Need oppinion

[Lagunar]

Hi guys, i have an old N95 and i want to change my phone ^^

I know some of you won't want to read a long post... so first i will resume it:

* Is it safe to upgrade?? Can i brick my phone for good?
* Is it safer to upgrade it to a custom ROM like cognition? Cons?
* Think that i will take this phone to argentina, so probably i won't have warranty there ^^

Explained:

the thing is... i don't really know what to buy! i have considered a lot of phones and the only one that got my attention is the captivate...

i really want to move to android and i HAVE to buy an AT&T compatible phone! (Why? because i live in argentina. I'm going to be in the US for 3 more months and then return to Argentina and in Argentina we don't use the same bandwiths you guys use... so the only compatible phones are the AT&T ones)

well... here is the thing.... i'm not sure about the captivate either!!

Pros:

• I HATE iTunes. I want to be able to upload music in more than 1 pc, so any phone is NOT an iPhone is good for me
• Super incredible screen!!!
• FAST!
• Only phone in AT&T with android (well... they have the aria but i think it's too small for a touchscreen device... at least that's my oppinion)

Cons:

• I'm really affraid on the updates and the installation.... i've heard of people bricking their phones!!!!!! how can this be??? really, i don't like iPhones because of iTunes, but at least with iTunes you can always recover the phone. In this SAME forum i've read of people not being able even to enter download or recovery mode in the captivate because of the last update (JH7)
• It needs updates to work properly clearly . The GPS doesn't work ok without updates?? well... this is a problem because of the first con really!

So.... when i read about the bricking-updates i got really scared (before that i was almost buying it in ebay (i need it unlocked to take it to argentina)) and now i don't know..........

but i found about the cognition ROMs and now i think.... well... if i don't download the updates with the phone but download them in the pc and put it in the internal memory it seems safer... also i don't mess with the files and it seems safer. Think that it's 500 bucks!!!! 500 bucks is an average monthly salary in argentina ^^

so... is it safer to use a custom rom like cognition? cons?

I really know what the captivate can do, i really like it, i'm not asking about that, only about the "safetyness" of upgrading it

Thank you very much guys!!!!! i really appreciate your time!!!

 

[Lagunar]

anyone?

 

[jeremytanner]

I can tell you from someone who isn't that familiar with the inner workings, it's hard to screw up the phone too badly if you can follow directions. I had the failed update scenario for the OTA update, so I finally decided to jump in and flash Odin. Then I thought, hey, why not try Cognition?

So my first attempt at Cognition went great. Everything was awesome. Then one day I tried to update Cog without disabling lag fix (see: follow directions) -- so my phone would not boot. Followed directions, put Odin and the new Cognition on, everything was fine again.

Then, like a fool, I decided to upgrade Cognition again. This time I followed the directions for disabling the lagfix. After a while, I thought the phone had hung on boot, so I pulled battery. Oops, nope, it was converting the file system. Yep, had to reflash Odin once more. Up and running again, and doing great. Ready to pull another stupid stunt.

I say all that to make a point: You can do all sorts of stupid things to it, and bring it back. And unless you do the master clear, your SD card files are fine.

 

[Cuerbo]

Captivate is a great phone as long as you're not worry with GPS functionality. If that is not a concern, don't look back and jump in. The only other warning I'll give you is that Samsung lies and can't be counted to maintain its products like HTC or Motorola. Besides those two points, I have zero complaints about this phone and the display leaves a lot of folks speechless.

 

[sremick]

Be wary of depending on Odin as an infallible life raft. It has been shown that the state it returns your phone too isn't quite "stock" and some things might not work in the future.

For example, there appears to be a very high failure rate with the OTA update amongst people who had used Odin to flash to "stock".

 

[Lagunar]

thank you guys

so... the lesson is that if i brick my phone i will be able to revive it with odin

maybe not exactly to stock but enough to flash it again anx that's the impprtant fact

now i'm a lotta closer to buy it

captivate, here i come

again, thank you guys and i will keep welcomin oppiions

 

[jeremytanner]

Be wary of depending on Odin as an infallible life raft. It has been shown that the state it returns your phone too isn't quite "stock" and some things might not work in the future.

For example, there appears to be a very high failure rate with the OTA update amongst people who had used Odin to flash to "stock".

This is very true, but for me, my first use of Odin was in response to the OTA failing, anyway, so that seemed a no-brainer. The Kies option does seem to work for some Odin-users when OTA didn't. I personally have not tried.

 

[Lagunar]

hey guys, another question, if i buy it from AT&T, is it easy to unlock? bullet-proof?

 

[jeremytanner]

hey guys, another question, if i buy it from AT&T, is it easy to unlock? bullet-proof?

that I do not know from experience. I have heard it's unlockable, but I have no idea about the ease.

 

[Lagunar]

i bought it!!!!!!!! my precious =) =) =)

 

[Lagunar]

unlocked!!!!!!

just FYI i used this guide and it worked =)

[PROGRAM]One Click Unlock / All Models (Mac & PC) - xda-developers

 

[sremick]

Even easier, just install the SGS Unlock app from the marketplace and it'll give you your unlock code. No special software or PC connection needed.

 

[Lagunar]

i didn't know that =)

if i knew i would have saved some time

anyways, working great now!!!

thanks