NEW - Thinking of making the switch.

[rfound]

First let me say Hello.

OK, now, I'm a long-time iPhone user. I still have a 1st Generation (edge) iPhone, which I have had since about 6mos. after it was released.

In truth, the iPhone 2G has not been a good device for me. I've had lots of problems over the years, and I'm actually on my 3rd device. (1st replaced under warranty, now this one recently stolen from my buddy who upgraded to a iPhone4. Among the list of problems, faulty screen, bad speakers, low call volume, wifi quit working (on 2 units now), and a faulty dock connector. Additionally, the phone has gotten continuously slower, as the firmware has updated, despite each version promising bug fixes and speed increases.

The iPhone4 really is a nice damn phone. the screen resolution is incredible and overall, its a well-built piece of equipment, but I just don't feel like another iphone. Why would I want to buy another iphone when my first one(or 2nd, or 3rd...) wasn't good?

The iphone was my first smartphone, and I love the features, but I don't want another one after all the problems any more than I want another pontiac after all the headaches my first car gave me.


BUUUUUUUUT..... I'm stuck on AT&T. I'm on a corporate account, and don't pay for my phone service, so the iPhone was really the only credible choice when it came to smartphones.... until the Captivate was released.

I read the reviews and info and was originally quite impressed. Looked like a good device... something to consider.

Then, this past weekend I stopped by an AT&T store with my wife, I looked at the Captivate and was immediately blown away by the screen. I looked at some pictures from my own website (so I know what they should look like), and Damn! They looked really nice. Great color, brightness, and detail. The pixel density of the iPhone is nice, but the SAMOLED on the Galaxy S is really svelte.

I loved the shape of the Captivate... felt really good in my hand.

So, here I stand, nearly ready to take the plunge, and I have a few burning questions for real-life Captivate owners.

1. GPS Fix.... haha, I'm just kidding, I trust it will get resolved. if not, I have 30 days to return.


1. Corporate accounts - Has anyone purchased through the LetsTalk or Amazon deals, using a corporate at&T account? any hiccups I should expect?

2. Google Voice - I'm thinking with the switch to android, its time to go full-time google... mainly, I want to stop the phone guy at work from bitching about text messages. Is the SMS in Google Voice a good alternative to using AT&T normal SMS? will it work seamlessly? Any other killer features of Google voice I can look forward to?

3. Gmail accounts - does the gmail client allow multiple, separate accounts? I currently use gmail for personal, pop3 for business(but pop really sucks on mobile devices), but I am thinking I will link my pop3 account to a separate gmail account, and then have 2 gmail accounts in my phone. Will this work well with the Captivate? (I want to keep my personal and work email segregated) Or should I just leave the pop account well-enough alone and have it the same as on my iphone.

4. Media playback - for those that have come from iphone, was it a major PITA or just a minor annoyance switching media playback offerings? Did you find any easy way to identify which songs in your library were DRMed (so you can burn/rip, or otherwise strip DRM)?


5. Battery life - my iphone has always gotten me a days worth of moderate use. should I expect the same from the Samsung? I did notice that leaving WiFi ON was a way to conserve battery? Is that for real? on my iphone turning off wifi was almost mandatory to get the full-day of use. Is this just a difference in the networking chipsets, or am I missing some key part of this equation?

6. What will I miss? What about the Captivate will leave me feeling like I am missing something about my iPhone?


Thanks.

 

[mongstradamus]

First let me say Hello.

OK, now, I'm a long-time iPhone user. I still have a 1st Generation (edge) iPhone, which I have had since about 6mos. after it was released.

In truth, the iPhone 2G has not been a good device for me. I've had lots of problems over the years, and I'm actually on my 3rd device. (1st replaced under warranty, now this one recently stolen from my buddy who upgraded to a iPhone4. Among the list of problems, faulty screen, bad speakers, low call volume, wifi quit working (on 2 units now), and a faulty dock connector. Additionally, the phone has gotten continuously slower, as the firmware has updated, despite each version promising bug fixes and speed increases.

The iPhone4 really is a nice damn phone. the screen resolution is incredible and overall, its a well-built piece of equipment, but I just don't feel like another iphone. Why would I want to buy another iphone when my first one(or 2nd, or 3rd...) wasn't good?

The iphone was my first smartphone, and I love the features, but I don't want another one after all the problems any more than I want another pontiac after all the headaches my first car gave me.


BUUUUUUUUT..... I'm stuck on AT&T. I'm on a corporate account, and don't pay for my phone service, so the iPhone was really the only credible choice when it came to smartphones.... until the Captivate was released.

I read the reviews and info and was originally quite impressed. Looked like a good device... something to consider.

Then, this past weekend I stopped by an AT&T store with my wife, I looked at the Captivate and was immediately blown away by the screen. I looked at some pictures from my own website (so I know what they should look like), and Damn! They looked really nice. Great color, brightness, and detail. The pixel density of the iPhone is nice, but the SAMOLED on the Galaxy S is really svelte.

I loved the shape of the Captivate... felt really good in my hand.

So, here I stand, nearly ready to take the plunge, and I have a few burning questions for real-life Captivate owners.

1. GPS Fix.... haha, I'm just kidding, I trust it will get resolved. if not, I have 30 days to return.


1. Corporate accounts - Has anyone purchased through the LetsTalk or Amazon deals, using a corporate at&T account? any hiccups I should expect?

2. Google Voice - I'm thinking with the switch to android, its time to go full-time google... mainly, I want to stop the phone guy at work from bitching about text messages. Is the SMS in Google Voice a good alternative to using AT&T normal SMS? will it work seamlessly? Any other killer features of Google voice I can look forward to?

3. Gmail accounts - does the gmail client allow multiple, separate accounts? I currently use gmail for personal, pop3 for business(but pop really sucks on mobile devices), but I am thinking I will link my pop3 account to a separate gmail account, and then have 2 gmail accounts in my phone. Will this work well with the Captivate? (I want to keep my personal and work email segregated) Or should I just leave the pop account well-enough alone and have it the same as on my iphone.

4. Media playback - for those that have come from iphone, was it a major PITA or just a minor annoyance switching media playback offerings? Did you find any easy way to identify which songs in your library were DRMed (so you can burn/rip, or otherwise strip DRM)?


5. Battery life - my iphone has always gotten me a days worth of moderate use. should I expect the same from the Samsung? I did notice that leaving WiFi ON was a way to conserve battery? Is that for real? on my iphone turning off wifi was almost mandatory to get the full-day of use. Is this just a difference in the networking chipsets, or am I missing some key part of this equation?

6. What will I miss? What about the Captivate will leave me feeling like I am missing something about my iPhone?


Thanks.

The only real thing i would miss from iphone is the app store, i think there are still better designed apps in the apple app store then android market so far. Eveything else I like the captivate more for then iphone

 

[BoulderGeek]

My GF has a new iPhone 4 and I have the Captivate.

i think that the iPhone is a better all-around calling device with connectivity options. I think that the Captivate has better potential, but it is unrealized, and somewhat crippled by the manufacturer.

I'd stick with the iPhone 4, if you can't leave AT&T. unless you are a linux developer/tinkerer and love to build customer kernels or similar. if you're hacker that will appreciate a rooted and modifiable linux device, then get a Captivate. If you just want a good working smartphone on AT&T, I think you already have one.

if froYo doesn't fix the GPS and performance issues, I'm not keeping the Captivate, and i didn't even pay for it. if it had a front facing caper a and LED flash for the rear cam, I'd feel differently. The only things that I think the Captivate has going for it are that it will run froYo, has a great display, and is smaller than the Evo.

 

[Deleted User]

Get the iPhone 4, the 2G is the first generation and isn't even comparable to the 4th. It really is a nice phone, and all I use is Android.

 

[Ferris23]

I have both an iPhone 4 and a Captivate. I guess I would say if I had to choose one it would be the iPhone 4, but damn it's a boring phone. Sorry, short on time and can't get into answering all of your questions.

 

[rfound]

Wow. This has been helpful.

I've got some guys saying get an iphone, after I've already said I didn't like my iphone.

I've got others saying steve jobs is a douche, or that samsung is corrupt. True or not, I'm not sure how that addresses any of the questions I asked.

it comes down to this: I've spent the last few years complaining several times a day when something doesn't work. "Damn I hate this phone!"... if I got another iPhone, I would be cursing myself "why did I buy another piece of crap iPhone?!?!?" every time something went wrong... even if its largely better now than the 2G.


So I'm sorry for being unhappy with free advice, but I'm not looking for your idea of what phone is best for me. I am looking for some information about what I could expect from the Captivate if I were to switch, so that I can make the decision on my own.

 

[CrimsonPride]

Wow. This has been helpful.

I've got some guys saying get an iphone, after I've already said I didn't like my iphone.

I've got others saying steve jobs is a douche, or that samsung is corrupt. True or not, I'm not sure how that addresses any of the questions I asked.

it comes down to this: I've spent the last few years complaining several times a day when something doesn't work. "Damn I hate this phone!"... if I got another iPhone, I would be cursing myself "why did I buy another piece of crap iPhone?!?!?" every time something went wrong... even if its largely better now than the 2G.


So I'm sorry for being unhappy with free advice, but I'm not looking for your idea of what phone is best for me. I am looking for some information about what I could expect from the Captivate if I were to switch, so that I can make the decision on my own.

sorry i got distracted by the guy saying att wont have an android phone until htc makes one for them

if you get a captivate you get the best of android, smoothest phone, best screen, best gpu/cpu. you get all the customization android allows, widgets and such.

with the iphone you get ios, same as always, very simple, but it works with the free bumper case. you also get a phone made of glass, literally.

if you want something easy, and in my opinion boring, go for the iphone. want something new, different, big screen, when froyo comes out you get flash which apple will likely never get, get the captivate

also if you want a conversation piece go for the captivate, i have classes with tons of people using iphones, nothing special everyones seen them, when they see mine they want to know what it is.

 

[jas2k9]

Well, I had a Captivate for about 10 days, took it back, a host of issues. I planned to get a replacememt Captivate, but ended up with an iphone 4 (do a search of my posts and you will find all my details).

That said, I have had NO issues with anything I USE the phone for (the iphone 4).

It is boring, no question about it, but it works.

Hope this helps a bit - I have NEVER had ANY smart phone prior to trying the Captivate - so that may have had an impact on my ultimate decision -but, in the end I chose what worked best for me - can't say it will be what will work best for you.

 

[eazyd]

First let me say Hello.

OK, now, I'm a long-time iPhone user. I still have a 1st Generation (edge) iPhone, which I have had since about 6mos. after it was released.

In truth, the iPhone 2G has not been a good device for me. I've had lots of problems over the years, and I'm actually on my 3rd device. (1st replaced under warranty, now this one recently stolen from my buddy who upgraded to a iPhone4. Among the list of problems, faulty screen, bad speakers, low call volume, wifi quit working (on 2 units now), and a faulty dock connector. Additionally, the phone has gotten continuously slower, as the firmware has updated, despite each version promising bug fixes and speed increases.

The iPhone4 really is a nice damn phone. the screen resolution is incredible and overall, its a well-built piece of equipment, but I just don't feel like another iphone. Why would I want to buy another iphone when my first one(or 2nd, or 3rd...) wasn't good?

The iphone was my first smartphone, and I love the features, but I don't want another one after all the problems any more than I want another pontiac after all the headaches my first car gave me.


BUUUUUUUUT..... I'm stuck on AT&T. I'm on a corporate account, and don't pay for my phone service, so the iPhone was really the only credible choice when it came to smartphones.... until the Captivate was released.

I read the reviews and info and was originally quite impressed. Looked like a good device... something to consider.

Then, this past weekend I stopped by an AT&T store with my wife, I looked at the Captivate and was immediately blown away by the screen. I looked at some pictures from my own website (so I know what they should look like), and Damn! They looked really nice. Great color, brightness, and detail. The pixel density of the iPhone is nice, but the SAMOLED on the Galaxy S is really svelte.

I loved the shape of the Captivate... felt really good in my hand.

So, here I stand, nearly ready to take the plunge, and I have a few burning questions for real-life Captivate owners.

1. GPS Fix.... haha, I'm just kidding, I trust it will get resolved. if not, I have 30 days to return.


1. Corporate accounts - Has anyone purchased through the LetsTalk or Amazon deals, using a corporate at&T account? any hiccups I should expect?

2. Google Voice - I'm thinking with the switch to android, its time to go full-time google... mainly, I want to stop the phone guy at work from bitching about text messages. Is the SMS in Google Voice a good alternative to using AT&T normal SMS? will it work seamlessly? Any other killer features of Google voice I can look forward to?

3. Gmail accounts - does the gmail client allow multiple, separate accounts? I currently use gmail for personal, pop3 for business(but pop really sucks on mobile devices), but I am thinking I will link my pop3 account to a separate gmail account, and then have 2 gmail accounts in my phone. Will this work well with the Captivate? (I want to keep my personal and work email segregated) Or should I just leave the pop account well-enough alone and have it the same as on my iphone.

4. Media playback - for those that have come from iphone, was it a major PITA or just a minor annoyance switching media playback offerings? Did you find any easy way to identify which songs in your library were DRMed (so you can burn/rip, or otherwise strip DRM)?


5. Battery life - my iphone has always gotten me a days worth of moderate use. should I expect the same from the Samsung? I did notice that leaving WiFi ON was a way to conserve battery? Is that for real? on my iphone turning off wifi was almost mandatory to get the full-day of use. Is this just a difference in the networking chipsets, or am I missing some key part of this equation?

6. What will I miss? What about the Captivate will leave me feeling like I am missing something about my iPhone?


Thanks.

1. GPS fix - 30 days to return it.. that's what I thought until my 30 days went by But you are right - Samsung has announced a SOFTWARE fix will be coming in September. Lot better than a hardware issue.

1. Why is this 1 again? Anyway, no this corporate phone was bought at the AT&T store for easy paperwork purposes.

2. Google voice - I don't use it for texting (corporate account has unlimited texts). I do, however, use it for the equivalent of Visual Voicemail that iPhone has ("oh yeah, I forgot about that!") Yes, you forgot about that. Google Voice not only lets you see your voicemails, but it also transcribes (or tries to) the voicemail into text. From there you can have it text you or e-mail you your message (in text and sound file). I have it set to only use Google Voice for voicemail (and not as a phone number). There's tutorials out there to get it set up.

3. Gmail - Yes, The gmail application lets you have multiple accounts. The mail application built into Android also lets you do multiple accounts. The native mail app looks nicer with the black background-ness, but the GMail application seems to be smarter about syncing.

For notifications, you not only have the AWESOME notification pull-down bar on the top in Android OS, but you can also get things that emulate the icon badges. I use LauncherPro for my homescreens and dock icons.

4. Media - There's lots of ways to sync your media to your Captivate. You can use it as a hard drive (drag and drop music folders into the directory), sync it with Windows Media Player, sync it with Samsumg Kies, etc, etc, etc. I just drag my music files in windows Explorer. Not sure about the DRM stuff. Good luck with that.

5. Battery life - my battery life is just OK. When you first get the phone, you'll be like WHATT MY BATTERY LIFE SUCKS -- but it's just because you will be using it for 12 hours straight. Under 'normal use', it's decent. I try to turn off WiFi, GPS, blootoof, and syncing to help with the battery life when I don't need those things. Not sure about the WiFi thing... I always thought that if you have WiFi on, it takes the phone 'less energy' to do its background syncing because it takes less time and effort for the data to come through... but I think I might be wrong because battery seems to last longer with it off. It doesn't matter much, though. More about this at the end of #6

6. Things I miss - I missed the app store -- Android has its own thing called the Market and it has a bunch of stuff in it, but I think as Android becomes more popular, we'll be seeing a lot more polished apps come through. It takes a bit to realize that Google is the best way to find good apps on the market, as the Market application is pretty bad about recommending good apps. But...once you see that you can get game console emulators and all the games your SD card can handle...
The Facebook app on iPhone is way better than on Android.

I also miss the lock button on the top of the iPhone. Captivate has it on the side. It's weird. The cord plugs into the top. That's also kind of weird when talking on the phone.

It is pretty awesome to use a $0.99 generic micro USB cable for charging and data. It basically makes the battery life problem go away because I'm able to afford chargers for every place I'm at (home, car, work).

Hope this helps. Coming from iPhone 3G, I'm still happy I bought this phone and not the iPhone 4. It's set up the way I want it. It's MY phone now that it's customized, not Apple's way of presenting my data to me.


You'll find there's a way to do everything and more that iPhones have, except for camera flash. BTW - the built-in camera app that comes with the Captivate is AWESOME. So many different modes...
Hope this helps.

 

[SoFLO]

Keep this thread on-topic guys. Steve Jobs or Apple are not the topic of discussion.

 

[digitaldroid]

I switched I had an iPhone 3G and went to Android, I just love my captivate and their app market. I also setup and get my coporate email on it just fine. This phone is amazing and I am a Mac nerd/Geek and dont miss my iPhone at all and did not want to new iPhone 4.

I think the Android OS is so much better, but thats just my opinion. I love the drag and drop music, and all the other things you can do.

The Corporate accounts I did not want to take a chance with LetsTalk lots of bad feedback and complaints I have read. Also did not try Amazon. I went to a official AT&T store and purchased my phone, stay away from the authorized retailers.

For gmail accounts, I have my main one but also there is a gmail pop up app that I use which it says you can setup multiple accounts but I have not done that yet.

Media PLayback I just love on my Captivate so easy to use. I had to strip my DRM itunes music which was a PITA but once its gone I was all set. I can drag and drop and not forced to use itunes anymore.

Batter Life is ok I can play with it all day and by I say around 5-6 in the evening battery is getting low. I noticed games will kill the battery of course but not too bad, just letting you know it does go quicker. Also wifi always on or bluetooth will use battery more. I have had it for 2 weeks now and the battery has not died on yet.

One thing I missed is the push notifications or the pop ups. But an app called "Gmail Popup" I like and does this. There also is a text program I use called handcent that does this popups which is works the same as the iphone push notifications.

There is also a website where you can browse the App Market and purchase apps so you dont always have to do it from your phone.

But again coming from a Mac Nerd/Geek I do not miss my iphone one bit. I love the android os and my samsung captivate. Beautiful screen and phone. Plus I put a 16gb sd card in it now have 32gb phone.

 

[rfound]

What solution did you end up using to strip DRM? How did you identify which of your tracks were DRM and what were not?

 

[samtr87]

I got mine last Friday. This is my first smart phone and I really like it. Within hours of getting it I rooted it and have had very little problems with it besides a few of the ones that have been voiced here.

1. GPS Fix.... haha, I'm just kidding, I trust it will get resolved. if not, I have 30 days to return.
plunge, and I have a few burning questions for real-life Captivate owners.
Only know as mush as any other person here. New phone and gps doesn't work. Although I haven't actually tried it outside.


1. Corporate accounts - Has anyone purchased through the LetsTalk or Amazon deals, using a corporate at&T account? any hiccups I should expect?
On a family plan so no clue

2. Google Voice - I'm thinking with the switch to android, its time to go full-time google... mainly, I want to stop the phone guy at work from bitching about text messages. Is the SMS in Google Voice a good alternative to using AT&T normal SMS? will it work seamlessly? Any other killer features of Google voice I can look forward to?
Just started using Google voice for texts yesterday and it has been working flawlessly. Although I think there is a slight few seconds delay with using it to text versus AT&T. Not very significant though

3. Gmail accounts - does the gmail client allow multiple, separate accounts? I currently use gmail for personal, pop3 for business(but pop really sucks on mobile devices), but I am thinking I will link my pop3 account to a separate gmail account, and then have 2 gmail accounts in my phone. Will this work well with the Captivate? (I want to keep my personal and work email segregated) Or should I just leave the pop account well-enough alone and have it the same as on my iphone.
Not sure about the Gmail app, but I'm using the stock one with both my personal account and school e-mail. I have them set up as IMAP

4. Media playback - for those that have come from iphone, was it a major PITA or just a minor annoyance switching media playback offerings? Did you find any easy way to identify which songs in your library were DRMed (so you can burn/rip, or otherwise strip DRM)?
If you got your music from Itunes when it was still DRM then you might have to burn the songs first then rip them from the CD to get them to work. Unless there's another way someone know of.


5. Battery life - my iphone has always gotten me a days worth of moderate use. should I expect the same from the Samsung? I did notice that leaving WiFi ON was a way to conserve battery? Is that for real? on my iphone turning off wifi was almost mandatory to get the full-day of use. Is this just a difference in the networking chipsets, or am I missing some key part of this equation?
I think I can get ~12 hours right now before the phone completely dies. This is with some tweaking. It's a new phone so I haven't been able to keep my hands off it so I might be draining it quicker than someone who is a lighter user

6. What will I miss? What about the Captivate will leave me feeling like I am missing something about my iPhone?
I've never had an iPhone, but if you're not tech savvy, you might have some teething issues learning how to use the Captivate. My sister got the same phone as I did even though I persuaded her to get the iPhone 4 (her original choice) and I think she is getting a little annoyed with learning the user interface. The only frustration that I have is that the gps doesn't work. The one-click lag fix took care of most of the lag. The music sounds great, but sometimes it skips a little when other apps are running. Other than that I have no problems with mine.

Also, Swype is awesome. I can write a whole text message with one finger instead of two big thumbs on a keyboard. It was fairly easy for me to pick up too.


Thanks.

 

[rrrrramos]

I came from an iPhone 3G, and can't go back. The bigger screen, the infinite customization options, the reception, all far exceed the iPhone.
As far as your questions, I never had any issue when using music from iTunes but I did rip most of my music that I'd downloaded. Battery life started off a little poor, but right now I'm at 75% battery with a 10 1/2 hour time since being fully charged. So on that end it by and far passes my old iPhone.
And also gotta agree, Swype is amazing!

 

[TDQuiksilver]

Captivate or go home. Simply a more versatile device all around. Much more customization options. Far less restrictions than the iDevices. No proprietary cables or mandatory software to hassle with.


Root. Custom launcher. Perfection.

 

[idilium]

see I'm not a fan boy or nothing about the Samsung Captivate but i will tell you only facts.
number one:this is the best phone god ever create you will be amaze . nothing else will come close (maybe sex with Jessica alba) but only that
you will spend several hours if not days just to get the phone just the way you like it
and then change again.

so from a very neutral side i will recommend get this phone if you EVER want to be happy IN YOUR LIFE

 

[gunny5821]

deleted

 

[rfound]

If you got your music from Itunes when it was still DRM then you might have to burn the songs first then rip them from the CD to get them to work. Unless there's another way someone know of.

Yeah, I know that method, I was hoping someone has a program that just strips the AAC audio out of the encrypted files, without all the hassle of burning and ripping. I'm curious if I could figure out a way to use something like Alcohol or the like to mount a *CD* that is HUGE, and do the "burn" and "Rip" all from a virtual drive on my local HDD. (so I can do all the songs at once, and at HDD speeds, not CD speeds) I will try something dammit... I don't want to burn 20 CDs and then rip them back, but dammit, I want the DRM GONE.

I've never had an iPhone, but if you're not tech savvy, you might have some teething issues learning how to use the Captivate.

Not worried about that.

Just started using Google voice for texts yesterday and it has been working flawlessly. Although I think there is a slight few seconds delay with using it to text versus AT&T. Not very significant though

Do you have to start the application each time the phone is turned on and leave running, or does it "Push" or does it just work seamlessly?




Thanks again.

Ray

 

[MikeyMike01]

The iPhone has better apps; the Captivate is a better phone.

The Android Market is going to get better and better. Apple will never allow it's products to be successful. Their mentality is what keeps them as a second rate company riding the coat tails of companies like Microsoft and Google.

 

[BoulderGeek]

If the captivate is the better phone, why does its wifi only process at 1/3 the throughput of the iPhone 3 or iPod touch?

 

[samtr87]

Do you have to start the application each time the phone is turned on and leave running, or does it "Push" or does it just work seamlessly?

It works like normal texts for me. Goes through data and if you have bad signal but have wifi, you still get messages.

 

[BoulderGeek]

Apple will never allow it's products to be successful. Their mentality is what keeps them as a second rate company riding the coat tails of companies like Microsoft and Google.

Bwahahahaaa! Oh, man, you're killing me!

You've obviously never had to manage Windoze products in a business setting.

Microsoft is dying quickly, and has lost all relevance.

Google is doing interesting innovation, but struggling.

And Apple, well, four months ago, we read:

"Apple