Posted by Shoshana/AZ on 6/20/10 8:09pm
Msg #341676

I ended up buying Moto Droid.

What I love is that Costco doesn't have a restocking charge. They were also $50 less than anywhere else. The young man who sold it to me was very kind. He invited me to come back any time if I needed assistance.

Reply by MikeC/NY on 6/20/10 11:15pm
Msg #341681

Who's the service through? I'm not overly thrilled with my Blackberry Storm, and am considering a switch, but only if I can stay with my current carrier.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 6/20/10 11:51pm
Msg #341682

I love my Blackberry Curve (8310) but I have been looking at the Google Android platform with the HTC. I have heard a lot of good things about the platform and especially since it's an open architecture platform it seems that app developers are more comfortable with it and the fact that there is no censorship of the apps. I'm about due for a new phone and the HTC might just be it.

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 6/21/10 12:51am
Msg #341687

Charles, I have no idea what you are talking about. LOL!

Alas, I am not a techie.

Reply by MikeC/NY on 6/21/10 8:26am
Msg #341696

I upgraded(?) from a Blackberry Curve to a Storm, and am sorry I did. Typing on that thing is an exercise in frustration. At least it didn't cost me anything because I got it as part of a special Verizon promotion.

The only bad thing I've heard about the Droids is the short battery life.

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 6/21/10 8:34am
Msg #341697

Yes, so far it appears that the battery life is very short. Yesterday (my first day) I had to charge it twice. That's not a good sign.

Reply by MikeC/NY on 6/21/10 3:09pm
Msg #341744

They don't highllght that part when they're selling it to you, do they? "Battery life? That's a good question. It's... oh hey, did I show you this nifty feature?"

Do you have a car charger? If not, you can get them very cheap on eBay. Just make sure you're dealing with a reputable seller.

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 6/21/10 10:08pm
Msg #341791

Battery was much better today. Also, I am learning from other peoples posts about how to conserve the battery. It's better today. I may not have to charge again until tomorrow. I will give it a week at least to break it in.
It came with a car charger. However, I don't like the ear buds. I will look for a blue tooth set on Ebay.

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 6/21/10 12:50am
Msg #341686

I am with Verizon. n/m

Reply by ReneeK_MI on 6/21/10 3:41am
Msg #341690

Internat'l forum for Androids

http://androidforums.com/

I found it invaluable. LOVE my Android 'Hero'.

Reply by Deborah Lewellen on 6/21/10 9:44am
Msg #341705

Re: Droid problems

My Son has had a Droid for 8 months and yes the battery life is way short, and now he is luckly if it holds a charge for 30 min. he's fought on and off with Verizon over this and when they did the updates a few weeks back, he even had more problems with it. He'd call me and we'd get disconnected, his phone, or we'd still be connected and he couldn't hear me.
The list goes on. The updates they did a few weeks back caused problems across the nation. He's loves the phone, but is thoroughly disgusted with it now because of all the problems and Verizon won't fix it.

Reply by Yoli/CA on 6/21/10 10:26am
Msg #341708

Tips for extending battery life from Motorola site:

you may want to try these (you may have to copy and paste)

https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/38315/p_country_code/US

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 6/21/10 10:57am
Msg #341711

Re: Tips for extending battery life from Motorola site:

Thanks for the tips Yoli. I will let this go a few more days and see how things work. I am glad that Costco doesn't have a restocking fee!

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 6/21/10 12:01pm
Msg #341721

Re: Droid problems

Thanks for the info Deborah. This isn't looking too good!

Reply by jba/fl on 6/21/10 12:08pm
Msg #341722

Re: Droid problems

But as you said Shoshana, no restocking fee, and it is better to know now than in 30 days when the offer is gone.

I do wish you luck - this is the one dreaded thing I really hate too: who/what to choose with cell phones. Ugh!

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 6/21/10 12:52pm
Msg #341730

I am going to sit on the sidelines for a while longer and let the market work for a while longer. I have been using a Samsung smartphone with a touch screen only. I can't see the use of a slide out keyboard on such phones as the droid. Kind of like putting a starting crank on a modern luxury car. I did get my wife an iPhone and while it is a great piece of hardware, I find the operating system confining. Kind of like riding a bicycle with training wheels on a pre-determined highway. You can see wonderful scenery out there, but you can't get there.

Remember, these super smart phones are mini-computers with more computing power than desktop computers of just a few years ago. Unfortunately, battery technology has not kept up. How long a battery lasts on any of these phones is a direct function of what applications and features you are using.

I downloaded an app called "battery doctor" for my wife's iPhone. It seems to charge the battery better and also will give you a list of features you can turn off if you want to extend battery life. The wifi feature sucks power. Just to experiment, I shut all the features I could down on the iPhone, including the 3g feature while we were on a short trip. Just using it in 2g mode, we got 8 days before we had to charge it. Of course, you don't buy one of these phones for that, you buy it because of the cool features, but if you only turn on the features and load applications only when you want to use them, you can really extend the battery life.

I also think that the longer you own it, the newness will wear off and under normal use, once you learn what feature you need and what features are just using power, you will find battery life more than acceptable.

Reply by rengel/CA on 6/21/10 1:30pm
Msg #341734

I bought the Google MyTouch Slide a week ago

the first couple of days I was very unimpressed with it, but am liking it more and more each day. The battery life IS gaining each day, as I have stopped alot of apps that were running constantly in the background. It was also trying to import all of my contacts (over 400) into my gmail account. But I don't think I will get more than a day's use out of it. I liked my Blackberry being able to go at leaset 2 -3 days on a charge.

And for Glenn, the sliding keyboard is for those of us women who have long nails. I am unable to type on the screen with long nails, so I waited for the "Slide" to come out.

I'm thinking I will end up really liking the phone in a very short amount of time.
My .02

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 6/21/10 1:50pm
Msg #341739

Re: I bought the Google MyTouch Slide a week ago

Didn't think about the long nails .... My wife's work doesn't make real long nails practical.

Reply by Shirley Koch on 6/21/10 9:03pm
Msg #341779

Re: I bought the Google MyTouch Slide a week ago

I bought a Blackberry Bold 9700 on a upgrade for $78.xx at Walmart. The AT&T store and also an AT&T authorized reseller wanted $199.00 after rebate! Big difference in price! Walmart didn't transfer my contacts so I took it to the AT&T store and they did it for me, plus gave me a great deal on a new bluetooth, car charger, and Otterbox! So between the two, I'm very satisfied with my phone and accessories in every way.

Reply by Shirley Koch on 6/21/10 9:05pm
Msg #341780

Re: I bought the Google MyTouch Slide a week ago

I also insured my phone through http://www.squaretrade.com. I insure all my electronics through them and save big bucks!

Reply by RJE/MI on 6/21/10 9:37pm
Msg #341788

Re: I bought the Google MyTouch Slide a week ago

I started with the MOTO Droid but I hated the slide out keyboard. It is flush with the board and typos were inevitable for me going from my blackberry with a raised keyboard. Luckily my trial period did not end before the Incredible came out and I love it. Battery life was short at the beginning but I found that to be because this phone has so many neat features I was on it constantly. Now that the newness has worn off I have no problem keeping my battery life good for the day.

Also I installed a free Android market app that is suppose to help extend the battery life and although it is still not as good as good as the blackberry it gives me what I need. Having free Google maps GPS was also a great selling feature for me. When I use it I just plug it in so it continues to charge while on the road.

You can purchase the dashboard attachment pretty cheap on amazon.

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 6/21/10 10:11pm
Msg #341792

I got a free dashboard mount from Costco along with my phone

I am looking for my blue tooth now.

Reply by BrendaTx on 6/22/10 7:06am
Msg #341802

PAW has posted a model of a cheap Bluetooth device.

I'll look for one of those on my next purchase.

I LOVE my ear thing. I only use it in the car. It's great. I don't talk on the phone and drive any more without it.