Should I buy the Samsung intercept on Virgin Mobile?

[Android1678]

I was so excited to get this phne when it first come out but decided to wait for a sale and bought it at their website for less than $200. I dislike it's slowness and sometimes unresponsive and i dont know if this happens to you guys but i download apps from the android market faster using the data plan service rather than wifi and i have no idea why my phone acts like that. what i like about it is that the phone is pretty durable. I was walking inside the mall one day and i accidentally dropped it on the floor and i picked it up right away and just had very tiny scratches(can't barely see it) and no cracks eventhough it fell very hard. The plan is also cheap and it isn't that bad for a starter android phone. I also dislike that i can't play raging thunder because its not a high end phone and angry birds became less responsive since i dowloaded some apps and unistalled them. Not the best phone for gamers like me but it's highly recommended phone..

 

[beccaslink]

My experience with the virgin intersept has been less then a good one. !!! My advice is don't buy . I'm on my 3rd replacement phon. The 1st 1 the screen didn't work right in notregistering my touch. The 2 others iv had no internet and I haven't been able to send or receive pictures, I have never been able to acess mp3 player. The worst part about this is in dealing w/the customer service & tech support department. if u'r lucky enogh to get an english speakin person u might get some that is just rude. nothing to mention the fact that they are not willing to compensate my bill in the fact that I have not been ale to acess the Internet for a month.

 

[lpnalda]

Any Chance in Hell someone here that's Blind using this phone with the speil screenreader? How is it if so? What apps work well, and which don't? I ask about speil as it seems to work well from the youtubes I've seen (I do have some vision).

 

[devin12383]

If you

 

[lpnalda]

If you

 

[pearlj327]

I really like my Samsung Intercept from Virgin Mobile. I have no problem with it. Sure once in a while you have to reset (remove battery) but that's normal for any device including laptops when it freezes.

 

[devin12383]

Read some of the horror story on this if you want to know what your getting into.

http://androidforums.com/samsung-intercept-virgin-mobile/256116-mms-not-working-2.html

 

[lanceg]

No, don't buy it.

The device itself is kinda OK, but there is zero developer support for it. There are about 30 different guides on how to root the thing, and none of them work. There are no ROMS to flash. There is no community involved with this phone, and with out that, you have no real ability to overcome the devices SERIOUS shortcomings.

 

[Joeydroid]

When he had the Intercept (has an Optimus now) Z4Root temp root worked (on 2.1).

 

[Darkseas]

I don't understand some of this discussion at all.

No one really buys the Intercept because it's the best Android phone, or even in the top 10. You're buying an adequate phone so you can use a smartphone for $25 a month with Virgin Mobile - 300 calling minutes, unlimited texting and unlimited data.

Would I love to have my wife's Droid X? You bet! Would I like to have her $70 a month bill? No thanks.

I don't care about flashing my ROM or rooting. Neither of those things would solve what I consider to be the phone's less desirable features -- a slow processor that won't run Firefox and a screen that's not 4.3". So until VM offers a phone that does, I'm fine with my Intercept.

 

[devin12383]

+1

 

[stef7]

Well, maybe the Motorola Triumph will be better received.

I find the Intercept does many things pretty well. It's plenty responsive if you bring to bear Advance Task Killer and also Task Manager to keep the rogue programs under control and the RAM clear.

It was disadvantaged by being the first Android on VM and with Eclair, didn't really run properly. With Froyo I think it works reasonably.

 

[dudleesmuk]

i switched from uscellular with an lg apex paying 73.00 a month. yeah the phone is slow and needs rebooting often. if u dont try to open things real fast helps with the locking up. then u can always root it and install a custom kernel and have a really nice phone for an unbeatable price. although i wood check into the signal strength u get cuz if ur signal is low it will b a bad experience. but i love my intercept. i say go for it. u will b surprised.

 

[Mistiq]

No, don't buy it.

The device itself is kinda OK, but there is zero developer support for it. There are about 30 different guides on how to root the thing, and none of them work. There are no ROMS to flash. There is no community involved with this phone, and with out that, you have no real ability to overcome the devices SERIOUS shortcomings.

I agree with his/her conclusion but disagree with his/her points. Once I did my research I found the support fairly robust for a prepaid phone, and rooting was pretty easy if I remember correctly. You need to look at sdx developers forum for the active community. I don't even own the phone and it really took me no time at all to root it, to flash a new kernel, a new rom, different themes, and etc... After I got done, it truly does run like a new/different phone. I still wouldn't recommend it, over an Optimus V and certainly not over the Triumph but with a little bit of work it's a modest phone.

Anyway before I get too longwinded, there's a thread that should cover most of the points

 

[lpnalda]

Well, maybe the Motorola Triumph will be better received.

I find the Intercept does many things pretty well. It's plenty responsive if you bring to bear Advance Task Killer and also Task Manager to keep the rogue programs under control and the RAM clear.

It was disadvantaged by being the first Android on VM and with Eclair, didn't really run properly. With Froyo I think it works reasonably.

I agree to all your comments. I find that powering it down once and a while helps too. It's no speed demon, but it's ok, as long as you maintain it a little. It still has the advantage of being the only Android phone with a physical keyboard and trackpad, and at the current sale price at RadioShack for $149 isn't too bad, although if you don't need the keyboard or trackpad, the snappier Optimus V is the same price.