Samsung Vibrant (T-Mobile)

Pros: -4 inch Super AMOLED
-1 ghz Hummingbird processor
-sweet 720p video capture
-ability to customize endlessly with Android
-battery life is great, considering the wealth of features

Cons: -lack of dedicated ringer off-switch
-feels so light you think it will shatter if you drop it.

Summary: I rushed out and bought this the day it came out. As a long-suffering T-Mobile customer, I was so glad we finally got the option of having a truly top-of-the-line smartphone (with apologies to my Cliq, which served me pretty well). The display is brilliant, the phone is extremely responsive. One area of this review that I completely disagree with is the rather cavalier dismissal of the Vibrant's camera and video capabilities. The 5 megapixel camera is simply stunning. I don't know where they tested the camera out, but it totally impressed me, especially considering the included editing options. The 720p video capture is especially useful for me. And by the way, a flash is definitely NOT needed on this thing. The camera is so great in varying light levels (so far, I've tested it in my office which is bright with lots of sunlight, and two bars which were fairly low-lit; all sets of pics came out sharp and clear). I probably don't need to say anything more about Android 2.1; if you already love Android, there's more of it to love here. If you're on the fence between IOS and Android, then 2.1 may push you over to the Droid side. The battery life is actually pretty amazing considering the sheer number of features that this phone has. I've only had to charge it once since buying it Thursday.

The two (possibly three) cons I had were somewhat minor. I do miss having the ringer off-switch that my Cliq had (that thing was awfully convenient). And yes, the phone feels extremely light to me (at least compared to the Cliq, which could probably go through a plate-glass window), but that's easily countered by getting a gel case, which you should be getting for a phone like this anyway. The potential third con is that I did notice the signal strength was misrepresented (lost 2-3 bars) a few times when I would hold the phone (not tightly, and before I bought the gel case). Lest you think i have the iPhone-mania, let me say that the Vibrant has not dropped a call for me yet, not even when I went into the elevator of my apartment building, something I can't say about any other phone I've had. So, unlike Apple's flimsy excuse for the iPhone's woes, this truly does appear to be a software issue which can be remedied with a quick update in the future.

Samsung really knocked it out of the park with this one. The Vibrant is great, and I would recommend it to anybody.