thoughts on the eris

[mister_han]

I am leaning towards the eris as my first android phone but i have heard mixed reviews about the good and the bad of the eris. I am deciding between the eris and the motorola droid and was wondering if anyone has any advice or suggestions they can offer for me. anything would help as I don't know which phone to pick

thanks

 

[socarwolverine]

If you're getting one with a new contract, you can get newer/arguably better phones than either. If you're just buying it out-right I'd get the Moto Droid. Unless you're really hung up on the form factor the Moto is a better device IMO.

 

[Frisco]

I am leaning towards the eris as my first android phone but i have heard mixed reviews about the good and the bad of the eris. I am deciding between the eris and the motorola droid and was wondering if anyone has any advice or suggestions they can offer for me. anything would help as I don't know which phone to pick

thanks

Welcome, mister_han.

The Eris has a bit more "mixed reviews" than some other Android based devices because it is a bit lower end as far as the CPU. That can be remedied with rooting and overclocking, as many are doing now.

As with all phones, there are ready populations of lovers and haters of the Eris.

If I were you, just getting into an Android device, I'd head for the X or the Droid 2.

But if the Eris and Droid are your primary considerations, I'd advise you go to a store and play with both for an extended time and then decide.

 

[mister_han]

Welcome, mister_han.

The Eris has a bit more "mixed reviews" than some other Android based devices because it is a bit lower end as far as the CPU. That can be remedied with rooting and overclocking, as many are doing now.

As with all phones, there are ready populations of lovers and haters of the Eris.

If I were you, just getting into an Android device, I'd head for the X or the Droid 2.

But if the Eris and Droid are your primary considerations, I'd advise you go to a store and play with both for an extended time and then decide.

thanks a lot ill look into it some more because i wont be making the switch until my current contract with verizon expires

 

[Frisco]

thanks a lot ill look into it some more because i wont be making the switch until my current contract with verizon expires

Good.

Whatever you do, stick around here at Android Forums. The information available on every Android device on the market is all right here in the various forums; look around, you'll be surprised how vast this community is.. there's a forum cluster for every phone:

Android Phones - Android Forums

 

[Joe_Evaristo]

I am leaning towards the eris as my first android phone but i have heard mixed reviews about the good and the bad of the eris. I am deciding between the eris and the motorola droid and was wondering if anyone has any advice or suggestions they can offer for me. anything would help as I don't know which phone to pick

thanks

Personally, I recommend avoiding HTC at all costs--it's a mistake I won't make again.

They refuse to support problems they cause in their phones, and their Better Business Bureau rating speaks for itself: H T C America | Better Business Bureau Review | Bellevue, WA

Bad business. Steer clear.

 

[erisuser1]

Personally, I recommend avoiding HTC at all costs--it's a mistake I won't make again.

They refuse to support problems they cause in their phones, and their Better Business Bureau rating speaks for itself: H T C America | Better Business Bureau Review | Bellevue, WA

Bad business. Steer clear.

Let it go, Joe. You've escalated a molehill into a mountain.

If you were really all that tweaked about a simple software feature change (not a bug, mind you!), you might have better spent your energies using the instructions plastered all over this forum & XDA to simply root your phone, roll it back to the stock version of software you preferred, and expunge the OTA update mechanism. That would have solved your complaint with less effort.

In terms of any particular business metric you choose, including customer satisfaction, HTC is firing on all cylinders in the smartphone space - in comparison to any of their putative competitors.


eu1

 

[Joe_Evaristo]

Let it go, Joe. You've escalated a molehill into a mountain.

If you were really all that tweaked about a simple software feature change (not a bug, mind you!), you might have better spent your energies using the instructions plastered all over this forum & XDA to simply root your phone, roll it back to the stock version of software you preferred, and expunge the OTA update mechanism. That would have solved your complaint with less effort.

In terms of any particular business metric you choose, including customer satisfaction, HTC is firing on all cylinders in the smartphone space - in comparison to any of their putative competitors.

I'm more "tweaked" about their lack of customer service than the actual broken feature on the phone.

Regardless, if I were a lone complainer, they wouldn't have a BBB rating of D-. Their rating merely confirms my own comments: bad business that should be avoided.

 

[Podivin]

The web site shows 46 complaints, against how many hundreds of thousands of phones/customers do you suppose? And most of those complaints show as 'resolved'. I believe I'll keep thinking that HTC is OK.

 

[erisuser1]

The web site shows 46 complaints, against how many hundreds of thousands of phones/customers do you suppose? And most of those complaints show as 'resolved'. I believe I'll keep thinking that HTC is OK.

+1

The BBB has an antique model of the world - one that worked really well when business were predominately local, rather than global. It still works well for local business that operate on a small scale, I suppose. You live in Anytown, USA, and want to know if "Anytown Painting" does a good job, or if there have been lots of complaints about them from local residents of Anytown? By all means, contact your local BBB.

But to apply that model to a global-scale enterprise that literally has hundreds of millions of end customers in every market in the world, and 46 complaints gets you a "D-" rating? Please.

eu1

 

[Joe_Evaristo]

You don't get a D- if you're doing stuff right.

One need not search this very board too long to find a lot of stories of people needing multiple replacement Erises.

You'll consistently see that the people without problems are only those who, for some reason, don't expect a company to support the products it puts out--apparently it's perfectly legitimate for a company to put out shoddy products and refuse to support them as long as there are users out there who will fill that niche in their place.

That is not a reasonable expectation. If the only way to get a device working decently well is to soft-mod it, then the manufacturer is doing something wrong.

 

[Demache]

You don't get a D- if you're doing stuff right.

One need not search this very board too long to find a lot of stories of people needing multiple replacement Erises.

You'll consistently see that the people without problems are only those who, for some reason, don't expect a company to support the products it puts out--apparently it's perfectly legitimate for a company to put out shoddy products and refuse to support them as long as there are users out there who will fill that niche in their place.

That is not a reasonable expectation. If the only way to get a device working decently well is to soft-mod it, then the manufacturer is doing something wrong.

Your taking the BBB rating too seriously. 46 complaints out the millions of customers worldwide is far from doing something wrong. HTC isn't some new kid on the block. They have been in the smartphone business for quite some time. Businesses that bad as the BBB makes it out to be do not stay in business very long. Very few people I know locally have had problems with their Eris's and most are on their first one. Most people here are reporting problems, and are seeking help, so that also provides a disproportionate illusion that the Eris is the "worst Android phone ever".

 

[Joe_Evaristo]

Your taking the BBB rating too seriously. 46 complaints out the millions of customers worldwide is far from doing something wrong. HTC isn't some new kid on the block. They have been in the smartphone business for quite some time. Businesses that bad as the BBB makes it out to be do not stay in business very long. Very few people I know locally have had problems with their Eris's and most are on their first one. Most people here are reporting problems, and are seeking help, so that also provides a disproportionate illusion that the Eris is the "worst Android phone ever".

That's not true--plenty of bad businesses stand the test of time. Look at Sears: most people have at least one horror story from them, and yet they're doing fine.

That we see more problems online doesn't make it an illusion: multiple refurbs for a single user is a bit more than bad luck.

 

[Demache]

That's not true--plenty of bad businesses stand the test of time. Look at Sears: most people have at least one horror story from them, and yet they're doing fine.

That we see more problems online doesn't make it an illusion: multiple refurbs for a single user is a bit more than bad luck.

Basing your opinion on an entire company just based on an experience with one device does NOT make them a horrible company. Albeit, a company with not incredible customer service, but not a horrible company. Otherwise, Microsoft would be the shittiest company around with the Xbox 360 and horrid failure rate (~30%). I've heard plenty of horror stories from RMA's for 360's as well.

I still don't get why you can't accept the fact that we are on an outdated device, that HTC no longer cares about (probably barely cared in the first place), and accept their resolution, or root your device. Its that simple.

 

[WormDoes]

Back to the OP...My first android device was an Eris, which I got about a month ago, and I'm very happy with it. For this being your first smartphone I think you'll be MORE than happy with what it can do. And when you find you need more speed, options, etc you can always root and see what everyone is raving about. I have never been a fan of Motorolo phones so the droids have never been an option for me, personally. Like Frisco said, hang around this community when you get your phone. I was such a noob when I got my Eris and everyone here was/is so helpful in answering any and all of my questions. It's a great place and I'm very happy that I found it.

Welcome to the world of DROID

 

[Joe_Evaristo]

Basing your opinion on an entire company just based on an experience with one device does NOT make them a horrible company. Albeit, a company with not incredible customer service, but not a horrible company. Otherwise, Microsoft would be the shittiest company around with the Xbox 360 and horrid failure rate (~30%). I've heard plenty of horror stories from RMA's for 360's as well.

I still don't get why you can't accept the fact that we are on an outdated device, that HTC no longer cares about (probably barely cared in the first place), and accept their resolution, or root your device. Its that simple.

As I've said a few times--it's not the problem with the device that makes them a bad company, it's their poor support and their attitude of, "we don't feel like fixing it, go use a third party app" that makes them a bad company.

That you think that they "no longer care about it and probably barely did in the first place" certainly goes to my point.

Microsoft may have made its own mistakes, but if they ever responded to them with, "And? It's not working right, but that's intentional. If you don't like it, then go bother someone else" no one would be defending their response--it's not a valid response, and that people are quick to accept it is ridiculous.

They refuse to fix a problem they created. Yes, that makes them a bad company.

 

[Demache]

As I've said a few times--it's not the problem with the device that makes them a bad company, it's their poor support and their attitude of, "we don't feel like fixing it, go use a third party app" that makes them a bad company.

That you think that they "no longer care about it and probably barely did in the first place" certainly goes to my point.

Microsoft may have made its own mistakes, but if they ever responded to them with, "And? It's not working right, but that's intentional. If you don't like it, then go bother someone else" no one would be defending their response--it's not a valid response, and that people are quick to accept it is ridiculous.

They refuse to fix a problem they created. Yes, that makes them a bad company.

Well I suppose that's up to you. To be honest, I would still buy another HTC device. Even if the stock firmware is flawed, I would probably never use that firmware again. I have that "stock is never good enough" mentality.

 

[Joe_Evaristo]

Well I suppose that's up to you. To be honest, I would still buy another HTC device. Even if the stock firmware is flawed, I would probably never use that firmware again. I have that "stock is never good enough" mentality.

Personally, I expect stock to work--anything else is gravy, but if stock doesn't work then the manufacturer didn't do it right.

Anyway, like I said, my main gripe is with the level of support. The problem itself doesn't matter so much as the refusal to deal with it. Not all problems can be fixed with every user's skillset, and sometimes you need that extra help from the manufacturer--when their reps are clueless as to the origin of the problem, and they refuse to deal with it, that should be a red flag.

 

[Demache]

Personally, I expect stock to work--anything else is gravy, but if stock doesn't work then the manufacturer didn't do it right.

Anyway, like I said, my main gripe is with the level of support. The problem itself doesn't matter so much as the refusal to deal with it. Not all problems can be fixed with every user's skillset, and sometimes you need that extra help from the manufacturer--when their reps are clueless as to the origin of the problem, and they refuse to deal with it, that should be a red flag.

Well its tech support. What did you expect. Most of them are reading off a script and have no idea how they phone itself works. Outsourcing ftw.

 

[Joe_Evaristo]

Well its tech support. What did you expect. Most of them are reading off a script and have no idea how they phone itself works. Outsourcing ftw.

Perhaps, but you'd think they could stay consistent with a script...

 

[carmendiva]

Being a former eris owner, i would certainly never recommend an eris
just because it is outdated and you are going to have to do alot of work to it
just to get the phone almost current(basically to where android was four months ago)

If you're contract is expiring soon just get the Samsung Fascinate
1)aside from the gps issue that people are having

I recommend that(now that i have a captivate)

I no longer will ever buy an HTC device unless I know for sure they have improved their build quality and I don't recommend buying an HTC device

They are pretty but not the best build wise and have issues and complaints(Check the Evo and Incredible forums)

by no means am i bashing...i was lurking and saw this thread
But to save yourself the trouble

Get a Droid 2, Droid X or if you have to have htc...get an incredible

but i'd def take a look at the Samsung Fascinate(it's supposed to be out next month)