RIP: Verizon Discontinuing Droid RAZR, Droid 4, the 32GB SGS3, HTC Rezound & More

[Theron]

The D4 is a much better phone. The keyboard on it is literally second to none. The Droid 4 is also global ready out of the box after the ICS update.

I don't have more then 10 minutes experience with the Stratosphere 2, but to me it felt plastic-y and the keyboard layout is jacked up. However, my girlfriend has the original Stratosphere, and it is a total pile.

To sum it up, I'm Droid 4 all the way. Do let us know what you decide though, and how you like it. :biggrin:

 

[bsweetness]

The D4 is a much better phone. The keyboard on it is literally second to none. AFAIK, the Droid 4 is global ready out of the box after the ICS update. All you need to do is have Verizon unlock it for you.

I don't have more then 10 minutes experience with the Stratosphere 2, but to me it felt plastic-y and the keyboard layout is jacked up. However, my girlfriend has the original Stratosphere, and it is a total pile.

To sum it up, I'm Droid 4 all the way. Do let us know what you decide though, and how you like it. :biggrin:

With the ICS update, the Droid 4 is already SIM unlocked. There's no need to call Verizon, because it's already unlocked.

On Verizon's 3G-only devices that had global capabilities, you had to call to get it unlocked. But with all of Verizon's LTE devices, they come SIM unlocked right out of the box. Once GSM support is enabled on a LTE device (and for the Droid 4 it was enabled with the ICS update), it's unlocked and good to go with no call to Verizon needed.

 

[Theron]

With the ICS update, the Droid 4 is already SIM unlocked. There's no need to call Verizon, because it's already unlocked.

On Verizon's 3G-only devices that had global capabilities, you had to call to get it unlocked. But with all of Verizon's LTE devices, they come SIM unlocked right out of the box. Once GSM support is enabled on a LTE device (and for the Droid 4 it was enabled with the ICS update), it's unlocked and good to go with no call to Verizon needed.

I stand corrected. My post will be edited to reflect accurate info. Thanks. :happy3:

 

[droidgrr]

I am not familiar with all of the terms with customizing phones, so bear with me.

Unlocked - isn't this the thing that is now illegal as of Jan 28? Even if it isn't with this phone, I don't know what that means. I don't know what to do. I can try to find info on this here, but I really don't want to get into hardware changes that I don't know what I am doing. (But I do thank you for your suggestions! I just need to have it spelled out for me.)

 

[JeffreyDeutsch]

Hello droidgrr,

If you're OK sticking with GB (Gingerbread, namely Android 2.3), given that you don't plan on resource-heavy usage, you may want to check out the Motorola Pro. Last time I checked, Verizon Wireless is giving them away free with new contracts.

As for unlocking a phone, yes that's illegal now -- without the carrier's permission of course. On the other hand, the issue will be revisited in a couple of years.

It's Now Illegal to Unlock Your Cellphone - ABC News

Cheers,

Jeff Deutsch

 

[jseah]

Because Samsung and Pantech simply don't have the quality that I desire in a phone. Compared to Motorola's devices, the build quality, radio reception, and general reliability just isn't there on phones like the Samsung Statosphere 2 or the Pantech Marauder.

Motorola can't rest on their laurels forever. In my experience, we have a Note 2, two Samsung S3's, a Rezound, and a Razr Maxx and out of the 4 model phones, the Razr Maxx has the weakest radio reception. It drops down from 4G to 3G much quicker than the rest, and regains 4G much later than the rest.

 

[JeffreyDeutsch]

You know physical keyboards are going out of style when BlackBerry is putting out a virtual-keyboard phone:

BlackBerry Z10 (AT&T) Review | Smartphone Reviews

Jeff Deutsch

 

[liftedplane]

You know physical keyboards are going out of style when BlackBerry is putting out a virtual-keyboard phone:

BlackBerry Z10 (AT&T) Review | Smartphone Reviews

Jeff Deutsch

This isn't the first full touch screen blackberry phone. One of the torch variants was full touch.

Sent from my frozenly delicious razr maxx.

 

[bsweetness]

You know physical keyboards are going out of style when BlackBerry is putting out a virtual-keyboard phone:

BlackBerry Z10 (AT&T) Review | Smartphone Reviews

Jeff Deutsch

This isn't the first full touch screen blackberry phone. One of the torch variants was full touch.

Sent from my frozenly delicious razr maxx.

The Storm, which was released in 2008, was the first Blackberry that only had a touchscreen. The Torch had a touchscreen, but it also had a sliding physical keyboard. But the Torch was released in 2011, well after the Storm was released.

 

[liftedplane]

The Storm, which was released in 2008, was the first Blackberry that only had a touchscreen. The Torch had a touchscreen, but it also had a sliding physical keyboard. But the Torch was released in 2011, well after the Storm was released.

I owned a tour storm 2 and a friend had the NON slider touch there was a version of the torch without a keyboard.

Sent from my frozenly delicious razr maxx.

 

[bsweetness]

I owned a tour storm 2 and a friend had the NON slider touch there was a version of the torch without a keyboard.

Sent from my frozenly delicious razr maxx.

Oh yeah, there was one without a physical keyboard. The major version that was more widely available had that portrait sliding qwerty though.

 

[liftedplane]

Oh yeah, there was one without a physical keyboard. The major version that was more widely available had that portrait sliding qwerty though.

Yup I liked that one honestly, except they rejoiced the today screen from the os and I had anyway switched to Android. Pretty sad blackberry

Sent from my frozenly delicious razr maxx.

 

[JeffreyDeutsch]

Good point about the Z10 not being BlackBerry's all-time first phone without a physical keyboard (whether embedded or slide-out).

As far as I can tell from both my previous observations and the other posts here, BlackBerry's brand has focused on physical keyboards, especially the embedded kind. Indeed, the Motorola Pro (with its embedded keyboard - and also its cool business uses) was Android's way of knocking out BlackBerry.

So if BlackBerry is moving a virtual-keyboard model to the forefront now that it's on the ropes, that looks to me like a very good sign most smartphone users prefer virtual keyboards.

What do you think?

Jeff Deutsch

 

[silverfang77]

On screen keyboards are terrible unless all one ever types is "LOL WTF OMG!!!1111".

 

[Likwid_E]

I've been using Swype the last 3 years so I'm fine with touch screens. If it wasn't for Swype I'd prefer a physical keyboard like the slide out one I had on my Motorola Droid.

As for discontinuing these phones, lol, they throw out a new one every 4 months. All of our current phones will be "outdated" in less than a year. Too many "new" phones. They should slow their roll.