Outstanding Alternative to iPhone

I had been an iPhone/AT&T customer for the past couple of years, since the first 3G release. The iPhone is a great device, but hampered by the poor AT&T voice network, and the spotty 3G coverage. As a former Verizon customer for years prior to that, I knew the voice quality and coverage was superior, but their smartphone selection really didn't rival the iPhone, and I was stuck with the 2 year contract. I'm glad to say that dumping that contract early to jump back to VZW and the Incredible was well worth the penalty!

The Incredible is fast - almost too fast as it responds quickly to short flicks of my thumb. The optical joystick option for navigation works nicely, especially to avoid extra smudges to the touch screen. The seven page HTC Sense display is unique and has unlimited options for customization - the ability to have functional "widgets" vs. just application launch icons vs. the iPhone make this stand out - as well as the several default configurations to help guide you towards customizing your own configuration. The display itself is bright, sharp, and the higher resolution (compared to the 3G) makes everything pop out, making you "wow" when you first look at it. Customization options are abundant, further allowing you to customize to your heart's content. The seamless integration with Google mail/calendar, Facebook and Twitter, and well as the ability to sync Outlook Calendar and contacts provides a novel method of linking various contacts together for streamlined management of your contacts - for example, if I had you in my Outlook contacts, and also as a friend in Facebook, and followed you in Twitter, the HTC allows me to link those together, so your contact info on the phone allows me to interact with you without having to actually go to those various applications. I even like the fit of the phone in my hands - an iPhone (without a case) always feels like it's going to slip right out of my grasp, but the case of the Incredible seems to "stick" to my fingers, and I never feel like it's going to slip through.

The camera is worlds better than that of the iPhone 3G. Photos are clear, and colors are true to life. The led flashes work well. The only drawback is pushing the optical joystick to take a picture - same problem as with the iPhone. A button on the side of the phone would be preferable.

If you are worried about apps, there's no need to. Just about every app I had on the iPhone has a version in the Android Marketplace, or at least another app that is of equal quality/function. The Marketplace is more cumbersome to use as it's only available through the phone interface - a store to browse and shop via the web on my computer, similar to how the iTunes apps store functions, would be a great addition and make finding apps much easier. The phone interface is quite functional, but trying to compare and select between similar apps would work better on the computer. **Update** Thanks to a comment, I've found Appbrain, which looks like a good solution for this!

If you are tired of AT&T's network and/or the iPhone, the Incredible on VZW is certainly a prospect to investigate. I give it a hearty thumbs up! 4 stars for the Incredible itself, as it can use some software improvements, especially to the Marketplace, and 5 stars for the VZW voice and data network (but 1 star for VZW's continual poor documentation of the phones they provide).

Pros:
Fast processor
beautiful display
great camera quality
wealth of applications through Marketplace
fit and feel
VZW Network quality
highly customizable interface
integration of contact data