[Captivate General] s15274n:
Below is a post I made for the Vibrant. Being that our phones are so similar, I thought you guys may be able to benefit too.

Please note though, this is for the Vibrant and there may be very big differences that I am NOT aware of. Hope this helps some of you!

ROOT TOPICS

HOW TO ROOT

justadude had a great post on how to root. Please read his post. Rooting takes maybe 2 minutes. This does void your warranty - but so much is gained from having Root! I currently do not feel the need to explain all the benefits. If you found XDA, you must be fairly smart person. Enjoy!

* Alternate Method *

XDA user TGA_Gunnman has again made another great thread. This time he has created a program to make root even simpler than downloading a file, renaming it and going to the stock recovery... yeap, the one click Root (and now an unroot too). Please see his thread here, and thank him for his work.

Got Root? YOU NEED A RECOVERY!

Big props to XDA user Koush for his amazing Rom Manager App, and the work he put into getting us such an easy & safe recovery. Everyone who has rooted their Vibrant should get his app (STRONGLY encourage the Premium Version). In short, this lets you create system backups for those "oops" moments. It also gives you a directory of ROMs for easy downloading and flashing. Yeah, it is that cool. Please see his post for instructions. After successfully installing, be sure a make a Nandroid Backup of your system before flashing any rom's. Please note that the Premium is a key that unlocks functionality in the free version, so you will need both if you are willing to help Koush out.

Free: Premium ($3.99):

HOW TO MAKE A NANDROID BACKUP *ALWAYS BACKUP BEFORE YOU FLASH A NEW ROM

1 - Open Rom Manager

2 - Click on Flash Clockwork Recovery (you can skip this if you have already flashed the recovery before)

3 - Click on "Reboot Into Recovery"

4 - At the prompt, click "ok" to reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery

5 - If this is your first time, you may be at the stock recovery on the Vibrant. Thats normal. Click on "reinstall packages" (ALSO: Volume up and down navigate, and power is used to select an item).

6 - Now, you are at ClockworkMod's Recovery. Scroll down (volume down), to "Nandroid" and select it (power button).

7 - Click on Backup. It will run it's course.

8 - Voi'la, you now have something you can always fall back on in case you F up. Thank Koush and all the testers.

HOW TO RESTORE A BACKUP

Follow the steps from above, but select "Restore" instead. They will be sorted by date YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.

DID YOU F'UP AND NEED TO GET BACK TO STOCK?

Well, thanks to XDA User justanothercrowd we have a Nandroid Backup to get you back to how the Vibrant shipped (and rooted of course). Hopefully you don't need it, but thank him after reading his post just in case you do!

HOW TO UN-ROOT *ie, sending your phone in for warranty work

The following code can be keyed in Terminal Emulator (could also be done in ADB or deleting the files using Root Explorer). If you do use Terminal, change the keyboard to the stock Android KB prior to opening Terminal. Apparently the backspace on swype does not work in Terminal. Each line should be entered separately. bahnburner gave the instructions in this thread, which you should review first.

* Alternate Method *

TGA_Gunnman in this thread created a one click root/unroot program. Thank him for his effort.

THINGS TO DO WITH ROOT

CONTROL YOUR STARTUP (PLUS MORE)

There are many apps in the Market for this function, I only know and use Autostarts (found here). The developer has been very receptive to feedback and informative. This app does a lot, but this is what I suggest.

Download it. Install it. GO TO MENU > SETTINGS > APPLICATIONS > (can't recall the next menu name at the moment) AND ENABLE USB DEBUGGING (it will not work otherwise). Open Autostarts.

It will scan the system and put all the apps that are used for MANY different tasks the phone does. I then go to the options and hide all of the system apps (no point in messing with those). After that, simply control what market/3rd party apps should be running given the task identified by Startup. You will be surprised what apps appear, for no good reason. Of course Android will eventually kill these when needed, but why have them open in the first place (this is better than a task killer if you ask me). Obviously if you are sending a text message you do not want to disable an app like handcent, so use common sense here. Any questions or issues, I would suggest emailing the developer or posting a question in the App section (perhaps there is already a designated Startup thread to ask this question, hint hint).

Autostarts (Approx $1):

RESTORE SETTINGS AFTER WIPING YOUR PHONE *If changing from one ROM to another, be courteous, and wipe.

XDA user SykesAT reminded me that Titanium Backup is a great app for restoring after wiping your system. I do not use it, so I asked him to do a small write up. He obliged, and here it is:

Titanium Backup:

DELETE THE BLOAT!

Download Root Explorer (i'm not associated with) and go to System/App to remove a lot of the bloatware that came on the phone. I strongly encourage researching what can & can NOT be removed. ALWAYS make a backup. Here is a good thread about removing the bloat. Remember, I am not responsible. It will be some time before we have a custom ROM that removes this crap for us.

TAKE SCREEN SHOTS!

If you have root, the easiest way is to download shootme or drocap2 from the market. You can also use the Android SDK, but I'm going to keep is basic here. Once you have your pic, upload it for all of the community to see!

Shootme:

DISABLE ADS WITHIN APPS!

Download AdFree from the market... check for updates and voi'la, most, if not all apps should be ad-free.

AdFree:

HOW TO TETHER

Download Barnacle from the Market (consider the donate version). Then visit Lovellkid's thread for more instructions.

Donate Version ($1.99): Free Version:

CAMERA / VIDEO SECTION

HOW DO YOU ZOOM IN?

XDA user antonio91282 pointed out that you can zoom in by pressing the volume rocker while using the camera. It goes from 1-4x.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RECODING VIDEO TO SD VS. INTERNAL MEMORY

XDA user wphend00 asked (By creating two separate threads!, tiss tiss) if there were differences between recording video to the SD vs. Internal memory. I thought it was a great question, so I did a very quick test. Disclaimer, I'm certain others can do a better job. Here is my post with links to the videos so you can see for yourself. Here is a link to the entire thread so you can see discussion about it, if any.

APP TOPICS

USE GOOGLE GESTURE FOR QUICKNESS

XDA user os2baba pointed out using Google Gesture to search the phone (everything, apps, contacts, music, etc.). It's a great app where you make gestures with your finger and it isolates your search results based off the letter/number you enter. Highly recommend trying it.

Google Gesture:

WHERE ARE APPS LOCATED?

System Apps:

Market Apps:

Market Apps (Private):

Downloaded Apps (using browser):

* If you download an app using the browser, you can use Root Explorer to move the app to data/app so the apps are stored on the 1.9GB partition the system uses. Once moved you can click on it to install it. My personal preference.

TRY A HOME REPLACEMENT (ADW or LauncherPro)

Go to the market and download either - both are free. ADW has more customization, but I like the look and feel of LP more. If you don't like it, uninstall and go back to TW. Gravis86 started a good thread debating which is better, located here.

ADW: LP:

This my LP setup on my Vibrant. Notice the docks (these are also scrollable & there are 5 per each desktop screen you have). The Live Wallpaper is Aquarium.

XDA user afive720 had a nice post on how to revert back to TouchWiz (without uninstalling). You can read the thread here for more information.

WHAT WEATHER APP IS THAT?

It is Beautiful Widgets, found here.

WANT TO USE ALLSHARE: PC > PHONE AND VICE/VERSA?

I found this thread to be extremely helpful. I ended up using Windows Media Player and it was too easy. Great app.

XDA User BritCrit has also given some really good information in this thread you may also want to review.

USE AWESOME DROP TO MOVE FILES IF NO CABLES

If you are ever in a bind, or just being lazy you can use this app to move files from a PC to your phone. No hastle, no account setup and it is free. Just go to this site: http://labs.dashwire.com/drop and then enter the 4 digit code when you open the app on your phone. Drag whatever files to the browser on your PC, and voilà, it will instantly start showing up on your phone.

REDUCE A PICTURES SIZE BEFORE SHARING IT?

PaulO'Brien tweeted about an app, Image Shrink Lite, that lets you adjust the size and then select the method you want to share (twitter, messenger, gmail, etc). I mention this only because a lot of people get frustrated when they take a pic and try and send it out, but gmail hangs on it (and it eventually ends up a draft email) because it is too large. Resize the pics before you email them and you will not have this Fail.

Image Shrink Lite:

NEED HELP WITH METAMORPH?

Stericson is a master, and his thread is the tell-all on MetaMorph. Basically, this app allows you to customize the color/look of almost everything on your phone. It seems above my level, but those who use it, love it. You can view it here. I would caution using it unless comfortable.

MetaMorph Donate ($1): Free:

VIBRANT TOPICS

STOP THE BOOTUP / SHUTDOWN AUDIO NOTIFICATIONS!

This thread has it covered: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=731059

I deleted these two files using Root Explorer (referenced below) and can attest it works perfectly.

BUTTONS - Tap vs. Long Press (LP) Taken from www.androidcentral.com:

Home

: Returns to the main home screen. If at the home screen, another tap gives a preview of all home screens.

(LP) = See your most recently used apps (GREAT for multitasking).

Back

: Takes you back a level in an app, or back a page in a browser, etc.

(LP) = In your browser, quickly access bookmarks, history and most-visited sites. Thanks, Snapdragon0503!

Menu

: Tap this for additional options in an application, or from the home screens.

(LP) = Make the keyboard appear.

Search

: Brings up the search function. Could be search within an app, Google search, or universal search of contacts, bookmarks, apps, etc. that are in the phone.

(LP) = Launches voice search.

WANT A NEW LOOK? CHANGE YOUR FONT!

In settings, go to sound and display. Change the "Font Style" is like 8th from the bottom. There are a few freebies, and about 50 for a dollar in the market. I changed my system to helvetica, and I was amazed at the level it changed the phone. If you already have some free fonts you downloaded from the market, I believe you can move these .apk files to this directory to make them appear under Sound and Display:

(It is where Helvetica appeared once I downloaded and installed it).

XDA user RandyN added some input with this post, and I tend to agree. Though I love helvetica :)

XDA User nick_karstedt also pointed out there is an app that also does this called Type Fresh. I'm going to stick with the OS settings, but this looks like a good option for a lot of people. Thanks for the suggestion.

CHANGE THE DOCK BUTTONS ON TOUCHWIZ!

Open the app drawer, menu, edit, change to customizable. With the app drawer open now, press menu and edit again. You can now replace the two app docks in the middle (dialer and app drawer can't be replaced).

DELETE APPS FROM THE LAUNCHER OF TOUCHWIZ

Open the launcher, menu > view type, change to customizable. Now press Menu again and select Edit. All of the non-system apps will have a red subtraction logo. Thanks to XDA user erikrios and his post for this gem!

QUICKLY ADJUST YOUR BRIGHTNESS

Move your finger left to right across the notification bar. You probably need to cut off auto-brightness though. thanks to soklean (neat!)

NEED TO COPY AND PASTE?

If at a site, and you need to copy some text... click Menu > Select Text > Drag your finger over the text you need to copy. When you release your finger, the selected text is copied to your clipboard. Long press and paste when ready. I agree this is not perfect, but some of us may not even know you could do it. Froyo is coming soon, and with it the ability to easily copy/paste within gmail.

HOW TO CONTROL + F USING THE ANDROID BROWSER

I Very often use Control + F when browsing sites on a PC. Android makes this very easy when using their browser as well. Simply press Menu when in the browser, go to More, then select "Find on Page." You can then enter the keyword you are looking for and use the directional arrows (to the left of the word) to move from one entry to the next. Awesome.

CHANGE THE HAPTIC VIBRATION INTENSITY

Love this feature. I often find haptic feedback is too much. To adjust the intensity, from the home screen: Menu > Settings > Sound and Display > Vibration Intensity. As you slide the bar it gives you an idea of the intensity. Great addition.

TAP CONTACT IMAGE FOR MORE OPTIONS

XDA user jkang29 reminded me of another thing I took for granted. When you are in Contacts, click on the image of the contact for MANY options on how to contact/share with that particular contact. Thanks jkang29!

WANT TO DISABLE SD CARD NOTIFICATIONS?

I do not see the point in hearing this chime. To cut off the sound, from the home screen: Menu > Settings > Sound and Display > SD Card Notifications. You can uncheck this and never hear that sound again.

CONTACTS / DIALER TOPICS

EDIT YOUR CONTACTS (ON YOUR PC FIRST)

If you are new to Android, the first time you logged in it was probably amazing (and frustrating) when you saw ALL of your google contacts sync with your phone. Here are my thoughts, I hope it helps. First things you need to know, google does not allow you to stop the auto-adding of the random people you email to be added to your contacts. Of course, those randoms are now likely showing up in your contact list (hence the frustrating part). Here is how I fixed it:

*please note, if you hide all contacts who do not have a phone number (see below) you can likely skip this, but I included for those who REALLY want to clean up their contacts*

1 - Login to gmail on your PC. Click on "Contacts" on the left border.

2 - Notice you have "My Contacts" (the good) and you have "All Contacts" below that (the bad).

3 - go to the "search contacts" search bar and just enter one SPACE and then press enter.

4 - The middle column will now have your contacts sorted by THE GOOD (My contacts) on top and then THE BAD (All Contacts) below that. You may have more tiers, but I am keeping it simple for illustration.

5 - Scroll all the way down to the bad list. Review the names. Some may be legit people you just have not added to your My Contacts list yet.

6 - If you have a hard time recalling who someone is, google has included a "show conversation" link. This shows any previous email exchanges so you can decide to either delete or add them.

7 - Work through this list. I would suggest deleting them as you go, but not adding them to your My Contacts list until the very end (to prevent from having to do step 3 over and over).

8 - Okay, great. Lets assume you got rid of all the clutter. NOW, go to your My Contacts.... the far right panel should have a box that says "Find Duplicates". If you have any, fix them... no reason to have several entries for the same person.

9 - Now just review the My Contacts list and make any edits or format changes. I am Type A, so you could only imagine how clean your Android Contact list is about to appear.

Great, enough with the PC. Go to your Vibrant. Chances are it is already synching up with the changes you made.

The phone came with a bunch of #s stored on the Phone and SIM stock, I could care less about these. If you agree:

1 - Open Contacts. Press menu, go to "Display Options"

2 - Uncheck Phone and SIM (others may not agree, I just dont see the point), leaving Google as the only one checked.

Alright, almost there now. As it is, you have removed a LOT of clutter, but you may still have a ton of contacts. That is because, by default the Contacts app shows All contacts, even if they do not have a phone number. Now again, this is a personal choice.... but if I need to call someone, I would rather not have to deal with people listed who I do not have a phone number for. Also, if I am emailing them, I am using gmail, not Contacts (so again, not needed). IF you agree:

1 - Open Contacts, Press Menu and go to "Display Options"

2 - The top will say something to the affect of, check here if you only want to show contacts with phones.... Click it. Then click Done.

3 - Bam, your Contacts may not be perfect (like mine), but I bet they look a ton better. I tried to point out there is a lot of personal preferences, so please take this with a grain of salt. I like things clean.

FIND YOUR CONTACTS FASTER!

TouchWiz has a lot of cool tricks. One of my favorites is in the Contacts app. When you load the app, you will notice the far right has the alphabet running top to bottom. Good news, by simply pressing on the letter you will automatically jump down, instantly. I much prefer this to the old Android where you had to grab a silver bar and scroll down. Good job Samsung.

SMART DIALER!

Samsung even included a smart dialer. Pull up your dialer and just start typing the number out. It filters down your contacts as you type each new digit. Likely, after the area code and first 1 or 2 digits after should be enough. There will be a drop down on the right and a number above it (the # of possible contacts based off what you input). Just press the contact, and the press CALL, genius. Seriously should be on all android phones.

KEYBOARD TOPICS

TRY A NEW KEYBOARD!

Our phones came with Swype, Samsung's KB and the default Android KB. All are very good in their own right. You will find you prefer one over the other (or maybe many of the alternatives in the market). To switch... simply long press anywhere that you would normally input text (a text message or the search widget). "input method" will pop up, click on this. Now choose the KB you want to try out. If one is not showing up, go to Menu > Settings > Locale and Text and make sure its there/checked.

NEED A TRACKBALL?

In swype, move from the "swype tips" button to the "sym" key. Voila, directional buttons appear + other goodies (see pic).

MISC. GUIDES

HOW TO MOUNT PHONE TO PC

One of the most basic things I have overlooked. XDA user DaMaDo reminded me Android does not auto-mount like some other phones on the market. I am so accustomed to this, I neglected it. Precisely the things I want you to help remind me of. When most of us connect the phone, the USB drivers are automatic. If not there is a guide below to assist. For now, let's assume all is well on the first connection of the Vibrant to the PC. When you connect you will likely get a popup on the PC about installing drivers, great.

Please use the cable that came with the phone

! I had an error with another cable (nexus one's I believe).

Pause a bit. Alright, seems like nothing is happening right? Okay, go to the phone's notification bar and pull it down. You will see USB Connected. Click on this. You have a pretty little pop up window. Click on "Mount."

Shortly after, your computer should pop up automatically TWO devices, the "/SDCARD" (Internal Memory) and "SDCARD/SD" (SD Card). If not, go to My Computer and find the drives you just mounted to the PC.

NEPHRON'S GUIDE FOR ADB, etc (taken from the G1 forums)

This guide helped me a ton. I realize some things may be diffrent, but I could not think of a better starting point. Please read this thread.

CONVERT VIDEO FILES ON YOUR PC FOR YOUR PHONE

XDA user TGA_Gunnman did an excellent job putting a thread together for how to convert videos using HandBrake (get it here) and then moving them to your phone. I have a 2 year old. One thing I do a lot of is take video of my girl and share them with people. Perhaps you just want to share a prank video... regardless, this is the thread to get you on point. Be sure and thank him if his how to helped you!

HOW TO PROPERLY INSTALL A NEW SD CARD

XDA user techspy posted this question and I had recently done it so I responded with how I did it. Again, like always, I'm certain there are people on here who know how to do this better/easier, but this works and is nothing difficult. Here is my post with instructions, and here is the thread for discussion.

MISC. QUESTIONS

WHAT ARE THOSE FUNKY BARCODES?

These are QR Codes. Download Barcode Scanner from the market. Scan any of these codes I linked. You will be sent to the app in the market. Download, enjoy.

NOTICE LAG?

I do not encourage this, but some will want to play with it. There is a great thread on tweaks that can be done to speed up the Galaxy. I personally will wait for either an update or a custom ROM. Others users have reported a Factory Reset has helped. Again, updates are coming soon as well as custom ROMs.

DOUBLE NOTIFICATIONS?

If you are using a 3rd party app, you may be getting double notifications. For example, I use Handcent for texting (you should try it). First thing you need to do is open the stock Messanger app, go menu > Settings and disable notifications. This is basic, but sometimes it's easy to overlook.

SHOULD I USE A TASK KILLER?

Absolutely not. You have the best OS and one of the best spec'd phones ever. You would be doing more harm than good. If you do have one, uninstall, reboot and let me know what you think!

In addition, even Google at Google I/O 2010 addressed app developers and asked them to no longer include "quit" or "close" as options within their apps. I think Andronica (another great android site) summed it up well with their article, found here.

XDA user iunlock created a thread with some good debate based off this sticky. You can read all the thoughts by clicking here. In short, the overwhelming majority agreed and some have commented on seeing an increase in performance after deleting their task killers. Awesome job guys.

HOW TO DO A FACTORY RESET!

Rarely should you need to do this (I've never done one), but if you want to, simply press menu and go to settings. Scroll down to Privacy. In there is the option to perform a Factory Reset.

NEED HELP INSTALLING THE DRIVERS ON YOUR PC?

TGAGunnMan started a great thread with links for the drivers. You can view it here.

THREE (3) LIGHTS/SENSORS - SURE THERE IS NO LCD?

Yeap. I asked myself when I noticed there were 3 items. Two are used for the proximity sensor, the other is the light sensor.

Big props to XDA user gravis86 for answering my query so fast, see his post here.