Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)If you have done your homework, you should be aware of the pros and cons of the Galaxy S. The star feature is, of course, the screen. The only noteworthy drawback is the GPS, which is very weak and unstable, making Navigation pretty much useless. There are plenty of reviews comparing this phone with iPhone, HTC, etc., if you're in doubt go read them.
About this particular version - Unlocked International Version with 1 Year Warranty sold by Amazon.com:
When you get the phone the first thing you'll notice is that everything will be in Greek. Don't panic. Just press the Home (middle) button, and click the Menu icon, that is on the lower left corner outside the screen. Click on the gear icon, then scroll down until you see the "A with dots" icon. Click that and then click the first option in the menu. Now you may choose among many languages. European Portuguese and US English are available. Phew!
Soon you'll realize that Android Market is broken. You'll be stuck with the preloaded apps until you update the firmware on the phone. To update, download KIES from Samsung. Install it on a laptop with a charged battery and connect it to AC power. On the phone click Menu, Settings, Wireless and Network, USB Settings, Samsung Kies. Connect the phone to the computer using the supplied USB cable. About a minute after the drivers are installed, Kies will offer a firmware upgrade. Do it. Follow the on screen instructions. It's pretty much automatic. Needless to say, while upgrading don't turn off the computer, connect other peripherals to it, use applications that may cause it to crash, etc.
To my friends in Brazil: (Galaxy S I9000 desbloqueado Brasil - traduza com o Google Translate)
Samsung doesn't sell the I9000 in Brazil. That's because there's a special I9000B version, the only difference being a digital TV tuner. However the unlocked I9000B price tag is US$ 1100. If you have the option to bring a cell phone from the US without taxes, why overpay? The I9000 does work in Brazil, at least I've tested it in Rio, Sao Paulo and Brasilia.
Get a SIM card ("chip") by TIM, which uses the 2100 MHz frequency. I highly recommend a data plan of at least 250 Mb/month. Also, it's a good idea to enable International Roaming and test the phone directly with your chip while in the US.
Choose the Unlocked International With Year Warranty sold by Amazon.com. Have your order delivered to the US and bring it back with you on the plane, or you will be heavily taxed. Your international credit card issued in Brazil is ok to use here in Amazon, even for deliveries in the US. Try to arrange a way to order in advance, especially if you are not going to stay long in the US, as delays may occur (I ordered mine on Jan 18th, should be delivered 2 days later but only arrived on Feb 7th).
Once the phone arrives, install a SIM card and see if everything works as it should. It is easier to use the warranty in the US if you have to. If you are using your TIM number, you will get 3 SMS messages as soon as you register. One of them has a toll-free number to call TIM in Brazil. Use it to test your speaker and microphone. (Note: roaming charges for both data and voice are *very very* expensive, so don't get excited. If you wanna play with your new toy, get a prepaid SIM. AT&T or T-Mobile should work.)
To configure the Internet, once you're back to Brazil. Click Menu, Settings, Wireless and Network. Then click Mobile Networks, Access Point Names. Click Menu, New APN. Name: TIM Connect Fast, APN: tim.br, Username tim, Password tim, APN type Internet. Leave the rest as it is. Check that the MCC number is 724 and the MNC is 02, 03 or 04. (You can make sure of the correct MNC by typing *#0011# on the dialer - look for Reg PLMN 724-?). Click Menu, Save. To make your phone connect only to 3G (faster but not available everywhere), Menu, Setting, Wireless and Network, Mobile Network, Network Mode, WCDMA only.
To change the input language: Menu, Settings, Locale and Text, Select input method, SWYPE, go back, SWYPE settings, Language, Português Europeu. Brazilian Portuguese works well with that, although you will need to add a few words that are spelled differently.
To change the applications language to Brazilian Portuguese: install an app called MoreLocales2 from Android Market and change locale to pt-BR.
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Samsung I9000T Galaxy S 8GB Unlocked Cell Phone with Camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth--International Version with 1 Year Warranty (Black)
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