My first impressions of the phone

[Jedii]

I can make that number go up or down depending on how many times I wink @ my DROID 2. It has to be in the same spot for it to work though.

LOL

 

[fegriffith]

WOW. Just tested the speakerphone and it is absolutely fantastic. I could hear everything very well. Also when I put the phone on the table or bed, the sound did not become distorted or muffled. That would happen frequently with my Droid X. I know when I had my Droid X and I would call my girlfriend (she also had a Droid X), the speakerphone quality left a lot to be desired. That doesn't seem to be the case with the Fascinate. I will give my girlfriend a call later today to test out what it sounds like when I call her Droid X.

Also, you guys talking about the music player are getting me really pumped. I walk from class to class every day, so having a phone that has a great music player is crucial for me. I can't wait till my phone is done charging so I can start with the customizing!

What was your impression on the volume of the navigation? I could barely hear mine.

 

[Vihzel]

Is that a good "wow" or bad "wow"?

Oh definitely a good wow. I think this is the best looking Android phone on the market right now. It's incredibly classy. I was amazed by how thin it was also.

 

[TheAlmightyDrew]

What was your impression on the volume of the navigation? I could barely hear mine.

I have no idea actually. I only tested it to make sure it works. When the voice spoke it seemed loud enough to me. Lol.

Oh definitely a good wow. I think this is the best looking Android phone on the market right now. It's incredibly classy. I was amazed by how thin it was also.

Yea. When I am holding it during a phone call, it feels so great. I LOVE how slim the phone is.

 

[droidsmith]

I just got home with my shiny new Fascinate. I traded in my Dinc for it, and am not looking back... other than one minor detail... I miss Sense. The widgets in Sense were far superior, imo. Though I find that I like some of the touchwiz ones, Sense seems a little snapper and responsive.

This phone is hella quick, and gorgeous on the eyes. I put the same "live paper" on both phones and had them side by side and you could easily see the difference.

Some of the apps that came with the phone, I find pretty nice. Daily Briefing is a nice quick snap shot of info. (Weather, stocks, AP News). [It

 

[Vihzel]

Something that I notice is that the phone is considerably smoother in the browser.

 

[Rimzy]

Yay!!! Vihzel os here, did u return ur x, I am getting the fascinate tomorrow!!!

 

[Vihzel]

Yay!!! Vihzel os here, did u return ur x, I am getting the fascinate tomorrow!!!

Oh I still have it. I'm going to have both phones for about 3 weeks or so and make a final decision on what I want to keep. I am so far impressed with the Fascinate. The real tests will be real world testing with battery, camera, connection issues, and such.

 

[substring]

I just picked up my Fascinate from Best Buy. It looks much better than it is on youtube video. I know the phone case is made out of plastic, but it does not look cheap at all. That's what I have been saying all along: "This is what a high-end smartphone should look like".

I noticed I only have 2 bars. But I don't have any lag opening web site. I immediately set my default home page of the web browser to google.com.

I downloaded and upgraded the newer version of VZ Navigator. Then I used it to locate me with the GPS. It only takes a couple seconds and it is only off by a couple houses.

On the youtube videos, they all mentioned about the Friend Network app where you can set up your Facebook and Twitter account. But I cannot find the app and I don't know why??? If anyone knows where to look, please let me know.

I love SocialScope Lite, but their Android client is not out yet. I might have to go to the Android market to look for something else.

Everything about this phone is fantastic so far. Except a few minor things:
1. When I open an email in GMail, I cannot flick to go to the next email. That is something I can do with my BlackBerry, and I cannot imagine that I cannot do the same on an Android phone which is supposed to be more advance.
2. When setting preferences on some places, there is no "save" button and I cannot be sure if the setting has been saved or not.
3. I cannot believe there is no silicon skin or screen protector for this phone available at Best Buy at all. So I have to go naked until I find them somewhere else. That is a little annoying.

Just some minor stuffs. But overall, the phone is better than what I have expected. I am so glad that I committed myself on this phone and did not wait.

That's all for now. I will post some more update later when I have a chance to play with it more. It is indeed a phone that you do not want to put down.

 

[hanano17]

Well I went to BB around noon, they were like "Oh we don't have that in yet". So I said F them and went across the street to the VZW store and bought one. Of course, BB calls me 30m later, we found it....too late! lol

Anyway, I love the phone...but I do have a few questions. My GPS puts me across the street, or like a 1/4 mile away. I have everything turned on that i'm aware of, any tips?

Second question, how do I make the soft key lights stay on as long as the screen...I thought they said it was under display in some review, but I can't find it.

Third, is there a way to make Google Maps default? I know engadget hinted at it, but I can't find it.

Thanks! Did I mention I love this thing?

EDIT: HMMM, loaded Google Maps again, and now it shows me in my apartment...hope it sticks!

 

[Mazeraski]

I am really glad to hear so much satisfaction right off the bat from the people who actually got the Fascinate today. I have been lurking and posting a little in the Droid X forum, as that's the phone I currently have. However, since I found out about the Fascinate a month or so ago, I have been doing quite a bit of research and reading up on it. It got me extremely excited as to when it would actually be released.

I went to play around with it after work today and have to say I am even more impressed having seen it in person. It looks absolutely gorgeous. The screen, the thin design, the whole phone. I am seriously considering trading my X in for one since my 30 days ends around 9/25. Before I was going to do so though, I wanted to wait and listen to the new owners impressions of it overall as well as certain specific points on it.

I know it may take a week or quite possibly a bit more for people to get the feel of the Fascinate, what they like and don't like, what works well and what doesn't. However, for the benefit of those attempting to decide on whether to take the plunge, I'm sure we're all looking forward to what you guys have to say. A couple of points (which concern myself as well as most people looking at this phone on these forums I'm sure):
-Battery Life (!) (Concerning standard and extended batteries)
-Google Maps/Nav and GPS functionality on the Fascinate (does the GPS actually work/does Google Nav work, turn-by-turn?)
-Bing integration (how deep does it go?)
-Opinions on Bing being on the phone
-Ease of rooting (rumored to be quite easy)
-Comparisions to Moto Droid X (for us X users, thanks in advance to Vizhel )
-Camera/Camcorder quality
-Voice/Speakerphone quality
-Dock functionality
-Any issues

Hope I'm not coming across as hijacking TheAlmightyDrew, I just thought it fit well in with your original topic. Sorry for the book of a post and such, but I'm just extremely interested in all of the new Fascinate owners opinions (thanks in advance to everyone!)

 

[howdy]

Clarity at least on the receiving end of calls that I've had so far is a huge step above my droid and incredible. I can actually hear now.

Downside as somebody mentioned above with the navigation volume, same goes for speakerphone. Not loud enough, maybe that can be improved through software. could be the speaker limiting what it can do but hopefully it can be improved. Only complaint so far.

I am using google maps with no issues. I like the interface quite a lot, might stick with it and just get the Bing and Navigator crap off.

Car dock seems really good from Verizon as does the docking station. Both automatically switch to the correct screens in landscape (multimedia for docking station and navigation for car dock). Only issue is that the icons on the screen point to the Verizon pay per month navigator, but that should get hacked soon. Screen protector from Verizon only covers the actual screen, was sort of hoping it would cover the entire glass surface. I'm sure somebody will come out with that if not already.

meant to say that maybe it can be improved through software! I see some apps for other phones (audio boost, etc.). So I'm hoping it will come.

 

[Darkhan]

My only big complaint is that I miss a notification LED I was always used to looking to see if it is flashing from a text or email.

 

[hanano17]

You can try Noled app, works decently.

 

[burningembers]

My first impressions so far (maybe more formal review to come later...):

• The screen is GORGEOUS. I'm coming from an HTC Incredible, and this screen is WOW WOW WOW.
• GPS works fine if not better.
• The touch screen is way more responsive than the Incredible, who's touch lag annoyed me.
• The 5 simultaneous touches is great, the 2 on my Incredible annoyed me to no end.
• The quick access toggles in the notification slider are super convenient.
• Camera seems to take better pictures. Again, the HTC Incredible camera was terrible to me - 8MP means nothing if the sensor itself can't handle it.
• Installed google maps, and it works fine
• I like the bundled task manager

However...

• Yeah, there is a little lag with the lower four touch buttons.
• TouchWiz isn't as slick as Sense (yet) - luckily, I am not much of a widget person so the loss of some Sense widgets is negligible.
• Speakerphone for Navigation isn't as loud as my HTC Incredible was - however it does seem a lot richer and clearer.
• My god...the exchange mail thing is terribly ugly. It works...I'll give it that...but it is nowhere near as pretty as the HTC Incredible exchange mail client. Wow...light blue, pink, and white on dark grey? What were they thinking...

That's it for now...I need to go play with it more I'm so excited...

 

[TheAlmightyDrew]

The more I use this phone, the more I love it. I just need to figure out why I can't install APK files on my phone. I also need to get used to the Power On/Off button being on the right side of the phone now. Far too often today while I was listening to music, I would try to wake up the phone and I would inadvertently turn the volume of the music down because of the way my hand was pressed on the phone.

 

[Araliss]

Not weird at all. Not weird indeed.

When I was using this phone, I had this feeling. This feeling of joy and happiness and security. A feeling that tells me that this is it. This is the phone that I was looking for. It is a feeling that I haven't had since I got my iPhone 3G -- I certainly didn't feel that way when I had the Droid X and Droid 2. When I had those phones, I was like "Yea, this is great but there are big problems that I have with it personally"

So far I have to agree with you. This is the first phone I've been excited about since iPhone 3g.

I have my Fascinate and I am now nice and fast on Verizon. Unfortunately, I swapped my Epic for another Epic last week and Radio shack gave me the new receipt for the swap,now they won't take back the Epic because I don't have the original receipt that they kept.

 

[Konos]

Hi All, Just joined the community as of today...bought my first "smartphone."

Don't know if I have anything too exciting to add. I agree with the reviews regarding the great screen, it's speed, and smoothness of the operating system... BUT as far as negatives go, in addition to echoing that Bing isn't my first choice either and feel its integration does somewhat reduce my own efficiency with searches, I've noticed a few other things (which I don't think I've heard others bring up yet) and they are:

1) I can really hear my own voice while talking to the other person, it sounds kinda tinny/buzzy especially when I raise my voice or with the earpiece volume turned high. Setting it lower helps, but doesn't eliminate it.

2) The part of the screen next to my ear gets Very warm, becoming uncomfortable after 20 mins of talking. I'm concerned this may affect how long I'm actually able to talk on the phone.

3) Finally, I downloaded and used Google maps today and while I was navigating to a location I received a call. The phone switched over to the call but I was still hearing the navigation voice just as loud during the conversation. I don't think the caller was able to hear it, but it certainly interfered with my end of the conversation...I had to call them back.

I guess I was wondering what you guys hear/feel with your phone, maybe I need to take mine back? And what do you think of the problem with google maps. Just a bug that will be fixed in 2.2? Perhaps the integration of google aps into this (google android!) phone won't be so smooth?

 

[Araliss]

Hi All, Just joined the community as of today...bought my first "smartphone."
1) I can really hear my own voice while talking to the other person, it sounds kinda tinny/buzzy especially when I raise my voice or with the earpiece volume turned high. Setting it lower helps, but doesn't eliminate it.

Welcome to the Forum!

I have the Epic on sprint. It has the tiny sound you speak of. My Fascinate doesn't. I was surprised at how loud and clear it was. If you want to pop your battery out and look under it, check to see if the phone was made in July or August. I hear the August made phones don't seem to have that problem.

 

[Bearly]

1) Can you guys comment please on screen visibility (full brightness) outdoors and especially in direct sunlight?

For those of you with an Incredible, how does it compare in this regard?

2) Did anyone get the extended battery? Can anyone confirm that it fits under the stock door?

 

[makemehavefun]

1) Can you guys comment please on screen visibility (full brightness) outdoors and especially in direct sunlight?

Full brightness, outdoors, in direct sunlight(very bright, clear skies), at approximately 2:30pm, Las Vegas, the colors coming out of the display was absolutely, positively, like NOTHING I've seen before on a display on any device I've ever seen work in harsh, direct sunlight. I shite you not.
It should go without saying that I didn't purposefully hold the phone to reflect a damn sunbeam into my eyes to see if the optics I'm sportin' could defeat "The Sun". Glare from sunlight has annoyed me real bad my entire life.
However, I honestly just did not expect the display to perform this well after all I've read about it's touted sun-fighting capabilities for the past month... in fact, I personally guarantee you won't be disappointed in that aspect of the phone.

I can't stop playing with this new phone... man, I'm tired. Just 15 or 30 more minutes and then I'm going to bed.

 

[SirKronan]

Great to know that your first impressions have been great! I'll be doing a bit of a comparison... OBJECTIVE comparison with the Droid X. I'm getting mine at Best Buy temporarily and returning it within 30 days if it really doesn't suit me well.

I guess all the traffic is here now ... I guess I'll add my impressions to this thread instead of the old one:

Some thoughts after handling both and playing games and apps on them side by side:

As for the Fascinate, all I can say is wow. The screen was impressive. However, the Droid X didn't look as bad as I thought it would after playing on the sammy for a while. 3D games like NFS were smoother.

This is going to be a tough choice. After playing with the Fascinate I'm leaning back towards it now. It certainly feels much more comfortable in the hand than the Droid X.

Just to report, I have a rooted Droid X with Launcher Pro. I've killed some of the bloat and use AutoKiller and no other task managing app killing programs. I have battery life set to the Smart plan.

It's been unplugged for over 20 hrs now, and there's still 30% charge left, which is amazing. I've browsed the web, made about 3 hrs of voice calls, used the flashlight several times, played games on it, and let some of the kids I work with play games on it. I've also emailed and texted quite a bit. Haven't needed the nav. I only need it when I go to a new client's house, and I have a full case load now, so I won't likely need it for a while, but I'm sure it works fine. I don't have it enabled though. I do enable wi-fi on and off throughout the day depending on where I am.

The Droid X battery life, call quality, and reception are just staggering. The root was crazy-stupid-simple. With launcher pro everything is fast, smooth, responsive, and pretty much perfect. And I really like the stock music player with it's corny visualizations. This phone has a lot to love.

Now, after handling the Fascinate, here's where I now realize that it falls short:

1. Screen: No surprise here, but not as far short as I thought it would. The Droid X screen is actually a great screen that really impresses. The Fascinate's screen is simply extraordinary.

2. The hump: Not a big deal, it's just weird, and where the Fascinate takes ZERO "getting used to" in the hand, the Droid X is still not comfortable for me yet, and part of the reason is the odd hump.

3. The square edges: I realize that the square edges probably play a part in allowing this design to accommodate an extra 54 pixels over the 4" droids. However, it's simply not as comfortable in the pocket or the hand because of this.

4. Power/screen on button: What in the HECK was Moto thinking when they put the power button on the top-middle of such a large phone, and by that extra thick hump?? What a bunch of malarkey!! I can't get used to that at all, and it's very difficult to naturally and comfortably pull off with a one handed grip. You can just push the home button with your thumb, but that's so close to the edge it's not natural or comfortable either. The samsung button is PERFECT. They could not have put it in a better place. When I grab the phone it's automatically and quite naturally right were my finger is. A simple push and the screen is on. If I'm holding it right handed, it's right there with an easy push of the thumb. Volume buttons are on the exact opposite side. Why couldn't the Droid X do this??

5. Physical buttons: I actually usually tend to prefer physical buttons. I just like them. Call me old fashioned. However, when using the phone in bed, the click is audible enough it bugs me in a silent bedroom, and could possibly wake my wife. I read on the phone enough at night to justify wanting the silent touch buttons. And the sound the vibrate makes on the Samsung is a touch quieter than the vibration on the Droid X. I like the vibrate feedback to know I touched something, but it's more subtle on the Fascinate.

6. Gaming: In non 3D games, which are many, the 3D graphics is not so important. In 3D games, even though the Droid X is great, again, the Fascinate is extraordinary. The NFS demo for example is perfectly playable on the Droid X, but it was LIQUID SMOOTH on the Fascinate. I'm not exaggerating ONE BIT. It was killer. I thought I was on a mini PS3 or something ...

7. Video playback: I've had to format all movies to H.264 MP4 files in order to get them to playback on the stock droid video player. While they look fantastic and playback exceptionally smooth, you're limited heavily on supported formats, and resolutions.

Now that the gripes against the Droid X are out of the way, time to lay aside a couple of original fears I had about the Fascinate:

1. Battery life: Should come to within 10-15% of the Droid X with its extended battery. I reckon you'll get even closer with some tweaks and bloat removal post root. And if the Droid can make it 26 hrs on one charge, 16-18 on the Samsung will easily get me through a workday. And again, I think with some rooting, tweaking, and a big fat 2200 battery we can do even better than that!

2. Build quality: I thought it looked like stupid glossy plastic. I thought it would feel cheap. It is glossy plastic, but it doesn't look stupid in person, and it doesn't feel one bit cheap. It feels like a classy, polished, sleek, and elegant phone. Yet it protrudes a simplicity with it's minimalistic and very black design that with the screen off, it definitely doesn't look like a spaceship. It honestly looks like the most perfectly ergonomic and sleekly designed phone I've ever seen in my life.

I would not put so much emphasis if it didn't impact me so much. I minored in art, and I can appreciate things that look good. This is BY FAR the best looking designed Galaxy S phone. BY FAR. I realize that this is my opinion, but it's based on seeing and personally using, selling, activating, returning, or owning hundreds of phones, including handling the other Galaxy S variants. This phone looks and feels SICK. I tend to like the rubberized matte stuff, but this stupid Fascinate has won me over to the "dark side". It's phenomenally well executed. Even the Verizon guy couldn't believe how well it felt and looked. It was a little small town partner store that only got one phone in, and he hadn't even opened it - never seen one in person yet. I was in there looking at it with him and a friend of mine. We were all impressed with the Droid X already, but the Fascinate blew us away.


Those are the initial thoughts. Here's what I lose if I switch:

1. Gobs of internal memory.
2. A little battery life. (won't be an issue with ext. batt.)
3. Google search (although I guess it's partially still there ...)
4. HDMI out. (this is only partially to mostly functional on the DX. You'd have FULLY functional standard def video all the time on the Fascinate, so it's not a total loss by any means)
5. Notification light. Grrrr... this is a tough one to loose. Not everyone is having flawless experiences with NoLed yet.

Anyhow. Hope this is helpful to folks that are considering both phones, and folks that haven't gotten (or won't get) a chance to have a hands-on with the Fascinate. I am leaning back towards the Fascinate now, and honestly I had to play with one to see that screen, feel the sleek feel, and actually use the buttons in my hand. The day to day experience with the design of the Fascinate, in my opinion, will be much more smooth and ergonomic, and buttons will be silent and automatic. Those things are aspects of a phone you have to deal with EVERY TIME you use it, and they certainly stack up against the lack of some internal memory or an HDMI port. You've got to weigh the usability and comfort factors against the raw feature factors because they are just as important on a device you're going to be spending so many hours on, for both work and play.

 

[makemehavefun]

^^^

ditto. all of it.

1. Screen: No surprise here, but not as far short as I thought it would. The Droid X screen is actually a great screen that really impresses. The Fascinate's screen is simply extraordinary.
---
I really, 'really' like the DX display. As a matter of fact, I enjoy it just as much as the Fascinate. The SF just edged out the DX for me because of the slightly smaller display meant slightly smaller form factor... that and the better 'anti-glare' of the SAMOLED gives it the edge (in my opinion) and sometimes and 'edge' is all it takes.

2. Build quality: I thought it looked like stupid glossy plastic. I thought it would feel cheap. It is glossy plastic, but it doesn't look stupid in person, and it doesn't feel one bit cheap. It feels like a classy, polished, sleek, and elegant phone. Yet it protrudes a simplicity with it's minimalistic and very black design that with the screen off, it definitely doesn't look like a spaceship. It honestly looks like the most perfectly ergonomic and sleekly designed phone I've ever seen in my life.

Don't take this lightly. I minored in art, and I love things that look good. This is BY FAR the best looking designed Galaxy S phone. BY FAR. I realize that this is my opinion, but it's based on seeing and personally using, selling, activating, returning, or owning hundreds of phones. This phone looks and feels SICK. I tend to like the rubberized matte stuff, but this stupid Fascinate has won me over to the "dark side". It's phenomenally well executed.
---
I'm glad I'm not alone in this. OK, I'll admit it... I wouldn't have said this had you not said it so articulately before me... the FAscinate is the the most attractive and aesthetically pleasing cell phone of any sort I've ever laid eyes on. I keep cradling this thing overhanded with my fingertips, looking at it at every angle, just to admire and be impressed by it. The understated design/concept of it perfectly accentuates the entirety of the device itself at every single angle I look at it. I can't stop being simply impressed by it's design, lmao

 

[Jodiuh]

You guys are crazy, the glossy back makes it incredibly difficult to hold onto. It slips all over the place. I sure hope someone makes a matte back for it.

 

[Bearly]

Anyone get the extended battery?