Duke sucks!!!!! Look at my avatar... That's some friends partying on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill after the 09 championship
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General review, complaints, and info
- Thread starter meepstone
- Start date
Duke sucks!!!!! Look at my avatar... That's some friends partying on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill after the 09 championship
Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App
dominick_7
Member
I really like the Thunderbolt, it's a fast elegant device, and is impressive in certain respects, but I have several gripes with it that may likely have me returning it and sticking with the Droid X till another device comes out.
The reasons I got it was because it was a true 4.3 inch screen over against the 4.2 inch more narrow screen of the Droid X (to allow texting/typing to be easier and faster), had "Dolby Surround Sound", which lead me to believe it had a better and or louder sound to it, and it's 4G which also lead me to believe it would have not just faster internet but also as good or better phone reception and quality. I was also hoping it had a better looking screen all around for video playback, even if it couldn't match or surpass the Droid X in regards to graphics. The fact that every day usage would be smooth even with many apps installed was another plus I hoped for. I didn't care that much about battery life as I always tend to get an extended battery anyways.
Some observations I've made that bug me and could be very likely be deal breakers for me, are the following.
The sound of the TB is not as loud or as good as the Droid Xs. This is a disappointing thing to have this be an issue in a device that says it has Dolby Surround Sound.. The Droid X has a Media Effects equalizer/presets that allows the bass to get much deeper, more dynamic, and warmer than the TBs. You can emulate that and or make music sound better or at least as good via an app like PowerAmp, but that doesn't apply to the entire system as the DXs does. With regard to visuals, I think that while the colors are more vibrant on the TB, it's my impression that the blacks are blacker on the DX, making it look sharper, and by contrast, the colors also look more natural and accurate on the Droid X than on the TB. The longer length of the DXs screen also helps to allow more of a wide screen feel to video viewing over the TB, that seems to be a bit more cramped looking by comparison.
I'm also getting poor phone signal, and no 4G in a 4G area. This is a really HUGE minus for me. Going from pretty good signal, 2-3 bars, excellent microphone/call quality, where I could be 7 feet away from the mic and people could still hear me clearly, to having zero to 1 bar, and NO 4G is absurd if this is supposed to be a phone UPGRADE. This may be due to tower provisioning, so I hope they can fix this. While typing on the TB is better, and really is rather a more enjoyable experience than on the DX, and HTC Sense is nice, still though because they load up so much bloatware I think it doesn't make the TB THAT much better than the Droid X in regards to the practicality of how the specs play out in real life. Using Launcher Pro and Beautiful Widgets makes the Droid X as good if not more customizable than the TB, even if it is more laggy after installing many apps on it, and having them run in the background. It will likely take a lot more for the TB to get laggy, though I noticed that the weather animations were a tad laggy from the get go, and the boot animation started to lag a bit after loading just a few apps.. so I don't know about this point just yet..
One thing that surprised me was that the weather animations looked better on the DX with Beautiful Widgets via Launcher Pro than on HTC Sense that they seem to want to emulate in some ways.
With these frustrations, if they can fix the coloration issue, the 4G provisioning, and sound issues, I think I may keep it.. but if not I think I will be returning it to wait for a possibly more impressive device like the Bionic, Droid X2, or something better..even though it is a nice device. 1080p video, HDMI out, and a dual core with 4G, though seem like a winning combo for me at this point. I realize it JUST came out, and they have issues they need to resolve being a new device.. but while I don't know if these things are a big deal for other people, they area big deal for me after shelling out 280+ dollars including tax, as well as the upgrade fee, not counting the Steinheil Oleo-phobic screen protector I already bought for it.. If I do return it within the 14 days, and wait for another device, if Verizon does tiered I may just jump ship all together after being with them for more than 10+ years.
The reasons I got it was because it was a true 4.3 inch screen over against the 4.2 inch more narrow screen of the Droid X (to allow texting/typing to be easier and faster), had "Dolby Surround Sound", which lead me to believe it had a better and or louder sound to it, and it's 4G which also lead me to believe it would have not just faster internet but also as good or better phone reception and quality. I was also hoping it had a better looking screen all around for video playback, even if it couldn't match or surpass the Droid X in regards to graphics. The fact that every day usage would be smooth even with many apps installed was another plus I hoped for. I didn't care that much about battery life as I always tend to get an extended battery anyways.
Some observations I've made that bug me and could be very likely be deal breakers for me, are the following.
The sound of the TB is not as loud or as good as the Droid Xs. This is a disappointing thing to have this be an issue in a device that says it has Dolby Surround Sound.. The Droid X has a Media Effects equalizer/presets that allows the bass to get much deeper, more dynamic, and warmer than the TBs. You can emulate that and or make music sound better or at least as good via an app like PowerAmp, but that doesn't apply to the entire system as the DXs does. With regard to visuals, I think that while the colors are more vibrant on the TB, it's my impression that the blacks are blacker on the DX, making it look sharper, and by contrast, the colors also look more natural and accurate on the Droid X than on the TB. The longer length of the DXs screen also helps to allow more of a wide screen feel to video viewing over the TB, that seems to be a bit more cramped looking by comparison.
I'm also getting poor phone signal, and no 4G in a 4G area. This is a really HUGE minus for me. Going from pretty good signal, 2-3 bars, excellent microphone/call quality, where I could be 7 feet away from the mic and people could still hear me clearly, to having zero to 1 bar, and NO 4G is absurd if this is supposed to be a phone UPGRADE. This may be due to tower provisioning, so I hope they can fix this. While typing on the TB is better, and really is rather a more enjoyable experience than on the DX, and HTC Sense is nice, still though because they load up so much bloatware I think it doesn't make the TB THAT much better than the Droid X in regards to the practicality of how the specs play out in real life. Using Launcher Pro and Beautiful Widgets makes the Droid X as good if not more customizable than the TB, even if it is more laggy after installing many apps on it, and having them run in the background. It will likely take a lot more for the TB to get laggy, though I noticed that the weather animations were a tad laggy from the get go, and the boot animation started to lag a bit after loading just a few apps.. so I don't know about this point just yet..
One thing that surprised me was that the weather animations looked better on the DX with Beautiful Widgets via Launcher Pro than on HTC Sense that they seem to want to emulate in some ways.
With these frustrations, if they can fix the coloration issue, the 4G provisioning, and sound issues, I think I may keep it.. but if not I think I will be returning it to wait for a possibly more impressive device like the Bionic, Droid X2, or something better..even though it is a nice device. 1080p video, HDMI out, and a dual core with 4G, though seem like a winning combo for me at this point. I realize it JUST came out, and they have issues they need to resolve being a new device.. but while I don't know if these things are a big deal for other people, they area big deal for me after shelling out 280+ dollars including tax, as well as the upgrade fee, not counting the Steinheil Oleo-phobic screen protector I already bought for it.. If I do return it within the 14 days, and wait for another device, if Verizon does tiered I may just jump ship all together after being with them for more than 10+ years.
Last edited:
dominick_7
Member
For those reporting that it locked up on the cloud scene during boot, how long did you let it sit? Mine has stuck on that for 20-30 seconds several times and at least a minute more than once. I'd say overall 1/3 to 1/2 of boot cycles have been in 'slow mode,' which kind of reminds me of the long boots after I'd clear cache on the D1. Anyone else seeing this?
I've been... THUNDERSTRUCK!
Im getting that issue too.. sits for like 15-20 seconds or so.. besides the weather animations being typically laggy, even though the animations when you click on the weather icon are very short.. Yet the long elaborate ones, like when it rains or has fog and that fills up the screen.. those aren't laggy for some reason.
Excellent review! I echo everything you said, except the 4g part (not in my area yet).
Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App
I really like the Thunderbolt, it's a fast elegant device, and is impressive in certain respects, but I have several gripes with it that may likely have me returning it and sticking with the Droid X till another device comes out.
The reasons I got it was because it was a true 4.3 inch screen over against the 4.2 inch more narrow screen of the Droid X (to allow texting/typing to be easier and faster), had "Dolby Surround Sound", which lead me to believe it had a better and or louder sound to it, and it's 4G which also lead me to believe it would have not just faster internet but also as good or better phone reception and quality. I was also hoping it had a better looking screen all around for video playback, even if it couldn't match or surpass the Droid X in regards to graphics. The fact that every day usage would be smooth even with many apps installed was another plus I hoped for. I didn't care that much about battery life as I always tend to get an extended battery anyways.
Some observations I've made that bug me and could be very likely be deal breakers for me, are the following.
The sound of the TB is not as loud or as good as the Droid Xs. This is a disappointing thing to have this be an issue in a device that says it has Dolby Surround Sound.. The Droid X has a Media Effects equalizer/presets that allows the bass to get much deeper, more dynamic, and warmer than the TBs. You can emulate that and or make music sound better or at least as good via an app like PowerAmp, but that doesn't apply to the entire system as the DXs does. With regard to visuals, I think that while the colors are more vibrant on the TB, it's my impression that the blacks are blacker on the DX, making it look sharper, and by contrast, the colors also look more natural and accurate on the Droid X than on the TB. The longer length of the DXs screen also helps to allow more of a wide screen feel to video viewing over the TB, that seems to be a bit more cramped looking by comparison.
I'm also getting poor phone signal, and no 4G in a 4G area. This is a really HUGE minus for me. Going from pretty good signal, 2-3 bars, excellent microphone/call quality, where I could be 7 feet away from the mic and people could still hear me clearly, to having zero to 1 bar, and NO 4G is absurd if this is supposed to be a phone UPGRADE. This may be due to tower provisioning, so I hope they can fix this. While typing on the TB is better, and really is rather a more enjoyable experience than on the DX, and HTC Sense is nice, still though because they load up so much bloatware I think it doesn't make the TB THAT much better than the Droid X in regards to the practicality of how the specs play out in real life. Using Launcher Pro and Beautiful Widgets makes the Droid X as good if not more customizable than the TB, even if it is more laggy after installing many apps on it, and having them run in the background. It will likely take a lot more for the TB to get laggy, though I noticed that the weather animations were a tad laggy from the get go, and the boot animation started to lag a bit after loading just a few apps.. so I don't know about this point just yet..
One thing that surprised me was that the weather animations looked better on the DX with Beautiful Widgets via Launcher Pro than on HTC Sense that they seem to want to emulate in some ways.
With these frustrations, if they can fix the coloration issue, the 4G provisioning, and sound issues, I think I may keep it.. but if not I think I will be returning it to wait for a possibly more impressive device like the Bionic, Droid X2, or something better..even though it is a nice device. 1080p video, HDMI out, and a dual core with 4G, though seem like a winning combo for me at this point. I realize it JUST came out, and they have issues they need to resolve being a new device.. but while I don't know if these things are a big deal for other people, they area big deal for me after shelling out 280+ dollars including tax, as well as the upgrade fee, not counting the Steinheil Oleo-phobic screen protector I already bought for it.. If I do return it within the 14 days, and wait for another device, if Verizon does tiered I may just jump ship all together after being with them for more than 10+ years.
Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App
dominick_7
Member
Excellent review! I echo everything you said, except the 4g part (not in my area yet).I really like the Thunderbolt, it's a fast elegant device, and is impressive in certain respects, but I have several gripes with it that may likely have me returning it and sticking with the Droid X till another device comes out.
The reasons I got it was because it was a true 4.3 inch screen over against the 4.2 inch more narrow screen of the Droid X (to allow texting/typing to be easier and faster), had "Dolby Surround Sound", which lead me to believe it had a better and or louder sound to it, and it's 4G which also lead me to believe it would have not just faster internet but also as good or better phone reception and quality. I was also hoping it had a better looking screen all around for video playback, even if it couldn't match or surpass the Droid X in regards to graphics. The fact that every day usage would be smooth even with many apps installed was another plus I hoped for. I didn't care that much about battery life as I always tend to get an extended battery anyways.
Some observations I've made that bug me and could be very likely be deal breakers for me, are the following.
The sound of the TB is not as loud or as good as the Droid Xs. This is a disappointing thing to have this be an issue in a device that says it has Dolby Surround Sound.. The Droid X has a Media Effects equalizer/presets that allows the bass to get much deeper, more dynamic, and warmer than the TBs. You can emulate that and or make music sound better or at least as good via an app like PowerAmp, but that doesn't apply to the entire system as the DXs does. With regard to visuals, I think that while the colors are more vibrant on the TB, it's my impression that the blacks are blacker on the DX, making it look sharper, and by contrast, the colors also look more natural and accurate on the Droid X than on the TB. The longer length of the DXs screen also helps to allow more of a wide screen feel to video viewing over the TB, that seems to be a bit more cramped looking by comparison.
I'm also getting poor phone signal, and no 4G in a 4G area. This is a really HUGE minus for me. Going from pretty good signal, 2-3 bars, excellent microphone/call quality, where I could be 7 feet away from the mic and people could still hear me clearly, to having zero to 1 bar, and NO 4G is absurd if this is supposed to be a phone UPGRADE. This may be due to tower provisioning, so I hope they can fix this. While typing on the TB is better, and really is rather a more enjoyable experience than on the DX, and HTC Sense is nice, still though because they load up so much bloatware I think it doesn't make the TB THAT much better than the Droid X in regards to the practicality of how the specs play out in real life. Using Launcher Pro and Beautiful Widgets makes the Droid X as good if not more customizable than the TB, even if it is more laggy after installing many apps on it, and having them run in the background. It will likely take a lot more for the TB to get laggy, though I noticed that the weather animations were a tad laggy from the get go, and the boot animation started to lag a bit after loading just a few apps.. so I don't know about this point just yet..
One thing that surprised me was that the weather animations looked better on the DX with Beautiful Widgets via Launcher Pro than on HTC Sense that they seem to want to emulate in some ways.
With these frustrations, if they can fix the coloration issue, the 4G provisioning, and sound issues, I think I may keep it.. but if not I think I will be returning it to wait for a possibly more impressive device like the Bionic, Droid X2, or something better..even though it is a nice device. 1080p video, HDMI out, and a dual core with 4G, though seem like a winning combo for me at this point. I realize it JUST came out, and they have issues they need to resolve being a new device.. but while I don't know if these things are a big deal for other people, they area big deal for me after shelling out 280+ dollars including tax, as well as the upgrade fee, not counting the Steinheil Oleo-phobic screen protector I already bought for it.. If I do return it within the 14 days, and wait for another device, if Verizon does tiered I may just jump ship all together after being with them for more than 10+ years.
Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App
Thanks man. So you have the same issues? I wonder how many people find it the same way. Guess what? I can add one more. Yesterday the phone was working, now it says my number is either invalid or not activated.. so I can't make any calls till they call me back while trying to work on the provisioning.. which could take up to 72 hours. Yay. It like never fails to be a hellish problem ridden experience anytime I make any changes to the line, with one conflicting answer from techs after another. Lol..
A nice way one can see the contrast between the Droid X and the the Thunderbolt (at least as far as sound in concerned) I think can be summarized by comparing the two different ways they handle their metal ring tones.. just listen to the difference between "Terminated" on the Droid X. After it melts your face off.... then..... listen to "Heavy" "(oooh scared..) on the Thunderbolt. It's like the difference between listening to Painkiller from Judas Priest and Devo trying to do metal.
sync with google calendar?
has anyone been able to sync with google? I receive my email just fine. so i loaded the HTC Sync app and it seemed to install ok. I connected the TB and PC app keeps saying to plug in the device. I unplugged and replugged and then it trys to install drivers. Only its looking for a driver called "ab"????
can't find it...so maybe i did something wrong. help if you have been able to do this. thanks in advance!
dancedroid
has anyone been able to sync with google? I receive my email just fine. so i loaded the HTC Sync app and it seemed to install ok. I connected the TB and PC app keeps saying to plug in the device. I unplugged and replugged and then it trys to install drivers. Only its looking for a driver called "ab"????
can't find it...so maybe i did something wrong. help if you have been able to do this. thanks in advance!
dancedroid
these signal issues are seriously killing me here. If they do not release an update by next tuesday, Im returning this phone. I will be very sad of course, but with everybody at work having verizon phones and they all get 3-4 bars, and my new tb struggles to hang on to one(if it doesnt have any at all) its pretty much useless around there. Pretty pathetic really. Im talking feature phones, dx's, bb's, one iphone, and a droid 2. They ALL hold a reliable signal, and get more signal than this device does. Going around town its worse than other verizon phones too. All of this leads me to wonder if i should just join the masses and get a og droid off contract and wait until motorola has something that is at least equal to the tb. I must have a reliable signal both at work, and out on the job. This is my only issue with the phone, and unfortunatly its the one I cant compromise on. Any suggestions guys?
these signal issues are seriously killing me here. If they do not release an update by next tuesday, Im returning this phone. I will be very sad of course, but with everybody at work having verizon phones and they all get 3-4 bars, and my new tb struggles to hang on to one(if it doesnt have any at all) its pretty much useless around there. Pretty pathetic really. Im talking feature phones, dx's, bb's, one iphone, and a droid 2. They ALL hold a reliable signal, and get more signal than this device does. Going around town its worse than other verizon phones too. All of this leads me to wonder if i should just join the masses and get a og droid off contract and wait until motorola has something that is at least equal to the tb. I must have a reliable signal both at work, and out on the job. This is my only issue with the phone, and unfortunatly its the one I cant compromise on. Any suggestions guys?
Did you return it to Verizon and try another one? You could have gotten a faulty phone.
Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App
krandle41709
Member
Seriously, call VZW they can help u determine if its the phone or could just be an area network issue.... Either way its worth a shot right. I say they have the best network and phones but I'm a lil biased, my hubby works for em
from the thunderbolt
from the thunderbolt
Anyone having problems with bluetooth?
I have taken my TB to the gym the last two nights. I listen to Slacker while I workout. I have been trying to use BT and its driving me crazy. I can be 3-5 ft from the phone and the BT cuts out. A couple of times BT would completely disconnect and i was no more than 10 ft from the phone.
I was using my D1 at the same gym with no problem and the same BT Jabra adapter last week. So, anyone use their phone while working out? Or have any BT issues?
I have taken my TB to the gym the last two nights. I listen to Slacker while I workout. I have been trying to use BT and its driving me crazy. I can be 3-5 ft from the phone and the BT cuts out. A couple of times BT would completely disconnect and i was no more than 10 ft from the phone.
I was using my D1 at the same gym with no problem and the same BT Jabra adapter last week. So, anyone use their phone while working out? Or have any BT issues?
Last edited:
dominick_7
Member
these signal issues are seriously killing me here. If they do not release an update by next tuesday, Im returning this phone. I will be very sad of course, but with everybody at work having verizon phones and they all get 3-4 bars, and my new tb struggles to hang on to one(if it doesnt have any at all) its pretty much useless around there. Pretty pathetic really. Im talking feature phones, dx's, bb's, one iphone, and a droid 2. They ALL hold a reliable signal, and get more signal than this device does. Going around town its worse than other verizon phones too. All of this leads me to wonder if i should just join the masses and get a og droid off contract and wait until motorola has something that is at least equal to the tb. I must have a reliable signal both at work, and out on the job. This is my only issue with the phone, and unfortunatly its the one I cant compromise on. Any suggestions guys?
While this sounds horrible, recalling a day ago as to what it was like to actually have a signal, at least you can be thankful you even have one, be it significantly weaker than the Droid Xs. The fact that it has had no 4G from the beginning, being the key unique thing about, there is like no excitement with having the device.. on top of that I really don't think I can deal with watching video or listening to music on it, which pretty much ruins it for me. The Droid X is CLEARLY superior to it in these aspects.. Bonnie Cha at Cnet was right when she said the video and audio quality was "ok" or "pretty good", something along those lines. If I mainly used it for mp3s, and not Pandora, that would be one thing, since the Music player actually has an equalizer similar to the Droid Xs, SORT OF, but it only applies to the player not the whole system.. yet alas I mainly use Pandora. I'm not going to go through the hassle of converting music to fit on the 32GB card unless it had a large capacity like 500GBs and I could just drop them onto the drive lossless. What baffles me is they actually expect me to wait 3 days with NO SIGNAL AT ALL. This is beyond suck. I think the Thunderbolt may be going back after all..:/
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