OG Droid -> DINC2 (for $0.01): An IQ Test?

[lakester]

Hi All:

First: love the auto-complete on similar threads feature..., but in this case...

So..., I think it's time to move on from my OG Droid. The love-hate thing has just gotten too ambiguous for several reasons I won't belabor...

The DINC2 looks awfully compelling at the moment, esp considering the following:

• Amazon Wireless offers an upgrade that allows me to keep all aspects of my current plan intact..., for $0.01!!!
• I blew my mad money on a Xoom recently..., so a cheap upgrade is really appealing at the moment.
• I live in a rural area, and mostly visit rural areas..., 3G has been just fine for me.
• The cradle reviewed by wirelessground.com looks perfect. The nightstand thing is very important to me.
• I've explored the rooting options for the OGD..., and they just don't do it for me.

I think the only questions remaining are:

• The cradle thing is possibly not so important..., I mean, the Droid should continue to function well on wi-fi only..., right? Would still remain a decent little "wifi micro tablet".
• I'm hoping that the overall responsiveness of the DINC2 is a significant improvement over the OG Droid.
• Phone/signal performance: This seems to be the greatest risk. The OGD is "acceptable" as a phone, but not exactly great. Does anybody know if the DINC2 will be a significant improvement?

If anybody feels like sharing their opinions/experiences, that would be great!

It sure is tempting...

 

[Chris3D]

I've never used an original Droid for any length of time, so I can't comment much in comparison, but as for signal strength, I think the Incredible 2 would qualify under your description of the Droid - acceptable but not great.

The fact is that the Inc 2 has a pretty weak antenna. If you have a strong signal in your area, it'll be fine, but in marginal coverage areas, it's reception drops off rather quickly. That said, I seem to be able to make and not drop calls even when the phone is showing no bars and a signal strength between -90 to -100. I'm toying with purchasing a network extender for home because that's where I happen to experience the worst reception.

Every other aspect of the phone is so good, though, that I'm willing to live with the less than stellar reception. And I don't want to blame it all on the phone, since previous phones, from a Fascinate to a BlackBerry years ago, all exhibited poor reception at my house, so it's also a network issue in my case.

 

[Stelv]

Hi All:

First: love the auto-complete on similar threads feature..., but in this case...

So..., I think it's time to move on from my OG Droid. The love-hate thing has just gotten too ambiguous for several reasons I won't belabor...

The DINC2 looks awfully compelling at the moment, esp considering the following:

• Amazon Wireless offers an upgrade that allows me to keep all aspects of my current plan intact..., for $0.01!!!
• I blew my mad money on a Xoom recently..., so a cheap upgrade is really appealing at the moment.
• I live in a rural area, and mostly visit rural areas..., 3G has been just fine for me.
• The cradle reviewed by wirelessground.com looks perfect. The nightstand thing is very important to me.
• I've explored the rooting options for the OGD..., and they just don't do it for me.

I think the only questions remaining are:

• The cradle thing is possibly not so important..., I mean, the Droid should continue to function well on wi-fi only..., right? Would still remain a decent little "wifi micro tablet".
• I'm hoping that the overall responsiveness of the DINC2 is a significant improvement over the OG Droid.
• Phone/signal performance: This seems to be the greatest risk. The OGD is "acceptable" as a phone, but not exactly great. Does anybody know if the DINC2 will be a significant improvement?

If anybody feels like sharing their opinions/experiences, that would be great!

It sure is tempting...

Yes it is a significant improvement over the Droid 1. I have owned a D1 and a Fascinate and it is much better than both those phones. I got fantastic reception and data speeds when I was running stock and the same rooted. I am not sure why people are having signal issues. Could be location, dud phones, or that the battery door is damaged (there are antenna in there).

I ran it stock unrooted for over a month. Ran great, but there where issues after the OTA gingerbread update. I had to factory reset and it was fine after that. It's pretty easy to root, and there are some nice Rom, but if you choose to keep it stock unrooted it is still a great out-of-the-box phone.

 

[lakester]

Thx!

Good info. I think it is probably worth taking the leap then.

I think the only "proven" downsides might be:

• 2 yr contract extension. Meh..., oh well! Life in the big..., er..., little city!
• Loss of the keyboard. The way I look at it, I'm ending the whole go around w/ a Xoom for 100 under retail (and I'm REALLY liking it), and a phone that is better in every other way than the OGD..., all for the discounted price of the Xoom.

I think I can live with that!

 

[PhiPsi32]

I have had similar reception issues as Chris3D. I average -95dB at home and work. Nonetheless, I have no trouble with phone calls or text messages. My problem is with mobile data. I don't have WiFi while on the job. And I can tell you that 2G is as slow as molasses on a cold day. I can usually check my news feeds and email, but full webpage rendering is frustrating to impossible. And forget streaming video like HBO Go.

 

[Chris3D]

[*]Loss of the keyboard.

I've had and/or used phones with physical keyboards, and I much prefer on-screen keyboards. The option of freely changing the actual keyboard type or style and not having to physically depress buttons, to me, outweigh any disadvantages. I've tried a few and have found Swift Key X to be the best.

 

[lakester]

Thx all!

Phone and case ordered..., we shall see!

 

[lakester]

Have had the DINC2 for a few days now.

So. Much. Better.

Sense is a bit of a step-down from ADW..., but..., its stability is fantastic. I was put off initially by some of the HTC apps/widgets, but they're growing on me (in a good way).

The phone is really responsive and solid..., and I REALLY don't wanna mess w/ that.

Got the Otterbox Defender case..., pretty happy with that as well.

The only two real negatives thus far were (and they weren't much):

• BT range is down somewhat from my OG Droid.
• The sync/migration behaviour is yet again different from my other Android devices. It would be nice to be able to count on a more consistent migration experience.

Otherwise..., it's a great rendition of an Android device..., and yup..., it functions better as a phone than did my OG Droid.

Thx for everyone's input!

 

[Stelv]

Glad you like the device. Adw ex runs great on this device. I like sense a lot but the dock bar is limited. I use android pro widgets with adw, which has some nice sense like widgets.

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