Samsung - Fascinate Mobile Phone - Black (Verizon Wireless)

First and foremost, may I go a little further in depth on my rating of the phone (based on the 4 individual criteria provided by Best Buy). I rank the phone as an excellent value based upon the price paid with either a two year contract, or the "new-every-two" offer from Verizon, after all was said and done I paid about, $55. I would consider the value excellent as long as you pay below $200 for the phone, the outright cost of this phone (along with many other smart phones) is around $750. I feel that you should never have to pay that much for something you get charged monthly to use. Features and ease of use are second to none, great interface, and great degree of customization and utility, giving you the ability to tailor the phone to and desired use. Battery life is largely dependent upon what types of programs you choose to use, as well as what features are activated (GPS, BluTooth, Wifi, etc), but the phone comes with a number of features that allow you to control and monitor applications and functions (Best Buy does not yet carry it, but Samsung has an optional oversize battery for even better longevity, close to 2200 mA vs the OEM 1500 mA capacities) Having always been a blackberry purist, and trust me, I've owned many, from the original Pearl, to the first Storm, to the latest Bold 9700, this phone blows them out of the water. E-mail functions are easy and intuitive, it can manage and sync multiple accounts, including the contacts and calendars associated with them. Typically something you would buy a BlackBerry for, but this device does much better. Wifi function is a must for me, and this device does very well with all the common forms of wifi, or if there are non available, can create its own hotspot powered by the CDMA network, giving your laptop internet access on the go for example. With a broad spectrum of included apps, and limitless supply of downloadable apps, this phone can accomplish just about anything you wish. PDF viewing, Microsoft Office mobile tools for creation and viewing of documents, navigation apps, Media apps (including a great image gallery, which comes pre-installed), a mobile form of Photoshop Elements is even available for free download via the android market, these features are amazing when combined with the lightening fast processor, RAM capacity, and application manager, as well as included 16GB micro-SD card, and a couple GB's of internal memory for your most commonly used applications. The profile of this phone is great, much thinner than the iPhone 4, and integrates an awful lot more into its shell. Camera functions are great, and fast, providing awesome stills, in addition to video capture at up to 720p resolutions. When you combine these with all the other features, and available custom add-ons, this phone is truly an all in one device, from gaming to syncing corporate accounts, I have yet to find a flaw. That is to say, I have yet to find a flaw without having dropped the device on some harsh surface (i.e. concrete when you forget the phone's on your lap and get out of your car). Some brand of screen protector is a must (the super whatever-they-call-it screen is amazing providing HD resolution, worth keeping it flawless), ZAGG being the best brand hands down, and for additional protection maybe a form-fitting protective cover for the rear and sides of the device, to prevent scratching and help ease the pain of a harsh impact. My only remaining issue is the idea of a cover, while protection is a must, on of the nice elements of this phone is how thin it is, the cover I purchased nearly doubled its girth. My final two comments being on the SWYPE keyboard, and its Media syncing capabilities. Swype is awesome, a little bit of a learning curve, but has (along with android in general) come a long ay since its infancy. Once you have read the tutorial, any gotten some practice, entering text is super fast and intuitive (making the creation of lengthy e-mails and word documents less daunting on a cellular platform). Unfortunately, this device does not syn with Apples iTunes (at least on a mac platform) without the installation of a further app, I use iSyncr (available from android market for something around $3), but hopefully this minor issue will be resolved in future updates of the phone or iTunes, but I say again, I have only tried on my Mac, which being co-produced with the iPhone is inherently against all other forms of electronics, so not to my surprise (while I love most Apple products) they don't make it super simple to sync third party (such as Samsung) media devices without an intermediary such as iSyncr. In conclusion, buy it, you won't be disappointed. Just like any other electronics you buy, read up and learn about it so you can get the most out of it. P.S. Once you get it, download Trapster (its Free) from the android market, its awesome, allows drivers, including yourself, to mark known police enforcement points (live police, known enforcement spot, speed camera etc) as you drive, and provide notification to Trapster using travelers of the potential threat, and I hate getting tickets. The more who use it, the more functional it becomes.

When I was deciding between phones 2 weeks ago, it was Between the Droid X and The Samsung Facinate. Well, being that I am strapped for cash, to me it came down to the most bang for my buck. Samsung had the better screen (BY FAR!) processor wise, the phone is comparable to most of the best phones Verizon sells. The only thing the Droid X has going for it over the Facinate is it's 4.3inch screen (Samsung is 4.0) and its 8.0 Mega Pixel Camera (Samsung 5.0mp). I decided to take a chance on the Facinate in the end because of the super vivid screen and it just felt so much snappier than the Droid X. The User interface is way better than the Droid X too, the Facinate just looked so much more appealing. From the day I got this phone, I realized I purchased one of the most underrated phones on the market. This phone is amazing. here are a list of Pros about the Phone: -Crisp Phone Call quality -Battery Life is better than most smart phones (Screen uses most of the battery. But guess what! samsung added a sensor to detect when you are near your phone or if you are on a call, so it will auto shut off your screen if your on a call or away!!!!) -Amazing Screen (better video processor than most phones on the market) -Super Slim and sleek design -Android Market is amazing, so many awesome FREE apps. -Can handle Multiple Apps at once with no issues. -Unlimited potential The reason why I say this phone has so much potential, is because it is basically a portable computer (if you are good with computers, you will find ways to really use this phone to its full potential). Unlike the Iphone, you don't have to unlock to realize its full power. Best of all, if you love the Ipod interface the Samsung Facinate has a Similar Interface to the Iphone. Now The phone is by no means the best phone of all time, but it is a really strong phone. But here are some Cons that I can list about the phone: - The phone is preloaded with alot of junk Apps - You cannot delete these Junk Apps (My solution, put all these apps that you wont use on the last page) - The stock Music Player is lack-luster (This can be fixed easily, there are many free Music Player applications in the Android Market that are AMAZING!) Overall: This phone is great. I can't believe it's free right now with 2 year contract. It is not the best phone Verizon has to offer, If you have the money then your best bet is to get the HTC thunderbolt. But this phone can handle almost everything the thunderbolt can, and has a better screen quality to boot.

This is absolutely the best phone I have ever used. Simply Amazing! I switched over from a Dingleberry Storm and let me say this, 2 tin cans tied to a piece of string would be more reliable than a Blackberry. This phone does everything you want it to do. I have hardly used my computer since buying this phone. I surf the web, check emails, made online purchases, get driving directions, update FB, watch movies and so much more with my Samsung Fascinate. This phone is definitely an iPhone killer. I have a friend who ran his iPhone4 side by side with my Samsung and my phone made the iPhone4 look like it was locked up. Everything about this phone is smooth. The screen is beautiful, however in sunlight it is a bit difficult to see. The 7 home screens is more than enough to customize with your apps. The sound quality while talking is 10 out of 10 and everyone on the other end says they have no problems hearing me. I was waiting for Apple to offer Verizon the iPhone but after having this phone there is no way I would ever switch to an iPhone. i know 2 people with the Droid Incredible and while their phone was slightly quicker with the internet, they have both had problems with their phones locking up and the screen going haywire. They both are talking to Verizon to get a different phone. If you are looking for a great smartphone, look no further.

I'm a very analytical person when it comes to electronics. Read all the posts, good and bad. I was a Blackberry user for years and before that had a touch screen and swore I would never have another. After all the advertisements I decided to check out the Droid phones. For a couple of months I would periodically stop at the Verizon store and check out the Droid HTC and Samsung phones. I was mentally stuck between several phones. Finally Bestbuy had a sale and the Fascinate was free. So I made my move. Went to Verizon to play with the phone some more (since BB phones are dummy screens) and got in depth details of the phone. Did things like played with the Swype and took side by side photos between the HTC 8MP camera and 5MP camera of the Fascinate. DON'T GET HUNG UP ON MP!!! The 5MP camera on the Samsung too a much better picture than the 8MP of the HTC. I do photography so I know what to look for in details. The swipe and speak voice to text pretty much ended my worry of touch screens that I had from past phones technology. It is WAY different now. The first day the battery did not last a full day after a complete charge. But it got better after a few charges. Normal for Li batteries. Now it lasts a full day with BT and wi-fi left on, along with mail checking every 5 minutes. Another worry was complaints about signal strength. I don't think I have ever seen a full strength signal, even after *228 search. Mostly sits between 2 & 3 bars. But from what I am gathering most people say it's a software reporting issue, not hardware. Either way at no bars I have never dropped a call. It is definitely cool being able to get all these apps. All in all I am VERY Pleased with this phone. By Blackberry, you had your chance when you released the Torch and and didn't come up to the standards of the new smart phones. Blackberry always never goes the full measure with new phones. WHY? I would definitely recommend the Bestbuy protection plan with a big screen like this. And a shell case that the phone snaps in with the screen facing the body so it's fully protected. Other wise GREAT PHONE!!!

If you like the I-phone but prefer to use Verizon, then I think this is your best bet. The camera and video are really nice - do NOT worry about 5MP vs 8MP - this phone takes great photos! But an actual button for the camera would be much easier. Also do not worry about the Bing vs. Google complaints you may have seen. You can still download Google Maps, and use Google as the homepage for your browser. The phone size is slightly larger than ideal, but does still fit in my front pocket. But the 4" screen is amazing and makes surfing the web make much more pleasant compared to I-phone's 3.5" screen.

I have been an Iphone customer since the first day it was released in June 2007. I upgrade to a 3gs last year, and was getting feed up with the AT&T service, along with the dullness that was setting in with Apple's tight hold on what users can and can't do. Being I couldn't wait anymore for Apple to maybe move to Verizon, I switched to the droid. This Samsung Fascinate has more features above a standard iphone. Voice Search, 5.1 stereo sound in the headphones(huge difference), integration with google voice which lets you see and hear your voicemails. Not looking back now. And while people complain about bing in the phone.....delete it and download the google apps. The whole droid experience is about customizing it your way. Great phone and highly recommend

What an incredible device. The screen is beautiful, the interface is lightning fast, and Swype is easier to use than the keyboard I had on my enV Touch. My wife was supposed to get this phone but a mix up with our upgrades and the Free Phone Friday deal landed it in my hand. I will have to give it to her when she gets her upgrade fixed and gets my Droid X, but I'm not sure I want to give this phone up. The phone works great, with good quality sound and volume. The browser is fast, email works well, messaging works even better. The camera takes very good pictures and there is a nice set of features including a sport mode and my personal favorite, cartoon mode. If I had to find something to complain about it would be that the SD card has to be unmounted before removing. I didn't think there was any storage device manufactured in the last 15 years that had to be unmounted, but that is the only think I could possibly think of complaining about. Be sure to download App Killer from the Android Market-many apps don't close when you move away from their screen and don't have a close option on the menus. They will run in the background and drain the battery. Even with using the browser, GPS, and several other apps, I have managed to keep upwards of 50% battery life after a 17 hour day of usage by using App Killer.

the samsung Fascinate... is awesome. pictures are very good, the flash is great, the screen is incredible, reminds me of my samsung LED at home its amazing. good speaker phone, feels light and durable. i like everything about this phone but the bluetooth, i own a bmw and acura, both can import my phone's contacts and display it on their respective systems, my old LG dare, my wife's old V3m, and her new HTC incredible allow it but not my Fascinate.