Introduction

Other features include Bluetooth capability, Swype text entry and a 5.0-megapixel camera with high-definition video recording. For navigation, the Epic comes downloaded with Google's Navigation app but can also subscribe to Sprint's Navigation service.

Finally, the phone's Social Hub feature syncs contacts with Facebook and most email accounts, including Microsoft Exchange. Because of its versatility, Samsung is positioning the Epic as a phone for business as well as entertainment.

Design

At first glance, the bulky Epic exudes a quaintly outdated look. Compared to the slender iPhone 4 and other palm-sized handsets, it stands out like a Hummer in a lot full of compacts.

The largest model in the Samsung Galaxy S series, the phone measures a hefty 4.9 inches long by 2.54 inches wide by 0.56 inches thick. But Samsung sacrificed small and sleek for performance and screen size when it designed the Epic. And in spite of its chunkiness, the 5.46-ounce phone feels light in the hand, even though it won't fit in any pocket.

All trepidation about the phone's size dissipates when the Epic's colorful, 4.0-inch display lights up. It dwarfs the iPhone 4's 3.5 inch-screen, while it doesn't quite measure up to the 4.3-inch screen on the HTC Evo 4G. The Epic is equipped with an accelerometer and can be set to automatically switch the screen orientation when rotating the phone.

When typing, users have a choice tapping on a virtual keyboard or thumbing the slide-out, full QWERTY keyboard. The backlit, raised keys press solidly and respond quickly for no-nonsense typing. Designated keys to the left and right of the keyboard also provide "Search," "Home," "Back" and program functions. And on the bottom right corner of the keyboard, four-way directional keys make editing texts or emails a breeze.

When the phone is activated, the same basic buttons found on the keyboard -- "Search," "Home, "Back," and Menus" exist on the front screen as touch-sensitive keys on the bottom of the phone. Each key brings up an elegant, pop-up menu for its respective function. However, the "Back" button in particular is buggy, and sometimes won't respond at all. Other times, instead of going back to a previous screen, it simply quits an application. Samsung has not yet fixed the issue, which some users say gets worse over time.

In the settings menu, users can choose whether or not the soft keys respond with a vibration feedback, and set the intensity of the vibration -- a small detail, but a nice option to have, in case you don't want the phone to go crazy in your hand every time you press a button. Just like the Droid or the iPhone, the home screen uses a grid of application icons -- called a "drawer" -- that users can scroll through. The Epic has a limit of six pages for icons.

Other physical keys on the phone include an on/off switch and a camera activation button on the right edge of the phone. Among the Galaxy S models, the Epic is the only phone that features camera lenses on both the front and back of the phone, as well as a LED flash on the back lens.

A volume rocker sits on the phone's left spine and a 3.5-millimeter headset jack and micro-USB port rest on the top edge. The back of the phone houses the speaker, the battery and the microSD card slot, which users access by removing the phone's back cover.

Out of the box, the Samsung Epic 4G comes with a standard battery, a USB power adapter, a dock connector to USB cable and a user manual.

Camera

Compared with the HTC Evo and other smartphones now featuring 8.0-megapixel cameras, the Epic's 5.0-megapixel capability seems almost quaint and commonplace. But the Epic stands in good company alongside the iPhone 4G and the Droid X, and 5.0-megapixels are nothing to sneeze at. Pictures shot with the Epic look crisp and bright.

The camera activates with the push of a dedicated button on the phone's right spine. Instantly, a shutter button and tap-to-focus guide appears on the touch screen. Press the "menu" button on the right side of the screen and an array of settings appear on the touch screen.

In the "Shooting Mode" section, choices include single or continuous shots as well as panorama and special effects. Other basic controls include flash settings, white balance, exposure, auto or manual focus, screen review time, and timer. The camera shoots in eight resolutions ranging from 2560 by 1920 to 800 by 480 pixels.

More experienced shooters can delve into the camera's manual ISO settings. Social media hounds who use mapping apps will love the setting that embeds GPS coordinates into a photo's metadata. The camera also comes with a robust set of scene modes from the usual beach and snow setting to "Firework" and "Fall color."

And finally, advanced users can choose centre-weighted, spot or matrix metering for their shots and adjust the contrast, saturation and sharpness. Once taken, photos can be cropped and rotated using the a suite of editing tools, then shared to social media apps or set as wallpaper.

The phone's camcorder activates from the camera screen and shoots video in two sizes, "Normal" (720 by 420 pixels) and "Limited" (up to 50 seconds for MMS set at 176 by 144 pixels.) Like the camera, settings include flash on or off, exposure, white balance, contrast, video quality and audio on or off. Normal mode shoots HD video at a cinematic speed of 24 frames per second. Although holding the phone steady presents a challenge, the video comes out crisp and clear, just like the photos.

Basic Features

The Epic 4G uses the Android 2.1 Operating system. Many of its features can be found in other Android-based phones, including the HTC Evo 4G and the Droid 2. The phone comes fully integrated with Google Mobile Services, which means the phone integrates Gmail accounts as well as other Google services such as Calendar and Google Talk.

Each service appears as an app in the browser, and all updates made on the phone are saved in real time to the Google computing cloud and accessible by other devices. In addition to the Gmail app, the phone's email app combines inboxes from other POP3, IMAP4 and Exchange accounts.

The lightning-fast operating system on the Epic runs on a 1-gigahertz chip using Samsung's TouchWiz 3.0 interface, which is Samsung's re-skinning of the Android user interface. Although TouchWiz 3.0 provides widgets and functions that spruce up the handset's home screen, one concern is whether Sprint will be able to keep up with Android updates, which might make the phone less desirable to early adapters.

Like other phones running the Android OS and the iPhone 4, the Epic has the ability to run multiple apps simultaneously. For keeping track, the screen has a handy "Task Manager." Users can switch to a different app at any time by pressing and holding the Home key. The Task Manager pops up with a menu of the last six apps opened.

There's no shortage of social media integrations on the Epic. Samsung's "Social Hub" feature incorporates contacts from various email accounts and social networking sites, instantly filling up the phone with numbers and addresses of friends across the social network spectrum.

The phone also comes pre-installed with a Facebook widget that streams thumbnails of the latest updates from your friends and clicks through to a Facebook App. Another app called "Feeds and Updates" streams a combination of Facebook, Twitter and MySpace updates in real time.

The phone comes with 1-gigabyte of internal memory and allows for up to 16-gigabytes of memory in microSD cards. Most users will probably want to take advantage of the microSD cards for storing photos, video and music, since 1-gigabyte isn't a lot of storage space by today's standards.

Samsung claims that standby time on the phone's 1500mAh lithium ion battery runs 21 days, while talk time rates 7.5 hours. Users report a different story, with battery life lasting less than 7 hours of talk time.

Screen

With so much video content now available on mobile phones, smartphone screens are becoming more sophisticated. The Epic 4G's 4.0-inch, touch screen, Super AMOLED display boasts cutting-edge technology. It displays 16.7 million colors at a resolution of 800 by 480 pixels. Samsung developed the Super AMOLED technology for its television screens and mobile displays.

Images pop on the Epic's screen with vivid color and contrast. During a side-by-side viewing with the iPhone 4, the Samsung screen produced a higher color saturation and brighter colors, but the whites looked dull. And while the Samsung screen was larger, the image appeared stretched out, whereas the proportions looked good on the iPhone 4.

The Epic is equipped with an accelerometer for landscape and portrait viewing.

Waking up the phone presents a small annoyance. Whereas the iPhone and the Droid wake from sleep with the touch of a dedicated home button at the bottom of the screen, the on/off button on the Epic is located on the top right side of the phone, closer to the back than the front. Because it's also flush with the phone, it's difficult to find and press firmly. The same issue arises when putting the phone to sleep.

The home screen has seven pages for most-used apps, which can be added, deleted and rearranged by touching and moving the icons. The phone comes with some apps and widgets pre-loaded on the home screen, including Voicemail (which, oddly, is not accessible from the Phone dialer), Android Market, CNN, YouTube, ESPN and a widget called "Buddies Now," for select contacts.

Sprint has also included an elegant Google Browser widget with Google Voice search functionality, the Sprint Navigator map application, Sprint TV, and Sprint Zone, an app that allows users to download Sprint apps and media, pay bills and access their Sprint account.

A pull-down notification tray at the top of the touch screen features a wireless manager for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, 4G and GPS settings. The Notifications tab lists incoming email, alerts and messages, which is handy for reviewing and prioritizing tasks.

Finally, the home screen features personalized wallpaper and a toolbar at the bottom with shortcuts to phone functions, contacts, messaging and applications. The applications menu is laid out in a grid with endless pages. New apps from either the Sprint Zone or Android Market download directly to the apps menu.

Audio

Call quality on the Epic 4G sounds good, with occasional static and a slightly tinny quality on both the receiving and calling side. The microphone degrades on speakerphone as well, although the speakerphone sounds clear and has robust volume even though it sits on the back of the phone. Overall, audio clarity is good, but not exceptional.

When recording video, the microphone picks up ambient noise. Depending on how far away the camera is from the subject, audio quality will sound canned and unclear. However, this is to be expected from built-in microphones in any video recording device.

Unlike the iPhone 4, the Epic does not come pre-installed with a voice memo app, but apps for recording calls or memos are available in Android Market, which users access from the home screen.

The Epic's music player sorts songs by artist, albums, songs and playlists. They can also be added as ringtones. Users can load tracks onto the phone using a microSD card, or download them from the Sprint Zone. Users can also download music streaming apps such as Pandora for customized radio, or buy music through the preloaded Amazon MP3 app.