Database Users

Hero vs. Evo: my experience

I have had both of these phones for a while now, and have not noticed a huge speed difference between them. (The Hero can get bogged down briefly, but it is very infrequent. And I should say that my first Hero was not nearly as fast as my current one for some reason…)
In my opinion the most noticeable differences are:
Size, of course. My typing on the huge screen is far more accurate on the Evo because the keys are further apart - this is a welcome change for sure. The Evo still fits in pockets easily though, and does not feel much heavier than the Hero. The Evo does feel very solid and high quality though, for sure. And the Evo screen's resolution is superb: it makes the Hero screen look pixelated when looking closely.
I miss the trackball - the nav keys on the Evo are nowhere near as convenient.
Sound quality for calls on my Hero is very good, but the Evo sounds even better. Very loud and clear on both ends. (and each of these sounds way better then the Blackberries I have been using)
3g data throughput is about the same on these phones, and even though I am in the middle of LA, there is no 4g that I can detect. Lame considering the $10 premium.
Battery life has been very good on the Evo. Seems to last as long as my Hero – which is to say at least 24 hours in normal use. And the Evo loses only about 1% charge or less per hour when in standby! (I am not using the Mail app on either phone, because the POP function kills the battery in a few hours. Instead I use the gmail app and have it POP my outside mail accounts for me, and they are pushed to the phone by Google. Works just as well as POP, and the battery life improvement is *drastic.*)
In all I would say if you are happy with the Hero and do not intend to watch movies or do a lot of gaming on your phone, you might want to wait and see which other Android phones come to Sprint.
I would also say that if you are itching for a new large screen phone or if you type a lot, this Evo looks and feels aswesome, and at $200 it is a steal.

Nice review, but let the flame wars begin!

ronnienyc said:
I have had both of these phones for a while now, and have not noticed a huge speed difference between them. (The Hero can get bogged down briefly, but it is very infrequent. And I should say that my first Hero was not nearly as fast as my current one for some reason…)
In my opinion the most noticeable differences are:
Size, of course. My typing on the huge screen is far more accurate on the Evo because the keys are further apart - this is a welcome change for sure. The Evo still fits in pockets easily though, and does not feel much heavier than the Hero. The Evo does feel very solid and high quality though, for sure. And the Evo screen's resolution is superb: it makes the Hero screen look pixelated when looking closely.
I miss the trackball - the nav keys on the Evo are nowhere near as convenient.
Sound quality for calls on my Hero is very good, but the Evo sounds even better. Very loud and clear on both ends. (and each of these sounds way better then the Blackberries I have been using)
3g data throughput is about the same on these phones, and even though I am in the middle of LA, there is no 4g that I can detect. Lame considering the $10 premium.
Battery life has been very good on the Evo. Seems to last as long as my Hero – which is to say at least 24 hours in normal use. And the Evo loses only about 1% charge or less per hour when in standby! (I am not using the Mail app on either phone, because the POP function kills the battery in a few hours. Instead I use the gmail app and have it POP my outside mail accounts for me, and they are pushed to the phone by Google. Works just as well as POP, and the battery life improvement is *drastic.*)
In all I would say if you are happy with the Hero and do not intend to watch movies or do a lot of gaming on your phone, you might want to wait and see which other Android phones come to Sprint.
I would also say that if you are itching for a new large screen phone or if you type a lot, this Evo looks and feels aswesome, and at $200 it is a steal.
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Click to collapse
nice bro evo is now back on my mind agian

abcdfv said:
Nice review, but let the flame wars begin!
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FLAME ON!!!!
so the hero is a old dude and the evo is a baby new and nice but still annoys you with its screams

I just cant see people comparing... This is like comparing a 2002 Benz to a 2010 Benz. Sure you can update the 2002 to run just as fast and smooth as the 2010, but in the end, the 2010 can be updated even more to run like a 2020....
Sorry, I just use cars as comparisons a lot. The only constant thing that I see people complain about the Evo is... screen size, and what do you know, every new smartphone coming out now is 4+ inches lol.

DirtyShroomz said:
I just cant see people comparing...
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Well, the obvious reason for comparing is that a lot of people who have bought the Hero are considering the upgrade.

Thanks OP. I appreciate the insight. I like the sound of 1% battery drain per hour while sleeping but I am pretty content with my rooted Hero for now.

rulyskull said:
evo is a baby
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EVO is approaching "teenager" quickly in Sprint/HTC Smart Phone years.

wjason said:
I like the sound of 1% battery drain per hour while sleeping but I am pretty content with my rooted Hero for now.
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For the record, I am now getting better battery life out of the Evo! Hard to believe considering the screen size...
And I agree, this thing is large. But I am getting used to it, partly because the type on the screen is so much easier to read.

I love my Hero, as I still my exs!lol

Still doesnt make me wanna switch to the Evo.
My contract is up July 3rd. I was going to get the Evo, but if you say the speed is about the same then whats the point. I'd still rather have a N1 than the Evo.

the hero hasnt even been out for a year and people are already ditching it or talking about ditching it. the hero is still a badass phone. im keeping it till it breaks. and when it does break i'll get the latest and greatest phone cause i'll have all that money saved up and be laughing at the people who cant get it cause they blew all there money on a phone every 6 months.

Stellarex said:
Still doesnt make me wanna switch to the Evo.
..., but if you say the speed is about the same then whats the point. I'd still rather have a N1 than the Evo.
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Speed is not the same, but in practice there is not a big difference. Especially if your Hero is overclocked.
I say the main advantage is the huge screen - makes for much more comfortable reading, watching movies, sprint tv, games, etc. (I often strain to see the tiny type on the Hero screen - for example in the gmail app.) Also typing is much easier and more accurate on the big screen.
If you are not interested in a larger screen, keep your Hero.

I miss my aria

I got a captivate because of the big screen.
But now I miss my Aria so much.
I made a mistake.

I'll trade you! XD
Sent from my HTC Liberty using XDA App

bwolmarans said:
I got a captivate because of the big screen.
But now I miss my Aria so much.
I made a mistake.
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Click to collapse
And...
You r gonna miss it more , when we have a fully working Froyo ROM , and its gonna be very very soon !

The Aria just feels better to me compared the the Captivate. I went to take a look when it was released. The screen is nice, but it didn't have the same balance as the Aria in my hands. I kept thinking the Captivate was going to snap. lol

I kind of agree.. I too had the Aria first and switched for the captivate. The Aria felt good and had a very quick HTC interface.
I was a little sad when I switched.
The captivate's interface is a little more sluggish and is kind of akward to hold.
However did you try and run good quality video on the Aria? Did you do anything that would require more of the phone? The interface is quick but when trying to do anything else the phone would crawl and studder on video.
I kept the captivate because although the interface is not as quick, try playing a 720P movie on it and some games (or slingbox if you have it) The screen is fantastic and the video is crystal clear.. seems to better than some TVs.
I quickly found out why I switched and would make the decision over and over again. I held an Aria again after owning the captivate for a week and the screen seems SOOO small.
I was and probably am a little sad still and wish the Aria was more screen and power. But I am completely happy with my decision. I think when we get the update to 2.2 and beyond, you will see the true potential.
Also the Aria sucked at like linking faceboook with your contacts.. there was no customization there, you would have to sync them ALL.
With the captivate you can also change keyboards when you want and the gallery/music player is great. Not to mention the capability of the HD video you can take... camera options rock with effects...
The aria just has a quick interface and the mail was better, captivate can be fixed with those using apps and beats it out hands down.
Just my 2 cents.. I do not think you made a mistake!

faceless808 said:
I kind of agree.. I too had the Aria first and switched for the captivate. The Aria felt good and had a very quick HTC interface.
I was a little sad when I switched.
The captivate's interface is a little more sluggish and is kind of akward to hold.
However did you try and run good quality video on the Aria? Did you do anything that would require more of the phone? The interface is quick but when trying to do anything else the phone would crawl and studder on video.
I kept the captivate because although the interface is not as quick, try playing a 720P movie on it and some games (or slingbox if you have it) The screen is fantastic and the video is crystal clear.. seems to better than some TVs.
I quickly found out why I switched and would make the decision over and over again. I held an Aria again after owning the captivate for a week and the screen seems SOOO small.
I was and probably am a little sad still and wish the Aria was more screen and power. But I am completely happy with my decision. I think when we get the update to 2.2 and beyond, you will see the true potential.
Also the Aria sucked at like linking faceboook with your contacts.. there was no customization there, you would have to sync them ALL.
With the captivate you can also change keyboards when you want and the gallery/music player is great. Not to mention the capability of the HD video you can take... camera options rock with effects...
The aria just has a quick interface and the mail was better, captivate can be fixed with those using apps and beats it out hands down.
Just my 2 cents.. I do not think you made a mistake!
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face makes very valid points. The Captivate is a power house when it comes to those things. And everything can be fixed with different apps and such.
Froyo should change things for the better on both phones.
Don't even try playing a high quality mkv file on the Aria, last time I tried with the Rockplayer beta it wasn't pretty lol. Haven't tried since it was released on the Market though. avi files work fine on the Aria's small screen. lol
And you can always try LauncherPro and the other interfaces if TouchWiz (I think that's a horrible name for an UI... touch.... wiz.....) isn't cutting it for you.

Yeah I'm not knocking either phone. If the captivate never existed outside of the screen I would have been perfectly fine with the Aria.
What made me know I made the right choice was playing music and video. Also pictures.
Get a 720 tralier if you dont have a movie and play it. OMG
I took video at a wedding in 720p with the video camera and it takes better video than my 80 gig standard def few hundred $ camcorder. I was amazed.
The music player on it is so much more functional (not to mention the speaker)
and the gallery app for pictures is very nice.
Search the market for samsung and get the home and car dock app and the office app. freebies for captivate owners and They rock!
I wish the captivate and the Aria would have a kid.
The design and body with HTC interface of the Aria with the screen and power of the captivate = perfect phone in my opinion!

Offspring of Captivate and Aria, that's a perfect analogy. Sounds like a HTC HD with quad band so I can use it in Asia, Europe and North America!
I guess a lot of this will make sense (pardon the pun) to people that have owned both an Aria and Captivate.
I have a brand new pet peeve on my list of things that "sour" the captivate: The dialer.
The HTC Sense on the Aria dialer is so amazing it uses a nice deep Alphabetical First + Last + MRU algorithm ( Most Recently Used ) for the speed dial feature, so you pretty much always get the person you want, it's so fast it's actually easier than dialing by contact picture or other shortcuts.
Contrast that to the Touchwiz dialer which is just Alphabetical by first name, then by Last Name. They forgot the MRU. And that makes it clunky and take twice as long to find the person you are dialing.
EDIT: Installed from market "Dialer One" one and while nowhere near as elegant, as the Sense dialer at least it can do the search by call log. Oh and also installed the Keyboard from the Evo http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=624416&page=239 works very nicely, much happier. The droid x multitouch keyboard works nicely too but kind of gimicky.

faceless that would be awesome.

Nice thoughts guys.
My aria is great for my needs. I don't like how phones keep getting bigger and bigger, although the captivate's slimness helps with that a lot. If they had a flash I probably would have traded on my aria. But you know what? My aria will do great day to day until compact dual core phones come out next year with led or xenon flash, froyo, and 1080 recording!
The aria was marketed as a mid range phone and they did a great job in regards to that. For general apps, text, internet, calls, games, outdoor camera shots, its great! And the google apps are awesome on it. I was even able to get the htc sync version that let you side load apps too!
By the way, I internet battled an iphone4 on the same wifi network and my aria loaded a content heavy Website faster! May have been luck but you never know.
You all def have me intrigued about the captivate though. Have no fear, bad a$$ android phones will be keep on coming. Excited for 2011!
Sent from my HTC Liberty using XDA App

I absolutely love my Aria, I was going to switch top the captivate, but I just love the size..I'm running that new CM6 ROM right now and the phone is so fast, its not even funny, especially with streaming videos, it practically doubled the speed from a stock aria...

I'm gonna wait for small phone's with dual core processor's before I buy another high end smartphone. I dont like carrying a plastic brick in my pocket. People look silly pulling some of these new phone's out of their pocket. The Captivate isn't bad, but the Droid X and especially the Dell Streak are just ridiculous. The Aria is a refreshing alternative too these monsters.

I'm thinking about going from my Captivate TO the Aria. Touchwiz is total crap compared to any interface HTC has ever made (I've been using HTC on WinMo for years).
The dealbreker for me: My Exchange email account is set up properly as I'm sending and receiving emails from my Captivate. inbound calendar requests (from people in my Exchange server) have really silly properties, there's no accept button (there's a 'save to calendar' that still acts wonky), but the BIGGIE is that if I delete or add a meeting on the phone, it NEVER sends the notification to the attendees listed.
deal breaker. Debating between Aria and Iphone4.
How's exchange calendar functions on the Aria? Anyone using?
How's the batter life on the Aria?

XBoomer said:
...
deal breaker. Debating between Aria and Iphone4.
...
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I would put the Aria as a 3GS competitor with the Aria winning!

XBoomer said:
I'm thinking about going from my Captivate TO the Aria. Touchwiz is total crap compared to any interface HTC has ever made (I've been using HTC on WinMo for years).
The dealbreker for me: My Exchange email account is set up properly as I'm sending and receiving emails from my Captivate. inbound calendar requests (from people in my Exchange server) have really silly properties, there's no accept button (there's a 'save to calendar' that still acts wonky), but the BIGGIE is that if I delete or add a meeting on the phone, it NEVER sends the notification to the attendees listed.
deal breaker. Debating between Aria and Iphone4.
How's exchange calendar functions on the Aria? Anyone using?
How's the batter life on the Aria?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try maildroid yet? thats what i switched too..I like the Aria mail better but I did not even like that

XBoomer said:
I'm thinking about going from my Captivate TO the Aria. Touchwiz is total crap compared to any interface HTC has ever made (I've been using HTC on WinMo for years).
The dealbreker for me: My Exchange email account is set up properly as I'm sending and receiving emails from my Captivate. inbound calendar requests (from people in my Exchange server) have really silly properties, there's no accept button (there's a 'save to calendar' that still acts wonky), but the BIGGIE is that if I delete or add a meeting on the phone, it NEVER sends the notification to the attendees listed.
deal breaker. Debating between Aria and Iphone4.
How's exchange calendar functions on the Aria? Anyone using?
How's the batter life on the Aria?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as far as the captivate goes, you have to realize it will be a while before a custom rom(CM6, AOSP) gets made fully working with it. It needs some tweaks that will be out sooner or later, for battery life and the occasional lag. and then it will be a fantastic phone. You have tv-out, 3d gaming, a bigger screen, and 720p recording.
now if you dont need or want any of that, then the aria would be a perfect choice.
The iphone 4 would be up for comparison with the Captivate to be fair. But if the captivates not for you and you want to stay with Android the aria's by far one of the best mid-range phones.
and For the arias battery life i would top off around 5-5 and a half hours of Full nonstop web browsing, gaming, live wallpapers, gps, etc. before i would have to charge.

jasonyump said:
and For the arias battery life i would top off around 5-5 and a half hours of Full nonstop web browsing, gaming, live wallpapers, gps, etc. before i would have to charge.
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Ya, fastest I've killed mine required 5-6 hours of robo defense.
Sent from my HTC Liberty using XDA App

In this world of bigger, better, faster, smarter smartphones, everyone wants more out of their devices. People saw the Captivate's stats and immediately wanted to trade in.
The Aria is weighted perfectly and the size is just right for my active lifestyle. I can't imagine switching even if the processor is slower than the future standard of a 1 GHz processor/512 MB RAM. It does what i want it to do efficiently, i couldn't imagine trading it in.

Exador said:
I'm gonna wait for small phone's with dual core processor's before I buy another high end smartphone. I dont like carrying a plastic brick in my pocket. People look silly pulling some of these new phone's out of their pocket. The Captivate isn't bad, but the Droid X and especially the Dell Streak are just ridiculous. The Aria is a refreshing alternative too these monsters.
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Click to collapse
I agree- I didn't want a giant phone. HTC got the marketing spot on (for those of you who saw the TV ads).
I'd love to see the aria vs. backflip stats though- I wonder if at&t predicted the sales low?
One thing I don't like is how this device is ignored by just about everyone... the cases available at best buy are labeled wrong (as the intruder), the phone calls itself the liberty... it seems this baby was destined to be ignored from the start. But at least htc tech support is pretty responsive.

I tried the Captivate while I was at AT&T the other day and man, I just did not care for it. The thing was too big, too awkward to hold.

Question For Vibrant Owners...

I currently have a T-Mobile G1 and I have been thinking of an upgrade.
Have any of the current Vibrant owners come from a G1?
If so, are you happy with your new phone/glad you switched?
If you aren't a past G1 owner, I still value your input.
Thanks for any/all opinions.

I lost my G1 a little over a week ago, and got a Vibrant as a replacement. So far I'm pretty happy. There are a few things to know though. First of all, no matter what anyone says to the contrary, the software keyboard is a poor substitution for a real hardware keyboard, and not a day goes by that I don't miss the keyboard on my G1. That said, I have found alternatives that work for me, but might not for everyone. I was a longtime Palm user, so the addition of a capacitive stylus and Graffiti for Android went a long way toward easing my lost keyboard anxiety. Also, the speech to text on the phone is surprisingly good, and once I found a program that optimized the speech to text workflow (Ultra Keyboard), that got me set so that between those two, I can get by without a hardware keyboard.
You should also know that the compass on the Vibrant is complete garbage compared to the G1. It is slow to update, inaccurate, and sometimes just freaks out and points in a direction that has absolutely nothing to do with where the phone is pointing. Some people also report poor GPS performance, though I haven't had this problem.
The bad stuff out of the way, it is SO MUCH faster than the G1! That, and I actually like some of the additions Samsung made to Android. I don't like how the whole thing looks so iPhoney, but it all works really well, and given the choice I wouldn't go back to a G1 from the Vibrant.

The compass and gps suck. There are various settings that help the gps, but we really need a driver update from samsung. Hopefully they will get on that soon and not make us wait for 2.2.
As for the keyboard, I like swype almost as much as a real keyboard. The voice input works good as well, but swype doesn't have the button for it for some reason. Hopefully they will add it soon.
Overall, it's a great phone and the speed and screen will blue you away coming from a g1.

I came from a G1. The phone is incredible, but the hardware/drivers have their rough edges, no doubt. I might have waited a little longer in hopes of the manufacturing becoming more consistent had I known of the issues before I bought, but when all is said and done I'm quite happy. Just not as happy as I could be.

I am really picky when it comes to this kinda stuff. Loved my g1 and thought twice about getting this phone for several reasons lyk 5mp camera when others offer more, not keyboard, forward facing camera and screen size but overall i gotta say i love this phone and wouldnt think twice about it. This phone performs amazingly and the screen is beautiful the battery is great for me atleast the gps is good no issues here and lastly the speed on the phone itself and online is crazy i love it. I couldnt be happier and it fills in the g1's shoes very nicely. I loved my g1 but i think i like this phone alot more.

Yes, I like this phone more than the G1. It was time for me to ditch the qwerty keyboard anyways and I don't like how it adds bulk to any type of phone. Plus, there are already plenty of accessories for the phone already since T-Mobile was smart enough to have the dimensions very similar to the original Galaxy S.

Many of us came from the G1 (contract about up, y'all?).
With Swype, I'm not at a huge loss for the hardware kb - the slide mechanism on the G1 was always a little scary to me, so I'm glad to be rid of that. hat being said, if the option was available, I'd've taken the SGS w/the kb.
I also dislike the iPhone rip-off part of Samsungs UI, but there are many benefits, too. The notification buttons are great & save homescreen space. Many other small things.
The biggest gripe is the GPS. IT IS TERRIBLE! It will literally lock up my phone after not locking onto the 12 satellites it can see. Buncha bull****.
But, all-in-all, the G1 was getting tired, so I'm glade to move on.
-bZj

I was very hesitant about getting a phone with no physical keyboard. About a month before I bought my vibrant, I used just the virtual keyboard on the G1. I have to say, Swype is the best thing since slice bread for keyboard technology. I can actually "type" faster with Swype than I did with my G1. Like others, my only gripe about the vibrant is the gps issues. I don't use it daily but if Samsung doesn't fix this, they will never get my business again with ANY product. That said, I'm pretty sure they will fix this, it would be a PR disaster otherwise.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

lmlloyd said:
no matter what anyone says to the contrary, the software keyboard is a poor substitution for a real hardware keyboard, and not a day goes by that I don't miss the keyboard on my G1.
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That is my BIGGEST fear....
lmlloyd said:
The bad stuff out of the way, it is SO MUCH faster than the G1!
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Click to collapse
That is what I'm looking forward to...
androidmonkey said:
I was very hesitant about getting a phone with no physical keyboard. About a month before I bought my vibrant, I used just the virtual keyboard on the G1.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great idea...
Thank you so much for your opinions.
I'm running CM6 Froyo on my G1 and it can get very laggy.
I also don't want to go back to Sprint just to get an EVO...
My T-Mobile experience in Milwaukee has been a dream compared
to my Sprint experience...

Go to a store and play with one... you will immediately buy it. I cherish my G1 and refuse to sell it, but it is so... so... dwarfed by the Vibrant it is laughable.

s15274n said:
Go to a store and play with one... you will immediately buy it. I cherish my G1 and refuse to sell it, but it is so... so... dwarfed by the Vibrant it is laughable.
Click to expand...
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The G1 is a plastic brick...
That's definitely a reason I decided to abandon the physical keyboard--it just adds so much bulk.

s15274n said:
Go to a store and play with one... you will immediately buy it. I cherish my G1 and refuse to sell it, but it is so... so... dwarfed by the Vibrant it is laughable.
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Click to collapse
I think I will be purchasing one..
I would never sell my G1 either!
I will use it as a mini-netbook until it dies of natural causes (I still won't get rid of it).
It has a full keyboard, wifi, I paid for Docs2Go, so I have an office suite,
it has a camera, mp3 player, full web, etc...

My biggest fear was the loss of the keyboard as well. I do miss it at times (mainly games), but swype is very fast and it took all of a fe messages to start swyping as fast or faster than the keyboard. Its not the same thing, but it does a great job.
Gpa and compass... Well, you know by now. I'm confident it'll be fixed soon.
The screen is amazing, even in bright sunlight. Movies on the phone rock. And the speed is unbelievable. It's so worth the upgrade!
One other bonus... With the galaxy s being on every carrier, it had the best chance of many mods and released quickly once things get going.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Bought it and love it!!!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Check the bottom of the Sig
You can't compare the two...not only different ballparks...different sports altogether. But even with that in mind, I STILL have my trusty G1 for when I'm feeling nostalgic . If you can, go for it. You'll like it.

IS the epic worth it yet?

Im going to be coming over to the Epic from the hero. Just wondering if it is worth it or not yet. I still see there are issues and all, but I dont mind that. As long as samsung is diligently working on a fix. unlike HTC, I hope samsung is a tad better.

mroneeyedboh said:
unlike HTC, I hope samsung is a tad better.
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Click to collapse
That's debatable - Samsung's history is not great in fixing things.
That said, as a new Epic owner myself, I do feel like some people are getting a little crazy about a few issues that for most people are going to be relatively minor or even unnoticed. The two issues that come up a lot are GPS and the 3G upload speed. Both of these *seem* to be relatively simple fixes; the GPS issue just seems to be relying on outdated data cache (solution: flush the cache), while the upload speed seems to have been broken with an earlier software update... meaning it should be easy enough for them to fix it again. *Should be* being the key phrase. If Samsung doesn't see the cost benefit from doing so, then they will just keep advertising and selling the phone as is.
In actual practice, I haven't yet run across a situation where these issues have really affected me, though it does annoy me that I can't really do video calling if I wanted to, and that if I shot a video and wanted to directly upload it to YouTube or something, I probably couldn't really do that either. But these are hypotheticals; these are not things I normally do every day. As for GPS, I've been using it for turn-by-turn directions and haven't had any problems, though I know what the problem actually is and that I might run into it at some point. But my dedicated GPS unit had this same issue and I dealt with it for the first year that I owned it (at which point it too received an update... that I paid $80 for).
I'm still in my return window but there isn't really a phone I'd want to return the Epic for. I need a keyboard and the only other phone that really appeals to me is the Droid 2, but I don't want to pay extra for Verizon's plans. So I'll probably just keep the Epic and hope they fix the issues; it's not like they're real killers the way I use the phone. Overall this is a great phone. Sucks up juice a little more than I'd like, but it's insanely fast, has a screen that might even be *too* good (the screen uses most of the battery, and I don't need perfect black levels on my phone), has the best keyboard available on a phone right now, and is generally just a pleasure to use as long as your usage pattern doesn't run into those couple issues it has.

badasscat said:
In actual practice, I haven't yet run across a situation where these issues have really affected me, though it does annoy me that I can't really do video calling if I wanted to, and that if I shot a video and wanted to directly upload it to YouTube or something, I probably couldn't really do that either. But these are hypotheticals; these are not things I normally do every day. As for GPS, I've been using it for turn-by-turn directions and haven't had any problems, though I know what the problem actually is and that I might run into it at some point. But my dedicated GPS unit had this same issue and I dealt with it for the first year that I owned it (at which point it too received an update... that I paid $80 for).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why does everyone say that they can't do video calling?
I constantly Fring camchat with my friend on her Evo on 3G. She says the video quality isn't perfect on her end, but its never prevented me from video calling! Even on low bars (1-2 bars) i still can comfortably have a conversation over the webchat.

mroneeyedboh said:
Just wondering if it is worth it or not yet.
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Click to collapse
Yes.

Not if u plan on using 4g indoors.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

I think this phone is great, the gps is good enough but it could be better, I never use the gps inside my house, so I don't really care the indoor, now once I step outside it only takes couple second to lock me.
About the 3g, well I have the same issue but most of the time I'm in a wifi (House, work) so I don't really care about it, but I would be nice if they have some fix to it...I don't get 4g neither in house and work, so don't care about it either.
The I came from the TP2 and just android itself made me jump to this phone, I really hate the keyboard compare to the tp2, so far I haven't use video calling from phone to PC which is what matters to me (please skype hurry up).
The screen on this phone is just great!!! Perfect for movies (not from the Hub, too expensive) I got the movie from my bro hd2 and they look great, now I need to get avatar from my friend I see myself using the phone for movies so much but whenever I want to its totaly worth it.
For games, well its fast! The response to me its awesome, I don't usually play on my phone but I just download a game Caligo Chaser and its a very addictive game (rpg), but the graphics on the game looks very good on the Epic.
I would say keep the Epic, its a good phone, i will be keep her for a good 1 year and that's when my upgrade is due and I'll get a new one, just like I did with my tp2. The problems with the epic are so minimal compare to other phones, every phone that have release will always have problems, and that's how it always will be. I hope sammy won't take too long to fix it tho.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

You won't notice the gaming difference until you load up toonwarz or another graphically intense game. I believe most 2D games will run the same on most phones with a relatively new processor... though it goes without saying that everything looks great on the SAMOLED screen

Thanks guys. I dont plan on doing any uploading or 4g tethering inside my home. just using the internet at work etc.
Also kinda sucks on the battery life. What are people getting roughly with battery life?
Im also coming from the hero to the epic becuase of the physical keyboard. I cannot stand the lag on hero's keyboard. Is there any lag etc with the physical keyboard?

mroneeyedboh said:
Thanks guys. I dont plan on doing any uploading or 4g tethering inside my home. just using the internet at work etc.
Also kinda sucks on the battery life. What are people getting roughly with battery life?
Im also coming from the hero to the epic becuase of the physical keyboard. I cannot stand the lag on hero's keyboard. Is there any lag etc with the physical keyboard?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from the Hero as well. Trust me, you'll be satisfied. I was running Darchstar's Cyanogen and whatever the nfiniteFX ROM was on my Hero and I THOUGHT I didn't notice any keyboard lag, but coming to the Epic, I realize I was completely wrong. There is no lag anywhere on this phone as far as I am concerned.

Just what I wanted to hear. haha One thing I did notice is that the hero lags up in general after a while IMO. Does the epic seem to do that so far?

I to came from a Hero, loved that little phone, the Epics screen is just. Insane to say the least. The camera quality to top notch, better than the Evos, I have done personal tests and have seen this. The battery life could be better but with updates those will help, its still a very new phone!

Well it's pretty much the best phone on the market right now. That said, there are issues. Make sure before you take your phone home that the capacitive buttons work. They either do or don't in most cases anyway.
I had 2 bad ones and an evo before switching to this on. Some people including myself have noticed image retention but i think thats a rare issue with the epic. Also the GPS is not good until the froyo update (hopefully). All that aside this is the best phone i have owned. Google Navigation works pretty well though and endomondo tracks very well as well.
I hope this helps.... Like I said i also had the Evo and once you see the Epic screen you wont like anything else. My new one is pretty solid and I 'm happy with it. I just want the flipping update already.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

mroneeyedboh said:
Also kinda sucks on the battery life. What are people getting roughly with battery life?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm getting about 14 hours with regular use. I could probably stretch that if I needed to. If I use it really heavily, including navigation, I might only get 8-10 hours.
In regular use that's long enough for me to go through a normal day, come home and just start charging it for the night once it gets really low.
But this is the first phone I've owned that I've actually bought a car charger for, just in case. If I see it getting low during the day, I will charge it on my way home from work.
This is not great, but my wife's iPhone is actually worse. She can't make it through a full day no matter what she does. Her phone is charging right now and it's 7:30PM; that's pretty normal for her. With me, it's not a regular thing to do that, it's only if I've been playing with it all day.
Also, like all phones the battery takes a few cycles to show an accurate charge. So when you first get the phone, it seems REALLY bad. I got like 5 hours on my first charge. But over time the gauge gets more accurate and you figure out little tricks to maximizing the battery (like dark wallpaper; bright pixels use a lot more power on an amoled screen), and it improves a lot.

All Evo Shift 4G owners please read and respond

I am looking at purchasing a Shift 4G for my mom to upgrade her from her POS blackberry. I currently have the Big Brother to the Shift (the Supersonic), and absolutely love it, I won't give it up for anything, but my mom would be more suited to an iPhone, however sprint doesn't have the iPhone, and I get a 23% discount through my job.
Could several people respond about the Shift please:
1. Average battery life (moderate usage)
2. Size and Feel of the phone for day to day use
3. How does the keyboard feel for texting
4. How smooth does this redesigned Sense OS feel
5. How well does the camera operate
6. Does the screen size feel ok if you use the touchscreen instead of the slideout KB.
I would prefer non-rooted people to respond to these since I won't be rooting her phone. I want to hear all responses both good, and bad.

So you want us to do the research for you?
^ Shift Faced

Lol yup. Go to the store and play with one. Read the reviews online.

I have my phone rooted but nothing major done to it..even rooting it was easy under the right posts and take from here and there and waa laa it worked great, however; i love this phone..a lot..my first android was a G1 and second a Hero(CDMA) and now this..I have been trying to find something more like the G1..The hero felt like a downgrade and now this phone excites me about the new frontier of android. I OC'd my hero with no avail and to be out performed by phones like the droid and ah whatever..it seems to me this phone is the benchmark of performance and as for your questions:
1. I feel as though I get about 12 hours..when I use it to play games and stuff maybe 6-8
2. I enjoy the keyboard..both physical KB and onscreen..I use both cause I came from a hero with no physical kb but i really like both
3. both KB's work great on texting..i prefer the physical for when I have longer messages to write because its faster IMO, even so the virtual has no lag either.
4. Compared to the Sense UI from the Hero this phone is a HUGE improvement..when I first got my phone I was really impressed with the improvements to the UI because it seemed HTC logged on XDA and got all of our gripes then fixed them
5. I finally used the camera this weekend to take pictures for making invitations to my son's birthday party and I was impressed with the facial recognition. Its 5MP so its no Cannon or Sony but it still does a great job with facial recognition and all
6. As I said earlier I use both and the I have no problem with the screen size interfering with the kb..

The phone feels perfect in your hand. Almost like your holding something other than a phone. The sense UI is great, very smooth and fast. The camera also is great. The still picture quality could be improved if you want to be nit picky, however 720p recording is so amazing. The hardware keyboard is very nice and fast as well. I like it better than my blackberry tour. I would recommend this phone to anyone, anyplace, anytime.

I also have evo, and also was considering picking up a shift for my mom (she has a Samsung moment that is barely functional), I went into sprint store and was able to play with one just a little bit. Was not that impressed, sadly (and I'm a big HTC fan).
Mostly, I felt the HW keyboard was almost unusable (I kept mashing multiple buttons at the same time), yet the HW keyboard is what I thought was supposed to be the attraction to otherwise would-be evo buyers.
As for OP 'wanting others to do his research for him', that's not the case at all, he wants to hear from people who have had more than just a few moments with the shift. Give the guy a break.
***maybe I just can't type well- yet I have no issues typing on my evo ****
Sent from my virus infected and nuggified evo using XDA App

I ordered the Shift ready to exchange it for an Evo at the drop of a hat if I didn't like it, but after a while I'm really happy with this phone. It really doesn't get enough credit for how good it is.
The battery life is good enough that I can use it for moderate-heavy use of texting and internet and still have 1/4 of the battery left at the end of the day. I haven't ever used the 4G though, and I imagine that would change things up.
I came a from a Hero, and the Shift is slightly thicker and taller. It feels pretty sturdy, similar to a Droid. If you're looking for iPhone aesthetic you might be disappointed here.
Not a big fan of the keyboard, or keyboards in general really, so I can't really judge this. I find myself using the on-screen KB most of the time, and it works great. If you're curious, the sliding mechanism is the same used in the Droid and not like the G2's snap out hinge. Definitely prefer this, as the keyboard usually stays shut.
As it happens I don't really like Sense either, but it seems to operate the same as it did on the Hero (and probably the Evo.) It's fast and the widgets are cool, so if you like Sense then I guess you'll really dig it. Myself, I'll take Launcher Pro any day.
The camera is really excellent for a phone. Pictures are taken as fast as an iPhone and saved to your SD before you know it. Image quality isn't amazing and the flash function is sorta just there, but this is to be expected.
I'm really happy with this phone. While I would have preferred a Shift without a keyboard, I'm not at all bothered.

I don't have the time to give a lot of info, but I was really surprised last night.
My phone had been unplugged for almost 24 hours, with average (working most of the day) not heavy as normal usage, and i still had 40% battery left.
Coming from the Moment, this phone is so amazing. And even after seeing how my girlfriend's rooted Evo works, it's still pretty amazing.

herbthehammer said:
Lol yup. Go to the store and play with one. Read the reviews online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have gone to the store and played with it, I have had my mom check it out as well, she said it seemed ok, I thought it felt like crap, the slider was stiff, the screen didnt rotate to adjust for the keyboard being kicked out. I had these issues with it on 3 different display models at 2 different stores (one sprint store, one best buy), Which is why I asked the new shift community to chime in, if it was left up to my impression at the store, i would say the phone is a piece of **** that shouldn't be sold to consumers. However I doubt that is the case, and I wanted feedback from people who already own one.

Khilbron said:
I am looking at purchasing a Shift 4G for my mom to upgrade her from her POS blackberry. I currently have the Big Brother to the Shift (the Supersonic), and absolutely love it, I won't give it up for anything, but my mom would be more suited to an iPhone, however sprint doesn't have the iPhone, and I get a 23% discount through my job.
Could several people respond about the Shift please:
1. Average battery life (moderate usage)
2. Size and Feel of the phone for day to day use
3. How does the keyboard feel for texting
4. How smooth does this redesigned Sense OS feel
5. How well does the camera operate
6. Does the screen size feel ok if you use the touchscreen instead of the slideout KB.
I would prefer non-rooted people to respond to these since I won't be rooting her phone. I want to hear all responses both good, and bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have you read anything in these forums at all? wtf

Khilbron said:
I have gone to the store and played with it, I have had my mom check it out as well, she said it seemed ok, I thought it felt like crap, the slider was stiff, the screen didnt rotate to adjust for the keyboard being kicked out. I had these issues with it on 3 different display models at 2 different stores (one sprint store, one best buy), Which is why I asked the new shift community to chime in, if it was left up to my impression at the store, i would say the phone is a piece of **** that shouldn't be sold to consumers. However I doubt that is the case, and I wanted feedback from people who already own one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the slider is stiff in the store probably due to the protective plastic still being around the keyboard. Otherwise it's very nice (except mine, which is really loose).
The screen rotates just fine when the keyboard is opened. It takes a half-second, but it rotates on all screens, except perhaps the facebook app.
I would actually say this phone is similar build quality to the evo, if not better. It's also the smaller form, which many people like. Not to mention the fact that it has more potential to be OC'd and if the dev's can figure it out, the potential to be a major powerhouse.

foxsdaddy67 said:
have you read anything in these forums at all? wtf
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*sarcasm* No of course I haven't *sarcasm*, however I don't think you have, the first 7 pages of this 11 page subforum are filled with people complaining about broken hinges, bad sliders, charging problems, ect... which is why I put this thread up, I want to see the positive feedback, I want a reason to buy this phone as a gift for my mother. Generally the praise is left out of the forums, and the help me this is Borked takes over. I Love HTC phones, and as I am sitting I don't have a good reason to select this phone for her or go el cheapo and get her an optimus or an intercept.

First off, I think the EVO is a solid device...one of the few on Sprint.
I really like the EVO Shift better. It has a 2nd generation processor in it so it's slightly faster than the regular EVO w/being on a stock rom. I have not done it but heard it's a beast running the modified over clocked kernel.
Keyboard does get some getting used to, and I find myself using the on-screen keyboard for short text messages and the hardware keyboard on longer emails. HTC is know for durability and extended life (compared to other *cough* Kyocera) so I'm not too worried about the keyboard being extended.
I love to hate Sense UI...there are some features that are amazing and other's that just...well, yack.
The volume key's are always getting in my way, but I just have to "de-program" myself and get used to it. I've only had the Shift for a couple days, so I'll let my body catch up.
Did I mention how fast this device is? That is...even running stock!
I haven't heard it mentioned but I think the battery cover is a nuisance and feels cheap. If I had to do a sliding scale scoring on this device, without any industry experience, I would give it a 8/10 - from a consumer review

Mom, grandma, aunt, female cousin, sister, daughter, niece...when will the madness end? Boys and men, start buying these phones for yourselves!

foxsdaddy67 said:
have you read anything in these forums at all? wtf
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly what I was thinking. Do some research for yourself.
powered by the tears of a million orphaned alpacas...

I've said it before and I will say it again. A decent android phone that wont break the bank or make you pay the extra ten bucks a month and for someone that isn't a power user is the LG optimus.
Yeah going from a moment to a shift is, form factor wise, about the same so there wouldn't be much to adjust to operating differently besides no cursor button.
Knowing what I do now, if I couldn't afford a top tier phone and monthly bill, I'd go with the little LG. People are giving it very good ratings on sprint's site.
With the screen not going landscape, maybe in screen settings it was turned off. Plus people probably install all kinds of crap on the display phones it bogs it down and lags terribly.

herbthehammer said:
I've said it before and I will say it again. A decent android phone that wont break the bank or make you pay the extra ten bucks a month and for someone that isn't a power user is the LG optimus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All new smartphone activations will have the $10 fee now, you might as well get a 4G phone.
Sent from my HTC Evo Shift 4G using the XDA app.

wardfan220 said:
All new smartphone activations will have the $10 fee now, you might as well get a 4G phone.
Sent from my HTC Evo Shift 4G using the XDA app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So regardless if the phone is 4g or not, they are gonna charge an extra ten bucks a month?

herbthehammer said:
So regardless if the phone is 4g or not, they are gonna charge an extra ten bucks a month?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. There is a post here about it somewhere. I'm in my phone so I don't have a link atm.
Sent from my HTC Evo Shift 4G using the XDA app.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/18/sprint-data-plan-fees_n_810279.html
^ Shift Faced