Thunderbolt to Droid Charge- a few questions.

[doganddisc]

Good evening all,
I apologize if this thread is redundant. I've been looking for these answers on other threads but can't seem to find anything too conclusive.

I am yet another ticked off Thunderbolt owner expecting at least somewhat of a miracle by switching to the Charge. To be honest, I'm really not picky with my phone. I want it to work as a phone. I expect a few issues here and there. I don't want to have to call customer service every four days. Simple enough, right?

After an hour of arguing with a Verizon floor supervisor who insisted that I could not replace my TB with a Charge, I finally called tech support (at the supervisor's suggestion) and was offered the Charge for TB swap as long as I paid for the battery and back cover. Whatever. If it gets the TB off my hands, I'll take it.

I really wanted to like the Thunderbolt- I love sense, I loved the features of the phone, but when it came down to performance I was experiencing constant dropped calls and spotty 3g and 4g connection- and that was after getting a refurb, having the SIM card replaced, hard reset, and pulling the battery every time something needed to be fixed (per a store employee's advice).

Here's what I'm wondering:
1) Can I expect to have the same or similar issues with the Charge that I had with the Thunderbolt? I have read about some people having trouble with the phone showing full service but not actually having any connection, or dropping in and out of 4g, 3g, 1x constantly. With the TB, it didn't seem to matter if I was moving or staying in one spot- I was constantly dropping in and out of service.

2) Dropped calls- please please please somebody tell me they don't experience a lot of dropped calls with the Charge (and let it be true!). I was on AT&T previously and switched to Verizon to get away from the dropped calls. Heck, the phone even dropped my call while I was on the line with the VZW supervisor. Frustrating!

3) Does Widget Locker work on this device? My boyfriend has a Droid X and can't use Widget Locker on his phone without having to go through two lock screens.

4) Can the screenshots be taken on any screen, as with the iPhone? And how easy are they to take? Just hit a button, or is it a longer process?

5) I read that the Charge doesn't come with an SIM card. Can I use the SIM from my TB?

6) Is there anything else I should know as a Charge-Owner-To-Be? :]

Thank you!

 

[moondrius]

I have not dropped any calls on the Droid Charge. I got mine about 3 weeks before it came out and never any issues with that. 3g I noticed kind of sucks on the phone, I am not sure if it is the area or the radio firmware. I do get lte 90% of the time and it works great.

To take screenshots with the Charge all you have to do it hold the back button and then press the home button. You will hear a shutter sound so you know it went through. As for the sim card you can just take it from the Thunderbolt and put it into the Charge with no issues.

 

[ddemlong]

Here's what I'm wondering:
1) Can I expect to have the same or similar issues with the Charge that I had with the Thunderbolt? I have read about some people having trouble with the phone showing full service but not actually having any connection, or dropping in and out of 4g, 3g, 1x constantly. With the TB, it didn't seem to matter if I was moving or staying in one spot- I was constantly dropping in and out of service.

Every phone has its issues, most people had issues before EE4 was pushed or they live in an area where 4G is scarce or they just have crappy signals. I live in phoenix, az which is a relatively new market for 4G. Out in the west valley where I live I am kinda on the border at times for 4G coverage but I dont have any issues with the phone loosing service.

2) Dropped calls- please please please somebody tell me they don't experience a lot of dropped calls with the Charge (and let it be true!). I was on AT&T previously and switched to Verizon to get away from the dropped calls. Heck, the phone even dropped my call while I was on the line with the VZW supervisor. Frustrating!

No issues here either.

3) Does Widget Locker work on this device? My boyfriend has a Droid X and can't use Widget Locker on his phone without having to go through two lock screens.

Not to sure what widget locker is, dont believe we have it.

4) Can the screenshots be taken on any screen, as with the iPhone? And how easy are they to take? Just hit a button, or is it a longer process?

Yes, hit the home button and the back button at the same time and it snaps the screens picture

5) I read that the Charge doesn't come with an SIM card. Can I use the SIM from my TB?

Um comes with a 32GB card.

6) Is there anything else I should know as a Charge-Owner-To-Be? :]

Its a good phone, some people report GPS issues, but I havent experienced them. Some people dont care for touch wiz and download launcher pro or go launcher. I would also download Handcent or Go SMS because I dont care for the stock messanger.

The only problem I really found with the phone is it can get laggy at times. Samsung equipped the phone with the older RFS file system. This limits the phones ability at times. The highest quadrant I hit before root was 977. After root just by changing the file system from RFS to an EXT4 I can hit 1750's. just did 1748... overclocked I have hit 2200.

I feel if you just want a 4g phone that has better battery life, decent performance compared to the TB its a great choice. If you are performance minded I would suggest Rooting and Rom-ing the phone as it will unleash its full potential and give great customization to it.



BTW I bought my charge on Day 2 of its release. I dont know if they have made tweeks or not to it since then or if there are generations, but if there are I have the first. I would expect to see these problems people described even before I rooted/rom'd but I never did.

 

[stueycaster]

Here's what I'm wondering:

5) I read that the Charge doesn't come with an SIM card. Can I use the SIM from my TB?

Um comes with a 32GB card.

When I bought my Charge at the Verizon store the guy put a SIM card in it. However, I've bought my last phone from the Verizon store. I could have got it much cheaper. Shop around and ask them if they are going to put in a SIM card.

I don't know if they are interchangeable from the TB though.

Also I applied the Lagfix (Ext4) and a custom Gingerbread rom and I use Launcher Pro Plus. Now I can't find a reason to not love this phone.

 

[Chi-TownTx]

Depending on where you live you may have some 3G/4G hot swapping. This is more due to Verizon setting up their network than anything. I live in the Chicago area and pretty much always have a strong 4G signal. However i noticed months ago when i first got the phone it would switch all the time. Think this was more due to bugs on Verizons network end at that time though.

Never had a dropped call, reboot/crash, had to pull the battery or anything like that with the Charge. The phone just works.

The one thing your going to have to do especially since your coming from HTC Sense is to ditch the TouchWiz UI. TW is bad, really bad. In fact chances are your going to notice some pretty hefty lagg with it (like slow screen sliding) when you first get the phone.

Delete all widgets on TW, all the extra screens and download a new UI. I used Home Switcher for an easy swap and use Go Launcher EX myself. Also never been a fan of the stock browser so DL'ed Dolphin HD. Once i did all that the phone runs like a dream.

Like any new phone i noticed the battery life sucked when i first got it. However after the break in period i now have no problem making it through the day without needing to charge it. Granted as with any smartphone a lot of this also comes down to how much you use it etc.

 

[doganddisc]

The one thing your going to have to do especially since your coming from HTC Sense is to ditch the TouchWiz UI. TW is bad, really bad. In fact chances are your going to notice some pretty hefty lagg with it (like slow screen sliding) when you first get the phone.

Thank you for your responses. Regarding TouchWiz, I'm not too concerned as long as Go Launcher doesn't suck my battery too much. I've heard that the Charge has a better battery life than the TB- I couldn't run any launchers on the TB because it would drain my battery insanely fast. With only running sense, my phone will last about five or six hours.

Regarding Widget Locker- I googled it and it does seem to be available for the Charge. It is quite useful. You can customize your lock screen with it. Definitely worth the $2 or whatever it is they are asking for it.

I'll be getting my Charge on Monday as long as the hurricane doesn't destroy Connecticut. Can't wait!

Thank you all for your help! I'm looking forward to no more dropped calls!!

 

[GrammieDroid]

I did enjoy the 4g when I was in Chicago. Or at least my Granddaughter did. It was flawless and a very strong signal all the way from the edge of town down to O'Hare! I have dropped calls here near Eau Claire Wi. due to forest, rural, and low lying area. Verizon is the ONLY wireless to have around here. If you live in the city then you can have the others. If you don't travel. Anyway there is problems with the 3g too dropping calls. I have Charge because of the Big Screen and easier to use keyboard.