Couldn't buy an AT&T / HTC Pure today - Touch Diamond2, Pure General

Per another thread, I simply walked into my local AT&T store (which was pretty full, seemed to me) and when approached by a sales person, asked if they had the Pure for sale.
Was told that...
1) They aren't selling the Pure until the 4th (aka TOMORROW).
2) They only have about 2 in-stock.
3) They haven't been allowed to turn one on, and have no dummy units or any material I can look at to try and gauge my interest.
In the end, I left pretty disappointed. I mean, if I knew this device was good enough to satify me about the same as an HD2, I'd be happy to be there tomorrow at 9am and pick one up before my Seahawks get KILLED by the Colts. But I really don't know how much better THIS phone is than my Touch Cruise, and therefore I'm pretty disappointed by driving out to find out NOTHING.
Think I'll go play Madden, since the Huskies were getting beat by Notre Dame last I checked...

If you have a Fuze, I'd wait for the next upgrade cycle. The screen isn't that much larger. It's not faster. The build uses the same materials as the Fuze. On the other hand, it is running WM6.5, Build 21849.5.0.63 and the camera has a vastly improved white balance.

I stopped by not realising that the "new" phones were actually in the store this early (silly me) and checked out a working Pure... after putzing around with a Tilt 6.1 for the last couple of years and with this month seening the end of my contract, I was pretty impressed with it -- as far as that goes. Accelerometer seemed to work OK for some things; looked at the box and if I recall it had a 528 MHz processor (as of right now, still can't find any info on it on HTC's website - please someone correct me if I'm wrong), screen seems clearer to me (but of course you must realise I've been used to a Tilt for the last 2 years). The only thing I was unimpressed with (with the limited putzing I was able to do with the live demo model) was the on-screen "full QWERTY" keyboard which was a bit too small for my fingers. I tested in a Word document, tried to swing the phone sideways to see if it would move the document view and the keyboard to a landscape -- it didn't, but it DID do the automatic screen adjust in the Opera Browser which was preinstalled(thank God this model doesn't rely on the old PIE) But though I missed the slide-out keyboard on this unit, and realising that perhaps all phones will eventually go with virtual QWERTYs... I considered this to NOT be a deal-breaker for me tomorrow when they go on sale officially, since there are lots of free and low-cost keyboard apps out there that would make a virtual keyboard big enough to type on with my fat-ol' fingers.
And yes, it is a 6.5 device, I believe the box said 512MB ROM & 284 (at least I think) of RAM... seems pretty roomy for my taste, esp. given my 16GB micro-SD card (which I couldn't find the slot for on this device -- GASP! it better have one!) but then again -- my 10-year-old daughter was tugging at me trying to convince me to buy her one of the Samsung phones as her first phone for her birthday later this month -- so what with all that and one salesman beating my ear whilst the other was on a futile quest for information on this phone on their computer, I didn't get a full stem-to-stern look at the thing... but what I did see... I like.
- BereanPK

i just got one here in NY Staten Island 2 hours ago but they only have 1 which i already bought.

Thanks to all for your replies. Still about an hour and 20 minutes before my local store opens, but as I still haven't held it in my hands, I'm not going to go rushing in for one.
Couple questions for anyone who knows...
1) Resistive vs Capacitive... is this the difference between being able to do multi-touch or not? I'm sure it's more than that, but I'm not clear what the true differences on the Leo screen and this screen are.
2) Video on the Diamond2 - I'm sure it's better than on my Touch Cruise, which is actually good with CorePlayer and properly converted video. But if YouTube does better quality on the Diamond2 that would be nice.
The better camera would be nice, but it's no deal breaker for me. Overall, I'm wondering if the newer opera and higher res screen will make my browsing closer to an iPhone... or if I should just get sucked into an Apple 3GS like most of the world...

merkman said:
Thanks to all for your replies. Still about an hour and 20 minutes before my local store opens, but as I still haven't held it in my hands, I'm not going to go rushing in for one.
Couple questions for anyone who knows...
1) Resistive vs Capacitive... is this the difference between being able to do multi-touch or not? I'm sure it's more than that, but I'm not clear what the true differences on the Leo screen and this screen are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Capacitive screens are very sensitve to finger touch, they don't react to styluses (styli?) or finger nails, they're also less precise. Resistive requires pressure to work, so you can use fingernails or a stylus. It's more precise, but no resistive screen on the market supports multi-touch. So no pinch and zoom on Opera.
2) Video on the Diamond2 - I'm sure it's better than on my Touch Cruise, which is actually good with CorePlayer and properly converted video. But if YouTube does better quality on the Diamond2 that would be nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Pure/TD2 has an MSM7200 processor and chipset. It is essentially the same guts as the Touch Pro/Cruise/Tilt 1/Kaiser, with a higher resolution screen. Performance should be pretty close to identical.
The better camera would be nice, but it's no deal breaker for me. Overall, I'm wondering if the newer opera and higher res screen will make my browsing closer to an iPhone... or if I should just get sucked into an Apple 3GS like most of the world...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Opera build included in the stock Pure ROM (17658) is not as fast as Safari, but it does a great job of rendring web pages.

Wouldn't sell without contract
NYC has a lot of the PURE around but no stores are willing to sell only the phone. Well, at least about the 10 that I called/visited said so.

BereanPK said:
Accelerometer seemed to work OK for some things; looked at the box and if I recall it had a 528 MHz processor (as of right now, still can't find any info on it on HTC's website - please someone correct me if I'm wrong)..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is 528 MHz.
Processor Qualcomm® MSM7200A™, 528 MHz Reference URL
BereanPK said:
The only thing I was unimpressed with (with the limited putzing I was able to do with the live demo model) was the on-screen "full QWERTY" keyboard which was a bit too small for my fingers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd suggest this then:HTC Touch Pro 2
BereanPK said:
And yes, it is a 6.5 device, I believe the box said 512MB ROM & 284 (at least I think) of RAM... seems pretty roomy for my taste, esp. given my 16GB micro-SD card (which I couldn't find the slot for on this device -- GASP! it better have one!) - BereanPK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does, it supports SDHC
Expansion Slot microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible) Reference URL

I have a Fuze and getting getting the crave. I like the bigger screen but I'm not sold on the onscreen keyboard for texting. While I use the onscreen keyboard on my Fuze in Portrait one-handed... the physical keyboard is nice. I like having the keyboard but I hate having the phone feel like a brick.
The sad note is that HTC didn't really upgrade anything over the original Diamond/TouchPro internally. It will still be just as snappy/sluggish as my Fuze. The smaller battery also has me worried.
And how is the microphone? I ask because my Fuze picks up background noise like no other. I'll be in my car with the windows up, relatively quiet... and people say it sounds like a vaccum cleaner. It really sucks. There is no way I could think about upgrading to a phone that has the same problem.

Corporate stores are sellin Pure for $500, which with tax is over $200 than what attwireless is selling. Are there really stupid enough people who buy at such a higher price?

Related

Anything similar to Athena?

Is there any device in market or coming soon similar to Athena?
Important features included:
large screen (5" or above)
under $1000
long battery life
instant on
wifi, gps
weight about 1 lb
It should have more than one in this market segment.
Thanks!
Where have you been? Look at it's successor HTC Advantage X7510: http://www.digitalburn.com/index.php/2008/05/21/review-of-htcs-x7510-advantage/
...
alui said:
Is there any device in market or coming soon similar to Athena?
Important features included:
large screen (5" or above)
under $1000
long battery life
instant on
wifi, gps
weight about 1 lb
It should have more than one in this market segment.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good question. I'm looking for it too. I was hoping that 7510 was going to be it, but no. It was a step backward instead of forward, from my perspective and based on the way I'm going to use it.
I would add FM radio, support High Capacity external memory cards, 5MB camera, fluid video recorder, television, more rounded and thinner than 7500/7510.
I would like it to maintain the existing aspect ratio and not move toward 480x800 for the sake of software compatibility. No thanks, I don't want a 2.8" screen.
As you can see, there is none in the market that meets my dream list. So I guess I'd be using my Athena for a long long time to come still.
alui said:
Is there any device in market or coming soon similar to Athena?
Important features included:
large screen (5" or above)
under $1000
long battery life
instant on
wifi, gps
weight about 1 lb
It should have more than one in this market segment.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
question: All the things you've mentioned are included in the Athena, so why are you looking for something else????
Or if you don't mind a small screen and the absence of a keyboard, check out the Samsung Omnia: http://samsungomnia.com/
To be honest, if this had a better screen size, I would not consider saving up for the X7510, but nothing beats the screen of the Athena and Advantage as of now.
...
cktlcmd said:
Or if you don't mind a small screen and the absence of a keyboard, check out the Samsung Omnia: http://samsungomnia.com/
To be honest, if this had a better screen size, I would not consider saving up for the X7510, but nothing beats the screen of the Athena and Advantage as of now.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed. You'd really appreciate Athena's (big) size when you're using e-reader program, pdf file viewer, SoftMakers (when in 92dpi especially), and internet browsing. You can see those otherwise too tiny fonts.
eaglesteve said:
Indeed. You'd really appreciate Athena's (big) size when you're using e-reader program, pdf file viewer, SoftMakers (when in 92dpi especially), and internet browsing. You can see those otherwise too tiny fonts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am dying in waiting here... for the X7510. On The Go Solutions will have it in stock by tomorrow. I keep holding back because I am waiting for the price of the X7500 (brand new) to drop to at least $900. If I can't control myself, I'll be buying the X7510 by next week. But before I order, I still want to know that they have it in stock, because the release date keeps moving back.
I even purchased ahead of time the following: Brando Workshop's Ultra clear screen protector, LG HBM 700 BT Communicator, heck... I even ordered a customized belt holster from Nutshell in Horizontal Style that houses both the case and the X7510 with keyboard. I had to make sure I didn't messed up on the size specifications I provided, so I waited for some reviews to confirm it. I guess we'll know in a few days.
...
For my the Athena is the best device today even compared with with the newer devices about to be released, HTC had the chance to get out a much better device with the 7510 but they didn't deliver.
In my opinion the only better thing is they doubled the amount of memory to 16gb and that is solid state rather than a hard disk, so what (8GB micro SDs cost peanuts this days and 16gb will soon be out there) but not joypad or buttons.
I want my next device with a proper graphics chip and the most sensitive gps chip out there and a camera that actually deliver even in poor light conditions
I want the OS and applications as good as those made by Apple or better and for gods sake Athena it is a VGA device, I want VGA working out of the box.
a little more ram will hep too ( for speed) and the phone function should work flawless at all times.
transflective LCD screen any one?
those are the issues that if solved will make a difference to my, and yea they can be solved the proof is this forum and excelent roms and apps.
Is anybody from HTC reading this?
said this I still convinced than Athena+XDA develoers hard work is the best device out there even after a year.
right, I feel much better now
oh yea good try with the new keyboard but not good enough.
i was reading this thread... and i had the urge to bump it up.
lol.
ciao!
HTC SHIFT? A bit Bigger... but loses some of the mobile capabilities and batt life?
Three months later and the answer to this thread is still the same - the 7500 or 7501 are still the best on the market. 7510 gives up too much, and nothing else on the market has the screen size, battery life, instant on, wifi, bt, etc.
For me, the replacement model is the HTC Touch HD.
Touch HD
I am also intrigued by the Touch HD, but I can't see on its spec page if it has VGA out. I use my Advantage to hook up to a projector and run PowerPoint. (Maybe I need a pocket sized projector that takes an SD card instead?)
touch hd lacks the hardware keyboard and gps, right? but atleast maybe they already fixed the graphic card issue in touch hd.
jetherson said:
touch hd lacks the hardware keyboard and gps, right? but atleast maybe they already fixed the graphic card issue in touch hd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They have not only gps but also A-gps.
Thank goodness there is no keyboard.
Athena screen size attracted me most, though its a little bulky.
Xperia X1 is my prefer choice, if it is 1 inch more.
eaglesteve said:
They have not only gps but also A-gps.
Thank goodness there is no keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i see, i must have misread that gps thingy somewhere.
While Touch HD is the best replacement today, I'm still waiting for a 4.5 inch minimmum screen, with FM and TV and joystick. I don't mind not having the other hardware buttons but I really really want the joystick.
I prefer no keyboard personally. Just want the same form factor as the Touch HD.
I'm intrigued by the t-mob G1
http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/19/g1-appears-on-t-mobiles-site/
black--rider said:
HTC SHIFT? A bit Bigger... but loses some of the mobile capabilities and batt life?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"a bit" bigger. nah, it is like several times bigger, i can take and post comparison photos
the truth is, while the shift is really small for a vista pc, the athena is incredibly small. (just don't compare it to normal phones )

32GB, X7510 replacement early 2009?

Some recent unconnected bits of information on the web have got me thinking that sooner or later there will be another iteration of the Athena series, an x7520 if you will.
First, on Engadget/Engadgetmobile, there was the blog on
How would you change HTC's Advantage X7510?
http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/08/how-would-you-change-htcs-advantage-x7510/
Then there are the regular posts about new HTC projects with new code names, for instance, HTC QUAR100:
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/09/08/the-htc-quar100-a-north-american-exclusive/
Then finally, even though it hasn't been announced, Samsung is now making 1.0 inch form factor SSD's, and they are not sata, but pata devices (like the 1.0 microdrives). The largest is 32gb, which trumps the x7510's 16gb:
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/productList.do?fmly_id=161
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/productInfo.do?fmly_id=161&partnum=MCCOE32GZMPP
I'd wager that a successor will be announced around the CES show next year.
All I can say, is that it better have great video performance and the joystick back.
What do you think?
What do I think ???
I don't think there would be any replacement for the HTC Advantage. Why? It is not selling well because of their stupid decision to remove the buttons and joy stick control. Not to mention, the only thing they changed is the keyboard and flash memory. No provider wants to carry it. The only phone operator I read offering the X7510 is TMobile Germany. Even at the country of it's origin, it barely made news when released. The only thing that will save the X7510 at this point is if HTC gave it to phone operators at a very cheap price. Which I suggest they should do now rather than let it sit in their storage due to better models coming out with better specs.
I am sorry to admit this... but I think this is the end for our babies with 5 inch screens. Which I hope won't be the case. I believe a better move on their part is to update the HTC Universal.
I think you have some valid points.
Many of the comments on 'How you would change the x7510' on the Engadget thread mentioned lack of joystick and OK buttons. Major mistake on HTC's parts.
So really there are three options:
HTC abandons the format
HTC introduces one more model with 32GB SSD, joystick or not.
HTC introduces a similar form factor, but totally new design.
I believe that they will at least do the 32GB option, as they don't have to change any hardware.
I would prefer the following changes atleast.
1. More slimmer device.
2. Change the old PXA270 processor to PXA310.
3. Newer phones come with 256MB RAM and 512MB ROM.
Hopefully they will change those too in the new model.
4. Windows Mobile 7
6. Support 800*480 Resolution.
--Srini
Heres what I would improve:
1. Remove the buttons on the face, and make the screen larger (stretch in to the corners of the device. Put the removed buttons on the sides or top of the device.
2. Higher res screen 800x480 ?
3. Larger microdrive, 64GB atleast.
4. Full size SD-card lot, maybe even two.
5. Make the device slimmer.
6. Slide out keyboard (portrait).
7. Newer generation and faster CPU (800MHz ?) / GPU (NVidia ?) combo.
8. 300MB RAM (atleast)
9. 512MB ROM (atleast)
10. Better camera with atleast VGA @ 30 FPS recording.
11. Make a docking station for the device in portrait. With the headphone out and USB host in front and the rest on the back. Dont forget support to charge a second battery.
So what do you guys think ?
1. Put vibrate back in.
2. Change screen aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9 (would make it easier to hold like a phone and would give us full-page-width browsing, video)
3. Give us a private speaker so we don't have to carry BT all the time.
4. Put the buttons and joystick back.
5. Include chipset for WiMax.
Yeah what he said plus what I said makes it the almost perfect PDA.
there is something in the works that i know of but i dont know if u would consider this a athena successor. cant give details though.
Now why did you do that ? Common tell us something ! Just anything !
StashCompInc said:
Now why did you do that ? Common tell us something ! Just anything !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
problem is i dont know if u would consider it a athena successor. it doesnt have a microdrive and the screen isn't as big. sorry cant give more details.
Touch HD ?, or is it the Omni your talking about ? None of them are up to the task.
StashCompInc said:
Touch HD ?, or is it the Omni your talking about ? None of them are up to the task.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope. not any one of those. these devices the public doesnt know about.
Well then thats something to look forward to.
Nope the magic words "screen isn't as big" and I loose all interest.
The biggest appeal to me for the Athena is the 5 inch screen.
I would however like it slimmer and a full size sd slot.
With the joystick back, a slimmer unit and a full size sd slot it would be near the perfect device for me.
I don't think HTC will simply abandon Athena form factor. For one thing it looks that MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices) will be a popular thing next year and for me Athena is a true MID and for now the best MID.
So what I'm hoping for is that HTC will come up with a new MID device sometime in 2009, that could be a successor to Athena, hopefully with WM7 (I have a silly idea that WM7 will be released together with Win7 sometime in June/July) and with 5" WVGA screen, new faster CPU and more storage...
Pawel062 said:
nope. not any one of those. these devices the public doesnt know about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pawel,
I know Blackstone is not quite a replacement for the 5 inch screen, but it has FM radio, and faster HSDPA speed. I'm quite keen to go for this. However, if there is something better in the pipeline, I might wait.
I like Blackstone's form factor, but was disappointed with its mere 3.8 inch screen. Of course there are also other disappointments such as the lack of joystick, tv-out, small built-in storage, but the biggest disappointment is the small size.
I hope the replacement model that you have been told retains the 5 inch screen, latest HSDPA, wimax, have embedded earpiece, and similar form factor as blackstone (ie slim and light). Am I likely to be disappointed?
eaglesteve said:
Pawel,
I know Blackstone is not quite a replacement for the 5 inch screen, but it has FM radio, and faster HSDPA speed. I'm quite keen to go for this. However, if there is something better in the pipeline, I might wait.
I like Blackstone's form factor, but was disappointed with its mere 3.8 inch screen. Of course there are also other disappointments such as the lack of joystick, tv-out, small built-in storage, but the biggest disappointment is the small size.
I hope the replacement model that you have been told retains the 5 inch screen, latest HSDPA, wimax, have embedded earpiece, and similar form factor as blackstone (ie slim and light). Am I likely to be disappointed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if u enjoy the blackstone. i would go for it. the one im talking about doesnt have all the specs u wanted btw.
edit: btw i want to get the blackstone so there really is nothing too much better in the near term coming.
Pawel062 said:
if u enjoy the blackstone. i would go for it. the one im talking about doesnt have all the specs u wanted btw.
edit: btw i want to get the blackstone so there really is nothing too much better in the near term coming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about the HTC 8290? If the specs are correct, it's like the Touch HD, except it's got WiMax and TV-out. The lack of TV-out on the Touch HD is a big disappointment to me. I would have bought the HD instantaneously had it had this feature. If the 8290 does have it, and has both WiMax and HSPA, it seems very attractive to me.
Regarding the Advantage, I believe they will keep the form factor because as stated above, MIDs are coming and the Advantage really is pocketable and light enough compared to many other MID offerings. If I were HTC I'd wait for WM 7, and probably use the Tegra APX2500 processor.
Pawel062 said:
if u enjoy the blackstone. i would go for it. the one im talking about doesnt have all the specs u wanted btw.
edit: btw i want to get the blackstone so there really is nothing too much better in the near term coming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pawel,
Thanks for your info. I guess I would go for Blackstone as an interim device while waiting for the ultimate Athena replacement. I thought I could live with a 4 inch (and 3.8 inch is close to that) screen, but after making up a prototype and played with it, I don't think the screen is big enough yet. May be 4.5 at the very minimum. I had played with the iPhone and just don't like the small screen. Too much zooming in and out when surfing the net and that drives me nut after a while.
Sigh... May be Athena as it is now is still the best, even when compared to Blackstone.
eaglesteve said:
Pawel,
Thanks for your info. I guess I would go for Blackstone as an interim device while waiting for the ultimate Athena replacement. I thought I could live with a 4 inch (and 3.8 inch is close to that) screen, but after making up a prototype and played with it, I don't think the screen is big enough yet. May be 4.5 at the very minimum. I had played with the iPhone and just don't like the small screen. Too much zooming in and out when surfing the net and that drives me nut after a while.
Sigh... May be Athena as it is now is still the best, even when compared to Blackstone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea, i dont mind the 3.8in screen. i have the iphone 3g and have gotten used to the zooming bc of the multitouch. afaik, there isnt anything with a screen bigger than that of the blackstones coming out anytime soon unless theres something in the works that i dont know about.

New UK HD Owner Views (from an iPhone owner :-) LONG MESSAGE

I have had my 3G iphone for about 6-7 months now, and have in that time tried several new phones, namely Nokia E71, Diamond (horrible), X1 (lasted less than 1 day!) and I also own a Trinity.
Anyway, the HD arrived via www.devicewire.co.uk in the UK (doh) on Thursday last week, and I powered it up right away. It was £522 delivered.
I think in the UK, people are better off ordering online, since you have the 7 day DSR (Distance Sellings Regs) to fall back on in the event of dislike, dead pixels etc.
With the HD, I am surprised how much I like it..........put it this way, it came Thursday, and Friday it was a case of "yes, this is good, but nothing much better than the iPhone, so I can not justify the cost, so back it goes".....read on for what happened next
I even have the return code from devicewire (very good aftersales, even when you are returning stuff!!)
I can not say the HD screen blew me away, since the screen on the iPhone is a truly, truly lovely screen anyway, and I had been using this everyday for the aforemention 6-7 months.....but, for anyone who has not been using an iPhone, the screen is gonna make you do a double take. It is clear, big, bright and the fonts look amazing.
First thing I did was switch off the ambient sensor (yes, it does have one!), and put brightness up to full, I love contrast as my eyesight is not so good these days.
Now, this is why the iPhone has been so good for me, (although I guess most of you lot here will be younger with perfect vision), I find it has good large fonts, and great contrast.
Compare this to the default text size on the Diamond, or indeed the latest Sony X1, its tiny, and yes, I do know you can altertext size, but on a small screen, it just means you get less on a sreen and have to be scrolling all the time.
The HD is just perfect for me, nice big fonts, so smooth, and perfectly usable with either a finger, (even with a glove on, something that is not possible on iPhone), or a stylus, which as it turns the HD on, is handy to have.
So, the screen is as good as the iPhone, with better resolution, and as I just read in the Slashgear review, the actual touching of the two screens is very close indeed. Even coming from several hours use of the iPhone eveyday, I do feel that I will get on with the HD screen very nicely.
But hang on, I am not keeping this am I, I already have the return code and devicewire are expecting it back......well, I doubt it now.......I had put it all away very carefully on Friday, but it sat there looking at me, and I kept reading about it on here........it was all too much, got up this morning and thought "lets take it to work, Sunday is quiet usually, I can have a play".
Well, the breakthrough for me was to turn off Touchflo and install PocketPlus, a great piece of software I have used on many devices. Oh, that and TomTom 6 running in landscape on the trip to work
As for GPS lag, it is only about 10 miles to my workplace, but there is little or no lag present in TomTom 6.
TomTom is a big deal for me, I find nothing touches it, and it is a great disapointment that there is still no TomTom (or anything else!) for the iPhone, when you recall the stories that TomTom already had it running back at the 3G launch, it must be Apple who are blocking its release.....
I think Touchflo is just too "black" for me, not sure if it will run with a brighter skin or not, but I like the way PocketPlus makes a device look, much brighter.
Now, a lot has been written about WM 6.1 being hard to use without D-Pad? The only issue (apart from games which I confess is of zero concern to me) is for selecting little drop down (roll out) menus, and that is sorted with AEBPlus http://ae.inc.ru/aebplus.php which allows you to assign the volume up and down keys to act as Arrow Up and Arrow Down, and this sorts it and works well.
I can confirm the UK HD comes with the little soft case (its quite nice actually), but a word of warning, do NOT assume all iPhone cases will work, my one, and nice Marware slip case is too tight, and the HD is a smidgen wider that the iPhone. Anyway, I like the softcase. It was also nice to get the 8gb Micro SD card. I have not installed the screen protector yet, can never really get on with those anyway.
Keyboard use on the iPhone is pretty good, and I was very doubtful that HTC could get anywhere near it, but they have basically cracked it IMV. The buttons are the same size as iPhone and easy to use. I am making less mistakes in a few hours than I do after 6 months on iPhone.
Web browsing is not in my opinion as good as the iPhone, well, let me qualify that. If you just use fingers, the iPhone wins, but if you use fingers and the stylus, I think the HD then just shades it.
One very welcome side effect of returning to WM is the multitasking, this is one massive issue for us geeks on the iPhone, combined with the lack of cut n paste, it really shows the two devices quite far apart in usability.
Email is very good on the iPhone, and if you only have the one account (gmail for example) it takes some beating for simplicity. However, the HD also does a great job, and with a little wireless keyboard (impossible on iPhone), I think it will make a good laptop replacement)
RSS is OK on the iPhone, but much easier on the HD, with the built in RSS Hub program, which downloads all feeds, including video feeds. I like to watch Cali Lewis on Geekbrief www.geekbrief.tv everyday, and you have to jailbreak the iPhone to be able to do that (yes, I do know its coming in 2.2 software, but with a limit of 10mb over cellular, which renders it useless for video podcasts, and anyway, its a pain in the arse to upgrade iPhone and then have to jailbreak each time.
We are good at making our decisions fit the case, so the iPhone user is always going to say "oh, I don't really miss cut n paste", when in fact, you quickly forget how often it is useful.
I think for me, it comes down to this, the HTC Touch HD can do everything the iPhone can do and lots more, but the the iPhone can not do several things the HD can do. Does that make sense?
I hope this view (not a review IMHO), helps some of you, and just like the chap in the other thread, please feel free to ask any specific questions about useabilty, although please don't ask me to run x test on y video, using xx program while standing in a bucket of water, as I probably can not be bothered
A couple of program I will miss if I sell the iPhone are TV Plus, a great APP which gives a 7 day EPG and more inportantly, links to Sky Plus (UK only) and lets you setup recordings.
I will also greatly miss Remote, an Apple APP which controls iTunes on my main desktop PC, although I should be getting up off my butt to change charge anyway.
So, who wants to buy an iPhone ;-)
Kev
So font size was your only problem with the Xperia? I'm trying to decide between the Xperia (had it for about 5 days now) and the HD.
BTW, my other phone is an iPhone 2G and I do like the screen.
Whoops, forgot that bit.
No, I got the X1 in the UK at Vodafone (if anyone is interested they are £500 are are not locked to Voda.....well, my one was not anyway)
The fonts were always gonna be too small for me, but I hated the keyboard, the keys barely protrude over the case, very little feedback.
But the killer and reason for return within a few hours for refund was a horribly wobbly screen, but I accept this could have been my one.
Also, given that you would have to use on screen keypad to dial people, it was too fiddly, too small. That 3" screen is very narrow you know.
Sorry.
Kev
I bet there's a program on WinMo that let's you control not only your iTunes but your whole PC. On my current 4 years old Nokia, there's System Freak, that lets you do that...
Thanks for that post KevWright.
Like VeloAudio, I'm deciding between the Touch HD and X1. I still have some niggling concerns about the Touch HD but I am assuming the X1 has the same 'problems' or 'complications' so am leaning towards the former.
Your post bolsters the case.
Great post!
Can you delve a little bit deeper into the screen responsiveness please? Just a few more sentences on how it compares to the iPhone's would be great.
Also, this is probably unbelievably subjective, but which phone do you find sexier? For instance, you are on the bus and you take out your iPhone and you take out your HD, which feels sexier?
Thanks.
kevwright said:
A couple of program I will miss if I sell the iPhone are TV Plus, a great APP which gives a 7 day EPG and more inportantly, links to Sky Plus (UK only) and lets you setup recordings.
So, who wants to buy an iPhone ;-)
Kev
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be interested in a SlingBox, which allows you to stream and your own Sat/IPTV etc. over the web to your laptop or your WM device. It comes with software to control the IR on your video sources. I stream Bluewin IPTV and Sky to the SlingMobile software on my Trinity and intend to do the same with the HD tomorrow when it arrives. I hope it runs on the HD. I will report back later on that.
Matterhorn said:
You might be interested in a SlingBox, which allows you to stream and your own Sat/IPTV etc. over the web to your laptop or your WM device. It comes with software to control the IR on your video sources. I stream Bluewin IPTV and Sky to the SlingMobile software on my Trinity and intend to do the same with the HD tomorrow when it arrives. I hope it runs on the HD. I will report back later on that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I've read elsewhere, the Touch HD doesn't have an IR port, so you won't be able to use the IR functionality of Slingbox unless you mean the "box" itself attached to a TV?
kevwright said:
Oh, that and TomTom 6 running in landscape on the trip to work
As for GPS lag, it is only about 10 miles to my workplace, but there is little or no lag present in TomTom 6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What version did you install, and will it work in full WVGA or are their black bars on the screen?
Thanks in advance
nu_D said:
Great post!
Can you delve a little bit deeper into the screen responsiveness please? Just a few more sentences on how it compares to the iPhone's would be great.
Also, this is probably unbelievably subjective, but which phone do you find sexier? For instance, you are on the bus and you take out your iPhone and you take out your HD, which feels sexier?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it is hard to say that much more, I have them both here and am playing now. Not sure if you know the iPhone, but on 2.1 software (jailbroken), when you press the button for say SMS, there is about a 2 sec delay while it loads up, now on the HD, its about the same, but on the HD if you leave messaging running in the background (which I suspect you can do with these better memory equipped models?) it is instant, with the iPhone you always get the delay cos nothing (well except the music player) is allowed to stay in background.
OK, using book reading software, I would say they are almost equal.........maybe the iPhone is fractionally better, or it could be I am more used to it.
As to your second point, I can't help mate, for one, I only have a vague idea of what a "bus" is, and the day I find either the iPhone or the HD "sexy", that is the day I go back to my Nokia 6310 )
OK, I think they look so similar mate, there is nothing in it.
Kev
kevwright said:
But the killer and reason for return within a few hours for refund was a horribly wobbly screen, but I accept this could have been my one.
Kev
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you saying they are all wobbly or it is just yours. You going to replace it I guess?
luckyuser said:
What version did you install, and will it work in full WVGA or are their black bars on the screen?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I can not find a version number I am afraid.
It looks great in portrait, but bloody fantastic in widescreen, I have it on a manual rotate screen, and there are NO bars in any view.
Kev
exe said:
Are you saying they are all wobbly or it is just yours. You going to replace it I guess?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have no idea beyond my one mate. It was that bad that I could never live with it.
I have replaced it....with the HD )
I will not be getting another X1, fonts were too small, and after this screen, there is no going back.
Kev
Matterhorn said:
You might be interested in a SlingBox, which allows you to stream and your own Sat/IPTV etc. over the web to your laptop or your WM device. It comes with software to control the IR on your video sources. I stream Bluewin IPTV and Sky to the SlingMobile software on my Trinity and intend to do the same with the HD tomorrow when it arrives. I hope it runs on the HD. I will report back later on that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I do have Slingbox, and have even register Slingplayer, but I just have never had good perfomance on it to be honest. I am not realy fussed about watching TV on my HD, just this little app was great to tell my Sky box to record something, mainly cos it enabled you to do it even without turning the TV and Sky box on.
I am hoping there is something for WinMo
Kev
nokia e71 vs. htc touch diamond
hi kevwright,
after a bad experience with an htc diamond (very poor battery and many ROM updates), I've decided to go for nokia e71. Now I'm considering an htc touch hd, but I'm very curios about it's battery life. how the touch hd compare to the e71 in terms of battery life and general?
in call recording
Hi alll - I have posted a separate thread on this issue, but alas, I thought i would also ask it here from those that already have an HD.
in call recording feature - anyone tried it out? some are reporting that it doesn't work...even though HTC calls it out in their specs online.
can anyone kindly shed some real world experience w/this feature on teh HD?
Thanks in advance.
Someone tell this guy how paragraphs work...
Great post.. I allready bought Touch HD, and I have the same view as you!
Cheers!
Thanks for the insight, kev. Great post.
dragosel80 said:
hi kevwright,
after a bad experience with an htc diamond (very poor battery and many ROM updates), I've decided to go for nokia e71. Now I'm considering an htc touch hd, but I'm very curios about it's battery life. how the touch hd compare to the e71 in terms of battery life and general?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life looks like it will be quite good, but not as good as an E71 (screen is tiny!).
Had it only a day really, so I will update this in a few days.
Kev

Diamond to Touch HD - is it worth it?!

I'm currently the owner of a launch day Touch Diamond - which cost me about £465 back in June from Devicewire.
Prior to that, I had a 16gb iPhone - which I really liked, but missed the features of a regular phone like picture messaging etc.
I'm running one of Dutty's last ROMS on the Diamond, it works perfectly and does pretty much everything I want. The only downer for me is the size of the screen. I go on 3 or 4 holidays abroad a year and the iPhone was ideal for filling with videos and watching them on the plane. I'm just back from my New Year break and borrowed a friends iPod Touch to use rather than watching videos on my Diamond for the bigger screen.
I have the HTC 1340mah battery in too which makes the battery a good bit better than the stock one, but its still needs a charge most nights. I also have the HTC charging cradle...
Has anyone here upgraded from a Diamond to a Touch HD? How do you find it in comparison? Bearing in mind I've spent about £500 on this phone, cradle and extended battery - is it worth paying another £550 for the Touch HD? Obviously I can eBay my Diamond and maybe get a few quid for it - but with heaps of them on just now they're not going for that much!
yes
I had the touch pro for three weeks and hated using it. Ive had the Touch HD for four weeks now and love it. the Touch Pro was just painfull entering text or surfing.
I switched from Diamond to HD about 6 weeks ago and I don´t regret it. I still have the Diamond but never use it (I like to have a spare phone..just in case). The HD runs slick right out of the box, I don´t think I´ll flash it anytime soon. The screen is just awesome, not only because it´s big but it´s also more responsible. And you have quite a bunch of MB´s more free RAM + a Micro SD card which is included in the box. I´ll say go for it
I also had a Touch Pro and now much happier with the HD.
The HD is really great !! The Touch Pro was good but I found I did not need the keyboard so often and it was a heavy price, sic, to pay for it. The screen quality on the Touch Pro is very good but it's small compared to the HD.
The HD fits very well to my ideal device - very thin but large. The Touch Pro was too fat and had a too small display.
I upgraded to a Diamond but sent it back cos I wasnt getting on with it. Upgraded to a HD but yet to receive it.
Seriously considering just selling it on ebay and cash in. Upgrading from a nokia n95 which is all I need.
Do you think if i didnt get on with the diamond id struggle with the hd?
Hamudi2000 said:
I switched from Diamond to HD about 6 weeks ago and I don´t regret it. I still have the Diamond but never use it (I like to have a spare phone..just in case). The HD runs slick right out of the box, I don´t think I´ll flash it anytime soon. The screen is just awesome, not only because it´s big but it´s also more responsible. And you have quite a bunch of MB´s more free RAM + a Micro SD card which is included in the box. I´ll say go for it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same situation and opinion
i havnt had a diamond , but i did use my ipod touch a lot for movies and music so the main reason for me to upgrade from my n95 was to have an all in 1 device .
I play my movies using core player which i find very good (no jerkiness during playback etc)
And playing music is also fine , so while id say if i was just going to use it as a phone id have stuck with my n95 but if your going to use it for multi media id say Go for it
Recently there were a few threads that covered this topic a lot. Browse through the past 3 or 4 pages.
g4orce99 said:
I upgraded to a Diamond but sent it back cos I wasnt getting on with it. Upgraded to a HD but yet to receive it.
Seriously considering just selling it on ebay and cash in. Upgrading from a nokia n95 which is all I need.
Do you think if i didnt get on with the diamond id struggle with the hd?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hard to say mate since we are not aware of what you where struggling it functionality wise... all I can tell you is that ive had a few windows mobile devices and always liked them due to suiting my lifestyle just fine...the hd is by far the one is use even more of its achievable function on such as web (most pages can be fully viewd without side scrolling and still looking pretty much as seen on your desktop and pages are readable without zooming in) and general digging into the menus without the need of the stylus!! but windows mobile is like marmite...you either love it or hate it
agent003 said:
windows mobile is like marmite...you either love it or hate it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That should be a tagline here, it's the perfect answer!
I also traded in my 16GB iphone for a first release diamond which was great at first but had me craving the speed and the screen of the apple product despite it's limitations.
Moving up to the HD was, for me, the perfect blend of the two. With a few tweaks i have considerably better speed than the Diamond and a bigger better screen than the iphone.
iphone movie playback and touch is still better but being able to copy text from websites and send in an email via exchange to work colleagues when researching stuff is invaluable.
the camera indoors and at night is a pile of poop tho
my diamond sits in a drawer, the HD does everything better and faster.. what DPad?!? Don't even miss it
2unique said:
the camera indoors and at night is a pile of poop tho
my diamond sits in a drawer, the HD does everything better and faster.. what DPad?!? Don't even miss it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bet the camera is still better than the iPhone's measly 2mp camera in the dark though.
To be honest the only time I ever use the D-pad on my Diamond is to zoom in / out on links that are too small to hit with my fingers!
How do you mean the movie playback isn't as good on the HD as the iPhone?
Another good reason for changing it to save carrying a stupid USB headphone adapter about with me!
I've been watching a couple of Dimonds on eBay - and I can probably get about £200 for it - plus another few £'s for my dock and extended battery.
I was hoping that some people would tell me not to bother changing as they were very similar - but it seems everyone prefers the Touch HD! Looks like my wallet is going to take another battering!!! I think play.com seems to be the cheapest at £500 inc delivery?
I might have a look in my Orange store today and see what they can give me on a contract - as I currently have no ties.
Thanks for all the input though...
p3eps said:
How do you mean the movie playback isn't as good on the HD as the iPhone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
allow me to retract that as of today http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=467112
ask in the diamond forum, might get a few reasons to save your money !!
Heck yea its worth it I am with sprint....about to cancel to jump ship to T-mobile. I had the TOUCH, DIAMOND, and TOUCH PRO. None of them compare to the Blackstone. The vogue was ok, which i kept as my back-up phone. The diamond, I hated the bottom buttons, kept freezing up and not responding. The TOUCH PRO let me down because i thought i could convince myself that the whole "Slide out keyboad" was ok for me, but after a week, i realized I was a touch screen person. So now when i cancel my sprint plan in a day or two, i will be selling the TOUCH PRO, and Vogue. Trust me, the HD is worth it
agent003 said:
Hard to say mate since we are not aware of what you where struggling it functionality wise... all I can tell you is that ive had a few windows mobile devices and always liked them due to suiting my lifestyle just fine...the hd is by far the one is use even more of its achievable function on such as web (most pages can be fully viewd without side scrolling and still looking pretty much as seen on your desktop and pages are readable without zooming in) and general digging into the menus without the need of the stylus!! but windows mobile is like marmite...you either love it or hate it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good post!
It's coming at some stage on Monday but as i said i'm questioning even opening the seal as I could sell it on ebay as a sealed box and make a few quid on it.
The way I look at mobiles I always ask myself could i answer a call or send a brief text message while im driving? like I can with my Nokia N95. (Not that i use my phone when driving but to me thats classed as "easy usage".
With the Diamond I found that calls were being answered in my pocket which was pissed me off something cronic. I found the touch screen un-responsive and after I installed tomtom it slowed the whole phone down and made touch flo very blocky and slow.
That was pretty much it and I wasnt 100% that I could live with these problems for 18 months so took advantage of the 7 day return policy.
Can anyone name another phone that has:
-The same size screen as the HD
-An accelerometer
-7.2 mbit HSDPA
-GPS
-Front facing camera for videophone
-Video recording capabilities
-Expandable ram to 64gb
-5+ megapixel camera
-Hotswap SD cards
-User removeable battery
Afaik there is no other phone with this functionality.
gold333 said:
Can anyone name another phone that has:
-The same size screen as the HD
-An accelerometer
-7.2 mbit HSDPA
-GPS
-Front facing camera for videophone
-Video recording capabilities
-Expandable ram to 64gb
-5+ megapixel camera
-Hotswap SD cards
-User removeable battery
Afaik there is no other phone with this functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes stats are great. But as much as i hate saying it the iphone has something unrelated to stats. It has the (make up some word) WOOOOOWZER factor to it. The touch screen is the best, the web browsing is the best so i keep hearing & (nothing todo with the phone) it has REAL unlimited internet. Swings and Roundabouts my friend.
+ ive gotta be honest Id rather use a 2mp cam with a flash than a 5 without. I goto a lot of parties!
g4orce99 said:
Yes stats are great. But as much as i hate saying it the iphone has something unrelated to stats. It has the (make up some word) WOOOOOWZER factor to it. The touch screen is the best, the web browsing is the best so i keep hearing & (nothing todo with the phone) it has REAL unlimited internet. Swings and Roundabouts my friend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got unlimited internet for less on my HD, cause I don't pay apple tax. I pay 24 euro a month(18 months) which includes 200 min calling and unlimited internet access, Iphone starts at 35 euro a month(24 months) here and only 150 min. No matter how I look at it, iphone was a bummed deal(especially not able to do whatever you want unless you jailbreak).
edit:
PS. Iphone doesn't have flash either last time I checked. But I do have to say I was thoroughly not amused by the 3 seconds autofocus/shutter time on the HD. Other than that I love my HD more than any phone I owned previously.

Looking to upgrade from the 2G iPhone

I've got an iPhone 2G unlocked and jailbroken with T-Mobile. I still have around a year left with t-mobile but I'm thinking of selling my 2G for $150 and get the extra cash to buy the N1.
You guys think its worth paying more than 500 for this phone? Or should I wait for something better?
Well it's a hell of an upgrade from a 2G iPhone, I know that much. If you want it, I suggest getting it, worst case if something else comes out that you want you'll be able to sell it to cover the next phone. That's my plan, if they come out with a qwerty version of this beast mine will be on Craigslist the next day. It's a great phone though, no doubt about that.
Welcome to XDA! I would go for it and I don't think you will look back! But, only you can decide financially...
You can get $200 for a iPhone 2G.
iVisionX01 said:
You can get $200 for a iPhone 2G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, the thing is my phone has these little lines on the right side of the screen. I think $150 would be reasonable since it comes with original box, charger/usb cable, and a case.
edit: my pictures don't work..
it says
1. To prevent spam to the forums, new users are not permitted to post outside links in their messages. All new user accounts will be verified by moderators before this restriction is removed.
you can just break up the link into sections to get around that
ignore the negative press. the nexus one feels like the first real smartphone in a world of prototypes. it has specs that are similar to a netbook, with a screen capable of playing 720p video, on par with your average 32" TV. web browsing is like.. the first time you used broadband. voice recognition still makes a great parlor trick, but it's due to impressive accuracy rather than hilarious mistranslation. Apps like Remote Desktop to any pc which were basically proofs of concept are now remarkably functional thanks to the abundant RAM and processor power.
tl;dr... get one... or wait for the "Enterprise edition" with hardware keyboard
kozm0naut said:
ignore the negative press. the nexus one feels like the first real smartphone in a world of prototypes. it has specs that are similar to a netbook, with a screen capable of playing 720p video, on par with your average 32" TV. web browsing is like.. the first time you used broadband. voice recognition still makes a great parlor trick, but it's due to impressive accuracy rather than hilarious mistranslation. Apps like Remote Desktop to any pc which were basically proofs of concept are now remarkably functional thanks to the abundant RAM and processor power.
tl;dr... get one... or wait for the "Enterprise edition" with hardware keyboard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A physical keyboard would be nice... I like touch screens but I don't like typing long messages on them.
I was starkly against software keyboards. However, I just typed that whole post (and this one) in no time at all. It's definitely not as fast, and it takes a bit of getting used to, but very tolerable. Furthermore, as I mentioned, the voice recognition is impeccable, and available for almost every text input (including this one, though voice can sometimes struggle with long sentences).
I mostly miss the keyboard for its additional input for games,
etc.
OK, I know I will be considered crazy here but.........
After using and programming iPhones for 4 years, I decided to try WM OS. I purchased an HTC Touch Pro 2. It has an excellent hidden keyboard. And, even though everyone is going crazy about Androids, by the time I tweaked and added apps to my Pro 2, I have a phone that is way superior to any of the iPhones. I gave away my iPhones last week. Oh, and you can get this phone for half the price of the N1! One more thing, does the N1 have a flash player on it? MIND DOES!
John Cipolletti said:
OK, I know I will be considered crazy here but.........
After using and programming iPhones for 4 years, I decided to try WM OS. I purchased an HTC Touch Pro 2. It has an excellent hidden keyboard. And, even though everyone is going crazy about Androids, by the time I tweaked and added apps to my Pro 2, I have a phone that is way superior to any of the iPhones. I gave away my iPhones last week. Oh, and you can get this phone for half the price of the N1! One more thing, does the N1 have a flash player on it? MIND DOES!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a laugh out of that. Comparing android to Wm and the bet thing you can come up with to "prove Wm is better than android" is a flash player!
hahahaha
htc420 said:
I've got an iPhone 2G unlocked and jailbroken with T-Mobile. I still have around a year left with t-mobile but I'm thinking of selling my 2G for $150 and get the extra cash to buy the N1.
You guys think its worth paying more than 500 for this phone? Or should I wait for something better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of the best things about going from 2g to 3g is that you wont keep missing calls if you are doing a bit of web browsing or anything that uses internet.
If you're going to wait for something better, you're going to be waiting forever, essentially there will always be something better in the future.. it just depends if you want to wait for it or upgrade while waiting..
SC
kozm0naut said:
I was starkly against software keyboards. However, I just typed that whole post (and this one) in no time at all. It's definitely not as fast, and it takes a bit of getting used to, but very tolerable. Furthermore, as I mentioned, the voice recognition is impeccable, and available for almost every text input (including this one, though voice can sometimes struggle with long sentences).
I mostly miss the keyboard for its additional input for games,
etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Soft keyboarda ccuracy will go up greatly once cyanogen or someone else releases multitouch keyboard
John Cipolletti said:
OK, I know I will be considered crazy here but.........
After using and programming iPhones for 4 years, I decided to try WM OS. I purchased an HTC Touch Pro 2. It has an excellent hidden keyboard. And, even though everyone is going crazy about Androids, by the time I tweaked and added apps to my Pro 2, I have a phone that is way superior to any of the iPhones. I gave away my iPhones last week. Oh, and you can get this phone for half the price of the N1! One more thing, does the N1 have a flash player on it? MIND DOES!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Idk I have always loved WM. I used to have an htc dash and an htc tilt (both Windows Mobile). Never really had a problem except for occasional lag on the tilt, but it wasn't bad...
I need to do some research on the newer htc's, there are so many different models out now.
kozm0naut said:
... it has specs that are similar to a netbook, with a screen capable of playing 720p video, on par with your average 32" TV...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh? 720p? When it is only 480 on the short side? 480i/p, maybe - though, technically, it would need 854*480 to qualify in 16:9 (Droid is only 845*480). 640*480 (standard def.) would be clear as a bell.
1280*720 is 720i/p.
-bZj

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