Super cool, but some drawbacks November 12, 2010

Reviewer:  michaelb1968  (Philadelphia, PA) -

Coming from a Blackberry (and a Palm Treo for years prior) this is quite a change. Had BB offered the Torch on Sprint, I'd have stayed with BB. I am primarily a "functional" phone guy, as in I talk, text, and use the occasional app. I wanted more, but I didn't necessarily want "this". Unfortunately, with Sprint, you either get your father's Oldsmobile or a flying car with little in between.

Make no mistake -- the Epic is pretty and the Epic is cool. The browser kills. Visual voicemail (do people leaves voicemails?) rocks. The phone is super fast in terms of processing power. 4G is fast, despite being a bit impractical for me. I like the Droid market and all of the apps. It connected to my exchange server, synced the calendar and contacts, connected all my other email, etc. SWYPE is really neat. The keyboard is spacious and easy to use. The phone is super-dee-duper cool. Now, the bad parts.......

Navigating this thing is awkward. Maybe if you come from "this" phone world, it will be an easier transition, but from a Blackberry its a new language. The BB was really fast and organized for finding contacts, texting, email, google talk, whatever... plain and simple, it just WORKED, and it worked fast. Well, the Epic works too, but it works differently and it is not fast. Too many clicks and menus to do what you want. You eventually get there, but...The screen is amazing to look at and its sensitive. So sensitive that you can't open the keyboard without activating something you didn't want activated!!! You can go back quickly, but its an annoyance.

I really, really, REALLY HATE having to unlock the phone, click the Phone button, then click favorites or call log to make a call. I should be able to default to call log. If you click contacts, you then need to click search (unless you want to scroll them all). Its brutal. Of course, you can use the global search, but there is no context menu to email/message/etc, so you need to click the contact, then navigate some more from their contact page to what you need to do. It is awkward.

Overall, the phone itself is bulky, and that lends to the somewhat uncomfortable feel.

Being a google phone, it plays well with google apps. Sadly, their presentation and execution sort of stink. Why separate Email and Gmail apps? You can add a gmail account to "Email", but it puts it in both spots, which is retarded logic. The GoogleTalk app looks almost identical to the SMS. You can't see if the other person is typing. Both functioned better on the BB.

My biggest gripe is that you can't adjust the Font sizes. To me, everything is too big, especially in landscape mode. I want more space to see what I am typing. For such a big screen, there is really very little real estate. This is unacceptable.

The battery isn't as bad as you have heard. No, its actually far worse. If you turn off all services, play no games, use your task killer religiously, talk under an hour, and don't do much messaging or web browsing on 3g, you *might* go 8-10 hours without needing a recharge. I can't complain because I knew it coming in, but your first purchase should be a spare battery and charger.

The 4g is neat, but if you have wifi, you don't need it. It is a massive battery drain, availability is limited, and imo, it should be an option for $10, not a requirement. That irks me big time. I would not have opted for it.

All told, this is a neat device, but its really clunky and awkward. Its more akin to using a netbook than a lightweight handheld device. I am hoping they make changes to alter that experience. I would recommend the phone, but it comes with caveats. Good luck.

Promising and sexy hardware, but very poorly worked out implementation. September 30, 2010

Reviewer:  D. F. Watt "dfwatt"  (Natick, MA USA) -

This is a VERY substantially revised review compared to what was previously posted on Amazon. That review was done before I had any substantive experience with the phone, and I initially gave the phone four or five stars. After living with it for more than a month, I could see all kinds of issues, most of which have nothing to do with the hardware, but a lot to do with the software, and the way in which the operating system and software implementation still needs major work. What started out as a five star review when I first had the phone has now transitioned into a one star panning. Sprint and Samsung have basically orphaned the phone after only nine months. No device driver will work under Win 7. Avoid this at all costs.

All that glitters . . . .

Pros:

1) Great display and powerful hardware (AMOLED screen is fantastic, speedy CPU, great cameras, videocamcorder)
2) Android OS with virtually unlimited application base (apps for everything!!!)
3) Can be made to work with Itunes and Office, including Outlook (with workarounds)
4) 4G (put this 4th because it isn't widely available - might be higher otherwise)
5) Easily configured interface (excepting bottom task bar of home screen)
6) Actual keyboard (for some users a big plus)
7) Data plan has unlimited download (no data cap)
8) 'Gorilla glass' screen is very hard to scratch (keys won't scratch it)
9) Easy but extra cost WiFi Hotspot functionality ($30/month)
9) Fairly easy and cheap ($10) tethering (phone acting as internet port/modem) - largely obviates need for HotSpot functionality

Cons:

1) Major issues in relationship to operating system (most PCs will not recognize this phone, as Samsung simply has not made a decent device driver yet - this fouls up all kinds of issues, particularly tethering, and writing to the Flash RAM. Operating system also has numerous other hiccups, glitches, and malfunctions (automatic loading of one program interferes with functioning of another).
2) Not easy to sync with ITunes and Microsoft Outlook - not obvious at first glance, no built-in OS functionality for this.
3) Battery life isn't great, particularly if you are using 4G or WiFi.
4) Cost (as much as Iphone) - for its cost, should have included a 32 GB SD card.
5) Touchscreen requires endless unlocking (standard android issue).
6) Can't use 4G and WiFi at same time, a minor problem.
7) Call waiting - anything but a smooth process.
8) Very modest 4G coverage at present (major issue for some, but OK for now)
9) GPS functionality is a joke. Might be the worst GPS of all time.
10 Sprint service - improved from industry worst, but still a long, long ways to go.

Although I still believe that this is an great phone from a basic hardware standpoint, I can no longer recommend it due to operating system issues, which is shockingly `buggy' and poorly sorted out. A clear indication that this phone was rushed to market is the fact that there is no reliable device driver from Samsung that allows the phone to interface with a PC. This makes any kind of tethering (using phone as internet connection for a single computer) almost impossible and a complete trick-or-treat process. Absence of a device driver that actually works also means that one cannot transfer files between the phone and computer. I have downloaded at least four different Samsung device drivers, none of which work consistently.

There are many other signs that Samsung and Sprint weren't exactly sweating the details. As just a small example, Skype does not work on this particular iteration of the Android operating system. Nobody seems to have any idea whether this is a problem with android version 2.1 as it is instantiated on this phone, or whether there is some unique hardware incompatibility. In any case, Skype simply does not work on this phone, and a number of other pieces of software from the android market also do not work reliably or consistently. Along the same lines, the GPS implementation is dismal, and might be the most unreliable GPS I have ever seen. Pray that you're not lost in a forest and relying on the GPS to get yourself out.

As another demonstration of the same issues, the operating system unpredictably auto-loads dozens of programs, with no rhyme or reason (appears unrelated to prior use of the program, or frequency of use); a phone that looks like it is just sitting there doing nothing oftentimes is auto-loading a half a dozen or more programs. In one instance, I counted 15 programs auto loaded in 30 minutes, totally unrelated to current operations, or previous frequency of use. Some of those unwanted programs collide with what you do want to do, and render a desired program functionally crippled. For example, I'm frequently playing music, but the music player is endlessly interrupted by notifications from Gmail, by other programs, and eventually, I have to terminate the music program and reinitialize it, because it has stopped working due to all the crap in the background. Sound familiar? Sounds like the chaos of a Microsoft operating system doesn't it? Unfortunately, this is all courtesy of Google, and the open source movement (translation - free-for-all in the best and worst senses of that word). Why have the operating system spontaneously load a dozen applications, totally unbidden? What is the point in that? It's beyond comprehension frankly. Particularly when one operation fouls up another. As another example, there is a constant 'roaming' warning (if you have 'roam guard' turned on) that kills your camcorder in mid-stream. What was someone thinking to engineer such an intrusive warning that you can't turn off??? Once you have elected no roaming, do you need 27 warnings that your data connection is gone. What the f--- was someone thinking to have that warning crash the operation of the video camera?? It's really unbelievable.

Ok, no question that the hardware is very impressive. This has to be the most powerful smartphone anyone has ever built, from its incredible AMOLED display (at least as good as the highly-touted IPhone 4 retina display), Google android operating system (version 2.1, but 2.2 is available if you are technologically skilled enough to deal with 'rooting' your phone - don't mess that up or you have a $250 paperweight), user replaceable battery and memory (much better than iPhone at least in that regard), and remarkable feature set, including better-than-average Bluetooth functionality in terms of getting the phone to link up with the average car Bluetooth system, and decent sound quality for Bluetooth (which normally sounds like you have been beamed into a large tin can). Another solid feature is that you can replace the 16 GB mini SD card with a 32 GB card, basically giving you as much space as on a 32 GB IPhone (although at a not-cheap $100 - why didn't they put in a larger card to start with?). Its 4G capability, although not accessible in very many areas around the United States, is seriously faster than 3G - like being on your home network with a good cable modem. However, right now most of the time you're going to be using the phone in 3G outside of a few cities. It's not bad actually in 3G (and with much better battery life), but it's clearly much faster in 4G. People complain about the $10 surcharge for 4G (which admittedly does seem unfair if you're not in an area that has 4G coverage yet), but the overall plan cost if you get unlimited data is only $79. For another $30/month you can turn your phone into a wireless hotspot, which although under 3G is not very fast, can be a lifesaver if you're stranded someplace with no Internet access and no Wi-Fi available, but tethering is free -- too bad it doesn't work reliably (again, no viable device driver just kills this great feature).

Another issue for me was that getting full functionality out of the hardware and software was not immediately transparent even with Sprint store personnel assistance. For example, it was not immediately clear to me how I could replace my iPod (so that I only had to carry around one piece of technology). Eventually, after some digging around on the Internet, I was able to get it to function virtually identical to an iPod, although I had to struggle to find the right software (Double Twist and iTunes agent) that would allow iTunes to download both playlists, songs as well as album graphics into the phone. Along similar lines, it wasn't the easiest thing to figure out how to synchronize Outlook with the phone's calendar. It's stunning to me that you can get a free piece of software that will read barcodes and then give you 27 Internet sites with different prices for that item, but you can't simply connect your phone with a USB cable and click on a free application that synchronizes your phone's calendar with your laptop's calendar (and photos and music too). It seems ridiculous to spend $39 for a program to synchronize these things quickly through a USB cable. I did find a workaround, where I have to first activate my GMail account, get a program that synchronizes my Outlook calendar to Gmail, and then elect to synchronize my phone calendar to my Gmail calendar.

The size and weight of the phone are also minuses. I think they would have been well served to have made it slightly smaller at the cost of some screen real estate, but again, it's all tradeoffs. I also wish that they had made a version that was significantly thinner, one available without an actual slide-out keyboard for people who are comfortable with virtual keyboards. This obviously is a trade-off because the keyboard is excellent, but for people who would rather type on a virtual keyboard (using, for example, the excellent program Swipe), it would be nice if Samsung would come out with a thinner version that has the same feature set minus the keyboard. It would obviously be also significantly lighter as well.

All in all, this is a very promising piece of hardware that needs a lot more work on the software and operating system sides. My strong suspicion is that Sprint and Samsung rushed this to market, because of all the hype about 4G coverage, and because they knew that the hardware itself would sell a lot of phones, but they didn't do their homework to smooth out all the rough edges - what were the beta testers doing to miss all these issues???. I would simply not recommend someone buying this phone at this time unless they are willing to put up with an awful lot of hassles, or unless they have absolutely no intention of doing much tethering (having the phone operate as a modem to supply an Internet connection to a PC), GPS (functionally dismal and the worst GPS I have ever used), or videoconferencing. I also have to say that Sprint's customer service remains poor, and, when you put all this together, it spoils an excellent and highly capable piece of hardware. Sprint has a lot more work to do. It's frankly shocking that Samsung would release this phone without any version of a workable device driver, at least on the PC side (don't know if there is a workable Mac device driver but I doubt it, given what I've seen on the Samsung website - they just took the PC driver down - obviously because it DIDN'T WORK!!!).

Vote with your feet as someone once said and, for now, I would simply vote no.

Great computer! Terrible Phone! Lots of dropped calls! September 27, 2010

Reviewer:  ugot2begood "music_junkie"  (minneapolis, MN USA) -

Boy this is fun to use! It sure has a lot of great apps too! And it is super quick with a brilliant screen. However, I need a phone. And I need a phone for business. I can't have dropped calls. Especially at the rate this phone drops them. So as much as it pains me to do it, I will be returning this beautiful,exhilirating computer for a boring,reliable phone.

Greatest thing I have ever owned October 12, 2010

Reviewer:  JimmyCarter 

After finally getting a job where I dont have to live paycheck to paycheck and can finally afford nice things I spent a lot of time shopping for a phone. I have a job in the IT sector so when it comes to purchasing technology I am always sure to buy the best I can afford. This phone was no exception. It is frankly the best mobile device on the market hands down.

The good:
Highest specs of any phone out right now
Physical keyboard
incredible screen resolution
disturbingly fast response time
Lots of versatility and customization

The bad:
Camera isnt as great as I expected but I am no photographer so I dont really care.
Battery life is about 5 hours although I am doing stuff on the phone constantly. Idle it lasts way longer (most of the battery is taken up by the display)
No 2.2 yet :(

Other stuff:
Some people say the GPS istn accurate but seems pretty accurate to me. Besides anyone who needs gps to tell them what street they are on is a moron.

In conclusion:
Not only is this the best phone specs wise but it also has a physical keyboard. I feel sorry for all the poor saps who have to use an on screen keyboard all the time, thats gotta suck.

HORRIBLE customer service!!! October 16, 2010

Reviewer:  stacey morrison 

I would caution anyone considering a switch to Sprint. I was with ATT for approx. 4 yrs. Prior to that I was with T Mobile for 3 yrs. I didn't leave either company because of customer service. I left T Mobile b/c most of my friends and family were with ATT, so it was cheaper b/c many mobile to mobile calls were free. I left ATT because I wanted to have a family plan that included everything (calls, text, data). I can't express how sorry I am that I made that choice. It has been problem after problem. When my phones arrived, I called to have my numbers switched to the Sprint phones and activate my phones. The representative told me that I had a PIN code on my account. She couldn't do anything for me if I couldn't tell her the PIN code. Because I didn't create the PIN code, I couldn't provide it. I was instructed to go to the Sprint store where they could change my PIN code and activate the phones. The only thing they were able to do was change the PIN. Back to my house I go. I called back with a PIN I had created this time. The rep took the info and said phones should be ready within an hour. I wait and wait. After more than 2 hours, I call back. This rep kept me on the line for about 15 minutes and never could help me. I requested that he transfer me. I was transferred to rep that quickly discovered the problem. They were waiting on a PIN code from me for my ATT account. They had my phone number.....Why they didn't call???? So finally my phones were up and running at 10pm. I was charged for this day of service. A little perturbed by this, but it only gets worse. When my first phone bill arrived, I was billed for services 2 days prior to even receiving my phones. I was also billed for 6 activation fees when I had only ordered 5 phones. I wasn't even aware of any activation fees. When I ordered my phones, it showed only my monthly fees. I brought my phones and my bill to the Sprint store. I told them that I wanted to cancel if the issue with my bill wasn't fixed. They don't have anything to do with billing or canceling accounts. I once again contact Sprint customer service by phone. I was still within my 30 days. I let the rep know that I want to cancel before my 30 days is up if Sprint can't remove the activation fees and the two days I didn't have service. She says that it can all be fixed and gives me the amount I will owe after the credits. She says that I will see the credits applied within a few days. After a few days, I find only the 2 days of service credited to my account. I wait, and my new bill arrives with the amount forwarded and still no other credits applied. I call at least once a day trying to resolve this. I find out that anything over $25 needs to be submitted for approval. This is probably info I should have received when I was still within my 30 days. Convenient right??? Now I'm no longer within my 30 days. Each rep told me that they needed to investigate and would call me back. I think a total of 5 reps told me this. I never received a call back from Sprint. Marie in account services screamed at me and told me, "Sprint didn't promise me nothing." She was supposedly a supervisor. I told her that when I was still within my 30 days, the rep informed me that I would receive the credits and even quoted me the amount I would owe. The last person I spoke with gave me her direct line because I reported that none of the reps ever followed through with a return phone call. Guess what??? I'm glad I got the direct line because she didn't call back either!! The lesson here....YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Sprint is a little cheaper than the other guys but NOT WORTH IT!

Epicly Disapointing April 8, 2011

Reviewer:  Kranzor  (Meepos) -

I just recently switched to Sprint and was having a hard time deciding between the Evo 4g and Epic 4g. About all of the reviews I read leaned towards the Epic due to it being a better overall media device. Here's my extremely unbiased (*note: extremely biased) take on this phone.....

When I first got this thing out and held it in my hand I thought two things had happened..
1. I had been transported back in time to the early 2000's when phones were as thick as a double deck of cards
2. I had mistakengly ordered the children's version as this phone appeared to be made out of little tikes plastic

What I'm driving at here is the phone was extremely thick and cheap feeling. Granted it was fairly light for its size, but somehow they managed to turn this into a bad thing. It felt like a toy and like it would break at the slightest drop. Which was the opposite of how it looked since the size of it made me think if I got a couple hundred of these I could use them as makeshift bricks to put an extra addition on my house.

One plus was the screen was great. Good color and brightness. There's one high point. I also liked the interface better than what HTC is currently using. Score another one.

Back to the negatives. Just gave you a compliment sandwich and you didn't even realize it. Anyway, the camera...5mp..um ok. My 1.5 year old crappy Droid Eris has a 5mp camera. That's all this "media powerhouse" could bring to the table? Espc considering the Evo 4g that came out half a year before it has an 8mp camera? Fail. Epic fail that is. Gotcha.

So in conclusion this phone is newer than the Evo, but doesn't beat it out in any category. The screen is smaller (epic =4", evo = 4.3")even though the phone is the same height, the epic is thicker (google pics, it's noticeable), the epic has a lower mp camera, has no kickstand, and has no hdmi out like the evo, and they have the same resolution and processor power. I'm not sure what people see in this phone, but to each his own. But seriously they're all dummies. I kept it for a week and returned it. You do the same. Minus buying it in the first place.

Phone 4 stars, Sprint customer service -5 stars = -1 star. UPDATED November 26, 2010

Reviewer:  D. Bushe  (Seattle) -

I can't even begin to describe what a nightmare Sprint customer service is. You have to experience it to believe it could really be this bad. Expect to spend hours for the simplest things (like wanting to give them more money for an upgraded plan, or buying a new phone). I know AT&T service is awful too, and verizon turns over private data (if you can deal with that incredible breach of trust, their service is good in my experience), but there is always T-mobile and several regional carriers. Good luck.

Since I wrote this I have to say Sprint customer service has become bearable. It was so bad I can't explain why I stayed with them, but lately they have been kinder, and while I still get misinformation from CS reps, and it still takes far too long on the phone to fix simple matters, it's been more like 40 minutes than 4 hours, so I've increased my rating (so the math in the title is no longer accurate)

Update #2 - as they have messed up my service (accidently changed my number?! - how do you even do that??) and can't seem to figure out how to fix it - meanwhile no one can reach me, and all I get is 30 minute holds when I can sprint while they fix nothing. Well, at least the math in my title works again.

Very happy November 9, 2010

Reviewer:  D Mauels  (The Colony, TX United States) -

I am glad I did the extra research before I bought. I am very happy with this case. It fits nicely and feels good in the hand. If you are concerned about bulkiness this item may not be for you because it does add to the thickness of the phone. Since I am a woman and will carry this in a purse more often than a pocket it isn't a problem. It also fits well into the leather Reiko case that I purchased from another Marketplace vendor. I also love the purple color - it means my teenage son won't mess with it very often!

horrible phone March 28, 2011

Reviewer:  hossola 

Coming from the Nexus 1 this phone can not compare. There are some serious bugs that need to be worked out...If I had it to do over again I would have waited till the Epic2 comes out.

Not the best phone i've ever had. February 18, 2011

Reviewer:  Kamilalbayaa "goon like plies"  (goon like plies) -

Things that have gone wrong with the phone.
- Very seldom can i end a call because the end button on the touch screen is very laggy.
-Freezes up for a couple seconds constantly.
-Does not seprate my texts i have to hunt through my texts in that convo to see what that person has said.
- The first time i ever droped the phone the screen went black and it needed a two week repair- as oposed to my iphone ive dropped it for than 10 times and still no internal or physical damage.
- After the phone was repaired I put it in my pocket one day,took it out and the screen was magicaly cracked.
-Samsung still hasnt released 2.2 firmware
- Finally for being the second 4g phone i expected something alot more like the EVO.

Dance: 7, Looks: 10 September 14, 2010

Reviewer:  Ian F. Mcgrady  (New York City) -

It's all too easy to be rah-rah about a new handset. Let's not judge this by its relative newness on the market. Processor speed and bright screen aside, there are flaws within the design that make it an iffy proposition. You can't enjoy the phone without being deeply concerned about battery life.

1) The Android market is boring. Paper Toss, the big five-star wonder, is boring. All those games they give five stars are mind-numbingly boring. It's like that show, The Office, if you were just to listen with half-an-ear from another room. Racing games seem innovative for about five minutes, and then they become boring also. They all look good; they all feel good; but so far it is boredeom they are carving out for you. Not only that, but turning your screen away from your eyes so you can turn a corner on a racing game is uncomfortable.

2) Killer app? They're all killing your battery, let's put it that way. To manage battery life, they give you "Advanced Task Killer" at Sprint. Then here's what you have to do: Configure the setting so that every time your screen goes dark, it kills the entire list of apps that are opened. Just for turning the phone on, you can have like 20 apps open, suck-suck-sucking your battery life away.

3) The apps are open and drawing battery life even when you don't open them directly. They open by turning your phone on. In 15 minutes of using email, look at task killer: How many apps are open? 20.

3.5) Did I mention battery life? Be afraid, be very, very afraid. If you email, make phone calls and take pictures - you're good for 1/3rd to 1/4 of a day, TOPS. (I once went to a party with the editors of Tech Crunch. He produced his iPhone. Back then I was carrying a Blackberry. He looked at my phone and said, "How many batteries do you carry with you?" he said. "Three." (Really - I had three on me.) "See? You're like a crazy person. Why live like a crazy person?" I remember him saying that now that I bought this phone.)

4) The AMOLED Screen: Bright, like a flower. Enjoy it while you can because its life is transient. You look at it and sigh because the screen is like a nuclear reactor, except it's all "reactor" and no "nuclear" - colorful, pretty, short lived.

5) The User Interface is a little sticky. In this way, it's like it's trying to say, "By the way, I'm not an iPhone, ok?"

6) This is just of our cultural moment: Every app that goes on a Google phone should take your Google login id and password: Logging in on your computer is one thing if your password is 4u5mx8974k&*(, on this phone it takes a relative eternity. You're dumbing down passwords so you can swype them in, so now you you're back to "appname8" because switching between the virtual keyboards is a little tiresome, and the keyboard mechanism... see below.

7) Swype is excellent except for with passwords that aren't one word. You draw a loop with turns on the letters you want, and the word choice is usually excellent.

8) Sliding mechanism. Loose after 1 week of very light use. Doesn't give confidence for the next week, month, or year. Because of this, it prejudices ones' judgment against its use. You don't feel like opening the phone because it gets looser so qickly.

9) Menus: The Android 2.1 menu system is really graceful.

10) Keyboard. Don't buy this phone thinking its' otherwise good keyboard will make you "more productive". You're still compromised by this thing: you won't be doing any serious editing of any document any time soon. You'll need a nettop, at least, to work on an actual document that has a number of fixes.

11) Google preview: The way the email gives you a preview of the document is good. I don't know how to download the attachment or whether one can as of yet.

12) Music player is excellent. Speakers are good for being really small. Fear for your battery life.

13) App market: Like I said, there's no killer app here, no Halo for the Android set, and I mean that across all categories. Despite having looked for the 10 Best, and the 101 Best Android articles, I still can't find one that makes me say, "oooh" unless Google is trying to assure me that well-working email is really the Halo of this phone.

14) Why Gmail integration doesn't go into Google Docs the way iPhone goes into Pages and Numbers is beyond me.

15) Sprint bloatware: It's just not how I roll.

SUMMARY:
I didn't get an ATT phone because of the price and allegedly oversold network. But when you consider that the data plan, no matter what plan you have with Sprint, is an extra $10.00, and tethering is an extra $30.00 that will also likely kill your battery with lightning speed, one makes a mental note to cross over to the Jobs Market.

Here's an example: It's 8:31am. My alarm just went off on the phone (I got up early). The phone had an 80% charge as I went to bed, and I hadn't plugged it in: The sounds go off, and I get a low battery warning. It couldn't stand by from 1 am to 8am without draining itself, or automagically switching to the 4G network which I had asked it not to.

This phone is out of control, in the bad way.

Samsung Galaxy Epic S is an ILLEGAL DEVICE February 5, 2011

Reviewer:  Traveler Joe  (Utah) -

Several years ago the US Government made a law requiring every cell phone manufacturer to have functioning GPS. Compliance with this law is not optional. This law was created because many people were using their cell phones to call 911 for real emergencies. Many friends of mine have cancelled their land lines in their homes and use their cell phones exclusively. This law was created to save lives. Lives were being lost because people were calling from the scenes of freeway or by-way accidents and the caller did not know enough to direct emergency teams to the site. Others were having a medical emergency where they could make the call but could not talk. People died because of this. This GPS requirement is used by 911 dispatchers to locate precisely where the caller is and quickly get emergency teams activated.

Point #1. The Samsung Galaxy Galaxy Epic with Android V2.2 is an illegal device. It does not meet the requirements of the law. This makes Samsung and every distributer of these illegal devices criminally liable. Every single carrier and manufacturer knows this requirement. They cannot claim ignorance. Every single salesperson who claims the devices they are pushing have GPS is liable for fraud because of this serious deficiency.

Point #2. My Epic often locks up so the swipe feature does not unlock the phone. I have used every finger on my two hands, multiple fingers, and nothing works. This makes the Epic a danger to anyone with a medical condition who relies on this junk to save their lives.

Point #3. The Epic cannot function with my noise-cancelling blue tooth ear piece to make a hands-free phone call. For 3 years I had hands-free capability using a Verizon phone and only having to tap one button on my blue-tooth ear piece to initiate a voice-activated call. This deficiency makes this Samsung junk extremely dangerous when attempting to make any sort of call when driving, for emergency or otherwise.

Point #4. The Epic using Android V2.1 is extremely wasteful of battery power. The blue tooth function has a heavy battery drain when activated. The battery runs down so fast that it is often useless after 3 or 4 hours. My Verizon smart phone battery lasted for up to 3 days.

Point #5. When placing a phone call and using the blue-tooth ear piece, it is necessary to go through a multi-screen, multi-button routine to pair it with the ear piece for each and every call. This is extremely dangerous to use when driving. One must take their eyes off the road for SEVERAL extended periods to use this junk at all.

Point #6. If the Samsung Galaxy Epic S provided ALL the functions Samsung and Sprint claimed, it would be a wonderful device. There are several essential functions that are missing or severely deficient and therefore dangerous to the owner. The lack of these essential and basic features makes this device junk.

Anyone want to be the first person to make this legal case against Samsung, Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, Amazon, Costco, Sam's Club, Walmart, T-Mobile, and every other carrier in the USA? This alone should break this incredibly stupid feud between Samsung and the carriers about releasing Android V2.2 and perhaps the next version V2.3 as well. V2.3 is already in Samsung devices so they know how to do it. I wouldn't be surprised that V2.3 is also deficient.

Disappointed with customer service October 16, 2010

Reviewer:  John V. 

I am normally a big fan of Amazon.com, however in this instance I am not. Amazon.com usually does very well with customer service, but when I wanted to exchange my sons cell phone for a different one within 30 days, they said "NO". This is a practice that is very common with Carriers like Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T. Yet Amazon refused. I made a commitment of 2 Years with 4 phones, unlimited data, and unlimited messaging through them, and they couldn't even commit to a 30 day satisfaction garuantee? Very disappointed, and not worth the money saved by going through them!

Da Epic September 17, 2010

Reviewer:  Giina 

I love the phone so far its great -but I wanna play with it mo b4 I write real reveiw about it

Epic perfect on paper... September 29, 2010

Reviewer:  James L. Beaulieu "Jamesbsc"  (Austin, Tx) -

For Clarification I have had both phones and found this review the best way to describe the issues with Samsung and it rings true with the Epic as well
Let me tell you why I hate the Epic so much.... I was one of those guys that chose the Samsung Ace over the HTC Touch Pro (1). I was also one of those guys that chose the Samsung Moment over the HTC Hero. In both cases, I got SCREWED with an under-developed, under researched, faulty phones with serious software issues. I got ONE update in the year I owned the Moment... I NEVER got one with the Ace. Meanwhile, Samsung ever-so-gracefully and quickly released the "Intercept" and the "Intrepid" to replace the seriously flawed devices, while leaving all the idiots (like me) who bought those phones, out in the cold.... looking for their next upgrade. Samsung is NOTORIOUS for doing this - releasing a flashy, yet under developed crap to the public, and then providing little or no solutions to the customers.... and they have screwed me TWICE. Yet, the HTC Touch Pro 2 is STILL the best Windows based, internationally capable smartphone on the market... over a YEAR after it was released. And the Hero is still an excellent mid-level choice for an android device, while the Moment (although released at the same time), is a worthless piece of crap with 20 pages complaints floating all over the internet due to all its software issues. I'm so sorry for the folks that just bought a Samsung product. I actually feel BAD for the people that bought this thing..... and the more I'm reading about GPS fixes, keyboard problems, etc... the more I can't help but say...... "Well that figures". Most people would likely be SHOCKED that Samsung actually had the audacity to release a $500 super-phone that can't even get the GPS to work right. Not me... I'm not surprised at all... they did it on the Moment too.... and still haven't fixed all the bugs. I keep hearing people write "I can't wait to get the GPS fix".... or "I can't wait to get the 2.2 update". Meanwhile, My EVO shipped out with 2.2 from HTC. Mark my words......In 6 months..... Samsung will release another phone to replace (and fix) all the problems with the Epic (many of which I'm sure have yet to be discovered). They will conveniently rename it something "other" than Epic, so as not to draw any association to that device... and then all those Epic buyers will be out in the cold. Yes.... I've read the reviews.... the Epic is "superior" to the EVO due to its faster hummingbird processor.... great. But the Moment was superior in just about every way to the Hero as well..... and look how that ended up. I sincerely HOPE that the Epic is everything it's supposedly cracked up to be.... I really do, for the consumers' sake. I really hope that Samsung provides the necessary fixes, and necessary support for the device that they should.... and not just one or two updates..... but several, for years to come, as any responsible company SHOULD do after selling such an expensive device. ... but if their history proves correct.... they won't... and there's gonna be a lot of pissed off Samsung buyers.... just like me. Maybe the Epic is better than my EVO???..... I'm ok with that... but you'll NEVER catch me even glancing at another Samsung product..... ever.
-Ninefourteener, cnet thread.

nice if you want a laptop sized phone in your pants September 30, 2010

Reviewer:  Amazon Buyer "dude"  (tx) -

the phone is big. not heavy, but hollow and big. I cant fit it in my jeans pocket. Who designed this? I will sacrifice the cool screen for something mobile. Its a mobile phone right? Not a playstation portable. It literally is the size as a playstation portable.

I would just buy an ipad if I wanted something bigger than a phone.

Battery life isnt as great as people make it to be too. I use it to browse the web. When you use the web, it kills the batteries for some reason. I dont use it for movies. Maybe it has a better battery life for movies. I dont know.

I been playing with the iphone 4 and it feels better than this phone. Never had an apple product in my life. Been a blackberry guy but blackberry web browsing is horrible.

Great phone. BUT HORRIBLE BATTERY! September 6, 2010

Reviewer:  Socalh2oskier "Socalh2oskier"  (Manhattan Beach, Ca) -

The tasks you can accomplish with this phone are amazing, IF YOU DON'T MIND LUGGING EXTRA BATTERIES/CHARGERS AROUND. Its too bad they didn't make this 2-3 mm thicker. It would still be relatively thin for a slider keyboard phone, and then it would be at least useable without 2-3 charges per day. I love what you can do with this phone, but I HATE the battery. I'll be looking forward to an extended battery. Hopefully someone will come out with one soon. As to the phone's performance, others here cover the specs and performance in detail. In summary, I was utterly amazed at the speed and screen quality. Videos look like they're playing on a small screen HDTV--the screen is truly incredible (so long as you are indoors--outdoors direct sunlight washes it out almost completely). The phone is snappy between apps, and darn quick for internet browsing, even without 4G. Too bad someone at Samsung or Sprint didn't insist on better battery performance--it truly is horrible--even moderate use results in a spent battery after 5-6 hours--leave the GPS on, make a few phone calls, play with the internet for 20 minutes or so, and you'll be lucky to get to 4 hours. Very disappointing that the otherwise excellent performance is marred by the atrocious battery. Ugh.

Not as good as iPhone 3G October 15, 2010

Reviewer:  Dean D. Dang  (Chicago, IL United States) -

So I've had this phone for a few months now. I came to Sprint from AT&T (was dissatisfied with their service). I was pretty impressed with the phone compared to the iPhone 3G, but there are a TON of flaws with this device. First and foremost the battery life is horrible. This phone dies out on my every day. I just drove into work (1 1/2 hours) after charging my phone all night and the battery is already at 50%. The GPS on the phone is also much much weaker than the iPhone. Mapping and locations are very difficult to lock onto. The phone crashes on me daily. Also the Qik video chat barely works. It works when it wants to, not when you want it too. I would NOT recommend this phone to anyone! I can't wait to get a new phone, most likely the a new W7 phone.

What the others aren't saying September 1, 2010

Reviewer:  MMedia "Mann"  (S.E. USA) -

The new EPIC has some impressive features, so much so that they seem to captivate almost all reviewers to the point where they seem to miss some basic things that aren't so great.

I just picked up the phone today, and within 10 minutes I saw some pretty stupid flaws that make me wonder how designers and QA people really think.... except Apple designers/QA because they seem to get it right.

1.) The power button is in an impractical location. Compared to my last HTC smartphone where I can use my index finger on top of the phone or the way I can use my thumb only on my iPhone, the Epic seems to require more effort and can easily slip out of my hand when trying to press that pwr button.
2.) Normal use of the phone causes your index finger to constantly smudge the main camera. See how iPhone overcomes this by camera placement.
3.) Why couldn't the USB plug be the more popular size?... I guess mini instead of micro. I don't see that much of a space saving using micro and I have tons of USB chargers laying around and in my car. Now I'll need some sort of adapter if I want that use chargers I have.
4.) The USB plug would be much more convenient at the bottom of the phone as opposed to the top. Picture talking on the phone without a headset while driving and having to use car battery power - there will be a cable looping off the top of the phone up against your head. (goofy)

I'm sure I'll like a lot of the nice things about the phone, but gee-whiz, I see 4 practical things right off the bat that the seemingly tons of reviews I read never even seemed to mention.

EPIC DISAPPOINTMENT... September 14, 2010

Reviewer:  John C. Archambeau 

I had two issues with the phone.

First of all, I do not get 4G service. There is a Clear 4G tower less than a mile from my home in front of the park by the nearest elementary school disguised as a fat tall flag pole. I drove by them building it regularly. My Samsung Epic 4G associates with the tower at the bottom of the hill from my house.

How do I know this? Simple, when you can't get a GPS signal your location is in proximity to the tower your phone is associated with. I would consistently show my location near the tower at the bottom of the hill from my home. I also get a more accurate location with Google Latitude than I do with Sprint Family Locator.

In most of the Las Vegas market, you will not get a 4G signal indoors especially on the Vegas Strip. I cannot get one at my place of employment nor can I get one inside my house and I'm less than a mile from a Clearwire 4G tower. Part of the reason for getting 4G and WiFi hotspot is so I do not have to pay $15 or so per day for hotel Internet access.

If you check the unofficial Clear tower map, you'll notice that two of the Sprint corporate stores are located directly underneath a Clearwire 4G tower or within a half a block of one. Sounds like bait and switch to me.

Sprint has not retrofitted their 3G towers for 4G in Vegas. There are two towers in my employer parking lot; one GSM and the other CDMA/3G.

Second issue is that the screen developed defects (bubbles underneath the glass) after less than a week of owning it.

I'll never again invest in the latest and greatest thing with respect to wireless. I tried it and got burned.

I am now getting heartburn from Sprint on getting the phone returned within the 30 day window. Customer service has stated they will credit my bill the $35 restocking fee if I provide them with a copy of the receipt with the $35 charge. Their order support department which is in India does not provide those. The assistant manager at the Sprint Store on East Charleston told me my best bet was to have the order support department issue me a return kit because of their customer volume and better utilization of my time.

There's no point in paying for a 4G device and service if you're not going to be able to utilize it most of the time.

I'll probably be investing in a Samsung Moment that does EVDO Rev A since that's the best I will get where I mostly use my phone.

I'm only giving it one star because I have to give it a star to post this review.