just blank black screen sometimes, and froze on couple of apps.
I got it for $199 so.. it would be a even swap for the Iphone 4. I really want to keep my Captivate and make it work but I just don't know.
I need your help to make my decision. I have played with both phones so I'm familiar enough to make a decision based on that but I do want to keep the Captivate but I just don't know what would be the right decision. I know it all comes down to IOS (lockdown) vs Android (openness) but if I jailbreak my Iphone then it would be pretty open as well.
If I get enough convincing argument to keep my Captivate then I will but from reading these forums, it seems like this phone has many issues not that Iphone 4 doesn't but I have used my wife's Iphone 4 and it's more stable and doesn't have issues that Captivate has.
Seeing as these are both PHONES I am starting out with the primary aspects of these smartphones.
Reception/Call Quality- As everybody knows the iPhone has a very infamous Deathgrip issue. The bars seem to do just plummet down a little bit when you pick up the phone, but at the same time I found that it wasn't truly that bad. Sadly I found the call quality to be quite weak while talking and I dropped several calls. The Samsung Captivate is not without its flaws in reception. You can look at the screen and see the bars dance... and no not in a good way. This dance is comparable the dance of the Jersey Shore cast, the dance seems to go on forever, but you pray that it stops very soon. Surprisingly, the call quality really never differed, I could have had 1 bar or 4 but the voices sound very clear and good! (Although there have been some phones that have problems with call quality)
~ This round goes to ~ The Captivate
Texting/Keyboard- Another aspect to many phone users out there is texting or anything that really involves the keyboard. The iPhones virtual keyboard is quite responsive, but still, it is only an on screen keyboard so it isn't very impressive. The Captivate has a just as good if not better Android/Samsung keyboard input. The Captivate truly shines though with Swype and voice to text. I find myself getting messages sent MUCH quicker with the Captivate.
~ Yet Again, this round goes to~ The Captivate
Software (Operating System, Speed, Browser)- Well what can I say? The operating system we know as the sweet sweet Eclair is hard to beat, and with Froyo coming out, that is just even better. This truly comes down to personal preference, but the iPhone seems to be more simplistic at first, but also a lot more shallow. If you don't like OS, well you can't do anything, but if you don't like Touchwiz, you have several other options (i.e Launcherpro and Openhome) In a speed test it is a bit of a bitter tie. The Samsung Captivate surely has its share of lag, especially when the phone just turns on and it is warming up. The iPhone seems to not be very laggy, but if you look into it, loading similar apps takes longer on the iPhone. I tried opening Opera on the iPhone and Captivate at the same time and the Captivate seemed to pop up a bit faster. Now the browser, I couldn't find too many problems with either of the stock ones so I looked at Opera for both of them. Loading pages was a LOT faster, and I mean A LOT faster on the Captivate. The Captivate seemed like it was Usain Bolt and the iPhone was a fat kid running after the ice cream man. And also, using other browsers with flash is very cool to have. And last but not least the GPS. Well what can I saw, with all these "fixes" and such, the Captivate GPS just doesn't cut it. When I do get GPS signal it drops pretty quickly, but I do like the fact that I can still see the directions. In the end the iPhone 4 has a more reliable GPS.
~ I really can't give one clear winner except that the Captivate is a bit smoother, but has a lot worse GPS~ Tie
Hardware- Well the Captivate seems to get obliterated in this round. The iPhone gives a nice feel to it, but at the same time I felt myself liking the grip I had on my Captivate. It just seemed more natural to hold, but it seems to go downhill from here. The iPhone has LED Flash which is very useful at times, and although not very useful it has a Front Facing Camera. Well, the Camera front camera is pretty decent, but I find myself NEVER USING IT. The Captivate offers more options, but still, I like to be able to take normal pictures in better quality. The battery life on the Captivate seems to last for about a day with medium use, but the iPhone lasts a bit longer, but hey, the captivate has to power more with that BEAUTIFUL 4.0" Super AMOLed. The iPhones retina display is nice, and seems pretty sharp but it just depends which one you prefer. A smaller screen that is a bit clearer or a brighter more vibrant screen on the Captivate.
~This round goes to~ The iPhone
Yes I know I missed some aspects but, this review was already too long. In the end neither of the phones "suck" they are both very capable and strong phones. The iPhone is a bit more simplistic at the beginning, and it has more apps, and a better camera. It has it's flaws though with reception issues. The Captivate is a really great phone. Android seems to be unbeatable, but that is personal preference. Of course nothing is perfect, the Captivate has its GPS issues and for being an Android phones, its lag. All in all, I would recommend either phone, but I am happy with my Captivate and would give my iPhone back to AT&T if I had to make the choice.
I have/had BOTH the iPhone 4 and Captivate... And I also have an iPod touch. And I just thought to myself... why does the iPhone 4 seem so redundant and honestly... nothing special. I then realized it was EXACTLY the same as my iPod touch. I mean neither made calls, they had the same apps, the only differences were the cameras and the different build quality! So at the end of the day I end up with a device to kill time on road trips and at home, and that is my iPod touch, and I also have a cool device to do basically everything, and that is my Captivate!
View 8 Replies View RelatedI'm looking to upgrade my current phone (original iPhone 2G- jailbroken and unlocked) to either the Samsung Captivate or the iPhone 3GS. I have NO interest in the iPhone 4, so please don't even bring it up.
I'd love to hear from people who have used both and can give me a comparison and/or their impressions. How do you feel about Android apps? I know there aren't as many available for the Android as there are for the iPhone... and I've heard that Android apps don't feel as polished as the iPhone's.... but are there any iPhone apps that you'd really miss if you moved over to Android? I would mostly use either phone to play games, surf the web, take photos and as a GPS. I'm comfortable jailbreaking and customizing the iPhone and I would probably be comfortable customizing the Android after reading up on it.
I've owned an original iPhone since launch and am now ready to upgrade.
Im considering iPhone 4 or the Captivate. If the iPhone didn't have antenna issues, I would most likely have already made my decision. However this isn't the case so I'm looking at other options (leaving AT&T isn't one of them).
So I just have a few questions regarding Android.
Can you backup apps, settings, contacts (everything) to your Mac or PC like an iPhone can? (I know about doubletwist, but thats just music and movies, right?)
When Android updates come out, can every phone take advantage of it? For example, if I were to buy the captivate, will I for sure be able to upgrade to Android 3.0?
Lastly, what are big features (besides visual customization) that an Android phone has to offer over iPhone?
I'm very on the fence about which phone to purchase. There is the potential antenna issue regarding the iPhone 4, however I've also been hearing the Captivate is having its fair share of problems. Any suggestions?
Anyone know if there is an app like on the iPhone for weather that will show multiple weather temps for different cities so I can get an idea before I leave?
View 1 Replies View RelatedIs their a way to tell how much data you have used like on the iphone?
View 4 Replies View RelatedI was planning on dumping iPhone and get the captivate. They would not allow the unlimited plan. They said I have to keep the iPhone. Now thats a good reason to dump AT&T and go to Sprint or Verizon.
Any ideas or work arounds so I can keep the unlimited data. Any heavy users on the $25 plan? How is that working out?
I have the captivate and the iPhone 4. Since I can't find a way that works correctly to tether my 3G from captivate as a hot stop, I'm using my iPhone with mywi which makes my iPhone a wifi hot spot. I'm able to connect iPods computers and other devices to the iPhone 4 hotspot. But the captivate cannot find the wifi network I create
It's WEP with a 10 digit password. Does anyone know why it cannot find the network or how I can get it to work?
Will either of these games allow me to play with iphone users running words with friends?
View 6 Replies View RelatedI rooted my captivate thinking that i could install apps that are blocked on my phone, like Sirius XM, WiFI tethering.....even after rooting the programs are still being blocked and i cant install them. am i missing something? im new to android and had an iphone that i jail broke. im confused on what rooting actually.
View 8 Replies View RelatedI'm kind of new to Android. Only have had this phone for a few weeks,switched over from the iPhone. Anyway, I'm having trouble with Game boy emulators. I loved playing Pokemon on my jailbroken iPhone and would really love to enjoy it on my Captivate.
View 2 Replies View RelatedThere have been a lot of threads both touting the quality of this phone and whining and bitching about its drawbacks. Let's make it official. Do you like the Captivate? Feel free to elaborate, or just take the poll.
View 49 Replies View RelatedSo I painfully watched my Cappy's battery door crushed under my friend's car as one of their "harmless" joke. Now there's not a single site on the internet selling these doors, and I'm desperate. I found dummy/display Captivates though, so I was just wondering if anyone knows if the dummy battery door can replace the REAL door by any chance?
View 8 Replies View RelatedHow Do I Sync Captivate "Memo" to MS Outlook 2007 "Notes"? Is there an app? Can I just do it through Google (have already sync'd mail and calendar; contacts are sync'd via export/import)?
View 4 Replies View RelatedI got AT&T Samsung Captivate i897 (2.1 Eclair). I unlocked and rooted my phone. I was using simple free phone earlier which doesn't require data plan but after two weeks I bought samsung captivate, AT&T added $25 data plan. I got my phone from AT&T store where my friend works so he took my data plan out of the plan for now but he said they will find out and add into your plan again. Also, He said that they recognize by your IMEI number. My question is: Is there anyway I can change my IMEI number? I was thinking to use my simple free Nokia phone's IMEI number and use it for Samsung Captivate so AT&T thinks that I am using Nokia phone.
View 4 Replies View RelatedAfter running three updates this morning. I started getting a weird light effect when I unlock my phone. It happens at the top of the screen just to the right below the battery. It's a quick yellow glow then it disappears until my phone is locked then unlocked again. One of the updates had to do with my weather widget [Weather & toggle]. Anyone seen or heard of this?
View 3 Replies View RelatedI have an unlocked captivate. I have a German T-D1 pay-as-you-go sim that I've used many times in unlocked GPS phones. Now I have an AT&T captivate and wonder whether GPS or other apps will work. Does GPS require a data plan to work? If so I'll have to figure out whetted I can add this to my T-D1 plan. This will also answer my question about whether using the Captivate for navigation in the US needs a data plan to work.
View 3 Replies View RelatedI rooted my Captivate tonight and I know how the superuser icon with android skull and crossbones. However neither Super Manager or ASTRO will allow me to uninstall the crap ware on my phone. Is there something I'm missing? I followed all the steps at XDA. So far I've tried to remove YPMobile, ATT Navigator, and ATT Maps. Any suggestions? I tried searching this on google and this forum but didn't come up with anything.
View 8 Replies View RelatedAre there any external lights on the Captivate that let you know you have email or a message or battery charge is complete, etc?
View 8 Replies View RelatedHow to make camera up & down instead of sideways?
View 2 Replies View RelatedJust wanted to start a hard case review. Anyone got a hard case yet? Will seidio make one for this phone? How about screen protectors? I'm assuming the steinheil crystal for the regular galaxy s they have on the website won't fit?
View 2 Replies View RelatedNoticed since I work in a rather quiet environment. During office hours I need to keep it on vibrate mode. When the phone vibrates during a call, it causes a severe rattling noise when the phone is in my hands or if the bottom is not resting against a hard object. Removing the battery compartment cover and repeat, and the rattle is non existent. With the battery cover on, the rattle can be diminished by pressing firmly on the top section of the cover.
View 1 Replies View RelatedDoes anyone know if the Captivate will easily sync with my Outlook Calendar without having to go through Google? Just to confirm, this is a personal calendar not corporate.
View 13 Replies View RelatedLooking for ideas. Since this is fairly new to me, I like to have several styles to play around with and didn't want to purchase Beautiful widgets or something similar just yet.
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