Thoughts on Upgrading

[johnlgalt]

Still don't get the need for a dual core phone. Anyway I just recently upgraded from a D1 running CM7 to the Thunderbolt and haven't looked back. It's fast, big and beautiful. Once rooted I get about 14 to 18 hours of battery and LTE is faster than my home cable modem! If you want to upgrade I would do it now so you get grandfathered in on the unlimited data. Why wait for dual core when you know it's going to take some time before any apps really use it.

I gave my girlfriend the D1 (she was using my old Moto Q running Windows 6.1 hahaha) and I have to say. It's hard going from a large screen like the TB back to the smaller D1. I would compare it to upgrading my old 14" monitor to a 19", no way I can go back now.

On the one hand you don't get the need or a dual core phone. OTOH you say you love your TB b/c of "It's fast" - that, in and of itself, pretty much says it all.

Multiple cores, when utilized properly, allow for multiple apps to run simultaneously. This is not core virtualization, as in HyperThreading on Intel CPUs, but a true dual core - meaning you have two cores, one that can dedicate itself to one app while the othe that dedicates itself to the second app - in such situations, it halves your time b/c the processor is not switching back and forth between tasks. (More appropriately, the app would dedicate itself to the core, versus the other way around - I'm just making a general explanation for those who might not understand. I don't know you level of expetise with hardware, so if you know this, then realize that this explanation is not just for you, but everyone readingthe thread).

I had wanted dual core because we have to get locked into a 2 year contract now. Gonna take some time, but in 6 months to a year I'm sure there's gonna be a heap for it.

Problem is my OG really aggravates me at times. It's truly on it's last legs. I need a phone now. And I've pretty much come to the conclusion that I'd rather have 4G than dual core. I don't have LTE in my area just yet, but should by the end of September, and like you, I want to get locked into that now.

Right now, I'm waiting to see how the dev community takes to the Charge and the Revolution. I really like the Charge, but it needs some tweaking if it's gonna be my phone. I still might get the Revolution for the girlie, but I'm not sure it's for me. There's def a lot of things I like about the TB, but I have concerns about battery life.

Another concern I have is whatever I get my g/f, it has to be something ready to go out of the box. She's pretty much against rooting (she blames everything that has gone wrong with her DInc on root). But all three current 4G phones really require root to get them where they need to be, in one area or another.

You need to explain to her that it was the Inc not rooting. I have a friend who bought Inc as a new phone via NE2 about 5 months ago - he's on his third. Doesn't root. Hell, barely does anything with the phone besides SMS and making phone calls. And that righ there is another reason I want to go with a brand new release for a phone - I can't take a chance on getting a "Good as new" refudb and having issue after issue after issue with it. I'm on my original DROID - over 1.5 years now and never replaced for anything. KB works. Screen works. Touch works. Soft keys work. And I've pushed the holy hell out of my DROID - OC'd to 1250 MHz, installed as many as 230 apps at one time (gotta love Apps2SD) and am currently running a ROM that uses all but 4 MB of space and am running right on the fringe of getting the low app space notification with 29 MB free. LTE might be coming - but my incessant need for apps and multi-tasking means I need a dual core *now* - I can get an LTE phone later if I need to....

The more I read about the Galaxy S 2 (or the Function, or whatever Verizon's gonna call it), the more I slobber. And to my knowledge Samsung hasn't started locking bootloaders. So if that thing comes out in a reasonable time frame - and my trusty little Droid can hang on long enough - and if I can get grandfathered in on unlimited 4G, (and if I can root it) then count me IN. But I'm really going to miss the Droid's versatility: I use it as my bedside alarm clock, my GPS navigation in the vehicle, and the GS2 has no such accessories to my knowledge.

But, as DudeL so eloquently put it: it's been a good run for a year and a half, but the Droid is getting long in the tooth and the software has outrun the hardware. If the GS2 DOES have all the docks, then I'll be pre-ordering that puppy as soon as I can.

*slobber slobber* lol - me too, bud - me too!

Also, from what I've read (and I may be wrong on this), there is no grandfathering in on unlimited 4G - it is capped to 5 GB (basically what they were telling us for the 3G connections when we bought the DROID) but 3G is unlimited.

Now, if only all my High BW apps can be forced to use 3G versus 4G, I'll be set. NetFlix, 4G. SiriusXM - 3G. Docs - 3G - I'm good!

And, just to give you an idea - my home computer is now 3 years old. Core2Quad 6600 OC'd to 3.2 GHz (33% OC) with 4 GB of OCZ PC8500 DDR2 - started with a pair of 500 GB 32MB Cache 7200 RPM drives, a pair of 19" CRTs, and 8800GTS, DVD All burner and Hauppauge 1850 PVR TV card. Since then, it's been massively upgraded:

• Intel X25-M G2 80 SSD
• eVGA GTX260
• dual 22" Acer X213ws ws LCD monitors
• second GTX260 (purchased via upgrade from eVGA by trading in 8800GTS and SLI'd with other 260)
• LG BLS10w30 Blu-Ray All burner
• GTS250 (non dedicated to PhysX - yeah, overkill for PhysX, so this will stay with me)

So, it still serves my purpose well - but if I still had all the original components in there I'd be screaming bloody friggin murder. The SSD alone has given me a phenomenal speed boost, and it's still fun to play on it - but I have a Core i7 965 EE waiting for a home. Quad core versus Octo core - hmmm - yeah, it'll definitely be faster (even though said Octo core is actually quad core with a virtualized quad core).

If I could upgrade my phone with components like that I'd probably keep my DROID. IDGAF for the camera, and a faster processor and more RAM and ROM space would suffice me. Alas, phones are not easily upgradable like computers are, so....

It's time for a new phone!!!!1

 

[YankeeDudeL]

It sounds like we're all pretty much thinking the same way. I would love to have the SGS2, but we don't know for sure whether or not it will be LTE. If it is, I'll jump on that in a heartbeat.

Then there's the Bionic. This has been the phone I've followed the most, but I'm very worried about the locked bootloader. I've gone back and forth on whether or not I can deal with that or not, but I'm just not sure.

Bottom line is I need to know something soon. With all these phones going on sale, we have reason to believe Verizon is cooking something up and that we're not far away from something happening. So it might pay off to wait just a lil bit longer. But my patience is getting thin, and I have two phones that need to be replaced VERY soon.

 

[johnlgalt]

You can bet your bottom dollar that they've got something special planned. The dude behind thecounter at the VZW store I went to told me that I am able to upgrade as of 7 July 2011, but that I can pay an extra $20 and upgrade as of 3 July 2011. Wanna bet on whether there is a new release on or around 3 July 2011?

 

[Sportster]

I'm with JohnG. Looking hard at the Galaxy S II. Was just reading the thread associated with it today in fact. So far sounds like the best bet. I'm east of Chicago 50miles so don't think the LTE is gonna make it my way for another couple years, just enough time to enjoy the II. So if nothing new pops of interest before the end of July, I'll probably be the proud owner of a new Galaxy S II.