Samsung Fascinate

“When it comes right down to it, there’s a lot we like about the Samsung Fascinate, mainly its styling and hardware, such as the impressive Super AMOLED screen and 1GHz Hummingbird processor. But at the same time we feel that the software, mainly the TouchWiz UI, is holding the device back. While we can appreciate what Samsung attempted to do with the UI, it in turn makes the Fascinate feel less like an Android phone, and with the addition of the Bing search, one might mistake the device for a Windows Mobile phone upon first glance. At this point, we can only hope that the Android 2.2 update will soon give the Fascinate that “Google feel” that people expect when using an Android device, because it’s lacking that feeling right now. But if you are OK with that, or plan to use something like LauncherPro to allow for more customization of the home screens, then the Fascinate is one device that’s hard to beat.”

“When it comes to Android on Verizon, there are some seriously excellent choices, and what it has to come down to is: is the Fascinate at the top of that heap? From where we stand, the answer is an obvious no. It's not that the device isn't a solid phone or a reasonably capable Android representative -- it's just that Samsung and Verizon have made far too many compromises on this device to class it with something like the Droid Incredible or the Droid X (though we have complaints about the latter device's software as well). Unfortunately, the Fascinate (and perhaps the entire line of Galaxy S phones) are a byproduct of Google's ongoing fragmentation issues and seeming lack of focus for the Android platform. As partners scramble over each other to differentiate their products through often meaningless software tweaks, the end user suffers by being served with rushed, incomplete devices made more complex and less stable by companies that should be concentrating on making great hardware instead of fixing Android. We want to like what third-parties -- and Samsung -- are doing with the OS, but as in the case of the Galaxy S phones, the alterations feel more like barriers than passage ways.”

“The Fascinate offers impressive specs overall, and its 5 megapixel 720p HD capable camera ranks high among them, since it even includes the flash that the Captivate and Vibrant lack. It also has none of the lag issues found on the earlier models, which is a relief. The speakerphone function on the phone, however, barely seems to work. Outbound audio on speakerphone calls is no louder than when the speakerphone is off. Regular calls work just fine. Some people might dislike the Microsoft Bing search and mapping features of the phone, but I'm not one of those people. I like them just fine. Overall it's an attractive device with great capabilities that runs on a solid network. Its $199 price tag is not necessarily a bargain, but this is my favorite Galaxy S smartphone on the market and is also my favorite non-QWERTY smartphone available on Verizon. That's saying something. You'll find two videos of the Samsung Fascinate after the Table of Contents, below, as well as a sample 720p HD video recorded with it in the gallery at the end of this review.”

“First, there's Bing. Then there's the social networking integration, which was buggy for me and felt half-baked. The music player is better than it first appears, but the experience is hurt by the V Cast Music Store. VZ Navigator and Bing Maps spoil what is otherwise an Android specialty, navigation. That said, the Fascinate has its benefits. It comes with the most storage of any Galaxy S phone. It's got an LED flash. It's open to third party apps, and it's got Wi-Fi Hotspot capabilities. It's also on Verizon, and The Network has enough fans to make that a meaningful selling point. The Samsung Fascinate is a fine phone with a few troubling issues that might be outweighed by Verizon's provenance. But if these issues have you concerned, there are other Galaxy S phones that haven't been so deeply repurposed.”