Buying the vivid off contract

prissysox · 01-27-2012, 10:33 PM

I just bought my Vivid off contract from AT&T. You won't need a new SIM however they will have to do a system change on data package. No change in price or data allowance but showing LTE capability.( I wasn't told this when I bought my phone and learned the hard way.)
I picked this over the Skyrocket as I prefer HTC Sense over Samsung Touchwiz. I think it is a cleaner, more refined look (less cartoony). I love the screen and snappiness. So far so good. On board storage is really good so I guess they used that as an excuse to leave out a SD card and no head phones.
Another thing to be warned about is that some apps/games will not be compatible with the phone. Especially Gameloft games I have bought from the Market. However, if you don't mind paying through Gameloft's site just pick another device and you can install games.

Overall, I would say if you can afford it, get it. Sell your Inspire for 150-200 and have fun!

grunt0300 · 01-27-2012, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prissysox

I just bought my Vivid off contract from AT&T. You won't need a new SIM however they will have to do a system change on data package. No change in price or data allowance but showing LTE capability.( I wasn't told this when I bought my phone and learned the hard way.)
I picked this over the Skyrocket as I prefer HTC Sense over Samsung Touchwiz. I think it is a cleaner, more refined look (less cartoony). I love the screen and snappiness. So far so good. On board storage is really good so I guess they used that as an excuse to leave out a SD card and no head phones.
Another thing to be warned about is that some apps/games will not be compatible with the phone. Especially Gameloft games I have bought from the Market. However, if you don't mind paying through Gameloft's site just pick another device and you can install games.

Overall, I would say if you can afford it, get it. Sell your Inspire for 150-200 and have fun!

How's the call & receive sound quality? I read that it's not that good. Please check out the speakerphone, too. Thanks.

prissysox · 01-27-2012, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grunt0300

How's the call & receive sound quality? I read that it's not that good. Please check out the speakerphone, too. Thanks.

I have not had any issues with call quality or the speaker phone. Used the speaker phone while talking with warranty over 20 minutes, no issues. Call quality has been good. Loud and clear. Unless I've been driving my overly loud car I have had to turn down volume.

Also one thing I forgot to mention is that the battery placement on this is better/worse. Better: you dont have to feel as if you are breaking the phone apart. Just slide metal part up. Worse: you have to take out battery to get to SIM and SD card.

Phone looks much better in person than it does in pics. It is narrower than the Inspire but taller. Screen is beautiful: clear and crisp (at least until I put a screen protector on).

grunt0300 · 01-27-2012, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prissysox

I have not had any issues with call quality or the speaker phone. Used the speaker phone while talking with warranty over 20 minutes, no issues. Call quality has been good. Loud and clear. Unless I've been driving my overly loud car I have had to turn down volume.

Also one thing I forgot to mention is that the battery placement on this is better/worse. Better: you dont have to feel as if you are breaking the phone apart. Just slide metal part up. Worse: you have to take out battery to get to SIM and SD card.

Phone looks much better in person than it does in pics. It is narrower than the Inspire but taller. Screen is beautiful: clear and crisp (at least until I put a screen protector on).

Thanks for your feedback. I look forward to getting a Vivid, and dumping my iPhone4.

prissysox · 01-27-2012, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grunt0300

Thanks for your feedback. I look forward to getting a Vivid, and dumping my iPhone4.

I would take an Android over iPhone every day! I have gotten to where I dislike using even my iPod touch for anything other than music because of lag, limitations, small screen, etc. I've also converted two people to HTC Inspire over their iPhones.

Kalebb2010 · 01-28-2012, 12:07 AM

This is what I said in a thread I created a while ago: I had high hopes for this phone and unfortunately it let me down. Used to have the Inspire and it's definitely an upgrade over that, but still has too many issues. The random restarts are ridiculous, battery life can't compare to my iPhone or a Blackberry I used to have, call quality sucked in comparison as well. Also, the text messages being out of order is annoying to say the least. Build quality was awful on mine as the plastic housing and battery cover were messed up. The Vivid is the best I've used for Internet browsing and a great camera. I wish the other problems would've been worked out before its release cause I really wanted to keep it.

prissysox · 02-03-2012, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kalebb2010

This is what I said in a thread I created a while ago: I had high hopes for this phone and unfortunately it let me down. Used to have the Inspire and it's definitely an upgrade over that, but still has too many issues. The random restarts are ridiculous, battery life can't compare to my iPhone or a Blackberry I used to have, call quality sucked in comparison as well. Also, the text messages being out of order is annoying to say the least. Build quality was awful on mine as the plastic housing and battery cover were messed up. The Vivid is the best I've used for Internet browsing and a great camera. I wish the other problems would've been worked out before its release cause I really wanted to keep it.

Ok.
To address your complaints about battery. Anyone who gets an Android device should know before hand that you will NOT get more than a day out of the phone. Plan on charging it every night. No one has ever claimed that battery life exceeded that of iPhone or BB. It just doesn't.

Random reboots: I have not experienced any with the Vivid. With my Inspire it was happening daily no matter what I did. I haven't had any issues with reliability or memory.

Text Messages: My messages are never out of order. They are displayed in most recent. Whether you sent or received the message.

Call quality: I haven't had an issue with this either. I hear every call loud and clear. I actually have to turn the volume down quite a bit. Maybe it was a location issue with reception.

Build Quality: Yes, everyone wants a product they paid for the be well built, to last and not have defects. in reality we will have some handsets that have issues. Did AT&T replace your device? They should have provided you with another unit.

Most times it is a matter of personal experience. What works for one person may not work for another. If you are a dedicated iPhone or BB user, please research Android a bit before purchasing a handset and complaining about things that intrinsic to the platform.

Kalebb2010 · 02-03-2012, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prissysox

Ok.
To address your complaints about battery. Anyone who gets an Android device should know before hand that you will NOT get more than a day out of the phone. Plan on charging it every night. No one has ever claimed that battery life exceeded that of iPhone or BB. It just doesn't.

Random reboots: I have not experienced any with the Vivid. With my Inspire it was happening daily no matter what I did. I haven't had any issues with reliability or memory.

Text Messages: My messages are never out of order. They are displayed in most recent. Whether you sent or received the message.

Call quality: I haven't had an issue with this either. I hear every call loud and clear. I actually have to turn the volume down quite a bit. Maybe it was a location issue with reception.

Build Quality: Yes, everyone wants a product they paid for the be well built, to last and not have defects. in reality we will have some handsets that have issues. Did AT&T replace your device? They should have provided you with another unit.

Most times it is a matter of personal experience. What works for one person may not work for another. If you are a dedicated iPhone or BB user, please research Android a bit before purchasing a handset and complaining about things that intrinsic to the platform.

I've owned one blackberry, 2 iPhones, and 3 android phones. I'd like to think I'm experienced enough to make my own judgements. I tried out two vivids and both had awful build quality. The battery was much worse than just a daily recharge, more like 2-3 recharges per day. Anyone with any sense would say that's unacceptable. I'm glad you are enjoying your vivid, and I'd love to have one that worked so well for me, but don't criticize my findings just because you're lucky and got a good unit.

grunt0300 · 02-03-2012, 02:50 PM

This is why i welcome feedback, good or bad. To make an informed decision, you need both sides to be heard from. I'm definitely getting an Android phone from AT&T, however, i'm glad that they will let me try it out for thirty days. I'm guessing that any problems i would have, should occur within the first month of usage. I can always return it, if i don't enjoy it. Thanks again for the info, guys.

Kalebb2010 · 02-04-2012, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grunt0300

This is why i welcome feedback, good or bad. To make an informed decision, you need both sides to be heard from. I'm definitely getting an Android phone from AT&T, however, i'm glad that they will let me try it out for thirty days. I'm guessing that any problems i would have, should occur within the first month of usage. I can always return it, if i don't enjoy it. Thanks again for the info, guys.

Yes, the 30 day tryout is great. The only worry anyone could really still have afterwards would be build quality. Hopefully ya have a great experience unlike mine! Lol.