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...
Related
Hi,
I am currently using a Samsung F480 and I really have to say the difference in the touch screen experience is very much noticeable compared to my HTC Wizard (I'd probably call it Apple-esque - even though I never actually used their phone), however at the very same time I also have to admit that I am really missing the possibilities Windows Mobile offers.
So when I first read about the Touch HD it seemed it would unify all those. Well, meanwhile I found out that the touch screen technology basically remained the same so I'd really be interested to hear how you would actually rate it? Does one still have to press/push the screen or does a simply touch do it as well?
Apart from the touch screen topic I am also a bit uncertain after reading threads like this and in particular vangrieg's posting. How would you rate the overall performance?
Basically what I would be looking for would be a compact phone with a good display, easily extensible (Windows Mobile) and a nice touch screen experience (Apple) ....
i have it for a week now and i am very satisfied with it. Not one program crashed and no reboot so far. Internet browsing is fast and really usable. For the first time ever i really like to surf the net while commuting on the subway. GPS with TomTom7 is great - i locks in seconds even when in downtown surrounded by skyscrapers.
regarding the touchscreen, i find that i have to press really hard to get a reaction. at first i even was reluctant to press so hard because i thought i would break it with the stylus. but now i am glad that it does not react to simple touching because i usually carry it in the pocket of my trousers and touch the display when handling it and it should not react to simple touching in my view - and it does not.
Thanks kkrammer, so you havent noticed respectively cant confirm the lag mentioned by donbronzi and jon- in the indicated thread. I am asking in particular because vangrieg stated the used Qualcomm processor shouldnt be the fastest.
As to the touch screen, this is certainly a subjective matter but personally I really like Samsung's way to respond even to a very very light touch without having to actually press it. So you would say one actually has to press it, a light touch doesnt do it?
Touch HD finger pressure
After owning a Touch Diamond, I feel that the screen is much more responsive. I dont have to press hard at all. I really like it so far. Yes it is a bit bigger and heavier, its still thin. All my programs are working great.
Thanks wfhowell, actually I just went to a store and expectedly they didnt have an HD yet, however there was the Diamond and considering my touch tests I slowly begin to understand the Apple fanboys. Coming from the Samsung F480 I was almost unable to use it. So how much would you say was the HD improved in this area?
Maybe someone who used Apple's, the F480 and the HD could outline where he/she would see the differences.
hi drzoid
i know what you mean about the screen but thats the difference between the two different screen technologies. if you want the ability to use a stylus the phone can only detect it if you push. iphones can measure the current through your finger with a lot less screen pressure.
that said i use rhe advanced configuration tool from the diamond forum to make the screen more sensitive. not as nice as iphone but close
Its the best phone till today... awesome tough still not perfect..
Unless you still think that a phone requires a QWERTY keyboard (I haven't missed on yet on this awesome phon) I'd run to my local dealer
Is it worth paying £500 to upgrade from the diamond? I'm not sure wether to go for it or not? Is the HD just a diamond with a bigger screen? Its a lot of money to pay just for that.
marcel808 said:
hi drzoid
i know what you mean about the screen but thats the difference between the two different screen technologies. if you want the ability to use a stylus the phone can only detect it if you push. iphones can measure the current through your finger with a lot less screen pressure.
that said i use rhe advanced configuration tool from the diamond forum to make the screen more sensitive. not as nice as iphone but close
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Marcel, I know Apple's touch screen as well as - probably - the F480's measure via the skin but nonetheless I was "shocked" today when I saw what touching means in terms of the Diamond.
How "close" would you say is the sensitivity you mentioned?
Can someone who has experience with the Wizard and the HD tell if there is an actual difference in the sensitivity.
I'd love to get an HD - even if its price is currently almost prohibitive - but I am not sure whether I'd really like to go back.
mwatson said:
Is it worth paying £500 to upgrade from the diamond? I'm not sure wether to go for it or not? Is the HD just a diamond with a bigger screen? Its a lot of money to pay just for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its not worth the upgrade in my opinion.
I found you have to push a fair bit harder with the stylus on the screen than with your finger. If you use your finger it responds to a very light touch in comparism and is very responsive.
Thanks, for a real-world example, how hard would one have to press to slide the tabbar on the home screen left and right. Would just placing the finger without actual pressure be enough?
hi drzoid
how sensitive is the screen on mine...not sure how best to answer.
On an iphone I hardly have to touch the screen. As soon as the skin touches, thats enough.
With the HD, if I press the screen, I have to push until the top of my finger squashes by 1mm. Does that makes sense??!
So try pushing on a hard surface so 1mm of your finger squashes...and thats an HD
marcel808 said:
On an iphone I hardly have to touch the screen. As soon as the skin touches, thats enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just like with the F480.
marcel808 said:
With the HD, if I press the screen, I have to push until the top of my finger squashes by 1mm. Does that makes sense??!
So try pushing on a hard surface so 1mm of your finger squashes...and thats an HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you Marcel, perfect explanation, even though I am not sure whether this is really close if one has to push 1mm into the screen .
Somehow my excitement gets colder, unfortunately
F480 has a capacitive screen, just like the iPhone and G1, so the HD would be worse touchy-wise (resistive screen), but according to reviews HD's screen is quite close to iPhone's sensitivity. Anyway, you can't write with the stylus on those and you can on the HD
Insaneboy said:
F480 has a capacitive screen, just like the iPhone and G1, so the HD would be worse touchy-wise (resistive screen), but according to reviews HD's screen is quite close to iPhone's sensitivity. Anyway, you can't write with the stylus on those and you can on the HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, personally I dont really need a stylus, although the magnetic of the HD makes a precious impression. Anyhow Samsung's screen is what I would really define as touch screen. It would be interesting how close it is, but the 1mm Marcel mentioned doesnt sound too close .... I guess I will have to wait until I can see the HD live.
What a shame almost
For me, the ability to use stylus is a big plus. I like the option of being able to use product such as Netfront Browser. It is a lot easier to click on links and to type quickly on keyboards as compared to using finger. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against fingers. In fact, 99% of the time I use my device with just fingers. There are times when I feel that stylus is a lot easier. I consider this to be a plus over iPhone actually. I wish iPhone can support both, because then I need not zoom in before activating a link.
I would say it's about the same as using a touchpad on a laptop if using your finger, it's pretty good
mwatson said:
Is it worth paying £500 to upgrade from the diamond? I'm not sure wether to go for it or not? Is the HD just a diamond with a bigger screen? Its a lot of money to pay just for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have both the diamond (business phone) and, recently, the HD (personal phone). The HD is a step change in a number of ways. The larger screen, in purely size terms, makes sense of the touchflo interface. Buttons are big, and useable, and I'm rarely (if ever) pulling out the stylus. Also the software itself is faster, more developed (losts of little changes - like answering a call uses a finger gesture, rather than pressing a button - which means you are much less likely to inadvertantly answer an incoming call in your pocket. a little thing, but one of a myriad of significant little changes). The stock ROM is blisteringly fast in comparison (my diamond is the t-mobile version, and a shocker in comparison). Given that they are roughly the same hardware it shows what the diamond may become capable of. The screen is spectacular. The sensitivity (though lacking multi-touch, no biggie for me) feels just right. The battery life literally takes my breath away. I've run it for two lumps of two days, and not yet got the battery below 50%. My diamond corpses after about 24 hours.
It's the best WM device I've had by a country mile, and I've had a few. I still like my diamond, though. It's little and I can look after it much better when I'm out for a riotous night on the town. The HD is big, and until I can get a silicone case for it, it's a dropped smashed phone waiting to happen (I hate having to remove a phone from a case to use it, it massively increases the chance of accidents).
Philio25 said:
I would say it's about the same as using a touchpad on a laptop if using your finger, it's pretty good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? If I judge it from my Acer Aspire I would then actually call it decent.
I really have to find a store where you can try it out .
eaglesteve said:
For me, the ability to use stylus is a big plus. I like the option of being able to use product such as Netfront Browser. It is a lot easier to click on links and to type quickly on keyboards as compared to using finger. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against fingers. In fact, 99% of the time I use my device with just fingers. There are times when I feel that stylus is a lot easier. I consider this to be a plus over iPhone actually. I wish iPhone can support both, because then I need not zoom in before activating a link.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I can talk only for the F480 which actually has Netfront and there you can click links without zooming, even if you have aim well sometimes.
Lets say I am not against a stylus but I am for the touch experience the F480 brings .
Hi,
I'm buying a windows mobile based phone, and so far every one I've looked at has some kind of design flaw.
I've already bought and returned a HTC Touch Diamond, because it had a nasty orange cloudy patch on 1 part of the screen.
What I've found so far is:
Touch Diamond: Orange clouds on screens, and random phones with bad contrast.
Xperia X1: Phone housings just crack of their own accord, not due to abuse.
Touch Diamond 2: Allows dust to get between the screen and the touch panel. (This is especially bad for me as I work in a very dusty environment, so the phone would end up full of dust pretty fast.)
I really like the look of the Touch HD, and after searching so far I haven't found reports of any flaws.
So does the Touch HD have any of the above flaws, or any flaws at all?
Or if anyone can name any WM based phones that have specs similar to the above I'd appreciate it, preferably VGA resolution or above.
Thanks in advance.
Well early on there were a lot of people complaining the paint wore away from the metal casing very quickly, although this never happened to me. I don't think there are too many common problems or at least none that I've had myself.
the paint chipping happened to me also, especially around the mini usb connector and also around the stylus area. The edges of the screen are also starting....
Small detail, not very annoying, but hurts when you paid like 500 euro for the device.
have had it for just over a month, I think the raised metal section on the back cover seems to scratch fairly easily (a bit like the X1's back cover, actually) - I would advise putting InvisibleShield or something similar *specifically* on that section.
back cover is a *whee* bit loose from me pulling it open and closed to hard / soft reset the HD, but otherwise of issues.
Wish it had a lanyard hole, though.
Buttons don't light up... How can you see the buttons in the dark? There are little ways of reflecting the screen light, but you know what I mean, buttons that don't light up?!?!?
Smallest ever notification light is on the power button, how you see this when you just put the phone down next to you I have no idea! Bit pointless if you as me.
Back case is a bit 'loose', but thats after constantly taking it off to flash my phone. You could just pad the back with a sticky pad on the inside of the back cover anyway which would stop it from happening.
Haven't had the issue with scratching the 'bulge' around the camera lens, its brushed metal anyway so can't say you'd notice that much.
Other than that, the phone is mint... Get one...
Well for scratches on the metal casing i don't know cause i always look to put it on something soft when i use on the table or other rough surfaces.I watched a video on youtube which showed how hard is to scratch the screen and the back have a look...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVIPSK0P2EY
But just in case if i were you i would get one of these
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH-CPWCPCco&NR=1
Well i've had mine 2 months, i keep it in the material sleeve it came with and have the screen protector on and as of yet its been fine.
The screen protector could do with being replaced as there are a few scuffs on it. Very good device though, i've been very pleased with mine. I've used iphones and was never impressed by them. The only flaw i would pick up would be windows mobile itself... I do get occasional error messages as per windows desktop but nothing major.
If you don't mind there being no hard keyboard then i'd say its a fantastic device.
It's really very annoying
buy this never happened to me.
6 months in...
For “new” potential users I’m 6 months into using my Touch HD.
Good points.
Screen – I use Pocket Informant with mini text in the month view and I can actually read enough of each entry for each day of the month to plan at a glance.
Any kind of detail to look at and the screen helps, it is both large enough and has good enough resolution to see detail. The Iphone looks bright and very crisp but doesn’t get down to the text and other detail the HD can.
Size – it’s a good compromise between screen size and pocketability. It’s also quite slim.
Battery life – I’m pleasantly surprised – it lasts a good 2-3 days and using stuff like CoPilot as a SatNav doesn’t pull it down too quickly.
Stability – a few resets but relatively few and usually because I’ve been a dumbo about doing something.
Multi tasking – recently used the phone on a Bluetooth headset, whilst also guiding the caller using the satnav and also looking up the company he wanted on the internet…all at the same time – stunned it all worked, I even managed to navigate between the various active “screens”.
The “What’s that” factor! – most average “joes” have got into Nokia, Motorola, Iphone etc but the Touch HD is a relative rarity – so if you want to be different!
Phone – signal reception and call quality beat my previous Motorola Rizr Z3 hands down. Also my boss has an Iphone and his call quality is awful. My Touch HD is almost like using a landline – certainly better than the last 3 dedicated phones I’ve had.
Pulling out the stylus wakes the device – great and so obvious!
The actual device itself is still as new! I do use a case though.
Loads more…
Bad points.
I don’t use “touch flo” – many of the things I need to do mean using the stylus so for me its either all or nothing – TF doesn’t do for me!
Few hard key options – I used to have a one key push to bring up my diary (HP4700).
Useless LED “alarm” light on top – too small – too dim.
Camera – sunshine and its OK otherwise not great – no flash etc.
Battery life – it’s good but we are all waiting for more! Surely everyone wants at least a week without charging so you don’t lug a charger everywhere you go.
Stupidly small space of a couple of lines to answer text messages – duh! (I know there are fixes but I’m cautious about warranty and unrecoverable ****-ups!)
Installed…
CoPilot live 7. Works well (especially with the recent free screen resolution update to suit the HD)
Pocket Informant – best PIM/Diary/Contacts program I’ve ever used – I have a lot of diary stuff and quick access to good info.
Magic Button – useful although somewhat overtaken by changes in WM6x
Gsen – tweak for the G sensor options.
HD tweak – useful for customising a load of twiddly things.
Memaid – cleans up a bunch of iteme WM6x leaves woolly.
Pocket TV – useful for viewing various “movie” formats.
Resco File manager – MUCH better than the native WM6x file explorer – how can you live without it?
Accessories…Piel frama case – its ok but the leather around the screen blocks left margin stylus actions slightly (I’m left handed). Also it would be better using a magnetic closure instead of a popper, you can flip a mag closure shut with one hand movement but not the popper version. The front cover is a bit too soft so it would still allow something to crack the screen at a push. It also means if you receive a call by the time you’ve hauled the thing out of your pocket you’ve carried out some unknown screen clicks by gripping the case. Having said this I’ve tried two other cases and gone back to this one.
Thanks for all the replies.
If the paint chipping is the only problem I'll buy one, I'll be getting a case for it so hopefully that will protect it.
I'm moving from an iphone which I managed to keep in pristine condition, right up until I lost it
I tend to use the web browser quite a bit during the day, what kind of battery life could I expect out of the HD with say 2-3 hours browsing on 3g?
whats ur take on the device?
is it really worth it? are u content?
I really like it. Yes its not a killer device in comparisson to some but its really functional and ticks all the boxes for me.
I'm very happy with my Snap. It is by a considerable margin the fastest WM device I have ever used and is not showing any sign of slowing down as I load it up with software. There are various different varieties around (Maple, Cedar etc) - personally I would say make sure you get one with a trackball. Whilst this takes a little getting used to, after a few days you will wonder how you ever managed with a D-pad. The keyboard is excellent and the device is very compact and pocketable - the flat full qwerty layout means it is very comfortable in a jacket or shirt pocket.
If you find the idea of an iPhone and/or large touch screen appealing then clearly the device is not for you. Personally I find the whole touch screen thing a pain - my Kaiser used to drive me nuts sometimes (despite being very extensively tweaked). The screen is obviously not that big and still QVGA, but if you are looking for a functional device on the WM platform that gets the job done this is the best device yet, IMHO.
JC6 said:
I'm very happy with my Snap. It is by a considerable margin the fastest WM device I have ever used and is not showing any sign of slowing down as I load it up with software. There are various different varieties around (Maple, Cedar etc) - personally I would say make sure you get one with a trackball. Whilst this takes a little getting used to, after a few days you will wonder how you ever managed with a D-pad. The keyboard is excellent and the device is very compact and pocketable - the flat full qwerty layout means it is very comfortable in a jacket or shirt pocket.
If you find the idea of an iPhone and/or large touch screen appealing then clearly the device is not for you. Personally I find the whole touch screen thing a pain - my Kaiser used to drive me nuts sometimes (despite being very extensively tweaked). The screen is obviously not that big and still QVGA, but if you are looking for a functional device on the WM platform that gets the job done this is the best device yet, IMHO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank u so much for ur review!
well as far as getting a trackball, my service provider doesnt have that edition, so im stuck with a d-pad.
now as far as app wise..have u installed anything?
Very quick little device. I missthe touch screen I had but I'm getting used to it. microSD up to 16GB doesn't hurt either. Camera is very clear, good quality pic. Very simple device. Does what it's supposed to do and does it well. Since it was a free upgrade formy wife and I, it's even a sweeter deal. Kind of nice for usboth have access to email at all times. Theta huge batterymakes for very very good run time.
Love it!
I got rid of a Touch Pro and got this instead after my wife got one. (I *hated* the Touch Pro...what a slow, buggy, heated piece of crap). This little phone rocks!
Two out of Five stars. (Amazon Review)
"This phone was a nightmare! I hate it with a passion", May 31, 2010
Here is a review of the Xperia X1. I have owned the X1, HTC Touch Pro2, HTC HD2, Nokia E90, Nokia E72, Nokia N95 and Apple iPhone. Other than the iPhone, I really hate this phone.
1) Build Quality - the plastic on this phone peeled off everywhere! The finishing on this phone is very susceptible to friction. The plastic chrome will peel off. The paint on the metal battery cover will scratch or peel off. The internal housing will crack. It's like the device had an earthquake and cracked itself. I didn't even sit on the device or drop it on anything. There is no way to prevent the plastic from cracking and peeling. All of this happened within 6 months.
The keyboard will also loose sensitivity. Over time, you will have to press on the keys harder and harder when you want to type something. The keyboard will only satisfy you for a year. And on top of that, the keyboard sucks. Don't even think about speed typing on this bad boy.
2) Efficiency - the phone is very inefficient. The terrible feedback on the keyboard forces me to use the virtual keyboard on the phone. On top of that, the screen is so small that using the virtual keyboard is a nightmare. This prevents me from being efficient with contact management and note taking. In deterred me from actually using the calendar and responding to text messages and emails. Unlike on the E72, I was not motivated to be organized with the software.
The phone is also very, very slow. Even with the latest firmware, it is very slow. This made me abhor using this phone for any reason. Don't even think about installing software that runs in the background, because it will eat your battery and retard your phone. The only way to make the device run at decent speeds is to minimize the software and the ROM.
3) Battery - the battery life is terrible. It only lasts 12-15 hours on standby without 3G enabled.
4) Camera - the camera doesn't beat the N95, but it's alright. The camera software is sluggish and is very uncomfortable to use. The camera has bad auto focus and weak flash LED.
5) Multimedia - the speakers on the phone is very weak so don't even bother watching movies or listening to music. Since this is a touch screen device, the screen isn't big enough for me to enjoy videos or web-browsing.
The sluggishness of this device also applied to it's Wi-Fi. That's why I avoided web-browsing altogether. It was just plain terrible. In fact, I prefer the Nokia E90 or Nokia E72 for web-browsing (they are non touch screen phones).
6) Phone - the call quality and loudness was at least better than my Nokia E72. However, the X1 speakerphone can't even compare to the E72 speakerphone. Please recall that phones usually have two separate speakers: the speakerphone/loudspeaker and the normal speaker. Well, the X1 has a very bad speakerphone/loudspeaker.
8) Internet - the internet is slow, the screen is small, and the CPU needs an update. This should conclude everything.
9) Price - at 800 U.S. dollars, it was an expensive piece of junk. But now that it is sold for 400 dollars brand new, it's a little more forgiving.
10) Something to consider - regardless of all of the cons I have provided, I enjoyed using the phone because it was highly customizable. Unfortunately, it lacked everything I expected from what was advertised: an awesome keyboard, perfect build quality, fast processor. I tried to make the best of it by customizing it with software and 'tricks' and that alleviated some of the pain. Also, so many people complemented on the beauty of my X1.
11) History on X1: When the X1 first came out, all of the reviewers gave the phone high marks for it's amazing build quality. Within a year, everyone noticed that its cosmetic and physical condition deteriorated greatly. The phone reviewers returned the X1 to the 'lenders' before they got the chance to witness the true nature of this phone.
I recently bought a X1 to use instead of a HD2 I also own, for emails etc. because of the hardware keyboard. I bought the X1 on ebay for £150 mint boxed condition, the HD2 was about £450 new. So far I am really loving the X1 vs the HD2 and wish I'd not bought the HD2 really.
I probably wouldn't be so happy with the X1 if I'd paid full retail price for it though!
Something is wrong with your particluar X1 if it cant last more than 12 hours in standby - leave mine on standby over night not charging at say 50 percent, wake up and its usually about 49 percent so maybe a problem with your battery.
Obviously its not perfect and it has many many problems but i've had it since it came out in the UK and i'm still with it (different one obviously since its been sent back so many times) but it works for me, its does what i want and how i want so its great, and internet browsing is greate and easy! Have you tried Opera Mini Beta? download it from their website - can easily look stuff up on the go!
Hey if i wasn't so much in a rush, i'd post a solution for almost every problem your facing. iv'e had my x1i for a month now and although it took me quite some time searching and posting throughout this forum! iv'e maximized as best as i could,My phones super fast,super stable,not to mention the internet. made mine alot louder both in speakerphone and music without any distort or damage,and all while having a look so good that makes peoples mouth water! anyone else agree?
Zeyn Karim said:
Hey if i wasn't so much in a rush, i'd post a solution for almost every problem your facing. iv'e had my x1i for a month now and although it took me quite some time searching and posting throughout this forum! iv'e maximized as best as i could,My phones super fast,super stable,not to mention the internet. made mine alot louder both in speakerphone and music without any distort or damage,and all while having a look so good that makes peoples mouth water! anyone else agree?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with everything you said . I've had my phone for 8 months now and have never had to send it in to get repaired for anything?
I agree with the second poll option but i'm not supprised that this was XDA's #1 device, at the time this device was awesome and sleek.
poetryrocksalot said:
Two out of Five stars. (Amazon Review)
"This phone was a nightmare! I hate it with a passion", May 31, 2010
Here is a review of the Xperia X1. I have owned the X1, HTC Touch Pro2, HTC HD2, Nokia E90, Nokia E72, Nokia N95 and Apple iPhone. Other than the iPhone, I really hate this phone.
1) Build Quality - the plastic on this phone peeled off everywhere! The finishing on this phone is very susceptible to friction. The plastic chrome will peel off. The paint on the metal battery cover will scratch or peel off. The internal housing will crack. It's like the device had an earthquake and cracked itself. I didn't even sit on the device or drop it on anything. There is no way to prevent the plastic from cracking and peeling. All of this happened within 6 months.
The keyboard will also loose sensitivity. Over time, you will have to press on the keys harder and harder when you want to type something. The keyboard will only satisfy you for a year. And on top of that, the keyboard sucks. Don't even think about speed typing on this bad boy.
2) Efficiency - the phone is very inefficient. The terrible feedback on the keyboard forces me to use the virtual keyboard on the phone. On top of that, the screen is so small that using the virtual keyboard is a nightmare. This prevents me from being efficient with contact management and note taking. In deterred me from actually using the calendar and responding to text messages and emails. Unlike on the E72, I was not motivated to be organized with the software.
The phone is also very, very slow. Even with the latest firmware, it is very slow. This made me abhor using this phone for any reason. Don't even think about installing software that runs in the background, because it will eat your battery and retard your phone. The only way to make the device run at decent speeds is to minimize the software and the ROM.
3) Battery - the battery life is terrible. It only lasts 12-15 hours on standby without 3G enabled.
4) Camera - the camera doesn't beat the N95, but it's alright. The camera software is sluggish and is very uncomfortable to use. The camera has bad auto focus and weak flash LED.
5) Multimedia - the speakers on the phone is very weak so don't even bother watching movies or listening to music. Since this is a touch screen device, the screen isn't big enough for me to enjoy videos or web-browsing.
The sluggishness of this device also applied to it's Wi-Fi. That's why I avoided web-browsing altogether. It was just plain terrible. In fact, I prefer the Nokia E90 or Nokia E72 for web-browsing (they are non touch screen phones).
6) Phone - the call quality and loudness was at least better than my Nokia E72. However, the X1 speakerphone can't even compare to the E72 speakerphone. Please recall that phones usually have two separate speakers: the speakerphone/loudspeaker and the normal speaker. Well, the X1 has a very bad speakerphone/loudspeaker.
8) Internet - the internet is slow, the screen is small, and the CPU needs an update. This should conclude everything.
9) Price - at 800 U.S. dollars, it was an expensive piece of junk. But now that it is sold for 400 dollars brand new, it's a little more forgiving.
10) Something to consider - regardless of all of the cons I have provided, I enjoyed using the phone because it was highly customizable. Unfortunately, it lacked everything I expected from what was advertised: an awesome keyboard, perfect build quality, fast processor. I tried to make the best of it by customizing it with software and 'tricks' and that alleviated some of the pain. Also, so many people complemented on the beauty of my X1.
11) History on X1: When the X1 first came out, all of the reviewers gave the phone high marks for it's amazing build quality. Within a year, everyone noticed that its cosmetic and physical condition deteriorated greatly. The phone reviewers returned the X1 to the 'lenders' before they got the chance to witness the true nature of this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had my Xperia for over a year (since feb 2009) and I am still happy with it,
1 My Xperia is the silver version so no paint to scratch off. Usually I carry it around in a case so no real scratches. It does have a couple of the notorious cracks though, (Just under the volume control and above the camera) but they are not noticible unless you look for them and they do not affect the functionality of the device.
2. The keyboard is mostly good for me. It seems to have a few rare times when it is being tempramental but on the whole no issues. I use the onscreen keyboard occasionally and can type relitively well without using the stylus if I have to.
3. My batttery life with the R3A rom was over and around 3 days with light use. My current rom (Christians full rom) requires charging around once a day so I am going to change to a lighter rom.
4. The camera is a bit slow, and the LED flash isnt the best, but I find it does what I need it to do, I use it as my main camera since I cant be bothered carying around two devices and have no complaints. It takes scenery and people quite well, for dark scenes it may take a bit of playing around.
5 Yes the loudspeaker is bad, But I watch movies and play multimedia with the headphones, sound quality is great then. I only run into problems when I want loud speaker for phonecalls in noisy environments, which isnt often.
6 I manage web browsing fine, yes its true I would use a device with a larger screen if I bought one along, but I often dont because the xperia is extreemely portable and web browsing is no problem for me.
7. I haven't run into any problems with the wifi, the wifi seems to operate as well as anyone elses phone.
8. Yes I agree that when it was released it was overpriced, but arnt most devices? the age old lesson is that you should wait a bit before buying somthing, Dont get caught in the hype.
Their is a simple fix for the sound on the Xperia X1. It's called "optxperiabeta02". I've been using it for 7 month's now.
hungry81 said:
I have had my Xperia for over a year (since feb 2009) and I am still happy with it,
1 My Xperia is the silver version so no paint to scratch off. Usually I carry it around in a case so no real scratches. It does have a couple of the notorious cracks though, (Just under the volume control and above the camera) but they are not noticible unless you look for them and they do not affect the functionality of the device.
2. The keyboard is mostly good for me. It seems to have a few rare times when it is being tempramental but on the whole no issues. I use the onscreen keyboard occasionally and can type relitively well without using the stylus if I have to.
3. My batttery life with the R3A rom was over and around 3 days with light use. My current rom (Christians full rom) requires charging around once a day so I am going to change to a lighter rom.
4. The camera is a bit slow, and the LED flash isnt the best, but I find it does what I need it to do, I use it as my main camera since I cant be bothered carying around two devices and have no complaints. It takes scenery and people quite well, for dark scenes it may take a bit of playing around.
5 Yes the loudspeaker is bad, But I watch movies and play multimedia with the headphones, sound quality is great then. I only run into problems when I want loud speaker for phonecalls in noisy environments, which isnt often.
6 I manage web browsing fine, yes its true I would use a device with a larger screen if I bought one along, but I often dont because the xperia is extreemely portable and web browsing is no problem for me.
7. I haven't run into any problems with the wifi, the wifi seems to operate as well as anyone elses phone.
8. Yes I agree that when it was released it was overpriced, but arnt most devices? the age old lesson is that you should wait a bit before buying somthing, Dont get caught in the hype.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I owe and use every day my X1 as a main and only
pocket computer since December 2008.
Use is heavily.....
And I must say basically it still rocks.
Regarding the problems from the first post:
I agree that a keyboard gets a bit worse after that time. I didn't happen to SE P990 which I've also used for 1,5 years.
Now I owe also X2 and THIS IS THE KEYBOARD!!
The paint on the black back cover got scratched but
this is what happens to every device.
Plastic peeled off only on the 4 direction pad.
The rest is perfect.
The one crack I have is only be because it dropped badly and nothing else happened actually.
Battery is perfect. If not used heavily it's like 2 days.
The speed: that's interesting.
I don't know what did you do with your X1
@poetry
My X1 is still on R1 firmware (!!!!!)
and it is lightning fast!
I mean really fast....
I also saw lately Omnia I who somebody owned:
that was a crap man......
@poetryrocksalot: I do not agree with you. So far I have only made the best experiences with my Xperia X1.
Build quality: Like I stated on various occasions here at XDA the build quality of my Xperia X1 is absoluetely ok. Ok the paint of the baterry cover comes of but this is only a minor issue. In fact every phone has it's weak points and this one is really not serious. What's more my phone is completely free of cracks.
Battery: Are you kidding me? I have not seen many smartphones that have better endurance with one battery than the X1. I have got two batteries and if I mind how often I use the phone those two batteries easely last 4 days and there is still some power left after those 4 days. There are only a few smartphones out there that last more than a day with one charge.
Screen: What influence has the fact that the X1 is a touchscreen phone on it's performance when it comes to multimedia features (such as playing videos). Would the screen be big enough so you could enjoy your videos if the screen wasn't touchable? Where is the context in this statment? I consider the screen still among the best on the market as long as we talk about quality. It could be bigger that's true but SE never claimed to sell the phone with the biggest display. Show me all phones out there that are capable of playing 800 * 480 movies fluently. There aren't many and the X1 was launched in 2008.
Internet: What makes you think the X1 is bad for webbrowsing? I use Opera 10 and it's by far not sluggish. Normally the speed of webbrowsing depends on the connection whitch itself depends on your provider and the network coverage. Even the HD 2 is slow when using GPRS Once again my phone is not slow neiter on WLAN nor on HSDPA/ UMTS.
Price: It's true the initial price of 800 $ was too much. Thats why I did not get it when it came out. I bought my phone back in November 2009 and I paid 570 Swiss Francs. In $ that is approximately 450. And that was without a contract. It's an old story: Early adopters will always pay the price.
I could go on like this for several lines but I think I have already made clear my attitude. The X1 has its flaws like every product but it's by no means a bad product.
Some remarks from me below. I've had my X1 since september 2008.
Build Quality
Seems to differ a lot from batch to batch, and from color to color. I have a black X1. Noting have peeled off anywhere, but a letter in the SE logo. Almost no scratches on the battery cover. No cracks in the usual places although I've dropped it rather frequently.
However, I do have a crack in the metal surrounding... but the hit the phone took when that appeared made me surprised the phone is still alive at all.
Keyboard. No issues whatsoever. Might need a little cleaning soon.
Cooling of LED bad. Made my vibrator stop working... 'til I dropped the phone the next time. Plastic lens cover broken. Got squeezed into a table corner when I moved.
2) Efficiency
Software updates from SE... sucks.
3) Battery
Not as good as when it was new, but it's ok. Always on 3G.
4) Camera
Can live with it. Not good.
5) Multimedia
Speaker utterly rubbish. The lack of xvid support is crap.
6) Phone
Ok. Nothing more. Nothing less.
8) Internet
Always using Opera Mini 5, way better when Opera Mobile IMHO. Fast and stable.
9) Price
Eh... I don't know. The discounts here in Sweden are very, very, very, very good if you sign up for two years. I pay about the same price as seven Big Mac & Co a month for flat rate data and I can still use all those money to make calls with. Phone was free of charge.
Conclusion: Will probably go for a Desire in two months. Or Iphone 4G. Or something else. Not a Win Mob phone.
Build quality isnt soo good - i noticed the black paint comes off so i got some cheap carbon fiber looking tape and covered it, its protects it well.
i hate the silver parts on it - thought it was metal till one day i noticed there was a crack and i haven't dropped yet,so i attached a piece of string on the bottom to decrease the chances of cracking on its own.
the battery is good in my opinion lasts 3,4 days for me
camera sucks because you have to press down on the button to take a picture which may put the phone focusing out of place, but htc sense roms with touch focus to take a pic is alot better
speaker is weak when outside.
i still think its a great phone, but i dislike the O\s when it comes to efficiency
the processor and its hardware should be fine for a phone.
I acquired a second-hand semi-broken X1 very recently, after owning, testing, repairing or playing with most WM phones on the market. My own conclusion - not bad at all, most impressed by the screen.
Got Nuts ROM and sound optimizer loaded - like it even more, can't say I would ever be happy with the original ROM, but with TF3D ports I got everything I needed. Every device will have its own little quirks and bogies, none will ever be perfect, my only gripe with X1 is the keyboard, but only because I also keep my old trusty 128Mb HTC Universal as a second device and its QWERTY simply can't be beaten. Even Wizard has better keyboard!!!!
X1's keyboard is miserable and next to useless - button feedback is misleading, general inconsistency in pressure requirement and double-typing is common, buttons are fiddly, even for my small and adept fingers - all leading to slow and deliberate usage, which is counter-productive.
No issues whatsoever with anything else. From past experiences with X1s brought in for repairs, main issue is, of course, flex. But that is simply called 'all-slide desease' and should be expected regardless of the make and model.
I do believe the silver version is a much better option, silver metallic parts can be lightly polished and be as good as new, I have no peeling paint or other obvious cracks, apart from tiny, barely noticeable ones here and there. The battery door opening could be better thought out design-wise, even a simple spring lock would be preferable to peeling it off with your fingernails.
Optimizations, tweaks and various add-ons are out there - don't complain about lack of this or that - find the solution!
Almost forgot - those complaining of lack of playback support for this or that - find the solution and you will be surprised how well everything will play. As far as browsers are concerned - nothing beats Opera 10 for me (well, for now anyway), got Opera mini 5 running on my LG Arena - had gutsful, but had no choice, so glad I don't have to on Xperia
I got an A43 in part because it's got a resistive touchscreen so I can use it with an ordinary stylus (for instance, I am developing an astronomy app and want to be able to select individual objects on screen from a crowded field without any zooming, just as I can on my Palm). However, I've found that the A43 has the same problem with its resistive touchscreen that my Palm TX does: sometimes, when a touch is released, it registers a largish (0.25 to 0.5 inch) movement. This causes problems--it makes button presses in on-screen keyboards get registered in the wrong location.
Anybody else notice this?
On the Palm TX, the user community eventually figured out what the problem was and a third-party vendors manufactured a hardware solution. The problem was that Palm skimped and made a substandard plastic digitizer, which made it distort on release. The solution was that someone manufactured replacement glass digitizers you could install (you can still buy them for about $25) and those who got them were quite happy with them.
My A43 has a plastic screen, and not a very hard one at that. (My Clie stylus would scratch it lightly, so I had to switch to a softer-tip HTC stylus.)
With a good quality resistive touchscreen, it would be worth my while to put some effort into modifying AnySoftKeyboard to support sweeping a stylus through hexagonal keys in an an ATOMIK layout, with all the ASCII symbols available together, like in my PalmOS myKbd app, even if I end up being the only user (I get the feeling a lot of people don't like using a stylus).
not sure what to say about this, besides the fact that my current screen (Archos 43) is annoying because it doesn't allow me play emulators that require multitouch, pewpew, etc. (not that pewpew is a good game anyway). I kind of like the stylus because it feels more ergonomic than rubbing my fingers all over the screen, but I do have the same issues. I typically use Swype or Smart Keyboard Pro because Swype is _the best_ at predicting even if you swyping half-asleep texting your friend for no reason. Smart keyboard pro lets you configure swipe gestures to switch between regular keyboard w/ suggestions, arrow keypad+space (for time-wasting flash games), compact (two letters in one key), and T9, like an older phone's crap keyboard but with really nice prediction. Overall, I can't complain because my Archos has twice the features (camera, android, external speaker) of my older media device, for about the same cost ($230), even though it doesn't have a sexy AMOLED screen and days of battery life (still pretty nice though, and it doesn't feel so flimsy).
brb need to rewrite the past 10 minutes of this post, not sure why i'm talking about this
also, I use my nintendo ds lite stylus just because it works and I made a scotch-tape holster on the back of my Archos so I wouldn't use the black piece of cheap plastic. ಠ_ಠ
I sent my A43 back for RMA, and the one I got back is amazingly better. I can actually type with my thumbs on the on-screen keyboard. On the old one, even if I used a stylus, I'd get spurious keystrokes, sometimes even on keys that aren't next to the one I was pressing. I still get that on the new one, but less often.
Maybe it's because I'm keeping the screen protector on?
I also wonder if the issue isn't that a stylus is actually bad for these screens?
This is completely off topic but it's great to see you here Pruss. You greatly enhanced the Palm experience. I'm sure you will be a great asset to the Android community.
Neo Cortex said:
This is completely off topic but it's great to see you here Pruss. You greatly enhanced the Palm experience. I'm sure you will be a great asset to the Android community.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have much less time than I did when I was involved PalmOS. But I've made a few simple apps (you can search the market for "Omega Centauri"), and am planning an astronomy app.