Make sure you also turn off the Blockbuster updates

I hate that stupid blockbuster program. I would root this phone just to get rid of that junk. Thank you Verizon for putting this crap on the phone. *Sarcasm over*

I'm picking one of those up this weekend but I need to find a case that will support that huge assed battery.

4G outage nationwide... i just called tech support to see what is going on since my phone would not come out of 1X... apparently it is also affecting the 3G too? cmon big Red... get ur butt in gear... i needs mah data!!!

Update is available now.

Settings>Software update and hit the “Check New” button

I had to try twice, I got a "Service Unable" error the first time

It worked for me when I checked at 11:20 a.m. I hope this fixes the 3g connectivity issues it claims to remedy.

downloading now...

still haven't managed to get an extended battery for the phone yet.. vzw is sold out... anyone have any recommendations on slim batteries slightly better than the oem one?

I haven't read through this thread but figured I would post here rather then start new. I have had the Thunderbolt for couple of months. I have to say that I HATE this phone. The battery is of course and issue as it is with everyone. One day it will last most of the day with some use, and the next with zero use will be dead before noon. I have removed it from the charger in the morning at times and the battery meter shows it down a bar within 15 minutes with no use.

The biggest problem I have with this phone is the touch screen. It makes typing on it the most excruciatingly frustrating task. I cannot simply type a quick text or email without having to proofread everything. Upon proofreading, I will find long incoherent words that look nothing like what I intended to type. I hit the period button probably 4 out of 5 times I try to hit the space bar. I have downloaded other keyboards which are equally as bad or only slightly better. I also cannot type with one hand. The right side of the screen will react to the heat of my hand gliding over it but not touching it. I consistently have the keyboard minimize or whatever you wish to call or have the search entry field pop up because the search button is on the right bottom of the screen, and again detects the heat from my hand. It is just too painful to use. I would like to sell it and get something else. About the only feature I have found useful on it is the mobile hot spot, which I have had to use a couple times on jobs in which I had to download software in a house that a client just moved into and did not have internet setup yet.

I will go back and read through the entire thread and see if anyone else has these issues too, I am just so frustrated after going through 4 defective iPhone 3g's and now to have these issues. I am not even that demanding of my phones, just basic stuff. I just demand that it works, which has not been the case going on 2+ years now. Ever since I started using touch screen based smart phones.

^^

http://swypeinc.com/myswype.html

I find Swype utterly annoying and a pain in the ass to use personally.

My T bolt is randomly turning off daily and the battery dies within hours no matter what. I can fully charge it before bed and it's dead before I wake up. It's always plugged in.

Yes, I turn off the wifi, GPS location and everything else.

I thought that at first too. But after a week or two, it's really easy to use.

It dies when it's plugged in? Try resetting to factory settings.

Actually, I would just call VZW and get a replacement device under warranty. They are always good about that sort of thing.

If you live in an area without 4G coverage, follow the steps in the link below to disable 4G. 4G is the biggest battery killer of them all, especially if there is no coverage and your phone is constantly searching.

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-...ttery-savings/

Man, they (HTC/Verizon), need to pull a Ludacris and roll out with a damn reboot fix.

You are the F'n man. Worked like a charm. BTW I have not seen my T bolt shut down recently.

:thumbsup:

I'm glad it worked out for ya! I don't understand why the phone is configured to not allow you to disable 4G without "hacking".

How much did your battery life improve?

There is also a free (non-root) app that allows you to switch between 3g and 4g essentially the same way.

"LTE OnOff"

It never died light night! I used it for a flashlight for fireworks and other stuff too. I just plugged it back in seconds ago so that's a big improvement. I'm going to give it a full charge and see what happens. Good stuff. :thumbsup:

So disabling that 4G function really really really changed the battery life substantially. This morning I still had almost a full charge! Before, I would wake up and the phone would be dead. That's a night and day difference.

Disabling 4G should CERTAINLY be a feature that you can do on the fly if you wanted to because it makes such a huge difference on battery life.

I downloaded the LTEOnOff app yesterday mentioned above to make it easier to cycle on and off. I do get 4G coverage in my area, but the battery life is so horrible I figured I would give it a shot. So far, it seems to make a drastic difference. If leaving it off is the fix, I might hit up Verizon to get me into a different phone, since I really do not like the Thunderbolt, and I can say the 4G was my whole reason for going with it. I am sure they won't do much, but I use the phone for my business and rely on it heavily, and its simply not been a good phone.

I hear ya on the phone. Mine randomly just turned off after a phone call again today and I'm really getting tired of it. Clearly the 4G ass-rapes the battery and if I have to switch this feature off just to have power for more than 4-6 hours than it's simply not worth having. Looks like a run to the Verizon store to see what they can do.

How long have you had it? If it's within 30 days you can return it and get something else. If it's over that period, then it can't hurt to give verizon a call. They are generally very good about listening to customers.

It's been over 30 days. I am planning to give them a call soon.

it's pretty unreal on how that simple change made such a drastic difference in my phone. The "hack" really made a huge difference in the performance of my battery. I can go all day and night with no re-charge. It now lasts about two days on average to heavy usage without having to plug it back in. Great tip sho_nuff1997.

Ya, 4G is a major battery killer. I have 4G on my phone, but I rarely ever use it. I am near a wifi source 90% of the time, and when I'm not 2G/3G is plenty. NTM, the 4G coverage around here is spotty at best.

Update expected tonight:

http://www.droid-life.com/2011/07/08...t-gingerbread/

Another thing I cannot stand with this phone is that if I text someone and for any reason leave the text program before sending the text, whatever I had typed will show up in the box every time I go to text that person. I have to erase it everytime I want to send them a text. It stays there even if I reboot the phone for weeks.

By default, what you type in the text field gets saved as draft if you back out of the sms program. AFAIK, there is no way to turn this feature off on android. But, there is something you can try since it seems your phone is not erasing the drafts after you have sent them.

Go into your messages...press MENU. Then press Drafts >> MENU >> Delete Drafts and then select the ones you want to delete....press Delete, and then reboot your phone.

The Latest Thunderbolt update is rock solid. Make sure you all download it.

I agree.

Heads up about the update:
- kills the leaked skype apk (the one with video chat)
- has built in lte on/off in wireless & networks (under mobile networks)
- has a myverizon app that works and data widget.

Downloading the update now.

I more or less like the phone, but have a few annoyances (most being the battery of course). My dog actually ate my 3 month old original TB, so I am on my second one now, and happy I got the insurance when I switched from my BB back in April.

Glad my dog isn't the one who enjoys chewing on phones

so i just got this phone 2 days ago because i got tired of waiting for the droid bionic. great phone, my battery seems to last me from 8- to about 5ish with moderate use.

my only complain is that my GPS and weather locations are WAY off. its showing me to be 70ish miles south of where i actually am. i took it to verizon and they said it should naturally catch back up. it still hasnt done so.

anyone else have this issue or know of a fix?

GPS issue is well known. Have you downloaded the newest OTA update released on July 8th (Software number 1.70.605.0)? Some people claim it fixed this issue, while others say it stays the same. Supposedly another patch will come out and directly fix the GPS issue.

yea i got the update the same night i bought the phone

I know it kinda sucks but I would suggest factory resetting your phone after any updates.

I did and I have ZERO issues with my thunderbolt. Works great.

Its a good practice to backup and reset when updates come out so that you don't bring any old issues to the new updates. Not sure if Im explaining myself correctly lol. But you get my drift.

thanks for the tip will. ill give that a shot and see what happens

Netflix now officially works on the Thunderbolt. Go get your copy on the market!

Been using it all day woot

any skype apps that work??

i finally ordered the extended battery and sleeve to fit the monster battery... it has shipped so it should help my batt life now...