Database Users

So, is this the phone everyone wanted?

Now that we've all had the phone for some time now, is this the phone you wanted? Does it live up to the hype?
I personally love this phone. I don't have any serious gripes about it. Mainly small things but they aren't a deal breaker at all. This phone feels great in hand and the keyboard feels natural. However, I never use the application shortcut buttons or the www. Button. Those feel like gimmicks to me. I would have loved a full 5 row keyboard but manufacturers seem clueless to that nowadays. The phone is still very fast and my hinge is still strong. Battery lasts me 18+ hours with heavy usage. Its great when you don't have to constantly worry about the battery level.
Can't wait for this bad boy to get rooted and over clocked!
From here on out I'm only buying phones with stock android.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

Amen. Ditched the vibrant for this and couldn't be happier.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

I am also completely happy with the phone. But like u said. I never use the www key as well as the quick keys. I would like a full number dedicated row.. but its not a deal breaker for me.
I can't wait for P. Root and wifi tethering!! (=
Sent from my T-Mobile G2

Arcadia310 said:
seem clueless to that nowadays. The phone is still very fast and my hinge is still strong.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
I want you to post another vid of you demonstrating your strong hinge but this time give the phone a little jiggle now and again. I can do everything you did in that video but my hinge is far from rigid. Im on to you!
Weak hinge isnt bothering me though, although im certain this phone wouldn't survive a fall if the keyboard flops out on impact. I love the phone... keyboard could be better as you stated but im getting more used to it. The phone feels incomplete without wifi tether, but otherwise I love it.
Good screen size, good battery, good OS, good specs , good data speeds, good aesthetics.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

sinistersai4d4d said:
I want you to post another vid of you demonstrating your strong hinge but this time give the phone a little jiggle now and again. I can do everything you did in that video but my hinge is far from rigid. Im on to you!
Weak hinge isnt bothering me though, although im certain this phone wouldn't survive a fall if the keyboard flops out on impact. I love the phone... keyboard could be better as you stated but im getting more used to it. The phone feels incomplete without wifi tether, but otherwise I love it.
Good screen size, good battery, good OS, good specs , good data speeds, good aesthetics.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I will not. Why would I shake it? Why would I shake any phone? That would only damage my hinges and make them more prone to looseness. That video was a realistic demonstration for practical usage. I will not demonstrate anything unrealistic.

Yes, thank you

I love this phone coming from the HTC HD2 running android and a G1. The g2 is super fast, looks beautiful, perfect feel in my hand, my hinge is solid not loose at all. Can't complain so far best phone I've ever got my hands on.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

This phone is great. It's actually my first "smartphone."
I don't have any problems. My first time using an onscreen keyboard, and it's a huge learning curve for me though. I rarely use the physical key board.
I don't have that hinge problem. From day 1 I've had a case and I still haven't taken my screen protector off yet lol. I received my phone Oct. 3.
Stock Android FTFW. Holla.
I want to make a video for everyone about my phone, not sure what though.
And this phone is living up to the hype. The GMAIL integration makes my life a lot easier. Saving things to my SD card is simple.

I love the phone! It's a fantastic upgrade to my old G1. The only hardware option that I'd like is the notification LED off of the G1.
As far as software changes, I would only ask for 1 of two options.
option 1, phone comes with root accessibility.
option 2, phone comes with the ability to connect to IPSEC VPN, perform WIFI tether, and directly access my wpa_supplicant.conf file.
If I had either one of those things, it would be perfect
To me, these things are minor enough (and the root thing is (sort of) and will be solved). I love the phone.

Arcadia310 said:
No I will not. Why would I shake it? Why would I shake any phone? That would only damage my hinges and make them more prone to looseness. That video was a realistic demonstration for practical usage. I will not demonstrate anything unrealistic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yo man just checked out your video about the hinges. My phone has a strong hing IMO. If I'm laying down my screen will slide down. But like you said in the video, I will have to NOT be touching the screen, because naturally, I would have my fingers holding it in place. When the screen is closed, I hold it upside down - No problem.
I'm coming from Verizon and I must say, the T-Mobile call quality is nothing compared to Verizon. One of your vids you mention how you can just take a few steps and your bars will change, go in and out of Edge or HSPA. That's not necessarily a G2 issue.
I dig this phone, and I've already rocked a couple of my friends smart phones. Holla

I have my third G2 coming the first of the week. So far both of the first two had loose hinge issues and terrible reception. In the same exact place I tested the signal strength with my Nexus One and Vibrant and the G2. The G2 was not even in the ball park. I do like the phone and believe it has tremendous potential. Other issues I have had include wall papers changing by them selves. Calls not ringing in and voice mail not registering. And the most irritating dropped calls. Just by picking up the device it would launch an application and deploying the keyboard will start up apps randomly. I did not touch the screen in any way when these things occur. Tried to launch Goggle Googles and a black screen came up and when I tried to back out it went to Google Earth. So far I am not overly impressed although as I stated previously that I do like the phone. If the thrid one has the same problems i will return it and wait to see what happens. I am hoping it will not as there is just something about this phone which appeals to me.

G2 + Vibrants screen(Amoled) = Game Over.
- Fly like a G2

That would be Perfect!!!!

Check out my video I just made.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RZKHq6e1Ds

I am very happy with my phone. No problems with it whatsoever. It's everything I expected and more!
My hinge is somewhere in the middle between tight and loose. The screen will sometimes drop down if I hold the phone upside down without touching they keyboard. I have been using it heavily and have not had any problems with the hinge in normal use - keyboard open or closed - so it is a complete non-issue for me. I feel this is how it was designed to work.
The phone is blazing fast an the camera and video look great. No rebooting issues and reception is pretty good. I came from a Moto Cliq and the battery life and reception are both better on the G2.
tenbeau said:
I have my third G2 coming the first of the week. So far both of the first two had loose hinge issues and terrible reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have some of those sticky antennas that go behind your battery on order. You can get a 5 pack of them on Amazon for $5 shipped. I noticed an improvement on my Cliq after installing one, so I'm willing to bet it will help. I don't have any reception problems, but it's always good to have more bars. You just have to make sure to stick it directly where the internal antenna is.
Anybody know exactly where the antenna is in this phone?
Anyways... I want to say thanks for all the knowledgeable people on this board who helped me learn a lot about this device.

only issue is samoled is a samsung exclusive. regular amoled has too much glare. plus slcd is cheaper.

I had a couple reservations getting it, but I have to say I love this phone! I went from a G1 to Nexus One and now G2. This phone feels like a Nexus One but with a physical keyboard. I'm hanging onto my N1 as a companion/backup.
The G2 made me realize how much I missed having a physical keyboard....plus the radio and GPS on it seems to be superior to the N1....also being in a HSPA+ area is always a plus too.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

TheManCityLife said:
Yo man just checked out your video about the hinges. My phone has a strong hing IMO. If I'm laying down my screen will slide down. But like you said in the video, I will have to NOT be touching the screen, because naturally, I would have my fingers holding it in place. When the screen is closed, I hold it upside down - No problem.
I'm coming from Verizon and I must say, the T-Mobile call quality is nothing compared to Verizon. One of your vids you mention how you can just take a few steps and your bars will change, go in and out of Edge or HSPA. That's not necessarily a G2 issue.
I dig this phone, and I've already rocked a couple of my friends smart phones. Holla
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's definitely a problem with T-Mobile; I believe I mention that in the video. I can remember 2 years ago when I had a Sidekick I would get horrible signal while inside of buildings. I would be in class and have no signal. Now with the G2 I can walk literally 10 feet and my signal will fluctuate like crazy.

I'm sending mine back and sticking with my G1 for the following reasons:
1) In the upper right corner of market, it has a link to TMobile apps instead of my Downloads (I so hate them for that!)
2) I hate the hardware keyboard / hinge slider.
a) slider slides closed while holding and typing fast
b) impossible to type < or > with hardware keyboard (even with SYM key software popup).
c) Keys too wide and letters off-center.
d) No number row sucks, too much use of function key.
e) Although the touch pad is about the same as the rolly-ball, they both suck compared to 4 arrow keys on the keyboard.
f) I also prefer the 4 function keys as hard keys instead of softkeys.
3) Battery is worse then G1 in edge-case areas (2G/3G), but I do admit battery is better then G1 in solid 3G area.
4) Notification lights. I have not known about many missed calls/texts that I would have seen much earlier using my G1.
5) Although I love the proximity sensor in theory, I guess I don't hold my phone correctly for it because I have already hit keys while talking more than I have in 2 years with the G1.
6) microUSB port on left side instead of bottom makes it impossible to hold the phone while it is charging (I am left handed).
7) Buggy, I've had a few crashes, and the camera got stuck running or something once because barcode scanner claimed it was in use and even after I tried to kill everything the battery drained from 60% to 0% within like 15 min in my pocket. Also had apps like Google Earth and some root apps lockup.
8) External speaker sounds tinny as hell.
9) You can't swap the microSD card without removing the battery.
10) Too expensive... I'll wait until my contract is fully up in march so I get a better discount, but I'm hoping there is a better GSM phone my then. If the Epic 4G worked on TMobile (or if Sprint worked at my house), I would take that over the G2 in a second purely for the better hardware keyboard design.
After all is said and done and you get CM6 or some other custom rom on your phone, all Android phones are basically the same, other than design and speed. G1 is dog slow, but it can still do EVERYTHING the G2 can, as can any other rooted Android phone. (except play flash as well, G1 hacks for flash are still lacking)

I am completely happy with my G2. I haven't had any major issues whatsoever, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else currently on the market. There is also nothing in the near future that I've seen (MyTouch HD, WP7, etc.) that will make me regret buying the G2. My next phone will likely be the G3!
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

Are you satisified with your G2?

Sorry for the seemingly inane thread, but hear me out.
I'm considering importing the G2 so that means returning it would be impossible. A few questions before pulling the trigger:
- Are there any showstopping problems I should know about with this device?
- Any features you felt disappointed not to have, such as HDMI?
- Overall, do you feel like the addition of the keyboard is worth it? Is the extra bulk (thickness, weight) a worthy tradeoff? Do the keys feel too cramped?
- Does the phone feel too heavy? Can you listen to music while jogging without it feeling way too bulky?
Thanks for helping me and apologies for making you fill out a survey like this

i really like the phone, ive had a couple of them to compare. its really fast... with the stock rom, small compared to my hd2, they keyboard is going to take a little getting used to(im a custom to the touch pro), the hardware button for the camera is nice, and its native OS is droid.

cbmm said:
i really like the phone, ive had a couple of them to compare. its really fast... with the stock rom, small compared to my hd2, they keyboard is going to take a little getting used to(im a custom to the touch pro), the hardware button for the camera is nice, and its native OS is droid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love it now that I over clocked it. The fact I can't get fully skinned roms is annoying but we already got overclock which has made this phone zooooom zooom. Fasted phone I have ever used.

Pickx said:
Sorry for the seemingly inane thread, but hear me out.
I'm considering importing the G2 so that means returning it would be impossible. A few questions before pulling the trigger:
- Are there any showstopping problems I should know about with this device?
- Any features you felt disappointed not to have, such as HDMI?
- Overall, do you feel like the addition of the keyboard is worth it? Is the extra bulk (thickness, weight) a worthy tradeoff? Do the keys feel too cramped?
- Does the phone feel too heavy? Can you listen to music while jogging without it feeling way too bulky?
Thanks for helping me and apologies for making you fill out a survey like this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only real issue I've encountered thus far is the loose hinge that closes when you're typing in bed, for example, but I've found that holding the phone a little higher so that your fingers are on the sides of the screen keeps it open. Minor annoyance, to be sure.
Other than that, this phone is ****ing awesome. Personally I like the weight, but objectively it's quite heavy compared to other phones. Overall, I highly recommend it.

Honestly i think the build quality is a little inconsistent, which is common when a phone first launches. I would be very nervous if you cant exchange it if something was wrong. Fortunately for me i work at a retail store that sells phones so I can fully inspect a phone before I buy it. I checked out 3 G2's and only 1 of them was good enough to buy, the other 2 had dust under the screen. My hinge is loose as well but im not bothered by it.
I would probably wait for a few models runs until htc has these things ironed out.

i'll let you know i get mine today (swithching from Touch pro 2)

- Are there any showstopping problems I should know about with this device?
not really, the device is great, the hspa coverage (for me) is spotty in areas i frequent, thus the only showstopper (for me)
- Any features you felt disappointed not to have, such as HDMI?
number row on keyboard. sure hdmi out woudl be nice but a lot of things would be. possible rgb leds (unless thats been debunked/solved) around the trackpad and charger led
- Overall, do you feel like the addition of the keyboard is worth it? Is the extra bulk (thickness, weight) a worthy tradeoff? Do the keys feel too cramped?
i like they keyboard, i find that i actually like swype but havent composed a big, long email yet. i dont really like how the keyboard doesnt feel centered and G/H are slightly to the right which is opposite of coming from a G1 with it being to the left due to the chin. the enter key i feel should be a row down but these are all things you can get accustomed to. the spacing and such are good. im not a huge fan of the hinge since when opened it feels a bit wobbly. i dont doubt its sturdy overall just feels "cheap". its like having a door on a ferrari rattle when you close it or something (you wouldnt complain but you wish it wouldnt do that).
- Does the phone feel too heavy? Can you listen to music while jogging without it feeling way too bulky?
the heft is both good and bad. it feels executive like a premium device. the downside is it might be more prone to those accidental drops or something. i dont mind the weight but if i had a pick id wish it would weigh nothing and be 1"x1" but have the display of an ipad. of course these things dont add up.
overall i might take mine back, not for the device at all however. i do like it, its snappy its clean it does what i want (wish the camera was a bit better but again, not a dealbreaker). the only issue i have is with signal, which isnt device related.

- Are there any showstopping problems I should know about with this device?Not really, I get weak signal in my apt, but once they release wifi calling that will be fixed. I also have gotten used to the higne and the reboots seem to have stopped for me.
- Any features you felt disappointed not to have, such as HDMI?
Nope, I came from an iPhone to this phoen though, so I was feature light to begin with
- Overall, do you feel like the addition of the keyboard is worth it? Is the extra bulk (thickness, weight) a worthy tradeoff? Do the keys feel too cramped?
This is my first keyboard phone and its awesome! pefect thickness, and the keyboard feels great.
- Does the phone feel too heavy? Can you listen to music while jogging without it feeling way too bulky?
Nah it feels solid, I would run with it, but I'd get some kind of neoprene sleeve/holster for it.

Pickx said:
Sorry for the seemingly inane thread, but hear me out.
I'm considering importing the G2 so that means returning it would be impossible. A few questions before pulling the trigger:
1- Are there any showstopping problems I should know about with this device?
2- Any features you felt disappointed not to have, such as HDMI?
3- Overall, do you feel like the addition of the keyboard is worth it? Is the extra bulk (thickness, weight) a worthy tradeoff? Do the keys feel too cramped?
4- Does the phone feel too heavy? Can you listen to music while jogging without it feeling way too bulky?
Thanks for helping me and apologies for making you fill out a survey like this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1, not with mine in particular, dead pixels and a weak hinge would really piss me off though.
2. You know that is one thing I would have liked but not needed. I play emulators ALOT on my phone and it would have been very nice to be able to hook up two wii controllers and bust out some old snes games with my wife on the tv.
3. Extra bulk? You need to start lifting weights if its to heavy for you. Keys are very very nice as long as I cut my nails, I had nails that hadnt been cut for two weeks or so and it was annoying. Females probably wouldnt like it, maybe you just need to get used to it.
4. Bulky? Naw I love it, it just feel cheap and weak.

Well, I just sent mine back to Tmobile for a new one.
Hinge became looser over the few weeks of owning it.
Phone would reboot on it's own from time to time.
Force Closed on apps all the time.
Signal would come in and out.
Don't let what I said scare you. I'm sure I just got a really bad apple, err... phone. I love the phone very much, and hopefully the new one works better. It's a really fast little ****er, no lie!

It does what every phone does and it doesn't do what its not meant to do "drive your car? Hopefully in 5 more years" As 3g or hspa, its deffenitely faster than the iphone 4 or any 3g phone "I live next to philly so I get good service, and I home tested myself since you can't blv ppl this days cuz they lie too much". The weight is cute it makes you feel like you have a 550$ hardware. Only thing I don't like is the opening screen, I thought it should be more solid and have a bit more preassure in it. Overall, I personally like it more than vibrant, feels like a more androidish phone. Only thing I desire is to get my hands on some htc sence.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

This is my first smartphone, so I'm pretty excited about what it can do. Only thing I'd really change right now is the SMS notice. The LED flash needs to either be constant (my preference) or much more frequent than it's currently set now. I can't believe that slipped by in UI testing.

Hmm, thanks for the help so far, you guys are really helpful. I've been playing the waiting game with Android since it launched. So many features are always 'right around the corner' and should be implemented any minute now (higher resolutions as rumored in Gingerbread, Tegra 2/ARM9, Super AMOLED on non-Samsung devices,
BUT, hardware keyboards are way too rare nowadays and this keyboard seems to have been executed quite well. Again, rare.
It's very scary to import a device that could end up with a wobbly hinge or repeated resets... but honestly other than the weight and the rootkit, this phone is extremely appealing. Looks dead sexy too.

It is sexy as hell. With that said, I'm on my second because I wanted the better deal from Costco.....100 vs 200
My first one started rebooting on its own (at least it restarted-my captivate shut down and wouldn't turn back on automatically) and now this one has the screen flicker problem when the brightness is set to low. Ill exchange it.
Overall this phone is the best phone I've had since the iPhone was the latest greatest.
Shipping it in with no option to return would make me nervous.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

Hmm. Maybe I'll get the Desire Z instead. I'll give it a week or so to see if these have less problems.

- Are there any showstopping problems I should know about with this device?
Not any that I've noticed yet. Build quality throughout the initial release may be an issue- my first G2 had a cracked space bar, weak hinge, and after having the battery die in 6 hours, wouldn't charge or even turn on. The one I've got now? Perfect.
- Any features you felt disappointed not to have, such as HDMI?
Colored notification LED's (whether that's on the speaker or around the track pad), ability to root
- Overall, do you feel like the addition of the keyboard is worth it? Is the extra bulk (thickness, weight) a worthy tradeoff? Do the keys feel too cramped?
The keys most certainly don't feel cramped- it's a very, very spacious keyboard. I personally haven't used it very much, since I'm used to Swype, but the times I have used it (for typing URL's, long emails, or long texts) I've found it very comfortable and easy to use.
- Does the phone feel too heavy? Can you listen to music while jogging without it feeling way too bulky?
No way, I absolutely love the weight of this phone. It feels expensive, if you know what I mean. If you can find a phone with a strong hinge, the build quality feels absolutely fantastic. I don't job, so I can't tell you if it's good for that, but I can't imagine it would be very good for jogging without securing it to yourself in some way.
Hope this helps! This is the first phone that I've bought and truly been completely satisfied with out of the box. Aside from the rooting issues, this phone is perfect.

I absolutely love it! The thinkg flies! My only issues are no wifi hotspot yet and a few radio issues. These two things will be addressed in an ota update so I'm not too worried about it.

I'm really really loving mine. Had the G1 first, then the N1. Haven't had any of the hinge problems or random reboots. Screen is sharp, phone is super snappy (more so then the N1) and feels/looks like an expensive, proper business phone.
The keyboard is nice and got tons of really positive reviews. I personally liked the G1 keyboard better because it had dedicated number keys and overall seemed faster to type on.
As for negatives, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the crappy loudspeaker yet. I'd google some reviews of the speaker first if that factor is important to you.
Overall its a great device and I am very satisfied with it. Having said that I also didn't have any of the problems other users complained about. If you get one that works like mine I think you'd fall equally in love with it.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

I just recently got the G2 about two days ago and I love it! I previously had the Blackberry Pearl for a few years and thought it was time for an upgrade. This is my first Android phone and so far, it's wonderful. I don't have the loose hinge issue or any other visible problems.
Just still getting used to it, looking for the good apps that'll tickle my funny bone, and reading more on "rooting" and the like. I'm enjoying my experience.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

The Good:
-Speedy, apps launch quickly and the phone is very smooth
-Great size, form factor
-Decent screen and brightness
-GOOD keyboard
-Battery life was impressive
The Bad:
-All three I had (yes, I ended up taking the last one back too) did the reboots in low service areas
-On my morning drive, my HD2 never drops my call. The G2 would drop in 3 places every day
-The hinge was very poorly done, and as someone who started the HTC keyboard phones with the Tytn-II, Touch Pro, and Touch Pro 2, I know they can get it right. This was just a stupid, stupid design.
-No 4gb of storage
-What the hell is with the trackpad? Can we just ditch it and save a bit of space?
I could have looked past the hinge issue, but the obvious radio issues combined with the DRM like protection of the ROM, I decided that TMOUS and HTC could shove it with this phone.

EVO owner having second thoughts on keeping the N-S

I have a rooted, with Cm 6.1 stable mod, EVO 4G. I hated the battery life on it, and it was a bit heavy in the shirt pocket. And T-Mobile is cheaper per month, by approx $30.
So I bought the Nexus-S yesterday morning, and set the EVO in a drawer. Now having it almost two days, I am really digging it, especially out of the plastic case, it feels so thin and feather light. And the Super AMOLED screen is drool worthy.
But a few things have been worrying me, I am afraid if this thing gets dropped, not sure it will handle a beating. And T-Mobile while good service, I did have a few dropped calls already, and flaky internet connections. I was pretty surprised by how near perfect Sprint has been these past 6 months I have been with the EVO, it is extremely rare to get a dropped call, and just spot on full bars everywhere in Chicago, and even in my basement Office, where ATT or T-Mo never worked there, only Sprint has been able to find a connection in Basement.
I pulled out my EVO, and I have both phones setup almost exactly the same, same live wallpaper, same widgets, and apps, clock. My EVO looks just like the raw 2.3, due to Cyanogen 6.1. Anyways, I was playing around with them both, side by side, and now undecided if I should keep the Nexus-S, they both feel almost the same.
I will say the Nexus-S is slightly snappier and a wee bit faster, and sure does feels nice in the hand and on the face with no case. The Nexus looks sweet with the cool screen technology. But is it worth the $600 I paid to have it out with no contract ?
One thing I did like about the EVO, was how flat and big it was, sure I didn't like the heavy thick feel of the EVO, but the large screen was easier for texting, the keyboard was big and nice to type on, the N-S with the curved screen, makes the keyboard look really small to me compared to the EVO.

Zorachus said:
I have a rooted, with Cm 6.1 stable mod, EVO 4G. I hated the battery life on it, and it was a bit heavy in the shirt pocket. And T-Mobile is cheaper per month, by approx $30.
So I bought the Nexus-S yesterday morning, and set the EVO in a drawer. Now having it almost two days, I am really digging it, especially out of the plastic case, it feels so thin and feather light. And the Super AMOLED screen is drool worthy.
But a few things have been worrying me, I am afraid if this thing gets dropped, not sure it will handle a beating. And T-Mobile while good service, I did have a few dropped calls already, and flaky internet connections. I was pretty surprised by how near perfect Sprint has been these past 6 months I have been with the EVO, it is extremely rare to get a dropped call, and just spot on full bars everywhere in Chicago, and even in my basement Office, where ATT or T-Mo never worked there, only Sprint has been able to find a connection in Basement.
I pulled out my EVO, and I have both phones setup almost exactly the same, same live wallpaper, same widgets, and apps, clock. My EVO looks just like the raw 2.3, due to Cyanogen 6.1. Anyways, I was playing around with them both, side by side, and now undecided if I should keep the Nexus-S, they both feel almost the same.
I will say the Nexus-S is slightly snappier and a wee bit faster, and sure does feels nice in the hand and on the face with no case. The Nexus looks sweet with the cool screen technology. But is it worth the $600 I paid to have it out with no contract ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's only worth keeping if you're gonna sell the Evo.
Either way they both are strong phones I'd say. However I myself would stick with the pure Google. I'm never going to anything else ever again lol. Waiting for handset updates is the most frustrating thing ever.
As for dropping it. I once dropped my Vibrant. Walked into a water hydrant (yes). The back flew off, as did the battery and the SD card (which I didn't notice had shot out). Either way, it had minor scuffs on the bezel and battery cover after this. Bezel is easy to replace and battery cover is easy to replace. Screen was still flawless. What did I lose? A 16gb class 6 SD card full of source code backups. Good thing the Nexus S has internal storage, .

Anderdroid said:
It's only worth keeping if you're gonna sell the Evo.
Either way they both are strong phones I'd say. However I myself would stick with the pure Google. I'm never going to anything else ever again lol. Waiting for handset updates is the most frustrating thing ever.
As for dropping it. I once dropped my Vibrant. Walked into a water hydrant (yes). The back flew off, as did the battery and the SD card (which I didn't notice had shot out). Either way, it had minor scuffs on the bezel and battery cover after this. Bezel is easy to replace and battery cover is easy to replace. Screen was still flawless. What did I lose? A 16gb class 6 SD card full of source code backups. Good thing the Nexus S has internal storage, .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point, I did buy the N-S for the "pure" Android experience, and not having to run custom roms/themes, and million downloads and installs, just to get what this gives me right out of the box, stock. And with all those custom roms, and stuff, the EVO seemed a little more sluggish to me, than stock Sense UI.
Plus this screen is just so awesome, I love it. And really like the thinness and light weight of it compared to the heavy EVO.

Looks you are actually having second thoughts on keeping T-Mobile rather than device.

I've been on TMobile since 1998 and I don't think I've ever experienced a dropped call. Sprint as my work phone the last two years and never had one either. What happens? Phone just hangs up? Just bizarre to me
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

As long as you don't break the screen it should be very durable. The great thing about a plastic housing is that you can treat it like crap--a replacement back will probably run $5-$10, which is cheaper than any case you can buy. Metal phone housings are tres nice, but you're always paranoid about scratching or denting it (which, besides bringing tears to your eyes, lowers resale value).
My philosophy has always been that since I look at the screen and hold the housing, I'd prefer a phone with a great screen over a great housing (it's nice to have both, but you right now you have to choose).
That being said, I'd stick to the Evo. An Android phone loses the majority of its functionality if you can't get a signal, so in your case the Evo is the better choice (or get an Epic, which has SAMOLED and the same CPU/GPU as NS).
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

You own an Evo already. Its the most feature rich phone on the market. NS is awesome for me. But if I had to choose just one id keep my Evo
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

The longer I have this Nexus-S, the happier I am with it. It is just T-Mobile that concerns me, need a little more time with it. I have an office in the basement, and down here get crap reception. ATT on the iPhone rarely worked down here, or maybe 25% at best, Sprint was 90% reception, very good, and T-Mobile so far seems to be 75%, not too bad, I do get most texts down here right away, but not near perfect like Sprint either.
The EVO battery life was my #1 reason for looking for a different phone, it was horrible, and every smartphone review, always listed it dead last place for battery life, and the iPhone4 at the top. When reading reviews of the N-S, what sold me was that it is supposed to be closer to iPhone 4 battery life, and much better than EVO. So far after 3 days that seems to be true.
With this Nexus-S, I need to wear my sons bib around this screen, I am drooling all over it And I do like the lightweight and compact size, fits into a shirt pocket easily without weighing it down. The EVO in comparison was a brick, and would never fit in a shirt pocket, without weigh down and falling out almost. Even in Summer when wearing shorts, the EVO felt like a brick in the pocket, almost making your shorts droop. But I did like the large flat 4.3" screen on the EVO, that size is sweet, and easy to text, with the on screen keyboard. Just the colors blew on that phone, very washed out and way too much white light bleed.
I would LOVE the EVO, if it had a Super AMOLED screen, or something close to it, and if they could reduce the thickness and weight. And of course design it to use the less battery power, and last a whole day like the iPhone4 or N-S. Other than that, the EVO is a great phone. But T-Mobile pricing helped sweeten the deal. I need the full unlimited packages, I run my own business, and on phone most of the day sometimes, so minutes is a must, plus texting and data. The T-Mobile plan is a good $35 cheaper per month than Sprint, on exact same plan, and I have no contract to be stuck on, with T-Mobile So if there is a Nexus-M this summer/fall by Motorola, or they might call it the Nexus-3.0 for Honeycomb Android 3.0 OS, I might get that.

Zorachus said:
The longer I have this Nexus-S, the happier I am with it. It is just T-Mobile that concerns me the most. I have an office in the basement, and sometimes down here get crap reception. ATT on the iPhone never worked down here, or maybe 10% at best, Sprint was 75% and very good, and T-Mobile so far seems to be 30-40%, not terrible, I do get some texts down here, but not great like Sprint either.
I need to wear my sons bib around this screen, I am drooling all over it And I do like the lightweight and compact size, fits into a shirt pocket easily without weighing it down. The EVO in comparison was brick, and would never fit in a shirt pocket. Even in Summer when wearing shorts, the EVO felt like a brick in the pocket, almost making your shorts droop. But I did like the large flat 4.3" screen on the EVO, that size is sweet, and easy to text on screen keyboard. Just the colors blew on that phone, very washed out and way too much white light bleed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hopefully within the next few days custom kernels will start cranking out and someone will port the WiFi calling app from the G2 or the MT4G which should help resolve your issue with your office. Assuming you have a wifi connection, that is.

unremarked said:
Hopefully within the next few days custom kernels will start cranking out and someone will port the WiFi calling app from the G2 or the MT4G which should help resolve your issue with your office. Assuming you have a wifi connection, that is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I have WiFi in my basement Office, and real work Office, I am a computer gamer junky, build my own Eyefinity systems
But not familiar with WiFi calling ? How does that work ?

Zorachus said:
Yes I have WiFi in my basement Office, and real work Office, I am a computer gamer junky, build my own Eyefinity systems
But not familiar with WiFi calling ? How does that work ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
instead of using the signal from the cell towers to make phone calls, it will use your wifi connection. It still uses your voice plan and thus costs minutes but its useful for situations like yours.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

unremarked said:
instead of using the signal from the cell towers to make phone calls, it will use your wifi connection. It still uses your voice plan and thus costs minutes but its useful for situations like yours.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a brilliant idea. Will that be a market app, or must be rooted first I would assume to download and use that ? Then that would solve my biggest problem I had with T-Mobile, sometimes getting bad reception inside home or office.

Zorachus said:
That's a brilliant idea. Will that be a market app, or must be rooted first I would assume to download and use that ? Then that would solve my biggest problem I had with T-Mobile, sometimes getting bad reception inside home or office.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will require root because the WiFi app I speak of doesn't work on the Nexus S right now. It will require a custom kernel in order to port it over so it should happen within the next few days or so I'd imagine.
In the interest of fairness, there is one downside to it. The app won't switch dynamically, which means if you start a call on wifi and walk out of range, the call will drop period. Even if you walk into an area with absolutely perfect coverage.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

unremarked said:
It will require root because the WiFi app I speak of doesn't work on the Nexus S right now. It will require a custom kernel in order to port it over so it should happen within the next few days or so I'd imagine.
In the interest of fairness, there is one downside to it. The app won't switch dynamically, which means if you start a call on wifi and walk out of range, the call will drop period. Even if you walk into an area with absolutely perfect coverage.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info, but that kind of sucks then, if it drops the call cold turkey once you walk out of the WiFi range ? Phone hardware can't handle the smooth transition from WiFi to cellular at the same time I guess ?

I pulled out my EVO, and I have both phones setup almost exactly the same, same live wallpaper, same widgets, and apps, clock. My EVO looks just like the raw 2.3, due to Cyanogen 6.1. Anyways, I was playing around with them both, side by side, and now undecided if I should keep the Nexus-S, they both feel almost the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by this? The Nexus S is running raw 2.3. No theme or bloat. This is the purest experience straight from Google. No more waiting on HTC/Sprint to get their act together or relying on Cyanogen and crew to make sure everything is working on thier build. Personally, I can't go back to my EVO after experiencing the screen and weight of the Nexus. The EVO just feels like a rock now, and I'm very satisfied with T-Mobile's data speeds over Sprint.

TheBiles said:
What do you mean by this? The Nexus S is running raw 2.3. No theme or bloat. This is the purest experience straight from Google. No more waiting on HTC/Sprint to get their act together or relying on Cyanogen and crew to make sure everything is working on thier build. Personally, I can't go back to my EVO after experiencing the screen and weight of the Nexus. The EVO just feels like a rock now, and I'm very satisfied with T-Mobile's data speeds over Sprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Today after 3 days with the Nexus-S, I agree with you. My EVO feels heavy like a brick now, and the screen color is so washed out and bland compared to Super AMOLED< no comparison. Plus the battery life on the N-S does seem to be much better than the EVO's so far. And the icing on the cake, T-Mobile is cheaper per month, for me a good $30 cheaper.
Plus T-Mobile seems to be the best Android carrier, they seem to get the best and latest phones pretty quick. They were first ever Android carrier with the G1, and then the first with the Nexus-One, and now the Nexus-S. And I prefer the "Nexus" idea, getting the untainted OS, sort of like Apple with the iPhone. Just buy a new Nexus every Christmas to have the latest and most pure Android phone.
Sure there will be new dual core faster phones early next year. I rather wait for the Nexus-3, by then dual core will be done beta testing on other phones, and the Android OS will be really optimized for it by next Winter. I wait for the dual core Nexus, not the any ol dual core coming out right away next year, no thank on the bugs and issues that may pop up. For now I am a happy Nexus owner. Will just plan to buy a new Nexus every year for now.

Zorachus said:
I have a rooted, with Cm 6.1 stable mod, EVO 4G. I hated the battery life on it, and it was a bit heavy in the shirt pocket. And T-Mobile is cheaper per month, by approx $30.
So I bought the Nexus-S yesterday morning, and set the EVO in a drawer. Now having it almost two days, I am really digging it, especially out of the plastic case, it feels so thin and feather light. And the Super AMOLED screen is drool worthy.
But a few things have been worrying me, I am afraid if this thing gets dropped, not sure it will handle a beating. And T-Mobile while good service, I did have a few dropped calls already, and flaky internet connections. I was pretty surprised by how near perfect Sprint has been these past 6 months I have been with the EVO, it is extremely rare to get a dropped call, and just spot on full bars everywhere in Chicago, and even in my basement Office, where ATT or T-Mo never worked there, only Sprint has been able to find a connection in Basement.
I pulled out my EVO, and I have both phones setup almost exactly the same, same live wallpaper, same widgets, and apps, clock. My EVO looks just like the raw 2.3, due to Cyanogen 6.1. Anyways, I was playing around with them both, side by side, and now undecided if I should keep the Nexus-S, they both feel almost the same.
I will say the Nexus-S is slightly snappier and a wee bit faster, and sure does feels nice in the hand and on the face with no case. The Nexus looks sweet with the cool screen technology. But is it worth the $600 I paid to have it out with no contract ?
One thing I did like about the EVO, was how flat and big it was, sure I didn't like the heavy thick feel of the EVO, but the large screen was easier for texting, the keyboard was big and nice to type on, the N-S with the curved screen, makes the keyboard look really small to me compared to the EVO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in the EXACT same boat. I left TMO in june to get the EVO, and now I just switched back to get the NS. I'm trying to decide whether or not to keep it. On the one hand, I love the weight and size of the EVO. It's the number one reason I got it. Th3 4.3" screen is awesome for texting and videos. However, the LCD blows. 4g is alright, but I never use it because the battery on the EVO sucks so bad already.
On The other hand, the NS is pure google, which with the rate custom ROMs get ported over these days, isn't that big of a deal anymore. I'm sure 2.3 will get ported to all the other major phones within 2 weeks. The AMOLED screen is AMAZING. But the overall size and feel of the phone and screen are a bit prohibitive at the moment. Coming from such a big phone, the downgrade is def noticeable. Also, the phone feels...delicate. I'm scared to set it down.
The 1ghz Hummingbird processor FLYS. In side by sibe comparison with my EVO running CM 6.1, the NS always manages to open each app faster and scroll smoother.
So what's a guy to do? Keep the NS and compromise size and 4g to be on the bleeding edge of software development and better battery life? Or keep the EVO and stay with superior build quality while having a couple chargers on hand?

thefoss said:
I'm in the EXACT same boat. I left TMO in june to get the EVO, and now I just switched back to get the NS. I'm trying to decide whether or not to keep it. On the one hand, I love the weight and size of the EVO. It's the number one reason I got it. Th3 4.3" screen is awesome for texting and videos. However, the LCD blows. 4g is alright, but I never use it because the battery on the EVO sucks so bad already.
On The other hand, the NS is pure google, which with the rate custom ROMs get ported over these days, isn't that big of a deal anymore. I'm sure 2.3 will get ported to all the other major phones within 2 weeks. The AMOLED screen is AMAZING. But the overall size and feel of the phone and screen are a bit prohibitive at the moment. Coming from such a big phone, the downgrade is def noticeable. Also, the phone feels...delicate. I'm scared to set it down.
The 1ghz Hummingbird processor FLYS. In side by sibe comparison with my EVO running CM 6.1, the NS always manages to open each app faster and scroll smoother.
So what's a guy to do? Keep the NS and compromise size and 4g to be on the bleeding edge of software development and better battery life? Or keep the EVO and stay with superior build quality while having a couple chargers on hand?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally, I find the Nexus to be the perfect size after using the EVO for so long. Often times I found myself having to stretch my hand to reach the notification bar, and the phone just seems too wide now. As far as the "build quality," my EVO's had unattractive light leakage from day one while the Nexus is perfect in every way. I think a lot of people have gotten stuck in the "heavier = better quality" rut. Just because the Nexus is light doesn't mean it isn't solid.

thefoss said:
I'm in the EXACT same boat. I left TMO in june to get the EVO, and now I just switched back to get the NS. I'm trying to decide whether or not to keep it. On the one hand, I love the weight and size of the EVO. It's the number one reason I got it. Th3 4.3" screen is awesome for texting and videos. However, the LCD blows. 4g is alright, but I never use it because the battery on the EVO sucks so bad already.
On The other hand, the NS is pure google, which with the rate custom ROMs get ported over these days, isn't that big of a deal anymore. I'm sure 2.3 will get ported to all the other major phones within 2 weeks. The AMOLED screen is AMAZING. But the overall size and feel of the phone and screen are a bit prohibitive at the moment. Coming from such a big phone, the downgrade is def noticeable. Also, the phone feels...delicate. I'm scared to set it down.
The 1ghz Hummingbird processor FLYS. In side by sibe comparison with my EVO running CM 6.1, the NS always manages to open each app faster and scroll smoother.
So what's a guy to do? Keep the NS and compromise size and 4g to be on the bleeding edge of software development and better battery life? Or keep the EVO and stay with superior build quality while having a couple chargers on hand?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will make final decision by Monday, after a full weekend with the Nexus-S, but leaning on keeping her
Nexus-S;
- T-Mobile is cheaper, almost $30 per month.
- Super AMOLED screen is amazing
- Lightweight and compact size easy to keep in shirt pocket, but still good size 4" screen
- Hummingbird processor is smoother at pulling apps and scrolling, not choppy
- Pure Android OS, no need for major custom roms, will get Honeycomb right away
EVO;
- Large 4.3" screen is easier to text on, and read
- Sprint service might be slightly better than T-Mobile
- 4G ( but never used but a few times, major battery )

Zorachus said:
The longer I have this Nexus-S, the happier I am with it. It is just T-Mobile that concerns me, need a little more time with it. I have an office in the basement, and down here get crap reception. ATT on the iPhone rarely worked down here, or maybe 25% at best, Sprint was 90% reception, very good, and T-Mobile so far seems to be 75%, not too bad, I do get most texts down here right away, but not near perfect like Sprint either.
The EVO battery life was my #1 reason for looking for a different phone, it was horrible, and every smartphone review, always listed it dead last place for battery life, and the iPhone4 at the top. When reading reviews of the N-S, what sold me was that it is supposed to be closer to iPhone 4 battery life, and much better than EVO. So far after 3 days that seems to be true.
With this Nexus-S, I need to wear my sons bib around this screen, I am drooling all over it And I do like the lightweight and compact size, fits into a shirt pocket easily without weighing it down. The EVO in comparison was a brick, and would never fit in a shirt pocket, without weigh down and falling out almost. Even in Summer when wearing shorts, the EVO felt like a brick in the pocket, almost making your shorts droop. But I did like the large flat 4.3" screen on the EVO, that size is sweet, and easy to text, with the on screen keyboard. Just the colors blew on that phone, very washed out and way too much white light bleed.
I would LOVE the EVO, if it had a Super AMOLED screen, or something close to it, and if they could reduce the thickness and weight. And of course design it to use the less battery power, and last a whole day like the iPhone4 or N-S. Other than that, the EVO is a great phone. But T-Mobile pricing helped sweeten the deal. I need the full unlimited packages, I run my own business, and on phone most of the day sometimes, so minutes is a must, plus texting and data. The T-Mobile plan is a good $35 cheaper per month than Sprint, on exact same plan, and I have no contract to be stuck on, with T-Mobile So if there is a Nexus-M this summer/fall by Motorola, or they might call it the Nexus-3.0 for Honeycomb Android 3.0 OS, I might get that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be aware that AMOLED can be a serious battery killer. Try to play Angry Birds and you'll know what I am saying.
480*800*3(color per pixel) light together can draw power like crazy.

Samsung build quality

I am one of the many unsatisfied, and thoroughly disappointed purchasers of the Galaxy S on Bell Mobility in Canada. I have had countless problems with this phone, and poor service even prior to the infamous 2.2 update causing the self destruction of the phone. My question is, when the Nexus S gets released in Canada, is it worth it? Does anyone else have problems with their Samsungs, or was the Bell version just a freak occurence, and not a true example of how Samsung manufactures their devices? Can you guys tell me how your experiences with your Samsung phones have been? I need to know if I should give them a break on this one, or stay away altogether.
Thanks.

i came from only using HTC phones, and an N1 to this NS and ya it was getting used to but i have had nothing but good times with my baby.
even dropping her a few times she still goes on like a champ

jun.seba said:
I am one of the many unsatisfied, and thoroughly disappointed purchasers of the Galaxy S on Bell Mobility in Canada. I have had countless problems with this phone, and poor service even prior to the infamous 2.2 update causing the self destruction of the phone. My question is, when the Nexus S gets released in Canada, is it worth it? Does anyone else have problems with their Samsungs, or was the Bell version just a freak occurence, and not a true example of how Samsung manufactures their devices? Can you guys tell me how your experiences with your Samsung phones have been? I need to know if I should give them a break on this one, or stay away altogether.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the international galaxy s and i must say that samsung really screwed up the software part on the galaxy s series. But i really love samsung hardware.
U really cant compare galaxy s to this this phone. Nexus s is so much snappier. Didnt have any problems so far. Wouldnt change it for any phone thats announced so far.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

Should have returned your phone if unsatisfied. The build quality of my NS is excellent and I wouldn't trade it for any other phone out at this time.
edit: also I have a Fascinate with Verizon for work. Build quality is amazing. Only problem I have right now is I am still running 2.1.

jun.seba said:
I am one of the many unsatisfied, and thoroughly disappointed purchasers of the Galaxy S on Bell Mobility in Canada. I have had countless problems with this phone, and poor service even prior to the infamous 2.2 update causing the self destruction of the phone. My question is, when the Nexus S gets released in Canada, is it worth it? Does anyone else have problems with their Samsungs, or was the Bell version just a freak occurence, and not a true example of how Samsung manufactures their devices? Can you guys tell me how your experiences with your Samsung phones have been? I need to know if I should give them a break on this one, or stay away altogether.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for asking the question that was on my mind. Have a captivate, and have the same concerns. Waiting for the ns to come to att.
To add to the question, how is the gps?
Sent transparently through the tubes.

I have met several problems with this phone:
1, Some time NS will reboot while making a long call;
2, The backspace key will sometimes does not work, especially with the early product version.
3, Messy code may happen in SMS sent to Users in CDMA network.
That's all. You may buy the latest version of NS and update it to 2.3.3 which is said to solve the random reboot problem.

My first smartphone's the HTC Hero, then N1 and now the NS. Must say i'm loving the weight distribution and design of the NS. I do Gmask (http://www.gmask.com/) for the back of the phone so the plastic bits doesn't even bother me. Haven't had an issue with random reboots except for when i overclock it to 1400mhz and beyond. Besides, 1000mhz is more than enough to run all my required apps/games smoothly. No issue with the backspace. Best phone i had and wouldn't trade it for one that puts me at the mercy of carriers/phone manufacturers for software updates.
Only item i notice is that the GPS in the NS takes a little longer to zoom in to my location compared to the N1. It's fine if i use Maps 5.0,places etc but if i use Brut's version of Maps for navigation (Singapore doesn't have free turn by turn navigation yet) i will take a relative long time (15-20 secs compared to instantly when using the same app on the N1). Not sure if that's a problem with the outdated app or with the GPS hardware, probably the app since others work just fine.

If gps is working, and my tracks will track properly, you are +1 on me.
Sent transparently through the tubes.

Just realised the OP's nic's is Jun Seba.
RIP good man. Hope you're stilll producing good music wherever you are....

Switched from the Evo to the NS - the S is clearly a higher quality device in terms of fit and finish. The Evo always creaked with light squeezing - which feels cheap to me - the battery cover was laughably flimsy, the soft-touch plastic was a little TOO soft and was easy to knick/gouge (and when this happened it revealed the red plastic underneath - looked horrible) and I always thought the button and rocker action and feedback was horrible on the Evo.
The materials are sorta meh in the S, especially compared to the N1 or iPhone 4, but the N1 was sorta overkill in that dept anyway and function seemed to follow form on the iPhone 4 (though I think it is inarguably gorgeous).
The NS feels very light in the hand, almost like its hollow. I believe that's more due to balancing and battery placement, and its not a bad thing. Just took a bit of getting used to.
Overall I think its very comparable to the iPhone 3g(s), but with a superior touch surface (I love the concave glass) and MUCH better front bezel design.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

I love the build quality of both the Galacy S and Nexus S.
I've also had a Desire HD and G2, HTC's build quality leaves much to be desired. As is mentioned above, squeeze it in places and there are all kinds of creaks and groans. The G2 has too many issues to mention.
The Nexus S, although it might have a plastic back, feels very solid.

I would easily recommned the Nexus S. From a hardware persepctive the only thing wrong with it is the back gets scratched easily and if you push the back right where the USB port is you may hear a creak once in a while (the only time the cheap plastic back is really noticable). I've had one or two reboots but that's a software issue. So far I haven't had any other issues with build quality but just from shopping around I did get the impression some of the HTC products felt more "solid". However, as noted elsewhere here, love the curved glass and actually prefer the lighter feel of the phone as a whole.
I should point out that I came to the Nexus S from a Palm Pre so of course the Nexus S feels pretty much darn near unbreakable next to my old phone

Coming from a Vibrant
My NS doesn't feel as cheap/hallow as my vibrant.
But still fingerprint magnet and back cover still scratches easy so baby it if you dont use case like me

Long road from Inspire to Atrix

Good morning all,
I created this thread in the Inspire forums and thought I'd bring it over here too. It's just my experiences as a daily carrier of both of these devices. It's aimed at people torn between the two handsets, and also to help me ultimately choose which I prefer to keep. Only one will survive.
I've included my running updates in the OP.
___________________________________________________________________
Hello all!
I've had the daunting task to pick between these two phones for the last couple days. I went into the store to actually get the devices in my hand and fully expected to walk out with the Atrix. I've always had a soft spot for HTC, ever since their WoMo phones. I saw the Inspire and was super impressed at how solid the phone felt in my hand. The phone felt very responsive, and I already knew the XDA Inspire team was cranking out some awesome stuff.
I then grabbed the Atrix and was not nearly as wow'd as I had expected to be. I've been following the phone since it's announcement, and pretty much had made up my mind on the spot to pick it up. After spending a half hour goofing around with both phones, I decided the Inspire really won my heart.
Then it happened... The cold sweats... The tossing and turning in bed at night. Images of the Atrix's Tegra 2 laying waste to the earth and doing vile things to my Inspire. My horrid indecision had struck. I decided that I had obviously made the wrong choice, so the next morning I headed off to the store and bought an Atrix without returning my perfectly set up Inspire. I wanted to play with them both side by side and just return whichever one didn't make me happy.
That was a bit over 24 hours ago. After spending the last day with both of the handsets, I am closer to a decision, but it's damn tough. My overall thoughts and struggles follow:
Motorola Atrix:
-Pros:
- Bright, higher resolution screen
- Dual Core processor (even though I thought the experience was pretty weak)
- Battery (theoretical, as I haven't had it long enough to fully experience)
- This goes to the hardware again, but this phone is quite a bit more future proof.
- The handset is light enough to not remind you it's in your pocket at every step.
- GPS (This is the most rock solid phone GPS I've ever used)
- Incredibly loud speaker
- Tons of ram
- HDMI out
-Cons:
- Cheaper build quality (I feel like I need to qualify this. The phone feels solid, but the battery door is, for lack of a better word, brittle)
- Very poor color representation on the otherwise beautiful screen.
- MotoBlur - This is just a very inelegant, unrefined overlay...
- Strange compatibility issues with certain apps
- multiple force closes
- Weak social media integration
- Odd bouts of lag when least expected
- Locked Bootloader (most don't care about this, but it matters when you have a primary developer that has a history of slow patches, feature adds, and os releases.
- Chicklet keyboard is a touch small for me and requires some focus to not miss type.
**FOLLOW-UP**
- I've removed the call quality knock from the Atrix device. It turns out it was entirely my own fault, and while some people, including Motorola, are reporting issues with sound quality on some devices, mine isn't one of them.
HTC Inspire:
-Pros:
- Excellent build quality (the aluminum uni-body is a joy to hold, and has the extra added benefit of being able to be used to fend off an attacker)
- Beautiful 4.3" screen (Yes, it is big, but I'm a fan)
- Sense (I'm not a fan of these proprietary UI's, but Sense shows that HTC can offer up an experience that is easy to like, and provide an attractive interface for a phone OS that is sometimes described as clinical looking)
- The brilliant development community (currently running CoreDroid /drool)
- Very snappy performance from the second gen Snapdragon CPU
- Tons of ram (Not as much as the Atrix, but enough to be a "ton" in my eyes)
- Lovely camera (I used to not care, but I have a new son, so suddenly a camera climbed up the ladder of important features)
- Fantastic out of the box social media integration
- Has that "Just works like it should" feel to it.
- Very clear call quality
- Second best phone gps I've used
-Cons:
- The screen washes out to a grey slab in direct sunlight
- Stock battery life is horrid
- "Electric Razor" ear screen can have some jagged edges and chafe your ear
- Battery door was a ridiculous design decision
- Very current gen hardware (doesn't mean a whole lot if you're not going to be riding this phone for the next two years, but a new day has dawned and it's name is "Multi-core")
- Stock external speaker/notification volume super weak
- odd placement of the number button on the keyboard (thanks iPhone for etching that into my brain)
- recessed power and volume buttons can be a bit tough to find.
- No internal storage (this is just ridiculous)
- Relatively weak GPU
There you have it. That's what I've come up with so far. At the moment, I'm leaning toward the Inspire, as so many of those issues can be (and have been) corrected through roms. In the end, I just don't really get the warm fuzzies from the Atrix. I feel like it's a brilliant set of components tied together with a really sorry software suite, and a manufacturer that doesn't really understand the strengths of their chosen platform, or the customers that choose it.
I will continue carrying both of the devices for the next couple days, but at the moment, the winner is most definitely the Inspire in my eyes. It just feels like it's been polished to a wonderful android flavored candy shine, and with the community behind it, there's really nothing I feel the device won't be able to handle for quite some time.
**Update 1**
The inspire's build quality is top notch. The screen is perfectly alligned and allows no notable give for me. There is also no more light bleed than you expect from an lcd panel, and none to the touch. The battery cover is a pain. Its actually so well fitted that you have to break it in over multiple removals in order to confidently take it off without breaking it. The sim cover fits nicely, and doesn't pose the same pain that the battery cover does. There is a slight raised edge in the center of the sim cover that takes it just out of flush. Its nigh unnoticable. Viewing angles on the inspire's slcd are fantastic. I can see it clearly in a near complete 180 degree angle, with little to no noticable color bleed. It obviously dims as you move from dead center.
The atrix is in the same boat with build quality for the most part. The phone has a good weight, metal rails down the side, well alligned screen, and mostly tight fitting components. I do have some issues here, though. Mainly with the back cover. As noted in my initial post, its very brittle, thin plastic. If you think I broke a sweat taking the inspires battery cover off, you should have seen me trying to get the battery on the atrix. I pulled the top clip free, and almost bent the cover in half fighting the mid phone clips. Also, the back cover on my atrix doesn't line up flush on one side. The last couple issues are the "creakynesss" of the handset. When I grip the phone tightly I can feel the plastic components giving, and settling into place. Not terribly bad, but noticable. The last issue is the fingerprint scanner. It's been pointed out in some reviews, but the scanner is off center on some devices and just looks shoddily thrown together and misalligned.
The atrix beautiful qHD screen also washes out and tints yellow when viewed at extreme angles.
**Update 2**
I've been using the Atrix today as my primary carry handset, and I must say PROPS to Motorola on this battery... I've been beating on it for all I can muster and with almost two full hours of HSPA+ web surfing, Angry Birds while waiting for my food, poking around in the marketplace, and trying out apps, the phone has dropped 25% of the battery in 7 hours of heavy use. I'm pretty damn impressed with that. My focus would be on the charger right now. I'll be going through the exact same process on the Inspire tomorrow to see how everything shakes out.
**Update 3**
I've been carrying my Atrix for the last two days, and I have to admit... It's amazing... I don't mean to sound disappointed, quite the contrary, but I was coming closer to making my decision, and now I'm struggling again.
New Revelations/Findings:
- The little hitches you sometimes see in games like Angry Birds, when scrolling and pinch zooming are all gone... Like, completely gone. That goes for every game/app i've played that is relatively intensive with animation or processing. The Inspire is definitely no slouch, but the performance edge is fully in the Atrix's court.
- The external speaker of the Atrix is LEGEND-(Wait for it)-DARY! I hopped on a conference call last night and it was right on the edge of being as good as the dedicated conference speakers at my office. Really outstanding.
- The screen is also really pretty. I, once again, had to run from hospital to hospital yesterday and while outside was able to see every color, icon, and word on my screen. It made me secure in the fact that no matter where I took the device, i would be able to rely on it 100%, and it would perform as well as I could ever ask for.
I've been using the anti-glare/anti-fingerprint Case-Mate screen protectors on both of the devices since i've purchased them, and these things just destroy the fidelity of the screen. I will be getting my Realook protectors tomorrow, and will get to experience a bit more vibrance from both screens.
I'm still fairly disappointed with the color reproduction of the qHD screen. It's really in your face when you have the two devices sitting side by side. The SLCD screen of the Inspire is much more natural looking.
MotoBlur is still a disappointment, but after setting up LauncherPro Plus and getting Beautiful Widgets, and exploring LauncherPro's new facebook widget (think FriendStream). It's become nearly a non-issue. I've been using ADW as well, and it's great, but the Atrix seems to love LauncherPro, and I love LauncherPro... Guess that's a match made in Android heaven.

My experience, for most part mirrors yours. I went from the Captivate to the Inspire to the Atrix. I kept the Inspire for about a week and immediately missed the screen on the Captivate.
The Inspire's screen is definitely sharp, but I like the contrast on the captivate. The black text sharpness on the Atrix is really good and very comparable to the Inspire and both beat the pants off the Captivate.
I'd have to disagree with the build quality of the Inspire. Yes, aluminum feels solid compared to the plastic on the Atrix and does give you that solid quality feeling, but I had the same plastic alignment issues with two Inspires I went through. The plastic parts just doesn't line up evenly with the aluminum. The battery door was never a problem with me because of the gaps were plastic met aluminum. I was always able to get my finger nails in two places to pull the cover off easily and without destroying the soft touch cover.
Call quality on the Inspire's headset speaker always sounded tinny and lack the volume of the Atrix. The loudspeaker is really, really weak on the Inspire. The Atrix's loudspeaker has surprisingly good range, I hear a semblance of bass when playing media.
Security wise, the fingerprint scanner is a really good feature on the Atrix, makes me wonder why no one has done it before on a mobile phone. So much faster to unlock securely without a passcode or drawing.
The camera on the Inspire is better than the Atrix. The Inspire's pics come out with more contrast and better color. The Atrix has sharp images, but the color look a little washed out and there way more noise. Seems like Motorola wanted sharper images and turn down the noise reduction. Noise reduction is a big killer when it comes to image sharpness.

+1 just for referencing Barney Stinson.
Haha no, but really, this is a good comparison of the Inspire and the Atrix. I agree with most, if not all, of your pros and cons. I really can't help but emphasize the battery life though. I usually end up having to buy a spare battery and charger set for my smartphones, but it seems really unnecessary for the Atrix. If you're a power user, that's reason enough to pick the Atrix over the Inspire.

I agree almost 100%
I sit here with both phones still. I love the Inspire, and Gingerblur on the Atrix makes me love the Atrix.
The interwebz speed is what is forcing the Inspire as my daily driver at the moment.
I have gone through 3 atrix's already, when i have it, i want to sell it, as you can see in my signature, and when i sell it, i want one. thus #3....
I almost NEED to wait and see 4g... and this backhaul att speaks of....
And then there is the Samsung infuse/enfuse? idk... But they say when its dropped, it will most certainly have the capable speeds, as will the 2 other flagship "4g" phones.
I treat my phones with utmost care, as i usually am selling them for the new and next best thing, and want to ensure they can be purchased as a 10/10 quality. That being said, I will say the case-mate case i have on the inspire gives GREAT protection, but makes a big phone even bigger, the atrix with the bodyglove feels tiny in my hands after 2 weeks of driving the inspire... I recently sold another iphone4, and it reminded me of the atrix in my hands, not build quality, as you mentioned above, but size...
4.3 qHD would be a perfect mix for me, and I am sure is what is in store for future HTC devices... but for now, I am in the same dilemia many are.
to Inspire, or not Inspire and Atrix my way through the rough of it...
to the avg user, hdmi out is no biggie, but to the ub3r geek in me who likes to VPN home, CIFS mount shares, and stream, hdmi is a big deal....
oh woe is me.....
Today Inspire still drives me to and from.... CM7rc4 battery gets me through the day, even as an Exchange Admin with more email on touchdown then most people, including gmail push...
But that said, i come right back with the atrix could get me past a full day!
like the good old Blackberry days..
theres my 2 cents, thrown into the pot, both heads up...
~killster

I'm so sick of these threads.

Man_of_Leisure said:
I'm so sick of these threads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then don't read 'em... Problem solved.

Divinedark said:
Then don't read 'em... Problem solved.
Click to expand...
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Just like you have the right to create threads, I have the right to respond to them. If you don't like that, you want a blog, not a forum.

Man_of_Leisure said:
Just like you have the right to create threads, I have the right to respond to them. If you don't like that, you want a blog, not a forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are absolutely correct. I appreciate your need to contribute completely unrelated, and pointless reflections on your own worthless personal opinion in my thread. So many others that are trying to decide between these two devices will find your additions to the subject of this thread invaluable. I truly hope that you will continue to follow that urge to spout your own polished, self-important drivel in the rest of the threads on this forum. If you don't, you will effectively be robbing us of your wisdom.
I'm sorry that I wasted your time reading my relatively well researched and thought out comparison between two close competing devices on the same carrier. From this point forward I'll be sure to continue adding to the typical device war crap like "TEH ATRIX IS A$$" and what not. That should sate your thirst for informative and entertaining topics on this forum.
Again. I'm very sorry.

Man_of_Leisure said:
Just like you have the right to create threads, I have the right to respond to them. If you don't like that, you want a blog, not a forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 I'm pretty sure there's already at least fifteen threads about Inspire vs Atrix. I thank you for taking the time to compare both and noting their strengths and weaknesses but like I said, there's already a ton of these threads and they just repeat the same opinions/info.

Clienterror said:
+1 I'm pretty sure there's already at least fifteen threads about Inspire vs Atrix. I thank you for taking the time to compare both and noting their strengths and weaknesses but like I said, there's already a ton of these threads and they just repeat the same opinions/info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's true that there are a lot of posts that contribute this kind of information, but this one in particular was well thought out and written, and that helps provide a better reference for those interested. I also value those posts that say good things about devices. A lot of posts tend to complain about whatever device they're talking about. It's nice to have some good things to say in order to balance out the amount of user feedback.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

Yea... the majority of threads you see with this same general topic are basically just "The Atrix BLOWS!!!! I'm going back to my Inspire" blah blah blah. He was polite enough to explain his thoughts on the phone thoroughly, and go through his overall opinion on the phone over time, showing what has changed in his mind about each phone. Can kinda think of it more as a "phone review" than a "disgruntled customer".....

There are many Inspire / Atrix threads I've read but this one is a good, unbiased, well written everyday user experience. +1 for op.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

Divinedark said:
I do have some issues here, though. Mainly with the back cover. As noted in my initial post, its very brittle, thin plastic. If you think I broke a sweat taking the inspires battery cover off, you should have seen me trying to get the battery on the atrix. I pulled the top clip free, and almost bent the cover in half fighting the mid phone clips. Also, the back cover on my atrix doesn't line up flush on one side. The last couple issues are the "creakynesss" of the handset. When I grip the phone tightly I can feel the plastic components giving, and settling into place. Not terribly bad, but noticable. The last issue is the fingerprint scanner. It's been pointed out in some reviews, but the scanner is off center on some devices and just looks shoddily thrown together and misalligned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The battery cover design is one of the things I really like about the Atrix. It is flexible on my phone, not brittle at all. It fits well and is a breeze to get on and off -- after the first time. The first time I was also a little scared and it caught at the middle a little. Since then, it is trivial to do. Of course, it spends most of its time covered by two layers of Otterbox Commuter in my case.
I have not noticed any creakiness -- seems very solid to me. It's reinforced by the Otterbox, so I might not ever notice anyway.
My fingerprint scanner doesn't seem to work at all. I get nothing but too short a swipe messages (works for me about 1 time out of 20). I have been assuming this is due it being placed down in a little hole by the Otterbox. I'm perfectly willing to give that up to get the extra protection and reduced slipperiness. My last unprotected phone (BB 9000) only made it a year before I dropped it many times including into 2 feet of water (don't ask, I need to be drinking to talk about it).

Yea.... i had the Defender for a day or so before i returned it for that one reason. Made it a bit more tricky to use the fingerprint reader. Found that too many times when i went to swipe (almost typed Swype in there... and no, not even on my phone. haha) my finger, it would wind up getting stuck with the outer soft casing of the Defender and either stop mid-swipe or skip part of my fingertip.

fingerprint scanner works great for me; when i first got it i thought it would be a useless novelty.

Slade8525 said:
fingerprint scanner works great for me; when i first got it i thought it would be a useless novelty.
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Not saying it doesn't work great. It works phenomenally. The issue is that some cases.... or mostly the OtterBox Defender, has quite a large hole where the fingerprint scanner resides.... and part of that hole is surrounded by the soft silicon/rubber of the outer shell of the case, which can make trying to get a solid swipe across the fingerprint reader a bit of a pain.

This is a pretty good review. I too left for an inspire and couldn't be happier, but I can see why people like their Atrix. Having cm7 was the deal breaker for me but if roms aren't a big deal the Atrix might be a better fit. I also had two phones with extremely bad call quality issues but I hear that's more of an isolated thing.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App

I came from the captivate...to the atrix to the inspire and back to the atrix ...the only thing I miss from the inspire is htc sense
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

slimslim said:
There are many Inspire / Atrix threads I've read but this one is a good, unbiased, well written everyday user experience. +1 for op.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
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+1 great unbiased and amusing post. I was about to moan when I saw how long your post was, Divinedark but your well thought out/written comparison made me finish it without realizing it.

Well written OP. It's actually like two reviews of both phones and not just which beats which.
Thank you.