Opinions needed! Have a Charge being Fed Exed++

[aileendq]

because of my issues with all three of my Thunderbolts. It's a certified like-new phone WITH a battery and battery cover, but no charger.

According to the executive VZW person I have been speaking with (after a nasty letter to the CEO) my htc charger should work with the Charge. (If this isn't true I will be demanding a Samsung charger).

My question is this: Should I apply the leaked MR2 update to my TB to see if that helps anything?

TY!

 

[82nd Airborne]

I can't speak about the MR2, but any micro usb charger made for another cell phone will work. I use my old Blackberry 9700 charger all the time on my TB.

 

[jcnyc]

Likewise. All chargers for androids/blackberries have pretty much been synched and the same. Now I just wish Apple would ditch their proprietary charger so we can all have some unity with chargers.

 

[rcpratt]

μUSB is μUSB. It will be fine.

 

[superstretch]

With all the news regarding the next TB/GB update, I'm going to be patient and wait for it. There was a thread on here this weekend about a VZ rep saying that it would fix the reboot issue.

I went from 0 reboots each day to 6. Now my phone has been completely shutting off.

@aileendq - time to change the "htc T-Bolt. I'm in Heaven."? ^_^

 

[WizeGuyDezignz]

because of my issues with all three of my Thunderbolts. It's a certified like-new phone WITH a battery and battery cover, but no charger.

According to the executive VZW person I have been speaking with (after a nasty letter to the CEO) my htc charger should work with the Charge. (If this isn't true I will be demanding a Samsung charger).

My question is this: Should I apply the leaked MR2 update to my TB to see if that helps anything?

TY!

First of all, congrats on getting the Charge, I highly doubt that you will be disappointed.

I can 100% confirm that your HTC charger will work on the Charge. I used it on mine for a little while until I sold my TB.

You can apply the leaked MR2 to see if it helps and then compare the two phones to see which one you want to keep. The reboot issues should go away with the update, but then again, a new phone shouldn't have had that issue for this long. But that's another story.

What won't get better is the battery life however. That was one of the major killers for me. And the quality control won't get better with the update either. Both of my TB's had the frame separating from the glass after only a couple of weeks. Along with mushy buttons, etc.

But I would definitely try the update if you can. That way you can compare the phones fairly and see what you think. I just have a feeling that as soon as you turn the Charge on and use it for a day, you will forget that the TB even exists. I don't mean that in a biased way, I am just speaking from my experience.

Keep us updated on what you choose to do!

 

[Karuk]

because of my issues with all three of my Thunderbolts. It's a certified like-new phone WITH a battery and battery cover, but no charger.

According to the executive VZW person I have been speaking with (after a nasty letter to the CEO) my htc charger should work with the Charge. (If this isn't true I will be demanding a Samsung charger).

My question is this: Should I apply the leaked MR2 update to my TB to see if that helps anything?

TY!

Yes. MR2 solved a lot of issues for me.

 

[aileendq]

@aileendq - time to change the "htc T-Bolt. I'm in Heaven."? ^_^

LOL! ABSOLUTELY. It's been HELL, actually!

 

[solo65impala]

Yes. MR2 solved a lot of issues for me.

+1

 

[Dark Jedi]

If you do the MR2 leaked update and still send your bolt back. They will see if they checked your phone and see you modified your phone. They can then say the reason you was having problems with your phone was because you put unauthorized software on it. THen they will charge you full price. You got the charge on the way so seems like you gave up the ghost on the bolt. Send the bolt back and enjoy your charge.

 

[aileendq]

If you do the MR2 leaked update and still send your bolt back. They will see if they checked your phone and see you modified your phone. They can then say the reason you was having problems with your phone was because you put unauthorized software on it. THen they will charge you full price. You got the charge on the way so seems like you gave up the ghost on the bolt. Send the bolt back and enjoy your charge.

Doubtful. They can't make you pay for a phone that isn't in your possession. If they have it- it's theirs.

Also, these issues have been going on for a lot longer than today, and I have phone calls to the executive office and tech support, and emails, and Phandroid posts to prove it.

I applied the MR2 this afternoon, well after the Charge was shipped to me (at 9:02 a.m.) I was hoping the MR2 would help the GPS and reboot issues, but no. GPS is still messed up, as is the browsing.

VZW can suck it if they think I'm going to pay full retail for a phone that is in their possession and never worked right to begin with.

 

[blownss06]

Why is it that any time something new comes out everyone want to jump ship. The Charge is nothing but a 4g Fascinate. And we know how awsome (LOL) the fascinate was. Go look at the Charge forums, they have just as many problems as the TB. I for one only have 2 problems. One is the vibrate comes on sometimes for incoming calls. And maybe 1 reboot a week. Battery last me from 6am-1pm, using it from 8am-1pm almost none stop. Then I just chane the batt. and keep going. I dont see the big deal, it not like changing a car batt or like it take long to reboot like BB. Have fun with your new phone and its problems, because it will have them, no phone is perfect.

 

[Dark Jedi]

Why is it that any time something new comes out everyone want to jump ship. The Charge is nothing but a 4g Fascinate. And we know how awsome (LOL) the fascinate was. Go look at the Charge forums, they have just as many problems as the TB. I for one only have 2 problems. One is the vibrate comes on sometimes for incoming calls. And maybe 1 reboot a week. Battery last me from 6am-1pm, using it from 8am-1pm almost none stop. Then I just chane the batt. and keep going. I dont see the big deal, it not like changing a car batt or like it take long to reboot like BB. Have fun with your new phone and its problems, because it will have them, no phone is perfect.

Its the screen. Samsung hypnotizes you in to getting this phone.

 

[WormDoes]

Doubtful. They can't make you pay for a phone that isn't in your possession. If they have it- it's theirs.

If they can *prove* you broke your warranty by rooting it or installing software not approved by them they can absolutely charge your MSRP for the phone. Most likely citing you adding "unapproved software" was the reason it stopped working thus breaking the TOS you agreed to when signing your contract

 

[Ibrick]

According to VZW they check for 3 things: The quality of the packaging the phone was shipped in. The condition of the phone (does it look like it's been to hell and back). Does it power on.

It meets those criteria, they move onto the next one.

How long would it take to check for signs of root on every phone that comes through? They'd have to have a herd of monkey's working 24/7, and even then whether they could pull any concrete evidence of rooting and/or unauthorized software would be hit or miss. No way their investing that much time and money into potentially finding a rooted device. All that for <1% success rate most likely?

VZW is in the business of making money, and that would be a terrible waste on their part.

 

[WormDoes]

I see you read Droid-Life as well

 

[WizeGuyDezignz]

Why is it that any time something new comes out everyone want to jump ship. The Charge is nothing but a 4g Fascinate. And we know how awsome (LOL) the fascinate was. Go look at the Charge forums, they have just as many problems as the TB. I for one only have 2 problems. One is the vibrate comes on sometimes for incoming calls. And maybe 1 reboot a week. Battery last me from 6am-1pm, using it from 8am-1pm almost none stop. Then I just chane the batt. and keep going. I dont see the big deal, it not like changing a car batt or like it take long to reboot like BB. Have fun with your new phone and its problems, because it will have them, no phone is perfect.

It's never a good thing to be uninformed and then make claims with no basis.

I had the TB for over two and a half months, and now have had the Charge for a few weeks. I'm not being biased or trying to ruffle any feathers, but the Charge has been a much better experience for me. I'm talking in every single category. I have had zero problems with the phone. Literally.

To say that the Charge forum is showing as many problem threads as the TB forum is false from what I can see. Most of that forum is just questions on how to do things. I visit and post in the Charge forum daily and have seen very little problem threads. The TB forum has had way more from what I've seen and participated in.

I don't want to sound snotty here, but 1 reboot per week is one reboot per week too many for a high end phone. And 5 hours of battery use with heavy usage isn't anything to brag about.

Anyhow, I don't want to sound harsh or I'm bashing you, but this is coming from someone who has actually owned both phones. And in my opinion and hands on experience, the Charge is a much better phone overall. I'm so glad that I don't have to worry about bump charging anymore, battery life or any of that nonsense. The bottom line is that I haven't had one single problem with my Charge that I had with my TB.

The TB is a great device on paper, but just doesn't cut it in reality. I'm glad you like it though, that's the beauty of choices. There is something for everyone.

 

[mdeblaz]

According to VZW they check for 3 things: The quality of the packaging the phone was shipped in. The condition of the phone (does it look like it's been to hell and back). Does it power on.

It meets those criteria, they move onto the next one.

How long would it take to check for signs of root on every phone that comes through? They'd have to have a herd of monkey's working 24/7, and even then whether they could pull any concrete evidence of rooting and/or unauthorized software would be hit or miss. No way their investing that much time and money into potentially finding a rooted device. All that for <1% success rate most likely?

VZW is in the business of making money, and that would be a terrible waste on their part.

It's ridiculously easy to tell if you have unofficial software on the phone... turn it on, go to Settings -> About Phone -> Software Number/Version and there you have it. This goes for Custom ROM's and leaked RUU's.

Or you could always just look at the app list for Superuser. Either way, it just adds seconds to #3 above: "Does it power on"

 

[Ibrick]

It's ridiculously easy to tell if you have unofficial software on the phone... turn it on, go to Settings -> About Phone -> Software Number/Version and there you have it. This goes for Custom ROM's and leaked RUU's.

Or you could always just look at the app list for Superuser. Either way, it just adds seconds to #3 above: "Does it power on"

Sure.. As long as the phone is working properly you could do that. Although that brings up the question. Why is the phone in the warranty dept in the first place?

What if the phone will not boot?
What if the user flashed an official update?
What if the user un-rooted first?

You need to think of this on a larger scale, with every type of phone coming through by the pile, it doesn't pay to weed out the very few and far between. It's a waste of time and money to go through every phone to look for software tampering. A HUGE majority of phones coming through will be completely stock. To look for the <1% that may be running unofficial software doesn't make fiscal sense.

 

[blownss06]

It's never a good thing to be uninformed and then make claims with no basis.

I had the TB for over two and a half months, and now have had the Charge for a few weeks. I'm not being biased or trying to ruffle any feathers, but the Charge has been a much better experience for me. I'm talking in every single category. I have had zero problems with the phone. Literally.
How many categorys is that? They are both Android and although they do things a little different its still the same.

To say that the Charge forum is showing as many problem threads as the TB forum is false from what I can see. Most of that forum is just questions on how to do things. I visit and post in the Charge forum daily and have seen very little problem threads. The TB forum has had way more from what I've seen and participated in.
I am sorry 9 pages on the Charge forum compared to 56 on here. Come back when it get to 56 pages and we will talk about problems then.

I don't want to sound snotty here, but 1 reboot per week is one reboot per week too many for a high end phone. And 5 hours of battery use with heavy usage isn't anything to brag about.
There is random reboots already on the Charge. Every Android I have had and thats about all of them, I have been able to drain the battery in 5-6 hours. Again there are complaints about the battery not lasting that long on the Charge forums.

Anyhow, I don't want to sound harsh or I'm bashing you, but this is coming from someone who has actually owned both phones. And in my opinion and hands on experience, the Charge is a much better phone overall. I'm so glad that I don't have to worry about bump charging anymore, battery life or any of that nonsense. The bottom line is that I haven't had one single problem with my Charge that I had with my TB.
Your not sounding harsh or bashing me, in the end its just a phone and in 6 month both these phone will be outdated. I never bump charge my phones, besides how much longer can th Charge last over the TB, I bet you I can drain it in 5-6 hours. I guess your TB was a lemon and your Charge isnt, they are mass produced there are going to be bad ones.

The TB is a great device on paper, but just doesn't cut it in reality. I'm glad you like it though, that's the beauty of choices. There is something for everyone.

And how does the Charge cut it in reality, it doesnt. They are selling a Fascinate with 4G. It was outdated the day it came out, they did nothing to it but tweak the software and add a better screen. No, I am glad you like your Charge and yes thats the beauty of choices. I choose not to make a $300 dollar one.

 

[aileendq]

Why is it that any time something new comes out everyone want to jump ship. The Charge is nothing but a 4g Fascinate. And we know how awsome (LOL) the fascinate was. Go look at the Charge forums, they have just as many problems as the TB. I for one only have 2 problems. One is the vibrate comes on sometimes for incoming calls. And maybe 1 reboot a week. Battery last me from 6am-1pm, using it from 8am-1pm almost none stop. Then I just chane the batt. and keep going. I dont see the big deal, it not like changing a car batt or like it take long to reboot like BB. Have fun with your new phone and its problems, because it will have them, no phone is perfect.

Who said ANYTHING about this being about "the next best thing?" Did you even bother to READ my OP? I've been through THREE TB's. That means no GPS on the way to meetings, no work emails pushed, etc.

And, no, honey, the Charge forums are NOT equally full of complaints. Trust me- if they were, i would not have opted for the Charge.

It's easy to scoff at other TB owner's pain IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY. And btw, I bought the extended battery right off the bat, so, yeah, I was willing to be flexible with the TB- up to a point.

I'm not new to Android, but if my OG Moto Droid can keep up with my demands (but for the smaller screen size) then why can't the TB? But for a new position at work which requires me to be off site almost all the time, read, edit and respond to documents as well as travel, and be available for emails,etc. I would have KEPT my OG Droid.

 

[aileendq]

If they can *prove* you broke your warranty by rooting it or installing software not approved by them they can absolutely charge your MSRP for the phone. Most likely citing you adding "unapproved software" was the reason it stopped working thus breaking the TOS you agreed to when signing your contract

IF they opt to do this, rest assured I will demand the phone back before they see a single red cent. And then I'll sell it.

And then I'll leave Verizon. After the craziness with the TB and the headaches it's caused, I'm on the fence as it is.

And the update was added yesterday afternoon, well after the Charge was shipped to me, and after two months is non-stop issues.

 

[blownss06]

Who said ANYTHING about this being about "the next best thing?" Did you even bother to READ my OP? I've been through THREE TB's. That means no GPS on the way to meetings, no work emails pushed, etc.

And, no, honey, the Charge forums are NOT equally full of complaints. Trust me- if they were, i would not have opted for the Charge.

It's easy to scoff at other TB owner's pain IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY. And btw, I bought the extended battery right off the bat, so, yeah, I was willing to be flexible with the TB- up to a point.

I'm not new to Android, but if my OG Moto Droid can keep up with my demands (but for the smaller screen size) then why can't the TB? But for a new position at work which requires me to be off site almost all the time, read, edit and respond to documents as well as travel, and be available for emails,etc. I would have KEPT my OG Droid.

Sorry to hear about your delema, Honey, but I was refering to wizeguy. If you want a work phone, which by looks of it you do,go with BB, everyone knows that. Androids have problems with emails except for gmail. I have had BB, OG dorid, Incredible, MotoX, Fascinate, IPhone, and now TB. BB awsome for work use, I didnt need it for that. Got rid of it the moment OG Droid hit the stores. Since then it been hit or miss on my yahoo mail with all my android phones. GMail is always there, period. What I hate is pepole come in here and on other forums, happens with all phones, and talk smack about the other persons phone when their phone is either the same or worse. I hope your happy and trouble free, I really do, with your next phone.

 

[Maelstrom']

And how does the Charge cut it in reality, it doesnt. They are selling a Fascinate with 4G. It was outdated the day it came out, they did nothing to it but tweak the software and add a better screen. No, I am glad you like your Charge and yes thats the beauty of choices. I choose not to make a $300 dollar one.

I don't think you need 56 pages to realize that the Thunderbolt has major issues. I too test drove the Thunderbolt for 10 days, and the battery problems do exist. To pretend it doesn't and purport that you can drain "any android phone" in 6 hours sounds almost like Steve Jobs deflecting the iPhone's antenna issues. Just because you can turn on all the radios on a phone and stream to your heart's content to purposely kill a battery does not justify the T-bolt's deplorable stock battery life when used doing normal routine tasks e.g. casual web surfing, and light to moderate talking and texting.

I saw first hand that the Thunderbolt has plenty of bugs. It rebooted constantly. I was lucky if it lasted 4 hours doing normal "real life" tasks. I got the Charge which lasted me the majority of the day in 3G or 4G areas. You can look at the Charge and scoff at the specs claiming it was outdated the day it was released, but at the end of the day (literally and figuratively), it is a better device. Better screen. Better battery life. Better camera. Better sound quality. HDMI out. Thunderbolt has it beat on benchmarks, Quad scores, and the almighty kickstand. That translates into a phone with a kickstand that is about a fraction of a second faster that won't last you through lunch time. Again, applying real life standards, what good is that if you are constantly looking for an outlet or a cigarette lighter? For goodness sake, HTC can not even put out an update that works consistently for the blasted thing. For anyone shopping for a Verizon 4G smartphone - practically speaking - the Charge beats the Thunderbolt hands down IMO.

Finally, the $300 price tag? Umm...over the life of the 2-year contract you're talking what $4 per month (maybe $6 if you found a really cheap online merchant)? I mean, I know "in reality" it's a down economy, but why are we squabbling over the cost of a cup of coffee and a doughnut? Consider the fact that you will more than likely need that $50 extended battery in order to really get any enjoyment out of your Thunderbolt, and your big savings is pretty minuscule.

I dunno. I agree with WizeGuyDezignz. I think the Charge "cuts it in reality" just fine. But hey, I also side with the prevailing opinion....i.e. no phone is perfect.

 

[UBRocked]

I'm temped to unroot and go back to a stock ROM just to see if my phone would have some of the same problems. I wonder if its the hardware, software, or a combination of things...but I've never had issues with the custom ROMs loaded on my TBolt.

But my sister-n-law has a stock TBolt and has none of these issues...

Note to all: Please don't think you can equate your experiences to those of us that don't have a problem. See, build quality for example would get a big thumbs up from me as my TBolt is a tank! I'm on my tab right now but my phone is at 60% battery life and its been off he charger for 15 hours.

I understand my experience is not like everyone else's...Im not trying to convince you it is...but don't try and tell me that its not my experience. For the love of God...some of us are happy with our phones. Crazy huh?

To the OP...I'm sorry your having issues. Hope you get a good device soon that works for you!