Skylight West was the place to be yesterday evening. Complete with drinks, Galaxy S devices of all shapes and sizes, and B.O.B., it was a neat little place in Hell's Kitchen. During the event, all I could think about was "Wow, Samsung accomplished the four phones on four carriers concept." Each device is similar (and based on the same platform), but they're unique enough to give each carrier a different flavor of the Galaxy S line. Want a QWERTY keyboard? Epic 4G. Like Avatar and want it pre-installed on your device? Vibrant. Cool tapered design your thing? Captivate. Want Mobile Hotspot and V CAST services? Fascinate.
Samsung Fascinate (Verizon Wireless)
From a design perspective, Verizon's is (in my opinion) the most boring of the bunch. In addition to the 1 GHz Hummingbird processor, 4.0-inch Super AMOLED display, and Android 2.1 that the others offer, the Fascinate comes with VZ Navigator, V CAST for Music, V CAST Song ID, and Mobile Hotspot.
Samsung Captivate (AT&T)
My favorite in the design department. Sporting beveled edges, the Captivate is sleek and offers a nice carbon fiber battery door. Services include AT&T Navigator, MobiTV, and other AT&T-branded goodies. No word just yet as to whether the Captivate will allow non-Android Market apps or not, but it's nice to see a high-end Android device on the way.
Samsung Epic 4G
Specs-wise, it's the best Galaxy S variant out there. 4G connectivity, Mobile Hotspot, front-facing camera, and the full QWERTY keyboard make it an awesome potential replacement to that Samsung Moment. The keyboard on the Epic 4G consists of five rows, making it roomy enough for small and large hands alike. I'm picky when it comes to keyboards (I send a lot of e-mails), and loved the fact that the space bar had its own dedicated row. The Epic 4G is slightly thicker than the other devices due to the keyboard, but not by much.
The device sports the usual array of Sprint applications like Sprint TV, Sprint Navigation, Nascar Cup Mobile, and Sprint Music. Interestingly enough, the Mobile Hotspot capabilities support five users, and not eight like the HTC EVO 4G.
Samsung Vibrant (T-Mobile)
As the only Galaxy S device to have an official release date, it's exciting to finally see the Vibrant in the flesh. From a design perspective, T-Mobile's version is the closest to the unlocked Galaxy S. As you would expect (thanks to T-Mobile's Twitter clue game), the Vibrant ships with Avatar, The Sims 3, MobiTV, and a shortcut to GoGo's in-flight Wi-Fi service.
The Samsung Vibrant will be available on July 21st for $199.99 after rebates. You'll be able to snag it in T-Mobile retail stores, online, and through telesales.
Other Details
-My initial impression was that the devices are a bit too plastic-y. Holding a Galaxy S device in one hand and holding something more substantial like the Nexus One or iPhone 4 in the other really shows the build quality differences. I don't think it's a durability thing (they seemed quite sturdy), but coming from devices made of metal and glass, the difference shows.
-As I figured, Samsung disabled the "available storage" section of Android so we couldn't see what the units were packing under the hood.
-As I said above, the Samsung Vibrant (T-Mobile) is the only device with an official launch date - July 21st. It's a waiting game with the others.
-The Samsung Epic 4G (Sprint) and the Samsung Fascinate (Verizon) both offer a flash with the camera; the Captivate (AT&T) and the Vibrant (T-Mobile) do not.
Check out the gallery below, and hit the comments section with your thoughts!
