Goodbye to my Bionic

[sbudaj]

It's finally time to upgrade my Bionic too.

It's either the Droid Maxx or S4. I'm leaning toward the S4 for the removable battery and the external memory plus the hd screen. But I like the battery power of the Maxx.

Any comments?

 

[SamuriHL]

I'm loving my s4. The new droid line is very disappointing. Lay years tech with fancy marketing to make it sound faster that a dual core. It's an s4 pro with a multi core gpu. Big deal. The s4 is rocking a snapdragon 600 quad core. Very fast. If get the Dev Edition of you can afford it. Fully unlocked that way.

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[SamuriHL]

I'm loving my s4. The new droid line is very disappointing. Last years tech with fancy marketing to make it sound faster that a dual core. It's an s4 pro with a multi core gpu. Big deal. The s4 is rocking a snapdragon 600 quad core. Very fast. If get the Dev Edition of you can afford it. Fully unlocked that way.

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[SamuriHL]

Tapatalk is not making me happy this morning. Lol

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[skipatrol]

Sweet. see you in the s4 forums.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Hardcase]

After 22 months of intensive use, my Droid Bionic finally gave up the ghost. I had become used to its laggy ways and quirkiness. The crashes were a gentle reminder to me to slow down, reset and refocus. Bionic taught me the power of patience as I waited for many minutes for my contacts to magically appear, again. I would take the time to consider what I am to say on the call; a welcome period of reflection.

Every now and again my e-mails would disappear requiring me to delete and recreate the email account.

But, the Bionic finally could no longer hold up. My e-mail disappeared and could not be recovered. My contacts were slower and slower to show.

Now, I'm on a lightening fast Samsung Galaxy 4s from Verizon. My slow life has picked up pace. Now my contacts show right away and I'm on the call before I can regroup. Documents appear almost before they are selected. E-mail is always there, ready for me to get back to work. My mini-vacations while the device took its time to find and app or open an app are now done.

My SG4S has put me back to work and a faster pace. Welcome to the new world.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk HD

 

[SamuriHL]

While I'm here, I will put out a warning that Hashcode put out on twitter the other day. I repeated it in the HoB discussion thread, as well, but, it bears repeating. This will come as a massive shock to many, but, the OMAP phones (Bionic, RAZR, D4) are going to get a new update soon. I know, I know. WOA, right? I'm fairly sure it's to fix the master key vulnerability. However, Hashcode said this new update will forever break SafeStrap. And I can promise there'll be no root forthcoming any time soon for these builds, either. If I were on the Bionic still, I'd probably consider my options. If you're using a rom in SS, there's really no reason to take anymore updates. If you're using stock, well, that's more complicated. You'll lose the ability to root it should you ever need to FXZ it. You can probably keep root with Voodoo or the HoB through the update, but, no SS after that sort of limits the potential. Anyway, I just wanted people to be aware that a new update is coming and that it's not going to be something everyone wants to take. Once there, you'll be stuck there. Think long and hard on that choice.

 

[perkdog65]

Sorry for your misfortunes Hardcase...I am still rockin' my Bionic and I can gladly say that I have had the luck of not experiencing any of the troubles that you have. My wife has had an S4 for a while and I play with it often, because she just doesn't have the patience to set things up and make it do what she wants...LOL, but I wouldn't say that it is really that much better than my Bionic...yeah it has a bigger screen and a faster processor and a buch of other gimics, but as far as the use...Mehhh. But until I see something that I just can't live without, or my Bionic dies, I will just be hangin' on. And thanks SamuriHL for the info about the update because I am stock and rooted.

 

[Erievon]

You've been warned. Don't end up like the VZW S4 owners who didn't heed this warning. If Hash says it'll break SS, take that as gospel, not to mention Sam has never led any of you astray either.

On topic, my Bionic will be retired in the next week or so as well I believe. Upgrade became available last week, and I was all set to pull the trigger on the S4 when Moto said "We'll do this press thingie on 8/1 for the Moto X". I know what we've seen so far has been less than impressive, but the optimist in me says it wouldn't kill me to wait a week or two and see what they have to say, just in case there are any last minute surprises...like, I dunno, google updates and an unlocked bootloader or something. If that's true to go along with the speculated price point, it may just gain some traction. I'd love a Dev S4 but dropping 650 on the phone is quite a pill to swallow, considering I only spent 260 on a new N7, which puts the cost of that S4 in real perspective.

 

[SamuriHL]

Sorry for your misfortunes Hardcase...I am still rockin' my Bionic and I can gladly say that I have had the luck of not experiencing any of the troubles that you have. My wife has had an S4 for a while and I play with it often, because she just doesn't have the patience to set things up and make it do what she wants...LOL, but I wouldn't say that it is really that much better than my Bionic...yeah it has a bigger screen and a faster processor and a buch of other gimics, but as far as the use...Mehhh. But until I see something that I just can't live without, or my Bionic dies, I will just be hangin' on. And thanks SamuriHL for the info about the update because I am stock and rooted.

My S4 beats the living hell out of both my Bionic and unlocked RAZR HD. Why? Cause I ain't got none of them there touchwizzy thingies all over it. Stock Android out of the box. Fully unlocked bootloader and sim. Pure Android experience. I have ZERO complaints about the phone or the carrier choice I made. So long, VZW...I don't miss thee.

 

[SamuriHL]

You've been warned. Don't end up like the VZW S4 owners who didn't heed this warning. If Hash says it'll break SS, take that as gospel, not to mention Sam has never led any of you astray either.

On topic, my Bionic will be retired in the next week or so as well I believe. Upgrade became available last week, and I was all set to pull the trigger on the S4 when Moto said "We'll do this press thingie on 8/1 for the Moto X". I know what we've seen so far has been less than impressive, but the optimist in me says it wouldn't kill me to wait a week or two and see what they have to say, just in case there are any last minute surprises...like, I dunno, google updates and an unlocked bootloader or something. If that's true to go along with the speculated price point, it may just gain some traction. I'd love a Dev S4 but dropping 650 on the phone is quite a pill to swallow, considering I only spent 260 on a new N7, which puts the cost of that S4 in real perspective.

On the subject of replacing a bionic and what to replace it with. I know that some of the Moto X variants are going to be unlocked. I do not know if that applies to the VZW variant or not. I'm skeptical on that. The price point of the Moto X is the interesting part. It's not a high end phone. I hope they don't try to market it as such. If they market it as an affordable mid-range phone with last year's specs and a few software surprises on the performance front cooked up then it's a very compelling device. Not one I'd want, but, a lot of people who want an off contract device (cough unlimited users) and can't afford a high end Dev Edition would love. And that's a great market for Moto to go after.

 

[Tom in Bristol]

On the subject of replacing a bionic and what to replace it with... If they market it as an affordable mid-range phone with last year's specs and a few software surprises on the performance front cooked up then it's a very compelling device. Not one I'd want, but, a lot of people who want an off contract device (cough unlimited users) and can't afford a high end Dev Edition would love. And that's a great market for Moto to go after.

Yeppers...fixed income, unlimited and zero opportunity of using AT&T or T-Mo...right up my alley! Patience is a virtue, so I'll stand by till the Moto X reveal all shakes out.

(Did I hear someone mumble about a G?)

 

[SamuriHL]

Yeppers...fixed income, unlimited and zero opportunity of using AT&T or T-Mo...right up my alley! Patience is a virtue, so I'll stand by till the Moto X reveal all shakes out.

(Did I hear someone mumble about a G?)

Nothing here about the G. As for the Moto X, there's a lot of unknowns. Pricing being one. It's all speculation right now. The specs are comparable to the new Droid line so I'll be interested in seeing if Moto really does price this thing off contract to match the on contract price of the high end Droid. How much control will VZW exert over this device? Will they try to market it as a competitor to the S4 or One? I hope not as I basically consider that fraud. But if they market this as a cheap phone to get you out of contracts without paying 650 bucks, well hell. One more day and hopefully we'll know all the details. I don't so much care about the gimmicky voice control or OMGZ PONIES customization options. That appeals to a certain market, sure, but, I think there's far more potential interesting things about this phone.

 

[Lefty Drummer]

Hey Guys,

Been away from here for awhile. Just wanted to add I traded in my Bionic end of May for a Note 2. Considered the S4 and checked out some YouTube comparison videos but with my eyes not as good as they used to be I enjoy the larger screen size. And although the size of the phone itself seemed gargantuan at first, within a week or so that faded and it's just "my phone" now. No issues at all, zero lag very speedy. Also have need for the S pen for my work as I accept credit cards via Square Up. Works much better than trying to sign with ones finger!
I do feel overall signal is better both via 4G and WiFi, and call signal strength seems better. Absolutely no regrets, and got Best Buy to give me $70 trade in for the Bionic. I never had any of the issues some reported with the Bionic and enjoyed upgrading with Sam's HOB. After seeing the release of Moto's upcoming phones I'm even happier with my decision as none of them make me sorry I jumped when I did. Let me also add I need the external memory slot as I carry around most of my cd collection on my phone. I sort of understand why they're moving away from it but so many of us have sd cards with loads of media. I personally don't want to rely on the cloud for such things.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[sbudaj]

Well, now that all the new phones have been introduced it was between the Droid Maxx and Galaxy S4. I want a phone with top level specs, so the MotoX is out. With the replaceable battery and SD card I think the S4 has won.

So, goodbye to the Bionic it was a great run.

 

[804hokie]

If Moto currently had something equivalent or superior to the GS4 (or even HTC One), I'd be hard-pressed not to give seriously thought in having purchased it a month ago. But they didn't and have disappointed.

The multi-window capability alone, makes me glad I jumped aboard the GS4. But its specs and performance are where it really shines. Battery life is actually better, even though the screen is larger and the battery is slightly smaller than the OEM extended on the DB. I'd love to be with Sprint or T-Mobile given their unlimited data offerings, but I know they don't have the network that VzW has.

With that being said, I'm now pretty much certain to sell my Bionic. What's the best approach to this?

 

[SamuriHL]

Swappa. You might get 70 bucks for it if it's in good condition.

I'm also happy with my S4 GPE. Since updating to 4.3 the other night it's been incredibly fast and battery life is insane. I couldn't be happier with my decision to ditch VZW and go month to month on AT&T with this GPE. Updated 9 days after 4.3 dropped by Google...I can live with that! Here's hoping KLP is as fast.

 

[Mellimel22]

If Moto currently had something equivalent or superior to the GS4 (or even HTC One), I'd be hard-pressed not to give seriously thought in having purchased it a month ago. But they didn't and have disappointed.

The multi-window capability alone, makes me glad I jumped aboard the GS4. But its specs and performance are where it really shines. Battery life is actually better, even though the screen is larger and the battery is slightly smaller than the OEM extended on the DB. I'd love to be with Sprint or T-Mobile given their unlimited data offerings, but I know they don't have the network that VzW has.

With that being said, I'm now pretty much certain to sell my Bionic. What's the best approach to this?

It doesn't matter if they don't have the network VZW wireless has. If they have coverage where u go then it shouldn't matter if they don't where u don't go tbh. That's why I switched and to escape contracts also.

Sent from my T-Mobile LG Escape running 4.1.2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[ncridgerunner]

After the last update my bionic began experiencing problems again so i decided to buy a used note 2 to get off contract and keep my unlimited data as long as possible. The note 2 performs so much better than my bionic and I have no regrets.

I want to say many thanks to Sam for his assistance and the HOB. It was an interesting and sometimes frustrating experience with the bionic but it was time to move on.
Just wish VZW had some competition in my service area.

 

[sbudaj]

Oh no, now the LG G2 has come into the mix. Will be announced tomorrow. Looks like insane specs and pretty nice looking.

Now what???