Yes I did try another cell phone.  Here are some pictures:

Sprint and Motorola are taking wireless innovation to a new level with Sprint’s first 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA^® Tegra™ 2 processor smartphone on the Sprint 4G Network, Motorola PHOTON™ 4G.

• Android 2.3 Gingerbread
• Sprint’s 4G network
• Webtop application, allowing users to access and create content from a larger screen while connected to a Motorola accessory dock
• International GSM capabilities
• 4.3-inch qHD display
• Dual cameras
• Kickstand for hands free viewing.

I loved this phone, yes I did return it.  So why did I give it back?

Pros:

• Easy to use and hold phone – very important if you spend your day reading email and talking
• Fast, fast, fast – this phone can handle the demands that I think most users expect
• OK battery life
• Easy to connect to email and documents
• Sprint’s voice coverage in my area is getting better
• Android 2.3 – more polished and reliable then previous versions
• Monthly pricing is better then Verizon
• Integrated Google Voice – if you have not checked out Google Voice, you need to now!

Cons:

• Technical support at Sprint is equivalent to asking my 2 year old niece for help
• The more you use Android the slower it gets.  In my opinion Android cannot get out of it’s own way and just work.  Apple does a better job
• Sprint 4G is elusive and just adequate – Verizon runs circles around Sprint’s 4G
• Radio in phone would go from one to off and from 3G to 4G to nothing – this happens when the phone is brought out of sleep **I have seen this issue with my Verizon Thunderbolt as well
• Not enough to make me switch
• Cannot switch between Google Voice number and main cell number without patience and technical support from someone/somewhere

I used the phone for 27days and then returned it.  I was sorry to see it go but it’s just not worth the extra time and investment.  Android is almost there and if phone carriers would get out of the manufacturers way, the public would have access to some cool, productive, and user friendly smart phones.

Verizon’s 4G LTE Network is down nationwide, forcing those with an HTC Thunderbolt or a 4G hotspot to suffer along with near dial-up speeds. According to Verizon’s twitter feed, the Thunderbolt is able to do voice calls, but data is running at 1xRTT data. The outage comes just one day before the DROID Charge, Verizon’s second 4G phone, hits the network. Verizon has said they are hard at work to fix the problem. Verizon’s 4G network went down late last night, and though it doesn’t affect 3G devices, the Thunderbolt has been booted down to extremely slow speeds.

When asked via phone and an onsite visit, Verizon had no comment about the outage and no time was given until service would be restored. 

There is a fix, however, that will allow the Thunderbolt to get back up to 3G at least.

Here is the fix to get the Thunderbolt up to 3G:

Dial ##778#
Press Call button
The password is 000000
Choose Edit Mode
Go to Modem Settings
Choose Rev A
Switch from eHRPD to Enable
Press OK
Commit Modifications

Keep in mind you’ll likely need to change this back to get your phone back to normal after the nationwide Verizon 4G LTE outage is fixed.