By Considering that Phandroid – and our extremely resourceful sister site, AndroidForums.com – were the leaders in pre-announcement HTC Incredible news and information, we were surprised to see we were overlooked when pre-launch reviews started popping. Remember these?
- Check out this very passionate community of Incredible fans over at AF’s official HTC Incredible section.
- Here’s the massive HTC Incredible thread which that section houses: Over 800 pages across 41,000 posts which have been viewed 2.3 million times to date.
- From that thread, we saw new glimpses of the device in question in a more candid series of photos.
- From another thread, it was revealed that the device was being pushed to warehouses ready to be shipped.
- A bit later, the Incredible thread returned to glory with the leaking of a massive 200+ page user guide in PDF format, and we also learned about a concrete date on that very same day.
- Just hours later, it wasn’t to be outdone by the equipment guide.
- A bunch of other juicy pieces of information cropped up since then, and it all led up to the unveiling of a very official staging site for Verizon to promote the phone (with the final site launching just a day later followed by Verizon’s official announcement).
And much more of what happened in between can be had. The chronology speaks volumes for itself about Phandroid being the leader in HTC Incredible coverage, but we digress. The reviews are out and everyone is amazed: it’s almost as if the iPhone and iPad don’t exist. Almost.
Gizmodo praised the device‘s snappiness running 2.1 and HTC Sense (thanks to the speedy 1ghz Snapdragon processor it holds). Further, they called it “the best Android phone you can buy on Verizon, which, at the very least, makes it the best smartphone you can buy on Verizon.”
For those of you wondering about its camera, IntoMobile’s concluded that it’s “fantastic”. Thanks in part to its 8-megapixel camera equipped with dual-LED flash, they pretty much said it’s ok for you to chuck your standalone camera out the window (don’t do that, though, it’s bad for the environment. Take it to one of those techno-waste factories if you can).
BGR drooled over the battery‘s ability to stand up to a day’s worth of tasks even on the Incredible’s beefy processor and power-hungry screen, saying that they “got through the day with some heavy emailing, web browsing, and light phone calling with pretty much no issue”. Your mileage may vary, though, as other initial reports say otherwise.
SlashGear couldn’t keep their hands off of the Incredible‘s responsive OLED display, with its touchscreen being “both more accurate and less likely to miss taps than that of the Nexus One.” The screen is even easier to see with low brightness settings outdoors thanks to the ever-growing display technology HTC is beginning to adopt.
Engadget wrapped their review up, saying “it’s not just a very, very good Android phone (though it is); it’s also an excellent smartphone no matter how you cut it.”
As for Phandroid? We’ll keep our fingers crossed that a review unit will land in our lap shortly, but until then, don’t worry – we’ll stay on top of the coverage like red on an Incredible battery.
The device is out there, it’s being loved, and it’s waiting for your pre-orders to come dialing in (which you can do today, by the way). Read the full reviews for yourself for the in-depth looks at the phone and impressions from its users. Like any phone, there are a few flaws that have been consistently noted, but it seems like everyone can’t get enough of it regardless (as minor as those flaws sound).
Other Reviews:
Unboxings and Other videos:
Engadget tests the phone’s 640×480 recording quality:
Greg from MobileCrunch excitedly unboxes his new Droid Incredible:
Vincent from SlashGear cracks open his FedEx box to reveal a slick looking device. We are also treated to a tour of the Grand Canyon as he showcases the phone’s video recording capabilities.
Ewdison from AndroidCommunity ruthlessly takes a pair of scissors to his box to show off the phone, as well.
IntoMobile chimes in with their own unboxing:
Gizmodo has their own recorded video sample which you can find here.
All in all, reviews are great. Can’t wait to get mine. Move over Iphone. As for the Nexus One, I don’t see any buyers. The web only model is not going to work for mass market. I hope VZW allows no cost tethering.
Yawn. I really am not terribly blown away by this. Droid is not terribly intuitive. I dislike the interface.
I want some EVO news! Even if this looks like a nice phone, I want my front facing camera…
Nice that everyone is focused on the positives, but until the weak phone signal, battery and internal storeage issues (apps can not see it) are fixed, I will wait.
Also, when on the VZW site, you gotta pick a minimum of 5.00 text plan for 250 texts. Why aren’t texts considered part of the 30.00 data plan?
I wish there was some courtesy extended to Eris owners that would allow us to upgrade ahead of schedule. I’ve only had it since November, and now it’s reached it’s End Of Life? Gah.
Funny thing, my coworker just got an Eris this weekend, I told him to take it back and get the Incredible. How are they still selling these?
@Mike Hunt, cause Verizon has to pay for their LTE upgrade somehow. ;)
@Gretchen Not intuitive compared to what? If you say iPhone then I have the answer I need.
@mike
.
1. Awesome name
2. Can we all just agree to start “text messaging” using gChat?
.
Seriously, why do we all still pay for such an archaic sack of sh*t service?
Can anyone else confirm that you need to buy a texting plan in addition to the data? That’s really pretty absurd if it’s true… I’ll be crossing my fingers hoping this isn’t true.
@grechen – I’m glad someone finally said it, because I agree. The Droid interface is WAY too confusing. I’ll stick to my rotary phone, thanks.
lol Mike – Too funny!
Okay, as far as the texting goes, YES you have to pay extra for texting.
If you do not get a texting package, if someone sends a text, you WILL be charged 20 cents.
I agree it is ridiculous & should be included in the data package.
BUT, Verizon can block texting if you ask. That way you don’t have to be worried about being charged for it.
@Cpt Mike Beard @grechen What are the both of you talking about Droid interface this phone doesn’t run on droid its Android and the Motorola Droid uses plain android 2.1 and this phone uses HTC Sense on top of Android 2.1. So are you talking about all Android phones or just this one.
You don’t need to select a texting option if your plan already includes it. I just ordered this phone and thought the same thing, but I have the nationwide talk and text plan (450). It’s all included.
Texting is not part of data. Texts don’t go through the “data” network. They go over the “voice” network. That is why you can talk on the phone and still get a text with Verizon and Sprint….whereas you can not get any data while on the phone unless it is over WiFi.
I don’t see how this is now a new issue. It’s the same for ATT as well. Not sure about TMO and Sprint.
Is it just me or is living in Europe a Pain in the Phoneass???
@Janus
What!?! I would love to live in Europe since you guys get all the good phones before the States. You already had the incredible, its just called the Desire. These phones have different names, but they are basically the same. Its just there is a wider selection in Europe.
@jdog – all I’m saying is that there is a certain standard in telephony these days, and maybe I’m just a simple-minded person, but I think the pinnacle of phone-making was achieved with the invention of the rotary phone, AND everything since then has just been way too difficult to figure out.
@ Rushmore
App can see the internal memory. The problem lies when an app needs to store info on the micro sd card. Then the app don’t see that. So getting a 32gb micro sd card plus the 6gb you already have makes for some pretty good storage on a phone.
It feels like 90% of substantive material from this blog is rehashing what another blog has posted. That is probably why your site was overlooked.
That and that the traffic doesn’t compare to these larger sites.
One area where I’ve been very disappointed by Phandroid is in the failure to cover xScope. The one story that nobody else has covered and which has been handed to you at least twice is the xScope browser. It hasn’t received any press anywhere. It was developed largely with the support of your community and forums. It’s faster than the alternatives and for many smart users is the best browser available.
It would make for an easy original story, but for some reason, it’s yet to get any press here either even on articles that are generally about the browser.
Also, the lack of posts designed to educate Android users has been disappointing. Where are the original pieces about the latest and greatest applications? What about reviews and comparisons of all the music players? An expose on the need for task killer apps (or not)? Etc.
Submitted respectfully here because I’m not sure my email would be received and read.
I hope all other eris users are as mad as i am. I bought the eris when it first came out and was promised an update for some time. Now i see that i might get the update but only after what looks like the eris 2 hits the shelves. Thank you verizon!!!
why do people believe they need a special discount to upgrade early every time a new one comes out?
@Chuck
“Also, the lack of posts designed to educate Android users has been disappointing. Where are the original pieces about the latest and greatest applications? What about reviews and comparisons of all the music players? An expose on the need for task killer apps (or not)? Etc.”
May I point you in the direction of a series of reviews posted within just the last week comparing music players:
http://phandroid.com/2010/04/12/streaming-music-showdown-pandora/
http://phandroid.com/2010/04/13/streaming-music-showdown-last-fm/
http://phandroid.com/2010/04/15/streaming-music-showdown-umusic/
http://phandroid.com/2010/04/16/streaming-music-showdown-slacker-radio/
and more are to come, as well as more reviews and comparisons of other types of apps. You can expect to see a lot more of the content you have described as lacking in the coming weeks, but I respect and note your opinion. I don’t think any Android-specific blog got a review phone aside from the one owned by a larger non-Android site. Also much of the news we post is not simply gleaned from other sources (and many bigger-name blogs often link back to our original stories). We have a large body of tipsters and community members consistently providing us with news and information, and we try to cover most of the apps that developers forward our way. This is the first I have ever heard of xScope, but I will look into it further. Thanks for your comments.
For anyone thinking of doing a phone video in the future:
1. I have about zero interesting in watching you open the box and take the stuff out.
2. I have a big interest in you learning to use a video camera and have decent audio
3. Dont bother showing the features of the phone when you have no data in it. “Oh ; here is a very cool app called friends stream; but i have no contacts in the phone yet, so just imagine how cool it is…”
LOL at the interface “challenged” people here.
as for weak signal, battery and storage “issues”… check the reviews.. many of the reviews are saying the signal, and battery is exceptional, as for storage, you need to have an SD card inserted. I somehow find that not to be an issue. Maybe you belong in the “challenged” category and should get an EVO. I hear you can get good signal while your on a stool on top of your roof with your hand extended as high as you can get it.
I for one side with the reviewers and see this as the best phone out on the market for this moment.
why does no one ever seem to go over the things that truely matter in any “phone” when doing reviews and comparison between manufacturers like the following:
reception
battery life
audio quality both speaker and mic.
background noise pickup/noise cancelation
also use of qwerty keyboard on sence ui on incredible has yet to been shown.
ive allways found moto to have better reception in bad service areas then lg/htc is this still true or has htc improved this…
everyone loves to point out smart phone capabilities however how does the basic functions stack up?
Wow, I just reread this article and noticed that the reason you guys haven’t put together your own review is that they haven’t given you an Incredible yet. The only word I can think of is ‘appalling.’ How the heck do they justify stiffing the folks responsible for generating almost all of the hype for this phone. I’m really disgusted with Verizon for this: the least they could do is show some freaking gratitude. I certainly hope they wise up quickly.
I patiently waited until first week of April before giving up on the Verizon Nexus One. My guess is that they were didn’t want the N1 to steal the Incredible’s thunder and in the mean time they could clear out the remaining stock of Moto Droids. Rather than rewarding this strategy by buying an Incredible, I’m leaving Verizon for Sprint as soon as the EVO drops.
Be sure not to be shy and let us all know how depressed you are with the EVO when you realize your mistake and all your calls get dropped.
Speaking on call quality, “the HTC Droid Incredible coupled with Verizon’s famous-for-kicking-in-the-other-carrier’s-teeth network makes for a really pleasant adventure. Phone calls were loud and clear on both the earpiece and also when using the speakerphone capability. Callers heard us just fine, and we haven’t dropped a single call while testing the phone.” -BGR
So whats up with the lame videos “showing off” the camera? Nothing against Phandroid here but seriously, the best thing they can think to film, and then ACTUALLY POST ONLINE is walking around some alley moving the phone up and down as we get to see nothing of how good the camera actually is? Wow engadget you guy are smart. Not that you have to blow me away or make a Hollywood quality movie to impress…but c’mon, can’t you find something, anything more interesting than an alley in the ghetto somewhere? Kudos to the guy that shot the Grand Canyon. Not sure what he was doing at the end there but at least his video was more educational about the phone’s video capability than the other ones.
Check out this review at cnet.com. They gave the Droid Incredible their editor’s choice award! http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/htc-droid-incredible-verizon/4505-6454_7-34064029.html?tag=smallCarouselArea.0
Pretty ridiculous that you can still only install and run a few hundred mb of apps. Get with it Google. Plasticky case is not good. Poor copy of the iPhone UI is not. Really not anything to get excited about though. Being on Verizon is good and i would take it over BB or Windows Mobile but that isn’t saying much.
Neither is having an Iphone or an Evo(not even out) for that fact.
so whats your point ?
If I want a computer I will get a computer for apps.
but for phone usage, this happens to have the best mix/match of quality features and actually being able to use the phone for what its design is.. A PHONE! NOT A TOY.
AT&T and Sprint and T-MO customers will agree their service drops calls regularly and has sporadic coverage.
Is this the sparkling alternative you suggest? I dont think so
there is a time to hate and a time to realize the IPhone or the Evo will never be the phone you want it to be until its on a carrier that actually has a good network… right now unfortunately its on the network that dont give a damn about its customers.
My first impression is this:
1.The phone looks much better real than on the internet.
2. It’s fast.
3. Gmail is great and it’s pushed
4. Screen is super nice and bright
5. Conference calls doesn’t work unless you made both calls. If someone call you and another one call in, you cannot merge the calls. If you made a call and another prison calls in, you also cannot merge the calls.
6. You cannot copy/select in Native Gmail quoted text. You only can select text that you are typing for coping. You cannot select a text in an attachment. You cannot select text in SMS. It should be at least as good as iPhone in this area.
7. Battery is running out faster than I would like. But the feature of changeable battery is great.
8. Maps feature is great.
9. Delete a person in favorite is a painful process.
10. Skype doesn’t work when WiFi is on but it does work on 3G
11. During a call, other data service is not working unless you have WiFi on.
12. In a Native Gmail thread, you cannot zoom on/out. It’s particularly hard when it is embedded with some pictures.
13. When you have 2 calls on, you cannot selectively end 1 call, all would be dropped.
14. Verizon is great.
15. Camera is great, but doesn’t seems to be 8mp
I love the HTC phones, I recently bought my third one. I find them very comfortable and easier to use than the iPhone.