4G Android phone megathread

Foulkey Reese

foulkiavelli
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Apr 12, 2006
21,795
Central CT
I would be seeing red if I bought the original Razr for $300 right when it came out. Releasing an upgraded version not even two months later is a really, really shitty thing to do to your customers.
 

Corsi

isn't shy about blowing his wad early
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Dec 3, 2010
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I've got my Incredible on eBay now and assuming it fetches what I'm looking for, is there anything stopping me from getting the original RAZR and using it until the 26th and then returning it for the RAZR MAXX? Will I be hit with a restocking fee?

It feels like a dirty move, but whatever, right?
 

Foulkey Reese

foulkiavelli
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Apr 12, 2006
21,795
Central CT
I've got my Incredible on eBay now and assuming it fetches what I'm looking for, is there anything stopping me from getting the original RAZR and using it until the 26th and then returning it for the RAZR MAXX? Will I be hit with a restocking fee?

It feels like a dirty move, but whatever, right?
$35 restocking fee I believe.

I need to get off my ass and finally sell the Droid X.
 

Fratboy

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Corsi, just wait until the 26th. I think you can survive two weeks with your Incredible. I was gonna sell my Droid X, but I might as well hang onto it and use it as a Wifi device for my niece or nephew to play with when I see them.
 

Corsi

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Corsi, just wait until the 26th. I think you can survive two weeks with your Incredible. I was gonna sell my Droid X, but I might as well hang onto it and use it as a Wifi device for my niece or nephew to play with when I see them.
I normally would, but I put my Incredible up on eBay prior to the Razr Maxx announcement and the auction ends Monday. Assuming I don't cancel the auction, I'd be stuck on this until January 26...

 

EddieYost

is not associated in any way with GHoff
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Jul 15, 2005
10,751
NH
I normally would, but I put my Incredible up on eBay prior to the Razr Maxx announcement and the auction ends Monday. Assuming I don't cancel the auction, I'd be stuck on this until January 26...

Whats up with this picture?
 

Three10toLeft

New Member
Oct 2, 2008
1,560
Asheville, NC
I went back to the iPhone because it plays much nicer with all my other Apple gear, but that Razr Maxx is tempting.

A 4G phone with that form factor and battery life?

Whoever gets that phone should be really happy. The automation that Motorola put in the first Razr looked like awesome software. I could never fully figure out Tasker on my old Thunderbolt to actually make it useful. Seems like Moto took their idea and made it much more user friendly.

I really hope the next iPhone takes some cues from the Razr Maxx.
 

rembrat

Member
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May 26, 2006
36,345
Just updated my Galaxy S 4G with 2.3. To my surprise this update has been availabe to us since 11/15/11 but there was no over the air notification. I had to manually update it through the computer. Stupid poopy heads.
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
17,399
Something to keep an eye out for if you like to use your phone to push content to your HDTV.

MHL technology

http://gigaom.com/video/mhl-mobile-hdmi/
 

Corsi

isn't shy about blowing his wad early
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Managed to get $132 on eBay for the Incredible and some accessories and the guy paid via PayPal e-check, so I get a few days to wait for the payment to clear before I have to ship. Assuming the MAXX still drops on 1/26, I'll only have to use the dumbphone for a few days.
 

mt8thsw9th

anti-SoSHal
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Jul 17, 2005
17,121
Brooklyn
If you remove your data plan (which you would have to do if you switch to a dumbphone), don't you need to sign up for a new one and lose your grandfathered unlimited data?
 

Corsi

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If you remove your data plan (which you would have to do if you switch to a dumbphone), don't you need to sign up for a new one and lose your grandfathered unlimited data?
Hmm, hadn't thought of this. I would hope that if I called Verizon and explained the situation, they'd let me keep my data plan.

Anyone have experience with this?
 

mt8thsw9th

anti-SoSHal
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Jul 17, 2005
17,121
Brooklyn
Hmm, hadn't thought of this. I would hope that if I called Verizon and explained the situation, they'd let me keep my data plan.
They're pretty inflexible with this. Any changes to your account and you (conceivably) lose your grandfathered plan. It's worth talking to them, but you're better off finding someone who can lend you any type of VZW smartphone and just use that for a few days, then swap out your new phone.

edit - I should clarify "changes to your account" -- getting a new phone isn't a change, though changing your plan, e.g. removing a data plan is a change.
 

sibpin

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Jul 20, 2005
2,741
Fresh off the boat
Hmm, hadn't thought of this. I would hope that if I called Verizon and explained the situation, they'd let me keep my data plan.

Anyone have experience with this?
My phone broke the day before the GN came out. When I switched back to a dumb phone they told me I would have 30 days to switch back to an Android to keep unlimited data. Bought the GN the next day and had no problems. Would recommend telling them that your Incredible broke and that you plan to switch phones within 30 days.
 

Foulkey Reese

foulkiavelli
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Apr 12, 2006
21,795
Central CT
My phone broke the day before the GN came out. When I switched back to a dumb phone they told me I would have 30 days to switch back to an Android to keep unlimited data. Bought the GN the next day and had no problems. Would recommend telling them that your Incredible broke and that you plan to switch phones within 30 days.
Yea and get a name of who you spoke to, reference number, ect. Make sure it's documented somewhere.
 

Corsi

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My phone broke the day before the GN came out. When I switched back to a dumb phone they told me I would have 30 days to switch back to an Android to keep unlimited data. Bought the GN the next day and had no problems. Would recommend telling them that your Incredible broke and that you plan to switch phones within 30 days.
I just called and she told me 15 days, but that works for me. She confirmed the launch date of the Razr Maxx at January 26th.
 

SoxFanInPdx

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Jul 15, 2005
3,247
Portland, OR
Went phone shopping tonight and I gotta say, the Samsung Galaxy II is a beautiful phone. Seemed a bit too bulky for pocket carrying. Anyone have this phone?
 

InstantKarmma

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Went phone shopping tonight and I gotta say, the Samsung Galaxy II is a beautiful phone. Seemed a bit too bulky for pocket carrying. Anyone have this phone?
I have the ATT Skyrocket. It replaced my Captivate.

It is a bit bigger than the Cap, but not to the point where it's "too bulky for pocket carrying." Maybe I just have deep pockets, but the size wasn't a deal-breaker for me.
 

FL4WL3SS

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Jul 31, 2006
14,920
Andy Brickley's potty mouth
[quote name='SoxFanInPdx' timestamp='1327115509' post='3945194']
Went phone shopping tonight and I gotta say, the Samsung Galaxy II is a beautiful phone. Seemed a bit too bulky for pocket carrying. Anyone have this phone?
[/quote]
It's way less intrusive in my pocket than the iPhone 3G was.

[quote name='Trautwein's Degree' timestamp='1327139522' post='3945295']
Yes.
[/quote]
Hey, did you get an update on your phone recently? And if yes, is your battery life worse?
 

Corsi

isn't shy about blowing his wad early
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Ordering online or showing up at the store in the morning?
She told me I'd be able to walk into a store on the 26th and purchase.

I called again today to re-activate my old phone and asked again and was told the 26th, so it seems all systems go for the 1/26 launch.
 

zenter

indian sweet
SoSH Member
Oct 11, 2005
5,641
Astoria, NY
Hey, did you get an update on your phone recently? And if yes, is your battery life worse?
I have the ATT AGS2 (non-Skyrocket edition) and have read nothing but bad things about the 2.3.6 update with respect to battery life. If you are getting nagged to update, go into Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications -> All -> Device Management and "Clear Data".
 

Three10toLeft

New Member
Oct 2, 2008
1,560
Asheville, NC
I'm looking forward to the reviews of this new Razr, in particular from the Verge. They seem to do a great job of getting in depth with their reviews, although not much has changed between this and the original Razr, I'm sure they will put it through it's paces to see if this 3300 MAH battery claim is actually legit.
 

johnmd20

mad dog
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Dec 30, 2003
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I'm looking forward to the reviews of this new Razr, in particular from the Verge. They seem to do a great job of getting in depth with their reviews, although not much has changed between this and the original Razr, I'm sure they will put it through it's paces to see if this 3300 MAH battery claim is actually legit.
I am waiting on the Droid 4. Looks like it should be a pretty good phone, it's just a matter of when it comes out.
 

Grin&MartyBarret

Member
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Oct 2, 2007
4,932
East Village, NYC
I'm upgrading on Sprint later this week.

Basically, my options are the Samsung Galaxy SII, the IPhone 4S, or to wait until an undetermined date for the Galaxy Nexus to be released on Sprint. There was an announcement on the 12th that it was forthcoming, but that's the best I can find.

I'm pretty sold on a Samsung Android phone as opposed to the 4S. My girlfriend has the 4S, and frankly, it just doesn't seem all that special to me. The Siri addition seems like a fun toy that nobody finds any actual day-to-day use for. Meanwhile, I use google services almost exclusively, and it seems like Android's the way to go. So my question is this: For those that have used both,is the Galaxy Nexus so far superior to the Galaxy SII that I should wait for it to be released on Sprint? I have a Blackberry Curve at the moment, so either one is going to be a gigantic upgrade.

Also: Anybody use the Spotify app on either the Galaxy SII or Galaxy Nexus? Whichever phone I get, it's important to me that I can use the Spotify App both off and online.
 

sibpin

Member
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Jul 20, 2005
2,741
Fresh off the boat
I have a protective case and screen protector on my Galaxy Nexus since I don't want to risk damage to my $700 device... But every now and then I take the case off and am just amazed at how thin it is and how bright the screen is. The voice recognition is the biggest part of my ICS experience - it's much more accurate than past versions and I write whole emails with it all the time.
 

Corsi

isn't shy about blowing his wad early
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Just picked up the Razr Maxx. Beautiful piece of hardware. I compared it to the original Razr in the store and the difference is noticeable, but negligible. The phone feels great in the hand and despite the large footprint of the phone, it fits comfortably in the pocket.

I look forward to putting the battery through its paces and customizing the crap out of this thing.
 

Gambler7

Member
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Dec 11, 2003
3,752
Thinik I'm going to finally cash in on my trade in from my original DROID to the RAZR MAXX this week. Glad to hear initial reviews are great.
 

FL4WL3SS

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
14,920
Andy Brickley's potty mouth
I have the ATT AGS2 (non-Skyrocket edition) and have read nothing but bad things about the 2.3.6 update with respect to battery life. If you are getting nagged to update, go into Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications -> All -> Device Management and "Clear Data".
I have already updated, unfortunately - because the only upgrade I see is shitty fucking batterly life. My battery went from really good to fucking atrocious with this update. I'm pretty pissed off about it since other than decreased battery life, I can't figure out what the fuck the update changed.

I know this has happened with the iPhone too - I can never understand how companies can release an update that makes battery life worse. That should be a showstopper for releasing the upgrade. Battery life is important, they know that.

EDIT: I found a way to get it back to 2.4.6 http://galaxys2root.com/att-galaxy-s2/how-to-unroot-att-galaxy-s2-sgh-i777/
 

The Napkin

wise ass al kaprielian
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Jul 13, 2002
28,636
right here
Think I may hit the store tonight to check out the MAXX. My new every 2 is up as of 2 weeks ago and I looked around a bit then and was underwhelmed so hopefully this will do it for me. So, you know, keep the reviews coming...
 

Corsi

isn't shy about blowing his wad early
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Think I may hit the store tonight to check out the MAXX. My new every 2 is up as of 2 weeks ago and I looked around a bit then and was underwhelmed so hopefully this will do it for me. So, you know, keep the reviews coming...
First impressions:
  • Phone is fast as a whip. I was coming off of a Droid Incredible, which got really really sluggish and this is like hyper-speed compared to it.
  • Blur is not intrusive at all. I installed GO Launcher (my preferred launcher) and Widget Locker and this thing is a beauty.
  • The build is awesome. The "kevlar" backing is really sweet and feels great in hand. The one-piece design and aluminum chassis make it a joy to hold.
  • I really like the weight of the phone too. It's not so light as to feel cheap, but it's not remotely heavy either. Blows me away they were able to pack a 3300 mAh battery in this thing.
  • I've only taken a couple of test shots with the camera, but it blows away what was on the Incredible. I hated that camera.
It's early, but I really don't have anything negative to say about the phone.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to fire away.
 

Corsi

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Any idea when its getting ICS?
That I don't know, unfortunately, and the guys at the Verizon store were clueless, as usual.

I read somewhere that it would be Q2, but who really knows. FWIW, of all phone manufacturers, Motorola had the best record in 2011 of getting their phones updated.
 

behindthepen

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Just picked up the Razr Maxx.  Beautiful piece of hardware.  I compared it to the original Razr in the store and the difference is noticeable, but negligible.  The phone feels great in the hand and despite the large footprint of the phone, it fits comfortably in the pocket.

I look forward to putting the battery through its paces and customizing the crap out of this thing.
how does the screen resolution compare?
 

Corsi

isn't shy about blowing his wad early
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how does the screen resolution compare?
Definitely better than the Incredible. I know it's not the best screen on the market (I think that goes to the Rezound), but I've got no complaints. The colors look great to me.

With the Incredible, I never had it at full brightness due to battery drain. With the beefed up battery on the Maxx, I'll likely be rocking full brightness (or close to it), which really makes a difference in the quality of the display.

edit: Seems you may have been asking how it compares to the Razr. As far as I know, they're identical. I didn't really compare the two, but from what I've read, they're the same.
 

behindthepen

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well, screw it, gonna use my upgrade, I've had this T-bolt for way too long, I don't think I can wait for whatever else might be in the pipeline. As much as I'd like something with a screen size between the Razr and the iphone, I can't wait for iphone 5 or whatever.
 

Fratboy

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So I've been on Launcher Pro for a while, but notice there's some lag (there was lag on the GN too), and that it hasn't updated since forevia. GO Launcher does the trick, eh?
 

Corsi

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So I've been on Launcher Pro for a while, but notice there's some lag (there was lag on the GN too), and that it hasn't updated since forevia. GO Launcher does the trick, eh?
Big fan of GO Launcher. GO SMS messenger is great too. The launcher also has a bunch of widgets for basically anything you'd need.

And it's free.
 

Foulkey Reese

foulkiavelli
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Apr 12, 2006
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So I've been on Launcher Pro for a while, but notice there's some lag (there was lag on the GN too), and that it hasn't updated since forevia. GO Launcher does the trick, eh?
LP has pretty much been abandoned by the developer, and I don't think there's been an update since early summer. Go is a great launcher and probably the best one out there right now.
 

Seven Costanza

Fred Astaire of SoSH
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Apr 11, 2007
3,019
well, screw it, gonna use my upgrade, I've had this T-bolt for way too long, I don't think I can wait for whatever else might be in the pipeline. As much as I'd like something with a screen size between the Razr and the iphone, I can't wait for iphone 5 or whatever.
Rub it in some more, why dontcha. I got the TBolt the week it came out and am stuck until December with it. I need to have some kids or get married or something so I can get a family plan and steal their upgrades.
 

behindthepen

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Rub it in some more, why dontcha.   I got the TBolt the week it came out and am stuck until December with it.  I need to have some kids or get married or something so I can get a family plan and steal their upgrades.
yeah, I have 6 on my plan, including my mother-in-law, who has some LG texting phone. It's a beautiful thing.
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
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Jul 19, 2005
17,399
yeah, I have 6 on my plan, including my mother-in-law, who has some LG texting phone. It's a beautiful thing.
Think I can convince my wife that our almost three year old needs a phone?

I'm up in July on my Tbolt. I'm eagerly waiting for the mobile data issue to be worked out on the ICS ROM that is out there to get me through the summer.