Root I want to make the jump

[T 980]

So currently, I am an unproud owner of an HTC Hero which I rooted less then a month after getting it because It's a crap phone. Aside of being slow and unusable outside of rooted and overclocked, it's come to my attention that the screen is just too small for my fat fingers to use.

Back before I left ATT, I was the proud owner of a Blackberry 8820, and I loved that phone to death. Quick (I think), responsive, easy to use, and I LOVED the keyboard. Since then, I've been stuck with laggy touch screens.

Since I got my tax return, I've been looking to buy an Epic or an Evo but it's hard to watch reviews on the software when I know I'm going to root it the moment I get it. got a couple of questions on the epic on how I normally use my hero.

1. I wireless tether at work for the internet. Does it work well?
2. Avid chatter and texter. How does the keyboard feel?
3. Battery life?
4. Overall speed of the phone?

I'm researching everything I can on this phone (and the Evo) because I want this to be the last phone I buy for a very long time.

If there is a thread already like this, I apologize.

 

[Kelmar]

Lol at your reasoning!

<- Previous Hero owner


1) Wifi tether has worked fine the few times I've needed it
2) Keyboard feels good. Some people have had issues with keys not registering when pressed but I haven't experienced that issue. On screen keyboard will be a TAD smaller than the Evo's on screen keyboard.
3) Varies by usage. I own both and typically keep my screen brightness as low as it can go. The battery from the Hero will fit in the Evo if needed while it won't with the Epic. During normal use with both, my Epic's battery will outlast the Evo... but not by enough to be a big difference (with autobrightness on).
4) Personally, I think the Epic FEELS faster and my wife has made the same comment from time to time but it all comes down to what you are using it for. If you are a heavy texter, you probably won't notice the difference.


Also worth mentioning that the screen on the Epic is GREAT while the Evo has less colors than the Hero IIRC. Flip side, Evo has a MUCH better development community than the Epic.

Evo has Froyo while Epic is still waiting on the official version (if that kind of thing matters to you).


Both are AWESOME phones though, you can't go wrong either way!!!

 

[T 980]

Lol at your reasoning!

<- Previous Hero owner


1) Wifi tether has worked fine the few times I've needed it
2) Keyboard feels good. Some people have had issues with keys not registering when pressed but I haven't experienced that issue. On screen keyboard will be a TAD smaller than the Evo's on screen keyboard.
3) Varies by usage. I own both and typically keep my screen brightness as low as it can go. The battery from the Hero will fit in the Evo if needed while it won't with the Epic. During normal use with both, my Epic's battery will outlast the Evo... but not by enough to be a big difference (with autobrightness on).
4) Personally, I think the Epic FEELS faster and my wife has made the same comment from time to time but it all comes down to what you are using it for. If you are a heavy texter, you probably won't notice the difference.


Also worth mentioning that the screen on the Epic is GREAT while the Evo has less colors than the Hero IIRC. Flip side, Evo has a MUCH better development community than the Epic.

Evo has Froyo while Epic is still waiting on the official version (if that kind of thing matters to you).


Both are AWESOME phones though, you can't go wrong either way!!!

Yea, after rooting my Hero I just don't see myself being an "Official" Android type of user. I love how Google basically says "go for it" when it comes to rooting and I feel it should be used to the fullest extent. If it wasn't for rooting, I would have thrown my Hero out the window ages ago. It should be a crime for anyone to sell such a crap phone like that.

I'm worried if I get the EVO that I won't like it as much because I don't like on screen keyboards all that great (although, my two experiences were on crap phones) but on the flip side, I'm worried if I get the Epic that I won't like the keyboard (only experience I had with the Epic keyboard was in Radioshack).

If the Evo Slide had a 1GHz processor I'd get that in an instant. To me it's like the best of both worlds, lol.

Thank you for your response though. It'll defiantly help my decision.

 

[T 980]

You also mentioned that the hero battery will work with the evo.

The only problem I have with that is the moment I get my epic/evo in the mail, I'm selling the hero off asap

 

[Kelmar]

Yea, after rooting my Hero I just don't see myself being an "Official" Android type of user. I love how Google basically says "go for it" when it comes to rooting and I feel it should be used to the fullest extent. If it wasn't for rooting, I would have thrown my Hero out the window ages ago. It should be a crime for anyone to sell such a crap phone like that.

I'm worried if I get the EVO that I won't like it as much because I don't like on screen keyboards all that great (although, my two experiences were on crap phones) but on the flip side, I'm worried if I get the Epic that I won't like the keyboard (only experience I had with the Epic keyboard was in Radioshack).

If the Evo Slide had a 1GHz processor I'd get that in an instant. To me it's like the best of both worlds, lol.

Thank you for your response though. It'll defiantly help my decision.

FWIW, I don't use my keyboard that often, but there are times when I prefer it to the onscreen keyboard. Totally worth it for those circumstances IMO.

Have you had the chance to go to a Sprint store and play with them yet? I would STRONGLY advise doing that as a way to help decide!

You also mentioned that the hero battery will work with the evo.

The only problem I have with that is the moment I get my epic/evo in the mail, I'm selling the hero off asap

Well there goes that idea

 

[T 980]

FWIW, I don't use my keyboard that often, but there are times when I prefer it to the onscreen keyboard. Totally worth it for those circumstances IMO.

Have you had the chance to go to a Sprint store and play with them yet? I would STRONGLY advise doing that as a way to help decide!



Well there goes that idea

That's what I plan on doing today. I sorta played with the Evo and the Epic in Radioshack here (no idea where the nearest Sprint store is). I think after I do that I'll have my decision because I am leaning a lot towards the Epic because yea, if I don't like the keyboard, then I got the onscreen for those lazy times for me

Thank you so much for your help, although I have one more question.

What rom are you running on your Epic? Rooting is the biggest thing I want to learn about since no respectable reviewer will review a rooted phone

 

[dbpaddler]

The Shift's 800mhz processor is a next gen snapdragon that doesn't really take a backseat to the Evo's 1st gen 1ghz. And they've been coverclocking it close to double the 800 with good results so far. It just got permanent root last week and the ROMs have arrived. Have it done it to mine yet since it plays second fiddle to my Epic. I also owned the Evo for a while.

If the Evo Slide had a 1GHz processor I'd get that in an instant. To me it's like the best of both worlds, lol.

Thank you for your response though. It'll defiantly help my decision.

 

[Kelmar]

What rom are you running on your Epic? Rooting is the biggest thing I want to learn about since no respectable reviewer will review a rooted phone

Quantum 2.7 based on the DK28 leak.

I'll link you to rooting stuff later.

 

[yogi2000]

FWIW, i find the Epic an awesome phone(best i've ever owned),especially once you find the setup/rom that works for you. I DO have that issue of the physical keyboard skipping some letters, but i minimize it by slowing down just a tad and being a bit more careful when i type. Otherwise the speed, screen, multitasking capabilities, etc., are great! Never really played with an Evo myself tho.

 

[Xtremedays]

This is just my opinion so take it as such. I am an Evo owner upgraded from a rooted Hero. Rooted my Evo the day after it arrived and haven't regretted it one bit. My wife is a current Epic owner which as of a week ago was Rooted and running Midnight Rom 3.1. Side by side comparison with froyo in both, I prefer the Evo. Kernel changes, available mods, Gingerbread Roms on the horizon(some in beta now) make the Evo more attractive to me. She likes her Epic but is on the fence whether to switch to the Evo as she has a few days left in her 30 day guarantee.

 

[dbpaddler]

Fyi...the epic roms will be stagnant until 2.2 drops. Then they will have kernel access and be able to really trick out froyo. Can't wait to overclock the Epic and see how much quicker and smoother it can get. Can't wait to ditch my wifi and connection issues which seem to be related to the dk28 release.

For you wife..how much does she like the screen? How much does she use the keyboard? Since they're both rooted, make a backup, wipe, load each other's info and esn swap for. Few days and let her test drive your evo so she can see which one she pefers before the 30 is up.

 

[Xtremedays]

I might try that though I might go through withdrawals without flashing anything

She likes the screen and since rooting the battery life is alot better for her. She rarely uses the slide out keyboard but tends to just use the on-screen keyboard.

One thing she does like is that when I get home at night......11 hours off the charger.....my Evo is still at 75-80% battery with moderate usage.

I will look into the swap though so she can make the choice she wants.

 

[T 980]

I ordered an Epic yesterday that comes with a few extras like a car charger and an extra battery. Although, there is one thing I'm curious about although it's no where near a deal breaker. Can I also use any sort of FM Radio Tuner app or anything like that? I don't like the huge delay the MLB App has for live baseball games so it got me thinking