Related
how do you guy's live with the chunky size of the unit and is the build quality as bad as some reports ?
thank you
i am on my 4th mda
1st: crashed a lot and keyboard not quite set right into the frame - wireless manager button sticks up slightly
2nd: metal top plate offset and scratching my ear
3rd: loud creaky hinge with loud clicks
4th: camera fault - big white dot on photo's
on my 1st exec i have a misaligned keyboard as with mda 1, and minor camera pixel dropouts
i think build quality is pretty awful, and will keep* my exec and get the mda swapped out for a vario or something.
* might take it back and see if I can get a fully functional device from them, after all I paid 99 pounds for it :lol:
I had one MDA Pro and now I have an XDA Exe and both were/are excellent, great quality devices.
About the size - I had all the previous XDAs so I got used to the big phones already. I'm not using any bluetooth headsets, and I always carry it in my jeans back pocket , no problems at all for me.
I am on my first and only Jas Jar - the thing is brilliant- no problems at all. As for size, I always use mine with a BT headset and voice command when making or recieving a call, so no problem there either.
I am on my 3rd Jasjar. First was taken away by my boss. 2nd had an Arabic/English keyboard and did not like it. Now on 3rd unit for over 2 months. All had excellent build quality. No complaints from me whatsoever.
Kind Regards
Mine seems fine so far. Havent noticed any problems and im usually one for spotting things. Was worried about dead pixels but both my wizard and uni are clear as a bell.
i find the entire flimsy plastic body of the MDA Pro to be quite a weak design. I put my first one in my pocket, jumped in the car, drove for an hour, took it out and the phone had been bent in my pocket slightly. No apparent external damage but the screen had a beautiful crack right through the middle.
At one of their shops they accused me of damaging the device myself, but fortunately the insurance paid out, even though I had to pay an excess. I have never had any problems with my XDA2 or my MDA3 and for this to happen within 5 days of actually getting the phone, I am not very confident it will last 18 months.
Furthermore I keep discovering pieces of software are not included - Messenger (which is a shame as always good for long journeys on a train) and most of all - Calculator - I can't believe it, not even the old basic one.
I think you should look once again :wink:
There is a calculator in PROGRAMS
and the MSN Messenger is in POCKET MSN, first position from the top
lloydalikes said:
i find the entire flimsy plastic body of the MDA Pro to be quite a weak design. I put my first one in my pocket, jumped in the car, drove for an hour, took it out and the phone had been bent in my pocket slightly. No apparent external damage but the screen had a beautiful crack right through the middle.
At one of their shops they accused me of damaging the device myself, but fortunately the insurance paid out, even though I had to pay an excess. I have never had any problems with my XDA2 or my MDA3 and for this to happen within 5 days of actually getting the phone, I am not very confident it will last 18 months.
Furthermore I keep discovering pieces of software are not included - Messenger (which is a shame as always good for long journeys on a train) and most of all - Calculator - I can't believe it, not even the old basic one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No offense but why would you drive for an hour with an MDA Pro in your pocket. Surely glove box, dashboard, passenger seat or a passenger holding it for you would have been preferable.
To be fair you cant blame the design for that. If youve had it in your pocket and obviously bent it in some way, then the screen being damaged isnt beyond reason.
Its no good buying one of these devices and then expecting it to fit in a shirt pocket like it isnt there. Its a big phone, end of !
As ive said before, the design seems ok to me and its everything I have expected it to be so far. Maybe in months to come I might find one or two shortcomings but not so far.
Maybe my opinion will sound odd to most of you, but I really find Wizard much more "bulky" looking than the Universal. This thing is so thick!!! Even if overall in size the Universal is bigger, it's got excellent proportions and it just "looks the bollocks!!" as my friend said :wink: Of course I'm talking about the XDA Exec which for me looks way better than M5000 or MDA Pro...
rottie said:
Of course I'm talking about the XDA Exec which for me looks way better than M5000 or MDA Pro...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree with that comment! Just swapped from an MDA Pro to an XDA Exec and it actually seems smaller. I guess what they say about black being more slimming is true
rottie said:
Maybe my opinion will sound odd to most of you, but I really find Wizard much more "bulky" looking than the Universal. This thing is so thick!!! Even if overall in size the Universal is bigger, it's got excellent proportions and it just "looks the bollocks!!" as my friend said :wink: Of course I'm talking about the XDA Exec which for me looks way better than M5000 or MDA Pro...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't agree more, I think the Wizard looks FAR bulkier, yet because it's a bit smaller and traditionally-XDA style, people say THAT's the smaller of that and the Exec.
The Wizard is a good phone, admittedly. However, a lot of excess plastic if you ask me.
And black is the ONLY colour for the Universal! hehe
Ant
I have the Universal and the wife has the Wizard, I am costantly amazed at what both devices are capable of. When using my Universal in the car it sits on the dash with the four rubber feet, screen open and on display, works and looks fantastic. I love the larger screen on the Universal and also like the 3g support. As for size I prefer the Wizard, It just feels more comfy to hold and use like a phone, I still feel weird holding the Universal to my ear, I don't use a BT headset yet, keep trying to find a surgery that can give me a bluetooth implant behind my ear :shock: I actually find myself using the keyboard on my Universal less and less now, and opting to leave it screen out and use the onscreen keyboard. The twist is nice but I am sure its is already getting slack. I guess my ideal device would be a hybrid of the two, wishfull thinking and totally over the top but, same size as the wizard, same screen as the universal and with 3g but the screen, imagine opening a wizard with the base being thicker than the screen and as you slide it open the screen tilts up and can rotate so its perpendicular to the keyboard so it looks like the universal, keep going and it ends up facing the keyboard and would close back down screen facing in, no need to twist the screen about a single swivel anymore.
I may even knock up a short avi so you can see it in action.
Regards
I am on the whole , pretty happy with my Exec
The only thing that bothers me is that it seems (only very slightly) slower than my old Magician !
I have had to learn how to answer calls on it (i.e if it rings while it is closed then LEAVE IT CLOSED TO ANSWER IT ! ) Which leads me to my only real gripe - No way of seeing who is calling with the clamshell closed
As for the size thing - anyone who buys one of these knows exactly what they are buying into - I personally have no problem with big phones wouldn't want the Exec any smaller
I've probably said it too many times... I love my phone! in spite and despite of...
When you love something that much, you get to love every bit of it.. bulky size and all. I still look sheepish when answering a call with a brick in my ear but I glow when all my officemates jot their notes on a paper while I just type it on my dopod900.
I still go berserk when the ringtone suddenly changes to another despite my change in the registry but I think I can live with going to settings and all..
So there, Im gonna borrow McDonald's slogan and say "Im Lovin' It!"
I do not see any problem with the size and build of the Uni.
I have the first XDA for 3 years or so, and now I use both the Uni and the XDA. Because I have been using the XDA so long, I do not have any problem with the Uni. They are both relatively about the same size and weight and same usage. Nobody laughes at me when I hold the big phone next to my ear, because I have done that for years with my XDA.
I laugh at myself when I noticed how funny its when having a bug (BT headset) in my ear now.
Overall I really like the Uni though it still cannot replace my XDA fully in certain environment where I do not want to take the risk of having the Uni handles the job. But in office and home, Uni is perfect.
Software wise, when the XDA came out, the software loaded were really buggy, it took years before finally everything became really stable, so with that matter of fact, I could accept Uni at its right now with hope it will be close to 100% perfect in the near future.
jasjar with no build or quality problems, and I love everything except the name. (I'm still planning to get around to using that sugar cube.)
I'm pretty impressed by the overal feel of my Qtek. The plastic feels very strong, it doesn't look or feel like a cheap plactic box. The rotating hinge works flawlessly, but when I put my screen in laptop modus, there is a very minimal play. But I guess this is normal? Can anyone confirm!?
Iwan to switch to the T Mobile MDA VArio II, T-mbile offer no cost calls to Europe and the USA on a business 1 Tarrif. It's killer...
But
I love the Universal, though I find it BIG....would you switch??
Is the screen less good on the Tytn than the Univ.??
Yes I would.... Infact I did
Vario II is smaller n sweeter.
It fits in my pocket without weighing me down.
Keyboard although not as good as universal is great!
Screen well its small but no universal...
calls, wow I actually get to pick them up rather than waiting for the universal to realise I had pressed the green buton
GO FOR IT!!!
well.... I still have my trusty and big Dopod 900 !!!
It's one of a kind...
also got o2 trion... as regular..
My uni supposed to be my backup .. but my trion is on repair for screen alignmnet..
I prefer the clamshell design, even though it definitely is bigger. So, I prefer to wait for the second version of the Universal.
I would have shifted for its smaller size and almost the same functions as the Uni except the VGA screen. But with the current screen allignment issue would never even think of. With so many units being returned to HTC for repairs I am sure they would not be destroying / discard them. Rather most likely the faulty units will be repaired refurbished and recycled to the market as new units. I would not like to spend my hard earned cash on a refurbished repaired unit.
I think the allignment issue has destroyed an otherwise excellent phone.
Regards
I actually....
Well in my opinion, Nothings beats the Universal. Best keyboard, 3.6" VGA screen and NORMAL SD card slot. Weight and size doesnt bother me at all. Rather I think it is great coz I get stares when taking out my Universal(s). It truly is the epitome of class and technology. I have 2 Universals and 1 TyTn. TyTn definitely needs improvements in the ROM department to address bugs and issues. I love the TyTn's Bluetooth and macro lens though!!!
I changed from my old faithful universal to current tytn. The good thing abt the tytn is being light and small.. Handsome good looks too. But og course the tytn is pretty advanced in features than the universal other than VGA screen but having a VGA screen slows down the universal and hurts it badly, now the tytn performs anything in a breeze in stock settings with a number of programs installed.. No regrets at all since but miss the universal unique design..
I did the switch as well and I am not looing back. The Universal is a great device, but the lack of Quad Band GSM and Tri Band UMTS made me switch. I do miss the the Big VGA screen.
The TyTN is faster, longer battery, smaller, easy to carry, good camera, much better reception compare to the Universal, and Tri Band UMTS. Surfing the web has never been so sweet in the US with a Pocket PC.
I am sure the next version of the Unviersal will have all this plus more and I am certain most of us (including myself) will jump on the it then. I believe that might be a good 18 months away and I could not way that long.
Does anyone have any news as to any clamshell device that can replace our Universal?
What happened to the IMate Ultimate 7150 or the HTC OMNI?
---
Hope you are enjoying your Fujitsu U810
imate 7150 was cancelled long ago. Also, I m not sure about this news but I guess Omni too is cancelled.
On the brigther side, if you are interested in VGA, Athena II will be lauching this year. It has been confirmed by HTC
how big is it?the athena 2?
kdskamal said:
Hope you are enjoying your Fujitsu U810
imate 7150 was cancelled long ago. Also, I m not sure about this news but I guess Omni too is cancelled.
On the brigther side, if you are interested in VGA, Athena II will be lauching this year. It has been confirmed by HTC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response. Sad to hear that. I'll do some searching about the Athena II.
YES, I am enjoying my Fujitsu U810. I even ordered the 2 cell battery to make it even smaller. The 4 cell battery is just too big and ugly as it sticks out on the back.
---
Im hoping to replace my uni too.... it's been 3 years now... I'm thinking of the HTC Advantage. What do you think? It's not your typical clamshell but I think it's the nearest to our uni, right?
I was very close to purchasing the advantage from compusa (cc declined - ouch!). I'm glad I didn't.
Spec/feature wise the advantage is amazing. The screen is huge and operating it is a breeze. I just don't think htc got their market right. It's just too big and difficult to carry around. I would think that the max size for a device like this is to fit in your front pants pocket - GOOD LUCK! I'd think women might be the only market for this device as they can fit it in their purse (but what woman that actually wants a device like this owns a purse? ).
I think the uni is fine for my needs, but there's only 4 things that I'd really like out of it:
- Better battery life. This shouldn't be difficult with updates in battery tech from the last 3 years. It's not very reasonable to expect people to carry around extra 1800mah batteries when they're just going out for a 9-5er.
- Soft key buttons + shortcut keys in tablet view. It's just too inconvenient using tablet mode without these keys, hence the fact that I don't ever use this mode on the uni.
- Larger memory. Preferably a microdrive included. What were they thinking only including 64mb of space for us? This is very limiting.
- A way of operating when closed. That imate had it right: putting a display on the outer clamshell. I can imagine looking at that screen and accepting a call on my bt headset without having to open the clamshell up.
http://www.mikenchell.com/handheldpcs/
I dont think this does phone duties though, but it is cool.
http://www.mobilecowboys.nl/mobilerumours/3423
this appears to be a less functional clone of the Universal. Seems kinda bakkerds huh?
axebox, i own a purse (a lot, actually). Im still thinking hard before getting the advantage. Ive been reading the reviews and the comments from the athena thread and seems like it's not a perfect device as well. The speaker's a bit buggy too. I dont really mind the size as long as it meets my needs. I like the screen because I read a lot of ebooks. Im doing that now with my dopod900 and I dropped it a couple of times because I fell asleep while reading. haha. Plus it's using micro sd (not as affordable as sd). And then the magnetic case. I currently use the piel frama case and I use it as a wallet too, i have all my credit cards and other important cards too, plus some cash. Yup, my case is really bulky, especially since I have the thick battery. I managed to stretch the leather to fit the thick battery in. Anyway, Im happy with my dopod now but Im just thinking, if there's anything out there that's gonna be better, faster and maybe even smaller (but not really a priority feature), then I'll get it.
AllanonMage, I'll stick to my dopod.
Not quite what you meant I'm sure but I'm still lusting over it:
http://www.europe.htc.com/en/products/htcshift.html
toshiba g920 seems quite good replacement...negatives will be, probably:
battery life (ahhh...I will really miss 3200+4800mah!)
graphic performance, with wvga you can't expect too much...
smaller display
no rom fun/cooking, superslow updates and patch,no xda support (sigh)
I'm still undecided, though, and even samsung i780 is a pretty good device...but I fear the 320x320 resol., after being accustomed to 640x480....
When the X1 was first announced, I was all over it. Then the Touch Pro with TF3D was announced, and I thought... the X1 is too 'raw' compared to the 'slick' Touch Pro, so Touch Pro for me!
Then I tried the FUZE (AT&T's Touch Pro) and I was disappointed in a few areas where I was not expecting to be disappointed (details below).
So, as it stands today, I am leaning back toward the X1 over the FUZE (TP). But it's a close call, and I'm still undecided. Here’s why:
1. Xperia hardware looks like a device that I would be proud to be paired with. In other words, just like Apple, Sony understands that a gadget can also be a fashion accessory. That’s a 2-fer in terms of value-add.
2. I have found the FUZE to be too heavy and bricky to be really pocket-friendly. This was a major disappointment when I checked it out at AT&T last week! I was all ready to buy the FUZE when I realized that it would take a serious adjustment to have that kind of weight and thickness in my pocket. It remains to be seen how I feel about the X1’s weight and thickness (since it's not released yet in the States). But, in terms of the specs published, the X1 looks to be about .5oz lighter than the FUZE. NOTE: The FUZE for some odd reason seems to be .5oz heavier than the Sprint Touch Pro and the HTC Touch Pro. No idea why.
3. The X1 has more hard buttons on the front panel, and more easily pressed hard buttons on the front panel. I have heard serious complaints about the “up” arrow on the X1 d-pad, but I will have to see for myself if that is insurmountable. I have played with FUZE, and the front panel buttons are not confidence-inspiring. I feel like it’s a negotiation with each press of the dpad.
4. The absence of the g-sensor on the X1 is stunning, and quite disappointing. What a huge bummer. What the heck was Sony thinking? G-sensors = cool + fun. Xperia = cool+fun. What am I missing?
5. The FUZE is about $175 w/plan on AT&T, and the X1 will be around $700 retail in a few weeks (with coupons, etc.). Yikes, that’s not a marginal difference in price, is it? I’m not sure I can justify a 4x price difference for a phone that is about 1.5x as good. Or, can I? Well, it’s like buying clothing: I can spend $200 on a shirt or $10 on a shirt. They both cover my torso about as effectively, but which one do I want people to see me paired with? This goes back to the gadget-as-accessory frame.
6. Panels. I figured they would be a dead platform as soon as 09, but the new facebook panel could be a game-changer. It shows how Panels could be the equiv to iPhone apps! Will panels have market mojo? What incentives are Sony peddling for developers to get on board? What kind of penetration can panels have if limited to only 1 device? Very chicken/egg situation here, and kind of a risk for X1 owners if they are relying on panels to breathe life into WM6.1.
7. TouchFlo 3D on X1. If this really ends up being portable to the X1 with 100% functionality and no bugs, then the X1 ends up being the more flexible device of the two. But 100% compatibility seems to be a ways off still, for many good reasons. Conversely, it is highly unlikely for several reasons that the TP would ever get panels. Sure, they might be portable over to the TouchPro HD, but that’s not the TP/FUZE, is it?
8. Keyboards. I’ve read some horrific reviews of the X1 keyboard, but they’ve been scattered and not consistent. So, I guess I’ll have to wait to actually try one myself to see how bad it really is. I tested out the FUZE keyboard, and I know it gets rave reviews, but coming from my HTC S710/Vox, I found the lack of space between the keys troubling. I’m sure I’d get used to it, but it seems like the X1’s layout (with spaces between keys) is more like my S710’s layout, which I find quite comfortable to type on. I am quite concerned about the lack of tactile feedback on the X1 keyboard, though. If there’s no feedback, then what’s the point of a hardware keyboard? Again, reviews have not been satisfactory around this aspect of the X1, so I’ll have to wait to see for myself.
9. Touchiness. I found the FUZE to be fiddly with touch sensitivity. Too often, a swipe was interpreted as a select, which was quite annoying. I've read that the X1 has a better touch experience, but that will be something I'll have to xperience myself, I guess.
10. Screen rotation. OK, big minus for X1 to have no G-sensor, but big plus for X1 for its apparent "instant switch" technology between landscape and portrait modes! I've seen some videos and it's quite impressive in Opera. One of the reasons why I 'dread' to go to my slide-out keyboard on my S710 is due to the lag. It's just painful to wait. If there were no "wait tax" on using the slide-out keyboard, I might go to it more readily.
11. Dpad+ features. The FUZE has the circular zoom thang, and the X1 has the glidey thing. No idea which is preferable. Both are interesting in their own way.
So, this is where I am right now re: X1 v. FUZE. To be honest, I am kind of looking for excuses to cheap out and get the FUZE just so I'm not spending $700 on a friggin phone. But the thickness and weight are things that I'd have to adjust to.
Does anyone have any thoughts/comments/additions to this analysis?
Jon
[cross-posted on X1 and Raphael forums so I can get both viewpoints]
Ops wanted to post this somewhere else sorry :-(
xperia has same hardware + bigger screen but no tv out and accelerometer. these are unuseful for me, and touchflo3D from touchHD runs great on x1
we have xda, we don't have to choose a device for his software, and xperia is indeed an HTC device so ALL tweaks and programs are compatible. x1 looks better and seems to be less fragile, i purchased xperia and now I tweak it with all i need from others devices
I have the same problem. Still unsure what device to buy, but tend towards the X1. I've used both devices.
Keyboard:
X1 wins for me. Its just more clear and more intuitive to use with the 4 row layout. Yes, the keys are small, but I had absolutly no problem with hitting the right one. The feedback was okay and definitely not a problem. The sliding mechanism is better as well, as is the depth of the slide-out part. It just seems more stable, better to hold and easier to use. Of course, A CRTL button and a CAPSlock LED would have been nice.
Size and weight:
X1 wins big time. The X1 is a little thinner and much more lighter. It just feels better in the hand and in the pocket.
Display:
Possibly the biggest advantage over the touch pro. The display is sharp as hell and web browsing is a pleasure. The fast and almost instantaneous swith between landscape and normal view is just awesome.
And some minor things like battery and the nice optical Joystick when internet surfing ...
Some cons:
X1 display not leveled. But when I used the X1 the first time I was surprised that its not a problem at all. the display itself is a little smaller than the cutting in the cover. So I had no problem pushing the X-Button or Start-Button.
No G-Sensor. Its just sad SE didn't implement that. Would have been nice, but its not a no-go ...
Will order it next week I think, but will take a last look at the touch pro to be sure ...
10. Screen rotation. OK, big minus for X1 to have no G-sensor, but big plus for X1 for its apparent "instant switch" technology between landscape and portrait modes! I've seen some videos and it's quite impressive in Opera. One of the reasons why I 'dread' to go to my slide-out keyboard on my S710 is due to the lag. It's just painful to wait. If there were no "wait tax" on using the slide-out keyboard, I might go to it more readily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, after you loaded more softwares in your phone, it will get quite laggy especially in some softwares, dunno about others, but it does lag here
nap007 said:
well, after you loaded more softwares in your phone, it will get quite laggy especially in some softwares, dunno about others, but it does lag here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm... so is the lag gap because one is running TF3D and one isn't? How bad does the lag get? And is it from installed apps, or running apps?
it will be running (or even run) apps which are causing it. However a soft reset once every few days should ensure it runs smoothly all the time.
yeah i have to find a decision, too
i think i will buy the x1, because the dimensions the depth is 1mm smaller then the touch pro. currently i use the wizard, its a really fat door stopper.
I am fortunate to actually own both these devices at the moment (thanks to an upgrade on my contract) so I can tell you what my findings are:
:: Hardware X1 problems ::
My battery cover refused to stay on. I was forced to get a small screwdriver and push the little metal tabs (near the SE logo) down a bit lower. This has been noted in other forums. The battery cover is a pain to get off if you don't have long fingernails.
The soft-reset button is under the said battery cover! I mean who decided that was a good idea??
The speaker is situated in a place that is often covered up by the palm of your hand (if you are right handed) and subsequently blocks the sound. The same can be said for the positioning of the camera lens, which frequently gets covered by fingers as you hold the phone in a natural camera position.
Notification LED's that are just too dim to see as they are located in between the keyboard and top panel. They have a rather confusing display of colours and none of them give you signal/bluetooth status for example.
There is a much documented report of a potential problem with case cracking.
No G-Sensor and the keyboard lacks the tactile feel and separate number keys of the Touch Pro.
But...
It has a fantastic screen response, very smooth. Fast landscape rotation on opening the keyboard, which glides out in a smooth curve. Dedicated hardware buttons and a cool optical sensor which works really well in web pages. GPS is really fast and accurate. A proper separate headphone socket.
:: Hardware TouchPro Problems ::
Unpredictable button presses
Lack of hardware buttons, especially a windows key and an OK key (also missing from the keyboard) No camera button, this is a serious omission.
Screen is not very scratch resistant (2 on mine caused by the useless case that is supplied) It's also very unresponsive, I find myself 'jabbing' the stylus at it sometimes to get it to acknowledge a response.
Poor battery life. Heavy/Bulky.
But...
has a beautiful VGA screen, the BEST keyboard I ever used on a mobile device, has a G-Sensor, a magnetic stylus which turns on the device on removal, touch sensitive D-Pad (Ok can be hit and miss sometimes but great for zooming) and has TV out.
:: Software X1 ::
The panels are disappointing. You can only set up 9 at a time, so if this really takes off you're going to have to sacrifice a few of your favourites. That's assuming that the panel idea is not going to turn out to be a flash in the pan. The ones supplied are a tad dull.
No YouTube application
Not all software works with the WVGA screen. Especially games. I found about 20 of my favourite apps weren't supported. Ok, this may change when developers bring out new releases but some may never work.
:: Software TouchPro ::
TouchFlo 3D looks sexy, but it is probably the biggest cause of crashes. I found myself constantly soft-resetting. Eventually after reading other users comments, I turned it off and a lot of problems disappeared.
----------------------------------------------------
In conclusion....
Obviously pros and cons with both. I think none of us will ever be satisfied with everything. What aggravates me is that HTC (who make both devices) don't seem to take all the good stuff from past models and make the perfect device! You get used to one feature only to find it missing the next time you upgrade.
So we have to see which feature is important to us and decide.
Here is the clincher....
The TouchPro / FUZE is probably the MOST UNRELIABLE PDA I have ever owned. I constantly have to reset and cope with weird behaviour on a daily (no hourly) basis. Very unstable.
The X1 is probably the most RELIABLE PDA I have ever owned!!!! and has coped with a mountain of stuff I have loaded on to it, and it continues to cope admirably! I don't have to worry about using it.
This is the most important feature for me and is why ultimately I am selling the TouchPro very shortly.
Hope this helps you decide.
Apprentice,
That was a fantastic comparison/review. Thank you so much for your insights. So, the X1 does not seem "bulky" even though it's only 1mm thinner?
not at all. its quite small in person. xperia all the way
Thank you apprentice for your review, and to JonDeutsch for starting this thread. I could have written your questions/opinions almost word for word. I am in the same place trying to decide which of these 2 phones to get.
I currently have a 8125 (Wizard) that I have flashed WM 6.1 w/M2D. When I had WM5 loaded it was slow and I was having all kinds of lockup & misc problems. Since flashing wm6.1 the phone seems to be on it's second life (faster and no lockups), so now I'm not is as much of a hurry to get into something else.
I went to the att store a few days ago to look at the Fuze. I walked out more confused about which to get. I was not impressed with the Fuze at all. To me, it seemed slow and sluggish for a new model with a cpu that is >2x faster than mine. Comparing it side by side with my 8125 the size was smaller and thinner, but the screen was physically smaller even though they are both supposed to be 2.8".
I was really looking forward to the Omnia also, but since I don't know if it will ever be coming to the US I've moved on to these two models. I also like the Touch HD, but not having 3G for the US won't pass the test either.
JonDeutsch said:
So, the X1 does not seem "bulky" even though it's only 1mm thinner?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly
Hi
I think all is said. I owned both devices and I selled my TP. Why?:
1) G-sensor is nice but I dont use it.
2) TV-out is nice but I only used it once to see a film in a hotel but hasnt full support with CorePlayer so the quality isnt very good.
3) Screen is much better in X1. Now you can really surf a web in your sofa.
4) GPS performance is much better in X1
5) Stability is much better in X1
..
So no doubt for me....
Dani
What led me to the X1 was a combination of the following:
- much longer standby time
- not much bigger than a default cell phone
- I like the X1's keyboard layout better (matter of taste...)
- standard headphone jack
- I prefer "rotate only when keyboard's slide out" to "Oops, I rotated the screen accidentally!". Though I admid the G-sensor would be fun for games. But then again, most games don't even support WVGA, not to mention a propietary G-sensor extension that makes the apps incompatible to everything but a couple of HTC devices...
- X1 is a bit faster in most tests. Though that's probably only a driver thing, the Touch HD is faster than X1 and Raphael with almost the same hardware and WVGA display (more pixels than Raphael).
- I thought the panels are an interesting idea. However, by now I don't give a dime to that. Too propietary, too slow, too limited (few available, max 9 at a time), clumpsy handling (press panel button, touch on screen, wait - every time you want to switch to another panel...), ...
- The WVGA screen - though that's been more of a developer decition, so I've got a test device for that. Otherwise, I would have preferred the more compatible and bigger (in size per pixel) VGA display.
- X1 looks better
- and it was a bit cheaper...
In hindsight, Panels, as mentioned, turned out as a flop for me, and having to use WVGA fix for some games is quite annoying. But otherwise, the additional screen estate is really great (browsing in landscape, lots of infos on the Today screen, more entries in lists, ...), the keyboard is way better than I expected after some reviews, and I like how it feels more like a "dump" cell phone in my pocket and regarding standby time.
The "optical joystick"s really nice in some apps (esp. for slow scrolling - for fast scrolling flicking is better imho), while sometimes a bit too sensible in others. I wish there was a better "(don't) use in that application" configuration then just the few fixed apps (iirc, PIE, contacts, and messaging). But if you don't like it at all, you can just deactivate it completely...
JonDeutsch said:
Apprentice,
That was a fantastic comparison/review. Thank you so much for your insights. So, the X1 does not seem "bulky" even though it's only 1mm thinner?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome!
I can't recommend the X1 enough to be honest.
As for the bulkiness issue... it may only be 1mm less in depth (which I didn't realise as it looks a lot more than that!) but it's the difference in width that makes it less bulky. Also long and slim is way easier in your pocket. Finally the corners are nicely rounded. It really handles and looks like a regular 'candy bar' type phone.
user experience X1
I'll provide you with my point of view. Since i'm someone who actualy uses this for it's business functionality, i'm not that interested in sound quality / video playback/ camera functionality/ games/ eyecandy. My previous phone was a TYTN/ HERMES (last 2 years), prior to that I owned a jam/ qtek100 (20 months).
NOT having owned a TP/FUZE I won't be able to comment on it's pros and cons but having an X1 i can add some points which I think have been exagerated or been overlooked imho. I did look at a TP in a shop but wasn't impressed by it's feel, too plasticky/synthetic. The X1 looks and feels like a premium lifestyle accesory whereas the TP would be a top of the line 'gadget'.
Keyboard
The keyboard is one of the main issues in the reviews. I'm not bothered by it it but it is not as good as my HTC TYTN keyboard. Having said that, it's not as awful to me as some reviews implied, it's pretty usable to me. If you have bigger hands/fingers the TP might be a better option.
G-sensor
Looked like a lot of fun, but it would probably annoy me more than it would improve my life:
I do a lot of excel / powepoint/ word stuff on my phone and sometimes i'd like to pass my phone over to someone else to give them a glance of the figures i'm working on. With a g-senor the screen would tilt with eacht flick of the wrist putting some columns or rows beyond the visible area. Not having had that on my previous phones I decided I wouldn't be missing it.
TF3D/panels
At first i discarded the panels, flashed a lite rom and loaded tf3d. I thought TF was a bit slow , buggy and did not add any value for me so i went back to the plain WM screen.
Last week i reinstalled the panels, including the spb one and i 'm beginning to appreciate it. especialy the spb that has shortcuts to programmes and settings so i don't need the startbutton that much anymore (one handed operation!!) Best thing: it has a 'soft reset' button so no more picking at the battery cover to reach the reset hole (bad decission that is to have a reset button out of reach on a windows device). The SE panel is my main panel because i can display the next 5 or 6 upcoming appointments on one screen. TF can only display 2 appointments on the start screen afaik.
Dpad (touchscreen)
As stated above I used tf3d for a while. The fingerprints on the screen drove me mad. the same kind of scrolling can be achieved with the d-pad after a few days of usage and growing accustomed to its usage and responsiveness. I realy like the dpad now (allthough it could have been a bit more higher or the borders surrounding it could be a tad lower). Having this experience i was confinced i don't want multitouch or a full surface screen.
Arrow keys
This was the reason I nearly didn't buy the X1; I Liked them and used them a lot on my TYTN but after practising on the old TYN with the joystick instead of the arrow buttons I decided I could live with it. So not really missing them since the dpad has replaced this functionality. I admit it requires some effort to get a bit used to putting your thumb on the dpad instead of the keyboard itself but it's easy to grow accustomed to (after 2 solid years with my previous phone and it's arrowkeys).
Screen
Biggest gain. I can finaly look at full webpages on my phone and don't need to revert to the mobile version of a webpage. Clear and sharp but i can appreciate the argument that you need a bigger screen (i.e. touc HD) for this kind of resolution. For me and my sharp eyes it works fine , someone with less sharp eyes can use the zoom function of Opera .
Dimensions
Roughly about the same size as a normal Nokia candybar business phone. Some people complain it's a bit too heavy but i like that. Makes it feel solid.
Conclusion
My main conclusion up till now: it has the wow factor (someone actually said 'Wow' in a bar when i pulled it out). Thank god i didn't go for a full touchscreen without hardware buttons: the fingerprints would drive me crazy.
I'm happy with my choice but would understand if there are just some little things that would convince someone to buy a TP; just a matter of priorities.
The X1 is also too expensive to reccommend to everyone. I decided that the premium look and feel was worth it combined with the top of the range specs and the software flexibility. if it was a SE manufactured phone with symbian I wouldn't have bought it, the micro sd card and mini usb charging and the ROM enhancements are the reason i prefer HTC devices.
I hope the above helps....
Best thing: it has a 'soft reset' button so no more picking at the battery cover to reach the reset hole
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are other tools for that as well. Additionally, you can simply press the power switch for a few seconds. If you phone isn't crashed completely, a message box whether you really want to switch off is shown (and if it hangs, you're not able to launch something from a panel either...). Turning it on immediately afterwards does the same as a soft reset.
(bad decission that is to have a reset button out of reach on a windows device).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not only for those. Sometimes I wished for a reset button on other cell phones, too. But yes, the location sucks. Sometimes it faster to temporarily remove the battery...
guys. it was pure JOY to be an owner of SE Xperia, but enough is enough. I just got another cracks so I've decided to let it go and got myself new htc hd2.
seriously, typing in landscape on it is not that bad and comparable speed/accuracy wise with that not so perfect x1 physical qwerty. btw... speed. snapdragon. do I need to say more?
anyway... I guess no x2 for me after what I've seen on videos. no n900 either, even if I was considering getting one. x2 is daaaamn tooo slooooooww (seems to stutter even more than x1) and n900 unfortunately is a one big bug and shortcoming.
wish me luck...
see You on other parts of the forum. bye...
BTW: anyone knows what've happened with orelsi?? I almost miss that crazy bugger always knowing better... maybe his xperia finally cracked and he commited seppuku?? lol
lol good luck with your hd2, im thinking of buying one myself as a second device
btw, i too was wondering what happened to orelsi lol, havent seen him around here for a while, let's hope he aint clocked out
Well always good luck with the device you wish beeing the best for you.
Capactive screen is like seppuku for me,
As for HD2.
Actually I wonder more and more often what will I do in the future.
Even considering that I'll get my X2, I assume capactive will become
a ****ing tendency soon.
In this case I don't imagine using TouchScreen anymore!
well there will be two of us ... i hate so much capacitive ... but there might be some explanation for this ... my hands get really wet often and touching with the sensitive part of my fingers and swaping around gives me the nerves so i always touch the screen with the nails or top finger ... and not to mention the stylus problem ... I hope there are more people who dislike this thing... Ive heard there are also screens hybrid ... capacitive and resistive screens around.
And what the hell ... I dont get it this finger typing is by default non precise how can you make objects so big that you can use only your finger in such a small screen ... Web pages are not so big and with buttons there are also links ...
This is all Iphone fault
the snapdragon really makes a big difference in the speed and performace compared to slow x1 doesnt it??
i too dumped my x1 for a snapdragon phone. the lower-profile acer s200. lol. (hd2 a tad too big for me).
now i can watch hq wmv videos with no stutter at all.
i was looking at that phone as a replacement but just cant afford a new one when the x1a is still fullfilling my needs.
good luck with that phone, looking forward to reading your xperience (pun intended) with the hd2. hopefully next year i will replace my x1a with the hd2 or maybe an hd2 pro in the future.
well... still here. waiting for hd2 (delivery on monday, great deal with o2).
do not get me wrong, as I am not trying to convert anyone to hd2, but this whole need for resistive screen and real qwerty is becoming less and less obvious for me.
capacitive screen, read - toughened glass, hard to scratch, forces companies like ms to improve ui on their systems. see... the only good uses for styli are handwriting (are You handwriting with Your mouse on a pc?) and drawing (again, are You so much better with drawing using mouse on a pc comparing to sketches made with finger on a capacitive touch screen??). imho multitouch is more important than stylus.
qwerty... well... again - do some tests as I did. spb keyboard 4.1.1 trial, landscape fullscreen with clicking sound for better typing feel. I couldn't believe my eyes, as it wasn't much slower (if it was at all) or less accurate.
all I'm going to miss is xperia's still shot quality. some pictures shot in daylight are comparable quality with real cameras, and not those ****ty ones.
... but hey. I won't have to convert videos anymore.
anyway... I will keep my x1 as a backup device and I'll come back in here to share my hd2perience from ex x1 user point of view.
btw, I am not beeing paid for it.
bronx said:
well... still here. waiting for hd2 (delivery on monday, great deal with o2).
do not get me wrong, as I am not trying to convert anyone to hd2, but this whole need for resistive screen and real qwerty is becoming less and less obvious for me.
capacitive screen, read - toughened glass, hard to scratch, forces companies like ms to improve ui on their systems. see... the only good uses for styli are handwriting (are You handwriting with Your mouse on a pc?) and drawing (again, are You so much better with drawing using mouse on a pc comparing to sketches made with finger on a capacitive touch screen??). imho multitouch is more important than stylus.
qwerty... well... again - do some tests as I did. spb keyboard 4.1.1 trial, landscape fullscreen with clicking sound for better typing feel. I couldn't believe my eyes, as it wasn't much slower (if it was at all) or less accurate.
all I'm going to miss is xperia's still shot quality. some pictures shot in daylight are comparable quality with real cameras, and not those ****ty ones.
... but hey. I won't have to convert videos anymore.
anyway... I will keep my x1 as a backup device and I'll come back in here to share my hd2perience from ex x1 user point of view.
btw, I am not beeing paid for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am torn between the HD2 and the X2
X2 = slow and keyboard
HD2 = Fast and no keybard
But i am so tempted to get the HD2 - to be honest i cant ever see my self using like the tilewave etc on x2 >.<
yeah... spb ms 3.5.x and manila are mos def better option than panels. have You tried that test with onscreen keys that I mentioned above? this and a visit in local o2 shop to get the feel of it convinced me to give it a go.
the last thing I was worried about was the lack of d-pad, but... honestly I do not play games much. other thing is that with recently hacked multitouch api apps like fpsece could use it in the future for virtual onscreen pad.
bronx said:
BTW: anyone knows what've happened with orelsi?? I almost miss that crazy bugger always knowing better... maybe his xperia finally cracked and he commited seppuku?? lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he bought a 3GS and is ashamed to show his face around here.
lol... You actually may be right
WhyBe said:
I think he bought a 3GS and is ashamed to show his face around here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that would be really funny if it were true.
I think I might upgrade to a N900 after I save enough money - the X1's reception issue is a nightmare, even after testing 8 radio versions. At least with Nokia there is assurance of reception quality - what use is a smartphone if I can't even access 3G?! Or any thing except for WiFi, for that matter. Reception is sporadic at best, and at worse it doesn't even pick up a signal but my Nokia does display full signal strength...
bronx said:
BTW: anyone knows what've happened with orelsi?? I almost miss that crazy bugger always knowing better... maybe his xperia finally cracked and he commited seppuku?? lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he got 3 crack,
informatico said:
well there will be two of us ... i hate so much capacitive ... but there might be some explanation for this ... my hands get really wet often and touching with the sensitive part of my fingers and swaping around gives me the nerves so i always touch the screen with the nails or top finger ... and not to mention the stylus problem ... I hope there are more people who dislike this thing... Ive heard there are also screens hybrid ... capacitive and resistive screens around.
And what the hell ... I dont get it this finger typing is by default non precise how can you make objects so big that you can use only your finger in such a small screen ... Web pages are not so big and with buttons there are also links ...
This is all Iphone fault
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well exactly my points.
I am not sure why everyone so upset with X1, except for kinda wimpy 7200 chip.
I like keyboard, and don't really care about resistive or capacitive touchscreen. I am fine with either.
The one thing I don't use that much, but I am certain I would greatly miss is the physical keyboard. I don't think I am going to switch until there is a full keyboard on a snapdragon.
The cracks that everyone complains about are really just a cosmetic issue, and I don't really care too much about it (although I did re-shell my phone to make it black).
It is always kind of interesting to me the various types of devices that people decide to get and why. For the most part I understand each individuals reasoning, but I am yet to be swayed that there is a better device for me.
If anyone knows of a full QWERTY hardware keyboard unit with a snapdragon that is on the horizon PLEASE let me know.
Also, I miss Orelsi in a weird way. I suppose it was just his belligerent insistence on his perspective. I bet he got an iPhone too,
EDIT: I forgot about one thing that greatly aggravated me (although I had same problem on Kaiser) was that the keyboard goes bad and needs cleaning. Because of that I reshelled because I figured if I am gonna tear it apart anyway I might as well make it look like new.
Hannigan174 said:
If anyone knows of a full QWERTY hardware keyboard unit with a snapdragon that is on the horizon PLEASE let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually there's one announced quite recently,LG eXpo GW820, 1 Ghz+qwerty,plus finger print security and a detachable projector as an optional accessory. it was initially announced for the american market and didnt mention european market,so we shall wait n see.
you might also want to keep an eye on toshiba n Acer as well,since they both got on the 1 Ghz ladder pretty early but havent make it go with qwerty yet.
btw,I am on the same boat with you, just want a decent processor with qwerty win mobile, not fussy about how advanced the bloody touch screen is going to be whatsoever...
bronx said:
BTW: anyone knows what've happened with orelsi?? I almost miss that crazy bugger always knowing better... maybe his xperia finally cracked and he commited seppuku?? lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he said he was using his phone to get on the net as his pc broke, i bet his x1 broke (cracked) so he cant get on the net anymore lol
ok guys. I just got it.
wow... that's all I can say. all You nonbelievers go to Your local mobile phone stores to have a look. bit too large, but I'll get used to it. speed... omg, I never knew that winmo can be that snappy. it's so iphone 3gs fast and smooth that I think I'll jizz in my pants. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pXfHLUlZf4)
one last thing, try it, and forget about anything other than snapdragon. seriously.
johhn said:
actually there's one announced quite recently,LG eXpo GW820, 1 Ghz+qwerty,plus finger print security and a detachable projector as an optional accessory. it was initially announced for the american market and didnt mention european market,so we shall wait n see.
you might also want to keep an eye on toshiba n Acer as well,since they both got on the 1 Ghz ladder pretty early but havent make it go with qwerty yet.
btw,I am on the same boat with you, just want a decent processor with qwerty win mobile, not fussy about how advanced the bloody touch screen is going to be whatsoever...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, actually I knew of that, but I am afraid of leaving XDA, so I guess I meant an HTC-based device with physical QWERTY and snapdragon
Nothing in particular against LG, but I am not sure I want to deal with their ugly iPhone-like interface.