Thinking of returning my Android phone

[Blackjack200]

Just got a Droid 2 last week and I'm heavily leaning toward returning it within the 15 day window. A few of the the reasons:

* 3G is really slow for me, and it seems that way wherever I go. I was hoping to use it as a mobile hotspot which would let me work on the road. I barely even use the internet on the phone anymore, even a basic page takes > 10 seconds to load.

* The browser doesn't seem to work right all the time. I tried to log into eharmony and couldn't do it, I would put in my username and password, then hit "login" and it wouldn't do anything.

* The apps seem limited and hard to find. I looked all over the place for the Pandora app and couldn't find it in their marketplace, I even searched "pandora".

* I don't really like the UI at all.

* I don't think there's an SD slot. I thought there was supposed to be but I looked all over the phone and couldn't find any. WTH?

All that said, there are a few things about it that I love:
- I love Navigator. Very accurate directions and voice prompts.

- I like getting my gmail pushed to the phone.

- Very good battery life

Anyone else have thoughts on this? I don't think it's worth the extra $30/month for data. Should I just return the phone and wait for the next generation or am I doing it wrong?

 

[MJinZ]

What speeds are you getting on 3G?

I can sustain something like 300kb/second on USB.

Also, if you can't find Pandora using Market, I think you are doing it wrong.

 

[Blackjack200]

What speeds are you getting on 3G?

I can sustain something like 300kb/second on USB.

Also, if you can't find Pandora using Market, I think you are doing it wrong.

Not sure how to quantify it. I just know that pages are loading really slowly.

 

[Anubis]

Try a different browser, Dolphin HD or Opera - i never liked the stock one

Pandora exists not sure why you couldn't find it, its the first result when i search

SD card slot is by the battery, its does not have a freely accessible one.

 

[rudeguy]

Hmm...

1. I'm not familiar with Verizon's 3G speeds but I can tell you if a website is bloated it can take forever to load. That's why most sites have a mobile version. CNN is a great example of this. Heck I even go to Fark's mobile site.

2. Again...bloated websites will load slow. I have never been to Eharmony's website, but I'm assuming it isn't trim and neat.

3. You are searching wrong. How can you miss Pandora?

4. OK

5. Check under the battery cover

 

[kaerflog]

Return the phone if you don't like it but I would question everyone of your problem except for the dislike of the UI. After all its personal preference.
That said, I LOVE my Android Captivate.
Now thats a great looking UI and on T-Mobile no less.

 

[Blackjack200]

Good suggestions.

Maybe I should take a picture of the marketplace screens I'm seeing because I really can't get Pandora to show up.

I may end up returning the phone anyway because I'm still not sure it's worth the extra $30 a month even with those problems solved. (I'm on a family plan and only pay $25/month for essentially unlimited voice and text, so an extra $30 is a lot to me)

 

[MJinZ]

Not sure how to quantify it. I just know that pages are loading really slowly.

What pages? You should take it to a Verizon store and compare the loading of the same page to one of their demo phones.

All cellphone stores will have repeaters installed so you should have max signal.

 

[dpodblood]

Just got a Droid 2 last week and I'm heavily leaning toward returning it within the 15 day window. A few of the the reasons:

* 3G is really slow for me, and it seems that way wherever I go. I was hoping to use it as a mobile hotspot which would let me work on the road. I barely even use the internet on the phone anymore, even a basic page takes > 10 seconds to load.

This is probably your provider and not the phone itself.

* The browser doesn't seem to work right all the time. I tried to log into eharmony and couldn't do it, I would put in my username and password, then hit "login" and it wouldn't do anything.

Try a different browser like opera. Not all websites will be compatible with the default mobile browser.

* The apps seem limited and hard to find. I looked all over the place for the Pandora app and couldn't find it in their marketplace, I even searched "pandora".

You should be able to find pandora no problem, unless it was taken down temporarily. There are also a lot more apps to be found outside of the market.

* I don't really like the UI at all.

All preference, but there is a lot of customization possible, and even replacement home screens, so play with it a bit.

* I don't think there's an SD slot. I thought there was supposed to be but I looked all over the phone and couldn't find any. WTH?

SD slot is usually by the battery, not on the outside of the phone.

All that said, there are a few things about it that I love:
- I love Navigator. Very accurate directions and voice prompts.

- I like getting my gmail pushed to the phone.

- Very good battery life

Anyone else have thoughts on this? I don't think it's worth the extra $30/month for data. Should I just return the phone and wait for the next generation or am I doing it wrong?

Bolded above.

 

[murphy55d]

I know Skyfire has an option to render pages either as a desktop, iPhone, or Android. Some sites just are not mobile friendly, regardless of what platform you are on.

 

[gsaldivar]

Opera Mini is wicked fast for me compared to the stock browser. Search the market for Speed Test to check the speed of your 3G connection. For the Pandora issue, try going into Settings > Apps > Manage Apps > (Sort by Names) > Market > Clear Cache. I have Pandora installed and I absolutely love it. It pauses and resumes automatically during phone calls and while GPS navigation instructions are read out over my car stereo... I really couldn't be happier with my Android phone and hope you get yours setup to where you feel the same way.

Good luck!

 

[AstroManLuca]

If Pandora isn't showing up in the Market, try getting a barcode scanner app and scanning the QR code on this page: http://www.androlib.com/android.application.com-pandora-android-qiBm.aspx

If it still doesn't show up then there's a different problem.

Oh and Skyfire sucks, at least it always has for me. Yes it allows you to quickly switch between mobile and desktop versions of a site, but it's too slow and buggy to be usable. And it can play flash videos, but flash playback is also buggy and it doesn't even have the option to pause or skip around in the video - the only option is to watch from start to finish.

Try Opera though, it's faster than the stock browser by a lot.

 

[boomhower]

Sounds like most of your problems are either VZW related or you have a bum phone. The stock browser is great, I prefer it above all the others. If it's slow then it's VZW. If you can't find pandora then something is very very wrong. The UI is very customizable, spend a couple hours looking around at some forums and see what you can do with it. There's an SD slot on it somewhere, look under the battery.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

as most customers know verizon 3g is really slow and spotty. if you want fast 3g go get att

 

[zerocool84]

as most customers know verizon 3g is really slow and spotty. if you want fast 3g go get att

Sure AT&T has the fastest but coverage it's no contest. Verizon and Sprint both are leaps and bounds ahead of AT&T in coverage. It's sad that AT&T has to go as far as implement a Wifi network to make up with their lack of 3G coverage.

 

[GeekDrew]

Sure AT&T has the fastest but coverage it's no contest. Verizon and Sprint both are leaps and bounds ahead of AT&T in coverage. It's sad that AT&T has to go as far as implement a Wifi network to make up with their lack of 3G coverage.

As with every discussion about signal strength, it varies by region. In my area, AT&T has the best signal strength, by far. Verizon is a close second, and Sprint - well - good luck with that.

 

[Demo24]

Eharmony loads me me on a droid 1 (slightly overclocked) in roughly 10 seconds, with useable info there at the 5 second mark. I would see what kind of signal you are getting, maybe run some speedtests. Theres an app , real signal, that easily lets you monitor signal strength.

Pandora is definitely in the market, I just searched for it.

 

[JS80]

as most customers know verizon 3g is really slow and spotty. if you want fast 3g go get att

lol thanks for the laugh

 

[BZeto]

Your Droid2 has good battery life? I'm considering returning mine just because the battery life blows hard. Ugh.

 

[herm0016]

i have the droid 2 also. my battery life is fine, i am checking stuff all day and am on facebook, checking email, getting calls. i use about 50% of the battery each day. like others have said, it sounds like you have not really learned much about the phone and platform. you can make the UI just about anything you want, for example i have my service switches, inbox and calender on the home screen. this workes great for me because i use the gps for work and can always make sure to switch it off to conserve battery, i can see text messeges and i can watch what meetings or other things are coming up on my calender.

 

[Binky]

Return the phone.

 

[Stang289]

lol thanks for the laugh

I just switched from ATT to Verizon. In my area ATT is much faster and has better coverage.

 

[rudeguy]

I just switched from ATT to Verizon. In my area ATT is much faster and has better coverage.

[phonesalesman]

Cellular is a tower based system. Coverage, signal strength and internet speeds will vary depending on location. This can vary not only on address but also position in a building, time of year, time of day, etc.

[/phonesalesman]

 

[rudeguy]

i have the droid 2 also. my battery life is fine, i am checking stuff all day and am on facebook, checking email, getting calls. i use about 50% of the battery each day. like others have said, it sounds like you have not really learned much about the phone and platform. you can make the UI just about anything you want, for example i have my service switches, inbox and calender on the home screen. this workes great for me because i use the gps for work and can always make sure to switch it off to conserve battery, i can see text messeges and i can watch what meetings or other things are coming up on my calender.

have you tried Pure yet? Its great for calendar and messaging. Very pretty too...

 

[herm0016]

i have not, i will though. thanks...

i grew up in Grand Rapids, hows the city doing?