What is wrong with MotoBlur + other questions

[ElliottG]

As said above by the other guy, yes google navigation is FREE. I don't know exactly how much data it uses, but when I used it recently on a 3 hour driving trip, it only used 3Mb of data.

I don't know how Canada data plans work, so I can't comment on how much data you should get per month, but I got the 2GB plan here in the States and so far I'm not even at 100mb because I have access to wifi alot.

Thanks

Anyone else have any other data usage they want to share? A 2Gb plan here is $80/month which is just stupid if you ask me...even the 500Mb plan is $50/month.

As for MotoBlur, there are no other phones like this on Bell and it is my only choice for an up to date device...so basically it's go with MotoBlur or buy a Torch, and if the device really uses a lot of data I think I will be forced to go with the Torch because of the RIM data compression.

 

[BrianTufo]

Thanks

Anyone else have any other data usage they want to share? A 2Gb plan here is $8/month which is just stupid if you ask me...even the 500Mb plan is $50/month.

As for MotoBlur, there are no other phones like this on Bell and it is my only choice for an up to date device...so basically it's go with MotoBlur or buy a Torch, and if the device really uses a lot of data I think I will be forced to go with the Torch because of the RIM data compression.

Maybe I'm confused here...you said 2GB is $8/month but 500Mb is $50/month? That doesn't make much sense lol.

 

[ElliottG]

Maybe I'm confused here...you said 2GB is $8/month but 500Mb is $50/month? That doesn't make much sense lol.

$80/month...sorry.

 

[crisg723]

Hi guys

Just wondering what is so bad about MotoBlur and why so many people hate it? I have never owned a real "smartphone" and am deciding between the Torch and the Atrix (Atrix is the only real "good" Android device that Bell carries now). I mean, is MotoBlur really a deal breaker?

Can an Atrix be "rooted" to a software version without MotoBlur? Also can it be updated to the "Gingerbread" software (I guess that's the newest Android software aka 2.3 right?)?

I really don't know anything about Androids or rooting so if this is even possible please let me know; my upgrade date is next Monday.

Thanks.
Elliott

I use Motoblur and i like it alot, it doesn't seem to slow down the phone and most of the at&t apps and many others can simply be deleted from the phone without freezing them. The ones that run for widgets and stuff don't really bother, and are ok if you don't mind integrating facebook or twitter on your phone. Of course this is my first Android phone, but I've have 5 different smart phones since I had the Cingular 8125, and i find Motoblur pretty decent for my first Android experience.

 

[IceDree]

I think the people who actually used & hated Blur used it first versions like the Cliq , Cliq XT & BackFlip & not the newer version in the Defy & the MileStone2 (which i think is very cool) , but other than that people hate it just because other people do (just like the people who hates iPhone , but never actually used it)

plus , if you don't like how it looks , you can always download a Launcher (I use ADW & Launcher 7) , which can make your Android experience allot better
I've a Motorola MileStone with stock Android (no custom UI in it , No Sense , No MotoBlur , No TouchWiz) & if it wasn't for a custom launcher i would've sold in the same week (2.0 - 2.1 - 2.2 stock launcher is very ugly)

After all every one have a different taste

I think the Atrix is very cool phone & im planning to get one in the summer

 

[joshnaugle]

I had a torch and returned it the day the Atrix was announced. It was a great decision! It is my first android phone (have had BB and iPhone before) and everyday I like it more. The customization is amazing. Launcher Pro is a must have. Plenty of good, free apps. BB is light years behind...

 

[GQ50]

I dont have an Atrix yet, but I had two blkbrrys. If I were you I'd try the blkbrry first only becz you'll appreciate the Android more.

 

[BrianTufo]

$80/month...sorry.

Wow thats expensive.how much data do you think you would use? If you are on wifi it won't use your data remember that.

 

[ElliottG]

Wow thats expensive.how much data do you think you would use? If you are on wifi it won't use your data remember that.

Thanks everyone.

I have an "unlimited data" plan on my phone right now but they don't consider my phone a "smartphone", even though I have Opera Mini on it and everything...I didn't use that much on my phone but mostly because it was slow, laggy, and glitchy. I have no idea how much i'm going to use but I can't pay $65/month which is 1Gb...which I think is what I'm going to need.

Is it true that Android 2.2 does not support dual core processing? I read that comment on YouTube on this video:

YouTube - Motorola Atrix 4G vs. Google Nexus S Dogfight Part 2

I just don't understand why the Nexus S is faster considering the specs of the Atrix, especially in pinch to zoom on the browser, wow!

Thanks,
Elliott

 

[TuxDotKing]

Thanks everyone.

I have an "unlimited data" plan on my phone right now but they don't consider my phone a "smartphone", even though I have Opera Mini on it and everything...I didn't use that much on my phone but mostly because it was slow, laggy, and glitchy. I have no idea how much i'm going to use but I can't pay $65/month which is 1Gb...which I think is what I'm going to need.

Is it true that Android 2.2 does not support dual core processing? I read that comment on YouTube on this video:

YouTube - Motorola Atrix 4G vs. Google Nexus S Dogfight Part 2

I just don't understand why the Nexus S is faster considering the specs of the Atrix, especially in pinch to zoom on the browser, wow!

Thanks,
Elliott

The Atrix supports full utilization of it's dual core processor through it's SMP-enabled kernel, so whether or not 2.2 itself supports it is a nonissue.

That being said, because the Nexus S is running stock Android and Google probably optimized it pretty well for the Nexus S's Hummingbird (which is a bit more mature and tested right now than the Tegra2), that's probably why it's faster. The Atrix might catch up in zooming after an update or probably if you flash a ROM, and is most likely already faster than the Nexus S for some other tasks.

 

[BrianTufo]

The Torch is going to use the same data as far as internet and downloading apps. However you may end up using the Atrix more in the long run. As I stated if you are around WiFi a lot it will be a non-issue because WiFi usage doesn't count on your data plan.

 

[ElliottG]

The Atrix supports full utilization of it's dual core processor through it's SMP-enabled kernel, so whether or not 2.2 itself supports it is a nonissue.

That being said, because the Nexus S is running stock Android and Google probably optimized it pretty well for the Nexus S's Hummingbird (which is a bit more mature and tested right now than the Tegra2), that's probably why it's faster. The Atrix might catch up in zooming after an update or probably if you flash a ROM, and is most likely already faster than the Nexus S for some other tasks.

Thanks. Hopefully with new updates it will get a lot faster.

The Torch is going to use the same data as far as internet and downloading apps. However you may end up using the Atrix more in the long run. As I stated if you are around WiFi a lot it will be a non-issue because WiFi usage doesn't count on your data plan.

I thought that RIM compressed data through their servers? I read somewhere it was about 1/3 of the data usage compared to regular smartphones.

 

[gvndeb60]

WOW!!!!! $80 for 2gb of data? Bell must offer some awesome service, for that price I would want a massage every time I got within 10 miles of any of their stores. Makes me appreciate my $25 2gb plan on AT&T.

I have no idea about BB compressing their data, so I cannot help there. On Android you can get Opera which claims it compresses data for you, but I have not tried that browser.

Also, Moto Blur vs Launcher Pro vs ADX, etc is a very personal preference, every one is going to have their own very different opinion. I can say that the Atrix is fast enough that I do not notice any lag during normal use from Moto Blur like I did on my EVO with Sense. You are just going to have to try it out for yourself.

 

[mostlyharmlessnj]

I'll throw my 0.02 in here.

Let me start off with first saying I love my Atrix. Hardware wise it is great. What I do not like about Motoblur is that it still loads and uses memory, even if it does not CURRENTLY impact the performance of the phone.

I want the option of not having extra software on my device that I do not want, and not be able to completely shut off certain "features" such as Contact History is very annoying as now I have to not only clear the app that was used, but also now the contact history...

 

[ElliottG]

WOW!!!!! $80 for 2gb of data? Bell must offer some awesome service, for that price I would want a massage every time I got within 10 miles of any of their stores. Makes me appreciate my $25 2gb plan on AT&T.

I have no idea about BB compressing their data, so I cannot help there. On Android you can get Opera which claims it compresses data for you, but I have not tried that browser.

Also, Moto Blur vs Launcher Pro vs ADX, etc is a very personal preference, every one is going to have their own very different opinion. I can say that the Atrix is fast enough that I do not notice any lag during normal use from Moto Blur like I did on my EVO with Sense. You are just going to have to try it out for yourself.

Yea it is pretty ridiculous. Thanks for your opinion on the launchers.

I'll throw my 0.02 in here.

Let me start off with first saying I love my Atrix. Hardware wise it is great. What I do not like about Motoblur is that it still loads and uses memory, even if it does not CURRENTLY impact the performance of the phone.

I want the option of not having extra software on my device that I do not want, and not be able to completely shut off certain "features" such as Contact History is very annoying as now I have to not only clear the app that was used, but also now the contact history...

Thanks.

1) What do you guys think of Atrix vs Captivate (Galaxy S)? I've watched a couple videos doing a comparison between the two and somehow the Captivate does seem to be faster or equal not counting the benchmark test which really doesn't mean anything...

2) Also how is the texting interface on the Atrix or just Android in general? Is it like you send a message and it says "Sending message..." and you have to wait or is it more of a iPhone/BlackBerry style where it sends and then a check mark shows up or something like that and you can do other things while it's being sent?

3) I just feel like there's not that much support for the Atrix right now, maybe because it's a Motorola phone, or for some other reason. Do you think the phone will get more support in the future?

4) Kind of a continuation of #3; after reading some posts on reddit.com about the Atrix I'm starting to get worried that because the phone has a locked bootloader that and just the simple fact that it's made by Motorola (the kings of locking phones and never upgrading them), that nothing is really going to happen with this phone. Although I have seen a couple videos and I think there are 3 custom ROM's out now for this phone...I'm not knowledgeable enough with Android phones to say the difference between a ROM and a Bootloader...so what is the difference and does having a locked bootloader really make that much of a difference in upgradability?

Here's a post from what I was reading for a guy that was wondering which to buy; a Nexus S or the Atrix:

Nexus S. I can't stress how much I've looked into this, trust me. The Atrix is a gorgeous phone, I owned it! Besides Blur, the only real downside is that it has a locked boot loader. I returned it for an iPhone 4 because I can't deal with a phone that might never be upgraded. I would've gone with the Galaxy S 2 but there's no information on a release date and I couldn't wait for a few months. I had to go with the iPhone because I know Apple supports their devices for the next two years and it is a gorgeous phone. I wish the Nexus S was for AT&T because I would've jumped on that like it was a pogo stick!

Tl;dr: Think about it like this: 2 years down the line, I'd rather have a decent laptop running the best software vs. the best hardware running Windows 98. Nexus S.

Unfortunately I don't have much choice between Android phones on Bell...it's either the Atrix or the Galaxy S...

5) Also as far as data usage/battery life goes: if using the browser heavy usage throughout the day browsing sites, YouTube, etc, how long can your guys' battery last?

EDIT: This is the kind of stuff that just puts me off from this phone and brings me back to BB:

Motorola is the only company which drops support to their products after 3-6 months of release. They even have people gathering in forums, social networking sites etc. Did you google for MotoFail lately? if not please go ahead and try.

Because of that, when you buy this tablet, it will be the best thing ever, after 3 months not so much anymore.

Motorola could provide Android upgrades to Android 2.2 Froyo, to only 2 Android phones they produced within all their Android models and ONLY in the USA. Anywhere else, people still using 2.1 or lower versions. It is unlikely that they will be able to support more newer products when they cant even manage to properly support their older products. This is ridiculous, especially considering even iPhone is able to run Android 2.2 Froyo with custom ROMs. Motorola's Android support is worse than iPhone's Android support!!!
http://www.idroidproject.org/forum/announcements/idroid-mojo-1-0-5-release-announcement/

If you want to save money, buy a phone from another manufacturer which can provide upgrades. Nowadays since Motorola locked/encrypted their bootloaders/kernels, you can not even run 3rd party upgrades on Motorola Android devices. So I suggest you to stay away from Motorola (especially since they might even go down soon, they split the company in two after a failed attempt of selling mobility division which nobody bought obviously eh...)