Samsung Captivate (AT&T)

reply on November 25, 2010 by BKreit2457

I have the Captivate through AT&T for about a week. The first problem I found with the phone is that the GPS audio does not support Bluetooth. Very strange. The phone works with my car built in Bluetooth. Calls are answered with the steering wheel button, the sound comes over the stereo system speakers. The GPS audio does not. After lengthy conversations with AT&T and Samsung, I was told that GPS on Samsung Android phones is not supported. I was told that there may be an app to download that will enable the GPS audio to to work with Bluetooth but as yet have not found it. The GPS audio does however play through the headset or when plugged into the aux jack. Not the best solution. No music or radio when GPS audio playing through aux jack. As for the slow GPS, I have found what so far has been a good fix, an app called GPS Status, run simultaneously with the GPS.

reply on November 12, 2010 by homercles82

GPS update coming with 2.2 update soon.

reply on October 20, 2010 by FirstApple

I finally got an I phone 4 after shopping for weeks and reading about how great android phones are. I listened to two different salespeople show me their phones, and I phone 4 and a Samsung Galaxy. Both are great phones but the I phone wins hands down. Why? Because of the way that is more organized, a better screen, and overall easier to do what you want to get done. Make no mistake, the Samsung Galaxy is a great smart phone but just not as good. This conclusion comes after hearing all the complaints about how I phones drop calls have bad reception, etc. I have no reception problems and find the I phone to be seemless. Android users are always coming up with excuses about how this or that will work. Life has enough disappointments to deal with so I really don't need the android excuses.

reply on October 20, 2010 by FirstApple

I finally got an I phone 4 after shopping for weeks and reading about how great android phones are. I listened to two different salespeople show me their phones, and I phone 4 and a Samsung Galaxy. Both are great phones but the I phone wins hands down. Why? Because of the way that is more organized, a better screen, and overall easier to do what you want to get done. Make no mistake, the Samsung Galaxy is a great smart phone but just not as good. This conclusion comes after hearing all the complaints about how I phones drop calls have bad reception, etc. I have no reception problems and find the I phone to be seemless. Android users are always coming up with excuses about how this or that will work. Life has enough disappointments to deal with so I really don't need the android excuses.

reply on October 19, 2010 by jdb178

So far there is no Android 2.2 for this phone. The GPS issue is acknowledged, and some folks have had success with the fixes for changing the gps settings, most have not. Now there is a new software update (Sep 22, v. JH7) and it not only did not fix the GPS, but it has disallowed access to the settings as the prior mentioned fix suggested. There are an awful lot of folk out there complaining of no working GPS, and a lot of blog and tech web sites have written about it.

To me, the GPS is essential to the phone because of the apps. The weather, maps, points of interest, Google Skymap, Google Earth, and a number of other very useful apps depend on the GPS. GPS is an integral part of what a smartphone is today.

My phone will be going back to the store unless a real fix is introduced soon. I certainly could not recommend buying one of these now.

reply on August 23, 2010 by ncst100

This review is bang on target.. (especially GPS ).. The MTP issues is on Win Xp also (but at least for that there is a workaround - by choosing mass storage option in USB settings)..
Did you have any issues with buttons(not the touch screen - which is great)..
Its however the best android phone in ATT (if you ignore GPS issue). I have blogged about it at http://bestandroidphone.blogspot.com

reply on August 13, 2010 by lavaspitsfire

The 2.2 Update will fix that GPS issue.

reply on August 8, 2010 by bosbrucec

GPS was a bit slow for me until I selected "Use wireless networks" under Options->Location and Security ... now it gets a rough fix quickly which is enough for most location aware uses... Exact GPS fix still takes a bit if not outdoors and still or slowly moving, though I've read there's a solution for the GPS fix as well, but seems a bit weird so I haven't tried it :

PS - These are not my own but I found them online by username e-wrecked

STEPS

1 - Disable "Use Wireless Networks" - Settings / Location & Security

2 - Dial *#*#1472365#*#*

3 - Under "Application settings" Change "Operation Mode" to MS Based

4 - Under "SUPL/CP Settings" Change the SERVER & PORT to supl.google.com and port 7276 [ Do not use www. in front of supl]

5 - REBOOT

6 - Turn back on the "User Wireless Networks"

reply on August 6, 2010 by cohgixxer

Enjoyed this review a great and answered some questions I had as to the comparison to the iphone 4. Only problem I have with this review is the deal-breaker comment. I realize a cripled function on any device would be listed as a con, but a deal-breaker? Particularly GPS functions on a phone? While GPS is a great function to have on a PHONE, it's still a phone. I personally own a GPS device and it works great, so I will continue to use it as my GPS device, not my phone. So for this reviewee, I would say if you really enjoy the phone, keep it, and go purchase a GPS.

reply on August 3, 2010 by TXGuy456

OKMFT, Did you decide to return the Captivate or keep it? I'm thinking about this device versus the EVO that Sprint offers. I'm currently with AT&T, though, my contracts ends very soon. Sprint seems to have better voice & data plans for two phones on one account.

reply on July 31, 2010 by diomenes

There are posts at Android Central that Samsung has admitted that some Captivates have GPS issues and that they are working on an OTA fix.

reply on July 24, 2010 by stockyjoe

great review. wait unil Android 2.2 that little bit of lag will be gone.