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Just a day shy of the official release of the HTC Thunderbolt and we have word that what should be a final updated version of the firmware for the phone has leaked onto the internet. It won’t do the everyday user much good but might come in handy for those hoping to make quick work of hacking the device.
Less than 24 hours separates us from one of the most highly anticipated phones in recent memory. Everyone excited enough?
[via DroidLife]
Nope – not excited for 2 reasons. No Upgrade until October. Not Dual-Core. Hopefully, holiday season will bring better stuff. I’ll continue rocking my OG Droid until then.
Next….
Not excited in the least. Well, maybe excited to finally get this thing out, only to see it fail (hopefully) and force VZW in to releasing a truly great phone with great specs at a competitive price. This phone and everything about it is an embarrassment to Android as a whole
I’m still pretty excited! I don’t need the dual core processors. Honestly, the kickstand is what I am most excited about (and the FFC)… I always try to prop my OGdroid up and it never works quite right. The only issue I have with the T-bolt is the price. Seems a bit high so I’ll be waiting for it to drop when all the new hot phones get released.
Hows that? Fucking idiot.
Interested to see if this update has anything to do with the fact that there is already root for the phone.
If the news is true then why the image is showing as RUMORED?
ATUL
VERY EXCITED. I look forward to this phone being all its hyped to be and all these haters (@Steveo) can sit there with their 3g POS.
@ksizzle9 – I was thinking exactly the same thing – I remember when Verizon went from FRG01B (a froyo build that allowed super-easy true one-click root) to FRG22D very shortly thereafter, which while it wasn’t hard to root by any means if you were used to rooting, did require more steps then download an app, click it, and you’re done. They claimed that FRG01B had bugs and issues *coughbullshit* – I didn’t notice any, and at the time, I used a version of BB (I think .4 or .5) that ran on FRG01B that worked great. I am still wondering if a lot of the hold up was Verizon putting a bunch of shit in the code to make it tougher to root. Whatever, as long as they don’t lock the bootloader. *looks accusingly at Motorola*
@Stevo… I join you with your feelings.. WANNA BE EVO 4G SO BAD… Last years specs NICE TRY it got TRUMPED before it even got out the GATE thanks to Verizon trying to find a way to RIP OFF EVERYBODY. The New Htc Evo2/3d is WORTH THIS PRICE NOT THE THUNDERBOLT…. ENJOY THIS MY TRUE CURRENT EVO 4G OWNERS… We win 2011 again… HTC Shooter: Could this Be the Next EVO for Sprint? http://phandroid.com/?p=43635
@Matt, that is my point of contention. I would like to ditch my Droid X for a better phone, but this isn’t it. Marginally better RAM (and yes it has 4G if I am so blessed to live in an area that has it), but that is about it. No way is the battery going to come close to what I have now and I already have 2.2. Have you ever had a Sense phone? Not super fast to push updates in case you didn’t already know.
Sense is way better than the ironically named motoblur which is a laggy pos
well Im happy about it….I have an OG Droid and I see it as a good update. I dont play games on my phone save the occasional Sudoku & I dont output 1080p hd movies to my TV from my phone so I dont really have a need for a dual core phone right now. A 4.3 inch screen (a must for me for not having a keyboard), unlimited 4g grandfathered, a FFC, an updated snapdragon, 768mb RAM & 40gb of memory sounds good to me…..;)
do you think the thunderbolt will be able to support VoLTE eventually? not clear if that’s a software/firmware update or if it has to be in the hardware .
@ ksizzle & utes. My thoughts exactly. There is something odd about the hold up that goes beyond batteries and iPhone releases. We’ll see in the next couple of weeks. If it sucks, I’ll just take it back. If something really mind-blowing comes along (unfortunately, I can’t look forward to the D3 since Moto started locking the bootloaders, and it breaks my heart, I loved my D1), I’ll get one. Mainly, I want to re-sign a two-year agreement to lock myself into unlimited data (I’m not concerned about throttling, I have work-arounds for that, and I’m usually running on wifi anyway). In another two years, the major carrier’s coverage maps should start to (hopefully)fill out more and give me more options. The next couple of years will be interesting with mergers, other networks looking into LTE, and what the future holds with the upcoming dual and quad-core handsets on the horizon for Android.
Anything other than Vanilla Android is a compromise, no matter what flavor it is in. Sense, Blur, whatever. They all cripple the Android experience in their own special way. But man, are those buttons sexy on Sense or what?
Lol TB is way better than x. Honestly, incredible is better than the x. Stock to stock comparison. X might have hdmi and bigger screen vs dinc .. but dinc is way smoother in all aspect.
I have a DX as well and really like it. No need for me to upgrade until a phone with all the specs I am looking ofr comes out. To me this phone is a hybrid of technologies. Some old, some new. When Verizon puts out a phone with all the new technologies (Dual-core, more RAM, more internal memory), then I will upgrade. None-the-less, this is still a good phone.
@Steveo – I will disagree with you on one point. Who cares that it is a Sense phone. It won’t have a locked bootloader and you can wipe sense off it in 2 seconds with a costum ROM. Unlike my DX that I am stuck on stock Froyo and Crapblur.
@steveo I agree. Vanilla Android is the way to go. I’m so sick of the crappy ass bloatware.
My issues is not with sense specifically. Sense is no better/worse than any other manufacturer’s skinned version. My issue is in releasing a phone with 2.2 on it at all, when 2.3 has been out for a while and there is a bunch of talk about 2.4. Who knows when it will get 2.3, let alone what is just around the corner. I just see this as bait. Much like the dual cameras in the iPad2. ‘We have cameras now!’ Who cares if they take awful pics, right? VZW: ‘We have 4G Now!’. OK. Next…
Unlike my DX that I am stuck on stock Froyo and Crapblur??
Maybe you are living under a rock, like the Geico commercials say. You don’t have to stay on stock Froyo on the DX. I have a DX, and a custom ROM,called Apex 1.4, with little to almost no blur. Amazingly fast! Also Rubix ROM is similar, all you need to do is root your phone..Geesh. I wish people would research before they post dumb comments!
I am looking forward to it… my OG Droid was great, but has taken 2 years of use and abuse and a plethora of ROMS and ROM updates (thanks Pete and Liquid). As for Sense vs Blur vs Vanilla… look around in the forums.. you will be able to remove/add whatever you please after its been out a few days… This phone has some nice specs and once its rooted you can make it your own…
Steveo I used to only like vanilla android until I tried a sense phone. Sense actually adds function and polish to android. And the bootloader will be unlocked so it will be easy to put vanilla builds on it. Also sense 2.3 isn’t far off. There’s a 2.3 sense build for desire HD already and the two phones are very similar.
What are the differences from 2.2 to 2.3?
The key with the TB is it probabl
HTC = CyanogenMod. Case closed.
My feeling is the TB is going to be just ok. I am ok with that because my expectations are low. It is definitely priced a bit high. Would have been better value if it were 199$ but it does come with a 32GB card so not horrible. I currently have the HTC incredible and the phone is really great. It can hang with any phone that is currently on the market. I am expecting the TB to be a similar experience if not a bit better.
Sense is not bad but I just install a 3rd party home scren (ie. Launcher Pro) and wipe out that crap anyway. Agreed that these manufacturer home screens (Motoblur & Sense) definitely slow down upgrades and cause a lot of gaps between the different devices. Google should put an end to this and require the manufacturers to release with the base OS intact and then allow you to apply their updates as an optional install.
I am definitely going to upgrade to the TB but I am definitely skeptical for one major reason. I am afraid that having two radios 3G and 4G running at the same time will really eat the battery. On my HTC incredible I had to upgrade to a 50$ 1750Mah battery to make it from 7am-6pm without having to recharge and it only has one radio. With the standard 1300Mah battery I would make it from 7am-2pm. Not acceptable!!! Im thinking that I will more then likely get an extended battery and then disable the 4G most of the time because it will not be available everywhere. If nothing else I am getting 4G option and a 4.3 screen on a HTC Verizon device… :)
@Juan – Exactly
Who cares what OS is on it. The fact that it won’t have a locked bootlaoder means I can put whatever I want on it. That said, I still think the technology in the phone is a mix of old and new and needs to be better to get me salivating over it.
Also…..how’s the camera on it? I hate to bring up the iPhone, as I’m not really a fan of it, but the camera on these DROID Super Phones needs to get on the same level of the iPhone 4 camera. Outside is one thing, but the DX camera gets trashed by the iphone 4 camera inside. Hope HTC and Moto get on the same level on the new phones.
What is the big deal…isn’t this just an updated Evo 4G for Verizon? I am getting one because I love the Evo, but I like Verizon better than sprint. Besides the 4g radio which will likely drain the battery, and the fact that this is not a phone that allows chat and internet use at the same time, what are we getting all excited about? I’ll say it again, I believe this is just an updated and rebadged Evo 4G and that’s just fine with me. But the hysteria…please!
I don’t blame anyone if they dont upgrade to this phone if they have a Droid X or Incredible. Those are awesome phones but me on the other hand…Ive got a Envy Touch. Yeah, you read that right, ENVY TOUCH. Its time for me to upgrade.
Why not go for this phone? Great specs, HTC Phone with android, front facing camera, 32gb micro sd card, 4g in my area, mobile hotspot all for a reasonable price of $250.00. Sounds great to me.
I dont know about you haters but Im picking this up tomorrow and Im going to be so happy to have the POWER of this baby in my hands :)
4G is not in my area but I guess it will be here sooner or later — can you toggle off 4G? I love my DInc and my 3G coverage is freakin’ awesome…really just need 4.3″ screen that is NOT shaped like the DX – too narrow, prefer the squatness of this orientation.
@steveo, obviously u have never used sense ui, it doesn’t even compare to blur or any other skin, hands down it the best. As for the camera issue you speak of, I have a buddy with an atrix, I assure you that moto has remedied that problem. I have a Verizon iPhone and my love the Dinc and I agree that the cameras aren’t close.
I’m glad the phone will be release tomorrow! Just came from Verizon and had the opportunity to see it!! It’s really nice! Since there is no cap on data (for now) and i can have the hot spot for free until May 15, you can bet I’m getting this baby!!!Thunderbolt and I have a lot to share!!!
I have had an EVO and an Eris, so I have used Sense. It has fancy buttons, annimations and a few apps that do not come with Vanilla Android. It also sucks compared to Vanilla Android as far as being a functional user experience. I don’t want fancy buttons. If I did, I would have bought an iPhone long ago.
I am not sure that you can definitely toggle 4G on and off on the TB. A friend has the EVO4G and you can on that one. Being that the TB is just a rebranded EVO I would bet you can.
I agree that this phone is definitely over-hyped. It is really an outdated phone that Sprint has been selling for awhile. They are just finally getting it on Verizon’s network. With that said it is still one of the better phones available. Im not completely sold on the dual core phones yet and I personally think they are over hyped as well. Especially any of the new Motorola phones that are encrypted so you cannot mod with custom roms. I am more interested in VoLTE which is supposed to be available this summer (maybe). That will get rid of the need for the 3G radio all together and will really change things.
CyanogenMod7 is great on DINC. Hopefully it will be available for TB…
Does anyone know if CM7 supports 4G???
Not excited. I know it’s a big deal and all, but it’s not dual core. I’m jumping like a kid and stomping my foot waiting for the BIONIC.
LTE will not be the cause of poor battery life. LTE is better than evdo for battery management unlike wimax which is a fixed mobile technology. There are other factors that can affect battery life namely the processor. Btw. I know people who have been testing it and the device is quick and the lte speeds blow the doors off all competitors.
good phone but I was hoping for Dual Core so I might wait for Bionic or if unlimited 4G is still at 30 a month Targa
@TallyHo Why don’t you just root your dx and install a custom rom. I am running Liberty 1.5 on my dx and love it.
I have an incredible, I do love sense, Vanilla sucks, I don’t know how much an upgrade it will be, but I am getting one regardless, I can waste my hard earned money. In the meantime, until something better drops, I will have the first LTE Verizon phone, so F#%@ all you jealous haters!
@Tim:
This phone is actually the FIRST Verizon phone to do talk and text over 3G (but probably slowly), and it should be able to do talk and text over 4G (talk over 3G, data over 4G if I’m not mistaken).
SteveO, how is Vanilla more functional than sense? I find it easier to have the people widget for my favorites. The agenda widget for calender is great. It integrates social media better, and I use nothing but facebook here and there. All widgets look better. Weather animation is nice. I have run CM7, OMFGB, and neither have proven fast than Myn’s Warm Z or even Myn’s 2.2. So, I am not sure how you come to your conclusions.
You mean talk and data. Talk and text has always been possible.
@Jumbo I have a Env Touch as well and I hate it. My upgrade isn’t until Saturday, I hope they don’t sell out.
I currently have the X and will be buying the Thunderbolt tomorrow. And to add my 2 cents to this battle going on: The thunderbolt is better than the X by more than a “small margin”. RAM is huge with these phones, espcially since most apps run in the background all the time…In addition, it supports more external storage than the X. Also, it has a second generation Snapdragon processor, Meaning better architecture than the 1st gen, therefore, more efficient. Oh and 4g, if you’re lucky to be in the service area. One last note. Interface/Overlay is irrelevant people. LauncherPro is superior both cosmetically and performance wise to any stock interface, in my opinion anyway..
This phone sucks and the reason isn’t the phone itself but all thezpse HTC fanboys everything sucks except there precious HTC phones. Well guess what no dual core and battery life will suck just like all HTC phones and sense is not great stop being a fanboy
yes tim I do. my fault
@brian
I wouldn’t say most people are “htc fanboys”, including myself. What I AM a fan of is the unlocked bootloader, something that Motorolla locks up as tightly as they can manage. So…getting rid of the sense reskin isn’t a problem…which is mostly what kills the battery life in my experience. Problem solved.
And to be honest, it’s not like dual-core processors will be used in day-to-day android tasks for the next couple of OS updates…there’s certainly no android support for them in phones at the moment. With that in mind, I see no reason not to upgrade to the TB now if you live in an area with 4g (how do contracts work if your area is not currently covered?) and wait a year or so for companies to really flesh-out their dual-core offerings with android OS support.
HAHA i love hearing, “whats the difference between this and the evo? all this has is 4g”….. whats the difference between my v6 mustang and your cobra? haha silly people
4g lte**
I just literally left my local Verizon store, which I’m pretty well known at for DX problems and BB before that.. they know be my first name lol. One of the reps, particularly my fave at this location, sat and chatted me up about the TB for about 30 min. He told me that the original launch date was supposed to be the 4th, and they had them in store, ready to sell. But after a series of tests, they determined that the battery life was inadequate. But not only that, it was over heating. And not just, oh wow my phone is hot! He said it was actually melting the phone!! But as of their battery performance test yesterday, the TB ran for 7 hours straight, right out of the box with no charge, playing hq vids. He said the battery icon kept flashing and the phone would beep, but it just kept on running the movie. He also said the phone works just as good on 3g as 4g, but of course, not as fast. The FFC is a 2.5, which is better than iphone AND the bionic! He also said its the heaviest hand held device they now carry, and im still undecided if that’s a good thing or not.. skype will not do video calls on 3g, only wifi.. and he was unclear as to whether or not it would work on 4g, but did say that the Xoom would video chat no matter what cuz the internet is integrated… and that smartphones don’t have that capability. He claims that this phone is not in high demand, so they are not taking appointments for it on launch, but they are pretty well stocked and don’t think I’ll have a problem getting one tomorrow. Not in high demand? What?!?! LOL!! OH, and fyi!! He also mentioned that the iPhone 5 was just confirmed and they will be selling them in June. Just thought I would share.. as you can see, I’m pretty excited haha <3
Cant they make there phones loom different they all look the same.smh thats gonna get old fast trust me.