Are they killing the Incredible? Why?
June 29, 2010 12:13 PM Subscribe
What's the deal with the HTC Droid Incredible's sudden agoraphobia?
I shopped around for my next Verizon smartphone and decided the Droid X is going to be too big and too monstrous for my needs. The Incredible is exactly what I've been looking for.
Now, exactly two months after it was released, I'm hearing reports that there are shortages of some part in the display (or something) that mean there's a long waiting list for the phone. Verizon is reportedly trying to talk people out of buying them. There are rumors that the device will be discontinued shortly. Apparently HTC just announced Froyo updates coming soon, and didn't utter even a whisper about the Incredible. My Googling is only making me more undecided, after I'd already made up my mind.
Help me cut through the paranoia. Are the shortages just the typical new-gadget-selling-like-hotcakes phenomenon or is there something more serious going on? If I go ahead and add my name to the waiting list, will I just end up with an obsolete and unsupported dud? I really want a phone that will be compatible with a wide range of software, and something at the beginning of its lifespan. I thought that was the Incredible but now I'm afraid I'm making a mistake. Hope me!
I shopped around for my next Verizon smartphone and decided the Droid X is going to be too big and too monstrous for my needs. The Incredible is exactly what I've been looking for.
Now, exactly two months after it was released, I'm hearing reports that there are shortages of some part in the display (or something) that mean there's a long waiting list for the phone. Verizon is reportedly trying to talk people out of buying them. There are rumors that the device will be discontinued shortly. Apparently HTC just announced Froyo updates coming soon, and didn't utter even a whisper about the Incredible. My Googling is only making me more undecided, after I'd already made up my mind.
Help me cut through the paranoia. Are the shortages just the typical new-gadget-selling-like-hotcakes phenomenon or is there something more serious going on? If I go ahead and add my name to the waiting list, will I just end up with an obsolete and unsupported dud? I really want a phone that will be compatible with a wide range of software, and something at the beginning of its lifespan. I thought that was the Incredible but now I'm afraid I'm making a mistake. Hope me!
Mrs. Plinth and I put in an order for an Incredible on the weekend after our AT&T contract expired. It had already sold out at that point and was back ordered and shipped to our home. It arrived exactly on the day they predicted.
Android Central counters the EOL rumors.
As far as FroYo is concerned, the rumors I see point to Fall/Winter for the Incredible.
posted by plinth at 12:47 PM on June 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Android Central counters the EOL rumors.
As far as FroYo is concerned, the rumors I see point to Fall/Winter for the Incredible.
posted by plinth at 12:47 PM on June 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
It's been rooted.
posted by coldblackice at 12:48 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by coldblackice at 12:48 PM on June 29, 2010
HTC is going to manufacture a new version without the Samsung sourced screen because they can't get any more.. samsung is using them all for their own Android phones.
posted by selfnoise at 12:52 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by selfnoise at 12:52 PM on June 29, 2010
Response by poster: HTC is going to manufacture a new version without the Samsung sourced screen because they can't get any more.. samsung is using them all for their own Android phones.
Wasn't that a pretty good screen though? Should I be concerned that whatever they replace it with is going to be inferior?
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 12:58 PM on June 29, 2010
Wasn't that a pretty good screen though? Should I be concerned that whatever they replace it with is going to be inferior?
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 12:58 PM on June 29, 2010
Response by poster: Or, upon further reflection, could an inferior screen result in longer battery life?
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 1:03 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 1:03 PM on June 29, 2010
FWIW, I ordered my Incredible June 3. I just received it an hour ago.
posted by wocka wocka wocka at 1:05 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by wocka wocka wocka at 1:05 PM on June 29, 2010
I think battery life is seriously an issue with this thing.
It comes with, what, a 1300mAH battery? I thought that was a bit weak - the phone was dying *constantly* - especially because it was new and I was playing with it all the time. I ordered a 1700mAH battery, thinking this would solve the problem, but it really hasn't. I try to make sure to keep stuff like WiFi off when I can and use task manager to kill off unnecessary processes. And still, it feels like I can barely make it through a day, and sometimes I can't. Like tonight.
I just ordered a 3500mAH battery from the same manufacturer. It's a little thicker, so it takes a different back, but seriously I want my phone to not die.
Stupid thing.
I like it a lot though. It's great. I just wish it had a little fusion reactor attached to it.
posted by kbanas at 6:31 PM on June 29, 2010
It comes with, what, a 1300mAH battery? I thought that was a bit weak - the phone was dying *constantly* - especially because it was new and I was playing with it all the time. I ordered a 1700mAH battery, thinking this would solve the problem, but it really hasn't. I try to make sure to keep stuff like WiFi off when I can and use task manager to kill off unnecessary processes. And still, it feels like I can barely make it through a day, and sometimes I can't. Like tonight.
I just ordered a 3500mAH battery from the same manufacturer. It's a little thicker, so it takes a different back, but seriously I want my phone to not die.
Stupid thing.
I like it a lot though. It's great. I just wish it had a little fusion reactor attached to it.
posted by kbanas at 6:31 PM on June 29, 2010
Droid X and Froyo: the Droid X is a "with Google" device, not a "Google experience" device. This means that it's blessed by Google (as opposed to someone just taking the open sourced Android and building a phone, which is also OK but doesnt get you a Google badge), but that it's not running vanilla/stock Android.
In particular, the Droid X runs the HTC Sense UI. This means that if HTC wants to update to Froyo, they'll have to take the Froyo release and apply their modifications to it before they can OTA (over the air / deliver) the update.
I don't know whether HTC has announced any commitment to release Froyo. I certainly hope they would, especially with all the Sense UI phones, but there's no requirement to do so on their part the way a Google Experience phone (like the Motorola Droid or the Nexus One) has.
posted by wildcrdj at 7:45 PM on June 29, 2010
In particular, the Droid X runs the HTC Sense UI. This means that if HTC wants to update to Froyo, they'll have to take the Froyo release and apply their modifications to it before they can OTA (over the air / deliver) the update.
I don't know whether HTC has announced any commitment to release Froyo. I certainly hope they would, especially with all the Sense UI phones, but there's no requirement to do so on their part the way a Google Experience phone (like the Motorola Droid or the Nexus One) has.
posted by wildcrdj at 7:45 PM on June 29, 2010
Argh. Replace all instances of Droid X with Incredible. Argh. Otherwise its correct I think :)
posted by wildcrdj at 7:46 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by wildcrdj at 7:46 PM on June 29, 2010
However, the same statement about Froyo DOES apply to the Droid X, hence my confusion. Both Droid X (Motorola) and Droid Incredible (HTC) are "with Google" phones with modified UIs that will only get Froyo if/when the manufacturer releases an updated build. (HTC has Sense, Moto has Blur).
posted by wildcrdj at 7:48 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by wildcrdj at 7:48 PM on June 29, 2010
Response by poster: wildcrdj, I'm trying to determine the difference between "with Google" and "Google experience." As you described them, "with Google" is the better one. Yet "with Google" includes (in this case) HTC Sense UI. To my inexperienced ears, that sounds like the crapware that comes preinstalled on HP and Dell PCs. Wouldn't the pure Android OS be superior to 3rd party mods?
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 8:12 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 8:12 PM on June 29, 2010
Opinions on Sense are largely mixed. A lot of people swear by it because they believe Android still has some steps to take in the usability department, and Sense helps bridge that gap. Other people disagree. The good news is on most Android phones you can easily turn off Sense. Except on the Incredible. Oops.
posted by kbanas at 8:26 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by kbanas at 8:26 PM on June 29, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
However, I will say that a woman who works upstairs put her name on a "wait" list a week after launch, and she's still waiting. And they keep giving her a song and dance about "Oh, any day now," but she's getting mighty tired of waiting - she asked me just the other day if she should jump ship for the Droid X.
This worries me, because I too have heard these lamentations about some production problem. It's also, apparently, one of the *only* android phones yet to be rooted, which is also worrying - especially considering the EVO was rooted about 30 seconds after it hit the shelf.
I guess I could possibly envision a scenario where the phone is quietly 86'd due to production difficulties and all us losers who ponied up get totally boned with no Froyo update or anything. I would totally cry and gnash my teeth, but it wouldn't be the first time an early adopter gets screwed.
posted by kbanas at 12:31 PM on June 29, 2010