Database Info

FM Radio

Salesguy in the store when I bought it said the spec he had said it had one... but there is no app for it... what app or where can I get one to try to access this "hidden" perhaps hardware?

bumpy bump

Maybe try searching for the captivate fm radio apk and see if it works. Look at the i9000 forums. They have a link to all the apk's
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App

I tried installing the fm radio apk from the galaxy s using the SDK. It would not install. AT&T may have taken it out the ability. Who knows.

I pulled apart the apk files and I have two xml files anyone know how to read Android XML files?

You probably need an external antenna for it to work. Possibly a wired headset would work.
AT&T's Fuze didn't have the radio software until a firmware update. (or load cabs found on xda-dev) Either way, the app wouldn't try to tune the radio without the special htc-headset connected. This htc headset included an antenna.

theres an att radio app, would that work? I also heard the shipped headsets that come with the phone should have an antenna. Again, i could be wrong.

Has anyone figured this out 100%?
I'm very seriously considering this phone, but would really like to have FM radio with me.

Either ATT did not install the app for it because they want you to use up all your data using the att radio app; which says that it uses a ton of data so make sure you have a data plan. It may also have a monthly charge idk.
Or the hardware was removed with the front facing camera (maybe they were on the same module or something).
I hope the hardware is in there and it just needs the software to run. The headphones they give you have 3 rings so they could be 4 conductor I guess.
Stereo left and right, voice, and antennae. Or the 4th could be ground.

Bjd223 said:
Either ATT did not install the app for it because they want you to use up all your data using the att radio app; which says that it uses a ton of data so make sure you have a data plan. It may also have a monthly charge idk.
Or the hardware was removed with the front facing camera (maybe they were on the same module or something).
I hope the hardware is in there and it just needs the software to run. The headphones they give you have 3 rings so they could be 4 conductor I guess.
Stereo left and right, voice, and antennae. Or the 4th could be ground.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe they are four conductor for TV-Out functionality.

Radio doesn't use data

the ATT radio application sure does. Just try to launch it and it will tell you so. It is using internet radio.
We are also talking about thwe FM radio which wouldn't use any data. So either they hid it from us so we use thiers (and pay for data plus maybe a monthly fee). Or they removed the hardware so we are really f'ed.

I doubt ATT disabled it in software. The HTC Aria comes with a fully functional FM radio app, along with a bunch of featurephones (my wife's sony ericsson). Doesn't make much sense that they'd remove it for some marginal profits.

I'm betting the FM radio is in it.

YellowGTO said:
I'm betting the FM radio is in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Cheaper to make the hardware all the same and just not support it.
no one has dismantled the phone yet?

You can be the 1st

Ok i work for at&t and i cannot find anything internally that supports the fm radio myths. Im far from any kind of app developer but anyone debunked this? Im ok with internet streaming but cant find any good local terrestrial radio apps. Any roms or apks to fix this?

Buy Captivate now or wait!?

Hi,
I need some help to decide.
Should I buy this phone now or wait for later this year, or even maybe 2011(witch is to long time waiting).
Currently I own a Xperia X10(tired of this phone, no software update, captivate has way better screen) on Tmobile, and moving to ATT would be good I think.
Plan difference is not so big besides the cap limit on internet.
Please help, I will sell my Xperia X10, to have money ready for a new phone.
Thanks.

nj777 said:
Hi,
I need some help to decide.
Should I buy this phone now or wait for later this year, or even maybe 2011(witch is to long time waiting).
Currently I own a Xperia X10(tired of this phone, no software update, captivate has way better screen) on Tmobile, and moving to ATT would be good I think.
Plan difference is not so big besides the cap limit on internet.
Please help, I will sell my Xperia X10, to have money ready for a new phone.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well honestly it is really up to you. I don't think the community should decide for you. Would the possibility of having a non working GPS bother you? Would the possibility of having a phone that randomly shut down bother you? ( then you'd have to deal with AT&T warranty and such ) Those are some examples of problems that you should consider about. Samsung is known for having ****ty customer service and lack of updates. You see, the latest OTA update that we received were supposed to fix GPS problems... but it didn't... so... * shrug *
Don't get me wrong, I love my phone. It's just that samsung frustrates me at times because of their incompetence.

How about...would I if I were you...
I don't have the Xperia..but did have the Hero..and they are fairly close..
I look at it like this..as much as I loved my Hero with CM6 over clocked to 768mhz and all the themes and goodies...I wouldn't go back. I don't depend on my gps in my telephone to make my life easier..If you do..then you might want to wait..but..know this..You can copy Walmart's info from the web for the Captivate and go into a ATT store and walk out with one for $59.00.
As too the random shut downs..I'm running bare bones stock...I've had my phone on solid since last Thursday and have loaded and played 5 HD movies on it..talked for about 200 hours and sent about 30 text messages..and not one blip/fc/shutdown or anything else..Also..I told the sales lady I wanted one where it would do the 3 button recovery..She Googled it to see what I was talking about and said ok..no problem..Mine worked first time..but had to open the 7th box to get one that did for the wife.Both of ours works great..and the GPS isn't real bad..I lock on to about 8-10 sats under 10 seconds with mine..the wifes is about the same..
If it were me..Hell yes..I love this phone..
Mac

The leaked froyo sure is nice though. I haven't had any random shut down issues unless I let the phone stay on the charger to long and then it will only shut down when its sitting without being used.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Um, not to be a hater here but....
This was the only high end android device that ATT had. All the other phone s the carrier offers besides the Aria is a joke.
I feel very lucky that XDA and Design Gears is around or I would have a completely useless device. No way would I recommend this phone to John Q Public.
There are too many awesome devices out that work. Sure the screen is awesome and its fast as hell. But it is laden with bugs and took folks in this community to get it to run.
Couple that with Samsung's track record? I would recommend getting another device. Most likely an HTC.
Of course with all that being said... I love my phone and wouldn't trade it for any other on the market today...... Until the next shiny new device comes out.
With my phone using Cognition, because it just runs better.

avgjoegeek said:
Um, not to be a hater here but....
This was the only high end android device that ATT had. All the other phone s the carrier offers besides the Aria is a joke.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you meaning to tell me that the Moto Backflip is not a quality phone?! /sarcasm

Thanks for all your sugesstions,
A reply to second post: I am not looking for someone to pic a phone for me, I was trying to get information if there is a better choice comparable to Captivate and better than Xperia. And I didn't find any better device at this time or any confirmed device that would be available later. Sorry if I didn't express myself clearly.
As for Gps issue I know, trouth to be told I don't really use it so no big deal there, as for restarts and lag Captivate is not the only one doing that, my X10 does it to, I noticed it based on ever root or updates, mostly I think it's from incompatible software And hardware, even my Windows and Mac does that. My wife's IPhone 3GS does that too when using it too much and having to many apps xD.
So, are there any shortlly upcoming devices I should know? My google research didn't get far, maybe there is anyone with more information about it.
Thank you, I appreciet all your opinions

better but comparable to captivate, hmmm the g2 from t-mobile. thats about it. no other phone has the 3d procesing of a galaxy s. but some are faster at other things. the g2 is very fast across the board.
snapdragon htc phones have bad battery life, the aria has too small of a battery. i had one it had alot of features but the screen was too small and no battery life, its basically a hero with android 2.1. so other than the g2 that leaves motorola phones that are only on verizon and have less performance than the g2.
i like the captivate but i think i would also like a g2.

nj777 said:
Hi,
I need some help to decide.
Should I buy this phone now or wait for later this year, or even maybe 2011(witch is to long time waiting).
Currently I own a Xperia X10(tired of this phone, no software update, captivate has way better screen) on Tmobile, and moving to ATT would be good I think.
Plan difference is not so big besides the cap limit on internet.
Please help, I will sell my Xperia X10, to have money ready for a new phone.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would and did and don't have an ounce of regret. I have learned so much in the past few weeks which is empowering when it comes to choosing and flashing ROMS. My expectations from a $500 device that does so much is very low so I am rarely disappointed.
My GPS works to around 30 meters. Good enough. The Music player is phenomenal even through the stock buds.(and I normally use Westone 3s and ETY 4s) I have never seen such a customizable device and fool proof as well IF you take the time to really understand and follow directions
Read the later parts of long threads so you don't get into the middle error area where issues are resolved. Don't be afraid to ask questions after you look for an answer. It is a very friendly forum. Very few "self appointed forum cops"
I would not wait. get the JH6 and begin playing with ROMS and recovery. When the official 2.2 comes out you won't be afraid to burn a better cooked Cognition ROM of it later.
There will be bugs...There are always bugs......

i say get it, i went from the fuze to the captivate and im never looking back, couldnt be happier

If I were you, I will wait probably... X10 is a great device, but i dont know if they are going to release update... I will stick with X10, and change to a better phone next year... samsung is too ****ty, dont get ur hand with them if u can... also, dont even try to get att, they are ****ty too...
if u want, sell ur X10 and buy a vibrant...
im with att because they are the only carrier with rollover... and i have captivate because its the best android on att
Foxy Roxy said:
Well honestly it is really up to you. I don't think the community should decide for you. Would the possibility of having a non working GPS bother you? Would the possibility of having a phone that randomly shut down bother you? ( then you'd have to deal with AT&T warranty and such ) Those are some examples of problems that you should consider about. Samsung is known for having ****ty customer service and lack of updates. You see, the latest OTA update that we received were supposed to fix GPS problems... but it didn't... so... * shrug *
Don't get me wrong, I love my phone. It's just that samsung frustrates me at times because of their incompetence.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tHe OTA update BRICK my phone, and att/samsung are blaming each other... they sucks...
Mac11700 said:
How about...would I if I were you...
I don't have the Xperia..but did have the Hero..and they are fairly close..
I look at it like this..as much as I loved my Hero with CM6 over clocked to 768mhz and all the themes and goodies...I wouldn't go back. I don't depend on my gps in my telephone to make my life easier..If you do..then you might want to wait..but..know this..You can copy Walmart's info from the web for the Captivate and go into a ATT store and walk out with one for $59.00.
As too the random shut downs..I'm running bare bones stock...I've had my phone on solid since last Thursday and have loaded and played 5 HD movies on it..talked for about 200 hours and sent about 30 text messages..and not one blip/fc/shutdown or anything else..Also..I told the sales lady I wanted one where it would do the 3 button recovery..She Googled it to see what I was talking about and said ok..no problem..Mine worked first time..but had to open the 7th box to get one that did for the wife.Both of ours works great..and the GPS isn't real bad..I lock on to about 8-10 sats under 10 seconds with mine..the wifes is about the same..
If it were me..Hell yes..I love this phone..
Mac
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you mind to share your gps configuration?

I am one of the few or possibly not so few people who did not really have any problems with my Captivate on the android 2.1 release, and actually the 2.2 recently leaked os either.
One thing people do not appear to keep in mind that these phone are closer to a PC now than ever before with pound for pound nearly the same power house operating systems on them. With such a customizable OS on a phone like Droid its bound to have some kinks as I think alot can agree on this, most operating systems do.
That said, its not unheard of for there to be lots of updates, firmware fixes etc, and the numbers in this forum who are posting may not seem to be all that many people when you consider that there are probably far more Captivate owners out there with no issues whatsoever.
What I am saying is that this phone may have some kinks for the people posting in here but it clearly is not every captivate owner having a problem. You can go to any other forums from other sites, and even manufacturers and read hundreds of posts about nearly every phone made with problems.
Do not let the people here steer you one way or the other, but heed the notices regarding possible issues. All the reviews for this phone are not that bad at all, and there are alternative phones, but keep in mind that any galaxy s phone will most likely have the same OS and some of the same kinks. All are samsung so.
imo this is a pretty damn decent phone, it is better than my iPhone 3gs was and I am glad I dont have that pos anymore.
The GPS on my phone is pretty fast to get a signal, it was on 2.1 and 2.2 android, but I do find it to be a tad bit sensitive. Gotta leave in stationary in the open the first lock, after that it appears to maintain pretty well, and i have put it through its paces, average for me in my location for a lock on is roughly 10-45 seconds depending on occlusion.
The phones default power saving scheme to be appears to be very aggressive.

My 2 cents
If I were you, I would keep the X10. I just left my ATT Touch Pro and upgraded to a Captivate. At first i was really excited about it. The screen size, brightness, slim form-factor of the phone were awesome. A week later I am looking at the phone going is this really that much better than my Touch Pro?
All I ever used my phone for were to make calls, emails, texts and spreadsheets. Doing the same on the Captivate was better in some area's and worse in the other. Exchange support is no where near where windows phones, but that is to be expected.
I don't have any GPS issues, random shutdowns or reboots or anything, the phone just works great. Yet I still have a little remorse.
Also when the 2.2 update does come out for this, expect this to be the last update they ever make. I have had a few Samsung phones and they NEVER release a lot of updates, very few actually.

jev3gs said:
Exchange support is no where near where windows phones, but that is to be expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Imagine that.
To the op,
I bought the Captivate, it's not a Cappy, as my first smartphone. I have no regrets what so ever. I must also be outside the norm because I understand that it's a phone first, GPS is a luxury. It works fine for my tastes as well.
If you like to tinker, then you can't go wrong. There is a lot of support and great support at that here.

i would wait. i'm on my 3rd captivate due to either build quality issues, or gps that never fixes. i must just have the worst luck ever to have 3 phones with non working gps i guess. and for those that say its a luxury, yes to a degree it is. but you cant use poynt, places, weather apps, all sorts of things if the gps isnt working right. forget foursquare, twitter locations, geo tagging photos, etc. i depend on my phone for work, and gps is critical to me as my phone replaced my stand alone tomtom unit. and yes i know that its a phone not a dedicated gps, but i never had issues with gps with my iphone 3gs, i left that phone for other reasons however. i like the android os, like the form factor of the captivate, and really like some aspects of the touchwiz interface. but in comparison to some of the other android phones, we really dont have it all that good on ATT. no flash, no led notifications, the capcacitve buttons dont stay on very long at all, and a real lack of accessories for the device in general.
i know that you can root and use custom roms and such, but i just want my phone to work as is. 200 dollars up front plus the cost of the phone over the contract time is a lot of money to spend on a device that i have to void the warranty on in order to get it to do half of what its supposed to. i would wait and try a different phone. problem is i dont think att is too worried about getting any other android phones right now. I would almost get the aria over the captivate at this point. i wish we had a good top line android phone from motorola, or htc to compete with the captivate at this point.

Anytime you buy a product and it has a feature, you expect it to work. To say it is a phone and has GPS but it doesn't work is alright is BS. That is like buying a car and when you take it home the radio doesn't work, the wipers don't work and the dealer tells you to live with it. I don't buy that one bit.
If MFG's can't make something work in a phone when they make it, they better just leave it out then.
I will say though that i have not had any issues with my Captivate.... especially since now I am not running the ESPN widget anymore. Man that always slowed down my phone like crazy!

eclypse3demons said:
I am one of the few or possibly not so few people who did not really have any problems with my Captivate on the android 2.1 release, and actually the 2.2 recently leaked os either.
One thing people do not appear to keep in mind that these phone are closer to a PC now than ever before with pound for pound nearly the same power house operating systems on them. With such a customizable OS on a phone like Droid its bound to have some kinks as I think alot can agree on this, most operating systems do.
That said, its not unheard of for there to be lots of updates, firmware fixes etc, and the numbers in this forum who are posting may not seem to be all that many people when you consider that there are probably far more Captivate owners out there with no issues whatsoever.
What I am saying is that this phone may have some kinks for the people posting in here but it clearly is not every captivate owner having a problem. You can go to any other forums from other sites, and even manufacturers and read hundreds of posts about nearly every phone made with problems.
Do not let the people here steer you one way or the other, but heed the notices regarding possible issues. All the reviews for this phone are not that bad at all, and there are alternative phones, but keep in mind that any galaxy s phone will most likely have the same OS and some of the same kinks. All are samsung so.
imo this is a pretty damn decent phone, it is better than my iPhone 3gs was and I am glad I dont have that pos anymore.
The GPS on my phone is pretty fast to get a signal, it was on 2.1 and 2.2 android, but I do find it to be a tad bit sensitive. Gotta leave in stationary in the open the first lock, after that it appears to maintain pretty well, and i have put it through its paces, average for me in my location for a lock on is roughly 10-45 seconds depending on occlusion.
The phones default power saving scheme to be appears to be very aggressive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No you are one of the VERY VERY few....5 million sold. The "issues" people are having are directly related to their expectations. I bought two..One to experiment with and one to use while giving my wife the N97. Once I realized they were both ok and I could not brick it I loaded froyo on both , gave her one and retired the N97......
I don't expect a $500 device to lock on to GPS within a minute with 10 feet of accuracy....a few minutes and 100 feet is ok and it EXCEEDS those expectations for me....at the end of the day it WILL get you home. I made some settings adjustments and dialed it in as best I could get it. I am confident Samsung will "fix" things that are broke.
I did not expect this phone to deliver the quality of natural lighting pics and videos it does.....bat my expectations.
There is no area where this phone did not at least meet my expectations.
But then again I took what the open device gave me.......did some leading and learning and MADE it what I WANT....not what ATT or Samsung wants. At least they gave me the choice to so, JB an Apple is a joke compared to what can be done with this OS. Been there done that..
My Nokia N97 cost the same and was 1/2 the device this is.....The iPhone is a toy compared to this OS and what can be done with it.
The people who are having issues usually are not following the directions SPECIFICALLY to do things. I know because I too have been guilty of missing a step here and there and panicking LOL
The carrier is fine...T Mobile's 3G is faster...Sprint 4G is faster...Verizon is Apple's sister in control freaky......The iPhone on Verizon will be a lock down on lock down But for those who want to press and play iPhone is perfect....fast and easy.
ATT is not the best nor the worst..they are what they are. You either stay wth them or leave...Simple choice. They give some and take some...

jev3gs said:
Anytime you buy a product and it has a feature, you expect it to work. To say it is a phone and has GPS but it doesn't work is alright is BS. That is like buying a car and when you take it home the radio doesn't work, the wipers don't work and the dealer tells you to live with it. I don't buy that one bit.
If MFG's can't make something work in a phone when they make it, they better just leave it out then.
I will say though that i have not had any issues with my Captivate.... especially since now I am not running the ESPN widget anymore. Man that always slowed down my phone like crazy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just saying it has "GPS" does not entitle it to be a good a GPS as a standalone! LOL It requires a phone to eventually lock on a satellite and get you to a destination. Which this phone does. I have Garmins in my cars. They SHOULD and do get immediate locks and tracking is perfect. They cost almost what this phone does. They don;t take video,pics, make calls...on and on.....
Some phones may have a real issue. But most of them have working hardware and SW is fixing many as well, It is just that people are fixing them themselves.....while waiting for an official fix. I fine very few posts where GPS does not work at all. More of people having to wait too long for a lock. That issue depends on so many factors it's silly to compare. Another brand may have a better GPS implimentation but be poor in other areas....
You choose a device based on it's STREGNTHS based on YOUR NEEDS...If you want a great camera you buy a Nokia N8, If you want geat GPS you buy a G2 or another camera with such.
It's not like this issues has been "hidden" I knew about it reading threads before I bought the phone but I also knew I could live without the GPS...and in all likelihood (as always) it would not be as bad as people claim......
It wasn't perfect..but it is not as bad as people claim either. It is exactly the same on both my Cappys.....when both are set the same and on the same ROM.

My two cents, get it now while you can still unlock it.
The 2.2 update will remove the file that gives you the codes for sim unlocking.

jev3gs said:
Anytime you buy a product and it has a feature, you expect it to work. To say it is a phone and has GPS but it doesn't work is alright is BS. That is like buying a car and when you take it home the radio doesn't work, the wipers don't work and the dealer tells you to live with it. I don't buy that one bit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. It may not be "broken" but the quality is definitely "sub-par" IMO.
To the OP. If you can live without having quality GPS performance and willing to spend a few hours with ATT warranty department if Samsung releases a phone with a fix (if it is hardware) then I say get it now. That's my current plan. But I've never had much trouble with AT&T's warranty department.
Despite the GPS issues, the Captivate is still my favorite Android phone. One the few I've even liked.

GPS - another "fix" coming?

I know, I know, you're all sick and tired about the GPS problems and the countless GPS threads.
I really love my phone and it would be perfect if it wasn't for the failing location based services. So, I'm looking to replace my phone with another model but at&t currently has a pathetic lineup of Android devices. I'm just going to hold out and see what they come up with before my wife's contract runs out in February.
Anyways, even though I'm out of my 30-day return period, I called at&t to see what they can do about getting me another phone. They transferred me to an Android specialist and I explained the issue with the GPS.
He replied that the GPS is a known issue with the Captivate and that Samsung is working on a software update that will fix the GPS. I asked if this update was different than the one sent out in September, he said yes. I'm pretty sure this was complete bs, but has anyone heard anything about a REAL fix coming out for the GPS?
On a side-note, at&t is knowingly selling a defective product. Pretty cool, huh

So you think the AT&T specialist knows for sure that Samsung is working on a fix or he just told you that to placate you.

cappysw10 said:
So you think the AT&T specialist knows for sure that Samsung is working on a fix or he just told you that to placate you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hard to say, really. I think that manufacturers and carriers have communication about a phone's issues. This could also be why we don't see 2.2 yet; at&t may be holding off on an update until the update solves a major issue with this phone.
On the other side, he may just be misinformed or clueless.

skinien said:
Hard to say, really. I think that manufacturers and carriers have communication about a phone's issues. This could also be why we don't see 2.2 yet; at&t may be holding off on an update until the update solves a major issue with this phone.
On the other side, he may just be misinformed or clueless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd vote for that latter!

cappysw10 said:
I'd vote for that latter!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Based on your avatar, I thought you would, haha.

I think this is some kind of a project failure making it a hardware issue, because if it really was some software problem, why they did not solved yet???
Now they are trying to minimize the GPS lock problem by software...I mean they are trying to hide the problem by some software update instead to tell us we have to replace the phone.
For me, they went to much to far.....Im almost going to HTC....

*** Adrian *** said:
For me, they went to much to far.....Im almost going to HTC....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really like HTC and if AT&T had a better selection of their Android offerings, I'd definitely have one of those instead. Ah well. I don't really need GPS too terribly much so my phone's craptacular performance goes mostly unnoticed. And luckily my husband who DOES need a working GPS got one of the units that works really, really well. Luck of the draw maybe?

From reading other Galaxy S posts and threads, it seems it is possible with a software fix. My Captivates gps works as Its supposed to running leaked froyo. Not AS fast of a gps lock as an iPhone but in less than a minute it'll work dead on. before my gps was horribly nonfunctional running eclair.

skinien said:
I'm pretty sure this was complete bs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you - You're absolutely correct.

Lol specialist.. a call center employee in the warranty department who reads the script for Android devices is no specialist regardless of what they try to tell customers.
In the wireless industry it is common for wireless employees to tell you what you want to hear regardless of whether it is true especially when someone has a problem or complaint.

By perpetually telling customers that "Samsung is working on a GPS fix", they get you to shut up, get you off the phone, keep you as a customer by dangling a carrot some unknown distance away, without doing anything they can legally be held accountable for.
For all we know, internally "GPS fix" is a hardware fix... as in, it's fixed in the Galaxy S2, which AT&T will happy offer to existing Captivate owners for $199 on-contract or $499 no-contract.

sremick said:
By perpetually telling customers that "Samsung is working on a GPS fix", they get you to shut up, get you off the phone, keep you as a customer by dangling a carrot some unknown distance away, without doing anything they can legally be held accountable for.
For all we know, internally "GPS fix" is a hardware fix... as in, it's fixed in the Galaxy S2, which AT&T will happy offer to existing Captivate owners for $199 on-contract or $499 no-contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This sounds to me like the answer we will get from ATT. Its not like we havent gotten shafted by them before.

At&t is a big pile of ****.. What more do you expect?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Now very upset about the CRaptivate

I took my sister to the AT&T store yesterday and bought her the HTC Inspire 4G. VERY nice phone. So while in the ATT store, the Inspire was on display at the back of the store. I took the liberty and installed GPS Test program from the market and let it run, just for the heck of it.
The damn thing locked on and saw 7 sats within 2 seconds, and got 9-11 sats within the next 5.
So I whipped out my CRaptivate, and ran the same GPS test program. Pathetic POS didn't even lock on to one. I had to walk outside in order to even see sats, and then it took an extra 30 seconds for it to lock on to anything. This is with Firefly 2.4, latest updates, GPS fixes, the whole 9 yards.
Now I see how bad this CRaptivate is. It took just one moment with that HTC to see the light.
The question is, I bought this POS back in October, as it was the only Android offering that was worth it at the time. After having all the problems I do with this phone, what can I do to get ATT to take it back so that I can switch to something like the Inspire??? Or is that a lost cause?

ajm786 said:
I took my sister to the AT&T store yesterday and bought her the HTC Inspire 4G. VERY nice phone. So while in the ATT store, the Inspire was on display at the back of the store. I took the liberty and installed GPS Test program from the market and let it run, just for the heck of it.
The damn thing locked on and saw 7 sats within 2 seconds, and got 9-11 sats within the next 5.
So I whipped out my CRaptivate, and ran the same GPS test program. Pathetic POS didn't even lock on to one. I had to walk outside in order to even see sats, and then it took an extra 30 seconds for it to lock on to anything. This is with Firefly 2.4, latest updates, GPS fixes, the whole 9 yards.
Now I see how bad this CRaptivate is. It took just one moment with that HTC to see the light.
The question is, I bought this POS back in October, as it was the only Android offering that was worth it at the time. After having all the problems I do with this phone, what can I do to get ATT to take it back so that I can switch to something like the Inspire??? Or is that a lost cause?
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Probably a hardware issue IMO. Get it fixed.
For your ATT question i do not know, sorry.

41LY45 said:
Probably a hardware issue IMO. Get it fixed.
For your ATT question i do not know, sorry.
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I'm just very scared to attempt to get another replacement that has the random shutdown issue. This is my second phone; my first one had the problem, this one does NOT have the random shutdown issue, but the GPS is borked(?).
There are just so many problems with this phone, it's almost like I'm playing the lottery in trying to get a functioning one.

ajm786 said:
I'm just very scared to attempt to get another replacement that has the random shutdown issue. This is my second phone; my first one had the problem, this one does NOT have the random shutdown issue, but the GPS is borked(?).
There are just so many problems with this phone, it's almost like I'm playing the lottery in trying to get a functioning one.
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Lol, refurbished phones.
I guess it's just up to one's luck.

41LY45 said:
Lol, refurbished phones.
I guess it's just up to one's luck.
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Well, to be completely honest, the first 2 phones I got were NOT refurbished. There were brand new (got them exchanged retail at the store).

My GPS works fine it didnt before on stock rom but does now... software issue
sent with Captivate w/ Gingerbread 2.3.3

maxjivi05 said:
My GPS works fine it didnt before on stock rom but does now... software issue
sent with Captivate w/ Gingerbread 2.3.3
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To be fair, I'm not saying that the GPS is not working at all with the Captivate. I'm saying that the HTC (and pretty much any other hardware) demolishes the Craptivate when it comes to that, and, pretty much everything else. I'm not interested in tweaking my phone forever to do what it should have done to start with. I mean, tweaking is fun, but to an extent. I don't want to be doing this forever. It has to come to an end somewhere, and that probably means for me different hardware.
This is the first and last huge mistake that I will have made with Samsung. I swear I will NEVER buy anything from them, and will do my utmost best to return this POS.

maxjivi05 said:
My GPS works fine it didnt before on stock rom but does now... software issue
sent with Captivate w/ Gingerbread 2.3.3
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Notice you'r running Gingerbread 2.3.3; therefore, I would guess that the ROM was loaded very recently. Most Captivates' GPS works great right out of the box, or right after loading a new ROM. Post back how your GPS is working after the ROM has been installed for a month and you have been using it a lot.

Wow, very clever twist on the phone's name.
And thanks for the heads-up on the GPS issue. Never saw any other threads on it.
If you want to know if ATT will do something about it, ummm, why don't you ask them?

mfw my gps works perfectly and tracks my every move on pheonix 6.0

comdei said:
mfw my gps works perfectly and tracks my every move on pheonix 6.0
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Hmmm. Working GPS vs. bleeding retinas. Nah, not worth it.

rbtconsultants said:
Wow, very clever twist on the phone's name.
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Very fitting.
rbtconsultants said:
And thanks for the heads-up on the GPS issue. Never saw any other threads on it.
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All the ROM and GPS fixes get the GPS barely usable compared to other phones that get GPS right. After using the Inspire for a few minutes, it's clear that the CRaptivate is highly flawed, even in its "fixed" state. Thanks so much to all the ROM chefs and devs working so hard on it; I can only imagine the pain they have to go through because Shamsung doesn't know how write software for shi*.
rbtconsultants said:
If you want to know if ATT will do something about it, ummm, why don't you ask them?
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I will. I just wanted to get some input from someone who might have gotten them to successfully swap phones for them.

ajm786 said:
Very fitting.
All the ROM and GPS fixes get the GPS barely usable compared to other phones that get GPS right. After using the Inspire for a few minutes, it's clear that the CRaptivate is highly flawed, even in its "fixed" state. Thanks so much to all the ROM chefs and devs working so hard on it; I can only imagine the pain they have to go through because Shamsung doesn't know how write software for shi*.
I will. I just wanted to get some input from someone who might have gotten them to successfully swap phones for them.
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They probably won't do much unless you're a super valuable customer to them. We all like to think we are, but lets face it, some customer are worth a LOT more than others, this is true for every business. Plus there's a reason they give you 30 days to try the phone, one month of use should be more than enough to know whether the phone suits your needs or not. Unless you're consistently spending like $400+ on your phone bill every month and haven't had issues in the past, I doubt they will do much other than warranty exchange, especially since you've had the phone for 5 months now. I must've been one of the lucky ones, never really had any GPS issues, recent flash to Cog 4.1.1 actually screwed it up for me for some reason (I blame the solar flares) and the GPS wouldn't increase it's accuracy from 4900 meters, but this was easily remedied by applying the GPS fix in SGS Tools.

@ 6months you can do an early upgrade but you will extend the contract and pay a lot more for the new phone than the advertised contract price, that's probably the best you can do to get out of the captivate. or you can buy a phone outright.
sorry guy, my gps is as good as any phone i have ever owned but i do admit that the better htc phones are a bit better in that area. really my gps can lock with the same speed and accuracy as a droid x in the verizon store which has a metal roof, but the incredible does lock to 7meters while my phone and the motorola only lock to 30 meters. generally the hardware can get the job done as well as other phones. infact my iphone could not lock under a metal roof, or any kind of roof for that matter, it was incapable of navigation. the gps signal on the iphone 3g was bad for many of my friends as well so im not crazy. my friends also complain about there blackberry gps and other android phones.
my phone never had gps that couldn't lock but it also never tracked well and got a strong signal at the same time untill somewhat recently after a lot of finding what didn't work. it either tracked but lost signal under cloud cover and bridges or it locked but the positioning was all over the place. futzing around in lbs test mode never really helped untill i realized that it needed to agree with secgps.conf and jupiter.xml
the real issues with the galaxy s seems to be sensitivity to noise and every phone is a bit different. it can take a lot of experimentation to get it working, or it might never work.

Buy a TomTom... Case closed
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Crap, topic starter! you say that it locked INSIDE building? bull****! GPS ain't capable of working indoors. Oh, yeah - also count how much battery GPS is using on Inspire and on Cappy

ajm786 said:
Very fitting.
I will. I just wanted to get some input from someone who might have gotten them to successfully swap phones for them.
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Just depends if you have a reasonably justifiable hardware / software issue, and how assertive you are. Demand a phone that has that basic capabilities advertised, and get it warrantied.
Meanwhile, ask for an adjustment on your bill. Go up 2 or 3 levels of Customer Service with your complaint, and tell them how many phones - how many times this has occurred.
I've done it at least 4 times in 6 mos - had them let me demo a Windows 7 phone for free for a week - had 200+ USD credited to my account - gave the Win 7 phone back no charge - Replaced my Refurb Captivate with a Brand New one with 12 Mos. Factory Warranty. Replaced it again. Free.
Some days you get the Bear - Some Days the Bear gets you... When it comes to Customer Service - YOU PAY THEM. Get the Bear.

Yuna said:
Crap, topic starter! you say that it locked INSIDE building? bull****! GPS ain't capable of working indoors. Oh, yeah - also count how much battery GPS is using on Inspire and on Cappy
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speak for yourself
i am inside a solid cinder block office building and i can get consistent locks on 8-11 satellites.
Outdoors is 10-12 with usually all or occasionally all but 1 locking.

opcow said:
Hmmm. Working GPS vs. bleeding retinas. Nah, not worth it.
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thats an easy solution.
Flash firefly or supernova then flash blackfroyorogers thems over it. Both have GPS as good as or better than phoenix and blackrogersfroyo theme tones down the colors to very neutral black and grays.

I have an old Captivate....it works perfectly.
Other than the original 2.1 software that came with it, every ROM I have used has excellent GPS performance.
I have no random reboots on any ROM, not even with CM7. I suppose this means there is some type of hardware issue. All directions have been followed to a tee when reflashing.
I am a huge Samsung fan in general, and I love the Captivate hardware...but to be honest I wouldn't look to them first for a phone. HTC has the better track record for updates. Thankfully the xda and dev community rocks.
I couldn't imagine being on a stock 2.1 for all those months...

Captivate and ATT Device Center

My Captivate's GPS problem has been cumbersome for me and given that another Captivate from ATT will not solve the problem, ATT offered to replace the phone with the tiny HTC or the Sony Ericsson Experia. I was like in my head, huh? Those phones are NOT equivalent to the Captivate. Is there any way to get ATT to switch it for a equivalent phone such as the Atrix?

Yell. Loudly.

cruzin023 said:
My Captivate's GPS problem has been cumbersome for me and given that another Captivate from ATT will not solve the problem, ATT offered to replace the phone with the tiny HTC or the Sony Ericsson Experia. I was like in my head, huh? Those phones are NOT equivalent to the Captivate. Is there any way to get ATT to switch it for a equivalent phone such as the Atrix?
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sound angry, sad, helpless again angry...then happy...tell them to talk to their supervisor...talk to more then 1 person
it will take lots of time but i tried it and it worked (for me it was getting third phone after bricking two)

while the samsung is close to the atrix spec wise it is not price wise. The captivate is 6 months old so its in the free or 50$ category. I would imagine you might be able to if you complain enough though
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

So I complained and they were only able to offer me the Experia and the HTC desire. Thing is I have a cochlear implant as I am completely deaf and use it. The above two phones are not compatible with the cochlear implant and the Atrix/Inspire is. I elevated it to a supervisor (called) and explained my situation with a cochlear implant and the lack of compatibility with the two phones that they offered. They said too bad we cannot do anything about it other than offering u a replacement Captivate. I feel like I was discriminated against and totally ripped off. Any advice?

Take the Captivate and flash a custom ROM. GPS on Andromeda works great.

Is the GPS the only problem with the Captivate you now have? If so, let me tell you what worked for me:
I have a totally stock phone. Not rooted. Build is 1008. It has been upgraded to Froyo using Kies Mini. Both before and after the upgrade, GPS performance was somewhere between marginally acceptable and totally unacceptable. For an unrelated reason, I had to do a Master Clear and Reset which solved the problem I was having. Image my surprise when I discovered the performance of the GPS was now on a par with my dedicated Garmin GPS receiver.
So, if you are at your wits end with AT&T on this matter--assuming you are running Froyo--I'd suggest you do a clear and reset. You've got nothing to loose. It might work. Of course, it might not!

I say try a custom rom, most of them have gps fixes as well as other performance tweaks, I was only on stock for a day before I started flashing, and haven't used the stock os as a daily driver since, have flashed back to stock to solve a couple issues but not to stay there.

cruzin023 said:
So I complained and they were only able to offer me the Experia and the HTC desire. Thing is I have a cochlear implant as I am completely deaf and use it. The above two phones are not compatible with the cochlear implant and the Atrix/Inspire is. I elevated it to a supervisor (called) and explained my situation with a cochlear implant and the lack of compatibility with the two phones that they offered. They said too bad we cannot do anything about it other than offering u a replacement Captivate. I feel like I was discriminated against and totally ripped off. Any advice?
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That's almost like pulling the race card...i like it. lack of amazing gps has been known for a while if it was a major deal breaker it should have been returned within the 30 days. that's the whole point of the exchange policy.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App