Thinking of getting the Fascinate on Black Friday

[BKVic]

I had the Fascinate when it first came out and returned it because it had a few things that bugged me, Bing, no indicator led and the time it took the gps to lock on. well I see that its gonna be a buck on Black Friday and while those things bugged me at $200 Im pretty sure I can overlook them at $1. Should I do it?? I keep hearing about the DInc HD and the leaked release dates and while I really would like to have it I dont know how much longer I can take using my BB Storm2. We have 4 phones on our family plan and the next chance Ill have to upgrade will be July 4 if I burn one for the Fascinate. Decisions Decisions Decisions.



BKVic

 

[redlinetsi]

the LTE phones will be sometime next year so keep that in mind

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

Personally I'd say go for it. For a dollar it's hard to say you went wrong, and aside from some of those issues the Fascinate is a solid Android device if you ask me. Hopefully we'll be seeing FroYo soon as well.

And to be completely honest, every device has some things here and there that are wrong, no phone is perfect. Granted some are worse than others, but regardless I say go for it, especially for a $1.

That's just me

 

[Digiflame]

always have to remember, its not just $1 its $1 and a 2 year contract. depending on what you do with it, and what you want, you might want to wait. i know i research the hell out of a device i'll use for 2 years.

 

[chart145]

I am thinking of doing the same thing. I followed the link to the BFAds.net and it looked like the deal was on the White one. I'm not sure if the black will be available at that price or not.

BTW, our local BB is offering 50% off any smart phone upgrade in-store only on the weekends (Fri, Sat, and Sun). So the SF would be $75.

 

[packerbacker]

I'd say go for it as well only because I had so many issues/hardware failures with my Motorola Droids and have had zero problems (not even a battery pull) with this Fascinate that I've had for two months. It's a really solid phone. Having 2.1 is kind of lame so far considering the lack of ROMs and themes to choose from but aside from the GPS sucking.. it's a really good phone.

 

[BKVic]

always have to remember, its not just $1 its $1 and a 2 year contract. depending on what you do with it, and what you want, you might want to wait. i know i research the hell out of a device i'll use for 2 years.

Yea your right but it doesn't really bother me as I know Ill be with Verizon for many years to come. Also, having 4 lines I keep things so that Im always 6 months from an upgrade as the wife and kids get my old phones. My wife is still perfectly happy with her Storm 2 as it does everything she wants it to do....of course that would all change if she used a Android and saw what a good phone could really do.


BKVic

 

[packerbacker]

My wife is still perfectly happy with her Storm 2 as it does everything she wants it to do....of course that would all change if she used a Android and saw what a good phone could really do.

So true. My dad still has a STORM 1 and he's "perfectly happy" with it. No way he'd ever choose a Blackberry again if he got an Android with his upgrade (I stole his upgrade to get my phone in March, oops.)

 

[Chris3D]

I had the Fascinate when it first came out and returned it because it had a few things that bugged me, Bing, no indicator led and the time it took the gps to lock on. well I see that its gonna be a buck on Black Friday and while those things bugged me at $200 Im pretty sure I can overlook them at $1.

I did the exact same thing - returned it for much the same reasons but picked up another through Best Buy's Free Phone Fridays. I can confirm, it's MUCH easier to live with the phone's shortcomings when it's free (or a buck). It still has marginal sound quality due to the sidetone, but it's livable and hopefully will be tweaked in an update.

As for Bing, it's now possible to totally de-Bing the phone through the addition of the Mesmerize browser, and with it otherwise debloated, it's fast with good to great battery life.

Yea, 4G phones will be out next year, but I'm sure 4G service will cost a premium, which isn't something I'm willing to pay for, so for me, I'm happy with the Fascinate for the next 2 years.

 

[BKVic]

Also it helps alot that Jerry posted that story the other day about the one touch root thats in the market now. Ive never rooted a phone so I was very wary of doing it the first time around. Im pretty sure I can handle it now and Bing will be the first thing removed! The more I think about it the more I think Im gonna have to head out super early and pull the trigger come Black Friday!

 

[Bitter13]

So true. My dad still has a STORM 1 and he's "perfectly happy" with it. No way he'd ever choose a Blackberry again if he got an Android with his upgrade (I stole his upgrade to get my phone in March, oops.)

I'm due for an upgrade 11/24 on my Storm 1 and I am so. damn. ready. This $1 timing is perfect.

 

[packerbacker]

I'm due for an upgrade 11/24 on my Storm 1 and I am so. damn. ready. This $1 timing is perfect.

Like I said, I can't believe with my dad's patience level that he isn't ready to throw his BB out the window yet.

 

[BKVic]

So true. My dad still has a STORM 1 and he's "perfectly happy" with it. No way he'd ever choose a Blackberry again if he got an Android with his upgrade (I stole his upgrade to get my phone in March, oops.)

My 16 year old informed me that he would like a new Android phone as well but I had to tell him thats not how things work in our house. In our house dad gets the new phones and mom and the kids get the used ones. He didnt really like that answer and then I told him that his mother and I didn't get our first cell phones until we were 28 and 29 years old....he's just a little ahead of the curve as far as I'm concerned. He should just be happy that Verizon just came out with that unlimited data family plan or he wouldn't even be getting the used Storm 2 because I sure wasn't going to pay an extra $60 a month just so he and his brothers could use our old Storms.


BKVic

 

[joebob2000]

Like I said, I can't believe with my dad's patience level that he isn't ready to throw his BB out the window yet.

The storm (if you didnt get a defective one) just plain works, and it works a long time on a single charge. I have had the temptation to throw my fascinate against a wall just as much in the past month as I did in over a year of using a storm 1.

 

[joebob2000]

My 16 year old informed me that he would like a new Android phone as well but I had to tell him thats not how things work in our house. In our house dad gets the new phones and mom and the kids get the used ones. He didnt really like that answer and then I told him that his mother and I didn't get our first cell phones until we were 28 and 29 years old....he's just a little ahead of the curve as far as I'm concerned. He should just be happy that Verizon just came out with that unlimited data family plan or he wouldn't even be getting the used Storm 2 because I sure wasn't going to pay an extra $60 a month just so he and his brothers could use our old Storms.


BKVic

What is this 'unlimited data family plan' of which you speak? I can't find anything out about it on the vz website...

 

[BKVic]

Verizon Wireless Testing $70 Unlimited Plan


I called last Friday and asked about it even though I didnt receive the original email from Verizon and had no problem getting onto it. I was paying $215ish a month for 1400 min with data just on my phone and the wifes but now Ive got data on all 4 phones and paying $195-200ish. I wont know exactly how much Im saving until I receive my first full month bill but its a great plan if you can get it.

 

[Bitter13]

The storm (if you didnt get a defective one) just plain works, and it works a long time on a single charge. I have had the temptation to throw my fascinate against a wall just as much in the past month as I did in over a year of using a storm 1.

My Storm just plain works... sometimes. The Application Memory space is just to small... It leaks memory and chokes on itself til I pull the battery 2-3 times a day... and any emails / texts over a few days old get deleted. And the touch screen gets a little laggy / glitchy.

Other than that though, It's a pretty solid phone. But I'm ready to move on.

 

[Hotweelz]

Verizon Wireless Testing $70 Unlimited Plan


I called last Friday and asked about it even though I didnt receive the original email from Verizon and had no problem getting onto it. I was paying $215ish a month for 1400 min with data just on my phone and the wifes but now Ive got data on all 4 phones and paying $195-200ish. I wont know exactly how much Im saving until I receive my first full month bill but its a great plan if you can get it.

Anyone wanting to do this should go ahead and call the number. If you get denied the first time just keep trying. The first rep I talked to said I had to be sent the "official" email. So I thought I was out of luck. Then it was suggested to me to try again. So I called the number again and just said I got this email and wanted to compare this offer with my current plan. The rep said no problem. I saved a few bucks, got data on all 5 phones, doubled my minutes (went from 700 to 1400) and got 10 freinds and family #'s to call unlimited to! So keep trying.

 

[joebob2000]

My Storm just plain works... sometimes. The Application Memory space is just to small... It leaks memory and chokes on itself til I pull the battery 2-3 times a day... and any emails / texts over a few days old get deleted. And the touch screen gets a little laggy / glitchy.

Other than that though, It's a pretty solid phone. But I'm ready to move on.

The only fault I found in the Storm was that it didn't know when to say when; it's too easy to overload it with apps (and the app space is pretty small) and it will grind to a halt. But if you are the type that just uses a few key apps (and knows how to spot a memory hog before it destroys the phone,) it was a great little gadget for 2008 technology.

I love the android platform's capabilities, but every now and then I sit back and pine for the days when my smartphone was just a little bit dumber and single-minded. I used to get a lot more stuff done before my phone got so damn smart.

 

[joebob2000]

Verizon Wireless Testing $70 Unlimited Plan


I called last Friday and asked about it even though I didnt receive the original email from Verizon and had no problem getting onto it. I was paying $215ish a month for 1400 min with data just on my phone and the wifes but now Ive got data on all 4 phones and paying $195-200ish. I wont know exactly how much Im saving until I receive my first full month bill but its a great plan if you can get it.

If you would have told me five years ago that people would be lining up to spend $200 per household for cellphone service I would have thought you just escaped from the asylum. Yowza. The details of the plan say add'l lines are $20 instead of $10, this kills it for me (i only have 2 data plans but i get a hefty discount on line #1...)