Mark Larson posted:Is the Thunderbolt decent for a Verizon/Android/4G device? I want to have something with good ROM support and the ability to lock down the double-your-data promo until the Galaxy Nexus comes through or something. The battery life is terrible. If you don't have the extended battery (which makes the phone an inch and a half thick, weighs a ton, and sticks out like a humpback), you have to carry around some spare batteries or be okay with putting the thing into airplane mode anytime you plan to walk into a building with solid walls. Seriously. I've unplugged it, walked into the grocery store, and come out after 30 minutes of not touching it to find it's at 75%. The ROMs for it were alright, but despite all the idiots on xda talking about how battery life was 'totally sick on this one', I never noticed any appreciable difference. Not even Juice Defender on the highest settings worked. If it's just to hold you over until the Galaxy Nexus, I wouldn't mind it for a week or two, but as a phone it's awful. I couldn't drive from home to work and listen to Slacker on it without bringing the battery down 30%. I live 30 minutes away from work, and drive across a blanketed coverage area.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 15:00 |
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# ? May 9, 2024 05:34 |
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I have a Thunderbolt and while the battery life isn't great, it certainly isn't as bad as you're describing. It was abysmal on the stock 2.2 with the old radios (often it couldn't even hold a data connection), but with the most recent radios and a custom SENSE 3.0 ROM with most of SENSE stripped out, I can get through a day no problem with moderate usage. With good reception and no use, the battery seems to drain at about 5%/hour. Anecdote: Yesterday I had it unplugged for eight hours. I watched thirty minutes of Youtube, an hour of Netflix, listened to podcasts for 1.5 hours, and looked at the forums and news articles for maybe an hour and when I got home to charge it I still had 23% remaining.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 15:11 |
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Anybody try to redeem that LivingSocial deal at Verizon yet? Have any problems?
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 15:31 |
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Switched to Verizon yesterday since yesterday was likely to be their last day of double data. Picked up a rezound while hoping the Nexus comes out before my return expires, if it doens't I guess I will open the package of 100 dollar headphones and enjoy the phone. First time using an HTC and I must say I like some of the things they do to the android OS. Huge step up from AT&T and my Captivate. I can actually listen to pandora or google music without waiting almost the entire song lenth of buffering.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 15:36 |
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BobFromMarketing posted:Switched to Verizon yesterday since yesterday was likely to be their last day of double data.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 15:42 |
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Hey, Razr owners: Did Moto finally fix the battery reporting in 10s only and not exact percents yet?
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 16:12 |
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Kyrosiris posted:Hey, Razr owners: Did Moto finally fix the battery reporting in 10s only and not exact percents yet? Considering that this has been a hardware-based limitation of every single Motorola Android phone since (and including) the OG Droid, I wouldn't be holding your breath for a "fix". They clearly consider it a feature.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 16:18 |
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Yeah, fix was probably the wrong word, but worth asking.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 16:19 |
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Kyrosiris posted:Yeah, fix was probably the wrong word, but worth asking. Yeah, it's unfortunately one of those flaws that persists across so many generations of hardware that it has to be a deliberate decision at this point, like HTC's lovely audio chips, or Samsung. There are some apps on the Market that can give you finer-grained percentages, but they do it by monitoring your battery usage over time and generating an estimate based on that data. Might be worth a try, but I have no idea how accurate they end up being.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 16:30 |
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Penguissimo posted:but they do it by monitoring your battery usage over time and generating an estimate based on that data That's pretty much how all battery monitors work until you start getting close to the lower end of capacity and they detect the voltage dropoff. Motorola does this on every device I've seen except the Xoom. So, maybe it'll change for ICS, maybe it won't. I honestly don't care. The battery meter only gives you a rough estimate anyways and the percentage left rarely has any bearing on how much time you have left to use the thing since it varies so much on your current use pattern. About the only thing I feel any battery meter is good for is when it dips below 30%, it's best to be start looking to charge it at the first available opportunity.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 16:54 |
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bull3964 posted:That's pretty much how all battery monitors work until you start getting close to the lower end of capacity and they detect the voltage dropoff. True enough, but the power hardware in Moto phones can only report a fixed set of values (5, 10, 15, then increments of 10 from there), whereas I presume that the finer-grained percentages on other OEMs' phones results from their hardware.* So unless they add some kind of software-based estimation into ICS, the RAZR will probably still only report battery in increments of 10. * Someone please correct me if this is wrong. Good point about it not really mattering until things get critical, though.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 17:01 |
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Are we sure it's a power hardware limitation or just programmed limitation in the closed source driver they use to access that hardware? As to the rational, it's likely because the battery icon itself is even less fine grained so they didn't see the point in reporting info that you had to dive into settings to see on a stock device. Since the battery percentage goes to 5% increments once you pass 20% as it will report 15%, 10% and 5% battery life remaining, I would say it points more to driver rounding than an actual hardware limitation. This could also be the reason why they chose to show actual percentage on the Xoom since you get the % value if you just tap on the battery icon from the home screen. It's easily accessed so they provide more info. bull3964 fucked around with this message at 17:14 on Dec 1, 2011 |
# ? Dec 1, 2011 17:12 |
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bull3964 posted:Are we sure it's a power hardware limitation or just programmed limitation in the closed source driver they use to access that hardware? It could easily be a driver issue as well, but from the perspective of anyone who's incapable of reverse-engineering the driver, the difference is pretty moot. Again, not a huge issue, just a consistent difference in approach between Motorola and the other OEMs.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 17:27 |
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Rastor posted:Seriously, where did that rumor come from?? They're aggressively running online and radio ads for that promo. The store folks actually are where I heard it.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 17:31 |
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As most of us suspected, the CarrierIQ thing, at least in the Verizon context, is getting overblown: http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/12/01/verizon-wireless-carrier-iq-is-not-on-our-phones/
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 17:32 |
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AlexDeGruven posted:As most of us suspected, the CarrierIQ thing, at least in the Verizon context, is getting overblown: http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/12/01/verizon-wireless-carrier-iq-is-not-on-our-phones/ Yup, just came here to post that. People on VZW can breath easy until this thing blows over (or until someone uncovers some sort of Verizon SPECIFIC software that does the same stuff or worse )
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 17:37 |
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AlexDeGruven posted:As most of us suspected, the CarrierIQ thing, at least in the Verizon context, is getting overblown: http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/12/01/verizon-wireless-carrier-iq-is-not-on-our-phones/ Eh, yeah. I'm concerned about what it could do, and more specfically what it allows third party apps to do, but I'm glad that at least it's getting a lot of sunshine. Doing without a company like CarrierIQ would be a good thing at this point for the battery life of our phones, first and foremost.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 17:39 |
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Mark Larson posted:Is the Thunderbolt decent for a Verizon/Android/4G device? I want to have something with good ROM support and the ability to lock down the double-your-data promo until the Galaxy Nexus comes through or something. Yes. AOSP is nice, but the battery is still terrible. I don't have an extended battery because I'm able to charge it throughout the day. If you don't have constant access to a charger, get an extended battery or spare batteries. I really have no complaints about the phone aside from the battery. The 4G connectivity could be better, but for the most part it's pretty solid. Definitely needs tinkering though. I have come to absolutely loathe sense.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 17:44 |
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BobFromMarketing posted:The store folks actually are where I heard it. You got owned.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 17:46 |
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chupacabraTERROR posted:You got owned. Eh, I needed to switch anyways. It was impossible for me to maintain a call more than 3 minutes without dropping and I get a 20% discount with verizon. Not like switching broke me or anything.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 17:51 |
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Also the return window is extended through January, so there's that.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 18:07 |
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My one beef with the rezound is it's bullshit from what I can tell proprietary usb connector that i cant buy on monoprice.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 18:22 |
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vote_no posted:SENSE 3.0 ROM with most of SENSE stripped out
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 18:24 |
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BobFromMarketing posted:My one beef with the rezound is it's bullshit from what I can tell proprietary usb connector that i cant buy on monoprice. The Rezound connector can accept a standard MicroUSB plug just like any other modern phone. It just looks different from a standard MicroUSB port because it can ALSO accept HTC's video-output plug.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 18:36 |
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Penguissimo posted:The Rezound connector can accept a standard MicroUSB plug just like any other modern phone. It just looks different from a standard MicroUSB port because it can ALSO accept HTC's video-output plug.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 18:38 |
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BobFromMarketing posted:Ah ok, I hadn't really tried because to charge you really have to jam the plug in even with the HTC cable and I was afraid of breaking something. Thanks for this information. Most cables will appear like it's wrong, but basically are plugged in "upside down" due to how the connector is positioned on the rezound. Basically if you are looking at the microUSB connection and holding it vertically, you'll notice it's kinda shaped like a D (flat part on the left side). The microusb connector plugs in with the flat part up towards the screen and the dip towards the bottom of the phone - aligned the same way as this photo if your phone was laying flat on the same surface as these cables.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 18:48 |
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Because Verizon charges separately for "visual voicemail" which seems to be also known as "the kind of voicemail you're used to by now if you've been using a smartphone," does this mean they will step in the way of getting my phone rigged up with Google Voice? I'm faintly considering switching from Sprint due to them getting their lunch money stolen whenever new phones are developed, and I'd like to get a better fix on what I can get by with. There are a lot of factors playing into this (least of all the price difference which is Sprint bill+taxes < Verizon bill without taxes to the degree of about $10 if I pay extra for voicemail) but I'm pretty much trying to feel this out without initially talking to someone who has a financial interest in selling me on a plan.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 19:42 |
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What are the odds the double data promo will just be made permanent, or at least will last longer than past Christmas? Seems like if the point of the promo is to move people off EVDO only devices, the double data would be something they'd want to have on offer until everything in the retail channel is LTE enabled.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 19:43 |
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AppleCobbler posted:The battery life is terrible. If you don't have the extended battery (which makes the phone an inch and a half thick, weighs a ton, and sticks out like a humpback), you have to carry around some spare batteries or be okay with putting the thing into airplane mode anytime you plan to walk into a building with solid walls. Seriously. I've unplugged it, walked into the grocery store, and come out after 30 minutes of not touching it to find it's at 75%. Thanks, it gives me an idea of what to expect. I'm only getting it to tide me over and getting it for $150, so it should be fine for the time being. I used to have an EVO and I do have chargers at home, work and in the car so I'm used to charging all the time.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 19:44 |
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The Entire Universe posted:Because Verizon charges separately for "visual voicemail" which seems to be also known as "the kind of voicemail you're used to by now if you've been using a smartphone," does this mean they will step in the way of getting my phone rigged up with Google Voice? GV has been available on Verizon Android phones since the OG Droid, so while I suppose it's not inconceivable that they would someday try to discourage its use, they hardly seem to feel urgent about it.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 19:45 |
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Penguissimo posted:GV has been available on Verizon Android phones since the OG Droid, so while I suppose it's not inconceivable that they would someday try to discourage its use, they hardly seem to feel urgent about it. Correct, I've been using GV as my voicemail for nearly 2 years now without incident.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 19:47 |
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Penguissimo posted:GV has been available on Verizon Android phones since the OG Droid, so while I suppose it's not inconceivable that they would someday try to discourage its use, they hardly seem to feel urgent about it. That's good, I'm not sure if it routes SMS through data (charging for SMS is loving retarded in light of how resource-efficient it is against making a phone call but it is what it is) but that's good to know that I can essentially get reasonable voicemail service without having to pay an extra fee for it - even if it is $2.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 19:55 |
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The Entire Universe posted:That's good, I'm not sure if it routes SMS through data (charging for SMS is loving retarded in light of how resource-efficient it is against making a phone call but it is what it is) but that's good to know that I can essentially get reasonable voicemail service without having to pay an extra fee for it - even if it is $2. Yeah, the SMS is routed through data and you won't ever get an actual SMS from GV unless you tell it to forward SMS messages that get sent to your GV number. Frankly I prefer GV to the carier VVM service anyway because I like the web access to my voicemail. For example, I get a call at work in the middle of a meeting I can just go to the website, look at the transcription, and text them back right from my laptop. But apparently the new visual voicemail features built into ICS that they demoed at the launch event (integrating voicemail with call logs, etc) are really just a set of APIs and the carrier has to implement stuff to support it on their end. So it seems like if you want those fancy features, then I'd imagine you might have to pay the monthly VVM charge for them to work.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 20:03 |
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kalibar posted:Such an Extremely Nasty Smartphone Experience? Well said, I really wish CM7 worked properly on the Thunderbolt.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 21:30 |
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Speaking of VVM: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.vzw.vvm.androidclient.lte Now they're just teasing people by putting this on Android Market when nobody can download it.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 21:31 |
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I'm interested in getting Google Voice once I switch over to VZW after
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 21:40 |
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kitten smoothie posted:Speaking of VVM: Where do they get off charging $3 for a free feature that they merely implemented, not developed.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 21:42 |
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Bobx66 posted:Where do they get off charging $3 for a free feature that they merely implemented, not developed. The same place they get off when charging you any money at all for sms.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 21:44 |
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:I'm interested in getting Google Voice once I switch over to VZW after If you port from VZW to GV and do so on a line that has a contract, you'll get hosed with an ETF. Here's what I'd do. 1) Get a Nexus, sign 2 year contract, get phone number you don't care about from VZW 2) Get a $10 Tracfone, port number from T-Mobile to Tracfone 3) Port Tracfone number to GV, forward GV calls to VZW number. kitten smoothie fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Dec 1, 2011 |
# ? Dec 1, 2011 21:45 |
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# ? May 9, 2024 05:34 |
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Bobx66 posted:Where do they get off charging $3 for a free feature that they merely implemented, not developed. Dimes to dollars says that isn't actually the ICS VVM implementation, it's their preexisting shitbox VVM ported over to it.
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# ? Dec 1, 2011 22:04 |