Database Users

Would you recommend it?

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.
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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
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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 .

Should I go for xperia or pro 2 what say???

M in total confusion which one to buy
I liked d bigger screen of htc pro 2 and 5 row keypad over 4 rows of x1...
But I really really miss the 3.5 mm jack on touch pro2
I have heard there is a-gps lag inX1 ?? is it true??
Tp2 n X1 both are sexy... Awesome mobiles but x1s made of metal which is really cool..
Hardware specs are almost same except these two differences...
Which would you ppl prefer ?????

I prefer dat dere X1

DatDereX1 said:
I prefer dat dere X1
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Click to collapse
Xperia I would suggest. But once the Touch Pro 3 comes out... for sure you have to get Touch Pro 3.
To me, Touch Pro 2 is nothing more than a variation, rather than a big improvement. Then again, I have never Touched a Pro 2.

two words for Ya: form factor. my previous pda was kaiser and before that I had hermes. I always thought that they are both quite small for pda, but then I took my friends xperia into my hands. boy, now that was a difference. not to mention metal housing, I finally don't look like I am holding a huge brick by my ear while on the phone. other specs are also ok, the only thing I miss is tv out, but I can live without it.
to be completely fair, read a lot before choosing xperia. some are getting nasty cracks on plastic parts (replacable under warranty) and phone needs to be tweaked a bit to become a real rocket.

bronx said:
two words for Ya: form factor. my previous pda was kaiser and before that I had hermes. I always thought that they are both quite small for pda, but then I took my friends xperia into my hands. boy, now that was a difference. not to mention metal housing, I finally don't look like I am holding a huge brick by my ear while on the phone. other specs are also ok, the only thing I miss is tv out, but I can live without it.
to be completely fair, read a lot before choosing xperia. some are getting nasty cracks on plastic parts (replacable under warranty) and phone needs to be tweaked a bit to become a real rocket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of the Xperia is plastic housing inside and out. The metal is mostly the battery cover and the thin area that surrounds the screen.

I'd say try both. I've got an Xperia, and I'm going to get a Pro2 and see what suits me best.
The advantages I see for the TP2 are:
- Significantly bigger screen
- Probably much better keyboard
- Tilting screen (loved it on my kaiser!)
- Quality speakerphone & conference calls could be useful sometimes
Advantages of X1:
- Smaller size & weight
- D-pad and optical joystick
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- If you don't have one yet, it's much cheaper than TP2 if bought 2nd hand (£250 ish on ebay)
I'll give the TP2 a go then sell the one I don't want to keep, but I'd recommend you try both out and see what you like, as in terms of overall capabilities they'll do almost exacrtly the same things.

Physical Size issues

Has anyone actually bought the HD2 and thought its too big. The size is the only thing putting me off taking the plunge, havent seen one in the flesh.
Also has anyone bought their HD2 from mobilephonesdirect.co.uk thinking of getting one on a 12 month contract from them

it is only a little bit wider and longer than the iPhone. due to its thickness, it is very pocketable and you wounldnt have noticed that it is inside your pocket.

It's less bulk in my pocket than my old Nokia 5800.

Yeah, it's really thin. So, as mentioned above, you won't feel it in your pocket
It also fits very well into my palm. I'd say the size is perfect

It's a bit larger then iPhone. First impression is 'it's huge !'. But I think the form is just OK.

I think HTC made a good job considering the size of the screen, basically you are holding just the screen.

I've got smallish hands (yes, I'm a girl lol) and have no problems holding the phone or using the screen (despite my very long nails)

It IS big, but it is also thin so in your pocket it isn't that big of a problem...
I have to admit I sometimes have a problem operating it with one hand, I just can't easily reach some parts (I have small hands) but you also get used so quickly hehe.
Had the Omnia Qwerty (B7610) before this and already thought it was pretty big. Now holding it after holding the HD2 it feels very small!
The size is fine, the screen is just so nice for browsing, video, etc. Really liking it so far!

for daily use I like my Topaz more.. it depends on your use. if you like to browse the net and watch movies the hd2 is amazing. for texting I like the size (and screen) on the Topaz better. one thing is for sure, the design and feel of the hd2 is so smooth that the bigger size is very well presented.

Size hasn't been an issue at all with this phone. Well to be fair it actually has - it's made it an issue going back to the teeny screen on my Touch Pro - how did I ever manage? It also fits so well in the pocket it's not funny. No more "is that a slider phone in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?"
As for mobilefaildirect... there are several threads about them. Truly disgusting customer service, likes about stock and delivery... unless the price is significantly better than elsewhere, avoid avoid avoid.

I bought mine from mobilephonesdirect. Tbh everything went fine - but if it hadn't they seem pretty useless for customer service. During my purchase and delivery I made several attempts to contact them, and I only got an email which basically said: "I don't know". If there is an alternative for the same price - take it.

Too big has 2 dimensions:
1) In the hand: unless you have quite small hands (smaller women?), not a problem. It sits in the hand perfectly.
2) In the pocket: it's great for shirt pockets, because of the thinness. Jeans pockets not so much, bit tight to fish them out of there
Perhaps the next model they could slim down the bezel even futher. Could easily shave 1cm off the height.

I am very comfortable with the size. Suprisingly I find it more pocketable than my TouchPro2 ( as it is bulkier though length width wise is smaller)

EVO users: what do you think of the size?

Do you find that it is too big? I know that seems like a silly question... but I thought I would ask before I get mine.
I haven't had a chance to hold one, or an HD2 either (similar size)... I've only held a demo HD2 that was attached to those pull cords and it was hard to tell with it attached to that thing..
How does it fit in the pocket / hand?

For me, the size is great. It actually fits better in my pocket than the Verizon Droid, which was also given to IO attendees. Sure it's not as compact as the Hero but the quality of the screen and size more than makes up for extra space it takes up in my pocket. It fit in my work pants and jeans just fine, I wouldn't go back to a smaller screen.

wait, so I/O attendees got the verizon droid (incredible or original?) *and* the EVO, or did they get to choose or something?
Thanks for the feedback about the size... that confirms what I have been thinking... I cant wait till i get mine....

wildcard said:
wait, so I/O attendees got the verizon droid (incredible or original?) *and* the EVO, or did they get to choose or something?
Thanks for the feedback about the size... that confirms what I have been thinking... I cant wait till i get mine....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They got the EVO only.
The size is perfect for me. At first I was like "ZOMG HUGE!" but that is just in comparison to the tiny Hero. It fits perfectly in my hand, but I haven't tried putting it in my pocket for more than 2 minutes. I really want a belt clip for this baby. Hopefully Seidio is going to send me one to demo.

IO attendees got the Motorola Droids sent to them before the conference so they can "get familiar" with Android, at the conference we got the Evo. Folks outside the US got Nexus Ones instead of the Droid.
I got a Moto Droid and a Sprint Hero for sale if anyone is interested.

The size of the Evo is excellent. I love it. It feels good in the hand and it's not bulky like the Droid either. It's really nice.

The size is great for me. I keep hearing some people say they have heard about it being small for some people's hands...blah blah blah...
When I hear somebody else say they heard someone else complained about something, I tend to not believe it.
I have heard no one who has touched the phone (I had an HD2 before and have an EVO from Google I/O now) do anything but LOVE it.
Bonnie from CNET did say she thought the HD2 was a little too big for her to use one handed. Of course she is about 4 foot 2 with tiny hands. And she still gave it an awesome review. And used it two handed I assume.

My hands aren't tiny, but they aren't massive either (I'd say slightly larger than average). And in my hand it just fits. I was worried about putting it to my face, but I have had 0 issues wiht it in actual use.
As for my pocket...prior to the Evo I was a clip/puch Nazi. I would never consider buying a phone that didn't fit in my Mogul case. Now I'll never buy another phone that doesn't fit in my pocket as well as this one.
It's so thing that my jeasn and khakis never feel like they're crushing it!!
I DO advise a screen protector (Ghost armor on mine currently!) to keep keys and face oil away!

Works great in one hand but if you are using your thumb and holding the phone at the bottom and you need to click something at the very top you need to reposition your hand. Not a big issue but can be a pain when driving.

This phone and the HD2 are the perfect size, the "sweet spot" in mobile devices. Any bigger no good, any smaller no good.
They say "size does matter", it sure does!!

bow chicka wow wow.

I took my iPod touch to a T-Mo store to compare it to an HD2 to get a feel for the EVO's size... Frankly I expected it to be larger, and the HD2 also seemed larger to me when I had previously held it w/o having the iPod to compare it to. Once I had the iPod touch right there next to it I realized how small the difference is... With a silicon sleeve around the iPod it ends up being just as wide as the HD2, down to the millimeter, and it's like maybe half an inch shorter (length-wise)...
For any guy who doesn't wear tight pants I don't think the size makes any difference whatsoever, you just have a larger/more readable screen. For the ladies it might make more of a difference if they tend to slip their phone in back pockets or w/e (as my sister does) rather than a purse. The way I see it, if you're gonna have a touchscreen phone w/o a physical keyboard, then you might as well have as large a screen as possible while still remaining comfortable.
At this point I'm sold, I don't think I'd want anything w/a smaller screen unless it has a nice physical keyboard w/a perfect layout (something that seems to elude manufacturers all too easily).

First Thoughts...

What's the first thought that went through your head, not a series, just the first thing upon holding it in your hand.
mine was 'HOLY **** THAT'S HUGE!'

Same here. It's a BIG phone. Almost too big.

Ditto. The sheer size of it was what shocked me. The screen size alone is the same size as my whole Hero.

I wasnt shocked due to the fact that i had an HD2 for a while....its pretty much the same dimensions. I was more impressed with Android (my 1st Android device ).
My only gripe is that, where i rest my ear while on the phone is uncomfortable,....trying to figure a solution to it now.

Yeah, I like a smart PHONE, the operative word being phone. I love extra capabilities, but in the end it is a phone. The Hero fits nicely on my hip (with the seidio case and holster). The EVO may feel huge on my hip. It's more like a multi-function device. Hoever, the sheer power of it may make me consider upgrading at some point.

I tell you this. This phone is stretching my pockets.

Are many of you oompa loompas? It's not that much bigger than the Iphone. Taller but not that much wider.

ya seriously its really not that big..its the same height as my nexus one and quarter inch wider fits perfectly in my pocket

mrmomoman said:
Are many of you oompa loompas? It's not that much bigger than the Iphone. Taller but not that much wider.
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No, are you a giant? For my personal taste even the iPhone is a little big. So saying it's not much bigger than the iPhone doesn't change my opinion.

It fits just fine in my jean pocket also. After seeing the seido innocase + belt clip on a evo at BB when I got mine I had to get it. On my belt it really wasnt that much more then my current HTC Hermes that I've had before.
I was concerned about the size of the phone also but its all good now..The only issue i have really is the width of the phone sometimes makes it difficult for one hand operation. Man I love this screen! I couldn't see myself going any bigger screen wise though.