Thinking of getting this phone

[D_Rock]

I currently have a HTC Incredible on Verizon but have to switch to AT&T. The incredible specs and this phones specs seem to run pretty close. Has anyone with this phone used any of the other android phones such as the incredible or the droid? If so how does the Samsung compare to these? I am between this phone because I love android and the Iphone 4.

 

[walkerakl]

If you have to go ATT -- the captivate and the iPhone are your only two real options right now. It depends on what YOU need from a phone. If you want something that's a piece of cake, that will ALWAYS do what it says it will do, and do it well, go with the iPhone. if you want something that you can make do what YOU want it to do, go with the captivate.

I bought the iphone 4 and switched to the captivate for that reason. Tired of being held down by the fruit. I'm a complete newb to android, but i love learning about it. There's nothing to learn with iPhone -- it does everything for you.

 

[BigCiX]

You'll get bored with the iphone 4 in about 1-2 months. Then you'll jailbreak it causing your phone to run a tad bit slower. I came from the 3G to the Captivate and im not returning to the fruity world.

 

[haison]

I am coming from a 3GS and all my friends have android phones (Droid, EVO 4g, Nexus One, MyTouch 3G Slider). The only thing you will really miss is the Sense UI and flash. I don't think I will ever go back to iOS. It is boring compared to Android.

 

[pounamu22]

You actually want to come to AT&T? I thought people usually head the other direction . I actually was just about to switch to Verizon because I wanted an Android but there were no good ones on AT&T. Luckily the Captivate came out the same week I was looking to switch. I previously had iPhone 3G. I wasn't impressed with the iPhone 4 (my wife and daughter have it) and was ready for a change to Android. It's an awesome phone and will be even better once Froyo is released. There's a few issues which people have been experiencing (maybe want to read some of the other threads). The main one which annoys me is the lag issues. I implemented one of the "fixes" in the meanwhile until 2.2 fixes it. If you're not in a rush, I believe VZ is also releasing their version (Samsung Fascinate). They are "rumored" to be announcing the release within the next few weeks. Best of luck with your decision!

 

[roltzje]

If you can wait a few more months then you can always see if the Dell Thunder ends up being any good. It certainly looks promising, but being Dells first smartphone in the US might mean there could be issues. Otherwise it seems to be a direct competitor in that realm

 

[JThep]

Well i've owned the iPhone, 3G, and the 4.. I now own the captivate and have no regrets or any plans to go back to the iOS

 

[D_Rock]

I have been reading about people having alot of lag, exactly what is lagging on this phone and does anyone know if 2.2 will fix it?

 

[pounamu22]

I have the lag issue with mine. Basically (for me) it's lagging when you switch between screens, opening/closing apps, and waiting for your actions to register. I actually returned my original Captivate which I purchased a few days after release and got a replacement. The replacement has been faster...however it's still not perfect. I'm used to lag because I came from a iPhone 3G which was jailbroken for the last 2 years . From that phone, yes I would expect lag but not from the Captivate. I guess it's a combination of the phone not fully using it's specs (has 512mb but only 256mb supported until 2.2) and an inefficient filesystem. I heard the speed issues "should" be resolved with 2.2 which is what I'm really really hoping for. This phone will be absolutely fanstastic if/when they fix that. I expect it to react similarly to the iPhone 4 which is pretty instant and lag free. If you can you may even want to wait until next month and see how it goes with 2.2.

 

[DeliDave]

I was so excited when the iPhone 4 was coming out...then the new ios for the 3GS came out and just for flash and front facing camera - I did not see a need for the 4!

Google android has peaked my interest but was never impressed with the early phones... I made the mistake of playing with a Captivate. Love It!!!!!

Now the only issue is the GPS.... Can not believe this was not brought up yet.

They have to fix this. I fish and use Navionics a lot. Need a gps!!!!!

Had this on my iPhone and that is the only thing I miss. I have already loaded the android version so I hope Samsung fixes our gps!

 

[c2k]

Most of the speed fixes partition internal memory and either use it as a buffer or use it for your applications entirely (there is an assortment of different types of fily systems and memory systems on the internal SD card). Pulling application information from a source that has faster transfer speed will result in less lag. Most of these fixes are really fast now, too (1 click fixes and such).

When we get android 2.2, we can put applications on micro sd cards. If you have a class 4 microsdhc or faster, it will be able to pull information very quickly causing less lag.

 

[svnty6rs3]

the lag can be fixed with the installation of either launcher pro or adw launcher. After i installed that my phone has been lag free and i love it. The battery life is only terrible if you have something keeping your phone awake while you put it to sleep. So as long as you keep that under control you will get great battery life. I have been using my phone for about 15 hours and im at 50% so dont let the battery life and lag scare you they are simple fixes. The gps will hopefully be fixed with the froyo launch in September and after that this in my opinion will be the best android phone out.

 

[Zlanu]

Quick newb question, is the Captivate locked to AT&T and is there a way to unlock it? I'm only going to be in the US for less than a year and I'm already on a plan so I just want to buy a contract-free Captivate but does contract-free = unlocked? And if not, do any of you guys know how to get it unlocked.

 

[sremick]

Now the only issue is the GPS.... Can not believe this was not brought up yet.

It was brought up months ago, with the release of the devices in Europe prior to the USA release. Samsung is only choosing now to take it seriously and address it, with an update due sometime next month.

the lag can be fixed with the installation of either launcher pro or adw launcher.

Glad you saw improvement, but that's not a definitive solution. I use LauncherPro and I still have significant lag.

Quick newb question, is the Captivate locked to AT&T and is there a way to unlock it? I'm only going to be in the US for less than a year and I'm already on a plan so I just want to buy a contract-free Captivate but does contract-free = unlocked? And if not, do any of you guys know how to get it unlocked.

The search function of this forum is your friend. The short answer: No. For more details, search and read any of the numerous existing threads dedicated to this question.

 

[Segfault]

Quick newb question, is the Captivate locked to AT&T and is there a way to unlock it? I'm only going to be in the US for less than a year and I'm already on a plan so I just want to buy a contract-free Captivate but does contract-free = unlocked? And if not, do any of you guys know how to get it unlocked.

Where are you going? I think the only country that has carriers that use the same 3G frequencies as AT&T is Canada. 3G for the captivate just isn't going to work anywhere else. I think it would work as a 2G/GSM phone in other places though.