Database Users

Disappointed

So, it's this. Htc magic is a very pleasant and nice mobile, except for construction quality. It is plastic and the buttons are small. The biggest disappointment must still be the lack of sending / receiving files via bluetooth.
I had the phone for 5 days before I decide to send it back to the operator. The only positive in the system is still android. htc device has failed completely. It provides a cheap impression when you use it.
I thought first that the screen would be of glass, the screen is a little difficult to use. It does not slide as much as you want.
As I said, I honestly thought that it would be of much better construction quality.
Wait for another phone, maybe samsung i7500. Android system is a very lovely os.

Funny, my first impression was that the Magic was the most solid feeling phone hardware I've ever used. It feels like a solid step up in all respects compared to the iPhone or other HTC devices I've owned.
Bluetooth file transfer is available on the market if you have a rooted phone (and paid apps in your country, I guess), though personally I've never heard of anybody actually using that feature on any phone.
The lack of bluetooth file transfer is a limitation of Android, by the way, not the Magic, so don't expect it to be included in the i7500 (or any other android device) either. That might change when Android 2.0 releases, but I don't expect that to happen any time soon.

I have a htc diamond that I use, the hardware of the diamond is much better than the magic ( I mean the construction quality ), it is more solid.
I know that bluetooth is a limitation of the android system.
Android is so much better than any other system, like the iphone. Iphone has a much better construction quality than the magic.
It is like too much plastic in the magic.
Many other manufacturers like samsung are able to give us an impression of high quality, although they are constructed of plastic.

I'd have to agree with foxman on the construction of the Magic. The first day I had my Magic the phone started squeaking on the side of the plactic. You may say that I'm a bit anal but it was the first day. I went to my carrier and exchanged luckily. I don't have that problem now but I can see it happening later in the future, after all it is only plastic. It is not like the 1st gen iPhone where it is made up metal. I think the squeaking of the phone may just be inevitable.

It would be interesting to hear how others perceive the quality of the device, read somewhere on the forum about a guy who had a crack in the battery cover..... it perhaps is a construction fault from htc.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=522701&highlight=cover

Weird. I i think its very very solid constructed. Mine doesnt squeek or anything. I've owned an HTC Touch Diamond too but have sold it after 7 months of use. I thought the Diamond was of poorer build quality than the Magic. The magnet that kept the stylus in place fell off after 2 weeks.
And because you read about a guy that had a crack in his phone doesnt mean its craply built. If you search for it i guess you will find someone with a crack in their phone of any brand if you really want to.
I would rather have a phone made of plastic that ways less than a phone that weighs more and have metalparts in its chassis.
I totally disagree with you on that topic. But i agree with the bluetooth thing. I was shocked when i found out that Android doesnt support Bluetooth send/receive. Its 2009!!! My phones have been able to do this for 10 years (almost)!!
I've used it heavily on all my previous phones. And all people i know use it very often. To send a contact for example, or if your girlfriend wants you to have something over the air etc. etc. etc.

I assume you guys complaining about bluetooth file transfer are in Europe? Here in the US (where android was designed, of course) there is virtually no demand for that feature at all. I'm a pretty advanced user and I honestly didn't even know that bluetooth had a file transfer profile. It must be a regional thing. Hopefully Google will fill in those gaps for you guys some time soon.

I completely agree with the chef. Having owned an iPhone (first generation), iPhone 3G, T-Mobile G1 (black / white) and now the Google Ion (HTC Magic/Sapphire) - it honestly feels better and more solid in my hand than any phone I own. After getting used to the size difference from the G1, I absolutely adore this phone. It is definitely a well built phone.
The Bluetooth file issue is seriously not a big deal. Most people just use USB.

oxeneers said:
The Bluetooth file issue is seriously not a big deal. Most people just use USB.
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It's not possible to use USB to exchange files between 2 devices: only if you have a computer (or special printers)

I've had a lot of phones with bluetooth transfer and I've used it for max 2-3 times, you don't need bluetooth...

I live in Sweden, here we use the bluetooth daily. Do I have a picture or song that I want to share with me I do it most easily via bluetooth.
I have never believed that a device like this miss this feature. Then I guess that Palm Pre also lacks this feature.
A friend the other day wanted to send a picture via bluetooth, he had an old nokia (which is no longer available for purchase) and I with a 700 dollars phone can not receive it, embarrassing.

My Magic squeeks as well when you push on the left side of the screen My former phones had worse build quality... Sony Ericsson W300, W580 and W910...
I use bluetooth a lot as well. It seems the americans aren't that interested in bluetooth but in Europe we use it a lot for sending ringtones, wallpapers, contacts, music, etc. Luckily there is blueX now for sending and recieving over bluetooth.

my magic used to squeak as well when you press on the right side but now after more than one month it's not sqeaking anymore

Just thought I'd chip in with my 2 cents.
I would have to disagree about the build quality of the Magic. Mine is a very solid phone and built to a high standard. HTC normally make decent hardware and have done their usual good job on the Magic.

Some impressions
I have my HTC Magic for 5 days now and I am getting very fond of it. I have worked with PDAs since WM 3 or 4 (and whatever came before it) and I feel very good with the Android OS.
I had no problems with BT so far, but I use BT only to connect to my handsfree installation in my car.
I agree nothing is perfect, but then WM is already at version 6.x, Android is only 1.5. In my professional live users would not even consider to install such a "young" product
What amazed me the most is the ease of programming for the Android and the Magic. The SDK is very well documented and it is easy to find examples and even good books. No need for an expensive IDE either, Eclipse can be used for free, and of course Java is better then C# (Just kidding, please don't start any mailwars on this)
I did some fair programming in the past for WM (see the "Diamond" forum for diamondBeer, etc), but it was always harder then what I did for the Android.
So today after a few hours work, I was already able to bring my first app to the Android Market, called "aMilk" which is the nice version of diamond beer.
I had no quality problems and the interface feels very good. The performance of the Magic is also very good. To make the diamondBeer act as fast as aMilk, I needed to use OpenGL and that was not as easy as it sounded.

chefgon said:
Funny, my first impression was that the Magic was the most solid feeling phone hardware I've ever used. It feels like a solid step up in all respects compared to the iPhone or other HTC devices I've owned.
Bluetooth file transfer is available on the market if you have a rooted phone (and paid apps in your country, I guess), though personally I've never heard of anybody actually using that feature on any phone.
The lack of bluetooth file transfer is a limitation of Android, by the way, not the Magic, so don't expect it to be included in the i7500 (or any other android device) either. That might change when Android 2.0 releases, but I don't expect that to happen any time soon.
Click to expand...
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Do you remember the name of that app on the market?

I hate that its all plastic
scratches very easy and the paint will peel if you drop it and it gets dinged up..the iphone was very solid when i dropped it nothing happened

I admit the lack of bluetooth transfer annoyed me at first, but since we it has a hot-swappable sd card I get by just fine.

Decent build
Funny, I think the Magic has a very decent build. Screen is glass, frame is aluminium with face and back plate in thick plastic. I have definitely seen and felt much cheaper builds.

casper.bang said:
Funny, I think the Magic has a very decent build. Screen is glass, frame is aluminium with face and back plate in thick plastic. I have definitely seen and felt much cheaper builds.
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Are you sure that the screen is made of glass? I think that it is made of plastic ....
Hope someone with a secure source can confirm this

whats with the missing video call front camera

i find it a very weird (and potentially a major problem) design decision that HTC left out the front camera for 3G video call. they have had them in all 3G phones since the universal (2005). why on earth would they stop it. is it really hard to add that front camera in that small place
is there a technical limitations preventing that?
will it be possible to hack in a video call dialer that uses the back camera
i imagine that there will be no need to even enable the power hungry 3G radio most of the time. it makes sense to only temporarily enable it if you are planning to stay browsing for a while

THE GRIZZ said:
i find it a very weird (and potentially a major problem) design decision that HTC left out the front camera for 3G video call. they have had them in all 3G phones since the universal (2005). why on earth would they stop it. is it really hard to add that front camera in that small place
is there a technical limitations preventing that?
will it be possible to hack in a video call dialer that uses the back camera
i imagine that there will be no need to even enable the power hungry 3G radio most of the time. it makes sense to only temporarily enable it if you are planning to stay browsing for a while
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I for one won't miss it. I have only ever used it once and that was to test it. You can never guarentee you're going to be in a 3g area or the person you are calling is. I have used the camera on the front of the Touch Pro to take pictures of me with my kids etc, and it takes better pictures than the main one.

Never used one and probably never will. Not a great loss from my point of view

I would think it would be pretty crucial if one wanted to use it for communicating with sign language.
Other than that I never really meet people that actually use it. Would be interesting to see some statistics about this. My thought is that very few people use it but I may be wrong.

5MP camera - check
Flash - check
Accelerometer - check
Digital compass - check
aGPS - check
3.5mm jack - check
WVGA display - check
+4" display - check
Capacitive touchscreen - check
Ambient light sensor - check
microSD card support - check
WiFi - check
Bluetooth v2.1 - check
1GHz CPU - check
FM radio - check
Proximity sensor - check
448MB RAM - check
Future WM7 support - check
AMOLED display - oh no!
Front camera - oh dear!
TV out - say it's not true!
QWERTY keyboard - you gotta be kidding me!
Now no manufacturer will put every single available hardware feature in a phone. It's never happened. It'll never happen! So...which of the features that HTC have included would you be willing to sacrifice for your front camera? Or your TV out? QWERTY keyboard?
And if those features are so important to you then which of the features that are included in the HD2 are you willing to sacrifice in favour of another model?
I'm sure if we did a poll things like TV out and a front camera would be bottom of most peoples' lists of "must haves".

Ruudfood said:
I'm sure if we did a poll things like TV out and a front camera would be bottom of most peoples' lists of "must haves".
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Lets do it and find out but yeh what you say is true never gonna happen
On the note i have never used to front video camera on mine atm so no loss. Also the video out cool idea but honestly the amount of times id use it i dotn really care, never had it so never gonna miss it kinda thing

I never needed TV out and a front camera. This bad boy hd2 is so loaded with great specs that I like It will be a must have for me (and many other buyers)

THE GRIZZ said:
i find it a very weird (and potentially a major problem) design decision that HTC left out the front camera for 3G video call. they have had them in all 3G phones since the universal (2005). why on earth would they stop it. is it really hard to add that front camera in that small place
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, they haven't had them in all 3G phones - their Android devices are good examples. It's just a choice they made when designing the HD2 - most of the general public (including myself) have no real use for video calling. It's a nice thing to fiddle with once or twice, but being able to see someone is not at all helpful. Of course, there will be a small minority who really miss the feature, but you must remember that HTC is mainly interested in growing fast at the moment - adding a front-facing camera would make the phone (slightly) bigger and more expensive, and it certainly would not make the HD2 sell significantly better.
I have no idea about a dialer designed to use the back-facing camera - that would be pretty nice if it was managed. It might be a bit more complicated than that though...

Must say the same as Teneka_Khan, has never use video call and will never use. For me that is completly useless

I have every month 3000min of free video calls on my contract and even though I have used the video call function only once in last years, I still want to have the video call option on my devive and dialer... I now, there must be something wrong with me...

galaxys said:
I never needed TV out and a front camera. This bad boy hd2 is so loaded with great specs that I like It will be a must have for me (and many other buyers)
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+1 I'm one of those buyers

I was VERY disappointed when i noticed that there was no videocall cam at the front. Even though i never use it The thing is that when you buy i 3G phone today for that amount of money you expect to have a front cam.
There is moments when it's very useful to have.
I almost canceled my pre order because of this

One day people will understand that if a mobile phone has got ALL the tools that everybody wants the manufacturers will be in trouble. Have you seen how much money Apple has made with the iPhone? Why didn't they start with an 8 or 10 MPX camera? They had only 2 MPX and sold like hot-cakes. They upped it to only 3 MPX and, still, sold even more! Are they capable to have a decent camera? Of course they are! So, why don't they have it? Because - and only because - people like some of you will buy a brand new, slightly tweaked, mobile every few months! And this makes them a lot of money! Keep buying them, chaps! We'll NEVER have the complete, perfect, mobile because the likes of HTC, Apple, Nokia, Sumsung, Sony Ericsson, etc, are not inclined to give us everything in one go. Can you get it? If you want a front camera go and buy a mobile with a front camera; there are dozens of them. The HD2 DOESN'T have one. BUT has lots of other stuff that you cannot find somewhere else. Probably the HD3 or 4 or 5 will have the camera some of you so much crave - even though you never, ever used it! You know what are the HD2 specs. Don't like them? Move on! HTC is not going to install one in the next incarnation of the HD range just because you are pissed off with them... If this model sells well, of course they will have something better next time - but the "bettering" will be done in their own (future financial) terms. I am not criticizing them! I would do the same if it made sense, financially, to my company...

aiwama said:
One day people will understand that if a mobile phone has got ALL the tools that everybody wants the manufacturers will be in trouble. Have you seen how much money Apple has made with the iPhone? Why didn't they start with an 8 or 10 MPX camera? They had only 2 MPX and sold like hot-cakes. They upped it to only 3 MPX and, still, sold even more! Are they capable to have a decent camera? Of course they are! So, why don't they have it? Because - and only because - people like some of you will buy a brand new, slightly tweaked, mobile every few months! And this makes them a lot of money! Keep buying them, chaps! We'll NEVER have the complete, perfect, mobile because the likes of HTC, Apple, Nokia, Sumsung, Sony Ericsson, etc, are not inclined to give us everything in one go. Can you get it? If you want a front camera go and buy a mobile with a front camera; there are dozens of them. The HD2 DOESN'T have one. BUT has lots of other stuff that you cannot find somewhere else. Probably the HD3 or 4 or 5 will have the camera some of you so much crave - even though you never, ever used it! You know what are the HD2 specs. Don't like them? Move on! HTC is not going to install one in the next incarnation of the HD range just because you are pissed off with them... If this model sells well, of course they will have something better next time - but the "bettering" will be done in their own (future financial) terms.
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I don't agree! Touch HD has everything if you were making an argument here. Why couldn't HD2 do the same, this is kinda dissapointment, but I will get HD2 whether it has or doesn't with a front camera. It was a huge dissapointment to me too and I don't think we are expecting too much. But I can compromise that. And it is not a huge problem without front camera, we just have to stay with HD2 without the fun video call that most of the users seldom use.

precsmo said:
I don't agree! Touch HD has everything if you were making an argument here. Why couldn't HD2 do the same, this is kinda dissapointment, but I will get HD2 whether it has or doesn't with a front camera. It was a huge dissapointment to me too and I don't think we are expecting too much. But I can compromise that. And it is not a huge problem without front camera, we just have to stay with HD2 without the fun video call that most of the users seldom use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the Touch HD have a 1GHz processor? No! Is it as thin as the HD2? No! Does it have the Sense UI? No! Does it have tethering? No! Is the screen as big? No! Does it have a capacitive screen? No! If the HD2 had EVERYTHING that the Touch HD has, nobody would carry on buying the latter! The (very few) lovers of front cameras will still go for it. Others, me included, will upgrade and move on to the HD2. And 99% of our time with it will be to make and receive phone calls and play and show off. How many of us really, really, use Office Mobile, or the FM Radio, or the MP3 Trimmer, or the Voice Recorder, or even the Video Camera on a regular basis? Would you kill yourselves if you had a mobile without all these things? Ten years ago (not even that longer) we all survived without them...

aiwama said:
One day people will understand that if a mobile phone has got ALL the tools that everybody wants the manufacturers will be in trouble. Have you seen how much money Apple has made with the iPhone? Why didn't they start with an 8 or 10 MPX camera? They had only 2 MPX and sold like hot-cakes. They upped it to only 3 MPX and, still, sold even more! Are they capable to have a decent camera? Of course they are! So, why don't they have it? Because - and only because - people like some of you will buy a brand new, slightly tweaked, mobile every few months! And this makes them a lot of money! Keep buying them, chaps! We'll NEVER have the complete, perfect, mobile because the likes of HTC, Apple, Nokia, Sumsung, Sony Ericsson, etc, are not inclined to give us everything in one go. Can you get it? If you want a front camera go and buy a mobile with a front camera; there are dozens of them. The HD2 DOESN'T have one. BUT has lots of other stuff that you cannot find somewhere else. Probably the HD3 or 4 or 5 will have the camera some of you so much crave - even though you never, ever used it! You know what are the HD2 specs. Don't like them? Move on! HTC is not going to install one in the next incarnation of the HD range just because you are pissed off with them... If this model sells well, of course they will have something better next time - but the "bettering" will be done in their own (future financial) terms. I am not criticizing them! I would do the same if it made sense, financially, to my company...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have it completely and utterly wrong. I don't know why there are so many paranoid people who think the phone manufacturers are out to get them, plotting their evil plans to screw you over.
That isn't how it works.
Think about it - if some mythical phone company made the "perfect" (that's a whole other discussion!) device, they would grab close to 100% of the market. Put the slightest of effort into understanding basic logic and ask yourself why HTC would setting for a fraction of the Windows Phone market, which in turn is but a fraction of the entire phone market, when you claim they could make a "perfect" device, which would give them market dominance? Oh no, just to screw you, one paranoid little customer over, they choose to make rubbish phones. Sheesh.
Why no front camera? First, look at just about every response here and everywhere else - as much as video calling has been hyped, next to nobody uses it! I was one of those who thought at first "wow what an oversight" but after a few seconds thought - not really. It's an extra cost that doesn't have to be passed on to the consumer, it's less electronics and optics that need to fit in, so we get a thinner, lighter device with more room for a bigger screen.
Percentage of people who "need" a video camera on the front? 1% maybe. Percentage of people who appreciate a cheaper, smaller, more robust device with more room for a bigger screen? 99%. Do the flippin' maths.
Apply the same for everything else. What are the costs of including feature X? What are the benefits? What percentage of people will be attracted/put off by this feature being present/absent, and how many more units will the sell if they can lower the price by not including it?
Now doesn't that make so much more sense than "bwahahaha what features can we deliberately leave out to piss people off, so we get fewer customers and make less money! Hahaha I am an illogical evil overlord who loves to lose money!"?
Logic, people... it's not a swear word.

ToddeSwe said:
I was VERY disappointed when i noticed that there was no videocall cam at the front. Even though i never use it The thing is that when you buy i 3G phone today for that amount of money you expect to have a front cam.
There is moments when it's very useful to have.
I almost canceled my pre order because of this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EXactly! Nothing to add from me so far! Why they dropped it from feature list? 640 EUR should be enough money, shouldn't it?

aiwama said:
Does the Touch HD have a 1GHz processor? No! Is it as thin as the HD2? No! Does it have the Sense UI? No! Does it have tethering? No! Is the screen as big? No! Does it have a capacitive screen? No! If the HD2 had EVERYTHING that the Touch HD has, nobody would carry on buying the latter! The (very few) lovers of front cameras will still go for it. Others, me included, will upgrade and move on to the HD2. And 99% of our time with it will be to make and receive phone calls and play and show off. How many of us really, really, use Office Mobile, or the FM Radio, or the MP3 Trimmer, or the Voice Recorder, or even the Video Camera on a regular basis? Would you kill yourselves if you had a mobile without all these things? Ten years ago (not even that longer) we all survived without them...
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Click to collapse
this is entirely your own opinion. I wouldn't think that is how phone companies do like what you're trying to say here. Whatever you mentioned here about what HD2 has and Touch HD doesn't, these are not related to whether it has or not with the front camera. As I've said, we are not expecting much. It is pretty normal nowadays especially for HTC phones with these specs to have a front camera. You are only assuming how HTC do, but I don't agree this. Whether it or not with a front camera, HD2 will still sell like hot cakes. And HTC really does not need to worry if HD2 with front camera or not will affect Touch HD sales. It is obvious Touch HD is selling cheaper now, it still can sell as it is or consider as replaced by HD2.

I use my front camera every day to talk with my wife and son. I just love it. TV out is useless BUT it makes sense to have in a HD devise. In the end HD2 is not an HD. Does it have AMOLED screen? No! Does it record at least 720p video? No! So it is far away from the HD world. Omnia 2 is closer. Sure the 1GHz processor is the best!
Let's see what HTC will launch on the next GSM World in Barcelona! Today I'm happy with my Touch Pro 2.

Marcus Tavares said:
I use my front camera every day to talk with my wife and son. I just love it. TV out is useless BUT it makes sense to have in a HD devise. In the end HD2 is not an HD. Does it have AMOLED screen? No! Does it record at least 720p video? No! So it is far away from the HD world. Omnia 2 is closer. Sure the 1GHz processor is the best!
Let's see what HTC will launch on the next GSM World in Barcelona! Today I'm happy with my Touch Pro 2.
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Click to collapse
yeahh..What a pity if Leo doesn't has front camera..sometimes it's very useful for some personal purpose..

HD2 Issues

i think the HD2 is an amazing piece of hardware and its clearly better than any other competing product in the coming few months. i do however hate a few things about it:
1-the lack of front camera for 3G video calls. while i may not care a lot about video calls i imagine that many will be missing it.
2-i see no point of releasing a separate delayed hardware revision for US market. especially when you consider that the rest of the world version lacks the front camera just like every other US phone. the Acer F1(another 1 GHZ 3G phone) has been available for a while and it supports US 3G bands on the same hardware and it even has the front camera.
3- considering that its the best multimedia phone made by HTC, its lacking the TV-out and the FM-Radio transmitter and better camera(all of which are supported by the N97)
4- the included 512MB ROM is a joke. i know that it can be expanded with SD card. but extra flash on the device is always useful. the 1.5 year old Omnia had 8/16/24BG+microSD why cant this have it. adding 8 or 16 GB flash costs HTC almost nothing to add
5-lack of stylus: HTC patented the capacitive stylus but they didnt use it. i know the the screen is big enough to be very finger friendly. but its still windows mobile and some applications work need stylus (for example Pocket artist).
6- lack of hardware buttons (especially camera). i wish the added 2 or 3 buttons on the empty sides. WM will always make use of the hardware buttons
7-despite the very high specs, its still less than the minimum Windows mobile7 specs (which requires Tegra level graphics performance acceleration and bigger than integrated storage ) which means that it will not be
upgradeable to wm7.
8-i dont understand the 320+128MB. the dedicated 128MB for the low performing graphics chip seems pointless to me. if they are going to put all this memory there why didnt they allocate it to program memory.
9- i really love how HTC managed to make the device reasonably small considering the huge 4.3" screen. i still think that its physically too big for many people. the HD was not very pocket friendly and this one is even bigger. i wish the screen was 4.0" or even 3.8". considering their recent improved and more efficient designs, im sure HTC would have been able to even make it friendly for one hand use with a smaller screen.
10- im not too big on the new standard micro-USB connector. they should have at lest included the hard to find mini-USB to micro-USB adapter with it. everybody already has several mini-USB cables/chargers but ive never actually seen a micro USB yet.
11- they increased up the specs (and power usage i would assume) significantly from the first HD but they reduced the battery size from 1350 to 1250mah!!!. luckily the early reports are suggesting "acceptable" battery life

Only thing missing for me on the device is a decent camera. I don't mean HTC standard... I mean the best of Nokia, Samsung & Sony Ericsson. The original HD took terrible pictures and videos. I don't think there is much improvement in this area from previews and videos.
TV-Out would of been great but sadly missing.
I don't care about front camera because I hardly ever use video call.
It's probably more of a business centric device but with such a large screen it could have so easily been the ultimate work and pleasure phone.
I'm leaning towards the Nokia N900 (Linux) but still undecided.

Just some thoughts for your annoyances! (I currently own an Omnia too)
THE GRIZZ said:
1-the lack of front camera for 3G video calls. while i may not care a lot about video calls i imagine that many will be missing it.
3G has been around for a while with a front video camera, but I can truly say that I don't know a single person that actually uses it. It's a gimmick IMO.
2-i see no point of releasing a separate delayed hardware revision for US market. especially when you consider that the rest of the world version lacks the front camera just like every other US phone. the Acer F1(another 1 GHZ 3G phone) has been available for a while and it supports US 3G bands on the same hardware and it even has the front camera.
I don't see the point either - bit silly if you ask me.
3- considering that its the best multimedia phone made by HTC, its lacking the TV-out and the FM-Radio transmitter and better camera(all of which are supported by the N97)
FM what? It still bedazzles me that people listen to FM radio these days. Surely most people have unlimited internet now and like I just use internet radio. More stations! As for the TV-out, again, I don't see the point really. Personally I use my netbook/laptop/pc for plugging into a tv since they can play HD. I supposed it would be nice if you want to show off photos to friends but then we all have facebook these days anyway For me, not a sore exclusion.
4- the included 512MB ROM is a joke. i know that it can be expanded with SD card. but extra flash on the device is always useful. the 1.5 year old Omnia had 8/16/24BG+microSD why cant this have it. adding 8 or 16 GB flash costs HTC almost nothing to add
I love the additional 8GB of the Omnia, but I guess they have to keep costs down somewhere. I have a 16GB micro SD, but when are 24/32 going to be available? Anyone know?
5-lack of stylus: HTC patented the capacitive stylus but they didnt use it. i know the the screen is big enough to be very finger friendly. but its still windows mobile and some applications work need stylus (for example Pocket artist).
I think you can still use a stylus but you have to set it up to do so (I saw it in another post on here).
6- lack of hardware buttons (especially camera). i wish the added 2 or 3 buttons on the empty sides. WM will always make use of the hardware buttons
There is no excuse for extra buttons down the side, although it makes it a bit more sleek I guess. But it's not like it doesn't take photos, it's just a useablitly thing.
7-despite the very high specs, its still less than the minimum Windows mobile7 specs (which requires Tegra level graphics performance acceleration) which means that it will not be
upgradeable to wm7.
I'm not sure that's right is it? In that original Leo thread in the main board, wasn't it confirmed that it will be upgradable? I think it's remains a bit of an unknown at the moment. That said, will wm7 be complete in 12 months? Given M$'s history of keeping to their planned dates, I doubt it. I think cookers will make it happen anyway and if not, in 12 months it will be upgrade time. Did someone say HD3?!
8-i dont understand the 320+128MB. the dedicated 128MB for the low performing graphics chip seems pointless to me. if they are going to put all this memory there why didnt they allocate it to program memory.
This one I have no idea about. Maybe they have something clever up their sleeves?
9- i really love how HTC managed to make the device reasonably small considering the huge 4.3" screen. i still think that its physically too big for many people. the HD was not very pocket friendly and this one is even bigger. i wish the screen was 4.0" or even 3.8". considering their recent improved and more efficient designs, im sure HTC would have been able to even make it friendly for one hand use with a smaller screen.
Well lets look at the iPhone. It's a huge seller. The HD2 is only a couple of mm's wider and taller so I don't see anyone is going to see it as an issue when they put it in their hands.
10- im not too big on the micro-USB connector. they should have at lest included the hard to find mini-USB adapter with it. everybody already has several mini-USB cables/chargers but ive never actually seen a micro USB yet.
I totally disagree here. It's the new universal format. You won't have seen many yet because devices are JUST beginning to emerge with it (ie Omnia 2). Already it's working because Samsung usually have their own proprietary connector so to see them go universal is a fantastic step in the right direction. It would be blind of HTC not to follow. So yes, bin those old Mini-USB
11- they increased up the specs (and power usage i would assume) significantly from the first HD but they reduced the battery size from 1350 to 1250mah!!!. luckily the early reports are suggesting "acceptable" battery life
I really hope it can last at least one full day of decent usage without the requirement of a charge. Surely they wouldn't make this wonderful device then shoot themselves in the foot??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyway some good points there!

7-despite the very high specs, its still less than the minimum Windows mobile7 specs (which requires Tegra level graphics performance acceleration) which means that it will not be
upgradeable to wm7
I'm not sure that's right is it? In that original Leo thread in the main board, wasn't it confirmed that it will be upgradable? I think it's remains a bit of an unknown at the moment. That said, will wm7 be complete in 12 months? Given M$'s history of keeping to their planned dates, I doubt it. I think cookers will make it happen anyway and if not, in 12 months it will be upgrade time. Did someone say HD3?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is very likely WM7 will be out by mid to late next year. WM8 is already being discussed as I understand it and WM6 and 6.5 have been universally panned (and quite rightly).
So if you purchase the HD2 assuming it will be out of date in less than 10 months then all well but I suspect many will not be happy (including me). I don't mind spending extra bucks now to avoid doubling my investment by having to purchase two devices in the space of 10 months!
Do you have the link to the original "in the original Leo thread in the main board, wasn't it confirmed that it will be upgradable? "

add this to the list:
1. lack of full-fledged graphics drivers (3D)
2. lack of d-pad; or trackball like blackberrys

1) Front Camera - most people don't use them so not a big deal
2) Buy the Acer if you like it (have fun)
3) it has got an FM Radio onboard I believe
4) Memory could be better but its got an SD card so just by a 16gb card.
5) The point is you don't need a stylus - am I missing something. If you wannt a Stylus get an Omnia 2
6) The camera button could have been useful - but nobody knows if one of the front buttons cannot be used. Shall we wait till its been reviewed fully before we slag it off.
7) Its been clearly stated that the specs do not say "Tegra" only. Thats just not true. Makes me laugh that a phone with great 3d potential and dedicated memory like the HD2 is being slagged off for no reason.
8) The screen size is the best part of the phone - it can be used to watch video, surf the net, etc. So it has to be big to fit the screen - not an issue.
9) Micro-USB!! - You mean the defacto standard now.
10) Nobody knows about battery life yet so lets hold fire.
Why are you interested in the phone if non of its main selling points you like?

because despite its "limitations" its still a lot better than the rest now.
take a chill pill dude and try to tone-down the fanboiasm. our nitpicking will make it very easy for HTC to make the HD3 a better device. also by highlighting them so early in its life, it will make easy easy for its users to deal with its potential issues

Teneka_Khan said:
1) Front Camera - most people don't use them so not a big deal
2) Buy the Acer if you like it (have fun)
3) it has got an FM Radio onboard I believe
4) Memory could be better but its got an SD card so just by a 16gb card.
5) The point is you don't need a stylus - am I missing something. If you wannt a Stylus get an Omnia 2
6) The camera button could have been useful - but nobody knows if one of the front buttons cannot be used. Shall we wait till its been reviewed fully before we slag it off.
7) Its been clearly stated that the specs do not say "Tegra" only. Thats just not true. Makes me laugh that a phone with great 3d potential and dedicated memory like the HD2 is being slagged off for no reason.
8) The screen size is the best part of the phone - it can be used to watch video, surf the net, etc. So it has to be big to fit the screen - not an issue.
9) Micro-USB!! - You mean the defacto standard now.
10) Nobody knows about battery life yet so lets hold fire.
Why are you interested in the phone if non of its main selling points you like?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haved discovered that it does support WM7http://wmpoweruser.com/?p=7528 states
(QCOM 8k, Nvidia “Tegra” AP15/16* and TI 3430 all meet spec)
Qualcomm 8k = Snapdragon's QSD8xxx-series chips = Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 (which is in the Leo).. so the processor should meet WM7 chassis 1 requirement.
To answer the FM radio question - the answer is YES
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_hd2-2957.php
I agree with the comments above. There is no such thing as a perfect device but you have got to congratulate HTC on the HD2 being one of the closest to it.

alecs said:
I haved discovered that it does support WM7http://wmpoweruser.com/?p=7528 states
(QCOM 8k, Nvidia “Tegra” AP15/16* and TI 3430 all meet spec)
Qualcomm 8k = Snapdragon's QSD8xxx-series chips = Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 (which is in the Leo).. so the processor should meet WM7 chassis 1 requirement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The processor does, but the Chassis 1 spec also specifies at least 1GB of flash (and at least 512mb fast flash).
The HD2 only comes with 512mb internal memory.

Sc4Freak said:
The processor does, but the Chassis 1 spec also specifies at least 1GB of flash (and at least 512mb fast flash).
The HD2 only comes with 512mb internal memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By 1GB of flash I believe that means available storage i.e. an SD card
Memory: 256MB+ DRAM, 1G+ Flash (at least 512MB fast flash – 5MB/s unbuffered read @4K block size)
I am not sure what fast flash means but these are minumum specs and doesn't mean the device can't run WM7, it may just lag in certain spots though somehow I doubt this thing will lag even on WM7

Is the specified 65k for the screen a hardware or software limitation? I know Windows Mobile 6.5 only supports 65k effective colors, but when WM 7 launches would the device be able to display more colors?

Toss3 said:
Is the specified 65k for the screen a hardware or software limitation? I know Windows Mobile 6.5 only supports 65k effective colors, but when WM 7 launches would the device be able to display more colors?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sure it does . they dont make "65K color display" !

Most mobile phone LCD screens are 262K colours (18-bit). (This includes many of the displays used on phones that are advertised as supporting 24-bit colour.)

manuelcalavera said:
sure it does . they dont make "65K color display" !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But does anyone know the actual maximum bit-depth of the display?

The GRIZZ said:
3- considering that its the best multimedia phone made by HTC, its lacking the TV-out and the FM-Radio transmitter and better camera(all of which are supported by the N97)
FM what? It still bedazzles me that people listen to FM radio these days. Surely most people have unlimited internet now and like I just use internet radio. More stations! As for the TV-out, again, I don't see the point really. Personally I use my netbook/laptop/pc for plugging into a tv since they can play HD. I supposed it would be nice if you want to show off photos to friends but then we all have facebook these days anyway For me, not a sore exclusion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude theres a difference between FM Receiver and FM Transmitter. A FM Transmitter is important for those who own a car. The FM Transmitter can be used to transmit Music at a certain frequency which can be tuned to in the car using the Cars FM Radio!
The HD2 already has a FM Receiver. It might also support FM Transmission capabilities but that depends on which chip its using.
Video Out is certainly a welcome addon. Showing off Photos on a LCD is way better than telling them to login to Facebook! I for one will surely miss the TV Out.
Inspite of that, I consider these two features to be of very less importance when compared to the other feature set. This is the THE KILLER phone everyone was waiting for!

Prefer Touch HD over HD2
I agree with Grizzly on almost every point he's been making so far. Before I catch the flames too I shall start with a story...
My HP iPAQ was stolen from a payphone booth within one minute where I forgot it at an airport a year ago. This was my first real PDA and I was extraordinarily disappointed. I had racked up a lot of apps on it and and had even made the home screen sexy and easy to use with a few mods. Going from interfacing my custom cycles with the PCR machine (lab work) to playing old favourites like SimCity 2000 in lectures was great!
The next thing I obviously wanted was a PDA PHONE, so I didn't have to use a payphone booth again... so I got the Touch HD when it just came out in Oz from Telstra (who still sell it for $1500 - 215% markup). And it was absolutely perfect. Did everything, well supported by the community, and using it as a phone and an organizer that synced with outlook it worked a charm. Then last month getting a taxi back from the pub, I was left at a busway because the taxi driver who was fresh from India could not find my home as it wasn't on the GPS. Calling another taxi I got mugged for it while I was using it, snatched it from my hand. So now I was faced with having to get a new phone.
I have bought a Touch HD again. You see, the HD2 as fantastic as it is, is half way between being a traditional WM phone and an Android phone. Without the use of a stylus, how can you hand write down meeting notes? How can I use all my legacy games and applications? What's the point of having something a little zippier when the new manilla (which is a bit too busy) is going to be hacked onto the Touch HD anyway and it doesn't have the Tegra for true gaming pwnage or audiophile quality audio or a true camera replacement camera? Also the lack of 3G camera ticks me off too. I can't video call my parents in NZ which although is horrendously expensive, I enjoy doing on birthdays and so on - on special occasions we're often away from our computers.
What I am going to do is stick with my tried and tested HD and see if the HD2 has any advantage over the Dragon before I upgrade. Or even other non-HTC devices (god forbid) should they provide Audio/Graphics advantages. Because really the point of this thing is to replace the need to carry around other devices. Otherwise just get something that is only a phone, right?

I just found this vid, shows the games on it and well there is only 1 teeter! How could they cut solitaire and bubble breaker! What am i gonna waste time with now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntZQ0iXzyvc&feature=player_embedded
Its @ about 2:45

THE GRIZZ said:
our nitpicking will make it very easy for HTC to make the HD3 a better device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very much so. HTC an enormous international company dedicated to producing a whole range of phones and mobile devices needs listen to random forum posters who can't even get their facts straight.
I'd like to take the opportunity to thank you for helping make the HD3 into the perfect device, derailing HTC's initial plans of improving the phone by removing the screen entirely and replacing it with a bar of soap. Your factual inaccuracies are making the mobile world a better place.

Since there is no dedicated off/on hardware ringer switch, is there a way to silence the phone while it is locked?

the volume rocker is normally used for something like that
mr_Ray said:
Very much so. HTC an enormous international company dedicated to producing a whole range of phones and mobile devices needs listen to random forum posters who can't even get their facts straight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please spare us your fan-boyish drivel. What I mentioned in the OP are all valid concerns

streak pro's and con's

hi,
I've recently been looking into buying a new android device....its primarily going to be used a secondary device (my blackberry is my primary device, although i have owned a G1 and htc hero previously, so not new to android)
So basically, i want something that can be used as a tablet mainly (added phone functionality is just a bonus)...and i was considering the dell streak, the new archos 7 or 10 inch, or the galaxy tab. So i was hoping some of you dell streak owners could point out some pro's and con's of your devices so that it can help me out in making a decision
thanks!

raheelc said:
hi,
I've recently been looking into buying a new android device....its primarily going to be used a secondary device (my blackberry is my primary device, although i have owned a G1 and htc hero previously, so not new to android)
So basically, i want something that can be used as a tablet mainly (added phone functionality is just a bonus)...and i was considering the dell streak, the new archos 7 or 10 inch, or the galaxy tab. So i was hoping some of you dell streak owners could point out some pro's and con's of your devices so that it can help me out in making a decision
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please use the search function bro, theres many threads detailing the info you seek.

well i tried that initially, and I havent really found a whole lot of useful information (maybe im just a noob when it comes to searching on forums)....if you could post some links to other threads i'd appreciate it (if thats not too much trouble)

The galaxy tab might look serious, the streaks portabililty makes it a winner, the tab's got a 7' screen but then you have that HUGE bezel around the screen, it's hardly pocket size.
2.2 vs 2.1 = Stickler
And i wish they would make thier mind up about the price, one minute it's 75% of an over glorified book reader (ipad), the next it's 25% more expensive!

Just look up some reviews online, Engadget and techradar did some nice reviews on it, and it gives you a good indication of how good, or bad, it is, except for the outdated software (which is all that they had to complain about).
Personally it has changed how I operate, I go on the laptop or computer much more rarely now, and its pretty nice, but really its like any other phone or tablet. Its hard to go wrong in the market right now

checkbox111 said:
The galaxy tab might look serious, the streaks portabililty makes it a winner, the tab's got a 7' screen but then you have that HUGE bezel around the screen, it's hardly pocket size.
2.2 vs 2.1 = Stickler
And i wish they would make thier mind up about the price, one minute it's 75% of an over glorified book reader (ipad), the next it's 25% more expensive!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah i just took another look at the galaxy tab and realized what u mean about the huge bezel, i never really noticed it before, lol...and i hope they announce the price soon too!
flamingsamurai said:
Just look up some reviews online, Engadget and techradar did some nice reviews on it, and it gives you a good indication of how good, or bad, it is, except for the outdated software (which is all that they had to complain about).
Personally it has changed how I operate, I go on the laptop or computer much more rarely now, and its pretty nice, but really its like any other phone or tablet. Its hard to go wrong in the market right now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, thanks i've already read those reviews, but i just wanted to hear some personal opinions on the device...thanks for ur opinion!
oh, and just another question, has anyone had any experience with Archos? i've heard some negative things about their devices so dont want to end up buying one if its going to be a POS...

I had a Blackberry Bold as a main device and a companion tablet (Viliv X70) It sucks to carry 2 devices I can tell you that, unless you use a Man-Bag or something similar, I've been looking for a big screen and portability for a while and been stuck on Viliv brand but their products don't totaly convince me and carrying 2 devices is something I don't like. I have no complains on the Streak, comparing to a full windows tablet, the streak beats it because it does what I want, browsing, check e-mails, you tube, instant messaging, mp3 player, streaming, (only thing i hate about android it is the VPN L2PT flavor it just don't like it).
Dell Streak is the perfect device for being mobile, you will find yourself not using the BB and the computer much

BrokenPixel said:
I had a Blackberry Bold as a main device and a companion tablet (Viliv X70) It sucks to carry 2 devices I can tell you that, unless you use a Man-Bag or something similar, I've been looking for a big screen and portability for a while and been stuck on Viliv brand but their products don't totaly convince me and carrying 2 devices is something I don't like. I have no complains on the Streak, comparing to a full windows tablet, the streak beats it because it does what I want, browsing, check e-mails, you tube, instant messaging, mp3 player, streaming, (only thing i hate about android it is the VPN L2PT flavor it just don't like it).
Dell Streak is the perfect device for being mobile, you will find yourself not using the BB and the computer much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice...The reason im looking for a secondary device is because i travel quite a bit, so carrying two devices isnt that much of an issue since i can put it in my backpack along with my DSLR....so for me its more of an issue of which device (archos 70, archos 101, galaxy tab, dell streak) will suit my needs more (basically the same things that you've mentioned above along with some gaming)

I've moved to the Streak from a 7" Apad (a cheap Chinese knock off) and I'm not sorry I did. I'm not interested in making phone calls with it so it's on a data only contract, thus far it has performed really well. The update to 2.1 has brought many advantages and a few niggles though nothing that I haven't been able to work around.
I think the Streak is about as big as you can go and still be properly 'portable' while the 5" screen is easy to read and sensitive to touch.
My only advice would be to get a good case for it, Streaks are more fragile than mobile phones.

Troute said:
I've moved to the Streak from a 7" Apad (a cheap Chinese knock off) and I'm not sorry I did. I'm not interested in making phone calls with it so it's on a data only contract, thus far it has performed really well. The update to 2.1 has brought many advantages and a few niggles though nothing that I haven't been able to work around.
I think the Streak is about as big as you can go and still be properly 'portable' while the 5" screen is easy to read and sensitive to touch.
My only advice would be to get a good case for it, Streaks are more fragile than mobile phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the advice! Do you think you could elaborate on the streak being more fragile? I thought since it uses Gorilla glass that it might be able to stand up to a bit of abuse....

From what you can read here and elsewhere the screen is not proofed against knocks on its edge, it might be very strong when hit on its flat surface but the opposite seems true along the sides/corners. I reckon part of the problem is that the screen comes right to the edge of the device and has no buffer to protect it from sudden shocks. Also because the device is so much bigger than a mobile phone it's more prone to damage from bending stress in a trouser pocket.
It's expensive so it makes sense to protect it I say.

thats true...and i do plan on buying a case, no matter what device i decide on buying.

I think the Streak is awesome, a huge leap forward from my last phone. Ive always wanted something that could replace my laptop for basic tasks, gaming and multimedia and still make calls and be pocketable and this phone does exactly that. Software is a little unfinished at the moment but that's something very quickly resolved, I keep telling myself Dell pushed out a lame 2.1 update as they're already super busy finishing off the froyo update....
For you though, I might recommend a bigger tablet. If its a secondary device not really used for calls and sitting in a backpack then the more screen estate the better I say.

I love my phone, but personally, in your situation, I would get a bigger tablet since you don't need to make phone calls with it and you will be carrying it around in a backpack all the time, then def a bigger tablet.
Also, if the gorilla glass doesn't break on a fall, chances are that the screen underneath will....

thanks for the advice, i was also thinking the same thing, that since its going to be a secondary device (which i wont be making calls with) then it would make sense to get a bigger screen....now the question is whether to go with the archos or samsung....that largely depends on the price of the samsung (without a contract)....anyone have opinions on how good Archos devices are? i've never owned one, plus ive heard mixed reviews on their quality...

STOP building PCs - upgrade them, constantly!

Yes, sometimes you really need to build a new rig from the scratch... And I had already people throwing money at me to build something nice for them...
However, after all these years I must admit it doesn't work that way. Maybe you are lucky and your carefully selected and pricey hardware works as intended but usually there are quirks waiting everywhere:
the BIOS is fugly and missing important stuff
a drive does not spin up as quickly
the monitor has the wrong tint and its buttons are over the place but never in the right spot
is it your brand new graphics card or is it tinnitus?
the fans are slightly too loud (also wrong pitch)
the USB-ports should be a bit further apart from each other
your keyboard layout is weird
Sounds like I am super picky here? Maybe so... but I am happy that I do not have to rely on Apple, HP, Dell and alike with their many design fails when it comes to taste, aesthetics and, most important of all, ergonomics!
A good rig might take years to ripe, like wine. Unlike wine, it'll never be finished.

While I agree upgrading is good, constant new sockets, ram, PCIE, HD connectors and other improvements make upgrading past 3-5 years impractical.

I agree with both of you. I'm running an old Core 2 Duo E8400 HP off-lease computer with 2 SSD's and a spinning disk. I've put an Nvidia card and a USB3 card into it. It's still somewhat slow by today's standards. I suppose I could put an M.2 card in and max out the RAM. That would get a couple more years out of it, but it's just about time to build a new one or buy another off-lease computer.
The thing is, I really like this one for having enough ports and drive bays to add on things that I may need. In the end I'll just buy another off-lease computer for a good price. I'll pick and choose the things I like and need from stockpiles of used office equipment and augment it to suit me. I don't need the latest and greatest hardware available so I find the deals on the used market.

RRiVEN said:
constant new sockets
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like an Intel problem
Joking aside, just wanted to make a point to have a constant flux instead of scrapping one complete system in favour of another.
This should also come cheaper in the long run because you can upgrade parts when they are cheap (for example DRAM over the past two years). Buying all at once will never come cheap (unless you do as @blaacksheep suggested).
But yes, at some point, any system must be considered old garbage.

SigmundDroid said:
is it your brand new graphics card or is it tinnitus?
the fans are slightly too loud (also wrong pitch)
the USB-ports should be a bit further apart from each other
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hilarious bits, to me.
blaacksheep said:
I don't need the latest and greatest hardware available so I find the deals on the used market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same, for me.
Also, big shout out for your venturing outside the Amazon Fire closet.
SigmundDroid said:
Sounds like an Intel problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, hilarious.
Recently jumped to AMD because of graphics.
Still have T60, T400, X220, E5430 in the garage.