Anyone else having problems with Motorola Droid?

Question

Hi I have the crappy motorola droid that freezes and forcecloses everything possible. Takes forever to start up and randomly shuts itself off. Anyone else have this problem? I've only had it maybe 6 months and have done nothing to it to cause these issues. My husband has the Droid 2 which is even worse! When I went into a Verizon store I was told that it is because they released it on the whim not realizing it would have all these issues and the only thing I can do is to upgrade to a better more recent phone? I'm confused as to a. why do I have to buy a new phone just because they released a crappy phone? and b. The upgrade is $300+ for a "more suitable/reliable" phone (obviously with signing a new 2 yr contract). Also I want to make sure I am not the only one paying $220 for 2 lines with 1400 minutes? (includes the $29.99 fee for both lines & also $6.99 for insurance).... Does this sound right?
Thanks!

Answer 1

Hello!
First, I am going to refrain from two very popular forum habits:
1. complaining about my phone
     (it is an incredible piece of technology with some very specific issues, looking for answers, please :~)
2. bashing my carrier (it's pointless - I am asking for help here; don't want to bite the hand that feeds me)
That said:
I live in Berlin, Germany / my D2G is an unlocked, US model from VZW
My carrier here is O2, a giant German carrier, comparable with VZW
     (iphone users are usually  O2 customers here, for example)
My family plan in the US still lists my US number; I can go home to NY, switch sim cards back to the VZW network at the airport and use my phone on VZW right away. This costs my family only $10 a month, and adds another incentive to visiting home at a totally great price.
I pay 30 € per month for my own contract here with O2, including flat-rate calling and a great data plan. Sending SMS costs 7 - 13 cents apiece. Again, very satisfied with the ability to use this phone globally as the name implies.
My issue:
Since updating to Gingerbread IN GERMANY back in November or so, my D2G started going berzerk, with many of the same issues described in the  post from mmendoza about his fiancee's D2G in this thread: 
"sometimes it looks like a ghost is playing with it"
- not just sometimes, about 80-90% of the time! When using any/all apps or built in features, the picture onscreen will shiver and shake back and forth like I am holding my finger on the screen and wildly wiggling it about.... condensation on the screen? Oils from hands or face? with or w/o screen protector,  issue remains the same - ghost party in my phone.
"it makes calls on its own, texts people, opens apps"
-related to the above issue, I think; random URLs will be googled! Emails selected in Gmail and archived/deleted at will by the phone as I watch, dumbfounded! Behold: the amazing Self-Sufficient Smart-Phone! It's ALIVE!! aaaarghhhh!
"a black screen that said something like Boot Loader, some numbers, Battery OK and something else,
Connect to USB to download"
-have also seen this screen once before; I thought it was the phone giving up the ghost, fortunately it came back to life, unfortunately just as quirky and un-usable as before.... you can imagine how frustrated this makes one, so I will spare you the details of my own emotional distress and get to the point:
Also: keyboard on the touchscreen - the letter a won't work: each time, 'sa' comes out, when I mean to type 'a' - weird.
Many things I've tried - factory reset, you ask? yes, and *please* don't ask that one again, if possible! Issue remained the same after a brief period (maybe 3 hours) of normal functioning - ghost is back in the kitchen for good.
Battery has been in and out of my phone more times to count -to no avail- as above, issues always return in short order.
Wiping the screen clean to remove any residues? - also doesn't help matters, just makes me look like a frustrated and OCD-about my smart-phone hipster in the subway and other public places where I like to, you know, use my phone's bazillion features, sometimes.
So Motorola's take on the issue: bc this has all been happening with the phone SINCE UPDATING TO GINGERBREAD IN GERMANY -  'the "German" Gingerbread update is of course the update for the "German" model of the D2G, therefore the wrong one for your phone, young grasshopper. Please send your phone back to your family in the states, we will send them a shipping label, they will send the phone to us, we will flash the drive, and update you to Gingerbread here, send the phone back to your family, who will then send it back to you and your problems will be solved, but please, act fast before your warranty runs out on March 21st, 2012.'
Ok, so that is plausible, kind of ~ I buy a phone to use in the meantime, for 15 €, to make calls only.... emotionally preparing myself for this long period without my awesome phone... and I take the sim card out of my D2G, and put it in the interim cell phone.... and the D2G has a rest for a couple of days.
Then, before sending it off, one last try with the German sim card in the D2G - like magic all of the symptoms are gone, and the phone has returned to full, unproblematic functionality. Which is great, but does nothing to explain the hardship of the last 3 months... I don't know... that was this morning, tomorrow is another day, maybe the ghosts will return.
My question for VZW: you guys know that several people have had this issue with the D2G - the forums don't lie, guys... I am wondering if it can really be attributed to the software update 'intended for the German model of Motorola's D2G. People in the States have had this issue as well. Should I send it to motorola as instructed and let them fumble with it before my warranty expires next month? Is there another fix?
I know I can just flash the drive, download and install the appropriate Gingerbread update to my phone MYSELF with a USB cable and a computer connected to the world wide web. So what is the point of giving it to Motorola to perform such a simple fix? If they are aware of this issue with their D2G phone, as I am sure they must be, have they owned up to it with other users of the D2G who are VZW customers? What is my best chance at solving the riddle of these issues in the coming weeks? help? please... bitteschön?
signed,
helpless in Deutschland