What Am I Missing?

[JTG40cal]

So I recently made the switch from AT&T and iPhone to Verizon Android...I gotta say, that so far I am VERY far from impressed and am wondering if I am missing something that everyone else who absolutely loves their phones sees.

I purchased the Droid X and picked up a Fascinate for my fiancee. She LOVED her iPhone and after everything I read/heard about the Fascinate, it was the closest competitor. She is so frustrated with the phone that every time she has to use it she shakes her head and mummers, "Ugh, this phone!"

I had my own issues with the Droid X, but they mostly centered around the inefficient and cumbersome UI. After installing some widgets and Launcher Pro Plus, the "feel" of the phone has GREATLY improved. I am still very disappointed with things like not having visual voicemail, VERY limited cut and paste options, and that I still get "file not supported" when attempting to play MP4 files.

So to the Fascinate...WOW...its like they went backwards with this phone! While the screen is very vibrant with AMOLED, it is NOT very responsive. Just trying to unlock the phone with the scroll bar takes a few tries unless you get it just right. What bothers me most about the Fascinate is that the UI is not the problem. In fact, it is much like the iPhone. The problem is with the phone's function. So please tell me if we are missing something, but:

1. The phone does not support enhanced message service. I sent her several texts today and after some, I received, "Message Delivered to <number> as plain text Destination does not support enhanced message service". REALLY!? Any text over 160 characters or containing special characters is a mess. She just received a message from her friend (sent via iPhone) and the second portion of the message came BEFORE the first. Its like a puzzle trying to piece the conversation together. iPhone easily supported EMS and messages of any length, character, or picture attachment.

2. While connected to WiFi, the phone drops 3G. That means that you cannot download anything on the VZ network? No updates, no picture mail, nothing. REALLY!?

3. No visual voice mail. Self explanatory.

4. Limited cut and paste

5. Abundance of little quirks. For example, she was on a work call earlier today and a friend called in. Of course, call waiting beeped on her end. The problem is it beeped on her coworker's end as well. In fact, it was so loud she asked my fiancee what that was.

I would think that these would be basic concerns for developers. Maybe we were spoiled with iPhone; but things like WiFi/3G connectivity, text/MMS function, visual voice mail, and comprehensive cut and paste capability were non-issues.

Im hoping maybe we are missing something here and these issues can be remedied, but reading things like this make me wonder:

Samsung Fascinate Known Issues document leaks Boy Genius Report

 

[baseballphan]

If you haven't jumped ship yet, I can answer one of your questions well. Regarding the cutting and pasting issue, first of all, are you using Swype. If not, it's awesome. All of my iPhone-using friends are jealous of it, although I'm pretty sure it won't be long before there is some form of Swype for the iOS, if it's not out already. When you're in the swype keyboard, swype from the swype key to the ABC key and a different editing menu pops up with all sorts of choices included cutting, pasting, copying and selecting. Try it.

 

[cableguynoe]

Moved to the lounge since the problems you state aren't specific to one phone

 

[jamesnmandy]

ok, for starters please be aware we aren't comparing apples to apples. the IPhone is in it's 4th generation now at least with lots of history and market research and refinement while the Android based phones are newer. there are certain drawbacks to both devices and you have made some valid points. most of them i have not had a problem with, nor have i noticed many complaints about, so your usage may differ a lot...that being said i offer the following suggestions/opinions:


1. Samsung is aware of the SMS shortcomings and are addressing them in a future update, why use SMS anyways...you have to pay for those, use the Google chat app called "Talk". much nicer than "old" texting, you pay for unlimited data, use it. i would drop the text option completely but i kept a 250 message on our phones only because so many people we know A. dont have a newer Android phone and B. even if they did they would likely still use texting out of habit and slam our bill with texts not realizing we are paying for them per text

2. yeah...not sure about this one...i mean, nobody really wants to use the Verizon apps anyways, most people go to great lengths to uninstall them and install the many much better alternatives, i cannot say not having access to VZW while on WiFi ever bothered me...because like most, i dont use VZW apps, there are much better alternatives in the Market

VZNavigator = Google Navigation/Maps
VCast = YouTube...or video site of choice
VZTones = any number of free ringtone apps available in the Market, better yet turn your own MP3's into ringtones on the phone....
....i forget what other VZW apps there are because frankly i dont use them and most people who find the alternatives are much better + free dont use them anymore either

3. no VZW does not offer visual voicemail as of right now to my knowledge. you should consider Google Voice as a substitute as it will provide your voicemail transcribed as well as many many other useful features..it's superior in many ways and also free....

4. i have noticed that the cut paste functions are clunky right now, i also remember seeing it mentioned that Samsung is aware and is planning to make it better in a future update also

5. might want to unlink the ring volume and notification volume in settings and set each one individually, see if that works, honestly i don't have enough people calling me to ever have two calls at one time, nearly all communications on my phone are through email, personal and corporate exchange, or the Google "talk" chat app

so to sum it up.

Google + Market provides a suitable or superior solution for anything VZW does and usually free

the Fascinate itself is less than a month old.....the IPhone is years old....it takes time to work out bugs

also you have to make allowances for the sheer volume of open sourceness you now have. the ATT less superior network and Apple's strangehold on the IPhone allow for much less customization. The Android is a tinkerers phone. They can be used as-is fine but with a little effort as you found out they can be much easier to use. The IPhone is for those who want a nice phone to work out of the box and don't mind paying a premium for it and also don't mind not being able to make it what they want it to be.

whats funny is i am a very hard device user...i mean i use GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, Exchange corporate email, gmail personal email, RSS feeds, stream Pandora music, enable live Weather Channel widgets and Facebook widgets.....not to mention flashing custom kernels and roms and overclocking when it comes around......i hammer my phone

i leave the house with a full charge at 7am and get home around 5pm with around 20% charge and i rarely actually use it as a phone as in having a voice conversation....

and i have not had any of the issues they list come to my attention. the first time i read that article/list i was amazed at it.....but it doesn't affect my enjoyment at all. i realize the hardware in the Fascinate is superior to anything out now as far as CPU/GPU and i realize the phone is brand new, so i also realize once the 2.2 update and a couple Samsung firmware updates come out this phone will more than suffice for two years no problem

 

[JTG40cal]

James,

Thank you for a thorough reply and I appreciate the suggestions/opinions. First, let me say that I am comparing the functionality of our new Fascinate to that of the iPhone 3G (not the 4 or even 3Gs). Second, I will say that I am painting with a bit of a broad stroke given that user needs vary greatly (as does functionality).

In regards to the SMS shortcomings...I guess I just assumed the days of manually dialing into a mailbox, listening to a messages in their entirety, Pressing seven to erase (or nine to save), and THEN moving to the next one only to repeat the process were over. I managed to get GV on my Droid and it has definitely made things easier. I will even go as far to say that GV provides some great options with the transcription and storage of message through one's gmail account. The only issue is that you must first obtain an invitation! I was fortunate enough to find one through a coworker, but are searching for one for my fiancee. Ive heard requests through Google can take a bit of time to process through. You would think that given the Android platforms of these phones, they would come stocked with GV and an invitation. We have Google Talk on both phones at the moment, but SMS is still our go to...mostly out of habit I will admit. Also though, not many of our friends do not use Google Talk (or even have gmail accounts). I honestly wouldnt mind the 160 character limit on texts if they came through in succession. As I mentioned, at times the text is broken into multiple parts and you may not get the first part until last! Other times however, the multiple parts come through without issue.

As for the WiFi issues...I was not aware of it until I got home last night and asked my fiancee if she received a picture I sent her and she said she hadnt. I looked at her phone and the message was still marked as "downloading". At that point I jumped online and started doing some reading. That is when I found discussions about the WiFi/3G connectivity issues. I turned off her WiFi, recent the original message, and it came through with ease. Also, when trying to access the network to preform and update, all I received last night was "Server Down" notifications. Granted this happens with any phone on any network at one point or another, but again...as I read through forums, it seems to be a prevalent issue.

Cut and paste is more of a luxury than a necessity. For example, I conduct a number of FedEx transaction each month. With my iPhone I was able to easily copy a tracking number from the body of a delivery confirmation, link the tracking page, paste said tracking number, and readily see where it was.

As you mentioned, this is a VERY new device to the market and I fully understand the lag time for working out the bugs. When we first got our iPhones for example, they did NOT have cut/paste or MMS capability. I guess I assumed Samsung, Google, and VZ would have learned from that and built the functionality into the first launch. Especially since it was marketed so close to the iPhone. I would also agree with the ability to customize their phone. As I mentioned (and as you commented), I would a quick LP+ and a few widget upgrades to my Droid X made it a completely different phone. I am definitely going to look into something similar for my fiancee's fascinate.

Anyways, we have not given up just yet and I am holding out for future updates and bug fixes.

Thanks again!

 

[tommy_ed]

Thank you for a thorough reply and I appreciate the suggestions/opinions. First, let me say that I am comparing the functionality of our new Fascinate to that of the iPhone 3G (not the 4 or even 3Gs).

Cut and paste is more of a luxury than a necessity. For example, I conduct a number of FedEx transaction each month. With my iPhone I was able to easily copy a tracking number from the body of a delivery confirmation, link the tracking page, paste said tracking number, and readily see where it was.

i think he was referring to the fact that iphone itself has been out for years. 3gs and even iphone 4 didnt really change a whole lot for it, so apple has had plenty of time to work out all the quirks on it.

as for cut and paste, im not sure if its different on droid x or fascinate, but on my incredible I can easily do what you describe above. Just press and hold on the tracking number and a small menu will pop up, press copy, then press and hold in the empty box on fed ex's website and press paste! i thought all android phones had that capability? hope this helps!

 

[takeshi]

While connected to WiFi, the phone drops 3G. That means that you cannot download anything on the VZ network? No updates, no picture mail, nothing. REALLY!?

Android devices in general use only WiFi when connected to it. I don't really use anything that relies on the Verizon network so I can't comment on your concern here. Picture messages should come through but I don't really use MMS and I'm not sure if the issue you're experiencing is specific to the device or not.

Limited cut and paste

That is annoying and it's a problem on many Android devices from what I've seen.

Abundance of little quirks. For example, she was on a work call earlier today and a friend called in. Of course, call waiting beeped on her end. The problem is it beeped on her coworker's end as well. In fact, it was so loud she asked my fiancee what that was.

That has to be device-specific as it has never happened on my Droid.

No visual voice mail. Self explanatory.

Did you subscribe to it? Self explanatory.
http://wirelesssupport.verizon.com/features/calling_features/visual_voice_mail.html?t=3

Google Voice was suggested above as an alternative. It's far more than just visual voicemail but you can use it like visual voicemail if that's all you want from it.

If you haven't jumped ship yet, I can answer one of your questions well. Regarding the cutting and pasting issue, first of all, are you using Swype. If not, it's awesome. All of my iPhone-using friends are jealous of it, although I'm pretty sure it won't be long before there is some form of Swype for the iOS, if it's not out already. When you're in the swype keyboard, swype from the swype key to the ABC key and a different editing menu pops up with all sorts of choices included cutting, pasting, copying and selecting. Try it.

How does Swype help with cutting and pasting?

 

[mcatdtDROID]

so go back to iPhone.... if it was so great, why did you jump off that ship to begin with?

 

[Demache]

James,

As for the WiFi issues...I was not aware of it until I got home last night and asked my fiancee if she received a picture I sent her and she said she hadnt. I looked at her phone and the message was still marked as "downloading". At that point I jumped online and started doing some reading. That is when I found discussions about the WiFi/3G connectivity issues. I turned off her WiFi, recent the original message, and it came through with ease. Also, when trying to access the network to preform and update, all I received last night was "Server Down" notifications. Granted this happens with any phone on any network at one point or another, but again...as I read through forums, it seems to be a prevalent issue.

I'm thinking this one is a bug for that phone. What should happen, is that your phone opens a mobile network data connection along with your wifi connection (so you'll see the wifi and 3G symbol at the top). Then download the message via 3G, but still use wifi for everything else.

Updating my phone to Android 2.2 unofficially, introduced this bug to my phone, and is a known bug. However, it doesn't exist in the normal 2.1 software. So this leads me to believe that its a bug for the phone specifically, and should be fixed in a future update.

 

[JTG40cal]

so go back to iPhone.... if it was so great, why did you jump off that ship to begin with?

Hahaha, calm down. No reason to take anything personally. I had heard a lot of great things about Verizon and these Android phones. After the hassles of switching carriers and paying early termination fees, its not so easy to just "go back". Im only sharing some of the quirks I am noticing with the phones. As was mentioned, they are new devices and bugs are being fleshed out. Thought folks here would have some insight and they have. Learned a few things from the replies. Not complaining for the sake of complaining so don't get all twisted.

 

[uzetaab]

not being able to unlock the phone is a pretty weird sounding bug. It almost sounds like a hardware issue (with the touch screen) & the phone may need replacing. Are there any other issues with the touch screen? Like typing or scrolling web pages?

As for mp4 files, the audio I listen too uses their own specific apps (Audible & Google Listen) & I don't watch video, but I'd be surprised if one of the other apps you can download from the market don't support mp4.

Aside from a new app, you may be able to use handbrake if you have a windows pc to convert the files into a more compatible format.

 

[mcatdtDROID]

Hahaha, calm down. No reason to take anything personally. I had heard a lot of great things about Verizon and these Android phones. After the hassles of switching carriers and paying early termination fees, its not so easy to just "go back". Im only sharing some of the quirks I am noticing with the phones. As was mentioned, they are new devices and bugs are being fleshed out. Thought folks here would have some insight and they have. Learned a few things from the replies. Not complaining for the sake of complaining so don't get all twisted.

I don't own stock in either... so pick whichever... but noone is twisting your arm here. I won't lose sleep if you go back, or feel accomplished if you stay...

 

[jamesnmandy]

hey OP, the answer to your limited copy paste issue

http://androidforums.com/fascinate-tips-tricks/192182-swype-shortcuts.html

the features are there, just hidden

 

[GeorgeinLA]

Just to be clear, Verizon definitely offers Visual Voice Mail for an additional couple of dollars a month. Works great on my Droid 2!