#VIBRANTRAGE

It’s the hashtag I tweeted just a couple days after buying a new Samsung Galaxy-S for T-Mobile (also known as the Vibrant.) I was frustrated with the clunky interface, faced with incredible amounts of lag when flipping between screens, and the audio processor was causing tons of snaps, cracks, and popples. Not exactly what I want from a phone that cost me $660 (I always buy phones at full face value.)

Well, I’m ready to erase that moniker, at least partially. I returned the phone to Radio Shack where I initially bought it and picked up a new one from T-Mobile for $110 less after tax. The new phone is snappier and the audio problems are gone. I still have some gripes, though I won’t bore you with another lengthy review. Instead let me give you my hypes, gripes, and tips:

Hypes
- The Galaxy-S really does have the best screen on a smartphone. Yes, it is better than the iPhone 4. The AMOLED screen is very close to the glass, so it feels like you are touching the image. The glass is smooth, and the image is incredibly vivid. There’s no other screen that can produce this level of brightness and contrast while remaining sharp and maintaining perfectly black blacks.
- It IS very fast. Other phones have a 1ghz processor, but they lack the graphics power the Galaxy-S has. Scroll in your browser, or open up The Sims and you’ll see what I mean. On par with the iPhone 4 as far as 3d strength goes.
- It’s tiny and light. I am impressed they fit hardware this powerful into something so tiny. Some people claim it feels cheap. If you want weight to convince you that something is well made, I suggest a cement brick. Meanwhile, I’ll be freaking out every 10 minutes wondering where I lost my phone because I can’t feel it in my pocket.

Gripes
- HOLY HELL WTF DID SAMSUNG DO TO THE UI!? Coming from Nexus 2.2-land where everything is beautiful and makes sense, this thing is a clusterfuck. Why does it look like a children’s toy? Why are they trying so hard to make it look like an iPhone. Android has a LOT of strong suits, don’t ruin it by trying to mimic a competitor. Instead, I suggest manufacturers spend their development time adding new widgets or applications. (Note Android 1.x users, life is much better on the other side of 2.)
- I’m seriously perplexed as to why there is no notification light. I’m constantly turning on the screen to see if I missed anything.
- No flash on the camera. Blah, blah, blah “night mode” blah, blah, blah. Night mode is crap unless you are on a ghost hunt and want to photograph some orbs. My friends are attractive. I want to remember them fully lit.
- I REALLY miss the trackball from my Nexus One. One thing Android does NOT do well is inserting the cursor where you want it; you really need something to help with fine-tuning. If you see me poking my phone, I am not tickling it, I’m just trying to copy some text.

Tips
- Mac users will want to know this: In order to mount the mass storage, you need to turn on USB Debugging under Settings > Applications > Development. After that you’ll get two mounted file systems- one for the built-in 16gb SD card and another for the removable SD.
- Install LauncherPro to undo some of the horrid things Samsung did to Android’s beautiful 2.x GUI. You’ll get back the regular home screen, app drawer, and a few extra features.
- Keep your USB door closed when it isn’t plugged in. The little widget on the inside is fragile and I’ve seen many people break them on other phones. Samsung did a wonderful thing in giving you a hard plastic door. Those rubber stoppers that other manufacturers include are crap.

Let me know your impressions, or ask me a question if you are interested in the Vibrant, or Android. I’ve been through the G1, Cliq, and Nexus prior to this, I can probably help ya