battery life is TERRIBLE
i can barely go past 12 hours if i actually use my phone at all
i bought 2 extra batteries and extra usb cable+charger adapter to deal with this issue
bluetooth headset doesn't work with the phone (volume is so low ... cannot get it work right)
don't know if this is a common problem or not
lack of front facing camera ... need to stand in front of a mirror to do video chat
no camera flash... no hardware button for camera (hitting the button on the screen sucks)
no LED notifications
AT&T service/reception seems to have gotten really bad in the past few months (i've been with the same carrier for over 10 years... when it was pacbell, at&t, cingular, at&t ...)
i am just disappointed
i know no phone will ever be perfect
but my friend's sprint htc evo looks better and better every time we compare phones
Everyone has their own issues/opinion. As stated before, I can get 24+ hours of battery life on my phone without a problem. Even using it heavily, I can go 17 hours and still be at 20%.
FFC would be nice as I actually use video chat, but I can deal with it.
I've used the camera on a Moto Droid 1 with the dual LED flash and it didn't really do anything - the flash is so weak that it doesn't light up much (seems to be an issue with most phones with a flash). The camera on the Captivate takes excellent pictures inside and outside. I always get good quality photos unless I am in a dark room without much natural lighting. Also, tapping the screen button is so much quicker than using an actual button that I prefer that way over anything else - I would get 2-3 second delays with Moto Droid and my BB Bold - no delays with the Captivate. In fact, it takes faster pictures than my $350 Canon camera.
No LED notifications - not really sure what the issue is with it. My phone is always within reach and if I am away from it for a while, I just turn on the screen to see if I missed a call. I prefer not to let a little blinking light dictate my life.
My ATT service with this phone trumps all other phones I have had (been with ATT for 10 years too). The most recent phones I had (BB Bold and Aria) frequently dropped calls. I maybe get one a month and that is in a known dark area.
Like I said, everyone has different issues/problems, but for those looking at getting the Captivate, I would recommend doing some research and read both 1 star reviews and then the star reviews that have the most numbers behind them - that will give you a good idea of what problems people have had and compare that to what people normally get.