The above post may be edited and amended as time goes by.
Edit 20091018: Added section on the Galaxy, and a paragraph regarding date selector.
Edit 20091019: Misc. touch-ups.
Edit 20091214: At last, I think my phone is now stable, but it is definitely the last Samsung product I will ever buy.
Edit 20091217: Added section "Phone book vs. Address book".
Edit 20100117: Added section "Post script" below.
Edit 20100210: Added jab about multitasking-induced slowness.
Edit 20100305: Added gripe about poor battery monitoring capabilities.
As a footnote, I would like to add that, yes, I know I probably come across as not very content. Well, I'm not; Android is not ideal for me. (I frequently make the point that what's currently the
best option may not in fact be a
good option.) Still,
I urge you all to not flame me on that account. I have been earnest, and those are my experiences within my frame of reference.
On the other hand, polite and objective
criticism is very welcome, as are any questions you might wish to ask.
Post script
The review was written based on the unmodified Galaxy running the unmodified Android OS (granted, with a number of apps installed). Now that I've been using the Galaxy for a while, I am doing some things differently. So if you have a comment to something of the above, here's where you can see if I've already addressed that issue.
- I'm still not using any form of screen or case protector. All I have is a lanyard to lessen the risk of dropping it.
- I have installed the "K4" version firmware, which is the first with which I've had any semblance of stability.
- I have installed the "rectools" recovery partition, which allows me to do full system-wide backups and restores. It also allows me to root my phone, which I have not yet seen a need for.
- I have installed "
PandaHome" as my default home app, which gives me more screen space for desktop icons.
- I have installed "
CalWidget", which is what the stock Calendar widget should have been. If you're using the stock widget, go get CalWidget now. Seriously.
- I have installed "
Battery Left", which seems to actually provide a dependable battery reading. (Note: The screenshots at Androlib do not do it justice, it's actually very nice to look at.)
- I have installed "
Apps Organizer", which, according to
reviews, one-ups the stock Folders and more or less offers the "categories" feature that I'm missing from the Palm. After a few days of use, it has obsoleted the stock "drawer" completely.