Phone still worth getting?

[A.Nonymous]

So for those who have had this phone for a few weeks now, are you still happy with the phone? I'm still looking at getting it, but just got scammed out of $300 I was going to spend on it so it may be a few more weeks. Just wondering what the pros/cons seem to be after using it for a while.

 

[andross77]

How did you get scammed? Craigslist?

 

[hilmar2k]

If you need push notifications, and are on wifi a lot, then I am not sure I'd recommend it right now. Otherwise the phone is great, but the delayed push notifications while on wifi is a huge problem for me.

And this is not limited to the Inc4G. This looks to be a Sense 4.0 issue.

 

[jamala00]

IMHO... Very much so. It is a very nice upgrade for either the Inc or the Inc2. It's the nicest phone on Verizon IMO without being a phablet!! I just got back from a 4 day cycle trip. Had the phone mounted on a windshield mount to my bike. Had no issues with reception, had no issues seeing the screen the entire time. I get as good if not better reception then the Org Inc did. It is very fast, I would recommend using Chrome instead of the stock browser. Battery life is awesome... But then again it is just my opinion.

By the way.. How did you get scammed?

 

[DodgerinNH]

I would give a qualified yes for now. There are definitely quirks that may be the phone-related or may be ICS or Sense 4.0 related (apps that don't perform like they used to, wallpapers reconfiguring themselves, etc.) The push notifications (sleeping WiFi) issue is more than a little troubling, to say the least. Definitely on the plus side is the camera, the stock browser and the battery life, but I had excellent battery life on my OG Incredible, as well. I only paid $50 for mine, so I'm not complaining too much. But this phone cries out for rooting quite frankly, because I know the enhancements made by developers will be superior to the timeliness that some of these necessary fixes will be offered up by HTC/Verizon. The hardware is there, it's just a matter of time. But mainly due to these quirks, the stock experience already seems a little limiting, unfortunately.

Also, I tried the Chrome browser, but like many of the others I couldn't get it to wrap the text to fit the screen upon pinch-zooming like the stock browser does, and that is a deal breaker for me.

 

[FiveAces]

I've been happy with it for 2 weeks now. Speed/performance is good. There are issues with push notifications, and it's lack of handling real multi-tasking. But my use doesn't depend on these things so they aren't a deal-breaker. I use "Mail-Droid" for my email client (just liked it since my old Motorola Droid days, and was much more configurable than the default mail client in Froyo) and prefer to set my email to check ocasssionally and stretch my battery life (which has been darn good so far). My only complaint so far has been HTC's way of memory management. You can't move apps to the external SD card because of the way they partition the internal memory. But I don't anticipate it being a real problem because I don't load up my phone with games and useles apps.

 

[GeoUSA]

I'm pleased and transition from original Incredible took only a short time. I'm amazed by the 4G speed except for the times it doesn't respond at all, which is just occasionally.

A couple of issues:

I do miss the dedicated search button at the bottom. I had grown accustomed to a quick press for search and a long press for voice search. I now have to surrender space on the home screen for the Google Search widget.

I also miss the dedicated Menu button, but that's more of an Android 3/4 thing. It sure was nice for getting into Android settings though.

Power button and volume buttons are recessed so much they are tricky to press. Volume buttons are now on the right side. Some may prefer, but I hold phone in left hand and my thumb was naturally positioned for volume on original Incredible. On the other side, I certainly don't accidentally press volume anymore.

Higher resolution screen leads to smaller text and icons. On the positive, it's a beautiful, bright display.

Even after inserting an SD card, you can't move apps there. This may eventually be a problem. The battery is removable and can be replaced. I'll probably move to a Seidio extended, same size battery when available as I always used these in the OG Incredible. Battery life is okay -- have to take some steps for all-day use. I think most 4G phones have this issue.

 

[andross77]

I've been happy with it for 2 weeks now. Speed/performance is good. There are issues with push notifications, and it's lack of handling real multi-tasking. But my use doesn't depend on these things so they aren't a deal-breaker. I use "Mail-Droid" for my email client (just liked it since my old Motorola Droid days, and was much more configurable than the default mail client in Froyo) and prefer to set my email to check ocasssionally and stretch my battery life (which has been darn good so far). My only complaint so far has been HTC's way of memory management. You can't move apps to the external SD card because of the way they partition the internal memory. But I don't anticipate it being a real problem because I don't load up my phone with games and useles apps.

I think this is an ICS issue not HTC. Because you can't move apps to SD on SGS3 either. Which sucks for people like me that bought Class 10 cards and love to load up 100 sweet intense 3d games But yeah, 32gb internal helps a lot compared to 8gb. But hopefuly Jelly Bean will bring something new but i think the decision was made to discourage app stealers (you know who you are!) and people that sideload apps and otherwise get them illegally. I guess it makes it harder when they made ICS so you can't do apps2SD.

 

[DodgerinNH]

I'm pleased and transition from original Incredible took only a short time. I'm amazed by the 4G speed except for the times it doesn't respond at all, which is just occasionally.

A couple of issues:

I do miss the dedicated search button at the bottom. I had grown accustomed to a quick press for search and a long press for voice search. I now have to surrender space on the home screen for the Google Search widget.

I also miss the dedicated Menu button, but that's more of an Android 3/4 thing. It sure was nice for getting into Android settings though.

Power button and volume buttons are recessed so much they are tricky to press. Volume buttons are now on the right side. Some may prefer, but I hold phone in left hand and my thumb was naturally positioned for volume on original Incredible. On the other side, I certainly don't accidentally press volume anymore.

Higher resolution screen leads to smaller text and icons. On the positive, it's a beautiful, bright display.

Even after inserting an SD card, you can't move apps there. This may eventually be a problem. The battery is removable and can be replaced. I'll probably move to a Seidio extended, same size battery when available as I always used these in the OG Incredible. Battery life is okay -- have to take some steps for all-day use. I think most 4G phones have this issue.

I wanted to second a couple things you said:

1) The button configuration as it stands now is a problem, and that 3-dot thing is pretty lame. However, once rooted there are already mods to fix all of that. The worthless "recent apps" button will become a menu button, long-press that will become search, etc...
2) You're right on about the volume buttons. I definitely preferred them on the left side (even though I too would occasionally hit them accidentally, at least they responded!) Now it seems like they are stiffer and separated, so I actually have to turn the phone around to look at it when I want to adjust the volume mid-call, because I can't find them by sense of touch. Just depends which hand you hold the phone with, I guess. People who hold it with their right hands are probably thrilled about the change.

 

[GeoUSA]

I wanted to second a couple things you said:

1) The button configuration as it stands now is a problem, and that 3-dot thing is pretty lame. However, once rooted there are already mods to fix all of that. The worthless "recent apps" button will become a menu button, long-press that will become search, etc...

Dodger, I rooted my OG Inc too. Haven't decided to take the plunge on this yet -- so far plenty of speed and the ability to freeze the Verizon bloatware. So far I'm liking HTC Sense 4. Though I just visited www.peteralfonso.com and see he is working on Jelly Bean versions of his Bugless Beast ROMs. No Inc or Inc 4G yet, but would be tempting.

 

[DodgerinNH]

Dodger, I rooted my OG Inc too. Haven't decided to take the plunge on this yet -- so far plenty of speed and the ability to freeze the Verizon bloatware. So far I'm liking HTC Sense 4. Though I just visited Peter Alfonso and see he is working on Jelly Bean versions of his Bugless Beast ROMs. No Inc or Inc 4G yet, but would be tempting.

Unfortunately, HTC (under pressure from Verizon) decided to re-lock the bootloader back on July 23rd, so unless you already rooted your phone in the first few weeks after launch, it's no dice. (I waited too long also) However, even as we speak, some very smart people over on XDA are working on it, trying to figure out a workaround to re-unlock the bootloader so we once again have the option to root our phones. Until then, all we can do is wait... What I like about new ROMs is that the developers already know what is wrong with the stock ROM and engineer it out in one fell swoop, rather than waiting for behemoths like HTC and Verizon to fix their mistakes, which obviously is like turning around the Titanic.

 

[rcrott1]

I can tell you that the battery life on this phone is AWESOME. I have had mine on, with the extended battery, not connected to wifi at all, for 1d 7h 45m 47s and am at 57% battery.

When I AM on wifi, I don't notice the push delay, at all... the phone sits next to my ipad(which i have for work) and my asus tf300t, and all 3 of them respond at the same time, just about every time, when an email comes in....

the volume buttons being on the opposite side, is great for me... i'm a lefty, and hated having to try and redo the volume all the time (i have partial hearing loss in my left ear), and the buttons being on the right side of the phone makes it easier for me to change the volume faster.

I would definitely get another of these phones, for my wife, if she wanted one.. in a heartbeat.
sound is good, size is fine... for those complaining that it is too small, i dont want a friggin tablet in my hand for a phone. if i want to use a tablet. ill use my tablets.

 

[DodgerinNH]

I can tell you that the battery life on this phone is AWESOME. I have had mine on, with the extended battery, not connected to wifi at all, for 1d 7h 45m 47s and am at 57% battery.

When I AM on wifi, I don't notice the push delay, at all... the phone sits next to my ipad(which i have for work) and my asus tf300t, and all 3 of them respond at the same time, just about every time, when an email comes in....

the volume buttons being on the opposite side, is great for me... i'm a lefty, and hated having to try and redo the volume all the time (i have partial hearing loss in my left ear), and the buttons being on the right side of the phone makes it easier for me to change the volume faster.

I would definitely get another of these phones, for my wife, if she wanted one.. in a heartbeat.
sound is good, size is fine... for those complaining that it is too small, i dont want a friggin tablet in my hand for a phone. if i want to use a tablet. ill use my tablets.

Hi, in regards to your push emails, if I may paraphrase, the problem that we're having is when the phone has been idle (or "asleep") for a sufficient amount of time, we're guessing 15 or more minutes, that the phone goes into deep sleep as some kind of misguided battery-saving feature come up with by HTC, and no longer pushes emails. It's true you will get emails- either eventually- or when you re-awake the phone. When I have the phone "up" (meaning asleep for just some short amount of time) I do get the push emails pretty much instantly.

BTW, I haven't noticed this necessarily with Gmail, as I don't use it very often, it's been with the native email client running Microsoft Exchange where it's been happening.

Just curious, have you tried to put your phone into deep sleep and run that same test, and are you doing this with Exchange Server? I'll run some more tests with my Yahoo (which claims to push mail now) and Gmail in the meantime.

thanks

 

[A.Nonymous]

How did you get scammed? Craigslist?

Another forum. Long story short I posted about looking at the Incredible 4G. Someone PM'd me and said they had one. They sent me pics of the phone with the days date and their screen name next to it. I sent them money. Then they stopped responding. Turns out they had done the same thing to several other people. They got the money, then stopped answering emails or PMs. I'm waiting to hear from Paypal to see if I can get my money back or not.

 

[jamala00]

Another forum. Long story short I posted about looking at the Incredible 4G. Someone PM'd me and said they had one. They sent me pics of the phone with the days date and their screen name next to it. I sent them money. Then they stopped responding. Turns out they had done the same thing to several other people. They got the money, then stopped answering emails or PMs. I'm waiting to hear from Paypal to see if I can get my money back or not.

Oh, that sucks!!! Hope you get your money back... I am really enjoying this phone.

 

[jamala00]

Hi, in regards to your push emails, if I may paraphrase, the problem that we're having is when the phone has been idle (or "asleep") for a sufficient amount of time, we're guessing 15 or more minutes, that the phone goes into deep sleep as some kind of misguided battery-saving feature come up with by HTC, and no longer pushes emails. It's true you will get emails- either eventually- or when you re-awake the phone. When I have the phone "up" (meaning asleep for just some short amount of time) I do get the push emails pretty much instantly.

BTW, I haven't noticed this necessarily with Gmail, as I don't use it very often, it's been with the native email client running Microsoft Exchange where it's been happening.

Just curious, have you tried to put your phone into deep sleep and run that same test, and are you doing this with Exchange Server? I'll run some more tests with my Yahoo (which claims to push mail now) and Gmail in the meantime.

thanks

So what are you meaning by putting your phone in a deep sleep? I have not changed any settings from buying the phone. But I am not sure if my phone goes into "deep sleep" or not. If not, I wouldn't change it as I have no issues at all with battery life. I use Gmail and have no issues getting mail while my phone is "off" or sitting around for however long without use.

 

[hilmar2k]

Could you tell me what your Keep WiFi on during sleep setting is set to?

 

[jamala00]

Could you tell me what your Keep WiFi on during sleep setting is set to?

Mine "Keep wifi on during sleep" is set to Always... I won't change it from that, as I said, I have no issues with battery life.

 

[hilmar2k]

Mine "Keep wifi on during sleep" is set to Always... I won't change it from that, as I said, I have no issues with battery life.

Do you have any delayed push notifications? What I'm really interested is comparing that setting for those who have the delayed push notifications, and those who do not.

I had mine set to "Always" and had delayed notifications once my phone went to sleep mode (~15 min after screen off). I changed it to "Never" and *I think* it solved the issue. Of course, it opens up a new set of issues, but I think I am proving the issue is related to wifi sleeping while the screen is off. My fix is by no means really a fix, just a band-aid until HTC fixes the issue (though they call it a "feature").

 

[FiveAces]

Mine "Keep wifi on during sleep" is set to Always... I won't change it from that, as I said, I have no issues with battery life.

I too, have mine set this way and was trying to see if there was any indication of this "deep Sleep" thing some users have complained about. And to be honest, I sent myself emails (from my wifes' phone) and they came through almost instantly every time even after the phone was "asleep" for over an hour!
I learned that leaving the wifi always on is the most efficient and best battery performance setting. It turned out that on the old Froyo systems, turning wifi on & off constantly uses the battery much faster than just leaving it on all the time.

So although this is not a high proirity, I'm not finding and problem with it that can't be cured using the correct settings.

 

[jamala00]

Do you have any delayed push notifications? What I'm really interested is comparing that setting for those who have the delayed push notifications, and those who do not.

I had mine set to "Always" and had delayed notifications once my phone went to sleep mode (~15 min after screen off). I changed it to "Never" and *I think* it solved the issue. Of course, it opens up a new set of issues, but I think I am proving the issue is related to wifi sleeping while the screen is off. My fix is by no means really a fix, just a band-aid until HTC fixes the issue (though they call it a "feature").

No...

I too, have mine set this way and was trying to see if there was any indication of this "deep Sleep" thing some users have complained about. And to be honest, I sent myself emails (from my wifes' phone) and they came through almost instantly every time even after the phone was "asleep" for over an hour!
I learned that leaving the wifi always on is the most efficient and best battery performance setting. It turned out that on the old Froyo systems, turning wifi on & off constantly uses the battery much faster than just leaving it on all the time.

So although this is not a high proirity, I'm not finding and problem with it that can't be cured using the correct settings.

+1 .. I have no issues with notifications. I can send myself emails and get notifications instantly. I get them in the midde of the night after my phone has been sleeping for hours... The only think I did when I got this phone before I did anything else was a factory reset after it was activated... I do that with any phone I get...

 

[rcrott1]

Hi, in regards to your push emails, if I may paraphrase, the problem that we're having is when the phone has been idle (or "asleep") for a sufficient amount of time, we're guessing 15 or more minutes, that the phone goes into deep sleep as some kind of misguided battery-saving feature come up with by HTC, and no longer pushes emails. It's true you will get emails- either eventually- or when you re-awake the phone. When I have the phone "up" (meaning asleep for just some short amount of time) I do get the push emails pretty much instantly.

BTW, I haven't noticed this necessarily with Gmail, as I don't use it very often, it's been with the native email client running Microsoft Exchange where it's been happening.

Just curious, have you tried to put your phone into deep sleep and run that same test, and are you doing this with Exchange Server? I'll run some more tests with my Yahoo (which claims to push mail now) and Gmail in the meantime.

thanks

Gotcha.... no i dont use exchange, at all. haha. i have all my office emails forwarded straight to my gmail account.

 

[A.Nonymous]

Gotcha.... no i dont use exchange, at all. haha. i have all my office emails forwarded straight to my gmail account.

I'm sure your IT department is thrilled with that set up.

 

[jamala00]

I also do not use Exchange. Work does not allow us to connect our personal cell phones to the corp network right now. They also do not allow us to forward e-mails to any external email account. So I only use Gmail and the Gmail App on this phone. I have a yahoo account, but I go to the mobile yahoo website to check that. It is more or less my spam account and I do not want notifications every time I get some spam mail. So I do not link it to the native app or download the yahoo mail app.

 

[rcrott1]

I'm sure your IT department is thrilled with that set up.

they would care if they actually did anything.

ive been fixing their mistakes over the past week. told them monday that they are no longer allowed in my department for computer work, as all they do is screw stuff up.