New Droid user from Ohio

[cgarnes]

Hi! I'm glad that I found this forum because I have a love-hate relationship with my Droid, which I bought at my local Verizon store the day it was unleashed.

I'm a tech junkie, but I have my ditzy moments (which can bug even me). I came to the Droid through having been an AllTel subscriber who was eaten up by Verizon in their acquisition. I had an HTC PPC-6800, that I loved, until my Windows Mobile got a virus in it someone (odd, I was very particular where I went, and I never downloaded files straight from the web). Anyhow, there was no phone to "graduate to" at AllTel. I had lusted for an iPhone for forever (since I am a Mac user), but I can not get any signal, at all, from AT&T (and I had been a loyal AT&T customer since 2000). I ended up at AllTel because a friend had an awesome signal at my house...

So, I've been around, and tossed around, the cellphone block for some time.

Having said that, I am very impressed with the Verizon customer service, their signal, and their network coverage area (because I live in the dead zone - for other carriers).

But... the Droid. Gosh... it's easy to love, but there are some features that just bug the crap out of me.

1. I keep hitting that stupid camera button, accidently, all too often. Why didn't they recess that thing and put a little "guard" around it?

2. The battery life is amazing. I have everything shut off that I can shut off, but in the first few days of using this thing, the phone would still be dead before 11:30 in the morning (and I'm a teacher, so I wasn't even using it).

Yes. GPS was deactivated. So was wi-fi and bluetooth. Grrr.

After a few days, though, when Droid sensed that I hated it and was thinking about a return, it (apparently) decided to pull it's act together, now it is staying charged for a full day.

3. The camera, even when purposefully turned on, is a piece of crap. It IS slow to load, and when I think I have a great photo, I realize the photo that I have is what actually took place AFTER I thought I had the shot. Grrrr.

4. Messaging leaves a lot to be desired (but I am sure there is a trick for this, and I have somehow missed it). Let me explain:

When I select "New Message" I would EXPECT to be able to tap the "TO" area and have my list of contacts pop up, but that doesn't happen, and I have to tinker with that "way too skinny virtual keypad" to enter the cell phone number I want to message to. That's awkward and annoying.

I could go on, but that is enough for now. I'm looking over your site, and I am pleased to see a lot of information here. I'll refer, again, to your FAQs area.

Also, I should say I own two Droids: mine and my daughter's. Her Droid has already faced issues, and after only a week old - it's unacceptable. Verizon tech support said we had two options, pay for another Droid and one would be shipped out, or I could head back to the Verizon store and do a swap-out. Since she wasn't here with me at the time, I can't explain the issue very clearly, but basically, the Droid stopped receiving phone calls - completely, and the ringer went dead.

Ahh, technology. Gotta love to hate it.

 

[djstar2k2]

the text thing is a simple one. just type in the top bar two leters of the person u wish to text if their number is in the contacts it will show you a drop down lists hope this helps

 

[cgarnes]

Cool, thanks, I'll give that a try!

 

[cgarnes]

I found a new trick (copied and pasted from the User Manual (PDF) that I downloaded just a bit ago), and as long as a contact has already been entered, and made a favorite, all one has to do is press and hold on their name, and a list of options pop up to select from (sorry, but I hate typing in the "TO" area, and if there are more than a few "A's" - it's time-consuming).

So, here goes, what I learned today!

Frequent calls
Find it: Home > Phone > Favorites
• To call a number, touch it.
• To send a text message, view a contact, or other
options, touch and hold an entry.


PS: The link to the user manual can be found here Droid User Manual, courtesy of KennyG23 I hope that it is okay to crosslink here!

Voila, my superfast fix!

 

[Inundated]

cgarnes, welcome! Where in Ohio are you? I'm in Northeast Ohio, near Akron.

 

[danDroid]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[JimMariner]

!!! Welcome "cgarnes" TO DroidForums !!!​

It's great to see you are making headway in finding the answers to your problems here at DroidForums! I hope the FAQ section was of use to you as well. Just remember, there is a section there to post your questions when you have an issue. I am sure help will not be far away either.

I have found that there is a learning curve to find yourself loving the DROID. But nothing like it was for the Storm. It's Great to have you here. We hope you find all you need here, and that you enjoy your time in the forums !!!

 

[cgarnes]

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone! Inundated, I am from south-central Ohio (not far from Columbus). I have friends in the Akron area, and it's nice to meet you!

I have to say I love this site. The FAQs are wonderful, and I have learned so much. One thing that spooks me, though, is the number of people who have, apparently, major issues with their Droids. I've been relatively lucky - only a battery charging issue in the beginning, and that has resolved itself. My daughter's Droid, though, has had several issues. I think they were software related, and those issues appear to have resolved themselves after three days and three different Verizon tech support people. I do have to say Verizon's employees DO give their all. I hate their pricing structure, but one does get what they pay for! My customer service calls with Verizon employees have been outstanding. I wish the rest of the business world conducted themselves in this fashion.

Anyway, I digress: my daughter's original issue was that her ringer volume, even when it was already turned up completely - stopped cold. Her phone failed to ring. Then, there was a huge delay in her getting any text messages and phone calls, the tech changed the number on her phone (through a phone call over the weekend, the stores were closed), and that got fixed, too, but it's just kinda scary with so many people having such strange issues (and the price that goes along with this phone) - well, I wonder where the quality control is, that's all, especially with such a pricey phone.

Still, the Droid IS an awesome phone and there is so much to learn. I'm so glad I found you guys - or I would have probably returned this phone after about day three.

Yeah... I said that. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but one thing is for sure, I know I would not be satisfied with any other phone. I *NEED* Verizon's coverage area, and their employees rock!