CharlzO
Android Expert
Figured I'd just toss up my own little opinionated self-review of the Thunderbolt. Feel free to not read if you're not interested 
First, the background: I'm in a non-LTE area (closest markets are hours away). That spares me from the LTE-related battery issues.
Battery life for me, has been comparable to the Fascinate I came from, though I'm using the Tbolt heavier, so it's to be expected. Standard battery-saving rules apply (turn off the screen, don't run all the BT, Wifi, GPS, etc, when not needed). I pull it from the charger at 8 AM, and with pandora running partially throughout the day, intermittent texting, and some light market surfing, I'm still good for 6 hours before even having to think about plugging in. That's usually 30% left at that point, if not more.
I don't usually talk to people on the phone (ironic, I know). However, call quallity seems to be pretty well. No echoing, or background noise seeping in. it does take some getting used to holding, as it is a slightly larger phone, and holding it on the shoulder to go "handsfree" is...an experience. People heard me fine, I could hear them fine, so no complaints there. Bluetooth works as expected, with easy connections through both headsets, and speakerphones. However, if I could get it to fully connect to my PC for file transfer, that would be awesome. Right now, it's cable-only.
Customizing the phone is, as with most Android devices, a delight. Even if you aren't rooting the phone, the selection of launchers and such make it such a personable phone!
Camera is a great thing on this phone. The auto-focus, and image enhancements that happen automatically are just...nice The only gripe I can say, is the front camera seems a bit dark in some situations. And, when you've gone through the gallery of full res pictures, and then see yourself on the front camera window at 1.3 MP... well...I'm glad I don't do that often.
Secondary to that, is the lack of full video chat support. Thankfully, the Skype running around seems to be working for the most part, so..fingers crossed for more on that.
I haven't experienced build quality issues, or data issues, as some have reported. Signal-wise, it's right up there with most phones I've played with recently. I live RIGHT on a fringe, so for me, the sign of a decent receiver, is if it picks up any service in the house at my desk. I've had some phones where they see nothing at all. This, like the Fascinate (and a Smooth pre-paid), will pick up service allowing for texts in and out at my desk.
Overall, I'm loving the phone. Really no complaints, other than lack of an Otterbox yet (my rep is sending one as soon as they are available...I'm just impatient
). The charging port thing, yeah, that kinda...puts a damper on some things. I don't use the car dock, I know people have said it has it's flaws in design. I have a generic car mount that spins sideways, holds the phone in the case fine, and gives access to the charging port for my car charger. So that isn't an issue for me.
I'd have to rate this as, to date, the best phone I've owned, both spec-wise, and functionality-wise. Being brand new, only time will tell if issues arise down the road, but so far, so good.
Apologies to those who have had issues or defects. Hopefully you all get it sorted out and can enjoy it to it's potential!
(I was bored...)
First, the background: I'm in a non-LTE area (closest markets are hours away). That spares me from the LTE-related battery issues.
Battery life for me, has been comparable to the Fascinate I came from, though I'm using the Tbolt heavier, so it's to be expected. Standard battery-saving rules apply (turn off the screen, don't run all the BT, Wifi, GPS, etc, when not needed). I pull it from the charger at 8 AM, and with pandora running partially throughout the day, intermittent texting, and some light market surfing, I'm still good for 6 hours before even having to think about plugging in. That's usually 30% left at that point, if not more.
I don't usually talk to people on the phone (ironic, I know). However, call quallity seems to be pretty well. No echoing, or background noise seeping in. it does take some getting used to holding, as it is a slightly larger phone, and holding it on the shoulder to go "handsfree" is...an experience. People heard me fine, I could hear them fine, so no complaints there. Bluetooth works as expected, with easy connections through both headsets, and speakerphones. However, if I could get it to fully connect to my PC for file transfer, that would be awesome. Right now, it's cable-only.
Customizing the phone is, as with most Android devices, a delight. Even if you aren't rooting the phone, the selection of launchers and such make it such a personable phone!
Camera is a great thing on this phone. The auto-focus, and image enhancements that happen automatically are just...nice
The only gripe I can say, is the front camera seems a bit dark in some situations. And, when you've gone through the gallery of full res pictures, and then see yourself on the front camera window at 1.3 MP... well...I'm glad I don't do that often.Secondary to that, is the lack of full video chat support. Thankfully, the Skype running around seems to be working for the most part, so..fingers crossed for more on that.
I haven't experienced build quality issues, or data issues, as some have reported. Signal-wise, it's right up there with most phones I've played with recently. I live RIGHT on a fringe, so for me, the sign of a decent receiver, is if it picks up any service in the house at my desk. I've had some phones where they see nothing at all. This, like the Fascinate (and a Smooth pre-paid), will pick up service allowing for texts in and out at my desk.
Overall, I'm loving the phone. Really no complaints, other than lack of an Otterbox yet (my rep is sending one as soon as they are available...I'm just impatient
). The charging port thing, yeah, that kinda...puts a damper on some things. I don't use the car dock, I know people have said it has it's flaws in design. I have a generic car mount that spins sideways, holds the phone in the case fine, and gives access to the charging port for my car charger. So that isn't an issue for me.I'd have to rate this as, to date, the best phone I've owned, both spec-wise, and functionality-wise. Being brand new, only time will tell if issues arise down the road, but so far, so good.
Apologies to those who have had issues or defects. Hopefully you all get it sorted out and can enjoy it to it's potential!
(I was bored...)
