83
Criteria
Comments
Rating
- Reception and call quality No comments
- Display No comments
- Battery life No comments
- Camera No comments
- Ease of use No comments
- Design and form factor No comments
- Portability (size / weight) No comments
- Media support No comments
- Durability No comments
- Ecosystem (apps, accessories, etc.) No comments
Detailed review
Sorry for the agonizing wait but I wanted to hold off for a week before posting.
Having the Inc. drastically reduces my need to carry a laptop. I can check email, facebook, google, dictionary, twitter, AIM, Youtube, post photos, read the news etc. without the need of my macbook pro. In an emergency (haven't had one) I'm surrounding by a computer at work, computers in the library and nearly ubiquitous computer labs.
Review in 140 Characters:
Battery issue- turn off wifi/3g when not needed. Screen is beautiful. Colors vibrant. Responsiveness is unparalleled. Best Phone on Verizon.
THE HARDWARE:
Specs you can get anywhere. This will be my opinion/basic overview.
-Form factor is a little unusual but actually fits my hand quite well. I find that the tiered back provides a better grip. Overall the phone is surprisingly light but still feels well built.
-The screen is gorgeous. Colors are vibrant. Touch sensitivity is very good. Unlike the Nexus One and at times the iPhone 3GS, keys and gestures always respond well.
-The camera is good… well incredible. Full zoom and dual LED flash makes pictures come out extremely well under most conditions. Darkness and reflective surfaces quickly become a problem. The video quality is equally good. Note that the camera lens isn't flush with the back of the phone so it's quite likely that the lens will get scratched over time. So far no issues.
-Speaker quality is good. For speaker phone, conversations are loud and crisp. For music and/or pandora just remember it's a speaker on a PHONE. That being said, the quality is surprisingly good. I can listen to pandora via my phone when doing homework without getting annoyed (unlike with other phones).
-The optical trackpad in place of a trackball is weird… I don't really use it often so neither like nor dislike it.
-Battery is decent. If I leave the 3G and GPS on constantly then the battery lasts 3-4 hours. BUT if I turn off the 3G and GPS and only turn them on when necessary the phone easily lasts my 8AM-7PM schedule. Some tricks are: using the wifi whenever possible, leaving the 3G off most of the time, and getting a task manager to quit applications that aren't currently being used. I usually carry my charger around and plug in (it plugs into any USB port if they're isn't an open outlet) if I started to get antsy (benefit of being on campus- there's always a nearby plug).
-The notification LED at the top of the phone is a horrible idea. It blinks green when you have an email, text etc. BUT unless you are looking directly at the phone it's nearly impossible to tell whether the light is blinking. Vibrate/Sound_On solves this problem.
THE SOFTWARE:
The user interface isn't as intuitive as the iphone OS but only takes about a hour of fiddling to grasp. The benefits in terms of customization outweigh the complications. Multitasking is incredibly useful (have pandora, email and AIM open and switch back and forth without missing anything).
-The UI integrates all of your google contacts, facebook contacts and phone contacts into one contact (option to keep them separate). For example, I can select to send an email to either the email address (i) I have programmed, (ii) that's listed on my contact's facebook profile and/or (iii) that is listed in his/her google profile. Same goes for phone numbers, etc.
-The keyboard takes a while to get used to but the most important thing is simply to keep typing and trust in the autocorrect system to fix mistakes. Over time the system learns typing habits and picks up new words. Using the keyboard blindly is not a good idea- texting when driving or walking (without looking) usually fails. Also toting while driving is illegal in Columbus now.
-Voice integration is ubiquitous. Any typing field can utilize voice input. Instead of typing a text message you can speak. Instead of typing a google search you can speak it, etc. The only downside is that you have to be on either wifi or 3G for the feature to work. It is eerily accurate!
-The strength of the platform is its developer base (i.e. apps). You can see a list of my installed apps via www.appbrain.com/user/DrewHerrick/apps-on-the-phon...
-EVEN IF you aren't getting the phone I HIGHLY recommend getting a dropbox account (https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTI3MjUxNDI5) It's free online storage. Think an online flash drive that you can access from any computer with an internet connection.
-The "car panel" feature is amazing… You can get turn by turn directions, street view of your destination, voice search, or track your footprints (map of places you've been). For best use I recommend getting a car charger so you can run the GPS without worrying about the battery.
-I strongly recommend setting up a google voice account (free) for visual voice mail. Verizon's visual voice mail costs $$ and google's translation and usability is quite good. Also allows you the ability to send free SMS.
-Verizon also has a dedicated skip app you can download for free skip calls and it works extremely well both on wifi and 3G.
REMEMBER IT'S A PHONE:
As a phone- calls are crisp, reception is constantly good and none of my calls have dropped. I honestly don't really use the phone part all that much and mostly use the device for texting, web surfing and application use. However, one of its main benefits is the strength of its call quality. One issue I have found is that the number of bars indicated bears little to relation to the actual signal strength that the phone has. For example, I routinely make calls or browse when the phone shows 0 bars. Supposedly there will be an OTA update to fix this problem.
WHAT IT'S NOT:
This phone is:
-NOT for people who want a tactile keyboard. The phone has haptic feedback when you press a key (i.e. it vibrates lightly- this can be turned off) but no actual keys.
-NOT going to last days without charging. If you need a reliable phone that can go multiple days on a single charge and moderate use then the Inc. is not for you.
-Not a easy music device. I have an iPod and still use it as my primary music player. You can put music onto the phone but the default player is meh… not horrid but not great.
-Not a dedicate gaming device. Android has some fairly cool games but most are time-wasters (for standing in line) and not epic xbox adventures. This part of the system WILL improve.
-Not Indestructible (just incredible). If you repeatedly abuse/misuse your phone then you should probably look elsewhere. I'm planning on getting a screen protector/case but don't really want to find out what would happen if I drop my phone.
Questions? Just Ask.
Having the Inc. drastically reduces my need to carry a laptop. I can check email, facebook, google, dictionary, twitter, AIM, Youtube, post photos, read the news etc. without the need of my macbook pro. In an emergency (haven't had one) I'm surrounding by a computer at work, computers in the library and nearly ubiquitous computer labs.
Review in 140 Characters:
Battery issue- turn off wifi/3g when not needed. Screen is beautiful. Colors vibrant. Responsiveness is unparalleled. Best Phone on Verizon.
THE HARDWARE:
Specs you can get anywhere. This will be my opinion/basic overview.
-Form factor is a little unusual but actually fits my hand quite well. I find that the tiered back provides a better grip. Overall the phone is surprisingly light but still feels well built.
-The screen is gorgeous. Colors are vibrant. Touch sensitivity is very good. Unlike the Nexus One and at times the iPhone 3GS, keys and gestures always respond well.
-The camera is good… well incredible. Full zoom and dual LED flash makes pictures come out extremely well under most conditions. Darkness and reflective surfaces quickly become a problem. The video quality is equally good. Note that the camera lens isn't flush with the back of the phone so it's quite likely that the lens will get scratched over time. So far no issues.
-Speaker quality is good. For speaker phone, conversations are loud and crisp. For music and/or pandora just remember it's a speaker on a PHONE. That being said, the quality is surprisingly good. I can listen to pandora via my phone when doing homework without getting annoyed (unlike with other phones).
-The optical trackpad in place of a trackball is weird… I don't really use it often so neither like nor dislike it.
-Battery is decent. If I leave the 3G and GPS on constantly then the battery lasts 3-4 hours. BUT if I turn off the 3G and GPS and only turn them on when necessary the phone easily lasts my 8AM-7PM schedule. Some tricks are: using the wifi whenever possible, leaving the 3G off most of the time, and getting a task manager to quit applications that aren't currently being used. I usually carry my charger around and plug in (it plugs into any USB port if they're isn't an open outlet) if I started to get antsy (benefit of being on campus- there's always a nearby plug).
-The notification LED at the top of the phone is a horrible idea. It blinks green when you have an email, text etc. BUT unless you are looking directly at the phone it's nearly impossible to tell whether the light is blinking. Vibrate/Sound_On solves this problem.
THE SOFTWARE:
The user interface isn't as intuitive as the iphone OS but only takes about a hour of fiddling to grasp. The benefits in terms of customization outweigh the complications. Multitasking is incredibly useful (have pandora, email and AIM open and switch back and forth without missing anything).
-The UI integrates all of your google contacts, facebook contacts and phone contacts into one contact (option to keep them separate). For example, I can select to send an email to either the email address (i) I have programmed, (ii) that's listed on my contact's facebook profile and/or (iii) that is listed in his/her google profile. Same goes for phone numbers, etc.
-The keyboard takes a while to get used to but the most important thing is simply to keep typing and trust in the autocorrect system to fix mistakes. Over time the system learns typing habits and picks up new words. Using the keyboard blindly is not a good idea- texting when driving or walking (without looking) usually fails. Also toting while driving is illegal in Columbus now.
-Voice integration is ubiquitous. Any typing field can utilize voice input. Instead of typing a text message you can speak. Instead of typing a google search you can speak it, etc. The only downside is that you have to be on either wifi or 3G for the feature to work. It is eerily accurate!
-The strength of the platform is its developer base (i.e. apps). You can see a list of my installed apps via www.appbrain.com/user/DrewHerrick/apps-on-the-phon...
-EVEN IF you aren't getting the phone I HIGHLY recommend getting a dropbox account (https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTI3MjUxNDI5) It's free online storage. Think an online flash drive that you can access from any computer with an internet connection.
-The "car panel" feature is amazing… You can get turn by turn directions, street view of your destination, voice search, or track your footprints (map of places you've been). For best use I recommend getting a car charger so you can run the GPS without worrying about the battery.
-I strongly recommend setting up a google voice account (free) for visual voice mail. Verizon's visual voice mail costs $$ and google's translation and usability is quite good. Also allows you the ability to send free SMS.
-Verizon also has a dedicated skip app you can download for free skip calls and it works extremely well both on wifi and 3G.
REMEMBER IT'S A PHONE:
As a phone- calls are crisp, reception is constantly good and none of my calls have dropped. I honestly don't really use the phone part all that much and mostly use the device for texting, web surfing and application use. However, one of its main benefits is the strength of its call quality. One issue I have found is that the number of bars indicated bears little to relation to the actual signal strength that the phone has. For example, I routinely make calls or browse when the phone shows 0 bars. Supposedly there will be an OTA update to fix this problem.
WHAT IT'S NOT:
This phone is:
-NOT for people who want a tactile keyboard. The phone has haptic feedback when you press a key (i.e. it vibrates lightly- this can be turned off) but no actual keys.
-NOT going to last days without charging. If you need a reliable phone that can go multiple days on a single charge and moderate use then the Inc. is not for you.
-Not a easy music device. I have an iPod and still use it as my primary music player. You can put music onto the phone but the default player is meh… not horrid but not great.
-Not a dedicate gaming device. Android has some fairly cool games but most are time-wasters (for standing in line) and not epic xbox adventures. This part of the system WILL improve.
-Not Indestructible (just incredible). If you repeatedly abuse/misuse your phone then you should probably look elsewhere. I'm planning on getting a screen protector/case but don't really want to find out what would happen if I drop my phone.
Questions? Just Ask.
good review!
5 people find this review helpful