Samsung Captivate (Galaxy S) rated 4 out of 5 by Wireless and Mobile News' Review of Reviews
Reviewers of the Samsung Captivate all agree that the Captivate captivates, and give it the accolade of being the best Android smartphone at AT&T right now.
Reviews all agreed that the Super AMOLED touchscreen is gorgeous, captivating and brilliant. You can even see the colors pop in bright sunlight. The processor is fast, the added TouchWiz features can be helpful and the call quality is very good.
All the reviewers hated a few things you can't use/install apps that are not from the Android Market, the camera lacks flash and the Samsung Captivate lacks Wi-Fi hotspot sharing like its top Android competitors(Droid X, and HTC EVO 4G)
The six axis acclerometer sensor makes screen mode changing very fast. In benchmark tests the speed of the Samsung Captivate was very fast and on AT&T's 3G network slightly faster than the iPhone 4G. Like the iPhone 4, you can get attenuation (loss of signal strength) when you grip the Samsung Captivate fully with your hand.
There are four modes of text input ensuring that you will find a way to enter text that you like. The music player and ability to sync media with PCs were praised. All reviewers found the web browser to be fast but one pointed out that you can't force the browser to show the desktop version of websites when a mobile version appears. Video capture was also praised, but reviewers wondered why you can't use and HDMI cable like other Android superstars. You can however show video via Wi-Fi with DLNA.
Most reviewers compared the Samsung Captivate to the iPhone 4, some call it a good alternative while other stayed on the iPhone 4 fence. Because of the many features of this Android powerhouse, you'll have to see what features are the most important to you. If you however sit out in the sun and web surf along with wave surf, this may be the best option for you.
The Samsung Captivate sells for $199 with a contract after rebates from AT&T. Don't forget to use the AT&T Coupon-Link $50 Off AT&T Wireless with Plan for New Customers with a Contract.
Update 01/16/11 - There is an issue with Captivate phones made before November 6, read details.
Update 10/31/10 - -Amazon Wireless Beta is offering the Samsung Captivate with a new contract for one-cent and $29.99 for renewing individual accounts. Note: these prices are only may change on the Amazon Wireless Beta website.
www.Wirefly.com is offering the Samsung Captivate
for $19.99 new AT&T and for renewing customers.
Review of Reviews Top Ten Best Android an' Droid Phones Now an' Later.
Bonnie Cha at CNET Rated the Samsung Captivate 4 out of 5 or the gorgeous AMOLED touch screen, 1GHz Humming birdprocessor, great call quality, many wireless options and HD video capture. As with all Android AT&T smartphones, owners can't sideload/install non Android Market Apps. Unfortunately, the camera lacks a flash. She does call it the best AT&T Android device, now with great performance. She found the design to be lackluster but solid. The 4 inch touchscreen with 400 x800 resolution is great looking, crisp, responsive and fast. The six axis acclerometer comes in handy for quick gaming. Samsung TouchWiz added some handy on screen shortcuts, the social networking is improved. It's a quad-band world phone but can't be used as mobile hotspot. Although it's supposed to combine contacts from various sources, she had to hand input some accounts. AT&T added software and services come with an additional cost. The speaker phone sounded hollow. The web browser was good and the Captivate felt fast.
Sascha Segan at PCMag rated the Samsung Captivate 4 out 5 for its fast processor, beautiful screen, PC syncing options, calling it the top Android smartphone at AT&T. He didn't like that you can only use Android Market apps and the absence of a camera flash. He found the touchscreen thrilling and it didn't wash out in bright sunlight. It can use 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi. He did find a death-grip of attenuation on when he held the bottom of the Samsung Captivate. He found call quality to be decent and liked the noise cancellation. For all it's features, it had good battery life. The are four ways to enter text, two handwriting recongition programs, a T9 keypad and swipe. The processor came out faster than the Snapdragon in benchmark tests. Merging of email, and calendars worked for him well with Samsung Kies. He didnt' like the social networking for Twitter and Facebook because they don't auto update more than once an hour. Media Syncing works on PCs only. The camera took decent photos. He found the social networking, customizable home screens, free Google voice-guided navigation/directions, and the super colorful screen, better than the iPhone.
Mark Spoonauer at Laptopmag rated the Samsung Captivate 3.5 out of 5 for the super vibrant AMOLED touchscreen, daily briefings, HD camcorder, audio player and strong call quality. He didn't like the lack of a camera flash, lack of mobile Wi-Fi hotspots, and inability to sideload apps. The Samsung media hub for downloading videos/movies isn't ready yet, He liked the poacketable size, larger than the iPhone but smaller than the Droid X. It lacks an HDMI cable but you can stream video via DLNA. He wrote good things about the TouchWiz interface. The processor was fast but had some delays. Downloads on 3G were slightly faster than on an iPhone 4. In the browser, you can't force desktop versions to download. The coolest utility app that comes on the Captivate is the Write and Go app, you take a note and then decide later where to send it. For Wi-Fi file transfer there's AllShare, which requires selecting the files first. The music player is very good and supports 5.1 sound. In order to use Google maps you have download it and another speech-to-text app. The captivate is the best Android phone on AT&T