Thunderbolt vs Atrix

[sw33ndawg]

Now that the Thunderbolt has been pushed back to presumably a date close to the Atrix release, what do you guys think about these two against eachother? The Atrix has superior hardware (yes I know dual core wont be supported until 2.4 but that release was estimated to be early April), and the Thunderbolt has superior software, that being HTC doesnt lock their phones. What do you guys think? This decision is actually a tough one for me..

 

[I am Fake Jesus]

i love both phones, but id rather have htc due to moto's locked bootloader.

but these dates are getting out of hand. its upsetting seeing that other carriers are releasing phones quickly as verizon wont give any info. except of course the iphone 4

 

[DolfanCole]

Yes, I can see the tough decision. I prefer the Bionic over the TBolt, but I had basically resigned to getting the TBolt on a 1-yr while I wait for the Bionic to be ready. Seeing the Atrix as very similar to the Bionic, I'd almost prefer that one too. But, I'm sticking with Verizon, so there's really no option to me. And again, it'll depend on what you'll use the phone for.

But, I'd also wouldn't anticipate the OS to be ready in April. Once 2.4 is released, it'll still be some time before Motorola then puts their overlay on it for the Atrix. That could be some months, depending on how fast they do it. Either way, if 2.4 is released in April, I doubt you'd see it on the Atrix before July/August.

 

[sw33ndawg]

Yes, I can see the tough decision. I prefer the Bionic over the TBolt, but I had basically resigned to getting the TBolt on a 1-yr while I wait for the Bionic to be ready. Seeing the Atrix as very similar to the Bionic, I'd almost prefer that one too. But, I'm sticking with Verizon, so there's really no option to me. And again, it'll depend on what you'll use the phone for.

But, I'd also wouldn't anticipate the OS to be ready in April. Once 2.4 is released, it'll still be some time before Motorola then puts their overlay on it for the Atrix. That could be some months, depending on how fast they do it. Either way, if 2.4 is released in April, I doubt you'd see it on the Atrix before July/August.

Do you mind explaining what reasons you prefer moto phones to htc? Also, what would I be missing out on by having a locked bootloader.. just custom OS's basically?

 

[biff6789]

i love both phones, but id rather have htc due to moto's locked bootloader.

+1

I am a ROM flashing addict, but Moto's locked bootloaders kill all the fun.

I will never again buy another Moto device until Motorola gives up on this moronic quest to end custom ROMs on their phones/tablets. Once I buy the phone, it's mine, and Motorola has no legal right to control the way I choose to use it (as long as I stay within federal, state, and municipal laws). If I choose to use it as toilet paper or as a doorstop, who are they to say no?

When you buy a computer does Microsoft prevent you from installing certain software on it? When you buy a car does Ford force you to use only one certain brand of gasoline?? Then why, after buying a phone outright and retaining full ownership of the device, does Moto get to tell me how to use a product that I (not they) own??

Motorola is turning more and more into Apple every day. Funny how they criticized Apple's 1984 ad when they themselves have become "big brother" with their locked bootloaders. Double irony fail

 

[DolfanCole]

Do you mind explaining what reasons you prefer moto phones to htc? Also, what would I be missing out on by having a locked bootloader.. just custom OS's basically?

Let me preface by stating that I haven't owned an Android device yet. Although I've been looking since last summer. So, I have no personal experience with either.

It's not that I have a preference of Motorola over HTC. I'm just going mainly on specs, where the Bionic (and the Atrix) are clear winners over the TBolt IMO. The complexity, for me, is that many prefer HTC's Sense over Motorola's Blur. That said though, I think the Blur on the Bionic has been toned down quite a bit (going simply from the demo videos).

As far as the locked bootloader, I really have no preference either way at this point. I don't anticipate loading any custom ROMs, which I think would be the only thing that you would not be able to do with Motorola. As long as you can still root the device, I'd be happy (which is the case with the recent Motorola locked bootloader phones).

 

[shaddix]

There's battery life increase to be had from running a custom kernel. Audio quality increases in the case of the galaxy S devices, as samsung apparently cannot take advantage of the hardware they've chosen.
Early bug fixes, newer, faster, versions of android os before the official HTC release. IMO you lose a lot of value being unable to load different kernels and roms.

For example look at the XDA forum for droid 2 global development. It's nearly bare. Now look at the evo 4g shift which came out AFTER the droid 2 global. So many enhancements and improvements become available when people are able to work on an open device.

 

[IceDree]

I'll go for the Atrix , not because of the accessorize (especially after their prices were released) since :
- Its a GSM Phone
- its Motorola (I prefer Motorola's build quality over any other brands , from experiene)
- Its Black (Color is a deal breaker for me , thats why i haven't change my MileStone for MileStone 2 ; which is blue)
- the Atrix's hardware is better
This is the reasons i can think of for now

The ThunderBolt is a great phone too , the 4.3" , 8 mp camera & the 32 GB card are tempting , but its Silver & a CDMA phone , plus all the new\recent HTC phone looks the same to me & from i what i reed HTC phones are sensitive & really expensive to fix (in Saudi Arabia the HTC HD2's screen costs estm. 300 USD , which is allot , more than iPhone 4's retina display)

& for the Locked bootloader issue , I can live with it , just like my Military-Grade 1024
bit encrypted locked up MileStone 1
I don't run custom ROMs & i don't need them (although they bring allot of good features) , I'll create my own theme
& for MotoBlur , I don't mind having it , its looks okay (if is the same one in the Defy & the MileStone 2) , plus I'll use ADWlauncher anyway