Is the SGS software bad? Can you fix it?

[Guest ashatron]

hi all.

Im selling my iphone (sick of doing everything the apple way) and im gonna get an android handset. Ive been looking at the SGS, Desire, Droid X and some others (i think the Desire HD looks great, but its a bit too expensive and a bit bi).

Recommendations welcome :)

I hear the software on the Samsung Galaxy S is awful, losing wifi, losing signal, not connecting to pcs at all. Is it really that bad?

I wonder, can i get an SGS, wipe the crap software off and put a completely different ROM on it? like cyanogenmod? (can i put HTC Sense on it?

Would this clear up all the software issues?

secondly, does the SGS actually have GPS? i read one thing that says it does, and then another that says it doesnt :/

Finally would you recommend a SGS or should i consider another device? The SGS seems like an absolute bargain, its just the software that worrys me, but if that's completely fixable then im interested.

Hope you can help.

ps, i read posts about samsung not updating their devices, would i be right in thinking this does not matter if im using custom ROMS?

Edited October 29, 2010 by ashatron

[Guest richardj]

Hi ashatron,

Iv had my SGS since the beginning of July and the only problem I have had with it was the Wi-Fi, it would randomly turn itself on. I did a firmware update through Kies to JM1 and its been as good as gold ever since.

Would I recommend the SGS, YES I would, in fact I have.

As far as I know you cannot put HTC sense on it but you can put custom roms on to it. Search the forum and you will find all the info you need for doing this.

One of the things that makes the phone stand out from the crowd is the super amoled screen, its just stunning, add to that HD video and recording, go to a high street shop and get them to show you a video playing on the SGS and you will see what I mean.

[Guest barumpuhabalen]

secondly, does the SGS actually have GPS? i read one thing that says it does, and then another that says it doesnt :/

ps, i read posts about samsung not updating their devices, would i be right in thinking this does not matter if im using custom ROMS?

Yes it does have GPS and Samsung actually just updated the SGS to Android 2.2... Im not so sure if we get 2.3 though.

[Guest richardj]

Hey barumpuhabalen,

where did you get the information about the SGS already being updated to 2.2. The update was due mid October but was withdrawn by Samsung due to problems, the next expected date is suppose to be the end of November, this was on Samsung's twitter page.

Official Samsung Announcement via Facebook

"We know you are all eagerly awaiting the Froyo updates, and we appreciate your patience. The network testing of the Galaxy S Froyo upgrade is proceeding according to the schedule we released last week (we expect all UK customers to receive their upgrade by the end of November). We can confirm that the software we’re working on includes a solution to the Froyo Android Market issue which has been widely discussed."

Edited October 29, 2010 by richardj

[Guest ashatron]

Hi ashatron,

Iv had my SGS since the beginning of July and the only problem I have had with it was the Wi-Fi, it would randomly turn itself on. I did a firmware update through Kies to JM1 and its been as good as gold ever since.

Would I recommend the SGS, YES I would, in fact I have.

As far as I know you cannot put HTC sense on it but you can put custom roms on to it. Search the forum and you will find all the info you need for doing this.

One of the things that makes the phone stand out from the crowd is the super amoled screen, its just stunning, add to that HD video and recording, go to a high street shop and get them to show you a video playing on the SGS and you will see what I mean.

Thanks for the reply mate! Im really struggling to get information on this subject.

So would you recommend it! excellent. seems like a bargain, with the lag fix addition in particular.

some say it feels light and plasticy, i better get to my local shop to have a feel. I wonder if the other versions of it (captivate) feel any better, more weighty perhaps.

Would you say its tough enough? ive heard its durability isnt great (like the main centre button wearing down fast), but you can find anything negative on forums these days.

What ROM do you have running?

thanks again mate :)

[Guest richardj]

Yes I would recommend the SGS.

If you live in the UK, the only variant available is the Galaxy S GT I9000. captivate, fascinate are only available in the USA, other variants are available in other countries.

Yes it is quit light but I dont think it's any lighter than the iphone, may be a bit lighter than the desire. it doesn't weigh heavy in your pocket and it fits nicely in your hand.

I dropped mine a few weeks back and it was fine, it didn't even have a mark on it, so I would say it is durable.

No problems with the centre button here.

When I first got my SGS it came with the JF3 firmware, once I had Kies installed, and checked for a firmware update it showed a update to JM1 which I did. This has made the phone a lot better.

So to answer your question I have the official Samsung JM1 firmware running, no lag fix ect and it is fine.

4" screen, HD, 1GH processor ect.

Official samsung Froyo update is as I said in previous post, fingers crossed the end of November.

What network are you going to use?

Forgot to mention the GPS, I know some people have had issues with the GPS, but I havent, it gets a lock in about 5/10 seconds and stays locked, I use copilot and it works very well.

Edited October 30, 2010 by richardj

[Guest ashatron]

Yes I would recommend the SGS.

If you live in the UK, the only variant available is the Galaxy S GT I9000. captivate, fascinate are only available in the USA, other variants are available in other countries.

Yes it is quit light but I dont think it's any lighter than the iphone, may be a bit lighter than the desire. it doesn't weigh heavy in your pocket and it fits nicely in your hand.

I dropped mine a few weeks back and it was fine, it didn't even have a mark on it, so I would say it is durable.

No problems with the centre button here.

When I first got my SGS it came with the JF3 firmware, once I had Kies installed, and checked for a firmware update it showed a update to JM1 which I did. This has made the phone a lot better.

So to answer your question I have the official Samsung JM1 firmware running, no lag fix ect and it is fine.

4" screen, HD, 1GH processor ect.

Official samsung Froyo update is as I said in previous post, fingers crossed the end of November.

What network are you going to use?

Forgot to mention the GPS, I know some people have had issues with the GPS, but I havent, it gets a lock in about 5/10 seconds and stays locked, I use copilot and it works very well.

Thanks so much for the help dude! Lots of great info there, cheers :)

Im gonna be using it on vodaphone, which makes me wonder how hard it is to unlock, im hoping wont be too difficult.

Now my final concern before purchasing this bad boy of a power house is! Hows the battery life?

I hear its notoriously bad, but as usual you can always find negative information on tech on the internet.

Hows the battery been for you?

You'll have to send me an invoice for the consultation at this rate! :)

Edited October 30, 2010 by ashatron

[Guest richardj]

No worries mate. forums like this are a great place to find help and answers. Another great forum is samsunggalaxysforum.com I use this one myself a lot.

I have left a post for you on the other thread you have running but here it is again

The thing to do with the battery is to condition it, by that I mean, when you first get it, it will have some charge in it, play with it and flatten the battery then put a full charge in it, use it and flatten the battery again, do this a few times and the battery seems to get better. It is also a good idea to flatten the battery once a month.

With average use I get around 2/3 days but I do turn the phone off at night.

The reason I asked about the network you will be using was only because if you were to get it on Orange, you now have what the are calling network sharing. Basically Since Orange and T mobile have come together, they are sharing networks so all you have to do is call Orange and ask them to put you on network sharing then if your Orange signal is weak the phone automaticlly switches to T Mobile at no cost to the customer and the good thing is it works as I found out the other day.

[Guest ashatron]

No worries mate. forums like this are a great place to find help and answers. Another great forum is samsunggalaxysforum.com I use this one myself a lot.

I have left a post for you on the other thread you have running but here it is again

The thing to do with the battery is to condition it, by that I mean, when you first get it, it will have some charge in it, play with it and flatten the battery then put a full charge in it, use it and flatten the battery again, do this a few times and the battery seems to get better. It is also a good idea to flatten the battery once a month.

With average use I get around 2/3 days but I do turn the phone off at night.

The reason I asked about the network you will be using was only because if you were to get it on Orange, you now have what the are calling network sharing. Basically Since Orange and T mobile have come together, they are sharing networks so all you have to do is call Orange and ask them to put you on network sharing then if your Orange signal is weak the phone automaticlly switches to T Mobile at no cost to the customer and the good thing is it works as I found out the other day.

Thanks a lot dude! Youre a hero!!

Yeh i get the very mixed impressions about the galaxy's battery. i suppose at worst i could buy another for $5.

The Galaxy S does look like the most powerful phone (or top 3), and its a bragin.

Now im curious if the Droid X (but it is big) is better suited to my needs.

Its better at games than most androids, but not quite as good as the SGS.

Can you think of any other top end android devices i should bare in mind?

Ive looked at HTC Desire, Desire HD, SGS, Droid X. Hoping im not missing anything.

Thanks again bud :)

[Guest richardj]

You have to bear in mind that all smart phone battery's are not great, if you can get 2/3 days your doing well.

Don't know much about the Droid X, but your right it is bigger and bigger doesn't mean better.

The SGS plays games really well, I was playing asphalt 5 and it was awesome, in fact one of my friends just couldn't stop playing.

I think you have just about covered all the best android phones. I have had the Hero, Desire, SGS and a few others. At the time I had the Hero the desire and SGS weren't around but as soon as the desire came out I went for that and then when the SGS came out I went for that. I must say that when I had the Hero and Desire I had a few problems with them most of which got sorted out apart from MMS they just wouldn't send and receive picture messages, when I got the SGS everything just worked, no problems at all. Fortunately Orange were fantastic with the return of the faulty phones (Hero & Desire)

The Desire HD V SGS HD, both are HD but the Desire HD doesn't have the same super amoled screen that the SGS has which makes watching a HD video just amazing on the SGS.

Edited October 31, 2010 by richardj

[Guest Dan Mullen]

I'm running a ROM I picked up over at XDA - Doc_Kalpik Froyo JP6_v6. My SGS is finally lag free, with no lagfixes applied :)