Samsung Galaxy S circlejerk thread

[Scottt]

Back from the UK and I still have my old Nokia brick shockproof/waterproof thing.

I have to get on a decent-sized cap, which means a smartphone included. I have whittled the field down to the Samsung and the iPhone. Both me and the missus need a plan/phone.

The state of play is:

• I am going to go with Optus (best value plans for what we need plus free calls to each other)

• Buying online gets you two months free, which is too good to resist, so "keep trying different stores until you find one with the iPhone 4" doesn't really work.

• iPhone 4 seems to be anything from 2 to 6 weeks away and the 2 months free offer expires at the end of Nov so I need to act before I can be sure it will be available.

• iPhone 3GS and Samsung Galaxy S are the two available phones that most appeal to me.

• I feel a bit rough paying the same coin for a 3GS as for the 4 (if I could have waited) as the 3GS is 8gb and the 4 is 16gb or 32gb.

Which should I plumb for and why?

The memory deficiency aside (8gb instead of 16 or 32), is the 3GS really that inferior to iPhone 4?

I already have years of music in iTunes. Will those audio files be able to be loaded onto the Galaxy if I go that way or will I have to download them all again from CD/web?

[AndyP]

I already have years of music in iTunes. Will those audio files be able to be loaded onto the Galaxy if I go that way or will I have to download them all again from CD/web?

You can transfer music from iTunes to a folder at any time. You would never need to get them all again.

[Scottt]

Yeah, I have all my tunes backed up on an external HD. The Apple file format (AAC?) is readable by the Samsung?

[AndyP]

I personally don't have many AAC files, but you should be able to find a way to convert them if necessary.

[LeftyHoges]

I'm actually, genuinely interested in what the more is that it can do?

Can you make the screen look like this?
Attachment 9372Attachment 9373

I could do something like that if I wanted to. Pretty similar anyway. That front page is way too busy for me though, couldn't stand looking at that for more than 3 seconds. Different strokes for different folks though!!!

Maybe I shouldn't have got carried away as much as I did with the "AND MORE" part as I really don't know the Galaxy all that well. But the range of things you can do with a jailbroken iPhone is huge, so I just naturally assumed...

I tested the durability of my Galaxy S the other night. I dropped it at the top of the stairs and watched it bounce half way down the stairs. Then I watched the back fall off, and battery bounce out, and all three continued the rest of the trip to the concrete path at the bottom.

I was expecting the worst, but picked all three up unscratched and put it back together. All working as normal. And it's not the first time I've dropped it hard enough to make the battery fall out.

Try doing that with an iPhone.

Can't do that with an iPhone. If the battery comes out, its screwed!!!!

[poidda]

600 per cent jump puts Android ahead of iPhone

[virge666]

No contest mate...

HTC Desire HD or Samsung Galaxy S.

if you can find an old 3GS on ebay for around $500 - buy it outright and use that.

The iPhone 4 is shit, though 4.2 has a few fixes that are very much welcome.

[TheTrueReview]

...

if you can find an old 3GS on ebay for around $500 - buy it outright and use that.

... .

+ 1

I have the 3GS 32gig & have no plans to upgrade. Maybe when the iphone 5 comes along ...

[goughy]

We have a galaxy and an iphone 3gs in our house. Clikchic has the iphone and it is perfect for her. It does all she needs and easily. She can read books, listen to music, kids can play games, she can makes calls, send emails and sms. The 3gs screen looks fine, the 4 even better. It obviously syncs well with itunes.

I have a galaxy and couldn't be happier. I was going to get an iphone 4 and sure I would have been happy enough with it, but I'd have missed a few things that would have bugged me. If you like customisation this is a better phone. I use a custom launcher that allows me to set my phone up the way I want it. I like my home screen to have a big time display and weather, and my upcoming calendar appointments etc. I don't want to have to click to other programs to see them. True out of the box it wasn't spot on, but with a few downloaded programs (most free) it was on the money. The screen is outstanding. I also have a program which allows me to automate much of the phone - I have different volume etc settings (I guess profiles) for different times of the day, plug in headphones and music app starts up, get near home and wifi turns on etc etc. The bluetooth talks to much more - my computer, other phones etc. Connect it up to your computer and it's just another drive, easy to transfer stuff that way if you wish. You can find programs to sync stuff via itunes if you wish. I'm pretty sure it'll play aac out of the box. Pretty sure it plays everything, divx etc etc.

More apps and accessories for the iphone, but on the app front there's nothing I haven't been able to find yet that I needed or wanted.

In the end, if you want a phone that works either will do. If you want one easy to use that just works I think the iphone might be a touch better. If you like to fiddle about with settings and stuff then the galaxy is better.
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i900...review-500.php

[Veefore]

I use a custom launcher that allows me to set my phone up the way I want it. I like my home screen to have a big time display and weather, and my upcoming calendar appointments etc. I don't want to have to click to other programs to see them. True out of the box it wasn't spot on, but with a few downloaded programs (most free) it was on the money. The screen is outstanding. I also have a program which allows me to automate much of the phone - I have different volume etc settings (I guess profiles) for different times of the day, plug in headphones and music app starts up, get near home and wifi turns on etc etc.

Can you please tell me more about this?

Also, I notice you have CoPilot Live. How is that? I was thinking about buying it but need to get an SD card first apparently.

[goughy]

Can you please tell me more about this?

I use a launcher program called LauncherPro instead of the standard Touchwiz. You don't delete touchwiz, it's just there in the background. It offer a lot more customisation. I made up the custom icons myself and then use a program called Desktop Visualizer which allows you to associate and image with a function (launch a program, or folder etc). There's a thread on the xda forums about how to do it. I'll pm you about the rest

For the custom profiles there are a few programs around that allow different levels of customisation, but the king is a program called Tasker. It allows you to set up various different profiles etc, and many other things. It's quite powerful for those who know how to use it properly; I'm not one of them. I have a few basic things set up (morning, day, evening and night volume profiles; screen always on when plugged in etc). You can have it send certain callers directly to voicemail or respond automatically with an sms. You can have it do things (launch programs, change settings etc) based on your position (worked out from either gps, cell towers or both). It's pretty full on.

[Scottt]

Thanks guys.

To the Galaxy owners, apparently it comes with 60 or so apps that you won't want most of and can't delete?

If so can you at least hide them/put the ones you want in front of them?

[virge666]

Thanks guys.

To the Galaxy owners, apparently it comes with 60 or so apps that you won't want most of and can't delete?

If so can you at least hide them/put the ones you want in front of them?

most of the Android phones are like that.

[goughy]

Most phones are like that. Basically you have 7 home screens you can scroll between and you put the stuff you want on them. Then you also have access to an app draw or folder which has everything in it. So the stuff you don't want doesn't have to be up front but it is still accessible.

The link I posted has a pretty indepth comparison between them, and that sight also has very indepth reviews of both phones.

[Scottt]

I had a read of the comparison Goughy. It seemed to keep saying they were neck-and-neck then gave the iPhone a 9 and the Galaxy a 7. Weird.

[goughy]

I had a read of the comparison Goughy. It seemed to keep saying they were neck-and-neck then gave the iPhone a 9 and the Galaxy a 7. Weird.

That was only the first page of the test, there were 8 other comparison test conducted. Head to head, the Galaxy won 7 to 2, with a finished combined score of 78/90 against 68/90 for the iPhone. The big differences - Galaxy more customisation, bluetooth that works, appears as a drive on your computer, 16g on board with an sd card slot available for an extra 32g. You'll probably be happy with either, and the only reason you'll think you've bought the wrong one is if your wife gets the other one and you think it's better.

With me having the Galaxy clikchic has realised that the iphone she has was the right choice for her. With her having the iphone, I've realised the Galaxy was the right choice for me. Switch them around and neither of us would have been entirely happy.

[poidda]

I tested the durability of my Galaxy S the other night. I dropped it at the top of the stairs and watched it bounce half way down the stairs. Then I watched the back fall off, and battery bounce out, and all three continued the rest of the trip to the concrete path at the bottom.

I was expecting the worst, but picked all three up unscratched and put it back together. All working as normal. And it's not the first time I've dropped it hard enough to make the battery fall out.

Try doing that with an iPhone.

[Fishman Dan]

The Samsung Galaxy is a cheap imitation of the real thing. Should suit you splendidly Scottttt.

[andigold]

Scott, my son works for Optus selling mobiles in a store and he has his pick of phones and he has a galaxy, pretty much what Goughy said, better customisation etc. I've got an iphone 4 (work supplied) and I'm pretty happy with it, but I don't really get that excited about phones.

[Veefore]

I concur with Goughy. I was waiting for the iPhone 4 until I found out that it didn't have a radio and wouldn't play Divx. Since choosing the Galaxy I really feel that I have made the right decision. I have barely started to really customise it to suit me but even so am really happy with it.

[MegaWatty]

iPhone 4 plays DivX.

[Veefore]

iPhone 4 plays DivX.

Interesting... That was one of the main reasons that I went with the Galaxy, because all the reviews I read said that it didn't.

[adlo]

welcome home Scottt

[just]

welcome home Scottt

You would ruin the thread with your off topic ravings.

Anyway Scottt I have an iPhone at the moment and I'd rather have an Android phone.

[MegaWatty]

VLC free app. Better player is CineXPlayer