5 User review

1. Eric Monse says:

   May 20, 2010 at 3:50 am

   I had an iPhone and recently got the HTC Incredible. I loved the iPhone but hated AT&T. But I love the HTC Incredible even better than I loved my iPhone. Here’s why.

   HTC Incredible advantages over iPhone ——————

   Verizon – I got rid of my iPhone simply because AT&T is terrible here in New York. My sister and her husband in Washington DC got an iPhone over Christmas and they complain about the crappy service there too. Verizon is blazing fast, the best service in NYC.

   Widgets – Surprisingly the iPhone doesn’t have widgets. The Incredible has some really cool widgets you can use. Widgets are like icons you can add to home screens, but instead of opening a program, the icon itself will give you info or have some other type of functionality like a a list of contacts or booksmarks you can access directly without opening a program first.

   Transfer files without iTunes – Whether you like iTunes or not, you are hamstrung using it with the iPhone. With the Incredible, transfer is simple. You connect the phone to your computer and you can copy over files to it.

   Connect it to as many computers as you want – I can connect to my computer both at home and at work, something you can’t do with the iPhone. Apple annoyingly limits you to one computer to update your iPhone.

   Access the file system – Unlike the iPhone, you can copy, paste and delete files from the internal hard drive. You can also copy files from the hard drive to your computer–or any computer for that matter.

   Email – E-mail capabilities on the Incredible are better than the iPhone. In addition to global search, you can sort by conversation, sender, date, etc.

   8 megapixel Camera with flash – The 8 megapixel camera takes beautiful detailed shots, even better than the iPhone’s camera, which actually takes really nice photos as long as it’s not dark. The iPhone doesn’t have a flash. The camera on the Incredible did crash a few times, a but I’m hoping they will work out in later versions. The Incredible camera is also really fast loading.

   Physical Camera button – The Incredible has a physical camera and video record button that works very well. With the iPhone you need to push a button on the touch screen, kind of annoying sometimes.

   Faster – The Incredible is blazing fast. There is rarely any lag in switching or loading programs. Very snappy.

   Mp3 player access without unlocking screen – When you’re listening to music and you click the button to turn on the screen, you don’t need to unlock the screen to see what music is playing. The iPhone has that as well. But unlike the iPhone, it also has usable back, pause and forward buttons on the locked screen.

   Editable dictionary – You can see and edit the keyboard dictionary yourself and choose what words you want in it.

   Send caller to voice mail – If you edit a user’s contact, you have an option to always send that user to voice mail if you want. Minor, but kinda cool.

   Weather on calendar – When you flip through upcoming days on your calendar, it also displays the weather for that day. Pretty sweet.

   Google maps with layers – Android allows you to add `layers’ to your map. For example, you can overlay the NYC MTA subway maps and see the actual subway lines. iPhone can’t do that.

   Super thin – This phone feels thinner than the iPhone, and I think it is in some ways. It certainly fits in my pocket a lot nicer than the Motorola Droid, which felt about 1/3 thicker than the incredible.

   iPhone advantages over HTC Incredible ——————

   Music audio quality – I loaded the same some songs on both the Incredible and the iPhone and listened carefully. The iPhone’s music audio quality, without any EQ, is slightly better than the Incredible. It’s not bad on the incredible, it just sounds slightly punchier across the audio spectrum on the iPhone. The Incredible does have better sound quality than the Motorola Droid, which I also tested.

   Equalizer – The iPhone has different equalizer settings. It’s poorly implemented and easy to get low-end distortion but at least they have an EQ. No EQ on Android phones. Lame.

   Alerts – I like the way alerts and text messages pop up on the iPhone better than the Android. It feels like you need to dig too much to access new messages on the Incredible.

   Apps – Of course, the iPhone’s app store is far more extensive than the Android’s. 95% of the functionality I can still get on the Android, but apps for the Android are almost always made second to iPhone apps if at all.
   Rating:
2. Laura Dale says:

   May 20, 2010 at 3:50 am

   I got my Droid Incredible in the mail on Tuesday even though the release date is today (4/29).
   
   The phone is stunning…with all the simplicity you’d expect out of a new smartphone and all the fun you’d expect out of a Google phone.

   Pros:
   
   Android OS and Sense
   
   Customizable
   
   Beautiful Screen
   
   Android Market
   
   8MP camera (shoots well in low light don’t let anyone tell you different)
   
   super fast processor
   
   7 home screens that you can view by pinching. You don’t have to swipe through all 7. Makes my friends jealous.
   
   the browser is smooth and fast. Auto aligns text when you zoom. uses multi-touch to pinch and zoom. Smooth scrolling and fast, fast load times.

   Cons
   
   hard to sync any e-mail other than a gmail account
   
   facebook app sucks, but i just made a bookmark to the full site, since the internet is super fast
   
   optical trackpad is glitchy but i only use it for the camera
   
   battery life…but Seidio is coming out with an extended battery so thats not going to be a problem soon

   Bottom Line:
   
   Honestly, I have been waiting for a phone like this every since the iPhone. I don’t have AT&T and to be honest I just don’t like Apple as a company. They make cool stuff, but they rip their customers off. This phone is an iPhone killer. Compare them on all levels of performance, looks, functionality, customization, and speed and you’ll find that the Droid Incredible is the same if not better. Also, Verizon’s coverage is fantastic, so don’t be fooled by 4G. I’m sure its great if you live somewhere where you get service.

   EDIT: (4/30) This phone eats RAM like crazy. I installed “Advanced Task Killer” but I was still down to only 42M after a few days. I would suggest downloading either “Task Manager” or “TaskPanel” (I have Task Manager and my boyfriend has TaskPanel on his Moto Droid and both work quite well). I also suggest restarting the phone every few days just like you would a real computer.

   Other than that still no complaints
   Rating:
3. Peter Marone III says:

   May 20, 2010 at 6:17 am

   I had been an iPhone/AT&T customer for the past couple of years, since the first 3G release. The iPhone is a great device, but hampered by the poor AT&T voice network, and the spotty 3G coverage. As a former Verizon customer for years prior to that, I knew the voice quality and coverage was superior, but their smartphone selection really didn’t rival the iPhone, and I was stuck with the 2 year contract. I’m glad to say that dumping that contract early to jump back to VZW and the Incredible was well worth the penalty!

   The Incredible is fast – almost too fast as it responds quickly to short flicks of my thumb. The optical joystick option for navigation works nicely, especially to avoid extra smudges to the touch screen. The seven page HTC Sense display is unique and has unlimited options for customization – the ability to have functional “widgets” vs. just application launch icons vs. the iPhone make this stand out – as well as the several default configurations to help guide you towards customizing your own configuration. The display itself is bright, sharp, and the higher resolution (compared to the 3G) makes everything pop out, making you “wow” when you first look at it. Customization options are abundant, further allowing you to customize to your heart’s content. The seamless integration with Google mail/calendar, Facebook and Twitter, and well as the ability to sync Outlook Calendar and contacts provides a novel method of linking various contacts together for streamlined management of your contacts – for example, if I had you in my Outlook contacts, and also as a friend in Facebook, and followed you in Twitter, the HTC allows me to link those together, so your contact info on the phone allows me to interact with you without having to actually go to those various applications. I even like the fit of the phone in my hands – an iPhone (without a case) always feels like it’s going to slip right out of my grasp, but the case of the Incredible seems to “stick” to my fingers, and I never feel like it’s going to slip through.

   The camera is worlds better than that of the iPhone 3G. Photos are clear, and colors are true to life. The led flashes work well. The only drawback is pushing the optical joystick to take a picture – same problem as with the iPhone. A button on the side of the phone would be preferable.

   If you are worried about apps, there’s no need to. Just about every app I had on the iPhone has a version in the Android Marketplace, or at least another app that is of equal quality/function. The Marketplace is more cumbersome to use as it’s only available through the phone interface – a store to browse and shop via the web on my computer, similar to how the iTunes apps store functions, would be a great addition and make finding apps much easier. The phone interface is quite functional, but trying to compare and select between similar apps would work better on the computer. **Update** Thanks to a comment, I’ve found Appbrain, which looks like a good solution for this!

   If you are tired of AT&T’s network and/or the iPhone, the Incredible on VZW is certainly a prospect to investigate. I give it a hearty thumbs up! 4 stars for the Incredible itself, as it can use some software improvements, especially to the Marketplace, and 5 stars for the VZW voice and data network (but 1 star for VZW’s continual poor documentation of the phones they provide).

   Pros:
   
   Fast processor
   
   beautiful display
   
   great camera quality
   
   wealth of applications through Marketplace
   
   fit and feel
   
   VZW Network quality
   
   highly customizable interface
   
   integration of contact data

   Cons:
   
   Marketplace apps only through phone interface*(see update above)
   
   Not many accessories available yet
   
   touch screen smudges quickly, and smudges are quite noticeable
   
   Poorly documented by VZW
   Rating:
4. C. Moberg says:

   May 20, 2010 at 6:50 am

   I’ve had this phone since April 28th and I’m actually rewriting my original review using my HTC Incredible as my laptop’s internet connection via EasyTether Lite (free). I must say I’m really impressed with this phone. It’s super fast, good looking, and customizable. It’s a treat to finally have a great phone paired with a great network!

   It’s got 7 screens, which can be viewed individually or all at once. I’ve got mine setup like this:
   
   1. Home/Main Screen – Weather and Top Used Apps (Pandora, Skyfire, Gmail, Market, Battery, Mint, Flixster, Camera)
   
   2. Agenda
   
   3. Text Widget from HTC Sense
   
   4. Stock Widget from HTC Sense
   
   5. Favorite Contacts
   
   6. Power Widget and Empty Space
   
   7. FriendStream – HTC Sense seemlessly integrated Facebook/Twitter/Flickr

   I don’t intend for this review to be the end-all of reviews, so I’ll try not to cover things other people did already.

   Something others have mentioned and I’ve noticed as well is that battery life could be better. This is the one thing I would change if I could, and I might just do that. It comes stock with the 1300 mAh battery as you can see in the specs below, which just barely cuts it for me. I’m strongly considering upgrading the the Seidio 1750 mAh slim battery which fits in the same space, and should yield about 30% more charge for somewhere around 40 bucks here on Amazon.

   I didn’t notice you can drag your finger from the top of your screen to see ongoing applications, and current notifications. Hopefully this helps someone else figure this out too! Someone showed me this a couple days in, and it’s very nice. Basically this is a quick link to what’s just happened on your phone.

   One thing you might not notice right away is that the Android Market actually varies from other phones. Specifically, it has some apps that other Android 2.1 phones don’t have (ie ‘Shake Them All’ – a live wallpaper), while it’s missing apps that other Android 2.1 phones have (Google Earth). Both of the examples I noticed when comparing to the Motorola Droid, and I’m sure there are other differences. This is a little irritating but one can get around this by downloading the .apk files and installing the programs manually. I did this for Google Earth, and it runs flawlessly! It’s annoying that Google doesn’t make it nice and easy. You could also do something similar via Astro File Manager if both you and your friend use Astro, they could backup their app on microSD, give you the microSD, and you could install from there.

   Another thing I didn’t see in my brief look through reviews is a list of free apps to get you started with brief descriptions:
   
   Advanced Task Killer Free – Kill any application running
   
   Astro File Manager – Manage Files, Backup Applications, Install Applications from Backup
   
   BatteryTime Lite – Keep track of Battery Left, Battery Temperature
   
   EasyTether Lite – Tethering App, free version does not access https sites, pay version does
   
   Engadget – Tech Review Site Application
   
   Flashlight – Simple help when you need it
   
   Fring – Skype, Google Talk, AIM, Yahoo, Twitter, ICQ, SIP, and MSN Live Client (works on Wi-fi too unlike Skype’s basic app)
   
   Google Goggles – Cool app for image based google searches
   
   Google Sky Map – Star Gazer App, based on phone location and phone orientation, shows what stars and planets are out there
   
   Layar – Imagine Google Sky Map for restaurants, bars, etc.
   
   MaplePaint – Painting App
   
   Mint – [...] application for tracking finances
   
   Movies/Flixster – Great movie app (theater and dvd) integrated with Netflix/Rotten Tomato, able to watch trailers instantly
   
   My Verizon – Helpful for tracking phone usage
   
   Pandora – Streaming Music
   
   Scanner Radio – Police Scanner
   
   Shazam – Figures out what song is playing
   
   Skyfire – Slick web browser (or maybe you prefer Opera)
   
   ShopSavvy – Barcode Scanner, Web and local price-checker
   
   The Weather Channel – A good alternative to the Sense Weather Widgets

   Games I like (I’m a simple minded phone gamer, all free as well, no descriptions):
   
   Action Potato
   
   Jewels
   
   Labyrinth Lite
   
   The ‘Papi’ Series – PapiCatch, PapiJump, PapiMissile, PapiPole, PapiRiver
   
   Super Tetris
   
   Texas Holdem – Red Poker Club
   
   Toss It

   Nerdy Details:
   
   Size/Weight: 4.63 x 2.30 x 0.47 inches / 4.6 ounces
   
   Screen: 480×800 3.7 inch AMOLED
   
   Processor: 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon (QSD8650) CDMA version of Nexus One Processor (QSD8250)
   
   Wi-fi: 802.11 b/g/n (I’ve clocked my phone on speed tests over 6 Mbps when connected to Comcast)
   
   microSD: 2 GB included / up to 32 GB supported
   
   Radio: FM using headphone cable as antenna
   
   Operating System: Android 2.1 (Eclair) with HTC Sense
   
   Camera: 8 Megapixels with Dual LED Flash
   
   Bluetooth: 2.1 with A2DP Stereo and EDR;
   
   GPS: A-GPS (Assisted GPS, can be used for locating you during a 911 call, or more commonly navigation)
   
   Keyboard: Virtual Only
   
   Speech to Text: Basically can dictate texts, web addresses, and almost anywhere you can type
   
   Text to Speech: Google Navigation can speak directions
   
   Network: Verizon!
   
   RAM: 512 MB
   
   ROM: 768 MB / 512 MB for user
   
   Internal Storage: 8 GB moviNand
   
   Battery: 1300 mAh Lithium Ion (checkout Seidio 1750 mAh slim which fits in same space, if you need more power)
   
   Physical Buttons: Volume Control (up/down), Power/Lock (share same button), Optical Joystick (with click)
   
   Additional Sensors: Multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, Ambient Light Sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity Sensor
   
   Audio Out: 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
   
   USB: micro-USB (charging and data)
   
   Audio file types supported: AAC, AMR0, OGG, M4A, MID, MP3, WAV, WMA
   
   Video file types supported: 3GP, 3G2, MP4, WMV

   I’m excited to see this phone get rooted someday (soon?)! Please rate my review up or down as you see fit! Thank you!
   Rating:
5. L. Miller says:

   May 20, 2010 at 8:44 am

   I’ve waited for this phone for months. First I thought the Moto Droid would be my LG Dare’s successor. Then I saw the leaked photos of the Nexus One and finally the Incredible. After all this time, it has finally arrived and I’ve spent the last few days playing with it.

   The number one question everyone will ask is “How does it compare to the iPhone?” and I think possibly for the first time ever, the answer is that it is *better* in many (or most) ways.

   First, the hardware. In person this thing looks like a murdered out (black) version of the iPhone, with a few catchy red accents and a unique faschia around the back. It looks very cool and feels great in your hand. Some places have reported that the backside feels “cheap” and I’ll agree — when the back panel is removed, it feels cheap. But when it’s on the phone (99.99% of the time), it feels quite solid and the whole package feels balanced and complete. I like the soft-touch backing because it doesn’t show fingerprints. Nice. Yes, the screen will show fingerprints, especially if you run greasy.

   Next, the interface. I had never used the Android OS before and wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of simplicity, layout, and general elegance. In my opinion, Android nails it. No, this phone doesn’t have the sheer simplicity of the iPhones interface. Instead, it gives you something that the iPhone doesn’t: control. You get to decide where your icons are. You get to add widgets to your home screen(s). You get folders, program shortcuts, and various wallpaper choices (including animated wallpapers, if you’re into that). The interface and customization options are really excellent. This is great if you have even a little bit of tech-geek in you, and it’s still intuitive. Everything runs smooth and responsive. And it does multi-tasking, without breaking a sweat.

   The external speaker (for music/speakerphone) is excellent for a cell phone; one of the best I’ve heard with little or no distortion. Of course it doesn’t have any bass, but that’s to be expected. Multi-touch works perfectly (there were some known issues with the Nexus One because it used an inferior touch processor that has been upgraded in the Incredible). There are all kinds of widgets and programs that come standard so you can get a good jump on customizing your experience. Camera is fine. Sure, it’s 8mp (I’d rather have a 3mp with excellent picture quality). No, it is nowhere near a dedicated point and shoot camera. Above average for a cell phone, but don’t expect miracles here.

   I do have a few gripes so far, and some of them are more of an HTC/Google software thing and not a direct issue with this particular phone. First, the widgets, while nice, are limited in their customization. You often have a choice of 2-3 display styles for a widget, but aside from that there are very few “widget options”. They each work pretty well but are limited in their individual flexibility.

   Another small annoyance is in some landscape mode keyboards (like when writing a text or filling out a form) you have to hide the keyboard before accepting what you’ve typed; you can’t just hit enter to accept or continue. Sounds small but at times it can be kind of annoying. In portrait mode this problem doesn’t really exist, because either there’s a button present or you can scroll through content to find it. (Landscape mode overwrites the page content with your text editing area.)

   Random note in the middle of my review: the Android Marketplace does not have as many apps as the iPhone. Personally, I don’t care. iDon’t need a million apps to make my phone useful. The ones that are available in Android have provided everything I’ve needed (so far).

   Finally, there are going to be a lot of people disappointed in battery life. I’ve only charged mine a few times so far, but this is definitely a phone you’re going to need to charge at the end of the day with moderate use, or possibly even sooner with heavy-duty use. I wish they would have packed in a higher-capacity battery, but then at the same time with all of the features on these types of high-end smartphones, I can’t expect the battery to do the impossible.

   Overall this is THE best phone on Verizon and quite possibly ANY carrier, at least until the Evo 4g and next iPhone. Since Verizon is the best network, though, I give the Droid Incredible 4.5 stars and three big thumbs up. That’s right, three.
   Rating: