I'm a Quirky Phone User - Is DNA for Me? Advice Please

[goutgrec]

I currently have HTC Glacier/TMobile My Touch 4G with gingerbread. Time for an upgrade and due to a move & bad T-Mo signal in new home I'm going Verizon which is excellent in my area.

I don't care about the camera, don't watch movies or use the phone for much music. My current phone has an 8 gb chip but nothing on it. So expandable storage isn't an issue. Not thrilled with non-removable batttery but that isn't an issue on all the iphones. But after 2 years now, HTC battery is weakening, Siri doesn't work sometimes, and 3 long calls, or one in car and 2 others drain it.

At Verizon I keep going back to the DNA. I like the size and the feel of it. I've read dozens of reviews but none seem to address issues important to me.

I am a heavy phone user, sometime on long calls in succession. First, does the phone get physically hot when you're on it a long time?

I use the phone with bluetooth in my 2011 Subaru -- my Glacier/MyTouch works very well. Anyone else have a DNA and a Subie who can comment?

I like the size of the DNA text for messaging and the size of the keyboard -- my fingers are big and most keyboards are too small -- this is a big incentive to me to go for it. Does everyone like the messaging interface?

Wireless charging seems like a great feature. Anyone had trouble with that?

I use my phone as GPS. Nice with larger screen. Anyone have issues with the navigation feature?

Anyone had a lot of sudden resets? (I get those a lot with the current Glacier/MyTouch but I've been attributing that to t-mo's bad signal).

I'm horrified by the quantity of Verizon bloatware -- I know the apps cannot be removed but can all the crapola go into a folder on a Siberia screen? I'd root if I could understand it.

The other phone I'm seriously considering is the iphone 5S. Sigh. I love my ipad but can't see it for a phone. I prefer android (apart from the junkware) . I briefly had an S3 but it was so twitchy it made me feel like I had come down with ADD. I like the idea of the quadcore processor and the 2 g of ram since that's more power than the Razrs for the same price.

Naturally no one has had the phone very long but comments would be appreciated. TIA Celeste.

 

[imawnnr97]

Easy choice..get the Galaxy Note 2!! Im a woman and i absolutely love this 5'5 inch beast of a phablet! Loving the multi-window feature, all s-pen features and so much more! I kid you not, its the best phone i've ever owned! Dna Would be a second choice for me, but it has no removabe battery and no sd slot!

 

[woodsb123]

Hi goutgrec, I purchased the DNA about 3 weeks ago and consider myself a power-user(I use my phone for making calls, listening to local & streamed music, texting, listening to podcasts, as a backup pc, etc.). I will try to answer your question based on my usage:

I don't care about the camera, don't watch movies or use the phone for much music. My current phone has an 8 gb chip but nothing on it. So expandable storage isn't an issue. Not thrilled with non-removable batttery but that isn't an issue on all the iphones. But after 2 years now, HTC battery is weakening, Siri doesn't work sometimes, and 3 long calls, or one in car and 2 others drain it.

I had an HTC Sensation(1400mah battery, i believe) before this phone and hated the quick battery drain, however, I was blown away with how long this battery keeps going, going, & going. I used to have to plug my old phone in within several hours of usage, my DNA has lasted a day and a half after heavy usage on several occasions.

I am a heavy phone user, sometime on long calls in succession. First, does the phone get physically hot when you're on it a long time?

My phone has never gotten hot on me, not even while charging.

I use the phone with bluetooth in my 2011 Subaru -- my Glacier/MyTouch works very well. Anyone else have a DNA and a Subie who can comment?

Can't comment on this question because I only use my phone with a bluetooth headset and not any built-in bluetooth feature in my car.
I like the size of the DNA text for messaging and the size of the keyboard -- my fingers are big and most keyboards are too small -- this is a big incentive to me to go for it. Does everyone like the messaging interface?

I love/use most of the built-in HTC apps, including the messaging app because it utilizes the group messaging feature that I didn't have on my old phone, not even with a third-party app installed.

Wireless charging seems like a great feature. Anyone had trouble with that?

Not using the wireless charging feature, so can't comment on this question.

I use my phone as GPS. Nice with larger screen. Anyone have issues with the navigation feature?

I use the GPS feature and love it. Have not had any issues. I really like the fact that I can hear the turn by turn navigation spoken through my bluetooth earpiece so I don't even have to look at my phone while driving to my destinations.

Anyone had a lot of sudden resets? (I get those a lot with the current Glacier/MyTouch but I've been attributing that to t-mo's bad signal).

Haven't had any resets, hangouts, freezing, whatsoever. This phone is very fast also!!!!!!

I'm horrified by the quantity of Verizon bloatware -- I know the apps cannot be removed but can all the crapola go into a folder on a Siberia screen? I'd root if I could understand it.

Regarding Verizon's bloatware, I hate it also and don't really use any of it. I just disabled each app and they never launch on my phone. I'm not really sure if this helped with speeding up the phone or whatever, but, I just did it because it can't hurt.

Hope this helps!!!!!!

 

[goutgrec]

ima, I've been reading reviews nonstop and your Note2 is, hands down, the best-reviewed and loved phone. Also has the highest owner satisfaction I've seen. I shall take another look and try to reconcile the "hand feel" basic instinct thing that goes on when you pick up a phone. Good suggestion.

woods, Your detailed response is exactly the sort of feedback I was hoping for! So helpful to me. A million thanks.

 

[bellken]

I have a 2012 Subie, and, bluetooth works fine. The Droid DNA is one of the cooler running phones on the market (temp. wise), I haven't been on a bunch of long calls, but, I would guess the DNA would not get very hot with a bunch of long phone calls.

I had some trouble with wireless charging with a Nokia DT-900 (may have been a bad one), but, my phone charged fine with the Verizon wireless charger.

I haven't had any problems with resets, and, as for the Verizon bloatware, you can either disable it (better), or, you can hide it. This is a feature of Jellybean, so, any new phone should have this.

Good luck with your new phone.

 

[jrz5024]

If the lack of expandable storage isn't an issue for you, the DNA is the best phone on the market right now, hands down.
- Battery life is more than adequate (I can get 5-6 hours screen time, or well over 24 hours standby on LTE).
- No problems with heat while making extended phone calls.
- Wireless charging works exactly as it should.
- GPS works flawlessly, and if you use Navigation frequently I'd absolutely recommend HTC over either Samsung or Apple. Samsung has historically had major issues with the GPS (which was basically non-functional in the original Galaxy line and has only marginally improved since then) and Apple has Apple Maps, which of course is next to useless.
- Haven't had a single FC or random reset in the two months I've owned the phone.
- Bloatware is annoying, but like any JB phone, you can simply disable it.

DNA is easily the best phone I've ever owned, I honestly couldn't be happier with it. This is my first HTC phone so I'm not a fanboy.

 

[osubeavs728]

The fact that you said you make frequent long phone calls should steer you more toward the DNA than the note 2 in a big way. Samsung radios are pretty much junk, I owned Samsung all the way up until my dna and figured the dropped calls and reception issues were due to lack of coverage... Boy was I wrong

 

[PvilleComp]

I don't think the DNA will disappoint you in any of the areas you mentioned. I can't give an accurate Subbie BT answer, but it works great with my BlueAnt ST2.

The speakerphone is great, Google Nav works great, I have had no battery issues, except when playing Ingress, but then I plug into the charger and all is well.

I left several puddles of drool on the floor at the VZW store before pulling the trigger on the DNA, but like you I was always drawn back to it. I have not regretted it.

 

[anon(924308)]

First, does the phone get physically hot when you're on it a long time?
It gets warm fairly easily, but it doesn't get uncomfortably hot.
Anyone else have a DNA and a Subie who can comment?
Can't comment on your Subaru, but it works fine with every Bluetooth device I've paired it with.
I like the size of the DNA text for messaging and the size of the keyboard -- my fingers are big and most keyboards are too small -- this is a big incentive to me to go for it. Does everyone like the messaging interface?
Messaging interface is nice, you can always get different keyboards if you don't like the stock one (I'm using SwiftKey, which is a bit smaller but the autocorrect is great; you could also use something like Swype).
I use my phone as GPS. Nice with larger screen. Anyone have issues with the navigation feature?
Just make sure you have the data connection on, otherwise it'll go a little wonky when you're en-route (you'd think with the map saved offline and an address already in use, it would work fine..) BTW--CoPilot is absolutely terrible on this device. Works fine on my Nexus 7 tablet, but on this thing it's unbearably glitchy and poorly formatted. Stock navigation is fine though, and searching up locations is lightning-fast for me.
Anyone had a lot of sudden resets? (I get those a lot with the current Glacier/MyTouch but I've been attributing that to t-mo's bad signal).
Nope, not yet.
I'm horrified by the quantity of Verizon bloatware -- I know the apps cannot be removed but can all the crapola go into a folder on a Siberia screen? I'd root if I could understand it.
I went ahead and cleared the data/disabled all the bloatware I didn't care for. I have Nova Laucher Prime on my DNA, so I can just "hide" apps. For all practical purposes, it's like they don't exist except for the small amount of space they take up.
The other phone I'm seriously considering is the iphone 5S. Sigh. I love my ipad but can't see it for a phone. I prefer android (apart from the junkware) . I briefly had an S3 but it was so twitchy it made me feel like I had come down with ADD. I like the idea of the quadcore processor and the 2 g of ram since that's more power than the Razrs for the same price.
This thing has 1.5GB ram, I think. If you prefer android phones, stick with android. You'll miss the customization and widgets. If you think the DNA is *almost* what you want but not exactly, wait a couple months for new flagship releases.

Just have to mention though--if you're a heavy phone user, you should either look into a phone with a better battery, OR get an external battery charger. I'm very diligent about conserving energy (gps/LTE off when I don't need it, min brightness when I can, etc) but the rate that this thing consumes energy is kind of appalling. This might just be something wrong with my specific DNA, but the max consecutive screentime I can get for playing apps is 2.5hrs; for web browsing, it's a little under 4hrs. Yesterday I was out for 10 hours, and had all my signals off. I had a max screen time of about 30 minutes, and by the end of the day the battery was at 75%. So the battery is decent if you never use your phone, but especially if you use your GPS a lot, it'll stress you out.

 

[anon(924308)]

I had an HTC Sensation(1400mah battery, i believe) before this phone and hated the quick battery drain, however, I was blown away with how long this battery keeps going, going, & going. I used to have to plug my old phone in within several hours of usage, my DNA has lasted a day and a half after heavy usage on several occasions.

Can you describe your usage? Do you always have the phone on min brightness, with signals you don't need always turned off? If so, what's your battery life when you're say, web browsing? I can get maybe 4 hours screen time max if it's not spread out over a long period of time. I have to charge twice daily for heavy usage. The other day I was playing games for 2 hours fresh from full charge, and I received a 14% warning by the end of it. I had to purchase an external battery pack just to make sure it wouldn't die on me when I need it. Even when it's off, it seems to consume battery pretty rapidly--24 hours off from full charge and it was down to 60%. Do you think my battery's busted or something?

 

[goutgrec]

bellken, glad to hear it works on your Subie. I need car phone; would be a deal breaker.

As I said, I'm quirky. It's my primary phone, use heavily it for business and when we travel. But mostly I work at home so when my current phone gets low I just plug it in. Always charge it overnight. Battery on Glacier was great for a long time but lately if I use it with BT and have several long calls it draws down quickly. At 2 y.o. I just assumed it's what older phones do. I like size of DNA screen and it's not so wide that holding it a long time for a call would be uncomfortable. The 2 hours I had the G3 my hand started to hurt. Also with TMo lousy signal I can't really get internet on it unless we go into the city. When I'm there I use it for everything (TMo is good there) and only ran down battery after one really long day but I was on with solitaire and email for 3 hours straight while traveling. I plug in when I use GPS as Subies are set up for that with car charger and BT. Only concern is battery conking out before 2 years but it would be same with iphone.

Clearly I have a learning curve! Clueless about the widgets and customization or how to disable apps. All that didn't exist with current phone. Great to find this place since the info is here. They will think I'm a stalker at the V store by the time I decide.

Any other thoughts appreciated.

 

[osubeavs728]

The other day I was playing games for 2 hours fresh from full charge, and I received a 14% warning by the end of it.

You played games on your phone for two hours straight?!?

 

[jamdmyers]

While I enjoy the features of the DNA when people are looking to transition I always ask what do you use for a tablet/computer. In your case you mention you use a I-pad and are familiar with the I-Tunes infrastructure. So a Iphone 5 maybe a good route, I find people trying to manage multi playlist/ content management to be frustrating. The Iphone is a good phone, smaller screen for GPS and you'd need to install Google Maps to not get directed into a wall (lol) So if u prefer to keep a common infrastructure with your other devices that can be a good way to go.

In regards to the DNA a Good screen / GPS / NAV. I suspect you have a car charger (or will). The wireless charging is great, set it on the cradle and use your bluetooth all day to make calls when you're working at home. You can 'hide' apps with Sense and not need another launcher, you can Root if you choose but not many advantages (esp if your not loading up with music/games or movies from the space you'll free), I too prefer the larger Screen it can't be beat (yet, forget the note2 screen) for us with larger thumbs.. testing is easy and the native swipe keyboard feature works fine, and it appears it works in the subie.

As I said first, keeping you life simple is always better but if you don't use itunes much then the DNA would be fine

 

[anon(924308)]

You played games on your phone for two hours straight?!?

With some intermittent web browsing . Lol is that obscenely abnormal? I don't game on consoles or PCs, so whatever I do play is on my tablet or phone. Either way, I'm disheartened by its battery life, and I can't figure out if mines busted or if this is standard.

Like I said, with brightness at min and all unnecessary signals shut off, I only have a max screen time of like 3-4 hours over a short period of time. When I'm out of the house, I make sure to never use it for much other than testing or making calls, as anything else would rapidly deplete the battery.

 

[anon(924308)]

As I said first, keeping you life simple is always better but if you don't use itunes much then the DNA would be fine

One great thing about Play is that you can choose to sync your music directly from your iTunes library, and it'll automatically add new content added to iTunes. My music files are spread all over my laptop in various locations, so that was a godsend for me lol. The major disadvantage with using Play is that it's stored as cached data and can't be used for anything else (e. g. other music players, ring tones, etc).

 

[Cattails_r_Edible]

Don't get a Samsung phone, unless you just can't live without poor reception! Samsung radios are the worst in the business!

Mosquitoes Refuse To Bite Me

 

[goutgrec]

jamd -- iphone5 was my second choice because it could sync with my ipad. But in addition to being quirky with the phone, I'm comfortable with both mac and pc and rarely use itunes. So, it was should I do the i-thing or not? Thing with the pad is that because I've always been PC based, my contacts are on gmail. So they load perfectly into a droid but get scrambled on the ipad and cannot be synched into the icloud.

The iphone is easy and has a lot going for it BUT small in comparison. Texting is always a chore -- would like that to change, which draws me to the DNA. Plus the larger size and goo maps make the nav better than what I've been using for GPS and not all that much smaller than some dedicated GPS screens.

Not decided yet, though. Need one more look, I think.

 

[Mario Fasolo]

Not sure if you're satisfied with answers already, but I'll just chime in!

I've literally had no hiccups at all..well, one single time the main screen got kind of weird on me when I was flipping back and forth, like stuck between two home screens, but all I had to do was lock it and it went away!

I even literally (accidentally) THREW my phone out of my hand on to a hard floor, face down, and it was COMPLETELY fine, no case or anything, the lock button is now not 100% straight across but I literally forget about it and it's completely fine, I was expecting a shattered screen or at least SOME mark..but nope!

I'm a huge texter too, and LOVE the messaging interface! It's so quick and updates and you have well thought out themes and backgrounds to chose from, and can easily change the size of the text, I'm 100% satisfied!

And when I go on my friend's iPhone 5's to do something, it's just like wow...it feels SO tiny, the keyboard is a lot less responsive for me, I'm 100% glad with my choice, and I was all about the iP5!

 

[goutgrec]

Update: I went for it today. It works beautifully with my car bluetooth and everything else has gone very smoothly. Many thanks to all for the most reliable information about the DNA. Hopefully, this thread will be of some use to others as well.