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Because the Samsung Epic 4G Touch has a slightly bigger screen than the Samsung Galaxy S2, we found that messaging worked slightly better. It meant typing was just a bit faster with slightly bigger soft keys. We're not talking a monumental difference, but the Samsung Epic 4G Touch did respond well to finger presses.
Social networking is well integrated on the smartphone in terms of contacts and the Social Hub app, which matches the capability of the Samsung Galaxy S2.
You can view a stream of messages and feeds on the Social Hub, but this tool isn't integrated into the email app, so there's no universal inbox. Tapping messages for both email and text worked quickly and accurately on the large 4.5-inch screen.
The touchscreen is responsive and works well in either portrait or landscape mode. There is a dedicated Gmail app for your Google Mail and one generic email app for POP messages.
For instant messaging, you can use the included Google Talk app, but IM isn't integrated into the phone - you can't, for example, decide to send an instant message while playing a game or browsing the web. There are no bundled features for reading your text messages or IMs aloud, either.
