Totally agree. Releases have been slow the last few months but will now heat up with MWC and CTIA announcements. Roll outs will take longer than we want but by Q3 there will be exciting new phones on all carriers. I've been sitting on an upgrade since October which is very atypical. The epic is a good phone, especially on a custom rom, to hold onto for a few months. Got my eye on the HTC One X now. Had it on Galaxy Nexus but by the time it gets to Sprint it will be yesterdays news.
Upgrade from Epic 4G to what??
- Thread starter kgilbertsen
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Totally agree. Releases have been slow the last few months but will now heat up with MWC and CTIA announcements. Roll outs will take longer than we want but by Q3 there will be exciting new phones on all carriers. I've been sitting on an upgrade since October which is very atypical. The epic is a good phone, especially on a custom rom, to hold onto for a few months. Got my eye on the HTC One X now. Had it on Galaxy Nexus but by the time it gets to Sprint it will be yesterdays news.
I think that's the smart thing to do. I really don't like changing phones too often, unless there is a real problem with it, and the Epic now does a fine job of most things that I need, since rooting it. Thanks
I just bought an Epic 4g touch online for around $325.00. Not too bad. Compared to $500.00 brand new. I plan to sell my epic 4g for around 125-150. Plus since I am not getting rid of my 2 year upgrade, I can still upgrade to LTE phones when they come out in August. Plus I dont see LTE coming to my area until next year.
Is anyone out there disappointed with the lack of good smartphones with a full keyboard? The best I have seen thus far is the AT&T Samsung Captivate Glide. However, the keyboard lacks a dedicated number row and there is no improvement in the screen size and resolution over the Epic 4G. I do like the dual core processor and the 8GB (5GB available) internal storage plus the SD card option. I?m always bumping up against the Epic 4G?s skimpy internal storage. I?m worried that physical keyboards will just go away or be relegated to low end phones for kids that text. The Motorola Droid 4 screen was pretty disappointing and I?m not willing to give up the super AMOLED Samsung screens. I?m pretty excited about the Galaxy Note since maybe the screen size will allow for a virtual keyboard that will still enable some use of the remaining screen to actually do some real work while typing. Of course, being a nerd, I think a Galaxy Note with a slider full keyboard would be brilliant. I get to upgrade in May and am hoping that Sprint gets some new Samsung phones soon. I really like the unlimited data plan and don?t want to switch carriers. I just don?t trust Verizon?s network reliability (ironic given their ad campaign) these days and AT&T just hoses people with their data plans and overage charges. Anybody see anything promising out there that I might have missed?
rattsam, thanks for the update on LTE, I pushed the button!
I'm in Indy, have been paying for 4g service since September, 2010 and awaiting the rollout, so many delays and reasons, I quit reading or caring since I'm now paying the surcharge for unlimited data, everyone else's, whatever. Still like Sprint but ditched my Epic because it never ran correctly without custom roms due to Samsung's lack of updates.
I went with the Nexus S 4g, love this phone, no Sprint garbage, fast, efficient, etc. I have ran it rooted and rommed as well as stock and it performs magnificantly. I will never have another Android phone unless it is
Google's.
So in my case, with 6 phones lines, 5 are elgible for upgrades. We are setting on them waiting for the LTE rollout which will now hit Indy according to this article this year. If we want to upgrade, we buy off Ebay or
Craigs List, pay a little more than 2 year contract price, but most importantly, will not be stuck with 2 year old
phone when LTE compatibility is needed.
So if you are bored, its a good route, just check the seller closely. I sell many phones this way and there are many good sellers out there.
I'm in Indy, have been paying for 4g service since September, 2010 and awaiting the rollout, so many delays and reasons, I quit reading or caring since I'm now paying the surcharge for unlimited data, everyone else's, whatever. Still like Sprint but ditched my Epic because it never ran correctly without custom roms due to Samsung's lack of updates.
I went with the Nexus S 4g, love this phone, no Sprint garbage, fast, efficient, etc. I have ran it rooted and rommed as well as stock and it performs magnificantly. I will never have another Android phone unless it is
Google's.
So in my case, with 6 phones lines, 5 are elgible for upgrades. We are setting on them waiting for the LTE rollout which will now hit Indy according to this article this year. If we want to upgrade, we buy off Ebay or
Craigs List, pay a little more than 2 year contract price, but most importantly, will not be stuck with 2 year old
phone when LTE compatibility is needed.
So if you are bored, its a good route, just check the seller closely. I sell many phones this way and there are many good sellers out there.
Epic 4g touch if you want it now. Great, amazing phone. Otherwise get the galaxy nexus. It has lte, while epic 4g touch is only on wimax
Sent from my Galaxy S II epic 4g touch. 4.0.3 FC05 ICS
Sent from my Galaxy S II epic 4g touch. 4.0.3 FC05 ICS
Thanks. I am thinking of waiting a bit to see what the next couple months hold for LTE phones - hopefully we'll see several good phones to choose from.
I'm with you.
If there aren't any good slider phones when I give up on my Epic I might actually cave in and get an iPhone just because there are a number of bluetooth keyboards that attach to the iPhone and convert it into a slider. Not an ideal solution but better than nothing.
All these great phones you guys are talking about coming out in the next year, do any have a keyboard?
Just got a flyer from Sprint today offering an extra $75 (on top of the $150 upgrade discount) - good until April 27th. Makes me think those new phones will be showing up right around that same time...?
GrooveRite
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Kgilbertsen, if you haven't gone to CM9 with your Epic by now, what are you waiting for?!?! Its by far the BEST ROM I've had on my phone. I have 2 classmates with Evo's that are jealous that ICS runs so smooth on my Epic. Go ahead and give it a go, you'll love your Epic all over again!
GrooveRite
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Have you tried CleanGB? I just flashed that (first custom ROM I've tried) which is exactly what I'm looking for. Does all the stuff the phone should do and is stable. Wondering if CM9 is as stable. The CM9 thread over at XDA is so damn long it's hard to get a sense of what the state of CM9 is.
I have run both CleanGB and CM9 on my Epic, and I have stuck with CM9.
CleanGB has always been very stable, and up until the beta releases of CM9, was more stable than CM9. I liked that it was a fully-functioning ROM with a decent selection of compatible mods and custom kernels. I also found that it was a bit more zippy than CM9 has ever been for me thus far. It also boasted excellent battery life for my usage levels.
However, I said I stuck with CM9. The current version released is "beta 1". I am running it with ShadowKernel 0.6 and the Reloaded ICS mod. I have never had issues with stability, or excessive battery drain, though it seems to run with only average speed and overclocking takes a bit more out of the battery than I would like to ever go ahead and OC it. It sure is pretty, though! Google apps like Gmail, Talk and Voice have a slick look to them that got me hooked, and the customization features between CM9 and the Reloaded mod are very nice. I also like the swipe-to-clear notifications.
The poor front-facing camera makes the included Face Unlock feature of ICS impractical for use. And there are a lot of traditional Cyanogen features still missing from the beta, and you see those marked with "placeholder stubs" in the Settings menu. Also, I had to boot stock Gingerbread from my SD card to calibrate the 3-functioning-out-of-8-present positioning sensors to get auto-rotation to work.
By the time the CM team gets it all put together for a "full" release, I think a few months will have elapsed and I will have upgraded to a Nexus or S3 for a daily driver phone. Until then, though, CM9 is keeping me happy with my dated Epic. I wouldn't say it is a "better" ROM than a Gingerbread release like CleanGB, just better for me. YMMV.
CleanGB has always been very stable, and up until the beta releases of CM9, was more stable than CM9. I liked that it was a fully-functioning ROM with a decent selection of compatible mods and custom kernels. I also found that it was a bit more zippy than CM9 has ever been for me thus far. It also boasted excellent battery life for my usage levels.
However, I said I stuck with CM9. The current version released is "beta 1". I am running it with ShadowKernel 0.6 and the Reloaded ICS mod. I have never had issues with stability, or excessive battery drain, though it seems to run with only average speed and overclocking takes a bit more out of the battery than I would like to ever go ahead and OC it. It sure is pretty, though! Google apps like Gmail, Talk and Voice have a slick look to them that got me hooked, and the customization features between CM9 and the Reloaded mod are very nice. I also like the swipe-to-clear notifications.
The poor front-facing camera makes the included Face Unlock feature of ICS impractical for use. And there are a lot of traditional Cyanogen features still missing from the beta, and you see those marked with "placeholder stubs" in the Settings menu. Also, I had to boot stock Gingerbread from my SD card to calibrate the 3-functioning-out-of-8-present positioning sensors to get auto-rotation to work.
By the time the CM team gets it all put together for a "full" release, I think a few months will have elapsed and I will have upgraded to a Nexus or S3 for a daily driver phone. Until then, though, CM9 is keeping me happy with my dated Epic. I wouldn't say it is a "better" ROM than a Gingerbread release like CleanGB, just better for me. YMMV.
I'm afraid I'd screw up my phone switching to a new ROM - the first and only time I rooted the phone I almost bricked it. It's been so long since I rooted it that I have forgotten all the steps needed to get it done. I've got ACS ICS on it now, and the phone is stable, battery life is OK, and new phones aren't THAT far off. I have read here that CM9 is a great ROM, though. Thanks.
Unless you can point me to a step by step guide to get it done...
Ken
ratsttam
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Ken,
You're most of the way there, hardest part is getting the stock recovery off the phone (required to install ANY non stock rom, such as "acs ics").
Cyanogenmod Epic 4G: CM9 Install Guide
That'll give you all you need to know to get cm9 on there. The process is the same for cm7.
Thanks - I will take a look at those directions. I wasn't thinking about any more ROM's, but if it looks doable I may give it another shot.
I've got to second both of you. I have to have a keyboard. It makes the phone so much more capable and useful for me. I can type very quickly and efficiently without even looking at the keys, and the Epic has that great numbers row. If I don't see a sliding keyboard in the new line-up, I may reluctantly just stay with my trusty Epic.
Its odd to me that there are not more phones with keyboards. It seems there is enough demand. Just about everyone I encounter is jealous that I have an actual keyboard, especially iPhone users.
Sure some want the super sexy thin phones, but my pockets are doing just fine with exsiting phone sizes. And as these phones get more and more powerful, I see myself doing more and more of my work on my phone, and needing a physical keyboard for it. It seems every carrier should have at least one phone with keyboard for folks like me/us.
USCPsycho:
Don't do it! Getting an iPhone would be like rooting for the UCLA Bruins instead of the USC Trojans (If that's what USC represents in your ID)... I think you'll hate the 3.5 inch iPhone screen and the take it or leave it interface.
I'm resigned to the long haul with my Epic 4G until a better slider phone comes out with a dedicated number row. I'm exploring ways to enhance its performance. For starters, I finally picked up a class 4 32 Gb micro SDHC card this week and will see how this speeds up some of the lag on my Class 2 16Gb SD card based applications. I might even consider "rooting" my phone if there are stable and proven ROMs that can speed up my phone a bit. I'm searching this forum and your discussions for a few suggestions. Until then, I hope the two updates (reboot fix and ICS bits) come soon.
Until then, wishing for a full slider keyboard on the Samsung Galaxy Note...
Don't do it! Getting an iPhone would be like rooting for the UCLA Bruins instead of the USC Trojans (If that's what USC represents in your ID)... I think you'll hate the 3.5 inch iPhone screen and the take it or leave it interface.
I'm resigned to the long haul with my Epic 4G until a better slider phone comes out with a dedicated number row. I'm exploring ways to enhance its performance. For starters, I finally picked up a class 4 32 Gb micro SDHC card this week and will see how this speeds up some of the lag on my Class 2 16Gb SD card based applications. I might even consider "rooting" my phone if there are stable and proven ROMs that can speed up my phone a bit. I'm searching this forum and your discussions for a few suggestions. Until then, I hope the two updates (reboot fix and ICS bits) come soon.
Until then, wishing for a full slider keyboard on the Samsung Galaxy Note...
GrooveRite
Well-known member
- Sep 30, 2010
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I bought a 32 gb sd card of Amazon for $30 about a month ago and I'm on ICS and my phone is absolutely amazing, smooth and fast!! I'll go as far to say that it performs better than stock. Its so good that I don't want the Epic Touch anymore. I am content with my Epic 4g and will wait for the next slider with quad core processor. Head on over to the root/rom threads to renew your vow with your trusty Epic!
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