G1 review by wing user - Wing, P4350 General

Now I want to start by saying I was never planning on getting the G1. But last nightt I hulk smashed my wing by accident, and there I was at the t mobile store buyig the G1. And I am very glad that I ended up getting it.
The good- The phone is lighting fast. I guess I am in a location where 3g is available, and never having a phone with 3g that alone is a killer vs. The wing. The market is amazing. Many apps are up and free, and it is very convenient. It is able to run multiple apps wwithout slowing. The touch screen is real, and heat activated not pressure, which to many can be good or bad but I like it and it definitely feels more sturdy the the wing screen.
The bad- its been said and there is still no real task manager. Kind of annoying but again haven't felt performance loss from open apps. Managing your sd card is hard and the whole navigation through menus on the phone is basic. The keyboard is weird because sometimes you feel yourself pushing the buttons and sometimes you don't.
All in al, a big big step up from the wing, and I reccomend it highly. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Related

Any former Touch Pro 2 owners with opinions on TP2 v. HD2?

First off I love my TP2. Best phone I have ever owned. But the HD2 looks really really great and I see the term "Best Windows Mobile Phone ever" touted a lot in several reviews. So perhaps you former TP2 owners now that you've had the phone a while can help me decide if it's worth it to upgrade over the TP2. I know people complain about the HD2's battery but I make it through a normal day with 40-50% left on my TP2, so I'm hoping battery isn't an issue. How is the bulk of the phones compare? I use a ultrathin SENA slipcase and keep my phone in my pocket, but the TP2 is so much thicker then the HD2. So you former TP2 owners do you regret going to the HD2 or is it a well worthwhile upgrade?
I own both these phones. I love both phones. Actually, I love TP2 better for work -- the battery life, the ease of data entry. As for HD2, I love the big screen especially. In fact, it is a VERY difficult choice for the two. That is also why I kept both.
The much better GPS is worth it alone. The autofocus on the camera is a lot quicker too. Most programs start up super fast due to the processor. Best move i ever made.
I've had both, and whilst I was happy with the TP2 when I had it, I could never go back. The HD2 is just SO much smoother and fun to use, so much so that I don't mind the lack of a hardware keyboard (my 5 previous phones all had proper keyboards).
The HD2 is a glorious machine, and I am chuffed I got £270 for my TP2, lol!
wait untill a new wp7 series phone is released and keep your tp2 for business ,never upgrade to hd2 now , it is over with it
Ok, let me tell you
In just a couple of hours after purchasing the HD2...i just couldn't stand the TP2. Its so much better than the TP2. If you don't text that much, the HD2 is your best choice. Its incredibly thin, the screen is WOW, its pocketable, its so much faster than the tp2 and you don't have to worry about ram memory. I used to use clean ram and schedule it every 3 hours or so. With the hd2 i always have enough ram.
Trust me, its a no brainer. Go and get it (unless the keyboard is really important to you).
lorin.bute said:
Ok, let me tell you
(unless the keyboard is really important to you).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've found with the big TP2 screen I hardly ever used the hardware keyboard any more. Only other thing I worry about is the accuracy of the capacitive screen when trying to use older programs designed for a stylus. But I don't use a lot of those and not very often (mostly to reg edit, etc).
I don't have a TP2, but I can comment on WHY I didn't get one when it would have been the logical upgrade path for me seen my long history of phones with hardware keyboard, yet got the HD2 as soon as I saw it in real life.
Firstly when I had the TP2 in my hands it really felt like a brick. Large, thick, heavy. Felt like there was a lot of "lost space" (between the keyboard keys, around the screen, that "zoom bar" I'd never find a use for)...
Secondly the speed, it didn't change me from my usual winmo experience that had always been a bit disappointing. As usual, it can do a lot of stuff, but not smoothly. It did show some improvement over my current device (Kaiser), but nothing exceptional.
The HD2 is a whole other story. As soon as you have it in the hand it feels good, perfectly designed, comfortable... the thin form factor and thin borders around the screen make it feel not like a brick of a device that has a screen to interact with, but more like an "intelligent screen" with just what's needed to hold it together, you forget the actual shell. Hard to describe by words. Then the speed, this is now a world of difference, everything is smooth and responsive, nothing in common with any other winmo device before. Then the capacitive screen, which is also a major difference and big step towards that "intelligent screen" feeling, moving things around barely touching the screen etc...
Fell in love right away and sold a bunch of unused things I had laying around in less than a week to buy it.
Yes the lack of hardware keyboard is noticeable, close keys, no tactile feedback so you don't notice when you "slip" to the neighbour key, eats half of the screen when the onscreen keyboard is out... but I must say it's not all that bad. I definitely wouldn't type a book on the HD2, but anyway I don't think I would have on a TP2 either
Just remember that it like any winmo device it needs tweaking to get the best out of it, a small but extremely noticeable one being opera, browsing the web with the default settings is laggy and ugly, while with the 50fps tweak it's perfectly smooth and changes the experience completely. And more of course.
Conclusion, just try one in a store near you, I doubt you'll resist very long
DeoreDX said:
First off I love my TP2. Best phone I have ever owned. But the HD2 looks really really great and I see the term "Best Windows Mobile Phone ever" touted a lot in several reviews. So perhaps you former TP2 owners now that you've had the phone a while can help me decide if it's worth it to upgrade over the TP2. I know people complain about the HD2's battery but I make it through a normal day with 40-50% left on my TP2, so I'm hoping battery isn't an issue. How is the bulk of the phones compare? I use a ultrathin SENA slipcase and keep my phone in my pocket, but the TP2 is so much thicker then the HD2. So you former TP2 owners do you regret going to the HD2 or is it a well worthwhile upgrade?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I loved my TP2 for the sharp display, and excellent in-call sound quality. The HD2 is WAY better with GPS locks, and overall snappiness and operability. One of my favourite features of the HD2 is the dual LED flash. The fact that I couldn't use the TP2 camera in low light was annoying - The HD2 makes photography/video and uploading to social networks a breeze.
The speakers on the HD2 are a bit ****e tbh, but that's a sacrifice I'm happy to live with. Don't care about losing the hw kb, it's actually fun to learn with the on-screen kb and after 2 weeks I think I'm quicker on it.
Also worth mentioning that the stock ROM is pretty damn good too.
My company would pay for a TP2, but instead I spent my own money on an HD2. I've had a TP and friends with TP2. It all comes down to how addicted you are to a hardware keyboard.
If you turn on T9 (essentially spellcheck) and get the hack to turn email sideways, typing on the HD2 is pretty easy and fast. As others would say, I only rap out txt and email on it. If I need to type anything lengthy, I use a laptop.
The HD2 is just fluid. It's press and go. Scrolling is slippery quick. Copilot GPS locks in a snap and scrolls smoother than my TomTom. When screens don't slide quite as smooth as usual, I'll open up TaskMgr to find a screen full of apps I've left open.
Form factor is like holding a picture frame to your head. It's a little awkward at first but the thinness I got used to immediately.
Dual flash camera is great. Presence sensor is SO welcomed. Call clarity is great. Bluetooth reconnects much faster for some reason. And standardized 3.5mm headphone jack and micro USB port.... 'bout time.
willgill said:
My company would pay for a TP2, but instead I spent my own money on an HD2. I've had a TP and friends with TP2. It all comes down to how addicted you are to a hardware keyboard.
If you turn on T9 (essentially spellcheck) and get the hack to turn email sideways, typing on the HD2 is pretty easy and fast. As others would say, I only rap out txt and email on it. If I need to type anything lengthy, I use a laptop.
The HD2 is just fluid. It's press and go. Scrolling is slippery quick. Copilot GPS locks in a snap and scrolls smoother than my TomTom. When screens don't slide quite as smooth as usual, I'll open up TaskMgr to find a screen full of apps I've left open.
Form factor is like holding a picture frame to your head. It's a little awkward at first but the thinness I got used to immediately.
Dual flash camera is great. Presence sensor is SO welcomed. Call clarity is great. Bluetooth reconnects much faster for some reason. And standardized 3.5mm headphone jack and micro USB port.... 'bout time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
let your company pay for tp2 and you get both
Any former TP2 owners want to comment on the relative battery life between the two? I don't think it is an issue with me since I am a fairly light user but with the upcoming US release I'm sure there will be plenty of people looking for this info as well and hopefully this thread will answer most of their questions about the TP2 v. HD2 (My searching on these forums lead to some comparisons but the information was pretty spread out in the forums and took a lot of digging to look up)
I love my TP2 and HD2
I have tweaked my TP2 (WM6.5) using all the tweaks of my HD2. Now I have a HD2 Mini with WVGA. I love the TP2 for the keyboard. Typing on a HD2 is less comfortable. Now I have all the 'goodies' of the TP2 combined with the superb user interface of the HD2.
The tweaked TP2 is as responsive as the HD2, despite its lower speed. The touch screen is very good and precise by use of a stylus or my finger...... Radio of the TP2 is a little more sensitive.

Are you happy with your HD2?

I am trying hard, coming from android but its very difficult the apps are so lacking. I do miss my google sky maps, and my real working gps. For some reasons gps on the HD2 is garbage, I dont even know if it works.
Open market is a big help on the HD2, and following a lot of tweaks, its manageable , I dont want to risk flashing it.
Any app recommends?
flash the device
resco explorer is good
zenonia is a great game for windows as is ivy the kiwi
what else? chainfire graphic acceleration
gtx5 theme
I don't do gps really at all...never have so that's an app I don't use...
tcpmp/coreplayer will help
Dutty's Task Manageris a must have.
I would post the link but I'm not allowed to since I'm a new member. You can find it in the Apps repository thread.
HD2
Hi,
I too came back to Winmo from android, and to be quite honest I miss nothing.
Yes I dont have the cool Bic concert lighter app, or the flashing cop car light app, but the phone does what its supposed to do. Its a productivity thing.
Keeps track of my work Exchange account, my other 3 email accounts. Edits Office documents on the fly, oh and has the best screen ever placed on a phone.
And the GPS works great on this phone. No you cant get the free turn by turn Google app, but for 29 bucks (its a steal) you can get Co-Pilot, which works well and doesnt require an internet connection to guide you. Try out the Co-Pilot, it works really well for me, and it now has TTS for street announcement and free live local search!
fhaines
Your GPS works fine, open google maps, hit menu, press "Use GPS", then press the small blue box which contains a small light blue dot on the bottom right side of the screen. Be sure to give the phone enough time to connect to the satellites displayed on the top right side of your screen.
I've never had a better GPS on any phone.
I like my HD2 after using it over 2 weeks.
However, I wish the standard keyboard was better. I HATE hitting the 'xt9/abc' toggle when I want to hit a or z. I also HATE accidentally hitting the show/hide icon for the keyboard and hiding the keyboard while I'm typing. I converted over to Swype due to this.
I also wish the HTC Messaging app didn't lag. I makes the phone feel slow when I'm trying use this app.
I'm coming from android too and to be honest I was thinking on cooking my Own Rom cause all of the ROMs available are not to my liking either to sloooow or crappy icons or maybe missing some tweaks and home tabs BUT! I rather Go back to my android (Had it since day 1)
I given up hope on HD2 sad I know I expected to be WWAAAAYYYY much more of a better phone.
I got the phone 2 weeks ago But I find myself using my G1 more.
so I'll prob sell it on Craigslist and get a N1 (which was my actual fir option)
You will probably endup doing the same
I like my HD2 Hardware not the operating system
Bitter sweat to say the least. I really like this phone, it has some crazy advance features over today phones but the software (WindowMobile / Sense UI) has really let me down. I did my research (as I do with all phones) so I was really excited to try something new (I have an iPhone) but it's been more headaches than joy.
The only reason why Im holding on to it is in hopes WP7 or Android ROM comes soon, as of right now, I've swapped my sim back into my iPhone.
Well, I took the plunge and did what i feared the most. I added a ROM and I'm loving this phone. No more lag, freezes, bugs, or having to have 10 cabs installed.
digitallysick said:
I am trying hard, coming from android but its very difficult the apps are so lacking. I do miss my google sky maps, and my real working gps. For some reasons gps on the HD2 is garbage, I dont even know if it works.
Open market is a big help on the HD2, and following a lot of tweaks, its manageable , I dont want to risk flashing it.
Any app recommends?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
best device i've owned (and i've had about 8). just get the tweaks so customize it and add a few key apps (for me: resco explorer, resco photo viewer, iGo8 -GPS - work great for me, & core player). my device runs almost flawlessly.
without a doubt this is the best windows mobile device I have run to date everything is flawless!\
trust me when I say this
MESS WITH A CUSTOM ROM
you will love your device. its as easy and fast as a jailbreak
digitallysick said:
I am trying hard, coming from android but its very difficult the apps are so lacking. I do miss my google sky maps, and my real working gps. For some reasons gps on the HD2 is garbage, I dont even know if it works.
Open market is a big help on the HD2, and following a lot of tweaks, its manageable , I dont want to risk flashing it.
Any app recommends?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If apps are you're looking for, it'd be best to go back to Android. Apps are not the strongest draw of the HD2. App development for windows mobile is essentially dead, as developers are now focusing on WP7.
On the note of GPS, it works great for me. I use it every morning on the way to work (helps me navigate around traffice jams).
So far love the build quality as its super solid with no slop like my former TILT and Fuze. The only issue I have is with the camera design which stick out too far and is unprotected from fingerprints and scuffs. The case they provide really doesn't shield it. WISH they would have kept the same design as the Euro/Asia specd HD2 so that accessories could be interchangable. They have some really good cases for the HD2 but not the TMobile versions. Getting screen protectors that truly fit and not leave gaps seems to be a problem as well. LOVE the screen and true capacitive touch.
Software so far - only owned it a week at most and its not been used all that much is pretty fast and the screen is amazing. Wished the bluetooth caller id announce worked and had the ability to record conversations which does not work. Status and other things work fine - so maybe they'll be some fix in the future.
BIG issue is with the 3g network reception. Goes from EDGE to 3g at will. Seems to lock on 3g when return from standby or power up for a few minutes then it will jump to E. Been doing this since I got it - don't think its a design/hardware issue just requires an update in the radio. Will not return it as in more populated areas it locks on 3g and stays locked. Will see. Had AT&T before so not too familiar with TMOBILE in my area. Download speeds are only in the 800 range. ATT in great area would get around 1200.
Voice quality so far is on par or better than AT&T but the volume could be a little higher even with it set full high.
For the price I paid with a new two year contract of (99 - discount code) 75 through a 3rd party and I get the AAA activation waived and 14% off my bill I definately can't complain. Ordered the phone last Monday - received it Wenesday.
Loving my HD2 with the energy tom
stim141 said:
So far love the build quality as its super solid with no slop like my former TILT and Fuze. The only issue I have is with the camera design which stick out too far and is unprotected from fingerprints and scuffs. The case they provide really doesn't shield it. WISH they would have kept the same design as the Euro/Asia specd HD2 so that accessories could be interchangable. They have some really good cases for the HD2 but not the TMobile versions. Getting screen protectors that truly fit and not leave gaps seems to be a problem as well. LOVE the screen and true capacitive touch.
Software so far - only owned it a week at most and its not been used all that much is pretty fast and the screen is amazing. Wished the bluetooth caller id announce worked and had the ability to record conversations which does not work. Status and other things work fine - so maybe they'll be some fix in the future.
BIG issue is with the 3g network reception. Goes from EDGE to 3g at will. Seems to lock on 3g when return from standby or power up for a few minutes then it will jump to E. Been doing this since I got it - don't think its a design/hardware issue just requires an update in the radio. Will not return it as in more populated areas it locks on 3g and stays locked. Will see. Had AT&T before so not too familiar with TMOBILE in my area. Download speeds are only in the 800 range. ATT in great area would get around 1200.
Voice quality so far is on par or better than AT&T but the volume could be a little higher even with it set full high.
For the price I paid with a new two year contract of (99 - discount code) 75 through a 3rd party and I get the AAA activation waived and 14% off my bill I definately can't complain. Ordered the phone last Monday - received it Wenesday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're looking for a really nice case that protects the camera, check out the leather cases at noreve.com. The leather flip case is very nice and you get to choose from different leather types and colors. It's made for the euro version, but it fits my tmous hd2 fine. Protects real well, too. Dropped my hd2 on my driveway the other day... couple small scuffs on the case, but phone is fine.
I too came from android g1, I didnt realize how much i loved android when I first got the HD2, After I figured out how to operate it, took about 48 hours, figured out how to sync it with WMDC got all my contacts and email. IT FREAKIN ROCKS. I am so impressed with syncing up with outlook on my computer and to my hd2. I have pretty much found all the same type of comparable apps as android. but so i love it!
I have also flashed it with a new rom as as long as you follow the instructions step by step, and use tested radios and roms. watch youtube videos so you know what goes on with your phone during the process so you dont get freaked out.
Are You Happy-Discount?
stim141 spoke about a discount code...paying only $99.00, as well as other "deals." Where did you get that code and how do you apply it?
I'm, in LA been living on the Edge with my Advantage 7501 onTMobile. Would rather have 3G than Edge, and a slimmer device.
And what ever happened to the 4.8 inch HTC Thoth (Athena2)?
bagua
I love my HTC HD2 running energy ro and battery lasts way longer than it did with stock rom
ecyoral said:
I love my HTC HD2 running energy ro and battery lasts way longer than it did with stock rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm people I have heard people say that ROM eats batteries. Nice to see yours is lasting longer. This is my top rom to use when I get the energy to root my phone, kinda scared as of now.
BUT YES..... I love my phone even through the freezes, bad reception, and constant 3g loss of signal.

MyTouch Slide - Initial Impressions

Just wanted to start a thread about the Slide that came out today. Feel free to voice your opinion. Remember, everyone is entitled to their opinion. No flaming/bashing please.
Here's mine:
I went to T-Mobile after work to check out the phone. I was on a waiting list. I got to handle one of the staff member's MT Slide. If you haven't seen pictures, it reminds me of the MT3G. It's styled after it - no surprise there. I played around with it for a few minutes. It was very responsive! Blows my G1 out of the water and mine is rooted with CM5.0.7 Stable (no cache, no JIT, no oc'ing). The keyboard feels very good. I actually like the click action of the keys when you press them. I would say that the keys are better spaced than the keys on the G1. However, the Slide only has 4 rows. I still prefer the G1 keyboard with 5 rows. But if you're used to a 4-row keyboard, the Slide won't disappoint.
I held my G1 next to it, and they're similar in size. The screen on the Slide is slightly larger (3.4" vs 3.2"). My G1 however feels more solid (the body is made of metal). The Slide is plastic and looks plastic. I didn't like the feel of the slide action when opening the keyboard. The G1 slide action, while forceful, feels solid. The Slide had some grinding/scraping against the backplate of the screen (another website mentioned this as well).
I'm not to keen on the optical trackpad. I wish they had kept the luminescent trackball from the MT3G. Umm...what else. I don't care for the icons with the square bubble/outline around them. Tacky in my opinion. And the bubbles obstruct what's in the background. Hopefully, there will be a way to disable them.
I decided not to buy it and wait it out. I interrogated the rep about June 19. She didn't say anything other than that there won't be an iPhone. I could care less. Pressing her further, she mentioned that HTC is working on a high-end android phone with a keyboard, but won't likely be out till the end of the year. What really turned me off about the phone was the plastic look and feel. After owning the G1, I don't think I could go back to a plastic phone. But that's just me.
I realize this is a mid-range phone aimed at the general populace. In my humble opinion, this phone is a good representation of what Android is capable of. Everyone compares new phones to the iPhone. It seems like the defacto standard. However, I think Android is at the point that it can set the standards now - especially phones like the Evo, N1, Incredible, Galaxy. Oh, she did say the Samsung Galaxy will be coming to T-Mobile. Nice specs, but looks like an iPhone clone which is why I will probably pass on it as well. And it doesn't have a keyboard.
Sorry for the long post.
Buyers Remorse
Wish I would have done the same as you.
Went right in and bought it. The phone is horrible.
Recent Apps in Notification bar is too large for the resolution and takes up all the space.
The keyboard is horrible. Multiple characters on each key, all the same color tricks the eye and you end up mistyping more than normal. Other phones use 2 color sets, Color 1 for Alpha + functions and Color 2 for secondary key functions. G1's keyboard is by far the best physical keyboard there has ever been. 5 row Qwerty, 2 colors, and spaced appropriately.
Trackpad works for short navigation movements, but doesn't roll or stay "active" for scrolling down more than 3 or 4 names at a time.
MyModes is a crap version of Locale minus all the good stuff, plus some of the useless stuff.
Multiple notifications if you text/email/etc is from someone in your MyFaves (which is now short for Speed Dial).
MyFaves is a horrible looking and difficult to navigate or read updates interface with your friends pictures.
The screen leaks light just above the home/menu/back/genius button on both sides.
When you slide the phone open you can hear the plastic on plastic (which will eventually wear out)
There is a lot to like...
...and a lot to hate.
I think the hardware is fantastic and I like some of the customized features. The friend stream widget and the messages widget are pretty darn slick. The My Faves and assorted T-Mobile apps not so much.
It would be really nice to be given the ability to uninstall some of the apps that come preinstalled. For instance...
AppPack
Barcode Scanner
My Account
My Device
MyTouch Music
Peep
News
Stocks
Weather
Visual Voicemail
None of these can be removed from the phone without root access. Feh. I cannot wait for root...
Root can't save this phone.
And here's something rather peculiar...
I made a disk image of the original 8 GB class 2 SD card that shipped with my Slide and restored it on to my 16 GB class 10 card with a 1024 MB EXT4 partition and the rest set aside for FAT storage.
The device, however, recognizes it only as an 8 GB SD card and does not reflect the ~15 GB of storage that should be available to it. And mounting the drive on my Mac over USB displays the same information. But when I pop the card out and throw it in my Android Developer Phone (Dream running CM5) it's recognized as exactly what it was partitioned as.
Very weird.
boldfacelies said:
Root can't save this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry you regret buying the phone. You have 2 weeks or 30 days to return the phone depending on where you are.
I agree the G1 keyboard is the best out there. I'm sure if you play around with the keyboard some, you'll get used to it.
I do wish some of the pre-installed apps could be removed. Takes up precious space.
Coming from the list of phones in my sig, the MTSlide is superior in all ways...
Most if not all above mentioned drawbacks/flaws are true. I'm going to wait for some custom hardware keyboards on ebay then swap it out. The keyboard is the only thing I TRUELY hate. The g1s HKB was damn near perfect. this reminds me of the spiderman font.
Just need root, and some custom roms.
No live wallpapers.....
I think this phone will be good for people looking for a simple fix or android virgins lol I haven't messed with the phone yet but it seems to be nice I like espresso ui. I think the thing I hate the most about the phone is the price. Just because your flagship phone is a mid-range devie you can't sell it as though it's high end...But it'll prolly drop. One really good thing I heard (and I hope it's true) Is that this device can be overclocked to 1ghz has anyone else heard about this ?
I really don't understand these negative stereotypes and the desire to run a bone dry ROM. I have found a lot to like about the Espresso UI and the way this phone handles tasks. Sure, Faves and the MyTouch Music apps are bloated but everyone is talking like the phone is a piece of garbage that should be thrown out because of it. The MyTouch Music app might be worthy to people who listen to Top 100 but not any of us in to punk/alt rock.
The AWESOME preloaded software includes
-Open Office
-Friendstream Widget(Love having twitter and facebook stream through in one widget)
-Contacts/people app is very well done with the ability to link to social networks
-Genius button does work very well with a southern accent
-Gallery is a million times faster than G1's
-Home has wonderful Pinch to Zoom
-My Modes is very useful
-The Music app gets a plus for being able to be used on the lock screen but ^3 is better overall
Seriously folks, this is not a bad phone. I'm contemplating not rooting (gasp) if froyo comes out soon because I used rooting mostly to compensate for the G1's lack of ram (compcache), Apps2SD, and tether. Sure it would be nice to get rid of one or two apps on here but I can live with it without condemning the entire phone as a whole.
As simplyTravis said, I'm not sure why people are so unimpressed with this phone. I've got an N1 and I picked up the MT3GS yesterday. I'm already more impressed with the MT3GS than I am with the N1.
I love the HTC Espresso eye candy with all the extra widgets, the clock with the weather, all kinda of add-ons. Not to mention, its a BLACK theme. I can't stand the white and light colors that Google uses on stock android.
The keyboard isn't great. I would have preferred a 4 row, numbers on their own row with symbols. But, I can't complain. It works, and with the little I've used it, I've already gotten pretty quick at it. I still prefer Swype for simple texts etc, and the HTC skin is nice. I've tried the genius button, but so far I haven't gotten it to work as advertised.
Overall impressions? This phone will be a hit. It was meant for the mid-market, and it will impress quite a few people. It is responsive, fast, and again, the eye candy. Good stuff.
Short and simple:
I'd like the G1 keyboard back, but I can get ovey this.
Any My* app should go, along with any other T-Mobile specific software
I find Modes absolutely useless, but thats just me.
SenseUI is OK at best. Will determine to keep it or not after root comes and see what kind of space and/or performance improvements come of it.
Genius is OK as well, but I'll find little use. Would like to map it to another app.
I don't know why all the hate. I'm really liking this phone so far. It's very snappy, I love the Espresso UI, I've owned the G1 and I prefer this keyboard. Even though I got used to the chin on the G1 it still bugged me, with this it's not a problem. We'll see how I feel in a week but so far so good IMO.
I've had the G1 since launch and I've been waiting for a suitable replacement. Unfortunately, I can't afford a high-end android like the N1 or service like Verizon, so a mid-level phone like this I'll take. Besides, it won't be long until it's rooted and we're overclocking the processor.
And I'm waiting to get it until the 19th just in case.
SD Card Issues
Anyone else been able to replace the SD card with a larger/faster version?
As I wrote above, my 16 GB class 10 card is being recognized as only an 8 GB card when inserted into the Slide.
Would love to see someone independently verify this weirdness.
Im really hoping with the root that I can just delete some system stuff and add wifi tether and thats it. I dont want to get into flashing ROMs I love how fast and snappy the phone is and wouldnt want to take anything away from that by starting to get too complex like my g1. I just want more app memory and of course root access bc all this tmo crap bothers me and I want complete control of the phone
I love the g1 over this phone. Yea the keyboard is different but im already use to it in two days. I cant go back to my g1 after this. I love the responsiveness, larger screen, and the damn speed. The only thing i miss is the call and end button. Other than that I love this phone.
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did anyone notice that the headphone jack is not flush? i haven't tried it with the supplied ear buds but my other ear buds don't go in all the way.
The speed is impressive. I've never actually used a Nexus, but with how this phone is doing so far, I'm not worried about it being slow and laggy in 2 months. I've got a TON of apps running on it now.
I think the UI is a little over the top. It's supposed to be a "light" version of Sense, but I see it as actually being more complex. Only thing I don't really like about it is the icons though, other than that I'm happy with Espresso.
The only other complaint I have is the abundance of "Faves" and T-Mobile crap taking up valuable real estate on the phone. You can tell Tmo had a heavy influence on this phone, and that's what I don't like about it.
So far, it is a definite upgrade to the G1. We can complain about the keyboard (which I do vehemently), but that doesn't mean there aren't many upgrades. Obviously it is much faster. I do like some of the custom UI and the Genius Button is pretty cool.
It is true, 145mb of app storage with all the pre-loaded crap. My two biggest complaints about the G1 were speed and memory and it looks like I only solved one of those with better speed. Overall, the Slide is a good phone that all of us original G1 users have "waited" for. Swype works great and Froyo will help with the memory issue with Apps2SD.
Until another 5-line beast comes to TMo, I'll be happy with this!
7 out of 10.
I like the speed and look of phone,wish it was light as the original mt3g.the keyboard is ok but I don't like the roughness felt when sliding it out and wish it had a row dedicated to numbers and symbols.I like the ui minus the bubble icons and faves gallery.wish I knew how to make custom themes like the one you can dl from tmo.the touchscreen is too resposive constantly senses touch when using the hardware keys at bottom and swype always detects wrong word or letter where as it had damn near perfect accuraccy on original mt3g.a lot of bloatware and not much internal storage,we need apps2sd.I hope it gets rooted soon so I can see what it can really do.I heard 800mhz is definetly achievable

Going to buy an HD2, some questions

I really wanted to go for an Android device, but since none of them is GSM and has a screen this big, I'm going for the HD2.
Just a few questions:
1. Is the glass screen prone to cracking? Even on gentle drops?
2. How oversensitive is the touchscreen? Can I type as fast as I do on my Nokia E90?
3. Does it have a tendency to corrupt 16GB microSD cards? I've seen some threads around it.
4. How stable is it for daily life usage?
5. Does it work with a bluetooth keyboard?
6. Can you hook up a PS3 bluetooth controller and play FPSce on it?
Edit, some more questions:
7. Does it have audio/video lag while playing reasonable quality videos? REALLY worried about this one...
8. How's the camera and video recording?
Thanks to whoever can answer these.
1. There have been different reports. Some say they've broken theirs on gentle drops, others have had some big drops with no damage. I find the HD2 to be a good solid build. Best advice is get a good case and be careful.
2. There are tweaks if you find the screen to be oversensitive and a variety of good keyboard solutions and other suggestions right in these forums. I was using a hardware keyboard on my previous device so it took me a little time to adjust. Now, I'm quite happy with my typing speed even with the stock keyboard.
3. I formatted a 16mb card and inserted it into my HD2 on day one. I have absolutely no problems to report.
4. My HD2 is very stable. I rarely have to do a soft reset even with heavy use. Again, there are utilities like CleanRam that help keep you stable without soft resetting.
5. Yes, but check the accessories threads, I don't which ones work best.
6. I'll leave that one for someone else as I'm not much of a gamer.
hd2 is a very good hardware(big screen, cute looking etc) but has WM OS (worst on the planet). in my opinion go to android phone. HTC EVO4g or Desire dunno but i can say only that the WM sux badly.
and yes its stable if u dont do anything except carrying the phone in pocket and just talk a bit....otherwise will wake up in a nightmare !
hackm0d said:
I really wanted to go for an Android device, but since none of them is GSM and has a screen this big, I'm going for the HD2.
Just a few questions:
1. Is the glass screen prone to cracking? Even on gentle drops?
2. How oversensitive is the touchscreen? Can I type as fast as I do on my Nokia E90?
3. Does it have a tendency to corrupt 16GB microSD cards? I've seen some threads around it.
4. How stable is it for daily life usage?
5. Does it work with a bluetooth keyboard?
6. Can you hook up a PS3 bluetooth controller and play FPSce on it?
Thanks to whoever can answer these.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. No more than any other screen imo, mine's ben dropped a couple of times onto hard surfaces and it's absolutely fine
2. Can't compare it to the Nokia, but certain aspects are more sensitive than the iphone, but you get used to it after about 30s. You can always change the sensitivity if you're daring enough to tweak the registry
3. I've got a 16GB MicroSD card and touchwood it's been fine. I've got a San Disk one, so maybe if you buy cheaper alternatives it won't like them?
4. It will crash on you/freeze on you fairly regularly, which can be a little frustrating at times.
5 Don't know
6. Don't know, doubt it.
For reason 4, and for the lack of apps I have been contemplating swapping my HD2. It's a shame really, as it's almost worth keeping for the home screen alone. It still amazes me when I switch the phone on and there's this gorgeous home screen with weather animation. I don't think there's a phone that comes close (maybe the EVO 4 but that's not available in the UK). The desire has the same idea, but imo doesn't pull it off anywhere near as well.
My choices at the moment are, stick with the HD2 and put up with the frustrations of it crashing, and generally not being as 'polished' as other phones (eg iphone, desire), get the HTC desire and try not to think about the home screen of the HD2, wait to see what the iphone 4G is going to be like, which is likely to be announced in 3 days time (7th June).
If you want something that works straight out of the box and has plenty of apps, consider the iphone or HTC Desire (although this is android and might not support GSM, which I didn't realise). IF you want a phone that works well with a few tweaks, and has a home screen to die for and you can live without apps (there are some, but really not that great compared to the other markets) then get the HD2. Apparantly though the Desire has a much more vibrant screen which makes photos etc much better than the HD2, and if that's true it must look great as I think the screen on the HD2 is amazing, and much better than the iphone 3G(s). I'm sure the screen on the iphone 4G will be pretty impressive though
karaern said:
hd2 is a very good hardware(big screen, cute looking etc) but has WM OS (worst on the planet). in my opinion go to android phone. HTC EVO4g or Desire dunno but i can say only that the WM sux badly.
and yes its stable if u dont do anything except carrying the phone in pocket and just talk a bit....otherwise will wake up in a nightmare !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a typical answer of a WM hater. Sorry i do not agree
the stock roms are not the best, but when you use one of the cooked roms, there are many around, the phone is a pleasure to use, stable and does what it should do. even under heavy usage. A lot of people here on the forum are heavy users and if it was as bad as you describe they would not stay on WM.
hackm0d said:
I really wanted to go for an Android device, but since none of them is GSM and has a screen this big, I'm going for the HD2.
Just a few questions:
1. Is the glass screen prone to cracking? Even on gentle drops?
2. How oversensitive is the touchscreen? Can I type as fast as I do on my Nokia E90?
3. Does it have a tendency to corrupt 16GB microSD cards? I've seen some threads around it.
4. How stable is it for daily life usage?
5. Does it work with a bluetooth keyboard?
6. Can you hook up a PS3 bluetooth controller and play FPSce on it?
Thanks to whoever can answer these.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
6. Yes you can
1. Is the glass screen prone to cracking? Even on gentle drops?
I've dropped mine 3 times, twice off the end of the bed onto hardwood floor and once from chest hight onto a shop floor. No dents, no marks, no cracks. But of course with it having such a large glass screen you'd do well to try your best not to drop it.
2. How oversensitive is the touchscreen? Can I type as fast as I do on my Nokia E90?
Using something like SlideIT or Swype I dare say you could type a lot faster, and there are lots of tweaks to change the sensitivity of the screen to suit your needs.
3. Does it have a tendency to corrupt 16GB microSD cards? I've seen some threads around it.
I've pulled mine in and out numerous times and it's been fine and dandy. If you buy a cheap non branded card you might be looking for trouble, I'm not too sure on it though.
4. How stable is it for daily life usage?
With EnergyROM, it's awesome.
5. Does it work with a bluetooth keyboard?
I use my Mini Dinovo from time to time so that's a big ten-four.
6. Can you hook up a PS3 bluetooth controller and play FPSce on it?
Tada, CobaltController!
karaern said:
hd2 is a very good hardware(big screen, cute looking etc) but has WM OS (worst on the planet). in my opinion go to android phone. HTC EVO4g or Desire dunno but i can say only that the WM sux badly.
and yes its stable if u dont do anything except carrying the phone in pocket and just talk a bit....otherwise will wake up in a nightmare !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
whatever dude....
snerkler said:
You can always change the sensitivity if you're daring enough to tweak the registry
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your talking about the sensitivity with the keypad....how do you tweak it?
karaern said:
hd2 is a very good hardware(big screen, cute looking etc) but has WM OS (worst on the planet). in my opinion go to android phone. HTC EVO4g or Desire dunno but i can say only that the WM sux badly.
and yes its stable if u dont do anything except carrying the phone in pocket and just talk a bit....otherwise will wake up in a nightmare !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
? ermmmm.... nope.....
1 - Ive dropped mine, only a small drop though but its fine, I also managed to smash it into a fridge screen first and it didnt break, i was very lucky though! I dont advise smashing your phone against a fridge.
2 -The screen is very sensitive but bsb tweaks will solve that problem straight away....
3 - I dont use a 16gb card but the number of threads compared to the amount of people that must use these cards suggests its not a big issue....
4 - I've found it too be pretty damn stable, few hiccups here and there....
5 - Yes
6 - Yes (just dont ask me how) it can be done though.....
Get it, you'll love it.....
karaern said:
hd2 is a very good hardware(big screen, cute looking etc) but has WM OS (worst on the planet). in my opinion go to android phone. HTC EVO4g or Desire dunno but i can say only that the WM sux badly.
and yes its stable if u dont do anything except carrying the phone in pocket and just talk a bit....otherwise will wake up in a nightmare !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally disagree with this. I'm using the phone let's say on nearly heavy usage and using for a week and never had to do a softreset. I'm using many apps and games and no problem with them, just remember to use task manager when finishing with apps.
Many know the fact that for example on your pc by using clean windows your pc is fast and stable, but after installing third party apps it becomes messy. so try to use good apps and your safe from freezing.
Ps. I'm previous user of android and I had many force closes with apps.
best regards. Gjizaqin
Stu1973 said:
Your talking about the sensitivity with the keypad....how do you tweak it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For keypad/typing sensitvity use tweak #91 from the hints and tips and change the number to what suits you best (tiral and error)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=583638
For overall sensitivity use BSB tweaks.
One of the best tweaks for me was #35 from the link above regarding the clickable links in opera without having to zoom in. I actually changed the value to 2 though
gjizaqin said:
. I'm using the phone let's say on nearly heavy usage and using for a week and never had to do a softreset. I'm using many apps and games and no problem with them, just remember to use task manager when finishing with apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must be one of the lucky ones. I have to use soft reset at least once/week, and I have very few apps/games on my phone, and the ones I do have are very reputable. I even had problems before I installed these. I have done a few tweaks that have stabilised it quite a bit, but it's still not great.
Initially after coming from Android, I found this phone limiting in terms of apps. Also the Google environment is pretty slick.
However, there is nothing that I've wanted to do with this phone that I haven't been able to do: streaming music, gtalk, facebook integration, the list is long.
Some apps are not quite as elegant, but overall I've been pleased with this phone. Sometimes it needs a reset to get back up to speed, but so did my android device. This phone boots so fast, its not an issue for me.
The battery life is awesome. Lasts longer than my Magic did. Everything is so fast with the 1ghz processor. All I have to do is play around with my old phone for a bit to appreciate just how much faster everything is.
One of the pleasant surprises I've had is just how seamlessly it works with my Windows 7 PC. It's like they were made for each other. I forgot about that with Android. The Sense overlay is nice, and once you get to playing with other ROMs, it's hard to get bored.
Now that the EVO is out and the reviews, I'm still happy I bit the bullet with the HD2 and don't feel the need to trade it.
P.S. This thing has mobile hotspot too, and it works great!
first let me start by saying durability is no problem. the guys at tmobile hooked me up with a gel skin included so that soaks up a lot of jarring and dropping. second i have literally taken knives razors and screwdrivers to my screen trying to scratch it and the closest i get is friction smudging that justwipes away. like i said durability no issue. I've had my hd2 since march and I'm in love. it made me drop Verizon. some hd2 downfalls? its a big smudge magnet carry some windex and a rag lol or spend at bucks on smudge covers. i think the coolest feature of hd2 is the auto light detection when i step outside my phone auto adjusts so i can see
Thank you so much everyone, for the replies. But personally, I'm only avoiding Android and Maemo because of (a) the screen size, and (b) the presence of Linux in anything makes my uneasy. Windows Mobile is a lot more homely device for me and I love experimenting with the amazing hardware the HD2 would provide...
Just a few more questions:
7. When you play videos, is there audio/video lag? How bad is it? REALLY worried about this one...
8. How good is the web browser? I want something usable for heavy websites and forum posting.
9. How's the camera and video recording performance?
Thanks in advance, if I get a good response to these, I'm getting the device for sure.
1. Is the glass screen prone to cracking? Even on gentle drops?
Seems pretty study, have dropped mine a couple of times on a hard floor with no problem (only had it a week as well )
2. How oversensitive is the touchscreen? Can I type as fast as I do on my Nokia E90?
Stock ROM might be awful, if you are used to a resistive screen you may get a shock initially but you soon get used to it, get the screen sensitivity fix and the zoomer app and all your troubles will dissipate.
3. Does it have a tendency to corrupt 16GB microSD cards? I've seen some threads around it.
Haven t got one but I haven't seen much about this, I cannot see why it would.
4. How stable is it for daily life usage?
Stick to the more popular ROMS and you will have very few problems, I found the stock very stable, perfectly so to be honest but I wanted more icandy, cookie tab for instance.
5. Does it work with a bluetooth keyboard?
Apparently so but you will have to search XDa to find out which ones
6. Can you hook up a PS3 bluetooth controller and play FPSce on it?
I have seen someone do this on Youtube but I am not sure how this was done, theoretically it should work.
7. When you play videos, is there audio/video lag? How bad is it? REALLY worried about this one...
aha, there has been a lot of talk about this. I came form a Touch HD and the video performace was dreadful. I mainly play hdtv rips of around 700 meg and dvd rips of the same size, none of these played well with my touch Hd but theu play beautifully with my HD2. I am using coreplayer for most video and TCPMP for my Ac3 encoded stuff (if direct drawer doesnt work try GDI with full zoom enabled, leave everything else be, works a treat.
8. How good is the web browser? I want something usable for heavy websites and forum posting.
Slow, all phones are slow at web browsing, we are a long way from getting decent web performance on a phone, that being said with the huge screen it is much better than just about any other phone I have tried.
9. How's the camera and video recording performance?
Surprisingly good I think, then again I am again comparing this to my Touch HD which wasn't great. The Flash is a little harsh at times but daylight pic and vids are really pretty decent for a sub 720p camera.
It should be noted though that this is a tweakers phone, you may find yourself twiddling and tweaking for a long while before you have it how you want it. For me this is exactly what I want from a gadget though, a reason why I would touch a symbian or Iphone with me cats knob.
7 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=658136&highlight=wonderful
8 - The web browsing is superb! You wanna be able to use forums? I'm posting this from my HD2 so I guess it works.
9 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=690706&highlight=wonderful
2. You should try SlideIT and the new Resco beta 6 keyboard; they both work great.
4. Nothing wrong with the stock ROM I use (1.66), but no annoying add ons by my phone company, just a plain 1.66 ROM.
Thanks alot for your feedback.
Just one more thing, how's this compared to the Droid Incredible and the Nexus One?

its hard to like this phone..

I'm finding it a bit difficult to like this phone. Don't get me wrong I feel the hardware is top notch and one of the main reasons why I bought it was because of the slide out keyboard..the thing that gets to me the most is that its for mobile.. I'm use to having sprint and Verizon and actually I still have my droid pro which is now like my secondary phone but I never realized how slow the edge network was.. Are there any suggestions for improving battery life? Also the lack of widgets and not being able to multitask is a bit of a pain..i like it a hell of a lot more than the iPhone that's for sure..
MO3iusONE said:
Are there any suggestions for improving battery life? Also the lack of widgets and not being able to multitask is a bit of a pain..i like it a hell of a lot more than the iPhone that's for sure..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use black for your theme instead of white. Change the email frequency (don't use push on email accounts you don't care about). Change screen time out time.
I have grown to dislike widgets on an Android device. One of the main reasons being that they slow down the phone when going from homescreen to homescreen.
So you don't have 3G service from TMO where you are? I agree that would suck.
I've always founds the widgets really useful on Android. Especially on the droid pro its all very smooth. For example, I have an unlock screen that I bought on the Android market that allows me to slide to unlock but also slide to open up any app, so from the lock screen I could go to my email, texting, flash light, etc etc. I feel like I can be more efficient on the droid pro than this phone but, Windoes mobiles7 is still really young so I'm sure they will continue to improve on the os overtime...
there's 3g here but its hit and miss..i get no 3g just edge in my house and at work I get close to nothing. Its a pain when trying to text someone since more than often it won't send it..
I had locked at my plan and saw I was paying for their "4G" lol.. I'm gonna see if its possible for me to change my plan such as removing unlimited text a long with other things since it seems like I can't even use it since service is just terrible.. I'm really liking the phone though.. This is the first Dell phone I've ever owned and I'm impressed.. I use to own a palm pre.. Palm\hp should take some notes from Dell.
You live in Illinois?
no, Tucson Arizona.. I checked Tmobile's coverage map and I see a lot of green but still, I get really bad service.. it wouldn't be the phone itself would it?
Maybe I just switched from sprint to TMO and my friends the have other phones on the network get good 3g service in Santa Barbara while the DVP doesn't. There has been reports of the radio not function properly in our phones. Mine like to flucated the signal all over the place when on a call and usually with the phone on the desk with the speaker on. So no antenna gate issues......... Still way better than my touch pro 2 I left behind.
canadariot2312 said:
I have grown to dislike widgets on an Android device. One of the main reasons being that they slow down the phone when going from homescreen to homescreen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, I used Android for years - I had a G1, Droid, and Epic 4G all on launch day, not to mention installing Android on my HD2 - and while I thought widgets were really cool at first, I slowly but surely was using less and less of them. They make scrolling slower, they use more data, and depending on how crappy the dev was, they tended to force closed.
The one widget I do really miss is the power control widget. That's an awesome feature that I wish WP7 would emulate.
Most of the issues listed were in some way related to WP7 in general.
But I do agree that the VP radio needs some adjusting. It's still a young device, and it still seems leagues better than the TPro2's stock radio when I first got it.
MO3iusONE said:
there's 3g here but its hit and miss..i get no 3g just edge in my house and at work I get close to nothing. Its a pain when trying to text someone since more than often it won't send it..
I had locked at my plan and saw I was paying for their "4G" lol.. I'm gonna see if its possible for me to change my plan such as removing unlimited text a long with other things since it seems like I can't even use it since service is just terrible.. I'm really liking the phone though.. This is the first Dell phone I've ever owned and I'm impressed.. I use to own a palm pre.. Palm\hp should take some notes from Dell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3G is pretty much really good here. I usually navigate around 3 bars and when i am outside, I have full 3G. Than again, I live in one of those cities where T-Mobile's service is really good.
T-Mobile doesn't charge for HSPA+.
DeekoVB5 said:
Yea, I used Android for years - I had a G1, Droid, and Epic 4G all on launch day, not to mention installing Android on my HD2 - and while I thought widgets were really cool at first, I slowly but surely was using less and less of them. They make scrolling slower, they use more data, and depending on how crappy the dev was, they tended to force closed.
The one widget I do really miss is the power control widget. That's an awesome feature that I wish WP7 would emulate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3 months after I got my Nexus One, the Twitter widget just starts crashing randomly. I actually ran a test and the only time my Nexus was smooth was when it was not running any widgets whatsoever.
I would have to say that the power control widget is probably one of the better widgets just because it is made directly from Google. Turning on/off WiFi in a pinch is a useful feature. Shame that only the Google widgets are decent.
I'm gonna see if I can exchange this for a different model and see if that helps. Ever since I loaded up some songs on there, it has been freezing up as well. I really like this phone though, a lot, and Windows phone 7 is a pretty cool OS, I'm gonna exchange my phone, hope for the best and if I'm still having issues then hopefully some future update will improve the phone.
A couple of things to try to save battery are. If you are always in brightly lit environments it may actually save battery to have the brightness set to medium. Use the dark theme, red is supposed to be the most efficient color in amoled screens to my knowledge but any of the red, green or blue themes (if they are true primaries) will save a little power (I use blue). Regular use for me is probably pretty moderate by most standards. Moderate texting, 3-4 calls, browsing, gaming (my little girl loves this phone) and messing around with things I can make it thorough the day 7:00 am to 10:00 pm without problems. I am not in a 3g area so this may vary from place to place depending on service quality.

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