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"Fascinate? More Like Fantastic!"
on by PC2DayPros + Gorgeous body, and screen. Visually one of the most stunning phones ever created.
+ Very fast. The processor and memory rival the best currently available.
+ HUGE community support. I can't emphasize the importance of this.
+ The BEST video card on tCons - No exterior notification LED, and requires 3rd party apps for this feature
- If you're not willing to spend a few minutes rooting your phone, you will be stuck with BING until Android 2.2 comes out.Summary I am a professional that needs a phone to perform quickly, and have a supportive community behind it for updates, apps and the random question.
I am coming from a Palm Pre, which was a wonderful device as well; simple, but easy-to-use. unfortunately the touch screen on that device went out, and I decided to switch to an Android based phone. What a WONDERFUL choice that was.
Having Google at your fingertips (literally,) is amazing; automatically syncing calendars, contacts, and the multitude of Google-powered services like Google Voice, Maps and Navigation. So 5 stars for the Android OS, development, and community.
With respect to the phone, it's simple. Objectively, it's the best hardware available for the Android platform on the market, and definitely one of the best in general (beats even iPhone 4.) It's incredibly fast, smooth and reliable. People have reported call quality, headphone jack and GPS issues--all of which have not been experienced by the large majority of Verizon Fascinate users, as demonstrated by the communities at XDA-Developers and Androidcentral. I repeat, it does NOT have these severe issues people are seemingly complaining about.
Subjectively, it's a gorgeous phone; Samsung's proprietary SuperAMOLED screen looks incredible. It's chrome ring around it's all black exterior makes it look like what the iPhone 4 wishes it could be. The only thing I think it's missing, is an external LED notification light--however there are work-arounds, including the NoLED app which uses the screen to indicate various types of notifications (SMS, email, missed call, etc.) The battery life is fairly good, impressing most users--especially if you turn the (already ridiculously bright) screen brightness down.
Now the Bing issue. It's not one--it took me MINUTES to remove all traces of Bing from my phone, and restoring all respective Google features. Verizon has stated however, that when Google releases Android 2.2 (Froyo,) it will re-introduce Google and replace Bing... without the need for rooting, or and tinkering. So, don't let that hold you back from an amazing phone.
Conclusion:
Do yourself a favor, and get this phone--it's literally AMAZING, and everyone who has seen mine has drooled.
*** P.S. If you will buy this Android Phone I suggest at: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040JHXS4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=***************&********=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&************=B0040JHXS4 -
"Beautiful phone, one to consider"
on by tikrjeePros SuperAMOLED screen looks nothing short of amazing; good screen real estate makes up for lack of physical keyboard; responsive; better than expected battery life
Cons Software does stutter every now and then, nothing major though; did not ship with 2.2, but "promised" it will arrive by end of year; takes some getting used to for previous android users; GPS not always reliable (no biggie); background tasks...
Summary First: to those rating this with 1 star simply because it's "locked" to using Bing, news flash: it's a Verzion thing. All Verizon phones are subject to this agreement (though, not all of them have gone to this extent). Quit acting like it's the end of the world. Make a shortcut for google.com, or default your browser's home page to it if Bing is so unusable for you. You're rating the device, not Verizon's business decisions.
At any rate...
The screen is absolutely phenominal. I have difficulty taking my eyes away from it. Words simply do not do it justice. This is one you have to see to believe (in fact, find someone that has it loaded up with a hi-def or good quality video and prepare to be blown away).
I'm normally not a fan of phones without buttons. I'm not a big fan of touch screens. I need a keyboard. That being said, the screen is so massive compared to, say, my previous 'droid (Devour), making it very workable. The screen is responsive, and typing or texting is pretty smooth.
The interface does take some getting used to if you've owned an earlier Android phone. That being said, it's not rocket science. I could personally do without some of the widgets, but it's easy enough to not use them.
Haven't had a chance to really put the camera to use yet, but as with GPS, I really don't care. It's somewhat of a novelty, and it's nice to have. But if I'm looking to take some photos or shoot video, I've got a camera for that. Having said that, I'm sure it's great for quick point-and-shoot moments.
GPS isn't the best at times, but I've got Magellan for that. Not a biggie personally. Only really use it on the phone when looking to see what's near for a bite to eat or to waste time.
Disappointed it did not ship with 2.2 installed, but given the Android update track record, it's going to be a while before we see all phones ship with any new standard. Samsung promises the update by the year's end, and 2.1 definitely beats 1.6.
Call quality is solid, no dropped calls. I've yet to find a way to death-grip this one (by the way, if you have a Devour, wrap your bear paw around the bottom half, covering both sides and the speaker to kill the signal). Battery didn't completely drain after a day of some solid use (calling, txting, downloading and playing with apps), so it beat my expectation. As per all Android phones, make sure to grab a task killer app (really wish they'd make it standard, or find a way around this). If the battery life watching videos were a bit longer, I'd feel comfortable leaving the ZuneHD at home. At least it gets in a full movie and then some, so I'll forgive that (plus, that whole "phone" thing is nice to have).
All in all, I'm happy with it. The screen makes looking at almost anything enjoyable (or in some cases, tolerable with the volume off). Despite the lack of a physical keyboard (knew this before buying), typing is comfortable and responsive. The droid 2.1 software is not as smooth as 2.2, and I really wish it shipped with it, but the update is coming. Sure, default search isn't Google, but it's not that difficult to set the browser's home page to that (pretty much did that first thing). Once you figure out the TouchWiz interface, it's pretty smooth, though I do miss Motorola's MotoBlur (hey, I liked it). All in all, if you're looking for a new Android phone, and what to get those iSheep second guessing their new contracts (or in my case, Verizon is the only game in town), this is an excellent device and is definitely worth taking a look at. -
"Hello? "locked" with Bing? Do you even own this phone??"
on by skim23Pros This is by far the best Android phone ever. period.
Cons Basically Verizon wast clear enough regarding this Bing thing and stupid people are over-exaggerating how they feel "raped" because they are "forced" to use Bing-everything or verizon navigation. NOT TRUE
Summary Bing Bing Bing. Stop crying people and stop speading wrong information. Yes, Bing is the default search engine. NO, you are NOT FORCED to use it. If you actually have this phone and care to tweak things a bit, you can go Google-everything. I got this phone yesterday and first thing I did, sent Bing-everything to trash. Yes I know it's still there but at least you don't see it on your phone. Now you just need to download google map, navigation, etc and put the icons on your home screen. This phone also comes preloaded with "voice search", which you will find on your apps page. You also put that icon on your home if you'd like. You click it once, it says "speak now: google search" and it will go directly to google. I don't know why people are spreading craps like search will be redirected to Bing! If you don't like voice search then you set google.com as your browser home. is it that difficult? I click my map or navigation and they are google too. I just came back from a restaurant 20 minutes away from my house using the google nav and it worked great! Seriously, if you don't have this phone and you've been just reading crap on internet do not rate this phone. It's just a search engine people. and it's MODIFIABLE
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"THIS is an AWESOME PHONE!!"
on by narayanait20Pros - Hummingbird processor is the fastest of all the processors available.
- Best of all the Screens. Especially, videos look stunning!
- Lightweight and compact. The phone feels so much better than others, both in pocket and hand.
- Best Music Player
.Cons - GPS is slow, but not a deal breaker, for sure.
Summary Best Customized / modified android phone. You can add / remove screens, rearrange the screens, make any as your home screen. Delete apps right from the icons, hitting the small red icon on top. A music player in the notification bar. Some of Samsung widgets are great. I find all these customizations awesome!
Samsung has done really a great job in modifying the interface and making it cool. And, this review is coming from an experienced android phone user who used most of the earlier models, Motorola Droid, HTC Eris, etc.
- Lock button on the right side. Best for holding the phone with one hand, in your palm.
- Amazing sound quality while playing music and video, especially when you are wearing a headphone. You can actually feel sound moving from one ear to the other
- Best of all the Android Music players available - even better than the paid ones like MIxzing, Lithium, etc.
- This might be just me, but I find Bing to be really good, except for the map. For that and navigation, you can just download the Google maps from market. I suggest the users to give Bing a chance, you will like it.
This is for the users who write reviews without owning one. Please don't write a review about a phone before owning one! Samsung has made such an awesome phone and you guys complain about it instead of appreciating it. Samsung has customized the phone so well to make it more user friendly, so that WE can love it. It has taken into consideration most of the problems I had with a normal android phone and made the fascinate so well. I feel so bad to see the user review of the phone at three stars when it is faster and better than most of the android phones available. I own this phone for nearly a week now and I love it. Great job Samsung!
Just think about it guys, the phone hit the stores on 9th and people started reviewing it even before the launch date!! Please ignore these kind of reviews. -
"CLOSE AS IT GETS TO THE IPHONE FOR VERIZON"
on by flamingoezzPros form factor - perfect size in hand and screen is still big
screen - way brighter than any verizon phone, especially outdoors
speaker - sounds pretty nice - calls & music
camera - takes a decent shot, haven't tried video yetCons bing - you can easily make a google shortcut which is the same 1-button click as you would use for a built in widget, but if people want to make a huge deal out of it, i'll be glad to be one of the few people sporting this phone
Summary This phone is the closest thing you get to the iphone in size, weight, and quality. if you don't mind a huge phone, and want a nice, big screen - droid x may be the way to go, but as far as small, functional smartphones, this makes the incredible look uncredible.
Samsung Fascinate user reviews (black, Verizon Wireless)
Results 1-5 of 187
Results 1-5 of 187
Quick Specifications
- Service provider Verizon Wireless
- Cellular technology CDMA2000 1X
- Combined with With digital camera / digital player
- Weight 4.1 oz
- Sensor resolution 5 megapixels
- Diagonal screen size 4 in
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