Just Got My Hands On A Thunderbolt Dummy Unit..

[Cyber Warrior]

Just had the chance to play with a Thunderbolt dummy unit. I took a drive out to Toms River New Jersey today to see some family. Went into a BJ's which had a Verizon stand inside. Played with a Xoom for a little bit while the sales guy was helping someone. As soon as no one was around I asked about the release date of the Thunderbolt. He replied "no word yet but we are impatiently waiting just like everyone else". I asked if he had any dummy units I could see. He replied "ummm... okay, I will let you see it". He reached under the counter and pulls one out and hands it to me. I think I went into shock.

First impressions: the phone felt heavier then I expected but keep in mind I'm coming from a DroidX which is super light. It felt good in the hand and the aluminum body looks and feels great. The side volume buttons are very sleek and it doesn't take much effort to press them. The kickstand wasn't as snappy as I would have liked but it felt strong enough to stay closed. I asked what the round rubber circle was for under the kickstand. I asked if it was some kind of external antenna. He replied " I'm not sure, I don't think it does anything. This is a dummy unit and the final production models probably wont even have it". I wasn't believing that for a second but that's what he said. Remember this was the dummy unit so who knows what the final production model will be like.
That's about it..... just wanted to share my experience with the phone. Too bad it was only a dummy unit. It would have been nice to test out the phone while powered on. Oh well... better than nothing.

 

[thedeceiver]

Awesome. Thanks.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

 

[Edwill86]

I believe Phil had explained that the little rubber circle was there to allow RF to penetrate out of the case at that spot.
(if Im not correct in this statement please correct me)

and very cool! I really can't wait...really..I cant

 

[Cory Streater]

Hey Cyber,

Just curious, does the dummy unit described in this post sound a lot different than what you had a chance to play with today? It kind of sounds like it. Maybe they have different ones now.

 

[Chrisy]

I'm going to check out a VZW store next week and see if I can get my hands on a dummy unit too! Thanks for the post.

 

[fatboy97]

LMAO... that is so typical of a cell phone store rep.... I want mine with an antenna.

 

[Cyber Warrior]

Hey Cyber,

Just curious, does the dummy unit described in this post sound a lot different than what you had a chance to play with today? It kind of sounds like it. Maybe they have different ones now.

Since the phone obviously couldn't power on. I focused on 3 things... the weight of the phone, the kickstand and the rubber circle under the kickstand. The phone by all means does not feel like cheap plastic. It felt like it had an aluminum body to me but maybe I'm wrong. If it was plastic the thing was built like a tank. Felt very solid and durable. It was definetly a heavy phone. Very impressed by it. Two things I was concerned about... but don't want to discourage anyone because its only a dummy unit.... I was not impressed with the volume keys. Its one solid piece and I couldn't even tell if I was pressing them or not. I'm assuming they will be very sensitive since it doesnt feel like it takes much effort to press them. I couldnt really tell since theres no screen to see whats happening. The kickstand does feel like plastic but its solid. The other thing that bothered me was it didn't feel as strong as I hoped for opening and closing it. I asked the guy how the kickstand has been holding up since he had it. He told me it still feels sturdy but it will definitely break very easily if bent the wrong way. Again this is a dummy unit so.... who knows.

 

[wes008]

Hey Cyber,

Just curious, does the dummy unit described in this post sound a lot different than what you had a chance to play with today? It kind of sounds like it. Maybe they have different ones now.

I just held a dummy unit about a week ago, and at least my experience was more like Cyber's. It sounds like the dummy unit in the post you linked, Cory, was from early February. So they could have changed. Or maybe the beauty is in the eye of the beholder

 

[mclarryjr]

The one I played with last week felt like a well built beast. It didn't feel to heavy and seemed to be very balanced. My only concern was the kickstand which seemed it could be broken fairly easy if not careful.

 

[Cyber Warrior]

I just held a dummy unit about a week ago, and at least my experience was more like Cyber's. It sounds like the dummy unit in the post you linked, Cory, was from early February. So they could have changed. Or maybe the beauty is in the eye of the beholder

The phone is absolutely gorgeous. Yea.. obviously if you force the kickstand past its point to where it opens its going to snap...but that's common sense. Its only made to go so far. I'm still looking forward to getting this phone.

 

[swarlos]

The phone is absolutely gorgeous. Yea.. obviously if you force the kickstand past its point to where it opens its going to snap...but that's common sense. Its only made to go so far. I'm still looking forward to getting this phone.

The phone is amazing can't wait to get my hands on a real one. I did notice the kickstand also seemed to be kind of flimsy on the dummy unit I saw. I tried to stand it up vertically like Bob did in the wirefly vid but didn't work. I think its cause they are just dummy units and nessecarily representative of what the final product will be but albeit very close.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[htowngator]

I held one today too... looks good. It was at a reseller though, not a VZW store.

The guy smiled huge when I asked about it.

 

[wes008]

The phone is amazing can't wait to get my hands on a real one. I did notice the kickstand also seemed to be kind of flimsy on the dummy unit I saw. I tried to stand it up vertically like Bob did in the wirefly vid but didn't work. I think its cause they are just dummy units and nessecarily representative of what the final product will be but albeit very close.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

Someone had already broken the kickstand on a dummy unit at the store I went to

 

[SUB-dawg]

Someone had already broken the kickstand on a dummy unit at the store I went to

lol

 

[anon(75289)]

Speaking form my experience with the dummy units from a bunch of other phones that I've played with. They almost always make the dummy units out of a different type of material. The hinges on dummy phones never work right because they don't have the real parts in them. The volume buttons aren't going to "click" because there is no motherboard in there with the buttons that actually make the "click" feel.

The weight won't be anything like the real thing due to the lack of battery/motherboard/lcd/radio/etc.

All you can get from a dummy phone is the size and shape.

 

[htowngator]

Speaking form my experience with the dummy units from a bunch of other phones that I've played with. They almost always make the dummy units out of a different type of material. The hinges on dummy phones never work right because they don't have the real parts in them. The volume buttons aren't going to "click" because there is no motherboard in there with the buttons that actually make the "click" feel.

The weight won't be anything like the real thing due to the lack of battery/motherboard/lcd/radio/etc.

All you can get from a dummy phone is the size and shape.

The dummy unit I saw today was made of plastic, not aluminum. Clearly they tried to weigh it correctly, but the build was definitely not what you'll get in the real thing.

 

[Cory Streater]

Here's a couple of videos you can check out. I'm sure you guys have all seen them, but maybe they will give you a better idea of build quality, compared to what you are seeing in the dummy units. I'm 99.999% certain the real kickstand was not plastic when I was at CES.

AC Video Hands On.

Pocket Now.

Wirefly FF about 1:35 in.

 

[prakash99]

I played with a dummy unit at a Wireless Zone store. It did not have a plastic kickstand. It was metal.

 

[CrotchBat]

Already been said the kickstands are far superior than the EVO's and I never heard EVO users saying their kickstands were constantly breaking.

Dummy units, as said, denote nothing but size and shape. Trying to take anything else from it is, well, dumb.

 

[withravenoushunger]

I was at bestbuy today and they had the setup for the thunderbolt where the dummy unit would be but there was nothing on it. Just a stand with the thunderbolt logo. I don't know if they will have it soon or maybe they will put a demo on there.