Are Droids still user friendly/customizable without hacks or tweaks?

[KenjiWB]

I have an upgrade available this month, and will be sticking with Verizon as my provider. Over the past few weeks I've been doing a lot of reading and have decided that it will be between an iPhone or a Droid.

I bought my wife an iPhone 4 through Verizon when it came out, have been messin with it on occasion, and have similar gripes as most people regarding Apple's stranglehold on their content...but for what it does, it does well.

After sifting through several news sites and blogs, I found this site and have been reading about all the cool things people have done with their Droids. But, while I consider myself pretty tech savvy, I do not want to buy a phone that I can only enjoy after I completely dissect and recreate it in my vision...basically, using computers as a reference, I enjoy the freedoms of a PC over a Mac any day, but I would always use Windows over Linux (but I don't want a Windows phone lol, confused yet?).

So my main question is, will I be missing out on all the cool Droid perks if I just use it out of the box? My eyes hurt from reading and searching so much info over the past couple of weeks, and I feel like I've been sprinting to catch up with all the hype that's occurred this year lol.

I'm debating between getting a Thunderbolt now, or waiting for a Bionic, Revolution, or X2...

 

[sincitygrrrl1]

I've kept both my Droid1 & Thunderbolt stock, but still can make it my own without rooting. There's apps for anything you need, most are free, wallpapers you can change easy enough. I use pics that I take for my background. There are plenty of customized Widgets available on the phone you can add to customize your different homescreens.

I'm loving my TB, the only real drawback is if your a real heavy user is the battery. It really doesn't bother me because I can charge it while I'm sitting at my desk at work and I plug it in when I go to bed.

 

[hookbill]

You'd never know it by looking at this forum but the vast majority of people do not root their Droids. Only a small percentage do it. My Droid 2 is stock and it's going to stay that way.

 

[Liberated56]

If your into rims and custmozation go for thunderbolt

sent from my droid X running liberty GB v0.5

 

[pc747]

You'd never know it by looking at this forum but the vast majority of people do not root their Droids. Only a small percentage do it. My Droid 2 is stock and it's going to stay that way.

That is very true, infact at one time we had a section of all the tweaks and mods you can do with a stock phone.

 

[KenjiWB]

Awesome, thanks for the quick replies! Yea I gotta admit I was a little overwhelmed by all the jargon in the forums at first, but it hasn't deterred me from readin more heh and I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a Droid...this will by 'my' first smartphone, and its crazy how hard it is picking one out! So many great phones, both available and on the horizon ghaaa!

 

[pc747]

I sugest checking out the many reviews of the devices and playing with them in the store to find what is right for you. I would also suggest a 4g phone even if you dont have lte in your area or dont plan on using it as much having the device that is capable of using lte being vzw took away ne2 so you will basically be stuck with the device for 2 years.

 

[Rento]

Take note: Dual core is being released and quad core within Q3.

 

[takeshi]

So my main question is, will I be missing out on all the cool Droid perks if I just use it out of the box?

Not necessarily. You'd just need to take it out for a spin to see for yourself. It's not a question with a one-size-fits-all answer. There are people happily using every smartphone out there out-of-the-box.

 

[alboboy10]

My dx didn't look like when I got it out of the box. Droids are very customizable without root still. You can even get free apps without rooting (unlike with iphone)

 

[StormyHeather]

I have a stock DX. I feel like it is very customizable. I've changed the launcher, the wallpaper, the icons. I've added widgets. I'm the kind of person that likes to change how my phone looks. Frequently. The stock DX allows me to do that without any problems.

So, go forth! Customize to your heart's content. dancedroid

 

[Oowoon]

I did it for the removal of bloatware, along with being able to increase my phones efficiency.

That's just me though. Stock and unmodified droids are also good.

Sent from my DROID2 using DroidForums

 

[Xander Crews]

You'd never know it by looking at this forum but the vast majority of people do not root their Droids. Only a small percentage do it. My Droid 2 is stock and it's going to stay that way.

++
My Droid2 is stock...and I love it.

 

[Xander Crews]

Take note: Dual core is being released and quad core within Q3.

Ugh...I hate it when people do this.
If you always hold off for the next latest and greatest phone that is just around the corner...you'll never, ever get a phone.

Find a phone you love that is out right now, and get it. Don't wait for "the perfect phone" that will be out in a few months, because that's ALWAYS going to be the case. There is always something better around the corner.