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Okay, I'm seriously looking into getting a HD2 next month, however some of the negatives about this device concern me.
For one the speed doesn't always seem to be up to scratch compared to other Snapdragon devices (though it sports the same processor). Is it really that much of an issue? Is the HD2 still fast enough for most/all tasks? Also I've seen keyboard lag mentioned a fair bit too, a small issue, or not?
The next issue would be the pink hue I've seen on just about every sample image from the HD2, I know this is an ongoing thing and no one seems to have narrowed it down to either a software or hardware fault. Is it really that bad? Also I've seen very little shots from the HD2 that look even decent quality.
Thirdly is Windows Mobile, now I am aware of a lot of people that prefer Windows Mobile to Android, but again is it really that much of a deal breaker? I see a lot of people saying the HD2 hardware with an Android would be a match made in heaven, and that concerns me as I do not want to be left disappointed.
Basically I would like some views from both sides and someone to confirm whether this truly is the best phone I could buy, or whether I should look elsewhere, taking the above issues into account.
Thanks.
Hey,
I hope to get my HD2 next week but I have had some play time with a Demo unit and it was super fast and very smooth, think Iphone but much better. To quote comic book guy “Best phone ever” well in my opinion anyway.
I would always pick WM over Android, you can do so much more with WM.
There does seem to be a small but vocal group who are hell bent on making the HD2 out to be a bad phone or in some way crippled by HTC.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=583618
Hmm, have one now for over a week:
1. Speed - really fast and better than iphone, especially when you take into account the multiple applications at once.
2. Keyboard lag - super fast, could actually do with a slow down !
3. Pink hue - no idea about that, my screen is really excellent
4. WM vs Android - no comment, WM has been around for longer
Obviously I wasn't clear with the pink hue, I was meaning a pink hue in photo's taken with the HD2's Camera.
But thanks for the reassurance guys, keep 'em coming.
Oh, I see what "pink hue" is from your view now.
Well, HTC have never really been able to make super a quality camera function. But, the HD2 camera is OK and quick. I have not noticed a pink hue but I also would not claim to be an image expert. Nice thing on the HD2 (compared to the HD) is finally a LED flash.
But, I doubt anyone buys this as a top quality camera and, of course, no one buys an iphone as a camera either !
I'll have a play with some flash images - it would not surprise me if the LED is screwing up the colour balance.
Thanks for that Dave. I'm still very much undecided, to be honest I was 100% for getting the HD2 till I read some of the problems on the forum here. Now I'm not so sure.
The problem with reading problems on a forum is that for the most part, that's what most people come on a forum to do. Nowhere for even the most amazing device will you find more "wow" posts than "omg it sucks" posts. The majority are from people who didn't research their purchase properly. Even for what is supposed to be a developer-centric site, there is an enormous number of ignorant and unintelligent people.
It's a fantastic device, and the performance is so far ahead of my previous WM devices it's not funny. The pink middle on photos is a problem that seems to be affecting a few units (not mine), but it'll either be fixed by a ROM update or else according to HTC you can return for a replacement.
WM vs. Android is a completely personal choice. You might as well ask us what colour shoes you should wear. What do YOU prefer?
I read many post before buying the HD2, most probably I was in the same state of mind you are.
Having done a huge mistake with the SEX1, I risked my money on another WM. Have to say I'm more than pleased with this beast.
It's fast, very fast, had a ton of applications which were sucking out a lot of memory and not in one instance had I experienced lag. It was only when I went in Task manager that I realised how many applications were running. Apparently, the applications will only close when the required memory exceeds the available memory, I stand to be corrected.
Reception is excellent, far better than my SEX1.
Sound quality is impressive, again far better than the SEX1. My system volume is set at 55% and when playing music on the speaker the sound quality is very good and quite loud. Apparently when the phone senses that it's in a case it automatically increases the volume, you defo won't be having problems there.
Battery life is an issue, but it could well give you a day, for me it's not a decisive issue as the phone is connected to the pc every evening.
Camera could have been better, but then again its a phone, and hence all phones, be it 5,9,12 megapixel, will never be excellent photo takers.
Overall, I think that this phone deserves 8/10. It could well be improved with some ROM updates but the GUI, Manilla, is excellent. I love it!!
I have just recently ditched my Google G1. Whilst I enjoyed Android, I think that the Sense GUI on the HD2 is a lot better. The screen is just miles, miles better.
I was worried about the text input side of things - I have always preferred hard keyboards hence the G1. But having got used to the soft keypad of the HD2 I think it is fab.
Overall (and so far!) I would give the HD 2 a rather fantastic 9/10....LOVE IT!
Thanks for all the positive feedback guys. I guess I still really need to think this through, but I think your input will make the decision easier.
Hello
I've used HTC for years since opening my eyes past the Nokia and Sony Ericsson stuff so had the Vario 2 and 3 and then loved the touch hd (blackstone). Finally went for an Android with the release of the Hero as it got such rave reviews and phone of the year etc...
Basically it depends what your priorities are to be honest. My overview of the phones are these:
HERO = Great user friendly device with simple layout, all makes sense and is easy to use and does everything well although nothing is outstanding. Great allround phone for the medium - high end user. Apps are unbeatable for ideas, functionality, price (or lack of as hundreds possibly thousands are free!) and generally GOOD phone. Fun, functional and well priced. Camera is naff!
HD2 = Not so user friendly although it makes sense to the experienced user but very serious piece of kit. Not as fun but very customisable and powerful, superb speed, good amount of cabs out there and assistance from some of the geniuses knocking around on this site etc. They can help you do pretty much anything you want to it. I personally love this phone more than any other phone i've ever used but i like the windows thing even though the marketplace is a con and expensive and very empty still (i know it's newish but they shouldve at least launched with a decent selection ready for people as incentive!). The screen is outstanding, the camera is much better now that HTC have discovered that Flashes exist! Still not on a par with Samsung or Sonys but its a balance in a product so priorities again. The Sense and Touchflo is great, future rom potentials is there too.
If you want a gimmicky (although good) app based fun phone get the Hero, if you want a serious power-smartphone get the HD2 and customise away.
HTC are such a great non mainstream company (in Joe Publics eyes not us gadget lovers) but i feel with phones like the Hero they really are gonna be a main player in less than 3 years as long as they keep their superb efforts up!!!
Good luck!
Well this thread has been very useful to read I'm trying to decide between iphone 3GS or HTC touch HD2. Would love to find a phone that doesn't lag ...
Do people still feel the same way 3 months later - have HTC come out and fixed any problems? Does the HD2 start to lag after its been in use for a while - or is it still really smooth for people?
Sorry if there are other threads that answer these questions ... links to any similar discussions would be good if that's the case.
Right I want to be honest here and admit to my crime. I have been the biggest winmo fan for as many years as I can remember. In fact since the Compaq Ipaq first product. Prior to that I was a dedicated Psion fan from the Psion Organiser 2 so I have been round the block a bit. I have also owned probably more than 100 devices! I have always purchased the next best device on the first day you could get it paying over the odds. I think you get the picture.
Now people in my office are Mac fans and I have listened to them bleating on about their IPhones and have spent my life making fun of their choice of toy smartphones. At first it was easy with all the silly faults the IPhone clearly had. Crap camera, No cut and paste, No MMS, No video, No Exchange email
Recently my wife has gone over the the dark side against my advice. I have spent years telling her just how crap the IPhone is because I love(d) winmo but.............
After days of playing with my wifes IPhone 3gs I realised just how wrong I possibly was. Yes there was faults still with the OS but frankly they were much less than I thought. I started comparing it to my clunky, totally unreliable, buggy and frankly pathetically over responsive screen of my Touch HD2 and had to decide to buy myself and IPhone an give it a try (I mean I could always go back couldnt I) so.........
I went out and purchased an IPhone 3gs last week and I am sorry to say that it is simply head shoulders, body and tail better than any windows device I have ever tried.
I have spent the last week chuckling to myself about how stupid and ignorant I have been and how lucky I am to have made the move. The IPhone is awesome. Its operating system is unflappable and never crashes or falters or slows down.
The apps (and there is a ridiculously massive choice) just work flawlessly. Some of the things I thought were faults are not so bad (background apps not working) and although it would be nice if it had a camera as good as the HD2 (it doesn't), I wouldnt sell my Iphone for any windows device. In fact I cannot believe anyone wouldnt feel exactly the same if they tried one.
I know its a cop out having enjoyed installing new roms etc for years but seriously I urge every one of you to try one. You may feel just like me if you do. It would take something special to get me back to windows mobile and HTC should be ashamed of themselves for releasing the HD2 with so many bugs. Having had so many HTC devices I feel a little betrayed that they didnt get this one right and it made me switch to the DARK SIDE!!!
For me I doubt there is ever any going back now. I am writing this just so other can experience the pure OS and hardware pleasure that is the IPhone.
I have had iPhone 3g and still own a 3gs along with a blackstone and a leo.
You are right about the fast & stable system of the iphone os & its hard to decide to leave the iphone once you fell in love with it (Thats why i still have the 3gs, cant decide )
The problem lies within the operating system and not the device. Its the Microsoft windows which is the culprit and not the htc device. Have you ever used a mac. It is way more faster, stable & safe than the Windows PC even mac having lower specs as compared to windows pc.
HD2 has great specs but the same damn system running behind it.
I wonder if there is a way to run iphone os on htc hd2 ?????
I've read somewhere on the net that people had tried to run mac os on windows pc with success. Have my fingers crossed.
Best of luck with your 3gs
Hm...i have to wonder if you seriously played / configured / flashed your HD2 or if you just judge by the stock rom experience?
With an up to date 6.5.3 rom, i don't see any problems with the HD2. You praise the iphone OS, yet compared to WM, there is hardly any accessible OS. The iPhone is a grid of shortcuts that each launch a program. Nothing else to do there, nothing much to tweak, to setup. It's perfect for your wife i am sure, but you as a former WM user,... are you sure you will not get bored? The greatest pleasure of my HD2 is flashing new roms and trying new tweaks, hacks and themes. I can personalize it more than any iPhone user could personalize their iPhone! That's what makes it great. In terms of performance, again, an up to date WM6.5.3 rom does neither lag nor run slow in any way. On top of that you have a screen with a vastly higher resolution. I would not want to downgrade from WVGA any longer.
Bottom line: Yes the iPhone has lots of apps, no they are not all useful, and yes you can do similar things on WM. It just requires more knowledge and work, which us XDA users do have, i think!
i have both the 3gs and HD2 .. both are great but the 3gs has the EDGE-
/T
Yes I agree but the hardware is some part of the problem. I had a HTC Touch Pro2 previous the the HD2 and could type perfectly on the screen without using the hardware keyboard. Switching to the Touch HD2 I expected it to be great with the new capacitive screen but it wasnt. Despite various patches and having the knowledge to be able to try various roms I still couldnt get it to type reliably at a decent speed. It was just rubbish. That was the same Winmo version I had on my Touch Pro2!
I agree the form factor on a HD2 is great but spoiled by some dodgy hardware and s**te software in hindsight. The Iphone OS is great and it makes me wonder if I have been as wrong about Macs as I have about Iphones. I am going to have a play on the Mac in our office now!
Yes in fact I tried about 5 different roms. I did also try ones with 6.5.3 but they were no better. I also tried two different HD2's as I purchased a second on a contract for my wife then sold it and purchased her the Iphone.
I know what you mean about getting bored and I also agree about the grid. Its a shame you cant organise it better but they are tiny faults I feel to the incredible ownership experience. Its early days having it only a week but my HD2 was driving me mad at this point. I found myself verbally complimenting the Iphone while I was out in the garden listing to music today. I know I must be going a bit mad but I am deleriously delighted about the Iphone so far.
stuartforrest said:
Yes I agree but the hardware is some part of the problem. I had a HTC Touch Pro2 previous the the HD2 and could type perfectly on the screen without using the hardware keyboard. Switching to the Touch HD2 I expected it to be great with the new capacitive screen but it wasnt. Despite various patches and having the knowledge to be able to try various roms I still couldnt get it to type reliably at a decent speed. It was just rubbish. That was the same Winmo version I had on my Touch Pro2!
I agree the form factor on a HD2 is great but spoiled by some dodgy hardware and s**te software in hindsight. The Iphone OS is great and it makes me wonder if I have been as wrong about Macs as I have about Iphones. I am going to have a play on the Mac in our office now!
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did steve jobs need to create 4 screen names to say the same thing?
Yawn. Good for you. Whatever.
So how is this a general HD2 thread? Please let this drivel die now, rather than later when it turns into a slanging match, because that is clearly what the OP intends.
Have fun kids.
and in fact I have to say that when my iphone arrived I was still very unsure if I had done the right thing but once you play with one for a few days its then you realise. There are little things everywhere that make you smile. Type a url that is longer than the box and the font reduces to fit it on screen, try selecting something and the magnifying glass pops up to make it easy etc etc. The list goes on and on and I expect that Apple will keep adding to rom's. Microsoft have done next to nothing with theirs in ten years!
I was only trying to let others know my experience. I have been a member on here for years and contributing so this is no flash in the pan posting. Anyway think what you like. I have been totally honest but you can lead a horse to water but not make it drink!
stuartforrest said:
I was only trying to let others know my experience. I have been a member on here for years and contributing so this is no flash in the pan posting. Anyway think what you like. I have been totally honest but you can lead a horse to water but not make it drink!
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I'm not getting into it mate. Say whatever you like.
my local prison has an excellent reputation for good food, brilliant sporting facilities and cable tv in every cell, but I'm not moving in!
johncmolyneux said:
I'm not getting into it mate. Say whatever you like.
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Well, let's be perfectly honest here : there is not a single Windows Mobile device on the market that can match and the general responsiveness, consistency and easy of use of an iPhone 3GS. Nor the consistent UI experience or simplicity - sure, Windows Mobile may have more options and abilities to tweak and mess with, but to dismiss the iPhone would be a stupid thing to do.
It's got very nice hardware, with and extremely well written OS underneath - it lakcs things yes, but what it does have, it usually out performs that of Windows Mobile, avaliable on the market today, and for many people iPhone 3GS would be a much better choice than any Windows Mobile phone, there's no getting around that whether you like it or not. As much as I dislike the saying, "it just works". It's something that you can apply far more easily to an iPhone than a WinMo device.
Still though, it's not fore everyone, and I'm quite happy to have a device with an inconsistent UI, spats of Lag and random freezes, as long as it does it's job as a phone. Am I satisfied with my HTC HD2? Not really. Would I be more satisfied with the experience of an iPhone. Probably. Would I buy one? Hell no
I know it's a difficult one but then typing my reply and watching the screen scroll around while I type is just class.
I felt exactly the same for a while. I am not totally trying to put down the HD2. I have spent weeks telling everyone in my office that it was an IPhone but without all the faults but I was wrong. Actually it's like an Iphone but with a really poor os. The screen isn't as good on the iPhone but it just used more cleverly. The lack of background apps is just stupid on the iPhone but mostly its just great.
Just out of interest I also purchased a motorola milestone (droid) expecting android to be good but frankly it was truly awful. Windows mobile was a breath of fresh air after using that horror for a single day!
Closing this as relevant points now made.
WB
I've noticed a couple times scrolling through the forums that an outsider interested in buying the phone might be turned away if they read through here. Of course, odds are they wouldn't come to XDA in the first place, but still the complaints - though in the minority - are most obvious.
Tired of all the hater threads? Love your HD2 as much as I do? Enjoy the looks of envy from 3GS users? This is our thread
Besides, the best unexpected side benefit of the HD2: plentiful opportunities for "that's what she said."
Wow... the counter part entitled "Lets face it: HD2 (and XDA!) is f*in amazing!". Things are getting interesting.
The best thing I love about HD2 is screen, CPU, WiFi router and Remote Desktop Mobile (my personal favourite). Perhaps a couple of other "diamonds sparkling behind the rock". You need to dig to get the diamonds....lol...
I received envy, but not necessarily quite the type I thought...!
I was at the shops waiting for my GF, playing with my HD2. A little boy probably around 10yo was with his mum sitting next to me spotted me playing games.
Boy: "Look there mum!! See!! EVERYONE has an iPhone!!"
Surprisingly, I was actually slightly offended that someone would mistake the HD2 as an Apple product...but he was only a kid so I kept quiet and just continued playing...hehe.
Love it all, screen crisp and clear, fast fast fast processor and navigates really easily and well, surprising ease of use input methods, that fact that while its big it doesnt feel too big when using it as a phone, how clear and loud the speakers are, plays movies really well and so much better than I expected, really easy to use and individualise... so much more that I'm afraid if I keep typing it will look like I am gushing...
I sold My iPhone 3gs to buy this.................. best thing I have done
dzf said:
I received envy, but not necessarily quite the type I thought...!
I was at the shops waiting for my GF, playing with my HD2. A little boy probably around 10yo was with his mum sitting next to me spotted me playing games.
Boy: "Look there mum!! See!! EVERYONE has an iPhone!!"
Surprisingly, I was actually slightly offended that someone would mistake the HD2 as an Apple product...[...]
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Silly boy that was. It's clear that the hd2 more looks like an iPad than an iPhone
best phone ever in my eye`s. customized to my every need with no bugs, Absolutely love it
gutuff said:
I sold My iPhone 3gs to buy this.................. best thing I have done
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+ 1 and couldn't agree more
oh boy... there we go again...
... I'll just add, that I can play street fighter alpha 3 full speed with sound while sitting on the damn toilet. at the moment there's nothing better than hd2 to run playstation emulator.
oh yeah... it's a decent phone too...
im lovin my hd2 tbh. my last phone was an omnia and over at modaco there is a great rom scene, i havent even tried a custom rom on the hd2 yet, so i havent scratched the surface on what this amazin piece of kit can offer! the best thing about wm is defo the customization.
the screen on this device is something else, web browsing is amazing (im writin this on hd2 now).
xda is brilliant, this forum is so active, lots going on!!
bronx said:
oh boy... there we go again...
... I'll just add, that I can play street fighter alpha 3 full speed with sound while sitting on the damn toilet. at the moment there's nothing better than hd2 to run playstation emulator.
oh yeah... it's a decent phone too...
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Right on lol nothing like playing crash bandicoot 3 and gran turismo 2 when your taking a dump haha
normally i`m not responding in threads starting HD2 is bleh bleh, but now +1, loving it...
Finally a thread that makes sense
I love the screen, the wifi speed, the speed in the menus, the video playback (streaming with coreplayer of course), the pinch to zoom, the hardware, sense 2.5, the screen resolution and again that screen... so beautiful
moved from xperia x1, the processor is twice fast and so the screen!
still at stock Rom until my spare battery arrive best phone in winmo era!
buy another iptouch if you want to play fancy game, affordable compared to awesome HD2
At work yesterday I showed a mate who has an iPhone, side by side the HD2 just looks SOOOO much nicer
Htc hd2 ftw
I hope i'll be able to write a line or two in this thread next week
I love the HD2, the wonderful screen estate, the speed and all the wonderful mods. XDA-developers is the one reason I stayed with HTC phones and not gone for others. All the help and wonderful tweaks and modifications just make the phone unique to us and we feel so free to do as we like without being restricted.
Best time was when a iPhone 3gs owner got envious of my HD2 XD
And as many o got offended when some ppl have misstaken it for a iPhone >.<
HD2 looks way better than a iPhone, faster too ^^.
Just a quick one from a very loyal windows phone user who went to iPhone 3GS and then played with a HD2...
There are MANY reasons to go back to windows/HTC and given that I have been using the 3GS for around 6 months now, it's quite a big thing to say.
There are also many reasons to stay with the iPhone.
To be honest, the functionality and hardware...the HD2 wins hands down and not a single person can say otherwise.
Software-wise - I have to admit, the same BUT, when I went back to the iPhone, I couldnt help noticing the simplicity of it all which sometimes made it a bit better to use.
There were also a few niggles that the iPhone seemed to not have
Other: The appstore.
This is where the iPhone won over the market place.
The apps are cheap, there are plenty of them around and some of the very few games that I always have to have on a phone (need for speed/asphalt) were a lot better on the iPhone.
Why am I going back to the iPhone?
Only one reason after all that testing... logmein!
I heavily use logmein for home/work and this is something that is too flakey on the HD2.
iPhone has an app, its all done via the app. Related to this, the web side of things work very well on the iphone where zooming in still fits the page to the screen.
Niggles:
Main one is that the Audi and the HD2 don't like each other in that the contacts are only syncing up to the letter N
Second was emails i found easier on the iphone (don't shout!)
I love the idea of how it displays on the HD2 but hate the idea that to delete, I have to go into another screen or whatever. This is going back to Simplicity that you have 4 icons, one to reply, one to delete, and whatever the others do ON the email in question. Same goes for multiselect...going to a menu, select, select several is 3 screens to many and the iPhone slide>delete individually is still "simpler"
having said all of this, if I had never touched the iPhone, I would not have realised any of the above and gone for the HD2
But the way I work is to take the HD2, not use the 3GS, and see if I need to use the 3GS for anything...if not, the HD2 is a winner.
And in this case, it did win had it not been for the bluetooth and logmein.
End of the day, it's all personal preference and I know for a fact I'll go back to HTC/WinMo once I get what I want on it
Right now, I just dont know what to do and still have both devices in my pocket
These days, I've seen way too many threads like "Goodbye HD2, hello Iphone", "Htc Hd2 bye bye" or "Wtf with this phone". I cant stand it. So I want to have a praise thread for our HD2, our beloved and best one, also want to share my opinions on the HD2 and Winmo generally for everyone to see and think.
Here are some type of opinions quite popular these days:
"Windows mobile 6.5 is a dead os for lack of a better term and also know that the development for apps for it is going to taper and die off at some point"
"HD2 is too buggy, laggy, errors"
"Winmo is a waste for HD2"
"Where are the games and apps?"
"Not work out of the box?"
To answer, first of all, I dont care about apps that Iphone or Android has.
I dont play games much now so that's a second point. Although they do have some very interesting like Tunewiki or Layar, that's the only thing I miss from my old 3GS and Hero. And if u paid so many money for games on iphone, why dont paid a 5 Euro more for Fpsece, to have the best experience about PS1 games on a mobile device so far.
Secondly, about basic apps, Winmo wins.
For videos: I dont have to spend hours to find a good convert program and hours to config and wait for the converted file to transfer to my phone, Coreplayer and TCPMP serve them right.
For ebooks: the most popular format is prc, Mobipocket reader wins again, I dont have to convert either.
For office: what can win over office mobile, please show me, I have no idea about this.
And u know what, Winmo has these basic things and apps for free!!!
Third, the true multitask:
Winmo has been a winner since the start. I agree that Iphone can be jailbreak then install e.g Proswitcher, but that's not so convenient like Winmo. The basic thing about Android is it never really closes an app, keeping it running in the background for quick response, but that only makes Android become slower and laggy just like Winmo. But for convenient, and with a power specs like HD2, it's so great in terms of multitask for me.
Fourth, the screen:
HD2 has a great and super beautiful 4.3 inch screen. I can never go back to a 3.2 (Hero) or 3.5(Iphone) now, I will consider for a 3.7 one. Watching photos, videos, viewing documents, surfing. It's superb with HD2. And please dont expect a device with great screen like that to have a good battery life. More than a day with normal usage is so enough. I got 1.5 days or even more than 2 days with my HD2.
Fifth, and the best one imo, CUSTOMIZATIONS
Winmo is the best world for customizations, for devs and chefs. It got history, and it's truly popular, right? I love to tweak my phone, customize it the way I one, change every weeks or even every days, so I cannot get bored with it. And look at this forum, so many manila mods have been built and definitely going on and on. From maxmanilla, cookie home tabs, GTX, all are wonderful and amazing. I cant thank them and all the chefs here enough.
Now, look at Iphone, what can u do with this easy to get bored home screen, except for changing icons?
And even android, it's not easy to customize it without rooting. And things to customize so far? Not much, I see.
For all that has errors, bugs, laggy, I think it's just u to make the phone like that, not the phone itself (if it's not a defective one). Too many report shows the phone works out of the box, count me in for that. I went with stock rom for a month at first with nothing went wrong.
Winmo to me is never a dead OS like it seems now. It's still growing strong in the world thanks to xda, yes, xda is the one that makes it strong, imo. We love to tweak, we love to customize, we love to share our knowledge and stuffs, so we are here. If u just dont feel like to tweak, u better not be here, xda is not some place where u can just complain and complain everyday for ur own faults.
Finally, HD2 is not a waste to me to run Winmo, it's best with Winmo.
Whew, my longest post so far. Guys, dont leave me alone, come and praise our HD2, I know u will.
List the best things u ever had with HD2 and show the world
P.S: it's just my opinion, but we all have private and personal purposes for using mobile in our life, so that we have personal choices on mobile, so please dont flame on me so hard, haha
1. big screen - can see web pages better than my x1a 3" screen
2. software options (still compatible with the software i use on my old phone) tomtom 7 - no need to have a data connection to use gps, slick im - use this when im on the move, option of using several different types of web browsers (ie, opera, opera mini, skyfire)
3. phone is unlocked and can use it as a prepaid phone.
Exactly mate, should have mentioned the chasing game between apple and devs, it's really annoying sometimes. And the price for an unlock iphone is really ridiculous.
You know, I have both the Nexus one and HD2, but I am really thinking of selling my HD2. I love all the things you have mentioned, but texting is kind of a big deal to me. With an HD2, the keyboard so choppy, no matter the rom I try. If I can somehow fix it, bye bye nexus. If not, well...
Just thinking would there be a phone that has a screen larger than 4.3" in the future or this is the biggest already? By the way 4.3" wide is a common size for GPS device.
gtb5 said:
Just thinking would there be a phone that has a screen larger than 4.3" in the future or this is the biggest already? By the way 4.3" wide is a common size for GPS device.
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The athena had a 5inch screen.... but you couldn't use it as a regular handset. You needed to use either bluetooth headsets or speakerphone. It was a cool phone, though.
You guys covered it
I agree with everything you guys said, except texting prob, I use swype, love it!! By far best phone I've ever had!! Just added, msvc, love it, just made perfect, better!!
My main reason for choosing HD2 over iphone or android devices is privacy!
I don't have to have apple and google knowing everything about me!
fantasytozi said:
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exactly my thoughts.
I love it because the great hardware I saw this as a newstep after the qualcomm 528 mhz. Wich was used for 3 or more years. This was a newstep for 2 years this will be a fast phone. And the freedom of windows mobile is also great.
Simply the best phone I ever had! Does everything I need and more!
I love my HD2 because it's big, it's strong, it's fast and give me the possibility to customize everything like I want.
I love my HD2 even because makes me different from all the mass of sheeps that walk around with an Iphone and use their phono to simulate a beer drinking and s**t like this.
Having an HD2, like my good old HTC Topaz, makes me feel different and like a pro.
I have always been a win mobile user. love the ability to anything! can send files bluetooth, COMPLETELY change the theme of the phone, and modify the software ANY way you see fit. suck on that iphone.
The only thing I would change would be camera hardware button
They say the HD2 will be the last in windows mobile 6.5. what a way to go out with a bang!!!
windows mobile+huge screen+fast processor= one sick device
I could probably be classified as a (very) dull business user and I have never before cared over what device was put into my hands..
I have used SE, Nokia, HTC, you name it, and even a iPhone for a while, and all worked okay and I did type an occasional e-mail on them but in reality they all fell short, some with clunky e-mail integration other with unsuitable screens for reading long texts.
With the HD2 I have hit "home", I have become truly freed from my office - I can access and work with my e-mails, read trough and review extensive attachment, surf the web, get online with my laptop without hassle trough the WiFi router. First phone I ever used that work seamless with bluetooth both in the car and with headsets.
It's a serious device and not a toy with downloaded flashlight applications.
afive720 said:
You know, I have both the Nexus one and HD2, but I am really thinking of selling my HD2. I love all the things you have mentioned, but texting is kind of a big deal to me. With an HD2, the keyboard so choppy, no matter the rom I try. If I can somehow fix it, bye bye nexus. If not, well...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah well, I agree that this is a let down thing at first, but after few months usage, I'm quite amazed at my typing speed right now
Did u try fingerkeyboard or swype?
uswe said:
I can access and work with my e-mails, read trough and review extensive attachment, get online with my laptop without hassle trough the WiFi router.
It's a serious device and not a toy with downloaded flashlight applications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are the things that I never bother or want to do with my old 3GS and Hero
Hi,
I like:
1) Screen (come on 4.3 inch MAMA MYA that’s nice step for mobile phones. I will never buy IPhone 4G if it’s less than 4.3 inch screen)
2) Design (Very slim very sexy)
3) Speed (yeah it’s really speedy)
4) Freedom (WOW the best thing. No more F jailbreak)
I don't like:
1) SMS messaging interface (Please anyone know other messaging interfaces? or at least to tell me how to disable the loading of messages as once. I rather like IPhone messaging where it loads small amount of sms in the chat area and load more history sms on request if needed)
2) Battery life (To bad to be in such great device)
zoombay78 said:
Hi,
I like:
1) Screen (come on 4.3 inch MAMA MYA that’s nice step for mobile phones. I will never buy IPhone 4G if it’s less than 4.3 inch screen)
2) Design (Very slim very sexy)
3) Speed (yeah it’s really speedy)
4) Freedom (WOW the best thing. No more F jailbreak)
I don't like:
1) SMS messaging interface (Please anyone know other messaging interfaces? or at least to tell me how to disable the loading of messages as once. I rather like IPhone messaging where it loads small amount of sms in the chat area and load more history sms on request if needed)
2) Battery life (To bad to be in such great device)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always have over 400 sms in my inbox, and it loads quite quickly, I think. No problem for me. Why dont u try the old style thread messaging from Energy rom or some other roms?
Thank you for starting this post. I was reluctant to upgrade from my Touch Pro to the HD2 for the lack of a hardware keyboard, which I used constantly. The big, beautiful screen won me over and I'm happy to report that I'm typing as fast as ever now that I'm used to my HD2.
I love the huge screen, HTC Sense (Thanks to Cookie and averyone else, not enough room in this thread), one touch dialing, programs etc, etc.
Every, and I mean EVERY challenge that I had with my phone when I first bought it has been solved by using these forums.
Every, and I mean EVERY modification that I could have dreamed of has been supplied by using these forums.
This has been the case since I started using WinMo and with every device I've owned.
These sour grapes posts by individuals who refuse to take the time to use this fine provision in order to make full use of their HD2 are a slap in the face to the hardworking developers who have brought countless hours of joy to the rest of us who deeply appreciate their work.
To the developers and contributors of this forum: I salute you.
To the individuals who are posting their "Bye, Bye" threads. Please leave quietly, and don't let the door hit you in the iphone.
Oh finally some positive thread for HD2.
So what i love about my HD2.
Speed - lighting fast
Customization - Thanks Winmo 6.5
Usefull Programs - Programs that really matters. Like Resco explorer and image viewer, FPSEce,iGO with multitouch and compass
BIG screen - The Biggest!
Open platform (flashing ROMs) - Can be really fun
Loud speakers - Well maybe too much =)
Capacitive screen with multitouch - Say yes to best gaming experience
How the phone feels in pocket (comfortable) - You dont even know it's in your pocket
But there are few bad things =(
Development - The newest games looks like ripped of java with touch support
Really old core of OS - Winmo 6.5 is quite ugly too
Reset button under Battery cover - lol at this one
KowboyBebop said:
Oh finally some positive thread for HD2.
So what i love about my HD2.
Speed - lighting fast
Customization - Thanks Winmo 6.5
Usefull Programs - Programs that really matters. Like Resco explorer and image viewer, FPSEce,iGO with multitouch and compass
BIG screen - The Biggest!
Open platform (flashing ROMs) - Can be really fun
Loud speakers - Well maybe too much =)
Capacitive screen with multitouch - Say yes to best gaming experience
How the phone feels in pocket (comfortable) - You dont even know it's in your pocket
But there are few bad things =(
Development - The newest games looks like ripped of java with touch support
Really old core of OS - Winmo 6.5 is quite ugly too
Reset button under Battery cover - lol at this one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for support at fpsece, KB
About reset button, why dont u try to install the Long Press End Key Reset? That saves me a lot from opening the battery cover
I think this may be a no-brainer. I spend so much on my Phone bill, that ATT is going to give me a Focus for free. (or one of many other phones of my choice).
I just got my Tilt 2 is running the exact way I want it to. Should I upgrade? How happy are you with WINMO 7 and Focus?
Yes I know it's a freebe, but if ATT is planning on coming out with another phone, I don't want to use up my free turn now. That's the only thing holding me back. Thanks.
Will
william8004 said:
I think this may be a no-brainer. I spend so much on my Phone bill, that ATT is going to give me a Focus for free. (or one of many other phones of my choice).
I just got my Tilt 2 is running the exact way I want it to. Should I upgrade? How happy are you with WINMO 7 and Focus?
Yes I know it's a freebe, but if ATT is planning on coming out with another phone, I don't want to use up my free turn now. That's the only thing holding me back. Thanks.
Will
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have the Tilt working the way you want it to, why would you switch? The Focus has functionality pretty much on the level of a severely retarded iPhone. It's nowhere near and nothing like the old Windows Mobile. Mine is sitting on my desk without a sim while I wait to see if Microsoft is actually serious or if I'll be getting an Android phone this summer. I've actually used my old Fuze more recently than the Focus because even tho it was slow, unstable and barely usable half the time, the other half of the time it did almost anything I needed to get done.
I am a previous Tilt and Tilt2 owner. I am now a Focus owner. The limitations of WP7 are out there and pretty well known. If any of those are critical to you, then don't switch. If you want a completely refreshing experience, no memory problems, apps that actually close when you close them, and not having to worry about constantly tweaking your phone, go with WP7. I don't regret it for a minute. Everybody is so worried about c&p (which is coming) and multitasking... there is something to be said about the WP7 experience. It has really grown on me. I go days without a soft reset. Marketplace occasionally hangs, which is my only complaint. The beautiful thing is that they are still on the first release. The most under talked about feature of WP7 is the People hub. It is really amazing how simple it is yet how it integrates all my contacts. I'm also a big OneNote user and I love this version. I do like a hardware keyboard, but this soft keyboard is just as good as the iPhone. Critics like to say the iPhone's keyboard is better because how could something be as good as an iPhone? Well, it actually is. I had an iPhone between my Tilt and Tilt2 and the WP7 keyboard is just as good. WP7 is not perfect (yet) but it's a great start. I don't even think about my Tilt2 anymore. I figured I'd buy the best of the first set of phones (Focus) early, then wait for a good second gen one to come out and get that in a year. I don't regret my decision for a second and would never go back.
FUZE
I moved from my FUZE to a Focus on December 27th and have never looked back. Like you, I got my FUZE where I wanted it with a custom Energy ROM and lots of tweaks and apps. It was an ongoing process that I had learned to live with. I had the Focus for 4 days before I swapped the SIM out of the FUZE. In fact, my FUZE is still on the charger.
All of this crap about C&P and multi-tasking is a tempest in a teapot. I haven't missed either and I use my phone hours each day. It is smooth, seemless and everything just works like WM 6.5 should have. I can't explain here what I love about WP7, it would take too long. You have to experience it to really understand.
This summarized my thoughts exactly.
smuook said:
I am a previous Tilt and Tilt2 owner. I am now a Focus owner. The limitations of WP7 are out there and pretty well known. If any of those are critical to you, then don't switch. If you want a completely refreshing experience, no memory problems, apps that actually close when you close them, and not having to worry about constantly tweaking your phone, go with WP7. I don't regret it for a minute. Everybody is so worried about c&p (which is coming) and multitasking... there is something to be said about the WP7 experience. It has really grown on me. I go days without a soft reset. Marketplace occasionally hangs, which is my only complaint. The beautiful thing is that they are still on the first release. The most under talked about feature of WP7 is the People hub. It is really amazing how simple it is yet how it integrates all my contacts. I'm also a big OneNote user and I love this version. I do like a hardware keyboard, but this soft keyboard is just as good as the iPhone. Critics like to say the iPhone's keyboard is better because how could something be as good as an iPhone? Well, it actually is. I had an iPhone between my Tilt and Tilt2 and the WP7 keyboard is just as good. WP7 is not perfect (yet) but it's a great start. I don't even think about my Tilt2 anymore. I figured I'd buy the best of the first set of phones (Focus) early, then wait for a good second gen one to come out and get that in a year. I don't regret my decision for a second and would never go back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thresher said:
This summarized my thoughts exactly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Double ditto. Also went from Tilt -> Tilt2 -> Focus. Minor bugs are annoying, but the upsides win over the downsides
william8004 said:
I think this may be a no-brainer. I spend so much on my Phone bill, that ATT is going to give me a Focus for free. (or one of many other phones of my choice).
I just got my Tilt 2 is running the exact way I want it to. Should I upgrade? How happy are you with WINMO 7 and Focus?
Yes I know it's a freebe, but if ATT is planning on coming out with another phone, I don't want to use up my free turn now. That's the only thing holding me back. Thanks.
Will
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Focus is a great phone. To say that it's as functional as a severely retarded iPhone is extremely shortsighted and entirely subjective. If you find usb thumb drives to be too cumbersome for mass storage, need wifi internet sharing (the Focus tethers great with my Win 7 x64 laptop via usb), vcard support, or to send video via mms (although the camera in my TP2 sucks so bad I never used it) then stick with the tp2.
That being said, the Focus is MUCH faster and way more stable. Even oc'ed to 748 MHz my tp2 was extremely laggy, especially when sliding out the keyboard. I never thought I'd be able to do w/o a hardware keyboard, but, this one is fantastic. Unlike the iPhone, the auto-correct is right 95% of the time.
I, personally, can live w/o the missing feature for the time being.
Also, you may want to wait for the LTE rolling out later this year. If you're in one of the cities that will get it, it should be much faster than the current 3G and WP May introduce phones supporting it by the end of the year.
A lot of really nifty new hardware got announced at CES this past week. But then, if you're willing to wait, something better is always going to continually be coming down the pipe. If you're looking at what's out right now, you can do much worse than a Focus.
Personally, I much prefer using my Focus over my old Tilt2. About the only thing I really miss is the ability to connect to IRC. That one does irk me. Other than that, I really am digging the new toy.
I went from an HTC Wizard to the Tilt - I never got the Tilt2 - to a Samsung Focus. Only rarely do I miss a physical keyboard. I miss some of the apps - SPB Wallet, Vito Audio Notes Touch and Mobipocket Reader. I miss syncing Office docs but I don't miss Activesync issues. Occasionally I miss the Tilt's scroll wheel and Dpad but I'm getting over it.
The Focus' screen is so beautiful and the WP7 interface is really a joy. I love this phone - it's fast and responsive and pretty as hell. I know that I'll find new apps to replace my old ones in time and I'll adjust to the differences.
My advice is that if you have programs on your Tilt2 that you can't live without then you should think twice before moving on. But if you go into a store and take a look at the Focus you might just get one anyway.
As mentioned before if you're into social networking the People Hub just handles that integration really well. Also if you use Windows Live Photo Gallery Online and or Facebook for pictures the Pictures hub handles this great.
I'm not a gamer so the Xbox live thing doesn't do it for me.
So, I love the Focus but I'm waiting for the apps to catch up.
Here are my two choices.
1. go from tilt2 now to focus
2. wait and use my freebe on another phone in the future that ATT will carry.
???
wspaw said:
The Focus is a great phone. To say that it's as functional as a severely retarded iPhone is extremely shortsighted and entirely subjective. If you find usb thumb drives to be too cumbersome for mass storage, need wifi internet sharing (the Focus tethers great with my Win 7 x64 laptop via usb), vcard support, or to send video via mms (although the camera in my TP2 sucks so bad I never used it) then stick with the tp2.
That being said, the Focus is MUCH faster and way more stable. Even oc'ed to 748 MHz my tp2 was extremely laggy, especially when sliding out the keyboard. I never thought I'd be able to do w/o a hardware keyboard, but, this one is fantastic. Unlike the iPhone, the auto-correct is right 95% of the time.
I, personally, can live w/o the missing feature for the time being.
Also, you may want to wait for the LTE rolling out later this year. If you're in one of the cities that will get it, it should be much faster than the current 3G and WP May introduce phones supporting it by the end of the year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not short-sighted, it's the way it is. I bought a Focus the day they went on sale but every day brought about at least a couple situations that the iPhone and Fuze could easily meet and the Focus had nothing. If it did any less Walmart could package it with a prepaid card and stick it on the rack with the $25 Nokia phones that come with $30 of talk time. I don't give a damn about copy/paste, the thing that made me put the sim card back into the iPhone was that the camera doesn't save it's settings. How asinine is that? Doesn't anyone at Microsoft even use a camera? Didn't anyone bother testing it? And *I'm* the short-sighted one? That's why I don't buy that rubbish about how it doesn't have any useful features because "it's two months old". And as hard as it was to believe, the browser is actually WORSE than the WinMo browser which, in the very least, could play audio and video streams. I'm half surprised WP7 didn't come with Trumpet Winsock to make a data connection. WP7 is stable because there's practically nothing to crash or freeze. WinMo is fast, too, when it has nothing to do and a 1 GHz processor to do it on. So if I had a Tilt2 and wanted something that was actually responsive and approached the same level of functionality, I'd get an iPhone or a decent Android phone for, I'd guess, the next year given how long it took Microsoft to get the current rendition of WP7 out the door.
markgamber said:
It's not short-sighted, it's the way it is. I bought a Focus the day they went on sale but every day brought about at least a couple situations that the iPhone and Fuze could easily meet and the Focus had nothing. If it did any less Walmart could package it with a prepaid card and stick it on the rack with the $25 Nokia phones that come with $30 of talk time. I don't give a damn about copy/paste, the thing that made me put the sim card back into the iPhone was that the camera doesn't save it's settings. How asinine is that? Doesn't anyone at Microsoft even use a camera? Didn't anyone bother testing it? And *I'm* the short-sighted one? That's why I don't buy that rubbish about how it doesn't have any useful features because "it's two months old". And as hard as it was to believe, the browser is actually WORSE than the WinMo browser which, in the very least, could play audio and video streams. I'm half surprised WP7 didn't come with Trumpet Winsock to make a data connection. WP7 is stable because there's practically nothing to crash or freeze. WinMo is fast, too, when it has nothing to do and a 1 GHz processor to do it on. So if I had a Tilt2 and wanted something that was actually responsive and approached the same level of functionality, I'd get an iPhone or a decent Android phone for, I'd guess, the next year given how long it took Microsoft to get the current rendition of WP7 out the door.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not saving camera settings is just dumb (I seriously doubt this will be an issue for long). The browser is far better on WP7. It accesses and renders pages faster than my wife's iPhone, let alone the TP2 (IE, Opera, Opera Mini, Skyfire, etc.). At least it WILL support flash compared to the iPhone. Can you edit Office docs on the iPhone? Kinda. But, the Office hub on the Focus is considered to add great functionality to the phone by many people. TP2 can do some of this, too, if you don't mind the lag. Typing is far more accurate for me on the Focus, coming from a hardware keyboard. Believe it or not, that affects the functionality of the phone, at least for me. The Focus can tether without additional cost. If you care about music the Zune Pass is outstanding. The Focus might not have much functionality for you, perhaps, but many others would disagree. Then again, maybe all of us happy Focus users are just retarded Walmart patrons.
All I have to say is I loved my Tilt2! I got a Focus with my upgrade. I figured I keep my Tilt2 to fall back to if I didn't like it. Needless to say I loved the Focus so much I gave...did you hear me... gave my Tilt 2 because I couldn't even justify putting a price on it. That's how different the Focus is. I've read all the complaints and ironically it's the exact same ones people gave as a reason the Iphone would fail. Hell I even mocked Iphone owners. Well we know how that turned out.
As far the browser, here in New Orleans(signals vary in every region) WP7 IE is faster than any WM browser I ever had Opera 9,9.5,9.7, 9.7 with Flash,10 beta,10 Mini,Skyfire, UCWeb6,6.7,7,7 release2, NetFront 3.4,3.5,4,4 updated, Bolt,Iris, Pocket IE, Uzard. The sad thing is all of these damn browsers were installed on my phone because none were good enough. With the Focus I released much like the Iphone people I mocked, I don't need most of that bullcrap. I don't know if the IP4 has a different browser version than the 3GS, but WP7 IE is just as fast and accurate. as my nephews 3GS.
As for saving camera settings, I never taught of this till you mentioned it. Now that you mentioned it, it sounds crazy to me to save the settings. I constantly take pictures with my phone for work. Unless I'm in the exact same conditions then saving the settings would be just a big pain. Obviously, someone in the Microsoft meeting must have mentioned this. Damned if they do damned if they don't.
bennyj71 said:
As for saving camera settings, I never taught of this till you mentioned it. Now that you mentioned it, it sounds crazy to me to save the settings. I constantly take pictures with my phone for work. Unless I'm in the exact same conditions then saving the settings would be just a big pain. Obviously, someone in the Microsoft meeting must have mentioned this. Damned if they do damned if they don't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You still are using a fixed set of settings, the default ones. If you are OK with those is no problem, but a user should still be able to customize the settings and then save them instead of always going back to default.
I am in my first day of "playing" with a Focus, coming from a Tilt 2. Sometimes I think I should have not started.
I love the simplicity but I miss the flexibility.
So far the biggest con for me is the small font used in various places that I find hard to read after using the phone for a while. Maybe it is time for glasses but get them only for the Focus? Too bad the font size cannot be adjusted other than the places where zooming works. Speaking of zooming I miss the reflow of text, so now after zooming I constantly have to scroll sideways to read a page.
When I got the Tilt 2 I thought I was going to use the slide out keyboard more. Turned out that I rarely used it so that was not an issue moving to the Focus. I do find the Focus keyboard very sensitive. The slightest touch or even coming close enough to the screen without actually touching registers on the touch screen. Even though the Focus screen keyboard keys are very close in size to the Tilt 2 screen keyboard I have lots of typos with the Focus. I guess though that this is something that gets overcome with time.
WiFi... cannot connect to hidden networks??? Please Microsoft, reconsider this.
Once connected to WiFi what is there to do other than using WiFi for data instead of 3G? I cannot connect to my Windows Home Server to save pictures and other documents or to load some documents for the road. I know I can go thru Skydrive but that's extra steps and maybe I have documents I would rather not upload to a third party server.
I would like a common email tile on the home screen instead of individual tiles for each account. The visible home screen is limited. HTC Sense does this beatifully.
Various apps that I use save their data somewhere in the phone's memory. I would like to be able to back it up at least by copying it to my laptop or home server. I do not see any sort of file management at the OS level where I could do this. Some apps save their data in the cloud... again a third party server.
But I do have another 25 days or so to play with the Focus. I'll see how things change.
Started with a Tilt --> iPhone --> Tilt2 and now Focus. The phone does have its quirks but I believe the pros outweigh the cons. The onscreen keyboard easily rivals or surpasses that of the iPhone. Transition between programs is fluid and seemless. The link with Xbox Live is awesome!
This is only day 2 of playing with this guy and I'm already hooked.
Just upgraded from the Tilt 2 (prior to that I used the original Tilt and then the Fuze) to the Samsung Focus -- and I will not be looking back. Finally a phone that works when I need it to! I'll trade a few, very minor limitations that I can work around for the lightning fast responsiveness of the WP7.
I can't count the number of times with the Tilt/Fuze/Tilt 2 that I stood outside an elevator needing to quickly look up a meeting room number or sitting in a meeting and needing to look up a phone number only to have it slowly lumber through the process at a snails pace with people waiting all around me in frustration. I need a phone that works in real world - real time - business situations. So I really value the simplicity and responsiveness of the Focus.
It's a keeper.
I also came from the long line of HTC phones and the iPhone3Gs. I upgraded to the Focus the day it hit the streets and as others have said I have never looked back. I do miss some of the customizing and some of the apps but in time they will come. I knew the limitations going in and while some of them have been a pain the pros way outweigh the cons. If MS keeps their word and gets the updates out and keeps them coming they have a big winner on their hands.
JamesAllen said:
I moved from my FUZE to a Focus on December 27th and have never looked back. Like you, I got my FUZE where I wanted it with a custom Energy ROM and lots of tweaks and apps. It was an ongoing process that I had learned to live with. I had the Focus for 4 days before I swapped the SIM out of the FUZE. In fact, my FUZE is still on the charger.
All of this crap about C&P and multi-tasking is a tempest in a teapot. I haven't missed either and I use my phone hours each day. It is smooth, seemless and everything just works like WM 6.5 should have. I can't explain here what I love about WP7, it would take too long. You have to experience it to really understand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My sentiments exactly. As a former Fuze owner, the only thing I miss are the physical keyboard, and specific apps. I purchased my Fuze the day it came out, and used it heavily during that time. I still find myself clicking on the search button to end a call, but that's a habit I'll break soon enough.
The keyboard is probably the best soft-keyboard I've tried, and I'm still learning little tips to make it even easier. That said, I really do miss the hard-keys.
The only other area of concern are the apps. I had a number of apps that I used daily, which sadly aren't yet available for Win7, and possibly may never be available.
Still, this phone is just amazing. It is extremely responsive to gestures, screens load quickly, and the screen will blow your socks off. Everyone who gets their hands on it just love it.
Now I purchased mine off contract on eBay for an incredibly good price. I doubt I would take on another contract with a phone this early in its development. If I were you, I'd wait it out a little longer. The Tilt2 is a good phone especially with custom ROMs loaded.
Wait until after the MWC in February. Some new WP7 phones might be announced then.