on choosing a new Verizon Droid phone on a budget

[stoudtb]

Hi everyone. Re-posting, this time on what I hope is the correct forum. I don't currently own a droid, but would like to. Considering the Eris, but others as well...

Right now, I have a BlackBerry Curve 8530, and am considering another phone as a Christmas present.

Since my Verizon contract isn't up yet, I'd have to buy something at a fairly high price, so I'm looking for some advice.

I don't hate my BB (at all), but am considering an Android-based phone for several reasons -

* text-to-voice GPS,
* syncing with gmail (I'm a huge Google user),
* the many apps available

Unfortunately, I am on a budget of $300 max, so that's the dilemma. This makes the Incredible a long shot, I think. Droid 2 and X are similarly out of reach. The Eris seems to be a real option, but I'm concerned about it based on some of what I've read about the Eris here (I read the post comparing Droid vs Incredible). I'd hate to get a new phone and be disappointed.

'Must-haves' for me are: syncing with gmail, Google calendar and MS Outlook, as well as free text-to-voice GPS.

So... do you think it's worth spending the $ for a new phone (contract up in one year)? If yes, what would you recommend?

Thanks so much for your help!

Bryan

 

[Podivin]

As Frisco pointed out in a different thread, on any phone forum you're going to find phone-haters and phone-phans - so be prepared for a mix of answers.
I like my Eris, and I'm not in any hurry to get rid of it. However I think it's safe to say that I'd feel differently about it if I hadn't rooted the phone. A stock Eris is an annoying little thing, whereas a rooted one is a great phone. Yes there are bigger/better/faster phones out there, but that's going to be true no matter what you get. If it's not true today then it will be in 6 months when something new comes out.
The only thing I don't know for sure it will do on your list of requirements is sync with Outlook. We use Outlook at work, but I get enough work at work, I don't want it anywhere near my personal phone. Some research here on the forum should answer the question, or perhaps others who've tried it will drop by here and tell you how/if it works. I've seen threads on syncing with Outlook, but didn't pay much attention to them due to my lack of interest in doing the same.

BTW, Hi, and welcome to the forum.

 

[Hiroshika]

I would avoid the eris at all costs. No offence to it, it was a great phone in its day, which by the way was when it first came out. As the hero. A year before it came to verizon.

If you MUST get an older phone, get the droid 1. You can overclock it to 1.25ghz and still get better battery life than an eris. (well, maybe not at 1.25ghz, but at 1ghz or 800mhz its fine)

All android phones should have the same support for all that stuff if it exists.
Droid has 2.2 ota now. Eris has a very buggy version of 2.1
The droid's resoloution on its 3.7 inch touch screen is 854x480, which is much higher than the eris' 320x480 3.2inch touch screen.

If your going through verizon, get the droid. I dont think you can even get the eris anymore. It EOL'd awhile ago. And the eris' hardware is old anyway. Do you really wanna be stuck with a 2 year old phone for the next two years?

Craigslist/ebay, it really depends on the price. If you can get an eris for $60 and the droids are all $150+, depending on your budget, you may want to opt for the eris.

 

[nomarsgirl]

I was going to suggest you check out the Verizon trade-in program so you could apply the value of your trade to a new phone, but your Blackberry appraised at $32 - assuming everything works. For that, I would keep it as a backup phone.

The Eris, on the other hand, appraises at $132, so it has kept its value very well. You can't currently purchase an Eris through Verizon, so eBay and Craigslist (or the Android Forums classifieds) are your only options if you want an Eris.

The quality of the Eris phones seems to vary a great deal. I'm on my original device and I've had it almost a year. It works great for me and does much more than I ever expected it to do. I'm rooted and running Froyo on it. Some people can't stand the Eris. It may be that they have unrealistic expectations for what was always intended to be an entry-level device. It could also be that they simply got a bad phone - and there seem to be a lot of those out there.

I wouldn't be too scared of the Eris despite some of the horror stories you read here. People join forums like this when they have a problem with their phone and need advice (or a place to vent). There are plenty of happy Eris users out there blissfully unaware that this forum even exists.

 

[WormDoes]

I had an Eris and loved it. Once rooted it's a bad ass device. I was in the same boat as you. Had a BB still under contract and didn't want to spend a lot of money. Long story short, got the Eris from my friend for very cheap. I had it for 4 months and would still have it if I didn't end up getting an Incredible for free. If you don't hate your BB I would wait until you get a NE2 upgrade and get a brand new device, probably LTE at that point. Unless you stumble on a cheap android phone and want to take a flyer on it. At this point I wouldn't spend $300 on an old, used phone, especialy if you're happy with your BB. Best of luck either way

 

[doogald]

If you MUST get an older phone, get the droid 1. You can overclock it to 1.25ghz and still get better battery life than an eris. (well, maybe not at 1.25ghz, but at 1ghz or 800mhz its fine).

I agree with this 100%. As much as I enjoy using my Eris, I have spent a lot of time and trouble and care getting it to work as I want it to work. So many Erises had hardware problems (bad trackballs seem to be the biggest issue, but also blown speakers, and what is known as the silent audio bug), and so many people getting replacement, refurbished Erises report that they have problems as soon as they turn it on. Knowing what I know about the Eris now, I'd see if I can find a Moto Droid at your price.

Good luck.