Introduction

The Vibrant reviewed here is T-Mobile's version of the Samsung Galaxy, and AT&T is also currently offering the handset as the "Captivate." Verizon's version will be called the Fascinate and Sprint's will be called the Epic.

The highlight of the Vibrant is its combination of a beautifully sharp and glare-resistant screen, with the speed of a 1-gigahertz Hummingbird processor. The touch screen is also highly responsive and this, along with shortcuts and applications that take advantage of the touch screen, make this handset fast and easy to use.

With the Vibrant, Samsung appears to have attempted to create a well-rounded phone for a wide demographic, with solid technology and features that have become standard on touch screen smartphones. This handset could serve a variety of users, from business people to those who want a solid multimedia touch screen phone.

In many areas such as touch screen and video technology, the Vibrant is on the same plane with Apple's iPhone 4G. When it comes to cameras, however, the Vibrant's 5.0-pegapixel camera lags behind the HTC Evo 4G and Droid Incredible, which have 8.0-megapixel cameras. In addition, the Vibrant takes photos and videos with a slight grey-green color and lacks a flash, which many other competitors have.

Of course, the Android Market with more than 65,000 applications is still a long way from challenging the iPhone, with its more than 200,000 applications. The Vibrant runs on Android 2.1, and Samsung says this will be upgradeable to Android 2.2.

T-Mobile is selling the Vibrant for $199, after a $50 mail-in rebate and after users sign a qualified two-year voice or data plan.

Design

The highlight of the Vibrant is its brilliant Super AMOLED screen, which displays amazingly detailed and colorful images and sharp HD video. The sleek and simple design of the phone keeps the focus on the screen, which is probably Samsung's best selling point.

On the exterior, the Vibrant takes its cue the iPhone. A metal band encircles the top of the phone, just like Apple's smartphone, although the gunmetal color is darker than iPhone's bright silver detail and the Samsung is obviously larger. Two interchangeable back panels, in maroon and dark green patterns, give the Vibrant a trendy look that is more colorful than the iPhone.

One possible design shortcoming is that the Vibrant feels very lightweight in the hand, and while not flimsy, does not seem to be built as solidly as the iPhone 3G or 4G. Samsung designed the Vibrant to use 20 percent less power, according to the company's website.

Although the back of the phone must be removed to install or remove the microSDHC card, this is relatively easy to do because the back pops off with only gentle prodding from a fingernail. Simply use a notch at the bottom of the phone to pry off the back cover.

Removing the cover also reveals the 1500 mAh Li-Ion battery, which is rated for up to 13 hours of talk time on 2G networks and up to 6.5 hours on 3G networks, according to Samsung's website. The Vibrant is rated for up to 750 hours of standby on 2G.

The phone is lighter than the iPhone 4G, and slightly larger as well.

The sleek Vibrant gets by with minimal physical buttons, instead relying mostly on touch screen keys at the bottom of the display and the user interface. It's not quite as elegant as the iPhone, but it's close and the physical buttons have their benefits.

Samsung relies upon a single power/lock key on the upper right side of the handset to take it out of locked mode. A quick touch illuminates the phone and prompts users to "swipe screen to unlock," while a sustained touch gives three quick options: silent mode, flight mode and power off.

The unlock function is similar to the iPhone, where a click of the physical "home" button at the center bottom of the screen prompts users to swipe the screen to unlock it. But the iPhone relies on a separate on/off button at the top of the phone to power the phone on and off, and to dim or illuminate it. The 5.0-megapixel camera is located on the back of the phone, on the upper left side.

The four touch screen keys are at the bottom of the display, and the phone vibrates subtly to confirm users' selections. On the left, the menu key brings up easy commands including search, settings, wallpaper and "add," which allows users to edit Android and Samsung widgets, shortcuts and other items on the home screen.

The second touch key in from the left is the home key, which brings up the home screen. At first, this takes some getting used to for people who have become accustomed to the iPhone's single home screen button.

From the initial home screen, users can swipe left or right to page through up to seven home screens they can create, delete and rearrange. The "back" touch key second in from the right allows users to navigate backwards after making selections, and there is a quick search touch key on the far right.

There is a physical volume key on the upper left side of the phone, a charger and USB port at the top of the phone and a headset port at the right top corner of the phone. The Vibrant can be charged either using a wall outlet, or by using a USB cord to charge it on a computer.

Out of the box, the Samsung Vibrant comes with a USB cord and adapter so it can be converted into a charger that plugs into a wall outlet. It also comes with a 2-gigabyte microSDHC card, microSD adapter, two back panels that allow users to pick a dark green or maroon design, ear buds and a basic guide to the phone.

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