Test Results anyone? Nexus One vs HTC Hero -- overall performance and usability - Hero, G2 Touch General

I'm really itching to get some real live information from someone who has used a new Nexus One phone. I am going to my T-Mobile store in a day or two, and there are several specific things I want to see:
(1) yes, of course the screen. but i'd like some real data on battery performance, and I doubt anyone's got some good comparison data yet compared to Hero?
(2) Without SenseUI, what is its look & feel? I would like to see the live Wallpapers, but truly that is eye candy, and as visually oriented as I am, I want to use my phone and mini-computer, not stare at it.
(3) (this is out of sequence but does the HTC Nexus One (vs Google Nexus One) have Sense UI on it? if so, how do they differ?)
(4) MAIN THING FOR ME: I love my HTC Hero (Europe GSM version, yes, with the chin)... But, after just the very first day when I started using it, I recognized the annoyance of the hard keys being really hard to push, relatively, compared to hard keys on my last HTC device, which is almost 3 years old -- T-Mobile Wing. Those hard keys are contoured and flush. The Hero's keys LOOK sharp, but they also feel sharp. and not easy to depress.
COMPARED TO: what looks like soft touch keys on the Nexus One. They look great. And could be reason alone for me to sell my Hero and get the Nexus One. I don't care at all for the loss of CALL and END dedicated keys. I almost always use the onscreen touch controls for these functions. It seems like Google really did some serious usability improvements if in fact those 4 standard Android function keys are all flush touch keys: Back, Menu/Options, Home, Search.
(5) SECOND MAIN THING: The trackball. I just have to say, this has been the biggest disappointment of all for me with the Hero. I have seen zero advantage to it, and many disadvantages compared to the ease of use of the quad-directional pad on my T-Mobile Wing. Obviously Motorola agreed the trackball left a lot to be desired since they nixed it from both the DROID and the Cliq.
I had expected much greater sensitivity control from the trackball -- but it is so unwieldy, and 9 times out of 10 when I have my selection, it slips to an adjacent selection when I then want to "long-press" to get options, or even short press to activate selection. I have not yet rooted my Hero, so i have no idea yet what XDA devs have done the past few months to perhaps add advanced controls for the trackball. My expectation is to have sensitivity and speed control adjustments that are context sensitive for each and every app I use, but especially the keyboard. How often I am trying to reposition the cursor and, there it goes, to top or bottom, or anywhere except where I want it to go. Also, Ihave been really really surprised at how lacking the controls of the trackball are for selecting letters of a word.
SO, I want to feel in my hands how the Nexus One feels in this regard. Is it better, is it the same?
Anyone know?
---
I'm secretly hoping people will say, for real, "yes, the Nexus One has the much faster processor, the higher-rez screen, the noise cancellation, the turn-by-turn application" and so on, "but it falls short compared to the Hero in these ways:.................................. "
But somehow I do not think that is going to be the case.
(Oddball final question: Has the hero gotten its ANdroid and SenseUI updates yet?)
.

Nexus one vs. HTC Hero
quicksite said:
(1) yes, of course the screen.
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The Nexus One screen is awesome, but not touted as oleophobic. It does retain fingerprints if your fingers aren't dry, but it's easy to clean. Hero's screen is supposed to be oleophobic, but it also gets fingerprints.
quicksite said:
but i'd like some real data on battery performance, and I doubt anyone's got some good comparison data yet compared to Hero?
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Nexus One seemed to fare a little better than Hero with regards to batter life, but I haven't done proper comparisons.
quicksite said:
(2) Without SenseUI, what is its look & feel?
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Looks great. I didn't miss the lack of SenseUI, except in the alarm application, where you can't swipe the hour/minute up down, but have to press two plus/minus buttons.
quicksite said:
(3) (this is out of sequence but does the HTC Nexus One (vs Google Nexus One) have Sense UI on it? if so, how do they differ?)
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Nexus One doesn't have Sense UI.
quicksite said:
(4) MAIN THING FOR ME: I love my HTC Hero (Europe GSM version, yes, with the chin)... But, after just the very first day when I started using it, I recognized the annoyance of the hard keys being really hard to push, relatively
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The soft keys on Nexus One are famous for being a bit misplaced - you have to touch slightly above them, in order to register the tap. They offer haptic feedback. The back key (the most commonly used one) is smartly placed where your thumb falls- an improvement over the Hero, which places it such that you have to contort your thumb to reach for it.
quicksite said:
(5) SECOND MAIN THING: The trackball. I just have to say, this has been the biggest disappointment of all for me with the Hero. I have seen zero advantage to it, and many disadvantages compared to the ease of use of the quad-directional pad on my T-Mobile Wing.
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The trackball is a bad idea compared to a directional pad. I haven't used it much really, but from what I have, it did an OK job.
quicksite said:
SO, I want to feel in my hands how the Nexus One feels in this regard. Is it better, is it the same?
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The chin on the Hero is useful in that it protects the screen if you drop the phone on a flat surface. If you drop the Nexus, the screen will take the shock. The Nexus one is slimmer and slightly larger.
quicksite said:
I'm secretly hoping people will say, for real, "yes, the Nexus One has the much faster processor, the higher-rez screen, camera flash, the noise cancellation, the turn-by-turn application, easier to remove back cover" and so on, "but it falls short compared to the Hero in these ways:.................................. "
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It does have all those, and it's frikkin' fast indeed. It falls short in that it has a lame speaker, and its slab/slate shape will make it somewhat more likely to have the screen damaged in the event of a drop. I for one miss the call/end call keys, but overall prefer the soft keys on the Nexus One.

What a fantastic review, thank you, dandv!
I think it is fair to assume that you must work for Google, because who else would have had this much experience already using the Nexus One -- especially this line:
The soft keys on Nexus One are famous for being a bit misplaced - you have to touch slightly above them, in order to register the tap.
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By the way, is it okay for me to compliment Romania on having one of the most beautiful and charming women in the whole world? (Maria Popistasu)... I would trade 10,000 Nexus Ones, okay, 1 million Nexus Ones for a Maria. (Now I will get slammed by one of the two members within the 2 million registered XDA-developers who are women )
Nexus One seemed to fare a little better than Hero with regards to batter life, but I haven't done proper comparisons.
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Really? wow, this was a major complaint by the Engadget people, that battery life was poor on the Nexus One, due to the power drawn for that screen and various connectivity to web issues, and live wallpaper etc. It's funny: I was comparing the reviews by Engadget and TechCrunch -- total opposites. But commenters at TechCrunch claimed "Engadget loves all things Apple and hates Android" while "TechCrunch hates Apple for withholding Google Voice on iPhone, and loves all things Android".. with users calling for a neutral review to split the tie. ( I also loved how one of the commenters at TechCrunch just decimated Walt Mossberg: "Ryan Sinn - January 6th, 2010 at 4:04 pm PST:
Walt Mossberg writes his tech reviews on a MacBook Pro while listening to his iTunes playlist via an iPod with his AppleTV recording the MacNeil Lehrer Newshour." ... This was in reply to another user comment who was paraphrasing uncle Walt:
I read Walt Mossberg’s review of the Nexus One and he provides a review of the Nexus One’s media features (handling photo, video, syncing music, etc.) as virtually non-existent or downright shoddy as compared to the iPhone. While I agree with you that the iPhone can learn a thing or two from webOS and Android in terms of multitasking, notifications, and so on, the Android still seems an inferior platform (as Mossberg again states) when it comes to overall functionality of going beyond the productivity apps like email, browser, and GVoice that Android 2.1 boasts of here.
I was tempted to switch to the Nexus One from my iPhone, but after reading Mossberg’s review, especially when it comes to syncing media – not to mention the sheer number of apps available – the iPhone still seems the front runner. Multitouch also seems to be a BIG advantage that no Android device supports.
I do think that iPhone OS 4.0 and the next gen-hardware of the iPhone will go beyond the Nexus One. So far, Android is still playing catch-up from where I see, although it does seem to come pretty close to the 3GS, a phone released 6 months back.
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--- anyway, back to YOUR review, dandv:
Looks great. I didn't miss the lack of SenseUI, except in the alarm application, where you can't swipe the hour/minute up down, but have to press two plus/minus buttons.
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That IS pretty nifty on the Hero, but since this is my first Android phone, I don't really know what's SenseUI and what is raw Android. But let me ask this question: Surely some XDA-dev has extracted SenseUI and could create a ROM for Nexus One that installs it?
Nexus One doesn't have Sense UI.
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But I was asking if the HTC European release of the phone added SenseUI... since I read that it does include multi-touch gestures on the native Android apps and UI, but I have no idea if that is true or not. I read elsewhere that the USA model and the HTC Europe model is identical. Do you know? And more specifically, do you know if the European model includes T-Mobile USA 3G bands?
The soft keys on Nexus One are famous for being a bit misplaced - you have to touch slightly above them, in order to register the tap. They offer haptic feedback. The back key (the most commonly used one) is smartly placed where your thumb falls- an improvement over the Hero, which places it such that you have to contort your thumb to reach for it.
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Re: "misplaced"... More and more I am just recognizing that on the resistive screens I have been used to on WindowsMobile phones, we are all used to being able to line up the top of the fingernail with the keys in order to get natural placement, but that on capacitive screens, the impact point of the finger to the screen is the bottom of the fingertip, which in itself is (using USA scale) 1/8" to 1/4" downward from the fingernail tip. So I have been advised by "experienced" Android users that the secret to typing on the soft keyboard is to tap slightly above the letters on-screen. But in fact that really is just a visual adjustment and the actual impact point of the finger is precisely on the soft target... ?
If I am correct, then it would be great if Android OS offered a user preference offset adjustment -- in the same way that Windows Mobile (yes, can you believe it, an actual compliment to Windows Mobile!) did a great job with its angle offset adjustment since people who are right handed are really naturally positioned with their hands to be "attacking" the soft keyboard at a slight diagonal angle from lower right and moving to the left.
But what do I know. YOU've used the Nexus One, I haven't. In fact I was really disappointed. Today I went to my T-Mobile store thinking they might have a demo Nexus One that customers could try out before purchasing from Google online... Nope. they said there is no way to try the phone first. You have to just buy it.
The trackball is a bad idea compared to a directional pad. I haven't used it much really, but from what I have, it did an OK job.
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Yeah, so at your next Google team meeting, would you please tell the Android product dev team to take a cue from Motorola and provide the D-pad?
The chin on the Hero is useful in that it protects the screen if you drop the phone on a flat surface. If you drop the Nexus, the screen will take the shock. The Nexus one is slimmer and slightly larger.
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Wow, I never thought of that before, and I've never read that anywhere... I wish Google hadn't dumped the "chin" for their Nexus One, but given both USA carriers of the Hero, Verizon and Sprint, both dumped the chin, I have to believe that some of that influence came from Google itself -- and these weren't simply decisions made unilaterally by Sprint or Verizon.
It does have all those, and it's frikkin' fast indeed. It falls short in that it has a lame speaker, and its slab/slate shape will make it somewhat more likely to have the screen damaged in the event of a drop. I for one miss the call/end call keys, but overall prefer the soft keys on the Nexus One.
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Lame speaker as in "not what it SHOULD be" or "not as good as the Hero speakers (which I have been very impressed by). Do you have any idea what kind of usability studies Google Mountain View did to justify removing those keys? Why couldn't they have also been soft keys?
fyi, not sure how many people know about the company "SquareTrade" -- who provide alternative handset insurance, which includes accidental droppin g and I believe water damage. Way more reasonable in price than the plans that carriers offer. They "flatrate" iphones because of huge customer base, but it's a bit higher for other touchscreen phones. There's no way I would get a phone today without accidental dropping coverage, especially when it's reasonable.
I have to say, based on your review re battery life and the soft keys, I am very tempted to buy the Nexus One and commit to 2 years with T-Mobile. I've already been with them for 5 years and am reasonably happy. But I have questions, just for the heck of it:
(1) Since you're out there in Silicon Valley, and as I said, maybe even a Google employee by day, XDA-devs member by night, my guess is that a Nexus Two is already way into development? Just curious if anyone has any sixth sense about when Google's followup phone will be released?
(2) What is the market rate these days when selling a used Hero that's still under full warranty ( i think mine is 3 years, or at least 2 years for sure)? I purchased the european GSM version for $525, so what would be a price someone would be willing to pay for a used Hero? $400, $350 ?
Thanks so much for your review and full answers. I expected there would have been topics already here at XDA on this phone, but I didn't see any.

Get a job?
Oi quicksite, a buddy of mine who's seen your post above agrees that you have too much time on your hands
I don't work for Google - quite on the contrary. I'm just experienced with evaluating stuff. One will realize the slight misplacement of the soft keys as soon as they first experience the Nexus One; and I've seen the issue reported in a few places, to conclude that it's famous (Engadget probably).
Rumor has it that Nexus Two will be out in a year. As for the speaker, it's worse than Hero's, and worse than the one in iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. But do you really play music on the phone's speaker? You'll probably use earphones, or Bluetooth. As for ringtones, you won't really care that the speaker is poor. If you watch videos, you might suffer. The soundtrack of videos I watch is mostly dialogue (TED talks, George Carlin-type comedy).
As for "market rates" for stuff, there's no such thing. Head to eBay and craigslist and see what they sell for. Market yours well (see my eBay ad for my Samsung Galaxy) and you'll get a good price.
As for insurance, the only time my phone was dropped was when I let a curious doofus handle it. Look back in time - do you really have a tendency to drop your phone? I would not buy any sort of insurance.
Nope, there is no option in Android to offset your point of contact. Just get used to where the fingertip really is. Windows Mobile interfaces may have that option (I haven't seen it on my HTC Angel) because they're badly built for finger use - they're built more like office applications to be used with a stylus. The Android UI is touch-optimized. Most of the time you can operate your phone fine with only one hand, which makes it way more usable for GPS navigation (of course, don't text and drive - but hey, Nexus One introduced dictation as an input method, so you may be tempted).
I expected there would have been topics already here at XDA on this phone, but I didn't see any.
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Head over to http://androidforums.com/htc-hero/
My advice - you seem to be trapped in analysis paralysis, or the paradox of choice. Just buy the phone, and you'll be able to sell it a year later for at least $300. With the time you'll save by not dwelling too much on it, you'll be able to work a gig to make up for the difference
Oh, and put some hot Romanian girl wallpaper on it.

Oh my god, i'm given links to analysis paralysis! Then I am analyzed... hah hah. Geez man i've only had my Hero for 4 weeks. I'm not used to that turnaround rate.
No, I just type at an inefficient word rate of 100-to-1 compared to most.
Note to self: Set up a poll here to ask if anyone at XDA learned something valuable from my questions!
You can't possibly be Romanian if you do not know the subject in question. But seriously thank you. And after deliberations under 36 hours, yeah, maybe i'll get the nexus. But analysis paralysis? This coming from...
Welcome to my collection of meta-reviews. Before making significant purchases, I do a fair amount of market research, aggregating user reviews from Amazon, Epinions, or specialized sites for electronic or computer equipment. For software, as for anything I decide buying, I write my own reviews on this wiki.
Displays
a massive analysis of over 50 LCD monitors
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hmph. Okay! now I see how it's done! all in under 36 hours I am sure... ha hah

Moving on
quicksite said:
You can't possibly be Romanian if you do not know the subject in question.
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Which subject? Anyway, this got way off-topic already.
quicksite said:
But seriously thank you. And after deliberations under 36 hours, yeah, maybe i'll get the nexus. But analysis paralysis? This coming from...
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Exactly - with regards to the analysis paralysis. Been there, done that, trying to help others avoid it.

dandv said:
Which subject? Anyway, this got way off-topic already.
Exactly - with regards to the analysis paralysis. Been there, done that, trying to help others avoid it.
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what about help in...
Post Purchase research????
I am spending to much time online.
Looking up new things / issues / upgrades/ all about my new HERO!!!

Dan330 said:
what about help in...
Post Purchase research????
I am spending to much time online.
Looking up new things / issues / upgrades/ all about my new HERO!!!
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well i guess this is a mocking comment but i cannot tell.
In 3 years on this site, I've actually never run into this much dissing of somebody asking reasonable questions about actual usability issues. For some i guess $500 is a drop in the bucket; just buy the damn thing. a day of posting here is way too much time on your hands.
So here i was ready to take the advice of "just do it", and then I followed another of dandv's links to androidforums.com -- where i discovered that in 13 pages of threads on the Nexus One, at least 50 threads were expressing major problems in all kinds of areas, from the displaced touch alignment, which for many was recurring in every session, and would be fixed by battery removed, replaced, to lots of erratic connectivity problems with people who had two phones and could swap sim cards out and see their other phone connecting immediately, to major complaints re data plans there were not made clear to existing customers of T-Mobile, to some instant-pushback on google for its refusal to provide telephone support for their branded phone, instead their usual "fill out an email; you may not get a personal reply" (which means all the template stuff where you are forced down a path of their search results based on your question, read read reda, eventualy at the end of that line there is no existing faq for your question, and then waiting yet again for another non-specific email reply.
I'm actually glad this topic immediately deteriorated. If my questions were analysis paralysis about what for me is a major new expense, then its equally irresponsible to give the phone a rave (the hardware and software) without even a hint of the legions of problems some people are experiencing not just with the phone, but also with sorting out WHO ANSWERS THE CONSUMER FOR WHAT? T-mobile, HTC, Google.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8451473.stm
Just one of many such news reports.
So la dee dah, just frikkin buy it and then buy a new one if that's a problem.

quicksite said:
well i guess this is a mocking comment but i cannot tell.
.
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Yes
it was a joke...
what i was trying to say
I am like you
do a lot of research before purchase
and a lot more after...
so chill
it's all good....
I learned a lot from your questions, comments, and research...
later

Nexus One has the fastest GPS fix I've ever seen
Just wanted to add, after a month with the N1, that it gets a GPS fix faster than any other phone (Samsung Galaxy, HTC Hero) or device (GlobalSat SiRFstarIII) that I've used. It gets a GPS fix, apparently from a cold start, in less than 20 seconds, every time, even from a moving car.

Related

Xperia gripes. Help

I've had my xperia for about 3 days now, using it non-stop at home, on the go, etc.
I'm having a lot of mixed feelings: i like it, and disappointed in it at the same time.
Please enlighten me in each of the following.. help me learn to love the phone instead of regret it.
1) My biggest gripe: The form factor, the thickness, the small touchscreen embedded WITHIN borders as opposed to a front flat. Admit it.. it feels like a brick.
2) Lack of panels.. Lack of applications (look at apple's app store)
3) The responsiveness.. the overall phone is dodgy, menus take seconds to load, camera and its settings are slow, buttons and inputs are not instantaneous... I've an ipod touch for about more then half a year now, those who've experienced with Apple products know what I mean by 'immediate response' (and in NO WAY am i supporting apple, I am just doing this comparison to illustrate the difference of response)
All these gripes i would have set aside if the price tag was about $100 - $200 dollars CHEAPER. When I'm paying so much, I expect something decent :|
Now for my praises:
1) Biggest plus; It has windows live mail, and windows live messenger, something the iPhone will never have.
2) Panels CONCEPT.
3) The beautiful colors (xperia wall)
4) Keypad, lots of control/input: trackpad, d-pad, touchscreen & stylus
If you've read all that, In no way am i critcizing the xperia as a whole. It's my user-preference I speak with and individual opinion. I, for one, am bothered by all the gripes I have mentioned. I've searched for smartphones for a long time now and none has even PEAKED my interest besides the xperia and the iPhone. The problem is that the iPhone is out of the question because I can't get it. So my question is... What should I do? As in should i stay with the xperia, what can I do with the xperia to make me satisfied with it, etc.
Hey,
dude u need to flash a new ROM. Xperia 'out of the box' looks nice but doesn't work as well as it looks. once you've flashed a ROM it works nicer than it looks.
Im using agent_47 ROM...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=512050
admittedly there are a few bugs every now n then but its nothing that eventually won't be fixed.
Dude there are loooaaddss of panels available. just search the forums. there are also loaaadss of apps available...you just have to find them. tomtom7, facebook, skype, super mario just to give some examples.
So in summary, find a ROM that you like and flash it
Adam
Thanks but it doesn't compensate for the fact that the phone is bulky with a screen embedded within borders. Even though the iPhone may be bigger in volume, at least it has a large screen (thats NOT in border) to make up for its size.
My issue is.. i feel no matter what I change about the software and interface, it'd still feel bricky in my hands, when getting a call; trying to touch the tiny buttons on the embedded screen with my thumbs -___-
What other third party panels could possibly benefit me? Aren't most of them just home screens, mobile shell, etc.
Panels I'd like to see include paralelling the apple app store; at least have the defaults like the facebook panel: twitter, youtube, notes, pocketoffice panel, dictionary, games, etc. Funny how advertisements show panels with different colours but none are remotely worthy to be put. I only have about 7 panels, and i even tolerated putting the fish and clock one.
arikado as adam18488 has said you need a new windows mobile rom.
Most of your Points are related to the Software of the Windows Mobile Computer Operating System.
The WinMo ROM that is shiped with X1 has heavy lags with video rendering.
You are not the only one who is disopointed with the OS on X1.
Iphone works out of the box -Apps store has loads and is v easy ...but you can't customise!
Xperia WILL dissapoint out of the box ...you need to make it yours -customise, tweak etc
If you are new at all this ....the last thing you should do is Flash a custom ROM imho
You need to read LOADS and start small with the tweaks
I was underwhelmed when I first got mine ...a couple of weeks of reading and trialling were quite frustrating (without this forum it would have been impossible)
About a month in I got it all set up the way I liked it ...8 months on I still LOVE it and have continued to make small tweaks (including upgrading the stock ROM twice -now on the current R3A & video works flawlessly BTW)
Take a look at threads like "post your today screen" and the like to see how wide the options are
The WIKI is a must, as are most of the Stickies
arikado said:
Thanks but it doesn't compensate for the fact that the phone is bulky with a screen embedded within borders. Even though the iPhone may be bigger in volume, at least it has a large screen (thats NOT in border) to make up for its size.
My issue is.. i feel no matter what I change about the software and interface, it'd still feel bricky in my hands, when getting a call; trying to touch the tiny buttons on the embedded screen with my thumbs -___-
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arikado,
Did you not at least feel the phone in person before buying it? You can't really whine now that you've bought the phone. It was your responsibility as a customer to ensure that everything about the phone met your expectations before you handed over the cash.
Should've done your homework first. If the phone feels like a brick to you, then even the Touch Pro 2 or even the N97 will feel like a brick because those are -huge- phones.
If you don't want a recessed screen, I strongly suggest the TouchHD, that's about it or wait for the next Xperia, or go with the HTC Hero, or HTC Magic.
Cheers.
Yes - we can't help you now with hardware issues. If you don't like the hardware you should not have bought it. Anyway:
If you are a fan of finger UI's then read about Mobile Shell 3.0. It allows you to do almost everything with your finger. There is also a cab available that imrpoves the responsibility :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=485037&highlight=softtouch
Here you go: X1 SoftTouch.
Well..there are panels, but you are right - not as much as I would have liked!
And there are apps, but not as much because 800x480 screensize is rather new
to phones. Give them some time.
The "borders" around the screen you are taking about is a negative thing on that phone. But like already mentioned: swop with a Touch HD. It is more likely "your" kind of phone!
arikado said:
1) My biggest gripe: The form factor, the thickness, the small touchscreen embedded WITHIN borders as opposed to a front flat. Admit it.. it feels like a brick.
2) Lack of panels.. Lack of applications (look at apple's app store)
3) The responsiveness.. the overall phone is dodgy, menus take seconds to load, camera and its settings are slow, buttons and inputs are not instantaneous... I've an ipod touch for about more then half a year now, those who've experienced with Apple products know what I mean by 'immediate response' (and in NO WAY am i supporting apple, I am just doing this comparison to illustrate the difference of response)
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Click to collapse
Orelsi reporting in .
1 - I don't mind the thikness, because you get a full keyboard. You can't beat that. The recessed screen is one of my major gripes as well, but it has one (only one lol) good thing going for it - when you drop it, the screen will not get damaged. I admit that it is a brick.
2 - Not true. There are some panels floating around. There are THOUSANDS of apps and games for WinMo and most of them are NOT like these:
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/fortune/0907/gallery.dumbest_iphone_apps.fortune/index.html Just read and search .
3- Everything that you listed can be fixed by custom ROMs or tweaks of the system. My only advice is to read the "sticky" topics and then browse the forum for whatever you want.
My X1 has the regular firmware and is lightning fast thanks to massive tweaking and installing of useful apps.
If you can't find anything using the search function, feel free to ask the helpful people in this forum .
If you want a phone that works fine "out of the box" : got an Iphone but you will never be able to customize it
If you want a bigger screen: Got a Touch HD but no hardware keyboard, screen less responsive (my opinion), not really faster
If you want to keep your Xperia: learn about tweaking and flashing rom
My 2 centimes:
- Yes the firmware is painfully slow. This is really the major limitation of this phone out of the box.
- I have not yet flashed a custom ROM (on R2A) but am very hopeful that this improves the snappiness
- Buy SPB Mobile Shell 3.01. Outstanding software and well worth the price.
- After a couple weeks/months, I think most Xperiites ditch panels because they are slow and a fairly silly idea. Why press three times to run an application when you have the option to press only once?
- The hardware on this phone is superb and I think you will only come to appreciate it more and more. Bricks may not look the best, but they last a helluva long time.
Is it just me or am I the only one getting a bit bored of the iPhone fanboys repeating the "My iPhone/My mate's iPhone/My fashionista's iPhone is great, the X1 is crap, why?" question?
If you don't like it's size and shape, why buy one?
In regards to apps, typing "Windows Mobile Apps" into Google gets approx 292,000,000 results. Yes, a lot of these will be repeated/links to each other, but there are at least a few sites off the top of my head that can provide hundreds of *legally free* apps, let alone several that can provide lots of paid-for ones. "Oh but the Apple Store is one place" yes, we all get all of our purchases from the same shop. Unless you're a Tesco/Walmart fanboy also?
I must admit, it is a bit of a pain getting fluff and dirt out of the corners of the screen, but a lot less of a pain than smashing the screen like several of my iPhone loving mates have, especially on a thin-bodied device which depends on the screen to work...
rp-x1 said:
Is it just me or am I the only one getting a bit bored of the iPhone fanboys repeating the "My iPhone/My mate's iPhone/My fashionista's iPhone is great, the X1 is crap, why?" question?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't see anyone here say that. Post in the wrong thread, maybe?
rp-x1 said:
Is it just me or am I the only one getting a bit bored of the iPhone fanboys repeating the "My iPhone/My mate's iPhone/My fashionista's iPhone is great, the X1 is crap, why?" question?
If you don't like it's size and shape, why buy one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Count me in for the bored crowd. What's with the apple fanboys flooding a WinMo forum?
xperiance said:
I didn't see anyone here say that. Post in the wrong thread, maybe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope.
HERE is a possible fix for the screen being pushed into the phone - basicially what i noticed was that when i put a screen protector on it obvoiusly raised the screen so i was thinking - maybe if you put two screen protectors on ! it would be at optimum height! just a thought - i might try it
rp-x1 said:
Is it just me or am I the only one getting a bit bored of the iPhone fanboys repeating the "My iPhone/My mate's iPhone/My fashionista's iPhone is great, the X1 is crap, why?" question?
If you don't like it's size and shape, why buy one?
In regards to apps, typing "Windows Mobile Apps" into Google gets approx 292,000,000 results. Yes, a lot of these will be repeated/links to each other, but there are at least a few sites off the top of my head that can provide hundreds of *legally free* apps, let alone several that can provide lots of paid-for ones. "Oh but the Apple Store is one place" yes, we all get all of our purchases from the same shop. Unless you're a Tesco/Walmart fanboy also?
I must admit, it is a bit of a pain getting fluff and dirt out of the corners of the screen, but a lot less of a pain than smashing the screen like several of my iPhone loving mates have, especially on a thin-bodied device which depends on the screen to work...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iPhone is a good phone in its own ways
Xperia is a good phone in its own ways
both have their ups and down and you need to consider which you think best suits you because neither are perfect
I'm just looking at it from a neutral point of view but i'm glad i chose xperia
comeradealexi said:
iPhone is a good phone in its own ways
Xperia is a good phone in its own ways
both have their ups and down and you need to consider which you think best suits you because neither are perfect
I'm just looking at it from a neutral point of view but i'm glad i chose xperia
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, everything is down to personal preference, but the iPhone losers cannot stop claiming that their device is THE BEST!!! It obviously isn't and any objective man comparing it to a normal phone can see that. It is a glorified mp4 player and barely qualifies as a feature phone.
The attitude of being uneducated and tech illiterate, but still claiming that your device is the Jesus phone, is what annoys me.
Especially when people start posting about it at a WINMO forum. WTF seriously? Use it, enjoy it, but don't try to make it something it clearly is not. That is why the apple fanboys irritate me.
End of rant lolz .
orelsi said:
any objective man... It is a glorified mp4 player and barely qualifies as a feature phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No one ever accused you of being "objective".
1) My biggest gripe: The form factor, the thickness, the small touchscreen embedded WITHIN borders as opposed to a front flat. Admit it.. it feels like a brick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong, it feels like a luxury device. Even if the OS was a basic symbian it would still feel grand. Admit it...it feels like it's the ****.
The form factor is perfect. The thickness is actually pretty thin. The touch screen is not satisfactory.
2) Lack of panels.. Lack of applications (look at apple's app store)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why are you complaining on something that is still being developed? You are one bull****ing fanboy.
Palm Pre > Lack of apps
Android > Lack of tethering @ apps
Apple > Applications are mostly games you turd, and apps are only foreground apps so what is the freaking point?
Look how manys apps that I have for my X1:
3) The responsiveness.. the overall phone is dodgy, menus take seconds to load, camera and its settings are slow, buttons and inputs are not instantaneous... I've an ipod touch for about more then half a year now, those who've experienced with Apple products know what I mean by 'immediate response' (and in NO WAY am i supporting apple, I am just doing this comparison to illustrate the difference of response)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know what you mean, actually. I have to agree on this. Played with my brother's ipod touch.
All these gripes i would have set aside if the price tag was about $100 - $200 dollars CHEAPER. When I'm paying so much, I expect something decent :|
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the X1 is worth 900 bucks, but I think it is unfair that the X1i version is a lot cheaper. ****ing bull****. Europeans are lucky!
1) Biggest plus; It has windows live mail, and windows live messenger, something the iPhone will never have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are you gonna think if iPhone has it in the future?
2) Panels CONCEPT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not a concept you fool.
3) The beautiful colors (xperia wall)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WTF is an Xperia wall... nobody on this forum ever made a reference to an Xperia wall. The colors are okay, the resolution is better. Think people think.
4) Keypad, lots of control/input: trackpad, d-pad, touchscreen & stylus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So my question is... What should I do? As in should i stay with the xperia, what can I do with the xperia to make me satisfied with it, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you aren't for being organized then get the iPhone...that's all I have to say
Even using apple's software is very inorganized and there is no way for me to mother****ing installed 3rd party schedule applications / alarm applications / automatic profile applications ...so iPhone is just a toy with a lot of games and foreground-only apps.
Xperia keeps me so organized... why? SPB Diary baby. Anyway, just get the Apple because I don't think you're the kind of guy who needs simple features only.
Just listen to me and get the iPhone 3GS and you will be happy.
My most used app is SPB Mobile Shell 3... and AE Button... try them out and it will boost your productivity...
i really loved the batt life of Xperia.. (coming from O2 Atom Life)
xperiance said:
No one ever accused you of being "objective".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did I lie in my statement?

Thinking of returning my HD2

As stated in the thread title, I am seriously considering returning my HTC Touch HD2, because I find it almost completely unusable compared to the iphone that I owned previously.
Pros
- Amazing screen
- Everything else that has been highlighted in all the positive reviews that persuaded me to buy the device in the first place (spec, camera, connectivity etc.)
Cons:
- Touchscreen keyboard is unusable and not accurate, even after calibaration (compared to an iphone)
- Web browsing using Opera is frustrating due to the unreliable touchscreen - I find it impossible to click on links; particularly on sites such as this one (with small page numbers etc.) - even when I zoom right in I still can't click the link - there is a huge delay before anything happens, without any feedback to show the link has been clicked - this stuff just worked on the iphone, depsite the smaller screen
- Random app switching, erratic behaviour (screen moving on its own) and regular freezes in all modes/apps
For those who think I am some kind of Apple fan-boy, that couldn't be further from the truth - my iphone developed a dead strip of icons, which forced me to sell it for peanuts, so I vowed to never buy another! The truth of the matter is that the UI of the HD2 just isn't in the same league as the iphone - it's just a cheap imitation.
Maybe if it had Android instead of WM it would stand a chance, but as things currently stand, I find the HD2 completely unusable and will probably be returning it on Monday and getting an iphone, assuming I can persuade Mobile Phones Direct to adhere to the distance selling regulations that provide a 7 day cooling off period (according to their T&C's this only stands if the box is unopened, which is wrong)
Please note that I am posting this for the benefit of others, to provide my personal feedback after using the phone for the last few days. If anyone has any suggestions for how to rectify the problems noted above, I will happily try them.
Catman
I feel your pain...
Hi,
I know how you feel - I've only had it a day and i'm already getting that dreaded feeling! On the plus side I'm delighted to be away from that Stalin 'Jobsie' and his locked down iPhones - on the down side this HD2 is about as user friendly as the space shuttle compared to the jesus phone, and I sued to be so impressed with the iPaq from 6 years ago!!
I do think that I can live with it - just it's not going to be the long winded love affair type relationship - more the 'throwing at the wall' one minute, loving it the next!
Luckily, mines through o2 so i'm going to run with it for 10 days and see how we get along - if all else fails then there's always the 3GS to fall back onto. Although I wasn't for Android on this handset to begin with - from where i'm sitting now it does make more sense!
Good luck figuring it all out!
Look here :http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=583638
For some handy tweaks including, haptic feedback in Opera and the abiltiy to click links without zooming in!!!
But I do feel your pain, a little let down with the OS on this phone, everything else is excellent..... build quality, screen, asthetics, CPU, RAM, etc.. Just the OS is a pile of poo! lol
The truth of the matter is that the UI of the HD2 just isn't in the same league as the iphone - it's just a cheap imitation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot. You just proof yourself wrong ^^. Whether its better or worse is another question, but imitation? You mean the shortcuts on home screen? You're just *****in'. Pls close this thread we dont need that destructive posts.
Advice: Sell the HD2 and dont complain. I can click even the small ugly boxes in Windows Mobile itself. I dont know how long you've tried to click somethin', but if you really feel that it is impossible for you go back to resistive screen, on the Touch HD it wasnt that bad IMO.
NetDwarf said:
Thanks a lot. You just proof yourself wrong ^^. Whether its better or worse is another question, but imitation? You mean the shortcuts on home screen? You're just *****in'. Pls close this thread we dont need that destructive posts.
Advice: Sell the HD2 and dont complain. I can click even the small ugly boxes in Windows Mobile itself. I dont know how long you've tried to click somethin', but if you really feel that it is impossible for you go back to resistive screen, on the Touch HD it wasnt that bad IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everyone's entitled to their own opinion...even one sided twerps like you.
It's kinda strange for me to read your feedback, I had chance to play with the test version of the HD2 and things worked pretty well, most of your "cons" I could not find on my preliminary experience!?
Catman3146 said:
assuming I can persuade Mobile Phones Direct to adhere to the distance selling regulations that provide a 7 day cooling off period
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(hollow laugh)
Good luck with that.
I hear you man. I have the same considerations..
I don't have freezes or random app switching though. and I don't really care about the UI since I use spb mobile shell which runs excellent and so god damn fast on this thing.
but the screen is a problem when browsing. it's not accurate enough for my taste. and using the keyboard is also more cumbersome than on my Topaz...
it really is a beautiful and fast device. sometimes it feels like using a computer more than a phone and that's pretty cool too.
I'm still thinking...
Your poor experience seems to be the result of a faulty handset. For the first 4 days of receiving my HD2, the phone's touchscreen kept making its own decisions, even when left idling on the desk. The touchscreen registered wrong inputs and I had the same impressions of the phone as you have now. It was the final straw when the phone just kept registering the 2 option in Phone mode and refused to stop until I hit the soft reset button.
I took it down to the shop I bought the phone from, had it exchanged after explaining the situation (it did take a threat of wanting a full refund when they initially refused to classify the phone as faulty) and the replaced new handset is a complete different phone to the first one I had, the touchscreen does what suppose to do!
Before throwing all hopes away on the HD2, trying getting it replaced first. It is a genuinely good product, it's a shame that quality control has let some of us down.
Your experience with Opera should be resolved by Karlos G's link.
[EDIT] My phone was also purchased from Mobile Phones Direct. They are rather poor when it comes to refund and exchanges, trying to make up excuses as to why you cannot refund or exchange the phone (lies, lies and more lies... just don't go with the flow). State your case and don't let them push you around.
I guess your are one of the unlucky people to get a "monday"-device. mine has none of the problems you have. my screen is accurate, opera is sometimes picky when you don't zoom in, and I have never experienced any erratic behaviour. the only problem I can recall is the camera issue (pink teint).
I applied Karlo G's link but I still have problems clicking links when zoomed out. maybe I have to get more accurate I'm still getting used to a capacitive screen.
chronicle said:
Everyone's entitled to their own opinion...even one sided twerps like you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think NetDwarf has a point... an imitation? Hello? on the iphone you've got hundrets of icons and THAT'S IT!... but this beautiful Sense UI. an Imitation? omg
I agree about the keyboard. I don't understand why they couldn't just have made it the same as the one on the Hero, which is excellent.
Maybe in the next software update they will sort the problem. I have tried some other keyboards and they are even worse than the stock one IMHO, so I'm starting to think it's partly to do with the screen sensitivity. I have tried the sensitivity tweak .cab which purports to help the issue but still it frustrates me.
The word prediction algorithms on the iPhone are infinitely superior, and the screen sensitivity is balanced just right. I have both phones in front of me right now and so have a good balanced perspective on this issue.
Here's my opinion on what is better and what is worse of the two based on a year's ownership of an iPhone and a week's ownership of the HD2 (just based on my USAGE, not pure spec!)
iPhone 3G Pros
More balanced screen sensitivity compared to the HD2 - fewer mistakes with the keyboard or onscreen selections.
More efficient and reliable browsing experience
Transflective screen.
Built in podcatching client. I'm yet to find one to compare with iTunes on the iPhone, although Google Listen comes close on Android. Hopefully they will port it to Windows Mobile soon. iTunes finds even the most obscure Podcasts, most other podcatchers require going online to find feeds that are not well known as their database doesn't have the same span as Apple's iTunes store.
Comparatively small in the hand
Better loudspeaker - clear and resonant.
Better Facebook client (by a HUGE margin)
Better BBC iPlayer experience/general online multimedia experience. Many sites tailor their output to iPhone.
Easier to quickly send/reply to a text (I use iRealQuickSMS and I dont think anything similar is available on WinMo)
Built in App Store with 100s of thousands of apps at very reasonable prices (yes I know a lot of them are crap)
Better Youtube app with full sign-in option which includes subscriptions' newest videos
I prefer the iPhone email client.......the Windows one is horrible for HTML content (sorry guys)
Much better IM client in the form of Beejive than anything Windows Mobile currently has on offer. IM+ is slow and ugly.
More tightly knit development and modding scene (XDAs is split over multiple handsets)
iPhone 3G cons
Inconvenient for quickly adding music - iTunes can be a bit of a cludge
Conversion of Video content is almost always required and takes so long that I don't usually bother unless I'm going on a long journey.
Comparatively low screen resolution, screen isn't as bright and clear as the HD2
Limited bluetooth support (although I don't GENERALLY need bluetooth
No option to buy an extra battery so I often have to carry an external one with me.
Low RAM so things often slow down with heavy usage.
Processor not as powerful as that of the HD2 (although it does have hardware acceleration)
HD2 Pros
Gorgeous, huge screen
Multitasking (although I only use it for IM and the iPhone has push notifications which don't use anywhere near as much battery as having an App constantly running in the background and connected to the internet.)
1ghz processor and plenty of RAM means few slowdowns
Video playback without conversion (through Coreplayer)
Nicer weather integration than the iPhone
Better camera than iPhone 3G (but not 3Gs), dual flash.
Great built quality, slimmer than the iPhone.
More comprehensive browser, similar speed but greater screen real-estate and download support. More browser tweaks available.
Open operating system....supports third party skins such as Touchflo and PointUI
Better sound quality through the same Apple headset as the iPhone (in my opinion). Richer, warmer sound.
Easily customisable ringtones and message tones through the device itself, with no jailbreaking required.
Once unlocked, stays unlocked. No worries about device baseband update causing SIMlock.
Facebook and Youtube account/upload integration.
Expandable memory, easier to add files than the iPhone.
HD2 cons
Fiddly UI generally compared to iPhone.
Oversensitive keyboard. Poor prediction algorithms that seem to rely too heavily on getting the first letter right.
Tinny and poor quality speaker. Sounds like an old AM radio on full blast. Awkward positioning on the back.
Paltry 2g card included in box. iPhone comes preloaded with 8gb minimum
Battery charges a lot slower than iPhone
Poor App store - overpriced Apps, too few innovative ones....most of the best ones such as Coreplayer just aren't there. This is not the HD2s fault, it's just that it has a big effect on the user experience when an App store has such a lame selection. Hands up the man who'd pay £5.99 for Pacman, or £18.14 for SPB Wallet!!!
Youtube app is limited and doesn't support account subscriptions. For such a socially-orientated device this is poor show for HTC, and I'm disappointed.
Inbuilt Twitter app is inferior to most iPhone freebies such as Echofon, and a million miles away from being as good as Tweetie. The nearest Windows Marketplace Equivalent TouchTwit costs £3.99 (Tweetie is £1.79 and still a lot better). Microsoft need to get their arse in gear and sort out the Marketplace.
Rubbish Facebook app, browser is better.
These points are just what came to mind for me based on MY WANTS AND NEEDS.
I do like the HD2, I'm not saying it's rubbish. Most of the problems are just about the software, and if Microsoft step up and get the Marketplace right, and HTC release a new ROM with some upgrades and tweaks then who knows.....things might be ten times better.
Aside from it's **** speaker and the slightly dodgy camera tint issue I cannot fault the HD2's hardware. It is really lush, and I love holding it. It is a joy to have in the hand.
Catman3146 said:
As stated in the thread title, I am seriously considering returning my HTC Touch HD2, because I find it almost completely unusable compared to the iphone that I owned previously.
Pros
- Amazing screen
- Everything else that has been highlighted in all the positive reviews that persuaded me to buy the device in the first place (spec, camera, connectivity etc.)
Cons:
- Touchscreen keyboard is unusable and not accurate, even after calibaration (compared to an iphone)
- Web browsing using Opera is frustrating due to the unreliable touchscreen - I find it impossible to click on links; particularly on sites such as this one (with small page numbers etc.) - even when I zoom right in I still can't click the link - there is a huge delay before anything happens, without any feedback to show the link has been clicked - this stuff just worked on the iphone, depsite the smaller screen
- Random app switching, erratic behaviour (screen moving on its own) and regular freezes in all modes/apps
For those who think I am some kind of Apple fan-boy, that couldn't be further from the truth - my iphone developed a dead strip of icons, which forced me to sell it for peanuts, so I vowed to never buy another! The truth of the matter is that the UI of the HD2 just isn't in the same league as the iphone - it's just a cheap imitation.
Maybe if it had Android instead of WM it would stand a chance, but as things currently stand, I find the HD2 completely unusable and will probably be returning it on Monday and getting an iphone, assuming I can persuade Mobile Phones Direct to adhere to the distance selling regulations that provide a 7 day cooling off period (according to their T&C's this only stands if the box is unopened, which is wrong)
Please note that I am posting this for the benefit of others, to provide my personal feedback after using the phone for the last few days. If anyone has any suggestions for how to rectify the problems noted above, I will happily try them.
Catman
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for me the HD2 is the best. I agreed with the keyboard but i found a solution.
Install Touch Pal and a cab in order to reduce the sensentive leval of the screen (the cab you can download on this forum). Now i can write even better as on the pro 2 - its really great. Forget I-Phone now.
I always find, the best thing to do with a new phone, is try some tweaks etc and then if it doesn't work out, return it. The tweaks usually fix most of the issues that people have. Without this site I would have really regretted getting my X1 for example. But XDA made it amazing.
I love the HD2, and the only problem I have had so far is getting used to the capacitive screen. Any of the other things (like task manager) have been fixed using tweaks from here.
We are so lucky to have all the amazing guys here on XDA developing and discovering all these tweaks for us, and keeping them all in one place.
I suggest you try some of these (they should fix most of your issues).
I would agree, the keyboard can be crazy. But I think it is a case of getting used to it. Every phone is going to be different. That's the nature of the world we live in.
Even then, I think the cons you have mentioned (most of which are fixable).
I hope you do try those tweaks and that they work for you.
Thanks for all your helpful suggestions and comments. I think it is important for people to get a balanced view about the device (particularly compared to the iphone), after reading so many unilaterlly positive reviews that fail to mention many of the flaws I have highlighted.
I will try the tweaks suggested and see how I get over the next couple of days before making a final decision (I'll post an update here), but HTC really should have done a better job with the initial release (the iphone had none of these problems - I bought one of the very first handsets in the US way before it was released here in the UK).
I am still hopeful that the issues are primarily software-related rather than dodgy hardware, but I will try to get a replacement out of MPD to try if this proves to not be the case.
I think you will find Catman, that most of the issues are related to the way the ROM is setup.
I think the tweaks should fix some of them. Have a read through the tips and tweaks list, and see what you can find. Some of them should help. Also, the CABs from smaberg here should also help.
If you sell it, contact me asap !
I am ok to buy !
For anyone struggling with the keyboard, go to the hints and tips thread and install the referenced CAB to reduce screen sensitivity. My keyboard was basically unusable but installed it and it works about the same as the iPhone maybe slightly better because errors are still corrected with the dictionary a lot better...
Catman3146 said:
but HTC really should have done a better job with the initial release (the iphone had none of these problems - I bought one of the very first handsets in the US way before it was released here in the UK).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow if you think the iPhone had no problems at launch, you really are living in backwards land.
BTW, I don't think any HD2s have exploded yet either. I'm not sure if you think incendiary injuries are a positive or negative feature? To be "balanced" we should agree that it is both.
Wow, I find the keyboard excellent, I wonder whether its a ROM-version thing...
Regards browser - have you tried Opera Mobile 10?

No Stylus or Video Calling?

Hi to all of those Leo owners.
Is it true that there is no stylus with the Leo?
I have large fingers and the built in stylus (eg like that of the Diamond2) is a must.
And there is no second camera for video calling?
I also use this feature and it is not on this phone.
I know many are saying the Leo is a great phone but without these 2 features it seems sadly lacking.
It would be nice if it also came with an 8 megapixel or more camera.
What do you guys think?
Aussie
just shut up, and don`t buy it, and never ever visit this part of xda ok?
Hey,
jep thats correct ... no stylus and no second video cam for conference calls.
but there was a link for an stylus on the web, that can used with the capacitive screen.
regards
I don't care about video calls and I WANT device with capacitive (and large) screen. So HD2 is simply exactly what I want. If it is not for you, I agree with previous poster, even if I don't approve on his style.
20mihalko said:
just shut up, and don`t buy it, and never ever visit this part of xda ok?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...lol... ^^
To be fair, read the specs. It tells you EXACTLY what you need to know. There are enough reviews of the device out now, to know exactly what it has.
aussie1234 said:
Hi to all of those Leo owners.
Is it true that there is no stylus with the Leo?
I have large fingers and the built in stylus (eg like that of the Diamond2) is a must.
And there is no second camera for video calling?
I also use this feature and it is not on this phone.
I know many are saying the Leo is a great phone but without these 2 features it seems sadly lacking.
It would be nice if it also came with an 8 megapixel or more camera.
What do you guys think?
Aussie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no use for a stylus with a capacitive screen. The only thing that you are really giving up is the ability to use notepad, which I use quite a bit.
As for the second camera... it would be nice, but oh well
Thanks for the feedback
Hi again
Thanks for the constructive feedback. The other feedback just shows how anal some of you are.
Some sellers in my country sell the Leo with a stylus. But the specs and reviews say there is none. Scouring the net shows a few expressing their disappointment with the lack of stylus which helps with apps that require precision tapping or touching (eg Spreadsheets, games etc) or for those who just have large fingers.
Perhaps those who have told me to just "shut up" and not to "visit xda" should follow their own advice if they have nothing constructive to add.
Dont forget to burp your Leo.
Cheers
Aussie
Just ignore 'em.
My Leo didn't come with a stylus, and it doesn't have video call either. I too have large fingers so I am a bit annoyed, but I'll live
Thank you
Chainfire said:
Just ignore 'em.
My Leo didn't come with a stylus, and it doesn't have video call either. I too have large fingers so I am a bit annoyed, but I'll live
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the feedback.
How is the smoothness and precision when navigating around the phone without a stylus?
I have used the iphone and found that very smooth. Is the Leo also as easy?
Cheers
Aussie
aussie1234 said:
Thanks for the feedback.
How is the smoothness and precision when navigating around the phone without a stylus?
I have used the iphone and found that very smooth. Is the Leo also as easy?
Cheers
Aussie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have an iPhone so it's hard to compare. I do have an iPod which I have used an awesome 3 times. Compared to what I remember, it's control is a bit better. The Leo screen is very sensitive. Looking at it almost makes stuff happen There's a fix that lowers the sensitivity around here though, but I have not tried that out yet. As it is, without fix, typing accurately is a real pain. I would have much prefered if it had came with a capacitive stylus, as HTC does make those...
Chainfire said:
I don't have an iPhone so it's hard to compare. I do have an iPod which I have used an awesome 3 times. Compared to what I remember, it's control is a bit better. The Leo screen is very sensitive. Looking at it almost makes stuff happen There's a fix that lowers the sensitivity around here though, but I have not tried that out yet. As it is, without fix, typing accurately is a real pain. I would have much prefered if it had came with a capacitive stylus, as HTC does make those...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone should really make a thought control program for the HD2 then there would be no need for fingers or styluses at all
The capacative styluses on ebay are very competant especially for hand written notes or navigating around windows explorers. I wouldnt advise trimming them down though as I decided to do one night to see if a more precise point could be made, I guess the styluses need a certain surface area making contact with the screen which is probably why they are made like that HAHA.
Ohh well at least I have 1 left which works well on my ipod touch so it should be fine with my HD2.. IF IT EVER ARRIVES!!
mskip said:
Someone should really make a thought control program for the HD2 then there would be no need for fingers or styluses at all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that control program is allready made, you can enable pinch to zoom in every application, so if you have problems tapping on some small button, you can zoom in... it is pretty usefull, but i never used it for example in explorer... i don`t have any problems clicking anywhere
The lack of stylus is a bit of a problem (Especially considering the fact I use many spreadsheet files).
The more problematic thing is that HTC has developed a stylus for capacitive screens,
but do not include it with the device that should be their Flag-Ship device.
The lack of stylus results the keyboard size to be huge eating up a lot of screen space,
instead of including a stylus and letting the user choose wheter to use it or not,
and allowing the user to set the keyboard size to his pereferenced size.
Now - there are several "capacitive screen" styli out there that might work just fine
so there is a solution - but - I would have expected that HTC would supply a stylus,
especially when thay have already designed one.
20mihalko said:
just shut up, and don`t buy it, and never ever visit this part of xda ok?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brutal, funny, but oh so valid.
How hard is it to read the specs? Or a review? Or.. anything?
BTW is it true it has a capactive screen????!?! Thought I'd ask cos last 29 posts asking this might have been wrong!!!1!!!111!
mr_Ray said:
Brutal, funny, but oh so valid.
How hard is it to read the specs? Or a review? Or.. anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mr_Ray said:
I regret not having done my research before buying, there are enough other horror stories out there... lies, poor service, failure to deliver, honour returns, etc. etc. etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently, it's rather hard.
Chainfire said:
Apparently, it's rather hard.
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Click to collapse
Wow what are you, some kind of stalker?
FWIW there's a difference between researching a company who you want to do nothing more than put a label on a box and give it to the postman vs. a £500 device you'll be living with every day for a year or two.
Chainfire said:
I too have large fingers so I am a bit annoyed, but I'll live
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would be interesting to see how the future goes with the competition between Capacitive and Resistive screens. Software developers either code them all under one roof (I'm not a developer, so I'm not sure how hard!!!) or have different versions (meaning more works and costly). Because the new WM 6.5.x are very Capacitive screen friendly. M$ did a good job on the cosmetics and it's functions!
mr_Ray said:
Wow what are you, some kind of stalker?
FWIW there's a difference between researching a company who you want to do nothing more than put a label on a box and give it to the postman vs. a £500 device you'll be living with every day for a year or two.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FWIW anyone that is willing to part with £500 for a phone or anything else should be thoroughly researching every aspect of what they are buying including the company that is making it. If anything, researching the company is more important than all else as it gives insight as to build quality, customer support, future updates and fixes for what you are buying.
Even though HTC has many failings with regards to drivers and customer support I am still more than excited to get the HD2 as soon as I can, not just because the Hardware spec is the best available in todays phones but mainly because I know the dedicated members of xda-developers (which I am proud to be a part of) wont rest until the HTC HD2's full potential is unocked for the benefit of everyone.
jackkkkk said:
It would be interesting to see how the future goes with the competition between Capacitive and Resistive screens. Software developers either code them all under one roof (I'm not a developer, so I'm not sure how hard!!!) or have different versions (meaning more works and costly). Because the new WM 6.5.x are very Capacitive screen friendly. M$ did a good job on the cosmetics and it's functions!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe the future of Mobile Phones is capacitive screens whether people like it or not. All the major manufactures will start phasing out resistive screens in favour of capacitive technology due to the faster and more responsive feel of it. Styluses will also be phased out as Windows Mobile 7 and other 3rd party apps will have larger and more finger friendly buttons and menus.

Leo - To buy or not to buy - what you guys think?

OK - so aside from bias/ability to afford/shipping/tax/price or other logistical factor - can we have a show of hands as to who has already bought a HD2 and has something to say - particularly what about the device makes you happy, what makes you sad?
Let's try keep it away from supplier/delivery issues or local network/band/signal issues - just pure usability/hardware/software.
Personally after trying one out in a store last week I finally received the experience I feel you want when moving to a PDA from a smart phone. What does our community think after using it for a while?
noofny said:
OK - so aside from bias/ability to afford/shipping/tax/price or other logistical factor - can we have a show of hands as to who has already bought a HD2 and has something to say - particularly what about the device makes you happy, what makes you sad?
Let's try keep it away from supplier/delivery issues or local network/band/signal issues - just pure usability/hardware/software.
Personally after trying one out in a store last week I finally received the experience I feel you want when moving to a PDA from a smart phone. What does our community think after using it for a while?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
too subjective a question....for every person on here that says get it, there will be one that says don't get it.
the final decision must be yours....nobody here can make your decision for you. Make a list of the important things for you in a phone, then find the phone that matches those needs the best.
for example, I think the iphone has a much nicer interface, more apps, better screen (touch interface, not size or clarity), but for me it just doesn't handle business functions very well and that made me choose the HD2 since this was my primary need.
if you do the same process you might find the ideal phone for you
I got mine on Sunday just gone, was an upgrade from a Diamond. I loved my diamond, but as soon as I had setup my HD2 with contacts and apps etc I was loving this even more. Each time I use it I find something new, like facebook linking, then seeing in a contact card all communications with that person.
I'm yet to use the footprints, but look forward to trying it out.
The main thing for me was the screen size, I always had problems with the tiny diamond screen, but this is so crisp, easier to use and much easier to keyboard with.
Also the damn speed of the device is amazing, so fast, the OS loads so quick. I soft resetted it and put it down to expect a few minutes wait like on the diamond, but was rebooted so quick!
The one thing I would love to see is a facebook tab, like the twitter tab, shame they didn't implement that!
The specs that come with this phone are truely awesome, and that was the overall selling point for me, as I knew how good HTC phones were I just had to have something with the specs that this phone comes with.
twisted-pixel - good point about the subjectiveness. I suppose what I'm fishing for here are peoples post-usage horror/love stories - moreso with regard to hardware and usability. It's a nice big screen but it's also a nice big slab of tech - how do you find the size, whats the battery life like, do you notice anything bad about the capacitive screen, how often (if ever) do you feel the need for a stylus and say 'doh', does the headphone port become dodgy after use - or the micro usb port? I suppose because of this community we all have flexibility and solutions around software, so I meant to make this more hardware related I guess.
noofny said:
twisted-pixel - good point about the subjectiveness. I suppose what I'm fishing for here are peoples post-usage horror/love stories - moreso with regard to hardware and usability. It's a nice big screen but it's also a nice big slab of tech - how do you find the size, whats the battery life like, do you notice anything bad about the capacitive screen, how often (if ever) do you feel the need for a stylus and say 'doh', does the headphone port become dodgy after use - or the micro usb port? I suppose because of this community we all have flexibility and solutions around software, so I meant to make this more hardware related I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I admit to loving the phone...with one exception...the sensitivity of the screen is a complete disaster for me. it's very difficult to type on, someones it responds to the slightest touch, other times it doesn't. accuracy is also an issue (that was to be expected on a screen with high resolution I suppose)
and yes, I've tried all the tweaks going before anyone suggests it (currently running v3.3 of the tweak with sensitivity on)
I think if I had come straight from my HD then I would have been impressed, but I come from an iphone where the screen was a delight to use.
however, the rest of the phone makes up for that small failing.
noofny said:
twisted-pixel - good point about the subjectiveness. I suppose what I'm fishing for here are peoples post-usage horror/love stories - moreso with regard to hardware and usability. It's a nice big screen but it's also a nice big slab of tech - how do you find the size, whats the battery life like, do you notice anything bad about the capacitive screen, how often (if ever) do you feel the need for a stylus and say 'doh', does the headphone port become dodgy after use - or the micro usb port? I suppose because of this community we all have flexibility and solutions around software, so I meant to make this more hardware related I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, you will find more people venting than praising any device on this forum, as people only seek help when they have problems.
I must admit, I personally think it is the best device I have ever used.
For a quick overview from me (in comparison to the X1, but most comments are applicable):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=5667230&postcount=6
I stumbled on this video on youtube;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-3Bi-Eg2gQ
...and love his brutal (albeit bias and sometimes naive) honesty, it helps you make a decision because it's not a rant. So far you guys are proving some intelligent feedback also - so thank you and let's keep it coming!
I got the HD2 the day it was available in my country (one of the first in europe) and despite all the fixes and xda-dev recommendations i couldn't have it for more then 1 weekend. I sold it on monday morning.
I hated typing (i did try the keyboard cab which should lower the sensitivity), loading sms with some exchanged texts already (loading was awful for such powerful device), visibility outside was horrible, battery,..
Maybe my rant will be understanded better if i mention i'm a blackberry user that likes to try out new "hot phones" (no matter which brand or type of usage).
I've also tried the Nexus One and would say i liked it a tiny bit better then HD2, but still couldn't have it for more then a week.
So, why am i writing this.. After MWC last week, i've kind of wanted to give HD2 another shot. For the following reasons..
I've came across some nice taskbar buttons (which make it look so much better..), I saw there is a fix for sms loading time, i guess i could always install a different keyboard,.. and most imortantly i got a very nice (cheap) offer for a brand new HD2. Yesterday i even ordered a nice case (didn't like the one that comes in the box) and a screenprotector (which might reduce the fingerprints, which i hated so much and a visibility outside,.. hope i'm not too optimistic).
If i somehow manage to be happy with HD2, i might even go for the exnteded battery. And i'm kind of feeling the hype for WinMo7 rom for this device.. Don't know if it will be any better or worse, i just know there is some excitement about it
Hope my rant / "long mess" didn't bore you too much
+1 to buy with eyes closed.
OK, this will be quick because I'm supposed to be doing something else right now but anyway...
I've just sent my HD2 back because of a problem with the microphone so if anyone should be telling you to think of other alternatives - it should be me.
But I can't because I love the phone. It's fast, responsive, it's got most of the features that you could ever want (minus USB host), the screen is gorgeous and the interface is pretty damn usable.
It's not perfect however... Customising it is more trouble than it should be. There is a slight pink hue in the middle of the camera when the contrast and saturation are turned up high enough to make the colours look half lifelike and when the screen is completely white, at certain angles you can see the grid dots that make the screen's matrix.
So to resume, if you don't mind spending some time on it and you're not completely obsessive about things being absolutely perfect (I am and I can still get to sleep at night) then you should be very happy with an HD2.
NeoGreendawg said:
There is a slight pink hue in the middle of the camera when the contrast and saturation are turned up high enough to make the colours look half lifelike and when the screen is completely white, at certain angles you can see the grid dots that make the screen's matrix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The pink hue is solved with an update from HTC (here)
The dots are also visible on an iPhone, its down to the technology, not the device alone.
rp-x1 said:
The pink hue is solved with an update from HTC (here)
The dots are also visible on an iPhone, its down to the technology, not the device alone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I'm sorry but the HTC hotfix did slightly improve the issue but it certainly didn't resolve it in my case. I love the phone believe me but I somehow doubt that anyone who isn't employed by HTC or affected by Daltonism could honestly claim that it has completely solved the issue.
Edit : Not trying to be rude or make out that it's a deal-breaker but I know that as a potential buyer I'd want to know about it.
I've had the HD2 for three weeks and use it every day. I also end up resetting it every day. I've come from a Nokia N96 and before that the N73, so I'm comparing it to the N96. I am very pleased with the speed of the phone and how operations take way less than a second to perform, instead of several seconds a la N96.
The phone itself is a bit too big. Perhaps a 4 inch screen would have been enough. Even though I have big hands, it's just too big to walk around and hold the phone with one hand. I'm scared of dropping it. The headphone port's on the bottom of the phone - it causes the cable to tangle up around the phone when in a pocket.
I have found plenty of bugs in the stock O2 1.43 firmware and know how to deal with the main ones.
I didn't realise the phone had an FM tuner until I found it after a few days on the Start menu - I used the N96 FM tuner almost every day. Unfortunately the tuner on the HD2 is really poor. It is unable to obtain a good quality signal. Sound dips out. There's an awful lot of interference in places where the N96 would have relayed a good quality signal. In places where the N96 got a poor signal, the HD2 has static. BBC Radio 1 has the most powerful signal in my area, yet the HD2 fails to get consistent reception. There's just too much interference and I often just shut the radio off. A huge let down; I wonder if it's hardware or software at fault.
The N96 music player was very well featured, but incredibly (pathetically) slow. In contrast, the HTC Music app has no such delays, is very fast but somewhat basic in comparison. A lot of cool N96 features are missing; there's no way to call up the keyboard to locate tracks, track details can't be edited, tracks can't be deleted, backing out of an album takes you to the top of the album list and not to where you were. There's no hardware buttons to change tracks when the phone's in a pocket (a swipe up/down on the lock screen to change tracks would be nice). Volume control has too few stages so is either too loud or too quiet; volume within the Music tab has more stages but doesn't always work (error in Services.exe). General audio quality is rather poor - even the iPod classic 5G sounds better! Occasional unexplained sound dips and audio which lacks in bass and treble. The oddest thing is the shuffle feature tends to replay swathes of tracks that have already been played.
Video playback is very impressive because of the screen size. Can't fathom why the Windows Mobile OS cannot play WMV. Get quite a few dropped frames and put that down to the poor quality 1.43 ROM and perhaps not-fully-developed decoders. Video viewing in general is very nice, although an afterthought within HTC Sense, as the video playback has essentially just been tacked on to HTC's photo viewing app.
I do like the phone, it is good enough to stop me wanting to go back to my last phone. I'd get one, but the HD2's not quite the tech lover's wet dream that some of the big review sites make it out to be. Having bought it from the O2 network, I'll seriously doubt I'll ever be able to officially upgrade the firmware (HTC isn't even listed on their software upgrade pages), so I'll have to learn alternative methods one of these days to see if I can iron out some of the bugs!
Wish they would just whack a snapdragon and capacitive screen in a HD and re-release it....think that would satisfy a lotta folks. Cheers all for your input, it's really helping me to set realistic expectations.
I was contemplating on whether I should buy a Nexus One instead of the HD2, but I decided to go for the HD2 instead because it was cheaper, had a nice screen resolution, specifications don't differ much between both devices, and i'm looking forward to the Windows 7 release on the HD2
i am currently contemplating to switch from HD to HD2....is it worth it?
Buy it!
I come from the HD. The HD2 is what the HD should have been from the first instance.
Fantastic:
- speed (and I am using a stock French Orange ROM based on 1.43!)
- screen
- usability
As far as precision is concerned: I need a phone to check and type (even long) emails, and read documents. XT9 works just great, but even in ABC mode in landscape the accuracy is pretty good (and I type fast!).
If you need to play around with programs using stylus-based input, yes, then it gets really annoying (try to edit your registry in Total Commander and you'll get crazy).
In summary: if you want to tweak it like crazy all the time or intensively use older programs with small menus, then consider buying an alternative with a resistive screen and a stylus. But if you actually want to USE your phone with the standard applications, just buy it and you'll get the best of the market today imo!
to buy or not
i have it for a month after the trinity.
sorry but it hasnot voice call
no handwriting recognition
battery ends quickley
no video call
no .chm file reader
all of these were on the trinity.
so i am sorry buing it
Mastoid said:
I was contemplating on whether I should buy a Nexus One instead of the HD2, but I decided to go for the HD2 instead because it was cheaper, had a nice screen resolution, specifications don't differ much between both devices, and i'm looking forward to the Windows 7 release on the HD2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you do realize that there may eventually never be a WP7 release for the HD2?
rottttman said:
i have it for a month after the trinity.
sorry but it hasnot voice call
no handwriting recognition
battery ends quickley
no video call
no .chm file reader
all of these were on the trinity.
so i am sorry buing it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U'd better search for infos about the phone after buying it

nexus one = top phone in the world (read more inside)

ok, i'm tired of seeing all of these threads about how much the nexus sucks or there's blah blah blah issue with it. listen, if you own this phone, you own the top piece of tech on the globe.
the g1 forum was never like this (and apparently they're ****ed cause they will never see a 2.x officially, so they actually have a reason to ***** but they don't), so what is the issue? there are threads saying the droid incredible is the nexus killer.. yea right. if i decided to travel the world, my nexus one will support that. if i decided to make a call in a freakin lambo at 120 miles per hour with the top down, my nexus one will support that. if i wanted to have the first cell phone in the world that actually has flash, my nexus one will support that. the droid incredible wasn't even rooted yet, and the situation is looking pretty grim. the iphone, wow, i shouldn't even waste my time talking about that piece of garbage. anyone that uses that crap, i look at them in disgrace and shame. sorry, i don't want something so basic that my grandmom can even use it.
so my point is, if you want a real phone, then get a nexus one. if you already own one and like it, my respect goes to you. if not, please don't waste space on this forum and find a phone that better suit your needs.
I have a couple of theories as to why there's a lot more... scrutiny here than in other forums. Most G1 users were able to buy their phones under contract, and as such the proverbial stakes may be lower because they didn't pay as much as N1 owners who probably paid full price (like myself).
The bigger theory, though, is that Google trumped this phone up to be the first 'super phone'. There's nothing super about not being able to handle more than 2 touch inputs, making gaming a hard task. There's nothing super about the GPU, or the jittery scrolling in some websites and on the home screen.
When you say a phone has a 1ghz processor in it, and you claim it to be a superphone, you don't expect to run into performance issues. I know I sure didn't. I've since grounded myself to the realities of hype and marketing, but it still gets under my skin that I'm still playing the same 'upgrade every other day to try to get the phone to actually be what I bought it for' game I've done with past Windows Mobile devices.
All in all I like my N1 a lot. I think it's one of the best phones out right now, and will be for some time to come, but they could have saved themselves a lot of grief by coming up with a better touch screen sensor. You just don't take shortcuts with a 'superphone'.
Purchasing an amazing smartphone like the N1 and b*itching about an annoyance is like getting married and getting pissed when your wife leaves crumbs on the counter or doesn't tuck in the sheets: grow up, get over it, and start appreciating it for all the great things that it does for you.
And please... dont use the excuse "but but... I paid $500 for my phone so I expect it to be be perfect and not have anything wrong with it". This is a idiotic since nothing is perfect (even the EVO 4g will have something wrong with it). Try telling this stupid argument to your future wife and see what happens "Honey... I spent $500 on you so I want you to be perfect and not have any quirks".
The N1 is amazing for me. So much that I can see myself using it beyond 2 years. It fulfills every single one of my needs. After years of searching I have finally found my "perfect" phone. Its that good.
I appreciate the sentiment, ap. For the most part I agree, but every person has different needs. One of the big things I use my phone for is gaming when I ride the metro to work. I also work on my book with my phone when I commute to work.
Imagine my surprise when I buy SuperGNES and realize I can't use the gamepad as advertised because the betweens are 15mm within the same axis so I couldn't do a running jump in Super Mario World. Yet my girlfriend can do this fine on her 2 year old iPhone 3G. And I have the superphone.
Or picture the look on my face when try to type really fast on the Android keyboard as I work on my book but letters don't register that did on the iPhone I used to have. I could hold down one key, and press another and not have the first one register on the N1, my superphone. This isn't a HTC Touch Cruise I'm using.
If I go to www.textsfromlastnight.com, the scrolling is choppy and not aesthetically pleasing. I hate to use the iPhone again, but the scrolling on that is fine. Websites seemingly at random do not perform well on the N1, my superphone.
Don't get me wrong, though. I do like my phone. But some of its shortcomings are not ones I'd expect, given the hardware specifications. I also did not expect Google to skimp on the touchscreen sensor on its flagship device.
If your phone does everything you want it to do, then that's great, and I'm happy for you. Not everyone can say that, though, and that's criticism I feel Google exposed itself to by calling the N1 a superphone, a class that's supposed to be above everything that came before it.
halorin said:
I appreciate the sentiment, ap. For the most part I agree, but every person has different needs. One of the big things I use my phone for is gaming when I ride the metro to work. I also work on my book with my phone when I commute to work.
Imagine my surprise when I buy SuperGNES and realize I can't use the gamepad as advertised because the betweens are 15mm within the same axis so I couldn't do a running jump in Super Mario World. Yet my girlfriend can do this fine on her 2 year old iPhone 3G. And I have the superphone.
Or picture the look on my face when try to type really fast on the Android keyboard as I work on my book but letters don't register that did on the iPhone I used to have. I could hold down one key, and press another and not have the first one register on the N1, my superphone. This isn't a HTC Touch Cruise I'm using.
If I go to www.textsfromlastnight.com, the scrolling is choppy and not aesthetically pleasing. I hate to use the iPhone again, but the scrolling on that is fine. Websites seemingly at random do not perform well on the N1, my superphone.
Don't get me wrong, though. I do like my phone. But some of its shortcomings are not ones I'd expect, given the hardware specifications. I also did not expect Google to skimp on the touchscreen sensor on its flagship device.
If your phone does everything you want it to do, then that's great, and I'm happy for you. Not everyone can say that, though, and that's criticism I feel Google exposed itself to by calling the N1 a superphone, a class that's supposed to be above everything that came before it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting points made about some of the short comings of the N1. Coming from a BlackBerry Pearl 8120 to this phone is quite a step up. It is hard for me to find negatives with the phone, besides being spoiled by the BB battery life of 2-3 days with moderate use compared to the N1 ~24hrs.
I am not sure about your experience while typing. I installed Swype and find it easier and faster to type e-mails and forum posts, and SMS compared to a physical keyboard and the default keyboard on the N1.
Coming from most phones the N1 will be a HUGE step up, and rightfully so. I'd say that the N1 is about 90% of what I thought it would be, which in its own right is pretty damn goood.
The keyboard issue I'm talking about refers to the current limitation where if you press more than one spot on the same axis within about 15 mm the input will flatten to one. There's something called multitouch visualizer on the market that shows this. It's the same hinderance that makes same axis multitouch on games not work well. Using Swype will make this a non-issue, I would imagine since it's just the one touch sliding around.
Android 2.2 is rumored to fix some of this, but it's a head scratcher that Google would use such a low-end touch screen on their breakout device.
halorin said:
Coming from most phones the N1 will be a HUGE step up, and rightfully so. I'd say that the N1 is about 90% of what I thought it would be, which in its own right is pretty damn goood.
The keyboard issue I'm talking about refers to the current limitation where if you press more than one spot on the same axis within about 15 mm the input will flatten to one. There's something called multitouch visualizer on the market that shows this. It's the same hinderance that makes same axis multitouch on games not work well. Using Swype will make this a non-issue, I would imagine since it's just the one touch sliding around.
Android 2.2 is rumored to fix some of this, but it's a head scratcher that Google would use such a low-end touch screen on their breakout device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The N1 is new to me in a lot of aspects. This is my first touch screen phone, first Android phone, first phone that supports 3G/HSPDA, first with GPS support.
Hmm, I'll have to find that app regarding the sensor in the marketplace; read about it before in other threads.
2.2 should be coming out this month or next month? I'm assuming N1 would be on top of the list to get the update and I think the new myTouch 3G 3rd gen is getting it too?
It's a shame that the Nexus One got stuck with the clearpad touchscreen, but it's a relatively low volume phone and HTC probably either had enough stock or an existing contract with a supplier that lined up well with their projected sales numbers. I'm sure the designers would have loved to have used a better part, but typically the bean counters are the ones that get to make those decisions.
To my understanding, 2.2 should be out sometime next month. Keep in mind that I am no way trying to bash the Nexus One. I'm just objective about it. All in all it's an amazing phone. It's arguably pound for pound the best phone out, and it's certainly the best one I've ever owned.
It's just not a 'superphone'. Not to me, for the reasons I stated above; reasons I feel are valid.
halorin said:
To my understanding, 2.2 should be out sometime next month. Keep in mind that I am no way trying to bash the Nexus One. I'm just objective about it. All in all it's an amazing phone. It's arguably pound for pound the best phone out, and it's certainly the best one I've ever owned.
It's just not a 'superphone'. Not to me, for the reasons I stated above; reasons I feel are valid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hah, I know you're not bashing the phone Just picking out somethings that stuck out that is either a flaw or we prefer something else.
Be interesting to see what is included in 2.2 that might be derived from CM5.0.6
Well, there are a few things already in ROMs that are supposed to be in 2.2, namely the trackball color change business. I want to say some of the OpenGL upgrades are already floating around, but I may be wrong on that. I hope I am. There's always talk of JIT compiling, a concept I don't know a lot about other than it's a different way for the processor to handle stuff that's supposed to be faster. I hope/think that's in 2.2.
The biggest concern for me is (shocker) the supposed multitouch changes.
While i do love the phone and it is a sexy piece of hardware... i am still bitter about the quality of the touch screen...
the fact that i cannot really play games because the multi-touch is kind messed up is a real downer for me... i really hope this issue gets somewhat fixed in the froyo update but i do not have my hopes up... emulators and stuff was something i was really looking forward to on my phone but the touch screen sort of put the nix on that....
t0mmy said:
ok, i'm tired of seeing all of these threads about how much the nexus sucks or there's blah blah blah issue with it. listen, if you own this phone, you own the top piece of tech on the globe.
the g1 forum was never like this (and apparently they're ****ed cause they will never see a 2.x officially, so they actually have a reason to ***** but they don't), so what is the issue? there are threads saying the droid incredible is the nexus killer.. yea right. if i decided to travel the world, my nexus one will support that. if i decided to make a call in a freakin lambo at 120 miles per hour with the top down, my nexus one will support that. if i wanted to have the first cell phone in the world that actually has flash, my nexus one will support that. the droid incredible wasn't even rooted yet, and the situation is looking pretty grim. the iphone, wow, i shouldn't even waste my time talking about that piece of garbage. anyone that uses that crap, i look at them in disgrace and shame. sorry, i don't want something so basic that my grandmom can even use it.
so my point is, if you want a real phone, then get a nexus one. if you already own one and like it, my respect goes to you. if not, please don't waste space on this forum and find a phone that better suit your needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are my hero.
Agree completely. People need to slap themselves real hard and remind themselves what kind of piece of technology they own. STOP *****ing. Christ, N1 forum is becoming a collection of spoiled crybabies.
Wake up!
JHaste said:
While i do love the phone and it is a sexy piece of hardware... i am still bitter about the quality of the touch screen...
the fact that i cannot really play games because the multi-touch is kind messed up is a real downer for me... i really hope this issue gets somewhat fixed in the froyo update but i do not have my hopes up... emulators and stuff was something i was really looking forward to on my phone but the touch screen sort of put the nix on that....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can play SuperGNES in landscape with the d-pad and the buttons at diagonally opposite corners and play pretty much without issues. I'm able to do running jumps in Super Mario World. I don't know why SuperGNES and Snesoid both do not have LR button capabilities, but I'm no designer. I haven't tried other emulators.
DarkDvr said:
You are my hero.
Agree completely. People need to slap themselves real hard and remind themselves what kind of piece of technology they own. STOP *****ing. Christ, N1 forum is becoming a collection of spoiled crybabies.
Wake up!
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I disagree. I don't think I need to slap myself because I expect a 'superphone' to be able to handle more than two touch inputs reliably.
halorin said:
I disagree. I don't think I need to slap myself because I expect a 'superphone' to be able to handle more than two touch inputs reliably.
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+1 agree with this
halorin said:
I disagree. I don't think I need to slap myself because I expect a 'superphone' to be able to handle more than two touch inputs reliably.
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Why is everyone so fixed on the multi-touch? Seriously. Let's face the facts for a second. Besides playing console-ported games with 2 controls on left and right of the screen, there is no other place where you need that.
Fact: pinch-to-zoom works flawlessly (as in "without any issues") everywhere you need it - maps, browser, gallery. If it doesn't for you - talk to your doctor about fixing your hand coordination. Where else do you need multitouch in the real world? Nowhere.
Besides, we need to stop being hipocritical. We found ONE problem with Nexus that still remains and we freak out. I cannot even start listing the difficiences of other "SUPERPHONES" like iPhone. They can't do **** in comparison. Yet I don't see so much hate and dissapointment over their devices as we have here. Think about it. Apple fanboys are actually less hipocritical about their devices, albeit somewhat ignorant. Yet they can appreciate their devices and value them for things they can do, and we, informed and educated, hate our devices (far more advanced) for tiny flaws. So who's better off here?
The reason for my rant is for us to face the facts and be just. No device is perfect, humans created it, and we are not perfect. Everything has flaws. You cannot focus on one _insignificant_ flaw and forgo all the good stuff. People would never marry if that were the case =) Look at the whole picture, value something (or someone) for it's good qualities, don't hate it for the flaws.
halorin said:
You can play SuperGNES in landscape with the d-pad and the buttons at diagonally opposite corners and play pretty much without issues. I'm able to do running jumps in Super Mario World. I don't know why SuperGNES and Snesoid both do not have LR button capabilities, but I'm no designer. I haven't tried other emulators.
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so you CAN play NES emulators with no problem. i thought i read that you cant do this because of the stupid touch screen limitation. damn false info.
halorin said:
I disagree. I don't think I need to slap myself because I expect a 'superphone' to be able to handle more than two touch inputs reliably.
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I disagree. You need to slap yourself.
If you don't think the phone is a good value, sell it on Ebay. You'll get the bulk of your money back and you can go whine about your expectations about your new phone elsewhere. *****ing about what it isn't/doesn't have is pointless.
DarkDvr said:
Why is everyone so fixed on the multi-touch? Seriously. Let's face the facts for a second. Besides playing console-ported games with 2 controls on left and right of the screen, there is no other place where you need that.
Fact: pinch-to-zoom works flawlessly (as in "without any issues") everywhere you need it - maps, browser, gallery. If it doesn't for you - talk to your doctor about fixing your hand coordination. Where else do you need multitouch in the real world? Nowhere.
Besides, we need to stop being hipocritical. We found ONE problem with Nexus that still remains and we freak out. I cannot even start listing the difficiences of other "SUPERPHONES" like iPhone. They can't do **** in comparison.
The reason for my rant is for us to face the facts and be just. No device is perfect, humans created it, and we are not perfect. Everything has flaws. You cannot focus on one _insignificant_ flaw and forgo all the good stuff. People would never marry if that were the case =) Look at the whole picture, value something (or someone) for it's good qualities, don't hate it for the flaws.
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I think you are undervaluing the intentions people have for their phones simply because they aren't yours. While I may not be as fanatical as some others have been, I'm going to take notice of the idea that my two year old iPhone 3G does something better than my new Nexus One because someone between HTC and Google decided that the touchpad sensor they chose was enough.
If the flaws of the phone were enough of a problem for me, I'd sell it on Craigslist and get something else. Just because they aren't that glaring for me doesn't mean I'm going to be ignorant of them, though.
Also, it's been well documented that the touch sensor on the N1 can misbehave in a variety of cases, even with just one touch. I've personally experienced this. Touches refuse to accurately register until you turn off the screen and turn it back on sometimes. Play around with the multitouch application for a while and you more than likely will see some anomalies.
I think I stand somewhere in the middle of 'This phone is perfect, why complainomg' and 'This phone is broken and flawedomg'.
It's hard to make the argument you're trying to make about no phone being perfect when phones like the Evo 4G and the Droid Incredible are basically the same phone except they didn't get cheap touch sensors. I'd wager to guess they'll be around the same price as the N1 as well, if not cheaper also.
I'll agree that some people take their complaints too far, but you almost make it sound like people should have nothing to complain about at all, which I disagree with.

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