Is it me, or is it just that Galaxay S and Kies (and Samsung) is disaster altogether:
If these are the choices, then it is you or your expectations.
5 million sales with a relatively high satisfaction rating is hardly a disaster, though admittedly there are limitation with the phone and support from Samsung.
1. Phone's basic applications lacks a lot of functionality needed for business people
Can you be more specific about what it lacks?
It is marketed as a social/entertainment device and yet it still has many business-like functions...
It has fully integrated communication, organisation and collaboration tools from Google which I have found far more effective than anything from crApple or Micro$oft.
It can be hooked direct to big screens/projectors for presentations.
It can wirelessly "tether" laptops to 2G/3G
2. Kies (this includes the latest version 1.5.3.10093_31.1) i) it craches on install; ii) screws up many peoples PC's, including mine, if you can get it installed; iii) is very unstable (most often does not connect to the phone); iv) the functionality of the sync with outlook is very bad (you have very little control; the way it handles memos, sms, mails etc. is not flexible and user friendly, etc.
Kies apparently crashes on some systems, though I have yet to come across this, after installing on several systems. No issues with connections or functionality (though I do not use outlook/exchange - which typically has connection issues, is inflexible and user unfriendly).
Testing for Windows is extremely difficult, there are so many hardware and software combinations out there that no amount of testing can be exhaustive. There are always going to be certain installations that demand a little more attention than most. It seems you are one of the unfortunate ones on this occasion, perhaps consider yourself lucky you have not suffered such limitations before now, you almost certainly will again in the future with a different manufacturer, device or software.
3. The firmware update that came out 30. Sept 10 cannot be installed on my phone. With Kies installed and the phone connected (took only 3 hrs.), the updater crashes two different places, but fails EVERY time.
As a business user, perhaps talk to your internal support department, or take the phone back to the provider for an update. Business users should not be wasting 3 hours on simple technical matters such as these.
5. The Web-site does not have event the most rudimentary and necessary information (such as what has been adressed in the release), there is no patch or update history, etc.
4. Support is totally useless: i) they have no solutions to any problems - the only answer is "hard re-set" and try again; ii) they do not know what fix'es comming or when they come. They don't know which problems are recognized by support and worked on, etc.
Here I am inclined to agree with you. My experience of Samsung support has rarely been satisfactory. They are slow to respond and often respond with useless or incorrect information or simply pass the buck to another department.
Perhaps this is why they do not market the device to business users?
In short, I will never buy a Samsung product again (and not a Galaxy Tab -which I was acutally waiting for). It is ismply too BAD.
Technologically, Samsung are quite leading edge at the moment. However, business users who depend on certain features or specifications ought to be using established products with good support. Android is an infant technology, under constant development, and Samsung do not have a history in smartphones that should encourage business users to adopt - YET. It is up to them how they deal with customers to see whether they can ever meet such high demands and expectations.
Perhaps, as others have suggested, you might have been wiser to adopt an established business product. I wonder what your reasons were for wanting the Galaxy S or Tab over products from established markets for business?
I have been using tablets for years (Acer and Toshiba) and still find them very limited for business use, though they have some advantages in some situations. I wouldn't go near any of the latest 'Pads' or 'Tabs' for serious business use, unless you are in the fashion industry and just need to look 'cool' with your latest gadget paperweights.
