Advince on Droid Purchase

[theblackabbot]

I am preparing to upgrade to a Droid

Of the Verizon droids, what do you guys and gals like?  I would like one with an external keyboard, so that limits me to the LG Ally and Motoral Droid.  Does the OS Droid update for the Motorala markedly improve that device?  Is that Microsoft Office program included in that update?

Which one do like you better - Motorola or the Ally?

Also, what do you think about buying one of Verizon's pre-owned devices?  Is that a good idea?

[hollowlog]

DON'T DO IT!!!!  It will crash and you can't get your info back, and they will replace it with a refurbished phone....Again....DON'T DO IT!!!!!

[MrHost]

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theblackabbot wrote:

I am preparing to upgrade to a Droid

Of the Verizon droids, what do you guys and gals like?  I would like one with an external keyboard, so that limits me to the LG Ally and Motoral Droid.  Does the OS Droid update for the Motorala markedly improve that device?  Is that Microsoft Office program included in that update?

Which one do like you better - Motorola or the Ally?

Also, what do you think about buying one of Verizon's pre-owned devices?  Is that a good idea?

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Android doesn't use a direct microsoft office program.  They do have several alternatives, it will also vary if you want to view or edit them as well.  I don't think there is a free app that let's you edit them but there are a few that let you view them.

Not a huge fan of motorola from the flip days, so not sure on them at this point.  Good and bad points on the current models.  I think alot of people have that got the droid werent' impressed by the keyboard at all.  Too flat I believe was the overall thought.  I woudl go in store and try the device before making a decision.  They are getting the newest version android at some point mroe than likely before many of the HTC phones do at least.  MotionBlur is is love/hate relationship.  Some people love the idea but don't like how it was implemented so they end up hating it.  You can change your desktop app to something else if you want though. 

I would also recommend trying a device without the keyboard and see how ti really feels.  I love mine(no keyboard) I type faster and in most cases more accurately too.

I havent' read anything on the Ally yet.  Check you tube for unboxing videos and persoanl reviews of the look and feel.  LG has typically had a good line of phones.  Run pretty smooth and I would expect it to be a pretty decent phone, but not sure what UI(the graphical part like motion blur(motorola) or sense(htc) the device uses) Again, playign with it in store will be your best options especially on such a new device.

I don't think that answered your question but help give you ideas on what to look at.  Good luck.  If you decide to get the Ally, please give a personal PROs and CONs look at the phones look and feel and sound.

[theblackabbot]

Any info is helpful at this point.

What is your take on the refurbished phones Verizon sells?  Are these things safe and "like new" as they say?

[M91-30]

IMO, the refurbished phones are worth it, and your chances of getting a properly working phone are no less than getting a new one.

[AZSALUKI]

agreed. the refurbs are fine. in fact i'd be willing to bet that your odds of getting a good phone with a refurb are better than a new phone. they test every refurb before going out. they only sample test new phones. i bought my wife a cert preowned allias II 3 weeks ago (after convincing her to let me use her upgrade for the incredible). there was absolutely no way to tell that it was not a brand new phone. they come with everything the new one does (and in the case of the moto droid....it includes the 16 gb sd card) and in the box. my wife is EXTREMELY picky, and was very hesitant to accept a "used" phone. she loves it. they do not issue the refurbs unless they are like brand new. my buddy has a moto droid and loves it. i've played around with a few moto droids and finally decided to get one (a refurb). then when i started looking into them i found the htc incredible. loved it but was REAL iffy about a full touch screen. i, like you, wanted a physical qwerty. but the lady at the store convinced me to play around with the htc and type on it, so i did. i still wasn't sold, but another friend of mine guaranteed me that after a week or two i'd actually prefer the virtual qwerty. so i got the htc incredible....and they were right. i'm as fast and accurate on this device as i was on my env. i don't know much about the ally, but i'd suggest researching them. go to vzn's site and you can compare up to 3 phones. select 3 droids and it'll list them by specs, features, etc. i know people are having a lot of issues on the eris since the 2.1 update, but prior to that, i believe it was a great phone too, and you can get it with 1.5 if you wanted. i'm sold on the incredible, but i originally went to get the moto. if you have an upgrade coming up, you could also wait another month or two for the shadow (i believe it's the moto droid 2).

[TheGreatOne]

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theblackabbot wrote:

Any info is helpful at this point.

What is your take on the refurbished phones Verizon sells?  Are these things safe and "like new" as they say?

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You can compare both the Motorola Droid and LG Ally side by side HERE. I think I would go with the Ally. Although one of my friends has the Motorola Droid and loves it. Hasn't had any issues with her phone at all.

Refurbished phones can be great. Another user, GeriO, got a refurbished android phone for $289 instead of $559. He saved quite a few dollars there. He seemed to think that it was totally worth getting. Refurbished phones are supposed to be "like new" yes.

[theblackabbot]

The HTC Incredible looks like a sweet machine to me as well.  I don't think a virtual keyboard be that bad really.  I would get used to it I'm sure.

I've seen some leaked info on the new Motorola Shadow and that thing looks nice, but seems like it would be quite a large phone.  I'm not sure I would want a phone of that size.  The Incredible seems to be smaller.

Since I'm able to upgrade on 31 July, I think I'll wait and go for either the Incrediable or something else.  How much are refurbished Incredibles?  Any ideas?  Any ideas on the price of any refurbished droids?

[AZSALUKI]

a refurb moto droid is $289 (and includes the 16 gb sd card). Not sure on the incredible? i don't even know if there would be any available yet as they are prolly still sending all of their refurbs out as replacemnt phones, since it's pretty new. i would guess it will be slightly more than the moto droid since it is newer. but i would also think that the moto will come down in price shortly, since they now do the buy on get one deal, and motorola is gettin ready to put out 2 new phones. the moto droid goes for around $250 (used) on ebay so i'd pay the extra $40 and get it from verizon (with warranty).

[theblackabbot]

On those buy one get one deals, or buy one get up to four free, do you really have to activate any of those extra phones?  Can they make you activate them, or do you just get them free to keep as spares?