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Samsung Captivate vs HTC Desire ... help me decide

Hey guys,
As the battery on my HTC Diamond is dying, I'm in the market for a new phone, and I am down to either htc Desire or Samsung Captivate ...
Why HTC Desire?
- Love HTC phones, my last 4 phones were all HTC's
- Love Sense, hate TouchWhiz
- Slightly smaller, so it would fit a little better in jeans pocket
- Availability of development and cooked ROMs
- Captivate seems to be somewhat buggy? With self shutdown problems, GPS can't lock and alarm won't pop up / go off ... little quirks.
Why Captivate?
- S-AMOLED screen is the best screen available now
- Hummingbird > Snapdragon
- 4.0" screen is better than 3.7"
- Have concern about Desire's battery life ... vastly disappointed with Diamond's battery though I know 1400mAh > 900, but many people still complain about Desire's battery life
- Captivate seems to be better at video playback, smoother, more vivid colour
- Captivate seems to be snappier with web browsing
What do you guys think? Anything else I should know about these phones?
Like I said, the biggest appeal of the Desire is Sense ... I think it's a great UI and I'm almost temped to pick the phone just for its UI. That said, I have concern about Desire's battery life. The Captivate's S-AMOLED screen is also something you fall in love with.
Any suggestion or advices is welcome!

Motorola Atrix.
Sent from my Captivate.

number16 said:
Hey guys,
As the battery on my HTC Diamond is dying, I'm in the market for a new phone, and I am down to either htc Desire or Samsung Captivate ...
Why HTC Desire?
- Love HTC phones, my last 4 phones were all HTC's
- Love Sense, hate TouchWhiz
- Slightly smaller, so it would fit a little better in jeans pocket
- Availability of development and cooked ROMs
- Captivate seems to be somewhat buggy? With self shutdown problems, GPS can't lock and alarm won't pop up / go off ... little quirks.
Why Captivate?
- S-AMOLED screen is the best screen available now
- Hummingbird > Snapdragon
- 4.0" screen is better than 3.7"
- Have concern about Desire's battery life ... vastly disappointed with Diamond's battery though I know 1400mAh > 900, but many people still complain about Desire's battery life
- Captivate seems to be better at video playback, smoother, more vivid colour
- Captivate seems to be snappier with web browsing
What do you guys think? Anything else I should know about these phones?
Like I said, the biggest appeal of the Desire is Sense ... I think it's a great UI and I'm almost temped to pick the phone just for its UI. That said, I have concern about Desire's battery life. The Captivate's S-AMOLED screen is also something you fall in love with.
Any suggestion or advices is welcome!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what ever you do, if you want your phone to run the latest software, have a gps working, lagless UI, do not, I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY A SAMSUNG PHONE
get a desire or wait for the motorola atrix

If you do buy the Captivate, make sure you get the newest hardware build which is 1012 I believe?
Either way it has the gps, shutdown issues fixed.
I've never heard about the alarm issue.

I don't recommend samsung smartphones. worst manufacturer when it comes to upgrading latest android updates.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Thanks guys ... from the sound of it, despite superior hardware the Captivate is pretty buggy and there are plenty of small little quirks? (I don't call occasional self power-down as "small" quick neither)

number16 said:
Thanks guys ... from the sound of it, despite superior hardware the Captivate is pretty buggy and there are plenty of small little quirks? (I don't call occasional self power-down as "small" quick neither)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before you make a final decision, I suggest you ask this exact same question (if you havent already) on the HTC Desire forums and see what they say. Right now, many people on the captivate forums are frustrated with the lack of official updates, gps issues, shutdown issues, etc and will point out the negative aspects of this device. People who are frustrated tend to speak "louder" than people who are happy, its just human nature.
See what responses you get from the HTC Desire forums, research what people have been saying about it, go to the store and play with both, then make a decision.
I too am frustrated with the Captivate at times and even my girlfriends HTC Aria looks better and better.

gormander said:
Before you make a final decision, I suggest you ask this exact same question (if you havent already) on the HTC Desire forums and see what they say. Right now, many people on the captivate forums are frustrated with the lack of official updates, gps issues, shutdown issues, etc and will point out the negative aspects of this device. People who are frustrated tend to speak "louder" than people who are happy, its just human nature.
See what responses you get from the HTC Desire forums, research what people have been saying about it, go to the store and play with both, then make a decision.
I too am frustrated with the Captivate at times and even my girlfriends HTC Aria looks better and better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
But looks like the GPS and shutdown issues are fixed in newer captivates.
But wait for 2 months. Couple better phones are "currently" set to be released by end of first quarter.

Thanks! Yes, I do have a similar thread over at the Desire forum (nobody's posted to it yet ... either it means there's no serious issue or it's a phone people have kindda lost interest in? )
I do believe in general, htc phones are free of major problems. I'm on my 4th htc phone and I've been pretty happy with each of them ... except maybe the battery life.
It's just Galaxy S has a GREAT screen (I think it's the best screen available today, bar none) that I started considering it.

If you are planing on flashing roms I think the better hardware wins in the long run.

I agree I would check out the Moto forums sense some think the 1.2ghz Processor is worth moto putting in a locked bootloader so might be a long while till you see any roms for it if at all

I agree better hardware wins in the long run, and I do plan to flash with cooked ROMs ... that said, I do want a phone that's reasonably bug-free in the meantime. I don't know when Samsung can iron out its problems, and that also has an impact on cooked ROM's.
I think the new dual core processors are interesting, but my budget won't allow me to get one of the newest phones. I think given my budget, my best choices are the Desire and the Captivate.

number16 said:
I agree better hardware wins in the long run, and I do plan to flash with cooked ROMs ... that said, I do want a phone that's reasonably bug-free in the meantime. I don't know when Samsung can iron out its problems, and that also has an impact on cooked ROM's.
I think the new dual core processors are interesting, but my budget won't allow me to get one of the newest phones. I think given my budget, my best choices are the Desire and the Captivate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To tell the truth the Desire HD is my next device unless HTC comes out with something before I get the cash together. When it comes to PPC I have learned that now that while hardware is great samsung just doesnt have the CS that I would like and Motorola tries everything they can to lock up the bootloader to prevent custom roms.

I am somewhat of a noob when it comes to flashing roms. I do work in IT though and love messing around with gadgets. I just want to say I love my captivate. The gps does take a while to lock, but once it locks it works fine. I have no shutdown issues. I'm running Perception 10.1 with the Firebird 2 kernel and it rocks. Videos do look crisp on this phone as well. I have no experience with the Desire, but I bought a refurb Captivate and I am very happy with it.

MikeyMike01 said:
Motorola Atrix.
Sent from my Captivate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not so fast, as much as i love the specs on the atrix looks like motorola will be locking the bootloader damn shame.

Just get the nexus S when it comes out. I have a captivate and have no problems with it, very fasy, great screen and best thing.... got all my iphone freinds jelous lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I896 using XDA App

Vik_92_Sandhu said:
Just get the nexus S when it comes out. I have a captivate and have no problems with it, very fasy, great screen and best thing.... got all my iphone freinds jelous lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I896 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't Nexus S already out since last November?

Love my Captivate
Well, i have the Captivate since October and I guess I have been one of the lucky ones because it works great for me. Shortly after I got the phone an update came out and fixed the GPS issue. I use it quite a lot and I have not rooted or updated the ROM a of yet. I have been waiting for Froyo as we all have but the phone does everything i want it to do and more.
I also came from the HTC world, my last phone was an HTC Fuze. I am so glad that I got this phone. Battery life is rather low but overall I just keep a charger around with me and in the car. My phone does a lot. I use it every other day as a GPS when I bike ride 5-10 miles a day. When in the car I stream music with either Pandora or Audiogalaxy. I send text and email messages regularly. Browse the Web and read my Kindle books as well as my Bible.
Just remember if you are going to use the phone a lot you are going to need to have the ability to charge it more often.
It is rather frustrating that AT&T has not released FROYO and that the battery life is not as good as some other phones but for me the pluses out way the minuses.
My brother owned an iPhone 4 an after seeing how my phone worked and looked he bought a Captivate for about $275. He was tired of the dropped calls and smaller screen and just overall functionality. He has been using the iPhone type phones for about 3 years. He has only had it for about 3 days and is loving it!!!
So whether you should buy the Captivate or not you really need to make the choice yourself. Every phone is going to have an issue one way or another. The question is can you live with those issues. Change is always hard and uncomfortable. But in the end you have to make that decision.
Someone suggested that you may want to hold off as the newer phones are on the horizon. That may not be a bad idea. In the end, remember, it is just a phone!!! Most of the heavy lifting is going to be done on your PC!!!
Good luck!!!

I'd say go captivate.
I have the i896 and the gps works perfectly, locks on in about ten seconds or less. I haven't had any problems with random shut downs or my alarm. As for the updates, as long as you are capable of rooting and installing custom roms you'll have 'updates' asap.
Regarding the screen it's absolutely no comparison; I'd say that's enough to buy the phone.
Again, there's no comparison between the hummingbird and the last gen snapdragon, especially with custom roms/kernals this phone demolishes the desire. Me and a friends have done some speed tests with my captivate with phoenix rom, and desire with a custom rom (can't remember the name, wasn't oc though) and in about every test we did the captivate was the winner.
My major complaint with this phone is the build quality, it feels kind of flimsy, especially compared to htc.

peachpuff said:
Not so fast, as much as i love the specs on the atrix looks like motorola will be locking the bootloader damn shame.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like motorola is backtracking a bit on that bootloader comment.

G2x, Sensation, or Galaxy S II?

Before I ask, I know there have been many threads about this topic, but my question is a little more specific than the rest. I get to upgrade my phone sometime in the next few weeks and one of these will be my first android phone. As a young artist, I am mostly looking for a phone which will take quality photos for good reference and preferably one which has video auto focus. I'm also a heavy internet user (about 5 hours a day on iPod Touch) but coming from iOS, I long for flash player. I also like to game a lot so the dual core cpu performance has to be somewhat decent with good speeds (better than my 4th gen touch at least lol). Lastly I'm a big media person with music a videos so I'm looking for a quality screen, support for multiple media formats (specifically mkv), decent speakers, and if possible, support for in-line headphones with volume, FF and RR (optional to come in the box, but if there are alternative working ones, please post below as I haven't found a solution with android devices and working in-line headphones). I've played around with my cousins EVO a lot so I've grown a liking to HTC Sense but I would also like to try out stock android sometime. And after a lot of time reading reviews and comments, I've taken a liking to the Galaxy S II's screen but I'm not a fan of TouchWiz. As previously stated, coming from an iOS user, I'm hoping one of these phones can either match or have greater quality with the screen in terms of brightness and contrast (not so much with resolution but mostly with colors, hue, and saturation). I'm hoping this narrows down the margin between these 3 phones.
P.S. I'm also hoping for one of these to have great dev support since I love to customize and test new tweaks.
EDITED - Also as an additional post, can you explain the batter life of the 3 as best as you can (even considering not having much info about the sensation)

I would say the G2X after LG fixes the Bleeding screen, restarts, and battery life issue. Both the GS2 and Sensatoin both have skins over android to which I've never been a fan of. 1st GS2 Engaget did a review and called it the best smart phone on the planet (the week before g2x was lol) but its made of plastic and its really thin so if the unthinkable happens and you drop the phone changes are its going to get jacked up and touchwiz. 2. Sensation Ive never been a fan of sense its a power hungry beast that needs to be removed. Just look at the battery life of the thunderbolt its really bad.
I had the G2X for a week and I loved it, its solid like my Nexus One it feels like a phone. I dropped it twice once on my tile floor and there were no marks and once on my naked foot to which brought me great pain. (lol) The G2X will have CM7 the galaxy s phones don't have CM support so why do you think that GS2 will? I plan on getting anothe G2x I'm just waiting until the 2nd line of them.

It honestly sounds like the Galaxy S II is just right for you. I know you say you dont like touchwiz (believe me I hate it) but the TW 4.0 or whatever its called looks really nice. From what I have seen it looks better than sense ui. Anyways, there have been battles between the G2X and the Galaxy S II and hardware wise the GSII always has the upper hand with camera, performance, screen, colors, etc.. However there are many things to consider. Do we even know what US carrier (if any) will receive the GSII? Also coming from the vibrant I swore up and down I wouild never buy a samsung phone again. Their lack of software support was just unacceptable. Im not even talking upgrades, just basic bug fixes. Development for this phone NEVER gave us a fully functioning stock android or AOSP ROM. Sure CM7 made a lot of headway and may still come to the galaxy s with all the fixes but right now it still has bugs and some things just dont work.
To make a long story short, I got the G2X because I wanted a stock android experience with a lot of developer backing (specifically cyanogenmod) and the specs of the phone are pretty amazing. Now it sounds to me like media and camera are more important to you so you may feel more welcome by the Galaxy S II if you dont care about aftermarket roms and such.

get 2x
coming from a vibrant, i can say that screen on the g2x is actually better and it being a stock android updates come faster and custom roms will also. I can't wait for the cyanogen mod either. I had battery issues but after resetting my phone the battery works just fine. they all have similar processors but the g2x being stock will get you better performance. I am a photographer also and am creating a photo journal with the g2x and it does the job well. good luck

i say go for SGS2, it works quite good out of the box and it has a great screen and you will absolutely appreciate the larger screen. Though im not really a fan of touchwiz.
I have g2x and going to return it today for SGS2.

There is no doubt in my mind that the dev support will be there for the sgs2 but it will be greater on the g2x just b/c of all the vanillaness.
The weight of the galaxy line is extremely light but believe me when I say that it is extremely durable. My old cliq felt like a brick but the second time I dropped that it stopped working completely so weight and feel have nothing to do with durability.
My vibrant has pretty much been through the equivalent of back to back fights with Manny Pacquiao and Anderson Silva only to come out as the new peoples champ. If you can wait, I would say try to see what all 3 of them are like and whether or not they come to your carrier. Its what I'm gonna do b/c I would hate to be stuck in another 2 year contract and not have the phone that I'm gonna own for atleast half of that time.

I have the same question, but new phones will probably come out because my next upgrade is in September. I really hate big phones and it seems phones are getting bigger and bigger. I really like the nexus s design (A lot!) And I like stock android, so I think I might wait until the nexus s2 comes out. Hopefully it stays a bit close to the design of the nexus s.

Sense isn't that power hungry the reason why the thunderbolt sucks on battery life is because of the lte network. A custom sense rom usually has no data drops. Like the aosp roms do.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App

Killbynature said:
Sense isn't that power hungry the reason why the thunderbolt sucks on battery life is because of the lte network. A custom sense rom usually has no data drops. Like the aosp roms do.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Each one of my friends who had a sense phone who switched to a custom rom w/o sense batter life increased alot.

jrharvey said:
It honestly sounds like the Galaxy S II is just right for you. I know you say you dont like touchwiz (believe me I hate it) but the TW 4.0 or whatever its called looks really nice. From what I have seen it looks better than sense ui. Anyways, there have been battles between the G2X and the Galaxy S II and hardware wise the GSII always has the upper hand with camera, performance, screen, colors, etc.. However there are many things to consider. Do we even know what US carrier (if any) will receive the GSII? Also coming from the vibrant I swore up and down I wouild never buy a samsung phone again. Their lack of software support was just unacceptable. Im not even talking upgrades, just basic bug fixes. Development for this phone NEVER gave us a fully functioning stock android or AOSP ROM. Sure CM7 made a lot of headway and may still come to the galaxy s with all the fixes but right now it still has bugs and some things just dont work.
To make a long story short, I got the G2X because I wanted a stock android experience with a lot of developer backing (specifically cyanogenmod) and the specs of the phone are pretty amazing. Now it sounds to me like media and camera are more important to you so you may feel more welcome by the Galaxy S II if you dont care about aftermarket roms and such.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your input. Also as a CFW PSP user and a Jailbroken iOS user, I like to have a combination of both dev support and media features, so I wouldn't want to leave that out. I'm surprised that only one person gave consideration to the sensation when I stated how it was the only UI I've ever used so far on android, and I read how it had an HRD camera with auto focus video so I thought most would assume that as the better choice, but my only problem with it is how its rumored to not have an unlocked bootloader. I think atm I will go with the g2x but I hope to hear about some alternatives to getting inline music controls to work.

g2xnerd said:
coming from a vibrant, i can say that screen on the g2x is actually better and it being a stock android updates come faster and custom roms will also. I can't wait for the cyanogen mod either. I had battery issues but after resetting my phone the battery works just fine. they all have similar processors but the g2x being stock will get you better performance. I am a photographer also and am creating a photo journal with the g2x and it does the job well. good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much! when I saw still photos on the G2X compared to the S II, I thought it looked inferior, but being able to make a photo journal out of it seems to counter that argument. BTW is it possible for the camera to get an update for auto focus video recording like the Galaxy S Vibrant did? For camera usage, that is the only thing pushing me back from the G2X as well as the support for multiple video formats (which I hear the Galaxy S II will have based on the Exynos processor). Hope to receive some additional feedback.

If you go bluetooth you can get inline music control. I personally have and like the plantronics backbeats and the sweatproof motorola S-10 HDs. The backbeats are more flexible and easier to wear, while the S-10s are must haves for working out and sports.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App

Infos3c said:
If you go bluetooth you can get inline music control. I personally have and like the plantronics backbeats and the sweatproof motorola S-10 HDs. The backbeats are more flexible and easier to wear, while the S-10s are must haves for working out and sports.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i hear a lot of mixed things about bluetooth headphones. even though the sound quality is great and the music controls work, I cannot always depend on headphones which need charging. Having to charge one device already is enough so i am more suited for wired inline in ear headphones.

jree said:
There is no doubt in my mind that the dev support will be there for the sgs2 but it will be greater on the g2x just b/c of all the vanillaness.
The weight of the galaxy line is extremely light but believe me when I say that it is extremely durable. My old cliq felt like a brick but the second time I dropped that it stopped working completely so weight and feel have nothing to do with durability.
My vibrant has pretty much been through the equivalent of back to back fights with Manny Pacquiao and Anderson Silva only to come out as the new peoples champ. If you can wait, I would say try to see what all 3 of them are like and whether or not they come to your carrier. Its what I'm gonna do b/c I would hate to be stuck in another 2 year contract and not have the phone that I'm gonna own for atleast half of that time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well not voting for the SGS2 here but I don't think Vanilla has any bearings on Dev Support, directly. Granted, I prefer vanilla and thus may contribute to its popularity, which, indirectly, popularity = dev support.
The only thing that matters is that the bootloader is unlocked and it is easily rootable and flashable. I mean once you get a CM rom on there, they all work the same.
I think Vanilla roms are more open to other variants like MIUI and the likes because they typically share the same partition structure. I know the G2x has a different structure and I think it is safe to say the SGS2 does too. Good thing that we are able to format and change the partitions to work across multiple roms.
The SGS2 was recently rooted and I think they found the bootloader to be unlocked. So it should be able to be flashed pretty easily.
One big factor that more people don't think about is the screen size. I have small hands (vs huge sausages) and the 4" screen of the G2x pushes my comfort zone. I think 4.3" would be too much and I would be fumbling it while trying to do one handed operations.
Having bought a G2x from a N1... I can say I'm extremely happy. I've been reading the SGS2 forums trying to stir up some internal buyers remorse... but I can honestly say that I would still pick my G2x over the SGS2 again. To me Tegra>Orion justifies AMOLED>LCD. I think NVidia will really push some developers to create some great games and I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines wishing I could get in on the action. Unable to play some of the newer "HD" (Only for Tegra) games are really making some of the SGS2 owners unhappy.
Nothing like buying a new toy and finding that it doesn't work with the latest HD games.
DMan1993 said:
that is the only thing pushing me back from the G2X as well as the support for multiple video formats (which I hear the Galaxy S II will have based on the Exynos processor). Hope to receive some additional feedback.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as multiple video formats, I don't think this has much to do with physical hardware as it does software. While I am most certainly not an expert, I have played a range of videos on my phones. Wouldn't all you need is a Video app that has the correct codecs and support for such file types?
I mean, really, not picking one device over another based on media format is just insane to me and defies all logic. I mean how easy is it to convert between formats, come on. I'd say that if you using a less common format or one that isn't widely available, you are only asking for trouble anyway. Most of the video I find online are either MP4 or avi and have no problem playing them on my device. If you are ripping it yourself, just save it in a format you can use.

This is a very good player, plays many formats
http://market.android.com/details?id=net.thefluxstudio.implayer

Player911:
Having bought a G2x from a N1... I can say I'm extremely happy. I've been reading the SGS2 forums trying to stir up some internal buyers remorse... but I can honestly say that I would still pick my G2x over the SGS2 again. To me Tegra>Orion justifies AMOLED>LCD. I think NVidia will really push some developers to create some great games and I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines wishing I could get in on the action. Unable to play some of the newer "HD" (Only for Tegra) games are really making some of the SGS2 owners unhappy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm quite surprised that the SGS2 folks have a buyers remorse, especially after reading your post. I was having remorse with the G2x since it just has 512MB ram and the GS2 kicks the G2x to the curb on every bullet point except Value for money/cost (I'm buying off contract). I'm also very surprised when you implicitly state that Orion cannot run Tegra games even though it's way faster than tegra.

ski_power said:
I'm quite surprised that the SGS2 folks have a buyers remorse, especially after reading your post. I was having remorse with the G2x since it just has 512MB ram and the GS2 kicks the G2x to the curb on every bullet point except Value for money/cost (I'm buying off contract). I'm also very surprised when you implicitly state that Orion cannot run Tegra games even though it's way faster than tegra.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont just look at numbers (1ghz dual core vs 1.2 dual core) RAM numbers, etc.
It has been said the 1ghz Tegra 2 is a better processor overall, and you really dont need more than 512mb of RAM since Android closes apps on its own when memory gets low. You wont see much if any performance increase from merely more RAM.
Lets not forget Samsung's recent past with its Galaxy S line having broken GPS, wonky file systems that slowed down phones, and bootloaders locked.
I wouldnt just yet say the SGS2 is a better device because how it looks on paper.

>It has been said the 1ghz Tegra 2 is a better processor overall, and you really dont need more than 512mb of RAM since Android closes apps on its own when memory gets low. You wont see much if any performance increase from merely more RAM.
I'm not sure about that. Both use dual Cortex A9s. The difference in hardware between the two is the GPU. We all know Tegra 2 uses GeForce ULP but I'm not sure what the Exynos uses(SGX or Adreno).
I concede my point to your statement about the RAM, since I only recently learnt about memory management in Android (this is my first Android). I'm pretty sure Sammy must have fixed the GPS issues, since if they don't I'd lose all respect for them.
Oh OP, one thing you might want to consider is that the Galaxy S2 does not have an HDMI out port. They say it's got some USB-HDMI cable though.
Also, it depends on your hands. The G2x itself is a pretty big device in my opinion, and seeing that the SGS2 has a 4.3" screen it's going to be much bigger.

Definitely sgs2
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

player911 said:
Well not voting for the SGS2 here but I don't think Vanilla has any bearings on Dev Support, directly. Granted, I prefer vanilla and thus may contribute to its popularity, which, indirectly, popularity = dev support.
The only thing that matters is that the bootloader is unlocked and it is easily rootable and flashable. I mean once you get a CM rom on there, they all work the same.
I think Vanilla roms are more open to other variants like MIUI and the likes because they typically share the same partition structure. I know the G2x has a different structure and I think it is safe to say the SGS2 does too. Good thing that we are able to format and change the partitions to work across multiple roms.
The SGS2 was recently rooted and I think they found the bootloader to be unlocked. So it should be able to be flashed pretty easily.
One big factor that more people don't think about is the screen size. I have small hands (vs huge sausages) and the 4" screen of the G2x pushes my comfort zone. I think 4.3" would be too much and I would be fumbling it while trying to do one handed operations.
Having bought a G2x from a N1... I can say I'm extremely happy. I've been reading the SGS2 forums trying to stir up some internal buyers remorse... but I can honestly say that I would still pick my G2x over the SGS2 again. To me Tegra>Orion justifies AMOLED>LCD. I think NVidia will really push some developers to create some great games and I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines wishing I could get in on the action. Unable to play some of the newer "HD" (Only for Tegra) games are really making some of the SGS2 owners unhappy.
Nothing like buying a new toy and finding that it doesn't work with the latest HD games.
As far as multiple video formats, I don't think this has much to do with physical hardware as it does software. While I am most certainly not an expert, I have played a range of videos on my phones. Wouldn't all you need is a Video app that has the correct codecs and support for such file types?
I mean, really, not picking one device over another based on media format is just insane to me and defies all logic. I mean how easy is it to convert between formats, come on. I'd say that if you using a less common format or one that isn't widely available, you are only asking for trouble anyway. Most of the video I find online are either MP4 or avi and have no problem playing them on my device. If you are ripping it yourself, just save it in a format you can use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from iOS, I am tired of having to convert all of my videos to mp4 format and having little knowledge of android from not having owned one just increases my curiosity on the matter since the SGSII specs list stated that the Exynos processor has more support for video formats than tegra 2. Being able to directly download and play any format is one thing I am looking for in one of these phones so that is why I asked the question. Some of the videos I download are dual audio and subbed mkv's and having to download multiple programs to get the subtitles and audio working on a mobile device is very time consuming so having support for multiple codecs would make things a whole lot easier.

buying a sidekick 4g, any thoughts?

Am going to pick up a SK4G in a little bit and was wondering from our community the general conscensus on how you guys feel about it?
I'm coming from a MT4G, which I am extremely happy with, the way I have it set-up. Any one also have both and maybe a comparison? (not the obvious of course like "the screen is smaller", etc., I've been around a bit, I know a tad about a couple things =] )
I've noticed it doesnt have as crazy as a following as some of the other androids, but that doesnt mean theres no good development going on!
Let me know if you dont mind.

I came from the mt3gs and a VM optimus v afterwards. I wanted the mt4g for the specs. But I couldn't do all touch typing. I found keyboards to help. But it's just not the same as a physical qwerty.
I'm the kind of guy who likes to buy phone 2-4x a year. Maybe not the kings of the hill. But mid to high range phones. Of course, it's expensive to do so. I decided to get a phone to last a whole two-year contract. I opted for the s4g. I was due for an upgrade and even waited until launch date for this over a g2 or mt4g.
What won me was obviously the keyboard. You don't see too many 5-rows available. Spec-wise, this phone is just average. Camera dept. is really lacking. Only 3mp. But lack of led flash was the killer. Still, the keyboard was winner. The physical design is nice. I especially liked the sliding mechanism. Half-phone sliders, like the mt3gs, just feel faulty and flimsy. You could pull the halves apart or slide past the closing stop point. Not that an average person would. But I like to conduct stress tests. This mechanism is sturdy. People have dropped plenty times and claim the mechanism is just as sturdy as it was at purchase.
Also, the screen tilt really makes a difference. Using my mt3gs after this makes it really apparent. It makes using a non-tilt screen really hard to adjust back to.
The phone does come with some bugs and issues, which you can read through the forums (I have a thread over at tmo forums and adroid central entitled "bug report and other issues".) However, rooting and getting custom rom Smooth Maximus GingerClone will make the phone a new phone. The speed is fast and lag hardy present. Only minute issues still remain, yet to be resolved.
Overall, especially if you need a physical keyboard, I would suggest this phone. It is highly recommended you get Smooth Maximus for its best value. If all-touch phones didn't bother me I would go for a mt4g, g2, or wait for the mt4gs. But for you, as a backup phone this is an awesome investment. I would wait for the mt4gs, though, just for its specs and future android development.

I would say don't. You will miss the MT4G. I did the same thing Saturday night. I got rid of it last night. The phone has a nice keyboard and stuff... but the performance of the phone lacks! I mean it has a 1ghz processor and all, but its nowhere near fast as a vibrant.
I would say don't. Because you will be disappointed. If you want a keyboard get the G2 or wait for the myTouch 4G Slide.
3 days after I got the SK4G I traded it immediately and got a Nexus S instead. That phone wouldn't send or receive texts and it also wouldn't call or receive calls until I restarted. But that might have been wifi callings issue though. And if you browse the web a lot then this is not your device since the screen is so small. The only thing I liked about the phone was Cloud Text and the phenomenal keyboard. Although, as all Samsung slider keyboards do, it tends to once in a while not register a key when typing.
The quality of the SK also lacks significantly compared to the myTouch....
Just my 2 cents.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

enoch861 said:
I would say don't. You will miss the MT4G. I did the same thing Saturday night. I got rid of it last night. The phone has a nice keyboard and stuff... but the performance of the phone lacks! I mean it has a 1ghz processor and all, but its nowhere near fast as a vibrant.
I would say don't. Because you will be disappointed. If you want a keyboard get the G2 or wait for the myTouch 4G Slide.
3 days after I got the SK4G I traded it immediately and got a Nexus S instead. That phone wouldn't send or receive texts and it also wouldn't call or receive calls until I restarted. But that might have been wifi callings issue though. And if you browse the web a lot then this is not your device since the screen is so small. The only thing I liked about the phone was Cloud Text and the phenomenal keyboard. Although, as all Samsung slider keyboards do, it tends to once in a while not register a key when typing.
The quality of the SK also lacks significantly compared to the myTouch....
Just my 2 cents.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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Listen , you should do a bit research before posting in this thread imo .
It's a 1GHz of course it lack's performance , the Galaxy & SK4G have the same processor & gut's & once you install a custom kernel & ROM you will be fine , there is no Wifi Calling issue & browsing the web is fine , Cloud Text & the keyboard is amazing .

I don't wanna be bias so I'll give my honest opinion. If you are a power user, don't get this phone. Though it runs a lot more smoothly on a custom root setup, it still has tiny lag, as enoch pointed out it doesn't register all button keyboard presses. The only reason you should get the sk4g is for the keyboard alone. If not then a more powerful phone may satisfy your needs.
If you are a power user, don't get this phone. If you're getting a phone just cause, you can consider this. I love the phone and haven't put it down since. But if this is a main phone for two years on contract, you can get something better.
Lol, I don't mean to contradict my earlier post. I'm not as bias with this one.

i would recommend the sk4g. coming from all-touch smartphones like the nexus one and hd2 running android and the hd7, i am happy with the sidekick 4g. i generally avoided android phones with qwerty keyboards because most are sliders and i hate phones with too much movement.
the droid pro was my dream form factor for an android phone but since i am happy with tmo there was no way i would switch to verizon just for that phone. plus the resolution on the droid pros smaller screen was a turnoff.
the slider on the sidekick 4g is pretty sturdy. the keyboard is awesome. i use my phone a lot for business and the sidekick 4g was the last smartphone on my list. but after comparing to other qwerty androids out there the skg4 seemed to be one of the better.
the camera is only 3m and no led flash. but the quality of the pictures is pretty good for being 3m. depending on what rom i had on my hd2, the sk4g's cam took pics just as good.
the speakerphone is pretty good. better than any htc ive had.(g1, mytouch 3g, hd2, hd7, nexus one).
even though its mostly made of plastic, its pretty durable and not as 'cheap' feeling as some claim it to be. i actually think its one of the more better built phones ive had(besides the hd2).
as for performance, even though it has the same 1GHz hummingbird processor as the galaxy s, tab, etc... it doesnt feel as smooth. most of the lag can be noticed while unlocking, navigating through any custom ui, and switching back to home screen from some apps. but once you are inside of an app it feels just as smooth and snappy as other 1GHz smartphones.
if i were you i'd probably wait until the mytouch 4g slide comes out.. its not too long. im not really digging the mytouch4g/slide's front looks and not liking how the touchscreen is fully exposed on all sides as opposed to the sk4g's screen/slider is protected on two sides.

I know my phones. I know it technically has the same guts as any Galaxy S phone. But I can tell you any Galaxy S phone feels so much more faster than this phone does. I mean I was shocked that the phone didn't perform like a 1ghz device should! I did install Bali with voodoo enabled and that didn't make much difference. While on the vibrant the difference was almost night and day.
And yes I pointed out that Cloud Text and the keyboard are Amazing!
But the phone is just sluggish.
If he is a power user, he needs to look elsewhere because this phone won't suffice your need of power. I mean I found my self restarting the phone every few hours while on my myTouch 4G I never had to restart.
Another thing I should also point out is that battery life isn't the greatest. The phone wasn't lasting me even 8 hours a day (I'm more of a power user). While the myTouch would last me 22+ hours on the Virtuous Unity ROM or 18+ hours on stock. The phone with a keyboard that lasted the longest that I ever owned (android) was the G2 I was getting a solid 36+ hours of use. It was Stunning!!
My suggestion would be wait a few weeks and you can get the myTouch 4G Slide.
fawkReviewz said:
Listen , you should do a bit research before posting in this thread imo .
It's a 1GHz of course it lack's performance , the Galaxy & SK4G have the same processor & gut's & once you install a custom kernel & ROM you will be fine , there is no Wifi Calling issue & browsing the web is fine , Cloud Text & the keyboard is amazing .
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Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

I'm trading my sidekick for a nexus one next week. Unless I change my mind.
Sent from my Sidekick 4G using XDA Premium App

I would recommend this phone if you are a hardcore qwerty user like myself. I came from the MT4G and I got this phone through craigslist and I have been satisfied. Is it a high end phone? Maybe if this came out last summer but it does not stop this from being a good phone. Even though the development is not as great as other phones ( I do appreciate the support!) There is not much wrong with this phone. 3 MP is weak for a camera nowadays but it does its job. Is the phone sluggish at times? Sometimes but with the gingerclone rom and bali kernal it has decreased. With more roms in kernals in the future it should change indeed. As for the battery I let the battery die and let it charge completely and no lie got 24+ hours of battery life which consisted of playing Chrono Trigger on my phone (keyboard controller ftw) but as everyone else has been saying if you want value and a 5 row keyboard then sk4g, if you wanna throw some more money and wanna be that suave guy with a fancy phone then please get the mt4gs and tell me how it is ;-)
Sent from my SGH-T839 using XDA App

Not a good trade. I wouldn't do it.
Try to see if you can get a Nexus S instead.
bburke88 said:
I'm trading my sidekick for a nexus one next week. Unless I change my mind.
Sent from my Sidekick 4G using XDA Premium App
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Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

most people who are all hardcore with buying the latest and greatest may disagree. My point of contention is, when your a guy like me who has to keep up with multiple females at any given moment there is no better phone. Simply put, *****es love texting. The only competition we have as far as touch screen texting is the Droid boomerang. I forget the model designation but the thing is ****ing retarded huge. Next up we have the blackberry, but the closed source OS was the major boner killer for me.
With all that said, if you **** *****es, like lots of *****es. There is no better phone. All the other ************s struggle to keep up. I don't know how, but all the females I know get at least 45 WPM out of those ****ing dinosaur Nokia bricks. I can't do that ****, but I do know that with a SK4G I can get 45 WPM+ with nearly 100% accuracy.

The Pope of Dope said:
most people who are all hardcore with buying the latest and greatest may disagree. My point of contention is, when your a guy like me who has to keep up with multiple females at any given moment there is no better phone. Simply put, *****es love texting. The only competition we have as far as touch screen texting is the Droid boomerang. I forget the model designation but the thing is ****ing retarded huge. Next up we have the blackberry, but the closed source OS was the major boner killer for me.
With all that said, if you **** *****es, like lots of *****es. There is no better phone. All the other ************s struggle to keep up. I don't know how, but all the females I know get at least 45 WPM out of those ****ing dinosaur Nokia bricks. I can't do that ****, but I do know that with a SK4G I can get 45 WPM+ with nearly 100% accuracy.
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Lol... you say some dumb **** bro...
Sent from my Sidekick 4G using XDA Premium App

Just wait for the 4g slide
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk

[Q] your experiances with optimus 3d?

Im currently in a debate whether or not to swap my galaxy s2 for an lg optimus 3d and id thought it would be best to ask people who actually have them as there everyday phone. do you think it would be worth it and also what are the pros and cons of the device? thanks in advance

Well having come from the LG O2X myself I've found that initially, although the hardware is better and more future proof (eg. the next Google phone is rumoured to have the same chipset as the O3D) that in daily use I find that it can be a little laggy sometimes, the menus not scrolling 100% smoothly stuff like that, nothing major, it could be just me being a little picky! The battery isn't that bad either, I normally charge mine every night, but then I did the same with my O2X. If you use the 3D a lot, which you will do at the start it will run the battery down a lot quicker.
I also think that this phone is lacking developers and roms but, it is in the early stages of development, although I do believe that they will come as soon as CM7 is up and running and if the next Google phone does have the OMAP4 in it, there will be lots of ports and lots more developers.
This is just my opinion and I'm not trying to say that the current developers and roms aren't any good but its a new phone and people are still getting used to what it can and can't do at the minute...

how do you find the camera? i know the one on the galaxy s2 is amazing.

the camera on the gs2 is better...if the gs2 camera is 9/10,the optimus 3D camera is 7,5/10

I also had to decide between the sg2 and the Op3d. I am very happy that I chose the Op3d. I really dont understand why it has so many bad reviews. Yes its a little bulky and a bit heavy but if feels just fine.
The build quality is really good, the cameras are in my opinion are good enough for everyday use. Its very fast, I have no lag on mine.
I also think the battery life isn't that bad. Yeah if your on it every second of the day it drains quickly but for the average user like myself I only need to charge once a day.
And when the gingerbread update arrived it will be one of the best phones around.
Just get one!
Sent from my LG-P920

The phone is really nice but LG sucks big time... The only drawback about getting this phone is really LG...

m33ts4k0z said:
The phone is really nice but LG sucks big time... The only drawback about getting this phone is really LG...
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Seriously? I went for the optimus over the Evo 3D specifically for it being LG as had another LG phone before the O3D and it was great. Maybe I'm biased as they also make my tv but I find they make very reliable decent products so would disagree that LG sucks. But the phone, yes it is really nice
The camera is good, though every now and then in High Def 3D recording you can see a slight stutter. I like the default interface so haven't changed it but, as with all Android devices, a number of useless apps run that even when you kill them just restart within minutes.
Not found any lag myself and I use mine a lot to browse the internet and play games and 3D content but did find it couldn't handle the game Plants Vs Zombies though some say its because that needs 1 Gigabyte. It ran but so slowly it was unusable.
I think when gingerbread is available for it the O3D will be even better, as I have it on my old LG GT540 (unofficial rom) and even on that it's fast. My only slight gripe with the Optimus 3D is that in 3D mode you can sometimes see the touch screen sensors which can be distracting.
Dave

mistermentality said:
Seriously? I went for the optimus over the Evo 3D specifically for it being LG as had another LG phone before the O3D and it was great. Maybe I'm biased as they also make my tv but I find they make very reliable decent products so would disagree that LG sucks. But the phone, yes it is really nice
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LG has maybe the best TVs and PC screens but also maybe the worst phones. I got my phone bricked 3 times already from the LG Mobile Tool without having it rooted or anything. The built in updater has also critical issues but the most of the times it works decently. What I'm saying is that everything (software-wise) that is LG related on the device is really but really unreliable. They do have a decent 3D menu though.

I think youd be happy whichever one you go for as both are very capable pieces of hardware. Stock software is what it is. There are clearly more aftermarket custom roms for the gs2 at the moment but there will obviously be many more developments on that front for both devices in the months to come.
Sent from my LG-P920 using XDA Premium App

my time without the G2x.....

My main phone, I had to switch to my backup G2 for the next few months. I can't go back my g2x for the time being, its complicated to explain.
Its now 2 weeks since the switch and I miss my G2x, just snappier, faster, and just better overall device. Turns out some of the things I complained about followed me on the G2. Its the email syncs I always complain about. Its a CM7 issue and I believe the memory gets so used up by my other apps that the android email just crashes. Saw the same symptoms on my G2. Maybe its the 500mb of ram. Owned a mytouch 4g and didn't have that, but I digress.
The things I miss:
The big screen. 3.7 inches isn't enough for my fat fingers. I make so many mistakes.
The snalpier a.d faster reaction. Of course
better reception and signal. It handles 4g signal better
Physical keyboards just overrated.
The only thing that does surprise me is just how well the G2 holds its charge. Moderate use and lots of texting, I really survive 8 plus hours on the G2. And still have juice left like 45%
I wanna go back to G2x but now its my media device at home while the G2 serves as my main phone. It just handles better.
Just wanted to share my thoughts. I miss this phone as my main device.

vmartinez39 said:
My main phone, I had to switch to my backup G2 for the next few months. I can't go back my g2x for the time being, its complicated to explain.
Its now 2 weeks since the switch and I miss my G2x, just snappier, faster, and just better overall device. Turns out some of the things I complained about followed me on the G2. Its the email syncs I always complain about. Its a CM7 issue and I believe the memory gets so used up by my other apps that the android email just crashes. Saw the same symptoms on my G2. Maybe its the 500mb of ram. Owned a mytouch 4g and didn't have that, but I digress.
The things I miss:
The big screen. 3.7 inches isn't enough for my fat fingers. I make so many mistakes.
The snalpier a.d faster reaction. Of course
better reception and signal. It handles 4g signal better
Physical keyboards just overrated.
The only thing that does surprise me is just how well the G2 holds its charge. Moderate use and lots of texting, I really survive 8 plus hours on the G2. And still have juice left like 45%
I wanna go back to G2x but now its my media device at home while the G2 serves as my main phone. It just handles better.
Just wanted to share my thoughts. I miss this phone as my main device.
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tl;dr. I get over a days battery life on my G2x. Two of veeery light use.

going team crackberry for a while till gn drops in price. saw it awesome. meanwhile selling my g2x im only using it as a portable media device anyways... im sure i can hold on for like 2-3 months on ****ty crackberry

ed116 said:
going team crackberry for a while till gn drops in price. saw it awesome. meanwhile selling my g2x im only using it as a portable media device anyways... im sure i can hold on for like 2-3 months on ****ty crackberry
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Wait for something else. GN gpu is bad. I would wait for the Galaxy S2 HD version to come to the states (or get it from outside of the states).

Please think about the T-Mobile GS2. It rocks my socks. Biggest screen you could want without being obnoxious, and also a pretty nice dev community, especially with ICS coming.
Sent from Darth Hercules

GBGamer said:
Please think about the T-Mobile GS2. It rocks my socks. Biggest screen you could want without being obnoxious, and also a pretty nice dev community, especially with ICS coming.
Sent from Darth Hercules
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Agreed. GNex is a great phone but SGSII is planning to habitually refresh their product line. Attention to consumers gets major brownie points in my book.
cough LG cough