[Q] Do you like your Vibrant? Should I get it over HD2? - Vibrant Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I've read many complaints about the Vibrant, but those were from several months ago and may very well be fixed. I've seen a lot more results from searching "vibrant sucks" than "hd2 sucks" but again, they might be obsolete now.
With that said, would you rather have the vibrant or hd2(with android) for the long term if you could not buy another phone for 3-4 years? I am currently trying to make a decision soon--never owning a smartphone before, i know very little so i hope your input can help me out--among bold9780, hd2, or vibrant. dont plan on getting a data plan soon and want to keep the phone for a few yrs (so dont want a phone thats on the decline, getting replaced soon by newer project phones).
I noticed the HD2 pales in specs in comparison with the vibrant, so I came here for an opinion. I figure the Vibrant is more expensive so i can sell to get an HD2 if i want to in the future. Of course, the BBerry is somehow priced higher than all of them.
Feedback from real users is welcome! Thanks for your time.

the vibrant sucks rants were because we did not get the 2.2 update from samsung/tmobile on time. Now that we have vibrant should be your clear choice, amazing amoled screen and great hardware

if u clubb allot dont get hd2 i pulled mine out and it lit up the dance floor thing is big , i traded to a vibrant until i started flashing cusom roms i hated it so much i wannit to throw against the wall but 300 price tag on it stopped me , get the vibrant imo now that 2.2 ficgggyial froyo is out its lil bit less lagg and its fun as u find tons of apps on market too btw phone overclocks to 1.4 ghz and playstation emulator is on its way too

thank to both of you for the quick response! what a great forum and community of members!
its nice to know that there are no major complaints then if those were of the past. couldn't they have 'flashed' android 2.2 onto their vibrant? not sure if i am using the term correctly.
@bartek, hard to understand some parts of your post but thanks! dont understand the club+hd2 stuff.
what are the current CONS of the Vibrant, from the vibrant users, then? so far I believe GPS was a big issue.

You should just wait for the Vibrant 4G.

Cons of the Vibrant so far: GPS, that's pretty much all I know of, I'm telling you man, when Samsung releases the source code for 2.2 this phone will be amazing, I was thinking about trading my Vibrant for an hd2 because the hd2 had more updates than the Vibrant, even had Gingerbread, but as known, it's not native, and will never run as good as the vibrant will, but the design of the hd2 is way better than the Vibrant, and if you like flash, then the hd2 is your choice, the only reason I haven't traded is because I get this feeling that I'm taking a step back in technology, instead of moving forward.. I'm not sure why though.

I will say I love my vibrant even though I see a lot of people selling theirs. I had an hd2 and the digitizer went out. Though it was fun at first I got tired of trying to manage the battery. I have to admit this was before nand came out.
The support that we do have on the vibrant is top notch. Ive tried every rom out there and they all do well I just decided to stick with team whiskey.
I often ask myself would I rather have another hd2? The answer is no. fantastic phone but I love the vibrant so much more. Its a beast of a phone with a great cpu and gpu. The hd2 while versatile is dated. A lot of people had hardware buttons fail I wasnt looking forward to that at all. The ease of bring this thing back from a brick is a total plus. While It does feel cheap at first I have come to respect it as a phone.The vibrant can have a forward facing camera while the hd2 will never have one.

(so dont want a phone thats on the decline, getting replaced soon by newer project phones).
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Both phones are already declining, with the Vibrant getting replaced by the Galaxy S 4G (basically a Vibrant with 4g radio, FFC, and 1gb internal but 16 external sd card)

anthonys2r said:
Both phones are already declining, with the Vibrant getting replaced by the Galaxy S 4G (basically a Vibrant with 4g radio, FFC, and 1gb internal but 16 external sd card)
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I dont think its worth it to choose the galaxy s personally. I dont get much use out of 3g as it is and a ffc mod is 20 bucks minus having the offical warranty. And if i read you correctly It no longer has 16 gig internal? That just blows.

anthonys2r said:
Both phones are already declining, with the Vibrant getting replaced by the Galaxy S 4G (basically a Vibrant with 4g radio, FFC, and 1gb internal but 16 external sd card)
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He already said he's not looking forward to get data plan anytime soon so hw should be fine with vibrant. I had mytouch 4g after a week or so u never use ur front facing camera unless ur taking a pic of ur self...the video chat is hella buggy and no one has it..
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

thanks everyone for their responses. isnt galaxy S and vibrant same thing? i have considered waiting for the newest version of the vibrant, which should come out in a month or so? im actually getting a phone for free from a family plan sign up, so i dont know if the new vibrant will be available. i wont be getting a data plan, so i dont know if that completely nullifies the new phone benefits (especially if it costs more).
what other phones have better specs than the vibrant thus far? hope it can stand up to the new phones in terms of specs for several years

yeah. my vibrant is godly. 4g? what 4g? whats that!? why do i need 21mbps speeds when 5-7mbps is fast as hell already. and what? $10 extra!? NO thanks!

You can get a smartphone with no data???? how?

uhh family plan. 3 people, 1 new phone. my parents already have usable ones and cant figure out technology anyways. i went with 2 other people who had their own plan and i think part of the deal was they couldnt get new phones either. big sacrifices

I still have my broken hd2. I do not suggest getting one. The phone wouls freeze often and I had a custom rom that did nandroidot help the situation. I did put androis on it and it worked flawlessly for about 10 then suddenly my touch screen started to crap out. I thought it was due to the known issue of running android on an hd2 but the actual digitizer would not respond. I reaf on the hd2 forums it was due to android causing the phone to overheat. Long story short. A friend hooked it up with the vibrant and I have been very happy. Its not perfect but what "smart" phone is? I would wait for the galaxy s 4g like everyone else is suggesting.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Coming from HD2 with android NAND (Clockworkmod), I can readily say that Vibrant(with froyo, custom or official) is much much better than the HD2 in terms of sheer performance. The video recording capability blows the HD2 out of the water. And the superamoled screen is such a treat. And the TV-out functionality is a big plus as well - you can mirror your phone activity, including HD video playback, with HD TV's

I have both, Vibrant and HD2... I'm running NAND Gingerbread on HD2 and it's slow and laggy... Snapdragon should be called Lagdragon...
That being said I don't know if I would buy another Samsung product either...

I have a HD2 Like it it has a bigger screen, sense by HTC is nice........... That's it
Way worse battery, op system is no longer supported by Microsoft. I have Android loaded via dual boot, but this means it is ported through the sd card...... slower buggy and has soft lock/boot problems from time to time.
The Vibrant,,,,,, WAY EASIER to customize, better screen, better battery life more custom things you can load, hard to really brick so it is a good phone for a novice.
And, it is so much like the Nexus S ...........that means we will be able to port their leaks to this phone..........
Vibrant is just WAY better

LMFAO.
I sold my POS HD2 a long time ago.
I haven't looked back since.
Vibrant hands down

I sent back my first smart phone which was the HD2. It was hella-laggy and buggy. The clunky Windows OS just destroyed this phone's potential.
Ordered the Vibrant, and was pleased....
ROOTED AND Installed a custom ROM and was VERY PLEASED!

Related

Vibrant or G2 ?

I'm upgrading phones this week, & currently have mytouch 3g. I want to do a survey to see which u guys would choose, the Vibrant or the G2, both have there ups & downs, but just wanted to get some criticism on them both
Sent from my HTC Magic using XDA App
Vibrant is a better phone
don.t be wow'd by the high benchmarks etc. Remember you are looking at the device alot and G-2 is not as good to look at besides other than 2.2 on it this very second, I can't see why anyone would want it other than it is the newest.
I'm looking for which has the best benchmarks, handling capabilities exc, not looks
sent from htc magic superfroyo using xda app
Go ahead and pick the inferior htc phone.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
If you get a vibrant I guarantee you will love it. Root and flash the bionix rom. Simply amazing. Speed performance battery life. The g2 has potential but you'll be waiting a little bit since it just came out and I believe there isn't a way to permanently root it yet either
Its also very heavy, bulky, and the keyboard sucks. I had the vibrant, took it back and got g2, took it back after having it for a week, and got my vibrant back. Its all personal preference though. Only thing I miss is the led camera flash. Used it as a flashlight when I went camping.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
LOL ask in this section and surprise everyone bashes the g2. Ask in the g2 forum, and I bet you know what will happen. Good luck finding objective comparisons.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I think everyone here is a bit biased. I'm probably a bit less so.
I'm assuming you've looked at all the reviews on site's such as Android Central? I do remember the G2 being praised for battery life. They went so far as to say that it was the best phone on battery that they'd seen. AC also compared the form and finish to the venerable Nexus One. That caught my eye since I carried (and preferred!) the Nexus One to the Galaxy S (european version) until I dropped the crap out of it. I miss it terribly.
The Vibrant is a nice phone, no doubt about it. But I've been struggling with the GPS issue and it's really beginning to get on my nerves. Reflash!, everyone says. WEll, I have...many times. It only works if I open a location-aware app before I leave my house. Then, since it determines my location with assistance from my own wireless network, I'm able to drive away with confidence. If I'm already driving when I open G-Maps, I'm screwed. It takes much too long to get a fix and just isn't practical.
Otherwise, I love the phone. If you go with the Vibrant, just be sure to test out GPS thoroughly in those first few days. Keep your MyTouch handy so that if you have issues and T-Mobile gives you a hard time, return the phone. You'd be well within your rights to return it in the first month (though I think you take a restocking fee type of hit).
Good luck!
You will actually be very surprised to see just how many people are unhappy with their g2 over in their forums. I was one of them. Go look over there and read some of the posts by g2 owners before you decide.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I'm still debating with myself over getting a g2 and giving up the vibrant.
I like the support the g2 is already receiving, the battery life, it has froyo and we're still tba, camera flash(which does have it's uses), the trackpad has it's uses, less lag and neat features being announced (uma).
That being said... I don't want/care for a physical keyboard and hspa+ hasn't/won't make it to my area until next year. I really like the vibrant screen size (larger screens make phones seem more super phone-ish), it's great with all games, which is what I've always wanted an iphone for... It does have plenty of potential, but not a lot of support.
Seeing the issues coming up with the g2, I'm not sure I want to give up one set of issues for another. I'll probably hold onto my vibrant to see how the mytouch hd turns out unless either of these get the issues resolved. It's not like I'd be settling with some outdated hunk of junk if I do hang onto it.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Disclaimer: I've had the Vibrant since the first week, but I have also spent a considerable amount of time with a friend's G2.
The Vibrant is lighter, has a bigger screen and more internal storage. Yes, you can add a microSD card, but there is something to be said for walking around with half a dozen ROMS on the internal SD while still having space to record a few hours of 720p video and using the microSD just for music.
HSPA+ will be a great thing for mobile devices in the future, but I like to wait until the 2nd generation of hardware when it comes to network standards. 3G is plenty fast for mobile web in most areas and I can stream from Last.fm while doing turn-by-turn navigation in Google Maps. Seriously, what more would I need? Even downloads from the Market or Amazon MP3 are fast enough over 3G (for now) and if I need faster, WiFi is pretty much everywhere.
Vibrant is my first mobile device without a keyboard. Hooray for Swype.
In all honesty, only you can make this decision. Go into the T-Mo store when they're not busy and spend as much time as you can with both devices. Attempt to disregard what appears to be issues with software or the fact that the G2 has Froyo already. Educate yourself. Buy. Be happy.
Will the g2 be able to receive future updates, I heard gingerbread will only work with 4in screen & 1g processor. If that's the case I will definitely be getting the vibrant.
sent from htc magic superfroyo using xda app
Isn't there also a lock that stops you from customizing the ROM on the G2? I am pretty sure there is...
But you should go with the vibrant.. It is thinner, has a bigger & better screen, amazing, fast, you can overclock it to 1.2Ghz (Or 1.3Ghz if you buy a kernel..)
Masterâ„¢ said:
Isn't there also a lock that stops you from customizing the ROM on the G2? I am pretty sure there is...
But you should go with the vibrant.. It is thinner, has a bigger & better screen, amazing, fast, you can overclock it to 1.2Ghz (Or 1.3Ghz if you buy a kernel..)
Click to expand...
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yes, they made it unrootable. made it read only so that when you root, as soon as you reboot phone, root is gone. HTC actually told me they didnt know anything about it when i first emailed them, then about a week later after tmos press release, HTC called me on the phone and explained to me how it was unrootable, for now at least, is what she said. i had already taken mine back and got the vibrant though the day before they called me. (but, i know the devs here will eventually be able to root it, i just didnt want to get stuck with it and go beyond my buyers remorse period.)
I know the g2 can be rooted but it wipes root when it reboots
sent from htc magic superfroyo using xda app
DEFINITIONOFREAL said:
I know the g2 can be rooted but it wipes root when it reboots
sent from htc magic superfroyo using xda app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, therefore not custom roms on it..
Go with the vibrant
I have both phones and have had 4 warranty exchanges on my Vibrant. Latest because the update bricked my phone.
I personally prefer the G2 for everything not media related. If I am going to watch a movie on a 4inch screen I would prefer the Vibrant. However for everything else especially GPS I prefer the G2.
The keyboard is nice IMHO. I had a Nexus before the Vibrant. Both devices have ups and downs. If you want a solid phone that has great GPS and is Blazing fast go with the G2.
If you want a phone you can easily root, has a great screen and the best GPU of any phone currently on the market, then get the Vibrant.
Gr8gorilla said:
I have both phones and have had 4 warranty exchanges on my Vibrant. Latest because the update bricked my phone.
I personally prefer the G2 for everything not media related. If I am going to watch a movie on a 4inch screen I would prefer the Vibrant. However for everything else especially GPS I prefer the G2.
The keyboard is nice IMHO. I had a Nexus before the Vibrant. Both devices have ups and downs. If you want a solid phone that has great GPS and is Blazing fast go with the G2.
If you want a phone you can easily root, has a great screen and the best GPU of any phone currently on the market, then get the Vibrant.
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I have to disagree with you on the GPS part, I have never had a problem with it.. Not even on stock
I returned my vibrant and picked up the G2 I had no choice the vibrant call quality sucks in a semi no one could here me when I talk. The vibrants very laggy and a mong other issues I'm sorry to say I think its the biggest wast of money . And now that I have the G2 I see huge performance difrence. The only good thing vibrant has is one of the best screens .
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk
When you say speed r u talking about the new hspa service or what ever or the speed of the device functionality itself, & roms r coming for the g2 seen a video of cyanogen on 1
sent from htc magic superfroyo using xda app

[Q] how do you guys like the vibrant?

i just bought the mytouch 4g and i like to but i really like the vibrants 4 inch screen and the nice colors on them vs the mytouch 4g. plus your gpu is better in the vibrant then in my mytouch 4g. but i was thinking about trading my phone somewhere along the way once u guys get android 2.2 at the end of the month. so i guess i am asking is the vibrant a really good phone? my problem is i am no where near a 4g network for tmobile so i cant use that, also there is not many phones out there that can do video chat since there is only like 6 phones with front facing camera's. well let me know, thanks
there is actually a mod to put a ffc on a vibrant. costs about $30.
Also I doubt official 2.2 will be coming out within a month. The devs are working hard on the new froyo roms based upon what samsung gave out, and there are still some problems. The biggest is a weaker/buggier modem. I get edge where I used to get 2 bars of 3g. I have had people call me and the phone acts like it never gets it. and there's problems with the sdcard and mounting.
TLR no official 2.2 coming out this month
ed1380 said:
there is actually a mod to put a ffc on a vibrant. costs about $30.
Also I doubt official 2.2 will be coming out within a month. The devs are working hard on the new froyo roms based upon what samsung gave out, and there are still some problems. The biggest is a weaker/buggier modem. I get edge where I used to get 2 bars of 3g. I have had people call me and the phone acts like it never gets it. and there's problems with the sdcard and mounting.
TLR no official 2.2 coming out this month
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Click to collapse
I'm running 2.2 Macnut R12 with the A14 kernel and I'm actualy getting extremely good signal
right now I'm getting H with 4 bars, when I first got the phone I was almost always on either poor 3G or a pretty good edge connection.
so things seem to be improving
ed1380 said:
there is actually a mod to put a ffc on a vibrant. costs about $30.
Also I doubt official 2.2 will be coming out within a month. The devs are working hard on the new froyo roms based upon what samsung gave out, and there are still some problems. The biggest is a weaker/buggier modem. I get edge where I used to get 2 bars of 3g. I have had people call me and the phone acts like it never gets it. and there's problems with the sdcard and mounting.
TLR no official 2.2 coming out this month
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Click to collapse
here is the link about the vibrant getting 2.2 at the end of this month..
http://nexus404.com/Blog/2010/11/04...gain-should-we-believe-android-2-2-is-coming/
if it is true then thats cool if not that sucks since gingerbread will be out in the next week. thats the thing i hate about samsung. i had the behold 2 and they said we were gonna get 2.0 then told everyone its only getting 1.6 and even that phone took forever to update. as for the ffc mod i wouldnt want to do that cause then no warranty and that phone aint cheap to replace lol.
I've also got the Vibrant since this month so willing to share some ideas:
Positive:
+ Competent hardware allows satisfied Android experience.
+ 'Vibrant' screen
+ This forum is awesome: lots useful info, quick responses, customized ROMS...
Negative:
+ Only one physical button to turn on/off the phone, what happens if it malfunctions after usage?
+ No 'real' front camera as well as physical capture button and flash light.
+ GPS takes long time (or even never) to lock and the lock is not stable.
+ Some phones (such as mine) have "hardware lock" error which requires fix before flashing ROM
+ Short battery life: my phone's never stood for 2 days yet. What a shame.
Hope this help.
ctpthanh said:
I've also got the Vibrant since this month so willing to share some ideas:
Positive:
+ Competent hardware allows satisfied Android experience.
+ 'Vibrant' screen
+ This forum is awesome: lots useful info, quick responses, customized ROMS...
Negative:
+ Only one physical button to turn on/off the phone, what happens if it malfunctions after usage?
+ No 'real' front camera as well as physical capture button and flash light.
+ GPS takes long time (or even never) to lock and the lock is not stable.
+ Some phones (such as mine) have "hardware lock" error which requires fix before flashing ROM
+ Short battery life: my phone's never stood for 2 days yet. What a shame.
Hope this help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for that. im sure once u guys get 2.2 it might help the vibrant out a lot. thats what i am hoping for then i might trade my phone for a vibrant. i noticed its gpu is one of the best ive seen on any cell phone to date. it even beats my mt4g. plus i think the vibrant looks better then the mytouch 4g. never been a fan of the mytouch serious but once i saw 1ghz plus 768mb ram and 4gb rom ffc and camera flash and led notification, i was like damn its about time the mytouch serious made a good phone lol.
also whats up with this lag fix i am hearing about? does the phone lag that bad were it needs to be rooted just to be fast? jw
Hopefully, we can have official 2.2 updates to see what improvements, but customized ROMs on this fourm are really impressive and worth a try.
About the lag fix, I do not try one so can't say much. From what I read (on this forum offcourse), lag fix means changing the way to store data, let's say FAT32 vs NTFS. However, flashing ROMS usually requires disable/remove lag fix. Moreover, I don't think my phone slow at all.
On the other hand, I don't want to disappoint you but there is one more bad point I should say. That is the very weak Wifi signal. At the same position, the Nokia E63 and Motorola Milestone have stable signal, while the Vibrant cannot reach the same Wifi or usually disconnect.
ctpthanh said:
Hopefully, we can have official 2.2 updates to see what improvements, but customized ROMs on this fourm are really impressive and worth a try.
About the lag fix, I do not try one so can't say much. From what I read (on this forum offcourse), lag fix means changing the way to store data, let's say FAT32 vs NTFS. However, flashing ROMS usually requires disable/remove lag fix. Moreover, I don't think my phone slow at all.
On the other hand, I don't want to disappoint you but there is one more bad point I should say. That is the very weak Wifi signal. At the same position, the Nokia E63 and Motorola Milestone have stable signal, while the Vibrant cannot reach the same Wifi or usually disconnect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh ok i see. well for what i am hearing they are saying u guys might not get the update till 2011. that would suck but this is what samsung does best. they take forever to keep there devices up to date. but there is hope since they are going with google to make the nexus s that they might jump straight to android 2.3 but thats not a fact but u never know.
Hi! I'm having issues with my battery. When I turn on wifi or 3G the battery meter % runs like mad towards 0! I have a program called JuicePlotter that shows a graph that scares me!
With wifi on, not using it heavily, it sucks a lot of battery. How much battery is it draining for you?
Let's put it this way:
1. Got the Vibrant at launch
2. A few days later started looking towards improving it - screen was nice but it was soooo slow at times to get to the task at hand.
3. Found XDA
4. And now a few months later I am not looking back
to save battery go to settings>apps>running services and turn everything unnecessary off. then get titanium backup and uninstall the apps that have DRM in the name. You will lose the ability to play avatar though.
here is what I have uninstalled in titanium. I have noticed they waste battery and/or are uneeded for me
buddies now
daily breifing
device management (checks for OTA updates)
drm protected
drm content launcher
feeds and updates (facebook)
google voice
talk
media hub
sns 1.0 (facebook)
sns account (facebook)
swype
I can last about 12hours of medium texting/internet. biggest killer is still the screen and that is always on lowest brightness

[Q] Question about purchasing a new Vibrant

I'm in the market to upgrade my Touch Pro2. I want badly to get the Vibrant, but I was wondering what you guys think.
I've kind of narrowed it down to Vibrant and the Defy. I like the Vibrant screen, I've heard its speaker is clear, the reception is good and the camera is nice. I absolutely love the 4 inch screen size.
I'm tempted by the Defy because of what I've read about call quality, battery life, and toughness. It seems it's classified as a mid-range phone because of processor speed, which I think can be overclocked to put it on par with Vibrant speed.
I'm interested in the mt4g and G2 but I hear the speakerphone sucks and the camera is mediocre and the reception is spotty.
Am I right in the good stuff I've heard about the Vibrant? I know about the lag and the gps--is it so bad I'd hate the phone?
Would you recommend the defy or one of the htc's?
Thanks.
Defy.
If I had it to do over, I'd get the Defy.
I was going insane trying to get out of San Francisco this evening b/c the GPS & lag is so ****ty.
-bZj
It really depends, If I could've done it again I would have waited for the Nexus S, which may or may not have the same GPS issues, or even the G2 (if you can do without super amoled screen). I've also heard the G2 is $50 on a contract and will be one of the first phones to get gingerbread (after nexus s and nexus one).
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
So two Vibrant owners respond and both say skip the Vibrant. Is that the general consensus on this board?
Thanks guys for your honest.
Gabe
I love this phone anyone who doesn't want the one they have can give them to me
GabeJ said:
So two Vibrant owners respond and both say skip the Vibrant. Is that the general consensus on this board?
Thanks guys for your honest.
Gabe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the vibrant is like any other phone.
Yes, it has problems.
Does it give you the moments when you go "DAMN MY PHONE MUST BE THE BEST ONE OUT THERE?" yes.
If your one of the Travelling type and uses GPS, i suggest you skip this phone, BUT i have been hearing they changed teh gps so it works perfectly now.
I say you get the Vibrant, overall its a perfect device, but if you want you can get NEXUS S which is the same thing, but with a few differences which kind of make it a little better.
Defy or Vibrant?
Vibrant.
My personal choice, i haven't used teh Defy so.. i wouldn't know.
I've got an earlier Vibrant so my GPS is a bit flaky, but its still good enough for an occasional GPS-guided trip for me. Lag.. Occasionally. I ran some fixes earlier on that I felt improved things. But then I see others using their different models of phone and waiting, waiting.. I think its a "grass is always greener" sort of thing. Overall, while I wish I had native AOSP and a FFC (stock, not modded), I also wish I had a million bucks .. Can't get it all, right? I'd buy Vibrant again.
So, if I bought a new Vibrant it might not have a GPS issue, but it will definitely still be laggy? And the lag fixes don't completely alleviate the problem?
I'm sorry for all the questions. I live 1 hour away from any Tmobile store and I'm stuck in snow, so I can't just go play with them.
RE lag, if you're going on what I was saying -- My point was that it may have some lag, but no phone doesn't. I don't think it has excessive lag, and there are plenty of tweaks you can try out if you just need to eke out every last bit of speed.
Oh, and I feel your pain. I'm also an hour out, and I don't particularly like that store - few hours further to get a good one. Ordered on the phone personally. Call 'em up and tell the IVR you're checking your contract dates.
I have an older Vibrant and am in love with the phone, but got fed up with the gps. Just an hour ago talked to TMO and without any effort they decided to send me a replacement. Apparently (fingers crossed) these days the replacements they are shipping are retail units (newer batches), not refurbs.
On another thread we discussed how it looks like phones built on or after october do better GPS-wise. So, a week from now if I get a new one, I will be able to compare them side by side.
Btw, check my signature. Being a fervent Nexus One user, was very excited to get a G2, but less than a week was enough for me to dislike it in every possible aspect (to me the G2 is the direct sucessor of the N1 so I had assumed that I would love it as well). I did get the mega-download speed but had the very same 3G issues my N1 up to this day has, where gets stuck switching to HSUPA or something like that. Very annoying when using maps or navigation.
Of all the choices around, if I had to choose, I'd get another vibrant even though I'm a hardcore HTC fan. To top it off, looks like we will be able to run Gingerbread sooner than later. Much sooner. Supercurio has it already running and has already published the files to do so (pretty useless right now, but it has been 36h since he started).
So, I was going to get a Nexus S but after such development, looks like I'll be able to have gingerbread *and* sd card slot, on a non-banana shaped phone...lol. Ah, on the same thread someone ran this benchmark (don't remember the name, the one that shows a comlarative graph at the end) and the gingerVibrant ranked a tad faster than the Nexus One with Froyo, which is the fastest according to that particular program. In other words, faster than any other. Looks like JIT on the Hummingbird is here to stay. Also, seems the gingerVibrant does not have any lag issues, as apparently it is natively EXT4
Hope this helps you in your decission process.
Sent from my Ideos S7 using XDA App
GabeJ said:
So, if I bought a new Vibrant it might not have a GPS issue, but it will definitely still be laggy? And the lag fixes don't completely alleviate the problem?
I'm sorry for all the questions. I live 1 hour away from any Tmobile store and I'm stuck in snow, so I can't just go play with them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It WON'T have gps issue i can say that for if you live near Dallas Texas.
I was just at the mall and went to Tmobile store, saw a vibrant, GPS is working, i asked them and they said they're shipping new ones with fixed GPS issues.
Not sure about where you live though.
Lag? What lag? I've never had a lag problem, only if your doing like EXCESSIVE things, like running music, facebook, email checking every second, downloading bunch of apps etc, yes it will lag, but it shouldn't, and even if it does and your planning on Flashing Custom Roms, the new froyo roms have NO lag what so ever, even with my heavy use.
I'll recommend you get a Vibrant anyday.
I'm a G2 Nexus one, blackberry pearl, curve and iPhone 3, 3GS, 4 user.
Vibrant has filled all my needs, G2 is pretty good too, i just hate call quality.
The call quality issue is big for me. I need a good speakerphone, good reception and voice quality. Those don't seem like I'm asking much, but from what I've heard, and experienced (I'm a Touch Pro2 user), htc falls short there. The G2 included, correct.
Thanks
Bought two Vibrants a week or so ago, one for me, one for the wife... Wanted the G2 but when I got it in my hands, I had reservations about the spring and she wanted the Vibrant. The T-Mobile sales rep actually sent me to WalMart and they had the Vibrant for $50 (T-Mobile store $199.99)!!
Hers is stock and I'm running the Nero v1 ROM. She gets 6 hours of battery life (the first two days before I rooted mine was the the same) with normal use, and I get about 16. Even though its not a "4G" phone we're both getting some pretty great speeds. Neither of us have had lag or gps issues.
All in all it seems like a solid phone. It's fast, call quality is good, and the display is amazing. The speaker is good, I noticed at full volume the G2 sounded distorted and tinny, and this isn't so much the case with the Vibrant, although it does happen slightly.
There are roms out there to really let you customize it to your liking, and to address some of the phones shortcomings . Glad I didn't get the G2 because I'm lovin the Vibrant so far.
Spaternitejr,
Is the GPS working correctly/quickly on both new vibrants? Was the walmart deal for upgrades or new customers?
GPS is working just fine on both. They acquire quickly and consistently. We did upgrades, but believe it was the same price for either.
I just got my vibrant from walmart for 50...all of walmarts advertised prices are for upgrades and add a lines.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Out of curiosity, why not get the Nexus S instead of the Vibrant?
Chalup said:
Out of curiosity, why not get the Nexus S instead of the Vibrant?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheaper, SD card, broken GPS...lol, and something I just posted in another thread:
Looks like it can do 3G in AT&T (!!!). Awaiting confirmation by anyone who has an unlocked Vibrant and AT&T service. Details are here but still awaiting confirmation...
If that turns out to be true, then it would be the first phone I know of that can do 3G on both major carriers in the States (!).
fosormic said:
Cheaper, SD card, broken GPS...lol, and something I just posted in another thread:
Looks like it can do 3G in AT&T (!!!). Awaiting confirmation by anyone who has an unlocked Vibrant and AT&T service. Details are here but still awaiting confirmation...
If that turns out to be true, then it would be the first phone I know of that can do 3G on both major carriers in the States (!).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I remember reading, the Vibrant radio is only compatible with one of ATT's 3G frequencies, so in some 3G areas you can only get edge.
Chalup said:
From what I remember reading, the Vibrant radio is only compatible with one of ATT's 3G frequencies, so in some 3G areas you can only get edge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would tend to agree, but just checked on my phone (on that secret menu) and found that it has both 850 and 1900 (both for 3G and plain GSM) in addition to the 1700 and 2100 TMO uses. This is AT&T's band map: http://cellularmaps.com/att_850_1900.shtml
EDIT: I confirmed what Chalup said. Only worked as 3G in one of the bands for me. Here.

[Q] Anyone returning for Galaxy S II

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas of returning and possibly waiting for the Galaxy S II. I'm hesitant to with all the devs that are going to be on this phone. I just won't be able to afford the GS2 off contract and I'm not sure I'm completely happy with the thunderbolt.
No I will not. Samsung doesn't update and there source code is all messed up. They had it so the phone looked for music in system as well as SD card meaning you got to listen to ringtones. I forget which phone had the problem if you built a Rom using source code
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
That sucks
That's rough. I upgraded from the OG droid and haven't had the chance to see many company's build quality or software updates besides what I've read. I know the original Galaxy was a hit therefore I assumed the community was happy with it. I picked up the T-bolt because I know a decent amount of people with HTC phones and I like the way their their construction. Unless we see another stock Motorola device it doesn't look like I will be able stay with them. I really loved my original Droid!
Not a chance.
Just pray to allah that you never need to get somewhere with GPS navigation
Samsung can eat my ass
is it coming out to verizon??
ApplCobbler said:
Just pray to allah that you never need to get somewhere with GPS navigation
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^ LOL ^^ Thats funny and sad bc its true!
shaddix2 said:
Samsung can eat my ass
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i had to + you for this, I had a cativate, and got rid of it because of:
battery problems
****ty build
gps problems
and the lack of updates that should have happened in the 3 weeks I had it
on another note, if you get rid of the thunderbolt, you wont be grandfathered into such a great 4g data package that isn't capped, just saying
I thought that phone was going to AT&T-MOBILE, not Verizon? Am I wrong? Did I miss something in the last few weeks?
Droopie28 said:
i had to + you for this, I had a cativate, and got rid of it because of:
battery problems
****ty build
gps problems
and the lack of updates that should have happened in the 3 weeks I had it
on another note, if you get rid of the thunderbolt, you wont be grandfathered into such a great 4g data package that isn't capped, just saying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. I was dying waiting on the tbolt. Captivate was the bane of my existence for several months.
Never again. Samsung is terrible compared to HTC for following through with updates. The GPS is still crappy on all their Android phones and not a single one has been reliable. They also provide horrible tech support. I'm bitter after 3 different Samsung Android phones...
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
3 Variants
WilliamStern said:
I thought that phone was going to AT&T-MOBILE, not Verizon? Am I wrong? Did I miss something in the last few weeks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found this a couple days ago which caused me to post this thead.
pocketnow.com/android/did-samsung-just-trademark-the-us-galaxy-s-ii-variants
I don't understand why it would be necessary for us to worry about carrier updates since their was such a huge dev community over on the GS.
Not sure why all teh hates toward Samsung as I have teh Galaxy Tab and love it (still have it). it runs Froyo and developers already started Gingerbread and Honeycomb.
I've found the GPS work flawlessly through a few quick tips (changing the mode and switch to automatic servers instead of fixed GPS server).
And yes teh battery is much better to our beloved TB but then again the tab is not on LTE so that makes sense. I would definitely consider the S II. Since my wife w AT&T now (2 more months to go), I could easily get the S II and give her TB if need to Or better yet, phone swap (wish it's wife swap tho lol)
Was there a huge community for the GS? I never heard much about it being hacked or anything. Was there ever a cyanogen release for it?
CM7
neowin.net/forum/topic/980330-cm7-for-galaxy-s-devices/
Yup
I see now. Thanks for the info. I do know that the galaxy phones does have a killer graphics processor. Wonder how much better of a chip they will have in the S2...
I came from the Nexus One and it pretty much sold me on HTC's build quality. And until the TBolt, HTC was relatively hacker friendly, but you saw that took all of three days to fix for the TBolt.
They are good at releasing their source code, which is all I need to get on CM, and ultimately that's all I was looking for. I wanted a good build, LTE, good network, and CM. We should have all of that inside of the next 60 days.
Coming from the fascinate I fan tell you Samsung sucks. Gps was a fail, it got marginally better after software updates but is still poor at best. Cellular antenna also sucks, while right next to two coworkers with a d1 and an dinc, my fascinate would get one or two less bars wherever we were. WiFi antenna also sucks, while standing 15 feet away from my router I would have maybe one bar on a good day, while my wife's dinc would have full bars. Software was absolutely horrible, I had to install "voodoo lagfix" to convert their filesystem from the ancient and horribly slow rfs to a much more common and much quicker ext4, which is what most manufacturers use. Their whole source code is an absolute abortion. Even with the amazing developers on the fascinate my phone never performed as good as the hardware should have. Processor, gpu, and screen were phenomenal and you would think that the phone would reflect that, but it didn't. If you want something pretty to look at, buy Samsung...if you want functionality, buy HTC. Sorry for the rant....
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App

Are you happy with your Atrix?

I just got a Thrill 4G and Im thinking about trading it in for an Atrix. The phone is great but the battery life sucks, and I cannot see the 3D screen with sun glasses on. I live in AZ so they are on every time I go outside so that is an important deciding factor for me.
The Atrix is $49 today so Im thinking about getting one. I'd love to hold out for the SGS2, but who knows when it will be out and it will prob be $199.
So, would you buy an Atrix again if you had to do it over again?
If I wouldn't of had to sell my first ATRIX I wouldn't have. My fave phone!
Tapped from my ATRIX.
No-brainer imo --- the atrix is FAR superior; I'll admit that with stock gingerbread the phone is kinda meh....still an awesome phone but nothing mindblowing. I assume since you're here you'll be unlocking and flashing it...which makes the phone AMAZING. The 3-D stuff just seems so gimmicky to me and won't be perfected/well-implemented for a good amount of time to come.
As far as the SGS2, on paper it looks like an amazing phone but I'll have to wait to see - I had the captivate and was so disappointed with it (anyone that had that phone from the beginning knows how horrendous Samsung's support was). I hope that Samsung has learned a lot since the beginning of the GS line because a phone with such amazing hardware shouldn't have so many problems.
kisnerct said:
No-brainer imo --- the atrix is FAR superior; I'll admit that with stock gingerbread the phone is kinda meh....still an awesome phone but nothing mindblowing. I assume since you're here you'll be unlocking and flashing it...which makes the phone AMAZING. The 3-D stuff just seems so gimmicky to me and won't be perfected/well-implemented for a good amount of time to come.
As far as the SGS2, on paper it looks like an amazing phone but I'll have to wait to see - I had the captivate and was so disappointed with it (anyone that had that phone from the beginning knows how horrendous Samsung's support was). I hope that Samsung has learned a lot since the beginning of the GS line because a phone with such amazing hardware shouldn't have so many problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually know exactly what you mean because I bought my Captivate a couple days after it was released. I still have it, dont use it, but I was really happy with it after flashing ROMS on it. The development forum on that phone is fantastic.
Yes, I would never have a stock phone. Did they ever get the bootloader unlocked on this phone? I know that was the major reason that people hesitated to get it.
i love my atrix. nothing out there is better to me. im running CM7 beta on it right now. so fast.
With CM7 , everything is happy
Love it, fast, nice camera, nice speaker, good gaming performance with THD games, great community.
timbrendelaz said:
I actually know exactly what you mean because I bought my Captivate a couple days after it was released. I still have it, dont use it, but I was really happy with it after flashing ROMS on it. The development forum on that phone is fantastic.
Yes, I would never have a stock phone. Did they ever get the bootloader unlocked on this phone? I know that was the major reason that people hesitated to get it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's an automatic bootload unlocker in this very forum I won't bash you because I missed it myself, hahaha. It worked like a charm for me though.
Here is the link::
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1182871
kisnerct said:
There's an automatic bootload unlocker in this very forum I won't bash you because I missed it myself, hahaha. It worked like a charm for me though.
Here is the link::
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1182871
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't miss it because I wasn't looking for it. I don't have an Atrix and was asking a question.
Everything I've read says that the Atrix also has poor battery life. I saw a thread on a battery calibration and mod that is supposed to help. I dont want to trade ina phone with bad battery life for another phone with bad battery life.
Both have a dual core CPU but the Atrix has 1GB of RAM which is nice IMO. I cant see the Thrill 3D screen with sunglasses on which sucks to me. The 3D is very gimmicky and hurts my eyes, lol. And there is only one ROM and the dev's seems to be bailing on this phone so I don't see a very good future in the Thrill dev threads.
timbrendelaz said:
I didn't miss it because I wasn't looking for it. I don't have an Atrix and was asking a question.
Everything I've read says that the Atrix also has poor battery life. I saw a thread on a battery calibration and mod that is supposed to help. I dont want to trade ina phone with bad battery life for another phone with bad battery life.
Both have a dual core CPU but the Atrix has 1GB of RAM which is nice IMO. I cant see the Thrill 3D screen with sunglasses on which sucks to me. The 3D is very gimmicky and hurts my eyes, lol. And there is only one ROM and the dev's seems to be bailing on this phone so I don't see a very good future in the Thrill dev threads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bad battery life reports are the vocal minority. Most of us here consider the battery to be one of the Atrix's strong points. I can get 2 1/2 days with light usage on mine with CM7 installed on it. Thats with wifi set to never sleep, and with GPS and 3G/HSPA enabled.
I love the Atrix. Literally the only problem I have with it is the pentile display, and even then its a very minor issue.
It has a 1930mAh and all the review sites i've read say the battery life is very good. Flashing a custom rom will make it even better! People have been getting like 16-24 hrs with Wifi and everything on, constantly browsing the internet and playing games (read it on youtube)
This is my first Android phone. Came from 4 years with the iPhone. Ill tell you this...not looking back. This phone was great stock. Now running cm7, this thing is fuggin amazing... battery and performance are nothing short of great.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
timbrendelaz said:
I just got a Thrill 4G and Im thinking about trading it in for an Atrix. The phone is great but the battery life sucks, and I cannot see the 3D screen with sun glasses on. I live in AZ so they are on every time I go outside so that is an important deciding factor for me.
The Atrix is $49 today so Im thinking about getting one. I'd love to hold out for the SGS2, but who knows when it will be out and it will prob be $199.
So, would you buy an Atrix again if you had to do it over again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Atrix is an incredibly solid device. Gotta give AT&T credit for getting a top-notch device out of Motorola.
well it sounds like you guys are quite happy with it. If the battery life is that great then it's a no-brainer for $49.99. I do believe hat Im gonna return my thrill today. It a cool phone, but im a power user and ROM flashing addict so it seems i'll fit right in.
timbrendelaz said:
well it sounds like you guys are quite happy with it. If the battery life is that great then it's a no-brainer for $49.99. I do believe hat Im gonna return my thrill today. It a cool phone, but im a power user and ROM flashing addict so it seems i'll fit right in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good choice. The only HTC that is a solid Atrix competitor on AT&T (candybar Android w/o keyboard) is the Inspire4G, but honestly, after several HTC devices and several Moto devices, HTC may come up with cool designs and features, but Moto is great at implementing reliable, high-performing designs. I've never gotten the "oh, that is cheap" feeling with a Moto phone, while Samsung and HTC . . . meh!
Typically find out people who are complaining about battery life have heavy usage that would have even worse battery life on other phones. You had a captivate like I did, so I can tell you this phones battery kicks the **** out of the captivates....and will be even more amazing should you decide to UV it.
If you want to see a GOD AWFUL battery, **** around with an HTC inspire for about 6 hours lol.
Anyway, I think you should at least give the Atrix a try and worst case scenario you don't like it you bring it back within the 30 day window (assuming you will have one).
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
I guess I'm the lone dissenter here. I'm not a fan of the Atrix. Maybe I got a lemon but it seems like there are a lot of problems.
The build quality is suspect. Dust and even a very small piece of cat hair has gotten under the screen. The back plate/battery cover feels cheap and creaks when I hold it. The GPS is rarely able to get a lock on my position, rendering it useless. Also, bluetooth connection is unreliable. I've tried 2 vehicle systems and 3 headsets. They are all able to pair fine, but lose connection in the middle of phone calls.
And if you've done research on the Atrix I'm sure you've read all about Motoblur and how ugly it makes the UI. It's all true. I'm on gingerbread and I have to say its hideous. The stock in-call screen, dialer and photo gallery all look like something designed by an elementary student.
Can you flash it and fix the ugliness of the UI? I'm not a techy but from what I've read the answer seems to be mixed. It would appear yes you can just as long as the OTA update of gingerbread has not been installed on the phone. If it has, you're either screwed or prepare to spend the next 3 years of your life reading up on how to hack the device.
On the positive side, believe everything you've seen about the Atrix's speed. By far the fastest phone I've ever used. The screen is nice and bright as well.
landoftherich said:
Can you flash it and fix the ugliness of the UI? I'm not a techy but from what I've read the answer seems to be mixed. It would appear yes you can just as long as the OTA update of gingerbread has not been installed on the phone. If it has, you're either screwed or prepare to spend the next 3 years of your life reading up on how to hack the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sounds like you might have got a lemon. But, I had the ota update and flashed it the very same day with no problems at all so it honestly isn't that difficult.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
landoftherich said:
I guess I'm the lone dissenter here. I'm not a fan of the Atrix. Maybe I got a lemon but it seems like there are a lot of problems.
The build quality is suspect. Dust and even a very small piece of cat hair has gotten under the screen. The back plate/battery cover feels cheap and creaks when I hold it. The GPS is rarely able to get a lock on my position, rendering it useless. Also, bluetooth connection is unreliable. I've tried 2 vehicle systems and 3 headsets. They are all able to pair fine, but lose connection in the middle of phone calls.
And if you've done research on the Atrix I'm sure you've read all about Motoblur and how ugly it makes the UI. It's all true. I'm on gingerbread and I have to say its hideous. The stock in-call screen, dialer and photo gallery all look like something designed by an elementary student.
Can you flash it and fix the ugliness of the UI? I'm not a techy but from what I've read the answer seems to be mixed. It would appear yes you can just as long as the OTA update of gingerbread has not been installed on the phone. If it has, you're either screwed or prepare to spend the next 3 years of your life reading up on how to hack the device.
On the positive side, believe everything you've seen about the Atrix's speed. By far the fastest phone I've ever used. The screen is nice and bright as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are many options to get rid of the stock gingerbread Motoblur look. The obvious choice is CM7, which will do away with Blur entirely, and make your phone quite a bit quicker. Most themes available in XDA will get rid of the Blur look, and there is a huge selection in the App and Theme section. I use the ext4 Homebase Rom with his Honeycomb theme, and it significantly speeds up my phone.
I would recommend the Atrix over other Android phones for a few reasons. The biggest reason why I like it so much is because of the form factor. I like the 4 inch screen more than 4.3 or 4.5 or 9.3. Battery life has been pretty good, at least as good as I can reasonably expect from a smartphone. The hardware specs are comparable to any other Android device, and if you're willing to root and flash custom Roms, you will notice a marked improvement over stock performance (which I think is true of any Android phone). What really makes this phone as slick as it is are its accessories. I just bought the lapdock from Vancouver Craigslist for $150 and I love it. I knew when I bought it that it was kind of gimmicky (like the 3D from your Thrill), but for what I need this tool for, it's been outstanding. Nothing beats watching Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad on my hour commute to work while simultaneously charging my phone!
I love my Atrix, and it's a shame the phone got such a bad wrap off the bat due poor implementation of Blur on 2.2, and encrypted bootloader. Now with the unlocked bootloader and better blur, in addition to more and more custom roms being built, this phone is coming closer to its potential. I wish it had a metal back plate, but I understand the potential of worse reception and getting hotter than the plastic cover. All in all, the only phone I would remotely consider exchanging my Atrix for would be the Sensation, and even then I think I'd really have to be sold on the idea. I hope this helps with your decision.
Cm7 is a must on the atrix. I've tried other roms but none ever worked quite right. Annoying fc & other errors - but thanks to those devs for putting in the time & effort. Blur is complete crap: I couldn't even listen to my mp3s without the music stuttering bcuz the phone was busy searching for "suggestions" of similar songs I may like. Damn you, for the unwanted marketing on my device, at&t & Motorola. For a while, I very much regretted trading in my iPhone. But now all is well. Thank you cm7 devs!
So I just got my Atrix
It has 1.2.6 as a build on it, and from reading I'm not finding too much information on that build. I don't think that I want to do the OTA to 4.1.57 though because I keep reading about bricks. I'm going to put a ROM on it, more than likely CM7 so Im not sure what good it would do to update OTA. I'll have to root it though so I guess I can get on that first but all of the root guides are for 1.8.x and up.

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