Opinions needed! Have a Charge being Fed Exed++

[82nd Airborne]

Sorry to hear about your delema, Honey, but I was refering to wizeguy. If you want a work phone, which by looks of it you do,go with BB, everyone knows that. Androids have problems with emails except for gmail. I have had BB, OG dorid, Incredible, MotoX, Fascinate, IPhone, and now TB. BB awsome for work use, I didnt need it for that. Got rid of it the moment OG Droid hit the stores. Since then it been hit or miss on my yahoo mail with all my android phones. GMail is always there, period. What I hate is pepole come in here and on other forums, happens with all phones, and talk smack about the other persons phone when their phone is either the same or worse. I hope your happy and trouble free, I really do, with your next phone.

I was a die hard BB user before buying a TB. I switched away from BBs mostly because of the tiny screen and lackluster media (web browser, apps). Figuring that I would lose good email, BB messenger, and battery life was a trade off I was willing to make. Amazingly email has been better to me in every facet. Yes Gmail is better on an android, but my MS Exchange experience for work email is better than it was with my BB, by a long shot. Turns out I don't miss BB Messenger and the only real issue that has remained is the shorter battery life, which isn't as bad as some on this site have. The battery didn't start out good, but has got better over time. I only use 4G for downloading big files or apps and get home with about 50% battery (1400 original) after 12-14 hours of medium use (yes subjective, but i'm probably under stating). The only thing I really miss is not being able to have the phone vibrate a couple of times before the ring tone starts as sometimes i forget to put my TB in vibrate/silent for meetings.

To the OP: I would have bailed and got a different phone too if I had the same experience with the TB. It seems you're having the same issue I had with the Moto Razr which is when i originally bailed to BB. Sometimes you just can't win. Best of luck with your new phone!

 

[Mayhem]

I can't speak about the MR2, but any micro usb charger made for another cell phone will work. I use my old Blackberry 9700 charger all the time on my TB.

I disagree. I attempted to use an after-market charger (it might've been Panasonic, not sure) from my old LG Ally with my TBolt. It said it was charging, but never did. So I tossed it in the trash.

That same charger worked fine for my wife's Ally.

The LG-branded charger from my Ally works on my TBolt. That charger shows output as 5.1V===0.7A.

The specs on the TBolt battery (I don't have a wall charger handy) show 3.7V DC, 1400mAh. The generic charger's specs were slightly higher than the TBolt's. I don't recall off-hand but think it was either 1450 or 1500mAh.

I'm no electrical engineer nor do I understand why it didn't work with my TBolt. Just pointing out an observation.

 

[dylo22]

I don't think you need 56 pages to realize that the Thunderbolt has major issues. I too test drove the Thunderbolt for 10 days, and the battery problems do exist. To pretend it doesn't and purport that you can drain "any android phone" in 6 hours sounds almost like Steve Jobs deflecting the iPhone's antenna issues. Just because you can turn on all the radios on a phone and stream to your heart's content to purposely kill a battery does not justify the T-bolt's deplorable stock battery life when used doing normal routine tasks e.g. casual web surfing, and light to moderate talking and texting.

I saw first hand that the Thunderbolt has plenty of bugs. It rebooted constantly. I was lucky if it lasted 4 hours doing normal "real life" tasks. I got the Charge which lasted me the majority of the day in 3G or 4G areas. You can look at the Charge and scoff at the specs claiming it was outdated the day it was released, but at the end of the day (literally and figuratively), it is a better device. Better screen. Better battery life. Better camera. Better sound quality. HDMI out. Thunderbolt has it beat on benchmarks, Quad scores, and the almighty kickstand. That translates into a phone with a kickstand that is about a fraction of a second faster that won't last you through lunch time. Again, applying real life standards, what good is that if you are constantly looking for an outlet or a cigarette lighter? For goodness sake, HTC can not even put out an update that works consistently for the blasted thing. For anyone shopping for a Verizon 4G smartphone - practically speaking - the Charge beats the Thunderbolt hands down IMO.

Finally, the $300 price tag? Umm...over the life of the 2-year contract you're talking what $4 per month (maybe $6 if you found a really cheap online merchant)? I mean, I know "in reality" it's a down economy, but why are we squabbling over the cost of a cup of coffee and a doughnut? Consider the fact that you will more than likely need that $50 extended battery in order to really get any enjoyment out of your Thunderbolt, and your big savings is pretty minuscule.

I dunno. I agree with WizeGuyDezignz. I think the Charge "cuts it in reality" just fine. But hey, I also side with the prevailing opinion....i.e. no phone is perfect.

Wow...that is sad, you came on the TB forum to state that the charge is a better phone. I swear, some of you charge owners are obsessed with us.

 

[WizeGuyDezignz]

Wow...that is sad, you came on the TB forum to state that the charge is a better phone. I swear, some of you charge owners are obsessed with us.

At the same time, you seem to jump on every single person that offers an opinion of another phone that they have switched to (or thinking of switching to) after having problems with the TB. Are you sure you are happy with your phone? It seems like you have a complex of some sort.

This thread was made by a former/current? TB owner who wanted some info on her TB to see if it was worth salvaging before her Charge was delivered. It's applicable to this forum. If you don't agree, you either don't have to read it/reply or just accept her problem and reply with some constructive information.

And I think you need to think about who is obsessed with who. You are the one seeking out our posts and attacking us. We are simply posting to people who are considering a switch and are having problems with their phone.

 

[UBRocked]

Okay, take it easy everyone and let's stay on topic.

@ aileendq - Did you get the Charge yet?

 

[mdeblaz]

Sure.. As long as the phone is working properly you could do that. Although that brings up the question. Why is the phone in the warranty dept in the first place?

What if the phone will not boot?
What if the user flashed an official update?
What if the user un-rooted first?

You need to think of this on a larger scale, with every type of phone coming through by the pile, it doesn't pay to weed out the very few and far between. It's a waste of time and money to go through every phone to look for software tampering. A HUGE majority of phones coming through will be completely stock. To look for the <1% that may be running unofficial software doesn't make fiscal sense.

You're right, never said you weren't... All I'm saying is it's easy if they wanted to take the time to do it. Obviously if the phone won't boot, or the user reverts back to stock before sending it in they'd have to do more detective work... but that's a waste of time. End.

 

[dylo22]

At the same time, you seem to jump on every single person that offers an opinion of another phone that they have switched to (or thinking of switching to) after having problems with the TB. Are you sure you are happy with your phone? It seems like you have a complex of some sort.

This thread was made by a former/current? TB owner who wanted some info on her TB to see if it was worth salvaging before her Charge was delivered. It's applicable to this forum. If you don't agree, you either don't have to read it/reply or just accept her problem and reply with some constructive information.

And I think you need to think about who is obsessed with who. You are the one seeking out our posts and attacking us. We are simply posting to people who are considering a switch and are having problems with their phone.

Haha...didn't I already have this conversation with you? I didn't even respond to your post. I was responding to someone who wasn't answering the OP's question about the charger, but rather posting just to point out that charge had less problems than the TB on a TB forum.

Yes I am obsessed with the TB. That's why I'm in TB FORUM. If you call that a complex, then that's fine with me. All I know is, when I see people who don't own the phone, trashing it and promoting another phone on the TB forum, I will say something about it.

Oh yeah....to the op, the charger should work on your charge as well

 

[Mayhem]

C'mon guys. Does this really have to be discussed/argued in the thread? Take it to personal messages if you want to argue it out. Please?

 

[82nd Airborne]

I disagree. I attempted to use an after-market charger (it might've been Panasonic, not sure) from my old LG Ally with my TBolt. It said it was charging, but never did. So I tossed it in the trash.

That same charger worked fine for my wife's Ally.

The LG-branded charger from my Ally works on my TBolt. That charger shows output as 5.1V===0.7A.

The specs on the TBolt battery (I don't have a wall charger handy) show 3.7V DC, 1400mAh. The generic charger's specs were slightly higher than the TBolt's. I don't recall off-hand but think it was either 1450 or 1500mAh.

I'm no electrical engineer nor do I understand why it didn't work with my TBolt. Just pointing out an observation.

I'll see if I can help you understand your observation, but I've been up for about 46 hours so I make no promises. Although we call them chargers, they are actually power adapters. I suppose I should not have generalized as it is possible to have a charger with a voltage that is to high or to low, but very unlikely when using microUSB. The usual standard allowable deviation of volts coming from the charger is +/- 5% (both are bad to violate, but to high being worse). The TB included charger is 5V and 1,000mA. The LG charger is 5.1V and 700mA (or .7A as you stated). The BB 9700 charger is 5V and 700mA. After market chargers may or may not be in spec with what a cell phone needs and should be well checked to ensure voltage is spot on or very close. You will find that microUSB chargers that are actually made for and shipped with modern cell phones are very close in volts (usually at 5V) and the amperage varies from 700 to usually no more than 1,000 microUSB. A chargers output voltage and a batteries output voltage are two different things and chargers need to have more output voltage than the battery output voltage. Both the TB and the Charge have battery output voltages of 3.7V. The battery capacity (mAh or milliamp hours) is how much current (amps) the battery can discharge (or have drawn) in one hour. So the less draw of needed current in the phone, the longer the battery power will last. So if a TB is getting 10 hours on a charge then it took 10 hours for all of the things that use current on the electrical bus to draw 1400 mAh or about 140 mAh per hour (Technically less because the battery protection circuitry will stop all current when the battery reaches 5%).

 

[82nd Airborne]

@ aileendq - Did you get the Charge yet?

I was wondering the same thing!

 

[dylo22]

C'mon guys. Does this really have to be discussed/argued in the thread? Take it to personal messages if you want to argue it out. Please?

Ok...alright. I'll stop...at least for this thread.

 

[aileendq]

I was wondering the same thing!

I had my first full day with it today, and I happened to be travelling for work (AGAIN!). I used the phone quite a bit on the ride up (returning emails, d/ling two apps, setting bookmarks, a phone call and some navigation). I also turned the screen up way higher than I ever did with the TB- putting it through its paces.

I took it off the charger at 9:30 a.m. and returned to my hometown at 3:30 ish. Then I went to the gym for two hours then some shopping at Trader Joe's.

I got home at about 6:45 and had about 25% left. So far so good, I think.

One issue that did annoy me was the GPS. It refused to lock during the ride to Worcester. Then, on the way home, it locked within a minute.

Still, my co-worker, who was driving, had his Moto Droid & it locked on *immediately*. And maps still showed me about 1/4 of a mile off at home last night. I'm wondering if this is something related to 4G, since my roommate's Moto Droid shows precisely where the phone is down to the correct side of the condo.

If someone knows why 4G phones have this issue, I'd love to know why.

I like the phone, but I had to chuckle because not only is the screen super crisp, the font is HUGE. I feel like I'm using one of those phones for elderly people- remember the ones they used to advertise on t.v with only 2 buttons and huge fonts? Well, I can appreciate it, since I don't have 20/20.

Still testing things out. I will say that the phone is a bit laggier than the TB, but if it keeps its connectivity and has better battery life, I'll live with the speed differences. I do miss Sense, though.

 

[82nd Airborne]

I had my first full day with it today, and I happened to be travelling for work (AGAIN!). I used the phone quite a bit on the ride up (returning emails, d/ling two apps, setting bookmarks, a phone call and some navigation). I also turned the screen up way higher than I ever did with the TB- putting it through its paces.

I took it off the charger at 9:30 a.m. and returned to my hometown at 3:30 ish. Then I went to the gym for two hours then some shopping at Trader Joe's.

I got home at about 6:45 and had about 25% left. So far so good, I think.

One issue that did annoy me was the GPS. It refused to lock during the ride to Worcester. Then, on the way home, it locked within a minute.

Still, my co-worker, who was driving, had his Moto Droid & it locked on *immediately*. And maps still showed me about 1/4 of a mile off at home last night. I'm wondering if this is something related to 4G, since my roommate's Moto Droid shows precisely where the phone is down to the correct side of the condo.

If someone knows why 4G phones have this issue, I'd love to know why.

I like the phone, but I had to chuckle because not only is the screen super crisp, the font is HUGE. I feel like I'm using one of those phones for elderly people- remember the ones they used to advertise on t.v with only 2 buttons and huge fonts? Well, I can appreciate it, since I don't have 20/20.

Still testing things out. I will say that the phone is a bit laggier than the TB, but if it keeps its connectivity and has better battery life, I'll live with the speed differences. I do miss Sense, though.

Well it sounds like you're off to a better start with the Charge. I have noticed that when I'm in Cambridge that my GPS accuracy is between 20-40m, but once I get over the Longfellow Bridge and as I get on 93N that it starts to get better. I'm sure this has something to due with buildings thinning out as I go. I haven't noticed the GPS being off position wise. I usually have my TB in 3G. I'll try it out again in 4G and let you know how it works out in the Boston/Cambridge area (will be awhile as I start vacation today,, woohoo!). I did go to CT last week for my nephews HS graduation and had travelled by Worcester on I-90 and was checking out my maps and was locked on with no problem the whole way with an accuracy of 3-4m. Just wondering, but have you ever used the Boston BusMaps app? Also, if you haven't already checked out the website for "Track the T", I highly recommend it.

 

[Ibrick]

If someone knows why 4G phones have this issue, I'd love to know why.

There was just a study done that did conclude that LTE does screw with GPS. Something with the frequencies, and some other stuff above my head. Probably shouldn't be that hard to find if you're that curious.

There is a fix for it that should hopefully be included in the next update.. hopefully.

 

[dylo22]

There was just a study done that did conclude that LTE does screw with GPS. Something with the frequencies, and some other stuff above my head. Probably shouldn't be that hard to find if you're that curious.

There is a fix for it that should hopefully be included in the next update.. hopefully.

I think you're referring to Lightsquare's LTE having issues with GPS signal. Lightsquare uses the spectrum right next to the band GPS uses, so there is a possibility for interference. Verizon's LTE uses a spectrum that is far from it, so it doesn't share the same issue.

 

[jreed2560]

I had my first full day with it today, and I happened to be travelling for work (AGAIN!). I used the phone quite a bit on the ride up (returning emails, d/ling two apps, setting bookmarks, a phone call and some navigation). I also turned the screen up way higher than I ever did with the TB- putting it through its paces.

I took it off the charger at 9:30 a.m. and returned to my hometown at 3:30 ish. Then I went to the gym for two hours then some shopping at Trader Joe's.

I got home at about 6:45 and had about 25% left. So far so good, I think.

One issue that did annoy me was the GPS. It refused to lock during the ride to Worcester. Then, on the way home, it locked within a minute.

Still, my co-worker, who was driving, had his Moto Droid & it locked on *immediately*. And maps still showed me about 1/4 of a mile off at home last night. I'm wondering if this is something related to 4G, since my roommate's Moto Droid shows precisely where the phone is down to the correct side of the condo.

If someone knows why 4G phones have this issue, I'd love to know why.

I like the phone, but I had to chuckle because not only is the screen super crisp, the font is HUGE. I feel like I'm using one of those phones for elderly people- remember the ones they used to advertise on t.v with only 2 buttons and huge fonts? Well, I can appreciate it, since I don't have 20/20.

Still testing things out. I will say that the phone is a bit laggier than the TB, but if it keeps its connectivity and has better battery life, I'll live with the speed differences. I do miss Sense, though.

Because the charge uses last years chipset from the Fascinate, I wouldn't expect your lag issues to go away. In fact with the phones tiny RAM I would expect it to get worse. It also speaks volumes that sense is a much bigger resource hog than touchwiz, yet the bolt still seems faster. The reboot issue WILL be fixed. GPS will get better. But the charge will never get a RAM upgrade. Battery life is a trade off for a faster phone with a more robust UI. Get a couple of spare batteries like I do. Takes 30 seconds and bam! Back to fully charged. Emails have been great on my bolt. I have a work email and a gmail. In reality my work email is more reliable than gmail for me.

 

[blownss06]

I have never looked into it, but what do our phones use for gps. Is it like a normal hand held gps or does it triangulate from the cell towers. My TB locks in all the time if I and standing still. If I am on the highway it takes about a minute or two.

 

[solo65impala]

I have never looked into it, but what do our phones use for gps. Is it like a normal hand held gps or does it triangulate from the cell towers. My TB locks in all the time if I and standing still. If I am on the highway it takes about a minute or two.

I believe it uses both. I do know that I always leave the Verizon location stuff turned off because it seems to be nothing more than a battery drain. I also have seen that the GPS is working better on the leaked ROM's than it ever did on the original or the MR1.

 

[UBRocked]

One issue that did annoy me was the GPS. It refused to lock during the ride to Worcester. Then, on the way home, it locked within a minute.

If someone knows why 4G phones have this issue, I'd love to know why.

This is why I won't own another Samsung phone until they sort out their GPS issues. Because of my experience with the Moto Droid, I no longer use a stand alone GPS device. But I bought a Fascinate and the GPS was awful...I mean AWFUL! Custom ROMs that claimed faster GPS fixes didn't really help in my experience so I don't know if it is the GPS receiver or the software. I've tried to use the GPS on my Galaxy Tab (which is going on eBay tonight as well) and it was slow to lock (but better than the Fascinate).

I haven't looked into any reports on the Charge having GPS issues, but it wouldn't shock me based on my experiences with Samsung branded products. I like Samsung...I'm thinking about buying their fridge with Android baked in but as a phone, I'd have to be convinced they have ironed out the GPS before I'd go back.

 

[aileendq]

This is why I won't own another Samsung phone until they sort out their GPS issues. Because of my experience with the Moto Droid, I no longer use a stand alone GPS device. But I bought a Fascinate and the GPS was awful...I mean AWFUL! Custom ROMs that claimed faster GPS fixes didn't really help in my experience so I don't know if it is the GPS receiver or the software. I've tried to use the GPS on my Galaxy Tab (which is going on eBay tonight as well) and it was slow to lock (but better than the Fascinate).

I haven't looked into any reports on the Charge having GPS issues, but it wouldn't shock me based on my experiences with Samsung branded products. I like Samsung...I'm thinking about buying their fridge with Android baked in but as a phone, I'd have to be convinced they have ironed out the GPS before I'd go back.

Yeah, I was leery of a Samsung phone, too. My 3 Thunderbolts all almost never locked on GPS. I'm planning on getting a series 6 (or 10, if I have some spare $$ lying around) SD card and sending a good chunk of my apps to the SD card. This should help the speed issues some.

I do so wish the TBs (at least ONE!) had worked out. I loved Sense, the TB's heft (it just *felt* solid, you know?) and the kickstand.

However, in the end, I needed a reliable data connection and phone. So far, the Charge has been great but for the one GPS issue (which was still better than all 3 TBS). I will also say the call quality with the Charge has been FAR better, too, not that I make that many phone calls.

At the end of the day, in six months (or maybe less time, lol) I'll be wanting another phone. Maybe they'll resurrect the Moto Bionic?!? When that happens I'll sell the Charge and move on- finances allowing, of course!

 

[UBRocked]

Yeah, I was leery of a Samsung phone, too. My 3 Thunderbolts all almost never locked on GPS. I'm planning on getting a series 6 (or 10, if I have some spare $$ lying around) SD card and sending a good chunk of my apps to the SD card. This should help the speed issues some.

I do so wish the TBs (at least ONE!) had worked out. I loved Sense, the TB's heft (it just *felt* solid, you know?) and the kickstand.

However, in the end, I needed a reliable data connection and phone. So far, the Charge has been great but for the one GPS issue (which was still better than all 3 TBS). I will also say the call quality with the Charge has been FAR better, too, not that I make that many phone calls.

At the end of the day, in six months (or maybe less time, lol) I'll be wanting another phone. Maybe they'll resurrect the Moto Bionic?!? When that happens I'll sell the Charge and move on- finances allowing, of course!

Ah...I didn't realize (or just missed it) that you had GPS issues with your TBolts. NO device has ever locked on to GPS faster than my Moto Droid, but I don't recall ever having to wait on my TB's GPS either.

 

[Dark Jedi]

Ah...I didn't realize (or just missed it) that you had GPS issues with your TBolts. NO device has ever locked on to GPS faster than my Moto Droid, but I don't recall ever having to wait on my TB's GPS either.

THink my Dinc locked faster than my Moto Droid. But like you said every phone is different.