Considering the Verizon HTC Touch Pro

[LookItsTheFatKid]

My contract with T-Mobile just expired today and I'm looking to enter a new contract with Verizon. Right now I have a Motorola Rizr which has worked fine for me for the last 2 years. I've heard that the Touch Pro has terrible battery life. I dont plan on using the radio, wifi and bluetooth will be turned off unless I need them at some point, and I will check my email manually instead of having it set on a timer. How long would you expect the phones battery to hold up to regular texting? I don't really want to get an extended battery since the phone is thick enough as it is and carrying around extra batteries seems very inconvenient. It seems like people have terrible luck with these phones breaking on them. Is the Motorola Rizr a tough phone or am I apparently easy on phones? I have a hard time imagining going through 4 or 5 phones in a two year span. I've also heard that the Touch Pro responds slowly. Is this especially true since Verizon cut down the RAM that other versions have? I've heard that custom ROMs will solve the speed issues but is it a complete fix or is it a hardware problem?

[Dr.8820]

you don't want the touch pro2 from tmobile?

[LookItsTheFatKid]

I'm not really happy with T-Mobiles service. I live in Maine, go to college in Massachusetts, and I've worked this summer in Connecticut. In Maine I live in a very rural town so I don't expect service there but my friends get much better service in that area than I do. In Massachusetts the service is generally pretty good but it can be spotty at times. Here in Connecticut when I'm on my lunch break at work I find that in one spot I get no service and I have to move the phone around until I suddenly get 3 or 4 bars in that one spot.

[boredandtattooed]

basically VWZs TP= junk vs. Every other carriers..

thats why most take a sprint TP over to VZW, if u can get someone kind enough to assist you now a days since they dont want nonbranded devices on thier network anymore...

the TP has battery issues yes, some are self created(BT,wifi,send/recieve schedules) some are built in(the vga screens pulls more power)..

the TPs can have other common issues as well: keyboard failure, usb ports going bad, screen/touch issues... though commonly complained about on here, youll still find plenty that virtual never have any issues what so ever...

custom roms for can speed things up sometimes, most times from the responses youll read in ROM threads...

i have 3 TPs on sprint.. my advice if your wanting something flashy, high end, etc.. Yet, want VZW either hold out for TP2, or if you want now and new, check out the Ominia 2, which is shortly follwed by Omnia Pro( 2 with a keyboard)

[LookItsTheFatKid]

I was considering the Samsung Omnia as well but I wasn't sure I would like not having a physical keyboard. I'd be alright with waiting but I'm on a family plan and my parents and sister don't want to wait. I don't think I want to spend a lot of extra money buyin an unlocked phone. Why would Verizon remove RAM from the phone?

*Edit* I see there is a thread here on activating Sprint phones on other networks. Would this work on any phone? Also is it relatively safe assuming I follow the directions exactly as posted?
*Edit2* After re-reading your post boredandtattooed is that what you were suggesting? Buying a sprint TP and trying to activate it on the Verizon network? Does the extra RAM really make that much of a difference?

Sorry for all the questions guys. Thanks a lot for being quick in answering them though.

[janko10]

Originally Posted by LookItsTheFatKid

I was considering the Samsung Omnia as well but I wasn't sure I would like not having a physical keyboard. I'd be alright with waiting but I'm on a family plan and my parents and sister don't want to wait. I don't think I want to spend a lot of extra money buyin an unlocked phone. Why would Verizon remove RAM from the phone?

*Edit* I see there is a thread here on activating Sprint phones on other networks. Would this work on any phone? Also is it relatively safe assuming I follow the directions exactly as posted?
*Edit2* After re-reading your post boredandtattooed is that what you were suggesting? Buying a sprint TP and trying to activate it on the Verizon network? Does the extra RAM really make that much of a difference?

Sorry for all the questions guys. Thanks a lot for being quick in answering them though.

No need to be sorry that's what we're here for.

I had a Sprint Touch Pro on VZW and while I liked it much better than the VZW version, I ran into one major problem... warranty.

I expected the phone to last and it just didn't. The keyboard died on me and there really wasn't much I could do but send it into HTC to have it repaired which takes weeks. While being at HTC, I wouldn't be able to use any other phone (I got the TP onto VZW through a loophole they've now closed. Really the only way to get it on now is to get your ESN added to the database and it's pretty hard at this point). If I activated another phone, I wouldn't be able to use the TP once it came back.

I enjoyed having the extra ram but in the end, the poor build quality of the TP (and the significant number of keyboard failures) just made it a problem. So I would advise against going that route at this point.

If you have to get a phone now and can't wait a few weeks for the TP2, the VZW is an ok option and at $99 is probably worth it. Lots of roms on here have been tweaked for the lower amount of ram and it's less of an issue now.

[Mylt1]

Originally Posted by janko10

I expected the phone to last and it just didn't. The keyboard died on me and there really wasn't much I could do but send it into HTC to have it repaired which takes weeks. While being at HTC, I wouldn't be able to use any other phone (I got the TP onto VZW through a loophole they've now closed. Really the only way to get it on now is to get your ESN added to the database and it's pretty hard at this point). If I activated another phone, I wouldn't be able to use the TP once it came back.

thats not true at all. getting the ESN added is not a loophole, its part of there CSA and if you point that out to them they will accept the ESN. it will take a couple of days but they will add it. been there done that. the problem with some are they call there expecting the phone to be activated right then and there and when the tech tells them they cant do it right that second most get uppity and give up. if you talk to the tech's like human beings you will have no problems getting a sprint or alltel phone hooked up to VZN. you could have easily swapped to another phone and still have been able to reactivate the TP once you got it back from HTC. i dont know who told you you wouldnt but they lied to you. once the ESN is added, its there. there not going to take it out of there system just because you took the phone off your account. i have a 6800 from alltel that i swap on to my account every once and a while. its been in there system for a year give or take and hasnt been active in quite some time now and i can still add it to my account.

[Gesani]

I use the VZW touch pro and i have not had any problems out of it except for a memory leak. I have tried 4 different roms and have not liked anyof them. with moderate usage i can go all day on one battery. i can pull it off the charger before i go to work at 9am and the battery will. be at 20% by 9pm. Thats with sending about 150 -200 text and picture message using the internet to look up information for customers, checking emails and looking at pictures on facebook. Ive never had a keyboard issue.

[Kliptik]

Originally Posted by Gesani

I use the VZW touch pro and i have not had any problems out of it except for a memory leak. I have tried 4 different roms and have not liked anyof them. with moderate usage i can go all day on one battery. i can pull it off the charger before i go to work at 9am and the battery will. be at 20% by 9pm. Thats with sending about 150 -200 text and picture message using the internet to look up information for customers, checking emails and looking at pictures on facebook. Ive never had a keyboard issue.

For your memory leak, try lowering the pagepool before you flash. Setting the pagepool to 8 is recommended for Verizon.

Originally Posted by LookItsTheFatKid

*Edit*
I guess I'm going to the Verizon store to try out the TP and the Samsung Omnia. I went to a Best Buy and another Verizon store around here and they didn't have either phone out. I called another Verizon Wireless store and they have both out. Would the Omnia be a better phone if I can get over not having the physical keyboard?

I've heard reviews that the VZW TP (which I have) is much better than the Omnia. I've never personally tried out the Omnia, just passing along what I heard from several people (a few of which switched to the TP and love it).

Originally Posted by LookItsTheFatKid

Yea they only have the Samsung Omnia. I called the store and they told me they had both the TP and the Omnia but when I got there they told me all they had was the Omnia. Then they tried selling me the Ozone but the buttons were way too small for me to text. One of the sales reps tried convincing me that the specification labeled memory was actually the storage. After that I gave up on getting much useful information out of them. One of the guys was very helpful though and he found a dummy TP for me to look at. I like the keys much better on the TP and I feel like I could actually text with them. As for the Omnia the keypads didnt seem to work all that well for me. Do the default keypads just suck?

From everything I could find, there were very few (if any) of the VZW stores actually had the TP in store. Everywhere I went they said that corporate wasn't sending them any more HTC devices in store. But then they go and sell the Ozone... People are strange, man.

All in all, I love my VZW TP. But only after flashing to a new ROM (MightyROM6). That speeds it way up and makes the phone much more usable, and user-friendly. Plus, everything is covered under warranty.

Hope that helps!

[LookItsTheFatKid]

Originally Posted by Kliptik

All in all, I love my VZW TP. But only after flashing to a new ROM (MightyROM6). That speeds it way up and makes the phone much more usable, and user-friendly. Plus, everything is covered under warranty.

Hope that helps!

Yea I'm leaning towards the TP I think. How does your battery hold up and under what kind of usage? The battery is really my main concern. I've heard that different ROMs really help speed things up but the battery life seems to be pretty bad from most accounts.