As a phone - this phone sucks (sometimes)

[Jofaba]

I really wish I hated the camera because then I'd have returned this and gotten the Aria again.

I just ordered Chinese food and they couldn't find me. Know how I found out? I went to my phone history to see how long it's been since I called them. 40 minutes. no big deal, that's pretty average, probably going to be here soon.

As soon as I put my phone down I get an alert. Same sound for voicemail as email, so I figure I just got an email. Out of pure curiosity I checked my phone instead of ignoring it. I've got 4 ****ing voicemail messages from both the driver and the restaurant. My phone NEVER RANG.

For whatever reason, the place I sat my phone has zero bars. When I TOUCH IT and LIFT IT UP ONE MILLIMETER it has signal.

This phone has potential and admittedly I hardly ever used my phone as a phone, but that's just ridiculous. Gar!

note: just got my food so now I'm a little less angry but I feel bad making the guy drive out here, back to his place and then back out. I tip well but I still feel like I shorted him.

Who'd expect a phone to ring when someone calls? Absurd!

Before I end this rant I'd also like to say that call quality sucks too. My Aria was crystal clear to my mothers cell and my parents home phone, pretty much the only non-food-delivery numbers I call. With the Captivate I have to keep asking them to repeat themselves and it sounds like we're on opposite sides of the planet.

/rant (deep breaths....)

 

[fireonhigh]

I really wish I hated the camera because then I'd have returned this and gotten the Aria again.

I just ordered Chinese food and they couldn't find me. Know how I found out? I went to my phone history to see how long it's been since I called them. 40 minutes. no big deal, that's pretty average, probably going to be here soon.

As soon as I put my phone down I get an alert. Same sound for voicemail as email, so I figure I just got an email. Out of pure curiosity I checked my phone instead of ignoring it. I've got 4 ****ing voicemail messages from both the driver and the restaurant. My phone NEVER RANG.

For whatever reason, the place I sat my phone has zero bars. When I TOUCH IT and LIFT IT UP ONE MILLIMETER it has signal.

This phone has potential and admittedly I hardly ever used my phone as a phone, but that's just ridiculous. Gar!

note: just got my food so now I'm a little less angry but I feel bad making the guy drive out here, back to his place and then back out. I tip well but I still feel like I shorted him.

Who'd expect a phone to ring when someone calls? Absurd!

Before I end this rant I'd also like to say that call quality sucks too. My Aria was crystal clear to my mothers cell and my parents home phone, pretty much the only non-food-delivery numbers I call. With the Captivate I have to keep asking them to repeat themselves and it sounds like we're on opposite sides of the planet.

/rant (deep breaths....)

i used to work at a very nice Chinese restaurant,i worked in the kitchen,lol;...the the things i seen would make your skin crawl...and maybe its the same reason you lost signal

 

[ranova]

Isolated problem. I have never had any problems.

Try doing a restore or a reflash and root and install a lagfix

 

[carmendiva]

I agree with your post(and eww to one above mine lol)

Except when i hold it...it loses signal but generally gets signal when i leave it laying down

I think I am going to take it back

I liked the xperia i had before this but hell no to 1.6
and the low call volume(The xperia has the best camera on a phone in the US...i think anyway)

and I am going to go to At & t and look at the Aria but doubt i will get it

The torch seems nice but i dont like the OS of blackberry

I love webos but the hardware is god awful on the pre and definitely the pixi

So i am considering a strong jump over to the iphone 4 and just try a brand new experience and device

Ive been with Android for almost a year...went to 2.0 to 2.1 to down to 1.5 to 2.1 and then 1.6 and now 2.1

I love my captivate(Signal issues aside) but i do use my phone to text and talk and when i am holding it, it loses signal and a good camera and beautiful screen/UI aside...i need something a little more reliable for me

Im glad to know i am not the only one who is having signal issues

 

[Jofaba]

Isolated problem. I have never had any problems.

Try doing a restore or a reflash and root and install a lagfix

Yeah, well if the signal was great on this phone then I probably wouldn't have over 11,000 views on a 12 second long video of me trying to prove to another person here that I was having a signal problem. But, y'know, you're probably right. Isolated incident. I'm probably just not holding it right.

I was pissed when I wrote this post. In retrospect I'm trying to think of this intelligently and the place I sat my phone was on top of my propane heater in my livingroom. I figured 1, it's close, and 2, its near a window. But in said retrospect, the phone was sat antenna down upon a large metal structure. I hesitate to say that should lead to a problem but whether it was the structure or the location, chances are I just found a random dead spot within my apartment.

So, this was probably an exaggerated rant. My more subtle aspect, regarding call quality though, is undeniable.

Lucky for me, the phone aspect is my least used function. I'm 90% net, 9% apps, and 1% phone.

 

[Ph8]

Yeah, well if the signal was great on this phone then I probably wouldn't have over 11,000 views on a 12 second long video of me trying to prove to another person here that I was having a signal problem. But, y'know, you're probably right. Isolated incident. I'm probably just not holding it right.

I was pissed when I wrote this post. In retrospect I'm trying to think of this intelligently and the place I sat my phone was on top of my propane heater in my livingroom. I figured 1, it's close, and 2, its near a window. But in said retrospect, the phone was sat antenna down upon a large metal structure. I hesitate to say that should lead to a problem but whether it was the structure or the location, chances are I just found a random dead spot within my apartment.

So, this was probably an exaggerated rant. My more subtle aspect, regarding call quality though, is undeniable.

Lucky for me, the phone aspect is my least used function. I'm 90% net, 9% apps, and 1% phone.

Everyones experience with this phone can be different. Personally I ahvent lost a call or missed a call when Im in a "normal" service area. There could be a number of reasons that your phone dropped signal when placed on top of a propane heater, but to just blame the phone without a side by side test of a simillar phone isnt "fair". Jsut becasue the suer said it was an isolated incident becasue they havent had any issues doesnt mean they're wrong, its just thier experience. You have a totally different experience, which is OK and understandable.

BTW maybe its time to change the notification sound to diferentiate between Texts, phone calls, Voicemail and email.

 

[mongstradamus]

the one issue i have had recently with my phone is mms, I can't seem to get it to work. I just keep on getting the circle spinning. I can upload photos by twitter and facebook fine, but when try to send mms nothing happens.

 

[ComradeQuestion]

i thought i was having signal problems myself because when i would pick it up i would go 4 to 2 but then up to 4 and same would happen on my 3gs so i figure it is just this area of my house where i tested it. have not had any other issues. i am sorry to hear about your issues i would have it replaced before going back to the aria but your call good luck.

did you have wifi turned on? i only ask because i notice no matter what device im using iphone or my captivate when wifi is on the signal fluctuates more (3g signal that is) and drops lower than when it is off.

 

[Araliss]

I have the same problems as the OP. I don't think it was because he laid it on the heater. My Epic against the Husband's EVO. The EVO is 2 to 3 times faster on 3G and the Epic drops calls where the EVO doesn't. People also break up and its hard to make out what they say. People sound small. Its hard to explain but it doesn't quite sound right. The iPhone 3g sounded much better, as does the EVO.

 

[vapor311]

So i am considering a strong jump over to the iphone 4 and just try a brand new experience and device

no no no no no

Told you i work for this evil fruit company dont do this. Not right now anyways. If your just set on getting the i4 wait until after oct 25th. There will be a new batch released. They will have a silicone sleeve over the external ant. strip to help fix the death grip issue and might actually have the new ios on it 4.2 which isnt set to release until nov. (you'll like this codename for 4.2 BBTGB which stands for be better than ginger bread youll understand why thats so important later on)

Honestly I advise against it period though. Jobs is a dick and he likes having total and utter control over what you do with his phone. It will NEVER be your phone. Sure you can dump tons of money into it for apps books etc, but at the end of your contract your still stuck with att if u plan to keep using it. (or you jb and switch to T-MAYBE) and no body wants that.

Id advise taking your captivate back and exchanging it. give it another shot, they sent out another version of it with some slight changes, screen tint, gps update, recessed power button and a few other slight changes something with the power cord slot also.

OR If your reallllly into spending money, wait just a month or so for the samsung 7 inch tablet to hit that is going to be a tablet and a phone that looks slicker than shit!!!!!!! and invest in it.

But I beg of you and that wonderful (hopefully is really you in that sexy pic) body of yours to use your noggin and stay the F away from the iphone and its proprietary bullshit.

We should be getting froyo on the phone in the next month and rumor has it gingerbread is underway and we might have that by years end says a little birdy in our R&D department. This is why apple is pushing IOS updates out so fast btw. Because Gingerbread is fast under way and could be out by dec 15th. It has the R&D department scared shitless.

Go exchange it give it another shot if it continues then try something else but dont give up on it, it could just be a bad apple in an orchard of great phones.

your friendly neighborhood tech III Apple Care Specialist.


Yea i SAID it jobs....Im an independent contractor you cant fire me! you cant renegotiate the terms of my contract which are signed, sealed and guaranteed for another 2 years suck it!

 

[idilium]

this phone is great is amazing i love it i always have signal my wifi work great and fast my gps is there when i need it my phone have never fail me.

if you get this crazy just because you don't get a phone call you have bigger issues
than this phone

 

[qwertyaas]

About the iPhone 4, I love the apps for it. I dislike the phone alot though. Especially if you are coming from the Captivate, getting used to the iPhone 4 screen is tough.

That said, maybe I got lucky but I don't really have any signal issues. Even in my office where my blackberry had some trouble with reception. At times I do get low bars but it never effects the actual signal.

As for Xperia or Aria, both would be a decent downgrade from the Captivate.

 

[Araliss]

if you get this crazy just because you don't get a phone call you have bigger issues than this phone

How dare you buy a phone and expect to get a phone call on it! *rolls eyes*

 

[idilium]

How dare you buy a phone and expect to get a phone call on it! *rolls eyes*

araliss may i ask you how old are you before i reply?
"rolling ayes harder"

 

[Extract0r]

At least you were able to order the food. iPhone 4 would have dropped your call before your order was complete. LOL

 

[Araliss]

araliss may i ask you how old are you before i reply?
"rolling ayes harder"

Probably older then you. Someone out of 350 dollars minus a 100 dollar rebate, I may or may not get back. Someone that has to sit down their Epic to borrow the husbands Evo to make a phone call. Is that old enough for you?

His venting is besides the point. Its very frustrating when you buy something and it doesn't work. I'm also like the Op. I probably use my device 5% of the time to make a call and 95% everything else. Unfortunately for me its data and cellular. This is my second Epic, had them exchange the first one. It should work. The husband and I are on the same network but it doesn't. I turned off my AT&T account already, and there aren't any more phones I want, so I'm pretty screwed.

Not to hijack your thread OP. I'm just saying, I know where you were coming from.

 

[Jack45]

If any readers believe they would enjoy a master / slave relationship, get the iPhone...especially if you welcome the bonus of ingesting Kool-Aid for the life of the relationship.

 

[Ogami Itto]

Dumb topic, the Chinese food place couldn't find you and that's the fault of your phone? Doesn't this Chinese place have google maps? Or do you live in a sewer like the turtles?

 

[Jofaba]

It's too late for me to exchange it or to swap phones. This is going to be my phone for the next two years. I'm hoping some of the problems will be fixed with updates, but I am very disappointed with it regardless.

As for this particular thread; it was a drunken spur-of-the-moment venting. I was more frustrated at having wasted the driver's time than my food being late or missing a call.

On top of the problems with the phone, service just pretty much sucks in my area. So yeah, it's not all the phone's fault. But, just like iphone user's tend to rate AT&T better than non-iphone users because they're really rating the phone and not the service, it's hard to not have that mental connection and go vise-versa.

As I said last night, I hardly ever use this as a phone except to call work, my parents, pay the bills, or order food. I don't like chatting away on the telephone. For me, it's more about having mobile internet, mobile gaming and a digital camera; in which it performs adequately.

I place a lot of the blame on AT&T. No signal at the beach, 3G in my town is slow, and I sit between 2-3 bars most of the time. BUT, when I didn't have signal down at the beach on the Aria, I still had an FM radio. I don't remember how many bars I had around town, but call quality was excellent. And in the 3 weeks that I had it, my first Android phone ever, and my first Smartphone in nearly 5 years, the only problem I experienced was a complete phone freezeup which required taking the battery out. That happened once.

Anyway, I figured I'd try to clear up my intentions and feelings now that I'm sober.

 

[Jofaba]

Dumb topic, the Chinese food place couldn't find you and that's the fault of your phone? Doesn't this Chinese place have google maps? Or do you live in a sewer like the turtles?

No, the fault of the phone is that it didn't ring when someone was trying to call me. And besides, I've already admitted that I probably had the phone in a random dead zone, or was blocking the antenna by placing it on a metal surface.

And, it's possible that it's the phone's fault that they couldn't hear me clearly when I gave them my address, though that's kinda pushing the "what-ifs" a bit.

 

[carmendiva]

no no no no no

Told you i work for this evil fruit company dont do this. Not right now anyways. If your just set on getting the i4 wait until after oct 25th. There will be a new batch released. They will have a silicone sleeve over the external ant. strip to help fix the death grip issue and might actually have the new ios on it 4.2 which isnt set to release until nov. (you'll like this codename for 4.2 BBTGB which stands for be better than ginger bread youll understand why thats so important later on)

Honestly I advise against it period though. Jobs is a dick and he likes having total and utter control over what you do with his phone. It will NEVER be your phone. Sure you can dump tons of money into it for apps books etc, but at the end of your contract your still stuck with att if u plan to keep using it. (or you jb and switch to T-MAYBE) and no body wants that.

Id advise taking your captivate back and exchanging it. give it another shot, they sent out another version of it with some slight changes, screen tint, gps update, recessed power button and a few other slight changes something with the power cord slot also.

OR If your reallllly into spending money, wait just a month or so for the samsung 7 inch tablet to hit that is going to be a tablet and a phone that looks slicker than shit!!!!!!! and invest in it.

But I beg of you and that wonderful (hopefully is really you in that sexy pic) body of yours to use your noggin and stay the F away from the iphone and its proprietary bullshit.

We should be getting froyo on the phone in the next month and rumor has it gingerbread is underway and we might have that by years end says a little birdy in our R&D department. This is why apple is pushing IOS updates out so fast btw. Because Gingerbread is fast under way and could be out by dec 15th. It has the R&D department scared shitless.

Go exchange it give it another shot if it continues then try something else but dont give up on it, it could just be a bad apple in an orchard of great phones.

your friendly neighborhood tech III Apple Care Specialist.


Yea i SAID it jobs....Im an independent contractor you cant fire me! you cant renegotiate the terms of my contract which are signed, sealed and guaranteed for another 2 years suck it!

Lol oh i just blushed.
Thanks for the compliment(yeah that is my picture...i just wished that Androidforums didnt compress the picture and make it so grainy...i hate how it looks...but thanks)

Honestly...how open or closed something is doesnt factor into my decision about phones.

Yeah, i know android i can make my device look different than say your captivate but at the end of the day i just kind of use the widgets because they are there.

My ideology about android was:
I was on Verizon and i was looking for a good smart phone
Windows mobile sucked and Blackberry was not that much better

I was not on At & t and the only interesting option was android so i started off with the droid and have since had about 5 different phones(eris, incredible, evo, etc.)

Now i am on At & t and i stuck with android but the thing about android is

1)I hate how small and grainy the contact pictures are when people call me.
2)The Facebook application is horrible...I am an avid user, so i should be able to get push notifications and not have to go into the browser if im using an application
3)Apps...I have about 100 apps on my phone including bloatware and i love them but they aren't...polished
Yeah Iphone has had a head start on them but still.....

These are small issues and complaints, yes
but the iphone to me

However all the things android lacks in software it makes up for in the hardware...I love my captivates hardware

The camera, flashless, is just absolutely great(not like my xperia but still)and i love the UI(not the OS) touchwiz

it's cartoony and it's gorgeous and love it

and yes i love super amoled

I honestly buy android for the hardware but i am leaning towards the iphone for
A)new fresh OS...i've done windows mobile, 've done blackberry, i've done webos, i am on android...Ios will be a new experience
B)Software+hardware seems integrated perfectly where it seems like with android, the hardware seems to save the shortcomings of the software

but thats just me. I hope i didnt offend anyone...It seems like people get offended a lot when you compare the two

I just see how everyone is talking about how great iphones are and how evil steve jobs is...

So i want to see if this is really hype or is there a legit reason to be devoted to a phone...

So i may switch out for another captivate....and i may jump ship to an iphone 4 completely and become a "sheep" lol

if i dont like it, down the road i can sell it for quite a few hundred bucks and come back to the iphone

idk...such a hard choice lol

 

[picklesNICKLES]

Why do you people insist on making a long ass quote of the original post when you have the first reply?!?!?!

 

[MarcMaiden]

idk...such a hard choice lol

it is a tough choice. and to be honest, its one completely up to personal preference. If I was in your situation, and had a chance to go for the I4, I'd do it. But I would also stick around these forums as well and keep your ears open for fixes to some of the problems of this phone.

working for at&t i have access to a lot of phones (not for free but still)

I chose the captivate over the I4 for a few reasons:

-Media (Music and videos) (gorgeous screen)
-Using it as a developer phone (for my engineering classes. Im taking android app dev class this semester)
-Im used to android, using it since last november.
-I got sick of the Iphone (because i work for at&t)
-Better battery
-Better community (XDA, these forums)
-complete control over phone and looks

one thing i do wish android had was an app called Irig. It allows you to turn your iphone into a guitar amp (you can plug your guitar into the iphone through the headphone jack). Its a great app for someone like me who has been playing guitar for 12 years

anyways,
all those are personal preferences and if in the end, you decided you wanted to go with the I4 and want to switch back, the resale value is so high on the Iphones that you could even get an Iphone 3gs, sell it, and buy a captivate like new in box and maybe even pocked some extra cash ahaha

anyways, good luck with your choice!

 

[shorty920]

I agree with your post(and eww to one above mine lol)

Except when i hold it...it loses signal but generally gets signal when i leave it laying down

I think I am going to take it back

I liked the xperia i had before this but hell no to 1.6
and the low call volume(The xperia has the best camera on a phone in the US...i think anyway)

and I am going to go to At & t and look at the Aria but doubt i will get it

The torch seems nice but i dont like the OS of blackberry

I love webos but the hardware is god awful on the pre and definitely the pixi

So i am considering a strong jump over to the iphone 4 and just try a brand new experience and device

Ive been with Android for almost a year...went to 2.0 to 2.1 to down to 1.5 to 2.1 and then 1.6 and now 2.1

I love my captivate(Signal issues aside) but i do use my phone to text and talk and when i am holding it, it loses signal and a good camera and beautiful screen/UI aside...i need something a little more reliable for me

Im glad to know i am not the only one who is having signal issues

You are buying an iphone to get better signal quality and for better calling and texting??? Does anyone else see the irony with this action?

 

[mongstradamus]

You are buying an iphone to get better signal quality and for better calling and texting??? Does anyone else see the irony with this action?

For all the pitfalls that iphone has its good for first time smartphone users, it just works out of the box, and if you add the case you shouldnt have reception issues. Iphones just arent for everybody tho.