Ok so i just got back from a local Verizon store that let me play with a new HTC incredible. my initial judgment is awesome. The manager was very nice and allowed me to play with the device for nearly 45 minutes. we then started talking back and forth about the pros and cons of this device compared to the droid.
1. This phone does NOT feel flimsy or cheap as some people have said. Compared to a droid it is lighter. But it is more sleek, less sharp edges and slides in and out of my pocket effortlessly. it sits in my hand nicely as well. easy to hold when typing. and while holding it against my face.
2. Signal strength. People have been speculating saying that the HTC will have inferior signal strength compared to the droid. I set both devices on a surface for a few minutes and let them acclimate. Both devices had the same signal strength they were both at 3 bars.
3. no more physical keyboard. Big whoop. it really isn't a big deciding factor for me because i hardly use the physical one on the droid. The virtual keyboard software for the incredible is far superior to the software that comes on the droid. typing a message proved easy and accurate. having no keyboard also means no more sliding mechanism. which means this thing wont come open in my pocket like my droid often does wasting precious battery life.
4. touch screen. VERY VERY nice. it feels very accurate. it handles my gestures much better than my droid.
5. wow is it fast. That snapdragon processor is great. this thing is wicket fast. On my droid, if you do a long press on the main screen and want to add a new application. there is a slight pause between pressing "applications" and when they actually show up, even with no other programs running. doing the same test on the incredible is instant. no lag. no delay. just simply does it. going in and out of applications is very fast as well. and turning the phone sideways to landscape is very fluid and fast.
6. Camera. it takes pictures much faster than my droid. although i cant speculate on quality too much, but it does have that 8mp camera when the droid has 5mp. so im sure it is much better. Unlike the droid that has a dedicated camera button (which chips paint off easily Ive read) the incredible does not have one, but i used the virtual joysticks depress function to take a picture very easily.
7. Virtual joystick. or whatever they call it. Proves handy in some situations, like taking a picture. its very easy to get used to (took me a minute or two) and it has a depress function as well so you can use it to select things. nice addition to the phone.
8. Battery. cant speculate much. it was fully charged when i got it and didnt change when i was done. Although some people say it will be worse than the droid. i think that is a chance i will have to take.
9. Sense UI. although i wasn't able to test much of the features of sense UI out since the phone was set up for someone else. i can tell you i like the idea of it very much. i think it will prove very easy to use and handy. the fact that the phone has 7 home screens to begin with, and has additional "scenes" means you could technically have an unlimited amount of screens filled with icons.
10. Phone dialer. What an improvement over the droid phone dialer. First off. the sense UI puts the phone icon right on the bottom of the screen all the time when in your home screens. so it is easy to access. the droid requires you to have the icon placed on one of your screens and unless you have helix launcher you have to go to that screen to use it.
also finding a contact is much easier. something my blackberry had was just start typing someones name in the dialer and it will come up then press send. the droid has this, but it requires you to flip open the physical keyboard and be in the contacts tab of the phone dialer. kinda annoying. the incredible's phone dialer is like my blackberry. i simply start typing the first few letters of a persons name and it shows up. press send. and boom its dialing. Awesome.
11. like many touch screen phones i think a screen protector will be necessary to avoid scratches to this things beautiful large touch screen. i think ghost-armor or phantom skinz will do the job nicely.
My overall impression after walking out of the store is still awesome. The phone is fantastic. If anyone is on the border of trading their droid for an incredible i suggest you go play with one and determine for yourself if you like it or not. I am lucky that my droid is still within its 30 day trial period so i can swap for the incredible for a simple $35 restocking fee.
I hope this helps guys. later.
1. This phone does NOT feel flimsy or cheap as some people have said. Compared to a droid it is lighter. But it is more sleek, less sharp edges and slides in and out of my pocket effortlessly. it sits in my hand nicely as well. easy to hold when typing. and while holding it against my face.
2. Signal strength. People have been speculating saying that the HTC will have inferior signal strength compared to the droid. I set both devices on a surface for a few minutes and let them acclimate. Both devices had the same signal strength they were both at 3 bars.
3. no more physical keyboard. Big whoop. it really isn't a big deciding factor for me because i hardly use the physical one on the droid. The virtual keyboard software for the incredible is far superior to the software that comes on the droid. typing a message proved easy and accurate. having no keyboard also means no more sliding mechanism. which means this thing wont come open in my pocket like my droid often does wasting precious battery life.
4. touch screen. VERY VERY nice. it feels very accurate. it handles my gestures much better than my droid.
5. wow is it fast. That snapdragon processor is great. this thing is wicket fast. On my droid, if you do a long press on the main screen and want to add a new application. there is a slight pause between pressing "applications" and when they actually show up, even with no other programs running. doing the same test on the incredible is instant. no lag. no delay. just simply does it. going in and out of applications is very fast as well. and turning the phone sideways to landscape is very fluid and fast.
6. Camera. it takes pictures much faster than my droid. although i cant speculate on quality too much, but it does have that 8mp camera when the droid has 5mp. so im sure it is much better. Unlike the droid that has a dedicated camera button (which chips paint off easily Ive read) the incredible does not have one, but i used the virtual joysticks depress function to take a picture very easily.
7. Virtual joystick. or whatever they call it. Proves handy in some situations, like taking a picture. its very easy to get used to (took me a minute or two) and it has a depress function as well so you can use it to select things. nice addition to the phone.
8. Battery. cant speculate much. it was fully charged when i got it and didnt change when i was done. Although some people say it will be worse than the droid. i think that is a chance i will have to take.
9. Sense UI. although i wasn't able to test much of the features of sense UI out since the phone was set up for someone else. i can tell you i like the idea of it very much. i think it will prove very easy to use and handy. the fact that the phone has 7 home screens to begin with, and has additional "scenes" means you could technically have an unlimited amount of screens filled with icons.
10. Phone dialer. What an improvement over the droid phone dialer. First off. the sense UI puts the phone icon right on the bottom of the screen all the time when in your home screens. so it is easy to access. the droid requires you to have the icon placed on one of your screens and unless you have helix launcher you have to go to that screen to use it.
also finding a contact is much easier. something my blackberry had was just start typing someones name in the dialer and it will come up then press send. the droid has this, but it requires you to flip open the physical keyboard and be in the contacts tab of the phone dialer. kinda annoying. the incredible's phone dialer is like my blackberry. i simply start typing the first few letters of a persons name and it shows up. press send. and boom its dialing. Awesome.
11. like many touch screen phones i think a screen protector will be necessary to avoid scratches to this things beautiful large touch screen. i think ghost-armor or phantom skinz will do the job nicely.
My overall impression after walking out of the store is still awesome. The phone is fantastic. If anyone is on the border of trading their droid for an incredible i suggest you go play with one and determine for yourself if you like it or not. I am lucky that my droid is still within its 30 day trial period so i can swap for the incredible for a simple $35 restocking fee.
I hope this helps guys. later.
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