• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

I'm curious: who else is still using the Eris as their phone?

I'm guessing you were underwhelmed by Apple's announcements (or lack of iPhone 5 announcement) yesterday? (I didn't read too much about it, but I know you were biding your time).

I can't say that I was underwhelmed at all. There are only a few things I don't like about the iPhone and iOS:

- the glass back. I know several people who have shattered theirs. Since the 4S still has that back, that was one strike against it

- iOS Mail's handling of Gmail. No easy "report as spam" (or, vice versa - mark something that was in SPAM as not SPAM), no easy way to label messages, no official Gmail push client (the exchange support offered by Google does not trash messages when you delete them, but instead archives them, with no way to change that behavior). I do a lot of gmail triage on my phone, so this is pretty big for me.

- no way to archive SMS and MMS messages to Gmail, using a method similar to the excellent SMS Backup+ app, or add calendar entries for phone calls to your calendar, using an app like CallTrack (or at least that I know of). The fact that I can do this on Android is incredibly useful to me.

Frankly, I've had the ability to do voice control/use voice actions on Android for a year or so now, but the number of times that I have done so? A few times at first, just to test it. I find it just weird to think about talking to my phone in public. So, Siri, which looks like fantastic technology, just doesn't sway me, either.

The iPhone 4S with iOS5 will be an excellent phone, and I almost decided to go that way, but just decided to stay Android this time around. I just couldn't wait until a possible iPhone 5 with a standard, durable chassis, and I really needed a phone with a good radio that I could count on to perform well on calls (unlike the Eris, and it seems that almost all of the HTC phones have had this problem with weak radios.) I also decided that I wanted a phone that was as feature-modern as possible - dual core, lots of RAM - so, for me, that left the Droid X2, the Droid 3, and the Bionic. I played around with all three today and just liked the Bionic best. (4G does not sway me at all, and, in fact, I have it turned off.) I'm also hoping (though not necessarily counting on) the fact that Google's (hopefully allowed) purchase of Motorola Mobility will mean that the bootloader will be unlocked and more aggressive rooting may occur as time goes on. (For now, though, I am staying stock as long as possible.)

I do want to say, though, that the tech at the VZW store completely bungled setting this phone up today. I told him that I wanted to do it myself, he insisted on doing it himself, and wasted an hour of my time. 3G never turned on, so he stopped the initial setup, after I entered my Google account credentials, and attached to the WiFi hotspot at the Starbucks next door (!!!). I waited 45 minutes to see that the phone never connected to 3G, waited for the guy to finally fix it, then went home to factory reset and start the whole thing over again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: scary alien
Upvote 0
Great post ^^^! :)

Yeah, I don't think I'll let a customer service rep touch my next phone as far as setup goes (unless they're going to give me the keys to unlock the bootloader ;)).

Still really curious about what device eu1 might get next...I asked him quite a while ago and he indicated he was in no hurry. I'm guessing it might be until after November when his 2 years runs out (and even then, he might hang on to the Eris until the right device for him comes out (or already exists)).

Cheers!
 
Upvote 0
It is SO WEIRD to not be running with root. No Titanium backup; no cache cleaner; no root explorer; tons of stupid apps I do not want on my phone.

Yeah, I did that with my Droid X when I first got it... I waited a little while before rooting it, but I had to have my root fix ;).

The D3 GB root method works fine for the Bionic (don't know if you've been following that stuff or not). I applied it manually via adb to my DX a week or so back after the newest .605 update scragged our root. So, you can easily root and you know you'll be careful in making scary changes to your phone. There is also a new whole phone restore (FXZ for the Bionic vs. the .SBF for the Droid X), so you can always recover from a soft-bricking. Seems like hardbricking is becoming pretty rare these days.

I'm sure you'll provide a sane, calm, and wizened hand over at the Bionic threads :).

Cheers!
 
Upvote 0
Good luck with the Bionic. I also will not be letting a verizon employee set up my phone. I don't even think they could with two-step authentication. I want the box unopened so I can enjoy opening it myself. How are those LTE speeds treating you?

No LTE around here, and I even have it switched to CDMA only. I'll be driving to an LTE area tomorrow afternoon so I'll see how it looks. But I'll probably stick with 3G for a while.
 
Upvote 0
Still using the Eris here, and my gf is as well. Although, the HTC Vigor, the Motorola Droid HD (Razr?), and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus Prime (whichever combination they finally choose) has my attention. The gf is already eyeing up the HTC Rhyme because that little light-up charm thing actually seems to work on girls. Little Twiki (yes, I named it) may finally face retirement now.
 
Upvote 0
I just 'upgraded' from XTRsense 4.5 to XTRrom 5.0.1

The Eris loves this rom. It's smooth and snappy (as an Eris can be) way more than stock, that's for sure - and everything functions without glitches.

Hard to find much to complain about, really.

Alas, I'm such a techno-geek that I'll probably give up on this fine-functioning Eris for the new curvey Samsung when I'm due for upgrade in Nov.

:p
 
Upvote 0
I'm still using an Eris. I just handed my first Eris down to our youngest to use as a music/wifi device, and am learning my way around a rooted Eris I was given last week by an associate.

I can upgrade in January, and am eying the Vigor/Rezound. I'm hoping the consumer review are position. I like the idea of higher-end audio capabilities.
 
Upvote 0
Finally retired my old Eris last week, though I may keep it around as a wi-fi device. After a lot of looking at Verizon's new and upcoming Android phones, and some thinking about Android in general, I decided to move over to iOS ... and so far I'm pretty happy with the decision.

Definitely not giving up on Android completely, though -- I still have the tablet, for one thing -- so I'll still lurk here occasionally. And I have no regrets about the Eris, at all ... it was a great little phone, and I had lots of fun tinkering with it.

And this place was a fine resource, as well -- especially during those early months, when it seems like everyone here was new to Android and all excited about it, and learning their way around. Good times!
 
Upvote 0
I've been using mine stock from April 2010 until 2.1 went OTA. Then I went root. So far I've loved Sense, and used XTRsense 5.0.1 until I started having problems with Google Navigation (screen orientation problems) and I filled my little 8-gig card. Then I swapped in my old formatted card and am playing around with 2.3 ROMs (currently GingerTazz, though I might go back to GSB). But anyway, I'll be playing with this thing for a while. Then I'm going back to a Motorola. I'm thinking Bionic because I HATE the fact that the RAZR has a sealed battery. NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE won't do it. Bionic or maybe MAYBE Rezound. Maybe. Even after I get the new one, I may keep the old Eris for stuff like MyTracks and GPS Status, as an in-car videocamera, and general picture taking. It's my only GPS device so I may as well take advantage of it. BTW any way to use Google Maps offline?
 
Upvote 0
It's my only GPS device so I may as well take advantage of it. BTW any way to use Google Maps offline?

Should be...a quick search of the Market shows a lot of hits:

https://market.android.com/search?q=offline+navigation&so=1&c=apps

This one looks especially promising:

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.sygic.aura&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5zeWdpYy5hdXJhIl0.

It touts:

"Description

Premium turn-by-turn GPS navigation app.
Sygic is a voice guided GPS navigation app. It's packed with TomTom maps and a robust set of navigation features. Both app and maps are updated for free.
Maps are stored on the phone for offline use."

Cheers!
 
Upvote 0
As somebody who had a Bionic for a couple of weeks, I suggest holding off on the Bionic until it gets its first OTA update. There is a real problem with data dropping off randomly even when you are in an area with strong signal. There is supposed to be a radio update in the OTA that will fix this.

I'd also suggest waiting on the Rezound to be out for a week or two to see if users report issues.
 
Upvote 0
I picked up an Incredible 2 at the beginning of August. It was the closest thing I could find to the Eris. LTE didn't interest me (particularly taking battery life into account), and all the new phones are HUGE.
The Inc2 is like a perfected Eris. Plenty of room for apps, no lags or bugs. I love it.
My Eris is now used mainly for streaming my iTunes library to my living room stereo (via Audiogalaxy).
 
Upvote 0
I'm still using my Eris. CS17 or some such.

I guess that makes me "old school" (or is that "old fool" ?) :)

I will agree that if you are shelling out $70/mo to Big Red, that's $1680 over a 2-yr contract period, and that makes the coin for a new replacement handset every two years not a dominant factor in the "TCO".

But, hey; a penny saved is a penny earned - I'm a couple hundred bux ahead of you guys with shiny new phones :D. (Excepting everybody on PagePlus or Cricket, that is.)

eu1
 
Upvote 0
I'm still using my Eris. CS17 or some such.

I guess that makes me "old school" (or is that "old fool" ?) :)

I will agree that if you are shelling out $70/mo to Big Red, that's $1680 over a 2-yr contract period, and that makes the coin for a new replacement handset every two years not a dominant factor in the "TCO".

But, hey; a penny saved is a penny earned - I'm a couple hundred bux ahead of you guys with shiny new phones :D. (Excepting everybody on PagePlus or Cricket, that is.)

eu1

Yay!! Our fearless leader is still with us! I'm not alone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: scary alien
Upvote 0
I love my little Eris. A couple of months back I became eligible for an upgrade and went shopping. I was disappointed in the choices. The newer android phones are faster and bigger. But bigger is NOT a good thing. I like the small size. I'll keep waiting for a new phone to come out that offers a decent functionality upgrade in the same nice small package. Still waiting.....
 
Upvote 0
Since I haven't been on in Oooooh so long, thought I'd chime-in.
Still using my eris and eligible for an up-grade, just not impressed with what's out there, as mentioned by others,.. the size of the newer phones.
2 months before I was due for the upgrade someone dropped something on the screen (no-one has admitted to it) I replaced the digitizer and LCD and really it was like getting a new TV, that much clearer so I'll hang on to it for awhile and put-up with the slowness of it.
For now anyway
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones