1.) Web browsing is good cause of the S-AMOLED screen. Texting is good if she likes swype. My sister likes it and thinks its cool.

2.) Battery life is great! I could run a full day of hardcore phoneage (I mean HARDCORE ANGRY BIRDS and whatnot), and have sufficient battery life, which was something I couldn't do with the incredible. I too, switched my DINC to a SF specifically for the battery life. She'll love the battery life. Theres a popular thread here regarding "Honest opinions of the SF battery life"

3.) Not much experience with media player on the SF, someone else chime-in?

4.) Seidio is launching a great case soon. As for me, I have a cheap ebay enclosed case that survived a 5 foot drop onto a concrete street. No scratches.

5.) The fascinate is a little smaller than the droid X, but not too much bigger than the incredible. For me, I chose battery life > size. Geez the incredible had terrible battery life. Try mimicking the dimensions of the SF and tell her to hold it/put it in her purse. Only she can decide about the size with trial and error.

6.) As a fairly new phone, the DEV community is surely coming together. There's one click root and lagfix(Voodoo) already out. New kernels and roms are coming out. See my signature for some references. I have a friend named Saps that surely can discuss overclocking, roms, kernels, and much more with you. Of course, all this stuff is assuming you know what you're doing (i.e. flashing 3rd party stuff...)

 

Phones awesome, but that's my opinion, And probably most that own it in this Forum. Take her to a vzw corporate store, and let her play around with it! If she likes having a keyboard then the Droid 2 might be for her, either way you have 30 days from the date you purchase to return or exchange. Most of the questions you asked are all within Threads here, but nobody can really make a decision except her, take the hour and let her see for herself.

FYI- Best buy gives instant rebates, however they usually don't have working units like a vzw corporate does! But nobody said ya can't go vzw, make a decision, then pay a visit to Best Buy.
I believe the Fascinate is $149 on the spot, $199 for the Droid 2 , and there's no need to wait for a rebate in the mail. They also offer the Black Tie protection plan, and for $10, you get a brand new phone if she drops it and a bus runs it over, also covers water damage. All with no deductible! Worth looking into since you said she's hard on her phone.
Happy Hunting.

 

1.) the browser is more or less what you would see on any other android device with the exception that search will default to bing. Texting maybe an issue however if she uses the keyboard on the droid. Most people when transitioning from a qwerty to a virtual keyboard have some issues but end up loving it (especially swype) but not everyone does. Definetly see if shes ok typing on your incredible, and if she is then the fascinate is easier.

2.) The battery is (imo) far superior the incredibles battery (and i have both so i think im qualified to make that statement ) I think that the sf and the dx are pretty much even when it comes to everyday use (I had one too), despite what some websites say.

3.) i dont use my phone a whole lot for music (just load some mp3s and stuff for ringtones) and im sure other do more than me. At the moment there arent as many accessories for the fascinate as other phones, but more than last month for sure. Froyo should bring the samsung media hub which got a lot hype.

4.) i just use the gel cases for my phones, but i dont drop them...often , there is (i think) a dual plastic case though

5.) the fascinate is much more portable than the dx, but wider in the hand than the inc. she ll have to hold one to really know though, but its easier than a dx for sure.

6.)well you can root the fascinate right now easily and de-bing it. there arent a lot of roms out yet, as we are all waiting for 2.2 but whats out are more optimized nandroids and one-aosp like one. Birdman just joined the sf ranks and is working on a full 2.1 aosp now, and im sure for 2,2 when it drops. but in general a fascinate with lp or adw is pretty stable. The inc has a big community now but seeing as how it took 2 months to root, the sf is way ahead of the curve. if its not ur everyday phone, id avoid kernels as they are a whole different beast on the sf vs inc.

 

I think she will like the fascinate but agree that she should check it out at a store. Up here in the Michigan boondocks there are no verizon stores but I was able to find it in stock at our local walmart and check them both out.

 

Random: I just asked @OtterBox on Twitter, and they replied:

I am impatiently waiting.

 

Reps are Reps, no matter where u go! I've had good and bad luck at both. However onto the phones...I have both the incredible and Fascinate. Both are Fantastic! As u know the battery is terrible on the incredible, the Fascinates battery is awesome, I have a thread on the Fascinate battery with a load of Forum members giving real world use...its in here somewhere...Form factor goes to the Fascinate, but that's my preference! She will love the screen, its beautiful! I'd get her the Fascinate, and then compare your phone with hers, and see which one she likes better. If she likes the incredible, u have 30 days to exchange. If she likes HTC sense on the incredible, you can download Launcher pro from the market, very close to htc's sense...All in all, comes down to what she likes! If I had to pick one, I'd go with the Fascinate!

 

If she works for Verizon just have her mess around with teach phone for awhile. That honestly is the best way to decide

 

Like others have said, you can't really pick out a phone for someone.. you have to let them decide based on how it feels for them. You can give her the major pros and cons of each phone, but ultimately let her decide.

If the poor battery life with the Incredible ends up being the only thing she dislikes about that phone, get the extended battery.

 

If she already has a Droid 1, wait for next-gen (dual core) phones to drop.

 

you can always wait for the next big thing, but who knows when that ll be. realistically dual core phones wont be announced before ces on january 6, then in stores possibly by end of january. also, on verizon i would think they ll be lte 4g phones and lte will most likely have different plans.

basically if you dont want to wait 3 months to see what is coming just to find out you dont want a 4g plan, there are plenty of fine choices out now.

 

I do not own the device yet, but I am heavily leaning toward it.

In my research of how it would be as a multimedia device, i found these to be helpful (all galaxy s family).

Samsung Galaxy S [T-Mobile Vibrant variant] Thread - Head-Fi.org Community

[/U]http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i9000_galaxy_s_vs_apple_iphone_4-review-500p6.php

Plus buying now, if the Incredible HD is released when expected, you would still be withing 30 days if that is preferred.

 

true the incredible hd "may" be released for thanksgiving and you'd be in your 30 day. I say may as other than some person on a forum giving a date (even if its a trusted person) there hasnt been a peep on it since some random evo-ish pictures a few months ago.

in the android world very little is left to the imagination on a device that would be launching in a month, usually full specs, manuals, and multiple confirmations would be out by now, but thats just me and my skepticisim

 

Yeah I would think we would have heard more about it if it was coming out within the next month.

 

lol accorrding to the droid x owners, the fascinate is for us girls bahaha

personally, i think she will love it.

I love my captivate as an mp3 player...i love the surround sound

 

yeah that thread was a pita . i get a little irratated at time with the "cuz i bought this phone it has to be the best, so ill trash everything else out" mentality that a lot of people get. Unless you've really used the devices you are trashing then you don't have a leg to stand on imo. I think the droid x is a great phone, just im anti-motorola at the moment so i ditched it. I love my htc incredible, but think my fascinate is better as a daily phone.

I am kinda happy to not be a part of the dx community anymore as it can get a little overwhelming with the cheerleading at times from some people. In any event, get the phone you like

 

Fascinate community is so much better. Its more mature and friendly imho.

 

Well said