I still can't believe people don't have GPS at all. Does it take a couple of minutes to get a fix? Sure! Can you shorten that time by telling it to use "wireless networks" along with the GPS? Sure! Can you fire up another program such as GPS Test to see exactly what it's doing? Sure! If it's such a big issue then please, for the love of god, take the phone back and get an iphone. Your lack of patience and ability to think outside the box is not welcome in the Android community and you will constantly be frustrated if you decide to stay.
The fact of the matter is that no one knows for sure if this GPS problem can or ever will be fixed because Samsung won't say a damn thing. Will I take a chance and gamble with my next phone for the next 2 years just to see what the hell samsung decides to do? NO.
All of what you mentioned...
Does it take a couple of minutes to get a fix? Sure! Can you shorten that time by telling it to use "wireless networks" along with the GPS? Sure! Can you fire up another program such as GPS Test to see exactly what it's doing? Sure!
You shouldn't have to do any of that. Having tested dozens of android devices and most recently the Evo, the second you turn on maps the phone knows where you are. The second you start driving you see yourself move on the map. The second you open up Google navigation it knows where to drive to and it will start to tell you.
But with the Captivate you get a 2400 meter circle that it thinks you are in. Then you wait in a parking lot for 5 minutes and it finds you. You start to drive and you never move on the map. It bounces all over the place. It flat out doesn't work!
Do I use GPS every second of the day? NO.
Do I want my GPS to work when I decide to use it once a day? YES!
Do I want my GPS to work without having to jump through hoops? YES!
If you don't care about having a functioning phone and rewarding Samsung for their lack of phone design and inability to communicate what the hell is going on then keep the phone. I will be returning mine and waiting to hear what happens.
If Samsung announces it's fixable I'll go right back out and buy the phone. If they never say anything, well then I'm not stuck with a phone that can't find me on a map. More and more apps these days require your location to give you information around you. If you want the full experience you need a phone that works.
Put it this way.. You go out and buy a TV and the worker tells you it is an HD tv, they all can do that these days. You buy your TV, take it home, and discover it doesn't do HD. You try to contact the company that sold it to you and they say they are looking into it. They dont' say they can or will fix it. They just say they are looking into and will let you know what they find out. Are you going to keep that TV? HELL NO. Same thing with this phone. I'm not waiting around to see what happens.