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Is this phone and company worth switching over too ? Do to Sprints changing my plan without my approval,I have the opportunity to switch to another carrier.Out of the other big 3 Verizon,T-mobile & AT&T is the only one that is willing to put their offer in writting to me. The other reason I am even looking at this phone and company is because both of my sons want the IPhone and my wife only wants a phone offered by them as well..
So..please fellow XDA members tell me staright up..should I stay with Sprint and my Hero for 1-1/2 years more..or start fresh with this phone and AT&T..
Mac
50 views and not even 1 response..?
Is there no one on-line that has this phone wanting to step up and answer the question ?
I really would like to know the feelings of the folks here,since those that have this phone also have AT&T's service..
Mac
Not an easy one to answer really. I would say if you are completely turned of by what Sprint did to you then changing wouldn't be a bad thing. Going with AT&T will get you points with your family. And who couldn't use more points with their family, right?
That being said, you have by now undoubtedly heared about the GPS problems facing the Galaxy S phones. Some have found their phone is better with different versions, some claim all the updates and changes have made their GPS unuseable. If you are in need of a phone that has good GPS then I would say you can find better. Personally, the GPS issue isn't a deal breaker for me. I am also one of the lucky ones that find it works fine for how I use it.
The phone itself is amazing. Being on XDA also helps as there are many helpful and informative people. Also, the Captivate has been out long enough that the mods are becomming better and better every day, that is if you are into modding your phone. Heck, stock it still is a good phone.
So it all boils down to what you really want to do. I think that is why you haven't had anyone jump on giving you an answer. Good luck my friend!
There is no "right carrier". The advantage of AT&T (now) is coverage and GSM. AT&T has better coverage then T-Mobile, but about equal to VZW. GSM allows you take your phone to Europe - VZW CDMA does not;
But the future brings change - VZW has a slew of World phones coming out (they have GSM as well as CDMA) - VZW has LTE coming out - which is supposed to be a global standard - so travel issue may be a thing of the past.
AT&T has the iPhone today, but rumor says a CDMA iPhone on VZW for the holidays. But rumors are rumors.
I don't know what you are looking for in writing - all the carriers plans are on their web site. T-Mo does have the best customer service, and VZW has some great android phones. If you don't travel much, and T-Mo has good coverage where you live, they seem to have the best prices and some of the best phones.
AT&T is fine too - not trying to steer you away. I moved to AT&T for an iPhone years ago - and I travel to EU; so VZW wasn't cutting it.
Anyway If the family wants AT&T and the price for phones and service fits, then make the move. But you are stuck for 2 years.
Sounds like it's 3-1 in your house. I'd go ahead and make the switch if thats what your family wants. I don't think you'll be worse off with one carrier over the other, at the end of the day they will all screw you. Captivate is a great phone if you can deal with the sometimes difficult to deal with GPS.
I agree. Go with what makes your family happy overall. The Captivate is a fine device, and I've been much more pleased with it than I was with my iPhone. Talk it over with your family, putting them first won't do you wrong.
My first phone was from Virgin Mobile and was prepaid. I know they leased out network access from Sprint. It was awful. I never had good coverage, and then they started charging more for everything. I left them.
I've been with AT&T now since 6th grade. They've never screwed us over, they've always been helpful, and whenever we've had problems, like my sister signing up for those joke things they advertise on tv putting huge data charges on our bill, they cleared it up right away and even gave us a credit on the account.
Of course you're going to hear horror stories of bad customer service from everyone, but really it's not all that common. I've always thought AT&T had great phones, and they've all last me a long time.
My favorite phones have always been Samsung ones as all but one of my phones has been from them. My first was a Sony Ericsson S710a and it lasted me until one day I was sliding it open, and it slipped out of my hand and into a wall and the LCD shattered. After that I had a Samsung a727, then the SGH-i607 Blackjack, then the SGH-a877 Impression, and now the Captivate.
You will be happier with AT&T then with Sprint. But ultimately, you pay the bill and you decide where your money goes. I'll just add that I don't usually praise any company for no reason.
I love this phone with ji6 gps works completely fine for me it does what its supposed to every time lately gets me there no issues. Im very happy with att besides they make you pay for tethering, but theres ways around that with this phone, hehe ;-)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Thanks Guys..
I hate spending a-lot more money so soon on moving my service (since may 2010)..but I really don't know how I could stay with them.
As to any cell company posting their policy on line..well..that can and does change (with Sprint almost daily)..and actually having a written signed contract is something the other companies won't do,AT&T will.That does a lot for me..and for my wife peace of mind.My boys have wanted the I phones for sometime..I don't want one..which is why I am asking about the Captivate. BTW...Sprint elected to change my verbal contract given to me at the time of signing..and I fought it the best I could without turning my Lawyers loose..and I most likely would have won,but the cost to do so would have been prohibitive without a written contract,or so what they told me when I spoke to them about it..
So..the phone has a GPS problem..and that isn't a deal breaker for me,but I do want to see it fixed and soon.Having a 2.2 rom is what I am running on my hero now along with one of the best looking themes going right now IMHO..http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=797077 and so hopefully we can get this ported over here at some point..even if I have to learn how to do it myself
FWIW..I looked closely at this phone and also the Ios4 and hands down this one blows it out of the water on anything video..I stopped by T-Mobile and watched the HD Avatar movie on their version when I was looking at what they offered...It was just awesome..simply jaw dropping..
I am looking forward to the 2.2 upgrade and what comes after with it..So..I will be on here more and more reading what I can..
Thanks Again
Mac
Mac, just a heads up. The leaked 2.2 rom we have actually fixed the GPS. There's no real problem anymore. Obviously it will become more refined when the final release comes out but it definitely works now.
Sent from my Captivate
stuffy is a difficult company but I can't feral with poor service so I disk with them. get used to advanced features like tethering being blocked and such. but you can fix that by looking in the dev section. att isn't all bad though mostly because they are stupid, I told them verizon had a 15% vetrans discount (they do) and asked att if they had something similar. well they didn't but the customer service rep put me on an active duty discount because she didn't know better. it needs to be approved at a higher level with pics of my id and a valid military email according to there website, well I put the papers in anyway and had 15% off my bill the next month. so they obviously don't look at it.
verizons version of bloatware is full blown add ware. if you plug an incredible into a windows pc it hijacks explorer and goes to a v cast music site. on the fascinate they replaced the google services with microsoft services.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk
I think it's refreshing to see all the honest answers, not a ton of chest pounding "our phone is the best" posts. Most people on XDA by nature are into tweaking so the out-of-the-box limitations aren't a showstopper.
For me, I really need a world-capable phone. My family also is on ATT so that helped as well. I think all the carriers are converging on offering similar product. ATT has less HTC stuff but has the IPhone. ATT is currently behind on Android, but the Captivate is certainly helping to address that. I like the phone and have recommended it friends. Go for it.
miztaken1312 said:
Mac, just a heads up. The leaked 2.2 rom we have actually fixed the GPS. There's no real problem anymore. Obviously it will become more refined when the final release comes out but it definitely works now.
Sent from my Captivate
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Cool..that is good news..
Thanks
Mac
I will give my two bits. My experience has been good with att. Cs has never been bad, but at times there were moments that did not go smoothly. Always quick to address concerns of mine and they love giving credits out to keep me happy. I have been one of the lucky that never had major problems out of the box with the captivate. But coming from a storm running on atti think my standard were lower. Gps on froyo still doesn't work perfectly but has had improvement with locking and tracking. Dev support is actually really good so that is a big plus. My wife loves her captivate and she is not a techie at all. Hope my input helps.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
flashman2002 said:
I will give my two bits. My experience has been good with att. Cs has never been bad, but at times there were moments that did not go smoothly. Always quick to address concerns of mine and they love giving credits out to keep me happy. I have been one of the lucky that never had major problems out of the box with the captivate. But coming from a storm running on atti think my standard were lower. Gps on froyo still doesn't work perfectly but has had improvement with locking and tracking. Dev support is actually really good so that is a big plus. My wife loves her captivate and she is not a techie at all. Hope my input helps.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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It does,and greatly appreciated..
I understand the gps issue,and I am wondering if the delayed release of FroYo on this phone is partly because of it. Rooting and adding on customs roms has been working great for me on my Hero..and that phone is finnally acting the way it should have all along. Removing AT&T's bloatware will be my first priority after 2.2 is released..
I am curious about one thing..I know you can't load 3rd party apps unless rooted and a custom rom..but can you direct push them with the sd out of the phone and in a reader from a pc ? If we are working out of windows and a terminal..we should be able to insert any .apk or what we want.. anywhere we want..can't we ?
Thanks Again Guys
Mac
mobius911 said:
I think it's refreshing to see all the honest answers, not a ton of chest pounding "our phone is the best" posts. Most people on XDA by nature are into tweaking so the out-of-the-box limitations aren't a showstopper.
For me, I really need a world-capable phone. My family also is on ATT so that helped as well. I think all the carriers are converging on offering similar product. ATT has less HTC stuff but has the IPhone. ATT is currently behind on Android, but the Captivate is certainly helping to address that. I like the phone and have recommended it friends. Go for it.
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Same here..I know folks have their favorites and also know there will always be folks that have problems..but it is refreshing to see a honest straight forward discussion with out any of the fan fair these types of threads always seem to degenerate into.
Mac
Mac11700 said:
I am curious about one thing..I know you can't load 3rd party apps unless rooted and a custom rom..but can you direct push them with the sd out of the phone and in a reader from a pc ? If we are working out of windows and a terminal..we should be able to insert any .apk or what we want.. anywhere we want..can't we ?
Thanks Again Guys
Mac
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You can push them using ADB or even easier, if you google something called the "Android Central Sideload Wonder Machine" or just sideload wonder machine, someone created an app to so that you don't even have to use the command prompt or hack the phone. No need for a custom rom, and I don't believe rooting is needed.
Here, I'll link you to it.
SIDELOAD WONDER MACHINE
I made the switch you are thinking of about 1.5 years ago and I have no regrets. One thing to keep in mind is the data cap ATT now has on their new subscribers. I signed up when unlimited was an offering, and honestly I don't know that I would have been comfortable using 1 smartphone, let alone 3-4 of them with limited data usage. ATT also had better coverage where I lived last year but would say Sprint is on par within the city limits now. The Evo is a really nice phone (Several people I know have them and are pleased) but I won't go back to Sprint after all the horrible customer service I had with them for 8 years. My local ATT business rep does an incredible job and is a big reason that I just renewed with them(they let me keep unlimited data). Ultimately, if I was in your shoes, I would probably do what made my family/wife happy as long as it isn't going to cause financial heartache when you exceed the data limit. I think they charge in blocks of 200mb for overage but you should definitely look into how much data your family has/will be using. My .02
Edited to add: Depending on what kind of user you are (business/personal) you might want to leave that cog. 2.2 alone until it works. I loaded it last weekend, went out to a job, and was unable to d-load an important pdf that was in my e-mail. Fortunately I had a laptop but in the past I would have been able to count on my phone for a quick blueprint reference. Sounds like it may be a fun thing to play with as long as you don't REALLY need everything on your phone to work. Also, the GPS was horrid on cog. 2.2. Needless to say I flashed it back to the original software when I got home. My GPS works just fine after the JH7 OTA update was installed. Worked yesterday on a 2 hour drive where I only had phone coverage for 20-30 miles. I haven't "tweaked" the GPS settings, just whatever they changed with JH7 is working.
itsjustaphone said:
I made the switch you are thinking of about 1.5 years ago and I have no regrets. One thing to keep in mind is the data cap ATT now has on their new subscribers. I signed up when unlimited was an offering, and honestly I don't know that I would have been comfortable using 1 smartphone, let alone 3-4 of them with limited data usage. ATT also had better coverage where I lived last year but would say Sprint is on par within the city limits now. The Evo is a really nice phone (Several people I know have them and are pleased) but I won't go back to Sprint after all the horrible customer service I had with them for 8 years. My local ATT business rep does an incredible job and is a big reason that I just renewed with them(they let me keep unlimited data). Ultimately, if I was in your shoes, I would probably do what made my family/wife happy as long as it isn't going to cause financial heartache when you exceed the data limit. I think they charge in blocks of 200mb for overage but you should definitely look into how much data your family has/will be using. My .02
Edited to add: Depending on what kind of user you are (business/personal) you might want to leave that cog. 2.2 alone until it works. I loaded it last weekend, went out to a job, and was unable to d-load an important pdf that was in my e-mail. Fortunately I had a laptop but in the past I would have been able to count on my phone for a quick blueprint reference. Sounds like it may be a fun thing to play with as long as you don't REALLY need everything on your phone to work. Also, the GPS was horrid on cog. 2.2. Needless to say I flashed it back to the original software when I got home. My GPS works just fine after the JH7 OTA update was installed. Worked yesterday on a 2 hour drive where I only had phone coverage for 20-30 miles. I haven't "tweaked" the GPS settings, just whatever they changed with JH7 is working.
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Dam good advise..Thanks
They charge in 1 gig allotments for overages now..not 200 mb. I too was worried about doing just this..and this is per line..not per plan. I went back through all of my bills and no-one has even come close to 1gig..let alone 2 gigs..but I understand that can change too.
The main thing for me and my family is getting a phone that is going to work..every time. I've run into some issues with mine on my job where I needed it and something crashed it. Also it's so tiresome for me to hear all the complaints and moaning when something crashes or FC's on their phones..I can deal with it happening on mine cause I am used to tinkering with it..but I have to say I am very tempted some by the I 4's simplicity...it would be nice just to not have to worry about updating mine almost daily,and just use the durn thing. I just don't know if I could deal with it or not as a day to day phone. I am at a loss in that regards..I know you can jailbreak them and do similar things we do with our Androids..but..I don't know enough about that to even consider doing it right now. I most likely would just so I could download apps and movies on it to watch from my pc..I got a week to figure this all out..and you all here are helping a-lot..
Thanks
Mac
I honestly liked the iphone4, and had one for a week. It was fun and all, but it had the same problem as my 3G, the ability to make and MAINTAIN a phone call. Obviously that isn't much of an issue for younger kids since you can still text with spotty coverage(my 13 yo uses about 60 min. a month and 1,000,000,000,000 text messages) I don't know if the iphone is somehow on a different signal than the other phones, but I have been very pleased with the PHONE CALL ability of the captivate. My wife loves the iphone (though she keeps eyeballing the captivate now) and like you, I do not enjoy fixing problems, so I have tried my best to keep her interest in my phone at a minimum. I can honestly say I do not miss the iphone for anything. I also enjoy the *cough cough* wireless tethering of my captivate(free app) that iphone never did get right(and when it did work, there was the whole loss of signal issue). The iphone is good at running apps and texting, outstanding even. I just really need to make phone calls and MAINTAIN a call when I make it. But like I said in my previous post, if your use is personal, iphone might work. If you make important calls, it fails.
Hey guys How everyone doing?
I see that you guys dont got a Q&A Section over here, so I decided to drop this here. Today i'm heading over to the store to switch from Sprint to Verizon.Needless to say Sprint service has only gotten worse over the years. Been with them for almost 10 years now (be 10 yrs in Janurary). AnyWhoo, I got a couple of questions for you guys, pretty straight forward, and Sorry in advance if this was the wrong place for this. But basically im coming from the EVO 3D (EVO 4G Previous to that) and I understand that the Razor is being released in early November, But I need to switch today cause between the TErrible 3G, and Data and such, I need my phone for work. My Co-Worker has Verizon and tells me that his Data coverage is amazing. So im thinking of picking up the Bionic, seeing that its the latest and greatest out right now on Verizon, But Ive been reading around for the past 24hrs that alot of people have there 3G/4G signal just cut off. Now I dont really lose my 3G (5 miles north of Boston) here, but the data speeds are just so slow that I cant really do anything most of the time. I got ROOT and all of that good stuff of course, but trying all the different Tweaks and Radios and such can only help so much. So my Question is, Is the Bionic Plagued with losing its 3G/4G signal out of no where constantly? I figured I'd ask you guys before I did anything today. Thats the one thing that worrys the most. Of course im also worried about root and such, cause over at the EVO 3D DEV section we got some great DEVin going on right now, But I really gotta focus on more important things than that right now. Any advice would be great fellas! I really appreciate it, and once again SORRY if this was put in the wrong place
Jon
I refuse to read this until you break some of this up into paragraphs....this is ridiculous.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
WOW.....Gee thanks for the help Brotha!!! that was so helpful in many ways. DO you really have that much trouble reading it? Jesus, DO you want me to add 10 periods between each word LOL?
I like my Bionic and all (and the coverage is certainly better than the ATT garbage I came from) but I would recommend seriously considering the Nexus Prime. (Screw the RAZR.) If you've been with Sprint for a decade, are you sure that you absolutely cannot wait another 2-4 weeks for a clean, unlockable phone?
Underwater Mike said:
I like my Bionic and all (and the coverage is certainly better than the ATT garbage I came from) but I would recommend seriously considering the Nexus Prime. (Screw the RAZR.) If you've been with Sprint for a decade, are you sure that you absolutely cannot wait another 2-4 weeks for a clean, unlockable phone?
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well that was my original intention. But the one thing i was worried about was AVAILABILITY for the galaxy nexus. I figured id would have to be a member of verizon in order to pre-order the nexus. So I thought maybe ill get the bionic for now until the galaxy nexus came out. But things with sprint has just gotten to bad lately. Its a tough decision, but now u got me second guessing LOL. that may be the best thing i think. Thanks for the feedback!!!
This is just my experience, but I have noticed the data has been dropping a lot lately. I lost data yesterday, but after I turned the phone on the off it came back.
My only issue with doing that is when I power down & restart I lose apps, which gets old. Then I have to download all again.
Its frustrating paying $110+ a month for something that loses data & forces me to reinstall apps.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
In. my opinion the bionic is a dirty phone and would recommend it to anyone the data is blazing fast and I very rarely have any data drops and I have to be in the middle of nowhere for that to happen. And with the fact that you can't add an extended battery to the razr this phone is just plain better.
Sent from my [R3] BLURR3D DROID BIONIC using XDA App.
bionicmonkey said:
In. my opinion the bionic is a dirty phone and would recommend it to anyone the data is blazing fast and I very rarely have any data drops and I have to be in the middle of nowhere for that to happen. And with the fact that you can't add an extended battery to the razr this phone is just plain better.
Sent from my [R3] BLURR3D DROID BIONIC using XDA App.
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But the data drops aren't from spotty network, they're from a goofy radio. So, to me that is a toss-up. You can live in a prime coverage area, like me, and still have issues. The upcoming patch is supposed to fix the problem on all phones, but I will believe it when I see it. MOT has already backpedaled on the bootloader issue, so I would not be surprised to see them do so on a 100% radio fix.
As I said, I would not even consider the RAZR. I replaced the battery on my iPhone six times (no kidding), so the idea of not being able to swap a batt without disassembling the handset drives me nuts, even if it does take less than 10 minutes.
If you are able to get a Bionic now and trade to a Prime when they come out, then you really have nothing to lose. For someone who does not have that option, though, waiting a few extra weeks would be advisable IMO.
Another vote for waiting for the Galaxy Nexus. I really like my Bionic, but Motorola has already said, by releasing the Razr, that the Bionic isn't its priority anymore, and given the number of issues many are having with the phone and the locked bootloader, I'm tempted to say that if you can wait and get the GNex, you should. My 14 days ran out before the GNex was announced, but otherwise, I would've made the jump.
Also, skip the Razr altogether. It's a slightly improved Bionic with no user-replaceable battery. Don't bother.
I made the switch from Sprint to Verizon in July (to lock in the unlimited data plan - had to pay an ETF for that but it was worth it - I had an Evo 4G). Service and speeds are amazing, but as other posters have stated, I get the data drops like once a day. Usually, a flip to Airplane mode and back fixes the problem. I am sure it is bad radio code, not a bad network.
I started with a Droid Charge through Costco with the hope of being able to swap it out for the Bionic. As luck would have it, Costco eagerly replaced the Charge with a Bionic for both me and my wife because the Charge had such crappy bluetooth that would drop all the time for many of their customers. There was no argument when we went back in.
Now Bionic: I love the Webtop mode and for that reason would probably stick with Motorola, but my work may be different than yours. I'm typically in an office setting that has a lot of network lockdowns. Having a 'second computer' over which my employer has no control is very nice.
My concerns regarding the Nexus are two-fold: 1) I don't know if they will use the same crappy file system that they used on the Charge or if Google had complete control over the software down to that level of detail. It could also be that ICS uses a whole new file system - I just don't know - I am only pointing it out as an area I would research if I were making the same purchase decision as you are.
2) Development for the Charge was limited. With Google's impending purchase of Moto, I expect accelerated development on Moto products.
Finally, with regards to the Razr: Cool, but no replaceable battery means no battery pulls when things go wrong. I stand taller than 4'8" so an extra 5mm of phone thickness in my pocket is not an issue.
Hi Jon,
I've had EVERY carrier over the past few years, and I can say, Verizon is by far the best. In todays day in age where data is everything... Verizon brings it. Even 3G I would still sometimes get 1.5mbps, and now with LTE 4G, its amazing.
The price of Verizon is kind of "Eh" but, when I'm sitting on the Naval base (which gets horrific signal) and I can still pull 10-15mbps down, I can say I'm one happy guy.
The only thing that concerns me about Verizon is their policies on things, ie: Bootloaders, Rooting, etc. If I were you. I'd wait until the Nexus becomes available. If you go on craigslist, there are people willing to sell their old phone PLAN to you, as in those old unlimited data ones. HIGHLY suggest going there. I have had friends do that recently with NO issues.
Either way, As much as I love Sprint's phones (EVO 3D being OC'ed to 1.8Ghz) Verizon's reception is incredible nationwide If you have any questions, PM me!
I just realized that I neglected to address your real question. I recently switched from AT&T to Verizon, and the difference in network has been night and day. I went from getting 100kbps down on a good day with AT&T to consistently getting 500kbps+ with 4GLTE, and I've only dropped one call in the month+ I've had the phone. Switching to Verizon was among my better decisions I've made lately.
wanderfowl said:
Another vote for waiting for the Galaxy Nexus. I really like my Bionic, but Motorola has already said, by releasing the Razr, that the Bionic isn't its priority anymore, and given the number of issues many are having with the phone and the locked bootloader, I'm tempted to say that if you can wait and get the GNex, you should. My 14 days ran out before the GNex was announced, but otherwise, I would've made the jump.
Also, skip the Razr altogether. It's a slightly improved Bionic with no user-replaceable battery. Don't bother.
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I believe the Bionic is still a priority. They're advertising it during NFL games that it comes with free NFL network. The average user doesn't really care about a lot of what we talk about on here. Some people will prefer the bulk of the Bionic, and others will prefer the Razr.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App
I would definitely recommend waiting for both the razr and galaxy nexus to be released, then going to the store and giving 5 minutes to each phone. I like my bionic, but I regret not examining it more closely before buying it. But with that being said, the battery life on this is amazing with the extended battery, and that is a critical factor for most. How would you like to have a droid razr that only lasts half a day? Sure it looks pretty, but what's the point if it's off half the time. As for the galaxy nexus, samsung is on fire now, so I have no doubt that it'll be the best phone you can have.
reverepats said:
Hey guys How everyone doing?
I see that you guys dont got a Q&A Section over here, so I decided to drop this here. Today i'm heading over to the store to switch from Sprint to Verizon.Needless to say Sprint service has only gotten worse over the years. Been with them for almost 10 years now (be 10 yrs in Janurary). AnyWhoo, I got a couple of questions for you guys, pretty straight forward, and Sorry in advance if this was the wrong place for this. But basically im coming from the EVO 3D (EVO 4G Previous to that) and I understand that the Razor is being released in early November, But I need to switch today cause between the TErrible 3G, and Data and such, I need my phone for work. My Co-Worker has Verizon and tells me that his Data coverage is amazing. So im thinking of picking up the Bionic, seeing that its the latest and greatest out right now on Verizon, But Ive been reading around for the past 24hrs that alot of people have there 3G/4G signal just cut off. Now I dont really lose my 3G (5 miles north of Boston) here, but the data speeds are just so slow that I cant really do anything most of the time. I got ROOT and all of that good stuff of course, but trying all the different Tweaks and Radios and such can only help so much. So my Question is, Is the Bionic Plagued with losing its 3G/4G signal out of no where constantly? I figured I'd ask you guys before I did anything today. Thats the one thing that worrys the most. Of course im also worried about root and such, cause over at the EVO 3D DEV section we got some great DEVin going on right now, But I really gotta focus on more important things than that right now. Any advice would be great fellas! I really appreciate it, and once again SORRY if this was put in the wrong place
Jon
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The radio CAN go wonky, but it seems to be only when you are in a mediocre LTE area or otherwise are switching between LTE and CDMA connections. If stability is more important to you than speed, I've found that if I set my radio mode to CDMA only, the connection is rock solid. As an added plus, the battery lasts MUCH longer without the LTE radio going!
EDIT: Also, the speed is very acceptable, even on 3G/CDMA. I had a Sprint Photon 4G and 3G throughput often didn't break 200Kbps in either direction. With my Bionic, i regularly get 600Kbps+.
Dude I've had the same dilemma. After my fiasco with Epic 4g Touch with terrible reception and slow internet (where my EVO was doing just fine) I left Sprint and signed my soul out to Verizon.
I also couldn't wait for Galaxy Nexus which I'm gonna get eventually.
Now. I didn't want to get an expensive temporary phone so I went for LG Revolution. God I'm glad they have that 14 days exchange policy. What a piece of junk.
So now I've got Bionic and I'm temporarily happy.
Now the important stuff.
I drive truck all over the country and all I can say about Verizon coverage is wow. I don't know what a dropped call is and I can watch Hulu almost everywhere.
The infamous LOS happened to me every now and then on that POS Revolution (Stock unrooted). Now I read that this is happening on Bionic too. So it must be the network problem then. Nothing we can do about that I'm afraid.
It didn't happen yet on my new Bionic but I've gotten it 2 days ago.
Rooted and de-bloated today so we'll see.
BTW. I don't believe Galaxy Nexus will come out according to leaks. (11.10)
Similar leak said Motorola Razr will come before (10.27) and now it's for pre-order on VZ website saying "Will ship by 11.10.11.
I think Galaxy Nexus will follow that pattern and it will go on pre-order 11.10 and will start to ship 2-3 weeks from that date.
But I would be more than thrilled if I'm being wrong.
reverepats said:
Hey guys How everyone doing?
I see that you guys dont got a Q&A Section over here, so I decided to drop this here. Today i'm heading over to the store to switch from Sprint to Verizon.Needless to say Sprint service has only gotten worse over the years. Been with them for almost 10 years now (be 10 yrs in Janurary). AnyWhoo, I got a couple of questions for you guys, pretty straight forward, and Sorry in advance if this was the wrong place for this. But basically im coming from the EVO 3D (EVO 4G Previous to that) and I understand that the Razor is being released in early November, But I need to switch today cause between the TErrible 3G, and Data and such, I need my phone for work. My Co-Worker has Verizon and tells me that his Data coverage is amazing. So im thinking of picking up the Bionic, seeing that its the latest and greatest out right now on Verizon, But Ive been reading around for the past 24hrs that alot of people have there 3G/4G signal just cut off. Now I dont really lose my 3G (5 miles north of Boston) here, but the data speeds are just so slow that I cant really do anything most of the time. I got ROOT and all of that good stuff of course, but trying all the different Tweaks and Radios and such can only help so much. So my Question is, Is the Bionic Plagued with losing its 3G/4G signal out of no where constantly? I figured I'd ask you guys before I did anything today. Thats the one thing that worrys the most. Of course im also worried about root and such, cause over at the EVO 3D DEV section we got some great DEVin going on right now, But I really gotta focus on more important things than that right now. Any advice would be great fellas! I really appreciate it, and once again SORRY if this was put in the wrong place
Jon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 27th was always the pre-order date for the RAZR, a few sites got it confused.
Stank0 said:
Dude I've had the same dilemma. After my fiasco with Epic 4g Touch with terrible reception and slow internet (where my EVO was doing just fine) I left Sprint and signed my soul out to Verizon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same for me with the Samsung epic 4g touch. Just crap of a phone samsucks when it comes to udates on their firmware even my wife has the nexus s great software updates. Horrible firmware and software fixes from Samsung. Galaxy nexus will suffer from samsungs lack of updates for fixes and issues. Look at the Droid charge. I just switched from sprint 2 weeks ago and took over someones unlimited plan and bought my bionic happy now
Sent from my DROID BIONIC
Also have HTC rezound coming too
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App
MillionManMosh said:
The 27th was always the pre-order date for the RAZR, a few sites got it confused.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The leak shows the release date for Razr as 10.27.11 (Engadget) and it became available for pre-order that date. (or was it 29th?) the same way it shows release date for Galaxy Nexus as 11.10.11.
By way of extrapolation, Galaxy Nexus will be availale for pre-order 11.10.11.
And again, I'd LOVE to be wrong.
Just curious if anyone has tried to trade in this phone at Verizon under their trade in program. Is it worth anything?
Sent from my VS910 4G using XDA App
Nope... my dad got a replacement though... they made that really easy.
Sent from my VS910 4G using xda premium
billney said:
Just curious if anyone has tried to trade in this phone at Verizon under their trade in program. Is it worth anything?
Sent from my VS910 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's worth $66. That's a little depressing lol.
https://www.trade-in.vzw.com/Acceptance_Page.aspx
Oh well, guess I'll have to wait until September and use my wife's upgrade to get a Droid Maxx
How about this?
I have had a few calls to service, the issue is that the 4Ghotspot won't download data to my PC(s) even though I can obtain data using the phone's browser or on tether. If I wait long enough the data will work (something like 10-15 minutes). This does not happen every time but often. If they delete my account and add it again everything work great, but in a few hours it may be messed up again.
The support person offered to send me a Razr, I told him to make it a Maxx, but he was stuck on the idea that he only had a Razr. So one is coming tomorrow to see if this solve the problem.
I will be amazed if this fixes the problem, but I figure it is nice to see them offer a different phone to help with the issue.
Their Network team is working on the issue too. I think an overhead application on their end is where the problem is, I have used a local application that tests the path from my PC to any Internet IP address, it show each IP address, the hop time, and data lost rate in both directions. The my PC, phone and the network hardware is working just fine.
billney said:
Just curious if anyone has tried to trade in this phone at Verizon under their trade in program. Is it worth anything?
Sent from my VS910 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would I do something crazy like that? I know I haven't. I still love the phone, and my wife will concur that I only like technology for 3 months before I feel the urge to upgrade. I am getting itchy just thinking about my tv, **** now my laptop. The government is giving me a couple bucks. Hmmmm.
---------- Post added at 09:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:57 PM ----------
Please hold for a Verizon Wireless sales representative to assist you with your order. Thank you for your patience.
You are now chatting with 'Latonya'
You: Does Verizon have a trade in program?
Latonya: Hello. Thank you for visiting our chat service. May I help you with your order today?
Latonya: I will be more than happy to assist you with our trade in program.
Latonya: Of course, we do have a trade in program.
You: k
You: can you give me a rough est. on what my phone would be worth if I traded it in?
Latonya: I can send you a link to checking to see how much your phone is worth.
You: okay
Latonya: One moment please.
You: And if I trade in, do I have to sign a new contract? Or would I have to pay full price for a new device?
You: And as a Verizon employee what phone do you have?
Latonya: click here please
https://www.trade-in.vzw.com/Acceptance_Page.aspx
To clarify what you are asking, are you Verizon employee?
You: I am asking you, what phone you use
You: sorry
Latonya: That's ok.
Latonya: Right now I have the Blackberry tour but i'm about to upgrade to the Razr 32GB.
You: very cool
You: thank you very much for your help.
You: If I trade in my phone and I get another, then what?
Latonya: How did it work for you?
You: I have a LG Revo, and I love it, it's only valued at 66 for a trade in.
You: So I may keep it.
You: And just wait for my contract to term
Latonya: That is correct.
Latonya: Are you eligible for an upgrade?
You: I am holding my breath to see what Google does with it's purchase of Motorola.
You: Probably not
You: I think I have been a customer for 7 months
You: certainly not 2 years yet
Latonya: I can check for you if you like.
You: plus I have the unlimited data, so I wouldn't want to give that up
---------- Post added at 09:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:16 PM ----------
sgschwend said:
How about this?
I have had a few calls to service, the issue is that the 4Ghotspot won't download data to my PC(s) even though I can obtain data using the phone's browser or on tether. If I wait long enough the data will work (something like 10-15 minutes). This does not happen every time but often. If they delete my account and add it again everything work great, but in a few hours it may be messed up again.
The support person offered to send me a Razr, I told him to make it a Maxx, but he was stuck on the idea that he only had a Razr. So one is coming tomorrow to see if this solve the problem.
I will be amazed if this fixes the problem, but I figure it is nice to see them offer a different phone to help with the issue.
Their Network team is working on the issue too. I think an overhead application on their end is where the problem is, I have used a local application that tests the path from my PC to any Internet IP address, it show each IP address, the hop time, and data lost rate in both directions. The my PC, phone and the network hardware is working just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jeez, see if they will throw in a kitchen sink too. LOL. They have the MAXX. I don't like Verizon sales. You need to do research, or they will stick you with crap. Heard them telling a customer, that no companies do unlimited data. And he was trying to push the Ipad on the guy.
markapowell said:
Jeez, see if they will throw in a kitchen sink too. LOL. They have the MAXX. I don't like Verizon sales. You need to do research, or they will stick you with crap. Heard them telling a customer, that no companies do unlimited data. And he was trying to push the Ipad on the guy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There aren't any companies that offer truly unlimited data. Even Sprint recently announced that they throttle peoples data.
spc_hicks09 said:
There aren't any companies that offer truly unlimited data. Even Sprint recently announced that they throttle peoples data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm so happy that I have my unlimited data. 4g speeds and sometimes around 74GB for the month (I pay for the HotSpot) and never a drop in speed. People may complain about Verizon, but I challenge anyone to give me a truly better service than Verizon can. (The only thing that would cause me to leave Verizon at this point is taking away my grandfathered unlimited data plan)
Verizon customer service has gone down a bit, but still surpasses any others I've ever dealt with. Even when they had 3 outages (4g) in December, I made a friendly call and explained I was not happy with the fact my 4g HotSpot was proving useless for the month and a time I really needed it (out of town for Holidays). They gave me a $30 credit without skipping a beat.
T-Mobile has Unlimited 4g Service, which includes Tethering, for $30/month on a prepaid plan. That's the BEST plan/price for max data. But, the 4g speeds are only for the first 5gb, after that, it goes to 2g, which is basically Dial-Up speed. In other words, some major throttling going on there.
Oh, and to add something to go with the OP... eBay or Craigslist your phone(s). Never trade in. You will never get what the phone is worth on the trade in. My Droid 2 Global was worth $56 trade-in. I got $220 on eBay...
-Cybie
Cybies right. I've sold old ass phones on ebay. Sold the old first gen razor for 25$ and got 40$ for an old cingular sliding keyboard.
Sent from my VS910 4G using xda premium
spc_hicks09 said:
There aren't any companies that offer truly unlimited data. Even Sprint recently announced that they throttle peoples data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been on Verizon unlimited for years and I've had 4g for about 7 months. I never thought I was affected by throttling even though I knew they did it until recently this month. I have 3 days left in my cycle, I'm at about 11GB and sometimes webpages take for ever to load and even time out on me.
If i download a file, the speed seems the same, for example I downlaod a 100mb podcast each day and that takes about the same time as normal.
Big Cam said:
I've been on Verizon unlimited for years and I've had 4g for about 7 months. I never thought I was affected by throttling even though I knew they did it until recently this month. I have 3 days left in my cycle, I'm at about 11GB and sometimes webpages take for ever to load and even time out on me.
If i download a file, the speed seems the same, for example I downlaod a 100mb podcast each day and that takes about the same time as normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They only throttle the top 5% I believe so you should be good.
Sent from my Volted Ice Revo using Tapatalk.
spc_hicks09 said:
They only throttle the top 5% I believe so you should be good.
Sent from my Volted Ice Revo using Tapatalk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The top 5%? of users or data?
ufkal said:
The top 5%? of users or data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Top 5% of users based on data transfer usage. So all these people tethering for like 100gb a month, they'll get throttled.
Sent from my Volted Ice Revo using Tapatalk.
spc_hicks09 said:
Top 5% of users based on data transfer usage. So all these people tethering for like 100gb a month, they'll get throttled.
Sent from my Volted Ice Revo using Tapatalk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent information to have. Thanks!!
ufkal said:
Excellent information to have. Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a problem!
Sent from my Volted Ice Revo using Tapatalk.
I think I know why but looking for a second opinion:
I go to a lake out of town and in the middle of nowhere most weekends in the summer and for the past few years I've been going, I can count on no service. Hadn't been there since September, then late April I went out there for the first time. At the time, I had my Evo 3D and just ordered my One. I was hoping to receive my One just before heading to the lake so I contacted Sprint to see how well it should work in this area. I was promised great service, to which I questioned based on past experience and the current coverage map. Still promised great service and that the maps weren't updated yet.
Well, I didn't get the One before leaving as I hoped and still had me Evo 3D. When I got to the lake, I actually did have awesome service. I was completely in shock.
I hadn't been up there in a few weeks and upon returning, no with my One, I'm back to the crappy service I'm used to... I even tried contacting Sprint again asking about the situation and this time was told that I'm supposed to have crappy service there. They couldn't explain how I had great service at the time.
I was using a corporate sprint prl with my Evo 3D, thought that was it... So this past weekend I tried using the same prl and a few others, same poor service.
My next thought is that perhaps they were testing a tower on the 800 mhz spectrum and I was able to pick it up... But not sure if that's likely. Any thoughts?
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
You wrote a wall of text to let us know you got lucky and got good service and then got crappy service .... How long have you been on sprint that it took you soo long to figure this out? They always do that ****......
Everywhere in the town I work at has 4g I get to our building I have 3g 1x
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
I was trying to figure out if it's something I could have fixed, a fluke, or to expect a great experience again.
To clarify, normal experience is I have no service, have to roam. The 1 time I had a good experience, I had full service/bars and lightning fast data.
I was hoping for an explanation of what it could be, not a snobby comment that's completely useless.
No, I'm not surprised service sucks. I was surprised that it didn't that I time and want it back.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
Some further info would help to be honest: A town name or generalized area would be a good start. Also the terrain and foliage in the region (end of fall to beginning of spring tends to be best service time with the exception of ice/snow on antennas causing issues for the tower). Have you checked the sprint website to see if any towers in that region have been updated (usually they have +/- 6 months worth of info on their public site)?
gk1984 said:
I was trying to figure out if it's something I could have fixed, a fluke, or to expect a great experience again.
To clarify, normal experience is I have no service, have to roam. The 1 time I had a good experience, I had full service/bars and lightning fast data.
I was hoping for an explanation of what it could be, not a snobby comment that's completely useless.
No, I'm not surprised service sucks. I was surprised that it didn't that I time and want it back.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jsanders4484 said:
Some further info would help to be honest: A town name or generalized area would be a good start. Also the terrain and foliage in the region (end of fall to beginning of spring tends to be best service time with the exception of ice/snow on antennas causing issues for the tower). Have you checked the sprint website to see if any towers in that region have been updated (usually they have +/- 6 months worth of info on their public site)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. This is helpful and I appreciate it. It was just outside of paw paw, mi. Coverage maps show that I get no coverage unless I go a few blocks north east. When I had great service that 1 time, it was early April, nothing in bloom. Had full bard service, fast data. Went back couple times after, I get nothing unless I roam, which is normal. Even late last fall after the leaves fell.
There are some towers showing upgrades, but nothing really close to where I was. In town had some work I think but I'm too far out for that to matter.
Environment is shore of a small lake, farmland and trees everywhere. Like I said, I have grown to expect poor service. Just can't fathom a weekend of full service then go back to none as is usual.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
If I read this right, you got lightning fast data once.
ONCE.
jk. Maybe it was because Sprint was testing a new tower/LTE upgrade? That might mean you are getting LTE soon. This is a little too optimistic, but why not.
You every consider taking your EVO 3D and activate it (free online) and see if you get the great service? I came from the HTC LTE to HTC One and found that the HTC LTE seemed to have better reception (started a thread about buffering music).
So long story short, my roommate got my S4 and I got what was supposed to be his One. I was in love with the S4. Great LTE speeds, battery life, screen, etc.
Well now that I'm on the One, I'm finding a HUGE disparity in signal... Without a case, his signal is 10-12dB better than me consistently and his LTE speeds are double mine.
Is it par for the course that the One has a bad signal? I've flashed other radios (surprisingly even the international radios have 1700 band support even though the international models don't support that band) with marginal differences but I'm not impressed... And I've lost phone calls because of it.
Have any of you compared the signal side by side with another device and noticed such a large disparity? With my case on, I get no LTE signal at all. His S4 had a case on the entire time.
This whole thing has been a nightmare but I'm going to be really upset if I have to do a warranty exchange (and thus get a refurb) on a phone we've had since the 11th. :/
Well I have just decided to use WiFi at home and I turned off LTE... Not what I want to spend 579 dollars on but when I'm out of the house, LTE picks up. Sad though. For such a lauded device it certainly gets a terrible signal...
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Sounds like you got a bad radio chip. I have no trouble getting full LTE speeds, and neither do most people.
I was afraid you were going to say that. I'll call the store tomorrow and have him confirm. If he confirms that an S4 and One are about on par in signal I'm sending this One back under buyer's remorse and getting a new one in a month or so.
The the question becomes - can I even return a phone after using HTC Dev? I know how to restore everything but I wonder if I can do that. I've returned phones I did all kinds of things with before but I've never used HTC Dev
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
EtherealRemnant said:
I was afraid you were going to say that. I'll call the store tomorrow and have him confirm. If he confirms that an S4 and One are about on par in signal I'm sending this One back under buyer's remorse and getting a new one in a month or so.
The the question becomes - can I even return a phone after using HTC Dev? I know how to restore everything but I wonder if I can do that. I've returned phones I did all kinds of things with before but I've never used HTC Dev
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who did you get it from? I can't speak to T-Mo or Sprint, but AT&T is very lenient about warranty exchanges. From what I've seen, as long as you're inside the one year, they don't seem to care if you unlocked.
I don't know how it is with international variants but here in the UK my One has much better signal than my S4 (I9505). At work I have terrible signal so it really shows up bad radios. If I use an iPhone 5 for example it constantly drops to NO SERVICE. The S4 is marginally better but the HTC One, whilst still displaying a low signal strength, is rock solid and never drops to EDGE and/or shows the dreaded circle with a line running through it like the S4.
I can only assume you have a faulty phone.
iElvis said:
Who did you get it from? I can't speak to T-Mo or Sprint, but AT&T is very lenient about warranty exchanges. From what I've seen, as long as you're inside the one year, they don't seem to care if you unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm with T-Mobile and it would be a return. I just got the phone on the 11th and long story short, didn't start using it until yesterday. I am in the buyer's remorse period until the 25th or do you think I should just warranty exchange it?
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
This really has not been my month... Figures I would get a bad phone. Lol
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
EtherealRemnant said:
I'm with T-Mobile and it would be a return. I just got the phone on the 11th and long story short, didn't start using it until yesterday. I am in the buyer's remorse period until the 25th or do you think I should just warranty exchange it?
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no experience with T-Mo, so I can't say which would be better. But it seems like if it's defective, get an exchange. Make sure they give you a new one from the store stock, though.
iElvis said:
I have no experience with T-Mo, so I can't say which would be better. But it seems like if it's defective, get an exchange. Make sure they give you a new one from the store stock, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're going to overnight me a brand new in box S4 and we are going to send them the One back tomorrow and they're going to credit us 10 dollars for the shipping the defective device back. I have had to refurb every HTC device I've ever had in my sig in my list at least twice and I never wanted the One in the first place, I wanted the S4 and my roommate wanted the One - he hated it and its been an absolute nightmare ever since. Getting a broken phone out of the box and all the issues I've seen on this forum and the issues I've had already, its not worth getting another One.
Yeah bro my lte strong as ever even with two bars I get 20 + dl and ul that's a rarity like outskirts of town constant 4 or 3 bars anywhere I go in the city do you and your friend have the same provider ?
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Premium HD app
ac3kill said:
Yeah bro my lte strong as ever even with two bars I get 20 + dl and ul that's a rarity like outskirts of town constant 4 or 3 bars anywhere I go in the city do you and your friend have the same provider ?
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, we live in the same house and are on the same account actually.
I confirmed that its a bad radio. Now I need to figure out how to downgrade my firmware, return everything to stock, S-ON, etc so I can I return it. I'm a bit concerned about not being able to get it to stock HBOOT and off the engineering HBOOT :/