Is this the end of Bionic?

**sbudaj** · 05-28-2012, 10:29 AM

According to this article:

"If there was ever a sign that a phone’s life has come to an end, this would be it."

I still think it is a great phone. Never had any problems with it.

I hope this still means we get ICS.

**WebOS Refugee** · 05-28-2012, 12:00 PM

Neither Motorola nor Verizon likes having the Bionic around as a testimony to the utter, absolute hash they made of its release. That said, for the few thousand of us who actually own the phone (I do, and I like it), tossing us a bone with ICS wouldn't result in any more bad press than has already been generated, and might actually go a ways toward creating a pool of happier customers for the Next Big Thing, whenever it emerges.

Once the upgrade from this clunky 2.3.4 Gingerbread to something more akin to the WebOS from which I came is complete, I anticipate staying with this phone until I see a few new generation-defining features emerge. By that I do not mean externals like thinner and lighter, or even better screens: I'm thinking more along the lines of a reduction in radio count by moving to voice over LTE, maybe a phaseout of CDMA in favor of GSM so that all phones will be carrier-neutral and world-enabled, that sort of thing.

**KillerG** · 05-28-2012, 06:42 PM

Motorola has said already that we'd be getting ICS in early Q3. That's the end of it.

**akhi216** · 05-28-2012, 07:05 PM

If anything it'll cause the Bionic community (or what's left of it) to get larger.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

**sbudaj** · 05-28-2012, 07:42 PM

Anyone know how many Bionics have been sold?

**cordoni** · 05-28-2012, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by akhi216

If anything it'll cause the Bionic community (or what's left of it) to get larger.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

This. It means there is now a budget value device in the DROID line. This is a good thing for consumers.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using tapatalk

**KillerG** · 05-28-2012, 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by cordoni

This. It means there is now a budget value device in the DROID line. This is a good thing for consumers.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using tapatalk

This is a great piece of hardware for (I think it's free now). One of my friends just bought one, and a couple more of my friends have bought them recently. I said on my friend's post that I feel like someone with a fruit phone, I'm not special anymore. It's true, but I don't care, I welcome my new Android brethren. Problem is, they'll probably never do anything cool with the phone after they buy it. They'll never even root it. I just hope they don't start bagging on Android (like so many others I know) for not doing something just because they don't know how.

**Egz** · 05-29-2012, 12:31 PM

I can't open that link, so I googled it, and see that its now free? Is that the story?

I'm fuming right now. I just paid $100 for mine on Thursday.....

(And this also happened with my last phone, only it was a month later)

**KillerG** · 05-29-2012, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by Egz

I can't open that link, so I googled it, and see that its now free? Is that the story?

I'm fuming right now. I just paid $100 for mine on Thursday.....

(And this also happened with my last phone, only it was a month later)

Lol that sucks...I bought the phone back in September and it would've been $300 without the deal I got at Radioshack. Seeing that it's free now is a bit annoying because of the huge price that it was only 8 months ago, but that's how stuff works. It doesn't feel like it's been that long, but that's how technology goes. I haven't even found a phone that I really want to replace this one yet either, and they said (and even my signature has said) that within a couple months that it would be replaced with something that I'll really want all over again. I love the new HD screens, but until I see something with LTE, a quad core, HD (hopefully 1080p), and some more innovative, groundbreaking stuff rather than just incremental updates, then I think I'll stick with this phone. It's a great piece of hardware, especially for anyone who wants to sign on for free.

**renegademoose** · 05-29-2012, 03:32 PM

Bionic rules all machines. It has no "lifetime" like other petty devices.

**Manofsteel927** · 05-29-2012, 03:36 PM

Spent $600 opening day for bionics for the wife and I, stink that its free now but that's the way cell phones always go always outdated the next month.. All in all it does what I need it for. Once they updated and got all the data drops fixed I've been happy with the phone

Ry · 05-29-2012, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by Renegade Moose

Bionic rules all machines. It has no "lifetime" like other petty devices.

Lol wtf? Hahaha

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Android Central Forums

**Fraydog** · 05-29-2012, 03:50 PM

I feel for everyone who got toyed around with in this launch. The Bionic was not a bad device, but why release it when the RAZR was in the pipeline a few weeks later? That was crazy on the part of Motorola and Verizon.

**RickyBionic** · 05-29-2012, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by Egz

I can't open that link, so I googled it, and see that its now free? Is that the story?

I'm fuming right now. I just paid $100 for mine on Thursday.....

(And this also happened with my last phone, only it was a month later)

I feel your pain. I paid 100 as well just two weeks ago....I was pretty pissed when I saw this earlier.

**Fraydog** · 05-29-2012, 05:53 PM

Originally Posted by Egz

I can't open that link, so I googled it, and see that its now free? Is that the story?

I'm fuming right now. I just paid $100 for mine on Thursday.....

(And this also happened with my last phone, only it was a month later)

If you're that close, and it irritates you that much, ask for the $99 back.

**hokiesteve** · 05-29-2012, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by Fraydog

If you're that close, and it irritates you that much, ask for the $99 back.

Yeah, you're within the return time frame, so I'd be willing to bet that they could work something out to refund your money.

As always, it could be worse. I paid $300 for the stupid thing when it was released and then suffered from the sub-par software for months before they finally fixed a lot of issues and made it stable. That's the last time I'm going to pay to be a phone tester.

**cordoni** · 05-29-2012, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by Fraydog

I feel for everyone who got toyed around with in this launch. The Bionic was not a bad device, but why release it when the RAZR was in the pipeline a few weeks later? That was crazy on the part of Motorola and Verizon.

Phone was already in the supply chain at that point. They could not afford to just cancel it and scrap all the phones already made.

PS: I am a former bionic owner, hence the reason I am listing in this forum.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using tapatalk

**Egz** · 05-30-2012, 07:06 AM

Originally Posted by hokiesteve

Yeah, you're within the return time frame, so I'd be willing to bet that they could work something out to refund your money.

Originally Posted by Fraydog

If you're that close, and it irritates you that much, ask for the $99 back.

Yea, that's what I'm working on. Just means I'll have to wait 1-2 more weeks to get it.

Edit: Sweet, they were able to refund the difference with no wait.

**3rdpig** · 05-31-2012, 12:37 AM

Originally Posted by Fraydog

I feel for everyone who got toyed around with in this launch. The Bionic was not a bad device, but why release it when the RAZR was in the pipeline a few weeks later? That was crazy on the part of Motorola and Verizon.

Someday I may be forced to buy a phone with a non removable battery, but I won't as long as there's an option. I paid $29 and a contract extension for my Bionic, at the same time a Razr would have been $199 and a Razr Maxx $299. And other than getting ICS a month or two earlier, I see nothing that the Razr brings to the party the Bionic doesn't have, and it lacks that all important removable battery.

**Lilin28** · 05-31-2012, 09:40 AM

I got mine free 2 weeks ago from Radio SHacks website.
I thought it was a good phone to start on Verizon with for a few months. I actually like it more than I thought I would(I still miss my Evo though), except for a couple issues that I'm going to Verizon about today.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC

**Arelunde** · 06-08-2012, 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by hokiesteve

I paid $300 for the stupid thing when it was released and then suffered from the sub-par software for months before they finally fixed a lot of issues and made it stable. That's the last time I'm going to pay to be a phone tester.

I did the same thing. I was a staunch Moto fan, having loved the Droid X. I thought the Bionic would "up" the whole experience, but was dismayed to discover all the problems. Waiting the better part of a year for the fabled ICS - well, not good.

**3rdpig** · 06-09-2012, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by Arelunde

I did the same thing. I was a staunch Moto fan, having loved the Droid X. I thought the Bionic would "up" the whole experience, but was dismayed to discover all the problems. Waiting the better part of a year for the fabled ICS - well, not good.

There's not a single phone that I can recall that came to market without bugs. If you don't believe that read the HTC One X forums. They're all buggy when new. And I've had both the DX, DX2 as well as 2 Bionics in my family and there's no doubt in my mind that the Bionic is a far superior device to both the DX and DX2. My God, the DX2 was a disaster when it first released.

And, unless you bought a Nexus, or are one of a lucky few, we're all still waiting for ICS. That's not a problem that's specific to the Bionic or Motorola, it's just the way it is. JBQ at Google has stated publicly that 6-8 months is the norm after Google releases a new version of Android before before the manufacturers and carriers start rolling out upgrades.

**WebOS Refugee** · 06-09-2012, 11:35 AM

The other WebOS diehard in our household has just ordered a BIONIC as well. This one was free, where mine was $30 (each with a 2-year renewal, keeping unlimited data). Mine is working well and I expect that the new one will perform similarly. We'll both feel more at home on the device when ICS brings us some of that Matias Duarte goodness to which we've grown so accustomed, but GB is adequate for the moment.

Ry · 06-09-2012, 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by 3rdpig

There's not a single phone that I can recall that came to market without bugs. If you don't believe that read the HTC One X forums. They're all buggy when new. And I've had both the DX, DX2 as well as 2 Bionics in my family and there's no doubt in my mind that the Bionic is a far superior device to both the DX and DX2. My God, the DX2 was a disaster when it first released.

And, unless you bought a Nexus, or are one of a lucky few, we're all still waiting for ICS. That's not a problem that's specific to the Bionic or Motorola, it's just the way it is. JBQ at Google has stated publicly that 6-8 months is the norm after Google releases a new version of Android before before the manufacturers and carriers start rolling out upgrades.

For the record, I'd rather get updates that address bugs than an update to an entire new version of Android.

Until not having ICS keeps me from getting the apps that I need and the games that I want, I'm not too concerned about only being on Gingerbread.

**Arelunde** · 06-13-2012, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by Egz

I can't open that link, so I googled it, and see that its now free? Is that the story?

I'm fuming right now. I just paid $100 for mine on Thursday.....

(And this also happened with my last phone, only it was a month later)

Don't feel bad. About a year ago, I paid nearly $500! A month or so later, Moto launched the Razrr, then Razrr Maxx, then two others in quick succession. Talk about being reamed...