HTC Thunderbolt

Jstas

exalted512 wrote: »

I use my flash as a flashlight so much its not even funny. That'd seriously be a deal breaker for me now, where it wasnt before I had this phone.

As far as bulky, thats the price you pay with a slide out keyboard.

Cant do that now. But really, that was the only time I ever used that feature. I played with a HD2. Wasnt all that impressed, but by now, I'm probably biased and partial to what I'm used to.
-Cody

Well, there is a 99 cent app I can get that will me let push the back light to full intensity on a white, yellow or red screen to use as a flashlight. Works just as good as the BatSignal-esque like beacon on my Crackberry did.

I don't mind the bulk since I carry it in my book bag instead of a pocket. I have to cart my laptop around with me for work too so the extra weight and size is unnoticeable.

However, I use it all the time. I can use an FTP client on it to load HTML changes to webpages I handle. I use the word processor all the time and I have a telnet application I use for getting to things like routers/switches or hitting other servers. All my email accounts (6 in total) go to my phone as well. I can answer anything from the phone. I can tether it and the speakerphone is actually quite good. It came in handy at a meeting for work when the stupid conference call number failed miserably. I had everyone dial in to my phone and conferenced them in over the speaker phone. It's come in quite handy several times for things like that.

Oh, I also used it for a presentation. I have MS PowerPoint on it and I put my presentation on the phone. I walked in to the conference room with my data cable and my phone. I plugged it in to the project and put my presentation on screen. It worked pretty sweet! I can also plug it in to an HDMI input on a TV and watch movies or Sprint TV from it. The stereo output is pretty stout too and it works pretty well as a media server. Especially if the shared drives from the home network are mounted. Runs lossless stuff too though WMP and the Codec Packs.

exalted512

Yea, I used to have the 'white screen' app until the new version of Android came out and allowed the use of the LED for a light. Day and night difference (quite literally actually...haha). It also works as morse code and a strobe light, which is EXTREMELY effective at annoying the crap out of the wife.

I saw good things about the conference call/speaker phone capability online of your phone. Speaker phone on my phone is average, definitely nothing to write home about.

My phone is now supposed to be capable of VoIP, something I want to look into eventually. If I wasnt on the lowest possible minute plan already, I'd look into it more...as I'd be able to make calls using data anywhere there's a wifi network...which would drastically reduce minutes since I'm usually at work or home, both of which have wifi.
-Cody

Jstas

exalted512 wrote: »

Yea, I used to have the 'white screen' app until the new version of Android came out and allowed the use of the LED for a light. Day and night difference (quite literally actually...haha). It also works as morse code and a strobe light, which is EXTREMELY effective at annoying the crap out of the wife.

I saw good things about the conference call/speaker phone capability online of your phone. Speaker phone on my phone is average, definitely nothing to write home about.

My phone is now supposed to be capable of VoIP, something I want to look into eventually. If I wasnt on the lowest possible minute plan already, I'd look into it more...as I'd be able to make calls using data anywhere there's a wifi network...which would drastically reduce minutes since I'm usually at work or home, both of which have wifi.
-Cody

Oh, I can do Skype over the data network or a wifi network from the phone as well.

And yeah, the backlight solution isn't always the greatest but this thing will kick out some illumination on "torch" mode. Even with the dark background, it'll light up my bedroom enough at night that I can read by it.

nguyendot

Jstas wrote: »

HTC Touch Pro 2 has a slide out keyboard. Has a stylus too even though you can use your finger to do stuff too if you like. And yeah, I like the Crackberrys but honestly Windows Mobile 6.X is light years beyond the older versions and since the HTC Touch Pro 2 comes with the "Professional" version, it's more capable than even the Windows Mobile 7.

All the smartphones, including the iPhone, tout their ability to integrate in to networks easily but they all need some level of backend support to really be integrated. That's all fine and dandy for a company with the money and resources to put up the infrastructure but for a personal phone, it sucks. The Windows phone, it integrates in to my network at home just like a laptop or a desktop system would. I can even remote desktop to it. I bought a single 3rd party app that lets me get around the stuff that Microsoft locks out of typical Windows Mobile installs. So now I have direct access to network shares, registry files and expanded Task Manager functionality. As soon as I get in range of my network at home, my files begin replicating with my file server and my MP3's and any movies I loaded to the phone reconcile. I don't even have to think about it. Like Ron Popiel, I set it and forget it. THAT'S integration. Not these sorry excuses everyone else has.

The phone is fast, blazingly fast compared to others, even the iPhone. It's pretty solid and stable too. It has dual transmitters so even though the network tech that Sprint uses doesn't support data and voice, the phone does. There are only two drawbacks. One, the camera doesn't have a flash and two, the phone is a bit of a brick compared to the others. But, with a 32GB MicroSD card, it's a laptop that fits in my hand and it does everything I ask it to and more.

Too bad the touch pro 2 was a faulted phone. That's why it left the lime light so fast. The phone wasn't horrible, but the software was abysmal. Windows 6.x was not good, no matter what you put it on. Eventually it'd slow to a crawl and die, even the aftermarket roms. Also, the whole dual transmitter thing isn't necessarily true. Yes it has GSM and CDMA, but you can only run one radio at once, regardless of software. This means it's not really dual transmitter in usage, only in that it physically has two. My Blackberry 9630 had both WCDMA and GSM quad band as well, but as with just about any american cell phone you can't run both bands at once since they'd be on two different networks.

Also - all Sprint phones with SIM cards are unlocked natively. I don't know why, but they are. I used my Blackberry Tour on ATT and Tmobile for the fun of it, but the data isn't 3G - these phones are made to roam for voice only. The data would inevitably only be EDGE because they don't have the radio built in for HSPA or UMTS - the GSM 3G standards.

Jstas

nguyendot wrote: »

Too bad the touch pro 2 was a faulted phone. That's why it left the lime light so fast. The phone wasn't horrible, but the software was abysmal. Windows 6.x was not good, no matter what you put it on. Eventually it'd slow to a crawl and die, even the aftermarket roms. Also, the whole dual transmitter thing isn't necessarily true. Yes it has GSM and CDMA, but you can only run one radio at once, regardless of software. This means it's not really dual transmitter in usage, only in that it physically has two. My Blackberry 9630 had both WCDMA and GSM quad band as well, but as with just about any american cell phone you can't run both bands at once since they'd be on two different networks.

Also - all Sprint phones with SIM cards are unlocked natively. I don't know why, but they are. I used my Blackberry Tour on ATT and Tmobile for the fun of it, but the data isn't 3G - these phones are made to roam for voice only. The data would inevitably only be EDGE because they don't have the radio built in for HSPA or UMTS - the GSM 3G standards.

I have experienced nothing that you are speaking of and I've had this one over a year now. The phone is fast and very capable. I like this version of Windows better than the new Windows with all the pretty pictures and colors. Then again, I actually use my phone as a phone and a tool for accessing work related resources. There's no games or other silly apps except what came with the phone.

As far as the dual transmitter, again, I have no idea what you're talking about. I was surfing to my Gmail account while talking to my sister last night on speaker phone. Just now, I was on the phone with tech support for work and text messages and emails were streaming in the whole time.

Sprint piggy backs on other networks alot of the time to enhance their coverage areas. They probably have them unlocked to enable addressing on roaming networks. Also, you're not going to get data service on another American carrier in North America with a SIM card swap. To even use it in a foreign country with a new SIM card, you have to shut the phone down and restart it after you get in to the overseas coverage area so it boots to a new network. I've done this before with no problems and no interruption in service levels for voice or data.

Also, I don't really care about 4G. It sucks in the city because the antennas are directional and I don't get 4G signals above the 18th floor of my building anyway. So most of my day is spent on a 3G network or WiFi anyway. I don't need or care about having lightning fast data network access for a phone. The standard 3G speeds are plenty adequate for my needs. Then again, like I said, I'm not playing games or using useless apps or Skyping or anything like that. 3G is plenty fast for telnet sessions and remote desktop sessions. I don't even use the capability as a primary access but it is nice to have when I'm out somewhere with friends and somebody needs something checked or restarted or something and I can log in through my phone.

MacLeod

Going back to that whole "deactivating 4G/battery life" thing I switched mine off a couple days ago and it absolutely improves battery life. Not by no 400% or anything like was mentioned in that one article, but its definitely added a few hours to usage time.

MacLeod

Couple things, first with 4G deactivated my phone kept disconnecting from the internet. Id have to go into the settings menu, uncheck the internet tab then rechecking it to get it to reconnect. Not a huge deal but kind of a pain. I switched it back to 4G and its been ok.

Second, we're up at my sister in laws who lives about 30 miles north of Chattanooga and they've got 4G up here and this is blazing fast! Ran the speed test on it and its between 9000 and 13000 kbps! That's almost twice as fast as my home DSL! I can't wait til they get 4G in my hometown.

SKsolutions

FWIW. Posting from a 1 gen-EVO, amazing phone. Very impressed with HTC build quality. My son ran over his evo with an explorer and it still worked...for a bit. I've dropped this one several times, and it's still good to roll. There are now better spec'ed phones, but that doesn't always translate to better real life functionality...although I'll jump on the the next dual core, smaller lithography, htc replacement. Latest update, with swype, and new mapping-nav features rock.-forget which version number. 4g in boston, was getting 10mbps down and over 1mbps up. Now about half that down. Battery will last most of the day but I do need to plug in when in the car. It will run some pretty cool games. Worked well when off the CONUS. It has just started getting buggie. I think it's the sense overlay not playing well with droid updates.. Hope to get that sorted.. HTC> Moto if there is an option.

JustinHEMI

Well I have had mine since lauch day and I still love it a lot. It gets a -1 for dust under the screen though. There is a gap at the bottom through which light shows, and apparently a piece of white dust has worked its way up under my screen.

Other than that, it has been fantastic.

There is a software patch coming soon to sort battery issues and 3g to 4g handshake problems that some experience in some areas. It has been leaked so it should be pushed by VZW fairly soon.

Justin

PhantomOG

what case is everyone using for this phone? I've never used a case for any of my phones in the past, but the sheer replacement cost of this phone has me really worried and thinking I should protect it with something.

JustinHEMI

Same with me, don't usually do cases because I don't like the bulk they add, but wanted one for this phone. So, I picked up the case mate "barely there" case and it lives up to its name. I don't notice it is there.

http://www.case-mate.com/HTC-Thunderbolt-Cases/Case-Mate-HTC-Thunderbolt-Barely-There-Cases.asp

exalted512

I dont have the TB, but I have a film thing on my N1. Has a lifetime warranty and is installed window tint style with soapy water and a squeegee. Works very well. I've had this phone for over a year and if I took the film off (which leaves no residue), it would look brand new. Its not just a screen protector as it covers the entire phone.

I also have a case like the barely there one, although maybe a tad thicker.

I've dropped it several times, but have had no issues. I use this phone more often than any phone I've ever had and somehow it still looks new after 15 months of use...never been able to do that before.
-Cody

Edit: Here's the link for the film I have for your thunderbolt:
http://www.clear-coat.com/product.php?productid=1273&cat=42&page=1

PhantomOG

yeah, was considering "Ghost Armor". They have a kiosk in the mall. But the whole wet application kinda freaked me out, plus handing over my brand new phone to a mall kiosk employee just didn't feel right either.

I bought a "dry" application screen protector and like it alot. Now I'm just thinking about the rest of the phone. I got the Seidio Active X case for my wife's TB, however, I'm not sure that I like it all that much. Although I'm sure it would help alot in case of an accidental drop here and there.

audiobliss

I'm amazed and very happy with the immense potential this thing has, mostly because of Android. However, I'm still very frustrated with a few things.

Numero uno, it is pathetic how slow and laggy messages are, and by that I mean text messages. I LOVE the simple, clean look of the stock messaging app, but it opens so slowly and scrolls poorly within a thread of texts. I tried Handcent SMS for a while, but didn't love the look (could get used to that) and it wasn't really much better. I've now been using Go SMS Pro for a while, and while I probably still prefer the look of the stock app, this one looks fine. However, can still be really laggy, and it has a few other quirks that I can't stand (selecting one contact within the list of 'threads' somehow opens a thread with someone else).

Part B. Contacts. The contact management seems too cumbersome. Part of this I'm sure is because I need to go through my google contacts and VZW backup contacts and try to make everything more harmonious, but I'm still not satisfied with it, and it's hard for me to put my finger on why exactly.

audiobliss

Oh, and the keyboard. It's frustrating only intermittently, but sometimes it lags behind SO bad. Sometimes I can get a whole sentence out before it'll display. More often it'll be just one letter that's not responding, most times the 'a'. I can punch it all I want, no dice. Everything around it will be fine. I can either wait ~10 seconds for it to work again, or exit and come back to it. No fun at all.

SKsolutions

I don't have any evidence to point to, but if there is a lag when opening SMS apps, or when typing, there is likely something conflicting going on in the background. With the now lowly 1Ghz Snapdragon EVO, I've Google Nav'd with 'Layers', and texted at the same time without lag and that's with HTC Sense running on top. Doesn't sound like proper operation IMO, but I don't have the Bolt.

audiobliss

I agree that it doesn't sound right at all. But mu CPU usage is usually 50% or less and I try to keep free RAM at around 130mb or more. Sometimes it does run rather rough in general but it usually doesn't seem to have any real 'conflicts' in the background.