I'm considering getting an Amaze 4G from Wind Canada this week and I just had a few questions:
Bootloader - I don't intend to root or install ROMs on it for quite some time (I've already done my fair share of rooting on my current phone). I do however, want the option to be able to root and install ROMs on the phone for whenever HTC abandons the Amaze 4G (hopefully not for a good while) and I want to update it myself. While a locked bootloader probably doesn't mean no custom ROMs, based on my experience with my current locked bootloader phone - it makes things harder.
I've seen reports that the Wind version has a locked bootloader. I've also seen mixed statements about the ability to unlock it. Is it or is it not possible?
General opinions - What has your experience been with the HTC Amaze 4g? Would you recommend it? Why and why not? I'd just like to be aware of any shortcomings this phone has as well as users general feeling about it and anything else I should know.
Thanks for the help!
syrenz said:
I'm considering getting an Amaze 4G from Wind Canada this week and I just had a few questions:
Bootloader - I don't intend to root or install ROMs on it for quite some time (I've already done my fair share of rooting on my current phone). I do however, want the option to be able to root and install ROMs on the phone for whenever HTC abandons the Amaze 4G (hopefully not for a good while) and I want to update it myself. While a locked bootloader probably doesn't mean no custom ROMs, based on my experience with my current locked bootloader phone - it makes things harder.
I've seen reports that the Wind version has a locked bootloader. I've also seen mixed statements about the ability to unlock it. Is it or is it not possible?
General opinions - What has your experience been with the HTC Amaze 4g? Would you recommend it? Why and why not? I'd just like to be aware of any shortcomings this phone has as well as users general feeling about it and anything else I should know.
Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is possible to unlock the bootloader but it seems hit or miss with Telus and Wind users.
It's a solid built device with incredible specs. But it does have some minor flaws.
The screen bleed is my #1 pet peeve.
Issues with wifi and bluetooth have also been reported.
The battery is much better than any other device that I've encountered.
I can go about a full day with moderate use before having to charge my device.
Results may vary depending on individual conditions.
Camera is great quality, but audio for video camera sucks! It seems to have some kind of high pitch feedback or squeel to it. Hard to explain.
I don't care with the method to access the microsd card. You must remove the battery cover to remove it. Some phones don't require this. But not all phones have the antenna in the battery cover either. It's intimidating to me at least to be removing the battery cover over and over again just to remove/replace the sdcard. Maybe if I somehow mess up the antenna HTC will send me a new one?
That's all that I can think of. I like to think that I'm unbiased but actually I'm quite bitter toward HTC because of their reaction to the open source kernel that isn't fully open. They openly refused to release the wifi drivers and we can't easily update the kernel. So this so called "developer friendly" device is anything but. That being said... we probably won't be seeing much development for this device until HTC changes their attitude.
On WIND here and unlocked my bootloader yesterday it works fine.
not sure about BT, but probably the same cause as the wifi problems.
CASES cause the signal for wifi to drop significantly. I'm using a TPU case and wifi sucks balls. But once i remove it, BAM~! strong signals. I would like to add that my wifi signal on my amaze is stronger then the gs2 that i used for a couple days before giving it to my sister. However, gs2 connects faster like... 2 secs faster lol
I actually wrote a review on the Amaze and I included a video. I will post the link to it. If it is not allowed, mods please remove it.
hasoon2000 said:
I actually wrote a review on the Amaze and I included a video. I will post the link to it. If it is not allowed, mods please remove it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about I add the Youtube video instead? That's allowed.
Binary100100 said:
How about I add the Youtube video instead? That's allowed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that's allowed, then it works with me. Thanks.
Sent From My HTC Amaze 4G via Someone's Room
I really like this phone, much better industrial design than the Samsung. I've rooted it and am using Crackeyes latest ROM which is very clean and stable, everything seems to work. Battery life is much better than my last phone (HD2) and I ponied up and got the Anker battery & charger which seems to last about 30-40% longer than the stock. I have noticed that certain apps will drain the battery very quickly, I put on a loan calc app and overnight it sucked the battery dry, about 40% worth.
My only beef is with the wifi calling feature & I'm not sure if this is phone or tmo related but there is lots of latency and artifacts when using this. You can tell the person on the other end is struggling to decipher what I'm saying, it's kind of like the old satellite phones where you talk and there is a half second delay so you end up talking over the other person.
Other than that it's got great ID, rock solid performance, a great camera, screen, no wifi issues that I can tell, it's all good.
syrenz said:
I'm considering getting an Amaze 4G from Wind Canada this week and I just had a few questions:
Bootloader - I don't intend to root or install ROMs on it for quite some time (I've already done my fair share of rooting on my current phone). I do however, want the option to be able to root and install ROMs on the phone for whenever HTC abandons the Amaze 4G (hopefully not for a good while) and I want to update it myself. While a locked bootloader probably doesn't mean no custom ROMs, based on my experience with my current locked bootloader phone - it makes things harder.
I've seen reports that the Wind version has a locked bootloader. I've also seen mixed statements about the ability to unlock it. Is it or is it not possible?
General opinions - What has your experience been with the HTC Amaze 4g? Would you recommend it? Why and why not? I'd just like to be aware of any shortcomings this phone has as well as users general feeling about it and anything else I should know.
Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I picked up the HTC Amaze 4G from Wind Mobile today, and I've got to say, coming from a Samsung Galaxy S GT-I9000, I was very impressed.
Back in my SGS, I was a custom ROM enthusiast and tried almost every ROM that XDA had to offer for that handset. I found myself using CM7 and MIUI the most on the SGS, so I was diving into this HTC Amaze 4G knowing that I wouldn't have the same selection of custom ROMs.
The bootloader at htcdev should work for Wind and Mobilicity now (pretty sure they recently updated). Within hours of bringing this phone home, I unlocked the bootloader, installed CWM, and flashed a bunch of ROMs and I must say, even though the selection is not as great as the SGS, the work being done here at XDA for the HTC Amaze 4G is spectacular.
This phone is very smooth. However, I found that my Samsung Galaxy S was able to achieve smoother scrolling through the homepages (it ran on MIUI and had scripts to optimize performance and RAM management) than the HTC Amaze 4G on stock Sense UI (probably due to all the widgets and the scrolling animation). Once I flashed the BeastROM with the AOSP look, everything was as smooth as butter right off the bat.
The build quality is unlike any other Android I've seen, and while it may weigh more than other phones in this tier (Samsung Galaxy S II for example), it feels like a very solid and premium product when you hold it in your hand - this means that it'll probably be less prone to drops, but when they do drop, expect dents and cracks. Also, one thing I love about this phone is the notification LED, which can be set to flash on certain alerts, etc.
While the screen may not be as vibrant and colourful as Samsung's Super AMOLED Plus, the Super LCD screen is still very beautiful and holds its own. The camera is one of the best I've seen on a mobile phone.
I've only had this device for about 5 hours (stock HTC) and a little less than that circling through the custom ROMs, but I can already assure you that this handset is no slouch. The screen bleed from the backlit soft buttons will annoy some users, but it's something that doesn't bother me much.
I picked up this handset from Wind Mobile for $99 on the $29 monthly plan with unlimited talk, text, and data, and it's awesome.
Can more of you guys confirm crappy voice quality while doing video, and the 'death grip' issue like on Sensation? I'm coming from sensation and wondering if it's worthwhile to switch; and Amaze seems to have the same problems. Camera would be amaze's best asset - would you say?
Just got this and am loving so far. One question - is it just me or does the Wind version not have the same camera app as the other versions (the T-mobile)? It looks like the old HTC camera app and I don't see any of those fancy settings that I've seen in video reviews for this. Quality is amazing though...
Bronyr said:
Can more of you guys confirm crappy voice quality while doing video, and the 'death grip' issue like on Sensation? I'm coming from sensation and wondering if it's worthwhile to switch; and Amaze seems to have the same problems. Camera would be amaze's best asset - would you say?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't experienced the death grip issue on either the Sensation or the Amaze. The sound on video is almost like a feedback noise (at least that what it sounds like to me) However, I still have my Sensation and I love them both. I really love the build quality and weight of this phone and the camera takes such nice pictures. I couldn't be happier.
Definitely NOT being sent from my HTC Amaze4G until Christmas Day.....Okay it is
The amaze is an excellent build, the weight of it makes it feel solid, snappy quick, the camera is excellent, actually has replaced my digital, and has a beautiful screen . . . Coming from the hd2 this thing rock, had to replace one cause I borked the USB port but neither one has had the creak some have, and both have had screen bleed but it's so light it's barely noticeable.
---------- Post added at 07:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:46 PM ----------
Also in true HTC fashion they used different screens, my first had the same display as my second but didn't have gorilla glass and scratched real easy, my second has gorilla glass or something like it cause it's nearly impossible to scratch
thompsd said:
My only beef is with the wifi calling feature & I'm not sure if this is phone or tmo related but there is lots of latency and artifacts when using this. You can tell the person on the other end is struggling to decipher what I'm saying, it's kind of like the old satellite phones where you talk and there is a half second delay so you end up talking over the other person.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used WiFi calling from my home WLAN since the device update and it's worked great. Have you tried on other WiFi networks? Also, mine is still unrooted with stock ROM (obviously), and I've heard that because HTC hasn't released the WiFi drivers there may be some WiFi issues with aftermarket ROMs. Have you tried with the stock ROM?
In every other sense though, I agree. This is a phenomenal piece of hardware, and I really like the camera (much of it I'm sure due to the camera app...lots of fun toys!). Unfortunately mine is on "loan" from T-Mobile, so I'm not ready to root or play with it yet. I can only imagine how amazingly this phone would run on something like CM9. *drool*
Since I don't have enough posts here yet, can't post a link, but I've reviewed the phone on mytwistedbrain_DOT_com if you're interested.
Related
Hey all,
I have had a G2 with tmobile from practically day one (and a G1 before that). I use cyanogen roms and enjoy the crap out of my G2. Long live android and all you devs that put in absurd amounts of work and let us lay-people reap the fruits of your labor!
However, tmobile's service is driving me up the walls. I live in a metropolitan area (Seattle) yet I still drop calls like no one's business. The 4g coverage/speeds is great sometimes, and crap at other times. I've been flashing different radios, but that doesn't seem to change anything. A friend telling me that they got tmobile to waive the termination fee because of poor coverage and the TB price on wifefly recently both got my attention.
I scanned through a series of posts and searched a bit, but wasn't able to find exactly what I'm looking for, so here are my questions for any of you peeps rocking TB's who would be so kind as to answer:
1. I dig the built-in wifi hotspot on my tmobile G2. They don't get to charge me any BS extra fees. I can wifi hotspot my laptop wherever I have data coverage. Is this the same with a cm7 verizon TB or are you subject to their data gestapo charges?
2. I REALLY dig my raised-key physical keyboards (G1, G2, notice trend) but have gotten pretty good with Swype on my G2. It looks like Swype does not come stock on the TB but can it be added?
3. The camera on the G2 is RAD, if you have a tripod nearby to stabilize it on... :-/. I find it super difficult to get a non-blurry shot if the subject or myself is moving (and the earth is continually rotating, so this is a problem). How's the shutter speed/general performance of the TB camera? Does it take pretty clear photos even if the subject is moving or do they look like a blurred out spirit-realm being?
4. Similarly, I feel that the camcorder for the G2 has poor FPS for its class, as 'HD' video gets all blurred with only minimal movement. I've tweaked it a bit but it never can quite cut the cheese as a legitimate memory-capturer (). It irks me to no end that my gf's iphone 4 gets way better video quality than my G2. I want to end this nonsense. How's the camcorder on the TB? A little action shooting gonna look OK or no?
5. The rooting/flashing of the TB looks fairly straightforward. Looks like there's tons of dev support and some kickin roms. Late nights in adb shell on my laptop here I come!!! Correct me if I'm wrong.
6. Battery life sounds like an issue when you're running stock, but significantly improves with the right roms/settings (duh). I also use a charger at work, so I'm always able to give my phone some juice. No reason to freak out here, correct?
That's it, that's all. If you feel like only answering one, please do. I'm just wanting to make sure I make a good decision before I try to deal with tmobile & waiving my termination fee (FML). Even if I only get some of this info, it will help.
Thanks a ton ya'll.
Sent from my htc clay cm7 g2 w/ the xda app
To answer your question about rooting, I am a noob when it comes to understanding this stuff. I was able to successfully root my tbolt, twice I might add just by following instructions. The dev support is incredible and the roms are superb. I know the battery life thing is an issue to some people but the newest kernels out there definity make up for it. Also Verizon is getting rid of their unlimited data on the 7th so better make a quick decision.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Thanks.
Ya, I'm planning on making a move in the next few days if I get comfortable enough with the thunderbolt and get t-mobile to take a hike.
Sent from my htc clay cm7 g2 w/ the xda app
phatone17 said:
Hey all,
I have had a G2 with tmobile from practically day one (and a G1 before that). I use cyanogen roms and enjoy the crap out of my G2. Long live android and all you devs that put in absurd amounts of work and let us lay-people reap the fruits of your labor!
However, tmobile's service is driving me up the walls. I live in a metropolitan area (Seattle) yet I still drop calls like no one's business. The 4g coverage/speeds is great sometimes, and crap at other times. I've been flashing different radios, but that doesn't seem to change anything. A friend telling me that they got tmobile to waive the termination fee because of poor coverage and the TB price on wifefly recently both got my attention.
I scanned through a series of posts and searched a bit, but wasn't able to find exactly what I'm looking for, so here are my questions for any of you peeps rocking TB's who would be so kind as to answer:
1. I dig the built-in wifi hotspot on my tmobile G2. They don't get to charge me any BS extra fees. I can wifi hotspot my laptop wherever I have data coverage. Is this the same with a cm7 verizon TB or are you subject to their data gestapo charges?
2. I REALLY dig my raised-key physical keyboards (G1, G2, notice trend) but have gotten pretty good with Swype on my G2. It looks like Swype does not come stock on the TB but can it be added?
3. The camera on the G2 is RAD, if you have a tripod nearby to stabilize it on... :-/. I find it super difficult to get a non-blurry shot if the subject or myself is moving (and the earth is continually rotating, so this is a problem). How's the shutter speed/general performance of the TB camera? Does it take pretty clear photos even if the subject is moving or do they look like a blurred out spirit-realm being?
4. Similarly, I feel that the camcorder for the G2 has poor FPS for its class, as 'HD' video gets all blurred with only minimal movement. I've tweaked it a bit but it never can quite cut the cheese as a legitimate memory-capturer (). It irks me to no end that my gf's iphone 4 gets way better video quality than my G2. I want to end this nonsense. How's the camcorder on the TB? A little action shooting gonna look OK or no?
5. The rooting/flashing of the TB looks fairly straightforward. Looks like there's tons of dev support and some kickin roms. Late nights in adb shell on my laptop here I come!!! Correct me if I'm wrong.
6. Battery life sounds like an issue when you're running stock, but significantly improves with the right roms/settings (duh). I also use a charger at work, so I'm always able to give my phone some juice. No reason to freak out here, correct?
That's it, that's all. If you feel like only answering one, please do. I'm just wanting to make sure I make a good decision before I try to deal with tmobile & waiving my termination fee (FML). Even if I only get some of this info, it will help.
Thanks a ton ya'll.
Sent from my htc clay cm7 g2 w/ the xda app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I run CM7 wifi tether all the time without worrying about data charges..I believe the stock app is free for a while as well.
Swype isn't included stock on the TB, but it can indeed be added if you sign up for their now open beta.
More than half the time if the subject is moving I am able to get a clear photo of them..just went on a safari ride down at Disney and was able to get a ton of very good pictures.
I've never had a problem with aaction shots on my TB either all my videos look crisp.
There is a lot of Dev support for such a new phone.. cyanogenmod is currently in alpha stage because of problems with 4g surviving a reboot but that's to be expected, just like the Evo. We have froyo sense roms and gb sense roms as well as sense 3.0 roms to go with our two AOSP builds that suffer from the 4g issue but if you don't reboot your phone a lot it's a non issue and data isn't that hard to toggle
If you are near a charger all the time at work you should have no problems with battery life when rooted/rom'd. There was a deal on HTC express where they were selling two 1700 mAh batteries and a wall charger that charges batteries as well as your phone.. there's debate as to whether or not they have the capacity that is claimed but they definitely last longer than the stock battery so I just keep one in my wallet.
Hope that covers everything.. if you have any more questions feel free to ask
Sent from my ThunderBolt using XDA Premium App
Regarding wifi tether : Verizon will charge $20/month starting July 7th. Unless you root, then it's free.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA Premium App
+1 for awesome dev support on the TB. And with the recent GB kernels the battery issues are not much a of a problem.
Here is my experience:
I rooted the OG Droid with a one-click so I was pretty nervous using ADB. I followed all the instructions and it worked just fine.
For battery life - I found a good deal on Amazon with the 1600 Seido battery and a wall charger that charges up the extra battery. I will keep the extra battery around if I am going to be out for 12+ hours, but I use my phone a ton, with Navigation and browsing, etc.
For Swype - the new Sense 3.0 ROMs (I use BAMF's which I think is the only one right now) have a "Trace" option in the keyboard. I think it is similar to Swype, but I haven't personally used either. I did find myself missing the hard keys less and less in a matter of days after upgrading though.
Good luck!
Thanks everyone. Really helpful info.
I actually used the Trace keyboard function, and will say that it is quite well implemented (first tried it on the HTC Sensation, then installed the BAMF RC3 ROM) though not as accurate as Swype.
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
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
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.
Click to expand...
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)...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
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
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
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
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
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...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
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...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
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...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
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.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
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.
Hey guys so now there is a great price for this phone in one shop in my country and it's like ~60% cheaper than Galaxy S2, while specifications (RAM, CPU) ain't worse than GS2.
So is it worth buying this phone? I need honest answers, and I really didn't plan to buy a smartphone but this price is sooooo good that I imagine I won't find a smartphone with such specifications in months or years..
So what do you say? I heard big problem is dust under then screen, but is it solvable with phone case?
I would say no one else's opinions matter except yours. People come on here all day long and ***** and moan that they should've went with another phone after buying the EVO 3D, and others come on saying it's the best choice they made. I would say, go try both of them out at the store, make YOUR decision based on that.
Kblavkalash said:
Hey guys so now there is a great price for this phone in one shop in my country and it's like ~70% cheaper than Galaxy S2, while specifications (RAM, CPU) ain't worse than GS2.
So is it worth buying this phone? I need honest answers, and I really didn't plan to buy a smartphone but this price is sooooo good that I imagine I won't find a smartphone with such specifications in months or years..
So what do you say? I heard big problem is dust under then screen, but is it solvable with phone case?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
absolutely. it is a great devise and has TONS of development support. especially if it is a great price. even though it is now about 6 months old it still holds its own against the new crop coming out. the 3d is my first android phone coming from many years on blackberry and haven't looked back. rooting it allows you to really got the best performance/battery life.
ultimately, it comes down to personal choice. you are going to have people that love and hate it. just my 2 cents...
Well I don't expect it to be like TOP phone in the market, especially because the price is really acceptable. But why exactly people complain about this phone? Is it something wrong with it I don't know?
Kblavkalash said:
Well I don't expect it to be like TOP phone in the market, especially because the price is really acceptable. But why exactly people complain about this phone? Is it something wrong with it I don't know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you've never owned a smartphone, you won't understand that no one is every truly happy with their phone. There's always something small they want different (which is why rooting and ROM flashing occurs).
eXplicit815, oh then it won't be a problem I guess because I never owned one. I was planning to buy a GS2 this summer, but price was extreme and only now I noticed this one, which does not look really worse than GS2.
So again, how about that dust under the screen? It is possible to avoid that by using a case?
Kblavkalash said:
eXplicit815, oh then it won't be a problem I guess because I never owned one. I was planning to buy a GS2 this summer, but price was extreme and only now I noticed this one, which does not look really worse than GS2.
So again, how about that dust under the screen? It is possible to avoid that by using a case?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know. I've never had the problem with dust under my screen. I don't use a case either. But I know that if my phone gets dust under the screen, Sprint will either fix or replace my phone for free, no questions asked. I have the insurance plan.
Kblavkalash said:
eXplicit815, oh then it won't be a problem I guess because I never owned one. I was planning to buy a GS2 this summer, but price was extreme and only now I noticed this one, which does not look really worse than GS2.
So again, how about that dust under the screen? It is possible to avoid that by using a case?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't really heard of this - maybe one posting that I saw way back. Not really an issue. A case can help, but most don't cover the screen anyways.
LfnsR said:
I haven't really heard of this - maybe one posting that I saw way back. Not really an issue. A case can help, but most don't cover the screen anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There were issues with this on the HERO and the EVO 4G, but not a lot, if any, have been reported for the EVO 3D. They seem to have fixed the problem. I wouldn't worry about it, because HTC should stand behind it and warranty it directly for you if it does happen.
It's better then gs2.....in every way except speaker and camera....everything else its better and the 3d is amazing...the EVO 3d is super underrated.....
Prolly going to buy it tomorrow, hope price will still be low tomorrow
And what about the screen? This LCD screen is not much worse than SuperAmoled+?
I change oil for a living, and my phone takes a beating,ive never had dust get under my screen, the EVO 3d is an amazing device, you will be happy with it,
Shot from my sharp shooter in 3d
Just watched some comparison videos with GS2 and noticed browser is quite laggy on Evo 3d if the site has a lot of stuff, while GS2 is always perfect. For example on 12:50 -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY7nHi2Lcbg
Wondering is this browser performance going to be improved in the future by updates or is it hardware limiting for Evo 3d? Because overall Evo got similar amount of RAM, CPU and GPU as GS2.
I think it's because Galaxy S2 browser has full hardware acceleration, unlike the Evo 3D one.
It should be closer to GS2 performance once ICS update is out, since it'll add hardware acceleration to the UI and browser.
I even think that some custom ROMs already have hardware acceleration. Correct me if I'm wrong
with all of the development going on (and more to come as it gets ICS) the evo 3D is the best phone out there in my opinion.
make sure you don't get one with hboot 1.5 though... it will make flashing ROMs a ***** for you.
---------- Post added at 02:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:52 PM ----------
bais said:
I think it's because Galaxy S2 browser has full hardware acceleration, unlike the Evo 3D one.
It should be closer to GS2 performance once ICS update is out, since it'll add hardware acceleration to the UI and browser.
I even think that some custom ROMs already have hardware acceleration. Correct me if I'm wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
interesting about the huge effects of HW acceleration... i owned my evo 3D at the same time i had the GS2... signal strength was better on the EVO, clarity in phone calls was better, and the browsers both loaded idenctical web pages in eactly the same amount of time.
HW acceleration is overrated and should never be a selling point of a phone.
I bought my phone for the processor, resolution, and ram. I purchased it on launch day because it was king of the dual core qHD pack at the time. I think its a phenomenal phone. It was its flaws, i for one think the radio is a bit weak, and i never use the 3d, but that said, if you've never owned a smart phone and your getting a good price, go pick it up, you will be absolutely amazed with a phone like this. I call it my pocket linux because its my pocket computer
So i say get it!!
Before i replaced it, i shattered my screen, destroyed t, but aside from being hard to read the screen well because of all the cracks, i used the phone just fine for months that way. Its a very sturdy device. And as fas as the sg2 goes, there very similar phones spec wise, so go for price, the evo 3d is a very powerful phone, and i wouldnt dream of trading it for a sg2.
Hope to see ya around here flashin with all of us
I had the Evo 4g and then upgraded to the Evo 3d. My advice would be to get a device that's 4g LTE compatible if you're looking to get one soon. I would say wait and get the Galaxy Nexus when it comes out if you can wait a month or whatever it is. Unfortunately, I'm not in an area that even gets WiMax, Phoenix is on the bottom of the list it seems. But if it were me, I'd get an LTE phone if you plan to keep it for the next couple years, especially if you're in an area that has 4g now. Sprint will be moving to LTE, which means they'll probably limit or stop the WiMax 4g buildout across the states. So unless you're in an area that has WiMax now, you'll probably never get to use the 4g feature unless you travel to some place that has it.
Carrier IQ was a major turn off for me once I heard about what it collects and that the Evo's have it. I'm not even sure with the latest OTA that they released if they got rid of it yet.
I did the Hboot 1.5 root method today and loaded SenselessROM 2.9.5. This is the best thing I've done to this phone and would highly recommend it! Especially with the hacked Sprint Hotspot feature and removal of Carrier IQ. I'm now glad I own a Evo 3d and think this rooting/rom will hold me over until the quad-core Tegra 3 phones hit the market later this year. Then I'll upgrade to a quad-core with LTE technology, since that's the direction Sprint will be going and all other carriers are.
Thanks guys
So how do I check that my phone won't have hboot 1.5? Or is it impossible to check in the phone shop?
I like this phone. I got it back in July had it rooted as soon as it was available and have been ROM hopping ever since. I just bought one for my wife. She thinks it's the best phone yet and she has gone through a lot of different models. An unrooted phone is very quick and responsive. Battery life is ok stock can't wait to see how it is with the new update.
Kblavkalash said:
Thanks guys
So how do I check that my phone won't have hboot 1.5? Or is it impossible to check in the phone shop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.5 isn't a ***** at all. You have a whopping one more step you have to do than someone who has 1.40 or lower.
Rom process for 1.40
reboot to recovery
wipe
flash rom
Rom process for 1.50
Flash kernel through flash image gui
Reboot to recovery
wipe
flash rom
The EVO 3D is still a beast, and if you say the stock browser is slow here's some good news man. You dont have to use the stock browser, there's around 8 browsers out there that all have different pro's and cons. My first EVO 3D could be overclocked to 2.0 GHZ. Technically I had a phone running at 4.0 ghz in my pocket and damn near stable. 1gig of ram is awesome. The screen is awesome. I've got a minute amount of dust under my screen but you can only see it when the screen is off. I say go for it.
Edit: If they'll let you see the phone, take the battery out and put it back in. Hold down the power button and the volume down button at the same time until the screen kicks back on. You should be at a white screen. The text at the top should say Hboot 1.xx.xxxx on the second or third line. Pull the battery out again and you're good to go but tbh it really doesn't matter which one you get. There's ONE limitation to 1.50. You cant change your splash screen, a screen you might or might not see often.
Edit: Actually, where are you from? You might not even have to deal with 1.50 because if you're not in the united states you'll have the GSM version which can be downgraded. It's lengthy but there's a fool proof step by step walkthrough to do it.
I have an AT&T HTC One arriving shortly as a new customer on AT&T. I understand I have 14 days to try it out, so I want to make sure I put it to a full test. This will be my first HTC device since the Windows Mobile days, so I have a few questions to ask before starting to use my phone. I am not entirely for sure, but I will probably end up rooting and using custom roms, but probably not until the 14 days are over. With that in mind, here are my questions:
1) Should I unlock the bootloader right away? I understand that doing so erases everything on my phone, but it should not cause any problems if I decide to return the phone, right?
2) If I decide to root after the 14 days are up, I do not have to wipe the phone again, do I?
3) If I decide to use a custom rom, do I understand correctly that I will indeed have to wipe the phone again (but not the /sd card contents???) Meaning, my pictures/videos and all that will remain, but I will have to wipe the system?
4) My area does not yet have LTE (coming later this summer), so is there a way for me to turn it off to save on battery, or do I even need to attempt this?
5) I've been using an iPhone 5 since launch and it is still scratch-free without using a case. I'd prefer not to use a case with the One as well, and I only have my phone in my pocket. Is it reasonable to expect that my One will hold up as well as the iPhone 5 in this area?
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions,
Travis
1.yes,but it will show tampered in the bootloader but att employees don't usually check so as long as you flash the ruu before you return you should be fine
2.yes, you do because unlocking the bootloader causes the phone to wipe
3.yes, it is recommended to wipe only system and data but not your sdcard
4.if you don't have it in your area then you don't even need to mess with it
5.yes, because I've been using my phone for a while now with no case and everything looks fine but sometimes I do put my case on when I'm clummsy.
6. Click thanks
drakeymcmb said:
1.yes,but it will show tampered in the bootloader but att employees don't usually check so as long as you flash the ruu before you return you should be fine
2.yes, you do because unlocking the bootloader causes the phone to wipe
3.yes, it is recommended to wipe only system and data but not your sdcard
4.if you don't have it in your area then you don't even need to mess with it
5.yes, because I've been using my phone for a while now with no case and everything looks fine but sometimes I do put my case on when I'm clummsy.
6. Click thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Regarding #2, are you saying that if I am already bootloader unlocked and then decide to root at a later time, I *will* have to completely wipe the phone again? Or is it just the initial bootloader unlock that requires the full wipe?
i seriously doubt you will be returning this phone before the 14 days. especially if your coming from the iphone 5. this is the only phone that rivals the build quality of iphones. i have had mine since the release for tmobile and not one scratch on it. my girl has the iphone 5 and imo it cant touch this phone.
if apple and android had a baby it would be the htc one.
Travisimo said:
Regarding #2, are you saying that if I am already bootloader unlocked and then decide to root at a later time, I *will* have to completely wipe the phone again? Or is it just the initial bootloader unlock that requires the full wipe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No just the initial bootloader unlock unless you decide to change Roms
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
skinsfanbdh said:
if apple and android had a baby it would be the htc one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's exactly what I'm looking for.
I go back and forth between iOS and Android on a yearly basis, it seems. I've had the iPhone 5 since launch on Verizon, and I just returned the Samsung GS4 because it was very laggy and was locking up at least once per day. I'm going to try the HTC One on AT&T (even though the One has just been confirmed for Verizon later this summer) because I am tired of Verizon's policies. I'm tired of them taking longer than anyone else to get phones. I'm tired of their "customizations" like the persistent WIFI notification on the GS4 that no other carrier has. I'm tired of their locked bootloaders and locked down CDMA network. I'm sure AT&T will have its share of frustrations, but LTE is coming in my area this summer and I'm looking to try something different. I'm keeping my Verizon line for now since I have unlimited data on it, but I'm thinking the 5GB plan on AT&T will be more than enough (and I get a 25% discount through my employer).
Thanks for the help, guys.
Travisimo said:
Well that's exactly what I'm looking for.
I go back and forth between iOS and Android on a yearly basis, it seems. I've had the iPhone 5 since launch on Verizon, and I just returned the Samsung GS4 because it was very laggy and was locking up at least once per day. I'm going to try the HTC One on AT&T (even though the One has just been confirmed for Verizon later this summer) because I am tired of Verizon's policies. I'm tired of them taking longer than anyone else to get phones. I'm tired of their "customizations" like the persistent WIFI notification on the GS4 that no other carrier has. I'm tired of their locked bootloaders and locked down CDMA network. I'm sure AT&T will have its share of frustrations, but LTE is coming in my area this summer and I'm looking to try something different. I'm keeping my Verizon line for now since I have unlimited data on it, but I'm thinking the 5GB plan on AT&T will be more than enough (and I get a 25% discount through my employer).
Thanks for the help, guys.
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Click to collapse
this phone doesnt lag. probably the closes thing to the smoothness of ios. and yea dont get that cdma garbage from verizon at&t,tmo or developer version is the way to go as far as custom rom options at least for now. if you want more in depth info check out mike1986. review of the phone. he has only done the first part of the review but he is a developer over on the international thread for this phone.
skinsfanbdh said:
this phone doesnt lag. probably the closes thing to the smoothness of ios. and yea dont get that cdma garbage from verizon at&t,tmo or developer version is the way to go as far as custom rom options at least for now. if you want more in depth info check out mike1986. review of the phone. he has only done the first part of the review but he is a developer over on the international thread for this phone.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the reassurance. The lag on the GS4 was unbearable and even worse than I expected given my previous experience with the GS3 a year ago. Even after turning off every S-feature I could find, enabling the developer options and changing the animations, and disabling as much bloatware as I could, the phone still lagged when scrolling and just felt unresponsive at times.
If I really like it, I don't know how long I'll hold onto my Unlimited Data plan on Verizon. On AT&T, I understand that unlimited data users are throttled after 5GB anyway, right? I think 5GB will be plenty, as I normally hover in the 3-4GB range on Verizon each month (and that's with a good deal of music streaming and Youtube watching). I guess if I go over once in a while, I can afford the $10 for an extra gig now and then.
My only concerns right now are battery life and the buttons. I've seen mixed reports on battery life - some saying it is abysmal, others saying it's actually very good. I'm keeping my expectations tempered as I've just been using two of the better phones in this area (iPhone 5 and GS4). I'm not expecting battery life to be as good as those, but if it can last my through my 8 hours of work (no WIFI there), then I'll be okay.
The buttons, I'm sure I'll get used to. But I'm definitely looking forward to the 4.2.2 update that allows for the long press of Home for Menu, right? Will this also give you the option to get rid of the Menu bar that appears below non-standard apps that don't conform to Google's specs?
For those who are still engaged with the conversation, I have a few more specific questions about customizing if you don't mind... Since this is my first HTC Android device, there are some terms and methods I am not familiar with. I've used the Galaxy Nexus and the GS3 in the past and was able to understand enough to unlock the bootloaders and install custom roms on those devices. However, when reading about the HTC One, there are some things I do not yet understand:
1) I understand that the AT&T, T-Mobile, and International versions are basically identical hardware-wise, right?
2) What is CID, Hboot, and RUU? I don't remember having to deal with any of those terms with the Nexus and GS3. All I understand about the HTC One so far is that I need to unlock the bootloader at HTC's website. I'm sure I can also follow the instructions to root the device. Installing recoveries and custom roms is where things start to get a little foggy for me with this device.
3) I'm probably going to want to stick with a stock rom of some type because I am actually looking forward to some of the HTC features (especially with the camera). If the "Android Experience" rom still has some of the custom software for the camera, etc, then I might be interested in that. Otherwise, I just want to be rooted at 4.2.2 with a debloated device running as smoothly and as stable as possible.
Thanks!
Travisimo said:
For those who are still engaged with the conversation, I have a few more specific questions about customizing if you don't mind... Since this is my first HTC Android device, there are some terms and methods I am not familiar with. I've used the Galaxy Nexus and the GS3 in the past and was able to understand enough to unlock the bootloaders and install custom roms on those devices. However, when reading about the HTC One, there are some things I do not yet understand:
1) I understand that the AT&T, T-Mobile, and International versions are basically identical hardware-wise, right?
2) What is CID, Hboot, and RUU? I don't remember having to deal with any of those terms with the Nexus and GS3. All I understand about the HTC One so far is that I need to unlock the bootloader at HTC's website. I'm sure I can also follow the instructions to root the device. Installing recoveries and custom roms is where things start to get a little foggy for me with this device.
3) I'm probably going to want to stick with a stock rom of some type because I am actually looking forward to some of the HTC features (especially with the camera). If the "Android Experience" rom still has some of the custom software for the camera, etc, then I might be interested in that. Otherwise, I just want to be rooted at 4.2.2 with a debloated device running as smoothly and as stable as possible.
Thanks!
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Click to collapse
1- yes pretty much the same
2- cid is your phone id which tells you what ruu you need. ruu is the stock rom your phone came with. hboot you really dont need to worry about until we get s-off
3- all the custom sense roms include all the htc features so no worries there
---------- Post added at 10:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:55 AM ----------
and btw with the battery life when i first got my htc one battery life was average at best but after a few battery cycles it improved.
first week probably averaged about 10-12 hrs with 6hrs on data with the rest wifi
second week 15-20 hrs with 6 hrs data
after that it pretty much leveled out and i average around 30 hrs 6 hrs on data and anywhere from 4-7 hrs screen time and all data is lte i dont turn data to 4g or 3g to save battery. so the first 7-10 days you might be cutting it close to get through the day on a single charge. a lot depends on signal strength though. i think most of those bad battery threads were from people who just got the phone and battery wasnt good at first. might also be because of stock rom. i flashed a custom sense rom the first day i got the phone
Ok, I got my HTC One today and so far I am loving it! However, I am disappointed to see that there is a persistent notification for "Power Saver". Argh, on the GS4 there was a persistent notification for WIFI (on Verizon), and now this one. What is it with these guys and their non-removable persistent notifications? I guess they think people are that stupid (and maybe most are on), but there should at least be an option to turn it off.
So from what I'm reading, the only thing I can do is to force close it each time, or to root my device and install a mod? Really?
Travisimo said:
Ok, I got my HTC One today and so far I am loving it! However, I am disappointed to see that there is a persistent notification for "Power Saver". Argh, on the GS4 there was a persistent notification for WIFI (on Verizon), and now this one. What is it with these guys and their non-removable persistent notifications? I guess they think people are that stupid (and maybe most are on), but there should at least be an option to turn it off.
So from what I'm reading, the only thing I can do is to force close it each time, or to root my device and install a mod? Really?
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Click to collapse
yea pretty much but not really an issue for me because i never intended to stay stock
oh and btw s-off has just been released in the international forum so you might want to keep an eye over there. with that you will be able to go back to complete stock without any trace of unlocking and rooting
hows the smoothness for you? i know your an iphone guy and i would like to hear your feedback
skinsfanbdh said:
yea pretty much but not really an issue for me because i never intended to stay stock
oh and btw s-off has just been released in the international forum so you might want to keep an eye over there. with that you will be able to go back to complete stock without any trace of unlocking and rooting
hows the smoothness for you? i know your an iphone guy and i would like to hear your feedback
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I'm not too worried about the notification either because I will eventually root and rom... not for a while though.
I am in love with the design of the phone, to be an honest. I feel it tops my iPhone in almost every way in terms of hardware. The iPhone is still more smooth, but I think it's more a matter of Apple prioritizing the touch response and animations over everything else. The One is definitely more smooth than the GS4, though, and I noticed that right away. The Facebook app still stutters, but I think that's just Facebook's fault... it stutters if you scroll before everything has loaded.
I've set up Nova launcher with a shortcut to Blinkfeed (which I actually like). Disappointed that I can't use the HTC widgets in Nova, but I'm finding replacements. Charging the battery now (which I read takes longer than average), and tonight at work will be my first "real" test with the phone.
Thanks for replying.
Travisimo said:
Yeah, I'm not too worried about the notification either because I will eventually root and rom... not for a while though.
I am in love with the design of the phone, to be an honest. I feel it tops my iPhone in almost every way in terms of hardware. The iPhone is still more smooth, but I think it's more a matter of Apple prioritizing the touch response and animations over everything else. The One is definitely more smooth than the GS4, though, and I noticed that right away. The Facebook app still stutters, but I think that's just Facebook's fault... it stutters if you scroll before everything has loaded.
I've set up Nova launcher with a shortcut to Blinkfeed (which I actually like). Disappointed that I can't use the HTC widgets in Nova, but I'm finding replacements. Charging the battery now (which I read takes longer than average), and tonight at work will be my first "real" test with the phone.
Thanks for replying.
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Click to collapse
you can make another screen your home screen with sense launcher so you dont have blinkfeed in your face everytime you unlock the phone. and just so you know i just tried the s-off and it works on my tmo htc one. i successfully got s-off tampered removed and supercid. its confirmed working for at&t also
skinsfanbdh said:
you can make another screen your home screen with sense launcher so you dont have blinkfeed in your face everytime you unlock the phone. and just so you know i just tried the s-off and it works on my tmo htc one. i successfully got s-off tampered removed and supercid. its confirmed working for at&t also
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Click to collapse
Yes, I figured out the Blinkfeed thing. Right now I am using Nova Launcher with a shortcut to Blinkfeed when I want to use it. The only thing bad about using Nova is that a bunch of the HTC widgets are not there anymore to use. Power toggles, Clocks/Weather, FM Radio widget, etc are all missing when using Nova Launcher. I understand that HTC widgets are only visible when using the Sense launcher? That's a bummer...
So explain again what the advantage of s-off is? Just so you can go back to completely stock if something goes wrong?
I think I will wait for this upcoming 4.2.2 OTA before deciding whether to unlock my bootloader and/or root. I'll take the time right now just to learn the phone and start reading all of the forums.
Travisimo said:
Yes, I figured out the Blinkfeed thing. Right now I am using Nova Launcher with a shortcut to Blinkfeed when I want to use it. The only thing bad about using Nova is that a bunch of the HTC widgets are not there anymore to use. Power toggles, Clocks/Weather, FM Radio widget, etc are all missing when using Nova Launcher. I understand that HTC widgets are only visible when using the Sense launcher? That's a bummer...
So explain again what the advantage of s-off is? Just so you can go back to completely stock if something goes wrong?
I think I will wait for this upcoming 4.2.2 OTA before deciding whether to unlock my bootloader and/or root. I'll take the time right now just to learn the phone and start reading all of the forums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
with s-off and supercid you can install the ruu/ota from any htc one variant except sprint/verizon. but you could use the international ota which is 4.2.2
skinsfanbdh said:
with s-off and supercid you can install the ruu/ota from any htc one variant except sprint/verizon. but you could use the international ota which is 4.2.2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I see. With the AT&T OTA update rumored to be coming out in the next week or two, I think I'll just wait right now before jumping in.
Ironically, LTE just lit up in my area (Quad Cities, Davenport IA area) last night, so I was able to try that out as well!
So my first night at work with the new phone was very successful. Here are some things I noticed when comparing the One to my normal usage on the iPhone 5 with Verizon:
- LTE speeds on AT&T were comparable to Verizon at my workplace. However, AT&T had better penetration because my iPhone (and past LTE Android phones) would drop down to 3G deep inside the building, whereas AT&T stayed on LTE the whole time. In fact, I think the One has only dropped down to 4G (HSPA+) one or two times since I got it, whereas the Verizon phones constantly change between 3G and LTE.
- Battery life on the One was surprisingly good! My normal 8-hour shift consists mostly of playing Doggcatcher podcasts at 1.5 speed through Bluetooth headphones. I also use the phone on my breaks, along with a bit of Hotspot tethering for my iPad. With my iPhone 5, I'm normally at 40-50% battery life when I leave work, and the One was right about there as well. I would say that the One is very efficient when the screen is off, but a bit of a sucker when using the screen. That's to be expected, especially with that nice bright screen. Overall, I am very pleased and quite relieved to discover that I'll make it through a day of work no problem.
- The speakers are amazing! This is the first phone I can actually listen to music on without cringing. Having the speakers in the front of the phone is huge advantage as well. The iPhone 5 is no slouch in the audio department, but the One is noticeably better.
- I like the screen better on the One compared to the Galaxy S4. The latter has better blacks and contrast, but lacks color accuracy and is practically unviewable outdoors. I am definitely getting spoiled by these high DPI displays! The extra screen real estate on the One compared to the iPhone is liberating. Apple needs to release a larger screen iPhone now - not next year - because nobody who uses the larger 1080p screen is ever going to go back to the puny 4" screen again.
More thoughts later...
Signal an 4.2.2
Travisimo said:
Ah, I see. With the AT&T OTA update rumored to be coming out in the next week or two, I think I'll just wait right now before jumping in.
Ironically, LTE just lit up in my area (Quad Cities, Davenport IA area) last night, so I was able to try that out as well!
So my first night at work with the new phone was very successful. Here are some things I noticed when comparing the One to my normal usage on the iPhone 5 with Verizon:
- LTE speeds on AT&T were comparable to Verizon at my workplace. However, AT&T had better penetration because my iPhone (and past LTE Android phones) would drop down to 3G deep inside the building, whereas AT&T stayed on LTE the whole time. In fact, I think the One has only dropped down to 4G (HSPA+) one or two times since I got it, whereas the Verizon phones constantly change between 3G and LTE.
- Battery life on the One was surprisingly good! My normal 8-hour shift consists mostly of playing Doggcatcher podcasts at 1.5 speed through Bluetooth headphones. I also use the phone on my breaks, along with a bit of Hotspot tethering for my iPad. With my iPhone 5, I'm normally at 40-50% battery life when I leave work, and the One was right about there as well. I would say that the One is very efficient when the screen is off, but a bit of a sucker when using the screen. That's to be expected, especially with that nice bright screen. Overall, I am very pleased and quite relieved to discover that I'll make it through a day of work no problem.
- The speakers are amazing! This is the first phone I can actually listen to music on without cringing. Having the speakers in the front of the phone is huge advantage as well. The iPhone 5 is no slouch in the audio department, but the One is noticeably better.
- I like the screen better on the One compared to the Galaxy S4. The latter has better blacks and contrast, but lacks color accuracy and is practically unviewable outdoors. I am definitely getting spoiled by these high DPI displays! The extra screen real estate on the One compared to the iPhone is liberating. Apple needs to release a larger screen iPhone now - not next year - because nobody who uses the larger 1080p screen is ever going to go back to the puny 4" screen again.
More thoughts later...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As you start reading up on the forums you may find the posts about how AT&T "fluffs" the signal. I am running the international trick droid ver 7.0.0 and it does have the same speed just the signal bar is not tweaked for simulated better signal. Also this rom has build options to remove the three dot menu as well as debloat and turn off power save notification. It runs like butter no laggs. I dont have or use FB so i cant speak for it. Keep us posted on how you like it.