For the last week I have been using the Samsung Vibrant from Bell and am liking it.  I can’t say I love it, but it really is quite nice.

The Samsung Vibrant is part of the Galaxy S line with a design that looks very much like the iPhone.  Certainly, its meant to compete with the iPhone and it does a nice job at doing so.  This is really the part of this phone that is a let-down for me.  I stay away from the iPhone simply because everyone else on the planet seems to have one.  I don’t really want a phone that is a carbon copy.

Don’t tell Mike I stole one of his pictures!!

That aside, this phone is fantastic.  The processor is fast and everything just snaps to attention when you ask it.  Android 2.1 works very well on the Vibrant and Samsung’s skinning is noticeable without making you feel like they are hiding the OS.  The phone feels good in the hand and is very nice and thin.  My personal impression is that a 4 inch screen is the perfect compromise between large screen and portability.

The real standouts for me have to be the camera and the screen.

The camera is a 5mp one that takes very nice photos with nice colour and clarity.  The Sony Ericsson X10 Mini actually had a slightly better colour saturation but it’s very close.  The real advantage for the Vibrant is in it’s large screen for showing off those pics and video.

The Samsung Vibrant’s camera allows for 720p video capture as well.  There are slight hiccups in the video at times, but overall it does a nice job.  Here is an example of the video using HD setting.  Hey, the example is even cute, so watch it!

P.S. That isn’t me.

The Vibrant has Samsung’s much ballyhooed Super AMOLED screen and it really warrants the accolades.  The screen is bright and the colours look fantastic; you would actually need to see the Vibrant to really appreciate it…or you could just trust me.  No? Ok, whatever dude.

Overall, I like the Vibrant quite a bit but wished Samsung hadn’t trotted out the iPhone-envy so much.

Along with the new hardware, there is a new version of the SlingPlayer Windows software available. Version 2 adds support for the new Pro HD hardware along with an updated interface, live video buffer, and the new SlingPlayer Guide. The new software doesn’t require the Pro HD hardware, so feel free to download it and run it against your existing Sling hardware. You can see more details about this release, along with screenshots over at Sling’s website.