Alright, well this is going to be an interesting odyssey into phone purchase-dom. But first, a little background. Up until two weeks ago I was the not-so-proud owner of an Omnia - The original Samsung Omnia. It was an ok phone, for it's time, but I really just did not like Windows Mobile 6.5. Or squinting at a tiny, blurry lcd. And especially in this era where everyone has either an iPhone, Android (Or heck, even Blackberry and Palm nowadays) piece of amazing ultra-customizable futuristic technical wizardry in their pockets.
After extensive reading of reviews and pouring-over of owner testimonials I had set my heart on the Droid X. It seemed like the phone to beat on Verizon's network. It was also apparently the phone to have seeing as how my local retailers and Verizon's online store were continuously out of stock. My second choice at the time was the Droid Incredible. I'd gone into the stores and played with it a few times, and I just loved the fact that it was smaller than my Omnia but 100x more readable thanks to the AMOLED screen. It was also quick and sexy looking, and most importantly, it ran Android. But it too was continuously out of stock everywhere, thanks to the whole screen debacle.
Anyway, a few weeks ago I happened to be at my local Best Buy. And as I always do when I'm there I asked the mobile phone folks if they had any Droid X or Incredibles. To my astonishment I was told that they did in fact have both in stock today. So I plunked right down and started the whole purchase process rigmarole. I watched with pregnant anticipation as the guy pulled the Droid X from it's box, removed the film, and fired it up. Needless to say, I was stoked. And then - Crushing disappointment. I'm a member of a very nice grandfathered-in family plan, however, as I found out that day, I was not a 'designated member' (Or whatever the term was). So I could not use the plan's one phone upgrade for my number without either having my mother there (who happens to live 100+ miles away), or having her call into Verizon and set me up as a 'designated member' or whatever. So I chose option B and called her. I gave her the number and instructions I was given to make me a 'designated member', asked the Best Buy guy to hold the phone for me while that was being done, and then scooted off to the college for the class I was about to be late for.
When I returned to triumphantly claim my phone, again, crushing disappointment. The apparently one Droid X they had had in stock that day was gone. The kid who was going to sell it to me that morning disavowed any knowledge of there ever being a Droid X, despite my seeing it in his hands with my own two eyes just two hours prior. Needless to say I was pissed, but there was one ray of hope. They did have Incredibles. And I did love that gorgeous screen, HTC build quality, and of course the Sense UI flavor of Android. And this was absolutely an AMOLED Incredible we're talking about, and not one of those new SLCD models.
So the Incredible was mine, and I loved on it for about a week. I held off on rooting the thing, or making the attempt anyway, but I sure customized the hell out of it. But a few things bothered me. For one, even with moderate use and few things running in the background, the standard battery rarely lasted a whole day. And then there was the fact that it was no Droid X. It was a slightly older, demonstrably slower piece of tech. And this was my one upgrade chance in two years (Heck, longer if someone else on the plan wants the next upgrade). I really wanted the fastest, most-advanced phone I could possibly buy at the moment.
To make a long story short(er), what broke the return-camel's back was finding the Incredible at the ultra-reduced price of $89 through multiple online retailers (Which of course Best Buy would not price-match). I don't know if it's because these were the SLCD models, but having seen reviews of the SLCD screens, I could probably have stood for paying half price for it. Also the Fascinate had just entered the scene, and I was somewhat familiar with the Galaxy S phones and their capabilities. So what the heck, seeing as how I still couldn't find a Droid X at any Best Buys and the one nearby had just gotten a few Fascinates, I went with the latter.
Here's my review of the Fascinate, given the background I've expounded on, and a few days of playing with it. [CONTINUED]
After extensive reading of reviews and pouring-over of owner testimonials I had set my heart on the Droid X. It seemed like the phone to beat on Verizon's network. It was also apparently the phone to have seeing as how my local retailers and Verizon's online store were continuously out of stock. My second choice at the time was the Droid Incredible. I'd gone into the stores and played with it a few times, and I just loved the fact that it was smaller than my Omnia but 100x more readable thanks to the AMOLED screen. It was also quick and sexy looking, and most importantly, it ran Android. But it too was continuously out of stock everywhere, thanks to the whole screen debacle.
Anyway, a few weeks ago I happened to be at my local Best Buy. And as I always do when I'm there I asked the mobile phone folks if they had any Droid X or Incredibles. To my astonishment I was told that they did in fact have both in stock today. So I plunked right down and started the whole purchase process rigmarole. I watched with pregnant anticipation as the guy pulled the Droid X from it's box, removed the film, and fired it up. Needless to say, I was stoked. And then - Crushing disappointment. I'm a member of a very nice grandfathered-in family plan, however, as I found out that day, I was not a 'designated member' (Or whatever the term was). So I could not use the plan's one phone upgrade for my number without either having my mother there (who happens to live 100+ miles away), or having her call into Verizon and set me up as a 'designated member' or whatever. So I chose option B and called her. I gave her the number and instructions I was given to make me a 'designated member', asked the Best Buy guy to hold the phone for me while that was being done, and then scooted off to the college for the class I was about to be late for.
When I returned to triumphantly claim my phone, again, crushing disappointment. The apparently one Droid X they had had in stock that day was gone. The kid who was going to sell it to me that morning disavowed any knowledge of there ever being a Droid X, despite my seeing it in his hands with my own two eyes just two hours prior. Needless to say I was pissed, but there was one ray of hope. They did have Incredibles. And I did love that gorgeous screen, HTC build quality, and of course the Sense UI flavor of Android. And this was absolutely an AMOLED Incredible we're talking about, and not one of those new SLCD models.
So the Incredible was mine, and I loved on it for about a week. I held off on rooting the thing, or making the attempt anyway, but I sure customized the hell out of it. But a few things bothered me. For one, even with moderate use and few things running in the background, the standard battery rarely lasted a whole day. And then there was the fact that it was no Droid X. It was a slightly older, demonstrably slower piece of tech. And this was my one upgrade chance in two years (Heck, longer if someone else on the plan wants the next upgrade). I really wanted the fastest, most-advanced phone I could possibly buy at the moment.
To make a long story short(er), what broke the return-camel's back was finding the Incredible at the ultra-reduced price of $89 through multiple online retailers (Which of course Best Buy would not price-match). I don't know if it's because these were the SLCD models, but having seen reviews of the SLCD screens, I could probably have stood for paying half price for it. Also the Fascinate had just entered the scene, and I was somewhat familiar with the Galaxy S phones and their capabilities. So what the heck, seeing as how I still couldn't find a Droid X at any Best Buys and the one nearby had just gotten a few Fascinates, I went with the latter.
Here's my review of the Fascinate, given the background I've expounded on, and a few days of playing with it. [CONTINUED]
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