Should I make the change?

[marshall1084]

Greetings all!!

With the new year comes new student grants and federal tax returns. My question is this: While I have the money now, should I use my very last annual upgrade and move from mine and my wife's rooted eris's to say an incredible or droid X now or wait for my 2 yr in September with NE2 discount to get a 4g phone, barring the fact that money will be an issue since my first child will have just been born. What should I do my trusted compatriots?

 

[doogald]

Greetings all!!

With the new year comes new student grants and federal tax returns. My question is this: While I have the money now, should I use my very last annual upgrade and move from mine and my wife's rooted eris's to say an incredible or droid X now or wait for my 2 yr in September with NE2 discount to get a 4g phone, barring the fact that money will be an issue since my first child will have just been born. What should I do my trusted compatriots?

Well, if you think about, spending the money now vs. spending the money then - what's the difference? You do have the potential to get a little bit of interest if you put the money aside and save it rather than spend it now, of course. I believe that the Incredible is on a $100 BOGO online right now, though, so maybe getting the two Incredibles now is your best bet?

It may take a couple of years to fully roll out 4G anyway, and by then the radios may be better and less battery-hungry, so 4G may not be the draw in September what it will be a year later.

 

[Podivin]

I think there are three things to focus on here.

1) will 4g be available where you are (I'm led to believe that it will primarily be major metropolitan areas when it first comes out).
2) after #1 is born will there be a lot of free cash lying about.
3) are you having problems with your Eris', or are just bored with them and wanting to play with something new?

If the answer to 1 is no, then do it now.
If the answer to 2 is no, then do it now.
If the answer to 3 is 'problems' then do it now.

There it is, by the numbers ...

 

[Podivin]

There are lots of strings on the BOGO offer when it comes to current Verizon customers, and whether or not both phones are currently eligible for upgrade. I JUST got off chat with a Verizon support person. My wife's phone is eligible for upgrade but mine is not, therefore we can't use the BOGO, UNLESS we want to add an extra line to our plan. I don't want a new phone badly enough to pay extra monthly fees.

 

[smacky]

If money is tight, you shouldn't even be looking at LTE. Those plans will cost extra and will not be unlimited. So expect $40+ a month for about 1 GB, at most, of 4G data.

You have three days (January 16th is when the NE2 ends) to get your Droid X, which is the best phone out right now for VZW, and possibly the best phone out period. With an 8MP camera, the OMAP processor in it, very few can come close to touching it. Rooting it may be an issue. I think there are custom ROMs available, but not many. But the benefits of root are still there like OCing, and apps2sd and such.

So if money is an issue, LTE shouldn't be a concern and you should probably just upgrade now and get a non-LTE phone. A case could be made for waiting longer for a non-LTE phone at 20 months, but.. I know how it is to get the latest and greatest.

 

[doogald]

If money is tight, you shouldn't even be looking at LTE. Those plans will cost extra and will not be unlimited. So expect $40+ a month for about 1 GB, at most, of 4G data.

I hadn't realized that Verizon announced LTE data plan pricing? Or are you just guessing?

Considering that the old modems and MyFi plans charged $60 a month for 5 GB capped, and the new LTE modems are $50 for 5 GB capped and $80 for 10 GB capped, and current smartphone plans are $30 unlimited, I think you're prices look wrong. Maybe the $40 monthly is right, but not capped at 1 GB, or 4 GB.

 

[zerocool79346]

If money is tight, you shouldn't even be looking at LTE. Those plans will cost extra and will not be unlimited. So expect $40+ a month for about 1 GB, at most, of 4G data.

You have three days (January 16th is when the NE2 ends) to get your Droid X, which is the best phone out right now for VZW, and possibly the best phone out period. With an 8MP camera, the OMAP processor in it, very few can come close to touching it. Rooting it may be an issue. I think there are custom ROMs available, but not many. But the benefits of root are still there like OCing, and apps2sd and such.

So if money is an issue, LTE shouldn't be a concern and you should probably just upgrade now and get a non-LTE phone. A case could be made for waiting longer for a non-LTE phone at 20 months, but.. I know how it is to get the latest and greatest.

Bleh, the X is a good phone, but there is no developer support for it. Sure it's fast, but stock Motoblur is the biggest POS to be put on a smartphone since WM 6.5, and unlike the Eris and its crappy version of Sense, you can't get rid of it because there's no support. Honestly, I would take an Incredible with the lesser processor and GPU without a doubt over the X. It all comes down to personal preference, but Motoblur is bad enough in my opinion to make the X worthless as is.

 

[ACD168]

With the baby on the way, the Incredible right now online is BOGO and at $99 with free shipping for a two year contract, that is a freaking steal. Luckily for me my family's plan always has at least 2 upgrades I can steal haha. I am buying my brother's for $20 when the LTE phones come out. I will pay for 4g for a thunderbolt even though my area will most likely be the last to receive 4g.