Database Users

Universal to an iPhone?

Hello fellas and ladies!
My brother got an iPhone a few weeks ago and of course I have been testing it and comparing it to my first love (universal), which is still up for sale if anyone is interested !!!
I would like to mention the following (based on my comparison with my Uni) and ask you a question!
Pros:
3G/wifi internet is faster on the iPhone
- On Uni I have tried with Opera 9.5 and IE
Games are so much more advanced and flawless especially with the accelerometer!
Battery with heavy use on the iPhone lasts a little over a day! The Uni lasts much less with heavy use!! The battery on the Uni is terrible...
Cons:
No SD slot
Battery is not easily accessible
I hate iTunes
practically no cracked/patched soft/games <----- Huge downfall!!
At the moment I can't think of much else.
I can't wait for Omni any longer, they've been promising it for over a year and nothing yet.
So my question is: Would you consider switching from the Uni to the iPhone, and why?

serjay said:
Hello fellas and ladies!
My brother got an iPhone a few weeks ago and of course I have been testing it and comparing it to my first love (universal), which is still up for sale if anyone is interested !!!
I would like to mention the following (based on my comparison with my Uni) and ask you a question!
Pros:
3G/wifi internet is faster on the iPhone
- On Uni I have tried with Opera 9.5 and IE
Games are so much more advanced and flawless especially with the accelerometer!
Battery with heavy use on the iPhone lasts a little over a day! The Uni lasts much less with heavy use!! The battery on the Uni is terrible...
Cons:
No SD slot
Battery is not easily accessible
I hate iTunes
practically no cracked/patched soft/games <----- Huge downfall!!
At the moment I can't think of much else.
I can't wait for Omni any longer, they've been promising it for over a year and nothing yet.
So my question is: Would you consider switching from the Uni to the iPhone, and why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never!! never!!
I just have too much reasons to not buying an Iphone never in my life......
Read here to find out more: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=314455

orb3000 said:
Never!! never!!
I just have too much reasons to not buying an Iphone never in my life......
Read here to find out more: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=314455
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have respectfully read and agreed with most points in that thread!
However! my main reason for getting the iPhone would be internet access and battery life. Yes! I said it! battery life! my Uni will not last 5 hours internet browsing + video + music + games + work (word, notepad, calc, txt, mail, camera and so on) And I don't want to get an extended battery as its bulky as it is.
As much as we all want to hate the iPhone (me included!), we can't deny its internet browsing speeds both on WiFi and 3G (which is at the moment my main interest) Also GPS, accelerometer (fun!) and the crisp LCD! + more of which I can't think of right now.
I also have a problem with my Uni losing signal quiet often, and I get complaints that I'm unreachable!!! and I have tried many ROMs and Radios to fix this.
I don't know if its the hype of the iPhone or my frustration with the Uni that I'm considering it.
I guess, I just want a phone that works and capable of browsing 3G speeds...
But I will miss all the necessities that PPC offers!
Why can't someone on this forum flash the iPhone with WM6.1???!!!! Now that would be sweet!
I don't know what to do, I'm in dire need of battery life + 3G speed + 3.5 LCD (and above) + compact and accelerometer lol
Any thoughts?

I had an Iphone and sold it....as a gadget is nice specially for its multimedia features, but as a convergence device falls short in many ways..I wouldn't even consider trade it back for my HtC tilt much less for the Uni.

Could you buy/check in your country Samsung i900 Omnia? Much more features than iPhone, everybody speaks very good about it, and in Italy even cheaper than iPhone.
If I had to choose between Omnia and iPhone no doubt for Omnia, but I still have my Universal and it still works so good (even better with all the ROMS here )

asolano895 said:
I had an Iphone and sold it....as a gadget is nice specially for its multimedia features, but as a convergence device falls short in many ways..I wouldn't even consider trade it back for my HtC tilt much less for the Uni.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely agree with you and I'm not even thinking of it as a replacement of my beloved Uni no matter how many times my Uni losses signal. I've even considered carrying them both in my two pockets, and yes I am joking!! but the thought did cross my mind!
But wouldn't you confirm that the battery life is better, 3G/WiFi is faster, and undoubtedly we'll see some development as far as hacks and manipulations with the ROM... I'm really hoping that someone can flash it with WM6.1 now that would be an awesome phone!
dagosjt said:
Could you buy/check in your country Samsung i900 Omnia? Much more features than iPhone, everybody speaks very good about it, and in Italy even cheaper than iPhone.
If I had to choose between Omnia and iPhone no doubt for Omnia, but I still have my Universal and it still works so good (even better with all the ROMS here )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We do have the i900 up here, but I don't want to downgrade to a smaller screen if anything I'd like a larger one. Aside from the screen size it's a very impressive phone!
I don't understand why manufacturers do this moronic.... THING!!!! its absolutely frustrating why would you compete (i900) with the iPhone which has a 3.5" lcd with a 3.2"!!!!???? if only i900 had a larger screen I wouldn't even turn my head in iPhone's direction....... uuuuhhhhggggghhhhhhh

Why not get a touch diamond or touch pro? I have gone from the XDA Exec (Universal) to the diamond and am happy.
The on screen keyboard is tricky at first but my diamond flies and gets over a day so far when using GPS / Wifi etc. I would have gone for the pro as I am very used to the unis keyboard but in the end I couldn't justify the £150+ on top of what I got my Diamond for to go with the Pro just for the keyboard, card slot and extra memory. Try one out you might be surpised how nice they are and what they offer

AndyChecker said:
Why not get a touch diamond or touch pro? I have gone from the XDA Exec (Universal) to the diamond and am happy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish it was that easy, but I can't seem to settle with a smaller screen size than the one I have now.. I simply can't.
I appreciate your recomendation but the screen size is stopping me from moving past this obsession with the iPhone! Also, the speed of the 3G/WiFi as I mentioned above is what pushing me to get the iPhone...
All the people I know who own an iPhone not only are they happy with it but with every passing day they enjoy it even more.

The iPhone is far from being a good phone for buisiness use. You have limitations with e-mails, you don't synchronise easily with Outlook, the contacts are not accessed as easily as on WM6 and that is a very important aspect, if you have many contacts in your list.
The iPhone will make you scroll much more through the list, which is time consuming.
I tried the browsing, but the lack of keyboard is frustrating. The browser might be quite good, but it is not THAT much better.
iTunes is too annoying for me - I don't want to synchronize my musics, I just want to copy my mp3 songs. I HATE iTunes and would NEVER buy an iPod unless they change that.
Then you get a completly locked device, no memory expansion, no SDK, no freeware,...
I know - there now is a free SDK, but it is limited (cannot access all funtions) and developers have to pay to publish it, which means there won't be freeware.
All in all, I would say, the iPhone looks good, is a nice gadget and suits a normal user fine.
I however like to have something more powerfull: great screen, keyboard, lots of software and emulators. Hell, on the Universal you can even run DOS!
Cheers,
vma

vma said:
The iPhone is far from being a good phone for buisiness use. You have limitations with e-mails, you don't synchronise easily with Outlook, the contacts are not accessed as easily as on WM6 and that is a very important aspect, if you have many contacts in your list.
The iPhone will make you scroll much more through the list, which is time consuming.
I tried the browsing, but the lack of keyboard is frustrating. The browser might be quite good, but it is not THAT much better.
iTunes is too annoying for me - I don't want to synchronize my musics, I just want to copy my mp3 songs. I HATE iTunes and would NEVER buy an iPod unless they change that.
Then you get a completly locked device, no memory expansion, no SDK, no freeware,...
I know - there now is a free SDK, but it is limited (cannot access all funtions) and developers have to pay to publish it, which means there won't be freeware.
All in all, I would say, the iPhone looks good, is a nice gadget and suits a normal user fine.
I however like to have something more powerfull: great screen, keyboard, lots of software and emulators. Hell, on the Universal you can even run DOS!
Cheers,
vma
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completly agree mate, well said!
In that case I would prefer to try HTC G1 with the new Android, but Iphone never!
Cheers

vma said:
...I HATE iTunes and would NEVER buy an iPod unless they change that.
Then you get a completly locked device, no memory expansion, no SDK, no freeware,...
I know - there now is a free SDK, but it is limited (cannot access all funtions) and developers have to pay to publish it, which means there won't be freeware.
...lots of software and emulators. Hell, on the Universal you can even run DOS!
Cheers,
vma
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are the reasons as to why I still haven't committed to an iPhone.
It would be very hard to go from a Uni to something so "LOCKED" and "ONE DIMENSIONAL" But I do need a fast internet browsing device and a better battery life without the bulk, and not to mention the ability to receive calls in a home's basement which my Uni is not capable of doing.
Perhaps I'll wait until the G1 comes out as orb3000 said but than again I've seen it and its hideous!
I don't know... I just need a phone that works with fast browsing abilities, but then again I'll miss all the things that the Uni and WM represent!!

Honestly try a touch pro or diamond for a few hours - get one and send it back if not happy? I think you will be surprised

AndyChecker said:
Honestly try a touch pro or diamond for a few hours - get one and send it back if not happy? I think you will be surprised
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe I'll go back to the mall and play with the diamond again... but I need someone to come with me so that I can be held away from the iPhone!! any volunteers?

vma said:
the contacts are not accessed as easily as on WM6 and that is a very important aspect, if you have many contacts in your list.[/QOUTE]
ahhh...Not true, with the latest firmware you can search through your contacts like in WM6
[QOUTE]
The iPhone will make you scroll much more through the list, which is time consuming.[/QOUTE]
Again, this is not true; for alphabetically arranged stuff in a list you can use the Alphabet row on the Right hand side to quickly scroll, otherwise IMHO scrolling is a lot easier with the new Multi-touch vs taking out the stylus and using it to scroll.
[QOUTE] tried the browsing, but the lack of keyboard is frustrating. The browser might be quite good, but it is not THAT much better.[/QOUTE]
Again, safari is miles ahead of internet explorer, using NF or opera reduces the margin by a fair margin, but guess what, all the sites that have been "optimized" for the iphone really fit seamlessly with the entire UI, and that is what makes safari a joy to use. Actually if you have an iphone (or can beg, borrow or steal one) try going to web sites like google, yahoo, amazon, facebook and see the difference yourself
[QOUTE]iTunes is too annoying for me - I don't want to synchronize my musics, I just want to copy my mp3 songs. I HATE iTunes and would NEVER buy an iPod unless they change that.[/QOUTE]
with the new itunes and the 2.0.x firmware , you can drag and drop your music into your iphone.
if you don't want to sync your PIM to outlook, you can forgo itunes completely and use a "FREE" winamp plugin"
going a bit off topic i simply HATE active-sync.(i may be a bit biased here as i owned a palm pilot and simply loved the simplicity and stability of Hot-sync
[QOUTE]Then you get a completly locked device, no memory expansion, no SDK, no freeware,...[/QOUTE]
Again, when we got our devices (UNI in our case) did we not have to worry about CID unlock, SIM unlock ???
How is jailbreaking and unlocking the iphone any different than what we did??
As far as an memory expansion slot is concerned, HTC is coming out with more and more devices without expansion slot, so why just blame apple??
[QOUTE]I know - there now is a free SDK, but it is limited (cannot access all funtions) and developers have to pay to publish it, which means there won't be freeware.[/QOUTE]
1)Yes, the SDK is free but is limited
2)Search for open toolchain to know how to get complete access
3)since you don't use iphone/itunes you have NO CLUE about the amount of free ware available through itunes. And did i mention that most of the software on the installer app and CYDIA is FREE.
talking bout "limited access", did the CORE player guys ever get access to the nVidia graphic accelerator in some HTC's??
[QOUTE]All in all, I would say, the iPhone looks good, is a nice gadget and suits a normal user fine.[/QOUTE]
very true
[QOUTE]I however like to have something more powerfull: great screen, keyboard, lots of software and emulators. Hell, on the Universal you can even run DOS![/QOUTE]
1)Uni's screen is CRAP. on a mildly sunny day, at max brightness the screen is completely washed out and unreadable.Yes it does have a VGA screen but the color reproduction, contrast is really really bad.
the iphone's screen on the other hand is FANTASTIC. with the sun beating down hard, the thing is still very readable!!! not to mention the contrast,brightness and colour reproduction is very good.
BTW when will HTC realise that it is time to R.I.P for the 65k screens???
2)leaving the 3g stuff apart, the iphone is way more powerful than are UNI (which is to be expected as the UNI is almost 3 years old)
3)if you can run DOS on the UNI, i can run UNIX bash on the iphone
4)there are loads of free QUALITY softwares and emulators available for the iphone (free and paid)
P.S- i made the switch from my uni to the iphone last year in oct. and have not regretted the decision even once.
heck its been more than 3 months since i last charged my UNI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thank you fallenczar for the quality information as you are a previous Uni owner, thus you can create a relation between the two and provide a none biased opinion.
Thank you!

serjay said:
Thank you fallenczar for the quality information as you are a previous Uni owner, thus you can create a relation between the two and provide a none biased opinion.
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not a problem at all.
however bear in mind that your choice should be decided on what you intend to do with your phone.
if you REPLY to lot of emails/ need PUSH-email/edit documents / then stay away from the iphone.
if on the otherhand , you only read emails (or only occasionally reply) and want a good, simple and stable phone with excellent multimedia functions, go for the iphone.
on a side note, i felt that my UNI was never a good "phone", i always had problems with signal strength, people complained that my voice was to 'muffled' or choppy.
after switching over to the iphone, i have not experienced these problems, now it very well may be that my cell service provider has upgraded there equipment or installed a new tower in my vicinity, but i have reason to think otherwise

Never get rid of my Uni
Yes, I'll never get rid of it! It's a great device!
I laugh at those who carry around their laptops and cellphones. I have it in my pocket... Running WM, linux or Dos - trying to run Android, what would you want more...

hey guys just got my iPhone...
Would like to point out that so far I'm not impressed but I am loving the fast internet speeds. YouTube quality is absolutely horible; I am very disapointed with its quality very choppy but is still watchable.
I'm enjoying the fact that I can post using my phone, hoever entering text is very difficult and uncomfortable but I'm sure I can get used to it.
I will try to compare it to the Uni and report back

serjay said:
hey guys just got my iPhone...
Would like to point out that so far I'm not impressed but I am loving the fast internet speeds. YouTube quality is absolutely horible; I am very disapointed with its quality very choppy but is still watchable.
I'm enjoying the fact that I can post using my phone, hoever entering text is very difficult and uncomfortable but I'm sure I can get used to it.
I will try to compare it to the Uni and report back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
choppy video...
how fast is your internet speed???

Sorry I haven't been home enough to make a comparison to my Uni...
What I found out is that the streaming video quality of the iPhone is as much pixelsted as on any other device, so I take back what I said above.
The 3G speeds are well beyond what I expected and a significantly faster than on my Uni.
I am very pleased with it right now and I can't wait to jailbreak it. I wish we had a section for the iPhone on this forum...
I'm posting using the iPhone, and the texting i'm getting used to so no issues with that!
Overall very pleased!
P.S. I've yet to try out the games..

Is the HD2/Leo for me?

Hi,
I currently have the iphone 3G, but am soon due for an upgrade and considering the HD2. I must say that I love the iphone, I think it works flawlessly. The obvious choice for an upgrade would be the 3GS, but there is just not enough difference from the 3G to warrant me spending over £200 upgrading to it.
After searching around I came across the HD2, and I must say it looks an awesome phone. My concerns though are that I might be disappointed coming from the iphone and wanted some honest opinions. In an ideal world I'd go and have a play with a HD2 in store, but everywhere's sold out and I can only get in from the online store.
One of the major things I like about the iphone is the touchscreen, it is truly a wonder. I have not come across a touchscreen yet that comes anywhere close to the iphones as far as fluidity, responsiveness, and its ability to do just what I want it to. No pressing the wrong link on the internet, no having to tap an icon again as the screen didn't pick up on my touch the first time etc. I know this is a HTC forum so opinions will be biased, but it the screen as good as the iphones? I've used the HTC touch diamond in the past and thought it was appalling.
How quick is it. I know it has a 1GHz processor etc, but what does that mean in the real world? For example, if I want to open an app or program is there any delay or does it open instantly?
I've looked at some videos on you tube and when people use the menu slider on the bottom they always hslide it across to get to the function that they require rather than just tapping the icon they want to use as there are a few on the display at any one tie. Is that just preference or can't you tap directly on the icon?
From reading other threads on problems with the HD2 it seems as though a lot can be fixed using cabs, what are these?
How are text messages displayed, do they come in conversation style as on the iphone, or as individual messages? I've read a lot about problems with the SMS on the HD2, what are these problems and is it something that is likely to be recified in the near future?
Can you customise ringtones and message alerts? I know it's not a biggie but one thing that really annoys me with the iphone is the crappy message alert tones that come with it, and then the fact that you can't use your own.
Cheers

From your words about your requirements & expectations, it's better for u to go with iPhone3GS.
Iam afraid HD2 has its own plus points but not in those areas you prefer.

One of the major things I like about the iphone is the touchscreen, it is truly a wonder. I have not come across a touchscreen yet that comes anywhere close to the iphones as far as fluidity, responsiveness, and its ability to do just what I want it to. No pressing the wrong link on the internet, no having to tap an icon again as the screen didn't pick up on my touch the first time etc. I know this is a HTC forum so opinions will be biased, but it the screen as good as the iphones? I've used the HTC touch diamond in the past and thought it was appalling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, we have to differentiate a bit here.
The hardware of the touchscreen is the same. It's not the resistive technology they used before, e.g. in the Diamond, but the capacitive touch technology that's also used in the iPhone.
That means: The touchscreen is just as responsive, doesn't require pressure, has the same high quality feel and doesn't allow for fingernail/stylus input - same as the iPhone.
The software is different, and this is a bit hard to explain:
On one hand, Windows Mobile runs very very fast on the 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Most of the time, it's as fast or even faster than the iPhone 3GS.
But, at times, it is not as fluid, because there are no 'beautiful' animations and sometimes, things can get laggy. However, with the ultra fast processor, this happens very rarely, compared to older WM devices.
Conclusion: I wouldn't claim that it's faster than an iPhone 3GS, because while it probably is faster most of the time, it may lag sometimes, depending on what you do with it (e.g. heavy multitasking),
However, it will definitely be MUCH faster than your current iPhone 3G.
How quick is it. I know it has a 1GHz processor etc, but what does that mean in the real world? For example, if I want to open an app or program is there any delay or does it open instantly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I've explained this above. To sum it up: It's fast. VERY fast. Almost everything opens instantly, like on an iPhone 3GS or even faster.
I've looked at some videos on you tube and when people use the menu slider on the bottom they always hslide it across to get to the function that they require rather than just tapping the icon they want to use as there are a few on the display at any one tie. Is that just preference or can't you tap directly on the icon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You CAN tap directly on an icon.
Of course, you don't see al icons, just those who are located next to the tab you are in. But you can create your own shortcots for each tab, e.g. you can create a shortcut to the music tab on the homescreen if you don't like sliding across to get to the music tab.
From reading other threads on problems with the HD2 it seems as though a lot can be fixed using cabs, what are these?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.cabs are the equivalent to installers on Windows. You copy them to your phone (or download them directly from your phone) and open them to install them.
When someone finds a fix/tweak, he often creates a .cab and makes it available here on the forum, so that other people can easily apply the fix/tweak to their phones as well.
If you buy/download applications, they also come as .cab files.
How are text messages displayed, do they come in conversation style as on the iphone, or as individual messages?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Conversation style, as well as within people's contact cards, so that you can easily see all the conversation you had with someone (SMS, mail, calls, ...)
I've read a lot about problems with the SMS on the HD2, what are these problems and is it something that is likely to be recified in the near future?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people have trouble sending SMS. The SMS just remain in the outbox and don't get sent. Some also can't receive SMS.
HTC is working on a fix and it should be provided with a ROM upgrade, soon.
In the meantime, disabling HTC Messaging is a possible workaround (among others that may or may not work).
Can you customise ringtones and message alerts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
It's a Windows Mobile phone, which means you can customise pretty much anything.

skr_xd said:
From your words about your requirements & expectations, it's better for u to go with iPhone3GS.
Iam afraid HD2 has its own plus points but not in those areas you prefer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I agree with this... From what I understand the iphone keyboard is (a bit) better although it's still personal preference, the htc screen is great but has it's quirks... I still misclick every now and then. About the icons, you can click those visible directly but by sliding you also reach the ones just outside the screen. Sliding is also more fancy looking of course
It's fast, at least for a winmo device. Apps open quickly but it also depends on how heavy the app is (tomtom for example, it doesn't open instantly but still very fast... especially compared to touch pro).
It's heavily customizable, using cabs amongst others. Cabs are simply some sort of installation files. You usually put them on your phone (memory card) and run them to install applications, apply changes to registry, etc. Ringtones can be set to whatever you want. Without cabs.
If you're totally fond of the iphone I don't know if the HD2 is for you. It's fine as it is but you have to like tweaking and playing around with it imo, especially to reach it's full potential.

snerkler said:
One of the major things I like about the iphone is the touchscreen, it is truly a wonder. I have not come across a touchscreen yet that comes anywhere close to the iphones as far as fluidity, responsiveness, and its ability to do just what I want it to. No pressing the wrong link on the internet, no having to tap an icon again as the screen didn't pick up on my touch the first time etc. I know this is a HTC forum so opinions will be biased, but it the screen as good as the iphones? I've used the HTC touch diamond in the past and thought it was appalling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screen is great. Really. It's capacitive, so the feeling is closer to what you get from an iphone than what you got from any previous winmo phone. It may be a tiny bit less responsive than an iphone.
How quick is it. I know it has a 1GHz processor etc, but what does that mean in the real world? For example, if I want to open an app or program is there any delay or does it open instantly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's really fast. Most of the apps open instantly, the biggest ones will of course need a few seconds.
I've looked at some videos on you tube and when people use the menu slider on the bottom they always hslide it across to get to the function that they require rather than just tapping the icon they want to use as there are a few on the display at any one tie. Is that just preference or can't you tap directly on the icon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can tap it, but the slider doesn't show all of the icons, so you'll have to slide it to reach some of them. You can however change the order to access your favourite ones with one tap.
From reading other threads on problems with the HD2 it seems as though a lot can be fixed using cabs, what are these?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cabs are the installer files on winmo.
How are text messages displayed, do they come in conversation style as on the iphone, or as individual messages? I've read a lot about problems with the SMS on the HD2, what are these problems and is it something that is likely to be recified in the near future?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Conversation style, but no comic bubbles. There are two main problems. First one is a huge lag when opening conversations with lots of messages. The second one is that when you want to send a message, it will sometimes take a few hours before it's actually sent. I personally never experienced the second one, however.
Can you customise ringtones and message alerts? I know it's not a biggie but one thing that really annoys me with the iphone is the crappy message alert tones that come with it, and then the fact that you can't use your own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. It's winmo, you can customise everything.

snerkler : I would recommend you to check this review
http://pocketnow.com/hardware-1/another-spin-on-the-htc-hd2
and second part
http://pocketnow.com/software-1/another-spin-on-the-htc-hd2-part-2

Some general thoughts, in addition to my answer above:
The hardware of the HD2 is better, hands down. However, the software is quite different. I think none of the operating systems, Windows Mobile or iPhone OS, is better or worse, but they are very different and have very different strenghts and weaknesses.
I can give you some thoughts that may help you decide:
The iPhone is very easy to use, fluid and most of the time, 'just works'. However, this comes at a price: It is also very limited, in order to achieve its ease of use.
As long as you don't reach the limits, you're fine.
But when you reach the limits
(e.g. you want to have information on the home screen, you want to multitask, send something via Bluetooth, use it as USB storage, costumise ringtones and so on...)
then things get complicated on the iPhone. You either can't do something at all, or you need to hack/jailbreak it or find workarounds for the shortcomings.
With Windows Mobile, you get everything out of the box. It can do pretty much everything and has all the basic and advanced features that the iPhone lacks.
However, just like the iPhone's ease of use, Windows Mobile's feature-richness comes at a price as well: It definitely is more complicated and doesn't always work instantly, if you want to install/change something.
Sense tries to make the basic things as easy to use as on the iPhone, and I have to say it does that quite well. But it's still not THAT easy.
On the other hand, if you want to go beyond the limits that Apple set on the iPhone, things often get MUCH more complicated than they are on Windows Mobile.
Conclusion:
If you don't reach the limits of your iPhone, i.e. if you're not missing anything that the iPhone can't do, then it will probably the better device for you, because then it's more easy to use and 'just works' for you.
If, however, you miss a bunch of features and you try to work around them on the iPhone (e.g. by jailbreaking it), then a Windows Mobile device, particulary the HTC HD2, is probably the better choice, because though not everything is as easy, you get everything out of the box. And you also get the better hardware.
The HTC HD2 also has a special place among the Windows Phones. Sense/TouchFlo has evolved over time and now the basic things (i.e. everything that the iPhone can do) are almost as easy on the HD2.
There are still exceptions, like installing software, but it has come so close that I
personally think that the HD2 is the better choice for almost everyone, except for those who really never reach the limits of the iPhone.
Because, for giving up a bit of ease of use, you get tons of additional features, as well as the better hardware:
- 4.3" screen, much better camera, faster processor, more RAM...
- multitasking
- maximum customizability
- no iTunes required, you can connect it as storage device
- file explorer
- better notifications concept
- more professional, customizable home screen
- Bluetooth file transfers
- good Emulators like Morphgear
- and much more
Whether this is enough to make you accept the loss of ease of use compared to the iPhone is your choice.
Previously, the gap in ease of use has been much greater, that means you had to sacrifice a lot more in order to get all the features of Windows Mobile, but with the HD2 HTC has come so close that I think it's really the better choice for lots of people now.
However, everyone still has to decide for him/herself. I hope I could help.

IMO For your needs go with the 3GS mate.

Ive had all the iphones 2g, 3g and 3gs. The 3gs is much better then the 3g. For me...i started to hate the iphone for is ONE Dimensionalness (is that a word) I wanted somehting more and that was the HD2. Personally I hate the iphone. So my opinon is basised... ive been with it it since 2007 and trust me the HD2 is pure joy. I agree with others on this forum and If I were you I would get the 3GS is a much better device then your crappy 3G.

Thanks for all the replies. The HTC does sound more and more interesting. I know I said I like how the iphone just works, but I am feeling like I need a new challenge. What I meant about the iphone 'just working' is not necessarily that it is easy to use and everything is straight forward, but more the interface I guess. The way that you navigate around the touchscreen. I am a bit of a gadget freak and do like playing around with stuff, which is why I've been looking at the HD2. I am finally feeling left wanting a bit more with the iphone now. I've gone through all the free apps etc, and while some are great fun initially, I never use them anymore. I play solitaire now more than anything else. I need something a bit more taxing, like I said, a new challenge
If the touchscreen is up there with the iphone then maybe I need to give this phone some serious consideration.
Just out of curiosity is the problem sending SMS on a particular network or any network?

snerkler said:
Thanks for all the replies. The HTC does sound more and more interesting. I know I said I like how the iphone just works, but I am feeling like I need a new challenge. What I meant about the iphone 'just working' is not necessarily that it is easy to use and everything is straight forward, but more the interface I guess. The way that you navigate around the touchscreen. I am a bit of a gadget freak and do like playing around with stuff, which is why I've been looking at the HD2. I am finally feeling left wanting a bit more with the iphone now. I've gone through all the free apps etc, and while some are great fun initially, I never use them anymore. I play solitaire now more than anything else. I need something a bit more taxing, like I said, a new challenge
If the touchscreen is up there with the iphone then maybe I need to give this phone some serious consideration.
Just out of curiosity is the problem sending SMS on a particular network or any network?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have sms problems with any of the ROMs I have used for HD2.
From default 1.43 to latest 1.61 turkey ROM.
So, it seems to vs certain operator specific.
Check in the sms issue thread for any user from your country/operator and see.

snerkler said:
Thanks for all the replies. The HTC does sound more and more interesting. I know I said I like how the iphone just works, but I am feeling like I need a new challenge. What I meant about the iphone 'just working' is not necessarily that it is easy to use and everything is straight forward, but more the interface I guess. The way that you navigate around the touchscreen. I am a bit of a gadget freak and do like playing around with stuff, which is why I've been looking at the HD2. I am finally feeling left wanting a bit more with the iphone now. I've gone through all the free apps etc, and while some are great fun initially, I never use them anymore. I play solitaire now more than anything else. I need something a bit more taxing, like I said, a new challenge
If the touchscreen is up there with the iphone then maybe I need to give this phone some serious consideration.
Just out of curiosity is the problem sending SMS on a particular network or any network?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been through all the iphones as well (2g, 3g, 3gs, and got 3gs for many family members including the wifey). The 3GS is a MUCH better device than the 3G and worth the upgrade in my opinion simply because the speed just makes it feel more fluid.
In the same way the HD2 makes WinMo actually feel usable and more enjoyable to use (especially with touchflo), but it's not a little faster as the 3GS is to the 3G... it's a LOT faster. That's just because the old WinMo phones are slow (my last was the Touch HD), but I wouldn't say it's REALLY fast as some of the reviews do... it's just very usable now. However, I'm comfortable with the WinMo OS so the HD2 is a joy to use for me.
Hardware wise, my wife picked up my HD2 when I got it and wanted to play with it since I couldn't stop talking about it for weeks until I finally got one. she LOVED the hardware, and being a non-geek (fashion background) I was surprised when she started commenting on the build quality and she compared it to her iPhone 3GS similar to our new new LED backlit LCD TV vs. our old SD tube television!
She really enjoyed playing with it for a while and going through the tabs in touchflo and thought it was BETTER than her iPhone. Then she moved to the audio player tab... which crashed on her. Disappointed, she continued onwards as she really liked the phone. Then she moved to the settings tab. She looked at it for a few seconds... put down the phone and decided to continue using her iPhone instead.
Even though we've been in 3 countries since I got it, it's automatically set itself up and I've had data access in every country... where her iPhone can't even be set-up to use the network data (needs proxy settings in APN), I've been able to tether, create adhoc networks, take much better pics, read pdfs more clearly, keep up with my tweets, modify excel spreadsheets, review powerpoints, watch television shows downloaded from the net, etc... she decided the iphone was better for her since she didn't have to look at settings and it easily synced to her MacBook so she could show off her pics to family, and as you said... it just works.
She also loves her MacBook and I love my Thinkpad.

CanEpia said:
Then she moved to the settings tab. She looked at it for a few seconds... put down the phone and decided to continue using her iPhone instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ha ha ha, that's brilliant! That to me really sums up why the iphone is the better choice for some people and why the HD2 is the best for others. I love being able to fiddle with settings and customise and change things which is why I will get the HD2 and would never consider the iphone, as good as it is at the things it can do.

snerkler said:
Just out of curiosity is the problem sending SMS on a particular network or any network?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't had the SMS problem, so it isn't across the board.

creed said:
Ha ha ha, that's brilliant! That to me really sums up why the iphone is the better choice for some people and why the HD2 is the best for others. I love being able to fiddle with settings and customise and change things which is why I will get the HD2 and would never consider the iphone, as good as it is at the things it can do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly why I'm looking at this phone, I like to fiddle and tweak stuff (and I'm referring to gadgets here )

Eoinoc said:
I haven't had the SMS problem, so it isn't across the board.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, not that I usually keep as many, but I intentionally kept about 300 SMSs to test this problem and there is a minor few milliseconds slowdown, but nothing you'd really notice. I also use the FPU enabler, not sure if that makes a difference to SMS though.
Incidentally I don't have any other problems with my phone, works 100% since unboxing.

Convince me HD2 is a damn good phone!

Hi all, New guy here. So I'd been waiting a good couple of months for the HD2 and thought it would be an awesome 'consumer' phone.
I got it Monday 11th January and i'm not blown away by this phone. Dissapointed in fact.
But why though. I see alot of enthusiasts for the HD2 on here but I'm just not getting it. Basically Its alot phone and alot of money, with pretty much, not much substance or not much cool stuff on it.
What is getting you guys excited about it?
So this threads asks you to put my faith back in the phone.
The problems I have are this: -
The HTC UI/Skin I don't like much. Is there an alternative out there that isn't Windows Mobile 6.5 Default Skin?
Can you add more Widgets to the HTC UI Slider??
The only cool app is the pre-loaded game 'Teeter', Other than that there isn't much.
I can't use the Exchange Feature as I don't have an Exchange outlook mailbox to connect to, so that feature is wasted
Does anyone know if Windows Live will fully sync with WinMo 6.5. I refer to the calendar on Windows Live?
Do I keep this phone, and wait for WinMo 7 in the hope '7' is going to be something special and amazing to look forward to that would be on par with Iphone/Android?
========
Now If I was using this as a Business Phone, it would undoubtedly be brilliant, cos its WinMo! But it's not, its for personel use.
Should I just send it back and just wait for the Nexus One?
Thanks

or you can do your homework BEFORE you make a purchase...

hd2 like previous HTC phones is all about the potential for you to customize to exactly what you want. you can literally do anything you want with your phone as long as you search enough. i don't think that's the same with the iphone etc. there's a lot of apps out there you just have to find them.
thing is most non-techie people won't be able to or won't bother do this hence why i never recommend it to some people

HTC HD2 is eating iphone and omnias for breakfast!
is that convincing enough?

What is getting you guys excited about it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me personally? The screen. The design. The functionality. The blistering speed. The screen. The ability to stand out from the crowd and lord it over iPhone sheeple. The Sense UI. The prospect of XDA chefs releasing cooked roms and increasing the phone's functionality and performance. Did I mention the goddamn beautiful screen?
I bought the HD2 to do the following:
(a) watch movies & tv (DID I MENTION THE 4.3" SCREEN?)
(b) play music
(c) browse the internet
(d) play games
(e) use it as a personal organiser/wordprocessor
And I can say with absolute certainty that this phone has met and exceeded my expectations in all respects. I. Love. This. Device. Maybe you don't. That's fine. But if none of the above has enlightened you then take it back and get something else.
Thank you, come again.

or you can do your homework BEFORE you make a purchase...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had done my research and was impressed by the video reviews I've seen. Perhaps I didn't drill down hard enough.
doodles123 said:
hd2 like previous HTC phones is all about the potential for you to customize to exactly what you want. you can literally do anything you want with your phone as long as you search enough. i don't think that's the same with the iphone etc. there's a lot of apps out there you just have to find them.
thing is most non-techie people won't be able to or won't bother do this hence why i never recommend it to some people
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeh, I hear you on the customizing thing. I was just wishing it worked sraight out of the box. Guess theres a fair bit of customizing to do before you perfect it in your own eyes.

H2D2 said:
For me personally? The screen. The design. The functionality. The blistering speed. The screen. The ability to stand out from the crowd and lord it over iPhone sheeple. The Sense UI. The prospect of XDA chefs releasing cooked roms and increasing the phone's functionality and performance. Did I mention the goddamn beautiful screen?
I bought the HD2 to do the following:
(a) watch movies & tv (DID I MENTION THE 4.3" SCREEN?)
(b) play music
(c) browse the internet
(d) play games
(e) use it as a personal organiser/wordprocessor
And I can say with absolute certainty that this phone has met and exceeded my expectations in all respects. I. Love. This. Device. Maybe you don't. That's fine. But if none of the above has enlightened you then take it back and get something else.
Thank you, come again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what he said
(you sound like a nokia man)

(you sound like a nokia man)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got two phones. One is my company phone which is a Samsung WinMo, does the job beautifully.
Personal phone was a Samsung Tocco. I'm not a fan of Symbian one bit!

Im using my HD 2 as a data collector, so the phone options are secondary though reception in fringe areas is exellent
Ive used WM devices for data collection for over 6 years now: hx4700, trimble nomad. and the HD 2 is the best yet
Using Oziexplorer for gps navigation and VectorLink for data collection, The HD 2 is faster and more responsive then the Nomad.
The built in gps is no slouch either almost as good as our globalsat BT-338,s.
Just waiting for the extended battery to complete the unit.

well... from the looks of it iphone 3gs should suit op bit better. more entertaining out of the box, lots of eyecandy and sweet simplicity.
see... hd2 is like a pc when iphones are more of a gaming consoles. they do have a sort of raw power, but no multitasking and access to the system. hd2 out of the box is more or less empty device and if You don't have a clue what to do with it at this point, then more likely You should sell it.
my hd2 works as a gps satnav, ebook reader, audio and video player when bored away from home, web browser, email client, im communicator, organiser, gaming console (psx emulator when lonely and don't feel like reading), phone (!) and lots of others. basically - same as all my previous winmo devices, but faster, on bigger screen and with multitouch. how cool is that??

The phone is pretty much like a PC you need to set it up the way you like it and install the apps on that you like. Everyone's HD2 is going to be different, for me a great fun app I found here today is Aurora, I can't stop messing about with it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d0N2B6FrDA

Hi,
I've just come from a zPhone 3G. I'm so glad I didn't get the 3GS!
I've only scracthed the surface I'm sure but the HD2 is so much more than the zPhone.
I've got it setup just the way I want it, it'll do things the Apple won't
I was asking the same question as you last week...
Cheers,
Gavin

I think I miss Windows Mobile 6! Tell me I'm crazy...

I'm a former user of an HTC Touch Diamond. Thanks to these forums, I was able to customize nearly anything and everything on that device. I retired my Diamond about a month ago when I got my Xperia X10, and I found myself missing my Diamond.
Xperia Pros:
The Screen! The display is huge and amazing!
Android market. So many great apps to choose from.
Android OS. The stock apps and launchers seem really great to use. Lots of features and eye candy out of the box.
Xperia Cons:
Micro-USB / Connector Cover. It has made my 6 mini-usb cables and charger useless, and the cover is annoying to open.
Touch Screen. I found myself annoyed by the capacitive screen. I'm a guy, and I don't feel the need to have soft moist hands. The capacitive screen has given me so much grief, while I never had any problems with any resistive screens in the past.
Battery. I know every complains about battery life, but it was pretty much the same as my Diamond. The only difference is that my Diamond has a huge extended battery available for purchase.
Android market. Tons of "little" apps, but no real powerhouse apps that fit my own needs. I found I needed to download/buy 3 different apps that did the job of one Windows Mobile app.
Voice Dialing. Where is it? My city just enforced some crazy cellphone laws, and I really need this. It sucks on the Xperia. Big time.
Diamond Pros:
Fantastic Apps! S2U2 is amazing. It's a lockscreen that gives you so much access to viewing info (email, sms, etc) without a risk of unlocking your phone accidentally. Magicall let me have push email without the battery use, as well as many other fantastic calling and SMS features.
OpnMarket. Tons of great apps available from FreewarePPC.
Resistive screen. So much better for me than the capacitive screen.
Amazing customizability. Not just the ROMs, since I'm sure the X10 will get a few soon, but everything seemed to be easier to customize and change in Windows. Maybe I just need to learn more about Android.
Diamond Cons:
Tiny tiny tiny screen. This is the only reason I didn't go back.
Windows Mobile stock OS really sucks, and needs all the apps to add the eye candy and features.
Sometimes sluggish with all the hacks, patches, and customizations.
Strangely enough, I find myself sorely missing Windows Mobile. I really wish I could at least find an app exactly like S2U2 on Android. I've tried a few lockscreens, and they don't even lock the device properly. They seem to be just homescreen replacements. Lack of a proper voicedial app on the Xperia is also a huge con. Any other recent Windows Mobile converts feel the same way?

Go put Android 2.2 Froyo onto your HTC Diamond, this might help you to kill some time while waiting for Android 2.1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=711692

phuangk said:
Go put Android 2.2 Froyo onto your HTC Diamond, this might help you to kill some time while waiting for Android 2.1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=711692
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I tried 1.6 awhile back on my Diamond, and it was unbearably slow. Besides, that would be the opposite of what I want right now. I think I'd prefer Windows Mobile on my Xperia.

You are crazy.

iphonepimp said:
You are crazy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree!!! you're CRAZY!!!!

as someone who has come over from windows mobile 6.5 and owning a touch diamond 2 and htc 2, i can tell you, you are crazy.

i have a xperia x1
and yes one more vote for "you are crazy"=..=
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

No you're not CRAZY!
100,000 Apps for Android? I think that smartphone users today don't understand that App is short for Application and they're being pretty liberal calling most of what's available an Application.
The simple fact that Google doesn't offer a fast and easy solution for Outlook sync is plain stupid. Even the iPhone will sync with Outlook. The Google "Cloud" sync takes far more user input than WinMo does so it's far from effective.
When WinMo 7 is up and running I'll be putting this Android fiasco behind me.
P.S. if you're a teenage girl then Android should be right for you.

Battery life on the diamond with extended battery and latest stock rom was total and utter **** if you ask me, it was the most useless batterylife of any device i've ever experienced and the diamond overall... ok i did like it when i first got it but that phone felt outdated within 3 months, i love my new x10 and my battery is great, even amazing compared to diamonds. In fact i could drain both the original and the extended on diamond within 32h and the x10 battery ticks way over 48h now with normal useage
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

I want my baby back baby back baby back, I want my baby back baby back baby back,I want my baby back baby back baby back. Your delusional dude.

big_raji said:
I'm a former user of an HTC Touch Diamond. Thanks to these forums, I was able to customize nearly anything and everything on that device. I retired my Diamond about a month ago when I got my Xperia X10, and I found myself missing my Diamond.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree to some of it. The lousy not so touch friendly UI of WM never really bothered me as we get to use it less. I love the level of customization that can be done to WM like Panels, Today screen, smart dialer, etc.
I think most of the current generation mobile OS got the luxury of faster processors, more memory to feel more fluid. Each never version is basically trying to catch up with WM capability but with touch friendly UI.
I think the failure story of WM wouldn't have been this bad if only Microsoft invested time to improve their default browser years back and made the menu's, buttons, etc more bigger so they are more user friendly.
I played with my friends HD2 and like it a lot except for the browser.

First of all I bought an Android device because I never thought they were that great but felt it was unfair to criticise without having used one a for a period of time.
Now that I am an owner of several WinMo devices and one Android device I feel I can point out the differences fairly – Sorry in advance to the Android Fanboys.
For someone that is more interested in a useful device for business applications and uses a Windows based PC’s then WinMo is the clear winner. For someone that wants to have a toy for social networking then Android is the clear winner.
I’m sure there are many people on the planet that are so important that they need to Facebook and Twitter/Buzz every single move they make during the day and hopefully they use Latitude so everyone knows exactly where this tremdously important event took place.
Bottom line is that they are 2 different platforms that cater to 2 different groups of people. One isn’t better than the other, they’re just different. WinMo users read newspapers, Android users read comic books. Neither is better than the other, they’re just different.
I’ve spent 2 weeks looking at “Top 10” and “Must have Android Apps” blogs as well as spending time on AppBrain. I’m not saying there aren’t any useful Android Apps but they certainly don’t number in the thousands or even the hundreds. Below is what I found to be somewhat useful but I can still do better on a WinMo device running 6.1 pro.
Astro File Manager
BetterKeyboard
ChompSMS
eBay
GDocs
Imap Weather
IMDB
IP Cam Viewer
K-9 Mail
MyRogers
NetCounter
Newsrob
Quick Reboot
Remote VNC
Roboform
Speedtest.net
SwiFTP
TD Bank
Titanium Backup
Weather Bug
XDA
Wikidroid for Wikipedia
P.S. Using Remote VNC on the Android is like torture. On the WinMo device I can login, do a few quick things and logout while sitting at a red light. To do the same thing with the Android VNC viewer it would be faster to drive home and use the keyboard.

I agree with you, I had omnia(on offense love my x10 as well) with custom rom running wm 6.5. I think android is not quite there yet and application is not the professional like spb apps...
I miss my mobiler controlling the phone from pc and syncing contacts with outlook instead google and then third party app to sync with outlook which does half ass job of it

GPdhillon said:
I agree with you, I had omnia(on offense love my x10 as well) with custom rom running wm 6.5. I think android is not quite there yet and application is not the professional like spb apps...
I miss my mobiler controlling the phone from pc and syncing contacts with outlook instead google and then third party app to sync with outlook which does half ass job of it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My point exactly

Just enter the discussion, I still own my HD2 with custom ROM. As Izzy said, if you are a business person WM is the best for you, Even after I purchased Moxier with Widget and stuff its not anywhere close to WM even 6.1. WM is more solid and it is because it has been around for longer and android might be there one day. But reason I chose Android was to go with a different approach and I still like it and not regretting it. As you start developing more things and gets updated to higher Android Version you may become more satisfied.
Part of our problem is SE by locking the phone with their junk which is not useful to all of us. In WM phone you have option to go either with WM solid or their customized UI.
At the end, I am not a person stick to my phone for any longer than 6 to 10 months so in case I need to move to another platform then no problem. Right now, I don't want to go back to 6.5 even with missing option on Android.

Nimche said:
At the end, I am not a person stick to my phone for any longer than 6 to 10 months so in case I need to move to another platform then no problem. Right now, I don't want to go back to 6.5 even with missing option on Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I change a lot too so I'm looking forward to WinMo 7. It may be a nice solution that helps out the business users and still has the social networking aspect that the others are interested in. That Dell Lightning looks pretty dam hot!
I wouldn't be so down on Android if they had out of the box support for Outlook sync.
I'm so sick of ALL of these guys drawing a line in the sand and refusing to support any other features from other suppliers. It's the user that suffers.

Winmo7 is the reason I mo
ved to android I think wm7 is going to start where android was year ago. Breaking the compatibility with wm6.5 stupid thing Microsoft did also taking out copy paste, multitasking the last stra
Sent from my X10a using XDA App

GPdhillon said:
I agree with you, I had omnia(on offense love my x10 as well) with custom rom running wm 6.5. I think android is not quite there yet and application is not the professional like spb apps...
I miss my mobiler controlling the phone from pc and syncing contacts with outlook instead google and then third party app to sync with outlook which does half ass job of it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel the same too. I used to have a HTC Universal, and there were so many power apps/applications (Whatever you want to call them), that Android doesn't have yet. I didn't even use most of them, as I didn't have a need for them, but at least there was a choice available.
I think Android may soon have this 'choice' that I'm talking about, but I do understand what you mean (@ big_raji).

I share your sentiments regarding winmo 6.1/6.5. Winmo is such a mature platform just like symbian and palmOS. These bad boys of the old gen were not pretty to look at, but they got stuff done.
What boggles my mind is how Android failed to support system wide copy/paste; especially in their native gmail app. Only recently did they start to address this (2.2 update).
Another annoyance I have with Android is its connectivity capabilities. Why can't it do things like tether, bluetooth file transfer, and sync with local storage out of the box?
I know that some of my complaints can be solved with apps in the market, but the thing is many of these features should be standard. That's my problem with the new gen of mobile OS's. They don't look to the past to see what made phones "smart".
I'm in no way downplaying what innovations have been brought to smartphones. I just think that phones these days are more just multimedia consumption devices rather than the productivity assistants they grew up from. That is why I am so nervous about windows phone 7. If microsoft screws that up, all that will be left of the old guard that "just works" as a work tool will be blackberry and symbian^3.
I know I've said a lot. I'm sure people will disagree and take offense, but know that my definition of a smartphone is a device which lets me be productive while being mobile. If it has decent multimedia capabilities, that's also good.

needmoregigs said:
Another annoyance I have with Android is its connectivity capabilities. Why can't it do things like tether, bluetooth file transfer, and sync with local storage out of the box?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tell me about it. The first day I started with Android I paired my Bluetooth earpiece, pressed the call button and waited for the X10 to come alive and wait for a voice dial command. After pressing it several times, reconnecting, I googled to discover that Android doesn't do that. Are you freaking kidding me? My 5 year old RAZR does voice dial! Maybe they should have focused on the tools before the toys?
needmoregigs said:
That is why I am so nervous about windows phone 7. If microsoft screws that up, all that will be left of the old guard that "just works" as a work tool will be blackberry and symbian^3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well at very least it will sync with Outlook
I also hope there's a decent VNC version out for it.

The layman's HD2 review

Now that the initial hype has died down, and t-mobile employees are officially advising against purchasing an hd2 it’s time for an educated and thorough review that new buyers can actually use. I’m not going to include any technical information, because 1) it is widely available 2) most people don’t choose a phone based on technical specs and 3) we all know this sucker is super fast. What I will do is offer up my opinions along with some tips and tweaks –NO HACKS—should you decide the HD2 is right for you.
To start with, what about the Galaxy S?
Yes, at least one t-mobile employee tried to steer me away from the hd2 and to the galaxy s. And yes, the screen on the Samsung, while a bit smaller, is also a bit more impressive. Darker blacks and more vibrant colors. If screen resolution is the only thing you care about, even over size and price, then stop reading now, because the galaxy s definitely has a superior screen. Holding the galaxy s in my hand though, I didn’t give it a single thought. Here’s why. To start with, I prefer the slightly boxier build of the hd2. Also I feel more comfortable with a couple hard keys, and for me at least, a slightly bigger screen is desirable over a slightly better one. The real decision factor however, was that I was replacing a Samsung touch screen phone which had become intermittently non responsive to touch and after three straight Samsung phones (sgh r210 - t909 - behold) I figured I’d give HTC a chance, after all Google did.
The early days were dark.
This was my first data plan with t-mobile, so the extra 25 bucks a month was a hard pill to swallow. I was really expecting the hd2 to blow me out of the water, thus making it easy to rationalize a 50% increase in my monthly bill. It didn’t. I won’t list all the issues I had with this phone because they are well documented through out the web, but also because that’s just the start of the story.
A happy ending.
Bottom line, Microsoft is great because you can customize the **** out of it. The hd2 doesn’t suck HTC Sense sucks. IT’S HORRIBLE. A waste and an annoyance, but, easily removed. That’s right disabling HTC sense is the first and most important step to loving your hd2.
Settings > today > items (bottom tab)
Then just select windows default (HTC sense is at the bottom, but who cares)
On to the tweaks…
I read a lot about hacking the hd2 registry, but seeing as I was still contemplating returning the phone, I didn’t want to do anything drastic. So I kept it simple. Here are the apps (cabs) I installed to perfect my HTC hd2 experience. Just search the web (and Microsoft marketplace) and you can download all these apps for free. Also, to install a .cab file, just drag and drop it from your computer (connected via USB) to your phone. Then unplug your phone from the computer and browse to the file.
Start menu> file explore> storage card
Click on the .cab file you just dropped onto your phone and the app will install. Then go back to the start menu and at the bottom there should be an icon for you newly installed app. Here are mine:
GYRATOR 2 - Brins0.net
-a simple rotator. A lot of the screens on the hd2 won’t go into landscape without this app
RESET ME - Y.K. Ying
-I think I downloaded this one from the market place. I was messing around with my phone a lot in those early days, and this app cam in handy for settings that required soft reset.
HOMESCREEN CUSTOMIZER - Danny Su
-Another marketplace free download - this is the MOST IMPORTANT app I downloaded for the HTC hd2. It removed that horrible HTC Sense crap, and replaced it with a simple, one screen option.
SHOWCASE - e-natives
-for some reason, when you hit the ‘X’ in the upper right hand corner of the screen, whatever app or function is running simply minimizes. The phone is so fast though, that launching applications takes just as long as switching to them, so there’s really no point in having a bunch of apps running, sucking up battery and processor resources. This app makes that X actually close a program and not just minimize it.
So What about the camera, what about the battery?
As for the battery, it takes just a couple hours to loose half your battery power, then the phone seams to operate for another 10-15 hours on the remaining power. I read that this is a snapdragon issue (the powerful 1 GHz processor running the HD2). So while those quickly dwindling bars cause much stress, the phone will operate for almost two days without charge.
I am still looking for an inexpensive camera app to replace the HTC camera, but I have managed to tweak the settings enough (contrast, saturation, white balance) to get some decent pictures in well lit situations. The fact is, the Samsung Behold has an amazing camera in it, and the hd2 just isn’t as great. Oh well.

I'm glad you're here to tell me how to use my HD2.
This is probably one of the most redundant reviews I have read, and about ten months too late at that.

Go and tell someone who gives a feck... Surely, Jeremy Beadle is dead?

wow, someone actually chooses the hd2 over the android galaxy and y'all are ripping him for it???
get a life already.

Wow...uhm...k thanx for the tutorial there...and the REALLY craptastic review. You where trying to help people.....how?

ashasaur said:
Wow...uhm...k thanx for the tutorial there...and the REALLY craptastic review. You where trying to help people.....how?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can see what he is saying. The phone runs ALOT better without sense slowing it done. Sense is a memory hog. It caches a lot of memory. Those out of memory errors that some people get, do not happen with sense gone.
I never had a SOD on my tp2 when I started flashing my own ROMs minus sense.
Now, I've learned to appreciate what sense does add to the experience, but on my tp2, it was unbearable, even when optimized.

They're mocking him because it's a poorly done review. Get past the part about the Galaxy and read the rest.

apallohadas said:
They're mocking him because it's a poorly done review. Get past the part about the Galaxy and read the rest.
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Click to collapse
in his defense, he did call it a layman's review. In other words, someone who doesn't live on here 24/7, and doesn't want to flash his phone 3x a day.

nrfitchett4 said:
I can see what he is saying. The phone runs ALOT better without sense slowing it done. Sense is a memory hog. It caches a lot of memory. Those out of memory errors that some people get, do not happen with sense gone.
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Click to collapse
The out of memory errors don't happen if you know how to use the phone. People KNOW Windows Mobile is absolutely **** out of the box, but still years and years on people still complain about it, it's bewildering.
Sense is a very good base platform for CoOkie and ROM developers alike to work with and as a result make Sense a far more powerful platform for the end user.

Sense is the Cosmetics on the Zomby,and of course you know what the legend says,zombies live forever,LOL,so cheer up.!!

Wow,
Sorry but that was a disappointed review.
It was your first post on this forum and you only joined this month, so I am not sure what you were trying to advise us of to be honest. No disrepect intended.
People like me have had this phone since the November 2009 release and know all there is to know about it.
HTC Sense does not suck or slow down when you are using the correct ROM, either the lastest official ROMs, or better yet, a custom ROM like Artemis.
In interface of WM is best left in the background until you have something geeky to tweak, although WM6.5.5. is a big improvement.
Anyway, my 2 cents worth.

I agree with the last person staing that sense does not (dramatically) slow down the HD2, an I am still using Stock ROM.
The snapdragon is so powerfull.
The thing I notice however, especially with people complaining about battery life:
Most people think of the HD primarily as a Phone.
This also explains the complaint of a lot of poeple that there are no applications for it.
Given the HD2 has a big screen, which has an unusual format (like the touch HD had), there are still a lot of old apps around which run on the HD2 (some somewhat crippled, others do not run at all)
But, I came from Palm iV (monochrome) via Ipaq to p330o, Touch HD to HD2.
For me the primary use for this machine is: PDA with phone capabilities.
And not like for a lot of people, phone with PDA capabilities.
All phones of the latter category (Like eg. Nokia E71) lack a grat deal of PDA capabilities. This is where Windows Mobile has made a big heap of programming with a lot of open ends.... The PDA community jumped on top in order to improve the PDA experience.
The PDA community slowly moved to phone.
In my opinion, all die-hard tweakers / modders / programmers use the HD2 primarily as PDA. Most complaining users use the HD2 primarily as phone.
Yes, as a phone it lacks stamina (batterylife), Yes as a phone it is higly adaptable, but you will have to adress the HD2 as PDA.
On a PDA, one would tune applications (run this, kill that, beware of sync etc) Most ROM cooks still use the what I call PDA approach (load only what is nessesary, not what could eventually ever be needed, kean and mean) thus saving powerconsumption.
As to my past experience, I switch on things only when needed (wifi, bluetooth, activesync etc), except for push mail. This gives me after a normal day of use more than 50% battery life left (on a stock ROM).
For a PDA (except for the PALM iV, which did not have (serious) backlight and colour display) this is quite good.
A PDA should at least sync daily..... so this is acceptable in my opinion, and do not forget Older machines had wordse battry lives.
If one starts navigating, power consumption is incredible, and a good car-loader is almost an obligation, but then again, most navigation units need a powersource. Even the Nokia E71 drains the battery very quickly if navigating without loader attached.
As for sense/manilla:
I am an winmo addict, even an experienced user (ppc2002, ppc 2003, ppc2003SE, Winmo 5, winmo 6.1, winmo 6.5), and I seem to miss a lot of functionality in sense, so I use a lot of quicklinks to the original WinMo apps (eg. Outlook contacts, WinMo settings), yes WinMo is a bit cumbersome, but if you know your way..... Beats sense a lot of times in functionality.
On the other hand, for the quick "thingies" I still use Sense, but as soon as Sense does not live upto the functionality I need..... WinMo!!
All in all:
I can understand the review, seen from the perspective of a phone user, and I agree with it, but with a twist
For me the HD2 Rocks in a major way.
Currently I am sticking to stock, as the phne/pda does what I need and fulfills all my needs. (and more)
For apps: goto www.windowsmobilesoft.net, www.freewareppc.com, www.handango.com, www.wm6software.net, www.pocketgear.com, www.mobiletopsoft.com, pocketpcfreeware.com, pocketpcfreeware.org, freewarepocketpc.net, pocket-pc-freeware.com and many others....
IF one adds up all apps I believe there are a multitude of apps available for our winmo device even more than for any android, iOS or symbian phone all together. Agreed same apps exist 100s of times.....
Moreover even a lot of old ppc2003 software can run on winmo 6.1 (and perhaps also on wm6.5, but I have not had any time or need to experiment)
Concluding:
I am very happy with my HD2, still on stock,
Superfluous speed, no lag from Sense, but one need to use it with a lot of sense (but that has grown on me from ppc2003 on )
Battery life could be better, but I cradle it whenever I can, thus my batterylife is more than sufficient. (As an early adopter from pDA, I am used to cradeling )
Later on I will start experimenting, mainly because of Android (need to experience that too.)

For me the HD2 Rocks in a major way.
Currently I am sticking to stock, as the phne/pda does what I need and fulfills all my needs. (and more)
For apps: goto www.windowsmobilesoft.net, www.freewareppc.com, www.handango.com, www.wm6software.net, www.pocketgear.com, www.mobiletopsoft.com, pocketpcfreeware.com, pocketpcfreeware.org, freewarepocketpc.net, pocket-pc-freeware.com and many others....
IF one adds up all apps I believe there are a multitude of apps available for our winmo device even more than for any android, iOS or symbian phone all together. Agreed same apps exist 100s of times.....
Moreover even a lot of old ppc2003 software can run on winmo 6.1 (and perhaps also on wm6.5, but I have not had any time or need to experiment)
Concluding:
I am very happy with my HD2, still on stock,
Superfluous speed, no lag from Sense, but one need to use it with a lot of sense.
I could never agree more!!
In my opinion; the latest stock rom + CHT & its editor + apps = a master piece!!
All the respect for the OP's review!

i'm glad i could help spark a couple pages of discussion. I recently purchased my hd2, and i spent a lot of time on these forums learning all about it. i think my review bridges the gab between the xdadevelopers forums and those of tmobile
and to the second person that claimed my review had nothing new to offer the hd2 community, i think your actions speak louder than your words.

kyle_hd2 said:
and to the second person that claimed my review had nothing new to offer the hd2 community, i think your actions speak louder than your words.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not that that saying makes any sense in the context that you used it, but all this thread did was mull over old news. But on reflection, what do I care? Welcome to XDA.

Kyle mate.. waiting your review on WM5.