Phone Advice: Droid 2, Incredible, or Samsung Fascinate?

[MetaLord 9]

So my old dumb phone is about kaput and a smart phone plan is only an extra $5/month for me, so I'll probby take the plunge & get a Droid. Problem is, which one?

And before you iPhiles whip out your Steve Jobs hard-on, I have an iPhone through work. Yes, I prefer to keep my work phone separate from my personal phone. Also, I'm on Verizon and I'm not picking up another Blackberry. The last one I had through work was a piece.

Those of you that have an Incredible, is the battery life really that godawful? Does a task killer help?

Those that have a Droid 2, do you really use the keyboard & is it worth having?

Does anyone have a Samsung Fascinate?

I have friends with a Droid X and the bump at the top feels weird to me and would probably bug me.

What do you think of your phones? Are these all just so damned similar that it just comes down to feel?

[dirkterrell]

Those that have a Droid 2, do you really use the keyboard & is it worth having?


I have the original Droid, not terribly different from Droid 2. I use the keyboard occasionally when I am doing something that is easier when looking at the whole screen like an SSH session. I do like the keyboard on the Droid 2 better than the one on mine (raised keys instead of flat). For most things, the on-screen keyboard is fine but I do like having the option of the physical keyboard.

Dirk

[dragos13]

I thought the Droid X was going to be a problem also but I honestly love it. Really not that noticeable, and very happy I made the change.

[TransNone13]

With Verizon I would get the Thunderbolt.

http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_thunderbolt_4g-3703.php

I'm a phone-philiac soooo. I've never owned a phone for more than 6 months except the Nexus One, only due to a deployment :D.


General 2G Network (http://www.gsmarena.com/network-bands.php3) CDMA 800 / 1900 3G Network (http://www.gsmarena.com/network-bands.php3) CDMA2000 1xEV-DO / LTE 700 Announced (http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_thunderbolt_4g-3703.php#) 2011, January Status (http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_thunderbolt_4g-3703.php#) Coming soon. Exp. release 2011, Q1 Size Dimensions (http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_thunderbolt_4g-3703.php#) 122 x 66 x 13 mm Weight (http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_thunderbolt_4g-3703.php#) 164 g Display Type (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=display-type) TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Size (http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_thunderbolt_4g-3703.php#) 480 x 800 pixels, 4.3 inches - Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate
- Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
- HTC Sense 2.0 UI
- Multi-touch input method Sound Alert types (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=call-alerts) Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones Loudspeaker (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=loudspeaker) Yes 3.5mm jack (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=audio-jack) Yes - DNSe (Dolby mobile sound enhancement) Memory Phonebook (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=phonebook) Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall Call records (http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_thunderbolt_4g-3703.php#) Practically unlimited Internal (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=dynamic-memory) 8GB storage, 768 MB RAM Card slot (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=memory-card-slot) microSD, up to 32GB, 32GB included Data GPRS (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=gprs) No EDGE (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=edge) No 3G (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=3g) Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps, LTE WLAN (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=wi-fi) Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA Bluetooth (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=bluetooth) Yes, v2.1 with A2DP, EDR Infrared port (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=irda) No USB (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=usb) Yes, microUSB v2.0 Camera Primary (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=camera) 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED flash Features (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=camera) Geo-tagging, face detection Video (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=camera) Yes, 720p Secondary (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=video-call) Yes, 1.3 MP Features OS (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=os) Android OS, v2.2 (Froyo) CPU (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=cpu) 1GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8655 Snapdragon Messaging (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=messaging) SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM Browser (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=browser) HTML Radio (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=fm-radio) Stereo FM radio with RDS Games (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=mobile-games) Yes + downloadable Colors (http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_thunderbolt_4g-3703.php#) Black GPS (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=gps) Yes, with A-GPS support Java (http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=java) No - Video Skype & SNS integration
- built-in kickstand
- Digital compass
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- Google Search, Maps, Gmail
- YouTube, Google Talk, Picasa integration
- MP3/AAC+/WAV/WMA9 player
- DivX/Xvid/MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV9/player
- Organizer
- Document viewer
- Voice memo/dial/commands
- Predictive text input Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion 1400 mAh

[Devaclis]

Droid X

Large screen
The bump is actually nice when holding it
Battery life is pretty good
HDMI is the TITS
Fits in my pocket nicely
Nice messaging integration
the physical butons on the bottom are better than the digital/haptic feedback buttons IMO

[MetaLord 9]

With Verizon I would get the Thunderbolt.

http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_thunderbolt_4g-3703.php

I'm a phone-philiac soooo. I've never owned a phone for more than 6 months except the Nexus One, only due to a deployment :D.
^^Yeah, but when's it coming out?

[Keyser Soze]

I actually like HTC better than Motorola. Everything just seemed to be smoother and less glitches. I have the X now and don't hate it...but I don't exactly love it either.

[TransNone13]

^^Yeah, but when's it coming out?


Should be shortly, quoted as Q1 which is any minute!


Announced (http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_thunderbolt_4g-3703.php#) 2011, January Status (http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_thunderbolt_4g-3703.php#) Coming soon. Exp. release 2011, Q1

[MetaLord 9]

^^Yeah, but my personal phone is pretty much DOA and I would like to be able to make personal calls & texts before the end of the month... Plus it looks like they've pushed back the release date for the past two weeks.

The Droid X is bigger than the iPhone 4 right?

[Keyser Soze]

Waaay bigger

[Sully]

Droid X

Large screen
The bump is actually nice when holding it
Battery life is pretty good
HDMI is the TITS - :boobies:
Fits in my pocket nicely - so I can butt text everyone and post on Facebook while riding! :lol:
Nice messaging integration
the physical butons on the bottom are better than the digital/haptic feedback buttons IMO

fixed!

[Devaclis]

Chris, you can mess with my X if you want. Get a feel for it. Over beers? Maybe after work?

[Devaclis]

fixed!

That is a fringe benefit that I frequently enjoy. My butt has a lot of important stuff to say.

[NUTZ]

I have the Fascinate, over all not that impressed with it. Out of the box it uses Android 2.1 OS, that it the oldest version out there. Bing is the search engine it uses, not Google and there is no status light to let you know you have a missed call or message or a low battery. On the plus side it takes video in 720p, though I think the Droid X does as well. If I were to do it over again, I would get the Droid X.

[MetaLord 9]

^^Thanks mang. How is it holding the thing? I couldn't get a good feel at the store b/c of the security device on it. It looks like it'd slide right outta your hand

[dragos13]

My buddy has the Droid 2 with the slide out keyboard. He wishes he had gotten the X. With Swype, you don't really need the physical keyboard. It makes the Droid 2 heavier than the X and just seems bulky.

[NUTZ]

Yeah it is a little small. If you get a cover for it, its a little bit better... Really they should have painted the thing pink so only petite girls would buy it and not guys with gorilla fingers...

[Survivalism]

Honestly i would try and hold out just a bit longer, if you cant currently make calls at all i would try and find another super cheap phone to get by on until the next batch of phones comes out.. IE Thunderbolt, Droid Bionic, HTC Incredible 2


http://www.phonearena.com/phones/carriers/Verizon/upcoming

[MetaLord 9]

^^Eh, it depends a lot on release dates. There's always going to be something new and awesome right around the corner so if it's gonna be more than a few weeks off, I've probably gotta settle for something now

[TransNone13]

^^Eh, it depends a lot on release dates. There's always going to be something new and awesome right around the corner so if it's gonna be more than a few weeks off, I've probably gotta settle for something now


That's true, but when you're dropping a couple hundo; being patient if you choose to wait on a specific model isn't ill-advised.

[Survivalism]

^^Eh, it depends a lot on release dates. There's always going to be something new and awesome right around the corner so if it's gonna be more than a few weeks off, I've probably gotta settle for something now

Pretty much all of those phones should be coming out literally any day, the technology in the Droid X compared to the Droid Bionic is literally funny, while the phones your looking at are definitely good phones, this next batch includes features like 4g, dual core 1ghz processors, huge amounts of ram, etc.

These phones are not small upgrades like normal IMO, these phones are going to be game changers once they hit the market.

[MetaLord 9]

^^They don't even have a release date for the Bionic do they? It's slated as Q2.

Thunderbolt's supposed to be out any day, but that's the only one that's got a release date that I can find

[Survivalism]

Yeah the Bionic does not have a release date yet, i personally would expect mid march to maybe early april for the release.

As my momma always tells me, some things are just worth waiting for.

[Devaclis]

I currently have NO 4G connectivity anywhere in Colorado. What good is a 4G ready phone here? None as far as I can tell.

I am also not finding that RAM or processor speed is inhibitive on any ofthe applications I run or any of the video/picture/media recording and playback. I use my phone heavily for work and for play and have yet to find a restriction due to hardware.

Online sites/applications/videos are quicker than my iPhone but are also not limited by the phone itself.

I am not sure what is to be gained by a dual processor phone at this point other than shorter battery life and braggin rights. What applications are written to take advantage of this "upgrade"? What are you running consecutively to need more RAM?

Trust me, I KNOW as well as some of you that the newest and coolest is nice to have. But it has really never been a cost effective and productive choice to purchase the first generation electronic device for me. Not that almost 3 decades of doing so has anything to contribute to "experience".

Now, where did I put my awesome Atrix. Oh, there it is, next to the other "newest crap" in my office like the iPad 2 and the Scooty Puff Sr.

[Devaclis]

I "LOVE" using ""'s

KMA

[Survivalism]

Well obviously nothing is going to take advantage of the dual core processors because they have not hit the market yet ( sans Atrix ). Once these phones have been on the market for a bit and the developers have had some time to warm up i think we will start to see some pretty cool stuff.

[TransNone13]

The same thing was said about the DC desktop processor, please. Now having a single core is considered budget.

[MetaLord 9]

...and the Scooty Puff Sr.
THE DOOM BRINGER!!!


Is the Thunderbolt supposed to be dual core 4g?

[TransNone13]

The thunderbolt is a single 1Ghz cpu i believe. Reference link.



1GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8655 Snapdragon

[Survivalism]

THE DOOM BRINGER!!!


Is the Thunderbolt supposed to be dual core 4g?

Unfortunately no, it will be running a 1ghz single core snapdragon

EDIT: Ninja'd, damn.

[Devaclis]

I really wish they would be reasonable on the prices of these new toys too. The mark up is incredible. You rich kids and your need for speed lol.

[Devaclis]

Well obviously nothing is going to take advantage of the dual core processors because they have not hit the market yet ( sans Atrix ). Once these phones have been on the market for a bit and the developers have had some time to warm up i think we will start to see some pretty cool stuff.

Hell yeah, I agree. But purchasing a device in anticipation of support is akin to storing the bologna sammiches next to the Y2k bananas "just in case".

I can't WAIT until I need a phone that can help me Mandelbrot sets and help me setup a SETI distributed cell farm. ;)

What is with all the Futurama refeneces?

[puckstr]

I will sell you Driod X....CHEAP.
No joking I have the car mount so if you get an X hit me up and I will sell the mount to ya cheap. $20
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/190499_197163946969853_100000287476419_648277_6092 067_n.jpg

I replaced it with a Droid 2. I actually like the D2 better and I use the keyboard.

[MetaLord 9]

You get that thing stuck in the chain of the bike or what?

[Devaclis]

angle grinder.

[puckstr]

Droid X took a bullet for me. I had it in my front pocket, slipped with a right angle grinder. Right through 2 pairs of pants.

[TransNone13]

lol

[salsashark]

I miss my Nokia... this thing just worked...

http://geekinheels.squarespace.com/storage/nokia_8290.jpg

[TransNone13]

I miss my Nokia... this thing just worked...

http://geekinheels.squarespace.com/storage/nokia_8290.jpg

So did the ENIAC... ;)

[green_zx7r]

Like Dirk, I have the OG (original) Droid, rooted with gingerbread, overclocked to 1.25ghz. I also bought it because it has a physical keyboard. Coming from a Blackberry, I thought I wouldn't be able to wean off of a physical QWERTY keyboard.

After the first 2-3 months, I have NEVER used the physical keyboard. Sad but true, it's so much more effort having to press down a key rather than just touch. :)
Only exception of when I use the physical keyboard is when I boot into Clockwork Recovery mode (holding X and power).

The touch keyboard seems a lot more efficient for me and I can type much faster.

So that said, my next phone will probably be one without a physical keyboard, and I'll probably stick with a Motorola phone... That, or I'll get the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play.

[chanke4252]

i wish they would stop it with the hardware speed wars, and focus on battery life. do we really need dual cores in phones?

i have an original droid right now. i'm getting ready to replace it with something else and switch to sprint or t-mobile (whichever one gets the nexus s 4g). verizon has good voice coverage, but their data network is SLOW, and they are needlessly expensive.

[asp_125]

I have the HTC G2, coming off a BB I thought I needed a keypad. But next time I will get one without a keypad, since Swype is so much faster and easier to use.

[brennahm]

Thunderbolt by Q2. (http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/03/08/prepare-to-groan-verizon-exec-says-htc-thunderbolt-to-arrive-by-the-end-of-the-second-quarter/)

I'm on Sprint and have the EVO. Gotta say I love the phone and big screen, but DAMN the battery life. Don't hate the battery enough to give up the big screen, but almost...

[Darth Do'Urden]

I'm also in the market for a new phone, but I don't have a friggin' clue. I know I'd like to have an Android (fall in an iWell and die, Apple...don't like BB's style), and really only need a smartphone for GPS (which means data plan), but at the same time don't wanna spend more than about $15/mo. for the data plan (since I'm only using it for GPS). Also not gonna spend more than $150.

I'm currently with AT&T and have been happy with 'em for about 7 years now. I really couldn't care less about 4G (only need GPS, remember?), so switching carriers isn't out of the question.

I've thought about Cricket, but I'm not at all sure what kind of quality coverage they actually provide.

Any suggestions beyond "quit being such a cheapskate"? =P

[*GSXR~SNAIL*]

Happy with the DroidX myself, but I would jump all over a Thunderbolt.

[Sparker]

I will be getting the Samsung GalaxyS II! Just as soon as its released in the US

[chanke4252]

I'm also in the market for a new phone, but I don't have a friggin' clue. I know I'd like to have an Android (fall in an iWell and die, Apple...don't like BB's style), and really only need a smartphone for GPS (which means data plan), but at the same time don't wanna spend more than about $15/mo. for the data plan (since I'm only using it for GPS). Also not gonna spend more than $150.

I'm currently with AT&T and have been happy with 'em for about 7 years now. I really couldn't care less about 4G (only need GPS, remember?), so switching carriers isn't out of the question.

I've thought about Cricket, but I'm not at all sure what kind of quality coverage they actually provide.

Any suggestions beyond "quit being such a cheapskate"? =P

ATT's data plans kind of limit your options. imo, anything below their 2gb plan is inadequate, and their 2gb plan is still inadequate for some people (like myself). so you either end up paying $25 for a 2gb plan (ripoff) or paying huge overage fees.

I think that's what they're going for (more overage fees), which is sad because if they had an unlimited plan i would be switching to them when I upgrade. oh well I guess, someone else will be happy to take my money.

[wulf]

fascinate has memory issues and freezes alot

incredible has severe memory issues, freezes alot and the screens are very fragile.

Droid 2 is the lesser of the evils. Software updates and occasional freezes

thunderbolt delivery next week, just a 4g incredible and has the same problems.

Bionic end of may 4g phone. new phone so issues unknown. cross between a fascinate and droid x.

[LambeauXLIV]

incredible has severe memory issues, freezes alot and the screens are very fragile.

do tell

[wulf]

do tell
it deletes stuff like numbers you put in or pictures etc. It basically randomly eats stuff. And it crashes. It's memory starved from the factory. If you don't download apps it is usually fine. If you try to use it like a droid you'll be hating it.

[LambeauXLIV]

it deletes stuff like numbers you put in or pictures etc. It basically randomly eats stuff. And it crashes. It's memory starved from the factory. If you don't download apps it is usually fine. If you try to use it like a droid you'll be hating it.

Well, I've had one for about a year now, and have not had the troubles you speak of.

As far as deleting stuff, are the account sync settings set up correctly?
It comes with 512MB RAM...pretty standard, not to mention the 8GB internal storage.

Do you use a task-killer? And if you're unhappy with htc's rom, you could always try a different one.