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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).
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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
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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.
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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?
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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 (!).
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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.
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
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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
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Click to collapse
^^ LOL ^^ Thats funny and sad bc its true!
shaddix2 said:
Samsung can eat my ass
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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....
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I have been kicking around getting the Atrix as my first Android cause I love my friends HTC Incredible so much but I am on AT&T so the Atrix looks like a good one to me, but I am just wondering if this phone has any bugs that need to be worked out as far as software or hardware goes? Thanks
The bugs on the ATRIX is due to MOTOBLUR. You can set the ATRIX free if you root and unlock it
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My experience with the Atrix.
I've had the phone for 3 days. Overall it's an amazing device. However, since I've had it the main issue has been reboots&crashes(my phone is not rooted). The funny thing is when I'm using it, it has never rebooted or crashed, but when it's idle it tends to crash frequently(about 10 times per day). As of now, I'm still trying to figure out what's causing this. So far from what I've found on a few android forums suggests that the problem only exists on some devices. There are some Atrix phones that don't have the rebooting problem at all.
1WithSelf said:
I've had the phone for 3 days. Overall it's an amazing device. However, since I've had it the main issue has been reboots&crashes(my phone is not rooted). The funny thing is when I'm using it, it has never rebooted or crashed, but when it's idle it tends to crash frequently(about 10 times per day). As of now, I'm still trying to figure out what's causing this. So far from what I've found on a few android forums suggests that the problem only exists on some devices. There are some Atrix phones that don't have the rebooting problem at all.
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Click to collapse
Oh, okay so it's kind of like a Volkswagen where one is great and the other is junk? Ha ha just playin. But I take it that this is not really a common problem with this phone but you just got unlucky, and maybe another handful of people?
Or maybe like Mr flo said up above that it's all because of Motoblur?
Imo wait till October or November. There will be a whole new line up of phones coming out. The Atrix is epic but there will be better in the new future.
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1WithSelf said:
I've had the phone for 3 days. Overall it's an amazing device. However, since I've had it the main issue has been reboots&crashes(my phone is not rooted). The funny thing is when I'm using it, it has never rebooted or crashed, but when it's idle it tends to crash frequently(about 10 times per day). As of now, I'm still trying to figure out what's causing this. So far from what I've found on a few android forums suggests that the problem only exists on some devices. There are some Atrix phones that don't have the rebooting problem at all.
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Click to collapse
forget trying to figure out whats wrong and exchange it for another if you can, thats something in the hardware most likely
Overall it's a solid phone, and almost every iPhone user that made the changeover usually posts that they are happy they left the iPhone for the Atrix.
In the end you are getting a dual-core phone with a 1GB of RAM and a large battery.
Plus this phone just got the BL unlocked, so that means you will have CM7 and Ice Cream Sandwich in some form (possibly even official)...
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The ATRIX is future proof....these current and upcoming dual-core phones have only matched the ATRIX. I have a custom rom and kernel....and my ATRIX flies
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ccrows said:
Overall it's a solid phone, and almost every iPhone user that made the changeover usually posts that they are happy they left the iPhone for the Atrix.
In the end you are getting a dual-core phone with a 1GB of RAM and a large battery.
Plus this phone just got the BL unlocked, so that means you will have CM7 and Ice Cream Sandwich in some form (possibly even official)...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot. How about call quality and basic phone functions, speakerphone lound and clear, ear speaker sound quality, strong or weak signal things of that nature?
rjayflo said:
The ATRIX is future proof....these current and upcoming dual-core phones have only matched the ATRIX. I have a custom rom and kernel....and my ATRIX flies
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Click to collapse
"future proof" makes me happy I just realized that I just made 10 posts! Ha ha!! I'm FREE!! Now it's time for me to go into the DEVELOPMENT THREAD and cause some real trouble, ha ha.
i have had mine for about 3 days, no reboots and whatnot. I am liking the way the phone feels and works. calls are clear via bluetooth speakerphone and the regular earpiece.
ive ditched the default messaging app for chomp sms(its basically bitesms but better and smoother in alot of ways, same dev team if im not mistaken). and im not using the default launcher anymore, launcher pro seems smoother.
anyway hardwarewise the phone is awesome, even with the motoblur on it in a nonrooted oem rom. with that said i plan to root and try out some different roms in the near future
Spoontain said:
i have had mine for about 3 days, no reboots and whatnot. I am liking the way the phone feels and works. calls are clear via bluetooth speakerphone and the regular earpiece.
ive ditched the default messaging app for chomp sms(its basically bitesms but better and smoother in alot of ways, same dev team if im not mistaken). and im not using the default launcher anymore, launcher pro seems smoother.
anyway hardwarewise the phone is awesome, even with the motoblur on it in a nonrooted oem rom. with that said i plan to root and try out some different roms in the near future
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot.
This is my first android phone and I love it! I've already rooted and unlocked it. I've flashed several ROM's already and have had excellent results. There have been a few reboots and connection issues but nothing to seriously complain about. My current ROM has taken care of all that and I'm getting over 30 hours of battery life without changing anything. I don't know about "future proof" with LTE coming but it will be tough to find a better phone
I have 2 in my household.
The wife's is as stock as stock can be and it is rock solid. Never had an issue with the phone. No force closes, no issues, just a solid work beast. Nearly, only nearly mind, rivals a Berry for battery life.
Mine on the other hand has gone through the wars a bit as regards reliability BUT all of those issues were my fault not the phone.
I am like most of those posting here in that I do like to play and tinker with ROMs, apps and anything else we can think of playing with. The upside is that after that learning curve I have a phone that is fantastically quick, great battery life and not really going to be left wanting for much over the next year or two as regards hardware.
Same as most android's really it is what you make of it. If you want a solid work beast, it can do that. If you want to play, you can do that.
Importantly though is that the initial learning curve has been gone through, mostly on this great forum, so if you want to root, mod, unlock the bootloader and whatever else may come make sure you research it.
There is only one rule really. If you unlock the bootloader and use the official AT&T Gingerbread update NEVER go back to Froyo. Remember that and now it is quite hard to mess up.
I know I have tried !
Wow, thanks a lot guys... I think this will be my first Android after reading what you all have said about this phone. Thanks for taking the time to give me your opinions, and to the guy that hates the phone... Dude I'm really sorry you got a dud.
etek said:
Thanks a lot. How about call quality and basic phone functions, speakerphone lound and clear, ear speaker sound quality, strong or weak signal things of that nature?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call quality is great. No problems at all on either end.
I don't use the speqkerphone, but I seen a lot of praise for it around here.
Sound is loud enough that I don't need to ask people to repeat themselves, which is good because my hearing has never been that great...
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etek said:
"future proof" makes me happy I just realized that I just made 10 posts! Ha ha!! I'm FREE!! Now it's time for me to go into the DEVELOPMENT THREAD and cause some real trouble, ha ha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep find something you don't like, there are Apps and ROMs to customize the phone to your liking.
Unlike the iPhone and its "Better luck next year" attitude...
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ccrows said:
Call quality is great. No problems at all on either end.
I don't use the speqkerphone, but I seen a lot of praise for it around here.
Sound is loud enough that I don't need to ask people to repeat themselves, which is good because my hearing has never been that great...
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, so this phone needs some serious consideration. Of Course, this phone probably didn't fly as much as it was promoted, I still guess its promotion was a little weaker than I expected.
I have been using Atrix since its launch. About 8 months and never had any issues with my phone.
Phone durability - Rock Solid, even though you can feel the plastic all around, but the phone is light in weight, and it still is very sturdy. Have dropped it a few times(Of course with a cover on top - so no scratches) but even after those many drops, phone is absolutely fine.
Screen - First qHD display. Truly amazing. I feel it better than iPhone's retina display, trust me when I say it, have used iphone 4 and exchanged it with Atrix.
Call Quality - SubPar. No noise issues. Whenever I receive a call, the person on the other end never complained.
Speakers - Loud and clear enough. Even when I put phone on speaker while driving, it is just clear. Loud enough to fill my car with voice easily.
Biggest Bonus - Unlocked Bootloader. Means, this phone is now free. With lots of Devs now coming up with new ROM's, and CM7 on its way, I have heard that MiUI is also coming to Atrix in near future, it is just an amazing feeling that how much customization is available for the phone, with Devs spending days and hours, it is just truly phenomenal.
Processor - with Dual Core 1GHz processor, this phone has got the raw power to beat up the competition. I feel, phone is fast enough to give solid competition to the upcoming new android variations, upcoming iphone and so on. As someone earlier said, it is a future proof phone, not only because it has got the Dual Core processor, but because it has got Dual Core processor, even today, there are many phones which still get released with 1GHz Single Core, I think for next couple of years 1GHz Dual Core processing speed is safe from getting extinct. Also, the fact that Atrix can now be OverClocked to 1.3GHz, man you should see this phone, just totally flying with that much power.
Camera - As promised by Motorola earlier at the time of launch, with GingerBread, phone will be able to do 1080p, and yes it does it. What else would we need?
Another Bonus - Finger Print Scanner. Just unique by itself. No more words needed to explain what it is.
Last but not Least, Battery - Solid. Usually, I have always seen people be able to get around atleast a day out of the Atrix battery easily. Now with different applications available to help us save the battery, it is even easier to get more out of it.
Webtop Dock etc... - Personally I don't use any other accessories for Atrix, so no idea, but have heard they all are also similarly amazing.
If I missed out on anything, I am pretty sure, I have got something good to say about it, as long as it is related to (M)Atrix.
If you got the phone, you should be happy. If you are thinking of getting one, go for it. If you dislike it, it is your personal choice and I am sure people will respect it.
Cheers!!!
Well Guy's!! I took your suggestion (besides that one guy) and I got the Atrix! Thank you thank you!!! I love this phone already. I have the bootloader unlocked, rooted, clockwork recovery, and the Alien ROM installed. Awesome phone, thanks so much for you help. After having the iPhone and then switching to this phone, there are so many things and so many ways to customize this phone it's insane. I almost don't know where to begin. See ya out on the forums!
I wouldn't have gone with the atrix personally. I had one. Froze a lot, soft rebooted A LOT, screen was not accurate to touch and would become unresponsive at times, not to mention it was SLOW(for being a dual core tegra phone). Like others say though, its mostly personal preference. I may have also had a bad one. I've owned many androids and I personally rate the atrix worse than a poopy aria.... its on the bottom of my list. I got my nexus s now and have never been more pleased.
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I live in a poor radio reception area, so I'm thinking of streaming internet radio stations over WiFi while doing yard work. Sort of a WiFi walkman.
An iTouch would work, but I have tons of android apps & games.
The galaxy player is nice, but that's kinda overkill.
So I thought a used smartphone would be a perfect choice.
One that has good WiFi range, and enough power to run games.
Nothing heavy gaming wise, I have a Nook Color running 99% of the games I like just fine, so anything comparable would do.
After looking around, the Galaxy S family seemed to be a pretty good choice, and lots of used Fascinate phones are on ebay for around $100.
So here I am, with a few questions...
Is the (Verizon) Fascinate a good choice, or are there better (or cheaper) versions from other carriers? Keep in mind I'm not ever going to use this as a phone, so even a bad ESN would work for me, right?
How about wifi range?
Are there any problems I haven't thought of.... if I flash something like CM7, can I run apps, media, etc. without Verizon ?
In other words, will this run apps, Market, like my CM7 Nook Color?
Is there a better place than ebay to look for one?
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Howdy!
First off, I use the Galaxy S Fasciante, and it is a pretty decent phone. I picked it up for $90 used, had some scratches on the screen, and dings, but not too shabby. [Ended up having to get the main board replaced a week b4 the warranty ended, but that is another story]
Unfortunately, from what I've experienced so far [owned the fascinate for maybe 1.5 months], my fascinate does not seem to do as well for wifi as my previous Droid X2, and, I am not sure, [Need to do a side-by-side comparison] my iPod touch 4.
That being said, I would suggest flashing either JT's vanilla GB, or maybe TSM Pool Party [I am still experimenting with the latter as of last week], because the stock is bloated.
You can still use the Market, Gmail, and all that by flashing the gapps package after flashing the rom. But if you decide the stock rom is good enough, I believe it should be fine as far as using it without a cell phone plan.
One thing though, if you wipe the data, and it's not on a plan, it will prompt you to "activate your phone"
Of course, it will fail, and will not let you into the os until it's active. So what I did when I was in this situation was look up the code to bypass activation. Just google "fascinate bypass activation" and you will find threads with the number you dial. cool beans
oh and as far as where to look for one, yes, ebay is fine, also you might check Craigslist. That's where I bought 2 android phones, and 2 laptops within 12 months.
and one more thing on the wifi, I am not sure if my wifi is just abnormally weak, or if that's how it is. anyone else care to elaborate how their wifi experiences have been?
Thanks mvmacd, that's just the info I needed!
I just went ahead and ordered a Fascinate on eBay a couple hours ago.
Reading other posts, the weak WiFi was mentioned, but I'm hoping it's not a hardware issue, and can be improved with a ROM.
If all else fails, I might get by with dusting off an old Linksys WRT54G router and using it as a repeater.
That tip on the activation bypass is something new to me, as this is the first phone I've messed with. All WiFi tablets up till now.
I assume that only applies to the stock Fascinate, so if I flash CM7, I won't have to worry about activation, right?
cm7 based Roms which were ported mostly by jt1134, have a lot of reverse engineering hacks for the phones hardware because there is no source code for that type of stuff. There are also Touchwiz based roms which run on the stock hardware configuration from Samsung, and are rooted, debloated, and there are kernels for those roms with voodoo Lagfix which make the phone about 3x faster than factory. It could have better wifi range with the stock hardware drivers than with jt's. With what you're going to use it for a Touchwiz ROM is best imho as the battery life was also superior when compared to CM7 roms on this phone.
Also the fascinate has very good headphone hardware, which supercurio turned into a audiophile quality experience with voodoo sound. When I move on to the galaxy nexus I will be keeping my fascinate for music.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
Wow! you guys have given me a lot if good info.
I'm getting a clearer picture of the Fascinate/Samsung hardware ROM development now.
Like I said, I'm new to phones. Different animals from the WiFi tablets I'm used to (Viewsonic Gtablet and BN Nook Color).
I'll look for a Touchwiz ROM with lagfix then.
BTW, other posts concerning the weak WiFi mentioned an app called WiFi Fixer.
Looks promising. Lots of positive reviews.
Makes me wonder, does this have to do with the ROM choosing to switch to 3G, and apps like WiFi Fixer just lock on to WiFi?
Maybe I'm cynical, but knowing Big Red, maybe their software is partial to a paid data plan over WiFi.
My Fascinate has a weaker signal.compared to 2 of my iPod touch 2g and 4g, My iPod touches would have 4 bars while my fascinate would only have 2. Never tried using any app or hacks to boost the signal since I use 3g but I know that EH03 gave me better signal as a phone compared to the older radios.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Also. If you want to pack a sd card full of music, and don't care what version of Android you have. I will suggest the dj05 superdark ROM. It is eclair "before Froyo". But I would go a full 8 hour day at work listening to music and still have 80% battery when I got home. wifi would drain a little faster, but any ROM in the dj05 service release is well known to have seemingly impossible battery life. at least by anyone who had the phone that early. If it was not for the want of running apps that require newer versions of Android I would still be on that ROM.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
SpinKix said:
Thanks mvmacd, that's just the info I needed!
I just went ahead and ordered a Fascinate on eBay a couple hours ago.
Reading other posts, the weak WiFi was mentioned, but I'm hoping it's not a hardware issue, and can be improved with a ROM.
If all else fails, I might get by with dusting off an old Linksys WRT54G router and using it as a repeater.
That tip on the activation bypass is something new to me, as this is the first phone I've messed with. All WiFi tablets up till now.
I assume that only applies to the stock Fascinate, so if I flash CM7, I won't have to worry about activation, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you probably won't need it, but just for reference, here's how to bypass activation on stock rom:
press emergency call button,
then at the dialer,
press *#83786633,
then press the Home key
As far as the rest of the roms, I do believe the other roms have a "Skip activation" button, so you do not have to worry about it.
Oh, one more thing. Developers are working on an ICS port [Android 4.0] for the fascinate! They released Build 6 just two days ago, and I am seriously considering trying it out.
edit: the ICS rom is epic. Not sure if I am getting worse battery life or not, but it is stable and looks way cooler.
Just got the phone... and it turns out I needed the code right off the bat.
Also every time I power it back on.
You saved the day!
Now I'm trying to get my head around all the Roms, Kernels, Voodoo, Red, Blue, GEEWIZ, KGB, ODIN, Heimdall, DJ05, EH03, Deodexed......... ARRRRgh!!
Like cramming for a final, I've been through glossaries, acronyms, guides, tutorials, faq for days.
Tablets were easy, just load a file on the sd card and restore.
I never knew you could mix roms, & kernels.
I'm going to start with ODIN, get rooted and load CWM and do a nandroid backup.
Also get ADB tested just in case. I also have a rough idea about voodoo rewriting the file system to ext4, and not flashing non voodoo stuff.
I'm a noob at this stuff, so I'm sure I'll take me a while.
As for the phone, I'm really impressed with the screen and how smooth it operates. Nice hardware. It can stream CNN video where the Nook stuttered. Can't handle CNN HD though.
All in all, the used phone is in pretty good condition for $89. Couple scratches on the screen, but not too bad. Naturally, the chrome bezel looks rough, but the headphone jack is perfect, and the sound is impressive.
Still take this over an itouch any day.
I can tell this is going to take up a lot of my spare time, but it's fun.
Thanks for all your help... off I go!
Ahh you know I was kind of wondering if you would need to enter the code after each reboot..
Yeah, at first I was really confused about android, roms, kernels, and all that.. Just take it easy, and eventually you will have it all down.
If you like bleeding edge software, you might wanna take a look at this Android 4 [Ice cream sandwich] rom here. I have it running on my fascinate, and I like it
Some friendly advice..
Never use anything marked for Telus
When using Odin, always use PDA PDA PDA..... Never phone!
Nandroid only when you get a sweet setup, before flashing something new.. If the new theme, kernel, etc messes things up. nandroid restore to the rescue.
Never mix Mtd stuff with BML (Touchwiz) stuff.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
So I was very disappointed at first.
The browser was slow and disappeared often. The phone got hot. The battery was lasting like four hours. I was getting roaming warnings. Capacitive buttons wouldn't light up unless it was pitch black. Felt less than snappy. Launcher would take time to load up.
Basically all the problems most people were having except the wiffi bouncing.
The screen wasn't set quite right.
I took it back and now I have no problems except one. Now it does WiFi bounce.
Gonna take this one back too.
If your phone seems like its having problems most likely it is. Take it back.
FYI my experience.
I'll report back once I have chance to get to the sprint store again.
Cool phone but yes the two I have had are buggy.
I wish was text wrapping would get fixed too. Very annoying.
I know many are tired of problem threads but there are problems.
Just.out of.curiosty where did you get your phones at?
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
try setting wifi to 2.4 ghz, that made mine more stable. I don't thinka new phone is going to solve that problem, so I would keep the one you got and wait for HTC to fix
saying you know there are too many problem threads and making another one yourself does not make it ok.
Make it ok? Just letting people know man. Not trying be a downer. I want the thing to work is all. Chill.
I got both phones at a sprint corporate store. The guy told me he has seen all the same issues.
Now this phone has great battery life. Awesome really.
But now I'm missing calls, going to maps from the browser completely blacks out the screen. Goes to nothing.
Face it. The phone is buggy.
I think HTC probably held the phone up in customs after realizing they pushed to quick. Who knows.
Buggy. Face it.
I am going to try a third one.
Oh and changing the WiFi to any setting didn't work.
Best of luck.
The wifi issue seems to be software related...the One X (our Evo's sister phone) got an OTA update this evening to address several wifi issues so I'm guessing that ours will be getting one soon too.
Dan_ said:
saying you know there are too many problem threads and making another one yourself does not make it ok.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why is the problem with the person making a thread, instead of the company who put out a problematic device.
Guys not trying to be a Debbie downer. I and many people have to live with a very promising device for a while. The developers quite frankly and hopefully will go nuts with the thing and make me and many kinda geeky. That's the fun.
But I need a solid device. I bought it to help me work better and embrace the technology that makes that happen.
I said on a different post the EVO 4g with mikg 3.11 for me was wonderful. That phone and Rom did my thing.
This is an EVO and branded as one. Don't settle and if you go for a brand like ne expect nothing less.
I had the first moto droid and that phone gave me amazing info without even touching it. I'm a fan. EVO helped me with work and music. Well slacker always made me nuts but that's slacker.
I don't mind a few minor bugs but hold the EVO to high standards.
I that's all we want.
Like I said developers will make it sing. I'm sure of it.
D