| Author | Message | ||
     Ridenusa4l |
Hey guys long story short i finally killed my env3 and will be upgrading to a bionic.. So some things im wondering from those here who have one: 1) any issues i should be concerned about? 2) whats the best case i can get for it that will be slim yet very protective? 3) any cool features? 4) anything you care to throw in. :P Thank you! Jake | ||
| Jaimec |
I love it. I've already rooted mine so I can get rid of all the BLOATWARE that both Motorola and Verizon saw fit to weight down this phone. Get it, root it, get "Titanium Backup" from the Android Market, and use it to freeze (NOT delete) the apps you don't need. Check the interwebs, though... some of those apps (for some idiotic reason) are integral to the performance of seemingly unrelated apps. For example, if you don't have Yahoo Mail, but freeze that app and it's authenticator service, your Contacts will crash whenever you try to view them. Likewise, if you don't use E-Mail (you use GMail instead), don't freeze that or (for some REALLY stupid reason) your SMS Text Message app won't work!! Slim AND Protective? Can't help you there. I have the Otterbox Defender case. VERY protective, but I'd hardly call it "slim" in ANY sense of the word. It WON'T protect your phone, however, if you drop it while riding your motorcycle at highway speed, and three or four SUVs hit it before you get a chance to turn around and retrieve it (DAMHIK). Good luck... it's an AWESOME phone!! | ||
| Thumper74 |
I don't think any case will survive being runover by an SUV. I recently dropped my Droid 3 on the bike with the Verizon rubber case, no problems | ||
| Ridenusa4l |
what is rooting it??? and i just got it and LOVE IT!! Jake | ||
| Froggy |
Rooting means unlocking administrative mode allowing more functionality. Personally I do not recommend it if you don't know what you are doing, as it makes it easier to compromise your phones security, and it is also a lot easier to do something stupid and make your phone a brick. That said, you can do just about anything you want right out of the box, I've been using my Motorola Xoom bone stock since I got it in March. Occasionally I do want to root it to try some things like custom roms, but it isn't worth it in my opinion. Also, if you root and your phone needs to be sent in for repair, you risk getting the warranty claim denied. | ||
| Jaimec |
Froggy: Officially, Verizon has stated that they don't care if the phone has been rooted or not. They examine the PHYSICAL condition of the phone only when a phone is returned for warranty repair. This was beaten to death on the Droid Forums, and a Verizon rep actually stepped up to explain the policy. But yes, if you don't know what you're doing, you could end up with an expensive brick. Proceed with caution. I just know that I was able to greatly improve battery life by "freezing" all those stupid apps I didn't want and don't need (but couldn't delete under normal circumstances). I had no idea Verizon would be getting a Nexus phone. Had I known, I would've waited till that one came out. Pure vanilla Android and an unlocked bootloader. Heaven compared to the locked down Bionic with all of that "Moto Blur" crap pre-installed. The boot loader is still locked, but the hacker community has found ways around it and there are already some custom ROMs coming out for it. So far I've played with one (Eclipse) but I like the stripped down "stock ROM" better so far. Waiting for CyanogenMod to come out for it, though. OH! One thing to greatly improve battery life: Turn off 4G/LTE unless you REALLY need it. For most purposes, I find 3G more than fast enough. But if you're tethering your laptop, and 4G is available in your area, it makes a HUGE difference... but LTE DOES kill your battery pretty quickly. | ||
| Garyz28 |
I recently moved from an env3 to a bionic myself. My only complaints are that it seems really big when I'm carrying it in my pocket and battery life sucks compared to the env3, but no smartphone has really good battery life. | ||
| Crackhead |
Jaimec, when did you buy your Bionic? VZ has changed / extended the return policy for the Holiday season. You might be able to exchange for the Nexus. | ||
| Jaimec |
Got it two months ago (September). I don't have any "Buyer's Regrets." It's an AWESOME phone, and since I've rooted it, it's even better. | ||
| Jaimec |
Garyz28: See my tip up above. You can considerably extend battery life by turning off the 4G/LTE capability and only using it when you really need it. LTE KILLS the battery. Go to "Settings -> Wireless & networks -> Mobile networks (you'll have to scroll to the bottom to find that one) -> Network Mode" and select "CDMA only." If you need 4G for something (like streaming videos or movies) then repeat the above steps and select "CDMA/LTE" | ||
| Beugs |
So that's how you do that. Thanks jaimec! I've been disappointed with battery life since I got mine. I'll have to see how much this helps. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I got this case for mine and LOVE it. Slim yet protective. Slides into and out of the pocket easily. http://www.letstalk.com/incipio-motorola-bionic-4g -silicrylic-case-black  I did buy the extended battery and back case, so the protective case previously mentioned won't fit any longer.  Verizon had them on sale for 50% off. For $25 bucks, I just couldn't pass it up. Now I don't have ANY worries about battery life. | ||
| Jaimec |
The Otterbox cases definitely do NOT work with the extended battery, unfortunately. Still, here's MY solution: http://www.amazon.com/New-Trent-IMP500-External-Bl ackberry/dp/B0013G8PTS/ref=sr_1_2?s=wireless&ie=UT F8&qid=1322007697&sr=1-2 With that thing I've used my Bionic as a GPS navigator via Bluetooth (both of which are big battery drainers) while streaming music all day long, and still had plenty of battery left at the end of the day. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Is that a battery in you pocket or are you just happy to see me? | ||
| Kenm123t |
HMM A PHONE FORUM Is Froggy the admin ? Dropped phone Callers! |
