The phone, IMHO is a bit...Meh. This was my first smart phone, and although it is a big step up from the little LG dare I had, it is hard for me to recommend this phone unless you plan to root. Now, I am not a TOTAL geek, I do know how to get around files and change what-nots better than the casual smart phone user. I have been VERY skeptical about rooting as it is a big deal (At least in my mind) and if something goes wrong, you could brick it (Although ive heard its very easy to reverse).
So anywho, I decided to root a few days ago (After reading A HELL of a lot and asking LOTS of questions) and it is very cool. I have only loaded a few minor settings (a fix for the lagginess, some little visual mods and wifi tether) but it runs a hell of a lot smoother and feels like a true smartphone should. I plan on doing more rootness with the device, but for now Im just working with what I got.
Now after that is all said and done, I dont plan on buying another Samsung Smartphone. The number one reason is the HORRIBLE lack of backing. The Android OS that is installed on the device is at 2.1 and runs significantly slower and less consistantly than what is installed on 3/4 of the devices released at the same date and even a few months BEFORE. Now samsung claims that it will be updated...but for now im a bit skeptical. Honestly this would be a non issue if I actually felt like samsung was getting its act together and actually working on it rather than releasing even MORE products.
The other big reason was the GPS. It was VERY hit or miss with it sometimes locking on in 30 seconds, and for me upto 20 minutes just to find somewhere a mere hour away. Although that has now been fixed with the most recent update that Verizon released.
And the only other REAL con that I can think of is the Bing related stuff and bloat ware. Essentially the device comes with bing loaded into the search soft key as well as the default search engine, and right now, it can't be changed. Now its not that big of a deal for me. I just up the browser button right into my dock, set my home page to google, and im satisfied. And bloat ware is just verizon's crappy apps they pre install into the device and cant be removed. They are more annoying rather than actually a con. They just take up space in the app drawer. But again, its not that big of a deal.
Personally I believe the Fascinate has a great POTENTIAL for being one kick ass phone stock, but in its state that it is right now...I say its a little more than passable and there is definatly better options out there, especially with the Iphone right around the corner. Now all these issues can be fixed with a Root but its really up to you if you want to take the plunge. Just keep in mind, it does take some reading and asking of questions to understand even 1/4 of it...but it absolutly makes the phone a lot more stable.
As for me, im keeping it until my contract is up in september or something AMAZING comes along. Im stoked about some new HTC phone coming out (I think HTC makes the best stock phones out there right now) but I kind of want to avoid the 4G phones. I have a feeling they are NOT going to be as cheap as 3G. I just hope they continue supporting and making 3G phones through at least september. Anyway...hope that helps!
