iPhone or Captivate

J

JustinSane

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I'm on AT&T. I heard the android choices on AT&T suck. Should I just go with the iPhone then? I just wanna hear what people think of the Captivate. Any big reasons not to get an iPhone? Any big reasons not to get a Captivate. I'm so confused.

Has anyone used the Skype app on either? Which has the better Skype app?
 
im not going to lie, I just got my iphone 4(never had a smartphone before) two days ago, I was messing around with the Captivate and the OS didnt feel as smooth as the iOS, and the physical size of it was a tad too big for my tastes,
 
Skype sucks for everyone. No video chat for any Skype client at all for any phone. If you don't care about video chat then it's basically the same for everyone, however last I checked, Skype did not work for Galaxy S phones yet (although you could always get a third party universal app anyway, again without video).

If you like the features the iPhone4 has and you don't mind being locked down, just get it. It's one of the three most hardware feature-filled phones on the market. Only two others offer LED flash and a FFC (Epic and Evo). And out of those two, only the Evo has a second mic for noise cancelling. Of course it's missing some features those two phones have (keyboard, expandable storage on the Epic), but they're not on AT&T anyway so it's irrelevant.

The Captivate (and subsequently all Galaxy S phones) has a great development community that does some stuff that you can't do on any other phone period. For instance the upcoming Voodoo mod release will allow you to (among a LOT of other things):
1) Tweak screen sharpness and temperature (many people dislike the cooler tone)
2) Increase headphone analog gain (meaning you could use your phone to drive some monstrous 300 Ohm Sennheisers)
3) Hardware 3D sound effect and parametric equalizer

If you like messing with your phone as much as you mess with a PC, Captivate is a very good choice (i9000 would be the best though, followed by Vibrant, the former being fully AT&T compatible however you'd have to pay for it out of contract).

If you want a good phone right now and don't care about limited customization, then just get the iPhone.
 
Having had an Iphone 3g and Iphone 4 and now a Captivate, no questions asked I would go with the Captivate.
 
Get a Captivate, put a Cognition 2.2 rom on it. Way better than the iPhone. Stock rom for the Captivate blows shit because of Samsung's file system.
 
Skype works just fine on the Captivate, at least if you do what SixtyWattMan says and put any 2.2 ROM on it.
 
Time2Kill said:
Having had an Iphone 3g and Iphone 4 and now a Captivate, no questions asked I would go with the Captivate.
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I'm coming from an iPhone as well. Granted I have T-mobile's version but I'd get the Captivate. Not being locked down by Apple is reason enough. No need for iTunes anymore, no need to convert common formats, the screen is bigger, etc, etc. I don't know anyone who has made the switch to Android devices and not loved it. It's like when you use a DVR for the first time and it ruins live TV forever. I don't think I could ever go back to an iPhone at this point.
 
I like my Captivate and it does a few things way better than the iPhone 4. The most important of those is it makes phone calls.

But when I bought it, AT&T showed me exactly why I hate going to the AT&T store. I walked around an iPhone 4 sign, tripped over an iPhone 4 display, ducked under an iPhone 4 banner and was greeted with "Welcome to AT&T, the home of the iPhone 4!", a little later a guy says "Do you want an iPhone 4?". I said I want a Captivate and got an "Oh... Team Android... Did you know AT&T is the exclusive dealer of the iPhone 4? It is the phone that has changed everything again and it is only on America's Best 3G network, AT&T With more bars in more places"
 
^ Complete opposite experience for me, I researched the phones I wanted from the online store, printed it out, walked in, handed the guy the paper and he price matched it and even reduced the prices on everything and gave some free accessories, never once did he try to push a product or force a sale. The first time I talked with an AT&T store employee was a total breath of fresh air compared to the horrific experiences with Sprint.
 
Seems pretty evenly split here, but my vote is for the Captivate. I love the customization of it, especially as the platform continues to mature. The size is completely manageable. It's super, super slim and it's never once felt at all too big for me. Once you get used to the 4" screen, looking at an iPhone is so cramped!
 
I'd personally go for the iPhone. Considering Apple being very strict app-wise -- in terms of quality, with 99% of the apps I've used I haven't had any problems. Skype included.

For your exact dilemma, I'd suggest checking out some in-depth comparison like Samsung Captivate vs iPhone 4. Also, check out all new Samsung phones, I'm pretty sure you might like some of the newest additions running Windows Phone 7 OS.
 
Pasiso, I have issue with this part of the review:
"The iPhone 4's speaker is found where it should be towards the bottom edge of the phone while it can be found in the rear on the Captivate."

I hated....no loathed, the speaker placement on the iPhone. When it's at the bottom my hand always covered it and muted out the speaker, especially when playing games. The correct place for a speaker on a phone is somewhere on the screen facing the user but having a speaker on the back where my hand doesn't constantly cover it is a step up.
 
I've been an Android guy since the g1. Get the iPhone and jailbreak it. That's the best solution as of today.

You get the hardware and the freedom to tweak to your liking. Best of both worlds.
 
crackbone said:
I've been an Android guy since the g1. Get the iPhone and jailbreak it. That's the best solution as of today.

You get the hardware and the freedom to tweak to your liking. Best of both worlds.
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It would be different if the 2 phones were the same price. Right now you can pick up the Captivate for $0.00-50.00. I would take the Captivate over the iphone even if the iphone was also free, but at a 200 dollar price difference it is a no brainer imo.
 
Captivate for sure...unless for some reason you love Apple or needs super accurate GPS performance....there is nothing the iPhone can beat the Captivate at. Of course, if you do not like tweaking then get either one you like best..
 
crackbone said:
I've been an Android guy since the g1. Get the iPhone and jailbreak it. That's the best solution as of today.

You get the hardware and the freedom to tweak to your liking. Best of both worlds.
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If you think that, then you haven't played around with your Android phones much. For instance the stuff you can do in Winterboard you can mostly do without even rooting on an Android phone.

Any of the stuff I listed above isn't even possible on an iPhone, along with overclocking, undervolting, etc.
 
Neurofreeze said:
If you think that, then you haven't played around with your Android phones much. For instance the stuff you can do in Winterboard you can mostly do without even rooting on an Android phone.

Any of the stuff I listed above isn't even possible on an iPhone, along with overclocking, undervolting, etc.
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I've done it all bro. I've been custom cooking phones since long before Android, and I still stand by my previous opinion.

Custom ROMS, Roots, OCs/UVs, kernels, you name it.

iPhone is still a better choice for two reasons.

1. Battery Life. This is a big one. I haven't had any android phone even come close to the battery life on the 4. It's quite saddening and maddening actually.

2. Third party support

You get most of the benefits of Android after jailbreaking. You don't get all. You get some benefits you can't get with Android. I think Android comes close, but the battery life issue is something that Google and the OEMs are going to have to work on.
 
GPS on the Captivate is not the best but it usually can get you pretty close while in a vehicle or on foot. Even with that the Captivate got my vote
 
I updated my captivate to the leaked froyo and I don't have any more GPS issues - when you're moving it can take some time, but even my garmin etrex behaves the same...when you're moving (like in a car, not walking) it takes forever to lock. But I'll still get a lock even when I'm driving and the phone is in my cupholder.
 
I personally own a jailbroken iPhone, but will be upgrading to the first dual-core Android phones when they come out. I'd take a Captivate over an iPhone 4 right now too, but it's probably better to hold off and pick up one of the dual-core devices.

After going back and forth, here's why I decided on Android for my purchase:


  1. I don't want my jailbreak to be at Apple's mercy every update, no matter how much good they do with their product.
  2. Drag and drop functionality. How has Apple still not figured out how to do this after all these years? I don't want an entire program installed on my computer with three always-on processes just to add files to my device. Anything that isn't Apple can simply be dragged and dropped.
  3. Apple has the bigger app store, but there's nothing in it that I can't live without and/or doesn't have an equivalent on the Android. Apple can beat that "quality" drum all day. But all their quality is in things I don't care about, and they strictly forbid have anything like these next two points:
  4. If I want games outside of the Android marketplace, the foremost emulator developer for the android does a much better job on his emulators than his counterpart for the iPhone. This is partially due to the fact that Apple won't allow them in the app store, so his potential market is significantly smaller because his products are only for jailbreakers.
  5. Android dosbox, game ports, SCUMMVM, all of which you will never see in Apple's app store with Apple's current policies.
 
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oh and I got my iphone4 with $125 in credit toward my bill it so its not that bad, unless you fail at negotiating with the sales rep
 
86 5.0L said:
oh and I got my iphone4 with $125 in credit toward my bill it so its not that bad, unless you fail at negotiating with the sales rep
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That's awesome, how'd you manage that? I was considering getting my dad an iPhone4.
 
Neurofreeze said:
That's awesome, how'd you manage that? I was considering getting my dad an iPhone4.
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4 hours of negotiating haha

I opened 3 lines, $75 credit for each line, plus a $50 credit for price matching the online price of a refurb Iphone4, a $25 credit for the 2nd phone, got a free car charger and a free bluetooth for the 3rd phone, oh and an 8% discount on the monthly bill and 2500 rollover minutes

:cool:
 
I have the captivate and i must say its a FAIL phone, the thing needs a lot of work to work properly and after getting it to work properly you realize the GPS is fubar.
 
Greenstuffs said:
I have the captivate and i must say its a FAIL phone, the thing needs a lot of work to work properly and after getting it to work properly you realize the GPS is fubar.
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The GPS sucks at anything faster than walking speed, I agree. What is that requires so much work to setup, apart from the GPS?
 
Well, I'll say this: Samsung fucked up with the file system on the Galaxy S line of phones. That said, if you're willing to do some research and mess around with rooting and ROMs, you'll have no issue getting a phone you love. I run LauncherPro on my rooted and lagfix'd Vibrant and love it.

On the other hand, if you'd rather not mess with that stuff and don't mind Apple, there's no reason to not get the iPhone.
 
iPhone 4, it has better app selection, significantly better battery life, and a better display (I want >300 PPI on all my displays now). Jailbreak it if you want the best of all worlds.
 
Well if your comparing the iphone 4 to the captivate i would say the iphone 4 all the way. But my ultimate choice would be say wait for something better to come to AT&T if that is what you have. i have owned an iphone since the original, and currently have an iphone 4 since release day, and am franctically awaiting the Samsung Epic (whatever they are going to call it) to come to AT&T. I know some people who have the captivate and are not very pleased with it. If you can't wait go iphone 4, if you can wait for something better.
 
Go for the iPhone 4. I had the same predicament and I went for the iPhone for a few reasons...
1. It runs amazingly smooth and is dead simple to use.
2. Awesome display....I liked it even more than the Captivate.
3. App store+Cydia. The app store is much more fleshed out than the Marketplace..more options, etc
4. Battery life. iPhone's battery life is just superb.
5. Better music player...and now with VLC, just as good video playback.
 
86 5.0L said:
4 hours of negotiating haha

I opened 3 lines, $75 credit for each line, plus a $50 credit for price matching the online price of a refurb Iphone4, a $25 credit for the 2nd phone, got a free car charger and a free bluetooth for the 3rd phone, oh and an 8% discount on the monthly bill and 2500 rollover minutes

:cool:
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Wait, so the iPhone is great if you're willing to spend 4 hours of negotiating, 3 credit lines, and the unlikeliness of anyone else getting that same accessory package... in order to make it a 'deal'?

Wow sign me up!
 
Apallohadas said:
Wait, so the iPhone is great if you're willing to spend 4 hours of negotiating, 3 credit lines, and the unlikeliness of anyone else getting that same accessory package... in order to make it a 'deal'?

Wow sign me up!
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haha well YMMV but if you're willing to do some work yes, you can save money ;)

actually it was more like 30min of negotiation with the rest of the time just standing and watching TV(att uverse) waiting for them to port our numbers, setup the discounts and activate the phones
 
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Captivate.

I love mine, it's a great phone. The only cons however are:
1. Prepare for GPS issues. Samsung has not worked these out 100%.
2. You need to update to 2.2 yourself, they have been dragging ass getting 2.2 to people.
3. iPhone has way better battery life
4. No light on camera.

DESPITE ALL OF THIS, it is still a way better phone. I would still choose it over the iPhone. Much more customizable, awesome Super AMOLED screen.

Also you don't need to hold it how Steve Jobs tells you to hold it.
 
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