Was Eris under developed on purpose? - Droid Eris Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I wonder if eris was under promoted or under developed on purpose so that customers felt it necessary to move in to higher end devices. A marketing plan. It runs so sweet on froyo. Better than it ever did from the start. They had to know that it would. I thought for a long time that I bought the lesser phone much because of price. I looked forward and counted months so that I could upgrade. Now with a rooted eris running xda upgrades and other neat improvements there's nothing out there that is close to tempting me away. I'm sure a lot of people that had trouble with eris screwed it up themselves.
Vanilla Tazz, swype, latest market, great updated navigation, 3400 battery and more.
I even went to a verizon store and downloaded side by side to droid 2 and fascinate and eris was faster. I have no idea why but it did it time and time again.
Thanks XDA and all you eris fans.
Oh yea I'm keeping an eye on Kaos and his gingerbread progress and with ROM manager I'll be playing with that before long.
Edward
Sent from my Eris using XDA App

I seriously doubt it. The Eris is essentially the same hardware as the GSM Hero (and T-Mobile G2), which was released three months before the Eris, and is in fact only different from the G1 in the amount of internal RAM and storage. I don't think it's possible that HTC knew that an overclocked Eris could run Froyo acceptably (albeit without Flash, one of Froyo's selling points) at the time it was developed; Android 2.0 wasn't even out when the Hero first came out.
Comparing the speed of a rooted, overclocked Eris to a stock Fascinate and Droid 2 is a bit of an unfair comparison, IMHO.
I am sure that Verizon wanted a second phone to be available when the Droid was announced, priced lower, to help the ramp-up to Android sales. And, as far as I know, the Eris actually sold very well - not as well as the Droid, but it was still very successful.

I had the motor droid first, I guess the hype for to me.. soon found out that the keyboard sucked and I didn't like the bulky feel of the phone was still in my thirty days so I got the eris loved it since
Sent from my FroShedYo.V8-ERIS using XDA App

they rebranded the hero for verizon, and just never bothered to do full testing on the trackball.
have you noticed that since the eris/nexus 1 htc hasnt put another trackball in any of their phones? yeah. htc sucks with trackballs, they found that out with the eris, and the nexus 1 was already too far into production to take it out before release some 7-8 months after the eris was released and they got word of the user complaints.
it was a half way there job, poor testing, and then HTC sense on top to slow everything down. just a corporate **** up to push a device out the door for a cheap buck (that and they were rushed on top of all that, verizon wanted to launch their droid line with or without HTC's little eris)

That question is sort of like asking "Is the Ford Fiesta purposely underdeveloped? The Ford Taurus is so much better!"
The Droid and the Eris were launched by Verizon on the same day, with different form factors and price points.
That's just modern marketeering - you segment your product offerings to appeal to people with different tastes or price preferences in order to maximize your return, rather than offering only a single product.
I have to believe that when Verizon had their first look at the Droid, the marketing folks probably said - "this thing is a brick, women are not going to buy it."
The other part of it has to do with Verizon's desire to control their supply chain: if they only had a single vendor for their first Android phone, they would have less leverage in price negotiations with Motorola. Remember that in the US market, the carriers are still trying to run the show.
So was it "purposely under developed"? Very doubtful. If you buy a Ford Fiesta and discover that it sucks, you probably are not going to say to yourself, "maybe I'll run out and buy a different Ford model" - you'll select a different maker first. Neither VZW nor HTC want people to think that their stuff stinks; brand perception is a huge deal in commodity products.
bftb0

well said, bftb0. not so much underdeveloped, but rather sold as a lower cost alternative to appeal to those that didn't want to spend an extra $100+ for the moto droid.

I think the eris hardware is a great value. So I'm not expecting to turn a cheap device into something it's not capable of. That's the interesting question. As it stands it's extremely capable. With just a few software enhancements it meets or exceeds what I would expect out of so called higher end models. I guess that's the beauty of Android--even when the manufacturers put an end of life status on a unit that doesn't really end it at all thanks to folks at XDA and fellow enthusiasts that are satisfied and amazed at what they are able to do and wonder just how far this development can go. And it's actually more fun than opening something new out of the box.
Ed
Sent from my Eris using XDA App

Hear hear!

I think they stop coming out with software improvements as soon as the next hardware cycle comes out. The ones you do see after that (like when 2.0 came out for the eris) were probably still in the works when the phone was being sold. They want to use froyo (and gingerbread) as selling points on new phones, implying they wont be available on the older models. Of course, the eris has great froyo roms and even some preliminary gingerbread roms, so i guess the good people here at xda rendered that point moot.

Related

Anyone thinking of changing to HTC Evo 4G?

Just watched a review on the HTC evo4G and was impressed but unsure if I am an Android man???? what are your thoughts?
Evo4G vs HD2
antilagman said:
Just watched a review on the HTC evo4G and was impressed but unsure if I am an Android man???? what are your thoughts?
Evo4G vs HD2
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I've never tried Android, but if that phone wasn't CDMA I'd probably give it a go.
The EVO is definitely a device I'd love to have a go with. I enjoy using my HD2 but the EVO definitely has a few features i'd be interested in, mainly the Android OS, but also the better camera and the HDMI out.
HDMI-out is the killer feature I miss on the HD2 (I'm not even sure I would use it much, but I love convergence me )
I love the slimness of HD2 so I'm not sure yet.
Both my daughter and wife have the Evo. It is a fantastic phone. I find myself playing with it over my HD2 frequently. My HD2s biggest advantage is Outlook/Exchange. Android has some pretty good Exchange integration, but not as good as WinMo.
Turning on 4G kills the battery pretty quick. The battery cover is pretty cheesey compared to the HD2's. Android market beats Microsoft's marketplace handily.
I've been playing around with the HTC Desire, which also has Adroid on it and I was amazed by it's responsiveness. In other words, it's fast!
As you can see in the review, browsing the internet on the HD2 (this is probably a opera mobile browser thing) is annoying, as you have to pan and zoom in/out all the time; the browser adjusts pages for you, but not always in a convenient way.
The Android market is huge, and mostly free. But that doesn't get me enthousiastic, as I have found all my application for WinMo here on XDA (you gotta love this site, big thanks for all the developers!).
Google Maps Turn by Turn navigation isn't available for WinMo (that's correct right?) yet. I'd really love to have that feature on my HD2.
I'd also like to have the one button press to get an overview of all the home-tabs as in Android on my HD2, but maybe this is already developed or being developed.
So, for me, in the end, I'll stay with my HD2 for a while (at least 10 months as my contract will then be renewed (yay for "free" phones ) Maybe by then Android will have left WinMo even further behind.
Seemless outlook syncing, tomtom and garmin keep me with windows mobile...
Never been tempted to android or iphone...
Its that simple for me...
My mate's trading in his hero for a desire... I'll grab it, play with it for a few minutes and give it back and say "yeah, nice...", then walk away thanking God I have my HD2...
Android and iphone interfaces may be smoother, but that's not the phone experience I'm worried about...
I'll stick with WM...
argentocruz said:
My mate's trading in his hero for a desire... I'll grab it, play with it for a few minutes and give it back and say "yeah, nice...", then walk away thanking God I have my HD2...
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x2.
My girlfriend has an iphone4, and a coworker of mine has the evo4g, and I really can't see myself using either of those phones on a daily basis. I like the minimalistic of cooking my own ROM, I like the idea of using whatever software I want, when I want, without having to fork over $2-3 dollars for it. Conversely, I want to be able to manage everything manually on my phone. I want to have the ability to establish where the cache is going to be, I want to be able to tweak and "mod" the behavior of the program im running. I don't want the OS to dictate that.
Basically it comes down to functionality and flexibility, and with Cookies Home Tab, no two HD2s are alike...which makes the phone that much more unique.
On the other hand, you could argue that the apps are what make the phone, but honestly, I dont need to further clutter my phone with countless sports score apps, food apps, or any of that junk. Everything basic amenities that a smart phone need are already available on the HD2/windows mobile.
i jumped from sprint to t-mobile after the evo was already out. I'm not interested in android at this time and I'm pretty sure with nrgz28's cht ROM, it's every bit as smooth as the iphone4 and evo.
What's sad about sprint for me was the data speeds on sprint (3g). I was getting only 500-700kbps. I'm getting 2000-3000 kbps on t-mobile on hspa with hspa+ rolling out this month (according to my local t-mobile). So my speeds right now are similar or close to sprint 4g, then will blow right past them very soon.
Honestly, I don't get the jump to android, especially an htc device. Sense is very similar on both and you hardly dig into winmo anymore anyways.
I think that if you have 4g in your area, go for the evo if you are looking for something different, but if not, and your t-mobile coverage is good, you might as well wait at least till this fall and see what is coming out (like all the galaxy s and galaxy s pros). Not to mention there is some sweet spec'd wp7 coming down the pipe (1.5 ghz snap dragon anyone???).
lude219 said:
x2.
My girlfriend has an iphone4, and a coworker of mine has the evo4g, and I really can't see myself using either of those phones on a daily basis. I like the minimalistic of cooking my own ROM, I like the idea of using whatever software I want, when I want, without having to fork over $2-3 dollars for it. Conversely, I want to be able to manage everything manually on my phone. I want to have the ability to establish where the cache is going to be, I want to be able to tweak and "mod" the behavior of the program im running. I don't want the OS to dictate that.
Basically it comes down to functionality and flexibility, and with Cookies Home Tab, no two HD2s are alike...which makes the phone that much more unique.
On the other hand, you could argue that the apps are what make the phone, but honestly, I dont need to further clutter my phone with countless sports score apps, food apps, or any of that junk. Everything basic amenities that a smart phone need are already available on the HD2/windows mobile.
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customizabilty FTW! thats why i stick with winmo too. i can make my phone completely my own.
im sick of the whole "app store" argument too. iphone & android have oh so many apps... most of which are stupid games & frivolous bull****. winmo has as many apps as they do, theyre just not all organized in the app store yet. most of them are actually useful too. MS only recently made an app store cause googling for the app they want is too much work for most people & they were losing out to the competition.
why would you go from hd2 to evo when hd2 can run android too?
i'll stick to a Windoes mobile phone no matter what....dunno why, s'pose it's like a PC....no way would i change to apple (IMHO) s**T like that.
prob change my phone in 3 months, maybe even a year, but whatever it will be, it'll definitely be a windows operating system.
Matt

The Android Orphans

I'm sure this is being discussed somewhere on this massive forum, but didn't see it in here, so here it is. This is honestly one of the biggest draw backs in my opinion to buying an Android phone. For instance, my mom bought the Samsung Charge which is still on Froyo. There appears to be no plans to take it up to Gingerbread or ICS. That's just sad. The phone is new and she'll be two OS's behind. I have a feeling we'll not see ICS unless we crack it ourselves.
http://theunderstatement.com/post/11982112928/android-orphans-visualizing-a-sad-history-of-support
stalked_r/t said:
I'm sure this is being discussed somewhere on this massive forum, but didn't see it in here, so here it is. This is honestly one of the biggest draw backs in my opinion to buying an Android phone. For instance, my mom bought the Samsung Charge which is still on Froyo. There appears to be no plans to take it up to Gingerbread or ICS. That's just sad. The phone is new and she'll be two OS's behind. I have a feeling we'll not see ICS unless we crack it ourselves.
http://theunderstatement.com/post/11982112928/android-orphans-visualizing-a-sad-history-of-support
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This is what the result of having (or at least attempting to have any open platform). There are so many players with so much freedom that fragmentation is unavoidable. This is nothing new to the LINUX community.
Just look at every time Linus Torvalds and his successors release a new LINUX kernel, it can be any where from days to years before it gets implemented depending on what distro you are running.
This disadvantage is easily over come by the advantages that come from an open platform.
A closed echo system has its advantages as well, but given the opportunity apple would be more than happy to control everything you do with your phone. Flash is a prime example, if apple could they would keep you from using flash ever again, not because that is what is best for you, its because it is one way apple can control you and make more money at your expense.
I believe flash is one more reason apple hates Android so much, because Steve Jobs in a maniacally ego driven rant declared flash dead. Now thanks to Android by next year there will be more fully flash capable phones than not, and eventually apple will have to cave.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
What a crock. IOS updates have been laggy failures on old hardware. Siri is not available on old hardware, and other features of IOS have not been made available to older hardware.
Saying it's bad because new versions of android can't run on older hardware is bull****, but trying to say it's not true for IOS is bigger bull****.
And funny, the guy seems to have cherry-picked some of the worst possible Android device examples.
Admittedly, he limits it to US carriers, and - well, they are the worst since they insist on customized devices that often don't get updates their international brethren receive.
Look at the I9000 and I9100 - both are almost identical to the Captivate and I777 respectively, but they get FAR more frequent updates. #*#[email protected])*#[email protected])#[email protected] AT&T.
The only real advantage for Apple is that they can and will tell a carrier that wants to exert control over the handset to go **** themselves. As others have pointed out, in many cases, iOS has serious issues with backwards compatibility - upgrading a non-S iPhone 3G to iOS 4 would cause it to be a laggy piece of ****.
Whereas Android 2.3 was on many devices a performance and battery management improvement, and if it wasn't - unlike iOS nothing prevents you from flashing back.
I could care less about iOS. Granted the article was definitely a hack job at Android from a Apple Fanboi. No matter that though, there is definitely truth to the article as well as setiment stated here that American carriers are asswipes when it comes to updates.
I have an AT&T family plan, with my SGS2 and three Iphone 4s. I wouldn't give up my Android if Steve came back from the grave and begged, but I wouldn't ask my less than tech savvy wife, daughter, or lazy son to give up their Apple. Both have a place, and we each have a preference. I had an original Captivate, which was, for me, absolutely awesome. It wasn't because AT&T made it so, it was because I took the time and effort to learn about Android, and used the tools available to keep up to date with the OS. I sold my Cappy when I got the SGS2, and sold it for more than I paid for it. To me, the fact that the carriers don't keep the OS up to date is just a minor inconvenience. I have the skills, and with Android, the ability, to utilize whatever hardware I happen to own to its maximum capability. Try that with an Iphone. Not gonna happen.
The original article is full of facts, but doesn't really contribute to the truth. Android is only as good as the hardware you run it on. Same with iOS. If you choose not to purchase bleeding edge hardware, you cannot expect the OS to run well. Try running Windoze 7 on a 486 box made for XP...

[Q] Is it worth it at this price?

Hi, I've currently been looking for a replacement to my Galaxy S (had it 16 months now) which is beginning to creak a bit due to its lack of RAM. Anyway, that aside it's still a great phone barring the recent official update but switching from Touchwiz to GoLauncher solved the issues.
Anyway, I saw this deal for the Atrix and lapdock. Basically want to know if it's worth it; I am looking at this from the perspective of a consumer who uses the smartphone casually. I was hoping to use the lapdock as a sort of netbook; browsing the net and playing videos, mainly on the couch or when I'm mobile/travelling).
So I guess the real questions are;
1) With Quad Cores becoming more prevalent this year, would it be prudent to get the Atrix at this price?
2) Has the lapdock had much software updates? I mean it uses firefox which I've abandoned on desktop in favour of Chrome. Also, issue reviews said that the browser was fairly sluggish.
Originally I was thinking of getting a cheap 7in Tablet (like the soon to be out Tab 2 7.0) and I know that they're not directly comparable to this lapdock (which doesn't have touch screen and no multitouch on its pad etc) but what are your opinions?
it really depends on how much work you want to put into it. out of the box it's a little boring and slow, but with for example nottachtrix + gentop2 it's pretty amazing. we have high hopes of getting an official ICS in q3 (i believe is the consensus) should that happen atrix will be viable for another year at least. as of now, i don't think webtop has ever been updated by moto. you need to rely on the community devs for upgrades and honestly these guys have come through in ways the official corp dev team never could.
example: unlocked bootloader =)
yeah, like the previous poster said, that's a little steep tho
Well, you have to bear in mind with British prices we ALWAYS get ripped off. Fact is the Atrix is still 300 pounds or more from most websites/stores so the fact that this comes with the lapdock actually makes it a "cheap" deal.
I will stress though that I intend to use the phone and dock for media consumption, I don't really need it to do work and hence I wanted to know if anyone else has had it for similar reasons.
Also in the UK a Galaxy S2 still commands about £380 so the Atrix would be 75% of its price or there abouts; I'm sort of leaning towards it but now that I realise that it doesn't have a webcam I think I'll put my money to a new phone (possibly a Nexus or the Note) as I want to use Skype to do video call. I still can't believe Motorola originally wanted to charge nearly 300 pounds for the lapdock... it's a screen with a battery, keyboard and two usb ports. You can get a netbook and charge for that... what were they thinking?
Great phone, don't count on the lapdock
Yo from London.
I've been using my Atrix (bought in US) back in Blighty for a year and its a great device. The way I think about it is this: Last year's high end phones effectively become this year's mid-range phones. So the Atrix is basically equivalent to a new mid-range (say £200-250) phone. I think you'd tend to pay about £50 less than you'd pay for a newly release mid-range phone though given the Atrix is pretty low-profile, older device.
But I think as a phone you can't fault it. The Tegra 2 is still up to snap and if you slap on a brand new ROM (I have Neutrino based on CM7, its awesome) it feels like a brand new device. The BIG advantage it has over a mid-range phone though is the battery life - REM MOTO put a big-ass battery in here. Add in a properly tweaked third party ROM and this thing becomes an absolute battle tank as regards lastability. Do not underestimate this!
The downside is the Atrix is probably coming to the end of its support life re: OS updates. As a rule of thumb you'd expect an android device to get the next one major OS update (Atrix has actually done OK as its gotten both Gingerbread and it'll get ICS - this was because it came at the tail end of the Froyo era). Getting a new mid-range phone means you should be OK for Jellybean but there is zero chance you'll get that on Atrix. It's up to you as to whether this is an issue. TBH I always skin with ADW Launcher EX so I'm pretty ambivalent as to the OS version. There is an argument that new OS updates haven't added anything meaningful since Froyo brough Flash support (ironically the one key ICS-exclusive app - Chrome - actually takes this away). I don't think my world would end if I couldn't get Jellybean - but that's your call.
The last issue is the Lapdock. TBH don't go out assuming the world on this one. Its sluggish and if you want to use third-party ROMs based on CM7 that will break lapdock support (you can mirror HDMI /w keyboard+mouse fine on CM7 now but its a bit of a kludge). If you're buying Atrix particularly for the lapdock functionality (rather than as a bonus feature) I'd think twice. The wildcard here is that its rumours ICS will rehash the lapdock functionality and make it native Android a la Transformer Prime. That would make me reassess the lapdock - but atm its only an option.
My advice would be to get the Atrix now as a daily driver. Its a great phone - as I said an absolute battle-tank in everyday use. The current mid-range field doesn't have much to recommend it so I think you will come in quids ahead.
All the best
Jonathan
Interesting view points there. I was only going to get the lap dock because it's included at Handtec and Expansys which feature the lowest prices online (from a reputable retailer) for a new Atrix.
I see the lapdock as "bonus", something I can use on a couch when I just want to do some net browsing.

Is the Rezound worth getting free over the other, newer phones?

I'm due for an upgrade now, and browsing through the phones on the Verizon store (I can't upgrade through any third party due to the fact I'm on a business account) the only decent 4g phone is the rezound.
I'm currently on a 2 year old Xperia Play, 3g, and it's only redeeming factor is the cool slide out gamepad I use to this day. However, it's seen better days and I gotta retire it. So my question is, is the Rezound worth the free price tag? I hear that rooting it is on the easier side, and that I can squeeze battery life/power out of it through this method, but I'm pretty new to phone hardware/software.
It's either that or pay 50-150 bucks for a new phone. I'd honestly rather not pay anything, but knowing that this phone is a full year old at this point might influence that decision.
Kamikaze-Turtle said:
I'm due for an upgrade now, and browsing through the phones on the Verizon store (I can't upgrade through any third party due to the fact I'm on a business account) the only decent 4g phone is the rezound.
I'm currently on a 2 year old Xperia Play, 3g, and it's only redeeming factor is the cool slide out gamepad I use to this day. However, it's seen better days and I gotta retire it. So my question is, is the Rezound worth the free price tag? I hear that rooting it is on the easier side, and that I can squeeze battery life/power out of it through this method, but I'm pretty new to phone hardware/software.
It's either that or pay 50-150 bucks for a new phone. I'd honestly rather not pay anything, but knowing that this phone is a full year old at this point might influence that decision.
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If you're willing to spend the money, I strongly recommend the GSIII. I got mine for $99 right before Christmas.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
I'd rather have something like a gs3 too. I really like this phone but would trade it in a heart beat for a gs3.
Sent from my Rezound using xda premium
The rezound was ahead of its time so font let the one year mark scare you. However, if your gonna have to keep this phone for two more years you'd be better off with a newer peice of hardware, like the sgs3 or the DROID dna. Also the DROID razr m doesn't look to bad but idk about the modding process for moto phones
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
I've had my Rezound for a while now and I'm always looking at which phones are new. So far, because I don't like huge screens and I like my micro SD card I don't see many new phones for me. I also prefer HTC phones because of the superior cameras. So at this point the Rezound is still a good phone, but it doesn't seem to have 2 years worth of life left.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using XDA Premium HD app
The DNA feedback has been surprisingly good. Battery life is amazing, and it runs like a beast straight out of the box unrooted.
However it's been out a while and like always, there's something better on the Horizon. The GS3 is a nice phone but I wouldn't burn an upgrade for it if you plan to keep your next phone longer than a year or so.
I can't say much about the rezound that's negative. Most of the comments people made who were unhappy was back before we had official ICS firmware and ice cream sandwich source code.
Since you're considering spending a little money on a newer phone anyway, have you considered buying a cheap rezound from a third party (as in a nice used one off contract) and saving your upgrade for the next batch of new phones?
The other advantage there is the readily available development, and HTC dev unlock and s off, all of which exist already.
A friend of mine had an older phone that was decent, but wanted a new toy. He held his upgrade but bought a mint nexus 7 off of somebody local for an extremely cheap deal. Just throwing out ideas, I know it's not likely that's something you're wanting to do.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
I'm probably not the person to ask. I don't buy on contract anymore (not losing my unlimited), and there's really not another phone out that interests me right now anyway. The DNA is the only one that piques my interest at all, but I'm waiting for an AOSP RIL. Samsung is the only other manufacturer that has anything resembling an attractive package to me right now, but I don't like Samsung phone hardware (their screens completely kill the deal for me). All things considered, the Rezound is still the right phone for me right now, but I'd be hard pressed to recommend one on contract.
shrike1978 said:
I'm probably not the person to ask. I don't buy on contract anymore (not losing my unlimited), and there's really not another phone out that interests me right now anyway. The DNA is the only one that piques my interest at all, but I'm waiting for an AOSP RIL. Samsung is the only other manufacturer that has anything resembling an attractive package to me right now, but I don't like Samsung phone hardware (their screens completely kill the deal for me). All things considered, the Rezound is still the right phone for me right now, but I'd be hard pressed to recommend one on contract.
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I can agree with that. I love the brightness and vibrance of my GSIII screen, but it is nowhere near as sharp as my rezound. The battery life is pretty sick though.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
The battery life on the Rezound is, in my opinion, very poor. The only way my Rezound is useful to me is with the extended battery, which renders the phone a brick. Also, I'm tired of "plasticky" feeling phones. I haven't held a Droid DNA in my hands, but from what I've read about it, it feels more solid. That being said, I wouldn't get a Droid DNA until there's a strong dev community around it.
Appreciate the response guys. I'm probably going to just hold on to my upgrade. My Xperia Play may be a piece of garbage but it makes calls, browses reddit, and plays gameboy ROMs. I would have loved to get the 4g version of my phone but they just keep phasing out old phones and bringing in new ones so damn often.
Any phones I should be looking out for? I'm considering the DNA, but at 200 dollars on an upgrade that's pretty steep for me. Also, is a lack of micro SD becoming an industry standard? I don't keep up with the news like this, but reading some reviews for the DNA leads me to believe the 16 gig internal storage is all you get. I hope they don't go the way of Apple with memory capacity.
No. Save your upgrade for the next generation of phones.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Kamikaze-Turtle said:
Appreciate the response guys. I'm probably going to just hold on to my upgrade. My Xperia Play may be a piece of garbage but it makes calls, browses reddit, and plays gameboy ROMs. I would have loved to get the 4g version of my phone but they just keep phasing out old phones and bringing in new ones so damn often.
Any phones I should be looking out for? I'm considering the DNA, but at 200 dollars on an upgrade that's pretty steep for me. Also, is a lack of micro SD becoming an industry standard? I don't keep up with the news like this, but reading some reviews for the DNA leads me to believe the 16 gig internal storage is all you get. I hope they don't go the way of Apple with memory capacity.
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That's becoming the industry standard on high end smartphones. Completely sealed except for the SIM slot. No expandable memory, no replaceable battery. I can see good and bad in it. I could easily get by with 8GB if I had to with everything I do being so cloud connected, but having more is nice and I don't like losing the option. The battery being internal is definitely doubled edged. It lets them optimize the battery to better utilize the internal space, which lets them squeeze the most out of the battery they can, but there are days I just need to pop a new one in.
shrike1978 said:
That's becoming the industry standard on high end smartphones. Completely sealed except for the SIM slot. No expandable memory, no replaceable battery. I can see good and bad in it. I could easily get by with 8GB if I had to with everything I do being so cloud connected, but having more is nice and I don't like losing the option. The battery being internal is definitely doubled edged. It lets them optimize the battery to better utilize the internal space, which lets them squeeze the most out of the battery they can, but there are days I just need to pop a new one in.
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Unfortunately the downfall to non expandable memory and cloud solutions is the tiered data plans that people are being forced into. Streaming any kind of music from say... Google music's cloud storage will burn through your data like you wouldn't believe(I have almost 10 GB of music on my phone). I just... don't like it. That's one reason I opted for my GSIII. The ability to have a 64GB SD is worth being behind slightly in software or hardware.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
I just got the rezound today for free coming from an s2 on Sprint. I must say I'm pretty impressed! It's a bit heavy and I'm not rooting until I my 14 day trial is up. The beats headphones is a win win. Keyboard sucks but I'm overall happy for my first day. I'm more concerned about this 2gb of data I'm sharing with my girl than the phone itself. The DNA looks good but the battery and no expandable memory killed it for me
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
I love my rezound, but like others said..save ur upgrade. Ive always wanted an xperia play
Battery life is the only complaint I have on the rezound. Even a year old its as good or better than most other phones except a few high end phones. My wife got a razr m two months ago and its a very nice phone. Aside from the screen resolution its better than the rezound in almost everyway hardware wise. It's exactly the same hardware as the razr hd but a smaller screen. And it has jb. The ppi is crap on it is the only bad thing. And built in battery. But it does have an sd card. For an inexpensive phone it is extremely nice. But I still love my rezzie.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
Right now is quite possibly one of the worst times to upgrade your phone. Just keep waiting, and you'll be glad you did. Seriously.
Kamikaze-Turtle said:
I'm due for an upgrade now, and browsing through the phones on the Verizon store (I can't upgrade through any third party due to the fact I'm on a business account) the only decent 4g phone is the rezound.
I'm currently on a 2 year old Xperia Play, 3g, and it's only redeeming factor is the cool slide out gamepad I use to this day. However, it's seen better days and I gotta retire it. So my question is, is the Rezound worth the free price tag? I hear that rooting it is on the easier side, and that I can squeeze battery life/power out of it through this method, but I'm pretty new to phone hardware/software.
It's either that or pay 50-150 bucks for a new phone. I'd honestly rather not pay anything, but knowing that this phone is a full year old at this point might influence that decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the GS4 is in production right now and the samsung mobile director said at CES that he needs to crank it out ASAP to stay competitive. Just be patient
I've had my rezound fit amidst a week and got 10 hours battery life today with light use and still have 30%
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA
shrike1978 said:
I'm probably not the person to ask. I don't buy on contract anymore (not losing my unlimited), and there's really not another phone out that interests me right now anyway. The DNA is the only one that piques my interest at all, but I'm waiting for an AOSP RIL. Samsung is the only other manufacturer that has anything resembling an attractive package to me right now, but I don't like Samsung phone hardware (their screens completely kill the deal for me). All things considered, the Rezound is still the right phone for me right now, but I'd be hard pressed to recommend one on contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am in the same boat as you. I renewed my contract before they stop grandfathering unlimited contracts and got the rezound. At this point I see no reason to upgrade. The phone has GSM, great screen, good camera, 4G(best part ), and it feels good. I would recommend this phone if you are in the market for a free one. If your desires are for something else make sure to research the community behind the phone. The GSIII has a CleanROM for it but unfortunately the developer jumps devices faster than most people can keep up. The rezound just got a relatively stable version of jelly bean that is only going to get better.

Should I get this or the HTC One... Honest opinion please

I currently have the Incredible 4G LTE Nd love but I need a bigger screen... I debated between both those phones... I know the HTC One comes out in the summer for us and the s4 will only be 16gb ... Is their a mod to put apps on the sd card since the s4 is limited... I know they coming with an update but we all know Verizon is bad with updates..
Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2
I had the HTC One before the S4 that I have now. All I will say is that as soon as the One drops on Verizon, I will be switching back. I test phones on a daily basis and the One is the best phone I've used to date. You won't be disappointed with either, but I prefer the One. Sense is much better than Touchwiz now IMO and the build quality and audio can't be beat. I prefer the screen on the One also
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
I didn't buy the ONE (or wait for it) because of the reviews. You might like the HTC ONE based on if you want metal build, smaller screen (equals 468 ppi to 441 ppi in S4 slightly sharper text) and the BOOM sound (front facing speakers). With no SD expansion or removable battery, that was a deal killer for me. S4 has better specs and is already made for the AWS network for Verizon (faster LTE speeds). Also, HTC is by far the worst EVER of getting updates out for their phones (yes, even worse then Motorola at their worst)
for me S4 was the no brainer deal for me
miguel11691 said:
I currently have the Incredible 4G LTE Nd love but I need a bigger screen... I debated between both those phones... I know the HTC One comes out in the summer for us and the s4 will only be 16gb ... Is their a mod to put apps on the sd card since the s4 is limited... I know they coming with an update but we all know Verizon is bad with updates..
Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you will be rooting, the only thing the One would have over the S4 is BoomSound and a nicer case. Being unable to swap SD cards or batteries would bug me. If all you need is a bigger screen and you can wait, why not wait a few more months for a Note 3 or One Max?
I had an Evo 4G before the S4 (I never rooted it), so I've got nothing against HTC. HTC doesn't seem to offer (read, foist on you) the suite of apps Samsung does. Samsung seems to be trying to push their content store to compete with Google Play, so I hope future updates don't add tons of bloat related to the Samsung app store...
I find the storage argument quite invalid. Internal storage comparison: 32gb on the One vs ~9 on the S4. I know that the S4 has expandable storage, but that only helps in terms of media (stuff that can be stored on the cloud anyways), not apps. Also, the One will no doubt be equipped with AWS technology, so that argument is invalid too if we are comparing Verizon phones. No removable battery but it makes it through a day of heavy use no problem.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
Not a fan of HTC anymore. I had all the EVOs.
I'd take the S4 all day long over the One. Just a matter of personal preference.
Doesnt HTC take a lonnnnnnng ass time or never to release source? While Samsung does it on day 1, yea good luck with HTC and the handicapped Roms for it.
wahoofan5 said:
I find the storage argument quite invalid. Internal storage comparison: 32gb on the One vs ~9 on the S4. I know that the S4 has expandable storage, but that only helps in terms of media (stuff that can be stored on the cloud anyways), not apps. Also, the One will no doubt be equipped with AWS technology, so that argument is invalid too if we are comparing Verizon phones. No removable battery but it makes it through a day of heavy use no problem.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The firmware update that allows apps to be moved to SD card makes your invalid argument invalid again.
I pick the S4 for the reasons stated. No expandable memory, no removable battery, HTC has garbage update schedules, and weaker specs.
But that would require root, something the common user might not choose to do. And S4 users are currently unable to move apps to the SD card
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
It all boils down to preference. Most people want good battery life and cool apps or software. I've used both and when the One releases on Verizon I will have both and use both,
... But to answer the question I will use the S4 more since the battery does last a bit longer and it can do some pretty cool stuff, but most of all I believe there will be more customization on the S4. Lord knows I am a customization fool,. Cheers!!!
wahoofan5 said:
I find the storage argument quite invalid. Internal storage comparison: 32gb on the One vs ~9 on the S4. I know that the S4 has expandable storage, but that only helps in terms of media (stuff that can be stored on the cloud anyways), not apps. Also, the One will no doubt be equipped with AWS technology, so that argument is invalid too if we are comparing Verizon phones. No removable battery but it makes it through a day of heavy use no problem.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is certainly important if you do not want to root the S4. I bet there will be root apps that can redirect app installations to the SD card, if they don't already exist. And Samsung will probably get native full external card installation working eventually. Or they're going to see sales drop off as more and more people bump up against that limit, and scramble to fix it. Why they didn't do this in first place is beyond me - especially with such a small built-in card. Either they wanted to sell more of their own SD cards, they wanted an excuse to charge heaps more for just a little more memory, or Apple sued them into not doing it.
And batteries get old. It might need replacing. Sometimes.
I used to be a diehard htc fan since the original evo but after the one was put on hold, and the poor development and official htc support for the rezound, I doubt I'll go back. I will miss htc but they dropped the ball far too many times and I know it will happen again (maybe not for their current devices) even though they cannot afford to screw anything else up. So bottom line, do you want a pretty phone with nice sound and a slightly, yet not noticeably better screen? Or do you want a larger screen, insane amount of dev and Samsung support for years to come, and removable battery and storage?
Sent from my rooted S4 blessed with Cleanrom 1.2
wahoofan5 said:
I find the storage argument quite invalid. Internal storage comparison: 32gb on the One vs ~9 on the S4. I know that the S4 has expandable storage, but that only helps in terms of media (stuff that can be stored on the cloud anyways), not apps. Also, the One will no doubt be equipped with AWS technology, so that argument is invalid too if we are comparing Verizon phones. No removable battery but it makes it through a day of heavy use no problem.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, I apologize if it seems like we are "ganging" up on you - after all, the question at hand is a fundamental example of free choice and personal preference. With that said, I did want to make one (yet to be made) point specifically pertaining to your (above) comment on validity.
You mentioned that, in your mind, one of the factors that makes the removable storage on the S4 irrelevant is cloud storage - something that the major carriers frequently, if not enthusiastically offer up as a must-have storage solution. Cloud storage really is great, especially as their capacities increase, security strengthens, and prices drop. However there is one major, often overlooked problem with using cloud storage on your cellular device - DATA. Many (many) Verizon subscribers that have managed to hold on to unlimited data (myself) find themselves playing a game of "chicken" every time they want a new device. There's only so many tricks and hoops you can jump through to keep your unlimited data - just ask the countless hordes who've recently reached their "end of the road" in terms of unlimited data (Tip: These sad-sacks are easy to spot - just look for the gently sobbing individuals solemnly mashing their "Scan For Available WiFi Networks" button), The point is, last I checked; you need some sort of internet/data connection to peruse the "Cloud" - this is all well and fine if you're still rocking "Data God Mode", but wouldn't it make you feel a whole lot better if you knew all that cherished media you spent years collecting was ALWAYS available to you? I sleep better knowing all my Seinfeld episodes are safely at hand in my Samsung 64gb Class 10 MicroSD Card.
But all kidding aside - having to rely on cloud-based storage for your files is a great way to experience full blown anxiety and frustration first hand, believe me.
To the original poster: I'm bias. Why am I bias? Because my first-ever Android smartphone was the OG HTC Droid Incredible - after a year of countless "like-new!" replacements, I bought the Droid X and swore off HTC .... However ...Stupidly, the excitement over the HTC Thunderbolt being Verizon's first 4G device was far too tempting for me and I bought the damn thing. It took almost two whole years for HTC & Verizon to update the Thunderbolt to ICE CREAM SANDWICH, despite having been released AFTER the first ICS devices were already out. Sadly, I never got to see that wonderful update on my T'Bolt ..... you see, six months (and several rage induced ulsters) after buying my T'Bolt I threw the damn thing accidentally dropped it over the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Too bad. Never again, HTC.
wahoofan5 said:
But that would require root, something the common user might not choose to do. And S4 users are currently unable to move apps to the SD card
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the update that is coming out will not require root. It's an OTA update that lets you move apps to the SD card again.
theresin said:
First of all, I apologize if it seems like we are "ganging" up on you - after all, the question at hand is a fundamental example of free choice and personal preference. With that said, I did want to make one (yet to be made) point specifically pertaining to your (above) comment on validity.
You mentioned that, in your mind, one of the factors that makes the removable storage on the S4 irrelevant is cloud storage - something that the major carriers frequently, if not enthusiastically offer up as a must-have storage solution. Cloud storage really is great, especially as their capacities increase, security strengthens, and prices drop. However there is one major, often overlooked problem with using cloud storage on your cellular device - DATA. Many (many) Verizon subscribers that have managed to hold on to unlimited data (myself) find themselves playing a game of "chicken" every time they want a new device. There's only so many tricks and hoops you can jump through to keep your unlimited data - just ask the countless hordes who've recently reached their "end of the road" in terms of unlimited data (Tip: These sad-sacks are easy to spot - just look for the gently sobbing individuals solemnly mashing their "Scan For Available WiFi Networks" button), The point is, last I checked; you need some sort of internet/data connection to peruse the "Cloud" - this is all well and fine if you're still rocking "Data God Mode", but wouldn't it make you feel a whole lot better if you knew all that cherished media you spent years collecting was ALWAYS available to you? I sleep better knowing all my Seinfeld episodes are safely at hand in my Samsung 64gb Class 10 MicroSD Card.
But all kidding aside - having to rely on cloud-based storage for your files is a great way to experience full blown anxiety and frustration first hand, believe me.
To the original poster: I'm bias. Why am I bias? Because my first-ever Android smartphone was the OG HTC Droid Incredible - after a year of countless "like-new!" replacements, I bought the Droid X and swore off HTC .... However ...Stupidly, the excitement over the HTC Thunderbolt being Verizon's first 4G device was far too tempting for me and I bought the damn thing. It took almost two whole years for HTC & Verizon to update the Thunderbolt to ICE CREAM SANDWICH, despite having been released AFTER the first ICS devices were already out. Sadly, I never got to see that wonderful update on my T'Bolt ..... you see, six months (and several rage induced ulsters) after buying my T'Bolt I threw the damn thing accidentally dropped it over the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Too bad. Never again, HTC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thunderbolt was released in March of 2011. The first ICS device was the Galaxy Nexus which was released November 2011. Does not invalidate your point, though. I was a 'bolt owner, too. It was out for about six months before viable LTE phones were releases (Rezound, Bionic), and even those were not all that great. It got truly usable when Liquid 3.2 was released for AOSP and SkyRaider Zeus was released for Sense. Those were a LONG time after the phone was released, though.
I view it as an early adopter thing, not an HTC thing. We are going to experience the same thing with AWS. Odds are this phone will suck for AWS...the hardware is too far out in front of the service release...no way there won't be issues that are patched around, etc.
S-off will really help get the dev work going on the One. I think it is a perfectly viable alternative to this phone really. Just a different flavor. I have never had a Samsung phone so for me, that was part of the appeal...something different.
if you really want screen size and don't mind the wait, the note 3 will be coming out this fall. 6" with 8 cores - though i don't think it's been confirmed. i'd like to get one, but the note 2's 5.5 inches is kinda pushing it for me, and i have preferred that the s4 to be 16:10 instead.
YouTube benchmarks on comparisons... You may be surprised how much slower HTC one is.
If you don't like touch wiz, there's lots of options... I use nova launcher on cube mode and love it.
While many defend it, sense does eat up processor attention.
Main advantage with HTC is reading in bright sunlight, 95 percent of my reading is indoors, metal case is nice.
I like options for different batteries, external memory, better camera, better software.... To each his own but benchmarks alone mean little if those benchmarks don't depict real life use.
If you love the best camera you can get, go S4, if you listen to music through speakers then HTC, if through headphones S4 has nice equalizing software.
I personally feel real life pictures can be boring.. I like high saturation of Hd amoled screen.
The Hd mode on the camera makes a perfect picture in crappy lighting!
The S3 has up to a 7000mah battery avail, not sure what they will come up with for the S4 but I don't like bring limited. http://zerolemon.com/
Anyway, each phone is nice, but they both have things the other doesn't.
Alan.. Sent with Galaxy S4
I own both and really like both. However, if I had to choose only one, it would be the S IV.
The main reason is battery life and how long the One takes to charge.
madsquabbles said:
if you really want screen size and don't mind the wait, the note 3 will be coming out this fall. 6" with 8 cores - though i don't think it's been confirmed. i'd like to get one, but the note 2's 5.5 inches is kinda pushing it for me, and i have preferred that the s4 to be 16:10 instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, that note 3 I have my eye on!
Alan.. Sent with Galaxy S4

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