is it worth getting an Epic now?

[whippingboy]

If you are a HARDWARE geek- samsung puts some compelling handsets out lately. Epic is still yet to beat IMHO for slider fans- NO ONE else has a 4" slider plain and simple. You couldn't pay me to get a EVO shift. And my pal's EVO still randomly reboots almost daily and he has graphic glitches with some games like world war and I do not- so NO ONE PHONE is perfect.

That said- I miss HTC's software support- they have better contact list support, better exchange support, and an improved webbrowser. If you like sense- their widgets are great too- but I hate that dock. They push out great updates like the latest one including swype- NO ONE has been that good about updates like HTC for the EVO.

The fact that every slider HTC make has a 3.7" or smaller ancient tech lcd really kills it for me. Should they step up and create a 4" slider on sprint- I'd leave samsung due to their bugs they have yet to officially correct (let alone the 2.2 issue).

Rooting the Epic solves many but NOT ALL of samsungs' faults. I'd never encourage someone to buy a phone with the caveat of "it's great only when rooted" but that's pretty much my answer nowdays.

 

[Skunkape60]

So 1 in 20 people have problems with the GPS. DANG.

Yeah... I was actually giving the haters the benefit of doubt. The more realistic number is probably less than 1 in 1000+. The complaints here are among "Power Users" which are really only about .01% or less of the phone buying public. The VAST majority of the phone buying public don't give a rats behind what OS is on their phone and will never have a complaint about the epic and will never visit a phone forum.

The simple fact is the Epic will eventually get official Froyo If you absoutely have to have Froyo now get something else. If waiting is not an issue, the Epic is a great phone and (as far as hardware goes) one of the best phones available at this time.

 

[TheCrazy88]

As far as sprint phones go get it. Its a great phone. I got mine in november and kept it stock untill tonight and it was fine. No problems at all. Today I rooted put froyo on it and flashed a rom and IMHO its better. No GPS problems or anything els so far. That's not to say there won't be any but every phone has somthing going on with it. Even if you don't root and flash and all that its still a great phone and it will do what you need it to do. If you need it to do anything more than it can get a laptop a tv and a ps3 and carry that around.

 

[Robbie Doo]

As far as sprint phones go get it. Its a great phone. I got mine in november and kept it stock untill tonight and it was fine. No problems at all. Today I rooted put froyo on it and flashed a rom and IMHO its better. No GPS problems or anything els so far. That's not to say there won't be any but every phone has somthing going on with it. Even if you don't root and flash and all that its still a great phone and it will do what you need it to do. If you need it to do anything more than it can get a laptop a tv and a ps3 and carry that around.

I couldn't agree more. This is the nicest phone I've seen so far. Verizon has the same model phone without the keyboard but I like my keyboard. And the resolution so sharp everyone is shocked at.

 

[bonanzabucks]

Hmmm...good question. I'm a launch day user and still love the phone. In fact, I customize it more now compared to when I first got it. On the other hand, I upgrade once a year and like to have the latest phones. While the Epic still competes nicely with everything available now, the next generation dual core phones will blow everything out of the water and they're coming really soon. I'm considering getting the European or Canadian version of the Moto Atrix, as they're usually unlocked, when it comes out and putting it on Simple Mobile. At this moment, because of the way Samsung handled their 2.2 release for the Galaxy S series, I'm leaning away from getting a Galaxy S2.

 

[dontpokedapanda]

as far as I know, Im still interested in the epic. I might get the s2, but depends on how it functions first. and lets see what other 4inch phones are good in a digital and physical keyboard with a beast hardware.

 

[mouseglider]

I couldn't agree more. This is the nicest phone I've seen so far. Verizon has the same model phone without the keyboard but I like my keyboard. And the resolution so sharp everyone is shocked at.

Exactly! I have absolutely no problems with my phone, ie gps, etc., and I get great battery life avg 16+ hours per battery - I have four that I swap between for how I use it.

2.1 Stock rom but rooted and LP

 

[Addie_Goodvibes]

Yeah... The VAST majority of the phone buying public don't give a rats behind what OS is on their phone and will never have a complaint about the epic and will never visit a phone forum.

The simple fact is the Epic will eventually get official Froyo If you absoutely have to have Froyo now get something else. ...If waiting is not an issue, the Epic is a great phone and (as far as hardware goes) one of the best phones available at this time.

well stated, however "if you absolutely have to have Froyo now, then Flash DK28... easier and quicker than installing Angry birds from the market.

Like any piece of technology that you dont build yourself it will not be everything you want it to be if you are a power user or mor e informed user. Most people do not even realsie the capacity or options this technology is capable of.

Just like when buying a new PC you have to take it home and go into the registry remove all bloatware or do a format and re-install of a clean OS, ( or in my case .. install Linux for a dual boot machine)

Either way some tweaking is always the case...

the best way for an informed consumer is to find the hardware with the best specs and best potential support form the user community and rely on the user community Not the carrier or manufacterer to provide resources to really bring out the best in your new piece of hardware.

To me this is no different than any Linux OS/DE I rely on the user community to fix or make better my hardware by adjusting, tweaking flashing the software to my liking.. it is a sandbox play... get dirty if you are not happy start with new sand & build again..

Welcome to Linux..

 

[Addie_Goodvibes]

Pass on the Epic. Great phone, great hardware, totally unsupported by Samsung and Sprint. Had they put even half the support into it that they give the EVO, I would say it still has a lot of life even in the dual core market. It's a fast, beautiful piece of hardware with awesome photo/video capabilities. Unfortunately, it's crippled by Eclair, no bluetooth-voice support, and all of the enhanced video chat features are only available on Froyo or later.
Waste of money as I see it. Half of the phone's capabilities aren't utilized and to me, that's just criminal.
Wait for the latest/greatest. Give it a few months and you'll see some newer stuff come out.
Sadly, I spend nearly $500 for my Epic. It was supposed to be the best smartphone out there.

Wow i respect your position .. if I paid $500.00 on a chance for and upgrade on software to make the device the phone i wanted I would be ticked off...

However.. knowing hwat i know about Linux, and even more about Samsung's support or lack there of... I knew or had a good idea of what to expect..

I also with confidence went ahead and bought the phone based on the hardware potential and confidence in the vast user community.. (most of which were the same community that supported us Palm Pre hackers who turned a mediocre device into an overclocked mini machine..) Pre much like the Epic did not have the manufacturer or carrier support, so we have the user community..

the difference in the pre vs the Epic is if the hardware is bad no tweaking will fix that,, however with the Epic the hardware rocks..and being Linux.. well the user community will always be there to help bring out the best on the hardware through customization of ROM and finding the latest software upgrades, We are always willing to test newly leaked software so those who aren't quite sure if it will work for them can learn based on our experience and feedback.

That $500.00 bought you more than a phone with "half potential capabilities", you now have a lot more understanding of the potential and options you have in a linux device, regardless of carrier or manufacturer every android piece of hardware has its issues, and every one of them has options for fixing or even making their android device better.

As far as the 2.2 features well Froyo is available for the Epic, and if you give this user community a chance and trust our feedback you can make the most of your Epic, you may even learn a little bit more about Linux.

I hope you find the device that is the latest & greatest for your needs, I assure you it will also fall short of what expectations are, there will always be a better device around the corner..

Enjoy.. welcome to our community and please use the forums to ask questions share yur experience , learn & hopefully soon teach others...

best of luck..

 

[dchawk81]

The problem is, many of us don't want to be slaves to our phones. I did that with my BlackBerry and it got old. When I got my Android, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't spend every waking hour pretending to be a hacker, seeking out the latest and best leaked OS, etc. Those days are over.