Database Users

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

Is everyone happy with the atrix

I came from the samsung captivate with high hopes and well I have noticed a few things the i would rather have over the atrix
one would be the screen, items like the opening screen to the xda app comes out pixaled
the overal make of the phone is I would say is cheap compared to the captivate. It feels as it would break on the first drop not to mention the plastic back cover feel as if it would break after a few openings. Overall I am content with it but not as happy as expected
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

Agree here. Regret to have my inspire sold.

I'm pretty happy with it, coming from an iPhone 4 (and an Evo.)
Pros:
- Screen looks great, pretty close to my i4. Yeah, if I touch my nose to the glass, I can see pixels. I'm also fine with the screen not being AMOLED over-saturated. My regular laptop isn't, my PC isn't, my Atrix lapdock isn't, my i4 isn't, my Evo isn't, my HDTV's aren't, so it doesn't really bother me that the phone looks exactly the same as everything else I own.
- It is quite fast. As an example, I tend to install or update multiple apps at once, and on my Evo (which was overclocked), it would drag the phone to being nearly unresponsive having more than 1 thing going at once.
- I'm digging the accessories so far. The DLNA feature has been great for grabbing stuff from my media server and displaying it in 720p on my TV. It's not 1080 yet, but it still looks quite good. The browser works well on the TV as well. The lapdock has been quite nifty so far as well. Barring Windows games, I've had no problem doing everything else I use my standalone laptop for.
- Battery has been amazing, compared to either my Evo or i4.
- Fingerprint scanner works extremely well, I was surprised by this, pleasantly.
- The on-screen keyboard is fantastic, right up there with the i4. Far better than any other Android I've owned to date (which is quite a few.)
Cons:
- When flipping through the screens on the phone, it hasn't been all that smooth, even after a fresh boot. It's not bad, but its like my Evo, circa launch day, prior to mods to improve its responsiveness. Might be Motoblur related?
- Data uplink is killing my latency, which if it isn't something that is fixed relatively soon, could actually be a deal breaker for me, since I do like to tether to play stuff like Bad Company 2 while at work... 130ms latency on my Evo is okay, 400 on the Atrix... isn't.
- This might sound odd, but it's so smooth that it is slippery as hell. I've had a few miraculous catches following the phone just sliding right out of my hand.
- When grabbing media for my server, I have to copy it via DLNA to the device first, THEN play it, when using the Webtop OS in either the entertainment or lapdocks. I have a feeling this will come down to someone making a crafty software fix, but who knows.
- The lapdock needs a way to hide the icon bar at the bottom to expand the browser window. If you try a Facebook game, you can't quite fit the whole game window into view, and there are other things that have a similar issue.
Overall I'm pretty happy with it, and it seems like most of the issues I have can be solved in software, one way or another.

No stock UI works that well other than Sense. I suggest getting ADW launcher and theme it like your stock UI. Its very smooth side to side etc.
One thing I noticed - this phone is flat out HORRIBLE with UI animations such as the gingerbread launcher. My captivates UI speed blows this out of the water.
They need to fix that asap.

Pretty happy so far.
Im pretty happy with it so far. I came from the LG Expo which was a WM 6.5 device. This is my first Android phone, so it was a pretty big upgrade.
If there is one thing I am slightly disappointed in is the phone's ram. The "1gb" of ram appears to be split in half between the phone and the web top environment, so either one can only access 512mb at any one time. I'm only slightly disappointed because I expected it. It's another case of misleading, but not totally false advertising...now, about my missing "G" in network speed....

Also from iPhone 4. Still haven't decided if I am going to keep it yet, overall the phone is really nice, but it still just doesn't feel as smooth/fluid/solid as the iPhone. I was really hoping a nice Tegra 2 chip would make things smooth on Android but alas I was still disappointed. The phone is fast don't get me wrong, but the UI still has plenty of places that are just ... chunky. Overall build quality of the phone is also nice, but it still doesn't feel nearly as solid in my hand as the iPhone does.

I like the phone just not sure I like it tons better than my captivate. I think a lot of people that downplay samoled screens have never owned one. Its very tough going back. Overall my phone flys using launcher pro plus with 3d animations. No slow Downs or chunkiness whatsoever.

I'm definitely happy. I @so came from the Captivate and there isn't anything I would change.
I LOVE the fact that the pixel Dr/ity is larger, therefore making everything smaller. today is going to be the first day I see how it performs out in the realworld so I hope that goes well
I'm thinking about picking up the laptock dock since you can tether for free as well... might wait a while though since I don't need it now.
Rooted/ROM Captivate
Rooted Atrix

I'm unimpressed. Of course it's fast but not noticeably faster than the inspire. I really want to keep this phone and use it as my main device but it's not looking good right now. The touch screen isn't as responsive as the captivate or the inspire. When I try to fly through things, I find the phone missing registered touches. At first, I just thought I need to get used to this device but I could do this on the inspire and captivate with no problem at all. I'm going to give this more time so we'll see how it goes. Another thing I noticed, Motorola has a load of crap that runs on the device that I'll never use (see running services) and it takes up a significant amount of memory. It'd be a pain to go through and manually end these services. Even after using a task killer, most of the services persisted.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

Coming from the Nexus One, which is still regarded as the baseline for a good Android device, I'd have to say I'm pretty happy with it, no regrets at all in selling my N1 to get this. Yes, I do sorely miss the stock UI and being in that comfort zone that I'll be first to get updates (even though Google has been slacking lately). With that said, the pros out number the cons.
Pros
- BLOODY fast
- Battery is 1000x better than the Nexus One. I can go a whole day on one charge and it's not an iPhone? Say it ain't so
- Screen is 1000x better than the Nexus One, and very, very close to my wife's iPhone 4
I don't know what the guy above is smoking, but the Atrix is a 1000X better than the Captivate in terms of build quality. I was sorta anxious about it being all plastic, but the phone feels rock solid. With an Otter Box Commuter on the way, I doubt I'll ever notice it was any different than my ex-N1 (with a Commuter case as well).
Neutral
- The phone isn't the prettiest, but certainly nice.
Cons
- Motoblur adds some nice touches, but overall it's slow. I'm using LauncherPro Plus which is getting me back some of my sanity.
- Doesn't come with Gingerbread out of the box :-(
- Power button location sucks
- Volume buttons are on wrong side :-(
- I know people hate trackball, but until Gingerbread makes it out to the Atrix, copy-n-paste SUCKS

I prefer this phone over my captivate 10 fold. The screen is not a big issue to me as a lot of times on the captivate screen peoples faces always had a tint of red to them. Over saturation is over saturation no matter how you look at it. The phone is also super fast in UI transitions for me and is worlds better then the captivate in that respect. Motoblur home UI used to cause all sorts of slow down but switching to launcher pro fixed all of those issues. The phone is really quick and snappy. The XDA load screen is pixelated i would assume because it is a lower res image in the first place. Also why is that even important? it's just a load screen?

Some people are just trying too hard to find any excuse to hate the phone.
tbae2 said:
The XDA load screen is pixelated i would assume because it is a lower res image in the first place. Also why is that even important? it's just a load screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Coming from a Nexus One (which btw was a great phone in its own right), and having had a plethora of phones including an iPhone 4 and a Captivate, I am very happy with the Atrix.
There are a lot of people making a big deal of AMOLED vs LCD. What I'd like to add is that it really is COMPLETELY A MATTER OF PERSONAL PREFERENCE! I, for one, prefer the more natural tones and higher brightness of an LCD display, but do see the draw of the higher contrast AMOLED. There are valid arguments for the pros and cons of both types of displays, and it really is best to see the two side by side in various environments to determine what works best for you.
Moving right along to the data speed: I've read a lot of posts about the data being capped and slower than 3g phones, but this has not been my experience! I used the new SIM they sent me and made sure I was on the 4G plan, and now my downloads are consistently faster than they are on the N1 and even faster than the iPhone (funny how that the iPhone still sets the benchmark).
Lastly, I want to address the performance of the phone: I think it's phenomenal! I did root and replace the stock launcher right away, but besides that everything is stock. The phone is super responsive. The transitions are seamless. Everything works great with one exception - the lock screen which takes a second to come up.
To wrap up, I think the Atrix is a very nice upgrade to my N1 and that Motorola hit a home run with this phone. Granted, we won't realize it's full potential for a few months, but I believe that the Atrix is a great platform and will have superb development support from the community!

dew.man said:
Coming from a Nexus One (which btw was a great phone in its own right), and having had a plethora of phones including an iPhone 4 and a Captivate, I am very happy with the Atrix.
There are a lot of people making a big deal of AMOLED vs LCD. What I'd like to add is that it really is COMPLETELY A MATTER OF PERSONAL PREFERENCE! I, for one, prefer the more natural tones and higher brightness of an LCD display, but do see the draw of the higher contrast AMOLED. There are valid arguments for the pros and cons of both types of displays, and it really is best to see the two side by side in various environments to determine what works best for you.
Moving right along to the data speed: I've read a lot of posts about the data being capped and slower than 3g phones, but this has not been my experience! I used the new SIM they sent me and made sure I was on the 4G plan, and now my downloads are consistently faster than they are on the N1 and even faster than the iPhone (funny how that the iPhone still sets the benchmark).
Lastly, I want to address the performance of the phone: I think it's phenomenal! I did root and replace the stock launcher right away, but besides that everything is stock. The phone is super responsive. The transitions are seamless. Everything works great with one exception - the lock screen which takes a second to come up.
To wrap up, I think the Atrix is a very nice upgrade to my N1 and that Motorola hit a home run with this phone. Granted, we won't realize it's full potential for a few months, but I believe that the Atrix is a great platform and will have superb development support from the community!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly, my phone pulls the same DL speeds I could get from my captivate in my area. The only thing I'm lacking is the upload speed.

Think I'm going back to my inspire.....on another note, the Atrix's GPS is STELLAR
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

I'm extremely happy with mine. Coming from a ton of phones recently, including iP4, Captivate, Inspire, Surround among others. It may be the perfect size of phone/screen combo for me. Atrix is super fast and I'm good with the screen.
Everyone sees it's a pentile display and all of sudden it's garbage. I don't notice pixels. Sure, maybe if I got really close and squint my eyes I might. I'll never know because I don't spend all day trying to figure out how my phone sucks. Web page loads are faster than the Inspire for me.
Battery looks to be insanely good compared to the Inspire. I'd been using mine heavily since 10am yesterday googing around with it and playing games. I didn't plug it in when I went to bed and it still said 40% when I woke up. I realize that it goes in increments of 10, but that's pretty solid.
Sound quality is excellent! Talking on the phone shows really great audio quality for me. The biggest surprise was how loud/clear the speaker is for music and nav. I couldn't be happier with the phone.

Aaron J said:
If there is one thing I am slightly disappointed in is the phone's ram. The "1gb" of ram appears to be split in half between the phone and the web top environment, so either one can only access 512mb at any one time. I'm only slightly disappointed because I expected it. It's another case of misleading, but not totally false advertising...now, about my missing "G" in network speed....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, that's interesting. How did you come to this conclusion? I can't find any place in the settings that tells exactly how much RAM is in use/available.

Happy from aa TP2 but furious about what I paid for. Horrible Service no, Signed bootloader. Capped 3g Speeds, forget about 4g that is non existent where I live although it says 4G+

sdlopez83 said:
Happy from aa TP2 but furious about what I paid for. Horrible Service no, Signed bootloader. Capped 3g Speeds, forget about 4g that is non existent where I live although it says 4G+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just curious why you bought it if your service is so bad? We all knew the bootloader was going to be locked down because it's Moto.

I found the Inspire to be light years ahead of the Captivate, and the Atrix to be just a notch above the Inspire. Also, I like the Atrix's skinned version of Swype. I honestly didn't even know it came with Swype until last night. I was using stock the whole time. lol
As for the iPhone 4, I can see why some aren't as impressed. When it comes down to it, no phone on the market can match its polish. Some come close, but none match. For me, I just prefer Android over iOS.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

I'm completely satisfied with the Atrix so far.

I have been reading tons of gripes and woes about the Atrix. I picked mine up this morning at 9am. So far, here are my thoughts and feelings - broken down by Pros (+) and Cons (-).
+The display is pretty. It is not a retina display, but it does not claim to be. It is a high resolution display that works surprisingly well in sunlight (trust me, I just returned the inspire, which was unreadable in real light). The text looks crisp, images look great. Its not perfect, but it is current. Sure, if you put your eye an inch from the display you can see some pixels - I am basing this comment off realistic viewing distances and I think it looks great.
+The phone is fast. Really fast. If you are worried about animations being slow - just disable them - screens load instantly.
+++The BATTERY - Best. Hands down best part of the phone. You can take advantage of android, all of its syncing...everything. and get a day. With smart use (and if you don't need to sync social things on their own) you can get much more out of it.
+Phone is tiny, feels great in the hand.
+One click root at launch - can't beat it. For me, removing (freezing) the bloat is 3/4 the battle.
- The haptic feedback thing pisses me off, but whatever. The battery is big enough.

acPIZZA said:
- The haptic feedback thing pisses me off, but whatever. The battery is big enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11562515&postcount=13

Xarinn said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11562515&postcount=13
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, we know this, and it is disabled. I am referring to the four android buttons at the bottom.
Sent from my Motorola Atrix using tapatalk

I love the phone so far. I have a new minor niggles with it, but overall, it's a TON better than my captivate. The sound, the haptic, etc are all so much better, and the build quality of the phone seems INFINITELY better.
I'll deal with the small stuff for now, I know we'll get them taken care of. This thing is 100x better than that captivate was when I pulled it out of the box... I couldn't imagine being forced to use the stock ROM on that thing! It was so slow, it reminded me of my Magic!

acPIZZA said:
Yes, we know this, and it is disabled. I am referring to the four android buttons at the bottom.
Sent from my Motorola Atrix using tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you really see that big of a difference in battery life with haptic disabled?

acPIZZA said:
I have been reading tons of gripes and woes about the Atrix. I picked mine up this morning at 9am. So far, here are my thoughts and feelings - broken down by Pros (+) and Cons (-).
+The display is pretty. It is not a retina display, but it does not claim to be. It is a high resolution display that works surprisingly well in sunlight (trust me, I just returned the inspire, which was unreadable in real light). The text looks crisp, images look great. Its not perfect, but it is current. Sure, if you put your eye an inch from the display you can see some pixels - I am basing this comment off realistic viewing distances and I think it looks great.
+The phone is fast. Really fast. If you are worried about animations being slow - just disable them - screens load instantly.
+++The BATTERY - Best. Hands down best part of the phone. You can take advantage of android, all of its syncing...everything. and get a day. With smart use (and if you don't need to sync social things on their own) you can get much more out of it.
+Phone is tiny, feels great in the hand.
+One click root at launch - can't beat it. For me, removing (freezing) the bloat is 3/4 the battle.
- The haptic feedback thing pisses me off, but whatever. The battery is big enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you. I am going to sell my EVO and replace with the Atrix.
the EVO has great features but the Atrix is better IMHO
You listed my reasons almost exactly as in order I would too! the battery lasts ALL day with normal use for me which included playing WSOP poker game listening to music and about 50 text messages and about 10 minutes of calls and about 15 minutes of web use and emails. I love the custom ROMS with the EVO but I can't hold that against the Atrix. But the roms will come later....
I am satisfied enough to cancel service with sprint and sell my EVO!!
I installed ADW Launcher and it makes things a lot more easier to use.....
This thing is FAST!

DarkSi08 said:
Do you really see that big of a difference in battery life with haptic disabled?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not really a question of battery life, it just annoying.
Sent from my Motorola Atrix using tapatalk

Phone speeds are garbage, the bootloader is revolting. Android Froyo is ancient. This phone is wasting its credentials. It went to harvard and is working as a toll booth operator.

How is froyo ancient when every single device out but the nexus has it?

"Completely" satisfied... no.
The data speed issues really have me rethinking the phone.
FroYo with Moto Blur... I can live with it for now, but 2.3 needs to come quick.
Being able to root it from day one was a pleasant surprise, so having the ability to preform some tweaks helps.

sdlopez83 said:
Phone speeds are garbage, the bootloader is revolting. Android Froyo is ancient. This phone is wasting its credentials. It went to harvard and is working as a toll booth operator.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please do us all a favor and return your Atrix (if you have one). It seems from other posts you have in the other threads that you really dislike the phone. So please return it and you will be much happier.....

jamezr said:
I agree with you. I am going to sell my EVO and replace with the Atrix.
the EVO has great features but the Atrix is better IMHO
You listed my reasons almost exactly as in order I would too! the battery lasts ALL day with normal use for me which included playing WSOP poker game listening to music and about 50 text messages and about 10 minutes of calls and about 15 minutes of web use and emails. I love the custom ROMS with the EVO but I can't hold that against the Atrix. But the roms will come later....
I am satisfied enough to cancel service with sprint and sell my EVO!!
I installed ADW Launcher and it makes things a lot more easier to use.....
This thing is FAST!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also super happy with it.
My only complaint is the screen size... coming from an HD2 (evo essentially) it's Freaking TINY. It's a challenge to adjust to.
The phone is ridiculously nice though, I have all the accessories and they're also SICK... the laptop dock is a LITTLE off... but that's really just personal preferences... my brother loves the laptop dock... I think it's beautiful and nice but I don't like the keyboard or the lack of a scroll pad on the touch pad. You can just pop a USB mouse into it though or use a Bluetooth mouse then it's RIDICULOUS nice.

sdlopez83 said:
Phone speeds are garbage, the bootloader is revolting. Android Froyo is ancient. This phone is wasting its credentials. It went to harvard and is working as a toll booth operator.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're trolling quite a bit here, nicely done.
Froyo is ancient, but there are only 2 phones as of today with official builds of Gingerbread and those are the 2 dev phones....developer phones...get it?
The Atrix is super fast so not sure where the garbage comment comes from. The bootloader is locked and you would have known that when you bought it so don't act so damned surprised. You should definitely return the phone asap so we don't have to read any more of your comments.
Obvious troll is obvious.

jamezr said:
Please do us all a favor and return your Atrix (if you have one). It seems from other posts you have in the other threads that you really dislike the phone. So please return it and you will be much happier.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This.

waltah! said:
This.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup.
Every slight imperfection of the phone (except for I think the haptic feedback thing) was touched upon in Engadgets review. If you didn't know what you were in for then it is your own fault.

Two Cents
Went to the store today, and it is a top of the line phone. I've been inches away from purchasing twice.
I can deal with the locked bootloader, but not the capped Upload Speeds and impact on download. The downloads at the store was getting the 2.5Mbps but the upload never crossed 300Kbps. Until this is fixed, I am on the sidelines anxious to jump in.

I have a Nexus S and One still and I am very happy with this Atrix 4G. It is very fast and functional.
My only concerns is the par camera, not as good as the Nexus S screen, and no more ginger bready goodness.
I'm going to keep the Atrix 4G, at least until an ATT Nexus S releases.

Same for me. I'll wait to see if att can fix their network or see what Verizon LTE has to offer. IMHO it really doesn't matter how fast the hardware might be if it only sips data through a straw.
sent from my Ginger EVO

Agreed.
For an out of the box Smartphone it is very fast. Rooted within 15 minutes of ownership, Wireless tethering within 20! All I have left is to find a reliable Call Record or be able to change the phone app to include it and I am 100% with it. Not willing to experiment that much without a reliable image. One day, the Dev's here are awesome!
Thanks to Designgears for making this happen before it was even released!

[Q] Does the Atrix live up to the Hype?

Ok guys ive been reading mixed comments about the Atrix that its good and that its not. I was in 2 minds whether to get the Atrix or the LG Optimus 2X. Originally I was gonne get which ever I could get my hands on 1st. Both have their pros and cons i.e. camera, ram, locked bootloader, screen quality, internal memory etc
Well I decided to get the LG and this comment made in the o2x forum sealed it
Ive been using my atrix couple weeks an am falling out of love with it fast, after yesterday it ramdomly shut off 2x an today once sofar. The screen is beging to bother me the screendoor washed out look. Allready returned lapdock, that cant even compare to a real laptop in my opion. So im looking hard at the Lg 2x for an upgrade of camera, gyroscope, performance, faster upgrade to gingerbread, real mirroring, 1080p recording an play back, 7.1 sound, totaly unlocked phone. Yes 512mb memory is trade off, but operating system will handly that, an the battery is non issue, I'll have a spare battery or a charging source anyway. Not to mention not paying 20/month to not tether, an having my data speeds throttled down to 1.5mb down an 310kb up lat of 350-800. An Atrix doesnt do LTE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But now im stiill thinking what to do as Im so impatient and want a dual core phone asap. So I made this poll to see everyones view

Coming from a N1, there's not that much improvement. I'm satisfied, but not amazed by this phone. Still debating if I should return it and wait it out.
My impressions:
-Definitely faster, everything is much snappier, but browsing-wise there's not much of a difference.
-Screen is bright and sharp (as long as you don't put your face within inches of the screen you won't really notice the pentile display. But it's still an annoyance when you notice it)
-Camera is marginally better. Pretty disappointing for a flagship device. Plus the media gallery lags like this is a 2 year old phone when zooming in and out.
-GPS is amazing
-Pretty much Motorblur slows this phone's speed and potential. If this device was stock or able to flash truly custom ROMs, it'd be screaming in speed and blow every competitor out of the water.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

Custom ROMS would make it a whole lot better.

19 voters.. 2 responses.. lol
I think it lives up to the hype.. couple quirks I miss from my captivate but.. besides that the phone is solid.
Now I just got to wait for Tango to support our phones :T

Came from the LG Expo. A much better improvement than the last generation phones. The phone just beats about everything out of the expo. Only thing getting to me is that the expo's fingerprint scanner doubled as a trackpad (would've been nice to have for editing text's)

harolds said:
Custom ROMS would make it a whole lot better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This pretty much summed it up

I think this is a situation that there is not enough tangible usage of a dual core for majority of people. Most of people wont notice any improvements in UI speed. We need evolution of software just like in iOS that despite this same architecture people could understand what the new software is bring them.
It feels a bit like a premature technology and we are all living dreaming of tomorrow while we are beta testing for Motorola/Samsung/HTC.
Just 2 cents.

Believe what you want but I love the Atrix. Had a captivate and it doesn't compare. My phone has never rebooted or lagged- I don't know what others do to theirs but my phone is rock solid.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

I'm lovin mine all around. For people who return it because of locked bootloader, I'd say that you knew that when you bought it if it's a dealbreaker.

The webtop dock alone has made this phone exceed the hype. All thanks to the devs
You guys rock
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

i have a nexus one and now and atrix and have had it for about a week and i love it. It works great, no random reboots or anything ... just smooth sailing.
I know i can not customize it like I could my N1 but I think that day will come in time. I'll wait ...

Yes, it lived up to the hype in my opinion.

Came from Nexus One. Love the Atrix. It fast and solidly built. Im not sure why everyone said motorblur slow the phone down. I use ADW launcher and it scream.

The Atrix doesn't live up to the Best of CES 2011 hype. The locked bootloader, 1080p "coming soon" recording, overpriced lapdock, overpriced multimedia dock, and good-but-not-great screen keep it from living up to the incredible hype it garnered when it was announced.
Your poll is worded slightly differently: Was the Atrix worth it?
I just came from an ancient Iphone 3g, so the Atrix is absolutely amazing in pretty much every way compared to it and finally getting to use my upgrade was absolutely worth it!
I originally tried out a Captivate for about a week back when I first came up for an upgrade last november. It kept turning itself off (not sleep, total shutdown so I wouldn't receive calls, txt, email ect.) which was a deal breaker. The useless GPS didn't help it's case either. Screen was gorgeous, speed was decent, build quality was ok, battery life was ok. Anyways, I sent the Captivate back after a week, I couldn't have a phone that didn't take phone calls.
First and foremost I love the speed. This thing is lightning fast and seems to have horsepower to burn under the hood. Second is the battery life, I get home from work most of the time with over 40% battery power remaining which is absolutely astounding, my iphone couldn't make it through a full day without getting some juice at my desk and while the captivate did, it was usually at 10-15%. I'm also using the Atrix more than either of the others because I don't feel like I have to conserve battery power to make it through the day.
After those two big features, there are a bunch of less important things that I like:
Finger print scanner is great, I can unlock the phone without even looking at it. I know this doesn't sound important, but it's surprisingly useful when I'm just trying to pull information off my phone quickly and can have it already unlocked as I'm pulling it out of my pocket.
GPS is the best I've experienced on a phone, and better than some dedicated GPS units I've had the displeasure to work with.
Build quality (contrary to some reports I've read) is quite good imo. The phone itself is very sturdy feeling when held by the sides. The back cover is a bit flimsy, but it is also what convinced me to skip getting a case for the Atrix, if it gets scratched I'll just get a new back.
Gorilla Glass is not glued to LCD. Should keep repair costs down.
HDMI out is great, webtop with working firefox extensions is awesome.
Some good, some bad:
Screen resolution is good (colors not so much). The auto-brightness seems to be set a little low imho. I only notice a pentile effect on particularly small+thin fonts.
Camera is surprisingly good in low-light and indoor conditions. Not especially great overall though, tint seems a little off. May just need to set up a custom photoshop filter to correct it.
Call quality is good in quiet conditions, very clear reception and a detailed microphone. Not so good in noisy or windy conditions, the mic picks up a lot of extraneous noise, people are often asking me what's going on or where I am now based on background noise.
I haven't had much reason to use the front facing camera...frankly with AT&T's network I think video chat is a gimmick more than anything else.
I wonder about the finger print scanner/button longevity.
I wouldn't necessarily say the Atrix is the best phone around, but it was the best phone that fit my requirements (ATT, asap, batt life, fast) and so far I like it a lot.
Running ADW Launcher and really like the Advanced Clock widget.

I took mine back and have the Nexus 1 now; I liked the speed but for the most part, my 2.3.3 phone is about as fast; the main thing slowing these phones down now is the network speeds anyway.
If I'm on a wifi network, they're all pretty much the same speed.
Living up to the hype? Definitely not. There are a lot of small problems with this phone that a lot of people don't like; to me, it feels slightly rushed.

I came from an iPhone 4 and I haven't missed the iPhone experience yet. I started with the HTC Inspire which is a nice phone but the battery is rotten and the volume from the phone was pathetic. The Atrix has been an awesome phone for me. It has pretty good battery life so far and yes there are no truly custom ROMs but Adeo (REDUX) has made the UI lag go away on my end and I know others have said the same thing. I am loving the experience of this phone.
Just know that anytime you get a phone shortly after a better one will come out. It's all user preference and what you want and what you think is important. I'm happy but guy x may not be happy. So use one and if you don't like it don't keep it.

I went from a HTC Fuze directly to the Atrix. I love it. (almost) Everything about it. I have played with the Inspire and a couple other 2.1/2.2 devices (girlfriends captivate) and this thing stomps the crap out of them. The colors are just a little off, but that's probably just me going for an extreme upgrade from the phone I had before.
The *ONLY* gripe I have about it is the locked HSUPA. But with all good things come some bad, I think I'm gonna stick it out with the Atrix. Not only that but Spectral Souls looks amazing on it

Guys, please, help me to make a right decision.
Is it possible to buy AT&T version of Motorola Atrix and use it outside US? Is it simple to unlock it? Or where do you recommend to purchase unlocked phone.
P.$.: does motorola have any plans to upgrade it 2.3/3.1 in the future? As I know it's not the trivial to customize firmware for motorola phones (my old G1 can be customized without any problems).
Thanks a lot.

The phone is great nuff said.... We are all a bit too picky but for what its worth this is really the only phone out right now that can take down the iphone 4. My iphone 4 has just been sitting on my night table since I got the Atrix. Atrix has so much more potential and the Android os is so much more pleasing than iIS. Once the bootloader gets cracked its game over!
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

Genixoid said:
Guys, please, help me to make a right decision.
Is it possible to buy AT&T version of Motorola Atrix and use it outside US? Is it simple to unlock it? Or where do you recommend to purchase unlocked phone.
P.$.: does motorola have any plans to upgrade it 2.3/3.1 in the future? As I know it's not the trivial to customize firmware for motorola phones (my old G1 can be customized without any problems).
Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I am using Atrix on my business trips to EU using local sim cards.
Probably, but the timing of updates is another question.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

Honest opinion of the atrix

Ive been wanting to try the atrix i just see a lot of mixed reviews so no where better to ask but here true users! Thanks for any replies maybe yall can help

Its depend on what you want, But for me the phone is a solid one, good gps (coming from htc inspire and the gps there was an horror) the screen seems very nice 275ppi, very fast phone, feels great in the hand. If you looks in the htc's dev there are much more support from dev than the atrix but here the roms are really nice, no craps, no experiments, and in some time we're getting cyan. I really like my phone!

I personally am in love with the phone. Great screen size, great resolution, great touch response, insane amount of onboard storage and ram so that apps never freeze up, and battery life that has made me question what good battery life really should be (even with moderate daily use I can go 30+ hours without a charger, I can go days if I don't use the phone at all, and about 9 hours of intense useage). It runs every app I've encountered like butter, including intense HD games (thanks to the Tegra processor and graphics).

Good phone, fast, slim, etc... but if your looking to get one in the near future, I'd wait till Oct. and get the Nexus Prime. Just my opinion though.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App

fleurdelisxliv said:
Ive been wanting to try the atrix i just see a lot of mixed reviews so no where better to ask but here true users! Thanks for any replies maybe yall can help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a very fast phone, you almost don't have any lag. Nice big 4" screen which works well even under bright sunlight. Though there are a lot of complaints about Motoblur, I kind of like it, it has almost everything I need, on my previous phone Motorola Milestone, I had to install all kinds of widgets just to get my phone to do these things.
More importantly if you are looking for a perfect phone, it is not and there is really no perfect phone. What is important is what are looking for in a phone? If you could list what you are looking for in a phone, then probably the users here would be able to provide you with input as to whether the phone will meet your expectations.
Cheers!

The mixed reviews of the Atrix are caused from the old radio roms which were current on 2.2.2 froyo roms. Now on stock 2.3.4 and latest radio rom, atrix is a true beast. It does everything instantly when you click and the best part, you always have a battery enough for the next charge. I truly love my atrix and always trust it wherever i'm, whatever i tend to do. It has no limits.
Plus, you can extend its functions way more with a lapdock accessory.

I bought mine about a month before the Gingerbread OTA update. As soon as that came out I applied it from MSU, then waited a little more than a week and finally took the plunge and ran mramirezusa's unlock/CWM/root script.
I really like the phone now and have absolutely no issues with it -- though I do miss the "white text on black background" menus in the previous stock ROM. I'm running navalynt's piCRUST ROM to dispense with some of the bloat, but the phone runs fine on the stock 4.5.91/2.3.4 ROM.
My only complaint is that the back cover could be a bit beefier. It uses tiny plastic clips to snap onto the main phone body. I wish it used a slide & lock type of affair like the BlackBerry.
I pulled the battery many times while learning how to flash the phone, and the back cover has gotten a little "creaky". Putting a case on the phone will firm it up enough so you don't hear or feel this. And learning how to use adb or fastboot to reboot when possible (instead of pulling the battery) will save wear and tear on the cover. But it's not like I ever need to pull the battery during regular use. I've only needed to do this when flashing didn't work for some reason (usually because I did something wrong).
Before this phone I had an HTC Desire HD. That phone was beautiful but it was simply too big for my hand, I couldn't comfortably hold it and push buttons with the same hand, and I felt that I needed to keep it in my smoking jacket when not in use. Gave new meaning to the phrase "Ginger-bread"; I always held it gingerly like some precious piece of jewelry. A bit too elegant for my tastes -- and heavy to boot.
I was pretty sure that HTC Desire would slip out of my hand within the first week of owning it, so I went back to Costco and picked out the next cheapest Android phone, which turned out to be the Atrix. It's much more my style. Nothing flashy except what's on the inside.

Semseddin said:
The mixed reviews of the Atrix are caused from the old radio roms which were current on 2.2.2 froyo roms. Now on stock 2.3.4 and latest radio rom, atrix is a true beast. It does everything instantly when you click and the best part, you always have a battery enough for the next charge. I truly love my atrix and always trust it wherever i'm, whatever i tend to do. It has no limits.
Plus, you can extend its functions way more with a lapdock accessory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
QFT
10 char

Useful thread as I very close to buying one. My choices (at the min) are the HTC Sensation, Samsung SII & Atrix and I know that everybody is going to scream 'get the SII' but I don't want a phone with such a large screen. I use my phone a lot but don't read ebooks or surf when in my lounge as I have an Android tablet for all of that.
I want a powerful phone that will run all my apps, allow me to 'play' with ROM's, have DLNA / HDMI connectivity and have a battery life better than 8 hours so (for me) the Atrix seems like the perfect device. I like the idea of the dock as it could replace my tablet but not at the current cost ! The Multimedia dock looks decent though as my plan would be to stream movies from my NAS through Atrix to HDMI TV.

I like the power that the Atrix produces, especially the 1gb ram. No other Android phone runs as smooth that I've used.
With that said, I don't like Qhd. Text font is too small at times IMHO. I've changed the build.prop density, but it can still be an eye strain.
The biggest thing that I want from ICS is hopefully a way to change a screen resolution like a PC.
Do that and this phone would be flawless!...

I came from Samsung Captivate. These are my own thoughts and YMMV
- The screen is not as good as the captivate. I mean yellow color seems funky
- The camera is baaad.
- Rest of the phone is good. 'Solid' is the word I would use. GPS is superlative. Well, i think coming from Captivate any GPS would feel superlative. .
- ROM options are less than that on Captivate, but we had a late start because of the locked bootloader. Soon Atrix will catch up.
I love it and don't regret dumping the captivate.

thanks for all the replies so far! seems like a great phone

Swiftks said:
Good phone, fast, slim, etc... but if your looking to get one in the near future, I'd wait till Oct. and get the Nexus Prime. Just my opinion though.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
who said the next nexus will be called prime? (im just askin!)
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

the one thing i hate most about this phone -
its so f*cking slippery! seriously.. if you have sweaty hands.. good luck holding onto this thing without a case.
other then that ---- the voice quality on phone calls incoming and outgoing is not great, but its also not horrible either --- middle of the pack.
the speaker is very loud, i find using that to talk to people is much easier then holding the phone up to my ear because i can understand people better.
the screen is fine... i like that i can actually see the thing in sunlight.

I've had mine for a little over a month now, I will say that I love this phone.
It is the perfect size for me; big but not too big.
It is FAST
The battery life is better than most smartphones
Camera is OK, it'll pass
ROM selection is growing.
Look and feel are almost HTC like IMHO
Price is spot on!!!

Really enjoyed when I used it. Feels great in hand.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA Premium App

For me it's been a great phone. And I've used a lot of smartphones under different platforms.
Android for me is rock solid and very nice to tweak and work on.
But the Atrix is a device on a different level thanks to it's Webtop implementation when used along with its accesories, specially the Lapdock, which has allowed me to leave my bulky and heavy laptop at home.
I really recommend you to try it and get some (if not all) of it's accesories. You will not regret it.
Sent from my Atrix using Tapatalk

I just got mine last week when they were free at Best Buy. I was planning to hold out for the SGS2 but decided free was a wise option to take. My previous phone was the Dell Streak (standard 1ghz snapdragon phone) and we didn't have much in the way of custom roms so I was excited to switch to a phone with a real development community.
I never even booted the phone into the stock rom. My coworkers all have stock moto phones and motoblur is just bad. But running Alien #4 this phone screams and is glitch free. I think it's literally twice as fast as my Streak and am very pleased with my decision to get this phone. The screen is beautiful and the "4g" speeds are a nice little boost over standard 3g (I live in a town of around 175,000 so it's not a major city and data speeds are nice and fast at all times of the day).
Pros:
-Screaming fast
-Lots of accessories
-High resolution screen
-Huge battery
-Lots of internal memory
-Several good roms to choose from
-Gaming
Cons:
-Feels tiny after having the 5" Streak
-Camera is decent but not as good as others
-Can get pretty hot (but is not as hot as some other tegra2 devices I've tried

Here is a doubter who became a believer after the atrix gbread upgrade:
http://www.phonedog.com/videos/motorola-atrix-4g-gingerbread-hands-on/
"With the Gingerbread update, the Motorola Atrix 4G rises to become the best Android handset on AT&T." ....pretty powerful stuff..

The atrix looks nice but I just wondered about dev support. That's why I got an inspire.