I need some advice on upgrading from the Bionic

[804hokie]

I need some advice on upgrading from the Bionic

So this past weekend, I got to try out my brother's Razr Maxx and was awestruck by it. The only advantage the Bionic has is the removable battery, if you ask me. But the spectacular battery on the Maxx negates that to an extent.

I'm pretty much determined to get a replacement phone, at this point. I mean, the ICS OTA will pretty much have to come out the next 48-hours to sway my decision. A user should never have to employ leaked software to get the most out of their device.

I bought my Bionic Sept 15th of last year, so I know the 1-Year VzW warranty has expired. My Bionic has seen a lot of faulty GPS and charging functionality recently. The water damage indicator has some marking to it, from moderate exposure. Funny thing is this my third Bionic, but each one has had its share of problems.

What is my best recourse?

A) I demand an early upgrade from VzW

B) I file a claim with Asurion

Either option, I'll demand at least a Rarz Maxx (I've become accustomed to using the extended battery on my bionic).

Thanks for your feedback. Really wish it didn't come to this.

 

[unbesorgt]

You should at least try ICS on the Bionic before giving up on it. I hear the Razr implementation of ICS is less stable than the Bionic's. It really is like a whole new phone -- all the issues are fixed and it runs great. Hardware-wise the Razr is just a thinner Bionic with a non-removable battery. I would recommend installing the 232 leak, that way if you still want to trade it in you can FXZ back to 905. I agree that we shouldn't have to resort to leaks, but that's no reason to limit your options. Just my opinion.

 

[Maddog241]

Honestly upgrading is not necessary. I agree that we should not have to employ leaked software, but the beauty of this is we can. And the ICS versions are light years ahead of GB in every way. If your phone is out of warranty, what have you got to lose in trying the latest ICS version? The HoB will get you there smoothly and easily if you follow the directions, and there are folks who will help you if you have trouble.

Don't give up before you try everything that is available to you to improve your experience. Sometimes if you want something done right, you have to do it for yourself.

 

[unbesorgt]

Honestly upgrading is not necessary. I agree that we should not have to employ leaked software, but the beauty of this is we can. And the ICS versions are light years ahead of GB in every way. If your phone is out of warranty, what have you got to lose in trying the latest ICS version? The HoB will get you there smoothly and easily if you follow the directions, and there are folks who will help you if you have trouble.

Don't give up before you try everything that is available to you to improve your experience. Sometimes if you want something done right, you have to do it for yourself.

Just a word of warning -- if you install the latest version (247) you will not be able to return to 905 if you decide to get the Razr after all. That's why I recommended 232 which you can still return to 905 from, to keep your options open. If you decide you love ICS and want to keep your Bionic, at that point you may want to go ahead and use the House of Bionic to move up to 247.

 

[Maddog241]

Just a word of warning -- if you install the latest version (247) you will not be able to return to 905 if you decide to get the Razr after all. That's why I recommended 232 which you can still return to 905 from, to keep your options open. If you decide you love ICS and want to keep your Bionic, at that point you may want to go ahead and use the House of Bionic to move up to 247.

That is good advice if you want a test run. I ran .232 for a while and it was good. You should at least try it before you give up.

 

[Dave12308]

I mean, the ICS OTA will pretty much have to come out the next 48-hours to sway my decision. A user should never have to employ leaked software to get the most out of their device.

I bought my Bionic Sept 15th

I see what you're saying, but the ICS build that went OTA for the RAZR is complete and utter garbage compared to the ICS leaks for the Bionic. The complaints in the forum are staggering. The problem is, if you make the switch right now, you'll be right back to a phone where you're not getting "the most out of your device".

 

[804hokie]

Thanks for the input and great point made on .232 and I find myself intrigued. However, this is my first Android device (last phone was a 3G S), so I have NO experience rooting or installing any leaked OS. I'm not completely illiterate from technical standpoint, but I also don't want to brick my phone. How difficult is this task, and what amount of time will it take? What's a good link for the how-to?

Since I've had my Bionic for over a year, the warranty has expired, correct?

My brother is pretty handy with all things computer, so I may end up dumping this on him :biggrin:

I must say it's really cool how Androids can be customized in so many ways. Glad I said bye iOS last year. Still wish we got ICS as promised long ago.

 

[Maddog241]

Thanks for the input and great point made on .232 and I find myself intrigued. However, this is my first Android device (last phone was a 3G S), so I have NO experience rooting or installing any leaked OS. I'm not completely illiterate from technical standpoint, but I also don't want to brick my phone. How difficult is this task, and what amount of time will it take? What's a good link for the how-to?

Since I've had my Bionic for over a year, the warranty has expired, correct?

My brother is pretty handy with all things computer, so I may end up dumping this on him :biggrin:

I must say it's really cool how Androids can be customized in so many ways. Glad I said bye iOS last year. Still wish we got ICS as promised long ago.

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-bionic-hacks/214902-downgrade-902-no-app-data-loss.html

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/motorola-droid-bionic/223975-samurihls-house-bionic-faq.html

Here are a couple links for you to read up on. The HoB is one way to upgrade. You could also download .232 and install it through recovery. There are many here that can help you with that process. It is not very difficult. You DO NOT have to be rooted to upgrade, and if you stay on .232, you could return to GB .905 via FXZ. I think once you taste the sweetness that is ICS, you won't even dream of going back.

 

[Just_AGuy]

Installing the leak is extremely easy. However, i dont know where you would find .232 at this point....

232 is in the HoB. Extract it, open the 232 file in the HoB directory on your desktop and grab the file Blur_Version.5.9.905.XT875.Verizon.en.US(67232).zip.

 

[jk12475]

I have fairly limited experience and I managed to get it done last night. I had some issues and I bricked the phone somehow. I got support practically immediately from the developer and had the install completed in a short time. Well worth the minor heart attack from the glitches I encountered, ICS .247 runs great and it truly becomes a new phone. Change your wallpaper and spend the $300 on something else!

 

[altspeed]

The whole bionic community is incredibly self supporting. What "official tech support"? I would go as far as to say that, especially if you're in the leak community you NEVER call vzw support anymore. We've got it handled. ALMOST as good, and clannish, and secret tree-fort-ey as linux in the mid 90s. And from me that's high praise. My home firewall still runs on a pentium iii 700 box running slackware 7 and kde 2.0. (and only 512 Mb of ram).

 

[804hokie]

Well, I did upgrade to .232 successfully. So far I really like what I see. I know that .232 can flash back to .905 if need be. ICS does seem to make this like a new phone. I still assume I'll be switching the OTA when it's out. Looks like I'll be sticking with the Bionic for a few months yet. Still can't believe VzW hasn't aired ICS yet, but the official released better be near flawless and see JB come along soon after.

Thanks everyone for your input (and for saving me a few bones)!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be putting the new OS through its paces. I will still be very excited when word of the OTA is released.

 

[Maddog241]

Well, I did upgrade to .232 successfully. So far I really like what I see. I know that .232 can flash back to .905 if need be. ICS does seem to make this like a new phone. I still assume I'll be switching the OTA when it's out. Looks like I'll be sticking with the Bionic for a few months yet. Still can't believe VzW hasn't aired ICS yet, but the official released better be near flawless and see JB come along soon after.

Thanks everyone for your input (and for saving me a few bones)!


Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be putting the new OS through its paces. I will still be very excited when word of the OTA is released.

Congratulations and welcome to what the Bionic should be.

 

[804hokie]

Congratulations and welcome to what the Bionic should be.

Got that right. Battery life is very improved. ICS is far more intuitive than GB

 

[Maddog241]

Got that right. Battery life is very improved. ICS is far more intuitive than GB

It really is becoming a top end device. I'm glad you didn't give up on it.