# Google Android Phone and CPF



## Pellidon (Oct 25, 2009)

Website Looks awesome on my My Touch Google Android phone. I have been a long time Windows Mobile user, all the way back to Windows CE, and the screen rendering of websites are the best on this phone. Way better than my previous WM6 phone, which I wore out the keyboard texting and emailing. I am hoping the touch screen lasts longer.


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## Lebkuecher (Nov 9, 2009)

Android rocks as a Mobil OS. I was one of the orginal g1 users and I came from a windows environment and will not look back. I now have a mytouch and moto blur. Anyone planning on getting a droid from Verizon?


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## Coaster (Nov 9, 2009)

I picked up my Droid on Friday, it was only the 2nd one out the door where I picked it up.

I love it so far. The screen resolution is awesome, the mapping is sweet, and everything is snappy. 

The only real down side is that the camera is a little rough. I think that better software for it could go a long way. Of course maybe the camera seems worse since the screen is so good.


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## Lebkuecher (Nov 9, 2009)

I hear the snapdragon processor really works great. I haven't tried it but would love to. Did you have a earlier version on a device Coaster? I would be interested in hearing some feed back on the deference between 1.6 and 2.0


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## Coaster (Nov 9, 2009)

No this is my first Android phone. Verizon is the only carrier in my area that has decent coverage so that I'm not driving through huge dead zones on my way to work.

I really wanted a G1, but I wouldn't have been able to use it very often


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## gadget_lover (Nov 9, 2009)

I'm happy to hear that. The browser on MS based smart phones were always crappy. The iPhone browser has been the best I've seen so far on a handheld. CPF looks great on it. My co-worker got a droid, so I can compare and contrast tomorrow. 

Daniel


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## Lebkuecher (Nov 9, 2009)

Yea I had a mogal 6800 from sprint and when the screen craped out they upgraded me to a touch pro2 and I can't stand it. I wouldn't mind going to a hero but I don't want to spend the money. Windows sucks in comparison. I love Google maps and the ability to scan barcodes for comparison shopping . Where is a really cool Ap if you haven't tryed it.


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## Eugene (Nov 14, 2009)

I'm using mine (Droid) right now, can't sleep so I'm trying out different things. Bought it last Friday, been waiting a long time because I made the mistake of trying windows mobile, talk about an OS that Can't, WM was worthless.


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## Greta (Nov 14, 2009)

Got my droid yesterday. Just trying to find my way around it still. I really do like it A LOT! ... And yes, CPF looks incredible! Damn, I did a great job with the colors here! LOL!  ... I really do need to look into mobile skins though. The scrolling is a little bit annoying.


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## LuxLuthor (Nov 14, 2009)

So is it propietary to Verizon the same way iPhone is to AT&T? I wish we could choose both our carrier and choice of cell phone.


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## Greta (Nov 14, 2009)

I'm on Sprint. My phone is an htc Hero.


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## LuxLuthor (Nov 14, 2009)

WoW, thanks Greta. Had not heard of this, and it looks wonderful. Checking out website now.


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## Lit Up (Nov 15, 2009)

LuxLuthor said:


> So is it propietary to Verizon the same way iPhone is to AT&T? I wish we could choose both our carrier and choice of cell phone.



Nope. The Droid OS is going to be showing up on many phones. Even a variation of the OS for the lower-priced, budget-geared phones.
Being open-source saves a lot of cost and makes it possible. You can also burn a Live CD of the base operating system from google to check out on your PC.
http://code.google.com/p/live-android/downloads/list


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## qip (Nov 15, 2009)

got my droid couple hours ago :twothumbs


still figuring stuff out


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## Greta (Nov 15, 2009)

qip said:


> got my droid couple hours ago :twothumbs
> 
> 
> still figuring stuff out


The manual is very helpful... and LOGICAL! Don't be ashamed to use it... 

We won't tell... promise...


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## LuxLuthor (Nov 15, 2009)

Great link, Lit Up. Thanks. Edit: I read their ReadMe and they are still recommending ver 0.2, although I see 0.3 on downloads. Do you recommend one or the other?

One "App" I saw a friend using on their newer iPhone which seemed promising was speaking voice commands with apparently a pretty good recognition/accuracy level. Does Droid have that capability?

I see all the models are customized with the various carriers. We are using Verizon.


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## qip (Nov 15, 2009)

Greta said:


> The manual is very helpful... and LOGICAL! Don't be ashamed to use it...
> 
> We won't tell... promise...



the manual is near worthless  its basically a fold out pamphlet showing the easy stuff, im trying to figure out how to easily get to street view without having to set a location, i would like to in theory just scroll the map and double tap the location but thats not working , i have to set locations...then even if i do that and wanted a street view a few blocks down i have to redo the location , yes i can scroll the arrow bit by bit but that would take a while :nana: 


google will be my friend on this , not the manual


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## Daniel_sk (Nov 15, 2009)

I have been reading CPF from my G1 (HTC Dream), it's great. The Android OS has a bright future. And it's very simple to develop software for it (everything is for free and it's Java), so there will be a lot of apps soon.


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## Greta (Nov 15, 2009)

qip said:


> the manual is near worthless ...


 
REALLY?? Wow. The one that came with my phone is AWESOME! Honestly, I'd be seriously lost without a couple of the nifty little tips and "how-to's" that I found in it. Of course, I felt like a total idiot when I found out how to do what I wanted... but hey... I'm ok with that...


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## Eugene (Nov 15, 2009)

qip said:


> the manual is near worthless  its basically a fold out pamphlet showing the easy stuff, im trying to figure out how to easily get to street view without having to set a location, i would like to in theory just scroll the map and double tap the location but thats not working , i have to set locations...then even if i do that and wanted a street view a few blocks down i have to redo the location , yes i can scroll the arrow bit by bit but that would take a while :nana:
> 
> 
> google will be my friend on this , not the manual




Thats not a manual, its just a quick reference card.
I never use paper manuals anyway, those stay in the box for whomever I might sell something to someday, I download the online version so when I have a question I can just search for it.


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## qip (Nov 15, 2009)

should mention mine is the motorola droid 

heres my cheap pamphlet guide 








as for streetview i found a nice easy way...instead of tapping which got me nowhere unless in nav mode , i had just scrolled to the location and held my finger on it for 3 seconds or so and it highlighted the spot and gave me the address , then i could go in streetview  ....before if i wanted the view for that location i would have to know the address for it which i dont since im not a human map directory


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## Eugene (Nov 17, 2009)

thats not a manual, just the quick start guide that comes with it, the manual is a pdf. Havng the manual electronic is good since you can't easily update a paper manual when the OS changes.

BTW, check your cameras, aparently a silent update happened last night to fix the focus issues.


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## Greta (Nov 17, 2009)

What is everyone doing about the lack of a flash for the camera? My Centro didn't have a flash but it was really good at picking up any ambient light that was around. This one doesn't do so well with that.


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## Pellidon (Nov 18, 2009)

Greta said:


> What is everyone doing about the lack of a flash for the camera? My Centro didn't have a flash but it was really good at picking up any ambient light that was around. This one doesn't do so well with that.





Carry a small pocket torch? :lolsign:

OK I deserve this....


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## qip (Nov 19, 2009)

someone say flash

1. on my droid the flash is pretty bright 

2 i just downloaded an app , search "strobe" ...very cool, does all sorts of colors flashing as well as steady light and police and firetruck strobing :devil:...just place on the dash and zoooom


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## Greta (Nov 19, 2009)

qip... I saw those apps... couldn't bring myself to download any of them... didn't want to appear THAT much a geek!   :nana: ... No, I'm talking about a flash(light) for the camera.


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## Eugene (Nov 19, 2009)

What lack of flash, you must be on one of those phone networks that lacks things like that, mine has a bright flash (where's the poking stick emoticon when we need it)


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## almach1 (Nov 25, 2009)

Pellidon said:


> Carry a small pocket torch? :lolsign:
> 
> OK I deserve this....


I just downloaded mototorch for my Droid. Turns on the dual led used for the camera flash. Pocket torch now in hand. Good for about 5 lumens.


Postering from it right now.


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## almach1 (Nov 25, 2009)

.......


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## Burgess (Nov 26, 2009)

Awaiting your run-time results.



_


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## kwkarth (Nov 26, 2009)

LuxLuthor said:


> Great link, Lit Up. Thanks. Edit: I read their ReadMe and they are still recommending ver 0.2, although I see 0.3 on downloads. Do you recommend one or the other?
> 
> One "App" I saw a friend using on their newer iPhone which seemed promising was speaking voice commands with apparently a pretty good recognition/accuracy level. Does Droid have that capability?
> 
> I see all the models are customized with the various carriers. We are using Verizon.



Lux,
I have been using the G1 on T-Mobile since it was first released. Android is the OS and you will see the Andriod OS available on pretty much every carrier before the end of the year. I recently bought a new Cliq (another Android based phone) to try out some new droid hardware, since my G1 was getting long in the tooth, although it was working fine. So far I really like most everything about the Cliq. It's made by Motorola as is the Driod at Verizon. The Droid has a larger screen, more powerful processor, and ships with Android 2.0, the first android phone to ship with 2.0. If Verizon is your preferred carrier it is certainly the first phone to look at. If you're with T-Mobile, then Cliq is a good choice. Android is a great up and coming O/S and based upon an open source. Tons of apps that are available for the iPhone also manage to show up for Android based phones and most of the apps are free.


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## almach1 (Nov 26, 2009)

Burgess said:


> Awaiting your run-time results.
> 
> 
> 
> _



What does that mean?


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## Lebkuecher (Nov 26, 2009)

To the left you have a Moto Qlic with MotoBlur which is a good option if you need or want a physical Keyboard and are involved in social network sights such as Facebook or Myspace. The Moto Qlic with MotoBlur comes preloaded with the social widgets already and installed and all you need to do is add your account information and you are good to go. Another added benefit of the Moto Blur is you will have 5 screens instead of three to customize. 

To the right is the MyTouch, and is my preferred Phone because it is not near as bulky and I am a HTC fan. The MyTouch doesn’t have a physical Keyboard so it is smaller and easier to carry around and is almost the exact same size of the Sprint Hero. If you are a first time buyer of an Android device make sure you can use the onscreen keyboard before deciding which device to get, some people need a physical keyboard because they can not use the on screen keyboard especially if the person types using there finger nails. Also if you are a gamer you will want a physical keyboard as well.

I recommend for people who are new to Android to download the following applications.

ShopSavvy - This is a great application; it turns your phone's camera into a bar code scanner which allows you to scan barcodes to do comparative price shopping on the spot. The software will give you both online and local prices as well as the ability to set price alerts and view reviews.

Where - I really like this program a lot and recommend it to all the my customers. The program uses the phones GPS to provide information on just about anything you can think of such as local restaurants, weather, news, movies, traffic and more. If you want a pizza just start the application and say Pizza into the phone and the software will list all the pizza restaurants in the area and give you star ratings and reviews from people who have eaten there. It will also provide you a map, address and phone number. It will also list all the local movie theaters and give you previews of the movies and start times.

Documents to Go - This application is a Microsoft Office compatible tool that gives you Word, excel, Power Point and PDF capabilities. This is the only application I actually spent money on and is worth every bit of the $19.99 I spent.

Shazam - Have you ever listened to a song on the radio and wanted to know who the artist is? No problem just launch Shazam and let the phone listen to the song for about 15 seconds and the software will tell you who it is and provide you both a Youtube link and Amazon link if you would like to purchase it.

Pandora – Just like the desktop version Pandora is a personal online radio service that customizes its contents to your taste.

Worldtour - A really neat application that allows you to select any live webcam in the world to use as your Background. The image updates every 30 minutes. There are several suggested sites like the Grand Canyon but the software allows you to select any webcam address you like.

Google maps – All android phones come preload with Google Maps and is a great tool. Just in the last three days a new version has been added to the market place that will also give you navigation as well. And yes it is voice turn by turn and really works great. You have to use the market place and get the updated Google maps to get this feature. Also just a FYI tip, next time you use street view turn off the compass mode in the options and see what happens. (As you turn the phone it gives you a 360 degree view of the spot you choose on the map) Really Cool

There are literally thousands of applications but these are the programs I tend to recommend most to people.

Sites I use to keep informed. 

Androidlib – List new applications
Androidguys


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## kwkarth (Nov 26, 2009)

Great post Lebkuecher!!:goodjob:


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## Burgess (Nov 26, 2009)

almach1 said:


> What does that mean?


 

It was just a joke.


Basically, it means:

"Let us know how long it runs (as a flashlight), before battery dies."


You know, as if it really WAS a flashlight.


_


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## Pellidon (Nov 26, 2009)

Beamshots or it never happened. :twothumbs

Someone had to say it.


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## Lebkuecher (Dec 2, 2009)

As I mentioned in my previous post one of the applications I use on my phones is Worldtour, this application monitors webcams across the world and will save an image from the webcam and update your phone’s background every thirty minutes with the image it captures. It is really cool. I was at work the other day and just happen to look at my phone and saw a rainbow at the Grand Canyon. The application also allows you to save the image so I did.


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## parnell (Jan 1, 2010)

I am looking at getting the Motorola Droid from Verizon...has anyone had any really bad experiences with the phone(not the service)? Thanks


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## Eugene (Jan 1, 2010)

I have seen a couple people report problems, there may have been a bad batch that the screen wasn't sealed as there were some people getting dust under it. Then some that may have had other problems here and there. No issues with mine.
Check out the verizon/android section of howard forums or everything android.

I just bought my first two albums from amazon mp3, have been meaning to try it out and now that I can do it from the phone it was even easier.


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## KC2IXE (Jan 2, 2010)

Only things I don't like about my Droid (now 1 week old)
1)You can NOT voice dial from your bluetooth - you can voice dial the phone, and work from there, but

2)The navigation app, while good, does NOT allow you to set preferences


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## Greta (Jan 2, 2010)

I have to say that I was a bit concerned at first because I was unable to do a few things that I wanted... ie. visit CPF and click on those really, really little icons... but over time, I have discovered little features here and there and keep discovering new ones every day. Consequently, I am really liking this phone more and more every day. There's a learning curve, that's for sure... but with patience and reading the manual (  ), it really is easy and kinda fun...


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## KC2IXE (Jan 2, 2010)

Where did you find a manual?. There was a tiny starter guide, and that's about it


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## QtrHorse (Jan 2, 2010)

Greta said:


> I have to say that I was a bit concerned at first because I was unable to do a few things that I wanted... ie. visit CPF and click on those really, really little icons...


 
You can't zoom in like you can on a Iphone? 

In no way am I trying to start a Iphone vs Droid. I like my Iphone and the websites look great on it. It's like having a mini computer. I also like the fact that you can zoom in/ make the icons larger by either double tapping the screen or using your fingers to zoom in. My company email also works/ looks very good. I set up multiple folders in my Outlook because I get so many different emails from company users, vendors and etc... 

Mine is a company supplied phone and we use AT&T. The company my wife works for uses Sprint and she is going to get a new phone soon through them. 

Does anyone have a company Outlook set up on their Droid? How do you like it and do all the regular functions work?


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## Greta (Jan 2, 2010)

KC2IXE said:


> Where did you find a manual?. There was a tiny starter guide, and that's about it


 
Mine came with quite an extensive manual. Earlier in this thread, I think we established that the HTC Hero (Sprint) comes with a fantastic manual while some of the others (other companies) do not.



QtrHorse said:


> You can't zoom in like you can on a Iphone?


 
Er... um.. that was what took me some time to figure out...  ... now it's all better and I'm VERY happy with it! :twothumbs


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## Saaby (Jan 2, 2010)

KC2IXE said:


> Only things I don't like about my Droid (now 1 week old)
> 1)You can NOT voice dial from your bluetooth - you can voice dial the phone, and work from there, but
> 
> 2)The navigation app, while good, does NOT allow you to set preferences



The good news is they actually update the software on these phones...sure they _can_ update the software on "dumb" phones like the Razr, but how often do they?

iPhone didn't have Bluetooth voice-dialing, they added it in one of the latest software updates, and I've heard as much complaining about the navigation as I have praise...but I'm sure it will be updated and improved over time.

I'm just so thrilled that we're at a time that there that there is more than 1 phone that doesn't stink on the market. With Verizon's aggressive marketing, I occasionally have people get snarky at me (iPhone user). I just say, truthfully, what I just shared above. Can you imagine where we'll be in a few more years? We'll probably have 100 more awesome features, and still have 3 or 4 things to gripe about


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## Lebkuecher (Jan 2, 2010)

I’m looking forward to the Nexus 1 which is designed by Google and made by HTC. The Nexus 1 will be the ultimate Android phone with specs similar to the Droid. I’m not a big Motorola fan so I fill a little more comfortable with HTC regarding quality. 

The phone will be sold by Google (Jan 5) to start and at some point (Probable in March) will be sold by T-Mobile with carrier discounts. The price unsubsidized and unlocked will run about $530.00 according to the blogs but will be about $ 180.00 with a two year contract. Rumor has it that there could be an AT&T offering at some point but this is unconfirmed. 

Engadget has a nice review and a very nice video showing off Android 2.1.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/02/exclusive-google-nexus-one-hands-on-video-and-first-impressio


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## Lite_me (Jan 3, 2010)

The Nexus One looks promising. 

I just got a Sprint Hero a couple of weeks ago. It's my first Smart phone and I'm really liking it. I've spent hours geeking it up. It only has Andriod 1.5 on it. I'm wondering if we'll ever be able to upgrade to 2.x and how it will effect it. Unlike the 1Ghz processor in the Nexus, the Hero only has a 528Mhz. And less RAM also. I'm wondering if it might slow it down. Right now, it's not to bad at all. I'll keep an eye out for reports should they make it available for upgrade.


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## csshih (Jan 3, 2010)

I really want a droid as my next phone now. :duh2: 

I'd do runtime tests! :laughing:


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## KC2IXE (Jan 3, 2010)

The Nexus1 and the iPhone are great phone - they each have one major bug - T-Mobile and AT&T - no one I know around here likes their network, and my phone is a phone FIRST. Verizon just works better, as a phone, around here


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## parnell (Jan 4, 2010)

Eugene said:


> Check out the verizon/android section of howard forums or everything android.


 
Thanks for the suggestion, I found some very helpful information on there. I will be ordering one today.:devil:



KC2IXE said:


> Where did you find a manual?. There was a tiny starter guide, and that's about it


 
The Motorola Droid user manual is a PDF file here on Motorola's site. There is also a tips and tricks guide.


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## Eugene (Jan 4, 2010)

Saaby said:


> The good news is they actually update the software on these phones...sure they _can_ update the software on "dumb" phones like the Razr, but how often do they?
> 
> iPhone didn't have Bluetooth voice-dialing, they added it in one of the latest software updates, and I've heard as much complaining about the navigation as I have praise...but I'm sure it will be updated and improved over time.
> 
> I'm just so thrilled that we're at a time that there that there is more than 1 phone that doesn't stink on the market. With Verizon's aggressive marketing, I occasionally have people get snarky at me (iPhone user). I just say, truthfully, what I just shared above. Can you imagine where we'll be in a few more years? We'll probably have 100 more awesome features, and still have 3 or 4 things to gripe about



plus its an open source project, if google takes their time getting it in there then someone else will step in and do it. Ever try getting a change made to a close source OS?


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## Lebkuecher (Jan 8, 2010)

I downloaded Google Goggles from the Market today and it is really cool. You need to be running Android 6.5 or higher to use it. Basically the app uses the camera as a search input tool so all you need to do is take a picture (from within the app) and Google Goggles analyzes the image and provides search results based on the image. It works with books, DVDs, common household products, artwork, outside locations, and barcodes. You can take a picture of a business card and it will use OCR and add the person to the contacts if you wish. It will even use GPS in combination with the compass so you can point the camera at a business to give you search results for the business or any location. Nice app!!

http://www.pcworld.com/article/183933/a_handson_tour_google_goggles_visual_search.html


Anyone else found any apps you really like?


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## Lebkuecher (Jun 4, 2010)

Anyone getting a Sprint EVO? I have had one for about three hours and it is nice. I am a little concerned about the battery. I will post more later.


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## LuxLuthor (Jun 5, 2010)

Verizon HTC Incredible is unbelievable. Got it on release day.


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