129 replies to this topic

[bombbreaker]

The Army moved me to Fort Campbell and I had to switch carriers from T-Mobile to Verizon because the former didn't provide good coverage in our area. I've always been a Droid guy and the Bionic was touted as the best phone on the market with it's processor speed and capabilities (4G LTE, lap dock, etc.) The Verizon salesman told me it would be getting the ICS update "any time now". I thought "awesome, I want one" and bought it. Months went by, actually close to a year and it dawned on me, "I still haven't gotten that update". I never really thought about it before then because the phone is pretty awesome. But I started having data drop issues after the .905 update. So I started doing some research and found that there were so many issues between Motorola and Verizon and it appeared we would never get the update. I also discovered the House of Bionic and took the leap to install one of the leaks on my phone. It was instant gratification. I enjoyed my phone all the more and then fell into Safe Strap 3 and custom ROMs. It still is an all around great phone and I enjoy tinkering with the customs. I've taken good care of the phone, keeping it in an otterbox almost immediately after taking it out of the box.

I think it's the Bionic community that has made me stick with the phone. Sarge's moot threads have been both informative and entertaining. And Samuri's support of the community has just been awesome. Also, I think the news of Puni joining Google to fix the issues at Motorola gave us more hope that support for our phone isn't dead yet. I'm still holding on for JB update, but even if we don't get it I'll stick with this phone for a while. It's still in great shape and has a lot of life left in her.

[mamawm]

where do i start? i got the bionic on release day to release my eris. i knew at the time that were other phones about to be released but this is the phone that i wanted. i have never regretted the decision. yes i paid $300 for it, but i've have $300 worth of fun with it. there still isn't anything out that i think is enough of an improvement to warrant upgrading. i'm gonna live with this little beast for quite a while to come.

[Int_Rnd_Pooka]

I chose the Bionic out of necessity, partly. In early June 2012, I had to upgrade to a 4g phone before the end of my contract or I'd lose out on the opportunity to stay grandfathered in on my unlimited data. There were a very few choices available in the price range and honestly, I've always liked Motorola. The Bionic was a no brainer over TBolt and GNex (both more expensive, too).

I've stuck WITH it because of the two big hardware minded devs that have made this phone perform tricks that it never should have been able to. There's been a few times that I was in a position to buy a new phone off contract since acquiring the Bionic, but to see the progress made with this and other devices in the same Motorola family and compare it to the other offerings out there .. I really can't see a reason to get rid of it. I'm getting phenomenal battery life (considering what the poor thing started out getting), I'm loving that we have ICS official now. I'm glad that even though the people working on our device have graduated to other or more devices that they're still churning out love for the Bionic as well.

Spent a bit of time compiling and tweaking CM9 as well, and I'm really wanting to get back into it, since I don't see this phone going anywhere but in and out of my pocket for a while

[mr4r4n]

i think anyone that has ever had a bionic would agree, moto's "worst" is still better then all others best, my bionic has seen HELL chipped away charging port and water damaged battery (phone meet toilet bowl) and its still churning since last Dec and i came from a gnex and loved it even locked down, as it said on my d1--> MOTOROLA ENGINEERING <-- tops

[tehsusenoh]

Well, I got the Bionic, as I had been waiting for it since CES. I didn't like the original, plasticity model, but after the 6 month waiting, they changed the design to the nice, black box that it is today. At the time, it was the first 4G phone on Verizon with dual-core, decent battery life, and a qHD screen.

I've stuck with it mainly because I'm stuck on contract, however, the dev support is great for this phone. I've even been able to dip my hands into the OS because of the Bionic. It has been the greatest phone I have owned, my first Android device, and most certainly not my last.

[majeiks]

I bought it the day it came out. Purchased it largely because it was the first dual-core 4G Android phone that Verizon offered.

Kept it this long because I can't get an upgrade until May of 2013. Haven't decided if I'd like to pay full price to keep unlimited data. I suppose I have until May to decide.

[Mayhem]

Son wanted a smart phone, saw specs on Bionic before release and figured LTE + Dual core was the way to go.

He suffered through the familiar problems and was constantly beyatching about it. Kept trying to get me to take the Bionic and buy him an iPhone, but my work only supported blackbery (I had a Storm 2) so that wasn't going to happen.

Roll forward to July of 2012, we were in Key West and he had his phone lifted while hanging out on the Fort Zachary Beach.

When we got home, I did a litle research on the Bionic and learned of the ICS leaks coming out. I wanted to prove the Bionic was a good phone and just got shafted by the Razr release so I began searching craigslist for Bionics. (of course proving dad was right had nothing to do with my motives).

Found a couple on craigslist, along with carmount and desk docks for $190 total, so I purchased - one for him and one for me. I also wrote a new policy for work to allow Android devices on the network (since I was he one that actually supported the phones).

Started out first manually loading the ICS leaks, but with the security change in the later releases moved over to HoB just to make things a bit easier.

When he first started using the Bionic with the ICS leak - he couldnt believe it was the same phone.

Worked out well for me as well - I got a much better phone then the Storm2 and was able to keep my unlimited plan.

[smileythom]

I had already decided that I wasn't going to pay $300 for a new subsidized phone from Verizon, so I was biding my time with my Droid Eris until the Bionic dropped in price. I was so excited when the RAZR was announced because that meant the Bionic would be cheaper. I ended up getting my Bionic last January while my wife got the RAZR. When anyone asks why I got it, I laugh to myself and mention how it is basically the same as the RAZR but with a slower chip speed (like anyone normal notices that).

I love this group of people with the passion they all have for their device and so willing to help out (at least if you are wiling to follow instruction). :-)

Edit: I already have the lapdock. It is awesome to use it and connect into work and fix problems before I get there in the morning.
Please put me in for the Extended Battery or the Otterbox case!

[Thach]

All these reasons for having a Bionic and sticking with it are really making me want one more and more. lol

[jayrod]

All these reasons for having a Bionic and sticking with it are really making me want one more and more. lol

And we are all appreciative of how well we have been welcomed here..bacon and all!

Sent from my Icarus HD Edition Bionic

[livinginkaos]

OK, I'm not in the giveaway, but I thought I should give you my Bionic Horror story .....

It all started with Nextel - Had the Moto i1 with Android 1. Fell in love with Android, so upgraded to the Moto Titanium and got a 4g hotspot. Sprint 4G was spotty on my commute. Contract came up and I was ready to change. Looked around and wouldn't you know it, VZW had 4G at my house and all around my area - brand new lte service. Looked at phones and found Costco had the Bionic CHEAP and it was 4G running GB ICS ready. YES ! Got the phone, and I'll be darned if it didn't work..... well, I wasn't darned, the thing worked beautifully. Immediately got involved with the Moto forum..... I think I am still waiting for the refreshed page to load from last year....... Moved on and found this great group of guys and gals that owned Bionics as well and love tweaking the crud out of them. Then came 905, the bringer of the dropsies....... only, I didn't have them. Data was beautiful all the time. I was getting 15Mb consistantly and no drops.... crap....... Waiting for ICS was hard since my phone was working so badly.... Then, one day I was saved- my phone fell off while working on the tractor and it was gone...... So, on the hunt for a replacement phone. Looked at the other's with ICS already but with problems so I decided I would torture myself and get another Bionic..... I was cursed, the new one worked just a beautifully as the first one. A glutten for punishment, I picked up a couple of extra Bionics to have as a spare for the next time I decide to plow it in the dirt..... ICS showed up in the leaks, so of course I was game. What did I have to lose, it was a piece of crap anyway working like a phone should only to find that it got even better ! WTH, why is my luck soooo bad ????

Long story short, the Bionic is a piece of crap ...... that smells like roses...... Ha ha ha ha ...... and if I had to do it again, YOU BET ! Especially having this community - I wouldn't trade it for the world. DroidRzr makes it all worth while.

[Ethan82691]

I will be honest, i chose the bionic because i liked the looks of the device, and i had a buddy that had it, and i thought it would be a great phone with good speed! I could not afford the droid Rzr which i was originally after, So i settled for the Bionic! But it was much cheaper, and i have had Excellent luck with it! And i thank EVERY Developer so much for all their time spent on create new roms and tweaks for the Bionic!

Thank you

[Priestsyrinx]

Coming from the OG Droid, I was a big fan of the Motorola form factor and build quality. While I knew it had gone through a bit of journey to even be released, it appeared to be positioned as Motorola's flagship LTE entry. (Well, boy was I wrong on that.) Despite becoming the "red-headed stepchild", the phone really is a powerhouse. It does all I need it to and I've been one of the lucky ones to not experience much of the radio issues that plagued many others. The removable battery and expandable memory also keep me happy until a new killer device comes out. Lastly, the excellent Bionic community has ensured that my phone is as up to date as possible. Samuri, sarge, livingkaos and the rest of our wacky little band certainly keep things interesting, and have provided me with enough bacon pictures for many lifetimes.

[Spain]

Got stuck with it because it was the best of the phones available that my office would purchase for me.. since i am on their contract i have not been able to upgrade so i am just riding out the bionic wave for now

[dwhisent]

I got the Bionic because it was time for an upgrade, and it was the best thing out there at the time, since I wanted LTE.

I stuck with it because, unlike some other folks, I have never had a single problem with it. I am perfectly pleased with it.

[buffweiser]

The Bionic was the phone that I sought after holding on to the iPhone 3g for so many years. I told myself I wasn't going to bite on the Android train until 1gb ram, dual core, lte were available. Even after holding on to the Bionic until now since launch week in Sept 2011, I still don't really have a desire to switch - phone is still working great and I have my unlimited data . There were some hiccups in the beginning with data drops and lag (nothing the iphone 3g didn't experience), but this phone has really made my fist experience with android a positive one. Any of these accessories will motivate me to keep it that much longer. Motorola rules!

[skiboarder119]

I chose the bionic because it has roughly the same specs as the razr, only I get to replace batteries and sd-cards.

I'm sticking with it because it continues to get google updates... eventually, and it hasn't failed me yet.

[medic]

I chose the Bionic as I was coming from the failure called a Photon from Sprint. My friend has a Bionic, and although closely related to the Bionic, it was lacking. Plus I could no longer stomach the lack of service, even at my residence. I've stuck with it in part because my wife has one as well, we're nowhere near our contract renewal with VZW, and we have bought quite a few accessories for them. Cases, a lapdock, extended batteries. And for us, it all actually started with two overheating Palm Pre's by Sprint.
So droidrzr.com, THANK you for having us!
Medic and wife.

[Brutus06]

I chose the bionic (at the same time the razr first came out) because the specs were the best that I could find at the time and the price was right for it (50 bucks on wirefly). This was my first smartphone. I absolutely love this phone and I haven't found another phone that was released around the same time that compares to it. It has been very reliable for my uses, only time it wasn't reliable was my own mess up. I will be happy with this phone until the geek in me decides I need the phone with the greatest specs.

[Wildifre1999]

The Bionic is my third smartphone. I have had a Blackberry Curve 8330 and a Droid R2D2. I wanted to upgrade to 4G and keep my unlimited data, so I started shopping for phones. I wanted something with plenty of horsepower and plenty of roms to try out. After the research I decided on the Bionic. It was cheap, has plenty of power under the hood and has a great dev community. I could not have been happier with my choice. The phone is always snappy and ready to go and one of the best phones I have owned.