Unboxing the Samsung Captivate, part 1
So AT&T pushed all the right buttons by hand delivering a Samsung Captivate review unit yesterday!
It’s the first of four Galaxy S devices destined for the US, the others being the Vibrant, Fascinate, and Epic 4G…
Check out my unboxing video and read on for my first power on video below – I’ll post some tasty pictures next :)
tnkgrl Mobile: Tech that Matters 
Thanks tnkgrl – looks pretty slick.. and less like an iphone than the i9000 does! Interesting that they haven’t given you swipe out of the box.
The i9000 certainly delivers multitouch in a big way – thanks to a lovely atmel touchpad it can properly track at least 5 fingers (apparently the limit of the app) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRCDRXYJBCY
Good job, tnkgrl! I don’t have an Android yet but I am pretty sure an Android will be my next phone. I am sick of WinMo6.5 and not having a touch screen.
Do you ever review audio players?
Ciao, stiche
I don’t usually review personal media players – I’m a big believer in convergence, and in the phone being your communicator, PMP, camera, and computer.
We are headed toward, (almost there, really),
the device that everyone carried in the Kim Stanley Robinson “Mars” series. It was called a “lectern”. It was networked to a series of large central databases that contained the sum of all knowledge to the minute, was a videophone, would transcribe speech to text, and more.
Intersting that it didn’t prompt you to setup the phone with your Google/Gmail account. If you do another video of the phone, can you show us what’s on the other apparently six screens, if it uses the multi-touch to zoom out all screens like Sense does, and maybe what Samsung’s widgets are like? I’m rather impressed with HTC’s widgets.
Also, feedback on the market would be nice as I believe that’s one place AT & T has limited Android phones in the past.
In my experience, most Android 2.x devices typically don’t prompt you to setup/signin to your Google accounts (except HTC’s Sense equipped phones).
As for the Market, AT&T’s not restricting anything as far as I can see (neither on the Captivate nor the Aria).
You can’t download or side-load apps from a website or the SD card, which is annoying, but nothing that can’t be worked around with developer tools (or by rooting).
I have been a long time follower of your posts and have been truly impressed with the breath and depth of your reviews. I am writing to ask you – Of all the Android Smart Phones now released (or soon to be); how in the world to non phone-tech savvy people like myself looking to purchase a new phone know when to stop looking and buy one particular model? Every time you turn around, there is something new on the horizon. Since like yourself, I am a T-Mobile subscriber – Have you ever thought of doing an article for specific carriers and the best phone (locked versus unlocked, ect)choice? Thanks in advance for your reply.
Assuming AT&T is restricting the market, you can always put the phone in airplane mode, turn on wifi, then jump on the market. That would in theory remove AT&T’s restrictions – if any.
They are not restricting the Market – and if they did your solution would not work, as any such limitation could be baked into the firmware.
They are restricting “unknown sources”, ie. downloading apps outside the Market (like from a website directly) or side-loading .apk (application package) files from the SD card.
For those playing along at home, this is not the case in the international i9000 – it will sideload just fine.
@SenorClean yes, this only applies to AT&T’s Android devices like the Captivate, AT&T’s version of the Galaxy S.
I also have T-Mobile USA’s version of the Galaxy S, the Vibrant, and there are no such restrictions.