Help with chosing a andriod device for att

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10. August 2010 @ 16:36

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so i have the choice of getting a new phone right now, using my moms service upgrade, and handing over my kaiser for a wile or i could just wait until december when my plan runs out

i was wondering if it would be worth it to just get the samsung captivate right now. it seems like it is one of the best devices out currently. or should i wait till december/is anything better being planned for release for att

also i have heard that the captivate my become even more powerfull on froyo is taht true

AfterDawn Addict

1 product review

13. August 2010 @ 06:02

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The Galaxy S (AKA ATT Captivate) is a great phone. It is not as good as the Evo4G or DroidX, but it is still close to the high-end of the android line.

That said, I would wait if I were you. For starters, I would not want a smart phone on the ultra-limited AT&T bandwidth caps. I would not want to deal with AT&T's network problems either. On top of that, the 1GHZ processors are getting rather old in tech terms, and we should see 1.2GHZ phones soon; probably followed quickly by 2.4GHZ phones (Samsung already started the production run of their new dual core 1.2GHZ phone processor).

As for Froyo, it is like this: 2.0.1 was fast, 2.1 replaced it...and it is very slow & buggy, and 2.2 (froyo) is much faster than 2.0.1 on the same hardware...it is a bit buggy on verizon because verizon's OTA update is an outdated beta that they should not be using...but you can always root and install a good version like I did. My humble droid runs at just 600mhz, but it has nearly double the practical processing power of the 1ghz Sony x10, simply because I run Froyo and the x10 does not. Now, Samsung has said that while 2.2 (froyo) is better, and they will eventually start to install it from the factory, they will not be offering updates for the phones sold with 2.1 (they are still being sold with 2.1)...so if you buy the Galaxy S, you should realize that you will be forced to root the device in order to make it run even close to the speed of a Evo 4G or a DroidX (depending on the app, froyo is 2x to 4.5x faster than 2.1).

So, in short, I would stick with what you have until your contract runs out. Once it expires, Verizon will probably have similar bandwidth caps to what AT&T already has...but Sprint should still be unlimited for cheap...and they might even have 4G service in your area by then.

Member

13. August 2010 @ 18:44

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Originally posted by KillerBug:
The Galaxy S (AKA ATT Captivate) is a great phone. It is not as good as the Evo4G or DroidX, but it is still close to the high-end of the android line.

That said, I would wait if I were you. For starters, I would not want a smart phone on the ultra-limited AT&T bandwidth caps. I would not want to deal with AT&T's network problems either. On top of that, the 1GHZ processors are getting rather old in tech terms, and we should see 1.2GHZ phones soon; probably followed quickly by 2.4GHZ phones (Samsung already started the production run of their new dual core 1.2GHZ phone processor).

As for Froyo, it is like this: 2.0.1 was fast, 2.1 replaced it...and it is very slow & buggy, and 2.2 (froyo) is much faster than 2.0.1 on the same hardware...it is a bit buggy on verizon because verizon's OTA update is an outdated beta that they should not be using...but you can always root and install a good version like I did. My humble droid runs at just 600mhz, but it has nearly double the practical processing power of the 1ghz Sony x10, simply because I run Froyo and the x10 does not. Now, Samsung has said that while 2.2 (froyo) is better, and they will eventually start to install it from the factory, they will not be offering updates for the phones sold with 2.1 (they are still being sold with 2.1)...so if you buy the Galaxy S, you should realize that you will be forced to root the device in order to make it run even close to the speed of a Evo 4G or a DroidX (depending on the app, froyo is 2x to 4.5x faster than 2.1).

So, in short, I would stick with what you have until your contract runs out. Once it expires, Verizon will probably have similar bandwidth caps to what AT&T already has...but Sprint should still be unlimited for cheap...and they might even have 4G service in your area by then.

but your saying i should just switch to sprint.
cause that isnt really an option, bassically i just wanna nkow if the captivate will be the best phone by then for att

AfterDawn Addict

1 product review

17. August 2010 @ 07:23

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At the moment, yes. But before you get anything, make 100% sure that your data plan will be grandfathered in...the last thing you want is a new internet phone with video support, and a tiny 5GB cap.

Honestly, unless it it is free or almost free (and grandfathered), AT&T is not the best choice. Sprint has similar coverage with faster service and lower costs, and Verizon has the best coverage overall *both data and voice*...but it comes at a monetary price.

Member

17. August 2010 @ 11:16

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yeah i know it really sucks but im going to call up att and tell them exactly that, but know that old data plans are grandfathered but i didnt have one so my loss. it is just not really my decision to switch my whole families service especially since my mom has said i only have to pay for my data and she will cover voice and text. im just really hoping(somewhat naively that they will feel the pressure and invent a new unlimited data plan for me lol)

AfterDawn Addict

1 product review

20. August 2010 @ 05:47

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You may only have to pay for data, but that is the part that kills you on AT&T...you either have a cap too small for email, or you have a cap to small for video. Either way, you are paying a lot of money for a small amount of data, delivered very slowly, and with stiff overage fees.

Here is a little idea for you...

Your mom is willing to pay for your voice calling; I assume this is on the "FamilyTalk Nation Unlimited" plan that costs $50 per month per line after the first 2 lines. You are willing to pay for data...you know the 200mb won't even be close, so that only leaves the $25 for 2gb plan.

So, your minimum cost on AT&T is $75 a month for almost no data (2gb)...for $5 less, you can get unlimited text, talk, and web on sprint, with higher speeds, better devices, and no limits on bandwidth. Plus, there is a 30-day money-back contract-canceling guarantee at sprint...just in case you live somewhere where their service isn't good.

Now, I might be wrong...you might have one of the FamilyTalk with Rollover plans...but even still, removing the $10 extra line fee and decreasing the number of minutes (based on the fact that the extra line will not be using these minutes) will get the costs close enough for you to cover the difference yourself.

BTW...I don't work for sprint. Personally, I prefer Verizon in spite of the higher costs...but if I had to choose between AT&T and Sprint, I would choose sprint...sprint isn't just a better deal, they have a better network too.

BTW2...If you do decide to shoot yourself in the foot by signing another 2 year contract with AT&T, don't get the tethering. Not only is there not enough bandwidth to tether with, but the first thing you will have to do to that phone is to ROOT it; and then tethering is free anyway.

This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 20. August 2010 @ 05:53

Member

20. August 2010 @ 19:41

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i thought about that but we have 4 ppl on the 1400 plan so its only like 10 bucks a line and it would probably only come out to like 40 dollars a mounth 50 max for just my costs
and i barley use any of the minutes
but what is THE cheapest way to get unlimited data

This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 20. August 2010 @ 19:43

ehvbadboy

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21. August 2010 @ 09:52

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first of all the nexus one and the evo 4g arnt better than the samsung .both have a snapdragon processor in it with an integrated gpu .the samsung as a hummingbird processor in it with a 540 gpu (the iphone 4 has the same processor with te 535 gpu)

second do both phones have a front webcam? do they have superamoled no the dont .in all tests that i saw (look at xda developers) there isnt one droid phone faster than the samsung galaxy even the nexus one with 2,2 on it is slower than the galaxy with 2,1 on it.
i have the samsung galaxy s9000 version and untill now i am very satisfied .look on the net there are enough tests on it .the samsung is even a good match for the iphone 4 .
but to be honist i still like the apple disign above the samsung ore any phone .but i had an iphone 3g had 4 refurbished ones for me never an iphone again .

Member

21. August 2010 @ 18:23

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yeah i nkow i want the glaxys but i just wish i could get umlimeted data some how

Member

22. August 2010 @ 16:12

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ok so i called up att today and i ordered the captivate, the guy was nice enough to reduce our plan by 25 dollars and my mom agreed to pay for everything since i made the plan cheaper but if i go over the 2gb i have to pay for the 10$ per gb so i can basically use 5gb for 30bucks a month not the best but good enough

AfterDawn Addict

1 product review

23. August 2010 @ 02:16

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Originally posted by ehvbadboy:
first of all the nexus one and the evo 4g arnt better than the samsung .both have a snapdragon processor in it with an integrated gpu .the samsung as a hummingbird processor in it with a 540 gpu (the iphone 4 has the same processor with te 535 gpu)

second do both phones have a front webcam? do they have superamoled no the dont .in all tests that i saw (look at xda developers) there isnt one droid phone faster than the samsung galaxy even the nexus one with 2,2 on it is slower than the galaxy with 2,1 on it.
i have the samsung galaxy s9000 version and untill now i am very satisfied .look on the net there are enough tests on it .the samsung is even a good match for the iphone 4 .
but to be honist i still like the apple disign above the samsung ore any phone .but i had an iphone 3g had 4 refurbished ones for me never an iphone again .

First, I never even mentioned the Nexus One...I don't know where you got that. The Evo 4G does have a front camera, and it is on a network that is actually fast enough to make video calls (if you wanted to). I know the Samsung is good for certain types of graphically intense games, but these are very uncommon...and the Snapdragon with Android 2.2 is much faster for everything else.

As for the apple design, they have yet to make any version of the iPhone that I would want, even if they were all android phones with up-to-date processors, they just look and feel cheap IMHO. Lack of keyboards is also a serious problem for me because a smartphone without a keyboard is just a toy...and I use mine for business. However, I won't hold this against Apple, as many Android phones are also missing keyboards.

AfterDawn Addict

1 product review

24. August 2010 @ 00:47

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Hehe...I can't believe it, but my friend finally got tired of waiting for a screen/antenna fix for his iPhone4...he just got rid of it! He was still under contract, and still grandfathered on the unlimited plan, so he got himself a captivate.

I have to say, this phone is a real piece of crap. The phone itself is great (other than the battery), but the software is terrible. They use some kind of awful UI overlay that makes it work like an iPhone (in other words, it keeps it from working). They block half the market, there are a ton of worthless AT&T apps that won't uninstall without root, the email program does not even put a notification on the top bar...it is a really terrible experience to use this thing. On top of everything, there is no Froyo for it...the Galaxy S has a leaked firmware, but AT&T's terrible kernel prevents that ROM from working correctly...and no one seems to be able to fix the kernel or to adapt the Galaxy S kernel. I did a backup, then I rooted it to uninstall some of the useless apps (and an outdated version of google maps that refused to update because of how AT&T installed it). Even after cleaning, this phone is still a piece of crap.

My new advise on the captivate: By the time it gets a working version of Android, there will be much better Android phones available on AT&T...if you need a new smartphone right now, then it is the wrong choice. If you need a new smartphone in a few months, better models will be available...so I see no reason whatsoever for buying the Captivate.

Oh, btw...I think that AT&T is doing this to drive iPhone sales; people come in looking for an android phone, all they have is this POS, so they leave with an iPhone or even a blackberry.