OT

You want to get the phone with the best specs and screen interface.

Then root it and put 2.2 on yourself.

You'll have a far better phone and all the features of the latest Androids. Including tethering.

Yeah.  Guys at my job were telling me to go to Wirefly.com and getting the phone that way.  The prices were virtually the same, though.  Plus my job has some kind of agreement with Verizon so that my phone bill is actually going to have a discount, too.  I didn't know how to set that kind of stuff up in person.  I don't regret it.

I meant at Verizon's site. I also have a 20% discount through my work, however, i only buy phones online as its the same price without the rebates.

So I would have been billed $200 and got the phone by tuesday or wednesday if I ordered right now.

I setup my company discount over the phone years ago and just had to do some online form.

EDIT: btw, in the end its the same, I just hate dealing with rebates.

WHAT!?!  You can do that?  Well I'll be damned.

Yep, and Verizon only ships via UPS 2Day signature required mail. So, its quick and no worries about being lost. Then you just call the * number to activate and bam, you're good.

Interesting. How hard is it to root it, and would I lose access to updates/app features by doing so? Cause spec wise the Moment is still better than the Intercept in every way.

rooting it is like tossing out all the crap you get from a prebuilt PC and putting vanilla windows on instead. It improves the speed, battery life, and gives you access to every hardware feature that the carrier might block.

On the downside you will then need to continue the upgrade process through Google directly and nor carrier (not sure if this is a bad thing as the carrier tends to f it up). Additionally it voids your warranty unless you were to put back the carrier's rom before you took it in to get fixed/replaced should something happen.

Other than that, there is no real loss. You'll have better phone that is truly put to the full capabilities that both the manufacturer as well as Google had intended.

Just google 'root moment' to see how the process works and anyone elses comments on the before/after experience.

http://www.samsungmomentforum.com/samsung-moment-rooting/?PHPSESSID=dbbdc28545bb916082f150bfc4677e97

http://www.sdx-developers.com/?board=5.0

Looks like these are the sites to hit up on rooting the Moment.

Yes it is, its coming out I think in 2 weeks for Sprint.

Sorry, just looked it up. They renamed the phone Epic 4G. Its the Galaxy S made for 4G.

http://nexus404.com/Blog/2010/08/30/sprint-samsung-epic-4g-starts-selling-tomorrow-as-early-as-8-am-sprint-stores-to-open-early-for-samsung-epic-4g-launch/

Already out, its called the 'Epic'.

However, he wants to buy without a contract so that cuts this brand new phone out.

http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-20008968-251.html

No it isnt. Its the Epic 4G. I edited the last post.

I just would suggest getting it off Amazon since the phone on Amazon costs $199 rather then the Sprint store's own $249.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Epic-Android-Phone-Sprint/dp/B003ZDO2H6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=wireless&qid=1283201289&sr=1-1