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How Many Of You Are Content?

XXSuntoucherxX

Well-Known Member
Feb 4, 2010
116
13
Brookline, MA
Like I began, how many MT4G users are content with not rooting their devices? Or tried and went back, or rooted and remained with the stock firmware? Honestly, in my evolution of Android phones from the G1 to the Behold 2, to the Vibrant, to my girlfriends Cliq to my current MT4G, I've rooted 3 of them, and ROM'd 2 of them. Not since the G1 have I been this satisfied with a phone the way it was. Even before the G1 I was screwing with the firmware on my old Motorola V series and PEBL.

To each is own I know, but, there's just nothing functionally broken with this phone, or nothing that an app can't fix, or nothing a little getting used to won't cure. (For me anyway) All that said, there are a few things that only rooting would allow me to do, and I would love to do it. I would love to overclock it and most of all, I would love to run an ad-blocker, taking screen shots is a nice perk too. But that's it. I don't need a new ROM, I don't need a different UI. As a matter of fact, I don't even know what the MT4G stock UI looks like. Out of the box I put LauncherPro on it before I even activated the phone properly and I've been happy ever since.

Aside from the random restarts, and the wonky contacts, it's one of the best phones I've ever owned. So with all the talk around the virtues of rooting this particular device, I have to ask all the owners out there, are you happy with your phone?
 
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this is certainly one of the best phones ive ever owned. battery life is now bearable even with the stock battery. though i bought a slightly higher capacity battery and have my OEM batt as a backup. But with light use - today for instance, my phone dropped 5% over 7 hours. Couldn't do that with a lot of my older phones, not to mention a smart phone that's always connected.
i don't need or want to root this phone. i can handle the few extra junk icons =).
There's 2 things which i suppose are major, i would change. The myfavs icon to normal contacts and genius to regular search.
 
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I've been contemplating root, but none of the mods have really appealed to me and, honestly, the stock with its bloatware hasn't really bothered me that much. I mean once you slap stuff on 7 homescreens, do you really use the apps drawer that much? It's not like the bloatware takes up that much space. I just wish the camera functionality was a bit better. I like what Samsung packs into their camera set- unfortunate how they and T-mo fail to keep their products updated or else they surely would have a killer product. HTC FTW!
 
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I've been contemplating root, but none of the mods have really appealed to me and, honestly, the stock with its bloatware hasn't really bothered me that much. I mean once you slap stuff on 7 homescreens, do you really use the apps drawer that much? It's not like the bloatware takes up that much space. I just wish the camera functionality was a bit better. I like what Samsung packs into their camera set- unfortunate how they and T-mo fail to keep their products updated or else they surely would have a killer product. HTC FTW!

this is certainly one of the best phones ive ever owned. battery life is now bearable even with the stock battery. though i bought a slightly higher capacity battery and have my OEM batt as a backup. But with light use - today for instance, my phone dropped 5% over 7 hours. Couldn't do that with a lot of my older phones, not to mention a smart phone that's always connected.
i don't need or want to root this phone. i can handle the few extra junk icons =).
There's 2 things which i suppose are major, i would change. The myfavs icon to normal contacts and genius to regular search.

The bloatware thing will get on my nerves when I hit the ceiling with internal space on the phone. Right now I'm approaching 180 apps one of which is Firefox and there's no imminent threat of me running out of room. But, after the ordeal I went through deleting bloatware from the Vibrant and it screwing with the JI6 update I'm definitely hesitant to deleting system software anyway. So, I'll just never use Rockband or any of that other crap.

The Genius button doesn't work well at all on my phone. Perhaps I just don't know how to use it. Never having had a MyTouch phone before maybe I'm missing something, but whenever I tap it, it takes forever to engage and when it finally does it screws up whatever I'm searching for. Between the Google Search widget on one of my home screens and my Yelp account, I'm covered for finding stuff. Rooting/ROMing would probably serve me well to reprogram the Genius button to just a regular hot search key. I would love to do it, but it isn't worth borking anything to make it happen.

The way that contacts are handled on this phone is far and away my biggest gripe, especially the Faves. Between the linking and syncing of Tmobile, Google, Facebook, and the SIM card, it's just awful. The Vibrant was awesome at handling this sort of thing. Ultimately, I just created a contact list through Google Contacts and sync'd that one to the phone. If I wanted pictures of people I either took them, or linked their FB profile. It's taken a while, but it's working out.

The battery life on this phone is incredible. I know I have heavy and lighter days, but overall if I'm prepared and I have a means by which to charge my phone during my day somewhere, I'm set. For whatever reason, the battery just doesn't bleed like my previous phones. I can leave the house listening to music and it doesn't drain past 100% for a good half hour into my commute. By the time I get to work it's at 97% (Over an hour of constant music) 90% if I'm watching a movie.

Sure I'll get greedy if the HTC Pyramid ever makes it to T-mobile, but I'm going to keep this phone as a backup. Haven't said that about a phone since my G1, and before that my PEBL.
 
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To each is own I know, but, there's just nothing functionally broken with this phone, or nothing that an app can't fix, or nothing a little getting used to won't cure.

i can say im about 99% content. most of the things i want to do and cant on stock i CAN achieve through an app. i am rooted for one thing and one thing only and that is to use the screen capture app. other than that.....my phone is 'stock' with the exception of home replacement apps etc.
 
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Sure I'll get greedy if the HTC Pyramid ever makes it to T-mobile, but I'm going to keep this phone as a backup.

You and I are cut from similar cloth, my friend. We came from the Vibrant which left a lot to be desired, to this awesome phone. The only thing that may make us bat an eye is the HTC Pyramid :). And, I plan on keeping my MT4G as a backup, something I never do because I buy my phones outright & sell the old one off to recoup some of the money.

I hate the way contacts are handled, too. I don't want things to be "linked." I also don't use the genuis button much, but I do use the car dock mode quite a bit. All in all, though, it's a WONDERFUL device.
 
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New member here- Hi everyone.

I've had my MyTouch4G for a little over a week. I've had two BB 8700's and one BB Curve 8320 that this phone replaced. This was one of very few purchases I did NOT do my homework on before buying. T-Mobile had a slammin deal, my BB was 3 yrs old, and so I jumped in the android pool totally green to this format.

What a rude awakening. Some for the better, some for the worse. I've had quite a steep learning curve since the day I bought it. I didn't have to do that with my BB- just use it.

Plusses:
1. Processing power & speed
2. great phone formfactor
3. gobs of memory installed
4. fairly beautiful display
5. stable OS
6. great voice recognition software installed
7. NOT A WINDOWS-BASED system
8. Android has awesome potential
9. Real, useful mobile web-surfing, complete with FLASH!

Minuses:
1. Immature platform
2. unrefined apps
3. certain items I expect in a smart phone either not installed or not available AT ALL
4. Linux-based OS
5. battery hog
6. where's my bundled Mac support/drivers/etc?
They took the time to give me windows crap I don't need or want, and a simple iTunes alternative for getting my songs into the device- which I could care less about
no bundled or available sync/backup software for mac.
7. Not many accessories available yet. (docks, external keyboard, etc)
8. Touch screen keyboard- yuck. Can I get rid of the ES (espanol) key? It's useless and always in my way.
9. Horizontal mode for keyboard is not available in all apps ( and the size of the keys are better for me in horizontal mode) I could absolutely fly on my BB's querty keyboards with few if any errors. Not this thing.
10. Too much bloatware installed

I'm not even going to directly address the amt of apps that are not ready for prime time, or have not been updated to run on 2.2... and can cause problems...

Now before the dander is raised around here, remember this thread is for opinions on user satisfaction, so I'm giving as unbiased opinion as I can. This is not a hater rant, just my observations over the last 9 days of ownership.

For starters: for all the Beauty & stability of Linux it is also a minus for me. WHY? Because when I made the jump from Windows to Mac 6 years ago, (and had piddled around with Red Hat for a bit some years prior) I was sick and tired of doting over my computers. I got tired of babysitting them. Tired of the hours wasted that I could have been doing other things. OSX was a huge blessing for me. Zero crashes in 6 years on either one of my macs (iMac G5 PwrPC, MacBookPro Intel Santa Rosa)

Furthermore, for all the configuration options & tweaks of Android and Linux, it forces you more or less to serve the system to try and obtain what you want, instead of the system serving YOU, and ready to go right off the bat.

I got away from Windows for that very reason- especially the maintenance issues. I want to turn on the device, use it for what I require of it, and live my life. I know many Linux heads just love their computers and messing with them- well, those days are long gone for me. That just isn't in my blood anymore.

I don't get a spell-checker imbedded in my Android apps (and email programs); I don't get any MS office compatibility without 3rd-party downloads (and purchases for full-functionality); I don't get decent utilites included for simple tasks like making my own wallpapers, not to mention the bloatware that I can't get rid of, without being "rooted". Rooted my eye, I want to use the thing and be done with it until the next time I require its use. Nothing more. Not dote over it.

My BB's always could at least read MS OFFICE apps without 3rd party app nonsense; had a built-in spell check that interfaced well in my email accts that I imported and sync'd...
ah viva la differance!

THAT, to me is how my experience should be going. and it's not. Unless Android gets a serious shot in the arm AND SOON, I will buy an unlocked iPhone 4G and use it on my T-Mobile system, and probably do so far before my eligibility for replacement comes around.

If they want to truly mkt this phone, and more importantly, market ANDROID as a competitive rival to either BB or the iPhone (and in the business world), they better poop or get off the pot. The upshot is, I don't think they are far off; but why the foot dragging? Android has been out for awhile, so I find no real excuse here.

There also seems to be much argument about Android apps and, more specifically, apps killers to save battery life. Some say OS 2.2 is intelligent enough to manage apps, but other developers are saying otherwise. Why on earth is there disagreement? Surely something definitive can be said at this stage of Android's maturation. Somebody must have the final, factual word on this. I understand there are some apps with an "exit" button (and I use them). Others apps do not.

Other upshots- the MyTouch4G's camera is real good. One report listed it as just under the quality of the new iPhone, yet gave the 4G the nod because there was a more robust interface to tweak your photos. I'd have to agree. Amazingly great pictures can be taken with this thing. I also like the video conferencing of Tangle.

But it's still so unrefined, overall... and at this price point and its competition I find it inexcusable.

C'mon. Somebody PLEASE make these simple changes/improvements to make me totally embrace the Android platform. Right now it's too much of a free-for-all with it being such an open-source community. For all the plusses there are some glaring minuses, sad to say. People gripe all day about how tight-fisted Steve Jobs is with source code; but at least Apple has definitive consistence, and rock solid stability... and that is precisely the reason that Apple is so tight-fisted with it. There must be some baseline guidlines for Android, or somebody needs to get a consortium together to decide these issues once and for all.

I'm honestly hoping for improvements, but I'm not holding my breath to see it before my device gets replaced, sad to say. Too many caught up in the me-too apps & games; and not enough focus on sorting out some specific things and defining others; that could make Android an otherwise FANTASTIC OS for the avg casual or biz user who just wants the device to serve them.

These are my perceptions and experience thus far with my phone. No disrespect or flame wars intended to anyone here. I'm too old for that crap.

I'm all ears for tips and ideas. Thanks.
 
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1. Immature platform (pls explain more on this)

3. certain items I expect in a smart phone either not installed or not available AT ALL
(and this too)

seeing that you've only been on android a week, if theres something in particular you're looking for, you may have over looked it or an app can fix it. im sure if i dont have the answer someone here on the forums can help you.
 
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I thought my overly verbose post might help explain clearly. Let's try this:

Okay, so Android 2.2 is quite a milestone over earlier variants, say 1.6 and earlier as I'm learning; but there is still so much refinement to be realized- this is what I mean by immature. ie: It's still pretty "young"; and in that it seems that certain issues with inclusion of things like spell check, OFFICE apps (at least read-only) compatibility; furthermore, we can't even get a solid consensus from developers who SHOULD understand Android to agree on what Android 2.2 is actually doing, say, regarding apps management under the hood (shut off or running in the background, etc).

With the devices featuring Android's 2.2 OS hitting the streets so hard, there seems to be many apps available that aren't yet ready for 2.2 without crashes or other naughty things happening; let alone some of these other plug-in or embedded functions I touched on.

Hope that made it a bit clearer. As a long-time PC, MAC & BlackBerry user, it's not like I'm new to computers, and various OSi & smartphones. But I'm not a programmer, or a tweaker; nor do I care to be. I'm an end-user who just wants and expects certain things that should be standard in today's mkt of Smart Phone choices.

In the four years of using RIM/BlackBerry products, I never once needed to purchase software to accomplish what I wanted to on the device itself, with regards to business or pleasure. Bam(!), right out of the box, everything was there except my email acct setup (which was a breeze).

Thanks!
 
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i understand your point, but i have to say i think android is pretty much on target. it is a few years behind most platforms. that can be argued since they pretty much have a road map of how to do it RIGHT the first time go-round. at the end of the day every platform isnt for everyone. i do hope u can stick around a little longer to get to know it a little better and see what it is capable of....down the road.
 
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Thanks, c54o. I have gotten much more acclimated with it than my first 24 hrs with it. I hated it that first day. Now I just find it irritating in certain aspects, but enjoyable in others. At least I have a real, viable mobile internet solution in my pocket- surfing online with my BB 8320 was hideously tedious and neanderthal in comparison. This is MUCH better! (I gotta add to the list!)

I don't mind embracing new things- in fact I kind of force myself to do so to get out of the boxes we can seem to get in. (har!) I can definitely see the potential for Android. Definitely. It just isn't "there" yet, and I'm not interested in being one of the guys playing around with it under the hood all day long to help it along and mature. That's not me... we've got a ton of other things to do. :)
Thanks again.
 
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Thanks, c54o. I have gotten much more acclimated with it than my first 24 hrs with it. I hated it that first day. Now I just find it irritating in certain aspects, but enjoyable in others. At least I have a real, viable mobile internet solution in my pocket- surfing online with my BB 8320 was hideously tedious and neanderthal in comparison. This is MUCH better! (I gotta add to the list!)

I don't mind embracing new things- in fact I kind of force myself to do so to get out of the boxes we can seem to get in. (har!) I can definitely see the potential for Android. Definitely. It just isn't "there" yet, and I'm not interested in being one of the guys playing around with it under the hood all day long to help it along and mature. That's not me... we've got a ton of other things to do. :)
Thanks again.

I'm glad you've had time to play around with the phone for a while. After being anti-Apple for years, and anit-Windows as much as I could be, I was beside myself with joy when someone dropped a Linux based phone OS. Sure, Android as an OS may not be as refined as iOS. But it wasn't designed for 1 phone. It's real easy to perfect a 1 trick pony. It may not be as commercially approachable as a windows phone, but that's because Linux isn't too commercially available. Fundamentally, Linux is what developers make of it. Google created something that makes smartphones more cosmopolitan. On some level everybody will find an Android device that works for them somewhere. If they find a phone that's at least close, they'll definitely find an app for it. Besides, if all else fails, root your phone, and ROM it. I promise you, it'll probably be worth it.
 
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You and I are cut from similar cloth, my friend. We came from the Vibrant which left a lot to be desired, to this awesome phone. The only thing that may make us bat an eye is the HTC Pyramid :). And, I plan on keeping my MT4G as a backup, something I never do because I buy my phones outright & sell the old one off to recoup some of the money.

I hate the way contacts are handled, too. I don't want things to be "linked." I also don't use the genuis button much, but I do use the car dock mode quite a bit. All in all, though, it's a WONDERFUL device.

I was talking to someone today about the Vibrant and what's really funny is, he's standing by because it's a Samsung Vibrant. During the half hour long discussion he never once actually told me anything that he liked about it save for the screen. He sounded like an iPhone fanboy except it was with an even crappier phone. Anyway, I couldn't handle a lot of things with the Vibrant. Mostly I just needed a phone that worked. Sure, movies looked great, but that's about it. This phone may not have the greatest screen, but at least I don't have to spend an hour converting a movie to play on it. GPS works out 10 times out of 10. It doesn't lag too much. the WiFi tethering is incredible, use it daily. I will keep this phone till it dies from over use.

On the flip side, I'm a power using hog. If the next HTC manages to eliminate the few issues I have with the MT4G, I'm all for it. The MT4G does get a bit overburdened from time to time and will either start crawling, or just up and restart without warning. Perhaps I run a lot of things, perhaps I abuse that whole multi-tasking thing too much, but it's a minor annoyance. At least I can tell when it's about to happen and I can simply restart it. Oh, and the restarting, generally this phone is wicked fast, except when it comes to a restart. The contacts, OMG they're annoying. Again, I've worked around it though, but it's still awful for day to day stuff. I'm hoping that the next HTC is dual core and all will run stock Android. (Which will solve 95% of every last problem in the world with the Android devices) I also hope that they keep it functional. All those little things that HTC does to increase the end user value is what really makes this company worth buying. The WiFi tethering, the FFC, the WiFi calling, the b/g/n WiFi, FM radio, etc.

Indeed we both expect a lot for our $500.00!
 
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During the half hour long discussion he never once actually told me anything that he liked about it save for the screen. He sounded like an iPhone fanboy except it was with an even crappier phone.

i have a friend who is just like this. they love their phone to death but the only thing they yap about is that freaking screen. amoled this amoled THAT. it annoys me at times but i just let him rant. if he's not comparing my mytouch he bought for me to his 'screen' he's complaining about everything else. before froyo he could do alot of things like tether, play music and be on the phone and the other person couldnt hear it. then when he updated to froyo he lost everything. . .but he enjoys alot of the new features froyo came with on his phone. its pretty much a lose/lose with him and his 'AMOLED' device. he's in the process of getting a refurb that doesnt have froyo and holding out until the optimus is released. at one point i envied his phone when i had my mytouch slide. my phone was like a G1 sitting next to a moto razor (as far as size). but with all the war stories of ppl who have own samsung devices and having a friend who complains alot about it, i for sure will NEVER puchase a samsung phone.
 
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Very content. I can't see, for now, anything I would change or have a need to switch to a new phone unless something REALLY amazing happened. Not even Dual Core is that appealing on a phone. A Tablet, yes! Phone, not so much...

I agree totally. I've had tons of cell phones over the years from Motorola's 120c, V330 (which I loved) and Razor; a lame Samsung Gravity and the myTouch 3G were my last two. This myTouch 4G is my absolute all time favorite, I'm super content. Everything I can ask for, speedy, perfectly balanced form factor, etc...the technology is gonna have to evolve pretty far for me to get something else. I dig T-Mobile too, I've tried the other three, so yeah, I'm really content. And after coming off that OTA Froyo fiasco on my MT3G Fender that's saying something...
 
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