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Tilt or iPhone?

I am in the market for a new phone(we are switching from Sprint to AT&T) mainly because of dropped calls and no service in many areas with Sprint. I have decided I am either getting the AT&T Tilt or the Apple iPhone. I will explain my usage habits and hopefully you readers can help me decide which one would be best for me.
I am a commuting college student who works part time. The degree I'm working on is in Computer Science. I get wi-fi access at work, school, and home. I still live with my parents and have two jobs. I am contributing 30% of one of my jobs' paychecks to a 401k and am about to make a large one-time investment into a Roth IRA for retirement. I have a good bit of time imbetween classes and it would be nice to have something to do either for fun or productivity. I will be getting $5/mo phone insurance with whichever phone I get. Another plus would be an easy-to-use calendar so I can get rid of my paper calendar. Using the T9 texting method to enter things into my current phone for the calendar function is just too tedious, so I don't even use it.
Apple iPhone:
-Nice touch screen interface
-Very intuitive and easy-to-use
-Good battery life
-Internet access should be easier to use than with tilt due to interface
-App store makes finding new applications much easier
-Can use one-handed
-Multi-touch technology
-Ambient light and proximity sensors
-It would be nice to have something in my life that "just works" without hours of tweaking
-Required to pay $30/mo for a data plan
-Phone Cost $200, Data plan $30/mo*2 yrs=$720, Final cost 2 yrs $920
AT&T Tilt:
-External keyboard
-Could take notes in class with Microsoft Office and an external bluetooth keyboard(wouldn't have to lug around my laptop or as many spiral notebooks)
-Okay battery life
-Could use wifi and not have to pay $30/mo for internet access
-Can take videos
-Many complain it's more of a two-handed phone
-Sucks at playing videos or gps navigation due to driver issue htc will not fix
-Takes time to learn to use
-If purchased, I would not get a data plan, although it would be nice to have internet anywhere, it's not necessary
-Phone cost $150(refurb) $300(new), Final cost 2 yrs $150, if there's a problem because it's refurbished after 3 months, $125 extra(insurance deductible)
Both have:
-Phone
-Music device
-Accelerometer
-Slide to unlock(could be downloaded for Tilt)
Other points:
-I know it may be going out on a limb saying this, but the iPhone is going to cost me $645-$770 more in the 2 years that I'd have a contract for it. Internet access anywhere would be nice, though(especially on vacation, long drives, and waiting).
-The refurbished tilt is currently "temorarily out of stock." I think it'll probably come back in though. If not, it'd cost me $300, making the iPhone $495-$620 more over the 2 years I'd have it under contract.
I know all of my information is a bit strown about, but which phone do you guys suggest I purchase and why?

Tilt. Because.

i don't think the tilt has an accelorometer... never had or played with a tilt, but i'm pretty sure it doesn't

I have been contemplating getting an I-phone because the newer version is very nice and since you only pay $30 for internet, I would interchange the sims and use the internet on my tilt. The tilt does ahve video but it usually sucks along with the camera unless you have the ideal lighting... The I-phone is limited in what is does such as taking pictures and sendign it to friends. Your friends have to log online just to see your photos. It's pretty sad... However even though the I-phone is limited, what it does do; it does very well. The MS office suite is very nice and has helped me out numerous times during college as well as the WiFi. So my bottom line answer is this. If you want to use it for work, business, college then I would go with the Tilt or even a newer version such as the diamond and use a different Rom. For fun I would go with the I-Phone. The downside is that you cannot change roms though. It is almost like getting a new phone everytime you put a new rom onto your Tilt which is still not utalizing all the drivers at this time. Thanks to the hard working people in in these forums, that is close to being changed. I hope this helped.

tilt...
only cause its the balls!

With the iPhone, what you see is what you get. It works very well, but everything comes from Apple.
The Tilt can do virtually anything. It may get buggy sometimes, but pretty much, if you can think it, you can do it.

honestly?
iphone.
tilt's old.
now if you ask "diamond or iphone", you know my answer.

Thanks for the insight guys. I decided to go ahead and get the iPhone simply because it'd be nice to have something that "just works," not to mention I don't have the time to mod it the way I want it. After running several linux servers and desktops, some of you may see where I come from(where nothing ever works like it should!). I ordered the iPhone from the AT&T store(business account, can't use apple store) and they said they'll email me when it arrives in 7-10 days.
It would have been nice to be able to get a wireless keyboard and type notes on my phone like I could have with the Tilt, but I think for a phone the iPhone fits my needs better. If I had the time, though, I'd get the Tilt in an instant. I'll probably be buying an Asus EEE for note typing so I don't have to carry my 15" laptop or a bunch of notebooks around all day.

This reply might be a bit late ... but ... what about the Touch Pro?

never heard of the touch pro until you just said something about it.. too expensive anyway though since it won't be subsidized by the cell carrier for a service contract

Would you recommend the Fuze?

I've really been considering to buy the Fuze, but I'm getting mixed reviews. For all the Fuze owners, please answer the poll so that us potential buyers will know what to do.
Thanks!

anyone else wanna vote?

theomni said:
anyone else wanna vote?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm stuck in between the Fuze and the Touch Pro now... I really don't know which one is better? They are the same price nowadays.

I recommend it. I had the Tilt before and I love the Touch, its probably the best WM phone I've had (I've used the Sprint 700wx, Sprint Q, Sprint Touch, AT&T Tilt and now the AT&T Fuze).
I'm sure the few issues that exist with the Fuze will be fixed within a month or two because of the wonderful people we have here making custom ROMs, porting radios, etc.

I am very happy with my Fuze. It's not perfect and definitely needs some tweaks, but I think it is the best Windows Mobile phone ever put out. The screen is fantastic and makes it worth it by itself.
Pros:
VGA screen
Excellent multimedia
Youtube works both in it's own app and the mobile website
Slingbox looks fantastic
Expanded keyboard
Sleek design
Touch Flo 3D really works good
Finally, good bluetooth reception
Cons:
So-so d-pad
More remappable buttons needed
No headphone out jack
I do miss the tilting screen of the Tilt
No forward facing camera (why AT&T?)
Overall, I love the phone. I don't even need to use my laptop much anymore. Plus, it should only get better. I can't wait to see the Fennec web browser released for WinMo.

The Fuze can run on AT&T's 3G bands, which is the biggest difference. Physically, the Fuze has a PTT button (remappable using a trick in this forum) and the Pro has a front-faceing camera, but they are otherwise the same. You can install whatever Touch Pro ROM you want on the Fuze once you flash Hard SPL on it, so the software difference should not be an issue. If you're on AT&T and in a 3G area, it's a no-brainer decision between the two.

Tempest790 said:
No forward facing camera (why AT&T?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
US carriers don't support that functionality so it's cheaper for HTC to leave it out all together.

I've swithed from iPhone after droolling over Fuze release date for 2 months. First couple of days had slight regret (my first WM phone), but once I got the hang of it I fell in love with it. My girl tried it out and dropped her iPhone for Fuze aswell. IMHO, Fuze is on a much higher level and you just can't customize the iPhone the way you can Fuze, no matter what Apple commercials say. Oh and by the way, I realized how crappy Apple products are, but that's another story.

I said no because its not for everyone. I read a lot of people wanting something other than the iphone because of the data plan, this is not an iphone. Then they go and complaint that they cant do this, that its slow, that this, that that. I confess, I am/was one of those whining byotches. I know its not an iphone, I'm just afraid to customizing with roms and then f-it up and be stuck with a nice $300 paper weight. So maybe after my month is up, I'll have the balls to customize it.

Do you have to buy a data plan with the Fuze like you have to with the iPhone, for AT&T?

Only if you want the rebate.

If you want the best browser/entertainment device thats easy to use get an iphone. If you need a business phone outside of entertainment, get the fuze. Both are aimed at different type of consumer.

I know this is exactly what everyone hates to hear, and they just want a plain yes or no, but it really does depend on the person.
If your the kind of person thats really into the stuff they buy, and wants a device that has tons of opportunities and possibilities, then you will probably like the fuze. The beautiful thing about winmo devices is how much you can mess around with them. You can download tons of apps, customize, flash new ROMs, experiment, all kinds of stuff.
If you want something that is ALWAYS going to be friendly and never ever give you any quirks or problems and you just want something that is very cut and dry, the fuze may not be for you.
I would line up your priorities and see what is most important to you and more importantly, what would make you want to throw your phone out the window, cause those are the things that are ultimately going to make you happy when your using your device.

Fuze thoughts:
I have had this phone for 3 days now. My prior phone was an 8125. I unlocked and customized that phone after 30 days. I will most likely do the same thing with this one. Gotta read read read.
Initial review: Absolutely the awesomest phone I have had to date, only the 3rd PDA, though.
I miss the programmable buttons. I haven't figured everything out, but I am getting the hang of it. It has advanced customization, though I haven't even touched the surface. The keyboard is a little different from my 8125, and as I have used it extensively for 2 years, I am accustomed to the numbers being along the top row. I think the 'Full 5 Row QWERTY keyboard on the phone should more closely resemble a normal keyboard, however, I am certain I will get used to it with a little practice.
I have one problem that AT&T doesn't know how to fix: the error message "Smart Chip Not Provisioned MM #2" comes up and shuts off phone signal. I initially thought it was the smart chip. I placed it in my 8125, and no problems. Then I exchanged the phone. Still no fix. It isn't a hard error I can readily duplicate, it just happens intermittently, but only in a specific location, so now I suspect the towers serving the area in which it happens. I suppose it could be the sim card in conjunction with the 3G network which the 8125 doesn't support, but further troubleshooting will eventually solve this one.
Addtionally I was hoping that AT&T wouldn't cripple the forward facing camera, but it isn't there, and I'm not willing to pay $550 more for a Touch Pro off Ebay just for that. As there isn't a lot of network support for live video conferencing, it really isn't that much of a problem for me anyway.
Reception seems to be about the same as my 8125, but again, further testing will support or disprove my initial experience. I am currently having trouble with the GPS function, but it is probably just a configuration/setup issue that I have not played with enough. The phone will tether without the laptop connect package, but you have to make a small edit in the registry. This is a relatively painless process.
This is not meant to criticize the Fuze. These are the only real problems (and minor to me) that I have encountered, and would give this phone a HIGH recommendation.
MrRuss

[Your Thoughts] ATT or Verizon

Hi,
been looking at the FUZE (ATT version of Raphael) and the touch Pro ( Verizon Version)
I currently have a contract with Verizon, and at the moment dont want to change it other than a phone upgrade and data plan, but the device...
lacks 128 MB of RAM (128 over ATT's 256) and doesnt have the G Sensor?!
This is rediculous, but I am pulled put over a barrel because I need The HTC Touch pro, Verizon doesn't use SIM cards either so I cant buy a fuze unlocked and use it under Verizon either. I'll pay the 15$ monthly but I honestly want my g-sensor and RAM
Your Thoughts? Anyone know if they offer an alternative with a SIM Card (Like their World Blackberries)
Laos

Verizon's does have a gsensor and a better keyboard layout then the fuse.
But no tv, lower ram, plus verizon is expensive etc..
Im only with verizon because i get 20% off my bill and i got my TP for free.

You also have to consider coverage. Do you know anyone that has ATT around you? You obviously know how well VZW is by you.
For me, both VZW and ATT are good around my house, but VZW sucks where I work and I get a full signal with ATT. Sprint is also good at both places.
As someone said, both models have the g-sensor. I'm not sure how much the lower RAM actually affects the device, so I can't speak for that either.
Also consider 3G. VZW has much more EVDO coverage than ATT's HSDPA, so check that out in your area too.
I've been very happy with ATT and the coverage around me. If you go ATT I would definitely flash a newer radio. The stock ATT Fuze radio was horrible for me.

YL Groper said:
Verizon's does have a gsensor and a better keyboard layout then the fuse.
But no tv, lower ram, plus verizon is expensive etc..
Im only with verizon because i get 20% off my bill and i got my TP for free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well thats confusing as hell, some say there IS a G sensor and some dont, but Honestly i can life with 128MB of RAM, I want my g sensor
I will stick with verizon, but i got one more question
the device has an internal GPS I can use for say, tomtom rather VZW Navigator, right?

Laos101 said:
Well thats confusing as hell, some say there IS a G sensor and some dont, but Honestly i can life with 128MB of RAM, I want my g sensor
I will stick with verizon, but i got one more question
the device has an internal GPS I can use for say, tomtom rather VZW Navigator, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, im not sure who is saying that there isnt a gsensor. Im on my third TP and all of them have had one. Verizon packs their stock roll with teeter and opera that switches from portrait to landscape. It DOES have it.
And yes, it has GPS. I have google maps, live search, vz nav, smart phone tracker.....all of that on my TP. you should check out scroslers rom for it. Awesome!

As far as the RAM goes, I'm wondering how long until WinMo gets Microsofts ReadyBoost program availible. For those that don't know this program it allows you to use a flash drive (aka SDCard) as RAM.

Dane Austin said:
As far as the RAM goes, I'm wondering how long until WinMo gets Microsofts ReadyBoost program availible. For those that don't know this program it allows you to use a flash drive (aka SDCard) as RAM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it could be a while, WinMo devices are notorious for having much slower card readers than regular Laptops and PCs, and to make it worse, the largest Micro SD Card (32 GB) is only at class 2, MUCH too slow for decent usage. However the 8 and 16 GB should be at Class 6. Which is okay. Still its best to wait until they solve the speed issue and have super fast 16 GB Cards so the card can still be used for ready boost with enough spare space for the high RAM programs themselves
Also, ready boost says ONE thing, EMULATIONS!!!!!!!

dont say silly stuff like it doesnt have a g sensor or ram. its the same hardware. it has a cdma antenna of course but it would be more cost efficient to leave the same internals rather than having a separate production line.

The Jack of Clubs said:
dont say silly stuff like it doesnt have a g sensor or ram. its the same hardware. it has a cdma antenna of course but it would be more cost efficient to leave the same internals rather than having a separate production line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You dont know what you are talking about. The phone has less ram.....Even the form factor of the case is different. Almost every carrier has a different version with different hardware. Some have an FM radio chip, euro versions have a front facing camera, some are more rounded at the corners, the verizon TP is square. the battery plates are different etc...

The Verizon Touch Pro is bigger then the Fuze, but has TF3D Landscape and the Send/End buttons are illuminated green and red, respectively.
The Verizon TP also locks out the GPS chip to external software like TomTom (it works for some, doesn't work for most).
The Verizon TP does have less RAM, but it does have a G-Sensor. My brother works for Verizon and verified this by playing Teeter on it.
HTC's main reason for popularity with carriers is because they are willing to tailor their devices to a carriers exact specifications. Such as losing the FM Radio, front camera, RAM, etc...
Just like already stated, I would judge it by the network coverage in your area. With me living so close to Philadelphia, I have 3G coverage available from every carrier, so I don't have to worry about signal.

Which carrier?- Which ROM rather...
Greetings all, - hope this is posted in the right location, thought I would throw in my two cents regarding the question of 'which network'.
I just obtained a Fuze through AT&T- after 6 days of playing with it, I was extremely dissatisfied with the fact that my Tilt, through the magic of Kaiser Tweak can DL via HSDPA, (in some areas) but this is not available with the AT&T ROM installed on the Fuze.
I was too nervous to try flashing and potentially bricking the phone, so I sent the thing back for a refund. I would much rather drop a bit more cash for the international, unlocked version of the same device- without the sluggish, weighty crap programs and the bottleneck of a ROM AT&T has put on the Fuze.
Through the info posted here, I was able to drop the bloat, as I did on my Tilt- It was actually on a post here that I saw that AT&T had done this purposefully, to limit bandwidth access due to a huge influx of Iphones on the network. This may be hearsay, and I may be toatally wrong in my assesment, but the symptoms were definitely there. I could not even sit and browse the web in my house, while with my Tilt this has never been a problem.
Side note: When I returned the thing to a local AT&T store, the mouth breathing clerk stared blankly through me as I explained my dissatisfaction with the connectivity, and asked his opinion, as I noted he himself had a Fuze. He had no idea what I was talking about. To quote him: "That's way beyond my level." I chose not to pursue the issue further, though it seems that just through my reading here, I have learned more about this than the aforementioned AT&T employee.

My carrier decision was based purely on it's world wide coverage ability. I chose ATT.
In the past 2 months I traveled extensively through SE Asia, N. Africa and Europe. Having ATT has allowed me to keep intouch with work, friends and family.
Hope this helps

At&t Fuze all the way, i got it, it has more ram, it doesnt have all the Verizon restrictions on it, i like the angles back on the Fuze vs the plain verizon design

jd885 said:
At&t Fuze all the way, i got it, it has more ram, it doesnt have all the Verizon restrictions on it, i like the angles back on the Fuze vs the plain verizon design
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are the restrictions aside from memory?

In my opinion
GSM > CDMA
If you go with ATT, you will have a GSM phone which, if nothing else, will have more resale value when you upgrade. GSM is the technology with a future, many manufacturers do not even make CDMA phones any more.
While the ramifications of this may never affect you directly, (i.e. moving to another country but using your phone with another carrier, or selling you phone to any GSM user worldwide) you might as well leave the option open.
my $0.02

buuuuut
despite that verizon took away memory, i still have yet to use so much that it would matter (i have att fuze)
at work and at home i only have 3g in certain spots of the house and office. when i do have it, it is hit or miss really. the only places i seem to get plenty of 3g is in big ol shopping areas.
others with verizon i know seem to have 3g every frickin where. streaming youtube, music, most of the time buffering-free. i am jealous thats for sure.
buuuuut
when i do have 3g it is really fast. faster than verizon. that is, if i can get it.
and i have tried several radios but i basically still have to hunt for that weak ass signal

My Raphael Work Log

Figure I'd start documenting all the work I'm putting into my Raphael (an unlocked AT&T Fuze). Been lurking here at XDA for a little over a year now. Only recently have I been able to afford to purchase a smartphone to replace my Sony Ericsson M600i (R.I.P. UIQ), and the community development here at XDA really excited me so I decided to go with a HTC.
After some comparative research at GSMArena (great search functions there), I settled on an AT&T Fuze. I really wanted a hardware keyboard (though I admit the iPhone on-screen keyboard is pretty good too), world quad band support (You absolutely NEED 850mhz here in Canada, but was also doing some traveling for work over the holidays), GPS (for said travels, and my usual propensity to be lost), and Wifi. All that, I figured, could make the Fuze a possible on-the-go computer replacement for me.
Found a cool seller over at HardForums that was great to deal with and 2 weeks later I had my Fuze (first impressions later).
On a sidenote, something that I will also be talking about in this string of posts is how Rogers Canada decided to lock smartphones out of their unlimited WAP browsing plan, trying to force their prepaid customers to switch to huge data contracts. So I'm looking to switch to alternatives such as Petro-Canada and 7-Eleven SpeakOut prepaid to see if I can get unlimited WAP with my Fuze.
That's it for now. Next post I'm going to talking about my first impressions of the Fuze.

First Impressions
First impression of the Fuze: Its heavy, and it attracts finger prints/grease like no other gadget I've ever owned. I have no idea why someone thought it'd be a good idea to have a shiny reflective backing for the bottom of a phone, not to mention its BLACK, so everything shows up. Another thing I didn't quite like was the way the slide-out keyboard joint felt really loose when the keyboard was closed, almost like I could pry it apart if I wasn't careful.
The weight really did surprise me. I thought I had a heavy phone when I had a Panasonic VS7 a few years back, but this thing is leagues beyond. I was surprised to find that I can't even blame a big battery. Its a whole 20g heavier than the similiarly spec Xperia X1 (which my friend has). 20g might not sound like much, but when the phone is only 145g, you can definitely feel the difference.
One thing I did like was the screen, I've never had a phone with better than QVGA res, and this VGA screen really shines. Everything is so sharp. And though people say that WinMo isn't as finger friendly as the iPhone (my friend has an old Elf with WinMo 6.0, I can definitely agree with that sentiment there, but I upgraded it for him ), the 280xx builds definitely help that and my fingers are pretty small to begin with.
Speaking of builds, the seller was nice enough to unlock the phone, and had already HardSPL'd and install a new ROM on it (an older TAEL 280xx Sense release). And let me tell you, seeing something you've read and researched on for over a year finally in action is a lot of fun.
Next post, flashing a new ROM and radio, and porting over my contacts from the old phone.

Flashing ROM and Radio
The original phone came with TAEL's v1.28xxx ROM, and the 1.02.25.19 radio. First thing I wanted to do was get one of the more up-to-date ROMs. I like my phone to have a clean, non-cluttered look, and after looking around the Raphael ROM forum I decided to stick with TAEL (EnergyROM looked highly functional as well, but looked a bit too busy for my liking). I choose the standard/Titanium release for the same reason (I never liked TouchFlo, as cool as it looks).
The phone was already HardSPL'd, so flashing was easy. Use the MicroSD method (EXCELLENT guide on the sub-forum, as expected from XDA), and in a couple minutes I had the ROM flashed and started trying out different things with my new phone, like web browsing and GPS. This was the point when I found out that Rogers had locked smartphones out of their unlimited WAP plan, which really ticked me as I had bought the Raphael for its better data capabilities than my M600i. HowardForums confirmed my findings, and that's when I started looking for other prepaid providers that have unlimited browsing (more on that in another post).
Luckily I still had Wi-fi to play with. The reception was pretty poor in my house but moving around a bit found a spot that the Raph can hold a connection. After spending some time with Mobile IE and Opera 10, I'm starting to realize why people say Safari on iPhone is THE mobile browser. It simply supports more web protocols than anything else right now (and before people start shouting Skyfire, yes, I'm going to be trying that out soon). GPS on Google Maps was pretty spotty too, it hard a real hard time getting a lock from my room window which faces the open street.
That's when it dawned on me, I should probably flash a new radio. On the Raph radio thread the pole already stated that I had the most popular radio. But the newer radios were not listed and further reading revealed that 1.12.25.19 was getting good reviews from North American users. So off I go to flash the new radio, as simple as flashing the ROM pretty much. And wow, what a difference in GPS performance. Google Maps locks in a couple seconds, TomTom locks quickly (especially if I launch Google Maps first, I'll talk about TomTom and Garmin more in another post). Battery life shot up too, 2-3 days w/o charging on an older battery is pretty good (my M600i I had to charge everyday, sometimes multiple times a day.
Next time, importing my contacts from a non windows mobile phone but NOT using Outlook in between.

[Q] Andoid without a carrier?

I haven't found any discussion about using Android devices without a phone carrier at all, is this possible or must the device be activaed on a carrier before it does anything at all? What I'm thinking of is basically the Android equivalent of the iPod Touch. It's still a smart device, still does wifi, still runs all those apps, but there's no phone service at all. More than blocking data plan that I have seen discussed, I want no voice plan either.
I know that some people think it's stupid enough to want a smartphone with no data plan on a carrier, you guys will probably think I'm retarded to want to leave out voice service as well. Well, I'd use it as a phone if I didn't have to pay for data plans and stick to wifi, as those other discussions want to do, but now that the monthly fee is absolutely mandatory on my carrier, well, I'm just not willing to pay that much. I've thought about buying an iPod Touch to compliment my dumb phone, but I'd rather have the Android equivalent so I'm not limited to apps approved by Apple.
I suppose some might say the Phillips GoGear Connect is what I should get, but I'll be annoying and say I want a front facing camera so maybe Evo 4G with no carrier service is even better so I can video skype with it. Would the Evo 4G work for me, or is it a useless zombie util it's activated on a cell carrier? What about other smartphone devices, do they all work or all not work?

Well you can buy uncontracted devices like I have and there are also plenty of tablet android devices that dont come with a plan. as for actual phone devices most of them come with a plan because its presumed that you will use it to make calls. Thats where tablets come in, usually contract free (Galaxy Tab exception) and allow for full use of the device using WiFi or another connection source.

Captainkrtek said:
Well you can buy uncontracted devices like I have and there are also plenty of tablet android devices that dont come with a plan. as for actual phone devices most of them come with a plan because its presumed that you will use it to make calls. Thats where tablets come in, usually contract free (Galaxy Tab exception) and allow for full use of the device using WiFi or another connection source.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My only problem with tablets is they are too big. I want something phone sized or iPod Touch sized. (which is about the size of a phone)

As long as the device is running 2.0+ (I think) , you won't need it tied to a carrier to use it. You can do it with older FW too but it would need a data plan so you can sign in and get to the home screen and use it. Newer FW, you can activate wifi during setup so you can log in to your gmail account.
Once logged in, you can use it like a iPod touch, download from the market, etc.
I have a Captivate, Incredible, and a Fascinate that I've been able to use while not hooked up to a carrier. I've even had a G1 without a carrier. Just had to borrow a friends SIM to log in to my gmail for activation but then works after that without it.

Did this with my HD2 running Android
So I'm an adventurous 19 year old guy living on Maui in Hawaii. I'm also a sponsored almost professional scooter rider. So I look up behind me and what do I see? a 10,023 foot tall volcano called Haleakala. So I was looking around for something to do and saw my scooter. The nearest skatepark is too damn far so I hiked 13 miles up this volcano all the way to the summit at 10,023 feet and took pictures then bombed down the perfectly smooth paved rode 28 miles to the bottom at about 45 miles an hour on my kick scooter.
Blah blah blah, anyways...
I jumped over a nice dip in the rode and my HD2 which was just bought the day before flew out of my pocket at about 25 miles an hour and hite the ground once on the corner then flew off in to the grass. I found the battery, cover and phone itself after about 30 minutes of looking. The screen was good besides a few deep scratches and a nice sized dent in the battery cover. The plastic of the phone was pretty scratched as well.
Mad? Nahh not at all. I was looking for a reason to get a new phone already after 24 hours and this gave me a good reason to go get that sexy looking G2 I saw...
So Now I am happy with my G2 and also use my HD2 as my mobile computer with the Ubuntu and android OS on it. Ubuntu is for word processing since I am a writer. Android is for my camera and music and games. It works out amazing and I love the look of peoples faces when im messing around with two phones on the bus...
Go for it. You wont be dissappointed and it beats the IPOD touch hands down. Sorry I capitalized ipod, it didnt deserve it...

Now that's a story! You better take care of your G2, did you sell your HD2?