[Galaxy S I9000 General] Quiksilver78:
I don't take the phone with me just because it's too bulky to carry around while I am running or doing any physical activity for that matter. Not to insult your way of doing things, but personally when I go for a run, all I carry with me is an iPod shuffle strapped to my arm, a pair of shorts, t-shirt, runners and a sense of direction. I know where to turn, what the layout of my neighbourhood is, where the major streets and intersections are. I just don't rely on technology for something that really doesn't require it.

Of course it wouldn't be fine but I wouldn't have purchased the phone to begin with. This is why people do research before plunking down upwards of $500 on a seemingly simple cell phone OR make sure the store you bought it from has a solid return/exchange policy.

See, I come from a Blackberry 9700 device. I am currently in Europe and naturally considered a "foreigner." due to this, I couldn't activate my BB device without paying O2 upwards of $750 for a deposit so that they could activate BIS on my phone and go on monthly contract. If I were an EU citizen perhaps I could have it activated without issues, but I am not, and they won't do it without paying this "ransom"

I had to put away my beloved BB device (and apps for that matter) and decided to get the SGS for its screen size, screen quality and the fact that it was an Android device. I looked up the info for both, the HTC Desire, Google Nexus One, and SGS. The screen won me over. Anything else were just details. GPS? sure I'll look at a map (mainly to look up transit times) Camera? what the hell, I'd use it to to snap a pic here and there but when I go to some place worth remembering (i.e. Machu Picchu) I'd be a fool to depend on the SGS' camera to capture those once-in-a-lifetime moments. I'd bring along a dedicated device such as a Nikon or Canon DSLR.

If I go on a road trip and know that I'll have the urge to track my route, I just pick up a Tom-Tom device; or something less expensive but that was made specifically for this task.

Phones are considered to some extent computer devices, but they are still NOT full-blown powerful PCs yet. They have their limits; they are not there yet. Close, but not there yet.

Point is, I wouldn't spend good money on something if I don't know what the product is all about. Simple as that. And there are endless threads about Samsung's shortcomings and the faults with the SGS are well-documented; on this site and elsewhere: BUYER BEWARE.

I am not singling out anyone here, but if someone purchased the phone from eBay to save a few bucks on shipping and taxes, then the onus is not on Samsung for scamping on the so-called frills such as 'return or exchange policy'

I admit that the phone has its issues, but are they really show-stoppers? again, not dissing anyone here, but if you are loading up your phone with hundreds of applications, why not better spend the money on a similarly priced iPad or Netbook instead if they demand so much from a cellular phone.

The are fixes and workarounds for the issues and it is places like this forum that helps others apply these fixes and live with their phones happily ever after; not to mention smart folks coming up with amazing applications that enhance certain aspects of the phone: MixGet, AudioBooster, LCD Density Changer, etc

Is the phone unusable? NO I can make calls, receive calls, send a text message and send/receive email. All required apps are built-in and all perform their tasks admirably for my own purposes anyway. Why do I say that? because those were my requirements for picking up this phone: Kick ass screen, Android 2.1, and a system that was not proprietary such as BIS that would allow me to check out Twitter or Facebook without requiring a special data package.

It met all my needs and fulfilled my expectations.