All Things GPS

[kbohip]

Well today I went and exchanged my phone for another Vibrant. Day 14 so this was the last day I could do it. HUGE hassle at Costco as they couldn't figure out how I'd only paid $250.00 for it with no contract. The guys at the Kiosk still weren't sure why they ever sold them there for $250 in the first place. They figured it had to be a price mistake. Anyway, the phone there is now back at the normal out of contract price of $490.00.

As for anyone that is wondering, the date on the box says 7/11/2010. My old one said 6/26/2010. The GPS? Still doesn't work at all. I didn't exchange it because of this issue alone though. The main reasons I exchanged it was the sudden freezes and black screens I was getting and also the fact that the voice part of the phone stopped working right as well. I also was experiencing apps that would open then close 1 second later until I pulled the battery. The only way I could fix this was to pull the battery. I had to do this twice in an hour. The bluetooth also only worked intermittently. I've yet to test this out though on the new phone to see if this problem has gone away.

 

[SamsungVibrant]

Well today I went and exchanged my phone for another Vibrant. Day 14 so this was the last day I could do it. HUGE hassle at Costco as they couldn't figure out how I'd only paid $250.00 for it with no contract. The guys at the Kiosk still weren't sure why they ever sold them there for $250 in the first place. They figured it had to be a price mistake. Anyway, the phone there is now back at the normal out of contract price of $490.00.

As for anyone that is wondering, the date on the box says 7/11/2010. My old one said 6/26/2010. The GPS? Still doesn't work at all. I didn't exchange it because of this issue alone though. The main reasons I exchanged it was the sudden freezes and black screens I was getting and also the fact that the voice part of the phone stopped working right as well. I also was experiencing apps that would open then close 1 second later until I pulled the battery. The only way I could fix this was to pull the battery. I had to do this twice in an hour. The bluetooth also only worked intermittently. I've yet to test this out though on the new phone to see if this problem has gone away.

Does your new phone have a blue tint to everything that should be white?

 

[kbohip]

Does your new phone have a blue tint to everything that should be white?

Yes, but I never noticed it until I held it against my lcd computer monitor. There is a definite blue tint. It's not enough to bother me at all though.

 

[peepinmofo]

on a separate note I've gotten spoiled to this 4 inch screen and may not be happy with anything smaller!

A woman happy with 4 inches? First time Ive ever heard that! hahaha

 

[elgibby]

As for anyone that is wondering, the date on the box says 7/11/2010. My old one said 6/26/2010. The GPS? Still doesn't work at all.

FWIW: I bought my Vibrant on Sunday and the GPS would not locate the T-Mobile store. The sales guy ran the fix outlined on this forum (yes, he knew all about it, the guy was great), and I've had no problem since. Yesterday I used the GPS as a test and it worked great, including quickly rerouting me because of a new roadway/old map issue, and again when I purposely missed an exit.

Only issue I'm having is iPod withdrawal with the music player!

 

[motobando]

My GPS seems to work fine also. I bought mine less than a week ago at Costco. I was thinking of applying the XDA fix for the heck of it, but don't want to mess with something that is not broken. I get an accurate fix on Google maps within a few seconds at most. I did not try GPS Test or any other GPD program out of fear it may muck with settings and hinder performance. I had this happen on a different phone and it never worked the same after. Maybe there were a bad batch of GPS chipsets that went out, which is why it seems some folks have issues and some do not?

 

[coolguy949]

Just a quick note. You mentioned the EVO. Please consider not just the phone but the carrier. I don't know how long you have been with t-mobile. T-mobile truely is great at responding to the needs of their customers with kindness. Last thing you want when you are frustrated is a rude customer service rep. Also the Evo has itself suffered build issues, caps on its frame rate, and its a chunky phone. I think the vibrant, although dimension wise similar to the Evo and Droidx, still has a very functional quality to it. Very light weight, thin, and sexy.

I came to the Vibrant from the Evo. I was the biggest Evo fan boy. I was so excited for that phone to come out. I felt like I waited an eternity for that thing to come out. Owning it was a much different experience (see my posts on this forum from about a month ago or older).

First let me say that Sprint is great. Coverage and customer service is amazing now. I would take Sprint over Verizon any day. It's a much better value. And you roam to Verizon which still gives you the added coverage.

Many of the Evos suffer from quality issues. Initially the phone was plagued with issues ("grounding issue", headphone jack, 30fps, screen separation, light leak, battery drain). Thankfully all the software and firmware fixes have been done either by HTC or the dev community (if you don't mind rooting). The only issues that seem to remain for many are hardware related: screen separation, light leakage, or a bad headphone jack. Battery life isn't greatly improved from the initial release and it wasn't any worse than the Vibrant I have now.

I ended up returning my phone because I was so tired of the run around from HTC and the fact there was NOTHING in stock even up to the 30 day return policy. I ended up returning mine on the 30th day and going back to a touch pro 2 so I don't get stuck with the Evo. On day 32 HTC contacted me saying they had seem my posts on the HTC forum and wanted to swap me out for a new Evo they hand picked for me. I told them it was too late, it already was returned.

I still get sad when I see someone enjoying their Evo. My brother's Evo is perfect. Not one flaw. I had friends going through 4 or 5 of them just to end up with more problems. The Galaxy S is clearly a better phone. Build quality is god-like compared to HTC. It's much faster IMO. It's lighter. It can do simultaneous voice and data (my reason for switching from sprint - tethering is no good when you're getting disconnected by taking a call or receiving a text). However, the GPS and periodic lag issues on the Galaxy really make it feel like Evo all over again. Hopefully Samsung fixes this. They are basically an OTA update away from having the best phone on the market hands down.

The Evo is a great phone but the grass isn't always greener. I had a pretty bad experience with it - but many haven't. It's up to you. Sadly phones aren't to the point where buying one doesn't come with a few sacrifices. The day phones work as advertised will truly be a great day for all of us.

 

[Robinelli]

My google maps is now acting like a turd. I can't access it anymore through the google voice function. Now when I use google voice to "find" something, it pulls up the internet as a search. I am ticked!

 

[clintroc]

Well, the avatar could just be some dude thinking WW is Hot. I know i did in her day...lol. I assumed you were a guy as well as these types of forums are just mostly guys, but its all good.

Anyways, the only other T-Mobile phone id have other than this one is the MyTouch. I dont like the HTC HD2 much. The MyTouch dont have the beautiful screen and i really dont need that keyboard but it has some good functions as we have discussed already. And, well i dont know, i havent messed with the new Garmin phone so i cant say. It just didnt feel very solid to me but you never know. It wasnt working in the store when i went and i cant understand why these places dont have a lot of working phones.

Ive been in two AT&T stores because i want to check out the iPhones display and they have ZERO working phones in there. I told them if it werent for the iPhone and its rep, they would'nt sell shit in there with a bunch of dummy phones.

If you want to play with an iPhone, you have to go to the Apple store, they usually have plenty of them out.

 

[SamsungVibrant]

My google maps is now acting like a turd. I can't access it anymore through the google voice function. Now when I use google voice to "find" something, it pulls up the internet as a search. I am ticked!

PLEASE let samsung and t-mobile know you replaced your phone and the new one has problems also. I'm so ticked off, i just got off with samsung chat support, and again they act like only a "few" people are reporting this problem. I'm more convinced than ever every single phone out there has this problem. You can read my most current conversation with samsung posted on the galaxyshelp.com thread.

People need to complain and report their issues.

 

[Robinelli]

I bought an IPhone 4 today to bring it home and have some "alone time" with it LOL. I am taking it back tonight. I played with it the entire day (didn't get anything else done!) and it isn't for me. It just doesn't have the functionality of the Android phones.

I am ticked with the Vibrant though and I am really seriously considering a Droid X right now.

 

[Robinelli]

PLEASE let samsung and t-mobile know you replaced your phone and the new one has problems also. I'm so ticked off, i just got off with samsung chat support, and again they act like only a "few" people are reporting this problem. I'm more convinced than ever every single phone out there has this problem. You can read my most current conversation with samsung posted on the galaxyshelp.com thread.

People need to complain and report their issues.

Don't worry! They'll hear from me!

 

[SamsungVibrant]

I bought an IPhone 4 today to bring it home and have some "alone time" with it LOL. I am taking it back tonight. I played with it the entire day (didn't get anything else done!) and it isn't for me. It just doesn't have the functionality of the Android phones.

I am ticked with the Vibrant though and I am really seriously considering a Droid X right now.

What do you mean you baught an iphone 4? you baught it to play with then return it? Don't they charge a 35 buck restocking fee?

 

[SamsungVibrant]

Don't worry! They'll hear from me!

Let them hear from you sooner than later!

 

[Robinelli]

What do you mean you baught an iphone 4? you baught it to play with then return it? Don't they charge a 35 buck restocking fee?

I got it at Walmart and they do not charge a restocking fee (or at least not the one by my house). I was hoping to like it more I guess. I just got back from returning it. They didn't give me any trouble/hassle returning it. Actually the electronics guy had an EVO and let me play with it. VERY nice. I think I've decided just to stick with Vibrant though. It just seems right for me.

 

[SamsungVibrant]

I got it at Walmart and they do not charge a restocking fee (or at least not the one by my house). I was hoping to like it more I guess. I just got back from returning it. They didn't give me any trouble/hassle returning it. Actually the electronics guy had an EVO and let me play with it. VERY nice. I think I've decided just to stick with Vibrant though. It just seems right for me.

How would you compare the iPhone 4 screen to ours. Obviously ours is larger, but I found the resolution and clarity to be much better on iPhone 4. Super Amoled looks too pixelated in my opinion, while the iPhone 4, you can't see any pixels.

 

[Robinelli]

Their whites were white unlike ours. Youtube videos were MUCH MUCH clearer on the Iphones than on the Vibrant. Website pics did appear to be more pixelated on the vibrant but not by too much. I didn't have my pic quality to set to maximum either though (using Opera Mini). I just couldn't deal with the phone no matter how good the screen.

Edited to add- I didn't feel like my finger slid as well over the glass of the IPhone as it does the Vibrant. I also felt the Vibrant was much more responsive to touch.

 

[VegasTouch]

Their whites were white unlike ours. Youtube videos were MUCH MUCH clearer on the Iphones than on the Vibrant. Website pics did appear to be more pixelated on the vibrant but not by too much. I didn't have my pic quality to set to maximum either though (using Opera Mini). I just couldn't deal with the phone no matter how good the screen.

Edited to add- I didn't feel like my finger slid as well over the glass of the IPhone as it does the Vibrant. I also felt the Vibrant was much more responsive to touch.

I had an iPhone for two years that was jailbroken which allowed me to do much more than i could normally. The iPhone is a good device. Just never going to go to AT&T is why i switched.

However, Android is much more customizable than the iPhone and both phones do things i like more than the other but i DO THINK Android is going to pass iPhone up within the next year or sooner as far as their OS. Even the App store will be on par soon.
Gingerbread should really put Android past them. Hec Froyo should make them close.
iPhone hasnt been without their problems either. iP4 may be their best phone as far as features but the bugs are plenty and in trying to make it look elegant,...which they did they also made it a china doll.

Now my iPhone looks small compared to my Vibrant.

 

[Robinelli]

I actually think I prefer the Iphone 3GS over the Iphone 4. The Iphone 4 felt too rigid and dense. It was not slick and smooth and just had an odd feel in my hands. It doesn't look as good to me, either -in person. On the net the IP4 looks good. But in person, the IP3gs looks better than the in person IP4 if that makes sense.

I hated the contact list in IP4. It was so crappy. I love it in Vibrant. Love the right swipe to call, left to msg. Love the big facebook pics on the main screen. LOVE the google maps integration! LOVE the google maps voice navigation!!!!!!! LOVE the google voice (esp. when it works LOL). IP4 has nothing free OR paid that comes close to google maps and navigation. Their maps/navigation are a joke. Most of the apps it seemed in the market cost money whereas ours are cheaper and many are free.

Don't get me started on the AT&T pricing and reception! I dropped THREE CALLS within my first 5 minutes on the phone! I had a 2GB limit on my internet per month. Anyway, I had the phone a day and was over it. If I had never had a smartphone before I would've been amazed. But coming from the Vibrant I was underwhelmed LOL.

 

[SamsungVibrant]

When do you guys think Samsung will annouce something about the GPS.

 

[VegasTouch]

When do you guys think Samsung will annouce something about the GPS.

Im not holding my breath but if i had to guess, id say just before they release 2.2 to the Vibrant.......and only if they really think that will fix it. Not sure when we will get 2.2 but ive read most recently end of Sept. Was hoping for this month.

 

[SamsungVibrant]

Im not holding my breath but if i had to guess, id say just before they release 2.2 to the Vibrant.......and only if they really think that will fix it. Not sure when we will get 2.2 but ive read most recently end of Sept. Was hoping for this month.

I hope you are being sarcastic, because I was thinking a fix would be here by the end of the week. I was hoping for today, but no new knews today

 

[spiz]

I hope you are being sarcastic, because I was thinking a fix would be here by the end of the week. I was hoping for today, but no new knews today

There will be a fix soon. Regardless of what you read, I have confirmation that this is the hottest thing going on for the Samsung/T-Mobile team and is being worked on along with some other bug fixes. Trust me, it will be soon.

 

[SamsungVibrant]

There will be a fix soon. Regardless of what you read, I have confirmation that this is the hottest thing going on for the Samsung/T-Mobile team and is being worked on along with some other bug fixes. Trust me, it will be soon.

Hey spiz thanks. Do you have an insider friend at Samsung? if so Can you ask them about the blue tint on my vibrant? I have a blue tint, but this can't be normal, because i've seen vibrants without any blue tint, instad gorgeus warm bright whites. Let me know what your friend/insider says.

 

[spiz]

Hey spiz thanks. Do you have an insider friend at Samsung? if so Can you ask them about the blue tint on my vibrant? I have a blue tint, but this can't be normal, because i've seen vibrants without any blue tint, instad gorgeus warm bright whites. Let me know what your friend/insider says.

Can't really talk much about that, but I can possibly shed some light on your blue-tinted screen. First, have you made sure your brightness is all the way up? If so, is the blue-tint still obvious?

I noticed this for the first time last weekend while looking at a Droid X. The Droid X appeared to be closer to "actual" white, however, mine still looked more vibrant (no pun intended... can't think of a better word), making the Droid X look dull. A friend of mine (a Droid owner and fanboy) was convinced mine was blue-ish.

Here's the thing. The Droid X uses a TFT LCD display. LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) displays can show pure white. The Vibrant is using a variant, if you will, of LED (Light Emitting Diode). LED displays can't show pure white as they can only use red, blue, and green lights. The closest you can get to white is a white-ish blue.

So when comparing the Vibrant to a phone with an LCD display, you'll either A) notice the Vibrant having a blue-ish tint or B) the LCD display being dull. I happen to see other "whites" as being dull and almost yellowish. Everyone's eyes are different.

This may or may not help, but sort of explains that there are different variants of "white" in any LED display with a chart. Super AMOLED is basically an LED display on steroids, so the brighter it is, the closer to "white" it becomes.

Technical LED Color Chart


Take some pictures of your phone in web browsers, Gmail, or anything that uses a white background, and I'll see if it's more blue than it should be. If it's bothering you, take it to TMobile and ask to compare the colors. If it's obviously more blue than it should be, they might do an exchange for you regardless of whether or not you're outside of your return policy.