Related
NOT ME!
I'm yet to get my universal, its on its way
Whats worse, it'll take another 15 days...as my sister is getting it from USA for me...and i'll have to wait till she makes it
I was just freaked out by the number of ppl selling away their devices, and thought i'd just start a thread where all of them give their reasons here...so that we'd know if it was the memory problem, or battery life, or bulkiness or whatever maybe the reason....and will help others making a decision to buy it!
Also, if you're one of those hanging on to the device from a while, and feel that this is "the" device to own, then tell us why!
Keep it nice and concise, bullet points as much as possible for easy reading
S
I'm keeping mine. The 'faults' are mostly little niggling things that can usually be gotten round by various hacks/tweaks people have made. And yeah it's a bit big, but you do get used to it
Positives:
- It's like having a little laptop.
- Connectivity wise it truly has it all - 3G, WI-FI, BT, video calling, SDIO, IRDA, etc. No other device has all of this.
- The WM5 OS makes it very easy to write programs/hacks for, so we will see a lot of these over the coming months.
- The VGA screen has a massive "wow" factor!
- Mini-USB connector and charger are very convenient indeed.
- Full-size headphone/speaker socket.
- Built in terminal services client is VERY useful!
- Awesome little keyboard with very good looking backlights.
- Persistant flash-based storage.
- Battery life is very good, lasts for many days on one charge.
- 4 (FOUR) speakers, and 2 (TWO) cameras! Flash is a nice gimmick too.
Basically for me, the huge amount of positives outweigh the small amount of negatives. Best "phone" I have ever owned.
dreamtheater39 said:
NOT ME!
I'm yet to get my universal, its own its way
Whats worse, it'll take another 15 days...as my sister is getting it from USA for me...and i'll have to wait till she makes it
I was just freaked out by the number of ppl selling away their devices, and thought i'd just start a thread where all of them give their reasons here...so that we'd know if it was the memory problem, or battery life, or bulkiness or whatever maybe the reason....and will help others making a decision to buy it!
Also, if you're one of those hanging on to the device from a while, and feel that this is "the" device to own, then tell us why!
Keep it nice and concise, bullet points as much as possible for easy reading
S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on a side note,
how much is your sister gettin it for for you from the US? did she have to sign a line?
vapor said:
dreamtheater39 said:
NOT ME!
I'm yet to get my universal, its own its way
Whats worse, it'll take another 15 days...as my sister is getting it from USA for me...and i'll have to wait till she makes it
I was just freaked out by the number of ppl selling away their devices, and thought i'd just start a thread where all of them give their reasons here...so that we'd know if it was the memory problem, or battery life, or bulkiness or whatever maybe the reason....and will help others making a decision to buy it!
Also, if you're one of those hanging on to the device from a while, and feel that this is "the" device to own, then tell us why!
Keep it nice and concise, bullet points as much as possible for easy reading
S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on a side note,
how much is your sister gettin it for for you from the US? did she have to sign a line?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought it at Mad Monkey Boy's Gadgets for 930 USD [qtek 9000]...and 20 USD for shipping to her address...
That makes it a total of 950USD....in comparison to 1350 USD here in India!!!
San
@sl9, I can only manage one day of use from my Exec's battery. I have been very careful with it from new. My Nokia 9500 with similar use can give me twice the life of the Exec battery. With the Exec if you use BT and forget to shutdown PIE you could run out of battery while you think the unit is "off/standby".
dreamtheater39 said:
vapor said:
dreamtheater39 said:
NOT ME!
I'm yet to get my universal, its own its way
Whats worse, it'll take another 15 days...as my sister is getting it from USA for me...and i'll have to wait till she makes it
I was just freaked out by the number of ppl selling away their devices, and thought i'd just start a thread where all of them give their reasons here...so that we'd know if it was the memory problem, or battery life, or bulkiness or whatever maybe the reason....and will help others making a decision to buy it!
Also, if you're one of those hanging on to the device from a while, and feel that this is "the" device to own, then tell us why!
Keep it nice and concise, bullet points as much as possible for easy reading
S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on a side note,
how much is your sister gettin it for for you from the US? did she have to sign a line?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought it at Mad Monkey Boy's Gadgets for 930 USD [qtek 9000]...and 20 USD for shipping to her address...
That makes it a total of 950USD....in comparison to 1350 USD here in India!!!
San
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow thats crazy man. but thanks for the heads up
I echo everything sl9 has said. The most important positives for me are:
- persistent storage
- WM5 means I never have to use my stylus, except for 3rd-party apps that haven't caught up yet
- full keyboard makes SMS a breeze
- some very useful touches in the software, like the easy switch on/off of BT and WiFi using just a couple of keyboard presses
- flexible and automatic speaker usage depending on the machine's orientation
- the way the thing feels in your hands (cool/cold, solid, 'tight'): it's nice to hold
- the VGA screen for browsing, Excel, calendar, contacts, ListPro and Today screen (I'm in proper VGA mode)
- battery lasts days for me, but I'm probably a lighter user than y'all and now (because most are awful on WM5) have no 3rd-party apps except PocketZenPhone, TomTom and ListPro (per day: 8 hrs Bluetooth, 1 hr phone, 10 SMS, 1 hr general use, 30 mins WiFi browsing)
- stability: Haven't done a reset in a week or so. I never force-close apps, but rely on WM5 to handle it. I have no idea how much program memory I have free, and I don't care: it just works
- Microsoft's contacts app is very good for keyboard-only use: makes dialling a contact easy
- there are some neat improvements in the UI, such as the way BT comes on automatically when you choose 'ActiveSync over Bluetooth', and headset mode is always on automatically if BT is on and the machine has found your headset to pair with
Negatives for me:
- WiFi reception is very poor
- OEM-supplied voice dial is poor. I hate having to record voice tags, and it's not 100% reliable with detection. This could be my HBH-65 headset though. Sometimes the voice dial prompt cuts in when I'm trying to answer a call on the headset :evil:
- Microsoft's calendar app is very very weak, as is PocketIE, and PocketOutlook for emails
- the phone app should scale to VGA properly and it should have a built-in T9 contact finder (the O2-supplied 'Smart Dialler' doesn't take advantage of the hardware keyboard, so is pointless)
- speaking of which, O2's bundled software is pointless and unhelpful
Umm....
- oh yeah: the cameras are still very weak and useful only for taking emergency pictures, such as recording car accidents that you have and newsworthy moments
- the camera flash is useless as a camera flash, but very good as a torch, if only the machine had an easy way of using this feature
- the hardware application buttons aren't as programmable or flexible as they could/should be. I wish we could program each button through the OS for both Press and Press-'n-Hold
Of course a big negative ATM is the lack of 3rd-party apps that are truly compatible with WM5, but this is hardly the fault of HTC or the mobile operators.
So, the hardware is excellent (with the exception of the cameras and WiFi reception) but the OS-bundled software is flawed. Hopefully we'll get ROM updates that will improve things, just like we did for earlier HTC machines.
jah said:
@sl9, I can only manage one day of use from my Exec's battery. I have been very careful with it from new. My Nokia 9500 with similar use can give me twice the life of the Exec battery. With the Exec if you use BT and forget to shutdown PIE you could run out of battery while you think the unit is "off/standby".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then I would say your battery may be faulty. Do you have wi-fi on?
With bluetooth on permenantly, my MDA PRO lasts for 3~ days on one charge. Without bluetooth, it lasts for 4-5 days.
I'm a fairly light user though, 1 short voice call a day on average, although I do open it up and turn on the screen about 10 times a day to check for reminders, text, notes etc.
Perhaps you are a much heavier user of it than I am? Even so, battery life on your device does seem unusually short
@sl9,
Without BT I get 3.5 hours of use with a combination of eBooks, PIM, email & web browsing (50% using 3G). With BT on that reduces to 3 hours. I use my Nokia in a similar was as a phone, ebook reader, PDA, etc. This is my second Universal as I had a JJ before the Exec and the JJ's battery life was a little worst. This level of use is not unusual for a business user who also travels a lot.
SiliconS said:
I echo everything sl9 has said. The most important positives for me are:
- persistent storage
- WM5 means I never have to use my stylus, except for 3rd-party apps that haven't caught up yet
- full keyboard makes SMS a breeze
- some very useful touches in the software, like the easy switch on/off of BT and WiFi using just a couple of keyboard presses
- flexible and automatic speaker usage depending on the machine's orientation
- the way the thing feels in your hands (cool/cold, solid, 'tight'): it's nice to hold
- the VGA screen for browsing, Excel, calendar, contacts, ListPro and Today screen (I'm in proper VGA mode)
- battery lasts days for me, but I'm probably a lighter user than y'all and now (because most are awful on WM5) have no 3rd-party apps except PocketZenPhone, TomTom and ListPro (per day: 8 hrs Bluetooth, 1 hr phone, 10 SMS, 1 hr general use, 30 mins WiFi browsing)
- stability: Haven't done a reset in a week or so. I never force-close apps, but rely on WM5 to handle it. I have no idea how much program memory I have free, and I don't care: it just works
- Microsoft's contacts app is very good for keyboard-only use: makes dialling a contact easy
- there are some neat improvements in the UI, such as the way BT comes on automatically when you choose 'ActiveSync over Bluetooth', and headset mode is always on automatically if BT is on and the machine has found your headset to pair with
Negatives for me:
- WiFi reception is very poor
- OEM-supplied voice dial is poor. I hate having to record voice tags, and it's not 100% reliable with detection. This could be my HBH-65 headset though. Sometimes the voice dial prompt cuts in when I'm trying to answer a call on the headset :evil:
- Microsoft's calendar app is very very weak, as is PocketIE, and PocketOutlook for emails
- the phone app should scale to VGA properly and it should have a built-in T9 contact finder (the O2-supplied 'Smart Dialler' doesn't take advantage of the hardware keyboard, so is pointless)
- speaking of which, O2's bundled software is pointless and unhelpful
Umm....
- oh yeah: the cameras are still very weak and useful only for taking emergency pictures, such as recording car accidents that you have and newsworthy moments
- the camera flash is useless as a camera flash, but very good as a torch, if only the machine had an easy way of using this feature
- the hardware application buttons aren't as programmable or flexible as they could/should be. I wish we could program each button through the OS for both Press and Press-'n-Hold
Of course a big negative ATM is the lack of 3rd-party apps that are truly compatible with WM5, but this is hardly the fault of HTC or the mobile operators.
So, the hardware is excellent (with the exception of the cameras and WiFi reception) but the OS-bundled software is flawed. Hopefully we'll get ROM updates that will improve things, just like we did for earlier HTC machines.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
woah! your negatives sure scares the daylights out of me!
- bad wifi reception??? what seems to be the problem???! for me, this is going to be really important!
- bad camera quality? how bad is it??? I saw a few pictures taken from the universal on a couple review sites, and they looked pretty good! am i missing something? (damn i didnt play around enough with the camera when i had the device with me the last week )
S
Well, the WiFi is hard to measure, but the range is nowhere near as good as my HP laptop. I struggle to get a signal on my Exec if I'm not within about 4 metres of my Access Point in my house. (Standard modern house, thin internal wooden walls.) I can use my laptop anywhere in the house (up to 10 metres away) and in the garden too, but no chance with the Universal. I need to move the Access Point.
As for the camera, I guess it's subjective, but I wouldn't rely on it for decent photos. It's OK for times when you just have to record an image but you're not needing to print it out. Here's a comparison between my Universal and a 4 year-old 2 MPixel Canon Ixus300. Both photos without flash, because the Universal's flash has no effect on photos when the subject is more than a metre from the lens. Both photos are at 640x480 and at the same compression level (filesize 38KB). Neither camera is at its native resolution, to make it a realistic comparison.
Edit: moved photos to a new thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=33960
Hmm. Not sure why they don't both appear as thumbnails. :roll:
Forgot to add: Universal was in 'Night' ambience mode.
Edit: Incidentally, when you take pictures at the Universal's native resolution (1280x1024) the quality is better, but the same problems are there: poor light sensitivity, poor light colouration, blurred focus, indistinct details etc.
It's better, but a long way from good.
And don't forget, the Canon camera is old now: 4 years. Just 2 MPixel - only twice that of the Universal.
Edit edit: Moved photos to a new thread so they don't break this one
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=33960
@SiliconS
thats a nice comparison shot! ( still wondering if you took them both with similar lighting conditions!!! )
i did read that the universal is fairly bad with "colors" as such....guess we have to live with it!
with the wifi range issue....gosh!! 4metres??? tell me your joking please!
S
dreamtheater39 said:
thats a nice comparison shot! ( still wondering if you took them both with similar lighting conditions!!! )
i did read that the universal is fairly bad with "colors" as such....guess we have to live with it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same room. Same lighting. Photos just one minute apart.
It's not really much better than my XDA2. Just bigger resolution. Low-light shots are really not its strong point though. Only by comparison can you see how bad it really is.
dreamtheater39 said:
with the wifi range issue....gosh!! 4metres??? tell me your joking please!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry - I'm serious. Maybe others can confirm, or tell me that mine is worse than theirs. It's hard to measure objectively though.
You have to be kidding about the 4m WiFi range. I have the router placed in my bedroom and i can actually connect 2 rooms away which are in serial. Oh and there are 2 concrete walls in between.
I still get 2 bars inspite of all this. If you call this weak, then i dont know what to say.
Regarding the camera, its oodles better than the xda2 or the xda2s. It is also much better than the JAM, but then again these are not very good standards to compare to. Yes, it is not as good as Nokia or SE but if the camera is the reason one decides not to buy this device, then this device is clearly not for you.
Yeah, the camera sucks. Who cares? The rest of what's on the Uni - the critical stuff - works great. Quality in a cell phone camera is few years off ...
universaldoc said:
You have to be kidding about the 4m WiFi range. I have the router placed in my bedroom and i can actually connect 2 rooms away which are in serial. Oh and there are 2 concrete walls in between.
I still get 2 bars inspite of all this. If you call this weak, then i dont know what to say.
Regarding the camera, its oodles better than the xda2 or the xda2s. It is also much better than the JAM, but then again these are not very good standards to compare to. Yes, it is not as good as Nokia or SE but if the camera is the reason one decides not to buy this device, then this device is clearly not for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi universaldoc!
i currently have an xda2 running on wm5! So when i junk my device and buy a new one, i'd first of all see what are the pluses i get by making such a decision.....
heres what i can count -
1. Awesome keyboard (i really love it!)
2. VGA screen (finally!)
3. Built in Wifi
4. Better Camera
5. 3G support (currently useless to me....but its still good!)
6. The cool factor???
7. 10MB more device root space??
8. I'm running out of points!!!
Having said that....I still have bought my universal (but i'm waiting for it get here :evil: ) only because, i'm a god damned gadget freak and wouldnt mind trading away my spare kidney for one!
I'm just reconfirming my buy....the "reality hits" phase....you know???!!
San
I totally agree with all the positives already mentioned. As far as negatives are concerned, I have none. I love my O2 XDA Exec!
One point I'd like to mention though. My XDA Exec has GREAT WiFi. When I was setting-up my MSN Messenger, my Exec detected 4 different access points including my own. I happen to notice my neighbors' access point which I helped her setup included in the list. Now, she lives about 3 apartments down, so you can just imagine the lenght and obstacles my Exec has to traverse.
I don't have wi-fi yet though hoping to get it sorted in the next month or so. Though on the odd occasion I've switched the Exec's on, I've picked up stuff that must be about 30 - 40 metres away. I know for sure I picked up my cousin's network from around 20 metres outside his house the other week - and he lives in a converted barn with thick interior / exterior walls!
Regarding everyone else's positives and negatives, I agree with most. The camera is a LOT better, and is better than the 2.0MP one we had up to a few months ago. However, it's certainly not the main reason for buying a phone and certainly not in a feature-rich device such as the Exec. The pose factor alone is worth it, especially when sat in laptop mode in the car :wink:
It's 3G. It's an awesome looking bit of kit. One or two niggles in the software that will be ironed out. It's inspired 3 of my colleagues and bosses at work to get one. Less kit to carry around between home and work (no cradle, just a lead). VGA screen - which I STILL look at in awe sometimes. I didn't think I'd get to like landscape mode, but now I LOVE it.
Best XDA by far for me, and I've had most :wink:
Cheers
Ant
if else is positive, the main negative would be the response to incoming phone calls especially thru BT headset :evil: ... you would be lucky to take it from the 1st time ... usually it takes 2-3 sec which is more than enough for the caller to hang up :evil:
Believe it or not ... I use the Universal now only for data activities (e-mail, net, ...) and I have to carry my old i-mate for phone things ... nice scene ... huh ? :x
I can't wait to see a real update for the Radio ROM
ohh ... and a one hell missing feature ... a secondary LCD on the cover to avoid opening the screen just to see who's calling ... a very simple idea you find on almost all flapping mobile phones!!!!
At the moment i have the universal, and uses it primarily for navigation and reading e books. have normal SEk810i for phoning.
i have been waiting for the omni, but date keeps pushing and no official responses has been made whether it comes or not.
And now i have found me a very nice offer that i can afford
Its the HTC Advantage X7500 and not the 7501.
How simple will the upgrade be to wm6 ?
and what other differences is there beside the fmradio (which doesn't matter to me)?
should i go for this or should i wait ?
One last note, the size of the athena doesnt scare me, i like big screen when reading and using navi.
I bought one 7500 couple of months before. The upgrade to WM6 was easy, but... I wouldn't buy it again - the microdrive makes me very big problems (it stops working in unpredictable times - not realiable) and also the GPS chipset inside is not SirfStarIII, be careful, if you need it for detailed measurements... :-(((
the athenais an amazing device look at the thread in the upgrading section called 'athena & WM6 getting rid...' and have you considered the shift it is bigger but a huge screen gps and phone 30GB vista and everything you could everneed (apart from a great battery life if using Vista) it is a bit more money and not released till 21st of december in uk not sure about ret of world also a higher screen resolution
spzero said:
the athenais an amazing device look at the thread in the upgrading section called 'athena & WM6 getting rid...' and have you considered the shift it is bigger but a huge screen gps and phone 30GB vista and everything you could everneed (apart from a great battery life if using Vista) it is a bit more money and not released till 21st of december in uk not sure about ret of world also a higher screen resolution
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why does everyone keep saying the shift does large screen GPS, None of the GPS solutions for Vista are as good as tomtom and the like for PPC and none of the pictures of the shift show it using the full wide screen when in PPC mode, this means that the 4:3 image in a 7" wide screen is barely over the 5" screen of the athena anyway.
Shift would simply be to big for my tastes. need something that can fit in my pocket easily due to my job. and the battery life discourages me also.
so today i went in with both legs and bought a brand spanking new athena.
i had won one on an auction, but after winning i got email from the seller saying sorry but it has broken and he has to cancel auction. ( still thinks he was pissed not getting the doe he was expecting )
so now i have gotten it today. have hardSpl'd it and flashed the pk3 rom. and i have that warm feeling inside again
i have to say that with mobipocket installed it is just perfect for reading, and when it comes to navigation, i have the full tomtom6 and so far no problems with the gps reception. and if the problem should arise i have my tomtom bluetooth antenna to be fired up in case..
so for now i will enjoy my new toy and hope it will last me a good while (wife will go mad if i want a new one for at least the next year ...)
what i have seen so far has been all good, hope it lasts
charon72 said:
Shift would simply be to big for my tastes. need something that can fit in my pocket easily due to my job. and the battery life discourages me also.
so today i went in with both legs and bought a brand spanking new athena.
i had won one on an auction, but after winning i got email from the seller saying sorry but it has broken and he has to cancel auction. ( still thinks he was pissed not getting the doe he was expecting )
so now i have gotten it today. have hardSpl'd it and flashed the pk3 rom. and i have that warm feeling inside again
i have to say that with mobipocket installed it is just perfect for reading, and when it comes to navigation, i have the full tomtom6 and so far no problems with the gps reception. and if the problem should arise i have my tomtom bluetooth antenna to be fired up in case..
so for now i will enjoy my new toy and hope it will last me a good while (wife will go mad if i want a new one for at least the next year ...)
what i have seen so far has been all good, hope it lasts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
welcome to the club
spzero said:
the athenais an amazing device look at the thread in the upgrading section called 'athena & WM6 getting rid...' and have you considered the shift it is bigger but a huge screen gps and phone 30GB vista and everything you could everneed (apart from a great battery life if using Vista) it is a bit more money and not released till 21st of december in uk not sure about ret of world also a higher screen resolution
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMHO, the Shift cannot be compared to a Windows Mobile device.
I carry a Windows notebook computer as well as a Windows Mobile device.
Now, that I have an Advantage, I find myself using the notebook computer far less often. The long boot-up time of the PC, and the easy synch of my data along with nearly-instant "on" of the Advantage, make my Advantage my first choice nearly all of my away-from-office time.
charon72 said:
Shift would simply be to big for my tastes. need something that can fit in my pocket easily due to my job. and the battery life discourages me also.
so today i went in with both legs and bought a brand spanking new athena.
i had won one on an auction, but after winning i got email from the seller saying sorry but it has broken and he has to cancel auction. ( still thinks he was pissed not getting the doe he was expecting )
so now i have gotten it today. have hardSpl'd it and flashed the pk3 rom. and i have that warm feeling inside again
i have to say that with mobipocket installed it is just perfect for reading, and when it comes to navigation, i have the full tomtom6 and so far no problems with the gps reception. and if the problem should arise i have my tomtom bluetooth antenna to be fired up in case..
so for now i will enjoy my new toy and hope it will last me a good while (wife will go mad if i want a new one for at least the next year ...)
what i have seen so far has been all good, hope it lasts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I congratulate you for making this wise decision. SHIFT is TWICE the area of Athena and three times the weight. It also is quite useless on the road because it has completely unacceptable battery life. Even if it has GPS, proper camera, MP3 player on the WM side, and voice call, it's not going to be worthwhile. Even if you don't mind lugging this phone along, you can't really use it worry free because anytime it's going to run out of power. Do you want Vista that badly? That's the real question. Even if you really really need portable VISTA, it is wiser to have ASUS eee PC, with an Athena.
In my mind there are two types of portability. The "body portability" and the "briefcase/backpack portabiliity". In first type of portability allows you to either put the device in your normal size pocket or a normal size belt pouch. The second category allows you to bring it along for holiday and travel, but you would not really need it to be carried on your body. Phone/GPS/MP3/Internet Browser/Camera/Radio should be converged into one device of "body portability". More serious work related and very infrequently used device such as VISTA could accept a "briefcase portabilty" as those applications typically requires much bigger screen and keyboard. These two types of device should not converge.
The real issue with SHIFT is not weather it can have phone, full WM6. It is the weight, size and battery life. Athena is the one to go for.
eaglesteve said:
I congratulate you for making this wise decision. SHIFT is TWICE the area of Athena and three times the weight. It also is quite useless on the road because it has completely unacceptable battery life. Even if it has GPS, proper camera, MP3 player on the WM side, and voice call, it's not going to be worthwhile. Even if you don't mind lugging this phone along, you can't really use it worry free because anytime it's going to run out of power. Do you want Vista that badly? That's the real question. Even if you really really need portable VISTA, it is wiser to have ASUS eee PC, with an Athena.
In my mind there are two types of portability. The "body portability" and the "briefcase/backpack portabiliity". In first type of portability allows you to either put the device in your normal size pocket or a normal size belt pouch. The second category allows you to bring it along for holiday and travel, but you would not really need it to be carried on your body. Phone/GPS/MP3/Internet Browser/Camera/Radio should be converged into one device of "body portability". More serious work related and very infrequently used device such as VISTA could accept a "briefcase portabilty" as those applications typically requires much bigger screen and keyboard. These two types of device should not converge.
The real issue with SHIFT is not weather it can have phone, full WM6. It is the weight, size and battery life. Athena is the one to go for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HERE HERE.
Very well put Eaglesteve.
I have, and will always have issues with the size of the Athena - as a phone I struggle to get along with it, and continually go back to my Hermes. The past few days with the Touch Dual ROM however I have warmed to it and think if you don't mind vociferous phone conversations or connecting bluetooth earphones it's actually a very good bit of kit.
I never use the keyboard as it adds bulk and isn't as nice to use as Fingertouch, I would LOVE a Linux hack but don't see one happening soon and I think web browsing is not as smooth and reliable as it should be, but you can't have everything I suppose.
If you enjoyed your Universal then I have no doubt you will be a happy member of the Athena club, and the Shift?!?! I wouldn't touch it with someone else's bargepole owing to 3 critical - and no doubt predictable - factors:
1 - It's too small to be a laptop replacement; too big to be a cellphone replacement.
2 - Owing to its expense and niche market, development will be VERY restricted.
3 - battery life is grimly short.
As previously stated, buy an EEE if you want a bit extra to go with your Athena - the cost of this AND the Athena is less than a Shift alone, with twice the battery juice.
leoni1980 said:
HERE HERE.
Very well put Eaglesteve.
I have, and will always have issues with the size of the Athena - as a phone I struggle to get along with it, and continually go back to my Hermes. The past few days with the Touch Dual ROM however I have warmed to it and think if you don't mind vociferous phone conversations or connecting bluetooth earphones it's actually a very good bit of kit.
I never use the keyboard as it adds bulk and isn't as nice to use as Fingertouch, I would LOVE a Linux hack but don't see one happening soon and I think web browsing is not as smooth and reliable as it should be, but you can't have everything I suppose.
If you enjoyed your Universal then I have no doubt you will be a happy member of the Athena club, and the Shift?!?! I wouldn't touch it with someone else's bargepole owing to 3 critical - and no doubt predictable - factors:
1 - It's too small to be a laptop replacement; too big to be a cellphone replacement.
2 - Owing to its expense and niche market, development will be VERY restricted.
3 - battery life is grimly short.
As previously stated, buy an EEE if you want a bit extra to go with your Athena - the cost of this AND the Athena is less than a Shift alone, with twice the battery juice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whether or not you find Athena's size to be a problem depends on how to use it. For me, I completely dislike the hardware keyboard. It's no where near as fast and accurate as Tengo software keyboard, so I don't have the burden of carrying it and the leather case.
Next, if you try carrying it with the pockets of your shirt or trousers, you will find it too bulky and heavy. The right way to carry this is to use a proper belt pouch. I have a self made one. I carry my Athena 24/7, even at home. The only time it comes off my body is when I shower and sleep. In my belt pouch I am completely unaware of its presence. I will not be able to do the same with SHIFT.
hardware keyboard is interesting but daft, unresponsive and a burden when it comes to answering calls. the universal's design is better in a sense (and it doesn't wipe hard drives), although once the keyboard is removed the Athena feels a lot nicer.
i have never used Tengo. is it better than fingertouch?
leoni1980 said:
hardware keyboard is interesting but daft, unresponsive and a burden when it comes to answering calls. the universal's design is better in a sense (and it doesn't wipe hard drives), although once the keyboard is removed the Athena feels a lot nicer.
i have never used Tengo. is it better than fingertouch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
much much better
many more options
leoni1980 said:
hardware keyboard is interesting but daft, unresponsive and a burden when it comes to answering calls. the universal's design is better in a sense (and it doesn't wipe hard drives), although once the keyboard is removed the Athena feels a lot nicer.
i have never used Tengo. is it better than fingertouch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
much much much much better. bigger hitting area, more accuracy, takes up less real estate, more comprehensive and complete in functionality than Finger Touch . I've posted a comparision somewhere under the thread called "Finger touch, much better than tengo".
To add to the idea of using an Athena along with an Asus, you don't even have to link them with USB for the Asus to get network access. Get the (beta) wmWifiRouter and your Athena turns into a portable wifi hotspot. Then your Asus, and anyone else travelling with you with a laptop, gets internet on the go.
techntrek said:
To add to the idea of using an Athena along with an Asus, you don't even have to link them with USB for the Asus to get network access. Get the (beta) wmWifiRouter and your Athena turns into a portable wifi hotspot. Then your Asus, and anyone else travelling with you with a laptop, gets internet on the go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey, thats what i do, and it works a treat. for anyone who cant be bothered to search ive attached it. just go to start, settings, connections, wifi, add new. give the new connection whatever name you like and make sure you tick 'ad hoc'. then just run wmwifirouter. simple.
And because of this program there is less of a need to hack the ee to add internal bluetooth like some have lately. I cant think of any reason, actually.
Wow, i am really amazed to how this thread has boomed since last night
My main reason for never even considering the shift is size and battery life.
and every night when i go work i bring my laptop anyway.
The job i do is nightguard for a mentally handicapped man in his thirties. this involves long hours sitting in a chair watching him doing weird stuff and sleeping on the couch. so i need a device to keep me company in the chair
and it has to be something i can flick shut at seconds notice in case he gets a seizure (bad spelling i know) or freaks out. and for theese reasons SHift would be very impractical.
i like the look of shift and would like to have it just for playing around with it, but i also know i would tire of it really fast, so i dont see a reason to waste my money on a shiny new toy i wont use(have plenty of those)
The athena is now 2 days old and bringing it to work now for the third night and so far it has fulfilled all my expectations and even more.
combined with mobipocket it is absolutely fabulous to read on, and i am even considering leaving the laptop at home
So far i am very happy to have made the transition from the universal.
And on a side note...
Now my mom can discard her old Moto A1000 cause i am giving her the universal instead
leoni1980 said:
I would LOVE a Linux hack but don't see one happening soon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is a 'Linux hack' ?
eaglesteve said:
I carry my Athena 24/7, even at home. The only time it comes off my body is when I shower and sleep. In my belt pouch I am completely unaware of its presence. I will not be able to do the same with SHIFT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you wear it when you have sex?
spacecat said:
Do you wear it when you have sex?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought everyone has sex with his Athena. No?
So that time has come where my MDA vario III, is a bit worse for wear and it's time for something new.
Is the G1 up to the standard (and then some) of the Kaiser spec.
My main uses are heavy normal phone and sms use, tomtom, a bit of wifi, and other usual pda stuff like calculator, calandar, games etc. After a ROM flash (to Sleuths) it was great and not buggy or sluggish.
The kaiser let me down on call quality, bluetooth quality (with jawbone II still no good) and the speaker & camera were a joke.
Can the G1 fill the gap that is going to be left when I put the Kaiser to rest?
well, so far the G1 is a nice phone...good call quality...bad battery...wifi works well...as does SMS and such.
there is currently no tomtom for g1 but that will probably change next month. calculator calendar and games are better than on windows mobile and the touchscreen kick's the kaiser's @$$.
i'm not sure about bluetooth quality...i'd assume it's good although there is currently no support for bluetooth file transfers.
i think speaker and camera are pretty good.
I think It's a good upgrade. I upgraded from Kaiser myself.
The screen is better both resolution- and touchwise. Android really blew me away. As I use many Google services daily It's really important for me. I find the GPS accuracy better. There is now a tilt sensor just like a currently released phone should have. Mounting the microsdcard via UMS on Ubuntu still allows you to use the phone (probably the same with Windows). The trackball is really nice.
On the bad side; battery drains quickly, there is no videocalling camera (mainly thinking about the new Googletalk webcam feature), no neckstrap attachment hole available (I've solved it in my own way) and no possibility to use the phone as a modem like my Kaiser (afaik).
Currently I'm wondering why I'm not prompted about an OTA upgrade and all custom ROM links on the WIKI are dead.
edit:
Using CFW now and i figured out how to use it as a modem.
I had a kaiser, and I loved it. I since bought a Raphael, but work have just bought me a G1 to play with and I'm in love.
So right now, I've got a Raphael and a G1, and the G1 is so much better it's embarrasing. Just waiting for the battery life and range of apps to catch up.
Hey, it's all about the track ball. I also have an iPhone 3g to play with, and I find it inferior to the G1 but superior to the Raphael (and Kaiser). Hardware kb and track ball kick iPhone into touch for my money.
The browsing experience on the G1 is superb, the best of the lot for me.
However, until all the software I use on the Raphael or equivalent is released for Android, I'm not yet ready to ditch WM and the Raphael.
Luckily for me, I have all three toys to play with, but the G1 is my absolute favourite by far.
I have had the Kaiser, am currently using the Raphael and also have a G1. Personally the G1's battery life is the biggest drawback for me and that it does not support WPA Enterprise which my school uses everywhere and I have no cell reception on campus so the phone is basically useless to me when I am at school. If these problems were solved, I would definitely choose the G1 over the others.
Thanks for the responses people - much appreciated.
It seems like the G1 will be the way to go. I was considering the raphael before the G1 came out but it seems like it's really not enough of a step up from the Kaiser.
I will never go iphone - overpriced, underspecced, and I'm not paying over a $1000 a year for the most basic (cheapest too!) package AT&T have. They do look nice and the screen was a ground breaker but everyone I know that has one has to literally charge it everyday and the limitations are too many.
I know that's probably going to be the hadrdest thing to deal with switching to the G1 - I got about 4 days to a single full charge with my Kaiser.
Thanks again!!!!
I also had a kaiser and the g1 is superior by far.... windows mobile is still buggy no matter cooked rom is installed in the phone.... the phone that can give the g1 a run for its money is the blackberry storm and nokia e71 and n97....
I'm in the same boat.... could upgrade to the g1 next week and most likely get a reduction in rental too (customer of almost 3 years) but am stuck between this and the touch hd..... keep getting swayed both ways!!
Have to agree with Miguel though and I think he's swayed me to the g1... windows mobile is extremely buggy and slow so maybe I should jump ship now and consider coming back for Windows Mobile 7.........
i just upgrade my at&t tilt with a g1. After a couple of days i think was a good choice
the screen is amazing , the touch is another generation from the tilt .
i was missing htc connection manager but i replied it with aSetting.
the gps from the satellites not from the network is faster to fix the position than the tilt
the keyboard still good for me but the slide system on the top look kind of weak.
the only big problem is the battery , the tilt wasn't good ether but the g1 is worst.
i go to sleep with 50% and i weak-up with 20% left , maybe there is a way to close all the programs in the background ?
another is the tilting of the screen i have to say that i miss it.
and another issue is the network i don't know why the g1 lose more often the edge or 3g connection
Christian
The hardware is solid, the OS is generally better, but the software support isn't there yet. It does sport arguably the best web browser in the smartphone market right now (probably tied with iPhone), and the app support will probably pick up dramatically in January when the paid apps system goes live (of course, then you'll have to pay for stuff).
Very fun phone, but not really a productivity workhorse. I never used my WinMo phones for productivity anyway, so I don't really miss it, but the lack of decent games is kind of a bummer.
I've been wanting and waiting to buy the xperia since it was released. I'm finally just about to buy it (had one ordered but the order fell through on their end, and so now have time to reconsider). I'm a programmer and very technically-minded, so I am not anticipating having any technical problems with optimizing/dealing with the phone. I'm looking for something powerful (and beautiful) that I can customize and use fully for a while.
However, I see many posts here about people regretting purchasing the xperia, mostly because of sluggish performance (and case cracks). When I go to the local Sony store to play with the display phone they have, I can definitely see that I would be very unhappy with a stock set, it's too unresponsive for me, plus the finger-friendly issues with win6.1. I know all about the different speed tweaks and touchscreen response tweaks available here for the xperia, but it's hard to get a feeling for just how well they work and how much a difference they really make.
But since I'm a regular xda reader, etc, I have hopes that some of the nice roms posted here will improve the system responsiveness, I'm especially looking at gtrab's set, mobilevu's v-lite and wild child's concept rom.
My question is: even if you continue to stick with the phone, do you actually regret getting the xperia?
I've been waiting for a long time for a real killer phone and while the xperia looks like it for me, I don't want to be disappointed even with custom roms... the hero looks like an option to me if the xperia isn't going to live up to my hopes.
thanks!
Absolutely I regret it. At the time I had just drowned a k850i, and bought another k850i to replace it. Then I saw a decent deal on an X1a, and I went for it. For the money, this phone just isn't worth it. I was happier with my SE dumb phones. I'm waiting for the Idou or whatever they're calling it now. This is after spending months waiting for the c905a...
best phone if you know how to use wm or if you are not too stupid to figure out how
some people are really dumb and should just get an Iphone though
DatDereX1 said:
best phone if you know how to use wm or if you are not to stupid to figure out how
some people are really dumb and should just get an Iphone though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely.
I never had a single doubt about it.
My question is: even if you continue to stick with the phone, do you actually regret getting the xperia?
Yes, I regret getting the Xperia X1.
I've had an XDA of one sort or another for the last 4-5 years so I'm used to WinMo and it isn't the OS that's the problem. My perception is that it is too fragile for day-to-day use. My sig says changed twice due to cracks in the casing... make that three times as of today!
It is only the fantastic ROMs from the talented chefs here at XDAdev that make it bearable. Most of the ROMs have Rhodium enhancements, and since I really like those enhancements, I'll be looking at a Rhodium next time around.
Nope because I get every dollar (even with the discount) out of my purchase. I use ALL of the features on a daily basis lol.
I do not regret buying an X1. But, buyer beware, it is not perfect out of the box.
My fun was getting it perfect for my preferences. I enjoy having the option to dig in and customize my device with various software or settings tweaks.
It is a well made device and the R3 rom which was finally released for NAM yesterday has improved my reception as well as speed and smoothness running different programs.
I have also flashed it multiple times with custom roms from the chefs here at XDA.
While the price for it was, and still is, ridiculous, I am happy with the phone overall.
I would love to see a winmo 6.5 upgrade for it in the future but realistically, I don't expect it.
I have had mine for around four months, have no cracks in the case and protect my screen with a Martin Fields protector. I use a ICE-45 OEM case.
I would recommend this phone as long as you have disposable income.
It doesn't matter what you buy, in six to twelve months something better will be available. That can be said for all high tech devices.
i do regret it, i've been using sony ericsson for 3 years and lots phones: k800> k608> M600> W880> K850 > W960 >xperia1
somehow Xperia1 is not perfect to me
- camera isnot better even than k800/k850/w960
- music player is definitely worsen/ not friendly than k850/w960- this 2 phones were amazing at its onw strengths- camera/music
- xperia speed is somehow slow/ often hang
that all i want SE to improve and put effort on X2/3 which should have combination of k850 camera/ w960 music and speed. if they do it, their phone would be perfect all aspects
If you are not too concern about the lack of response, I would say its one of the better WM phone..
If you are not too concern about phone hanging once in a while, I would say its one of the better WM phone
If you are not too concern about the music quality, I would say its still one of the better WM phone
If you are not too concern about Window Mobile OS, I would say go get the X1
Do your research on the X1 and compare features before you decide..
For me, yes, I regret it and it has such a low resell value that I am stuck with it for a while now
xperiance said:
I've been wanting and waiting to buy the xperia since it was released. I'm finally just about to buy it (had one ordered but the order fell through on their end, and so now have time to reconsider). I'm a programmer and very technically-minded, so I am not anticipating having any technical problems with optimizing/dealing with the phone. I'm looking for something powerful (and beautiful) that I can customize and use fully for a while.
However, I see many posts here about people regretting purchasing the xperia, mostly because of sluggish performance (and case cracks). When I go to the local Sony store to play with the display phone they have, I can definitely see that I would be very unhappy with a stock set, it's too unresponsive for me, plus the finger-friendly issues with win6.1. I know all about the different speed tweaks and touchscreen response tweaks available here for the xperia, but it's hard to get a feeling for just how well they work and how much a difference they really make.
But since I'm a regular xda reader, etc, I have hopes that some of the nice roms posted here will improve the system responsiveness, I'm especially looking at gtrab's set, mobilevu's v-lite and wild child's concept rom.
My question is: even if you continue to stick with the phone, do you actually regret getting the xperia?
I've been waiting for a long time for a real killer phone and while the xperia looks like it for me, I don't want to be disappointed even with custom roms... the hero looks like an option to me if the xperia isn't going to live up to my hopes.
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I regret getting the Xperia...
The Primary Reasons (In Priorities Order) That I Got Xperia:
1) Optical Mouse - All of the reviewers on the internet kept referring the D-pad as an Optical Mouse. I didn't want an Optical Joystick, I wanted a Mouse. Furthermore the effing reviewers rarely mentioned that the D-pad was horrible.
2) The keyboard - Everyone raved that the keyboard was amazing, so I thought that I'd enjoyed it. But I think even the HTC Touch Pro 1 has a better keyboard. Why? We all know the front D-pad on TP1 and X1 sucks so much. But atleast Touch Pro 1 is designed for text functionality and has a keyboard D-pad which Xperia lacks. I was at first content with the lack of keyboard arrows because I expected the optical mouse and D-pad to work flawlessly. The Xperia does not have good indicators for Capitalization or blue FN keys. You have to look at the screen and it is hard to tell compared to looking and typing simultaneously on the keyboard. I always capitalize or insert symbols/numbers unexpectedly. The number keys are hid behind the text and I have never used a keyboard on a phone before so I thought it was a smart move with the Xperia. But it's just totally not effective.
Furthermore I rarely use the front D-pad in portrait mode because that is when my stylus is out, and I learned that it is most useful to use it when you are in keyboard mode, except the optical mouse is hard to use and I want keyboard-like arrow buttons.
3) I never had a depressed screen before - I learned that I would rather have scratches on my phone than have a depressed screen. I remember on a few forums that I praised the X1 for having the "usefulness" of a depressed screen, and now I apologize and join the other side of the argument.
4) I thought the screen was big. I was wrong, I've never had any phone with 3 inch screens before and I thought that 3 inch was big. This is why I do not install Touch Flo roms on this phone because Touch Flo owns on a 3.5+ inch screen, but is pointless in a <3.0 inch screen
5) I expected the front face keys to be easy to press and enjoyable. Boy was I wrong.
6) I thought the chrome was metal chrome as well. I was wrong again. It is chipping off already and the D-pad is also chipping off is glossy paint. But I have to admit it that peeling that paint off makes the D-pad looks much more high quality at the cost of losing the shininess.
7) I thought that the silver battery cover was scratch less and easy to remove from the back. It took me 3 months to perfect the art of battery cover removal.
8) The CPU is slow, but I think there is something wrong with my Xperia. I have a Samsung SCH-I760 in which Pocket Player and Core Player is twice as fast as the Xperia X1 with optimized settings.
The only thing that is preventing my from selling my Xperia is the fact that I love the gorgeous R3A Media Panel and its interface and the 3.5 mm headphone jack and the Flash LED.
xperiance said:
My question is: even if you continue to stick with the phone, do you actually regret getting the xperia?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What none of the replies are saying is that it depends quite a lot on where you live and mostly work.
Why ? Because the X1 has a truly terrible GMS signal reception in marginal areas, irrespective of which radio ROM you have installed. I've tested this side by side with an HTC P3650 and an Acer DX900, using the same SIM in each device, directly after one another. The X1 works fine in the cities, hopeless in marginal areas.
Also the 3G UMTS (internet) capability is limited to 1900/2100Mhz in the X1. If you need UMTS 850Mhz in regional areas, try for an X1a.
The original battery is underpowered and heats dangerously with continued use of GPS or wifi while on charge.
Hmmm this is a hard one to tackle.... for me I always regret some part of the phone... maybe frustrated is the work I should use instead of regret. my phone progression has been
550 motorola flip --> Motorola TAC Elite --> Motorola QWERTY messaging phone (forgot the model) --> SE P800 --> BB 7250 & SE W900 --> BB 8830 & Nokia N95 --> BB 8830 & Nokia N85 -- BB 8830 & SE X1
the X1 marked a major change in the way I used my personal phone, primarily for e-mail and messaging, so my criteria have changed a bit. Although the N95/N85 were smart phones, i still primarily used them as phones, and not integrated messaging devices. The Blackberry was always for work, and has always primarily been a messaging device so I have drawn the baseline experience from that.
To answer your question in short: No. No serious regrets.
To answer you question in detail: Yes, I have regrets but the issues can be mitigated/X1 seemed to be the best blend of trade-offs:
1) Lack of free integrated international maps. Global data roaming costs and arm and a leg. Pay as you go in some countries don't include data, so Google Maps downloading data is a bit of a concern when i'm using the GPS abroad. This was a factor when I was deciding between the X1 or N97. I spend 9 of 12 months in home territory so i can probably manage without free international maps. (Garmin, Wayfinder don't have maps for Japan or other Asian countries that I spend time in, and you have to pay for maps unlike the free Nokia Maps app)
2) Windows Mobile quirkiness. WM 6.1 is slow. Weird things happen like accounts go missing, spontaneous reboots, lock ups, crashes, when you install different things. It's not as customizable (stock), I haven't found a voice dialler/voice synth, and the menu system is not intuitive. The messaging system is more robust however, and there is great aftermarket customization (ROMS and MODS from here), etc. I think some of these shortcommings can easily be rectified by the community, but they're still annoying. COmmunity and aftermarket support maturity ended up being a huge factor for me.
3) Form factor. It is slightly thicker than my N85, but thinner than my N95, just as wide, and only 1 cm or so taller. It is comfortable in my hand and is pocketable. The N97 is not much bigger, but the BB Bold is a lot fatter. Seemed like a good compromise.
4) Battery Life. Horrid. I could get 3-4 days normal use with my N85. I use 30% of the battery on a low usage day, and 50-60% on a moderate usage day. Mind you I use the data a lot more, which does suck up more battery, but I should get more than a day's charge out of it IMO. I'm going to chalk this up to my use of data, and hope that there is a future radio/rom upgrade that is easier on battery usage.
5) Functionality as a messaging device. I IM, e-mail, and SMS much more than I call. probably 8-to-1. I do find myself resorting back to my BB8830 for heavy IM usage sessions, possibly because I am more familiar with it, but realistically because I'm much more used to the keyboard. Heavily considered the BB Bold for this reason alone. Maybe things will change after a month or two getting used to the X1. The N97 which I also considered had serious issues as being a robust messaging device. It seemed adequate, and may have improved with further firmware releases/development, but S60 5th Edition seemed limited in more ways somehow.
6) Recessed screen. Pain in the ass. Not a deal breaker tho since I have thin fingers and am pretty dexterous. I can understand why this would be a larger issue for other people however. Definitely a poor design choice.
7) Volume. This is a quiet device. I'll have to amplify and re-jig all my custom call tones, and what not. Annoying, but manageable.
8) Poor camera. I'm used to a really good quality 5 MP Carl Zeiss lense that was on the N85. I didn't use it much but it was a nice thing to have as a backup. I feel a bit stifled by the camera on the X1, but since I'm not really using it that much, it becomes a lower weighted criteria.
So as you can see, for me, it was not a simple choice between a BB Bold, SE X1, Nokia N97, or waiting for the new Samsung B7610, HTC Touch 2, SE X2, or some other next gen device. Lots of factors, and yes I do have regrets around a lot of them, but you do the best you can and just move on.
I've found with some tweaking the X1 usable/tolerable, and meeting 80% of my needs. Nothing will ever be perfect, and if I follow the 80/20 rule, meeting 80% of my requirements for a decent price is usually as good a deal as I can ask for.
On reflection, yes... I regret it.
I resent the implication by DatDereX1 that somehow the phone's shortcomings are down to my stupidity. If it was a simple case of software, then all of the problems would instantly be resolved by a flash of the ROM - but that isn't the case. WinMo aside, the hardware is far from perfect:
* abysmal battery life
* poor responsiveness to touch
* recessed screen
* case suceptible to cracks
* poor external speaker
* reception is poor (compared to other devices in the same location on the same network)
When you throw in the stock software, you can add to that sluggish performance and poor usability. Out-of-the-box it is quite simply a device that is well below par.
With custom ROMs the situation becomes bareable but you still can't get away from the basic hardware issues... and even with the ROMs, performance is still far from lightening quick.
Even those devoted to WinMo would surely have to conceed it is not the best implementation of the OS on a device.
i bought it after selling iphone 3g...was tired of iphone's on-screen keyboard....and the phone was jus too wide...holding it made my palms ache.
other than that..the features werent elaborate
so i bought X1...X1 is everything i wanted in a phone..but it could do with many improvements.
some problems i have with x1:
1. Panels crash sometimes..very rarely..but when they do..i have to soft reset.
2. Camera is slow.
3. panels development not as fast as expected.
4. scrolling on windows mobile sux.
5. touch response....dont know if its windows mobile or hardwares fault...but it can be improved...iphone has a very good touch response.
i bought it after selling iphone 3g...was tired of iphone's on-screen keyboard....and the phone was jus too wide...holding it made my palms ache.
other than that..the features werent elaborate
so i bought X1...X1 is everything i wanted in a phone..but it could do with many improvements.
some problems i have with x1:
1. Panels crash sometimes..very rarely..but when they do..i have to soft reset.
2. Camera is slow.
3. panels development not as fast as expected.
4. scrolling on windows mobile sux.
5. touch response....dont know if its windows mobile or hardwares fault...but it can be improved...iphone has a very good touch response.
I only regret I have no Xperia. I bought one for my wife and she uses it greatly. I have no money currently to spend on another one. I'm stuck for 5+ years with my old trusted Nokia 6230 (not even 6230i) phone if you remember the one.
I know definitely my next phone will be some PPC with WinMo. Maybe X2...
i do regret buying the x1, because now i want something more powerful with more features, eye candy and sexier...but u know what? i am still yet to find the device.
i really want to replace my x1 but i cant see anything to replace it with, will never buy the iphone unless it comes with fm radio, camera light or flash, mp3 for ringtones and multitasking abilities...so im kinda stuck with my x1, lets hope the x2 is much sexier, or else i would be buying a future htc android device with sense ui
i have two problems with the x1 so far
1. the battery loses its paint when touched often
2. the battery life is worse than my p1i ...thing is that i did more on my p1i than i do on my x1
Not at all, I love it.
All phones have their faults, hell, I sold my E90 Communicator to get one of these.
I loved that phone too, but Nokia's support of it was abysmal (it took them over a year to release a firmware fix for the Bluetooth issue that they broke with a firmware release...) and it got to the point where it was becoming a pain to use.
With all technology, there will be problems, they are coded by humans don't forget
I'd rather have 'quirks' or little niggles that can be sorted with small apps or tweaks than to have a featureless brick any day of the week.
Plus, it gives me a chance to satisfy my *need* to play with the newest toys!
I love my Xperia.
I am sick of these threads.
I don't know why so many of you say that you regret buying it (even though one of you that said they regret it also said it was the best phone available).
If you are unsure about a product read more about it. If you regret buying an Xperia (especially since you are at XDA-dev) it's your own damn fault.
Hannigan174 said:
I love my Xperia.
I am sick of these threads.
I don't know why so many of you say that you regret buying it (even though one of you that said they regret it also said it was the best phone available).
If you are unsure about a product read more about it. If you regret buying an Xperia (especially since you are at XDA-dev) it's your own damn fault.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats so true.
It is just such a tiny little effort needed to put into the x1 to make it the most powerful phone of all.
Again I must stick to my phrase:
Regretting == Not being able to handle the X1
I have been reading a ton of reviews on the X10, and am thinking about getting one. However, I have some questions about it that can only seemed to be answered by everyday users and not tech blog critics, and was wondering if you can help me sort out some doubts. Especially when the 2.1 Update just come out and the critics haven't properly reviewed it yet.
- How is the battery life? Several places on the internet says the battery life is horrible. I am secretly hoping that there are also people who love the battery life that just haven't given it a shout yet. I don't mind charging it once per day, but can it survive through at least 4 hours of music playing, about 50 texts, 1 hour of call with 3G turned on at all times for one day?
- Ringing Volume/Vibration Strength? Would you still be able to hear it ring in a busy citycenter?
- Is TimeScape THAT useful? Do you use it, or do you use the native messaging app?
- Keyboard - GSMArena says the 2.1 update helped a lot. Your thoughts?
- Last but not least, do you regret getting the X10? What would you have gotten instead?
I know I sounded annoying - please give in just any input. Thanks a lot in advanced!
I work for a cellular company, and really use the Internet a lot on 3G/HSPA. And I have 9GB of music playing nonstop. The battery lasts about 5-7 hours. I always have a spare battery available to last the day.
The ring/buzz is not very loud. I often have missed calls.
Timescape is more usable with 2.1.
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
I have been using the X10 since April 26th and I think it is a great device with one fairly major flaw. The in-call volume is ridiculously low even at maximum level. It has been reported to SE since release and has not improved at all over the course of two software updates. It's my belief that the hardware is inadequate to raise the volume and users will be forced to live with it.
- How is the battery life? Several places on the internet says the battery life is horrible. I am secretly hoping that there are also people who love the battery life that just haven't given it a shout yet. I don't mind charging it once per day, but can it survive through at least 4 hours of music playing, about 50 texts, 1 hour of call with 3G turned on at all times for one day?
Battery life was abysmal to start, improved on R2 firmaware and has improved again on the 2.1 update.
- Ringing Volume/Vibration Strength? Would you still be able to hear it ring in a busy citycenter?
Ringer volume is adequate, even in busy places. I do not use vibrate unless I'm in a meeting and it is useful enough to alert me.
- Is TimeScape THAT useful? Do you use it, or do you use the native messaging app?
I do not use Timescape at all. I don't bother with Facebook or Twitter so it is essentially useless unless you like eye candy. I suppose if you are very socially inclined through these services that it would be benficial.
- Keyboard - GSMArena says the 2.1 update helped a lot. Your thoughts?
Keyboard has improved with the latest update and I find it to be on par with the better on-screen keyboards.
- Last but not least, do you regret getting the X10? What would you have gotten instead?
I do not regret purchasing an X10. I'm happy with it. It is excellent for browsing and both audio and video capture and playback. The camera is outstanding as long as it is not dusk or later. The phone has good signal strength and call quality. The in-call volume is the only problem.
Thank you for your comments!
Regarding in-call volume - could this be solved with a headset/pair of earphones? I'd imagine that I would most probably use it as my primary music player anyway.
yes you can solve it by using headsets as I always use them for music playing and receiving phone calls
My battery life last minimum 13 hours with constant use ( beautiful weather live wallpaper ) with facebook and twitter updating every 1 hour.
I do use timescape and I found it very useful, the only downside of it that it uses the browser to open comments or status, it would be better if it uses integrated application or 3rd party apps to open the notifications.
the ringtone volume is not the best in crowded places as you will miss some calls eventually.
And no I do not regret buying it because I am enjoying it
Ok i dont know whats wrong with the people above but they should check their ears and handsets. First my battery lasts 2 days with medium use and a whole day with heavy use. Any smartphone with this kind of capabilities wont last any longer (iphone, galaxy s, desire hd.. etc) . The loudnes of internal speaker was fine on 1.6 and now with 2.1 is great. The external speaker good enough and a lot better than some brand new devices like the desire hd wich speaker is terrible. The phone itself is great, dont beleive this reviewers as they dont take time to play with the devices and they just test everything stock and untouched. The x10 is the best smartphone phone ive had and ive had quite a few some of woch are galaxy s and still have an iphone 4 wich my wife uses. Let me tell u from build quality, good looks, stability and usfulnes to modding, customising and having fun.. this phone delivers. Its just solid. I have looked for many other options and i just cant find anything that matches my needs better than this. For example the galaxy s is cheap built very light and ugly and really unstable had it for a week and its gone. Iphone is just simple and boring with no customatisation whatsoever, small screen and everyone has it. Htc devices have bad cameras and bad audio quality witch i cant cope with. The new dhd for example has a really bad loudspeaker and a really ****ty 8mp camera also battery life is half that of the x10. The x10 is unique device and my strong points that i look in a phone are : works good as a phone, has a big bright screen thats easy to read, fast and responsive, stable, good camera, good audio quality internal and external, good battery life, a lot of customatisation options to make it look and work as i want it to, sd card, removable battery, flash light (very useful), notification led (very very useful). The x10 gives me all this and more. There is many many x10 users that are very very happy with their handsets and i think you will find that out soon . Personaly the best experiance ive had with a phone. Hope this helps.
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
Nankov said:
Ok i dont know whats wrong with the people above but they should check their ears and handsets. First my battery lasts 2 days with medium use and a whole day with heavy use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically, it all depend on your usage... some have 4 days battery life while other 7 hours of battery life..
if you use your phone to update your social life every X hours, have direct push emails to your phone, live wallpaper that connects to your internet every 1 minute to check weather forecast. listen to music for 2 hours a day, play games for another two hours. Then you'll get the 13 hours I'm talking about..
Medium usage can take me up to 3 days but I am a heavy user so I don't think that I will cut-off anything just to save battery time
In the end it depends on how are you going to use your X10.... butt keep in mind that comparing to other android devices, X10 has the better battery life
The battery lasts me a day and usually have around 30-40% remaining before I go to bed. About 15 hours of usage. I listen to songs on it for about 30 minutes each day, 30 minutes ebook reading, 30-60 minute angry birds, a few texts, and some random playing around with it just for the sake of it, I feel like it is a bit improved since 1.6, about 15% more.
Ring is pretty loud, although I still have some missed calls because I keep decreasing the ring volume by accident.
In-Call volume has been a bit improved after 2.1, I can now hear the other person at a skytrain station, could still be louder tho.
Timescape takes too long to start up, I really never use it.
As for keyboard, there are tons of alternatives on the market, so I don't think that will be a problem at all.
Finally, I would probably get a WP7 phone if I hadn't got my x10, WP7 feels quite sexy IMO. But the x10 is still much more impressive than the n900 i traded. ( missing the built in FM transmitter though )
good luck
- How is the battery life?
I got about that sorta useage but i dont use headphones, i play the music over bluetooth to my sterio in my car and in the office. and i get 18 to 20 hours out of it.
- Ringing Volume/Vibration Strength?
The ring tone is a bit quiet but still prety good. you just have to find the right ringtone, or tweek yours till it's right. (theres Apps for that ) i herd my phone in the machine shop at work so i'd say it's loud enough.
- Is TimeScape THAT useful? Do you use it, or do you use the native messaging app?
Timescape is prety cool, i like how you can put all the post from all your social and SMS in cronological order. I dont use the native Messenging App nemore I use Handcent to make and read my messeges. Timescape is just to slow.
- Keyboard -
I like the new keyboard heap better, i'm still using it since i got the update. and prob will keep using it i think.
- Last but not least, do you regret getting the X10? What would you have gotten instead?
Was loooking at a Samsung Galaxy but went for the X10 instead, Now my GF has the Galaxy i'm glad i went for the X10. it looks good, (doesn't look like a Iphone ) it's fast, and works.
- How is the battery life?
I play music, lots of texts and moderate calling... there has been maybe one day since I've bought it that it died before I got home to charge it, but that was at about two in the morning. If I dropped the music and kept my eye on the use, easily go two days. I have no problems with it..I don't have to be careful or not do what I want to do, and it'll still last at least the day
- Ringing Volume/Vibration Strength?
It's fairly loud, but the vibrate is great too....very rare that I don't know I get a text or call
- Is TimeScape THAT useful?
Pretty nice looking, but I don't use it. I think its just a fad, I'm kinda curious now as to how many people use it
- Keyboard -
New keyboard is nice, but you can download all sorts of things to get what you need
- Last but not least, do you regret getting the X10? Not at all, I love this phone
Battery life depends on the apps you run, how much you use wifi, gps, etc. It's a decent battery that can easily be run down with heavy use. But that's not the battery's fault. Think of it as a car battery that has to run extra lights, high power stereo system, in-car DVD... Get the picture?
Ringtone and vibrate are fine. In-call volume is the problem that has yet to be corrected.
I don't use Timescape or Mediascape. There are many other good alternatives to them.
As other users have said, you have a load of keyboards to choose from, no problem there.
The X10 came late to Android 2.1 but it's a fine phone in general. There still are kinks that need to be ironed out but in my mind it's the best looking Android phone out there.
If I were to get another phone it would have to be its successor, the x12/Anzu which should arrive sometime in 2011. Maybe that's something you want to consider.
Wow... I'm surprised. Not a single bad review here... much different from what I've been reading elsewhere on tech blogs.
I was talking to a sales rep in a local electronics store, and he was trying to get me to buy the Desire HD. Honestly, it is giant, but I don't know if I am wiling to spend that much more money.
Alright then, I think I'm sold. Galaxy S isn't an option according to reviews and its bad quality. Others are just too out of price range. I'm coming X10!
If you can try to borrow an X10 & make a call in a noisy environment, so that you're sure you can live with the audio level. Go through some of the other threads & see what people are complaining about, & decide if it's something that matters to you.
Actually, only people who never used it, hates it. That's the downside of being beautiful. You have detractors. I don't find any problem with in call volume at all. I always have two phones with me, but at noisy environment both will be the same on whatever volume level it is. My solution, go inside or plug in the headset. I'm planning to buy a SE MW600 Bluetooth headset anyway, so this part will be a moot point soon, plus the benefit of having an FM radio...
Go inside is not a solution, & not everyone wants to wear a BT headset all the time. What if you forget to bring your headset with you?
To say that people who dislike the X10 have never used one is wrong. The advice I gave is sound, you can never go wrong trying something before you buy.
To be honest. I just not only like my x10. But I really love it. Although there are some relly annoying bugs like in call volume, battery performance, virtual keyboard problem. Use bluetooth is not a solution because it will decrease the power easily.
But x10 is good phone. Trust me. If you don't like x10, it means you don't like android. This is all about OS. All about Android. All about smart phone. A phone with so many features. Just find, install. And may be tweak.
Gunawan-GN Multimedia-X10i
I know this won't go down well but here is a summary of my experiences.
I was really excited about the x10, I pre ordered it and owned it for about 6 months. I cannot in good conscience advise that you buy one. Having recently (last week) upgraded to a desire HD i realise just how poor the x10 was in so many respects. The only thing it really excels in is looks. When I bought it it was not a terrible choice, but it has only slipped further behind in my opinion. Despite the LONG awaited 2.1 update the software is still poorly implemented. SE have proven to be unreliable.
There are too many good (better) alternatives available at the same price that you should really look at them.
Hope this helped...
JamesBarnes said:
I know this won't go down well but here is a summary of my experiences.
I was really excited about the x10, I pre ordered it and owned it for about 6 months. I cannot in good conscience advise that you buy one. Having recently (last week) upgraded to a desire HD i realise just how poor the x10 was in so many respects. The only thing it really excels in is looks. When I bought it it was not a terrible choice, but it has only slipped further behind in my opinion. Despite the LONG awaited 2.1 update the software is still poorly implemented. SE have proven to be unreliable.
There are too many good (better) alternatives available at the same price that you should really look at them.
Hope this helped...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but can you please explain poor? I mean what is better in the DHD than the X10? Camera, Audio quality, Speakerphone, Battery life, Build quality? or is it just smoother because of 2.2 and you think its so great?
Nankov said:
Sorry but can you please explain poor? I mean what is better in the DHD than the X10? Camera, Audio quality, Speakerphone, Battery life, Build quality? or is it just smoother because of 2.2 and you think its so great?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im pretty sure its because of 2.2 which in fact is being worked on for our phones as we speak, and also because of the sense ui which i think is ubber s***. To the OP, the desire hd is garbage with battery and camera quality and tbh as a long time htc customer with devices owned such as the tilt 2 and touch pro and the desire(for a month) the camera can never be as good as x10s and also battery is outstanding on my x10 it all depends on how you configure your device its your decision mate, u can get the x10 now or wait for the x12 either way sony makes quality built phones im not trying to sound like a fanboy here, i like htc and sony equally, like people said, try it out, people who hate it, never tried it!
Sent from my X10a using XDA App
Sure i can go into a little more detail...
Firstly, yes the DesireHD is fast, REALLY fast but i dont think that on its own if a fair comparison, its a newer phone.
Firstly, battery... the x10 battery is quite poor, not awful, but not great. If you use the phones features fully it will not last a day. That isnt too unusual when it comes to smart phones, but saying it has a good battery is wrong in my opinion.
The camera, part of the reason i bought the phone was the camera, and it really is not that great. The app takes a long time to open which is a real pain for "in the moment" shots and the results are below average in poor light. Not having a flash is a HUGE problem in my opinion. The camera application is hopeless too.
Timescape and Mediascape have some nice features but need to be faster. Overall though i like them.
The touchscreen, multi-touch issues aside, the actual touchscreen is quite poor. It really struggles with accuracy near the edges (more than most) and often gets "stuck" on. (I have had 3 x10 handsets, so not an isolated issue)
Sony made a lot of customisations, most of which sucked. The looked pretty (sort of) but impeded functionality and slowed things down. They have gotten slightly better in that regard but still...
As for HTC sense, i think its very good indeed. The sense launcher is not at all to my tastes, i use ADW, but the modifications HTC have made to the rest of the UI are actually helpful. Often just little things like the "magnifier" for moving the cursor in the text etc but it all adds up.
If the x10 were half the price i wouldnt have an issue, but its expensive for what it is.
To me, after 6 months of daily use, it seems obvious that this was SE's first attempt at an android smartphone, I would wait till they have had more practice or go with a manufacturer that has a better track record... Samsung, Motorola, HTC etc
Ultimately though, its a personal thing, you may fall in love with it!