Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've been waiting for this phone for months, while also planning on switching carriers at the same time. Here's what I like about the phone: Beautiful screen - for those of us who don't have perfect vision, this screen is very readable. The fonts are an appropriate size, with good contrast. Nice speed. The screen is responsive, and allows multiple windows to be open at once. Screen size: For certain apps, I.e. the kindle app, this screen approximates an e-reader very well (as opposed to reading on a smaller phone screen.) The interface is very thoughtfully designed. Great job, Samsung! Unobtrusive, noninvasive methods of accessing critical apps are available from almost anyplace on the phone. Icons/graphics are adorable, and creatively designed. No boring manila folders on this phone! Your folders show contents from the outside of the folder... Cute. Ease of use: There is a little bit of a learning curve on this phone (I had the Samsung Epic previously), but I've pretty much figured it out in a few hours. It's going to be great. Once you get the hang of the graphics, it's really quick to move things around, personalize, etc. It really blurs the boundary between a tablet and a phone, without becoming too huge, like the Note (which I am now glad I did not buy). Voice quality: I'd read reviews in the last few days that state that it is not very good... I think it's fine. The sound is clear, and volume is fine. One of my favorite apps for Android: Out of Milk. Running out of groceries? Scan the bar code into one of your shopping lists, (or input by voice or typing), and your shopping list is complete. I keep a running shopping list for Trader Joes, and my other local market. When I go to the store, I simply move the items I need to the top of the list, and go for it! No more paper lists! One heads up: (carrier, not phone related): check on Visual Voicemail.... I use it all the time, and really like it. I was surprised to discover that I had to pay for it as an add on with Verizon.... It was part of my Sprint service previously. ** UPDATE ** I've had the phone for almost a week, and it's simply a PLEASURE to use! Lots of nice touches: pop up asking if you'd like to add someone to your contacts after a call from a non contact, for example. Camera: is great. I photographed an entire exhibit in a museum.... No flash, in dark rooms, and the photos are stunning. Battery life: surprisingly good! I used the phone all day yesterday, on and off trains where it would have been seeking service in tunnels (usually drains battery quicker), used my Kindle app, made calls, sent texts and emails, and I still had 60% at the end of a ten hour day. Battery recharging: using the charging cord that comes with the phone, it charges in no time... A couple of hours at most. I've been amazed at the recharge speed, compared to my previous phone. Kindle app is like a baby Kindle... there's just enough on the page to not feel like you are only reading a few sentences at a time like on some smaller devices. I'm so pleased with my choice, I hope you enjoy it, also. (And in case this is helpful to anyone: if you are debating about a case, I have the Seidio holster case... Please see my review.) ************* UPDATE 2: June 9 The phone continues to work beautifully, but I wanted to give everyone a head's up: Careful how you delete your photos. I thought I was deleting one picture, and deleted everything by accident! Back up your photos before you delete anything. Also, I wouldn't delete anything until you figure out the camera interface.... I hadn't had a chance to do a backup. And, read the 'confirm" carefully. It said do you want to delete this album... I didn't realize it was more than one photo until I hit 'yes', and there was no way to stop the delete at that point. Luckily, I had emailed some of the photos, so I had a few of them, but the rest are gone. ************** UPATE 3: June 22 Still loving the device. I use the camera daily.... Photo quality blows me away. It's great. Check out the Samsung spare battery/ charger for the S4.... Please see my review. Very nice set. **************** UPATE 4: July 6 I dropped the phone the other day from about 5 feet onto a hard floor. In the Seidio case, the phone was fine.... Please see my review of the case for more info. ***************** UPATE 5: October 11 I took some casual photos on my phone. They were good enough to use in a professionally produced brochure. The photos are stunning! Enjoy this great device! Questions? Drop a note, and I'll get back to you.