So, based on my lurking here, I'm going to be in a small minority on this one. I own the Electrify, have it unlocked and after running jokersax's cm10 for a while, I returned to the stock cm7 build (cybix, I believe...) cause I like the 15 hour battery life I get from it. Anyways, not the point...
My next phone will still be a Motorola. There, I said it. Why? Cause I like buying a phone from a company that's literally right next door. I know they are all made in China, but Moto's headquarters are basically 6 hours from where I live.
I've owned 3 Motorola phones now. They've all had really good radios and been stable and reliable. Granted the Electrify is my 1st smart phone. I've been in places where 3 people around me with Samsung or HTC phones have little or no signal, and my Moto is fine. It's also a good size for my hands, it fits in my palm, it fits in the car's cupholder, it's not garmungus like a lot of the new phones are becoming, but it's not iPhone small.
I like the phone, I dislike that Moto made a (sucky, yes) decision to not release any ICS/JB goodness for it, but that's how business works. They make more money by selling the masses a new phone rather than supporting the old ones. I'm not up for replacement until July of next year, but I probably won't replace my Electrify then either so long as it's still working. The specs are still pretty top-end and I suspect they still will be through 2013.
Thanks for letting me add a (hopefully) positive review on the Photon/Electrify board. It's great being able to lurk around here and learn stuff. :highfive:
I guess I'm in the minority also. This has been the best phone I've ever had, I'm unlocked, and can run whatever I want. I recommended this phone to everyone I know on sprint. It just works
CodeNamed JellyBean MoPho
Nothing wrong with that.
Is there actual proof that the radio or antenna is actually better? If it truely does get better signal across the board. I'm on board. But I need hard evidence
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2
Based on my own use I think it's better than most. I get a strong signal everywhere, including the marginal-coverage areas.
Kevets said:
Based on my own use I think it's better than most. I get a strong signal everywhere, including the marginal-coverage areas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I liked my photon while i had it, but was VERY frustrated with the lack of support. First Android phone i've ever owned that didn't get updated to a new version of android. I can confirm the signal is a little better as my g/f now rocks my photon and i'm pimpin' a S3 I picked up off contract, but it's marginal really. Photon still has pretty good specs, but i can attest, the S3 is FAST and the big hd screen is pretty nice. Also, the thickness of the phone is shocking compared to my photon. Oh, and one of the best things about it is the unlocked bootloader out of the box. Had CWM installed and rocking a custom ROM within an hour of buying the phone. Based on the raw deal Motorola stuck us with, i most likely will not own anymore of their products. This is coming from a home with a photon and two Motorola Xoom's. Build quality is fantastic, support sucks a fat one except for the Xoom's ofcourse..
mark112089 said:
Is there actual proof that the radio or antenna is actually better? If it truely does get better signal across the board. I'm on board. But I need hard evidence
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my experience in selling the phone it does have one of the best radios out there. At least better than the GS2 and the most HTC devices that were comparable spec. I can't really say much for the newer devices as sprint network issues have worsened since the photon went End of life.
I just moved to Moto from iPhone (i know Im a shame to the android community), before that i had samsung and htc.
At&t has spotty service where i live, but the atrix gets service better than the other phones. Im so happy with the service i get with this phone.
Sent from my MB886 using xda app-developers app
the electrify is a great phone and all. only when unlocked really. but it's done the job. i wouldn't say moto gets the best signal. my htc desire actually gets an equal to slightly better signal. so htc makes good phones to i'm testing out samsung tomorrow with the note ii. i hope it's as good as moto and htc.
i will never own another moto though. not after the update fiasco and locked bootloader situations. if i can't touch my own phone. then i don't want it. mainly why i'm moving to the note ii. so much freedom!
Moto build quality and signal quality are the stuff of legend. I don't know that hard evidence exists to prove it, though.
I live way out in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina. Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T don't provide service here. Their service is known to be spotty in the cities like Greenville, New Bern, Jacksonville, etc. Between them, if you have signal at home, generally you have US Cellular. Even with US Cellular, I have signal issues. With a Samsung or HTC, the phone has to be in the window. For the most part, so does the Motorola Electrify, but it can get service (1 bar) at the computer, in bed, or in an extreme case, the bathroom (typically a Faraday cage). So it is a little stronger. And Apple uses Samsung parts, so for the sake of argument I can say Apple=Samsung WRT signal.
Another fun anecdote (since that's all we've got). 2007. Went to visit my mother in California. A state that doesn't even know what US Cellular is. My wife and I have Kyocera KX-5 Slider Remix dumbphones. My mother says "your carrier is who now?". Anyway, we get into town, we have some Round Table (hands down the best pizza I've had), the next morning she wants to take us into the mountains to go visit my nephew. Long story. Anyway, we're out of town. East of San Francisco. There's a city after you're well out of the San Francisco metropolitan area, starts with a C, I think. We stop there for burgers and fries. Another hour, we're in the mountains, middle of nowhere. My mother decides she needs to call somebody. (Probably call ahead.) Takes out her LG flip phone, on Verizon. No Signal. My wife and I check our phones -- we both have 5 bars. She borrows my phone, the call connects, she gets great call quality, no drop, no static. To this day she thinks we have satellite phones like in that one Jurassic Park movie, that get service in the jungle. It's pretty funny. A friend of mine who has worked for Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint tells me that what US Cellular lacks in phone selection, they more than make up for in signal coverage, usually due to roaming agreements with other CDMA carriers. Since US Cellular does not carry the iPhone, I can safely say that Android goes places that iPhone cannot.
OP, you're okay with me. My wife is staying with Motorola as well, and can't understand why I hate 'em now, especially as I got my phone unlocked and running the OS I want. She only upgraded because her last phone was a bona fide piece of sh!t (Samsung Acclaim... 160MB RAM). She will probably use the Electrify until it breaks. 8 months later she has only changed the wallpaper. Unrooted, locked, running Blur Home as the launcher. I put Holo Launcher up there and she didn't like it, made me put it back, haha.
QuimaxW said:
So, based on my lurking here, I'm going to be in a small minority on this one. I own the Electrify, have it unlocked and after running jokersax's cm10 for a while, I returned to the stock cm7 build (cybix, I believe...) cause I like the 15 hour battery life I get from it. Anyways, not the point...
My next phone will still be a Motorola. There, I said it. Why? Cause I like buying a phone from a company that's literally right next door. I know they are all made in China, but Moto's headquarters are basically 6 hours from where I live.
I've owned 3 Motorola phones now. They've all had really good radios and been stable and reliable. Granted the Electrify is my 1st smart phone. I've been in places where 3 people around me with Samsung or HTC phones have little or no signal, and my Moto is fine. It's also a good size for my hands, it fits in my palm, it fits in the car's cupholder, it's not garmungus like a lot of the new phones are becoming, but it's not iPhone small.
I like the phone, I dislike that Moto made a (sucky, yes) decision to not release any ICS/JB goodness for it, but that's how business works. They make more money by selling the masses a new phone rather than supporting the old ones. I'm not up for replacement until July of next year, but I probably won't replace my Electrify then either so long as it's still working. The specs are still pretty top-end and I suspect they still will be through 2013.
Thanks for letting me add a (hopefully) positive review on the Photon/Electrify board. It's great being able to lurk around here and learn stuff. :highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You buy from a company cause its, 6 hours away? They still don't care about updating your phone.
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
There's nothing wrong with staying with Motorola if that's what you like. I'm on my fifth Photon. I had the random reboot issue. Not updating our phones was the final straw with me. Going to Verizon for the galaxy note 2 when it drops.
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
On GSM signal strength, my Sony Ericsson Naite is much better than Photon. Call drops are frequent on Photon. On 100$ Naite you can even make GSM video calls where all Androids and Iphones fails.
.................................................
Motorola Electrified Photon 4G
Dark Reality said:
Moto build quality and signal quality are the stuff of legend. I don't know that hard evidence exists to prove it, though.
I live way out in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina. Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T don't provide service here. Their service is known to be spotty in the cities like Greenville, New Bern, Jacksonville, etc. Between them, if you have signal at home, generally you have US Cellular. Even with US Cellular, I have signal issues. With a Samsung or HTC, the phone has to be in the window. For the most part, so does the Motorola Electrify, but it can get service (1 bar) at the computer, in bed, or in an extreme case, the bathroom (typically a Faraday cage). So it is a little stronger. And Apple uses Samsung parts, so for the sake of argument I can say Apple=Samsung WRT signal.
Another fun anecdote (since that's all we've got). 2007. Went to visit my mother in California. A state that doesn't even know what US Cellular is. My wife and I have Kyocera KX-5 Slider Remix dumbphones. My mother says "your carrier is who now?". Anyway, we get into town, we have some Round Table (hands down the best pizza I've had), the next morning she wants to take us into the mountains to go visit my nephew. Long story. Anyway, we're out of town. East of San Francisco. There's a city after you're well out of the San Francisco metropolitan area, starts with a C, I think. We stop there for burgers and fries. Another hour, we're in the mountains, middle of nowhere. My mother decides she needs to call somebody. (Probably call ahead.) Takes out her LG flip phone, on Verizon. No Signal. My wife and I check our phones -- we both have 5 bars. She borrows my phone, the call connects, she gets great call quality, no drop, no static. To this day she thinks we have satellite phones like in that one Jurassic Park movie, that get service in the jungle. It's pretty funny. A friend of mine who has worked for Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint tells me that what US Cellular lacks in phone selection, they more than make up for in signal coverage, usually due to roaming agreements with other CDMA carriers. Since US Cellular does not carry the iPhone, I can safely say that Android goes places that iPhone cannot.
.
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Click to collapse
you made that up, there is no such thing as good pizza west of Chicago
My unlocked Electrify has been a wonderful phone for me and I will keep it for a long while. That doesn't mean I will buy another Motorola though. Me and Motorola are over forever. I had the Desire (upgraded to 2.2) and the Mesmerize (upgraded to 2.2 then 2.3) before and I should have stuck with Samsung. I now use the Electrify and the Galaxy S3. My S3 has already received 2 updates and Jellybean is coming. Samsung for life.
I believe management of Motorola Mobility was screwed up since the takeover; probably lack of leadership and no clarity whatsoever from anyone at the top..
The recent transfer of Soni from Google shows that Google has decided to get serious about MM.
In terms of devices, they have started by cleaning house. EOL most phones, free up labor to concentrate on current & newer devices and creating the BL unlock program.
MM is trying to get back on track.
But for me, its useless; too little, too late.
Next device will definitely not be from Motorola.
Most likely the Note II (not that Samsung is friendly to developers either); but its just a beast of a phone.
Equalizir said:
There's nothing wrong with staying with Motorola if that's what you like. I'm on my fifth Photon. I had the random reboot issue. Not updating our phones was the final straw with me. Going to Verizon for the galaxy note 2 when it drops.
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you love the logo branding on the home button
Sent from my MB853 using XDA
Slighter said:
you made that up, there is no such thing as good pizza west of Chicago
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Click to collapse
Yeah, go on telling yourself that. Northern California can keep its pizza secret.
I'm actually a big fan of both Chicago deep dish and Brooklyn wide slices. Round Table is nothing like either of them. On one hand they're just a fancy Pizza Hut or Dominoes, but on the other, they use top quality ingredients and have great recipes that justify them costing 2-3 times more than them.
Sent from my MotoFail Electrify using Tapatalk and Swype.
Motorola will steal your pizza money.
hirent said:
I believe management of Motorola Mobility was screwed up since the takeover; probably lack of leadership and no clarity whatsoever from anyone at the top..
The recent transfer of Soni from Google shows that Google has decided to get serious about MM.
In terms of devices, they have started by cleaning house. EOL most phones, free up labor to concentrate on current & newer devices and creating the BL unlock program.
MM is trying to get back on track...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm hoping they have their house in order by the time I decide to update. If they don't by then, perhaps I'll start looking elsewhere.
Sent from my MB855 using xda app-developers app
Related
I know one of these shows up every once and a while, but now that the selection of phones has grown quite a bit over the past two days, and the holiday season is coming soon, I was curious; What phone do you plan on upgrading to?
[Edit]
Oh ya, I plan on getting the Galaxy Nexus in late November :3 I have always wanted a Nexus on Verizon. That with a grandfathered unlimited plan? YAY!
I will get whatever quad core phone is out when I can renew (in January ) as long as it's 4g, I'll be happy
Sent from my Eris using xda premium
Oops, I didn't think to include a "Better future phone" as a poll option, sorry all :3
I had a Bionic for a little while, but exchanged it for a Droid 3 the other day. The Bionic kept dropping data randomly, in spots where I knew there was a great 3G signal. I really don't need 4G bandwidth on a phone anyway, was looking for a solid radio for a change that wouldn't stutter or drop calls (so, Moto was a plus), the world phone is a plus. I know that all of the 4G phones have had data issues, and I wanted something I could count on while Verizon works out the 4G bugs. The D3 is still dual core, and has the same qHD on a smaller display. Bonus: it's a world phone. I may be traveling to Europe during this contract.
Also, the Bionic was really too big for what I wanted, so, to me, the Nexus looks like Maxwell Smart's shoe phone. I think I'd go Razr over the Nexus if I wanted a 4G phone, but that's me.
If I had to upgrade today, it would be the HTC Thunderbolt. It's not perfect, but when I played with one in the Verizon store it seemed slick and faster than the Incredible 2.
I like HTC since Motorola has been hostile to people who want to root their phones, and Samsung has lagged on updating to newer versions of Android.
Now that HTC has decided to pay blackmail to Microsoft over patent suits (like Samsung and several others), they're no longer pure. Motorola is the only company that hasn't bent over for Microsoft and I hope they stand up and sue to prove Microsoft is bluffing.
So who knows what things will look like in January when I upgrade. I might be buying a Motorola.
Ive had my Razr since Dec and ive loved it. Im not a super user, as root is enough for me and I dont use custom ROMs. But still, everything with Moto has been frustraiting with bootloaders, ICS, ect.
I am also grandfathered in for unlim VZ data, as I typicalled use 25ish GB per month. Ive been worried about loosing it with a future upgrade.
Well it turns out that I have an upgrade at the end of this month... and the SIII is coming out (pre ordres start tomorrow). And Vz said you will keep unlim data if you preorder (supposed anyways):
http://www.droid-life.com/2012/06/0...erizon-and-you-keep-your-unlimited-data-plan/
http://www.droid-life.com/tag/galaxy-s3/
The SIII looks slick and I like some of the new features. Only thing I can think of right now is that it does not have HDMI, and I do use that a few times a month..
So if I chose to upgrade, Im sure I could sell my Razr for a couple hundred and basically pay for my upgrade. Or if I didnt like the SIII, i should have the 14 days to return it. Or if I didnt like it, I could sell it to another VZ customer who doesnt have an upgrade yet. I could make a little money and save them from paying full retail on it.
Really not sure what I wanna do right now.
comparision of some phones
http://www.droid-life.com/2012/06/0...credible-4g-lte-vs-galaxy-nexus-vs-razr-maxx/
I would be very careful about upgrading to the Galaxy S III. It uses a variation of the same radio set in the Galaxy Nexus, and the reception is *horrible* on that phone (compared to the Razr or Rezound). In many places, I had no data signal at all (-120dBm), but in those same places my RAZR Maxx and Rezound both have 2+ bars of 4G and -89dBm...which I realize is not the 4G signal strength, but the results are in the speeds.
Using the Nexus in places that I had 0 bars I'd have no signal (couldn't connect at all). Turn on the RAZR Maxx or Rezound and I connect with 2-3 bars of 4G and speedtests average around 4-7Mbps. Not awesome, but at least I have signal (and it's still faster than most 3G). That kind of compromise is a *big* one. I work close to the lake and have absolutely no data signal at work on the Nexus...yet I have a great signal all day long with my RAZR.
I'd say give it a shot and see how it performs, but make sure to pay attention to how strong of a signal you have.
Mo-to! Mo-to! Mo-to!
Only thing I can think of right now is that it does not have HDMI, and I do use that a few times a month..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then it's up to you to decide, man. The SIII also has a higher resolution screen, but I feel the Motorola screen is much more "natural looking"... Not to mention the SIII has a terrible design compared to the Razr.
Really though, look at what forum where you're asking this in.
hotleadsingerguy said:
I would be very careful about upgrading to the Galaxy S III. It uses a variation of the same radio set in the Galaxy Nexus, and the reception is *horrible* on that phone (compared to the Razr or Rezound). In many places, I had no data signal at all (-120dBm), but in those same places my RAZR Maxx and Rezound both have 2+ bars of 4G and -89dBm...which I realize is not the 4G signal strength, but the results are in the speeds.
Using the Nexus in places that I had 0 bars I'd have no signal (couldn't connect at all). Turn on the RAZR Maxx or Rezound and I connect with 2-3 bars of 4G and speedtests average around 4-7Mbps. Not awesome, but at least I have signal (and it's still faster than most 3G). That kind of compromise is a *big* one. I work close to the lake and have absolutely no data signal at work on the Nexus...yet I have a great signal all day long with my RAZR.
I'd say give it a shot and see how it performs, but make sure to pay attention to how strong of a signal you have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My friend at work has the Nexus and his signal here is fine. As for what kind of signal i would get at home, well that could be a different story.
But they also just got the .04 update and it was supposed to fix some radio issues. He said he could notice a difference on it as well. Hopfully they didnt make the same mistake on the SIII
stupidchicken03 said:
My friend at work has the Nexus and his signal here is fine. As for what kind of signal i would get at home, well that could be a different story.
But they also just got the .04 update and it was supposed to fix some radio issues. He said he could notice a difference on it as well. Hopfully they didnt make the same mistake on the SIII
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know I don't work in the same place as your friend, right? lol Where *I* work, I get no signal at all in the Nexus...yet all of the other Verizon LTE phones get perfectly fine signal. It's a known problem with the Nexus radio (Samsung makes poor CDMA radios).
And that was on 4.0.4. I've had it for about 2 months already. The one going out now is the same one I've had. It did improve reception, but not at work.
If you don't use custom ROMs, why do you mind the bootloader?
My ex gets LTE on her RAZR Maxx while on my GNEX I Would get 3G. The Nexus does have a ****ty radio compared to the RAZR. Also the handoff between 3G and LTE is not that great even with the 4.0.4 radios.
SIII voice quality (outgoing) is HORRIBLE!! Call into someone's voicemail with both phones and record yourself reading a paragraph. Then listen to yourself. It's astonishing to me that people put up with such horrible outgoing quality.
+1 on the useless radio.
The SIII isn't branded as a "Nexus", so it's not a Google-pick. You'd just be buying another shackled phone... And if you're going to buy a shackled phone, buy one with a good radio.
This advice comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. If for any reason you are not satisfied with this advice, I will refund every penny you paid for it.
Not sure if this means anything to you, but I just upgraded to a RAZR MAXX knowing full well the S3 is due in a week or so. For me cost was part of the issue as I was looking to do an upgrade while still keeping my grandfathered unlimited data plan. I am just 12 months into my contract and not eligible for a new subsidized phone, but apparently they are clearing stock of the MAXX as the HD is approaching and I got the MAXX for $199.
My only complaint is the yellowishness of the whites. I'm taking this one to the store tomorrow to see if I can get one with white whites. I'm using a color calibrator to increase the blues to get me a real white, but that seems to be a work around and not a fix.
Other than that I cannot get over the thinness of the phone even though this is the thicker of the two RAZRs. Very comfortable to use. I'm not a Blur fan, but I love Moto hardware. Great voice quality.
hotleadsingerguy said:
You know I don't work in the same place as your friend, right? lol Where *I* work, I get no signal at all in the Nexus...yet all of the other Verizon LTE phones get perfectly fine signal. It's a known problem with the Nexus radio (Samsung makes poor CDMA radios).
And that was on 4.0.4. I've had it for about 2 months already. The one going out now is the same one I've had. It did improve reception, but not at work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I understand what you're saying, but you misunderstood what i was trying to get across.
Beings that my friend at work has the Nexus and gets good service... I too would get good service there... but idk about at home. Its just one of the major places i would be on my phone the most. If the S3 will have the same radio, well then it should work fine at work for me.
wingdo said:
Not sure if this means anything to you, but I just upgraded to a RAZR MAXX knowing full well the S3 is due in a week or so. For me cost was part of the issue as I was looking to do an upgrade while still keeping my grandfathered unlimited data plan. I am just 12 months into my contract and not eligible for a new subsidized phone, but apparently they are clearing stock of the MAXX as the HD is approaching and I got the MAXX for $199.
My only complaint is the yellowishness of the whites. I'm taking this one to the store tomorrow to see if I can get one with white whites. I'm using a color calibrator to increase the blues to get me a real white, but that seems to be a work around and not a fix.
Other than that I cannot get over the thinness of the phone even though this is the thicker of the two RAZRs. Very comfortable to use. I'm not a Blur fan, but I love Moto hardware. Great voice quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What phone did you upgrade from?
Since ive already got the regular Razr, I fell like it would be a waste of money to spend my upgrade on a Maxx. You can buy the conversion kits for like $127 shipped (last time i checked anyways) with everything you need.
So I just signed up with Sprint so I can get unlimited everything, but I bought a Photon. I didn't realize how limited Wi-Max is, altho I wanted a dual mode GSM/CDMA phone for when I go out of the US, in case I do in the near future. I did have an Atrix on ATT with unlimited, but I had to leave my parent's plan and ATT doesn't offer unlimited data anymore. I'm also not too thrilled that Photon has to wait until Q4 to get ICS and prob won't ever get Jelly Bean or 5.0 when that comes. Should I just cough up the money and get a GS3, or should I wait until Sprint comes out with a dual mode phone with LTE, 4.1, etc.? I'll prob have more money come later this year or early next year anyway. I'm trying to balance having the latest and greatest vs. being financially responsible.
are you in an area in which Sprint has LTE or will in a short period of time?
How about Wimax?
Is this your primary access to broadband internet?
findthedr said:
are you in an area in which Sprint has LTE or will in a short period of time?
How about Wimax?
Is this your primary access to broadband internet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We don't have Wi-Max on eastern LI, but even if Sprint doesn't get LTE here for a few months, at least they're likely to build it here in the next year, and I'll be moving to an area later this year where they have both WiMax AND will have LTE (NYC). I also wanna balance having the best and latest and being financially responsible. Of course I can always wait till later in the year till I have more more, but IDK.
Financially, your phone is a depreciable asset. The longer you hold onto it, the less you will get at sale.
It doesnt sound like you will enjoy the benefits of LTE/Wimax until later this yr (at the earliest). Thus it makes sense to get a phone with those capabilities at that time.
So I just signed up with Sprint so I can get unlimited everything, but I bought a Photon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you truly "just signed up", than you should be able to give the phone back to the carrier. Depending on your usage of voice/text/data, a prepaid plan would make the most financial sense.
Here is some good advice on saving on smartphones.
I'm trying to balance having the latest and greatest vs. being financially responsible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
those who are financially responsible do not chase the latest and greatest depreciable asset.
findthedr said:
Financially, your phone is a depreciable asset. The longer you hold onto it, the less you will get at sale.
It doesnt sound like you will enjoy the benefits of LTE/Wimax until later this yr (at the earliest). Thus it makes sense to get a phone with those capabilities at that time.
If you truly "just signed up", than you should be able to give the phone back to the carrier. Depending on your usage of voice/text/data, a prepaid plan would make the most financial sense.
Here is some good advice on saving on smartphones.
those who are financially responsible do not chase the latest and greatest depreciable asset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does anyone know if Sprint is planning on coming out with an LTE/world phone anytime soon? That would be optimal.
Return the Photon, and run away from Sprint until Network Vision is imminent for your city. There's no good reason to subject yourself to Sprint or Motorola right now.
Let's start with Sprint. Right now, their 3G is in a state of collapse nationwide. "5 bars and 50kbps" is only an exaggeration in the sense that lots of guys now routinely see speeds that are LOWER. And in most places, it's going to get a LOT worse before it gets any better. The icing on the cake is that if your area's upgrade experience is anything like the experience they had in Houston, and we're having now in South Florida, 3G data will basically cease to exist for a month or more while they're doing the upgrade itself. With a wimax-capable phone, it's annoying, but semi-endurable with the knowledge that it's going to be a lot better in another month or two. With a LTE phone, you basically have no working data service during the transition. No working 3G, and no wimax to limp along with in the meantime.
Believe it or not, in some areas, guys who've disabled EVDO and forced their phones to use 1xRTT have been getting faster throughput than EVDO (due to the way traffic is routed on Sprint's back end).
Now, the Photon itself. If you don't mind owning a phone that's a locked-down consumer appliance with about as much potential for end-user enhancement as an iPhone, it's a nice phone. Otherwise, you're going to hate it.
Don't try to rationalize the purchase by thinking someone will crack the bootloader eventually. They won't. Yes, HTC and Samsung's attempts at locked bootloaders have been quickly cracked. That's because HTC and Samsung go through the motions, but don't really know how to do it... nor do they really WANT to do it. Motorola is another matter entirely. It's their religion and way of life. They have decades of experience making hardware with military-grade encryption. Spend an hour or two reading about real custom ROMs on real Motorola phones, and let it sink in just how grim the situation really is. In 3 years, maybe 4 Motorola phones have been meaningfully unlocked... and two of THEM were semi-open to begin with. The remainder have either been uncrackable, or have temporary solutions that can be taken away by Motorola at any time... possibly, without your permission.
We all hope Google will clean house, make Motorola non-evil, and unlock the bootloaders. If that's their plan, they've done a great job of keeping it a secret so far.
This is harsh, but assuming you're still within the 15-day return period and can walk away from the Photon and Sprint without penalty... do it. You have nothing to gain by choosing Sprint today. If you're in an area where T-Mobile is good, they're probably your best bet today. If you can live with 100 voice minutes (no free nights/weekends, either), T-Mo has prepaid for $30/month with 100 minutes voice, unlimited text, and 5 gigabytes of data (after 5 gigs, speeds drop down to EDGE). If you like the Gnex, you can buy an unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus from Google for $350.
If you want to keep the door open to Sprint, maybe you can get a year-old Sprint phone like the Galaxy S2 and reflash it to Metro PCS (I'm pretty sure the Gnex and GS3 will be Metro-able soon, but I'm pretty sure neither one is Metro-flashable yet). Stay away from Virgin, though... they use Sprint towers and backhaul, and are as dysfunctional as Sprint right now.
Choosing betweeen AT&T and Verizon is kind of like choosing between death by firing squad and electric chair, but AT&T is probably a tiny, tiny bit less bad just because at least you can use an unlocked GSM phone with AT&T and avoid most of their blatant control attempts. I'm totally sure about the specific ways Verizon defiled and tainted their Nexus, but I've heard a Verizon Gnex reflashed with non-Verizon ROM is basically a wifi tablet that can make voice calls.
bitbang3r said:
Return the Photon, and run away from Sprint until Network Vision is imminent for your city. There's no good reason to subject yourself to Sprint or Motorola right now.
Let's start with Sprint. Right now, their 3G is in a state of collapse nationwide. "5 bars and 50kbps" is only an exaggeration in the sense that lots of guys now routinely see speeds that are LOWER. And in most places, it's going to get a LOT worse before it gets any better. The icing on the cake is that if your area's upgrade experience is anything like the experience they had in Houston, and we're having now in South Florida, 3G data will basically cease to exist for a month or more while they're doing the upgrade itself. With a wimax-capable phone, it's annoying, but semi-endurable with the knowledge that it's going to be a lot better in another month or two. With a LTE phone, you basically have no working data service during the transition. No working 3G, and no wimax to limp along with in the meantime.
Believe it or not, in some areas, guys who've disabled EVDO and forced their phones to use 1xRTT have been getting faster throughput than EVDO (due to the way traffic is routed on Sprint's back end).
Now, the Photon itself. If you don't mind owning a phone that's a locked-down consumer appliance with about as much potential for end-user enhancement as an iPhone, it's a nice phone. Otherwise, you're going to hate it.
Don't try to rationalize the purchase by thinking someone will crack the bootloader eventually. They won't. Yes, HTC and Samsung's attempts at locked bootloaders have been quickly cracked. That's because HTC and Samsung go through the motions, but don't really know how to do it... nor do they really WANT to do it. Motorola is another matter entirely. It's their religion and way of life. They have decades of experience making hardware with military-grade encryption. Spend an hour or two reading about real custom ROMs on real Motorola phones, and let it sink in just how grim the situation really is. In 3 years, maybe 4 Motorola phones have been meaningfully unlocked... and two of THEM were semi-open to begin with. The remainder have either been uncrackable, or have temporary solutions that can be taken away by Motorola at any time... possibly, without your permission.
We all hope Google will clean house, make Motorola non-evil, and unlock the bootloaders. If that's their plan, they've done a great job of keeping it a secret so far.
This is harsh, but assuming you're still within the 15-day return period and can walk away from the Photon and Sprint without penalty... do it. You have nothing to gain by choosing Sprint today. If you're in an area where T-Mobile is good, they're probably your best bet today. If you can live with 100 voice minutes (no free nights/weekends, either), T-Mo has prepaid for $30/month with 100 minutes voice, unlimited text, and 5 gigabytes of data (after 5 gigs, speeds drop down to EDGE). If you like the Gnex, you can buy an unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus from Google for $350.
If you want to keep the door open to Sprint, maybe you can get a year-old Sprint phone like the Galaxy S2 and reflash it to Metro PCS (I'm pretty sure the Gnex and GS3 will be Metro-able soon, but I'm pretty sure neither one is Metro-flashable yet). Stay away from Virgin, though... they use Sprint towers and backhaul, and are as dysfunctional as Sprint right now.
Choosing betweeen AT&T and Verizon is kind of like choosing between death by firing squad and electric chair, but AT&T is probably a tiny, tiny bit less bad just because at least you can use an unlocked GSM phone with AT&T and avoid most of their blatant control attempts. I'm totally sure about the specific ways Verizon defiled and tainted their Nexus, but I've heard a Verizon Gnex reflashed with non-Verizon ROM is basically a wifi tablet that can make voice calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is an incredibly informative post. Well said. +1
bitbang3r said:
Return the Photon, and run away from Sprint until Network Vision is imminent for your city. There's no good reason to subject yourself to Sprint or Motorola right now.
Let's start with Sprint. Right now, their 3G is in a state of collapse nationwide. "5 bars and 50kbps" is only an exaggeration in the sense that lots of guys now routinely see speeds that are LOWER. And in most places, it's going to get a LOT worse before it gets any better. The icing on the cake is that if your area's upgrade experience is anything like the experience they had in Houston, and we're having now in South Florida, 3G data will basically cease to exist for a month or more while they're doing the upgrade itself. With a wimax-capable phone, it's annoying, but semi-endurable with the knowledge that it's going to be a lot better in another month or two. With a LTE phone, you basically have no working data service during the transition. No working 3G, and no wimax to limp along with in the meantime.
Believe it or not, in some areas, guys who've disabled EVDO and forced their phones to use 1xRTT have been getting faster throughput than EVDO (due to the way traffic is routed on Sprint's back end).
Now, the Photon itself. If you don't mind owning a phone that's a locked-down consumer appliance with about as much potential for end-user enhancement as an iPhone, it's a nice phone. Otherwise, you're going to hate it.
Don't try to rationalize the purchase by thinking someone will crack the bootloader eventually. They won't. Yes, HTC and Samsung's attempts at locked bootloaders have been quickly cracked. That's because HTC and Samsung go through the motions, but don't really know how to do it... nor do they really WANT to do it. Motorola is another matter entirely. It's their religion and way of life. They have decades of experience making hardware with military-grade encryption. Spend an hour or two reading about real custom ROMs on real Motorola phones, and let it sink in just how grim the situation really is. In 3 years, maybe 4 Motorola phones have been meaningfully unlocked... and two of THEM were semi-open to begin with. The remainder have either been uncrackable, or have temporary solutions that can be taken away by Motorola at any time... possibly, without your permission.
We all hope Google will clean house, make Motorola non-evil, and unlock the bootloaders. If that's their plan, they've done a great job of keeping it a secret so far.
This is harsh, but assuming you're still within the 15-day return period and can walk away from the Photon and Sprint without penalty... do it. You have nothing to gain by choosing Sprint today. If you're in an area where T-Mobile is good, they're probably your best bet today. If you can live with 100 voice minutes (no free nights/weekends, either), T-Mo has prepaid for $30/month with 100 minutes voice, unlimited text, and 5 gigabytes of data (after 5 gigs, speeds drop down to EDGE). If you like the Gnex, you can buy an unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus from Google for $350.
If you want to keep the door open to Sprint, maybe you can get a year-old Sprint phone like the Galaxy S2 and reflash it to Metro PCS (I'm pretty sure the Gnex and GS3 will be Metro-able soon, but I'm pretty sure neither one is Metro-flashable yet). Stay away from Virgin, though... they use Sprint towers and backhaul, and are as dysfunctional as Sprint right now.
Choosing betweeen AT&T and Verizon is kind of like choosing between death by firing squad and electric chair, but AT&T is probably a tiny, tiny bit less bad just because at least you can use an unlocked GSM phone with AT&T and avoid most of their blatant control attempts. I'm totally sure about the specific ways Verizon defiled and tainted their Nexus, but I've heard a Verizon Gnex reflashed with non-Verizon ROM is basically a wifi tablet that can make voice calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
This will update over time as I have more findings.
First,
The signal strength is amazing. HTC must have done it right . With completely new chips and radios??
The cubicle I am in now is a "dead spot". For HTC One-x , it stays consistently at edge (for both ATT and Tmobile sim card, even Tmobile's 1900mhz is available on the street in NYC near my building).
Galaxy Nexus and Droid Razr (Maxx) all these three can only pick up one bar of 4G or 1 bar of 3G , most of time 3G or nothing at my spot. Everyday so much battery was wasted here due to cell signal and switching between 1G/2G/3G/4G, for all ROMS. (stock, CM10, etc etc). And I don't care the displayed cell strength, but for email/news/apps, the data was simply UNUSABLE.
And guess what... 4 bars of 4G with HTC Droind DNA here, without a hiccup. It is ONE bar short of full bar , at my same cubicle here...
I think this is first surprise.
Screen is amazing , and I don't have better words for it than those reviews. But for my situation, who sits at a corner where there were almost no cell coverage, this is the very first and biggest surprise so far
Will update on Battery Life soon.
Glad to hear about your signal... My gnex was always in the middle but I do notice less switch back to 3g ... Battery life is pretty unbelievable considering the size of the device and size of the battery... Pleasantly surprised
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2
Have u used it with all these networks or only 'verizon
Thanks
Sent from my GT-P3100 using xda app-developers app
jiwengang said:
This will update over time as I have more findings.
First,
The signal strength is amazing. HTC must have done it right . With completely new chips and radios??
The cubicle I am in now is a "dead spot". For HTC One-x , it stays consistently at edge (for both ATT and Tmobile sim card, even Tmobile's 1900mhz is available on the street in NYC near my building).
Galaxy Nexus and Droid Razr (Maxx) all these three can only pick up one bar of 4G or 1 bar of 3G , most of time 3G or nothing at my spot. Everyday so much battery was wasted here due to cell signal and switching between 1G/2G/3G/4G, for all ROMS. (stock, CM10, etc etc). And I don't care the displayed cell strength, but for email/news/apps, the data was simply UNUSABLE.
And guess what... 4 bars of 4G with HTC Droind DNA here, without a hiccup. It is ONE bar short of full bar , at my same cubicle here...
I think this is first surprise.
Screen is amazing , and I don't have better words for it than those reviews. But for my situation, who sits at a corner where there were almost no cell coverage, this is the very first and biggest surprise so far
Will update on Battery Life soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While the DNA does have excellent reception, you may want to check the actual numerical value, I've caught the meter being a little overstated, but nothing terrible.
Getting better service on this phone as well. For the first time being on Verizon I'm getting full 4G bars in my area. Phone so far has been nothing less than amazing! Screen is just beautiful, and a must see in person. Phone is super fast and smooth as butter.
zepfloyd said:
While the DNA does have excellent reception, you may want to check the actual numerical value, I've caught the meter being a little overstated, but nothing terrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a good point.
I checked before the main post to make sure the signal is actually better.
It was -95 at my current location.
Used to be easily smaller than -110 if not -120 which is completely no signal.
End of the day, it is the ability to open Google Play Store, Sync Email, use WeChat , Make phone calls that actually impressed me .
With the phone now in the wild will be interesting to see how it lives up to the expectations.
My wife picked one up this afternoon. The battery died very quickly from its 40% reported level, but will likely hold up better after we charge it properly. Also, the Sense keyboard got borked after a couple hours. It would enlarge the letter on the keyboard itself when pressed, but nothing would show up in the text field. A reboot fixed that issue (hopefully permanently).
I am still undecided between the DNA, GN2 and the Razr HD. So far the DNA looks like the best from the bunch, especially if we end up getting an AOSP ROM on it eventually.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2
nizaamh said:
Have u used it with all these networks or only 'verizon
Thanks
Sent from my GT-P3100 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I plugged into my T-Mobile sim card.
It is a instance OK to go. no issues.
I didn't pick mine up in New York but I didn't want to start a new topic
Yesterday i decided I would give the DNA a try. I've been debating if I want this or the Note 2 but the Note 2 isn't out yet, so I figured if I didn't like the DNA I could always return it within 14 days.
I got the impression yesterday that the people at the store didn't really want to sell me the phone. I got there at 11:00 AM and I was told they didn't have their shipments in yet. The guy took my number and said he'd call me as soon as I got them. At 4:00 PM I have not received a call yet and I decide to call them. Lady on the phone tells me they do have them she sounded surprised when I told her about my 11:00 AM experience so she went back to double check and came back telling me they did have them. At 4:15 PM I arrive at the store and tell one of the guys that I'm t here for the phone and he tells me that they don't have them. I tel him I was just told they did and he mentions something about only having them to ship, but then he goes back and comes back telling me they do have them.
Either they didn't really want to sell them, or the people at the Verizon store in Vernon Hills, Illinois are horrible at communicating with each other.
As for the phone, I have to say that right away I started to remember how much I disliked Sense. But that's based on previous experience with the Thunderbolt. The only real complaint I have is the power button, it's quite difficult for me to get to but I'm sure I'll get used to it soon, I'm just so used to devices with the power button on the side now.
The screen is beautiful but I've never been a huge resolution freak, When I look at it next to my Galaxy Nexus they look the same to me. I mean, its bigger and brighter but what I mean is I'm not all like "oh obviously this one is so much sharper". I'm far sighted, they all look blurry to me anyway
Anyway, pretty happy with it so far. Very fast phone, very bright nice screen, good loud speaker. We'll see how well it handles a full Thanksgiving day!
Happy Thanksgiving day to those celebrating today
tsnstuff said:
Either they didn't really want to sell them, or the people at the Verizon store in Vernon Hills, Illinois are horrible at communicating with each other.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're willing to drive another 15 minutes next time you need to go to a Verizon store, I'd recommend using the Northbrook store. They've always been very helpful and surprisingly knowledgeable.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW
tsnstuff said:
I got the impression yesterday that the people at the store didn't really want to sell me the phone. I got there at 11:00 AM and I was told they didn't have their shipments in yet. The guy took my number and said he'd call me as soon as I got them. At 4:00 PM I have not received a call yet and I decide to call them. Lady on the phone tells me they do have them she sounded surprised when I told her about my 11:00 AM experience so she went back to double check and came back telling me they did have them. At 4:15 PM I arrive at the store and tell one of the guys that I'm t here for the phone and he tells me that they don't have them. I tel him I was just told they did and he mentions something about only having them to ship, but then he goes back and comes back telling me they do have them.
Either they didn't really want to sell them, or the people at the Verizon store in Vernon Hills, Illinois are horrible at communicating with each other.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also bought my DNA at the Vernon Hills, IL store and had the exact same experience. First they said it's not in stock, then while I'm making arrangements to have it shipped they walk out and hand me one.
jimm2 said:
I also bought my DNA at the Vernon Hills, IL store and had the exact same experience. First they said it's not in stock, then while I'm making arrangements to have it shipped they walk out and hand me one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At least you were given the option to have it shipped, I didn't even get that lol.
I had a phone conversation with my sister today while I used speaker phone on the DNA, everything sounded perfect! Really liking this phone so far.
Let me start off by saying I'm an EVO/HTC fan, and not an employee of HTC or Sprint...
After years of no 4g for Original EVO, 3D and now the LTE in a large city in South Florida, I finally get fed up enough to call HTC USA, because if I'm not getting 4g, I at least want to JB. After stopping several support individuals and managers from reading from their script, I finally got an answer that floored me. Do to the different processor and chipset in our phone, HTC has not even released a JB source to Sprint. While the agent was VERY careful to never use the word NEVER, he basically said they have no current plans to release JB for the dual core USA/Sprint model, which is why we were left off the upgrade list in the first place.
Other models of the One series have already received at least a prep download for JB. If Sprint doesn't at least have the initial download to prepare our phone for JB, it doesn't look too good for us.
I think Sprint and HTC have no intention to release JB to us, and we need to accept it. I hope I'm wrong, but it was the most info I have ever received from HTC.
Lucy, you have some splaning to do!
They find the MSM8960 different? The rep may have stopped reading his "script", but may have made up a new 1.
I really hope you are right. Today was the first day I actually felt it wasn't going to happen.
I never thought Samsung would be better at pushing patches out to the public.
If it is true, my support with HTC will be finished. If Sprint can't get lte near Ft. Lauderdale by year's end, I might finally switch providers after 12 years. I've paid a premium to be an early adopter, phone-wise, and have never seen any type of 4g signal. Even worse, the 3g signal has become almost unusable. Unlimited crap is just that, a lot of crap. I'll be willing to bet, when 4g finally becomes the standard for sprint, it will be the end of unlimited.
I've stuck around because MeanRom makes my phone fly. Of course the data speed is out of his control.
babyschmoof said:
I really hope you are right. Today was the first day I actually felt it wasn't going to happen.
I never thought Samsung would be better at pushing patches out to the public.
If it is true, my support with HTC will be finished. If Sprint can't get lte near Ft. Lauderdale by year's end, I might finally switch providers after 12 years. I've paid a premium to be an early adopter, phone-wise, and have never seen any type of 4g signal. Even worse, the 3g signal has become almost unusable. Unlimited crap is just that, a lot of crap. I'll be willing to bet, when 4g finally becomes the standard for sprint, it will be the end of unlimited.
I've stuck around because MeanRom makes my phone fly. Of course the data speed is out of his control.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there currently is LTE coverage in the Lauderdale area according to Sensorly. The airport is covered in it, sections of I-95, Broadview Park. Just give it time, deployment isn't that quick.
I keep saying the Evo LTE is still a different product line to HTC and Sprint, no matter how many similarities there are with the HOX. From a project and product management perspective, each device will have it's own requirements, development schedule, deliverables, etc. Then each carrier adds another set of differences. We can never expect to have everything the HOX gets. The HOX and HOS are their global handsets, and we're off in our own little US/Sprint only/Dual core/LTE world. I'll be glad if we ever get a JB upgrade, but we better not hold our breaths because we're just going to turn purple.
This doesn't make any sense...
F IT let's all go back to the HTC Hero for the Hell of it.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
BrianBaker said:
F IT let's all go back to the HTC Hero for the Hell of it.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still got mine
So bc there is no leak you think they don't have a prep build they are working on?..... Come on use some logic bud, we are getting JB.
Locking this thread btw as xda is not a place to come and just have a complain fest like this will turn into, esp while there is a JB thread already.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2