[3GScottishUser]

After receiving an upgrade offer from Vodafone i have decided not to wait for Windows Mobile 7 and have opted for the Samsung Galaxy S 16GB.

Had a bit of a fight to get it as although the automated upgrade on the website said existing customers get the same deals as new ones it asked me for £150 upfront for the handset as an upgrade (it's £0 for new customers!). Needless to say that was a challenge worth pursuing so after a long argument with vodafone UK I eventualy got the same offer as the website was advertising as an upgrade.

I have read a good few reviews of the Galaxy S and it appears to be getting some very good feedback especially for its 4" AMOLED screen and the latest version of Android.

We shall see what it's like when it arrives this week.

I'll keep you all posted!

[Hands0n]

Congratulations on getting yourself an Android :D I'm 100% sure you're missing nothing in bypassing Windows Mobile 7. I'd be interested to read your observations on the new beast. It is certainly getting favourable reviews - although I have a personal distaste for Samsung mobiles (love their tellies, got three in the house) post sales support, I have to admit that the new S has a very attractive spec and design.

[Ben]

The Sammy is lovely but at the end of the day it's going to feel pretty cheap like all Samsung stuff does.

Would it have killed you to have bought an iPhone or a HTC Desire? ;)

Scratch the Desire, I'm not impressed :p

[3GScottishUser]

After almost 15 months with Windows Mobile 6.1 it's kind of hard to start to explain the leap that Android has delivered, especially on a handset as well provisoned as the Galaxy S.

It's intuitive, easy to figure out, so much so, they only give you a very slim instruction manual although there is a massive PDF available on-line. I doubt if many will bother though because you can just pick it up and start to use the functions by just following the icons on-screen.

The phone is well made and has a lot of brilliant features which I will exand on in a future post.

Sufice to say the user experience is awesome and has made me stop and think why anyone would now want to spend hours learning about using PC's. You have just about all you need in the palm of your hand and mine is already streaming music and video from my PC! I have downloaded a variety of apps which i am just working my way through. All of them are fun and functional and best of all so far free!

After just a couple of days playing around with the Galaxy S I reckon Andoid is a game changer which will open the world of the mobile Internet and apps to the mass market now that there are sub £100 handsets becoming available. Apple will remain a premium product but they will loose the hearts and minds as younger folks on resticted budgets get used to the Android experience I suspect.

My Galaxy S came totally unlocked and unbranded from Vodafone, so good for travelling and it looks like the end of the road for Vodafone Live.

There is a lot to take in on the Galaxy S and I've only had time to sample some of the basic features but given a few days I should be able to come back on with a more comprehensive report of how it's performing.

[Hands0n]

And so the conversion of 3GSU begins :D ;)

Apple set the bar and Android has responded really well indeed. Like iOS on the iPhone the Android OS is completely "pick up and use" friendly (I think I'll patent that :D) like no other device OS before it save for iOS. Yet Symbian and Windows Mobile remain stuck in a backwater resting firmly on their laurels. There will be tears.

Having used Android on a number of devices I can vouch for its consistency. What I do not like, however, is the skinning that is going on these days. HTC's Sense is bad enough. Sony Ericsson completely ruined the Android experience with their abortion of a skin, supposedly to make the user experience better. What the hell would SE know about the human-to-machine interface? They've never excelled previously, and they repeat the exercise in failure with their new Android devices. Two associates of mine have acquired and promptly returned their Xperia X10 devices completely due to the skin that SE have overlaid on Android.

I think Apple will always maintain that certain quality, snob appeal, that will draw customers to its iPhone product - even if it means stretching the budget quite a bit. The mobile network operators are making it really easy to acquire an iPhone on a lengthy contract. But of course, Android is making very definite inroads - there is no turning back now.

Keep at it with the Galaxy S - that Android OS and the apps (free and paid for) are likely to address your every need, and then some!

[miffed]

Excellent choice , I pondered one myself ! I think the galaxy s is the closest you can get to having an iPhone like device , without actually buying an iphone - people talk about companies copying each other , but how Apple haven't tried to sue samsung on the Ui is beyond me on this !

[3GScottishUser]

Well as all have perhaps gathered I am not keen on lining Apple's pockets especially when they demand £250 more for a contract offering less over its period. Comparing the Galaxy S and the iPhone 4 (which is perhaps just very slightly better built) is a no brianer and should send a message to Apple to get their products into the mainstream or become a niche choice.

The Galaxy S has more than I need of a smartphone and with full flash support is a more than worthy compeditor to the iPhone.

Apple produced the apps market and made the mobile data market a reality. Android looks set to become the Mobile OS that will deliver that experience to the mass market. Apple only have their own greed to blame for not being the comapny who followed through with the mobile Internet revolution.

[Hands0n]

Don't be too hard on Apple. Had they not bothered we'd still be stuck with Nokia's notion of what a smartphone should be. :)