I switched from the Moto Droid to the HTC Incredible yesterday, and can't help but get the feeling I've actually downgraded. I love my Moto Droid, but the bulkiness and slideout keyboard (and not being able to put a case on it if I actually also want to use the dashboard mount) were pushing me to a newer version.
First, the Sense UI is OK, but I like the untouched Android 2.1 interface better - especially email. On the HTC, I can't see all my email accounts at one time. It automatically opens whichever account I had before and I have to click another place to bring up the list of all the accounts. On the Droid, it displays and color-codes all accounts in one place. I don't like this extra step. It's inconvenient, to say the least.
The Activesync will probably singled-handedly force me to return this phone. I use it for work. On my Moto Droid, I use the Exchange setting and access my work email, contacts, and calendar flawlessly. On the HTC, when I set up the account with Exchange Activesync, I get a message saying the server requires that security is enabled and forces me to create an unlock password. That means EVERY time I unlock the phone (you know, that rare occasion when you need to check or send an email, send a text, make a call, take a photo, listen to a song, access an app), it asks me for my password. Seriously? EVERY time I unlock the phone. We're talking 50-100 times a day I will now have to enter a password just to access my phone. This has to be the worst "feature" I've ever seen on a phone. It renders my phone completely useless if i don't ever want to turn it on because I have to repeatedly enter a 6-character password EVERY SINGLE TIME. And there is no way to turn it off. I don't even get the option. I realize this may be a requirement from my company's email server, but I don't have to have a password on my Droid.
The battery life is terrible. I thought the Moto Droid was bad. I let this charge overnight, got up this morning, started playing with it for an hour, and 30% if the battery was gone already. In one hour. No joke.
The shortcuts for adding contacts is awful, also. On my Moto Droid, if I add a direct dial shortcut to a contact, it puts a little letter on the icon letting me know if it's a Home number, Mobile, etc. On the HTC, the icon is identical, regardless of which line/number. How am I supposed to tell them apart? Again, a useless function.
I was really looking forward to upgrading, but now, I think this phone is going back unless there's a workaround for the Exchange Activesync password unlock. I will miss the 7 screens, speed, and camera. The other dislikes I have I could deal with. The unlock password for work email is a deal-breaker.
And to add insult to injury, I can't even turn the phone off. I hold down the power button and don't get the option to power off the phone. It worked once earlier today, but it's hit and miss to even get the power off option.
I love my Droid but like you hate the keyboard and the additional weight. I was going to go to my local Best Buy on Monday to get the Incredible. After following all the issues that seem to be coming out of the woodwork, I think I will wait.
It's incredible that so much is being said about the Incredible being a step backwards as far as functionality and signal strength. I go to NC (now the Incredible Reboot capital of the USA) several times a year and would be very upset watching the phone reboot.
Oh well, I guess I'll save some money for now and keep following the posts.
I also use exchange for my work and I have not had this problem, nor with the power button....hopefully you can take this to the store and get a tech to look at it for you....when I got this deal I also got a FREE Moto Droid that my wife is using, so far there are features on both phones each of us like, but she LOVES my touch screen WAY better! about the only real issue I have is that my exchange server contact list isn't going from exchange to phone from phone to gmail...so hopefully I will be able to fix that today..the guy that helped me yesterday was on the phone with me for a good 45 mins stepping me through and getting this phone to work right, it was a learning process for both of us, but I got VERY good service, and it wasn't a foreign 3rd party tech service either....that is wonderful!
{edited for privacy - removed phone number}
The Exchange issue is set by your employer; HTC's Exchange implementation actually supports policies, whereas the built-in Android one doesn't. You may wish to contact your Exchange admin and ask if you can be put in a group where that policy is not enforced.
(Edited to add: Also, regarding the icons on your favorites; if you use the HTC Sense favorites panel widget, after the first time you contact someone, a tiny icon will appear overlaid in the lower right corner -- it will have a house or a little rectangular skyscraper-thing above the phone icon to indicate which number it will dial.)
I love my HTC Incredible (I am upgrading from the original Blackberry storm which sucked). The only thing I miss is the hardware play/pause button up that was on the BBS next to the lock/unlock button. It made it easy to quickly start/stop your music without having to pull a phone out of your pocket cause I walk a lot with a bluetooth headset. But besides that which is no biggie, my only problem is that if you shake the phone or move it too much the bluetooth sound will cut out like when I go for a walk sometimes, my blackberry did not do that. But besides those two this is an amazing phone, fast, lots of customizing you can do, no lagg. Oh yeah I did forget one thing, battery life is short but I will trade life for power cause i love power so it fits me well. Great screen.
I'm pretty sure my company won't allow an pen policy because they are security freaks. Sadly it renders the phone useless to me. I really wanted to like it.
I noticed the thing you mentioned about the Sense contact widget, but that only allows 9 contacts vs. the 12 I can put on a screen (without scrolling). It was not a deal breaker, but still seemed like a flaw to me. Not sure why the OS wouldn't work the same way as the Droid.
I also used to have the Moto Droid. I switched the day it came out and for the most part I think it was a good swap. For the first post, I would recommend using the program Touchdown for Exchange. It costs $20 but it is well worth it. The Moto Droid allowed more than one Exchange account, but with HTC and the Sense UI, it only allows for one, so that is why I had to go the Touchdown route. It is very function and only requires the password to be put in about 3 times per day when checking email. Since it is program based, you can get into your other phone functions/features perfectly fine. Being in the IT field, its actually very bad that the Moto Droid does not enforce those policies, it could get the company as well as yourself into a good deal of trouble, since those policies are in place for a reason.
To each his own. What works or does not work for you is different for each person. I think this is a great phone.. One of the best out there for Verizon to me.
I had the same problem with the security password after I connected to my company's Exchange server. I did some research and found that you can download a free app from the Market called "lockpicker." Took care of the password issue for me once and for all.
I switched from the Storm to the HTC Incredible three days ago. Many of the problems I had were fixed by the local Verizon store. ( They only had one person that had been sent to training on the incredible.) Those who are thinking about purchasing an HTC Incredible BEWARE.......; The battery they have placed in this phone is a JOKE.This has taken this phone from being a tool to use to a toy that you have to plug in every five hours and recharge. When I complained to verizon about this, They told me "OH we have a bigger battery we can sell you". If you plan on buying a phone to use, DON'T BUY AN HTC INCREDIBLE. HTC or Verizon should stand up and send a battery that will last at least two days to ALL of the people that trusted Verizon to sell us a good phone. AGAIN, BEWARE buying the HTC INCREDIBLE
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