Just a quick thought on the Charge...

[MikeS]

Hi all,

Let me first start out by saying that I have had my charge since the beginning and I love it. I have flashed all the ROMs and mods only to come back to stock just cuz I am overall quite happy with the phone at it's factory state. Much respect to the devs and troubleshooters in here. You guys have done such a great job providing some added awesomeness to the phone and I know you will keep up the good work cuz you guys rock.

Now on to my real point....

I have read in here since day one people coming on to complain about the camera or the GPS or the browser and I gotta tell ya this is becoming quite annoying for me. I come on to the forum to find useful information and all I see are posts about this sucks or that sucks and I think it amounts to nothing but clutter. The bottom line here guys is that first and foremost this is a phone and the thing you have to remember is everything other than cell phone functionality is secondary.

The camera, even at 8mp, was never designed to do professional photography. It is built in as an extra bonus if you are out and about and you want to get a quick pic or two and you don't have a real camera on you. Same goes for the GPS. Phones are not meant to replace a Garmin, only get you out of that odd situation where you don't have a real GPS and you need one.

The best way to think of it is think of your phone as a Swiss Army Knife. It is designed to give you tools when you need them but it is not designed to replace the stand alone tools that it tries to emulate. Think about it, would you try to use a Swiss Army Knife saw as your main saw?

So there is my rant. Feel free to comment. I just had to get that off of my chest.

 

[jneusch]

Mike,

I will take the time to reply to your "rant".

I am a long time smart phone user, going back to the Palm Treo, so I feel that I have a bit of experience when it comes to smart phones and using them. Before coming to VZW in May I had an iPhone 3gs on AT&T. I got tired of the constant "searching for signal" and frequent dropped calls. My work phone is with VZW so I knew what to expect in terms of service.

First off, I too really like my Charge. As a matter of fact I got the iPhone 4 when I first moved over to VZ. I have an iMac, iPad, etc. so I am pretty dialed in to Apple at this point. What turned me on to the Charge was the screen size and color palette of the Samoled screen. This phone is not without its quirks, and some of them are a bit annoying. With that said, I can live with these quirks. Most will hopefully get resolved in future updates. The issues I had with say, the Palm Treo make the Charge look like something from Star Trek.

We have to remember that we hold in our hands a mini computer. This computer is subject to frequent temperature changes, vibrations, movement, shock, humidity, etc. This computer fits in one hand, yet it makes calls, surfs the web at speeds unheard of just a few years ago, takes pictures, checks email, etc, etc, etc. You stated that everything beyond the phone is just a bonus. I don't necessarily agree with that statement. The price of the Charge compared to a feature phone warrants an expectation of "MORE" stuff. At the same time, how often does your home or office computer need a reboot to get things running smooth again? Even my shiny iMac needs restarted occasionally. My work computer, a Dell laptop, has to be restarted at least every couple days and it's slower than my Charge.

I do like your analogy of the Swiss Army Knife. This is a pretty accurate representation of any smart phone. I too am irritated when people come on here simply to bash a device. This is not specific to the Charge forum. I have seen the same things on every forum I have ever used. You should see the Apple forum now in response to issues with the new OS that was just released. Use this forum to seek help for issues and learn more about your device or to get more out of your device. If you hate your device get rid of it. You can sell it on eBay or Craig's list, or you can lose it if you have insurance. If you legitimately have a problem or problems with your Charge get a replacement. They are all still under warranty since it has only been out since May.

BTW - I use a Garmin for navigation, I use a Canon for my professional looking pictures and I have a Droid Charge for my cell phone. I love the fact that my Charge can take pretty darn good pictures and that Google navigation does a pretty good job of getting me to where I need to go if I don't have my Garmin with me.

Thanks to all of you that provide great information on this forum and the others out there. It makes having a new device more enjoyable.

- - - end of my $.02.

 

[redraider133]

It seems to be like that with any phone. I think people are either 1. upset they got stuck with another phone or 2. just have nothing better to do and come onto forums and bad mouth phones with little or most of the time no hands on time with the phone just going by what other reviews stated. I played with my friends charge and it is a nice phone and with all of the leaks of OS's that it is getting and the large dev following shows something about this phone. Yeah it isn't dual core and doesnt have a lot of ram but most people who complain about those have no needs for either of those and just feel like they need the latest and greatest.

 

[anon(94115)]

I read the two long posts earlier and was gonna respond but didnt have the time.

Some have legit complaints. No all identical phones are created equal. I get that but when someone has returned the phone 10 times and still have the same issue there is something else that comes into play. It could be user error, it could be bad towers in the area, it could be 1000 things. Coming in and saying this phone is crap, is just stupid. Usually you will see those people go to a different phone makers phone and say this is the best ever. Well it is different. Someone else came up with the specs, manufacturing process, and overall design. Maybe that one has a stronger radio and works better in your area. Good for you, but that doesnt mean the phone you had is crap, it just means it is crap in your area.

now the fassy was a different story. 1000 people all had/have radio issues, mostly the same issue. The radio in it is pretty bad (the rest of the phone is awesome though) and it is confirmed by more than just you. You have a right to complain then.

As far as GPS goes, if I dont know where I am going and the GPS can get me within 20 meters of my destination, how awesome is that? I dont need my phone to open the door for me and get me within 1 foot of the desk, just get me in a close enough area, I can find the rest of the way myself. if you cannot, then you have bigger issues than a phone. Oh and if you are doing something that needs to be more precises then yes, the phone isnt the right equipment for that task yet.

Complaining about not having "the latest" version of android, especially the "xyz phone just came out with ICS!!!" This one is really stupid. Of course the new phone has the new OS. You will get yours in time. Be patient. if you want to complain to it in the right place.

I know this is mostly just a jumble of words, but I hope I got some of my points across. The Charge is one of the best phones out there in my opinion. As someone else stated, all phones have issues and quirks. What is great for me, sucks for you. What sucks for me is great for you. Find your own way without the "I hate you Charge" posts. Otherwise post the problem in a constructive way and maybe someone has a work around or fix for ya

/rant

 

[ddemlong]

I find it funny how a lot of people ***** about their brand new phones. Good god people, did you not try out the phone when you bought it?

btw, I'm loving my charge.... no real issues since I got the phone, I got it 2 days after the release.

 

[mamawM]

amen! and i'm also tired of all the "my phone's better than yours" that goes on in the forums.

 

[expidia]

I'm not a fanboy of "any" device over and above what it was designed to do. Like the 2nd OP, I too have a long history of PDA's going back around 25 from a credit card like device that kept track of my clients and up through a whole line of Kyocera and Palm devices.

When i see posts where they start off as "this phone is crap" I try not to open them. But they do get a lot of views from most of the other device users so they can justify to themselves why they are holding on to their old devices (like BB's). One wonders how many of these posts are just Trolls or Employees from other upcoming new devices? Seems when any new device is on the horizon, there is a rash of these types of posts.

Over many years, I've seen this happen in all device forums . . . to me, this is a typical whiners way to find "something" unsatisfactory with a particular device, so they can justify their constant need to jump to the next latest and greatest like maybe the upcoming Bionic or an iphone 5. Then they jump and they find similar issues inherent with most any new device. I mean come on now . . . the Charge has only been out like 2 months and has yet to see the Gingerbread upgrade and it's "still" a great device that may even get even better.

If you are an unhappy user just "Man Up" (or Women up) and sell your Charge on Craigslist. I'm sure it will go fast (but you should also say if you F'd with the Rom or OS too, if you did).

If you want real misery, just use Blackberries like I did for the last 4 years trying to surf the web on their tiny screens and unreadable fonts, when most of the world was already using Droids or iphones.

Clearly, this Charge is just a Smart Phone and not a $1200 "Mac Air" laptop. Sadly the Charge is simply not "Worthy" of some of it's buyers.

It's the best Smart phone I've ever personally used. It's not only on the best network, it takes "great pictures", has a spectacular screen along with a decent battery life and I get 8-15 hrs. depending on the type of usage. I have 2 extra batteries and a car charger, but rarely have ever used either. I cradle it at night to re-charge as when I'm sleeping, I don't need the device anyway. I even have a 2nd cradle in my office and rarely use that.

I also have 3 newer laptops, an expensive portable car GPS and a camera too, but other than my office laptop, I rarely have a need much for any of the others anymore.

And . . . "I've" never even experienced 4G yet, since I have not traveled into a 4G area to see what this device is really capable of. That's why I picked up the extra batteries (I dislike a thicker battery), so when 4G hits my city, I'll be ready for the "expected" extra power drain . . . because I realize with new cutting edge technology there are always trade offs!

Bottom line is Smart Phones are just objects, love your Dog, love your Spouse (notice the correct order) but don't "love" your phone.

Thanks for the OP for starting this thread. I too was getting bored seeing all those I hate my Charge, It's Camera, GPS etc . . . Just go out and buy a stand alone unit for each area like the OP suggested, but you will probably hate that one too as soon as a newer model is announced . . . haha

Now if this Charge only had a dongle that I could put the other end in my coffee and heat it up . . . we'd have a winner

 

[anon(94115)]

Now if this Charge only had a dongle that I could put the other end in my coffee and heat it up . . . we'd have a winner

I use this one with a converter from the full USB to the micro: USB Drink Warmer with 4-port USB Hub: Keeps coffee warm with time display

It sucks because I only get 1.5 hours for a full charge when I have this plugged in.....damn batteries suck on this phone....

 

[barrycinti]

I read the two long posts earlier and was gonna respond but didnt have the time.

Some have legit complaints. No all identical phones are created equal. I get that but when someone has returned the phone 10 times and still have the same issue there is something else that comes into play. It could be user error, it could be bad towers in the area, it could be 1000 things. Coming in and saying this phone is crap, is just stupid. Usually you will see those people go to a different phone makers phone and say this is the best ever. Well it is different. Someone else came up with the specs, manufacturing process, and overall design. Maybe that one has a stronger radio and works better in your area. Good for you, but that doesnt mean the phone you had is crap, it just means it is crap in your area.

now the fassy was a different story. 1000 people all had/have radio issues, mostly the same issue. The radio in it is pretty bad (the rest of the phone is awesome though) and it is confirmed by more than just you. You have a right to complain then.

As far as GPS goes, if I dont know where I am going and the GPS can get me within 20 meters of my destination, how awesome is that? I dont need my phone to open the door for me and get me within 1 foot of the desk, just get me in a close enough area, I can find the rest of the way myself. if you cannot, then you have bigger issues than a phone. Oh and if you are doing something that needs to be more precises then yes, the phone isnt the right equipment for that task yet.

Complaining about not having "the latest" version of android, especially the "xyz phone just came out with ICS!!!" This one is really stupid. Of course the new phone has the new OS. You will get yours in time. Be patient. if you want to complain to it in the right place.

I know this is mostly just a jumble of words, but I hope I got some of my points across. The Charge is one of the best phones out there in my opinion. As someone else stated, all phones have issues and quirks. What is great for me, sucks for you. What sucks for me is great for you. Find your own way without the "I hate you Charge" posts. Otherwise post the problem in a constructive way and maybe someone has a work around or fix for ya

/rant

Here is my experience with the Charge. I was on vacation in a 3G only area with 3 bars signal strength. The Charge worked flawlessy. No data connection problems, long battery life even though I used it as much or more as I do at home. After this experience I have come to accept that I live in a crummy area at home for a signal. It is 1-2 bars and the signal level is about -102dbm. VZW's maps show me as being in a 4G area. I have never had 4G at my house. If I walk up a moderate hill I then get 4G. I had a BB with the similar data and voice issues . The phone I had previous to the BB had signal issues also. When friends are at my house who are on other carriers can't get a signal at all. So in conclusion it seems to me the Charge has a good radio. I unfortunately live in a bad signal area.

 

[expidia]

I use this one with a converter from the full USB to the micro: USB Drink Warmer with 4-port USB Hub: Keeps coffee warm with time display

It sucks because I only get 1.5 hours for a full charge when I have this plugged in.....damn batteries suck on this phone....

Haha, I just sent that link to my Brother for a gift idea for the "Geek" who has everything.

I thought I was really reaching out pretty good for that "Dongle heating a cup of coffee idea". Guess I'll have to dig a little deeper next time for another analogy of what this "Damn" Charge can't do

 

[ick]

I too have owned a few different smart phones over the years. Some are better than others, its bound to happen with the advance of tech. Complaining about a phone you purchased when you had adequate opportunity to test it or research it is just pointless, so I agree with most, if not all of what the OP and the responders have said.

I hate to say it, but it seems like a societal condition these days, this *****ing about things that don't work as people expect. I suspect it has its roots in giving everyone trophies after a competition even though there really can be only one winner.

I for one am very satisfied with my experience with the Charge.

 

[anon(94115)]

Haha, I just sent that link to my Brother for a gift idea for the "Geek" who has everything.

I thought I was really reaching out pretty good for that "Dongle heating a cup of coffee idea". Guess I'll have to dig a little deeper next time for another analogy of what this "Damn" Charge can't do

BRING. IT. ON.....lol

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