I got a new phone. It is an incredible device: The Samsung Galaxy S i9000. It is not my first Android phone, I have owned a Motorola Milestone until last week. It kinda got slower and I felt I needed a new one after seeing how fast new devices are and how they make Android that much a better experience.

Why a Samsung Galaxy S

People who follow the “phone scene” might Be wondering if I got a Samsung Galaxy S II, As this has just been released. But no, I went for the previous model. Why? Money! As there was a new version of the device released, the market kinda had an overflow of older devices because of people upgrading. I got my one for around 250 Euros on an Amazon Warehouse deal.

Wait a minute, why didn’t you go for an iPhone? Again, money. But money is not all. As stated in a previous post (Switching to Linux) I am trying to get more independent of specific software manufacturers. Having an iPhone and not being able to sync to it easily using the tools I want … Well, you get the idea. It’s not that I am an Apple hater (I own 5 Apple products), my phone should just not be an iPhone.

At work, 8 co workers have the SGS. One of the reasons I got one, too, is that I was able to test it before buying one. Another reason is the recommendations of several people.

Technical facts

A short list of some (interesting) facts about the SGS:

• 1 GHz processor
• 119 gramm light
• 4 inch super AMOLED display
• WVGA (480 × 800)
• 122 × 64 × 9.9 mm
• 5.0 megapixel camera (geotagging)
• microSD card slot for up to 32 GB

To the power of Android

My previous phone was running Android, too, and I got used to it and started to like it – a lot. The problem with the Milestone was, that it was basically in an Android 2.1 trap. Motorolla released Android 2.2 for it, but the update process required a Windows system, yeah, that Sicks, right? So I was not able to update (easily).

The SGS runs Android 2.3.4 like a charm and enables apps to use the ladest and greatest techniques included in the operating system. From the last Android version I was using to the new one were just two minor versions, but Android now feels a lot more stable and thus is more fun to use.

Typing w/o keyboard

When I got the Milestone, one of the reasons I chose it was the hardware keyboard that you could slide out and type away. The SGS does not have a hardware keyboard. Through the larger screen size, the virtual keyboard got easier to use with my big hands, but there is an even easier way:

Beta on Nexus One from bcpk on Vimeo.

Swype is a relief for me and my fight against virtual keyboards. It makes it fun again to swype longer texts and to my surprise, it knows a lot of words – even in German. If you own an Android device, make sure to give it a try. It is worth it. I have read bad reviews of swype on the web, too, but my experience so far was awesome and just enjoyable.

Was it worth the switch

Getting the new device was – so far – a really good decision. The phone weighs a lot less than my old one. It is a lot faster and makes Android much more fun. Android in general – the new version (2.3) – seems to be more usable and easier to interact with than with the 2.1 version. Nice work from Google there. I have only had the device for about a week and have mostly used it on W-Lan for surfing, my new phone plan for mobile surfing will be enabled tomorrow – at least that’s what they say. So, if you are looking for an kinda up-to-date phone (there are newer ones) that is not that expensive, give the Samsung Galaxy S i9000 a try. And don’t forget to give Swype a try, too, if you have not yet.

Feedback, comments, experiences are welcome – as always!