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Hi,
I'm buying a windows mobile based phone, and so far every one I've looked at has some kind of design flaw.
I've already bought and returned a HTC Touch Diamond, because it had a nasty orange cloudy patch on 1 part of the screen.
What I've found so far is:
Touch Diamond: Orange clouds on screens, and random phones with bad contrast.
Xperia X1: Phone housings just crack of their own accord, not due to abuse.
Touch Diamond 2: Allows dust to get between the screen and the touch panel. (This is especially bad for me as I work in a very dusty environment, so the phone would end up full of dust pretty fast.)
I really like the look of the Touch HD, and after searching so far I haven't found reports of any flaws.
So does the Touch HD have any of the above flaws, or any flaws at all?
Or if anyone can name any WM based phones that have specs similar to the above I'd appreciate it, preferably VGA resolution or above.
Thanks in advance.
Well early on there were a lot of people complaining the paint wore away from the metal casing very quickly, although this never happened to me. I don't think there are too many common problems or at least none that I've had myself.
the paint chipping happened to me also, especially around the mini usb connector and also around the stylus area. The edges of the screen are also starting....
Small detail, not very annoying, but hurts when you paid like 500 euro for the device.
have had it for just over a month, I think the raised metal section on the back cover seems to scratch fairly easily (a bit like the X1's back cover, actually) - I would advise putting InvisibleShield or something similar *specifically* on that section.
back cover is a *whee* bit loose from me pulling it open and closed to hard / soft reset the HD, but otherwise of issues.
Wish it had a lanyard hole, though.
Buttons don't light up... How can you see the buttons in the dark? There are little ways of reflecting the screen light, but you know what I mean, buttons that don't light up?!?!?
Smallest ever notification light is on the power button, how you see this when you just put the phone down next to you I have no idea! Bit pointless if you as me.
Back case is a bit 'loose', but thats after constantly taking it off to flash my phone. You could just pad the back with a sticky pad on the inside of the back cover anyway which would stop it from happening.
Haven't had the issue with scratching the 'bulge' around the camera lens, its brushed metal anyway so can't say you'd notice that much.
Other than that, the phone is mint... Get one...
Well for scratches on the metal casing i don't know cause i always look to put it on something soft when i use on the table or other rough surfaces.I watched a video on youtube which showed how hard is to scratch the screen and the back have a look...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVIPSK0P2EY
But just in case if i were you i would get one of these
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH-CPWCPCco&NR=1
Well i've had mine 2 months, i keep it in the material sleeve it came with and have the screen protector on and as of yet its been fine.
The screen protector could do with being replaced as there are a few scuffs on it. Very good device though, i've been very pleased with mine. I've used iphones and was never impressed by them. The only flaw i would pick up would be windows mobile itself... I do get occasional error messages as per windows desktop but nothing major.
If you don't mind there being no hard keyboard then i'd say its a fantastic device.
It's really very annoying
buy this never happened to me.
6 months in...
For “new” potential users I’m 6 months into using my Touch HD.
Good points.
Screen – I use Pocket Informant with mini text in the month view and I can actually read enough of each entry for each day of the month to plan at a glance.
Any kind of detail to look at and the screen helps, it is both large enough and has good enough resolution to see detail. The Iphone looks bright and very crisp but doesn’t get down to the text and other detail the HD can.
Size – it’s a good compromise between screen size and pocketability. It’s also quite slim.
Battery life – I’m pleasantly surprised – it lasts a good 2-3 days and using stuff like CoPilot as a SatNav doesn’t pull it down too quickly.
Stability – a few resets but relatively few and usually because I’ve been a dumbo about doing something.
Multi tasking – recently used the phone on a Bluetooth headset, whilst also guiding the caller using the satnav and also looking up the company he wanted on the internet…all at the same time – stunned it all worked, I even managed to navigate between the various active “screens”.
The “What’s that” factor! – most average “joes” have got into Nokia, Motorola, Iphone etc but the Touch HD is a relative rarity – so if you want to be different!
Phone – signal reception and call quality beat my previous Motorola Rizr Z3 hands down. Also my boss has an Iphone and his call quality is awful. My Touch HD is almost like using a landline – certainly better than the last 3 dedicated phones I’ve had.
Pulling out the stylus wakes the device – great and so obvious!
The actual device itself is still as new! I do use a case though.
Loads more…
Bad points.
I don’t use “touch flo” – many of the things I need to do mean using the stylus so for me its either all or nothing – TF doesn’t do for me!
Few hard key options – I used to have a one key push to bring up my diary (HP4700).
Useless LED “alarm” light on top – too small – too dim.
Camera – sunshine and its OK otherwise not great – no flash etc.
Battery life – it’s good but we are all waiting for more! Surely everyone wants at least a week without charging so you don’t lug a charger everywhere you go.
Stupidly small space of a couple of lines to answer text messages – duh! (I know there are fixes but I’m cautious about warranty and unrecoverable ****-ups!)
Installed…
CoPilot live 7. Works well (especially with the recent free screen resolution update to suit the HD)
Pocket Informant – best PIM/Diary/Contacts program I’ve ever used – I have a lot of diary stuff and quick access to good info.
Magic Button – useful although somewhat overtaken by changes in WM6x
Gsen – tweak for the G sensor options.
HD tweak – useful for customising a load of twiddly things.
Memaid – cleans up a bunch of iteme WM6x leaves woolly.
Pocket TV – useful for viewing various “movie” formats.
Resco File manager – MUCH better than the native WM6x file explorer – how can you live without it?
Accessories…Piel frama case – its ok but the leather around the screen blocks left margin stylus actions slightly (I’m left handed). Also it would be better using a magnetic closure instead of a popper, you can flip a mag closure shut with one hand movement but not the popper version. The front cover is a bit too soft so it would still allow something to crack the screen at a push. It also means if you receive a call by the time you’ve hauled the thing out of your pocket you’ve carried out some unknown screen clicks by gripping the case. Having said this I’ve tried two other cases and gone back to this one.
Thanks for all the replies.
If the paint chipping is the only problem I'll buy one, I'll be getting a case for it so hopefully that will protect it.
I'm moving from an iphone which I managed to keep in pristine condition, right up until I lost it
I tend to use the web browser quite a bit during the day, what kind of battery life could I expect out of the HD with say 2-3 hours browsing on 3g?
Ok, so I got my N1 last week, and I absolutely love it. Two problems, though. The bottom half of the back of the case is loose enough to fit a fingernail in, far enough to always be feelable but not seen, and the other is that the top right of my screen makes a sound not dissimilar to cellophane being scrunched some of the time.
The problems are barely there, the crunch can only be heard at medium high pressure from less than 6 inches away, but do you all thank that these can escalate enough that I would regret not going for the new replacement route within the 15 days?
Sounds like you may have gotten a bad one, mine is rock solid.
about that sound your screen is making; could be something to do with the adhesive. People blow dry it with hot air and then press for 5 min.
I decided that since I have the disapearing signal far worse than most people here (-75dBm to -110dBm/completely lost signal in 10 seconds...) I called them up and they're allowing replacement. Hopefully it goes without a hitch...
I have a very low to the ground car with low-profile tires.
I had my phone in my lap, and forgot it was there, got up and it just barely flopped to the ground. Flipped it over, the entire screen was shattered. It dropped maybe 12 inches from my pants to the ground.
Just a quick heads up for those who wear their phone in their crotch while they drive.
It will break from one time forgetting to take it out of your lap and into your pocket before you get out of the car. Take it from me.... FML..
Damn, that sucks bro! =[
I must be a lucky guy because I left my phone on my lap while I was driving my dad's truck (2002 Toyota Tundra), and then I forgot it was on my lap when I exited the vehicle. It landed face down, and not a scratch.
Another instance is when I was working out at the gym....again, I left my phone on my lap, and after completing my sets, I quickly stood up, and my phone hit the metal part of the equipment, and the battery door came off, and the battery flew out. Again, no scratch.
WOW!!!
I didn't know a glass screen could shatter!!!
Good info to know.
http://www.otterbox.com/htc-cases/h...cases-u.s./htc-hd2-defender-series-case-u.s./
had the same problem, dropped from a low height, screen cracked, my problem is I have a Telsta model, you have to replace screen and display (soldered together can't buy individualy) sad
eddyhsline said:
had the same problem, dropped from a low height, screen cracked, my problem is I have a Telsta model, you have to replace screen and display (soldered together can't buy individualy) sad
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most people break the screen when trying to replace it anyways. Probably better to replace both parts together.
It's all relative.
I've dropped my HD2 several times from various heights and so far the phone doesn't have a scratch on it. Once it skid down a couple of concrete stairs but miraculously survived without any damage. I guess I'm just lucky?
i use otterbox defender. in a moving car about 40km/h with window open and holding it outside when suddenly i lost grip and it felt on the asphalt.
the first thing in my mind is about the screen.
no scratch.
Was the phone on vibrate?
Just joking. Thanks for the heads up
Hey thanks guys on that otterbox thing. I might have to try that if they do have such an easy propensity to breaking.
Crazy how mine shattered so easy, and some not so easy.
If its any consolation this happened to a friend of mine - i guess its just bad luck.
people who mess with their phone whilst in charge of a vehicle deserve to crash and suffer terrible injury and / or a slow painful death, so im glad you broke your phone, just a shame you didnt cripple yourself into teh bargain. Whether making a call, or just holding it, you aren't in control of the vehicle, and deserve bad things to happen to you.
Just the opinion of someone who lost a relative to a driver who was 'just checking the time on my phone, officer'.
Glass screen can shatter? WHO WOULDA THUNK IT!?
In other related news, fish do live in the ocean and the sky is definitely blue.
I went through many of those drops with my Diamond. I put it on my crotch while talking on the headset, then got out of the car, unbeknownst that the phone is still on my crotch and BAMM! ate cement... Good thing the Diamond's screen was resistive heh. I take care of the HD2 like a baby now and always have it either on the passenger seat when i drive or put it in the phone holder.
badai said:
i use otterbox defender. in a moving car about 40km/h with window open and holding it outside when suddenly i lost grip and it felt on the asphalt.
the first thing in my mind is about the screen.
no scratch.
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WHY???
+1 on what sam said too.......
samsamuel said:
people who mess with their phone whilst in charge of a vehicle deserve to crash and suffer terrible injury and / or a slow painful death, so im glad you broke your phone, just a shame you didnt cripple yourself into teh bargain. Whether making a call, or just holding it, you aren't in control of the vehicle, and deserve bad things to happen to you.
Just the opinion of someone who lost a relative to a driver who was 'just checking the time on my phone, officer'.
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For your opinionated and assumptive information, I wasn't driving and talking on the phone, nor was I texting either. I pulled a pack of GUM out of my pocket and the phone had to come out in the process, so before you go wishing I DIAF, maybe you shouldn't assume things that never happen when I drive. Sorry you lost a relative, but I'm not retarded.
yep, hand off the wheel rooting in a pocket, that would count as driving without due care and attention too, except of course it's unenforecable, cos drivers have a whole set of laws all to themselves. I swing an iron bar around and accidentally hit someone and kill them, its manslaughter, a driver picks his nose and slams a half ton of metal into someone and its an unfortunate accident.
Im sorry i unloaded on you specifically, it was aimed at all car drivers (especially the pillock with his phone in hand hanging out of the car, christ, moron).
Even the (comparitively speaking) safe drivers look around, eat food (and gum!), pick their nose, fiddle with the radio, , none of these activities are safe.
How long to take your phone out of your pocket, take the gum out, unwrap it, put it in your mouth? 30 seconds? 30 seconds where you aren't in control of your car, it takes what, 3 seconds to mount the pavement, your car judders, your beloved phone leaps out of your lap, you automatically jump to grab it (studies have already shown people automatically try to grab their phones to protect them during incidents), bang, small child being scraped along the concrete leaving skin and blood in a trail behind your car. What happens? A year or so jail at the most, probably suspended.
So, again, im sorry i leaped down your throat, but for me, ANY story where something bad happens to a driver is good news.
samsamuel said:
yep, hand off the wheel rooting in a pocket, that would count as driving without due care and attention too, except of course it's unenforecable, cos drivers have a whole set of laws all to themselves. I swing an iron bar around and accidentally hit someone and kill them, its manslaughter, a driver picks his nose and slams a half ton of metal into someone and its an unfortunate accident.
Im sorry i unloaded on you specifically, it was aimed at all car drivers (especially the pillock with his phone in hand hanging out of the car, christ, moron).
Even the (comparitively speaking) safe drivers look around, eat food (and gum!), pick their nose, fiddle with the radio, , none of these activities are safe.
How long to take your phone out of your pocket, take the gum out, unwrap it, put it in your mouth? 30 seconds? 30 seconds where you aren't in control of your car, it takes what, 3 seconds to mount the pavement, your car judders, your beloved phone leaps out of your lap, you automatically jump to grab it (studies have already shown people automatically try to grab their phones to protect them during incidents), bang, small child being scraped along the concrete leaving skin and blood in a trail behind your car. What happens? A year or so jail at the most, probably suspended.
So, again, im sorry i leaped down your throat, but for me, ANY story where something bad happens to a driver is good news.
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I've been an insured driver for a decade. Never had an accident. NOR even a speeding ticket to speak of. Without taking my eyes off the road, its easy to drive with one hand and take a piece of gum out of your pocket. I don't LOOK off of the ROAD when doing this. Unfortunately some drivers do, and while one deems "safe driving" one thing, obviously another can deem it unsafe by their standards. Simply put, there are a LOT of bad drivers out there. You see them every day talking on their cell phone and using MAYBE 20% of their attention on actually PAYING ATTENTION to driving, so I get your point... but I'm sorry, taking ONE hand off the wheel while still watching the road is not unsafe, and if you cannot change the station in your car, or do simple things without getting into an accident then your license should be revoked. People take it to the extreme. I used to live in Phoenix and in the morning rush hour traffic you'd see women putting on their makeup and curling their FRIGGIN hair in the car. It boggles your mind how someone could deem THAT safe driving, because you should be BANNED from driving if you were to get pulled over or KILL someone for some stupid time-saving choice. If you've gotta do that in the car you might wanna hire someone to drive you to work every day.
So like I said I see what you're getting at and obviously, its a sensitive subject for you but I mean, 10 and 2 not 100% of the time in the car isn't gonna be unsafe if you're still prioritizing your attention & what you can, and cannot take a hand off the wheel for. ONE huge stupid is definitely TEXT/CALLING people. And the aforementioned.
So people, while this isn't a debate thread about texting and driving, moral of the story is.. don't be stupid and use your phone while you drive. I'm just the unlucky bastid that happened to have his in his lap when it shattered to the cement.
samsamuel said:
yep, hand off the wheel rooting in a pocket, that would count as driving without due care and attention too, except of course it's unenforecable, cos drivers have a whole set of laws all to themselves. I swing an iron bar around and accidentally hit someone and kill them, its manslaughter, a driver picks his nose and slams a half ton of metal into someone and its an unfortunate accident.
Im sorry i unloaded on you specifically, it was aimed at all car drivers (especially the pillock with his phone in hand hanging out of the car, christ, moron).
Even the (comparitively speaking) safe drivers look around, eat food (and gum!), pick their nose, fiddle with the radio, , none of these activities are safe.
How long to take your phone out of your pocket, take the gum out, unwrap it, put it in your mouth? 30 seconds? 30 seconds where you aren't in control of your car, it takes what, 3 seconds to mount the pavement, your car judders, your beloved phone leaps out of your lap, you automatically jump to grab it (studies have already shown people automatically try to grab their phones to protect them during incidents), bang, small child being scraped along the concrete leaving skin and blood in a trail behind your car. What happens? A year or so jail at the most, probably suspended.
So, again, im sorry i leaped down your throat, but for me, ANY story where something bad happens to a driver is good news.
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Texas has a new "distracted driver" laws in effect. Basically, they can cite you for doing anything that isn't driving. I'm going to have to look it up.
guess it wasn't as far reaching as I thought:
http://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=18043
nrfitchett4 said:
Texas has a new "distracted driver" laws in effect. Basically, they can cite you for doing anything that isn't driving. I'm going to have to look it up.
guess it wasn't as far reaching as I thought:
http://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=18043
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Yeah, I live in Michigan, and we just started to pass laws. Lots of states have. We just got a "no texting" law. If an Officer sees you on your cell while driving you will absolutely get a ticket every time. I actually think this is a GREAT idea. Maybe we'll save some lives and when a person thinks to get on their phone while driving they'll think twice.
Hello all,
I wonder if I may ask your collective opinion. I've been an HTC user since the Desire and have had a One X for the last 2 years. I'm due to upgrade in a month on EE 4G in the UK and have decided to go down the Note 3 route.
I have a varied lifestyle which means I can be in a variety of quite different environments with different use profiles for my devices (how's that for jargon?).
I'm looking for some advice around the best options to protect and power my phone.
I run an industrial and agricultural engineering business, as such my working environment can change from extreme to office boardroom on a daily basis. Extreme can involve outside in the Scottish winter so cold and wet. Industrial means drop risk and impact and screen protection, scratch protection, solvent and oil protection. We also restore old land rovers so mineral oil on hands is a frequent risk as is scrabbling around on dirty garage floors. I need to protect the phone from this environment but also retain full functionality.
However, I also find myself in the corporate boardroom where I need smart and sleek and unobtrusive and don't really want an oil stained lump of rubber in the table or desk.
In addition, at home I have two young children who have sticky fingers, accident prone (I've replaced my wife's iPhone screen and case 3 times now, who help themselves to phones and tablets to play games etc. I don't mind thus too much as it keeps the little buggers off my alienware M18.
At work we frequently find ourselves in remote locations where signal can be patchy and offer away from power sources for a while so I'm also looking to iccassionally beef up the battery. The remote locations can gobble up battery with roaming increased and whilst I know you can adjust settings, it can be a pain in the butt to remember to do this.
Strikes me I need a rugged, oil proof case and screen protector with the option of an extended battery capacity both of which can be removed to return to stick when in the office/socialising etc. Something with a holster would be good as well so I can pick up without rummaging in pockets which all too often contain knives, screw drivers etc.
What would you recommend? I've seen a few different options but am getting to the confused stage!
Secondly, I've recently developed osteoarthritis in my left hand, this makes using a phone the size of a One X with one hand tricky so the Note 3 will be even more of a challenge. So annoying and painful is this I very nearly opted for an iPhone 5s and breaking my vow never to own an apple product as Jobs was the antichrst and I can't stand Apples hypocritical, smug, controlling, 'aren't we just so wacky and cool', twat, Bollox corporate image- just because it is skinny enough to be easier to hold in my left hand when used as a phone or thumb texting.
I then recalled...just a minute, these days there are a plethora of solutions for this problem, there is no need to sacrifice my deepest principles!
Now I'm not a huge fan of Bluetooth ear sets they don't sit well with helmets, goggles, spectacles etc. So I have been interested to see the Galaxy Gear watch which looks like it might be an option despite the fact that I don't necessarily want to be bothered by phone and text all the time...sales calls, the bank, irate customers etc....
Question is...is the current GG watch worth getting or am I better waiting six months for the new one? I'm not sure if the latest one is waterproof and shockproof as most reviews tend to be about its gadgetry rather than its construction as a watch.
Lastly, I do a lot of miles behind the wheel in different vehicles, from family and work cars to vans and classic cars. Is there a decent generic vehicle dock avaliable for this phone, one which can be moved between vehicles easily and which allows me to easily access the phone as well as spotify and audible. I've gone back to my Garmin sat nav as in the uk anyway, Google maps app went from brilliant to utter push about six months ago. I've list count of the cash I have wasted on various phone mounts for cars and given the huge size of the Note 3 am thinking about somthing specific.
Thanks in advance for wasting valuable time pondering the best way forward for my hectic lif. I'm determined not to trash thus phone and secondly, to actually get the best out of its productivity as I'm getting busier and busier and need to use the devices smarter, one if the reasons I don't is the environment challenges.
Cheers
Rich
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk
No.1 Sun S2 Smart Watch Review
Thanks to GearBest for the sample
First Impressions: Having already had a “first look” at the device, that being a read up online all about the thing, I had a fair idea of what was coming. The box seems alright, nothing too fancy. Inside there we have the watch. It looks nice in the flesh. Though I’m still not sure I love the triangular pattern round the edge, feels like it’s there just to make it look more watch like. Mind you given how often I smack the face of my other watches off of things maybe it’s there and so raised to act as a defensive measure?
Picking it up I rather like it. I like metal bands and while I’ve seen reviews say its strap feels so light and cheap I can’t say I agree. Maybe normal watch straps are made of lead but to me it feels nicely weighted. Very flexible too, I like very much. I have never loved tightly fitting watches, I like them a little loose on the wrist and with this I can. Don’t think the heart rate thing will like that but how often will I use that?
Specifications: Built-in chip type: MT6260, Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 3.0, Waterproof Rating: IP67, Health tracker: Pedometer, Heart rate monitor, Alert type: Ring, Vibration, Screen: LED, Screen resolution: 240 x 240 px, Screen size: 1.33 inch, Camera pixel: 0.3MP, Battery capacity: 350mAh, Standby time: About 90 hours, Product weight: 0.120 kg
Actually there are tons of more details in the full spec list but I’ve skimmed to the bits that I think matter. Some spec too are variable, like the band material. My one is metal, silvery metal but you can get black too or leather of varying colours. The bands are actually standard watch straps so you can change it for anything you want. You hear that Motorola, Sony!!!! Standard bloody watch straps! So if you don’t like the strap or just feel like a change you can use anything you like and you shouldn’t have any trouble doing so.
Screen: The screen is pretty nice. It does do the Moto 360 “flat tyre” thing. You know where the bottom of the round screen has a black flat cut off at the bottom. For the most part this doesn’t really bother me as I’m used to it but….. when you use a round dial its really noticeable that 6 is missing and the faces all seem to pretend that the bottom is there. I don’t know why, the 360 does this too, just acts like it’s there when it’s not. Otherwise though the screen is pretty damn good. I was expecting poo viewing angles give the low cost but it’s actually really wide. It’s not perfect but its works great all the way to angles you would never encounter in the real world. It can get rather bright too. I’m really impressed for the price.
UI: This if anywhere is where things drop. The UI is not Android Wear. The UI is a proprietary thing I think made by Mediatek. While China has absolutely got hardware nailed I cannot say the same in regards to software. It all works, functionally but it can be odd. Like there is just 3 fascia’s for the watch. The white backed one I don’t like as the flat tyre is so noticeable. The two black ones, one having silvery typeface and the other goldish. Now it so happens I really quite like the silvery one so I was happy to use it but I could find no way to add any more options. Then when you go past that first face you are greeted with a digital, in yellow with a call button and a message button below it. You cannot change this screen and it’s different from the one in the photos, the one it the photos doesn’t seem to exist anywhere which I found really odd. The UI on the whole is quirky, once you start delving into menu’s you often feel a bit lost. Now you’ll hardly ever do it but you know. The rest of the functions, there are all fairly easily accessed. Somethings on there though, I don’t get. Like what use is the video playback app or the video recording when the storage space is so super tiny? Like I said, quirky but for the most part it’s pretty simple.
Features: The Sun 2 has a couple of really unusual bits. Now you see how the face looks like a watch and it has the little dial on the side where you would either wind it up or set the time? Well obviously you do neither with it, so you may wonder what it’s for, just decorative? Hell no, that thing is a camera!!! Yes you read that right, a camera. Granted it’s a low quality, 0.3 mega pixel camera but the 10 year old in me thinks it’s kinda awesome. Come on a real camera in your watch, that is some James Bond type gadgetry right there!!! Oh and you know what else!?!?!? The damn thing has a speaker and a microphone built in so it can initiate and receive calls, on the watch!!! Now I get you may look weird taking a call on your watch but…… come on, that is so James Bond. I can tell you if I was 10 and had this thing I would be ecstatic. As a grown up, I love the idea but I think I might feel too self-conscious to use in public.
Weirdly you can also use the watch to playback music on from your phone. I don’t know why you would chose to do this. I hoped I could use the watch as a remote control for audio being streamed to a Bluetooth pair of headphones but the Sun 2 and the headphones (Blueudio T2S) refused to be both connected to the phone (Moto G) at the same time.
Where you can use the watch as a remote control though is for your phones camera. It’s a little bit odd, there is no live transmission so you can’t see on the watch what your about to snap on the phone. Still it’s kinda cool that you can. I’m not quite sure what you’d do with it, maybe some more James Bond spying perhaps?
The other features that you may want to make use of are the health stuff. Now things like the pedometer it seemed to act more like a stopwatch than being some background, always monitoring feature. Same for the sleep monitor and sedentary reminder. So I don’t know if it was me missing something but they just seemed realistically of minimal use. The “Heart Rate” and ECG apps seem to be pretty much the same thing. They don’t continually monitor but if you’re interested in your heart rate they will tell you. I found it be really very accurate too.
Build Quality: It feels rather solid. Now it doesn’t exude luxury it doesn’t look or feel like a piece of jewellery. It feels like a man’s watch. Some plain stainless steel, polished on the face, brushed on the band. It’s a pleasant, plain, functional object. It appeals to my sense of the functionally aesthetic. Well bar that triangular bevelling, I still have mixed feelings about that. It feels like decoration for decorations sake. The rest of the thing looks fairly chunky, functional, and manly. You can barely see them unless you take the watch off but near the strap attachments and the underside you can see that its screwed together. I like that.
Usability: Well it depends what you want to do. If you’re happy to pair it up, just let it notify you of calls and texts you’re golden. It does this very ably. If you want to start doing things on the watch, like initiate a call or god forbid send a text, not so much. The round screen is a pain and to make things more awkward the big bevelled facia makes it hard to hit things near the edges. It sadly is awkward to do much more than hit the answer button or to acknowledge the notification of something. Stick to the basics, which is what I really want a watch for anyway, you cannot over estimate how handy a vibrating notification on your wrist is in my opinion. In these days of giant phones, leaving your phone on your desk or pocket means you might miss the vibration but when it’s on your wrist, you notice.
Battery: The battery life I found to be quite variable. I had the thing set to light up with a flick of a wrist. It would seem that while sleeping some nights I did this a lot and others not so much. Therefore sometimes the battery would last nearly 3 days others it would be dead in the morning when I went to use it. You should really just get in the habit of charging it overnight anyway. Like you do with your phone, it’s what I would have done normally if I wasn’t specifically reviewing to see how long it would last.
What was more of an issue I found was the charging dock. It is a little dock that magnetically clamps to the underside of the watch. The thing is it didn’t always seem to quite get the contacts lined up. More than once I put it to charge and sever hours later I discovered it hadn’t been. That got really annoying, if it just had some light or something to let you instantly see if it’s charging or not would have solved this. There is not, if you want to see you have at wake it up and see if the battery meter is animating.
Connectivity: I’ve seen people say they have had issues connecting different smart watches to their phones, so this category is here but I can’t say I did. There is some issue with the variety of apps available. Having the latest “Meditek SmartDevice” app it paired saw each other and worked just fine. Its range seemed more sensitive than my android wear watches, if I left the phone and wandered to the other side of the flat it would start ringing and vibrating to let me the Bluetooth connection had been lost. When I wandered back it reconnected automatically. That is with multiple devices all over the place too.
Value: Ahh value, there is no getting around the headline fact that as “smartwatches” go this is cheap, hell’a cheap. Right now it’s for sale, with a little Xiaomi LED light thrown in, for US$63 or with the handy discount code GBSS2 its US$54. At present exchange rates that’s just £35. So £35, with the cool wee light and delivered to your door. So that’s pushing one tenth of what an Apple watch would cost you. While I found the Sun 2 more limited and a little quirky, if what you want, the most important aspect for a smart watch for me, the notifications right there on your wrist. You feel it vibrate where you rarely feel your phone in your pocket and you can glance to see if it’s worth bothering to dig your phone out. With phones getting stupid big this matters ever more. Tbh even if you just use it for a watch, it’s still kinda bargain priced.
Conclusion: So I have 6 different “wearables” in arms reach right now. Yes I have issues, I know. You know you can never really judge an item on its own without having some other thing to compare it to. You know, your mothers Victora Sponge is cake and all cake is nice, then you have a big slice of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte that’s had a generous drizzling of Kirsch. One is good, one is to die for. The Sun 2 then, it falls into the first category. It isn’t a device that will wow you, change the way you look at existence, have you pondering in awe of the miracle that is human creativity. The Sun 2 is a good product, a solid product that has a clearly defined parameter of functionality.
The Sun 2 is about just a few things, telling you the time, looking like a proper watch and notifying you of people trying to reach you. Both calls and text notifications come through perfectly. Its functionality that my long vanished, ancient Sonyericsson MBW-100 that I so loved, provided. The Sun 2 replicates those functions admirably and throws in some little extras. Most of those extras are things you probably won’t use. Like the camera, it’s a super cool novelty but not actually useful. It’s just a cool little gadget.
Would I buy one, I dunno. I’ve gotten used to my Android Wear watches that do lots more but then they cost a lot more too. This therefore I see appealing to the young, seriously 10 year old me would have freekin’ loved this thing beyond belief. The other group being those who want the notifications in a reasonably looking package. To both those groups it suffices perfectly. It also is a really cost effective way to see if you can get used to wearing a watch but mostly I see it being for those who are forever not noticing calls and texts. When something strapped to your wrist vibrates, you notice it. It is that simple. So do you think you fall in to those categories? If so it’s a nice, functional, pleasant, watch looking way to get that without having to throw down considerably more money.
Photos i tried to add but it wouldnt let me, no idea why. however if you want to see them they are all in here http://www.mobiletechtalk.co.uk/no-1-sun-s2-smart-watch-review/
No.1 Sun S2 Smart Watch Quick Review
Thanks to GearBest for the sample
Brief: Bargain Bond watch.
Price: US$63 but with code GBSS2 US$54 ( so about £35)
Specification: Built-in chip type: MT6260, Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 3.0, Waterproof Rating: IP67, Health tracker: Pedometer, Heart rate monitor, Alert type: Ring, Vibration, Screen: LED, Screen resolution: 240 x 240 px, Screen size: 1.33 inch, Camera pixel: 0.3MP, Battery capacity: 350mAh, Standby time: About 90 hours, Product weight: 0.120 kg
Accessories: It comes with its little dock/charger and a micro USB cable to link it to a USB socket.
Build Quality: It feels very sturdy, chunky, and functional. I’ve seen people say its band feels really light but I don’t think it is, not in the least. It’s all rather weighty and solid.
Comfort/Fit: Great. I like metal banded watches and I like them to sit loose on my wrist. If you like more snug you can remove links or just change bands. Oh or you could pick it with the leather and not metal band.
Aesthetics: I mostly like it. It comes is several options so you chose what you like most I guess but that triangular bevelling still looks a bit flashy to me. I kinda think I might have preferred the black metal one, that being less reflective. It’s hard to say but it certainly gives you plenty of options.
UI: Hmm quirky. Works but I doubt you’ll use most of it. What use is the image viewer or file manager? Much of it seems rather superfluous to me.
Functionality: Where the Sun 2 excels is acting as a notifier for calls and texts, I regularly don’t notice my phone as I always keep it on vibrate. Vibrating in my pocket isn’t something I always notice but you do when something strapped to your wrist vibrates and lights up. That is handy beyond words in my opinion. Also I have to mention the camera, super cool but not so functionally useful. I did though have an issue with the limited number of fascia’s available, just 3. That was bluntly disappointing and I couldn’t find any way to add more. Lastly you can use the watch to make calls, it’s got a mic and speaker built in, super cool but I’d feel super silly using it in public.
Battery: Variable. Screen on time hammers the battery so clearly in my sleep I would set it off and that slashed the battery life. Though if you take it off at night you’ll easily get a few days out of it.
Connectivity: Great. Would drop if I left the room with the phone but that’s what its supposed to do. Never had it give any problems.
Value: It is a bargain priced device. Sure it’s not got the functionality of Android Wear watches or the Apple watch but it’s just a sliver of their price tags. If all you really need is notifications then this will got the job done considerably more cheaply.
Pro’s: Bargain price tag. Chunky feel. Standard watch band fittings.
Con’s: UI is interesting. Limited fascia’s. Docking charger not always catching.