Droid 4 Early Update Petition

[doogald]

That is an Apples and Oranges comparison. There is very little difference between the Bionic and the Razor. Those folks that are upset about those two phones are just wanting the latest and greatest and are caught-up in the reality that every phone is obsolete shortly after it comes out. The Droid on the other hand is at version 3 and a new version was announced within 6 months of its birthing.

Just to clarify, everything about the Droid 4 has been rumor so far. Nothing has been announced at all - just a bunch of leaked documents and photos, etc., one of which we now know was absolutely wrong - specifically, that the Droid 4 would be released today. It hasn't even been announced, as it turns out.

With the LTE data outage the last couple of days, which in many cases prevented even 3G data for LTE phones - and the second such outage in three months - are people really that eager to get the LTE Droid 4?

 

[DroidMoose]

Occupy verizon! Stop innovation and tech advancement!

Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

 

[Fr33dom]

Just to clarify, everything about the Droid 4 has been rumor so far. Nothing has been announced at all - just a bunch of leaked documents and photos, etc., one of which we now know was absolutely wrong - specifically, that the Droid 4 would be released today. It hasn't even been announced, as it turns out.

With the LTE data outage the last couple of days, which in many cases prevented even 3G data for LTE phones - and the second such outage in three months - are people really that eager to get the LTE Droid 4?

That is basically my point. Until it comes out--or at least until the release date is announced, you cannot really say that the release pace is all that fast or that Moto sold you the D3 on a false premise, or whatever. That is what I believe the pain point is for most of those who feel burned. For me, this has been a good phone and I am happy I decided to jump in when I did. The rumors or announcement or whatever that there would be a D4 with LTE left a sour taste in my mouth, but after the dust settled it became apparent that any D4 was still a ways off.

As for LTEs growing pains, and I've no doubt that is what they are--growing pains, the answer to your question is YES. My larger concern at this point is the battery, but even that is a minor issue that probably doesn't merit the time I've spent wringing my hands over it. Did you know for example that researchers have found a cheap and easy way to make these batteries last considerably longer with some strategic hole punching? Not that you should try to retrofit your current battery but we could be seeing batteries nearly double their capacity in very short order.

 

[thaDroidz]

Geez..
I got screwed buying the d1 years ago...
Only if I would have known ....

I just gonna wait it out til d13.5

posted tomorrow using the space time continuum app on my D1...

 

[Duanevw]

There isn't 4G in most areas for a lot of users to be concern in my opinion.

 

[Duanevw]

I worked at a computer shop for 10 years. I saw the same thing happen with Video Cards / Processors. Customer would purchase a top of the line gaming rig one week, and 2 weeks later there would be something better out. It all goes back to what phone makes you happy and does job.

You got that right, soon as a new game comes out, its time to spend another $300.00 on a Geforce or Radeon card. Been doing it since the mid 90's. Usally a good graphics card will hold up for about 18 months.....


Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums


Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

 

[TyrantII]

Please everyone go here to sign a petition addressed to Motorola and Verizon saying that the droid 3 was out dated in under 6 months. They need 1000 signatures! I know that many D3 owners are outraged at this. Plus, who wouldnt want an upgrade?

The Droid 3 is outdated?

This is news to me...

 

[TyrantII]

Hey change.org has made a difference in a lot of different areas. So doesn't hurt to try. But when I called the local vzw store thismorning, the guy said he never even heard of the droid 4. I was like, well, you're supposed to be releasing it tomorrow.. he said, 'News to me'.

VZW franchises are in the bussiness of selling you something today, not tomorrow. If you're not buying something today, you're not worth the time they could be selling to someone who will buy today.

Hell, The local one wouldn't even take a cupon mailed to me by VZW corp with their own address printed on the cupon.

 

[TyrantII]

TThe Droid on the other hand is at version 3 and a new version was announced within 6 months of its birthing.

Are you really arguing a slightly larger screen, 500MB of Ram and 200mhz on the same chipset is some huge leap in technology?

Let's keep this in perspective. The D4 is in the same lineup as the D3, Bionic and Razr. They are all very, very similar phones with slight differences marketed towards different uses and needs. Unless you are someone that MUST HAVE his newest toy, there's really not much to be complaining about if you look at the devices and bought with your needs in mind.

The only complaint that is valid is that it's a keyboard phone with LTE, but that begs the question why anyone that must have had LTE didn't wait knowing it was right around the corner, with much more rolling out in late 2011/12. Thats on you, not Moto or VZW. Further, it has it's own problems that the D3 doesn't have. A unremovable standard battery and power sucking 1st Gen LTE radio is not a good combination. You can't put an extended battery in it, or swap a spare.

I can do both in my D3, and to me that makes it a much better phone. I'm liking my 24-36 hours of use, and the ability to swap a fully charged spare in within seconds.

So, which phone is outdated? The one that runs out of juice fast and you can't use without recharging, or the D3?

 

[gthotie5]

Hah, good luck that making any difference at all... Welcome to the world of electronics and computers. You buy one, it becomes 'trash' in no time. Its a fast paced money making bussiness... Welcome to it!

I found my new sig.
Droid 3 isn't outdated if you live in a 3g only area.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using DroidForums

 

[Fr33dom]

Are you really arguing a slightly larger screen, 500MB of Ram and 200mhz on the same chipset is some huge leap in technology?

Let's keep this in perspective. The D4 is in the same lineup as the D3, Bionic and Razr. They are all very, very similar phones with slight differences marketed towards different uses and needs. Unless you are someone that MUST HAVE his newest toy, there's really not much to be complaining about if you look at the devices and bought with your needs in mind.

The only complaint that is valid is that it's a keyboard phone with LTE, but that begs the question why anyone that must have had LTE didn't wait knowing it was right around the corner, with much more rolling out in late 2011/12. Thats on you, not Moto or VZW. Further, it has it's own problems that the D3 doesn't have. A unremovable standard battery and power sucking 1st Gen LTE radio is not a good combination. You can't put an extended battery in it, or swap a spare.

I can do both in my D3, and to me that makes it a much better phone. I'm liking my 24-36 hours of use, and the ability to swap a fully charged spare in within seconds.

So, which phone is outdated? The one that runs out of juice fast and you can't use without recharging, or the D3?

No. I was arguing that the D4 is an updated D3, not an updated Bionic or Razr which don't have keyboards and both have LTE. It isn't necessarily about having the newest toy and telling folks what they have to complain about or what constitutes valid complaints, is to condescend. If you read on you'd see that my only real complaint is the lack of LTE. And if you did read on then you seem to have managed to miss that I said the D3 was purchased at some risk because it didn't have LTE and that I was happy with that decision.

To my knowledge, the Bionic users don't have many more complaints about battery than the D3 owners had before the update. The one I personally know is quite happy and he hasn't done half the battery tweaking that he could. That is a bit subjective, but I don't know what battery the LTE radio will suck or what battery the D4 will have in it. There isn't any value in making an argument against LTE without knowing the battery involved. And if LTE were a must have, I would not have bought a phone without it. The keyboard was the must have so I have a keyboard phone and my focus is on the next keyboard phone. Do I want LTE? Yes. Whether it is a must have is a question I've yet to decide.

I also made no assertion as to what phone is outdated, but clearly the D3 is due to a lack of LTE. If you're real assertion is that the D3 is better than the D4 then you are obviously right considering that the D4 doesn't exist. If your assertion is that it is better than the Bionic or Razr, I'd agree. Neither of them have keyboards.

 

[BenLand150]

Tyrant definitely brings up great points though, however it's all subjective. LTE is obviously known to drain battery more, so that's all on the buyers of these types of phones. In all other areas though, except maybe the screen because we don't know what type of qHD screen it's using yet, the Droid 4 is the better phone.

I will agree that having an extra battery is a nice plus, but most people honestly either don't buy one or when they buy the extended battery, they don't use the normal battery. I'm one of these people. With my extended battery, I get over a day of use depending on how much as use it.. but I usually don't resort to needing that unless I randomly fall asleep on accident anywhere. So after about 12hours, my phones on the charger again anyway. I can't imagine why you would not charge your phone anyway when you go to bed? Plugging in the charger is easier then swapping out batteries.

The extra battery choice is a nice perk, but it's not always taken advantage of.

Whether or not the Droid 4 is a big upgrade or not, it is the better phone when it comes to specs and an all around package. If you get the Droid 4 and you're only in a 3G area, the battery may not even be a problem anyway. So, I'm going to have to agree with Freedom on this one.

 

[wildride89]

I signed the petition and it made 196. We have a long way to go to 1000.

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[REMilk]

When it comes to the 'hot' electronics, if you buy something today, cell phone, TV, computer, tablet, etc., a newer. better, more feature packed will be announced or released by the time you get home from the store.

It is not planned obsolescence, but rather the speed in which improvements to hardware, software, and networks happen.

Bob

 

[gadgetrants]

When it comes to the 'hot' electronics, if you buy something today, cell phone, TV, computer, tablet, etc., a newer. better, more feature packed will be announced or released by the time you get home from the store.

It is not planned obsolescence, but rather the speed in which improvements to hardware, software, and networks happen.

Bob

I've used the same argument with others -- trying to reassure or remind them that cell phones get improved on a weekly basis. But something seems unique with the Droid 4.

The D3 was released midyear (June?) to great fanfare. The reviews were all positive, the owners were happy, and everybody won. There were grumblings here and there that it lacked LTE (personally the cdma/gsm option is a great perk for me), but WE ALL soothed ourselves by saying we either got more battery life, or we lived in a 3G-only area, or both (strangely, I live in a microscopic town -- WITH 4G --go figure). We also repeated, over and over to ourselves...keyboard, keyboard, keyboard. The D3 keyboard was a HUGE improvement over the D1 and D2.

Let's face it: if 6 months later a Razr-class phone was announced that had LTE and a keyboard, but was called the PHENOMENAL or the SIMPLY-AMAZING or the WILL-MAKE-YOU-HAPPY-FOREVER, the number of comparisons with the D3 would be cut in half, or less. But by calling it the Droid 4, it made all of us face-palm. It begged comparisons. It made us all wonder, "How often does a phone get updated under 6 months from the previous release?" I know there are a few examples in the very, very short history of Android (D2 -> D2 Global / R2D2 D2?), but this one has some unique aspects that, in my mind, go way, way beyond the "Hey buy a cell phone and it's obsolete in 6 months" argument.

I think the petition is a great idea, and I think the upset owners (a) have every right to complain, and (b) hopefully get heard by Motorola. I guess history suggests not much will come of it. At the very least, Motorola may think a little harder about how they name future phones to avoid this kind of backlash.

-Matt