Buy DROID now ? Or wait for N-1 / Incredible on V ?

[Zorachus]

I am 99% on the verge of switching to Verizon from T-Mobile, and am only interested in an Android based phone now.

My main reason to switch is, I need a good quality phone carrier, and no more dropped calls, it is hurting my sales, and business. For me, T-Mo in Chicago, is the worst phone service known to man

Unless you like constant dropped calls, voice mails showing up 2 hours later, roaming 3G signals, and internet that works half the time, you will like T-Mo. I have a 9700 Bold BlackBerry and it is a piece of garbage, I am lucky if I can stay on a phone call for 5min, and that would be the longest allowed before a disconnect. 90% of my calls get dropped within 2-3min. I am serious, it is just about every single phone call I am on, I get disconnected within a couple of minutes, almost every call lately. Extremely unreliable service, and very bad for sales . Also none of my T-Mobile phones work in my Basement office either.

I thought it was just me, maybe had a defective phone. But I asked some of my good clients who use T-Mobile too, and their issues are not as bad as mine, but they do have dropped calls every day, and late voice mails are very common, for them as well.

So long story short, I need to change a.s.a.p. to a better carrier, and I have read that Verizon is #1 for quality service and the least dropped calls. So I like the Android OS, and I am thinking of maybe getting the DROID this weekend, or should I wait just 2 weeks and get the new Nexus-One on Verizon ?

Thank you.

 

[MavrixWK]

I've been with Verizon for many years now, and although I've grown to loathe certain things about them, I stay for the reason I joined, and that's the signal strength. I've maybe dropped two calls over four years, and aside from the issues with my Storm the call quality is great. So for your needs, I'd suggest them.

As for a Droid or Nexus, I'd have to recommend the Droid. The Nexus has its share of issues from reports I see, and its not subsidized by a contract. You would have to buy it directly through Google for a hefty price. Droids are going for $50 over at wirefly.com with a new contract (http://bit.ly/93YNaV). Plus its just a great all around phone from what I've experienced.

 

[kirbyrj]

The Droid was a great phone while I had it. I really liked the physical keyboard compared to the other phones, but that's just a personal preference. I'm seriously thinking about picking another one up after the N1 drops.

 

[Vermillion]

Grab a Droid. Root it and enjoy.

 

[entropism]

T-Mo in Chicago is hell. Frankly, the only two companies worth anything in Chicago are Sprint and Verizon. If you need to change ASAP, get the Droid and enjoy. I personally would go with Sprint and the Hero first, or the Eris if I was stuck with Verizon, but that's just my opinion.

 

[MavrixWK]

T-Mo in Chicago is hell. Frankly, the only two companies worth anything in Chicago are Sprint and Verizon. If you need to change ASAP, get the Droid and enjoy. I personally would go with Sprint and the Hero first, or the Eris if I was stuck with Verizon, but that's just my opinion.

Why the Eris over the Droid?

 

[entropism]

Love the droid's screen, hate the keyboard. I question Motorola's build quality as well, I'm used to having to fix at least a dozen motorolas a day.

 

[kirbyrj]

How is the Hero/Eris? I was wondering if it was laggy with the slower processor.

 

[entropism]

With a custom ROM (which any self respecting geek should do anyways), the Hero is amazing. No lag whatsoever, either on the custom 1.5 rom I used, or the new 2.1 ROM I set up last week. Facebook syncing is SLIGHTLY buggy on the 2.1 rom, but that'll be fixed in 2 weeks when it's officially released.

 

[kirbyrj]

With a custom ROM (which any self respecting geek should do anyways), the Hero is amazing. No lag whatsoever, either on the custom 1.5 rom I used, or the new 2.1 ROM I set up last week. Facebook syncing is SLIGHTLY buggy on the 2.1 rom, but that'll be fixed in 2 weeks when it's officially released.

Last I checked they haven't rooted the Eris yet (not sure if you need that for custom ROMS. I know the phones are pretty much identical. I was thinking of picking up an Eris when the prices drop and they get an official 2.1 on them.

 

[MavrixWK]

Love the droid's screen, hate the keyboard. I question Motorola's build quality as well, I'm used to having to fix at least a dozen motorolas a day.

I thought that's what you'd say, and I'm tempted to agree. Something about that keyboard just didn't feel...right.

 

[kirbyrj]

I thought that's what you'd say, and I'm tempted to agree. Something about that keyboard just didn't feel...right.

When I first got it, I thought it was junk, but I got used to it. It wasn't as big a distraction after a month of use. Still better than the touchscreen keyboard IMO.

 

[Jodiuh]

that wirefly deal says its $50 with the inluded plan which has unlimited txt tacked on. is that a requirement?

 

[Sadus]

Amazon also has the $50 deal. I was able to customize my plan w/ no text I use Google Voice for all inbound and outbound calls + just have all texts sent as emails. So no text charges and minimum use of minutes. If you use a lot of Google aps anyways gmail, talk, voice, etc... there is nothing better than an android phone. Everything just fits together so nicely. You will never miss that Blackberry.... I bought a nice polished Outlook app that displays emails in HTML and works perfectly with my works exchange server. My Droid was my best purchase in a long time

One thing though Verizon will nail u with a $35 activation fee + VZW "fee" which added about $44 to my first bill. I must admit the miscellaneous VZW "FEE" pisses me off some since I hate unitemized fees...(if u charge me $$$.... u better tell me what it's for since they also charge u a Government & Taxes charge)

I guess that's just part of the BS u get as a Verizon customer....BTW if u call customer service... they will whip out the canned "it's in your contract" line faster than u can blink.

$50 base price though really makes it a no contest.

 

[sabregen]

that wirefly deal says its $50 with the inluded plan which has unlimited txt tacked on. is that a requirement?

yes, and make sure that you nail your plan down when you initially order it. part of what gets you the $200 off of the normal subsidized price is that they require for 181 days from date of contracted service (if you order an activated phone) that you do not change the service on the line, at all. No adding things, no removing them. failure to follow these requirements results in Wirefly charging you the remaining fee that was waived (in the case of the Droid, $200).

 

[kirbyrj]

Hmm...I bought a Droid straight from Verizon in December ($100 deal), and I changed the plan in a month and never got charged a change of plan fee. Is that only for wirefly?

 

[sabregen]

Yes, those are wirefly's terms, not verizons.

 

[Sinsear]

Personally, I'm waiting for the Nexus One. I never use physical keyboards, and getting a phone without one shaves several ounces off, as well as thickness.

 

[Jodiuh]

Haha, yeah, DROID's a brick.

 

[kirbyrj]

Haha, yeah, DROID's a brick.

I didn't mind. It felt solid.

 

[ExplodingTaco]

I have used both and like the N1 much better just for the form factor. Plus Google will keep the N1 more up to date.

 

[Jodiuh]

I'm starting to get used to the DROID fatfactor. The n1 holds better imo, but its got no keyboard. They're both great phones tho, can't really go wrong with either one.

 

[quadnad]

I'm starting to get used to the DROID fatfactor. The n1 holds better imo, but its got no keyboard. They're both great phones tho, can't really go wrong with either one.

I'm using an N1, and with Swype I don't actually miss the sub-par G1 keyboard at all. My blackberry for work is great, but Swype actually makes virtual keyboard typing not just usable and accurate, but fast.

 

[bloo]

+1 for n1 and swype combo. almost better than a physical keyboard

 

[tree_]

I'm on the Eris right now and love it if price is a factor. Got my fiance and I one and it was 80 bucks ya can't beat that! I have it running leaked 2.1 and its quick and the size gas and the sense UI make it amazing.
Posted via [H] Mobile Device

 

[Jodiuh]

So swype makes it possible to see the entire screen AND type?

 

[quadnad]

So swype makes it possible to see the entire screen AND type?

haha...yeah, of course not.

I used to be someone that really needed a physical keyboard on my phone -- for my work phone, this is still the case. But the keyboards on the G1 and Droid are both pretty poor, especially compared to a blackberry. Given that you can enjoy a much nicer formfactor, design, AMOLED display, faster processor, more RAM, better camera, etc. etc. on the N1, Swype essentially fixes my last gripe.

 

[KnishofDeath]

I have always loved to T-Mobile, its not the fastest 3G ever, however its pretty darn reliable and easily on par with Verizon where I live (Honolulu). Also T-Mobile customer service is AMAZING

 

[Jodiuh]

Given that you can enjoy a much nicer formfactor, design, AMOLED display, faster processor, more RAM, better camera, etc. etc. on the N1, Swype essentially fixes my last gripe.

Subjective, subjective, subjective, DROID's can easily hit 1Ghz, agree on ram, but camera being better? I was of the opinion they were pretty close.

A friend of mine has the N1 and for me it really came down to call quality and the overall loudness and clarity of the speaker. For example, w/ both phones in out pockets, the N1 can barely be heard. Out of the pocket, it's barely louder than the DROID in the pocket. For my needs, it has to be able to function as a phone first. And everytime this friend talks to me on the N1, I have to ask him to please turn off the speakerphone. I don't know if it's the phone or the provider, but it's terrible.

The AMOLED screen is nice however, especially on battery life. As far as sun washing it out and Engadgets comment about it, I'm not so sure I agree. I live in AZ and you just aren't going to be shooting photos on a camera in the sun. I don't care what phone you have, haha. Also, I think the narrower width makes reading portrait more difficult on the DROID. 3.7" and 3.7" are definitely not the same.

The N1's also lighter, much lighter. Although w/ my big guns it doesn't really matter. Still, I would have to agree and say when holding the device in the hand for extended periods of time, especially when upside down on a couch, the extra 1.5oz of the DROID will probably eventually cause me to drop it and suffer DROID does...slam into faces.

 

[quadnad]

Subjective, subjective, subjective, DROID's can easily hit 1Ghz, agree on ram, but camera being better? I was of the opinion they were pretty close.

The DROID needs to be jailbroken and then overclocked, which will increase the TDP and decrease the stock battery life -- why deal with that when snapdragon has already been binned to those speeds? The results I've seen in reviews about the camera point to the N1 (with regard to overall quality, speed of the autofocus, and the strength of the flash), but perhaps that's to do with 2.1.

TBH, I would say to the OP needs to go to a Verizon store and ask to mess around with the Droid. They should have a functional model somewhere. Then try out the N1 (where, I'm not sure...ha). It's the only way you'll be able to make the decision for yourself. They're both great phones.

 

[Vermillion]

The DROID needs to be jailbroken and then overclocked, which will increase the TDP and decrease the stock battery life -- why deal with that when snapdragon has already been binned to those speeds? The results I've seen in reviews about the camera point to the N1 (with regard to overall quality, speed of the autofocus, and the strength of the flash), but perhaps that's to do with 2.1.

TBH, I would say to the OP needs to go to a Verizon store and ask to mess around with the Droid. They should have a functional model somewhere. Then try out the N1 (where, I'm not sure...ha). It's the only way you'll be able to make the decision for yourself. They're both great phones.

Actually with SetCPU my battery life is a helluva lot better then it was before. SetCPU only overclocks to your max if it needs it unless you tell it otherwise. For me when my Droid is idle I have it downclock to 250 thus lowering temps and saving battery life. I can get 3-4 days out of my Droid now with low usage. Normal usage gets me a day and a half to two days.

There is also very little temperature difference. Plus with SetCPU if I hit a certain temp (which is still below what the battery is rated at) I drop back down to stock speeds of 550MHz.

You really can't go wrong with either phone. They've both impressive and even more so after they've been rooted and flashed with custom ROM's. My Droid has far more functionality then the current stock Droid and I already have all of the features from Android 2.1 which VZN and Motorola are having problems deploying.

 

[quadnad]

Actually with SetCPU my battery life is a helluva lot better then it was before. SetCPU only overclocks to your max if it needs it unless you tell it otherwise. For me when my Droid is idle I have it downclock to 250 thus lowering temps and saving battery life. I can get 3-4 days out of my Droid now with low usage. Normal usage gets me a day and a half to two days.

There is also very little temperature difference. Plus with SetCPU if I hit a certain temp (which is still below what the battery is rated at) I drop back down to stock speeds of 550MHz.

See this is something I still have trouble with -- I'm happy to root my N1 to get access to underclocking while on standby (I haven't run into a situation where the 1ghz CPU has really been bogged down, so overclocking isn't really necessary) going for more battery life, but as I've posted in a few other threads, where the hell are the actual test results showing the difference?! I have to imagine that the processors already have underclocked/volted states that they drop to while in standby, so how is setcpu going to improve upon this? All I hear are anecdotal statements, and not that I don't believe people, but I'd like quantifiable numbers to look at.

I would be thrilled to be proved wrong, as I would immediately get setcpu going after rooting, but until then I'm a little skeptical.

 

[Vermillion]

See this is something I still have trouble with -- I'm happy to root my N1 to get access to underclocking while on standby (I haven't run into a situation where the 1ghz CPU has really been bogged down, so overclocking isn't really necessary) going for more battery life, but as I've posted in a few other threads, where the hell are the actual test results showing the difference?! I have to imagine that the processors already have underclocked/volted states that they drop to while in standby, so how is setcpu going to improve upon this? All I hear are anecdotal statements, and not that I don't believe people, but I'd like quantifiable numbers to look at.

I would be thrilled to be proved wrong, as I would immediately get setcpu going after rooting, but until then I'm a little skeptical.

Droidforums.net has plenty of numbers for you just go search.

I can promise you this though: My old iphone 3G needed to be charged daily regardless of my usage. Stock droid wasn't much better. After rooting and setting the profiles with SetCPU its quite evident that the battery lasts a hell of a lot longer. Just root and give it a shot. Setcpu is a whole $0.99 so why bother looking for numbers?

 

[quadnad]

Droidforums.net has plenty of numbers for you just go search.

I can promise you this though: My old iphone 3G needed to be charged daily regardless of my usage. Stock droid wasn't much better. After rooting and setting the profiles with SetCPU its quite evident that the battery lasts a hell of a lot longer. Just root and give it a shot. Setcpu is a whole $0.99 so why bother looking for numbers?

It's not the cost, just the voiding of the warranty. Like I say, I'd be the first person to get things going if I could see some actual scientific numbers. I'm just surprised that underclocking/volting isn't already enabled to its fullest extent on these processors. I'll give it another google to see if there is new info out, but I didn't have any luck finding it a month or so back.

 

[Vermillion]

It's not the cost, just the voiding of the warranty. Like I say, I'd be the first person to get things going if I could see some actual scientific numbers. I'm just surprised that underclocking/volting isn't already enabled to its fullest extent on these processors. I'll give it another google to see if there is new info out, but I didn't have any luck finding it a month or so back.

You're on [H]ardforums and worrying about voiding the warranty? Wrong forum to worrying about a warranty as we void them daily here. Not to mention the ability to flash the SBF file or flash the original stock ROM, both of which remove root access.

Anyways...here's some of the information you asked for:

Temps: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-general-discussions/20580-official-cpu-temp-results.html

With SetCPU and it's profiles on droidforums you'll see the same thing I've stated. Under full load battery life will be diminished due to the overclock requiring more power as any overclock does. However, battery life is saved when the system is underclocked just like any other underclock because it requires less power. Even if you don't want to overclock you can always underclock and save the battery life.

As for my own experiences with my overclocked droid and battery life beyond what I've already stated: Today it was at 90% when I woke up at 630AM EST. Now at 9:45PM EST I still have 50% battery life and that's after a moderate day of use including making a few of the posts in this thread . My iPhone 3G never lasted that long and stock Droid was only slightly better battery life then the iPhone.

 

[quadnad]

You're on [H]ardforums and worrying about voiding the warranty? Wrong forum to worrying about a warranty as we void them daily here. Not to mention the ability to flash the SBF file or flash the original stock ROM, both of which remove root access.

Anyways...here's some of the information you asked for:

Temps: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-general-discussions/20580-official-cpu-temp-results.html

With SetCPU and it's profiles on droidforums you'll see the same thing I've stated. Under full load battery life will be diminished due to the overclock requiring more power as any overclock does. However, battery life is saved when the system is underclocked just like any other underclock because it requires less power. Even if you don't want to overclock you can always underclock and save the battery life.

As for my own experiences with my overclocked droid and battery life beyond what I've already stated: Today it was at 90% when I woke up at 630AM EST. Now at 9:45PM EST I still have 50% battery life and that's after a moderate day of use including making a few of the posts in this thread . My iPhone 3G never lasted that long and stock Droid was only slightly better battery life then the iPhone.

Obviously I'm totally familiar with overclocking (note the watercooled 9450 in my sig...), and not worried about voiding a warranty when it's talking about overclocking a desktop CPU (it's my custom built, controlled-by-me platform) -- but when we're talking about underclocking a phone, it's a different deal. Your link to temperatures doesn't really have me concerned, because as I said I'm not looking to overclock, I'm looking to underclock. Regardless though, I'll keep looking to see what results I can find. Perhaps I'll root anyway and check it out, I'm just extremely skeptical to see whether it will save a significant amount of battery life, given that it's in the interest of the manufacturer to set the best underclock/volted profiles themselves.

lets take it to the PMs before we further derail the thread.

 

[Jodiuh]

...a moderate day of use...

Does a moderate day of use include liberal use of GPS + Google Nav for you? Because I can watch the meter go down if used for more than 30 minutes.

 

[Vermillion]

Obviously I'm totally familiar with overclocking (note the watercooled 9450 in my sig...), and not worried about voiding a warranty when it's talking about overclocking a desktop CPU (it's my custom built, controlled-by-me platform) -- but when we're talking about underclocking a phone, it's a different deal. Your link to temperatures doesn't really have me concerned, because as I said I'm not looking to overclock, I'm looking to underclock. Regardless though, I'll keep looking to see what results I can find. Perhaps I'll root anyway and check it out, I'm just extremely skeptical to see whether it will save a significant amount of battery life, given that it's in the interest of the manufacturer to set the best underclock/volted profiles themselves.

lets take it to the PMs before we further derail the thread.

Motorola underclocked the Droid's CPU to 550 instead of its rated 600 for the sake of battery life. They have openly admitted that so keep that in mind. And agreed if I need to say anything else on this matter I will take it to PM.

Does a moderate day of use include liberal use of GPS + Google Nav for you? Because I can watch the meter go down if used for more than 30 minutes.

No. I don't use my GPS much but when I do the GPS sucks down battery life pretty good whether I'm overclocked or not (my iPhone 3G was the same way). It doesn't help that Google Nav is a CPU hog.

 

[Black Box]

the bb bold has a terrible radio and its why you are getting dropped calls. I have used a g1 for a year and get near perfect signal with t-mobile all over Chicago and even at home in the burbs.

 

[Zorachus]

Where is the Incredible ? I am surprised it is not at the huge cell phone show in Vegas going on now ?