Related
NOT ME!
I'm yet to get my universal, its on its way
Whats worse, it'll take another 15 days...as my sister is getting it from USA for me...and i'll have to wait till she makes it
I was just freaked out by the number of ppl selling away their devices, and thought i'd just start a thread where all of them give their reasons here...so that we'd know if it was the memory problem, or battery life, or bulkiness or whatever maybe the reason....and will help others making a decision to buy it!
Also, if you're one of those hanging on to the device from a while, and feel that this is "the" device to own, then tell us why!
Keep it nice and concise, bullet points as much as possible for easy reading
S
I'm keeping mine. The 'faults' are mostly little niggling things that can usually be gotten round by various hacks/tweaks people have made. And yeah it's a bit big, but you do get used to it
Positives:
- It's like having a little laptop.
- Connectivity wise it truly has it all - 3G, WI-FI, BT, video calling, SDIO, IRDA, etc. No other device has all of this.
- The WM5 OS makes it very easy to write programs/hacks for, so we will see a lot of these over the coming months.
- The VGA screen has a massive "wow" factor!
- Mini-USB connector and charger are very convenient indeed.
- Full-size headphone/speaker socket.
- Built in terminal services client is VERY useful!
- Awesome little keyboard with very good looking backlights.
- Persistant flash-based storage.
- Battery life is very good, lasts for many days on one charge.
- 4 (FOUR) speakers, and 2 (TWO) cameras! Flash is a nice gimmick too.
Basically for me, the huge amount of positives outweigh the small amount of negatives. Best "phone" I have ever owned.
dreamtheater39 said:
NOT ME!
I'm yet to get my universal, its own its way
Whats worse, it'll take another 15 days...as my sister is getting it from USA for me...and i'll have to wait till she makes it
I was just freaked out by the number of ppl selling away their devices, and thought i'd just start a thread where all of them give their reasons here...so that we'd know if it was the memory problem, or battery life, or bulkiness or whatever maybe the reason....and will help others making a decision to buy it!
Also, if you're one of those hanging on to the device from a while, and feel that this is "the" device to own, then tell us why!
Keep it nice and concise, bullet points as much as possible for easy reading
S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on a side note,
how much is your sister gettin it for for you from the US? did she have to sign a line?
vapor said:
dreamtheater39 said:
NOT ME!
I'm yet to get my universal, its own its way
Whats worse, it'll take another 15 days...as my sister is getting it from USA for me...and i'll have to wait till she makes it
I was just freaked out by the number of ppl selling away their devices, and thought i'd just start a thread where all of them give their reasons here...so that we'd know if it was the memory problem, or battery life, or bulkiness or whatever maybe the reason....and will help others making a decision to buy it!
Also, if you're one of those hanging on to the device from a while, and feel that this is "the" device to own, then tell us why!
Keep it nice and concise, bullet points as much as possible for easy reading
S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on a side note,
how much is your sister gettin it for for you from the US? did she have to sign a line?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought it at Mad Monkey Boy's Gadgets for 930 USD [qtek 9000]...and 20 USD for shipping to her address...
That makes it a total of 950USD....in comparison to 1350 USD here in India!!!
San
@sl9, I can only manage one day of use from my Exec's battery. I have been very careful with it from new. My Nokia 9500 with similar use can give me twice the life of the Exec battery. With the Exec if you use BT and forget to shutdown PIE you could run out of battery while you think the unit is "off/standby".
dreamtheater39 said:
vapor said:
dreamtheater39 said:
NOT ME!
I'm yet to get my universal, its own its way
Whats worse, it'll take another 15 days...as my sister is getting it from USA for me...and i'll have to wait till she makes it
I was just freaked out by the number of ppl selling away their devices, and thought i'd just start a thread where all of them give their reasons here...so that we'd know if it was the memory problem, or battery life, or bulkiness or whatever maybe the reason....and will help others making a decision to buy it!
Also, if you're one of those hanging on to the device from a while, and feel that this is "the" device to own, then tell us why!
Keep it nice and concise, bullet points as much as possible for easy reading
S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on a side note,
how much is your sister gettin it for for you from the US? did she have to sign a line?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought it at Mad Monkey Boy's Gadgets for 930 USD [qtek 9000]...and 20 USD for shipping to her address...
That makes it a total of 950USD....in comparison to 1350 USD here in India!!!
San
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow thats crazy man. but thanks for the heads up
I echo everything sl9 has said. The most important positives for me are:
- persistent storage
- WM5 means I never have to use my stylus, except for 3rd-party apps that haven't caught up yet
- full keyboard makes SMS a breeze
- some very useful touches in the software, like the easy switch on/off of BT and WiFi using just a couple of keyboard presses
- flexible and automatic speaker usage depending on the machine's orientation
- the way the thing feels in your hands (cool/cold, solid, 'tight'): it's nice to hold
- the VGA screen for browsing, Excel, calendar, contacts, ListPro and Today screen (I'm in proper VGA mode)
- battery lasts days for me, but I'm probably a lighter user than y'all and now (because most are awful on WM5) have no 3rd-party apps except PocketZenPhone, TomTom and ListPro (per day: 8 hrs Bluetooth, 1 hr phone, 10 SMS, 1 hr general use, 30 mins WiFi browsing)
- stability: Haven't done a reset in a week or so. I never force-close apps, but rely on WM5 to handle it. I have no idea how much program memory I have free, and I don't care: it just works
- Microsoft's contacts app is very good for keyboard-only use: makes dialling a contact easy
- there are some neat improvements in the UI, such as the way BT comes on automatically when you choose 'ActiveSync over Bluetooth', and headset mode is always on automatically if BT is on and the machine has found your headset to pair with
Negatives for me:
- WiFi reception is very poor
- OEM-supplied voice dial is poor. I hate having to record voice tags, and it's not 100% reliable with detection. This could be my HBH-65 headset though. Sometimes the voice dial prompt cuts in when I'm trying to answer a call on the headset :evil:
- Microsoft's calendar app is very very weak, as is PocketIE, and PocketOutlook for emails
- the phone app should scale to VGA properly and it should have a built-in T9 contact finder (the O2-supplied 'Smart Dialler' doesn't take advantage of the hardware keyboard, so is pointless)
- speaking of which, O2's bundled software is pointless and unhelpful
Umm....
- oh yeah: the cameras are still very weak and useful only for taking emergency pictures, such as recording car accidents that you have and newsworthy moments
- the camera flash is useless as a camera flash, but very good as a torch, if only the machine had an easy way of using this feature
- the hardware application buttons aren't as programmable or flexible as they could/should be. I wish we could program each button through the OS for both Press and Press-'n-Hold
Of course a big negative ATM is the lack of 3rd-party apps that are truly compatible with WM5, but this is hardly the fault of HTC or the mobile operators.
So, the hardware is excellent (with the exception of the cameras and WiFi reception) but the OS-bundled software is flawed. Hopefully we'll get ROM updates that will improve things, just like we did for earlier HTC machines.
jah said:
@sl9, I can only manage one day of use from my Exec's battery. I have been very careful with it from new. My Nokia 9500 with similar use can give me twice the life of the Exec battery. With the Exec if you use BT and forget to shutdown PIE you could run out of battery while you think the unit is "off/standby".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then I would say your battery may be faulty. Do you have wi-fi on?
With bluetooth on permenantly, my MDA PRO lasts for 3~ days on one charge. Without bluetooth, it lasts for 4-5 days.
I'm a fairly light user though, 1 short voice call a day on average, although I do open it up and turn on the screen about 10 times a day to check for reminders, text, notes etc.
Perhaps you are a much heavier user of it than I am? Even so, battery life on your device does seem unusually short
@sl9,
Without BT I get 3.5 hours of use with a combination of eBooks, PIM, email & web browsing (50% using 3G). With BT on that reduces to 3 hours. I use my Nokia in a similar was as a phone, ebook reader, PDA, etc. This is my second Universal as I had a JJ before the Exec and the JJ's battery life was a little worst. This level of use is not unusual for a business user who also travels a lot.
SiliconS said:
I echo everything sl9 has said. The most important positives for me are:
- persistent storage
- WM5 means I never have to use my stylus, except for 3rd-party apps that haven't caught up yet
- full keyboard makes SMS a breeze
- some very useful touches in the software, like the easy switch on/off of BT and WiFi using just a couple of keyboard presses
- flexible and automatic speaker usage depending on the machine's orientation
- the way the thing feels in your hands (cool/cold, solid, 'tight'): it's nice to hold
- the VGA screen for browsing, Excel, calendar, contacts, ListPro and Today screen (I'm in proper VGA mode)
- battery lasts days for me, but I'm probably a lighter user than y'all and now (because most are awful on WM5) have no 3rd-party apps except PocketZenPhone, TomTom and ListPro (per day: 8 hrs Bluetooth, 1 hr phone, 10 SMS, 1 hr general use, 30 mins WiFi browsing)
- stability: Haven't done a reset in a week or so. I never force-close apps, but rely on WM5 to handle it. I have no idea how much program memory I have free, and I don't care: it just works
- Microsoft's contacts app is very good for keyboard-only use: makes dialling a contact easy
- there are some neat improvements in the UI, such as the way BT comes on automatically when you choose 'ActiveSync over Bluetooth', and headset mode is always on automatically if BT is on and the machine has found your headset to pair with
Negatives for me:
- WiFi reception is very poor
- OEM-supplied voice dial is poor. I hate having to record voice tags, and it's not 100% reliable with detection. This could be my HBH-65 headset though. Sometimes the voice dial prompt cuts in when I'm trying to answer a call on the headset :evil:
- Microsoft's calendar app is very very weak, as is PocketIE, and PocketOutlook for emails
- the phone app should scale to VGA properly and it should have a built-in T9 contact finder (the O2-supplied 'Smart Dialler' doesn't take advantage of the hardware keyboard, so is pointless)
- speaking of which, O2's bundled software is pointless and unhelpful
Umm....
- oh yeah: the cameras are still very weak and useful only for taking emergency pictures, such as recording car accidents that you have and newsworthy moments
- the camera flash is useless as a camera flash, but very good as a torch, if only the machine had an easy way of using this feature
- the hardware application buttons aren't as programmable or flexible as they could/should be. I wish we could program each button through the OS for both Press and Press-'n-Hold
Of course a big negative ATM is the lack of 3rd-party apps that are truly compatible with WM5, but this is hardly the fault of HTC or the mobile operators.
So, the hardware is excellent (with the exception of the cameras and WiFi reception) but the OS-bundled software is flawed. Hopefully we'll get ROM updates that will improve things, just like we did for earlier HTC machines.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
woah! your negatives sure scares the daylights out of me!
- bad wifi reception??? what seems to be the problem???! for me, this is going to be really important!
- bad camera quality? how bad is it??? I saw a few pictures taken from the universal on a couple review sites, and they looked pretty good! am i missing something? (damn i didnt play around enough with the camera when i had the device with me the last week )
S
Well, the WiFi is hard to measure, but the range is nowhere near as good as my HP laptop. I struggle to get a signal on my Exec if I'm not within about 4 metres of my Access Point in my house. (Standard modern house, thin internal wooden walls.) I can use my laptop anywhere in the house (up to 10 metres away) and in the garden too, but no chance with the Universal. I need to move the Access Point.
As for the camera, I guess it's subjective, but I wouldn't rely on it for decent photos. It's OK for times when you just have to record an image but you're not needing to print it out. Here's a comparison between my Universal and a 4 year-old 2 MPixel Canon Ixus300. Both photos without flash, because the Universal's flash has no effect on photos when the subject is more than a metre from the lens. Both photos are at 640x480 and at the same compression level (filesize 38KB). Neither camera is at its native resolution, to make it a realistic comparison.
Edit: moved photos to a new thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=33960
Hmm. Not sure why they don't both appear as thumbnails. :roll:
Forgot to add: Universal was in 'Night' ambience mode.
Edit: Incidentally, when you take pictures at the Universal's native resolution (1280x1024) the quality is better, but the same problems are there: poor light sensitivity, poor light colouration, blurred focus, indistinct details etc.
It's better, but a long way from good.
And don't forget, the Canon camera is old now: 4 years. Just 2 MPixel - only twice that of the Universal.
Edit edit: Moved photos to a new thread so they don't break this one
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=33960
@SiliconS
thats a nice comparison shot! ( still wondering if you took them both with similar lighting conditions!!! )
i did read that the universal is fairly bad with "colors" as such....guess we have to live with it!
with the wifi range issue....gosh!! 4metres??? tell me your joking please!
S
dreamtheater39 said:
thats a nice comparison shot! ( still wondering if you took them both with similar lighting conditions!!! )
i did read that the universal is fairly bad with "colors" as such....guess we have to live with it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same room. Same lighting. Photos just one minute apart.
It's not really much better than my XDA2. Just bigger resolution. Low-light shots are really not its strong point though. Only by comparison can you see how bad it really is.
dreamtheater39 said:
with the wifi range issue....gosh!! 4metres??? tell me your joking please!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry - I'm serious. Maybe others can confirm, or tell me that mine is worse than theirs. It's hard to measure objectively though.
You have to be kidding about the 4m WiFi range. I have the router placed in my bedroom and i can actually connect 2 rooms away which are in serial. Oh and there are 2 concrete walls in between.
I still get 2 bars inspite of all this. If you call this weak, then i dont know what to say.
Regarding the camera, its oodles better than the xda2 or the xda2s. It is also much better than the JAM, but then again these are not very good standards to compare to. Yes, it is not as good as Nokia or SE but if the camera is the reason one decides not to buy this device, then this device is clearly not for you.
Yeah, the camera sucks. Who cares? The rest of what's on the Uni - the critical stuff - works great. Quality in a cell phone camera is few years off ...
universaldoc said:
You have to be kidding about the 4m WiFi range. I have the router placed in my bedroom and i can actually connect 2 rooms away which are in serial. Oh and there are 2 concrete walls in between.
I still get 2 bars inspite of all this. If you call this weak, then i dont know what to say.
Regarding the camera, its oodles better than the xda2 or the xda2s. It is also much better than the JAM, but then again these are not very good standards to compare to. Yes, it is not as good as Nokia or SE but if the camera is the reason one decides not to buy this device, then this device is clearly not for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi universaldoc!
i currently have an xda2 running on wm5! So when i junk my device and buy a new one, i'd first of all see what are the pluses i get by making such a decision.....
heres what i can count -
1. Awesome keyboard (i really love it!)
2. VGA screen (finally!)
3. Built in Wifi
4. Better Camera
5. 3G support (currently useless to me....but its still good!)
6. The cool factor???
7. 10MB more device root space??
8. I'm running out of points!!!
Having said that....I still have bought my universal (but i'm waiting for it get here :evil: ) only because, i'm a god damned gadget freak and wouldnt mind trading away my spare kidney for one!
I'm just reconfirming my buy....the "reality hits" phase....you know???!!
San
I totally agree with all the positives already mentioned. As far as negatives are concerned, I have none. I love my O2 XDA Exec!
One point I'd like to mention though. My XDA Exec has GREAT WiFi. When I was setting-up my MSN Messenger, my Exec detected 4 different access points including my own. I happen to notice my neighbors' access point which I helped her setup included in the list. Now, she lives about 3 apartments down, so you can just imagine the lenght and obstacles my Exec has to traverse.
I don't have wi-fi yet though hoping to get it sorted in the next month or so. Though on the odd occasion I've switched the Exec's on, I've picked up stuff that must be about 30 - 40 metres away. I know for sure I picked up my cousin's network from around 20 metres outside his house the other week - and he lives in a converted barn with thick interior / exterior walls!
Regarding everyone else's positives and negatives, I agree with most. The camera is a LOT better, and is better than the 2.0MP one we had up to a few months ago. However, it's certainly not the main reason for buying a phone and certainly not in a feature-rich device such as the Exec. The pose factor alone is worth it, especially when sat in laptop mode in the car :wink:
It's 3G. It's an awesome looking bit of kit. One or two niggles in the software that will be ironed out. It's inspired 3 of my colleagues and bosses at work to get one. Less kit to carry around between home and work (no cradle, just a lead). VGA screen - which I STILL look at in awe sometimes. I didn't think I'd get to like landscape mode, but now I LOVE it.
Best XDA by far for me, and I've had most :wink:
Cheers
Ant
if else is positive, the main negative would be the response to incoming phone calls especially thru BT headset :evil: ... you would be lucky to take it from the 1st time ... usually it takes 2-3 sec which is more than enough for the caller to hang up :evil:
Believe it or not ... I use the Universal now only for data activities (e-mail, net, ...) and I have to carry my old i-mate for phone things ... nice scene ... huh ? :x
I can't wait to see a real update for the Radio ROM
ohh ... and a one hell missing feature ... a secondary LCD on the cover to avoid opening the screen just to see who's calling ... a very simple idea you find on almost all flapping mobile phones!!!!
OK - so aside from bias/ability to afford/shipping/tax/price or other logistical factor - can we have a show of hands as to who has already bought a HD2 and has something to say - particularly what about the device makes you happy, what makes you sad?
Let's try keep it away from supplier/delivery issues or local network/band/signal issues - just pure usability/hardware/software.
Personally after trying one out in a store last week I finally received the experience I feel you want when moving to a PDA from a smart phone. What does our community think after using it for a while?
noofny said:
OK - so aside from bias/ability to afford/shipping/tax/price or other logistical factor - can we have a show of hands as to who has already bought a HD2 and has something to say - particularly what about the device makes you happy, what makes you sad?
Let's try keep it away from supplier/delivery issues or local network/band/signal issues - just pure usability/hardware/software.
Personally after trying one out in a store last week I finally received the experience I feel you want when moving to a PDA from a smart phone. What does our community think after using it for a while?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
too subjective a question....for every person on here that says get it, there will be one that says don't get it.
the final decision must be yours....nobody here can make your decision for you. Make a list of the important things for you in a phone, then find the phone that matches those needs the best.
for example, I think the iphone has a much nicer interface, more apps, better screen (touch interface, not size or clarity), but for me it just doesn't handle business functions very well and that made me choose the HD2 since this was my primary need.
if you do the same process you might find the ideal phone for you
I got mine on Sunday just gone, was an upgrade from a Diamond. I loved my diamond, but as soon as I had setup my HD2 with contacts and apps etc I was loving this even more. Each time I use it I find something new, like facebook linking, then seeing in a contact card all communications with that person.
I'm yet to use the footprints, but look forward to trying it out.
The main thing for me was the screen size, I always had problems with the tiny diamond screen, but this is so crisp, easier to use and much easier to keyboard with.
Also the damn speed of the device is amazing, so fast, the OS loads so quick. I soft resetted it and put it down to expect a few minutes wait like on the diamond, but was rebooted so quick!
The one thing I would love to see is a facebook tab, like the twitter tab, shame they didn't implement that!
The specs that come with this phone are truely awesome, and that was the overall selling point for me, as I knew how good HTC phones were I just had to have something with the specs that this phone comes with.
twisted-pixel - good point about the subjectiveness. I suppose what I'm fishing for here are peoples post-usage horror/love stories - moreso with regard to hardware and usability. It's a nice big screen but it's also a nice big slab of tech - how do you find the size, whats the battery life like, do you notice anything bad about the capacitive screen, how often (if ever) do you feel the need for a stylus and say 'doh', does the headphone port become dodgy after use - or the micro usb port? I suppose because of this community we all have flexibility and solutions around software, so I meant to make this more hardware related I guess.
noofny said:
twisted-pixel - good point about the subjectiveness. I suppose what I'm fishing for here are peoples post-usage horror/love stories - moreso with regard to hardware and usability. It's a nice big screen but it's also a nice big slab of tech - how do you find the size, whats the battery life like, do you notice anything bad about the capacitive screen, how often (if ever) do you feel the need for a stylus and say 'doh', does the headphone port become dodgy after use - or the micro usb port? I suppose because of this community we all have flexibility and solutions around software, so I meant to make this more hardware related I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I admit to loving the phone...with one exception...the sensitivity of the screen is a complete disaster for me. it's very difficult to type on, someones it responds to the slightest touch, other times it doesn't. accuracy is also an issue (that was to be expected on a screen with high resolution I suppose)
and yes, I've tried all the tweaks going before anyone suggests it (currently running v3.3 of the tweak with sensitivity on)
I think if I had come straight from my HD then I would have been impressed, but I come from an iphone where the screen was a delight to use.
however, the rest of the phone makes up for that small failing.
noofny said:
twisted-pixel - good point about the subjectiveness. I suppose what I'm fishing for here are peoples post-usage horror/love stories - moreso with regard to hardware and usability. It's a nice big screen but it's also a nice big slab of tech - how do you find the size, whats the battery life like, do you notice anything bad about the capacitive screen, how often (if ever) do you feel the need for a stylus and say 'doh', does the headphone port become dodgy after use - or the micro usb port? I suppose because of this community we all have flexibility and solutions around software, so I meant to make this more hardware related I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, you will find more people venting than praising any device on this forum, as people only seek help when they have problems.
I must admit, I personally think it is the best device I have ever used.
For a quick overview from me (in comparison to the X1, but most comments are applicable):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=5667230&postcount=6
I stumbled on this video on youtube;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-3Bi-Eg2gQ
...and love his brutal (albeit bias and sometimes naive) honesty, it helps you make a decision because it's not a rant. So far you guys are proving some intelligent feedback also - so thank you and let's keep it coming!
I got the HD2 the day it was available in my country (one of the first in europe) and despite all the fixes and xda-dev recommendations i couldn't have it for more then 1 weekend. I sold it on monday morning.
I hated typing (i did try the keyboard cab which should lower the sensitivity), loading sms with some exchanged texts already (loading was awful for such powerful device), visibility outside was horrible, battery,..
Maybe my rant will be understanded better if i mention i'm a blackberry user that likes to try out new "hot phones" (no matter which brand or type of usage).
I've also tried the Nexus One and would say i liked it a tiny bit better then HD2, but still couldn't have it for more then a week.
So, why am i writing this.. After MWC last week, i've kind of wanted to give HD2 another shot. For the following reasons..
I've came across some nice taskbar buttons (which make it look so much better..), I saw there is a fix for sms loading time, i guess i could always install a different keyboard,.. and most imortantly i got a very nice (cheap) offer for a brand new HD2. Yesterday i even ordered a nice case (didn't like the one that comes in the box) and a screenprotector (which might reduce the fingerprints, which i hated so much and a visibility outside,.. hope i'm not too optimistic).
If i somehow manage to be happy with HD2, i might even go for the exnteded battery. And i'm kind of feeling the hype for WinMo7 rom for this device.. Don't know if it will be any better or worse, i just know there is some excitement about it
Hope my rant / "long mess" didn't bore you too much
+1 to buy with eyes closed.
OK, this will be quick because I'm supposed to be doing something else right now but anyway...
I've just sent my HD2 back because of a problem with the microphone so if anyone should be telling you to think of other alternatives - it should be me.
But I can't because I love the phone. It's fast, responsive, it's got most of the features that you could ever want (minus USB host), the screen is gorgeous and the interface is pretty damn usable.
It's not perfect however... Customising it is more trouble than it should be. There is a slight pink hue in the middle of the camera when the contrast and saturation are turned up high enough to make the colours look half lifelike and when the screen is completely white, at certain angles you can see the grid dots that make the screen's matrix.
So to resume, if you don't mind spending some time on it and you're not completely obsessive about things being absolutely perfect (I am and I can still get to sleep at night) then you should be very happy with an HD2.
NeoGreendawg said:
There is a slight pink hue in the middle of the camera when the contrast and saturation are turned up high enough to make the colours look half lifelike and when the screen is completely white, at certain angles you can see the grid dots that make the screen's matrix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The pink hue is solved with an update from HTC (here)
The dots are also visible on an iPhone, its down to the technology, not the device alone.
rp-x1 said:
The pink hue is solved with an update from HTC (here)
The dots are also visible on an iPhone, its down to the technology, not the device alone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I'm sorry but the HTC hotfix did slightly improve the issue but it certainly didn't resolve it in my case. I love the phone believe me but I somehow doubt that anyone who isn't employed by HTC or affected by Daltonism could honestly claim that it has completely solved the issue.
Edit : Not trying to be rude or make out that it's a deal-breaker but I know that as a potential buyer I'd want to know about it.
I've had the HD2 for three weeks and use it every day. I also end up resetting it every day. I've come from a Nokia N96 and before that the N73, so I'm comparing it to the N96. I am very pleased with the speed of the phone and how operations take way less than a second to perform, instead of several seconds a la N96.
The phone itself is a bit too big. Perhaps a 4 inch screen would have been enough. Even though I have big hands, it's just too big to walk around and hold the phone with one hand. I'm scared of dropping it. The headphone port's on the bottom of the phone - it causes the cable to tangle up around the phone when in a pocket.
I have found plenty of bugs in the stock O2 1.43 firmware and know how to deal with the main ones.
I didn't realise the phone had an FM tuner until I found it after a few days on the Start menu - I used the N96 FM tuner almost every day. Unfortunately the tuner on the HD2 is really poor. It is unable to obtain a good quality signal. Sound dips out. There's an awful lot of interference in places where the N96 would have relayed a good quality signal. In places where the N96 got a poor signal, the HD2 has static. BBC Radio 1 has the most powerful signal in my area, yet the HD2 fails to get consistent reception. There's just too much interference and I often just shut the radio off. A huge let down; I wonder if it's hardware or software at fault.
The N96 music player was very well featured, but incredibly (pathetically) slow. In contrast, the HTC Music app has no such delays, is very fast but somewhat basic in comparison. A lot of cool N96 features are missing; there's no way to call up the keyboard to locate tracks, track details can't be edited, tracks can't be deleted, backing out of an album takes you to the top of the album list and not to where you were. There's no hardware buttons to change tracks when the phone's in a pocket (a swipe up/down on the lock screen to change tracks would be nice). Volume control has too few stages so is either too loud or too quiet; volume within the Music tab has more stages but doesn't always work (error in Services.exe). General audio quality is rather poor - even the iPod classic 5G sounds better! Occasional unexplained sound dips and audio which lacks in bass and treble. The oddest thing is the shuffle feature tends to replay swathes of tracks that have already been played.
Video playback is very impressive because of the screen size. Can't fathom why the Windows Mobile OS cannot play WMV. Get quite a few dropped frames and put that down to the poor quality 1.43 ROM and perhaps not-fully-developed decoders. Video viewing in general is very nice, although an afterthought within HTC Sense, as the video playback has essentially just been tacked on to HTC's photo viewing app.
I do like the phone, it is good enough to stop me wanting to go back to my last phone. I'd get one, but the HD2's not quite the tech lover's wet dream that some of the big review sites make it out to be. Having bought it from the O2 network, I'll seriously doubt I'll ever be able to officially upgrade the firmware (HTC isn't even listed on their software upgrade pages), so I'll have to learn alternative methods one of these days to see if I can iron out some of the bugs!
Wish they would just whack a snapdragon and capacitive screen in a HD and re-release it....think that would satisfy a lotta folks. Cheers all for your input, it's really helping me to set realistic expectations.
I was contemplating on whether I should buy a Nexus One instead of the HD2, but I decided to go for the HD2 instead because it was cheaper, had a nice screen resolution, specifications don't differ much between both devices, and i'm looking forward to the Windows 7 release on the HD2
i am currently contemplating to switch from HD to HD2....is it worth it?
Buy it!
I come from the HD. The HD2 is what the HD should have been from the first instance.
Fantastic:
- speed (and I am using a stock French Orange ROM based on 1.43!)
- screen
- usability
As far as precision is concerned: I need a phone to check and type (even long) emails, and read documents. XT9 works just great, but even in ABC mode in landscape the accuracy is pretty good (and I type fast!).
If you need to play around with programs using stylus-based input, yes, then it gets really annoying (try to edit your registry in Total Commander and you'll get crazy).
In summary: if you want to tweak it like crazy all the time or intensively use older programs with small menus, then consider buying an alternative with a resistive screen and a stylus. But if you actually want to USE your phone with the standard applications, just buy it and you'll get the best of the market today imo!
to buy or not
i have it for a month after the trinity.
sorry but it hasnot voice call
no handwriting recognition
battery ends quickley
no video call
no .chm file reader
all of these were on the trinity.
so i am sorry buing it
Mastoid said:
I was contemplating on whether I should buy a Nexus One instead of the HD2, but I decided to go for the HD2 instead because it was cheaper, had a nice screen resolution, specifications don't differ much between both devices, and i'm looking forward to the Windows 7 release on the HD2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you do realize that there may eventually never be a WP7 release for the HD2?
rottttman said:
i have it for a month after the trinity.
sorry but it hasnot voice call
no handwriting recognition
battery ends quickley
no video call
no .chm file reader
all of these were on the trinity.
so i am sorry buing it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U'd better search for infos about the phone after buying it
I am a true lover of my HD2, but even if I find this device almost perfect I feel that it still has some parts that shall have been better.
That is why I am opening this topic. This post is not aimed at listing the HD2 problems, but rather evoke the ways to make our device even better, from the users' point of view, based on our experience.
So please, tell me what is your own point of view after several months of use.
For me, here are the items I find should have been better:
- Soft Reset 'red button' under the metal back cover: this is definitely so ridiculous. What did the HTC guys have in mind when they decided this?
- Camera: compared to other devices (e.g. Blackberry Bold) the quality of the camera on the HD2 is definitely very low. Especially if the light conditions are not perfect. I realized that I have now abandonned the idea to use my HD2 camera to take some pictures inside a home, or in the evening.
Why not a Carl Zeiss lens, and also a separate shutter button?
- Loudspeaker: the quality of the loudspeaker is low. I compared it with other devices and the one of the HD2 is not satisfying. A better one would make louspeaker phoneconversations better. Also, it's almost impossible to use the HD2 loudspeaker to listen to some music on a daily basis. It will just give you a headache, whereas with other phones it's really a pleasure to listen to you mp3s with the loudspeaker on.
- Some Manilla Menu could be improved: did you also notice that it is so difficult to exit from the Message Tab. You have to click on 'Back' before you can close the Message Tab. The same way, in the Comm Manager Tab when you click on 'Done' you would expect it would close the tab. But it doesn't. The UI shall definitely be more simple and intuitive. The same for the Ebook reader tab.
- Bugs on the FM Radio never solved: I know that some other users also reported this bug. Sometimes the FM Radio crashes. The radio skips, then the application crashes. More generally the radio reception is bad. I am shocked that ROM after ROM HTC was not in a position to solve these issues eventually.
- Battery life: this one is a big disappointment, probably the major one. On my HD2 battery lasts maximum 1 day and a half... But most of the time it lasts less than 1 day. I remember the old times when the battery life of my mobile phones could exceed 3 or 4 days. Of course smartphones are more complex and need a lot of resources. But it's the manufacturers' role to adapt the battery capacity to the device needs. Less than one day of battery life is not acceptable. 2 full days would be a minimum.
- Absence of decent internal Memory Storage (e.g. 32 Gb): I think it would be high time the manufacturers like HTC include a decent 32 Gb memory storage. It would avoid spend a lot of money on various SD cards. We would have a huge memory space that could be completed with a small SD card (2 or 4 Gb would then be enough). WHEN WILL HTC PROPOSE THIS ON ALL ITS TOP DEVICES ?
- The HTC Audio Player is so bad: I know that some people like it, but in my opinion the embedded audio player is crap. It takes too long to load, the library organization is a mess. It even includes my IGO audio files! Why HTC could not work hand in hand with great developers such as Kinoma or Corecodec?
- Lack of HTC applications : I know this is mainly due to WM 6.5. This OS is not so sexy anymore and developers prefere to focus on Android and IPhone. That is why I also think HTC should work hand in hand with soft developers to provide great HTC applications. For instance Sony with Southend: the best games on WM 6.5 have been created (Xtrakt, Experiment 13...).
Conclusion: finally I realize the HD2 is not a real multimedia smartphone as it has been introduced. On the contrary, Radio, Audio Player, Camera and Loudspeaker are almost the worst parts of the device. And many competitors do better. Therefore the HD2 is probably a great professional phone, but not a multimedia one.... Unfortunately...
But hey, don't misunderstand me. I really love my HD2.
Just hope all the issues listed above will be solved with the HD3
My experience with:
Camera: it doesn't take pictures like a digicam can, but its one of the better camera phones I have used from a smartphone. Its okay at best for me, but I don't really expect much from cam phones. Also have you tried any tweaks?
Loudspeaker: Don't really use it when playing Music. Like the camera, I don't really expect much from speakers of any phone.
Manilla Menus: I'm not really sure how you want to close Messaging Tab and Comm Manager Tab. Thats just one press. Do you mean you want it to go directly to Home page when you press "X" at the top right or Back button?
Internal Memory: Yes it would be much better if we can have more. But I think it would also cost us more if say the HD2 had 64gb internal mem.
Audio Player: Okay for me. Try 3rd party music players.
Edit: Yes, I also love my HD2
I agree with OP. The only bad issue that really bother me is the Audio Player: why the hell there's not any kind of SEARCH function? HTC failed hard here.
arturobandini said:
- Loudspeaker: the quality of the loudspeaker is low. I compared it with other devices and the one of the HD2 is not satisfying. Almost impossible to use the HD2 loudspeaker to listen to some music on a daily basis. It will just give you a headache, whereas with other phones it's really a pleasure to listen to you mp3s with the loudspeaker on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad that you can't use the loudspeaker to listen to music. There's a special place in hell reserved for people who do that.
Yes Audio and Video player of the HD2 for me is a big let down.
Audioplayer crashes and won't play any of your music if you happen to load in just 1 file that it don't like.
Videoplayer also sucks almost all files need to be converted to play nicely on the HD2 player (video/audio out of sync). No RMVB support.
Camera and Loudspeaker I dont have any complains, they work OK for me.
I would have to disagree with the HD2 cameras quality being low. I managed to take some pretty good pictures with it. While dark or light outside
I also would have to to disagree with the loudspeaker with the music. I came from a blackberry 9700 and a storm 2 and both of their loud speakers distort when turned all the way up. thankfully when someone calls, the ringtones sound crisp on the hd2
but the rest of the stuff i agree with you guys
I wish the text messaging is better then what is now
i love the hd2 too, although it gets annoying at times. i have to admit, i was going to buy the nexus one instead of the hd2, but the hd2's hardware is sexy. cant help it. XP
anyway what bothers me about it:
1.) camera. it does seem a bit grainy, ive seen phones with better 5mp cameras.
2.) wm6.5. the os is snappy, but at random times, i would be forced to take out the battery cause (either sense or windows mobile) freezes up. using the chuckyrom.
3.) loudspeaker, idk maybe its just the mp3s i choose but volume is low even on high. not really a problem since i leave it on vibrate.
4.) horrible battery life. i use my phone a lot. i have my emails/calendars synced to it. let me just say i couldnt last a day without having to plug it into charger (using 3g). i made a test actually, i left around 2pm today to go to the beach, so i turned 3g off and pretty much left it in my backpack. a few hours later (around 10pm) it had around 65% battery left, so that was a shocker.
5.) music player. too slow for my tastes. im an ipod user so u can say my ipod spoiled me.
but still even with these problems, im happy with my sexy hd2. i'd go for the evo but i cant go cdma yet since i travel a lot so i need gsm phones.
- Absence of decent internal Memory Storage (e.g. 32 Gb): I think it would be high time the manufacturers like HTC include a decent 32 Gb memory storage. It would avoid spend a lot of money on various SD cards. We would have a huge memory space that could be completed with a small SD card (2 or 4 Gb would then be enough). WHEN WILL HTC PROPOSE THIS ON ALL ITS TOP DEVICES ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can only agree on THAT.
For the rest: the HD2 is already perfect as a WM-device could be. Always mind: most restrictions are caused by WM, BUT: XDA-dev. overcome almost ALL probs (like I have no probs anymore since netdrg-TCMPM runs on my HD2).
For batt-life and loudspeaker: it´s just a question of simple physics: the more powerful the circuits/processor/speaker etc. the more battery-power is consumed. For heavy use we have the extended batt.
Camera: we do have a small pc in our hands and not a camera that also works as a little pc. Camera is a little gadget I take but it definitely was/is not the reason to buy a PDA. For very good photos I have my digicam.
Last but not least: of course You can always use even better components for assembly but are we willing then still to pay the price ? (Yeah, for me I would ! Now! But what if get unemployed next year ? )
I made a guy build me my Sony Vaio TT91 according to my wishes (SSD´s etc.) but had to pay double the prize of the serial-Vaio TT
Real life means: HTC has to calculate and research the compromise of customer needs, parts available and affordability at a given time (beginning 2009) to issue a new device (HD2) by end of 2009, but unfortunately by the middle of 2010 new cheaper and better parts would be available at the same cost.
That is living at the edge of technology at a given time. So we will see the HD3, HD4 or whatsoever, we will see micro pcs from HTC with flexible screens, LED-projectors and sound projectors integrated, we will see HDs with full voice-steering based on quantum-chipsets and laser diodes, we will see HDs transferring the screen-contents into eye-lenses running on batteries that are smaller than a finger nail lasting almost forever...........
BUT NOT NOW !
k20a1 said:
I would have to disagree with the HD2 cameras quality being low. I managed to take some pretty good pictures with it. While dark or light outside
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really ? It seems to me that other phones have a better camera than my HD2. I tried a lot of different settings.
For instance, a friend of mine made a video with his Bold 9700 of a live concert at night (worst conditions ever: dark, lot of sudden flash lights, etc...) and I was really amazed by the quality of his video.
---
To revert to the general specifications, I think that the manufaturer who will propose a Windows Phone already including 32 Gb of memory + minimum 2 days of battery life will do a major hit.
Running out of storage, or having my HD2 turn off at the end of the afternoon is something I hate.
All the smartphones currently proposed on the market are basically the same. But they all miss MEMORY / Long BATTERY LIFE.
Which manufacturer will finally decide to make the difference? I hope it will be HTC.
I have never liked the idea of have a large amount of memory in a phone, it makes it expensive and you can't just take it with you when you upgrade, i prefer a memory stick tbh.
NitrousB said:
I have never liked the idea of have a large amount of memory in a phone, it makes it expensive and you can't just take it with you when you upgrade, i prefer a memory stick tbh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But we can also expect that the costs will considerably decrease once the 32 gb are included in all devices.
Also, memory is so expensive because manufacturer like Sandisk or Kingston has to hold 32 Gb of memory in such small microSD cards. It makes no sense.
Regarding the upgrade, you are right. But you will have the possibility to transfer all your files to your new phone via your PC.
All the points mentioned before are not so important to me, in general I am very happy with the HD2 except for the GSM reception...my HD2 has a poor gsm reception. tried different radio roms but it does not really make a difference. When I am away for work I am using another phone, which was not the idea when I bought the HTC...
Cfds,
Did you try Radio 2.09.50.29 ?
It's the one I'm using in France (Orange network) with my Miri ROM, and it works perfectly.
So far the best Radio I've tried.
What shouldn't change:
1. the form factor.
2. integrated multi-touchscreen, 3g, WiFi, Bluetooth, G-sensor, Compas, GPS module, speaker.
3. great gps module. No complaints so far with regards to function and reception
4. Hardware buttons.
5. Replacable battery.
What should change:
1.Wacom active digitizer technology added to the current capacative screen
2. A better, prefereably stereo speaker for better speakerphone conversations.
3. A manual configurable secondary microphone on the back for better speakerphone conversations
4. Better and more creative use of the G-sensor for tool applications.
5. Missing a seperate camera shutter button for taking pictures. The button on the screen is bad ergonomics and often causes blurry images because of the pressing of the button on the screen. Focus is lost and the camera moves while taking the snapshot.
6.increased battery capacity. 1300 mAh for a smarphone like the HD2 is a joke.
7. a camera with a carl zeiss lens.
8. the dual LED flash is fine, but in my currrent experience with the HD2 too close to the lens.
9. a protected cover for the audio and microusb port
10. make mini usb the standard. My experience with microusb thus far, is that it is a niche connection. A lot of other productions, even accessories of the HD2 still have mini usb plugs. The also feel much sturdier, and I've got a lot of them at home.
11. Major software creativity for the HD2 that work. There are currtenly several good programs out there. Unfortunately, many work with great ideas seperately. If some would combine creative ideas, I believe you would have a more complete, functional and great product for consumer use.
12. That someone could make an easy program to make your own software using building blocks. I have some ideas, but are ever put on hold due to the complex nature of writing code and debugging, of which I know a little but have no further experience of.
I think, though that if inking could be revived, the phone would be more complete. I'm thinking about the microsoft courier idea put into the HD2 (with a proper pen stylus and not a pogo or dagi stylus).
arturobandini said:
Cfds,
Did you try Radio 2.09.50.29 ?
It's the one I'm using in France (Orange network) with my Miri ROM, and it works perfectly.
So far the best Radio I've tried.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am running radio rom 2.09.51.03_2...at home its ok, phone works ok and the battery lasts about 3.5 to 4 days but abroad its changing/searching networks all the time and drains my battery in 1.5 days...I can compare the reception with an another phone at the same places and the HD2 just has a weak gsm...Its a shame that my iPhone beats the HD2 if it comes to reception quality...
With regards to people's comments about the on-screen camera button, did you know that you can hold down the on-screen shutter button and the camera will refocus and then take a shot? I find it much more stable that just tapping the button. With that in mind, I've never felt the need for a dedicated camera button on the phone. I agree that, the camera quality is not amazing, and even though I have a decent camera for taking shots, I have felt a bit disappointed with the image quality of the HD2 in comparison to my X1.
The speakerphone could also do with improvement - although I never use it for music, there is a lot of distortion during calls, even when quiet.
I agree that battery life is not fantastic (my X1 used to last several days), but then again, with such a beautiful screen and powerful hardware what do you expect? The EVO 4G needs to be recharged every day and so do the Nexus One and the Desire (just done a quick google). I can live with that.
I don't like the placement of the audio connectors at the bottom. Would have preferred it at the top to make it easier to use in my car!
I think that's all my gripes hardware-wise - I love the form factor and so far the performance of the phone has been great.
With regards to software, there are lots of enhacements that could be made, but I'll just wait for Windows Phone 7 or jump to Android. It's a shame that I'm in the UK because otherwise I would have definitely gone with the EVO 4G - same great hardware but Android - that's the perfect phone! At least until we see how WP7 is like...
--Amr
I love my HD2. It is a great communications device. Internet browsing, Exchange Support and the gorgeous screen are the things I love most. I have Pocket Player installed for listening to music, which is really great. Video Playback could've been better but with the right encoding, watching films is a great experience. Battery life isnt that bad and I always get through the day. As with any Windows Mobile device, it needs customization but if someone gives the device the time it deserves, the HD2 is a great phone. (but not for the average consumer)
amrbekhit said:
... I agree that, the camera quality is not amazing, and even though I have a decent camera for taking shots, I have felt a bit disappointed with the image quality of the HD2 in comparison to my X1...
--Amr
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bizarre! The camera on my X1 was awful, as a result I hardly ever used it. It was very laggy, photos were grainy even in good light and often blurred.
In contrast, the camera on my HD2 produces really good photos, with little lag, quickly and of decent quality.
Guys, you should use Windows Media Player 11 (the one that comes with Windows 7) to sync your music. I use that, have like 9 GB of music on my HD2 and it's blazing fast, doesn't take ANY time to load.
Actually I like the music player because of its ability to create playlists and it has pretty much everything you need.
I don't know which Radio ROM I have, but I don't experience the problems you and I (with an earlier ROM) had anymore.
You list some other valid points though.
Hi All,
Did anyone here purchase the HTC Surround? I'm seriously considering this phone over the HD7 due to its obvious better display... plus, i'm a huge sucker for good sound and granted that the phone doesn't have that much of a high standard output, but its reported to be better than most out there still...
So how do you think does it turn out? Is it worth it?
The main thing that i hate about this is the back cover... is it plastic? Easy to break? The other thing obviously is it not having in-ear headphones.
Regards.
Salman Khalid.
I bought mine yesterday.
The back cover is actually nice imo. It is a soft rubberized feel. Overall the phone feels really sturdy. That is something I look for in phones. If I have to throw it at someone, I want it to hurt and not break .
As for the sound quality, don't expect huge desktop speaker sound from it, it won't happen. But they are much better than any other phone out there.
And the surround does come with earbuds with an inline remote and mic.
teoami said:
If I have to throw it at someone, I want it to hurt and not break .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LMAO! Thanks for the response... i think i'm going to do eenie meenie miney mo on the HD7 and Surround and pick one of them!
I bought one Monday and it was shipped out today apparently from TX. I'm tired of the emulator and I'm ready for the real deal!
XeNoMoRpH1030 said:
I bought one Monday and it was shipped out today apparently from TX. I'm tired of the emulator and I'm ready for the real deal!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck with that... i went ahead and ordered the HD7 today and expect to have if by next week... Super excited right now!
Decided to go with that 'coz i wanted more of a business-use phone - not that Surround isn't one either, but HD7 just seemed to make more sense... So i guess... best of luck to all of us!
When it comes to business-use, I would think a full keyboard would be best, so the LG, Dell Venue, or the HTC that will eventually be on Sprint.
I bought the surround yesterday surprisingly. I was planning on the venue pro after the surround received less than stellar reviews, though it was actually going into the store and playing with one that made me decide to get it. The store also had a working focus, though the beautiful screen wasn't enough to pull me away from the better look and feel of the surround. Fortunately the screen doesn't easily slide. If there is one thing I will complain about on the surround is its viewing angle of the screen: if you look at it from 45* or so the colors look washed out but straight on it is fine. I'll have to see if that's enough to eventually turn me off of it, but ultimately it was the surprisingly good feel and the better coverage of at&t in my area that made the decision.
Just ordered mine on Amazon for $99, coming from a Hero. played with the surround and the focus and didnt like how cheap the focus felt, plus even though the screen is nice and bright, it didnt look as smooth as the display on the surround. cant wait to start modding this phone.
Canceled my order of the HD7... Found the Mozart at a shop today and totally fell in love with it! Ended up buying it... It's been a really good day!
msalmank said:
Canceled my order of the HD7... Found the Mozart at a shop today and totally fell in love with it! Ended up buying it... It's been a really good day!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is it a 3G Mozart? i can get one from Aussie with 3G 850 band, but it's about 800 bucks... i'm currently trying the Surround and - to my surprise - it's a pleasant surprise. i know that was a redundant statement. i will give it 2 weeks to see if it can displace my HTC Desire as a daily driver. i like having options and Windows Phone 7 is a viable option depending on your needs.. i know, that was a redundant statement as well.
Big Disapiontment!
Bought my Surround on monday on it's release. Will return it tommorow. Very disapointed. I was sure hoping for more out of Microsoft. The lack of a file system to work with, no external memmory, unable to sync outlook...I hated the IPhone because of ITunes. The Zune software might even be worse.....
fillmanw1 said:
Bought my Surround on monday on it's release. Will return it tommorow. Very disapointed. I was sure hoping for more out of Microsoft. The lack of a file system to work with, no external memmory, unable to sync outlook...I hated the IPhone because of ITunes. The Zune software might even be worse.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you bought this device on day 1 of its release and had NO idea it didnt have an accessible file system or external memory? WHY do you need access to the file system? Ive had WM devices since WM2003 and using the file system was just a necessary evil since there were no other integrated solutions to accessing the stuff you needed. Maybe you should return it because it doesnt come with a stylus too.
I am also interested in how people are feeling about their new phones? I'm (stuck) on AT&T and was deciding between this and the Focus. I previously owned an iPhone 4 and a Samsung captivate so I had grown used to the slim form factor and beautiful SAMOLED screen on the Galaxy-S line. Also, after reading some reviews on the Surround regarding the screen quality and viewing angles (poor black levels and contrast, poor viewing angles). However, I often find I disagree with reviews, such as in the case of my Focus where I particularly like the lightweight body and find the plastic body to look and feel classy and sleek, not cheap.
So TLDR; How are you are liking your Surrounds?
I'm pretty satisfied with the Surround overall the battery life sucks but it's to be expected. But I might have to go against the grain on the Focus vs Surround (screen wise). While I thought the brightness and viewing angles on the Focus was great the sharpness really bothered me. The AT&T store had the two of them side by side and once I noticed the pixel/grid effect on the Focus it bugged me to no end. I was just comparing the tiles on the home screen like the XBOX on both units and I could see a noticeable difference. Am I the only one that noticed it?
frost0044 said:
I'm pretty satisfied with the Surround overall the battery life sucks but it's to be expected. But I might have to go against the grain on the Focus vs Surround (screen wise). While I thought the brightness and viewing angles on the Focus was great the sharpness really bothered me. The AT&T store had the two of them side by side and once I noticed the pixel/grid effect on the Focus it bugged me to no end. I was just comparing the tiles on the home screen like the XBOX on both units and I could see a noticeable difference. Am I the only one that noticed it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went to the ATT store and only had a chance to play with the surround, and then decided on that because ive always thought HTC made the best phones and have always thought samsungs were cheap construction. I then read a bunch of reviews saying how great the focus was so i went back the next day and did the same side to side. When the sales associate came up and asked me if I had any questions I told her I was trying to decide between the phones and I was VERY picky, and I didnt like the screen of the focus. she said " REALLY?!?!" and I was pointed out how you could see pixels on the focus between the tiles and i drove me nuts. I also felt like the focus could be snapped in half, and actually like the weight and size of the surround.
I ordered the Surround when i got home.
i've been using the Surround for 3 days and here are my personal, unscientific observations:
the good....
- responsive
- simple, straight-forward OS
- nice, clear, easy to read screen
- outlook integration; simple email setup with Outlook 03 or 07
- good calendar app
- good call quality and volume
- loud ringtones
- great keyboard!
- 16 GB of onboard space
the not-so-good or, things i've gotten accustomed to with other phones that i'd miss with WP7
- no conversation view in email, no integrated inbox
- no contact lookup via phone dialpad
- limited customization (e.g., cannot use your own ringtones)
- no text reflow; zoom in/out increases the font size but you have to move the screen to read text in web pages and email (a biggie for me)
- small fonts in txt msg app
- no shuffle for play lists; it's only available when playing "all music/songs"
- surround is heavy relative to my HTC Desire
- 5 minutes max on screen timeout and screen lock
- no tethering app
- external speaker is wasted space; give me a keyboard or reduce the size of device
- no copy & paste
- *sigh* battery life; for me it was not good. i had 3.25 hours in calls on day 2 and it simply killed my battery.
now despite all the not-so-good stuff, i'm still planning to go with WP7, but it won't be with the Surround and i'll wait a few months before stepping back into the Windows Phone world. my ideal WP7 phone is the HTC Mozart; similar specs to the Surround (except for storage) but in a HTC Desire/Nexus One package. i'm not diggin the extra girth and size of the Surround.
i've been majorly spoiled by my HTC Desire, Nexus One, Android and the wealth of options that are available with that platform. so, in summary, kudos to MS for delivering a good foundation OS. at this point, i'm not ready for WP7. hope this feedback is helpful...
re: cortez.i 's post
I've only had it a few days but noticed so many differences from that and my Tilt 2. You mentioned " outlook integration; simple email setup with Outlook 03 or 07"
I'm trying my best to sync my Outlook contacts and calendar and have no idea what to do. I use it for work so I've become accustomed to the Outlook built in on WM 6.5, now it's gone on WM7. I like the phone but am fairly certain if I can't get fixes to sync my work mail and calendar I'm going to have to wait for a new ROM from the genius here before I use it as my #1 phone.
htc surround
All in all i have no complaints about the phone. There are some software bugz MS needs to work out, and they will. I had several bugz -Marketplace stopped working, my email quit working, I couldn't fix or update anything. So I hard reset the phone and connected to the computer and to my surprise the Zune software reinstalled all of my apps (in the background without my knowledge) and everything now works fine. All I had to do was reset my email and other personal settings.
cortez.i said:
i've been using the Surround for 3 days and here are my personal, unscientific observations:
the good....
- responsive
- simple, straight-forward OS
- nice, clear, easy to read screen
- outlook integration; simple email setup with Outlook 03 or 07
- good calendar app
- good call quality and volume
- loud ringtones
- great keyboard!
- 16 GB of onboard space
the not-so-good or, things i've gotten accustomed to with other phones that i'd miss with WP7
- no conversation view in email, no integrated inbox
- no contact lookup via phone dialpad
- limited customization (e.g., cannot use your own ringtones)
- no text reflow; zoom in/out increases the font size but you have to move the screen to read text in web pages and email (a biggie for me)
- small fonts in txt msg app
- no shuffle for play lists; it's only available when playing "all music/songs"
- surround is heavy relative to my HTC Desire
- 5 minutes max on screen timeout and screen lock
- no tethering app
- external speaker is wasted space; give me a keyboard or reduce the size of device
- no copy & paste
- *sigh* battery life; for me it was not good. i had 3.25 hours in calls on day 2 and it simply killed my battery.
now despite all the not-so-good stuff, i'm still planning to go with WP7, but it won't be with the Surround and i'll wait a few months before stepping back into the Windows Phone world. my ideal WP7 phone is the HTC Mozart; similar specs to the Surround (except for storage) but in a HTC Desire/Nexus One package. i'm not diggin the extra girth and size of the Surround.
i've been majorly spoiled by my HTC Desire, Nexus One, Android and the wealth of options that are available with that platform. so, in summary, kudos to MS for delivering a good foundation OS. at this point, i'm not ready for WP7. hope this feedback is helpful...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the Surround is only 1mm thicker than its twin the Trophy and 1mm taller. I wouldn't call that extra girth.
I don't post much but I've been a member for quite a while.
My wife surprised me with a new HTC Surround on 11-12. After a Hermes, Tilt and Tilt2 I was on the fence nut I have to say I'm pretty happy so far in light of its few restrictions so far. Hopefully the expected OS update in January will resolve that. If not, I'm sure someone on XDA will come up with the fixes.
At first I missed the file system till I realized I didn't need it. I too was a little upset with needing a Hotmail account to sync my contacts and calendar but I'm hopeful Windows Mobile Device Center will be updated shortly to accomodate the WP7 phones once the USB connectivity is fixed. Right now USB connectivity is limited to Zune. The January release is supposed to address USB tethering, maybe data syncing will be fixed with that as well.
I would like to see a proper youtube player like the Noonski version and a WiFi Router app.
All in all though, I'm very happy with how Microsoft has been careful to make this a smooth, reliable, and modern OS.
hey guys, im asking your opinion..im going to buy a new phone this february, i look that x2 looks nice...but i saw that many people disappointed with this phone because they said it always freeze, lag, low battery life...is that true?? please help me, if this phone good, tell me...im gonna buy this phone next month...if this phone is not good, then tell me why? what can i do to make this phone good? or u can suggest me better phone(must have 8mp camera, long lasting battery, wi-fi provided, great speaker for music, touchscreen, side slider qwerty keyboard, large resolution and screen)...
well, it depends on what do you expect from a phone. but mainly, no it isnt a good phone.
if your looking for a good phone buy HD2 (the second hand HD2 is around 80€ more then a second hand X2 but its worth every cent).
its a year old model with still good hardware. you can instal on it MW6.5.X or android... In my oppinion there is no better phone for a XDA forum entusiast.
but let me say another comparison from my own experience (since i had both X2 and HD2) X2 in my country costs like 200€ from second hand and it freezes. battery life is nothing to bragg abouth. bad touch experience its like slavery.
on the other hand HD2 cost from 280 up and its emense freedom. It works great, feels great. touch experience is great. hardware is strong. MW6.5.x, froyo, obuntu, wp7... freedom.
X2 does look good but the software is a joke and not a funny one.
if you have like to much money then get x2 just to see an example how can a solid phone on paper go disturbingly wrong in real life.
have a nice day.
A lot of people have opinions like the ones expressed by gbajzelj ... and I would like to express one of liking the X2 ...
I have had it since 4/2010. I am very hapy with the phone -- but I like the WinMo 6.5.3 interface with its flexibility -- and not having restrictions on the app use.
Regarding the phone -- I use the standard WinMo frame, disabled slideview, run overclock (with a clock speed of 1024), run Garmin XT, use Clean RAM, Lookout, have bluetooth always on, sync with IMAP email every 30 minutes and I am in HSPDA network coverage.
I get 2 days of battery usage, the last freeze was at least a week ago, and I don't remember when the one before that was. It doesn't play video very well ... but I am not sure if it is the video or not -- they are downloaded ones from UTube that were converted to mp3 format. Movies that I took with the phone itself work fine.
There are times when the phone will stutter and take time to respond -- usually when it is not getting a responce from the web (like PCs do when the network connection is hosed) ... If I wait for no more then 15 seconds, it responds, and then I do a Ram Clean and the X2 is back to normal ... it have been a week since that happened ... and it could be that I have learned not to do certain things -- but they do not appear to be related to a specific set of things that I do ...
The bottom line is that I am very happy with the phone ... and the times that it fails is no more bothersome then when Win XP failed or locked up on a desktop. I really like the keyboard for text entry and the office programs to run excel spreadsheets and storing of data in Word documents.
But as gbajzelj has said, other phones also run WinMo 6.5.3 and will also serve you well ... but I am a long term SE customer, and I have not been disappointed with the X2.
As a side note ... I looked at the new Dell phone (running Android -- I think) at a store, and its responce -- sliding screens / opening programs -- did not seem to be any faster then my X2 ...
If you don't mind loosing several hours in upgrading firmware, installing some fixes and avoiding to install almost all the Sony Ericsson buggy software, the phone will work fine. There are several post explaining how to do it, but doing this means that you won't have panels or slideview and some others SE's addings, but the phone will be faster than before (this doesn't mean that it will become in a fast phone) and what is most important, stable whit a decent battery life.
Despite of this, don't get cheated by its theoretical features: 8.2 mpx camera is not what is was supposed to be, it's not bad, but my old Nokia N73 takes better photos, smaller, but better, which is a shame. The video recording is painful. The response of the screen is not good, neither bad, but not good. The amount of RAM, 256 mb (about 100 mb free), could not be enough in some cases. Some features like the LED notifications, the light sensor or the backlight management don't work properly.
In conclusion, X2 isn't a bad phone (if you don't mind spending several hours in tuning it), but its paper features are very far of what they were supposed to be.
Greetings.
gbajzelj
then how could i make x2 be a great phone?? how to make it not lag anymore?
RJH57108
you convience me 2 buy it now..anyway, u disable the slideview, then how u use the phone in side-ways? are there hotkeys to turn the screen to slide view?
robuash
does it really take time to update it? what worst case can happen during update? is it true that update it to MR2 make it fast?
or u guys can suggest me other phone..i would like to have a phone that i can store many music, 8mpx camera, touch and sideslider, support games, great loudspeaker, wifi, no lag, great battery(atleast 2 or 3 days minimum for heavy and moderate usage)
MR2 makes the phone more usable and a bit faster, avoiding to install SE's **** adds another bit of speed and stability, but after all, the phone won't become in a snapdragon, it will be acceptable as best.
Upgrading firmware supposes the same risk than in other phones, if you run out of battery or you computer turns off, your phone will become in an expensive brick.
I don't know any other phone with this specs, the are great phones, much better than X2, but in my opinion always have a weak point, or the camera is rubbish, or don't have qwerty keyboard, or the battery is insufficient, etc... For me, no one is absolutely complete, so i can't suggest you anyone.
Hope this info helps, greetings.
thnks..well, last question, how much time did it take to update it?
esad (SE Xperia X2) said:
RJH57108
you convience me 2 buy it now..anyway, u disable the slideview, then how u use the phone in side-ways? are there hotkeys to turn the screen to slide view?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Slideview is a panel that runs on the X2 -- there are panels installed on the phone, and Slideview seems to be started even though you use a different panel ...
Slideview has nothing to do the the screen rotation that is automatically switched when the keyboard is slide out -- there are also auto-rotate fixes for the x2 that will allow programs to rotate to the lanscape mode with just turning the phone (most of the -- don't rotate problems -- seemed to be related to games) ...
For playing music (I actually use it to play audio books) -- I use Mort's MortPlayer -- which seems to work well, and with an ADP2 bluetooth headset, they are easy to listen to ...
Good luck with your decision ...
@ RJH57108
(originaly plans to pm but then again the answers may help)
Does the notification bug (the one where alarms e.g. sms notifactions like sounds and vibrate wont work after a while of use) happen to your phone? Had me always resorting to soft reset so that I would know wheter I have sms or not..
Could use some help tuning this phone...
Might as well search for a overclocking program too..
Current using the 'free up ram' feature of sktools..how does it par with ramclean?
If its ok, I would like to pattern tuning my phone from yours..
I don't have the problems with the notifications ... I get them (both sound and vibration -- also when I have a bluetooth headset in use -- an A2DP capable one) even after days of having the phone on ...
I find that RamClean seems to work better without any problems -- I used to use the SKTools one, but it would occasionally freeze the phone ... the RamClean does not have problems ... I use the Level 3 clean with a scheduled clean every 3 hours ...
Will probably reset my phone this weekends if I'm not too busy...
Might as well try the 'start-from-clean-wm6.5' step..
Hope that fixes the notification bug too..
Good luck to me.
As for the overclocking, are you using the method in this thread?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=767538&highlight=overclock
That is the right thread ... using nueOverClockTest and Msm7kCpuSpeed ...
esad (SE Xperia X2) said:
hey guys, im asking your opinion..im going to buy a new phone this february, i look that x2 looks nice...but i saw that many people disappointed with this phone because they said it always freeze, lag, low battery life...is that true?? please help me, if this phone good, tell me...im gonna buy this phone next month...if this phone is not good, then tell me why? what can i do to make this phone good? or u can suggest me better phone(must have 8mp camera, long lasting battery, wi-fi provided, great speaker for music, touchscreen, side slider qwerty keyboard, large resolution and screen)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not had battery problems with X2; I've used it since Aug 2010. I always have bluetooth on, and connected to my BT watch, BT car stereo, or BT home phone. I have LOTS of stuff installed, and a 32gb SD card. I've been known to run certain apps for 2-3 hrs straight with screen on and still have some juice left over.
In all, I enjoy the phone for it's sleek design and excellent flush screen more than I did the X1 (I bought the X1 the month it debuted, and still have it). The keyboard is absolutely untouchable. That alone is something that makes any kind of bugs something you say, "I'll have to search for a fix for that," rather than, "I better get a new phone".
If SE ever really focused on fixing the firmware one more time, or present an Android option ...the X2 would stomp all over similar devices.
But, there are indeed many core issues with this phone that you have to surmount, even after upgrade to MR2 firmware:
1) Fix for the SD Card corruption-bug
2) Fix for the display backlight timeout not being controllable.
3) Fix for forcing the screen to go off, but not the device to 'sleep' (this helps with certain BT & wiFi connections & software)
4) Add software to select programs for auto-rotate w/G-sensor
5) Add Opera
6) Add Advanced Config to tweak system
7) It's better if you overclock it.
8) Add SK Tools for system maintenance
9) Add JetWare bluetooth extension in order to transfer contacts to car stereo (I had to do this with X2; didn't have to with X1)
Items 1-7 are all freeware, although some may be hard to find.
That being said, this is Windows Mobile...so not a real big surprise that you'll have some issues. If you want real 'freedom' with your OS, ...this is what you'll need to work through. If you want trouble-free but vanilla computing, get an iPhone.
The comments above by gbajzelj & robuash are extremely valid, on the opposing ends of view....
esad (SE Xperia X2) said:
gbajzelj
then how could i make x2 be a great phone?? how to make it not lag anymore?
RJH57108
you convience me 2 buy it now..anyway, u disable the slideview, then how u use the phone in side-ways? are there hotkeys to turn the screen to slide view?
robuash
does it really take time to update it? what worst case can happen during update? is it true that update it to MR2 make it fast?
or u guys can suggest me other phone..i would like to have a phone that i can store many music, 8mpx camera, touch and sideslider, support games, great loudspeaker, wifi, no lag, great battery(atleast 2 or 3 days minimum for heavy and moderate usage)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A note on SlideView: this is essentially an extension of their media panel from the X1. While being a frustrating and buggy piece of software as people say, ...it's slick as Hell. I mean, I don't want to delete it (or the whole panel interface). It's why I bought the phone. I just think it's ridiculous when people say, "Fix your X2 by deleting SlideView and all Panels". --Oh, Thanks for that.
Just understand: you do need to buy a standalone photo viewer (Resco is great), and if you can't learn to love Windows Media Player, then expect to buy something like Pocket Player. SlideView is great for a handful of files, but not if you want to spend a lot of time with it. By that time, it will generally have cataloged some file it didn't like and crashed.
SlideView is launched if you press the hardware panel button once; panels are called by pressing the same button twice in quick succession. This could be better. Especially if your phone happens to be bogging-down at the time, ...you might not get the desired result on the first try.
A note on MR2: The firmware includes the "Saturn" black/gold theme from SE, which totally changes the look of your WM6.5.3 interface. It is slick, and it smartly increases fonts in correct areas, while making WM look modern. MR2 however, does not make the X2 magically 'fast'.
And, I think robuash is talking about the type of fixes I listed above. You will need to spend time tweaking. As a matter of fact, after running since about Sept, ...it's about time for a reload from scratch to clean things up. When I have 8hrs to spare, I'll get around to it. (Maybe I'll take a day off from work sometime.)
Lastly, I think someone above mentioned memory. As opposed to the X1, internal memory is very limited on the X2. You have to be real creative how you install stuff, and install absolutely everything you possibly can on the SD card instead of the system. (This is also where SK Tools comes in handy, because it lets you 'move' programs between Card and System & back, even for some programs that don't give you a choice at install time.)
Also, once you dip below 20mb program memory in the phone, it tends to get real buggy. I'm just above that right now, but I've got LOADS of programs installed (creatively, on the SD card).
I too, been thinking about getting the X2 for a long time. But theyre still quite expensive (In my opinion). I've always loved sony ericsson phones. I had the X1 awhile ago, my first WinMo phone, paid $250 for it, I only buy full qwerty phones, but at the time, i was all crazy about the whole android thing and the X1's keyboard was already giving me issues (space bar and some letters registering twice) so i got really dissapointed and sold it.
Then finally got myself the motorola milestone which i loved, but after tweaking my X1 so much, i sort of got bored with android, but it was still a GREAT phone so i decided to keep it until a couple of months ago mainly because, unfortunately, the milestone i bought (from amazon) was not compatible with my carrier's 3G frequencies so i had to use EDGE all the time, slow as hell. So i sold it and and decided to go with the HTC fuze so i could try winmo again, paid $100 for one(used) and cool and stuff but it still didnt look as good as the milestone or the X1 (thick phone and the screen sucked compared to the X1 and milestone) so i looked up the X1 on ebay and bought one used for $100 too lol.
So now i have the X1 AGAIN and love it more than ever BUT, theres the keyboard and flex cable issue >< , plus, the keyboard isnt as comfortable as the fuze's. Anyways, it just seems like the X2 would be perfect for me at this time since it would basically be a X1 without the issues i just mentioned. The only problem is that they seem to cost $250/$350 on ebay. For that price i could get used phones with way better specs.
Also, im not sure about X2's current android development.
shure X2 can be made farely OK (but not GOOD) phone with a little work and help from our friends from XDA.
but just to reming you. this device when came out costed around 500€ ($600). at lunch (in january 2010) it had old CPU (qualcom msms 7200 came out in 2007, alot devices from 2008 had it) it also had only 265 MB RAM wich was already then to little.
it was slow and buggy at lunch and it still is now (last update in may 2010 i think thats only 4 months after release and that is liie saying your costumers F YOU).
for a phone that costed 500€ at lunch i can assume its high end phone. and some people assumed that and pay for this phone when it came out.
i have to point out that i got it for free in february 2010 and i still have a feeling of being cheeted. for that kind of money it shoud look great (that it does), feal good (typing on the qwerty is nice, but the touch is a joke, even x1 had better touch response but x1 screen was not secured as good as x2 is) and also it shoud WORK good, wich if we buy a phone that is assumed high end it should but x2 doesnt.
what kind of high end phone corupts data on SD card (jeah there is a SDFIX but some data deffinitly got lost before it was made. and that does not sounds like a high end phone) what kind of phone takes almost 1/2 hour to setup (after a hard reset) and then works so slowly that you have to hard reset every week (shure you can hardreset, and interupt the costumizatin to have clean WM6.5.3 and then install some staff by yourself to make it usable)?
if a costumer buys a product (and again 500€ for mobile phone means it should be a mean machine, a multimedia monster, not that it says [email protected] video then even on the QVGA the framerate is not totaly 30fps) that product should work without ours deletting the SE stuff hardreseting it, SD problem fixes, notification problem fixes, LED problem fixes, baterry problem fixes, killing a task in taskmanager freezes... the phone should work great out of the box for gods sake! are you that dumb! IF YOU PAY FOR SOMETHIONG YOU SHOULD GET WHAT YOU PAYED!
just a little comparison i have a X2, had HD2 (had to sell couse i urgently needed money (am deffinatly buying HD2 again), and again the X2 is such a ****ty phone nobody wants to buy so i had to sell HD2), and my friend has htc tattoo.
X2 costs almost like HD2 (x2 €500, hd2 €550 maybe €600 and im talking new phones at thair releases) x2 has the display resolution like HD2, has a very nice query that is great to type. but it has a cpu slover then tattoo (and those who sees 528MHz and think the cpus are the same, THEY ARE NOT. 7225 is newer then 7200 the 7225 it might not be alot faster but it isa little faster) and has the same amouth on RAM as tattoo (256MB). and at my mobile operator with contract X2 costed 300€ and tattoo costed 60€, tatoo at elast has android (donut is realy old now but back then it was fine). im a fan of WM 6.5.x but still on X2 some things, that work on others 6.5.X devices, doesnt work.
in short (not realy):
-price is high end,
-qwerty above average,
-touch is low end (its better with the stylus but average max)
i so miss the touchpad with up, down, left, and right butons from my X1.
-cpu/ram is the low end of smartfhones (already was low at relese in Jan 2010 if i tell you that tattoo came out in Sep 2009 and tattoo is a low range of samrthones)
-it has a high end display resolution (but combination of slow hardware and big display resolution isnt the best)
- it has stability problems (stability wise the phone isnt finished yet. it more feels like a beta tester unit) the SD gets corupted, killing tasks in task manager has a chance your device will freeze and the are then strange happenigh when making a call or reciving a call (not always but sometimes, at least 2x a week) and then people who you are calling or who is calling you is asking "hey man whats wron with your fency phone? is it broken already". and you know that its not broke its the software wich is not good.
the best part of SE programing is definitly the Phone program it runs great. its well finger optimized and the contact list is so fluid, has nice tabs and so on.
to say in one sentence. mediocre phone with good qwerty, slow hardware and a hefty price tag.
at the moment am using it just for mailing, and surfing the web on my wifi. for calling im using my 6 year old nokia 1600 at least nothing goes wrong with that one and the battery runs for 10-12 days.
sorry for bad english.
im not 100% sure yet but after reading this whole thread im thinking of just fixing my xperia X1 (ribbon cable issue) and sticking with it rather than buying the X2
well X1 is more fun then X2 for shure. 6.5.3 is more finger friendly but the touch respond is not good with fingers (if X2 had capacitve display this would be a totaly diferent song). plus 6.1 that is on x1 is more functional. more stuff works as it should. alot of programers did not rewrite their apps for 6.5, 6.5.X so some apps have some truble here and there. spb shell (used 3.5.3, 3.5.5 runs to slow) in landscape on my X2 with 6.5.3 has some problems with hight and width. its not a big problem but its notiseble.
plus X1 has SE panel1 and 2 that i love. and the biggest plus in my opinion alot of roms to flash.
if i had a chance to swap X2 back for X1 i would. oh and if you get your X1 repared. and if you get sick of panels, spb shell, android, ubuntu... give a try to spb pocket plus wich i adored on my x1 its a nice small plugin for todayscreen. you have icons on the today screen, and nice tabs (7 max i think) and it looks realy nice. uses nice icons for everithing.
X2 might be OK to get if you get one totaly functionl and with no demage to the body for less then X1 will cost to get repared. but i dont think that is possible.
wish you luck.
sorry for bad english.
I see, thanks for your answer. Well, what about the X2 camera? i keep reading mixed reviews, some people say its garbage, others say its as good as the cybershot branded phones. How good is the camera in comparison with the X1?
And also the keyboard, thats the main reason i'd buy the X2, the camera would be a plus, IF its any good. But i guess those reasons alone arent enough for for me to spend $250 right now. I'd just save a bit more and buy a moto milestone or something.
XtriFe said:
I see, thanks for your answer. Well, what about the X2 camera? i keep reading mixed reviews, some people say its garbage, others say its as good as the cybershot branded phones. How good is the camera in comparison with the X1?
And also the keyboard, thats the main reason i'd buy the X2, the camera would be a plus, IF its any good. But i guess those reasons alone arent enough for for me to spend $250 right now. I'd just save a bit more and buy a moto milestone or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I realize this is a month later, but if you (or someone) is wondering about the camera, you should know:
The X2 camera, while indeed being 8.1 mpxl ... only manages "2 mxpl" when in 16x9 mode. At least, this is how the menus describe it. On the X1, there was no distinction about a lower amount of mpxl's in-use when in 16x9 mode.
In reality, I'm not sure if this is truly a surprising bit of 'reversal' (where the older model is actually superior, albeit with a lower 'spec'), or if they just didn't 'publicize' the lower mxpl in the 16x9 mode on X1. --It does tend to put a 'bummer face' on you when you see that in the X2 camera menu.
Now, that being said ... I'd say that (however you shoot) the X2 camera is superior to the X1 in one very major way: lower compression. Although I took many a fine shot on my X1 ... the compression was pretty bad (especially on a city scene, etc. with a lot of varying detail & colors). The X2 shots have a more 'normal' look.
On the downside, the X2 seems to be more 'focus-finnicky', no matter what you do. You really need arms of steel to take a perfect shot on the X2 (and that was not the case on the X1, especially when using the 'motion mode' in the presets).
On the upside, I think the X2 produces better color balance in most lighting situations. I often take pictures of whiteboards at work after meetings. With the X1, I always needed to run pictures through varying levels of color-correction before sending-out, etc. I still do with X2, but to a lesser extent. Something with the contrast-balance is better so that lined text (like you have from board markers) maintains its quality. --This may again be another example in favor of X2 because of lesser-compression, actually.
So, it's a trade-off:
X2 'feels' like a much better camera (overall)
X1 is a little more solid/reliable, but less-potent & 'feels' more like a cellphone camera.
(There we go again. Yep, X2 is a sleek, upgraded phone, ...but with its share of quibbles.)
maybe this website may help you to make a choice..
http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_xperia_x2-review-443.php