Can't take it anymore.... got an iphone

[Alan Ross]

Well, I gave up. I tried. I really did But in the end I bought an iPhone. Bye ,bye HERO.
The GPS issue, the daily reboots, the message 67, the daily loss of 3g, the lag, the phone calls dialed from my pocket, the numerous apps running without my knowing it.... Some of you will say I should have rooted. Perhaps so, but enough experimentation.

So I got an iPhone. And what a revelation. Everything works at unbelievable speed, with amazing intuitiveness and forethought, integration. And, did I say it? SPEED.
I never wanted to go Steve Jobs way. I fought it. I really did. But there is no comparison. NONE.

Over and out!

 

[Joehunni]

Of all the things you could've had instead... shame on you.

 

[nilihanth]

Make sure you buy a case or a Antennaid for your, I assume, iPhone4.

And now you must realize you've opened this thread up for the flaming of Apple and iPhones. It's bound to happen. Android is to iPhone as Batman is to Joker.

 

[TeamTJ]

Interesting...I've had my Hero for 8 months and have never had ANY of the issues mentioned above, except for the lag.

 

[JB in AZ]

There's no denying the iPone has a lot to offer...at a price. (And I am not just refering to money) I sincerely hope you enjoy it and it works for you. I'm sure it will. Like them or hate them, Apple does make a refined product.

 

[Kelmar]

Hope it works better for you than the Hero did. Adios!

Feel free to stick around if you want though.

 

[scottmbolt]

Edit: But in all honesty, the Hero was a big of a ball dropper post 2.1. User Tripwire's_hero Below my said it really good.

 

[Jimbo670]

I will show you support because I am close also. I will sell my hero IF I do it. Just tired of messing around. It's my only phone needs to be reliable. Why shuld I have to alter the phone and make it something different that out of the box to work properly. Ok enough of beating a dead horse.

 

[Danokan]

Hero
Fresh 2.3.3

Quick, fast, and snappy.

None of the problems you had.

Hmm.. maybe it was you?

 

[tripwire's_hero]

Honestly, I can't say I blame you.

There are a lot of things wrong with this phone. I was fairly happy with how it performed under 1.5 (didn't have a lot of the problems many people had) but with the update to 2.1 I've seen a severe hit in overall performance. My phone is sluggish in all operations and takes forever to connect a call now. The keyboard lags most of the time - sometimes so badly that it's unusable.

Beyond that, there are the insanely stupid things about it like having to tell it not to waste half it's battery looking for a GSM signal every time I reboot it. (unreal that this got thru) Or the fact that it's filled with bloatware that self boots on startup. (NFL crap! yay!)

Sure, you can respond with "root it"! but the truth is, you shouldn't have to. A device should work right out of the box. To get the best performance out of a consumer product, the end user shouldn't have to crawl under the hood and perform complex operations that might brick it.

With the exception of an INSANE antenna design flaw, Apple has created an amazing piece of tech. Not only is it drop dead gorgeous and feels like a million dollars in your hand, it performs at blazing speed. Everything Just works. It's intuitive, clean and worth every penny. (again, except for the glaring design error in the antenna. that one's gonna live in infamy)

ALL THAT SAID, I can't stand AT&T. I never had more trouble with a carrier in my life. The billing foul-ups and dropped calls numbered more than I care to recount. Add to that the fact that they rolled over for the government and happily placed wiretapping rooms in their hub centers to illegally monitor phone traffic, and you can guarantee that they'll never see another cent from me again. I've never owned an iPhone for the simple reason that it's exclusive to AT&T.

 

[ToxicToastKatz]

Honestly, I can't say I blame you.

There are a lot of things wrong with this phone. I was fairly happy with how it performed under 1.5 (didn't have a lot of the problems many people had) but with the update to 2.1 I've seen a severe hit in overall performance. My phone is sluggish in all operations and takes forever to connect a call now. The keyboard lags most of the time - sometimes so badly that it's unusable.

Beyond that, there are the insanely stupid things about it like having to tell it not to waste half it's battery looking for a GSM signal every time I reboot it. (unreal that this got thru) Or the fact that it's filled with bloatware that self boots on startup. (NFL crap! yay!)

Sure, you can respond with "root it"! but the truth is, you shouldn't have to. A device should work right out of the box. To get the best performance out of a consumer product, the end user shouldn't have to crawl under the hood and perform complex operations that might brick it.

With the exception of an INSANE antenna design flaw, Apple has created an amazing piece of tech. Not only is it drop dead gorgeous and feels like a million dollars in your hand, it performs at blazing speed. Everything Just works. It's intuitive, clean and worth every penny. (again, except for the glaring design error in the antenna. that one's gonna live in infamy)

ALL THAT SAID, I can't stand AT&T. I never had more trouble with a carrier in my life. The billing foul-ups and dropped calls numbered more than I care to recount. Add to that the fact that they rolled over for the government and happily placed wiretapping rooms in their hub centers to illegally monitor phone traffic, and you can guarantee that they'll never see another cent from me again. I've never owned an iPhone for the simple reason that it's exclusive to AT&T.

Pretty nicely put. I echo pretty much everything you've said. I was literally 2 seconds from smashing my phone (on a few separate occasions within the past 2 weeks) for the exact reasons you've stated. It's become so bad, it is actually UNUSABLE. AND>>>>I'M ROOTED!! I was running Fresh's 2.3.3 (no knock on his work, it just wasn't playing nice) ROM. From the lag, to the unresponsiveness to the 3 hours of battery life, I couldn't take it. As a last ditch effort, I tried a Vanilla Android ROM (Darch2.7) and so far (the past 1.5 days) it seems as if it has saved my phone. This is all subject to change, but it has at a minimum, bought my phone another couple of days worth of life. I'm hoping that it stays that way, because my next step is to call Sprint, but even then, what are they going to do? They'll tell me to hard reset and go through the standard playbook before they send me another Hero. This is my 2nd one, and I doubt the 3rd would make any difference.

The bottom line is, when all is said and done, what would ultimately make me happy? What am I looking for in a smartphone device? The answer is exactly as you have stated; Something that "just works". As an iMac owner, I know that Apple (as much as people hate them) makes products that "just work". Because it is exclusive to AT&T, and I share the same feelings as you, it's not an option for me. That being said, I'm kind of stuck w/ the Hero.

I also agree wholeheartedly that yes, a consumer shouldn't have to screw around with something (at least not to this level of effort) to get it to work properly. I can understand maybe boosting performance and having to tinker around with the device to do that, but do tinker around with it for the sake of it actually doing what it's supposed to do is a little ridiculous.

Oh well. My rant is over

 

[Gaspowered]

Honestly, I can't say I blame you.

There are a lot of things wrong with this phone. I was fairly happy with how it performed under 1.5 (didn't have a lot of the problems many people had) but with the update to 2.1 I've seen a severe hit in overall performance. My phone is sluggish in all operations and takes forever to connect a call now. The keyboard lags most of the time - sometimes so badly that it's unusable.

This is one of the reasons I am still on 1.5. This and the 2.1 Bluetooth issues. I have the Ford Sync system and the bluetooth works flawlessly on 1.5. I do wish is was a bit snappier though. I recently downloaded a cache clearing app from the market and I have noticed an improvement in responsiveness (I clear the cache every few days). That said, it still is not as quick as my friends iPhone. I really don't want to drink the kool-aid and get an iPhone, so I'm hoping I can hold on until an "almost flawless" Android phone is released by Sprit(ha)... but the sound of a new iPhone is tempting.

Cheers

 

[dizzy]

Dittos from me on tripwire's_hero posting!

A "consumer" device should work right out of the box! To get even "reasonable" performance an end user should NEVER have to "tinker" with it, nor ever need to perform complex "tweaks" which could render the device inoperable!

I looked at all the smartphones, the iPhone was clearly the best "engineered" product but passed on it because of ATT. Android was a good 2nd choice because it has a lot of "potential" but that will only become realised if Google takes a stricter approach. Open systems are great because they foster innovation but if allowed to develop without controls they foster splintered standards ... anybody remember the nightmare of modem standards and incompatibilities that spawned?

 

[nilihanth]

I can understand the disappointment of having to start "messing" with your phone right out of the box to get it the way you like it. I rooted my Hero within a week of using the 2.1 Stock ROM that was full of bloatware. This is where it comes down to personality, I believe.

One type of person will take something they bought and make the best of it--better than the companies that sell it think it should run--after seeing that there were other people that were able to do the same. That person will see no down-side to tweaking the object and may even get some enjoyment out of it--natural tinkerers!

Another type of person simply expects the product to work. Do it's main functions and do them well. Tinkering with said product would never become an option for this type of personality as they are happy with what they are given.

Obviously Google and Apple are totally different companies with totally different mindsets. Google takes the approach of making a core functional operating system that does a good job and let other companies choose to take it in their own directions, as is evident with HTC Sense as an example. Apple dreams up a complete package; OS, Hardware, etc. and fine-tunes it the exact way they deem acceptible and sell it. Each has it's own pros and cons, but those two approaches have led to the huge difference we see in Android vs. iPhone products.

I think it is unfortunate that the HTC-Sprint partnerhip that is responsible for releasing the 2.1 ROM upgrade for the Hero didn't take enough time to see the performance suffer. The reaction to that problem is either to hack your phone to make it the way you deem acceptible, accept it as is, or to go on another path entirely.

I honestly believe that the iPhone is a fantastic product for those of the mindset that is in line with Apple's and I think that those who are moving to the iPhone will probably be superbly happy. I also believe that there are some Android phones out currently that are insanely good at what they do right out of the box, with no hacking necessary. I also believe that the HTC Hero is a fantastic phone in that it can keep up with some of the newer phones just fine with a little tweaking. HTC/Sprint messed up the 2.1 release for the phone but that doesn't mean that the phone is a bad device, which is evident in that most rooted users have just loved their experience with it post-root.

Android phones and the OS are evolving so fast it's hard to keep up. I think it is exciting to see where it is going.

Sorry if I went on too many tangents. I was in semi-rant mode.

 

[Alan Ross]

I agree with much of the response. I really dislike ATT as well. I resisted for many years. I was one of the original Nextel customers from what seems like 20 years ago. I switched over to Sprint and for the most part liked their plans. They are the fairest pricing and value.
But in the eight months+ I have owned my Hero it has probably rebooted 50 times. I have wiped the phone clean and started over 4 times myself and Sprint has done so two more times. For a week or two everything is fine and then, well, it just goes downhill.
I like the android setup and believe it will work well if given time and better chipsets.
But in the three days I have had my iPhone (yes, it costs more for the plan and the phone) I have not had any problems. I am so used to waiting for everything to start that it is amazing how fast and seamless it can be.

So I leave with regrets but it was time.

 

[tatonka_Hero]

so what you're saying is, you needed an out of the box, locked down, standard, simple, piece of crap phone? Should have gotten a dumb phone (oh wait, you did lol).

Android isn't for everyone (obviously). It's growing, it's changing, it's steadily improving. I'd say within the next two years it'll surpass all other phone OS's and leave them in the dust. Right now though, you've got to be smarter than your phone to use it and fix (or live with) the minor software issues that'll pop up. But, unlike Steve's new baby, you can actually make a call on all android phones without a case, and holding it in any damn way you please lol

 

[tripwire's_hero]

*sigh*

It's surprising that a forum member with so many posts and a large "thanks" count would have such a troll-ish attitude. Until your post, the tone of this thread was relatively well reasoned and objective. You know, mature.

Stating someone wants a "piece of crap" phone because they commented that a device should work out of the box is one of the most obtuse claims I've seen in a while.

If I purchased a shovel, and it wouldn't dig properly without me installing a new handle, wouldn't that seem odd? Would you mock me for expecting it to dig out of the box? A phone (even a smartphone) is a consumer product. The best consumer products perform their functions well, and without complex user interaction. Why would you snidely berate a user for desiring these things?

Honestly, I would have expected better from a member of your tenure.

 

[tatonka_Hero]

*sigh*

It's surprising that a forum member with so many posts and a large "thanks" count would have such a troll-ish attitude. Until your post, the tone of this thread was relatively well reasoned and objective. You know, mature.

Stating someone wants a "piece of crap" phone because they commented that a device should work out of the box is one of the most obtuse claims I've seen in a while.

If I purchased a shovel, and it wouldn't dig properly without me installing a new handle, wouldn't that seem odd? Would you mock me for expecting it to dig out of the box? A phone (even a smartphone) is a consumer product. The best consumer products perform their functions well, and without complex user interaction. Why would you snidely berate a user for desiring these things?

Honestly, I would have expected better from a member of your tenure.

Wow, can't take a joke can ya? lol. I raz EVERYONE about getting an iPhone, even my own family.

 

[Alan Ross]

I get it. I used to razz my friends as well. I agree I capitulated. But honestly the only shame is that I waited this long. For those who disagree I understand. I was one of you. But no more.

 

[victrola]

i'm really close to doing this as well.

there have been numerous times i've wanted to throw this phone against a wall. i don't have the non-phone problems. but it's the ability to make calls is what's driving me nuts.

it's not even the first call i make. that's fine. it's if i have to make subsequent calls in a short amount of time. if you make calls about once an hour, this phone does great. if, let's say, you're in the middle of making plans with friends and have to make a call to friend a; that call goes through. if you go and call friend b, right away, is the problem. right after you hit 'call', you wait 30 seconds. that happens all the time for me.

i really just want to make a phone call.

i've had this phone since april and i'm gonna say something that's probably never been said on this forum before... my centro is way better than this phone. i really miss it. sure, android blows the palm os out of the water. but, the integration between contacts and the phone is like no other.

that's what's really makes me want the iphone.

maybe the grass is always greener.

but, just like the dyson guy says... i just want things to work properly.

is that too much to ask?

 

[Wiskid]

Well, I gave up. I tried. I really did But in the end I bought an iPhone. Bye ,bye HERO.
The GPS issue, the daily reboots, the message 67, the daily loss of 3g, the lag, the phone calls dialed from my pocket, the numerous apps running without my knowing it.... Some of you will say I should have rooted. Perhaps so, but enough experimentation.

So I got an iPhone. And what a revelation. Everything works at unbelievable speed, with amazing intuitiveness and forethought, integration. And, did I say it? SPEED.
I never wanted to go Steve Jobs way. I fought it. I really did. But there is no comparison. NONE.

Over and out!

Sorry to hear about your recent pitfall of falling into the crap of Apple...

 

[Alan Ross]

Sorry to hear about your recent pitfall of falling into the crap of Apple...

for the constructive criticism.

 

[tripwire's_hero]

Wow, can't take a joke can ya? lol. I raz EVERYONE about getting an iPhone, even my own family.

in my defense, the difference between a troll and sarcasm can be very hard to detect in the written word.

 

[Rcecarbldr]

Believe me. Until I rooted my Hero I was totally ready to crush this thing under the tires of my truck. I was ultra-sluggish among many other things. Now it works pretty much as I would expect a phone of it's design too. But I was with ATT for years and I wouldn't pee on them if they were on fire now. I love my Sprint service and plans. Eventually I'll upgrade to the EVO or the next greatest Android phone to come along. My buddy has the EVO and loves it. I'm just not a big fan of it's larger size. On the same tone I have a buddy who's with ATT and has the Iphone and although he likes the phone, he hates ATT's service and plans.

 

[aceofspades626]

some people are unwilling to acquire the knowledge necessary to operate superior technologies properly.
So they go back to dumbed down toys.

Good riddance. One less complaining whiner that would rather worry about whether they're holding it right than whether they're running the best software for their purposes.