Should my first smart phone be the T-bolt?

[abledsoe]

I know I'm late to the party but it's finally time to get a smart phone. I have Verizon (and plan on staying there) and have been looking at the Thunderbolt. Am I going to be jumping into the deep end here? I have read all the battery/reboot complaints, but I also really don't have anything to compare it to.

FWIW I currently have the LG Dare.

Any thoughts/input are appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[rhippler]

It is the 1st LTE phone on VZW and firsts tend to be glitchy. That said I figure most problems will be sorted out in short order with a software update. So if you don't have a problem being a beta tester with the rest of us I say go for it. I have no regrets, yet.

 

[3ricG]

I upgraded from a dare to the T-bolt, and i have no regrets. if you are worried about battery life, don't. Mine doubled after using it for about two weeks.

 

[ahoogst]

I came from an env3 which was a POS. I love my TB and while it may have some issues and the battery isn't that impressive I don't regret switching at all. Especially if 4G is available in your area I'd go for it.

 

[rabernet]

I'd say to go for it. My first smartphone was the Dinc, and I suspect that the learning curve between the two would be a very similar experience. You have to jump in somewhere, and the Thunderbolt is certainly a worthy consideration!

 

[Joewoowoo]

I say go for it ,you will grandfathered in to the unlimited data if in fact Verizon does go to a tiered data plans this summer, 4g speeds are awesome. cons are the battery, since you will be playing pretty much non stop with your new and first smart phone I would suggest that you buy a extended battery from day one. please understand that the extended battery does add a hunchback to the tbolt but it really is not that bad( actually I preferr it) Good Luck !

 

[WizeGuyDezignz]

I would go for a Charge if I were you. I am getting rid of my TB if you want to buy it. The Charge performs very similar and the battery life blows away the TB. Not to mention that the screen is much nicer. Touchwiz sucks right? Just throw LauncherPro or GoLauncher and you're set.

My good friend got a TB (without consulting me first) as his first smartphone and he hates it. He is returning it today within the 14 day return policy. The phone just doesn't cut it in my opinion. Unless you want to add a huge extended battery on it.

 

[Dark Jedi]

I would go for a Charge if I were you. I am getting rid of my TB if you want to buy it. The Charge performs very similar and the battery life blows away the TB. Not to mention that the screen is much nicer. Touchwiz sucks right? Just throw LauncherPro or GoLauncher and you're set.

My good friend got a TB (without consulting me first) as his first smartphone and he hates it. He is returning it today within the 14 day return policy. The phone just doesn't cut it in my opinion. Unless you want to add a huge extended battery on it.

I see more people complain about the battery life on the charge section more and more. The fix for the bolts reboot issue is out and I am sure soon it will be ota. I have compared the bolt next to the charge on loading web pages at the same time and the bolt smokes the charge every time. The one thing the charge has going for it is its display.

Get the phone you want. Don't let bias opinion sway you. Goto Verizon and ask to compare a bolt and a charge and see which one reforms better. I installed the leaked fix and it seems to work so far. Battery life seems like it was before the failed ota that caused all these issues. From what I seen so far my battery life will be back to the 32 hrs I was getting before the failed ota update.

 

[Jrife]

I know I'm late to the party but it's finally time to get a smart phone. I have Verizon (and plan on staying there) and have been looking at the Thunderbolt. Am I going to be jumping into the deep end here? I have read all the battery/reboot complaints, but I also really don't have anything to compare it to.

FWIW I currently have the LG Dare.

Any thoughts/input are appreciated.

Thanks!

if you have never had a smartphone the t-bolt might be a little much for you at this stage. it's to advanced for beginners. I would go for a Garmin phone or something like an older LG phone.

 

[WizeGuyDezignz]

I see more people complain about the battery life on the charge section more and more. The fix for the bolts reboot issue is out and I am sure soon it will be ota. I have compared the bolt next to the charge on loading web pages at the same time and the bolt smokes the charge every time. The one thing the charge has going for it is its display.

Get the phone you want. Don't let bias opinion sway you. Goto Verizon and ask to compare a bolt and a charge and see which one reforms better. I installed the leaked fix and it seems to work so far. Battery life seems like it was before the failed ota that caused all these issues. From what I seen so far my battery life will be back to the 32 hrs I was getting before the failed ota update.

Those people must have come from an Env2 and expected it to last 3 days without charging it. Because I am here to say that I got the Charge this morning and it has been OUTSTANDING already.

The battery life is better than the TB by a lot. No doubt about it, I have had both phones now and it's not even a contest. Since I fully charged it after I bought it, I have been PUNISHING the phone and it's held up like a champ. I have been on it constantly since it was fully charged and it's still going. I'm talking setting up all of my settings, downloading all of my apps, texting a lot, email, internet, lots of videos, Pandora, etc. It's not even close.

And the phone itself is also better. Even thought it's plastic, it feels perfect. Not too heavy but it doesn't feel flimsy. The build quality is much better as well. No light seepage of course, the frame isn't separating from the glass like two of my TB's did, the buttons feel great, no mushy power or volume buttons and the screen BLOWS away the TB.

I'm serioius, I have had HTC phones since the old HTC Touch, but this phone is so refreshing. It's definitely a better phone in my opinion, but it won't get the credit it deserves I have a feeling.

 

[Bman123]

if you have never had a smartphone the t-bolt might be a little much for you at this stage. it's to advanced for beginners. I would go for a Garmin phone or something like an older LG phone.

You cannot be serious

 

[Dark Jedi]

Those people must have come from an Env2 and expected it to last 3 days without charging it. Because I am here to say that I got the Charge this morning and it has been OUTSTANDING already.

The battery life is better than the TB by a lot. No doubt about it, I have had both phones now and it's not even a contest. Since I fully charged it after I bought it, I have been PUNISHING the phone and it's held up like a champ. I have been on it constantly since it was fully charged and it's still going. I'm talking setting up all of my settings, downloading all of my apps, texting a lot, email, internet, lots of videos, Pandora, etc. It's not even close.

And the phone itself is also better. Even thought it's plastic, it feels perfect. Not too heavy but it doesn't feel flimsy. The build quality is much better as well. No light seepage of course, the frame isn't separating from the glass like two of my TB's did, the buttons feel great, no mushy power or volume buttons and the screen BLOWS away the TB.

I'm serioius, I have had HTC phones since the old HTC Touch, but this phone is so refreshing. It's definitely a better phone in my opinion, but it won't get the credit it deserves I have a feeling.

so how many hours did you get? I love how peopke talk great battery life on the charge but post no hours. They say its just better than the bolt.

You do realize the bolt weighs .1 gram more than the original Droid. So don't get where people says the bolt is so heavy.

Hey if your happy with the charge enjoy your new phone as its what this forum is all about. I have noticed with this new update that I manually installed my reboot issue is fixed and my battery life is back to normal. Plus my phone is now cool again when i use it. So I think HTC is getting their game back together and hope gingerbread comes soon.

 

[Dark Jedi]

if you have never had a smartphone the t-bolt might be a little much for you at this stage. it's to advanced for beginners. I would go for a Garmin phone or something like an older LG phone.

Please explain your thinking on this? This phone is no diffrent than the original Droid in how to use.

 

[rabernet]

if you have never had a smartphone the t-bolt might be a little much for you at this stage. it's to advanced for beginners. I would go for a Garmin phone or something like an older LG phone.

You're kidding - right?

 

[jroc]

if you have never had a smartphone the t-bolt might be a little much for you at this stage. it's to advanced for beginners. I would go for a Garmin phone or something like an older LG phone.

lol...I agree with the others that are asking if you are serious.

What I will say is as the years go by the smartphones tend to get better. So I wouldnt advise an older smartphone persay. At the same time, Verizon has a decent line up of smartphones, including ones from 2009.

To the OP, if you like what you see from the Thunderbolt, go for it. You have been reading up on it and that's always a good thing. Learn about the pros n cons a phone may have before getting it and it will make the experience better, whether you stick with the phone or not.

 

[WizeGuyDezignz]

so how many hours did you get? I love how peopke talk great battery life on the charge but post no hours. They say its just better than the bolt.

You do realize the bolt weighs .1 gram more than the original Droid. So don't get where people says the bolt is so heavy.

Hey if your happy with the charge enjoy your new phone as its what this forum is all about. I have noticed with this new update that I manually installed my reboot issue is fixed and my battery life is back to normal. Plus my phone is now cool again when i use it. So I think HTC is getting their game back together and hope gingerbread comes soon.

I'm at 6 hrs. 9 min. since off the charger and I still have 75% left. And this is with 4G on the entire time. Just for comparison sake, I would be recharging my TB at this time of the day normally, as it would probably be at about 30%. And that's with 3G on! No matter how you look at it, it's cut and dry. The Charge is MUCH better with battery life.

It's actually to the point that I'm giddy inside. Look, I'm not trying to push any agenda or anything, but this phone has been much better than the TB so far. In every area. It doesn't feel rushed and I haven't even run into as much as one glitch yet. Now will I eventually? Probably, but I was already battling with my TB at this point when I bought it.

And during those 6 hrs. and 9 min., I have been using the phone. Texting friends, downloading some apps in the market, a little web surfing and some settings customizing.

You wanted numbers, so there it is. I have a feeling that I won't even have to touch my charger until I go to bed, and that's only because I want it fully charged for tomorrow morning. It's refreshing honestly.

 

[Jrife]

The t bolt is far to advanced for new users. Id wait it out and get a t bolt a year or two down the road. You might want to get a moto razer or something of this caliber. The tbolt is far to advanced for the new user.

 

[Dark Jedi]

The t bolt is far to advanced for new users. Id wait it out and get a t bolt a year or two down the road. You might want to get a moto razer or something of this caliber. The tbolt is far to advanced for the new user.

first off its Razr, and second it isn't hard using a smartphone. My 7 year old can operate my bolt.