Get the Tbolt with a 1 Year Contract before the 17th, or wait for Bionic with 2 year contract

[aDroidtoForget]

If you get the Tbolt, in a year from now you could be using a quad core that dominates the Bionic. If you get the Bionic you'll have a great phone but won't be able to upgrade for 2 years.

Tough decision. Basically comes down to not having the best, but still a good phone for a year; then getting a much better phone after. Or getting a great phone in a month, but it will be outdated long before you can renew.

Verizon canceling their 1 year contracts April 17th lit a fire under my ass. What's your opinion?

 

[droidSPARX]

that was an utter bullshit policy.

I am really thinking of getting Tbolt now

 

[bluenik25]

FYI it is April 17th not May 17th

 

[kastleberg]

It really does stink. I was eagerly anticipating the Bionic, but now? Hell, Sprint's Nexus S is starting to look real good. I definitely don't want to sign two years for a device that might not even be rootable. I am probably going to wait and see how locked down Bionic is. No root+two-year only=no verizon 4 me.

 

[killacam2]

I had bought a TBolt and was planning on returning for the bionic, but looks like I'll be sticking with the TBolt to save my one year contract.

 

[WizeGuyDezignz]

Tbolt, no question.

 

[bluenik25]

I had bought a TBolt and was planning on returning for the bionic, but looks like I'll be sticking with the TBolt to save my one year contract.

It's not going to happen, but this is exactly why I am waiting until the 16th to buy. I am praying the Bionic comes out within my return period. If worse comes to worse I have seen some ridiculous trades made on craigslist.

Verizon is probably smart enough that the bionic will release the day after last one year contract t-bolt return has expired. Then again they are stupid enough to be screwing their customers every chance they get.

Not only is the one year contract my reason for getting the Thunderbolt, but I have a gut feeling they are going to go to teared LTE data when it releases. By going with the Thunderbolt I can lock in to the unlimited plan.

 

[aDroidtoForget]

It's not going to happen, but this is exactly why I am waiting until the 16th to buy. I am praying the Bionic comes out within my return period. If worse comes to worse I have seen some ridiculous trades made on craigslist.

Verizon is probably smart enough that the bionic will release the day after last one year contract t-bolt return has expired. Then again they are stupid enough to be screwing their customers every chance they get.

Not only is the one year contract my reason for getting the Thunderbolt, but I have a gut feeling they are going to go to teared LTE data when it releases. By going with the Thunderbolt I can lock in to the unlimited plan.

When you return a phone do you null the contract also? I may also do this, purchase the TB but if I choose to get the Bionic and return my TB...I can get the bionic at the contract price?

 

[droidSPARX]

this is wat I'm thinking of doing, getting tbolt until a better 4G phone comes out.

HTC battery = yuck

 

[bluenik25]

Typically, if you return a phone, but keep the number and use your old phone your contract will not be null. If you were to return the phone and cancel the number VZW would null the contract as long as you are in your 14 or 30 day window. The problem is to do with LTE. If you return your phone and use an old phone until the Bionic releases you will still have the one year contract and be able to get the bionic for the one year subsidized price, but if they change the cost of LTE to a teared plan you will not be able to get the unlimited LTE data back. This is the way I understand it and I think I'm right, but I would check with VZW before you pull the trigger.

 

[0837s]

I really want the Bionic, but was planning on putting it on a 1 year contract, since the annual upgrade and NE2 are both gone, however, I know for sure that I will not be keeping the Bionic for 2 years, so i'm torn what to do...

I'm currently with Sprint, using an Evo, with very poor service where I live. However, my contract is zero'd out, due to a lack of service where I live, so I can leave Sprint at any time. Sprint does have some attractive things to it though- price plans are much lower than Verizon, mobile to mobile (any carrier) are free minutes, and you can upgrade your phone once a year, supposed unlimited data... What to do...

No, i'm not Richard Yarnell (or whatever his last name is), preaching to the world about Sprint- just simply pointing out a couple of things that are different. I'd rather be on Verizon, but with their latest run of shenanigans (taking away the annual upgrade, the new every 2, supposedly tightening the belt on data usage, and now getting rid of the 1 year contract option), I am not so sure that I can justify going to them.

 

[dmodert66]

I explained in another thread, but I will be stuck getting the Bionic on a 2 year as I don't want the TBolt. I may just have to bite the bullet in a year and pay full price for a phone...

 

[aDroidtoForget]

I explained in another thread, but I will be stuck getting the Bionic on a 2 year as I don't want the TBolt. I may just have to bite the bullet in a year and pay full price for a phone...

Ya I think this is what I've decided to do. We will still probably be able to get 2-300 for the Bionic in a year, so the off-contract phone would be around 300-400. Not TERRIBLE but not great

 

[CaptainObvious]

Ya I think this is what I've decided to do. We will still probably be able to get 2-300 for the Bionic in a year, so the off-contract phone would be around 300-400. Not TERRIBLE but not great

Everytime i upgrade my phone with the 2 year contract price it's usually around $2-300. Full retail for a phone is usually about $600.

If in a year i sell my droid bionic for $300, i only pay another $300 towards the full retail price of a newer phone. So really, to me anyway, it all evens out. In a way.

Or i could just keep the phone for 20 months because really...after the bionic, what's even worth upgrading for anymore? Everything on my list has already been checkmarked the hell off. My dream phone list for the past couple yrs was:

1) higher res 4 inch + screen
2)front facing cam
3) 8 mp+ camera with flash
4) 4g speeds
5) good battery life
6) the newest software
7) a processor that won't be slow, lag or be outdated in 6 months.

Now that we're at dual core, i don't think we need to upgrade phones so fast anymore. Any games that come out in the next year to a year and a half should be just fine on this thing

 

[rdalcanto]

I'm thinking the same thing. I really wanted a phone on a one year contract. But, the reasons I am upgrading my Droid - screen too small, processor WAY to slow, no 4G - will all be taken care of with the Bionic. So as long as that processor can keep the phone running fast for 2 years (I don't play games on my phone), I'll be o.k.. My brother is still very happy with his one year old DroidX except for the lack of 4G.

 

[Ibrick]

I was torn between the Tbolt and the Bionic and with VZW getting rid of 1yr contracts, I'm even more glad I got the Tbolt. There's phone's in the pipeline with better hardware, but unless their running Ice Cream they won't be able to utilize said hardware any better than a single core.

We're at a point where the hardware is pretty far ahead of the software. Hell, Gingerbread isn't even standard right now.. In a year hopefully software has cought up and we have dual core phones with the software to make them sing.

 

[droidSPARX]

I just learned their return policy turned from 30 days to 14. not enough time to wait for Bionic

 

[The Absolute]

I just learned their return policy turned from 30 days to 14. not enough time to wait for Bionic

Same thing I was thinking.

 

[felkdogg]

FYI, if you look at the circular that came from DroidLife about the cancelling of 1 year contracts it would seem that most people getting corporate discounts will still have the option of 1 year contracts.

 

[ayenak0ooo]

I bit the bullet and went with the TB. Though the phone has a smaller battery, couple of tweaks here and there gave me bout 12 hours between charging.

Getting rid of the 1 yr made the decision alot easier since I was willing to wait for the for Bionic. I figure after the year, I can upgrade to a newer better dual core or even a quad.

I think of it like this.. whenever a car company redesigns an existing model, the 1st year will have its kinks and issues. It's not until a year after, that the issues have been addressed and the model will show its full potential...

 

[Vehtemas]

I bit the bullet and went with the TB. Though the phone has a smaller battery, couple of tweaks here and there gave me bout 12 hours between charging.

Getting rid of the 1 yr made the decision alot easier since I was willing to wait for the for Bionic. I figure after the year, I can upgrade to a newer better dual core or even a quad.

I think of it like this.. whenever a car company redesigns an existing model, the 1st year will have its kinks and issues. It's not until a year after, that the issues have been addressed and the model will show its full potential...

Eh, I used the TB for 12 days, and it lost 3G connectivity 3 times and required a reinstall of the OS each time...

This is not in a 4G area, 3G required reinstalling of the entire OS 3 times...

Yeah, I am definitely NOT a fan of the TB and think it has shoddy OS and hardware.

 

[ayenak0ooo]

That's a shame... When you eventually get 4g you will see a world of difference with whatever phone you get.

I'm in an area with good 4g signal and haven't gone out to a 3g yet. Hope I don't experience what you went through.

I woulda waited a little more but the 17th is coming up.. Ah well, next round of phones should be nice.

Hope motoblur improved the gestures.. my friend's DX needed multiple swipes before the phone registered any command...

 

[Vehtemas]

That's a shame... When you eventually get 4g you will see a world of difference with whatever phone you get.

I'm in an area with good 4g signal and haven't gone out to a 3g yet. Hope I don't experience what you went through.

I woulda waited a little more but the 17th is coming up.. Ah well, next round of phones should be nice.

Hope motoblur improved the gestures.. my friend's DX needed multiple swipes before the phone registered any command...

Regardless of anything else, I am not keeping a phone that continually required reinstalling the OS because it refused to connect to Verizon's data networks.

This happened right after I left a wifi area with wifi still on and it lost the router signal, it then reverted or tried to revert to Verizon's network and then failed.

It would refuse to reconnect, even after turning wifi on and off, reconnecting to a router and turning it off, rebooting, pulling the battery etc. I was forced to reinstall the OS 3 times because of some piece of shoddy coding.

I am NOT going to pay $250+ for a phone with this blatant of a software issue.

 

[Lucidot]

Regardless of anything else, I am not keeping a phone that continually required reinstalling the OS because it refused to connect to Verizon's data networks.

This happened right after I left a wifi area with wifi still on and it lost the router signal, it then reverted or tried to revert to Verizon's network and then failed.

It would refuse to reconnect, even after turning wifi on and off, reconnecting to a router and turning it off, rebooting, pulling the battery etc. I was forced to reinstall the OS 3 times because of some piece of shoddy coding.

I am NOT going to pay $250+ for a phone with this blatant of a software issue.

WOW!! Reading your post was like reliving what I went through with my TB's.

I believe it is a combination between software and hardware. The reason I say that is due to the fact that my wife kept her 2nd TB and it hasn't had any of the issues we had with the other 3. Since all the software is identical on the TB but the hardware varies, I am leaning towards the combo theory.

 

[gwlaw99]

Regardless of anything else, I am not keeping a phone that continually required reinstalling the OS because it refused to connect to Verizon's data networks.

How exactly did you reinstall the OS. Did you root and install a custom ROM?