Since I knew I was about to spend $200 on a smartphone, I looked at the newest phones available. The iPhone was available on Verizon network for the first time but its specs were not the newest. I felt it lacked features that the current phones in the time of my purchase had such as the bigger screen, 4G LTE technology and 8 megapixel camera. The HTC Thunderbolt was the first phone to have 4G LTE technology and was ready to be one of the first to purchase it. It has 1Ghz RAM, front facing camera for Skyping, 4.3in screen, etc. I thought I was purchasing the "Ferrari" of the cell phones even though the craze is always over the iPhone.
Over a year later, the experience is not as, "WOW," as it was when I first purchased the phone. As much research as I had done on the phone, I realized what important features I overlooked (battery life and ease of use) and what features I enjoyed that I want to make sure my next phone will definitely have. The user interface of my iPod touch was so much easier to figure out than an Android phone. The ipod is everything an iPhone is minus the ability to make phone calls and it was a breeze to learn it. The HTC takes phenomenal pictures with the 8 megapixels. I've been fortunate to share moments with others with the great quality pictures. The size of the phone is just right. Even though the newer phones have close to 5" inch screens it is definitely a feature that is not important for me to have anything bigger than the 4.3inch screen. The last thing I want to think is I'm holding a tablet to my ear to make a phone call. I have the applications that entertain me whether it's looking up weather, using Google's phenomenal GPS for navigation, or checking out sports scores. It is a "wicked" feeling to know such information on the fly rather than coming home and sitting down by the computer to look that information up or turning on the tv to catch my weather and sports information.
As with the positives of the HTC Thunderbolt phone, there are definite negatives with it and, sadly, they outweigh the positives. As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest overlooked features in my research is the battery life. Many people describe the battery lives on all Android phones as horrible. By their definition, it's the fact that they can't get a whole day out of it. My definition of horrible is, 2.5 hours of use utilizing video streaming, 4G LTE internet surfing, gaming, talking, and texting. I disagree with the solutions posted all over the Internet. They say to turn the GPS off, dim the background contrast, and use 3G speed rather than 4G unless needed. Fine, I leave GPS off unless I need it which I've accepted to do. As for dimming the contrast and using 3G, that was unacceptable. I buy this expensive phone and get sold on the features only to turn them off so the battery life is extended. Unacceptable. To make matters worse, the original phone battery lasted 15 months into my contract before it completely failed to the point where unless it's constantly plugged into a charger whether at home, in the car, or at my work desk, it shut off. Of course, I had to buy another battery to get it back up to working the 2.5 hours. Additionally, many of the applications seem to "Force Close." Those of you who have Android phones will know what I am talking about. Many times, I'm in an application and it freezes up and shuts off for no apparent reason. The phone itself would also randomly shut off. None of these bugs are ever corrected. It's a day by day situation that either happens or not.
While owning the phone I've read up on newer Android phones and speak to friends and colleagues about their experiences with iPhones, Blackberries, and Android phones. Those who own Android have similar issues as my phone and their are no solutions. Android chooses which phones get new Operating System updates, unfortunately, my phone is one of the last on the list which makes it super annoying owning it. By the time I get these bugs corrected I'll be due for an upgrade. Will I choose another Android phone and possibly experience the same thing? I don't know. Will I have the patience to experience new Android issues? I think not. I think I see a certain other phone in the picture (November 2012, finally!) that begins with an, "i"
