Database Users

I don't know how you guys gloss over this phone's dealbreaking flaws

I really like the hardware of the SGS, but man.. I've never used a phone so buggy.
1) GPS Problems
2) Lag problems
3) Freezes anytime signal is weak
4) Freezes when it feels like.
5) Four times I've lost all my data thanks to pulling the battery during a freeze
6) Build quality problems (as detailed from Paul @ Modaco)
It freezes for me fairly regularly. This is my second SGS. My first SGS froze constantly so I exchanged that, my new one only freezes a couple times a week. Today it froze and as usual I did the hold power button till it reboots...and it locks on reboot. Data corruption. yay. Fourth. ****ing. time.
I've had this phone 2 weeks and this is the 4th time I've had to start from scratch due to data corruption.
I'm going to flash a newer firmware on this and sell it. I love Android, but this phone is a ridiculous amount of grief.

I guess I'm just lucky, but I've had none of these problems other than the GPS which isn't very accurate.
Changing the software settings for this makes it usable, though not yet perfect.
I've yet to experience any lag and I've not experienced a lock up.

I've had none of theses issues either, aside from the GPS. My GPS works ok if im stopped but doesnt track so well if im moving.

Love mine. I have captivate. Honestly never seen the first hint of lag and the GPS will soon be fixed. I can say that I am pretty happy with it all and all.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

really !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ksizzle9 said:
Love mine. I have captivate. Honestly never seen the first hint of lag and the GPS will soon be fixed. I can say that I am pretty happy with it all and all.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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i really find it hard to believe that you "have never seen first hint of lag"
i have a galaxy S, love the hardware, but Samsung has shown us how software can destroy even the mightiest of hardware

Gps issues yes, no other issues I'd call deal breaking by anymeans. 2 phones, same big issues....what have you been installing on it I wonder?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

scouzer said:
I really like the hardware of the SGS, but man.. I've never used a phone so buggy.
1) GPS Problems
2) Lag problems
3) Freezes anytime signal is weak
4) Freezes when it feels like.
5) Four times I've lost all my data thanks to pulling the battery during a freeze
6) Build quality problems (as detailed from Paul @ Modaco)
It freezes for me fairly regularly. This is my second SGS. My first SGS froze constantly so I exchanged that, my new one only freezes a couple times a week. Today it froze and as usual I did the hold power button till it reboots...and it locks on reboot. Data corruption. yay. Fourth. ****ing. time.
I've had this phone 2 weeks and this is the 4th time I've had to start from scratch due to data corruption.
I'm going to flash a newer firmware on this and sell it. I love Android, but this phone is a ridiculous amount of grief.
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Click to collapse
You sure we bought the same phone?
My GPS locks on after ~20 seconds and then there is no problems after that. I have not experienced one freeze (including this 'Freezes when signal is weak' -- which I think is absolute bull since my girlfriend's room is in the basement and I do not get a signal down there yet my phone performs perfectly fine), build quality is fine -- it's more durable than you think, and I haven't really experienced any lag.
Are you actually using the phone or are you just going by what forums/people say?

standards
Bynar010 said:
Gps issues yes, no other issues I'd call deal breaking by anymeans. 2 phones, same big issues....what have you been installing on it I wonder?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
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no offense, but it all has to do with standards a person is used to.
if you're coming from windows mobile, the lags you experience when using SGS are okay
if you're coming from iphone, SGS lags like a *****. Aside from the open OS/closed OS debate, the fluidity and smoothness of iphone 3gs UI and the instant response you get when you click on an icon/app puts the SGS to shame. sometimes i had to wait for 5 seconds to get a response after i clicked an icon. this never happened with the 3GS no matter how big the app is
I had a 3GS, sold it and bought an SGS, and i know how both telephones handle
Edit: the above post refers to bell I9000, i have the regular I9000. I dont know if there is ahardware difference or samsung has rectified what they did wrong in the regular I900

What build quality issues? The other issues have been well documented and are fixable with some reasonable effort. The GPS fix is just around the corner.
I understand *****ing about other stuff but build quality? Its great imo. Just because the phone has a plastic back cover doesn't mean the quality is bad.

RADLOUNI said:
no offense, but it all has to do with standards a person is used to.
if you're coming from windows mobile, the lags you experience when using SGS are okay
if you're coming from iphone, SGS lags like a *****. Aside from the open OS/closed OS debate, the fluidity and smoothness of iphone 3gs UI and the instant response you get when you click on an icon/app puts the SGS to shame. sometimes i had to wait for 5 seconds to get a response after i clicked an icon. this never happened with the 3GS no matter how big the app is
I had a 3GS, sold it and bought an SGS, and i know how both telephones handle
Edit: the above post refers to bell I9000, i have the regular I9000. I dont know if there is ahardware difference or samsung has rectified what they did wrong in the regular I900
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You don't specify anything; you just said 'I don't know how you guys gloss over this phone's dealbreaking flaws' referring to EVERY Galaxy S. I don't have any problems, just because you do doesn't mean everyone has the exact same problems and bought the exact same version as yours.

hol17 said:
You sure we bought the same phone?
My GPS locks on after ~20 seconds and then there is no problems after that. I have not experienced one freeze (including this 'Freezes when signal is weak' -- which I think is absolute bull since my girlfriend's room is in the basement and I do not get a signal down there yet my phone performs perfectly fine), build quality is fine -- it's more durable than you think, and I haven't really experienced any lag.
Are you actually using the phone or are you just going by what forums/people say?
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Click to collapse
I have the phone. I've had it since August 5th. I'm glad you project your experience onto mine implying that mine do not exist. You do not have my phone. Until you do, you are a complete ass to assume I'm making these things up.
I was in Canadian Tire the other day and checked my phone--signal between 0 and 1 bar. Within 5 minutes, it locked up. When I visit my mom, her basement has poor reception. My phone locks up routinely down there. I don't care if you haven't experienced it, many of us have.
I personally have not YET had the build quality issues, which is why I said as detailed by Paul at MCR. It's like any phone with poor build quality though... chances are it will affect most of us.

everything will be fixed in due time...

hol17 said:
You don't specify anything; you just said 'I don't know how you guys gloss over this phone's dealbreaking flaws' referring to EVERY Galaxy S. I don't have any problems, just because you do doesn't mean everyone has the exact same problems and bought the exact same version as yours.
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Are you on crack? That wasn't my post.

have you tried any of the fixes in the development section?

android53 said:
have you tried any of the fixes in the development section?
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Such as? I was running CFLagFix; when I tried to uninstall it to update to a new version it corrupted my phone. That was one of my wipes. It didn't really help the performance anyway TBH.

Yes I don't see any lag. I mean none. And I don't use a task killer and don't news to. I get paerfect signal at my apt at school: no freeze. I get no signal at my parents house at all:no freeze. I cluck on a icon: it opens the second I click it. I'm not big on toychwiz: Launcher Pro. Its a great phone. Love it. I have the Droid x also and still don't think that the x is even comparable. My two cents.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

scouzer said:
Are you on crack? That wasn't my post.
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Look at the title of your topic; or did you just forget that was there?
I personally have not YET had the build quality issues, which is why I said as detailed by Paul at MCR. It's like any phone with poor build quality though... chances are it will affect most of us
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Click to collapse
Dropped my phone plenty of times and have not experienced any set backs because of it. Dropped it on it's screen, side, etc; it's a sturdy phone. Just because it has the look and kind of feel of a cheap quality doesn't always mean it is.

I don't think anyone is glossing over anything. Half the posts on this forum are about lag and gps problems.
Thing is that you can fix both problems with easy one click things, and keeping on top of your firmware.
If you are getting lag to such extremes, and on two devices, its because your clogging up the memory with too much stuff running together.
You'll have some culture shock because up until recently iOs only runs one thing at a time, and hitting home closed things. Not so for android, and particularly things like browser windows and certain widgets can just eat your ram and cause the slow down. If its happening ' when it feels like it' then that's probably your culpret.
The sgs is not without its flaws but that's no excuse to treat her bad.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

ksizzle9 said:
Yes I don't see any lag. I mean none. And I don't use a task killer and don't news to. I get paerfect signal at my apt at school: no freeze. I get no signal at my parents house at all:no freeze. I cluck on a icon: it opens the second I click it. I'm not big on toychwiz: Launcher Pro. Its a great phone. Love it. I have the Droid x also and still don't think that the x is even comparable. My two cents.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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Then honestly, the only explanation is that Samsung has released I9000s with different hardware versions to rectify hardware problems
This is the only reason i see to explain people not having lag problems and apps opening the second you click them. I must be one of the unlucky guys with an early hardware version

RADLOUNI said:
Then honestly, the only explanation is that Samsung has released I9000s with different hardware versions to rectify hardware problems
This is the only reason i see to explain people not having lag problems and apps opening the second you click them. I must be one of the unlucky guys with an early hardware version
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http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/US-...msung-Galaxy-S-explained-article-a_12223.html
It's true; there are different versions but they are vastly different in some cases (some have hard-keyboards while others are just a case difference).
Does it affect the hardware? Maybe in some cases but there are probably other details on the web somewhere.
EDIT:
http://androidheadlines.com/2010/06/all-us-versions-of-the-samsung-galaxy-s-compared.html
The specs are almost identical in all phones except for some cameras and some storage, other than that, identical hardware wise.

[Q] Deciding between Droid 2 and Epic4g

I'm a current sprint customer with my upgrade available October 1st. I love a lot of things about the Epic, but the build quality is just absolute garbage. The spring-loaded screen feels like it could snap off with a slight breeze. For some, this might not be a cause for concern, but build quality is really important to me.
I decided to go play around with some other phones, and following my keyboard-desires, I came upon the droid2. I had played with a droid1 significantly a couple of months ago and really liked the build quality. It was rooted/rom'd/and overclocked and the phone ran great. Which is why I was disappointed when I arrived at the Verizon store.
The droid2, at least the one they had on display, was unbelievably laggy. Unlocking, changing screens, browsing contacts, everything ran slower than my current HTC hero, which is bad (because this phone lags hard).
What I'm wondering: is this lag a real issue? Was the floor model just suffering from overuse? I've looked through a couple of threads and found some people have lag, some dont. Is there a fix? I love love love the phone, love the slightly raised keys and layout, the slide mechanism is great. But I can't spend my days waiting around for a phone to catch up to me.
Any info is greatly appreciated...

I'm not usually one to change carriers unless I am dissatisfied with the carrier, or I feel that a carrier is better.
With that said, I don't find the Droid 2 particularly laggy. Some seem to complain, but I don't really see it. I don't think Motorola's unlock animation is smooth, but it unlocks just fine. Now I'm running "Widget Locker" which replaces the lock screen; now my lock screen seems very smooth (I don't load the lock screen up with lots of widgets, just a number of sliders).
Overall, I think the Droid 2 is quick and responsive. Keep in mind that I don't use much of Moto's widgets either, and there are always other poorly coded applications you can download that can bog down your phone as well.
I think it is a solid phone, but ultimately I would go with my favorite carrier (mine currently is Verizon).

I don't have any issues with lag. Anyone that does probably has some bad apps running, much like a store model likely does. Bottom line - it's a 1GHz OMAP processor and 512MB RAM. Any speed issues will be software based, which is something we can always fix.

I haven't experienced any lag issues the couple times I've used a Droid 2. I've seen that lag though with most display phones and it's probably just from customers screwing around with settings constantly.

Well I have the droid 2 but the epic 4g does have have 4g and a front facing camera, but verizon has a overall better coverage, the droid2 is very solid in the hand and if you get a case it feels like you can use it as a weapon
With that said, now you can root and droid 2 and put on "deblurred" rom and make the phone run so much better, and yes the phones you saw in the store is laggy because overuse and people download crap on it
Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

Also, amazon's pricing for the droid2 is dropping like a rock. i wish the droid2 had a 5 row keyboard though =/

Just got the Droid 2 as an exchange for the Eris - was never on my radar as my next choice, but was happy to get it as a free exchange - I find no lag, calls are made and answered instantly, and build quality is great - considering the fact that 4g isn't fully implemented yet, and the front camera is still waiting for a universal video call application, the only real differences are screen size and I believe an hdmi output - verizon has the best service, which for me is always priority number one - I am super impressed with the Droid and see no reason to change anytime soon - my two cents
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App

DROID X vs Fasciante in real life performance

I have an upgrade due in November and want to get a good phone that could supply my needs for the next year. I'm looking at the Droid X and the Samsung Fascinate and wanted to ask those with Droid X if the real life performance is good. I want to know:
1. Is opening applications and exiting applications fast?
2. Is there any significant lag during day to day use?
3. Is the GPU good enough to produce smooth gameplay on 3D games such as Angry Birds, NFS Shift, or other demanding games?
I just want to know if the Droid X is good enough to be my next phone (my current one is the Eris).
Sent from Eris with Froyo

i cant speak specifically for the fascinate, but i have used the captivate before switching to the droid x.
1. there is terrible lag on the captivate in some applications. unlocking the phone, and even just answering a phone call gave me terrible lag. there are lag fixes, but you have to root to use them.
2. see #1
3. i think that the galaxy s units have a superior gpu, but i have had no issues whatsoever playing any of the games that you mentioned at all.
i have been completly happy with my x, and to me its much better than the galaxy s line of phones. the galaxy's have better screens, but thats about where it ends. good luck!

I can't speak on behalf on the fascinate but I can tell you that the droid x tends to be a bit laggy when performing regular tasks like scrolling through apps and screens. As for everything else it's amazing. No lag with games, speedy browsing, and amazing pictures. It would be the best phone ever made IMO if the lag was fixed.

I have both of these phones and the one I use 99% of the time is the Droid x. I have 2 numbers and have all calls from the samsung line forwarded to the droid x line. The x is built better; the samsung is mostly plastic and feels cheap. The x has 4 times the onboard memory; 8 gb to 2 gb. The x has a larger screen; the samsung has a nicer looking screen. The samsung is a google phone with microsoft software; that makes alot of sense??? The samsung is definately more "laggy" than the x. The x seems to get better reception. The x has 3 more megapixels in the camera. I'm not saying the samsung is a bad phone; if I had never tried the x I would be more than happy with it. Especially coming from an eris, I think you'll be happy with either one of them. Oh, your hand size might pay a role in the decision as well. Some people can't hold the x with one hand and touch anywhere on the screen. I don't have this problem, but I could see how it would be annoying. I hope that helps.

Thanks for these tips! I'm pretty sure this will be my next phone now, unless Verizon comes out with something mindblowing.
Sent from Eris with Froyo

TheSonicEmerald said:
Thanks for these tips! I'm pretty sure this will be my next phone now, unless Verizon comes out with something mindblowing.
Sent from Eris with Froyo
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The HTC Merge is coming next mid-month...

Might be worth it to wait a month or two to see what else comes out.
The x is a pretty good phone to go with minus the locked bootloader.
LTE and a front facing camera would be sweet to see. Those two things in addition to current features of the x would be the perfect phone in my opinion. Still waiting for the double rainbow of phones though.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App

you could wait, but as fast as phones are coming out, you would always be waiting for whatever was new. i say get what you want now. it'll be outdated in a month anyway regardless of what you get!

Cobra302 said:
you could wait, but as fast as phones are coming out, you would always be waiting for whatever was new. i say get what you want now. it'll be outdated in a month anyway regardless of what you get!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, true.
Sent from my Eris using XDA App

Before anything, Go into a corporate store and ask to play around with both phones, most sales reps have the droid x or the fascinate as their personal phone and they will let you use them.
with that being said. I bought the Samsung Fascinate first and brought it back a week later to get the Droid X. Fascinate has a GREAT battery life compared to the droid X.
Reason I did this is not because the phone is not a good phone it is because the phone has some thing integrated that I did not like.
1) Bing is every where on the phone, so you must tweak it to where you can use google via an app on the home screen instead of a search bar ( some of us don't mind but I did.
2)On the car dock the default navigation system to use is VZNavigator which is run by BING and you must subscribe to it, so again to use google maps which is free btw you must use another short cut key.
These are the two biggest things I did not like on this phone. Other than those two things the phone has a beautiful screen and the camera quality is equal to greater than the Droid X, but without a case for the phone the phone feels very light and cheap.
Droid X has some issues of its own but nothing a little rooting can't help. When I had the stock Droid X I had a few freeze ups and lag but haven't had it happen since I rooted and did a few other tweaks.
Issues
1)Camera even though is 8MP is not the best but still does the job.
2)Do not know if this is a 2.2 issue or not but when you record video and then try to play it back on say a computer the audio gets messed up and has a delay
3)Battery life doesn't do to well
Other than those are minor ones and they can be fixed in time but you should also wait to see what they have coming out when they roll out LTE Network because I have seen a few I would love to get my hands on already.

I can't say anything about the fascinate but I have no major complaints about my x I mean sometimes the camera takes grainy pictures, but that's about it I've never had a freeze or anything of the sort im runnig completely stock 2.2 ota im always running live wallpapers and the battery lastes me 12-15 hours and that's with wifi use and emailing facebooking testing calling. Heavy use lol
The only thing that mainly depletes my batery is pandora when I have it hooked up in my car but that still takes 6-8 hours to kill it.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App

conradd said:
I can't speak on behalf on the fascinate but I can tell you that the droid x tends to be a bit laggy when performing regular tasks like scrolling through apps and screens. As for everything else it's amazing. No lag with games, speedy browsing, and amazing pictures. It would be the best phone ever made IMO if the lag was fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's because of the default Blur software. After I removed bloat and installed launcher pro, the phone is as smooth as butter with 100 MB free memory

My plan was to try the Fascinate 1st then get the Droid X if I didn't like the Fascinate. The Fascinate had a beautiful screen. The Fascinate is plastic and felt plasticky. Touchwiz was not bad. I didnt like the Bing presence and was holding off on modifying the OS.
The deal breaker for me was the abominable GPS and an issue with 3G instability (frequent dropping) after the Fascinate update. My roomie has an original Droid and she had great GPS and 3G by comparison.
I exchanged the Fascinate for the DroidX (after opening a trouble ticket for the 3G issues which VZW acknowledged was a problem with that phone).
Needless to say, I am totally happy with the Droid X. It's super responsive and everything works great (GPS, wifi, bluetooth, 3G). I appreciate the large, clear screen.
Battery performance is about 17-21hrs. I disable data when i dont need it. Generally have phone on for calls and text. I enable wifi at home or 3g out-and-about when it's needed. I dont need frequent updates of twitter,weather,email etc. (Once got 27hrs...). The GTD apps have always been my primary use of a smartphone.
My DroidX is pretty much where I want it to be (GTD apps and launcherpro, not a gamer per se). And it is unrooted.
I'm a girl with girl sized hands (you know what I mean) and I am totally comfortable with the Droid X. Unlike the Fascinate, the DroidX feels solidly built.

sheth1nks said:
I'm a girl with girl sized hands (you know what I mean) and I am totally comfortable with the Droid X. Unlike the Fascinate, the DroidX feels solidly built.
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Click to collapse
glad you like it. At first I thought the X was too big for my big hands coming from eris, let alone a girl carrying it. But now I have learned to carry it comfortably and operate it with one hand.

rlacsamana1989 said:
3)Battery life doesn't do to well
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Define "doesn't do to[o] well," because my phone often lasts me 9 hours of rather moderate use (numerous phone calls, ~75 texts, ~3 hours of music streaming, and probably ~1 hour of browsing the internet) and still keeps 50% left.
Get Setcpu if you don't already use it and learn how to set up profiles, especially one for when your screen is off.

(Q) Need Some Feedback From Current Epic Owners

Hey guys,
I was an Evo owner over the last 7 months and have jumped ship to join the Epic 4G world. What I wanted to know is as far as reliability, have you guys experienced or heard of any issues both to rooted and stock Epics? If so, what seems to trigger these problems. I ask because I had been through a big problem with my EVOs that turned out to be a pretty common issue. Apparently, a lot of EVOs seem to like rebooting on their own at random times throughout the day. It usually occurred during phone calls or while using applications that use up a lot of juice. To me, it seemed as though it was due to an overheating motherboard caused by the large LCD screen that creates more heat and uses more power than AMOLED technology. So, I finally got sick of having to be afraid of using my phone and decided it wasn't worth the hassle. I have heard a lot of good things regarding the Galaxy S line as far as hardware reliability even though the knock on them is the heavy use of cheap materials. So, I wanted to hear it first-hand from the owners themselves. Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance and looking forward to pimping out my new Epic!

Vipermuscle83 said:
Hey guys,
I was an Evo owner over the last 7 months and have jumped ship to join the Epic 4G world. What I wanted to know is as far as reliability, have you guys experienced or heard of any issues both to rooted and stock Epics? If so, what seems to trigger these problems. I ask because I had been through a big problem with my EVOs that turned out to be a pretty common issue. Apparently, a lot of EVOs seem to like rebooting on their own at random times throughout the day. It usually occurred during phone calls or while using applications that use up a lot of juice. To me, it seemed as though it was due to an overheating motherboard caused by the large LCD screen that creates more heat and uses more power than AMOLED technology. So, I finally got sick of having to be afraid of using my phone and decided it wasn't worth the hassle. I have heard a lot of good things regarding the Galaxy S line as far as hardware reliability even though the knock on them is the heavy use of cheap materials. So, I wanted to hear it first-hand from the owners themselves. Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance and looking forward to pimping out my new Epic!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The knock on the Galaxy S line is not the use of cheap materials, its actually people complaining that its body if fully made of plastic...but people group that up to say that is poor build quality..which it is not..a lot of the component inside the Galaxy S are manufactured by Samsung themselves, and these components are used in varies devices rom EVO, to iphone to etc...
As far as build quality it is actually superior if you look at a teardown video..but as stated..people "group up" poor build quality to be associated with having a plastic body..while plastic may not be people's first choice it is quite durable if not more durable then an EVO...

Well first off i have to say that the epic is the coolest phone i have ever seen and used. when i bought mine it was toss up over the epic or the evo. I hate touch screens i really do. so the fact that the epic had a keyboard and the evo didnt was the selling factor for me. my uncle has an evo. now both phone are great phones but in my opinion the epics screen is so much better. the color and clarity is alot better. i like everything on the epic better than the evo with one exception. the gps on the epic is pure crap. with 2.2 and the skyfire browser, web browsing on the epic is just the same as browsing from a netbook, only smaller. so yeah my only complaint is i wish the gps worked. on 2.1 it works only sometimes and on 2.2 it doesent work at all.

zombiematt said:
Well first off i have to say that the epic is the coolest phone i have ever seen and used. when i bought mine it was toss up over the epic or the evo. I hate touch screens i really do. so the fact that the epic had a keyboard and the evo didnt was the selling factor for me. my uncle has an evo. now both phone are great phones but in my opinion the epics screen is so much better. the color and clarity is alot better. i like everything on the epic better than the evo with one exception. the gps on the epic is pure crap. with 2.2 and the skyfire browser, web browsing on the epic is just the same as browsing from a netbook, only smaller. so yeah my only complaint is i wish the gps worked. on 2.1 it works only sometimes and on 2.2 it doesent work at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can definitely relate with your screen comparison. Before the EVO, I had the Nexus One with T-Mobile (Still my favorite phone EVER) and the AMOLED screen is LIGHTYEARS ahead of the crap LCDs.
Now, about that GPS problem...I've heard a little bit about the GPS problems concerning the Epic. Are there any fixes out for it whether through OTA updates or developers? If so, how well does the GPS work with the fix? I'm not too concerned with the GPS problems just because it's a software flaw that can be fixed but I would think that after the Epic has been out now for over 3 1/2 months, they would have figured a way to fix that problem already.

gTen said:
The knock on the Galaxy S line is not the use of cheap materials, its actually people complaining that its body if fully made of plastic...but people group that up to say that is poor build quality..which it is not..a lot of the component inside the Galaxy S are manufactured by Samsung themselves, and these components are used in varies devices rom EVO, to iphone to etc...
As far as build quality it is actually superior if you look at a teardown video..but as stated..people "group up" poor build quality to be associated with having a plastic body..while plastic may not be people's first choice it is quite durable if not more durable then an EVO...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's really helpful information gTen, and it definitely gives me a lot more confidence. Honestly man, I'm just so sick of not being able to mess around with my phone for fear of breaking it. I tend to dabble A LOT at hacking these Androids and the Nexus One was a beast for being able to handle anything I threw at it. My first Evo was great for a couple months and then it just suddenly started going to hell out of the blue.
Now, even though I hack my phones and do alter them quite a bit, I don't do anything that pushes them to the brink of failure...NOT EVEN CLOSE! I usually have a pretty good idea of how much the phone can handle and I don't get too close to the max but with the EVO, simply putting CM6 without changing the kernal or theming seemed like too much. Even my buddies 2 day old STOCK Evo started rebooting randomly about 5-10 times in a 3 hours span right in front of me. We went to the mall to exchange it immediately thereafter. I've seen people that have had this problem whether rooted or stock and I just can't believe that so many people have had this issue and HTC sits on the sidelines and does nothing to fix the issue. I used to be all about HTC until this huge flaw with the EVO rattled my confidence in their phones. I'm hoping I won't be saying the same about Samsung 6 months from now.

if you read other posts in these forums there are ways of flashing back and forth from rom to rom using a program called odin but at the same time ive read that people have problems with drivers and such and it not working right. im a noob and afraid that if i tried doing all of that id ruin my phone. i miss the gps when it worked but if i get lost theres always mapquest lol.

I would just say that my experience with the epic has been amazing. I came from and htc touch diamond which was a good phone but nothing compared to the original touch which I loved, romed, and used for 2 years, but this phone owns those phones by so much(htc). The fact the samsung has given us an amazing base recovery system as well as download mode( which I think is key for any dev phone) not to mention clockworkmod and rom manager, shows great software management potential. If samsung isn't saying that this is great hardware then I don't know why they would make their flagship phone(nexus s) almost a clone other than a few minor upgrades. Rumors are amuck that these phones will be some of the first to see gingerbread updates. Gps wise I have seen great improvement through the test leaks and now on dk28 I get a lock within 5 feet 90% of the time. When we get source I think we will see amazing things from across the galaxy s line, and most of them will be on or ported to the epic. Just my bit for ya;-)
sent by my Nexus S with a keyboard.

I can tell you that gps doesn't seem to be a problem with newer epics. I got mine nov 18 (HW 700.5) and didn't have a problem with gps till I attempted the 2.2.1 update that "leaked" (setup leak). My only major complaint is the slide your finger across notification area brightness control that can't be disabled.... and lack of google apps account support in 2.1 (I miss the most in 2.2). These are not really issues with the phone. Just software that can be fixed. I get good battery life (most of my work day using task killer, which I liked not having to use one in 2.2 got same battery life without TK).
The screen is really nice. Been renting movies on mediahub using the $50 credit. Not worth buying if you can't stream to tv samsung!!
I am happy with my purchase now that I know sprint planned on removing those minor bugs I had and hope they don't trade it with a major (gps).
Hope any of this helps...
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

ErlyD said:
.... and lack of google apps account support in 2.1 (I miss the most in 2.2)....
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What can you do with a google apps account in 2.2 that you can't do in 2.1? I use my work email(google apps) with the gmail application and the talk application without issue.

thanks guys these responses have been exactly what I was looking for. here's another important question. what is the fastest rom available for the Epic? I really don't look for a busy user interface I look for speed, high quadrant scores, and more of a stripped down look...let's say the closest rom to CM6 that's not glitchy. it would be a plus if it also removes touchwiz but not mandatory. Thanks again guys

Vipermuscle83 said:
thanks guys these responses have been exactly what I was looking for. here's another important question. what is the fastest rom available for the Epic? I really don't look for a busy user interface I look for speed, high quadrant scores, and more of a stripped down look...let's say the closest rom to CM6 that's not glitchy. it would be a plus if it also removes touchwiz but not mandatory. Thanks again guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i heard from a friend of mine the ViperRom is super fast and smooth. I'll try it soon. Th Nebula is also very good in terms of speed and stability from what I read from this forum. So you may try both of them

Vipermuscle83 said:
thanks guys these responses have been exactly what I was looking for. here's another important question. what is the fastest rom available for the Epic? I really don't look for a busy user interface I look for speed, high quadrant scores, and more of a stripped down look...let's say the closest rom to CM6 that's not glitchy. it would be a plus if it also removes touchwiz but not mandatory. Thanks again guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running mammons bonsai4all and compared to quantum 1.5 is a lot smoother but I haven't tried q2.0 or viper. Viper to me seems like a final product where as quantum and bonsai seem to be more barebones and you can add more of what you want. But until we get source on 2.2 kernel, these roms are all really similar other than acessories and a few small mostly visual tweaks. Serious kernel tweaks wil be what sets these phones apart from the rest.
sent by my Nexus S with a keyboard.

So far, I'm leaning towards Viper. I have selfish reasons to like that Rom too...it goes along with my username and my car

windyhawk said:
i heard from a friend of mine the ViperRom is super fast and smooth. I'll try it soon. Th Nebula is also very good in terms of speed and stability from what I read from this forum. So you may try both of them
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey windyhawk, I'm from the CHI and a die-hard Hawks fan!!! LOL. What a small world! I can't believe the way they just blew that damn game to the POS Avs! I'm so PO'ed it's not even funny!

Other apps dont see a google account on my phone. Like youtube, listen, fi.ance,etc all google apps. Google apps account are visible. In 2.2 everything works as it should. Im lucky google reader worked. The only one that does.
How many google app accounts on your phone?#
Sent from my Samsung Epic using XDA App.

Vipermuscle83 said:
thanks guys these responses have been exactly what I was looking for. here's another important question. what is the fastest rom available for the Epic? I really don't look for a busy user interface I look for speed, high quadrant scores, and more of a stripped down look...let's say the closest rom to CM6 that's not glitchy. it would be a plus if it also removes touchwiz but not mandatory. Thanks again guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cgm is being ported by noobnl. Should be a thread near the top in this forum
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

This has made my day! Can't wait for the finished product. There really is no other rom like CM

I've had no issues with the epic except for some software factors, due to samsung not updating there phones fast enough, other then that pretty flawless.

I wonder what it is about the Samsung Galaxy S line that makes these software updates such a difficult task.

Pre > Epic > Evo > back to Epic

For anyone trying to decide between the Evo and Epic, here is my take after having each for at least 2 weeks as my primary phone. These are just my opinions as everyone has different tastes
I must be an exception to the rule...I switched from a Palm Pre to the Epic for a couple weeks. I liked swype so much I decided to drop the epic for the evo.
After using an Evo for two weeks I traded it back for an Epic and I like the Epic much better for a few reasons.
First I didn't care for HTC Sense. I like the gallery, email, music player, calendar, and various apps included with the Epic better than HTC's versions. Also, HTC doesn't ship a file browser or task manager whereas Samsung does. Some people will say "just install one from the market" but those typically all have ads. I realize you can remove the ads with a host file, but that’s beside the point. These are basic OS functions that should be included.
Second the Epic feels much faster. Scrolling is smoother and games run better. Froyo or not, it’s faster.
Third…contrary to what you may believe it is MUCH easier to root an Epic. With the Epic you can essentially take the long way or the shortcut 1-click method but the Evo HW0004 currently there is only a long somewhat difficult root process.
Fourth, everyone complains that the dev community is so much better for the Evo. I would argue that this community is really top notch and has been extremely helpful and understanding to new users such as myself. I saw a lot more flaming going on in Evo forums.
Finally the hardware: Something overlooked by many, the Epic is way more comfortable to hold. Turns out rounded corners are round for a reason. After browsing the web & xda for about 30 min on the Evo I noticed the center of my palm, right where the bottom corner rests was a tad sore, almost felt bruised. This is not a problem with the Epic with its nicely rounded body and curved back. Also the earpiece is much better on the Epic, its louder clearer and is more comfortable up to the ear. And yes, the samoled screen is worth the 0.3” loss in size.
I wouldn't even consider the Evo Shift at this point. I'm shocked to see so many people recommending it over the Epic which to me is well worth the higher price.

If they fix the keyboard issues, GPS issues, and battery life issues I would agree with you that the Epic 4G is definitely the best phone on Sprint. If a Droid or the iPhone had even one of these issues, all of the media outlets would be up in arms and there would be mass returns. They are all MAJOR issues. For some reason, Samsung is allowed to get away with it on the Galaxy S devices. People are not really returning their devices in large numbers (as far as I know), and all of the reviewers gave the Galaxy S devices very high scores.
The reality is this is essentially a device with alpha or beta quality software on it, that is not getting fixed until at least six months after release. I am not buying Samsung again for mobile phones.

I have to agree with op. Best phone i ever had, and i have had quite a few smartphones. even before official froyo, it runs much smoothr than the few evos i played with. Gps, keyboard is perfect for me. And the screen is amazing.....
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Stock Evo vs. Epic battery life is within 5% I would say. I couldn't tell any difference in my usage. Probably because I am almost always within Wi-fi range which makes a big difference.
Keyboard on the Epic doesn't impress, I'll agree with you. Thats probably why I use swype most of the time. It is very handy to punch in passwords though.
GPS is better on the Evo. If you are a road warrior I would avoid the Galexy S line. That said, if you enable GPS & wireless networks it will place you on the map within 30 seconds, but it is definitely not as accurate as the Evo. Supposedly Samsung is working on improvements.
Thanks for bringing up some points I didn't include!

thechicgeak said:
If they fix the keyboard issues, GPS issues, and battery life issues I would agree with you that the Epic 4G is definitely the best phone on Sprint. If a Droid or the iPhone had even one of these issues, all of the media outlets would be up in arms and there would be mass returns. They are all MAJOR issues. For some reason, Samsung is allowed to get away with it on the Galaxy S devices. People are not really returning their devices in large numbers (as far as I know), and all of the reviewers gave the Galaxy S devices very high scores.
The reality is this is essentially a device with alpha or beta quality software on it, that is not getting fixed until at least six months after release. I am not buying Samsung again for mobile phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A. The keyboard is the only legitimate argument you have here.
B. Most users who buy the epic(and yes, the users who root and are members of this forum are the minority) do not see a GPS problem. I didn't even notice one till I started reading this forum and trying to replicate the problem. I have two friends with Epics, and they have never complained of the GPS not working.
C. The battery is no worse than the Evo, and that is a fact. Read on both forums and you will see that everyone gets VERY comparable operating times. Unfortunately with screen this big and clear, you aren't going to get the battery life of other phones. Have you seen the screens on Evo and Epic compared to iphone and droid? They are night and day difference, and the product of that is battery life.
If you go to the Droid forums you will see complaints as well, however because 80% of the public does not have the same demand as the users of forums like this, the complaints are not escalated as highly. The high end techies complain about everything that is not perfect, cause techies are never satisfied, I should know, I am in that boat. However, that does not mean we are holding a inferior piece of hardware/software. Outside of this forum, I have never met a normal person dissatisfied with their Epic or Evo.

I was in a sprint store last week getting a replacement Epic so while waiting i did about 15 seperate 4g bandwidth tests with the floor demo and my replacement Epic comparing it it side to side with the Evo. I'm disappointed to say not only did the Evo best the Epic every time in some instances it nearly doubled the speed. It regularly was 1-3 megabits a second faster and the fastest speed for a Epic was 7.2 megs and the Evo was 10 megs. I also noticed that even though we were in a full coverage area the Epic would go from full to no bars for some unknown reason. The Evo must have a better antenna or the Epic has some reception issues. Has anyone else tested this out?

swanysto said:
...C. The battery is no worse than the Evo, and that is a fact. Read on both forums and you will see that everyone gets VERY comparable operating times. Unfortunately with screen this big and clear, you aren't going to get the battery life of other phones. Have you seen the screens on Evo and Epic compared to iphone and droid? They are night and day difference, and the product of that is battery life...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to chime in here and state that the Epic's 45-nm S5PC110 is ~20% more power efficient than the EVO's 65-nm QSD8650. The SAMOLED on the Epic does eat more juice than the EVO's LCD when cranked all the way up or when displaying lots of white pages, but when displaying dark colors and blacks it can sip less energy.

swanysto said:
A. The keyboard is the only legitimate argument you have here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, the keyboard is junk on this device. I am not sure if it is software, hardware, or both that causes the missed keys. Hopefully it is just software issues...
swanysto said:
B. Most users who buy the epic(and yes, the users who root and are members of this forum are the minority) do not see a GPS problem. I didn't even notice one till I started reading this forum and trying to replicate the problem. I have two friends with Epics, and they have never complained of the GPS not working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can see how for some people, the GPS issues are not a big deal, but it is for people who do not want to do any sort of hacking whatsoever to help decrease the long lock times. Not the end of the world, I'll grant you that, but my point is that this would not be accepted on any other major mobile phone, so why is it so accepted on the Galaxy S devices? Look at how up in arms people were about the iPhone 4's relatively minor "death grip" problem.
swanysto said:
C. The battery is no worse than the Evo, and that is a fact. Read on both forums and you will see that everyone gets VERY comparable operating times. Unfortunately with screen this big and clear, you aren't going to get the battery life of other phones. Have you seen the screens on Evo and Epic compared to iphone and droid? They are night and day difference, and the product of that is battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When it works as it should, it can have great battery life (mine under DK28 works great and I get around 20 to 30 hours on a charge with moderate usage). That being said, there are problems in the software that, on some phones under certain conditions, cause absurdly bad battery life (10% battery drain or more per hour while idle, which is how mine was until I upgraded to DK28 and how my friends' Fascinates are) and cause the phone to heat up considerably while idle. I have only ever heard of this happening with Galaxy S phones. Either way, frequent updates from Samsung and getting the latest Android release reasonably fast would mitigate this complaint for me, but that doesn't happen, so it is a legitimate complaint.
swanysto said:
If you go to the Droid forums you will see complaints as well, however because 80% of the public does not have the same demand as the users of forums like this, the complaints are not escalated as highly. The high end techies complain about everything that is not perfect, cause techies are never satisfied, I should know, I am in that boat. However, that does not mean we are holding a inferior piece of hardware/software. Outside of this forum, I have never met a normal person dissatisfied with their Epic or Evo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will agree that many people expect too much out of their smart phones. 20 to 30 hours is not enough for many people. That being said, 10 hour battery life doing absolutely nothing with the phone is completely ridiculous, and it is a legitimate software problem with the Galaxy S devices.
EDIT: Some grammar changes

I believe every phone's capabilities have to do with their "abuse" levels. Higher the abuse, lower the satisfaction. And, with higher abuse there will be more frequent visits to the Sprint store than usual.
I got my Epic on the day it came out (8/30/2010) and I have to admit this is a very beautiful phone with nice features. And the custom roms just spice it up even more (with less abuse of course)

If you have 10% drain an hour then you have app issues or something running in the background. On eclair I was getting 60 - 80 hours with no problem. On froyo it has been 20 - 30 hours now with ext 4 its up to 55 hours
Our stock standby time is 300 hours evo is like 200.
Epic 4g Quantum Rom Ext 4

Since im replying from my phone and I don't feel like editing a quote I'll just say that the gps is a MAJOR issue as I was never able to use it until I started having my phone. Considering gps is such a basic feature nowadays that is unacceptable.
Sent from my ext4 Epic 4G running Bonsai4all 1.1.3!

so far so good
I'm always tempted by the path not chosen, but so far the Epic has done everything I've needed it to do.
I drive for a living, and while the GPS does take time to lock, it does lock. Otherwise I can find myself on the map and plot my route on the map to at least start my travels until it does lock. I consider this to be standard GPS protocol :/
I could really care less about the keyboard, but for some reason Sprint has designated the slider as their form factor of choice since the PPC-6700. It misses keys, and I thought it was just me, but I'll just have to factor that in and type more carefully. But only the form factor and the OS have been real temptations for me.
I was in the market to replace my Flip camera, and when i saw the video comparisons between the Evo and the Epic, I knew I would be very disappointed with the Evo. And while it may not matter to some, I appreciate the dedicated 2 step camera button.
I'm also feel I'm in the minority when I say that I really like plug location. I leave the phone plugged in while I drive, and it's nice to not have to stow the phone upside down and have to hold it around the plug. This has been a plus with every Samsung phone I have had, the ability to charge it in the upright position. And I cannot tell you how much I adore the slide cover of the plug.
The screen looks great from any angle even in bright light I can see it better than I could ever see the screen on my TP2.
Now, is the phone light and cheap feeling? Possibly. But I would rather drop a light phone than a heavy phone. Think about it. I already dropped it once trying to take a picture of something on the floor. Wood floor, no harm, lesson learned. But the phone seems well put together, and it should last at least the year before I can upgrade to, whatever.
4G, eh, whatever. I play with it in Chicago, and it's iffy at best. They basically tacked on an extra radio, and I mostly pretend it's not there. However, it does grant the ability to do simultaneous voice and data, which will be a plus if this network ever expands and takes hold.
So even though I am sick to death of waiting for Froyo since I'm checking on it every day, I still know I made the right choice as far as what Sprint has to offer.

docdg said:
I also noticed that even though we were in a full coverage area the Epic would go from full to no bars for some unknown reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This happens to me all the time. Months ago there were some posts postulating that this problem may be because the Epic's network defaults to "WCDMA preferred" under the advanced network settings, and WCDMA, despite its name, is actually a protocol for GSM phones, not CDMA phones. The thought is that it preferentially periodically goes looking for these networks it cannot connect to.
I have found that switching this setting to "CDMA auto" causes my "time without signal" to drop from ~50% to about 4%, so there's probably something to that argument. Unfortunately the phone seems to change itself back, especially when it reboots, and in any case I still get the bars dropping away quite often, even after changing this.

Phreddo said:
I'm also feel I'm in the minority when I say that I really like plug location. I leave the phone plugged in while I drive, and it's nice to not have to stow the phone upside down and have to hold it around the plug.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also like the plug where it is, though I didn't think I would when I got it. It is so much nicer than a bottom or side plug, not only when plugged into the car, but also when plugged in anywhere else, especially at the computer.

I really like my Epic over the Evo. My cuz has an Evo and it looks and feels so big and square, I really don't think I'd like carrying that thing in my pocket, like I carry my Evo. And for me, Evo's screen is actually larger than needed. I lived without a keyboard for two years with my HTC Touch and now, I can't go without a keyboard. I personally find Swype to be inaccurate and I constantly had to make adjustments. I use the android keyboard when not typing on the keyboard.

edonnelly said:
This happens to me all the time. Months ago there were some posts postulating that this problem may be because the Epic's network defaults to "WCDMA preferred" under the advanced network settings, and WCDMA, despite its name, is actually a protocol for GSM phones, not CDMA phones. The thought is that it preferentially periodically goes looking for these networks it cannot connect to.
I have found that switching this setting to "CDMA auto" causes my "time without signal" to drop from ~50% to about 4%, so there's probably something to that argument. Unfortunately the phone seems to change itself back, especially when it reboots, and in any case I still get the bars dropping away quite often, even after changing this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too noticed that in the settings. When I switch to CDMA auto, the bars were almost always full or close to full even when I was in areas that historically gave me a bad signal. Unfortunately, the phone swtiches back to WCDMA and I go back to my normal, high-and-low signal.

One final note as I am actually switching to an evo today. On the topic of task killers the one included with the epic is crap. It does not show programs samsung does not want you ending and so I've always used advanced task killer. To me GPS that works and manufacturer support far outweigh the need for a manufacturer supplied task killer.
Sent from my ext4 Epic 4G running Bonsai4all 1.1.3!

kenvan19 said:
One final note as I am actually switching to an evo today. On the topic of task killers the one included with the epic is crap. It does not show programs samsung does not want you ending and so I've always used advanced task killer. To me GPS that works and manufacturer support far outweigh the need for a manufacturer supplied task killer.
Sent from my ext4 Epic 4G running Bonsai4all 1.1.3!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I'm switching to the Epic but I haven't considered the GPS issue. I just assume I'll get a good one. lol. To me, the screen, the still and video camera are reasons to switch. Though the dev community doesn't seem as robust for Epic and the manufacturer support clearly isn't there as well.

dwd3885 said:
I think I'm switching to the Epic but I haven't considered the GPS issue. I just assume I'll get a good one. lol. To me, the screen, the still and video camera are reasons to switch. Though the dev community doesn't seem as robust for Epic and the manufacturer support clearly isn't there as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get GPS working you just have to be on DK28. If you like the phone by all means get it. It comes down to opinions and my opinion is that there really isn't anything I like about the Epic. Its got great graphics and a good camera but I have a 42" flatscreen+a PS3 for gaming and I have a 12mp camera for pictures, I don't need my phone to do those things. Sure, having a hardware keyboard is great but considering I have to slow my typing speed down so I don't miss letters and how much I've come to love swype I don't really want/need it anymore. I've said this in the Evo Shift vs Epic thread and I'll say it here: Go try both phones. If you like one more than the other, buy it. Manufacturers and Carriers are always going to skew their descriptions and spec sheets to get you to buy something, so just go with what you want.

jbadboy2007 said:
If you have 10% drain an hour then you have app issues or something running in the background. On eclair I was getting 60 - 80 hours with no problem. On froyo it has been 20 - 30 hours now with ext 4 its up to 55 hours
Our stock standby time is 300 hours evo is like 200.
Epic 4g Quantum Rom Ext 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not quite sure exactly what it is, but it seems to be restricted to Galaxy S phones. I spent quite a lot of time trying to figure out what was causing it on my phone, and while I have heard of people like you who got good battery life in 2.1, everyone I know who has a Galaxy S device has this issue. Judging by the fact that for me and others, 2.2 has cleared up the issue, I am guessing there is a fix specifically for this in that update.
For the record, I once ran logcat to see if I could pinpoint the issue. It seemed that Google Sync was querying Google's servers CONSTANTLY even though I had configured to push in GMail, so it could be an issue with Android or the GMail app itself, but why it seems to manifest on Galaxy S devices with alarming frequency is beyond me.