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Should I keep the Epic or go back to the Evo?

Here are some problems I've experienced with my short time owning the Epic 4G, these are listed in no particular order:

1) The Epic cannot record video using the front-facing camera.
While the Evo could record VGA quality video using the front-facing camera, the Epic's camera lacks this capability. I've found a way around this, which is through the Qik application, but the videos looks grainy and of poor quality. I know the front camera on the Epic is only VGA but the quality of the stills compared to video using Qik makes it apparent that it's a problem with the application itself.

2) The default browser will load pages in mobile view whenever possible.
This is very annoying. There is no option in the browser's settings to turn off mobile view like there was on the Evo. I even downloaded Opera Mini; and while there was a mobile view ON/OFF option, some pages still loaded in mobile view. Not to mention you can't pinch-zoom while using Opera Mini.

3) Some Flash content on webpages doesn't show.
On a few web pages I've visited, some Flash content doesn't show or it shows improperly.

Does anyone known any solutions to these problems? The problem with Qik will probably be fixed with an update; unless someone knows another way to record video with the front-facing camera. As far as the problem with mobile page view, if anyone knows any other free browsers that will remedy my problem that would be great. I'm not sure how to fix the problem with Flash, though.
 
I would say, personally, that none of the problems listed are worthy of returning a device.

1) Recording video with front cam would render bad video, which is most likely why Samsung did not include it. There may be apps out there, if not now maybe later, that will allow for this with higher quality than the Qik app. (btw Qik app is supposed to get updated to better utilize the Epic FFC, as of now it renders odd distortion)

2) The default browser is a mobile browser, use something like Dolphin Browser HD. This gives you the option of rendering websites in Desktop mode. It works great.

3) Epic 4G is not Flash enabled....yet. When Android 2.2 is released we will get Flash 10.1 support.

Just remember that you are on an Android platform, so when it comes to software problems/limitations there is a strong possibility that the problem has a work around by either developers or an app from the market.

-Adrift
 
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1. Flip the phone and use the rear camera.
2. Download an alternate browser, Dolphin HD is a good start.
3. 2.2 update will bring flash.

Well, solutions 2 and 3 make sense but 1 is just impractical. If I didn't want a front-facing camera where I can see myself while I record, I wouldn't have bought Epic.

Also here's another problem I forgot to mention in my original post:

4) The battery will say it's done charging, even though the battery meter is not full.
And when I unplug the charger to discover that the battery meter is not full, it will tell me "No Battery Detected" when I plug it back in, forcing me to reboot the phone in order to continue charging the battery.
 
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I would say, perosnally, that none of the problems listed are worthy of returning a device.

1) Recording video with front cam would render bad video, which is most likely why Samsung did not include it. There may be apps out there, if not now maybe later, that will allow for this with higher quality than the Qik app. (btw Qik app is supposed to get updated to better utilize the Epic FFC, as of now it renders odd distortion)

2) The default browser is a mobile browser, use something like Dolphin Browser HD. This gives you the option of rendering websites in Desktop mode. It works great.

3) Epic 4G is not Flash enabled....yet. When Android 2.2 is released we will get Flash 10.1 support.

Just remember that you are on an Android platform, so when it comes to software problems/limitations there is a strong possibility that the problem has a work around by either developers or an app from the market.

-Adrift

The VGA quality video back on my Evo wasn't bad at all. It looked good considering the resolution it was recording in. I used my front camera for video a lot more than I did for stills. But if Qik is planning an update to deal with the distortion, I can probably wait it out.

Does anyone know of any good apps to get around this?
 
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Of these 1 and 4 are the most significant. The Epic FFC seems to be just a cut below the Evo's FFC (hardware and implementation), and it's unclear whether they will address this in software. As for 4, the Epic just doesn't seem to manage battery and battery reporting as well as Evo, it is also unclear whether they will address this in software. The other stuff is pretty sure to be software-addressable, with an alternate browser and 2.2.
 
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The Epic has only been released for almost 2 weeks.. Yes there are going to be some minor problems/bugs. I had the EVO also and bought it a couple days after it was released and that too had some bugs that needed fixed. I'm going to assume there will be an OTA, then Froyo that will help things up just as they did for the EVO.. I think both this phone and the EVO are great phones especially with LauncherPro. Seems like theres no difference except I get a physical keyboard!! Good luck with whatever your choice is, IMO there is not comparison between these 2 phones they are both great!
 
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In the Evo, you can change your user-agent so that web sites don't detect your phone as a mobile brower. in the URL field, type in about:debug. Nothing will appear to happen, but if you then go to your browser's settings, you'll have a lot more options, one of which is UAString. From there, you can change the user agent to desktop.

Maybe this isn't available on the Epic's stock browser, but I thought I'd mention it just in case it was. This change is necessary for Evo users to fool Hulu into showing flash videos to the phone.
 
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In the Evo, you can change your user-agent so that web sites don't detect your phone as a mobile brower. in the URL field, type in about:config. Nothing will appear to happen, but if you then go to your browser's settings, you'll have a lot more options, one of which is UAString. From there, you can change the user agent to desktop.

Maybe this isn't available on the Epic's stock browser, but I thought I'd mention it just in case it was. This change is necessary for Evo users to fool Hulu into showing flash videos to the phone.

I tried this in the stock browser and found no such settings.
 
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Neither about:config nor about:debug did anything for me. It seems I've found ways around every problem but the battery problem and the Flash issue is just an Android 2.1 thing. The front camera videos on the Qik app look a tad better when I'm in sunlight and another browser fixed the the web pages issue. I'm still puzzled why Samsung would put a WAP browswer on what is arguably the best phone out for Sprint if not in the entire U.S.

I realize there will be bugs with a new phone, but I don't recall having issues like this when I first got the Evo. The Froyo update resolved any issues with the Evo so I'm assuming it will with the Epic as well.
 
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Actually, about:debug did work for me. It added a new bank of settings at the very bottom of the settings list and included UAString, which I now have set at desktop. Works great. And Droidone, it seems to stick in the Epic stock browser, after doing a soft restart this morning it is still set on desktop.

BTW, the new bank of settings is labled "Debug" and UAString is the very last option.

-Adrift
 
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Actually, about:debug did work for me. It added a new bank of settings at the very bottom of the settings list and included UAString, which I now have set at desktop. Works great. And Droidone, it seems to stick in the Epic stock browser, after doing a soft restart this morning it is still set on desktop.

BTW, the new bank of settings is labled "Debug" and UAString is the very last option.

-Adrift

It did work for me too. I must have made a typo the first time. Now I was able to set it to render pages in "Desktop", hence fixing my problem. If RadioShack or Sprint will replace the battery or exchange the phone for me, then it looks like I'm all set! Thanks, guy!
 
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