Introduction

After dominating the handset market, Samsung fell behind to Apple. But now the South Korean electronics giant is making a coordinated push by introducing its Galaxy S line of Android smartphones on all four major U.S. carriers. In addition to the Captivate for AT&T, Samsung is launching the Vibrant for T-Mobile, Facsimile for Verizon and Epic 4G for Sprint.

The company hopes the Captivate's large 4.0-inch touch screen sets it apart from the standard pack of iPhone challengers. It also comes with a built-in 5.0-megapixel camera with high-definition video recording and 16-gigabytes of storage capacity.

With a focus on features and functions, the Captivate promises to be a strong contender in the smartphone race.

Design

The Captivate is bland. The plastic exterior is reminiscent of a solid black slate, lacking the fashion statement of the iPhone 4's sleek glass-paneled exterior. But it does have a simple and clean look. Although not necessarily flimsy, the handset as a whole felt rather "cheap."

The highlight is its gigantic 4.0-inch touch screen, capable of displaying a 480 by 800 pixel resolution. Samsung is pioneering "Super-AMOLED" display technology, which boasts more vibrant colors with less battery drain. And the Captivate's screen is definitely top notch.

Below the display, are four standard touch-sensitive shortcut keys: menu, home, back and search. The placement -- almost flush to the bottom edge of the handset -- is a bit questionable because they're often pressed accidentally.

The back side features a 5.0-megapixel camera. Missing, however, is an LED flash, which is a little strange, but the lens makes up for in giving us a HD recording.

Power and volume controls and a 3.5mm headphone jack are located around the edge of the handset. The decision to put the USB port at the top takes a little getting used to.

For its large frame, the Captivate is actually very light. And it feels rather odd in hand. Although it has solid features and hardware, the it falls just short of the "wow factor" needed to draw the style conscious. Unlike the accents of its Galaxy S siblings -- like the metal band surrounding the Vibrant's casing -- the Captivate is defiantly bland.

Out of the box, the Samsung Captivate comes with a USB wall charger, a micro-USB cable and a in-ear stereo headset.

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