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First things to do with captivate

I'm still using TW Launcher because I need those 4 buttons on the bottom. I just like them there. I also like the app drawer to scroll horizontally and show those bubbles at the top to show where I am.
 
Thare187 said:
The first thing you should do is get a Garmin or Tom Tom. Then learn to install Cognition because the phone is laggy as hell without a custom ROM.
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I've had mine since mid September and haven't noticed any lag at all. Not rooted btw. Oh and I run naked too ;) I had a screen protector on my old Eternity and hated it. Had the opportunity to use a Fascinate with a screen protector and had to do double taps just to get it to register. Cemented my anti protector feelings. I'll just have to be careful! :D
 
I spent the first two days setting up my home screens.

On the 3rd day i downloaded launcherpro (free version) to give it a shot.

I then spent the 4th and 5th day re-customizing everything because I liked Lpro that much better. (primarily having the ability to customize the buttons on the bottom of the screen, the dock, and having 3 docks instead of 1).

So my advice... try LP first ;)
 
I'm getting my first Android phone (Captivate of course) on Monday or Tuesday, and I think I'm going to root it right out of the box haha... Newbie question but, can I or should I run any updates before I root?

From my readings, applying any updates after rooting is not advised, but I wasnt clear on if its ok to update and then root?

Thnx in advance!
 
I did not root my captivate because I didn't want to risk voiding the warranty or "brick" my phone.

I've owned my phone for about two weeks and here are some of the apps that I installed and recommend.
-Tasker - it allows me to do a lot of things with my phone, including turning off all audible alerts and keyguard when bluetooth is connected, popup displays when plugging in headphones to select which program to use, car finder when parking, keyguard toggle widget, turn on silent mode when in meetings, turn off keyguard when connected to my home wifi, etc. There are many more uses. Costs money (~$7), but it was worth every penny
-Launcher Pro Plus - I purchased the plus version to support the developer. In addition, I liked the facebook and people widget.
-Astro - to back up my applications and a good file browser
-SyncMyPix - syncs the pictures in facebook to my google contact list
-SoundBest Player - I have a hearing loss, so this was a nice media player that does a simple 'hearing test' and modifies the equalizer to improve sound quality.
-Ringdroid - to customize my ring tones

I also purchased a screen protector from Best Buy. It's not for everyone, but I like the added protection and it does not affect the touch sensitivity for me. I did this instead of purchasing a case.

I did a ton of dock and icon customization with my captivate using Launcher Pro, Desktop Visualizer, and photoshop to create my own icons. I used textbased icons because I liked how they look.
 
CamaroZ28c said:
I've had mine since mid September and haven't noticed any lag at all. Not rooted btw. Oh and I run naked too ;) I had a screen protector on my old Eternity and hated it. Had the opportunity to use a Fascinate with a screen protector and had to do double taps just to get it to register. Cemented my anti protector feelings. I'll just have to be careful! :D
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I also had the eternity before my captivate BIG upgradee!
 
Launcher Pro vs TouchWiz is a matter of preference. There is an app called Home Switcher I think that lets you switch between them. It only works on eclair which is what your phone has stock anyways.

Move all your contacts into gmail, it makes them easier to manage on the phone.

You don't need to worry about rooting, installing ROMS or stuff like that until you want to play with it. You can use an Android phone just fine as a phone without rooting it. You need root access to do a few things (take screenshots, make full backups and install out-of-market software and ROMS) but for day-to-day stuff you don't.

Only install angry birds if you want to never do anything productive ever again.

Check out Dropbox if you don't already have an account, its a pretty simple way of coping files to your phone.

One of the first things I wanted to do with my phone was install the WPA2 key for my home network. Copying the key onto the phone over USB was straight forward enough. But when I used the stock file explorer that was on the phone I could only look at the key, not copy it. So I installed the Astro file explorer and with that I could cut-n-paste the WPA key instead of re-typing it.
 
Actually a good first thing is to download the SGS unlock app (it's in the market) and try get your unlock code before updating your firmware so you can have a sim-unlocked phone. After installing new firmware, it supposedly makes it more difficult to get your unlock code. (Samsung hides it better).

Having a sim-unlocked phone is good for travelling as you can get a local sim card and not have to pay AT&T for roaming. Many countries even sell the sim cards in vending machines. It also makes a phone much more useful as a backup and can get a higher resale price when you eventually upgrade your phone 2-3 years down the line.
 
Andrewdroid said:
Actually a good first thing is to download the SGS unlock app (it's in the market) and try get your unlock code before updating your firmware so you can have a sim-unlocked phone. After installing new firmware, it supposedly makes it more difficult to get your unlock code. (Samsung hides it better).

Having a sim-unlocked phone is good for travelling as you can get a local sim card and not have to pay AT&T for roaming. Many countries even sell the sim cards in vending machines. It also makes a phone much more useful as a backup and can get a higher resale price when you eventually upgrade your phone 2-3 years down the line.
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Unlocking instructions for both pre-update and JH7 are available at the Captivate FAQ:

Unlock - CapFAQ
 
It's useful if you have a foreign or t-mobile sim card to let you enter your unlock code once you get it. You'll only have to do that once.

The "foreign" sim doesn't even have to be activated, it just has to be not at&t. I have an old British sim card that I used after I got the unlock code.
 
I'd wash it. So many hands have touched the phone before it reached you. Gentle cycle, cold water. Dry it in a bag filled with uncooked rice for 24 hours. Voila!


Disclaimer: Just kidding (you never know!)
 
Just got my Captivate last night had to retire the BB Bold..shame, I liked a lot of things about the BB but you have to move on and BB is just not there yet. My question ( at last ) thinking about going to Best Buy and having them install a screen protector..it's about 30.00 bucks but my daughter had them put one on her I phone over a year ago and it still looks perfect and I think they will replace it if it scratches, has anyone tried them out?
 
Fat49 said:
Just got my Captivate last night had to retire the BB Bold..shame, I liked a lot of things about the BB but you have to move on and BB is just not there yet. My question ( at last ) thinking about going to Best Buy and having them install a screen protector..it's about 30.00 bucks but my daughter had them put one on her I phone over a year ago and it still looks perfect and I think they will replace it if it scratches, has anyone tried them out?
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$30 to install a screen protector??!! YIKES!!

Install it yourself, it's not that hard if you take your time.
 
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