Samsung Epic 4G (Sprint) Review: Noah's First Impressions
Its encouraging to hear statements like this one....
Noah: "Epic is the best hard QWERTY Android device I've ever tried. By a healthy margin!"
I'll definitely be purchasing mine launch day. The 31'st can't come soon enough!
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You Tube - Review Epic 4G
View 5 Replies View RelatedThis article was posted in the old subforum so I am posting it here:
First Review of Samsung Galaxy S, Epic 4G - Sprint?s Next 4G Phone
FWIW, the article lists the memory as: "Memory 16GB/8GB+ MicroSD(Up to 32GB)"
Thought you guys might wanna check this out... YouTube - Samsung Epic 4G (Sprint) Unboxing
View 5 Replies View RelatedThe Samsung Epic 4G is an odd-feeling phone, but once you got used to it you love it. It does what the EVO 4G doesn't, most notably giving the user a hardware keyboard.
View 13 Replies View RelatedFirst let me disclaim: I am not a phone expert, reviewer expert, or anything. I work in the IT industry so I have a natural built-in ability to "deal" with buggy stuff more than a typical end-user. Some folks have posted their experiences here, I thought I would too. Let's roll.
First things first, the shipping/packaging. The warehouse had tons of Epics in stock on day 1 and there was 0 problem getting it shipped to me (I use a corporate account). So we can put to rest the concerns of a shortage like the Evo, at least for now. The packaging is slightly more wasteful (full rectangle vs the Evo's sardine-tin look) but is very nice and pretty typical of a cell phone from Sprint. The phone comes with a charging cable (micro-usb), a plug adapter for the cable, earbuds, and manuals. There is a ton of safety-tape all over the phone. I actually like this, it ensures you have a crystal clear exterior out of the box.
Putting it up to the Evo, I noticed a few things. It looks a LOT nicer when turned off. The phone is just sexy. It's very sleek and full black, rather than the Gray-ish Evo. At first I loved the lack of buttons, just makes it much more sleek, but this came back to bite me later. I saw a reviewer say that taking away the Sprint and Samsung labels would make the sex appeal of the turned-off Epic go through the roof and I couldn't agree more. It is lighter in the hands than the Evo, and the shape feels more comfortable in my hand. When using the Evo, I found myself constantly setting off the soft buttons on the front. On the Epic, I find myself constantly setting off the hard buttons, mostly the camera button on the lower right side. Not a major issue.
The other hardware items are a nice upgrade: the charger being on top presents a much more preferable configuration, when holding/using the device plugged in, but also when using it in the car or at a desk; there is less cord bending needed. The volume rocker on the left isnt as nice as the Evo�s in my opinion, but that�s such a minor issue for me I didnt even care. Some folks complained about the battery cover; it is seriously no more hassle than the Evos and it feels identical in the pressure needed to pry it off.
Turning on the phone is BLAZING fast. I always hated how cellphones took longer than PCs to boot, but the Epic squashes this -- it's unbelievable. So nice to boot in under 20 seconds...
The camera�holy cow. I never thought I�d care but the back facing still and video camera is amazing compared to the Evo in quality. Now, the Evo has a slight advantage (at least mine) in color quality, but in sharpness, field of view, and options, the Epic blows it away. This was suspected, since Samsung makes camera products. The earbuds are nicer than some that come with the Blackberries my office uses, but to be honest I hardly ever use stock accessories, so I dont think Ill use them. Having a few sizes of rubber covers is nice.
Lets turn it on. Right away a former Sense UI user might be bummed. Touchwiz 2.5 is nothing close to Sense. Yes, I do realize apps can fake the clock and other widgets. But this review is about the PHONE not what apps can make modifications to it. The UI is a major disappointment and the Evo blows it away. That being said, USING the UI well that checkered flag goes to the Epic. Despite the lack of useful bits and pieces in TW 2.5 moving to the desired location is easy and fast on the Epic, more so than the Evo. With the screens, I compare the Epic and the Evo to butter and ice, respectively. The Epic screen is smooth, always, even after 100 swipes. The Evo is smooth at first, but if you repeatedly swipe back and forth, you get more friction as time goes on. I really think the Epic glass is superior in that regard. I have not been able to test strength of glass, because this is not a free phone. =P
I went to lunch today with both phones, and while the Epic is miles past the Evo indoors, the outdoors is a different story. The Evo seemed to alter its brightness to counteract the glare. The Epic did not change at all. It was near impossible to make out emails and video on the Epic. I have not played with or tweaked settings, so this chapter isnt finished by any means, we may be able to adjust this.
The GPS�.hoo boy. This has been a long contended item in this community. Obviously the previous Galaxy S phones reported a lot of issues, and I think the Epic is just another in the line of problem children in this arena. My GPS did not work out of the box with any apps. Only after downloading a free app called GPS Status did it actually connect to satellites. Then, the other apps like Maps worked. The Evo, on the other hand, simply worked. Out of the box, with no nudging or coercing. The epic was a huge disappointment for me in this realm because a big portion of the usefulness and fun of the phone for me deals with GPS, and to have it be so buggy.yuck. Ill hold up a glass and toast the Samsung guys the minute this is fixed, and I have every hope that it can be, with software.
Another thing that bugged me was the paltry selection of apps. Oh dont worry, we got Sprint Zone, Sprint TV, Sprint Football, Sprint Curling, Sprint Foxhunting, and Sprint Midget Wrestling, but painfully absent are App Sharing, separate apps for Camera and Camcorder, Navigation (I cant find this on the market either so any help getting this on my Epic would be appreciated), Google Search (duh, shouldnt this be mandatory? Sometimes I dont want to use the widget!), and many others. It REALLY felt like HTC went the extra mile to give us tons of stuff we can use out of the box, and Samsung left it to us to go get. To me, no problem, but to an end-user that can be a real pain. Especially my problem children. =)
For settings, it felt like the Evo just kinda worked like Id expect. The fact that the screen stays on longer before it shuts off is nice. The Epic is literally something like 10 seconds which is horrible. Yes, you can change it. Yes, I like the fact that HTC seemed to take more time thinking about how a normal user would use their phone.
Now, the keyboard. I love the keyboard, Ive been using it for e-mails over 2 sentences long, but to be honest, 95% of my time I use the Swype keyboard. Before Swype was out, I would have loved having a hardware keyboard but now I am thinking that it is less of a need and more of a want. The buttons are a nice size, and I disagree with complaints Ive seen in the past regarding the space button its juuust fine.
The last major nitpick I have is the soft buttons. They suck. They have bizarre timing for being lit or off, and even if you know the order of the buttons: menu, home, back, search, tapping near them doesn�t work, you have to remember EXACTLY where they are. So muscle memory from using the phone for a few weeks will help with this but I hope this is another software fix that we might see, or a settings adjustment somewhere.
All in all I LOVE the phone. Its sexy, it fits into my pants so much nicer than the Evo, and I haven�t even dipped into the real advantage: the graphics processor. Maybe Ill do a follow up review on that side of things. I will be sending my Evo back and keeping the Epic. It has some great potential and I like the improvements over the Evo.
I know this review has seemed a bit like Im a bit of a downer, but I thought it was important to go through each component and I tend to be a bit harder on gadgets, since I work with them daily and need them to be top notch.
Overall, Epic gets 4 out of 5 Squiggs.
$250 just might be worth it :-/
Epic 4G review -- Engadget
Noah from PhoneDog (phonedog_noah) on Qik | 7 videos recorded with mobile phones
he's live on evo on the front facing camera on qik.
I'm pretty sure my home screen would do landscape with keyboard closed the first couple of days I had the phone and now it wont do it unless the keyboard is out. Anyone else have the same issue?
View 6 Replies View RelatedJust got my epic came from blackberry, the free Docs to go on blackberry let u edit but not create. Android won't even let you edit. Anyone know of a free app thet will let you edit word, exel docs like what the free version with blackberry let me do.
View 2 Replies View RelatedWhat do you suggest I do to move my apps over from my Droid to the Epic?
View 5 Replies View RelatedI owned a Moto W385 with USC, my wife also. For our birthdays we upgraded to Samsung Epic 4G. A phone that I actually have been waiting for ever since the IPhone came out because I knew the technology would be where I wanted it to be for the most part (speed, HD, capacity, upgrade ability/customization. I'm more getting more camera time in than making Epic 4G porn, but it is fun!
View 2 Replies View RelatedSo this has probably been answered at some point but I am new to the forum and cannot find it anywhere. I'm looking to remove preloaded apps like sprint tv, nascar, asphalt 5.I am already rooted is there an uninstaller app or something?
View 1 Replies View RelatedMy Samung Epic 4g was working fine until I plugged in the charger and it WOULD NOT CHARGE. tried another charger, nothing. Tested outlet, yes, it provides electric. So I turned off the Epic and IT WILL NOT TURN ON. Took battery out for a while, put it back in nothing.
View 6 Replies View RelatedI am trying to determine whether the Epic will sync with Outlook for email and calendar, but it does not seem so.Is anyone aware of a solution for this?
View 6 Replies View RelatedI just got an email asking me if I wanted to reserve the Samsung Epic 4G.
According to the email the phone comes out on 8/31 and sell for $250 after a $150 instant discount and a $100 MIR.
Here is the link for those Premiere customers HERE!
According to my friend Radio Shack will also be taking orders on Friday.
Found this on youtube. Sound is horribly low.
YouTube - Epic 4G Mutimedia Desktop Dock & Leather Belt Clip Case
Has anyone figured out how to do this? When I hold my finger on a text and choose forward, I only get the box where I have to type in each contact individually. Is there a way to show a list of my contacts when forwarding or at least a way to forward to a group? I have groups set up, but there doesnt seem to be a way to access them when forwarding. I have tried every option and every menu and cant find out how to do this on the Epic?
View 2 Replies View RelatedOk the Epic is getting headphones. But does the Epic have the puzzle lock screen? FM radio? And does the music player have that cd juke box feel?
View 13 Replies View RelatedHow you felt the NES/SNES/PSX emulators ran on each phone respectively? I am still torn after all the reading I have done. Quite frankly my biggest worry about the Epic at this point is the lack of support in the future, but it def has some features I do like.. (Mainly the GPU / Processing)
View 3 Replies View RelatedAnyone notice the Epic FFC (using Qik chat) distorts the image? It seems to compress laterally with the camera in a portrait direction.
View 4 Replies View RelatedFinally my Vista computer can see my phone. Support for Epic? 4G (SPH-D700) SAMSUNG
View 6 Replies View RelatedUPDATE: My goal is to get as many future Epic 4G buyers to respond to this thread as possible to show Samsung how excited we are for the Epic but also how upset we are about the lack of key features that are found in the family of Galaxy S devices but not on the Epic 4G.The only way Samsung will consider adding these into a future update (Hopefully the upcoming 2.2 update) is if they see how many people really do want them.So please help the cause and lets try to show Samsung how much these missing features really mean to the Epic 4G buyers! I'm sure they are reading these forums as much as we are According to multiple sources the Epic 4G appears to be missing multiple features that are found on both the Samsung Vibrant and Samsung Captivate So far here are the features that I have been hearing are entirely missing from the Epic 4g.Please watch this MobileBurn.com unboxing and video review which discusses all of the missing features that I am discussing here.There are 2 parts and it goes very in-depth so get comfy!
View 49 Replies View Related20 minutes ago: BREAKING: Sprint Officially Announces Release Date For Samsung Epic 4G: August 31st
View 49 Replies View RelatedIt looks sexy to me especially in the pictures.
View 33 Replies View RelatedTo find this go to settings then "about phone" Lets see if they are all the same or newer versions exist. My phone built in mid August is version D700.0.5
View 12 Replies View RelatedI currently have an issue with the epic. its not the battery issue or gps but the keyboard input. Sometimes at sporadic times (not every time)when I type a random letter or character I have to press a button two times to replicate the character or space and I'm a fast keyboard typer and its been bothering me lately and I'm wondering if anyone else has those issues? I already have went to sprint and had them exchanged the phone and the new phone still to no avail does the same thing. I thought it was Advanced task killer that may have caused my phone to be acting weird but I hard reset the phone and still no avail. Maybe its just a bad keyboard? both times? the phone is an august build and battery is also an august build. I'm at work right now and plan to hit the sprint repair store near home. I just want to know if anyone else has this issue? So I dont want to look like an idiot to the tech.
View 49 Replies View RelatedSometimes when I shut the slider quickly the phone shuts down. Then today it did it when I set it down on a table, and when I turned it back on the battery went from 42 to 12 percent. I then reset the phone and it was at 24 percent. Is anyone else having this problem? Could the battery just be losing contact?
View 1 Replies View RelatedI've downloaded the galaxy s drivers, but after running the setup file, it doesnt recgonize the phone in either ADB mode or hard drive mode.
View 8 Replies View RelatedI love voice command that came with MS and I'm glad to finally get an epic.I figured out how to get my incoming caller id announced. How do i get my Txt messages read outloud?Is there anyway i can dedicate a button to use Voice command that way i don't have it navigate through the screen?
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