So guys, I've taken the plunge. I bought an HTC Droid Incredible on eBay and am extremely happy and content with my purchase. This phone is nothing short of its name; it really is INCREDIBLE. Here's a short review for you guys. BTW yes, it's rooted :)
Verizon's HTC Droid Incredible follows the candy bar design brought in by Apple's iPhone. It's very minimalistic in the front design of the phone. The only button on the front of the Incredible is the optical joystick. There are 4 touch sensitive "buttons" on the front of the phone as well, symbolizing home, menu, back, and search respectively. They are very responsive contrary to many other HTC touch android devices (nexus one). The power/lock button is on the top left of the device, next to a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The volume rockers are on the left side of the device, as well as the micro usb charging port. There are no other physical buttons.
On the back of the phone is HTC's self described "race-car" design. Raised bumps on the back cover give it the look of a edged race-car. Some people like it, others don't. I would have preferred a straight back to be honest.
It sports an 8 mega-pixel camera with dual led flash and with its latest firmware update (2.2) it can record 720p video. It has an AMOLED screen with 480x800 WVGA resolution. It sports qualcomms incredibly fast snapdragon processor which clocks in at 1ghz speeds. Of course, it can be over-clocked to 1.5 ghz ;). On normal clocked speeds, the Incredible can achieve quadrant scores between 1300-1375, while over-clocked to 1.5 ghz it can achieve between 1700-1900 scores.
The Incredible currently supports the latest Google Android build (2.2) Froyo. It gained mobile hotspot support, as well as an updated HTC Sense UI. It also supports Adobe Flash 10.95.1, something other Smartphone manufacturers have failed to allow (Apple, i'm talking to you). HTC's Sense UI gives the phone much more functionality by adding HTC specific applications and add-ons. HTC skins, Peep (HTC's own twitter client), and the addition of Scenes are just some examples. There are over 50 HTC specific widgets which help enhance the Android experience. Android itself has a pretty high learning curve, but HTC simplifies it greatly. Like all other android phones, the Incredible has access to the Android marketplace, which gives it access to over 40,000 applications.
It comes with a 1300 mph battery, one you probably don't want to use. I ended up getting a 1700 mph battery to help last me an entire day, but even still that doesn't happen. Then again, I use my phone on a constant basis so its not the phones fault. All smartphones are plagued with bad battery life. It is preloaded with 8 gigabytes of flash memory, which is amazing, and also has support for up to 32 gigabytes more with the micro SD expansion slot.
It has all the redundant wireless connections which make it pointless for me to say but I might as well say anyway. It has WIFI support right out the box, GPS, Bluetooth, and Verizon's 3G on EVDO1x and Rev1 bands. Running on Verizon's CDMA network gives the Incredible an advantage over many other android phones. Verizon has an excellent network with a wide coverage market. It's 3G speeds are comparable to that of it's main competitor AT&T's own 3G speeds, but still lags a little behind AT&T speeds. Where it loses in speed, however, it makes up for with actual signal.
Overall the HTC Droid Incredible is an amazing phone. It's fast, responsive, versatile, and has a beautiful screen. The minimalistic design makes it an incredibly desirable phone. Call quality on Verizon's network is flawless and access to Android's ever expanding and evolving marketplace makes it a viable opponent against other Smartphones like the Apple iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S line of phones, and Blackberries. However, poor battery life and no front facing camera puts the phone a little behind the curve. The race-car design is etchy and HTC should have included an option for either that or a completely flat back. The display, one of its biggest proponents, also hinders it. Making it almost unbearable using it outside in sunlight. Anti glare protectors should help solve this issue though.
