Samsung Galaxy S 4G Android Phone (T-Mobile) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was an iPhone user who decided to buy new SGS4G for some "freedom" and cheaper cell/data service. And another reason I bought this device is because it is very close to iphone. Here comes my review after a week of its ownership.
Pros
1. Cheaper and faster: Speed difference from iPhone is obvious with 4G and better processor. T-mobile provides with cheaper plans.
2. Smooth and beautiful Video: I rarely watch TV/movies on a smartphone. This device made me think again. Quality of the movie screen is amazing - smooth and clear. Watching experience is close to laptop. I will enjoy this on flight.
3. Camera: Without considering more resolution, this camera is better than the one in iPhone GS. It is much less sensible for small shaking.
4. Wireless tethering: I didn't really care for tethering with 3G because of its terrible speed. But this device's 4G now and supposed to be 21 Mbps. After rooting, I first installed wireless tethering. And it works like a charm. This portable wifi router does not really make 21 Mbps but 8 Mbps but it's still practical. Think about IPad or Kindle with this phone in my pocket. They are always connected without paying a buck for 3G plan/device.
5. Unlimited expandability: Since it's android OS, unlike iphone, the device is not much restricted to expand. You can virtually install whatever you want.
Cons
1. Lack of internal memory: 500MB internal memory is too small to store apps. So after getting this device, you'd better start moving apps into internal 16G SD card. As I will mention about this below, however, not all apps can be moved to SD.
2. Bloated apps: Unnecessary apps occupy in apps screen and some of them also automatically run. And most of these bloated apps can't be deleted nor moved to SD card. - Solution: Root and Titanium Backup. See the last part of this review.
3. No flash LED: I rarely use it for taking pictures so it does not matter much to me. But it's one component people may want to have at some point. Besides, you can use it for other purposes with apps. As other devices in this price range have the LED, I am not sure why Samsung is not getting it with this excellent device otherwise.
4. Bad battery: I guess this may be the reason SGS4G is so light but its battery life is not close to the one in iPhone 3GS. My daily use is not that heavy but I always get 20-30% battery power remaining at the end of a day. In my test, playing 2-3 hours of a movie will drain the battery out. UPDATE: I've looked ways to overcome this issue, and so far, the best one is buying extra OEM batteries and charger to keep replacing battery on the device. I first thought it's one of the stupidest ideas. But with charger taking care of the extra batteries (two extras in my case), you are free from worrying about battery life and your device doesn't have to be connected to USB cable. The OEM batteries are already cheap so don't think about buying cheaper batteries as I did. One of cheapest batteries I tried almost bricked my device.
Root: Root is like easy jailbreak for Android device but without any downside. Of course Rooted device can be bricked and void of warranty but in reality, most of times, CS will fix the bricked device under warranty. Google "Super One Click" for more details.
Titanium Backup: After root, get the Titanium backup app to delete all unnecessary apps. One thing to remember: don't delete telenav app because it will mess GPS up otherwise.
In summary, root is almost required for this smart phone - root will take less than 30 mins. Other than that, with its amazing speed and powerful customizing ability from Android OS, I still have to figure out what it can do. This device is truly a personal computer + more in my hand. I like it a lot more than iPhone.


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T-Mobile's first smartphone capable of delivering theoretical peak download speeds of up to 21 Mbps, the Samsung Vibrant 4G Galaxy S smartphone also offers unparalleled entertainment including mobile HDTV through T-Mobile TV, the Oscar-nominated film Inception, and T-Mobile Video Chat powered by Qik. The Android-powered Vibrant 4G provides a wealth of Google services and support for Adobe Flash, plus direct access to the Android Market for discovering a wide range of fun and powerful apps.

Optimized for watching videos on the go as well as game play, the Vibrant 4G offers a 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor and 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display for a bright, vivid viewing experience. It's equipped with a 5-megapixel camera with digital zoom and autofocus, and it also captures HD video. Additionally, the Vibrant 4G includes a front-facing camera for video chats over the 4G network and Wi-Fi connections.

This phone is specifically designed for T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ mobile broadband network, which currently covers over 100 major metropolitan areas across the U.S. (read more about HSPA+ below). The Vibrant 4G also offers Wi-Fi networking as well as the ability to share its 3G/4G Internet connection with other laptops and other Wi-Fi enabled devices.

You get a 1 GB internal memory that's complemented by an included 16 GB microSD memory card, and you can upgrade to optional 32 GB microSD cards for even more memory. Other features include ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming, GPS for location-based services and navigation via Google Maps, access to personal and corporate e-mail, and up to 6.5 hours of talk time.

T-Mobile Entertainment and Content
The Samsung Vibrant 4G Galaxy S smartphone comes preloaded with a variety of unique content and applications that will keep you entertained and productive while on the go.

Pre-loaded with Inception. The blockbuster of 2010 starring Leonardo DiCaprio will look awesome on the Super AMOLED display.
T-Mobile TV. Live and on-demand TV including live news, sports and full-length entertainment, plus on-demand full episodes of your favorite shows. And you get 30 days free of the T-Mobile TV Prime, which includes additional channels of live and on-demand TV, and full episodes of top shows.
T-Mobile Video Chat powered by Qik. With this free video call service, you can start a live two-way video chat to share what's happening with friends and family, or capture all the rich details of the moment in a Video Mail if you can't connect live. Instantly share videos to your social networks, blogs, or other sites.Videos are automatically uploaded to your own online Video Gallery for sharing or safe-keeping.
Samsung Media Hub. With hundreds of titles available at your fingertips, entertaining yourself or your kids on the go has never been easier.You can rent or purchase your favorite content and within seconds watch from the convenience of anywhere (Wi-Fi required for movie downloads).
Kindle for Android. Lets you shop for hundreds of thousands of books in the Kindle Store, including New York Times Best Sellers and new releases from $9.99. Use Amazon's Whispersync technology to automatically synchronize your last page read, bookmarks, annotations, and more across your various devices--including Kindle, Kindle DX, PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry and Android phones.
Slacker Radio. With millions of songs from thousands of artists, Slacker is the best way to discover new artists and hear your favorite music. Listening to Slacker is as easy as selecting one of over 120 DJ-programmed genre stations or searching for your favorite artist or song.
doubleTwist with AirSync. Sync and enjoy all of your iTunes playlists, music, photos and videos without wires. Move all of you music to your phone and automatically back up all of your photos and videos you take on your phone to your computer--all possible without that pesky USB cable.

Powered by Android 2.2
The Vibrant 4G runs the latest Android operating system--OS 2.2 (aka, Froyo)--which provides a faster overall Android experience as well as greater multitasking capabilities. You'll be able to receive notifications, listen to music, and even record GPS data without keeping the application open. And it features a plethora of new enhancements, including an improved QWERTY keyboard, full push corporate e-mail, and Adobe Flash Player 10.1 for access to the full Web. It also offers enhanced Exchange support, with Calendar syncing, Global Address Lookup, improved security, auto-discovery, and more.

With integrated Google technology, the Vibrant 4G brings one-touch access to the popular Google mobile services millions use every day, including Google Search by Voice, YouTube and Picasa. It also provides easy access to both personal and corporate e-mail, calendars, and contacts supported by Exchange Server and Gmail. And through Android Market, you'll get access to thousands of useful applications, widgets and fun games to download and install on your phone, with many more apps being added every day.

Connectivity
Blazing fast 4G speeds on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network for up to 3 times faster than standard 3G networks, while allowing simultaneous voice and data capabilities (compatible with 3G networks where 4G is unavailable).
Onboard GPS for navigation and location services
Integrated Google Maps with voice-activated search, turn-by-turn navigation, street and satellite views
Ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n) for accessing home and corporate networks as well as hotspots while on the go
Wi-Fi Sharing allows you to use your phone's 3G mobile broadband to connect laptops and other Wi-Fi enabled devices to the Internet.
Next-generation Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity provides faster throughput while minimizing on power requirements. It's compatible with new Bluetooth 3.0-enabled devices as well as backward compatible with older Bluetooth-enabled peripherals such as headsets and printers. And it includes the A2DP Bluetooth profile--enabling you to wirelessly stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones or speaker dock.

Vital Statistics
The Vibrant 4G weighs 4.2 ounces and measures 4.8 x 2.5 x 0.4 inches. Its 1650 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 6.5 hours of talk time, and up to 432 hours (18 days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies, as well as T-Mobile's 3G/4G network (1700/2100 MHz; UMTS/HSDPA/HSPA+).
What's in the Box
Vibrant 4G handset, rechargeable battery, charger, 16 GB microSD card, USB cable, wired stereo headset, quick start guide


T-Mobile Network FeaturesHigh-Speed Data Connectivity via T-Mobile's 3G/4G Network
This phone is compatible with T-Mobile's UMTS/HSDPA/HSPA+ 3G/4G network, which operates on the 1700/2100 MHz AWS spectrum, and it can achieve theoretical download speeds of up to 21 Mbps. It's designed to automatically connect to the best available network (4G, 3G, or GSM/GPRS/EDGE) to provide faster data speeds when accessing the Web.

In areas where the 3G/4G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on the via T-Mobile's EDGE network (which stands for "Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution"). This high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and e-mail on the go.
T-Mobile's Expanding, Super-Fast 4G Mobile Broadband Network
As of February, 2011, T-Mobile has upgraded its traditional 3G network to HSPA+ 4G in 200 major metropolitan areas across the U.S.--cover 200 million people across the country--with plans to continue rolling out this network upgrade throughout 2011. With typical download speeds that are on par with or faster than competing 4G technologies, T-Mobile's HSPA+ network provides fast data speeds--up to 3 times faster than AT&T and Verizon's standard 3G networks--while allowing simultaneous voice and data capabilities for the ultimate wireless voice and data experience. You'll enjoy faster Web browsing, uninterrupted video streaming, and quicker app downloads.

T-Mobile's 4G mobile broadband network (powered by HSPA+) provides a theoretical capability of up to 21 Mbps peak download speeds, with average download speeds typically in the 5 to 8 Mbps range.



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