HTC Inspire 4G user reviews (black, AT&T)

Pros + Fast and responsive phone
+ Great-looking screen
+ 4G, although still needs improvement from AT&T
+ Android allows you to do so much more with your phone and easier to use
+ Much better multi-tasking among apps
+ Widgets

Cons + Battery life
+ Apps stay in the background and eat up memory and battery life
+ Limited number of home screens, no folders
+ User interface not as smooth as the iPhone
+ I hate it that Google Chrome bookmarks cannot be synchronized with the Android

Summary After pondering for about a month, I finally made the decision to switch. Yes, I was breaking up with my iPhone and switching to the Android OS. It actually wasn't all that difficult for me to decide. I am such a heavy Google user that it made sense for me to reconcile everything on the Android. Also, I was hearing horror stories about how badly Apple was treating its app developers while Google had created a great open-source environment for their developers. I guess this shouldn't have come as a surprise after having suffered from the protective policies of Apple with iTunes for a long time myself.

Well, making the decision to switch to Android wasn't all that difficult. But which phone was I going to buy? I ended up going back and forth between the HTC Inspire and Motorola Atrix. But after reading such bad reviews on how poorly Motorola had designed their UI on the Atrix, and seeing the beautiful screen of the Inspire with my own eyes, I finally decided to go with the Inspire. And so far, I'm very pleased with my decision.

Before I go on any further, I should note that these are really only my first impressions after using my new phone for 3 days. However, I suspect that the only potential issue that might affect my longer-term opinion about the phone is the battery life. I expect everything else to remain stable at this point.

I am not a gadget person, per se. But I do like to get full use out of a device with such hardware capability. With my iPhone 3GS, I was beginning to get frustrated with the fact that all you basically do on the phone was to go from app to app and look at content that you can easily also see on the internet. With the Android system, you have the full control of the device in your hands. You can access its entire file system, background processes, device properties, and so much more. It really feels like you're getting more out of your device. At least to me. And I really like that.

Switching from the iPhone to Android, one thing that struck me right away was how much better the multi-tasking capability was on Android. With the Android, you are now in the realm of real multi-tasking. Things that remain in the background remain live, updating, synchronizing, etc. On the iPhone, yes, you could switch from app to app, but most apps wouldn't even remember where they were when you returned back. On Android, Google has really managed to provide a great multi-tasking capability and that was a great turn on for me. But of course, it's not flawless. I soon realized that everything tended to stay live in the background. Most apps don't really have a real "close" feature. You switch back to your home screen or another app, and the app that you leave behind stays on even if you don't need it to stay on anymore. Some apps do have "turn off" or "quit" options buried into their menus, but most don't. And in the end, all those apps that stay on eat on the memory and use valuable battery life. Now, I found good apps that allow you to see all running tasks and close them as desired, and I find myself doing that at least several times during the day. I'm using the app called "Android System Info" for that, and I'm happy with it.

Another nice feature that I ended up liking a lot was the widgets. Widgets are small apps with live content in them. They look great and offer good live content without even opening any apps. The iPhone doesn't have anything like this at all.

It is of course also amazing to be able to just simply transfer files between my phone and my computer with no limitations from Apple!!! In this day and age, I really can't believe that I am actually writing something like this in a review, but it is the reality. I also can't believe that I let myself be abused by Apple like this for so long. Not any more, though! I am now a free man and I am planning on staying that way from now on.

OK, now on to a few words specifically about the phone... I have to say that, overall, I am really happy with the HTC Inspire 4G. The screen is really huge and beautiful! What an upgrade from my iPhone 3GS. But it also has a bit more glare. This might be mitigated soon when I start using a screen protector. The AT&T store I bought the phone at did not have one on stock, and ordered it for me. The glare should become less pronounced with the screen protector. The phone is very fast and responsive. I was actually positively surprised by this, as the demo phone I tried at the store was so much worse on that. So I recommend not to base your decisions on the performance that you find on a demo phone in a store! Now on to the battery life... Yes, like most other reviewers, I am also experiencing somewhat limited battery life. Overall, though, I have to say that it's not all that different from my iPhone! But I think it requires the user to be much more aware of what's running in the background.

Overall, I am very happy with my HTC Inspire.

PS: Best 4G speed so far 2500 kbps down and 375 kbps up (in Miami)

Updated on Mar 23, 2011

Update after 2 weeks of use...

Pretty much all of my original comments are still valid. I really like both the Android system in general and my new HTC Inspire. I suppose the first thing I should update on is battery life, as the consensus so far seems to be that this is the weakest link. Well, I've had days when I ran out of charge in one day, and days when I still had about 30% charge by the end of the second day. There are ways to check what's using the most of the battery, and it seems that the display is actually the main culprit with 50-60% of battery life consumed by it. I reduced my default brightness to 70% and it seems to help.

Apps running in the background also continue to be an evasive subject for me. But what I realized was that except for ones that actively sync, background processes don't actually use power, just consume memory. No matter what I do, I am constantly running at about 20-25% free memory!

Overall, I am still extremely pleased and love my new phone!

Pros Unlike the iphone 4, the ability to make and receive calls without constant issues. Droid applications. Large screen. Hot Spot for 5 devices. Adobe Flash. Voice to text (Oprah will be so proud of me for not texting and driving anymore).

Cons I have done days of research and I honestly can't find a single one. February 13th can't get here soon enough.

Summary I've been an iPhone user since June of 2007. Yes, I even stood in line for this phone at one point. The latest iPhone 4 is my least favorite for one reason and one reason only. I own a cell phone for the ability to make/receive calls without CONSTANTLY dropping the call. Apple, say what you want, the antenna fix did not work. I'm not buying the iPhone 5 in June just so you can fix the antenna. I'm done with iPhones, Steve Jobs and I'm not looking back.

This new HTC Inspire 4G looks incredible. I've read every article I could find on the phone and it blows the iPhone 4 out of the water. You guys can leave AT&T and head to Verizon if you want. It's not the network, it was the phone. When I had the iPhone 3GS, I never lost a call. I've dropped more calls with the iPhone 4 than all the phones combined with AT&T (formerly Cingular) I had over the past 10 years.

Goodbye Apple with your poor reception, constantly changing models and your lockdowns.

Pros -Multimedia Features
-Screen
-Design
-Camera
-HTC Sense
-4G (HSPA+)
-Android
-Market

Cons -Battery Life
-Can't Download Third-Party Apps (Have to use Sideload Wonder Machine)
-Data Plans

Summary This is my first android phone. Since I am on AT&T, I could basically choose from the Inspire, Captivate, iPhone, or Atrix if I wanted a smart phone (which I did). I ruled the Atrix out because of price, and I ruled the iPhone out because of design (breaks easily, ATT version has signal issues due to antenna). I later ruled the Captivate out because I liked the Inspire UI (HTC Sense) better, and so far, I am really happy with my decision.

DESIGN:
The design of the Inspire is just great. It features a 4.3 inch display, and even though its not AMOLED, its just beautiful. It is carved out of aluminum, (with some rubber and plastic elements), and feels great in the hands. I like the idea of separating the battery from the SIM and MicroSD cards, so I don't need to remove the battery to get to the cards. It doesnt use a proprietary charging port, so if I need to borrow, say, a blackberry owner's charger, I can use it. I'm not a person who likes physical keyboards (I've broken every phone keyboard I've had), but I LOVE virtual keyboards, especially big ones. It also features an 8 MP camera with dual flash.

PRICE:
Currently at ATT, the Inspire is $100 with contract. Some people might say that's too expensive, but I think for a smartphone with this many features, its a bargain. Also, if you think this is a lot, look at the Thunderbolt ($250), and all it has that's different from the Inspire is a Front Facing Camera and LTE 4G.

HTC SENSE:
Sense is the best part of this phone. It has BEAUTIFUL widgets, BEAUTIFUL transitions, BEAUTIFUL apps, and, well, you get the point. It basically works out the kinks in Android. The only thing I would add is the ability to resize widgets. But other than that, it is SO much better than MotoBlur, TouchWiz, and DEFINITELY Stock Android. And Sense working together with Android FroYo 2.2, this phone is everything a Droid wants!

APPS:
All of the apps on the Inspire are great on the screen. With contacts, messages, and other apps, everything is so great. Especially on the big screen. The Market Apps look great, too, especially Angry Birds. The only thing I would add is the ability to download third party apps on the phone itself, but you could still use Sideload Wonder Machine for Windows. And FYI, Netflix Streaming is coming soon.

BATTERY:
The only actual con on the phone is the battery life. Being only 1230 maH, it will last about a day, and about 3 days if you let it sit around without anything actually being used. But I'm waiting on my 1500 maH battery from eBay.

AT&T:
While AT&T's 4G network is not extremely fast yet, I did notice slightly faster speeds. My problem is that I surf the web alot, and I'd like to still have an unlimited data plan. But I'm stuck with my small 200MB plan.

SHOULD YOU GET IT (COMPARISON):
If you want a smart phone and dont want to pay a lot of money, yes. I used to have an iPhone 3GS, and if the iPhone 4 is anything like the 3GS, it won't beat the Inspire whatsoever. The iPhone's only advantage is their app store, which only has a SLIGHTLY larger selection of apps. Don't forget that the iPhone stores your location without your OK!
The Samsung Captivate is a great phone with an AMAZING screen, but I find TouchWiz to be "cluttery."
The Motorola Atrix is also a wonderful phone, but MotoBlur slows it down a lot. I don't think that phone is worth $200.
The Motorola Bravo is also great, but I think the design is a bit awkward in the hands, and Motoblur slows it down.
The other ATT android phones are entry level and have small screens.
The Sprint EVO Shift is great for people who want keyboards, but I don't.
The EVO is the only phone that has an HDMI port (that I know of) which I don't think my TV even has HDMI!
The Thunderbolt has a front facing camera, which I don't need. On the other hand, its great to keep in touch with family. (See Skype or Fring)

1 SENTENCE CONCLUSION:
I feel the Inspire is the best android phone around.

Pros Large screen display, very responsive, large number of features, excellent camera, 4G, lots of memory for apps, very smooth interface.

Cons Battery life, lack of rear facing camera.

Summary This is my second Android platform phone the other, a Motorola Bravo. I have been a long time BlackBerry user, and yes even the mighty iPhone of which I was not impressed.

First the interface. The HTC Sence in an excellent overlay that I have yet to have freeze up on me after weeks of use. The screens and icons react very smoothly and quickly with no lagging. With the Sence social feeds widget you can see both Facebook and Twitter updates and update both in a single place. All Sence, email, and calender apps update as often as you set them to or can sync manually keeping your address book and social feeds updated at a glance. This phone can be customized with skins, backgrounds, scenes, widgets, shortcuts, folders sounds, and alarms can all be set on the same screen via the Personalize button at the bottom right of the screen. This allows the user to make the phone as simple or as cluttered as the user prefers. I personally keep the center/home screen clean but the other six are customized for email, social, contacts/messaging, media (camera, gallery, youtube, universal search, calender, etc.), music (mp3, playlist, Pandora), news feeds/fm radio. One of the greatest things about android is the near endless customization to the individual users personal taste.

Features. This phone comes with tons of features the only notable missing feature of a phone of such high end quality and options is the lack of forward facing camera, not really an issue for me but if that is a huge thing for you then I would look at the Motorola Atrix if your looking at the At&t lineup. Mp3/media player has excellent sound quality and the interface is vibrant and fun to play with. There are several eq. settings including Dolby Digital which makes listening to your videos and movies more enjoyable. Creating playlist directly on the phone and then creating shortcuts to the home screen are a breeze. News/RSS feeds are great for me as is the FM radio ( must use headphones). The inspire loaded with over 70 widgets examples, 2 different HTC Sence social widgets, 3 HTC and one Android widgets for email, three styles of HTC and one Android widget for calender. In short this phone has near endless ways to set up the phone to perform the way the user needs weather for work or fun. The browser is the best I have ever worked with on a mobile device ( and that is among many from multiple platforms). Videos load VERY quickly and Youtube videos play in both landscape and portrait via the Youtube widget. The keyboard is very responsive and is very roomy for the larger handed individual. The Inspire also comes with a book reader and loaded with several classic books already on the phone and the large screen makes them easy to read. The camera if of the highest quality in the mobile phone market and comes with a photo editor though it is quite limited but a good photo editor from the market place is a nice addition. The video camera can record in HD and the quality is great even compared to a good digital video camera, but as with ANY digital phone camera indoor low light pictures need some editing to bring forth a quality picture.

In summary this is a great phone for the casual or heavy user and is an excellent multipurpose multimedia device with lots of options. The battery longevity is not so great but I find that a problem with all Android platform phones so keep a charger with you in the home, office and car.

App suggestions for this phone.... PicSay pro for photo editing.....Profile app with custom profiles to mimic those of the BlackBerry.....Advanced Task Killer..... These apps just make the phone a little nicer and more productive.