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First Impressions and Questions Thread

I wish I could fully take advantage of how awesome this phone is, but mine seems to want to die every few minutes. On the bright side, I've gotten really good at taking the back cover off and putting it back on!
 
Ok this might sound silly but how on earth do you turn gmail notifications off? The setting is missing in the gmail settings. I usually have email notifications set to vibrate only.

Any ideas?
 
I love the HD station, posting from it right now. This is going to be great at the office, no more scrolling through blocked sites on a 4 inch screen.
 
Okay, more observations:

- I actually do notice the screen door effect that many have talked about. Not really a deal breaker for me, but it is much more noticable than I thought it would be. I guess it doesn't show up as much on darker wallpapers, but the wallpaper I'm currently using is mainly a purple background and some yellow. The higher resolution even picks up some of the bad coloring done on the wallpaper (it's a custom wallpaper that I did, but not with photoshop like I should've done).

- I took the phone off the charger at around 2pm and ran it straight until right now (down to 10% after 6 hours of almost non-stop use with limited standby). I still have the display on "auto" settings.
Question: Anybody know if motorola's battery settings are set to show 5% increments, rather than single percentage increments? I use batteryminder to show the percentage of battery remaining and for whatever reason, it's only showing the percentages in increments of 5.

- I really don't like the stock browser at all. The EVO 4G browser allowed for it to be set to only show Full websites, not the mobile versions. I hate having to click a link to show the full site, every time. If the Motorola browser can adjust that in the settings, I really don't know how to do that, so if someone knows that it can be changed, please enlighten me : ) I checked all the settings in the browser, but couldn't find the setting that will only load full websites.

- I prefer Launcher Pro Plus over Moto blur (or whatever the new UI is called). I tried it for the first hour, but ultimately having the scrollable dock and the widgets on LPP outruled trying to stick with Moto blur.

- Ever since I switched over to this phone, a couple of my apps were no longer usable, but it's so customizable that I found a way around the apps that weren't working.

- How the heck do you link your contacts with their social network accounts (e.g. Facebook/Twitter)? On the EVO, it was as simple as linking them through their contact page, but I can't figure out how to do that (then again, I still haven't read how to do that in the manual yet, so I'll probably find the answer in there...LOL).

Overall, I absolutely LOVE this phone! The versatility is great and surprisingly Launcher Pro Plus feels smoother on the Photon than it ever did on the EVO. I still have to finish fixing some of the apps that needed to be re-configured, but overall I've almost got my phone back to where I had it on the EVO. I'll be gone for another couple hours setting up the car dock (while the phone charges) and the HD station.
I wasnt a fan of the stock browser on the EVo personally and if you cant find a setting to adjust the mobile to regular website setting, Dolphin Browser allows you to se it up that way.
 
I wasnt a fan of the stock browser on the EVo personally and if you cant find a setting to adjust the mobile to regular website setting, Dolphin Browser allows you to se it up that way.

Yeah, I was reading through the browser thread in the EVO forum again, just to see which one I'm going to go with. I used to have dolphin on my evo, but after Froyo update came with full flash, the stock browser somehow gave me less issues. In this case, I'm thinking it'll be vice-versa.

I'm going to do a little more digging on which browser will suit me the best, but I think I may end up settling for using dolphin.
 
Yeah, I was reading through the browser thread in the EVO forum again, just to see which one I'm going to go with. I used to have dolphin on my evo, but after Froyo update came with full flash, the stock browser somehow gave me less issues. In this case, I'm thinking it'll be vice-versa.

I'm going to do a little more digging on which browser will suit me the best, but I think I may end up settling for using dolphin.

I use Opera on my laptop and love it but for some reason just cant bring myself to like it on phones yet. Even with their integration features and all that it just doesnt feel natural on a phone.
 
So I am reading in some of the posts in this thread that the signal/reception is very good with the Photon. Is there a design or antenna improvement that makes this possible? My Evo seems to be lacking in reception lately, I have been wondering if that is due to some issues that sprint is having in my area or if that happens to a phone as it ages. I have had my Evo since release day and it has been the longest I have ever had a phone by far. Its been a great phone, and I don't need a new one, but if I can get better reception it will be worth buying it.
What sets this phone apart from the EVO, besides a dual core processor?

I'm also coming from an EVO 4G. The bars shown on my P4G are typically 2 or 3 more, while sitting the phones side by side. HOWEVER, if you go into the phone status and watch the dBm's, they are almost identical, running around 92-97 dBm. According to things I read, 60 dBm is an almost perfect signal, whereas 113 dBm would mean almost sure dropped calls. It seems that maybe the signal isn't any better after all, and it resides on the "high" side for me. No drops yet though.

2. 4g...would work and then kept switching off and taking a minute to get back on. Was as slow as 3G many times with bursts of speed. I am hoping that is just from interference from the many 4g devices in the store.

I'm seeing the same thing with 4G. On my Evo4G, my radio would at least stay on, and the signal would come and go. The radio won't even stay on on the P4G, if it can't maintain a signal. Maybe this is by design so the battery doesn't run down, I don't know. In this case I blame Sprint's weak 4G tower in my area.

Update: I have since done a factory reset on my MoPho, mostly due to poor battery life. It not only cleared up the battery issues, but I can connect and stay connected to 4G. I could kick myself because I almost always factory reset when I buy a new phone, but did not this time. Anyway, loving my MoPho.
 
Hey all, first time poster here. Just switched from the Iphone 3gs to the Photon. So far I am very happy with the phone. I did notice one issue and wanted to see what your thoughts are.

When listening to audio I can hear a hum coming through the headphones. I also heard the buzz when using my bluetooth adapter in my car. I'm using iphone headphones, and I don't have any other headphones here to test with. I can say I never heard any hum coming from either the headphones or the bluetooth when using my iphone in the past.

I was just wondering if anyone else has noticed this hum. Any thoughts?
 
Hey all, first time poster here. Just switched from the Iphone 3gs to the Photon. So far I am very happy with the phone. I did notice one issue and wanted to see what your thoughts are.

When listening to audio I can hear a hum coming through the headphones. I also heard the buzz when using my bluetooth adapter in my car. I'm using iphone headphones, and I don't have any other headphones here to test with. I can say I never heard any hum coming from either the headphones or the bluetooth when using my iphone in the past.

I was just wondering if anyone else has noticed this hum. Any thoughts?

I notice this when I have it hooked up to the Aux in my car but once my music starts playing it either goes away or I don't hear it over the music.
 
Had mine an hour now. Used Remote Dektop Connection to connect to a work server. The performance is light years ahead of the EVO. Mush smoother scrolling and screen operation.
 
When listening to audio I can hear a hum coming through the headphones. I also heard the buzz when using my bluetooth adapter in my car. I'm using iphone headphones, and I don't have any other headphones here to test with. I can say I never heard any hum coming from either the headphones or the bluetooth when using my iphone in the past.

I was just wondering if anyone else has noticed this hum. Any thoughts?

I notice this when I have it hooked up to the Aux in my car but once my music starts playing it either goes away or I don't hear it over the music.

I notice this as well in between tracks on Pandora, once the music starts it goes away. And it only happens when i have a media application open like a game or a music player. Sounds like another software issue?
 
4G connectivity near my work is very faint, but I used to get a signal with my EVO. Photon, when I try to enable, it'll show it searching for the signal and then completely drop out. I did notice that there's a built in task manager for the Photon, which can't be removed, so I'm wondering if part of that task manager is designed to turn certain things off when signal strength is not great (to conserve battery life). Hence the reason 4G connector won't stay on (since the signal by my work is very faint for 4g).
 
Ok I want everyone to take a look at their kickstand. Is it scuffed up? I got mine yesterday and its already scuffed up. This stinks. I really need a full body skin!
 
1st Night I got it:
Great. It's very responsive. Has a good feel to it. A little bit lighter than the Evo. Camera quality wasn't too bad. Some pixelation in the screen however.

Next Morning;
Went to watch a youtube video. Ugh. Horrible! If you watch a lot of video don't use this phone. It didn't occur to me how oversaturated the colors are on this phone. No where near being true to life. Watching a lot of Netflix and Youtube videos, everyone was red. Not to mention the amount of pixels even when watching HD over wifi. It was much crisper on the Evo

Evo Kickstand > Photon Kickstand. And the kickstand placement in relation to the charging port wasn't well thought out. Can't do both

Besides the screen with watching video it's a fine phone. But that's a deal breaker for me.
 
1st Night I got it:
Great. It's very responsive. Has a good feel to it. A little bit lighter than the Evo. Camera quality wasn't too bad. Some pixelation in the screen however.

Next Morning;
Went to watch a youtube video. Ugh. Horrible! If you watch a lot of video don't use this phone. It didn't occur to me how oversaturated the colors are on this phone. No where near being true to life. Watching a lot of Netflix and Youtube videos, everyone was red. Not to mention the amount of pixels even when watching HD over wifi. It was much crisper on the Evo

Evo Kickstand > Photon Kickstand. And the kickstand placement in relation to the charging port wasn't well thought out. Can't do both

Besides the screen with watching video it's a fine phone. But that's a deal breaker for me.

I've been watching youtube videos(wifi) and mp4 movies and all look super good on my Photon...I even compared them side by side to my girl's Evo and the Photon looks a lot better and crisper, can't really see the pixels also it does not look reddish to me...netflix never looked great on Evo 4G, E3D anyways, same goes for the Photon but it still looks like in good quality, HBO Go app has better streaming quality than netflix on android however netflix looks like HD quality on my iPod Touch 4G...
 
1st Night I got it:
Great. It's very responsive. Has a good feel to it. A little bit lighter than the Evo. Camera quality wasn't too bad. Some pixelation in the screen however.

Next Morning;
Went to watch a youtube video. Ugh. Horrible! If you watch a lot of video don't use this phone. It didn't occur to me how oversaturated the colors are on this phone. No where near being true to life. Watching a lot of Netflix and Youtube videos, everyone was red. Not to mention the amount of pixels even when watching HD over wifi. It was much crisper on the Evo

Evo Kickstand > Photon Kickstand. And the kickstand placement in relation to the charging port wasn't well thought out. Can't do both

Besides the screen with watching video it's a fine phone. But that's a deal breaker for me.

Were you watching the videos over wifi? 3g videos tend to look poor and pixelated. I enjoyed the videos on my phone wonder what's up
 
I've been watching youtube videos(wifi) and mp4 movies and all look super good on my Photon...I even compared them side by side to my girl's Evo and the Photon looks a lot better and crisper, can't really see the pixels also it does not look reddish to me...netflix never looked great on Evo 4G, E3D anyways, same goes for the Photon but it still looks like in good quality, HBO Go app has better streaming quality than netflix on android however netflix looks like HD quality on my iPod Touch 4G...
Maybe I and othes are just too sensitive to it. I'm somewhat of a videophile and stare at TV's 30hours a week at work. Skin tones are definitely red and oversaturated to me. Like a tv set to dynamic mode. The EVO wasn't the best; it's screen was kinda washed out.

I can definitely see pixels though. The Evo was more crisper around the edges of objects and made movement less blurry. Watching this Starcraft replay on youtube is pretty difficult.

I could say the blacks are better on here though


Were you watching the videos over wifi? 3g videos tend to look poor and pixelated. I enjoyed the videos on my phone wonder what's up
Yes this was over wifi. The videos were in HD. I compared the Youtube videos side by side with the Evo. I went back and forth on the Netflix but definitely noticeable when watching The Office

I noticed the problem before comparing it side by side with the Evo. That's when I pulled out my Evo to confirm
 
Maybe I and othes are just too sensitive to it. I'm somewhat of a videophile and stare at TV's 30hours a week at work. Skin tones are definitely red and oversaturated to me. Like a tv set to dynamic mode. The EVO wasn't the best; it's screen was kinda washed out.

I can definitely see pixels though. The Evo was more crisper around the edges of objects and made movement less blurry. Watching this Starcraft replay on youtube is pretty difficult.

I could say the blacks are better on here though!

Wow :( I guess try watching an MP4 movie and check if you still see red...if you going to convert them try using 2500kbps video quality.
 
1st Night I got it:
Great. It's very responsive. Has a good feel to it. A little bit lighter than the Evo. Camera quality wasn't too bad. Some pixelation in the screen however.

Next Morning;
Went to watch a youtube video. Ugh. Horrible! If you watch a lot of video don't use this phone. It didn't occur to me how oversaturated the colors are on this phone. No where near being true to life. Watching a lot of Netflix and Youtube videos, everyone was red. Not to mention the amount of pixels even when watching HD over wifi. It was much crisper on the Evo

Evo Kickstand > Photon Kickstand. And the kickstand placement in relation to the charging port wasn't well thought out. Can't do both

Besides the screen with watching video it's a fine phone. But that's a deal breaker for me.

Well after trying another movie I do see the reddish skin tone looks like it happens on darker parts of the screen although I don't see it on all the videos...Wonder if an update can fix this :confused:
 
Maybe I and othes are just too sensitive to it. I'm somewhat of a videophile and stare at TV's 30hours a week at work. Skin tones are definitely red and oversaturated to me. Like a tv set to dynamic mode. The EVO wasn't the best; it's screen was kinda washed out.

I can definitely see pixels though. The Evo was more crisper around the edges of objects and made movement less blurry. Watching this Starcraft replay on youtube is pretty difficult.

I could say the blacks are better on here though!

Wow :( I guess try watching an MP4 movie and check if you still see red...if you going to convert them try using 2500kbps video quality.

Well after trying another movie I do see the reddish skin tone looks like it happens on darker parts of the screen although I don't see it on all the videos...Wonder if an update can fix this :confused:
Going to try another netflix video and my own later.
 
After a full 1 day and 1/2, I've come up with a list of pros and cons that are great for me

Pros
- Contrary to some, I love the kickstand's form factor, including being able to use it vertically and upside down
- It's much more responsive than my EVO was (and I didn't really have any complaints about my EVO, as far as lag was concerned)
- Easier to hold than the EVO 4G
- Love the blue color scheme.
- Build quality actually feels much better than the EVO 4G
- Speaker is better than EVO 4G
- Removal of bloatware (bye NASCAR!)
- Swype seems much more responsive and like the color of the keyboard is easier on my eyes than the standard swype.
- Camera seems to be much better than the EVO
- Battery life out the box seems better.

Cons
- Battery percentage indicator goes down in 10% increments (must be standard Motorola thing, but I'm hoping to find a fix for that, although it seems to be a Motorola thing because the batteryminder app that I use clearly talks about the Motorola Droid having that issue).
- Camera shutter sound doesn't have a setting to turn the sound off (unless it's somewhere I haven't found yet).
- I can actually see the screen door effect (It's more apparent than I thought, especially when scrolling on a web page or when using a bright colored wallpaper). It's not a "deal breaker" for me, but definitely more noticable than I anticipated (didn't notice anything like that on the EVO).
- Contacts don't link properly to their social network accounts (I haven't really looked how to do this yet, but on the EVO it was as easy as going into each contact and linking that contact with their social network account. Didn't see that type of option on the Photon).
 
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