Help Will this phone be another Captivate?

[Hydrated]

I've been watching and waiting for the Attain to hit AT&T... but now that it's only days away, I've been reminiscing about what an absolutely crappy phone my Captivate has been. And that made me start to wonder:

"Will the Attain be another phone with the kind of MAJOR problems that have plagued the Captivate?"

I've been an engineer for almost 30 years, so I've owned a lot of technology... electronic and otherwise. And I have to say that the Samsung Captivate has been the most bug riddled and poorly supported technical device that I've ever owned... not just phone... but any electronic device.

I have put up with months of waiting for AT&T/Samsung to fix the GPS... getting Froyo months behind the curve... and the Captivate still has terrible bugs that make it unreliable for business use. This phone has terrible reception for both calls and data. I can also lay the phone on my desk and watch it flash random screens until it finally demands a reboot. And now I'm reading a great number of complaints from European owners about reception and signal strength on both the cellular and WiFi bands.

Now I have to admit that I'm leaning toward the Motorola Atrix. Motorola does radios right. So I'm willing to give up a little speed and glitz for stability instead.

Am I making a mistake by being afraid to invest big bucks in another Samsung phone?

 

[kidsavior]

I've been watching and waiting for the Attain to hit AT&T... but now that it's only days away, I've been reminiscing about what an absolutely crappy phone my Captivate has been. And that made me start to wonder:

"Will the Attain be another phone with the kind of MAJOR problems that have plagued the Captivate?"

I've been an engineer for almost 30 years, so I've owned a lot of technology... electronic and otherwise. And I have to say that the Samsung Captivate has been the most bug riddled and poorly supported technical device that I've ever owned... not just phone... but any electronic device.

I have put up with months of waiting for AT&T/Samsung to fix the GPS... getting Froyo months behind the curve... and the Captivate still has terrible bugs that make it unreliable for business use. This phone has terrible reception for both calls and data. I can also lay the phone on my desk and watch it flash random screens until it finally demands a reboot. And now I'm reading a great number of complaints from European owners about reception and signal strength on both the cellular and WiFi bands.

Now I have to admit that I'm leaning toward the Motorola Atrix. Motorola does radios right. So I'm willing to give up a little speed and glitz for stability instead.

Am I making a mistake by being afraid to invest big bucks in another Samsung phone?

Wow I have had my Captivate since 11/02/2010 and never had any issues other than the GPS was crappy. I rooted and installed another ROM and have not had any trouble at all. Maybe it was because I rooted I don't know, but I have never had ANY of the problems I have read about on these forums. My niece has a Captivate as well, running just plan old vanilla froyo and Touchwiz and she hasn't had issue one. I guess we just got lucky. If you asked me I'd say it was a darn good phone. I mean it has had it's issues, ut I don't know of a single Smartphone that has been issue free.

 

[t90]

Hmm, I can agree with you on the less than stellar GPS and lack of updates, but everything else on my cappy is rock solid. Signal strength, call quality, exceptional sound quality... Could be you had a bad hand set? Did you ever return or exchange it for a different phone?

I have to admit, I flashed several different custom ROMs trying to find the fix for GPS which only improved performance a small amount. I settled for a custom ROM based on the stock 2.2 with a few tweeks. That being said, I never had any issues other than GPS before flashing my first ROM.

I will be heading out Sunday to pick up my GS2 with confidence based on my personal experience ...

 

[m.vasquez009]

Just search around a little on some android Websites and you'll see that all of the reviews for this phone have been solid hugely popular success over seas and is a powerhouse of a phone. HAvent read one bad review about it yet now that I actully think about it

 

[shark974]

I've been watching and waiting for the Attain to hit AT&T... but now that it's only days away, I've been reminiscing about what an absolutely crappy phone my Captivate has been. And that made me start to wonder:

"Will the Attain be another phone with the kind of MAJOR problems that have plagued the Captivate?"

I've been an engineer for almost 30 years, so I've owned a lot of technology... electronic and otherwise. And I have to say that the Samsung Captivate has been the most bug riddled and poorly supported technical device that I've ever owned... not just phone... but any electronic device.

I have put up with months of waiting for AT&T/Samsung to fix the GPS... getting Froyo months behind the curve... and the Captivate still has terrible bugs that make it unreliable for business use. This phone has terrible reception for both calls and data. I can also lay the phone on my desk and watch it flash random screens until it finally demands a reboot. And now I'm reading a great number of complaints from European owners about reception and signal strength on both the cellular and WiFi bands.

Now I have to admit that I'm leaning toward the Motorola Atrix. Motorola does radios right. So I'm willing to give up a little speed and glitz for stability instead.

Am I making a mistake by being afraid to invest big bucks in another Samsung phone?

You must have a defective Captivate or something. Mine has it's share of bugs and such but overall it's a good phone and tough as hell. Reception an area you singled out is good for me as well. And certainly mine doesn't "flash and demand a reboot" when I lay it down, or whatever.

Main issue is yeah, the GPS just isn't very good.

I'm not getting the SGS2 anyway though. I want a bigger screen and better phones are around the corner (though thats always true I suppose, in the fast paced Android world). Was reading about a new Samsung in South Korea with 4.65" screen and 720P resolution...you know that will hit the US in a few months, and probably even better phones. And actually, the supposed specs of the Galaxy S 3 are INSANE. (quad core 2 ghz cpu, 1.5 GB RAM, 4.65", 720P, super amoled 2, etc)

 

[Lombardi]

I would never use an android for business, I would get a fõn. Not a pocket pc that happens to make fon calls

 

[maerlim]

You got a bad Captivate. My Captivate was great other than the GPS, which was fixed.

I've seen this a lot on these forums. People complaining up and down about problems with their phones (not just Captivates) and how they suck and the manufacturer or Android sucks because they shutdown or reboot or crash. Yet they don't do something about that problem other than complain on a message board. It doesn't occur to these people to get a warranty replacement. If you're such a tech guru, would you not replace a radio if it didn't play radio stations?

My Niece's Captivate has similar problems as yours, but she dropped hers a dozen or so times to the point of the body cracking (the screen is fine though). I chalked hers up to abuse, but it could be (and so can yours) just a bad one.

That being said, if you're going to have a bias against Samsung phones, and there are a lot of people out there who do, don't buy one. Buy the Thrill, or a Sensation, or an Atrix, or an iPhone, and be happy.

 

[robhs]

I am on my second Captivate (warranty replacement), and it is no better than the first one. Both had terrible GPS.

 

[KMPrenger]

Was reading about a new Samsung in South Korea with 4.65" screen and 720P resolution...you know that will hit the US in a few months, and probably even better phones. And actually, the supposed specs of the Galaxy S 3 are INSANE. (quad core 2 ghz cpu, 1.5 GB RAM, 4.65", 720P, super amoled 2, etc)

Yep, just like we all knew the SGS2 would land here in a few short months after its international release....(sure it did).

Your not seriously contemplating holding out for an S3 are you? The phone might have INSANE specs but anyone wanting to wait for that would be INSANE as well.

 

[KMPrenger]

You've got to keep in mind the SGS2 has been out world wide and also available as unlocked for months and months now, and it gets rav reviews. It has a huge fan/support/developer base and you know thats part of what makes it so great. Its not like this is the initial release...this phone is actually old news but sadly just making its way onto our hands now...I'd say if it was majorly buggy you'd have heard about it by now.

 

[maerlim]

I am on my second Captivate (warranty replacement), and it is no better than the first one. Both had terrible GPS.

Did either come with or update to Froyo? GPS is a known issue with the original Galaxy-S phones, though the official software updates went a long way to fix that and there are further fixes available on xda.

 

[Puddin422]

GPS on my epic is not much slower to lock my position than my Garmin is. Do I wish it instantly locked? Yes. Is it as horrible and evil as the interwebz make it out to be? Definitely not.

 

[Hydrated]

I've seen this a lot on these forums. People complaining up and down about problems with their phones (not just Captivates) and how they suck and the manufacturer or Android sucks because they shutdown or reboot or crash. Yet they don't do something about that problem other than complain on a message board. It doesn't occur to these people to get a warranty replacement. If you're such a tech guru, would you not replace a radio if it didn't play radio stations?

My Niece's Captivate has similar problems as yours, but she dropped hers a dozen or so times to the point of the body cracking (the screen is fine though). I chalked hers up to abuse, but it could be (and so can yours) just a bad one.

That being said, if you're going to have a bias against Samsung phones, and there are a lot of people out there who do, don't buy one. Buy the Thrill, or a Sensation, or an Atrix, or an iPhone, and be happy.

Wow. You'd think that I just said that your baby is ugly. You certainly got defensive...

I went to great lengths to work with AT&T and Samsung to fix the problems with my phone. That included one warranty replacement that didn't do much to help resolve any problems. But if it makes you feel better to accuse me of pointlessly complaining... then go ahead. If you'll compare my join date for this forum with my post count, you'll see that I'm not the kind of person who just posts stuff to hear myself type.

I just asked a question.... and tried to make a point. Here is the point of my initial post all boiled down for you:

I depend on my provider to deliver the services that I pay for, and with the captivate I do not feel that I got served fairly for what I was promised. And I really don't blame AT&T's technical staff... I got to talk shop to several of AT&T's engineers deep into the support hierarchy and they honestly tried to help fix things. But I honestly feel that it is design flaws... sloppy design flaws that should never have left the design team's office at Samsung. As an engineer, I'd have no job if I made those sorts of design mistakes and poor integration choices.

 

[maerlim]

Wow. You'd think that I just said that your baby is ugly. You certainly got defensive...

As a fellow engineer you should know that the question "Will this phone be another Captivate?" and your subsequent post mercilessly bashing the Captivate certainly implies that you think all Captivates are bad. And by extension since all the original Galaxy-S phones were essentially the same hardware and software, you're implying that the entire Galaxy-S line was plagued with problems. Since that is clearly not the case by any stretch of anybody's imagination, the entire basis for your post is moot.

Your phone was bad. As a fellow engineer I'm sure you know that happens. But the fact remains that your original post does nothing other than spread baseless FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) about a phone that otherwise has a pretty good reputation worldwide.

I have to say that the Samsung Captivate has been the most bug riddled and poorly supported technical device that I've ever owned... not just phone... but any electronic device.

Come on, you posted this. What kind of response were you expecting?

 

[robhs]

Did either come with or update to Froyo? GPS is a known issue with the original Galaxy-S phones, though the official software updates went a long way to fix that and there are further fixes available on xda.

I tried every available update and fix, nothing worked. I updated the replacement to 2.2, and the GPS was no better.

 

[robhs]

I went to great lengths to work with AT&T and Samsung to fix the problems with my phone. That included one warranty replacement that didn't do much to help resolve any problems. But if it makes you feel better to accuse me of pointlessly complaining... then go ahead. If you'll compare my join date for this forum with my post count, you'll see that I'm not the kind of person who just posts stuff to hear myself type.

I just asked a question.... and tried to make a point. Here is the point of my initial post all boiled down for you:

I depend on my provider to deliver the services that I pay for, and with the captivate I do not feel that I got served fairly for what I was promised. And I really don't blame AT&T's technical staff... I got to talk shop to several of AT&T's engineers deep into the support hierarchy and they honestly tried to help fix things. But I honestly feel that it is design flaws... sloppy design flaws that should never have left the design team's office at Samsung. As an engineer, I'd have no job if I made those sorts of design mistakes and poor integration choices.[/QUOTE]

Very well written post, I feel the same way. I work in engineering too, and I can tell you from my personal experiences and nearly everything I read about the Captivate on the internet says that incidents (malfunctions) per thousand units is way beyond acceptable. It is clearly a design defect that should have been addressed by Samsung, but never was. If I had delivered the same "quality" to my customers that Samsung delivered to us with the Captivate, they would demand a recall.

 

[maerlim]

The entire original Galaxy-S line had a GPS problem. It stems from Samsung choosing a substandard SUPL provider and a few items in the gps.conf file (and a few other things that I don't pretend to understand, but others do). On XDA there are fixes for FROYO and Gingerbread for the GPS problem. I don't deny the very well-known well-documented (and Samsung admitted) GPS problems the Galaxy-S line had. It's the other assertions in this thread that are rubbing me the wrong way.

 

[BigCiX]

i went through three captivates and just gave up on the fourth one.

First captivate couldn't find a network after restarting the phone and GPS was faulty
Second captivate GPS was faulty along with the back button not working
Third captivate GPS was broken along with unable to hear callers
Fourth GPS again.....unable to hear callers with broken GPS. After being send a refurbished divice that was unable to hear again i finally called it quits on samsung. Didn't wanna wait on the GS2 so i got an LG Thrill. Passed on the 200 ghz speed and the 512mb of ram but the dual channel memory i haven't had any lag on the 3D or HD games. Not at all one bit disappointed with the device. The only true thing that'll i'll miss about about the Galaxy is the super amoled screen.

 

[chicknlil]

OP, just want to throw out there, if you're thinking about the Atrix, might want to hold out a little bit longer. The Atrix 2 (Edison?) is supposedly coming out "soon", and it eliminates the pentile display of the original.

Long since out of love with my Captivate, but it's at least functional for me with CM7.

 

[SeaOfHoles]

I dont think he is off base. I am on my 2nd Captivate. I would call this a seriously fail phone. The first one would randomly shut down. Not very good for setting an alarm or having it power down in the middle of a conversation.

My current one is horrible also. I routinely have to recycle power to get the thing to charge. I will get a call, and will be unable to answer because the UI appears to be locked up. At other times it will be sluggish to the point that I have to wait 5-10 secs to get the UI to respond.

I don't use the this as a game machine. It's my PHONE. I may only have 5 apps downloaded.

In talking with the AT&T reps, the admitted it has been a pretty bad phone in terms of the number returned for replacement.

And then to add insult to injury, I think Samsung must have only had 1/2 FTE working on the 2.2 upgrade. No wonder it took 9 months to come out. And of course, 2.3 is officially no where to be seen.

I just don't know who to point the finger at. Samsung (would be my bet), Android or AT&T?

 

[HeroNtheShadow]

Another Captivate? Can a Captivate put up a number like this?

 

[HeroNtheShadow]

Its great so far. Much better than my iPhone 3g. GPS works fine!

 

[drapacioli]

Another Captivate? Can a Captivate put up a number like this?

Not me, i only managed half that on my captivate after rooting, lag fixing and adjusting the scheduler for performance.

By the way I used my galaxy s2's GPS to drive from Tampa to Orlando today, completely issue free except when I tried locking indoors (which it isn't supposed to anyway). Then again,I was one of the lucky ones that got working GPS from the start on my captivate. My only issue with the captivate was the sluggish performance that led me to root my phone and fix it myself. That and it's poor design that lead to overheating battery issues. I'm glad to say my galaxy s2 lasted 4 hours on my dash mount under GPS use and charging and held steady at 107

 

[SeaOfHoles]

Another Captivate? Can a Captivate put up a number like this?

What's that graph of? Total number of phone returns by customers per day?

Seriously, both my Captivates have been lemons. I think my old iPhone 3 was more responsive. Can't wait to get rid of it.

PS - As a developer, it would appear to me that there is some poorly written software on the phone. It acts like a thread is eating up all cpu cycles and not giving any up to the UI.

 

[SeaOfHoles]

Oh, and often times my "notification" alerts sound like they are underwater. It's not all the time, especially after a reboot, so it's not the speaker. It smacks of the CPU cycles being sucked by something else and not being able to stream the signal to the speaker (maybe it can't read the sound file from memory fast enough?)

Regardless, fail.