Most Boring Phone Ever?

Old Member · Mar 2, 2014

Is the Droid Maxx the most boring phone ever or is it the most stable solid phone ever? Forums for the Incredible weren't this dead until about 20 months into the phone. Forums for the Gnex weren't this dead unitl well after 12 months.

It's hard to complain. I mean, everything JUST WORKS with this phone. Is this what the future of smartphones holds? You buy it, change the launcher and icon packs, but nothing else?

Rooting, ROMing, changing kernels all a major PITA right?!? Or are you having withdrawal?

Thom · Mar 2, 2014

I think forum activity is driven by problems. Lack of activity = few problems.

This is the BEST phone I have ever used.

... Thom

Rukbat · Mar 2, 2014

There are valid reasons for rooting, ROMing and changing kernels. Just not for 99.99% of the people who use cellphones. How many people put blowers on their car engines?

doogald · Mar 2, 2014

Cincybearcatfan said:
Rooting, ROMing, changing kernels all a major PITA right?!? Or are you having withdrawal?

I am so glad that I'm not going through all that crap anymore.

yamamonster600 · Mar 2, 2014

I think it's probably the most underrated phone ever. If this phone was on all networks I think it would outsale moto x. Biggest problem I have is the lack of accessories, mainly a naked holster from seidio.

Outatime · Mar 2, 2014

I think that Moto/VZW have just not gotten the word out about the things of which this phone is capable. I know there was a series of ads, but they got limited play time.

<Insert shameless plug here> I became a grandfather today <end shameless plug here> and while our families were sitting around at the hospital discussing cell phones the "texting while driving" topic came up, I demonstrated my Maxx sending a text message without touching the device. Everyone was amazed like I was from the future or something. And that's without demonstrating what it will do with incoming messages while driving.

The Maxx/Ultra/Mini/X are in a league of their own. The Maxx leading the pack with the battery that just doesn't die.

Edit: Seidio needs to step up and make a naked holster for this device.

NewArtDroid · Mar 2, 2014

It is a good phone. The only things I don't like are:

1) No HDMI
2) No car dock as awesome as this one I had for my Bionic that sends music through microUSB (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005C31G1W/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1); I use an Air but I hate having to stick a magnet
3) No landscape mode except with magnet (fixable if a good car dock was available)
4) FoxFi doesn't work anymore but that is more a KitKat issue

I still miss my Bionic but the Bionic looks small when I use it at the gym and I do like voice commands.

speede541 · Mar 2, 2014

Outatime said:
Edit: Seidio needs to step up and make a naked holster for this device.

This modified Sedio holster is working nearly perfectly for me and my Maxx:

http://www.amazon.com/Seidio-HLSSG4AASA-Holster-Samsung-Galaxy/dp/B00EGR0XM8/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

doogald · Mar 2, 2014

NewArtDroid said:
3) No landscape mode except with magnet

Try using the launcher Nova. You can set it to autorotate, if it's the launcher landscape mode that you are talking about.

Thom · Mar 3, 2014

Nova Launcher Prime was the most incredible piece of software I found last year. It will change the way you think about your phone (and hide the pre-installed software that you hate looking at).

... Thom

mahers · Mar 3, 2014

I was JUST thinking the same thing about my Maxx...."Damn, this thing is a rock and just works. I wonder what's happening on the forums?" Granted, the initial conversion to JB was a bit of a hiccup, but if this is the way it's going to be, I am not complaining.

matt5951 · Mar 3, 2014

Funny I read this thread as just earlier today my Maxx started to reboot in a continuous loop for a good ten minutes. I couldn't even power it off! Finally it stopped and has been ok since, but that was one bizarre incident.

NewArtDroid · Mar 3, 2014

I had Nova but stopped because I missed those command bubbles with time And temperature. Once I figured out how to get the magnet to work, I uninstalled it.

Old Member · Mar 4, 2014

I most certainly didn't mean this thread as a negative jab about the Maxx. I hope it wasn't taken that way. My intention was to get your feelings about it. I mean MOST of us have rooted and rom'd a phone or 10 in the past. Most of us have had the nightmare of installing a kernal that blew up our phone. Most of us have done just about everything imaginable to a phone and then complain when it doesn't work anymore.

My question is, is this the new normal? With locked bootloaders becoming more and more the norm and feature customization coming to it's limits, is this what owning a smartphone will be like?

Does this make it boring? Is reliable boring or exciting that you don't have to juice it up, or better said you CAN'T juice it up, or maybe you DON'T HAVE TO juice it up because it's already there.

I don't know. What I do know is that if this is the "new normal" then AF may be obsolete. With no ability or need (whatever) to root, rom, slice and dice, there is little need to come to a forum and talk about it. I mean, how many threads of posting home screens and talking about battery life do we really need?

Kevin-B · Mar 4, 2014

Cincy: I totally agree with the premise of your post. This phone is "boring" in the sense that driving a Toyota is boring: it does what it's supposed to do without drama.

On my previous phone, I spent some time rooting/hating/regretting/unrooting. I should say, I wasted some time doing that, because the instability it caused on my phone was stupid. And there's no excitement quite like having the device you rely on flip out in the middle of a work day. Oh boy! I get to spend 3 hours figuring out what went wrong and then re-setting just so I can see my calendar!

Somewhere along the line, I decided that stock might be a bit dull, it might lack a few things I wish were there. But if I could manage with minimal add-ons, the system would be more stable and I'd be happier over all.

Sure this phone is boring: I'm not in a state of anxiety about my battery. I'm not obsessing about why my calls aren't getting through. It's a device I can use when I need it, and forget it when I don't.

I could take a lot more of that kind of boring!

Somniferum · Mar 4, 2014

I find myself spending more time on Google+ looking at icon packs, themes and apps instead of on forums like I used to. The G+ community format seems to lend itself better to viewing screenshots and such. Android Themes is a great one for finding new icon packs and themes, and the Droid Maxx community is interesting, if not all that active. I also find myself on the Moto X community a lot as it is far more active and the software is virtually identical to ours. So yeah, I guess it's goodbye kernels and ROMs, hello icons and themes. Can't say I really miss it when this phone does everything I need it to.

doogald · Mar 4, 2014

Cincybearcatfan said:
My question is, is this the new normal? With locked bootloaders becoming more and more the norm and feature customization coming to it's limits, is this what owning a smartphone will be like?

I think that there will always be a hacker crowd, but I think many people rooted phones in the past to get them to work right, or get extra functionality. As Android matures, there becomes less reason to root for *casual* rooters. (Again, there will always be the MUST ROOT crowd.)

As for me, I do like the fact that my phone is a lot more secure running stock. Once you root, you throw security pretty much right out the window.

I don't know. What I do know is that if this is the "new normal" then AF may be obsolete. With no ability or need (whatever) to root, rom, slice and dice, there is little need to come to a forum and talk about it.

I don't think that's necessarily true. Many people, particularly new to Android, will have questions. As new accessory hardware is released - wearable devices, in-car devices, etc. - there will be more issues and questions. The focus may change, but there will always be a need for forums like these.

Criminy, there are plenty of forums for iPhones that have nothing to do with jailbreakers.

LoBatt · Mar 5, 2014

I was a non-stop fiddler with Windows up thru XP, mainly to get the OS to work properly. It was sort of fun and appealed to my geek side but at some point, you want stuff to just work so I switched to a Mac. I don't really care anymore how it works and know almost nothing about Linux. Windows 7 and above is mostly the same. Android was the same for me. Had fun with my earlier phones flashing roms but it was mainly to get it to work like it should. With the Maxx, it just works. I don't miss feeling like I have to root to get it to work. I have other things demanding my geek attention. Great phone.

LizMac · Mar 9, 2014

Thom said:
I think forum activity is driven by problems. Lack of activity = few problems.

This is the BEST phone I have ever used.

... Thom

Yup.

Maybe if we all change our home screens every week we can just post new pictures of that.

Kevin-B · Mar 10, 2014

Funny how much we like to customize our phones. Yes, I'm guilty of this too.

But why? Once it's customized more or less right the first time, why do I need to fiddle with it? Will the perfect wallpaper/icon configuration make me more productive -- in spite of having wasted five hours tweaking my phone? Do I need a phone that will reflect the "unique true me" because there's something else lacking in my life? (Note to self: mention this to shrink.)

Back in the rotary-phone days, here's how much time I spent customizing my phone: zero.

piscestg · Mar 10, 2014

Kevin-B said:
Funny how much we like to customize our phones. Yes, I'm guilty of this too.

But why? Once it's customized more or less right the first time, why do I need to fiddle with it? Will the perfect wallpaper/icon configuration make me more productive -- in spite of having wasted five hours tweaking my phone? Do I need a phone that will reflect the "unique true me" because there's something else lacking in my life? (Note to self: mention this to shrink.)

Back in the rotary-phone days, here's how much time I spent customizing my phone: zero.

Rotary phones- When I started dating my wife in 1975 I would stretch the cord to get into a storage area at home to close the door for privacy. It wasn't the most comfortable hour-plus conversations. Who would of thought we would be carting around cordless devices now that are connected to the world.

LizMac · Mar 10, 2014

Kevin-B said:
Funny how much we like to customize our phones. Yes, I'm guilty of this too.

But why? Once it's customized more or less right the first time, why do I need to fiddle with it? Will the perfect wallpaper/icon configuration make me more productive -- in spite of having wasted five hours tweaking my phone? Do I need a phone that will reflect the "unique true me" because there's something else lacking in my life? (Note to self: mention this to shrink.)

Back in the rotary-phone days, here's how much time I spent customizing my phone: zero.

I think of it as a little art project! It's fun to change things up every once in awhile; I think it often reflects our state of mind/being at the time.

Also, I like to tease my iPhone owning daughter who can only do so much working with that OS (although, she does change her case about every other day).

Outatime · Mar 11, 2014

I've changed the look and configuration of my phone several times a day LOL. I'm a full scale, customize junky.

dhbuckley · Mar 14, 2014

By far the best, most stable phone I've ever used. That's what I want in a phone: rock solid reliability and the Maxx is pretty much just that.

Kevin-B · Mar 15, 2014

LizMac: Now those are valid reasons to fiddle with the look of the phone. I agree.
1. It's a hobby.
2. To annoy someone else.

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