Not impressed with Sprint, fearful of Evo. What are my options?

[RussianVodka]

So, I got my Evo last week and I am not pleased at all with the Sprint service in my area. On top of that I keep hearing about all these problems with HTC's Android phones, so I'm skeptical that my phone will survive the full 2 year contract.

So what to do?

I'm probably gona return this phone as soon as possible. But before that I wanted to find out how I can get as much of my money back as possible. I brought the phone through EVP, and kept everything that was shipped. I am also well within the 30 day "trial period". Should I just bring everything that was mailed to me to a sprint store return it like that? Will they put of a fight? Will they refund EVERYTHING?

Next is the question of which phone to get. The iPhone is out of the question for too many reasons. All my previous phones were Nokias with Symbian, and although at launch their phones are usually several years ahead of the curve, they never get system updates, so you're stuck with what you bought. Also Symbian's app market is pretty terrible. And finally, Blackberries are just not my thing.

So that leaves Android. Unfortunately the only phone that I feel lives up to the hype is the Droid, and it's from the previous generation of Android phones. Are there any good phones from reputable manufacturers coming in the very near future?

How I wish Nokia would produce an Android phone, but it'll be a cold day in hell when they ditch Symbian and Maemo.

Right now I'm contemplating signing a 1 year contract with Verizon and getting a Droid. I think the Droid's technology will still be acceptable for the next year, and by the time the contract is over there should be a plethora of better Android phones to choose from.

Your opinions?

 

[clambert1273]

later

 

[Nabraham]

So, I got my Evo last week and I am not pleased at all with the Sprint service in my area. On top of that I keep hearing about all these problems with HTC's Android phones, so I'm skeptical that my phone will survive the full 2 year contract.

So what to do?

I'm probably gona return this phone as soon as possible. But before that I wanted to find out how I can get as much of my money back as possible. I brought the phone through EVP, and kept everything that was shipped. I am also well within the 30 day "trial period". Should I just bring everything that was mailed to me to a sprint store return it like that? Will they put of a fight? Will they refund EVERYTHING?

Next is the question of which phone to get. The iPhone is out of the question for too many reasons. All my previous phones were Nokias with Symbian, and although at launch their phones are usually several years ahead of the curve, they never get system updates, so you're stuck with what you bought. Also Symbian's app market is pretty terrible. And finally, Blackberries are just not my thing.

So that leaves Android. Unfortunately the only phone that I feel lives up to the hype is the Droid, and it's from the previous generation of Android phones. Are there any good phones from reputable manufacturers coming in the very near future?

How I wish Nokia would produce an Android phone, but it'll be a cold day in hell when they ditch Symbian and Maemo.

Right now I'm contemplating signing a 1 year contract with Verizon and getting a Droid. I think the Droid's technology will still be acceptable for the next year, and by the time the contract is over there should be a plethora of better Android phones to choose from.

Your opinions?

In terms of future Android phones, there is the Droid 2 and Droid X coming out very soon for Verizon if you insist on getting a Droid line. You could also grab a Nexus One on AT&T or TMobile if you want.

 

[zpilot]

The Droid Incredible is an extremely acceptable alternative to the Evo. The Incredible has less lag even and better battery life.

 

[RussianVodka]

The Droid Incredible is an extremely acceptable alternative to the Evo. The Incredible has less lag even and better battery life.

I was considering it, but it's still an HTC phone. Although, I've heard a lot less fuss about it's problems then about the Evo. I'll have to ask around the Incredible forum to see what I should look out for. The only thing that concerns me is that Pentile matrix thing, which I hear makes text look pretty bad (at the expense of making pictures look really good!). I'd have to look at it for myself though.

Also according to the Verizon website they won't get a shipment of them in until about a month from now.

Edit: Also, does anyone know anything about how the returning process will go?

 

[SolApathy]

stick with a flip phone. It'll never disappoint you.


It's sad to hear you have bad service, but as far as the overall Android OS, it's pretty stable. Better than Winmo, and well Apple...The only reason that is stable is because they lock it down so hard you can't customize the font for the time without jailbreaking it.

The Droid Incredible is an extremely acceptable alternative to the Evo. The Incredible has less lag even and better battery life.

Less lag than the Evo...erm... Explain plz?

 

[NvrEnough]

The Droid Incredible is an extremely acceptable alternative to the Evo. The Incredible has less lag even and better battery life.

You are flat out wrong,

I had the incredible and the battery was way worse then the EVO. My phone is just as snappy as the incredible was. EVO battery has been great and its still just as fast.

 

[berardi1111]

stick with a flip phone. It'll never disappoint you.

^ this

If you aren't happy with the Evo or the iPhone, maybe a smart phone just isn't for you.

 

[J03]

All my previous phones were Nokias with Symbian, and although at launch their phones are usually several years ahead of the curve

If the phone is several years ahead of the curve then why do you need updates?

 

[Howie]

later

Why bother to click reply, type "later" and click submit? A waste of energy!

...Also according to the Verizon website they won't get a shipment of them in until about a month from now.

Edit: Also, does anyone know anything about how the returning process will go?

Yes, Verizon is backed up on the Incredible until July 12th (as of this morning), but that doesn't mean 3rd party companies are. Check Amazon, Best Buy, or Wirefly... they may have some

 

[RussianVodka]

It's sad to hear you have bad service, but as far as the overall Android OS, it's pretty stable. Better than Winmo, and well Apple...The only reason that is stable is because they lock it down so hard you can't customize the font for the time without jailbreaking it.

When did I say it wasn't?

 

[RussianVodka]

^ this

If you aren't happy with the Evo or the iPhone, maybe a smart phone just isn't for you.

Or maybe I judge phones based on how they perform after using them. You know, could just be that. No need to be a fanboy and insult others because they didn't like what you did.

 

[asaberan]

You probably will not be able to return the phone to a Sprint store. I could not last time I tried to return a phone, about 2 years or so ago. It turned into a huge pain in the ass that really made me almost dump Sprint altogether. To make a long story short, it took approximately 30 hours worth of phone calls (I kept track) to get my bill straightened out between actually getting them to agree to return it, getting a "return kit" and after returning it. Getting a "return kit" is so much hassle it's ridiculous. Maybe you'll be able to contact an EVP rep and have better luck than I did. I was told that Sprint stores can only return phones that were purchased there though. Maybe things have changed.

 

[berardi1111]

Or maybe I judge phones based on how they perform after using them. You know, could just be that. No need to be a fanboy and insult others because they didn't like what you did.

If the iPhone, the Evo, the Blackberry, and Nokia aren't good enough for you: what is left? windows mobile? Seriously, it's one thing if you like the iphone better than the evo, or something else better than the evo, we're all entitled to our own opinions. But you're saying none of the top of the line phones on the market are good enough for you.

Maybe you need to commission the military to design a new phone that lives up to your specifications. Or take a time machine into the future and find the perfect phone without the flaws of today's smartphones. Perhaps you are asking for too much from your phone. They are not equipped with sandwich making or love-making abilities as of yet.

 

[zpilot]

You are flat out wrong,

I had the incredible and the battery was way worse then the EVO. My phone is just as snappy as the incredible was. EVO battery has been great and its still just as fast.

You must be one of the very few to say that the Evo is as snappy as the Incredible. The lag is there due to the 30fps cap HTC put on the Evo. And an underclocked processor in the Evo handicaps the phone as well vs. the Incredible.

More info can found here.

 

[elrabin]

I was considering it, but it's still an HTC phone. Although, I've heard a lot less fuss about it's problems then about the Evo. I'll have to ask around the Incredible forum to see what I should look out for. The only thing that concerns me is that Pentile matrix thing, which I hear makes text look pretty bad (at the expense of making pictures look really good!). I'd have to look at it for myself though.

Also according to the Verizon website they won't get a shipment of them in until about a month from now.

Edit: Also, does anyone know anything about how the returning process will go?

Don't worry about the Pentile matrix thing. After seeing a post about how "OMG WTF BBQ" awesome the "Retina" display is on the iPhone 4, i followed its instructions and went to the NY times website and zoomed in as much as possible, 2 letters filled the screen of my HTC incredible and the text was clear and crisp and smooth.

I've never noticed any blur or bad or aliased text.

I've had it since launch and the AMOLED looks absolutely GORGEOUS for pictures and video and great for text.

My previous phones were the HTC Touch Pro(640x480 resistive) Touch Pro 2(800x480 resistive) and HD2(800x480 capacitive)

The HD2 was better than the TP2, but the Incredible trumps them both in colour, brightness and contrast.

You also have other options.

Droid 2 is coming real soon if you want a physical keyboard and the Droid X is as well, which sports a 4.3" screen just like the Evo.

Good luck no matter what you pick!

 

[dbpaddler]

Actually it's kind of sad that you think of the iphone and android when mentioning a smartphone. They are more like smart feature phones or somewhat smartphones. They're all just dumbed down versions of smartphones with flashy gui's and apps.
So please don't wrongfully tell the guy what he needs.

^ this

If you aren't happy with the Evo or the iPhone, maybe a smart phone just isn't for you.

 

[methoderik]

I heard the Motorola MicroTAC 9800X is pretty sweet.

 

[elrabin]

Actually it's kind of sad that you think of the iphone and android when mentioning a smartphone. They are more like smart feature phones or somewhat smartphones. They're all just dumbed down versions of smartphones with flashy gui's and apps.
So please don't wrongfully tell the guy what he needs.

Huh? You're calling the iPhone and Android "Smart feature phones"?

soooo, what would you consider to be a "real" smartphone and why?

As far as i'm concerned, smartphone is defined by a phone capable of replacing or supplanting multiple pieces of equipment. Computer/laptop, camera, mp3 player, etc.

My HTC Incredible is my phone, mp3 player, GPS, point-and-shoot camera, portable computer and more.

 

[uniquenameEVO]

They are not equipped with sandwich making or love-making abilities as of yet.

I'm already dreading the day I have to chose. Sandwich before, or after?

 

[elrabin]

I'm already dreading the day I have to chose. Sandwich before, or after?

Dude! You're thinking too small!

Its a multitasking phone! Both at the same time!

 

[uniquenameEVO]

Dude! You're thinking too small!

Its a multitasking phone! Both at the same time!

Best laugh I have had all day. Thanks!

 

[Deleted User]

You must be one of the very few to say that the Evo is as snappy as the Incredible. The lag is there due to the 30fps cap HTC put on the Evo. And an underclocked processor in the Evo handicaps the phone as well vs. the Incredible.

More info can found here.

The EVO is NOT under clocked, go back and read your terrible source again.

 

[daytonaUSA]

May I please remind you... and others for the 1000 time, that this forum is a place mostly where people with problems go to. Does it mean that 99% of owners have lifting screens, dust under the screen, creaking kickstands, ect? No...hell no. While I can't help your coverage (that just might be where you live.. some places suck no matter who you have), I can tell you that if you are judging your phone's quality on the posters here, you need to wake up.

 

[DresNightfire]

Call Sprint Customer Care and tell them you are unhappy and that you want a refund. You will have to have a restocking fee, and possibly a contract cancellation fee. I recommend the Nexus One or wait for the iPhone 4.